USA > Indiana > Newton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 35
USA > Indiana > Benton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 35
USA > Indiana > Pulaski County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 35
USA > Indiana > Warren County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 35
USA > Indiana > Tippecanoe County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 35
USA > Indiana > Jasper County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 35
USA > Indiana > White County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 35
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JAMES B. SHAW.
For twenty years James B. Shaw has been a resident of Lafayette, and is accounted one of her most valued citizens. Honorable and upright in all his dealings, devoted to whatever tends to benefit the general public, con- scientious in the discharge of the least as well as the greatest of his duties as a patriotic citizen, he possesses the respect and high regard of all who know him. Ever a loyal citizen, he manifested his fidelity to the Union cause upon southern battlefields, and in the days of peace serves his country just as faithfully.
Mr. Shaw is descended from Irish ancestry, although for many genera- tions the family has been established in America. His grandfather, Josiah Shaw, was a native of Maine, and died in Gorham, that state, at the advanced age of ninety-six years, while his wife reached the age of eighty- two. They were the parents of seven children, six sons and a daughter. Among this number was William H. Shaw, father of our subject. He was a native of Gorham, Maine, and in the early part of his business career engaged in clerking in New York city. While still a young man he came to Indiana, locating in Delphi in 1837. There he secured a clerkship in the general store of William Bowles, with whom he remained until February, 1851, when, having acquired some capital, he invested the same in a farm and turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. Subsequently, in connec- tion with Gardner Mudge, his father-in-law, he laid out the town of Chalmers, in White county, on the old Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railroad, and in 1856 he removed to Bradford, now Monon, where he engaged in business until 1860. From that time until his death he resided in Remington, Jasper county, and on the Ist of July, 1894, departed this life, when nearly eighty- three years of age. In his early manhood he married Miss Cornelia Mudge, a native of Huron, Wayne county, New York, and a daughter of Gardner Mudge, also a native of the Empire state and of English extraction. In 1837 he came to Indiana and was an important factor in the substantial develop- ment of his section of the state. For a number of years he engaged in
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merchandising in the town of Delphi and also managed a farm. He died in December, 1856, at the age of sixty-seven years. Mrs. Shaw, one of his four children, is still living in Remington, and has attained the age of seventy- seven years. She is a faithful member of the Presbyterian church, to which her husband also belonged. An opponent of the system of slavery, he gave his support to the Abolition party in ante-bellum days, and on the organiza- tion of the Republican party he joined its ranks and continued one of its stanch advocates until his death. For a number of years he served as post- master, administering the affairs of the office with discretion and ability. Six children were born to William H. and Cornelia Shaw, but only two are now living, James B. and Jessie Gardner, the latter now the wife of Moses Solomon, of Elgin, Illinois.
The subject of this review is numbered among the native sons of Indiana. His birth occurred in Delphi, on the 28th of May, 1842, and during the greater part of his boyhood he resided upon a farm near Chalmers. In the winter of 1856-7 he attended a select school in Marietta, Ohio, where he pursued his studies under the supervision of Professor Samuel Maxwell, a noted educator of that day. In 1858 he entered Wabash College, and was engaged in mastering the different branches of learning taught in that school at the time of the inauguration of the civil war. Deeply interested in the causes which led to the outbreak of hostilities and firmly believing in the policy of the north as outlined by President Lincoln, he responded to the call of his country on the 6th of September, 1861, and enlisted as a member of Company D, Tenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He served as a private until July, 1862, and was then made hospital steward of the regiment, acting in that capacity until September 19, 1864, when he was honorably discharged. He served for three years and thirteen days, and never was absent from roll call in all that time-a remarkable record! Among the battles and cam- paigns in which he gallantly fought were the following: Siege of Corinth, from the 10th of April to the 30th of May, 1862; Perryville, on the 8th of October, 1862; the Tullahoma campaign in 1863; the battle of Chickamauga, September 19 and 20, 1863; the storming of Mission Ridge, November 25, 1863; the battle of Resaca on the 13th, 14th and 15th of May, 1864; Kingston, Georgia, May 25th; Kenesaw Mountain, from the 20th to the 30th of June, 1864; Peach Tree Creek, July 20, 1864; and the siege of Atlanta, from the 21st of July until the 2d of September, 1864.
At the close of the war Mr. Shaw returned to his home to resume the pursuits of civil life. On the 15th of May, 1865, he accepted the position of telegraph operator for the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Railroad Company and continued with that corporation for seven years, after which he entered the service of the Panhandle, and was with that road and the Chicago & Eastern
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Illinois until 1877. In April of that year he became connected with the Lake Erie & Western Railroad Company, which he served until August I, 1882, when he became connected with the Lafayette Car Works, and subse- quent to March 24, 1885, was in the claim-agency business. In November, 1886, he was elected justice of the peace, and in 1896 was re-elected, the latter time being supported by both Republicans and Democrats-an unmis- takable evidence of his fidelity to duty and his impartiality. He is a popular as well as efficient magistrate, for his uniform courtesy to witnesses, clients and lawyers is most marked.
On the 20th of March, 1865, Mr. Shaw married Miss Martha J. Beal, of Watseka, Illinois, a daughter of William and Sarah (Lamborn) Beal. Their union has been blessed with six children: James B., the eldest, is a graduate of Purdue University and for five years was professor of mathematics and physics in Illinois College, at Jacksonville, Illinois. At the present time he is occupying the chair of mathematics in the military academy at Orchard Lake, Michigan. He married Martha J. Whittlesey, who is now deceased. William H., the second son, is a member of Company D, Second Texas Volunteer Infantry, and served with the Seventh Army Corps, under command of General Fitzhugh Lee. Robert Beal, the third son, is a printer. Mary Delia is the wife of A. W. Harris, by whom she has two children, Armazindy and William Arthur. Maude and Jessie, the younger daughters, are at home, the family residence being located at No. 1006 Elliott street, Lafayette.
Mr. Shaw is connected with several civic societies and is a worthy exponent of the benevolent principles on which the orders are founded. Since 1867 he has been a Master Mason; since 1866 has held membership in Middleport Lodge, No. 74, I. O. O. F., and is identified with Encampment No. 81, of Watseka. He was a charter member of Encampment No. 122, Union Veteran Legion, and is past colonel of the same. On the 2d of December, 1879, he became a member of John A. Logan Post, G. A. R .; was commander of the post in 1881 and 1883, and in 1894 was elected senior vice-commander of department of Indiana. He is also a member and the past dictator of Lodge No. 4, Loyal Order of Moose. Since the organization . of the Republican party he has given his support to its men and measures and is one of its most loyal adherents. His entire life has been passed in Indiana. At all times he has manifested a deep interest in all movements tending toward the advancement of city, county and state, and his influence and aid have proven important factors in the promotion of many measures which have advanced the general welfare. He is progressive and enterprising, courteous and considerate, and at all times commands the respect and confi- dence of his fellow men.
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ELISHA RODGERS.
The pride and strength of any country, its mainstay and support, is the farmer, whose toil produces food for the masses and without whose labors poverty and ruin would soon come to the nation. The hardy frontiersman of America had much greater tasks before him than the mere tilling of the soil; he had forests to raze, rivers to bridge, roads to make, privations and hardships innumerable to endure, trials and dangers at which the bravest heart might well quail; yet rarely did he falter in the grand and noble work, -none the less noble because self-imposed, -the work which meant civiliza- tion, progress and prosperity in regions hitherto uninhabited save by the red men and wild beasts. In the mighty work of rendering the great state of Indiana a fitting place for mankind Elisha Rodgers has certainly done his share, and no one is more deserving of praise.
This pioneer of Warren county was born at East Haddam, Connecticut, April 14; 1812, his parents being Allen and Sarah A. (Warner) Rodgers, the latter of Irish ancestry. When our subject was a child his parents removed to New Hampshire, thence went to Hamilton county, Ohio, and in 1825 settled in Vermilion county, Indiana. Many years later, the father went to Benton county, Iowa, and finally died at his home near Newton. The mother returned to Indiana, and made her home with her son Elisha until her death. He was the eldest of seven children, five sons and two daugh- ters, and is now the only survivor.
From 1825 until 1836 Elisha Rodgers remained in Vermilion county, but for the past sixty-three years he has made his home in Mound township, Warren county. His present farm is partly situated on the site of the old town of Baltimore, where for about six years he was a merchant and post- master. This is one of the " deserted villages " so common in some parts of this country, but rarely seen in the thrifty western or central states. Years ago he was a man of recognized ability and influence in the public affairs of this community, and held various township offices. He was commissioner of Warren county for six years and was a justice of the peace for a long period. While serving in the latter capacity he married many a couple well known in the history of this section, among others, Aaron Y. Taylor and wife, the former of whom was about his own age. At his own expense Mr. Rodgers built a school-house in the early days, and afterward taught two terms in the structure. Eight times he took flat-boats down the rivers to New Orleans, where a good market for northern farm products was always to be found. His first and last vote for a Democrat was cast in favor of General Jackson, for the presidency, and since the organization of the Repub- lican party he has been one of its stanchest supporters on national issues.
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Though now well along in years, he is in the complete possession of his faculties, and recalls vividly many a scene and stirring occurrence of the youthful days of Indiana.
The first marriage of Mr. Rodgers took place September 3, 1840, the lady of his choice being Miss Julia Evans, who died June 8, 1849. She left one daughter, Melissa, now the wife of Hugh S. Ritchey, of Covington. September 1, 1850, Mr. Rodgers married Mary Ann, daughter of Peter and Elizabeth (Hering) Moudy. She was born in Butler county, Ohio, and accompanied her parents to Vermilion county when she was about six years old. To our estimable subject and wife eleven children were born, of whom six are now living, namely: Sarah Jane, wife of David Talbot, of Vermilion county; Emily, widow of Mark V. Kenney, and now living with her parents; Martha Washington, wife of Frank M. Riley, a prominent citizen of Okla- homa; Abraham Lincoln, a resident of Covington; Rose Ann, wife of Jacob Rouse; and Peter M., who lives in Mound township. George Washington and John C. Fremont were the sons who died, and twin girls died in infancy. Without exception the children of our subject have enjoyed the respect and esteem of all with whom their lot has been cast, and in all their dealings their course has been marked with the same justice, uprightness and fairness which have ever characterized his actions.
ABNER GOODWINE.
The annals of Warren county would be incomplete were the name and record of Abner Goodwine omitted, for any reason, as he has resided within the county boundaries for the long period of seventy years, and few citizens of Gordon township are better known or more sincerely esteemed. He has witnessed almost its whole development from an unbroken wilderness to a well cultivated farming area, dotted with happy, prosperous homes and thriv- ing villages. Forty years ago he cast his first presidential ballot, Zachary Taylor being his choice, and from that time to the present he has voted at every presidential election. Espousing the Republican party principles, when his old Whig party was supplanted, he has voted for every candidate from Fremont to Mckinley.
Abner Goodwine, the only child of the respected old pioneer. James Goodwine (whose history is printed on another page of this work) and his second wife, Mrs. Sarah (Shumaker) Logan Goodwine, was born in Bar- tholomew county, Indiana, July 10, 1826. Mrs. Goodwine was a native of Virginia and thence removed to Kentucky with her parents. When she arrived at womanhood she married William Logan and they became residents of Jackson county, Indiana, the husband dying there a few years afterward.
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When he was about eighteen months old Abner Goodwine was brought to Warren county by his parents and here he has since remained. Since 1850 he has been a land-owner and resident of Jordan township. Commencing with but small means, he gradually accumulated property and a bank account, and at one time he owned thirty-eight hundred acres of land in this county. He has been very liberal with his children, and still has in his possession about eighteen hundred acres of fine farm land. His home is a very attract- ive one, the building is of brick, and there are few better farm residences in the county.
The marriage of Abner Goodwine and Barbara J., daughter of George Pence, a pioneer of this county, was celebrated October 30, 1851. They have ten living children, namely: Mrs. Mary C. Hemmelright, Newton C., Sarah E., Olive, Frank S., Clara Virginia, Nora and Cora (twins). Leola and Harry M., and two children, George and Belle, are deceased.
DAVID LAUGHLIN.
The proprietor of a general store in Talbot, Benton county, Indiana, David Laughlin was born in the adjoining state of Ohio, in Brown county, January 8, 1836. He is the son of Robert and Isabella (Graham) Laughlin, and is of Scotch-Irish stock, his paternal grandparents coming from the north of Ireland, and his maternal grandparents from Scotland. His father was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in 1790, and moved, some years later, to Brown county, Ohio, where he owned two hundred and forty acres of land. In 1840 he disposed of his property and moved to Shelby county, that state, where he purchased eighty acres, upon which he was still residing ten years later, when his death occurred. He was united in wedlock to Miss Isabella Graham, a native of Lancaster county, where she was born in 1791. She moved to Clermont county, Ohio, where she was married, and died near Sidney, that state, in 1876. Their family consisted of twelve children: James, who died at the age of eighteen; Mary, who died in 1870, at the age of sixty years; Isabella, who died in infancy; Elizabeth, who died at the age of fifty- five, in 1888; William, a resident of Shelby county, Ohio; Margaret, who died in Shelby county, in 1851, at the age of thirty years; John, who lives in Shelby county; Nancy, who resides at Piqua, Miami county, same state, the widow of Charles Street; Leander and Richard, deceased, the former at the age of twenty, the latter at the age of twenty-four; David, the subject of this memoir; and Joseph, a resident of Sidney, Ohio; and the present county auditor.
David Laughlin attended the district school in Shelby county, until he was nineteen, receiving a good education. In 1855 he and a man named
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Reuben Woodmancie, now of Council Bluffs, Iowa, walked from Shelby county, Ohio, to Warren county, Indiana. They returned to Ohio, but after- ward came back to Indiana. He taught school two terms in Wapakoneta, Ohio, and in 1858 started with a party of travelers to cross the plains from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. They were stopped, and Laughlin returned to Indiana. He worked near College Corner, for several months and the same year, 1858, engaged in the cattle business, in which he was very successful. He rented land near College Corner, where he farmed during the sum- mers and taught school in the winter months. He continued this plan for twenty-eight years, and then entered the mercantile business at Talbot, in 1887. He built the store and residence now occupied by him, and placed a line of general merchandise in the room, valued at one thousand five hun- dred dollars, and has been equally successful in this as in previous ventures.
He was married February 19, 1859, at College Corner, Indiana, to Miss Adaline Brady, daughter of John and Eliza (Davidson) Brady, farmers near College Corner. His wife died in 1881, at the age of thirty-six years, and left six children : Eva May, now deceased; Loch, a farmer in Warren coun- ty, this state; Leonard, a farmer near Talbot, who owns one hundred and forty-two acres where he lives and eighty acres in Warren county; Elmer, who is in the grain business at Boswell, this state; Marlin, deceased; and Rolland, who is serving his country in her troubles with Spain, and is sta- tioned at Fort Pickens, Florida. After his wife's death Mr. Laughlin was again married, this time to Mrs. Amanda (Stalley) Stephenson, a daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth Stalley, of North Carolina. He has been a member of the Masonic fraternity for the past ten years. He is a prominent member of the Baptist church, and a Democrat in politics. He has filled the office of justice of the peace in a manner that reflected credit on his shrewdness and judgment.
ANDREW C. SALE.
One of the pioneers of Tippecanoe county, as he has lived within its borders for sixty-six years, A. C. Sale is justly entitled to representation in the annals of the county. For thirty-eight years he has dwelt in a com- modious frame house, which he built himself, at No. 1804 Union street, Lafayette. He has been an interested witness of the great improvement and development of this region, and to his friends has many an interesting inci- dent to relate of the days of long ago, when he and the county were young. Having lived here so long a time, and having been engaged in one line of busi- ness here for years, he is well known throughout the county and no one is held in higher respect.
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Born on the anniversary of our nation's birth, in 1832, in Butler county, Ohio, A. C. Sale is the only surviving child of Clayton and Sarah (Parke) Sale, natives of Kentucky and Pennsylvania, respectively. One by one, the parents and seven of their children were summoned to the better land, and now only one of the happy home circle remains. The father, who was a millwright by trade, came to this county in September, 1832, and settled in Sheffield township, east of Lafayette. He worked at his trade as a carpen- ter until shortly before his death, which event occurred in his sixty-third year, March, 1856, in Rossville, Indiana. He was a hero of the war of 1812 and was at the battle of the Thames, Canada, where Tecumseh was killed. Our subject's mother died in 1847, and the father later married Elizabeth Miller, who died in Rossville some years ago. Clayton and Sarah Sale were both members of the United Brethren church and were active in all good works and enterprises. The father of Clayton Sale was Samuel Sale, a farmer in Kentucky, in which state he resided until his death, when he was eighty-four. He was of English ancestry. The father of Sarah Sale was David Parke, a native of New Jersey. He and his wife were early settlers of this state and resided here until the summons came to them to leave the shores of time.
An infant of but a few months when his parents brought him to this county, A. C. Sale is practically a native son of this section, especially as he has never lived elsewhere. He engaged in farm work and attended school until he was a few months over fifteen, when he began learning the tinner's trade. This has been his occupation, more or less, throughout life, his spec- iality being the roofing of buildings. He went into business on his own ac- count in 1863 and carries a fine and well selected stock of hardware, stoves, etc., his present location being at No. 315 Columbia street. Fair and just in all his dealings, he bears among the business men and citizens of this place a reputation of which he may well be proud. By strict attention to business affairs, regard for the interests of his customers, energy, promptness and un- failing courtesy, he prospered as he deserved to do, and he is now the pos- sessor of a comfortable fortune. Politically, he sides with the Republican party, and has never been an aspirant to public office. In Tippecanoe Lodge, No. 55, I. O. O. F., he stands high, has been a trustee of the same for twenty-two years, and has represented his lodge in the grand lodge upon sev- eral occasions.
May, 25, 1854, Mr. Sale married Miss Elizabeth Herald, daughter of Lewis and Sarah (Reamer) Herald. The eldest child of Mr. and Mrs. Sale, Lavilo Reamer, married Ida Dodd and practised medicine for several years in Clinton, Iowa, but has returned and is assisting his father in the manage- ment of his business. He has two living children, -Estella and Louis. Alice
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Carrie, elder daughter of our subject, married Charles Elliott, of this city, and is the mother of four children, namely: Grace, Claude, Harold and Alice. Mary Edith is the wife of Dr. Robert E. Lee, of Lafayette, Indiana, and their only child is Elizabeth Helen.
Many years ago Mr. and Mrs. Sale became identified with the member- ship of the United Brethren church. For a long period he was superintend- ent of the Sunday-school, class-leader, steward, etc., and at all times he has contributed liberally to the support of the church work in all its departments. His heart is a kind and generous one and the poor and needy receive many favors at his hands.
ABSALOM NISEWANDER.
This substantial and respected farmer of Sheffield township, Tippecanoe county, Indiana, springs from sturdy German ancestry. His forefathers were among the early settlers of Maryland and it was in that state that his father, Joseph Nisewander, was born, his native place being near Hagerstown. In that state he married Miss Lydia, daughter of Christian Evy (or Avy), who was likewise of German origin. Mr. Evy (or Avy) was a well-to-do farmer who lived and died in Maryland. His children were George, Samuel and Lydia. Joseph Nisewander, soon after marriage, moved to Ohio and settled in Miami county, and in 1828 came over into Indiana, arriving in Tippecanoe county in the month of October and making settlement in Lauramie town- ship on eighty acres of land which he entered and which was at that time covered with forest. He was one of the primitive pioneers of the township. After improving his farm he exchanged it for eighty acres where his son, the subject of this sketch, now lives, and this place also he cleared and improved. He was an industrious, honorable and upright man, and reared an excellent family. In those early days in the "Hoosier " state the people lived in a simple manner. They raised sheep, spun the wool, wove it into cloth, and thus made their own clothing. Game and the products of their farms sup- plied their tables bountifully. In this way the Nisewanders lived and brought up their family. Their children in order of birth were David, Samuel, Daniel, Absalom, Amy, Lucinda, Elizabeth, Lydia and Susan. Religiously, they were "Campbellites " or Christians. The father died at about the age of seventy years and the mother was sixty-two when she passed away.
Absalom Nisewander, whose name initiates this review, was born Octo- ber 28, 1825, in Miami county, Ohio, and was three years old when the family moved to Indiana. Here, amid frontier surroundings, he was reared, his education being received in one of the primitive log school-houses for which early Indiana was noted. September 13, 1855, at the age of
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twenty-nine years, he married Miss Susan Fidler, who was born June 3, 1835, in Wea township, Tippecanoe county, Indiana, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Stoner) Fidler. Jacob Fidler was a Virginian by birth and a descendant of Irish and Dutch ancestry. He was one of the early settlers of Ohio and was there married, his wife being a daughter of Peter Stoner. About 1830 the Fidler family came to Indiana and took up their abode at a point east of Dayton, where they lived for a few years and whence they removed to Wea Prairie, where the father purchased eighty acres of land, partially improved, of Alexander Hoover. Mr. Fidler further improved his land, and added to it until his farm comprised two hundred acres, which amount he owned at the time of his death. His children were Alvin, George, Joseph, Orlando, William, Andrew, Barbara A., Sarah, Susan and Rebecca. He, too, was a member of the Christian church and reared his family in that faith.
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