USA > Indiana > Newton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 40
USA > Indiana > Benton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 40
USA > Indiana > Pulaski County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 40
USA > Indiana > Warren County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 40
USA > Indiana > Tippecanoe County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 40
USA > Indiana > Jasper County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 40
USA > Indiana > White County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 40
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The parents of C. C. French are Rev. David S. and Hannah L. (Clark) French, natives of Miami county, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, respectively. The father was one of thirteen children and the mother was one of five children, two of whom were sons. Rev. Mr. French was a pioneer minister in the Missionary Baptist church, and for many years he was very aggres- sively engaged in spreading the gospel, preaching at various points along the Wabash river and in the adjacent territory, and even across the state line in Illinois. For about six years he was pastor of a church in Covington, Indi- ana, occupied a Lafayette pulpit for a year or more, was in charge of the Brookston church for six years, and was located at various other places in this state. For three years he held a charge in Mahomet, Illinois, and was stationed in Bloomfield, Blue Grass, Illinois, and at other points in that state. He was a man of great force of character, and excelled in his theo- logical expositions the most of the preachers of his day. In recognition of this he had the honor of having the degree of D. D. conferred upon him by a prominent university. In 1868 he came to Brookston, and made his home here until his death, in 1880, when he was seventy-six years of age. He served for one term in the responsible position of treasurer of Fountain county, and was re-elected, but political complications lost him the office. His widow survived him a few years, her death taking place in 1893, when she was in her sixty-fifth year. Three of their seven children are now living,
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namely: Lewis Theodore, Chester C. and Frank David,-the latter of River- side, California.
The birth of Chester C. French occurred in Covington, Indiana, Febru- ary 21, 1850, and when he was seven years old his parents removed to a farm in Vermilion county. There he dwelt for four years and as soon as he was old enough he commenced working on farms. Later he rented small tracts of land and cultivated the same on his own account. When he was eighteen he moved into Brookston and attended the public schools here for a short period, after which he entered the Chicago University. In 1874 he returned to Brookston and took up the study of medicine, teaching in the meantime. About 1877 he was employed for a period in the railway mail service. Then, in conjunction with his father, he purchased the Brookston Reporter, which, saving a few years, he has since conducted. In order to thoroughly equip himself for the business he learned the printer's trade and mastered the practical details which have any bearing on the subject. In connection with the publishing of his journal, which is a representative one and first-class in every respect, he does all kinds of job printing. Mr. French was admitted to the bar in 1894, and, though he has not given a great amount of his time to the calling, he has practiced to some extent.
One of the most active and valued members of the Brookston Baptist church is Mr. French, who has been honored with various offices and has conscientiously and faithfully performed such duties as devolved upon him in that connection. For twenty-one successive years he has been clerk of the church, and for ten years was superintendent of the Sunday-school. A musician of recognized talent, he has been the chorister of the church, and has been in great demand for evangelistic work. He possesses a fine voice, and for a time was a member of what was known as the St. David's Quar- tette. Nor do his accomplishments end here; for it might be mentioned that he is a speaker possessing natural eloquence and force, and that he has fre- quently delivered lectures and addresses on various topics, and that he has often made very happy and opportune toasts at dinner parties and banquets. With one and all who know him he is deservedly popular, and few citizens of White county are better known or more worthy of respect and esteem than Chester C. French.
WILBUR F. SEVERSON.
A worthy representative of two of the pioneer families of Indiana, the subject of this review was born in Lafayette, February 4, 1860, a son of Page B. and Mary J. (Jones) Severson. The parents were both natives of Tippe- canoe county, and for many years the father was numbered among the
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leading business men of Lafayette. He was the proprietor and manager of a music store, which since his death, March 2, 1897, has been carried on by his son, Frederick J. Frederick J. and Wilbur F., of this sketch, are his only children. The widowed mother is still living.
The paternal grandfather of our subject, James Severson, was a native of Pennsylvania and was possibly, of Scotch ancestry. He went to Ohio when a young man, there married Patience J. Pierce, and subsequently removed to this state, taking up his abode at a point seven miles west of Lafayette. He was one of the pioneers of this section and was actively associated with the early development of the county.
On the maternal side of our subject's family we find that his grandfa- ther, Mark Jones, was born in Kanawha county, West Virginia, January 14, 1814. When he was a child he removed with his father, William Jones, by flat-boat down the Ohio river to Cincinnati and thence proceeded to Wayne county, Indiana. In 1824 he came to Tippecanoe county, where he became one of the most valued citizens. He served for twelve years as clerk of the court, and also acted in the capacity of constable. For several years he was judge of the court of common pleas and during the remainder of his life he was actively engaged in the practice of law. His long and useful life was closed March 4, 1897, and his loss has been deeply felt by his large circle of admirers and friends.
Wilbur F. Severson received a good education in the public schools of Lafayette and later was a student in Purdue University for four years. The next two years he attended the Cincinnati Law School, graduating there May 25, 1881. He was at once admitted to the bar of this state and entered upon a practice which has been successful from the start and has been con- stantly widening in importance. Since February, 1885, he has held the position of United States commissioner, and upon the 14th of October, 1880, he was granted a license to practice before the supreme court of the United States.
He has always been a great lover of music, and while living in Cincin- nati he was a pupil in the Conservatory, taking special instruction on the piano and organ. He uses his right of franchise in favor of the Republican party, in the success of which he is earnestly interested. A Mason of the thirty-second degree, he belongs to Tippecanoe Lodge, No. 492, F. & A. M .; Lafayette Chapter, No. 3, R. A. M .; Lafayette Commandery, No. 3, K. T., and is, moreover, a noble of the Mystic Shrine.
The marriage of Mr. Severson and Miss Minnie E. Gwin, of Battle Ground, Indiana, was celebrated November 29, 1892. They are members of Saint John's Episcopal church of this place, and are interested in all worthy religious and philanthropic enterprises.
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JEREMIAH GOCHENOUR, D. D. S.
Numbered among the leading citizens of Monticello, White county, is the subject of this sketch, who, though a young man, has already attained an enviable position in the ranks of his profession, and has before him a most flattering prospect. One of the native sons of Indiana, his birth occurred in Clinton county, April 5, 1868, and with the exception of the time which he spent in learning the many and varied duties pertaining to his chosen pro- fession, he has always lived in this state.
The family, which finds an able representative in the Doctor, originated in Alsace-Lorraine, near the border of Germany; but William Gochenour, the grandfather of our subject, was a native of Virginia. In that state he was engaged in agriculture and at one time served in the militia. At an early period he removed with his family to Clinton county, Indiana, and died there when fifty-six years old. His children comprised four sons and two daugh- ters. The Doctor's parents were David and Mary (Reavis) Gochenour, natives of Virginia and North Carolina, respectively. David Gochenour lived in Eaton, Ohio, for five years, and was in his fourteenth year when he located in Clinton county, this state. When he had grown to man's estate he bought forty acres of land, and this property he proceeded to cultivate, spending the dull winter season in executing contracts for painting. At present he owns a quarter section of good farm land, and is prospering. During the civil war he was drafted, but his little family needed him at home and he hired a sub- stitute; and while residing in another township he likewise paid for a substi- tute. Politically a Democrat, he served for one term as an assessor, but, after joining the Dunkard church, of which he is still a devoted member, he was opposed to holding public offices. His first wife, Mary, died in Febru- ary, 1874, aged forty-three years. Her father, Enoch Reavis, was of Scotch- Irish descent, and was born in North Carolina. By occupation he was a farmer, and either the healthful out-door life which he lived or the strength of constitution which was an inheritance from his sturdy ancestors, or both, caused him to reach the extreme age of more than ninety years. His death occurred in January, 1898. He was twice married and was the father of ten children. In the early days of Clinton county, Indiana, he became one of its leading farmers, and few men were better known in that section of the state than he. Religiously, he was a Baptist; but his daughter, Mrs. Gochenour, belonged to the Dunkard church. For his second wife our subject's father chose Miss Margery Hurley, and they have one daughter, Anna.
Dr. Gochenour is one of eight children, the others being Levi; Mary, wife of Perry Sayler; Harrison; William; Susan, wife of William Abbey; Joseph and Jeremiah. He was reared upon his father's farm in Clinton
J. Jochenour, D.O.S.
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county, attending the district schools in winter, and later went to the North- ern Indiana Normal, at Valparaiso, and the state normal school at Terre Haute. Having determined his future course, the Doctor next entered the Chicago College of Dental Surgery and was graduated in 1892. He opened an office in Hammond, Indiana, and at the expiration of two years came to Monticello, where he has since built up a large and remunerative practice. In his political views he follows in the footsteps of his father, and in his religious opinions as well. His wife, however, is a member of the Presby- terian church. Their marriage was celebrated March 22, 1893, and two children bless their union, namely: Truman M. and Della. Mrs. Gochenour was formerly Miss Kansas Mears, her parents being John and Sarah (Dill) Mears.
WILLIAM J. GRIDLEY.
With the exception of two years spent in Illinois, the three-score years of William J. Gridley's life have been passed in Indiana, in which state he has witnessed wonderful improvement in all lines, since the days of his early recollections. He has been engaged in the practice of law since he attained his majority, and is one of the reliable, honored members of the White county bar, his home having been in Monticello for years.
Timothy Gridley, better known as Colonel Gridley, the father of our subject, was a hero of the war 1812, and was with General Jackson in the battle of New Orleans. He was born in the state of New York, where his father settled upon coming to this country from England, his native land, and was one of four children. In the days when the Wabash & Erie canal was being built Colonel Gridley, in company with a Mr. Brenneman, took the contract for the construction of the canal between Huntington and Car- rollton, Indiana. It was in the year 1836 that the Colonel became a resident of Huntington, and after he had successfully completed his contract he engaged in keeping hotel at Pittsburg and Delphi, this state. He died at his home in Pittsburg, Carroll county, in 1854, when nearly three-score and ten years of age. His wife, whose maiden name was Philura Higley, and who was born in Connecticut, but passed her girlhood in New Jersey, departed this life in Monticello, in 1878, when in her eightieth year. She was a Presbyterian, while the Colonel was a member of the Episcopal denomination. She was of Scotch descent, and was one of three children, the others being sons.
The only child of Colonel and Philura Gridley, William J., was born in Carroll county, Indiana, September 1, 1838. His education was such as the public schools afforded until he reached his fifteenth year, when he matricu- lated in Notre Dame College. Owing to the death of his father he did not 23
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graduate, but came to Monticello and commenced the study of law with the Hon. David Turpie. At twenty-one he was admitted to the bar, and has since practiced in the courts of White, Pulaski, Tippecanoe and Cass coun- ties. In short, his practice here has been continuous, save two years or so when he was a resident of Watseka, Illinois. Success has come to him as the result of steady application and earnest work in his profession, and numbered among his clients are many of the leading business houses and ยท prominent citizens of this section of the state. During the progress of the civil war, when his own affairs needed his constant attention and presence, he paid for a substitute to take his place in the ranks of those who " wore the blue " and fought for native land and principle. Politically, he favors the platform and nominees of the Democratic party.
The pleasant home of Mr. Gridley, on Bluff street, Monticello, is pre- sided over by his daughter, Miss Leona Fay, an accomplished young lady. The first marriage of Mr. Gridley was celebrated November 20, 1860; Miss Mary A. Burns being the lady of his choice. Mrs. Gridley was a daughter of Liberty and Amanda (Griggs) Burns. Three children blessed the union of William J. and Mary Gridley, namely: Ada, who died at the age of eighteen years; Liberty; and May, whose death at eight years was the result of brain fever. Liberty is a promising lawyer of Kahoka, Missouri, and married in that city. July 16, 1878, occurred the marriage of Mr. Gridley and Miss Mary Cloud, and their only child is Leona Fay. Mrs. Gridley, who was a most estimable and amiable lady, beloved by all who knew her, was a member of the Methodist church. Her death took place in 1882.
ABRAHAM R. BUNNELL.
A representative of one of the honored pioneer families who founded White county and have since been prominently connected with its develop- ment and increasing prosperity, is Abraham R. Bunnell, a retired farmer of Monticello. As an agriculturist and raiser of fine Jersey cattle, he has been very successful, and as a citizen and patriot his record is one which reflects great credit upon his name.
Nathaniel Bunnell, Jr., the father of the above-named gentleman, was one of six brothers who were early settlers of Indiana, and everyone of the number lived to an advanced age. Two of them took up land in Warren county, and the others settled in White county. They were named respect- ively, Isaac, Stephen, Thomas, Nathaniel, Brazilla and John. Game was very abundant in the '30s and '40s, and all of the brothers were noted as hunters, making their living chiefly in trading in furs, mink and "'coons," etc. Nathaniel Bunnell entered land in White county in 1833, returned here
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in February, 1834, with his brothers, and it was not until the fall of the same year that the county-seat was decided upon. They were of French descent, sons of Nathaniel Bunnell, a native of New Jersey and an early set- tler in Ohio and White county, Indiana, coming here in 1834, and entering land in Big Creek township, where he lived until death, that event occurring when he was over seventy-one. His several sons and two daughters all lived to attain a ripe old age. When he was a young man a horse fell upon him and his right leg was so badly injured that it had to be amputated, and sub- sequently he learned and followed the trade of shoemaker. He was much loved by all who knew him and was held in special authority as an exhorter in the Methodist church. His son, Nathaniel, Jr., added to his original homestead of a quarter-section of land until he had seven hundred and sixty acres, and at the time of his death, in 1891, when he was nearly eighty-six years of age, he owned about three hundred acres, having given the remainder to his children. . He was not only supervisor and township trustee, but was one of the founders of the Methodist church in this county, and very prominent in all its work.
The first wife of Nathaniel Bunnell, Jr., was Susanna Runyan prior to their marriage, and she, like him, was a native of Ohio. Her father, Abra- ham Runyan, was born in Virginia and was a farmer. Most of his life was passed in Ohio, where he removed at an early day. His home, at which his death occurred when he was in the prime of life, was near Springfield, Clark county. Nathaniel and Susanna Bunnell were the parents of five sons and five daughters. Two of the sons, Nathaniel W. and Thomas R., lost their lives in battling for the Union,-the former being killed at Gettysburg and the latter dying at the Soldiers' Home in Marion, Indiana, from the result of his army experience. The other children are all living, namely : Abraham R .; John N .; Esther, wife of William Rinker ; Sophia, Mrs. Joseph V. Ken- ton, of Kansas ; Nancy Ann, wife of George Murray ; Rachel, wife of F. D. Carson ; Stephen; and Eliza, Mrs. James Eads. The mother, who was a faithful Methodist, died when sixty-one years of age, in 1873. The father later married Mrs. Mary Buchanan, who is still living, her home being in Elliottsville, Indiana.
Abraham R. Bunnell was born in Clark county, Ohio, October 16, 1832, and was but two years old when he was brought to this county, which has been his home ever since. His education was, perforce, obtained in the un- satisfactory subscription schools of his boyhood. He never attended a school when there were any public funds to support it, but in the winters of 1854 and 1855 he went to a graded school in Clark county, Ohio. Then he made a somewhat extended tour in the west, doing carpenter work and being em- ployed on flatboats on the Missouri river, his headquarters being at St. Jos-
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eph, Missouri. After an absence of nearly five years 'he returned home and carried on a rented farm in Big Creek township from the fall of 1861 to Feb- ruary, 1863, when he enlisted.
In the meantime, on Christmas day, 1862, Mr. Bunnell had married Miss Susan M. Rinker, daughter of Joshua and Louisa (Reese) Rinker. The great civil war was being waged and the outcome was in doubt. In those gloomy days, when the Union cause trembled in the balance, Mr. Bunnell bade farewell to his young wife and went forth to fight for his country. En- listing in Company F, One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, as a private, he was sent south to participate in the famous Atlanta campaign. While he was actively engaged with his regiment in the siege of Atlanta, and within sight of the city, he was captured by the rebels, August 16, 1864. Then followed months of suffering, while at the mercy of the Confederates, in the loathsome prison pens of Andersonville, Savannah, Wilborn, Blackshire, Florence and Libby. When hope had almost fled, in the spring of 1865, Mr. Bunnell was exchanged and was mustered out of the service on the 9th of the following June. His health was materially affected, it is needless to say, by the exposure and dreadful privations he endured, and the government allows him a pension of eight dollars a month.
Resuming the peaceful vocations of life our subject carried on his father's farm on shares until the spring of 1868, when he purchased one hundred and ten acres of his father. This property, located in Honey Creek township, four and a half miles from Monticello, was his home until 1891. He traded the place in March of that year for a good brick house in Monticello, five acres of land and ten desirable lots. He still owns an interest in his father's old homestead and for a number of years has owned a fine herd of registered Jersey cattle. Politically, he is a Republican, for eight years he was a jus- tice of the peace in Honey Creek township and for ten years he was super- visor. He belongs to Tippecanoe Post, No. 51, G. A. R., of Monticello, and is a member of the Methodist church.
The death of Mrs. Susan Bunnell. wife of our subject, occurred April 24, 1887. She was an estimable lady, loved by all, and was an esteemed member of the Methodist church. Of her six children, Levi and Nora died in infancy; Clark married Etura Long, of LaPorte county, Indiana, and is the principal of the Wanatah schools there: they have one child, Beth; Bert F. wedded Viola Scott, of this county, and has two children,-Scott and May Ora, and resides on a farm in La Porte county; Cora married William Burns, of White county, and lives in Lafayette; and Ora became the wife of James Hill, of La Porte county, and has one son, Edward Carl- ton Hill.
On the 23d of October, 1889, Mr. Bunnell married his present wife,
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formerly Nancy S. Wall, and they have one child, John Raymond, born July 18, 1891. Mrs. Bunnell is a Presbyterian in religion. Her father, John Wall, of English descent, was a native of Pennsylvania, and a life-long resident of that state, where his death occurred, at Birmingham, in 1875, when he was in his seventy-seventh year. He had become well-to-do and had been retired for some time prior to his demise. Mrs. Bunnell's mother, Catherine (Stauffer) Wall, was of German extraction, and her life was like- wise spent in Pennsylvania. Her death took place in 1878, she being in her seventy-seventh year. Her father, Daniel Stauffer, was born in the Keystone state, and made farming his chief occupation. He was sixty- eight years old at death, and all of his nine children attained advanced years. John Wall, the paternal grandfather of Mrs. Bunnell, was born in England and died in Pennsylvania, where he owned a farm and reared his twelve children. His brother Jacob was in the war of 1812.
WILLIAM H. HOFFMAN.
Since March, 1894, William H. Hoffman has owned and managed mar- ble and monument works in Monticello, White county. Having become thoroughly acquainted with the details of the business by several years of experience, he is qualified to furnish the public with whatever is needed in his line, and all contracts are executed with absolute accuracy and prompt- ness. In all his business relations he has always been found perfectly trust- worthy, capable and fair, and his customers are invariably his friends.
The father of our subject, Charles Hoffman, was a native of Germany, and throughout life he was exclusively occupied in agricultural pursuits. He was born and reared on the banks of the beautiful "castled" Rhine, and attended the government schools until he was twelve years of age, when he accompanied his parents upon their removal to the United States. They took up a tract of land in Wood county, Ohio, and passed the rest of their days there, living to be quite aged. Their children were nine in number, six being sons.
Charles Hoffman's first wife was a Miss Catherine Cox, a native of Penn- sylvania. They were both members of the Evangelical church, and most worthy citizens in every respect. Mrs. Hoffman died in 1856, and the father later married Mrs. Smith, whose maiden name was Hoffman, but who was not a relative of his. By her first marriage she had two children, Jacob and Lydia, the latter now the wife of Albert Spotts and a resident of Fulton county, Indiana. To Charles and Catherine Hoffman three children were born : William H .; Mary, wife of Louis Strahlem; and Jeremiah, who died in infancy. The second union of Charles Hoffman was blessed with several
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children, four of the number surviving : Sarah, Mrs. Eli Fink, of Logans- port; Isabel, unmarried, and now keeping house for her father, who owns a small farm near Kewaunee, Fulton county .; Samuel P .; and David. The maternal grandfather of our subject was William Cox, of Scotland, and later of Pennsylvania and Wood county, Ohio. He died at his home in the last named county when at an advanced age.
William H. Hoffman was born on the old homestead in Wood county, August 23, 1848, and when young he came to Indiana, and grew up in Ful- ton county on a farm. He attended the district schools and learned to read and write German in the German Sunday-schools. Then he commenced teaching, and for eight terms during the winter season he was in charge of a school, the rest of the year being devoted to farming.
In 1875 Mr. Hoffman went to Winamac, Indiana, and on the 18th of November of that year he wedded Miss Roxie Pingry, daughter of David and Harriet (Bowen) Pingry, of Vermont. Four children were born to our sub- ject and wife, namely: Charles D., Esther E., Henry A. and Perry D. Charles D. died in infancy and Perry D. when nineteen months old. David Pingry was born March 19, 1807, in Orange county, Vermont, and lived there until he was ten years old, Then, going to Coshocton county, Ohio, he married, in 1831, and of his five sons and five daughters three survive, - Mrs. Hoffman, James, and Martha, wife of John T. Collins, of Kokomo. In 1837 Mr. Pingry bought land in Jay county, Indiana, later became a resident of White county and Pulaski county, and for some years prior to his death, in 1885, when nearly seventy-eight years of age, he had lived retired in Win- amac. His wife departed this life in 1880, at the age of sixty-three years. They were both faithful members of the Christian church. Two of their sons, James and David, were soldiers in the war of the Rebellion.
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