USA > Indiana > Newton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 50
USA > Indiana > Benton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 50
USA > Indiana > Pulaski County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 50
USA > Indiana > Warren County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 50
USA > Indiana > Tippecanoe County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 50
USA > Indiana > Jasper County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 50
USA > Indiana > White County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 50
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30, 1895; William C., whose sketch appears in another part of this work; Joseph F., who died in 1875; James, who resides on the grandfather's old homestead; and Celia, the wife of Ira Sailor, a farmer of Adams township.
Mr. Rhode came to Indiana when the country was in a primitive condi- tion and when there were but meager advantages for an education or culture of any kind; but he surmounted all obstacles and became a well-informed man, of good business ability, and made a success in his agricultural pursuits. At the time of his death, which occurred January 22, 1874, he was the owner of six hundred acres of land, all under good cultivation. In politics he was a Republican, and, like his father and grandfather, was a Quaker in his religious belief. All three are buried in the Quaker cemetery.
Mrs. Rhode was an infant when her parents, Thomas and Dorcas (Bales) Benge, removed in 1831 from Putnam county, Indiana, to Warren county and settled in Warren township. The journey was made in winter on sleds, and we can imagine it must have been a cheerless ride, as the country was new and but sparsely settled at that time. In 1849 Mr. Benge left Warren county and went to Iowa, where he died in 1879, at the age of eighty years. This worthy couple had twelve children, namely: Anna, Sally, Franklin, Elizabeth, Lucy, Polly, Alexander, Edwin J., Celia, Nannie and two deceased. Mrs. Rhode is the only one living in Warren township. She remained on the old homestead when her husband died until 1890, when she moved into Pine Village, and has since made her home there, having built a handsome residence. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and is always ready to give of her time and money to further its work. Her long life has been one of useful activity, and she has given to her children not only instruction and training but an example which it is safe for them to follow.
JAMES W. PAYNE.
Lafayette, Indiana, is the place, and May 10, 1858, the date, of the birth of the subject of this brief record. He is the youngest son of William and Elizabeth (Thomas) Payne, natives of old England. The former was born in Kent, in, 1814, and the latter in London, the same year. The senior Payne came to America at the age of seventeen, and soon thereafter became an apprentice to the carriage-maker's trade, and followed that business and farming throughout his active life, being now retired at Jersey City, New Jersey. His wife, before marriage, came to America on the same ship with the paternal grandmother of our subject, she then being a young lady of twenty-two. The parents were married in New York city, in 1836, and about 1849 emigrated to Indiana, locating at Lafayette. In later years the family home was transferred to Montmorenci, where the parents are still liv-
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ing. Only three of their five children are now living. George, the eldest, was born at Jersey City, in 1848, and is a prosperous farmer in Champaign county, Illinois; Henry, born in 1850, near Lafayette, Indiana, died at the age of seven years; Anna, who was born in 1855, became the wife of William Neville, a farmer and contractor in Tippecanoe county, this state; the subject of this sketch was next in order of birth; and Grace, who was born in Tippecanoe county, in 1869, died when an infant of only five months.
Mr. Payne received a thorough scholastic training in the public schools of Tippecanoe county and at Purdue University, near Lafayette, in the same county, graduating at the last named in 1878. His first independent effort in life was in the capacity of teacher in his native county. Three years were . thus employed, when he came to Fowler and entered upon the study of phar- macy in the drug store in which he afterward bought an interest and of which he is now the owner. He was associated in business with S. T. Barnes for nearly four years, when his father, William Payne, purchased Mr. Barnes' interest. This he subsequently sold to our subject's wife, who is now the silent partner in the business. This is an old and well established drug store, which has a well earned reputation for accuracy and fair dealing. The stock comprises a general supply of drugs, proprietary remedies, paints, toilet articles, fancy goods, etc.
Mr. Payne is a gentleman of intelligence and refinement, affable and agreeable in manner, of domestic habits and a lover of the quiet peace of home, where his leisure hours are spent. He has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church for seventeen years, and takes an active interest in the social and religious affairs connected with the church. As to the secret societies he is also a prominent member of the Knights of Pythias, in the local lodge of which he has filled the various official stations, and which body he has represented in the grand lodge of Indiana. In his political views he has been a lifelong Republican, though not aggressive in politics, having neither held nor sought official station.
He was married December 1, 1896, to Mrs. Lizzie Young, whose maiden name was Roe. She is a native of Elmira, New York, where her mother now lives, her father being deceased. Mr. Payne has a daughter by a former marriage-Miss Lelia, who was born in Fowler, August 4, 1882, and is now a student in the Fowler high school.
JOHN BOYER.
There is always an interest attached to the lives of one who has turned the tide of success, has surmounted obstacles and has shown his ability to cope with others in their rush for the coveted goal. Of such a condition the
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life of John Boyer is an exemplification. A native of Germany, he came to America empty-handed, and a stranger in a strange land, started out to seek his fortune. To-day he is numbered among the most extensive land-owners and prosperous agriculturists of Warren county, a position to which he has attained by his own unaided efforts, his enterprise and his excellent execu- tive ability.
Mr. Boyer was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, September 23, 1838, and until fourteen years of age attended the common schools, acquiring a good practical education. He then began learning the shoemaker's trade, but not finding that pursuit congenial he followed it only a short time, when he told his mother if she would lend him the money to pay his passage to America he would return an equivalent amount out of his first earnings in the New World. This plan was satisfactorily arranged, and in the spring of 1853 Mr. Boyer, accompanied by some friends, sailed for the "land of the. free." In due time the vessel dropped anchor in the harbor of New York, whence he made his way to Lafayette, Indiana, where he arrived with a cash capital of only one dollar. He had no hat, and the cheapest one he could buy in the town was worth one dollar. However, he induced the merchant to let him have the hat for ninety cents, leaving him with ten cents, which would buy him two loaves of broad. Immediately he began the search for employment, and for a time worked at such odd jobs of shoemaking as he could secure. He then obtained a situation on the farm of a Mr. Nagler, who resided about eight miles from Lafayette, where he worked for a year for forty dollars and one month's schooling. He sent the money back to his mother and continued in his place for another year.
At the expiration of that period Mr. Boyer came to Warren county and entered the employ of John Blind, a farmer of Medina township, who paid him one hundred and twenty dollars a year during the seven years he re- mained in his service. During that time he had saved enough money to pur- chase a team of horses and farming implements, and began farming on his own account. For three years he rented land and then purchased a part of his present homestead in Medina township, removing to the place an old log cabin which had formerly belonged to his father-in-law, and which is stillstanding on the property, one of the few landmarks of pioneer days that yet remain. With characteristic energy he began the development of the land, and as suc- cess crowned his industrious efforts and his financial resources were corres- pondingly increased, he added to his possessions until he now owns a valua- ble tract of four hundred and eighty-seven acres, located in Adams and Medina townships. He was extensively engaged in general farming and stock-raising until 1892, since which time he has rented his farm and lived retired, being such a sufferer from rheumatism that he is unable to engage
.
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longer in the arduous duties of farm life. In his business affairs he was sys- tematic and progressive, made many valuable improvements on the place, which add to its value and attractive appearance, and became the owner of one of the finest farms in the county.
In 1862 Mr. Boyer was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Blind, a daughter of John Blind, his first employer in Warren county. They became the parents of four children: Mary A., who died in 1889; Rose, wife of George Rittenour, a farmer residing in Medina township; Lettie, who died in infancy; and Hattie, who is still with her father and is attending school. They have a pleasant home, located on section II, Medina township, on the old state road between Pine Village and Lafayette, four miles east of the for- mer place.
Mr. Boyer has never been an aspirant for public office, but has always been a Republican, supporting the men and measures of the party by his bal- lot. He is a Lutheran in religious belief, but not a member of the church. His life has ever been honorable and upright and his word is as good as his bond. He has never had occasion to regret his determination to seek a home in America, for here he has found many friends and a comfortable competence, and the community gladly accords him recognition as one of its best citizens. Mrs. Boyer died January 21, 1880, aged thirty-seven years.
SAMUEL D. BARCUS.
Samuel D. Barcus, an honored pioneer and resident of Round Grove township, White county, is a native of Ohio, his birth having occurred December 6, 1825. His parents were William and Maria (Butler) Barcus, natives of Virginia and Georgia, respectively. The father removed to Ohio when he was a child, and the mother became a resident of that state at the age of fifteen or sixteen years. In 1832 William Barcus and family came to Indiana, settling in Tippecanoe county, whence they removed to White county in 1841. Here the mother died, and subsequently the father went to Illinois, but, returning, located near Lafayette, where he died about 1862. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and lived so thoroughly in harmony with his high ideals that he was accorded the love and high regard of all who knew him. By his marriage to Miss Butler he had nine children, of whom Samuel D. alone remains in this county, two sons, William and George, being residents of Chicago. By a second mar- riage Mr. Barcus had two children.
The early years of Samuel D. Barcus were quietly spent in his native place and in Tippecanoe county, this state. Fifty-eight years ago he became a resident of White county, and throughout this long period he has been
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closely identified with the best interests of this section of the state. He has been an intelligent exponent of good citizenship, honest, industrious, " dili- gent in business," and regardful of the rights of others; and happiness and contentment have been the result. He started out in his independent career in early manhood without means or capital, save a brave and determined spirit and good health, and has wrought his own success by persistent appli- cation and hard labor.
In all his efforts to gain a livelihood, Mr. Barcus was. loyally and lov- ingly assisted by his estimable wife, formerly Miss Eliza Hughes, to whom he was married May 14, 1849, and who passed to the better land on April 5, 1899, leaving a host of sincere mourners. She was born in Pennsylvania, Decem- ber 2, 1831, a daughter of Hugh and Hannah Hughes, with whom she came to Indiana in 1848. Her parents settled in Liberty township, where they made their home for several years. The father died in Big Creek township, but the mother died at the home of Mrs. Barcus, in 1864. John W., the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Hughes who grew to maturity, was killed at the battle of Kenesaw mountain in the civil war. A sister of Mrs. Barcus, Mrs. Lottie Taylor, of Wolcott, Indiana, is the only survivor of the family. Three sons and two daughters of our subject's children are living, namely: Hugh, a citizen of Rensselaer, Indiana; John, who is managing the old homestead; George, also a resident of Rensselaer; Comoria, wife of Griffin Taylor; and Lottie, wife of William P. Cooper.
About two-score years ago an important event in the lives of Mr. and Mrs. Barcus took place: they took up their abode on the present-homestead, which has been the scene of innumerable joys and sorrows; and a few years later Mr. Barcus joined the Baptist church, with which his wife had been associated prior to their marriage, and has held the office of clerk therein for many years. United in faith and endeavor, they pursued life's journey, finding their greatest joy in ministering to others.
WILLIAM BURNS.
One of the pioneer families of White county was that represented by the subject of this sketch, and for nearly seventy years he and his relatives have been closely connected with the agricultural interests of this section of Indiana. Commencing his independent life as a poor man, he gradually accumulated land and other material possessions until he is to-day wealthy and influential.
The parents of William Burns are John and Melinda (Ferguson) Burns, natives of Champaign county, Ohio. Their other children were Margaret Ann, wife of Hiram Lear, of Wolcott, Indiana; Mary Jane, deceased, wife
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of James Burns, whose home was south of Monticello, Indiana; Thomas, of Lafayette; and one who died in infancy. John and Melinda Burns removed to White county in the fall of 1830, and settled three miles east of the pres- ent site of the town of Chalmers, in Big Creek township. Indians were numerous here at that time, and wild game was very abundant. Their half a dozen neighbors were widely scattered, living, perhaps, four or five miles from one another. Mr. Burns entered about two hundred acres of land, and added to this until he owned over a thousand acres at his death. In his specialty as a raiser of cattle and hogs he made a great financial success. He died at his home in Big Creek township, in 1884, when he was sixty- four years old. His first wife died some years before, and he afterward mar- ried Jane Virden, whose death occurred in 1897, when she had attained three-score and ten years. Joseph Burns, the paternal grandfather of our subject, was a native of Ohio, and in 1845 he removed to Jasper county, Indiana. There he entered a small tract of land, bought more later and continued to cultivate his place until he died, at a ripe age. He was of Scotch descent. John Ferguson, father of Mrs. Melinda Burns, also came to the Hoosier state from Ohio, and entered land in Big Creek township, White county, living there until his demise, at about seventy years of age.
William Burns was born about one mile south of his present home, in Big Creek township, April 28, 1831, and has passed his entire life in this township. He mastered the three "R's " in the primitive log school-house conducted on the subscription plan, and later it was his privilege to attend Franklin College for about a year. In his boyhood he often shot a fine deer, and other kinds of game paid the penalty exacted by his skilled marksman- ship. Indians frequently came to the pioneer home, and the solitudes of the great forests were all around. The nearest market was Delphi, and once the lad went on a memorable trip to Chicago, camping out on the way going and coming, and in the little town (which gave small promise of the future in store for it) they disposed of such grain as they had laboriously conveyed thither in wagons.
The judicious father of William Burns encouraged him to embark in business enterprises even before he left home. The youth raised some calves " on shares, " and, having received seven hundred dollars for his part, applied this amount toward the purchase of one hundred and twenty acres of land. The first year's crop brought him enough to pay the remainder of the price,- one thousand dollars in all, -as he was fortunate enough to sell his corn just as it was in the crib, at three bushels for a dollar. With this good begin- ning the young man thought himself justified in taking a wife, and on the 24th of October, 1860, he married Miss Etna McIntire. They commenced housekeeping in a humble log cabin, which is still standing, but since 1875
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they have dwelt in a substantial, modern two-story house, which was erected by Mr. Burns. Industrious and energetic, they prospered, as they certainly deserved, and now they own over a thousand acres of fine farm land and other property. For twenty-three years Mr. Burns has raised high-grade short-horn cattle and fine pedigreed Berkshire hogs, and has paid as high as five hundred dollars for three young calves. His trade in live stock has been one of his chief sources of income for years, and in this enterprise he finds able assistance from his son. His farm is one of the best and most valuable of all in this county, being well improved and nicely situated. For years Mr. Burns served his township as a supervisor, and politically he is a Repub- lican.
The parents of Mrs. Burns were Thomas and America Daniels, of Ohio, and her grandparents were Kentuckians. Mr. and Mrs. Daniels removed to Indiana at an early day and located at first in Tippecanoe county. The mother died near Battle Ground and the father died in Carroll county. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Burns. Samuel, the son, married Martha Claggett, and their only surviving child is named William Claggett Burns. Marietta, the daughter, married William E. Brown, a clothing merchant of Urbana, Ohio, and they have two children, Lucy Burns and Christine Etna.
James Burns, brother of our subject, was born also on the old home- stead and died in December, 1865, aged about thirty years.
HON. RICHARD G. ODLE.
One of the representative agriculturists and well known citizens of War- ren county is the gentleman whose name initiates this review and who has represented his district in the state legislature. He was born November 15, 1839, in a log cabin on the farin where he now lives and where he has passed his entire life, with the exception of four or five winters spent in California. His early education was received in the usual primitive log school-house, which in this instance was located on the ground where the Pine Village rail- way station now stands, and completed his schooling in Thorntown Academy.
He was at home when the civil war broke out, and enlisted as a private in Company I, Seventy-second Indiana Volunteer Infantry, was mustered in on July 24, 1862, and served for a year and a half. He went with his regi- ment to Kentucky, and from Bowling Green followed Morgan for about six months, subsequently returning to Louisville. His regiment was then changed to mounted infantry and went through Tennessee and Alabama, after which Mr. Odle was discharged on account of disability, December 21, 1863, returned home and engaged in farming.
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Mr. Odle has been twice married, his first wife being Miss Margaret Campbell, and four children were born to them: Araminta, deceased; Lau- retta A., widow of George E. Nolin, of Boswell, Indiana; Annie M., the wife of Arthur L. Graves, of Oxford, Indiana; and Arthur C. His wife died March 7, 1877. His second marriage took place October 24, 1879, when he was united to Miss Susan E. Eberly, and of this union four children were born, as follows: Bertha G., James C., Chester D. and Ira D.
Mr. Odle owns a farm of two hundred and ninety acres of finely im- proved land located one mile east and half a mile north of Pine Village, and here he carries on general farming and stock-raising. In politics he is a strong Republican and was a member of the state legislature in 1872-3. Socially he is a member of George D. Wagner Post, No. 365, G. A. R., and of the Masonic fraternity, and an attendant and supporter of the Methodist church.
Thomas D. Odle, the father of our subject, was a native of Ross county, Ohio, and came to Indiana in 1832, making the journey by team, locating on the farm where R. G. Odle now lives. The land was at that time wild and uncultivated, without any improvements. Mr. Odle erected a log cabin and began cultivating the soil, remaining thus engaged until 1867, when he removed to Pine Village, selling a portion of his homestead to his son Rich- ard, and relinquishing to him the management of the whole property, to which he ultimately acquired, by purchase of the rights of the other heirs, the sole title to the estate. Mr. Odle's death occurred in 1882, when he had reached the age of seventy-five years. He was a devoted member of the Methodist church, and he and his worthy wife brought up their large number of children in such a manner that they are in accord with the religious belief of their parents. Thomas Odle married Miss Adelia Horton, of Highland county, Ohio, and nine children were born to them, as follows: Melinda, Elizabeth, Frederick, John W., deceased, Richard G., Edward C., deceased, Hester A., deceased, Francis A., and Thomas D., deceased.
GEORGE WADSWORTH.
The subject of this biographical review is a native of Huddersfield, Eng- land, born December 7, 1838, and his early life was spent in his native coun- ยท try. Being bereft of a mother's love and care in his youth, his early educa- tional advantages and home training were somewhat limited. From early youth he has been entirely self-dependent. Like many children who are " blessed " with step-mothers, he did not take kindly to his father's choice of a second wife, and came to America soon after his father's remarriage. Though at that time he intended to return to " merrie England," he never
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did so and soon became attached to the habits of life and social customs which prevail in America. He landed on American soil January 14, 1864, and the following thirteen years were spent in the New England states. He remained at Dexter, Maine, with the exception of one year spent near Bos- ton, until 1877, when he came to Fowler. While in the east he was engaged in mercantile pursuits and in the manufacturing of clothing.
On his arrival in Fowler he engaged in law practice and in the real- estate and loan business, and this he has continued to the present. For a time he was a partner with Dawson Smith, an attorney here, but lately he has been alone. He has been successful in his business, accumulating a handsome amount of property. Though he takes special interest in local business, he also deals in wild lands and improved farms in other states.
Mr. Wadsworth was the youngest child in the family of Henry and Sus- anna Wadsworth, natives of Yorkshire, England. His father spent the greater part of his life in the service of the crown, being a government detective for nearly forty years, and he also did much in the detective line for other parties. In this capacity he traveled extensively and was almost constantly from home. During his lifetime he had some very narrow escapes, when his life was in imminent peril. On one occasion he cap- tured a deserter from the army at Slaithwaite, after receiving several per- sonal injuries resulting in two broken ribs by a kick from the man he was taking prisoner. But this was only one of the many instances that may be cited. After his marriage to his girl wife our subject knew but little of him. His death occurred about 1885, near Huddersfield, England. His mother had been married prior to her union with Henry Wadsworth, her first hus- band being Samuel Holroyd, who was in the battle of Waterloo prior to his marriage. But little is known of our subject's family genealogy, though he remembers having attended the funerals of his grandparents on both sides when a mere child. It is his belief that the ancestors were manufacturers of woolen goods in Yorkshire; the family is extinct so far as he knows.
He remembers the only school he ever attended, and his only teacher very well, the Rev. Henry Wilcox Holmes, who was a Baptist minister near Huddersfield and was his teacher for one year at Polemoor Baptist church. This was his only schooling except through his own personal efforts.
Mr. Wadsworth voted for the Republican nominees until 1893, since which time he has supported the Democratic ticket. His views on the ques- tions of tariff and protection were at variance with Republican doctrines. He has served two terms as a member of the city council or " town board," but he has never been a place-seeker, preferring to remain in private life. He is strongly devoted to business and seldom engages in anything outside of the legitimate affairs connected therewith. By a carefully planned course of
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