USA > Indiana > Newton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 52
USA > Indiana > Benton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 52
USA > Indiana > Pulaski County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 52
USA > Indiana > Warren County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 52
USA > Indiana > Tippecanoe County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 52
USA > Indiana > Jasper County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 52
USA > Indiana > White County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 52
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March 1, 1881, in Tippecanoe county, Mr. Cassell was united in matri-
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mony with Miss Almarinda Ford, a native of Huntington county, Indiana, but a resident of Tippecanoe county at the time of marriage. Her father, Thomas Ford, was a pioneer of that county. Mr. and Mrs. Cassell have but one child, a daughter named Conie Isabel, who was born July 3, 1883. She is a young lady now, a pupil in the city high school, and the light and joy of the household. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
George H. Smith, the stepfather of our subject, was the only "father" whom he ever knew. He gives him great credit for his fatherly care and kindness in the rearing of two families of children under the same roof. Mr. Smith is now a resident of Oklahoma. He was a soldier in the Tenth Indiana Infantry during the great war of the Rebellion, entering service in 1861 and serving over two years, being discharged for disabilities incurred in the service. He now draws a pension from the government.
Such in brief is the history of the only living representative of a family around which centers a great deal of interest. It is eminently proper that the record appear upon the pages of this work, as traditionary history is un- reliable and the last " living witness " will soon be gone.
ISAAC MORTON SHIDELER.
Numbered among the progressive farmers of Pulaski county is Isaac Mor- ton Shideler, whose birth occurred two-score years ago, on the 9th of May, 1859, on the old homestead owned by his father. He and his ancestors have chiefly followed agriculture as a means of livelihood, and without exception they have been upright and useful citizens in the various localities in which their lot has been cast.
As our subject's surname indicates, he is of German extraction, and the founder of the family in this country was his great-great-grandfather, George Shideler, who was a Hessian in the British service during part of the war of the Revolution, but later deserted and enlisted under General Washington. His son George, the next in the line of descent, was born in Pennsylvania. He removed to Ohio, where his son George, the grandfather of our subject, was born in 1795. For a wife he chose Elizabeth Neff, and in 1829 the fam- ily removed to the vicinity of Logansport, Indiana. The children were named as follows: Levina, Mary, Catherine, Naomi, Jonathan, Jacob, Elizabeth, Abraham and Isaac (the last two being twins).
Jacob Shideler, the father of Isaac M. Shideler, was born August 17, 1827, in Preble county, Ohio, and was reared to manhood in Indiana. Com- ing to Pulaski county in the spring of 1854, he located on state land, in the northeast corner of section 34, Monroe township, and proceeded to improve
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a farm. He died on the 21st of June, 1875, loved and respected by his neighbors and associates. He had married Susan Shideler, his own cousin, at her home, nineteen miles west of Richmond, Indiana, June 6, 1850. She was born August 25, 1827, in Montgomery county, Ohio, and is still living at the old homestead where she and her husband spent many happy years together, her son now looking after her comfort and caring for her in a kind and dutiful manner. She became the mother of four children, namely: Snirah E., who was born September 4, 1851, and became the wife of James K. Decker; Alice Priscilla, born December 29, 1853; Charles Fremont, March 30, 1856, and Isaac M., May 9, 1859. The daughter married George Shellhart, and died March 24, 1875, leaving two children, -Sarah Elizabeth, born April 16, 1873, and Charles, born March 20, 1875. The daughter became the wife of Will- iam Galbraith. The maternal grandfather of our subject, George Shideler, married Barbara Shimer and had three children, -Samuel, Susan and Marion. Barbara (Shimer) Shideler's father was a Hessian soldier in the war of the Revolution, and before it was finished he left the service of the British and espoused the cause of the Americans, enlisting in Washington's army.
Isaac Morton Shideler has passed his entire life on the farm which he now owns and cultivates. He early mastered the details of agriculture and became a practical, thorough business man, looking after his affairs in a methodical manner. His farm is well improved, and the land is suitable for the raising of a diversity of crops, which find a ready market in the large towns and cities near. Public-spirited and patriotic, he strives to perform his entire duty as a citizen, and uses his right of franchise in favor of the nominees of the Republican party. He takes great interest in the cause of education and in religion, and for some time he has been one of the trustees in the United Brethren church.
The marriage of Mr. Shideler and Miss Rosie Della Baker was celebrated July 24, 1889. She is a daughter of William and Mary Baker, and was born September 13, 1871, in this county. The eldest child of our subject and wife is Ida May, who was born February 14, 1890. William Jacob, the eldest son, was born August 18, 1891. Charles Le Roy, born February 7, 1894, died May 10, 1896, and George Clement was born January 2, 1896. The family are highly respected in the community, and their home is ever hospitably open for the entertainment of their numerous friends.
MATTHIAS KUHN.
To have settled in a country whose language and customs are strange, to have founded a home and reared a large family to be useful citizens of the land of his adoption, to have taken an active part in all of the affairs of his
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community, are no slight undertakings, and, in brief, are a summary of the career of the subject of this sketch, now an honored citizen of Winamac, Pulaski county, where he is living retired, enjoying the fruits of his past toil, and looking back over a record of which he has just cause to be proud.
His father, Michael Kuhn, was born in 1803, on the old estates which had belonged to his ancestors for several generations, and were situated near the village of Zulbag (now called Acherdam), Bavaria, Germany. He became the owner of this property, eventually, and cultivated the land until his death, in 1887. He was reared in the faith of the Catholic church, and his descendants are adhérents of the same. His brother Joseph married and had several children; Antony, another brother, came to America in 1818, and settled on the hills near Brookville, Indiana, living there until his death; and a sister married a Mr. Wolford. For a wife he chose Barbara Song, whose birth had occurred in the same village in 1805, and who died the same year as her husband, and is buried by his side in the little cemetery at Acherdam. Her father, Matthias Song, was married twice, and his children included Elizabeth, wife of George Sweitzkoff; Mrs. Weingardner; Margaret, who never married; Virginia; and Joseph, who was married twice. The two last mentioned were children of the second marri- age of Matthias Song.
Matthias Kuhn, who was born on the hereditary estate in Bavaria, Germany, February 16, 1836, is one of several children, the eldest of whom is Joseph, who is married and has a son, named George, and other children. Margaret, the eldest daughter of Michael Kuhn, died when but twenty-one years of age. George, the second son, married Margaret Zahn, and has children. Joseph, who never married, died at the age of twenty-six years. Virginia became the wife of a Mr. Hock, and their daughter Elizabeth married Mr. Ault and resides in Chicago; while a son, Frank, lives in Mil- waukee, Wisconsin. Elizabeth, the youngest child of Michael Kuhn, wedded John Burger, and their children live in Baltimore, Maryland.
Having determined to seek his fortune in the new world, Matthias Kuhn bade adieu to the friends and scenes of his youth and sailed toward the west- ern continent, arriving in New York city in June, 1853, after a tedious voy- age of thirty days. Proceeding to Brookville, Indiana, where his uncle Antony was living, he soon turned his attention to the mastery of the black- smith's trade. Having worked for twenty months as an apprentice, he went to Rush county, Indiana, where he found employment on farms and at his trade for three years. In the spring of 1860 he came to Pulaski county, and with his young wife began housekeeping on a farm of one hundred and sixty acres which her father had given them. This place, located on section 1, Van Buren township, was greatly improved by him, and in 1862 he built
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a comfortable house on the place. With the exception of seven years, when he lived in Fulton county, he dwelt upon the old homestead, cultivating and caring for it with success until he retired in the autumn of 1897, thenceforth to make his home in Winamac. Altogether, he has owned five hundred and forty-four acres of excellent farm land in this county, but has settled much of this upon his sons, thereby giving them a good start in independent life. He also owns a house and lot in Kewanna, and retains sufficient means to meet the expenses of a comfortable life during his remaining years.
The marriage of Mr. Kuhn and Miss Catherine Mull was solemnized October 9, 1859. Her father, George Mull, was the great-grandson of a Mr. Mull, who with his two brothers came to the United States in colonial days and founded the family on these shores. George Mull, who was born in August, 1799, in Loudoun county, Virginia, removed to Hamilton county, Ohio, with his parents. After the death of his father, George Washington Mull, he removed to Rush county, Indiana, where he became the owner of four hundred acres of land, most of which he placed under cultivation. His brothers, Anthony, David and John, remained in Ohio, and Frederick, a twin brother, and Jacob, came to Indiana, each taking up a quarter-section of land at the same time that he did. Jacob was worth several hundred thousand dollars, and Frederick owned twelve hundred acres of land. A man of unusual intelligence and ability, Mr. Mull became well educated by private study and taught school for a number of years, thus earning the cap- ital with which he gained his start in this state. Politically, he was a Henry Clay Whig, but at times voted the Democratic ticket. Elected to the office of justice of the peace, he served capably in that position for sixteen years, lacking three months, and then, though again elected, he resigned. After a very prosperous and influential career he was called to the silent land when about ninety years of age. He had married, in Hamilton county, Ohio, on the Ist of January, 1824, Miss Mary Ball, the ceremony being performed by the Rev. M. A. Horniday, a Baptist minister. She was born in 1805, on the old homestead where she was married, and was of Scotch-Irish extraction. Her four brothers were: James, of Rash county, Indiana; Joshua, of Iowa; Isaiah, of Fulton county, Indiana; and Isaac, who was a Baptist minister and lived at Rising Sun, Ohio. Mrs. Mary (Ball) Mull departed this life in 1893. Of her children, Sarah married Henry Work- man, of Rush county; Mary B. became the wife of Jefferson Bowles, a farmer; William Drybread married Amanda Cart and subsequently Miss Sidney Hilligash; Henry Clay's first wife died, and his second wife was Elvira Shaw; George Washington married Sarah Jane Willey, now deceased; and Margaret, who was the wife of George Cart, of Rush county, Indiana, is deceased.
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To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Kuhn the following named children were born: Mary, William Henry, George Matthias, Joseph Michael, Charles Wesley, John Albert, Barbara, and Robert Alexander. Mary, born Septem- ber 27, 1862, became the wife of John William Rafferty, August 18, 1885, and to them have been born: George Edward, March 27, 1886; Catherine Bridget, May 29, 1887; John Matthias, August 3, 1889; James William, Janu- ary 25, 1891, and died March 17, 1891; and Joseph Leo, born April 27, 1896. The family reside on their own farm, on section 12, Van Buren township. Barbara, the younger daughter of our subject, born April 17, 1873, died September 16, 1874. Robert A., the youngest son, born September 3, 1874, is now carrying on the old homestead of his parents. He was married April 27, 1897, to Leonora, daughter of Timothy and Ellen (Reiley) Casey. She was born in Crawford county, Indiana, November 5, 1874, and has become the mother of one child, Catherine Jeannette, born October 6, 1898. The other children of our subject's first marriage are represented elsewhere in this vol- ume. Mrs. Catherine (Mull) Kuhn was summoned to her reward February 9, 1890, when in her fifty-fourth year, as her birth had occurred September 9, 1836.
For his second wife, Mr. Kuhn chose Meletta Ghaken. They were married in February, 1891, and about five years later the wife died, the date of this event being January 5, 1896. The lady who now bears the name of our subject, and to whom he was united in marriage, August 16, 1897, was then Mrs. Bertha Bauman, widow of Jacob Bauman and daughter of Silas Beck. She was born in Baden, Germany, June 12, 1850, and came to America in 1867. By her first marriage she had four children, namely: Anna, born March 30, 1868; John, born June 11, 1870, and died on the 27th of the next October; Mary, born February 18, 1872; and George, who was born January 15, 1875, and died September 25, 1877.
Mr. Kuhn has not devoted much time to political matters, but has stal- wartly supported the Democratic party. He has served as a road supervisor, but has had no desire to hold public positions. Religiously, he is a Catholic.
WILLIAM HENRY KUHN.
From a long line of sterling German ancestors, William Henry Kuhn inherited many of the qualities which are among his chief characteristics and make him a most desirable citizen. Born on the parental farm on section I, Van Buren township, Pulaski county, February 17, 1863, he is now in the prime of life, full of ambition and enterprise and on the high road to fortune and success.
Reared to the duties of farming, William H. Kuhn early became a prac-
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tical, progressive agriculturist, choosing this for his occupation. When he arrived at his majority he left home and for about four years, or until March, 1888, he was engaged in carrying on a farm of eighty acres, situated on sec- tion 2, Van Buren township. He became the owner of that homestead, which he exchanged for his present one of two hundred acres, located on sections 5 and 6, Wayne township, Fulton county. At the time that he assumed the ownership of that place he built a comfortable residence, and since then has made substantial improvements which render the farm one of the valuable country homes of this section.
The marriage of William H. Kuhn and Savanna Goodner took place January 30, 1889. She is a daughter of Robert and Mary Jane (Allen) Goodner, and was born December 22, 1872, in Rush county, Indiana. The eldest child of Mr. and Mrs. Kuhn is Thomas Roy, who was born July 10, 1890; Mary Catherine was born February 10, 1891; Celia Belle, July 15, 1894; Barbara Lenora, August 22, 1896; and Charles William, December 14, 1898:
Mr. and Mrs. Kuhn are Catholics in their religious faith, as were their ancestors before them. Politically, Mr. Kuhn is a Democrat, but has never been an aspirant to public office, preferring to devote his time and attention to his business affairs and to his family. He is a kind husband and father, neighbor and friend, upright and just in his dealings with all, and the confi- dence of the entire community in which he dwells is bestowed upon him.
GEORGE M. KUHN.
George Matthias Kuhn, an enterprising and prosperous young farmer of Van Buren township, Pulaski county, is a grandson of Michael and Barbara (Song) Kuhn, natives of Bavaria, Germany. His ancestors, for many genera- tions, lived upon a certain estate which was handed down from father to son, and the family has occupied a prominent position wherever it has had representatives.
Our subject's father, Matthias Kuhn, whose sketch appears in this work, was born on the old homestead already mentioned, February 16, 1836, and remained there until May, 1853, when he sailed for the shores of America. He worked at his trade, that of blacksmithing, for a few years in Indiana, and then settled upon a farm in Pulaski county. He has resided here and in Fulton county ever since, and by industry and diligence in business has amassed a comfortable fortune, besides giving his children good advantages and assist- ing them to make an independent start in life. October 9, 1859, he married Catherine, daughter of George and Mary (Ball) Mull, who were natives of Loudoun county, Virginia, and Hamilton county, Ohio, respectively, and were
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married in the last named county. Of the children born to Matthias and Catherine Kuhn, Mary was the eldest and the others were named as follows : William Henry, George Matthias, Joseph Michael, Charles Wesley and John Albert, all of whom are represented in the history of Pulaski county ; Bar- bara, deceased ; Robert Alexander, who cultivates his father's old homestead in Van Buren township. The mother of these children departed this life February 9, 1890, when in the fifty-fourth year of her age. The father was united in marriage to Meletta Ghaken, February 2, 1891, and her death took place about five years later, January 5, 1896. On the 16th of August, 1897, Mr. Kuhn wedded Bertha, widow of Jacob Bauman and daughter of Silas Beck. She is a native of Baden, Germany, and had four children by her first marriage.
George M. Kuhn, whose birth occurred August 30, 1865, on his father's old homestead in Van Buren township, was reared to the accustomed pur- suits of farmer lads, and early mastered all departments of work connected with the management of a homestead. At twenty-two years of age he em- barked in farming on his own account, his father giving him eighty-six acres of land on section 3, Van Buren township. A substantial house, which had been erected by Jacob Gravis, stands upon this farm and other good im- provements make it a most desirable homestead. Mr. Kuhn resides upon this property, though he also attends to the cultivation of two other farms which he owns, one of sixty acres on section 35, Harrison township, Pulaski county, and one of forty acres, located across the line, in Wayne township, Fulton county. His excellent business ability, thrift and practical knowledge of agriculture have resulted in his accumulation of property and capital, and his future is most promising.
In the year 1888, Mr. Kuhn married Bridget Margaret O'Conner, a daughter of Jeremiah and Bridget O'Conner. She was born February 19, 1865, and reared in Fort Wayne, Allen county, this state. Four little girls bless the happy home of Mr. and Mrs. Kuhn, namely : Julia May, born February 4, 1889 ; Bridget Elizabeth, born October 4, 1891 ; Loretta, June 20, 1894; and Helen Josephine, April 19, 1899. The parents are Catholics in their religious faith, and in politics Mr. Kuhn adheres to the Democratic party, to which his father and brothers belong.
DAVID BRANT.
Among the substantial citizens of Perry township, Tippecanoe county, Indiana, who " donned the blue " in the days of civil war and fought bravely for the old flag, is the gentleman to a brief sketch of whose life we here direct attention,-David Brant.
Henrietta. Elle Brant
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Mr. Brant was born in Miami county, Ohio, December 25, 1835, son of John and Elizabeth Brant, his father a Pennsylvania farmer, of Dutch ancestry, and the family comprising the following named members: Abra- ham, Martin, John, David, Adam, Daniel, Elizabeth, Esther and Barbara. John Brant, the father, died in Ohio, at the age of fifty-one years.
David Brant was reared to farm life and received only a limited educa -- tion. At the time the civil war broke out he was on the home farm in Darke county, Ohio, to which place his father had moved from Miami county and cleared and improved a tract of land. Young Brant's patriotism. was at once aroused and he was among the first to place his name on the list. of volunteers. In April, 1861, at the age of twenty-two years, he enlisted,. at Gettysburg, Ohio, as a private in Company K, Eleventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for three months. He served out his time at Camp Dennison, Ohio, and was honorably discharged. Then, in September of that year, he re-enlisted at Gettysburg, Ohio, for three years or during the war, as a private in Company B, Forty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under Captain J. B. Longston, the fortunes of which command he shared until January, 1864. Soon he again re-enlisted, this time at Knoxville, Tennessee, as a member of the Eighth Ohio Cavalry, Company B, under Captain A. Thomp- son, and served until the close of the war. For his meritorious service he was promoted to the rank of third sergeant, and, the conflict over, he was honorably discharged at Springfield, Ohio, in July, 1865. Among the bat- tles in which he participated were those of second Bull Run, Louisburg, Knoxville, actions in the Shenandoah valley, Winchester, Cedar Creek and numerous others. Throughout his whole service he was not wounded nor was he ever sick a day in hospital, but was always ready for active duty and promptly and cheerfully acted his part. The exposure, however, of his army life caused him to lose his hearing, and he is now almost totally deaf.
After the war Mr. Brant went west and spent some time in Kansas, Missouri and Texas, where he worked at the carpenter's trade. About 1878 he came to Indiana and located in Tippecanoe county. In Perry township, this county, he bought a small tract of land, and here he has since been engaged in farming. To his original purchase he has since added until now his farm comprises ninety-five acres, and has valuable improvements thereon.
Mr. Brant was married at Pettit, Indiana, June 14, 1883, to Mrs. Hen- rietta Weigle, néc Hoch, who was born May 22, 1841, in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, daughter of George and Mary (Kitsmiller) Hoch. George Hoch was a son of Henry and Rachel Hoch and was born in Dau- phin county, Pennsylvania, in 1800, his ancestors having come to this coun- try from Germany several generations ago and settled in Pennsylvania. He owned two hundred acres of land in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, 30
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where he spent his life after marriage. He died in 1860, at the age of sixty years, a member of the Lutheran church. The children composing his fam- ily were Levi, Margaret A., Sampson, Caroline, Marinda, Benjamin I., Hen- rietta, Elder, George, Jane and Gustavus. Benjamin I. was a member of an Ohio volunteer regiment during the civil war, was taken prisoner by the enemy and died in prison at Catawba, in North Carolina. Mrs. Brant was first married to Martin Weigle, in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, Febru- ary 6, 1862, and they lived in that county until 1866, when they came to Indiana, settling first in Clinton county and four years later removing to Tippecanoe county and locating where Mr. and Mrs. Brant now reside. Here Mr. Weigle died March 14, 1881, at the age of forty-five years. He was a member of the Dunkard church, a man who stood high in the esteem of all who knew him. He was a veteran in the civil war, being a private of Samuel B. Deihl's Company F, One Hundred Fifty-eighth Regiment Penn- sylvania Militia, enrolled on the 16th day of October, 1862, to serve nine months; and was honorably discharged from service August 12, 1863, at Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, by reason of the expiration of his term of enlistment. Mrs. Brant is also a member of the Dunkard church. Polit- ically, Mr. Brant is a Republican. All his active life he has been an indus- trious, hard-working man, but of recent years has been disabled so that he cannot take charge of the active duties of the farm.
Mrs. Brant is the mother of ten children, all by her first husband, and of this number two died in infancy. The following is a brief record of the children: George; Belle, who died at the age of seventeen years; Sadic, who died at the age of twenty-seven years; Albert and Alice, twins: Alice died aged six years; William, who died at the age of twenty-four years; Allen, who died aged three years; Aidy and Braidy, twins; and Etta.
JOHN W. HORNBECK.
The ancestors of John W. Hornbeck, on both sides of the family, were true frontiersmen, possessing that genuine love for nature and nature's soli- tude that leads men from the busy, crowded cities to the forests, which were "God's first temples." True, they were forced to dispense with many of the blessings of civilization, but they " builded wiser than they knew," and their children and children's children have entered into the heritage of their labors; and great states, among the mightiest in the nation, now stand as monuments of their faithful toil.
Isaac Hornbeck, the grandfather of our subject, did gallant service in the early Indian wars, and was rewarded by being given land warrants. He removed from Kentucky to Ohio in 1800, settling in Pickaway county, where
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