USA > Indiana > Newton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 53
USA > Indiana > Benton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 53
USA > Indiana > Pulaski County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 53
USA > Indiana > Warren County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 53
USA > Indiana > Tippecanoe County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 53
USA > Indiana > Jasper County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 53
USA > Indiana > White County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 53
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he improved a farm. Religiously he was an active worker, leader and exhorter in the Christian church. For a wife he chose Margaret Funk, whose parents had emigrated from Germany to Kentucky, and two sons were born to them,-Simon and Adam.
The latter, who was the father of our subject, owned and operated a farm in Pickaway county, Ohio, and in 1837 came to this township, where he bought a large tract of land. He cleared and improved a farm, suffering the inconveniences common to the time and place, such as the long distance required to take grain to be ground, the lack of near neighbors, stores, schools and churches; yet he prospered and died with the respect and love of all who knew him well. He was not a church member, but his life was most exemplary and a blessing to those around him. Death put an end to his busy career June 15, 1858; and his widow, who was a devoted member of the Christian church, survived him ten years. She was a native of Ohio, and in her girlhood bore the name of Margaret Dungan. Her father, John Dungan, of Virginia, was an early settler in the Buckeye state, and she had three brothers and a sister, -William, John, Titus and Rebecca. Adam and Margaret Hornbeck were the parents of twelve children, namely: Sarah, who married William Hornbeck (of the same surname but unrelated); Nelson, deceased; Mrs. Mary J. Ballard; Isaac, who removed to Missouri in 1856; Milton, deceased; John; Elizabeth, who died in Ohio; Mrs. Martha Greenfield; Alexander, deceased; Frank, who manages the old homestead; Mrs. Rebecca Little, and Mrs. Elizabeth Benjamin.
John W. Hornbeck was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, December 6, 1831, and until he was twenty-five years of age he continued to reside on the old homestead. After his marriage he settled on his present farm in Prairie township, where he now has three hundred acres, most of it being under fine cultivation. A commodious, well-built house, two stories in height, and possessing all the conveniences of modern times; substantial barn, fences, orchards, and groves of maple trees and lines of splendid shade trees, are among some of the improvements which the thifty and progressive owner has made. He has given his chief attention to raising grain and hay and has kept good stock on his place.
Though he has studiously kept out of politics, Mr. Hornbeck does his duty as a citizen and voter, giving the Republican party and nominees his preference. He is a great worker in the Christian church, being a deacon and officer, and his wife and two of his daughters are equally active in the work of the church and Sunday-school.
In 1856 Mr. Hornbeck married Miss Mary C. Crichfield, who was born in Tippecanoe county and is of an honored pioneer family. Her parents, William and Sarah (Philins) Crichfield, were of Irish and German extraction,
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respectively. The father bought and improved a homestead in this town- ship, and died here in 1861. Two of Mrs. Hornbeck's brothers, Harrison and John G., served in the war of the Rebellion. One sister is Mrs. Ruth Gordon, and Anna E. is deceased. To the happy marriage of our subject and wife seven children were born, three of whom-Laura, Bertha and Gertie-are deceased. Sophronia A. is unmarried and lives at home, and William A. is engaged in farming on the old homestead, while Elzina is the wife of S. Mills, of Chicago; and Ziba is interested in milling in Walkerton, Indiana.
FRANCIS T. HORNBECK.
Just sixty years ago, March 14, 1839, occurred the birth of the subject of this sketch on the old homestead in Prairie township, White county, which has since been his place of abode. He is a grandson of Isaac Hornbeck, a frontiersman and Indian fighter, who received grants of land in Pickaway county, Ohio, for his services in the border wars with the redmen, and removed to the Buckeye state from Kentucky in 1800. To himself and wife, Margaret (Funk) Hornbeck, whose parents were natives of Germany, two sons were born, -Simon and Adam. The latter, father of our subject, married in Ohio Margaret, daughter of John Dungan, who had removed to the Buckeye state from Virginia in early days, and whose other children were William, John, Titus and Rebecca. After farming for some years in Pickaway county, Ohio, Adam Hornbeck came to this township in 1837 and bought a large tract of wild land, which he converted into one of the best country places in the county. He selected a pleasant site for the comfortable house which he built, and as the years passed kept making one improvement after another. Among his associates he was considered one of the most progressive, wide- awake farmers of this section, nor did he neglect his public duties in any respect. He was a Whig in political opinion, and while not a church mem- ber, as his father had been, he contributed liberally to the Christian church, to which his wife belonged. He died June 15, 1858, and his wife passed away five years later.
Twelve children were born to this worthy couple and four of the number, Nelson, Milton, Elizabeth and Alexander, are deceased. Sarah married William Hornbeck, who was not related to her, though he bore the same patronmyic. Mary J. is the wife of A. Ballard ; Isaac moved to Missouri in 1856 ; John is a prominent farmer of this township ; Martha is the wife of B. Greenfield, a leading farmer of this community ; F. T. is the subject of this article ; Rebecca is the wife of D. Little ; and Elizabeth is Mrs. M. Benjamin.
Francis T. Hornbeck received such limited education as the days of his
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boyhood afforded, in the old-fashioned log school-house with its uncomfort- able, hard slab benches and greased-paper windows. He early mastered the details of the farmer's vocation, and after the death of his father he con- tinued to manage and live upon the old homestead, which is situated six miles northeast of Brookston. He received his share of the property and purchased the remainder, now owning two hundred and twenty acres. The old frame house, one of the first of the kind built in the county, was erected by his father, and has been remodeled by the present occupant, who has likewise put up a new barn, placed tiling where necessary, and has instituted various other valuable improvements. The old orchard having outlived its period of usefulness, he planted another, and in general he has been success- ful in the raising of grain and hay, cattle and hogs, feeding and shipping to some extent. His attractive home stands on a bluff, overlooking Big creek, along the banks of which there formerly was considerable timber, though much of it has been cut down. The view is one of beauty, and, as the farm is mainly prairie, one can see far over the country.
In 1866 Mr. Hornbeck married Miss Mary J. Coil, who was born in Carroll county, Indiana, February 19, 1845, a daughter of Robert and Phœbe (Little) Coil. Her father was a native of Kentucky, her mother of Ohio, and their marriage was celebrated in this state. They owned a fine, large farm in Carroll county, and later were residents of White county. The father left a valuable estate at the time of his death, September 24, 1850, and was survived by his widow over forty-five years, as she lived until April 20, 1896. She was of English descent, a daughter of William Little, a New Jersey farmer in his early life, and later of Indiana. Mrs. Coil was a consistent member of the Christian church. She married, secondly, Nelson Hornbeck, about three years after her first husband's death, in 1854. There were four children by this union : Colum, Fannie, Frank and Addie ; and by the first marriage, Abraham, Mary J. and Martha A. The four children of Mr. and Mrs. Hornbeck are unmarried and at home. They are Maggie, Robert, who is aiding in the farm management, and Blanche and Bernice. The parents are worthy members of the United Brethren church. Mr. Hornbeck uses his franchise in favor of the Republican party, and is influen- tial in local affairs.
MATTHEW ENOLDS JONES.
That Pulaski county has become rich and prosperous, and to-day ranks among the foremost counties of the great commonwealth of Indiana, is owing largely to the character of her citizens and pioneers,-those who, like the Jones brothers and their father, came here at an early day, and from that time forward identified themselves thoroughly with its upbuilding.
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Several generations ago the ancestors of our subject came to America from Scotland. His grandfather, Levi Jones, who died in Ohio in 1850, aged about eighty years, was a native of Bedford county, Pennsylvania, as is believed. By trade he was a millwright, and in the new country in the Buck- eye state, to which he removed early in this century, he found plenty of work in fitting up mills for the pioneers. While the war of 1812 was in progress he was drafted, but at the end of three days' service he made arrangements with his colonel to accept as his substitute his son Thomas, whose business affairs and domestic responsibilities were not nearly so great. The son, therefore, took the father's place and served until the close of the war, tak- ing part in the battle of Baltimore and in other engagements. Besides Thomas there were three sons in his family, -Andrew, Stephen and Robert, - and three daughters,-Margaret, Naomi and Catherine. Stephen Jones came to Pulaski county in 1838 and located on the old Nathan Brown place. In time he became the owner of over four hundred acres of land here, and it was not until 1884 that he left this locality, going to Arkansas, where he died about a year later. He married first Nancy Bucher, and their children were David, Wesley, Amos, Allen, Rachel, Clara and Mary Ann. The last mentioned is the wife of Itha Shepherd, of this county, and Amos is a resi- dent of Thornhope. By his marriage to Martha Dilts Stephen Jones had three children, -Rebecca, Jane and Daniel. Andrew and Robert, brothers of Stephen Jones, lived in this county for a period. Andrew died in 1856. Robert enlisted in the Forty-sixth Regular Indiana Volunteer Infantry in the civil war and was killed by a gunshot.
Thomas Jones, father of our subject, was born July 7, 1798, in Bedford county, Pennsylvania. He was a skillful mechanic and worker in wood, besides being the master of his father's trade, that of millwright. In Febru- ary, 1848, he arrived in this county, having driven with his family from Ohio. Besides his wife and four children, his son William, and Richard Anders, who married his daughter Naomi, were of the party. After renting land for a period, Thomas Jones bought eighty acres on section 22, Van Buren township, but let that property go and purchased forty acres on sec- tion 26, same township, erecting a house there in 1859, which building is still in good preservation. Subsequently to his last purchase of land, he bought another tract of like size, on section 25. He had lived in Highland, Clinton and Fayette counties, Ohio, and for five years in Fulton county, Indiana. Politically, he was a Democrat, and religiously a Methodist, but as there was no church of that denomin ition when he settled here, he joined the United Brethren, His long and upright life came to a close October 25, 1880, and he was placed to rest in the Victor churchyard. His first wife was Elizabeth Van Zandt, and their children were Margaret, Naomi, Catherine,
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Robert, William, Levi and John. William died July 3, 1899. The second wife was Mary Victoria Clifton in her girlhood. Born in 1801, in Delaware, she came to Ohio at the age of nine years, and lived upon her father's old homestead near Leesburg, Highland county, until she was married. Her first husband was John Falkinburg, and the children of that marriage were Mary Ann, Abigail, Hannah, Charles, James and Caleb. To Mr. and Mrs. Jones were born: Esther Elizabeth, who married Joseph Hurst and lives in Cass county; Trusten Adams; Lydia Ann, wife of George Williamson; and Matthew E.
Matthew Enolds Jones, born November 16, 1833, on a farm in Fayette county, Ohio, remained under the parental roof until he arrived at his majority. When he started to earn for himself he was economical and soon amassed a snug little capital, which he invested with excellent judgment. His first employer was Anthony Fickle, for whom he drove six yoke of oxen much of the time for three years. The following three years he was employed in several counties in the construction of ditches, which were being made by the state. More than half a century ago he came to this county, which he has since regarded as his home. After his marriage he lived upon a rented farm for three years. The first land owned by him was forty acres on section 25, which property he bought from the government at one dollar and a quarter an acre. He exchanged it, with Isaac Coen, for two oxen and a plow. The land is now valued at twelve hundred dollars. For three years he lived upon a forty-acre tract of land on section 24. This place, known as military land, came into his possession by purchase, and after building upon it and otherwise improving it, he exchanged it for forty acres on section 22, and this in turn was exchanged for a farm of similar size on section 23. Half of this place Mr. Jones sold to Gangwer in exchange, and, buying an adjoining eighty acres, he now has a fine farm of one hundred acres. In 1876 he erected his comfortable house here, and has instituted various desirable improvements, which make the homestead one of the best in this locality.
Mr. Jones has been twice married, his first union being with Susanna McGowan, a daughter af Martin and Hannah (Parcel) McGowan. The eldest child of Mr. and Mrs. Jones, George William, was born August 14, 1860, married Ora Dowd, and has one child, Elmer, and they reside at Logans- port; Emma Alice, who died at the early age of twenty-two years, was the wife of Erastus Oliver South, and their two sons, Ernest and Clyde, are both deceased; Mary Arabella lives in Indianapolis; Charles E., of Dunkirk, Indi- ana, married Miss Martin and has a little daughter, Marjory; Delmer Trusten is employed in a bicycle shop in North Dakota; and LeRoy Martin is the youngest of this family.
On the 23d of February, 1878, Mr. Jones and Clara Deweese, daughter
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of Jesse and Amy (Blue) Deweese, were united in marriage. Mrs. Jones is a native of Shelby county, Ohio, her birth having taken place March 26, 1846. The eldest child of our subject and wife is Jesse C., who was born October 23, 1878, and is at home assisting in the care of the farm; Hugh born June 13, 1880, died March 28, 1890; Ida, born December 10, 1881, died August 28, 1883; Wilbert C., born February 22, 1885; Harriet, born January 13, 1887, and Paul D., born October 30, 1892, are at home, and attending school.
During the civil war Mr. Jones went to Chicago, and February 22, 1865, enlisted in Company E, One Hundred and Fifty-sixth Illinois Volunteer In- fantry. He was assigned to guard duty, and saw active service for five months; but, on account of being ill for about three months, was honorably discharged, October 11, 1865. He is now a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, being connected with Star City Post. Politically, he is a Democrat, and has served efficiently in local offices, having been constable for one year; one of the township supervisors, and road supervisor. He is highly respected by all who know him and is a loyal, patriotic citizen.
SAMUEL BORN.
America can boast of no better or more loyal sons than are to be found in the ranks of the sturdy, honorable, industrious Germans, who have come to these shores and have cast in their lot with our citizens, prepared to stand by our institutions and to uphold the freedom and equality upon which our government is founded. Lafayette has many of such sterling German- American citizens, and traces much of her prosperity as a city to this fact. Among them no one is more highly esteemed and looked up to, as an upright, conscientious business man and public-spirited citizen than the gen- tleman whose name heads this article.
The birth of Samuel Born occurred October 21, 1830, in Rhine Hes- sen, Germany, his parents being Samuel and Sarah (Wolf) Born. They likewise were natives of Germany and for years the father was engaged in agricultural pursuits and in general merchandising in the town of Woerrstadt. He was a man of high standing in his community and one and all accorded him the sincere esteem which he justly deserved. His death took place in 1882, when he had attained the ripe age of eighty-five years. His devoted wife, who survived him but three years, was then in her eighty-seventh year. The paternal grandfather of our subject was Moses Born, whose entire life was spent in the fatherland. He was a dealer in general mer- chandise and cattle and for some time carried on a farm. His family com- prised two sons and two daughters. Isaac Wolf, the maternal grandfather
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of our subject, was born and died in Germany. He reared six daughters and two sons to lives of usefulness, and passed to his reward, respected and admired by all who knew him. There are but two children living of the seven who were born to Samuel and Sarah (Wolf) Born, namely: Samuel and Esther, the latter the wife of Bernhard Larch, of Mainz, Germany.
Samuel Born, of this sketch, received a collegiate education in his native land, and was of great assistance to his father in his various business enterprises. Having mastered the essential points of the successful business man, our subject concluded to try his fortunes in the United States, and in · 1854 landed in New York city. Thence he went to Philadelphia, where he had friends, and a year later came to this state. Settling in Waynetown, he kept a general store, dealt in grain and wool, and packed pork and beef quite extensively. He was not sparing of himself, but worked very assidu- ously at whatever line of business he embarked upon, and the result was that he met with success. In 1866 he visited his relatives in Europe, and during the year which he passed in the land of his nativity he made the acquaintance of the lady who became his wife. In 1867 he returned to this country, accompanied by his bride, and in the following year he settled per- manently in Lafayette. At that time he embarked in the grain business here and continued to manage it until 1895, when he organized the Samuel Born Company, of which he is the president, his son Isaac, secretary and treasurer, and his sons Marx, Edward and Alfred being stockholders. The company exports grain, and has built up a very extensive and lucrative trade. They have two warehouses and elevators in Lafayette, and others at South Raub, Battle Ground, Crane, Stockwell, Colfax and Dayton, and employ- ment is afforded to about seventy-five persons.
December 2, 1867, Mr. Born married Therese, daughter of Marx and Minna (Wolf) Gottscho, and six children were born to this worthy couple, namely: Marx, Jessie, Isaac, Edward, Alfred and Berthe. The youngest, Berthe, died when but three years old. Isaac married Berthe Weil and has two children-Therese and Ferdinand. The home of the senior Mr. Born was built by him in 1868, at No. 67 North Sixth street. He and his wife belong to the Reformed Hebrew congregation, and he is one of the trustees of the synagogue. Politically he is a stanch Republican, and fraternally he belongs to the B'nai B'rith (the Sons of the Covenant), and is a Mason of the Royal Arch degree.
In disposition Mr. Born is kindly, genial and generous, in addition to possessing the other qualities which have wrought out for him the prosperity and prominence which he enjoys. His example is one which is well worthy of being followed by the younger generation, and none of his fellow citizens regard him in an envious light, for he has justly earned the affluence that is
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now his portion. A due regard for the rights of others and a genuine desire to be of service to those whom fortune has frowned upon, are, in part, secrets of his popularity among his associates.
JOHN D. SHELLAND.
John D. Shelland, who has been prominently associated with the devel- opment of Newton county, Indiana, has made his home for many years in Grant township, where he is held in high regard. He is a grandson of James and Lois (Wright) Shelland, natives of Scotland and England, respectively. . Both came to this country with their parents when they were young children, and they were married in Schenectady, New York. Subsequently they set- tled upon a farm in that vicinity and made a home in the midst of the forest. After clearing and improving that place they became citizens of Wister, Otsego county, New York, where he purchased two farms and where they spent the remainder of their long lives, his death occurring when he was in his seventy-ninth year, while she lived to the remarkable age of one hundred years, lacking one month. All of their eleven children are deceased, and their names are as given below: James, Elisha, David, Samuel, John, Isaac, Mrs. Mary Bigelow, Mrs. Lois Robinson, Mrs. Grazella Davis, Mrs. Sally Stever and Mrs. Julia Kipple. The three eldest sons were soldiers of the war of 1812, and never accepted a pension, as they were devoted to their country, and they gladly gave her their loyal service in her hour of need. Their father was a deacon in the Presbyterian church, and his family was kept un- der strict discipline, as was customary among the Scotch who adhered to that severe creed.
Samuel Shelland, the father of our subject, was born in 1800 and lived to reach his seventy-fourth year. After his marriage to Anna, daughter of David and Bathsheba (Mills) Smith, he began farming in earnest and in time was numbered among the prosperous agriculturists of Otsego, New York, his native county. He was a Presbyterian of the old school, and in politics was a Democrat, filling a few local offices with zeal and marked ability. His wife was of English descent on her father's side. Mr. Smith was born in Connecticut, in which state his parents had located upon their arrival in America, and when fully grown he was six feet and two inches in height. He served in the colonial army from the age of sixteen, when Washington took command, until the close of the Revolution, and until Washington issued his farewell address, holding a commission from him for some time. Upon one occasion he was actively engaged in the capture of a band of Hessian soldiers who had been hired by the English and were especially detested by the Americans, and was the officer who went forward and demanded their
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surrender. At the close of the war he received his pay for the preceding year's service, and gave the entire amount, ninety-six dollars, for one meal! The hardships which he had endured for his country resulted in his life-long disability, and he thenceforth worked at shoemaking, as he was unable to walk without assistance, and could not engage in farming or more active labor. It is sad to relate that this gallant soldier received no pension, except the paltry sum of eight dollars a month for the last few years of his life ! Among the children of his first marriage were Joseph, Joes, Thomas, Rebecca, Anna and David. The second wife was the widow of a Mr. Carpenter, who tradi- tion says was the wealthiest man in Connecticut. He served as tax collector during the Revolution, and the last collection, made in the depreciated colo- nial scrip, he had to pay in gold, which ruined him. There were three children of their marriage.
The birth of John D. Shelland occurred in Otsego county, New York, December 13, 1831, he being the third of six children. His brother, Isaac, became a successful farmer of the Empire state, and Benjamin, a wagon- maker, doing an extensive business in that line; and his sisters were Mary, who married C. R. Chamberlin; Augusta, wife of S. Wright; and Elvira, who first married G. Wilsey and later, I. Adkins. Mrs. Adkins, who died about 1871, was one of the first members of the Presbyterian church at Goodland, Newton county, this state, and was noted for her fine voice and musical ability.
Until he was thirty-six years of age our subject resided at his birthplace, his attention devoted to its cultivation. In 1858 he became the manager of a grist and saw mill, a clover mill and a cider mill, the latter making one thousand three hundred barrels in the first season. For four years he was the owner of a quarter interest in the plant. Possessing natural mechanical ability, he had attended to all the repairing of the mill machinery, and when, in 1862, he sold his shares in the property and returned to the old homestead, he hired a man to carry on the farm, while he undertook the sale of a wagon with a patent self-acting brake, and canvassed five counties with excellent results. When the civil war broke out he desired to enlist, but upon being examined was rejected. In 1863, however, he was drafted, and it cost him three hun- dred dollars to get a release. In 1865 he came west with a view of making a permanent settlement, and was joined by his family in April of that year, at Goodland, where he rented a house. He bought the land now comprised within his farm, then wild and unbroken prairie, sent to Chicago for lumber with which to build fences, and finally put up a small house on the place. By degrees he succeeded in reducing the land to cultivation, and made a model farm of the property, which is situated but one mile west of the vil- lage. In 1874, having bought two acres of land in Goodland, he erected
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