USA > Indiana > Newton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 56
USA > Indiana > Benton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 56
USA > Indiana > Pulaski County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 56
USA > Indiana > Warren County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 56
USA > Indiana > Tippecanoe County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 56
USA > Indiana > Jasper County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 56
USA > Indiana > White County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 56
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great number of skirmishes. He served in the Army of the Potomac under Generals Meade, Hooker, McClellan and Grant, and witnessed the destruc- tion of the vessels Cumberland and Congress, and the victory of the Monitor over the Merrimac. He was slightly wounded in the left ankle, for which he receives a small pension. He was honorably discharged in July, 1865, at Jeffersonville, Indiana.
Mr. Lear was born February 22, 1840, and is the son of Nathan M. and Maria (Spicer) Lear. He is a direct descendant of John Lear, who emigrated from Great Britain to Virginia about 1750, was George Washington's secre- tary, and was with him at Fort Du Quesne in 1755 when General Braddock was defeated, and Washington saved the army. With the aid of others he, John Lear, carried the mortally wounded Braddock from the field. Nathan M. Lear was born near Culpeper Court House, West Virginia, and for several years was an overseer for a Mr. Bell. He moved to Monticello, Indiana, in 1837 or 1838 and rented one hundred acres of land, on which he sowed wheat, the first crop proving an entire failure. He afterward moved to Parke county, Indiana, where he followed farming for over sixteen years, his death occurring in 1863. His first wife was Nancy, née Spicer, the mother of Hiram Lear, whose sketch will be found elsewhere in this volume. The mother of our subject was born near Culpeper Court House, West Virginia, and died in White county in 1843.
George Lear was an infant of three months when his parents went to Parke county, and lived there until 1861, when he returned to White county and worked near Wolcott until he enlisted in the army. After the war was over he returned again to White county, and on November 1, 1865, was mar- ried to Miss Mary Dobbins, whose father was probably the first man to settle on the prairie in what is now West Point township. Mr. Dobbins was a blacksmith by trade, but was also a stock-herder, handling from six to seven hundred head at one time. Mrs. Lear was born near Cumberland, Virginia, November 5, 1847, and was three years old when her parents settled near Wolcott, in White county. She is a sister of Sheriff Dobbins. To Mr. and Mrs. Lear ten children have been born, namely: Harvey Elsworth, an engineer, who assists his father in the management of the farm; Leonard L., who died when eighteen months old; Alice. who is now teaching music near her home; Herbert, also an engineer, who lives with his uncle, Hiram Lear; Ernest, who is a farmer near Idaville; Maude, Philip, Geneva, Verne and John, who are at home.
Mr. Lear's first purchase of land was that of seventy acres four miles southwest of Wolcott, which has since been increased to two hundred and fifty-three acres. He carries on general farming and feeds from thirty to fifty head of Poland-China hogs during the winter, besides about fifteen
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head of cattle and from twelve to fifteen horses. He raises a large quantity of apples and small fruits and has his own cider press, also owning a black- smith and carpenter shop on the farm. He built his own house and assisted in building a large number of dwellings in the neighborhood. When he first took possession of his land there were on it no improvements what- ever, and it has been entirely through his own hard work that the place has been brought to its present state of high cultivation. His first house was built half a mile from the road and is still standing, but in 1886 he erected his present residence, which is a cosy, comfortable home. In 1899 he pur- chased one hundred and sixty acres of land in Washington county, Colorado, which is being worked by tenants as a general farm.
Mr. Lear is a member of the Christian church at Wolcott, as is his wife, and he also belongs to Post No. 74, G. A. R., at Remington, in which he has held all the offices. In politics he is a Republican and is a loyal and useful citizen.
WILLIAM SOLOMON.
The history of the successful farmers of Warren county repeats itself as a record of early privations, limited schooling and a determined surmounting of all obstacles in the road to prosperity.
Mr. Solomon, the subject of this sketch, was born in Daviess county, Indiana, March 16, 1844, a son of Aaron and Nancy A. (Ferguson) Solomon. Aaron Solomon was a native of New Jersey, and his wife was born in Ohio, of German parentage. Mr. Solomon was a millwright, working at his trade many years, until the roller-process machinery was introduced; then, on ac- count of failure of his sight, he abandoned this line of work. He passed the later years of his life in Daviess county, Indiana, dying May 22, 1892, in his eighty-fifth year. Mrs. Solomon survived him until May 26, 1896, also at- taining her eighty-fifth year. They had nine children, viz .: William, the subject of this record; Sarah, now Mrs. John Morse, of Fountain county, this state; Mary, now Mrs. Leander French, of Hoopeston, Illinois; Joseph, deceased; Jesse, of Kilmore, Clinton county; Lewis, deceased; Thomas, of Benton county; Charles, of Iowa; and James, also of Clinton county. Mr. Solomon was an ardent Baptist, an abolitionist and a Republican from the formation of the party. He was a good citizen and highly esteemed as a man whose patriotic ancestors were soldiers of the Revolution.
William Solomon, our subject, was taken by his parents to Cain town- ship, Fountain county, Indiana, when he was but four years old, and there spent his youthful days. At the early age of nine years he started out in life for himself, working on a farm for three dollars a month for the first year; and he continued at this kind of work until nearly thirty years of age, during
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that time saving up twenty-five hundred dollars. In 1870 he came to Me- dina township, Warren county, and with this money, in 1883, purchased the farm on which he now lives, and which at first consisted of eighty acres, on section 25, located on the road running from Pine Village to Lafayette, two and a half miles west of Green Hill. To this, in 1893, he added forty acres more, making one hundred and twenty acres in all, on which he carries on general farming and stock-raising.
Mr. Solomon is a member of Lodge No. 455, F. & A. M., at Green Hill; in political belief is a Republican, and in religion a Methodist.
On the 28th of November, 1869, he was married to Miss Julia Doil, a daughter of Samuel and Mary (Cook) Doil. She was born in Fountain county, this state. Mr. and Mrs. Solomon have had three children: Elmer, William O., deceased, and Minnie D.
JOHN SCHILLING.
The village of Dunnington, Benton county, Indiana, is surrounded by broad, fertile prairie country, dotted with farms in the highest state of culti- vation, which yield their owners a bounteous return for the labor expended upon them. The buildings and other improvements show neatness, thrift and prosperity, while nature provides a market for the produce in the con- stant appetites of her children. Noticeable among the pretty, home-like cottages in this vicinity, is the residence of John Schilling, which is located on a tract of land containing two hundred and forty acres, and which has been converted from a wild, uncultivated waste to its present pleasing and highly improved state.
Mr. Schilling was born in Bavaria, in 1835, and is the son of Michael and Elizabeth (Chintz) Schilling. His parents came to this country from Bavaria, and settled in Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, and then moved to Dunnington, where his father died, in 1882, at the age of seventy-eight years, and the mother seven years later, at the age of eighty. Michael Schilling worked in the coal mines for forty years. The following children still sur- vive them: Angeline, wife of Frank Gross, living near this village; Peter, a farmer residing two miles south; John, our subject; Magdaline, wife of John Metzinger, residing one and one-half miles south of Dunnington; Joseph, who owns and farms two hundred and forty acres of land in White county, Indiana; Gertrude, wife of Michael Meisberger, of Chicago; and Catherine, wife of Michael Boneberger, of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Schilling attended school in Bavaria before coming to America with his parents. He remained in Pennsylvania with them until 1870, when he came west and located in Chicago, conducting a meat market there for six
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years. In 1876 he purchased two hundred acres of wild land one and one- quarter miles south of Dunnington, which is his present residence. Since then he has added forty acres to this purchase, and has made it a most desirable piece of property by means of the cultivation and improvements.
He was united, in the holy bonds of wedlock, in 1862, to Miss Elizabeth Steinfelt. She was born in Bavaria, May 18, 1845, and is a daughter of Peter and Magdaline (Luck) Steinfelt, of that country. Their marriage was solemnized by Father Bach, of St. Maurezen's church, Ashland, Pennsylva- nia. They are the parents of nine children, of whom we chronicle items as follows: Magdaline, born September 5, 1864, is the wife of John Bennitt, of this county; Elizabeth, born December 11, 1866, is the wife of John Becker, also a farmer of this county; John, born July 7, 1869, died Decem- ber 8, 1878; Joseph, born July 18, 1871, resides in Iowa; Mary, born No- vember 4, 1874, died twenty days later; George, born June 20, 1878, died October 21, of the following year; Frank, born June 30, 1880, resides at home, as do Henry, born July 18, 1885; and Annie, born May 24, 1890. Mr. Schilling is independent in his politics, and an earnest worker for the building of the Dunnington church, to which he belongs.
DANIEL WALTON.
Thirty-three years ago (1866) this worthy member of the Tippecanoe county bar became a resident of Lafayette, where he has made his home continuously since. He has been actively occupied in practice during this long period and is well and favorably known throughout this section of the state. His office is now at No. 209 North Third street.
Mr. Walton comes from a patriotic family, his father, Samuel Walton, having served in the war of 1812 and his grandfather, Moses Walton, having been a soldier of the Revolution. His maternal grandfather, Ichabod Sim- mons, was likewise a hero of the Revolution, for in that mighty conflict he faithfully stood at his post of duty for six long years, a portion of that period enjoying the rank of lieutenant. "Length of days " was one of the blessings which fell to his share, for he was about ninety years old when the summons came to him to rest from his labors. Both of the grandfathers of our sub- ject were natives of Massachusetts. Moses Walton reared a large family and died in Maine, in which state he had resided for several years.
The parents of Daniel Walton were Samuel and Lydia (Simmons) Wal- ton, natives of Massachusetts and Maine, respectively. They lived upon a farm in Maine during their married life, and there the father died in 1859, at the age of seventy-six years. His widow survived him for almost thirty years, dying at the extreme age of ninety-four. They were identified with 32
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the Universalist church. Of their five children only two survive,-Daniel and Amanda, widow of William Allen. She resides in North Berwick, Maine, and is now eighty-three years old.
The birth of Daniel Walton occurred in Kennebec county, Maine, Octo- ber 2, 1821, and he continued to assist in the cultivation of the home farm until he arrived at maturity. He was educated in the common schools and in the Maine Wesleyan Seminary, where he was graduated in 1843. The same year witnessed his admission to the bar, for he had previously studied law under the guidance of Lot M. Morrill, ex-secretary of the United States treasury. In 1845 Mr. Walton commenced practicing his chosen profession in Natick, Massachusetts, but in a short time abandoned it and became in- terested in the manufacture of shoes. This line of business he followed suc- cessfully for some ten years, after which he taught school for a long period, in Haverhill and Natick, Massachusetts, and Alton, New Hampshire. During the war he did well as a photographer in Boston and in Cincinnati, Ohio. He went west to the last named city in 1864 and remained there for two years, then coming to Lafayette. Since he came to this place he has adhered strictly to the practice of law and has succeeded even beyond his expecta- tions. He has never sought nor desired public distinction, and with the ex- ception of the time he served as justice of the peace he has never occupied a public office of any kind. The Republican party has been the recipient of his votes and influence, but he is in no sense a politician.
For the past sixteen years Mr. Walton has resided at No. 1614 Colum- bia street. The wife of his youth, Nancy, was a daughter of Jonathan and Abigail (Whitney) Fellows, and it was in December, 1843, that she became his bride. Their three children, Theresa, Orland and Ida are all deceased, and Mrs. Walton died in the spring of 1854. She was a member of the Congregational church. In 1860 Mr. Walton married Miss Mary Susan Cate, who died in April, 1882. Her parents were Daniel and Abigail (Rol- lins) Cate. The only child born to Daniel and Mary Walton is Blanche B., now the wife of Harry G. Cox, of Indianapolis. Mr. and Mrs. Walton and daughter were all members of the Second Presbyterian church of this city. The daughter graduated in the classical course at De Pauw University, and is a lady of fine education and attainments.
CHARLES G. PHARES.
The gentleman whose name appears above was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, May 12, 1851, a son of Samuel and Jane (Gould) Phares. His father, born in the same county, of German descent, emigrated to Benton county, Indiana, in March, 1856, settling upon a farm two and a
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half miles west of Oxford, where he was a prosperous farmer and a shrewd business man, worth about twenty-five thousand dollars at the time of his death, which occurred September 21, 1893, when he had arrived at the age of sixty-nine years. The mother of our subject, of Dutch descent, is a native of the state of New York, came west with her parents to Ohio, and was married in Hamilton county, that state. She is still living, now seventy years of age, with her daughter, Laura Evans, at Fowler, Indiana. She is a good-natured, sympathetic lady, highly respected by all who know her.
Of the nine children in the above family three were born in Hamilton county, Ohio, and the others at the old farmstead west of Oxford. Their names, residences, etc., are as follows: Ravenna, born in 1848, died at the age of thirteen years; Charles G., our subject, was the second born; William R., born in 1853, is engaged in the boot and shoe business in Oxford; John, born in 1855, died at the age of three years; Anna, born in 1858, became the wife of William D. Burditt, who has been engaged in the hardware busi- ness in Oxford, but has recently sold out and resides at Lafayette, still owning, however, all his real estate in and around Oxford; Laura, born in 1861, married Wallace Evans, who is engaged in the lumber business in Fowler; Samuel S., born in 1865, resided at West Lebanon, Indiana, where he had a furniture store, but still had property in Oxford: he died Novem- ber 6, 1898; Etta, born in 1867, married Archibald White and died in 1893, on a farm about three miles west of Oxford; and Arthur, born in 1869, resides in Oxford and owns a meat market.
Charles G. was five years of age when brought by his parents to Indiana, and he had the usual schooling of the times, being reared on a farm. Just before he was of age he taught school a year, at twenty-one he married, and he continued teaching for two years longer, and then, in 1883, located upon a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, three and a half miles west of Oxford, which he had purchased at five thousand dollars, paying eight hundred dollars cash out of funds he had saved from school-teaching, and giving his note for the remainder; and he paid all within eight years. The land he improved and made of it a good farm. He has forty acres of timber in Warren county and a residence in Oxford. From 1886 to 1891 he ran a grocery in Oxford, but, his health failing, he sold that business and resumed the care of the farm, in the meantime continuing his residence in town; and this is his present situation.
He is an intelligent and influential member of the Christian church, in which religious body he is deacon and treasurer, in these relations succeeding his father in 1893. In his political principles he is a Democrat, but is not active in political matters.
Mr. Phares was first married September 4, 1872, near Oxford, to Miss
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Dorothy E. Wattles, a native of Benton county, born in 1852, near Oxford, a daughter of Aaron and Esther (Gray) Wattles, of Warren county, this state. Her paternal ancestors were from Virginia; both her parents were born in Warren county and moved to Benton county. She died, at the farm residence, in 1883; and for his second wife Mr. Phares married, Septem- ber 22, 1885, Miss Louisa Wattles, sister of his first wife, who was born in Benton county in 1868. By the present marriage there are no children, but by the first there were a daughter and a son, namely: Olive, who was born on the farm June 1, 1874, and now lives in Oxford with her father. She has spent three years at Butler College and has taken a special course of three years in music at the Metropolitan College at Indianapolis, and besides has received instruction for a year from Professor Clarence Forsyth in that city; and since that time she has been teaching music and now has several pupils. The son, Arnett, also was born on the farm mentioned May 27, 1883, and died at the age of two months.
ABRAM JASPER FREEMAN.
One of the honored citizens of Pine township, Warren county, is the subject of this memoir. He has always been a resident of this county, in which his parents were pioneers, and is now the only representative of their once large family in this county. During the civil war he bravely went to the defense of his loved country, assisting to restore peace and loyalty throughout her borders. At all times he has been patriotic and public- spirited, striving to promote the prosperity of his own community, and being deeply interested in the affairs of the nation.
The father of A. J. Freeman was Lemuel L. Freeman, whose birth occurred in Greenesville county, Virginia, May 5, 1807. He went to Ohio and in Ross county married Betsy Raines, a native of that county, born December 9, 1810. This worthy couple came to Warren county, Indiana, in 1835, and made a settlement in Medina township, whence they removed to Pine township in 1846. Here they spent the remainder of their busy and useful lives. The father departed this life August 17, 1885, honored and mourned by a large circle of friends whom he had endeared to himself by his upright, just career. He and his wife were members of the Methodist church for years, but, owing to the removal of many families of this denomi- nation the local church was disorganized, after which they joined the Chris- tian church and continued "steadfast in the faith " until the summons came to them to enter upon the "rest prepared for the people of God." Of the eleven children born to them but four are now living, the others having died before reaching mature years. Those who survive are William L., John
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W., Abram J., and James P .; and those who have passed away are Sarah E., Lydia M., Rebecca J., Isaac Newton, Jane, Mary Etta and Thomas Jefferson.
The birth of Abram J. Freeman took place in Medina township, Warren county, February 17, 1842. He was reared to the duties of farming and early became proficient in all lines of agriculture. He has always given his chief attention to farming and owns a good homestead and a pleasant home. August 4, 1862, he enlisted in Company I, Seventy-second Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served until he was mustered out of the Union army, July 24, 1865. He was ever found at his post of duty, and participated in some of the most important battles and campaigns of the war. Much of the time he served on detached duty at brigade headquarters. Though he escaped being wounded he met with a serious misfortune in the loss of his hearing, as a result of exposure to all kinds of weather and the concussion produced during the firing of the artillery. For several years he has been a member of Wag- ner Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and in his political standing he is a stalwart Republican. Both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and contribute to the support of religious and charitable enterprises.
· March 10, 1868, Mr. Freeman married Miss Mary E. Pearce, who was born on the homestead owned by her father, Milton Pearce, October 8, 1844. Two daughters were born to Mr. and Mrs. Freeman, Laura E., December 14, 1868, and Lena C., September 26, 1882. The elder daughter is now the wife of George Hess, of Pine township, and Lena is still at home.
JESSE SWISHER,
A native of Liberty township, Warren county, born April 19, 1840, is a representative of one of the old frontier families of western Indiana. His father, Jacob Swisher, was a son of Jesse Swisher, a pioneer of this county. The latter was twice married and had five children by his first marriage and a son by his last union, but all have now passed away. Jacob Swisher chose for his companion and helpmate along life's journey Clarissa Briggs, whose parents were among the earliest settlers of this county. Many years ago Jacob Swisher passed to the better land, but his widow is still living, now in her seventy-ninth year, as she was born September 3, 1820. She married again, after the death of her first husband, and now makes her home in West Lebanon. Her surviving children are Mrs. Mary Catherine Smith, of New Richmond, Indiana; Jesse; Joseph, of West Lebanon; and Mrs. M. Goodwine, widow of Frank Goodwine and also a resident of West Lebanon.
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The boyhood and youth of Jesse Swisher passed uneventfully upon the parental homestead, where he mastered the various departments of agricult- ure, and laid the foundations for the success which he has achieved in later years. On the 14th of December, 1863, he enlisted for three years or dur- ing the period of the war, in the defense of the Union, becoming a member of Company F, Seventy-second Regiment of Indiana Volunteer Infantry. At first he enlisted as a recruit, but it was not long ere he was regularly fighting side by side with the veterans, and in the Atlanta campaign he was active and efficient. With his regiment he took part in numerous hard-fought bat- tles, and when Sherman started on his famous march to the sea the Seven- ty-second was the only regiment left to join General Thomas, and formed part of the victorious army which crushed the army of the Confederate gen- eral, Hood, and practically ended the war in that part of the south. Soon after the surrender at Appomattox the Seventy-second was discharged, but Jesse Swisher, as a recruit, was transferred to the Forty-fourth Indiana, and did not receive his honorable discharge from the service until September 10, 1865, at Nashville. His war record, from first to last, is one of which he has just reason to be proud. As a private citizen he has been none the less faithful to his country. He votes the Republican ticket, and is always to be found on the side of progress and improvement. He owns a good farm on section 17, Washington township, and is industrious and enterprising in all his methods.
On the 25th of January, 1871, Mr. Swisher married Miss Martha A. Mc- Intosh, a daughter of James H. and Elizabeth McIntosh, and granddaughter of Daniel McIntosh. Mrs. Swisher was born in Pike township, Warren county, December 27, 1850, and by her marriage has become the mother of two sons and a daughter, namely: Clara E., Warren C. and Harvey L. Mr. and Mrs. Swisher are members of the Christian church, and donate lib- erally of their means to spread the gospel.
TILGHMAN PAUL.
This substantial farmer and respected citizen of Sheffield township, Tip- pecanoe county, is an example of industry, economy, good management and prosperity. The Paul family originally were of sterling Scotch ancestry. The founders of the family in this country settled in Pennsylvania in colo- nial times. The great-grandfather of our subject came from Scotland and located in Lehigh county, that state. John Paul, the grandfather, was born in that county, was a farmer and married there, wedding Miss Hattie For- est, who was born either in that state or in Virginia and was of Dutch stock. Mr. Paul had a hundred acres there in the forest, which he improved.
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His children were Reuben, Thomas, Eli, Joseph, Polly, Mary, Ellis and Catherine. Mr. Paul was a member of the German Reformed church, in which for many years he was a deacon. He served as a soldier in the war of 1812, was a man of excellent character, much respected, and lived to be seventy-two years old, dying in Allentown, Pennsylvania, whither he had retired after selling his farm.
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