USA > Indiana > Warren County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 17
USA > Indiana > Jasper County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 17
USA > Indiana > White County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 17
USA > Indiana > Newton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 17
USA > Indiana > Pulaski County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 17
USA > Indiana > Benton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 17
USA > Indiana > Tippecanoe County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 17
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60
683
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
county, is the mother of William and John and four other children. (14) Julia, whose home is in the same county, is the wife of Gibbon Beane, a brick-mason, and their children are three in number, Mary, Alice and one whose name is not recalled. (15) Lorenzo Dow, a plasterer by trade, and the youngest of the family, lives in Marshall county, Indiana. He married Eliza Segers, and their children are: John, David, Richard, Adaline and Indiana. For a second wife L. D. Jenkins chose a Miss King, by whom he had one child, and subsequently, he was married for a third time.
George Washington Taylor, the father of our subject's wife, was born March 27, 1811, in Shenandoah county, Virginia, and about 1831 started for Champaign county, Ohio, driving a team, and having with him his wife and a friend, Abraham Beards. He was a hatter by trade, and was thus employed at the village of Luray, near his childhood's home, and later in New Paris, Ohio. In 1838 he came to Indiana with a two-horse team, a wagon filled with household goods, and a small amount of money. Settling in Peru town- ship, north of the town of that name, in Miami county, he bought land there, but at the end of a year settled in Jefferson township, where he rented a farm, and while carrying it on also worked at his trade, in which he was an experi- enced hand. He found a ready sale at Peru for his products in this line, and at times employed two men to assist him. Wool hats, which sold at nine dollars a dozen, were made from the raw wool, which was fulled and con- verted into the desired shape by a machine which Mr. Taylor had for the purpose. He also manufactured the fur hats which then retailed at five dol- lars apiece, the body of the hat being made of the raw coon-skin, with musk- rat or mink for the nap. In December, 1848, he came to Pulaski county, where he owned a quarter-section of land, and here he spent the rest of his life. His homestead, on section 34, Monroe township, was greatly improved by him, and, as he was a skillful carpenter, he built several substantial farm buildings on the place. He was a deacon in the Christian church, and polit- ically was a Whig, serving as a constable in Miami county for some time, and for several years prior to his death occupying the office of justice of the peace. He was a self-educated man, and eagerly studied such good books as he chanced to find. He entered into his reward on December 24, 1863. His wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Jenkins, was born in Shenandoah county, Virginia, February 9, 1811, and died June 9, 1865.
The eldest child of George W. and Elizabeth Taylor, John Jenkins, was born January 16, 1832, and is now living in Marshall county, Indiana. He first married Nancy Hodge, daughter of Jesse Hodge, of this county, and their children are William, Adeline, and Rachel. To the marriage of Mr. Taylor and Mrs. Sarah (Luellen) Tipton the following named children were born: George, Jesse, Rose, Newton, and Catherine. There were no children born
684
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
to Mr. Taylor's marriage to Catherine Wagner. Adeline, second child of G. W. Taylor, was born January 21, 1834, and died in March, 1848. Jesse, born February 17, 1836, is engaged in gardening and raising vegetables for the local and city markets, his well cultivated farm of sixteen acres, being adjacent to Winamac. He married Rachel S. James, October 24, 1855, and their only child, Mary Elizabeth, born January 26, 1857, died February 23, following. The wife, who was born February 24, 1838, died February 12, 1857. The second wife of Jesse Taylor was Susan, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Wirick) Nickles. She was born February 18, 1839, in Clark county, Ohio, and her marriage to Mr. Taylor was solemnized December 17, 1857. Their son, Willard Bell, born July 31, 1860, died May 20, 1887. He had married Hattie W. Wood, and left one child, Fay, born in November, 1883. Samuel Everett, born February 28, 1863, lives on the old homestead with his father. He was married, on February 28, 1891, to Josie Kessi, daughter of David Kessi, and their children are: Verne, born January 30, 1892; Cecil Earl, July 28, 1894; and Doris, December 17, 1896. John Sher- man, born February 5, 1865, died September 19, 1866. Harry Ellsworth, born March 8, 1870, married Meta Henderson, and resides in Toledo, Ohio. They are the parents of Vera Mildred, who was born March 2, 1893, and died March 18, 1896; and Everett Ellsworth, born November 17, 1893. Mrs. Mary Ann Stipp, born June 13, 1840, is the next child of G. W. Taylor. George Washington, Jr., was born June 10, 1845, and chose Mary Ann Keys for his wife. Their son Claud died when young, and their daughter Dora is the wife of Mr. Lindsay, of Tipton, Indiana.
The marriage of Martin V. Stipp and wife has been blessed with two sons. George Abraham, born December 13, 1859, remained at home until he was twenty-two years of age, then, for five summers, he was employed as a plasterer by Ed Guss, and since the end of that period has been engaged in independent business. He takes contracts for all kinds of work in his line, including the making of cement sidewalks, and enjoys a good trade. He was alone in business until 1898, when he entered into partnership with Ells- worth Rider, under the firm name of Stipp & Rider. The pleasant home of the young man, located in the suburbs of Winamac, is presided over by his charming wife, formerly Laura Zellers. She is a daughter of Enoch Zellers, was born January 16, 1859, and became the wife of Mr. Stipp October 16, 1883. Their twin children, Willard and Lola, were born Oc- tober 5, 1884; Ruth was born July 4, 1893, and Clarence, September 5, 1896. Joseph Milburn, the second child of our subject and wife, was born August 27, 1864, and on the 12th of May, 1890, married Mary Etta, daugh- ter of Adam and Martha (Sparrow) Simmermaker. She was born January 7, 1867, and by her marriage has become the mother of two children, -Cecil
685
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
G. E., who was born June 15, 1893, and died January 17, 1894; and Nellie Martha, born April 9, 1899. Joseph M. is a graduate of the Winamac high school, class of 1886, and was successfully engaged in teaching for several years in his native county. In September, 1889, he took a position as a guard in the Michigan City penitentiary, and remained there for six years. He then returned home, and, after teaching in the Frain school during the winter of 1895-6, he took a position in the seventh-year grade in the Wina- mac school, and is still proving a most thorough and satisfactory teacher. He is a prominent Odd Fellow and has been honored with various offices in the lodge, and is now its secretary. With his wife he belongs to the Daugh- ters of Rebekah. He is a valued member of the Christian church. Mrs. Martin Stipp reared two children besides her own, namely: Ninnie Jenkins and Milburn Heater, giving them a mother's love and care, and the advan- tages of a liberal education.
JAMES BLAKE.
This progressive and enterprising farmer of White county was born in Shropshire, England, December 11, 1844, a son of James and Martha (Shone) Blake. The father of our subject was born in Flintshire, Wales, April 14, 1808, and came to America in 1850, landing at New Orleans, whence he came up the Mississippi river by boat and located at Joliet. He subsequently moved to Kankakee county and purchased one hundred acres of land, which he cultivated for eighteen years, and then, in 1867, he removed to West Point township, White county, Indiana, where he bought eighty acres of land. Mr. Blake was married to Miss Martha Shone in England in 1845, she hav- ing been born in Shropshire, in 1820. Seven children were born of this union, two of whom, a son and a daughter, died in infancy, those who grew to maturity being: Martha, the widow of Henry Magruder, of Wolcott; James, our subject; Joseph, who owns and occupies a half section of land five and a half miles south of Wolcott; Sarah, who died in 1896; and John, who is in the lumber business at Wolcott. The father of these children died in April, 1883, the mother surviving until March 27, 1898.
James Blake, the immediate subject of this review, left Liverpool, Eng- land, March I, 1850, with his parents. He spent his boyhood in Illinois, at- tending school at Kankakee until he was fifteen, and then worked on his fa- ther's farm for the next four years, at the end of which period he began life for himself. During the civil war he managed the farm of a neighbor, whose daughter he subsequently married, after which event he purchased a farm of four hundred acres near Manteno, Illinois. On February 1, 1868, he came to West Point township, White county, Indiana, where he bought eighty
686
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
acres of land, and to this he has added, by various purchases, three hundred more acres, all located five and a half miles south of Wolcott. He has a comfortable and well built residence, which contains all the modern improve- ments, and he has all the necessary barns, outhouses, etc.
Here he carried on general farming and stock-raising, with great success, until 1896, when he came to Wolcott to rest; but January 17, 1898, found him the owner of the James Blake Livery & Feed Stable, the stock being valued at five thousand six hundred dollars. He continued the livery busi- ness until January 1, 1899, when he sold it. He still continues, however, to deal in stock.
Mr. Blake was married December 6, 1865, at Kankakee, Illinois, to Miss Elizabeth Grimes, a daughter of C. O. Grimes, of New York, who was of Irish ancestry and was born near Battle Creek, January 1, 1846. She at- tended the Kankakee public schools and graduated at the high school there. Her death occurred June 19, 1889. Three children were born of this mar- riage: Alden, now of Wolcott, who graduated at the Indiana State Normal, at Valparaiso, and at the Chicago School of Pharmacy; Ada and Ida, who are attending school in Wolcott and possess considerable musical talent. No- vember 18, 1891, at Wolcott, our subject married for his second wife Miss Julia (Griffing) Chapman, widow of James Chapman, of Sullivan, Illinois- She is the daughter of Richard F. Griffing, of Danbury, Connecticut, and was born near Pontiac, Illinois, April 14, 1864, attended the Pontiac high school, and afterward taught school in Livingston county for three years.
Mr. Blake is a Republican in his politics and has served as a trustee in West Point township in 1891-5; and he is a member of the Christian church, in which he is a deacon.
DAVID W. HUMMEL.
David W. Hummel was born December 14, 1836, in Bloom township, Fairfield county, Ohio, and is a son of Isaac and Mary Magdalene (Miller) Hummel. His grandfather, Frederick Hummel, was born in Pennsylvania, June 10, 1770, and died in Ohio, March 10, 1841. His wife, Eva, was born July 23, 1779, and died August 31, 1844. They were buried side by side in Betzer churchyard, Fairfield county, Ohio.
Isaac Hummel was a native of Carbon county, Pennsylvania, where he grew to man's estate and was married, after which he moved to the state of Ohio. Here he owned ninety acres of land, on which he lived, but followed his trade, that of shoemaker, and in that way made considerable money. He died April 30, 1884, after a well spent life of eighty years, six months and seven days. He was an earnest Christian, a member of the United Brethren church, and in politics an adherent of the Democratic party. His wife was
6S7
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
likewise a native of Pennsylvania, and died February 22, 1878, aged sixty- seven years, five months and seven days. Isaac Hummel was the father of sixteen children, - John, William, Solomon, Daniel, David, Elijah, Henry, Julia Ann (deceased), Isaac (deceased), Catharine Ann, Samuel La Fayette, Mary Magdalene, Sylvina, Monroe, Anna and one that died in infancy, in Pennsylvania.
David W. Hummel began to earn wages at the age of sixteen years, but made his home with his parents until he had reached his twenty-sixth year. He went to Pickaway county to learn the trade of a blacksmith of Gussan McSwayer, and remained there two years, when his eyes began to fail and he was obliged to abandon the trade. He then turned to farm work, working out by the month until he was twenty-six. In March, 1862, he be- gan work for his aunt Rachel, wife of George Shelhart, and remained there until fall, when he went to work for himself, renting the William Korner place in Van Buren township. The next March he moved to the William Riley Brown place, now owned by Michael Ruff, and farmed the three hun- dred and twenty acres of land comprising the farm, until January 25, 1884. In the meantime, on April 10, 1874, he and Nathan Rawn had purchased the three hundred and twenty acres contained in the south half of section 2, Indian Creek township. This property was divided February 1, 1876, our subject taking the southeast quarter of the section. This land was in a wild, uncultivated state, and in the summer of 1883 he built a house, kitchen and barn; also set out three acres in orchard and sowed five acres of wheat. It had been fenced previously and used as pasture. On the 25th of January, 1884, he moved here and has since made it his home. The entire one hun- dred and sixty acres are under cultivation, at least five hundred rods of tiling. having been put in to increase the fertility of the soil, and he now has one of the best farms in the county, well stocked and supplied with all necessary modern machinery, etc., all being the direct result of his own industry and ambition.
Mr. Hummel was married January 18, 1862, to Louisa Cofman, daugh- ter of Samuel and Jane (Allen) Cofman, who are mentioned below. She was born May 11, 1844, in Fairfield county, Ohio, and is the mother of four children, viz .: William Henry, who was born July 14, 1864, and resides with his parents; he was married December 11, 1888, to Jane Lebo, daugh- ter of Joseph Lebo, and has two children, -Francis Eugene, born January 29, 1891, and Bertha Verneda, born August 16, 1896; Elijah Franklin, the sec- ond son of our subject, was born April 29, 1866, and lives at home; Mary Magdalene was born January 25, 1869, and married Edward Beckley, a son of George Beckley, on December 11, 1889, their children being Annie Lucile, Clarence L., Gaylord Ira and Mary; Anna Luella, the fourth child, who was
C88
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
born July 6, 1871, married Granville Weyand April 23, 1890, and they live near Luzerne, and have two children, Edith and Glen. Mr. Hummel is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and a man of many noble qual- ities. He has served two terms as supervisor of the county.
Samuel Cofman, the father of Mrs. Hummel, was born on the old Berry farm, in the vicinity of Lancaster, Ohio, November 11, 1811. His parents moved to Virginia the year following his birth, but returned to the Berry farm in 1823. He was married in 1833 to Mary Allen, who was born Sep- tember 7, 1813. Of the children born to them, Henry, born February 20, 1834, resides in Fairfield county, Ohio; he married Mary Jane Lamb, by whom he had nine children, William, Samuel, Laura, Katy, John, George, Cora and two that died in infancy; Robert Fulton, born May 26, 1835, now deceased, left George, Ida, Cordelia and two other children; George, born October 19, 1836, died at the age of five years; John Howard, born March 9, 1840, married Miss Bennett and lived in Ohio; he was killed in a wrestling match when in his thirty-fifth year. His children being Perry, Manson, Griff, one who died in infancy, and John; Mary, born July 5, 1841, died at the age of one year. About one year after the death of his first wife, Mr. Cofman took for his second wife Jane Allen, a sister of his first. Their children were Benjamin Franklin, who was born November 4, 1842, and married Rebecca Halterman; he resides in Fairfield county, Ohio, and has three children, Arthur, Ralph and Sadie; Louisa, wife of our subject; Laura, born January 29, 1846, married Nathan Rawn, who is represented elsewhere in this work; Monroe, born March 16, 1848, died at the age of three years; Olive, born February 10, 1850, died at the age of two years; Jesse, born February 27, 1851, is marshal of Winamac; Lafayette, born September 10, 1853, married Ella Asbell and lives in Ohio, their children being Gertrude, Pearl and Clar- ence; Ida Jane, born January 1, 1856, married Jacob Grayville, of Colum- bus, Ohio, and has four children,-Jennie, Ada, Myrtle and Mearle; Emily, born in March, 1856, died at the age of seven months. Jane Cofman died August 9, 1858, aged thirty-six years, two months and twenty-three days. The first wife was born September 7, 1813, and died July 10, 1841. Mr. Cofman took for his third wife Catherine Ricketts, widow of Hiram Ricketts and daughter of M. Lightnier. Her first marriage resulted in the birth of one child, Benjamin, who was born February 17, 1843, and died at the age of seven years.
Mrs. Hummel's paternal grandfather was John Cofman, who was twice married, first to Miss Berre, by whom he had six children, -Noah, Samuel, John, Joseph, Peggy and Polly. He was a native of Virginia. Her maternal grandfather was John Allen, of Dutch and Irish descent; he married Jane Scott and they had five children, William, Mary, Sarah, Jane and Lucinda.
689
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
FELIX BURTILINE THOMAS FRAIN.
This enterprising farmer of Harrison township is a worthy representa- tive of one of the sterling pioneer families of Pulaski county, and is descended from the sturdy German stock to whose energy and stability of character, patriotism and good citizenship Pennsylvania is largely indebted for her ex- alted standing among the states of this great republic.
F. B. T. Frain is a grandson of Peter and Rebecca (Bilger) Frain, of Union county, Pennsylvania, and is a son of John and Rebecca (Donham) Frain, whose history is printed elsewhere in this work. John Frain was one of the early settlers of this region, coming here, as he did, in the prime of his young manhood, fifty-five years ago. He has been actively concerned in the development of this county, and has long been one of the extensive prop- erty-holders and influential citizens of his community.
The birth of our subject occurred February 21, 1856, on his father's old homestead in Monroe township, this county, and his boyhood was spent in the arduous labors of clearing land and cultivating it. He received fairly good public-school advantages, and did not entirely leave his studies until he was about nineteen years of age. He continued to live with his parents un- til he was in his twenty-fourth year, when he went to Kewanna, Fulton county, Indiana, and, entering into partnership with William Clark, ran a sawmill and transacted a remunerative business for three or four years. In 1883 he returned to the old homestead and for the following thirteen years was occupied in its management. In 1896 he came to his present home, known as the old Helm farm, -a place of one hundred and sixty acres, -well equipped with substantial buildings and other improvements. He is a thor- ough, practical farmer, and is making a success of his various undertakings. Though he is a stanch Republican and takes a commendable interest in the maintenance of good government, he is not a politician, and has no desire to occupy public offices.
The marriage of Mr. Frain and Miss Eliza Ann Stewart, a daughter of Comfort Green and Matilda (Helm) Stewart, was celebrated June 10, 1877. Mrs. Frain was born on the paternal farm in Van Buren township, Septem- ber 28, 1856, and has been acquainted with her husband since they were children. Their eldest sons, Hugh George and Lewis Thomas, twins, were born March 30, 1878, and both are at home, assisting their father in the farm work. Lola Elsie was born March 29, 1882. Lura Myrle and Laura Pearl, twins, were born September 1, 1886, but the latter did not live. Bertha Alice was born October 2, 1890; Charles Comfort, March 1, 1893; and Clyde Harold, August 20, 1895. The elder children are being supplied with good educational advantages and otherwise qualified for the battles of life.
690
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
HON. WILLIAM W. GILMAN.
For more than thirty years Hon. W. W. Gilman has been numbered among the representative citizens of Newton county, and has occupied various offices of distinction and importance. He has ever honestly endeavored to keep the interests of the people foremost in his mind, his actions being gov- erned by his earnest convictions of right and duty.
The parents of our subject were Hiram and Elizabeth (Parmer) Gilman, natives of Vermont and New York state, respectively. His mother was a daughter of Eleazer Parmer, who owned and operated a mill for many years in the Empire state, and later was engaged in merchandising. He served in the capacity of justice of the peace and was a man of high standing among his neighbors. Hiram Gilman, whose ancestors were English, was a farmer by occupation. In 1863 he removed from New York state to Illinois, and two years later settled in Minnesota, where his death took place, in 1868. His widow lived many years afterward, dying in 1895. Both were members of the Free-will Baptist church. Their eldest child, Julia, is the wife of P. Potter. E. T., the second son, was a commissioned officer in the civil war, and subsequently was the representative of several leading insurance com- panies. His present home is in Washington, D. C. Eleazer, the youngest son, is a resident of Minnesota, and Mary E., the youngest daughter, is the wife of Merritt Wiseman.
Hon. W. W. Gilman was born in Essex county, New York, September 4, 1834. He was but twelve years old when the battle of life began for him in earnest, as he left home and worked for small wages, which he turned over to his father. His mother, who was a well educated lady, was of great assistance to the lad in his studies, and when but seventeen he obtained a certificate to teach, and was thus employed winters for many years. In 1856 he went to Minnesota, where he pre-empted a farm, and made substan- tial improvements during his seven years' residence there; but in 1863, with many other settlers, he felt that it was best to abandon it all, as the Indians of that region were on the war-path, carrying death and distruction wherever they went. Going to Kankakee, Illinois, he bought a tract of wild prairie land, which he improved and cultivated for five years. Then, selling out, he came to Grant township, Newton county, and for two years owned a farm two miles from Goodland, which place he disposed of in 1870, since which time he has lived upon his present homestead, adjoining the corporate limits of Goodland. The land was in a wild condition, but by constant tillage and care it has been reduced to a high state of fertility and productiveness.
The first presidential ballot of Mr. Gilman was cast for Abraham Lin- coln, and for over thirty years he was an active exponent of the principles of
691
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
the Republican party. He attended local and general conventions, and was well-known and highly esteemed in his party throughout this state. In 1870 he was elected trustee of Grant township, was re-elected upon the expiration of his term, and in 1874 was honored by the position of clerk of the district court of Newton county. In 1880 he was elected joint representative of Newton and Jasper counties, and was re-elected in 1882. In 1890 he was chosen to represent the people in the state senate, and served on the finance and other important committees. During his entire public career he acquitted himself with honor and distinction, winning the praise of all concerned. Dur- ing the last presidential campaign he arrayed himself against those who favored the gold standard, and was nominated by the "silver " Democrats and endorsed by the Populists for the legislature, for the first time in his po- litical life sustaining defeat. Fraternally, he is identified with the Ma- sonic order.
In 1854 Mr. Gilman married Miss Cornelia Morse, who was born in Es- sex county, New York, in December, 1835. She came from an honored New England family and is related to Professor Morse, the inventor of the telegraph. Her grandfather, Absalom Morse, was a postmaster for years, and occupied other public positions of trust. Mrs. Gilman is one of the six children of William and Mary (Wright) Morse, the others being Absalom; Julia; Lora, Mrs. D. Pascal; Jerusha, Mrs. W. Mills, and Judson. The par- ents were Baptists, but Mrs. Gilman is a member of the Methodist church. To our subject and wife the following named children were born: Minnie, Mrs. M. Wertsbaugh; Merritt, who died in 1876, at the age of seventeen years; Hiram, who died in 1873, when in his seventeenth year; William, a farmer of this township; Fred, a banker of Goodland; Jesse, foreman of an oil-mill in Chicago; Nellie, Mrs. B. Patton, of Bloomington, Illinois; Jennie, wife of O. Mohney, of Goodland; and George, who is unmarried and is now taking upon himself much of the responsibility of the management of the old homestead. The whole family stands well in the estimation of the people of this community, where they have lived so long.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.