USA > Indiana > Warren County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 39
USA > Indiana > Jasper County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 39
USA > Indiana > White County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 39
USA > Indiana > Newton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 39
USA > Indiana > Pulaski County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 39
USA > Indiana > Benton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 39
USA > Indiana > Tippecanoe County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 39
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farm of two hundred and forty acres, in Benton county, to the superintend- ency of which he devotes the time he can spare from his professional duties.
In October, 1885, Dr. Kelly was united in marriage to Miss Mima A. Allen, of Brookston, Indiana, and after nearly seven years of a happy wed- ded life she was called from earth on April 20, 1892. On the 16th of Feb- ruary, 1897, was celebrated his marriage to Miss Harriet D. French, of Tem- pleton, Indiana.
In his political views the Doctor is a stalwart Republican, and, though deeply interested in the success and growth of the party, has never taken an active part in political work, or sought office. He has been connected with the Masonic fraternity since 1876, in the spring of which year he was made a Mason in Lansing Lodge, No. 774, F. & A. M., at Lansing, New York. In 1881 he became a member of Brookston Lodge, No. 66, F. & A. M., in which he was elected and presided as master during the year 1883. He later transferred his membership to Lafayette Lodge, No. 123, F. & A. M., and with it he is still affiliated. He also belongs to Anchor Lodge, No. 287, K. P., of which he was a charter member. In society and business circles he has ever taken high rank, and he numbers many representative people among his personal friends.
AARON Y. TAYLOR.
Aaron Y. Taylor is one of the honored and venerable pioneers of Warren county, in whose development he has ably assisted and with the destinies of which his own have been indissolubly interwoven for over seventy years. A son of William and Amasa (Young) Taylor, natives of Virginia, our subject was born in Fleming county, Kentucky, January 3, 1812. He accompanied the rest of the family to this state in 1827, and after passing the winter in the vicinity of the present village of Newtown, Fountain county, they settled in what is now known as Kent township, Warren county. The parents continued to reside on the same homestead until death, the father passing away December 22, 1840, and the mother February 18, 1867. The only representatives of the family now living are Aaron Y. and his sister, Mrs. Amanda Becket, of State Line, this county.
As may be supposed, Aaron Y. Taylor had very small opportunities for the acquisition of an education in his youth, as the country was wild and there were few inhabitants in this now populous region. He early learned the essentials of farming, and met with success when he entered upon his independent life as an agriculturist. He was fortunate in his choice of a wife, for she proved a true helpmate, and by their united efforts they acquired
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a goodly competence. For a number of years he was a justice of the peace and an assessor of the township.
The marriage of Mr. Taylor and Miss Mary A. Spickard was celebrated October 18, 1844. She was a native of Ohio and a daughter of John Spickard, who became a resident of Warren county in 1832. Three sons and six daughters were born to Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, and those who survive are as follows: Albert S., of Kansas City; Mrs. Martha Jane Sumner, of Milford, Illinois; Mrs. Mary E., Wedgbury; George, of Hoopeston, Illinois; Mrs. Polly King, of Danville, Illinois; and Mrs. Finette Whitehead, of Chicago. Isabel, a successful teacher of music, died July 7, 1897, and the other children died when young. The wife and mother departed this life January 29, 1896, at the age of seventy-four years, loved and mourned by all who knew her. She was very fond of music, and largely owing to her influence her children were thoroughly trained in the pleasing art, several of them developing great proficiency as musicians. In the work of the Method- ist Episcopal church she was always active and interested, taking special pride in her Sunday-school class. Mr. Taylor has been a member of the same denomination since he reached his majority, and helped to organize the first class-meeting in his neighborhood. He likewise has been very useful in the Sunday-school and is one of the trustees of the church. Well posted on general subjects, he has made a special study of the Bible, believing that it is the end as well as " the beginning of wisdom." He is now tenderly cared for in his declining days by one of his daughters, who has come to live at the old homestead.
DANIEL J. WOOD.
Daniel James Wood is one of the successful business men of Lafayette, his location being at No. 331 North Third street. Only three years ago he embarked in his present enterprise, but he has been prospered and is handling a very large and paying trade in his special line. In 1897 he erected a com- fortable residence on North Fifteenth street, north of Bell.
The parents of our subject, John L. and Sarah (Hemrich) Wood, were both natives of North Carolina, whence they removed to Kentucky, later to Tennessee; thence to Cincinnati, Ohio, and finally to Indiana and Illinois. They were pioneers in the vicinity of Crawfordsville, Indiana, and in 1853 they became residents of Livingston county, Illinois. In that section of the state they carried on a farm near Pontiac for about thirteen years. Mr. Wood learned the shoemaker's trade when he was a young man, and fol- lowed the business to some extent in his early life. In 1866, desiring to be near his son, the subject of this article, he settled in Logansport, Indiana, and.
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there he spent his last years, his death occurring in 1885, when he was in his eighty-fifth year. His wife survived him several years, dying at the advanced age of ninety-one, in 1893. They were both devout members of the Meth- odist church, and enjoyed the sincere esteem of all who knew them. During the civil war Mr. Wood enlisted as a private in Company G, Fifty-third Illi- nois Volunteer Infantry, and served for several months. His father, John Wood, was a native of North Carolina, and for a few years made his home in Indiana. He attained the remarkable age of one hundred and fifteen years, and his wife lived to be over one hundred years old. The maternal grand- father of our subject was of German descent, and lived and died in North Carolina.
The birth of Daniel James Wood occurred in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, January 16, 1838. He was one of thirteen children, of whom but five are now living, namely: Matilda, wife of Marcus O'Connor, of Pontiac, Illinois; John W., of Kansas City, Missouri; Daniel J .; Thomas, of Rock, Missouri; and Sarah, wife of Stephen Posey, of Logansport, Indiana.
Until he was fourteen years old our subject lived at various places in this state, after which he went to Illinois, and resided in Pontiac and vicinity up to 1869, when he became a citizen of Logansport. After three years spent in that place he went to Kansas and for two years was engaged in farming and blacksmithing in Atlanta, Rice county. In 1874 he returned to Logansport, and in the autumn of 1888 opened a blacksmith's shop in La- fayette. He continued to devote his time and attention to his trade until 1895, when, in company with his son Wilton S., he embarked in the coal, wood and lime business. This partnership existed up to the 15th of December, 1897, when the senior Wood bought the younger man's interest in the busi- ness and has since conducted it alone. They are associated in the manufac- ture of a hard wall-plaster, and in the busy season give employment to a number of hands.
At present Mr. Wood favors the principles of the Populist party, though he was formerly an advocate of the Republican party platform. He is a master Mason, being identified with Lafayette Lodge, No. 123, F. & A. M.
The marriage of Daniel J. Wood and Miss Margaret Ross was celebra- ted in May, 1858, and thirteen children came to bless their union. Of the number, which comprised eight sons and five daughters, the following sur- vive : Retta, Alice, Wilton S., Martin, Charles, Edward, Harry and May. Retta is the wife of Charles Mitchell, of Northboro, Massachusetts, and has one child, William. Alice, a resident of the same town, is the wife of Michael Moore, and has two children, Cora and Myrtle. Wilton S., of La- fayette, married Eva Ford and has a son and daughter, Chester and Estie. Martin wedded Katie Hoffman and lives in this city. Harry chose for his
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wife Lizzie Fox and has one child. May is the wife of Edward Breen, Ro- mona, Indiana. Mrs. Margaret Wood is a daughter of William and Lavina (Groves) Ross.
ADAMS D. RAUB.
Adams Danforth Raub, one of the best known and most highly respected citizens of Earl Park, was born in Tippecanoe county, March 7, 1840. He is the son of John and Caroline (Earl) Raub, the former of whom was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, and came when quite a young man to Tippecanoe county, Indiana, where he bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres near Lafay- ette. He died there in 1847. His wife was born in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, and was next to the youngest in a family of fifteen children, all of whom grew to manhood and womanhood. She was married in Tippecanoe county and died many years ago, having been the mother of three children, namely: Josephine, who died at the age of fourteen years; Elcina, who died in infancy; and our subject. The paternal grandparents were natives of Ohio and the grandmother's maiden name was Nice. The maternal grandparents were originally from Syracuse, New York, and settled .in Ohio, the maid- en name of Mrs. Earl having been Danforth. Their ancestors emigrated from England in 1620 and fourteen of the Danforths were in the battle of Bunker Hill.
The subject of this sketch attended the district schools on the Wea plains and later the common and private schools of Lafayette, making his home at that time in the family of Mr. Adams Earl. He was then for two years a student in the high school at Thorntown, Indiana, and after com- pleting his education he returned to the Wea plains, where he ran an eleva- tor for three years. In 1864 he located at Hickory Grove, just west of Fowler, where he fenced twenty sections of land for Moses Fowler and Adams Earl. He collected forty-five thousand dollars in contributions for con- structing the Cincinnati, Chicago & Lafayette Railroad, which was built by Moses Fowler, Adams Earl and Gustavus Ricker. The moving of the county- seat from Oxford to Fowler was agitated at that time, the latter place suc- ceeding in obtaining it through the generosity of Messrs. Fowler and Earl, who donated one section of land to the railroad company, which company then gave ten thousand dollars toward the construction of the new court-house, while the gentlemen above mentioned paid the balance of thirty thousand dollars. Mr. Raub came to Earl Park and platted that city in 1871, and in company with Adams Earl planted maple trees along the sides of all the streets, having raised the trees from the seed. He also, the same year, laid out the village of Raub. The first building in Earl Park was the elevator,
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and the second the depot, both of which are still standing. Several houses were built on lots donated by our subject and Mr. Earl. A sale of lots occurred in 1872, to which several thousand people came on a special train of freight cars from Lafayette, a free ride and a free lunch being given to all. In 1872 Mr. Raub built a store and stocked it with about ten thousand dollars' worth of goods, and in 1891 he built the present tile factory, which cost twenty-five thousand dollars. He has been a prominent factor in the history of Earl Park, and his generosity in all matters relating to his com- munity is known throughout the county.
The marriage of our subject took place in January, 1875, at the house of Senator Voorhees, in Terre Haute, Indiana, when he was united to Mrs. Nannie D. (Hardesty) Jones. Her father was one of the first trustees of the Asbury University, now DePauw University, at Greencastle, Indiana, in which city Mrs. Raub was born. One child, Ruth, was born of this mar- riage, in 1878, and she is now a student of the University of Chicago.
MRS. LUTETIA CRAWFORD.
This venerable resident of West Lebanon, Indiana, was born in Harri- son county, Kentucky, July 22, 1805, a daughter of Samuel and Sarah (Sellars) Snodgrass. She was reared in her native county, and was nineteen years of age when her father died. The remainder of the family then removed to Preble county, Ohio, where a portion of the family still reside. In that county, March 15, 1827, Miss Snodgrass married William Crawford, and in 1820 they emigrated to Warren county, Indiana, settling in Pike town- ship, and here Mr. Crawford died, September 24, 1854, on the farm which he first occupied, and here Mrs. Crawford still makes her home.
She has had seven sons and four daughters. Two of the sons, Samuel and William, entered the army, in which both lost their lives. There are now in the family three sons and two daughters, namely: John, George, Harvey, Margaret, the wife of Salmon Robb; and Sarah Ann Elizabeth, the wife of Henry Haupt.
Mrs. Crawford is a venerable lady and the sunset days of her life are serene and pleasant. She has always enjoyed a high reputation for her many excellent traits of character, and is held in deep affection by a large circle of friends.
FREDERICK DORNER.
The sturdy German element in our national commonwealth has been one. of the most important in furthering the substantial and normal advancement of the country, for this is an element signally appreciative of practical values
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and also of the higher intellectuality which transcends all provincial confines. Well may any person take pride in tracing his lineage to such a source. A native of the Fatherland, Frederick Dorner possesses many of the character- istics which have given strength and standing to the German nation, and is a representative of the best type of our German-American citizenship.
Born in Baden, on the 29th of November, 1837, he is a son of Frederick and Christina (Von Sholder) Dorner. His paternal grandfather was likewise born in Germany, where he reared a family of several children, and he died in the land of his birth, at the advanced age of ninety-three years. The maternal grandfather followed the dyer's trade as a scource of livelihood. and died in middle life. Frederick Dorner, father of our subject, engaged in the operation of a flour mill and thus supported his family. He died in 1873, at the age of eighty-three years, his wife having passed away six years prev- iously, and their entire lives were passed in Germany. They held membership in the Lutheran church and enjoyed the respect of all who knew them. Of their six children four are now living: Carl, of Geneva, Switzerland; Philip, of Frankfort, Indiana; Adolph, of Stuttgart, Wurtemberg; and Frederick, whose name introduces this article.
Until he was eighteen years of age Frederick Dorner remained in the Fatherland, and within that time acquired a good practical education in the public schools. On laying aside his text-books he gained some knowledge of business methods by assisting his father in the mill, but, believing that bet- ter opportunities were afforded ambitious young men in the New World, he bade adieu to home and friends and, in 1855, sailed for America. Landing on the shores of this republic, he at once made his way to Lafayette, Indi- ana, where he has since resided. For a number of years he followed various employments that would yield him an honest living, and in 1870 he engaged in business on his own account, as a florist. For a number of years he rented greenhouses and engaged in the cultivation of flowers. In 1891, however, he purchased nine acres of land in the eastern section of the city, and began the development of his present extensive establishment. At first he erected three hot-houses, to which he has added from time to time until his exten- sive plant embraces seventeen greenhouses with fifty thousand square feet under glass. He raises all varieties of flowers, but makes a specialty of car- nations, and no more beautiful or perfect varieties of that flower can be found than those which come from his conservatories. He ships flowers and plants to all parts of the United States, from New York to San Francisco and from New Orleans to Winnipeg, and makes exhibits of flowers and plants in all sections of the country at different flower shows. Seventeen persons are engaged in carrying on the business, ten of the number being em- ployes connected with the family, while the remaining seven are members of
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the Dorner family. The business is carried on under the firm name of the Frederick Dorner & Sons Company, and their stamp upon products is a guar- anty of excellence. They enjoy a most enviable reputation, and their pat- ronage is very extensive and of an important character.
On the 2d of March, 1861, Mr. Dorner was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Eihl, a daughter of Lawrence and Margaret (Kramer) Eihl. Thir- teen children have been born to them, five sons and eight daughters. Those yet living are: Frederick, who married Eda Prass and has one child, Dorothea; Emily, at home; Anna married Fred E. Hudson and they reside with her parents; Emma, at home; Theodore, who married Lillian Harrington, has one daughter, Kathryn; and Hermann and William, who are still with their parents. The children have been provided with excellent educational privileges, several of them having been students in Purdue Uni- versity. Frederick and Theodore are now in partnership with their father. Those who have passed away are Margaret, who died at the age of nine months; Margaret, the second of the name, who died at the age of ten years; Frederick, who died at the age of two years; Christina, who passed away at the age of twenty-three; and two who died in infancy.
In his political views Mr. Dorner is a Republican, and while he keeps well informed on political questions and takes a deep interest therein, as every true American citizen should do, he has never sought nor desired public office, preferring to devote his time and energies to his constantly growing business. He is now the owner of a valuable property, including a fine resi- dence, which he erected in 1894. His hopes of benefiting his financial con- dition in America have been realized. Starting out in life empty-handed, he has steadily advanced on the road to prosperity, and his industry, capable management, enterprise and sound judgment have brought to him success, which he richly merits.
DAVID WOODLOCK.
David Woodlock, one of the most extensive land-owners in the state of Indiana, has been a resident of Parish Grove township, near Dunnington, Indiana, for almost thirty years. He was born in county Tipperary, Ireland, about the year 1829, and is a son of Patrick and Catherine Woodlock. His ancestors were Irish, some of them taking part in the Danish invasion of three hundred years ago. The parents of Mr. Woodlock were also natives of the county of Tipperary, where they died when he was a small boy. They had a large number of children, eight of whom are now deceased. They are Mary, Edmond, Katherine, Alice, Bridget, John, Michael and David. Those living are in America, namely, Patrick, a resident of Ottawa,
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Illinois; Ellen, the widow of Edward Hammel, of New Haven, Connecticut; and David, who is here represented.
He was educated in his native country, attending school at Kacher City and Ballylooby. When about ten years old his father died, his mother hav- ing been taken to her heavenly home some years previously. In 1848 he sailed for this country, landing at New York. He went to New Haven, Connecticut, where he learned the trade of locksmith, and he followed this vocation there until 1851, when he came west and located at Ottawa, Illi- nois, where he bought two lots, and built a house in which he lived for three years. In 1858 he took a trip south to New Orleans, returning in 1861. He then bought a farm near Ottawa, where he devoted the next seven years to the pursuit of agriculture. Not being satisfied with his location there he came to Benton county, Indiana, and bought a half section of land two miles north of Dunnington, in Parish Grove township. This land was secured by him for eight dollars per acre, and is now very valuable property. He has since added to this tract until he has acquired twelve hundred acres in this county. He lives on this land and a small portion of it is farmed by him, while the remainder is cultivated by tenants.
He was united in marriage, in July, 1850, to Miss Bridget Loughery, at New Haven. She was born in Ireland, and was a daughter of Luke Lough- ery, of that country. Nine children have been born to this union: John, who was born in New Haven, and David, Edward, William, Peter, Joseph, Katherine, Mary and Elizabeth, who were born in this county. Mr. Wood- lock is a member of the Dunnington Catholic church, and a supporter of the principles of Democracy.
SIMON P. THOMPSON.
Judge Simon Parr Thomson, of Rensselaer, is the judge of the judicial circuit comprising Jasper, Benton and Newton counties, and for many years has been an eminent member of the bar and one of our most prominent citi- zens. He was born in Orange township, Hancock county, Ohio, May 8, 1838, his parents being David and Eliza (McCoy) Thompson.
David Thompson was born in Loudoun county, Virginia, January 20, 1798, and was but a small boy when his parents moved to Stark county, Ohio. His father was Isaac Thompson, a pioneer farmer of the Buckeye state. July 7, 1825, he was united in marriage to Miss Eliza McCoy, a na- tive of Columbiana county, Ohio. David Thompson took his family to Han- cock county, Ohio, where he entered eighty acres of land and was a prominent figure in the history of those days. He was a man of industrious habits and sterling integrity, and accumulated a large amount of land, enabling him to
& P. Thompson
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give to each of his children eighty acres. They were the parents of ten chil- dren, -seven sons and three daughters. On Christmas day, 1853, the parents and ten children held their last family reunion, as the family circle has been sadly broken since then. In less than two months, on February 16, 1854, the beloved father passed to the invisible world, and September 20, 1861, the affectionate wife and mother also passed away. Since then more than half of their children have joined them in the other world, there to await the final reunion. The record is as follows: Matilda, born February 25, 1828, died July 19, 1864; Isaac, born February 25, 1828; Alfred, born February 17, 1829, died in Rensselaer March 3, 1896; Elizabeth, born July 2, 1831, died December 10, 1860; Hiram, born May 16, 1833, died March 4, 1864; David J., born September 11, 1836; Simon P., born May 8, 1838; Thomas, born August 4, 1841; Mary, born August 13, 1843, died September 28, 1861; and Hawkins L., born April 24, 1845, died September 28, 1862. Of the four surviving brothers, Isaac resides near the old homestead in Ohio, and the rest are residents of Jasper county, Indiana. Alfred, deceased, of whom a sketch appears elsewhere in these pages, came in 1859; Simon B. in 1862; Thomas in 1870; and David in 1874.
The school advantages enjoyed by Judge Thompson were such as were usually found in new, thinly settled countries. He attended common school for three months in the year from the time he was of school age until he was fifteen. The building was a primitive affair, constructed of logs, and was reached by a walk of two miles through the timber. By the time he was fifteen years old he had acquired sufficient knowledge of the rudimentary branches to enable him to engage in pedagogy. A year later he suffered a severe blow in the loss of his father. About this time he entered an academy for a term, and the following year was a student in Otterbein University. He taught at intervals while attending school, and it was not until 1859 that he was able to graduate at the Northwestern Normal School at Cincinnati. Three years later he was, elected teacher of the school at Rensselaer, where he taught two years; was next appointed school examiner of Jasper county, and then accepted a position in the bank of McCoy & Thompson, where he remained one year. In the meantime he had devoted all his spare time to the study of law, and having fully determined to take up that profession he entered the law department of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and soon mastered its intricacies. He graduated there on January 1, 1866, formed a partnership with Robert S. Dwiggins, in this place, which lasted three years. He then became a partner in the law firm of Thompson & Brother, which continued until our subject was elected to the office of judge in 1896. In the mean- time he had served as prosecuting attorney four years-from 1872 to 1876. In 1886 he was elected to the senate of Indiana, and filled the office four
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