USA > Indiana > Blackford County > Biographical memoirs of Blackford County, Ind. : to which is appended a comprehensive compendium of national biography embellished with portraits of many well known residents of Blackford County, Indiana > Part 53
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JOSEPH LOUIS HOOVER.
Prominent among the enterprising busi- ness men of Hartford City is Joseph Louis Hoover who, though but comparatively a recent comer, has already made his influence felt by giving increased impetus to its com- mercial, and industrial interests .. Mr. Hoo- ver is the son of John and Bernedina ( Busse ) Hoover and was born in Lima, Ohio, on the 7th day of April, 1865. After attend- ing the public schools of his native city until fourteen years of age he began at an early age to work for himself in a furniture fac- tory at Lima, operated by Townsend & Moser, and in that capacity he continued un- til 1880. From that year until 1883 he was employed as driver of a furniture wagon for J. C. Musser and then accepted a position
as salesman with the firm of Keller & Mcad, of Marion, Indiana, with whom he remained until November of the following year. Mr. Hoover's next venture was as traveling sales- man for a St. Louis medical company, in which capacity he traversed the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Kentucky, supplying the trade with the many articles manufactured by the firm, until 1885, in November of which year he resigned the position and again entered the service of Keller & Mead, at Marion. He represented the latter house on the road un- til November, 1889, at which time he be- came one of the organizers of the firm of Hoover Brothers at Lima, where he con- tinued until March, 1896, handling very successfully a large amount of furniture in the interim.
In the latter year Mr. Hoover removed to St. Mary's, Ohio, where, until October, 1897, he did a fair business in the general house-furnishing line. Disposing of his in- terests in this place, Mr. Hoover, for some time thereafter, traveled extensively through the west selling goods, making the city of Marion, Indiana, his headquarters, and he was thus engaged until 1898. In January of that year he abandoned the road and pur- chased the furniture and general house- furnishing business of J. U. Moore, at Hart- ford City, taking immediate possession and continuing the same with a greatly enlarged and constantly increasing patronage to the present time. From the original location in the Elton block, on West Washington street, opposite the Methodist church, Mr. Hoover has since moved to the Briscoe block, where he has accommodation of sufficient capacity to meet the demands of the trade. In No- vember, 1899, Mr. Hoover lost nearly his
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entire stock in the building he now occupies, but with shrewd business management and small capital judiciously handled he has pushed to the front and now easily ranks along with the most stable and prominent concerns in this part of the state.
Mr. Hoover and Miss India E. Kim- ball, daughter of Dr. T. C. and Louisa ( Vin- nedge) Kimball, of Marion, were united in marriage on the 3d day of June, 1887. Four children have been born to this union : Irma, deceased ; Helen; Inez. deceased, and Harriet Esther. In 1896 Mr. Hoover joined the Knights of Pythias, St. Mary's Lodge, at St. Mary's, Ohio, and on coming to Hart- ford City transferred his membership herc. He has also been identified with the K. O. T. M. since 1896. He has been called at different times to fill offices in the order, having been keeper of finance and for the past year sir knight commander.
Mr. Hoover is essentially a business man, thoroughly familiar with business methods and admittedly fitted by nature and educa- tion to manage and carry to successful issue large and important trusts. From boyhood he has been in active contact with the world. has met its smiles and frowns with a forti- tude born of a determination to succeed, and his long connection with various phases of commercial life, together with the trust re- posed in him by many employers, prove him to be the possessor of sound judgment and executive ability rarely combined in a single individual. In the advancement of Hart- ford City's general interests Mr. Hoover has not been behind his fellow citizens, as his name is invariably connected with every en- terprise calculated to strengthen the public credit or in any way to add to the material, moral or social well-being of the community.
He has proved a valuable addition in
many ways and his progressive spirit has not been without its influence in stimulating others to greater activity in their various avenues of industry and trade.
ISAAC W. WINGATE.
Isaac William Wingate was born in the town of East Monroe, Highland county, Ohio, on the 20th day of February, 1837. the son of James W. and Malinda ( Stewart ) Wingate. During the first fourteen years of his life Mr. Wingate lived in his native town, and then accompanied his parents to Delaware county, Indiana, where the father purchased land and established a home. The family at that time consisted of eight children and the sum total of capital with which to be- gin life in a comparatively new and unde- veloped country was represented by three horses, one wagon, a meager outfit of fur- niture and five hundred dollars in money. Upon the family's arrival the father rented a small log cabin and a little later purchased eighty acres of land, paying for same four hundred dollars in cash and one work horse. After the erection of a log house, which is still standing, every member of the family large enough to handle an ax went to work and before the end of the first year ten acres were cleared and made ready for the plow. The father being a carpenter, worked at his trade in the summer, leaving the clearing and cultivation of the soil to his boys who, toil- ing early and late, soon added largely to the original area of tillable land until in due time eighty acres of forest growth were re- moved and the ground planted with different crops. In this way Isaac W. Wingate spent the years of his youth and carly manhood.
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Reared amid such active scenes and learning the true value of toil, he became a strong and athletic young man and before his tiven- ty-first year had assisted in clearing fully one hundred acres of virgin forest land, from which not a stick of timber had previously been cut.
Just before attaining his majority young Wingate one day assisted his father in roll- ing into heaps all the logs on a certain piece of ground, after which he quietly collected what clothing he had, and walking to the nearest railroad station, took the train for Ohio. This was the last his parents saw of him for two years. Returning home at the expiration of that time he remained with his father for a limited period and then be- gan working for himself at the carpenter's trade, which he had previously learned with his father. Mr. Wingate continued at his trade until 1873, at which time he engaged in the mecantile business at Dunkirk, In- (liana, where he sold dry goods until meet- ing with serious reverses in the great finan- cial crisis of 1876. But with the aid of cer- tain friends he was enabled to meet his obli- gations, although sued in the United States court, and after successfully stemming the tide he exchanged his stock for eighty acres of land in Jackson township, Blackford county. Here he again began using the ax, and with such good results that in due time fifty acres were made ready for tilling. He followed the pursuit of agriculture in Jack- son township until 1885, in the fall of which year he was elected sheriff of Blackford county and assuming the duties of the office in August of the year following.
With such fidelity and general satisfac- tion did Mr. Wingate perform his official functions that at the ensuing election he was
chosen his own successor. At the expira- tion of his second term he was induced to continue as deputy, thus making his official experience cover a period of ten years, dur- ing which time his management of the im- portant trust was such as to win the highest praise from all parties, irrespective of polit- ical affiliations. Mr. Wingate retired from the office in 1896, since which date he has given his attention to various lines of busi- ness, not the least of which is auctioncering. He is an expert salesman and his services as a public crier are in great demand in the disposal of all kinds of goods and properties and he is frequently called upon to act in that capacity in places far remote from his place of residence. Financially his success has been most encouraging and at this time he is possessor of a handsome fortune, con- sisting largely of real estate in various parts of the county, valuable city property and one hundred and twenty acres in Jackson township, this county.
Mr. Wingate was married, June 19, 1862, to Miss Hannah Bales, daughter of James and Malinda (Shirk) Bales, a union blessed with the birth of the following chil- dren : James H .; Herresa R., deceased ; Charles H .; Malinda, deccased; Clista M .; Cora A .; Robert R .; Isaac W. and two that died when quite young without being named. Mrs. Wingate died November 2, 1893.
In addition to his career as a public offi- cial and civilian Mr. Wingate had a brief military experience. He enlisted, in 1862, in the Eighty-fourth Indiana Infantry, but was prevented from accompanying his com- mand to the front by reason of an accident resulting in a broken leg, which incapacitat- ed him for service. This has always been a matter of profound regret, as he had an
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earnest desire to take part in the great strug- gle which resulted in restoring permanent peace to a disruptured Union.
Mr. Wingate is a model citizen and his influence in the community has always been salutary. To every trust reposed in him he has given a true and faithful rendering and no one has ever accused him of any action or practice savoring in the least of suspicion or disrepute. He treats his fellow man as he would be treated, acts well his part in life, and it is needless to state, in view of what has been said that he has many friends and commands the respect of the best classes wherever he is known.
H. B. SMITII.
H. B. Smith, president of the Citizens' National Bank, of Hartford City, was born in Winchester, Randolph county, Indiana, November 22, 1847, and is a son of the Hon. Jeremiah and Cynthia (Dye) Smith. He spent the first fourteen years of his life in his native city and there received his pre- liminary education, attending the public schools until 1862, at which time he became a student of the North Western Christian University. He pursued his studies at this university from 1862 until 1865, and the lat- ter year went to Union City, where he learned the jeweler's trade. In April, 1869, he engaged in the jewelry business at Hart- ford City, and continued the same until 1877, when he disposed of his stock in order to enter upon his duties as clerk of the circuit court, to which position he was elected in the fall of 1876. He served the people accept- ably from August, 1877, to August, 1881, and made a creditable record as an able and
obliging public officer. In the meantime, January, 1879, upon the organization of the Citizens' Bank he was elected its president and after the expiration of his term as clerk le devoted his entire time and attention to the interests of the bank, the success of which was very largely due to his able manage- ment.
In early life Mr. Smith manifested con- siderable interest in matters political and in addition to the office already named he was elected, in 1882, by the Democratic party to represent the district composed of Wells and Blackford counties in the general assembly. He served during one session on the house committee, state's prison and library commit- tees, besides taking an active part in all dis- cussions of the legislature, and by his in- fluence bringing about much legislation bear- ing upon the general welfare of the common- wealth. During his membership he was prompt and efficient in the discharge of every duty devolving upon him, and his reputa- tion as an earnest and discreet public ser- vant was universally conceded by his con- stituents, both of his own party and also of the opposition.
Subsequently Mr. Smith's legislative ca- pacity was further tested by an experience in the state senate, to which he was elected in the year 1890, from the district composed of Adams, Jay and Blackford counties. The honorable distinction in the subordinate body was not dimmed by his senatorial experience. He was a member of the upper house during two sessions, and while thus engaged served on a number of important committees, de- voting particular attention to legislation re- lating to natural gas and introducing many bills bearing on this important matter, the majority of which, through his efforts, passed the final reading and became laws.
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The close of his second term ended his active official life as far as the suffrage of the people is concerned. He had made a record in the senate, as elsewhere, of which posterity need in no wise be ashamed.
Upon the reorganization of the Citizens State Bank, of Hartford City, in 1899, Mr. Smith was again honored by being elected its president, the duties of which he has since discharged with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of all interested in the concern. With an almost uninterrupted service of twenty years as president of the original bank, his continuance at the head of the present well-known and substantial finan- cial institution is a compliment to a clear head, sound judgment and rare execu- tive ability such as few possess. Mr. Smith also has large monetary interests in various other enterprises in Hartford City and elsewhere. Financially his success has been commensurate with the ability displayed in his various undertaking's and at this time, additional to investments above noticed, he is one of the most extensive owners of real estate in Blackford county, his lands here aggregating over one thousand acres. Mr. Smith early took an active interest in direct- ing attention to Hartford City as a favor- able manufacturing center and to him as - inuch as to any other individual is due the credit of locating some of the more import- ยท ant industries, for which this part of the state is noted. He was a leading spirit in bringing about the organization of the Hart- ford City Glass Company and in company with Richard Heagany and others placed that enterprise upon a sound financial basis and continued as one of its directors until the concern was purchased, in 1899, by the American Window Glass Company.
Mr. Smith has from the first had great
faith in Hartford City and few have mani- fested as much interest as he in its growth and welfare. He served as a member of the town board three years before a city charter was obtained and since that time has been active in behalf of every movement having for its object the public good and has been a liberal patron of all enterprises by means of which the material or moral well-being of the community may be enhanced.
Mr. Smith was united in marriage, in February, 1873, to Miss Nancy A. Holliday, daughter of Joseph W. Holliday, a former well-known and popular resident of Black- ford county. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are the parents of four children, namely : Cynthia, Elizabeth, Gretta and Addie.
Just before the Mexican war Mr. Holli- day was elected to represent the district com- posed of Jayand Blackford counties in the In- diana legislature, but instead of entering upon his duties as a member of that body he resigned and enlisted as a soldier. On his re- turn from the service he was again elected to the general assembly and while serving as a legislator his death occurred.
Mr. Smith is a member of Blackford Lodge, No. 106, F. & A. M., of which he has passed all the chairs besides being chosen at different times representative to the grand lodge of the state. As already stated, he has for a number of years been one of the Demo- cratic leaders of Blackford county and his services have frequently been called into re- quisition; of the central committee of his party he has thrice bee.i chairman.
Sush in brief are the salient facts in a very active, useful and successful life. Born of a sturdy and intelligent parentage, and reared in the school of experience, Mr. Smith has from early youth manifested a determination to succeed and the manner in
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which he has over me all obstacles, however formidable, and the positions of prominence to which he has been called at different times shows how well that determination has been reduced to fact. He is indeed a notable ex- ample of the successful self-made man and his career is one in which his fellow citizens of Hartford City and Blackford county have ever taken a lively interest. Personally he is a gentleman of genial and social char- acteristics, uniformly polite in manner and courteous to all. He is close in his attention to business, is entirely devoid of pretense in manner and with becoming modesty is little inclined to refer to himself or in any way boast of the success to which he has attained.
As a member of society no one stands higher, while his unflinching integrity and genuine native manhood have enabled him to maintain the status coming of honorable and manly bearing. His fidelity to duty in his various enterprises and calling's and his zeal under all circumstances sufficiently at- test his character and worth.
HON. JEREMIAH SMITH, DECEASED.
A list of Randolph county's prominent men would be incomplete did it not contain the name of the late Judge Jeremiah Smith, for many years a distinguished lawyer of the local bar and a jurist of more than or- dinary repute as judge of the circuit art. He was born in 1805, in South Carolina, and in 1817 accompanied his father, William Smith, to Randolph county, Indiana, locat- ing in the town of Winchester, where he grew to manhood. His advantages for ob- taining an education were considerably lim- ited, but by a course of home study and dili-
gent application he made commendable prog- ress and in due time was sufficiently ad- vanced to procure a teacher's license. He taught one term of school in Richmond, In- diana, and then turned his attention to sur- veying, of which he soon obtained a sound, practical knowledge. From 1820 to 1822 he was engaged on the survey of the Kanka- kee country and later began the study of law at Winchester, under the direction of Zachariah Iliatt. After his admission to the Randolph bar, in 1837, Mr. Smith at once entered upon the active practice of his profession, in addition to which he also served for a number of years as deputy coun- ty recorder under Charles Conway. From 1837 on Judge Smith's rise was steady and substantial and he was called at different times to fill nearly office of note within the gift of the people. Among these may be men- tioned deputy recorder, clerk, deputy sher- iff, sheriff, surveyor, prosecuting attorney and circuit judge, in all of which he displayed abilities of a hi: h order and acquitted hin- self to the satisfaction of the public. His principal attention, however, was given to his profession, which practiced success- fully for a period of .y years and during that time he earned the reputation of being one of the best judges of English law in the state of Indiana, besides standing at the head of the bar in Randolph county. In 1839 Judge Smith erected the Franklin House in Winchester and later, in connection with Hon. O. H. Smith, he located the town of Union City, which made such rapid progress after the completion of the Bee Line Road in 1853. He was a voluminous writer and contributed to the reading public many in- teresting articles, besides several manuscript volumes, including among others, "Remi- niscences of Randolph County" and "Civil
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History of Randolph County," both of which evince a high order of literary talent.
Judge Smith married Cynthia Dye, who bore him ten children, of whom eight are living at the present time, namely : William K., a merchant of Union City; John Dye, jeweler at the same place; Charles C., a farmer residing near Winchester; Mary E., wife of Frank B. Carter, of Bradford, Ohio; Hlenry B., a banker of Hartford City; Char- lotte, wife of George W. White, of Brad- ford; J. Giles, a plumber and gas fitter at Indianapolis, and Oliver H., whose home is in Union City. Mrs. Smith died July 7, 1872, her death resulting from injuries re- ceived on the Grand Rapids & Indiana Rail- road at Winchester. Her sad taking off un- der such terrible circumstances is supposed to have hastened the death of her husband, whose earthly career terminated in Decem- ber, 1872. Judge Smith was a man of pro- nounced opinions on any subject in which he became interested, and for over forty years he was a conspicuous public figure in Win- chester, where he always maintained his resi- dence. He was a strong adherent to the principles of the Democratic party, of which he was an able and uncompromising advo- cate. Whether as an advisor in the coun- cils of the party or an eloquent speaker on the hustings, his services were effective and highly appreciated and he was always con- sidered a power in campaigns where great issues were involved. He was a consistent member of the Christian or Disciple church, always active in the advocacy of the plea of the religious body, and for many years an accredited teacher and leader among them. As a business man he was successful, having by prudent and well-directed foresight amassed a handsome fortune, consisting, in the greater part, of landed estate. Person-
ally be was a gentleman of strict integrity, blameless morals, honorable and upright in his dealings and won the confidence and es- teem of all who knew him. Few men of Randolph county are as widely and favorably known and Indiana will always be proud to class him among her favorite sons.
PETER DRAYER, M. D.
Prominent among the names that have added luster to the medical profession in Hartford City is that of Dr. Peter Drayer, who for a period of thirty-five years has de- voted his time and energies to ministering to the needs of suffering humanity here and elsewhere. The Doctor traces his paternal ancestry back through several generations to Pennsylvania, in which state a number of representatives of his family were living near the beginning of the present century. From the most reliable information obtain- able it is learned that the Drayers came orig- inally from Germany and were among the sturdy, honest, industrious class which that country contributed to the new world dur- ing the latter's formative period as a nation. The Doctor's grandfather, Peter Drayer, a native of the Keystone state, was by occupa- tion a tiller of the soil, in addition to which his services as a ready man with tools were utilized by the people of the community where he resided. In an early day Peter Drayer emigrated to Montgomery county, Ohio, and settled near the present site of Farmersville on land purchased from the government. He was one of the pioneers of the county of Montgomery, bore his full share in its development and died a number of years ago upon the farm he originally en-
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tered. Hle had a wife, Mary, and seven chil- dren, all of whom long since passed from the scenes of their earthly toil and environ- ment. Peter Drayer was a man of consider- able local prominence and is remembered as an earnest and faithful member of the Ger- man Reformed church, the religious belief which appears to have been espoused by a great number of his descendants.
On his mother's side the Doctor's family is also of German origin and, like the Dray- ers, they were early settlers in Pennsylvania. Emigrating to Ohio when that state was considered the western border of civilization, the Sorbers settled in Preble county, where some of their descendants still reside. The Doctor's grandfather, Jacob Sorber, was a man of affairs, the possessor of a comfort- able competence of this world's goods, and he left the impress of his strong personality on the neighborhood he assisted in found- ing. He was also a leading member of the German Reformed church and assisted lib- erally of his means in planting congrega- tions of his faith among the early settlers of Preble and other counties of western Ohio. Of his six children but one is living at the present time, the Doctor's mother, who has reached a ripe old age and still resides at her old home in the Buckeye state.
Lewis Drayer and Susan Sorber were married in the county of Preble and became the parents of six children, whose names are as follows: Peter, the subject of this biog- raphy ; Catharine resides in Dayton, Ohio; Caroline L., wife of Jeremiah Bishop, a farmer of Preble county; Edgar J., a con- tractor doing business in the city of Dayton; Alice M., deceased; and an infant that died unnamed.
The elder Drayer, a farmer by occupa- tion, lived in Preble county until his fifty-
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