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 61
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December 3, 1863, he offered his services to the government, being assigned to Com- pany I, One Hundred and Thirtieth Indi- ana Volunteer Infantry. Ile first felt the thrill of battle at Resaca, soon after the
opening of that memorable campaign to .At- lanta. He was in the anks with his com- panions in each of the battles of that strug- gle. Ilis regiment was returned in pursuit of Hood after the fall of Atlanta, the pur- suit ending in the bloody and decisive battle of Nashville, where Hood withdrew. The One Hundred and Thirtieth was recalled to be sent to join Sherman, who was then on his way north from the sea; the route was a circuitous one, via Cincinnati and Wash- ington to Newbarn, North Carolina, where young Twibell v. placed in a hospital. Hc was not afterw . ent to his command, but
when able was mi a driver for the hospital steward, in which capacity he was retained until his discharge under general orders in June, 1865.
Upon his return to his old home he worked by the year and by the month until his marriage, on the 22d of November, 1868, to Miss Philena Elizabeth Bowman, daughter of Levi and Elizabeth (Stout) Bowman, of Licking township. Her fa- ther was born in Washington county, Penn- sylvania, and came while yet a young man to Blackford county in company with his sister, Deliliah, who became the wife of Benjamin Stout and is now a widow, living in Kansas. Levi and Benjamin, it ap- pears, traded sisters, as he married Eliza! h Stout, who was the daughter of David and Nancy Stout.
Levi Bowman entered a tract of one hundred and twenty acres in section 35 of Licking township, and devoted his life to its improvement, succeeding in making a productive and valuable farm. le laid a great deal of the early style wooden ditches and erected the house in which his son, George B., now lives, 1888. He had but fairly gotten it completed and in a comfort-
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able condition to enjoy life more fully when the final summons came in April. 1882, his wife following him about one year later.
He was a chairmaker by trade and through working at his trade was able to live quite comfortably, making chairs for his neighbors in exchange for other labor or for living necessities. About the last set of chairs he ever made were for a wedding present for his daughter, Mrs. Twibell. who has preserved them, not only as a family heirloom but as a reminder of the pioneer life in which her own family bore a conspic- uous part. Another interesting relic is a wooden brace he made and used for many years.
His family of nine children were as fol- lows: . William Henry, whose Ufe was sac- rificed in the army service at the age of ttwenty-four; John A. died at the age of twenty-five years, just after his return from army service ; Mary Martha died aged twen- ty; Charles Wesley served in the same com- pany as Mr. Twibell; his death was coinci- dent with an i portant event of the county, his burial occurring the same day the corner- stone was laid for the new court-house; Ben- jamin A. resides on the homestead; Levi Sylvester, of Leroy, Michigan; George B., on the homestead; Nancy L., wife of Mar- tin Ylounce, of Dundee, Indiana, and Phi- lena Elizabeth.
Soon after his marriage Mr. Twibell secured eighty acres of his present farm; it had less than forty cleared and that was in a dilapidated condition. A log house com- prised the only building, the fences were rot- ten and there had been no attempt to drain the tract. Many years of toilsome labor and economical living were required and ex- perienced before the farm began to assume the right appearance and condition of soil
and improvements. Yet, with the perse- verance born of determination, the result began to appear from chaos and a valuable farm began to assume definite shape. Hav- ing his plans outlined, he began to work to them and by persistence and labor, directed by sound judgment, sati factory result showed forth. He has added to it till he now has one hundred and fifteen acres, near- ly all of which is in an excellent state of cul. tivation. An open drain extends through the tract, affording admirable openings for the tile drains he has laid, extending into every part of the farm, in some instances resulting in making valuable land out of what was formerly swamp and pond. The entire tract is composed of a fine quality of Black soil which excels in the production of fine crops of all kinds of cereals. Most of the grain grown is consumed by stock of his own raising, most of which is well graded and bears the markings of the full bloods. Lying in the gas belt, his farm is leased, but not as yet developed, though he is a stockhokler in a neighborhood well that supplies an abundance of fuel.
The Twibell fraily embraces four chil- dren, of whom Nora May is the wife of IIenry Wilson, and resides on an adjoining farm; Almeda Elizabeth is the wife of Ja- cob P. Parker, of whom further mention is found on another page; Charles C. Twibell is wedded to Eliza M. Mayo and lives near his father, operating part of the homestead. They have one son, Henry Dewey; Laura E., the youngest, is a lady of promise who still remains at home as the comfort of her parents.
Politically Mr. Twibell is a Republican and has often served his party as a delegate to its conventions. Though preferring to attend to private affairs, he has not sought
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the emoluments of public station, though no man is held in greater estimation by the rank and file of the party. For years he has Served Dant Carmel Methodist Episcopal church & the capacity of trustce. He has been superintendent and teacher of the Sun- day school, and all that makes for a better citizenship, broader education and higher civilization has in him a stanch friend and ardent supporter.
JOHN HART.
John Hart, prominent as one of the re- tired farmers and stockdealers of Blackford county, is a son of John W. and Margaret (Bly .: ) Hart. His father was one of the early settlers of Blackford county, settling here in 1850. He was born in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, and there learned the trade of a tanner. When a young man he went to Ohio and settled near Steu- benville where he followed his trade for a short time, when he found employment at the salt works. After his marriage he rented a farm upon which he lived for a while, when he moved on a farm near Waynesburg, Ohio. Upon this place he remained until he came to Blackford county, and the winter of his arrival here was spent near Hartford. In the spring of 1851 he purchased the farm where William Snyder now lives, consisting of one hundred and seventy-seven acres of land for which he paid four hundred and fifty dollars. Sturdy. indeed, were the men who entered upon the task of clearing and improving so wild a region as Blackford county was at that time and of laying the foundations of the noble
institutions that now stand as monuments to their energy, enterprise and will power : such was the father of the subject of this sketch. He was a man of fine physical development, standing five feet and eleven inches, affable and of kindly disposition. He became wide- ly and favorably known and highly respected in the locality in which he settled. He was active in all matters of public improvement and took a decided interest in good roads. many of which he helped to lay out. His death occurred February 29. 1896, in his ninety-fourth year.
When he settled upon his farm he erected a log house, 18x20, which was his home un- til 1860, when he built the house now on the place. Fifteen years before his death be re- moved to Montpelier and spent the rest of his days with his daughter, Mrs. Cunning- ham. Tlis wife was Margaret Blyth and they were the parents of ten children, as fol- lows: Henry, living in Harrison township; Abner, of the same township; John, our sub- ject; Sarah Ann, wife of Richard Mclu- tyre, of :'atlin, Illinois; Malisa, wife of Henry : mingham, of Montpelier, Indi- ana; Wheam; Mary J., wife of Andrew J. Mann; Lorinda R., wife of Eli Arnold, of county; Cordelia, deceased wife of
W' y Stallsmith, and Nancy A., wife of Jacob Kirkpatrick.
John Hart, the subject of this biography, was born near Waynesburg, Stark county, Ohio, February 28, 1832. He received as good an education as the schools of his child- hood would afford. He was nineteen years of age when his father came to Blackford county and he has helped to bring the county to its present condition of prosperity.
He remained on the homestead until he was twenty-five years of age, when he went to Vermilion county, Illinois, where he re-
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mained one summer, and then returned to Harrison township and found employment at farming, working out until his marriage. when he purchased a farm of unimproved land of one hundred and sixty acres in sec- tion 7, Harrison township. Upon this farm he lived until he purchased his present place of residence. in 1892. Upon this farmi of one hundred and sixty acres he made all the improvements and brought it to its present high state of cultivation. In 1898 he purchased the place where he now re- sides, consisting of ninety acres, and has re- tired from active business. Mr. Hart was married, on October 13, 1864. to Miss Sarah Wood, who was born in Niorrow county, Ohio, and is a daughter of Reason and Jane Wood. To this marriage have been born five children, viz: Allen G., a farmer of Harrison township, married Lizzie Strong and they had one child. Ilis second mar- riage was with Malina Kitterman and they have three children: Mabel M. (deceased), one which died in infancy, and Elmer R. Ab- ner. deceased. James, also on the farm with his brot !. r Allen ; he has been twice married, his first wife being Florence Rayn, and his second Annie McGeath; he had one childl by his first wife, Earl H., and two by the second, one which died in infancy and Elmer H. Reason W. died June 22, 18 :. ag. twen- ty-five years. William K., a + builder and driller, is at home with his parents. Emma May died June 6, 1897, aged twenty years.
In his political views Mr. Hart is a Democrat. Mrs. Hart, in her religious con- nection, is a Baptist. The respect, courtesy and kindness which Mr. Hart always shows to everyone, and the kindly charity and ab- sence of all selfish feelings, indicate the char- acter of the gentleman whose name heads this biography.
. HENRY BART.
The subject of this sketch was born in Jefferson county, Ohio, November 25. 1820. He is a son of John and Margaret ( Blyth) Hart, whose biographies appear elsewhere in this work. In 1856, when his father set- tled in Harrison township. Mr. Hart came with him and remained upon the farm until 1856. Ile had before coming to Black- ford county received such education as the old log school houses afforded, and had been raised to farm work. In the year last men- tioned he was married, on August 7. to Miss Matha TIuggins, a native of Wetzel county. West Virginia, whose father removed from Pennsylvania and settled in West Virginia. In 1854 he came to Blackford county and settled upon one hundred and sixty acres situated where Sarah Stortz now resides.
After his marriage our subject bought a farm of fifty-three acres, on section 7. Upon this tract was a log cabin which was the home of the family until 1865. In 1862 he purchased eighty acres more in section 7. and in 1865 he purchased forty acres of land in section 6, upon which he now resides. He also owns an improved farm of forty acres 111 Wells county. For a number of years Mr. Hart would work at carpenter work through the summer month ; and in the win- te- he w: 11 clear his land, and in this way as the yes passed he succeeded in making one of the best farms in the county. Both of his farms are under cultivation, and after many years of hard work Mr. Hart has re- tired from active business and is now reap- ing the benefits of a well-spent life. In his political convictions Mr. Hart is a stanch Democrat, but has never been a seeker of of fice, as the cares of a busy life have left him no time to devote to public affairs.
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Mr. and Mrs. Hart are the parents of five children as follows: Albert and Rosetta, twins. Albert is a farmer of Harrison town- ship, and Rosetta is the wife of D. Kiterman, of Washington township. Sarah M .. wife of John W. Drake, of Wells county, Indiana; John W., at home with his parents, and Emma E., wife of William Rabb, of Wells county, Indiana.
. THOMAS T. McGEATH.
Henry Ward Beecher spoke the following words: "You cannot succeed in life by spasmodic jerks. You can not win confidence, nor earn friendship, nor gain influence, nor attain skill, nor reach position by violent snatches." Not by a single jump, nor by a single stroke of good fortune did Thomas T. McGeath become a permanent and im- portant factor in the business and political relations of Blackford county. Mr. Mc- Geath was born upon the farm where his brother, John McGeath, now lives, on February 29, 1840. He was a son of Lew- is and Rachel (Twivell) McGeatl .. He re- ceived such education as the schools of his neighborhood afforded at that time, and at the age of twenty-one began teaching in the schools of his township, and taught two terms. He then took charge of his father's farm, where he remained until 1865, when he purchased the nucleus, sixty acres, of the estate of two hundred and seventy acres left to his family at the time of his death. The original sixty acres of land purchased by Mr. McGeath was wild and unimproved, and but twenty acres cleared. He built a small frame house upon it, and as the years rolled by, by judicious and practical manage-
ment he made it one of the finest farms in the county. In addition to his general farming he was engaged in the breeding and feeding of cattle and hogs of fine grades, and horses of heavy draught and for general purposes. Mr. MeGeath was married, March 30, 1862, to Miss Jane, daughter of James and Elenor (Wotten) Rhine, who were born in Jay county, Indiana. Mr. Rhine moved to Blackford county in 1847. By his marriage with Miss Rhine our subject had the follow- ing children : Laura A., wife of Henry Sills ; James M .; Charles C .; Rachel, deceased ; Cora, deceased wife of Frank Sanders; William A .; John L .; W. Curtis; one who died unnamed; Thomas F .; Madison G. and Harry S.
Politically Mr. McGeath was a Demo- crat, and served as county commissioner for nine consecutive years, and as justice of the peace for two years. He was a man of won- derful push and perseverance, and it may be said truly that no man did more to advance the interest of the county than be. His death occurred September 19, 1899, and his mortal remains now rest in peace in the I. O. O. F. cemetery of Montpelier. His unspotted name has been left to his family as a precious heritage.
ABNER HART.
The subject of this review was born De- cember 9, 1830, and is a son of John and Margaret (Blyth) Hart. Mr. Hart's birth occurred near Amsterdam, Ohio, in Jefferson county. He was in his twenty-first year when he came to Blackford county, and as- sisted his father in the clearing and improv- ing of the farm upon which they settled. At the age of twenty-eight he rented the home
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farm, which he continued to operate, his father still remaining upon same. In 1870 he purchased the same from his father, and upon this finely improved place he has since resided.
As stated in the sketch of John Hart, Sr., Blackford county at the time of his arrival was a wild and unimproved country, and our subject did not possess many opportunities for an education, walking one and a half miles to attend the old subscription schools of those times, but by personal study aud · observation he is to-day one of the well in- formed men of the county. Ile has been a life long Democrat, believing in the princi- ples of that party, and as such has always taken a deep interest in its success. During his active busin: as life Mr. Hart devoted his land to general farming, but of late years he has retired from active participation in the work of the farm, and now, in the evening of his life, he is enjoying the reward of a well spent life, respected and esteemed by his friends and the community in which he has spent half a century.
GEORGE HUMPHREYS.
Standing prominent among the men who have done so much to make Blackford county one of the leading counties of the state, is the subject of this review. He was born in Pennsylvania, June 28, 1831, a son of Thomas and Sophia (Dellaven) Hum- phreys, and it would be well to mention here that both the Humphreys and DeHaven fam- ilies are among the early pioneer families of western Pennsylvania. Mr. Humphreys re- ceived his education in the old subscription schools of the day. His father removed from
Pennsylvania to Knox county, Ohio, when our subject was a small lad. and settled near Bellville, where Mr. Humphreys grew to manhood upon a farm. At the age of eighteen he apprenticed himself to learn the cabinetmaker's trade, serving two years at the business in Pahmuyra, Ohio. After he had acquired his trade he followed carpenter- ing work for some two years, and in 1868 he came to Blackford county, and purchased in Harrison township eighty acres of unim- proved land, upon which was a log house. Upon this place he lived until 1880, and by well directed efforts and good business man- agement made it one of the finest farms in the township. In this year he purchased and moved upon his present farm, which con- sists of one hundred and sixty acres. This land also at the time it became the property of Mr. Humphreys was a wild tract, which he has cleared and erected all the improve- ments, tiled and drained and put in its pres- ent state of fine cultivation.
Mr. Humphreys was one of a family of four, as follows: Sarah, George (our sub- ject), Joseph and Daniel, all deceased, Jo- seph dying in California. In 1859 Mr. Hum- phreys was married to Miss Rebecca Evers, daughter of David and Mary Evers, of Knox county, Ohio, and by this union they have had the folowing children : David, Ella, Jane, George, Rose, Lizzie, Eva M., Bessie, Blanche, and five who are deceased.
Politically Mr. Humphreys is an ardent Republican, and while he has never sought office he has always taken a commendable interest in the success of his party. Mr. Humphrey's advantages as a young man were very limited, and his success in life has been the result of his own efforts. . 1s a citizen he stands high in the estimation of bis neighbors and the people of Blackford
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county, and as one of the progressive and public spirited men of the county he is en- titled to a prominent place in this work.
WILLIAM ADAMS.
William Adams, farmer and stock raiser, is one of Blackford county's enterprising and progressive citizens. He was born near Greenfield, Ross county, Ohio, September 23, 1840, and is a son of James and Martha (Devoss) Adams. Mr. Adams received such education as could be obtained in the common schools of that time, and was raised a farmer. He was one of a family of five children, as follows : Anna E., John A., Will- iar Margaret, deceased, and Sylvester, also deceased.
When Mr. Adams was ten years of age his parents moved to Buena Vesta, Ohio, where our subject grew to manhood. At the age of eighteen he commenced the battle of life for himself, by finding employment at farm work, which he followed until April 19, 1861, when he enlisted in Company C, Twenty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in response to the first call for men for the three- months service. He was mustered in at Columbus, Oh and sent from there to Virginia where hey guarded the B. & O. Railroad between Parkersburg and Clarks- burg, remaining there forty days. Later Mr. Adams, in December, 1861. again en- listed in Company C, Fifty arth Ohio Vol- unteer Infantry, for three years, and was sent to Camp Dennison, where they remained until the following March, when they em- barked on boats and were sent to Pitsburg Landing. They were in the battle of Shiloh, and then joined the advance on Corinth,
Mississippi, but before arriving there Mr. Adams was taken sick and was sent to the hospital, from there being sent back to Camp Dennison, and later was discharged for disa- bility on July 25, 1862.
After his discharge he returned to Ohio, and found employment in a stiff-house and later again engaged in farm work near Sa- bina. In the fall of 1865 he went to Ran- dolph county, Indiana, and engaged in farm work for one year, when he engaged in farm- ing for himself. In 1880 he removed to Jay county, Indiana, where he remained for three years, when he came to Blackford coun- ty, and settled in Harrison township, pur- chasing eighty acres of land, of which there were only twenty-five che. red and upon which was a log cabin. Mr. Adams has to-day one of the fine improved farms of the county. It is under a high state of cultivation and has excellent improvements, all of which he has placed on the farm. Mr. Adams was mar- ried, on the zist of July, 1866, to Miss Rachel Thornberry, daughter of Curtis Thornberry, and this union has been blessed with the birth of six children, namely : Ida M., Laura, Curtis E., Minnic, deceased, Ethel and Flora.
Mr. Adams is engaged in general farm- ing and stock raising, and is looked upon in the county as one of its substantial and go- ahead men, being broad gauged and progres- sive in all that the words mean. He keeps abreast of the times, is a well-read man on all questions of the day, and in his political views he is a stanch Republican, believing that the principles of that party are neces- sary to the welfare of the country.
He is a member of Johnson Post, G. A. R., of Montpelier, of which post he is chap- lain and has hekl this most honorable posi- tion for six years. In his religious con-
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viction he adheres to the Christian church. of which he is a consistent member, its secre- tary and one of its honored trustees. . representative citizen and neighbor, he is regarded by all as a good soldier and a man . ho adds to any community.
ENOCH DESOTO MOFFETT.
Few men have as strongly marked in- dividuality as the gentleman whose brief biography is herewith set forth and none within the last quarter of a century have · exercised a greater influence upon the politi- cal and professional life of Hartford City. Paternally Mr. Moffett is descended from an old and prominent pioneer family which settled many years ago near the present city of Wooster, Ohio, while on his mother's side he traces his ancestry back to the original settlement of Fostoria, that state, at which place his mother, Sarah Ann ( Price) Mof- fett, was born and reared. The father, James H. Moffett, was an attorney and prac- ticed his profession for some years at Mill Grove, Ohio, where in addition to his legal business he was also for thirty years engaged in merchandising.
He was a man of education and refine- ment, universally well informed, and for some years filled the position of high school principal at Fostoria. He entered the army during the war of the Rebellion with a captain's commission, but saw little active service in that capacity, his principal duty while at the front being in connection with hospital work.
By his first wife, whose name appears above, James II. Moffett had three children, William J., a merchant of Mill Grove, Ohio;
Enoch D., whose name introduces this arti- cle, and Olivia D., deceased. The mother of these children departed this life in 1871. and his death occurred subsequently.
Enoch DeSoto Moffett was born in Fos- toria, Ohio, August 7, 1852, and received his preliminary education in the schools of that city, which he attended until his tenth year. From that time until his fourteenth year he pursued his studies at Mill Grove, to which place the family in the meantime removed, and later was similarly engaged in the towns of Grand Rapids and Republic. residing at the latter place until twenty-four years of age.
For two years Mr. Moffett was engaged as a teacher, but this not being to his liking he abandoned the educational field and turned his attention to journalism, purchas- ing a newspaper at Weston, Ohio, which he conducted at that place for a period of six years under the name of the Weston Herald. At the expiration of that time he moved to Decatur, Indiana, where he bought the De- catur Journal, of which he was editor and proprietor three years, the paper during that time becoming one of the leading local sheets of southern Indiana, noted for its able man- agement and the fearless manner with which the current questions of the day were dis- cussed in its columns.
From Decatur Mr. Moffett moved to the town of Montpelier and there established the Herald, which he ran one year, disposing of the same and at the end of that time purchasing the Times, of Hartford City, of which he assumed the editorial control un- til 1895. In the meantime he yielded to a desire of long standing by entering the legal profession, for which he had been pre- paring himself for a number of years, and began practicing in the courts of Blackford
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