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 84
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The lady to whom he was united in his youth remained his companion for thirty- cight years, passing to the beyond, after
which he chose as a helpmate Elizabeth Hledge, to whom his declining years are devoted. His children are: Lydia Ann, wife of James Lee Neal; Absolom, who remains with his father ; Mary, wife of Elihu Oren; Jay L., who died at twenty-four; Cynthia died in infancy; Susan, who died at thirty ; and Gin, at home.
Many incidents of the pioneer days are vividly recalled by our friend, one of which at least we will recount. In March, 1839, when but a short time in the county, while in search of his cow he became lost and de- cided to remain in the woods all night, seek- ing a moss tussock for a re t. Scarcely had he become reconciled to the situation when howls told him of the presence of wolves. He had but time to climb a friendly tree till it seemed as if there were thousands of the brutes beneath him. Not having a coat he was about to freeze, when by lusty hallooing he, as good luck would have it, attracted the attention of John Bush, who just happened to be at his cabin, and in a short time he was released from his perilous position. The woods were full of wild hogs and many is the time he has had to seek safety in a tree to escape their rushes. An Indian village of the Godfrey tribe was near and he became on excellent terms with both the boys and the maidens. At the burial of the old chief, Shab-on-do-sha, at the Jalapa village, he danced all day with the Indian girls, and to this day he has many friends among the red men, many of whose traits are admir- able.
It has been a pleasure to thus review, however imperfectly, the career of this ven- erable citizen, whose life has been of more than passing importance and whose influence has ever been exerted for good. Few men who have contributed to the county's growth
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and making have more numerous or warmer friends, and when the final summons calls him to other scenes a vacancy will be felt that will last till other generations have taken the place of those now living.
JOSEPH FUTRELL.
Joseph Futrell, who is entitled to con- spicuous mention in a work devoted to the representative citizens of Blackford county. is among the successful, self-made men of Washington township, who have overcome discouraging environments and won success in the face of formidable circumstances.
Mr. Futrell was born in Clinton county. Ohio, January 31, 1839. His parents were Michael and Mary (Rix) Futrell, the for- mer being a native of North Carolina and the latter of Ohio. They came to Grant county, Indiana, soon after Joseph's birth, purchasing eighty acres of land lying two miles from Marion. Here he set diligently to work, and received in due time for his labor sufficient to enable him to purchase a more extensive farm, which remained their permanent home and which is still owned by the family. Upon this he died at about the age of seventy-eight, while his widow still survives him, living near the old home- stead. Their family consisted of eleven children, of whom seven are still living, Joseph being the only representative in this county. His boyhood was spent on the farm until his twenty-first year, when he was mar- ried to Miss Christine Stafford, of the same vicinity, with whom he was reared from childhood. As they were poor they at 1. it rented a farm for about three years, when he was engaged in a grocery at Warren,
Huntington county, Indiana, a few months. In 1864 he purchased a drug store at Dun- dee, Indiana, where he continued in mercan- tile trade till the death of his wife in less than a year thereafter. He then sold his business and invested the proceeds in an eighty-acre tract of unimproved land, lying in section 18, Washington township, Black- ford county.
In 1866 he was again united in marriage, this time to Miss Matilda A. Nelson, daugh- ter of Elisha Nelson, of Grant county. The latter came from the same county in North Carolina as did our subject's father, at first settled in Ohio and in 1840 came to this state. Soon after marriage our subject and his wife located upon the above mentioned land and here, aided by his wife, he soon made a comfortable and pleasant home that presented a wonderful contrast to the wild and unimproved state in which they found it. He was very industrious and the prompt execution of any task that devolved upon him was one of the secrets of his prosperity. He did all in his power to promote the in- terests of the community and to stimulate ambition and progressiveness among his neighbors, his own energies and business sagacity enabling him to increase his acre- age till it amounted to two hundred acres in 1874. He served three years, from 1869 to 1874, as township trustee, and in 1874, as the candidate of the Greenback party, was elected county treasurer, removing to Hartford City. His service in this office was for two terms of two years each, the limit according to the law then in force. During this time he had purchased the pres- ent home of one hundred and twenty acres and at the expiration of his term removed to it. He has since devoted his entire time to the management of his six farms, which
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now consist of the home farm of one hundred and twenty acres in section 29, one hundred and ten acres in section 18, two hundred and forty acres in section 16 and eighty acres in section 30, aggregating five hundred and sixty-two acres.
Few men of the county have contributed more largely to its development and improve- ment than he, nearly all of the land included in these farms having been cleared by him- self. On some of these he has erected com- modious buildings, each having all neces- sary to well improved farms, and in connec- tion to this has expended a vast amount in the proper drainage, laying about five thou- sand rods of tile, some ten inches in diam- eter. Four company ditches reach his land, on one of which he has paid a tax of about eight hundred dollars. In addition to the growing of grain he makes potatoes a prom- inent crop, having produced as high as six thousand bushels in one season. Stock growing, grazing and feeding are empha- sized in his operations, all the grain pro- duced being fed on the farm.
Mr. Futrell was a Democrat in early life, but feeling that the principles expressed by the Greenback party were more in accord- ance with general needs, his work for some years was in that connection, but he identi- fied himself later with the Peoples' party. The principles of the Democratic party as now expressed in its platform accord with his present views, his interest in the election of Mr. Bryan being of no half-hearted char- acter.
The family consists of Nancy Elizabeth, of Gas City, she being the only child by his first wife; Joseph W., Charley and George, all of whom operate the home farm; Cora, widow of Charley Rix, whose death occurred one year after marriage, she now with her
child, Edith Ferney, being with her father; Dollie and Abe Weiler, at home. Mr. Futrell is a member of the United Brethren church at Hartford, in which he is a trustee and to which he is a liberal contributor.
ALBERT B. SWINGLEY.
Albert B. Swingley, farmer and oil op- erator, was born at Hillsboro, Henry county, Indiana, July 26, 1853. His parents were Jacob and Leah (Dietrick) Swingley, both of whom are now living in Washington township, near their son. Though having already arrived at and passed the allotted span assigned by holy writ as the years of man, he is one of the really hale, and hearty citizens, carrying on his neat home without assistance, but doing the necessary labor himself; he surely unlike many men who leave the farm for practically idle life in town, is determined not to rot, but to pass his remaining years in useful activity.
When Albert was eight years old the family removed into Delaware county, which became the permanent home until he had passed his majority. While his father was a blacksmith by trade, from Albert's twelfth year he was engaged in conducting a farm, to the labor upon which his boyhood years were devoted. While yet young, on the 3Ist of May, 1872, he was joined in matri- mony with Miss Mary L. Rinker, who re- sided a few miles distant. They had started into wedded life about as near as possible at the bottom of the ladder, as he was in debt for his wedding suit. But little progress was made during the seven years they re- mained in Delaware and Madison counties, before deciding to come to Blackford, where
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they settled upon a tract of forty acres. But at the end of two years he returned to operate his father's farm. After some time spent in renting, he embarked in the meat business at Newcastle for one year, when he secured his present home, in 1880. Hle went over two thousand dollars in debt, but having an accommodating creditor in the person of Henry B. Smith, he was en- abled to carry out his obligations. He built a two-room log house, which re- mained the home until it was enlarged and incorporated into the present residence. About seventy acres are now in a condition for cultivation, though it was accomplished only after the expenditure of an immense amount of hard labor and money. The tract is wholly embraced in the Walnut creek bottoms and in its productiveness is unex- celled. The improvement of Walnut creek meant an expenditure of six hundred dollars, but when one it afforded most excellent and imperative means of further extending the system of drainage carried out by Mr. Swingley. He has placed more than eight hundred rods of tile on the farm, but the effect is to make every acre of the place highly valuable.
The amount of work that has been.done in making this farm is scarcely conceivable until it has been inspected in detail, and that the condition has resulted within a space of ten years, by a man who had absolutely nothing but good health and determination to base his efforts upon, is something not often seen, even in this county, where there are numerous farms highly improved in a short time. When he arrived at Hartford City his cash capital consisted of but seventy- five cents, and of this he invested sixty-five in flour and ten in tobacco. It took eight years of closest application, coupled with 40
rigid economy, to clear off the indebtedness, but success finally came and he could feel and appreciate a condition of case and com- fort.
For some years gas wells have been in active operation in this vicinity and as traces of oil were occasionally shown it was thought that more than likely oil could be found in paying quantities. The fondest hopes of the operators were more than fully realized when, in January, 1899, the famous "Daily" well was opened and oil began to flow in surprising quantities. This is said to be the most valuable well yet drilled in the state, for now, after it has been pumped for more than a year and a half the daily output holds in excess of one hundred barrels. When it was first opened is proved a "wonder," a tank being built each day for nine consecu- tive days. A dam had been hastily put across Walnut creek, hoping to thus save a part of the wealth that seemed destined to go to loss; these efforts proved futile, as when some two thousand barrels were con- fined, a heavy rain so raised the stream that the dam was washed away, all this oil be- ing lost. Mr. Swingley now has four wells on his own farm, the royalty from them generally passing the hundred-dollar mark each month, and he already having received upwards of a thousand dollars in royalty. Mr. Swingle has for several months been in the employ of the Phenix Oil Company, and is pretty thoroughly informed in re- gards to the oil industry in this region.
The family of Mr. Swingle consists of Mattie, who is the wife of Joseph Futrell; Jacob, who married Miss Maud Lewis and operates the Swingley farm; Emma, wife of George Futrell; Pearl and Daniel, at home, and Lora, who died at two years of age,
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In politics Mr. Swingley is a Republi- can and is considered one of the stanch and reliable members of the party. He is an Odd Fellow, holding affiliation with the or- der in Hartford City.
HENRY WILLIAMS.
Among the numberless instances of men who have made their way alone in life, hav- ing nothing upon which to depend but their own strong arms and a determination to do and to succeed, the name of Henry Williams suggests itself, for the reason he has made his own way onward and upward in the world by the force of his own talents.
Mr. Williams is of French ancestry and was born in Perquimas county, North Caro- lina, March 23, 1816. He was married at the age of twenty-six to Miss Susan Bray and remained in North Carolina till 1851, and then came to Raysville, Henry county, Indiana, hoping by the change to benefit his wife, she being an invalid from consumption. However, in this respect he was sadly dis- appointed, as the change did not bring the benefit expected, she being called away in a short time thereafter.
He remained at Raysville five years, working in a dairy and then came to Black- ford county. October 23, 1855, he was again married, this time to Miss Mary A. Haynes, daughter of Joshua and Mahala ( Reeves) Haynes, who then lived in Wells county, eight miles north of Hartford, on land he had entered in 1839, when Mary was but six years of age. She was born in Madison county, Indiana, April 10, 1834. This re- mained the home of her parents until their deaths, he passing away at the age of fifty-
six, and she at seventy-three. Her sister, Irene, wife of Clark Willis, now lives at Belgium, Blackford county.
Mr. and Mrs. Williams located in the vicinity of their present farm, where he rented, and in addition to his own work cleared upwards of fifty acres for other men and then purchased a wild tract of wooded land for himself, assuming an indebtedness of eight hundred dollars, at ten per cent in- terest.
His first residence was a small one-room house made of round logs, which answered the purpose of shelter until a more com- fortable structure could be built. In con- nection with the labor necessary to clear and fit the land for cultivation he secured work on the grading of the Panhandle Railroad, he and his son and team receiving five dol- lars per day. At the close of five years he was out of debt, had cleared about twenty- five acres anl erected a substantial residence, and in time became one of the most prosper- ous business men and successful agricult- urists of the township. He has contributed to the development of the county by clearing upwards of one hundred acres. His present farm contains eighty acres, forty being part of the original place. April 15, 1890, Mr. Williams moved to Hartford City, remain- ing there until September 15, 1891, when he returned to the farm. In 1894 he again re- moved to Hartford City, but in 1900 went back to the farm, where he now resides.
The family consists of four children, viz : John T., the only child by the first marriage, was born in 1850 and lives in Washington township; Sarah Elizabeth, wife of Alex- ander Crisp, of Reno county, Kansas; Anna, wife of Franklin Pierce and residing in Hartford; Aaron C., who married Lillie Pierce, sister of Franklin, now lives on the
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old Williams homestead, they having a fam- ily of three boys.
In early life Mr. Williams was a Repub- lican, but later became an ardent supporter of the Prohibition party. Mr. and Mrs. Williams are active members of the Wes- leyan Methodist church at Hartford and are enthusiastic in their religious convictions.
Mr. and Mrs. Williams stand ever ready with influence and material support to fur- ther any good work, religious or otherwise, and none in the community have lived more upright and blameless lives than have this good old couple. Possessed of ample means to render his declining years comfortable, and retaining to a marked degree his facul- ties, mental and physical, Mr. Williams bids fair to reach a green old age, and make the future, as he has the past, redound to the best interest of the community and his fellow men.
PERRY BUGH.
The subject of this review was born in Washington township on the 12th of Feb- ruary, 1852, being one of the twelve children born to Barnhart W. Bugh and wife, of whom further mention is found in the re- view of their son, Jesse Bugh, on another page of this volume. Till the age of six- teen he knew only the life of the average country lad, but at that time accompanied his parents to Hartford City, where he be- gan to learn the carpenter trade under the instruction of his old teacher, Manassa Ben- nett. His service was of the old style ap- prenticeship, covering a period of three years, receiving a compensation of fifty cents per day during the first year, one dollar the sec- ond and one dollar and a half the third,
living in the meantime at home. This as- sociation with Bennett was most beneficial to him in many respects, as he not only be- came a skilled workman, but also had many excellent lessons by precept and example concerning the necessities of life. He re- mained one year with his old preceptor, after completing the trade, and then worked as an ordinary journeyman at various towns in this state, and visited Illinois, Nebraska and Missouri. Twelve years he devoted to the trade, when his experience and observa- tion fully convinced him of the futility of ever accomplishing what he had set his heart upon, the attainment of an easy position in life. Ever of an ambitious nature, his nat- ural inclinations were encouraged by his old associate and teacher, so that he ever had be- fore his mind's eye the accomplishment of much more than seemed to satisfy many of his boyhood companions. While his father had sold his farm, he found it necessary to take it back, and now Perry arranged to rent it, which he did for six years, engag- ing quite extensively in the sheep husbandry, keeping something like six hundred head. In this he prospered from the start, and in 1879 purchased his present farm, operating for three years longer his father's also. His first purchase was of eighty acres, all of which but a few acres was in woods. He now has one hundred and twenty acres, nearly all being in an excellent state of culti- vation. He has expended in making im- provements double what the land was orig- inally worth. The house, which is a pre- tentious one, was erected three years after the purchase; the barn, built in 1894, is in keeping with the other buildings and the feature of drainage is carried out to a most complete and effective system, he having ex- pended upwards of one thousand dollars in
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this one matter alone. While the greater part of his earlier success came from sheep, he has latterly confined his attentions more to the growing of varied stock and grain. About two years ago the first oil well in this vicinity was drilled on his farm; it proved so valuable that many others have been drilled since, six being in active op- eration on his place. The output from these averages about two hundred and fifty bar- rels per month, thus returning a handsome royalty of from ninety-five to two hundred and seventy-five dollars per month. Gas was produced here quite early, the second well in the township and third in the coun- ty being drilled here by a local company, of which Mr. Bugh was the leading spirit. This was in February of 1890, but the first well soon became exhausted and others were then developed. Having made a success of farming, Mr. Bugh has retained his inter- ests in that connection, though often urgent- ly solicited to embark in other enterprises.
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He was united in marriage on the first day of the year 1873, to Miss Martha Chand- ler, whose reputation has become well es- tablished as a popular and successful teacher, she having followed that profession upwards of twelve years. Their family consists of five children as follows: Charles, who mar- ried Anna, the daughter of Joshua Kelley, and is a farmer in the township; Moretta, wife of John McGath, son of the late Hon. T. T. McGath, and residing in Harrison township; William Riley, Bessie and Goldie. While he, like all the family, is a Republi- can, he has not identified himself with po- litical work in the public sense, but is gen- erally found in the conventions of the party, and his expressions of means and ends car- , ry respectable weight with the party lead- ers. Standing in line for all that tends to
uplift the community, he is found in close touch with the church of which his wife is an honored member.
While not particularly devoted to fra- ternal associations, he is a member of Roll Lodge, No. 347, Knights of Pythias, and in this has taken an active and substantial part, having passed the chairs in the local lodge and represented it in the grand lodge. Few men of the vicinity have more or warmer friends than Mr. Bugh, whose personality is of that pleasing and congenial nature that it not only attracts new but cements old re- lationships. It is to such broad minded and progressive citizens that the future must look for its further advancement.
The Bugh home, situated some six miles north of Hartford City, is the center of local hospitality and intellectual progressiveness, and here, in the midst of an interesting fam- ily, the pleasantest hours of a busy life are passed, some satisfaction coming from hav- ing had, early in life, a high ideal and de- voting every energy to its attainment.
JOHN MARION BURCHARD.
John Marion Burchard, a respected citi- zen and agriculturist of Washington town- ship, Blackford county, Indiana, was born one and one-half miles cast of Dundee, Sep- tember 25, 1851, and for his entire life, nearly half a century, has resided in the town- ship.
The grandparents of J. M. Burchard were William and Elizabeth (White) Burchard, who came to Indiana in 1842, lo- cating on the farm now owned by the Wolvertons. Little is known of his early history, further than that he was of foreign
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birth. This land he entered from the gov- ernment and continued to make this his home until his death, which occurred while he was in his fifty-eighth year.
William, Jr., the father of our subject, accompanied his parents to Indiana, being at that time twenty years old ; he remained with them until his twenty-fifth year and was then married to Miss Mary Ann Shinn.
The old home having partially passed from him he purchased the remaining in- terests and continued his residence here for a number of years. He then removed to Hartford, having purchased a desirable prop- erty, and remained there until his death, which occurred during his sixty-eighth year ; his wife died two months earlier, she being sixty-six years old. They were highly re- spected by their neighbors and were useful members of the community, well deserving of the esteem in which they were so uni- versally held. Their family consisted of four children, three of whom are living in the county ; Daniel William, and Sabra Jane, wife of Daniel Bounge, both residing in Hartford City, and Harrison Jackson. in In- dianapolis.
John Marion passed his boyhood on the farm where he was born, remaining there until twenty-one years of age. He received a good education, and his early training was such as well fitted him for his life's work, that of farming, which he has intelligently conducted, devoting his entire time and en- ergies to the management and improvement of his estate. This farm lies on the Mont- pelier pike, five miles north of Hartford City, containing at present, one hundred and twenty acres. When John M. assumed charge of the farm only fifteen acres had been cleared and even this was scarcely fit for cultivation. He has cleared and placed
in fine condition about seventy acres, ex- tending upwards of eight hundred rods of tile to all essential parts of the farm, ex- pending for this one feature of improve- ment more than six hundred dollars. By this systematic and scientific adaptation of accepted principles of mechanics he has re- claimed from an absolutely worthless condi- tion more than one-third of the entire tract. He devotes his attention mainly to the pro- duction of grain and the buying and selling of stock. He keeps well informed concern- ing all branches of agriculture and few have met with more encouraging success in gen- eral farming and stock raising.
The Burchard farm lies in the great In- diana oil field, and has four wells produc- ing both gas and oil, besides one whose out- put is gas exclusivelv. While these are but average wells, the royalty derived from them assists materially in swelling the general in- come.
Mr. Burchard in his political views holds tenaciously to the principles of the Demo- cratic party, being himself no unimportant private in the ranks. In every campaign he is found taking an active part, often serv- ing as delegate in the various conventions in the state. In 1880 he was chosen township trustee, a position he filled for four years, showing in the discharge of his duties that superior business capacity which redounded very much to his own credit. Some years later he was made the party nominee for the responsible position of county treasurer and in every emergency has proven himself to be the man for the occasion.
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