USA > Indiana > Wells County > Biographical memoirs of Wells County, Indiana : embracing a comprehensive compendium of local biography, memoirs of representative men and women of the county whose works of merit have made their names imperishable, and special articles by Hugh Dougherty [et al.] > Part 37
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FRANKLIN P. RISLEY.
The subject of this review is one of the leading farmers and stock raisers of Chester township and as a citizen ranks with the rep- resentative men of Wells county. His father, Harvey Risley, who was born Febru- ary 8, 1828, came to Wells county when a boy and lived with Adam Miller until at- taining his majority, after which he began life for himself as an agriculturist. In his
young manhood Harvey Risley married Miss Harriet Gracy, whose birth occurred in Ross county, Ohio, December 4, 1832, her parents moving to the county of Wells when she was a child. After his marriage Mr. Risley settled on a farm in Harrison town- ship and in due time became one of the suc- cessful tillers of the soil as well as one of the leading citizens of the community in which he resides. He and wife still live where they originally located and are ac- counted by all who know them a most ex- cellent and praiseworthy couple, having the good of their neighbors and fellow citizens ever at heart. They have prospered in life and are the parents of eight children, the subject of this sketch being the oldest of the number ; the others are Almira, who died at the age of four years; Eliza, wife of Eli French, of Nottingham township: Etta, now Mrs. Amos Mowery, lives in Harrison township; Ulysses S. G. lives with his par- ents and runs the home place; Harvey A., Samuel I. and Ethie A. are also members of the home circle.
Franklin P. Risley was born February 25, 1853, in Harrison township, Wells county, Indiana, and spent the years of his childhood and youth in close touch with na- ture on the family homestead. He was reared to habits of industry and early learned the valuable lesson of self-reliance which contributed so much to his success in after life. Between working on the farm in sum- mer time and attending the district schools of winter seasons, he spent his first eighteen years and then entered the Bluffton high school where he prosecuted his studies for three terms with the object in view of teach- ing. Mr. Risley taught his first term in district No. I, Harrison township, and the
MRS. FRANK RISLEY.
F. P. RISLEY.
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following year took charge of the school in district II, at both places earning the reputation of a capable, painstaking and popular instructor. These experiences in the educational field convinced him that teach- ing was a hard and unremunerative voca- tion, consequently he abandoned it and turned his attention to other occupations for a livelihood. Purchasing an engine and separator, he spent several seasons threshing grain and in this way made considerable money, meanwhile devoting a goodly part of each year to agricultural pursuits.
On the 18th day of March, 1877, Mr. Risley was united in marriage to Miss Mary A. Watson, daughter of J. M. and Elnora Watson, who came to Wells county in an early day from their native state, Ohio. Mrs. Risley is a native of Nottingham town- ship, this county, born November 17, 1858, and was reared to young womanhood near the place of her birth, receiving a good edu- cation in the common schools. During the three years following his marriage Mr. Risley rented land in the township of Harrison and at the expiration of that time discontinued agriculture for the purpose of engaging in the drug trade at the town of Linn Grove. After a fairly successful career of eighteen months at that place, he transferred his busi- ness to the village of Keystone where he ran a drug store for three years and then added to his special lines a general stock of mer- chandise. Mr. Risley built up a large and lucrative trade and earned an enviable repu- tation as a careful and conservative business man. His wide acquaintance and personal popularity contributed much to his success and as long as he was identified with com- mercial pursuits he never lacked his full complement of patronage. He continued 19
the business until about 1893, when he dis- posed of his stock and with the proceeds pur- chased a beautiful farm in Chester township on which he has since lived and prospered. While at Keystone he was station agent for the Lake Erie & Western Railroad and in connection with his duties in this capacity and his regular business he carried on an extensive grain trade. During his incum- bency there was a much larger volume of business done at Keystone than at any pre- vious period in the history of the town and the records of the office show a great falling off in the amount of freight receipts since he resigned the office. At certain seasons of the year the monthly freight receipts ran as high as eight thousand dollars, by far the greater part of which resulted from the grain business of which he was the head. Since the year 1894 Mr. Risley has devoted his at- tention to farming with most gratifying success, and in addition thereto. he has achieved much more than local repute as a raiser of fine live stock, especially Hereford cattle and the Duroc and Jersey breeds of hogs. He has a beautiful and attractive home, the general appearance of his farm in- dicating advanced agricultural methods, and everything to which he addresses himself appears to prosper. In the year 1894 he was elected on the Republican ticket to the office of township trustee and that, too, in face of normally large Democratic majority, a which fact attests the high place he holds in public esteem. During his incumbency of six years he did much in the way of public improvements, building three new school houses, one of them being the high school at Keystone, which was the first attempt at ad- vanced education in the history of the town- ship. By a successful system of consolida-
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tion he was enabled to abandon one district school and centralize the pupils in the above village, where there are now five teachers employed, instead of one as formerly. This has resulted greatly to the benefit of the schools, as it is now possible for students to obtain a good high school education with little or no expense.
As already stated, Mr. Risley is a Re- publican; he cast his first presidential vote for Rutherford B. Hayes and from that time to the present has been prominent in the councils of his party and an active worker in the ranks. He has served as delegate to a number of county conventions and five or six times represented his township in the state conventions of his party. Fraternally he is an Odd Fellow, belonging to Mont- pelier Lodge No. 410, in which he has held every official position within the power of the organization to bestow. In matters re- ligious he subscribes to the Methodist Protestant creed, he and wife being identi- fied with the church at Keystone.
Mr. and Mrs. Risley have had eight chil- dren, namely: Lucy E., born October 25, 1877, died November 24, of the same year ; Irvin E., born March 13, 1879, was acci- dentally killed at Keystone on the 30th of March, 1889, while attempting to couple two freight cars; Stella E. M., born June 9, 1881, married Earl V. Shimp and at the present time holds an important clerical po- sition in a business house at Keystone ; Ruel, born July 14, 1885, departed this life on the 16th day of December, 1885 ; Wanda P. was born February 14, 1887, and died Novem- ber II of the year following; Eva O. A. was born on the 27th of October, 1889; Adam C. C. was born September 1I, 1892, and Vergie N. M., the youngest of the fam-
ily, first saw the light of day on the 29th of August, 1895. Mr. Risley has provided well for his children and given them every edu- cational advantage within his power, besides assisting in a very substantial way those who . married. He is a gentleman of intelli- gence and fine business abilities, stands high socially and his position as a representative citizen of Wells county has been fairly and honorably earned.
LEVI SPAULDING.
Levi Spaulding was born January 30, 1853, in Chester township, Wells county, Indiana. He is a son of Stephen S. Spauld- ing, born in Weston, Virginia. He came to Blackford county, Indiana, about 1836, and, until he was about twenty-one years old, lived with his brother John, from whom he received as remuneration for his time and labor, a horse, saddle and bridle. He then farmed his brother Franklin's place for one or two years. About the year 1840 he pur- chased ninety acres of land, now owned by H. McCullick and George Eli. The land was all in the woods at that time, but he managed to have it all cleared up. August 27, 1860, he purchased a part of the farm where the subject of this sketch now lives, and at a later period purchased more ad- joining land. Stephen Spaulding was mar- ried September 2, 1849, to Phoeba (God- frey) Spaulding, born April 2, 1829. He died October 29, 1877, and his wife, Nov- ember 16, 1874.
Stephen Spaulding, after leaving Black- ford county, settled in Wells county, Indi- ana, where he remained until his death,
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which occurred on the farm where H. Mc- Cullick now lives. At the time of his death he owned three hundred and twenty acres of land. He was twice married, and to his first union seven children were born, of whom three are living : An infant died October 6, 1851, and another, December 16, 1865; John, born September 12, 1867, died Sep- tember 7, 1870; Marinda, born January 15, 1856, died in the spring of 1898 ; Levi, born January 30, 1853; Stillman, born August 19, 1858; and Mary, born June 27, 1862. Two children were born to his second mar -ยท riage: Jennie, May 5, 1876, and William, October 4, 1877.
Levi Spaulding was born on the first piece of land his father bought, and attended public school in Chester township, Wells county, until he was twenty-one years of age. In the meantime he also attended normal school at Bluffton, Hartford City and Mont- pelier, Indiana. He then took charge of his father's farm of three hundred and twenty acres, in which his brother Stillman also assisted him. During this time he had pur- chased the farm where he now lives, and on October 25, 1875, he moved onto this place. He continued to farm his father's place until the death of the latter in 1877, when the land was divided. He now has eighty- three acres of fine land, which has on it twelve oil wells, producing about forty bar- rels a day.
December 2, 1875, Mr. Spaulding was married to Maggie M. Helm, born March 20, 1855, in Darke county, Ohio, a daughter of Charles and Matilda (Bates) Helm. Charles Helm was born in Darke county,, Ohio, August 5, 1828, and died in Hartford City, Indiana, December 26. 1901, at the age of seventy-three years, four months and
twenty-one days. November 25, 1852, he married Matilda C. Bates, who was born July 4, 1833. Eleven children, five sons and six daughters, were born to their union, all of whom are living except one daughter, who died in 1892. Their names are as follows: Alonzo, Maggie M., Orlando, Daniel, George, Emma, Frances, deceased, Elizabeth, John, Laura and Effie. All were mature men and women before there was a death in their ranks. Levi is the father of one child, Bessie, born February 14, 1882; she married Roy M. Shadle, son of James B. Shadle. Roy ,is the father of two chil- dren, Beatrice, born May 28, 1900, and Charles, born August 29, 1901.
Mrs. Spaulding is connected with the Methodist Protestant church, of which she is a consistent member, an amiable and ex- emplary Christian lady. She is also a mem- ber of the Woman's Relief Corps of Mont- pelier, Indiana. Her husband is a member of Lodge No. 410, I. O. O. F., of Montpelier. He is a Republican in politics, having cast his first vote for U. S. Grant for President and has continued to vote the ticket since that time. He has tak- en an active part in politics and has fre- quently served his party as a delegate to po- litical conventions. He was one of the dele- gates who selected a district delegate to the national convention that nominated McKin- ley for his second term to the presidency of the United States. Mr. Spaulding has been a general stock farmer and has devoted his life to the vocation of a farmer. He has also opened two gravel pits on his farm, out of which more than five thousand cubic yards were taken at one time. He is an upright, energetic citizen, keenly alive to every in- terest which affects the welfare of the com-
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munity in which he lives and, being in the prime of life, he has the expectation of many years of future usefulness to his fellow men.
AVILLIAM O. TERHUNE.
William O. Terhune was born September 27, 1862, in the state of Illinois, and is a son of Garrett and Mary Ann Terhune, both of whom are deceased. William O. attended school in the "Red School House," in Ches- ter township, Wells county, Indiana, until he was eighteen years old, and remained at home with his father working for his board and clothing until he was twenty-one years of age. He then began to cultivate his father's farm, receiving one-fourth of the crops for his labor, continuing to farm on those conditions until his marriage, which occurred March 4. 1886. On this date he was united in wedlock with Nancy Catherine Jones, who was born about 1867 and is a daughter of Isaac and Sallie (Huffman) Jones, both of whom are yet living in Jack- son township and who were among the first settlers of Wells county, Indiana. Isaac Jones is the father of nine children : Henry, at home with his father; Susan, the wife of A. E. Terhune; Mary, the wife of Ira Brown, living in Warren, Indiana; Daniel, a farmer in Jackson township; Eliza, the wife of Jacob Sills, now living in Chester township: Nancy C., wife of the subject; Ella, wife of John Alspach; Nora, wife of Charley Stimson: Amy, the wife of Frank White, and Minnie, who is the wife of Wil- lard Grover.
The subject, after his marriage, con- tinued to farm the old home place, living
with his parents and receiving one-third of the crops. He continued in this manner until within two years of his father's death, when he obligated himself to support his father, pay taxes, keep up repairs, etc., and received all the proceeds of the farm. After the death of his father he remained in possession of the old home place, a farm of one hundred and twenty-six acres. The subject is a gen- eral stock farmer, and breeds Poland China hogs and a general stock of cattle. He is a believer in the system of feeding his grain and forage on the farm and driving it to market on the hoof. He has on his farm six producing oil wells and prospects for more, which gives him a neat monthly royalty.
Mr. Terhune is the father of eight chil- dren, seven of whom are living: Henry, born June 4. 1887; Nellie, born October 26, 1888: Perry, born July 10, 1890; Neva, born April 11, 1892; Dessie, born July 3, 1894; an infant son that died unnamed ; Goldie, born October 24, 1898; Ralph, born January 21, 1901. The subject has al- ways lived on the farm and devoted his life to agricultural pursuits. He has been suc- cessful and is now enjoying the results of his industry and frugality in the possession of a well stocked and well cultivated farm, a pleasant country home, surrounded by sons and daughters who are being educated for future usefulness as citizens of the state. In politics the subject has always been a Republican and takes a lively interest in the success of his party in their recurring cam- paigns. He is regarded as a successful and substantial tiller of the soil, possessing the esteem and confidence of his neighbors, and by his character and standing adds dignity to the class which he represents. His home life is typical of the millions of homes of
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our country, in which resides a silent strength that wields a powerful influence in the affairs of state, and contains in the sons and daughters thereof a bulwark of future strength for the perpetuity of the principles of the republic.
SAMUEL I. NEHER.
The discovery of natural gas and oil in Indiana opened up a vast field for the opera- tions of working men in that region. When oil was discovered in Wells county, Indiana, Samuel I. Neher, of Nottingham township, the subject of this sketch, was working at his trade, that of a carpenter. Very soon after oil well operations began he dropped his hammer, saw and plane and took to drill- ing wells, which he found far more remu- nerative and from which, coupled with a few fortunate investments in leases, he has derived a very comfortable competency.
Samuel I. Neher was born October 18, 1873, in Allen county, Ohio. His parents were Samuel and Rebecca (Nevel) Neher, a sketch of whose lives appears in another part of this volume. When only three years old Samuel I. Nehier came to Wells county with his parents. He attended the public schools of Nottingham township until he was nineteen years old and remained with his parents until he was twenty-one years of age. During his minority he learned the trade of a carpenter and when he started to make his own way in the world he worked for a number of years at that calling. In the spring of 1900 he laid down his carpen- ter tools, took up the work of drilling wells in the oil field and has devoted his time to that business ever since. On attaining his
majority his father presented him with three hundred dollars with which to make a start in life. In 1900, in company with C. E. Dyson, he purchased a set of drilling tools and they operated them jointly that year. He had had about six months' experience in operating a drilling machine before making the purchase. In 1901 they took into part- nership W. B. Kirkwood and J. P. Lock- wood, each owning a quarter interest, and soon they were the owners of two sets of tools which they kept going constantly.
March 18, 1899, Samuel I. Neher was united in marriage to Miss Louella Lock- wood, who was born on March 7, 1879, a daughter of J. E. and Frances (Blackledge) Lockwood. (For a sketch of their lives the reader is respectfully referred to another part of this volume.) After marriage the young couple established themselves at housekeeping in Petroleum, where they re- mained six months, then moved to the J. E. Lockwood farm and remained there until March I, 1902, when they moved to their present home. They are the parents of one child, Hugh, born March 19, 1900.
Immediately on the formation of the partnership above referred to the firm began procuring leases and developing oil terri- tory. They procured leases from Katherine Kimnels, H. E. Johns, Cynthia Bowers and C. E. Dyson, sunk their first well in Febru- ary, 1902, and continued until four wells were completed and were just finishing the fifth, in July, 1902, when they sold out to Alena & Thomas for sixteen thousand dol- lars. They are now in the employ of that firm and are engaged in sinking wells on the property they had leased. As indicating the success Mr. Neher has achieved, it is worthy of note that, although he has been
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in business for himself less than eight years, a fair valuation of his personal property alone would be not less than six thousand dollars.
In politics Mr. Neher always votes the Republican ticket, and although making no pretensions to being a politician and never perniciously partisan, he takes considerable interest during political campaigns. He is a member of Lodge No. 721, I. O. O. F., at Petroleum and is deeply interested in lodge one would have to be endowed with the spirit work. Barely beginning a business career, of prophecy to hazard even a guess as to what the result will be, but judging by the character of the man, the splendid business methods he brings to his aid and the invari- able success he already has achieved, there is little doubt, if he lives the allotted period of man, that the closing years of his life will be blessed with ample means to supply every want.
G. H. SNOW.
The subject of this review is a repre- sentative of one of the old families of Wells county and inherits many of the sterling characteristics of a long line of sturdy an- cestors. The Snow family in America ap- pears to have originated in New England, the subject's grandfather, Sewell Snow, hav- ing been a native of Rutland, Vermont. He was born in the year 1807 and in young manhood married Miss Mariel Gates, a na- tive of Boston, Massachusetts. In 1835 he moved to Ohio and six years later came to Wells county, Indiana, accompanied by his sons George and Henry, settling in what is now Chester township. He located on what
is known as the Gruver farm, which he cleared and otherwise improved and on which he spent the remainder of his life, dying there a number of years ago at a ripe old age.
Henry Snow, one of the two sons of Sewell, was born in Wayne county, Ohio, on the 15th of August, 1833. He was a lad of eight years when his father came to Indiana and from that time until death his life was very closely interwoven with the growth and development of Wells county. In 1858 he was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Booth, who was born in Guernsey county, Ohio, September 8, 1835, the daugh- ter of Thomas and Rebecca (Lethero) Booth, who were among the pioneer settlers of Chester township. Henry Snow be- gan life for himself as a farmer and ex- perienced all the hardships and vicissitudes peculiar to the early period in a new and densely wooded country. Purchasing a tract of unimproved land, he built a little pioneer cabin for the reception of his bride and spent the first winter after taking pos- session of his place deadening timber and fitting for cultivation a small area to which the term field could hardly be applied. The following spring he returned to his father's farm, which he cultivated on the shares dur- ing the ensuing two years and then returned to his own place, which he never again left until called from earthly scenes. He made a fine farm, accumulated a liberal share of this world's goods and earned the reputa- tion of an honest, upright man and enter- prising citizen. His relations with his fellow men were characterized by a high sense of honor and in his death, which occurred on the 3Ist of March, 1896, the community lost one of its most valuable neighbors and the
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county one of its representative men of af- fairs.
Mr. Snow left to mourn his loss a widow and three children, besides a host of friends who had learned to appreciate him for his true manly worth. His oldest child, Mol- lie, married Joseph Stahl and lives in Lib- erty township; her husband is one of the prosperous farmers of that section and at the present time is serving as a member of the board of county commissioners. Mr. and Mrs. Stahl have two children, Edith S. and Homer A. G. H. Snow, of this sketch, is the second in order of birth and after him comes Giffon, whose sketch will be found elsewhere in these pages.
G. H. Snow was born in Chester town- ship. Wells county, on the 22nd day of Aug- ust, 1862, and his early life on the farm was marked by no event of especial note. At the proper age he entered the district schools, which he attended of winter seasons until his twentieth year, meantime devoting the spring and summer months to the varied duties of the farm. On attaining his ma- jority he and his younger brother rented the home place and in this way continued to run the same until the father's death, since which time the two have farmed their respective parts of the estate, paying the mother two-fifths of the proceeds.
Mr. Snow was married on the 27th of September, 1883. to Miss Matilda A. Moor- man, daughter of Eli and Lavina (Arnold) Moorman, natives respectively of Tippe- canoe county, Indiana, and Medina county, Ohio. Mr. Moorman came to Wells county a number of years ago and after his mar- riage moved to the county of White, where he lived for a period of four years, returning to Wells at the expiration of that time and
settling in Jackson township. He died some years ago at the residence of his daughter in Blackford county, since which time the widow has lived among her children. Mrs. Snow was born February 18, 1865, and re- ceived her education in the district schools of Wells county.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Snow began housekeeping on the Snow homestead, where they have since lived and prospered and they are among the best known and most highly esteemed people in the township of their residence. Mr. Snow has devoted his attention almost exclusively to agriculture and his success has resulted in a competence of sufficient magnitude to place him in the front rank with the enterprising and well-to-do men of his community. Of the ten producing oil wells on the old farm, four have been drilled on his share of the estate and from this source alone he derives a very handsome income, with the prospects of still more liberal returns in the future. Mr. Snow is a good mechanic and of re- cent years has done considerable in the way of carpentering, although his principal pur- suit is and always has been agriculture, for which he has a natural liking and the dignity . of which in his opinion compares favorably with any other vocation. In the matter of stock farming he has met with the most gratifying results, his breeds of Chester White hogs, Galloway cattle and South Down sheep being among the best animals of the kind in this part of the state. Mr. Snow is a gentleman of taste as well as pro- gressive ideas, as is evident from the fine condition of his farm and the various attrac- tive features of his residence. By no means a partisan in the sense the term is usually understood, he is a stanch supporter of the
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