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 61
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Dr. John I. Metts is a member of Ossian Lodge No. 297, F. & A. M., of which he was a charter member and for a time its worshipful master. He is a member of the Methodist church and has served almost continuously for forty years as one of its trustees.
It often occurs that men receive least credit for the best work done. It is so with Dr. Metts. He is a Republican and has been from the earliest days of the party ; but this did not prevent his acquaintances, neigh- bors and friends from thrusting upon him the
office of township trustee as early as 1858 and retaining him in it for a period of twenty-one years, nineteen of these being continuous service. His experience as a teacher was valuable, making him cognizant of the crying needs of the early schools, his own sympathies being in full accord with the more progressive teachers. When he became trustee the school houses were mere hovels. He constantly strove for better conditions and though progress was slow he soon had able supporters and a better line of buildings was secured, more competent teachers employed, greater interest aroused on part of pupils and patrons and suitable foundation laid for the present advanced ideas of educational progress. Before leaving office he had the satisfaction of having given to the township a graded school, among the finest of such in the state and the very first in Wells county. This work alone is worthy of Dr. John I. Metts. The people of today do not fully realize the grandeur of the work, but the rising generation and those yet un- born will do justice to men like Dr. Metts, who endured criticism and abuse in their efforts to endow with learning the youths of their generation. Paying for every improve- ment as he went and never incurring debt without having the funds to pay it, he gave to Jefferson township a class of school build- ings and class of schools that were un- equaled in any other township in the county.
Possessed of a disposition quiet and un- assuming, courteous and kind in every re- lation of life, nevertheless Dr. Metts is a man of great firmness and determination. He prizes the approbation of his fellow citizens, but, as is well attested by the salient features of his life, he will not sacrifice truth or hon- esty to secure popular approval. His recog-
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nized probity and integrity have won for him that exalted esteem and confidence that mark him as one of the worthy builders and developers of this favored section of the state, his impress upon its civilization not only now being strongly apparent, but of that permanent nature as to have its molding force upon those generations who will live in the future and learn of the personality of such men only from the pages of such vol- umes as this.
SAMUEL M. KREIGH.
It is always pleasant and profitable to contemplate the career of a man who has made a success of life and won the honor and respect of his fellow citizens. Such is the record of the well-known farmer whose name heads this sketch, than whom a more whole-souled or popular man it would be difficult to find within the limits of the township where he has his home.
Samuel M. Kreigh, one of the promi- nent and influential residents and farmers of this township, was born to Samuel and Magdaline (Beck) Kreigh in Jefferson township, October 16, 1851. He is a de- scendant of a sturdy race of Germans, his father's family being native Pennsylvani- ans, while the mother was a native Ger- man, having come to Pennsylvania as a child. The Kreigh and Beck families lived as neighbors in Jefferson township and in the course of time their children grew to maturity; little playfellows be- came sweethearts and the marriage of Samuel Kreigh and Magdaline Beck was the culmination of many years of friend-
ship. The young couple first settled on a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, where their family was reared, the hus- band becoming one of the first threshers of this part of Wells county. In 1881 his wife died and he later removed to Walker- ville, Michigan, where he still lives at the advanced age of seventy-seven years. Their family consisted of eight children, five girls and three boys.
Samuel M. Kreigh was early employed in his father's saw-mill, soon learning the business and became head sawyer. Being closely confined to his post at the mill, his education was limited to about six years' study in the county schools, necessitating his learning his arithmetic after he had reached the mature age of twenty-one. His wages amounted to two dollars and a half a day and on this salary he ventured into matrimony, being married November 17, 1872, at the age of twenty-one, to Miss Elizabeth S. Rupright, a daugh- ter of John Rupright and sister of W. H. Rupright. She was born September 20, 1865, and received a fair education in the common schools. Soon after his marriage Mr. Kreigh quit the mill busi- ness, which had been removed to Wil- liamsport, and rented the old farm and settled down to the life of a tiller of the soil. He later bought forty acres of it and, inheriting forty acres more, began in a modest way to accumulate property. He has made many improvements on the place, building substantial structures and putting his farm on a plane with the best in the county. For fifteen years he operated a threshing machine and made most of his living in that way.
Of the subject's ten children, nine are
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living: Albert A. married Alice Hoover and lives in Ossian; Estella E. is the wife of John Souards, of Lancaster township; Joseph Vernon is employed in the tile mill at Echo, Indiana; Wilson W. is teaching in the Jefferson township schools; Chancy C., Jerald Glenden, Ida A., Laura L. and Dale D. Mrs. Kreigh is a member of the Prebyterian church at Elhanan and has reared her children in that faith. Mr. Kreigh has served as supervisor of the township, and as a delegate to Demo- cratic conventions. Being a genial, big- hearted man, he is able to sway the thoughts of his associates and his party is well cared for when her affairs are put into his hands. Mr. Kreigh suffered a great misfortune in the loss of his left hand, which was crushed in a corn husking ma- chine some eight years since, the loss plac- ing upon him a severe handicap in the con- duct of his farming operations.
JOHN GLOCK.
With German blood flowing in our veins and German courage surging in our hearts, we are in no wise surprised that the Ameri- can nation is coming to the front with a bound. The massive intellect of the German and his stoic determination, blended with the keener, finer perceptions of other races, has made of the Americans a people not to be surpassed, and of whom John Glock, of Jef- ferson township, Wells county, Indiana, is a typical representative.
John Glock, the son of Conrad and Rosena (Beck) Glock, first opened his eyes to the light of day in Jefferson county,
March 9, 1844. His father was a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, as was also his mother, both coming to this country with their parents when young. The Glock family settled in Jefferson township about 1838 and lived there until the death of the parents. The Glocks and Becks were neighbors in this new land and friendship soon grew into a stronger regard and Conrad Glock and Rosena Beck were soon married. They entered the farm, which is at present owned by their son, and began immediately to put it in condition for cultivation. When Con- rad Glock first entered his land from the government it was nearly all under water and his friends laughed at the idea that it could ever be made to produce anything. However, he was not discouraged, but went to work with a will and soon had his land so well drained that it was made to produce some of the best crops in the country. He was a quiet, unassuming man, but neverthe- less he was able to gather around him a host of friends. Six children were the result of the marriage of Conrad Glock and wife, viz : Fred, deceased; John; Eliza, the wife of J. M. Archibold; Martin, a resident of Roan- oke, Indiana; Rose, the deceased wife of John M. Archibold, and Mary, the wife of William Schnitz, of Roanoke, Indiana.
The early life of John Glock was spent on his father's farm, where he remained until he was twenty-one years old. · He received a common school education and afterward learned the plasterer's trade, which he followed for thirty years. In 1869 he married Miss Caroline Miller, who was of German descent, being born near Canton, Ohio, the daughter of Jacob Miller, of Allen county, Indiana. She had only a common education, having received her training in
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the country schools. Their two daughters are Rose A., who is the wife of John Shuey and lives on a farm in this township; Florence E., the wife of Lewis Nicklas, of Fort Wayne, Indiana. John Glock started out in life as a poor man, but by his energy and thrift has gained a comfortable position in life, at the present time being the owner of the old homestead, eighty acres of fine farm land, five miles east of Ossian. He never received any help from his family and it is owing to good management and hard work that he enjoys comparative ease today.
Mr. Glock is a member of Ossian Lodge No. 719, I. O. O. F., being one of the charter members, and has filled every office in the lodge in successive order. In politics he is also active, being one of the substantial Dem- ocrats of Jefferson township. He is an in -· fluential member of his party and has been a member of Wells county central committee, also serving on several occasions as inspector on the board of election. He is not only well known in Jefferson township, but throughout Wells county, and he has a host of enthusi- astic friends. He is prominent both politi- cally and socially and, besides being a good neighbor and excellent citizen, is a man of much thought and intellect, enjoying the highest regards of the residents of the com- munity in which he has spent his entire life.
WILLIAM P. TAYLOR.
There is no positive rule for achieving success, and yet in the life of the success- ful man there are always lessons which might well be followed. The man who gains prosperity is he who can see and
utilize the opportunities that come in his path. The essential conditions of human life are ever the same, the surroundings of individuals differing but slightly, and when one man passes another on the high- way of life to reach the goal of prosperity before others who perhaps started out be- fore him, it is because he has the power to use advantages which probably encom- pass the whole human race. Today among the prominent citizens and suc- cessful agriculturists of Jefferson town- ship, Wells county, Indiana, stands Wil- liam P. Taylor. The qualities of keen dis- crimination, sound judgment and execu- tive ability enter very largely into his make-up and have been contributing ele- ments to the material success which has come to him.
William P. Taylor is a native of the Buckeye state, having first seen the light of day November 21, 1859, in Mahoning county, Ohio. His parents were Levi D. and Keziah (Callahan) Taylor, and were well- known and highly respected people. Levi D. Taylor was born in Pennsylvania on the 29th of June, 1823, and on the paternal side was descended from English ancestry. In 1832 he accompanied his parents upon. their emigration to Mahoning county, Ohio, where they settled upon a farm. Upon the home Levi D. spent his youth and was early inured to the hard and in- cessant toil incident to a frontier farm in an early day. He attended the common schools of the neighborhood and acquired a fair training in the ordinary branches of learning. He loyally remained upon the home farm, assisting his father until he had attained his majority, when he learned the carriage and wagonmaker's trade, fol-
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lowing that occupation until 1861. In that year he sold his business and also disposed of a farm which he owned, and came to Wells county, Indiana, purchasing a farm in Jefferson township, one and a half miles south of Ossian. He remained upon this place until 1892, when he removed to the town of Ossian where he has since made his home, being retired from active par- ticipation in business. By the exercise of sound judgment in all his business trans- actions, he has accumulated a plentiful share of this world's goods and is now en- abled to live in comparative ease in the en- joyment of the fruit of his former toil. Throughout his life Levi D. Taylor has borne a well-merited reputation for honor and probity of character, and has been at all times deeply interested in the material and moral welfare of the communities with which he has been identified.
Mr. Taylor has been twice married, his first companion, whom he wedded in Ohio, died in this county, July 26, 1882, after having borne him three children, men- tioned as follows: Mary is the wife of W. J. McAfee and resides in Ft. Wayne; Enoch M. married Ella Newhart and re- sides in Union township, and William P. For his second wife Mr. Taylor wedded Miss Lizzie Cunningham, of Lordstown, Ohio, but no children have been born to this union. Levi D. Taylor was progres- sive in the fullest sense of the term, and among other enterprises with which he was identified was the erection of the first grist-mill at Ossian and he also assisted largely in the erection of the First Presby- terian church of that place. In politics he is a stalwart and uncompromising Republi- can, but has never taken an active part in the
campaign work of his party. From his childhood he has been a member of the Presbyterian church and has been faith- ful and consistent in the performance of his religious duties.
William P. Taylor was a lad of but two years when brought by his parents to Jeff- erson township and his youthful years were spent upon the parental homestead. He was early initiated into the mysteries of agriculture and upon starting out in life for himself chose that occupation for his life pursuit. In the graded schools of Ossian he gained a good training and at the time of attaining his majority was fairly well equipped mentally for his life career. Desiring to commence operations in as fa- vorable a location as possible, he went on a trip through the west looking for a suit- able place, but at the end of a year re- turned to the old farm in Jefferson town- ship. His attention has been almost en- tirely devoted to agriculture, that most honorable of all employments, and by the exercise of those splendid qualities with which he was endowed he has been fairly successful in his calling. Starting out comparatively empty handed, he now pos- sesses a splendid farm of eighty acres, be- sides an interest in the homestead. He is thoroughly in touch with modern ideas touching the care of the soil, rotation of crops, etc., and that he gives careful atten- tion to the details of his business is indi- cated to even the casual observer by the splendid condition of his property and the abundant harvests which reward his efforts.
Mr. Taylor has been twice married, his first companion being Miss Rachael Hoover, the daughter of Levi Hoover, a
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prominent farmer and stock raiser of Jef- ferson township. This lady died after a three years' union, and for his second wife Mr. Taylor chose Miss Hattie Quacken- bush, the daughter of Peter Quackenbush, of Jefferson township, the marriage occur- ring December 24, 1889. To this union have been born two daughters, Ethel L. and Bertha M.
Mr. Quackenbush was born and reared in New York city and as a young man came to Trumbull county, Ohio, coming to Wells county in 1887, and secured land from the government. He was married in Allen county in 1855 to Miss Mariah Mc- Laughlin and both are still living, aged eighty-three and sixty-nine years respec- tively, on the farm that he had improved from the wilderness. His parents, Wil- liam and Mary Quackenbush, had spent their last years with him, his mother's death being the last to occur in the family, the circle, consisting of the parents and two chil- dren, not being broken for nearly forty years. All but one of the children are married and all reside within an hour's drive of the old home. Twenty-two grandchildren are living to honor their an- cestors.
Politically Mr. Taylor is affiliated with the Republican party, believing the prin- ciples embodied in that platform to be those most conducive to the best interests of the American people. He takes a deep interest in the general trend of public events, but does not aspire to public office of any nature. Mrs. Taylor is an active and consistent member of the Christian (or Disciples) church, of which society he is a liberal supporter. Mr. Taylor is an unassuming man, yet he wields a quiet
but strong influence in his community on the side of right living and for all that tends to promote the best interests of his neighbors. He is widely known and by all is esteemed for his genuine worth.
GEORGE W. LECHNER.
Among the prominent citizens and thriving farmers of Wells county, Indiana, is George W. Lechner, who was born in Stark county, Ohio, October 27, 1847, a son of Jeremiah and Pollie (Chapman) Lechner, the former of whom was a native of Germany and was brought to America in 1834 by his parents, who settled in Stark county, Ohio, where Jeremiah Lechner was reared to manhood on a farm. He there married Pollie Chapman, who was born in Pennsylvania, of English descent. He was a carpenter by trade, but made agriculture his calling, and followed the two lines of business in conjunction until his death, which occurred in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, at the age of seventy-one years.
The family of Jeremiah and Pollie (Chapman) Lechner comprised four chil- dren, namely: John M., who lost his life in defense of his country's flag in 1863, and whose remains were interred in the na- tional burying ground at Nashville, Ten- nessee ; George W .; Elizabeth, wife of Asa King, a prominent farmer in Allen county, Indiana, and Joseph who died in childhood.
George W. Lechner was but four years of age when, in 1851, he was brought from Ohio to Indiana by his parents, who lo-
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cated in Allen county, where the mother died two years later. George W. was then taken in charge by his maternal grand- father, George Chapman, and reared by him in Allen county, Indiana, and was edu- cated in the district schools primarily, later entering Ft. Wayne College, where he was an industrious student and supple- mented his school training by self instruc- tion. When his mother died the three children were all taken by the grandpar- ents, where all grew to maturity and from where John entered the service. Jeremiah Lechner returned to Ohio and resided in Tuscarawas county until his death. He resided in Allen county for a period of about seven years.
At the age of nineteen George W. Lechner was qualified as a teacher, and entered the schoolroom as such, continu- ing to follow that profession for thirteen years in Allen and Wells county.
December 25, 1870, George W. Lech- ner was united in marriage with Miss Sarah J. Gibson, daughter of John and Deborah (Cartwright) Gibson, of Allen county, where they settled in 1854 when she was two years old. The family are John A., who was graduated from the Os- sian high school in 1890, has himself taught three terms in Wells county and has his home under the parental roof ; Nel- lie D., wife of A. E. Springer, a farmer in Allen county, Indiana; Bertha, married to Charles Kreigh, a store keeper at Echo, Indiana, and Arthur F.
Mr. Lechner is a Freemason in his fra- ternal relations and is a member of the lodge at Ossian, while his religious con- nection is with the Little River Christian church. In politics he has been an active
Democrat ever since he was entitled to exercise his franchise, has always been popular with his party, and has served as a member of the Wells county Democratic central committee from Jefferson town- ship for many years. In 1902 he was nominated for county commissioner, and was triumphantly elected, and his tenure of office has been most satisfactory up to the present time. He is an earnest advo- cate of public improvements, believing that good roads, good schools and com- fortable county buildings are essential fac- tors in the advancement of a community.
Mr. Lechner, although he began life in comparatively poor circumstances, has through his own unaided efforts become in- dependent, now owning one hundred and six- ty-five acres of productive land in Wells and Allen counties, the greater part of which is under a high state of cultivation. The es- teem of his fellow-citizens is altogether due to his personal merits, and certainly no fam- ily in Jefferson township is more sincerely honored than that of George W. Lechner.
LEWIS F. SNYDER.
In the respect that is accorded to men who have fought their own way to success through unfavorable environments we find an unconscious recognition of the intrinsic worth of a character which not only can en- dure so rough a test, but gain new strength in the fire of discipline. The gentleman to whom the biographer now calls the reader's attention was unfavored by fortune, for both inherited wealth and the assistance of in- fluential friends were denied him, but in spite
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of these discouragements, by perseverance, industry and wise economy, he has attained a comfortable station in life.
Lewis F. Snyder, one of the prominent farmers and residents of Jefferson township. Wells county, Indiana, is a son of Henry and Mariah (Fertic) Snyder. He claims Allen county, Indiana, as his birth place and first saw the light of day February 23, 1849. The Snyder family were natives of Germany, where the grandfather, John Snyder, was born and reared. He came to America with a party of friends and settled in Pennsylvania, where he married Elizabeth McDannel, of Scotland. John Snyder and family came to Jefferson township in 1839, improved a farm and both died at the home of a son-in-law in Allen county, aged eighty-three and sixty- eight years respectively.
Henry Snyder learned the cabinetmaker's trade in Ohio, where he worked until he came to Wells county in 1837. He settled in the northern part of Jefferson township and again took up his trade. He afterward re- turned to Ohio, where he remained but a short time, and returning to Allen county, Indiana, he purchased a farm in 1842 and be- gan the life of an agriculturalist. He lived on this farm for some years and then went to Elkhart county, Indiana, where he died in 1883. He was one of the best farmers in Allen county, but adverse circumstances caused him to lose heavily and he died as he had started, a poor man. He was the parent of ten children, of whom Lewis was the seventh.
Lewis F. Snyder was the youngest boy in a large family and at the age of seven, ow .- ing to the death of his mother, was put out among strangers to make his own way, living with four families, mainly with Caleb Prible
of Allen county, until past fifteen. Then he was two years with his father. At the age of about seventeen, his father's family being broken up, Lewis was thrown entirely upon himself and worked at farm work in Allen county until the winter of 1867, when he was again with his father, who had married again and was living in Wells county. In the spring of 1868 he went to Iowa, spend- ing three years in that state at farm labor. In 1871 he and his brother Charles went to California, spending that season at farm labor, and joined a prospecting tour with a Los Angeles party to Arizona. After eight months thus spent he was left with nothing, having lost all his savings. The two left for Nevada with all they had left, a pack horse, where he made about one thousand dollars within ten months, working in a quartz mill. Again fortune smiled and after an absence of two and one-half years he returned to Allen and Wells counties in 1873. In 1875 he settled on a farm in Jefferson township, and in 1894 purchased his present farm of one hundred and twenty acres, three and one- half miles northeast of Ossian. He has made extensive improvements, now having a large and imposing residence and suitable out- buildings. He has laid upwards of two thousand rods of tile. and his farm is now considered one of the most desirable in the township. He also owns other rental prop- erty in the vicinity.
Mr. Snyder was married to Miss Mary A. Caston, a resident of Wells county and a farmer's daughter. Seven children were born to them, one of whom, Celia J., is married, being the wife of John Shultz. The others are Harland V., Dora A., Leary L., Dollie, Chloe Ann, and Charley, who died in 1881, aged fifteen months. Mr. Snyder is one of
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the substantial Republicans of Wells county and Jefferson township, but has never taken a very prominent part in political af- fairs. He is an intelligent and trustworthy man and one of the best citizens of the county.
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