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 69
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August 3, 1865, Mr. Smith was married to Miss Elizabeth J. Morris, born July 22, 1844, in Fairfield county, Ohio. Her parents were Mitchell and Elizabeth (Hardesty) Morris. Her father was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, December 28, 1812, and re- sided on the farm where he was born and where his parents originally settled, from his birth to his death, a period of eighty-seven years. His wife, Elizabeth, who was born November 4, 1818, died on the same farm some years previous. After marriage the young couple found that their united for- tunes consisted of a horse, a cow and four hundred dollars, the cash and the cow belonging to the wife. They rented in Ohio and also in Rock Creek town- ship, Wells county, coming to it in Octo- ber, 1865. After some time they bought forty acres in the woods, for a portion of which they went in debt. After building a house and clearing and improving the place
they sold it for seven hundred dollars more than what the land had cost them, and with the money they bought eighty acres, all in the woods, in Liberty township. Upon this they built a good house and barn, cleared, ditched, fenced and improved the place and made of it a most valuable and desirable farm. On this place they resided twenty- seven years, when, in 1901, they sold and bought one hundred and twenty acres in Lancaster township. This was sold in three months and another eighty acres in the same township purchased, but in four months they sold again and returned to Liberty township. Here they bought the Joseph Rose farm, within one mile of their old place, but this also has been sold and a farm of eighty acres in Harrison township was purchased. He has also residence property in Bluffton where he proposes to take life with more leisure.
To Mr. and Mrs. Jacob J. Smith six chil- dren have been born, viz : Rosetta is the wife of Peter Souerwine, of Rock Creek town- ship, and they have three children, Virgil, Vesta and Daisy; Mary E., who taught two years, is now the wife of Hugh W. Fate, of Liberty township, and they have three children, Ethel, Clarence and Lola; Morris B., a constructor for the Indi- ana Bridge Company; Anetta is the wife of Jonathan Falk, of Harrison township, and they have three children, Guy, Justine and Howard; Virginia, who married Jacob Eck- hart, of Liberty township, died aged twenty- two years ; James resides with his parents.
What Mr. and Mrs. Smith possess today has all been made by industry, backed by prudence, good judgment and economy. He does general farming, including live stock growing, and gives preference to Poland China hogs and Red Polled cattle. Mr.
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Smith, wife and daughters are members of the Friends' church at Pleasant View. He belongs to Lewis Dailey Post, G. A. R., at Bluffton. His political creed is Democracy. The underlying principles of that party, op- posed to the centralization of power in the general government, has 'overshadowed every minor issue, in his estimation, and wedded him to the party of Jefferson and Jackson. In that, as in all other matters, he is sincere and consistent, believing in the widest latitude and fullest liberty of the in- dividual, consistent with the good of society. It is a matter of regret that more voters of this land of freedom do not study those im -. portant questions of state, and his example in this line, as indeed in most others, may be safely followed.
JOHN W. SPROWL.
This ex-soldier of the Civil war, but now a peaceful agriculturist in Liberty township, Wells county, Indiana, and as broad-minded in the time of peace as he was patriotic in the time of war, was born in Lancaster town- ship, Huntington county, Indiana, July 15, 1845, a son of James A. and Elizabeth (Wagner) Sprowl. James A. Sprowl was born in Virginia, and when young was brought to Indiana by his parents, who set- tled in Lancaster township, Huntington county. Joseph Sprowl, father of James A., purchased wild land when he reached the country, before the Indians had been ex- pelled therefrom, and in that comparative wilderness James A. grew to manhood, the country in the meantime becoming settled up and modernized. James A. there passed the
remainder of his life, with the exception of four years spent in Iowa, and was famous among the Indians as a hunter. He lived until the ripe age of eighty-six years. The children born to James A. and Elizabeth Sprowl numbered nine and in order of birth were named as follows: Mary A., the wife of James Barton; William, a resident of Bluffton; John W .; Achasa Jane, widow of Mr. Collins, lives in Iowa; Susan, the wife of Frank Horner; Joseph, a resident of White county ; Sarah, married to John Huff ; Fran- cis resides in Bluffton; Miner, wife of John Horner, and Christina, who died in child- hood.
John W. Sprowl was reared in Lancaster township and at the age of eighteen enlisted in Company F, One Hundred and Thirtieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, under Colonel Perrish and General Sherman. He served two years, being honorably discharged at Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1865. He had taken part in several skirmishes and twelve regular battles, including those of Pea Ridge, Kenesaw Mountain and Atlanta.
At the cessation of hostilities Mr. Sprowl returned to his father's home and assisted on the farm until his marriage, July 25, 1867, to Miss Isabel Edgar, who was born in Penn- sylvania July 13, 1843, a daughter of Atkin- son and Mary Ann (Mounsey) Edgar, na- tives of England, who came to the United States about 1842. They engaged in farm- ing in the Keystone state until 1844, when they came to Wells county, Indiana, re- mained here about one year and then went to Huntington county, where Mr. Edgar bought forty acres of farming land, to which he added until he owned one hundred and sixty acres. This he subsequently sold and bought one hundred and sixty acres near
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WELLS COUNTY, INDIANA.
Warren, which he also sold, and next pur- chased two hundred acres near Kelso, Hun- tington county, on which he resided until ten or twelve years prior to his death, when he went to live with his son John, at whose home he passed away in 1891. The mother of Mrs. Sprowl died when she was but three weeks old, and her father then married Jane Mounsey, sister to his first wife, and who had come to Indiana with him. Atkinson Edgar and first wife had a family of six children, viz: Mary, Sarah and John, de- ceased; Jane, widow of Jefferson McElhany ; Elizabeth, wife of Jonathan Lowery, and Isabel. To the second marriage of Mr. Ed- gar were also born six children, namely : Martha, widow of Napoleon Williams, At- kinson, Thomas and three who died in in- fancy.
John W. Sprowl, for two years after his marriage, lived with his father-in-law and cultivated the farm. He then settled on his own farm of eighty acres, which he still oc- cupies, but which was then in a swamp deep in the woods. Seventy acres of this place Mr. Sprowl has cleared up and drained and has put under cultivation. When he settled here he had two horses, two cows, a few pigs and some sheep, and the cabin of logs was twenty by eighteen feet, with a framed kitchen attached, these improvements hav- ing been made by himself.
Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Sprowl have been blessed with five children, viz: Lucinda, who was born in February, 1869, is now the wife of Daniel Masterson, of Liberty town- ship, and has two children, Raymond L. and Jason; James A. died at the age of twenty- two years; Henry N. is married to Etta Medrets and is the father of four children, Dora B., John W., Lottie M. and Roy ; Jon-
athan E. married Celestia Fudge, who bore him one child, Otis Elmer, but the father is now deceased, being killed by an engine while pumping oil; Rosa B., the youngest of the five, was married to Allison Melling, but was called away in February, 1896, leav- ing two children, Ora O., who has been reared by Mr. Sprowl, and Gus M., who died when five months old. Mr. Sprowl, who is a gentleman of the kindest impulse, has also reared Melvin Lucky, whom he took in charge when but three weeks old and who will soon arrive at his majority.
Mr. and Mrs. Sprowl are members of the United Brethren church at Mount Zion and in politics Mr. Sprowl is a Democrat. He is now superintendent of fourteen and three- quarters miles of gravel road and has at dif- ferent times filled various township offices. He is one of the most public spirited men in his township and is widely and favorably known, being ready and willing at all times to aid with his means and advice all pro- jects designed to promote the convenience and happiness of his fellow citizens.
JOSEPH B. MOORE.
The man who has accumulated most in the way of worldly wealth is not always the man who has accomplished most in life. While wealth is desirable, there are other things much more so, because of being more conducive to happiness. A moral, intelligent, well educated and thrifty family is far more desirable than great wealth. The combina- tion of both, like most other happy combina- tions, is to be most desired. The subject of this sketch, Joseph B. Moore, is one whose
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WELLS COUNTY, INDIANA.
life has been blessed in this regard. He was born in Hamilton county, near Strawtown, Indiana, September II, 1838, and here his childhood, youth and early manhood were spent. During the 'forties there were few schools in Indiana, but most neighborhoods hoods had a subscription school a number of months each year, and it was in these schools that the subject received his education. It was not what would be considered liberal, but was thorough as to the common branches.
The parents of Joseph B. Moore were Cornelius and Elizabeth (Lash) Moore. The latter was a native of New Jersey and emigrated, when quite young, with her par- ents, to eastern Ohio where the family re- sided for some time, then moved to Athens, Ohio, where she met and married Cornelius Moore. After marriage they settled down to farming near Athens, where they contin- ued until 1834, when they moved to Hamil- ton county, Indiana. There they entered a tract of one hundred and sixty acres of gov- ernment land, erected a humble home and proceeded to carve a farm out of the wil- derness. When they had been away from their relatives and friends in Ohio a num- ber of years, and when Joseph B. Moore was an infant of only a few months, they decided to make a visit to their old Ohio home. They traveled by wagon, taking with them their bedding, and stopping at night at farm houses on the way, when they would lay their bedding on the floor and repose comfortably through the night. One morn- ing one of the men of the house where they stopped, desiring to help them get ready for their journey, picked up the bedding and dumped it into the wagon. Later Mrs. Moore missed her baby, which was nowhere to be found. The child was too young to
even crawl away, hence what had become of him was a mystery. Diligent search finally disclosed the little fellow almost smothered to death under the pile of bedding that had been dumped into the wagon, and he made several gasps before he succeeded in regain- ing his breath.
Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Moore were the parents of nine children, viz: Isaac mar- ried Sarah A. Kelley and is now a resident of Kansas; Morilla died in early woman- hood; Eli died in infancy; Joseph; Mary is the widow of James Coster and resides on the old Moore homestead in Hamilton coun- ty; George married Rebecca Nance and lives in Hamilton county ; Cornelius married Catherine White and lives in Madison county, Indiana ; William resides in Hamil- ton county, on the old homestead ; Anthony married Sarah Cuillip and also resides in Hamilton county. The father of this fam- ily continued to reside upon and cultivate the farm entered by him, until his death, which occurred many years ago. The mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Moore, died in 1899, at the age of eighty-five years.
Joseph B. Moore worked for his par- ents until he was twenty-one years of age. Starting out in life to work for himself, he made a trip to Illinois and worked there at farming six months. Returning to Indi- ana, he worked for a number of years by the day or month for those who had work to do until November 15, 1867, when he was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Kelly, born in Carroll county, Ohio, April 7, 1847. She was a daughter of Aaron and Susan (Stern) Kelly, who were natives of Ohio, but who had moved to Hamilton county, Indiana, in 1849, when their daughter, Eliz- abeth, was only two years old. It is said that
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WELLS COUNTY, INDIANA.
Mrs. Kelly and her two children, with all their household goods, were conveyed from Ohio on the back of one horse, Mr. Kelly making the journey on foot. During the first few years of their life in Hamilton county they lived on rented farm. When Mr. Kelly had accumulated sufficient money he purchased a tract of eighty acres, land being then not nearly as expensive as it has since become. This he improved and built a home upon it, adding occasionally to the dimensions of his farm, by purchase, until at the time of his death he was the owner of two hundred and seventy acres, splendidly improved and thoroughly cultivated. He was born Janu- ary 30, 1820, died February 22, 1873; his wife, born July 4, 1823, died February 10, 1901. They were parents of twelve chil- dren, viz: Sarah N., wife of Isaac Moore, a resident of Kansas; Elizabeth; Catherine, deceased; Anthony married Sina A'wker, and resides in Hamilton county; William, who married Emma Brooks, resides in Hamilton county ; John, deceased; Char- lotte, deceased ; Douglass married Mina Awker and resides in Hamilton county ; Car- oline, the wife of Fletcher Summers, is now dead; Mary J. is the wife of David Mussel- man and resides in Liberty township; Deli- lah is the widow of William Cenders, re- siding at Strawtown, and Aaron, deceased.
The possessions of Joseph B. Moore at the time of his marriage consisted of one horse, an interest in some cattle and an in- terest in the growing crop on the home place. The first two years he cultivated the farm of his father-in-law and then rented another place for two years more, when he moved to Wells county, Indiana, where he purchased eighty acres of land for eighteen hundred dollars. As part payment he turned over a
team of horses, valued at three hundred dol- lars, and gave three notes of five hundred dollars each, payable in one, two and three years. As these notes became due he did not have money to meet them, but borrowed it, paying ten per cent. interest. It was more than twelve years before the last of this in- debtedness was liquidated. When he took possession of this land it was practically un- improved, but it is now well ditched, fenced and upwards of seventy acres are cleared. In 1884 he built a large barn and has re- cently completed a fine residence. He is a farmer of the progressive type, raising lots of cattle, horses and hogs and plenty of grain, hay, straw, fodder and vegetables to feed them. He has a number of very fine brood mares and always has several promising colts on the place. He attends strictly to his own business and therefore makes it remu- nerative and profitable.
To Mr. and Mrs. Moore five children and many grandchildren have been born, viz : Celia is the wife of Edward Harris, and they are the parents of seven children, William, Charles, Otis, Henry, Evert, Rosie and Edna; Cora is the wife of George Sheets and they are the parents of three children, Elizabeth, Lloyd and Raymond; Aaron, who married Gertie Jones, resides in Liberty township, and they are the parents of three children, Loretta, Lela and Belle; Susan and Elizabeth Ann were twins, both dying in in- fancy. Mrs. Moore is a member of the church of the Disciples, being a liberal con- tributor to its support and a regular attend- ant upon its services. Mr. Moore is an ac- tive member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Liberty Center, has passed the chairs twice and twice been representative in grand lodge. In politics he has always
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WELLS COUNTY, INDIANA.
been a Democrat and rather active, particu- larly during campaigns, having represented his township and county in state and con- gressional conventions a number of times. Because of his courteous manners, genial disposition and genuine worth, Mr. Moore has won and retains the regard and esteem of all who know him.
DAVID T. MATLACK.
Sixty years ago, in the new settlement of Indiana, the man with an education was treated with a great deal of consider- ation. In those days, in the country, about the only use there was for an edu- cation was to employ in it the school room in teaching. William Matlack, father of David T. Matlack, was a native of Ches- ter county, 'Pennsylvania, and a man of learning and ability. His father was Thomas Matlack, who was born, lived and died in the Keystone state. In 1840, Wil- liam Matlack came west and, finding him- self in Wayne county, Indiana, with noth- ing to do, resolved to employ his talents in teaching. As an instructor he was ef- ficient and popular and not only won his way to the hearts of his pupils, but also to the heart of a pretty girl over across the state line in Preble county. On Novem- ber 22, 1844, he was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Stamback, a daughter of David and Mary J. (Kelly) Stamback, natives of Pennsylvania, who were among the earliest settlers of Preble county. At the instigation of his wife and her relations, he took up his abode in Preble county and devoted himself to farming. He remain-
ed there for thirteen years, when, in 1857, he moved to Salamonie township, Hunt- ington county, Indiana, where he purchas- ed a tract of one hundred and forty acres of land, partly in Wells county. This tract he cleared and improved, making it a valu- able, productive farm. He also taught sev- eral terms of school in Huntington county. He and his wife were the parents of four chil- dren, viz: David, Mary, wife of Thomas Mounsey ; Martha E., wife of Thomas Week- ley, and Mahala, wife of Sylvester Louns- bury. The family continued to occupy their Huntington county home until the death of the parents. The mother died Decem- ber 6, 1877, aged sixty-two years, eight months and five days and on September 7, 1891, the father died, aged seventy- seven years, five months and five days.
David T. Matlack was born in Preble county, Ohio, August 23, 1845. His fath- er, appreciating an education, did not neg- lect that of the boy. He attended school in Preble county, Ohio, and in Huntington county, Indiana, until he was twenty years of age. On attaining his majority he rent- ed land on the shares, ploughing, plant- ing, cultivating and reaping the crops for one-third of the gross amount gathered, working for about ten years in this man- ner up to the time of his marriage. No- vember 23, 1876, he was united in mar- riage to Miss Mary E. Priddy, born March 4, 1846, in Salamonie township, Hunting- ton county, Indiana, the daughter of James W. and Lydia E. (Irwin) Priddy. He was born in Fayette county, Indiana, July 3, 1821, was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Priddy, who were of Irish parent- age. The Priddys moved to Huntington county, Indiana, in 1840, and here James
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WELLS COUNTY, INDIANA.
WV. met Lydia E. Irwin and married her. She was the daughter of Samuel and Abi Irwin, who were natives of North Caro- lina, but among the first settlers of Hunt- ington county. James WV. and Lydia E. Priddy were the parents of seven children, viz: Mary E .; Sarah E., wife of William Loudenback; Thomas A., a resident of Alexandria, Indiana; Asenith A., was the wife of Henry Stroup, but has been dead some years; Samuel resides on the home place; John L. is a resident of Warren, and William, who lives in Huntington.
The parents continued to reside upon the same place where they originally set- tled, until their deaths. He died June 2, 1881; she was born January 28, 1821, died October 17, 1889. They lived for fifty years upon the same farm and during that time there were only three deaths in the family, two of these being aged people.
For ten years after his marriage David T. Matlack lived with his father and culti- vated the farm on the shares, receiving one-third of the gross crop gathered. In the meantime he accumulated some mon- ey, with which he purchased eighty acres of land in the woods in Jackson township. He cleared forty acres of this and other- wise improved the place, until it became a desirable piece of property, when he sold it. A part of the proceeds he invested in fifteen acres in Liberty township, Wells county. To this he kept adding, as the opportunity offered and means afford- ed, until he was the owner of one hundred and forty acres, part of which was includ- ed in the old homestead. A one-story cabin, sixteen by twenty feet, was erected on this land and into this Mr. Matlack moved his family in 1886. There was lit-
tle other improvement on the place when he took up his residence upon it, but it is now cleared, fenced, ditched and other- wise improved, having a first class set of buildings, comparing favorably with any in the township, the house being erected in 1890, and in 1900 he built a well-ap- pointed, commodious and substantial barn. He is engaged in general farming and stock raising, giving preference to Poland China hogs and Galloway cattle. That he has been industrious, a good manager and eminently successful, the facts above set forth amply attest. To him and his wife two children have been born, viz: George A., born September 18, 1877, taught his first term of school when he was fifteen years of age and has taught eight terms since, being principal of the schools at . Poneto and at Craigville, meantime tak- ing a three-years course at the Indiana University. He was admitted to the bar on his twenty-fourth birthday and is now associated with Henry Eichborn in active practice at Bluffton, being deputy prose- cutor of the county ; Lewis E., born Octo- ber 28, 1880, is a graduate of the Liberty Center high school and Purdue Univer- sity and taught two terms. Mrs. Matlack is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church, is a liberal contributor to its support, and is also a member of the lodge of Rebekahs. Mr. Matlack is a Ma- son and Odd Fellow, a member of the en- campment and belongs to the lodge of Rebekahs at Warren. He has passed the chairs in the encampment and is now no- ble grand of the subordinate lodge. In politics he is a Democrat and quite active in work' for the party, especially during exciting political campaigns. He is a man
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WELLS COUNTY, INDIANA.
of influence and worth, not only in his own township, but his ability is recognized in al parts of the county.
JAMES P. MOUNSEY.
A fortune may be attained in numerous ways. The two most common are by a sud- den lucky venture and by steady plodding and trivial accumulations, requiring years, perhaps a life time, to bring about the desired result. Where one fortune is secured in the first way, hundreds of thousands are ac- quired in the other manner. The first is the most popular, that is, it is the way most peo- ple would prefer to get it, but the second is by far the surest way of compassing the de- sired result and in every community com- fortable fortunes are being acquired by that process. One of those who has secured a competency in this way is James P. Mounsey, of Mt. Zion, Wells county, Indiana. He was born in Liberty township, February 4, 1855, and was the son of John and Eliza ( Merri- man) Mounsey. The parents were married in Wells county, Indiana, but the mother was a native of Wayne county, Ohio, the father being English by birth. He came to Amer- ica when he was eighteen years of age, go- ing to Pennsylvania and later located in Grant county, where he married, his first wife being Caroline Stratton. In 1840 he located in Wells county, Indiana, settling on a tract of land in Liberty .township, on which he continued to reside up to the time of his death. In the latter years of his life John Mounsey was in the habit of telling numerous anecdotes of his experiences in the early settlement of Wells county. The win-
ter of 1844 will long be remembered by "the oldest inhabitant" as the coldest in the mem- ory of man in this latitude. Mr. Mounsey stated, and other early settlers vouched for its truth, that on the 10th of April, that year, he crossed the Mississinewa river on the ice, in a big sled, on his way to Grant county for a load of corn. To show his extreme poverty in those early days, he told of salt being fourteen dollars a barrel and that he did not have money enough to buy salt enough to season the butter that he ate. His first year in America he earned one hundred dollars, paid sixty-five dollars of it for a mare which he kept long enough to get a colt, when she died, leaving him to raise the colt by hand. This was one of his hard-luck stories. From such a beginning, and that, too, during times of great financial depression, he accumulated a great deal of property. At one time he owned three hundred and sixty acres of fine land in Wells county and every foot of it was earned by his own labor. Caroline Stratton, his first wife, bore him four chil- dren, all of whom are living. They are Thomas, who resides in Liberty; Miami is the wife of Lewis Hoffman, of Mt. Zion ; Hiram, a resident of Liberty township, and J. B., a resident of the same place. His sec- ond wife is yet living at the age of eighty- one years, in fairly good health and sound mental condition. Five children were born to this union, four of whom are living: Eli- jah, killed by accident in a well; James P .; George R., of Chester township; William B., a resident of Liberty Center; Mary Ann, wife of J. B. Osborne, a resident of Liberty township. The father of this family was an ardent Democrat and zealous church mem- ber
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