Centennial History of Grant County Indiana, Part 44

Author: Rolland Lewis Whitson
Publication date: 1914
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1034

USA > Indiana > Grant County > Centennial History of Grant County Indiana > Part 44

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Jesse Stanley was born on his present homestead place, located on section 11, Jefferson township, Grant county, Indiana, September 20, 1852, and received his education in the common schools of this locality. He was brought up to habits of industry and honesty and thoroughly trained in agricultural pursuits, so that when he reached manhood he adopted farming as his life work. At the time of his father's death he secured the home place, upon which, in 1884, he erected a substantial red barn, and in 1885 a large modern white dwelling, and these were followed in 1900 by another large barn. These structures are located on the old homestead which formerly belonged to his father. From time to time Mr. Stanley has added to his holdings by purchase, and on a tract of 120 acres has an excellent set of buildings, in addition to which he has a third farm with good structures and improvements, his total holdings comprising 418 acres, all located in sections 2 and 11 in Jefferson town- ship. He has been very successful in his stockraising and general farming operations, and is justly accounted one of the most substantial men of his community.

In 1882 Mr. Stanley was married in Jefferson township to Miss Mary J. Wise, who was born on the old Wise homestead in this town- ship, October 13, 1859, and reared and educated there, a daughter of Jacob Wise, a sketch of whose career will be found on another page of this work. To Mr. and Mrs. Stanley there have been born the following children : Clinton E., born July 28, 1883, engaged in opera- tions on one of his father's properties, married Julia Atkins, of Black- ford county, Indiana, and has one son, Virgil H .; Retta M., born July 28, 1885, who is single and resides at home with her parents; Clarence, born August 25, 1887, conducting agricultural pursuits on one of his

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father's farms, married Blanche Keever; John Clifton; Fred O., born February 8, 1901, who is now attending the graded schools; and Earl S., born August 13, 1892, who died in 1894. The children have been given excellent educational advantages, the parents being firm believers in the benefits to be gained through thorough schooling. Both father and sons are Prohibitionists, and although they have not mixed extensively in politics, being essentially agriculturists, have done much to further the interests of their community in various ways. All are widely known and highly esteemed and are filling honorable positions in the world, ably maintaining the honor of the name they bear.

John Clifton Stanley, son of Jesse and Mary J. (Wise) Stanley, was born October 8, 1889, in Jefferson township. After attending the com- mon schools, he became a student in the Upland high school, from which he was graduated in 1909. He is single, lives with his parents, and is assisting his father in the work of the homestead place. A young man of self-reliance, with a strong, alert and intelligent mind, he has intro- duced a number of innovations into his work, and is known as one of the progressive and energetic young agriculturists of his township.

EDMUND F. BALLINGER. For nearly half a century the late Edmund F. Ballinger was one of the well known agriculturists of Jefferson town- ship, Grant county, and during this time through his careful manage- ment, sound judgment and unflagging industry he overcame many obstacles and steadily worked his way upward until prosperity crowned his labors with a fitting reward. It was not alone in the material things of life, however, that Mr. Ballinger attained success, for his thorough integrity and honorable dealing won him the unqualified respect of his fellow-men, and his memory is still kept green in the hearts of a wide circle of friends who recognized and appreciated his many sterling qualities.

Mr. Ballinger was descended from an old southern family, his grandparents, James and Rebecca Ballinger, being natives of Tennessee. There their children, Josiah, Daniel, James and a daughter, were born, and during the latter 'twenties, or early 'thirties, the family migrated to Indiana and entered land in Miami county. Later removal was made to Grant county, where the grandfather carried on agricultural pursuits until his death, which occurred at Upland, in advanced years. He had married a second time, to Nancy McCoy, and they became the parents of a large family of children. The second Mrs. Ballinger died when eighty years of age, and both she and her husband were laid to rest in Jefferson church cemetery. She was a charter member of this church of the Christian faith, to which Mr. Ballinger had originally belonged, although he later joined the Society of Friends.

Josiah Ballinger was born in Tennessee about the year 1815, and was still a youth when he accompanied his parents to Indiana. He was married in Miami county, in 1842, to Miss Tama R. Cook, and at that time entered land, on which he resided until 1860, then coming to Grant county and settling on a property on section 5, in Jefferson township. This tract contained something over 100 acres, partly improved, and here the father built a hewed-log house, weatherboarded and plastered, which was his home until his death. Like his father, he belonged to the Quaker faith, and was a man of sturdy qualities. After his death, Mrs. Ballinger contracted a second marriage, being united with Richard Deeren, a Civil War veteran, who died at the Soldiers' Home, in Febru- ary, 1913. Mrs. Deeren passed away at Upland, at the age of seventy- two years, in the faith of the Methodist church, of which her husband was also a member.

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Edmund F. Ballinger was born in Miami county, Indiana, July 21, 1851, and was nine years of age when he accompanied his parents to Grant county. Here he grew to manhood in Jefferson township, attend- ing the district school and assisting his father in the work of the home farm, and after the death of the elder man he bought the Ballinger property, to which he subsequently added forty acres. He continued to cultivate this land and to make improvements here until his death, which occurred September 15, 1908. Mr. Ballinger was a skilled farmer, developed his property to a high state of cultivation, and it contains a good set of buildings, including a large white house and two commodious red barns. While he met with success in his general farming operations, he was probably better known as a breeder of thoroughbred Shropshire sheep, and his animals carried off numerous prizes at the various county and state fairs. In political matters a Republican, he worked tirelessly for the betterment of his community, but did not seek office, preferring to devote his entire time and attention to his agricultural operations. His religious connection was with the United Brethren church, to the teachings of which he was a faithful adherent.

Mr. Ballinger was married to Miss Huldah Reasoner, of Jefferson township, in 1877. She was born in Blackford county, Indiana, October 27, 1856, and was reared and educated in Jefferson township, where she had been brought at the age of three years by her parents, Richard and Lydia (Capper) Reasoner. Her father was a native of Ohio and her mother of Virginia, and they were married in Grant county and later moved to Blackford county, but eventually returned to Jefferson town- ship and located on a tract of 120 acres, located on section 5. Here they spent the remaining active years of their life, and upon their retirement went to Upland, where the father died in June, 1909, and the mother June 18, 1898. He had been born September 11, 1828, and Mrs. Reasoner November 15, 1832. They were consistent members of the New Light Christian church.

Mr. and Mrs. Ballinger were the parents of the following children : Perry, born June 20, 1878, a resident of Antrim county, Michigan, where he owns a farm, married Cora Mulkins, and has two children, Ivory N. and Marvel P .; Elva A., born February 28, 1887, attended the Upland high school, is now the wife of William C. Horburg, and has one daughter, Melva B .; and Carrie, born October 16, 1889, educated in the graded schools and Upland high school, and now in the second year as a student of music in Taylor University, is single and residing at home. Mrs. Ballinger, who survives her husband, is a consistent member of the United Brethren church, and has many warm and appreciative friends in its congregation.

JOHN D. BELL. In the business community of Upland, Mr. Bell has been a leading factor for nearly twenty years. His entrance into busi- ness was on October 15, 1894. Mr. Bell is the fourth successive hardware merchant at Upland, and has succeeded in producing a large, prosperous concern where others have failed. He has had both the persistence and the good judgment and industry required of a man who makes a success in retail merchandising, and is now to be ranked among the successful men of Grant county. His first attempt at conducting a hardware store in Upland occurred about nineteen years ago. The Bell store carries a splendid stock of varied goods comprised under the general name of hardware. This includes both shelf and heavy hardware, stoves, tinware, plumbing goods, a complete line of harness, buggies, wagons and farm implements, sporting goods, a general stock of household supplies and paints, oils, and decorative material. When Mr. Bell began business

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about twenty years ago his stock was invoiced at a valuation of $280.00. His progress is well indicated by the fact that his stock would now. in- voice at $8,000 or $10,000, and so energetically does he manage his establishment that he turns over the capital several times a year. He occupies all of a two-story brick building which has a frontage of forty- two feet on Main street, and runs back one hundred and twenty-seven feet deep. For three years Mr. Bell was on the road selling goods, but with that exception had no business experience when he started at Up- land, and since then has worked out his own salvation.

Mr. J. D. Bell was born at Clarksburg, in Decatur county, Indiana, July 6, 1856. His early life was spent in that vicinity, where he got a common schooling, and was educated in a normal school, and with the training and qualifications obtained there spent six years as a teacher. After that he did plain farming for a few years, and then went on the road to sell goods and from that got into the mercantile venture at Upland, and thus found prosperity.

Mr. Bell's grandfather was Daniel Bell, a native of Virginia, and of English and Irish extraction. In early life he moved to Lexington. Kentucky, where in 1803 he married Nancy Smith. Some years later, in 1822, he took his family to Decatur county, Indiana, where he pur- chased a squatter's claim of almost new land, and the items of the family history is that his first crops were destroyed by wild game eating the grain and roots, and otherwise devastating the fields. His first purchase was one hundred and sixty acres, and he also entered eighty acres in Fuget township of Decatur county. He was one of the pioneers of that section, and in time his labors brought about a splendid farm which represented his pioneer activities. He was remarkable for the length of his life notwithstanding the many hardships which he had gone through in his early years. When he died about 1876 he was ninety-five years of age, and his wife who passed away in 1883 was ninety-six years old. They were Methodists in religion, and took an important part in establishing the activities of that church in Decatur county. In political faith he was a Whig during his early manhood. The original land, 240 acres, in Fuget township, Decatur county, Indiana, originally owned by Daniel Bell, is still in the Bell family, with the exception of forty acres.

Tarleton R. Bell, father of the Upland merchant, was born in Ken- tucky in 1818, and was still a child when his family moved to Decatur county, Indiana, where he grew up as a farm boy and spent the early part of his manhood. Before his marriage he went to Tennessee, and was for some time engaged in railway grade contracting. In that state he met and married Emma E. Adams, who was born and reared in Ten- nessee. Finally they returned to Indiana, and settled on the old Bell farm in Decatur county. After that the occupations of carpenter and farmer occupied the attention of Tarleton Bell, until his death in 1882. His widow is still living, at her home in Greenburg, Decatur county. On October 14, 1913, she was eighty years of age, and in spite of her four- score years is bright and keeps up with the current news of the day, and often entertains her pioneer friends at the regular annual meeting. She has been a lifelong member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and her husband worked with her in the same faith. He held to the political policies of the Democratic party, and living in a Republican district was at one time nominated for the office of representative, and nearly suc- ceeded in overturning the normal Republican majority. He was a close friend of the Hon. William S. Holman.

Mr. J. D. Bell was one of six children; a daughter, Mrs. Mary Chene- worth, lives in Los Angeles, California; Wilbur is a farmer near Bur- lington, New Jersey, and has a family of children; Emma is the wife

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Mrs. Elizabeth Seiberling

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Selling

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Teilenling

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D. H. Seiberling

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of William E. Tull, of Fairmount, Minnesota, and has one daughter; Nora lives with her mother in Greenburg, Indiana, her filial devotion never having permitted her to marry; George died when forty-three years of age, leaving several children.

At Clarksburg, in Decatur county, Mr. Bell married Miss Emma C. Cain, who was born at Matamora, in Franklin county, Indiana, March 3, 1857. She grew up and received her education in the same locality. Her parents were Doctor C. C. and Eliza A. (Clements) Cain, her father well known as a prominent physician and surgeon at Matamora in Frank- lin county, and for sixty years practiced his profession and was one of the old-time country doctors who took his services to his patients regard- less of personal discomforts and physical obstacles and inconveniences. Dr. Cain died at the ripe age of ninety-five, and his widow was ninety- six when she passed away. They were likewise active members in the Methodist religion. Mr. and Mrs. Bell have no children. Fraternally Mr. Bell is affiliated with Arcana Lodge No. 427, F. & A. M., at Upland, and is lodge treasurer. He and his wife are working members in the Upland Methodist church in which he is trustee and recording steward, offices which he has held for the past eighteen years. He is also a trustee of Taylor College at Upland, and has given his official interests to that institution for the past three years.

JAMES H. SEIBERLING. In the career of James H. Seiberling is exemplified in a marked degree the fact that merit wins recognition and that industry, perseverance and well-applied effort always bring just rewards, although some times they may seem delayed. As the president of the Indiana Rubber and Insulated Wire Company, he is one of the most forceful business figures in Grant county. He would have probably succeeded in any other field, for he possesses those qualities which make for success, but Jonesboro should feel grateful that he has centered his interests in this line and in this locality.

The Indiana Rubber and Insulated Wire Company was organized in 1890, with a capital stock of $200,000, as a corporation, and started the manufacture of insulated wire as its special feature, but three years later began also to make soft rubber goods. James H. Seiberling was the first president and has continued in that office to the present time. George Tate was the first vice-president, and was succeeded in 1898 by J. Frank Peterson as the holder of his stock, the latter being made a director at that time. He is a resident of Chicago. Nicholas Huber, of Akron, Ohio, became vice-president in 1908 and still retains that office. A. Frank Seiberling, a son of James H. Seiberling, became the first secretary and later superintendent and assistant treasurer, as well as a member of the board of directors. The first treasurer was Monroe Seiberling, a brother of James H. Seiberling, who continued to act in that capacity until his death in 1910, he being succeeded by S. H. Miller, a manufacturer of Doylestown, Ohio, who is also a member of the directing board. The present officers are as follows: James H. Seiberling. president and director; Nicholas Huber, vice-president and director; A. Frank Seiberling, superintendent, assistant treasurer and director; S. H. Miller, treasurer and director; R. W. Seiberling, son of James H. Seiberling, secretary and director; W. J. Richardson, time- keeper and director; J. Frank Peterson, member of the board of direc- tors. This enterprise has grown to large proportions, and at this time gives employment to about 400 people, the business amounting to some million and a quarter dollars annually, or about one hundred thousand monthly. It has become one of the leading industries of this part of the state, and is known as one of the largest in its special line in the

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country. A part of the large plant is operated by steam and the rest by electricity. At this time the factory is turning out great numbers of automobile tires and inner tubes, over 1000 bicycle tires a day and a full line of rubber supplies, as well as a great amount of insulted wire. This latter was the only product of the business when it was organized and continued to be the main line of manufacture for three years, when the rubber goods were added.

The directing head of this company, James H. Seiberling, is known to practically every business man of Grant county. He is a man who, although deeply engrossed in the concerns of a large and growing industry, has found time to cultivate his social nature and to enjoy the pleasures of companionship with his fellow-men. Mr. Seiberling was born in Summit county, Ohio, November 25, 1835, and comes of German ancestry. His great-grandfather, John Frederick Seiberling, was born in Germany, and came to America in young manhood, locating at Linnville, Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, where he spent the remainder of his life, passing away at an advanced age. Nathan Seiberling, father of James H. Seiberling, was born in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, about the year 1810, and grew up a farmer. He married a Pennsylvania girl and they began their married life on a farm in Lehigh county. Subsequently the father moved to Ohio and settled on a farm in Norton township, Summit county. The grandfather was a remarkable man in many ways, was alert and active to the last, and fully retained the possession of his faculties. He came to Summit county, Ohio, in his ninety-third year and died there. While a resident of Linnville he had served as postmaster for sixty-five years, and when he died was the oldest postmaster in the United States. Although a whig and a Republican, Mr. Seiberling was never opposed by the opposite party's candidates. From the time of the emigrant the family has been identi- fied with the Lutheran church, and of this John Frederick Seiberling and his wife were both faithful members. Their children were: Joshua, Sarah, Nathan, Peter, John and William, and probably several other daughters. All of these grew to maturity, were married and had families.

Nathan Seiberling, the father of James H. Seiberling, was born in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, and there was married to Miss Catherine Peters, who was born about 1812 in that county. Shortly after their union, about 1830 the young couple traveled overland with teams across the mountains into Norton township, Summit county, Ohio, and there settled in the woods, the father building a little log cabin, in which James H. Seiberling was later born. After some years this cabin home was supplemented by a good frame house. Mr. Seiberling's first purchase amounted to 100 acres, but through energy, thrift and per- severance he managed to accumulate a competency, and was known at one time as one of the large landholders of his county. The old home- stead is now occupied by his youngest son, Gustavus. It was in the home they first settled that Nathan Seiberling and his wife died, the former in 1899, when five months less than eighty years of age, and the mother in 1894, at the age of eighty-three years. They were life- long members of the Lutheran church. Mr. Seiberling was a Whig and later a Republican, and for several years acted in the capacity of justice of the peace and held various township offices, in all of which he demon- strated his ability, his faithfulness to duty and his good citizenship. There were thirteen children in the family of Nathan and Catherine Seiberling, the greater number of whom were married and had issue. The living, all at the head of families, are: James H., Charles G., Columbus, Milton, Gustavus and Sarah, a widow.

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James H. Seiberling grew up on the home farm and was given only an ordinary education, as he was expected to assist his father in the work of the homestead, and continued to remain with him until he was twenty-five years of age. He was reared to habits of honesty and industry, and early learned the value of hard, persistent labor. When twenty-five years of age, Mr. Seiberling was married, and at that time, with his brother John, embarked in the manufacture of farm imple- ments, at Doylestown, near Akron, Ohio. This business was continued for some forty years, and in connection therewith the Seiberlings operated a foundry. This business is now conducted by S. H. Miller, who is also a member of the rubber and wire company, although James H. Seiberling has an extensive interest in the implement business still. He also is part owner of the plate glass works at Ottawa, Illinois. As a sturdy, enterprising and up-to-date citizen, Mr. Seiberling has accom- plished an incomprehensible amount of good for Jonesboro. His aggres- siveness, coupled with his energy and prolific mind; his honesty as an example and precept; his capability as a man of opinions, public and private, all have combined to entitle him to the appellation by which he is known-one of the worthy and valuable men of the county, in social, industrial and commercial circles.

Mr. Seiberling was married in Summit county, Ohio, to Miss Eliza- beth Baughman, who was born in 1838, and there reared and educated, and still active and alert in spite of her age. She is a daughter of David and Elizabeth (Blocker) Baughman, natives of Pennsylvania and early settlers of Summit county, where they spent the remainder of their lives on a farm. They were faithful members of the Reformed church and widely known and highly respected in their community. Mr. and Mrs. Seiberling are the parents of the following children: Martha, who became the wife of J. W. Richards, a director of the rubber company, and died without issue; A. Frank, director and superintendent of the rubber works and a. prominent' business citizen of Jonesboro, who married in this city Angelina Cline, and has two children, Paul and Catherine, who are attending the public schools; Ollie, whose death occurred at the age of fifteen years; George, who died when eighteen months old; Allen B., who passed away at the age of four and one- half years; and Robert W., secretary of the rubber company and one of his city's progressive young men, who married Genevieve Linn and has one son, James Linn.

Mr. and Mrs. Seiberling and their children have continued in the family religious faith, belonging to the Lutheran church. A Republican in his political views, Mr. Seiberling cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln, and has continued to support the Grand Old Party to the present time. He has long been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, while his sons hold membership in the Masonic fra- ternity. The beautiful home of the Seiberlings, a modern, brick struc- ture, overlooks Jonesboro and the Mississinewa river, and is one of the finest residences in Grant county.

WADE B. TEETER. The leading druggist of Upland, Mr. Teeter maintains a modern store, well stocked with pure drugs and with a large stock of druggists' sundries, at the corner of Main and Railroad streets. This store was opened in 1907 by Levi A. Teeter, father of Wade B., but the latter has been the regular pharmacist from the start. A short time before the store was established he graduated in the pharmacy department of Purdue University in 1907.

Wade B. Teeter was born at Pleasant Hill, Miami county, Ohio, September 14, 1882. The family moved to Grant county in 1890, lived for a time in Pleasant township, and later in Upland, where he graduated

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Centennial History of Grant County Indiana, Part 44

Author: Rolland Lewis Whitson Publication date: 1914 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1034

Author: Rolland Lewis Whitson
Publication date: 1914
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1034