Counties of Whitley and Noble, Indiana : historical and biographical, Part 38

Author: Goodspeed, Weston Arthur, 1852-1926; Blanchard, Charles, fl. 1882-1900
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: 428, 502 p. : ill., ports. ;
Number of Pages: 962

USA > Indiana > Whitley County > Counties of Whitley and Noble, Indiana : historical and biographical > Part 38
USA > Indiana > Noble County > Counties of Whitley and Noble, Indiana : historical and biographical > Part 38

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:

GEORGE W. ORNDORF was born in Franklin County, Penn., June 9, 1824, the son of John and Barbara (Stewart) Orndorf, and is one of the two living of their family of three children. The father moved with his family to Richland County, Ohio, in 1836, where he engaged in his vocation of farm- ing. There our subject was reared, and there he married, January 14, 1845, Eve Spinks, and thence emigrated, in 1848, to Eel River Township, Allen Co., Ind. A year later he moved to Lake Township, and in 1877 came to Churubusco. He had learned the carpenter and joiner's trade in 1842, began married life with little or no means at his command, and had but $12 in cash after paying his expenses of removal to this State, had a wife and two children, and no household goods. By thrift and industry, however, he has acquired a good farm of 104 acres in Allen County, as well as valuable town property in Churubusco. He and wife are the parents of eight children, viz .: Priscilla, Mary, Barbara, John, Talitha, Ellen (deceased), George (deceased), and Ida. Of the above, John W. is a leading young man of Churubusco. He has re- ceived a good education, has taught school, is married to Jennie Hyatt, is now studying law, and is a Justice of the Peace of Smith Township. The parents of George W. Orndorf moved to Allen County in 1854, where his mother died in 1873. His father moved to Churubusco in 1877, where he died in March, 1880. The family is an old and respected one of Churubusco and vicinity.

ABRAHAM PENCE was born in Fayette County, Ohio, December 19, 1818, and was one of the eleven children born to George C. and Sarah (Windel) Pence, the former a native of Highland County, Ohio, and the latter of Shen- andoah County, Va. Our subject came with his parents to this township in 1836, and has since resided on Section 19, where he was employed on his father's farm until twenty-two years of age, when (in August, 1840), he married Nancy Buckley, a native of Holmes County, Ohio. To their union were born eight children, of whom four are living. Mrs. Pence died in Smith Township in June, 1866, a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. May 7, 1867, Mr. Pence mar- ried Mrs. Sarah (Hyre) Humbarger, a native of Montgomery County, Ohio, and daughter of Wesley and Susan (Van Schaick) Hyre. Mr. Pence farmed on seventy-six acres of the home farm which his father had deeded to him, and by degrees has added to it until at present he owns a farm of 400 acres of well- improved land in Smith and Thorn Creek Townships, and has, besides, deeded to his sons 185 acres. Mr. Pence is a Republican, and has filled the office of Township Trustee under the old constitution, and has always been regarded as one of the leading farmers and citizens of the township.

JOHN PENCE was born in Fayette County, Ohio, Aprll 28, 1823, the son of George C. and Sarah Pence, and came with his parents to this township in the fall of 1836, and worked for his father till he reached the age of twenty - three, when his father deeded him eighty acres of the old home place. For the next five years, he improved his own farm, and worked out for others at inter-

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SMITH TOWNSHIP.

vals ; in October, 1851, he married Sarah Strein, a native of Allen County, Ind., and daughter of John and Maria Strein. The father of this lady was born on the Atlantic Ocean when his parents were on their passage to this coun- try from Ireland, and her mother was probably a native of Pennsylvania. By his marriage, Mr. Pence became the father of three children, viz .: Joseph M., Sarah C. (now Mrs. Swigert), and Ellen (now Mrs. J. J. Baker). Mrs. Pence died in October, 1864, and March 12, 1865, Mr. Pence married Mary J. Hazen, a native of Ohio, and daughter of Isaac and Rachel (Lafaver) Hazen. To this second union were born four children-Mary A., Nettie J., Virgil J. and Laura A. In the fall of 1852, Mr. Pence sold his farm and moved to Jones County, Iowa, and thence to Hardin County, stopping one year in each, then returned to this township, and bought back his old farm, which he has in- creased to 320 acres of well-improved land. For twenty years he and wife have been members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in politics he holds to Republican opinions.

JOSEPH J. PENCE was born November 20, 1831, in Fayette County, Ohio, one of eleven children born to George C. and Sarah (Windel) Pence, natives respectively of Highland County, Ohio, and Shenandoah County, Va. George C. Pence moved to this township in the fall of 1836, and bought on Section 19, 640 acres, built a cabin and commenced clearing up. Here Mrs. Sarah Pence died August 18, 1853, in the Methodist Episcopal faith. In the fall of 1855, Mr. Pence traded 120 acres of his original farm to his son, our subject, for 240 acres in Hardin County, Iowa, to which he moved, and on which he resided till his death in 1865, having before his removal deeded the remainder of the Smith Township farm to his children. Our subject at the age of twenty-three, left the home farm and went to Iowa, where he bought the land he subsequently traded to his father. July 28, 1855, he married Su- sanna Waugh, a native of Ross County, Ohio, and daughter of Joseph and Nancy (Harper) Waugh, natives of the same State. To their union were born six children, five of whom are still living, viz .: Mary E., now Mrs. J. J. Smith; James A. L., David E. M., Florence A. and William J. Mrs. Pence died June 6, 1871, and November 14, 1873, our subject married Alice C. Henny, a native of Jefferson Township, this county, and born September 17, 1850. She is the daughter of Phillip and Charlotta (Richard) Henny, natives of Ohio. Mr. Pence and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in politics he is a Republican.

HENRY C. PRESSLER was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, March 5, 1837, one of sixteen children born to John and Maria (Egolf ) Pressler, natives of Pennsylvania. John Pressler immigrated into Whitley County, locating in Thorn Creek Township in 1846, and moved to Columbia City in 1875, where he now resides with his second wife, Lydia (King) Pressler, whom he married in 1864, our subject's mother having died in 1857. At the age of twenty, our subject began teaching school, taught three terms, and then

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entered Heidelberg College, but was soon compelled to withdrew on account of ill health. April, 1861, the military organization to which he belonged was mustered in with Company E, Seventeenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and Mr. P. went to the front, remained a year, and was then discharged on account of his ill health. In 1864, he re-enlisted in the same company, and remained till the close of the war. In December, 1866, he married Margaret M. Richey. Since 1872, he has chiefly been engaged in mercantile pursuits. In politics, he is a Democrat, and has held the position of Township Assessor and Township Trustee for Smith very nearly twelve consecutive years, and served as Census Enumerator in 1880. He is a member of the Masonic and Odd Fellows fra- ternities, and the father of five children-Wilkis W. (deceased), Willard E., Viola M., Henry C. and Maud.

MILES RITCHE was born in Northumberland County, Penn., in 1809, one of eight children born to Moses and Rebecca Ritche, natives of Pennsyl- vania and of German extraction. The boyhood of our subject was passed in attending a country school some two or three miles away from his home, and in assisting his father on the farm. At the age of twenty-five, he rented the homestead for seven years, then moved to Clarion County, Penn., and farmed there for seven years, and then, to better his circumstances, came to this town- ship in the fall of 1848, and here he has since remained. He found his eighty- acre lot in Smith a wilderness, but by perseverance and hard work converted it into a comfortable home, and added to it till it reached 312 acres of product- ive land, a portion of which he has given to his children. November 2, 1833, . he married Marinda Woodrow, daughter of John and Mary A. Woodrow, both natives of Pennsylvania and of English extraction, and to this marriage were born seven children, of whom three sons and two daughters are still living. At his country's call, during the late war, our subject, his three sons and two sons-in-law, were prompt to respond, were sent to the front, and all in safety returned. Mr. Ritche and wife have been members of the M. E. Church for forty years, and he has always been active in the building-up of churches and schoolhouses.

LEMUEL RICHEY was born in Northumberland County, Penn., January 11, 1847, and is one of seven children, five yet living, born to Miles ann Marinda Richey of the said State. Miles was a farmer, was married in his native State, then moved to Indiana, located near the center of this town- ship and purchased eighty acres ; has since added to it, and now owns 200 acres of good land, all gained by his own exertions. Our subject, Lemuel Richey, came here with his parents at about four years of age, and was here reared to manhood, receiving a fair common-school education. In the fall of 1862, he enlisted in Company D, One Hundred and Twenty-ninth I. V. I., as private. The next spring he was sent to the front and participated in the bat- tles of Resaca, Buzzard's Roost, Kenesaw Mountain, siege of Atlanta, Jones- boro, Franklin, Nashville, etc., and was then transferred to the Eastern Army,

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Twenty-third Army Corps. He was commissioned Second Lieutenant October 23, 1863, and Captain of Company D in August, 1865, and discharged in September, 1865, at Charlotte, N. C., when he returned home and engaged in farming. He has since been employed in railroading, merchandising, etc. In 1876, settled in Churubusco, where he has since been engaged in the hardware trade, and at present is a member of the firm of Richey & Craig, owning, also, eighty acres of land in the township. In April, 1869, he married Miss Lavinia Pence, both being members of the M. E. Church. He is also a mem- ber of the I. O. O. F., and in politics is a Republican.

J. F. SHOAFF was born in Miami County, Ohio, September 15, 1831, one of eleven children born to John P. and Priscilla (Freeman) Shoaff, natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio. John P. Shoaff was a farmer by occupation, but a miller by trade. He married Miss Freeman in Miami County, and when the third of their eleven children was born, emigrated, in 1836, to Eel River Township, Allen County, Ind. (five miles from the line of this township and county), and located in the woods. At that time there were only three white families in the township, and the country was overrun with Indians, deer, wolves, wild cats and lynxes. After a couple of years' experience in the wil- derness, Mr. Shoaff relinquished farming and began dealing in stocks, which have since engaged his attention. He has accumulated property, valued at $75,000, all by his own exertions. His wife died May 1, 1881, and he still lives on his homestead at the advanced age of seventy-eight. Our subject, J. F. Shoaff, was reared a farmer, and in November, 1857, married Martha Work, who died March 18, 1868. He married his present wife, Annie E. Johnston, September 11, 1872, and to their union have been born two children-Priscilla J. and Eliza J. He employed himself in farming and stock-raising until he came to Churubusco, in July, 1874, where he is doing business as a broker and dealer in real estate. He owns 466 acres of land in Allen County, besides some good property in town. In politics, he is a Democrat, and he and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

GEORGE W. SLAGLE was born in Kanawha County, W. Va., December 9, 1811, the eldest of fourteen children of John and Margaret L. (Erwin) Slagle. The parents brought our subject, when a child, to Ross County, Ohio, and later to Greene County, where he received a common-school education and worked for his father and others till 1831, when he married, September 8, Martha Long, born in Augusta County, Va., April 13, 1814, one of eight children of Peter and Margaret (Ewing) Long, and to this union were born ten children, viz. : Leander, Peter L., Margaret (now Mrs. Jere. Heffelfinger), John H., Aaron P. (who died in 1880, leaving a wife and two children), Martha J. (now Mrs. Horace Hoxia), Mary A. (now Mrs. William Whery), George B., William W. and Emma J. (now Mrs. Henry Jerken). After his marriage, our subject took a lease of part of his father's farm, clearing it up in summer and working as a carpenter in the winter. In 1840, he moved to Lake Town-

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ship, Allen County, this State, and one year later came to this township, bought fifty acres of wild land, built a hewn-log house and cleared up a farm. He now owns seventy-six well-improved acres. Soon after his coming he began working as a brick and stone-mason, which trade he has since followed in con- nection with farming. He was a charter member and the first Worshipful Master of Churubusco Lodge, No. 515, A., F. & A. M., is a Republican, and he and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

GEORGE B. SLAGLE, farmer, was born in this township, December 8, 1849, received the ordinary common-school education, and worked for his father till of age. December 4, 1870, he married Mary E. Donaldson, born in Wood County, Ohio, February 22, 1852, the only child of Hiram and Margaret (Kennedy) Donaldson, natives of Ohio. From this union two children remain -Charles W. and Walter M. After his marriage, Mr. Slagle operated his father's farm for one year, and then moved in March, 1872, to Wood County, Ohio, where he owned a farm, which he sold and returned to this township the same year, and bought a farm of eighty acres, but has resided on his father's farm ever since. He is a Republican in politics, and is a rising young farmer.

JACOB STOCKERT was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, in 1832, the son of John J. and Margaret Stockert, and in his native land learned the blacksmith's trade from his father and worked at intervals on the farm. He received a good German education, and when twenty-two years of age emigrated to this country, locating in Stark County, Ohio, where a brother had preceded him three years previously. On his arrival, he found himself $15 in debt, and so began his new life worse than empty-handed. He worked at first at jobs, and soon recovered himself. In the spring of 1858, he married Mary Bear, daughter of George and Susan Bear, natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio, and to their union were born five children, of whom two sons and two daughters are now living. Our subject farmed on rented land in Ohio till the spring of 1865, when he moved to this township and purchased eighty acres from Jerry Krider, on which was a small log cabin, which has long since been replaced by a substantial frame residence and other good buildings, and the land increased to 185 acres, all well improved. He is recognized as an enterprising citizen and one of the most foremost in the advancement of home industries. He and wife are members of the Lutheran Church.

WILLIAM VAN METER, JR., was born in Pendleton County (now West Virginia), May 15, 1807, the youngest of five children born to William and Phebe (Wece) Van Meter, natives of Augusta and Hardy Counties, Va. The father died when our subject was quite young, and the latter remained with his mother till nineteen years old, and then hired out by the day or year till 1828, when he married Mary Harmon, a native of Pendleton County, and to their union were born six children, vız .: Mrs. Christina Myers ; Phebe, now Mrs. John Diffendaffer; Adam, who died in this township in his twenty-seventh year ; Rebecca, now Mrs. W. Sterling ; John and Julia A. (afterward Mrs. David

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Hurd), who died in 1866, leaving three children. About 1835, Mr. Van Meter moved to Ross County, Ohio, where he farmed on shares; in 1837, he brought his family to this township, where he bought 160 acres of wild land, to which he has added from time to time, and now owns 636 acres, well-improved. Mrs. Van Meter died at her home in this township in 1841, and January 15, 1859, our subject married Melinda Cratzer, born in Stark County, Ohio, February 17, 1839, the daughter of David and Elizabeth (Brightbill) Cratzer, of Penn- sylvania, and to this union six children have been born, as follows : America, now Mrs. B. Gradeless ; Scott, Almeda, Melinda M., William and Alpha. Mrs. Van Meter is a member of the M. E. Church, and in politics he is a Re- publican, and one of the oldest pioneers of this township.

OBADIAH J. WADE was born in Virginia March 25, 1814, one of nine children born to Richard and Rhoda (Harler) Wade. Richard Wade was a farmer by occupation, a reed maker by trade and a soldier in the war of 1812. Our subject learned to read at Sabbath school, walking five miles every Sunday to attend the same. He worked on his father's farm till twenty-one years of age, and then went to Augusta County, W. Va., and worked out by the day, month or year. January 28, 1837, he married Caroline Holt, who was born in Augusta County, September 26, 1814. Their children number nine, as follows : Mary J., now Mrs. Chockley ; John S .; Elizabeth A., now Mrs. Crockston ; William I., James A., Francis A., Richard W., Augusta V. (now Mrs. Leigh), and Charles W. In the fall of 1841, Mr. Wade moved with his wife and family to Thorn Creek Township, this county, where he remained till the spring of 1848, when he moved to this township. Here he bought forty acres of unimproved land, built a log house, and cleared up his farm, which he has since increased to 293 acres. Mr. Wade served as Township Trustee under the old constitution, and he and wife have for many years been members of the M. E. Church.

C. C. WALKLEY was born in Ashtabula County, Ohio, December 17, 1810, one of four sons, two of whom are living, of David and Prudence (Foot) Walkley, natives of Connecticut. David Walkley was a farmer, and moved to Ashtabula County, Ohio, in 1805, and was among the oldest settlers. Our subject received a common-school education, and passed his early years in as- sisting his father in his work as a pioneer. November 26, 1829, he married Miss Ruth L. Richmond, daughter of Elder Edmund Richmond, of Otsego County, N. Y. Mr. Walkley became infatuated with frontier life, and the winters of 1833-34 found him alone near the head-waters of the Blue River, in Noble County, this State, where the abundance of game satisfied his pas- sion for the chase. In 1835, he purchased some land and brought out his family, and the succeeding summers were passed in clearing and farming and the winters in hunting and trapping. He took great interest in the affairs of Green Township ; for seventeen years was Justice of the Peace, and was held in general esteem. About 1875, he moved to Churubusco, and has since lived

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here, engaged in the grocery trade. He and wife have shared the trials and hardships of frontier life for fifty-three years, and have had born to them ten children, five of whom have died. The survivors are as follows : Charles R .; Flavia A., now Mrs. Boner ; Parmelia, now Mrs. Hutchin ; Harriet, now Mrs. Gillett ; Ruth L., now Mrs. Greer. Mr. Walkley is an old-time Democrat, and Mrs. Walkley is a member of the Baptist Church.

DAVID M. WAUGH, was born in Ross County, Ohio, December 15, 1840, and is one of eleven children of Joseph and Nancy (Harper) Waugh, natives of said State. Our subject came with his parents to this township in 1850 ; here attended the public schools, and worked on his father's farm till 1864, when he enlisted in Company E, Seventeenth Indiana Mounted Infantry, with which he served through all its marches and engagements till mustered out at Macon, Ga., in August, 1865, having taken part in the battles of Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta and Selma. On his return, he settled on an eighty-acre farm his father had bought for him during his absence. September 16, 1866, he married Mary Kinsey, who was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, in January, 1847, the daughter of Levi and Caroline Kinsey, natives respectively of Ohio and Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Waugh are the parents of six children, viz. : Ida M., Lillia C., Susie M., Harvey, Edna and Harrie G. In politics he is a Republican, and he is considered one of the rising young farmers of the township.

UNION TOWNSHIP.

WILLIAM A. ALLEN, general merchant, was born in this township December 5, 1842, and is the eldest of six living children born to Nathaniel and Eliza (Force) Allen, who were respectively born in Summit County, Ohio, February 7, 1816, and Pennsylvania, December 25, 1818. Nathaniel Allen was a carpenter, and, in 1842, came to this township and bought 160 acres of land, built a cabin, and commenced clearing. Our subject assisted his father till March 22, 1864, when he enlisted in Company E, Seventeenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, then a part of Gen. Wilder's brigade, and served until mustered out at Macon, August 12, 1865, having fought at Selma, Ala., Macon and Columbus, Ga., and in many skirmishes. On his return, he worked on the home farm till 1873, when he and his brother, Wesley W. Allen, en- gaged in mercantile pursuits at Coesse, which are still being conducted under the firm name of Allen Bros. October 9, 1873, he married Maria Yagel, who was born in Thorn Creek Township, this county, November 27, 1853. She is the youngest of five children living born to Adam and Eve M. (Cotsamyre) Yagel, both natives of Germany. To Mr. and Mrs. Allen have been born three children-Victor, Charles and Leroy. Mr. Allen is one of the rising young men of the township, and in politics is a Democrat.

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UNION TOWNSHIP.

ALEXANDER BOYD was born in Westmoreland County, Penn., Feb- ruary 8, 1811, one of twelve children born to Hugh and Elizabeth (George) Boyd, natives of the South, but married in Pennsylvania, where Hugh followed his trade of tailoring till his death. When fourteen years of age, our subject left his home and went to work by the month on a farm, also on the Erie Canal, and the National pike; also on the first waterworks in Pittsburgh, and for a while on a steamboat on the Ohio River. He was married, April 29, 1830, to Elizabeth Dinsmore, born in Westmoreland County January 7, 1810, of Robert and Esther (McCoy) Dinsmore. Mr. Boyd then farmed on shares till 1835, when he moved to Wayne County, Ohio, where he worked on shares till 1844, and then came to this township and bought eighty acres of wild land, and settled in a log cabin among the Indians and wolves, both of which were sometimes unwelcome visitors. Mr. and Mrs. Boyd are the parents of eight children, viz. : Hester, who married H. Graves, and who died in 1862; Catherine, who died in her tenth year ; James ; Elizabeth, now Mrs. W. S. Keiser ; Nancy J., now Mrs. Curtis Keiser; Martha, A., now Mrs. James Graves ; John E. and George. Mr. and Mrs. Boyd are members of the Pres- byterian Church, and in politics Mr. Boyd is a Democrat.

JAMES S. BRIGGS was born in Ross County, Ohio, December 25, 1819, and was one of twelve children born to Samuel and Agnes (Shepard) Briggs, who respectively were born in Pendleton County, Va., January 15, 1776, and Greenbrier County, Va., July 15, 1785. Samuel Briggs was mar- ried in Virginia, but soon after came to Ross County, Ohio, bought a farm, and there passed his days. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and for many years Overseer of the Poor in Ross County. Mrs. Briggs died Novem- ber 12, 1839, and her husband January 27, 1841. Our subject received a common-school education, and worked for his father till twenty-three years old, and then worked by the month or farmed on shares for several years. He married, December 26, 1847, in Fayette County, Reedy Shobe, who was born in Ross County, July 6, 1826, the younger of two children born to Samuel and Clara (Stingley) Shobe, the former born in Ross County July 15, 1802, and the latter in Hardy County, Va., October 18, 1801. In 1850, Mr. Briggs came to this township with his wife and child, and bought the farm of 130 acres on which he still resides. They are the parents of six children, viz .: Samuel S., Darius B., Silas L., John M., Lois M. and Thomas B. Mr. and Mrs. Briggs are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in politics Mr. Briggs is a Democrat.

SILAS BRIGGS was born in Ross County, Ohio, August 30, 1826. Samuel, his father, died when Silas was in his fifteenth year, when the latter went out to work by the month for about three years. He then engaged in driving cattle to Eastern markets for about seven years. In 1851, he came to Union Township, where three years previously he had bought 160 acres unim- proved land. Here he built a log house and began clearing, and has continued

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to add to his farm till he now is possessor of 464 highly cultivated acres. He was married, September 16, 1852, to Rebecca Nickey, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Gradeless) Nickey, and born in Smith Township, this county. To their union have been born nine children, viz .: Desdie J., Elizabeth (now Mrs. Albert Mossman), Della (now Mrs. D. Welshimer), Silas E., Stephen O., Charles N., Frank, Frederick and Jesse H. Mr. and Mrs. Briggs are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church; and in politics he is a Democrat. He is an extensive live-stock dealer, a leading farmer and a prominent citizen of the township.

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Counties of Whitley and Noble, Indiana : historical and biographical, Part 38

Author: Goodspeed, Weston Arthur, 1852-1926; Blanchard, Charles, fl. 1882-1900 Publication date: 1882 Publisher: 428, 502 p. : ill., ports. ; Number of Pages: 962

Author: Goodspeed, Weston Arthur, 1852-1926; Blanchard, Charles, fl. 1882-1900
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: 428, 502 p. : ill., ports. ;
Number of Pages: 962