Counties of Whitley and Noble, Indiana : historical and biographical, Part 81

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 81
USA > Indiana > Noble County > Counties of Whitley and Noble, Indiana : historical and biographical > Part 81

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).

329

WAYNE TOWNSHIP.

CHAUNCEY G. R. WATERHOUSE represents one of the leading farmers and large land owners of Northern Indiana and also a pioneer family of La Grange County. His parents-Benjamin B. and Harriet Waterhouse- were natives of Vermont, and in 1837 emigrated from New York State to Milford Township, La Grange County, Ind. His father became a prominent citizen and successful farmer, and remained there until his death. His mother still survives. They were parents to five children, four of whom are now liv- ing-Sarah Wilson, of Sturgis, Mich .; Emma Cosper, of Milford Township; Artemissa Spellman, residing in La Grange; and the subject of this sketch, who is a native of New York, and who, since the removal of his parents to this county, has been prominently identified with its progress, especially with the agricultural interests. He remained in La Grange County until 1869, when he removed to Wayne Township, where he has resided since and has permanently located. He erected, in 1881, an elegant residence, one half a mile north of Kendallville, where we now find him, superintending personally his large farming interest. He owns about eleven hundred acres of land, divided into six farms and located in La Grange and Noble Counties. Mr. Waterhouse, while giving his entire attention to farming interests, is a public-spirited and valued citizen, and favors all measures of progress and advancement. He was united in marriage with Miss Harriet Vine in 1860. Her parents were early settlers of Milford Township, coming there from Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Waterhouse have four children-Albert, Frank, John and Homer.

CHARLES WEINGART, a native of Germany, was born September 12, 1844. His father, Joseph Weingart, came to America in 1852, locating in this county, and in 1860 was followed by his wife (Elizabeth Weingart) and family. They have had three children-Louis, Rosa (now dead) and Charles. The latter was married, in 1869, to Salome Kundert, who afterward died, leaving one child, William, born August 18, 1870. Mr. Weingart subse- quently married Margaret Zonker, a native of Indiana. Their children were Joseph A., Mary E. and Waldo C. They own a well improved farm of 140 acres and are industrious and intelligent people.

THOMAS B. WESTON (deceased) came from a pioneer family whose ancestry can be traced back in the seventh degree to his namesake, Thomas Weston, who landed from the Mayflower at Plymouth in 1620, and another named John Weston who came to Salem, Mass., in 1644, from Buckingham- shire in the North of England, just 200 years before Thomas B. moved into his log cabin in Indiana. The Westons are a numerous family ; those bearing the name and springing from one common source are distributed over the whole of the Eastern, Western and Northwestern States. A significant remark was often made by the representative of this sketch, that he could travel on foot to his birthplace in York State and stop every night but one with those belonging to the Weston family. As a whole. those of the name are found to be equal to any family in the land in the possession of those sterling qualities-morality and in- tegrity. Thomas B. Weston was a native of Pompey, Onondaga Co., N. Y., where he was born October 13, 1799, and was amongst the earliest pioneers of this township. When a boy he moved with his father, Nathan Weston, to Mon- roe County, N. Y., where he worked on the home farm until the death of his father, August 26, 1823. The care of the family, consisting of two brothers and two sisters, then devolved on him. The succeeding thirteen years he tilled the soil and, in the meantime, taught writing-school and studied surveying. In the spring of 1836, he came to Indiana, and in later years took delight in recount-

330

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:

ing his experiences while hunting land ; how he with others were seven nights in the woods of what is now De Kalb County with the wolves howling around them, and other hair-raising events. On making his selection of land, he went on foot to the land office at Fort Wayne and made the entry of a rich tract, a part of which being in what is now Wayne Township, the balance being located in Wells County, this State. Returning to the Empire State, he married, on September 7, 1837, Miss Paulina Maxfield, of Copake, Columbia Co., N. Y., moving the next spring to Plymouth, Wayne Co., Mich., where their only daughter, Emily Paulina, was born August 30, 1838. On June 20, 1841, he was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife. Thus left with the care of his child, with home broken up, he came, in 1842, to make a permanent settlement in this county, and was married a second time to Catherine Anderson, who was born in Huntingdon County, Penn., January 6, 1802, emigrating to Licking County, Ohio, with her parents, and from there to La Grange County, Ind., in the year 1838, her father being one of the first settlers on Pretty Prairie. July 16, 1844, Mr. Weston with his wife, and his child by his first wife, moved in- to the log cabin which was to be their future home, situated on the northwest corner of Section 11. It was in this rude home that the first religious services held in the township were conducted by the Rev. John Martin, of La Grange County. Through the deprivations and laborious toil of those frontier days, Mr. Weston found in his wife a source of moral and material aid that buoyed him up under the most trying circumstances, and it was through her heroic efforts in his behalf that many seeming impossibilities were surmounted. While he was engaged in clearing, she was to be found at her spinning-wheel or the loom, preparing cloth for their clothing or other fabrics for household use. Their home farm was heavily timbered, hard maple predominating, and one spring there were thirteen sugar camps on his land worked by different parties on shares, the fact being admitted that he had the most extensive sugar bush in the country. Mr. Weston possessed qualities of a social nature in an eminent degree; this with his strict ideas of honor and justice made him deservedly pop- ular. Politically, he was conservative, voting with the Whigs until the birth of the Republican party, whose standard he followed on all national issues, but at local elections he cast his vote for the best man. In 1855, he, having served the public as Town Clerk for about six years, was elected Justice of the Peace, which office he filled for twenty-four years. In 1863, he had declined to be again a candidate, but being pressed finally consented to his name being pre- sented in the caucus by certain parties, who turned against him and nominated a teetotaler in his stead. This aroused the old pioneer, and at the earnest re- quest of the leading men in the township, he came out as an independent can- didate and was triumphantly elected, only lacking six votes of beating both the Republican and Democratic candidates combined. A few years after he settled on his land, he donated to the public a piece of ground for a cemetery-an ex- ceedingly pleasant location on what is known as the " Big Hill," that part of the farm passing a few years later into the hands of his son-in-law, John Shifaly, who donated ground for a church, which was named Weston Chapel in honor of the memory of the old pioneer. Just thirty-four years to a day from the time they moved into their log cabin, Mrs. Weston died July 16, 1878. Mr. Weston retained his mental faculties in his old age to a remarkable degree ; he excelled in penmanship, and a letter written just before his death was a piece of art wor- thy of a writing master. After an illness of only thirty-six hours he died July 26, 1881, at the advanced age of eighty-one years, nine months and thirteen

331

WAYNE TOWNSHIP.

days. His funeral was attended by the largest concourse of people of any that ever occurred in this part of the country. The last twenty years of his life he made almost daily rounds among his neighbors for a social chat, and " Uncle Tommy," as he was familiarly called, was ever welcome. With the closing of this noble life we can appropriately say with the poet :

" Life's race well run ; Life's work well done ; Life's crown well won ; Now comes rest."

L. D. WHITFORD is a son of Stutley and Elizabeth Whitford, who are old residents of Wayne Township. He is a native of Wayne County, Ohio. Since the removal of his parents to Noble County, he has resided here and given his attention to agricultural pursuits. He became the owner of the old " Childs " farm in 1880, which he is now operating. His farm consists of eighty-five acres of improved land, conveniently located. In 1866, he formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss Louisa Wright, daughter of James Wright, one of the early residents of Wayne Township. Mr. and Mrs. Whitford are members of the M. E. Church. They have one child, Charles F. Mr. Whitford is one of the enterprising young men of Wayne Township, who are soon to fill the places of the old pioneers who are passing away.

JAMES W. WRIGHT is the oldest son of James Wright, a native of England, who came to America in 1833, first locating in Ohio, where he resided until 1844, when he came to Wayne Township and settled upon the farm now owned by the subject of this sketch. Here he remained, clearing and improv- ing his land, passing his time in the quiet tenor of farming life until his death, dying as he had lived, a Christian gentleman, July 22, 1881. His wife's maiden name was Emily Finch. They were married July 5, 1838. She is a native of New York, and is now living with her son. She is a member of the M. P. Church, which, together with her husband, she has been identified with for over forty years. Seven children are descendants. Sarah Shaffer, of Wayne Town- ship; Mary Weaver, deceased ; Margaret Weaver, in Nebraska; James W., William C., Frances Browand, in Nebraska ; and Louisa L. Whitford, of Wayne Township. James W. is a native of Wayne Township, where he has always resided and engaged in farming. He is now the owner of the old homestead farm, which consists of 110 acres of well cultivated and improved land. He is an industrious and liberal-minded citizen, and one of the reliable farmers of the township. He was married in 1869 to Miss Mary A. Gallup of Wayne Township. They have two children, Mattie and Nellie.

WILLIAM C. WRIGHT is a son of James and Emily (Finch) Wright, early settlers of Wayne Township. William is a native of Wayne Township, where he has always been identified. He is now the owner of the "Joseph Childs" farm, consisting of eighty acres of land, which is well improved and adjoins his father's old farm. Mr. Wright is a young and promising farmer, of industrious habits, and will doubtless become one of the standard farmers of the future. He was married, 1876, to Miss Arvilla Hill, a daughter of Nicholas Hill, another pioneer settler of the township. They have two children-John and Amelia.

332

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:

TOWN OF LICONIER.

JOHN ABDILL, hardware and tinware, is the third child in a family of seven children, and was born in Delaware. He came here with his parents, Jo- seph and Jemimah (Blockson) Abdill, natives of Delaware. His father was a farmer, and also a local preacher of the United Brethren denomination, and moved to Richland County, Ohio, with his family in 1835; thence to Noble County, settling, in 1849, in York Township. At the age of seventeen, John commenced his apprenticeship at the tinner's trade in Ligonier, serving three years; then followed his trade there until 1856, when he went to Michigan and remained there working at his trade till the fall of 1858. He returned to Ligonier, and in August, 1873, went into the hardware business, on his own responsibility. This proved a successful enterprise. Mr. Abdill has served as Councilman, and is now a member of the school board, in his second term; is also a member of the Masonic Order. He was married in Michigan in 1856 to Miss Mary E. Crane, a native of Indiana and former resident of Ligonier. They have four children, Edward E., now reading law in Ligonier ; Zula M., Wallace and Merton, and are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

ALBERT BANTA, Justice of the Peace, is a native of Mont- gomery County, Ohio. He was engaged in farming in Preble County, Ohio, until 1836, when he came to Elkhart County, Ind., and com- menced in the mercantile business. This he followed until 1840, when he was elected County Sheriff, and served four years, and then returned to farm life in Benton Township. In 1854, he came to Ligonier, where he located and remained until 1862, when he went to Bluffton, Ind., returning to Ligonier in 1870, where he has since resided. In 1872, he was elected Justice of the Peace, and has since held that office. He was a member of the City Council one year, and belonged to the Methodist Church in 1840, but is now a member of the Disciples' Church. In 1824, Mr. Banta mar- ried Mary Brower, of Ohio. She died in 1870, leaving six children, five now living : Albert J. and John D., both living in Elkhart County ; Peter, now re- siding in Kansas ; Mary J. Carmean, of Noble County ; and Elizabeth Sher- wood, of Ligonier. He was married again, in 1871, to Mrs. Mary J. Parks, of Ligonier. Mr. Banta has been a member of the Masonic Order since 1844, and is now a Royal Arch Mason.

A. C. BEECHER, dentist, son of A. B. and Mary J. (Bailey) Beecher, was born in Hancock County, Ohio, is the eldest of five children, and came with his parents in 1859 to La Grange, Ind., where his parents still reside. Here, he attended school, and in 1870 commenced the study of his profession with F. M. Hamsher, with whom he remained two years. He spent one and one-half years in Butler County, Ind., practicing; and then went to the Uni- versity at Ann Arbor, Mich., where he took the course of study, and in 1876 graduated from the Dental Department. He returned to La Grange, and fol- lowed the practice of his profession there until 1881, when he came to Ligo- nier, where he is building up a good business. He is a proficient workman, and a promising young business man. While in La Grange, he served as Dep- uty Postmaster. He is a member of the Knights of Honor. He was married

333

TOWN OF LIGONIER.

in 1874 to Miss Alice Speed, of La Grange; they have two children-Char- lie and Veva.

J. M. BELTS, manufacturer and dealer in furniture, is one of the success- ful business men of Ligonier, in his line of trade, having secured a large and successful custom. He was born in Livingston County, N. Y., and in his native State learned the trade of cabinet-making. He followed this calling in various locations in different States, and came to Ligonier in 1874, where he was employed at his trade for two years. In 1876, he started his present busi- ness, which has proved most successful. He has extended it, and now carries a large and splendid stock of furniture, and his business is steadily increasing. Mr. Belts was married, December 27, 1859, to Miss Sarah L. Brooks, a native of New York. They have three children-Adelbert M., Claude J. and Maud.

F. P. BOTHWELL, of Green & Bothwell, lawyers, is a native of this county, and son of T. H. and Zillah A. (Eagles) Bothwell, who were married in Noble County, and were residents of Sparta Township until the death of Mr. Both- well in 1867. He was one of the early settlers, and, besides farming, carried on the lumber and saw-milling business. The mother is still living in Ligonier. They had five children-Lucy Galloway, of Ligonier ; Harriet Jones, of Sparta Township ; the subject, Melvin and Leslie. Our subject lived in Sparta Town- ship, attending district school there until the age of fourteen, when he went to Hillsdale, Mich., and attended college for three years, then for one year went to school at Valparaiso, Ind. In 1875, he became a student in the law office of I. E. Kinsley, at Ligonier, and remained two years, then went to Chicago, and after completing the course of study in the Union Law College there, was admitted to the bar of Illinois. He returned to Noble County in the fall of 1878; was admitted to practice there, and formed a partnership with J. W. Scott ; this existed only a short time, and in December, 1878, he became asso- ciated with D. W. Green. Mr. Bothwell is an able and rising young lawyer, and has already attained a prominent position among the attorneys of the county. He was united in marriage, April 22, 1880, to Miss Lena M. Decker, daughter of J. Decker, of Ligonier.

S. M. BRADEN, of the firm of Braden & Peck, millers, is a native of Fostoria, Seneca County, Ohio, and a son of William Braden, who for a num- ber of years operated there woolen and grist mills. In Fostoria our subject passed his earlier years, where he became familiar with milling. He subse- quently went with his father to a farm in Illinois, where he became familiar with agricultural life. After his father's death, he engaged in milling in dif- ferent States, until 1869, when he located in Ligonier, and assumed the charge of Ulmer & Clark's mill, subsequently becoming a partner in the firm of Strauss, Henderson & Co. Mr. Braden has continued his connection with this mill up to the present time, although the above association lasted only about two years. The present firm was organized in July, 1879, by the association of Jarvis Peck with Mr. Braden. They have four run of stone, and possess an extensive trade. Mr. Braden has, for nearly twenty-five years, been engaged in superintending mills. He obtained a patent in 1879, on "Braden's Im- proved Wheat Heater," which proved of practical utility, and is meeting with good success in the market. Mr. Braden married Miss Rachel Hen- derson, of De Kalb County, Ind., in 1865. He is a Mason, and valued citizen of Ligonier.

G. W. CARR, M. D., began life during the pioneer days of Stark County, Ohio. His parents, Benjamin and Mary (Jennings), were early settlers of Stark

334

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:

County, and farmed there for many years. The mother died there in 1852, and the father subsequently remarried. He came to Ligonier in 1856, where he died in 1861. Of their children, twelve attained maturity, and ten are now living. Our subject, who is next to the youngest child, assisted on his father's ·

farm in Stark County until seventeen years of age. He then went to Navarre, and commenced reading medicine with Dr. Leeper, under whose tutelage he remained three years. In 1850, he came to Ligonier, and for two years studied medicine with Dr. Wellman. He then established an office, and prac- ticed his profession for four years, when he went to Cleveland, and in 1856 graduated from the Cleveland Medical College, returning at the end of that time to Ligonier, where he has since been in practice, with the exception of three years' service in the late war. He went out in 1862 with the Forty- fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and remained with them as Assistant Surgeon until March, 1864, when he was appointed Surgeon of the One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served in this capacity until the war ended. He has established a large and successful practice. His popularity as a physician is well deserved, and he is well-informed on the science of med- icine and surgery. Since the year 1880, he has been in partnership with William A. Shobe, who, since fourteen years of age, has been with Dr. Carr, having made the study of medicine a pursuit. He graduated from the Detroit Medical College in 1880. Dr. Carr is a Royal Arch Mason, and was married to Miss Dulcina Teal, daughter of Joseph Teal, of Perry Township, in 1852. She died in 1862, leaving two children-Wallace W. and Denoyer P. In 1864, he was united in marriage with Sarah McMillan, a native of Rochester, N. Y.

WILLIAM CULVEYHOUSE, gunsmith, is a native of La Porte County, Ind., and lived at home on his father's farm until thirteen years of age, when he was crippled, and went to Plymouth, Marshall Co., Ind., where he commenced learning the gunsmith's trade, finishing it in Indianapolis. He spent four years in the different States ; then, in 1859, he enlisted on an English man-of- war at Baltimore, but failed to go with them. For two years, he was connected with the hydraulic water-works of Annapolis Naval School. In 1862, he went to La Porte, Ind .; remained nine months, and in 1863 came to Ligonier, where he conducted a gun and sporting store, and followed his trade until in March, 1880. He then went to Easton, Md., returning to Ligonier in August, 1881, where he is permanently located in his old business calling. He was married in 1862 to Miss Eliza A. Stewart, of Annapolis, Md. Their children are William H., Maretta V., Elizabeth and Vesta A.

L. J. DUNNING is the eldest of five children born to Jesse and Lorinda (Lawrence) Dunning, natives of New York, and was reared on his father's farm in the place of his nativity, Dutchess County, N. Y. At the age of twen- ty-one, he went to Fairfield County, Ohio, where he practiced farming, teaching school winters. He came to this county in October, 1859, and entered a farm in Perry Township, which he managed one year. He then went into the gro- cery business with J. E. Braden, in Ligonier. This partnership lasted until 1867, when Mr. Braden retired, Mr. Dunning continuing the business alone. In 1865, his parents left their farm, and came from New York to Ligonier, residing with their son until their deaths ; that of the father occurred in 1866, and the mother in 1880. In 1873, Mr. Dunning's son, Jesse L., became a partner in his store, and in 1881 they associated with them Frank Jackson, mak- ing the firm of Dunning, Son & Co. Their stock consists of general groceries,

335

TOWN OF LIGONIER.

produce, tobacco, cigars, crockery, lime, salt, cement, etc. Mr. Dunning's wife was Anna Huber, a native of Fairfield County, Ohio. They have four children living-Jesse L .; Lucinda, wife of W. A. Jackson, of Ligonier ; Emma, wife of Frank Jackson, of the firm Dunning, Son & Co .; and Libbie, at home ; and two deceased-Mary Miller and Jacob. Mr. Dunning has been Township Trustee four years, and the Dunning family are all members of the Disciples' Church.

C. ELDRED, druggist, lived on a farm in New York, his native State, until about sixteen years of age, when he went to Akron, Summit Co., Ohio, where he learned the tinner's trade. To Stark County he next went, where he was employed at Navarre, in the hardware and tinning business, until 1854. The following eleven years, he followed his trade in Huntington County, Ind., and in 1865 began his present business in Ligonier. He first formed a partnership with P. Serbert, which existed only a few months, Mr. Eldred conducting the business alone until in 1872, when his son became a partner, and the firm has remained to the present C. Eldred & Son. Mr. Eldred was married to Miss Eliza Hawk, a native of Pennsylvania and resident of Stark County, Ohio, in 1845. They have three children-S. T. Eldred, druggist; John H., a printer at La Porte; and Mary Hoffman, of Ligonier. They are both members of the Methodist Church and Mr. Eldred is a Knight Templar.

S. T. ELDRED, junior member of the firm of C. Eldred & Son, was born in Stark County, Ohio. In 1865, he began his business experience in Wabash, clerking in a drug store, then was in his father's store at Ligonier until he be- came a partner in 1872. They are both courteous gentlemen and progressive business men. The son is also a Mason, and was married, in 1873, to Miss Elizabeth Randall, a native of Indiana. They have one child-Frank.

S. B. ENGLE, son of Andrew and Ann R. (Conrad) Engle, was born in Perry Township. His parents were there engaged in farming, and came at an early day. The subject's younger days were associated with farm life, and his educational facilities were up to the standard, which sufficiently warranted him in teaching school during the winters. He officiated three years as a preceptor in the public schools at Ligonier, to which place he came in 1877, where he he formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss M. E. Myers, who was a resident of Illinois at the time of her marriage, but originally came from Ohio.

J. F. GARD, M. D., one of Ligonier's prominent professional men, was born in Preble County, Ohio, where he was reared on a farm. In 1859, he began the study of medicine with A. D. Potts, and continued it until the open- ing of the war, when he enlisted, in May, 1861, in the Sixteenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He was with this regiment for one year, and during the remainder of the war and until January, 1866, he served in the First Indiana Heavy Artillery, thus making over four years' service, during which time he acted chiefly as Assistant Surgeon. After the war closed, he commenced the practice of his profession in Miami County, Ind., where he remained six years. He named the town of North Grove, in Miami County, Ind., where he went in 1866, succeeded in establishing a post office, and when he left the place numbered 300 inhabitants. Mr. Gard came to this county in October, 1871, and remained at Wawaka, where he built up a large practice, until he came to Ligonier and located in 1877. He lias secured an extended and lucrative practice, and is well known as an able physician. Mr. Gard is a graduate of Bennett Medical College of Chicago and is a Knight Templar. He was married to Miss Mary J. White, a native of Ohio, in 1867. They have two

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Counties of Whitley and Noble, Indiana : historical and biographical, Part 81

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