USA > Indiana > Lake County > Encyclopedia of genealogy and biography of Lake County, Indiana, with a compendium of history 1834-1904 > Part 61
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Dr. Clifford Clarence Robinson, of Indiana Harbor. the third genera- tion of the family to engage in the practice of medicine, was reared in the vicinity of Dowagiac. Michigan, and attended the public schools there, being graduated from the high school with the class of 1896. He then took up the study of medicine in the medical department of the University of Michigan. at Ann Arbor, and on the completion of the full course was graduated in the class of 1902 and entered upon the practice of his chosen profession in In- diana Harbor. in August of that year. Already he has gained a good pat- ronage and has demonstrated his ability to successfully cope with the intricate problems which continually confront the physician. He is a member of the Lake County Medical Society.
On the Ist day of July. 1903. Dr. Robinson was united in marriage to Miss Belle Corless, a daughter of Hiram and Martha Corless, and during their residence in Indiana Harbor they have won the favorable regard and friendship of many. In politics he is a Republican, and in citizenship is pub- lic-spirited and progressive.
GILBERT C. SAUNDERS. M. D.
Dr. Gilbert C. Saunders, who is engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery at Indiana Harbor, was born at Belle Vernon. Pennsylvania. July 18. 1859. and is one of the four sons whose parents were William and Susan (Contant ) Saunders. The family was established in America at an early period in the colonization of the new world by ancestors who came from
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Scotland. The grandfather was born in Virginia and died at Fish Creek. that state. when in middle life. He was a typical southern gentleman, and owned a plantation which he operated with the aid of his slaves. His wife was Mrs. Susan Saunders and they were the parents of one son and one daughter. The son. William Saunders, father of Dr. Saunders, was born in West Virginia, and after arriving at years of maturity he wedded Miss Susan Contant. a native of Connecticut. Her father. Gilbert Contant. was also born in that state. He was a shipbuilder and owned a ship yard at New Haven. but subsequently removed to Honesdale. New York, where his remaining days were passed. his death occurring when he had reached the seventy-sixth milestone on life's journey. In the family were two sons and five daughters. The name Coutant is of French origin and was formerly spelled Coutante. The ancestral history of the family can be traced back to the time of Charlemagne. William Saunders was reared upon the planta- tion owned by his father in Virginia and afterward engaged in the manu- facture of glass, but later entered professional life, beginning the practice of medicine in Peru. Indiana, when forty-five years of age. Subsequently he removed to La Salle. Illinois, where he continued in active practice up to the time of his death. which occurred in 1891. when he was sixty-three years of age. His wife still survives. Like him she is a Methodist. and has long guided her life by the teachings and precepts of the church. To this worthy couple were born eleven children, four sons and seven daughters, of whom seven are now living: William. a resident of Newcastle, Pennsylvania : Gil- bert C .. whose name introduces this record : Sarah E .. the wife of Thomas A. Downs, of Orestes. Indiana : Charles B., who is living in Chicago, Illinois. where he is engaged in the practice of medicine: Ida. the wife of John Jen- nings, of Chicago: Mary, the wife of Charles Johnson, of the same city; and Belle. of La Salle. Illinois.
Dr. Gilbert C. Saunders resided in Pennsylvania until fifteen years of age and then went to La Salle. Illinois, with his parents. His early education was acquired in the public schools of Pennsylvania and he afterward attended a grammar school in La Salle. Illinois, while later he continued his studies in a business college in Davenport. Iowa. He was trained for his professional duties in Chicago and San Francisco, attending the Hahnemann Medical Col- lege of the former city and afterward matriculating in the Hahnemann Hos-
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pital College, of San Francisco, from which institution he was graduated in 1894. He began practicing in San Francisco, where he remained for about nine years or until 1903, when he returned eastward and established an office in Indiana Harbor, where he has since been located. He is deeply interested in his profession both from a scientific and humanitarian standpoint, and continued reading and investigation constantly broaden his knowledge and promote his efficiency in the line of his chosen profession.
On the Sth of January. 1883. Dr. Saunders was united in marriage to Miss Mary A. Robson, a daughter of Angus and Maria ( Walters ) Robson, who were natives of England. Her father came to America when twenty- one years of age, and her mother was a little maiden of only eight summers when she crossed the Atlantic. After their marriage they resided at Belle Vernon. Pennsylvania, for some time and subsequently removed to Rock Island, Illinois, where Mr. Robson died on the 9th of July. 1880, at the age of forty-seven years. His widow still survives him and now resides at El- wood, Indiana. He was engaged in the manufacture of glass. He was a son of William and Mary A. (Campbell) Robson. The former died in Eng- land at the age of seventy-six years. In their family were one daughter and several sons, including Angus Robson. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Saunders was James W. Walters, a native of England, and on crossing the Atlantic to America he settled in Blossburg, Pennsylvania, while later he established his home in Belle Vernon, that state. In the year 1849 he went to California, attracted by the discovery of gold on the Pacific coast and later he made his way to old Mexico, where he died at a very advanced age. His wife bore the maiden name of Mary Frank, and they were the parents of two sons and two daughters. To Mr. and Mrs. Angus Robson were born eleven children, seven sons and four daughters, six of whom are now living : John A .: Mrs. Saunders: Isabel: James R .: Maria Jane. the wife of John Evans : and Angus C.
To Dr. and Mrs. Saunders have been born two children, Margaret and Lester, but the latter died at the age of thirteen months. Dr. Saunders is a member of the Knights of Pythias fraternity, while his political allegiance is given to the Republican party. Although he has made his home in Indiana Harbor for only a brief period he has already gained a favorable acquaintance both professionally and socially and enjoys the high regard of many friends.
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ISAAC H. SCOFFERN.
Isaac H. Scoffern, who for fifteen years has been agent for the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railroad, or Outer Belt Line, at Hobart, was born in Eng- land, February 20, 1858, and when twelve years of age came to the United States with his parents, Richard and Susan (Cory) Scoffern. The father was born in England and was a mason by trade. He followed that occupa- tion in the old world until about 1870, when he crossed the Atlantic to America and located in Allen, Hillsdale county, Michigan, where he followed both farming and mason work. He now resides in Hobart, making his home with his son, Isaac H. His wife was also born in England and died on the old home farm in Michigan at the age of seventy-eight years. This worthy couple were the parents of six children, two daughters and four sons, but the first two died in infancy. Robert F. is a resident of Chickasaw, Indian Terri- tory, having been appointed a judge there by the government. Dixon Rich- ard is cashier of the Niles City Bank, at Niles, Michigan. Elizabeth is the wife of A. B. Kirchoff, and resides at Franklin Park, Illinois, his business being that of an employe in the auditor's office of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company at Chicago.
Isaac H. Scoffern, the fourth child and third son of the family, spent the first twelve years of his life in the land of his nativity and then became a resident of Hillsdale county, Michigan. He attended the public schools of England and afterward continued his education in the public schools of Allen, Michigan. The duties of the farm claimed his attention during the summer months until he was twenty-one years of age, when he began railroading, be- ing employed in 1879 as a checker or tallyman in the freight department of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad at Chicago. He was after- ward promoted to the position of special deliveryman for the same company, which position he filled until about 1883. He then accepted a position as operator and agent with the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad at Spalding, Illinois, where he remained for three years, when he was trans- ferred to Minonk, Illinois, where he remained for one year as agent for the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railroad. In 1889 he came to Hobart as agent for the same company and has since filled this position covering a period of fifteen ycars, a fact which indicates his loyalty to the company and also his fidelity and capability in the performance of the duties which devolve upon him.
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On the 24th of August. 1879, Mr. Scoffern was united in marriage to Miss Mary Wonnacott, a daughter of John and Sarah Wonnacott. She was born in Chicago and was reared and educated there until twelve years of age. Their children are Robert Floyd, who is now in the employ of the Elgin. Joliet & Eastern Railroad Company; and Bessie Edith, who is assisting her father in the office.
Mr. Scoffern was one of the leading members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Hobart, takes a most active and helpful part in its work and is now serving as treasurer and trustee. He is also a recognized leader of the Pro- hibition party in this community and is chairman of the central committee for Lake county. He is likewise a member of the Modern Woodmen Camp and is well known in Hobart as one of its leading citizens who favors progress and improvement along every line which tends to upbuild humanity. He is the champion of educational, social, temperance and moral measures, and his influence and support are ever on the side of right, truth and justice.
MATHIAS G. STERNBERG.
Mathias G. Sternberg, proprietor of the Block Avenue Hotel at Indiana Harbor, was born at College Point, New York, April 6, 1855, and in both the paternal and maternal lines he comes of German ancestry. His paternal grandfather resided in Holstein, Germany, and there he spent his entire life, nor did the maternal grandfather ever leave that country. The parents of our subject were George and Wilhelmina Sternberg, also natives of the fatherland. The former became a school teacher and crossed the Atlantic to America some time in the '50s, settling in New York. He proved a loyal son of his adopted country and at the time of the Civil war he espoused the cause of the Union, enlisting under Captain Roma, with whose command he went to the front. He was killed at the battle of Fredericksburg, and was long survived by his wife, who died in 1886 at the age of fifty-six years. Both were members of the Lutheran church. In their family were fourteen children. six sons and eight daughters, but only two of the number are now living, the sister of our subject being Dora, the wife of Nicholas Schwartz. . of College Point, Long Island, New York.
Mathias G. Sternberg resided on Long Island in his early boyhood days and attended the public schools there. He afterward went to Delaware.
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Sullivan county, New York, where he worked as a farm hand for two years, and on the expiration of that period he removed to Waterbury, Connecticut. where he was employed by the Plume & Atwood Company, manufacturers of various kinds of brass goods. There he continued until the spring of 1876, when he went to Philadelphia and was employed by the Centennial Exposi- tion Company in the machinery hall. In the following August he came west and took passage on board the steamer Tidal Wave of the Diamond Joe line, whereby he proceeded from Fulton, Illinois, to Stillwater, Minnesota, accom- panied by his brother, Casper Sternberg. In the fall of 1876 he made his way to Chicago and secured employment with the Holmes & Pyatt Company, man- ufacturers of printing presses. He continued in that service until 1878, when he accepted the position of clerk for G. E. Smith in the Metropolitan Ilotel on Wells street, acting in that capacity until 1880. He then went to the town of Harvey and began working for the Hopkins Manufacturing Com- pany. manufacturers of mowing machines, and during two years was asso- ciated with that enterprise. The company then erected a hotel called the Hopkins House and Mr. Sternberg assumed its management. Later, how- ever, he again entered the employ of the Holmes-Pyatt Company, but after a short time he made his way to Montana, locating on a ranch twenty-two miles from Livingston. There he lived for a time and subsequently returned to Chicago, where he entered the employ of the William Deering Harvester Company. In 1887 he furnished a hotel for G. E. Smith called LeGrand. and he later became proprietor of the Metropolitan Hotel, which he conducted until 1893, when he entered into business relations with the Plano Agricul- tural Works at West Pullman, being expert road man for that house. In the fall of 1903 he came to Indiana Harbor and has since been engaged in the hotel business here, being now proprietor of the Block Avenue Hotel.
On the 17th of August, 1883. Mr. Sternberg was united in marriage to Miss Rose Shiller. Five children were born of this union, four daughters and a son: Florilla and Orilla, twins: Mathias G .: Doris; and Rosa, who died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Sternberg are members of the Congregational church, and he belongs to the Knights of Pythias fraternity. Politically he is a Democrat, but has had neither time nor inclination to seek public office, preferring to give his attention to his business affairs, in which he has met with very good success. All that he possesses has been acquired through his
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own labors and industry, and he has steadily worked his way upward so that he deserves much credit for what he has accomplished.
REV. EDWARD F. BARRETT.
Rev. Edward F. Barrett, who has been the beloved pastor of All Saints Catholic church at Hammond for the past seven years, has almost the entire credit for the present flourishing condition of his church and parish. The church had been organized but a year when he took charge, and there were then but seventeen families under his religious care. There are now one hun- dred and thirty-eight families. The church and the schoolhouse were built in 1897, and there are now two hundred pupils in attendance. A handsome rectory of brick was erected in 1898, and in the following year the sisters' convent was built. Father Barrett has thrown his whole heart and religious zeal into the cause, and has accomplished wonders in the short time of his pastorate. He is a tireless worker not only in the cause of his own church but for humanity in general, and he richly deserves his immense popularity among both Catholics and Protestants. His kindness of heart, his benevo- lence and broad public spirit are traits of his character that appeal to all men, and his depth of learning and catholicity of sympathy enable him to wield a potent influence for righteousness in his community.
Father Barrett was born in Rutland, Vermont, December 22, 1867, be- ing a son of James and Ann (Clifford) Barrett, natives of Tipperary county, Ireland. Both his maternal and his paternal grandfather died in Ireland. His father has been for fifty-two years foreman of the Vermont Marble Com- pany at Rutland, and he and his wife are highly esteemed citizens of that place. They had seven sons and three daughters, nine of whom are men- tioned as follows: John, of Rutland, Vermont; William, of New York city ; Patrick, of Rutland; James, of Mexico: Sarah, wife of John Purcell, of Rutland; Michael, who died at the age of sixteen; Henry, of Rutland ; Rev. Edward F., of Hammond ; and Mary E., of Hammond.
Father Barrett was reared in his native city of Rutland, and attended both the public and the parochial schools there. He was a student in Assumption College in Canada, and took his theological course in the Grand Seminary at Montreal. He was ordained to the priesthood in July, 1895, at Belle Isle, by Bishop La Flech, and in the same year became assistant pastor of St. Patrick's church at Fort Wayne, Indiana, under Father Delaney. He re-
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mained at Fort Wayne for two years and then came to Hammond, where he took charge of All Saints' church as the successor of Rev. John Cook, who had been its first pastor and organizer in the previous year. 1896.
E. H. GUYER.
E. H. Guyer, who is engaged in merchandising and also in dealing in stock at Hobart, was born in Calhoun county, Michigan, June 8, 1854. His father, Andrew Guyer, was one of the pioneer settlers of Calhoun county. His wife, who bore the maiden name Mary Royce, died during the infancy of her son, E. H. Guyer. In the family were twelve children. The eldest brother was killed in the battle of Stone River during the Civil war. Mr. Guyer was the youngest child of his father's first marriage, but has a half-sister born of the second marriage. He was but fifteen years of age when he started out in life on his own account, and in 1874 he made his way to Lake county, Indiana. where he secured employment in a brickyard at driving a team by the day and month. He worked for about four years in the butchering business, and in 1884 he established a meat market of his own in Hobart. He is also en- gaged in buying, selling and shipping stock and also dealing in hay. To some extent he has dealt in real estate and now owns considerable property at Hobart and Indiana Harbor. In 1897 he built his present business block, one of the substantial structures of the city.
In 1884 Mr. Guyer was united in marriage to Miss Rebecca Green, a daughter of John A. and Cordelia (Bird) Green. She was born in Lake county, being a representative one of the pioneer families here. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Guyer is celebrated for its gracious hospitality, and the hos- pitality of the best homes of the city is extended to them. Mr. Guver is a Cleveland Democrat, but at local elections votes for the candidate whom he thinks best qualified for office. He is identified with the Masonic fraternity at Hobart. He has traveled extensively over the county, buying and selling stock, and is recognized as a most progressive business man of Hobart, whose success indicates his life of thrift and industry.
JOHN F. TAKE, M. D.
In professional circles Dr. John F. Take has won a position of prom- inence that is an indication of his skill, close application, determined purpose
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and laudable ambition. He is largely a self-educated as well as a self-made man. and he has exerted his efforts in a calling where advancement depends entirely upon individual merit. Not by gift, by purchase or by influence can it be secured. A physician's labors must stand the test of practical work, and favorable public opinion is won only as he demonstrates his power to suc- cessfully cope with the intricate problems continually presented by disease. That Dr. Take is now enjoying a large practice is indicative of his thorough understanding of the principles of the science of medicine and his correct- ness of their application to the needs of suffering humanity.
Numbered among the native sons of Illinois, Dr. Take was born in Fountain Green, Hancock county, on the 6th of April, 1864. His father, Charles Take, was a native of Germany and came to America when twenty- one years of age, hoping that he might have better business opportunities in the new world than were afforded him in his native country. A farmer by occupation, he devoted his entire life to that calling in order to provide for his family, but he died at a comparatively early age. His wife bore the maiden name of Mary Church and was a native of Indiana. They were the parents of three children, two sons and a daughter, but the latter died in infancy and the brother of Dr. Take is known as Robert Hetrick, having been adopted by the Hetrick family of Laharpe, Illinois, when but three years of age, his father having died. He is now a merchant of Denver, Colorado, and is a journalist by profession.
Dr. Take, the eldest of the three children, was only six years of age at the time of his father's death. He afterward lived with a family by the name of Hopper until eleven years of age, and during that time was a resi- dent of Hancock county, Illinois. Ifis mother then removed to Rockford, Michigan, and Dr. Take resided with her there until eighteen years of age, during which time he attended the common schools and also assisted in the work of the home farm. Later he went to North Dakota, where he spent one year, and subsequently removed to Lamars, Iowa, where he attended high school for two years. By earnest labor he gained the money necessary to defray his college expenses. Desirous of becoming a member of the medical fraternity he pursued a course in reading under Dr. Prosser, of Lamars, Iowa, for a year, and next went to Chicago in the fall of 1887. There he entered the Bennett Medical College and was graduated from that institution with the
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class of 1889. 'In the fall of the same year he matriculated in the Chicago Homeopathic College and was graduated in the spring of 1890. On the 15th of April, of the same year, Dr. Take located for practice in Whiting, opening an office on Front street. He was the first physician to locate here and he has been in constant practice in the town since that time, building up an ex- tensive practice which has constantly grown in volume and importance. He lias made a specialty of the diseases of children and is particularly proficient along that line. Dr. Take is a member of the Eclectic Medical and Surgi- cal Society of Chicago, and he is a student who is constantly promoting his efficiency through reading and investigation. He discharges the duties of his profession with a sense of conscientious obligation, and his ability has long been proved by the excellent results which attend his efforts.
In November, 1887, Dr. Take was united in marriage to Miss Mary Isabel Haines, of Rockford. Michigan, who was born in that city and is a daughter of Moses Dayton Haines, whose birth occurred in Dutchess county, New York. Her mother bore the maiden name of Jane Wilkinson, and was also a native of Dutchess county. In their family were eight children, three sons and five daughters, of whom Mrs. Take is the sixth child and fifth daughter. Her birth occurred July 8, 1866. and she was reared in Rockford. Michigan, attending the public schools there and afterward becoming a student in St. Mary's Academy. To the Doctor and his wife have been born two children : Lena Frances, who was born June 15, 1889, at 3636 Fifth avenue, in Chicago; and Milton Jay, at 304 One Hundred and Nineteenth street in Whiting, Indiana, on the Ioth of May. 1892.
Dr. Take has been a life-long Republican and has served Whiting as a member of the town board of health, but aside from this has had no political aspirations. He is a self-educated as well as self-made man, having earned the money which enabled him to pursue his college course. The history of mankind is replete with illustrations of the fact that it is only under the pres- sure of adversity and the stimulus of opposition that the best and strongest in man are brought out and developed. and the life record of Dr. Take is another proof of this statement. In private life he has gained that warm personal regard which arises from true nobility of character, deference for the opinions of others, kindness and geniality.
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FRANCIS E. STEPHENS, D. D. S.
Dr. Francis Euceives Stephens, who is engaged in the practice of den- tistry in Indiana Harbor, was born in Sharon, Mercer county, Pennsylvania, on the 29th of June, 1880, and is a representative of an old English family that for several generations resided in Lydney. Gloucestershire, England. His father, his grandfather and his great-grandfather all bore the name of John Stephens. The last named was connected with the tin industry in Lydney, his native town, and there died at the age of ninety-two years, while his wife, Mrs. Hannah Stephens, departed this life at the age of seventy-four years. Their family of three sons and four daughters included John Stephens, 2d, who spent his entire life in Lydney, where he worked as a hammer- smith. He married Charlotte Hawkens of that town, a daughter of Samuel and Sarah Hawkens, who were also natives of Lydney and died at the ages of eighty-nine and forty-two years, respectively. Mr. Hawkens was a ship- ping contractor who loaded and unloaded vessels in the canal and at the dock, and in his family were two children, a son and daughter, the latter Mrs. Stephens. John Stephens, 2d, died in 1899, and his wife in March, 1902. Their only son. John Stephens, 3d, is the father of Dr. Stephens. He was born in Lydney. December 2, 1844, was reared and educated there and throughout his entire life has been connected with the iron industry. Com- ing to this country, he was employed in various places, and winning promo- tions from time to time. He is now superintendent of the Inland Steel Com- pany of Indiana Harbor, employing almost a thousand men. A detailed ac- count of his life and work is given on another page of this volume.
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