USA > Indiana > Carroll County > History of Carroll County Indiana, its people, industries and institutions > Part 52
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The parents of Christopher and Ruth (Hayes) Itskin emigrated from Ohio to White county, Indiana, and settled on Honey creek, near a small town called Norway. Christopher Itskin was a wagon-maker by trade. He farmed for a time, but later followed his trade. He removed from White county to Carroll county about 1853 and settled in Camden, where he fol- lowed his trade. He built a saw-mill in Deer Creek township, about one mile and one quarter north of the old homestead northeast of Delphi four and one-half miles. Mrs. Ruth (Hayes) Itskin died on November 28, 1859. After her death, he returned for a time to St. Mary's, Ohio, where he spent the latter part of his life, passing away on January 20, 1879.
Eli Wingard, the father of Clarence E., came to Carroll county, Indi- ana, with his parents when a lad of fourteen in 1838. He purchased the farm which his son and daughters now own, but which was subsequently increased until he owned at one time six hundred acres of fertile farming land in this section of the state. Eli and Ann Elizabeth (Itskin) Wingard were married in Carroll county. Indiana, on December 20, 1855. They had six children, five of whom are living. Emeline, born on October 4, 1856, lives on the old homestead; Edward James, January 7, 1858, died on January 17, 1882; Eliza Ella, February 24, 1859, lives on the old homestead; Lou- anna Elizabeth. June 15, 1861, lives on the old homestead; Rev. Henry Alvin, October 3, 1865, who is a graduate of the Delphi high school, studied for the ministry at Butler college, Irvington, Indiana, and is now a Chris- tian minister, living at Jasonville, Indiana, where he has a charge; Clarence E., August 30, 1876, is the subject of this sketch.
Clarence E. Wingard was graduated from the Delphi high school, but
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has been engaged in farming all his life. His father died on November 16, 1906. His mother had died previously on February 17, 1896. They were devoted members of the Christian church, as are also all of their surviving children. Mr. Wingard has never married. He lives on the old home- stead with his sisters. He is an enthusiastic agriculturist and is in sympathy with the outdoor life, which is opened up to him because he is a farmer. The old homestead of one hundred and twelve years, located in Deer Creek township, presents a magnificent opportunity for extensive farming, and Mr. Wingard believes in making the most of his opportunities. He is a good man and a good citizen, who has performed well all duties public and private.
JAMES A. NEFF.
Among the well-known and highly respected residents of Deer Creek township, Carroll county, Indiana, is James A. Neff, a soldier of the Civil War, who, on July 21, 1862, enlisted in Company A, Seventy-second Regi- ment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and who was honorably discharged on February 17, 1863, on account of disability. After returning home and recovering from a period of severe illness, he re-enlisted on July 25, 1863, as sergeant of Company E, One Hundred and Sixteenth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was discharged on March 1, 1864.
James A. Neff was born near Dayton, Montgomery county, Ohio, Octo- ber 15, 1841. He is the son of John and Susan ( Price) Neff, the former of whom was born on May 30, 1814, in West Virginia, and the latter on October 14, 1811, at Mifflenburg, now Miflin, Pennsylvania. John Neff died on February 6, 1863, and his wife on June 5, 1889. Both are buried in the Odd Fellows cemetery in Delphi, Indiana.
John and Susan (Price) Neff were married in 1837 and engaged in farming in Montgomery county, Ohio, until 1849, when the family moved to Carroll county, Indiana, purchasing land in Deer Creek township, in the old Bondee Indian reserve. They paid seven hundred dollars for eighty acres and added to it by a purchase of eighty acres for thirteen hundred dollars in 1852, from Spears, Case & Company. He also owned one hun- dred and sixty acres of land in Jay county, Indiana, and forty acres in Montgomery county, Ohio. John Neff was a Democrat in politics and served as road supervisor for many years. He was also a veterinary sur- geon and enjoyed a large practice in Carroll and adjoining counties. On
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two occasions he was recalled to his home in Ohio, for professional service. He was a member of Delphi Lodge No. 28, Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
The paternal grandparents of James A. Neff were Abraham and Polly (Speece) Neff, the former of whom died at the age of seventy-six and the latter lived to be ninety-two years old. They immigrated from Montgomery county, Ohio, to Carroll county, Indiana, about 1820. The maternal grand- parents of Mr. Neff, Solomon and Polly Price, moved to Montgomery county, Ohio, in 1822, where they both died. They were engaged in farm- ing, Abraham and Polly (Speece) Neff were the parents of six children, Lewis, who owned the Dayton nursery in partnership with Philip Groves, died at the age of ninety-two; Lydia and Sylvester, deceased; John, the father of James A., was forty-eight years and one month old at the time of his death; Henry is deceased; George died at the age of thirty-five. The children of Solomon and Polly Price were David, Catherine Shock, Peter, Benjamin, Gideon, Solomon, Daniel, Mrs. Polly Slutman, Mrs. Esther Dille, Mrs. Susan Neff, Mrs. Nancy Jones, Mrs. Hannah Price and Mrs. David Favorite. John Scott Price was killed in the Mexican War in 1847.
James A. Neff received a common-school education in the public schools of Carroll county. He also attended the high school at Kokomo, Indiana, for twelve months. After finishing his education, he taught school for three winters in Carroll county. During the summer seasons he was employed by his uncle, Lewis Neff, as a fruit tree salesman. In fact, he sold fruit trees until July, 1862, when he enlisted as a soldier in the Union army. Mr. Neff's brother, John S., also was a soldier in the Civil War, having served in Company E, One Hundred and Fiftieth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and in Company B, Thirty-sixth Regiment United States Army.
After the war, James A. Neff returned to Carroll county, Indiana, and farmed for a number of years. Subsequently, however, he took up the business of handling nitroglycerin and dynamite and became an expert in blowing stones and stumps and ice gorges in the river.
On April 12, 1868, James A. Neff was married to Sarah Wilson, a daughter of Leonard and Mary (Goode) Wilson, the former of whom was born in Randolph county, Indiana, and the latter in Tennessee. The Wil- sons came from the Old Dominion state. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Neff died in Carroll county and the paternal grandmother in Randolph county. Mrs. Neff's maternal great-grandmother, Mrs. McCoy, lived to be one hundred and four years old.
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Mr. and Mrs. James A. Neff have been the parents of four children, two of whom are living: Mary E. died in infancy; Leonard L. married Mertie Kerlin and lives in Deer Creek township; Minnie B. died at the age of four years; James C. is unmarried and lives at home.
Mr. Neff owns six and one-half acres of land, which is all well improved. He is a member of Delphi Post No. 31, Grand Army of the Republic. He is a Republican and has held the office of justice of the peace for several years. Before he was elected justice of the peace, he was a notary public in this township, and also holds this office at the present time. He was also United States pension attorney. In the Grand Army of the Republic post he has been adjutant-general for twenty-one years. He is also a member of the Old Settlers' Association and Mrs. Neff is a member of this association also.
CHARLES F. PANTLE.
Charles F. Pantle, a retired farmer of Deer Creek township, where he owns a farm of forty acres, is a native of Germany, having been born on November 30, 1840.
Mr. Pantle is the son of David and Mary (Swigart) Pantle, the latter of whom died when her son, Charles F., was two years old. He was reared by Christopher Everly. Mr. Pantle's father came to America in 1845 and settled first in Pennsylvania. He lived for five years after coming to America, dying at Pottsville, Pennsylvania, in 1850. Eleven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. David Pantle, six of whom came to America, as fol- low: Adam, Elizabeth, Jacob, Henry, Margaret and Charles F.
Charles F. Pantle came to America in 1867 and settled first in Tippe- canoe county, Indiana, where he worked for Christopher Heisman for two years. He next worked in Warren county, Indiana, by the month, and was there married in 1869 to Eva Catherine (Rodenbecker), the daughter of Wolfking and Margaret (Swingler) Rodenbecker, both of whom are natives of Germany and who are now deceased. Their remains are buried in the cemetery at Rossville. Mr. and Mrs. Pantle have had twelve children, eleven of whom are living. Rose is the wife of Edward Troxley, of Carroll county; Sarah is the wife of Tillman Landis, of Carroll county; Henry lives in Wyoming; Frank lives in Carroll county; George is deceased; John resides in this county; Bertha is the wife of Charles Hattery, of Radnor, Indiana; Mary is the wife of Jacob Bush, of Carroll county; Harry, Mrs.
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Minnie Louders, Mrs. Elizabeth Louder and Mrs. Lillie Allen live in this county.
After his marriage, Mr. Pantle rented a farm from Colonel Thompson, in Warren county, for two years and then rented land of a Mr. Patrick. From time to time he bought and sold several different farms. His farm of forty acres in Deer Creek township is well improved and Mr. Pantle has erected a house and barn and planted an orchard on the farm.
Mr. and Mrs. Pantle are members of the Lutheran church. Mr. Pantle is a Democrat in politics and a member of the Farmers Alliance.
JOHN K. TODD.
John K. Todd, the proprietor of "Fairview Stock Farm," situated a mile and a half south of Delphi, who is a well-known stockman of Deer Creek township, specializing in Percheron horses and cattle, is the grandson of the late Dr. Elmer J. Todd, a pioneer physician and surgeon of this county, who, at an early date, settled near the Zion church in Monroe town- ship.
John K. Todd was born at Battle Ground, Tippecanoe county, Indiana, September 8, 1865, the son of Archibald and Ruth (Jones) Todd, the former of whom was born in Ohio and who was the son of the late Dr. Elmer J. Todd. Doctor Todd was a stanch member of the Baptist church and one of the men who assisted in the organization of the present road system of Carroll county. Dr. Elmer J. Todd was the father of nine chil- dren, of whom two were killed in the defense of their country during the great Civil War. The others were Elmer, Martin, Oscar, William, Harvey, Archibald and Amanda. The last named married William Slaybaugh and reared a large family.
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Archibald Todd was a carpenter and contractor and lived at Battle Ground for a time, where he followed his trade and where he built a great many grist-mills. He moved to Carroll county in 1866 and settled in Delphi. He was injured in the collapse of a scaffold and this injury later caused his death. He was a stanch Republican and a member of the Baptist church. He was identified with Delphi Lodge No. 28, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He died on February 12, 1882.
Born and reared in Tippecanoe county, John K. Todd was educated in the public schools of Carroll county and in the Delphi high school. He
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began life on his own responsibility shortly after his father's death and, for three years, clerked in a grocery at Delphi. Later, however, his mother purchased a farm of one hundred and twenty acres north of Delphi and he moved to the farm with his mother after the father's death. After operat- ing the farm for twelve years, in 1895 Mr. Todd purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 6, of Deer Creek township. He has added practically all of the improvements, including a substantial barn and a comfortable house.
On June 11, 1890, John K. Todd was married to Ida J. Davidson, the daughter of Joseph M. and Elizabeth (McClellan) Davidson, both of whom were born in Greene county, Ohio. Mrs. Todd's father immigrated to Car- roll county, Indiana, with his parents. Later, however, he returned to Greene county, married and brought his bride back to Carroll county, settling north of Delphi about five miles on a farm. Mrs. Todd was one of four children, Clarke, who lives on the home place; Minnie, who is the widow of Clyde Robinson and lives near Pittsburg, Indiana; James E., a traveling salesman of Tipton, Indiana, and Ida J., the wife of Mr. Todd.
Mr. and Mrs. John K. Todd have been the parents of four children, George, who is at home; Raymond, who died at the age of seventeen years in 1912; Ruth and Grace, both of whom are at home.
Mrs. Todd's father died on March 10, 1901, and her mother on Octo- ber 23, 1893. Both were devout members of the Persbyterian church and active in religious work up to the time of their deaths.
Mr. Todd is a stanch Republican. He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church and have brought up their children in this faith. The whole family are active in religious work and are prominent leaders in the church.
SERENO JESTER.
The late Sereno Jester, who met an untimely death in 1915, was one of the best-known and most highly respected farmers of Deer Creek town- ship, Carroll county, Indiana. He was especially prominent in the agri- cultural life of the township and county and was a successful stockman. His labors were a potent force in developing this rich agricultural region. While he prospered as a farmer, he also found time and ample opportunities to assist in the civic development of the county where he spent most of his life.
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The late Sereno Jester was a native of Tippecanoe county, Indiana, hav- ing been born near Colburn, June 13, 1875. He was the son of Lewis N. and Margaret E. (Schnepp) Jester, the former of whom was born in Tippe- canoe county, Indiana, and the latter a native of Montgomery county, Ohio. She came with her parents, when a small girl, to Tippecanoe county, and there was married to Lewis N. Jester. They spent all of their lives in Tippe- canoe county and she died there on the farm on June 9, 1884. Lewis N. Jester is still living near Colburn. Of the four children born to Lewis N. and Margaret E. (Schnepp) Jester, only one is living, Eauro, who lives in St. Louis, Missouri.
Educated in the district schools of Tippecanoe county and reared on a farm, Sereno Jester was united in marriage with Nora B. Kite, a daughter of Thomas B. and Mary E. (Schnepp) Kite, the former of whom was born in Carroll county, March 18, 1842. He was the son of Michael E. Kite, a native of Tennessee, who moved from Tennessee to Indiana and who was among the pioneers of this section. Michael Kite was a justice of the peace for a great many years in Madison township. Mrs. Jester's mother died on January 1I, 1911. She was the mother of six children, two of whom died in infancy. Three are now living, Nora B., the widow of Mr. Jester; Grover D., who lives in Delphi, and Dean G., who lives with Mrs. Jester. Fannie B. died at the age of three years.
Mr. and Mrs. Sereno Jester were the parents of six children, all of whom are living, namely : Ethel May, born on May 1, 1896, in Tippecanoe county, who is at present a student in the Delphi high school; Ralph Emer- son, February 28, 1898, in Tippecanoe county, who lives at home and attends high school; Merle Marie, December 5, 1900, in Carroll county; Glenn Schnepp, September 20, 1902, in Carroll county; Charles Crampton, August . 27, 1904, in Carroll county, and Mary Margaret, December 15, 1913.
Sereno Jester farmed in Tippecanoe county until 1899, when he received one hundred and sixty acres as his share of the Peter Schnepp estate. He moved to Carroll county in August, 1899, and subsequently remodeled the house and made other substantial improvements, living here until his death. He made a specialty of Ohio Improved Chester White hogs and owned, at the time of his death, the one hundred and sixty acres of land which he had inherited, located two miles south of Delphi, in Carroll county. Mr. Jester was accidentally killed in a runaway on March 30, 1915, and left, at the time of his death, a host of friends not only in Deer Creek township, but throughout Carroll and Tippecanoe counties to mourn his loss.
Mr. Jester was a member of Delphi Lodge No. 28, Independent Order
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. of Odd Fellows, and the Daughters of Rebekah, No. 79, of which Mrs. Jester is also a member. The late Sereno Jester was a Republican in poli- tics. He was a member of the Delphi Methodist Episcopal church, in fact, all the members of the family belong to this denomination and are identified with the Delphi church. Mrs. Jester's father lives a retired life with his daughter. Mrs. Jester still retains the management of the home farm and has been very successful.
JOHN ADAM PEARSON.
John Adam Pearson, formerly a soldier in the United States army, now a prosperous farmer of Adams township, Carroll county, Indiana, where he operates one hundred and ninety-two acres of land, is a native of Adams township, where he was born on May II, 1888.
Mr. Pearson is the son of William and Harriett (Young) Pearson, the former of whom was born on January 2, 1857, in Adams township, and who was the son of John S. and Malinda ( Million) Pearson. John S. Pearson came from Ohio and settled in Carroll county in pioneer times. He spent the remainder of his life in Adams township. Mr. Pearson's mother was born in Pennsylvania. She came with her parents when a child to Carroll county. Mr. Pearson's maternal grandparents, after com- ing to Carroll county, spent the rest of their lives in the county and were farmers by occupation.
John Adam Pearson is one of seven children born to his parents. One died in infancy; Edith is the wife of Harley Schock, of Jefferson town- ship; Olga Lee is the wife of Rocha Quinn, of Monticello, Indiana; Mary Malinda is the wife of Raymond Coble, of Monticello; Doris lives with her parents at Burnettsville, Indiana; Ralph Eugene also lives at home. William Pearson owned four hundred and eight acres of land in Adams township, but retired on September 20, 1910, purchasing a farm of sixty- four acres near Burnettsville. After retiring he sold his farm in Adams township. He died on September 27, 1915. He was a stanch Republican in politics and both he and his wife were members of the Christian church.
John Adam Pearson was educated in the district schools of Adams township and lived at home with his parents until he was married to Maud B. Temple, a daughter of H. B. and Mary E. (Moorman) Temple, both of whom are natives of Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Pearson have had three chil- dren, namely : Russell Eugene was born on August 12, 1911; Opal Pearl, May 30, 1913; John Devere, June 20, 1915.
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Mr. Pearson is a Republican in politics. Mrs. Pearson is a member of the Christian church. Before his marriage Mr. Pearson served three years in the United States army. He was first attached to Troop H, of the Thirteenth United States Cavalry and was transferred to Troop A, of the Fifteenth United States Cavalry, which was located at Ft. Myer, Vir- ginia, across the Potomac river from Washington, D. C. At the end of his enlistment he received an honorable discharge.
DAVID FREDERICK FERLING.
Few citizens living in Carroll county, Indiana, are better known today than David Frederick Ferling, the superintendent of the Carroll county infirmary. He was a farmer by occupation who was actively engaged in farming until September 1, 1909, when he was appointed to his present posi- tion. He owns forty acres of land in Deer Creek township. Mr. Ferling, who is now completing his sixth year as superintendent of the infirmary, has given universal satisfaction. He has a natural sympathy for the care of the county's unfortunate and is possessed of rather unusual executive and administrative ability.
David Frederick Ferling was born on December 11, 1869, in Clinton county, Indiana. He is the son of David and Anna (Erbin) Ferling, both of whom were born in Clinton county. They farmed in Clinton county until 1895, when they moved to Carroll county. After living in Carroll county for sixteen years, they removed to North Dakota and farmed there for a few years. They then removed to Spokane, Washington, and are now living retired in that state. He is a stanch Democrat and a member of the Presbyterian church. By his marriage to Anna Erbin, there were born five children, all of whom are living. Etta is the wife of Jerry J. Kelleher and has borne him four children, Mabel, Earl, Lottie and Melvin. They live near Frankfort, Indiana. David Frederick is the subject of this sketch. Thomas Edgar is a resident of Spokane, Washington, and by his marriage to Minnie Holmes he has one daughter, Anna. Ida Myrtle, who married Owen Hufford, has borne him two children, Rushford and Lois, and they live in North Dakota. Pearl H. lives in Spokane, Washington.
David Frederick Ferling was educated in the common schools of Car- roll county and lived at home with his parents until August 4, 1892, when he was married to Florence Whistler, a daughter of William and Melbina
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MR. AND MRS. DAVID F. FERLING.
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(Harner) Whistler, the former of whom was born in Delphi, Carroll county, Indiana, and the latter in the same county. They were married in Carroll county and have had five children, namely: Lucy is the wife of Alex Mears, of Deer Creek township; Florence is the wife of David F. Ferling; Ella is the wife of John L. Hanna; Fannie is the wife of Clinton Wagoner, of Deer Creek township; and Georgia is the wife of Arthur Landis, of near Monticello, White county.
William Whistler was previously married to Lucinda Wolfe, who bore him one daughter, Ora, the wife of Hiram Thompson, of Deer Creek town- ship. The first Mrs. Whistler died after bearing her husband one daugh- ter. He was subsequently married to Melbina Harner.
Mr. and Mrs. David Frederick Ferling have had three children, one of whom, William, was born on July 7, 1893, died on December 31, 1909. Marie and Fern both live at home. Marie was born on February 24, 1896, and Fern on October 17, 1903.
David Frederick Ferling is a member of Delphi Lodge No. 28, Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a Democrat in politics. Mrs. Ferling is a member of the Presbyterian church at Delphi.
REV. JOHN H. MOURER.
A minister in the Brethren church for the past fifteen years and the proprietor of "North Hopedale Farm," comprising one hundred and sixty acres and located in section 9 and 10, of Adams township, Carroll county, Indiana, is Rev. John H. Mourer, one of the well-known citizens of this township and one of its enterprising farmers and able ministers.
John H. Mourer was born on November 26, 1858, in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, and is the son of George and Catherine (Sites) Mourer, both of whom were born and married in Franklin county, Pennsylvania. They had thirteen children, of whom ten are living. The names of the children in the order of their birth are as follow: Charles lives in Batavia, Illinois; Catherine is a resident of Abilene, Kansas; Sarah married Henry Barkdoll and they live in Batavia, Illinois; Hannah died at the age of eighteen; Mary is the wife of James Hartronft, of Beatrice, Nebraska; Elizabeth is the wife of Laton Musselman, of Berkeley, California; John H. is the subject of this sketch; Nancy is the wife of Andrew Steck, of Wheaton, Illinois;
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George lives in Salem, Oregon; Peter died in infancy; Ida is the widow of a Mr. Draper and lives in Oklahoma City; Allen lives in Abilene, Kansas; Emma died at the age of four years.
Mr. Mourer's parents moved west in the spring of 1874 and settled in Naperville, Illinois, on a farm. Six years later, in 1880, the family removed to Abilene, Dickinson county, Kansas, where the father died in 1905 and the mother in 1903. He was a minister in the German Baptist Brethren church but also farmed until the time of his death.
John H. Mourer was educated in the public schools of Franklin county, Pennsylvania. He lived at home with his parents until February 5, 1879, when he was married to Rachel Weinhold, a daughter of Richard and Catherine (Fry) Weinhold, both of whom were born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and who moved to Illinois in the spring of 1865, settling on a farm in Dupage county, where they lived the remainder of their lives.
Richard and Catherine (Fry) Weinhold had ten children. Isaac lives in Benton county, Indiana; Mary, who is the wife of Isaac Swigart, died in Pennsylvania at the age of fifty-five years; Caroline, the wife of Henry Knopp, is a resident of Plainfield, Illinois; Samuel lives in Wilson, Ells- worth county, Kansas; Catharine is the wife of Jacob Bowers, of Wilson, Kansas; Abyron also lives in Wilson, Kansas; Henry lives in Plainfield, Illinois; Rachel is the wife of Mr. Mourer; Sarah is the wife of Samuel Grill, of Wilson, Kansas; Mirand is the wife of Ezra Dague, of Wilson, Kansas. The parents of these children are both deceased, the father hav- ing died about 1900 and the mother in 1905. Both were members of the Lutheran church.
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