USA > Indiana > Cass County > History of Cass County Indiana : From its earliest settlement to the present time with biographical sketches and reference to biographies previously compiled, Volume II > Part 10
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On September 20, 1893, Mr. Cogley was united in marriage to Miss Minnie M. Linton, the daughter of George A. and Mary E. (Emery) Linton, both of English lineage, as is also the Cogley family. Mrs. Cogley is a native daughter of Cass county, born within its confines on September 15, 1872, and she is one of the eight children of her parents, of which number five are yet living.
George Linton was born in Logansport, and is now a resident of that city, where he has long been known as a plumber and steamfitter, and where he is one of the popular and prominent men of the city. He is a Mason and a member of the Knights of Pythias, and a veteran of the Civil war, through which he served with valor and distinction and received his honorable discharge when the Union no longer re- quired his services.
Mrs. Cogley was reared in Logansport, and there received her education. To her and her husband four children have been born, as follows: George E., the eldest, finished with the work of the public schools of his community in 1910, receiving his diploma at the time, and is now employed as a machinist in the Vandalia shops at Logans- port ; Lawrence E., R. Weldon, and Ruth A. are attending the local schools, and are members of the eight, seventh and fifth grades, respectively, it being the aim of their parents to fit them for suitable positions in life by means of careful educations.
Mr. and Mrs. Cogley are members of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Cogley is not affiliated with any political party, but he manifests a wholesome interest in the political affairs of his municipality, and considers it his privilege to vote for the man he regards as best fitted for the office in question, irrespective of party lines or prejudices. He takes a keen and intelligent interest in all matters affecting the welfare of his community and heartily supports all movements that his better judgment tells him will make for good government and loval citizenship. Fraternally, he has membership in Tipton Lodge No. 33 of Logansport, in the Masonic order.
ELLIOTT E. MCKAIG. The younger generation, whose day has come since the comforts brought by easy communication have been available, marvel at the fact that all the wealth, prosperity and con- veniences have been wrought and brought about within the lifetime of men who stand among us today. That men now living in Cass county fought here the wild beasts of the forest and contended with the hardships and privations of pioneer existence on these smiling farms and on the sites of cities where the roar of traffic and the heavy tramp of the iron wheels of factories have so lately drowned. the voices of primeval nature, seems incredible. Every year the hoary-headed band that led the van of civilization grows smaller, yet there are still many who heard the first scream of the brazen voice of the locomotive which brought to Cass county wealth and prosperity, and in this class
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is E. E. McKaig, an honored resident of Noble township. Mr. McKaig was for many years engaged in agricultural pursuits, and when he was ready to retire took the ideal method of doing so. He retired, and yet he did not retire. He turned over the work to the broad shoul- ders of his stalwart son, and at the same time was in close touch with the life of the farm and ready to pass on to the younger man the benefit of the experience he had accumulated.
Elliott E. MeKaig was born in Noble township, Cass county, Indiana, November 6, 1835, the fourth son in a family of nine children born to William and Elizabeth (Westfall) McKaig, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Maryland. His father was born of Irish descent in 1795, came to this county about 1833, and located upon a farm in Noble township, where he died in 1868. Mrs. McKaig was born of German parentage in 1799, and emigrated with her parents to Ohio, where her marriage occurred to Mr. McKaig, whom she ac- companied to Noble township, and here she died in 1874. The children in this family were as follows: Levi Hart, deceased, and buried in Shiloh cemetery; Sarah Elizabeth, also deceased, and buried in that cemetery ; Martha C .; John F., who died in Kansas in 1904 and is buried there; James F .; Watson C., who died in California in 1912, and was buried there; Robert N .; Uriah F., deceased, who was buried in Shiloh cemetery ; and Elliott E. James F. of this family died when two years of age.
Elliott E. McKaig belonged to that class from which, in the struggle in which man pitted himself against primeval forest and aboriginal in- habitant, the strongest types of manhood and womanhood were evolved. In early life he was accustomed to the hard work which develops the mind and hardens the body. His education was secured in the primitive schools, and he was trained to agricultural pursuits, which continued to be his vocation until his retirement from active life some years ago. He had ever shown a commendable public spirit, and was known as a man who always contributed liberally to move- ments calculated to benefit his community in any way, as well as to enterprises of a religious or charitable nature.
Mr. McKaig was married July 13, 1870, to Hattie Richards, who was born December 24, 1851, in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania. She was of Dutch descent, and was the second daughter of William F. and Rebecca (Park) Richards, natives of Pennsylvania. Ten children were born to Mr. and Mrs. McKaig, as follows: Emma B., born Sep- tember 15, 1871; Gertie, born September 21, 1872, died September 11, 1874; Willie, born April 1, 1875, who lived but eleven days; Pearl, born February 21, 1877, died September 4, 1877; infant twins, born January 1, 1878, one of whom died a few hours later, and the other when eleven days old; Mindella, born October 5, 1880; Beulah R., born November 3, 1882; Robert Neal, born September 10, 1888; and Allen Roy, born March 28, 1892. On October 31, 1893, the mother of these children was found dead in bed, having peacefully passed away in her sleep.
Robert Neal and Allen Roy McKaig attended the common schools of Noble township, and later supplemented this by attendance at the high school and commercial college in Logansport. About 1908,
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Robert N. Mckaig left the farm and since that time has been connected with the Pennsylvania Railroad. Allen R. has continued to remain on the home farm, and has succeeded his father in the work of the homestead, where he is carrying on general farming and stock raising operations. He is a Progressive, and inherited his sterling character- istics of honesty, industry and integrity. The family has always been connected with the Methodist Episcopal church.
Of the other children, Mindella was married January 3, 1901, to John McCarnes, and four children have been born to this union: Ethel H., Wilber E., Blanch O. and Robert R., of whom Wilber E., died in 1905 at the age of twenty-two months. On October 28, 1903, Beulah R. McKaig was united in marriage with Orla B. Miller, who died in 1904, after a short illness, leaving one son, Orla E. On June 1, 1908, Mrs. Miller was married to William Pennock, and they have had two children : Helen S. and Paul Wesley.
Elliott E. McKaig had a long and useful career, his activities serving not only to further his own interests, but to advance those of his com- munity as well. He died February 26, 1913, and he is interred in Shiloh cemetery. In the evening of life, surrounded by a wide circle of friends, and possessing the unqualified esteem of all with whom he had come in contact, he furnished an excellent example of the rewards that industry brings and the contentment that comes only after a life of integrity and probity.
DOCTOR JOHN B. SHULTZ. A life of kindly capable service to the community and to hundreds of individuals, came to a close on December 8, 1912, with the death of Doctor John B. Shultz at his home in Logans- port. The best work of the physician does not flaunt itself before the public gaze, but is wrought in the hearts of his fellow-men. The spirit of tender and knowing love for his fellowmen has ever been the trait of the true physician, and though the career of the late Dr. Shultz was not conspicuous for those public honors and distinctions which mark the accomplishments of men in political and other spheres of human activity, yet he left his mark upon Cass county, and his long and faithful serv- ice, and the influence which he exerted over men and families deserves a more than casual tribute in this history, and surely all will agree that none of the past generation was more worthy of a permanent memorial than Dr. Shultz.
John B. Shultz was born in the adjoining county of Carroll, this state September 22, 1839 and was past seventy-three years of age when death came to him. His parents were John and Elizabeth (Dunbar) Shultz, his father having been born in Pennsylvania in 1795 of German parentage, and locating in Carroll county, Indiana, in 1837 where he was one of the early settlers and where he died in 1855.
Dr. Shultz was educated in the public schools, and graduated from the Cincinnati Medical Eclectic Institute in 1860. The same year he located in Logansport, where he practiced in partnership with Dr. James A. Taylor, at 420 Fourth street, continuing to occupy that office for the long period of forty years; afterwards he moved across the street to 417 Fourth street, and was there when he breathed his last.
Doctor Shultz, though his professional duties absorbed his energies,
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was still active in citizenship, and an influential Republican. His party honored him by election to the position of county treasurer in 1870, re-electing him in 1872, and in 1875 he became mayor of Logans- port, serving one term with honor and credit to himself and with benefit to his city. Dr. Shultz on July 29, 1883, married Miss Anna L. Cooper, of Kokomo, a daughter of Dr. Wm. Cooper also of Kokomo. Her sister is the wife of Senator John W. Kern. By this marriage, Dr. Shultz had four children, of whom only one, Edwin, survives and he is now a student of Washington and Lee University, Virginia.
Dr. Shultz was tall of stature and of commanding appearance, al- though he always wore a smile upon his countenance. He was sociable in his nature, affable in manner, accomodating to all, pleasant and in- spiring in the sick room, and probably was the most popular physician that has ever lived and practiced in Cass county. Among his patients he was courteous, considerate and agreeable, never engaging in argu- ment or discussion with them, yielding to their whims and eccentricities, and endeavoring to please the more fastidious. He disliked to hurt the feelings of any one and hated to say no or refuse a request from the most humble, and would often yield to the opinions and exactions of others, although his better judgment might not approve. This engaging and agreeable personality, together with an indisputable ability in his pro- fession was the cause of his great popularity in Cass county. During his time he had the widest acquaintance, and the most extensive practice of any physician within the bounds of this county. His presence in the sick-room was so comforting that patients have gone so far as to state that it would be a pleasure to die under his care, and with him at their side.
The late Dr. Shultz was not an erudite man nor a profound student of the libraries nor laboratories of his profession. However, he was a student of nature, and the people, human nature, and human ills were his study and the world his school throughout his life. He was no theorist and never argued upon technical points. He was preeminently practical, and when asked why he did this or that his answer would be, "I have tried it." A large practical experience in life was the laboratory where he had made his conclusive tests, and from which he drew the experience which enabled him so successfully to serve his patients. Dr. Shultz had remarkable powers of observation and intuition and his judgment based upon these faculties were usually correct. To- gether with a natural ability, he possessed a large fund of energy, and throughout his life was an untiring worker. In many ways his practice represented the best of the old time country doctors. The night was never too dark, the storm too violent, the roads too muddy for him to visit a patient, whether rich or poor, and the ability of the patient to pay was never a subject of his inquiry, although that is not altogether true of some of the modern automobile doctors. His rule was to go wherever called and ask no questions. He adopted a rule, which shows his charity in speaking of his brother practitioners, when called to succeed some other practitioner he would treat the case, but would never make com- ment or reflections upon the previous attendant. This was his regular rule of conduct in his fraternal relations, and he expected the same treat- ment from his associates.
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As a practical man Dr. Shultz occasionally took some very practical means in performing the exacting duties of his practice. In very busy times when the old ague was prevalent during the sixties, and when nearly every case had a malarial element, it is said that he would do up packages of medicine for his patients before leaving his office, and then would make the rounds of his day's duties, examining each patient hur- riedly, and throw down a package of medicine prepared in his office before starting out. His liberality was extended to a fault, and often his sympathies overcame his better judgment. His sociabilities, his desire to please, his difficulty in refusing a request, made him an easy mark for financial sharks, and his investments in mining stocks, realty and other speculative properties worsted him financially, and although he realized quite a fortune from his large practice, yet he died a poor man. However, he was idolized by his patients, and the foregoing state- ments regarding his character and career are by no means overdrawn but are in fact a subdued expression of the praise and tributes accorded to his noble nature, both during and after his life. He died honored by his patients, by his party and by the many members of the Broad- way Methodist church, with which he had been associated for many years, and the entire community in which he had lived and practiced for nearly fifty three years, accorded him a place in its permanent es- teem and memory.
CYRUS TABER. It is now ninety years since Cyrus Taber left his east- ern home and fared forth into an unknown country in quest of fortune and adventure, for it was practically as an unknown region that Indiana existed in the year 1824. He it was who established the name of the Taber family in the middle west, or in such portion of it as is represented by the state of Indiana, and men of his name have from that day to this been identified with the best interests of the state, wherever they have been found within its borders. Agriculture has claimed a goodly share of the activities of these men, and the professions, too, have not been neglected by them, while the business of merchandising has known the touch of certain of the family.
Cyrus Taber was born at Tiverton, Rhode Island, on January 19, 1800. In 1803 the family moved to western New York, and later to Pennsylvania. When he was twenty-four years old Cyrus Taber left the parental roof and, filled with the zeal and ambition of the young man who came of a goodly parentage, he started west to carve out his fortune from the fastnesses of the Indiana wilderness. It is pos- sible that he did not suspect the magnitude of his task, but it is char- acteristic of the men of his family that he did not flinch for a moment from the hardships he saw he must undergo in order to wrest any degree of prosperity from the primitive country he had invaded so cheerfully. First locating at Fort Wayne, he began his battle with the wilderness. but the unhealthful conditions of the country at that time induced an attack of fever and ague, from which he was a sufferer for fully a year, and the savings of $400 that he had brought with him as a working capital were utterly exhausted and he was in debt to the amount of thirty dollars before he found himself able to apply himself to any manual labor again. However, upon recuperating from his illness.
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with courage undaunted by his experience, he began the work of building log cabins and fences for the Indians and was thus associated with one Reuben Covert, it being the province of the latter to drive the oxen and haul the rails, while Mr. Taber did the cutting and splitting. At the end of a year he found that he had saved one hundred dollars, and with that sum he purchased his first eighty acres of land. This he cleared sufficiently to place under a degree of cultivation, and applied himself to the raising of corn. He saved his earnings from season to season, and as his means permitted, purchased additional land.
In the light of the present day get-rich-quick methods, of which so much is seen and heard, the sweat of such labor and the privations endured by Mr. Taber in getting his start in the world seem almost incredible, and it requires a considerable flight of imagination on the part of the man of the world of our times to realize anything of what such toil meant. Indeed, the idea is practically beyond the compre- hension of the average man, despite the application of his quality of imagination.
However that may be, the facts remain as stated in the case of Cyrus Taber. Because of the splendid industry and the keen business sense of the man, Mr. Taber was in 1827 invited into a business partnership with Allen Hamilton, and the firm of Hamilton & Taber became a popu- lar one in mercantile circles of Indiana. Mr. Taber came to Logansport in 1828 to take charge of the branch business of the firm established here, and he continued in mercantile activities here, with some slight changes, until 1840, following which Mr. Taber continued the business alone for three years, and in 1843 William Chase was admitted to mem- bership in the firm. In 1848 Mr. Taber retired permanently from mer- cantile pursuits.
When Cass county was organized, Mr. Taber was appointed county treasurer by the county board of commissioners, that office then being an appointive one, and he served in that capacity until 1830. In 1845 he was elected to the state legislature, and in the year following was elected to the senate, serving in that body during the years 1846, 7 and 8. He was first a Whig, but in later years adopted the faith of the Demo- cratic party.
Active in all matters pertaining to the welfare of his community, Cyrus Taber was ever one of the foremost in promoting progressive movements, and it was largely through his efforts that the first railroad was induced to extend its lines into Cass county-a work whose good to the county could not well be estimated.
In May, 1829, Mr. Taber was married to Miss Deborah Ann Coles, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and eight children were born to them: Stephen C., Paul, Jesse C., Allen H., William S., Phoebe A., Humphrey and George. Concerning Stephen C., the first born son, further mention will be found elsewhere in this work. The wife and mother passed away February 15, 1847, at Logansport, and Cyrus Taber died on April 13, 1855, in Logansport, still young in years, but one who had achieved more for the good of his community and county in his lifetime than most men are permitted to accomplish in much longer earthly careers.
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STEPHEN COLES TABER. Like his father before him, Stephen Coles Taber lived a life of the utmost usefulness and activity in his community, and occupied a leading place in Logansport for many years. He was born at Fort Wayne, Indiana, on March 8, 1830, and was the eldest son of Cyrus Taber, the pioneer to whom is dedicated a separate memoir in other parts of this work, and his faithful wife, Deborah Ann Coles. When a baby he was brought by his parents to Logansport, which in those early days was not more than a cross roads place. There his father was engaged in the merchandise business, and Stephen Taber was reared in the young and growing town. In 1849 he was graduated from Wabash College, and in 1852 he finished his studies in the law department of the State University, following which he engaged in the practice of law. For many years he practiced before the Cass county bar, and for a time was associated in a professional way with Senator D. D. Pratt. The latter part of Mr. Taber's life, however, was devoted largely to looking after his large property interests, the extent of which precluded the possibility of continuing with his professional labors.
On September 7, 1853, Mr. Taber was married to Charlotte A. Walker, who died on January 8, 1892, leaving three children: George C., Charles E. and Lavina. Mr. Taber passed away on July 15, 1908, in Logansport, after a long and busy life in this county, and his death was felt in business and social circles throughout the community.
WILLIAM B. SCHWALM. One of the flourishing business enterprises of Logansport is that conducted by William B. Schwalm, and which includes the handling of seeds, hardware, buggies, harness, paints, oils and general farming implements. His early years were devoted to agricultural pursuits, but eventually he ceased his farming operations and turned his attention to the mercantile field, with a large measure of success. A man of progressive ideas, he has identified himself with everything that pertains to the welfare of his community or its people, striving earnestly to promote the cause of advancement and good citizen- ship. Mr. Schwalm was born October 8, 1868, in Tipton township, Cass county, Indiana, one of the eight children of Henry J. and Helena (Haemel) Schwalm.
Henry J. Schwalm was born August 20, 1828, the only son of his parents. He was reared in Hesse Cassel, Germany, and received a good practical education. In 1852, with his widowed mother, he emigrated to America, arriving on a sailing vessel in May of that year. After his arrival, he worked for a time by the month for an uncle, who was a farmer in Tipton township, and then began farming for himself. He was frugal, honest and industrious, and at the time of his death had accumulated a fair amount of this world's goods. In starting his opera- tions, he located in Washington township on rented property, but seven years later bought a farm on section 26, Tipton township, in 1860, and there passed the rest of his life. He was married May 21, 1857, to Miss Helena Haemel, who was also a native of Germany, born near Hesse Cassel, March 28, 1829, the oldest daughter of Frederich and Elizabeth (Ellerman) Haemel. Eight children were born to this union, namely : George H., Sarah E., Caroline M., Eckhardt A., Augustina M., Louisa L., William B. and Laura E., all of whom are still living. In religion,
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Mr. and Mrs. Schwalm were Presbyterians, and their upright lives were a credit to the land of their adoption and to the community in which they resided. Mr. Schwalm was a Democrat, served three terms as township assessor, and also served his county as a commissioner.
William B. Schwalm was reared on the home farm and secured his education in the district schools. After attaining his majority, he con- tinned working on the home farm for six years, and when twenty-seven years old started farming on his own account, purchasing a tract of sixty acres in Tipton township, to which he subsequently added eighty acres more. This property he later sold to his brothers, and in 1900 came to Logansport, where he embarked in the implement and seed business. His venture proved a decided success, and to the original line he has since added hardware, buggies, harness and stoves.
Mr. Schwalm was a Democrat up to 1912, but the policies of the old old parties not suiting him and believing in the things advocated by Colonel Roosevelt and the Progressive platform, he cast his fortunes with the young organization and was its candidate for county commissioner from the second district. Mr. Schwalm is a strong advocate of tem- perance measures, not alone on the liquor question, but on temperate measures of all kinds. He belongs to the Presbyterian church, and is a Master Mason and a Knight of Pythias.
On June 5, 1895, Mr. Schwalm was married to Louise E. Ramer, of Washington township, Cass county, and they have two children : Mer- ritt R. and Ruth C.
CHARLES W. GRAVES has been a resident of Logansport for many years and has been identified with the business activities of this city along various lines through all the years of his residence. Since 1896 he has been the owner and proprietor of what was formerly known as the Giffe Book and Music Store, and in this enterprise he has experienced a worthy success. Born in Wayne county, Indiana, October 4, 1861, Mr. Graves is the son of George M. and Judith M. (Harwood) Graves, both of whom were natives of Massachusetts. His father first located in Cincinnati, Ohio, and later in Richmond, Indiana, where he was in business until the outbreak of the Civil war, when he enlisted in 1861 in Company F, Thirty-sixth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, rising to the rank of captain, and serving as acting adjutant on the staff of Colonel Gross. In the battle of Chickamauga he received a gun-shot wound through his right shoulder, which of itself was not necessarily fatal, but owing to his enfeebled condition, due to a recent sickness, he was unable to withstand the shock of the injury and died some days later. His body was brought to the north and laid to rest in the cemetery in Rich- mond. His widow was left with three small children, the only daughter, Lillie, being now Mrs. John A. MeCullough, of Logansport, Indiana. At the time of the death of the father, the eldest of the three children was about six years old, and the widow reared her little family through many hardships. She died in Logansport in November, 1904.
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