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 8

Author: Powell, Jehu Z., 1848-1918, ed; Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago (Ill.), pub
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 662


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 8


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JAMES WHITWORTH. The agricultural interests of Cass county are well represented by a class of hard-working, efficiently trained and thor- oughly experienced men, who have made the treatment of the soil a life


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study and have thus been able to successfully cope with conditions and to maintain the high standard of agricultural supremacy here. Prominent in this class stands James Whitworth, who for two years has resided on a well-cultivated tract of thirty acres, located in Clay township. Mr. Whitworth was born in Alabama, January 5, 1865, and is a son of William and Mildred (Bowes) Whitworth, farming people of this county, the father being deceased.


Mr. Whitworth received his educational training in the district schools of his native locality, and like the majority of farmers' lads of his day divided his boyhood between the work of the homestead and attendance at school in the winter terms. There are a multitude of matters upon which a good farmer should be informed, and in these he was thoroughly trained by his father, while his mother reared him to habits of honesty, sobriety and integrity. He continued to remain under the parental roof until his marriage, at which time he embarked upon a career of his own, and, being industrious and thrifty, carefully conserved his means and was soon able to invest in land. Since that time he has devoted his whole time and attention to the cultivation of the soil, and as a result of his activities has risen to a place of independence among the agricultur- ists of his section. In 1906, Mr. Whitworth purchased his present tract, a farm of thirty acres located in Clay township. He has made numerous improvements, having a comfortable residence, located on Logansport Rural Free Delivery Route No. 5, and appropriate buildings of modern architecture and substantial character. His property is well fenced, his live stock in a healthy condition, his implements and appliances of modern manufacture, and the entire appearance of the property bespeaks the presence of thrift and good management. Essentially a farmer, he has not cared for the struggles incident to the political arena, al- though he takes an interest in matters that affect his community, and has always endeavored to give his support to good men and measures.


In 1885, Mr. Whitworth was united in marriage with Miss Maggie Hoover, the estimable daughter of Leason and Rachael Hoover, the former a native of Pennsylvania, while the latter was born in Ohio Both of Mrs. Whitworth's parents were married twice. They were long residents of Indiana, and were the parents of the following children : Amanda, James and Elmer, who died in infancy; Benjamin, who mar- ried Minnie Rhodes; Egbert, who married Mabel Montgomery; and Maggie, who married Mr. Whitworth. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Whitworth : Golda, born in 1886, who became the wife of Frank Griffin, of Logansport; and Ruth, born in 1891, who married Glen Rader, is also a resident of Logansport, and has two children,- Harry, who is two years of age, and Frank, who is six months old. The members of this family are connected with the Baptist church, and are liberal supporters of religious and charitable movements.


ELIHU S. RICE, whose death occurred April 26, 1912, was one of the "Old Guard" of Cass county pioneers. His loss was not only keenly felt among the members of his immediate family, but by his associates in business, his many friends, and thousands of people all over the coun- try who knew him only as the author of some of the most beautiful sacred music written. Born at Pavilion, Genesee county, New York,


S of Rice


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February 2, 1827, Mr. Rice was a son of Erastus and Lucretia M. (Howe) Rice. The father, who was a native of Massachusetts, died in 1833, and six years later Elihu S., then a lad of twelve years, accompanied his widowed mother and brothers and sisters to Logansport, which city was destined to be his home during the remainder of his life. In 1843 he became a clerk for Henry Martin & Company, but in the following year the firm discontinued business, and in 1845 Mr. Rice became con- nected with the firm of Pollard & Wilson. In 1853 Col. Philip Pollard, the senior member of the firm, retired therefrom, which was then reor- ganized as Wilson, Merriam & Company, Mr. Rice being admitted to partnership. Through various changes of this firm into Merriam, Rice & Howes, Merriam & Rice and Merriam, Rice & Company, Mr. Rice remained a partner of John C. Merriam, being associated with him until Mr. Merriam's death. Afterwards the firm of E. S. Rice & Son was formed, with his son, Frank M. Rice, as junior partner and this con- tinued until 1906, when, in order to be relieved of his many business burdens and responsibilities, Mr. Rice sold the business, although it is still one of the leading establishments of Logansport, and is known as the Rice Hardware Company.


In 1905 Mr. Rice was elected president of the First National Bank of Logansport, a position he continuously filled up to the time of his death. For many years he was manager and principal owner of the Logansport Gas Light & Coke Company, taking charge of its affairs when it was practically a failure and demonstrating a superior business abil- ity by making it a financial success. His long and eventful business career was characterized by fidelity and trustworthiness; he was a man of charitable impulses and his many good deeds will make a long list in the general accounting of man's work during his earthly pilgrimage. A good name more to be desired than riches was his. He lived up- rightly, and at the ripe old age of four score and five died at peace with all the world. He was a life long member of the Baptist church at Logansport, which he enriched by substantial benefactions. While lay- ing no claim to being a poet, he was, nevertheless, a poet in the truest sense. The world of song was enriched when he contributed to it "Shall We Meet Beyond the River ?" and "Come! Let Us Sing Unto the Lord." As a singer, his voice was frequently heard in the house of worship, and was also in great demand during presidential campaigns. During the campaign of 1856 he was a member of the famous Rocky Mountain Quartette.


In 1854 Mr. Rice was united in marriage with Miss Jeannette Mabon, and she passed away in 1895, having been the mother of two children : Frank M., and Annie A., the latter the wife of George C. Taber, of Logansport. In an editorial, under date of April 26, 1912, the Logans- port Pharos said :


"The death of Elihu S. Rice removes from this community a man who was worthy of the title of exalted citizen. His was a blameless and a useful life. In every sphere of human activity, he acted a noble part. As a citizen he responded to every demand made upon him for the bet- terment of social conditions. As the head of a family he set an example worthy to be followed. As a business man his career was characterized by honorable dealing. As a philanthropist, his good deeds were many


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and his favors were bestowed without ostentation. He came to Logans- port seventy-three years ago when yet a boy and had moved among us all these years. In his intercourse with the people he was kindly, shar- ing their joys and with their sorrows bearing a part. He walked up- rightly, lived cleanly and dies respected by those who appreciate true worth in man."


Frank M. Rice was born in Logansport, Indiana, February 29, 1856. Educated in the public schools and Wabash College, on completing his schooling he became a clerk in his father's employ, and continued with him until the business was sold in 1905. In 1902 Mr. Rice organized the Logansport Basket Works, of which he became the first president and treasurer, and continued as such until he sold his interest in the business, in January, 1912. He has large business and realty inter- ests, and is a director of the First National Bank of Logansport. He holds membership in the Country Club, the Commercial Club and the County Historical Society, and has manifested his interest in fraternal affairs by his activities in the Masonic and Elks lodges. His political proclivities are those of the Republican party, but he takes only a good citizen's part in public affairs.


On November 19, 1884, Mr. Rice was married to Miss Lottie F. Lar- son, of Omaha, Nebraska, and they have had one child: Ollie M., who married Wendell C. Schmidt.


JOHN M. CARSON. Agricultural production is the basis of practically all production and the ordinary laborer, the factory, the state and the nation are absolutely dependent thereupon, the result being that agri- culture is of elemental importance in the life of a person, a community and a nation. Such being the case, the development of the agricultural regions must keep pace with the advancement of the times, and the farmer who would gain his full measure of success must needs take ad- vantage of every aid that modern invention and discovery can give. One of the prosperous agriculturists of Cass county who has realized and benefitted by the results to be obtained from scientific treatment of the soil, is John M. Carson, of Clay township, who for ten years has been carrying on operations on his present place. He was born in Jennings county, Indiana, December 5, 1855, and is a son of John H. and Julia (McCammott) Carson, and grandson of William Carson and Isaac McCammott, the family being of Irish-Scotch extraction.


John H. Carson was born in Rutherford county, Pennsylvania, in 1818, and was one year old when brought to Indiana by his parents. Here he continued to follow agricultural pursuits throughout his life, and died in March, 1877, one of his community's highly esteemed citi- zens. During that same year, John M. Carson, who had been reared and educated in Jennings county, came to Cass county, Indiana, and first located in Noble township, where he spent three years, subsequently remaining in Adams for two years, in Eel township for six years, and in Bethlehem township thirteen years, and then came to Clay township and settled on the farm on which he now resides. Here Mr. Carson bought eighty-two acres of land, on which he erected a new modern residence which is one of the most attractive in this part of the county, and also made numerous other improvements which have added to the


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value of the farm. IIe is an able agriculturist, and has brought to his work that thorough knowledge of the details of his vocation which only comes from years of experience. His operations have been uniformly successful, and he is recognized as one of the leading agriculturists of Clay township. He has never cared for public office, preferring to de- vote his entire attention to his farming activities, but takes an interest in all matters that affect his community, and may be relied upon to sup- port movements for good government.


Mr. Carson was married to Miss Mary Criss, daughter of Lawrence W. and Barbara (Stoll) Criss, natives of Germany, who were married in Logansport, Indiana, and the former of whom died in March, 1877. Mr. and Mrs. Carson have had four children, namely: Chester Cecil, born January 15, 1886, who is now superintendent of schools at Cowan, Indiana; Dottie, born August 30, 1894; Evaline, born January 29, 1896; and John W., born May 16, 1899. The family is identified with the Bethlehem church. Mr. Carson has interested himself to some ex- tent in fraternal work, belonging to Twelve Mill lodge, No. 713, Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has passed through the chairs, and to the grand lodge of the state. He has numerous friends in this order, and is widely and favorably known in other circles of activity in Clay township.


DAVID W. COOK. The agriculturists of Cass county are as a class prosperous and contented, living independently upon the fertile fields, which their energy has fully developed to the present high state of cul- tivation. Agriculture is well adapted to build up the American citizen- ship. It not only awakens interest and gives purpose, but teaches indus- try and self reliance. There is no other occupation that opens so wide a field for the profitable and agreeable combination of labor with culti- vated thought. Of the many well-to-do citizens of Cass county who are devoting their energies to the cultivation of the soil, David W. Cook of Clay township, is an excellent representative. He is a native of the county of Cass, Indiana, having been born in Bethlehem township, April 7, 1867, and a son of Charles and Margaret (Ball) Cook. (For the full chronological data of the parents of Mr. Cook see the sketch of Charles Cook elsewhere in this work.)


David W. Cook was reared as a farmer's lad and received a good practical education in the public schools of his native county. He remained with his parents till his marriage, and his first residence was on the MeKnight Williamson farm, in Bethlehem township, thence to the Warren Gazette farm in 1896, and in 1902, he located on his present estate of sixty acres, on which his residence is located, and he has seventy-five acres adjoining the other tract. His land is well cultivated and he has made substantial improvements of a modern character. Mr. Cook is a progressive man in his business methods, and in his political belief gives his allegiance to the Progressive party. He is known by his neighbors as being a gentleman of honor and integrity, and he and his family are members of the Methodist church.


It was January 21, 1891, that Mr. Cook wedded Miss Bertha Delo- plane, a daughter of William and Sarah (Zinn) Deloplane, and to this union five children, three sons and two daughters, have been born, and


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all are living except the son, William D., who died at the age of three years. Everett received his diploma from the public schools of Clay township in the class of 1910, and then was a student in the Logansport Business College. Frank received his diploma in the class of 1911, and he also attended the business college. Both Marguerite and Sarah are in the sixth grade. Mrs. Cook is a native of Butler county, Ohio, and was born January 30, 1872. Her parents were prominent citizens of Cass county, but both are now deceased. Mrs. Cook, like a true wife and mother, has ably filled her sphere in the rearing of her children and the care of her home.


Mr. and Mrs. Cook and family are citizens of Cass county, who are esteemed for their high moral, religious and social standing and it is with pleasure that this brief review is presented for preservation in the History of Cass County, Indiana.


CASSIUS M. CLAY SWIGART. In 1842, when adventurous settlers from the east, many from Ohio, were beginning to seek homes in Cass county, Samuel Swigart and wife drove their two-horse wagon, with the family provisions and possessions, all the way from the old Ohio home to what was then practically a wilderness in this section of Indiana. They were sturdy people, a commingling of German and Scotch-Irish blood pro- ducing a type that can hardly be excelled, and all their courage and re- sourcefulness, their strength of body and spirit, were demanded by the hard pioneer experiences that they were called upon to bear in those early days. The Swigart name has ever since been one that has been known and highly respected in Cass county, and a worthy representative of it may be found in C. M. C. Swigart, who is one of Clay township's well-informed men and enterprising agriculturists. Mr. Swigart is a son of Samuel and Jane (McPherson) Swigart, whose other children were: Frank, who married Marguerite Kline; Jessie M., who married Alice LaRose; Theodore P., who married Miss Phoebe McCoy ; Adam N., who married Tillie Mason; and Sarah, who became the wife of Samuel Carr. Seventy years ago, when Samuel Swigart first came to Cass county, Adamsboro was a larger town than Logansport, and in that vicinity he built his first little log cabin home. He continued to be en- gaged in agricultural pursuits during the remainder of his life, developed an excellent property on section 14, Clay township, and at the time of his death, in the early eighties, was one of his township's most highly esteemed citizens. He died in the faith of high morality and standard integrity. His wife, who passed away in 1892, was a member of the Presbyterian church.


Cassius M. Clay Swigart was educated in the primitive schools of Cass county, in the Westville Academy, under Professor Laird, and two years in city schools. He was also a teacher for three years in Cass county, and like the majority of farmers' lads of his day and locality, spent the summer months in the hard work of the homestead. He was born February 14, 1849, and was married December 27, 1872, to Miss Rosalie E. Thomas, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Wilson) Thomas, and she had two sisters and one brother, namely: Sarah M., who mar- ried Delbert Walker, and died in 1894; Eugene W., who married Minnie Conrad; and Alice A., who never married.


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When Mr. and Mrs. Swigart married they moved to Portland, Oregon, and there he engaged in horticulture, and remained there three years. In 1876 they returned to Clay township, Cass county, and here Mr. Swigart was engaged in the lumber business and agriculture for twenty years. Then they moved to Mount Vernon, Illinois, and he was a farmer there for three years, and his farm comprised one hundred and fifty-four acres, thence to Clay township where they now reside on a splendid farm of one hundred and twenty acres equipped with good buildings, and whilst in Cass county he has pursued horticulture and agriculture, and has been reasonably successful.


Mrs. Swigart is a native of Miami county, Indiana, and was born September 30, 1852. Her father, John Wesley Thomas, was a native of Pennsylvania, born December 20, 1826, and died in 1908. He was a manufacturer and agriculturist and politically formerly a Republican, then a Prohibitionist. He and his wife were members of the Methodist church and both are interred in the Bethel cemetery. Mrs. Thomas was born in Indiana, March 5, 1831, and died February 11, 1897. Mrs. Swigart was reared and educated in her native county.


To the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Swigart were born six children, three sons and three daughters, all living: Mabel Clare, wife of Edward A. Flory, a horticulturist of Miami township, was born in Portland, Oregon, and they have three sons. Ernest N., a resident of Clay town- ship, and a farmer, married Miss Lucy Angle, a native of Virginia, and they have two sons; he is a Progressive politically and the family belong to the Baptist church. Bernice M., wife of William E. Packard, a resi- dent of Miami township and an agriculturist, also assessor of the town- ship, has seven children, three sons and four daughters, and Ruth Clare, the little granddaughter, lives with her grandparents. Everett P., a resident of Clay township and an agriculturist, was engaged in rail- roading a number of years. He wedded Miss Minnie Jones, and they have one little daughter. Leona Ruth is the wife of Aaron E. Packard, a resident of Clay township and an agriculturist. James G. Blaine, a resident of Nightingale, Alberta, Canada, wedded Miss Hattie Kline. He was engaged in railroad work for years, and is the youngest of the family.


The homestead of Mr. and Mrs. Swigart is known as "The Eel River Valley Fruit and Stock Farm" and Mr. Swigart was the first man who successfully introduced alfalfa in Cass county, Indiana. He has devoted his time to general farming and stock raising, and his operations have been uniformly successful because he has brought to his work that intel- ligent and conscientious devotion that never fails to be rewarded with satisfactory results. His buildings are of modern design and substan- tial character, his land is well fenced, tiled and drained, his cattle sleek and well fed, and the entire appearance of his property shows the presence of able management. Modern machinery and appliances have played no small part in assisting Mr. Swigart in his march to a position of affluence, for he has ever been possessed of progressive ideas, and in this connection it may be stated that he cast his fortunes in 1912 with the new Progressive political party. With his family he attends the Christian church.


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EUGENE A. WALKER. For the full period of a half century, Mr. Walker has known old Cass county, having been a resident within the boundaries of this political division of the state since 1853. He is a man of honored and respected achievements, and owns one of the hand- some rural homes in Clay township.


Eugene A. Walker is a native of Genesee county, New York, and was born October 24, 1845. He was the oldest of four children, three sons and one daughter, in the family of Lyman G. and Charlotte S. (Moon) Walker. Only Mr. Walker and his brother Charles survive, the latter being a resident of Chicago, being married and having a family of one son, and is a Republican in politics.


Lyman G. Walker, the father, was also a native of Genesee county, New York, where he was born March 20, 1822, and he died December 27, 1872. By trade he was a tanner and currier. In 1850 he went to Cali- fornia, by way of the Isthmus of Panama as a seeker for gold and spent two years on the gold coast, being reasonably successful, and then returning to his old home in New York. Before making this adventure he had married and had two children. Lyman G. Walker traced his lineage back to Old England, and the family history in America goes to a widow Walker who came to the colonies on board the historic May- flower, settling in the New England states, and becoming the founder of this branch of the Walkers. Grandfather Obediah Walker was a soldier of the Revolutionary war and died January 30, 1832. On his monument are inscribed these words,-"A Veteran of 1776."


It was in the fall of 1853 that Lyman G. Walker, with his wife and family came to Cass county. The journey was made by rail as far as Cleveland, whence they took a boat to Toledo and from there to Logans- port came by the old Wabash canal. After remaining until the follow- ing spring in Logansport, the father brought his family to the farm where his grandson Adelbert resided in Miami township on the banks of the Eel river. Mr. Walker bought other land and added to his estate until the time of his death he had a hundred and forty acres. He made practically all the improvements, since when he moved to the farm it was situated in the wilderness. He was an early enough settler also to have seen many deer in this locality. Lyman G. Walker was originally a Whig in politics, and on the birth of the Republican party in 1856 he cast his first vote for Fremont. He was a friend of the public schools and both he and his wife were members of the Baptist church, and their remains now rest in the Miami Baptist cemetery in this county. The father was also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The mother was born in Genesee county, March 29, 1825, and her death occurred April 27, 1872. She was reared in her native county, and as a mother she was devoted to the interests of her family, and set her children an example of Christian fortitude and the best virtues.


Eugene A. Walker was a boy of eight years when the family accom- plished the migration to Cass county. He was reared on a farm and to agricultural pursuits, and received his education in the public schools of Cass county. The first school he attended in this county was in a log building, and the children sat upon split-puncheon slabs, supported by wooden pins driven into holes on the under side. Some of the text books which he recalls as having used when a boy were the McGuffey


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readers and spellers. Mr. Walker was nineteen years old when he started out for himself, and his first enterprise was on a farm.


He has been twice married. In 1869 he married Miss Minerva C. Thomas, and two children were born to this marriage, both of whom are now living. Nettie, a graduate of the Cass county public schools, and a member of the Methodist church, and is the wife of Harry Kistler of Indianapolis, where he is connected with the Armour Packing Company and is very prominent in the Masonic order, having been honored with the thirty-second degree of Scottish Rites. Adelbert M., who is one of the young and progressive farmers of Cass county, and his career is sketched elsewhere in this volume. The mother of these children was born in Miami county, and was a member of the Methodist church. Her death occurred in 1893. On November 11, 1895, Mr. Walker mar- ried Miss Harriet Gallahan, who was born in Miami county and reared and educated in Cass county. Her father is now deceased and her mother is a resident of Carroll county, Indiana.


The first land which Mr. Walker bought was eighty-four acres in Miami township. He went in debt to the extent of thirty-two hundred dollars when he obtained this place in 1868, and by hard industry and thrift finally paid off in full. All the improvements on the land were put there by his own work or direction, and when he took possession a log house with a board roof was about the only improvement that could properly be named as such. In 1910 Mr. and Mrs. Walker moved to Clay township, where they now reside on a beautiful little country place of thirty-eight acres and have erected for their residence a hand- some bungalow which is excellently finished and furnished, and is mod- ern in every detail. Outside of the house are a number of convenient, outbuildings for the stock, grain and machinery, and the home is situ- ated about sixty rods from the Vandalia depot.




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