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 9
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Mr. Walker is a Civil war veteran, and one of the youngest in Cass county. He enlisted in February, 1865, when about nineteen years of age in Company F of the One Hundred and Fifty-first Indiana Infantry, under Captain Davidson, and his regiment was put in the Army of the Tennessee. He served until receiving his honorable discharge in Sep- tember, 1865. In politics he is independent, and casts his franchise in the direction in which he thinks it will accomplish the most good. Mr. and Mrs. Walker support all elevating movements and policies for the moral and intellectual welfare of their county and township.
JOHN C. BARR. The annals of Cass county show many records of the lives of farmers who have rounded out the duties connected with agri- cultural pursuits and have amassed considerable fortunes gathered from the fertile soil. One who has met with well-deserved success along these lines is John C. Barr, of Noble township, who has resided in Cass county all of his life, and is well acquainted with soil and climatic con- ditions here. Mr. Barr has made farming his life work, and through intelligent management of his affairs has won his way to affluence. He was born in Harrison township, Cass county, Indiana, November 2, 1870, and is a son of Thomas and Jane (Goodwin) Barr.
The parents of Mr. Barr came to the United States from England in 1848, locating in Cass county. In 1852, in company with his brother-
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in-law, Thomas Goodwin, also a resident of Cass county, he left home to seek his fortune in the gold fields of California, leaving behind him a family consisting of his wife and three children: Mary, Thomas and Jeremiah. While enroute by water, Thomas Goodwin contracted yellow fever, from which he died, and his body was wrapped in a sheet and cast overboard. Mr. Barr continued his journey and on reaching his destination began life by staking claims. At this he met with varying success, and after enduring the hardships incident to the rough life of the mining camp for about six years, returned to his family with suffi- cient means with which to purchase outright six acres of land. Through his thrift, energy and perseverance, assisted by his good wife and his industrious family, he was able to add to this land from time to time, and at the time of his death, December 14, 1893, he left an estate of sixteen hundred acres, the greater part of which was under cultivation, this being located in Harrison, Boone and Noble townships. His wife's death followed January 6, 1901.
John C. Barr received the greater part of his education in the district schools, although he completed it at Royal Center. He was reared to habits of industry and honesty, and was taught the value and dignity of hard work, and thoroughly trained in the work of the farm. General farming and stock raising have always received his attention, and his success has come as a result of commendable industry and practical management of his affairs with a fixed goal ever in view.
On February 24, 1898, Mr. Barr was united in marriage with Miss Daisy Fisher, the oldest daughter of Jacob and Sarah Elizabeth (Suter) Fisher, of Cass county, and six children have been born to this union, all of whom are living. Harry R., graduated in the class of 1912, and has taken violin instructions; Ray W., is in the eighth grade, also has taken guitar music; Ruth, in the fourth grade, will take piano music; Nelson M., in the fifth grade, will take mandolin lessons; Grace, in the fifth grade. will take piano music, and Beatrice, in the third grade, is the youngest child. Mrs. Barr is a native of Cass county, born May 22, 1872, and she is the third of five children, three sons and two daughters, two dead and three are living. Her mother is a resident of Jefferson township, and the father, a native of Virginia, is deceased. Mrs. Barr was educated in the common schools. Their beautiful home is known as "Glendale' Farm."
Like his father, Mr. Barr is a Republican in politics, and has always been a stanch advocate of public improvements. With his family, he is a regular attendant of the Baptist church, and has always been a cheerful contributor to church and charitable needs when called upon. During his long residence here, he has formed a wide acquaintance, in which he numbers many warm friends. He is known as a good and public-spirited citizen and as an excellent farmer, and has done his full share in advancing the welfare of his community.
WILLIAM L. McMILLEN. The farming interests of Noble township are well represented by a group of practical, intelligent and able men, among whom William L. McMillen takes prominent place. Born July 9, 1871, in Noble township, Cass county, he is a son of Lewis and Frances Jane (McCauley) McMillen.
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The McMillen family is one of the old and honored ones of Cass county, where its members have been identified with the development of the section for eighty-five years. His grandparents, George and Susan (McMillen) McMillen, became residents of Cass county in 1828, entering upon life in the west in true pioneer style. The grandfather was a native of Pennsylvania and the grandmother of Highland county, Ohio. Locating on a farm in Noble township, Cass county, they there reared their family of four children: Lewis, Milton, William and Eliza- beth J. They experienced many of the hardships and difficulties of pioneer life and to the development of a new home in the forest, but as the years passed theirs became one of the comfortable homes of the community and their labors contributed not a little to the substantial development of their section. The grandfather took a prominent part in public affairs and for four years filled the office of trustee of Noble township, giving his support to the Republican party. He died in 1849, at the age of forty-four years, and in the faith of the Presbyterian church.
Lewis McMillen was born March 2, 1832, on the old home place in Noble township, and there he was reared to habits of sobriety, indus- try and honesty, and taught the value and dignity of hard work. He was married October 2, 1861, to Frances Jane McCauley, a native of Noble township, and daughter of Elias McCauley, and they became the parents of three children: James E., Minnie and William L. Mrs. McMillen died October 24, 1886, at the age of forty-four years, and many friends mourned her loss, for her sterling traits of character had endeared her to all with whom she came in contact. Like his father, Mr. McMillen was a Republican, and for one year served as supervisor of Noble township. He belonged to the Methodist Episcopal church, and lent his aid and influence to all movements for the public good. His business methods were honorable and straightforward, and his close application, continual perseverance and unabating energy enabled him to work his way steadily upward to a position of affluence. He was a loyal citizen, faithful in his friendships, devoted to his family, and enjoyed the warm regard of all with whom he came into contact.
William L. McMillen received his early education in the public schools of Noble township, and his vocation has always been that of farming, he having resided on his present property since 1896. On June 2, 1895, he was married to Miss Eva May Carney, of Winamac, Pulaski county, Indiana, and to this union there have been born three children, namely : LeRoy, who died August 23, 1896, aged six months ; Naomi and Esther. During the school term of 1892, Mrs. McMillen was engaged in teaching the district schools of Noble township.
Mr. McMillen has always given his support to Republican principles and candidates, and has several times held office, being assessor in 1900 and trustee in 1908. He is a member of the Odd Fellows lodge in Logansport, and with the members of his family, attends the Methodist Episcopal church. He has the reputation in his community of being a public-spirited citizen, always ready to support movements tending to advance the growth and development of his community, and as one who is a liberal contributor to church and charitable enterprises.
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WILLIAMSON WRIGHT was born at Lancaster, Ohio, on the 18th day of May, 1814, and was a noted figure in Cass county in his day. His father, Rev. John Wright, was born in Westmoreland county, Penn- sylvania, on February 11, 1777. He was prepared for college at Jeffer- son Academy, Commonsburg, Pennsylvania, and was graduated from Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in 1788. He studied theology under an uncle, Dr. James Power, a pioneer Presbyterian minister of western Pennsylvania, and was licensed to preach in October, 1802. In 1805 he became pastor of the First Presbyterian church at Lancaster, Ohio, and he held that pastorate for thirty-one consecutive years. In 1836 he came to Logansport, Indiana, with the expectation of passing the remainder of his days here in retirement. In connection with his ministry at Lancaster, Ohio, he had worked hard in organizing other churches in a large circle, and this strenuous work had seriously im- paired his health. His two sons, John and Williamson of this review, had preceded him to Logansport, and here the aged father settled to enjoy his remaining days. Rev. John Wright never accepted another pastorate, although he organized the First Presbyterian church of Lo- gansport, and was the first pastor of this church as well as others in Cass county, having an especial genius for that phase of his work. For fifteen years he was at the head of the Logansport Presbytery and once was moderator of the Synod of Indiana. He died on August 31, 1854. His wife was Jane Weakley, and they became the parents of three chil- dren : John and Williamson, both lawyers of renown in Logansport, and Edward, who received the degree of D. D., and was, as his father be- fore him, a minister of the Presbyterian church.
Williamson Wright was reared at Lancaster, Ohio, and was gradu- ated at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, when he was eighteen years old. He read law and when he was twenty-one was admitted to the bar. In 1835 he came to Logansport, Indiana, and he almost at once took rank with the foremost lawyers of this section. In 1840 he was elected state senator, and in 1849 was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress. It was largely through his efforts, and that of his brother, that Logans- port gained its first railroad, and he was president of the company that built the road between Logansport and New Castle. He acquired owner- ship to considerable land in the county, but at the time of his death had disposed of all but about seventeen hundred acres.
The latter years of Mr. Wright's life were devoted almost exclusively to looking after his large landed interests, but prior to that he was in- terested to a considerable extent in railroad matters.
Mr. Wright married Eliza Sering, of Madison, Indiana, who died in 1847, leaving two children,-John and Jennie, both now deceased. In 1852 he married Kate Swift, the daughter of Rev. E. P. Swift, D. D., of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and they became the parents of seven chil- dren, of whom brief mention is made as follows: Mary, the eldest, died when four years old. Kate married E. P. Tucker; Williamson Swift ; Elizabeth G., who became the wife of W. H. Barnhart; Anne Lucy, the wife of C. W. Graves of Logansport, of whom extended mention is made in other pages of this work; Etta D. and Elisha P. S., who is dead.
Williamson Wright died on the 28th day of March, 1896, and his widow survived him less than a year, passing away on February 5, 1897.
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Mr. Wright was actively identified with the Presbyterian church, and his benefactions, while large, were of the most unostentatious order. He was first a Whig, and then a Republican, in which political faith he continued all his life.
NORMAN ELMER MYERS. The whole life of Norman Elmer Myers thus far has been passed upon the farm and in the pursuit of that indus- try. He has met with a pleasing success in his work and is accounted one of the best established men in Noble township, which has been his home all his days. He was born in Noble township, Cass county, on August 18, 1872, and is the son of Henry S. and Mary Ellen (Tilton) Myers.
Concerning these worthy parents it may be said that the father came to Indiana from New Jersey, where he was born, locating in Noble town- ship in the year 1858. After a residence of something like a year in this place he went west, and at the outbreak of the Civil war he returned to the state and enlisted in the Fourteenth Indiana Battery. IIe remained with his regiment through thick and thin, and was honorably discharged at the close of the war. One year after the war he came to Cass county once more and settled on a farm in section 3, and in 1866 he married Mary Ellen Tilton, the daughter of Simeon and Sarah Tilton. Two sons were born to these parents: Frank Tilton Myers, born on March 9, 1866, in Cass county, and Norman Elmer, the sub- ject of this review.
Norman Myers was educated to a certain degree in the common schools of Noble township, and all his life with the exception of five years has been passed on the farm which he now occupies. The place is located in section 9 of Noble township, and consists of one hundred and thirty acres. It is a well cared for place, evidencing in every way the thrift and enterprise which mark its owner and have made him one of the prosperous men of the town.
On December 5, 1900, Mr. Myers was united in marriage with Miss Maud Wise, the only daughter of James and Margaret (Rue) Wise. She was born in Cass county on April 18, 1874, and here has passed her life. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Myers: Claud E., born September 7, 1901, and Mary Margaret, born on November 13, 1905.
Mr. Myers is a Republican in his political faith, but not more than ordinarily active in affairs of that nature, and he and his wife are mem- bers of the Presbyterian church.
ANDREW BURNETTE was a native of Highland county, Ohio, born there in 1828, and was a son of Edward Burnette, who was a farmer in that county, and a descendant of French ancestry. The advent of the Burnette family into America was at about the time when the American colonies gained their independence from the mother country, and they have ever since been worthy and substantial citizens of the new re- public. Andrew Burnette passed his boyhood on his father's farm, and such education as came his way was gained in the old-fash- ioned log school with its primitive and inefficient methods of instruc- tion. In 1847 he married Mary J. Horn in Ohio, and the year 1850
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marked the advent of the family into Cass county, when he and his wife settled on an eighty acre farm which they had purchased, for which he paid the sum of $300. Here he built a log cabin. It was no palatial affair; indeed, it was rude and unfinished, with its stick and mud chimney, its one room, eighteen feet square, and a door and a window. But here they settled down on their new farm and set in bravely to the work of making a farm out of a piece of wild land. Andrew Burnette and his family lived on this place until 1864, when he sold it and moved to a farm in Noble township, Cass county, but some time later moved to Clay township. Here Mrs. Burnette died on February 12, 1899. The death of the wife and mother broke up the home circle, as it does too often, and Mr. Burnette thereafter made his home with his mar- ried children until he died on October 26, 1902. Mrs. Burnette was a member of the Christian church, and was one of the truly estimable women of her community, where she was held in the secure regard of all who knew her. Andrew Burnette was a Whig, later a Republican, in which political faith he labored the remainder of his life. He was a quiet, unassuming man, of kindly disposition and a most admirable character, and known in his community as a good neighbor and a genuine friend, the esteem and confidence of a wide circle of acquaint- ances being his. Both these worthy people are at rest in Mount Hope cemetery, in Logansport. They were the parents of three children, of whom brief mention is here made: John H., to whom a separate sketch is devoted in other pages of this work; George C .; and Hannah, who is now the wife of Irvin Funston, her husband being a first cousin of General Frederick Funston, of Spanish-American war fame. George C. is married, also, and makes his home in East St. Louis.
JOHN H. BURNETTE was born in Highland county, Ohio, on February 8, 1849, and is the son of Andrew and Mary J. (Horn) Burnette, also of Highland county, Ohio, of whom extended mention is made in a separate sketch dedicated to Andrew Burnette. When John Burnette was an infant in arms his parents came to Indiana, settling first in Fulton county and later in Cass county, in both of which places they were engaged in farming. Thus has the early life, as well as the sub- sequent practical experience of John H. Burnette, been spent in the work of the farm. He early became acquainted with the various processes which go to make up the building up of a profitable farm from a barren wilderness, and his young life saw many of the privations and hard- ships incident to pioneer life. He secured such schooling as the schools of his immediate vicinity afforded, and so well did he improve his op- portunities in that way that in the winter of 1869-70 and 1870-71 he taught school in his district. On April 3, 1873, Mr. Burnette married Lizzie J. Thornton, and then began farming, first in Noble township, where he remained for two years, and then in Clay township, where he was busily engaged in the pursuit of farm life from 1875 to 1908. He was always a successful farmer, and those years brought him a pleasing prosperity. In 1908 he moved to Logansport, retiring from farm life, and here he has since resided.
Mr. Burnette is a Republican and has served his city as a member of the city council for eight years, as well as filling various other local
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positions of trust in the city which he has made his home. He is a member of the Masonic order and of the Knights of Pythias, and with his wife is a member of the Christian church.
Mr. Burnette has been twice married. One daughter was born of his first marriage,-Nellie, now living in Colorado, she married Mathew C. Warren, of Fort Collins, Colorado, of the firm of Moody & Warren. The wife and mother died on February 12, 1904, and on November 6, 1906, Mr. Burnette contracted his second marriage, when Mrs. Ida Wagner of Kewanna, Indiana, a daughter of James Murray, and the widow of Frank Wagner, a prominent Kewanna lawyer, became his wife. Mrs. Burnette had four children by her first marriage, but one of whom, Don B. Wagner, is now living.
GEORGE MCMILLEN, well known and prosperous in farming circles in this township, has demonstrated in a most telling manner his fitness for the life of a farmer. He was reared on the farm, but in starting out in independent life he decided to give up the humdrum existence he had so long known. Accordingly he established himself in the implement business in Logansport, but it is significant of the man that after fourteen years of honest endeavor in that business, he gave over his connection therewith and returned gladly to the farm, where he has since continued in peace and prosperity. Born on November 10, 1855, in Cass county, Indiana, George McMillen is the son of Robert and Rosanna (Harper) McMillen. The father was a millwright and passed his life in that work, death claiming him on July 7, 1890, less than a year after the passing of his faithful wife, who preceded him on the 26th of October, 1889. Both are interred in Harper cemetery in Noble township. The name McMillen is of Scotch-Irish origin.
George McMillen, their son, attended the district schools of Noble township and later finished his education in Smithson College. After his college career he turned his attention to farm work for a brief time, but in 1890 went into the implement business in Logansport, as has been already mentioned. Eight years ago the call of the farm drew him back to Noble township, and he has here continued since that time, enjoying a pleasing prosperity in his chosen vocation.
On March 4, 1886, Mr. McMillen was united in marriage with Miss Rose Kreis, a native daughter of Cass county, and the child of Philip and Caroline (Scheir) Kreis, who had lived for many years within the confines of the county. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. McMillen : Chester R. attended the common schools, Logansport high school and then the Logansport Business College, and is now employed by the Vandalia Railroad Company. He wedded Miss Blanche Hurd and they are residents of Logansport. Mabel E. received a common school education and then graduated from the Logansport high school, in class of 1909, and was a successful teacher in her home township two terms. She wedded Wm. J. Thornton, a resident of Logansport and an agent for automobiles. Mrs. Thornton is a member of the First Presbyterian church. Mr. Thornton is a member of "The Moose." Margaret was a student in the Logansport high school. She is at home with her father.
Mrs. McMillen, the mother, was a native of Cass county, reared and
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educated in her home county, and was during her life a devout member of the First Presbyterian church. She was a lady noted for her piety, her love of home and her children. Her death occurred in February, 1909. All her married life she had been an able factor to her husband in the building up of their happy home. Her remains are interred in Mount Hope cemetery, where a beautiful monument stands sacred to her memory.
Mr. McMillen's pretty little farm of twenty-one acres lies just at the north city limits of Logansport, Indiana.
Mr. McMillen is a Republican, but not especially active in political matters. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Powell Castle Hall No. 62, the Foresters, and the Woodmen of the World, all in Logansport, Indiana. He was brought up by his parents in the Presbyterian faith, always having attended the church of that denomination in Noble town- ship, and he and his children are members and attendants of that church today. Mr. McMillen enjoys the esteem and confidence of all who share in his acquaintance, and he is known for one of the estimable and stable men of the community, his life in Noble township being one that indicates in a telling manner the many splendid qualities of the man.
WILLIAM R. COGLEY. The appeal of the soil is very strong to some men, who return to farming as a means of livelihood after years spent in other pursuits, believing that in agricultural work may be attained the greatest measure of success by those who know how to till the land. William R. Cogley, a successful farmer and stock raiser of Clay township, was for years engaged in railroad work, but eventually yielded to the inclination that had guided a long line of agricultural forebears, re- turned to the tilling of the soil, and has seen no reason thus far to regret of his action, for today he is numbered among the more substantial men of his locality and stands high in the esteem of his fellow-citizens. Mr. Cogley was born in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, on January 4, 1867, and is the son of Samuel and Mary (Enders) Cogley. The family came to Cass county in 1869, and Samuel Cogley is still a resident of Noble township, where he has been engaged in the business of agriculture for the past forty-four years.
William R. Cogley was given the educational advantages that might be secured in the district schools of his day and locality, and he was early trained to farm work, which he followed with more or less diligence until he had reached the age of twenty-one years. At that time, he went to Logansport, and in that city was graduated from Hall's Commercial College. Following that addition to his education, the young man went to Chicago, and for eighteen months was engaged in a large mercantile establishment. He then returned to the home farm and for two years worked for his father on the home place. He subsequently entered the employ of the Pan Handle Railroad, beginning as a brakeman, and by faithful attention to his duty becoming engineer with the same road. He was for fourteen years employed in railroad work, and at the end of that time retired and bought a farm of eighty acres, which he is now occupying, located about two miles from the city limits, in Clay township. Progressive and enterprising, he has continued to add to his improvements on this handsome property, erecting a windmill
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and a number of substantial and commodious buildings, and by good management and intelligent working of the soil making his land pay him yearly substantial returns for the labor he has expended upon it. He has a comfortable residence, fitted with modern conveniences, and situated on Logansport Rural Route No. 4.
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