USA > Indiana > Dearborn County > History of Dearborn County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 53
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As heretofore noted, Mr. Spanagel is a Democrat in politics, and served in the Lawrenceburg city council for a period of four years. He is a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles and is an active and enthusiastic member of the Lutheran church. Mrs. Spanagel is a member of the Methodist church.
Mr. and Mrs. Spanagel have a host of friends in the city of Lawrence- burg. Mr. Spanagel is known as a hale fellow, well met ; a man of most cordial
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manners and agreeable personality. In Dearborn county politics he is a man of more than local prominence and influence and is considered an invaluable counselor in the deliberations of a party which, for the most part, has been dominant in this section of the state.
ERNEST W. SWARTHOUT.
Prominent in various leading enterprises of Aurora stands the name of Ernest W. Swarthout. Being a man of broad business experience, capable and progressive, as well as possessing unusual executive ability, his opinion is highly appreciated in matters pertaining to the welfare of his city. He is a man with ideas frequently ahead of the times, and never permits himself to get into a rut by clinging to out-of-date methods in anything and, as president of the People's Telephone Association, and secretary and manager of the Southern Indiana Telephone Company, of Aurora, has kept fully abreast of the recent wonderful advances in that line of endeavor.
Ernest W. Swarthout was born at Hayden, Jennings county, Indiana, on May 14, 1866, a son of Porter and Elizabeth (Walton) Swarthout. His education was secured in the little city of his birth, where he grew up, after which he secured employment with the old Ohio & Mississippi Railroad, with which company he was engaged as a telegraph operator for some ten years, which position he gave up to go to Aurora to take charge of the telegraph office at that place. In 1899 Mr. Swarthout organized the People's Telephone Company, and later, the Southern Indiana Telephone Company, and has been with these companies ever since. Fraternally, he is a member of Chosen Friends Lodge No. 13, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Aurora, and of the Modern Woodmen of America. Politically, he is a stanch Republican.
Porter Swarthout was a native of New York state, and was a boy when his parents came to Indiana, locating at Hayden, at which place he grew to manhood and followed the various professions of farmer, merchant and lawyer, in addition to which he operated a large stone quarry. He was enthusiastic over the progress of his home town, in which he was appointed prosecutor, and likewise officiated in various other offices. He married Elizabeth Wal- ton, also a native of New York, and to this union the following children were born : James Monroe, Edwin, Ernest, Herbert, Cecil, Harriet, and Lydia.
On July 15, 1891, Ernest W. Swarthout was united in marriage to Alice
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M. Platt, daughter of William H. and Sarah J. (Palmer) Platt, who was born on May 29, 1869, in Illinois, but reared and educated at Aurora, Indiana. Her religious sympathies are with the Presbyterian church. To this union has been born one son, Walton Palmer.
William H. Platt, father of Mrs. Swarthout, was born in December, 1842, in Manchester township, and his wife was born in the same township, April 4, 1844, and died on January 14, 1884. Mr. Platt enlisted in Company K, Twenty-sixth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, August 11, 1861, and was mustered out in 1862, on account of being disabled. He was married on February 29, 1863, to Sarah J. Palmer, which union was blessed with the following children: Harry .W., born on August 29, 1865; Alice M., May 29, 1869; Herbert L., September 4, 1873, who died on March 14, 1877, and Frank M., October 16, 1875.
Ernest W. Swarthout is an enterprising and public-spirited business man, who takes a sincere interest in doing all in his power to further the progress of Aurora. He is a member of the board of governors of the Ohio Valley Motor Club; a member of the board of directors of the Aurora Commercial Club; a member of the Aurora Chautauqua Association and president of the Aurora Tennis Association.
JOHN F. HORNBERGER.
Each generation necessarily builds upon the foundation laid by preceding generations. According to the firmness of the foundation, the superstructure will be substantial, or not. The future, of course, must be the judge of what character of foundation has been laid for the social, moral and commercial edifice being erected by the citizens of Dearborn county. However, from what the present historian notes of the high character, the determination of purpose and the exalted standards of conduct maintained by the leaders of thought and action in this section of the state in their work of carrying on the labors of those who wrought so wisely and securely in the past, it hardly can be doubted that the superstructure of the coming civilization of this region will be all that the present generation may hope for those who shall come after. It is partly the purpose of this volume to preserve for the future some account of the lives and the labors of those who now are doing so well their part in bearing aloft the torch of civilization in this region and it therefore is fitting (35)
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and proper that brief biographies be here presented of those who are and who have been leaders in this noble work. As such a purpose would be but incom- pletely carried out without the introduction of a biographical sketch of the gentleman whose name forms the caption of this modest review, it is a pleasure for the biographer here to present for the consideration of the future his- torian a brief resume of the life's history of John F. Hornberger, one of the oldest and best-known merchants in the city of Lawrenceburg.
John F. Hornberger was born in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, January 14, 1845, the son of John and Catherine (Loge) Hornberger, both of whom were natives of Germany, to whom were born four children who grew to maturity, namely : Marie (deceased), who was the wife of Valentine Koehler; John F., the immediate subject of this sketch; Henry, deceased, and Richard, who died shortly after attaining his majority.
John Hornberger, father of John F., was born in Minnfeld, kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, August 16, 1817, the son of George Nicholas and Anna M. (Forster) Hornberger, natives, respectively, of Steinweiler and Minnfeld, Bavaria, the former of whom was born on October 24, 1788, the son of Nich- olas and Margaret (Fiever) Hornberger, and the latter on January 7, 1797, the daughter of John and Margaret Forster, the forbears of both having for many generations been Bavarians. In 1831 George N. Hornberger immi- grated to America with his family, consisting then of his wife and four chil- dren, another child having been born to this worthy couple after their arrival in this country. The Hornbergers landed in New York in June or July of 1831, and on August 8, following, arrived in Cincinnati, in which city they made their home for six years, Mr. Hornberger, for a time after locating there, following his trade of cabinetmaker, he being a skilled workman in that line, but later engaged in the hotel business. In 1837 he came to Dearborn county and established a permanent home in Law- renceburg, where he quickly became one of the most influential men in the town. He took a prominent part in the affairs of the rapidly growing village and left his distinctive impress upon all he touched. He was quick to perceive the ultimate values hidden in the wilderness surrounding the town and en- tered from the government one thousand acres of land in Dearborn and Frank- lin counties, on much of which he realized handsomely in after years, as the community developed; his family being left in very comfortable circumstances at the time of his death on March 19, 1865. He left five children, John, Mrs. Anna M. Hauck (mother of Judge Hauck), Mrs. Mary C. Schulze, Mrs. Elizabeth Wiedelstadt and Mrs. Caroline Hitzfeld.
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John Hornberger, who became one of the foremost citizens of Lawrence- burg, was fourteen years of age when his parents immigrated to America and he grew to manhood in the city of Cincinnati and was married there, May 14, 1837, to Catherine Loge, shortly thereafter moving to Lawrenceburg, where he spent the remainder of his life. Catherine Loge was a native of Steinweiler, Coudel, Germany, and was a daughter of John and Anna M. (Odenbach) Loge, the former of whom was a son of John and Mary Loge and the latter, a daughter of Carl and Catherine Odenbach. John Loge brought his family, consisting of his wife and three children, Catherine, John and Bernhardt, to America in the twenties of the last century and died at Lawrenceburg in 1843, his widow, surviving his death more than twenty years, her death occurring in 1865. Upon arriving in Lawrenceburg John Hornberger engaged with his father in the hotel and grocery business and also, for some time during the early portion of his residence in that town, engaged, at intervals, in flat- boat transportation, his line of boats doing a thriving business. He also engaged in contract work, with particular reference to street work, his effect- ive service on the streets of Lawrenceburg still being a matter of distinct recollection among the older residents of Lawrenceburg. In 1853 he manu- factured about one million bricks and in the winter of 1855-6 engaged in the rendering business. Extending his general contracting business, he em- ployed a large force of men and filled heavy contracts on railroad and other engineering works, continuing that business until 1874, being one of the best known contractors in that line of work in this section of the country. While thus busily engaged in pushing his private enterprises, John Hornberger was not idle to the welfare of the public and took a large part in the civic affairs of the rapidly-growing city. In 1859 he was elected township assessor of real estate, to which office he was re-elected in 1864. He sat in the city council for sixteen consecutive years, from the year 1859, and was one of the fore- most factors in the development of the city's best interests. He was a stanch Democrat and for many years was one of the most forceful counsellors of that party in Dearborn county. For eighteen years he officiated as controller and manager of the Greendale cemetery and was for sometime a director of the Lawrenceburg Gas Company. He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, having joined the society in 1839, and lived to be the oldest member of the lodge at Lawrenceburg. Though not a member of any church, he attended and was a contributor to the good works of the Lutheran church, of which his wife was a devoted and active member, and both were earnest participants in all the good works of the community, no
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couple in the city being held in higher regard than they, or more popular in the general esteem of the townspeople. John Hornberger died in the year 1888, at the age of seventy-two years, his widow surviving him briefly, her death occurring thirty days later, of paralysis, she then being about seventy years of age. The funerals of these two excellent old people were said to have been the largest ever held in the city of Lawrenceburg, there having been a general outpouring of the people of the town and countryside to pay a tribute of general respect to the departed.
John F. Hornberger, now the sole survivor of the family of John Horn- - berger, was born and reared in Lawrenceburg, in which city his whole life, covering a period of seventy years, has been spent. He was educated in the local schools and upon reaching young manhood began writing in the offices of the court house, presently being made deputy county recorder. Following this term of public service, Mr. Hornberger made a trip to Knoxville, Tennes- see, but did not locate in that city; shortly returning to Lawrenceburg, where he learned the jeweler's trade, and presently opened a jewelry store in the city, which business he has since continued without interruption, a period of forty-six years; a most honorable and quite successful business career. Shortly after starting in business for himself in Lawrenceburg, Mr. Hornberger was elected city treasurer, which office he held for four years, still maintaining his jewelry business, however.
On December 22, 1869, John F. Hornberger was united in marriage with Buenavista McCright, who was born in Lawrenceburg in 1847, the daughter of Joseph B. and Nancy (Major) McCright, natives of Pennsylvania and early settlers in Lawrenceburg, and who died on April 13, .1905, at the age of fifty-eight years.
Joseph B. McCright was born in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, March 25, 1819, the son of Charles and Mary McCright. On August 19, 1839, he married Nancy H. Major, to which union seven children were born, Eliza- beth, Mary, Charles, Buenavista, Squire and two who died in early youth. The McCrights came to Dearborn county in 1844, settling in Lawrenceburg, where Mr. McCright and his wife spent the rest of their lives, becoming prominent and influential in the social and civic affairs of the community. She died on December 24, 1884, at the age of sixty-seven years, seven months and seven days, and he died on April 24, 1899, at the age of eighty years and one month, leaving sixteen grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.
To John F. and Buenavista (McCright) Hornberger were born five children, Catherine, Nancy, George and John (twins) and Verona. Catherine
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married Hiram Guard, of Lawrenceburg, to which union one child has been born, Gretchen. The Guards have a pleasant home in Lawrenceburg and it is with them that Mr. Hornberger makes his home. Nancy married J. I. Wingate, of Petersburg, Kentucky, to which union has been born one son, Henry Clay. George, who married Anna Schineman, lives in Cincinnati. John met his death by accidental drowning, at the age of nine, while swim- ming in the Ohio river. Verona married Harvey Green, of East Liverpool, Ohio, to which union was born one daughter, Gretchen. Mrs. Hornberger was a faithful and active member of the Methodist church and her children were brought up in the faith of that communion.
Mr. Hornberger is a Democrat and for many years took an active inter- est in the political affairs of the county, but in later years has somewhat re- tired from participation in the councils of his party. His only office-holding experience was that gained in the county recorder's office in his early man- hood, mention of which is made above, he having preferred to give his time and attention to his business affairs rather than to lead in civic affairs. This, however, has not prevented his earnest participation in all movements having as their object the betterment of local conditions in all lines, and there has been no more public-spirited citizen in Lawrenceburg these many years than he, his sage counsel and advice often having proved of value to the party leaders in this county. Mr. Hornberger is a member of Union Lodge No. 8, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of Dearborn Lodge No. 49, Knights of Pythias, in the affairs of both of which orders he for many years has taken an active interest.
Kindly in manner and speech, considerate in all his relations with his fellow men; just in his dealings, a lover of all mankind, Mr. Hornberger is one of the most popular and most highly esteemed men in the city of Law- renceburg, where he is honored and respected by all.
WILLIAM LEWIS HOSKINS.
One of the business men of this community whose industry, energy and ability have given impetus to the commercial life of Aurora is the man whose name appears at the head of this sketch. While not a native of that town, or even of the county, Mr. Hoskins has identified himself with the business interests of the town, during his residence of ten years, to such an extent
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that his influence as a merchant and manufacturer has been strongly felt. Mr. Hoskins is secretary, treasurer and general manager of the Wymond Cooperage Company of Aurora, Indiana. He was born in Washington county, Kentucky, April 19, 1871, the son of Hugh and Elizabeth (Snepp) Hoskins, both natives of Kentucky. Hugh Hoskin's father died in Shelby county, Indiana, in the early thirties, while his mother died about 1840. Their chil- dren were Elisha, Josiah, Hugh, Enos, Sarah and Isabel. Both were twice married. Hugh Hoskins was only a lad when, with his parents, he said good- bye to his childhood home in the Southland, and entered upon the new life in the Hoosier state, Shelby county being the place chosen, and there he grew to manhood. After engaging for some years in the tobacco and livery business in Edinburg, Johnson county, he moved on a farm, where he added to his regular labors contracting and building. At the age of seventy-six years, he died in Shelby county in the year 1899. He was a member of the Christian, or Disciples' church; his wife, an adherent of the English Lutheran church. Mrs. Hoskins was a native of Ohio, her maternal grandmother, Catharine (Neibel)' Snepp, having been a native of Montgomery county, that state, whose husband, John Snepp, was born in Germany. The latter was a farmer, and lived to a ripe old age. Their children, six in number, were William, Elizabeth, Maria, Joseph, David and Jane.
To Hugh and Elizabeth (Snepp) Hoskins nine children were born, namely, Catherine, wife of Daniel Oaks of Chicago; John S., of Bartholomew county, Indiana; Sarah, who married William Weil, of St. Louis, Missouri; Alice, wife of James Moran, of New York City; Emma ( deceased), who was the wife of Clement Hubbell; David J., of Elmhurst, Illinois; Josiah H., of Aurora, Indiana; Margaret, wife of John Barnes, of Texhoma, Oklahoma, and William L., the subject of this sketch. The mother of these children died in 1876, at the age of forty-two years.
At the close of his school days on the home farm in Shelby county, Will- iam L. Hoskins took up his residence in Cincinnati, where he also attended school. He then became a clerk in a drug store in Cincinnati, and while there, devoted his spare time to the study of pharmacy. In 1890, he changed his occupation to that of a traveling man, being employed by a wholesale shoe house, and followed that business for six years. Returning again to the drug business, he worked in the office of a wholesale drug company at Chicago. In 1905 he left that city and went to Aurora, this county, to assume the man- agement of the Aurora Furniture Company. After holding that position for a period of nine years, he became manager of the Wymond Cooperage Com-
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pany at the time of its organization in 1911, a position he has held ever since, and which has occupied his entire time. This is an incorporated company, being capitalized at one hundred thousand dollars, and employs about sixty persons. It manufactures a high grade of barrels and markets its product in all parts of the United States. Besides managing this enterprise, Mr. Hoskins is a stockholder and director in the Aurora Furniture Company and is vice-president of the Indianapolis Furniture Company, of Aurora.
On June 21, 1893, William L. Hoskins was united in marriage to Ella A. Smith, who was born in Aurora on December 26, 1873. Her mother, who before her marriage was Elizabeth Dennerline, also was born in Aurora. Her father died when she was only twelve or thirteen years of age. The mother is still living. Grandfather Smith was a Methodist minister in Ne- braska. Grandmother Dennerline was a Von Dressendoerfer, the mother of two children, Elizabeth and George. Although not having lived in Cincin- nati for some tinie, Mr. and Mrs. Hoskins are members of the Baptist church in that city. They are both active in the social life of the community and are held in the highest esteem by their many friends.
Mr. Hoskins, besides being a director of the Commercial Club of Aurora, is a member of the Dearborn Club, the Country Club and of Yeatman Lodge No. 162, Free and Accepted Masons. In his political affiliations, he is a Democrat, and has shown vital and practical interest in the welfare of his party.
By his genial nature, his ready sympathy with all movements tending to advance the city's prosperity, and his generosity, Mr. Hoskins has made many friends, who repose in him the utmost confidence.
HENRY HARMON FOLKE.
Henry Harmon Folke, farmer of Lawrenceburg township, son of John Dietrich Folke and Anna (Schwers) Folke, was born on March 12, 1879, in Manchester township. He was educated in the German and public schools of the county, and lived at the place of his birth until his marriage to Anna D. Hiller, February 18, 1909, and then moved to his present location, which he rented for one year, and then bought. The farm contains one hundred and forty acres and is well improved. It is located about three and one-half miles west of Lawrenceburg. His parents came from Hanover, Germany, when young and settled in Manchester township, where the father still resides. His mother died in the year 1885. His father married, secondly, Margaret
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Brandt, of Ripley county. To the first marriage were born three children, Henry Harmon, John and Aaron; and to the second, one child, Margaret. Aaron married Alma Hillman on April 30, 1914, and has one child, Marcella.
Anna D. Hiller was born on November 2, 1879, in what was then Miller township, now Lawrenceburg township, and is a daughter of John and Dor- othy (Ellinghausen) Hiller. She attended the public and German schools. Her parents came from Hanover, Germany, about 1865, and were married on August 26, 1866. Mr. Hiller was a farmer all his life, first as a renter, then bought a farm of one hundred and forty-eight acres, which is now the home of his son-in-law, Henry H. Folke. John Hiller died in November, 1910, and his wife died in March, 1905. They were the parents of eight children, namely : Henry, of Jackson county, Missouri; Albert, of Hampton, Iowa; Mrs. Margaret Diefenbaugh; Frederick, of Hampton, Iowa; Mrs. Mary Engleking, of Newkirk, Oklahoma; George, of Hampton, Iowa; Mrs. Anna D. Folke; John F. Hiller, Tipton, Indiana.
Henry Hiller has three children, Caroline, Frieda and Alma. Frederick has three children, Rudolph, Letha and Lavlin. George has two children, Lyle and Wayne. John has one child, Dorothy. Mrs. Margaret Diefen- baugh has eight children, Albert, Fred, Louis, Mary, Harry, Arthur, Anna and George. Mrs. Mary Engleking has one child, Herman.
Mr. and Mrs. Henry H. Folke have two children, Irma, born on Jan- uary 4, 1910; and Alvin, June 23, 1912. The family are members of the Lutheran church, and take an active part in all good works in the community.
ARCHIBALD SHAW.
Having lived in Dearborn county for forty-one years, all of which time has been spent in the city of Lawrenceburg, and being interested in local history, Archibald Shaw is peculiarly well equipped to supervise the preparation of this history. Aside from Mr. Shaw's wide acquaintance throughout Dear- born county, he is well acquainted with sources from which the history of this section is drawn, and has made a long and patient study of the Dearborn county annals. Moreover, Mr. Shaw received a splendid education early in life, and from the professional standpoint is well prepared to act as editor of this volume. Archibald Shaw has held many positions of trust and responsi- bility in Lawrenceburg and Dearborn county, and to all of them he has given the conscientious attention and service they have appeared to demand. Mr. Shaw is well acquainted with the business growth and progress of Dearborn
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ARCHIBALD SHAW
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county, since he himself for some years was personally identified with the business life of the city of Lawrenceburg.
As Mr. Shaw has said in his announcement to the people of Dearborn county, "It has been about thirty years since an authentic history of Dearborn county has been published. Since that date the county has made wonderful progress along all lines of endeavor, and it will be the purpose of the editor and publishers of the proposed work to chronicle fully and faithfully all important historical events, from the earliest coming of the white men to this section down to the present time."
Archibald Shaw is a native of Switzerland county, Indiana, where he was born on August 8, 1847. His parents were William and Linda (Rous) Shaw. William Shaw was a native of Paisley, Scotland, and Mrs. Linda (Rous) Shaw was a native of Little Horton, now a part of Bradford, York- shire, England. William Shaw came to America with his parents in 1816, and landed at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Not long afterward his father crossed the mountains to Pittsburgh and bought a flat-boat and floated down the Ohio river with his family. They settled in Switzerland county, Indiana, and lived there many years. Archibald was the eleventh of twelve children born to his parents.
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