USA > Indiana > Decatur County > History of Decatur County, Indiana: its people, industries and institutions > Part 87
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William L. Worland came to Decatur county in 1880, locating in Sand Creek township, engaging in the saw-mill business at Letts Corners, where he became quite successful. Upon the death of his wife, he went to Shelby- ville, this state, where his last years were spent in the home of his daughter, Mary Margaret, who still is living in Shelbyville. William L. and Nancy Ellen (Barnes) Worland were the parents of eleven children, namely : Mary Margaret, who lives at Shelbyville, Indiana; Charles W., the immediate sub- ject of this sketch; Elijah, who lives at Williamstown, Rush county, Indiana ; Albert, who lives at Shelbyville, Indiana; Lewis, who lives at Indianapolis; Mrs. Nora Simmonds, of Indianapolis; Henry, deceased : William, deceased ; Lilly, who lives at Denver, Colorado; Francis, who lives at Shelbyville, Indiana, and Morris, who lives at Greensburg, this county.
C. W. Worland has been a resident of this county since 1880, in which year he came with his parents from Shelby county. Until he was twenty-six years of age he assisted his father in the mill business at Letts Corners, but after that time rented a farm in Sand Creek township, where he lived until in September, 1904, when he moved to Clay township and entered seriously upon the life of a farmer. Being progressive in his methods of farming and energetic in his operations, he prospered and ten years ago bought his present farm of one hundred acres near the village of Milford, then known as the Rothschild farm. This is a fine farm, gently rolling, and its soil is of that variety locally known as "sugar tree" or "black walnut" soil.
On October 29, 1884, Charles W. Worland was united in marriage to Emma Davis, of Westport, this county, daughter of John and Mary (Dare) Davis, natives of Union county, this state, who came to Decatur county about the year 1870 and became prominent residents of the Westport neighbor- hood. Mary Dare's parents were natives of New Jersey and emigrated to Indiana shortly after their marriage, settling in Union county, where they spent the rest of their lives.
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To C. W. and Emma (Davis) Worland were born six children, as fol- low: Mrs. Eva Miers, of Adams township, this county; Clarence E., who remains on the home farm; Mrs. Mary Pumphrey, of Shelbyville, Indiana; Edward Leo, an express messenger on the "Big Four" Railroad, whose run is between Cleveland and Kansas City : Mrs. Alma Salter, of Marion, Indiana, and Raymond, who lives at home.
Mr. Worland is a member of the Christian church and is active in the good works of that church. He is a Democrat and ever since coming to Decatur county has taken a warm interest in the political affairs of the county, being deeply concerned in questions of good government. In Novem- ber. 1914, he was re-elected county commissioner from his district, his services during his first term in that important office giving to the public ample evidence of his excellent qualifications for that important office. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias lodge at Letts Corners and of the Masonic lodge at Milford, and takes a warm interest in the affairs of these two popular orders. Mr. Worland is a jovial man who has many warm friends throughout the county, all of whom hold him in the highest esteem.
JOHN JOSEPH PUTTMANN.
The gentleman, whose name appears at the head of this biographical review, needs no introduction to the people of Decatur county, since his entire active life has been spent here : a life devoted not only to the promotion of his own interests, but also to the welfare of the community at large. An honorable representative of one of the most highly esteemed families of this. section and a man of high character and worthy ambitions, he has filled no- small place in the public view, and, although a partisan, with strong con- victions and well-defined opinions on questions on which men and parties divide, he holds the esteem and confidence of the people of his community. He has been identified with many of the most important enterprises of this community and, in this way, has been largely instrumental in the prosperity of the locality with which he has been identified. A successful business man himself, he has, by his counsel and advice, been instrumental in assisting others along the highway of life and has rightfully earned the enviable position which he holds in the community.
John J. Puttmann was born on June 4, 1857, at Enochsburg, Franklin county, Indiana, the son of John Henry and Christina Charlotte (Storig)
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Puttmann, natives of Germany. John H. Puttmann was born in 1784 and died in September, 1861, and his wife, Christina C., was born in 1815 and died on February 28, 1885. John H. Puttmann was a sailor and worked on the sea for many years, being the captain of a German vessel and, at one time, owned two ships of his own. He was an accomplished linguist, being able to speak seven languages. He finally abandoned a seafaring life and came to Cincinnati, where he operated a grocery, subsequently moving to a farm near Enochsburg. About 1858 he bought a farm in Salt Creek town- ship, in Decatur county, where he spent the remainder of his days. His son, the subject of this sketch, now owns the homestead. Christina Puttmann · had been married prior to her union with Mr. Puttmann, her name having been Klimper, to this first marriage two children having been born, Fred and Henry Klimper, both of whom are deceased. Of the children born to the union of John H. and Christina Puttmann. John J. is the only survivor, Eliza. Frances, Margaret, Louis and Josephine, all being dead.
John J. Puttmann attended the common schools of Salt Creek town- ship and; at the age of fifteen years, in 1872, he became a telegraph operator at New Point and on January 9, 1874, entered the service of the Big Four railroad as agent and telegraph operator at North Bend. On May 1. 1874, he went to Lebanon, Boone county, Indiana, and on October 2, of the same year, he was again assigned to New Point, where he remained until his resignation, on May 1, 1888. He had faithfully discharged his official duties and was held in high esteem by his superior officers.
During all these years Mr. Puttmann had been keeping closely in touch with the public affairs of his locality and in 1882 was elected trustee of his township. So efficiently did he discharge the duties of this office that in 1884 he was again nominated by his party and re-elected. In 1890 the Democrats of his county nominated him for the position of county auditor and, being successful at the polls, he served four years in this responsible position. During President Cleveland's first administration, Mr. Puttmann served as postmaster at New Point, beginning on April 1, 1886. He has taken an active interest in political and other public affairs for many years and is numbered among the strong and influential men of his community.
John J. Puttmann has, from time to time, become interested in various enterprises in Decatur county and is now numbered among its most prom- inent business men. That his interests are diversified may be inferred from the following statements. A merchant at New Point, he deals in hardware. farming implements, grain, feed and building material and also operates, in connection with this business, a lumber yard and keeps a complete line of
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drain tile. He also owns two saw-mills, one in New Point and another a short distance from that place, both of which are devoted to the manufac- ture of hardwood lumber. He engaged in the lumber and building material business until 1878 and in the hay, grain and feed business until 1879, and in 1892 established the hardware business. He was successful in all of these lines and was counted one of the most successful business men of his community, gaining the confidence and good will of all who had dealings with him. His grain business has been very extensive. He bought grain while in the employ of the railroad company and, since entering business on his own account, he has pushed this line of operation so that now he ships from three thousand to five thousand bushels of wheat annually. His elevator has a capacity of thirty-five hundred bushels. His investments in these lines are approximately as follow: In the lumber and building mater- ial business, two thousand dollars; grain, two thousand dollars, and hard- ware and implement business, four thousand dollars. In addition, he is also the owner of four hundred acres in Salt Creek township, which he devotes largely to live stock and general farming and in the operation of which he has met with well-deserved success. One of the largest enter- prises in this community and with which Mr. Puttmann is very closely identi- fied is the Big Four Stone Company, which employs from thirty-five to sixty men and whose annual pay roll is from twenty thousand to twenty-five thou- sand dollars. The output of this quarry is shipped to all parts of the United States and, since the quarry began operations, in April, 1882, the annual shipment has amounted to from three hundred to five hundred cars. The output consists largely of building stones, flagging and crushed stone. The capital investment of this enterprise is thirty thousand dollars and the com- pany has one of the best quarry equipments in central Indiana, including a private railroad three miles long, rolling stock and a locomotive to facilitate the handling of the quarry output. Stone is now being produced from this quarry for a large building in West Virginia and for the colored Young Men's Christian Association building at Cincinnati. In the management of this entereprise, as in everything else in which he has engaged, Mr. Putt- mann has shown business qualities of a high order and his progressive spirit and indefatigable industry have been duly appreciated by his business asso- ciates. Wisely conservative. yet aggressive when necessary in his business affairs, Mr. Puttmann is considered a man of keen judgment and sagacious insight into the possibilities of a proposition to which he addresses himself.
On June 19, 1878. John J. Puttmann was married to Hester E. Osborn, who was born on January 10, 1855, the daughter of Albert I. and Florence
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Osborn, of New Point, this county. Mrs. Puttmann died on September 28, 1914. To this union were born five children: Rose E., the wife of Bernard Santen, of Columbus, Ohio, who has one son. Vernon ; Clyde E. H., a farmer, who married Virginia Jones and has three sons, Joseph J., Charles and Wal- ter; Elva Dora, who is the wife of Professor Bass, postmaster and principal of the schools at New Point; Leona L., at home, and Clara C., who married R. B. Bartow, of Ft. Wayne, Indiana, who is connected with the American Steel and Wire Company.
Mr. Puttmann is a member of the Catholic church at Enochsburg and gives liberally to all charitable and benevolent offerings. He has lived and labored to worthy ends and is one of the sterling citizens and representa- tive men of his community.
BERNARD ORTMAN.
A native of this county, who has spent his whole life on the farm which he now owns, few men in his neighborhood take a larger degree of interest in the general welfare of that community than does Bernard Ortman, of Marion township, this county, a progressive and industrious farmer, who enjoys the esteem and confidence of his neighbors throughout that part of the county.
Bernard Ortman, a well-known farmer, of Marion township, this county, was born on October 27, 1867, on the old home place, a son of Barney and Mary (Losekamp) Ortman. He owns a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres on which there is a modern house, which was erected in 1902. It is one of the best in Marion township. His parents both lived with him, and he cared for them in old age, and received as his share of the estate, the one hundred and sixty acres already mentioned, of which he plants twenty-five acres in wheat, and sixteen acres in corn each year. He is a stanch believer in the principles of the Democratic party and an earnest member of St. Mary's Catholic church at Millhousen.
Barney Ortman, father of the subject of this sketch, was born in 1834 and died on November 13. 1912. His wife, Mary Losekamp, was born in 1838, and died on March 1, 1914. Barney Ortman was born in Germany and came to this country in 1856, locating in Cincinnati, where he worked in a boiler factory until 1858, in which year he came to Decatur county and worked on a farm near Greensburg, later moving to Marion township, where he rented awhile, and then bought sixty acres, on which he lived for a time,
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and then sold it, buying part of an eighty-acre farm, on which he prospered, gradually increasing his holdings until he owned three hundred and twenty acres. Altogether, he bought and owned three or four farms. He was a good trader and money-maker, and was shrewd enough to conclude that land investment was the best. He was rated as a wealthy man, whose advice was sought by neighbors and friends. During the time of the Civil War, he dealt in cattle and was known as a great trader. He spent much time on horseback-trading. He was a strong believer in the principles of the Demo- cratic party and was a member of St. Mary's Catholic church at Millhousen. His wife was born four miles northeast of Millhousen. a daughter of Henry Losekamp, a very early German settler, and a man of wealth. Barney Ort- man and wife were the parents of eight children, namely : Henry, Lizzie, Bernard, Katie, Mary, Josephine, Verlena and George. Henry died at the age of nine years ; Lizzie is the wife of Adam Hessler, and lives at Muncie, Indiana ; Katie is the wife of Ben Hoeing, and lives in Marion township : Mary is the wife of James McQuarry, and lives in Tampa, Florida ; Josephine is the wife of Charles Hahn, and lives in Marion township, near St. Dennis ; Verlena lives across the road from her father's home.
Bernard Ortman was married in 1902 to Miss Josie Funke, who was born in Marion township, this county, a daughter of Frank Funke, who was an old German settler, and to this union have been born the following chil- dren : Louise, aged twelve years; Carl, aged ten; Frank, aged eight : Ralph, aged six ; Bertha, aged three, and Leona, born on October 30, 1914. Mr. Ortman is a member of the Progressive party and is enterprising and a hustler.
HARLEY SHULTZ McKEE, M. D.
Dr. Harley Shultz McKee, township trustee of Salt Creek township, Decatur county, Indiana, and a well-known practicing physician of Decatur county, located at New Point, was born on November 21, 1878, at St. Paul, this county, son of John B. and Mary (Lowe) McKee, both of whom were born in 1848. John B. McKee, a native of St. Paul, Decatur county, was a son of the Rev. Samuel McKee, a native of Pennsylvania. The former conducted a grocery for the stone workers and quarrymen for a number of years at St. Paul, New Point. His wife, who, before her marriage, was Mary Lowe, was a native of Decatur county, the daughter of Mack Lowe, a native of Kentucky, who was a school teacher by profession. Rev. Sam-
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uel McKee, the grandfather of Dr. Harley Shultz McKee, was a minister in the United Brethren church, and a farmer. During the days when ministers of the Gospel were accustomed to ride horseback to reach their various assignments, he was the minister at Gratis, and also preached at other churches in that vicinity.
To John B. and Mary (Lowe) McKee five children were born, in the order of their birthi, as follow: Nellie, the wife of Doctor Kerchel, of Greensburg; Kathleen, the wife of Rev, S. G. Huntington, of Rushville, Indiana, a well-known Baptist minister of southern Indiana; Gertrude, the wife of W. F. Barber, a well-known teacher in the schools of St. Paul; Dr. Harley S., the subject of this sketch, and J. F., assistant superintendent of the Big Four freight depot at Shelbyville, Indiana.
Educated in the public schools at St. Paul, Indiana, Doctor McKee studied for his profession in the Indiana Medical College at Indianapolis, and was graduated from the Illinois Medical University at Chicago in 1907. After his graduation he began the practice of his profession at New Point, and has built up a large practice among the people of that community, who have profound confidence, not only in his ability as a physician, but who admire him for his pleasing personality and modest, unassuming disposition. He is a member of the Decatur County Medical Society and the Indiana State Medical Association.
On January 17, 1914, Doctor McKee was married to Jennie M. Starks, daughter of Edward F. and Mary Starks, the former of whom is a well- known jeweler at New Point.
That Dr. H. S. McKee enjoys the confidence and respect of his fellow citizens and the people of Salt Creek township is thoroughly proved by his election, in the fall of 1914 on the Progressive ticket, as trustee of this town- ship. The people of the township admire Doctor Mckee because he is a self-made man. They admire him because he was willing during the time he was struggling to obtain an education for the practice of medicine to teach several terms of school in this county. In this way he was able to pay his way through medical college.
Doctor and Mrs. McKee are members of the Christian church. Fra- ternally, the doctor is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons at New Point, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of the same city, the Knights of Pythias of St. Paul and the Royal Order of Moose at Greensburg. He is also a member of the Order of Eastern Star and of the Rathbone Sisters.
Doctor McKee is a highly deserving physician and citizen, and the large practice which he enjoys has been built up on the substantial foundation of merit alone.
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CURTIS McCOY.
It is always a pleasure to write the history of a man who puts his abilities and capabilities to a use that not only gives pleasure to those of his own generation, but one who stands as a monument to his broad-minded nature, from which future generations may derive profitable lessons. Curtis McCoy, a well-known farmer of Washington township, this county, possesses an eye for the beautiful, and is a true lover of nature, as will be noted in the follow- ing pages. He has dug up some of the diamonds that, someone has truthfully said, are all around our feet. If more farmers would only beautify their homes, as Mr. McCoy has done, they would not only give a great deal of pleasure to themselves and their families, but they would double the selling value of their property.
Curtis McCoy was born in this county on May 2, 1863, a son of James Thornton and Martha Jane ( Custer ) McCoy. He attended school at McCoy's Station, and later went to DePauw University, attending in 1881 and 1882. He has always been a lover of farm life, and when he was married he and his wife moved on their farm of eighty acres in Wabash county, where they remained three years, at the end of which time they sold the farm and returned to Decatur county. After a short residence at McCoy's Station, they moved to Greensburg, where Mr. McCoy engaged in the clothing busi- ness, in which he was engaged until 1911, when he retired to the home farm at McCoy's Station, some time later selling the clothing store, since which time he has devoted all of his time and attention to general farming.
After years of planning and trying to arrange, Mr. McCoy and his wife have created a beautiful pleasure lake on the east side of their farm, one mile from McCoy's Station, and four miles from Greensburg, by pike road. The lake comprises forty-five or fifty acres, and the woodland section set aside covers one hundred and twenty acres. It is a beautiful tract of land and water, and Mr. McCoy has created a fine pleasure resort of this lake, which is already stocked with bass and channel-cat fish. He has boats and bathing houses for boating and bathing. The lake is over half a mile long and two- miles around, with an average depth of twenty feet, and is the only resort of its kind in southern Indiana. The lake is fed by running springs at the head of Cobbsfork creek, the waters of which are very valuable on account of their medicinal qualities. The lake is in a picturesque setting, with beautiful scen- ery and a wooded shore. McCoy's Station was an important place in the county, in the early days, having been at one time the greatest grain shipping
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MR. AND MRS. CURTIS MCCOY.
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point in Decatur county. It was an important trading point long before the war, and was also a noted "underground railroad" station.
Mr. McCoy is as successful in his farming as he was in business. McCoy's lake is his pride, and a realization of an ambition. Unaided, he expended funds in 1912 to build a large dam, and now has a body of clear, fresh water that has withstood drouths and floods, bidding fair to become a noted resort in the course of a few years. Mr. McCoy's farm now consists of two hundred and seventy-five acres, all in one tract. It is well improved, with fine farm houses, barns, etc., and has been in the family since it came into the possession of his grandfather in the year 1825.
James Thornton McCoy, father of Curtis McCoy, was born on May 22, 1824, in Bourbon county, Kentucky, and died on October 5, 1905, at Greens- burg, Indiana. He was a son of Judge Angus C. McCoy, and came with his parents, in 1825, to Decatur county, at his father's death, buying the home farm. He was for years postmaster at McCoy's Station, and his barn was a station of the "underground railroad." James T. McCoy was married on November 15, 1849, to Martha Jane Custer, who was born on September 3, 1829, and'died on July 15, 1893, and to this union were born the following children : Quincy Monroe, who died in infancy ; Arabella, who married a Mr. Oder, and went to California; Sarah Elizabeth, deceased; Robert Arnold, who lives in Greensburg ; Hattie Gertrude, deceased; Willian A., who lives near his brother, Curtis, and Glendora, deceased. Mr. McCoy was a Whig and then a Republican and later became a member of the Prohibition party. He and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church and their children were reared in that faith.
Angus McCoy, grandfather of Curtis McCoy, was born on March 13, 1789, in Washington county, Pennsylvania. His father, William McCoy, was born in Scotland in 1730, a son of Alexander McCoy, and came to America in 1772, settling on the west coast of Maryland, and later moved to Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania. Judge Angus McCoy died on October 12, 1865. in Decatur county. He was married, first, to Elizabeth Mary Smith, of Virginia, and his second wife was Elizabeth McPherson. McCoy's Station was erected on his farm. He was the first probate judge of Decatur county, serving from 1829 to 1843, and was a strong anti-slavery man. He and his wife were the parents of eighteen children.
Curtis McCoy was married on November 18. 1885, to Carrie A. Trimble, who was born on a farm four miles west of Greensburg, on January 12, 1864, a daughter of John B. and Mary Adelaide (Owens) Trimble, natives, respectively of Virginia and Indiana, both now deceased. John B. Trimble
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was one of nature's noblemen. He was self-educated, a deeply-read student of the law and became one of Decatur county's most prominent citizens. He built the first fence around the court house at Greensburg. He was a strong supporter of the Republican party, and for years was one of the leaders of that party in Decatur county, and was well liked for his honest and straight- forward dealings. His children were: Maria, who married William Morse, and lives in Indianapolis; Fred, deceased; Oscar, ex-county treasurer, who lives at Milford; Arthur, a farmer at Milford, and Carrie, who married Mr. McCoy.
To Curtis and Carrie A. (Trimble) McCoy two children have been born, Hazel, a graduate of DePauw University, now at home, and Trimble, who married Edna Hess, and is living on the home farm. Mr. and Mrs. McCoy are members of the Methodist church and their children have been reared in that faith, the family being looked upon as leaders in the good works of their neighborhood and held in the very highest regard by the entire community. Mr. McCoy is a Republican and a member of the Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias.
BENEDICT BRUNS.
To be satisfied with one's lot in this life, and make the most out of one's opportunities, places one on the list of those to be looked upon with a feeling amounting almost to envy. The most of us are so far-reaching in our desire for worldly gain, that we overlook many valuable opportunities. Mr. Bruns has been fortunate in recognizing that which was most suited to his desires and ability, and has been wise enough to let well enough alone. The life. termed by so many as the "humdrum" farmer's life, has proved to be an oasis to Mr. Bruns, after his years of activity in other lines.
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