USA > Indiana > DeKalb County > History of Dekalb County, Indiana, with biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of old families > Part 57
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DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
War of the Revolution, and others of the family have been noted for their courage and patriotism. After Reuben Dilgard's marriage in Ohio, he lived there until October, 1859, when he came to DeKalb county, Indiana, and located in the northwest quarter of section 7, Grant township, which at that time was covered by a dense forest, not a stick of timber having been cut. Though some other land had been bought in the neighborhood, but little of it had been at that time improved. Here Mr. Dilgard entered bravely upon the task of clearing and improving the land in true pioneer fashion, and here he and his wife lived the rest of their lives. They were the parents of four chil- dren, two daughters and two sons, the former dying in infancy in Ohio. The boys were the subject of this sketch and a brother, William, who was born on August 28, 1850, and died at the age of thirty-five years, unmarried. Reuben Dilgard died on July 27, 1896, and the mother, who was born May 11, 1824, died on August 17, 1891.
Simon A. Dilgard has spent all his life since coming to Indiana on the original farm excepting about three years spent in New Mexico, dating from March, 1909. He has been active during all these years and acquired a competency so that during the later years of his life he has been enabled to spend a good deal of his time in travel. He and his son together own three hundred and forty acres of land in one piece and his son's wife also owns a quarter section of land adjoining in New Mexico only a few rods from the old and historic Santa Fe trail. Mr. Dilgard has seen a good deal of frontier life during his travels, having come in contact with the Indians and the old trails and Indian battle grounds, which he has closely observed, and has also witnessed many strange customs among the border tribes. For a time he operated a flour mill at Auburn, but the mill was destroyed by fire in 1905.
On February 3, 1876, Simon Dilgard was united in marriage with Eliza Goodwin, who was born in Smithfield township, this county. the daughter of Daniel and Susanna (Kiefer) Goodwin. Daniel Goodwin was born in Wayne county, Ohio, on October 2, 1824, and was the son of David and Katherine Goodwin. He came to DeKalb county in 1843. His wife, Susanna Kiefer, was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, on September 21, 1828, the daughter of Jacob and Catherine (Smith) Kiefer. She was married on April 20. 1855, and came at once to DeKalb county, living in Smithfield township. Daniel Goodwin died on July 4, 1900, and Mrs. Goodwin is still residing in Smithfield township, where she enjoys the respect of all who know her. Daniel Goodwin was twiee married, his first wife living but a short time after their marriage. Her maiden name was Mary S. Barron, a native of Ashland
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DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
county, Ohio, where their marriage occurred on June 28, 1850. She was the mother of two sons, Philemon, born May 14, 1851, in Ohio, and Henry, born in Indiana on September 20, 1854. The mother of these children was born in Wayne county, Ohio, on August 2, 1830, and died on September 24, 1854. Daniel Goodwin first came to DeKalb county, Indiana, in 1853, and entered land in Smithfield township, after which he returned to Ohio for a time. By his union with Susanna Kiefer were born the following children: William, born August 24, 1856; Eliza, born August 26, 1858; Elmira, born September 10, 1860; John W., born July 22, 1862, and David, born October 20, 1866. To Mr. and Mrs. Dilgard have been born the following children: Myrara Arvie, who died at the age of four months; Ray C., an undertaker at Auburn ; Jay W., born March 17, 1887, is at home; Bernice, born August 8, 1892, died at the age of two months; Verna Katherine, at home.
Fraternally, Simon Dilgard has been a member of the local lodge of Knights of Pythias at Waterloo from the time it was instituted, and is also an appreciative member of the time-honored Masonic order. His parents were active members of the Lutheran church, in which they were earnest workers and were close students of the Bible. He, himself, has taken an active interest in local public affairs, having been a member of the first town- ship advisory board of Grant township. Politically, a Democrat, he has fre- quently been a delegate to county conventions and has been prominent in the councils of his party, enjoying a close personal acquaintance with Vice-Presi- dent Marshall and other eminent leaders of the party. He has been a man of industrious habits, showing wise discrimination and wise judgment in all his affairs and the success which has come to him has been gained by honest. earnest effort, for which he is entitled to the universal respect which is ac- corded him in this community.
EUGENE KELLY.
Fealty to facts in the analyzation of the character of a citizen of the type of Eugene Kelly is all that is required to make a biographical sketch interest- ing to those who have at heart the good name of the community, because it is the honorable reputation of the man of standing and affairs, more than any other consideration, that gives character and stability to the body politic and makes the true glory of a city or state revered at home and respected abroad. In the broad light which things of good report ever invite, the name and
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character of Eugene Kelly stand revealed and secure, and, though of modest demeanor, with no ambition to distinguish himself in public position or as a leader of men, his career has been signally honorable and it may be studied with profit by the youth entering upon his life work.
Eugene Kelly was born in Waterloo, Indiana, on July 17, 1879, and is the son of Alfred and Ada (Locke) Kelly, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work, consequently the family genealogy will not be referred to specif- ically at this point. Mr. Kelly was reared under the paternal roof and re- ceived his education in the public schools of Waterloo, where he graduated from the high school in 1899. After completing his education his first em- ployment was at telephone line work for his father, who then owned the Waterloo telephone exchange, and he continued in this line of effort until his father's death in 1911, since which time Mr. Kelly and his mother have owned the exchange and Eugene manages the business. He is up-to-date and pro- gressive in his ideas relating to business affairs and by his indomitable energy, courtesy to the patrons of the exchange, and his efforts to give good, quick. efficient and prompt service, he has earned the appreciation and good will of all who have had dealings with him.
Politically, Mr. Kelly is a Democrat and is active in the local organiza- tion, as was his father. Fraternally, he is an enthusiastic member of the Masonic order, in the workings of which he takes a deep interest.
In 1892 Mr. Kelly married Carrie E. Triplett, of Rome City, Indiana, a daughter of George and Addie (Chapin) Triplett. George Triplett was born in 1843, near Akron, Ohio, the son of Joshua Triplett. while his wife was born near Medina, Ohio. They were married at Medina, and soon afterward Mr. Triplett became a private soldier in the Seventy-fourth Regiment In- diana Volunteer Infantry, serving for three years. He was orderly sergeant, and was a courageous and faithful soldier, being severely wounded in battle. from which he was so badly disabled that he was unfit for field duty and was then detailed for service on a hospital transport. After the war he engaged in the grocery business at Toledo, and later at Medina, Ohio, and about 1872 went to Elk Point, South Dakota, where for a while he ran a restaurant and bakery. Subsequently he came to Indiana, again locating at Roanoke, near Fort Wayne, where he followed the same business until about 1878, when he went to Rome City, Indiana, and has been engaged in the hotel business about thirty-five years there. His wife died in March, 1912. Religiously, they were members of the Universalist church. To Mr. and Mrs. Kelly have been born two sons, Alfred, born December 17, 1904, and Grant, born September 6.
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1907. Personally, Mr. Kelly is a most courteous, companionable gentleman, influential in business circles and honorable and reliable in all of his dealings. He ranks among the enterprising and public-spirited citizens of the city in which he resides, manifests an active interest in whatever pertains to the progress of DeKalb county and co-operates with others in forwarding all measures whereby his fellow men may be benefited.
BENJAMIN CLOSE.
Standing for upright manhood and progressive citizenship the subject of this sketch has long occupied a conspicuous place among the representatives of the great agricultural interests of Indiana and his influence in every rela- tion of life has made for the material advancement of the community in which he resides and the moral welfare of those with whom he has been brought into contact.
Benjamin Close, one of the enterprising farmers and public spirited citizens of Grant township, DeKalb county, Indiana, was born on August 24, 1858, in Ashland county, Ohio. He is descended from a long line of sterling ancestors, the first member of the family to locate in America being Benjamin Close, who with two brothers came from England to this country in early. colonial days. The subject's paternal great-grandfather, Benjamin Close, Sr., was a soldier in the American Revolution and lived about forty miles from Buffalo, New York. Among his children was Benjamin Close, Jr., who married Elizabeth Gale, and among their children was Samuel, the subject's father, a native of Ashland county, Ohio, who married Mary Foote. Mary Foote was born in Lorain county, Ohio, and was the daughter of Charles and Mary ( Hunter ) Foote. The subject's parents grew to manhood and woman- hood in their native state and were married there, subsequently living on a farm, which pursuit the father followed during his active years.
The subject of this sketch was reared on the home farm in Ohio until thirteen or fourteen years of age, when the family moved to near Garden City in Blue Earth county, Minnesota, where the father bought a farm and lived there about twenty-five years, and there the mother died. After her death the father lived among his children and is now a resident of the state of Oregon.
The subject of this sketch was reared to manhood in Minnesota and at- tended the public schools there, being graduated from the high school at
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DEKALB COUNTY, INDIAN.\.
Garden City. After his marriage, which occurred in 1884, he continued farming in Minnesota for thirteen years, having acquired a splendid tract of one hundred and sixty acres. On October 1, 1897, he sold that farm and came to DeKalb county, Indiana, buying one hundred and eleven acres three miles north and a half mile west of Auburn, to which he has since devoted his attention with splendid results. Besides this farm he and his son own thirty- seven and one-half acres of land together. The subject's home place is well improved with a substantial and attractive residence, large and well built barns and other outbuildings, and the attractive and well kept grounds and other features of the farm reflect great credit on the owner. Mr. Close is modern and up-to-date in his ideas and keeps in touch with the most advanced thought relating to agricultural methods and practice. In addition to the raising of all the crops common to this locality he is also engaged in the rais- ing of fruit and the breeding and raising of live stock, in which he has met with splendid success.
In 1884 Mr. Close married Emma Shumaker, of near Napoleon, Ohio, the daughter of Joseph and Mary (Weiler) Shumaker, both of whom are descended from staunch old Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry. These parents remained on the farm, being engaged in agricultural pursuits until about ten years ago when they retired from active life and moved to Napoleon, where the mother died July 19, 1913. To Mr. and Mrs. Close have been born six children, of whom one is deceased, as follows: Percy, born August 5, 1885, died at the age of twenty-five years May 2. 1011. He married Grace Goetch- kins, of Union township, this county, and left a daughter, Audrey; Arden, who lives on a farm in Grant township, this county, married Lottie Grogg, and they have a daughter, Irene; Elma is at home with her parents, as are Joseph, Elbert and Maurice. The subject himself is one of ten children born to his parents, of whom one sister, Mrs. Jessie Osgood, lives in Calgary, Canada, and Perry is editor of the Dixon ( Montana) Herald, the other children being all deceased.
As already indicated, Mr. Close has devoted much close study to the science of agriculture and is without a peer among the farmers in his section of the county, being progressive in his methods and making use of the latest and most approved implements and appliances by means of which the lahors of the farm are not only greatly lessened but made much more effective and economical. He keeps in touch with the trend of current events, takes an active interest in public and political affairs and is numbered among the most progressive and enterprising citizens of his section of the county,
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DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
GEORGE NOIROT.
It is not an easy task to describe adequately a man who has led an emi- nently active and busy life and who has attained a position of relative dis- tinction in the community with which his interests are allied. But biography finds its most perfect justification, nevertheless, in the tracing and recording of such a life history. It is, then, with a full appreciation of all that is de- manded and of the painstaking scrutiny that must be accorded each statement, and yet with a feeling of satisfaction, that the writer essays the task of touch- ing briefly upon the details of such a record as has been that of the honorable subject of this sketch whose eminently successful career now comes under re- view.
George Noirot was born on February 18, 1864, in Paulding county. Ohio, and is a son of Nicholas and Magdalene ( Hurtig) Noirot, the former born in France in March, 1826, and died in January, 1905, at the age of nearly seventy-nine years, while the mother was born in Alsace, formerly France, now Germany, in March, 1823. These parents were married in France in 1850, and in the spring of 1853 they came to America, locating first at Findlay, Ohio. The father was called a knife maker, but was really an expert at any kind of edged tools. He was employed at his trade at Findlay for seven years and then went to farming in Defiance county, that state. From there he went to Paulding county, and lived at various places in Ohio, going from Paulding to Putnam county, where he made his permanent home. To him and his wife were born ten children, three of whom died young and seven grew to maturity, all of the latter marrying but one and having homes of their own. In his old age Nicholas Noirot sold his property, dividing the proceeds among the children with whom he afterward lived. His wife died on January 22, 1892.
The subject of this sketch was reared on the home farm in Putnam county, Ohio, and being about ten years old when the family located there .. he worked for his father until past the age of twenty-two years, and in the summer of 1886 he went to Kansas, where he worked by the month until the fall of that year. He then returned to Ohio and rented his father's farm, which he operated for about two years. He then went to Fort Wayne, In- diana, and engaged in business which occupied his attention for two years, after which period he sold his business or exchanged it for eighty acres of land in the southeastern part of Grant township, DeKalb county. In Ohio from boyhood he had been trained in the raising of potatoes and onions on
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George Noiroh
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DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
muck land and having discovered this class of land in DeKalb county, he conceived the idea that it could be developed to splendid potato and onion land, an idea that had never been thought of by the residents of this com- munity. The land which he bought was covered with swamps, tamarack bushes abounding everywhere, the only improvement on the entire tract being an old log cabin. To most people to produce a farm from this forbidding prospect seemed impossible. However, Mr. Noirot, with far-sighted shrewd- ness, saw a possibility and he drained, tiled, grubbed and cleared and in 1892 commenced to plant potatoes with some corn. In 1893 he put in some onions, being thus the pioneer in the onion and potato raising industry on any considerable scale in this county. In 1893 Mr. Noirot bought more land adjoining his first tract and added more in 1894. thus becoming the owner of one hundred and twelve acres of land in one body. about two-thirds of which was genuine muck land such as he had proved to be the most desirable for the potato and onion business. He continued the raising of these crops with splendid success until the fall of 1899, when he bought the Emerick farm. in Fairfield township, to which he moved, renting out the farm in Grant township. The Fairfield township farm comprises about two hundred and forty-nine acres, lying on high and rolling ground, and here he followed gen- eral farming and stock raising, together with the raising of potatoes and onions as side crops. Mr. Noirot lived in Fairfield township until December 14. 1903. when he moved to the city of Auburn. in order to give his children the advantages of the city schools, and rented his farm. During the first year in Auburn he rented a residence and then bought the Garwood home, one of the most beautiful and substantial residences in Auburn, where he now resides. He is now extensively engaged in dealing in timber and lumber, operating a saw mill in southeastern Missouri for two years, and in this, as in all other of his business ventures, he has been successful. He has also owned farms in various other localities, now owning a farm in Grant township, one in Fair- field township and a smaller place in Union township. To him this locality owes a large deht of gratitude, for he demonstrated a fact that has been taken advantage of by many others who have acquired fortunes in the raising of onions and potatoes from muck land. The land which was formerly worth- less cannot now be hought for one hundred and fifty dollars an acre and thus the agricultural resources of the county have been materially increased.
In January, 1894, Mr. Noirot was married to Emma Kessler, who was born in Coshocton county, Ohio, the daughter of Louis and Mary (Webber) Kessler, both of whom were natives of Germany. To Mr. and Mrs: Noirot
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have been born five children, namely : Cletus, Paul. George Leo, John Rav- mond, Mary Magdalene and Corina Effie. 'Religiously, Mr. Noirot and the members of his family are members of the Catholic church and he belongs to the Catholic Benevolent League of Indiana. Mr. Noirot occupies a conspicu- ous place among the leading men of DeKalb county and enjoys the confi -. dence and esteem of all who know him. His record demonstrates that where there is a will there is a way and that obstacles to success may be overcome by courage, self-reliance and persistency. 'His career, though strenuous, has been fraught with good to the community and he enjoys a well deserved popularity in the circles in which he moves.
JOHN JOEL EAKRIGHT.
An enumeration of those men of the present generation who have won honor and public recognition for themselves, and at the same time have hon- ored the locality to which they belong, would be incomplete were there failure to make mention of him whose name forms the caption of this sketch. The qualities which have made him one of the prominent and successful men of DeKalb county have also brought him the esteem of his fellow men, for his career has been one of well-directed energy, strong determination and hon- orable methods.
John Joel Eakright was born on March 15, 1852, in Wilmington town- ship. DeKalb county. Indiana, about two miles south of Butler, and is a son of Abraham and Susannah ( Miller ) Eakright. Abraham Eakright was born in Wayne county, Ohio, on December 30, 1827. His father, Samuel Eakright, was a native of England and came to America in 1811, and soon after enlisted in the service of the United States in the war of 1812, settled in Ohio and there married Mary Maxwell, a native of Ireland. In 1836 they moved to DeKalb county, settling in Wilmington township, where he died in 1853, and his wife in 1872. They had a family of thirteen children. When the family first moved to DeKalb county, their only neighbors were Indians, and it was eighteen months before Mrs. Eakright saw a white woman. Their trading point was Fort Wayne, or Lima, reaching the former place by pirogue boating on the river. None of Samnel Eakright's children are now living and John Joel Eakright, the subject of this sketch, is the oldest men- ber of the family. Abraham Fakright was married on June 19, 1851, to Susannah Miller, a native of Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, and the
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daughter of Joel and Sarah ( Eichelbarger) Miller, who came to DeKalb county in about 1847, locating four miles east of Anburn in Union township. where he bought a farm and lived during the rest of their lives. The Eakright family took a prominent place in the early life of this locality and Samuel Fakright built the first bridge across the St. Joe river at Newville, where the new bridge now stands. He was also the first road commissioner of DeKalb county. Of the children of Abraham and Susannah ( Miller ) Eakright, John J. is the subject of this sketch: Sarah A. is the wife of Lewis Manrow and lives north of Sedan: Edward W. is deceased; Mary Alenora is the wife of William J. Hoagland, of Auburn, and Ellsworth A. lives on the old home- stead in Wilmington township. Abraham Eakright's family was unbroken for over forty years. He was a faithful and earnest member of the United Brethren church until his death, which occurred on December 31, 1891. on the day following his sixty-fourth birthday anniversary. His life was long and useful, and he enjoyed the respect and esteem of all who knew him. His wife, Susannah, was born May 28, 1831, and came from Pennsylvania to Richland county, Ohio, with her parents, where they remained until about 1847, when the family came to DeKalb county. She, too, was a member of the United Brethren church from the age of sixteen years, and lived a sincere and faithful Christian life until her death, which occurred on April 6. 1904. in the seventy-third year of her age.
John Joel Eakright was reared on his father's farm and received his education in Butler and the high school at Auburn. In the fall of 1873 he began teaching school and continued this vocation successfully until 1885, when he compiled a history of DeKalb county. Resuming his pedagogical work then, he continued it until he had taught twenty-three years, of which period eighteen years was in his home district, and in later years he taught many children of former pupils, and in these children he plainly observed traits of character that had been noticeable in their parents. He had a good influence over these children, winning them and then stimulating them by kindness and argument rather than by force. Because of the personal inter- est he manifested in his pupils and the close touch that has been maintained between him and them during subsequent years, he receives many letters of grateful appreciation from them and is today numbered among the successful educators of his county, though he has not been actively engaged in the profession for a number of years. In 1884 Mr. Eakright was elected justice of the peace for a term of four years, and in 1895 he was elected trustee of Wilmington township, serving the regular term and the extension period because of legislative enactment, amounting to a total of five years and three
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months. In 1905 he was elected county surveyor, serving two terms with eminent satisfaction to all concerned, and was subsequently elected city engi- neer of Butler, but, owing to an injury received in a runaway accident, which disabled him after about a month of official service, he gave up the position and returned to Auburn, where he has since resided. He is the owner of a splendid farm of one hundred and six and one-half acres in section twenty, Wilmington township, from which he derives a gratifying profit. Politically, Mr. Eakright is a Republican and takes a keen interest in the success of his party. as well as in local public affairs, giving his support to every movement which promises in any way to advance the local welfare.
On October 28, 1874, Mr. Eakright married Acelia Treman, who was born in Wilmington township about two miles west of Butler, the daughter of Edgar and Laura (Spencer) Treman. These parents, who were both natives of Medina county, Ohio, were married there and came to DeKalb county in about 1841. With Edgar Treman came John Treman, his father. John Treman entered quite a tract of land and divided it among his children. Edgar owned eighty acres of land and there lived the rest of his life. He was a farmer and also a shoemaker, and his wife was in pioneer days con- sidered an expert weaver. Edgar Treman served as township trustee and was otherwise strong in his community, which was honored by his citizenship up to the time of his death, which occurred on May 21, 1885. His wife was a good, faithful woman, trained in the pioneer school of life and exper- ience and knew how to work and rear a family successfully in the midst of difficulties which would deter the average woman of the present day and she gave to her children the best years of her pure, nobile life. Her death occured in 1863.
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