USA > Indiana > DeKalb County > History of Dekalb County, Indiana, with biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of old families > Part 83
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832
DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
MARTIN C. SHEETS.
Conspicuous among the representative men and public-spirited citizens of DeKalb county, Indiana, is the well known gentleman whose name forms the caption of this article. He has made his influence felt for good in his com- munity in Jackson township, being a man of sterling worth, whose life has been closely interwoven with the history of the community in which he resides and whose efforts have always been for the material advancement of the same, as well as for the social and moral welfare of his fellow men. The well regulated life he has led, thereby gaining the respect and admiration of all his fellow citizens, entitle him to representation in a biographical work of the scope intended in the present work.
Martin C. Sheets was born on June 29, 1860, on the farm where he now resides in Jackson township, DeKalb county, Indiana, and is a son of Christ- ian and Margaret (Carr) Sheets. Christian Sheets was born in Ashland county, Ohio, and upon attaining mature years learned the trade of miller, having engaged in the operation of a grist mill in his community. He also followed farming to some extent, but in 1846, when about twenty-three years of age, emigrated from Ohio to DeKalb county, Indiana, and here bought the old Parks farm of one hundred acres, which was then practically all covered with timber. Here he cleared a space for a cabin and entered upon the strenuous task of clearing the land and putting it in cultivation. Later he bought eighty acres adjoining on the east and in 1864 again engaged in the milling business, which he continued for about ten years, running the old grist mill in Auburn. A new mill now stands on the site of this old mill. which for many years was a well known landmark here. His death occurred on September 12, 1882. Margaret (Carr) Sheets, who also was born in Ashland county, Ohio, accompanied her husband to DeKalb county, and here became very active in assisting him in his work in connection with the inau- guration of a home in the frontier. She was a good woman and enjoyed to a marked degree the confidence and love of those with whom she came in con- tact. Her death occurred on May 15. 1895, on the homestead where she had spent so many active years. To Mr. and Mrs. Sheets were born six children. namely : Hulbert Luther; Mrs. Sarah Huffman, who lives in Auburn and is the mother of three children, two living and one deceased : Amanda, deceased ; Martin C., the immediate subject of this sketch: Mrs. Maud P. Blankenship. of Chicago, Illinois, and a child who died in infancy.
Martin C. Sheets was reared on the home farm, received his schooling in
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MARTIN C. SHEETS
MRS. ANNICE SHEETS
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DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
the township schools and from boyhood devoted his attention mainly to farming pursuits. He also learned the trade of carpenter and cement worker, and in the latter line did many jobs of work throughout this locality. He worked on the old home farm in Jackson township and has spent practically his entire life there. He cleared thirty-five acres of the last eighty acres his father bought and also about twenty-five acres of the first one-hundred-acre tract. The old residence on the home place, in which the subject was born. has since been remodeled by him and substantial additions made to it, and the other farm outbuildings, such as the barn, have been remodeled, the latter being changed into a modern bank barn. Mr. Sheets has given marked evi- dence of his progressive spirit by building the first and only cement block silo in the county. He is the owner of one hundred and seven acres of excellent land, which is maintained at the highest standard of agricultural excellence, and which by its general appearance of neatness and prosperity makes a favor- able impression on the passerby. About fifteen acres of his land is covered by excellent timber and is considered very valuable. He also farms twenty- five acres belonging to his sister, Maud.
On May 25, 1884, Mr. Sheets was united in marriage to Annice Rus- sell, daughter of William and Sarah ( Wicks) Russell. William Russell was born in Ashland county, Ohio, coming in youth to Fort Wayne, Indiana, with his parents. Eventually he took up the vocation of a farmer and moved to Green township, Noble county, Indiana, where he followed the profession of stationary engineering, operating in the saw mills of that county. His marriage to Sarah Wicks occurred in 1857, and his death in 1864. He had two children, Annice, who became the wife of the subject of this sketch, and Mrs. Francis Haney, who lives in Albion, Noble county, this state, and is the mother of two children living and one deceased. Sarah Wicks was born in Allen county, Indiana, near Huntertown, and came to Noble county in 1842. After the death of her husband she came to live with her daughter, Mrs. Sheets, where she still resides. To Mr. and Mrs. Sheets have been born two children, Florous, who remains at home and assists in the farm work, and Russell, who is a draughtsman for the Pullman Car Company at Chicago. .
Politically, Martin Sheets is a supporter of the Democratic party, while, fraternally, he is a member of the Knights of Pythias at Auburn and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks at Fort Wayne. Mrs. Sheets is a member of the Presbyterian church and is also identified with the Pythian Sisters. She is a well educated and cultivated woman, and has been a true
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DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
and appreciative helpmeet to her husband in his work. She enjoys a wide acquaintance throughout the community and is well liked by all who khow her. Mr. Sheets is not only an excellent man personally and a hustler in his business affairs, but in the civic life of the community he has taken a large interest and gives an unequivocal support to every movement intended to advance the social, moral and educational welfare of his fellow citizens.
WILLIAM SCOTT FORNEY.
The life of the scholarly or professional man seldom exhibits any of those striking incidents that seize upon public feeling and attract attention to himself. His character is generally made up of the aggregate qualities and qualifications he may possess, as these may be elicited by the exercise of the duties of his vocation or the particular profession to which he may belong. But when such a man has so impressed his individuality upon his fellow men as to gain their confidence, and through that confidence be retained in im- portant positions, he becomes a conspicuous figure in the body politic of the community. The subject of this review is one of the scholarly men of his county, who, not content to hide his talents amid life's sequestered ways, by the force of will and a laudable ambition forged to the front in an exacting and responsible calling and earned an honorable reputation in one of the most important branches of public service. A well-educated, symmetrically developed man, his work as an educator has for many years been of such a high standard of excellence that his position in the front rank of his profession has long been conceded. Keeping abreast of the times in advanced educational methods, and possessing a broad and comprehensive knowledge, he is, because of his high attainments, a well rounded character and of large influence, eminently en- titled to representation in the annals of his county.
William Scott Forney, the present efficient superintendent of the high school at Ashley, Indiana, was born on October 3. 1882, on a farm in Smith- field township, DeKalb county, Indiana, and is a son of Adam Adic and Nancy (Cole) Forney. Adam A. Forney was born in Stark county, Ohio, about ten miles east of Canton, on April 22, 1847, and was the son of Henry and Nellie N. (Marks) Forney. Henry Forney was born near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, spending his boyhood days in that state and came with his parents, Henry and Mary. (Ritter) Forney, to Ohio, where they settled on a farm. There he followed the trade of brick making. In 1849 he came to
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DeKalb county, Indiana, the trip being made by boat from Toledo, thence by canal to Fort Wayne and by wagon from that city to DeKalb county. They settled on a farm of thirty acres, all of which was covered with timber and located in Smithfield township. This land Mr. Forney cleared and put in good condition and also assisted in clearing land for John Hamman, a far- mer owning land adjoining. He followed the brick-making trade here also and was one of the most serviceable men in the early life of the community. His death occurred in 1863 on the homestead farm. His wife, who was a native of Ohio, was married in 1836 to Henry Forney, and she, too, was a leading factor in the early life here, assisting not only in the rearing of a large family, but in the general work of the farm. She was a queen to her chil- dren, who adored her as a mother and who found in her a sympathetic help- mate and companion. Her death occurred in 1884 on the homestead farm. To Mr. and Mrs. Forney were born twelve children: One who died in in- fancy, Julia Ann, John, Elizabeth, Henry and Samuel are deceased ; Adam A .; Jacob, who is a farmer in LaGrange county, Indiana, married Elizabeth Wal- ters, and they have one child ; Abraham, a farmer near Ashley, Indiana, mar- ried Anna Zent. and they have two children: David, a carpenter at Ashley, Indiana, married Maggie Humphrey; Mary Ann, who is the wife of William Stoleberger, a farmer in LaGrange county, Indiana, is the mother of two children : William is a farmer in Kosciusko county, Indiana, married Maggie Lyons, to which union has been born one child. Adam A. Forney was about two years of age when he came with his parents to DeKalb county, Indiana, and he received his education in the township schools, working on the home farm as soon as old enough to assist in the work and also learning the brick- mason trade. He remained on the parental homestead until attaining his majority, and after his marriage, in 1881, he bought forty acres of land across from the homestead farm, which he ditched, tiled and fenced, and on which he built a splendid residence. He is still active as a farmer on this place, which he has developed into one of the best farms in the community. He has taken an important place in the civic life of the community, having served two terms ( six years) as supervisor of Smithfield township. He has been an active supporter of the Democratic party and, though not a member of any church, has been a Lutheran in his religious faith.
On July 21, 1881, Adam A. Forney married Nancy Cole, the daughter of Smith and Mary (Whistler) Cole. Smith Cole was a native of Seneca county, Ohio, and was reared to the life of a farmer. He came with his par- ents to DeKalb county in young manhood and here followed agricultural pur-
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DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
suits until his death. On October 12, 1862, he was drafted at Waterloo for military service and went to the front as a private in Company D, Thirtieth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, under Capt. Wheeler W. Griswaldt. He was discharged from the service in Tennessee on July 30, 1863. He was twice married, having six children by the first union, namely : Ellen, Will- iam, Sarah, Elizabeth, Mary Ann and Nancy M., and three children by his second union, Edward, John and Katherine. To Mr. and Mrs. Forney were born seven children; William Scott, the immediate subject of this sketch; Cora B., Herbert, Worthy, Earl, Adam Floyd and Nellie.
William Scott Forney received his education in the schools of Smith- field township, graduating from the Ashley high school in 1903. He then taught school at Smithfield Center for one term and four terms in the graded schools at Ashley. In 1908, soon after his marriage, Mr. Forney went to the Philippine islands with his wife, as supervising teacher, having about thirty- five native teachers under his charge, and during the three years in which he held this position he performed splendid service in advancing the educational status of the locality in which he was placed. Returning to the United States- in. 1911, in the fall of that year he entered Indiana University at Bloomington, and two years later he graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Re- turning to Ashley, Indiana, he here assumed the position of superintendent of the high school, to which he had been chosen, entering upon his new duties on September 15, 1913. He has demonstrated his eminent fitness for the posi- tion, and through his untiring efforts and able management the high school at Ashley has advanced to position among the foremost high schools of this sec- tion of the state. A constant student and deep reader, Mr. Forney keeps in close touch with the most advanced thought relative to pedagogical affairs and gives thoughtful and intelligent direction to the school under his charge. He has won the favor of patron and pupil and exerts a beneficial influence on not only the educational but the private lives of those under his care.
On April 19, 1908, William S. Forney was married to Ina Gurtner, the daughter of Henry and Joan (Clark) Gurtner. Henry Gurtner was born in DeKalb county, Indiana, and during his active years followed farming pur- suits, though he is now retired and is living at Hamilton, this state. His wife, who also was a native of DeKalb county, died in September, 1885. Mr. Gurtner was twice married, having five children by the first union and three by the second, these children in the order of birth being named Delbert. Mrs. Minnie Wolfe, Mrs. Ella Arnold, David, Mrs. Hattie Miller, Mrs. Irena Fee.
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DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
Freeman, deceased, and Ina. Mr. and Mrs. Forney are the parents of a son, Paul.
Politically, Mr. Forney is an active Democrat and, fraternally, a mem- ber of the Knights of Pythias. A man of kindly impulses and humanitarian spirit, he takes a deep interest in everything pertaining to the welfare of the community in which he resides, and is numbered among the representative citizens of his locality.
EZRA D. HARTMAN.
Among those who have stood as distinguished types of the world's workers was the late Judge Ezia D. Hartman, who was one of the able and honored lawyers of northern Indiana. He was a man of fine intellectual at- tainments, of most gracious personality, of strong and noble character, and one who labored with zeal and devotion in the pursuit of his vocation. As one of those who have lent dignity and honor to the legal profession in In- diana and who brought to his chosen vocation the strength and devotion of a great soul and a great mind, it is most consonant that an extended tribute to his memory be entered and perpetuated in this history.
Ezra D. Hartman was born in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, on May 16, 1841, and died at his home in Auburn, Indiana, on May 6, 1903. He was the son of Abram and Catherine ( Russell) Hartman, who are referred to specif- ically in the sketch of Joel E. Hartman, elsewhere in this work, therefore further mention will not be made of them in this connection. The subject of this sketch was brought to DeKalb county, Indiana, in 1847 with his parents and received a good common school education, in addition to thorough courses in commercial work and the study of law. He completed his law course in the University of Michigan, and in June, 1862, was admitted to the bar. However, soon afterward he felt called upon to enlist in his country's defense, and in August. 1862, he assisted in recruiting a company which was assigned to the One Hundredth Regiment. Indiana Volunteer Infantry, with which he went to the front. He was commissioned lieutenant of his company and was later promoted to the rank of captain. He experienced many hard- ships and discharged his duties with a fidelity and bravery which earned for him the commendation of his superior officers. However, his military service was the ultimate cause of his death, for he there contracted diseases which undermined his constitution and from the effects of which he suffered until
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DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
the time of his decease. In 1866 Mr. Hartman located in Waterloo, Indiana, where he began the active practice of his profession and the same year was nominated on the Republican ticket for representative against Hon. Freeman Kelley and, after an active campaign, was successful at the polls. In the fall of 1867 he was elected prosecuting attorney of the fourteenth judicial district, composed of the counties of DeKalb, Steuben, Lagrange, Noble, Elk- hart and Kosciusko, serving three years in this position and discharging his duties with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of his fellows. He con- tinued the practice of law in partnership with J. L. Morlan, in Waterloo, In- diana, until 1871, when he moved to South Bend, but two years later he re- turned to DeKalb county and formed a partnership with Hon. J. E. Rose, of Auburn, which continued until 1881. In 1898 Mr. Hartman was nominated in convention held in the Waterloo opera house for judge of the thirty-fifth judicial circuit, composed of Steuben and DeKalb counties, and was trium- phantly elected. During his term of office he was at times incapacitated for the discharge of his official duties because of his failing health, but he demon- strated a wonderful tenacity and will power and oftentimes presided over the court when almost any other man would have felt unable to be present. He was conscientious and carefully guarded the public interests as judge in ren- dering decisions and gave eminent satisfaction both to counsel and litigants. He manifested a thorough knowledge of the law and had a remarkable com- prehension of the main points at issue when a case was presented in his court. Kindly and considerate of the attorneys in his court, he was in turn treated by them with a reverence almost amounting to affection, as his death was con- sidered not only a distinct loss to the community, but to many of the attor- neys of DeKalb county his passing away was held to be a personal bereave- ment.
On October 15, 1868, Judge Hartman was married at Bryan, Ohio, to Mary Cunningham, to which union were born three children, Mabel, Walter C. and Hubert Ezra. Mrs. Hartman died a number of years ago, and there- after Judge Hartman made his home with his daughter, Mabel. Fraternally, he was an enthusiastic member of the Masonic order, having attained to the degrees of the Royal Arch, and was also a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. Religiously, he was a member of the Presbyterian church, in which he held the office of elder. He was a faithful supporter of the church's inter- ests, and in church, political and private life alike he was consistent in his motives and actions, never violating the confidence which the people univer- sally held in him. He was a fair, honest and able judge, a brave and courag-
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DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
eous soldier, a good citizen in the broadest sense of the term, and a friend who never violated any confidence placed in him. In all that constitutes true manhood and good citizenship he was a worthy example and none stood higher than he in the esteem and confidence of the circles in which he moved.
1
FRANK C. HOFFELDER.
One of the native sons of DeKalb county who has remained and made a success of life right here in his own community rather than being lured away to some distant locality by the "wanderlust spirit." there to seek an uncertain fortune amid strange environment, is Frank C. Hoffelder, a farmer of Smith- field township. He has worked hard for what he has and he is deserving of the competence and the valuable property that are today his.
Frank C. Hoffelder was born on April 3. 1874, on the old home farm of . his parents east of St. Michael's church in Smithfield township. DeKalb county, Indiana. His parents were John and Frances ( Miller ) Hoffelder. long prominent and successful residents of this locality and who reared their families to lives of respectability and honor in their respective communities. Frank C. Hoffelder spent most of his life until his marriage on the home place until, when about twenty-two years old, he worked for about sixteen months in the Baltimore & Ohio railroad shops in Garrett, and was also em- ployed on a farm near Traverse City, Michigan, about three years. In the fall' of 1902 Mr. Hoffelder bought eighty acres of land in section 3. and the lady who afterwards became his wife bought the eighty acres adjoining. In June of the following year they were married and immediately located on the sub- ject's farm and began the task of clearing the land and putting it under cul- tivation. Louisa Dapp, who became Mr. Hoffelder's wife, was a daughter of Alois Dapp and a sister of Henry Dapp, in whose sketch elsewhere in this. work is more detailed mention of the family history. At the time-they located on their new land the only improvements were a long stable and a little old log cabin which had been built nearly a half century before, the ceiling of which was so low that a man could hardly stand upright in it. The entire tract was practically a wilderness, not having been drained and being mostly swamp- land, but Mr. Hoffelder by the most strenuous labor succeeded in clearing it. ditching and tiling it and creating one of the best farms in this section of the county. He now has nearly one hundred acres under cultivation and has erected a comfortable and attractive residence. substantial and commodious
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barns and other outbuildings, and is following his agricultural operations along the most modern and up-to-date methods.
To Mr. and Mrs. Hoffelder have been born five children : Helene, Esther. Johnnie, Frances and Agnes. Politically, Mr. Hoffelder is a Democrat and takes an active interest in political affairs, though not in any sense a seeker after public office. Religiously, he and his family belong to the Catholic church, to which they contribute liberally of their means. Personally, Mr. Hoffelder is known to be a man of scrupulously honest principles, generous, kind and always ready to do his full share of the common duties of citizen- ship: in short, a genial, broad-minded man, whom to know is to admire and esteem. He has been very successful in his operations and has won the con- fidence of all who know him, owing to his honorable methods and upright life.
ALEXANDER PROVINES.
1
DeKalb county, Indiana, enjoys a high reputation because of the high order of her citizenship, and none of her citizens occupies a more enviable position in the esteem of his fellows than the gentleman whose name appears at the head of this sketch. A residence here of over sixty years has given his fellows a full opportunity to observe him in the various lines of activity in which he has engaged and his present high standing is due solely to the hon- orable and upright course he has pursued. As a leading citizen of his com- munity he is eminently entitled to representation in a work of this character.
Alexander Provines, who resides in Auburn, but owns a fine farm in section 9, Jackson township, this county, was born in Rowsburg, Ashland county, Ohio, on July 18, 1848, the son of Alexander and Dorcas ( Adanis) Provines. These parents were born respectively in Washington county, Penn- sylvania, on January 31, 1818, and Ashland county, Ohio, on January 16, 1821. The subject's grandfathers, Robert Provines and Hugh Adams, were born natives .of Ireland and the latter was a soldier in the war of 1812. In April, 1853, Alexander Provines, Sr., settled on a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in section 9, Jackson township, DeKalb county, Indiana, where he spent the remainder of his days, and where the subject of this sketch was reared to manhood. He received his education in the district schools during the winter months, while his summer vacations were spent in work on the farm up to his twentieth year, when he began teaching school, following this
MRS. RHODA PROVINES.
ALEXANDER PROVINES
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vocation during the following ten winters, one of which, 1870, was spent in Cass county, Nebraska. Mr. Provines has been prospered in his life's voca- tion and is now the owner of one hundred and thirty-four acres of splendid land in section 9, Jackson township, a part of which comprises the farm on which his father first settled. To the cultivation of this place Mr. Provines devoted himself untiringly and with eminent success until October, 1902, when he relinquished the labor of the farm and moved to Auburn, where he is now living in honorable retirement, although he still maintains supervision over the operation of his farm. The latter is well tiled and in good state of cultivation and has been numbered for many years among the best farms of the community, being productive and well improved in every respect. Mr. Provines owes his success almost entirely to his own efforts, for he was one of the beginners in this locality, enduring the hardships and privations of the pioneers, clearing and improving his farm and educating and rearing his children to honorable manhood or womanhood.
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