USA > Indiana > DeKalb County > History of Dekalb County, Indiana, with biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of old families > Part 97
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On March 27, 1890, Mr. Teeters was united in the holy bonds of matri- mony to Amanda T. Ober, daughter of Levi S. and Elizabeth Ober, who came from Bedford county, Pennsylvania, to DeKalb county, Indiana, in March, 1866, settling in Butler township, where they secured land and spent the rest of their lives, Mrs. Teeters' father dying on December 5, 1913, and the mother on May 5, 1905. They were members of the Dunkard church and he was a strong Republican. They were the parents of eight children : Sabina, Anna (deceased), David, Mrs. Teeters, Ida, Perry, Etta L. and John Arthur.
To Mr. and Mrs. Teeters have been born eight children, Ida E., Mary E., Ruth B., Ethalinda B., Esther F., Washington O., Anna S. and Levi M.
Since March, 1890, Mr. Teeters has had charge of the old home place. he being the owner of one hundred and ninety acres of land there. One hundred and fifty acres of this are under a high state of cultivation, general farming and dairying being engaged in, modern methods used in all the farm operations having made the farm a most productive and valuable hold- ing.
In political matters, Mr. Teeters is a supporter of the principles of the Democratic party and has served on the township advisory board. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
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P. A. SHURTS.
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A man who has won a competence by working long and hard in the proper direction and is now living surrounded by the comforts of life as a result of his former years of strenuous endeavor, is P. A. Shurts, of Con- cord township, DeKalb county, Indiana. He is one of the sturdy spirits who contributed largely to the material welfare of the locality in which he resides, having been one of the leading farmers and stock men for many years, and as a citizen he has always been public spirited and progressive in all that the term implies.
P. A. Shurts was born on April 6, 1849, in Spencerville, DeKalb county, Indiana, the son of George and Martha E. (Miller) Shurts, natives of Ohio. These parents had the following children: Mrs. Samantha Kimes, who died in 1908; Uriah, who died in March, 1913; Mrs. Emily C. Woodcocks, of St. Joe, this county ; John, of Chicago; P. A., the immediate subject of this sketch; Mrs. Hattie R. Culberson, of Auburn, this county, and George T., who lives in Columbus, Ohio.
P. A. Shurts secured his education in the common schools of his native locality and Auburn and was reared to manhood mainly in the home of William Phillips, his own father having died when the subject was but four years of age. He did not need his father's attention, however, as Mr. Phillips gave the lad all the love and protection that his own father would have done and Mr. Shurts retains a very warm affection for Mr. Phillips, remembering with gratitude the efforts in his behalf. At the age of twenty- four years Mr. Shurts took up the vocation of teaching and was thus en- gaged for ten terms, several of which were in the school located on the farm that he now owns. The farm, which consists of sixty acres, is known as Locust Grove farm, named by Mr. Shurts in 1901, and has for many years been considered one of the most fertile and productive farms in Concord township. Mr. Shurts has given careful and intelligent direction to his efforts, supervising every detail of his farm work, and his efforts have been rewarded with abundant returns for his toil.
On June 8, 1873, Mr. Shurts was married to Maggie M. Boyle, daugh- ter of Jonathan and Susan Boyle, and to this union were born two daughters, Ella Myrtle and Pearl, the former of whom died in early childhood. Mrs. Shurts was born in Concord township, this county, on March 1, 1852, and died on July 9, 1913, in the sixty-second year of her age. Early in life she was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church at Spencerville, but after
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her marriage she united with the Concord Methodist Protestant church. She was a true Christian, faithful wife and a loving mother and her death left a void in the community which cannot be filled. Personally, Mr. Shurts is a very congenial gentleman, always ready to assist in any worthy cause looking to the betterment of his community and he has a host of friends throughout the county who esteem him for his high character and genuine personal worth. Politically, he is a party Prohibitionist, being the first to endorse that movement in Concord township in 1884.
ALLEN WOLF.
The following is a brief review of the life of one who, by close atten- tion to business, has achieved success in the world's affairs and has risen to an honorable position among the enterprising men of the county with which his interests are identified. It is a plain record, rendered remarkable by no strange and mysterious adventure, no wonderful and lucky accident and no tragic situation. Mr. Wolf is one of those estimable characters whose in- tegrity and strong personality must force them into an admirable notoriety, which their modesty never seeks, who command the respect of their con- temporaries and their posterity and leave the impress of their individuality upon the age in which they live.
Allen Wolf was born August 15, 1860, on the paternal homestead in Franklin township, and is the son of Daniel and Mary ( Walter) Wolf. The father was born November 23, 1808, in Columbiana county, Ohio, and died December 20, 1883. The mother was born January 30, 1820, in Union county, Pennsylvania, and died January 17, 1902. These parents came from Ashland county, Ohio, to Indiana, in the year 1850, being among the very earliest settlers. The subject's parents settled in Franklin township, near Franklin Center, at which time they were in very moderate financial circum- stances, having but little ready money. Here the subject's father cleared his homestead entirely by his own efforts. To the subject's parents were born eight children, namely : Mrs. Melinda Myers, of Waterloo: Mrs. Amanda Myers, of Goshen, deceased; Andrew, also deceased; Mrs. Lucinda Hen- dricks, of White Pigcon, Michigan : Mrs. Matilda Rohrbaugh, of near But- ler : Samuel, Allen and William, of Franklin township.
The subject was reared under the paternal roof and received his edu-
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cation, which is somewhat limited, at the public schools of Franklin Center. He has spent practically his entire life in Franklin township, having re- mained at home until twenty-four years of age. Soon after his marriage Mr. Wolf moved onto his father-in-law's farm, near his present location, but nine years later moved to Anburn, where, during the following five years, he was employed by the Wabash railroad. At the end of that time he came to his present fine farm, which is located in Franklin township, and to which he has given his undivided attention since. He has made many substantial improvements, having rebuilt the comfortable and attractive residence, erect- ing the large and commodious barn and other necessary outbuildings. The present appearance of the place reflects great credit on the owner. Mr. Wolf gives his attention to the raising of general crops and also to the breeding and raising of live stock, in which he is very successful.
On January 17, 1884, Mr. Wolf married Phila Clark, who was born October 16, 1863, in Franklin township, DeKalb county, and whom he had known from childhood .. She is the youngest daughter of John N. and Mary Magdalena ( Hammond) Clark, who came to DeKalb county in 1842 from Stark county, Ohio, where the mother was born September 14, 1822. Her father, who was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, May 25, 1822, is of Scotch-Irish descent, his father having crossed the Atlantic ocean at the early age of two years. Mr. Clark entered eighty acres of land in Franklin town- ship, which at that time was densely covered with native forest trees. For this land he paid the sum of one dollar and a quarter per acre and this money he borrowed of old "Uncle Jimmy" Matson, one of the earliest settlers of the community and well known throughout this part of the state for his charit- able work among the new settlers. Mr. Clark, by the help of his noble wife. cleared their land and at the time of their death were the possessors of two hundred acres of fine farming land. They were the parents of the fol- lowing children besides Mrs. Wolf: Levi Clark; Mrs. Olive Rohm, of Franklin township; Mrs. Mattie Oberlin, of Coldwater, Michigan; also an adopted son, John Clark, Jr., who ownes and operates a part of the old Clark homstead in Franklin township. The names of the deceased sisters of Mrs. Wolf are as follows: Mrs. Susan Van Wagner, Mrs. Joan Gurtner, Mrs. Fietta Clark, Phiana and Irene. The father died May 25, 1905. and the mother on December 1, 1888. Mr. and Mrs. Wolf have one son, P. Carl Wolf, who was born September 28, 1892, in Auburn. Indiana. He was mar- ried June 20, 1912, to Alice Emma Bostwick, of Detroit, Michigan. At pres-
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ent he is employed as a locomotive fireman on the Wabash railroad at De- troit.
Politically, Mr. Wolf is an ardent supporter of the Democratic party, but has never been an office seeker. Fraternally, he has for a quarter of a century been an active member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in Hamilton. Personally, Mr. Wolf is a most affable gentleman, of honest con- victions and sincere purpose, his upright life and wholesome moral influence making him popular throughout the locality in which he is so widely known and in which practically his entire life has been spent. His wife is also a member of the Daughters of Rebekah and an ardent worker in the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and is noted for her charitable work in the community where they live. Together they have made for themselves a suc- cessful life.
REED F. PLACE.
The subject of this sketch is one of the substantial and well known agriculturists of Spencer township. DeKalb county, Indiana, being regarded as one of the leading farmers of this locality, his fine farm representing much hard labor, but the subject is a man of well known energy and determination in business affairs. Indolence and idleness are entirely foreign to his nature. and his continued activity in the management and development of this prop- erty has made his one of the valuable farms in this county.
Reed F. Place was born in Bradford county, Pennsylvania, on Septem- ber 30, 1862, and is the son of James M. and Lucretia ( Miller) Place, who also were natives of the old Keystone state. Eventually they left their homes there and moved to Ohio, where they spent the remainder of their lives. The father was a tailor by trade, which vocation he followed for many years, but eventually took up farming in Ohio. They were the parents of seven children, Orris, Della, Reed S., George, Mary, James and Louie.
Reed F. Place was reared under the parental roof in his Pennsylvania home and received his education in the common schools of that state. He has followed agricultural pursuits throughout his active life and has met with well deserved success. He accompanied his parents on their removal to Ohio, where he remained until 1902, when he came to DeKalb county and bought the fine farm of one hundred and four acres in Spencer township, which he now owns and to the operation of which he is devoting his entire attention. He has been deservedly successful, for he has faithfully given the most intel-
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ligent direction to his efforts and is today considered one of the up-to-date and progressive farmers of the community. He does not confine himself to any special line, but carries on general farming and stock raising, finding that the combination of these two lines affords the best chances of successful results. He has made many permanent and substantial improvements on his farm, which have increased its value and made it one of the good farms of Spencer township.
In 1886 Mr. Place married Della Berrington, the daughter of Samuel and Martha Ann ( Johnson) Berrington, who were natives of Ohio, from which state they came to DeKalb county, where they reside. To Mr. and Mrs. Place have been born six children, Bertha, Alva, Mervin, Gladys, Glenn and Roscoe.
Politically, Mr. Place gives his allegiance to the Democratic party, be- lieving the policies embodied in the platform of that party to be the best adapted to the needs of the American people. Religiously, he is a member and a regular attendant of the Christian church, to the support of which he contributes of his means. Mr. Place has always been a farmer and is re- garded by his neighbors as one of the best in the township, keeping his place well improved and under a high state of cultivation. What he has accom- plished shows that he has been a man of unusual business ability and has exercised rare soundness of judgment in all his transactions. Though not by any means a life-long resident of the locality, he has already attained to a marked degree of popularity and is numbered among the prominent men of his community, for he has so ordered his life as to merit the high regard and confidence of all who have come in contact with him.
BENJAMIN F. HAWVER.
Among those persons who have, by virtue of their strong individual qualities, earned their way to a high standing in the estimation of their fellow citizens, having by sheer force of character and persistency won their way from an humble beginning to a place of influence and prominence in the community where they are active in industrial affairs, the subject of this sketch is entitled to special mention in a volume of this character.
Benjamin F. Hawver is a native of DeKalb county, having been born in Butler township, on October 17, 1867, the son of Samuel and Eliza ( Stude- baker) Hawver, the former a native of Maryland and the latter of Ohio.
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DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
Samuel Hawver came from Maryland to Ohio in August, 1849, and after his marriage, which occurred in the latter state, he came to DeKalb county. Indiana, in the fall of 1853, settling in Butler township, where he remained during the balance of his life. He was a cooper by trade in Ohio, but after coming to Indiana he devoted himself to agricultural pursuits. To him and his wife were born fourteen children, all dying in infancy except five who grew to manhood and womanhood, namely: Mrs. Laura Singrey, of Fort Wayne; Merritt, deceased; Samuel, Benjamin and Wilbur Hawver, of La Otto postoffice, residing in Butler township, DeKalb county. Mrs. and Mrs. Hawver are both now deceased.
Benjamin F. Hawver was reared under the parental roof and during his youth was given the opportunity of attendance at the common schools. After completing the grades he attended the Fort Wayne Business College, where he gained a practical knowledge of business methods and then engaged in farming, which he has made his life pursuit and in which he has met with well deserved success. He is the owner of one hundred and nineteen acres of well improved land in Butler township, to which he has given thought- ful and intelligent attention, so that his labors have been rewarded with a high measure of success. The attractive and well furnished residence, large and well arranged barns with silo, good fences, well tilled fields and other important items of an up-to-date farm, convince the passerby that the owner is a man of good judgment and sound discrimination in his methods, the reputation which Mr. Hawver has borne for many years in the community which has been honored by his citizenship. Among the up-to-date features of Mr. Hawver's farm establishment are' rural mail delivery at his door. telephone service, and a large touring car, all of which go to make farm life a joy and blessing, rather than a life of toil and hardships.
On January 2, 1890, Mr. Hawver married Audrec E. Fair, the daughter of William and Adeline ( Moody) Fair. She was one of the first graduates from the Butler township schools and afterwards was a successful teacher. She is a representative of old pioneer stock in this county, the Fair family having been one of the first to locate in the wilderness in DeKalb county. . \n Indian trail led past their cabin door, and not infrequently the dusky red men would stop for milk to drink, showing their strings of scalps. How- ever, they never harmed the white settlers, who had been kind to them. Bar- bara Fair was the first white child born in DeKalb county, her birth occurring in October, 1836. To Mr. and Mrs. Hawver have been born two children. Don, who has completed the grade work in the common schools, was a grad-
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DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
uate with the class of '13 of the Garrett high school. He and his sister, Thelma, are at present at home with their parents.
Religiously, Mr. Hawver gives his support to the Methodist Epicopal church, of which he has been a member for a number of years, and in which he takes an active and effectual interest. Politically, he gives a stanch sup- port to the Republican party, though he has never been an aspirant or seeker after public office. A man of strong mentality and steady habits, he has won a warm place in the esteem of the entire community in which he lives, and is properly numbered among the representative citizens of Butler township.
FRANKLIN PIERCE SEILER.
Well directed efforts in the practical affairs of life and his capable management of his business affairs have brought well deserved prosperity to the gentleman whose name heads this paragraph, and his career forcibly demonstrates what may be accomplished by any man of energy and ambi- tion who is not afraid to work and has the perseverance to continue his labors in the face of any discouragements which may seem to arise. In all the relations of life he has commanded the respect and confidence of those with whom he has been brought into contact and a biographical history of this locality would need to contain his record should it profess to be con- plete.
Franklin Pierce Seiler was born October 11, 1855, in West Lebanon, Wayne county, Ohio, the son of John and Lucetta Seiler, and, with his parents, came to Fairfield township, DeKalb county, Indiana, in the spring of 1864, locating on a farm in the dense timber. Acquiring a good rudimentary education in the district schools of those days, the subject of this review took up pedagogical work and for twenty years was a teacher in the schools of this county, establishing a splendid reputation as an educator and showing a knowledge of improved methods in school work far ahead of the times. In 1880 Mr. Seiler completed a commercial course at Eastman's Business College at Poughkeepsie, New York, a training which stood him in good stead in his later business career.
On October 7, 1887, Mr. Seiler was united in marriage to Mino I. Andrews, of Newville township, DeKalb county, and this union has been blessed by the birth of two children : Paul Waldo graduated from the Auburn high school and is now employed as a traveling auditor for the Ford Auto-
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mobile Company, of Detroit; Bonnie completed her high school and prepara- tory college work, and is now teaching in the Auburn schools.
In 1898 Mr. Seiler was elected auditor of DeKalb county and served in that responsible position for four years, his administration of the affairs of that office winning for him the warm commendation of the citizens of the county, regardless of political affiliations, the many businesslike methods which he introduced effecting a great saving in the expense of the office, to the gratification of the tax payers. At the close of Mr. Seiler's term of office he remained in Auburn, engaging in the real estate, loan, insurance and abstracting business, having built up a splendid business. The scope of the subject's operations may be understood when it is known that he buys, sells and exchanges farm lands of all kinds, wild lands, irrigated and virgin timber lands, stock ranches, city property, mills, hotels, stocks of mer- chandise, and also is largely interested in colonization projects and co-opera- tive real estate.
Mr. Seiler and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which they give a loyal and earnest support. Politically, his allegiance to the principles and practices of the Democratic party has never been questioned, and his activity in behalf of this party has contributed largely to its prosperity in the community.
WILLIAM CLAYTON KETTERING.
The record of the gentleman whose name introduces this article contains no exciting chapter of tragic events, but is replete with well defined purposes which, carried to successful issue, have won for him an influential place in business circles and high personal standing among his fellow citizens. His life work has been one of unceasing industry and perseverance and the sys- tematic and honorable methods which he has ever followed have resulted not only in gaining the confidence of those with whom he has had dealings, but also in the building up of a large and profitable business.
William Clayton Kettering, one of the public spirited citizens and suc- cessful business men of Auburn, was born in Steuben township, Steuben county, Indiana, on August 5, 1874, and is the son of Moses and Eliza (Henderson) Kettering. Moses Kettering was born in Wayne county, Ohio, and was a son of Philip Kettering. In young manhood he went to Anamosa,
(62)
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Iowa, where he enlisted in Company H, Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and was engaged in service in the Southland to the end of the war. He was in the attack on Fort Donelson, the campaign in Tennessee, on Sherman's march to the sea, including the battle of Atlanta, and after the conclusion of the South- ern campaigns he took part in the Grand Review at Washington, the greatest military pageant the world has ever seen, and then received his honorable discharge. He had a sister living near Kendallville, Indiana, and coming to that place he accepted employment in a shoe store. While there he married a Miss Haughey and turned his attention to farming, settling on a tract of land in Steuben township. She died and he afterwards married Eliza Henderson, who was then living in the northern part of Lagrange county, this state, her birth having occurred at Canal Dover, Ohio. After his marriage Moses Ket- tering continued his farming operations during the remainder of his life in Steuben county. The subject of this sketch remained on the home farm there until twenty years of age, receiving his education in the public schools, graduating from the high school at Pleasant Lake. At the age mentioned he went to Ashley and during the following three years was employed in Stoner's drug store. One summer he went out of the store and then went to Garrett and took a position with the L. W. Stoner drug store there until January, 1898, when he returned to Ashley and took a position temporarily in the store in which he had first worked. In May of that year he came to Auburn and took a position in the drug store of H. B. McCord, with whom he remained nine years and nine months. He then, with his wife, went to Okla- homa on a visit and after his return here, on April 1, 1908, he bought the drug store owned by H. M. Phillips, at the corner of Seventh and Main streets, Auburn, where he has continued in business ever since. The location is as good as can be found in Auburn and here Mr. Kettering has built up a large and constantly increasing trade due to his courteous treatment and his evident desire to please his patrons. He carries a large and well selected line of drugs, books, stationery, wall paper and all other accessories of an up-to-date drug store.
On June 17, 1903. Mr. Kettering married Lella Warrick, of Auburn. who was born at Melburn, Ohio, and is a daughter of William and Bertha (Poole) Warrick. To whom have been born two children, Margaret and William.
Fraternally, Mr. Kettering is a member of the Knights of Pythias at Auburn, in which he has held the office of master of exchequer for two years. Religiously, he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
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Mr. Kettering takes a deep interest in the commercial and civic welfare of his city and is an active member of the Auburn Commercial Club, one of the most influential factors in the recent development of this locality. Owing to his genial disposition and genuine worth, Mr. Kettering has gained the un- reserved confidence and esteem of the people of this locality and is deservedly numbered among Auburn's representative citizens.
WILLIAM G. ERICK.
In placing the subject of this review before the reader as one standing in the front rank of Spencerville's enterprising men of affairs, whose in- fluence has tended to the upbuilding of the locality, simple justice is done a biographical fact recognized throughout the community by those at all famil- iar with his history and cognizant of the important part he has acted in the circles with which he is identified. His career presents a notable example of the exercise of those qualities of mind and character which overcome obstacles and win success, and his example is eminently worthy of imitation by those dissatisfied with their present attainments who would aspire to higher posi- tions of honor and trust, or wider spheres of usefulness.
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