History of Franklin County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions, Part 125

Author: Reifel, August J
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1648

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FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA. 1263

Brookville township. Since the death of his first wife, in 1877, he has re- married.

John C. Gire was educated in the common schools of Brookville town- · ship, and after his marriage located on a farm in the township of his birth. By well-directed industry he has been able to buy a farm of one hundred acres, on which he carries on general farming and stock raising. He has given particular attention to the breeding of Holstein cattle and Duroc hogs, and adds not a little to his annual income from the sale of live stock. He has owned his farm since 1907 and since that time has placed many improvements of a substantial nature upon it.

Mr. Gire was married in 1901 to Nora Wattler, a daughter of John Wattler, a farmer of this county.

Mr. Gire is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and takes an active interest in the welfare of this organization. Mrs. Gire is a member of the Christian church and is an earnest worker in that denomina- tion. Mr. Gire is a man of genial and unassuming manner, and has lived such a life as to command the respect of those with whom he mingles.

HERMAN J. KLEMME.

Any true and lasting success is reached only by unremitting effort and the slow attainment of each successive stage. The young man who decides to succeed through the ownership and cultivation of a well-kept farm, finds this especially true when he starts with practically nothing but his own strength and ambition. However, many a prosperous agriculturist began as a farm laborer, then rented land, and finally purchased his own ground.

The above has been the case with Herman Klemme, who was born March 2, 1872, on the farm which he now owns in Highland township. He is the son of John Klemme and Margaret (Reifel) Klemme, to whom were born eight children, Joseph, Anna, Mary, Katharine, Emma, Charles, Her- man and Elizabeth.

John Klemme had small opportunity for education and worked the greater part of his life on the farm of his father, of which he received sixty acres at his father's death. He was married in 1855. In 1899 he sold his place and in 1901 moved to Brookville. A more complete account of his life may be found elsewhere in this volume.

As a lad Herman Klemme attended the local school and after arriving

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at man's estate worked for neighboring farmers for two years. Then the home place was rented, and finally, in 1899, the homestead, containing one hundred acres, was bought. Mr. Klemme follows general farming and stock raising, as is the custom and approved method in this section.

In 1901 Mr. Klemme married Elizabeth Wolber, who was born in Brookville township, the daughter of Jacob and Margaret (Baker) Wolber. Jacob Wolber tilled the soil his entire life, living in Highland township until he was twenty-one, then moving to Brookville township, where he died in 1900. His widow still lives and makes her home in Brookville.

Jacob Wolber was the son of Herman and Louisa (Cook) Wolber, who settled in the early days on the land in Highland township, where Henry Wolber now lives.

Mrs. Klemme's mother, Margaret (Baker) Wolber, was the daughter of Herman and Wilhelmina (Buddemeyer) Baker, both of whom were of German extraction, immigrating to America and settling on Blue creek in the early days. Herman Baker served in the Civil War and died at his home on Blue creek. His wife, who survived him, died in Brookville about the year 1902.

To Herman and Elizabeth (Wolber) Klemme have been born five chil- dren, Elsie Margaret, Walter Henry. Ada Mary, Esther Marie and Helen Caroline. These children have been reared under the guidance of the Luth- eran church, of which their parents are devoted members.

Mr. Herman Klemme lives a simple, unostentatious life, surrounded by a happy family and secure in the knowledge that he is doing his duty as ap- pointed by Providence and maintaining the best traditions of his sturdy Ger- man ancestors.

HARRY U. GOLDEN.

The career of Harry U. Golden has been such as to reflect credit upon himself and the worthy family name which he bears. Born and reared in this county, he taught school for many years and then engaged in general farming and stock raising, to which occupation he has been giving all of his attention for the past fifteen years. The school room lost an able instructor when he decided to engage in farming, but he has been no less successful as a tiller of the soil. He started in with practically nothing and at present he is owner of two hundred and sixteen acres of some of the best land in Springfield township.

HARRY U. GOLDEN AND FAMILY.

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Harry U. Golden, the son of George S. and Mary Jane (Hamlin) Gol- den, was born in Whitewater township, Franklin county, October II, 1870. His father was born in the same township February 4, 1845, a son of John and Nancy (Reding) Golden. To his parents have been born seven children : Otto, deceased, Lizzie, Harry, William, Nancy, Cozette and Edna. The reader is referred to the interesting autobiography of George S. Golden, elsewhere in this volume, for further information concerning the family.

Harry U. Golden received his elementary education in the district schools of Franklin county and later spent a year and a half at the National Normal University at Lebanon, Ohio. After leaving the university he en- gaged in teaching and for eleven consecutive years was a teacher in the public schools of Springfield township and one year in Whitewater town- ship. During his long service in the school room he gave eminently satis- factory service, and the hundreds of children who came under his super- vision have cause to be thankful for the help they received from him. About 1900 Mr. Golden decided to devote all of his time and attention to farming. He bought a small farm and as he prospered from year to year added to his acreage until he now owns two hundred and sixteen acres. He has built his present fine country residence, large and commodious barns and many out- buildings of various kinds. Under his skillful management his farm is yield- ing a most satisfactory return and he is justly classed among the most pro- gressive farmers of the county.

Mr. Golden was married August 25, 1894, to Mary Liming, and to this union were born three daughters, Irene, the youngest, now being a student in the Brookville high school. The other two, Alpha and Ruth, died in in- fancy.

Mrs. Golden was born July 5, 1873, and is a daughter of Enoch and Louisa Ann (Roberts) Liming. Her father was the only son of Thomas Liming, who was born in Whitewater township and lived to the advanced age of ninety years. Enoch Liming and his wife were the parents of two children, Enoch G., deceased, and Mary, the wife of Mr. Golden. Enoch Liming, Sr., and his wife have both been dead about thirty-three years. He was a successful farmer in Whitewater township.

Mr. Golden always has given his hearty support to the Democratic party and has been one of the leaders in local affairs. He served as trustee of Springfield township for four years, during which time he gave satis- factory service to his fellow citizens. He also served for five years as as- sessor of Springfield township. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias

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at Mt. Carmel. Mr. Golden is a man of splendid intellectual attainments and his influence is such that he adds stability to the community in which he resides. He and his wife are earnest workers in all movements having to do with the advancement of the best interests of the community in which they ,live and are very properly held in the highest regard by their large circle of friends and acquaintances.

WILLIAM H. OSBORN.

One of the pioneer families of Franklin county, Indiana, is the Osborn family, a worthy scion of which is William H. Osborn, a substantial farmer of Brookville township. Mr. Osborn has devoted his active career to farm- ing and stock raising and has been very successful in this dual line of activity.

William H. Osborn, the son of Squire and Nancy (Loback) Osborn, was born in Butler township, Franklin county, Indiana, December 16, 1874. His father was born in the same township and is still living in the county. Five children ivere born to Squire Osborn and wife, William H., with whom this narrative deals; Squire, Jr., deceased; Minnie, the wife of Frank White; Ida, the wife of Benjamin Kruthaupt, of Farmersville, Illinois; and Edward, a farmer of Butler township, who married Carrie Kroger.

Squire Osborn, the father of William H., was a son of James T. and Ruth (Nelson) Osborn, early settlers in Franklin county. Squire Osborn was reared in Franklin county and served for four years in the Civil War as a soldier in the Union army. He was in many of the hard-fought battles of that struggle, among which were the engagements at Shiloh, Vicksburg and Nashville. His wife died in 1888 and he still makes his home in Butler township.

· William H. Osborn received his elementary education in the. schools of Franklin county and later attended a business college at Marion, Indiana. After leaving business college he married and started farming in Hamilton county, Ohio. He bought eighty-three acres of land in Blue Ash township, that county, on which he lived for several years. He then sold his farm in Ohio and bought his present farm of two hundred acres in Brookville town- ship, this county, where he gives attention to grain raising, but has devoted most of his time to stock raising. He handles high class Chester White hogs and Holstein cattle and has been very successful in the management of his live stock. His farm is well equipped for modern agriculture and everything

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about the place indicates that he is a man of thrift, energy and good manage- ment.

Mr. Osborn married Emma Harvey, the daughter of Joseph Harvey, and to this union have been born three children: Alice, born April 16, 1905; Emma, born April 3, 1907, and William, born July 26, 1910.

Mr. Osborn has always been a stanch worker in the ranks of the Re- publican party and was postmaster at Haymond during two years of Roose- velt's administration. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. Osborn is rightly ranked among the enterprising citizens of his community, an honor which is his by virtue of the fact that he takes a deep and abiding interest in everything pertaining to its general welfare.

JOHN N. SMITH. -

A complete history of a man who had lived in Franklin county for seventy-five years would cover practically the whole history of the county. A man who has lived this length of time in the county is John N. Smith, who was born in Brookville township and now makes his home in Bath township. The occupation of farming has commanded his attention during his active career and his well-improved farm of one hundred and eighty-six acres in Bath township is ample witness of the fact that he has been successful. He has taken an intelligent and active part in political matters and has held official positions with. credit to himself and satisfaction to his fellow citizens.

John N. Smith, the son of Noah Noble and Harriet W. (Smith) Smith, was born August 28, 1840, in Brookville township. His father died in 1843 and his mother in 1845, consequently he was left an orphan at a very early age. His parents had one other child, a daughter, Margaret Jane, who was born February 3, 1842, and who died June 3, 1844.

After his mother's death, John N. Smith was given a home in the family of Doctor Wallace, of this county. Doctor Wallace and his good wife reared and educated Mr. Smith and the doctor helped him to buy his first eighty acres of land. After his marriage he bought his first land as he was able, and has added to his original tract. Upon his present farm of one hundred and eighty-six acres he has carried on general farming and stock raising in such a way as to acquire a very comfortable competence for himself and family.

Mr. Smith has been twice married. His first wife was Sarah Elizabeth

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Dubois, who died March 5, 1898. She was a daughter of Smith Dubois. To this first union were born two sons, Edwin M. and Charles W., the latter of whom is deceased. Edwin is a farmer of Springfield township, in this county. He married Martha Hedrick, and has five children, Charles R., Herbert N., Harry W., Elizabeth Esther and Walter. Mr. Smith married, secondly, on November 14, 1901, Elizabeth Weaver, the daughter of Michael Weaver, of Ohio.

Mr. Smith has been an active worker in the Democratic party for many years, and has been considered one of the leaders in local affairs. He has served as trustee of his township for six years, during which time he was instrumental in making many improvements in the roads and in the schools of the township. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being one of the oldest members of that popular ritualistic order in the county. The long career of Mr. Smith in Franklin county has been marked by many acts of kindness, his many deeds of this character having endeared him to his fellow citizens, and it is small wonder that he is highly esteemed by a wide circle of friends and acquaintances.

JOSEPH SHAFER.

One of the oldest and most highly esteemed citizens of Franklin county is Joseph Shafer, whose whole career of eighty-two years has been spent within the limits of this county. He and his good wife have been married fifty-four years and this probably stands as the record of Franklin county. The Shafer family are well represented in the county and, without exception, they have been excellent citizens. Mr. Shafer has devoted his active career to farming and stock raising and now owns three hundred and sixty-one acres of land in the county. He has lived a quiet and uneventful life, free from the worries of a business man and, consequently, is yet enjoying good health.

Joseph Shafer, the son of John and Catherine (Whitmore) Shafer, was born in Franklin county, December 2, 1833. His father was born in Penn- sylvania and was a son of Daniel Shafer, a native of the same state. Daniel Shafer came to Indiana and entered one hundred and sixty acres of land in Franklin county and lived here the remainder of his days. Daniel Shafer and wife reared a family of eight children, Daniel, Peter, George, Michael, Joseph, John, Pauline and Homer.

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John Shafer, the father of Joseph, was a life-long farmer. He and his worthy wife reared a family of eleven children, Jacob, John, Daniel, Eliza- beth, James, David, Jessie, William, Isaac, Mary and Joseph. Of these chil- dren, Isaac and Joseph are now the only ones living. John Shafer and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church and highly esteemed people in the community where they lived for many years.

Joseph Shafer received a limited common school education in the sub- scription schools of his boyhood days. He lived at a time when farming implements were very crude and many is the day he has spent cradling grain and later threshing it with a flail. He has lived to see Franklin county emerge from the pioner conditions to its present prosperous state of civiliza- tion and in this transformation Mr. Shafer has done a worthy part. In his earliest boyhood days he worked on the farm and it was but natural that he should engage in this occupation when he started out to make his own way in the world. As early as 1859 he bought his first land, buying one hundred and thirty-seven acres in that year. Year after year found him more pros- perous and he invested part of his money in land in the county. He now owns two hundred and twenty-four acres in the county in addition to his farm where he has been living since 1859.

Mr. Shafer was married in 1861 to Harriet Seal, the daughter of Harri- son and Lydia (Meyers) Seal, and to this union have been born three chil- dren, Frank, Jennie and Wilson B. Frank married Carrie Bourne and has one son, Carl B. Jennie married William Dickson, a farmer of this county, and has one son, Howard. Wilson B. married Ada Willey and lives with his parents.

Harrison Seal, the father of Mrs. Shafer, was a son of William Seal, an early settler in Franklin county. William Seal married Elizabeth Owens and he and his wife had seven children, John, James, Harrison, William, Harriet, Elizabeth and Hanna. Harrison Seal and his wife had ten children, John, William, Harriet, Eliza, Ira, Jane, Sylvester, James, Eldora and Frank. All of these children are still living with the exception of John and William.

Mr. Shafer gives his support to the Republican party. He has never aspired to public office, although he has frequently been consulted by the leaders of his party with regard to local affairs. He is a member of the Methodist church and he and his wife have given it their hearty support for many years. Mr. Shafer belongs to that fine type of citizens who helped to make Franklin county what it is today. Therefore, it seems particularly fitting that his career be recorded in the annals of his county's history.

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FRANK P. FLINN.

Among the prosperous farmers of Franklin county who have built up a comfortable home and surrounded themselves with the comforts and con- veniences of life, none have attained a higher degree of success than Frank P. Flinn. With few opportunities except what his own efforts and those of his wife were capable of mastering, and with many difficulties to overcome, he has made a notable success in life. He is a man of tireless energy and strong courage, and in his whole career has shown that he is an able and conscientious worker. As a friend and neighbor he combines those qualities of head and heart that have won confidence and commanded respect.

Frank P. Flinn, the son of Washington T. and Miranda (Little) Flinn, was born in Butler county, Ohio, May 23, 1858. His parents had four chil- dren, Frank P., with whom this narrative deals; Stephen B., deceased, who married Lillie Hodges, deceased; Alma, who became the wife of James Pugh, of Oxford, Ohio, and has three children, Ethel, Grace and Blanch; Robert, who has been twice married, his first wife being Elizabeth Hunter, to which union were born two daughters, Hazel and Mabel. His second wife was Lena Davis.

Washington T. Flinn, the father of Frank P., is a son of David Flinn, who was born near Cincinnati, Ohio. David Flinn married Mrs. Mary (Weaver) Mustin. His wife had one son, Mandervil, by her first husband. David Flinn and wife were the parents of two children, Washington T., the father of the immediate subject of this review, and Milton. David Flinn was an influential citizen of his community in Ohio and owned eighty acres of land near the city of Cincinnati. He was a stanch Methodist and was always interested in everything pertaining to the general welfare of the community.

Frank P. Flinn was reared in Butler county, Ohio, and received his education in the schools of his native county. His early training being re- ceived on the farm, it was but natural that he should follow in the footsteps of his worthy father. After his marriage he settled down to the life of a farmer and this has been his occupation down to the present time. Several years ago he came to Franklin county and purchased a farm in Springfield township. He has since added to his original purchase until he now owns three hundred and twenty acres of well-improved land. He built a hand- some country home in 1905, and has also erected barns and other outbuild- ings. His farm has all the appearance of being well managed, and Mr. Flinn is generally considered one of the leaders along agricultural lines in his town- ship.

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Mr. Flinn was married August 2, 1893, to Luta Barbour, the daughter of John Barbour. Her family formerly owned the farm on which Mr. Flinn now lives. Mr. Flinn and his wife have one daughter, Catherine Hortens, born February 25, 1897, who is still living with her parents.

Mr. Flinn and his wife are loyal members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and is deeply interested in the work of both these fraternal organizations. Earnest purpose and tireless energy have been among the most prominent characteristics of Mr. Flinn, and because of his many worthy qualities of head and heart, he has won and retains the respect and esteem of all who know him.

CLIFFORD B. MOORE.

It is gratifying to note that many of our college-trained men are return- ing to the farms. Within the past few years there has been an insistent cry that the young men were leaving the farm to engage in professional and business pursuits, but within the past decade there has been a marked change. Indiana is fortunate in having one of the best agricultural schools in the country at Purdue University, at Lafayette, while a recent change in the school law of the state makes it compulsory to teach agriculture in the public schools. The 1913 Legislature of the state provided for an office known as the county agent, a man who must be trained in scientific farming. It is not too much to say that the introduction of the county agent means the greatest stride in agriculture which Indiana has ever known. One of the younger farmers of Franklin county, Indiana, who was satisfied to settle down to the life of a farmer after leaving college is Clifford B. Moore, who owns eighty acres of excellent land in Springfield township.

Clifford B. Moore, the son and only child of Isaac and Lou (Bourne) Moore, was born in Bath township, Franklin county, Indiana, July 1, 1873. His father was born in Butler county, Ohio, and is a son of Robert and Sarah Ann (Wardwall) Moore, both natives of Ohio. Robert Moore and wife were the parents of eight children, Oscar, Theodore, Alphonso, Isaac, · Gifford, Mark, Amanda and Francis. Three of these children are deceased, Alphonso, Gifford and Amanda. Oscar served in the Civil War for three years and was severely wounded in that terrible struggle.

Isaac Moore, the father of Clifford B., with whom this narrative deals,

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was educated in the common schools and for fifteen years after his marriage farmed in Butler county, Ohio. He then moved to Franklin county, In- diana, and bought eighty acres in Bath township, where he is still living. He is a member of the Harmony Presbyterian church and an elder in that de- nomination. His wife, Lou Bourne, was a daughter of Nathan Bourne, a farmer of Franklin county, Indiana.

Clifford B. Moore received his elementary education in the schools of Butler county, Ohio, and later attended Miami University for two years. He married at the age of twenty-three and two years later bought his present farm of eighty acres in Springfield township. He has remodeled the house, built a large and commodious barn, and made many other extensive improve- ments, which have greatly enhanced the value of his farm.

Mr. Moore was married August 14, 1901, to Lena Dickson, a daughter of George Dickson, of Franklin county.

Mr. Moore is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, holding mem- bership in the Blue Lodge and Chapter at Brookville, and in the Consistory and Shrine at Indianapolis. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, in the faith of which denomination he was reared. Mr. Moore is in the prime of life and has a long career of usefulness before him, and the record he has made thus far is sufficient to prophesy a successful future for him. Genial in manner, kindly in disposition, thoroughly upright in all of his dealings, he well merits the high esteem in which he is universally held.

GEORGE H. BRADY.

The Brady family located in Franklin county, Indiana, in 1817, in which year the grandfather of George H. Brady entered one hundred and sixty acres of land in the county. Thus, for nearly one hundred years the family has been connected with the history of the county, and its various members have so lived as to win the high esteem and respect of the several com- munities in which they have resided. George H. Brady belongs to that class of intelligent farmers and stock raisers who believe in keeping pace with the latest advances in agriculture.

George H. Brady, the son of John P. and Amanda (Guard) Brady, was born in Springfield township, Franklin county, Indiana, October 19, 1857. His father, who was a native of Pennsylvania, was twice married. His first wife was Eleanor Nutt, and to this union six children were born, Sarah,

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William, Levi, Mary, Jennie and John. All of these children have passed away except Mary and Jennie. The second wife of John P. Brady was Amanda Guard and to this second union four children were born, Elizabeth, Jeremiah, Nelson and George H.

Elizabeth Brady and her brother, Nelson, are now residing on the old homestead in Springfield township. Jeremiah is living in Whitcomb, In- diana, farming the old homestead. He married Nancy Long, and has one daughter, Ethel. John P. Brady, the father of these children, came to Franklin county with his parents when he was very young, and spent the remainder of his life in this county.

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History of Franklin County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions, Part 125

Author: Reifel, August J Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen Number of Pages: 1648

Author: Reifel, August J
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1648