USA > Indiana > Franklin County > History of Franklin County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 130
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William Anspach, Sr., was born in Germany and attended the common and high schools of his native village. He was apprenticed to the baker's trade and followed this industry for some time in his native land. He was married to Philipina Schinkal in Germany. She was a native of Miesabach and he was a native of Kusel. They came to America about the year 1850 and in 1851 arrived in Franklin county, Indiana, where they settled on Blue creek. He at first engaged as a farm hand, working by the day. He then went to Shiffard, Ohio, where he engaged in farming, remaining at that place for about a year. He then came to Cedar Grove, Franklin county, Indiana, and purchased forty acres of land. He was a man of intense indus- try and ambition and soon increased his holdings to four hundred and twelve acres. With the exception of two weeks' employment in a bakery in Cincin- nati, he devoted his entire time in this country to farming and upon creating an establishment in this section, he lived on his homestead in this county until he died. Both to him and to his wife were given in the fullest measure
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MR. AND MRS. WILLIAM A. ANSPACH.
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the happiness which they came so many miles, crossing the sea, to seek. They passed away beloved and revered by family and friends.
William Anspach, Jr., was educated in the district schools at Cedar Grove, Franklin county, to which place he came with his parents when eight years of age. After completing his schooling he assisted his father on the farm and upon reaching manhood assumed the active management of the parental farm, operating the same until it was sold in 1905. He then pur- chased the farm in Blooming Grove township on which he now resides. This farm, which embraces eighty acres, is devoted to general farming. Mr. Anspach has added many improvements since taking possession, having re- modelled all the old buildings and erecting several new ones.
In 1884 William Anspach was married to Mary Bohl, who was born in Dearborn county, Indiana, a daughter of Daniel and Margaret (Gilman) Bohl, both of whom were natives of Germany. The paternal grandparents of Mrs. Anspach were natives of Germany where the paternal grandmother died. Her paternal grandfather came to this country and located in Dear- born county, Indiana. where he engaged in farming. He was among the earliest settlers in Dearborn county and spent his last years there. The ma- ternal grandparents of Mrs. Anspach were Philip and Dorotha Schlemmer, who also were natives of Germany and came to this country, eventually locat- ing in Dearborn county, Indiana. They became well-to-do farmers of that county and lived there the remainder of their lives.
Daniel Bohl, father of Mrs. William Anspach, was born in Dearborn county, Indiana, and was educated in the schools of that place. He engaged in farming and followed that occupation until 1911, when he retired, pos- sessed of one hundred acres of splendid farm land. To his marriage were born the following children: Mary (now Mrs. William Anspach), Anna, Elizabeth, Katherine and Peter.
To Mr. and Mrs. William Anspach, Jr., have been born four children : Charles A., a carpenter, of Cincinnati, Ohio; Anna, now Mrs. William Molder, of Hamilton, Ohio; Harry H., who remains at home, and William, who died in infancy. The Anspach family are members of the Lutheran church, in the affairs of which they have always been active.
Mr. Anspach is a citizen of splendid attainments and is highly regarded in the circle in which he moves. He is alive to all the public questions of the day, especially those affecting his own county, whose interests he al- ways has found time to promote and whose welfare has been of the deepest concern to him. Mr. Anspach and family move in the best circles of their neighborhood and have a wide circle of friends.
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JOSEPH J. HARVEY.
Agriculture has been an honored vocation from the earliest ages and, as a usual thing, men of honorable and humane impulses as well as those of energy and thrift, have been patrons of husbandry. The free out-of-door life of the farmer has a decided tendency to foster and develop that inde- pendence of mind and self-reliance which characterize true manhood. No truer blessing could befall the boy of the present generation than to be reared in close touch with nature in the healthful, life-inspiring labor of the field. It has always been the fruitful soil from which have sprung the moral bone and sinew of the country. The majority of our nation's great warriors, renowned statesmen and distinguished men of letters were born on the farm and were indebted largely to its early influence for the distinction which they attained. One of the well-known farmers of Franklin county, now living retired, is Joseph J. Harvey.
Joseph J. Harvey was born April 9, 1844, near Haymond, Indiana, and is the son of Squire and Jane (Osborn) Harvey, the former born at Bloom- ing Grove, Franklin county, Indiana, and died February 18, 1880, and the latter born August 27, 1821, at St. Marys, Franklin county, Indiana, and died March 20, 1895. Both the paternal and maternal grandparents of Joseph J. Harvey came from Virginia. Mr. Harvey now has one brother and two sisters living, Mrs. Prudence Clark, of Martinsville, Indiana; Mrs. Elizabeth Howard of Detroit, Michigan, and Charles G., of Rushville, Indiana. Four children born to his parents are deceased, Mrs. Sarah Schurbrook, Annie, Belle and Henry H.
Throughout his life, Joseph J. Harvey has been a farmer principally in Butler township, Franklin county, Indiana, where he now owns one hun- dred and sixty acres of land. During the Civil War, Mr. Harvey was a member of the home guards under Colonel Gavin, which resisted the Mor- gan raiders in southern Indiana and in this connection he performed valiant service in the cause of the union. In the summer of 1872, Mr. Harvey went to Carroll county, Missouri, and Leavenworth, Kansas. Early in life he was a school teacher, having received a splendid education in the schools of Franklin county. For eight years he taught school in Franklin, Dear- born and Ripley counties and was considered remarkably successful in this vocation. In 1904 Mr. Harvey moved to Morris, where he owned a large warehouse and residence. Following this time, he shipped stock and also built up a large and lucrative business in the sale of fertilizers.
Mr. Harvey was married November 8, 1876, in Cincinnati, to Agnes
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Asman, who was born in Germany, September 23, 1856, and who died February 18, 1898. She was the daughter of Werner and Jennie (Ricking) Asman, the former of whom was born in Germany in 1830 and the latter in the same country in 1834. Werner Asman and wife were the parents of the following children: Gus and Henry, who are in the grocery business in Cincinnati; Agnes, the deceased wife of Mr. Harvey; Mrs. Annie Crane, deceased; Mrs. Jennie Pohlman, of Batesville, and Mrs. Ida Appel, of Cincinnati, Ohio.
To Mr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Harvey eight children were born: Emma D., who was born April 18, 1877, married William Osborne, April 6, 1904, and has three children; Annie Belle, born March 3, 1879, and died in infancy; Charles E., who was born August 10, 1882, and now lives in Cali- fornia; Flora J., born March 18, 1884, who married Fred Zoler, of Cincin- nati, Ohio, June 26, 1907, and has one child; Josephine, born August 13, 1886, who on November 27, 1914, married John Ling, who is a clerk in the Cincinnati postoffice; Carrie A., born October 17, 1888, who lives in Mor- ris ; Ida, born January 28, 1891, who married Albert Oelrich, April 27, 1914, and lives near St. Louis, and Harry B., born January 16, 1893, who lives near Brookville.
Mr. Harvey is a Republican and for ten years he was precinct com- mitteeman and was active in the councils of his party. In 1890 he served as census enumerator for Butler township, a position of rather exceptional responsibility, which Mr. Harvey performed with rare credit. He was his party's candidate for county auditor in 1902 and, although defeated, ran far ahead of his ticket. He is a member of the Methodist church and throughout his life, has been an active church worker. He is a man highly respected in the community where he lives, well known for his interest in public affairs and his support of worthy enterprises. He deserves the con- fidence which has been imposed upon him by his neighbors and fellow towns- men, among whom he is very popular, and among whom he is recognized as a very entertaining conversationalist, his fund of reminiscences of other days in this county furnishing a continual source of entertainment among his friends. Mr. Harvey remembers well when Butler township was an almost unbroken wilderness, not more than one-fourth of the land being cleared at the time of his boyhood. He remembers seeing the wild deer in the spring of the year jumping into the wheat and grass fields; also the merry chase the hunters gave them in the winter seasons, often killing numbers of them. Wild turkeys also were plentiful in that time, many being killed in the win- ter season. The passenger pigeon, supposed now to be extinct, was present by the millions in the fifties and some later. It was a wonderful sight to
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note the passage of these birds over this part of the country in their flight from their roosting places in the western part of Ripley, Scott and Jen- nings counties to the northern part of Ohio to feed upon the beech mast, returning to their roosting places in the evenings. On one occasion in the spring of 1854, after an all-day rain, the passenger pigeons were belated on their return trip and with weary wing they sought roosting places in the forests close by. So numerous were they that many of the limbs were broken from the trees. Many of the neighbors had a carnival that night, slaughtering thousands of the roosting birds by shooting into the trees by the glaring light of torches, one of which Mr. Harvey has vivid recollections of carrying during the night.
J. E. HOFFMAN.
J. E. Hoffman is one of those strong, self-reliant, determined characters who are occasionally met with, and who are such a distinct type as to appear leaders of their fellow men. Not that Mr. Hoffman courts distinction, for he is entirely unassuming, but his great force of character and his zeal and energy in whatever he undertakes naturally place him at the head of the crowd. He has been a potent factor in the development of the com- munity where he lives and where he has long maintained his home. He has led an honorable and industrious life, both private and public.
J. E. Hoffman was born September 6, 1870, in Illinois, and is a son of Uriah and Mary Alice (Ricketts) Hoffman, the former born in Salt Creek township, Franklin county, in 1840, and the latter born in 1845 in Franklin county.
Mr. Hoffman's paternal grandfather was Daniel Hoffman, a native of Pennsylvania, who came to Franklin county, Indiana, in the thirties. He was a tailor by trade and also a farmer, owning a farm in Salt Creek town- ship, where his death occurred. He and his wife were the parents of nine children : Henry and Amos, deceased; Harriet, Mary, John and Emmeline, still living; George, a twin brother of John, died during his services for the Union in the Civil War; Uriah and Sarah, deceased.
Mr. Hoffman's maternal grandfather was John Ricketts, and his wife was Ann Abbott, early pioneers of Franklin county, coming here in an early day, where he worked at his trade as a shoemaker. He died at Meta- mora, and his wife died at Stips' Hill in 1898. They were the parents of
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four children : Joseph, deceased; John, who died in the service of the Union during the Civil War, and Mary Alice and Jacob are still living.
Uriah Hoffman was a farmer in Salt Creek township, where he owned forty acres of the old homestead. His father had owned eight acres in all, and in addition to this one hundred and sixty acres elsewhere. Uriah Hoff- man was a Republican in politics, serving as supervisor for several terms. He was a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He and his wife were the parents of seven children, Emmett, William, Mary, Jacob, John Edward, Charles and George, of whom William, J. E. and Charles are the only ones now living. Uriah Hoffman died in 1894, and his widow is now living at Laurel.
J. E. Hoffman received his early education in the public schools of his home township, after which he took a course in the Indianapolis Business College. He began life as a merchant in 1900 at Beuna Vista, where he remained nine years, after which he came to Laurel, remaining at the latter place five years. He sold out April 8, 1914. He had operated a livery busi- ness in Laurel, and this was sold at the same time. Mr. Hoffman was at one time a star route mail carrier, carrying the mail from Metamora to Buena Vista, which was then known as Stips' Hill postoffice. Mr. Hoff- man bought the farm known as the Wiley farm of two hundred acres in 1914, in the south part of Laurel township on Big Salt Creek, and he is now engaged in general farming and stock raising.
On June 24, 1894, J. E. Hoffman was married to Olive Emsweller, who was born on August 13, 1874, in Posey township, a daughter of William and Elizabeth (Ailes) Emsweller, both of whom were natives of Posey town- ship, the former born March II, 1851, and the latter born October 6, 1853.
Mrs. Hoffman's paternal grandfather was Joseph Emsweller, who mar- ried Harriet Stutwell, both early settlers of Franklin county. After his death Grandfather Emsweller's widow married William Pruitt, and both died in Posey township. Mrs. Hoffman's maternal grandfather was Amos Ailes, who married Olive Weston. Amos Ailes was a son of Aaron Ailes, mentioned elsewhere in this work. Mr. Ailes died in Grant county, Indiana, and his widow is now living at the age of eighty-five. Four generations of the Ailes family are now living.
To Mr. and Mrs. William Emsweller five children were born, Harriet, Olive, Alonzo, Effie and Maud, the latter of whom is deceased.
One son, Earl Watson, has been born to Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Hoffman. He was born April 13, 1895, and was educated in the public schools and in the Laurel high school.
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Politically, Mr. Hoffman is a Republican. Mrs. Hoffman is a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
The farm which Mr. Hoffman now owns has a peculiar interest to the historian, since it is the same place where two white boys were killed by the Indians, and these two lads are buried on the Hoffman farm.
CLEMENT W. GARNER.
Butler County, Ohio, was the common stopping place for a number of persons who later came to Franklin county, Indiana. The records of early settlers of this county mention a number of early pioneers whose descendants now live in this county, as having first located at Butler county, Ohio, some of whom came here, others remaining there engaging in farming and their descendants moving to this county. Among those who came to Franklin county from Butler county, Ohio, is Clement W. Garner, of Springfield township, one of the best-known men in his section of the county.
Clement W. Garner was born at Butler county, Ohio, July 5, 1866, the son of John and Fanny (Wilson) Garner. Fanny Wilson was the daughter of Peter Wilson. She died when Clement W. Garner, who was the only child, was but nine years old. At the time of her death she was thirty- seven years of age.
John Garner, the father of C. W. Garner, was born near New Har- rison, Indiana, the son of Robinson and Fanny (Throilkell) Garner. He was one of four children born to this union, Henry, Robert, Sarah and John, of whom Sarah is living at Bloomington, Indiana, with her second hus- band. Robert, Henry and John are deceased. John Garner received his education in the common schools. After leaving school, he engaged in the occupation of farming, which he followed to the time of his retirement. His second wife was Margaret Blacker. There were no children by this marriage. He died July 8, 1912. At the time of his death he was pos- sessed of one hundred and fifty acres of good farm land. He was a member of the Christian church. In politics he gave his allegiance to the Democratic party and was a sincere believer in the principles of that party.
Clement W. Garner was educated in the common schools and after completing his schooling, returned to his father's farm and assisted in its management, where he remained until his marriage. He was twice married, his first marriage being to Leora Smith, by whom there was one child, Fanny, who died August 5th, 1911. His first wife died twenty-five years ago. His
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second marriage was to Anna Howe, daughter of J. W. Howe, of Hamilton, Ohio. By this marriage there were two children, Mable and Gale, who are still single and live at home. Mr. Garner engaged in the general store and supply business for some time at Mt. Carmel, Indiana, but sold out July 26, 1914. He farms one hundred and fifty acres, which is located just south of Mt. Carmel, Indiana.
Mr. Garner has a wide acquaintance throughout the county and has .always been known as a public spirited citizen. He is a member of the Christian Church, in the various local beneficences of which he takes a proper interest.
GEORGE G. WILSON.
New Jersey, one of the original thirteen colonies that formed the nucleus of this great country, sent to many of the new states a great many of their earliest inhabitants. Most of those who came from New Jersey in the early days were former Revolutionary soldiers or the descendants of Revolutionary stock. Among those who came from New Jersey and settled in this community were the forefathers of George Wilson, of Springfield township.
George G. Wilson was born in this county April 29, 1832, the son of Joseph and Temperance (Golden) Wilson, to whom were born six children, Mary, Jane, Sarah, Elizabeth, James and George.
Joseph Wilson, father of George Wilson, was born in New Jersey, the son of James Wilson, a farmer, and was one of two sons, the other being named Andrew. Joseph came to Indiana about the year 1830 and settled in Whitewater township, in this county, where he purchased eighty acres. He rode in a wagon from New Jersey, crossing Pennsylvania, thence to Wheel- ing, West Virginia, where he took a boat and came down the Ohio river and soon reached this part of the country. He was married in this county and spent the rest of his life here. He was a member of the Presbyterian church and was prominent in the early affairs of the new community.
George Wilson is now the only son of his father's children living. He is now eighty-three years old and is unmarried. He was educated in the common schools of this county, in Whitewater township and moved to Springfield township forty-eight years ago, where he owns a farm of one hundred and thirty-three acres of very good land. He also owns three houses and lots in Mt. Carmel, Indiana. He resides at Mt. Carmel, where he
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is highly esteemed by all who know him. He is known for his unfailing good humor and agreeable disposition and is interested in everything that pertains to the betterment of this community. He is greatly interested in the history of the county in which he has lived all his long life and, being one of the very few remaining links which bind the present to those far-away pioneer days, his reminiscences of the days of his youth in this community afford a never-failing source of interest to his friends. He not only retains a clear recollection of those other days, but is likewise well informed on cur- rent events and is an interesting conversationalist. Mr. Wilson is held in the highest regard in the community in which his life has been spent, a re- gard to which he is so eminently entitled as a member of one of the oldest families in this part of the state.
HENRY KOERNER.
The career of Henry Koerner, present superintendent of the children's home of Franklin county, is replete with many interesting incidents. Left an orphan when a child, he had to struggle against adversity in his younger days, but with that characteristic that always brings success he never gave up the struggle. The consequence is that he is a man of substantial means and is filling one of the important public positions in his county. He and his worthy wife are superintendent and matron, respectively, of the Franklin County Children's Home and are administering the duties of the home in a most satisfactory manner.
Henry Koerner was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, April 15, 1853, and, owing to the fact that his parents died when he was a mere child, he has no recollection concerning them. There were only two children, Henry and a brother, William, who served in the Civil War but never returned from that struggle.
Henry Koerner was reared in Hamilton county until he was about twelve years of age and then came to Franklin county, Indiana, and lived at Metamora for twenty-six years. While living in Metamora he was railway track foreman for twenty-three years and his long service with the railroad company is sufficient evidence that his work was satisfactory. In 1905 Mr. Koerner and his wife took charge of the Children's Home at Brookville and have been thus employed for the past ten years.
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Howard Gordon fourier
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Mr. Koerner was married on Christmas day, 1880, to Belle Armstrong, who was born in Metamora, August 29, 1859. She is the daughter of John C. and Hannah (Case) Armstrong. Her father was born in Franklin county, September 16, 1817, and her mother also was a native of this county, being born January 14, 1825. Mr. Armstrong and his wife were married October 19, 1848. He died October 19, 1870, and his wife passed away December 5, 1892. Twelve children were born to Mr. and Mrs. John C. Armstrong: Indiana, Lavina, Elizabeth, George, Nancy, James B., John L., Belle, Lora, Katie, Cora and William.
John C. Armstrong, the father of Mrs. Koerner, was a man of ex- ceptional business ability and acquired a comfortable fortune before his death. He was an extensive dealer in real estate and for many years oper- ated boats on the old Whitewater canal from Cambridge City down to Lawrenceburg and Cincinnati. He had a boat called "Metamora" which was in service for many years on the canal. He owned the Valley House in Brookville and also property in Illinois and Kansas, as well as extensive tracts in Franklin county. He was a Democrat in politics, served as the assessor of the county for two terms and was postmaster at Metamora at one time. He died in the Valley House at Brookville. The father of John C. Armstrong was Henry Armstrong, whose wife was Elizabeth Eads, a daughter of the noted civil engineer, James Eads, who built the famous bridge across the Mississippi river at St. Louis. Henry Armstrong was born in Rush county, Indiana, and his wife in Franklin county. Both of them have been deceased many years. The maternal grandparents of Mrs. Koerner were William and Elizabeth (Stagg) Case. William Case was an early settler in Franklin county and served in the War of 1812, losing his life in that struggle. Henry Armstrong also served in the War of 1812 and gave six sons to the service of the nation in the Civil War. One of these sons, Milton, died the day after he returned from the war.
Mr. and Mrs. Koerner are the parents of two sons, both of whom are deceased, Frank, who died at the age of fourteen months, and Howard Gordon, who was born November 1, 1886, and died August 18, 1914. The latter was a young man with a brilliant future before him and was taken away at the beginning of a career which promised to become one of useful- ness and honor.
The elementary education of Howard Gordon Koerner was received in Metamora, where he was born. He lived there with his parents and attended the public schools until his second year in high school. At that time his
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parents moved to Brookville in order that he could complete the high school course at the county seat. After his graduation at the age of eighteen he taught one year in the common schools of the county. However, he was not satisfied to stop his education at this point but wished to go further and with this idea in view, entered Purdue University in the fall of 1906, being sent by the county commissioners as cadet from Franklin county for three years, and was in continuous residence there until he was graduated from the civil engineering department in the summer of 1910. He was immediately em- ployed by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company as a civil engineer and later resigned to accept a better position with the Gary Bridge Company at Gary, Indiana. In 1912 he went to Akron, Ohio, as the chief engineer of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and was in the employ of this com- pany at the time of his death. While in the university he took a prominent part in the various college activities and was known as an unusually brilliant student.
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