History of Franklin County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions, Part 144

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

USA > Indiana > Franklin County > History of Franklin County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 144

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In 1900 William Eldon was married to Augusta Clark, the daughter of Allen and Ella (Monroe) Clark. To this union were born the following children : Virgie N., William Earl, Ruth N. and Rozella. After moving to the new farm, in 1913, Mr. Eldon began to transform the place and, to this end, he began and has since completed a new house and barn, both of which represent modern ideas and conveniences. The family attend the Christian church, of which they are devout members.

DAVID WEHR.

It has been roughly estimated that there are in the neighborhood of six and a half million farms in the United States and when one considers the number of persons. employed in agriculture, some idea of this stupendous industry must assert itself. The farmer has well been called the backbone of the nation and it is the economic rule that when the farmer is short of money the entire nation feels the effect. Today the occupation of farmer is one that demands the greatest respect and one that is attracting men of the highest education. It is a noble profession and one that is dedicated to the entire human welfare. Among those who have been engaged in farming for a number of years, both in this state and in Ohio, is the Wehr family, of which David Wehr, of Springfield township, is a member.

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David Wehr was born in Butler county, Ohio, October 19, 1857, the son of John and Nancy (Pearson) Wehr, and was one of their eleven children, namely : M. H., Sarah Ann, David L., Maggie, Steits M., Henry D., John, Parry, Cora, Raymond and Lorilla, all of whom are living. M. H. has been married twice, his first wife being Lida Freeland. After the death of his first wife, he moved to Hendricks county, where he married a second time. Sarah lives in Springfield township and remained single. Steits M. mar- ried Catherine Monohan. John married Flo Burges. Maggie married Syl- vester Wall and lives at Madison, Indiana. Parry is still single and lives in Springfield township. Cora is still single and also lives in this township. Raymond married Elizabeth Hawk and lives in Springfield township. Lorilla married Otis Miller and lives in Bath township.

John Wehr, the father of David Wehr, was a native of Butler county, Ohio, where a number of settlers in this county came from. He attended school in that county and after leaving his studies he returned to his father's farm and assisted in its development. When the Civil War began he was drafted for service, but, owing to disability, he did not go. While residing in Ohio he owned one hundred and ninety-two acres, situated in Butler county, and which he devoted to general farming. After his marriage he continued to live on the farm. He was greatly respected in this community and was one of the substantial citizens of Butler county. He and his wife 'died at about the same time.

John Wehr, grandfather of David Wehr, immigrated from Pennsyl- vania, coming to Ohio at a very early date. He located in Butler county and devoted one hundred and ninety-two acres, which he acquired, to general farming. His farm afterwards passed into the hands of his son. John Wehr was married in this state. There were five children born to John Wehr and wife, Lorenzo, Luther, Henry, John and Jacob. Lorenzo resides in Ripley county, Ohio. Luther lives in Butler county, Ohio. Henry lives in Franklin county, Indiana. John resides in Butler county, Ohio. Jacob resides south of Springfield township, in this county. John Wehr lived on his farm until his death and was a highly respected citizen of this community. He and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

David Wehr was educated in this county in the common schools. He, like his forefathers, has followed the occupation of farming, having a natural inclination in that direction, and has lived a very active life. He first rented a farm in Butler county, Ohio, and later moved to Springfield township, Franklin county, Indiana, where he bought a farm in 1893. His land possessions at this time amount to one hundred and ninety-two acres of very

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good farm land. He is a modern farmer in every respect and believes in adopting the most progressive methods of farming. He has erected excel- lent buildings and takes a great pride in their maintenance. He built a new house in 1901 and has remodeled the barn, that was formerly much smaller. He devotes his time to general farming, with some stock raising. David Wehr has been married twice, his first wife being Elizabeth Venness, who died. Their children were Sarah, Charles, Nancy and Ethel. Sarah, who lives in this township, married to Edward Alvey and has four children, Marion, Carl, Inez and Emerson. Charles married and moved to Peoria, Illinois. His children are John, David and Margaret. Nancy married Charles E. Reighard and lives in · Anderson, Indiana, and has one son, Sherman. Ethel married Frank Wickard and resides in Springfield town- ship. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Wehr married Rebecca Wolber, but they have no children. Mr. Wehr is a splendid type of the Indiana farmer and is regarded with the greatest esteem in this community, and in Butler county, Ohio, the original seat of the Wehr family, they were always regarded as persons of the highest qualifications. Mr. and Mrs. Wehr take part in the social affairs of the community and Mr. Wehr is active in all the public movements which concern the welfare of this community.

GILBERT THEODORE HOWARD.

One of the youngest farmers of Franklin county, Indiana, is Gilbert Theodore Howard, who now has a fine farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Laurel township. He is a young man of sterling qualities and has inherited from his parents those characteristics which make for manhood. Heredity has much to do in conditioning the character of a person. Fortu- nate, indeed, is the man who has been well born and has been reared under favorable environments. Gilbert T. Howard has been peculiarly blessed in both respects. He comes from highly esteemed ancestors and has been reared under excellent home influences, and the result is that he is a fine type of manhood and citizenship.

Gilbert Theodore Howard, the son of John Franklin and Ella C. (Taylor) Howard, was born March 9, 1888. His father was born in Vir- ginia and farmed for many years in Rush county after locating in Indiana. He was married, in 1884, to Ella C. Taylor, who was born in Blooming

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Grove township, Franklin county, November 25, 1856. John F. Howard and wife were the parents of two children, Wilbur Franklin and Gilbert Theodore. Wilbur Franklin is now farming in Columbia township, Fayette county, Indiana, and married Ethel Coletrain in October, 1906. The mother of these two children died on June 12, 1914.

Gilbert T. Howard received his education in Blooming Grove township and spent his summer vacations on the farm. His early inclination was toward agriculture and he has never had any intention of following any other occupation. He now has one hundred and twenty acres of excellent land, on which he raises all of the crops peculiar to this section of the state. He also handles considerable live stock and adds to his annual income by the sale of stock, which he feeds from the produce of his farm.

Mr. Howard is still unmarried. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and takes a great deal of interest in the work of this fraternal organization. He is now at the threshold of life and has a long and useful career before him.

LEWIS YOHLER.

The Yohler family are of German ancestry, the parents of Lewis Yohler coming from that country and locating in Franklin county in 1848. All of the members of the family have engaged in agricultural pursuits since locat- ing here and with that degree of success which usually accompanies the farmers of German extraction. Mr. Yohler has devoted all of his active career to farming and stock raising and now has a farm of eighty-three acres in Highland township, on which he has lived for nearly half a century.

Lewis Yohler, the son of John and Theresa (Rush) Yohler, was born in Germany and came to America with his parents in 1848. He is one of four children born to his parents, the others being as follows: Martin, of Muncie, Indiana; Susan, who is living in Highland township, Franklin county, and Mary, of Connersville, Indiana.

Lewis Yohler attended the common schools of his native land and, when his parents came to this country, he helped his father clear the forty acres which he purchased in Highland township. He never had any intention of engaging in any other occupation than that of farming, and to this he has assiduously devoted himself for the past fifty years. On his farm of eighty-

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three acres he raises such grains as are found in this section of the state and also handles as much live stock as he can feed from the produce of his own farm.

Mr. Yohler was married January 2, 1866, to Mary Schneider, a daugh- ter of John and Marie (Richie) Schneider, natives of Germany and early settlers of Franklin county, Indiana, where they located after their marriage, which occurred in Germany.

Lewis Yohler and his wife are the parents of eight children, John, Michael, William, Mary, Susan, Rose, Anna and George. John, who lives in Indianapolis, is married and has six children, Marie, Robert, Maude, Paul, Sylvia and Eva. Michael, a farmer of Highland township, married Catherine Fussner and has two daughters, Anna and Rose. William mar- ried Eva Clever and now makes his home in Cambridge City, Indiana. Mary is the wife of Nicholas Hover, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and has four children, Mary, Frank, Margaret and Hilda. Susan is the wife of Frank Kaufman, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and has one daughter, Irene. Rose married Mr. Reigont, a farmer of Franklin county, and has two daughters, Sylvia and Rose. Anna is the wife of Andrew Barnyard, a farmer of this county, and has four children, Louisa, William, Lucas and Michael. George, a farmer of Franklin county, married Sylvia Waterman.

Mr. Yohler and his family are loyal members of the Catholic church, holding their membership at St. Peter's, in Highland township. Mr. Yoh- ler's whole career has been one of honest toil and ceaseless endeavor, and, because of the quiet and retired life he has led, he has many warm friends throughout his community.

WILLIAM SCHENKEL.

To a great extent Germany, with its characteristics of thoroughness, thrift and high idealism, was a training school for many of America's best and greatest citizens, who, because of the crowded conditions in their native land and its rigorous, though necessary, military system, sought new homes, greater freedom and material advancement in America, where lay oppor- tunities in abundance. William Schenkel displays to an unusual degree those virtues inherited from his sturdy ancestors.

William Schenkel was born near New Trenton, White Water township,

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Franklin county, Indiana, November 8, 1880. He was the son of John E. and Emily (Schenkel) Schenkel and was one of a family of eleven children, nine of whom are still living: Carrie, Anna, Lizzie, Peter, John, Edward, William, Mary and Otto.

The paternal grandparents of William Schenkel were Conrad and Eliza- beth (Fohl) Schenkel, both of whom were born, reared and married in Germany, where they had three children. They immigrated to America, locating on a farm in Hamilton county, Ohio, for a short time, and in 1854 settled in White Water township, in this county, where they lived the rest of their days. Conrad Schenkel bought forty acres of heavily timbered land in this township, which he cleared and farmed. There was no house on the farm when he purchased it and he built the log house, which is still standing. The maternal grandparents of William Schenkel were Peter Schenkel and wife, who were early settlers in Franklin county.

John E. Schenkel, father of William Schenkel, was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, April 5, 1849. He came with his parents to this township when he was but five years of age and received all of his education here. He attended a subscription school in a little log house and, consequently, his education was very meager. Since coming to this county he has always lived on the same farm which his father bought in 1854. He has built a new house and made many other improvements, until he now has a fine, up-to- date farm. He was married, January 7, 1870, to Emily Schenkel, who was born near Drakeville, Indiana. He and his wife are both members of the Lutheran church.

William Schenkel received all of his education in the common schools of White Water township and, after leaving school, worked with his father on the farm. After his marriage he worked out for some years, one year being cook for the Hilabrandt Company in this county. For the next four years he rented the Swift farm, just south of Brookville, and in 1911 bought eighty-six acres in Highland township, known as the Ryman farm. He has devoted this farm to general farming and has erected many excellent building upon it.

Mr. Schenkel was married, October 5, 1904, to Louisa Knapp, of High- land township, and to them have been born four children, Pearl, Esther, Elizabeth and Roy.

Mr. Schenkel is a straightforward, thoughtful man, conscientious in all of his dealings, and is rightfully proud of his farm which has been brought to its present stage of development wholly by his own toil. He and his family are members of the Lutheran church.

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JOHN B. CUMMINS.

It is almost impossible, in a brief sketch of this kind, to give full credit to the achievements and to the accomplishments of the man whom we would honor. We can at best speak but a few words which barely outline the out- standing facts and at times conceal more than they reveal, because they must necessarily have no dealings with the inner struggles and the many minor hardships and privations which must be met and encountered to gain suc- cess and which are, after all, the important factors in the life of the success- ful man. We can but deal with generalities and the reader must see be- tween the lines that which we cannot print.

John B. Cummins was born in Pendleton county, Kentucky, January 26, 1867, the son of Dawson and Mollie (Smith) Cummins. Dawson Cum- mins received his education in Kentucky and was a soldier in the Civil War, being a member of the Fifty-ninth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He fought gallantly throughout the war and afterward took up farming in Ken- tucky, meeting with more than his share of success. In 1909 he moved to Franklin county, where he now resides in Laurel.

Mr. Cummins' paternal grandparents were Thomas and Nancy (Dunn) Cummins, both of who were sturdy and industrious. Thomas Cummins was born in Virginia and his wife in Bracken county, Kentucky. Thomas located in Kentucky in the pioneer days, little dreaming of the fortune which was fall- ing into his hands when he bought seven hundred acres of land at a price- ridiculous to us-of twenty-five cents per acre. There is an interesting story of how the last forty acres were bought. On the same morning in which the forty acres were purchased Mr. Cummins went out and shot six deer, took them to town and before noon sold them for more than enough to pay for the land. Mr. Cummins died on his farm. John Cummins' maternal grandfather was William Smith, who was born in Germany and came to America in 1873. He died at New Orleans during the cholera plague in 1875.

John B. Cummins was also educated in Kentucky and, as did so many others at this time, took up farming as his profession. Obeying the call of his pioneer blood, he moved to fourteen different states at different times, farming in all of them. Finally, the hills of Kentucky called and he went back to the state of his birth, returning to Franklin county in 1908, where he now has a fine farm of eighty acres which is devoted to gardening and tobacco. He is thoroughly up-to-date in his methods and progresses in every

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sense of the word. His farm is a model of its kind and speaks well for the man who owns it.

Mr. Cummins was married, in 1900, to Ora A. Bishop, of Pendleton county, Kentucky. They have five children, Nolan, Gertrude, Melvin, Izelma and Charles Russell.

Mr. Cummins is well and favorably known in his community. He is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church and is foremost in all movements which have to do with the welfare of his community.

CLEM HOLLOWELL.

One of the younger farmers of White Water township, Franklin county, Indiana, is Clem Hollowell, who has been identified with the farming inter- ests of this township for several years. He comes of a good family and one that has always been noted for its right living and industrious habits ; for morality and for all that contributes to the welfare of the commonwealth. The farm of Mr. Hollowell is well improved and highly productive, and is numbered among the best farms of the township. In addition to a general line of farming, Mr. Hollowell always pays attention to his live stock and has taken much interest in the breeding of horses, cattle and hogs.

Clem Hollowell, the son of Frederick Hollowell, was born August 4, 1882, in Boone county, Indiana. His father was born in White Water town- ship, Franklin county, Indiana, and was a soldier in the Civil War. After returning to peaceful pursuits he opened a drug store at Colfax, Indiana, and was in the drug business for five years. He then engaged in general farm- ing and was so employed until his death, in 1896. His widow is now living at Dayton, Ohio. Frederick Hollowell and wife were the parents of two children, Leota, who married Krell Overholzer, of Dayton, and has one daughter. Sylvia, and Clem, whose history forms the theme of this narrative.

The paternal grandparents of Clem Hollowell were Benjamin and Sarah (Biddinger) Hollowell, natives of Indiana and Ohio, respectively. Sarah Biddinger was a daughter of Solomon Biddinger, who was a farmer of Ohio. Benjamin Hollowell was a son of Thomas Hollowell, who, in turn, was the grandfather of Henderson Hollowell. Grandfather Hollowell was a large land owner, holding between six and seven hundred acres of fine farming land in Franklin county.

Clem Hollowell was educated in the common schools. He spent part

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of his boyhood days in Boone county, Indiana, and received part of his edu- cation in the schools of that county. In view of the fact that he was reared on the farm, his mind was early turned to agricultural pursuits, and this has been his life work. Since his marriage he has been farming in White Water township.

Mr. Hollowell was married February 14, 1906, to Elizabeth Watkins, a daughter of William and Fredericka (Poser) Watkins. Mr. and Mrs. Wat- kins were the parents of two children, Frederick, of Covington, Kentucky, who married Amanda Campbell, and Elizabeth, the wife of Mr. Hollowell.

Politically, Mr. Hollowell has confined his activities to the casting of his ballot for the candidates of his party. He and his wife are interested in everything pertaining to the general welfare along religious, educational and moral lines.

JOHN JOSEPH DIERKHUESSING.

On another page of this historical and genealogical review of Franklin county mention is made of the beginning of the family of Dierkhuessing (more familiarly known to the present generation as Dirkhising) in this sec- tion of Indiana. This family is among the best known and most influential of that large number of families of Germanic extraction gathered about the prosperous Catholic parishes of St. Peter's and St. Mary's, in Highland and Butler townships. The fourth generation of the Dierkhuessing (Dirkhis- ing) family is now firmly established in this section and the sterling stock of its ancestry is apparent in every branch of the descent. Of these, few are better known than the gentleman whose name heads this biographical sketch.

John Joseph Dierkhuessing (Dirkhising) was born on the farm in Highland township, north of St. Peter's, which his grandfather, Joseph Dierkhuessing, wrested from the primeval forest back in the early part of the last century and which is now owned and occupied by his uncle, Bernard. John Joseph was born in Highland township on a farm near the spot where he now lives, north of St. Peter's, May 21, 1868, the son of Henry and Mary (Vanderhide) Dierkhuessing, the former of whom was the son of Joseph and Katherine (Sonnenberg) Dierkhuessing, natives of Germany who left Cincinnati, where they were married a few years following their arrival in America, and made a home for themselves in St. Peter's parish in Highland township. His father, Henry Dierkhuessing, was born March 27, 1838, and was educated in the St. Peter's parish school. He married Mary Vander-

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hide, a neighbor girl, who was born in the same parish, July 4, 1847. He has been a farmer all his life, still living on the eighty-acre farm in High- land township which he bought about twenty-five years ago. Previous to that he had owned an "eighty" nearby, which he sold to Joseph Firsich, who still occupies it.

John Joseph Dierkhuessing received his education in St. Peter's parochial school and, following the example of his father and grandfather, adopted the life of a farmer and has been quite successful. The confidence which his neighborhood reposes in his judgment and far-sightedness, has frequently been demonstrated by the part he has been called on to take in public affairs and he has given his community excellent service as supervisor of public highways in Highland township. He and his family are members of St. Peter's Catholic church.

The maternal ancestors of the subject of this sketch, Henry and Eliza- beth (Moorman) Vanderhide, were both natives of Germany. They came to America early in their youth and joined the large Germanic colony located about Cincinnati. They were married in Cincinnati and a few years later, in the early thirties of the last century, moved to Franklin county, Indiana, tak- ing up by government grant a farm of eighty acres in Butler township. Mr. Vanderhide became one of the largest farmers in that township and he and his wife were among the most active participants in the organization of St. Mary's Catholic church, helping to erect the historic structure of logs in which was celebrated the first mass in that now prosperous parish. Mr. Vanderhide, in addition to his activities in clearing his farm, made a business of hauling settlers from Cincinnati to the new colony in Franklin county and became one of the most influential of the pioneers of this section.

WILLIAM WELLING.

No one connected with the agricultural development of Franklin county, Indiana, has accomplished more for the upbuilding of his community than William Welling, a citizen who is admired by his neighbors and respected for his sterling worth as a private citizen, and as a man interested in the civic affairs of the locality where he lives.

William Welling was born at Enochsburg, the son of Vincent and Katherine (Dwenger) Welling, the former a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and the latter a native of Hamburg, Indiana.

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Mr. Welling's paternal grandfather was Henry Welling, who probably was a native of Germany, and who located in Cincinnati after coming to America, living in that city about twenty-five years, where he was employed as janitor at the court house. Later he purchased a farm in Ray township, Franklin county, Indiana, where his widow now lives.

The maternal grandparents of William Welling were Bernard and Katherine Dwenger, natives of Germany, who, after coming to the United States, were residents of Cincinnati, where Mr. Dwenger was employed in a tile factory. Subsequently, he settled in Ray township, where he purchased eighty acres of land, which was at that time all in woods, and here he put up a house and cleared much of the wilderness. During his residence there, he increased his acreage to about three hundred acres.

Vincent Welling, the father of William, received his education in the schools of Cincinnati, and later came to Oldenburg. Subsequently he moved to Morris, in the meantime renting different farms. He was also a teacher in the schools of the county, collected delinquent taxes, and acted as justice of the peace for many years. His career as a teacher began when he was eighteen years old. He had a lucrative business in settling estates, and for more than twenty years he filled either the office of assessor or township trustee, being a man of much influence in his community. He owned the farm where Mr. Welling's mother now lives. He often discharged the duties of clerk at public sales, was the owner and manager of a store at Hamburg for two years, and his death occurred on his farm in Ray town- ship. His farm consisted of one hundred and one acres.

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History of Franklin County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions, Part 144

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