History of Franklin County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions, Part 62

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 62

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Mr. Stinger was married August 7, 1894, to Mary Luretta Abbott, the daughter of Joseph and Elenor (Vanausdall) Abbott, natives of Franklin county, owning a farm in Springfield township. Mr. Abbott farmed all his life until he retired a few years ago, moving to Oxford, Ohio, where he is now living. Mr. and Mrs. Abbott were the parents of six children : Flora, the wife of Perry Appleton, a farmer of Springfield township; George W., deceased; Elmer, who married Lou Cox, and lives in Bath township; Ellis, who married Edith Morris, and lives in Hamilton, Ohio; Clarence, who married Hazel Woodruff, and lives in Springfield township, and Mary Luretta, the wife of Mr. Stinger. Mr. and Mrs. Stinger have no children.

Politically, Mr. Stinger is a stanch adherent of the Democratic party, and has served his township as a member of the advisory board. Mr. Stinger is also interested in the new bank at Brookville, the Peoples' Trust Company, being a member of the board of directors of this financial institution, which was recently organized with a capital stock of seventy-five thousand dol- lars.

Mr. Stinger and his wife are highly esteemed and respected members of the community in which they have resided so long, and are popular among a wide circle of friends and acquaintances who admire them for their many good qualities of head and heart.

ERNEST W. SHOWALTER.

One of the successful men of affairs of Brookville, Indiana, is Ernest W. Showalter, who is now the secretary, treasurer and general manager of the Franklin Furniture Company. He is a man of education, having spent three years in DePauw University, after completing his high school course. He also taught school for one year. He then worked in a bank in Brook- ville for several years, after which he became interested in the furniture

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business, and has been employed in that business since 1903. He takes an active part in the civic, religious and educational life of his community, and, in all respects, measures up to a high standard of good citizenship.

Ernest W. Showalter, the son of Isaac and Susan (Holdeman) Sho- walter, was born in Brookville, Indiana, August 28, 1874. His parents reared a family of six sons, who are Henry F., a farmer of Howard county, Indiana ; David H., a contracting carpenter of Indianapolis, Indiana ; Charles I., a contractor and foreman of a planing mill in Connersville, Indiana; Ed- ward J., a sheet metal worker of Kokomo, Indiana; Frank A., who has been in the regular army since 1898, and Ernest W., of Brookville.

Isaac Showalter, the father of Ernest W., was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, eight miles from Gettysburg, March 5, 1831. He was the son of David Showalter, who was born in the same county in 1791, and who died in 1837. The wife of David Showalter was Catherine Hurst, who was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, in 1795, and who died in that county in 1865.

Isaac Showalter was married December 30, 1852, to Susan Holdeman, who was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, June 23, 1832, the daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Holdeman, both of whom were natives of Adams county, Pennsylvania. In 1857 Isaac Showalter and his family came to Franklin county, Indiana, and the year following located in Brookville, where he has since made his home. He became a contractor and builder, and for two years was in partnership with Joel B. Price. The remainder of the time he has been working independently. He has built more houses in Brookville than any other one man, and has also put up several store buildings. About 1875 he built his present home, on North Main street, and in this house he has since resided.

The paternal grandparents of Ernest Showalter were David and Cath- erine (Hurst) Showalter, natives of Pennsylvania and Germany, respect- ively. The maternal grandparents of Ernest W. Showalter were Henry and Elizabeth (Thompson) Holdeman. He was a miller and had his mill in Adams county, Pennsylvania, near the famous battlefield of Gettysburg. Henry Holdeman and his wife reared a family of seven children.

Ernest W. Showalter attended the public schools of Brookville and was graduated from the high school in the spring of 1892. In the fall of the same year he entered DePauw University, where he spent three years. He then taught school in Franklin county, Indiana, and in February, 1896, he entered the employ of the private bank of Goodwin & Shirk, of Brookville, remaining with this bank until August, 1903. 'At that time Mr. Showalter

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entered the employment of the Bishop Furniture Company, as manager of their retail store in Brookville. In 1904 the present fine building of the com- pany was erected, and when the company was reorganized, in 1906, under the name of the Franklin Furniture Company, Mr. Showalter was made secre- tary-treasurer and general manager, a position which he still retains. The company handles furniture and carpets, and also conducts an undertaking business.

Mr. Showalter was married September 4, 1901, to Hallie Harrell, who was born in Brookville, April 20, 1875, and is a daughter of Samuel S. and Sarah C. Harrell. Her father, who was an attorney of Brookville, is de- ceased, while her mother is still living. Mrs. Showalter is a graduate of the Brookville high school and an alumna of DePauw University, class of 1897. Later she became a teacher at Oxford College, at Oxford, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Showalter are the parents of two children, Portia, born October 2, 1904, and Sidney Harrell, born April 13, 1910.

Mr. Showalter is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Knights of Pythias. He has always been active in Republican politics, and was county secretary of the Republican central committee in the campaigns of 1910 and 1912. He has been a member of the Brookville school board since 1909, and is now treasurer of the board. He and his wife are active church workers, and Mr. Showalter is a steward and trustee of the Meth- odist Episcopal church at the present time.

FRANK X. SIEBERT.

It is surprising to note the large number of citizens of Franklin county, Indiana, who were either born in Germany, or are of German descent. Frank X. Siebert, the proprietor of a modern marble shop in the county seat, is a son of German parents, and has all of those sturdy characteristics which mark the people of that country. Mr. Siebert has devoted his whole active career to the stone cutter's trade and has the reputation of being the most expert marble and stone cutter in the county.

Frank X. Siebert, the son of Leonard and Eva (Fischer) Siebert, was born November 29, 1863, at Brookville, Indiana. He is one of four children born to his parents, having two brothers and one sister, the latter dying in infancy.

Leonard Siebert was born in Salmanster, Germany, October 8, 1818, and

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died in Brookville, Indiana, in 1889. His wife, Eva Fischer, was also born in Germany, in 1839, and died in Brookville in 1870. The paternal grand- parents of Frank X. Siebert lived all of their days in Germany. His mater- nal grandparents were born and married in Germany, and came to Franklin county, Indiana, about 1845, where they lived the remainder of their lives.

Leonard Siebert was a shoe-maker by trade in his native country, and when he came to America, in 1848, with his family, he followed his trade in New York for a while. In 1854 he came to Indiana and located at Brook- ville, where he lived the remainder of his life. He had a shoe shop of his own, and often employed several men in turning out hand-made shoes.

Frank X. Siebert was educated in the parochial school of Brookville, but left school when he was eleven years of age. When he was a lad of fourteen he started to learn the stone cutter's trade under H. H. Sehrichte, for whom he worked until 1884. Having reached his majority, Mr. Siebert felt that there were better opportunities in his trade than he could obtain in his own home town. For the next three years he worked at his trade in Cin- cinnati and Cleveland, making it a point to work in the best shops, in order that he might better prepare himself in the trade to which he intended to devote his future career. In 1887 he returned to Brookville and has since made this city his home. In 1898 he entered into partnership with A. J. Cook and opened a marble shop. This partnership continued until 1903, when Mr. Siebert bought out his partner's interest, having since conducted the business alone. He now has a shop equipped with pneumatic tools and all of those appliances which are demanded by first-class artisans in this line. He makes, delivers and sets up a large number of tombstones throughout this county and sur- rounding counties every year, and has built up a trade which is constantly increasing.

Mr. Siebert was married September 13, 1888, to Ella Meddock, daugh- ter of Galon and Elizabeth (Burgett) Meddock. She was born in Johnson county, Indiana, and both of her parents have been dead for many years. Mr. Siebert and his wife have two children, who are Arthur Glenn, born October 22, 1889, and Hazel E., born April 4, 1891. The son is now in business with his father, while the daughter is teaching in the public schools. of the county.

Mr. Siebert has always been active in Democratic political circles and has filled various positions with credit to himself and satisfaction to his fellow citizens. He served as town marshal in 1890, and for twelve years was a member of the city school board. He has also served on the council. In 1894 he became assistant postmaster of Brookville and served for the

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following four years. Fraternally, Mr. Siebert is a member of the Free and Accepted, Masons, the Indianapolis Consistory and the Murat Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, the Encampment and the Knights of Pythias. In 1908 Mr. Siebert built a beautiful brick residence in Brookville, where he and his family now make their home. Mr. Siebert is a man of strong personality and has lived so that his life has been a credit to the community honored by his residence.

FRANCIS DENNETT.

Francis Dennett has spent his entire life, up to the present time, in Brookville. His parents were early settlers in this county, and the family has always favored everything which stood for the best interests of the home city. Mr. Dennett was a contracting painter for several years, but since 1904 has been a rural route mail carrier for the Brookville postoffice.

Francis Dennett, the son of John and Lucretia (Jones) Dennett, was born in Brookville, Indiana, July 10, 1873. His father was born in New York City, August 15, 1837, and was a son of George and Harriet ( Proc- tor ) Dennett. George Dennett was born in London, England, in 1796, and died in 1870. Harriet Proctor was also born in London in 1824, and died in 1880.

John Dennett received his education in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and early in life began to learn the painter's trade. In 1857 he went west and located in Cincinnati and a year later moved to Riley, Ohio. In 1861 he came to Brookville, and on February 28, of that year, was married to Lu- cretia Jones. She was born in Carroll county, Ohio, February 9, 1839, and was a daughter of Joseph and Lilly (Helm) Jones. John Dennett and wife are the parents of eight children : Anna, Mary, Harriet, George Elmer, Lucretia, Francis, Edith and Thomas. In 1911 John Dennett and his wife celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. The interesting career of John Dennett is told elsewhere in this volume and the reader is referred to his history for further information concerning the family.

Francis Dennett was educated in the public schools of Brookville and, after leaving school, learned the painter's trade with his father. For six- teen years he worked with his father as a contracting painter and, during that time, they painted nearly every house in Brookville, besides many others throughout the county. On April 1, 1904, Mr. Dennett became a rural route

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mail carrier out of Brookville, receiving his appointment as a result of a suc- cessful civil service examination. He has been driving over the same route during the entire eleven years that he has been in the service. In 1904 he built a comfortable home on North Franklin avenue, where he now makes his home.

Mr. Dennett was married November 1, 1900, to Christine W. Bossert. She was born in Highland township, in this county, and is the daughter of Jacob and Dorothy (Belsner) Bossert. Her parents were both born in Ger- many, and came to the United States, with their parents, when they were nine and six years of age, respectively. Jacob Bossert, Sr., was a farmer in Highland township, and died there January 13, 1910, at the age of eighty- two. His widow is still living, at the age of seventy-six. Mr. and Mrs. Den- nett have no children.

Mr. Dennett is a stanch Republican, but has never taken an active part in political affairs. He is a member of the Christian church, while his wife gives her support to the Lutheran denomination. Fraternally, he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Improved Order of Red Men.

JOHN BECKMAN.

The Beckman family have been residents of Franklin county, Indiana, since 1836, when the paternal grandparents of John Beckman came from Germany and located in Highland township. During the eighty years which have elapsed since the family first located in this county, its various members have been engaged in farming and carpentry. John Beckman is a carpenter, as was his father before him, and his brothers also are all skilled workmen. Mr. Beckman lived on a farm until the fall of 1913, although he devoted practically all of his time to carpentering before moving to town. Since locating in the county seat he has bought a small planing mill, which he is now operating.

John Beckman, the son of William and Christina (Gasell) Beckman, was born in Highland township, Franklin county, Indiana, April 18, 1874. His parents were both born in the same township and are still living. His father was born September 24, 1841, and his mother September 18, 1851. To them have been born nine children, all of whom are still living, and who are Christina, the wife of Charles Searrin, of Indianapolis, Indiana ; John, of Brookville, Indiana; Henry, a farmer of Highland township; Cornelius, .

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who lives on a farm adjoining his father's farm in Highland township; George, the manager of a grain elevator at Laurel, Indiana; William, a car- penter; Tillie, the wife of Fred Will, å farmer, of Bath township, and Edgar and Ralph, who are still at home.

William Beckman, the father of John, was reared on the old Beckman homestead in Highland township. He inherited forty acres from his father, but worked at the carpenter's trade until his sons became large enough to manage the farm. He then bought more land adjoining, and now owns one hundred and eighty acres, where he is still living. Throughout all of these years he has done considerable carpentering during the summer season, and has trained all of his boy's in this trade:

The paternal grandparents of John Beckman were Henry and Christina (Vadaking) Beckman, both of whom were born in Germany. His grand- father died in 1863, and his grandmother, who was born in 1800, died in 1892. After their marriage in Germany, Henry Beckman and wife came to America, about 1835, and first located in Cincinnati. A year later they came to Indiana and located in Franklin county, where they made their home the remainder of their days. Grandfather Beckman built a log cabin in 1841, which is now boarded over and still in use. They were members of ' the German Protestant church, and he was a soldier in Germany before coming to America. The maternal grandparents of John Beckman were John Gasell and wife, natives of Germany, and early settlers in the United States. They came to this country before their marriage and located in Franklin county, Indiana, where they were married. They were also Ger- man Protestants.

John Beckman was educated in the district schools near his home. While he was still a youth he began to work with his father as a carpenter, and followed this trade with his father every summer from the time when he was sixteen until he was twenty-five. Then the four brothers, John, Henry, Cornelius and George, worked together until 1913, as carpenters and contractors throughout this section of the state. In November, 1913, Mr. Beckman moved to Brookville, and in February, 1914, bought the Dudley saw and planing mill, which he is now operating. He handles all native timber and does a general saw-mill and planing-mill business. He produces sashes, doors and all kinds of building material, for which he finds a ready sale in this vicinity. He intends to soon branch out and engage in the con- . tracting business.

Mr. Beckman was married November 26, 1913, to Minnie Huber. She was born at Harrison, Ohio, and is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Louis F.

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Huber. Her father and mother are both deceased, her mother dying when Mrs. Beckman was only six years of age. Mr. Beckman and his wife have one son, Arthur J. W., born September 15, 1914.

Mr. Beckman is a Democrat and has always taken an intelligent interest in the affairs of his party. For a year and a half he was bridge superin- tendent of Franklin county, and no better qualified man could have been secured for this position. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

JOHN FERRIS.

There were very few families living within what is now Franklin county, Indiana, when the Ferris family located here, more than one hundred years ago. As a matter of fact, when the father of John Ferris, with whom this narrative deals was born in Franklin county in 1810, the county did not yet have a separate existence, since its organization did not take place until a year later. Thus it can be seen that the Ferris family have been identified with the history of the county for much more than a century, and during all of these years they have taken a prominent part in the ma- terial, religious and educational life of the various communities in which they have resided. John Ferris saw service in the Civil War, and, after returning to peaceful pursuits, engaged in farming for many years, after which he became interested in the saw mill business, to which he has since given his time and attention. For many years he has been a resident of Brookville, where he now has a comfortable home and owns and operates a saw and planing mill in partnership with his son.

John Ferris, the son of John W. and Susanna T. (Adair) Ferris, was born in Union county, Indiana, near the Franklin county line, December 7, 1846. His father was born in Franklin county, May 1I, 1810, and died July 21, 1867. His mother was born in Brookville, August 2, 1816, and died on Christmas Day, 1852.

John W. Ferris, the father of John, was reared in Brookville town- ship and lived the life of a farmer all of his days. He was twice married, his first marriage occurring December 17, 1840 to Susanna T. Adair, and to this union were born six children, as follows: Jacob, who died in service during the war; Susanna, deceased; John, of Brookville; Hannah, the wife of William Ferris; Sarah, deceased, and Thomas, who died in childhood. The first wife of John W. Ferris died in 1852, and on June 8, 1856 he was married to Eleanor Pumphrey, who survived him for many years.

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The paternal grandparents of John Ferris were Frederick Ferris and wife, natives of New Jersey, of English descent, and early settlers in Frank- lin county, Indiana. In fact, they came to Indiana before Franklin county was organized, and located in the Whitewater valley, in what later proved to be Brookville township, in Franklin county. Most of their lives were spent in Brookville. The family were members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

John Ferris was reared on his father's farm and attended the district schools for two or three months during each winter of his boyhood days. He enlisted for service in the Civil War in Company F, One Hundred and Forty-sixth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry on January 30, 1865, and saw service in Virginia until the close of the war. His father died when he was twenty-one years of age, and he married soon afterwards and settled on the old home farm of ninety-seven acres, which he inherited from his father. Later he bought fifty-two acres and farmed until 1880, in which year he moved to Blooming Grove, Indiana, and bought a saw and planing mill, which he operated until April, 1897. He then moved to Brook- ville and bought the Fowler saw and planing mill, and has conducted that business to the present time. In the spring of 1913 his mill property was destroyed by the flood and was completely wrecked. In February, 1914, he bought the Brookville carriage factory buildings, installed new machinery, and now has a fine planing mill in operation. He handles all kinds of lum- ber and building material, and has built up a big business in Brookville and elsewhere throughout the county. He has organized a company known as John Ferris & Sons, and has his two sons, Albert and Arthur in partner- ship with him. He has also done considerable contracting in the way of building houses in Brookville and vicinity.

Mr. Ferris has been twice married, his first marriage occurring Janu- ary 21, 1868, to Mary Hudson, who died March 27. 1906. To this union were born six children, who were, Emmet, Harry, Arthur, Albert, Chester and Frederick. Emmet, who was born November 29, 1868, married Alice Naylor, and now lives in Brookville; Harry was born August II, 1870, mar- ried Laura Swift, and is now a farmer in Blooming Grove township; Al- bert and Arthur were twins, born December 22, 1872, and are now in part- nership with their father in the planing mill in Brookville; Albert married Rosa Biltz, and Arthur married Aubra Ritze; Chester was born May 3. 1875, and died May 7, 1902; Frederick, the youngest of the six children, was born February 25, 1877, and is now a resident of Columbus, Ohio. He is a traveling lumber purchaser for the Studebaker Company, of South Bend, Indiana. He married Adella Buck.

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Mr. Ferris was married the second time, July 16, 1907, to Annella Price. She was born in Brookville, Indiana, and is a daughter of Joel B. and Ellen (Shepperd) Price. Mr. Price died December 3, 1912, at the age of seventy-seven. He was born in Brookville, and was a life-long car- penter. He owned a farm in Brookville township, and was an influential man in his community. Mr. Price was in the Civil War as a member of the Thirty-seventh Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served as a musician. Joel B. Price was a son of Henry Price, one of the first settlers of Franklin county, coming to this county with his two brothers, David and Isaac Price. Henry Price owned a farm adjoining the western edge of Brookville. The mother of Mrs. Ferris was born in 1837, and is still living in Brookville.

Mr. Ferris is a stanch Republican and has always given his party loyal support. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Grand Army of the Republic. He and his family are active workers in the Methodist Episcopal church, and Mr. Ferris is a class leader in his local congregation. In 1907 Mr. Ferris re- built his present comfortable home on North Main street, where the family now make their home. He is a man of quiet and genial dispostion, and has the hearty esteem of everyone with whom he has been associated.

FRANCIS R. HARDER.

A self-made man and a valued citizen of Franklin county is Francis R. Harder, who is now the superintendent of the Franklin county high- ways. Although he was born in New York state, he has been a resident of this county since 1869. He farmed for a few years in his younger life, and then worked for several years on the railroad section, eventually be- coming foreman of a gang of bridge carpenters on the Big Four Railroad. While working on the railroad, he spent each night studying with a cor- respondence school in order to prepare himself for civil engineering. He completed his course and was subsequently nominated and elected surveyor of Franklin county, an office which he held for three consecutive terms. He has been serving as county superintendent of highways since 1913, fill- ing his office in a manner which proves that he is a man of exceptional ability for this kind of work.

Francis R. Harder, the son of Martin S. and Lydia (Hall) Harder, was born in Jefferson county, New York, November 13, 1864. His father

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was born in Morristown, Indiana, in 1809, and died in Franklin county in 1886, while his mother was born in Jefferson county, New York, October 12, 1822, and died October 12, 191I.

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History of Franklin County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions, Part 62

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