USA > Indiana > Franklin County > History of Franklin County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 97
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Peter Joseph Spaeth, Sr., came from Germany to America in 1833 and located in Maryland for the first two years of his residence on this side. In 1835 he came to Franklin county. Indiana, and shortly after his arrival here was married to Mary Traggesen, the daughter of George and Appilona Traggesen, natives of Germany. George Traggesen was born April 19, 1777, and his wife was born in the same year. They came to Maryland about 1828 and to Franklin county. Indiana, in 1833. George Traggesen died here in 1846, his wife having passed away three years previously. George Traggeser and wife were the parents of eight children, Anna Marie, Gertrude, Thomas, Elizabeth, Lawrence, Mary Ann, Jacob and Eva.
Peter Joseph Spaeth, Sr., was a tailor by trade, but after locating in
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Franklin county devoted all of his time to farming and stock raising. He eventually accumulated a fine farm in Brookville township, comprising three hundred and seventy-one acres. He was a Democrat in politics, while he and all of his family were stanch adherents of the Catholic church.
Peter Joseph Spaeth, Jr., was reared on his father's farm in Brookville township and educated in the public and parochial schools of Brookville. Reared on the farm, his earliest training was along agricultural lines and it was but natural that he should follow in the footsteps of his father. That he has been successful is shown by his possession of a well improved farm of three hundred and fifty acres. Not only has he one of the most productive farms of the county but his improvements are such as to give his farm a very attractive appearance. By dividing his attention between grain and stock raising he has made a very comfortable living for himself and family, while at the same time he has taken an intelligent part in the life of the community around him and is very rightly regarded as one of the substantial men of his neighborhood.
Mr. Spaeth was married in 1876 to Barbara Mary Cook and to this union have been born twelve children, Joseph, born April 12, 1877 ; Elizabeth, born September 22, 1878: Josephine, born September II. 1880; George, born April 10, 1882: Frances, born February 12, 1884: Catherine, born September 24, 1886, died September 27, 1886; Theodore, born November 9, 1887; Will- iam, born February 12, 1890; Rosa, born December 28, 1891: John, born July 7, 1894: Mary, born May 30. 1896. and Antoinette, born March 29, 1899.
Mrs. Spaeth was born in Brookville township, July 4, 1857, and is a daughter of Matthias and Catherine (Peters) Cook, both natives of Ger- many, the former of whom was born August 1, 1812 and the latter Septem- ber 14, 1818. Mr. Cook died February 20, 1877, and his widow survived him until February 14. 1902. Twelve children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Cook. Julia. John. William, George, Mary, Frances, Joseph, Philomena, Law- rence, Barbara. Joseph and Anna. Of these children only Julia, William, George, Barbara and Anna are now living. Mr. Cook came to the United States when he was eighteen years of age and located in Pennsylvania. He married Catherine Peters in that state and lived there some years in Bedford county. In 1843 Mr. Cook and his family came to Franklin county, Indiana. and lived here the remainder of their days.
Mr. Spaeth is an adherent of the Democratic party but has never had any aspirations along political lines. The Catholic church receives the hearty support of the Spaeth family and to its various activities they are generous
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contributors. Mr. Spaeth is a fine example of the energetic and wide awake citizenry of his county and is well entitled to the high esteem in which he is universally held, his friends and neighbors regarding him as one of the in- fluential men of the community.
CHRIST SOTTONG.
One of the largest farmers of Brookville township is Christ Sottong, who is now living on the same farm and in the same house where he was born. His father was a native of Germany and came to the United States and located in Franklin county, Indiana, in 1848. Mr. Sottong possesses those dominant characteristics which make the citizens of German ancestry such dependable men of affairs. In everything which goes to make up the successful farmer, Mr. Sottong stands high among the farmers of the county. He believes in keeping fully abreast of the latest advances in agriculture and his well-improved farm is sufficient evidence that he understands how to carry on the work of the modern agriculturist in the most approved manner.
Christ Sottong, the son of Frederick and Catherine (Baker) Sottong, was born where he is now living August 8, 1870. His father was born in Germany in 1823 and his mother was born in the same country January 13, 1838. His parents reared a family of six children, John, Christ, Joseph, Fred, Anna, deceased, and Margaret.
Frederick Sottong came to Franklin county from Germany in 1848 and shortly after locating in the county was married. To his first marriage were born three children, Henry, who died in Kansas at the age of about forty, and two others who died in infancy. After the death of his first wife, Frederick Sottong married Catherine Baker, the mother of the subject of this sketch. Frederick Sottong became an influential man in the community where he lived and at the time of his death in 1902 owned two hundred and thirty acres in Brookville township. He placed good improvements upon the farm and became one of the most extensive tillers of the soil in the township. He was a Democrat in politics and a Catholic in religious faith.
Christ Sottong was reared on the farm and educated in the parochial schools. After his marriage he purchased the old homestead of two hun- dred and thirty acres and is now engaged in general farming and stock raising.
Christ Sottong was married in 1908 to Frances Tajlheimer, who was born at St. Peters in this county, June 24, 1887, a daughter of Adam and
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Mary (Dudley) Tajlheimer. To this union have been born two children, Harvey John, born June 9, 1910, and Hazel Mary, born March 12, 1914.
The father of Mrs. Sottong was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1837, while her mother, Mary Dudley, was born in Baden, Germany, in 1844. Adam Tajlheimer came to St. Peters, Franklin county, Indiana, about 1878. He died in 1899, his widow still living at the age of seventy. He was a carpenter by trade, a Democrat in politics and a loyal member of the Catholic church. Adam Tajlheimer and wife were the parents of twelve children, John, Henry, Leo, Maggie, Lizzie, Katie, Mary, Joseph, Anna, Theresa, Frances and Rob- ert. All of these children are still living and all are married except Robert.
Mr. Sottong takes an intelligent interest in politics and is an earnest adherent of the Democratic party, to which he has given his support since reaching his majority. He and his family are loyal members of the Catholic church and give it their hearty support at all times.
THEODORE A. MOORE.
In any era of civilization the name which is spread most conspicuously upon the pages of the history of the nations is that of the farmer. Out in the open, his mind broad and healthy, surrounded on all sides by evidences of the Creator's handiwork, he thinks clearly and decisively, and his opinions are heeded alike by ruler and subject.
Theodore A. Moore is a farmer and proud to be so called. He was born on the family homestead in Fairfield township, Franklin county, Indiana, Oc- tober 10, 1848, the son of Mathias M. and Jane (Sims) Moore. Mathias M. Moore was born in New Jersey on September 10, 1823, coming to Fair- field township with his parents when he was a child of four years. Here he grew to maturity and married, on January 6, 1847, Jane Sims, who was a daughter of Alexander Sims. She was born in Fayette county, Indiana, where her family had emigrated from South Carolina, being among the first settlers of Fayette county, Indiana. Her father was a native of Ireland, but came to this country when a small child with his parents, who settled in South Carolina, where he was reared to manhood and married. Mrs. Jane (Sims) Moore died July 22, 1849, leaving her husband with one son, Theodore A., the immediate subject of this review.
The paternal grandfather of Theodore A. Moore was William Moore, who was born September 21, 1795. William Moore was the son of Moses Moore, who was born in New Jersey March 4, 1773, his ancestors being
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among the early colonists. His children were Lavina, born in 1794; William, born September 23, 1795; Dorcas, born in 1796; Rachel, born in 1801, and George, born in 1802. William, George and Dorcas became residents of Franklin county, Indiana, William being one of the first settlers in Fairfield township, where he located in 1827, bringing with him his wife and four children, Elizabeth, Moses, Eleanor and Mathias M. After the death of his first wife, William Moore married Eleanor Logan, who was born December 25, 1805, and to this union two daughters were born, Lavina, who died at the age of eight years and Mary, who became the wife of T. L. Dickerson, a resident of Fairfield, this county. William Moore's second wife died and he later married Sarah Hudson, who was born September 30, 1797. William Moore was a typical pioneer of the best class, a consistent Christian and patriot. During the War of 1812 he served as a musician, being detailed to play the fife. and the fife which he played is still in the possession of the family, and is proudly exhibited by his grandson, William D. Moore. Wil- liam Moore, the soldier of 1812, died February 1, 1853.
After the death of his first wife, Mathias M. Moore married Hannah M. Irwin on June 17, 1851. She was born in Darke county, Ohio, Decem- ber 5, 1824. To Mr. Moore's second union were born the following children : John Irwin, born May 20, 1852; William D. and Mary J., twins, born Sep- tember 29, 1860. John Irwin died in Illinois from the effects of an accident on December 11, 1872. Mathias Moore was a man of sterling character, in- fluential in political and fraternal circles. He was a Mason and a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias, as well as being a stanch Democrat. He died May 27. 1896, beloved and respected by all who knew him.
Theodore A. Moore was left motherless when he was still an infant. He was brought up in the home of his maternal grandfather in Fayette county, Indiana, where he received that training which he applied so well in later life. He attended the schools of his home neighborhood, receiving most of his education in the school at Ireland, Jackson township, Fayette county, Indiana, and remained with his grandparents until he was twenty-one years old, when he entered circus life, traveling with Forepaugh's and Van Ambuch's circuses for five years. After leaving this business he located on his present farm, a beautiful place about one-half mile south of Blooming Grove, on the Blooming Grove pike. The farm, originally purchased in 1871, consisted of eighty acres, but Mr. Moore has increased his holdings from time to time until he is now the owner of one hundred and seventy-nine acres of excellent farming land, and on this farm Mr. Moore carried on a general
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system of farming for many years, but for the past fifteen years has rented out the fields to responsible tenants, although he continues to live on the farm, which has a number of well kept buildings upon it, attesting to the industry and taste of the owner.
Mr. Moore was married December 6, 1877, to Wilhelmina Norris, who- is a native of Maryland, and to this union four children have been born : Harry, who died at the age of twelve years, and Frank, Ethel and John, the latter in his seventh year in the navy, on the battleship Delaware. At pres- ent he is boatswain's mate, second class. All the other children are surviving.
It is with real pleasure that this brief biography is written, for Mr. Moore is a man of whom it can be truly said that he is a good citizen, which is more than kingly praise or costly monument.
THOMAS G. BUCKLER.
Franklin county is characterized by its full share of enterprising and progressive farmers. Among the number of men who have successfully en- gaged in agricultural pursuits in this county may be mentioned Thomas G. Buckler, a native of the county, and now a successful farmer of Brookville township.
Thomas G. Buckler, the son of John W. and Evalin (Lee) Buckler, was. born in Laurel township, Franklin county, Indiana, November 26, 1877. His father was born in the same township, while his mother was a native of New Jersey. John W. Buckler and wife were the parents of eight children, Rich- ard, Anna, Ora, Joseph, Thomas G., Oliver, Ida and Alice.
The paternal grandparents of Thomas G. Buckler were Joseph Buckler and wife, early settlers of Laurel township, where both of them passed the remainder of their days. The maternal grandparents of Thomas G. Buckler were Wesley Lee and wife, natives of New Jersey, also early settlers of Laurel township, both of these families having been regarded as among the leading and most influential families of the community in whose early development they took such a prominent part.
Thomas G. Buckler was educated in the public schools of Laurel town- ship. After his marriage in 1906 he bought a farm in Brookville township of one hundred and nine acres, and has since made his home on this farm. He has made many improvements on the place since acquiring it and by the proper attention to crop rotation he has kept his farm at a high state of fertility.
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Mr. Buckler was married November 21, 1906, to Dorothy Ertel, to which union have been born four children, Martha, born October 26, 1907 ; Robert, born April 19, 1909; Francis, born November 15, 1911; Lawrence, born February 22, 1914.
Mrs. Buckler was born in Highland township, May 21, 1887, and is a daughter of August and Josephine (Stengel) Ertel. Her father was born August 19, 1848, in Butler township, and her mother in Bavaria, Germany, in 1849. Mrs. Buckler's mother came to America before her marriage, and was later married in Cincinnati. Some years after their marriage they came to Franklin county, Indiana, and located in Butler township, where her father's death occurred in 1895 and her mother's in 1912. Eleven children were born to August Ertel and wife, Henry, George, Mary, Frank, August, Clara, John, Louisa, Quirrin, Anna and Charles.
Thomas G. Buckler and his family are loyal and devout members of the Catholic church of Brookville. He is a Democrat in politics, as was his father before him. He is one of the younger farmers of the township, and in every respect has lived so as to merit the high esteem in which he is held.
JOHN L. COWEN.
No other county in Indiana furnished braver men for the Civil War than did Franklin county. This state sent over two hundred thousand men to the front during that memorable conflict and Franklin county contributed its quota without any difficulty, meeting every call of Governor Morton with a promptness that spoke well. for the patriotic spirit of her sons. These patriotic sons of Franklin county left their homes to save their country and many of them sacrificed their lives that the Stars and Stripes might con- tinue to wave over a united nation. John L. Cowen was one of the many hundreds of brave Franklin county boys who went to the front, and he was a participant in a score of the most severe engagements of that terrible struggle. When he returned to peaceful pursuits in Franklin county he set- tled down to the life of a farmer and so continued until 1898 when he moved to Brookville to spend his declining years.
John L. Cowen, a son of John and Martha ( Miles) Cowen, was born in Springfield township. Franklin county, Indiana, January 6, 1838. His father was born in western Pennsylvania. July 9, 1800, and died May 24,
JOHN L. COWEN AND FAMILY.
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1859, while his mother was born in Franklin county, Indiana, October II, 1809, and died March 28, 1849. His parents reared a family of fourteen children, of whom Permelia A., born November 25, 1826, died at the age of thirty ; Elizabeth, born January 16, 1828, married Samuel Sharp, both now deceased ; Squire Hazard, born June 8, 1829, died December 7, 1908, was a farmer of Lewisburg, Kansas; Joseph H., born August 13, 1831, went to California in 1848, lived there until 1906, then went to South America, and has never been heard of since; Mary J., born January 4, 1834, died August 28, 1894, the wife of Fenley Jones, of Franklin county ; James, born October 31, 1835, died in January, 1878, a farmer of Kansas; John L., the seventh child and the immediate subject of this review; Martha E., born September 23, 1839, died when young; Sarah Margaret, born November 3, 1840, died in July, 1907, the wife of James Landen, a farmer of Kansas; Harrison E., born January 20, 1842, a soldier of the Civil War, who went west and was lost sight of ; Harriet V., born August 14, 1843, died in infancy ; Maranda M., born January 27, 1846, the wife of Henry C. Taley, of Pratt county, Illinois, and Mariah L., born February 4, 1848, died in infancy.
John Cowen, the father of John L., was an early settler in Franklin county, Indiana, and after his marriage to Martha Miles, February 12, 1826, he moved to Decatur county, Indiana, and leased a farm there for seven years. Later he bought a farm in Jennings county, Indiana, and lived on it until the time of his death. John Cowen was twice married, his first wife dying in 1850. His second wife was Mrs. Leah (Wamsley) Stout.
The paternal grandparents of John L. Cowen probably were born in Connecticut, although they lived most of their lives in Pennsylvania. The maternal grandparents were William and Elizabeth Miles, early settlers in Springfield township, Franklin county, Indiana, who located in this county about 1808.
John L. Cowen was reared on his father's farm and when eighteen years of age his father died. He then began to work as a farm hand on farms in his immediate vicinity. He enlisted for service in the Union army on September 23, 1861, at Lawrenceburg, Indiana, as a member of Company H, Thirty-seventh Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He was mustered in as a private and was promoted in succession to the rank of a corporal and later orderly-sergeant. Among many other battles he fought at Stone River, Huntsville, Tullahoma, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Chattanooga, Tunnel Hill, Buzzard's Roost, Resaca, Pumpkinvine, Cassville, Kenesaw Mountain, Big Shanty, Peachtree Creek, Jonesboro and Atlanta.
(63)
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In the fall of 1863 he was sent out on a recruiting trip for three weeks, and during this time returned to Franklin county.
After the close of the Civil War Mr. Cowen returned to his home in Franklin county, and for five years "worked out" by the month in Bath town- ship. He then went into partnership with another man in a saw-mill ven- ture, but two years later traded his interests in the saw-mill for a farm in Bath township and still owns this same farm of one hundred and forty- three acres. On this farm he carried on general farming and stock raising until 1898, when he bought a home in Brookville, where he and his wife are now living.
Mr. Cowen was married September 23, 1869, to Marietta Hughes, who was born December 5, 1839, in Fairfield township, Franklin county, Indiana, a daughter of John and Mary (Whitaker) Hughes, both of whom have been deceased many years. Her father was born in Loudoun county, Virginia, and her mother in Fairfield county, New Jersey, and both came with their respective parents to Franklin county, Indiana, in their youth. Mr. and Mrs. Cowen are the parents of three children, Capitola, Adella Blanche and Russell, the latter dying at the age of five months. Capitola is the wife of Louis A. Clawson, a farmer of Springfield township, and has one son, Harry. Adella Blanche is the wife of William Baudendistel, and now lives on the old Cowen homestead in Bath township. Mr. and Mrs. Baudendistel are the parents of seven children, Grace, John, Harold, Esther, Rolla, Cecil, who is deceased, and Kenneth.
Mrs. Cowen's paternal grandparents were Thomas and Sarah (Ogden) Hughes, the former of whom was born January 10, 1752, and died July 18, 1822; the latter having been born in January, 1760, her death occurring De- cember 5, 1845. They were born, reared and married in Virginia, and set- tled in Union county, Indiana, about 1820. Mrs. Cowen's maternal grand- parents were Neri and Mary (Husted) Ogden. Grandfather Ogden died April II, 1844, and his widow later married Samuel Elwell and lived for many years in Union county, Indiana, her death occurring December 13, 1872.
Mr. Cowen and his wife are active workers in the Methodist Episcopal church, in which Mr. Cowen has been a steward and a trustee and in which for many years he served as Sunday school superintendent. He is a mem- ber of Hackleman Post No. 64, Grand Army of the Republic, in Brookville, and always has been interested in everything pertaining to the welfare of his old comrades. Mr. Cowen is one of the fine old pioneers of the county and his whole life has been such as to win for him the affection of a wide circle of friends and acquaintances.
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NATHAN PROCTER.
Although he was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Nathan Procter has been a resident of Franklin county since 1853, and consequently is one of the older citizens of the county. His whole life has been devoted to farming, with ex- cellent results, as is testified by his well improved farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Brookville township.
Nathan Procter, the son of Newton and Elzabeth (King) Procter, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, July 12, 1852. His father was born in Kentucky, April 26, 1803, and his mother in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1812. Newton Procter and wife reared a family of ten children, John, George, Charles, Newton, Justin, Abram, Ann, Mary, Fannie and Nathan. Of these children Justin, Mary, Fannie and Nathan are the only ones now living.
Newton Procter, the father of Nathan, was a rope maker and followed this occupation for many years in Cincinnati. He came to Franklin county with his family in 1853 and spent the rest of his life here, his death occurring in 1862. His wife survived him many years and passed away February 7, 1891. The paternal grandparents of Nathan Procter were Abram and Mary Procter, natives of Kentucky and early settlers in Franklin county, Indiana. The maternal grandparents of Nathan Procter were Justin and Elizabeth King, who located in Cincinnati, Ohio, early in its history and died in that city.
Nathan Procter was only about one year of age when his parents located in Franklin county and, consequently, he received all of his education and early training in this county. Being reared on the farm from his earliest boyhood, it was natural that he should engage in farming upon reaching his majority. This has continued to be his life work and he has been very suc- cessful in his agricultural operations. He owns one hundred and sixty acres of land on which he has placed extensive improvements. He divides his attention between grain and stock raising with the result that he makes a com- fortable living for himself and family.
Mr. Proctor was married in 1894 to Mrs. Katie Fearey Smith, the widow of William E. Smith and the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth ( Stephenson ) Fearey, to which union have been born two children, Esther Elizabeth, born July 27, 1897, and Katie Fearey, born January 26, 1900.
The parents of Mrs. Procter were both born in England and her father came with his father, Enoch, and his stepmother, Sarah Jemimah (Holmes) Fearey, to Franklin county in 1858 and located in Whitewater township.
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The following year the Fearey family settled in Brookville township and there spent the remainder of their days. Enoch Fearey died in 1872 and his widow passed away in 1895. The first wife of Enoch Fearey was Harriet Fitzhugh, who died in England in 1850. To the first marriage of Enoch Fearey were born seven children, John, Kate, Thomas, Rebecca, Charles, Henry and Fan- nie. Of these children, only three are living, Rebecca, Charles and Fannie. Henry died November 8, 1914.
Mr. Procter always has given his hearty support to the Republican party but has never been an aspirant for a public office. He and his family give their support to the Methodist Episcopal church and are interested in the activities of that denomination, being very properly regarded as one of the leading and most influential families in their neighborhood.
GEORGE B. ROBESON.
Among the names which have distinctly impressed themselves upon the annals of Franklin county, dating back even to the days of the earliest settle- ment of this county, few are better known than that of the Robesons or held in higher repute in the several communities of this county in which the mem- bers of that family have had their residence.
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