USA > Indiana > Hamilton County > History of Hamilton County Indiana, her people, industries and institutions > Part 88
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Samuel Carey, the father of Sylvanus, was born in Virginia and in his youth went to Ohio, where he met and married Sarah Phelps, daughter of John and Mary Phelps. Sarah Phelps was born in Virginia as were her parents, and her grandfather and uncle were Revolutionary soldiers. Her grandfather was killed in that war and his son served the full seven years of that struggle, not returning home until the close of the war in 1781. About the time his father settled here Samuel Carey and his wife came to Hamilton county and entered one hundred and sixty acres of land one and one-half
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miles southeast of Carmel. Later he sold this and bought one hundred and forty acres three miles west of Carmel. He owned a third interest in the first saw mill in this neighborhood, which he carried on in connection with his farm work. Four or five years before his death he sold his farm and bought property in Carmel, where he lived until his death. His wife lived to a ripe old age. Samuel Carey and wife were the parents of nine children, John F., Ruth, who married William Warren; Sylvanus, the present member of the family in Hamilton county; Maria, who married Joel Day ; Martin F .; Martha, the wife of E. Dixon; Lemuel; Sarah J., who married Dr. D. Harold and Samuel B.
Sylvanus Carey received his education in the old log school house with its puncheon floor, immense fireplace, wood and stick chimney and greased paper windows. In his youth he learned the carpenter's trade with his father and when he was married at the age of twenty-two his father sold him eighty acres from the old home farm, where he lived for a year, and then he started a general store in Carmel in partnership with Elijah King. He remained in this business for five years and then disposed of his interests and bought the remainder of his father's farm east of Carmel, his father, Samuel, buying a farm west of Carmel at the same time. About 1870 Mr. Carey again moved to Carmel and has lived there continuously since. In 1871 he was elected to the office of county commissioner and gave such satisfaction during his first term that he was re-elected, holding the office for a period of six years. Dur- ing his tenure the present court house and jail were built. After retiring from the office of county commissioner, he bought and sold live stock. When he started in this line he had to drive his stock to Indianapolis, sometimes driving as many as five hundred head at one time.
Mr. Carey was married in 1855 to Mary Kinzer, a native of Ohio and the daughter of John and Ruth (Wilkinson) Kinzer, whose parents had moved from Ohio to Indiana at an early date and settled in Hamilton county. Mr. and Mrs. Carey are the parents of four children, Rhoda, Elizabeth, Clinton and Etta, the last named having died at the age of nine, while the other three are still living. Rhoda married Joseph Roberts and lives in Noblesville. Mr. and Mrs. Roberts have six children, Mabel. who married James Brown, lives in San Francisco, and has three children; Rurah, who married Mr. Kennedy, lives in California, and has three children; Rodger is married and lives at Grand Bay. Alabama, and has two children; Walter is attending college at Berkeley, California : Mary is attending Earlham College at Richmond, Indiana : Justin is still at home and attending the high school at
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Noblesville; Elizabeth, the other daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carey, married Elmer Brokaw and lives in Carmel, and is the mother of two children, Mar- garet and George K., both of whom are still living with their parents; Clinton, the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Carey, is a resident of Indianapolis.
Mr. Carey cast his first presidential vote for John C. Fremont in 1856, and has been a stalwart supporter of the Republican ticket ever since. Fra- ternally, he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and one of the old- est Masons in the county. Mr. Carey is now one of the oldest pioneers of the county and because of the upright life which he has always lived is one of the most highly esteemed men of the county. He has always been interested in public enterprises and has never failed to take his full share in the life of his community. The old pioneers will soon be gone and with their passing away the last link which unites the present age with the past will be gone forever. It is eminently fitting that these sturdy pioneers be represented in this volume and no one is more worthy of representation here than Sylvanus Carey. His life speaks for itself. It is such men as he who have made Indiana the great state that it is today.
JOSEPH C. PECK.
Never before in the history of our country has there been so much atten- tion paid to the farmer. It was formerly thought that anyone could be a farmer and in the days when the soil was still full of its pristine fertility there was a measure of truth in this statement. However, with each suc- ceeding generation it became more difficult to raise crops, due to the fact that the farmers did not know how to conserve the fertility of their land. At the present time our agricultural colleges throughout the country are doing a great work in helping the farmer to determine not only the nature of his soil but also how to use fertilizers to increase its fertility. In our state it has recently been made a scientific study. In Indiana ninety per cent of the boys attending agricultural colleges were reared on the farm. Eighty-nine per cent will inherit farms and seventy-three per cent have declared their inten- tions of returning immediately to the farm upon finishing their college course to take up agriculture as their life work. In each classification where the United States government has made a particular study, Indiana leads all the states of the Union. These figures tell their own story. The boys of Indi- ana are on the right track in the solution of the high cost of living. They
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propose to wrest from the soil its fullest possibilities and in their work in the future there will be nothing remaining of the haphazard methods which have blighted the hopes of farmers in the past. The best knowledge of scientific experimenters will be at their disposal and the future will find the farmer in a much more prosperous and satisfied condition. Hamilton county is send- ing hundreds of its boys to Purdue to take the short courses in agriculture, if not the full courses offered in that excellent institution. The result is bound to tell in the future and while they can not take advantage of these courses at Purdue, yet their influence will be the means of helping those who did not have the same opportunity. There is no fairer or better farming land in the state than that of Hamilton county. There is no reason why the appli- cation of proper methods should not put Hamilton county at the top of the list of the agricultural counties of this state.
Joseph C. Peck, a progressive farmer of White River township, Hamil- ton county, and the son of Isaac C. and Amanda (Woodyard) Peck, was born in Hamilton county, September 18, 1876. His father and mother were both natives of Hamilton county, the father having been born November 3, 1846, and the mother December 23, 1849.
Isaac C. Peck was the son of Joseph and Rachel Peck and was born in White River township, Hamilton county, November 3, 1846, and died at the Noblesville hospital, November 8, 1911, at the age of sixty-five years and five days. Isaac C. Peck was married to Amanda Woodyard at Noblesville, Indi- ana, October 8, 1868. To this union six children were born, three of whom preceded their father to the Great Beyond. The three deceased children are Charles, Pearl and Orzo. Mr. Peck was survived by one son, Joseph C., the subject of this sketch; and two daughters, Mrs. Isaac Leonard and Mrs. Howard Cavan: likewise, two granddaughters, Lelah and Inez Peck; and four sisters, Mrs. Ellen Maker, of Strawtown, Mrs. William Wise, of Perkinsville, Mrs. Lenny Summer. of Arcadia, and Mrs. Jane Smith, of St. Joseph, Missouri. The widow of Isaac Peck now resides at Elwood, Indiana. Mr. Peck was a man of wide christian influence and was prominent in the civic and political affairs of his community, having served two terms as trustee of White River township. He became a member of the Methodist Episcopal church at an early age and throughout his life continued to be a faithful worker in this church. In his death the county lost a stanch citizen, the children a loving counsellor and the wife a kind and devoted companion.
Joseph C. Peck received a good commonschool education in the schools of his home neighborhood and, like all farmer boys, assisted his father on
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the farm until he reached his majority. After his marriage he went to work on the home farm and, his father having died, he took up the management of the home farm. He carries on a general system of farming, raising all the crops which are common to this section of the state. Mr. Peck raises enough stock to consume the feed raised on the farm. He makes a specialty of pure- bred Jersey cattle and Duroc hogs. He is deeply interested in everything pertaining to the science of agriculture and is a wide reader of all the litera- ture which will assist him in any way to obtain better results.
Mr. Peck was married August 25, 1894, to Jessie Moore, born in Hamil- ton county August 9, 1878, the daughter of William and Alcinda (Armfield) Moore. To this union two daughters have been born, Lelah and Inez. Lelah is now teaching the primary grade at Walnut Grove. Inez is a student in the Walnut Grove high school and will graduate with the class of 1916.
William Moore, the father of Mrs. Peck, was one of the early pioneers of Hamilton county, having come to this county when there were but two or three families residing in the community where he settled. He was born in Carroll county, Virginia, June 2, 1830, and was one of twelve children, three of whom were living at the time of his death, March 23, 1912. These were Thomas, Mrs. Jane DeHority, of Elwood, and Madison, of Anderson. Mr. and Mrs. William Moore, who were married September 16, 1857, were the parents of nine children. With one exception, all of these children lived to maturity and survived their father. No man was more highly esteemed than "Uncle Billy" Moore, who was one of the prominent citizens of his com- munity. Mr. Moore was a member of the Masonic fraternity and of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He died March 23, 1912, at St. John's hospital in Anderson. At the time of his death his living children were Mansville, ex-sheriff of Elwood: Ellen and Mollie Butterfield, of Muncie: Frank, of Elwood; Charles, of Daleville; Mrs. Joseph C. Peck, of Perkinsville : William, of Madison county, and Mrs. Nettie Campbell, of Muncie. Mr. Moore's aged widow is still living.
Joseph C. Peck always has been identified with the Democratic party but the cares of agricultural life have prevented him from participating in the movements of active politics. While not a member of any church, he is strong in the support of the Christian church, to which his wife and two daughters belong. Mr. Peck gives his support to every movement which promises to be of material or moral benefit to the people of his locality, and, being a man of general worth and high character, he is eminently deserving of the esteem in which he is held by his fellow citizens.
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ELIAS SMELTZER.
Thre is no calling, however humble, in which enterprise and industry, coupled with a well-directed effort, will not be productive of some measure of success. Elias Smeltzer, a prosperous farmer of Jackson township, this county, as well as a successful minister in the Church of the Brethren, is a man who has attained to a definite degree of success, while at the same time he has greatly benefited the community in which he has lived. As a farmer he ranks among the most progressive agriculturists of the county, while as a private citizen he has always been interested in the moral and spiritual wel- fare of his community. A man of irreproachable character and high ideals his influence always has been cast for better and higher things and his life has been fraught with much good to the community.
Elias Smeltzer, son of John and Minah (Gasho) Smeltzer, was born February 27, 1852. John Smeltzer was born in Lancaster county, Pennsyl- vania, and when a young man came to this state and settled in Wayne county, but shortly afterwards came to Hamilton county, where he purchased a farm. John Smeltzer and wife were the parents of eleven children, Henry, John, Barbara, Mrs. Maria Blackburn, deceased; Leah, deceased; Daniel; Mrs. Elizabeth Kinder; Elias, with whom this narrative deals; Mrs. Anna Buchan-
Elias Smeltzer was given a good common school education, his first an ; Moses and Lucinda, deceased.
school days being spent in a rude log school house. After finishing the com- mon school he went to the school at North Manchester, which is under the auspices of the Brethren church. After finishing the college course at North Manchester, he traveled all over the world, visiting Naples and Rome in Italy, touring through Greece, then going over into Asia, visited Palestine, the Holy Land, stopping some time at Jerusalem, after which he made a comprehensive tour of Egypt and Arabia. He also has visited California three times and
Mr. Smeltzer was married April 8, 1875, to Martha J. Kinder, the has been a traveler into Mexico.
daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth ( Putnam) Kinder. Benjamin Kinder was a native of Pennsylvania and upon coming to this state first settled in Rush county. Benjamin Kinder and wife reared a family of seven children : Reuben. Isaac, Joseph. Martha J., the wife of Mr. Smeltzer: Andrew, Mary and Sarah. Mr. and Mrs. Smeltzer are the parents of three children, Harvey, deceased : James F .. and Carrah H. James E. Smeltzer was born in 1885 and was educated in the high school and later took a course in a commercial col-
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lege. He married Katie Mosbaugh in 1911, and now lives on a farm near Arcadia, Indiana: Carrah H. is single and now lives in Los Angeles, Cali- fornia, where he has an orange grove near Corina. Carrah took a course in the college at North Manchester.
Though politically independent, Mr. Smeltzer always has taken an active interest in the civic life of his community, and always identifies himself with every worthy cause. In his agricultural pursuits he has made a specialty of stock raising and has the reputation of having some of the finest Jersey cattle in the county.
Mr. Smeltzer for years has been one of the most active ministers affiliated with the Church of the Brethren. He was elected to the ministry October 23, 1885, and was elevated to the office of bishop April 10, 1893. Nearly all the time since his call he has been in charge of the church at Arcadia, Indiana, but has been called on to participate in much of the committee work in other churches of the Brethren. Since its organization in 1893 he has been secre- tary of the Arcadia cemetery committee and in this position has been among the most active of those who have made of this cemetery one of the most attractive burial grounds in the state.
JACOB QUICKEL.
There are few residents of Hamilton county, who have passed the eightieth anniversary of their birth. To these surviving links with the past the citizens of the county owe a debt which can never be repaid. These fore- fathers of ours did much for us and sacrificed many things that we of today might prosper and live in comfort. These pioneer fathers of ours builded more wisely than they knew, little thinking that within a comparatively few decades of their own generation there was to spring up the marvelous civil- ization which we are enjoying today. Apparently they were men of hardier constitution than the people of today and it was well that they were such sturdy stock. They not only had to fell the forests and drain the swamps, but had to fight the hostile Indians in many places. Despite obstacles which now would be accounted well-nigh insuperable they cleared the great wilder- ness and established new homes in the virgin forests and it is to their hard labors that we owe a tribute which we can never properly pay.
Jacob Quickel. a retired farmer of Jackson township, this county, was born in York county. Pennsylvania, in 1834, the son of George and Susan
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(Good) Quickel, his father's birth having occurred on the same farm in Pennsylvania. George Quickel was a life-long farmer and the son of John Quickel, who was born and lived all of his life in the same county in Pennsyl- vania. The Quickels are of Dutch ancestry and came to this country early in the eighteenth century and settled in Pennsylvania, being classed with that large number of substantial and worthy citizens known as the "Pennsylvania Dutch." George Quickel and wife were the parents of eight children, John, deceased; Elizabeth, living in Iowa; Jacob, a venerable pioneer of this county ; Anna, deceased; Rudolph, deceased; Elias, deceased; Catherine, de- ceased, and Susan, who lives in Pennsylvania. The three brothers of Jacob Quickel were soldiers in the Union army during the Civil War.
Jacob Quickel attended school in a little log school house in Pennsyl- vania, but owing to the death of his father when he was only thirteen years of age his education was very limited. While still a mere boy, he began to "work out" by the month in his home county. When twenty-three years of age he came to Indiana and settled in Wayne county. While living there he was married in 1860 and lived there after his marriage for nine years. In 1869 he went to Henry county, adjoining Wayne county on the west, where he lived until 1873, since which time he has lived in Hamilton on a farm one mile from Arcadia. He purchased this farm of eighty acres immediately upon coming to this county and has improved it by erecting buildings and constructing fencing, so that today the farm presents a very attractive ap- pearance. He has always been engaged in general farming, but of recent years has paid particular attention to the raising of Jersey cattle, which he has found to be a very profitable investment.
Mr. Quickel was married October, 1860, to Susan Strickler, who is the daughter of Daniel and Mary (Hanaker) Strickler, born in Wayne county, Indiana, April 27, 1840. Daniel Strickler was born in York county, Penn- sylvania, and came to Wayne county, Indiana, with his family in 1839. Mr. and Mrs. Strickler were the parents of five children, all of whom are deceased except Mrs. Quickel. These children in the order of their birth are as fol- lows: Lewis, Amos, Anna, Mary and Susan, the wife of Mr. Quickel. Mr. Quickel and wife never had any children of their own, but have reared an adopted daughter, Minnie Whisler, daughter of Jacob and Mary (Dickover) Whisler. They took her into their home after the death of her parents and. have given her all the care which they would have bestowed upon children of their own.
Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Quickel are among the most highly esteemed resi- dents of the neighborhood in which they have lived so long and are regarded
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with affection by all who know them. Mr. Quickel is a firm adherent to the principles of the Republican party in the local affairs of which he always has taken a warm interest. Mrs. Quickel is a member of the Methodist Epis- copal church, in the activities of which both she and Mr. Quickel are deeply interested.
W. P. FRAZER.
The best history of a community or state is that which deals most with the lives and activities of its people, especially of those who, by their own endeavor and indomitable energy have forged to the front and placed them- selves at the point where they deserve the title of progressive men. In this brief review will be found the record of one who has outstripped the less active plodders on the highway of life and achieved a career surpassed by few of his contemporaries, a career of marked success in agricultural affairs and a name which all men who know him delight to honor owing to his up- right life and habits of thrift and industry.
W. P. Frazer, proprietor of a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Jackson township, this county, was born June 16, 1871, in the township where he has lived his entire life. . He is the son of Howard and Emmeline (Collins) Frazer, his father being a native of Parke county, Indiana, and the son of Caleb Frazer, who was a native of Butler county, Ohio, and was the first one of this branch of the family to come to Indiana. He first settled in Parke county, and in 1859 came to Hamilton county, coming to this county when Howard Frazer was seventeen years of age. Howard Frazer and wife were the parents of three children. Kate. deceased, Charles, deceased. and W. P., with whose career this narrative deals.
WV. P. Frazer was reared in the country and attended the Buffalo school in his home neighborhood, later finishing in the schools of Arcadia. While a youth attending school he assisted with the farm work during the summer seasons and thus acquired an intimate knowledge of all the details of agricul- tural life. He remained at home until his marriage in 1904 and then moved to his present fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres in this township, where he has since resided. He is one of the most progressive farmers of the county and takes great pride in keeping his farm in an attractive manner.
Mr. Frazer was married January 31, 1894, to Ida Weaver, daughter of Henry and Fannie ( Hiatt) Weaver, and to this union has been born one daughter, Ruth. Henry Weaver was born in this county, his father having
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been a large land owner and prominent citizen in the community for many years. The Hiatt family came to this county from Kentucky. Henry Weaver and wife were the parents of three children. an infant who died: Stella, deceased, and Ida, the wife of Mr. Frazer.
Politically, Mr. Frazer is a member of the Democrat party and while interested in everything pertaining to the civic life of his community, has always been so busy with his agricultural interests that he has never had the time to engage in the political game. He keeps well informed upon the cur- rent issues of the day and is able to discuss them intelligently. He is a mem- ber of the Loyal Order of Moose and takes an active interest in the work of this fraternal organization. While not actively affiliated with any of the churches of his neighborhood. he appreciates the great value of the church and contributes of his means to the support of the Christian church, of which denomination his wife is an earnest member. Mr. Frazer has devoted all of his life to agricultural pursuits and thoroughly understands every phase of this important vocation. Starting out in a small way he has by hard work acquired a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres and well merits the confidence and esteem which his friends and neighbors bear toward him. He is a public-spirited man and gives his hearty support to such movements as in his opinion will improve his community in any way.
INDIANA CONDENSED MILK COMPANY.
In the early nineties the first creamery was established at Sheridan. This creamery had its ups and downs with various managers, and at one time went into bankruptcy. Later the creamery was turned into a milk sta- tion for milk and ice cream companies of Indianapolis. Still later, as the condensed milk business gradually developed, the creamery was purchased by John Dittemore and Frank Van Camp, of Indianapolis, who established the American Condensed Milk Company. After two years' experimenting here, they became convinced that there were other localities where supplies could be purchased to a better advantage, and they sold the plant to W. N. Wilson, R. W. Furnas and others in Indianapolis.
In 1902 the total receipts of milk averaged thirty-five hundred pounds per day, but under the new management this supply has been increased to an average of fifty thousand pounds per day. It is said by experts of the United States government that there is no other locality in the country that produces milk as rich in butter fat, in anything like this quantity.
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The development of this business from practically nothing in 1902 has been made possible by the Indiana Condensed Milk Company making a con- stant market for all the milk that was produced, and at prices considerably higher than paid by butter and cheese factories. These high prices have been made possible on account of the development of this new industry, namely, the canning of milk, an industry even now in its very infancy.
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