USA > Indiana > Howard County > History of Howard County, Indiana, Vol II > Part 30
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George Stahl was united in marriage June 14, 1866, at Mill- housen, Indiana, to Anna Mary Hessler, a native of Decatur county. Indiana. Her father and mother both came from Germany to Amer- ica in 1850. first settling in Indiana, then went to Cincinnati for a short time, but later returned to the Hoosier state. where they
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raised a family. The father was born in 1804 and died in 1873. and the mother was born in 1807 and died in November, 1880. John Hessler, a brother of Mrs. Stahl, was a soldier in the Federal ranks, having been in an Indiana regiment. He died June 11, 1908.
The subject was a loyal Democrat and while he took consider- able interest in local politics, never sought public office. However, he was regarded as a public-spirited man and always could be counted on to support the right side of any issue.
GEORGE SCHAFER.
The best history of a community or state is the one that 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 themselevs where they deserve the title of pro- gressive 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 who know him delight to honor owing to his upright life and habits of thrift and industry.
George Schafer was born in Darke county, Ohio, March 19. 1863, the son of Philip and Regina ( Stuber) Schafer. Grandfather Schafer was a native of Germany, where he spent his entire life. There were three sons in the family, two of them came to America about 1851. The father of the subject was about twenty years old at that time. He first stopped at Cincinnati and worked for a butcher. He later moved to Darke county, Ohio, near Phillipsburg, where he worked as a farm hand, later going to Mercer county, Ohio,
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where he was married and where he farmed on his father-in-law's farm for a time: he then bought a farm of his own, part of which was in Mercer and part in Darke counties. There was a log cabin on the place. It was built of round logs ; later he purchased a house of hewn logs, which he tore down and removed to his farm and it was in this house that our subject was born. It was here that the subject's father cleared the land, made a comfortable home and reared his children. He lived there until the fall of 1882, when he sold out and moved to Howard county, Indiana, buying an im- proved farm of one hundred and sixty acres on which he has made his home to the time of this writing ( 1908). He has added much to the improvement of the place, especially in drainage. There were ten children in this family, eight of whom are now living. seven of them having families of their own. Philip Schafer is a member of the Evangelical church. His wife, who died at the age of fifty-seven years, was also a member of this denomination. The subject's father is a Republican and a Prohibitionist, and he is a man of influence in his community.
George Schafer, our subject, attended the public schools in Darke county, Ohio, until he was nineteen years old. but he did a great deal of systematic studying after that. During the time that he attended school he worked at intervals on his father's farm, remaining under the parental roof until after he was twenty-one years of age. He then worked for about seven years as a farm hand for various parties, during which time he bought a lot in Ko- komo, on which he built a home : this was as an investment of the money he had earned and saved by habits of industry and economy from his labor. When he married he moved on the place where he has since resided and carried on the various departments of farm- ing with marked success. The farm at that time belonged to Henry Metz, who was the father of Mr. Schafer's wife. Since that time
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he has purchased eighty acres in Liberty township, which he still owns and which he rents for grain rent. He also bought a forty- acre piece adjoining the home farm. Of this two-hundred-acre farm he has cleared fifty acres. The forty he bought was only partly drained. Mr. Schafer has since installed an excellent system of tile drainage over the entire place and the fields are well fenced. The productiveness of the soil has improved since he came in possession of it, owing to his skillful rotation of crops and other methods em- ployed by all modern and scientific farmers. In 1006 he had a field of wheat which averaged forty-seven bushels per acre. He feeds all the corn raised on the place to hoge which he ships to market. His favorite breeds are Chester Whites and Poland-Chinas.
The domestic life of Mr. Schafer dates from 1891. when he was united in marriage with Katie Metz. daughter of Henry and Catherine Metz. M. Metz was a native of Germany who came to America as a young man. He first settled in Ohio and from there moved to Indiana, where he lived until his death in 1008. He was a man of much influence in his community, having been a very in- dustrious man and led an honorable career, setting a worthy ex- ample to the younger generation of his community, and giving his children a splendid training. Mrs. Metz also came from Germany and is described as a woman of many admirable traits which, her daughter, who is the wife of our subject, seems to have inherited.
The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Schafer: Edwin, born in October. 1892, is living at home and at- tending school in 1908: Oris DeWitt was born in April. 1804: Rea Regina was born in July. 1807: Sereno Drece was born in May. 1902.
Mr. and Mrs. Schafer and their two oldest sons are members of the Evangelical Association. In politics the subject is a Prohibi- tionist. He has not aspired to political offices, but he has held about all the offices of the local church, proper.
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Mr. Schafer is a man of genuine practical ideas, thoroughly upright in all his dealings with his fellow men and a pleasant man to meet. He is training his children in the way they should con- duct themselves to become honorable and successful in their subse- quent lives and the Schafer family is well known in Howard town- ship where they maintain uniformily good reputations and have a very large number of friends.
GEORGE W. BREEDLOVE.
Prominent in the affairs of Howard county and distinguished as a citizen whose influence is far extended beyond the limits of the community honored by his residence, the name of the subject of this review stands out a conspicuous figure among the successful con- tractors and representative men of Kokomo, Indiana. Character- ized by remarkable breadth of wisdom and strong individuality, and in all of his enterprises and undertaking's actuated by noble motives and high resolves, his success and achievement but represent the re- sult of fit utilization of innate talent in directing effort along those lines where mature judgment and rare discrimination lead the way.
George W. Breedlove was born in Marion county, Indiana, April 8, 1844, the son of Henry and Nancy ( Medsker ) Breedlove. The father was a shoemaker and a plasterer, having died in Boone county in 1858, after a useful and well spent life. His widow never re-married. She kept her ten children together until they were grown, being a woman of unusual courage and perseverance.
George W. Breedlove attended school about three months, but notwithstanding the fact that his early education was limited he has gained a great fund of information from his habits of observation
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and by home reading. He spent his early youth assisting to keep his mother by his labor. He began to learn the bricklayer's trade early in life, and in 1866 he was married to Mary A. Kildow, a na- tive of Pennsylvania and of Irish descent.
MIr. and Mrs. Breedlove became the parents of ten children. seven of whom survived infancy. They came to Howard county in the spring of 1880 and have remained here ever since. Mr. Breedlove became a contractor and builder and he erected the fifth house in South Kokomo, on South Union street, where he lived for a period of twenty-six years, when he traded that property for four acres of land just outside the corporate limits of Kokomo at the end of West Sycamore street, where he now has a modern and beauti- ful suburban home. When the subject's oldest daughter was twenty- one years old he presented her with a six dollar Bible. He has con- tinued this custom with all his children as they reached their major- ity until he has purchased seven Bibles. He is an ardent believer in the Divine Word. The subject and wife have raised one pair of hoy twins. Josephine, the oldest daughter, is a graduate of the Kokomo high school. The boys are all good mechanics. James is now bookkeeper in a lumber yard at Anderson, Indiana. Oliver is a pattern maker in Carthage, Missouri. William A. is in south- western Texas, engaged as a contractor. E. Roy is at Anderson, Indiana.
Mr. Breedlove has erected a great many dwellings in Kokomo, having been one of the busiest and best known contractors of the county for a quarter of a century. He is now doing more repair work than actual contracting on new buildings. In all his work he has been very successful, being a man of sound judgment and hon- est business principles. He is a member of the Friends church. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Masonic lodge, No. 93. of Ko- komo, being a Third Degree member. He is also a member of the In-
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dependent Order of Odd Fellows, Lodge No. 133. Mr. Breedlove has voted the Prohibition ticket for the past twenty-three years, up to 1908. His first presidential vote was for Horace Greeley. The subject has long been a supporter of movements having for their object the material advancement of the community, while his in- fluence in furthering the social and moral welfare of his fellow men has been second to none during his twenty-eight years' residence in Kokomo, where he has always been regarded a man of upright principles, industrious and kind hearted to those in need, and but few men in his community are better or more favorably known then he.
JAMES B. CONKLE.
Success is only achieved by the exercise of certain distinguish- ing qualities and it cannot be retained without effort. Those by whom great epoch changes have been made in the political and in- dustrial world began early in life to prepare themselves for their peculiar duties and responsibilities and it was only by the most per- severing and continuons endeavor that they succeeded in rising superior to the obstacles in their way and reaching the goal of their ambition. Such lives are an inspiration to others who are less cour- ageous and more prone to give up the fight before their ideal is reached or definite success in any chosen field has been attained. In the life history of the honorable gentleman whose name forms the caption of this article we find evidence of a peculiar characteristic that always makes for achievement -- persistency, coupled with forti- tude and lofty traits, and as a result of such a life, Mr. Conkle stands today one of the representative citizens of Howard county and one of the best known and most highly respected men of Howard township.
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James B. Conkle was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania. July 21. 1865, the son of George and Jennie ( Murray ) Conkle. Grandfather Samuel Conkle was born in Pennsylvania and came to Indiana in 1869. settling in Howard county on a farm ; but he moved back to Pennsylvania, where he died at the age of seventy-five years. He was a Methodist as was his immediate family and ancestors. The father of the subject was reared in the old Keystone state, and he there received a limited education in the district schools. remaining there until 1869. When nineteen years old he enlisted in April, 1861. in the Ninth Pennsylvania Reserves, in which he served three years, having taken part in both battles of Bull Run. Gettysburg. Antietam. the seven day's battle around Richmond and all other minor engagements in which his regiment participated. After the war he worked in the oil fields for four years. He then came to Indiana and settled in Howard county. He rented a farm for about fifteen years when he bought a sixty-acre tract, which he partly cleared and improved. Later he sold out and bought another farm consisting of the same number of acres. This he improved and still lives on it, his farm being under a high state of productiveness and improvement, well fenced and drained and on it stand excellent buildings. Six children were born to the parents of the subject. five of whom lived to reach maturity; four of these have families of their own. The subject's mother is also living. She and her hus- band were both formerly Methodists, but there being no denomi- nation of this sect near their home, they now subscribe to the United Brethren faith. They are people of fine character and exercise con- siderable influence for the good of their community.
Our subject attended the district schools in Howard county until he was sixteen years of age and he worked with his father on the farm until he was twenty-two years old. He then married and rented farms for four years. Then he bought twenty-five acres
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which he improved ; he has since added seventy acres, making him a farm at present of ninety-five acres, ten acres of which he cleared, drained the entire place with tile and fenced it with wire. He has built a modern and substantial dwelling house, a substantial barn and convenient out buildings. The soil of the place is in excellent productive condition, which has been kept up to a high state of ex- cellency by proper rotation of crops and the application of home fertilizers. Mr. Conkle feeds all his corn to cattle and hogs. He handled the Red Duroc full-blooded hogs. Six acres of his land are in blue grass and woods-pasture. He uses woven wire fencing which he puts up, doing a contracting business in this line. He also operates the only coal yard in this district, do- ing an extensive business.
Mr. Conkle was united in marriage December 2, 1886, to Katie Markland, daughter of David and Margaret ( Goodwine ) Mark- land. Mrs. Markland was born in Ohio of German parents and Mr. Markland was born in Ohio. They came to Indiana about 1850. The latter was a farmer and schoolteacher. He died about 1896. at the age of fifty-nine years. Mrs. Markland is living in 1908, at the age of sixty-six years. Their six children are all living at this writ- ing, and all have families of their own.
Five children have blessed the home of our subject and wife as follows: Elsie M., born September 30, 1887, is the wife of Everett Smith, of Scott county, Indiana, who lives on a farm there ; Emmett J., born October 4. 1890, lives at home on his father's farm : George D. was born October 16, 1893 : Roscoe was born April 25. 1807: Margaret R. was born December 8, 1904. This pretty little girl was unfortunate enough to lose one of her limbs through tuber- culosis, but is now in good health and is a bright and promising child.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Conkle are members of the United Breth-
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ren church, being active in the same. Mr. Conkle belongs to the Horse Thief Detective AAssociation. In politics he is an uncom- promising Republican and has always taken much interest in po- litical affairs. He was justice of the peace for a period of eight years, having made one of the best officials in this capacity that the community ever had. He has also been supervisor. having held that important office with much credit to himself and to the entire satis- faction of all his constituents. In 1908 he became the candidate of his party for township trustee and his nomination was generally conceded to be a most fortunate one, owing to the past splendid official record of Mr. Conkle and his known upright principles and pleasing demeanor. In fact he is one of the most popular and public- spirited citizens of Howard township and he numbers his friends by the scores.
TRUMAN C. RAPP.
Among the men of sturdy integrity and reliable traits of char- acter who have contributed their quota to the advancement of the upbuilding of Howard county, mention may most consistently be made of him whose name appears above, who ranks among the lead- ing business men and public-spirited citizens of Kokomo where he has maintained his home since May 6, 1904.
Truman C. Rapp received a common school education in Ohio, his native state, where he was born in 1862. At the age of nineteen he began business for himself in a small way, going in debt and giv- ing a note with his surety, but his first venture, which was in the small town of Marathon. Ohio, showed that our subject had a pro- nounced capacity for industrial affairs and that his later life would be replete with success if he had an opportunity to deal in larger
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affairs. He prospered and increased his line until he came to Ko- komo, where he has maintained a first class and modern store in every respect, handling all kinds of garments and clothing for men and women, ready to wear. In fact, he carries a full line of carefully selected and up-to-date goods, which are satisfying a large patron- age, so that his trade is constantly increasing and invading new territory.
Mr. Rapp owns a half interest in a similar store in Logan- sport and he spends some of his time looking after the interests of that store which is also a very successful venture. In these stores the best of clerks are employed and customers always receive courte- ouis treatment.
Our subject attributes his success to the manner in which he conducts these stores, selling strictly at one price to all buyers. He purchases his stock for cash in large quantities, moves it to his stores and gives the people the benefit of his experience, now carrying a large and complete line of the latest goods obtainable in both stores. He owns a fine lot on West Walnut street where he erected a fine, modern and commodious residence in 1908. He expects to spend the remainder of his life in this beautiful home.
Mr. Rapp is considered in Kokomo to be one of the most ener- getic and wide-awake business men of that city, being abreast of the times in every respect and the honorable and strictly honest methods he has always employed in his business affairs has gained for him the undivided confidence and respect of all who know him, conse- quently this store and the one at Logansport have had a wonderful growth since they were established, which is proof conclusive that the people of both cities appreciate the manner in which they are conducted and the kind consideration they get when patronizing them.
Mr. Rapp has always been prompt in paying all his debts.
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Being careful in all things, he has never had a fire, and coupled with his carefulness and honesty of principles is his congeniality, all of which has established a high credit and he has never had an assign- ment or a business failure.
Mr. Papp's cheerful and model home is presided over by a most estimable wife, and four bright and interesting children have added their quota of sunshine to this home.
Fraternally Mr. Rapp is a member of the Knights of Pythias. having passed all the chairs in the same; he is also a member of the Uniform Rank of this order.
Although our subject is too busy a man to devote much time to political matters yet he can always be depended upon to lend his influence and support to all worthy movements whether political or otherwise, that have for their object the betterment or upbuilding of his community, always taking a just pride in his city in the future of which he has implicit faith.
TAYLOR N. HOGG.
The biographies of the representative men of a county bring to light many hidden treasures of mind, character and courage. well calculated to arouse the pride of their family and of the com- munity and it is a source of regret that the people are not more familiar with the personal history of such men, in the ranks of whom may be found tillers of the soil, mechanics, teachers, as well as lawyers, physicians, bankers and members of other vocations and professions. The subject of this sketch is distinctively one of the leading citizens of the township in which he lives, and as such has made his influence felt among his fellow men and earned a name
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for enterprise, integrity and honor, that entitles him to worthy no- tice in a work on the nature of this volume.
Taylor N. Hogg, farmer and stock raiser, is a native of Vir- ginia, and a worthy representative of an old and highly esteemed family of the commonwealth, the genealogy of which is traceable through many generations to England, where the name appears to have its origin. It also occurs in connection with the early history of Virginia, and figures quite prominently in the Indian wars of that and other colonies, as well as in the Revolutionary struggle. The subject's great-grandfather, a native of Virginia, joined the English army when a young man for which King George granted him a large tract of land west of the Alleghany mountains, said to have contained eight thousand acres though not all in one body. This ancestor took part in the old French and Indian war and was with General Braddock's command when that ill-starred leader lost his life and the greater part of his men in the overwhelming and disastrous defeat, known in history by his name. When the war of the Revolution broke out, he was made an officer in the British ranks and served as such throughout the entire struggle, after which he returned to his estate in Virginia and settled down to the quiet life of a planter. Being a surveyor he laid much of his land off into farms, which he sold to settlers at very low figures, at one time ex- changing for a negro a well situated tract, which is now conserva- tively estimated at thirty thousand dollars. On another occasion he is said to have deeded two hundred acres for a cow and a shot gun, but within a short time returned the animal as it was the only property the neighbor possessed, and made a present of the gun to a friend. The land in this deal would now sell readily at two hundred dollars per acre. He was one of the first men to introduce the breed- ing and raising of live stock west of the mountains, and he is said to have made the business profitable. He cleared and reduced to
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cultivation a portion of that grant and became a successful planter. although greatly annoyed at first by Indians, whose continued depredations caused him much trouble and no little loss. The sub- ject's grandfather crossed the Alleghany mountains in an early day and settled on his father's estate as a planter and stock raiser. though he too experienced much trouble from the savages whom he was obliged to watch almost constantly to keep them from burning his buiklings and destroying his crops and other property. Subse- quently he took part in the war against the red skins and rendered valuable service while hostilities were in progress, having been made an officer before the war was brought to a close. He married and reared a family of nine children, some of whom became widely and favorably known in their native state, while several moved to other parts and were highly esteemed in their respective places of resi- dence.
Abner Hogg, the subject's father was born and reared on the ancestral estate and after receiving his portion of the same he en- gaged in farming and stock raising and it was while living there that he freed all of his slaves in order to comply with a provision of his father's will to that effect. Like his antecedents, Abner Hogg was a man of intelligence, energy and good judgment and by ju- dicious management he so conducted his agricultural and live stock interests as to accumulate a competency. His death occurred in February. 1871. at the age of fifty-four years. Mary Skeen, wife of Abner Hogg, was also of Virginia birth and a lady of amiable qualities and sterling moral worth. She bore her husband seven children, four sons and three daughters, and departed this life at the age of fifty years in 1867. Both husband and wife were devout Presbyterians, active in all lines of moral and religious work under the auspices of the church and their lives were shining examples of the faith which they professed.
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Taylor Hogg was born October 3, 1842, and spent his early life in Virginia, receiving his education principally under the direc- tion of private tutors. He remained with his parents until twenty years of age, when he severed home ties for the purpose of entering the military service. enlisting August 13, 1862. in Company B. Thirteenth Virginia Volunteer Infantry, with which service he shared the fortunes and vicissitudes of war, in some of the noted campaigns and hard fought battles which deluged the soil of his beloved state with fraternal blood. He received a severe wound in one engagement, which necessitated his retention in the hospital for a period of six months, and from the effects of which he has never fully recovered. nevertheless he rejoined his command as soon as able and remained in the ranks until honorably discharged at the close of the war. Mr. Hogg's military record is eminently a credit- able one as his discharge and the medal of honor presented to him by the state for gallant and meritorious service abundantly attest.
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