History of Huntington County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests, Volume II, Part 35

Author: Bash, Frank Sumner, b. 1859. 1n
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 518


USA > Indiana > Huntington County > History of Huntington County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests, Volume II > Part 35


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township ; and Maggie, wife of J. M. Hart, of Salamonie township. The deceased sons are Isaac and Daniel, the former dying in Wayne county and the latter in Salamonie township, Huntington county.


Eli Keller, who was about five years old when the family came to Huntington county, was reared and grew up on a farm in Salamonie township, entered the district schools, had such training as was afforded by the somewhat restricted curriculum, and was given the privilege of attending school during the winter, while all the working days of spring, summer and fall were employed in developing his experience and his physical constitution in assisting in the varied duties of farm and house- liold. When he was about eighteen he began making his own way, and though living at home until he was twenty-five, carried on agriculture as a renter for several years until he accumulated the means which brought about his first acquisition of land.


On March 10, 1885, Mr. Keller married Miss Ida B. Stewart, sister of J. M. Stewart, of Union township. To their union have been born four children. Elmer Keller is a graduate of the common schools and married Etta Click, of Dunkirk, Indiana; Howard, who also finished the course of the common schools, married Goldie Sutler and lives in Fort Wayne; Ola, a graduate of the common schools, is the wife of Elmer Bailey, of Jackson township, in Wells county; and Rena, who finished the common school course, married Ervin Carroll, of Lancaster township. The parents have taken great pains to give their children the best of opportunities, and have afforded them a good home and the advantages of the schools.


The family are members of the Christian church at Belleville, and Mr. Keller is affiliated with Salamonie Lodge, No. 392, I. O. O. F., is a democrat in politics, and at the present time holds the responsible office of supervisor of the township. His farming activities are carried on at a well improved place of forty acres three miles north and a quarter mile west of Warren. He is a citizen who has always performed the responsibilities of life in a becoming manner, and his friends and neighbors always speak his name with respect and esteem.


JAMES L. JOHNSON. The winning of a comfortable prosperity after the hardest kind of struggle with fortune, and the establishment and provision for a home and a place as an honored and influential citizen of his community, is a short measure of the accomplishment of James L. Johnson, for many years identified with Huntington county, and now a resident of Salamonie township. Mr. Johnson is proprietor of what is known as the Poplar Grove Farm, comprising forty-eight acres and situated three miles north and half a mile west of Warren, in Section 7 of that township.


His life story is that of an orphan boy who endured many vicissitudes in his early life, had practically no opportunities to acquire an educa- tion, but by sheer force of native ability, by hard work, and by his steady ambition to make the best of opportunities, has accomplished more than many men who start in life under much more auspicious circumstances. Vol. II-18


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James L. Johnson was born in Johnson county, Indiana, about a mile northeast of Edinburg, in November, 1854, a son of Thomas and Charity (Cook) Johnson. When he was three years old his mother died and a few years later, in 1861, his father enlisted for service in the Civil war. Receiving a discharge from the army in 1864, he returned home, but soon afterwards disappeared, and nothing has ever been known of his whereabouts since that time. Thus made an orphan at the age of ten, Mr. Johnson was taken into the home of an aunt, and for a number of years he was kicked from pillar to post and altogether had only a few months of schooling. His work as an independent wage earner began when he was twelve years of age, and in 1871 he went to Illinois and spent one year working on a farm by the month. He then bought an interest in a sawmill, conducted it three years, and sold out on April 28, 1875, arriving in Huntington and beginning work with the Belle- ville Mill in Jefferson township. That was his regular place of em- ployment for four years, and as he had a natural knack as a mechanic and had considerable experience in the handling of tools he next engaged in the carpenter's trade. This led him by a natural course into con- tracting, and it is said that Mr. Johnson has erected as many barns as any man of his generation. He has done a great amount of building in Huntington county, and one of the structures which he erected was the Belleville Christian church, built in 1888. For a number of years he has been enjoying the quiet prosperity of his farm, and is comfortably situ- ated and has surrounded himself with many of the good things of life, while his esteem in the neighborhood is that paid to a worthy and useful citizen.


On July 12, 1881, Mr. Johnson married Miss Mary Keller. She was born in Wayne county, Indiana, September 10, 1861, and was brought to Huntington county in 1866, her family locating in Salamonie town- ship and later in Jefferson township. Mr. Johnson and wife have no children. They are active members of the Christian church at Belle- ville, which he has served as trustee. He is also a member of Salamonie Lodge No. 392, I. O. O. F., and both are members of the Rebekah Lodge at Warren. Mrs. Johnson is also a member of the Royal Neighbors at Majenica. The political affiliation of Mr. Johnson has always been with the Republican party.


JOHN A. DOVERSBERGER. Although he has been a resident of Hunt- ington county for only three years, John A. Doversberger has already gained a firmly established position in his community as a man of prac- tical ideas and excellent business ability. His well cultivated farm lies in section 6, Salamonie township, on the Warren and Huntington turnpike, four miles from Warren, and here he is carrying on success- ful agricultural operations. Mr. Doversberger was born in Dearborn county, Indiana, August 22, 1863, and is a son of John and Susan (Hoover) Doversberger.


John Doversberger was born in Germany, and as a young man of seventeen years emigrated to the United States. In Dearborn county,


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John. He. Thompson


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Indiana, he met and married Susan Hoover, who was born in this country, but was of German parentage. Some time after their mar- riage, they moved to Tipton county, Indiana, where Mr. Doversberger continued to be engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death. He and his wife were the parents of ten children, of whom four died in infancy.


John A. Doversberger was reared on his father's farm in Dearborn county and there secured his education in the country schools. His in- dustry and application brought him a liberal training along literary lines, and he thoroughly familiarized himself with every detail and method, so that on attaining his majority he was admirably fitted to take up the work he had chosen as his life vocation. He was twenty- two years of age when he accompanied the family to Tipton county, and there he was married and settled down upon a farm of his own. Subsequently, he invested his means in a half section of land in Texas, and went to the Lone Star state, but after four years decided that bet- ter suceess awaited him in Indiana, and accordingly, in September, 1911, sold his Texas interests and came to Huntington county, where he now has a farm of 160 acres. Mr. Doversberger now has an excellent property, well cultivated, feneed, drained and tiled; modern machinery of every kind; good stock, and up-to-date equipment, to show for the labor, time and money he has invested here. His standing in the com- munity is high as a man of business, and the honorable marmer in which he has conducted all his transactions has gained for him public confidence. In politics he is a Demoerat, but the struggles of the po- litical arena have never attracted him so far as to cause him to offer his name as a candidate for public office. Good movements find in him a hearty co-worker, and the best interests of his community he holds at heart. Mr. Doversberger and family are members of the Lutheran church.


Mr. Doversberger was married to Miss Anna C. Abplamalp, of Rip- ley county, Indiana, where she was reared and educated in the public schools. Her parents were natives of Switzerland who emigrated to the United States and for some years were engaged in agricultural pursuits in Ripley county. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Doversberger: Elma P., educated in the graded and high schools of Texas; Ezra, born February 22, 1899; Paul W., born January 24, 1901; and Ruth, born October 10, 1903. Daniel died in his third year.


ELIJAH P. THOMPSON. Among the old families of Huntington county the Thompsons have had a prominent place from the time when all this country was in the woods and swamps and prairies, before cul- tivation had begun, and while the Indians and wild animals were still the principal occupants of a region that is now entirely devoted to agri- eultural prosperity. During all these years their lives have been led along the paths of quiet industry and prosperity, and as farmers and good citizens they have done their full share for the enrichment of com- munity life. There are few men in Huntington county who own a better


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extent of fertile and improved soil than Elijah P. Thompson, of Sala- monie township. At the same time his success as a business man has been accompanied by helpful and capable service to the community in which he lives, and his name is known throughout the southern half of Hunt- ington county.


Elijah P. Thompson was born on Section 14, in Salamonie township, August 11, 1857, a son of John H. and Lucretia (Preble) Thompson. Several generations of the Thompson family have lived in Huntington county, and they originally came from Bracken county, Kentucky, more than seventy years ago. John H. Thompson himself was a native of Bracken county, while his wife was born in Preble county, Ohio, and each was brought to Huntington county when quite young. John H. was nine years of age when the family located here, and he and his wife grew up together in Salamonie township, and were married and spent their lives in that locality. They became the parents of eight chil- dren, but only two arc now living, Emma A. being the wife of Asa W. Bonham.


Elijah P. Thompson spent his early youth on the Thompson farm, had the wholesome environment of the rural activities and influences, and . attended one of the schools taught in Salamonie township forty or fifty years ago. His school attendance was limited to the winter season, while the summers were all spent in the varied activities of the farm. When twenty-one years of age his father, who was one of the big farmers of his time, started him out in life with one hundred and sixty acres of land. Like the capable steward, he has never hid his talent in a napkin, and has gone ahead and increased his property until at the present time he is the owner of eight hundred and eighty-four acres of the fine land of Salamonie township, and under his management it has all increased in value through his labors and varied improvements.


On December 9, 1880, Mr. Thompson married Lucy E. Chopson, a daughter of John and Susanna (Stroup) Chopson. She too is a native of Salamonie township, and grew up and received her education in the common schools in the same neighborhood as her husband. To their marriage have been born five children, namely: Webster J., who is a farmer and who married Mildred Shafer ; Marcus W., who is a Salamonie township farmer, and married Gertrude Huffman; George E., who finished the course in the Warren high school, graduated from the Indiana State University, and later from Cornell University at New York with degree Ph. B. and is a brilliant young scholar who has been retained as a member of the faculty of instruction at Cornell University in the Physics department, and he married Miss Hazel Gullefer ; Miriam E. is the wife of Frank Minnich of Warren; Ellen G., graduate of the Warren high school and now lives at home. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson have taken great pains to afford their children the best of advantages both at home and in school, and have the satisfaction of seeing them all well situated in life and useful members of society. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Warren, and in politics Mr. Thompson has always tried to vote for the support of the Republican candidate, though not conspicuous as a party man.


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MOSES A. RUSE. The name of Ruse has for many years been closely connected with the agricultural history of Huntington county, a num- ber of individuals of the name having been successful farmers of this section. Prominent among them, one who is proving himself a worthy representative of the family is Moses A. Ruse, who is the owner of eighty acres of good land in Salamonie township. Like many of the successful farmers of this part of Indiana, Mr. Ruse has spent most of his life on the farm which he now occupies, and is therefore fa- miliar with its every detail, as well as with climatic and soil conditions of this region. With this knowledge, in his work he has combined a spirit of progressiveness and industry, and thus has won his way to a well-merited success.


Mr. Ruse was born February 9, 1863, in Rock Creek township, Hunt- ington county, Indiana, and is a son of William and Hester A. (Sutton) Ruse. His father, a native of Ohio, was brought to this county as a child of four years by his parents, grew up a farmer, and continued to till the soil throughout his life. He was successful in his operations, and at the time of his demise was accounted a substantial man and left his family in comfortable circumstances. With the exception of five years in Marion, he passed his entire life in Salamonie township. Hester A. Sutton was born and reared in Jay county, Indiana, and came to Huntington county in young womanhood, where she met and married Mr. Ruse. She still survives him and is now a resident of Warren. They were the parents of seven children, of whom five are living at this time: Moses A., of this review; Hannah, who is the wife of F. F. Sparks; Luella, who is the wife of Milo Hoag; Lizzie, who is the wife of John Brubaker; and Amos L., who is a resident of North Dakota.


Moses A. Ruse obtained his education in the public schools of Sala- monie township and grew up on his father's farm, being reared to traits of honesty and industry and early learning the value of hard labor. He grew up amid agricultural surroundings, and it was but natural that he should adopt farming as his life work, a decision ar- rived upon when he reached his majority. Since that time he has been successful in his operations, being the owner of eighty acres of his father's old farm, valuable land, located three miles north and one-half mile west of Warren, and twelve miles west of Bluffton, Indiana. From time to time he makes improvements on his property, adding to his buildings, his equipment and his stock, and recently has added to the value of his property by the erection of a handsome modern residence, or rather by the remodeling of his former home. This has been changed completely, inside and out, and now includes ten rooms, with modern bath, and is surrounded by 120 feet of cement veranda, and covered with galvanized shingles. As a business man Mr. Ruse has shown himself faithful to every engagement and honorable in every transaction, and as a citizen he is ever ready to assist his fellow-citizens in forwarding all movements making for the advancement of religion, education and morality. His political support is given to the candidates and policies of the democratic party.


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On October 12, 1882, Mr. Ruse was united in marriage with Miss Sarah A. Sparks of Rock Creek township, daughter of Isaac and Cynthia (Roberts) Sparks. Three children have been born to this union, namely : Mamie L., who is the wife of Orville Burgess, of Rock Creek township; Miss Ruth E., who is single and resides with her parents; and Willard J. B., a graduate of the graded schools and now a student in the War- ren high school.


EMANUEL M. HART. Those states which comprise the central Miss- issippi valley have at all times been noted for their great progress, espe- cially in the line of agriculture. The development and transformation of this region have been phenomenal; but yesterday wide-spreading prairies and heavily timbered forests, wild game and wild men; today blossoming fields, productive farms paying ten-fold for the labors ex- pended upon them, prosperous towns and cities, centers of education and religion. The very spirit of progress and enterprise seems to per- meate this part of the country and to have entered into the very char- acter of the citizens who have made this section their home. While not one of the first settlers of this region, Emanuel M. Hart has lived here for more than sixty years, and has been an eye-witness of and a par- ticipant in the most wonderful period of Huntington county's growth. He was born on the farm on which he now carries on operations, in Salamonie township, October 4, 1852, and is a son of Wesley and Sarah (Shideler) Hart, both of whom belonged to old and honored families of Wayne county, Ohio. The parents of Mr. Hart passed peaceful lives in the pursuits of agriculture, the father dying in 1874, and the mother in 1907. They were the parents of ten children, of whom three are liv- ing at this time, namely: James M., who is engaged in farming in Salamonie township; Amanda, who is the wife of John W. Wysong, also of this township, a farmer; and Emanuel M.


The boyhood of Emanuel M. Hart differed little from that of other farmers' sons of his community, in that from the time he was old enough to reach the plowhandles he did his full share of work on the home place, and secured his education during the short winter months in the district school near to his feather's house. He was an industrious and ambitious lad and made the most of whatever chances came his way, so that he obtained a good mental training and also thoroughly familiarized himself with the work of the homestead. Upon attaining his majority, he elected to remain on the farm on which he had been born, and assumed its management, which he has retained to the pres- ent time. This is a tract of eighty acres, located in section 4, three miles north of Warren. Mr. Hart has gained an enviable success in his agricultural ventures and is considered a capable and thoroughly honorable business man. He is public spirited and can be relied upon to support movements making for the betterment of his community, while his progressive spirit has caused him to adopt new and modern methods in his work. His political affiliation is with the democratic party, but the greater part of his activities in the public arena have consisted of his support of good men and measures.


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In 1874, Mr. Hart was married to Miss Hannah M. Neff, daughter of John and Mariah (McFarren) Neff, and five children have been born to this union, of whom four are living: Clinton, a graduate of the Warren high school and a merchant at Liberty Center, Indiana ; W. A., a blacksmith at Majenica; Sarah, who is the wife of Charles Souers, of Rock Creek township; and Ruby B., a graduate of the War- ren high school, formerly a teacher in the schools of Huntington county ; and now the wife of Ora Laurance, of this county.


GARRETT O. TUCKER. The various pursuits which have occupied the attention of Garrett O. Tucker, and the success that he has gained therein, have demonstrated his versatility as a business man and show his right to a position among the successful citizens whose activities are contributing to Huntington county's business prosperity and im- portance. Primarily a farmer, he has also been successful in the field of manufacture and in trade and commerce, and until recently dealt in coal, lime and cement, with an excellent patronage. Mr. Tucker was. born in Edgar county, Illinois, October 9, 1859, and is a son of Osborne and Irena (Parks) Tucker, both of whom are deceased.


There was little difference between the boyhood of Mr. Tucker and that of other sons of Illinois farmers of his day. He attended the dis- trict schools of his native county when opportunity offered during the winter terms, and in the rest of the year assisted his father in plow- ing, planting and reaping and in the thousand and one tasks which make up the daily labor of the agriculturists. He became thoroughly familiar with every detail of farm work, and upon rcaching his ma- jority began farming on his own account, continuing to be so engaged for a period of three years. At the end of that time he turned his attention to the manufacture of tile, a business with which he was iden- tified for six years, and during this time gained a working capital that enabled him to pursue various lines of industry for several years. Mr. Tucker came to Indiana in 1909, and purchased a quarter-section of land in Rock Creek township, Huntington county, which he farmed for three years, and at the end of that time rented his land and came to Warren, where he became a dealer in coal, lime and cement. In his busi- ness transactions Mr. Tucker was always found reliable, prompt in his engagements, and possessed of a high sense of business ethics. He suc- ceeded through the medium of his own efforts, through the grasping of opportunities and through the capable manner in which he directed each of his ventures.


In the spring of 1914 he sold his business and is now superintending his farm.


Mr. Tucker was married while a resident of Edgar county, Illinois, to Miss Nettic Wright, a native of that county and a member of a respected family there. Two sons have been born to this union : Truman O., a graduate of the graded and high schools of Illinois and of the school of pharmacy at Angola College, and now successfully engaged in the drug business at Anderson, Indiana; and Forrest K., a graduate


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of the graded and high schools of Paris, Illinois, who also attended Angola College for one year, married Miss G. Smetherst and is now en- gaged in operating his father's farm in Rock Creek township. Mr. Tucker is a member of the Christian church at Warren, and for some time has served as its treasurer. His fraternal connection is with Horace Lodge No. 902, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he is past grand, and has many friends in this order as well as in busi- ness and social circles. His political belief is that of the republican party, with which organization he has been connected since attaining his majority.


OLNEY L. LIEURANCE. The community of Salamonie township has in Olney L. Lieurance a substantial farmer and reliable citizen, who may be depended upon to act wisely in movements where the welfare of his section is concerned. A son of the soil and reared amid agricul- tural surroundings, he has devoted his activities to farming, and the success which has rewarded his efforts testifies eloquently to the fact that he made no mistake when he chose his career. Mr. Lieurance was born in Clinton county, Ohio, October 28, 1861, and is a son of James and Rebecca J. (Murphy) Lieurance. His parents were born, reared and educated in Clinton county, and were there married, and in 1862 came to Huntington county, locating in the southeastern part of Sala- monie township. There the mother passed away in 1875, and the father was again married. His death occurred in 1895. By his first union he had four children: Z. P., a resident of Liberty township, Wells county ; Ida, who is the wife of Dan Fisher, of Liberty Center; J. W., who is living in Salamonie township; and Olney L.


Mr. Lieurance was reared on his father's farm in Salamonie town- ship, and attended the Salem district school during the winter terms, the summer months being passed in assisting his father with the duties of the homestead. At the age of twenty-one years he left home, and for one year worked in the mill at Buckeye, Indiana, following which he went to Kansas and spent three years at various occupations. Upon his return to Huntington county he settled upon his present property, a tract of forty acres, lying three and one-half miles north of Warren, Indiana. Here Mr. Lieurance has continued to successfully pursue general agricultural operations, and his land is now under a high state of cultivation, due to his scientific treatment of the soil. He has a set of substantial buildings, good equipment and livestock, and his ma- chinery is of the latest improved character. A man of practical ideas, alive to all the advancements being made in his calling, he is achieving success through earnest and untiring effort. Mr. Lieurance bears the reputation of being reliable in his business transactions, and his asso- ciates have every reason to place confidence in his ability. Mr. Lieurance is a democrat and while he has taken no particularly active part in politics is interested in all that affects his community, and has done all in his power to further its advancement. His fraternal connection is with Mount Zion Lodge No. 684, Independent Order of Odd Fellows.




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