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 36
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HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY
On November 1, 1899, Mr. Lieurance was married to Miss Bessie M. Fults, who was born in Marion county, Indiana, November 2, 1880, a daughter of John W. and Mary E. (Gardner) Fults. Mr. Fults. served as a soldier in the Union army during the Civil war, and was. in the service four years, participating in a number of fierce engage- ments. He died in 1901, while the mother is still living. Mrs. Lieurance- was educated in the graded school at Traders Point. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Lieurance: Lloyd C., born Septem- ber 13, 1900; Edith M., born October 16, 1901, and died August 23, 1902; and Glenn I., born May 25, 1903. The family worships at the: Christian church at Plum Tree.
D. CLINTON BUTLER. One of the old and honored families of Indi- ana, which has been identified with the history of this state since 1806, is that bearing the name of Butler whose members have taken honor- able positions in the various walks of life and have always ably filled them. A worthy representative of this family is found in the person of D. Clinton Butler, locomotive engineer in the service of the Erie Railroad, with a run from Huntington, Indiana, to Chicago, Illinois, and a resident of the former city. Mr. Butler, who is a descendant of Indiana pioneers on both sides of his house, was born in Whitler county, Indiana, November 10, 1862, and is the only son of Beale and Letitia. (Smith) Butler.
The Butler family was of Quaker origin and was founded in Indiana by the great-grandparents of D. Clinton Butler, who came to this com- monwealth many years before it became a state, in 1806. The grand -- father, William Butler, was born in Georgia. The maternal grand- father of Mr. Butler was John Smith, a native of Virginia, who came- to Indiana about the year 1820 and settled in Wayne county. Both the Butler and Smith families located in the green woods, their first houses be- ing of log and very primitive in character. Neighbors were few and far between, but Indians were still numerous, although inclined to be- friendly. All kinds of wild game, deer, bear and elk, were plentiful, and the family larder could be easily supplied by a few well-directed shots almost from the cabin door. While the country was new, the people were all on an equality, were at all times friendly and neighborly, hospitable and ready to help one another. The parents of Mr. Butler- were born in Wayne county, the father in August, 1838, and the mother" in May, 1841, and there both spent their lives in agricultural pursuits, Beale Butler passing away in 1905 and the mother one year before.
D. Clinton Butler acquired his early education in the district. schools, and grew up as a farmer's son, his work in the fields giving him bodily strength and a good constitution. On leaving the district schools he went to Clarinda, Iowa, where he attended school for two years, and then returned to the home farm on which he remained until his eighteenth year. At that time he was attracted, like so many country boys, by the life of a railroad man, and he accordingly sought and secured a position with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad,.
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with which he remained one year. On July 8, 1883, he became a fire- man on the Erie Railroad, and held that position on one of the first freight engines to pass over that line, running from Huntington to Chicago. He continued in this capacity until December 10, 1886 when he was promoted to freight engineer and still later to engineer on a passenger run. During his long and faithful service with this com- pany, Mr. Butler has carried many thousands of people on his train, and has never had a serious accident. He is one of his company's most reliable and trustworthy men, and has the unqualified confidence of his employers.
In 1888, Mr. Butler was married to Miss Annetta Campbell, of Hunt- ington, a daughter of William I. Campbell, an old and well-known citizen of Huntington, and Sarah (Morehead) Campbell. To this union there have been born three sons and a daughter, as follows: K. Dean, now a resident of the Pacific coast, in Oregon; Mildred G., who married A. A. Piper and is a resident of Cincinnati, Ohio; Ben I. and Melville Clinton, both now students in the high school at Huntington.
Mr. Butler is a prominent Mason, belonging to Amity Lodge No. 483, F. & A. M .; Huntington Chapter No. 27, R. A. M., and Huntington Commandery No. 35, K. T. He also holds membership in the Elks Lodge No. 805, and is a member of the Commercial Club of Huntington. In politics he is a stanch republican and has taken an active part in local affairs, often representing his county as delegate to state con- ventions. He has often been solicited to become a candidate for local honors, but has refused. Mr. Butler has a neat and substantial resi- dence on Henry street, one of the best resident streets in the city of Huntington, located on the South side, and has a country home at Bass Lake.
HENRY M. FRIEDLEY. For more than forty years Henry M. Fried- ley has been a resident of Lancaster township, and during this period he has become known as one of this section's most enterprising and reliable agriculturists. Time has but brightened his reputation in busi- ness circles and among the representative men of the township has given him a reputation that is enviable. Mr. Friedley was born in Lancaster township, Huntington county, Indiana, on the farm now owned by Anderson Potts, November 19, 1872, and is a son of Samuel H. and Charlotte (Brumbaugh) Friedley, natives of Pennsylvania. There were three children in the family, of whom two are living in 1913: Christy, who is the wife of J. E. Shideler, of Lancaster township; and Henry M., of this review.
Henry M. Friedley, or "Mon" Friedley, as he is familiarly and affectionately called by his intimates, was rcared on the homestead farm, and received his education in the district schools of Lancaster town- ship, the terms in which lasted for a few months each winter. During the rest of the year Mr. Friedley became familiar with the hard work of the home farm, and he thus grew to manhood, strong in body and alert in mind, ready and capable to take his place among the world's
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workers when his opportunity should arise. At the time of his mar- . riage, when he was twenty-seven years of age, he left the parental roof and embarked in a venture of his own, being now the owner of eighty acres of land located five miles south and one-half mile west of Ilunt- ington. Consecutive purpose and clearly defined effort in life will eventuate in the attaining of a due measure of success, but in following out Mr. Friedley's career in gaining prosperity there comes into view the intrinsic individuality which has made such accomplishment possi- ble. The qualities which have made him one of the successful men of his community in a material way have also brought him the esteem of his fellow-townsmen, for his career has been one of well-directed energy, strong determination and honorable methods. Although the greater part of his attention has been devoted to the raising of stock, he has also inet with decided success in general farming, and is known as one who is thoroughly versed in up-to-date methods. In political matters a republican, he has been active in local affairs, although more as a director and supporter than as a seeker for personal preferment. With his family, he attends the Church of the Brethren, at Loon Creek, and at present is serving as a deacon thereof. All movements making for progress, for good citizenship, or for advancements in the people's in- terest have his hearty approval and support.
In February, 1899, Mr. Friedley was united in marriage with Miss Lizzie Heaston, who was born and reared in Lancaster township, and educated in the public schools, daughter of Joseph Heaston, a well-to-do agriculturist of that township. Mr. and Mrs. Friedley have three chil- dren : Virgie R., born in April, 1902; Russell, born November 17, 1908; and Mary E., born July 30, 1913.
WILLIAM H. PAUL. The Duroc Stock Farm, a fine place of one hun- dred and sixty acres in Lancaster township, is the property of William H. Paul, a resident here since 1902 and a native of Huntington town- ship, this county, born on May 8, 1875. He is a son of David and Sarah . (Gourley) Paul, natives of Pennsylvania and Indiana, respectively, and both now residents of Lancaster township.
Six children were born to these parents, William H. being the eldest. The others are Ora E., of Lancaster township; Ella M., the wife of James Gilbert ; Clara B., married to Leroy Funk; Herman S., unmarried, as is also Jesse.
William H. Paul was rcared on the Huntington township farm and there attended the district schools. He later was a student in the State Normal School, after which he engaged in teachinig and for six terms was engaged in pedagogic work. It was not sufficiently to his liking, however, to induce him to continue in the teaching profession indefinitely, and the result was that he finally took up farming in Lancaster town- ship, where he now has a fine farm, given over largely to the breeding of pure blooded Jersey Duroc hogs. The time that Mr. Paul devoted to teaching proved him to be a capable instructor, and had he continued in that work he would have undoubtedly made an excellent record for
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himself in the profession, but too many farmers of his type will never be found in any community, so that what has been a decided loss to the · teaching profession and to education in Huntington county has been an equal gain to the agricultural industry.
Mr. Paul's farm is located in Section 20, and is nine miles southwest of the town of Huntington,-one of the fine places of the township.
A stanch republican, Mr. Paul has manifested a wholesome interest in the politics of the town and county, and has ever shown himself a citizen of excellent type. He has taken a hand in local politics as an office holder and his standing among his fellow citizens is of the highest. He is a member of the Church of the Brethern at Lancaster, Indiana, his wife also having membersip there with him.
Mr. Paul was married on the 18th of March, 1899, to Miss Bertha Tuttle, a daughter of J. W. D. Tuttle, who was reared in Lancaster town- ship. Three children have been born to them-Harry D., aged twelve years ; Oscar, seven years old, and Kathryn A., who is aged four.
ALPHA M. EWART. One of the prosperous farmers among the younger generation of farming men in Rock Creek township, where there are many successful and enterprising agricultural men, as none will deny, is Alpha M. Ewart, general farmer and a breeder of blooded Poland-China hogs. Mr. Ewart has devoted himself to farm life from his boyhood, and he is realizing a distinct and pleasing success in his chosen work.
Born in Jefferson township, this county, on September 3, 1873, Alpha M. Ewart is a son of Theodore and Caroline (First) Ewart, and of their two sons he is the only surviving child. The other, James W. Ewart, married and died in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on November 11, 1905.
Alpha M. Ewart was reared on the home farm in Jefferson county and Rock Creek township, and he had his education in the schools of the latter place, to which the family removed in his boyhood. He remained on the . home place until he was twenty years old, when he launched out into independent farm life. He operates his father's farm.
In 1892 Mr. Ewart married Miss Maude Smith, and to them were born two children. Harry C. Ewart was graduated from the Rock Creek Center high school and Hazel M. is now a student in the same school. Mr. Ewart was twice married, and on March 16, 1904, he wedded Lulu M. Sutton, of Louisville, Kentucky. She was born in Marion county, Kentucky, and when she was three years of age moved to Louisville with her parents, and was there educated in the public schools. She was unable to carry out the plans of her family for a higher education because of defective eyesight that manifested itself in her teens, com- pelling her to leave her studies in the high school. No children have been born of this second marriage.
Mr. and Mrs. Ewart are members of the Methodist Episcopal church of Plum Tree, and are active in the good works of that organization. Mr. Ewart is fraternally identified with Solomon Lodge No. 392, In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows, at Warren, Indiana, Encampment
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No. 167, Rebekah Lodge No. 262, and Canton No. 56, at Bluffton, Indiana. He is Past Chief Patriarch of the Grand Encampment of Indiana of the Modern Woodmen of America. A Republican in poli- tics, he has been active in local and district politics, and has taken a prominent place in his community along lines of active improvement and general progress. His citizenship is of a high order, and he has the esteem and high regard of all who share in his acquaintance.
JESSE I. BUZZARD. One of the prominent farming men of Lancas- ter township is Jesse I. Buzzard, proprietor of the Sugar Grove Farm, formerly known as the George Buzzard Farm, situated some four miles south of Huntington, Indiana, on the Lancaster gravel road. The place is one of about one hundred and six acres, and it was the birth- place of its present owner.
Jesse I. Buzzard was born here on January 24, 1859, and is a son of George and Amanda (Shamblin) Buzzard. The father was a son of John Buzzard, who came with his family to Wayne township, this county, on March 8, 1835, settling on the southeast quarter of section 12. He came from Ohio, his native state, and spent his remaining days in Huntington county. George Buzzard, his son, was reared in that township, was there married, and came to Lancaster township and set- tled on the farm his son now occupies remaining there to the end of his life. He was the father of a family of four sons and three daughters. The four sons are yet living. They are John S., of Huntington ; George B., of Warren, Indiana; Charles H., also of Huntington, and Jesse I., of this review.
Jesse I. Buzzard was reared to manhood in this community, he here having his schooling in the district schools of the township, and when he reached man's estate he married Susan L. Beal, on December 11, 1880. She was born in Lancaster township, on March 28, 1864, and was educated in the common schools.
To Mr. and Mrs. Buzzard six children were born: Elizabeth is a graduate of the common schools and is the wife of J. A. Buzzard, of Huntington township; Earl married Bessie Case and lives in the city of Huntington ; Homer A. married Ethel Havens, of Huntington town- ship; Dorothea is still attending school; and Vernon and Herman are both deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Buzzard are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Greenwood, and politically Mr. Buzzard is a loyal Democrat, active in the work of the party in local circles. He was at one time candidate for the office of sheriff of Huntington county.
General farming occupies the attention of Mr. Buzzard and his hundred and six acres affords him ample scope for the exercise of his energies along the agricultural line. He is popular among his fellow men, and is known for an honest and honorable man wherever he goes, and with his family has a wide circle of stanch friends in the county that has been his lifelong home.
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LABAN ALLRED. Located eight and one half miles southwest of Huntington, on the Huntington and Marion gravel road, in Lancaster township, is located the Homestead Stock Farm, a tract of 450 acres of valuable land which is owned by Laban Allred. Mr. Allred is one of the prosperous and progressive farmers of his community, and is widely known as a stockman, the product of his farm being in constant demand in the markets of this and other states. He is a native of Huntington county, having been born on a farm in Wayne township, March 26, 1861, a son of Abner and Janc (Sparks) Allred.
Abner Allred was a native of North Carolina, where he was born in October, 1847, and was there reared and educated. When still little more than a lad, he decided to try his fortunes in the West, and accord- ingly made his way overland with a companion in a wagon and settled in Wayne township, Huntington county, Indiana. Here he secured employment by the month, and by hard and earnest labor, and frugal and economical living, he managed to accumulate enough capital to buy a small property. When he had established a home he was mar- ried, and continued to reside in Wayne township until 1863, when he traded his property there for Lancaster township land. From the lat- ter he moved to Jackson township, and there his death occurred. He was a sturdy, hard-working agriculturist, winning material success through the force of his own energy, and securing the respect of his fel- low-citizens by his honorable dealing and upright life. He and his wife were the parents of two children: Lunda, who became the wife of Joseph Randall; and Laban.
Laban Allred has resided on the farm which he now owns since his third year. Until reaching his majority he attended the district schools of this vicinity, and this training was supplemented by two terms in the Danville Normal school, where he took a partial commercial course. He then returned to his home and engaged in farming, and by the time he reached the age of twenty-two years he was the owner of eighty acres of land. Mr. Allred was married September 16, 1888, to Miss Ida J. Stouder, who was born in Rock Creek township, Huntington county, July 24, 1864, daughter of John and Mary (Lahr) Stouder, and when four years of age was taken by her parents to Polk township, where she grew to womanhood, receiving her education in the public schools. Mr. and Mrs. Allred have had six children: Stanley, a farmer; Willard, a farmer of Lancaster township, living with his parents ; Edna, a graduate of the Lancaster township schools and now the wife of John Snider; Russell, a student in the Lancaster Center High school; and Mary and Merritt, students in the common schools.
After his marriage, Mr. Allred settled down to housekeeping on the family homestead in Lancaster township, which has since become known as the Homestead Stock Farm and enjoys a wide and favorable reputa- tion because of the high grade of live stock for which it is noted. Mr. Allred buys and feeds cattle, usually purchasing by the carload, and through his extensive operations has become known as one of the lead- ers in his line of business in the township. In addition to the home
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Sach S- Klepser
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farm of 450 acres, in Lancaster township, he has 130 acres in Jackson township, and all of this is in a high state of cultivation. He is a man of sound judgment in commercial affairs, of excellent executive ability, sagacity and enterprise, and as the result of his well directed efforts he has acquired a handsome property. He has completely remodeled his entire property, which is now equipped with every modern appliance, and is continuing to use modern methods in his work. Fraternally, he is connected with Mount Etna Lodge No. 304, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, past master and a member of the Grand Lodge, while Mrs. Allred is a member of Mount Olive Lodge No. 421, of the Rebekahs, past grand and a member of the Grand Lodge of the state. Politically, Mr. Allred is a republican, and as such was elected alderman of the county for two years. For four years he was also a trustee of Lancaster town- ship, and during his incumbency of office numerous improvements were made, including the building of the handsome high school edifice at Lancaster Center.
JACOB S. KLEPSER. One of the' esteemed citizens of Lancaster town- ship and one who has added something of material value to the upbuild- ing and general progress of his community is Jacob S. Klepser. Mr. Klepser was born in Henry county, Indiana, on February 10, 1840, and all his life, with but little exception, has been passed within the state. He is a son of Andrew and Sarah (Swafford) Klepser, the father being of German birth and ancestry, who came to America with his parents as a boy and located with them in Pennsylvania, where so many native Germans have established homes and contributed generously to the de- velopment and growth of our country. As a boy, Andrew Klepser, with a brother, was bound out to the age of twenty years, that being a custom of the day, abandoned in these later years, and sometimes to the detri- ment of the youth of our land. For to be "bound out" meant that a boy who might not otherwise have the privilege of learning a regular trade, could by that means secure a thorough training in whatever line of industry he was committed to under his master. The Klepser boys learned the tailoring trade under their bond master, and when they were released, Andrew Klepser came to Ohio and engaged in his trade, later moving to Henry county, Indiana. There he met and married his wife, and it was in about 1852 when they came first to Huntington county. He worked for a time at his trade, and then decided to try his skill at farming. Land was cheap, and it seemed like an opportunity to him to become a landowner, so he secured an eighty acre tract in Lancaster township and settled down to farm life. He passed his remaining years in farming and died at Majenica when he had reached the patriarchal age of ninety-four years. He was the father of nine children, three of them living at this writing (1914). They are Jacob S., whose name in- troduces this review; Catherine, the widow of Abraham Heiney; and Samantha, who married Eli Burket.
Jacob S. Klepser was reared on the farm he now owns. He had a limited education in the common schools of his day, and up to the age
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of twenty-one he continued at home. He married then, Mary A. Hoover becoming his wife, and the date of their marriage was February 25, 1860. She was born in Pennsylvania and was reared in Lancaster town- ship, and she bore her husband nine children, two of them being alive at this time. One of them, Levi Klepser, was married to Rhoda Smith first and later to Laura Bailey, and they live on the old Klepser farm which is owned by the subject; the other is Anna, the wife of Isaac Ulrich. Mr. Klepser has ten grandchildren and six great grandchildren. His first wife died on September 12, 1900, and he later married Anna (Deardorff) Paul, on January 12, 1901. She was born in Wayne county, Indiana, on October 26, 1854, and came to Huntington county when she was a girl of thirteen years. She was married to Levi Paul, and was the mother of five children by that marriage,-William H. Paul, John I., Nancy E., Aurelius E. and George A. Paul. There are no children of her second marriage.
Mr. Klepser is the owner of a nice farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Section 26, this township, and he has long been reckoned among the successful and prosperous agricultural men of the township. He is a stockholder in the Majenica Telephone Company, and was one of the organizers of it. He is a stanch Republican, and has long mani- fested a wholesome interest and activity in the politics of the town and county, taking his place among the foremost men of the community as a leader in thought and action. He has, of late years, withdrawn to some extent from his carlier activities, and is enjoying the fruits of his carly labors, as is proper and fitting that he should. He and his wife and fam- ily are members of the Church of the Brethren of Lancaster and have a worthy part in the good works of that denominational body in their district.
JOHN W. WYNE. The Sunnyside Farm in Clear Creek township is a comfortable homestead and business property. It represents the con- crete result in the career of John W. Wync, who during his early years had to give his assistance to the support of others, and consequently started to establish his own prosperity only after his marriage, thirteen years ago. While not a man of wealth, Mr. Wyne is growing in sub- stantial prosperity every year, and he and his wife enjoy the thorongh respect of their neighborhood.
John W. Wyne was born in Jefferson county, Indiana, November 30, 1867, a son of William E. and Ellen J. (Jones) Wyne. Jefferson county was also the birthplace of the father, while the mother was born in Scott county, Indiana, and they were married in Jefferson county. For four years their home was in the state of Illinois, after which they returned to Indiana, and spent the rest of their years in Decatur county, Indiana. His father was a farmer, a quiet unassuming man, and an honorable citizen in all his relations with neighbors and the public wel- fare. Ten of the eleven children are still living, mentioned as fol- lows: John W .; Samuel C., a farmer in Randolph county, Indiana; Joseph E., a farmer in Henry county of this state; Margaret S., wife
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