USA > Indiana > Huntington County > History of Huntington County, Indiana : from the earliest time to the present, with biographical sketches, notes, etc., together with a short history of the Northwest, the Indiana Territory, and the State of Indiana > Part 39
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The natural gas and petroleum oil excitement that has de- veloped so wonderfully since the summer of 1886, caused the or- ganization of a company in Huntington for the purpose of boring for gas and oil. The company was organized in the fall of 1886, and early in 1887 sunk two wells some fifty feet into the Trenton Rock, at a cost of about $3,500, but the only effect was to demonstrate that our city did not lie in the natural gas belt.
The railroad interests of our city are rightly considered among the greatest of its many advantages and a short history of the inception, construction and business of the two roads that intercept each other here is necessary to a full history of the city's business interests.
The Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific was originally organized as the Lake Erie, Wabash & St. Louis, and located on its present line in 1852-3.
When the road was first proposed, as in the case of nearly all proposed railroads, there was no well defined line laid out, except the general proposition to connect Lake Erie and the Mississippi River by railroad. The line was finally selected up the valley of the Maumee River from Toledo, Ohio, to Fort Wayne, Indiana, but from thence to Logansport, Indiana two lines were proposed; the first line was from Fort Wayne via Liberty Mills, and thence down the Eel River Valley to Logansport. This line was several miles the shortest and ran through, at that time, a far better improved country than the other proposed line, from Fort Wayne down the Little River and Wabash Valleys, through Huntington, Wabash and Peru to Logansport. The Little River swamps and the unimproved condition of the coun- try along the latter line were arguments used with great force by the advocates of the first line against the location of the road along its present line.
The Logansport friends of the road were almost unanimously in favor of the Eel River route and were ably seconded by John
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Comstock, of Liberty Mills, and other influential citizens along that line, as well as the greater portion of the business interests of Fort Wayne. The first meeting to consider the matter was held at Logansport, June 23 and 24, 1852. It was attended by representatives of both proposed lines, as well as by the friends of the road from Toledo, Ohio, and Lafayette, Indiana, and other intermediate points. The delegates from Huntington were: John Roche, Samuel Moore, David L. Shearer, L. P. Milligan, Jesse Davies and John Zeigler, and George W. Chapman, from Roanoke. No final action was taken as to the location of the road, but general resolutions indorsing the enterprise, and pledg- ing it financial support were adopted.
The resolutions as reported to the meeting did not designate upon which of the two rival routes the road should be located, and on motion of Col. Milligan an amendment to the resolutions was adopted, to the effect that the road should be located along the Little Wabash River route. And the articles of incorpora- tion so designated the route. The friends of the Eel River route immediately began taking measures looking to a re-organ- ization of the company, with the intention of locating it upon their route. As the expense of a re-organization would have been comparatively light, Mr. Roche was especially fearful that they might succeed in finally obtaining the road. To prevent which he immediately went to work with characteristic energy to obtain subscriptions to aid in the construction of the road, provided it should follow the Little River route. In these efforts he was ably seconded by Col. Milligan, Samuel H. Purviance, and other influential citizens, Mr. Roche taking it upon himself to make a thorough canvas of the town and county to secure such subscriptions, and so successful were they that at a subse- quent meeting, also held at Logansport, to finally determine upon which of the two lines the road should be located, Mr. Roche was able to lay before the meeting subscriptions to the amount of $22,000, at that time a very large sum of money, and much larger than any amount presented from any other point on either of the two lines. The sum was so exceptionally large that Mr. Azariah Boody, who was present representing the New York capitalists, who were proposing to advance the money for the construction of the road, when Mr. Roche made his state- ment of the amount,. turned to Mr. Allen Hamilton, of Fort Wayne, and inquired if it was possible that such a subscription could be good. Mr. Hamilton's prompt reply was that if Mr. Roche said it was good he could rely upon it as being good. Mr. Boody then turned to the representatives of the Eel River route and asked the amount of their subscriptions; the showing on their part was very unsatisfactory, but they dilated largely upon the highly developed state of the country along their line and upon the low, wet and undeveloped lands along Little River, and of Huntington County generally. But Mr. Boody replied that it was evident to him that a people who were willing to contribute
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HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY.
$22,000 to obtain a railroad expected to use it after it was built, and the road would be constructed on the Little River line.
The route was accordingly laid out upon the line of its present location, except that the original survey through the city was upon a line that crossed Little River about half way between Arnold, Thomas & Co's. mill dam and the upper bridge, and thence passed down the river on the other side, through that portion of the city now known as Drovertown, or the Third Ward. The timber was cut out along this line to a point as far down as opposite the present railroad bridge, and much of the grading done, when Mr. Roche suggested to Chief Engineer Coburn, of the road, that it would be cheaper, and more convenient to citi- zens of the town, to run the line on the north side of the river down to the point where the road now crosses the same. Mr. Coburn thought so well of the suggestion that he immediately ordered a survey made of the line suggested by Mr. Roche and afterwards adopted it, and located the road through the city upon its present line, abandoning the work done on the south side of the river.
Mr. Roche was a member of the first Board of Directors of the new road.
Work was begun on the road in the latter part of 1853, but the first passenger train did not arrive at Huntington until about January 1, 1856. The road has always been a favorite with the people of Huntington and the records of the company show this station to be one of the most profitable of its local sta- tions.
The first accommodations of the road were, as a matter of course, rude and cheap. The first depot was the end of a wood shed boarded up, but from time to time the company added to its accommodation until at this time the company have at this point large and convenient passenger and freight depot build- ings, grain elevators, stock yards and pens, and more than four miles of side tracks to accommodate the large and growing business of the road.
The Chicago & Atlantic Railroad was completed through the county during the year 1882. The importance of this line to the town can hardly be over estimated, as it affords a through line from New York to Chicago, and of course enables shippers to get low rates and rapid service. In addition to this the road lo- cated its shops and round house in Huntington, and the large number of men necessarily employed have contributed largely to the prosperity of the town. It is a division headquarters, and in many ways brings trade and substantial aid to the town in return for what has been done for the road by the citizens .*
*No manuscript concerning the Chicago & Atlantic Road was received in time for inser- tion in this place.
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
ELI E. ALLEN, proprietor of a heading factory, and one of Huntington's prominent citizens, is a native of Summitville, Madison County, this State, and was born May 20, 1856. He was the third of nine children born to Reuben and Suphronia (Mc- Conkey) Allen, the former a native of North Carolina, of English descent, and the latter a native of Fayette County, this State, of Irish and Welsh descent. Eli spent his boy hood and early youth in his native country working upon a farm. In winter he attended the public school in which he received sufficient education to teach school, which avocation he took up at the age of eighteen. He continued to farm in summer and teach in winter, until he reached the age of twenty two. In April, 1879, he engaged in the hardware business in Summitville, in partnership with W. H. Dobson. The interest of the latter was purchased by our subject on the 1st day of August following. He then continued the business alone until March 1, 1880, at which time his brother, John C. Allen, became his partner - the firm name being Allen Bros. On the 1st day of June, 1882, our subject sold out to his brother, and in the following August he moved his family to Huntington, where he has since conducted a heading factory. He was married in Delaware County, this State, to Jennie E. Howard, on the 25th of December, 1878. She was born in Ross County, Ohio, August 9, 1859, being the daughter of Isaiah J. and Sophia (Moomaw) Howard, both natives of Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Allen have had born to them two children: Clifton H., born November 2, 1879; died April 12, 1880; and Harry I .. born February 26, 1882. Mr. Allen is a member of the I. O. O. F. Lodge, and a Democrat in politics. In May, 1886, he was elected Councilman in Third Ward, and is discharging the duties of the office in a very creditable manner.
EDWIN K. ALPAUGH, druggist, of Huntington, was born in Asbury, New Jersey, February 28, 1853. He was the oldest child born to John R. and Sarah H. (Ingham) Alpaugh, both natives of New Jersey. When Edwin was only three years of age his parents came westward to Indiana, and took up a tem- porary residence at Mt. Etna, this county. On account of the bad state of health in this country at that time, they returned almost immediately to New Jersey, and located at Clinton. In 1863, they again came to this county, and located upon a farm in Polk Township. There Edwin spent his boyhood and early youth, working upon the farm. At the age of eighteen he left home and ever since that time has depended entirely upon his own resources. For a short time he worked upon a farm. In the spring of 1872, he accepted a position as clerk in a drug store at Wabash, this state. He remained there about two years. Early in 1874 he accepted a like position at Peru. He took a position
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in the drug store of H. F. Drover, of this city, in the spring of 1874, and afterward clerked in a drug store in Toledo, Ohio. In May, 1876, he went to Memphis, Tenn., where he went into the employ of H. F. Smith & Co., dealers in lumber. In the spring of 1879, he returned to this city where, for a time he worked at painting. In September. 1879, he went to Toledo, Ohio, and took a course of instruction in the use of India ink, for portrait work. He then returned to this city and worked as an artist, until February, 1883, at which time he engaged in the drug busi- ness. He has occupied his present place of business, since August, 1885. He was married May 17, 1882, to Sarah E. Slack, daughter of the late Judge James R. Slack, of this city. Mr. and Mrs. Alpaugh are members of the Christian Church. The former is a member of the K. of P. Order, and a Republican in politics.
JOSEPH G. AMISS, a farmer of Huntington Township, is a native of Perry County, Ohio, born January 17, 1841. He was the eldest of ten children - seven sons and three daughters - born to Philip M. and Rachel (Good) Amiss, the former a native of Shenandoah County, Va., of English descent, and the latter a native of Perry County, Ohio, of Pennsylvania Dutch descent. She was a great grand-child of McClelan who was burned at the stake by the Mohawk Indians, under their chief, Brandt. When Joseph was eight years old, or in 1849, his parents came to this state and located in Wabash County, where his youth was spent working upon a farm in summer and attending the district school in winter. At seventeen years of age he took up the avocation of a teacher, and about the same time, in order to have profitable employment during vacations, he began to learn the carpenter's trade. He continued to teach in winter and work at his trade in summer, for about nine years, and during this time he had im- proved his education by attending school at Warsaw, and North Manchester. In the meantime, he came to this county, in the spring of 1865, and located where he now resides, in Section 23, Huntington Township. Aside from teaching a few years, his en- tire attention since that time has been given to farming and stock raising. Of the latter he has rather made a specialty. Ex- cellent specimens of Cotswolds and Berkshires may be seen upon his farm, and his herd of Jersey cattle is perhaps the best of the kind in the county. He was married December 31, 1864, to Jenny Knoop, daughter of Michael and Nancy (Sheets) Knoop, who were natives of Pennsylvania and Tennessee, respectively, and who were among the early settlers of Wabash County. The mother of Mrs. Amiss is still living, and at present makes her home with a daughter in Whitley County. Though she is now in the ninetieth year of her age, she is enjoying excellent health, and her senses and mental faculties are apparently unimpaired. Mrs. Amiss was born in Wabash County, October 12, 1842. Her marriage with our subject has resulted in the birth of four child- ren : Clara L., Emma N., Ann R., and William M., all of whom
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are living. Politically Mr. Amiss is a staunch Democrat. He takes a lively interest in politics, and will use all fair means to promote the interests of his party. In the spring of 1848, he was elected trustee of Huntington Township, and served in a very creditable manner, one term. In 1882, he was made treasurer of the Democratic County Central Committee, and in the spring of 1886, he was made chairman of that organization, which posi- tion he resigned in June of that year, to accept the nomination of his party for the office of County Auditor. He made a gallant fight, becoming an honest politician, but suffered the defeat of his party. He owns a handsome farm of 120 acres where he lives, be- sides a farm of eighty acres, in Lancaster Township. He is an industrious and successful farmer, and a man in whom the public places implicit confidence.
ADAM ANGLEMYER, one of the worthy and honored citi- zens of Huntington County, and one among the substantial and influential citizens of Huntington Township, is a native of Northampton County, Pa., born July 27, 1813, being the ninth of ten children - four sons and six daughters - born to Jacob and Elizabeth (Schimmel) Anglemeyer, both natives of Pennsylva- nia, of German descent. When our subject was a child five years old his parents removed to Lebanan County, Pa., and re- sided in a village known as Jonestown for some two or three years, when they moved to Dauphin County, Pa., and settled upon a farm. There our subject spent his early youth working upon a farm. In 1831 the family came westward to Ohio and located upon a farm in Columbiana County. On the 25th day of Decem- ber, 1835, Adam Anglemyer was united in marriage to Catharine Leedy, daughter of Jacob and Barbara (Myers) Leedy, natives of Pennsylvania, of German descent. She was born in Colum- biana County, Ohio, October 23, 1817. In 1837 our subject and his wife removed to Mahoning County, Ohio, where they resided upon a farm until 1852, when they came to this county and lo-
cated where they now reside in Section 11, Huntington Town- ship. They settled in the woods and a great deal of hard work naturally devolved upon Mr. Anglemyer in clearing up a farm. He chopped, grubbed, rolled logs, burned brush, made rails, and in fact, did all kinds of hard work which the development of a new country necessitates. The course of improvement went on and after a few years of toil the forest was converted into a good farm. His marriage has resulted in the birth of eight children, as follows: Barbara, Jacob, John, David, Adam, Catharine, Samuel
and Charley. Of these, Jacob, Catharine, Samuel and Charley are deceased. Our subject and his wife are members of the Ger- man Baptist Church. In politics the former is a Republican. He is an honest, upright man, and he and wife are among the most highly respected citizens of the county.
PORTER AYRES, Ex-Recorder, Huntington County, was born November 4, 1816, in the village of Ganges, Richland County,
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Ohio. He was the youngest son born to Daniel and Parmelia (Buck) Ayres, natives of New York and Pennsylvania, respect- ively. He spent his early life working upon a farm in his native county. March 4, 1838, he was married to Mary Newcommer. In the fall of 1838 he went to Missouri. He came to this county in November, 1843. In March, 1850, he emigrated to California, where he was engaged in mining about eight years, returning in November, 1858. His chief occupation since then has been . that of a carpenter. In 1878, he was elected Recorder of Huntington County and was re-elected in 1882. Politically he is a Democrat. He was once elected Mayor of Huntington, but resigned.
EDWIN B. AYRES, one the proprietors of the planing mill and lumber yard owned by Slack & Ayres, was born in the city of Huntington, August 28, 1845. He is the oldest son of Porter and Catharine (Kenower) Ayres, who settled here in 1843. He attended school during the winter time and received as good an education as the schools of this city then afforded. At the age of sixteen he began to learn the trade of a cabinet maker, having become an apprentice to Jolin Kenower. His apprenticeship lasted until January, 1865, when at the early age of eighteen he yielded to a desire to enter the Union service. He entered Com- pany F, Forty-Seventh Indiana Volunteers, from which he was mustered out at Baton Rouge, in October, 1865. He participated in the siege of Mobile. On leaving the army he returned home and for four or five months worked at his trade as a journeyman. In the spring of 1866 he went into the employ of John Kenower with whom he remained until in January, 1876. His employment was that of a book-keeper and lumber inspector. Since the latter date he has been connected with the planing mill and lumber yard mentioned above. April 23, 1868, he was married to Emma Belle Leonard, a native of Wayne County, this State, born in January, 1850. To them five children have been born: Eva B., Luella, Kate, Horace L. and Edwin P. Horace L. died when about four years old. Mr. Ayres is a member of the G. A. R. and I. O. O. F. Lodges. His portrait appears elsewhere in this volume.
ORLANDO BARSH, a member of the firm of Mishler & Barsh, grocers, was born in Clear Creek Township, this County, April 27, 1851. He was the fifth in a family of eight children born to Philip and Eliza (McFarren) Barsh, the former a native of Germany, of German descent, and the latter a native of Penn- sylvania, of Scotch and German descent. The parents were mar- ried in Stark County, Ohio, about the year 1842, and in 1849 they came to this county and settled in the woods of Clear Creek Township, where the mother died in about the year 1866, and where the father still resides. Our subject spent his early life assisting to clear and cultivate his father's farm. In winter he attended the district school in which he received the rudiments of an education. Later on he attended the seminary at Roan- oke one term and still later he attended the graded school at
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South Whitley two terms. At the age of twenty he took up the avocation of a teacher, in which pursuit he was successfully engaged for thirteen years. During the winter of 1872-3 he fin- ished a course in a commercial school at Dayton, Ohio, and dur- ing the summers of 1874, 1875 and 1876, he attended the normal school at Valparaiso. In the spring of 1884 he retired from the teacher's profession and during the year which followed he served as Deputy Surveyor of Huntington County, to which position he had been appointed in the spring of 1883. In the spring of 1885 he engaged in selling agricultural implements and was thus employed during two seasons. On the 1st day of February, 1887, he formed a partnership in the grocery business with John H. Mishler, to which his attention is now directed. He was married April 24, 1881, to Ginevra Farmer, also a native of Clear Creek Township, this county. She was born Septem- ber 13, 1859, being the daughter of Jose and Lvdia (Black) Farmer, both of whom were born in Columbiana County, Ohio. They came to this county and located in Clear Creek Township, in 1850. Mr. and Mrs. Barsh have had born to them one child, Effie Viola, born July 12, 1884; died February 16, 1886. Mrs. Barsh is a member of the Christian Church. Politically Mr. Barsh is a Democrat. He served in the capacity of Assessor of Clear Creek Township one term. In the fall of 1886 he was the candidate of his party for County Surveyor but failed to over- come an opposing majority. He is an industrious, pushing busi- ness man and a worthy and reliable citizen.
ADAM BECK, one of Huntington County's oldest and most highly respected citizens, is a native of Germany, and was born April 16, 1831. He was the youngest of six children born to Jacob and Catharine (Schramm) Beck, both of whom were also natives of Germany. The boyhood of our subject was spent in his na- tive country. He worked upon a farm in summer and attended school in winter, receiving a good common school education. At the age of sixteen death deprived him of his father, and at eigh- teen, or in 1849, he came with his widowed mother and one brother to America. On reaching this country they continued westward, and on the 11th day of July they found themselves in the village of Huntington, whither Nicholas Beck, an elder brother of our subject, had come in 1847. During the first year of his residence here, he was employed in a stone quarry and other- wise variously engaged. At the age of twenty he began to learn the trade of a wagon maker. This was finished in due time, and was his vocation for about sixteen years. He set up a shop of his own in 1854. In 1866, in connection with Henry Drover and William Bickel, he erected and set in operation a spoke factory, to which his attention was devoted about three years and a half. Mr. Beck then retired from the firm and since that time he has been engaged in the manufacture of lime. For the last seven years he has been connected with the White Lime
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Association, which he helped to organize in 1879. April 6, 1854, he was married to Mrs. Magdalena Wittmire, who died December 16, 1880. She was the daughter of George Henry and Magdalena Stetzel, and was born in Germany February 6, 1817. She bore to Mr. Beck six children, two of whom died in infancy unnamed. The others are Mattie, Mary M., John A. and Adam L. The third, John A., died also in infancy. On the 18th day of December, 1884, our subject was married to Mrs. Mary E. Nille whose maiden name was Mary E. Baumgartner. She was born in Adams County, this State, July 28, 1852. She was the daughter of Samuel and Vrena (Walte) Baumgartner, natives of Switzerland. This latter marriage has resulted in the birth of one child, Harmon S., born September 20, 1885. Mr. and Mrs. Beck are members of the Evangelical Church. In politics, the former is a Republican. He is an enterprising and successful business man, and an influen- tial, reliable citizen. He began life a poor boy, but through industry, economy and perseverance he has accumulated consid- erable property and is in good circumstances.
ADAM L. BECK, contractor, was born in Huntington, May 9, 1862. He was the youngest of six children born to Adam and Magdalena (Stetzel) Beck, a sketch of whom appears above. His boyhood and youth were spent in this city. He attended the public school in winter, receiving a good common school educa- tion. As soon as he became old enough, he was employed during the summer time in his father's stone quarries and at the age of eighteen he was entrusted with the position of foreman, acquitt- ing himself in a very creditable manner. At nineteen, or in August, 1881, he entered the North Western College at Naperville, Ill., where he finished a course in bookkeeping. He then returned to Huntington and resumed the duties of foreman in the quarries. This position he soon relinquished, however, and since his voca- tion has been that of a contractor. His occupation as such, dates from his twentieth year. Though quite youthful to assume the responsibilities incident to this calling, he has proven himself equal to every emergency and has earned for himself a very credit- able rank among his senior competitors. He possesses energy, integrity and good judgment and deservedly enjoys the full con- fidence of the public. He is a member of the K. of P. Lodge, and a Republican in politics.
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