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 55
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HENRY SHOCK, one of the worthy citizens of Clear Creek Township, was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, November 12, 1835. He was the fifth of seven children born to Adam and Mary (France) Shock, with whom he remained working upon the farm until he was twenty-three years of age. He was married March 15, 1859, to Mary Flora, who was born in Montgomery
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County, Ohio, February 25, 1842. She was the daughter of Joseph and Rosina (Bennett) Flora, natives of Pennsylvania and Kentucky, respectively. In 1864, Mr. and Mrs. Shock came to this county and settled where they now live. They are the parents of eleven children, all of whom are living. They are: Ezra F., Sarah A., Clara, Cora E., Rosella, Joseph H., William A., David W., Harvey M., Jennie M., and Minnie H. Mr. and Mrs. Shock are members of the German Baptist Church. In politics the former is a Democrat. He was elected trustee of his town- ship in 1884, and served one term to the satisfaction of the public. He is an industrious and successful farmer, and he and wife are among the worthy and esteemed citizens of the county.
SAMUEL SHOCK, a prominent citizen of Clear Creek Town- ship, was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, July 23, 1837. He was the son of Adam and Mary (France) Shock, the former a native of Huntingdon County, Pa., and the latter a native of Bote- tourt County, Va. He was raised upon a farm in his native county. In 1864 he came to Huntington County and engaged in farming in Clear Creek Township. He thus continued until 1872, since which time his attention has chiefly been given to saw milling. He was married February 18, 1859, to Lydia Free- hafer, who was born in Wayne County, Ohio, February 8, 1839, and was the daughter of Augustus and Sophia (Briner) Free- hafer, the former a native of Berks County, Pa., and the latter a native of Wayne County, Ohio. Mr. and Mr. Shock are the par- ents of ten children, as follows: Mary C., Joseph H., John, Frank. Sarah A., Emma, Samuel A., Hattie, Maggie, and Lizzie, two of whom, Sarah A., and Emma, died, aged respectively, eighteen months, and nine years. In politics Mr. Shock is a Democrat, and a reliable and influentual man.
HENRY S. SPRINKLE, a farmer of Clear Creek Township, was born in Knox Township, Columbiana County, Qhio, April 16, 1838. He was the fourth of six children, two sons and four daughters, born to Henry and Susannah (Summers) Sprinkle, the former of whom was the son of Henry and (Lesh) Sprinkle, and the latter was the daughter of David and Mary Summers. The subject of this sketch spent his boyhood in his native county working upon a farm. At fifteen years of age, or in 1853, he ac- companied his parents to this county and and located with them upon a tract of land in Section 4, Huntington Township. There he worked upon the farm until he reached the age of eighteen, when he took up the trade of a carpenter, and at that time worked at it about eighteen months. He then returned to his father's farm, the management of which he superintended until in November, 1862, at which time he moved to Washington Township, Whitley County, where he settled in the woods and at once set about clearing up a farm. But about one year and a half later, or in August, 1864, he removed to Cleveland Town-
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ship, that county, but in April, 1865, he returned to this county and again located upon the old home place, in Huntington Township, it having been purchased by him. In August follow- ing he sold that farm and moved to the city of Huntington where he was engaged in divers pursuits for two years. His employ- ments may be summarized as follows: four months in the pro- duce trade, two or three months as a railroad bridge carpen- ter, then six months at the carpenter's trade, and three months as a clerk in a dry goods store. He then purchased an interest in the marble works of Dooling, Becker & Co., to which his at- tention was given, until in August, 1867, when he removed to his present beautiful home in Clear Creek Township. He was married October 14, 1860, to Mary A. Storm, a native of Logans- port, this State, born of Irish, German and English descent, August 20, 1840. She was the second of six children, three sons and three daughters, born to James and Barbara (Kitt) Storm, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter a native of Stark County, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Sprinkle have had five chil- dren, as follows: Anna M., born July 14, 1861; Emma B., born February 11, 1864, died October 19, 1867; Charles R., born March 10, 1867, and Reuben H., born December 18, 1869, died Feburary 25, 1883, and Farie F., born June 21, 1876. In August, 1862, Mr. Sprinkle joined the German Baptist Church. He continued in active membership until in September 26, 1885, when, on account of his unwillingness to refuse the use of their church building to other branches of the society, he was expelled. He did not allow this, however, to interfere with his attendance, but his membership he continues to withhold, feeling that he would rather be right than a member of a church. Politically Mr. Sprinkle is an ar- dent Republican. He has been solicited a number of times to accept offices of trust, but always declined. He owns a fine farm of 155 acres, fitted up with a handsome brick residence, a fine barn and good fences, making it altogether, one of the most desirable places in the county. He is a good farmer, a man of positive convictions, whose industry, perseverance and economy have placed himself and family in comfortable circumstances.
HARMAN STULTS, an aged and honored resident of Hunt- ington County, was the third son and fourth child of John H. and Catharine Ann (Smith) Stults, and was born in Belfast Township, Bedford Co., Penn., October 23, 1812. When he was yet a child less than four years old his father and mother moved to Ohio, and became early settlers of Stark County. There his boyhood and youth were spent assist- ing to clear and cultivate his father's farm. In winter he at- tended school a portion of the time, but the advantages were poor, consequently his early education was quite limited. He continued to work upon the farm until he became of age, after which his attention was divided for a period of about ten years between the farm and the carpenter's trade. He was married in
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Strrk County, to Sarah Decker March 31, 1844. She was born in Centre County, Pennsylvania, May 13, 1822, and was the daughter of Benjamin and Rachel (Swihart) Decker, both natives of Penn- sylvania. In the fall of 1850, Mr. and Mrs Stults moved from Stark County, Ohio, to Whitley County, this State, and loca ted upon a tract of woods land in Cleveland Township. There Mr. Stults cleared up a farm which he continued to cultivate until in February, 1872, when he and wife moved to this county and located where they now reside in Clear Creek Township. They are the parents of eight children, as follows: Benjamin F., born May 31, 1845, at present a minister in the Lutheran Church, and stationed at Middlebury, Elkhart County; Maria C., born Novem- ber 25, 1846; Athalia, born July 7, 1849; Jeremiah H., born July 22, 1851; Lorena, born May 17, 1854, died June 5, 1854; Sarah E., born June 7, 1857; Sumantha A., born November 17, 1860, and Emma M., born February 20, 1863. Mr. and Mrs. Stultz are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Jeremiah H. Stultz is a carpenter in the City of Huntington. The father of Mrs. Stultz, Benjamin Decker, now lives in Stark County, Ohio, at the advanced age of ninety-four years.
JACOB STULTS was born in Stark County, Ohio, February 3rd, 1824, son of John Harman and Catherine (Smith) Stults, and is of German descent. The paternal grandfather of our subject was George Stults, a native of Germany, and who, when a mere boy, emigrated to America between 1740 and 1750, and settled in North Carolina. He was a soldier in the War of the Revolution, and died soon after that conflict. The father of Mr. Stults was born in North Carolina, June 10, 1779. He moved to Pennsylva- nia, and there married in 1806, and then emigrated to Stark County, Ohio, in 1816, and there remained until 1848. when the family came to Indiana, and settled in Whitley County, and in. 1855 came to Huntington County, and died here in 1865, in the 86th year of his age. He was a farmer. The mother of Mr. Stults was born in Pennsylvania, in 1783. She was the daugh- ter of George Smith, who was taken a prisoner of war dur- ing the time of the Revolutionary War, but was only retained a short time, and, through the kindness of an English officer, he was permitted to escape, and return to his family of three small children. He died in Pennsylvania. The mother of subject died in Huntington County, Ind., 1862. Our subject is the ninth of ten children - seven of whom are now living - was raised on the farm, and was a student at the early subscription schools of Stark County, Ohio. In the fall of 1845 he began teaching school. He continued teaching more or less each year for twen- ty-one years. In 1851 he purchased eighty acres of land in Huntington County, where he now resides, and has been a successful farmer. Married March 25, 1852, to Miss Margaret E., daughter of James C. Best, of this county. By this union one child was born, Marion B. Mrs. Stults died May 21, 1855. Mr. Stults
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was married again May 18, 1856, to Miss Harriet Kennedy, a na- tive of Virginia, born October 8th, 1830, daughter of John and Ann (Lyle) Kennedy. They have three children living of four born, viz .: Maggie E., Sherman P., Addie B. (deceased), and Howard B. Mr. S. was formerly a Whig, now a Republican. He and family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The dates of his brothers' and sisters' births are as follows: John, 1807; Samuel, 1808; Polly, 1810; Harman, 1812; George, 1815; David, 1817; Elizabeth, 1819; Joseph, 1821; Jacob. 1824; William 1826.
HARMAN W. STULTS, a citizen of Clear Creek Township, is a native of Stark County, Ohio, born September 19, 1835. He was the second of seven children - four sons and three daugh- ters -born to John and Mary (Becher) Stults, both natives of Pennsylvania - the former born in Bedford County, and both of German descent. His boyhood was spent in his native county upon his father's farm. When he was thirteen years of age he accompanied his father and mother to this county. That was in 1848. The family settled in Section 1, Warren Township, where Harman spent his youth assisting to clear and cultivate the farm. His marriage to Lucinda Kitt occurred March 24, 1859. She was born in Clear Creek Township, this county, within three miles of her present home, September 9, 1839, and was the third daughter of Isaac and Catharine Ann (Slusser) Kitt, a biography of whom appears elsewhere in this work. Immedi- ately after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Stults moved into a log cabin which the former had erected upon a tract of land in Sec- tion 17, Clear Creek Township. There Mr. Stults at once set about clearing up a farm, and at the expiration of five years, when he sold the place, he had forty-five acres of it in a state of cultivation. On the 21st, day of April, 1864, he moved to his present home in Section 19, of Clear Creek Township. There he has continued to reside ever since. His life occupation has been that of a farmer, and as such he has been reasonably successful. Since February, 1864, the state of his health has compelled him to confine his labors to the management of his farm only, and in addition to this, business of an executive and administrative character has occupied a good portion of his time. Mr. and Mrs. Stults are the parents of eight children -three sons and five daughters -- all of whom are living. Their names are: Mary C., born January 21, 1860; Almira J., born April 13, 1861; Silvanus E., born November 23, 1862; Ida M., born June 19, 1864; Landa, born May 20, 1866; Dilla K., born August 19, 1872; Blanche V., born March 24, 1875; Oliver Hazard Perry Throckmorton, born June 1, 1877. Mrs. Stults is a member of the Lutheran Church, Mr. Stults is a member of the I. O. O. F. Lodge and an ardent Republican in politics. In the spring of 1857 he was elected to the office of Con- stable in Warren Township, and as such he served two years, un- til he moved to Clear Creek Township. In this latter township
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he had resided but a few weeks when he was elected to the same office. With the exception of one year he held the office contin- ously until 1868. In April of that year he was elected to the of- fice of Justice of the Peace. He was re-elected in 1872 and in 1876, and again in 1880, serving in all for a period of sixteen and one half consecutive years. He would probaby have been con- tinued had he not prefered to retire. He owns one hundred and fifty-seven and one-half acres of excellent land, most of which is in a good state of cultivation.
LEVI SWANK, an old and honored resident of Clear Creek Township, was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, July 25, 1833. He was the sixth of ten children born to Jacob and Sarah (Ra- sor) Swank, natives of Kentucky and Pennsylvania, respectively, the former of English, and the latter of Dutch descent. He was reared upon a farm in his native county. When he became of age he began to learn the carpenter's trade. This was finished in due time and received his attention for five years. His marriage to Mary Fisher occurred in Montgomery County, Ohio, February 10, 1859. She was born in Dauphin County. Pa., August 25, 1839, and was the daughter of Jacob and Sarah (Books) Fisher, the former a native of Lancaster County, Pa., and the latter a native of Dauphin County, Pa., both of German descent. In the spring of 1861, Mr. and Mrs. Swank came to Huntington County, and located where they now reside in Clear Creek Township. Since then the occupation of Mr. Swank has been that of a farmer. He and wife are the parents of nine children, as follows: Theodore S., born December 25, 1859; Manasseh, born January 7, 1862; Da- vid L., born January 23, 1864; Wallace, born March 16, 1866, died March 10, 1868; Charles, born November 30, 1867; Oscar, born March 23, 1870; Fletcher T., born May 19, 1872; Sarah, born Octo- ber 3, 1874. and Oliver P. M., born February 14, 1878. Mr. and Mrs. Swank are members of the United Brethren Church. In politics the former is a Republican. He owns 160 acres of excel- lent land, most of which is in a high state of cultivation and is fitted up with good fences and buildings. Two of his sons, Theo- dore S. and Manasseh, are fitting themselves for the ministry, while the next younger son, David L. Swank, has acquired con- siderable proficiency as a musician.
GEORGE A. TELFER, an enterperising farmer of Clear Creek Township, was born in Henry County, Ohio, March 19, 1841. He was the youngest of six children born to William and Isabella (Berry) Telfer, both natives of Edinburgh, Scotland, their respective births occuring February 6, 1806, and December 28, 1807. His parents were married in their native country, on tbe 7th day of September, 1827, and in 1834, they emigrated to America, and first settled in Quebec, Canada. In the following year they removed to the State of New York; in 1836, they re- moved to the State of Michigan. A year later they returned to
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Ohio, and settled in Henry County, where they resided when the subject of this sketch was born. William Telfer, the father of our subject, died there about seven weeks after the latter was born, or May 12, 1841. His parents had born to them six children, whose names and dates of births and deaths are as follows: Wil- liam, born August 15, 1828, died September 4, 1834; Ann, born May 28, 1830, died October 20, 1838; James, born September 12, 1832, died May 30, 1833; Margaret, born April 2, 1834; died Sep- tember 14, 1835; Ann Margaret, born May 16, 1837; died March 6, 1844. By this it will be seen that our subject is the only one now living - his brothers and sisters all having died before he was born except one, Ann Margaret, who died when he was but three years old. . In 1844, he accompanied his mother to the village of Huntington, where his boyhood was spent at the home of his mother, who in the meantime was re-married, and thereafter suc- cessively became the wife of James Mackly, Thomas Wickham, and Daniel Frankforther, who died in 1845, 1849 and 1857, respect- ively. She and her last husband moved to a farm in Clear Creek Township, in 1853, where George spent his youth working upon a farm. At the age of twenty-three he began farming for him- self, and this has been his occupation ever since. He has resided where he now lives since January 1, 1856. He was married on Sunday, January 1, 1871, to Caroline Farmer, a native of Stark County, Ohio, born December 5, 1843. She was the daughter of Josie and Lydia (Black) Farmer, both natives of Stark County, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Telfer have seven children, as follows: Emry, born December 28, 1871; Isabella, born February 21, 1874; John, born February 24, 1876; George, born August 27, 1878, Ann, born March 11, 1881; James, born February 19, 1884, and Dessie, born July 24, 1886. Mr. and Mrs. Telfer are members of the United Brethren Church. In politics the former is an ardent Republi- can. His mother, who was a well-informed scholarly lady, died at his residence, June 6, 1878. Mr. Telfer is an honest, upright man, and a good citizen.
MICHAEL WEBER, one of the old settlers of Huntington County, and one of the early residents of Clear Creek Township, is a native of Germany, born March 6, 1813. He was the son of John and Catharine Weber, the former of whom died when Michael was but six months old. His mother died in 1839. After he became old enough he entered school and continued to attend until he reached the age of fourteen. He then began to learn the tailor's trade, and to it he gave his attention three years. He then took up the vocation of a farmer, at which he has ever since continued. In March, 1835, he was married in his native country to Mary Falter, who also, was born in the month of March, 1813. She was the daughter of Philip Falter. In 1840, Mr. and Mrs. Weber emigrated to America, and on reaching this country continued westward, and in December, 1840, they located upon a tract of woods land in Section 25, Clear Creek Township.
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HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY.
There Mr. Weber has continued to reside ever since. His first wife died with the cholera, August 31, 1849 and on the 20th day of June, 1850, he was married to Mrs. Anna Barbara Smith, who was born in Germany, November 5, 1819, and was the daughter of Albert Hofmann. She was married to Adam Smith in her native country September 16, 1848. Immediately after their marriage they came to America, and first settled in Ft. Wayne, but about six months later they removed to this county where Mr. Smith died from an attack of the Cholera, July 28, 1849. By his first wife Mr. Weber had eight children, as follows: Jacob, William, Philip, John, Frank, Christian, Mary and Henry, of whom Frank, Christian, Mary and Henry are dead. He and his present wife are the parents of three children, as follows: Anthony, Frederick and Margaret, all of whom are living. Mr. and Mrs. Weber are members of the Lutheran Church. In politics the former is a Democrat. He served as one of the trustees of his township for two years, many years ago. He has been honored with the posi- tion of school director for twelve years, and besides he has occupied the position of trustee in the church. He has a good farm of eighty acres and a comfortable home.
JOSEPH T. WILSON, a prominent farmer of Clear Creek Township, was born in Beaver County, Pa., March 15, 1819. He was the fourth in a family of eleven children -nine sons and two daughters - born to John and Margaret (Nicholl) Wilson, the former a native of Ireland, of Irish descent, and the latter a na- tive of Beaver County, Pa., of Scotch descent. When the subject of this sketch was but two years old his parents moved to Wayne County, Ohio, where his early life was spent upon a farm. In 1844 he came to this county and purchased the land he now occu- pies, but shortly afterward he returned to Wayne County, Ohio. În the fall of 1845 he again came to this county and he has been one of its residents ever since. In 1849 he returned to Wayne County, Ohio, where, on the 15th day of November, he was mar- ried to Sarah Hiner, a native of Pennsylvania, born December 21, 1820. She was the daughter of Henry and Mary (Philips) Hiner, both natives of Pennsylvania. Immediately after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson located upon the former's farm in Clear Creek Township where they lived happily together until their union was broken by the death of his wife, January 17, 1879. Mr. Wilson is the father of seven children: John, Henry, Robert, Mary, Sarah E., Joseph T. and James H., all of whom are living, except Mary, who died in the twenty-third year of her age. Mr. Wilson is a member of the Lutheran Church. In pol- itics, he is a Democrat. He owns 220 acres of land, a good por- tion of which is in a high state of cultivation. His farm is situated in an excellent farming locality, and is a very desirable location. He is an industrious and successful farmer, and a first-class citizen.
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DALLAS TOWNSHIP.
CHAPTER IX.
DALLAS TOWNSHIP - BOUNDARY AND . SURFACE - EARLY LAND ENTRIES - THE PIONEERS - RELIGIOUS HISTORY - MISCELLA- NEOUS MATTERS - ANDREWS' MANUFACTORIES - THE PRESS - CHURCHES - LODGES - RAILROAD INTERESTS - RIOT - MER- CHANTS - BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
D ALLAS Township, named in honor of Hon. George M. Dallas, Vice President of the United States, lies in the extreme western part of Huntington County, with the following boundaries: Warren Township on the north, Huntington on the east, Polk on the south, and Wabash County on the west. It is the smallest division of the county, being six miles long from north to south, four miles from the extreme eastern to the western limits and embraces a fraction over twenty-three square miles, all of which lies in Township 28 north, Range 8 east, of the Congressional Survey. The surface is somewhat broken along the Wabash, which flows a southwesterly course through the central part of the township, but north and south of the river the land is gently undulating in no place being too uneven for successful cultiva- tion. The township is heavily timbered and the soil a black loam resting upon an impervious clay subsoil, is well adapted to all the grains and fruits usually grown in Northern Indiana.
Land Entries .- Like other parts of Huntington and neigh- boring counties, the lands of Dallas Township were largely taken up by speculators, a fact which had a tendency to seriously retard the early developments of the country. The earliest re- corded entries were made in 1830, during which year the follow- ing persons obtained patents for tracts in different parts of the township, viz .: Elias Murray, October 12, entered the fractional northwest quarter of Section 13, 160 acres; Isaac Bedsall, same date, north fractional and south fractional southwest quarter of Section 13, and other tracts in various parts of the county; Samuel Hanna, fractional northeast quarter and east half of the northwest quarter of Section 22; William Huston, west half of the north west quarter of Section 22, and Newton Silsby, frac- tional southwest quarter of same section.
During the year 1832 entries were made as follows: William G. Campbell, fractional southwest quarter of Section 14; Joseph Cheesbro, west half of the northwest quarter of Section 14; Elias Murray, in same section; Samuel Hanna, in Section 23, and William G. Campbell in Section 10.
Solomon Holman, in 1833, entered land in Section 28, and the same year William Hanna entered a part of the southeast quarter of Section 9.
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HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY.
The entries of 1835 were as follows: Bayard P. Blakely, Thomas Moore, James White and Appleton Robbins, Section 1; B. P. Blakely, Section 2; Charles Scott, Calvin Fletcher, John Chapper and Jared Griswold, Section 4; Calvin Fletcher, Isaac Ulrich, Charles Paul, Levi Turner and Charles T. Hillyer, Sec- tion 9; Thomas Maxwell, Simon Foust, Section 10; Daniel Kennedy, Section 11; John Burke, Anthony Shafts, Samuel Hanna and Alexander McLean, Section 15. In 1836 entries were made by M. Wines, in Section 3; William Rockhill, in Section 10, and Ann Turner, in Section 14. After the above date, entries were made more rapidly, and early in the forties nearly all the available lands of the township were taken up and the greater part occupied.
The Pioneers .- The first permanent settler in Huntington County was one Artemus D. Woodworth, who, with his family, moved to the new country in August, 1828, and settled in Dallas Township, choosing for a home the land now known as the Wisner farm, a short distance north of Andrews, in Section 14. He erected his cabin near what was known as the Chesebro Lock, on the Wabash & Erie Canal, and is remembered as a very intelligent and dignified gentleman whose principal fault was a somewhat irascible temper. He moved here from Marion, Grant County, and later returned to that town, where his death occurred many years ago.
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