USA > Indiana > Madison County > History of Madison County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, Volume II > Part 30
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Father Biegel said his first mass at Elwood, Sunday, July. 28, 1889, on which day Father Wiechman made his farewell address. He preached his first sermon to the parish on August 4, 1889, and selected for his text the words: "Pax Vobis," "Peace Be to You;"' and peace and harmony have ever been blessings to St. Joseph's Parish, and have, 110 doubt, been the real secret of its success. Immediately after the ap- pointment of the new pastor, the congregation set to work to build a new priest's house. It was a neat, cozy, one-story, six-room house, built west of the little church, and cost $1,000. The rapidly increasing member- ship of the parish necessitated more room for church purposes, and in the spring of 1892 it was decided to enlarge the old church to three times its former size, this being done at a cost of $2,500. In the fall of 1892 the enlarged and remodeled church was dedicated by Very Rev. M. E. Campion, delegated by Right Rev. Joseph Dwenger, who was ill at the time. During the same year a bell was purchased, and was blessed by Rev. J. H. Bathe, delegated by the Bishop. In 1891 a parochial school was established, a one-room, frame building, costing $700, north of the church, and in September of this year it was opened with an attendance of eighty pupils. Miss Margaret Murphy was placed in charge of this parochial sehool, while Father Biegel assisted in the work, taking classes to the parsonage. In 1893 a second room was added and was placed in charge of Miss Margaret Cauley, the addition costing about $800. The number of children attending the parochial school continued to increase so rapidly that the two teachers could no longer do justice to them, and it became necessary to secure more teachers and to place the school on a more systematic basis. The time to place the school in care of one of the many religious orders had arrived, and the Sisters of St. Joseph's Acad- emy, Tipton, Indiana, were engaged to take charge of the school, coming in September, 1894. On February 14, 1894, the school house had been damaged by a fire which originated in a defective chimney, and the entire roof was destroyed and school had to be continued in the church. The building was immediately rebuilt, and a second story, with two rooms, was added at an approximate expense of $1,000. In the fall of 1899 a high school department was added to the school, and it became necessary to take two of the lower grades to the church in order to ac- commodate all the children. On January 29, 1911, Father Biegel made a proposition to erect a new school building, the old one having been but temporary, and the parish cheerfully consented to the movement and it was determined to erect a modern school building at a cost of $45,000, which is now in course of construction. Not only the Catholics of the city, but those of other creeds and denominations, supported the cause by liberal contributions, and at this writing (1913) more than one-half of the money needed has been raised. Alfred Grindle, of Indian- apolis, is the architect, and Frank Medland, of Logansport, the con- tractor.
In the fall of 1896 it became imperative to provide for more suitable living quarters for the Sisters. The parish decided, therefore, to cou-
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vert the priest's house into a convent for them, and to erect a new pastoral residence. It must here be said, that in the spring of 1894 a piece of ground, equal to eight large city lots, adjoining the original church property, was purchased of Gustav Kramer at a cost of $1,000, Mr. Kramer receiving $500 in cash and being given a funded High Mass. The ground was at that time considered of much greater value, but Mr. Kramer sold it at this reasonable price because it was intended for church purposes. On the west line of this newly acquired property, a new par- sonage was built at a cost of $3,000. It is a twelve-room building and furnishes ample accommodation for the pastor and his guests. The congregation introduced the pastor into the new priest's house with a joyful "house warming," October 3, 1896, after which the old parson- age was turned over to the Sisters.
For a number of years it had been the ambition of the people and the pastor to build a new church to meet the requirements of the growing parish, and as early as 1894 they began to accumulate funds for this purpose. Their dream was finally to be realized, when in the spring of 1899, ground was broken for the new edifice. The massive basement, twelve feet in height, built of Bedford stone, was completed during the same year. The corner-stone of the new edifice was laid on the eighth day of October, 1899, by Very Rev. John H. Guendling, then administra- tor of the diocese of Fort Wayne, Bishop Joseph Rademacher, the succes- sor of Bishop Dwenger having died. Some five thousand people attended the celebration and societies from all parts of the state participated in a grand parade. During the year 1900 the super-structure was built, and the following year the church was completed in all its details, and was dedicated to the honor of God on July 14, 1901, by Right Rev. H. J. Alerding, Bishop of Fort Wayne. William Gettinger of Union City, Indiana, was the architect of the structure. The basement was built by August Gleitze of Logansport, Indiana, and the super-structure by Med- land Brothers of that city. Lute Douge, of Eiwood did the plastering, and Fred Ryan of Anderson, had the contract for the interior wood work. The steam heating apparatus was installed by J. H. Asire, of Logansport. The building is in the Romanesque style of architecture, built of brick and stone. It is 132 feet in length, inside measurement, 56 feet wide in the nave, 66 feet across the towers, and 70 feet across the vestries. The tower at the southeast corner is 138 feet high, while the other one rises 101 feet above the sidewalk. The interior ceiling is 41 feet above the floor, which slopes gradually and imperceptibly to the altars. While the structure is beautiful on the outside, it is within that the great amount of money and pains have been applied. The entrance to the church is through three massive stone doorways, set between the two towers. Just inside them is a roomy vestibule, with the baptistry to the left. Entering the auditorium proper, a veritable feast of art and beauty greets the eye. On the high ceiling. four upon each side, have been painted eight life-sized pictures of saints, representing the eight beati- tudes. The figures which represent the beatitudes, are in their order as follows: St. Francis of Assisi, St. Francis de Sales, St. Mary Magda- lene, St. Boniface, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Aloysius, St. Elizabeth and St. Stephen. In the sanctuary, above the altar, are the figures of the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. In the organ gallery are paintings of St. Rose of Lima, the first American Saint, and St. Philomina, the patroness of working girls. Above the proscenium arch. on a scroll, is a Latin inscription, which translated into English means, Vol. IT-14
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"Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world." The fresco work forms a fitting background for the paintings, and the blending of the colors is such as to produce a friendly and cheerful effect. This work was done by Leber Brothers, of Louisville, Kentucky, students of the art schools of Italy. The art glass windows, which cost more than $3,000, are arranged in pairs beginning at the entrance. On the east side the first window represents the. birth of Christ, the opposite one representing His death. The next east window shows St. Patrick preaching the Gospel, while its counterpart gives the Good Samaritan practicing the teaching of the Saviour. The third pair rep- resents the Apparition of the Blessed Virgin and the Apparition of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The west window, next to the altar, represents the Angel Gabriel announcing to Mary that she is to be the Mother of Jesus, while in the opposite window is shown the Angel Guardian. Over the sanctuary there is a window representing the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove. This is surrounded by twenty-four lights, and makes a sur- passingly beautiful showing at night. The circular window in the organ loft shows St. Cecelia, the patroness of church music. All of the large side windows have three small panels below them, the one in the center containing the emblem of the society which donated them, while on each side are boquets of St. Joseph's lilies emblematic of the patron saint of the church. These lilies are also used extensively in the decoration of the walls and ceilings. The windows were all made by the Artistic Glass Painting Company, of Cincinnati, Ohio, the figures being of glass imported from Switzerland.
All the ordinary church societies are affiliated with the parish. The Rosary Society for the married ladies; the Young Men's and Young Ladies' Sodality for the young people; the Holy Name Society for the . men, and the Society of the Children of Mary and the Infant Jesus Society for the children. The Apostleship of Prayer has done its effec- tive work in the parish since 1894. Besides these church societies. fra- ternal organizations, for men and for women, are also well represented. The Catholic Benevolent Legion was organized April 9, 1893; the Ancient Order of Hibernians, January 23, 1898; the Catholic Order of Foresters. August 6, 1900; a council of Knights of Columbus, May 16, 1903; the Ladies' Auxiliary of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, December 5. 1898; and the Ladies' Catholic Benevolent Association, October 22. 1903. These societies have commodious and well furnished quarters. with a reading room, and elegant apartments for innocent recreation.
A handsome pipe organ which is in keeping with the interior dec- orations and furnishings adorns the organ gallery, while the various altars and stations are beautiful in design and complete the decorations. The church as it stands is valued at $60,000. Immediately after the dedication of the new church, the old one was remodeled for school pur- poses, and the Sisters' convent was remodeled at the same time and an extra story added to the building, these improvements costing in the neighborhood of $2,000. When the church property was first purchased, the ground was low and swampy, but was considered a very desirable place on account of its location in the center of the city. It took 10,000 yards of earth to fill the lots and put them in proper condition, and the grounds are now among the most beautiful in the city. In the spring of 1905 a lot, 66x132 feet, across the street from the school, with a brick building on it, was purchased by the congregation, as was also a nine- room house with a lot 50x132 feet, west of the parsonage. Conditions
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were such that the church should control this property, the rent of which now constitutes a good source of revenue for the parish. The church ground proper has a frontage of 350 feet on South A street, with the average depth of 250 feet. A paved street passes the property, and a cement walk, ten feet in width, extends along the entire frontage, which improvements cost approximately $3,000. For a long time a creek, running along the north line of the property, had been the cause of much annoyance to the parish, but the difficulty was finally remedied, satisfactorily and definitely, by a retaining wall 280 feet in length, which was constructed jointly by the city of Elwood and St. Joseph's congregation, at a cost of $1,500. Many ornamental trees and shrubs have been planted, and the spacious church grounds now offer an ideal place for the schoolchildren's play-ground and for out-door social gath- erings. The little "mustard seed" of thirty-two years ago has grown to a majestic tree, and a conservative estimate places the value of all the Catholic church property of Elwood at $150,000.
Man's body is a temple of the Holy Ghost. The bodies of Catholics are anointed in the holy sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Ex- treme Unction. They are taken to the church for the last blessing after death, and it is the desire of the church that the mortal remains of prac- tical Catholics should be buried in consecrated ground. For this reason St. Joseph's parish purchased five acres of land one and one-half miles south and one-half mile west of the city for a Catholic cemetery. at a cost of $500. Several hundred dollars worth of improvements have since been made on the ground, and about 400 bodies have been buried there, awaiting the summons of God to resurrection. The Very Rev. M. E. Campion, at that time dean of the Logansport district of the diocese of Fort Wayne blessed the cemetery in the fall of 1891.
Rev. Balthasar Biegel, whose untiring labors have made possible the erection of this great structure, was born at Hanover Center. Lake county, Indiana, August 6, 1866, and is a son of Peter and Theresa Biegel. natives of Hesse Darmstadt, Germany. His paternal grand- parents emigrated from Germany, and settled in Missouri, where they died advanced in years, having had a large family, which included Peter, Henry, David. John and Mary. The maternal grandparents, on coming to the United States, located in Lake county, Indiana, where the father died at the age of seventy-eight years, and his wife when eighty-nine years of age. They became the parents of four children : Theresa, John, Elizabeth and Catherine.
Peter Biegel was a lad of about seven years when he accompanied his parents to America, the first location of the family being at Strawtown, New York. Soon thereafter. however, they came to Lake county, Indi- ana, and here Mr. Biegel grew to manhood. He became a farmer. and as such removed to New Cambria. Missouri, in 1873, and there his death occurred in 1895, when he was fifty-seven years of age, his widow fol- lowing him to the grave in 1908, when sixty-five years old. They were the parents of ten children: John, Balthasar, George, Frank. Henry, Mary, Helen, Margaret. Albert and Peter.
Father Biegel was baptized at St. John's Church, the mother church of what now forms the Schererville district of the diocese of Fort Wayne. He received his first Holy Communion at St. Martin's Church, Hanover Centre, Indiana, October 3, 1880, and was encouraged by Rev. William Berg, one time pastor of his native village, to study for the priesthood. Preparatory to his course in college, he was given private
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lessons in Latin and Greek by Father Berg and feels himself bound by undying gratitude to this, his first zealous and model pastor. He later entered St. Lawrence College, Mt. Calvary, Wisconsin, where he grad- uated from the classical course in June, 1885. He then made his course in Philosophy and Theology at St. Francis Seminary, Milwaukee, Wis- consin, and received minor orders, sub-deaconship and deaconship from Archbishop Heiss, of Milwaukee, and was ordained priest by Bishop Dwenger at the Cathedral of Fort Wayne, on June 15, 1889, with four- teen months' dispensation, the required age being twenty-four years. He celebrated his first Holy Mass on the feast of Corpus Christi, June 20, 1889, at St. John's Church, the church of his baptism. Immediately after his ordination he was appointed first resident pastor of Elwood, with Noblesville, Cicero, Mullin's Settlement and Alexandria as missions.
In Elwood, Father Biegel's influence, always for the good, is felt in every nook and corner. The respect which he inspired in the little village on his arrival has not abated as the place has grown into a pros- perous city, but is increased as time goes on. To the talents of a pastor is added the learning of a scholar and literatteur, which, united with a rare business tact and ability to govern, has made him already a con- spicuous figure in the church and the state, and has gained him the con- fidence, the good will and the love of all classes, denominations and nationalities.
GEORGE F. THURSTON. A man of enterprise, intelligence, and ex- cellent business capacity, George F. Thurston, living two miles east of Summitville, stands high among the wide-awake, progressive farm- ers of this section of Madison county. A native of Boone township, Mad- ison county, Indiana, he was born January 16, 1864, a son of John F. and Margaret (Morris) Thurston, of whom a more extended notice may be found elsewhere in this work, in connection with the sketch of R. O. P. Thurston.
Educated in his native township Mr. Thurston attended the Dead Dog school as a boy and youth, in the meantime obtaining on the home farm practical experience in farming. Finding the occupation most congenial, he rented the farm where he now lives a year before atrain- ing his majority, and began the battle of life for himself, taking up his residence in the old log house standing upon the place. This farm was entered from the government during the administration of Presi- dent Jackson by Robert Spear, who erected the first frame blacksmith's shop put up in this section of the state. At the end of two years of successful farming Mr. Thurston received a sum of money from the parental estate, and immediately invested it in land, buying the farm which he had been renting. He has now one hundred and twenty aeres of rich and productive land, on which he has made improvements of great value, including the erection of his fine residence and other neces- sary farm buildings. He is carrying on general farming with satis- factory results, making a specialty of raising Duroc-Jersey hogs. a branch of industry which he has found pleasant and profitable. He is one of the largest breeders of that grade of hogs in the county, from his estate, which is known as the Duroc-Jersey farm. having shipped in two years $7,000 worth of that breed.
Mr. Thurston married, in 1884, Sarah Etta Ellsworth, daughter of Walker and Martha ( Harris) Ellsworth, and they have one child.
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Alva W. Thurston, who married Bessie Rutherford. Politically Mr. Thurston is a stanch supporter of the principles of the Democratic party.
LEVI P. BROWN. Especially worthy of note among the active and progressive men who have contributed so largely towards the develop- ment and advancement of the agricultural prosperity of Madison county is Levi P. Brown, a well-known farmer of Van Buren township. A son of the late John G. Brown, he was born on the farm where he now resides, his birth having occurred on October 31, 1857. Born in Rush county, John G. Brown obtained the rudiments of his education in the public schools of his native district, and completed his studies in the rural schools of Madison county. Subsequently purchasing a tract of land in Van Buren township, he began the improvement of a farm, and was there busily engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death, at. a comparatively early age, in 1871. To him and his wife, whose maiden name was Sarah Allen, seven children were born, as follows: Cather- ine J .; Levi P .; Mary E., deceased; Nancy Ellen; Sam'l R .; George W .; and John H.
Brought up on the parental homestead, Levi P. Brown first attended the Allen school, later continuing his studies in the township school. While yet a boy he became familiar with the various branches of agri- culture, and after the death of his father assisted his mother in the management of the home place, which he now owns and occupies, he having purchased the interests of the remaining heirs in the estate. He was for many years very active and successful in the management of his fine farm of one hundred and sixty-six acres, but having accumulated a competeney he has relegated the care of the estate to his son-in-law, and is now living retired, enjoying a well-deserved leisure from busi- ness affairs.
Mr. Brown married, September 22, 1880, Emma Florence Allen, a daughter of Amos G. and Salina (Runyan) Allen. Their union has been blessed by the birth of four children, namely: A child that died in infancy; Adah Mae, wife of Robert Broyles; Garry, who lived on the Brown farm, and had charge of its management; and Lulu F., wedded A. E. Tomlinson and resides with her parents. Garry Brown, the only son, married, September 22, 1910, Edna Trader, a daughter of Harvey and Eldy (Woolen) Trader, and they have one child, Dorothy Florence.
Religiously Mr. Brown is an active and influential member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he is serving as steward. Politi- cally he is identified with the Democratic party, and is prominent in public affairs, taking an intelligent interest in everything pertaining to the improvement of the community in which he is living.
CHARLES H. ALLMAN. An enterprising and highly successful farmer of Van Buren township, Charles Allman is a fine representative of the native-born citizens of Madison county, his birth having occurred, September 16, 1883, on a farm lying two miles west of his present place of residence, which is located four miles southeast of Summitville. His- father, John Allman, for many years a prominent agriculturist of Mad- ison county, was born and reared in Tipton county, Indiana, 1838. He married Leaner Perry, who bore him ten children, as follows: Asbury, Phoebe J., Maggie, Edna, William, John, Cora, Lorenzo, Charles, and Myrtle.
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Brought up in his native township, Charles H. Allman acquired his education in the Allen school, and on the home farm was well drilled in the agricultural arts. Choosing the independent occupation which his father so successfully followed, and satisfied that no better region for general farming could be found in Indiana than that in which he lived, Mr. Allman bought eighty acres of land that are now included in his present estate of three hundred and twenty acres, and began its im- provement. Successful in his undertakings, he has given his undivided attention to its management, and each year in the gathering of his bountiful crops is rewarded for his toil and trouble.
On December 21, 1904, Mr. Allman was united in marriage with Miss Bertha M. Thurston, who is one of the six living children of the late Joseph and Mary E. (Welch) Thurston, who were the parents of seven children. Mrs. Allman was reared in county of Madison and edu- cated in common schools with one term in the Summitville high school. She is vice president of her Sunday school class, No. 2, at Summitville. Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Allman have two children, namely: Estelle Lucile and Paul T. Politically Mr. Allman is a Democrat, and reli- giously both he and his wife are active and valued members of the Christian church at Summitville.
JOSEPH E. BRADLEY. Industriously engaged in the prosecution of a calling upon which the wealth and prosperity of our nation largely depend, Joseph E. Bradley, a well-known farmer of Madison county, has owned and occupied his present farm since 1900, and in its manage- ment has met with signal success. He was born August 19, 1851, in Brown county, Ohio, a son of William Bradley, Jr. He is of English ancestry on the paternal side, his grandfather, William Bradley, Sr., having immigrated from London, England, to the United States, set- tling in Ohio.
William Bradley, Jr., was born and reared in Brown county, Ohio. Early in life he migrated to Missouri, taking his family with him, hop- ing there to find a more favorable opportunity for advancing his finan- cial condition. Not satisfied with the change, he subsequently returned East, locating in Indiana, where both he and his faithful wife spent the closing years of their lives. He married Susan Sells, and to them eleven children were born, as follows: Harvey, deceased; Joseph E., the subject of this brief sketch; Susan, deceased; Harzella; William; John; Addie; Samuel; Martha ; Lincoln; and Cora, deceased.
Obtaining the rudiments of his education in the district schools of Ohio, Joseph E. Bradley subsequently attended school in Missouri for awhile, later completing his studies in Indiana. In March, 1901, he took up his residence in Madison county, and has since been numbered among its citizens of worth. A farmer from choice, he rented land a number of years, but in 1900 bought from William Davis his present farm of eighty acres, located just at the edge of the city of Summitville, on the Bradley Gravel road, and as an agriculturist is meeting with gratifying results, each year reaping abundant harvests of the crops common to this part of the state.
Mr. Bradley married, in 1882, Martha Wilson, who died in 1909. her body being buried in Eden Cemetery, in Hancock county, Indiana. Three children were born of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Bradley : William E., who was graduated from the Summitville High School, and
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was just at the point of entering the law school when his untimely death occurred July 11, 1902.
The following excerpt is taken from the eulogy dedicated to his son at the time of his demise: "Into the peace and happiness of a bright and sunny day burst the gathering storm. It passes quickly, but ere 'tis gone it scatters sorrow and gloom to its unhappy victims. Young Mr. Bradley departed this life at his home, aged nineteen years, just in the flower of young manhood with all the promises of tender and mature manhood. He graduated from the common schools of Center township in Madison county in 189S and at the Marion High School, also at the Summitville High School in 1902. He would have entered Indiana Uni- versity in the fall of 1902 had he lived. He united with the United Brethren church in 1898. In his school work he was ever faithful and was loved by both teachers and pupils. He spent most of his life in Madison county. He came of the best of parentage and his young life was a model for other young men to pattern after. His loss is sadly felt in the community of Summitville, Indiana, and had he lived, no doubt he would have written his name high in the scroll of honor."
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