USA > Indiana > Tipton County > History of Tipton County Indiana > Part 40
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Mr. Michel was married on November 14, 1903, to Bonnie J. Nash, the
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daughter of William G. and Rebecca (Gallaway) Nash. They have three children, Lula Miriam, Elizabeth Rachael and William Homer.
Charles H. Michel is a valiant member of the Modern Woodmen of `America and has always taken a prominent part in the deliberations of that order. He and his family are members of the Presbyterian church and have always taken an active interest in all the activities of the church. Mr. Michel keeps abreast of the best methods in the agricultural line and is considered one of the most progressive farmers of his community. He and his wife maintain a hospitable home and have endeared themselves to a large circle of ac- quaintances by aligning themselves with all the movements for good in their community.
THOMAS L. CONLEY.
Among the representative farmers of Tipton county is the subject of this sketch. He is the owner of a fine farm of sixty acres, and is carrying on the enterprises of the ordinary farmer with that discretion and energy which are sure to find their natural sequence in definite success. He has al- ways been a hard worker, a good manager and a man of economical habits, and, being excellently situated in a fine farming community, it is no wonder that he stands today in the front rank of the agriculturists of this favored locality.
Thomas L. Conley was born June 28, 1867, in Jennings county, Indiana, and is the son of Daniel and Mary (Lovett) Conley. His father, Daniel, was born in Prince George county, Maryland, and came to Jennings county with his parents when he was five years of age. His parents, Michael and Ellen (Killelah) Conley, were pioneers and owned a considerable amount of land in Jennings county. Michael was a farmer and a huckster. Daniel and his wife lived in Jennings county until 1880 and then moved to Tipton county, where they bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, and raised a family there. They had six children born to them in Jennings county : John, who died when he was thirty-eight years of age: Thomas L. : Isabelle. who married Bernard B. Brady and has four daughters and two sons, Maud, Irene, Charles, Angella, Edna and Harold; Ambrose, deceased; May, who is the wife of C. N. Parker, and Charles, who died at the age of thirty-two.
Thomas L. Conley attended the country school and completed his educa- tion in the Tipton school. As a young man he worked on the farm and at
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the age of twenty-five he rented a one-hundred-and-twenty-acre farm, and was very successful in managing the same. He has speculated considerably in land, and has been uniformly successful in all his business transactions.
Mr. Conley was married on November 23, 1897, to Elizabeth Enneking (see sketch elsewhere in this volume of the Enneking family), and they have two children, Daniel and Esther.
In politics, Mr. Conley has always been a Republican and has earnestly advocated the principles of that party. He saw no reason why he should change from that for any other despite the split which occurred in that party in 1912. He, as well as all the members of his family, are loyal Catho- lics and have contributed liberally of their substance to the support of that church. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus. During his long life in this county he has made his influence felt for good in this community, being a man of sterling worth, and his life has been more or less closely interwoven with the history of the community in which he resides. He has always stood for the material advancement of his neighborhood, socially and morally, and the well regulated life he has led has gained him the respect of all his fellow citizens.
LUTHER V. SHOOK.
The farmer is the bulwark of the nation and investigation has shown that a majority of our best business men, of our best lawyers, of our best men of every vocation of life, have been raised on the farm. George Wash- ington was a farmer and was proud of the fact: Abraham Lincoln was reared on a farm in the southern part of our own state. Probably the most popular Democratic governor this state ever had was "Blue Jeans" Williams, who prided himself on being nothing but a farmer. The Republican party never had a better governor than that plain, unostentatious farmer. James A. Mount. Verily, the farmer is the bulwark of the nation, the salt of the earth. To be a farmer today is to be a king among men.
Luther V. Shook, the proprietor of the Fair View farm of one hundred and fifty-three acres, was born in Ripley county, Indiana, on September 27. 1850, and is the son of Lorenzo D. and Mariah (Ludwick) Shook. Lorenzo D. Shook came from Westmoreland county, Maryland, where he was born in 1808. to Indiana with his parents in 1811, and settled in Dearborn county. but shortly afterwards his parents moved to Ripley county, where they lived most of the remainder of their lives. He died in that county in 1886, his
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wife surviving him thirteen years. Most of his family were born and reared in that county. Both were buried at Tipton. They were the parents of the following children: Ellen, deceased; Calvin, who lives at Sharpsville; Mar- garet ; David W., a resident of Windfall; Abraham, who died in 1875, and who married Elizabeth O'Neil, also dead (they had one son, Walter) ; Ameri- ca, the deceased wife of Mr. Grishaw. To them were born six children, three living, Byrom, Charles and Harry, and three deceased, Grant, Ora B. and one who died in infancy ; Arie: James K., of Tipton; Harriett; Luther V .; Joseph B., who is married and has one child, Mayme.
Luther V. Shook went to the country schools in Ripley county, and one term in the graded schools at Versailles, Indiana. He worked on the farm during his boyhood, and by his frugality was able to buy out the other heirs after his father's death. Several years ago he moved to Tipton county, where several of his, brothers had settled. He was in the city of Tipton for a short time, and was later engaged in the management of a general store in Sharpsville for two years with his brother. His interest in public affairs and the esteem in which he has been held by his fellow citizens is shown in the fact that he was elected trustee of Johnson township for two terms. He conducted the affairs of that office to the entire satisfaction of the township.
Mr. Shook is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and has- con- tributed freely to the support of that denomination. Throughout his long career in Tipton county he has so conducted himself and his affairs that he has been regarded as one of those citizens who has the welfare of the com- munity at heart. Every enterprise which has had for its purpose the further- ing of the moral or the social life of his community has found in him a ready and sympathetic helper.
FLOYD W. WILSON.
The name of Floyd W. Wilson is one that is well known among the leading young farmers of Tipton county as a gentleman who, through close attention to his business and unswerving industry, has met with a large de- gree of material success. It bodes well for the good of our nation that an increasing number of our best young men are devoting themselves to agri- cultural pursuits. This young farmer has in him many of the elements that always win in the battle of life, no matter where fought out, whether in the home or in the field, and because of his upright life and commendable habits
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he enjoys the sincere respect and esteem of the entire community. His scrupulous honesty in all his relations with his fellow men and his efforts to benefit the general condition of the neighborhood in which he lives, stamps him as one of the coming prominent citizens of the county.
Floyd W. Wilson was born April 10, 1887, at Arcadia, Indiana, and is the son of W. F. and Mary (Fisher) Wilson. His father was born in Hamil- ton county, Indiana, and was a farmer, starting out in life with practically nothing, yet with steady perseverance and close application to business he was the owner of two hundred acres at the time of his death. He was also a stock buyer in this county for many years, and successfully combined this business with his regular farm work. The parents of Floyd Wilson had three other children, Newman, Lowell and Edna.
Floyd W. Wilson went to the Arcadia schools and worked on the farm in the summer. He started farming on his own account when he was twenty- three years of age. He was married on January 28, 1908, to Rose, the daughter of Anderson and Eva (Haskett) Perry, and to them has been born one child, Mary Evalyn.
Politically, Mr. Wilson has always been a Republican, although he has never sought any office in his party. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and have always taken an active part in church and. Sunday school work. They have rightly earned the esteem and regard in which they are held throughout the community. Mr. Wilson is a quiet, unassuming and unostentatious young man who is still on the threshold of life. He has so ordered his life that he is fast receiving that recognition which comes as the result of honest endeavor. His unpretending bearing and strict integrity have elevated him in the confidence of his fellow citizens and his influence is steadily increasing in his community.
HON. GEORGE C. WOOD, M. D.
George C. Wood was born January 3, 1852, near the town of Adams, in Decatur county, Indiana, the son of Caleb and Letitia McDole (Carr) Wood. Both parents came from near Carlisle, Kentucky, where they received their schooling and were engaged in farming, coming to the Hoosier state with the first settlers. He was the father of eight children, who were: John T., William W., Mrs. Sophia A. Rodgers, Martha J., Mrs. Sarah F. Bess and
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HON. GEORGE C. WOOD, M. D.
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May Florence, who are deceased, and Mrs. Lucinda E. Needham and the . subject of this sketch, who are the only two surviving members of the family.
Doctor Wood came to Prairie township, Tipton county, in the fall of 1856 and attended school in an old log building, part of which was used as a residence. Unfavorable conditions of those early times in educational mat- ters made it difficult for a young man who had an ambition for the develop- ment of the mind; however, it did not dull the subject's keen desire for knowledge, and he mastered the elementary branches in the common schools, limited as they were. He entered Howard College, at Kokomo, Indiana, in the fall of 1871, attending that institution for a term of ten weeks and then taught his first term of school in the winter of 1871-72. Following his first term of school, he returned to Howard College for another term, after which he attended the National Normal University at Lebanon, Ohio, in the spring of 1873, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Science from that institution, August 18, 1876.
Doctor Wood's active connection with the school system of his county . covers a period of, practically, fifteen years, commencing in the fall of 1871 and ending in June, 1886. During this period he taught four district schools. was principal of the Sharpsville graded schools for two years and was county superintendent of schools four years, from June, 1879, to June, 1883, during which time he taught several normal and select schools and served on the school board at Windfall for three years.
In the spring of 1878 the subject decided to take up the medical pro- fession, began the study of medicine with Dr. A. B. Pitzer, of Sharpsville, subsequently entering the Medical College of Indiana, at Indianapolis, and completed the required course there in March, 1881. He moved to Windfall, April 16, 1883, and engaged in the practice of medicine until November, 1890, when he was elected auditor of Tipton county, in which office he served one term. On the first day of April, 1895, he returned to Windfall and en- gaged in the grain business, having purchased the grain elevator of that place of the late John H. Zehner. This business gradually grew and expanded until the Windfall Grain Company was organized, with a capital of sixty thousand dollars, owning the elevators at Curtisville, Windfall, Nevada and Hemlock, the latter being in Howard county. For eighteen years the Doctor was actively connected with the grain business, in more recent years in con- junction with Jesse C. and Gordon C. Hadley, owning and operating the Windfall Grain Company. However, Mr. Wood recently severed his con-
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. nection with the grain business and his principal occupation now is that of farming, he giving special attention to the feeding of stock for the market.
Doctor Wood was united in marriage November 25, 1879, to Elnora Lindsay, of Sharpsville, and they have become the parents of four children, namely : James Gordon, deceased; Madge Olive, the wife of Dr. H. C. Tate, who resides at Kokomo; Jason Byron, deceased; and Nora May, now a student at Earlham College.
Having ever taken an active interest in political affairs, Doctor Wood has been honored by his fellow citizens to an unusual degree, having served in several minor offices within the gift of the people, not enumerated above. He was his party's candidate for joint representative for Tipton and Clinton counties in the campaign of 1904, but went down to defeat in the Roosevelt landslide of that year. In the election of 1912 he was elected state senator from the district composed of Tipton and Hamilton counties. His record in the session of the Legislature of 1913 is a creditable one, where he proved to be a valuable and an unbiased servant of the people. He served on several important committees and his judgment always received favorable considera- tion. His views on the construction and upkeep of public roads, attracted public attention and his counsel and advice was sought for by advocates of good government and practical measures that concerned the people.
Doctor Wood is a man of broad humanitarian principles, of earnest purpose and upright life, and does all in his power for the uplifting of his fellow men and the promotion of the moral welfare of his community, a feature of his life that is one of the noblest instincts of man. More than one man can date his success in business by the help that he received from Doctor Wood. His counsel, his advice and his encouragement to struggling young men can never be forgotten, some of whom have attained fame, others en- gaged in useful lives and whose names have been chiseled in the progress of time and whose usefulness is recognized in the different avenues of life. The character of the people of Tipton county, particularly from an edu- cational and moral standpoint, is made better because George Wood lived in it.
Fraternally, the Doctor is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons at Windfall; the Scottish Rite, thirty-second degree, at Indianapolis, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at Windfall. He owns three hundred and eighteen acres of land in the county, including the home farm in Prairie township. His farms are well improved and in a high state of cultivation. He has introduced modern methods in the tilling of the soil and his facilities for stock feeding are complete.
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Personally, the Doctor enjoys the esteem of warm friends, who recognize the cordial, affable manner which marks his intercourse with his fellow men, under any and all conditions, thus showing that his incessant and close appli- cation to the conduct of his large business has in no wise encroached upon those grand qualities which mark the true gentleman and man that he is.
WORTHINGTON R. TODD.
The twentieth-century farmer knows very little of the disadvantages which surround the pioneer farmers of this state. No longer is he compelled to rise early in the morning and continue his labors far into the evening. The farmer of today can do twice as much work in half a day as his father could in a whole day fifty years ago. The rural mail service leaves the daily paper on his door step each morning. The telephone puts him into instant connec- tion with his neighbors, while the interurban cars and automobile enable him to participate in all the features of city life. Surrounded by such con- ditions, the farmer of today can have all the advantages of the man in the city, with few of his disadvantages. No state in the Union possesses better transportation advantages than Indiana, and with the interurban threading the country in every direction from our capital city the farmers are put into close touch with the life of the city.
Worthington R. Todd, farmer and stock raiser of Tipton county, was born on June 1, 1875, and is the son of Robert and Louise (Friend) Todd. His father came from Franklin county, Indiana, where he was born, and settled in Tipton county when he was about twenty-five years of age.
W. R. Todd is the only child living of the four born to his parents. He attended the district schools and finished his education by. the time he was seventeen years of age. He worked on the farm during all his school days, and at the remarkably tender age of thirteen he embarked in business for himself, by renting a part of his father's farm. -
On September 5, 1897, Mr. Todd was married to Charity McLucas, the daughter of William and Susan (Tolin) McLucas. Mr. McLucas is a na- tive of this county. Mrs. Todd has five brothers and sisters : Clarence, still at home; Charles, who married Mabel Brown, deceased: Fred, who mar- ried Goldie Hamlin, and they have one child, Don; Blanch, who is Mrs. Bernard Woodruff; Cressie, who is at present the chief operator of the Tip- ton Telephone Company.
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Mr. and Mrs. Todd have five children : Reva L., deceased; Gerald, Will- iam R., Arline and Paul E. They are giving their children all the educa- tional advantages which it is possible for them to secure, with the view of better fitting them for their future lives.
Mr. Todd has always aligned himself with the Democratic party, being a strong believer of the principles advocated by that party. He has never asked for any public office, being content to put all his energies and efforts into his work on the farm. Mr. and Mrs. Todd take an active interest in all the social activities of the community in which they live. Their whole-souled hospitality has endeared them to all their neighbors and commended them to all with whom they come in contact.
HARRY KATON.
Probably the youngest farmer in Tipton county is the one whose inter- esting career is here briefly set forth. Young as he is, however, he has by his industry and sound judgment brought himself to a place where he occupies an enviable position among the coming agriculturists of the county. The son of a successful farmer, he has been thoroughly schooled in all the multitude of agricultural details which are the necessary concomitant of the best farmers. Careful and conservative in his business affairs, he is nevertheless sufficiently progressive to permit him to keep apace with twentieth century ideas and methods. For these reasons it is eminently fitting that Harry Katon should find a worthy place in this volume.
Harry Katon was born in 1889 in Tipton county, the son of Melville and Charity (Parker) Katon. The father of the subject of this sketch, a native of Ohio, came to this county when he was ten years of age, and followed the occupation of a farmer throughout his whole life. To Mr. and Mrs. Melville Katon were born six children, Harry, Laura, Anna, Ben, Floyd and Mildred. -
Harry Katon attended the Independence schools and graduated from the common school at the latter place, making a splendid record during his high school career. He later attended the Indiana Business College at In- dianapolis, and secured a practical business training which has been of great value to him. He then took up farming and is now operating his father's farm, and has been very successful in its management.
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Politically, Mr. Katon belongs to the Progressive party, aligning him- self with the new party last year. He threw himself into it with all the zeal of his young manhood and showed remarkable political enthusiasm for one of his age. Religiously, he belongs to the Presbyterian church and is a loyal member of that denomination. He has shown so far an aptitude for all the various phases of agricultural life and, with the excellent training which he received from his worthy father, he bids fair to become one of the most prominent farmers of the county. Personally, Mr. Katon is genial and un- assuming and his large circle of loyal friends and acquaintances testify to the good esteem in which he is universally held.
WILLIAM FINDLING.
One of the leading farmers and stock raisers in Tipton county is Will- iam Findling. His valuable property has been acquired through his own ef- forts, persistency of purpose and determination. At the same time he has maintained careful and respectable habits, and won the undivided respect of all with whom he has come in contact.
William Findling was born December 27, 1861, in Indianapolis, Indiana, a son of Valentine and Louise (Geyer) Findling. His father was born in Germany and came to this country with his parents when he was seven ycars of age. They settled near Pomeroy, Ohio, on the Ohio river. William had seven brothers and sisters: Emma, who married a Mr. Schall and had one child; John B., Charles E., Herbert G., Francis E., Arthur E., and Lela, who married Sherman Vandenber. The first three children are by the first marriage. Valentine Findling was married the second time to Margaret Kaiser, and to them were born the five children last named.
William Findling started to school at Independence, Indiana, and gradu- ated from the course at that place. He worked on the farm during the sum- mer and went to school during the winter. At the age of twenty he started to working in a tile factory, and upon reaching his majority he rented a farm of eighty acres of land, and later bought the eighty acres of land on which he now lives. He proved to be a very successful farmer and gradu- ally added to his landed possessions until at the present time he owns two hundred and ninety-seven acres in Tipton county and a farm of one hundred acres in Hamilton county.
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Mr. Findling was married on March 18, 1885, to Elizabeth D. Glass, the daughter of George and Hannah (Clark) Glass. They have eight children: Fairy, deceased; Clyde, who is married and has two children; Rome E., who married Minnie Pernell, and has one son; Ray, who is at home; Arthur and Allen, who are still at home and attending the high school; Rex and Ralph.
Mr. Findling is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and con- tributes liberally to its support. Mrs. Findling is a member of the Christian church. Politically, Mr. Findling has always been a Republican and advo- cates the principles of that party. He has taken a somewhat prominent part in public affairs and has served as county commissioner of his county. He is a very congenial gentleman, and always willing to assist in any worthy cause for the betterment of the community, and he has a host of friends throughout the community, who esteem him because of his genuine worth.
JAMES L. ROMACK.
Among the most prosperous and respected citizens of Tipton county, who have been important factors in the growth of the county, there is no one who occupies a higher place in the estimation of the general public than the subject of this sketch. Descended from an old pioneer family of the state, he has the happy heritage which is the fortune of well established families. The grandparents of James L. Romack came from Pennsylvania to Hancock county, Indiana, in 1824, and lived there until 1836, when the grandfather died.
James L. Romack, township trustee and business man of Liberty town- ship, Tipton county, was born November 13, 1859, in Hancock county, In- diana. His parents were Robert L. and Amanda Romack. Robert Romack was also a native of Hancock county, where he was a very successful farmer. When the Mexican war broke out he at once enlisted in an Indiana regiment and served throughout that struggle, his regiment being one that helped cap- ture the city of Mexico. To Robert L. Romack and wife were born a large family of nine children : Robert A., James L., Train C., Mrs. Emma Berry. Mrs. Selena Ressler, George, Elbert A., Jesse G., Mrs. Lucinda Shuck.
James Romack was reared on the old homestead, receiving ample train- ing in the labors which fall to the lot of every boy on the farm, and taking advantage of such meager schooling as was afforded by the district schools
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