USA > Indiana > Wabash County > History of Wabash County, Indiana, Volume 2 > Part 19
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After remodeling the old house and living in it for many years, Mr. Frushour in 1910 erected his present substantial eight-room modern frame residence, equipped with all the conveniences and comforts which the best country homes of Wabash county affords, and where he and his wife expect to spend the rest of their days and enjoy the well won fruits of earlier years. Besides their three children, there are twenty-three grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. They have also taken in
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and reared in their home several orphans. In fact, their friends fre- quently refer to the Frushour farm as the "orphans home."
This generous prosperity, all won as a result of honest toil and good management, has been used in such a way as to add to the total wealth of the community, and not alone for the benefit of his immediate family but in such a way as to make the lives of others easier and richer. Mr. Frushour is a republican in politics, and like his wife is a true Christian. They are members of the Evangelical Association.
The parents of Mrs. Frushour, Peter and Catharine Good, while not coming to Wabash county at so early a date as the Frushours, were still early residents. Both were natives of Virginia, were married in Ohio, and came to Wabash county when Mrs. Frushour, who is about ten years younger than her husband, was a child. Their location was about two miles south of Lagro. When Mrs. Frushour was seven years old her mother died, and her father later married and moved out to Kansas, where the rest of his days were spent. Mrs. Frushour was one of a family of children mentioned as follows: Jacob, deceased; Elizabeth, deceased; Nancy Ann, deceased; Catharine, Mrs. Frushour; William; John, deceased; Mary, deceased; and Frank.
F. H. BLOOMER, M. D. For thirty years Dr. Bloomer has quietly performed his round of professional services and duties at Lagro and vicinity, and is the oldest physician in point of residence in that locality, being likewise one of the most highly esteemed practitioners of Wabash county. Dr. Bloomer saw service as a soldier of the Union during the Civil war, and is one of the honored veterans, who still survive in Wabash county. After the war he took up the study of medicine, and for more than thirty-five years has lived and practiced his profession in this county.
Born in Fayette county, Ohio, May 6, 1847, Dr. Bloomer is a son of Elijah and Nancy (Hopkins) Bloomer, the former a native of Ken- tucky, and the latter of Virginia. The old Hopkins homestead in Vir- ginia was included within the battleground in one of the engagements in which Dr. Bloomer fought as a soldier during the war, and the old home was destroyed at that time. Elijah and Nancy Bloomer were married in Ohio, where they spent most of their active years.
Dr. Bloomer grew up in Fayette county, attended the district schools and the grade schools at New Holland, and for three years was a student in the Academy at Bloomingburg. At that time it was his intention to take up the profession of civil engineering. When the war broke out, he was fourteen years of age, but had the advantage of physical proportions above those of his years. However, two years passed before he got his opportunity to go to the front. Laying aside his books in the spring of 1863, he was accepted for service in Company C of the Seventy-Third Ohio Volunteer Infantry. With that regiment he went through all the campaigns and battles, in which it was engaged, until the close of the war and then remained in the service until September, 1865, when he was honorably discharged. The Seventy-Third Ohio Regiment, from the Vol. II-11
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spring of 1863 saw a great deal of hard service. Young Bloomer then sixteen years of age, took his share of the hardships without complaining, and was a gallant soldier, always devoted to duty. After the battle of Gettysburg, in which the Seventy-Third took part, in the fall of 1863 he and his command went south to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and fought under Hooker in the "battle above the clouds" and participated in the four months of continuous fighting against Johnston from Chattanooga to Atlanta. The Seventy-Third was with Sherman from Atlanta to the sea, and thence up through the Carolinas. Dr. Bloomer was one of the twenty-eight thousand Federal troops that left Washington, and in five days reached Bridgeport, Alabama, one of the most rapid movements in the Civil war, and one which could hardly be excelled even at this time. The Seventy-Third Ohio might be said to have been under constant fire during the last two years of the war, and yet the young boy soldier was slightly wounded only once or twice, and was with his regiment from the beginning of his service until the end. Upon his return to Fayette county after the war the young veteran began the study of medicine under the preceptorship of Dr. C. M. Smith at Bloomingburg. Dr. Smith was a graduate of Ohio Medical College at Cincinnati, Ohio, and later Dr. Bloomer went to the same institution, where he attended lectures and was graduated M. D. with the class of 1872. For active practice he moved to Wabash county, locating in La Fontaine, and remained there for six years. Then for about nine years he practiced at Pleasant View in this county. In 1885 Dr. Bloomer moved to Lagro, and has since practiced with that village as his home and center of business. Dr. Bloomer has membership in the Wabash County Medical Society, the State Medical Society, and the American Medical Association. Frater- nally he is a member of the Masons, and has long been identified with the Grand Army post at Wabash.
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On November 17, 1885, occurred his marriage with Eliza McElvane. They are the parents of two children: Clarence, who is in the railway mail service, having his headquarters and home in Ohio, and who married Metta Freshour; and Mary, who resides at home.
CHARLES FREDERICK HETTMANSPERGER. One of the productive and well-cultivated farming properties of Paw Paw township is that owned by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Frederick Hettmansperger, a tract of 130 acres, on the east side of the Chippewa turnpike, about seven and one-half miles northwest of Wabash and two and one-half miles southeast of Roann. Through this farm runs Paw Paw creek, which gives it splendid irrigation, and its numerous other natural advan- tages have been supplemented by Mr. Hettmansperger's intelligent treatment of the soil, his modern methods of operation and his compre- hensive knowledge of the business of farming. He is now sixty-seven years of age, but so thoroughly has he kept himself abreast of the times and in sympathy with modern ways, that he is able to successfully com- pete with the younger generation about him, and to realize a full amount of prosperity from the labor which he expends upon his land. More
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MR. AND MRS. CHARLES FREDERICK HETTMANSPERGER From a picture taken shortly after their marriage
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than forty years have passed since he located in Wabash county as a farmer on his own account, and during this time he has watched with the eye of a proprietor the growth and development of this section, an advancement to which he has contributed by his labors as an agricul- turist and his fidelity as a good citizen.
Mr. Hettmansperger is of German nativity, born in Baden, December 20, 1847, a son of Christian and Catherina Hettmansperger. He was seven years of age when he accompanied his honest and hard-working parents to the United States, the family first settling on a farm in the vicinity of Buffalo, New York, and later on a property which the father purchased about forty miles east of that city. There they remained for but a short time, when the land was sold and the family returned to the Fatherland. The attraction of American life, ways and methods, how- ever, proved too strong and soon the Hettmanspergers returned to this country, this time coming to the agricultural district of Wabash county, Indiana, of which region they had received glowing reports. For several years the father rented land, but when he had become fully satisfied as to the productiveness of the soil he purchased a property in Paw Paw township, northwest of Urbana. In later years he turned his attention to commercial affairs in that city, and there both he and his wife passed away. A more comprehensive review of this sturdy old couple will be found in the sketch of Christian Hettmansperger, a brother of our pres- ent subject, who is engaged in farming in Lagro township, appearing on another page of this work.
Charles Frederick Hettmansperger, who is better known, perhaps, as Fred, was given few advantages in his youth. He attended the public schools of Germany for short periods, but the greater part of his educa- tion was given him in the school of hard work, for his father was in modest circumstances and the lad's assistance was needed in working the home farm. He was a sturdy youth of thirteen years when the fam- ily came to Wabash county, and although he was never able to attend school here he was keen and observant, made the most of every oppor- tunity, and thus gained a good, practical knowledge, which has made him more shrewd in business matters than many who have been given far greater opportunities for schooling. He continued to assist his father, and remained under the parental roof until he was twenty-one years of age, at which time he started out to face the world on his own account. As may be supposed he had some difficulty in gaining a foothold, as he was without capital save that represented by his willing heart and strong hands, but he persisted confidently, did whatever task he was assigned to well, and soon found himself on the highway to success.
After working for two years on the farm of Christian Eby, Mr. Hett- mansperger went south of the city of Wabash, and there accepted a contract to build a fence for Mr. Connor, a piece of work, it may be said, that was well and capably done. At that time he accepted em- ployment on the farm of his future father-in-law, Almon Riddle, of Paw Paw township, and at his home, in September, 1871, was married to his daughter, Almoriah Malinda Riddle, who had been born in an
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old log house, on the old Reed farm, located on the border of Miami county, but on the Wabash county side. She was thirteen years of age when she came to the Paw Paw township farm, and this has continued to be her home to the present time. Mrs. Hettmansperger's parents, Almon and Carolina Octavia (Nash) Riddle, were born not fifty miles apart, in Massachusetts, but did not know of each other until they were young people. Mr. Riddle's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Riddle, moved from Massachusetts to Ohio, where the father passed away after some years spent in farming, while Caroline Nash left the Bay state in young womanhood and went with a cousin to Ohio, where she met Almon Riddle. They returned to Massachusetts, where they were married, then came back to Ohio, and finally came to Wabash county, Indiana, where Mr. Riddle bought a farm west of Paw Paw, partly in Wabash and partly in Miami county. He later disposed of this property and bought a farm in the woods of Paw Paw township, on which he put up a log house and stable, these later being replaced by good substantial buildings. Mr. Riddle was a carpenter by trade and also followed school teaching for some years, but was not a success as a farmer. He continued to reside on this property, however, until his death at the age of seventy-seven years, while the mother followed him to the grave when she was seventy- nine years old. They were the parents of three children, namely : Frank, who enlisted for service in the Third Battery, Indiana Volunteers, at the outbreak of the Civil war, and after the expiration of his three- months' service, reenlisted for the entire period of the war, following the close of which he went to Arizona and there passed away; Almoriah Malinda, who is the wife of Fred Hettmansperger; and Darius, who served as a soldier during the Civil war and died while on his way home after the close of that struggle.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Hettmansperger settled on their present farm, he working for his father-in-law until the latter's death, when the farm was bequeathed to Mrs. Hettmansperger. He has cleared a great deal of this land, which is now in a high state of cultivation, and is engaged in successful general farming operations. A friend of modern methods, he keeps abreast of the times, and the general appearance of his tract denotes his knowledge of his business and the able manner in which he is directing it.
Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hettmansperger, namely : Francis Orlando, who is managing the operations on his father's farm, married Flora Jay, and has six children,-Louisa, William, Mary, Paul, Ruth and Catherine; Lilly, who died at the age of two years, three months; and one child who died in infancy.
In politics Mr. Hettmansperger is a democrat in national matters, but in local affairs is liable to give his support to the man he deems best fitted for the office, irrespective of party lines. He is alive to all of the real questions of the day, and takes a keen interest in all matters that affect the welfare of his community and its people. He has been a member of the Methodist church since boyhood.
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ADAM COOK. In considering the business men of a community, it is not difficult to discover why some are frankly prosperous while others advance but little year after year. Persistent industry is a very neces- sary factor in achieving success, and those who possess this quality in the greatest degree are the ones who make their undertakings prosper. More than a quarter of a century has passed since Adam Cook first established himself in business in Urbana, this making him the pioneer merchant of the place. At that time this was little more than a hamlet, with but one other store and no brick buildings or sidewalks. Not long after his advent in business he suffered a serious loss which nearly wiped out his small capital, yet he constantly persevered, and as the town has grown in population and prosperity, so has his trade grown and pros- pered, and today he is numbered among the substantial men of this part of Wabash county.
Mr. Cook was born in Allen county, Ohio, June 30, 1866, and is a son of Adam and Hannah (Long) Creek. For the following facts regarding the Cook family, we are indebted to an aunt of the subject of this review, Mrs. Martha Welsch of Urbana. Adam Cook, the father, or Adam Koch, as the name was formerly spelled, was born in May; 1838, in Germany, and was a son of John Adam and Gertrude (Strube) Koch, both of that country. The grandfather was the owner of a nice little property in the Fatherland, but after the death of his wife decided to cast his fortunes with the people of America, and accordingly, in 1852, left the land of his birth with his seven children. They took passage on the sailing vessel Martha, which after a voyage of seven weeks made port in the harbor of New York, July 3rd, although they were not permitted to land until the following day. From New York the family went by rail to Buffalo, and thence by way of Lake Erie to Cleveland, Ohio, and from that point through the canal to Port Washington, where the grandfather purchased forty acres of land. Of this he disposed shortly thereafter and went to Allen county, Ohio, there settling on forty acres of wild land. At this time that section was still in the midst of a wilderness, and Mr. Koch was constantly able to keep the family larder well supplied with game. He began clearing and breaking his land for the cultivation of a farm, but did not live long to see his efforts bear fruit, as in 1854 he passed away, aged fifty-four years. A sturdy, courageous, self-reliant man, true to all things which he considered right, he belonged to that class to which America owes so much for the pioneer element that contributed in such great degree to the develop- ment of the country. He was the father of six children, namely : Catherine, who is now deceased; Gertrude, deceased, who became the wife of Conrad Baker; Elizabeth, deceased, who was the wife of Fred Roush ; Martha, the only child living, who is the wife of William Welsch, and a resident of Urbana; Adam, and Mary, who are both deceased.
Adam Koch was born in Germany in 1838, and there secured his education in the public schools, where he was confirmed. He was about . fourteen years of age when he accompanied his father and sisters to the United States, and here he and a younger sister received instruction in
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an English school for a short time. Reared a farmer, he assisted his father in breaking the wilderness farm until the elder man's death, and then accepted employment as a farm hand. He was thus engaged at the time of the outbreak of the Civil War, and he soon enlisted from Spencerville, Ohio, in the Ninety-ninth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, giving the recruiting officers the name of Adam Cook. This style has been retained by the family ever since. Mr. Cook's service was one of the utmost activity, and was at all times characterized by faithfulness and bravery. In all he was in twenty-two severe battles, in addition to a number of skirmishes and the long, hard marches that tried men's souls. Although he was never wounded, he once suffered a sunstroke, from which he never fully recovered, and it is probable that this was the direct cause of his early death. On numerous occasions he narrowly escaped capture by the enemy, particularly one time when, hard pressed by the enemy, he fell exhausted by the side of a dead comrade, and so cleverly shammed death that one of the Confederate soldiers kicked him and remarked carelessly: "Here is another dead Yank." When he had fully completed his services to his adopted country and had been granted his honorable discharge, he returned to his Ohio home and was married to Miss Hannah Long, to whom he had been engaged prior to the war. She was born in the Buckeye state, and was a daughter of John Long, who had come to this country with his wife from Wurttemberg, Germany, shortly after their marriage. Mrs. Long died many years ago, while John Long passed away recently, being almost ninety years of age. He was the owner of a fine farm in Allen county, and was a man of substantiality and worth and a citizen of sterling character. After his marriage, Mr. Cook purchased a farm and began clearing it, but, like his father, did not live to realize his ambitions, death coming about two weeks before the birth of his son Adam. Here was another of the strong characters of his time, a man public-spirited and patriotic and true to every trust. A faithful member of the German Methodist church, he was a class leader for many years, and had thought seriously of entering the ministry. After his death, his widow was married a second time, being united with Jacob Ritzhaupt, a union which resulted in the birth of four children: Anna, who became Mrs. Seipert; George, who died at the age of ten years; and Louis and William, both of whom died in infancy, the mother following them to the grave not long thereafter.
Adam Cook was the only child born to Adam and Hannah (Long) Cook. His father had passed away before his birth, and he was still a child when his mother died, so that he was reared by his maternal grand- parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Long. The latter died one year after the death of Mr. Cook's mother, but Adam remained with his grandfather until the age of eighteen years, dividing his attention between the work of the farm and attendance at the district school. In 1885 Mr. Cook came to Wabash county, Indiana, and joined his uncle, Fred Roush, Sr., a pioneer shoemaker here. For six weeks he worked in the restaurant and bakery of Alber Brothers, but this work did not prove congenial,
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and at the end of that time he went to the farm of his uncle, William Welsch, in Lagro township. He was reliable, industrious and energetic, and accepted whatever honorable occupation presented itself, in addition to farming carrying on carpentering for one season. He also worked for a short time on the farm of D. L. Speicher, but in June, 1887, purchased a small shoe stock at Urbana, from Mr. Gottlieb Amacher, with the little money which he had received from his father's estate. In March, 1888, he was so encouraged by the success that had attended his first effort that he bought the general store from Peter S. Speicher. Business was prospering and Mr. Cook was making satisfactory progress, when, in the following May, the old C. W. & M. freight depot was consumed by fire, the flames communicated themselves to Mr. Cook's place of business, and his building was destroyed, although he was able to save the greater part of his stock. At this time there was but one other store in Urbana, that conducted by Charles Miller. No brick buildings had as yet been erected, and the town was devoid of sidewalks. In spite of his misfortune and the somewhat doubtful outlook of the community, Mr. Cook courag- eously re-established himself in business, and with sincere faith in the future of Urbana again bid for the trade of the section. His persistence, his industry, his honorable dealing and his unfailing courtesy won him a full share of the people's patronage, and as time went on and his finances increased he gradually enlarged the scope of his operations, keeping fully abreast of the development both of Urbana and of other business enter- prises. At this time he is justly accounted one of the substantial men of this section, and his success may be laid at the door of his own diligence and well-applied effort. He has given the greater part of his attention to the development of this business, but has also entered other fields of endeavor, where his ripe judgment and wise counsel are sought and appreciated by his associates. He was one of the organizers of the Farmers State Bank, of Urbana, in which he is still a stockholder. With his family, he belongs to the Evangelical Association. A prohibitionist in his political views, he has been an active and energetic worker in behalf of his party, which he has represented on several occasions on the Wabash county ticket.
On April 30, 1890, Mr. Cook was married to Miss Sarah E. Speicher, daughter of Fred and Elizabeth (Schultz) Speicher, one of the oldest and most highly honored families of Lagro township, mention of which is made elsewhere in this volume. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Cook, namely : Howard F., who is attending Northwestern College at Napersville, Indiana; Myra E., and Pauline May.
JOHN W. G. STEWART, M. D. A career of useful and honorable activity, largely devoted to the service of his fellow men has been that of Dr. John W. G. Stewart, for many years actively identified with the growth and development of this locality. Dr. Stewart is now one of the older physicians in point of years of practice in Wabash, and is one of the best examples of the physician who labors unselfishly and with all the resources at his command for the benefit of his clients.
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Dr. Stewart is one of the comparatively few men now in active affairs, who were born in log cabins back in the periods between the era of pioneer settlement and that of later growth and development. He was born in a log cabin on a farm in Liberty township, Wabash county, October 22, 1861, a son of Robert and Elizabeth Stewart, and a grandson of James Stewart who was born in Scotland and who founded this branch of the Stewarts in America. James Stewart on coming to America located in Eaton, Ohio, not far from Wheeling, West Virginia, and there on July 4, 1824, was born his son Robert. Robert Stewart inherited the industry, thrift and proverbial shrewdness of his Scottish forebears. In 1835, when he was eleven years old his parents moved to Coshocton county, Ohio, and there he lived until after he was grown and married.
In 1853, Robert Stewart transferred his household to Wabash county, Indiana, and located on a tract of land that was unimproved in Liberty township. His labors contributed one item to the general improvement of Wabash county lands, from the domain of the wilderness, and he and his wife during the first years of their residence here experienced many of the adversities and hardships which were the common lot of pioneers. Robert Stewart was a man of wide general information, thorough-going in his habits, strictly honest and upright, and a man whose character and deeds were above reproach. In the later years of his life he moved to LaFontaine, and there passed the remainder of his days retired from the strenuous duties which have been his during the first part of his residence in this county.
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