USA > Indiana > Wabash County > History of Wabash County, Indiana, Volume 2 > Part 22
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Mr. Heinnickel farmed successfully there for a good many years, and gained a reputation among his neighbors for steadfastness and all around stability of character that gave him a prominent place in the com- munity to the end of his days. He met an untimely death on August 27, 1909, being killed by a switch engine just east of Bunker Hill, In- diana, when returning from a visit to his son, John Heinnickel of this review. Though he was seventy-two years of age at the time, his death was regarded as untimely by all, for he was in excellent health and in full possession of his every faculty, still holding his place in the com- munity by virtue of those facts. His widow survives him, and lives on the home place, aged seventy-eight years.
Three children were born to George Hennickel and his wife. John, of this review, is the eldest. Frederick is a resident of Loree, Miami county ; and Sophia married Charles Schroeder, and lives on the old home place with the mother.
John Heinnickel was six years of age when the family emigrated to these shores. Child as he was, he remembers the voyage in many of its details, and he relates that they were sixteen days on shipboard, two days of the time being spent at South Hampton, England, where the vessel took on her cargo, and fourteen days being consumed in the actual passage. After the settlement of the family in Miami county, he began attendance at the log school of their community, and this school, despite the lateness of the period, was but little advanced over those that the boys of the previous generation attended, in the matter of modern ap- pointments though it should be said in justice to all, that the general proficiency of the instructors had advanced very materially. At that time, regardless of the distance the boy or girl lived from the school he must attend, he walked to and fro. No wagons called morning and night to collect the youngsters and deliver them at home or school, as in these days, and Mr. Heinnickel is inclined to the opinion that the indulgence to the present generation is of less benefit to them than was the exercise he had in ploughing through the snowdrifts in winter when he attended school as a boy.
Mr. Heinnickel did not continue long at his books, for he had an ambition to strike out for himself, and his thrifty German parents saw no detriment to their son in his desire to quit school, and did not stay his plan to become independent. Since that time Mr. Heinnickel has made his own way in the world, and it will hardly be denied that he has enjoyed more of a success that many a man of better education has ex- perienced. This fact, while it is no argument in favor of scanty educa-
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tion for the country youth, is set forth as an illustration of the homely truth that a man will succeed if he has courage and determination, and applies himself with diligence to whatever task he lays his hand to. What Mr. Heinnickel owns to day he secured as a result of his saving habits and his industry. When he set out to work for himself, he borrowed $13.50 to buy suitable clothing, and it has ever since been characteristic of the man that he took no rest until his debt was paid. In those first months of his independence he often worked for fifty cents a day, and when he married and took upon himself the burden of a family, he was earning only seventy-five cents daily. This fact is highly indicative of the spirit that dominated the man, for he early realized that he would the sooner gain independence and a competency as the head of a family than as a bachelor.
After he permanently left the home farm he went to Urbana and for six years operated the S. S. Speicher farm. It was about then that he had an opportunity to go west. He had always cherished a strong desire to see that country, and when a ticket to Grand Forks, North Dakota, was offered to him for the nominal sum of nine dollars, he ac- cepted the offer and went to that city. He worked through the harvest and threshing season in the Dakotas for thirty-two days, and he found the experience one of great benefit to him in his farming operations later on. Returning to Indiana after the harvest, he went to Wabash and there worked on the Century School building while it was in course of construction, and it was while engaged in this work that he was married on August 7, 1900, to Margaret G. Bohnstedt.
Mr. Heinnickel, having rented his farm to a tenant whose lease did not expire until the following March, spent the months of the interim in various places and occupations, and on March 1, 1901, he took his bride to their own farm home, which he had purchased a little more than a year before from Jennie Odim. Mr. Heinnickel looks back to the day of the purchase as the red-letter day of his life, for on that evening he first called on Miss Bohnstedt, who became his wife some six months later.
The buildings were in first class shape on the farm when he bought it, so that Mr. Heinnickel has put no great expense into that phase of his work, but he has spared no expense in the matter of ditching, tiling and draining. General farming is the field in which he is most active, and poultry, hogs, cattle and horses are bred in greater or less quantities on the place. Mr. Heinnickel was an apt pupil of his father, and he has shown himself to be a farmer of no inconsiderable ability, and he is regarded generally as being one of the representative farming men of the community. His place is an eighty acre farm in Lagro township and is about a mile north and three-quarters of a mile east of Speicher.
Mr. Heinnickel is a voter of the prohibition ticket, and he has never entered politics as a seeker after office, though he has been appointed superintendent of the road that runs past his place. He is a member of the Evangelical church, as is also his wife.
Mrs. Heinnickel is a daughter of one of the strongest prohibitionists of Wabash county,-Gottleib Bohnstedt, who was born in Prussia, and
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came to the United States in early manhood. He was a stanch advocate of prohibition all his life, and never since he came to this country missed an opportunity at the polls to strike a blow for the cause. He married Elizabeth Swallon, a native of the state of Pennsylvania, and passed his active life in farming, though he retired from the industry some years ago and took up his residence in Urbana, where he died at the age of sixty-four. Mrs. Bohnstedt lives with her daughter, Mrs. Charles Leaf, near North Manchester, this county. Like her husband, she was always proud to wear the white ribbon badge of temperance, and reared her children in the same adherence to a great cause. They were the parents of seven children. Samantha, the eldest, married Sam C. Spei- cher, of this county. Alfred and Albert are twins. Lydia is the wife of Charles Leaf, above mentioned. Isaac lives in Illinois. Margaret G. married Mr. Heinnickel, of this sketch. Florence is Mrs. William Walter, resident of this county.
The children of Mr. and Mrs. Heinnickel are four in number. Anna Marie, Isaac Sylvester, Florence Bernice, and Ruth.
Mrs. Heinnickel is a mother of the older school, if one may use that term in speaking of a woman who adheres to certain old-fashioned meth- ods in the matter of rearing children. She has endeavored to instill into the minds of her offspring the homely virtues that make for the best citizenship and the most effective parenthood, and while she is a firm believer in education, she clings to the substantial things of that phase of the child's existence, laying more stress on the thorough implanting of a knowledge of the Three R's than of the less useful subjects that are taking their place in the early training of the child of today. In other words, she regrets the crowding out of the substantial things of education in favor of the lesser topics, and in this her opinion con- curs with that of a good many thinking people of the land.
The Heinnickel family enjoys a splendid standing in their community, and they have a host of good friends in and about the township who know them for their many sterling qualities and value them accordingly.
NOAH MUTCHELKNAUS. Lagro township has no more sterling citizen and prosperous farmer than Noah Mutchelknaus, the owner of one hun- dred and fifty-nine acres about seven miles east of Urbana. He bears a name indicative of his German origin, but as it is quite long and some- what difficult for the English tongue to pronounce, there are a great many friends who would hardly recognize the above name, since they have for years called him Noah Mitchell, and that name is current in township speech, though the German form is still his official signature to all papers.
Noah Mutchelknaus was born in Vienna county, Indiana, October 5, 1851, on a farm located about six miles north of Peru. His parents Jacob and Mary (Notter) Mutchelknaus were early residents of Miami county, were born in Germany, both came to the United States when twelve years of age, making the voyage in a sailing vessel which was many weeks between the port of departure and the port of arrival, and they finally
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settled and were married in Tuscarawas county, Ohio. The father in that county combined the occupations of farming and shoemaking, but finally sold out his place and moved to Indiana, buying a small farm in Miami county. During the summer seasons he cultivated his fields, and in the winter and on rainy days and as custom demanded he sat on his cobbler's stool, and made shoes and boots for all the community. His old shoemaker's knee strap often came in handy in preserving order among the children, since one whack over their backs from that instru- ment usually showed them the error of their ways. Corporal punish- ment was much more common then than now, but the heart and inten- tion of this old shoemaker were nevertheless kindly. Both parents died in Miami county, the father first. Their children were: Lydia, who died at the age of twelve; Solomon, deceased; Carolina, the widow of Isaac Frantz; Catherine, deceased, wife of George Cunningham; Miss Maria; Mrs. Rosie English, wife of William English; and Noah.
Noah, the youngest child, is the only Hoosier born, all the others hav- ing their birth in the Buckeye State. His boyhood was spent on the little farm in Miami county, and one of his experiences as a boy was to attend an old-fashioned subscription school, taught in a log building, the teacher being paid not only by taxes, but also by voluntary contribution from the different families who had children in school. All the children walked back and forth to school, and there was no dependence upon a township wagon to transport them in comfort every night and morn- ing. Between going to school, making himself useful on the farm, and keeping out of reach of his father's knee strap, Noah Mutchelknaus man- aged to keep pretty busy during his youthful years. When he was about ten years of age, his father died, and three years later, at the age of thirteen he left the home threshold, and became one of the world's inde- pendent workers. During the following eighteen years, he had varied experience, and by hard work and thrifty management, finally accumu- lated enough to start him on his present substantial career. He worked on different farms, among strangers by the day, by the month or by the year. His first wages were six dollars a month, and during the last seven years of the eighteen he was employed as a farm manager for Mrs. Catherine Trick, who subsequently became his mother-in-law.
Mr. Mutchelknaus was hardly in his teens when the Civil war broke out, and at Lincoln's last call for volunteers though still under fifteen years of age, he ran away to enlist, making the attempt twice, and each time was foiled in his plans and brought back. The second time he got many miles from home, had passed the examination, and in half an hour would have been enrolled and ready to march to the front. His brother-in-law appeared on the scene and spoiled his intention. Mr. Mutchelknaus has ever since regretted his inability to take part in the great war.
On September 12, 1878, Noah Mutchelknaus married Miss Charlotte R. Trick. As already stated he had managed her mother's farm for a number of years, and continued to direct its cultivation up to 1893, when he bought the place. The buildings which now stand were all built when
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he took possession, but otherwise he has improved the farm in many . ways, by tiling where necessary, by bringing new land into cultivation and conserving the fertility of the soil in every way possible. The house is one of the old landmarks in this part of the county, and the barn was built in 1885. The neighbors had long been in the habit of calling him by the name "Mitchell," and as that question seemed to be fixed in the community, and as Mr. Mutchelknaus, apparently had little to say against it, when the barn was painted he had his name put under the eaves as Noah Mitchell, and by that name he is now known most generally.
Mr. Mutchelknaus has never asked for any office, and has voted for principle rather than party. If more men would vote that way, politics would soon become much cleaner. He and his wife worship in the Chris- tian church, in which he is a deacon and trustee. Their farm is regarded as one of the best in Lagro township, not only in improvement, but in the natural fertility of the soil. Mrs. Mutchelknaus was born near their present residence, a daughter of Jacob F. Trick, who was born in Wuert- enberg, Germany. He came to the United States with his parents when he was ten years old, first locating in Ohio, and later moving to Wabash county. His mother was left a widow and Jacob was then bound out to a miller until he was twenty-one years of age. He married Catherine Rupley, who was born near Cumberland, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Henry and Barbara Rupley, who emigrated from Pennsylvania in wagons as far as Ohio, and later to Indiana, locating on a farm adjoining the present Mutchelknaus place. Both the Rupleys died there, and their daughter Catherine, mother of Mrs. Mutchelknaus, married Jacob F. Trick, and lived on the present Mutchelknaus farm. Mr. Trick was sur- vived by his widow who managed the homestead with the aid of Mr. Mutchelknaus for a number of years and finally died there. The four children were: Mrs. Mutchelknaus; Eva, who resides at Wabash ; Mary Elizabeth, wife of William Banks of Wabash; and Jacob F., who with his little daughter was killed at the railroad crossing in Urbana.
Mr. Mutchelknaus and wife have only one child, Brief M. This son married Bernie Kitt. He is now his father's active assistant on the farm, and is gradually taking the entire management of the place. It is a question of only a few years until Mr. Mutchelknaus will retire from active farm work, and with his good wife enjoy the fruits of many years of substantial labor and accomplishment.
CHARLES WASEM. Wabash county is essentially a farming com- munity, and nowhere in the state are there to be found more progressive or thoroughly competent agriculturists than here. A knowledge of soil and climatic conditions has given many of these farmers an advantage, for among them are to be found men who have passed all or the greater part of their lives here, have made a keen and comprehensive study of the practical side of their vocation as combined with theories and methods, and thus are gaining a full measure of success from the natural advantages offered by their community. A residence of a half a century has given Charles Wasem the opportunity to become one of
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MR. AND MRS. CHARLES WASEM AND FAMILY
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the substantial men of Paw Paw township, where he is the owner of 165 acres of fine land, secured through a life of industry and well- directed effort. His property is all located about two miles southwest of Urbana, and its fine appearance and evident prosperity give eloquent evidence of the presence of good management and thrift. Mr. Wasem was born on his father's farm in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, November 3, 1855, and is a son of Fred and Catherine (Conrad) Wasem, natives of the Fatherland.
Both the paternal and maternal grandparents of Charles Wasem were born in Germany, and emigrated to the United States, settling in Ohio, where all passed away. The parents of Mr. Wasem were young people when they came to this country, here grew to maturity, and were married. In September, 1864, they came with their family to Wabash county, Indiana, and here located on the farm which is now the home of their son Charles. At that time the property was principally in the heavy woods, and the buildings on the place were constructed of logs, and here the family settled down to establish a home. The land was cleared and put under cultivation, various improvements were made, and during the early 'seventies the present set of buildings was erected. The father was a good mechanic as well as a farmer, having learned the mason trade in his youth, and by industry and energy accumulated a good property before his death, in October, 1881, when he was fifty-six years of age. The mother passed away in February, 1880, being also fifty- six years old. They were the parents of six children, as follows: Cath- erine, deceased, who was the wife of William Roudenkrantz; Elizabeth, who married George Bishop; Julia, who became the wife of Val M. Mattern; Charles, of this review; Fred, who is now deceased; and Caro- line, deceased, who was the wife of Fred Holstein.
Charles Wasem began his educational training in the public schools of his native state, and was a lad of nine years when he accompanied his parents to Indiana. In his new locality he was given few school advantages, as his assistance was needed in the clearing and cultivation of the homestead, and thus he grew to manhood, the greater part of his education being secured in the schools of hard work and experience. As a young man he and his brother Fred took charge of the home place, and at the time of their father's death they came into possession of the farm, each receiving eighty acres, to which Charles has since added until he now has 165 acres. He has made improvements from time to time as his finances have permitted, and his land is now well tiled, drained and fenced, and is proving very productive under his skilful modern methods. He takes a pride in keeping fully abreast of the times in his calling, and is ever ready to give a trial to innovations, although the practical strain in his nature causes him to rely on the established methods. He has been successful in his ventures because he has kept persistently at whatever he has started out to accomplish, and in his dealing's with his fellow men has at all times displayed a high regard for honorable commercial ethics. He is a stockholder in the Farmers State Bank at Urbana, in which Mrs. Wasem and their sons are also
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interested. In politics, a democrat, he has preferred to devote himself to his farm, and has taken only a good citizen's interest in political matters. He belongs to the German Evangelical church, and is an officer therein. His fraternal connection is with the Knights of the Maccabees, at Urbana.
In February, 1880, Mr. Wasem was married to Miss Caroline Aulenbaugh, who died in 1887, leaving one child: Herman F., who married Selma Fisher and lives on a part of his father's farm. The second marriage of Mr. Wasem occurred August 3, 1890, when he was united with Miss Caroline Rickert, daughter of Fred and Catherine (Engle) Rickert, natives of Germany who were married in Tuscarawas county, Ohio. They moved to Wabash county, Indiana, shortly thereafter and settled in the woods of Chester township, and there they passed the remainder of their lives in clearing and cultivating a farm. The mother passed away May 4, 1907, at the age of seventy-four years, while Mr. Rickert died December 10, 1912, having reached the advanced age of eighty-seven years. They were the parents of nine children, as follows: George; Louisa, deceased, who was the wife of J. C. Schmalezried; Fred; Caroline, the wife of Mr. Wasem; Frank; Mary; Charles; Emma, de- ceased, who was the wife of Fred Roudenkrantz; and Lydia. Mr. and Mrs. Wasem have had one son : Carl E., who graduated from the Urbana high school in April, 1913, and is now a student at the University of Indiana, Bloomington. Both Mr. and Mrs. Wasem are highly . esteemed throughout the community in which they have resided for so many years, and their friends are as numerous as their acquaintances.
JOHN L. HULL. Some men seem destined by nature to succeed; no matter what obstacles appear in their paths they are able to overcome them if for no other reason than that of a persistent determination. Per- haps no better example of a successful fight against heavy odds can be found in Wabash county citizenship than in the case of John L. Hull, the owner of "Beulah Farm," of sixty acres on the east side of the Mail Trace Road, about three and a half miles north of Lagro, in Lagro town- ship. Mr. Hull is a self-made business man. He began with nothing, was for many years one of the hardest working ax-men in the woods along the Wabash river, finally working up to a point where he could just see success. Then came the panic of 1873, which wiped out all his visible possessions, and left him thousands of dollars in debt. Un- daunted by misfortune, he started in to build up from the bottom, and after seventeen years of hard work, was just about where he had started years before. Since then, however, he has gradually come to the front, and is one of the men admired and esteemed not only for their present accomplishments, but also for the strict integrity, which has character- ized their entire business career. Besides his home place Mr. Hull is the owner of thirty-three acres, nearby in the same township.
John L. Hull is a son of Edward and Hannah (Trout) Hull, old residents of Licking county, Ohio. His mother was born, reared and died there, and his father also died in Ohio, but had visited in Indiana.
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Edward Hull by two wives was the father of nineteen children, and eight of the children by his first wife grew to maturity, namely : Useeva, deceased, Henry, Sarah, David, Lavina, John Lynn, Martha, and one other. Several of the children by the second wife also reached mature years.
John L. Hull was born on the home farm in Licking county, Ohio, February 7, 1842. He grew up in that county and as a boy walked back and forth the distance of two miles to the little log schoolhouse of the district. His school attendance was limited to about five terms, and later a schoolhouse was constructed nearer his home. The first temple of learning which he attended was a very crude and primitive affair, fitted up with puncheon seats, supported by wooden pins and the desk was a broad hewn plank, resting at an incline upon wooden pins, driven into the wall and went most of the way around the room. The seats had no backs, and when the scholars wrote they took their place at the desks along the wall. The seats, it is a matter of note, were so placed that the scholars sat facing the wall, with their backs to the center of the room. That was years before community enterprise had advanced to the point where schools are consolidated and where com- fortable wagons gather up the pupils from the different homes, and haul them over pike roads to the central schoolhouse. The pressure of eco- nomic necessity was such in those days that every boy had to spend most of his time at work on the farm, and schooling was only incidental, more like a social accomplishment than an essential part of training.
Mr. Hull's mother died while he was still a boy, and after his father's second marriage he left home, being then but five years old. From the age of sixteen years he worked for his own living. About four years later he came to Indiana, and in Cass county hired out to an Irishman who was a stave maker. Under him he learned the trade, and that was his business for many years. The first winter he worked in Cass county was characterized by mild weather, so that the ground never froze until the middle of February. The staves were therefore hauled to market in mud-boats, and later by snow sleds. Coming as he did from a hilly country, Mr. Hull found it hard to become accustomed to the level lands of Cass county. While working under the same man, he received fourteen dollars a month and board, which at that time was considered liberal wages. During the following summer he worked on a farm at sixteen dollars a month. In the same fall he began working for himself, and since that time has never been an employee, always doing for himself and relying upon his independent enterprise to ad- vance him in the world. His first independent venture was in cutting ties for the railroads which were then being constructed through Indiana. At the same time he cut cord wood, and took other contracts in the woods. He was a vigorous specimen of physical manhood, and could swing an ax every day and return to his labor on the following morning without apparent loss of efficiency. One of his records as a woodman in the early days was the cutting of two hundred and six cords of wood in four months, and during that time helped a man seed twelve acres to
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