USA > Indiana > Wabash County > History of Wabash County, Indiana, Volume 2 > Part 28
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A boy of twelve years when the family came to Wabash county, Alex Flora has a keen recollection of the journey, which was made with a one-horse wagon. He grew up on the farm which was occupied by his father, and as the oldest son a large share of home duties fell upon his shoulders. In order to get an education, he had to walk through the woods to a log schoolhouse that stood on Paw Paw creek, but it was practical experience rather than book learning that equipped him for a useful career. Before the war he worked out at wages on different farms, and had just reached his majority when the war came on. At the first call for troops he enlisted in 1861, in Company B of the Forty-seventh Indiana Infantry, and though in many engagements up and down the Mississippi Valley he was never wounded. His term of enlistment was for three years, and when the term expired he was sick in the hospital. The rest of the regiment re-enlisted but by the time he was well enough the war had closed. During his service the closest call he had was at the battle of Champion Hill, where the bullets flew around him like hail, and the ramrod of his gun was shot off.
After leaving the hospital in New Orleans Mr. Flora came back to Wabash county, and spent three months in the employ of Daniel Ward on Eel river. He then married the daughter of his employer, Eliza Ward, who died in the following year. There was one child of that union, Eliza, who died after becoming the wife of William Watts, leaving three children, Edward, Buford and Howard. Mr. Flora married for his second wife Susan Squires, daughter of Thomas Squires and widow of Harry Martindale, who had died during the war. By her first husband Mrs.
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Flora had one child, Rose, now deceased, who was the wife of Oscar Caruthers. The Caruthers children are: Harry, Guy, Estelle, Blanche, Paul, Frank and Lilly. Mr. and Mrs. Flora have the following children : William, who lives two miles south of his father's place in Paw Paw township, and who also supervises the farming operations on his father's farm, married Myrtle Merrick, and their children are Harold, Hugh, Monterey, Edith, Margaret, Kathleen, Howard and Irene. Dora Ellen is the wife of Chauncey Mylin of Paw Paw township, and their three children are Helen, Glenn and Lois. Erma is unmarried and lives at home with her father. Hattie is the wife of Homer Dunfee, and their children are Verne, Houston, John S., Louise and Leah Ruth.
After his first marriage Mr. Flora and his brother Leonard rented a farm of eighty acres from Mr. Day of Pleasant township. Their partner- ship as renters continued for three years. Following his second marriage Mr. Flora moved to his wife's farm, which is now the property of Howard Squires. It has eighty acres, and is also located in Paw Paw township. The principal improvements of that estate are due to the energy of Mr. Flora, who put up buildings, tiled the low land, cleared off the woods and brush, and lived there and prospered and reared his family. His home was on that place for twenty years, until he sold to Howard Squires. Mr. Flora then bought his present place from Amos Ivans. This too has much to show as evidence of the enterprise of Mr. Flora, and all the buildings were erected under his management. Only ten acres were cleared when he took possession, and he has laid tile, put up fences, and carried on other improvements in connection with his work as a general farmer. Mr. Flora is one of the honored members of the army which fought for the union of states fifty years ago, and has membership with the Grand Army of the Republic at Roann. In politics he followed the fortunes of the party which had control of the government during the war, and has always done his best to live up to the ideals of good citizenship in every relation. Mr. Flora is a Deacon in the Paw Paw Christian Church.
CHAUNCEY MAXWELL MYLIN. Of the younger generation identified with the agricultural activities of Paw Paw township, there is no better representative than Chauncey M. Mylin. A keen and alert young busi- ness man, he has brought ideas as well as hard labor into his vocation, and his showing has all the elements of success. His homestead comprises one hundred and sixty acres on the Laketon Road, on the west side of that thoroughfare, about nine miles north of Wabash.
A representative of an old and honored name in this county, C. M. Mylin was born on his grandfather Mylin's farm three-quarters of a mile north of Servia in Chester township on September 19, 1872. Chester township was the original place of settlement of the Mylin family in Wabash county. His parents were Henry E. and Mary E. (Sholty) Mylin. His mother was a daughter of William and Barbara (Hoffman) Sholty, pioneers of Pleasant township who came from Ohio and both died in Pleasant township. Mary E. Sholty was a girl when the parents drove
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constant and well-applied industry; he has succeeded in his earnest en- deavors, and has become highly respected by those who have come into contact with him in any manner. He is a native of Roanoke county, Virginia, and was born February 10, 1844, a son of Thomas and Eliza- beth· (Brubaker) Garst.
The parents of Mr. Garst were both born in the Old Dominion state, and were there married. They were honest, industrious people, but were in modest financial circumstances, and finally came to the conclusion that they could better themselves and find better opportunities for their children in the newly opened West. Accordingly, about 1850, the father secured a horse and wagon, gathered together such means as he could, and with his little family struck out bravely for the woods of Indiana. It was a long, tiresome and dangerous journey, and at times it seemed that the horse would never be able to drag the wagon through the dense timber which the little party of immigrants encountered. However, they finally arrived in Wabash county, where the father took up eighty acres of timberland, on which was located a log cabin, and he spent one dollar for ten apple trees, which he planted in the weeds on his farm. This primi- tive structure was the family home for some years until the father was able to replace it with a more commodious frame structure. An energetic and hard-working man, Thomas Garst continued to reside in Waltz town- ship during the remainder of his life, although he later added to his holdings from time to time until he owned 420 acres. He won a high place in the esteem of his fellow-citizens, and was always known as a public-spirited citizen in whom the utmost confidence could be placed. He and his wife were the parents of eight children : John, Jacob, Henry (deceased), Sarah, George, Eliza, Joel, and Mary.
John Garst, the oldest child of the family, was but six years of age when he was brought to Wabash county by his parents, and he still remembers the long and wearisome trip over the mountains, across the streams and through the forests. He was early put to work in assisting his father and brothers clear the homestead of its timber, and because of primitive conditions his education was decidedly limited. The first school which he attended was a deserted log cabin, in which the winter terms lasted for about two months, the teacher usually arriving at day- light and beginning his lessons when the first pupil would arrive. Later a frame school was erected, and terms in this building lasted three months a year. Thus Mr. Garst's education was slight and his opportunities for culture of a genuine sort were few, but one cannot now be in his presence long before realizing that he is a man of broad general information and with a wealth of knowledge on a number of subjects, so it is probable that he made the most of the opportunities that were granted him. He remained on the home farm, assisting his father, until he reached the age of twenty-six years, at which time he was married to Miss Lydia Stam- baugh, daughter of William and Regina Stambaugh, natives of Penn- sylvania. She had one brother and one sister: David and Mary. Mr. Stambaugh, after the death of his first wife, was married to Eliza Winger. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Garst: Lizzie, at home,
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helped support his mother, as a boy and youth worked for his board while attending the winter terms of school, in that way obtai' ag a prac- tical education, fitting him for a business career.
SCHUYLER COLFAX LONG. Almost every older resident of Wabash county can point to many interesting contrasts between the present and the earlier days with which he was familiar. No more interesting illustra- tion of the change in social and economic conditions, and the progress in all directions, can be found than exist on the Schuyler C. Long farm in Paw Paw township. On one hand is the log cabin home, where Mr. Long and both his children were born. On the other hand is the modern rural residence, erected in 1907, and with all the comforts and conveniences that indicate some of the farthest advances in country life. Though it was not unusual and in no sense discreditable to have been born in a log cabin fifty years ago, Mr. Long has really come up to prosperity from an early career which was by no means affluent, and it is with commendable satisfaction that he can now regard the many evidences of his material prosperity and his influence as a citizen in his community. He is the owner of two hundred and forty acres located on the Laketon road on the west side of that thoroughfare, about six miles from the city of Wabash.
Schuyler Colfax Long was born in a log house owned by his father July 2, 1868. The name bestowed upon him shows that his father was an ardent admirer of one of Indiana's greatest sons, Schuyler Colfax, who was at that time one of the foremost men in national life. Mr. Long is a son of Samuel and Marjorie (Richards) Long. Samuel Long came from Pennsylvania to Ohio, and from there to Indiana, and was married in Paw Paw township. When he settled in the same locality where his sons now live, all the surrounding country was covered with woods, and a space had to be cleared by felling the large trees in order to make room for the cabin. The pioneer of the family was Jacob Long, who on coming to Wabash county entered a large tract of land, sufficient to give each of his sons eighty acres apiece. Samuel Long was contented for a few years with the log building, but subsequently built a frame barn 32x24 feet, and having bought eighty acres across the road from his brother Jacob, moved into the frame house which had been built as a part of its improvements and died there April 12, 1895, at the age of sixty-five years. His widow is still living on the old homestead. That homestead was the site chosen by Grandfather Jacob Long and his wife Elizabeth, who journeyed into Wabash county many years ago with ox teams and a big wagon. One of the family traditions is that just before their arrival at their destination in Paw Paw township, a big black grizzly bear crossed their path. After leaving Ohio the grandparents located for a time in Grant county, but moved from there into Wabash. Their home was the eighty acres of land where Mrs. Samuel Long now lives. Its dwelling was a big double log house, the grandparents living on one side and the son Jacob in the other. Mrs. Jacob Long was the first person to be buried in the Long cemetery, which was laid out on the Long farm. After her
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death grandfather Long lived alone in the double house for many years, and cooke his own meals at the fireplace and never had a stove. He died in that home and his remains also rest in the Long cemetery. Two of the sons, Jos 9h and Emanuel, whose bodies are laid in Long cemetery, were both soldiers in the war of the Rebellion and gave their lives for the cause of the Union, one of them falling on the battlefield. Grandfather Long possessed many of the accomplishments of the true frontiersman. He was acquainted with the woods and all the environments of a new country, and one of his diversions in Wabash county was the setting of bear traps, and in his time he caught a number of those animals. Grand- father Jacob Long and several of his sons, including Samuel, followed a somewhat unique occupation in the early days in the making of sugar troughs for the Indians. These troughs were sold to the red men who still were in an Indian village of this vicinity, and when one of the Longs went to the village to collect the money many scores of dogs would rush out and stop the approach of the traveller until the Indians called "sic- em," a term which among the Indians meant just the opposite of what it does among white men. It was a common sight in those days to see Indian squaws riding through the woods with their papooses strapped upon their back.
Samuel Long, father of Schuyler C., was quite a young man when he came to Wabash county, and followed the usual profession of the family as a farmer. He was also one of the first men to introduce into his sec- tion the threshing machine. It was a very crude machine which he first operated for the benefit of the farmers, and in subsequent years he kept up with the advance in this type of farm machinery and bought several new ones, each one more perfect than the last. Finally his son Schuyler bought out his interest, and the Long family have for many years been known in Wabash county for their identification with that phase of agri- cultural industry. The father also operated sawmills, and one of his partners in that industry was his son Alexander.
Schuyler C. Long grew up in and about his birthplace, attended the district school located at the corner of the road, and was employed in the duties of the home farm and in following the threshing outfit among the harvest fields in various parts of Wabash county. For the past twenty- three years he has divided his time between the operation of a threshing outfit and paper hanging, which is his regular trade. He has worked at his trade all over the county.
On December 7, 1895, Mr. Long married Anna Dunfee, daughter of William and Elizabeth Dunfee. After their marriage Mr. Long rented his present place for two years, living in the old log house, which was his birthplace, and in which were born to him and his wife their two children -Mabel and Carl. His first purchase was eighty acres of land, and in March, 1911, this was increased by one hundred and sixty acres from the Deardorf estate. His land is now cultivated in general farm crops, and affords a most substantial basis for the prosperity of the Long fam- ily. The modern farm residence was erected in the fall of 1907.
Besides his interests in the country, Mr. Long is a stockholder in the
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Farmers State Bank at Urbana. In politics he is a republican, and affili- ates with Tent No. 70 of the Order of Maccabees at Urbana, and is a member of the First Christian church, located at the corner of his farm, and he served as treasurer of the church society twelve years.
GEORGE W. ROSER. No richer or more productive land may be found in Wabash county than that which lies within the confines of Waltz town- ship, made so by the intelligent treatment and methods of the agricul- turists here. Among those who have profited by their industry and are now numbered among the substantial citizens of this community is George W. Roser, a native son of Wabash county, who has lived in the near vicinity of his present home during the past quarter of a century. Mr. Roser was born in Wabash county March 4, 1866, and is a son of Jere- miah and Catherine (Renaker) Roser.
Jeremiah Roser was born in Pennsylvania, and was a young man when he came to Indiana, leaving Philadelphia in 1849 and coming to this vicinity by canal-boat, the only means of transportation to be secured at that time. This journey consumed about a week. On his arrival in Wabash county he purchased a tract of land which was all located in the timber, and there built a small log cabin and started in to clear and cultivate his property, but before he had completed his task accepted a favorable opportunity to sell. Following this, he moved about for some time, living at various places in the county, but finally settled down in Waltz township, where he spent the remaining years of his life in suc- cessful agricultural pursuits. Mr. Roser was married to Susan Ridenour, a member of the old Ridenour family of Wabash county, and they became the parents of six children. After the death of his first wife he was married to Catherine Renaker, who was a native of Ohio, and she died September 8, 1892, having been the mother of four children.
George W. Roser was granted ordinary educational advantages, and from boyhood was trained in agricultural pursuits. He early adopted the tilling of the soil as his life work, and began his operations on the farm opposite to his present property. About the year 1897 or 1898 he located on the farm which he is now operating, the old Ridenour home- stead, the buildings on which were all erected by the original owners, although they have since been remodeled and improved by Mr. Roser, who has installed numerous improvements and added machinery and equipment. Whatever success Mr. Roser has attained, and it is not incon- siderable, has been gained through his own efforts and ability. He has labored energetically and steadfastly and has studied the best methods of enriching the land. As a business man he is known as one ever ready to grasp an opportunity, but his dealings have been carried on in such an honorable manner that he holds a high position in the esteem and respect of those who have come into contact with him. In political mat- ters Mr. Roser is a democrat, but he has found his farming duties so engaging that he has had little time for the activities of public life. With his family he attends the Lutheran church, where he is serving as a member of the board of trustees.
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MR. AND MRS. GEORGE W. ROSER AND FAMILY
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MR. AND MRS. D. C. RIDENOUR
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Mr. Roser was married March 24, 1889, in Waltz township, to Miss Permelia Ridenour, the estimable daughter of David C. and Catherine (Smith) Ridenour, of the old family of that name, and seven children have been born to the union : Elzie, Philip H., Ola M., Jessie, Juineta and George, all born in Waltz township. Vern H., the fifth child born, died aged seven weeks.
Mr. Roser has a Marion automobile, and he was the first farmer in Waltz township to own a car.
DAVID C. RIDENOUR. All his life David C. Ridenour has spent thus far in Wabash county. He now resides in Noble township, but spent the most of his life in Waltz township. He was born in Waltz township on April 1, 1843, and is a son of David and Sarah (Schawver) Ridenour, a family that has long been established hereabout. David Ridenour, the father of the subject, was born in Pennsylvania on February 7, 1802, and he and his wife reared a family of twelve children, of which goodly num- ber David C., of this review, was the ninth in order of birth. The others were Barbara, Catherine, Samuel, Lydia, Susana, Isaiah, Sarah, John, George, Mary, and Daniel. Of these all are deceased except Isaiah and Daniel.
In 1843 the father and mother brought their little flock here and set- tled on a farm of 240 acres just across the line from Noble township, in Waltz township. This land was covered with a dense forest growth, and on it Mr. Ridenour built a small cabin, which he replaced two years later with a more pretentious and commodious frame house.
The country surrounding was in a wild and unsettled state, and Indians, more or less inclined to unpleasantness, infested the woods. At one time, while residing in Ohio, Barbara, the eldest daughter, when yet a small girl, got lost in the woods not far from the house, and before she was discovered her absence caused the family a deal of mental agony. Fortune favored them in this, as in many another circumstance, and the little daughter of the wilderness learned a lesson she did not soon forget.
The parents lived on this place to the end of their days, and did much to reclaim it from its wilderness state to one of fruitfulness before death called them.
David C. Ridenour, their son, married Catherine Smith, the daughter of Philip Smith and his wife, Pamelia (Unger) Smith, and the mother of Mrs. Ridenour still lives at the fine old age of ninety-five. The brothers and sisters of Mrs. Ridenour are Jacob, Benjamin, Clarissa, and Helena. The oldest and youngest of these are both deceased. Their father, Philip Smith, was born in Germany, and came in early life to Wabash county.
David C. Ridenour in his boyhood days attended the district school for two months each winter during a few years. Both parents spoke the German language, and they talked it in the home, thus insuring their children an intimate knowledge of the mother tongue of their parents. Mr. Ridenour was twenty-two years of age when he left the home fire- side and married, and, though he was without means, he settled on a Vol. II-16
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- farm of eighty acres owned by his father, and this he put in excellent shape within the next few years. Comfortable buildings took the place of old and primitive cabins, and the land was cleared and put under the plow. Later he added thirty-five acres, and here he lived until 1896, when he moved to his present place, an eighty acre farm in Section 22, Noble township. He has since that time, however, come into ownership of another farm of 160 acres, which he operates independent of his home place. He owns in all 355 acres in three separate farms.
The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Ridenour: Per- melia, who married George W. Roser; Edwin, who died in infancy ; Lillie, also died in childhood; Anna, married Philip Pence, and David, Jr., who married Nellie Votaw.
The family are members of the Lutheran church, and Mr. Ridenour has held the office of deacon and of trustee in the church, as well as of elder and secretary.
He has served Waltz township ably as supervisor, and has always been a good citizen and active in democratic politics.
WILLIAM A. RICHARDS. A retired farmer, an old soldier, and an ex- superintendent of the Wabash County Infirmary, William A. Richards is numbered among the best known and most respected citizens of Paw Paw township, where he and his wife own and occupy a fine farm of one hundred and thirty acres, situated on both sides of the Laketon road, about five and one-half miles north of Wabash. A native of Ohio, he was born in Coshocton county, May 30, 1840, a son of Josiah Richards.
Josiah Richards was born in Pennsylvania, but spent much of his earlier life in Ohio, living there until after his marriage. In the fall of 1842, having decided to follow the march of civilization westward, he came with his little family to Indiana, locating in Paw Paw township, one- half mile north and one-half mile west of Urbana, making his way thither through the almost pathless woods in a covered wagon. He spent a few days with his wife's brother, Thomas Dunfee, sleeping in the wagon in which he and his family had made the journey. Having secured title to forty acres of heavily timbered land, he put up the customary round log house of the pioneer, with a puncheon floor, stick and mud chimney, and greased paper window, the floor, however, covering only the space occu- pied by the bed. Wolves and other wild animals were then numerous and destructive, frequently visiting the clearing. He improved a goodly portion of the land, and subsequently put up more substantial buildings. In the spring of 1864 he moved to another farm, located on the Eel river, between Laketon and Roann, and there continued farming and stock raising and breeding. For twenty-six years he was one of the foremost horse breeders in Wabash county, keeping high bred stallions, and being the pioneer horseman of this part of the state. He was always an ex- hibitor at the county fairs, and each year captured many premiums. He subsequently moved to the farm of his son-in-law, Samuel Long, and there resided until his death, in January, 1879, at the age of sixty-three
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years. He was a self-made man, beginning life with small means, and through his own work accumulated a good property.
The maiden name of the wife of Josiah Richards was Eunice Dunfee. She was born in Ohio, and died in 1885, on the farm now occupied by her son William, at the home of her daughter, who was then living on the place. Of the eleven children born of their union, two died in child- hood, one in Lafayette, Indiana, and one in Paw Paw township. The names of the others are as follows: Marjorie, widow of Samuel Long; William A., the special subject, who, with his sister Marjorie, were the only children born in Ohio; Julia Ann, deceased, married Nelson Purdy ; John; James; Selena L., deceased, married Robert Smyers; Eunice Ma- linda, wife of James Jack, and Josiah B., twins; Rue Ellen, wife of Jacob Smith.
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