USA > Indiana > Wabash County > History of Wabash County, Indiana, Volume 2 > Part 45
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THOMAS J. BROWER. The family represented by Thomas J. Brower of Noble township was one that participated in the original westward movement that peopled the vast country between the Allegheny moun- tains and the Mississippi river, and the pioneer spirit which actuated the first Browers in their movement to the west and in the clearing up and subduing of the wilderness has also been characteristic of Thomas J. Brower, whose home since 1874 has been in Wabash county. A
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soldier of the great war for the preservation of the Union, a developer of farms, the introducer of improved methods of cultivation and an innovator in live stock raising, his has been a varied career, his activi- ties have carried him into a number of different states, and though now well past the age of three score and ten is still esteemed as one of the foremost men in agricultural affairs in Wabash county.
Thomas J. Brower was born in Preble county, Ohio, December 20, 1841. His parents were George and Christiana (Swihart) Brower. In the year 1801, his grandfather, Abraham Brower, moved from Rockingham county, Virginia, into the territory of Ohio, which in the following year became a state. His life was spent there until his early death at the age of forty-one. George Brower was born in Montgomery county, in western Ohio, December 22, 1810. At the age of eleven years he began to feel the responsibility of the care of the family, after his father's death. The heritage of Abraham Brower to his widow and children was a small farm near West Alexandria, Ohio. The cultivation of this farm and the support of the family largely devolved upon the son George. The energy and ambition of George Brower was indicated by the fact that he became the owner of the Old Homestead, while yet a young man. Also while but a boy he earned his first money by clear- ing six acres from the green for which he received six dollars. With this money he purchased a coat and he regarded that as the most expensive garment he ever bought and to the end of his life regarded it as one of the most important transactions of his business career.
George Brower during the years 1836-37 was proprietor of the Eagle hotel at Eaton, Ohio. In 1866 he was elected to the office of county commissioner of Preble county and gave valuable service in that capac- ity. Christiana Swihard, his first wife, was born July 1, 1814, and was the daughter of Adam Swihart, a stanch whig and a very active politician in his day. To this union was born eight children. William H., Ananias, Thomas J., Benjamin F., Joseph S., Susan E., DeAlonzo and Mary E. Mrs. Brower died February 28, 1866. Subsequently George Brower married Mrs. Harriet Baker, the widow of Evan Baker.
Thomas J. Brower grew up and received his early education in the schools of Preble county. Country boys during the '40s and '50s in the middle west enjoyed advantages very limited as compared with those offered to country youth of the present time. A farmer boy acknowledged his first duty to the never ceasing responsibilities of the farm, and then went to school if there was time for it and a school to go to. His years were spent on the home place until twenty-one, and he then started to make his own way. At the age of twenty-two he married, and with two to provide for instead of one showed himself equal to that task. In Mary Siler, the girl of his choice, he always had a stanch and true companion. She was a daughter of David and Mary (Cotterman) Siler, long-time residents of Preble county, where they were married and where Mr. and Mrs. Brower also married. Mrs. Brower was one of the following children: Liza Ann, Samuel, John, Mary, Henry, Sarah, David, Lydia, Noah and Catherine, all of whom Vol. II-25
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were born in Preble county. Their father died in that county May 27, 1885, at the age of seventy-seven, and their mother on August 25, 1890.
Thomas and Mary Brower began their wedded life on a rented farm in Preble county. It was a comparatively small place of seventy-two acres, and their industry and thrift subsequently enabled them to buy it and for many years it was their home. The most profitable line of business followed by Mr. Brower through many years was the buy- ing up of old and mismanaged farms at a low figure, holding them until it was possible to rehabilitate the land and improvements and after making them productive sold out at a good profit. It was an occupation which he found an interesting and absorbing work, and many an old and seemingly worthless place responded gladly to his touch, and his work has thus been of positive benefit to many communi- ties in which he has lived. In this pursuit Mr. Brower spent some years in Darke county, Ohio, also in Michigan and in Indiana, and in these different states bought and sold farms with considerable regularity and frequency. Some years ago, in partnership with a Mr. McVicker, Mr. Brower bought two sections of land in Texas, and though that tran- saction never aroused in him much enthusiasm he finally sold out to advantage.
- While his work as a developer of old farms has constituted a very important achievement, Mr. Brower has some other distinctions among Wabash county farmers. It is said that he was the owner of the first Hereford cattle in the county, introducing this breed to his farm about 1885. His was the first herd of red Polled cattle in the county, and he brought in the first carload of Angora goats. In recent years the progressive farmers of Indiana have found a most profitable adjunct of general farming and stock raising to be the cultivation of alfalfa, the great western crop, and Mr. Brower was one of the first to employ a part of his land in this crop. In many other ways he has shown his progressive and experimental spirit and attitude towards farming and farm life in general.
When a young man in Ohio and during the course of the great Civil war Mr. Brower enlisted as a volunteer in the One Hundred Fifty- sixth Ohio Infantry, going out from Preble county and seeing four months of active service.
To the marriage of Thomas J. Brower and Mary Siler have been born five children: George Henry was born August 2, 1865; Leona Jose- phine was born June 14, 1868 and died March 28, 1881; Charles H. was born December 1, 1869, and married Lulu Low; Thomas Willard was born June 27, 1873 and died September 30, 1877; Lucretia Mabel was born June 15, 1880, and married Henry Reachert.
In politics always a stanch republican, Mr. Brower has never sought or held office, but his service to the various communities in which he has resided has not been without public spirit and great value. He has membership in the Grand Army of the Republic and his church is the Universalist. He and his family have long enjoyed the kindly regard
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MARTHA HORNADAY
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ALFRED HORNADAY
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and friendship of a large circle of the best people of Wabash and Miami counties and the sons and daughter are now filling useful places in those communities where the business of life has called them.
CHARLES O. SIGNS. A native of Wabash county, Charles O. Signs has made a prosperous career through the avenue of educator and as a farmer, and is a valuable citizen, an efficient business man, and stands high in the regard of his fellowmen wherever known.
Charles O. Signs was born August 7, 1870, a son of Peter and Delilah (Creager) Signs. His father, who was a native of Ohio, and came to Wabash county when a boy with his parents, was married in Kosciusko county, but subsequently engaged in farming in Wabash county, where he still lives. There are just two children in the family, and the other is Esta A. Signs, who married Cora Tyner.
Charles O. Signs received an education in the common schools, and largely through his own efforts gained a training much beyond the ordinary. He later graduated from the North Manchester high school and was a student of the Indiana State University. Mr. Signs became identified with teaching in Chester township, was connected with the schools there some four or five years, and later was in school work at Servia and North Manchester. From the school room he has turned his attention entirely to farming, and now resides on a highly improved and valuable place of one hundred and thirty-two acres in Pleasant township, which is owned by his father. His own labors have added a great deal to the further improvement and enhancement of the value of this property. With general farming he combines in prosperous proportions stock raising, and by the application of energy and good judgment has accumulated a gratifying share of the world's goods.
Mr. Signs married Cora Mowrer, whose family were early settlers in Wabash county. Mrs. Signs had ten brothers. Their own children are two sons: Frederick W. and Charles Frank. Both these children were born on the present fine farm. They are members of the Christian church, and Mr. Signs affiliates with the Knights of Pythias, is a republican, and his father has the same political faith.
PETER N. HORNADAY. The day of the pioneer and pioneer life no longer exists. True, there are still living a few sturdy old citizens in Wabash county who remember the days of their boyhood when they as- sisted their fathers in subduing the wilderness, but the real pioneers, who came to this section more than three-quarters of a century ago, blazing the trail for future generations, establishing homes in the midst of the forest primeval and facing untold dangers and difficulties, have all passed to that bourne toward which all mankind is hastening. The late Alfred Hornaday was one of the real pioneers of Wabash county, and through a long and useful career watched with the eye of a proprietor its mar- velous growth and development, a fair proportion of which was due to his: earnest and intelligent efforts. He was born December 13, 1812, in the state of North Carolina, and was a son of Samuel and Annie ( Alexander)
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Hornaday. He was a lad of but twelve years when he accompanied his parents to Fayette county, Indiana, the family driving through by team and the journey consuming six weeks in the making. His residence in Wabash county began in 1837, when he pre-empted a quarter section of land in Chester township, paying therefor at Fort Wayne, at the rate of $1.25 per acre, in gold. In 1841, after erecting a primitive cabin on his property, he came here permanently, arriving September 10th of that year, a Sunday morning. His land was completely covered with timber at the time, but he cleared off the wood, made improvements from time to time, and firmly established himself as a substantial and progressive farmer. Mr. Hornaday was married in Rusk county, Indiana, October 15, 1840, to Miss Martha Looney, and they became the parents of the fol- lowing children : Peter, who was born December 12, 1841; Annie J., born April 3, 1844; Mary Elizabeth, born April 26, 1847, who died October 6, 1857; Frances, born February 21, 1850, who died August 19, 1850; Marjorie Keziah, born January 6, 1852, who died July 29, 1899; Martha Melissa, born September 20, 1856, who died April 18, 1857; and Marion Looney, born April 26, 1858, who died September 20, 1858. Mr. Horna- day was a democrat in politics and served as constable, at all times interesting himself actively in the general improvement of his adopted county. He was successful in his business ventures, owning 430 acres of land, and was everywhere accounted a man of the strictest integrity, honored and esteemed for his straightforward dealing, his sterling citizenship and his intense loyalty to his friends. He was a consistent member of the Campbellite church, in the faith of which he passed away July 31, 1893, the mother having died many years before, April 30, 1858, shortly after the birth of their last child.
Peter Hornaday, eldest son of this sturdy old pioneer couple, and a man who has maintaned the high reputation established by his parents, was born on the old homestead place in the woods of Chester township, December 12, 1841, and has made this locality his residence through seventy-three years. The primitive log schools of Chester township fur- nished him with his educational training, and as a youth he elected to follow in his father's footsteps as a tiller of the soil, a decision he has never had reason to regret. At the time of his father's death he became owner of the homestead, to which he has added until he now has 600 acres of land, this being one of the finest properties in this part of Wabash county. Since his father's demise he has built a new stock barn and made a number of minor improvements. Like his father, he is a democrat, but public life has never appealed to him, although he stanchly supports all beneficial movements. Although he has passed man's allotted "three score and ten," he is active and alert and con- tinues to maintain his interest in matters of importance.
JACOB MILLER. The success which has been attained by Jacob Miller is due entirely to his own well directed efforts, through which he finds himself, while still in the prime of life, the owner of a well regulated
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PETER AND ANNIE J. HORNADAY
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Mr. Miller's father was a democrat, but in later years transferred his allegiance to the prohibition party, the principles of which the son supports. Mr. and Mrs. Miller are active members of the Church of the Brethren and have been liberal in their support of its movements.
Mr. Miller was married to Miss Anna Weaver, daughter of Abraham and Amanda (Ivins) Weaver, who came to Wabash county from Stark county, Ohio, and were known as honorable and upright agricultural people. There were eight children in the Weaver family, namely : John, who married Susan Rhodes; David, who is single; Mary Etta, who married Jesse Waye; IIenry, who married Maud Hindshaw; Charles, who married Julia Guinupp; Edward, who married Fern Stauffer; Edward's twin, who died in infancy; and Anna, the wife of Mr. Miller. Mrs. Miller's mother died when she was ten years of age, the father subsequently bringing the family to Wabash county. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have three children, all educated in Wabash county : Russell, born July 17, 1892; Mary, born January 7, 1894; and Georgia E., born November 19, 1897.
JAMES N. RONEY. Representing the second generation of a well known Wabash county family, James N. Roney besides his success as a practical farmer in Pleasant township has a useful and influential part in public affairs, and his service as township assessor and town- ship trustee is remembered to his credit in that locality.
James N. Roney was born June 26, 1869, on the farm which he now occupies. This place was settled by his father, Thomas Roney, about 1865. The parents were Thomas and Nancy Ann (Ogan) Roney, the former a native of Ireland and the latter of German parentage. Thomas Roney first settled in Wabash county about 1851, afterwards lived for several years in Kosciusko county, and they returned to Pleasant township and developed a good estate, where he lived until his death in 1893, while his wife passed away in 1901. Other facts of the fam- ily history, which connects this name with early days in Wabash county will be found in a sketch of Albert Roney elsewhere in this publication.
James N. Roney, the youngest son of his parents, grew up in Pleasant township, had his present farm as the scene of his first associa- tion and experiences, besides such education as was afforded by the local schools he attended the higher courses of instruction in Terre Haute and at Valparaiso. When his education was completed he returned home and became actively identified with farming on his father's place. Mr. Roney married Marguerite Tracey, daughter of Hugh Tracey. They are the parents of four children: Elizabeth, Esther, Eleanore and James H., all of whom were born on the present farm. While Mr. Roney is a member of no church, his wife is a Catholic. The Roney farm has a number of first class improvements, but the residence was placed there by his father and the barn is the result of his own building. By general farming he keeps his place in the com-
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munity as a prosperous business man, and has surrounded himself with the comforts and a satisfying degree of prosperity.
A democrat in politics, Mr. Roney has for a number of years in- terested himself in local questions of good government, and after four years of efficient service as assessor in his township was elected to the important office of trustee in 1904. Mr. Roney affiliates with the Masonic Lodge at Manchester, and belongs to the Elks Lodge at Wabash.
D. W. MCFARLAND. Among those prosperous citizens of Pleasant township who have utilized both intelligence and industry in their careers and have much to show for their efforts, Daniel Willis McFar- land has a noteworthy place. Practically every year since he reached his majority has seen some increase in his resources, and for a man who began life practically at the bottom he has come far on the way to success.
D. W. McFarland was born in Lucas, Richland county, Ohio, Feb- ruary 23, 1861. His parents were Nathan and Elizabeth (Smith) McFarland, and in their family were five children who reached matur- ity. Nathan McFarland came to Wabash county many years ago and followed the trade of plasterer by which he provided for his household and lived to enjoy the respect and esteem of a large community. His death occurred in Wabash county in 1877, when his son, D. W., was seventeen years old. The mother survived until December 29, 1902, and both are buried in this county. The father was a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and belonged to Manchester Lodge of the Masonic order.
D. W. McFarland grew up in Wabash county, and after finishing the course of the common schools engaged in farming, a vocation which has called forth his best efforts and in which he has made his success. His first independent enterprise in that line was the purchase, together with his brother Howard S., of a small place about a mile from where he now lives. After a partnership of some time, Mr. McFarland mar- ried and then bought his present farm of 871/2 acres. This land was originally owned by Mrs. McFarland's father. It had no buildings, and few improvements when Mr. McFarland took possession, and in the years that have since elapsed by the co-operation of his wife, he has brought practically all of it under cultivation, is known for his ability in raising crops and getting something valuable to market every year, and has a good modern home and all the facilities that make country life enjoyable. Mr. McFarland also owns a farm of sixty acres of im- proved farm land, located on the line between Pleasant and Chester townships, one-half mile south of his present farm, owning in all about 1471% acres. He erected his fine modern frame house of eight rooms and bath, with large cement floor porch, in the summer of 1910. He erected his large red "L" shape barn in the summer of 1913, a structure seventy- two feet long on one side, and fifty-six feet frontage. He is engaged in general farming and stock raising.
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Mr. McFarland was married in 1900 to Minnie Jenks, daughter of Edwin S. Jenks. Their two children were both born on the present farm and are named Leila and Verda. Mr. McFarland is a member of the United Brethren church, had fraternal affiliations at one time with the Odd Fellows, and in politics is a republican.
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THOMAS S. BERRY. Several different tracts of land in Wabash county have been brought under cultivation and made valuable through the enterprise of Thomas S. Berry. That has been perhaps his best contribution to this community, though his sterling citizenship, his service in the office of county commissioner, should also not be for- gotten. Mr. Berry represents one of the older families of Wabash county, and is a prosperous and influential citizen of Pleasant town- ship.
Though his home has been in Wabash county for many years, Thomas S. Berry was born in Shelby county, Ohio, February 1, 1855. His parents were George W. and Theodosia (Scott) Berry, both of whom were natives of Ohio. There were seven sons and one daughter in the family, and four of them are now deceased. George W. Berry moved to Wabash county and located at Lagro, in which vicinity he was well known for many years. During his residence in Ohio he had practiced medicine, but devoted his time and attention to farming in Wabash county. He died some years after his wife.
Thomas S. Berry grew up in Wabash county, attended the common schools, was well trained by the discipline of farm work, and after reaching his majority took regular employment for a time under his father.
At the age of twenty-three Mr. Berry married Isabelle Wertenberger, daughter of David and Catherine Wertenberger. The Wertenberg- ers were among the early settlers of Wabash county, and her father as a pioneer cleared up a farm south of Laketon, and lived in the county until his death. Mrs. Berry has one brother living, while one is deceased. Mr. Berry and wife began on a very modest scale, and their first home was in a log house on a farm of eighty acres, only twelve acres of which had been cleared. His hard work soon made a productive farm, the log house was replaced with a two-story dwelling, with a substantial bank barn, and he also did a great deal of clearing and ditching. Before selling that first place Mr. Berry bought ninety-five acres, of which likewise only a part was improved land. His energy also added a great deal to the value and improvement of that place, and while he never lived on it he sold at a large advance over the price he paid for it. Since 1903 Mr. Berry has lived on his present place, and this consists of forty acres, and since he occupied it, a good house, a substantial barn, fencing and tillage are among the important results of his ownership.
Mr. and Mrs. Berry have one child, Delcie, who is the wife of Ulysses Jenks of Marion. Mr. Berry as a republican has taken much part in community affairs, and in 1906 was honored by his fellow
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citizens with election to the office of county commissioner, and was re- elected in 1910.
SAMUEL HEETER, for many years a resident of Wabash county, and a man who retained in full degree the respect and esteem of all who knew him, was a native of Ohio, where his birth occurred near Dayton, Feb- ruary 14, 1835, his parents being David and Elizabeth Heeter, who have been deceased for many years. At an early period in the history of Indiana. the family left their Ohio home and migrated to this state, purchasing about 100 acres of land near the town of North Manchester. Here they resided for some time, clearing and improving the property, and later Mr. Heeter retired from the active cares of business life and moved to North Manchester. In that city both he and his wife passed away, and they are now at rest in Pleasant View Cemetery.
The boyhood and youth of Samuel Heeter resembled those of other farmers' sons and of his day and locality. He secured his education in the pioneer district schools during the winter terms, which generally lasted about three months, and the rest of the year was devoted to assist- ing his father in the work of clearing and improving the homestead farm. Thus he grew to sturdy manhood, alert in mind and active in body, with a thorough knowledge of the business of farming, which he adopted as his own life work upon attaining his majority. He was married not long thereafter to Miss Lydia Coonley, and three children, John Wesley, Ezra and Lydia, were born to this union. After Mrs. Heeter's death, Mr. Heeter married, in 1875, Miss Tressie Hippensteel, daughter of William and Susan (Warren) Hippensteel, who were old settlers of Chester township, Wabash county. Mrs. Heeter's parents were among the pioneers of Wabash county, coming here from Cumber- land county, Pennsylvania, as early as 1847. They took up their residence on an eighty-acre farm in Chester township, and there passed the remain- ing years of their lives, the father passing away in 1885 and the mother five years later. They were laid to rest in the United Brethren Cemetery. To Mr. and Mrs. Heeter four sons were born, namely : Percy, Roy, Carl and Howard, all of whom survive at this time.
Although a democrat in politics, and somewhat interested in local civic affairs of importance, Mr. Heeter never held office, preferring to devote his time and attention to the cultivation of his fields and the accumulation of a competence for his family. He was known as an excellent farmer and a good judge of stock, and his ventures along both lines were rewarded with a full measure of success. In 1898, feeling that he had earned a rest from his strenuous labors, he retired from active pursuits, and resided for a time on the old homestead in North Manchester, subsequently moving to a farm some two and one-half miles south of Servia. There he passed away March 10, 1901. Through- out his life he was a consistent member of the Church of the Brethren, and for many years he attended services near Servia. He was a man of the strictest integrity, who held the confidence of his fellow-citizens, and in his death his community lost a valued citizen. Mrs. Heeter sur-
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