USA > Indiana > Wabash County > History of Wabash County, Indiana, Volume 2 > Part 49
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58
Digitized by Google
888
HISTORY OF WABASH COUNTY
east of La Fontaine, but soon afterwards moved to Marion, Indiana, where he studied medicine under the preceptorship of Dr. William Lomax. In the winter of 1848-9, he attended a course of lectures at Laporte, Indiana, resided for a short time at Marion, and removed to Somerset, Indiana, in 1849. He attended a second course in the Ohio Medical College in the year 1850-1, at which time he graduated, and after practicing medicine a few years attended a post-graduate course in the Ohio Medical College in the winter of 1859-60. In the latter year Doctor Dicken moved to Wabash, and was, October 21st, appointed and commissioned by Governor O. P. Morton to the office of surgeon in and for the Forty-seventh Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Militia, and served his country faithfully until receiving his honorable discharge from the service, October 23, 1865, at Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Being blessed with good health, he was never off duty a day during the whole time of his army service. He ranked as a major and was the ranking surgeon from Cairo to Key West, in the Department of the Gulf, and was chief surgeon of the Second, or Hovey's, division of the Thirteenth Army Corps. He accompanied General Canby from the Red River expedition to New Orleans at the time the general was severely wounded. He served longer in the Civil war than any other surgeon in Indiana.
Doctor Dicken became a member of the Grant County Medical Society in 1852, and of the Wabash County Medical Society in 1854. After the close of the war he returned to his home in Wabash and resumed the practice of medicine. He was the father of eleven children, of whom four are living : Nancy J., who married James Stitt and lives at Wabash ; Mrs. Mary F. Kidd, of Roann, Indiana; Dr. C. L., of this review; and Clara B. Dicken, of La Fontaine. On February 17, 1881, Doctor Dicken removed to La Fontaine and continued the practice of medicine with his son, C. L. Dicken. He had been in continuous practice until the last eighteen months previous to his death, covering a period of fifty years of faithful service in the medical profession. Medical books and journals were his loved companions. Doctor Dicken was a member of the board of examiners of pensioners at Marion, Indiana, during President Har- rison's term of office, and was the secretary of the same board of examin- ers at the time of his death. He lived to see his wife, two sons and three daughters around his bedside in his last illness. He loved his calling, enjoyed the meeting of a brother in the profession, was liberal in his views and was always ready to impart what he had learned from careful study and experience to others that he might benefit mankind. He wanted to live as long as his Master was willing, and was ready to resign to the will of God. As a father he was considerate, loving and true, and devoted a life in planning for the education, comfort and happiness of his children. He was generous to a fault and devoted to his friends, was an able man in his profession and a skilled surgeon. He had no sympathy for those who practiced hypocrisy in the medical or social fraternity. In time of distress he always was ready to give words of comfort and cheer. He lived to be useful to his God, loyal to his
Digitized by Google
889
HISTORY OF WABASH COUNTY
country and kind and thoughtful to his family. He was a model of morality and temperance.
Dr. C. L. Dicken was fourth in order of birth of the eleven children of his parents and his early education was secured in the public schools of Wabash. He early displayed a predilection for the medical profes- sion, and after some preparation under his father's preceptorship en- tered Rush Medical College, from which noted institution he was grad- uated in 1879 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. At that time he began practice in Wabash county, and in 1881 came to La Fontaine, which has continued to be his field of practice to the present time. He is a close and careful student and a steady-handed surgeon, and keeps himself thoroughly abreast of the constant advances being made in his calling through subscribing to various medical journals and maintaining membership in the Wabash County Medical Society, the Indiana State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias, and in the latter fraternity is past chancellor and has been a delegate to the Grand Lodge. Politically he is a republican and has taken an active part in the movements of his party, serving as township chairman and a member of the Republican County Central Committee. During the past ten years he has served as a member of the board of pension examiners of Wabash county. He is one of La Fontaine's most public-spirited citizens, and can always be found in the front rank of any movement which will prove of benefit to his profession, to the cause of education or to his duty.
On May 27, 1885, Doctor Dicken was married to Miss Effie L. Rowan, daughter of William and Rachel Rowan, both of whom are deceased. She was given good educational advantages in the public schools, and for several years prior to her marriage was engaged in teaching school. Two children have been born to Doctor and Mrs. Dicken : Warren E., a graduate of the high school, who took a business course at Fort Wayne, and is now connected with the International Harvester Company, at Columbus, Ohio; and Bertha, who is the wife of C. L. Martin, of La Fontaine. The members of the Dicken family are all affiliated with the Christian church.
CHARLES W. POSTON. In the vocation of agriculture it frequently has happened that the fathers or grandfathers have secured the broad and productive tracts of land which the sons and grandsons have brought to their full capacity of fertility. The arduous, preliminary labors of the pioneers have been succeeded by the developing work of the later generations, but all have been necessary and have combined for the general advancement of the wonderful agricultural interests of the Middle West. Charles W. Poston is one of the industrious and reliable farmers of Liberty township, classed among those who are ac- knowledged to be as broad and scientific in their methods and as fruit- ful in valuable results to the community as the workers in any other field
Digitized by Google
890
HISTORY OF WABASH COUNTY
of activity. He has been a lifelong resident of the farm which he now occupies and which his father developed from its virgin state.
Mr. Poston was born November 26, 1865, in Liberty township, Wabash county, Indiana, and is a son of Amos F. and Maria (Hays) Poston, natives of Kentucky, who came to Rush county, Indiana, as young peo- ple and were there married. They came as early settlers to Liberty township, and here passed the balance of their lives in the development of a home, becoming known as good and reliable people of true and ster- ling worth. They were faithful members of the Baptist church. Mr. and Mrs. Poston were the parents of eleven children, of whom six are living at this time : Angeline, commonly known as Annie, who is the wife of John Banister, of La Fontaine; Eva, who is the wife of M. E. Hunt, of La Fontaine, Indiana; Dora, who married W. S. Howard, of Swayzee, this state; Myrtle, who married Bert Cline, a resident of Huntington ; O. W., whose home is in Chicago, Illinois; and Charles W.
Charles W. Poston grew up on the farm on which he was born and.attended the district schools of his home locality. On reaching man- hood he embarked upon a career of his own, and throughout his life has continued to reside on the home place, now owning 170 acres, located one and one-half miles northwest of La Fontaine, on the Wabash and La Fontaine gravel road. In addition to general farming and stock raising, Mr. Poston has met with a satisfactory measure of success in breeding fast horses, for which he has always found a ready market.
Mr. Poston was married January 22, 1890, to Miss Nancy M. Emery, who was born and reared in La Fontaine and educated in the public schools, daughter of John R. Emery. The one child born to this union died in infancy. Mr. Poston is a member of La Fontaine Lodge No. 295, F. & A. M., and a charter member, past chancellor and master-at-arms of La Fontaine Lodge No. 211, Knights of Pythias. In political matters he is a democrat, but has never found the opportunity to take much active part in public affairs. As a business man he bears a high reputa- tion for integrity and honorable dealing, and his skill as an agricul- turist is evidenced by the handsome appearance and great productive- ness of his farm. In all things that make for good citizenship he is entitled to a place among the representative men of Wabash county.
ADAM R. SUNDHEIMER. Coming to the United States thirty years ago with proficiency in a trade, but otherwise without capital, with little knowledge of the English language, and accepting work wherever he could find it, Adam R. Sundheimer has gradually year by year and step by step worked his way upwards, and has made a place for himself among the successful men of Wabash county. Mr. Sundheimer was for many years in business at Wabash, and is now occupying a fine farm of ninety-six acres in Lagro township.
Born in Bavaria, Germany, March 19, 1859, Adam R, Sundheimer is the son of Andrew and Elizabeth (Hickman) Sundheimer, both of whom lived and died in Germany, the father a farmer. Their six chil- dren were as follows: Adam R., Andrew, John, Elizabeth, Karl, and
Digitized by Google
891
HISTORY OF WABASH COUNTY
Catherine. The sons Adam, Andrew and John came to the United States.
Adam R. Sundheimer grew up on a farm, had the training which is characteristic of German boys, attending the common schools, and at the age of eighteen entering upon an apprenticeship at the cabinet maker's trade. Between the ages of twenty-one and twenty-four he served his three years in the regular army of the Empire, and when his term of enlistment expired, he had not a single dollar. Ambitious to make better use of his abilities than was possible in the old country, he borrowed forty-one dollars and came across the ocean as a steerage pas- senger. After three months of work he was able to return the money which he had borrowed to get him to America. He left Germany on April 1, 1883, and arrived at Wabash on April 17, of the same year. When he arrived in the city the city hall was in course of construction and he saw the removal of the jail. On April 21, four days after his arrival, he began working at his trade in the shops conducted by old Mr. Curtis, in the manufacture of school furniture and church furnish- ings. That was his regular line of employment for the following seven- teen years, and in that way he laid the basis for his present substantial prosperity. Eventually he became foreman for the firm of Hildebrand & Latchem, in their stone and lime plant. At the end of five years when the firm sold out, Mr. Sundheimer engaged in the butcher business in the old Karnes Building at Wabash. After six years he left the city and moved to his present farm, where he was engaged in general agriculture, and has a finely improved property.
On December 7, 1884, Mr. Sundheimer married Barbara Hildebrand, a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Hildebrand. Of the eight children born into their household, two died while children, and the others are as follows: Lucy, who married Harry Palmer, living in Wabash; Reuben, who married Hazel Areer, and has two children, Miriam and Thomas; Ella, wife of Luke Miller of Wabash; Walter; Ruth; and Paul. Mr. Sundheimer affiliates with the local lodge of the Maccabees, is a member of the Evangelical church, and in politics votes independently. Besides his country home, Mr. Sundheimer is owner of one of the finest residences in the city of Wabash, where his daughter, Mrs. Lucy Palmer, resides. This home is filled with substantial furniture, all of which was made by hand by Mr. Sundheimer himself. In these days it is a rare thing to find so complete a collection of handmade furniture, except in the homes of the very wealthy, and this furniture has been exhibited at local fairs, and is of a character that will make it a permanent possession for Mr. Sundheimer's descendants for many years.
JACOB HILDEBRAND. In the older generation of Wabash county citizens, a place of conspicuous industry, business success and honor was held by the late Jacob Hildebrand. With an humble start he ac- quired prosperity and founded one of the best known families of the county.
A native of Germany, born April 30, 1825, Jacob Hildebrand was
Digitized by Google
892
HISTORY OF WABASH COUNTY
fourteen years old when his parents died. His life thereafter was one of thrifty self-support and advancement. He received the rudiments of a common school education, and worked on.a farm in his native land until he was twenty-four years of age. Leaving Germany in 1851, he came to America, and had to borrow money in order to cross the ocean. By the results of hard labor he paid off that debt, and to the end of his life always kept his receipt, and the fidelity with which he met that initial obligation was the characteristic of his entire business career.
For eighteen months during his first residence in this country he was employed in a bakery, and then came to Wabash, Indiana, and took any honorable employment which was offered during the following five years. By that time he had a small amount of capital, was familiar with Ameri- can conditions and business affairs, had the confidence of those who had employed him and was ready to start upon his independent business enterprise. In 1868 Jacob Hildebrand formed a partnership with John B. Latchem, whose name figures large in the early commercial activities of Wabash, and with other associates they engaged in the stone and lime trade, under the name the Treaty Creek Stone & Lime Company. Hildebrand & Latchem finally acquired all the stock in the extensive enterprise, and it proved a very profitable business for many years and gave the foundation to Mr. Hildebrand's prosperity.
In 1851 Jacob Hildebrand married Miss Elizabeth Geible. They were married in Germany, and shortly afterward the husband came to Amer- ica. He worked in New York until he obtained sufficient money to send for his wife, about a year later. Of their union were born seven children, four of whom married into the Sundheimer family. Jacob Hildebrand had worked his own way up from poverty to plenty. He was known for his honest and upright dealing, and was one of Wabash's most prominent German citizens. He died November 5, 1897, but is still remembered by many of the older people in this community.
JOHN PHILIP PENCE. During the seventeen years in which Mr. Pence has been engaged in agricultural pursuits in Wabash county, he has gained the reputation of being a thoroughly up-to-date, progressive and energetic farmer. A son of the South, he was brought up in a family of agriculturists, and to his inherent knowledge and inclination-a heritage from generations of tillers of the soil-he has added wide experience and skillful application of modern methods. For some years his work as a farmer has been conducted on the estate of David C. Ridenour in Waltz township, a tract of 160 acres, and twenty-six acres of his own, to the im- provement of which his own labors and management have been an import- ant contribution.
John Philip Pence, best known throughout his section of Wabash county as Philip Pence, comes from the Old Dominion state, having been; born in Rockingham county, Virginia, May 3, 1878, a son of John P. and Mary E. (Shutters) Pence. His parents belonged to old and honorable Virginia families and spent their lives within the confines of their native state.
Digitized by Google
1
893
HISTORY OF WABASH COUNTY
Philip Pence received a public school education and was reared on a farm, dividing his time between attendance at the pulic schools and assisting his father in the numerous duties pertaining to a Virginia homestead. At the age of nineteen years, desiring to see the country lying farther toward the west, he came to Indiana and soon became so satisfied that he decided to remain here. Enterprising and industrious, he had no difficulty in finding employment among the farmers of Waltz township, in which community he has spent his entire time. In 1901 he came to the farm of his father-in-law, David C. Ridenour, and his ener- getic methods soon brought about such a desirable condition of affairs that Mr. Ridenour placed him in full charge of what is generally re- garded as one of the finest farms in the township. Since then there has been a record of constant improvement, including the erection of a mod- ern residence, the enlargement of the barn, and the institution of various changes which have added to the value of the estate. Mr. Pence classi- fies himself as a general farmer, but the profits come chiefly from cattle raising, and the stock which is found on the farm and goes every year to market is practical evidence of his skill and judgment as a breeder of cattle. Progressive in all things, Mr. Pence favors the use of modern machinery and appliances, and his reputation as a business- like farmer is well established in the community.
On February 28, 1901, Mr. Pence married Miss Anna Ridenour, daughter of David C. and Catharine Ridenour of Noble township. To their union have been born three children namely : David C., named for his grandfather, born August 21, 1903, and now attending the public schools; Mary Catherine, born May 26, 1905, and also in school; and Harold Emerson, born June 26, 1911. All were born on the Ridenour homestead. Mr. and Mrs. Pence are faithful members of the Lutheran church, and he is serving on the board of deacons. In political views he is a democrat, but his only interest in public matters is that taken by every good citizen in those things that affect the community.
PHILIP H. GOODLANDER. Fully fourscore years have passed since the Goodlander family first acquired a foothold in the wilderness coun- try of Wabash county, and the descendants of the pioneer have worthily lived up to the honor associated with those who first blazed trails in the unbroken forest, built log cabin homes, and cleared the land for cultiva- tion.
The above named Philip H. Goodlander is the oldest native son of the family in Wabash county. He was born on the farm he now occupies, February 24, 1843, a son of Philip and Clarissa (Webb) Goodlander. His paternal grandfather was Jacob Goodlander and his maternal grand- father Forrest Webb. Philip Goodlander first came to Wabash county in the year 1834. At that time the smoke rolled up from only a few scattered log cabin homes, and the work of the early settlers had only fairly begun. Philip Goodlander entered one hundred and sixty acres of Government land, wild and uncultivated, and presenting a discourag- ing task to any but men of the hardy old stock of which the Good-
Digitized by Google
894
HISTORY OF WABASH COUNTY
landers were sterling representatives. Having secured his land. Philip returned to his former home in Fayette county and lived there until 1839. In that year he came as a permanent settler, making the trip from Fayette county with a cart and a yoke of oxen. He also brought with him one horse. It required ten days to make the journey. After leaving Wabash he had to blaze a trail through the woods and across the swamp. and was two days before he reached his prospective farm in Noble town- ship. Judge Jackson went with him and helped to clear the road. which required three days. On a clearing in the woods he erected a log cabin. and that was for some time the shelter of himself and family. His household provided for, Philip Goodlander and sons set to work to hew a farm from the forest, and during the following years endured all the hardships incident to pioneer life, and also found a reasonable degree of prosperity before his death. That old homestead is one of the oldest in Wabash county in the continuous possession of one family. The son of the pioneer. Philip H .. finally came into possession of this farm. Philip Goodlander, the father, was likewise a prosperous farmer citizen and became one of the foremost men of his township. The old log cabin which had first stood on the farm was replaced with a brick house, which was destroyed by fire about seventeen years ago. Philip Good- lander and wife were active members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and it is a pioneer fact that should be mentioned that their first home was in later years occupied and used as a church for the newly organ- ized society of Methodists, and it also did service as a schoolhouse. Philip and Clarissa Goodlander became the parents of nine children, of whom brief mention is made as follows: Susan married Captain Levi Ross, who served in the Mexican and Civil wars with honor and distinction. Mary A. is the wife of L. W. Murden. Nancy D. married Green Story. Forrest M. was a Civil war veteran, a member of Com- pany A, Eighty-ninth Indiana, and he married Lyda Nance. John W. married Mary E. Kimbell, and was also a soldier in the Civil war in Company F of the Eighth Indiana Infantry. Philip H. was the sixth among the children. Jacob S. married Emma Lynn. George W. mar- ried Anna Maxwell. Oliver P. married Mary Myers. All the children were born in Fayette county except Philip II., Jacob S., George W. and Oliver P., who were born in Wabash county.
Philip H. Goodlander, like some of his brothers, saw active service in the Union army during the Civil war. He was a member of Com- pany A in the Eighty-ninth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, enlisting in 1862 and remaining with his regiment until discharged at Mobile, Alabama, in the latter part of 1865. He was a corporal in this com- pany, and the only injury he sustained was the breaking of an arm as the result of a fall. It is the proud record of his regiment that it never retreated and was never defeated, and that record is a source of satisfaction to every soldier who composed that gallant organization. Since his service as a soldier Mr. Goodlander has applied his time and energies to the cultivation of the old homestead, and he has long been one of the most substantial agriculturists in Noble township. The
Digitized by Google
895
HISTORY OF WABASH COUNTY
old Goodlander place, where all his children were born, and endeared to the family by associations of several generations, comprises about one hundred and sixty acres of land, is well improved and highly cultivated, and has a group of excellent farm buildings, all of which have been erected under the direction of its present owner.
Mr. Philip H. Goodlander married Emma J. Stone, a daughter of Silas H. and Emmeline (Carothers) Stone. Her death occurred on January 10, 1896. Their five children are: Homer H., the oldest, mar- ried Pearl Needham, and has one child, Emma. Elbert also married. Anna L. became the wife of Arthur Palmer, and they live in Califor- nia. Guy H. married Estelle Morrison, and they have two children, Enid and Philip. Lola, the youngest, is the wife of Homer H. Hoover, and is the mother of two children, Lois and Harold G.
Mr. Goodlander has long been a member of the Methodist Epis- copal church, and that society in Noble township has for many years been largely supported by the Goodlander family. His chief service in a civic capacity has been as supervisor of roads, and much credit is due him for the excellent condition of the public highways in this section of Wabash county. All his life, since casting his first vote when a soldier of the Union, he has been devoted to the principles and policies of the republican party.
HARMON LEWIS EMRICK. In Waltz township one of the farm homes that have a distinctive character is that of Harmon Lewis Emrick. His eighty-acre place, judged from its productiveness and its general appear- ance, is one of which any modern agriculturist might be proud. While Mr. Emrick is recalled by many of his former pupils for his work as a teacher, a vocation to which he devoted nine years, he long ago re- sponded to the call of the soil, and it is in the successful handling of farm activities that he has found his successful field of effort and from which he has drawn his chief prosperity.
A native of Wabash county, Mr. Emrick was born November 19, 1874, on a farm just across the road from where his present residence stands. His parents were John C. and Rose Elizabeth (Hursh) Emrick, and the grandfathers on both sides were John C. Emrick, Sr. and Abraham Hursh. The paternal grandfather came to Wabash county more than half a century ago, bringing his son John C., Jr. Their home previous to that time was in Darke county, Ohio, where the grandfather was a substantial farmer. It was in 1854 that the family moved into Indiana, locating on a farm near Somerset in Wabash county. It was on that homestead that Harmon L. Emrick was born, and the immediate locality of his present home has been the environ- ment in which he grew up and where most of his active years have been spent. John C. Emrick, Jr. died March 16, 1906, and his widow passed away four years later on a farm in Waltz township. All their seven children were born at the old homestead. Their names are: Ira Franklin; Harmon Lewis; R. B. Hayes; Abbie Leona; Mary, who died in infancy ; Homer Charles; and Minnie Emrick.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.