USA > Indiana > Whitley County > History of Whitley County, Indiana > Part 57
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May 16, 1894, Mr. Magley married Miss
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Mary, daughter of Captain Peter Simonson, a soldier of the civil war, who was killed at Pine Mountain, Georgia, while serving as captain of the Fifth Indiana Battery. Mrs. Magley is a native of Columbia City and during her girlhood held various im- portant clerical positions, including service for four years in the pension office at In- dianapolis under Captain Ensley. Mr. and Mrs. Magley have one daughter, Dorothy, aged seven.
WILLIAM A. CLUGSTON.
Among the native sons of Whitley coun- ty who have gained honorable recognition in commercial circles, as well as in the social world, is the gentleman whose name fur- nishes the caption of this review. William A. Clugston, member of the firm of Clug- ston Brothers & Company, and son of Azariah R. Clugston, was born in New Castle, Delaware, June 25, 1862. When a lad of twelve or thirteen years he entered the mercantile house of Clugston Brothers, where by close and diligent application he soon mastered the basic principles of busi- ness and in due time became a successful salesman. With the exception of the time spent in school he has been connected with the firm for more than twenty-five years, and in January, 1890, was admitted into part- nership. Mr. Clugston possesses the prac- tical intelligence, mature judgement and sound business ability necessary in the suc- cessful conduct of a business devoted to gen- eral merchandise and, working in harmony with able associates, has developed an es-
tablishment in which every citizen feels just pride. His relations with his associates and customers have ever been of the most pleasant and agreeable nature, not a little of his suc- cess being directly attributed to his courte- ous manner and genial personality. As stated elsewhere, the firm of which he is an influential factor commands an extensive patronage not only in Columbia City, but throughout Whitley county, and being man- aged by men with safe and conservative poli- cies, stands a lasting monument to a broad commercial spirit.
Mr. Clugston manifests a lively interest in other matters, being alive to all that bene- fits the community and a friend and advocate of cvery measure having for its object the good of his fellowmen. He is a thirty- second degree Mason.
Mr. Clugston was wedded to Miss Cora Tanpert, of Columbia City, who died after a brief companionship. For several years prior to her marriage and for some time thereafter, Mrs. Clugston was a popular sales-lady in the store, with a wide circle of warm personal friends.
In 1905 Mr. Clugston married Miss Minnie Erdman, who was also a clerk for some time with the firm.
ROBERT F. HOOD.
In 1858 Robert Hood came to Columbia City and opened a wagon shop and either as proprietor or journeyman, was engaged in this business for forty-five consecutive years. He is remembered, however, not solely as a mechanic, but because of his su-
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periority as a singer, being gifted with an unusually rich bass voice, whose natural timbre had received careful cultivation. For thirty years he was leader of the Lutheran church choir, which his efforts had brought to a condition of efficiency, the tones of his own voice affording a peculiar pleasure to lovers of sacred music. Born in London, he came to the United States at the age of eighteen and was married at Fort Wayne to Sarah Smith, who died in her thirty-ninth year. After a third marriage he went to Chicago in 1903, to live with his son, J. W. Hood, superintendent of the Reagan Print- ing Company and who acquired reputation as a skilled workman.
Robert F. Hood was born in Columbia City, January 12, 1862. At the age of six- teen he began an apprenticeship at the car- riage-painting trade, and subsequently open- ing a shop, contracted to do all kinds of painting. He painted the court house, as well as scores of other buildings, public and private, until his health being injured through the affliction to which painters are subject, he removed to a farm three miles south of the city and remained there until 1902. Returning to Columbia City he soon purchased from George D. Ramp the furni- ture business established by him in 1893 on a small scale, but which has now assumed handsome proportions. It occupies a build- ing twenty-two by one hundred and fifty feet, including the rear half of the second floor, all closely packed with a well selected stock of up-to-date furniture, including the latest patterns in all standard articles and representing a value of several thousand dollars. The annual sales have grown sat- ifactorily, showing a constant increase
and proving that strict attention to business- with a liberal sales method will yield suit- able returns. Mr. Hood is a Mason and an active lodge worker, also a member of the Modern Woodmen, and he is a Republican in politics.
January 13, 1886, Mr. Hood married Miss Minnie A., daughter of Jeremiah S. Hartsock, of Whitley county. The children are Thomas, Ellen and Robert. Mr. Hood is fond of out-door sports and usually spends. his summer vacation on the lakes when his. inclination to lure the finny inhabitants may be fully satisfied.
JAMES S. COLLINS.
James S. Collins, deceased, late a resi- dent of Columbia City and a distinguished and venerable member of the Whitley coun- ty bar, is eminently worthy of representation in this volume, and the work might well be considered incomplete were there a fail- ure to direct specific attention to his life and its accomplishments.
Coming of one of the early pioneer fami- lies of the Hoosier state, and himself to be considered as a pioneer resident of Whitley county. Mr. Collins was born in Wayne coun- ty, Indiana, on the 24th of December, 1819, being the son of John and Jane (Holman) Collins, the former of whom was a native of Virginia and the latter of Kentucky, both be- ing of the stanch old English stock. The fa- ther of the subject settled in Wayne county very early in the present century, purchasing a tract of land from the government and devoting himself vigorously and successful-
Eliza J. Collins
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ly to its reclamation. There he continued to abide until 1836, when he removed to Whit- ley county and settled in Cleveland town- ship, where he purchased a tract of land upon which some slight improvements had been made. There the family home was maintained for many years. John Collins was a member of the state militia during the war of 1812, and the Mexican war, and he went forth to aid in preventing an uprising among the Indians, whose insubordination was a feature of the memorable conflict. He was the first treasurer of Whitley county. becoming the incumbent in this office at a time whene there was no cash represented in its exchequer. His son, Richard, was the first sheriff of the county, and soon became clerk, auditor and recorder, all of which offices were combined so far as their execu- tive was concerned. The father and mother of the subject both died in Columbia City, each having lived to a ripe old age. They became the parents of ten children, only two of whom are living at the present: Martha and Eliza.
The subject was reared under the sturdy discipline of the pioneer farm, aiding in the work of clearing one hundred acres, and never having been enabled to attend school for a day after he had attained the age of sixteen years. There had been enkindled in his mind, however, an appreciation of the privileges which were of necessity denied him, and though his mental horizon was circumscribed, still he spared no effort to gain the knowledge, which, in an obscure way, he knew would be so essential to his success in life. He had a few books, and to these he devoted his spare moments at home. The intrinsic capacity of his mentality was
shown forcibly in the fact that in the winter of 1843 lie boldly waded into the pages of Blackstone's commentaries, with a dictionary beside him as an aid to ascertain the mean- ing and pronunciation of the "big words." Such was the power of assimilation that he possessed, that we find a most notable vic- tory achieved by the young man within a year's time, since in the fall of 1844 he passed an examination and was admitted to practice at the bar. Such accomplishment at so great odds reads almost like a romance in these latter days when privileges are to be had for the acceptance, and when the way is made so smooth to the feet of the average searcher after knowledge. It is a significant circumstance that the honored subject began the practice of his profession in Columbia City, which point was the scene of his con- secutive endeavors as an attorney at law from that early day to the day of his death. His title to the rank as the pioneer lawyer of that city is unquestioned, and his name is honored by the members of the bar to-day. as it has been through all the days of the past. The lot of the young lawyer was not one of sybaritic ease or one that yielded much financial return for a long time, but his perseverance and his ability eventually won him merited recognition in the according to him of representative clientage. In 1860. a distinguishing honor was conferred upon Mr. Collins in his election to the state senate, which preferment was accorded him without the formality of having intimated or sug- gested to him his candidacy. He was a member during the special term of 1861 .- the war legislature, -- and his efforts were marked by a lively appreciation of the na- tion's peril and by an earnest effort to sup-
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port ler time-honored institutions. In 1868 the demand for a new railroad was recog- nized by the citizens of Whitley and other counties, and of the company which was organized to bring the project to a focus, Mr. Collins was made president. This cor- poration completed what is known as the Eel River Railroad in 1873, and the subject retained the presidency until after the road had been brought to completion. After that time he devoted his attention entirely to his profession, although he withdrew to a large extent from the practice in the courts by reason of the fact of his advanced age ren- dering such service too burdensome. . This phase of the work he relegated almost entire- ly to his associate in business, Benjamin E. Gates.
Mr. Collins owned a large tract of land contiguous to the city, and also had some valuable realty within the corporate limits. During all the long years in which he was a witness of the advancement of Columbia City from a straggling village to its present flourishing status as a progressive and modern city, the subject manifested a hearty interest in the affairs of the place and the welfare of the county and was a prime mover in every enterprise which had as its object the benefiting of the community. In polit- ical matters he was a stalwart Republican. and was an active and zealous worker in the party ranks.
Turning in conclusion to the more purely domestic phases of Mr. Collins' life, we find that on October 24, 1849, was consummated his marriage to Eliza J. Fleming, a native of Londonderry, Ireland, and the daughter of John and Frances Fleming. The offspring of this most happy union were six children,
namely: Jane H., city librarian ; Reginald Heber, in Seattle, Washington; Dora, de- ceased: Howard, deceased ; Sophia, wife of John Wilson Adams, of Columbia City ; and William J .. also of Seattle, Washington.
Even this brief review will be sufficient to afford an idea of the accomplishments of our honored subject, who is well worthy of the title of a "self-made man," and whose actions ever stood in evidence of his sterling integrity and of high principles which shaped his career. Among the people who knew him so long and so well he passed the golden autumn of his life, secure in their esteem and confidence.
The close of this honorable and eventful life crowned with long years of successful service for the development of his country and the elevation of mankind. came like a gentle evening breeze, and the noble and courageous spirit answered the angel call and crossed the mystic river into the great beyond August 22, 1898. Mrs. Collins still resides in the old home, though since Mr. Collins' death, Mrs. Collins has laid out ten acres in city lots.
ELIZA J. COLLINS.
Eliza J. Fleming, wife of James S. Col- lins, was born at Londonderry. Ireland, No- vember 22, 1822. She was the youngest daughter of John and Frances Fleming. İn 1826 she came with her parents to America, they located in Philadelphia, where she re- sided until 1848. when she came to Indiana to visit an older sister living there. October 24, 1849, she married James S. Collins in
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St. Paul's Episcopal church, Richmond, In- diana, and immediately came as a bride to Columbia City. To this union were born six children: Jane H., of Columbia City ; Reginald Heber, of Seattle, Washington ; Dora A. (Mrs. Samuel Fleming), deceased ; Howard, also deceased; Sophia D. (Mrs. WV. J. Adams), of Columbia City ; and Wil- liam J., of Seattle, Washington. She has always been actively interested in every- thing for the advancement of the town. During the Civil war she engaged in the work of the sanitary commission. She has been a lifelong member of the Episcopal church and while she did not always have the church of her choice she freely helped in one and all of the churches, doing much in early days to build them up. From its formation she was a member of the Wom- an's Christian Temperance Union and all her life an advocate of temperance. She is also a member of the Woman's Relief Corps but of no secret order.
DANIEL DANIEL.
A creditable representative of the ster- ling German nationality in Columbia City is Daniel Daniel, who has for many years been actively identified with its varied interests, and who has attained a standing and influ- ence second to none. Mr. Daniel was born February 18, 1844, in the kingdom of Ba- varia, and there spent his early life and re- ceived his education. At twenty-two years of age he left his native land and came to the United States, sailing from Havre de Grace, France, for New York, and proceeding di-
rect to Columbia City, where his brother Leopold already was. For one year he traveled in Whitley and bordering counties as a peddler, carrying a pack of miscellane- ous merchandise, and learning the language as well as adding materially to his meager finances. In January, 1868, he and Mr. Levi became partners in a meat market, which they conducted for little more than a year, when he became sole owner, though his brother, Leopold, was soon taken in as a full partner. They thus operated for a period of seventeen years, during which time the brothers built up an extensive trade, becoming the largest dealers in their line of business in Whitley county. In 1882 the large brick building now owned by Daniel Daniel was erected at a cost of ten thou- sand dollars, one room being devoted to the meat business, which grew rapidly in magni- tude and importance and in connection with which the firm also did a large and thriving business buying and selling live stock.
At the expiration of seventeen years the meat market was sold to F. G. Binder, but the brothers continued their partnership as stock dealers, becoming the largest buyers and shippers in this part of the state. They also dealt quite extensively in wool, their combined business frequently amounting to over one hundred thousand dollars annually.
Mr. Daniel and his brother were asso- ciated for twenty-six years, when the firm was dissolved by mutual consent, since which time, 1894, they have carried on the stock business separately.
In addition to handling live stock, in which his yearly sales run from seventy-five thousand to one hundred thousand dollars, Daniel Daniel deals extensively in various
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other lines, buying and shipping most any kind of produce or merchandise for which there is demand and in connection conducts a large and well assorted shoe store, which, like his other enterprises, has proven successful.
Financially his success has been commen- surate with the intelligence, sound judgment and wise forethought displayed in his va- rious undertakings, and he is to-day one of the substantial citizens of the city and coun- ty, owning in addition to a fine residence and other property, a valuable farm, which is devoted to grazing.
Mr. Daniel takes a living interest in local affairs and, though never an aspirant for official preference, he accords staunch allegiance to the Democratic party and by reason of his eminent fitness has been twice elected to the city council, serving six years in that body. He is also jury commissioner, a position he has held continuously for twenty years and frequently he has been chosen delegate to county, district and state conventions. He is a Mason.
March 19, 1873, Mr. Daniel was united in marriage to Miss Hannah Levi, of Fort Wayne, the union resulting in the birth of the following children: Hattie, wife of S. A. Myers, of Ligonier, Indiana ; Sarah, wife of L. N. Allman, of Plymouth, Indiana ; Bertha, who married Benjamin Etlinger, of Chicago; Josie, wife of I. N. Baum, of Ligo- nier; Albert, associated with his father; Maurice, who is with his father, being in direct charge of the boot and shoe trade; Lewis, a traveling salesman representing the Myer Carriage Works, of Ligonier, of which his brother-in-law is the head.
Mr. Daniel has been actively identified
with the business interests of Columbia City since 1868, and, with the single exception of F. H. Foust, is the oldest business man in the place. He has led a busy life, as useful as it has been active, and as a result oc- cupies an influential place, not only in busi- ness circles and public affairs, but in the hearts and affections of the people, with whom he has been so intimately associated.
ASHER R. CLUGSTON.
This representative business man and re- spected citizen was born in New Castle county, Delaware, December 26, 1839. His father, Asher Clugston, a farmer by occupa- tion, was of Scotch descent, while his mother, whose maiden name was Catherine Rittenhouse, was of German lineage. Mr. Clugston was reared and educated in his na- tive commonwealth, remaining on the home farm until about twenty-two years of age. In 1862 he came to Whitley county and soon entered upon a mercantile career, to which his life has since been almost wholly de- voted, he now being reckoned one of the county's oldest merchants. For the past six years he has not been in direct management, though retaining his interest in the establish- ment with which he has so long been connected.
Mr. Clugston has achieved distinct suc- cess in his various enterprises, being classed with the financially substantial men of Whit- ley county, owning in addition to his interest in the mercantile business, valuable real estate alone and in association with his brother and brother-in-law, Henry McLallan. He owns
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personally a fine farm of two hundred and sixty acres, three miles northwest of Colum- bia City, in a rich agricultural section, where he was actively farming for some years, and which continues to yield a handsome return. That Mr. Clugston is public-spirited is amply shown by his being ever found ready to in- vest in and encourage any enterprise that promises lasting benefits to the community. He was one of the promoters and is vice- president of the cupboard factory, and by voice and influence las encouraged various other objects making for the city's welfare. He has always been a loyal supporter of the Democratic party, in defeat as in victory. but beyond voting his principles and main- taining the soundness of his opinions, has taken little interest in politics, having never aspired to leadership nor sought the honors and emoluments of office. He devoted his energies to the building up of a great mer- cantile interest, his establishment developing gradually till it far exceeds his fondest an- ticipations and giving him much more than a local reputation in commercial circles. He is a Mason of exalted rank, having advanced to the thirty-second degree in the Scottish Rite, has been accorded positions of honor and trust in the order and is widely and · favorably known among his brethren of the craft.
Mr. Clugston's domestic life dates from the year 1867, when he entered the marriage relation with Miss Mary A. Mattoon, of Northfield. Franklin county, Massachusetts, the native place of Dwight L. Moody, be- tween whom and Mrs. Clugston a warm friendship long obtained, the two having been pupils in the same school. Mrs. Clug- ston taught school, a work for which she
was eminently fitted and in which she at- tained creditable distinction. Possessing in- telligence and culture, she presides with grace and dignity over the beautiful and at- tractive home in which her domestic tastes shine with peculiar luster, and which through her winning personality has become a popular resort for the best society. Mr. and Mrs. Clugston have had three children, namely : Lucia E. married Dr. O. V. Schuman, of Columbia City : Gertrude M. is the wife of Charles H. Snyder, who is in the employ of the American Express Company in Chicago; Arthur W. died April 12, 1904. at the premature age of twenty-seven. He was a young man of fine mind and promis- ing business ability, who, after finishing his education had been in the store with his fa- ther. succeeding to the latter's interest in the establishment a short time prior to his death. Popular with all, and a general fa- vorite in the social circle, his life was full of promise, his future bright with hope, but the "King of Shadows" touched his brow with a merciless finger, the response taking from the family an only son and brother and from his associates and the community a keen and brilliant intellect, a genial compan- ion and a promising citizen.
CLINTON WILCOX.
Clinton Wilcox is a native of "Old Whitley" and within her borders has spent all his thirty-three years. Identified with her interests, connected through his parents with her growth and development and en- joying a wide acquaintance, there is good
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reason why he should enjoy general esteem. It was during the pioneer days that Gideon Wilcox came from Columbus, Ohio, to be- come a citizen of Indiana. He bought a small farm in Troy township, where by dint of industry and good management he not only made a living for those dependent upon him, but left a fine estate at his death in 1890. He had married Mary Aston in Ohio and she proved a most suitable colaborer and companion.
Clinton Wilcox was born in Troy town- ship, December 25, 1873. He received a good education in the schools of the neigh- borhood, besides becoming inured to the exacting but health-giving labor of the farm. At his father's death, when Clinton was but seventeen years old, he had the necessary experience and ability to enable him to take charge of and manage the farm. His only duties aside from this were con- nected with the office of justice of the peace, which he was called on to fill for a while in his township.
In 1893 Mr. Wilcox was married to Miss Ruby, daughter of Thomas C. and Mary (Noble) Havens, who also came from Ohio to Troy township at an early day. Mrs. Wilcox was born at the paternal homestead, December 25, 1871, and it is something of a coincidence that both she and her husband first opened their baby eyes when Santa Claus was delighting older children with the gifts peculiar to Christmas Day. Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox have three children : Paul C. W., Mary Ruth and Leland Stanford. He owns a valuable farin which was their home until his election to the treasurership in 1906. He is a Republican and a mem-
ber of the Modern Woodmen of America. His wife is a member of the Presbyterian church.
AUGUST ERDMANN.
The mechanic deserves much credit for the part he plays in the growth of States and nations, as without his constructive work, aided by the engineer, there could be no railroads, no canals, no electric lines and no cities. Any one looking over Columbia City will perhaps be surprised when told that nearly all the brick houses have been built by one firm, of which August Erd- mann has for years been ruling spirit. Such, however, is the fact and no apology is necessary to justify a few biographical facts in outline of his useful career. In- diana is indebted to Germany for this con- tributor to her industrial life, Mr. Erdmann being born in Hanover, February 1, 1844. His parents, August and Louisa (Shoultz) Erdmann, were both natives of the same sec- tion of the "Faderland," where the father was first engaged in hotel keeping and after- wards in stone-quarrying. They were mem- bers of the Lutheran church and after ful- filling all the duties incident to rearing a large family, they passed peacefully away with the Christian's hope of happiness in the life to come.
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