USA > Indiana > Whitley County > History of Whitley County, Indiana > Part 68
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URIAS HOSLER.
The family of this name originated in Switzerland and the emigrant ancestors came over during the latter part of the eight- eenth century settling in Pennsylvania. Ja- cob Hosler, one of their descendants, who spent his life in Pennsylvania, had a son George, who emigrated to Ohio, when twen- ty years old, and followed the trade of a car- penter. He married Mary, daughter of Da- vid Brady, who was born in Starke county. Ohio. Her father came from Ireland to the United States when fifteen years old and spent his life in Ohio. Mary (Brady) Hos- ler died in Stark county, at the age of sixty- four and her husband when forty-five years old. They had nine sons: Samuel, a resi- dent of Stark county, Ohio; Franklin, living in Massillon, Ohio: Jefferson, deceased : Urias : Allen and Calvin, deceased ; and three that died in infancy. Urias Hosler, fourth
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in order of birth, was born in Stark county. October 30. 1845. In July, 1862, when less than seventeen years old, he enlisted in Com- pany A of the Sixty-first Regiment but transferred as a company becoming Com- pany I. Seventy-sixth Regiment Ohio Volun- teer Infantry, which was afterwards at- tached to the First Brigade, Fifteenth Army Corps. He was the youngest man in the regiment that carried a gun. His first bat- tle was at Fort Donelson in which he was wounded, being the first man shot in the regiment. His next battle was on the bloody field of Shiloh. The regiment also participated at Stone River and Chicka- mauga, but owing to absence through sick- ness he was not in those engagements. He accompanied Sherman on his celebrated March to the Sea and took part in the fight- ing as Resaca, Buzzard's Roost, Peach Tree Creek. Culp's Farm, Atlanta and Benton- ville, returning home at the close of hostili- ties. He was married June II, 1867. to Catherine, daughter of Jacob and Catherine (Geib) Hose, natives of Prussia, Germany, who came to the United States in 1851 and settled in Massillon, Ohio. In 1873 they came to Columbia City, where Jacob died in 1878 and his wife in 1896. Mrs. Hosler was born. in Prussia on Christmas day, 1847. and hence was quite a small child when her parents came to America. They had eight children : Captain Jacob Hosler: Charles, Philip and William, deceased; Frederick. resident of Columbia City ; Adam, deceased, Catherine, and Mary, who died in infancy. After his marriage Mr. Hosler worked as a coal miner and in a blast furnace at Massil- lon until 1880, when he came to Whitley county and purchased a farm in Thorncreek
township, on which he has since lived. He has one hundred and four acres which he has improved by tiling and careful cultiva- tion until it has become productive and valu- able. He has a neat house, good barn, and other necessary outbuildings and altogether is comfortably situated. Mr. and Mrs. Hos- ler have had eleven children : Charles died in his eighteenth year; George, who married Maud Blakely, lives in Grand Rapids, Mich- igan, and works on the Grand Trunk Rail- way : Jacob Arthur, a railroad man, is now at home with his parents. All the others died young. Mrs. Hosler is a member of the Evangelical Association.
HENRY J. GUNDER.
As a faithful soldier, an industrious farmer and citizen, Henry J. Gunder de- serves and receives the good will and esteem of all who know him. He has done well his duty to himself and to his country and as the evening shadows lengthen can look back with pride to the stirring days of his young manhood and reflect with pleasure that he has done his part in helping along the indus- trial progress of the great republic. Daniel and Mary ( Rhoades) Gunder, the progeni- tors of the Indiana family, were natives re- spectively of Pennsylvania and Ohio. They were married in the Buckeye state, but about 1845 came to Allen county, Indiana, where they settled on a farm and spent the next twenty years, when the wife died. Daniel Gunder then moved to Noble county, where he spent the remainder of his days in farm- ing and kindred pursuits. During his prime
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he was noted for great strength and became time in that horrible den of death and suf- fering known as Libby Prison.
famed as an expert hewer of timber. He hewed the timber for the first bridge built over the St. Joseph River at Fort Wayne. He also ran a Maumee canal boat for several years, in the days when that mode of trans- portation was prosperous and popular own- ing a boat of which he was captain. He died in Michigan when about seventy years of age. He had seven children: Wesley who died in the army : Mary Jane and Mar- tha, deceased: Sarah, a resident of Detroit : Henry: Frank and George, deceased.
Henry J. Gunder, fifth in order, was born in Hocking county, Ohio, September 25. 1840. He spent his earlier years in Allen and Noble counties, managing to obtain a meager education by irregular attendance at the country schools. In this way he spent his boyhood and young manhood and had scarce reached his majority, when the great storm broke which was destined to influence the lives and careers of so many millions of men. In 1862 he enlisted in Company C. Thirtieth Regiment Indiana Volunteer In- fantry, with which he served his term and afterward re-enlisted in Company D. One Hundred and Forty-second Regiment, and continuing with this command until the end of the war. He saw much hard service and took part in numerous engagements , and skirmishes, including the battle of Nashville. His severest experience was in the battle of Stone River, which lasted three days, with varying fortunes to the troops engaged and dreadful slaughter on both sides. Mr. Gun- der had the misfortune to be taken prisoner in this historic engagement between the ar- mies of Rosecrans and Bragg and the still further misfortune to be confined for some
In 1866, while a resident of Noble coun- ty, Mr. Gunder married Minerva, daughter of John C. Reed, and lived for several years on a rented farm. In 1883 he removed to Whitley county and bought his present farm of one hundred acres. The place was badly run down when he got it, but Mr. Gunder by hard work and good management has converted it into a productive and valuable piece of property. His residence is a sub- stantial and comfortable structure, while the barn and other outbuildings are in keep- ing with the needs of a progressive farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Gunder have had seven chil- dren: Ella and Nettie, deceased; Bertha, wife of Lue Kindle, of Smith county, Kan- sas; Leonard, a farmer of Adams county. Indiana : Gertrude, wife of Walter Klick, of Noble county : Walter, also a resident of No- ble county ; and Nona, still at home with her parents. Mr. Gunder is a Republican.
FRANCIS MARION WRIGHT.
During the rush to the west, which char- acterized the earlier half of the nineteenth century, a young Marylander named Mat- thew Wright was one of the numerous crowd from "the eastern shore" who deter- mined to brave the dangers of the western wilderness in search of a betterment in his fortunes. Eventually he found himself in Licking county, Ohio, where he met and married Minerva Lake. a young woman from old Virginia, whose parents had set- tled there some years before. After mar-
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riage he remained there until 1864, when they came to Indiana, locating in Noble county, and lived there until their respective deaths. They were members of the Meth- odist church, found their livelihood in agri- cultural pursuits and became the parents of five children : Willis, who died in the army ; Alexander, deceased; Saralı, wife of Har- vey Hull, of Noble county ; Allen, a resident of Elkhart, Indiana, and Francis Marion Wright. The latter was born in Licking county, Ohio, September 3, 1852, and hence was about twelve years old when his parents came to Indiana. He grew up on a farm and has never known any other kind of work or business except that connected with agricul- tural pursuits. He remained at home until about twenty-six years of age, renting the homestead two years, then rented a farm in Noble county and spent several years in its cultivation. He then bought a small place near Wolf Lake, which he worked and man- aged for three years, and in 1884 purchased the tract of eighty acres in Etna township which has since been his place of residence. This land was not in very good condition when he got possession and he found it nec- essary to do much draining to render it fit for satisfactory cultivation. Some clearing was also needed, but by dint of hard work and careful management the place has been converted into a good average farm, with all necessary buildings and good comfort- able surroundings. Mr. Wright is a Repub- lican in politics, has served as township as- sessor and is at present a member of the ad- visory board. He is recognized as an in- dustrious farmer, a reliable business man and a good all-around citizen. May 20. 1878, Mr. Wright married Mary. daughter
of Daniel and Sarah (Wimer) Breninger, both of Stark county, who came to Noble county in the early pioneer days and lived there until their deaths many years ago. They had eleven children: Gabriel, Cath- erine and Alfred, deceased ; Delilah and Ly- dia, both residents of Noble county; Ella and Lina, deceased, and Mary, who was born in Noble county, March 9, 1856; Ro- setta, a resident of Stark county, Ohio; Jen- nie, a resident of Whitley county ; and Viola, who lives in Noble county. Mr. and Mrs. Wright have two children, Elva and Ches- ter. both still living with their parents, though Elva is a practical dressmaker. The mother is a member of the Freewill Baptist church.
MILES W. BRISTOW.
At the beginning of the nineteenth cen- tury Indiana was receiving most of its re- cruits from the nearby states, principally Ohio and Kentucky. Most of these had pre- viously come from the states further east. but after temporarily residing near the great river, pushed their fortunes into the wild territory bordering the White. Wabash and other streams flowing southwest. Among those who came in from Kentucky was Rev. Henry Bristow, who was born about 1810 and went to Ohio in the thirties, there mar- ried Louisa May and in 1842 removed to Indiana. They settled on a farm in Hancock county and resided there until their respect- ive deaths, his occurring in 1869 and his wife's in 1867. In addition to farming Henry Bristow was a minister of the Meth- odist Episcopal church and did much reli-
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gious work, often preaching to the congre- gations in the widely scattered meeting houses of those pioneer days. He was a good and useful man, who became well known and much respected throughout that section of the state. He had nine children : Lydia, now a resident of Fort Wayne; James, who died in the army : Sarah Isabella. living in Hancock county; Mary Eunice, de- ceased; Commodore Perry, a resident of Ohio : Miles \., Louisa and Jane, deceased ; and Amanda.
Miles W. Bristow, seventh in the above list, was born in Hancock county. September 15, 1858, and was nine years old when de- prived of his mother by death. David May. an uncle residing in Ohio, took the mother- less boy to his home and provided for him until the completion of his fifteenth year. He then returned to Hancock county, re- maining there two years, when he removed to Clinton county, where he worked on a farm until he reached his majority. During the two succeeding years he had charge of a harness and boot store at Kirklin, but in 1884 came to Whitley county and purchased a farm of eighty-three acres of land in Etna township. The place at that time was badly run down and without suitable buildings or fences. Mr. Bristow took hold energetically and by dint of hard work and costly im- provements has made his farm one of the best in the township. Among the improve- ments are a good barn and house, with all the smaller outbuildings needed for the con- venience and comfort of an up-to-date farin- er. In 1879. Mr. Bristow was married at Kirklin, Indiana, to Iola, daughter of Na- than and Sarah (Martin) Hendricks, both natives of Virginia, who settled in Clinton
county in pioneer times. The father was born in 1800 and died in 1871. The mother was born in 1817 and died in 1881. They had twelve children: John, deceased; Mar- garet, deceased; Sarah, Ella, William, and James, who died in the army; Eliza, de- ceased ; Minerva. Jerusha, two infants un- named, and Iola. Mr. and Mrs. Bristow have had five children: Elizabeth, wife of Roy W. Wigent, of Columbia City, has three children, Arthur, Mabel and Mary Iola : Iva Gertrude, wife of Edwin Secrist, a resident of Thorncreek township; Leslie, Pearlie and Bertie Elmer, still at home. Mr. Bristow is a Republican and served for four years as trustee of Etna township. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. also of the Rebecca Lodge, and both him- self and wife are members of the Freewill Baptist church.
ALFRED F. EVANS.
In 1846, when northern Indiana had made little headway along agricultural lines. Joseph and Lydia (Mark) Evans left their old home in Fayette county. Ohio, to seek better prospects in the newer state in the west. They settled on new land in Noble county and as most of the children were young, the prospects before them were gloomy. By dint of hard work, however. much grubbing, some ditching and a great deal of clearing, the newcomers in time had a very respectable farm. Joseph died in 1852, after having become the father of six children : Newton and Emily, deceased : Al- fred F. : Margaret Aun, drowned in infancy
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Almira and Mary Ann, deceased. The widow was married a second time to McIn- tyre Seymoure, by whom she had one child, Dora, a resident of Canada. Mrs. Seymoure died in March, 1888.
Alfred F. Evans, only surviver of the first children, was born in Fayette county, Ohio, September 27, 1840. He grew up on the farm in Noble county to which he had been brought when six years old and had the training inseparable from farm boys who appeared on the scene during the formative period of our state's agriculture. He be- came hardened to work, but he also acquired that experience which has proved invaluable to him in after life. August 5. 1862, he en- listed in Company I, Seventy-fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until the end of the war. He took part in the battle of Chickamauga, where his bri- gade fired the first volley as well as being the last troops to leave the field. He was with his command in the daring charge up Missionary Ridge, in the sharp encounter at Jonesborough, Georgia, and all through the Atlanta campaign. He accompanied Sherman in his famous "march to the sea" and took part in many skirmishes, closing his service by marching in the grand review. In 1868 Mr. Evans rented a farm in Noble county, which he worked till 1872, when he purchased his present farm of one hundred and twenty-six acres lying in Whitley county , and forty acres across the road in Noble county. At the time he bought it the Whit- ley county tract was all in woods with the exception of twenty acres. He put up a small house, in which he lived until times grew better, and in 1886 erected a residence of twelve rooms, in which he has since made
his home. In 1888 he built a large bank barn and by skillful management, crop rota- tion, keeping up the fertility and other meth- ods known to progressive agriculturists, he now has one of the best improved farms in Etna township.
October 15, 1868, Mr. Evans married Nancy, daughter of Daniel and Delilah (Bit- tle) Rex, he of Cincinnati, Ohio, she of Rockingham county. Virginia, who came to Elkhart county in 1864 and there spent the remainder of their lives. They had ten chil- dren: Sarah Jane, John, Nancy, who was born January 14, 1845: Mary Ann, Elmira, deceased; Melzona, George, deceased: Lu- ther, Catherine and Anna, deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Evans have had five children : Iva died in infancy; Charles married La- vina Kistler and has three children, Fredie, Zella and Gertrude; Edith, deceased wife of Edwin W. Secrist, who left two children, Ora, now dead, and Lonzo. Ola F., wife of William Kistler, of Thorncreek town- ship, has three children, Clyde, Carl and Edith; and Emma is still at home. The family are members of the Freewill Baptist church at Ormas, of which Mr. Evans is trustee and clerk. He is a Democrat and member of Etna post, No. 135, Grand Army of the Republic.
IRA CROW.
Daniel Crow emigrated from Pennsyl- vania to Wayne county, Indiana, early in the last century. He married Elizabeth Cran- ford and became a prosperous farmer. He died August '24, 1877, his wife having
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passed away April 2d previously. Among their children was William P. Crow, who was born April 29, 1829, in Wayne county, but after reaching manhood removed to Whitley county. November 3, 1859, he mar- ried Mary M. Orcutt, who was born in Ohio April 30, 1841, and settled on a farm in Etna township, where they lived until her death, May 12. 1888. She was a daughter of Har- vey and Mary (Palmer) Orcutt, who were married in 1834, came to Troy township in an early day and there the father died, April 4, 1888, the mother preceding him by some years. They had four children. Eugenia A., deceased wife of Edward Sarber; Ora E., present wife of Edward Sarber: and Frennie, wife of Claud K. Kelham, living at Frankfort, Indiana. After his wife's death, Mr. Crow retired from active business and went to live with a daughter at Garrett, In- diana. He is a member of the Baptist church as was also Mrs. Crow during her lifetime.
Ira Crow, third of the children in order of birth, was born January 22, 1865. on the paternal farm in Etna township. He grew up as a farmer boy, has continued in the same line of business since reaching man- hood and has spent his whole life in Etna township. At the settlement of the estate. subsequent to his mother's death, he bought the interest of the other heirs in addition to which, however, he rents and cultivates other land, being considered one of the successful and progressive farmers of Whitley county. He is also regarded as one of the most ad- vanced and thrifty of the younger genera- tion of farmers, as he endeavors to keep in touch with modern ideas and methods. In politics he is a Republican and his fraternal
associations are with Hecla lodge. No. 722. Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
January 23, 1889, Mr. Crow married Miss Anna. daughter of Albert and Sarah (Ruddles) Baugher, of Etna township. Mrs. Crow was born March 18, 1870. in Noble county. Mr. and Mrs. Crow have three chil- dren : Amy E., born May 9. 1890; Ralpli E., born December II. 1892: and Pearl M., born January 9, 1898.
JOHN DELANO.
Though his place is not the largest, and though he has occupied it only a few years. the above named gentleman has neverthe- less the reputation of being a model farmer and one of the best in Etna township. He has gained this standing not only by his, un- tiring industry, but by always showing good judgment and painstaking care in all branches of agriculture. The DeLanos orig- inated in the east many decades ago, but we first hear of the western branch of the fam- ily in Ohio. Abel DeLano, of Franklin, and Margaret Jane Thompson, of Delaware county. Ohio, met and married and came to Whitley county as early as 1850. It is pleasing to note that this worthy couple are still living in Troy township, where they settled in the middle of the last century. They are members of the Methodist Episco- pal church, and quiet, unobtrusive people. who have known no other life than farming and have spent their years in the uneventful routine incident to that calling. They had eight children: Milton. Philip, John, Ste- phen, Ira (deceased). Lawrence, Benjamin. and Henry.
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John DeLano, third in order, was born in Troy township, September 22, 1855. He worked on his father's farm and picked up a little education by attendance at the schools of those days and learned by painful experi- ence that it was no sinecure to make a suc- cess of farming. October 10, 1889, Mr. De- Lano married Rachel, daughter of Richard and Delila (Ratcliff) Vanderford, natives of Ross county, Ohio, who came to Whitley county about 1840 and settled on land in Troy township. They were popular people in their day, which was the "early day" so often mentioned in pioneer history, were members of the Methodist church and ob- servant of all the duties of good citizenship. Their nine children were : Simon, deceased : John, William, deceased ; Jesse, Matilda, de- ceased ; Franklin, Nathan, deceased, and De- lila. After his marriage Mr. DeLano did farm work for a while for wages and then rented the old Vanderford farm in Troy township for ten years. By the hardest kind of work and closest economy he saved enough money by 1901 to buy eighty acres of land in Etna township. At the present time he has about sixty-five acres under cul- tivation and everything is kept so neat and orderly as to show the presence of a good farmer. He resides in a comfortable frame house, has a barn and other outbuildings. and altogether may be said to live "right at home." The farm was formerly the home- stead of John A. Miller, deceased, and is one of the oldest farms in Etna township. It lies two and one-half miles west of Etna in a finely improved section of the county. No children have resulted from their marriage.
JONES L. SALTS
The emigrant ancestor of the Whitley county family of this name was an Englisli- man, who emigrated to Pennsylvania and spent his life there in various pursuits. Lo- ami Salts, one of his sons, removed to Fair- field county, Ohio, where he married Mary Longbrake and lived a number of years. In 1837 they came to Whitley county, which at that time was a malarious and unhealthy section, owing to the marshy and uncleared condition of the land. A child having sick- ened and died during the first year's resi- dence, they became discouraged and return- ed to Ohio, though on the return trip they lost a second child. In 1852 they again de- termined to test Whitley county as a place of residence and this time settled on an in- improved farm in Thorncreek township. where the wife died in 1866. After this event, the father married Irene Smith, who died some eight years later at their home. and he then lived with his children until death claimed him in 1879. They had eight children : Leah, wife of William Smith, her stepbrother, and who died in 1905: Sa- rah, a resident of Washington township and wife of Jonathan Hively ; Lucinda Jane, de- ceased wife of John R. Thorn: Jones L. : Hannah, deceased wife of Alonzo D. Thorn : Abraham G., of Miami county: and two who died in infancy.
Jones L. Salts, the fourth child in the above list, was born in Licking county, Ohio, July 16. 1845. and hence was but seven years old when his parents made their return trip to Whitley county. Nearly all his life has been devoted to farm work, but for a few
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years during his early manhood he was en- Shirly and Minnie, all still at home with their gaged in the grist and sawmill business in parents. The family are members of the Church of God. Mr. Salts is not tied to par- ty lines. Miami county. In 1886 he bought a farm of sixty-seven acres in Noble county, which he managed for a while but eventually sold and in 1893 purchased the one hundred and twenty acres in Etna township, which con- WILLIAM JOHNSON McCONNELL. stitutes his present homestead. This farm lies across the county line, eighty acres being in Noble and forty in Whitley. It is a valu- able and productive property and Mr. Salts has kept it in excellent condition since tak- ing charge. His residence is of modern construction, the barn is commodious, and everything in and about the place indicates thrift and good management.
February 1. 1873, Mr. Salts was united in marriage with Malisa, daughter of Cor- nelius and Mary (Grimes) Fuller, the former of New Jersey and the latter of Ohio. In 1855. they came to Allen county, where the father conducted a store for several years at Fuller's Corners, but later removed to Noble county. After a residence there of many years, accompanied by considerable worldly prosperity and the usual amount of misfortune and sorrow, Mrs. Fuller died in 1881. and her husband June 6, 1897. They had five children : Jacob, who died in child- hood: Malisa: Samantha. deceased wife of Sheldon Beal; Rufus C., a resident of No- ble county : Amanda, deceased wife of Rey- nine children: Edgebert, who died in in- fancy : Lura V., wife of John Milen Slaugh- nolds Thorn. Mr. and Mrs. Salts have had terbeck, has two children, Walter E. and Ethel May: Cecil, married Myrtle Dunfee and lives in Noble county: Grace B .. wife of Noel Clingman, of Elkhart county, has one child. Eula : Jesse A .. Frederick, Chloe.
William Johnson McConnell, one of the successful farmers and esteemed citizens of Whitley county, was born in Putnam county. Ohio. October 5, 1855, and is the son of Isaac and Mary J. (Lowry) McConnell. The paternal grandfather was Nicholas McCon- nell, who came from Virginia and located in Putnam county, Ohio, in 1836, and there his death occurred at the age of seventy- eight. The maternal grandfather was Rob- ert Lowry, a native of Ireland, and who came to America a young man, first settling in Mahoning county, but later removed to Putnam county, where he lived during the remainder of his life, his death occurring in 1848. Mrs. McConnell's mother was Re- becca (Stewart) Lowry, a native of Penn- sylvania, and the daughter of Robert Stew- art. Her death occurred in 1843. These grandparents had nine children, the only one now living being Mrs. McConnell. Isaac McConnell was born in Portage county. Ohio, in 1818 and throughout his entire life was a farmer. In 1839 he was united in marriage to Miss Mary J. Lowry and they became the parents of six children: Ruth Almina, died in childhood : Rebecca, wife of Henry Lenhart, died at the age of fifty-two: Lydia Jane, wife of Thomas Miller. is a resident of Marette. Michigan; Almina Ruth, died in childhood: Sarah Olive, de- ceased· wife of Alexander Bell: William J. :
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