USA > Indiana > Whitley County > History of Whitley County, Indiana > Part 80
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from which two hundred gallons of syrup can be produced annually.
November 13, 1884. Mr. Snyder married Susannah Stockert, who was born in Stark county, Ohio, December 23, 1858. Her parents. Jacob and Mary (Baer) Stockert, the former of Germany, lived a number of years in Ohio but about 1865 came to Whit- ley county and settled in Smith township, where they still reside. They have had five children : Susannah ; George, deceased : John J., of Churubusco : Mary, and Luey L. Mr. and Mrs. Snyder have two children : Mary A. is now teaching in the same school house where her father taught twenty-four years before, and she has pupils whose older brothers and sisters attended her father's school: Walter H. is a student in the Val- paraiso normal. In addition to their own children, Talbert Parkinson was taken at ten years of age and is being reared as one of their own. Mr. and Mrs. Snyder are members of the Evangelical Association and people of the first consideration in their neighborhood. He is a Republican.
JOHN S. SNYDER.
Among the large and worthy army of men who have worked hard for generations to bring about the present agricultural de- velopment of Whitley county, none have done their share more unpretentiously than this industrious farmer of Thorncreek town- ship. He has known no other business and few men have stuck so steadily to one pur- suit, with a determination to conquer. He has met all discouragements. triumphed
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over all the countless difficulties and today has to show for his labor and patience a comfortable home, a well tilled farm and the good will and esteem of all his neighbors. Mr. Snyder is a son of William and Malinda (Hasty) Snyder, natives of Preble county, Ohio, who came to Indiana about 1852. The father purchased one hundred and fifty- two acres in Thorncreek township, which was at that time wild and unimproved. He set to work with a will and in the course of time effected a wonderful revolution both in the looks and value of his place. In 1896, he closed his career after a long life of hard work, but had the satisfaction of realizing before his eyes closed on this world that he had accumulated something to leave his fam- ily. His widow married Daniel Berry and lives with him in Jefferson township, in the enjoyment of a hale and hearty old age. William Snyder and wife were members of the Methodist church and always supporters of every good cause in the neighborhood. They had eight children: . Marcus, Alexan- der. Mary, Jane, Amos, Sarah, John S., William R. and Henry, of whom six are living.
John S. Snyder, the sixth, was born on the farm where he now lives, May 10, 1857. and here grew to maturity. Here he has spent his entire life, with the exception of four years in Richland township and four years passed in the state of Iowa. He pur- chased ninety-four acres of his father's old farm, which he has improved with comfort- able buildings and placed in up-to-date shape in every respect, being regarded as one of the successful farmers of this section. March 15. 1877, he married Mary, daughter of Henry and Sophia (Karns) Shonck,. natives
of Pennsylvania, but early settlers of Wash- ington township. He died in December, 1901, surviving his wife about twenty-five years. They had seven children: Catha- rine, Margaret, Henry, who died in infancy ; Elizabeth, John, died at fourteen; Fanny and Mary. Mr. and Mrs. Snyder have two children : William H. married Alma Payne, lives in Richland township and has three children, Howard, Glen and Dorothy; Cora, wife of Arthur C. Miller, has one child, Gerald Douglas. Mr. and Mrs. Snyder be- long to the Baptist church and he is a mem- ber of the republican party.
SAMUEL H. FLICKINGER.
The Flickingers are of German origin, but have been represented in the United States, the antecedents of the American branch of the family settling in Pennsyl- vania, where Samuel H.'s grandfather was born and reared. From there he migrated to Ohio, where, in addition to the trade of weaving, he tilled the soil and in the course of time became one of the largest and most successful farmers in the county of Stark. In his family of eight children was a son, Jeremiah Flickinger, who was nine years of age when the removal to Ohio took place. He was reared in Stark county and when young purchased land in Ohio, which he improved and on which he lived until his removal to Whitley county, where during the winter following his arrival he worked at his trade of shoemaking and then bought a quarter section of wild land in Richland township, which in due season he converted
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into a splendid farm, the improvements be- ern buildings, including a comfortable and ing among the best in the community. Sub- commodious dwelling and a good barn. Mr. Flickinger is an enterprising farmer, an in- dustrious man who has ever attended strictly to his own affairs and as a neighbor and citizen is accommodating and public spirited, and he enjoys the esteem of all who come within the range of his influence. He is a Democrat in his political affiliations and while manifesting an abiding interest in the success of his party, has no taste for meth- ods of the partisan nor any inclination to enter the arena of the professional office seeker. sequently he bought another farm, where he spent the remainder of his days, departing this life in 1904, at the ripe old age of eighty. Jeremiah Flickinger was married in Ohio to Rachel Wartenberger, who bore him twelve children: Elizabeth and Lydia, de- ceased; Mercy married J. Martin and is deceased : Mollie, who married David Kin- sey; Peter, deceased; Nancy, now Mrs. S. A. Martin; Samuel H .; Viola, who became the wife of Rufus Nei; Cora S., wife of Stephen A. Shaw, and two who died in infancy.
Samuel H. Flickinger was born in Rich- land township, August 25, 1860, was reared on the family homestead and received a practical education in the public schools. He began life for himself as a tiller of the soil and for four years cultivated a part of the farm, when he married and set up a do- mestic establishment of his own, taking charge of the entire place which he managed with success during the eleven years ensu- ing. The lady Mr. Flickinger chose for his wife and companion was Miss Chloe Fox, the ceremony being solemnized October 12, 1885. Mrs. Flickinger was born and reared in Whitley county, her parents, Jacob and Caroline, moving from Seneca county, Ohio, several years prior to her birth. At the ex- piration of the peroid indicated, Mr. Flick- inger gave up the home place and purchased eighty acres of land in Union township, four miles east of Columbia City, to which he removed and which under his effective labor and successful management has been well improved and brought to a high state of cultivation. He has erected substantial mod-
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Flickin- ger has been blessed with one child, Blanche E., who is now a student in the schools of Coesse.
JOHN A. HAMMER.
Among the successful agriculturists of Union township is John A. Hammer, who belongs to that large and substantial class of citizens to whom the country is greatly indebted for the progress it has made during the last quarter of a century. Mr. Hammer was born on the farm where he now resides August 22, 1864, and has practically spent his life within the borders of the county. His father, Jacob Hammer, a native of Pennsyl- vania, was born in 1833, came to Whitley county in 1858 and purchased this home- stead of eighty acres, which he cleared and developed and to which he subsequently add- ed until the farm now contains one hundred and seventy acres of fine land, well drained naturally and by tiling and exceedingly pro- ductive. Jacob Hammer resided on this farm
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continuously for a period of forty-four years and was one of the oldest and most highly es- teemed citizens. Jacob Hammer died January 27, 1902, of cancer of the stomach. In politics he was always an ardent Democrat and in religion belonged, with his wife, to the Lutheran church. The widow now resides in Columbia City. Mary Schultz, who be- came the wife of Jacob Hammer, in 1855 at Chillicothe, Ohio, was born in Germany in 1834 and when sixteen accompanied the fam- ily to America. Her father, Henry Schultz, was a native of Prussia and settled at Chilli- cothe, Ohio, and in 1858 came to Whitley county, Indiana. He had served several years as a regimental bugler in the German army and was an accomplished musician. He was run over by a train on the Pennsyl- vania Railroad, being caught in a cattle guard and the trainmen failing to observe the warning of his red handkerchief tied to his cane. At the time of his death he was seventy-three years old.
Mrs. Schultz, whose birth occurred in Germany in 1805, died at the age of ninety- eight years. She was the mother of two children: Charles, who was accidentally drowned in the Ohio river; and Mary, the wife of Jacob Hammer. The Hammer chil- dren are four : Edward M. was on the farm until he entered railway service and became agent of the station at Coesse and so con- tinued till his death at forty-two; Charles remains with his mother: John A .; and Hugh, a traveling boiler inspector at Chica- go, with the Fidelity and Casualty Company. John A. Hammer received his preliminary education in the public schools, later finished his scholastic training in the Northern Indi- ana Normal University at Valparaiso. after
which he took charge of the farm and turned his attention chiefly to the breeding of short- horn cattle and Chester White swine, an enterprise which from the beginning proved successful, and which he has continued with gratifying success to the present time. In addition to clearing and otherwise improving a large portion of the paternal estate, he pur- chased eighty acres of partly improved land which he divested of timber and drained, and still later bought an additional seventy acres, the two tracts with the homestead of one hundred and seventy acres, lying in one body and constituting one of the finest stock farms in Whitley county. Mr. Hammer has a fine residence and good outbuildings and as a farmer and stockman is enterprising in all the term implies, feeding all the products of his farm to cattle and hogs, in the breeding and raising of which he has earned a reputation of much more than local limits. He makes a specialty of registered shorthorn cattle and Chester White hogs, and in all of his expe- rience with the latter he has never had a case of cholera nor lost a single animal from disease of any kind. In connection with his large and growing live stock interests he is also extensively engaged in the manufacture of butter, for which there is a much greater demand than he can possibly supply, keeping for this purpose an average of from eight to twelve 'fine cows, all of which have been ju- diciously selected and to which he devotes the greater part of his time. While primar- ily a business man and making other consid- erations subordinate to the various enter- prise in hand, Mr. Hammer is not unmindful of his duties as a citizen or the debt he owes the community as an influential factor in its public affairs. He is a Democrat, though not
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a partisan nor an office seeker, but keeps abreast of the times on all questions and is- sues in which the public is interested. Fra- ternally he is a Master Mason and religious- ly subscribes to the Lutheran creed, his wife being a member of the same body.
Mr. Hammer was married September 16, 1893, to Miss Nora Hess, daughter of John and Cynthia Hess and born and reared on an adjoining farm.
HENRY SIEVERS.
Farmer and trustee of Columbia town- ship, was born in Whitley county, three and a half miles south of Columbia City, Octo- ber 30, 1860, and practically has spent his entire life within its boundaries. William Sievers, a native of Germany, came to America when about fourteen years old and settled with his parents in Whitley county, where he assisted in clearing a farm, which he now owns. He had a good education in his native tongue, but knew nothing of the English language, but by mingling with his friends and associates he soon mastered it at least so as to converse with ease and flu- ency. William Sievers began farming for himself, in which he met with success, and purchasing land from time to time he be- came the possessor of two hundred and thirty-three acres. The greater part of his real estate he has divided among his chil- dren, keeping only sufficient to insure him a good home and comfortable livelihood. He is now eighty-one years of age, but re- tains to a marked degree his physical and mental powers. He has been thrice married,
the four children born to his first wife, who died in 1869, growing to maturity. They are Nancy, now Mrs. William H. Smith, a farmer and stock-raiser of Whitley county; Henry, William Jr., who follows farming and threshing; and August, also a farmer.
Henry Sievers received a good German education in a parochial school and a fair knowledge of English in the district schools, which he attended only about seven months. Being reared on the farm, he early learned by experience the meaning of hard work, and having decided to make agriculture his vocation, bent all his energies to make it result in the largest measure of success pos- sible. He remained on the homestead, as- sisting his father until his twenty-fourth year, when he received a portion of his mother's share by inheritance, and later he purchased the shares of other heirs, which made eighty acres, having sixty-five in cul- tivation. He has substantial improvements, including dwelling, barn, outbuildings, fenc- ing and drainage.
August 9, 1885, he entered the marriage relation with Miss Minerva Bordner, of Whitley county, whose parents, natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio respectively, came to this section over a half century ago and have lived here ever since, the father, William, having reached the age of eighty-two, the mother, Sarah, being in her sixty-ninth year. Mr. and Mrs. Sievers have seven children, the oldest being Bessie M., the wife of Charles Kneller, a farmer and stock-raiser of this county; Dora V., a graduate of the public schools and still a member of the home circle; William H. is his father's as- sistant; Mary, Charles W., Sarah and Alice R.
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Mr. and Mrs. Sievers, together with their children, are members of the Lutheran church, are loyal to its teachings, and for eight years Mr. Sievers has been trustee. For fourteen years he was solicitor for the Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company, during which time he did a large and lucra- tive business throughout Whitley and ad- joining counties, resigning to accept the of- fice of township trustee, to which he was elected in 1904 and in which he is now serv- ing his first term. He is a pronounced Dem- ocrat and is a leader of the party in his township, wielding an influence which has contributed not a little to the success of the ticket. He has eight schools and besides transfers about one hundred pupils to the Columbia City schools, and of these eight- een are in the high school. He has erected one new school building. His policy is to employ home teachers as much as possible.
FRANK E. MINER.
Frank E. Miner, who occupies a com- manding position in business circles, was born in Columbia City February 24, 1871, and is the son of Simon P. and Malissa (Arlin) Miner, both natives of Ohio. The father of Simon P. Miner was a lawyer and at one time served as postmaster of Colum- bia City. His seven sons are now all de- ceased. Simon P. Miner accompanied his father to Whitley county and for several years remained on the farm. Subsequently he was engaged in drayage and street sprinkling in Columbia City during the re- mainder of his active years. His death oc-
curred in Columbia City in 1876. Mr. and Mrs. Miner were the parents of three chil- dren: Charles, who is a photographer of Fort Wayne; Frank E., and Rosa, who died in infancy. Mrs. Miner later became the wife of John B. Sterling, a farmer of Whit- ley county, whom she survives, now residing with her son Charles in Fort Wayne.
Frank E. Miner received his education in the common schools of Columbia City. At fourteen years he worked for J. W. Baker in the telephone office for one year, when he was taken into the printing office and be- gan to learn the printer's art. He remained in the office nine years, working up from "devil" through all the grades to that of foreman and city editor. For several months. in 1894 he traveled in the interest of a busi- ness man's directory. He was then with the Columbia City Post one year and in 1896. came to South Whitley, buying "The News" of R. J. Emerson, which he has continued to. publish, making it a progressive and mod- ern news journal. His ambition not being limited to the demands of an independent country newspaper Mr. Miner soon began to extend his job department and in a few years found there was practically no limit to the possibilities of expansion. The need of greater capitalization was soon felt and an incorporation, "The A to Z Printing Company," was organized with Mr. Miner as business manager and treasurer. His as- sociates are E. R. and J. W. Hibbard, of Chicago and New York respectively.
The industry occupies a floor space of thirty-six thousand square feet, and has five Miehle presses with automatic feeders and employs fifty to one hundred people. It makes a specialty of large editions of
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pamphlet printing, some contracts running to ten million copies, three million in one instance being sent out by mail, thus making a first class office of South Whitley, its busi- ness for 1906 being over $42,000. Recently another line of industry has been added and that is the manufacture of a patent lock-nut, "The Grip Nut Company" being managed by Mr. Miner and operated in connection with the printing plant.
June 28, 1894, Mr. Miner was married to Mary E. Beeson, who was born in Co- lumbia City and is the daughter of Henry H. and Magdalena Beeson, residents of South Whitley, where Mr. Beeson is a ma- chinist with the printing company. They are the parents of three children : Charles, a teacher in the Latin department in the Uni- versity of Chicago; Mary E. and Margue- rite, at home. Fraternally Mr. Miner is a member of the Elks and of the Masonic order. Both himself and wife are members of the Lutheran church.
ROBERT JACOB EMERSON.
Robert Jacob Emerson, cashier of the Farmers' State Bank of South Whitley, was born in Whitley county January 9, 1856, and is the son of Milton B. and Elizabeth (Scott) Emerson, his parents being Jacob and Elizabeth (Merriman) Emerson, the former of whom was a native of Virginia and came to Wayne county, Ohio, where they were married and passed the remainder of their lives. They became the parents of eight children. Milton B. Emerson was born in Wayne county, Ohio in 1830 and grew to
manhood assisting his father in the making of a farm and received a fair education. He came to Indiana in 1851 and taught school, retiring to Ohio at its close. On coming back to Whitley county in 1852 he made shingles and worked at carpentering. In 1855 he secured a tract of land in Washing- ton township, where for twenty-two years he ran a saw mill, operated his farm and was a stock grower. He located in 1877 on what is known as the Harter farm in Cleve- land township, containing over two hundred acres, and there his death occurred June 22, 1896. He was a member late in life of the Methodist church, and helped to build the Washington Center United Brethren church. He served six years as county commis- sioner, the present county jail and sheriff's residence being erected under his supervi- sion. Many other public improvements were carried forward also during his incumbency. He was a justice of the peace in both Wash- ington and Cleveland townships. Though his policy was to encourage amicable settle- ment of disputes rather than recourse to the courts.
Mr. and Mrs. Milton B. Emerson, who- were married February 27, 1854, were the parents of seven children: Robert Jacob; Franklin P., a farmer of Elkhart county ; Noah Webster, who resides in Marion; Wil- liam E., who is living in St. Louis, Mis- souri : Leander F., deceased : Celeste E., who is the wife of Hugo Logan, and Sarah E .. wife of Albert E. Nabor, of North Manches- ter. Mrs. Emerson was born in Wayne county, Ohio, October 8. 1835, and died in 1887. She was a member of the Methodist church, and a daughter of Robert and Char- lotte (Firestone) Scott, the former of Scotch-
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extraction, was a farmer and stockman and Whitley. He became cashier of the Farm- spent his entire life in Ohio.
Robert Jacob Emerson was reared under the parental roof and attended the common schools until seventeen, supplementing this by attendance at Roanoks seminary and the Valparaiso normal school, and at Hillsdale College in Michigan. He early became a teacher and for twenty years devoted him- self almost exclusively to the demands of the school room, some years being spent in the schools at South Whitley and he then took charge of the schools and the progress was so marked and his impress for advance- ment so emphatic that he was induced to re- main in this position until rounding out a period of twenty years devoted to direct ef- forts in youthful training. Wishing to ex- tend his influence as an educator he decided to embark in the publication of a newspaper which he did in association with his brother Webster, purchasing the "Orville Crescent" in Wayne county, Ohio. He was in Colum- bia City for three years. Mr. Emerson soon returned to Indiana and purchased the South Whitley "News," of which he con- tinued as publisher until 1896, selling to F. E. Miner. He then went to the Pacific coast. visiting more especially the Puget Sound country. After the death of his brother. Leander W., he read law and was admitted to the bar. In connection with his practice he dealt largely in insurance, loans and real estate, and served as justice of the peace. Desiring to educate his son he moved to Fort Wayne, and after the latter's gradua- tion in the International Business College, he returned to the old homestead which he had purchased but of which he disposed and engaged in the banking business in South
ers' State Bank upon its reorganization in April, 1906, and has since given it his per- sonal attention. Several home citizens are stockholders and its condition and growth are thoroughly satisfactory.
Mr. Emerson was married on June 16, 1881, to Miss Elma Lash, the daughter of Simon P. and Mary (Koehler) Lash, both like herself, natives of Kosciusko county. Mr. and Mrs. Emerson have one surviving child, Milton Earl, who is now chief train dispatcher for the Fort Wayne & Wabash Valley Traction Company. Politically Mr. Emerson is a supporter of the Democratic party, but looks to the personnel of candi- dates rather than to the tie of party lines, while fraternally he is a member of the Knights of Pythias. He and his wife are members of the Methodist church. Mr. Emerson is genial in manner, kindly in disposition, cheerful in temperament, and enjoys the confidence and warm regard of all with whom he comes in contact.
THOMAS L. HILDEBRAND.
Thomas L. Hildebrand, assistant caslı- ier of the First National Bank, Colum- bia City, was born at Williamsport, Al- len county, Indiana. November 26, 1874. His parents were William and Anna (White) Hildebrand, he a descendant of the early Pennsylvania German immigrants and she of Scotch-Irish and English lineage. He was a soldier throughout the Civil war, re- ceiving his honorable discharge and living a life consistent with the best citizenship.
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He died in 1887. His widow survives at Ohio, March 7, 1845, being a son of Henry Columbia City, where she has hosts of D. and Eve Baker, the former a Virginian warm personal friends. and the latter from Pennsylvania. As early Thomas L. received the usual common school training and in the fall of 1889 he entered the service of the banking house of E. L. McLallen & Co., then known as the Farmers' Bank. Upon its reorganization into the First National Bank in 1904 he became asssitant cashier to the duties of which he has closely attended though he also holds the position of treasurer of the Whitley County Building and Loan Associ- ation. A friend describes Mr. Hildebrand as a keen observer, frank and fearless in expression of opinion, yet having a happy faculty of making and retaining warm friendships. He is a member of the Prot- estant Episcopal church. In Masonry he affiliates with the Blue Lodge, Royal Arch Chapter and Council, and has represented the local body in the Grand Lodge. Though usually voting the Democratic ticket, he has not allowed political ambition to interfere with business. as 1862 we find young Baker at Warsaw "slinging type" in the office of the "Northern Indianian," to which he kept steadily for seven years, during one of which he was pub- lisher of that paper. In January, 1869, he re- moved to Columbia City, and on the 17th of that month appeared the first number of "The Commercial," a paper that for thirty- eight years has been the leading dispenser of news in Whitley county. The weekly was published continuously until September. 1888, when the "Daily Commercial" was es- tablished and both editions were regularly issued until January 9, 1905. The two papers were then sold to W. W. Williamson, of the "Columbia City Mail." During his thirty-eight years as editor and publisher, Mr. Baker bore full share in all the political battles fought in Whitley county, and ex- erted marked influence in the numerous con- troversies affecting the growth, development and reformation of his adopted county.
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