History of the Catholic church in Indiana, Volume II, Part 65

Author: Blanchard, Charles, fl. 1882-1900, ed
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: Logansport, Ind., A. W. Bowen & co.
Number of Pages: 1476

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Michael Miller, the subject of this memoir, attended the Coffee school, as it was then called, three miles south of Decatur, until he was fourteen years of age, and then worked on his father's farm until his marriage, November 4, 1880, to Miss Mary C. M. Gass, daughter of John P. Gass, before alluded to as one of the early Catholic settlers of Washington township, Adams county. Mr. Gass was born in France, November 24, 1813, a son of Henry and Catherine Gass, and was by them brought to America in 1828, being thirty-eight days on the voyage and landing in New York city, whence the family went to Oswego county, N. Y., where they resided nine years, and then moved to Wayne county, Ohio, where they lived another period of nine years. April 10, 1846, Mr. Gass married Miss Catherine Moine, and of the three children born to this union, one only remains-Mrs. Miller. In the fall of 1847, Mr. Gass came to Adams county, Ind., and settled on section No.

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THE CLERGY AND CONGREGATIONS,

33, in Washington township, which was then a wilderness. He erected a log cabin for his habitation, cut down the major portion of the timber and developed an excellent farm of 217 acres, which he subsequently improved with modern buildings. Here his wife died January 12, 1883, and her remains were interred in the old Catholic cemetery at Decatur, but just previous to his own death, which occurred December 13, 1895. he had her remains disin- terred and transferred to St. Joseph's cemetery, where they now rest beside his own. Mr. and Mrs. Miller now occupy the old Gass homestead, with their two children-Bertha E. and Mary C. A., and are active members of St. Mary's Catholic church at Deca- tur. Mr. Miller has been industrious and frugal throughout his life, yet has been very charitable and liberal in his aid to church support and the advancement of the interests of his township, of which he is one of the most respected residents.

JACOB MILLER. foreman of Rauch's cigar factory, Indianap- J olis, is a native of Ripley county, Ind., and was born near New Marion, February 15, 1845, a son of Nicholas and Mary (Rechtewald) Miller, natives of Germany, and the parents of nine children, of whom the elder three were also born in Germany, the nine having been born in the following order: Mary, wife of John Biedenbach, of Jeffersonville, Ind .; Margaret, deceased wife of John A. Heidlinger, died in Indianapolis in May, 1881, at the age of forty-three years; Nicholas, chief engineer of the Cerealine works, Indianapolis, and married; Katherine, who died on Good Friday, 1870, at the age of twenty-seven years; Jacob, our subject; John, who has not been heard of since 1870, and who, it is sur- mised, lost his life in the great Chicago fire of 1871; Matthew, a carpenter of Paducah, Ky .; Sebastian, who died at the age of thirty-seven years, being then foreman of the wheel works in Indi- anapolis, and Peter, who is in business in Jackson, Tenn.

Nicholas Miller, father of the above family, brought his wife and three German-born children to America in August, 1841, and located on a farm in Ripley county, where Katherine and Jacob (1036)

CATHOLIC CHURCH OF INDIANA.

were born. In 1846. the family removed to Madison, Ind., and there the mother was called from earth in 1882, at the age of seventy-three years. After this bereavement, Mr. Miller made his home, alternately, with his eldest daughter in Madison, his son in Paducah, and again with his eldest daughter, and at her home passed away in 1893, at the age of eighty-four years.

Jacob Miller served an apprenticeship at cigarmaking under his brother-in-law, John Heidlinger, in Indianapolis, and then, from 1869 to 1872, was in the grocery trade at Nokomis, Ill. ; from 1874 TO 1876, he was a member of the Indianapolis police force, and then worked at his trade until 1885, when he was chosen clerk of the board of health, which position he held two years; he was then re-appointed to the police force, and served three years, when he again resumed his trade, and since 1890 has held his present posi- tion as foreman of the extensive cigar manufactory of John Rauch, at No. 82 West Washington street.

Mr. Miller was united in marriage, in 1866, at St. John's church, by Very Rev. Father Bessonies, with Miss Katherine Murphy, a native of Ireland. To this marriage were born seven children, of whom two died in infancy-Anna and William; Frank R. is married and resides in Muncie, Ind. : Ella, John, Flora and Katherine, all now at mature age, still reside under the parental roof. Mrs. Katherine Miller was called away in March, 1879, and in 1880 Mr. Miller was married, in St. Bridget's church, by Rev. Father Curran, to Mrs. Elizabeth A. Looney, whose maiden name was O'Meara-this being the first marriage to be solemnized in the new church edifice. Mrs. Miller was born in Ireland, and by her first husband, Edward Looney, became the mother of three chil- dren-Nellie, Nora and May, of whom Nellie and Nora have passed away. To the second marriage of Mr. Miller have been born two children -- Delphie and Gertrude.

Mr. Miller is a gentleman of intelligence, and his family are cultured and refined. His home, at No. 520 Blake street, is sup- plied with a good library and musical instruments, is handsomely furnished, and is the seat of a generous hospitality and domestic felicity. He is a member of the Catholic Knights of America, in branch No. 22, of which he has served four years as financial secre-

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tary; is also a member of the German society of Sacred Heart church, and a member of the Knights of Pythias. The family are members of St. Bridget's church, in which Mrs. Miller belongs to the Altar society and the daughters to the Young Ladies' sodality. In politics Mr. Miller is independent and has never sought public office, although he has served, by political appointment, in the position of clerk to the board of health, as previously mentioned.

A DAM STRATMAN, the leading hardware merchant of Hunt- ingburg, Dubois county, Ind., was born in Ausberg, Prussia, December 8, 1849, and was brought to the United States by his parents, who arrived in Covington, Ky., April 30, 1856. He received a good education in St. Joseph's parochial school of that city and was there reared to manhood. February 3, 1873, he was united in marriage with Miss Caroline Schnell, daughter of Henry Schnell, of Schnellville, Ind., but August 10, 1897, was bereaved of his beloved wife, whose remains were most reverently interred in St. Mary's Catholic cemetery in Huntingburg, being followed to the grave by a large number of mourning friends, as she was greatly respected as a most charitable lady, who was ever ready to assist any and all who were in need. Mr. Stratman remained a widower until October, 1898, when he was united in matrimony with Miss Rosa E. Schmitt, the youngest daughter of August Schmitt, a dealer in stoves and tinware, and one of the leading Catholics of Evansville, Ind.

Mr. Stratman began his business life as a blacksmith, which trade he learned in Covington, Ky., but later spent several years in milling and was at one time a large dealer in lumber. Subse- quently he engaged in farming in Dubois county, Ind., but in 1883 disposed of his farm and invested the proceeds in Huntingburg lots and also engaged in the hardware trade on Fifth street, near Wash- ington. The original building was a frame structure of two stories, 56 x 60 feet, and was erected in 1884. His business rapidly increased, and an addition of twenty-three feet was later made, and in 1892 the building was lengthened to 120 feet. Everything was

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ADAM STRATMANN.

CATHOLIC CHURCH OF INDIANA.

prospering with Mr. Stratman, but in April, 1893, fire destroyed all his property, with the exception of one of his warehouses. The value of the destroyed buildings and stock was about $16,000, on which there was an insurance for only $4,200, and when a settle- ment with the underwriters was had, Mr. Stratman received $3,400 in cash, as one of the companies in which he held $800 insurance failed. With this small capital, but with undiminished energy and pluck, he set himself to resume, and in May, 1893, he organized the Stratman Hardware & Builders' Supply company, and the pres- ent two-and-a-half-story brick building, 40 x 120 feet in dimensions, was the result. This is without a superior of the kind in the state, and in 1896 Mr. Stratman was enabled to purchase the interests of all the other stockholders.

Mr. Stratman has been one of the most successful business men in southern Indiana, and any attempt to enumerate the im- mense number of articles carried in stock by him would prove an almost endless task. But it is the immensity of this stock, and the skill which he has displayed in its selection, that have brought him this success. Every man who has ever been in his place of busi- ness joins in testifying to the great number and variety of the arti- cles kept on hand, and experienced traveling salesmen freely com- pliment him on his excellent arrangement and tasty display beside.

In addition to conducting his hardware establishment, Mr. Stratman is one of five stockholders who own and control a dry- press brick plant, which turns out a fine grade of building brick of various shades and shapes, as well as fire brick of an excellent quality, and also raw and pulverized fire-clay. He is likewise a stockholder in the Farmers' Milling company, in the Fair associa- tion, and in the Huntingburg bank, but in spite of his multitudi- nous business transactions, Mr. Stratman has found time to serve his fellow-citizens in various official capacities as a democrat, having been town trustee two terms, city assessor one term, and has been city commissioner from the time Huntingburg was in- corporated until the present, and is also a member of the Business Men's association. An earnest Catholic in religion, he freely con- tributes to the support of the church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at Huntingburg, of which Rev. Augustine Falley is

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the pastor. Mr. Stratman also holds membership with the Cath- olic Knights of America, branch No. 534, and with St. Augustine council, No. 497, Young Men's institute, and is in every way a progressive and public-spirited citizen.

N ICHOLAS MILLER, engineer of the Cerealine works, North Indianapolis, was born near the river Rhine, in Prussia, Ger- many, July 25, 1839, a son of Nicholas and Mary Ann (Rechte- wald) Miller, of whom full mention is made in the biography of Jacob Miller.

Nicholas Miller, in his thirteenth year (1852), became appren- ticed to the machinist's trade in Madison, Ind., and served five years, but remained in the shop until his enlistment, July 7, 1862, in Jefferson county, in company K, Twelfth Indiana volunteer infantry. He served in the army of the Tennessee under Gen. Sherman and also under Gen. Grant, and among other engage- ments, took part in the battle of Richmond, Ky .; the siege of Vicksburg and the battle of Jackson, Miss .; at Memphis, at Mis- sionary Ridge, Chattanooga and Knoxville, Tenn .; started with Sherman for the sea, but was wounded in the battle at Resaca, Ga., May 13, 1864, being shot through the right thigh, and lay in field hospital six weeks, whence he was taken to Chattanooga and then to Nashville, Tenn., and finally to Madison, where he was honorably discharged, and where he resumed work at his trade.

The marriage of Mr. Miller took place in Indianapolis August 24, 1862, to Miss Susan Ann Smitha, the Very Rev. Father Bes- sonies performing the nuptial ceremony. The children that have blessed this union were named, in order of birth, Mary Eliza, Frances Leonora, Flora Matilda, William Henry, Dora Elizabeth, Benjamin Reinhart, Josephine Delphie, Henry William, Helen Annie, George Edward and Edna Margaret-but of these Flora Matilda and Dora Elizabeth are deceased.

The parents of Mrs. Miller were Granville and Eliza ( Robbins) Smitha, the former born in Kentucky in 1813, and the latter in Indiana in 1814; the death of the mother occurred in May, 1886,

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and that of the father in 1889, and of their fourteen children, four only survive, viz: Albert, a farmer in Decatur county, Ind. ; Willis, a teamnster in Johnson county, Ind .; Mrs. Melissa Jane Bryant, of Tennessee, and Susan Ann, who was born in Jefferson county, Ind., May 11, 1846, and is now Mrs. Nicholas Miller.

After marriage, Mr. Miller removed from Madison to Colum- bus, Ind., and conducted a machine shop until 1880, and then moved to Edinburg, where he ran an engine for a starch factory until 1893, when he came to Indianapolis and for two years was employed by Heatherington & Benner, and then secured his pres- ent position. His son, Benjamin R., is also employed in the Cerealine works as an engineer, there being in all eight engineers in the works, exclusive of the chief, Nicholas Miller.

Mr. Miller and his family are members of St. Bridget's church, although Mrs. Miller was born of Baptist parents, was permitted to marry by special dispensation, and has ever since been a devout Catholic. Her father was a native of North Carolina, of Irish descent, and her mother of Pennsylvania, of German descent. Mr. Miller is a member of the Engineers association, but of no other brotherhood, and has been from childhood a devout Catholic, and in politics he is independent.

ACOB MILLER (deceased) was a well-known business man of J Washington, Daviess county, Ind., of which city he was a resi- dent from November, 1854, until his death, which occurred March 9, 1872. He was born in Bavaria, June 16, 1828, a son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Weir) Miller, and was early taught the mason's trade. In 1852 he came to the United States, and in June, 1853, married, in New York, Miss Eva Hegsdens, who was born in Bavaria, December 28, 1826, a daughter of Adam and Mary Ann (Deis) Hegsdens, the former of whom was a nailmaker. In 1854, Mr. and Mrs. Miller left New York for Indiana, and arrived in November, as stated above. Here Mr. Miller engaged at work as a mason on the Ohio & Mississippi railroad, and later in a brick- yard and in quarrying stone, and was thus employed until 1863,

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when he opened a saloon, and this he conducted until his death. He was a democrat in politics and was very popular with his party and the general public, and accumulated considerable property.

To Mr. and Mrs. Miller were born six children, as follows: Louisa, now Mrs. Henry F. Vollmer; Josephine, wife of T. Klee; Mary, Sister in St. Mary of the Woods society; Sophia, deceased; Clara, at home, and Anna, wife of Charles Burns. Mr. Miller was a member of St. Simon's Catholic church, of which Mrs. Miller was also a member, but after his decease she transferred her mem- bership to St. Mary's congregation, of which she was a member of the Altar society, but departed this life in September, 1897.

NICHOLAS MILLER, proprietor of the tonsorial parlor at the Burt house, Decatur, is a son of John and Elizabeth Miller, both natives of Hanover, Germany, the father born in the year 1817 and the mother in 1822. These parents died, respectively, in 1871 and 1862, and their remains are buried in St. Mary's cem- etery, Decatur, having both been members of the parish of St. Mary's.

The subject of this sketch first saw the light of day in Decatur, Ind., August 7, 1862, and received his education in the parochial schools of the city, which he attended until his seventeenth year. He then began learning the barber's trade, at which he soon acquired great proficiency and which he has followed with encour- aging success in Decatur ever since the year 1879. His present place of business in the Burt house is one of the finest tonsorial parlors in the city, and his patronage is extensive and all that he can reasonably desire. Mr. Miller was united in marriage May 5, 1885, in St. Mary's church, Father Wilken officiating, with Miss Anna Jones, a union blessed with the birth of two children: Fred- erick and William H., the former deceased. Mr. Miller is a mem- ber of St. Mary's parish, Decatur, and served as altar boy in the church from 1870 to 1875; he is an active worker in the St. Joseph society, and his wife belongs to the society of St. Mary's. Both are devoted to the church, in the faith of which they were reared, and in all its charities they are ever ready to lend their influence and material encouragement.

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R EV. WILLIAM C. MILLER, the well-beloved pastor of St. Patrick's church, Oxford, Benton county, Ind., is a native of Germany, was born July 11, 1857, and came to the United States in December, 1878. He had of course passed through all his pre- paratory studies in his native land, and in this country passed through the Theological seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio, finishing at St. Meinrad's, Spencer county, Ind. He was ordained priest in September, 1881, and was first stationed at Roanoke, Huntington county, Ind., where he officiated a year and a half, when he was transferred to Kentland, Newton county, in 1883, and then to Arcola, Allen county; in 1895 he was appointed to his present charge of St. Patrick, which includes St. Bridget's mission, in which he has erected a new church-building, and has also erected a fine parsonage in Oxford, furnishing it nicely throughout.

Father Miller is a clergyman of more than ordinary erudition, is pious and heartily imbued with a sense of duty to his church and his charge, and is greatly esteemed by the citizens of Oxford, and dearly beloved by his parishioners, over whom he exercises so wholesome an influence, spiritually and temporally.

W TILLIAM J. MINER, real estate and insurance agent, ex-sol- dier of the Civil war and ex-county auditor of Tipton county, was born in Hendricks county, Ind., August 4, 1837, a son of Richard and Linda M. (Jackson) Miner, also natives of Indi- ana. The father was a justice of the peace for many years at Elwood, Madison county, where he also practiced law, and where he died in February, 1875, at the age of sixty-four years; the mother is now eighty-four years old, and resides with her son, William J., the subject of this sketch. In politics the father was a democrat, and at one time judge of the common pleas court.

William J. Miner remained on the home farm until fourteen years old, when he began learning the trade of wagonmaking, and was following this trade when the Civil war broke out. He at once answered the call to arms and enlisted. at Elwood, in com- pany E, Thirty-fourth Indiana volunteer infantry, and his first

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hard-fought battle was at Port Gibson, Miss. For meritorious conduct he was rapidly promoted until he reached the rank of first lieutenant, taking part in the engagements at Champion's Hill (where he was slightly wounded), Vicksburg, and other places. But impaired health necessitated his resignation in October. 1864, when he returned to Elwood, and engaged in merchandizing; later he came to Tipton county and for twelve years was engaged in the hardware trade in Windfall.

Mr. Miner has been active as a democrat and has attended several party conventions, and at different times has filled the office of chairman. He had also served as township trustee, and, although he never had any great desire for public office, he accepted his party's nomination for county auditor in 1886, but, after serving one term, declined further service. Upon being elected to the office just mentioned, Mr. Miner sold out his busi- ness in Windfall, and November 16, 1886, settled in Tipton; soon after retiring from the auditorship, he engaged in the real estate, abstract, loan and insurance business, as a member of the firm of Searight, Clark & Miner, and this has ever since engaged his time and attention.

April 24, 1866, Mr. Miner was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth M. Guisinger, of Anderson, Ind., who was born near Uniontown, Ohio, a daughter of John S. Guisinger, M. D., and three children have blessed this union, viz: Orpha, who completed her education at St. Mary's school at LaFayette, Ind., and is now the wife of Frank J. Bower, of Tipton; Gertrude, who was edu- cated at Oldenburg, Ind., and Paul, who was educated in Tipton. For many years Mr. Miner was not connected with any church organization, but in 1891 became converted to Catholicity and has since been a faithful member of St. John the Baptist church, of which he has served as a trustee. Mrs. Miner was reared a Catholic.

Mr. Miner has made his way unaided through the world, and, being an excellent man of business, has met with success.""; He is a stockholder and director in the People's bank, of Windfall, and a stockholder in the Windfall Manufacturing company. He owns a residence in Tipton, where he has also erected.and still owns a

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CATHOLIC CHURCH OF INDIANA.

business building. He is greatly respected as a citizen and neigh- bor, and he and family move in the best society circles of Tipton city and county.

H ENRY MARTIN MOCK, a popular practical plumber of No. 846 Buchanan street, Indianapolis, is a native of this city, was born July 19, 1865, and is a son of Martin and Anna Mock, who came single to America from Germany, and were married, in 1850, in Cincinnati, Ohio, but who have been residents of Indian- apolis for the past forty years. These parents have had born to them a family of eight children, in the following order: Frederick, who died in his twenty-second year; Lizzie, who was married to Joseph Yeager, and died at about twenty-seven years of age; Stephen died when twenty-four years old; Mary is the wife of Henry Hanf, whose biography appears on another page; Joseph died when twenty-one years old; Henry M. is our subject; John was accidentally struck by a blow from a ball-bat at the age of nine years and died from the effect; and Charles, who married Miss Anna Grandy, lives on a farm near the city, but is a machinist by trade and is employed in the Indiana Bicycle factory.

Henry M. Mock received his primary education in the ward schools of Indianapolis, which he attended about three years, and finished his education at St. Mary's parochial school. He then served an apprenticeship of three years at plumbing with W. L. Ramsey & Son, then worked as a journeyman for three years with George W. Keiser, and for the past eleven years has been with his present employers, Knight & Jillson, on South Pennsylvania street.

The marriage of Mr. Mock was celebrated August 10, 1886, at St. Mary's church, by the Very Rev. Scheideler, V. G., when he was united with Miss Clara Schlick, a native of Ripley county, Ind., and the only child of Mrs. Minnie Schlick, a widow, who now makes her home with Mr. and Mrs. Mock, whose union has been blessed with one son and one daughter, viz: Joseph Henry, who was born August 18, 1889, and Anna Catherine, born February 9, 1892. The family are members of St. Mary's church, and Mr. Mock is a member of St. Joseph's society and of St. Patrick's

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Young Men's institute. In politics he is a free-silver democrat, but has never sought nor held office. He pays assiduous attention to · his business, is industrious, temperate and frugal, but liberal in his donations to his church, and has won the respect of his neighbors and many friends within the pale of the church and outside of it.

A UGUST MOMENCE, retired contractor, was born in Vin- cennes, Ind., November 11, 1834, and has always lived within two squares of his birthplace. His parents, August and Bridget (Bona) Momence, long since deceased, were also natives of Vin- cennes, the mother having been born in the same building in which the subject first saw light, and the father in another portion of the city, not very distant, in 1804, a few years anterior to the birth of the mother. The paternal grandfather of the subject was of French extraction, was born in Canada, and settled in Vincennes in the early part of the last century. August Momence and wife had a family of ten children, who were born in the following order: John, who died at the age of ten years; Margaret, who was mar- ried to S. Chapaun, but died in early womanhood; August, the subject of this biography; Louise, who died in childhood; Susan, who was married to Frank Vachet, and died about 1890; Peter, who is totally blind and is living with August, the subject, his infirmity being the result of exposure during his service in the Civil war- for which he receives a liberal pension; Eliza, who was mar- ried to Lambert Stangel, and died in middle life; Hannah, widow of John Louyan, is a resident of Vincennes; Joseph, who died at the age of two years, and Delia, who also died in childhood.

August Momence, the subject, received a very fair education in the common schools, which he supplemented through self-appli- cation to study even after reaching mature years. He learned the carpenter's trade under his father, and after the death of the lat- ter succeeded him in business. Until within the past four years, subject was extensively engaged in contracting and building, even at the early age of eighteen years erecting St. Thomas church, and later doing a great deal of work at the orphan asylum. He has,

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History of the Catholic church in Indiana, Volume II, Part 65

Author: Blanchard, Charles, fl. 1882-1900, ed Publication date: 1898 Publisher: Logansport, Ind., A. W. Bowen & co. Number of Pages: 1476

Author: Blanchard, Charles, fl. 1882-1900, ed
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: Logansport, Ind., A. W. Bowen & co.
Number of Pages: 1476