USA > Indiana > Allen County > History of the Maumee River basin, Allen County, Indiana > Part 30
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42
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ALLEN COUNTY, INDIANA.
of road supervisor, while he was frequently urged to become the candidate of his party for the office of county commissioner, but refused to permit his name to be considered in the connection, since he felt that his inability to read and write the English language might militate against his usefulness in the position. He was well versed in his native language, and had no difficulty in properly using the English in conversation, but had never learned the written or printed intricacies of the latter. He took much interest in public affairs of a local nature and was a pillar of his church, in which he long held official position.
Mr. Stellhorn was a man whose integrity of character was manifest in all the relations of life, and he made for himself a place in the confidence and regard of his fellow men and in the ranks of the noble army of the world's workers. Not a pretentious or exalted life was his but one which bears its lesson and incentive and which challenges respect and admiration. Such citizens as- suredly merit a tribute of honor in the pages of such historical compilations as the one at hand.
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THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.
JOHN H. STELLHORN.
On other pages of this work appears a comprehensive memorial tribute to Frederick W. Stellhorn, the honored father of him whose name appears above, and by reason of this fact it will not be neces- sary to advert to the genealogical record or personal characteristics of that late and highly esteemed pioneer citizen.
John Henry Stellhorn was born in the old family homestead, on Madison street, in the city of Fort Wayne, on the 28th of June, 1851, and, as noted in the memoir of his father, he early began his independent career by assisting in the management and practical op- eration of the sawmill on the home farm, a few miles south of the city. His educational advantages were those of the parochial schools, and he was also favored in being well trained in the German lan- guage, the vernacular of his parents. He continued to be identified with the sawmilling enterprise on the old home farm for many years, and eventually became the virtual owner of the finely equipped steam mill, which was built to replace the original one, operated by water power and somewhat primitive in equipment. In 1902 Mr. Stellhorn left the farm and removed to the city of Fort Wayne, where he has since maintained his home, and where he is known as a progressive business man and public spirited citizen.
The subject has been a prominent factor in public affairs of a local order, and has long been one of the wheelhorses of the Democracy in Allen county. He served several terms as supervisor of Wayne township, and was township road superintendent for sev- eral years prior to the abolishment of the office. In 1890 he was elected to the responsible office of county commissioner on the Demo- cratic ticket, the county at the time having a normal Democratic majority of four thousand. He entered upon the duties of his office in December, 1891, and at the expiration of his three years' term was chosen as his own successor, a fact attesting to the esti-
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ALLEN COUNTY, INDIANA.
mate placed upon him and his services by the voters of the county. In 1893 Jasper Jones, one of his associates on the board of com- missioners, brought forward the imperative demands and needs of the county for a new court house, and the matter was pressed so vigorously that the contracts for the erection of the present mag- nificent county building were awarded while Mr. Stellhorn was still a member of the board, the second story of the structure having been completed before his retirement. At the practical inaugura- tion of the project his associates on the board were Jasper Jones and Henry F. Bullerman, while it may be stated in the connection that this board had the distinction of being the youngest in the state in matter of the age of its members, none of whom were more than forty-one years of age, while all were farmers. Before con- tracts for the erection of the new court house were awarded the board of commissioners visited Buffalo, New York, and other cities where modern buildings had been erected for the accommodation of both county and city, as demanded in the building to be erected in Fort Wayne. Mr. Stellhorn and Matthew Ferguson, who suc- ceeded Mr. Bullerman on the board, spared no effort in making such investigation as would enable them to avoid mistakes made in the erection of previous structures for like purposes, and fifteen architects entered into competition in making plans and specifica- tions for the new building. Our subject was made superintendent of the buildings of the court house, which is located in his district. The responsibilities and exacting duties which thus devolved upon him were of gigantic order and implied a great tension and her- culeanı labor, but he and his co-workers have every reason to be proud of their achievement, for the fine court house will long stand as a testimonial to their earnest devotion and honorable and able efforts in behalf of the county and city. Not even the slightest suspicion of jobbery or unfairness has ever been entertained, and the taxpayers of the county realized that every cent appropriated for the building was utilized for that purpose and in an economical way, while not a single act of litigation ensued in connection with the rearing of the fine structure. The commissioners shirked not even the least of the duties which came to them, even selecting the stone by personal visitation to the quarries at Bedford and Cleve-
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land. They made this selection from the ledge and the stone was shipped in the rough and all work on the same was done in Fort Wayne, under the direct supervision of the commissioners and contractors.
Mr. Stellhorn became associated with J. L. Gruber, under the firm name of J. H. Stellhorn & Company, and is engaged in the hardware business and in contracting, with headquarters at 2010 Fairfield avenue. They control a good business and make a specialty of contracting for tin roofing, cornice work, ornamental and archi- tectural iron work, etc. In politics Mr. Stellhorn has never wav- ered in his allegiance to the Democratic party, and he has served as delegate to county, congressional and state conventions and taken an active interest in the promotion of the party cause. His religious connection is with St. John's Lutheran church.
In the year 1876 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Stell- horn to Miss Elizabeth Klein, who was born and reared in Adams county, and who died of consumption, only eighteen months after her marriage, while her only child died three months previously. In 1879 Mr. Stellhorn was united in marriage to Miss Sophia Poh- ler, who died twelve years later, of locomotor ataxia. Two children were born of this union and both died in infancy. In 1892 the subject married Mrs. Minnie (Hobrock) Anweiler, widow of Louis A. Anweiler, of Fort Wayne. No children have been born of this marriage. By her former marriage Mrs. Stellhorn has one daugh- ter, Emma K., who is now the wife of Henry K. Starke, a ma- chinist employed in the Fort Wayne shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Mrs. Stellhorn's sister, Mary C., the eldest of the Ho- brock family and the widow of Charles Becker, resides in the home of the subject. She has been afflicted with blindness for the past five years, and is accorded the utmost care and solicitude by Mr. and Mrs. Stellhorn. It may be said that the Hobrock family was one of the first German families to settle in Fort Wayne, their location here dating back to 1843.
405
ALLEN COUNTY, INDIANA.
CHARLES A. DUNKELBERG.
On other pages of this compilation appears a review of the ca- reer of S. F. Bowser, the founder and head of the well known manufacturing concern of S. F. Bowser & Company, of Fort Wayne, and in view of the details there entered it is not demanded that fur- ther description of the business be incorporated, but the reference is made in the present connection by reason of the fact that Mr. Dun- kelberg is the secretary and treasurer of the company mentioned, while he is regarded as one of the able business men and popular citizens of the "Summit City."
Mr. Dunkelberg was born in Chemung, New York, on the 4th of April, 1865, and is a son of Charles A. and Eliza (Lassen) Dunkelberg, the former of whom followed the vocation of mer- chant during the major portion of his active career, while both he and his wife passed the closing years of their lives in Seelyville, Pennsylvania. They became the parents of five children, of whom four are living. When the subject was about one year of age his parents removed from the state of New York to Seelyville, Penn- sylvania, and there his boyhood days were passed, while he was afforded the advantages of the public schools of the locality. Later he attended the celebrated Eastman Business College, at Pough- keepsie, New York, in which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1888. He has ever been ambitious and self-reliant, and has spared no effort in applying himself to those works which would insure success and advancement. Thus he learned the art of ste- nography by attending night school, being otherwise employed dur- ing the day. In 1886 he left Pennsylvania and went to New York city, where he secured employment in the office of E. C. Benedict & Company, prominent bankers and brokers. About two years later he removed to the city of Chicago, where he became a clerical assist-
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THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.
ant in the offices of the Joseph T. Ryerson & Son, iron merchants, retaining this incumbency until 1890, when he received the ap- pointment of steward at the Northern Indiana Hospital for the In- sane at Long Cliff, near the city of Logansport, Indiana. He gave most effective service in this office for a period of five years, and then associated himself with John R. Fox, ex-treasurer of Cass county, in the wholesale and retail queensware and crockery busi- ness in Logansport, the enterprise being conducted under the firm name of Fox & Dunkelberg. At the expiration of three years the firm disposed of the business, and shortly afterward Mr. Dunkel- berg located in Fort Wayne, in the year 1899. Here he became head bookkeeper in the office of S. F. Bowser & Company, was later promoted to the position of superintendent of salesmen, while in 1904 he became secretary and treasurer of the company, of which im- portant dual office he has since remained incumbent. In politics he renders a stanch support to the Democratic party.
On May 1, 1895, Mr. Dunkelberg was united in marriage to Miss Anna Cordelia Crockett, of Lafayette, Indiana, and they have two children living, Charles A. and Ralph C.
407
ALLEN COUNTY, INDIANA.
WALTER W. BARNETT, A. M., M. D.
One of the excellent and highly reputed educational institutions of Indiana is the Fort Wayne College of Medicine, of which Dr. Barnett is secretary, while in a personal way he holds prestige as one of the able and advanced physicians of the state.
Walter Wynn Barnett is a native of the old Buckeye state, hav- ing been born in Euphemia, Preble county, Ohio, on the 18th of July, 1857, and being a son of William C. and Frances M. (Sul- livan) Barnett, both of whom are now dead, the father's active career having been devoted principally to the ministry. When the Doctor was a child his parents removed to Florence, Boone county, Kentucky, in whose public schools he secured his early educational training, being graduated in the high school in Constantine, Michi- gan, as a member of the class of 1875. He soon afterward entered Wittenberg College, in Springfield, Ohio, where he completed the classical course, and was graduated in 1880, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, while later the degree of Master of Arts was conferred upon him by his alma mater. In 1883 the Doctor was matriculated in the Fort Wayne College of Medicine, in which he was graduated in March, 1886, thus receiving his degree of Doctor of Medicine from the institution with which he is now so promi- nently identified, being both its secretary and also a member of its technical faculty. He engaged in general practice in Fort Wayne immediately after his graduation, while he was also honored by the Fort Wayne College of Medicine by being called to the chair of anatomy, of which he remained incumbent until 1902, also act- ing as chief demonstrator. He is now serving the college in the chair of surgery, and is one of the most valued and popular mem- bers of the faculty of this excellent institution, of which he has been secretary since 1889. He is a member of the American Medical As-
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THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.
sociation, the Tri-State Medical Society, the Maumee Valley Med- ical Society, the Indiana State Medical Society, and the Fort Wayne Medical Society, while he is known as one of the leading repre- sentatives of his profession in the state. In politics Dr. Barnett gives his allegiance to the Democracy, and fraternally he is affili- ated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of Pythias and the Fraternal Order of Eagles.
On the 19th of July, 1892, Dr. Barnett was united in marriage to Miss Letty A. Van Alstine, of Fort Wayne, and they have four children, Walter C., Otto B., Van A. and Rachel G.
409
ALLEN COUNTY, INDIANA.
ADAM L. SCHNEIDER, M. D.
Allen county has its due quota of well trained and distinctively able physicians and surgeons, and among the representative prac- titioners in the city of Fort Wayne is Dr. Schneider. He is a na- tive of the old Buckeye state, having been born in the city of Van Wert, Ohio, in the county of the same name, on the 20th of Jan- uary, 1872, and being a son of John J. and Mary I. (Moore) Schneider, the former of whom was born in Germany and the lat- ter in Pennsylvania, their marriage having been solemnized in Ohio, where the father passed the remainder of his long, honorable and useful life, his active business career having been principally identi- fied with tinning. He died in 1898, and his widow now resides in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Dr. Schneider duly completed the curriculum of the public schools of his native city, where he was graduated in the high school, after which he was employed for some time in a local furniture manu- factory. In 1893 he took a course of study in the International Business College, in Fort Wayne, and in the autumn of the follow- ing year he began reading medicine in the office and under the direction of Dr. Charles B. Reid, one of the leading physicians and surgeons of Van Wert, continuing his studies under these favor- able auspices for one year. He later was matriculated in the Fort Wayne College of Medicine, in which excellent institution he was graduated as a member of the class of 1898, receiving his well earned degree of Doctor of Medicine. Shortly afterward he estab- lished himself in practice in the village of Maples, this county, where he served his professional novitiate and where he met with excellent success, continuing his residence there until January, 1899, when he came to Fort Wayne, where he has since continued in general practice as a physician and surgeon, and where his labors
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have been fruitful in good results, giving him a distinctive prestige and causing his practice to expand in scope and importance each suc- cessive year. The Doctor is thoroughly en rapport wth his pro- fession, being a close and appreciative student and keeping in touch with the advancement made in the sciences of medicine and surgery. He is affiliated with the American Medical Association, the Indiana State Medical Society, the Fort Wayne Medical Society and the Fort Wayne Academy of Medicine. In his political allegiance the Doctor is found stanchly arrayed as a loyal supporter of the prin- ciples and policies of the Republican party, and he is identified with Summit City Lodge, No. 170, Free and Accepted Masons, in which he has been raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason.
On the 27th of November, 1897, was solemnized the marriage of Dr. Schneider to Miss Cora A. Bassett, of Delphos, Ohio, where she was born and reared, and they have one child, Lawrence B., who was born on the 18th of December, 1898.
4II
ALLEN COUNTY, INDIANA.
WILLIAM C. ETZOLD.
Incumbent of the office of assessor of Wayne township, the most important and populous district of Allen county, since it contains the major portion of the city of Fort Wayne, the subject of this sketch is well known and highly esteemed in the county, which has been his home from the time of his birth, while he is a scion of one of the honored German-American pioneer families of this fa- vored section of the Hoosier commonwealth.
Mr. Etzold was born in the city of Fort Wayne, on the 24th of January, 1866, and is a son of Henry J. and Marguerite (Wise) Etzold, both of whom were born in the kingdom of Saxony, Ger- many, whence they came to America in early life, having taken up their residence in Fort Wayne about sixty years ago, when the "Summit City" was but a small town of no metropolitan pretensions. Here Henry J. Etzold passed the remainder of his long and useful life, and here his entire business career, which was one of signal success and honor, was identified with the manufacturing of boots and shoes, in which line of enterprise he conducted an extensive business for many years. He was summoned to his reward in January, 1903, in the fullness of years and well earned honors, and his cherished and devoted wife preceded him into eternal rest by only a few months, her death having occurred in 1902. Both were consistent members of the German Lutheran church, and in poli- tics the father affiliated himself with the Republican party at the time of its organization, and ever afterward remained an ardent advocate of its principles and policies, while he was a man of fine mental gifts and much pragmatic ability, taking a lively interest in the questions and issues of the hour and being known as a loyal and public-spirited citizen. Of his family of twelve children six are living, and the subject of this review was the seventh in order of birth.
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William C. Etzold, to whom this sketch is dedicated, was reared to maturity in his native city, and his preliminary educational dis- cipline was here secured in the excellent parochial schools of the Lutheran church and supplemented by study in the public schools and in the Fort Wayne Commercial College. At the age of fifteen years he entered upon an apprenticeship at the plumbing trade, with which he was thus identified for a period of four years, after which he passed four years in a clerical incumbency in the local offices of the Lake Shore Railroad. Thereafter he held for the long inter- val of fifteen years a responsible position with the Horton Manu- facturing Company, extensive manufacturers of washing machines, in Fort Wayne, having been superintendent, bookkeeper and gen- eral office man. After retiring from this incumbency Mr. Etzold was for two years engaged in the manufacturing of washing ma- chines on his own responsibility, and he continued to be concerned with local business interests until the general election in November, 1904, when he was elected to his present position as assessor of Wayne township, being the only Republican ever elected to that office in Fort Wayne, a circumstance which shows that he not only profited by the general Republican landslide, but also that his per- sonal popularity in his home city and county is of no uncertain order, and that his eligibility was recognized in the premises. He has entire charge of the assessment work of his important jurisdiction, and during the busy season in the office work employment is afforded to a corps of about twenty assistants. Our subject speaks both the German and English languages with equal facility, having received thorough educational training in both, while it may be said that the former is his ancestral tongue and the latter his native. He has ever given his unequivocal allegiance to the Republican party and has been an active worker in its cause in a local sense, and his religious faith is that of the Lutheran church, in which he was reared, both he and his wife being prominent members of Emanuel church, on Jefferson street, Fort Wayne.
On the 3Ist of October, 1894, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Etzold to Miss Flora Frances Berlin, who was born and reared in Fort Wayne, being a daughter of Henry J. Berlin. Of the four children of this union only one is living, Howard Henry, who was born on March 5, 1897.
413
ALLEN COUNTY, INDIANA.
AUGUST W. REILING.
For more than six years the subject of this sketch has been in- cumbent of the important office of chief engineer of the Allen county public institutions, including the magnificent court house, the jail, power house, orphans' home and infirmary, while he is most amply qualified for the technical and executive duties which devolve upon him, as he is a thoroughly schooled and practical mechanician and has had a wide experience in connection with business affairs of im- portance nature.
Mr. Reiling is a native son of Fort Wayne, in which city, which was then scarcely more than a village, he was born on the 15th of August, 1855. While he has traveled extensively and has had tem- porary abiding place in many different sections of the Union, he has never faltered in his loyalty to his native city, which he has ever called his home. He is a son of August and Lena Reiling, both of whom were born and reared in Germany, whence they came to America after marriage, settling in Fort Wayne in an early day. They made the voyage across the Atlantic in a sailing vessel and from New York made their way westward by way of the Great Lakes to Toledo, and thence by the old canal to Fort Wayne. Au- gust Reiling was a skilled mechanic, having a certificate from the German government attesting to his efficiency. After locating in Fort Wayne he followed the blacksmithing business, in connection with the making and repairing of fine machinery, while he gained a reputation as being one of the best mechanics in the city, where he gained a wide circle of friends in both a business and social way, continuing to reside here until his death, which was the result of an accident, as he was killed in December, 1892, by a severe fall, having been about sixty-two years of age at the time of his demise. His loved and devoted wife preceded him into eternal rest by many
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years, having passed away in 1861, when the subject of this sketch was but six years of age. In the family were five sons and one daughter, and the only survivor is he whose name introduces this article.
August W. Reiling was reared to maturity in Fort Wayne, and here secured his early educational discipline in the parochial schools of the German Lutheran church, of which his parents were devoted members, while later he attended the public schools. He early be- gan an apprenticeship under the effective and careful direction of his honored father, with whom he remained associated until he had at- tained his legal majority, while his training in the connection was such that he has been able to well uphold the prestige of the name in connection with higher mechanics. At the age of twenty-one years Mr. Reiling entered the employ of the Kerr-Murray Manu- facturing Company, of Fort Wayne, and in the shops of this con- cern manufactured three hundred and eighty-seven prison locks for use in the state penitentiary at Michigan City, where he was em- ployed for two months in instilling the new equipment. His eyes finally became seriously affected from the effect of the grinding brass on emery wheels, the minute particles causing great inflammation and impairing the sight. He was thus compelled to change occu- pation for a time at least, and thus entered the employ of the Penn- sylvania Railroad Company, with which he remained two years, after which he returned to the shops of the Kerr-Murray Manu- facturing Company, for which concern he subsequently went out as erecting engineer, having charge of the installing of gas plants and apparatus and being employed in this capacity for three and one-half years. He then engaged with the Jenney Electric Light Company, of Fort Wayne, in whose interests he traveled extensively, visiting the principal cities of the Union. Thereafter he was for nine years employed in the city of Utica, New York, and for two years had charge of the municipal electric plant in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1897 he retired from his official position in connec- tion with the electric plant in Utica, New York, being given the highest testimonials for efficiency and fidelity, and he then repre- sented the Fort Wayne Electric Company as road salesman for about nine months. In 1898 the board of commissioners of Allen county
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ALLEN COUNTY, INDIANA.
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