USA > Indiana > Vanderburgh County > Evansville > History of the city of Evansville and Vanderburg County, Indiana, Volume II > Part 26
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On the 28th of March, 1894, in St. Boniface church, in Evansville, was celebrated the marriage of Joseph F. Schenk and Miss Julia Kleiderer, who was born on the 21st of July, 1877, a daughter of Charles H. and Elizabeth (Kold) Kleiderer. Her parents were both natives of Germany and came to America in the early '6os, Mrs. Kleiderer making her way direct to Vanderburg county, while Mr. Kleiderer took up his abode in Henderson, Kentucky. He was a tailor by trade and followed that pur- suit in Henderson until after his marriage, when he removed to Evans- ville, continuing a resident of that city until his death, which occurred on
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the 2d of January, 1886. His widow afterward married again, becoming the wife of Henry Schlomann, on the 27th of November, 1889. She is still living in Evansville.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Schenk has been blessed with seven children : Charles, now sixteen years of age; Clarence Lewis, aged eleven; Lillian Anna, nine years of age; Catherine Mary, seven years; Frances Caroline, three years, and Emma Julia, two years of age. They also lost one son, John Francis, who died at the age of thirteen years. The parents are members of the German Catholic church and are generous contibutors to its support.
Mr. Schenk gives his political allegiance to the democratic party and has served as township assessor. He is interested in all matters of pro- gressive citizenship and gives his aid and cooperation to many movements for the general good. He has always lived in this part of the state and is a high type of the progressive agriculturist, who utilizes every legitimate means for the advancement of his business interests, keeping his farm at all times in good condition so that it constitutes one of the attractive fea- tures of the landscape.
THEODORE THEOPHILUS SCHULTZ, M. D.
Dr. Theodore T. Schultz, who will long be remembered as one of the honored men of Evansville, was born at Juliusburg in Schlesien, Germany, October 13, 1816, and was a son of Dr. Joseph Andreas Schultz, a prac- ticing physician of Juliusburg, who was also noted for unusual proficiency in music and ability as a composer. Dr. Schultz possessed every advantage of a refined home during the formative years of his life. After complet- ing the course in the public schools he attended the gymnasium and was graduated from the university. He read medicine under his father, who was a disciple of the homeopathic school, and adopted that profession as his life work. He was for some time connected in an official capacity with the German government, but, being ambitious for an independent career and having faith in the opportunities presented in America, he came to Evansville about 1854, where he soon acquired an extensive and lucrative medical practice. From the first he was a zealous advocate of homeopathy and during his entire life as a professional man he put forth every effort to advance the principles of medicine as enunciated by Dr. Hahnemann and his followers. By word and by pen he gave utterance to his senti- ments on a subject that he considered of very grave importance and which engrossed much of his thought. He was an able and successful practitioner and attracted many patients from places distant from Evansville.
In politics Dr. Schultz was a born reformer and early adopted the sys- tem known as idealistic socialism, whose principles he believed would ulti-
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mately prevail in human government. He was also a pronounced free thinker. He had seen the effects of religious intolerance in the old country and was an uncomprising advocate of free speech. He was a great reader, not only of works pertaining to his profession but of those relating to philosophy, history, science and governmental subjects, and in the midst of a busy life he gained an unusual fund of knowledge pertaining to many subjects and was recognized by his associates as a scholar, whose opinion was always worth thoughtful consideration.
On the 22d of October, 1842, at New Zelle, Prussia, Dr. Schultz was united in marriage to Miss Louise Henriette Weber, whose father was a cloth manufacturer of that city. Ten children were born to Dr. and Mrs. Schultz, of whom three are now living: Mrs. Clara Karsch, the widow of Jacob Karsch, a review of whom is found elsewhere in this work; Mrs. Elfrieda Bragg, of Pittsburg, Kansas; and Mrs. Herman Glass Merritt, of Florida.
Dr. Schultz was called from earthly life on the Ist of October, 1904, at the age of eighty-eight years. His relatives and friends, knowing of his sterling qualities, will ever cherish his memory and the flowers that bloom each spring on his grave are a mute evidence of their unbroken affection. The family of which he was a worthy representative contained many noted physicans of special talent in the healing art, including Dr. Oscar Schultz, now deceased, of Mount Vernon, Indiana, who was a son of our subject and also his grandson, Dr. Oscar Schultz, professor of pathology in the Cleveland Medical College, and his daughter Elfrieda, who is a practicing physician in Kansas at the present time. It will be seen that the family presents a remarkable succession of talented members, all of whom have shown special ability in a profession that demands the very best judgment and also calls for discriminative powers of the highest degree.
EDWARD BOETTICHER.
If the individual could but know that success awaits him, even though the period be remote, such knowledge would greatly enlighten the labor which he performs as the years pass on, but between the present day and the future there is drawn an impenetrable veil and he must content him- self with the faithful performance of daily duty without understanding what the outcome is to be. When a young lad of thirteen years Edward Boetticher became a clerk in a cigar store, little dreaming then that he would one day be the senior member of the firm of Boetticher & Kellogg, wholesale dealers in hardware and proprietors of the largest establish- . ment of this character in Evansville. For fifty-three years he has been a resident of this city and throughout the entire period has been a repre- sentative of the hardware trade, yet his success has not been confined
EDWARD BOETTICHER
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wholly to this line, for he has been connected with several important en- terprises. He started upon the journey of life in Monroe county, Ohio, January 7, 1837, his parents being Frederick W. and Elizabeth (Weppler) Boetticher, both of whom were natives of Germany, born in 1798 and 1814, respectively. The father came to the United States in 1832, while the mother arrived in 1834. They were married near Wheeling, West Virginia, but afterward lived at various places owing to the itinerant cus- toms of the ministry of the German Protestant church, which Mr. Boet- ticher represented. He died in 1849, however, after which his widow made her home with her son Edward.
Edward Boetticher spent the greater part of his early life near Cin- cinnati, Ohio, and acquired his education in private schools of that city. When a youth of thirteen he sought to provide for his own support by securing a position as clerk in a retail cigar store in Cincinnati, where he remained for two years. He then entered the hardware store of Tyler, Davidson & Company, where he remained for five years, and in 1857 he came to Evansville and accepted a position with Charles S. Wells, the association being maintained until the death of Mr. Wells in 1863. Mr. Boetticher afterward continued with the new firm of Wells, Kellogg & Company until 1864, at which time he was admitted to a partnership in the business. Three years later he and Mr. Kellogg took over the busi- ness under the firm name of Boetticher & Kellogg Company, which style is still retained. He was made president of the company in 1897 and has continued as its chief executive officer to the present time, covering a period of thirteen years. In the death of Mr. Kellogg, which occurred on the 8th of December, 1903, there was terminated a business association between them as fellow clerks and partners which had existed for over forty years. At that time O. H. Kellogg succeeded to the position of secretary and treasurer of the company. This is the largest concern of the kind in the city and the third largest in the state. The business has enjoyed a steady and substantial growth and its ramifying interests now reach out over a large territory, establishing in different localities the reputation of the house for reliability, for enterprise and prompt execu- tion of orders. Boetticher & Kellogg Company are members of the National Hardware Association of America and thus keep in touch with the progressive thought which is bringing about thorough organization and careful management among all the representatives of the trade. Mr. Boet- ticher is also vice-president of the Evansville Trust & Savings Bank and a director of the Central Trust & Savings Bank, and his name is an hon- ored one in financial circles.
On the 29th of November, 1859, Mr. Boetticher was married to Miss Amelia S. Beste, who was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, February 27, 1839, and is a daughter of Henry A. Beste. They have become the parents of eight children, of whom three are living, William H., Oscar and Fred- erick C. all of whom are now connected with their father in business.
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The religious faith of the family is indicated in their membership in St. John's German Protestant church. Mr. Boetticher also belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and to the Masonic fraternity. His political endorsement has been given to the republican party since its organization, and in 1874 he became a member of the city council, and later was chosen president of the board of sinking fund commissioners of Evansville. Regarded as a citizen, and in his social relations he belongs to that public-spirited, useful and helpful type of men whose ambitions and desires are centered and directed in those channels through which flow the greatest and most permanent good to the greatest number. He has cared little for public office, yet there is probably not a man of large private interests in Evansville that has felt a more hearty concern for the public welfare or has been more helpful in bringing about those purify- ing and wholesome reforms which have been gradually growing in the political, municipal and social life of the city. It is true that his chief life work has been that of a remarkably successful merchant, but the range of his activities and the scope of his influence have reached far beyond this special field. Unselfish and untiring, he prefers a quiet place in the back- ground to the glamour of publicity, but his rare aptitude and ability in achieving results make him constantly sought and often bring him into a prominence from which he would naturally shrink were less desirable ends in view.
JAMES F. SAUNDERS.
Saunders is one of the well known family names of Vanderburg county; four successive generations of the family have been known here up to the present time. James F. Saunders, head of the Saunders Transfer Com- pany of Evansville, was born in Perry township, this county, on the 15th of April, 1839, and is a son of William Carroll and Lydia (Faulkner) Saunders. William C. Saunders was also born in Vanderburg county and his father, Ezekiel Saunders, grandfather of our subject, was one of the first white man to settle in Perry township. He came to this region when it was a wilderness, built a log cabin and commenced farming. He was here at the time of the organization of the county and was one of the first county commissioners. He was also a Baptist preacher and early services of the church were held in his barn, which was the first frame barn erected in Vanderburg county. Ezekiel Saunders was a typical pioneer, a man of stout and rugged character, of great determination and a natural leader in his time. William Carroll Saunders, who was a worthy successor to a noted pioneer, spent his boyhood in clearing away the forest and improv- ing the farm and later often rode on horseback to Vincennes to enter ap- plications for homesteads at the government land offices for settlers who
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were arriving from Germany and different states. He built the first saw and grist mill in this region and also had charge of a farm of two hundred and fifty acres, which he ably conducted until his death in 1853. His wife was a native of Maryland and a daughter of James Faulkner, who settled in German township in 1819 and there passed the last years of his life. Six children were born to the union of Mr. and Mrs. Saunders, four of whom are now living: Richard; Ezekiel, of Mount Vernon, Posey county, Indiana; Henry, of Union township, this county; and James F., the sub- ject of this sketch.
Educated in the early schools of his neighborhood, James F. Saunders grew up upon the home farm and then located in Union township, Van- derburg county, where he successfully engaged in farming and where he now owns a highly improved farm of three hundred and fifty acres. In 1890 he was elected county treasurer of Vanderburg county and was re- elected in 1892, serving two terms. Eleven years ago he entered the transfer business by purchasing the outfit then owned by Mrs. B. S. Ven- neman. This business he has developed on an extensive scale and it is now known as the Saunders Transfer Company and includes hack line with buses to all hotels and transfer business generally. The company makes use of forty horses and employs thirty to thirty-five men and is one of the substantial paying institutions of the city.
On the 9th of March, 1870, Mr. Saunders was united in marriage, in this county, to Miss Haidee Uffield, a native of Ohio. Two children were born to them: George, now in business with his father; and Ruth. Mr. Saun- ders has for many years been identified with the democratic party and while holding the office of county treasurer he gave proof of many ad- mirable traits as a public official. He is a man of frank and straight- forward address, and contact with the world has broadened his mind and removed the prejudices that usually linger with those who have not similar opportunities. He is a member of the Methodist church and is recognized by all classes as a just and honorable citizen who has fairly attained a worthy position among his fellowmen by his own exertions.
FRED H. KUEHNE.
Fred H. Kuehne who, while he makes no pretensions, is recognized as one of the highly successful farmers and live-stock raisers in this county. He was born in German township, December 23, 1877, and is a son of Fred and Elizabeth (Aether) Kuehne. The father, who was born in Sax- ony, Germany, November 30, 1844, was drafted into the German army and participated in the war between Prussia and Austria in 1866. After its close, having had a glimpse of the great world and feeling a desire for freedom of action which he could not experience in his native country, he
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decided to seek his fortune in a foreign land and came to America in 1867. After arriving in New York he proceeded westward, stopping in German township, Vanderburg county, Indiana, where he settled on eighty acres of partially cleared timber land, which he improved after a great deal of hard labor. He also purchased additional land until he was the owner of a farm of three hundred acres, which he sold in 1886, and bought a fine tract of two hundred acres in Armstrong township, upon which he established a permanent home. He was an ambitious, energetic and suc- cessful farmer and his example proved worthy of imitation by many younger members of the community. He departed this life June 5, 1899, and his remains are buried in St. Paul's cemetery, St. Joseph, German township.
Mrs. Kuehne, the mother of our subject, first saw the light of day in Doernbach, Rheinpfalz, Bavaria, Germany, April 15, 1835. She came to German township, Vanderburg county, with her parents in 1853, the fam- ily settling upon a tract of forty acres of timber land. Her father was a man of great industry and perseverance and his labors on the farm brought independence to himself and those that were dearest to him. Mrs. Kuehne was twice married. After the death of her first husband she wedded Fred Kuehne in 1871. Although well advanced in years she has retained in a remarkable degree her strength of mind and of body and now lives at the old family home in Armstrong township with her daughter. Ten children were born to her and her second husband, four of whom are married and are happily situated in life.
Fred H. Kuehne was educated in the district schools and having de- cided to devote his attention to farming, applied himself with such ability and diligence that after his father's death he purchased from the other heirs the family holdings and has since made his home on the farm where he was born. An evidence of his success may be expressed in the state- ment that his wheat crop for the season of 1910 amounted to four thou- sand bushels. As a general farmer and stock-raiser, taking into consider- ation the size of his farm, he has no superior in the county.
On September 2, 1902, Mr. Kuehne was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Ebert, of Armstrong township, a daughter of Peter and Elizabeth (Keil) Ebert, both natives of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, and pioneer set- tlers of this county. Her father was called to his reward nineteen years ago but her mother is still living. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Kuehne: Henry, born November 11, 1903; William, in October, 1905; Elizabeth, in February, 1907; and Fred, in March, 1909.
Mr. Kuehne, although his father was an ardent democrat and the neigh- borhood in which he was reared was strongly democratic, is independent politically and votes for the best and most progressive men rather than for any party ticket. He is a consistent member of the Evangelical church and is known as a wide-awake citizen, tolerant of the opinions of others and with a mind always open to the reception of truth from whatsoever
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source it may appear. He is recognized by those who know him best as a worthy descendant of a sturdy ancestry, a man of high character and of patriotic spirit, who seeks not only the comfort and happiness of his own family but also the advancement of the entire community in which he lives.
WILLIAM E. SIEBEKING.
Among the industrious and respected farmers of Union township, Vanderburg county, may be named William E. Siebeking, who is a native of the township where he now lives and who has been identified all his life with its farming interests. He was born January 1, 1867, and is a son of Christian and Mary Ann (Edmond) Siebeking. Mr. Siebeking was a native of Germany, but like thousands of sturdy descendants of German an- cestry, he found in the American republic a more favorable opportunity for advancement in the world than the old country could afford. His wife, the mother of our subject, was born in Union township, this county, and on the farm where she and her husband took up their abode they es- tablished a comfortable home and the head of the family successfully en- gaged in general farming and by habits of industry he gained the recogni- tion and respect of the people of the neighborhood.
William E. Siebeking was born upon his father's farm and was educated in the little schoolhouse where the boys and girls of the district were in- structed in the fundamental branches during the cooler months of the year, assisting on the farm or in the household during the remaining months. The parents taught their children to work and thus established in them a habit that is of the utmost importance in the early training of the younger generation. William E. Siebeking after leaving school devoted his en- tire attention to the farm and after he began farming on his own respon- sibility he showed a talent for agricultural pursuits that gave fine promise for the future. He assisted in clearing the land of the forest, guided the plow as it broke the virgin soil, and gained a knowledge of planting, har- vesting and marketing so necessary in a farming pursuit. He also gained a great deal of information as to live-stock and the grades that bring the best prices, so that he has been able, as a general farmer, to meet the de- mands of buyers looking for choice animals for which there is always a market. He is now farming upon an extensive scale and is the owner of a well improved farm of one hundred acres, also renting a farm of one hun- dred and seventy-five acres which he is able to operate to good advantage. He makes use of the latest improved machinery and his farm residence and surroundings indicate the good judgment and careful management of one who is fully alive to the comforts and conveniences of the up-to-date farming establishment.
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On February 12, 1889, Mr. Siebeking was united in marriage to Miss Louise J. Rouse, of Union township, a daughter of Michael and Sarah (Carter) Rouse, the former of Kentucky and the latter of Union town- ship. Mrs. Siebeking has been indeed a helpmate to her husband, attend- ing with greatest care to the duties of the household while he worked in the fields or directed others in the various operations of the well regulated farm where every month of the year brings new duties and responsibilities.
Mr. Siebeking is identified with the republican party and has always shown the interest of a patriotic citizen in voting for measures endorsed by that party, although he has never been a seeker for office for himself. He served, however, with general acceptance for four years as supervisor of the township. He is a member of the Baptist church and is in hearty sympathy with all movements, moral or religious, that aim to improve the character of the individual or to elevate the standard of society. Mr. Sie- beking is happy in his life work and is a good example of an American citizen actuated by worthy ideas which he has successfully applied ever since he entered upon his active career.
ARTHUR H. MEYER.
Arthur H. Meyer, who since July, 1908, has engaged in the practice of law at Evansville, is a native of Indiana and has passed his life up to the present time in this state. He was born at Elberfeld, Warrick county, Sep- tember 8, 1882, and is a son of George J. and Hannah Meyer. His father was born in Gibson county, Indiana, November 22, 1853, and devoted his attention to farming until 1889, having moved to Elberfeld some years pre- viously. He engaged in the agricultural implement business from 1889 until 1900, when he closed out his establishment and entered the grain trade. In 1908 he retired and is making his home in. Evansville.
Arthur H. Meyer attended the public schools until sixteen years of age. He then entered the high school at Haubstadt, Gibson county, pur- suing his studies so assiduously that in two years, at the age of eighteen, he was graduated. Desiring to be self-supporting, he secured a teacher's certificate and for four years taught in the district schools of Warrick county. In the meantime he was preparing for advanced studies and had fixed his mind on the law as his life pursuit. He attended Oakland City College two terms and in the spring of 1904 matriculated in the Indiana University, from which he was graduated with the degree of A. B. in June, 1907. His next step was to the law department of the State University. In one year he completed the course, graduating in 1908, with the degree. of LL. B. An ambition which took form at least ten years before this time was now realized and he was at once admitted as a practitioner in the state and supreme courts of Indiana and also in the federal courts.
ARTHUR H. MEYER
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Bringing to his profession a mind trained under direction of some of the brightest educators of Indiana, and sharpened by actual contact with the busy world, Mr. Meyer has made a good start and has entered upon a career that gives promise, as the years pass, of increasing usefulness to himself and society. He recognizes that the young lawyer of today has many advantages not possessed by those of generations past, and while it is a profession in which a constant testing and sifting process is going on, nevertheless the survival of the fittest is to be observed here, as in every other department of life, and the young man who denies himself for years to obtain the best education the land affords is very likely to be found among the survivors. The same energy and persistence that store the mind with practical knowledge may generally be depended upon to land their possessor somewhere near the top of the ladder. Mr. Meyer is a logical thinker, a close observer and student, a good speaker, and has those genial qualities that make friends wherever their possessor is known.
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