USA > Indiana > Jasper County > Remington > History of the town of Remington and vicinity, Jasper County, Indiana > Part 17
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
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
Digitized by Google
203
JASPER COUNTY, INDIANA.
THOMAS CALLAGHAN.
HOMAS CALLAGHAN located near Remington about the year 1868, and continued to reside there until 1893, when he moved into the town of Rem- ington. He was born in Ireland, and came to America before the breaking out of the late civil war in the United states. He was a soldier during this war on the Union side, serving about one year in one of the Ohio regiments. He is an excellent citizen. We note a family reunion at his farm in the country, held on the 4th day of July, 1892, copied as follows: "July 4th was celebrated at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Callaghan, six miles northwest of Remington, and will long be remembered by all present. It being the 48th anniversary of the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Callaghan, the children planned a surprise for them, and as the morning sun began to shed its rays on the old homestead, father and mother were welcoming their chil- dren home once more. Before the noon hour arrived all were present-children, grand children, and great grand children, to the number of fifty-five. Each family brought baskets filled with the best the land affords, and good enough to tempt the appetite of a king. Each one remem- bered 'father' and 'mother' with many handsome and useful presents, too numerous to mention in our limited space. When the shadows of evening began to fall a plat- form was erected and dancing was indulged in until two o'clock in the morning. As each family wished a souvenir of the occasion, Mr. A. Beasley, our popular photographer, was called upon and a photograph of the whole group was taken and distributed among those present."
Digitized by Google
204
REMINGTON AND VICINITX.
THOMAS HARRIS.
SOME OF HIS HUNTING EXPERIENCES, ETC., AS TOLD BY HIMSELF.
WAS born in Baltimore county, Maryland, in the year 1842, and lived within eight miles of the city of Baltimore until 1855, when my father, in the hope of getting more land, moved to the west, and located in Randolph county, Indiana, where he lived until 1857, when we came to Jasper county, arriving here March 7, 1857. I have been a resident here ever since the latter date. When we came here I think fully one-third of the country was a slough, and the wild geese and ducks were there in great abundance. It was nothing unusual to see a ten acre tract of land completely covered with those fowls, and without seeming to boast I will say that I have killed as many as eighty-four prairie chickens, twenty-two wild ducks, three wild geese and two sand hill cranes in one day. I did not arrive here until after the best days for deer hunting was passed, but I have killed of these animals, since I came here, one hundred and twenty-five, which I got, and wounded many more that I did not get. Myself and father had excellent luck in hunting deer, being equally as successful as any of the older and more experi- enced hunters in Jasper county. My father killed the largest deer I ever saw, and perhaps the largest one ever killed in Jasper county. He weighed two hundred and forty-eight pounds dressed. He was a six pronged buck, the prongs being eighteen inches in length. We generally hunted on horseback. I considered myself a good shot, having shot several deer when my horse was running at full speed. Myself and father have had a great deal of sport in this way, if any one ever did. In the fall of 1863 I was out on the Kankakee river with Uncle Jo Lewis, hunting and fishing. We used to go there quite often. But I mention this particular time on account of what
Digitized by Google --
-
205.
JASPER COUNTY, INDIANA.
occurred when we returned home from this expedition. We had not had very good luck on the Kankakee, having killed only one deer, caught a half barrel of fish, and cap- tured about one hundred pounds of wild honey. One pike among the fish we caught weighed sixteen pounds. When I got home there were three strangers at our house, wait- ing for my return. They did not seem to be strangers at all, for when they saw me coming they were in the yard, my father having told them I was coming. They came at once to the wagon and shook hands with me as cordially as if they had known me for many years, and were brothers .. They came out here for a hunt, and my father had told them when I got home we would get some deer. Those men could not do enough for me apparently. So on the next morning we hitched up a team, and myself and the three men got into the wagon, and my father got on his favorite horse, and took his dogs. Myself and the three men went on ahead. I would station them at stands, or runways which I knew the deer frequented, and father would drive through the brush. We made two stands before we got up any game. But on the third stand I placed the men as follows: One of them was a mate on a boat on the Ohio river, hailing from New Albany, Ind .; I told him to stay with me, and the other two being father and son, I instructed to stay on the ridge. The mate, however, said he would go to another ridge, which he did. We had not been standing there very long before I heard the dogs barking and I told the old man that we were going to get a shot. He had never seen a wild deer in his life, but in a few minutes there rushed out of the brush three deers very close to the old gentle- man. He fired, and I thought he come nearer shooting me than he did the deer. I fired both shots from my double barreled gun, and killed two of them, then and there. He soon came to himself a little and the other deer, a fawn, which was a little behind the others, stopped near us. The old man took good aim with his remaining
Digitized by Google
206
REMINGTON AND VICINITY.
shot, and killed the fawn. He was the happiest man I ever saw. He would not give that deer for a car load of deer such as I had killed. The old gentleman thought that was good enough. We had three deer, one apiece for the strangers, and we then returned home. The following morning the gentlemen all returned to their homes in New Albany, Indiana.
Some of Remington's Business Men.
J. O. B. MCDOUGLE
Came to Remington from Kentucky about the year 1870, bringing with him about twenty thousand dollars in cash, with which he purchased a large stock of groceries, and he at once engaged in the retail grocery trade. In this venture Mr. McDougle made a bad failure, on account of being too careless about who he gave credit to. He built himself a fine brick residence on North Ohio street, which was at that time the best and most valuable residence property in Remington. He did not build this house, however, until 1876, and at the time of his failure in business he sold this dwelling house to E. H. Briggs. He struggled along for a few years, and again engaged in the general merchandise business. He had had experience in the matter of cus- tomers here, and although doing a considerable amount of credit business since his second venture, he has continued in business to the present time, and has been fairly pros- perous, although occasonally making and losing a bad debt. He has built several buildings in the town. He has also been unfortunate in several ways, since making this place his home. He has lost four business houses in Remington, and also one in Watseka, Illinois, by fire, upon all of which there was no insurance. Three of those were destroyed here by the Ellis fire, and one by the Stitz fire. He is, however, at this time the owner of some very good busi- ness rooms, and has built himself recently a good residence.
Digitized by Google
-
JASPER COUNTY, INDIANA. 207
When he first came to Remington, he took it for granted that everybody was honest. It was not long, however, until he found out different; but poverty perhaps had much to do with some of his customers' dishonesty. Many, however, were poor and unable to pay him, and a number of this class should not be deemed dishonest. Mr. McDougle was and is a great believer in religion, and took an active part in the upbuilding of all our churches. When he first came here there was much figuring done on the construction of a Christian church, known to some as the Campbellites, and he was perfectly willing, and always anxious to do his part, so he accordingly gave the society one hundred dollars. This was in the year 1870, and for several years he was a member of this church in good standing. But finally he changed his religious faith, and allied himself with the so-called Church of God. The Christian organization for a time allowed this new church organization or creed, the use of the Christian church, but eventfully they grew tired of having the meetings held there, which resulted in much bitter feeling between Mr. McDougle and some of the members of the Christian church. The trouble went so far that on a certain occa- sion Mr. McDougle was forcibly ejected from the church by Dr. Samuel C. Maxwell, and from this time forward the doors of this church were barred against Mr. Mc- Dougle, and those of his class and religious creed. Mr. McDougle then organized a class here composed of persons of his religious faith, but they were without a house for public worship, and for the lack of such place of public worship some of these persons made their homes with other churches in the town. All the leading members of the Christian church have since totally discarded and ignored Mr. McDougle on the questions of religious faith. He has, however, had several strong adherents who have strictly clung to his views, and have conscientiously sympathized with him in his tribulations; among them being Mr. Henry
Digitized by Google
:
208
REMINGTON AND VICINITY.
M. Babb, better known as "Father Babb," and also Rev. A. Oppy.
UNCLE JOHN HARMON AND FAMILY.
Uncle John Harmon as he is known, settled with his family, one and a half miles south of Remington in 1865, just after the close of the late war. Himself and sons held possession of this farm until the year 1886, when they sold it to Mr. Hezekiah Root, when they moved into John Lam- born's house in the north part of Remington, where they remained for a short time as renters, and whilst they were living there their youngest son engaged in the draying busi- ness, which he continued. for several years; finally he sold his dray and team to Chas. H. Peck; and about this time they bought the Michael Kite house on South Ohio and First South street, and went into the hotel business and keeping boarders. They made some money in this busi- ness and have made some additional and valuable improve- · ments to their property. Their children are all long since grown to full legal age and married, excepting their young- est daughter, who remains with her father and mother, and assists them in their boarding house affairs, she being the main stay. Most of the children were educated in the Remington schools, and were school mates with the writer. Mr. Harmon has experienced the frosts of many winters, being probably eighty years old, and Father Time's inroads are beginning to show on him His first arrival in our town was in 1864, prior to his farming experience; his oldest son, Theopholas Harmon, came home from the army during this year. He was in very ill health, the result of chronic diarrhoea, when he returned home, and it was thought he would not survive for some time afterward, but he finally recovered. He was after that elected to the office of Sheriff of Benton county in 1886, and served four years. After vacating his office he lived near Lafayette for some three or four years, after which he removed to Dakota, where he resides at the
Digitized by Google
-- -
---
--- - - 1 1 !
- 1
Digitized by
.
JACOB S. BARNES.
(See page 244.)
Digitized by
.
JASPER COUNTY, INDIANA.
209
present time. He is the oldest son of Uncle John Harmon. His second son, Chris Harmon, was at one time a guard at the Michigan City prison; he was married to a widow, Mrs. Coombs, and lived in Remington for a few years, when he removed with his family to Sheldon, Illinois. The oldest daughter, Josephine, married Mr. Charles F. Fisher, and became the mother of several boys, but she died several years ago, and Mr. Fisher took upon himself the responsibility of raising the boys, which he did well. Jerome Harmon, the youngest boy, worked for J. F. Ellis in his saloon after selling his dray; he was always in for fun. He finally married, and was living upstairs in the Ochs building when it was destroyed by fire, and most of his furniture was destroyed at the same time; this occured October 28, 1888; but soon after this he moved to Rens- selaer, Indiana, and was a bar tender there for several years. He is yet living in Rensselaer, or its vicinity.
WILLIAM BARNES
Moved into Remington in 1886, and built a good residence on the corner of Maine and North Line streets in 1889. His business is hay pressing, and also farming in a small way.
WILLIAM HOLLAND
Became a citizen of Remington in the year 1879; he was a yong man, and a laborer; he worked for some time on the railway section here, and finally became a section foreman, which position he held for two or three years, after which he became the foreman at the Remington sand pit, and remained there as long as the pit was worked. He is at the present time the night watchman for Remington.
F. B. GOODSPEED
Is mentioned here, because of the great interest he took in the management and breeding of fine horses. He bought the farm known as the "Gilson" farm, in the southeast corner of Carpenter township, and was a citizen here for 14
Digitized by Google
.
210
REMINGTON AND VICINITY.
about fifteen years, when he sold out and moved away during the year of 1891.
JOHN LAMBORN,
One of our leading farmers, is the fourth child of Thomas Lamborn, deceased. He has been a school teacher, and is the present owner of the old homestead, having now three hundred and sixty acres of land. He also owns some good town property and resides in town; he is, however, engaged in farming and stock raising, and is making money rapidly. He takes an especial interest in the' welfare of Remington and the surrounding country, and he is the present Township Assessor.
DANIEL C. VIERS
Located just southeast of and adjoining Remington in 1864, and improved the farm now owned and occupied by John R. Wilson. Mr. Viers was an excellent citizen and one of the leaders of the Methodist Episcopal church. He sold out his interests here in the year 1876, and re-located in the State of Illinois.
BERNEY GRAHAM
Located with his mother in Carpenter township in 1884, having bought what is known as the Riley farm, which had been improved by Capt. Charles F. Fisher, in the early seventies. Mr. Graham and his mother moved into Remington in the year 1893, when he and Mr. Snell engaged in the occupation of wood and coal dealers, and also the milling and feed business. They have continued in this business as partners to the present time.
HUGH ROBERTS
Came to this locality during the seventies, and bought a farm adjoining Remington on the east. There had been some improvements made on this place by Elder Webster in 1866, and later still further improvements were made
Digitized by Google
21I
JASPER COUNTY, INDIANA. .
on it by Mr. Adam Fisher. Mr. Roberts is a good farmer, and stock grower, and he is also an excellent law-abiding and useful citizen.
ROYAL S. TUTTLE
Located in Remington during the year of 1876, and built for himself a residence on out-lot No. five (5), at the east end of Minnesota street. He was a contractor and capen- ter, and has done a great deal of work in his line in Rem- ington and the surrounding country during his stay here. He built four different houses for himself in Remington, all of which he sold. He buried his wife in the year 1891, but still remained in Remington until during the year 1893, when he removed from this place and re-located in the State of New York. He has two sons, Arthur and Milo, still living here.
JOHN J. PORTER
Located on a farm northwest of Remington about six miles, in 1875. His business was, and is at present, handling cattle, horses and hogs; he also farmed until 1888, when he bought the property from J. B. Sheaffer in Remington, being lots 1, 2, 3 and 4, in Sheaffer's addition to Remington; he then rented his farm and moved into town, and has since been engaged in the stock business, as a buyer and shipper. He has an excellent residence property and fine large barn, in Remington. He is an Englishman by birth; is an enterprising citizen, up to business in the stock shipping line and useful in the community.
A. L. SIMMONDS
'Came to Remington and located here in 1888, and started in the draying business in 1889. He bought the west half of the old Henry C. Lipprant farm in the year 1888. This farm is now owned by James Clowry. Mr. Simmond's started the first milk wagon that was ever run in Reming- ton. He was not, however, prosperous in any of his ven- tures while he was here. His father-in-law, Mr. Smith, in
Digitized by Google
212
REMINGTON AND VICINITY.
1889 lived just out side the west corporation line of Rem- ington, and while standing under a small fruit tree in the summer season of that year, when a light rain was threat- ening, he was struck by lightning and instantly killed. Mr. Simmonds also built the first gravel road (so-called) in Rem- ington, on Ohio street. He, in company with his family and brother-in-law, Al Smith, removed from Remington in 1892, and located near Kokomo, Indiana.
S. H. KUSTER
Came to Remington on the 19th day of March, 1872. He was also a carpenter, and built himself a house on land he had bought just west of town, and moved his family into it in the April following. He engaged in shipping hogs in 1882, and in 1883 he handled and shipped poultry. But in the year 1884, he engaged again at his trade as a carpen- ter, and continued at this trade until 1891, when he started a milk wagon, and in this venture he has been to some extent successful. He received a fair pension (having been a soldier during the late rebellion) in 1892, and he at once invested this money in a feed and flour and meal store, on the corner of First South and Ohio streets, and employed a Mr. Crouch as his assistant and clerk. Mr. Kuster owns ten acres of good land near town, upon which he lives, and in connection with his dairy business he is at present en- gaged in the flour and feed business, as well as wood and coal, with Mr. Bert Spencer as his partner.
RILEY CLARK
Came to this country in 1881, and settled in Carpenter township in 1890. He is a successful farmer, and is at present in prosperous circumstances. He has eight brothers, most of whom live near here. David Clark, who once lived in Remington, married a Miss Westfall. He is now living in Benton county, and has been successful. Barney Clark, another brother, lives in Goodland, and has been quite successful as a land agent. He has since 1891 sold
Digitized by Google
1
.
213
1
JASPER COUNTY, INDIANA.
a great many farms in the vicinity of Goodland and Rem- ington, for which he, with his partner, received as their commission one dollar per acre.
HON. GEORGE MAJOR
Came to the vicinity of Remington in the year 1864. He was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, from whence he moved to Clinton county, Indiana, in an early day, where he remained until he located on a farm about one mile north- west of Remington in 1864. He was elected County Com- missioner of Jasper county, in 1866, and served three years. He sold his farm in Jasper county in 1878, and bought another of four hundred and ten acres in Benton county, three miles southwest of Remington, at once. He was elected State Senator from this Senatorial District in 1874, and re-elected in 1878 serving in that capacity for eight years. The Senatorial District is composed of the counties of Jasper, Benton and Newton. He was also appointed as a member of the Board of Prison Directors, for the Northern Penitentiary at Michigan City in 1883, and served as such until about the year 1891. He was president of the board for several years. Hon. George Major, is what may be termed politically a conservative Democrat, at the same time he is a staunch Greenbacker, and firmly in faver of the Free Coinage of Silver. He is at present the editor and proprietor of the "Remington Press," a neutral paper in politics.
J. CROWDEN
Built the first house south of the Galbraith farm, in the summer of 1865. This is about two miles south of Rem- ington, and of course at that time it was way out on the open prairie, and stood there alone comparatively for several years. Finally a Mr. Harmon built near there, and he was soon followed by a Mr. James Elmore, who also built and otherwise improved, in 1869, what is now known as the Biddle farm. Jerome H. Biddle came to Gilboa
Digitized by Google
· 214
REMINGTON AND VICINITY.
township in 1870, and the farm of James Elmore in 1873. Mr. Biddle built a large barn in 1885, and in 1888 he built what is considered the finest farm residence . in Benton county. This house cost big money. It is situated on the gravel road about three or four miles south of Remington.
JAMES SHEETZ
Moved to Carpenter township in 1881. He was prin- cipally brought up in Gilboa township, and was in good circumstances when he came here. He sold his farm here to Mr. Galbraith in 1891, and moved to West Lafayette, Indiana. He was a great stock grower and dealer, and in this pursuit made most of his money. . His farm comprised three hundred and sixty acres, and he sold it for $65.00 per acre. He was a good citizen and our people were very loth to have him leave this community.
FURNITURE AND UNDERTAKING.
HE furniture business was first commenced in Remington by Mr. Cornelius Donnelley, during the year 1869. His store was located on the north side of the railway, in one of the buildings that were destroyed by the so-called Ellis fire. Mr. Don- nelley sold out to Mr. George F. Bloom, who continued in this business until the spring of 1891, when he in turn sold out to John F. and George Major, who have continued in the furniture business, as well as the undertaking business, from that date until the present time. Mr. John K. Stoudt had previously to this time attended to the undertaking business for Remington, but at the time Messrs. Major's went into the business, having purchased a new and valu- able hearse, and a select stock of undertaker's goods, Mr. Stoudt went out of the business. During the year of 1876, Mr. Robert W. Lecklider also engaged in the furniture business, but he being badly crippled up with rheumatism,
Digitized by Google
.
-
JASPER COUNTY, INDIANA.
215
and partial paralysis, he was unable to properly attend to the business, and was therefore compelled to close out his stock of goods, which he did at a considerable sacrifice. .
DIFFERENT LINES OF BUSINESS.
A MONG the hardware men of Remington, we be- lieve that they have met with better success than those persons engaged in any other line. As a rule they have remained in the business longer than others. Whether this fact was due to the business alone or the men engaged it is difficult to say. The dry goods men, or at least many of them, have been unsuccess- ful in their line of business, some of them going to the wall completely, whilst others have made partial failures. Some of them, however, have got a head a little, and made some money; but none have become wealthy in this line.
The grocery men also of our town have uniformly been unsuccessful to a certain degree. The only men who ever remained through were men of large means, and able to stand severe losses. We can, however, mention men en- gaged in this particular line, but that fell behind financially, rather than advanced. The dealers in liquors here, and they have been quite numerous, have also all lost money, except perhaps those who are at present engaged in this traffic here. They all seem to be making money. There are at present three saloons in Remington, and are owned by James F. Ellis, Daniel O'Connor and George Eck.
School Trustees of Remington, Ind. FROM 1870 TO 1894 INCLUSIVE.
The following is the official list of School Trustees for the town of Remington, from the year 1870 to the year 1894, inclusive, there being no official record in existence of the former School Trustees, viz:
Digitized by Google
-
216 REMINGTON AND VICINITY.
Samuel C. Maxwell. . 1870-71
Elias Watts.
.1870-71
George A. Burkett. . 1870-71
Samuel C. Maxwell. . 1871-72
O. B. McIntire.
1888-84
George B. Clark .. ... 1872-72
George F. Bloom. . 1883-84
William Railsback. . . 1871-72
O. B. McIntire.
1884-85
Samuel C. Maxwell. . 1872-73
George B. Clark ..
. 1872-78
William Railsback .
. 1872-73
.Wm. H. Coover
1885-86
George F. Bloom.
1885-86
David Nelson.
1873-74
David H. Patton
1873-74
Geo. B. Chappell
.1873-74
David Nelson.
. 1874-75
E. A. Bartoo.
1886-87
George B. Chappell. . 1874-75
David Nelson.
1875-76
David H. Patton
1875-76
Geo. B. Chappell
1875-76
O. B. McIntire
1888-89
O. B. McIntire.
1876-77
Charles Hathaway
1876-77
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.