USA > Indiana > Jasper County > Remington > History of the town of Remington and vicinity, Jasper County, Indiana > Part 19
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Samuel Mitchell was employed by James Sheffler at the time he commenced in the livery business in Reming- ton, to assist him, and he continued with him until he sold out to Messrs. Clowry & Sons, in 1892, being with Mr. Sheffler about seventeen years. Samuel Mitchell with his brother, John Mitchell, formed a partnership in 1892, and started a new firm in the livery business here. The Mit- chell Bros. located on Black Oak, near here, in 1866, with their father and mother, having come here from Mont-
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gomery county, Indiana. They all moved into the town of Remington in 1878. The brothers are doing a fair busi- ness at this time, and have heretofore been fairly prosper- ous. They both own the residences in which they live. They are largely engaged in horse trading, having followed this line of business since they were boys.
MISCELLANEOUS MERCHANDISE.
HE Exchange block was completed in 1875, and the north room was occupied by O. B. McIntire for a bank. Room No. 2, or the second room, being the first south of the bank, was occupied for a short time by David Vats as a furniture store. Room No. 3 was occupied by Mr. Hendryx as a drug store, and the extreme south room, being room No. 4, was occupied by Samuel Adams & Co., as a general merchandise store room, for perhaps three or four years. After the firm of Samuel Adams & Co. quit business in Remington, this room was occupied by Henry C. Goldsberry & Co. Mr. Goldsberry had been employed as a clerk previously to this time by the Hathaway Brothers, Samuel Adams & Co., and perhaps others, and he was much experienced in the general mercantile line of business; he put in a good stock of general merchandise when he commenced business on his individual .account in 1883. Mr. Goldsberry and Mr. James E. Stiller formed a general merchandise partnership in 1887, and at that time Mr. Goldsberry and his partner established their business on South Ohio street, where Mr. Stiller had previously been engaged in business in this line; a Mr. Bowsher now soon became a member of this firm, we believe in the following year, 1888. This firm now did business for perhaps two years, but it was not successful, and Mr. Bowsher sold his interest in the concern to Messrs. Goldsberry and Stiller, and Mr. Bowsher retired, going from here to near the city of Chicago, where he died. Mr.
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Goldsberry bought out Mr. Stiller in 1889, who located in Englewood, Illinois, and Mr. Goldsberry did business for a short time alone, but in due course of time he sold an interest in his establishment to Mr. John C. Allman. In a short time they divided their stock, and Mr. Goldsberry removed to Wolcott, Indiana, where he went into business. John C. Allman moved his goods into the Father Babb building, on the south side of Railway street, near the postoffice, which had previously to this time been occupied as a grocery store building by George W. Cheek and others. Mr. Allman sold his store to Jacob Ochs in 1891, and he also located in Wolcott, Ind. Mr. Ochs continued in busi- ness only a short time, when he failed, and removed from this place to Goodland, Ind.
The Solomon Brothers came to Remington in 1877, and engaged in the general merchandise trade. Their place of business was in room No. 2 in Exchange build- ing. They carried a full line of dry goods, notions and groceries, and they were also for some time engaged in handling grain in the Hathaway elevators. These brothers were of Jewish parentage; Samuel Solomon married a daughter of William H. Shaw, of Remington. The brothers were both good business men and both owned fine residence properties here. Moses Solomon sold his residence to William H. Wells, and Samuel sold his to Mr. Zacheus K. Smith. This firm closed out their business here in 1888, and they then removed to Dubuque, Iowa, where they again went into business.
Messrs. Smith and Balthis came to Remington in 1885, and engaged in the dry goods, notions and general mer- chandise business, occupying the east room of the D. W. Green building, known as the Ephraim Anglemeier build- ing. They remained there about two years, and in 1887 they moved their stock into the south room, being room . No. 4 in the Exchange Block. This firm has done fairly well here. Mr. Balthis married Miss Independence French, of Remington, in 1889. Mr. Balthis' health was not good,
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and he spent some time in travel. He quit the active mer- cantile life in 1893, and removed to Washington, D. C., where he had received a naval appointment. Mr. Bert Spencer, who married a sister of Mr. Balthis, was chief clerk in this establishment until during 1893, when he dropped out of this store and engaged in other business. In the fall of the year 1893, the style or firm name of this concern was changed to Smith, Hargreaves & Co., Mr. Hargreaves becoming a member of the firm. They now occupy room No. 2 in the Exchange block building, and are at present doing a fair general mercantile business.
A. Leopold and Sons, formerly of Rensselaer, estab- lished a large general stock of merchandise here in the year 1887, and they were located in Room No. 2 in Ex- change block. They employed Mr. John Ford as their business manager, who remained with the firm for two years, when he quit their employment and established a book and stationery house in Watseka, Illinois. The firm of A. Leopold & Sons was composed of Abraham Leopold, Simon Leopold and Benhard Leopold. This firm con- tinued in business for about four or five years, when Abra- ham and Benhard Leopold dropped out of the firm, and a son-in-law of A. Leopold, formed a partnership with Simon Leopold, and they engaged in extensive mercantile busi- ness in the above room, where they remained until about the first of December, 1893, when they removed their stock to the new room on South Ohio and Railway street, recently completed and owned by Mr. O. P. Taber. Here they conducted business until during the month of January, 1893, when they made an assignment to Benhard Leopold, of Rensselaer, for the benefit of their creditors; their liabilities being largely in excess of their assets. The stock of goods was sold by the assignee, and purchased by Abra- ham Leopold for eight thousand dollars. The final settle- ment of this estate paid only about twenty cents on the dollar to the creditors. Since Mr. A. Leopold purchased
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this store he has continued in the business here to the present time, assisted by two of his younger sons.
Mr. Simon Cassel, a gentlemen of Jewish extraction, located in Remington, Ind., in the latter part of the year 1889, and he established a clothing and general merchan- dise and notion store an the north side of Railway, and near the corner of Indiana street. He remained there until the fall of 1892, when he removed his stock of goods to the south side of the Railway into one of the new brick store rooms built by Daniel O'Connor. He only did busi- ness there a few months, when he failed, having previously mortgaged his goods to a brother of his residing in Sheldon, Illinois. Mr. Castle had previously occupied the brick store owned by Mr. Benjamin Butler, of Chicago, in the block for a few months. After his failure Mr. Castle removed from Remington to Brook, Indiana, where he is at present engaged in the clothing and general merchandise business, conducted for and in the name of his brother at Sheldon, Illinois.
Mr. Ira Kingsberry established himself in the general mercantile business in this place in the year 1876. He conducted the business and succeeded fairly well for three years, when he sold out, and removed to Dakota about the year 1879 or 1880.
MILLINERY.
E are unable at this time to give a general account of all the millinery ventures heretofore estab- lished in Remington, and will, therefore, men- those only who are engaged at the present time. The Beal Sisters established a millinery and dressmaking shop on South Railway street several years ago, and are still located there and have prospered very well in their venture. Miss Maud Lally is at present located in Exchange block with a fine stock of goods, and she is also doing well.
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Miss Harper is located on South Ohio street, and has been established there for several years, and has been success- ful. Besides the above there are several different ladies in Remington who are practical dressmakers, and do a great amount of sewing for those who call upon them at their private residences.
ENGINEERS.
ENRY MULLEN located in Remington in 1871. He immediately built for himself and family a small residence in which he resided until the year 1875, when he sold it to Philip Hawn, and built another into which he moved the same year. He was em- ployed as an engineer in the Western Grain Elevator, and he occupied this position for about twenty years, giving excellent satisfaction during all this time. He is still employed by our grain men, Messrs. Hartley & Bro. Mr. Mullen was born on the Emerald Isle, and is a jovial and excellent companion. *
Frank Klaus was born in Germany, and came to Remington about twenty-two years ago, or about 1872. He has been employed also nearly all the time since he come here in some one of the elevators as an engineer. He is a good one, and has given general satisfaction to those who have given him employment. He also owns property in the western addition to Remington.
District Schools of Carpenter Township.
GIVING THE TEACHERS FOR 1892 AND 1893.
The following are the names of the teachers employed by Trustee William O. Roadifer, for the school years of 1892 and 1893:
Celia Irwin, School District No. 1; Ella Longwell, No. 2; Nellie Traugh, No. 3; May Longwell, No. 5; Wini-
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fred Draper, No. 6; Abbie Harrison, No. 7; George E. May, No. 8; Laura Hodshire, No. 9; E. L. Kemp, No. 10; Edna L. Watson, No. 11; Maud Plummer, No. 12.
The average daily compensation for teachers was, for males, $2.23, and for females, $1.76. The total enumera- tion of pupils of school age was 350. The total number of pupils admitted to the schools during the term was 331. The total estimated value of school property was $6, 500 for the township. The total amount of money expended for the payment of teachers for the school year was $3, 254. 24.
The following are the names of the teacher employed by William O. Roadifer, Trustee of Carpenter township, for the school years 1893 and 1894.
Grace Thompson, School District No. 1; Celia Irwin, No. 2, Ella Longwell, No. 3; Lulu Hawn, No. 5; Nellie Traugh, No. 6; Amanda Gigley, No. 7; Mary Longwell, No. 8; Maud Plummer, No 9; E. L. Kemp, No. 10; Myrtle Tharp, No. 11; Hettie Luckey, No. 12.
The average daily compensation for teachers was, for males, $2.35, and for females, $1.813. The amount paid out for all the schools of the township is $20. 50 per day, and the length of the school term is eight and one fourth months.
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The present School Directors are as follows:
Edward M. Greene, District No. 1; Chris Hensler, No. 2; Samuel Spacy, No. 3, John Stillman, No. 5; Frank Gray, No. 6; G. F. Schuster, No. 7; Joseph Banes, No. 8; E. H. Blake, No. 9; Charles Goss, No. 10; Ludwig Nor- man, No. 11; August Walters, No. 12.
THE TOWN OF REMINGTON.
HEN the railway was constructed here the coun- try was a broad, uninhabited prairie, but this improvement opened up new possibilities, and in 1860, Jesse H. Fordyce laid out the village. At Carpenter's creek the railway authorities had established a
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station and the new village took the name of "Carpenter," which was subsequently changed to Remington, after one of its citizens, who kept the second store in the village. The village is situated in what is known as the Grand Prairie; it possesses a fine fertile soil, well adapted to the successful cultivation of all the cereals usually grown in this latitude. No better corn region can be found in the world; oats and flax produce large crops, fruits of all kinds mature early and yield immensely. The grass or hay crop is one of the never-failing resources, and for stock raising it is hard to conceive of a section of country that is better adapted for that business. This region is noted for its fine stock of all kinds-horses, cattle, sheep and hogs. Almost entirely free, as it is, from diseases of all kinds which make such inroads upon the profits of stockmen elsewhere, stock breeders here are sure of good returns for their investments. Such a thing as scarcity of water to that extent as to deprive stock of a necessary supply, was scarcely ever known. Even in the droughts of 1881 and 1893, so general over a great portion of the United States, not much trouble was experienced here in procuring a plen- tiful supply of good water when it was necessary to sink wells. These wells are in great favor with stock raisers, because of the purity of the water, and for the further rea- son that they can choose their own location. Furnished with good wind pumps, there is but little trouble, as stock can go at any time of day and drink their fill. The soil is a rich black loam, of good depth, resting upon a clay sub- soil, and the surface is sufficiently rolling, as to be easily susceptible of drainage, through either open, or tile drains. Where proper attention is paid to keeping the outlets of the water-ways open, there is no trouble about cultivation in the wettest of seasons, and from the nature of the soil, it takes a very severe drought, indeed, to injure the crops. Good school houses and churches have been built at con- venient points, and it is very rare that long distances must be traveled to reap the benefits of educational or religious
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instructions. As a rule, school houses have been erected upon every alternate section, each way, making them but two miles apart in every direction. A very large portion of the surrounding country was, before the advent of the railway, pre-empted, or bought from the Government by capitalists. Many of the farms were sold to actual settlers, while some were leased for a term of years, in considera- tion that the tenant or lessee should cultivate, improve and fence the same. These leases have long since expired, and these lands are now nearly all in the hands of and owned by actual settlers and prosperous farmers. Situated upon one of the greatest railway thoroughfares between the east and west, Remington has become the point from which im- mense amounts of grain of all kinds, and vast numbers of cattle, sheep and hogs are shipped, both to the east and Chicago. Being in direct communication with Chi- cago, Cincinnati, Toledo, Columbus, Pittsburg, and all the eastern cities, gives facilities for taking or sending produce to market, or importing such articles as are of necessity brought from abroad. The farms are all improved and well under cultivation. The growth of the town has been slow, but steady, depending for its business upon the grain trade mainly, which has sprung up with the farmers throughout the surrounding country. The northern part of Benton and the southern part of Jasper counties find this point an exceedingly good one for marketing their grain and hay, and also for the shipment of their horses, cattle, sheep and hogs. The census of 1890 gave the population of Reming- ton at about 1000, but at this time (1894) there are proba- bly 1200 people here. Remington has its full complement of good stores, churches, schools and private residences; its people are quite sociable, and the place is an excellent one in which to find a good permanent home.
DANIEL T. O'CONNOR
Our subject is one of the prominent business men of Rem- ington. He springs from sterling Irish ancestry. His
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father, Timothy O'Connor, was born in County Carey, Ire- land; at the age of twenty-one years, he came to America, and landed in New York. He soon came to Indiana and engaged as an engineer of stationary engines at Williams- port, Ind. There he married Mary Driscoll; to them were born eleven children, eight of whom lived to grow up. Their names are Anna, Daniel T., Maggie, Kate, Jesse (deceased), Dennis P. and Frank J. In the sixties he came to Remington, and became a contractor on the Pan Handle railway, in which business he continued for a period of years, and then he engaged in the grocery business, in which he remained until his death. He was a member of the Catholic church, and was one of the chief promoters of the Catholic church in Remington. He was a staunch Democrat in politics. He was a kindly man and an honest, upright citizen. He lived to the age of forty-nine years, and died in Remington, May 9, 1887. Daniel T. O'Con- nor, our subject, was born at Williamsport, Ind., May 16, 1860. He received a common school education and came to Remington with his parents, and in his youth assisted his father in business. He spent some time in the western states, but after the death of his father he engaged in busi- ness in Remington for himself, in company with his brother, Dennis P., and they have continued in business since that time. He was married June 14, 1892, to Delie Gannan; to them have been born one child, Eveline M., June 9, 1893. Mr. O'Connor is a warm hearted and reputable cit- izen, and has many friends in Jasper county.
WILLIAM H. MARQUESS
Is one of the old soldiers of Remington. He springs from French stock, his grand father, K. Marquess, having come from France and settled in Virginia. James Marquess, his son, was born in Virginia and moved to Ohio, where he married Margaret Berry. To them were[ born nine children, Sarena, Delitch, Mary E., Nancy E., William H., Margaret E., Sarah E., Elda and George. Mr. Marquess
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was a farmer in Fountain county, Indiana, and then owned 200 acres of land. He lived to be 78 years old, and was a respected citizen. William H., our subject was born in Fountain county, Indiana, October 6, 1841. He received a common school education. He enlisted at the age of twenty years in Fountain county, Indiana (Attica) August 13, 1862, in Co. "C," 86th Regt. Ind. Vols., Capt. Jacob Dick. He was honorably discharged January 26, 1863, at Bowling Green, Ky. He was at the front with his regi- ment, and in pursuit of Gen. Bragg, when through some exposure he was taken sick with typhoid fever, and being unable to perform the duties of a soldier further, he was honorably discharged. He was married August 14, 1865, to Miss Mary Brown. To Mr. and Mrs. Marquess have been born eight children-Lenna, James, Susan, Denton, Ada, Edgar (deceased), Charles and Ona. After his mar- riage Mr. Marquess settled on a farm in Benton county, Indiana, about the year 1874, and in March, 1893, he came to Remington, Ind. He is a member of Remington Post, No. 74, G. A. R., and the present commander. He is also member of Remington Lodge No. 351, F. & A. M., and has been W. M. of that order. He is a Republican in politics.
WILLIAM R. LOVE
Was born November 18, 1832, at Cuba, Allegheny county, New York, but moved in early childhood with his parents to Ontario county. In 1853 the family moved west to Kankakee county, Illinois, and the subject of this sketch came with them, where he was engaged at the carpenter's trade. In 1857 he was married to Miss Almira Bloom. In August, 1862, he enlisted in Co. A, 88th Illinois Infantry, and served in the department of the Cumberland until June 17, 1865, and at that date was mustered out of the service and settled in Manteno, Kankakee county, and was there engaged in building until 1.870. In August of that year his wife died of typhoid fever, and he moved with his three
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children to Remington, Indiana, in May, 1873. He mar- ried for his second wife Miss Sarah Bloom, a sister to his first wife, and they have resided in the same house until the present time, March 23, 1894. Since moving to Rem- ington, Mr. Love has been engaged in the carpenter and joiner's trade, he having erected a large number of the best business buildings and residences in the villiage and sur- rounding neighborhood. He has been a member of the Masonic lodge since 1866, and a member of Remington lodge since 1873, and has filled all of the stations and most of the places in the lodge, served as Master and represented his lodge in the Grand Lodge of Indiana. He has also been intimately connected with the G. A. R. post, and is a charter member, and has filled most of the stations and has served as Commander, and is at this time Senior-Vice Commander. He served two terms on the town board as Trustee of the Third Ward, and has been for nearly a quarter of a century closely identified with the growth and prosperity of the town.
OLIVER P. TABER
Is one of the prominent citizens of this town. He springs from good old New England stock. Nathaniel Taber, the grandfather of our subject, was born in Rhode Island and married there Deborah Head; to them were born eight children. He settled in Cayuga county, New York, on a farm. He was a ship carpenter by trade, and spent seven- teen winters at Charleston, N. C., as a ship builder. He died, aged 76 years. He was a substantial farmer, and a man of high character, respected by all who knew him, and his kindly nature is yet remembered by his descend- ents. George P. Taber, his son, and the father of our subject, was born in Madison county, N. Y. He became a farmer and married Lois Vickery; to them were born three children; Mary Tersis and Oliver P. Mr. Taber died, aged 27 years, in 1847, in N. Y. His widow married Herman Wagoner. To them were born four children, Edith,
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George, Willis and David. Mrs. Wagoner died about 1865. She was a devout member of the Baptist church. Oliver P: Taber, our subject, was born at Mendon, N. Y., Dec. 22, 1845. He received a good common school edu- cation, and became a farmer and carpenter. He married at Mendon, N. Y., at the age of nineteen, December 22, 1865, Tammie J. Terpenning, daughter of William and Ren- ette (Hunt) Terpenning, to whom have been born five children, Wellington O. deceased, aged nineteen years, Lillian A., deceased, eleven months, George W., Louis R. and Albert T. Mr. Taber came to Michigan in 1870 with his family, and engaged in the planing mill business. In 1871 he came to Remington and bought land and farmed, and was also a carpenter and builder. By his industry and thrift he accumulated property, and is now a capitalist, and owns one of the handsomest residences in Remington. In politics Mr. Taber is a staunch Republican. Mr. and Mrs. Taber believe in progress and education, and their family is one of the most respected in Remington. Mr. Taber is now County Commissioner, an office which he has held for nine years. Mr. Terpenning came to Remington in 1890. He has been a substantial farmer, and is now living in Remington an aged man. He was the father of two children by his first wife, Tammie and M. He married after his first wife died, Adelaide Rodgers; to them was born one son, George.
FRANK E. BABCOCK
Was born in Decatur, Otsego county, New York, Septem- ber 12, 1863, and is a son of Eli L. and Dolly S. (Woodin) Babcock, natives of New England, and is the youngest of five children, four of whom are living at the present time. Our subject lived with his parents on a farm until 1873, when his father departed this life, and the farm was turned over to an elder brother. His schooling consisted of that usually given to farmers' boys in that section-there months during the winter-he having to go one and a half miles to 16
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to the district school. At the age of fourteen years he quit school and learned the printer's trade. At eighteen he went to Berkshire county, Mass., where he worked one year learning the marble cutter's trade, and later worked at the same trade in Cooperstown and Worcester, New York. In the spring of 1885 he emigrated to Newton county, Ind., and opened a marble shop at Goodland, in company with Chas. A. Reed, a native of Newton county. The business was built up rapidly, and in three years Mr. Babcock pur- chased his partner's interest, continuing to run the shop for two years more, when he sold out to his former partner, Mr. Reed. During these years Mr. Babcock put up a large amount of marble and granite work in nearly every cemetery in the surrounding counties, in fact the best work and most expensive jobs in those counties to-day were erected by him. He was secretary of the Home Building and Loan Association of Newton county for nearly four years, and during that time handled large sums of money, besides that growing out of his regular business. He was unanimously elected secretary of this association for four consecutive terms, or years, at last resigning the office to come to Remington and take charge of the mechanical and business management of the "Remington Press." At the time Mr. Babcock assumed these duties the "Press" had a circulation of only about 200, and after seven months under his management, it had doubled its circulation. He then gave up this job and returned to Goodland and spent the next year in the office of the "Goodland Herald," being foreman of the job printing department. In March, 1892, he was again engaged on the "Remington Press," and moved his family to this place, where he resided one year, then being unable to dispose of his Goodland property, he moved back to that town, where he now resides, but is still engaged in his old capacity on the "Press." During the past two years the "Press" has attained a circulation equal, if not exceeding any newspaper along this line of railway, much of which success is due to Mr. Babcock's manage-
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