USA > Indiana > Indiana and Indianans : a history of aboriginal and territorial Indiana and the century of statehood, Volume V > Part 42
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EDWIN RUFUS MONTGOMERY has won a high place for himself in the agricultural and commercial communities of Summit- ville, where he is utilizing his long and successful experience as a practical farmer and in an equally enterprising management of the Summitville Grain Company.
Mr. Montgomery was born July 3, 1880, son of S. D. and Mary C. (Thomas) Mont- gomery. The Montgomerys are of Irish stock, but were early settlers in Butler County, Ohio, and from there came to In- diana. S. D. Montgomery moved to La- fayette Township in Portage County, In- diana, more than sixty years ago and had one of the good farms near Frankton. Ed- win R. Montgomery acquired his common school education in Monroe Township of Madison County, and when only a boy he began assisting his father in handling the home farm of 100 acres a mile from Ores- tes. On that farm he lived until his mar- riage in 1900 to Susan Pearl Matney, daughter of Elias and Mahala (Dalrymple). Matney. Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery had two children, Hazel, born in 1903, and Ber- nice, born in 1906. The wife and mother died June 30, 1917, and on July 16, 1918, Mr. Montgomery married Florence Estella
Eatgar apperson
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Brake, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Brake.
Mr. Montgomery continued farming for himself and still owns a place of 108 acres which he now rents to a tenant. In Jan- uary, 1918, he retired from the farm to be- come manager of the Summitville Grain Company. This company does an exten- sive business all around the country about Summitville, buying and selling grain, coal, seed and feed.
Mr. Montgomery is a republican and at the present writing is candidate for town- ship trustee. He is affiliated with the Ma- sonic and Odd Fellows Lodges of Summit- ville and is a member of the Methodist Church.
ELMER APPERSON. Any one acquainted with automobile history as made in America during the past twenty years knows that it is a matter of many being called and few chosen for permanent and satisfactory rewards and honors. Among those whose claims to distinction and real success are most substantial Elmer Apper- son, of Kokomo, has his position well for- tified today as president of the Apperson Brothers Automobile Company, and there is perhaps no other American whose con- nection with automobile manufacture is ex- tended further back into the historic past.
The little Indiana city near where he was born Angust 13, 1861, and where he has spent his life has many reasons to be grate- ful to the man who was once a hard work- ing but rather obscure mechanic in the town. The Appersons are an old American family, the record going back to a Dr. James Apperson, who came from England prior to 1668 and settled in the County of New Kent, Virginia. In Indiana before the Apperson brothers made the name a synonym of mechanical genius the family were substantial farmers. The father of the Apperson brothers was Elbert Severe Apperson, who was born December 29, 1832, and died August 13, 1895. He was a Howard County farmer for many years. His wife's maiden name was Anne Eliza Landon, a daughter of William Landon. Elmer Apperson is a second cousin of Phoebe Apperson Hearst, and he is a great- great-grandson of Daniel Boone of Ken- tucky.
Elmer Apperson gained his first instruc- tion in a country school in Howard County.
He also attended the grade schools at Ko- komo and the normal school at Valparaiso. Probably the event and undertaking of his career of greatest significance came in September, 1888, when with his brother Edgar he established a machine shop at Kokomo known as the Riverside Machine Works. Elmer Apperson was one of the owners and manager of this plant. Some four or five years later the Riverside Ma- chine Works became actually though not in name the first automobile factory in America. In those works were designed, made and finished the parts which entered into the pioneer American antomobile, the first Haynes-Apperson car. Thus for a quarter of a century Mr. Apperson has been interested in automobile manufac- ture, and the Apperson Brothers Automo- bile Company, of which he is president, is in a sense the flowering and fruitage of these many years of experience.
Mr. Apperson is also a director in the Kokomo Trust Company. He is a republi- can, a member of the Elks, and socially is a member of the Chicago Athletic Club, South Shore Country Club of Chicago and the Kokomo Country Club. He is a Pres- byterian in religious affiliation.
Mr. Apperson was married in 1912 to Catherine Elizabeth Clancy, daughter of Matthew Cleary Clancy.
EDGAR LANDON APPERSON, a younger brother of Elmer Apperson, with whom he is associated in the Apperson Brothers Automobile Company, has shared honors in many of the experiences and achievements of the Apperson family in automobile his- torv.
He was born near Kokomo October 3, 1869, a son of Elbert Severe and Anne Eliza (Landon) Apperson. He finished his education in the Kokomo High School and before he was twenty years old was asso- ciated with his brother in the Riverside Machine Works at Kokomo. He also as- sisted his brother in building and design- ing the first practical American antomo- hile, constructed in the Riverside Machine Works. In later years he has been secre- tary treasurer of the Apperson Brothers Automobile Company and is now general manager of this company at Kokomo. He is also a director in the Howard National Bank at Kokomo, is a republican, a Mason and Elk, Presbyterian, and a member of
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the Kokomo Country Club and the Crane Lake Game Preserve.
November 9, 1910, at Waukesha, Wiscon- sin, he married Inez Marshall, daughter of Henry Marshall, who served with the rank of captain in the Union army during the war.
GERRITT S. VAN DEUSEN, a former mayor of Michigan City and one of its oldest busi- ness men, has been a resident of that In- diana community for over half a century.
He is descended from some of the orig- inal Knickerbocker stock of New York. Abraham Van Deusen was a native and life long resident of Holland. Five of his sons came to America, and all were early settlers in Columbia County, New York. These five sons were named Isaac, Melchert, Teu- wis, Jacob and Peter.
The first American generation of this branch was represented by Teuwis, and the subsequent line comes through Matthew Abrahamse, Robert, Sr., Robert, Jr., James, Robert I., Robert R., and Gerritt S. Rob- ert Van Deusen, Jr., was baptized Sep- tember 1, 1700, his sponsors being Martin and Marretye Van Buren. James Van Deusen married Elizabeth Smith.
Robert I. Van Deusen, grandfather of the Michigan City business man, was born at Claverack, New York, December 15, 1772. For a number of years he was a Massachusetts farmer living near Ashley' Falls. He married Barbara Sharpe.
Robert R. Van Deusen was born at Greenbush, New York, September 12, 1809. He acquired a good education and early turned his attention to the study of law. After his admission to the bar he located at Morrisville, New York, and practiced there steadily until he removed to Michi- gan City in 1866. He continued in active practice until his death June 25, 1878. He married Elvira Stewart, who was born in Madison County, New York, January 30, 1819, and died at Michigan City when about seventy-five years of age. She was a member of the Methodist Church. They had eleven children, named Mary E., Anna E., Stewart A., Sarah M., Henry Clay, Ella, Robert S., Jay R., Gerritt S., Estelle, and Arthur E.
Gerritt S. Van Deusen was born at Mor- risville, Madison County, New York, Jan- mary 7, 1851. He was about fifteen years old when his father came to Michigan City.
He attended the public schools of Morris- ville and completed his education in the high school at Michigan City. As a suc- cessful business man Mr. Van Deusen takes pride in the fact that he began life on a comparatively humble scale. For two years he was employed as baggage master and brakeman with the Michigan Central Railway. Then for thirteen years he was a commercial traveler, but resigned his po- sition on the road to establish a factory at Michigan City for the manufacture of reed and rattan goods. He made that a highly successful enterprise, and after selling it took up the contracting business, building good roads, and developed an organization and facilities which constructed many miles of improved highways in many coun- ties. In 1907 Mr. Van Deusen retired on account of ill health, and after an exten- sive tour of Europe returned home and has since been identified with banking and other enterprises. With W. B. Hutchin- son and Philip Zorn he organized the Mer- chants Mutual Telephone Company, and is still one of its directors and was formerly secretary and treasurer. He was also one of the organizers of the Citizens Bank of Michigan City. He is a director of the Te- enmseh Facing Mill Company and of the Mount Airy Stone Company.
November 9, 1881, Mr. Van Deusen mar- ried Miss Rachel Sloane Couden. Mrs. Van Deusen was born in Michigan City. Her father, Reynolds Couden, was born in Poland, Ohio, where his parents were among the pioneers. He learned the tin- ner's trade and in 1834 came west and lo- cated at Michigan City, a town that had just been established about a year. He bought land and opened one of the first hardware stores and tinshops, his place of business being on Franklin Street. He continued active as a merchant for upwards of half a century, and died at Michigan City at the age of seventy-seven. He mar- ried in Michigan City Margaret S. Mar- shall, who was born in Weathersfield, Ohio, daughter of William and Rachel (McElroy) Marshall, of Scotch and Irish ancestry. Reynolds Couden and wife had five children : William M .; Albert R., who became a prominent officer in the United States Navy ; Chauncey B .; Rachel S .; and J. C. F.
Mr. and Mrs. Van Deusen had three children, Margaret, Grace Marshall and
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Henry. The oldest and youngest died in infancy. The daughter is now the wife of William B. Hutchinson, Jr., and they are the parents of two children, William and Gerritt. Mr. and Mrs. Van Deusen have long been active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He has served on the Board of Trustees of the church for up- wards of forty years and is the oldest trustee in point of continuous service now living. Mr. Van Deusen has been a power in republican politics in the state, and has attended as delegate many of the state and other conventions of his party. He was a member of the National Convention which nominated William McKinley. For two years he was an alderman, and from 1894 to 1898 was mayor of Michigan City. Mr. Van Deusen is affiliated with Acme Lodge No. 83, Ancient Free and Accepted Ma- sons, Michigan City Chapter No. 25, Royal Arch Masons, Michigan City Council No. 56, Royal and Select Masons, and Michigan City Commandery No. 30, Knights Tem- plar.
AMOS WHITELEY, JR. Since 1892 the name Whiteley has been one of the most. significant in the industrial upbuilding of the City of Muncie. In that year the great corporation which had formerly had its home at Springfield, Ohio, moved its malleable iron foundry to Muncie, and there soon built up a manufacturing town called Whiteley, a notable addition to the population and industrial resources of the larger city of Muncie.
One of the present representatives of the family is Amos Whiteley, Jr., who was named for his honored grandfather, an emi- nent American manufacturer. He was born at Springfield, Ohio, January 5, 1885, a son of Burt H. Whiteley. The latter, also a native of Springfield, was for years engaged in the manufacture of malleable iron castings. On coming to Muncie he established the Whiteley Malleable Cast- ings Company, to which he gave his time and attention in its management until his death in 1917. As a citizen no man stood higher in Muncie than Burt H. Whiteley. His natural ability as an industrial leader was carried over into civic affairs and into his personal relations, so that he well earned the esteem paid him for his many admirable qualities. He was one of the men who found Muncie a small city facing
decline through the passing of the boom period caused by natural gas, and gave it new life and prosperity and brought it to a city of over 30,000 population. His name was identified with nearly every worthy enterprise of Muncie in a quarter of a century. He founded The Home Hos- pital on the site of the old Anthony home- stead. For many years he was a director of the Delaware County Bank, and was also interested financially in the building of the Star and Columbia theaters of Mun- cie. He was a Unitarian in religious be- lief, was a thirty-second degree Mason and Shriner, and an Elk.
Amos Whiteley, Jr., was the only child of his parents. He was educated in the public schools of Muncie, Howe Military School, and the Millikan University at De- catur, Illinois. In early life he learned the pattern making trade in his father's shop and was active in the foundry depart- ment until 1910, when he was made as- sistant superintendent of the Whiteley Malleable Castings Company. In 1916 Mr. Whiteley withdrew from this business and established one of the largest garages in Muncie. This he still continues. Mr. Whiteley is a republican, a member of the Episcopal Church, and is affiliated with the Muncie Elks. July 25, 1906, at Muncie, he married Miss Mabel Stewart.
GEORGE WILLIAM BROWN, who died Jan- mary 17, 1919, had figured prominently in the business life of Indianapolis for many vears, and accomplished much as a mer- chant and especially as a builder.
Mr. Brown was born at Indianapolis, in a house standing at 612 North New Jersey Street, January 12, 1857, a son of John William and Sophia Catherine (Vajen) Brown. His mother was a sister of John H. Vajen, who served as quartermaster general during the Civil war under Gov- ernor Morton. John W. Brown died in 1909 and his wife in 1907. It has long heen the practice of the family to assemble in reunion every Christmas, and in 1917 the descendants of John W. and Sophia Catherine Brown in attendance at this union were sixty-two in number, including children and grandchildren.
John William Brown was born at Bicken, Nassau, Germany, while his wife was born near Bremen. John W. Brown came to the United States with his parents
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in 1848, when fourteen years of age, and the family located at once in Indianapolis, where they erected a two-story brick house for a residence and used part of the build- ing for a bakery shop. It was in this old house, located on New Jersey Street, that George W. Brown was born. For a num- ber of years John George Brown, brother of John William, was a grocery merchant of Indianapolis. John W. Brown at the outbreak of the Civil war volunteered for service in the ranks. However, owing to the scarcity of bakers in Indianapolis he was employed by Governor Morton and John Vajen to take a contract to supply the quartermaster's department. Thus he did baking for the soldiers in the camp near Indianapolis during the war, and from that contract he secured his start in busi- ness affairs. Finally he acquired a part- nership with William Buschmann & Com- pany, and was one of the managers in that extensive wholesale business of groceries, flour and feed. During the last twenty years of his life John William Brown was chiefly identified with real estate.
George William Brown spent his boy- hood and youth in the Indianapolis of Civil war time and the decade following. Un- til he was about twelve years old he at- tended parochial school, and after that had a year in public schools and for one year was a student of German and Latin in the Reformed Church Academy. His educa- tion was completed with a business course under Professor Hollenbeck at Butler Uni- versity. During school days Mr. Brown acquired valuable experience with differ- ent firms. He seemed to possess a special genius for drawing and making plats, and he worked for some time in Barnard & Johnson's real estate office doing this work. These plats were in great demand and were readily sold to the real estate men of the city. While in Butler University Mr. Brown also did work as an errand boy for the Citizens National Bank.
In 1875 he entered the wholesale depart- ment of the Bowen & Stewart book store, and was there two years, during which time he acquired a very practical knowl- edge of bookkeeping. From 1877 to 1880 he managed his father's grocery business, in which he had a partnership interest. He then took up a new line altogether, en- gaging as a shoe merchant, a business which continued in the family for thirty-
five years, until it was finally wound up in 1917. Mr. Brown, however, had sold his interest in the store in 1895 to his brother Frank, who continued it until 1908, at which time it was sold to Raymond B. Brown, a son of George W.
In 1890 Mr. Brown organized the Ger- man-American Building Association, with authorized capital stock of $1,000,000. He was vice president of this organization when it consolidated with the Indiana So- ciety for Savings. Albert Sahm, who was a schoolmate of Mr. Brown, has been treas- urer of the organization since its incep- tion. Mr. Brown was active in the busi- ness as secretary for twenty years.
In late years his business interests were largely in the field of real estate develop- ment and building. He constructed inde- pendently several large buildings, includ- ing the Pennsylvania Flat, Raymond Flat, Vienna Flat, St. Albans, Belle Terrace, and Bungalow Park apartments. He also organized a $100,000 corporation which built the property known as Delaware Court and was president of the company.
Mr. Brown interested himself in public affairs and was prominent in the progres- sive party. In 1914 he was on that ticket as candidate for treasurer of Marion County, and had the satisfaction of getting more votes than any other candidate ex- cept Senator Beveridge.
Probably nothing afforded Mr. Brown more satisfaction than the service he was able to render during his many years of active membership in the Presbyterian Church and the honors accorded him by the church. From 1885 he served as an elder, in 1911 was vice moderator of the Indiana Synod, for twenty-four years was elder and office bearer of Memorial Pres- bytery of Indianapolis; was superintend- ent of the Sunday School at Fifth Christ Church in 1883-85, superintendent of the Sixth Presbyterian Church Sunday School from 1888 to 1890, and three times was sent to the General Assembly, for the years 1903, 1914 and 1917, an honor which Mr. Brown especially appreciated. From 1911 to 1914 he was treasurer and chairman of the finance committee of the Church Fed- eration of Indianapolis. He was eight vears treasurer of Indiana Synod Home Missions Committee, and independently he raised $350.000 for Winona Assembly and Winona Technical Institute. Among other
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activities Mr. Brown wrote much for re- ligious organs in Indianapolis and for daily newspapers, and was one of the most prom- inent laymen of the Presbyterian Church in the state. He was a director in 1905-06 of the Indianapolis Commercial Club.
He married Mary J. Coble, of a well known family of Marion County. Before her marriage Mrs. Brown was a teacher in the districts around Indianapolis. Her father, George Coble, was born near River- side Park in Marion County, and was a farmer there many years. He died at In- dianapolis in 1898. Her mother, Mary Ann (Doty) Coble, was also born in Ma- rion County and died in 1911.
Mr. and Mrs. Brown had six children : Bess M., who died in 1912, Gertrude Va- jen, Raymond Dwight, Mrs. Edith Grace Brubaker, Paul Owen, and Karl Franklin. There are seven grandchildren.
CLARENCE A. HARTLEY, M. D. For the past ten years one of the best qualified physicians and surgeons of Southern In- diana has been Dr. Clarence A. Hartley of Evansville. Doctor Hartley has spent most of his life in Southern Indiana, grew up in the hills of Warrick County, was a teacher, and while studying medicine was a civil service employe in the Government offices at Washington.
Doctor Hartley was born in Marion County, Illinois. His father, Henry Hart- ley, was born on a farm in Warrick County, Indiana, where his parents were pioneers. Henry Hartley followed farm- ing in Southern Indiana until 1873, when he removed to Marion County, Illinois, where he farmed three years. He then re- turned to Warrick County and bought a farm in Anderson Township, where he con- tinued general farming and stock raising the rest of his life. He married Abigail Horton. She was a native of Anderson Township of Warrick County, daughter of James and Amanda (Bates) Horton. Her parents were both born in Rhode Island and were early settlers in Anderson Town- ship, their locality becoming known as Yankeetown. James Horton improved a good farm there and was one of the influ- ential citizens. Mrs. Henry Hartley died at the age of seventy-two, the mother of eight children : Salvin, James N., Fannie, Lou, Union, Clarence A., Viola and Elmer. . Dr. Clarence A. Hartley attended pub-
lie schools in Warrick County and making good use of his advantages qualified as a teacher in the public schools. Later he entered the State Normal School at Terre Haute and was graduated in 1898. From there he went to Washington, District of Columbia, and after perfecting himself in shorthand and typewriting became a eleri- cal employe in the offices of the secretary of the treasury. He was one of the gov- ernment workers in Washington for nearly ten years, until 1907. In the meantime he used his leisure to attend lectures in the medical department of the George Washington University, where he grad- uated M. D. in 1907. He also had a post- graduate course in the same university, and in 1909, with this thorough training and with many natural qualifications, he entered upon his busy career as a physi- cian and surgeon at Evansville. He is a member in good standing of the Vander- burg County Medical Society, the Indiana State Medical Association, the Ohio Valley Medical Association and the American Medical Association. He is also a member of the staff of physicians and surgeons of the Deaconess Hospital and is attending physician to the Children's Clinic of the same institution.
In 1907 Doctor Hartley married Amer- ica Catherine Collins. She was born in Warrick County, a daughter of Salvin and Amanda Collins. Their two children are Clarence A., Jr., and Flora Elizabeth. Their daughter Mary Catherine died at the age of eleven months. Doctor Hartley is affiliated with Reed Lodge No. 316, Free and Accepted Masons, Evansville Chapter No. 12, Royal 'Arch Masons, and is also a member of the Loyal Order of Moose, the Elks, and the Evansville Chamber of Commerce.
CHARLES W. HARTLOFF, M. D. The name Hartloff has been prominent in the medical annals of Evansville for many years, hav- ing been borne by two men of distinction in the profession, the late Dr. Richard Hartloff and his son and successor Dr. Charles W. Hartloff.
The former was born in Wermelskirchen, Rheinpfalz, Germany, in 1845, son of Fred- erick Hartloff. who was a weaver by trade. In 1854 the latter came to America, ac- companied by his wife and son, and they were twenty-three days in crossing the
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ocean on a sailing vessel. From the port of Philadelphia they journeyed westward to Ironton, Ohio, and two years later set- tled at German Ridge in Perry County, In- diana. Securing a tract of timber land, Frederick Hartloff soon had the rude com- forts of a log house for his family, and with the industry characteristic of the German settler continued his work until he had a fine farm with all the improvements. Late in life he retired to Buffaloville in Spencer County, where he died.
Dr. Richard Hartloff had the rudiments of his education in his native land, but from the age of nine attended American schools both at Ironton, Ohio, and in Spen- cer County. He finished his literary course in Wallace College at Berea, Ohio, and from there entered the medical de- partment of the University of Louisville, where he was graduated with the M. D. degree in March, 1870. It is now nearly half a century since he began his work as a well equipped practitioner at Evansville. He was a close student of his profession, attending clinics and schools in New York and also going abroad to study in Vienna. He was in practice thirty years, his useful career being closed by death June 21, 1900.
He married Caroline Johann, a native of Perry County, Indiana, and daughter of Frederick and Barbara Johann, natives of Germany and early settlers in Southern Indiana. She died in 1875, leaving besides her son Charles a daughter, Emma Caro- line, now the wife of John F. Habbe of In- dianapolis. Dr. Richard Hartloff married a second wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Oliver, a na- tive of Manchester, England, who died in 1903. Her son by a former marriage is also deceased.
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