Memorial record of northeastern Indiana, Part 54

Author:
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 932

USA > Indiana > Memorial record of northeastern Indiana > Part 54

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).

Jonathan Hurd attended the district schools until fourteen years of age, when, upon his father's death, his services were needed upon the farm, and his school days were thus ended. At the age of seventeen

515

NORTHEASTERN INDIANA.

he assumed the management of the old home place, and to-day he has one of the valuable and highly cultivated farms of this region.

In 1876 Mr. Hurd was joined in wedlock with Miss May E. Roberts, a daughter of George and Elizabeth Roberts, of Columbia township, Whitley county, where the lady was born, on the 15th of September, 1855. She began her education in the district schools, and completed it in Columbia City. Mr. and Mrs. Hurd have no children of their own, but are rearing a child, by name Franklin. They are members of the Church of God, and he is now serving as Deacon in Oak Grove Church, of Union township. Mr. Hurd is Treasurer of Crystal Lodge, No. 105, K. of P., and Mrs. Hurd is Treas- urer of Crystal Temple, No. 2, of the Rath- bone Sisters (formerly K. of P.). Mr. Hurd also belongs to the Masonic fraternity, is a Trustee of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is a member of the Grange, in which he has been Overseer, Chaplain and Master. In politics he is a stalwart Demo- crat, and does all in his power to promote the growth and insure the success of his party. He has frequently been a delegate to its conventions, has served as Supervisor, in February, 1890, was appointed Town- ship Trustee, was elected the following April, and is now serving for the sixth year with credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents.

H. CLUGSTON is numbered among Whitley county's native sons and is an honored representative of one of her early pioneer families. Both his father and his mother's people lived in this locality when it was a frontier settle- ment, and with its history were prominently

identified. P. H. Clugston will perpetuate their good name and like them is numbered among the valued citizens, he having al- ready taken his place among the leading lawyers of the bar of northeastern Indiana.

Born on the 8th of May, 1864, he is the eldest son in a family of six children, whose parents were David B. and Margaret A. (McLallen) Clugston, the former a native of New Jersey and the latter of New York. The mother's family settled in Whitley coun- ty, Indiana, in 1844, and have been im- portant factors in the development of this locality, and in its commercial interests. The father's arrival dates from 1857, and he has since here made his home, engaging in vari- ous enterprises, but most largely at present connected with the Harper Buggy Company.

Under the parental roof P. H. Clugston grew to manhood, and in the common schools obtained his elementary education, while later he pursued a course in the In- diana University. When his school life was ended he embarked upon his business career as a merchant of Columbia City, and this occupied his time for two years. He sub- sequently took up the study of law, - pre- ferring professional to mercantile life,-and in 1887 was admitted to the bar. Entering partnership with the long established firm of Marshall & McNagny, he continued with them in active practice until 1889. It was then that he was called to the office of Mayor of Columbia City. He was re-elected in the spring of 1892 and served in all for three years, when, on the ist of August, 1893, he resigned in order to join the pres- ent firm of Marshall, McNagny & Clugston. The commendation of the public concerning his official career was demonstrated in the fact of his re-election. He was a conscien- tious, painstaking officer, devoted to the

516

MEMORIAL RECORD OF

best interests of the city, which were largely advanced through his untiring efforts. He is indeed progressive and public-spirited, and whatever is calculated to promote the general welfare receives his hearty endorse- ment. He votes with the Democracy and stanchly advocates its principles.

Since retiring from office Mr. Clugston has given his entire time to his chosen pro- fession, and is a member of the leading law firm of this section of the State. Although he has not had the years of experience of the senior members of the firm, he has the ability and merit that wins success, and from the beginning he has prospered. Of active mind, his keen, quick intellect is of that quality which insures success in the legal world when combined with indefatig- able industry, which is numbered among his chief characteristics. Labor and learning have already given him a foremost place among the members of the bar in this part of the State, and will assuredly bring him still greater honors in the future.

Mr. Clugston is a member in high stand- ing of the Masonic fraternity, and has now risen to the thirty-second degree. Both he and his wife are consistent and active mem- bers of the Presbyterian Church, and he is now serving as Elder. The lady who bears his name and shares his fortune was in her maidenhood Miss Emma R. Thatcher. Their wedding was celebrated in 1891, and their union has been blessed with two chil- dren-Katharine and Phil.

AS CITY .- Although the province of this publication is more distinct- ively of biographical order, yet since within its pages are briefly recorded the life histories of men most con-

spicuously identified with the inception and the development of this wonderful little city, it is certainly germane that we incorporate an outline likewise of the eventful history of the city which they have produced and fostered.

Gas City, Grant county, is without doubt the most vital, the most alert, and the most enterprising of the many towns which have been founded in Indiana since the time when natural gas was discovered here and the de- velopment of the prolific fields instituted. This natural gas has offered a benifice which has not fallen short of appreciation by the industrial world, and the community so ap- propriately designated as Gas City can justly claim natural facilities for manufacturing and commercial purposes whose equal can- not be found in the famous gas belt of north- eastern Indiana. Situated in the geogra- phical center of Grant county, Gas City is eligibly placed in the heart of an opulent and prolific agricultural section. It is six miles distant from Marion, the county seat; sixty-four miles from Indianapolis, and 162 miles from Chicago, having exceptional rail- way facilities in being on the main line of the Panhandle, between Chicago and Pitts- burg; and on the Michigan division of the Big Four system, thus affording the best of shipping facilities and affording ready inter- course with all sections of the Union. The beautiful Mississinewa river wends its way about two sides of the town, which is sit- uated on a rolling plateau. Gas City was platted in May, 1892, by The Gas City Land Company, and at that time the embryo city showed its streets cut through fields of wav- ing grain. So stable and material growth and development as has come to the town seems well nigh marvelous, for within three years Gas City has accumulated a popula-

517

NORTHEASTERN INDIANA.

tion of 4,500 people-not representing a floating population, but one which finds con- secutive occupation here, and one which signifies permanent residence. The town of Jonesboro, with a population of 2,500, is separated from Gas City by the river alone, so that there is here a community of about 7,000.

The substantial industries of the city have kept pace with the increments in pop . ulation, and the manufacturing interests of the place are large and important. The Gas City Land Company is a corporation backed by wealthy capitalists, and it has so wisely directed its efforts as to have secured a class of factories which demand the em- ployment of a large number of skilled workmen. Among the most conspicuous lines of manufacturing now represented here may be mentioned the following: glass tableware, green-glass bottles, fruit jars, flint-glass bottles, straw board, win- dow glass, edge tools, agricultural imple- ments, window shades, tin plate, insulated wire and electrical supplies, pneumatic bicycle tires, brick, bent-wood products, paper, cigars, manufactured tinware, cathe- dral stained glass and pottery ware,- surely a remarkable showing when the age of the city is taken into consideration.

The Morewood Company, the foremost manufacturers of tin plate in the world, have here one of the largest plants for the manufacture of tin plate that the United States can claim within its borders, and this industry alone will eventually entail the employment of more than 2,000 operatives.

The advantages of the place for the suc- cessful and eligible prosecution of manu- facturing enterprises are such as to continually draw the attention of capitalists concerned in manufacturing, and the ulti-

mate position which Gas City will occupy can be but dimly conjectured; but it is certain that its prodigious strides have been made along normal channels and that pros- perity has reigned on every side. Although but three years of age the city is equipped with a thorough system of electric railway lines, which afford connections with both Jonesboro and Marion. The principal street, which is eighty feet in width, is paved with vitrified brick, and the work of street improvement is being pushed vig- orously forward. Many substantial resi- dences and business buildings give the place the appearance of solid growth, and opera- tions in this line are steadily progressing. All lines of commercial enterprise are well represented, while the place can lay just claims to being a most desirable place of residence, since its religious and educa- tional advantages are unsurpassed, and its incidental attractions many. A fine modern school building has recently been erected, at a cost of $25,000, and in addition to those already built, a number of substantial church edifices are in process of erection or have been contracted for. The Mississin- ewa Hotel, built at a cost of $40,000, offers the most metropolitan of accommo- dations to the traveling public, while the Opera House and the First National Bank buildings are structures which would be an ornament to any city. The public press is represented in the Gas City Journal and the Jonesboro Weekly News, both of which are under the management of the Bicknell Publishing Company, which also maintains a finely equipped job printing establishment.

The location of the town in the center of the natural-gas belt and the fact that many thousands of acres of gas leases are con- trolled by the Gas City Land Company,

518

MEMORIAL RECORD OF

which will not allow the field to be thrown open, makes the place especially available for the location of factories, and the supply of nature's fuel is certain to be abundant for many years to come. The city has connec- tions with local and long-distance telephones and the Western Union Telegraph, while the Adams and the United States Express Companies operate offices here. Gas City is thoroughly modern, and in its appearance and facilities would give evidence of having been a place whose history extended over a long course of years. Its past offers the brightest auguries for its future prosperity and for its consecutive advancement.

C. BOYD. - He whose name initi- ates this review is conspicuously identified with the business and material interests of that wonder- ful little city whose growth and develop- ment has been almost unprecedented in the history of the Middle West, - Gas City, Grant county, Indiana, to whose industries and attractions specific reference is made on a previous page of this volume. Mr. Boyd is secretary and treasurer of the Gas City Land Company, and by reason of his intimate relationship with the rise of this city to a point of so great present prosperity and so magnificent promise of future develop- ment, it is most congruous that a review of his career be incorporated in this connec- tion, while additional compatibility lies in the fact that he is a native son of Indiana and that his ancestral history has been one of prominent identification with this section of the Union.

Our subject was born near the city of Richmond, Indiana, on the 18th of January, 1864, being the son of John C. Boyd, who

still maintains his residence near the city mentioned, having retired from active busi- ness life. The grandfather of our subject in the agnatic line was Adam Boyd, who was a prominent and influential citizen of Guilford county, North Carolina, whither he had emigrated from Scotland, which was the land of his nativity. He wielded a great influence and power in his State and was concerned conspicuously in its political and governmental affairs. He was a brother of Linn Boyd, one of the early speakers of the national House of Representatives. The maiden name of our subject's mother was Celia Cox, and she was the daughter of Robert Cox, who was a son of Jeremiah Cox, who laid out the city of Richmond, and who was one of the first State Senators from Wayne county.

Linnaes C. Boyd, the immediate subject of this review, was reared to young man- hood in his native place, receiving his pre- liminary educational discipline in the public schools and then entering Earlham College, at Richmond, where he completed the scien- tific course. This training was further sup- plemented by his attendance at the Terre Haute Normal School, where Mr. Boyd pre- pared himself for the vocation of teaching. He was soon after given distinctive prefer- ment as principal of the public schools at Bethany, Indiana, in which capacity he was retained for about three years. Having determined to prepare for the legal profes- sion Mr. Boyd entered the law office of Stafford & Boyd, at Noblesville, this State, and continued his studies with assiduity and zealous interest until he secured admission to the bar in the spring of 1885, after which he became a member of the firm under whose preceptorage his studies had been so effectively directed.

Westminster Place

521

NORTHEASTERN INDIANA.

Mr. Boyd's professional ability and prac- tical business acumen were such that he was eventually retained in the legal department of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, with headquarters at Richmond, and was placed in charge of claims for damages, etc. When the Gas City Land Company was organized, in 1892, our subject became identified with the corporation and at the initiation was made secretary and treasurer of the same. That he has contributed in a large measure to the development of the phenomenal little city, with its wonderful industrial activities, is conceded by his associates and by all who have taken cognizance of his progressive and yet duly conservative business methods and his pronounced capacity for the conducting of affairs of great breadth. Mr. Boyd is also secretary and treasurer of the American Oil Company, with headquarters at Gas City, is vice president of the First National Bank of Gas City, a member of the Common Coun- cil of the place, manager of the Citizens' Gas Company, manager of the National Oil Com- pany,-and in fact conspicuously concerned in almost every one of the magnificent pub- lic and private enterprises which have made the city what it is-one of the most prosper- ous in the entire gas belt and one whose building was accomplished in an almost in- credibly brief period of time, and yet so firmly established as to insure the perpetuity of its material prosperity and its continued progress as an industrial and commercial community.

In politics Mr. Boyd exercises his fran- chise in support of the Republican party, and fraternally he is identified with the Masonic order and the Knights of Pythias. Relig- iously he has a birthright in that noble or- ganization, the Society of Friends.

In 1889 was consummated the marriage of

Mr. Boyd to Miss Mary T. Spencer, daughter of William F. Spencer, Sr., one of the in- fluential and honored citizens of Richmond, this State. Our subject and his wife are the parents of two interesting children: Helen and John C., Jr. It is needless to say that Mr. Boyd is held in the highest esteem in the community, for he has thrown the force of his individuality and his sterling integrity into making the city what it is, and his efforts have not failed of appreciation and regard on the part of the local public. His name will ever be inseparably linked with that of Gas City, whose interests could have no more zealous and indefatigable a promoter.

B EV. JAMES L. LEEPER .- A man of ripe scholarship and marked exe- cutive ability, whose life has been consecrated to the cause of the Master and to the uplifting of men, there is a particular propriety in here directing at- tention to the life history of the pastor of the Westminster Church, of Fort Wayne. He is one of the most prominent members of the Presbyterian clergy in the West and he has devoted himself without ceasing to the in- terests of humanity and to the furtherance of all good works. His reputation is not of restricted order, and his power and influence in his holy office have been exerted in a spirit of deepest human sympathy and tender so- licitude. There has not been denied the full harvest nor the aftermath whose garnering shall bring the sure reward in the words of commendation, "Well done, good and faith- ful servant." The church of which Mr. Leeper is pastor has never before made as great spiritual and temporal progress as dur- ing his regime, and in the religious circles of the city he holds distinctive prestige, being

522

MEMORIAL RECORD OF

held in the highest regard among the people of all denominations.

James L. Leeper is a native of the old Keystone State, having been born at Frank- fort Springs, Washington county, on the 7th of June, 1855, being of stanch old Scotch- Irish lineage, tracing his ancestry back to the Covenanters, who endured persecution and untimely obliquy for the sake of their faith and their unflinching adherence thereto. His great-grandfather in the agnatic line was James Leeper, who was born in the immedi- ate vicinity of Belfast, Ireland, in the year 1748. He was one of those ardent lovers of liberty and stalwart patriots who had the courage to rebel against the raising of rent- als to an immoderate schedule in the Emer- ald Isle, and about 1760, in company with hundreds of others of the Scotch-Irish stock, he emigrated to America, locating first in York county and afterward removed in 1789 to Washington county, Pennsylvania, where he became one of the pioneer settlers and a man of prominence and influence in the com- munity. He was a man of much intellectual force and his integrity was as unbending as his religious faith, which he held almost to the point of sternness, though ever charitable in his judgments of his fellow- men. When the Colonies essayed the gigantic task of throwing off the yoke of British tyranny he joined the Conti- nental army and valiantly aided in the strug- gle for independence. He was ordained as an Elder of old Guinston Church, of York county, Pennsylvania, two months and twenty days prior to the signing of the Dec- laration of Independence. In 1789 he pur- chased 275 acres of land in Washington county, for a consideration of two pounds, five shillings and ten pence, and these an- cestral possessions have ever since been re-

tained by the family, the farm being now oc- cupied by J. W. Leeper, an elder brother of our subject.

Colonel Robert Leeper, son of James Leeper, and the grandfather of the imme- diate subject of this review, won his military title in the war of 1812, in which he dis- tinguished himself for bravery and gallant service, having the command-in-chief of the troops of western Pennsylvania. The sword which he carried had done service in the Scottish wars and was given him by his father. It is now in the possession of Rev. Samuel H. Leeper, brother of our subject, and is highly prized as an heirloom and as a perpetual memorial of the loyal and patri- otic devotion of those who bore it on the fields of battle. Colonel Leeper died on the 20th of August, 1862, at the venerable age of eighty-five years, and in his will he re- membered the church of his adoption. He bore his many years, like the "pastor" in Wilhelm Meister, "not as a burden on his back, but as a crown of glory on his head," for his days had been filled with good works and kindly deeds. He was beloved by all who knew him, and his memory is still re- vered by many who profited by his generosity and kindness.

Samuel H. Leeper is a native of Frank- fort Springs, Washington county, Pennsyl- vania, having been born on the 5th of No- vember, 1811, and he is still living on the old homestead in that county, having at- tained the venerable age of eighty-five years. In 1840 he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Jane Miller, also a native of Washington county, and the daughter of Joseph Miller, one of the pioneers of that section. She was summoned into eternal rest in 1887, at the age of sixty-seven years. Samuel H. and Mary Jane Leeper became

523

NORTHEASTERN INDIANA.

the parents of seven children, six of whom are living-James L., of this sketch, being the sixth in order of birth.

It is recognized as an incontrovertible fact that a man's life is largely influenced by his early environments, for this is the formative period, and "the child is father to the man." Our subject was signally favored in his early surroundings, having the care and attention of devoted and lov- ing parents and the influences of a refined Christian home. He comes of a family known for pure and simple piety and de- votion to the cause of religion, while there was ever fostered a regard for the deepest charity and a leniency of judgment in regard to the shortcomings of humanity. James L. Leeper attended the public schools until he had attained the age of sixteen years, and then entered the academy at Frankfort Springs, where he pursued a four-years pre- paratory course, after which he entered the freshman class in Princeton College-this being in the year 1875. At the age of twenty- four years he was graduated at this institution with high honors, being one of the prize- winners of his class. His was essentially a studious and contemplative nature, and he early decided that there was laid open be- fore him the field of greatest usefulness in the ministry of the church, and looking to the " mark of his high calling " he entered, in 1880, the Princeton Theological Semi- nary, where he was graduated after three years of close and devoted study. While he was thus pursuing his work of preparation Mr. Leeper had been given the preferment as associate principal of the seminary at Doyleston, Pennsylvania, and for a time he also conducted the Frankfort Springs Acad- emy, where he had formerly been a student.

In 1882 our subject was granted a license

to preach the gospel, by the Presbytery of New Brunswick, New Jersey, and on the 2d of September, 1882, he was ordained to the ministry of the Presbyterian Church and was installed as 'pastor of the church at Claysville, in his native State. During his pastorate there he received several invita- tions to accept other charges. After a min- istry of nearly four years at Claysville, re- markable for the large accessions to the membership and high degree of harmony and spirituality which prevailed, he accept- ed a unanimous call to the First Presbyte- rian Church of Reading, Pennsylvania. Dur- ing his ministry at Reading, the member- ship rose from less than 500 to between 600 and 700 and large contributions were made by its wealthy membership.

In November, 1888, he accepted the unanimous call of the Westminster Church of Fort Wayne. To say that his pastoral labors in this city have been successful but feebly expresses the character of his work and its results in the community, its widely reaching influences being incalculable. Within the six years of his ministration the membership of the church has more than doubled, while the average congregation is fully three times as great numerically as it was at the time he assumed the charge. In 1889, through his effective efforts and zeal- ous labor, was instituted the erection of the new and magnificent church edifice which for beauty and convenience has few equals in the State of Indiana. It is a massive stone structure of Romanesque architecture, and is located most eligibly upon one of the most attractive avenues of the city. The building contains, besides the spacious and lofty auditorium, a Sunday-school room, reading rooms, library, ladies' parlor, several class rooms, and a kitchen, dining room and

521

MEMORIAL RECORD OF

a missionary museum. This provides not only a place consecrated to the worship of God, but also a church home which is worthy of the name. Every convenience known to the modern church is here found, and a more symmetrical and convenient church edifice could scarcely be imagined. The church itself is of marked historical interest, for it was founded by Henry Ward Beecher, on the 5th of May, 1844. It had a charter membership of only twelve individuals, and of this number only one is now living, Mrs. Hon. Hugh McCulloch, of Washington, District of Columbia, whose husband is ex- Secretary of the United States Treasury. Rev. Charles Beecher, brother of the founder, was the first pastoral incumbent, and served for five years. The Westmin- ster parsonage, just completed, is a Bedford stone structure and stands on the same plat of ground with the church. It is the finest structure of the kind in the State, and with the church forms one of the completest plants for religious work anywhere to be found.

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.

Memorial record of northeastern Indiana, Part 54

Author: Publication date: 1896 Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Company Number of Pages: 932

Author:
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 932