USA > Indiana > Memorial record of northeastern Indiana > Part 57
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located in Montpelier, where his brother William, a physician, was in active practice. A partnership was formed with his brother, which association terminated at the end of the year. He then practiced alone and at the expiration of the second year of his profes- sional career he had built up and was in con- trol of a large and lucrative practice which extended into four counties, the greater part, however, coming from Wells county.
From 1870 until 1874 Dr. Shull was as- sociated with J. P. A. Leonard in the drug business, under the firm name of C. Q. Shull & Company. In April, 1879, he took an active part in organizing the Citizens' Bank of Hartford City, and was elected its vice-president, a position he still holds. This was a State bank and organized with a paid up capital of $25,000; in 1887 the capital was increased to $60,000. The other offi- cers are: H. B. Smith, president; E. M. Stahl, cashier; and these in connection with James Swetzer and Philip Matter, both of Marion; C. N. Hubbard, of Hartford City; Abram Weiler, of Indianapolis, and Dr. Shull, constitute the board of directors. In 1880 this bank established at Montpelier a branch known as the Citizens' Bank, of which Dr. Shull took charge. After doing business for ten years it was discontinued, for the Doctor's health had become so poor that he could no longer give it the proper atten- tion.
No one has been more active in the de- velopment of the resources of Montpelier than has Dr. Shull. He was one of the principal organizers of the Salamonie Mining and Gas Company, in October, 1887, W. W. Worthington, of Fort Wayne, becoming its president. The object of this company was to drill for gas. The first well was put down on what is now Windsor street, and
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at a depth of 963 feet Trenton rock was found, into which they drilled, finding oil at thirteen feet, and at eighteen feet a spraying well. As the well had been put down for the purpose of finding gas a disap- pointment was felt in the discovery of oil, the projectors little dreaming of the riches which lay in store beneath the surface. While there was a goodly supply of gas in this well the abundance of oil prevented it from being used, and consequently the well lay idle for about two years, and during this time large tracts of land were leased. The Northern Indiana Oil Company was now organized, with Dr. Shull as presi- dent. This company leased 8,000 acres of land and drilled its first wells two miles north- east of the town. This proved a fair well, yielding about five hundred barrels of oil, which was stored in tanks. The tanks were struck by lightning and entirely destroyed with their contents. The next well was drilled at the village of Keystone and was a 125-barrel well. This was the beginning of the oil excitement that swept northeastern Indiana. The well at Keystone is still being pumped and is a good producer. Dr. Shull sold his interest in the Northern Indiana Oil Company at the end of two years. He is owner of 1,080 acres of land, all of which is oil-producing. In addition to the above he has important real-estate interests and business property in the town of Montpelier.
Dr. Shull was united in marriage with Miss Mary Cornelison Scudder April 29, 1852. The lady is a daughter of Caleb and Mary (Gardiner) Scudder. Her father was one of the typical pioneer settlers of this State. He was born in Westfield, Es- sex county, New Jersey, in 1795, and married in 1814, removing shortly after- ward to Cincinnati, Ohio, and later to
Dayton, Ohio. In 1821 he made a perma- nent location in Indianapolis, and so new and wild was the country that he frequently shot wild turkeys on what is now Washing- ton street of that city. He was a cabinet- maker by trade, and in his shop the first Sabbath-school ever held in Indianapolis was organized and for a considerable time conducted. When the week's work was over on Saturday night the tools were care- fully put away, the shavings swept out and benches arranged for the next day's exer- cises. Mr. Scudder succeeded Judge New- comb to the Mayorality of Indianapolis, be- ing the second to hold that position. He died at his residence at the corner of Market and Tennessee streets, March 9, 1866, and his wife, who was born in December, 1793, died May 28, 1867. Their daughter, Mary Cornelison, born March 3, 1834, is now the honored wife of our subject. Of the chil- dren of Dr. and Mrs. Shull we make record as follows: Mary Ella, born November 2, 1854; Ida Belle, born September 22, 1856, is now the wife of William Beard, of Men- don, Michigan; Alice Eva, born February II, 1860, died November 29, 1864; Eugene C., born March 3, 1868.
Dr. Shull is not in active practice at this writing, although he occasionally visits a friend when asked to do so. He has not, however, lost interest in his chosen profes- sion, being a member of the Blackford County Medical Society, Delaware District Medical Society, Indiana State Medical Society and American Medical Association; but his other extensive business interests claim almost all of his time. He is con- templating in the near future a course of post-graduate lectures at the Rush Medical College of Chicago, which he will pursue merely to gratify the desire for more knowl-
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edge of his profession and not for the pur- pose of returning to active practice.
Dr. Shull has reached the sixty-fifth milestone on life's journey and retains to a remarkable degree both the mental and physical vigor that is generally supposed to belong to younger years. Sanguine in tem- perament and retaining a fine equipoise in discernment, his decisions, according to his knowledge, are on the side of justice and are tempered with mercy. He is clear in his deductions, concise in his statements and a spirit of frankness and candor char- acterizes him in manner and speech. Broad- ly American in his views there is no place in his composition for the bigot's narrow- ness, the radical's offensiveness, or the idle- day dreaming of the visionary schemer.
PILLIAM H. LIGHTLE, Post- master of Gas City, Grant coun- ty, Indiana, is one of the leading men of this prosperous town and is a native of the neighboring State of Ohio, born in Hocking county, May 30, 1856.
Mr. Lightle's father, Levi Lightle, was born in Perry county, Ohio, July 20, 1833, son of Thomas, who was a native of Penn- sylvania, and Thenar (nce Jadwin), who was a native of Maryland. Thomas Lightle was a veteran of the war of 1812, was one of the early settlers of Perry county, Ohio, and later in life removed to Hocking county, where he died in February, 1870, at a ripe old age. The Lightles are remotely de- scended from German ancestors. Five generations of the family, however, have been born in America. Levi Lightle mar- ried Miss Keziah Steele, who was born in Guernsey county, Ohio, May 10, 1838, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Schultz)
Steele. Samuel Steele, also a native of Guernsey county, was born September 13, 1811, son of James Steele, one of the very earliest settlers of that county. It was in Hocking county that Levi Lightle and Keziah Steele were married, and after their marriage they settled on a farm in that county which continued to be their home until November, 1860, when they removed to Washington township, Grant county, Indiana. In October, 1865, they moved to their present residence in Monroe township, this county. They are the parents of eleven children, all of whom are living, namely: William H., Sarah E. Oliver, Samuel T., Charles, Luther, Nancy A. Keever, Matilda Gillespie, Thenar Haines, Bert, Ada, and Vada. The father has all his life been ex- clusively engaged in farming and is now ranked with the leading farmers of his town- ship. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
William H. Lightle was quite small at the time his parents removed to Indiana, and in Grant county he was reared and ed- ucated, his finishing course being in the schools of Jonesboro. He remained at home until he was twenty-four years of age. May 28, 1881, he was married to Miss Han- nah J. Beard, a native of Guernsey county, Ohio, and a daughter of Andrew and Eliza (Steele) Beard, both natives of the Buckeye State. Andrew Beard was a veteran of the Civil war and a highly respected citizen. He died in Hocking county in April, 1895. Mrs. Lightle was born in that county, July 4, 1857. Two children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Lightle, their names being Burr, born May 21, 1882, and Lena, June 5, 1884.
Mr. Lightle was reared on a farm and was engaged in agricultural pursuits in
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Monroe township until 1893. In January of that year he removed to Gas City, with the interests of which place he has since been identified. In April, 1893, he was appointed Postmaster. Gas City at that time was only a fourth-class office. Since July 1, 1894, it has been a Presidential office. On its being raised, Mr. Lightle was reappointed and his appointment was confirmed by the United States Senate July 19, 1894. He employs one clerk, and each day handles twenty-four mails. Po- litically, he is a Democrat, has been active in the interests of his party, and while in Monroe township served four years as Justice of the Peace. At one time he was presi- dent of the Farmers' Mutual Benefit Asso- ciation of Farmington, Grant county.
In fraternal organizations Mr. Lightle takes an active interest, having a member- ship in both the I. O. O. F. and the K. of P. In the subordinate branch of the former organization, Upland Lodge, No. 352, he has passed all the chairs, and in Jonesboro Encampment, No. 94, he is at present Chief Patriarch. He represented his lodge in the Grand Lodge of Indiana in Novem- ber, 1894. His membership in the K. of P. is at Jonesboro. Mr. Lightle is a progres- sive business man and is well fitted for the important position he holds in this thriving little city.
J OHN TRIER, County Commissioner of Whitley county, and a successful farmer of Cleveland township resid- ing on section 36, was born on the 17th of April, 1839, on the old home farm in Adams township, Allen county, Indiana. His father, Hon. Conrad Trier, was a native of Hesse-Cassel, Germany, born August 6,
1811, a son of John Henry Trier, who was born in the same locality, June 17, 1777. The last named died in Allen county, Indi- ana, at the home of his son Conrad, on his seventy-sixth birthday. He was a soldier of the Crimean war, and had a family of four sons, all of whom came to America and have now passed away.
Conrad Trier crossed the Atlantic alone in 1832, landing in Philadelphia, on the 5th of July. His father and brothers crossed the Atlantic the following year and secured work in the City of Brotherly Love. After working for a year and a half in a tavern in Philadelphia, Conrad Trier started for Fort Wayne, Indiana, on foot, and secured em- ployment on the canal there. While thus employed he heard of his father's arrival in Philadelphia and set out to find him, walk- ing all of the return distance. When he found the family he again walked to Fort Wayne, traveling about 2,000 miles in this way. In 1835 he purchased eighty acres of wild land in Adams township, five miles southeast of Fort Wayne, and again re- sumed work on the canal that he might pay for his place. Upon the farm he built a log cabin, carrying the poles for the same upon his shoulder. His bedstead was made of poles which he placed in between the logs of the cabin and covered with leaves. Thus he lived for a year, when he built a larger log house and on the Ist of Janu- ary, 1837, married Miss Catherine Trier, who, though of the same name, was not a relative. She was born in Germany, De- cember 26, 1817, and is a daughter of Henry Trier. They began their domestic life in the log cabin, where they suffered many trials and privations, not infrequent- ly lacking what are deemed the necessa- ries of life. Mr. Trier worked hard at
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clearing his farm and lived in the log house until 1854, when he erected a brick residence from brick made upon his place. He acquired 680 acres of land, which he afterward divided among his children. He also educated them in both German and English, and thus fitted them for life's duties. Both Mr. and Mrs. Trier were con- sistent members of the Lutheran Church, he being one of the original members of the church in Fort Wayne, in which he served as trustee and was also Elder for many years. In politics he was a life-long Demo- crat and was honored by his party by elec- tion to several offices. He served as trustee of Adams township, Allen county, and was elected to the State Legislature, serving in 1860 and in the special session of 1861. His prominence was the result of true merit and ability, and he was honored and esteem- ed for his many excellencies of character. From a financial standpoint his life was also a success and he was truly a self-made man.
Mrs. Trier departed this life April 4, 1879, and Mr. Trier survived her until March 18, 1894, when he too crossed the river of death. They were the parents of twelve children, nine of whom reached years of maturity and are now living: Henry, the eldest, married Minnie Meyer, by whom he has eight children, and resides in Fort Wayne. John is the second of the family. Elizabeth is the wife of Valentine Hermann, of St. Joseph township, Allen county, Indi- ana, and they have six children. Sophie is the wife of Frank Hollmann, of Marion township, Allen county, by whom she has seven children. Peter married Amelia Kel- lermeyer, and with their two children they reside in St. Joseph township, Allen county. Paul married Annie Gerger, by whom he has five children, and makes his home in Adams
township, Allen county. Herman married Lizzie Lapp, and with his wife and three children resides on the old homestead. Martha is the wife of Peter Lahmeyer, by whom she has three children, their home being in St. Joseph township, Allen county. Martin, of Jefferson township, Allen county. married Louisa Allswade, and has five daughters.
The gentleman whose name heads this re- view was reared on the old home farm in Allen county amidst the wild scenes of pioneer life, knowing full well what it is to have a home far removed from other settlers in the midst of the dense forest, through which the wolves prowled and deer roamed. He was also early inured to the arduous task of develop- ing the wild land, and to his father he con- tinued to give the benefit of his services. He was married on the 4th of October, 1866, to Johanna Muehlenbruck, a native of Clark county, Ohio, and a daughter of Dr. Theo and Frances (Schaffner) Muehlenbruck, the former a native of Prussia, Germany. He completed his medical education in Bremen, and about 1840 came to America, locating in Springfield, Ohio, where he engaged in the practice of his chosen profession until his death in 1847. His widow afterward married John Greiser, now deceased, and in 1852 removed to Allen county, Indiana. Her death occurred in 1886. She left two chil- dren by her first marriage: Ed, a wagon- maker of Springfield, Ohio; and Mrs. Trier, who was born September 11, 1846, and was brought to Indiana when six years of age. By the second marriage there are seven children, -John, Mary, Henry, Julia, Willie, Carrie and Frank.
Upon his marriage, Mr .. Trier began farming upon an eighty-acre tract of land in Adams township, Allen county, where he
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lived for seventeen years. In 1883 he pur- chased his present farin, to which he re- moved in March, 1884. He now has 159 acres of rich land, of which 118 acres is under cultivation and yields to him a good tribute in return for the care and labor he bestows upon it. In the family were seven children, five of whom are living: John C., who married Ricke Brueggemann, and with their one child, Herbert, resides in Fort Wayne; Edward; Christian; Martin; Mary and Frederick, both deceased; and Julia.
Mr. Trier has given his children good educational privileges and is a man of do- mnestic tastes, taking a deep interest in the welfare of his family and all that pertains to their happiness. He and his wife are mem- bers of the German Lutheran Church, in which he has served as trustee. Since at- taining his majority he has been a supporter of the men and measures of the Democratic party, has served as supervisor, and in the fall of 1892 was elected to the office of County Commissioner. He is an honored representative of one of the pioneer families of northeastern Indiana, and has not only witnessed its growth and development, but has also aided in its progress and advance- ment, faithfully performing his duties of citi- zenship and discharging every trust reposed in him.
P. GARTHWAIT, of the firm of Garthwait & Peel, dealers in real estate and insurance, Gas City, Indiana, is one of the most enter- prising men in this prosperous and thriving new city. As such, it is appropriate that more than a passing mention be made of him on these pages.
W. P. Garthwait is a native of Putnam
county, Indiana, born in the college town of Greencastle, December 3, 1854, son of Luther and Rosanna (Ferrel) Garthwait, natives of this State and now residents of Bloomington, Illinois. His father is a vet- eran of the Civil war. Young Garthwait spent his youth and early manhood in the vicinity of Greencastle, and, owing to his father's absence during the war, the boy was thrown upon his own resources at an early age. Indeed, he was only eleven years old when he began working for his uncle, James Ferrel, and he continued in his uncle's employ four years; then he en- tered the employ of L. N. Dickison, and worked for him until his eighteenth year. Then he went West and remained for about two years.
After his marriage, which event occurred in 1879, he moved to Bloomington, Illinois, and was employed in the Chicago & Alton Railroad shops of that place for about two years, then engaged in a poultry business there. For three years he made his home in Bloomington. Then he moved back to Indiana and settled down to farming in Put- nam county, and subsequently was for three years engaged in the grocery business in Roachdale, that county. Next he lived in Greenfield and then in Knightstown, and from the latter place came three years ago to Gas City. Here he engaged in the real estate business in company with H. M. Motz, afterward with Charles Jay, and at present has for his partner Mr. E. B. Peel, their business being conducted under the name of Garthwait & Peel. They do a general real-estate and insurance business and are meeting with deserved success. Mr. Garthwait is having a number of buildings erected, is the owner of more than twenty houses in the city, and besides his property
Denya Randall
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within the corporate limits he owns a farm located a mile and a half from Gas City. The deep interest he has taken in advancing the growth and prosperity of the place has been recognized and appreciated by his fel- low citizens who have honored him by elec- tion to the City Council, where he is serving as a popular member. In politics, he is an ardent Republican, identified with the best elements of his party and an active worker in its behalf.
Mr. Garthwait was married in 1879 to Al- ice Williamson, a native of Putnam county, Indiana, born in 1854, and they have three children, -- Luther Alfred, Effie A. , and Charles R. Mrs. Garthwait is a member of the Christian Church.
Mr. Garthwait has a membership in the I. O. O. F. and K. O. T. M. and has served officially in these organizations. A man of excellent business ability, enterprise and push, honorable and upright in all his deal- ings, he would be a desirable accession to any city, and Gas City is to be congratulat- ed on having him in her midst.
ERRY A. RANDALL comes of Eng- lish stock transplanted to American soil in Colonial days. The family genealogy on this side the water begins with Nathan Randall and his wife, Eleanor (Cottrell) Randall, to whom, at Uniontown, Connecticut, on May 21, 1753, was born their son, Nicholas R. Randall. He married Content Phillips, and at Win- field, New York, on May 24, 1783, their son Rodley Randall was born. He married Amy Rhodes, and their son Edwin Randall was born at Lenox, New York, on May 18, 1809. He married Mary A. King, and their son, Perry A. Randall, the subject of 27
the present sketch, was born at Avilla, In- diana, on July 24, 1847. What an illustra- tion of the march of the Anglo-Saxon is in these names and places, -Nathan, Nicholas, Rodley, Edwin, England, Connecticut, New York, Indiana!
In 1838, Edwin Randall came to Noble county, Indiana, then in the frontier stage of civilization, and secured title to a tract of land. He returned for a time to the East, but came back in 1841 and settled on his land, which he transformed from forest to farm, making it one of the most attractive places in a section now noted for its highly cultivated fields and beautiful homes. He became a man of influence in the commu- nity, honored and respected for his strong intellectuality, integrity of character and sympathetic and charitable nature. He continued to live on his farm in the suburbs of the village of Avilla, until he passed peacefully into eternal rest on September 14, 1873. His faithful and cherished wife survived him nineteen years, which were passed peacefully and happily on the old homestead.
Mr. Randall received a better education than falls to the lot of most sons of Indiana pioneers. He graduated at the Fort Wayne high school in 1867; at the University of Michigan in 1871, and at the law depart- ment of that University in 1873. Within the same year he came to Fort Wayne and began the practice of law. In 1881 he formed a partnership with Will J. Vesey, which continued until 1891, when the pres- ent firm of Randall & Doughman was formed by his association with Newton D. Dough- man.
Besides the continuous practice of his profession, Mr. Randall has been engaged in a great number and variety of business
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enterprises. He was one of the founders of the Fort Wayne Electric Company and its vice-president since 1882. He is vice-presi- dent of the Fort Wayne Furniture Com- pany; treasurer of the Star Iron Tower Com- pany electrical towers and mast-arms ; treasurer of the Old Fort Manufacturing Com- pany; vice-president of the Indiana Machine Works; partner in the O. B. Fitch Hoosier Shoe Store, and in the firm of Smith & Randall, manufacturers of and dealers in hardwood lumber; and interested as partner in the Lathrop China and Glassware Store. He is also owner of the Randall Hotel, the leading hostelry of the city of Fort Wayne.
It need not be said that a lawyer with an extensive practice, large holdings of city and country real estate, and these partnership and corporate enterprises on his hands, is a busy man; and in any just estimate of the life, character and success of Mr. Randall, the first salient point to be noted is his in- domitable energy and inexhaustible capac- ity for work. If he was ever tired the fact was not observable. He holds in his mind with equally clear and sure grasp the in- terests of every client, the facts of every case and the details of every business with which he is connected. If he has any fault to find with the world, it is that it has too few months in the year, too few days in the month and too few hours in the day. To such a man all activity is attractive. With many-sided talents for affairs he wants to be doing everything at once.
An educated lawyer, with a complete library, a taste for the profession, and ca- pacity to excel in it, it cannot but be a matter of regret to Mr. Randall in some moods of thought that he has so many out- side interests. On the other hand, with a keen eye for opportunities, skill for planning
ventures and boldness in executing them, and the appetizing experience of many past successes, it would be strange if he did not sometimes look upon the comparatively un- lucrative practice of the law as an expensive luxury.
His numerous professional and private engagements have not prevented Mr. Ran- dall from taking an active part in the public enterprises which interest the community at large. For many years he was one of the three or four public-spirited citizens who maintained the Tri-State Agricultural and Industrial Fair at Fort Wayne; and as presi- dent of the citizens' committee in charge of the recent centennial celebration of the founding of Fort Wayne he contributed more than any other man to the brilliant success of that occasion, -the most notable of its kind in the history of northern In- diana.
In politics Mr. Randall is a Democrat, conservative and moderate in his views, but always active and earnest in support of them. He has never held or sought any public office. He is a member of the Masonic order and has reached in that fraternity the thirty-second degree of the Ancient and Ac- cepted Scottish-rite.
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