Memorial record of northeastern Indiana, Part 68

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

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and Elizabeth who was the wife of Mr. Colwell.

William Fulton, grandfather of William Fulton, of Huntington county, was born November 3, 1773, in Augusta county, Vir- ginia, and died in Greene county, Ohio, De- cember 2, 1830. He was united in mar- riage June 15, 1802, in "old Virginia," to Martha Grimes, who died September 13, 1832, in Greene county, Ohio. They were the parents of a family of seven children, named as follows: Samuel, born April 28, 1803, is the father of William Fulton, of this sketch; Mary, born January 3, 1806, died in Ohio in 1847; she married John Chambers, and was the mother of six chil- dren, -Martha, James, Elizabeth, Andrew, Mary Jane, and Josephus; John, born Jan- uary 2, 1808, died May 8, 1887, in Hunt- ington county, Indiana; he married Sarah Clayton, a widow, whose maiden name was Reed; William Grimes, born December 25, 1809, died June 6, 1871, in Greene county, Ohio; he was never married; James, born July 8, 1815, died December 31, 1886; he married Miss Eliza Lehowe, and had one child, Frank; Andrew, born May 19, 1817, married for his first wife Hannah Monroe, December 31, 1840, and to them were born two children, -William Franklin, who was born October 20, 1841, and died at the age of five years; John, born December 19, 1844, died in infancy; the mother died in 1844. Andrew Fulton married for his sec- ond wife Sarah Ann Bressler, to whom he was united October 31, 1851. Their chil- dren are, Francis Bressler, born September 7, 1852; William Franklin, born January 10, 1856; George Edwin, born August 10, 1860; and Benjamin Franklin Fulton, born April 10, 1819, died March 22, 1851, in Ohio; he was unmarried. William Fulton

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was married a second time, to Catharine Young, and there were no children of this union.

Samuel Fulton, father of William Ful- ton, whose name heads this biography, was born April 28, 1803, in Augusta county, Virginia. In 1815 his parents emigrated to Greene county, Ohio, and settled on Mad river, in Bath township, where he resided until he removed to Indiana. His first wife was Margaret Kirkwood, to whom he was married in Greene county, Ohio; she lived but five months after this union. Mr. Fulton was married a second time, January 7, 1825, to Catharine Woodward, who was born October 18, 1803, in Center county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Samuel and Sarah Carson) Woodward. She died September 21, 1870, in Huntington county, Indiana, the mother ol a family of nine chil- dren: William, who is the subject of this biography; Sarah Maria, born August 6, 1828, died August 29, 1845; John, born September 26, 1830, died September 13, 1844; Martha Jane, born January 13, 1834, died August 30, 1845; Margaret Ann, born December 28, 1835, died September 19, 1889; she was married May 28, 1867, to B. F. Heiney, and they were the parents of one daughter, Jessie Frances, born August 5, 1868, married Frank Windle May 28, 1891, and by this union one child, Woodward Kirke, was born, December 6, 1893; Mary Louisa, born May 25, 1840; Catharine So- phia, born October 24, 1843; Benjamin Franklin, born April 1, 1849; Samuel Wood- ward, born August 3, 1850. The father de- voted his life to agricultural pursuits, a call- ing fraught with hardships in those carly times. Though quiet and unassuming in manner, he was a man of deep convictions, and was held in the highest respect through-

out a large community. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and cast his first vote for General Jackson, ever afterward giving his allegiance to Democratic principles. Following the advance of emi- gration he removed with his family to Hunt- ington county, Indiana, where he arrived February 8, 1846: He purchased a tract of land from the Government, the patent being signed by President Andrew Jackson. This land was situated on section 31, Hunt- ington township, and here he passed the remainder of his life. His death occurred August 17, 1876.

William Fulton, of the fourth generation, was united in marriage November 5, 1854. to Abigail Barker, a daughter of Thomas and Abigail (Cabe) Barker. She was born in Wayne county, Indiana, February 7. 1835, and died March 23, 1883. After com- ing to this county, Mr. Fulton engaged in farming for himself. He built a small house upon forty acres which he had purchased of his father in Huntington township, and there began a career which has been one of credit to his ancestry. He has bravely undergone those vicissitudes and hardships which of necessity mark the life of the frontier farmer; but years of industry and toil have brought their reward, and he is now surrounded by all the comforts of nineteenth century civil- ization. To his first purchase of forty acres he afterward added an adjoining tract of thirty-nine and one-half acres in Lancaster township, and later he had an interest in the old homestead of twenty-two acres. He cultivated this land until the spring of 1895, when he rented the place and moved to Huntington.

Mr. and Mrs. Fulton had five children, named as follows: John Franklin, born June 30, 1855; Lilly Eudora, October 11,

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1857, died March 23, 1867; Martha Jane, January 12, 1860; Charles Reed, January 7, 1867; Nora Belle, August 24, 1869, was united in marriage May, 3, 1887, to Frank Gessman and has one child, Howard Frank- lin, born June 12, 1889.

Mr. Fulton gives his unwavering support to the Democratic party. In his religious faith he subscribes to the doctrines of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a man of sterling worth, and is in every way worthy of the confidence reposed in him by all classes of citizens.

The maternal grandfather of Mr. Ful- ton, Samuel Woodward, was born in Nitten Valley, Pennsylvania, whence he removed to Greene county, Ohio, where he passed the remainder of his life. He was united in marriage to Sarah Carson. He was of Dutch descent, and at the time of his mar- riage spoke no English, but soon learned the language from his wife, who was a most patient teacher.

J OHN FRANKLIN FULTON, Post- master of Huntington, Indiana, the filth generation of the family of that name, whose history will be found in the foregoing sketch of William Fulton, is one of the most enterprising and reliable young business men of Huntington county. He was born June 30, 1855, a son of Will- iam and Abigail (Barker) Fulton. In his youth he received the best educational ad- vantages afforded in the common schools, and was also a student in the Ladoga Nor- mal School for a term. In 1876 he began teaching, and for two and a half years de- voted himself to this profession. In 1878 he turned his attention to pharmacy and was employed as clerk in the drug store of

Henry F. Drover for a period of three and a half years. He next embarked in the grocery trade, having formed a partnership with B. Eisenaner, the firm name being Eisenaner & Fulton. At the end of six months Mr. Fulton sold his interest in the business to his partner, and afterward bought the furniture business of T. F. Payne & Company. He was associated in this operation with William H. Cast, of whom he later bought his interest. This was dis- posed of to M. B. Stults, and the firm name became Fulton & Stults. Selling his inter- est to Mr. Stults, Mr. Fulton secured a po- sition with the Chicago & Erie railroad as ticket agent, which he held until he again went into business for himself. He was as- sociated with W. E. Matten in the drug trade for a short time, and then became deputy county Assessor for a season. In 1890 he purchased a steam drilling machine for boring wells, and this is still in opera- tion, now operated by his brother, Charles R. He took charge of the post-office No- vember 20, 1893, and with the able assist- ance of his wife has discharged the duties of the position with promptitude and dispatch, overlooking no detail that would in any way facilitate the distribution and delivery of mail matter.

Mr. Fulton was united in marriage March 11, 1880, to Esther Reome, a daugh- ter of Francis and Jennett (McClure) Reome. Mrs. Fulton's maiden name was originally Rheume; her father is a Canadian by birth, and her mother was born in Hunt- ington county, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Fulton are the parents of one child, Herman Franklin, born June 5, 1882. In his youth our subject united with the Methodist Epis- copal Church, of which he has ever since been a consistent member. He belongs to

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Amity Lodge, No. 483, F. & A. M., and also to Huntington Chapter, No. 27; to Hunt- ington Council. No. 51; and to Huntington Commandery, No. 35, K. T.

ON. R. A. BRASHEAR, Mayor of Gas City and member of the firm of Brashear, Lay & Kyle, dealers in drugs and druggists' sundries, is a native of Kentucky, having been born in Breckenridge county, April 8, 1853, and is a son of Richard A. and Margaret (Cox) Brashear, both natives of the Blue Grass State and of French descent. To them were born the following children: James C., who married Bettie Hawkins; Hebbie, widow of the late Richard Robertson, of Kentucky; Bettie A., wife of R. J. Nepper, of Stephenson's Port, Kentucky; Nannie H., wife of W. M. Sills, of Kansas City, Mis- souri; and Josie, wife of Columbus Wright, of Daviess county, Kentucky; Edwin married Bettie Wright and resides at Hawesville, Kentucky, where he has large farming and milling interests and is a man of prominence; and R. A., the subject of this sketch.

Mr. Brashear's early life was passed in his native county, and in the common schools he acquired a practical English edu- cation. He became experienced in the drug business early in life, and was engaged in the same continuously in Kentucky until 1892, covering a period of nineteen years. At the latter date he removed with his family to Gas City and became associated with his present partners in the same line of busi- ness, in which they may properly be termed the pioneers of Gas City. He is largely in- terested in the American Oil Company, which deals in crude oils, of which concern Mr. Brashear is vice president. This com-

pany has drilled twenty-seven wells, twenty- five of which are in operation and pay a handsome weekly revenue of $1,200. The product of these wells is piped into Chicago.

The incorporation of Gas City was effected in April, 1895. In the April elec- tion of this year Mr. Brashear was the Democratic candidate for Mayor, and was triumphantly elected despite the fact that heretofore the city had given 200 Repub- lican majority. It was a compliment which any man could be justifiably proud of, and it attested in unmistakable terms Mr. Bra- shear's popularity with his fellow-townsmen, both Democrats and Republicans.

He was married, September 10, 1883, to Miss Hettie Hawthorne, a native of Louis- ville, Kentucky, where she received excellent educational training. She is the daughter of Henry S. and Amanda Hawthorne (now deceased), who were residents of that city and whose parents before them, bearing the names of Speers and Hawthorne, were among the first settlers of Louisville. She is a relative of the Rev. J. B. Hawthorne, the Baptist divine, to the writers, Julian and Nathaniel Hawthorne, and a sister to the writer of prose and poetry, Alice Haw- thorne. She was also a teacher of music and elocution in Louisville, Kentucky, and other places, having at one time been the teacher of Mary Anderson, the great actress, and her brother Joseph. Mrs. Brashear is a clever writer of acknowledged ability; her poetic musings have resulted in verse that has received the warmest commendations. She is cultured in music, and is the organ- ist of the First Baptist Church, of which she and her husband are members. To church work Mr. Brashear gives much of his time; was a member of the church build- ing committee during the construction of the

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edifice. He is chairman of the Democratic committee of the township, and in the councils of his party he is not without in- fluence. He is a member of the Order of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons.

0 ETER L. RUNYAN, SR., or "Uncle Peter," as he is familiarly called, was born August 9, 1806, in Greene county, Ohio. His par- ents, Abraham and Sophia (Lynch) Runyan, were natives of Harrison county, Virginia, and removed to Ohio shortly after their mar- riage in 1801. In 1811 they settled in Clark county, in the same State. Living upon the frontier, the advance guard of civilization, " Uncle Peter " was deprived in his youth of all opportunity for acquiring an education. The only school he ever at- tended was in a rude log school-house, with a log removed from each side and the open- ing covered with greased paper, which ad- mitted a few straggling rays of light and scarcely excluded the cold.

February 28, 1827, he married Miss Mary Irvin, and they had a large number of children, who grew to be men and wo- men, of whom any father might justly be proud. His sons were Peter L., John N. and George E. Peter L. died in 1891, and the other two are well and favorably known in this county for their enterprise and ster- ling worth. Their eldest daughter was the wife of Dr. Chandler, of Leesburg, she died in 1892; and the youngest daughter is the wife of J. S. Baker, ex-Auditor of Kosciusko county.

In November, 1831, Mr. Runyan decided to moved further West, and, accompanied by his family and his father-in-law, Charles Irvin, with his family, they placed their ef- 32

fects on wagons drawn by oxen and started for Indiana. After a weary journey of twenty-five days they reached the present site of Goshen, Elkhart county, Indiana. During the following summer the Black Hawk war broke out, and the few settlers of that place were apprehensive that the In- dians of that section might join the hostile tribes, which caused some of the more timid ones to leave for older and better pro- tected settlements; but the resolute and de- termined ones armed and organized for de- fense, remaining at their homes.

Mr. Runyan was among the latter. He was of a nature not to be intimidated by the skulking red foe of the forest, -or the foe of any color, for that matter, -for he was as brave as he was generous, tender as he was daring. In the fall of 1832 he was elected Justice of the Peace, a position he held till January 10, 1836, when he resigned. In 1834 he came from Goshen to a point near the present site of Milford to officiate at the marriage of Henry H. Wilkinson to Miss Wright, one of the first marriages in Kosci- usko county. In 1836 he settled at Lees- burg, Kosciusko county, entering into a partnership with Thomas Thomas in the sale of merchandise and at the same time was appointed Deputy Sheriff.

In 1838 he disposed of his interest in the store at Leesburg, and in 1839 removed to Warsaw, where he became proprietor of the Losier House. The county seat had been located at Warsaw in June, 1836, and there was at once a desperate effort to have it removed. Leesburg and Oswego in the north part of the county were strong for it, and a strong effort was made in the south part of the county to have a new county or- ganized from portions of Kosciusko, Wabash, Fulton and Miami. General politics were

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abandoned at once, and "Clippers " and " Anti-Clippers " were the only party designa- tions known; locality alone was the test. Marshall and Kosciusko counties then formed a representative district. After four years' hard fighting Mr. Runyan was elected a Representative to the State Legislature, in 1840, which was the first substantial victory gained by either party.

During that legislative session the State was redistricted and Kosciusko and Whitley counties were created a representative dis- trict. Mr. Runyan was re-nominated by the "Anti-Clippers," and after a bitter contest was re-elected. He was com- missioner of the "Three per cent. Fund," a fund derived from the sale of public lands and expended in the opening of roads and building of bridges. From September 1, 1837, to September 1, 1841, he superin- tended in person the opening of nearly all the principal roads in the county, as well as the construction of bridges across all streams of consequence. He was also appointed commissioner of the "Surplus Revenue Fund" in May, 1838, and held that position two years. He was Collector of Taxes for Kosciusko county in 1839; was appointed County Agent in 1843, and held that posi- tion six years, during which time he super- intended the erection of the present court house and former jail.

From 1849 to 1853 he was engaged in selling goods; during the latter year he secured contracts for carrying mails; and from that time until the completion of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad he was engaged in running a daily stage from Warsaw to Fort Wayne, and a tri-weekly stage from Warsaw to Plymouth, from War- saw to Goshen, from Warsaw to Peru, and from Warsaw to Rochester. These con-

tracts expired in 1857, when he again be- came a merchant and so continued until January, 1861, when Warsaw was visited by her first great fire. After the conflagra- tion Mr. Runyan found himself at an ad- vanced age almost penniless. The careful accumulations of a long and active life had vanished in flame and smoke; but he was never the man to repine. He met adversity as he would danger,-cooly, resolutely. In April, 1861, he was appointed Postmaster at Warsaw and was reappointed April 28, 1865, which position he held until Decein- ber, 1866, when he was removed, for purely political reasons.

On the 16th day of November, 1862, the companion of his toils passed from earth to a better land. Mr. Runyan has been for more than fifty years a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He has al- ways been earnest in his convictions and feelings and fearlessly honest.

O REN JUDSON CHANDLER, the County Clerk of Kosciusko county, comes from a long line of Ameri- can lineage, a line that has been replete with the names of men who have most conspicuously added luster to the name by achievements in almost every hon- orable calling and profession in which the human mind has had to be engaged. His remotest ancestors of which there is anthen- tic record, the founders of the family in America, were George Chandler and Jane, his wife, who with seven children, in the latter part of 1687, left their home at Great- hodge, in Wiltshire, England, to find an- other in the wilderness of Pennsylvania. It is believed that they were accompanied by his brother, John Chandler, who is de-

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scribed as of Oare, in the parish of Wilcott, in the county of Wilt. The ancient records of this parish prove that the family had been there for more than 100 years, but do not furnish conclusive evidence as to the ancestry of these brothers.

John Chandler, the son of Thomas, was baptized February 23, 1602, and George Chandler, the son of John, April 8, 1633. Again, John Chandler, the son of Swithine, was baptized April 7, 1622, and Swithine, son of Nicholas, June 1, 1578, the latter probably being the same Nicholas who mar- ried Edyth Spratt February 2, 1568. George Chandler, who sailed for the New World in 1687, died at sea, leaving his widow with the care of seven young children; but there is some evidence that John, his broth- er, who had no family, assisted the widow in finding a home until her marriage to a second husband, William Hawkes. The children of George and Jane Chandler were Jane, George, Swithin, Thomas, William, Charity and Ann. The descendants of this family now comprise an almost innumerable host, and are to be found living in almost all the States of the Union.

Oren J. Chandler was born December 4, 1859, and is a son of Dr. Joseph A. Chandler, a highly successful practitioner and one of Kosciusko's valued and respected citizens. Dr. Chandler was born in Ash- land county, Ohio, October 8, 1830, and in 1855 came to Indiana, settling in Warsaw. He was one of the first to locate here, and during his long residence he has always taken an active interest in the progress and de- velopment of the place. He has retired from active practice.

He was united in marriage to Ann S., daughter of Peter Runyan, a well known pioneer settler of Elkhart county, Indiana,

and a sister of Lieutenant John N. Runyan. The Runyan homestead was the site of the present city of Goshen, Indiana, at which place Mrs. Chandler was born, being the first white child born in Goshen, Elkhart county. She was a woman of great strength of character, possessing those lovely traits of disposition so fitting to a wife and mother. She departed this life January 16, 1892. Three children were born to Dr. Chandler and his estimable wife: Oren J .; Mary, who died in infancy, and John L., who is a resident of Warsaw.

Young Oren's boyhood days sped away in the village of Warsaw, in the schools of which place he received his first instruction. At the age of ten years he went to Leesburg, where he attended school four years, which completed his school education. Returning to Warsaw he accepted the position of As- sistant Postmaster under his uncle, John N. Runyan, creditably filling the position four years. He had now attained to the age of eighteen years, and was ambitious to engage in some business affording opportunities for advancement. At the suggestion of his father he returned to Leesburg, with whom he entered into a partnership in the drug business, the firm name being Chandler & Son. In 1881, he disposed of his business to his father and entered the employ of W. D. Wood, of Leesburg, his father-in-law, with whom he remained until 1887. During this year Mr. Wood was elected County Clerk, and at his installation into office Mr. Chandler became his deputy, a position he filled till November, 1895. In the conven- tion of 1894 he received the nomination for County Clerk, and was elected.

In political affairs he has always man- ifested the greatest inter st, and of late years has been a poter It in the coun-

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MEMORIAL RECORD OF

cils of the Republican party. Three times has he been elected Secretary of the Kosci- usko County Republican "Committee, of which he is the present efficient incumbent. The honor was conferred upon him of being selected a delegate to the National Conven- tion of Republican Clubs held in Denver, Colorado, June, 1894. His earlier triumphs of a political character was his election to the clerkship of the incorporated town of Leesburg, when only twenty-one years old, and when twenty-two he was elected one of the Trustees of the incorporated town of Leesburg, serving three years.

saw. Socially, Mr. Chandler is an honora- ble member of various lodges. In the order of Masonry he has attained to the thirty- second degree, being a member of Leesburg Lodge, No. 181; Warsaw Chapter, No. 48, R. A. M .; Warsaw Commandery, No. 10, Knights Templar; of Indiana Consistory, S. P. R. S., and is past Regent of Warsaw Council, No. 256, Royal Arcanum, He is also a member of the Improved Order of Red men, belonging to Peashwa Tribe, No. 88. In the order of the Sons of Veterans he is an enthusiastic worker, and to his personal efforts the efficiency and standing of local camps is largely due. He is Past Captain of Julian A. Robbins Camp, No. 262.

Mr. Chandler's marriage to Ida M. Wood was celebrated May 2, 1883. To them have been born three children, two daughters and one son: Mamie E., aged eleven years; Charles W., aged eight years; and Marie, aged six years. Mrs. Chandler is a young

woman of charming grace and manners, de- cidedly prominent in social life, and an able second to her husband in all his under- takings.

ENRY P. STROH, Sheriff of De Kalb county, Indiana, is a native of this county and a son of a proni- inent farmer. In this connection we are pleased to present a sketch of the life of Mr. Stroh.

Aside from politics and the duties of office, he is active in business and social circles. He is one of the directors and managers of the People's Building, Loan & Savings Association, and a director of the : Peashwa Improvement Company of War- ; near his home, was completed at the North-

Henry P. Stroh was born on the old homestead in Union township, De Kalb county, Indiana, May 9, 1849, son of Will- jam and Sarah (Husselman) Stroh, and was reared to farm life, his youthful days being spent not unlike those of other farmer boys. His education, begun in the common schools western College, Plainfield, Illinois. His school days over, he spent one season on the home farm, assisting his father, and after that turned his attention to railroading. His first position was that of brakeman on the Toledo, Wabash & Western Railroad, in which capacity he served four months. At the end of that time he was transferred to the La Fayette, Muncie & Bloomington road, on which for nine months he ran a construction train, returning then to the Wabash road and resuming his former posi- tion, in which he continued until the follow- ing summer. That summer he had a siege of typhoid fever. Upon his recovery, he spent some time in traveling, going first to Texas and thence to Montana. When he came back to Indiana he married and set- tled down to farming. That was about twelve years ago. He settled on a forty- acre farm in Union township, where he car- ried on farming and stock-raising success-

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Memorial record of northeastern Indiana, Part 68

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