Memorial record of northeastern Indiana, Part 75

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

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He was united in marriage August 27, 1868, to Louisa Jane Burket, a daughter of Eli and Frances (Miller) Burket, natives of Ohio and Pennsylvania, respectively. Mrs. Hawley was born in Jefferson township, Huntington county, Indiana, April 2, 1850. Mr. and Mrs. Hawley are the parents of six children: Willard Eli, born August 1, 1869, died September 2, 1870; Edwin Burket, born May 22, 1871, died June 5, 1871;

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MEMORIAL RECORD OF

Charles Elery, born November 4. 1872; Mary Emma, born November 24, 1875; Mable Grace, born January 31, 1878; Edgar Francis, born March 10, 1879.

In politics Mr. Hawley gives his unwaver- ing support to the Republican party. He is a member of the James R. Slack Post, G. A. R. In his religious faith he subscribes to the doctrines of the Christian Church.

S AMUEL WILLARD HAWLEY, deceased, for a long period one of the most honored residents of Hunt- ington county, was born August 6, 1811, in the dominion of Canada, and died at Huntington, Indiana, February 5, 1856. His wife, whose maiden name was Meribah Robbins Emley, was born in Middlesex county, near Millford Mills, New Jersey, April 12, 1813. They were the parents of the following children: Amanda, born Jan- uary 7, 1837, who married Freedom LeRoy Cain and is a resident of Huntington: no children; David M. is the subject of a sketch found elsewhere in this volume; Eliza, born February 17, 1841, married David Harrison Ricker, November 28, 1860, and has six children, namely, Mrs. Myra Belle Doub; Mrs. Olive Arabella White, Mrs. Emma Amanda French, Jesse Willard, Iva and Sadie; Olive Arabella, was born February 26, 1843, married James Mitten, and died in 1864, having no children; Miranda, born October 16, 1846, married Daniel G. Bea- ver, and is the mother of Charles Willard, deceased, Albert Willard, Robert Cook and Mayme; Wesley Willard is the subject of a separate sketch in this history; and Mary Mercy, born February 11, 1853, is at home with her mother.

Hawley, was born December 15, 1774, and died September 4, 1820. He married Mercy Woodbury, who was born May 12, 1787, and died July 22, 1870, at Mendota, Illi- nois, her remains being buried at Paw Paw, same State. They were the parents of the following children:

Samuel Willard, whose name heads this biography.

Amy Calista, born March 18, 1813, and died April 20, 1849, in the State of Arkansas. She married Washington Smith, August 28, 1832, in Ohio, and their children were Elizabeth, born May 9, 1833; and Vic- tor Washington, born March 2, 1841. Mr. Smith died in 1841, at the age of thirty years, and Mrs. Smith was married a sec- ond time, October, 1842, in Campbell coun- ty, Kentucky, when she was united to Travis Jones, and by that marriage there was one child, -Victor Marshall, -born March 5, 1845, at Napoleon, Arkansas.

Rodolphus Christy, born March 19, 1815, and died March 25, 1859, at Paw Paw, Illi- nois. He married Mrs. Rachel Barrett, and they had three children, -William Bennett, Samuel Willard and Mary Ellen.

Abijah, born February 9, 1817, and died at Paw Paw, August 21, 1859, unmarried.

Olive, born May 5, 1819, married first a Mr. Pierce and afterward Hosea Town and had no children.

Eliza, born March 11, 1821, died April II, 1861, near Monroe, Wisconsin. She married Alpheus DeHaven and has six chil- dren, - Olive, Wesley Willard, Laura, Alice, George and William.

Mercy (Woodbury) Hawley, mother of our subject, married for her second husband John Farnham, who was born July 20, 1786, and died August 25, 1827: there were

Abijah Hawley, father of Samuel W. : no children by this union.

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NORTHEASTERN INDIANA.

The paternal grandfather of the subject proper of this biography was a resident of one of the New England States, probably Massachusetts.

About the year 1815 Abijah Hawley removed from Canada to the United States. He had accompanied the Blin family, rela- tives of his mother, from Massachusetts to Canada, and thence to Cincinnati, Ohio, where many of the Blin descendants still reside. Mr. Hawley died at Vernon, Indi- ana, five years after taking up his residence there. His wife soon afterward returned to Cincinnati, and later went to Dayton, and back to Cincinnati again. When they were living in Dayton young Samuel Wil- lard, our subject, left his mother and the rest of the family and came to Hunting- ton, in 1833. He had accepted a clerk- ship in the employ of Dr. George A. Fate, who was the proprietor of a general mer- cantile establishment. Mr. Hawley was employed as clerk until 1836, and in the meantime was appointed to the office of County Treasurer, the duties of which he discharged in connection with his responsi- bilities at the store. Turning his attention to agriculture, he removed to a farm eight miles southwest of town, on the Wabash canal, where he remained a year. At the end of that time he removed to Connersville, Indi- ana, and was there employed by the engi- neers of the White Water canal for a period of six months. This canal project failed, and he went to Kentucky, and settling five miles north of Newport engaged in market gardening, finding a ready demand for all his product in Cincinnati. He resided there from 1839 till 1842, when he came to Hunt- ington county and settled in Clear Creek township. He at once embarked in the nursery business, keeping his stock at his

residence until March, 1848, when he started a nursery on the farm of his father- in-law, John R. Emley. He brought the first stock from Cincinnati, which comprised nothing but fruit-trees, and afterward he planted much himself. In 1848 he bought the Fisher nursery of Captain Elias Murray, which was started by Daniel Fisher. He retained his interests in the country nursery until all the stock was sold, afterward open- ing a stock in town of a more general char- acter, the stock consisting of fruits, berries, shrubs, and shade-trees. In 1851 Mr. Hawley was elected Treasurer of Hunting- ton county, and served in that office three years, discharging the duties with an ear- nestness and fidelity that won the confidence of his constituency.

The maternal grandmother of our subject was Prudence Woodbury, whose maiden name was Blin, and she died January 2, 1857, aged seventy-five years and ten months. Her mother was Prudence or Mercy Blin, whose maiden name was West- over. She lived all her life in the neighbor- hood of Newport, Kentucky, and when she died, at the age of ninety-four years, her funeral was attended by four generations of her descendants.

e LSTON SPENCER WHEELER, one of the old and highly respected citizens of Huntington, Indiana, was born December 23, 1838, in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, a son of Jacob and Martha Ann (Smith) Wheeler. In 1844 his parents removed to Van Wert county, Ohio, where they resided until March, 1861; they moved then to Lancas- ter township, Huntington county, Indiana, and after one summer removed to a farm

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MEMORIAL RECORD OF

near Huntington. When our subject ar- March 17, 1864, died December 2, 1867; Mary Luella, born September 3, 1866, mar- ried William Taylor. The mother of this family died July 2, 1867. Mr. Wheeler's second marriage occurred January 19, 1871, when he was united to Miss Josephine Maria Cook, a daughter of Jackson Cook, and a native of the State of New York, born December 17, 1846. There are three chil- dren of this union: Charles Berry, born May 22, 1872, is employed as foreman in his father's quarry; Edward Christman, born March 16, 1874; and Lina Belle, born October 16, 1877. rived at maturity he engaged in business for himself, forming a partnership with John Hurley. They leased a small piece of lime land, built .a kiln with a capacity of 1,000 bushels a week, and established a profitable trade under the firm name of Wheeler & Hurley. At the end of two years Mr. Wheeler bought his partner's interest, and in 1880 disposed of the entire property. He then opened quarries for Trammel, Shaffer & Company north of the river, and there built three kilns, which he operated two years; this property was bought later by the Huntington White Lime Company. In In politics Mr. Wheeler gives his alle- giance to the Democratic party, but is not an 1877 Mr. Wheeler bought land at Markel, on which he built three kilns, which he ran office-seeker. He is a member of the I. O. for two years; at the end of that time he O. F., and belongs to the First Christian sold out to Samuel Buchanan. Previous to 'Church. He purchased an interest in the this, however, he had been in the employ of | News Publishing Company, July 15, 1895; Colonel Briant for two years, during which this corporation, of which he is president, issues a semi-weekly, published Wednesday and Sunday mornings. time four kilns were erected under his super- vision. He burned lime on the Ferguson quarries for three years, and at the expir- ation of this time leased land of Colonel Briant, on which he built five kilns, with a total capacity of 7,000 bushels per week.

At one time Mr. Wheeler was engaged in getting out ties for the Pennsylvania Railroad, and later gave his attention to the manufacture of spokes, selling the entire product to Henry C. Reynolds, of Hunt- ington.

On November 17, 1861, our subject was united in marriage, at Delphos, Ohio, to Miss Eliza Ann Deniston, a daughter of Mil- ton and Elizabeth (Carey Deniston. Mrs. Wheeler was born January 12, 1844, in the State of Ohio. The children of this union are: Martha Elizabeth, born September 21, 1862; she married Irving Keefer, and is a resident of Huntington; Peter Jacob, born ,

Jacob Wheeler, the father of Elston Spencer Wheeler, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 31, 1801. He died in Huntington county, Indiana, January 11, 1888. He was united in marriage July 20, 1826, to Martha Ann Smith, also a Phila- delphian, born October 2, 1810. She died November 6, 1887, her husband surviving her barely two months. They had had a long life together, and had faithfully borne each other's sorrows and shared each other's joys. They were the parents of seven chil- dren: Mary Ann, born September 2, 1830, married John Powers and resides in Wheat- land, Missouri; George Cook, born August 27, 1833, is a carpenter by trade and a citi- zen of Huntington: John Sebius, born May 16, 1836, died July 6, 1865; he was a sol- dier in the Union army, returned home with

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NORTHEASTERN INDIANA.

health impaired, and died shortly after leav- ing the service; Elston Spencer, the subject of this sketch, is the next in order of birth; Amanda Theresa was born May 22, 1841, and married William Crates; she is now liv- ing at Wheatley, Tennessee; Jacob, born November 2, 1848, died in January, 1855; Eleanor Phetina was born May 20, 1854, and died November 24, 1867.

UELL MITCHELL COBB, at- torney at law, Huntington, Indi- ana, was born in Crawford county, Ohio, January 20, 1834, the oldest son of Henry and Sally (Mitchell) Cobb. Henry Cobb was a native of Pennsylvania, born near Montrose, Susquehanna county, February 22, 1806. His family removed to Crawford county, Ohio, in 1823, and there he was engaged in agricultural pur- suits and also worked at the carpenter's trade. He afterward removed to Iroquois county, Illinois, where he passed three years of his life. He died in Crawford county, Ohio, February 22, 1878. Prior to the or- ganization of the Republican party he had given his allegiance to the Democratic party, but the principles of Republicanism making a stronger appeal to his reason and judgment than those of the Democratic party he transferred his support to the for- mer. He was a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Sally (Mitch- ell) Cobb, wife of Henry Cobb, was born April 23, 1813, near Chautauqua; she is still living, a resident of Crawford county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Cobb are the parents of the following children: Louise, who mar- ried John Luke and is the mother of two children; Buell M., the subject of this sketch, is the second in order of birth; Mrs.

Catharine McCreary; the next child died in infancy; Elcy is the wife of Henry Williams; James died in 1892, at the age of fifty-four years, leaving a widow whose maiden name was Mary Roberts; Asa married Imogene Hanchett; Elam married Kitty Klingell; Henry died in infancy; the next born also died in infancy; Louis; Sarah, the wife of William Cherry; and Amos, who is unmar- ried.

Asa Cobb, the grandfather of Buell M., was a native of the State of New York, and died in Crawford county, Ohio, to which place he had removed in 1823; he died in 1873, at the age of eighty-five years. He was a farmer by occupation, and in coming to the frontier suffered all the privations and vicissitudes incident to pioneer life. He was united in marriage to Catharine Lutz, and to them were born twelve children, all of whom grew to maturity: Dudley, Asa, Henry, father of Buell M., Lafalett, Elam, Sally, Cyprian, Jeddiah, John, Alfred, Mary, and Laura. James Mitchell, the maternal grandfather of Buell M. Cobb, was born in Scotland, and was brought to America by his parents when he was a young boy. The family settled in Huron county, Ohio, where the father died when James Mitchell was a lad of ten years. He was the father of seven children, one of whom was Sally Mitchell, the mother of our subject. Mary Lutz, the paternal great-grandmother of our subject, was a native of Erie county, New York, born about 1764; she died at the age of eighty-two years. When the British crossed the sea and made war upon this country in 1812, her house (which was lo- cated on the American side of Niagara) and the house of her son Michael were burned. A friend had left with her $100 for safe keeping; this she had buried under a post,

MMEMORIAL RECORD OF

and it was only by having it thus secreted that it was saved from the hands of the British.

Buell M. Cobb, the subject of this bio- graphy, passed an uneventful youth on his father's farm in his native county. He at- tended the district school until he was six- teen years of age, and then himself began the instruction of the young, following this calling until 1866, with some interruptions necessitated by events. He removed to Iroquois county, Illinois, in 1854, and was engaged in farming there until 1857, when he removed to Mower county, Minnesota. There he followed farming and also worked at the carpenter's trade until February, 1860, when he returned to Iroquois county, Illinois. He taught school in the winter and worked at the carpenter's trade in sum- mer until August, 1862, when he left the school-room and forsook the bench to go out in defense of the nation's flag.

He enlisted in Company I, One Hundred and Thirteenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, from which he was discharged one year later on account of disability, having served as a non-commissioned officer. He then re- turned to his home and resumed his profes- sional work as an educator, and in the sum- mer followed his trade. In August, 1865, he came to this county and settled at An- drews, where he entered upon the practice of the law. He took up his residence in the city of Huntington in February, 1870, and has ever since been a prominent member of the bar of Huntington county.

In politics he adheres to the principles of the Republican party. When a resident of Dallas township, Huntington county, he held the office of Justice of the Peace four years. He was elected a member of the State Legislature in 1872 and served one

term, discharging his duties to the entire satisfaction of his constituency. During this time he was a member of the commit- tee for the new State-house, and was also on other important committees.

Mr. Cobb was united in marriage May 20, 1855, to Nancy Cole Phillips, who was born in Adams county, Ohio, a daughter of Leonard and Margaret Phillips, also natives of the Buckeye State. Mr. and Mrs. Cobb are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Our worthy subject also belongs to the Masonic order.

ILLIAM ROSCOE PURVIANCE, a representative of one of the most prominent and distinguished families of Huntington, was born on the 13th of October, 1837, in Preble county, Ohio, and is a son of Joseph Wasson and Mary Aletha (Van Horn) Purviance. The ancestry of the family is given in con- nection with the sketch of S. H. Purviance, on another page of this volume. The fa- ther of our subject came to Huntington, Indiana, in 1848, and embarked in mercan- tile pursuits. Our subject entered his father's store, securing his business training there, and was employed in the capacity of sales- man until 1856, when the store was sold to Dr. D. S. Leyman. Mr. Purviance then entered into an engagement with the Doctor and continued his service in the store for a little more than a year. In the fall of 1859 he purchased a stock of goods of Julius Anderson, comprising jewelry, station- ery, books, etc., and at the northwest cor- ner of Jefferson and Market streets con- ducted a business along that line until De- cember, 1872, when he sold the business to his father and Wilson B. Smith.

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NORTHEASTERN INDIANA.

In the spring of 1874 William R. Purvi- ance rented property where the Exchange Hotel now stands and embarked in the hotel business, giving that name to his well con- ducted house. For a year and a half he carried on business there and then returned to the mercantile trade, establishing a gro- cery at the northwest corner of Jefferson and Washington streets, where he remained for a year and a half, when he exchanged his business for two acres of land situated at No. 235 Williams street. During the few years succeeding he was engaged in cul- tivating a "truck" garden. For the past twelve years he has been in the employ of the Singer Sewing Machine Company, and his long service well indicates his fidelity to the company's interest.

On the 6th of September, 1860, Mr. Purviance was joined in wedlock with Miss Mary Louisa Ream, who was born February 24, 1841, in Perry county, Ohio, the eldest of the three children of John and Mahala (Sellers) Ream. When only six months old she was brought by her parents to Hunting- ton county. To our subject and his wife were born five children, but two died in in- fancy. Nora Rosalind, born July 17, 1864, was married January 27, 1887, to John D. Haller, of Huntington. Harlan Delbert, born February 21, 1866, was married Jan- uary 1, 1891, to Mary J. Sperry, and they have one daughter, Jessie. Jessie Lorena, born April 30, 1868, died March 20, 1879.

In his political preferences, Mr. Purvi- ance is a Republican. He has for many years resided in Huntington, has witnessed the greater part of its development and up- building, and has always given his support and co-operation to worthy enterprises cal- culated to prove of benefit to the commu- nity.

J OHN C. ALTMAN, who is promi- nently identified with the history of Huntington county, was born Feb- ruary 5, 1846, on his father's farm in Warren township, Huntington county, In- diana. He is a son of John and Mahala (Cooper) Altman, old and respected pioneers of the county. He enjoyed such educational advantages as were afforded in the primitive pioneer schools of his day, and was also a student for two years in the Roanoke Clas- sical Seminary, which was presided over by Rev. F. S. Peffy, and known as one of the best schools in the State. Between the school sessions Mr. Altman was employed in teaching, but at length turned his attention to mercantile pursuits. At the age of twen- ty-one years he became associated with his father in the lumber business, under the firm name of John Altman & Sons. They operated a steam sawmill in Warren town- ship, their principal product being walnut lumber: this was hauled to Huntington, and much of it was shipped East by the canal which was open at that time. At the end of four years Mr. Altman severed his con- nection with the lumber firm and removed to his farm in Clear Creek township; here he resided, giving his personal attention to the cultivation of the land, until August 24, 1873, when he took up his residence in Hunting- ton. He was now engaged in buying and shipping live stock, and after some years be- came purchasing agent for Dick & Buck- man, grain dealers.

In the fall of 1878 he was a successful candidate on the Democratic ticket for County Surveyor, and took charge of the office October 29 following the election. He was re-elected to the office in 1880, and during the two terms his duties were particu- larly .arduous. He put in over 300 miles of

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MEMORLIL RECORD OF

ditching and acted as engineer on nine differ- ent gravel roads. He was ably assisted in this work by his deputy, H. H. Wagoner. Upon the expiration of his term of office he accepted a position with the Huntington Co- operative Association, and remained in their employ until they went out of business. He then took a position in the dry-goods store of J. Frash, which he held three and a half years. In the autumn of 1890 his name was again heard in politics, this time as a candi- date for Auditor of Huntington county, rep- resenting the Democratic party. He was successful in the race and assumed charge of the office November 1, 1891. He was re- elected and upon the expiration of his second term retired with the entire good will of his constituency.

Mr. Altman was united in marriage De- cember 10, 1868, to Miss Buena Vista Emley, a daughter of Anthony and Eveline E. (Herndon) Emley. They are the par- ents of two children : Cora Dell, born January 27, 1870, at Wooster, Ohio; and Laura Emley, born July 3, 1873, died at the age of three years.

DAM BECK is one of the self-made men of Huntington county, Indi- ana, and his life fully demonstrates what can be accomplished through industry and enterprise, combined with good management and sound business judgment.

He was born in Bavaria, Germany, on the 16th of April, 1831. and is the youngest of six children, whose parents, Jacob and Catherine (Schramm) Beck, were also na- tives of the Fatherland. The former was born in Bavaria January 15, 1792, and died there December 16, 1847, when our subject was a youth of sixteen years. By trade he

was a stone mason, following that pursuit as a means of livelihood throughout his life. He was twice married and had four children by the first union, namely: Catherine, who was born in 1816 and became the wife of T. Motz: Margaret, born in 1819; Jacob, who was born in 1821, and married Catherine Snyder; and Nicholas, who was born in 1824, came to America in 1847 and died in 1850. The mother of this family died about 1825, and Mr. Beck afterward mar- ried Catherine Schramm. Their elder son, Peter, born June 8, 1827, attended school in Germany from April, 1841, until April 1, 1845, married in 1853 Frederica Copp, and died February 6, 1863. Their children were Catherine, Mary Rebecca and Daniel,-the last mentioned a fireman on the Chicago & Erie Railroad.

The first of the family to come to America was Nicholas, who crossed the At- lantic in June, 1847. After six months spent in Ohio he came to Huntington, where he followed the mason's trade. On the 2d of June, 1849, our subject and his widowed mother sailed from Havre, France, and landed at New York on the 3d of July. Eight days later they arrived in Huntington, which was then a village on the Western frontier. With the history of its develop- ment and upbuilding since that time Mr. Beck has been prominently connected. He had no capital with which to begin life in the New World, but was obliged to depend entirely upon his own resources, and sought and obtained employment in a stone quarry. Through the three succeeding years he fol- lowed any occupation which would yield him an honest living, and at the age of twenty years learned the trade of wagon-making, which he followed through the sixteen suc- cecding years with good success. In 1854

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NORTHEASTERN INDIANA.

he established a shop of his own, which he carried on until 1866, at which time he en- tered into partnership with Henry Drover and William Bickel, as proprietors of a spoke factory, with which he was connected for three and a half years. Since 1870 Mr. Beck has been engaged in the manufacture of lime, erecting four kilns with a capacity of 1,000 bushels each. He was the owner of several quarries, and sold his own pro- ducts until 1879, when he aided in the or- ganization of the Huntington White Lime Association, and then disposed of his lime through that channel. In 1888 the firm of Beck, Purviance & Beck was organized, and for a time sold their lime direct, after which they allied themselves with the Western Lime Company, which was organized on the 9th of January, 1890. Our subject thor- oughly understands his business in every particular, and his capable management and straightforward dealing has succeeded in building up an extensive trade. He is one of the most successful lime merchants in this section of the State, and to-day is the possessor of a handsome competence which has come to him through diligence and per- severance.

On the 6th of April, 1854, Mr. Beck was united in marriage with Mrs. Magdalena Wittmeier, widow of Ferdinand Wittmeier and a daughter of George and Mary Mag- dalena (Spittle) Stetzel. She was born in Alsace, Germany, February 6, 1817, and died December 18, 1880. The first two children of their family died in infancy. Mattie was born February 14, 1857, and is the wife of Frederick Bolanz, who is operating a farm belonging to our subject. Their children are: Edgar, Mary, Gladdis, Magdalena and Adam. Mary Magdalene, born June 19, 1859, is the wife of L. F.

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Memorial record of northeastern Indiana, Part 75

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