Memorial record of northeastern Indiana, Part 77

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

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Harlan Truck

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NORTHEASTERN INDIANA.

County Building and Loan Association and also in the Schuyler Electric Light Com- pany, of Angola,-associations which alone determine his public spirit and his interest in the industrial prosperity of the community where he has lived and labored to so goodly ends. In his fraternal relations Mr. Carver is identified with the Grand Army of the Republic, in which he aims to keep alive only the deeper associations of his service on the field of battle, and he is also a mem- ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

Our subject has been twice married. In 1867 he was united to Miss Fronia Thayer, whose death occurred in October, 1892. His present companion is the daughter of Peter Bowman, an influential resident of Steuben county, and her maiden name was Florence Bowman. She is a woman of gentle refinement and presides with gracious dignity over the attractive home of our hon- ored subject.

ARLAN A. TRASK, PH. G., M. D., Professor of Clinical Gynaecology, American Medical College, of Indianapolis, Indiana, Fellow of American Association of Physicians and Surgeons, etc., was the first child of Reu- ben S. Trask and Lydia A. (Perhamus) Trask, and was born in Maple Grove, Barry county, Michigan. The families of both pa- rents were prominent and respected citizens of Springfield, Bradford county, Pennsyl- vania.

R. S. Trask, the father of our subject, was for many years a successful merchant and physician of White Cloud, Michigan, at the same time holding the position of Post- master. In the year 1888 the Doctor's 36

property was destroyed by fire, and in the same year he removed with his family to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where he purchased some pine land, at the same time conducting a general store and restaurant. Subsequently he removed with his family to Kalkaska, Michigan, his present home, where he resumed the practice of medicine. His methodical habits, both in business and so- cially, have everywhere gained for him the complete confidence of those who know him. At the present time he is president of the United States Board of Pension Examiners for the Tenth Congressional District of Michigan. His wife is a lady whose char- acter happily combines gentleness with pru- dence and firmness -- qualities which her son Harlan seems to have inherited, together with the business aptitude, energy and up- rightness of his father. Mrs. Trask is a devoted Christian and a member of the Con- gregational Church.

Those who remember Harlan Trask as a boy speak of him as remarkably docile, bright, cheerful and considerate of the feel- ings of others. His general health was good, but he usually avoided the rough sports of his companions. He was always looking into things with an eager desire to know all about their qualities and uses. As a youth he was affectionate, truthful and energetic, more fond of books than play, and even at that time his demeanor toward his fellows was marked by that modest re- serve-far removed from timidity-which is still a very prominent characteristic of his life.

The early education of Harlan Trask was well looked after by his parents. After securing a complete education in the public schools he began study in the Grand Rapids Business College, completing his education there in March, 1882. The next three years

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he spent in the study and practice of phar- macy, receiving his certificate from the State Board of Pharmacy June 2, 1885. After completing his education thus far he began the study of medicine under the instruction of his father, under whom he gained much experience of the kind so necessary to the successful practitioner. Having thus lib- erally availed himself of the advantages of a practical knowledge, he entered the Keokuk Medical College, of Keokuk, Iowa. The following year he spent gaining tur- ther instructions as a physician and sur- geon at the Marion Sims College, of St. Louis, Missouri, where he completed his "regular" education. While in St. Louis he spent a year in the office of A. C. Ber- nays, the most skilled surgeon of the West, and at the same time was connected with the Female Hospital. From St. Louis the Doctor went to Streator, Illinois, where he became the partner of Dr. E. E. Williams. After enjoying for a time a large and suc- cessful practice the partnership was dis- solved by mutual consent.

The next event of importance in the life of our subject was his marriage, in August, 1893, to Miss Charlotte J. Dixon, a person of rare intelligence and highly endowed mind. This young lady was the second daughter of William and Jennie Dixon, and was born in New Castle, England, May 13, 1874. Will- iam Dixon was the seventh son of George and Jane Dixon, who were for many years en- gaged in the manufacture of silk and woolen goods at Dewsbury, England. Jane Dixon, the last named lady, was one of three heirs to the Netherby Hall estate in Yorkshire, England, whose coat of arms changed at each death. Jennie Richardson-Dixon was the daughter of Joseph and Charlotte Rich- ardson, of Darton, England. Joseph Rich-

ardson was an architect, having obtained his education at Cambridge, near London. He was unnaturally called home by his Maker, by falling from the top of a three-story structure, which he was inspecting. His wife survived him for a number of years, although she never fully recovered from the shock of her husband's untimely death.

In the year 1877 William Dixon, to- gether with his family, crossed the Atlantic and settled in Streator, Illinois, where for the past eighteen years he has made his home. He has been a very successful busi- ness man, having invested the bulk of his fortune in real estate.

Mrs. Charlotte Dixon-Trask is a very earnest church worker and a member of the Ladies' Aid Society. She has a fine voice, which has been well trained. Socially, she is a member of the Daughters of Rebekah.

Dr. Trask, not being satisfied with one system of medicine at his command, again entered the ranks of a student, this time at- tending the Eclectic College, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and graduating there in January, 1894. He then spent many months in travel, at length locating in Indianapolis, Indiana, whereupon he again took up the study of medicine, at the Central College of Physi- cians and Surgeons of Indiana, graduating in March, 1896. While attending that in- stitution he took a special course in obstet- rics, under the direction of Prof. Burkhard (of the University of Zurich), at his lying- in hospital.

Socially the Doctor is a member of the F. & A. M., blue lodge of Montpelier, Indi- ana, Oil City Encampment of Odd Fellows, Kalkaska Lodge, No. 237, I. O. O. F. and L. A. W. He is also a member of the Amer- ican Association of Physicians, being chair- man of the division of abdominal surgery.

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NORTHEASTERN INDIANA.

B ENJAMIN HARSHBARGER is one of the substantial and highly respected farmers of Union town- ship, Whitley county, Indiana, where he has spent the greater part of his life, his parents having located here at an early day.

David Harshbarger, the father of our subject, was a native of the Old Dominion, and when five years of age removed with his parents from Virginia to the Western Reserve, their settlement being in what was then Miami, later Montgomery and now Shelby, county, Ohio. He grew up in Ohio and was married there to Elizabeth Jacobs, a native of Bedford county, Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Samuel Jacobs, one of the early pioneers of Ohio. David Harsh- barger and his wife continued to reside in Ohio until 1847, when they moved over into Indiana and settled on a tract of land in sec- tion 14, Union township, Whitley county, this part of the country then being covered with the primitive forest and untouched by the hand of man. Here he built a cabin and later a hewed-log house, and with the aid of his sons cleared up and developed a farm. He has been dead for some years, but his widow is still living, having attained the advanced age of eighty-four years. In their family were fourteen children, of whom the following named are living: Benjamin, Simon, John, Sylvester, Ira, Colbert, David, Lucinda Hanna, Rachel Depoy, and Polly Henning. Three of the sons, David, Simon and Samnel, served in the Union ranks of the Civil war and David was a Captain. The worthy father of this family was a member of the German Baptist Church, and his political views were those of the old Whig party.

Benjamin Harshbarger, the oldest of the

family, was born November 5, 1827, in Montgomery county, Ohio, and was twenty years of age at the time he came with his parents to Indiana. He helped to clear up his father's farm and later the one upon which he settled after his marriage and where he has since lived, namely, on section 14. He was married in 1850 to Margaret Walker, whose father, John Walker, died in Richland county, Ohio, and after his death his children came to Whitley county, Indiana. This union resulted in the birth of six sons and a daughter, viz .: Simon, Tillman, Daniel, Samuel, Harvey, Hiram and Elizabeth Graves. Three of the sons are at home. After forty years of happy married life, the devoted wife and loving mother was called to her last home, her death occurring April 16, 1890. November 28, 1892, Mr. Harshbarger wedded Mrs. Lydia Burkholder, nce Cramer, who now presides over his home.

Personally, Mr. Harshbarger is a man of quiet and unassuming manner, has taken a deep interest in the education of his chil- dren, and has devoted his energies to the development and cultivation of his farm. He is a consistent member of the Christian Church, and his political views are in har- mony with the principles advocated by the Republican party.

ARION NORMAL COLLEGE, Marion, Indiana, is an institution which fills a long felt want in this part of the State, and is an honor to its founder, President A. Jones, and to the city in which it is located. Although young in years, it has already gained a more substantial footing than many of the older educational institutions. Specific mention

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of it and its founder is appropriate here, and we are pleased to present the following sketch to the readers of this work:

The Marion Normal College was organ- ized in 1891 by Prof. A. Jones, with a corps of four instructors, and the building located on the corner of Thirty-eighth and Wash- ington streets. At first its curriculum com- prised a business course, music and some academic work. Being a practical educator and an experienced superintendent of public schools, Professor Jones was quick to see the need of thorough and high-grade work for the thorough preparation of teachers. With this purpose in view, the business course was discontinued, and a four-years course was adopted, embracing both theo- retical and academic work, and making the work as thorough in every particular as that of the State Normal School. It also has a four-years course for general students, sub- stituting science, mathematics and literature for the theoretical work of the professional course.

In 1894 the college was moved from its original location to its present commodious and attractive quarters between Washington and Harmon streets, this building having been erected by the proprietors, Dr. T. W. Johnson and President A. Jones. It is a brick structure, 90x80 feet in dimensions, with three stories and a basement, and, ex- clusive of the basement and chapel, will comfortably seat 500 students. The build- ing throughout is furnished and equipped with all modern improvements and conven- iences, and has a complete laboratory. At this writing, 1895, an able and efficient corps of teachers is employed, as follows: President, A. Jones, grammar and science; Joseph V. Zartman, vice president, history and methods, superintendent of the training

department; J. E. McMullen, literature and psychology; Frank Langhner, penmanship and drawing; Cary C. Marshall, mathematics; Gertrude Robinson and Bertha P. Hall, training department; and Miss Bertha Small, music. Students are fitted for every position in the profession of teaching. Ever since 1892 some of its departments have turned out graduates.

Professor A. Jones, president of the Marion Normal College, is a native of Indi- ana, and has in his veins a mixture of Scotch and German blood, -two elements which have entered largely into the make-up of the best portion of our nationality. He was born in Shelby county, in the year 1855, only child of Elijah and Sarah (Wagner) Jones, both natives of this State. His pa- ternal ancestors came to this country from Scotland, and were among the early settlers of Pennsylvania, while the Wagners came hither from Germany. The latter trace a kinship to the noted musician, Richard Wagner. Both families were early settlers in Indiana, and were ranked among the leading pioneers of Shelby and Rush coun- ties. Grandfather Jones and great-grand- father Wagner were both well-known minis- ters in the Methodist Episcopal Church. Elijah Jones is still living, and is now a resi- dent of Madison county, this State. His wife died in 1860.

Professor Jones was reared and received his early education in his native county. At Danville, Indiana, he completed a teachers' and scientific course, and also graduated there in the department of civil engineering. His first experience as teacher was in the graded schools of Glenwood, Indiana, where he taught two years. Then for four years he had charge of the public schools of Zions- ville, Indiana, and two years was superin-

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tendent of the public schools of Danville. From the latter place he came to Marion in 1891 and entered upon his present work, as above stated. For many years he has pur- sued his scientific studies with the aid of the microscope. In this line he has done a large amount of careful work, which has re- sulted in both pleasure and profit to him. He takes an active interest in educational associations, and is an occasional contributor to educational journals.

Professor Jones was united in marriage, in 1884, to Miss Jessie M. Davis, an amiable and accomplished lady, who was born in Fayette county, Indiana, daughter of Will- iam and Emily (Williams) Davis, residents of Glenwood. Her grandmother Williams is now ninety-five years of age, is a pen- sioner of the Mexican war, and both men- tally and physically is remarkably well pre- served for one of her advanced years. Mr. and Mrs. Jones have one child, a little daugh- ter, Emma Gertrude.

Like his parents and grandparents before him, Professor Jones is identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church. He and his wife have a membership in the First Meth- odist Episcopal Church of Marion, and are among its most active and influential mem- bers. Personally, the Professor is a man of pleasing address. His genuine kindness of heart and his ever present desire to be help -. ful to others make him alike a favorite among teachers and pupils, and indeed with all with whom he comes in contact.

HE INDIANA RUBBER & IN- SULATED WIRE COMPANY, Jonesboro, Indiana, occupies an important position in the industrial supremacy of the State. To this company

and its efficient and popular local manager, Mr. A. F. Seiberling, we would make spe- cial reference.

The Indiana Rubber & Insulated Wire Company was organized in October, 1890, and incorporated under the laws of the State, with the following officers: President and general manager, J. H. Seiberling, Doylestown, Ohio; vice president and treasurer, Monroe Seiberling, Kokomo, In- diana; secretary, R. E. Lucas, Marion, Indiana; and superintendent, A. F. Seiber- ling. The plant occupies ten acres, and in addition to this the company owns and has platted forty acres in the town. The main building is a three-story brick structure, 60x150 feet, with an addition, also three- story, 60x100 feet; and the whole build- ing is supplied with all the latest improve- ments and equipments. The boiler, engine, wash and dry rooms are all separate and are conveniently and handsomely arranged. This company are the only manufacturers in the United States of paranite insulated wires and cables, for telegraph, telephone, and other electrical purposes. They also man- ufacture bicycle tires, doing a large business in this line, and besides manufacture all rubber specialties to order. While they fill orders to various points all over the coun- try, their chief wire markets are Chicago and New York. During the five years of its existence in Jonesboro this factory has been of value to the town and surrounding country, furnishing as it does employment to a large force of men and at remunerative wages.

From the company and the factory we turn now for a sketch of the life of Mr. Seiberling, who, as already stated, is its local manager.

A. F. Seiberling was born in Doyles-

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town, Ohio, in 1866, son of James H. Seiberling, also a native of the "Buckeye State." James H. Seiberling and his brother, J. F. Seiberling, are largely interested in the manufacture of reapers and mowers, having two extensive factories, - one at Akron, Ohio, and the other at Doylestown, the latter being under his own supervision and the one at Akron under his brother's charge. Mr. James H. Seiberling also was at one time a director in the Diamond Plate Glass Company, of Kokomo and Elwood, Indiana, and in the Hartford City Glass Company, of Hartford City, Indiana. He is a man of more than ordinary business ability, is a prominent factor in the affairs of his own town, and is as much respected as he is well known. A. F. Seiberling grew up and received his education in his native town and in Akron. On attaining his majority, he entered his father's office in Doylestown, where he spent two years. The following year and a half he was em- ployed in the office of the Diamond Plate Glass Company at Kokomo, and in 1891 he came to Jonesboro and took charge of the business with which he has since been con- nected.

He was married in 1892 to Miss Angie Cline, a native of Indiana, and a daughter of H. H. Cline, of Jonesboro. Mr. and Mrs. Seiberling have one child, Paul.

In his political views Mr. Seiberling harmonizes with the Republican party and casts his franchise and influence with it. Ile has taken an active interest in the affairs of Jonesboro ever since he located here, is now a member of the Town Council, and may be depended upon to give his sup- port to all enterprises or movements in- tended to promote the general good of the town. Fraternally, he is identified with

the Knights of Pythias at Jonesboro. He is a member of the Lutheran Church and his wife is a Methodist. Both are popular in the social circles of the city.

ICHOLAS P. COOK. - If a com- plete history of Indiana, in its rela- tions to the Civil war, was written, the name of this gentleman would be prominently mentioned therein as a val- iant defender of the starry banner which now floats so proudly over the united nation that for three years he fought to preserve. In days of peace his duties of citizenship have been performed with a like fidelity, and he is numbered among the valued residents of Kosciusko county.

Mr. Cook is a native of the county which is still his home, his birth having occurred June 4, 1842. His parents, John W. and Ann Cook, were early settlers of the com- munity. In the common schools of the neighborhood and high school of Warsaw he acquired his education, and was reared to manhood on his father's farm. After the close of the war he followed teaching for a time. In July, 1862, however, he put aside all private interests that he might aid in the defense of his country, and joined the " boys in blue" of Company A, Seventy-fourth In- diana Infantry. The regiment was assigned to the Fourteenth Corps, Army of the Cum- berland, and with his command he partici- pated in the battles of Hoover's Gap, Chicka- mauga, Chattanooga, Mission Ridge, Buz- zards' Roost, and was also through the At- lanta campaign and with Sherman on his celebrated march to the sea. In 1864 he was made Sergeant of his company, and when the war was over was honorably discharged, on the 22d of June, 1865.

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Mr. Cook at once returned to his home and has since carried on agricultural pur- suits and teaching common school. He is now the owner of a beautiful home, on 160 acres of valuable land on sections 14 and 22, Harrison township. He was elected to the office of County Treasurer in 1892 and elected again in 1894, which position he now holds.

On the 10th of May, 1868, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary E. Lehman, a daughter of John and Rachel Lehman, who in 1850 came to Kosciusko county, where the mother subsequently died. To Mr. and Mrs. Cook have been born two children: Erwin N., born January 14, 1875; and Blanche, born March 30, 1883.

Socially, Mr. Cook is connected with Henry Chipman Post, No. 442, G. A. R., of Warsaw, has served in its offices and has been delegate to the State Encampment. In his political adherency he is a Republican and warmly advocates its principles. Prom- inent and active in the Methodist Church, he has served as local minister for some years past, and his well spent life has gained for him the confidence and high regard of all with whom he has been brought in contact.

BNER LEWIS, a lumber merchant of Auburn, Indiana, has figured prominently as a business man of this place for more than twenty years, and in this time has made a wide ac- quaintance and has won and maintained the good will of all with whom he has had deal- ings.

Mr. Lewis was born in Albion, New York, November 4, 1836, son of Samuel C. and Anna (Warner) Lewis. Samuel C. Lewis was of Welsh extraction, was born

in Poultney, Vermont, and passed his life as a farmer in New York State from 1816 until his death, in June, 1876; he died at the advanced age of eighty-two years. His wife, a daughter of English parents, died in 1843, at the age of forty-three years. In their family were five children, two sons and three daughters, of whom all except one are still living.

Abner, the second in order of birth, passed his boyhood days on his father's farm, and until he was seventeen attended the district schools. He continued farming on the home place until 1861, in which year he went up into Michigan and at Wayland, in Allegan county, opened a hotel, called the Half-Way House, its location being half way between Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. After running this hotel two years, he sold out and went to Middleville, Michigan. There he formed a partnership with a Mr. Withey and engaged in general merchandise, which they continued successfully about eight years, at the end of which time his partner died and he sold out. His next location was at Greenville, Michigan, where he became em- ployed with his brother-in-law, C. F. Wright, in a lumber business, for four years, and from there in 1874 he came to Auburn and embarked in his present business, -in lime, cement, lumber and all kinds of dressed building material; and he is the only dealer in this line in Auburn.

Mr. Lewis has been twice married. In 1859 he wedded a Miss Fuller, a daughter of Mr. Benjamin Fuller, a prominent lawyer of Michigan, and after a number of years of happy married life she was called to her last home, her death occurring in 1876. For his second wife he married Miss Alice M. Widney, a daughter of John P. Widney, one of the early settlers and most prominent

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citizens of De Kalb county. Their union has been blessed in the birth of one child, Harry L., now on the verge of manhood.

Mr. Lewis and his family are identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church and are active and influential members of the same. Fraternally, he maintains a member- ship in good standing in both the Masonic and Knights of Pythias orders. His polit- ical views are those advocated by the Re- publican party.

Such, in brief, is a sketch of the life of one of Auburn's leading business men and most worthy citizens.

LBERT ROBBINS, president of the Farmers' Bank, Auburn, Indi- ana, is one of the well-known and highly respected citizens of north- eastern Indiana. He is an Ohioan by nativity, his birth having occurred near Amsterdam, Jefferson county, Ohio, July 8, 1843, a son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Knox) Robbins, who settled in Butler township, De Kalb county, in 1851. His early educational dis- cipline was secured in the district schools of the township, with a finishing course at the Auburn graded school. He remained with his parents upon the farm till nineteen years of age. He began his career in Auburn, first filling a position as clerk in a store; subsequently he engaged in the grocery, dry- goods and hardware business on his own ac- count.

His business ability soon became appar- ent, and in 1878 he was elected Auditor of De Kalb county on the Republican ticket in the face of a Democratic majority of 240. In February, 1883, in company with Jacob Walbern, Nicholas Ensley, Guy Plumb and J. C. Henry, he organized the Farmers'

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Memorial record of northeastern Indiana, Part 77

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