Memorial record of northeastern Indiana, Part 79

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

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The year 1860 is memorable as the great campaign in which Abraham Lincoln was the presidential nominee of the Republican party. Threats were made in view of his

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election that the Southern States would se- cede from the Union. Lincoln was elected and the threats were attempted to be made good. In April, 1861, the first gun was fired and the call to arms was made. On the 4th day of September, 1861, our subject en- listed as a private in Company K, Thirty- seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered into the service as Sergeant Sep- tember 18. With his regiment he marched to the front and was in active service for more than three years. He was promoted Second Lieutenant February 22, 1863, and First Lieutenant October 22, 1863. Among the principal engagements in which he partici- pated were those of Stone River, Chicka- mauga, Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge and the siege of Atlanta. He was wounded three times, -at the battle of Stone River by a minie ball in the right arm; at Dallas, Georgia, June 9, 1864, with a minie ball in the left breast; and at the battle of Resaca, with a minie ball in the right hand. Notwith - standing these wounds he was never off duty a single day. At the battle of Stone River, every commissioned officer of his company was wounded that was on duty, and all the sergeants also. The regiment went into the battle 456 strong, and met with a loss of 26 killed and 141 wounded. After a little more than three years' service, on the 27th day of October, 1864, our subject was mustered out and honorably discharged.

On receiving his discharge Lieutenant Hunt returned to his home in Rush county, and in January, 1865, removed to Wabash county, also in this State, and located two miles north of La Fontaine, where he en- gaged in tile-manufacturing for one year. In 1866 he purchased a farm in Liberty township, south of La Fontaine, where he remained six years, and then sold out and

for the following two years rented a farm. In December, 1873, he bought the farm where he now resides, consisting of 120 acres, which he greatly improved and where he has since carried on general farming, with reasonably good success.

Lieutenant Hunt has been twice married, his first union being with Henrietta Pos- ton, December 14, 1866. By this union there were six children born: Lizzie E .; Charles R., deceased; Alice E., wife of Al- bert Gurtner, of Noble township; Clara L., at home; Benjamin L .; and Amos P., at home. Mrs. Henrietta Hunt died Decem- ber 12, 1883, and on the 21st of September, 1887, Lieutenant Hunt was united in mar- riage with Alma Downey, widow of Benja- min R. Hunt. They have one son, William R., residing at home.

In his political views Lieutenant Hunt is a stanch Republican. He is a quiet, unas- suming man, preferring to attend strictly to his own affairs. He is well known and well respected throughout the county of Wabash.

RANK S. ROBY .- He to whose life history we now turn our atten- tion is recognized as one of the leading members of the bar of Steuben county, retaining his residence at Angola and having a large and representa- tive clientage. His business career has been one of comprehensive order and has had to do with enterprises outside the immediate province of his profession, thus fitting him the more fully for that work which touches upon all phases of industry and all sides of life. His ancestral history has been one of of long identification with American annals, and in the same there appear many points of

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interest as taken in connection with the events of the various periods.

Pliny Roby, the father of our subject, was born in Carroll county, Ohio, and in early life he turned his attention to the pro- fession of surveyor, in which vocation he was actively concerned for many years, hav- ing been the incumbent as County Surveyor of Steuben county, Indiana, for a protracted period and being still an honored resident of this county. His father, Horatio Roby, was one of the early pioneers of the Buckeye State, having removed thither with his father, from Prince George county, Maryland, in the year 1813. His father, Leslie Roby, had been the owner of a considerable num- ber of slaves, but becoming convinced that the institution of a slavery was nefarious and a blot upon the honor of the nation, he liberated his slaves upon his emigration to Ohio, and was ever after a pronounced ad- versary to this system, which was only abol- ished at the sacrifice of many noble lives. Horatio followed in his footsteps and during his entire life was fearless in his denuncia- tion of slavery and active in his efforts to free the nation from the stigma which came from the fostering of the institution. Both were men of strong individuality and inflexible devotion to principle, and their contempo- rary influence had much power in directing public opinion in the section where they lived. Upon attaining maturity Horatio Roby was united in marriage to the daughter of Barrick Roby, who was also a native of Maryland and whose relationship with Les- lie Roby was remote.

In the year 1852, at Ravenna, Ohio, occurred the marriage of Pliny Roby to Ann Eliza Lee, who was a woman of rare cul- ture, having been a graduate of the Young Ladies' Institute at Pittsfield, Massachusetts. 37

At that period it was somewhat extraordin- ary for a woman to be possessed of such high literary attainments, and Mrs. Roby's influence was one of marked character, and she became prominent as a teacher and as a contributor to various newspapers and periodicals, among which was the New York Tribune. In these later days, as the nine- teenth century draws to its close, and dis- cussions in regard to the "new woman" are so much in evidence, it is grateful to revert to such an one as the mother of our subject, for hers was the gentle refinement and the unpretentious and noble character that will ever stand as the type of true womanhood. She was admired alike for her intellectual endowments and for the beauty of her devoted life. Her death oc- curred at Pleasant Lake, Indiana, in 1876, and the life eternal gained a new glory when thus she left the life terrestrial.

Frank S. Roby, the immediate subject of this review, was the second in order of birth of the five children of his parents, the place of his nativity having been Carroll county, Ohio, where he was ushered into the world in the year 1854. Two years later his parents removed to Steuben coun- ty, Indiana, where, as before stated, the venerable father still maintains his home. The education which our subject received in his youth was principally under the effect- ive tutorage of his talented mother, his at- tendance at the public schools being largely optional with himself and consequently somewhat desultory in character. In 1871 he began the study of law at Waterloo, In- diana, where he took up a course of reading under the preceptorage of R. W. McBride, who subsequently became a Justice of the Supreme Court of the State, and in this way he laid the foundation of that fine legal

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education which he now brings to bear in his professional endeavors. After a time Mr. Roby laid aside the study of law to turn his attention to other lines of occupation. He learned the carpenter's trade, and was employed in the same for a period of eight years, passing through the various stages from apprentice to contractor and manager, and showing his capacity for practical affairs.

After resigning his connection with this line of occupation Mr. Roby was for some time engaged in the retailing of agricultural implements, later becoming a wholesale dealer in the same line. In 1880 he left Steuben county and for a time was engaged at Chicago and Elgin, Illinois, and Omaha, Nebraska. At Elgin he resumed his legal studies, entering the office of E. C. Lovel, being admitted to the bar in 1876. In De- cember, 1883, he opened an office in Water- loo, Indiana, succeeding tothe practice of his former preceptor, R. W. McBride, who had shortly before been chosen Circuit Judge. Our subject's ability in the line of his pro- fession soon gained him recognition, and his practice was one of excellent scope at the time when he located in Angola, in 1887. Here he has since remained in the active practice of his profession, and his clientele is one which has extended his operations outside the limitations of Steuben county, being one of distinctively representative order and one which stands in evidence of his powers as an attorney and counselor. His studies have been well directed and his knowledge of jurisprudence, of precedents and all essential elements which conserve success in this profession are such as to have gained him a reputation as one of the rep- sentative members of the bar of the county and to have given him marked relative pres- tige, his practice being an extensive one.

He is a strong advocate before court and jury, handling his cases with consummate skill, retaining a clear comprehension of the point at issue and never swerved from his course by irrelevant or specious arguments. He has made a specialty of carrying through litigations, and his success in this line is the best evidence of his ability.

In his political adherency Mr. Roby is strongly arrayed in the support of the Re- publican party and its principles, but he has never sought official preferment. Religious- ly he is identified with the Congregational Church.

In 1885 was solemnized the marriage of our subject to Miss Laura Shuman, daugh- ter of Jacob Shuman, a well known citizen of Waterloo, this State.

ON. SAMUEL S. SHUTT, Spen- cerville, Indiana, is as popularly and widely known as any man in De Kalb county. His has been a life rich in experience and travel, and the more interesting from his having keen powers of observation which, while traveling, were focused upon the scenes and events which were transpiring around him. Of a reten- tive memory, impressions became indelibly stamped upon his mind, and being a fluent, graceful talker he is an interesting compan- ion. He has been a reader, too, as well as an observer, and his range of information thus gleaned covers largely the field of knowl- edge, embracing history, philosophy, art, the sciences and general literature.

His birth occurred in Summit county, Ohio, February 8, 1833. His father, Jacob Shutt, was born in Lancaster county, Penn- sylvania, in 1790. His wife, the mother of our subject, nec Nancy Dickerhoof, was born

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in Maryland, July 25, 1795. About 1830 they settled in Summit county, Ohio, and in 1848 came to De Kalb county, locating at Spencerville. They were the parents of nine children, five of whom still survive. The family upon their settlement in Indiana were in anything but affluent circumstances. The wife and mother was a woman of rare intelligence and foresight; and, mother-like, with a strong maternal love and a thought and care for the future welfare of her chil- dren, she became so thoroughly imbued with the necessity of going to a place where cheap lands could be obtained that her advice was acted upon and De Kalb county chosen for . the place of settlement. Her hopes were realized. She had divined aright, with the unerring instinct of a mother anxious for the welfare and comfortable settlement of her offspring in life.

Young Samuel's advantages for getting an education were not of the best; still there were schools, such as they were, and he made the best use of them that he could under the cir- cumstances. Later on, the financial condition of the family became improved so much that he was enabled to go to Iowa, where he entered a select school, in Iowa county, and where he took a course of study, including the higher branches. Possessing now the requisite knowledge to teach, he returned to his home, obtained a certificate and secured a school in Springfield town- ship. Subsequently wishing to still further extend his knowledge, he entered the Fort Wayne high school, studying and teaching alternately until 1859. At this juncture he was seized with a desire to visit California in quest of fortune. Various were the stories afloat of the fabulous wealth of that great western Eldorado, and, although an undertaking involving both hardship and

danger at that day, he hesitated not at the risks. Upon his arrival, after a long and tedious journey and hair-breadth escapes, he entered upon mining and prospecting, making numerous valuable discoveries, some of which after being properly developed were valued at $5,000,000. He very quickly acquired a knowledge of mines and mining and soon became an expert in mining values of every description. His general abilities were recognized and he assisted in the framing of the mining laws of that State. During his residence in Cal- ifornia he made several visits to his Indiana home. He had made a fortune, and, re- alizing that it is not good for man to live alone, he selected a wife in the person of Miss Rebecca Jane, daughter of Rudolph Sechler, of Newville, De Kalb county.

Purchasing property in Spencerville he settled down to the enjoyment of his wealth. Three children came to gladden his home, two of whom died in infancy, the other, a beautiful boy, died at the age of six, and finally, May 19, 1893, occurred the death of his devoted wife, aged forty-five years. She was a most estimable woman and greatly beloved by all who knew her. Thus was broken up the beautiful home life that Mr. Shutt had often imagined in his day dreams might some time be his. Being of a domestic nature he loved his home, and his worship was at its shrine.

His life, though now broken and lonely, is not devoid of good things. He has a wide acquaintance and a host of most inti- mate friends. He has been honored by his party to two elections to the State Legisla- ture, first in 1871 and again in 1878. As a legislator he arose to the expectation of his friends, and acquitted himself in a manner alike creditable to himself and his constitu-

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ency. He has large business interests, being a stockholder in the White National Bank, of Fort Wayne, and is also a stock- holder in the Garrett Bank.

ON. JOHN THOMAS FRANCE, senior member of the law firm of France & Merryman, Decatur, Indiana, is a widely known and prominent member of the legal profession, who, as an advocate and counselor, has won distinction at the bar of Indiana.

He is an Ohioan by birth, having been born in Delaware county, December 5, 1853. Charles M. and Miranda (Thomas) France were his parents. The former, a native of Vermont, was of Scotch and English par- entage. When a child his parents settled in Ohio, where he grew to man's estate and was educated. In 1851 he came to Adams county and engaged in farming, in which pursuit he was engaged until 1867. He was of a studious mind, and, having had a pre- dilection for the law, he had in the mean- time taken a course of reading, and the fol- lowing year was admitted to the bar. He began practicing in Decatur, where for ten years he had a profitable business. In 1879 he moved to Bluffton, which became his permanent home. His marriage to Miss Miranda Thomas was consummated in 1852. She was a native of Whitley county, Indiana, and her death occurred in 1857.

The subject of this review is the eldest of two sons born to his parents. His early educational discipline was secured in the common schools, with a finishing course in the high school at Decatur, in the class of 1873. The following winter he engaged in teach- ing. His natural bent was for the law, and to that end he began reading, under the pre-

ceptorship of France & Miller, his father being the senior member of the firm. He was thus engaged for a year, having been admitted to the bar in 1875. Immediately thereafter he was taken into the firm of France & Miller, the style of which then be- came France, Miller & France, which con- tinued for a year, when Mr. Miller with- drew, and the firm name was changed to France & Son; and thus remained until 1879, when his father withdrew. For several years thereafter he was associated with different ones in the practice until 1883, when he became associated with his present partner.

In 1876 he was appointed Deputy Prose- cuting Attorney of Adams county, which position he filled two years with efficiency. At the fall election of 1878 he was elected Prosecuting Attorney for the Twenty-sixth Judicial Circuit, comprising the counties of Adams, Jay and Wells, being re-elected in 1880, and creditably filling the office four years; the duties of this responsible position were fearlessly discharged. They were the incentive to high resolve, and the many im- portant cases he prosecuted brought out and developed his latent intellectual forces. He drew fourteen indictments for murder dur- ing his official career, trying nine of them, the most important being the famous Rich- ards-Backesto case, in which Richards was twice tried and finally sent to prison for life. So ably did he represent the State in these noted cases that the people showered upon him their warmest commendations of approval. His activity in politics dates from 1875, and in 1880 he was elected chairman of the Adams county Democratic central committee, which position he held for a number of years.

In 1894 he was the logical candidate of

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the Democratic party for Representative to Congress from the Eleventh Congressional District, which honor he firmly declined to accept. His ability as a lawyer is attested by a large clientage and a degree of success attained by few. He is thoroughly familiar with the common law and is a close student in the literature of the profession. Socially he is a member of the order of Knights of Pythias, Kekionga Lodge, No. 65, having passed all the chairs. Twice he has repre- sented his lodge in the Grand Lodge of the State.

His marriage to Miss Isabelle Corbin was consummated October 19, 1876. She is a daughter of Elijah and Phoeba (Ullery) Cor- bin, natives of Virginia, who settled in In- diana in 1846. Mrs. France is a native of Marion county, born June 2, 1855. To Mr. France and his estimable wife have been born the following named children: Carl O., born December 12, 1877; Richard R., April 6, 1879; Herbert B., March 6, 1881; and Hazel Belle, February 8, 1891. The last named died in September, 1891.

J OSEPH STULTS, the subject of this sketch, was born in Stark county, Ohio, November 7, 1821, and is of German descent. His great-grand- father, Harman Stults, a land-holder in Ger- many, was twice married; and George Har- man, the only child of the first union, was the grandfather of our subject. By the second marriage there were three sons who came to America, locating in or near Chilli- cothe, Ohio; later some of the number came to Indiana. George Harman Stults, the grandfather of our subject crossed the At- lantic to the New World when a boy under his majority, and settled in North Carolina,

about the year 1745. The only article brought with him, as a relic, was a brass rule, made of solid brass. It is twenty-four inches in length and is jointed in the middle by a hinge, which permits it to open and bend back to an acute angle. The divis- ions are in inches, half inches and quarters, which are stamped in the brass. This is treasured as an heirloom in the family, for it has descended from father to the oldest son from generation to generation for about 200 years, and is now in the possession of H. W. Stults, of this city (Huntington), son of John Stults, of this county (now deceased). George Harman Stults became the father of several children. The eldest, named George, was born in North Carolina in 1777, and reared two children, the oldest being Har- man, who is now living in Nebraska and has reared a large family; the other is a daugh- ter named Mary Ann, who is the wife of William Conn, of Oregon. The second son, John Harman, father of Joseph Stults, whose name heads this sketch, was born in North Carolina, in the year 1779, and be- gan the active duties and battle of life for himself in the year 1800 as a farmer and teamster. In 1806 he wedded Cather- ine Smith, who was born in Pennsylva- nia in 1783; in 1816 they moved to Stark county, Ohio, and there commenced the battle of life in good earnest, and finally succeeded in securing a comfortable home. In 1848 he and his faithful companion, with their youngest son, William, moved to Whitley county, Indiana, and began pioneer life again, at the age of sixty-nine years. Subsequently they moved to Huntington county, where they both died, -the mother at the age of eighty, the father at the age of eighty-six years,-having lived together as man and wife almost sixty years. They

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met life's duties with all its responsibilities bravely, and succeeded in passing through many clouds of adversity, but were finally blessed with plenty and comfort to the close of life. They were the parents of ten chil- dren, eight boys and two girls. The name of each in the order of age, and their chil- dren, are as follows:

1. John Stults, who was born March 25, 1807, in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, and in 1816 moved with his parents to Stark county, Ohio, where he wedded Mary Beck- er. In the fall of 1848 he moved to Hun- tington county, Indiana, where he secured a beautiful farm, and died, November 4, 1881. The names of his children are: Elizabeth (now Mrs. Best), H. W. Stults, Henry, Catherine Ann (now Mrs. Sprinkle), Amanda Jane (now Mrs. Howenstine) David C. and Peter Empsy Stults, now deceased.

2. Samuel, who was born in November, 1808, in Pennsylvania, and moved with his parents to Stark county, Ohio, was married to Peggy Faler, and there died on his farm in the year 1845, leaving five children, viz. : John M., of Markle, Indiana; Isaac, of De- catur; Timothy, of Goshen; Amos; and Harriet (now Mrs. Cabel), of Waynesburg, Ohio.

3. Polly, who was born in September, 1810, also a native of Pennsylvania, but married Michael Holm, of Stark county, Ohio, subsequently moved to Whitley coun- ty, Indiana, in 1854, and there died, No- vember 11, 1891. Their children's names were Levi deceased), Harman (deceased), Mary (deceased) Catherine Ann (now Mrs. Sickafoose), D. D. Holm (of Huntington, local preacher), Ephraim (minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of Michigan), Sarah (now Mrs. Sickafoose), Hannah now Mrs. . Wolf), of St. Joseph, Missouri; Emma

(now the wife of Mr. Fetro, a Methodist Episcopal minister), and Caroline (now de- ceased).

4. Harman, born in 1812, in Pennsyl- vania, married Sarah Decker, of Stark coun- ty, Ohio, in 1844; in 1851 moved to Whit- ley county, Indiana, and later to Hunting- ton county, and there died, on his farm, in 1888, leaving the following named children: Benj. F., a minister of the English Lutheran Church, of northern Indiana; Jerry F., of Alexandria, Indiana; Mollie, of Huntington; Athaliah, deceased; Ella (now Mrs. Shearer), of Huntington; and Emma (now Mrs. War- ner), of Huntington.

5. George Stults, born in 1815, was also a native of Pennsylvania, and was twice married, his wife being Sarah Stall, of Stark county, Ohio. He had two children by his first wife, namely: Mary (now Mrs. Jenks), of Iowa, and Sarah A., of New York. By his second wife, Mary Yant, he had three children, viz .: Edith (deceased), Olive (now Mrs. Armbruster), of Iowa, and Rosco I. Stults, also of Iowa.

6. David Stults, born in Stark county, Ohio, in 1817, was also twice married, his first wife being Polly Lichtenwalter, of the same county. By this union there were three children, viz .: John E. (deceased), William Perry (deceased) and Catherine (now Mrs. Smith). For his second wife he mar- ried Margaret Overholt, and by that mar- riage had the following named children: Joseph O., deceased; Uriah, of Huntington county; Charles, of the saine county; Cyrus, engaged in the milling business in Hunting- ton; Ida (now Mrs. Morford); Laura (now Mrs. Howenstine); Jemima, deceased; Elmer E., of Huntington county; Alice (now Mrs. Howenstine), of this county.

7. Mary Elizabeth Stults, born in Stark

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county, Ohio, March 15, 1819, married Henry Stall and moved to Huntington coun- ty in the fall of 1848. They cleared a farm and lived there until her death, which oc- curred in 1888. Their children were: Will- iam, engaged in agricultural pursuits on the old farm; Naoma (now Mrs. Kitt); Belle (now Mrs. Wolverton); Ephraim, a teacher in Huntington; John H., a laborer, also of this city; and Addie, now Mrs. Rusher, of this county.

8. Joseph, the subject of this sketch.

9. Jacob Stultz, born in Stark county, Ohio, February 3, 1824, came to Indiana in 1849, and made his home with his parents in Whitley county. His occu- pation for many years was teaching school. His marriage occurred March 25, 1852, his choice being Miss M. E. Beat. Settling near Huntington, he succeeded in securing a very fine farm. One son was born by this union, viz. : Marion B. Stults, May 13, 1855, who became County Superintendent and taught several years, and is now engaged in the furniture and undertaking business in Huntington. Mrs. M. E. Stults died in 1855, and Mr. Stults was again married in 1856, this time taking for his choice Miss Harriet Kennedy. The children born to this union were: M. E., now Mrs. Kitch; Sherman P., now engaged in the livery bus- iness and in running a 'bus line in Hunting- ton; Addie B., deceased; and Howard B., also deceased.

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Memorial record of northeastern Indiana, Part 79

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