USA > Indiana > Fountain County > Past and present of Fountain and Warren Counties, Indiana, Volume 2 > Part 42
USA > Indiana > Warren County > Past and present of Fountain and Warren Counties, Indiana, Volume 2 > Part 42
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Elmer E. Leas, scion of a sterling old family of this section of the Hoosier state, was born in Fountain county, Indiana, March 18, 1876, and is the son of Arthur and Mary (Caldwell) Leas. The father was born in this county, near the present home of the subject of this sketch, on the old home- stead, and here he grew up, was educated 'in the early schools and spent his life engaged successfully in agricultural pursuits and was a highly respected citizen, his death occurring here in 1882. Politically, he was a Republican, but lived a quiet life and never held office. George and Lydia (Crane) Leas, the paternal grandparents of the subject, were among the first settlers in this county, coming here when the country was the haunt of the kindreds of the wild, before the county had been penetrated by railroads or scarcely any im- provements been made. They took up land from the government and in due course of time had a good farm and here they spent the rest of their lives.
Elmer E. Leas grew to manhood near Champaign, Illinois, excepting four years of his early life, and there assisted with the general work when a boy. He had the advantages of a liberal education. He at first attended the common schools of his community, later taking a course at Union Christian College, Merom, Sullivan county, Indiana, where he spent two and one-half years, in the regular course. He subsequently attended the University of Illinois at Urbana for two winters. He made an excellent record in these institutions and, always a close student, became exceptionally well fitted for life's work. He has kept well up with the trend of the times, being a wide reader and is well informed on the current topics of the day and acquainted with the world's best literature.
Mr. Leas has devoted his life to agricultural pursuits and he has met with eminent success all along the line, and by able management and per- sistency has accumulated six hundred acres of valuable and finely improved land, all tillable and constituting one of the model farms of the county, and he has an attractive home and large, substantial outbuildings. He carries on general farming and stock raising in a manner that stamps him as being fully abreast of the times in every respect. He feeds and ships cattle and hogs in large numbers and no small part of his annual income is derived from that source. He is an excellent judge of live stock and understands well their prep-
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aration for market. He is an advocate of modern methods of agriculture, and he has many devices of modern farming implements and everything is up-to-date about the place.
Mr. Leas was married on June 14, 1899, to Hulda Wildman, the daugh- ter of Henry and Sarah E. (Quick) Wildman. He was born in Ohio and she in Montgomery county, Indiana. They both died when Mrs. Leas was seven years old. Mr. Wildman was a farmer of Piatt county, Illinois, and at his death owned six hundred acres of land and was the largest farmer of that community. They had a family of nine children, four of whom are still living. He was an active supporter of the Republican party and held county offices. They spent all of their married life near Atwood, Illinois. Two children have been born to the subject and wife, Clara Lucile and Freeman Arthur.
Mr. Leas is a Republican, but he has never been very active in party affairs and has held no public office, preferring to devote his attention exclu- sively to his extensive farming. Fraternally, he belongs to the Knights of Pythias of Covington.
JOHN PERRY.
The name of John Perry, of Kramer, Indiana, does not need to be intro- duced to the readers of this work, for it has been intertwined with the history of this locality for many years. The fair measure of success which has come to him is directly traccable, to the salient points in his character. Combined with well-formed purposes, his energy, discrimination and perseverance have resulted in prosperity and his record has been such as to place him among the representative citizens of his township. His business methods have been in accordance with the highest standard of ethics, so that he has merited the esteem in which he is held in the locality.
John Perry was born near Xenia, Ohio, on March 10, 1856, and is a. son of Samuel and Lousina (Shaw) Perry. The father, who was born, reared and educated in the Buckeye state, was a farmer by vocation, and in 1860 he brought his family to Hamilton county, Indiana. To him and his wife were born ten children, namely: Martha, deceased; Cynthia, who lives in Ohio; Rachael, deceased; Lousetta, deceased; Nancy, deceased; Ebenezer, who lives in Fountain county, Indiana; Lydia, of Kramer; John is the im- mediate subject of this sketch; Mrs. Mary Smith, and Samuel.
John Perry was but four years of age when he became a resident of the Hoosier state and here he received his school education. During his boyhood
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his vacation periods were spent in assisting in the work of the home farm. In young manhood he learned the trade of a carpenter, and soon afterwards he began contracting, in which line lie was successfully engaged for a nuth- ber of years, having erected a large number of the best buildings, both resi- dence and business, in this part of the county. He is now interested in a gen- eral store at Kramer and is also the incumbent of the office of postmaster. He carries a good stock of general merchandise and by his fair dealings and courteous treatment of his patrons, he has built up a large and profitable trade, drawing his customers from a large radius of territory. As postmaster, he is giving eminent satisfaction to the patrons of the office as well as to the government. He is a man of many splendid personal qualities of character and easily makes friends among his acquaintances.
Mr. Perry has been twice married, first, to Alice Leslie, by which union three children were born, namely: Wyatt, Guy, and Hazel, who became the wife of Fred Wilson. Some time after the death of Mrs. Alice Perry, Mr. Perry married Alice Glascock, of Veedersburg, Indiana, and to them has been born a son, John.
Fraternally, Mr. Perry is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias and Modern Wood- men of America. Religiously, the members of the family are all identified with the Methodist Episcopal church, to which they give a liberal support.
JONAS WARRENFELT.
The march of improvement is accelerated day by day, and each suc- cessive moment seems to demand of men a broader intelligence and a greater discernment than did the preceding, showing that successful men must be live men in this age, bristling with activity. The purpose of biography is to pre- serve the records of such men for the edification of succeeding generations; thus the lessons of biography may be far-reaching to an extent not super- ficially evident. The subject of this sketch, who is now numbered among the older farmers of the county in point of age, has achieved a creditable rec- ord here and because of what he has accomplished and his personal character he is entitled to mention in this work.
Jonas Warrenfelt, who owns about one hundred and sixty acres of fine land on the Watkins road, about two miles northwest of Williamsport, was
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born on December 4, 1837, in Frederick county, Maryland. He is the son of Jacob and Mary (Rice) Warrenfelt, the former of whom was a large land owner in Maryland, owning over two hundred acres in Frederick county, and never left that state. He was the father of fifteen children. The subject had but one brother who grew to maturity, Samuel, who at one time lived in War- ren county, Indiana, and who had two sons. The other brothers died in their teens. Two sisters are living in Frederick county, Maryland. The brother Samuel referred to first came to Warren county, Indiana, in the spring of 1871, having purchased the old county farm, northwest of Williamsport. He lived there a number of years, then sold it and purchased a farm in Grant county, Indiana, where he lived for some years. Then, selling that place, he bought a farm in Miami county, Indiana, living there until his wife died, when he rented the farm and came to Warr‹ i county, making his home for a time with his brother Jonas. Later he married Mrs. Mary E. Hoff and bought land adjoining her farm, where his death occurred several years ago. One of his sons, William J., is married and living at Montpelier, Indiana; the other son, Lewis C., lives near Metamora, Ohio.
The subject of this sketch was reared in his native state and received his education in the schools of that locality. In 1872 he came to Indiana and bought eighty acres of land, to which he later added until he is now the owner of one hundred and sixty acres. - To this he has always given his close atten- tion, allowing nothing to divert him from it, and he has always lived in com- fort there, enjoying an independence which can be secured in no other line of effort.
On March 17, 1859, Mr. Warrenfelt was married to Mary E. Moser, in Frederick county, Maryland, she being the daughter of Elias and Susan (Weller) Moser. There were five children in the Moser family, as follows: Mary E., Mrs. Warrenfelt; Ezra V., Isaiah O., Josiah and George W. Josiah was a soldier in the Civil war, being wounded in a skirmish in Virginia in 1865 and dying in Lincoln Hospital, Washington, D. C., soon afterwards. To Mr. and Mrs. Warrenfelt was born one child who died in infancy un- named. They reared a girl, Flora Yount, who became the wife of Victor Cronk, and they became the parents of two children, Hazel and Edward.
Religiously, Mr. Warrenfelt is a faithful and consistent member of the United Brethren church, giving liberally to its support and taking an interest in all of its activities. He is a man of splendid personal qualities of character and because of his upright life he is eminently deserving of the high regard in which he is held throughout the community.
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CHARLES WAKELEY.
Devoting his energies to agriculture, the subject of this sketch enjoys distinctive prestige as one of the enterprising farmers of Washington town- ship, Warren county, Indiana, and in the way of general improvements his farm is the equal of any in the neighborhood. Starting with a limited capital, but wit .: a liberal endowment of self-reliance, a clear brain, a strong will and a determined purpose, he overcame many discouraging circumstances, gradu- ally forged to the front and in the course of time found himself on the road to the prosperity which he now enjoys.
Charles Wakeley was born on July 24, 1858, in Liberty township, War- ren county, Indiana, and is the son of Daniel and Jane (Hunter) Wakeley. Daniel Wakeley was a native of Scotland, coming to the United States when he was fourteen years of age. He came direct to Warren county and during the rest of his life he was employed as a laborer. He was intensely loyal to his adopted country and in 1861 he enlisted in the Seventy-second Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, serving valiantly until the close of the conflict. Upon his discharge from the army he returned to Warren county, where he spent the rest of his days, his death occurring on July 24, 1909. He was the father of six children, all sons, namely: Marion; James, deceased ; George ; Charles, the subject of this review ; Samuel, deceased; Manfred.
The circumstances under which the subject of this sketch started in life were none too favorable, as, owing to the modest condition of the family exchequer he was compelled to begin work at the age of seven years. He was thus denied some educational advantages that he should have enjoyed, but, being a man of keen discernment, he has absorbed a vast amount of general information and is the peer of any of his fellows in this respect. He was employed by the month at farm labor for twenty-eight years, proving at all times a faithful and capable employe. During this time he carefully hus- banded his earnings, with a definite object in view, and eventually he was enabled to carry out his cherished plans and bought a tract of eighty acres in Washington township. To the operation of this splendid farm he is giving his undivided attention and that he is achieving a definite success goes without saying. He is a practical farmer, understanding all the ins and outs of agri- culture, and his efforts are rewarded with abundant returns. The independ- ent position in which he is now placed is solely the result of his energy, econ- omy and good judgment and he is deserving of the esteem in which he is held in the community where he lives.
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Mr. Wakeley was married to Mary E. Fletcher and they have become the parents of four children, namely : Grace is the wife of Charles Biser, of this township; Gladys is the wife of Philip High, and they have two children, Henry L. and Joseph W .; Goldie W. is the wife of Elmo Whitten and they have one child, Charles Morris ; Herman is deceased.
Politically, Mr. Wakeley gives his support. to the Republican party, though not a seeker after office. Religiously, the family are members of the Christian church and are liberal in their support of the same. Mr. Wakeley is personally a man of splendid qualities and he enjoys to an eminent degree the confidence of all who have known him.
AMOS RINGEL.
It is a well authenticated fact that success comes as the result of legiti- 1. late and well applied energy, unflagging determination and perseverance in a course of action when once decided upon. She is never known to smile on the idler or dreamer and she never courts the loafer, and only the men who have diligently sought her favor are crowned with her blessings. In tracing the history of the representative farmer and influential citizen of Washington township, Warren county, Indiana, whose name forms the caption of this re- view, it is plainly seen that the prosperity which he enjoys has been won by commendable qualities and it is also his personal worth that has gained for him the high esteem of those who know him.
Amos Ringel is a native son of the county in which he now resides, having been born in Pike township, on the 8th of August, 1867, and is the son of George and Mary (Ross) Ringel. George Ringel was a native of Germany, where he was reared and educated. In accordance with the custom in the fatherland, he served three years in the German army, that being during the uprising of 1848. At the age of about twenty-five years he was brought to the United States by his father, Yost Ringel, who was a farmer. The family first settled in Frederick, Maryland, where Yost Ringel became the owner of a farm. George Ringel married in Maryland and subsequently came to Pike township, Warren county, Indiana. For seven years here he worked at day labor, for which he received as wages seventy-five cents a day and boarded himself. However, even under such conditions he showed the stuff he was made of and, by dint of the most rigid economy and careful management, he saved enough money with which to buy himself a piece of
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land, seven acres in extent. To the cultivation of that little tract lie applied himself with such good judgment and care that he was prospered and he was enabled to add to his holdings from time to time until eventually he was the owner of two hundred and forty acres of good land. He was active all liis life, idleness being entirely foreign to his nature, and he enjoyed the respect of all who knew him. He became the father of seven children, namely : Adam; Clara, Mrs. Robertson, of West Lebanon, this county ; Mary E., Mrs. Biser, is a widow and makes her home with Adam and Amos Ringel; George; Amos, the immediate subject of this sketch; Otto, who emigrated to Australia, where his death occurred; Ross, a merchant at West Lebanon.
Amos and Adam Ringel are members of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Knights of Pythias, while, religiously, the family are affiliated wi ... the Methodist Episcopal church. They are alive to all the interests of the community and are numbered with the best people of the township.
CHARLES F. GRAF.
One of the thrifty, self-made Germans who have come to Warren county and, through their diligence and honest dealings, have become the possessors of good property, the name of Charles F. Graf, farmer of Steuben township, should be specially mentioned. He has ever lent his aid in furthering the better interests of his locality, and he is well fortified in his political convic- tions, while he is essentially public-spirited and progressive. In all the rela- tions of life he has been found faithful to every trust confided in him, and because of his genuine worth and genial disposition he has won and retains the warm regard of all with whom he has been in any way associated.
Mr. Graf was born in Germany, August 13, 1870, the son of Karl and Caroline Graf. He went to school in Germany for seven years and there re- ceived most of his education. When thirteen years of age the family emi- grated to America, arriving in Champaign, Illinois, December 3, 1883, where his father followed the trade of cabinet-maker, Charles F. Graf being em- ployed on a farm for eight dollars per month. His mother died in 1885 at the age of forty years. To Karl and Caroline Graf were born five children, named as follows: George, who came to America and is now living in Crawfordsville, Indiana ; Lena is deceased; Charles F., subject of this sketch;, Kate married George Frank and they live in Montana; Carrie married Gis Buckman and they make their home in Iowa.
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Charles F. Graf married Emma Schumacher. daughter of John and Kate (Edens) Schumacher, their wedding occurring on October 16, 1893. To this union one child was born, Leonora, who lives at home. The wife and mother passed to her eternal rest in 1895, at the early age of twenty-three years, and the subject subsequently married Alnena Schumacher, a sister of his first wife, and she passed away in December, 1911, at the age of thirty- seven years, leaving one child, Waldo, who lives at home.
The Schumacher family came from the province of Holstein, Germany, in 1860, and settled in Champaign: county, near Sidney, Illinois. There were eight children in this family, five daughters and three sons, all living but two.
Politically, the subject is a Republican and is a member of the advisory board. Fraternally, he belongs to the Free and Accepted Masons, Lodge No. 612, at Hedrick.
Mr. Graf is a self-made man in every respect. He had nothing when he . came to this country, but he worked hard and was economical and finally got a good start. He worked out for a period of thirteen years. for eight dollars per month part of that time. But he saved enough out of his wages to buy one hundred and sixty acres of good land in Iowa, where he lived four years, and while there his first wife died; then he returned to Warren county, Indi- ana, and he and his brother farmed five hundred acres for Dr. Eden, of Dan- ville. He now owns one hundred and sixty acres of good land in Steuben township, well improved and fertile, which is worth two hundred dollars per · acre at the present time.
GEORGE MELVIN FOSTER.
George Melvin Foster, a prominent business man of Attica, formerly one of the leading farmers of Fountain county, of which he is a native, was born in Shawnee township on April 25, 1854. His father was John Lewis Foster, a Virginian by birth, and his mother, who prior to her marriage bore the name of Catherine Nave, was born in the state of Ohio. James Foster, father of John L., moved from Ohio to Fountain county in a very early day, entered land which he cleared and improved and in due time became one of the prosperous farmers of what is now Shawnee township. In connection with agriculture he was engaged for some years in the river 'trade, having made a number of trips by flat boat on the Ohio and Mississippi to New Orleans and intermediate points, where he dealt quite extensively in produce. John L. Foster was an infant six weeks old when his parents settled in Foun-
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tain county. He was reared to agriculture, which he followed all his life, stood high in the confidence and esteem of his neighbors and fellow citizens and for many years was a devout member of the Presbyterian church and an elder of the local congregation to which he belonged. The family of John Lewis and Catherine Foste, consisted of three children, the oldest of whom is the gen- tleman whose name introduces the sketch. Daniel N., the second in order. of birth, is a retired farmer living in Attica, and Mary M., the youngest of the number, died in childhood.
George Melvin Foster's early experience was without special note or striking incident, his childhood and youth having been similar to that of most boys whose good fortune it was to be born and reared under the wholesome discipline of rural life. He first attended the district school near his home in Shawnee township, later pursued his studies for some time in the graded schools of Attica and at the proper age took up farming on the family homestead, where he lived and prospered until 1910, a period of abont thirty- five or thirty-seven consecutive years. During the time indicated he made sub- stantial progress as a tiller of the soil and raiser of live stock, the meanwhile adding to his real estate until his farm amounted to about five hundred and sixty acres of as fine land as the township of Shawnee can boast, all of which he still owns. All but seventy acres is in cultivation and well improved.
Turning the management of his farm over to his sons, Mr. Foster in 1910 moved to Attica and two years later purchased the harness business of Manfred Browning, which he has since conducted and the capacity of which he has greatly increased until it is now the largest and most extensively pat- ronized establishment of the kind in the city. In business affairs, as in agricul- ture, he has met with well deserved success, his career thus far presenting a series of advancements which bespeak for him a future of continuous growth and prosperity. Though active and vigilant in the management of his various interests, he is prudent and conservative in his methods, preferring to rely upon sure and legitimate gains rather than resort to doubtful speculation or "get rich quick" schemes on which so many well meaning but mistaken men have made shipwreck of their business and futures. At the present time he holds worthy prestige among the financially solid men of his city and county, and his honorable record in whatever he has undertaken has given him a name which his children will deem a priceless heritage. A Republican in politics, he has never posed as a politician nor seeker after official honors ; nevertheless he manifests a lively interest in public matters, both local and general, and has well grounded convictions and decided opinions on the leading questions and issues which engage the attention of the people. Regularly he subscribes to
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the Presbyterian creed and for a number of years he has been an elder of the Beulah church, besides taking an active part in all lines of good work, such as charities and benevolence, both religious and private.
The married life of Mr. Foster dates from 1875, in November of which year Eliza Jane Burbridge, daughter of Morgan and Rachel (Jones) Bur- bridge, became his wife and helpmeet, their union being blessed with three children, viz .: Wilmer N., a sketch of whom appears in these pages, and Robert W. and J. Lee, both of whom live on the home place in Shawnee town- ship, which they jointly cultivate and manage.
J. WILBUR FRANKLIN.
Clearly defined purpose and consecutive effort in the affairs of life will inevitably result in the attaining of a due measure of success, but in following out the career of one who has attained success by his own efforts there comes into view the individuality which made such accomplishment possible, and thus there is enkindled a feeling of respect and admiration. The qualities which have made Mr. Franklin one of the prominent and successful men of Medina township, Warren county, Indiana, have also brought him the esteem of his fellow townsmen, for his career has been one of well-directed energy, strong determination and honorable methods.
J. Wilbur Franklin is a native of the locality in which he now lives, hav- ing been born at Green Hill, Warren county, Indiana, on November 18, 1881. His parents are Joseph and Emma A. (Stephenson) Franklin, the father also being a native of Medina township, Warren county. The subject's paternal grandfather, Joseph Franklin, Sr., came from Cincinnati, Ohio, and it is sup- posed that at one time he owned the land on which the city of Cincinnati now stands. He came to Warren county sometime prior to 1830 and settled down to the pursuit of farming in Medina township, his death occurring here in 1839. The subject's father was educated in the common schools and then applied himself to farming and stock raising, in both of which lines he was successful. He was also at the same time engaged in the mercantile busi- ness at Green Hill, commanding a good patronage. He was a Republican in politics from the organization of that party in 1856 and his religious affiliation was with the United Brethren church. The subject's maternal grandmother, Sarah Stephenson, came from England when but twelve years old, lcaving there on the day Queen Victoria was crowned in 1838. Mrs.
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