USA > Indiana > Tippecanoe County > Past and present of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, Volume II > Part 41
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73
In 1869 Harrison Gaylord took unto himself a life partner in the per- son of Rachel M. Shaw, who was born near Battle Ground, Tippecanoe coun- ty, October 31, 1848, the daughter of James Shaw, whose family had come to Indiana from Kentucky. To Mr. and Mrs. Gaylord have been born the following children: Carrie L., the wife of Dr. George Driscoll, a druggist at Lafayette, is the mother of four children; Jessie E. is the wife of Elmer G. Lewis, of Chicago; Ida M., deceased; Charles E., who married Jennie Davis,
906
PAST AND PRESENT
was a graduate in pharmacy at Purdue University in June, 1909; two chil- dren, twins, died in infancy unnamed; Edward J., who is engaged in the drug business at Wabash, Indiana, married Ida Baumbauer; Catherine is the wife of Lewis Clinker and lives in Wabash township; Harry A., who lives in Wabash township, married Myrtle Brokway; Laura Gertrude married John J. Klinker.
Mr. Gaylord is a Republican in his political views, having cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln for President. He takes a commendable interest in public affairs, but has never consented to run for office of any nature. He is, with his wife, connected with the Methodist Episcopal church and active in advancing its interests. Mr. Gaylord gives his support to all moral, educational, social or material interests which he believes will benefit the com- munity, and as a man of sterling worth he justly merits the high regard in which he is held.
WILLIAM G. GUDE.
An enumeration of the representative business men of Tippecanoe county who have won recognition and success for themselves and at the same time have conferred honor upon the community where their lot has been cast, would be decidedly incomplete were there failure to make mention of William G. Gude, who has long held worthy prestige in business and social circles of Lafayette, and has always been distinctively a man of affairs, wielding a wide influence among those with whom he comes into contact, ever having the affairs of his county at heart and doing what he could to aid in its development. But being by nature unassuming and un- ostentatious, he seems to be unaware of any special good he has done for the community at large.
William G. Gude, the well-known cashier of the Merchants' National Bank, needs no introduction to the readers of this history owing to the fact that his life has been spent here and his family long prominent in the county's affairs. His birth occurred in the city of Lafayette in 1868, and he is the son of George and Gertrude (Busse) Gude, people of sterling worth, belonging to that large class of representative Ohioans, so many of whom have come to Indiana and identified themselves with its many in- stitutions greatly to the benefit of the latter state. It was about the close of the Civil war when George Gude and wife located in Lafayette where
907
TIPPECANOE COUNTY, IND.
they became leaders in local circles, establishing a good home here, build- ing up a business of no small proportions and becoming known for their generosity and high integrity.
William G. Gude grew to manhood in this city, attending the local public and high schools, receiving a good education in the primary branches, which has later been supplemented by wide miscellaneous reading and by contact with the world at large. Being by nature something of a mathe- matician, his grades in this particular branch were especially good, and his mind naturally turned toward the work of an accountant. He had no trouble in securing employment in this line when he started out on his busi- ness career, first working for the Monon railroad in the general accounting department, in which he remained for about twenty years, the company finding his services during that long period almost indispensable, and find- ing Mr. Gude entirely trustworthy, capable and efficient at all times, pos- sessing all the qualities of the expert accountant, and honest and reliable. During the first years of his employment by this road he was stationed at Lafayette, but about 1885 he was moved to Chicago, where he was given the same line of work. He held the responsible position of general car accountant until January 1, 1905, when, much to the regret of his em- ployers, he resigned to come to Lafayette to accept the position of assistant cashier of the Merchants' National Bank. He discharged the duties of the same in such a creditable manner as to win the confidence of the directors of this institution, and upon the death of James Murdock, president of this bank, Mr. Gude was promoted to the position of cashier, which he still holds, to the entire satisfaction of all concerned.
The domestic life of Mr. Gude dates from January, 1902, when he formed a matrimonial alliance with Anna Wagner, the accomplished and popular daughter of John Wagner, a prominent citizen of Lafayette, and to Mr. and Mrs. Gude three interesting children have been born, namely : Elizabeth, William and Madeline.
Mr. and Mrs. Gude are consistent members of the Catholic church, being liberal supporters of the same and interested in its many forms of charitable and benevolent work. Mr. Gude in his fraternal relations be- longs to the Knights of Columbus, and one would judge from his daily life among his fellowmen that he endeavors to carry the sublime precepts of this old and honorable order into practical use.
The Gudes reside in the old, beautiful and commodious Thomas Cole- man residence at Perrin avenue and Main street, which Mr. Gude purchased in 1906, and this has become the mecca for the best society of the city,
908
PAST AND PRESENT
members of which always find good cheer and hospitality prevailing and unstintingly dispensed by the charming simplicity of Mrs. Gude, the pre- siding spirit of this model household.
The name of Mr. Gude is associated with progress in his native county, and among those in whose midst he has long lived and labored he is held in the highest esteem by reason of an upright life of fidelity to principles which everywhere command respect and admiration.
WILLIAM WELLINGTON STEELE.
The general public always takes an interest in following the history of a young man who, starting on life's career handicaped in many ways, with- out capital or influential friends, pushes manfully forward toward the goal of success which he has set before him. Such a one is the gentleman whose name heads this article and as such he is widely known not only in the in- dustrial circles with which he has so long been identified, but with the people of the community at large, being in the true sense of the term a self- made man and the architect of his own fortune. William Wellington Steele, superintendent of the Barbee Wire and Iron Works of Lafayette and one of the city's enterprising leaders of industry, is a native of Allen county, Indiana, born in the town of Monroeville, on the 22d day of December, 1867, and the son of James M. Steele, formerly a business man and for many years connected with the railway service. When William was eight years old, his parents moved to Decatur, Indiana, where they continued to reside until 1879, when they changed their abode to Lafayette. Here the lad turned his attention to various occupations, gaining by stern experience a knowledge of the world, and in the public schools which he attended as opportunities would admit obtained a fair education, the greater part of his training, however, consisting of the practical kind, acquired by contact with his fellowmen in various business capacities.
When barely thirteen years of age, young William was given charge of a department in the mercantile house of Yeates, Dozois & Hedge, known as the old Boston store, where. in due time, he obtained a knowledge of the principles of business, but his duties were difficult and his hours long, going to work at seven o'clock in the morning and seldom leaving the store before nine or ten at night. This long and steady confinement and the amount of work required of him proved so detrimental to his health that he afterwards was obliged to resign his position and seek some kind of out-
909
TIPPECANOE COUNTY, IND.
door employment. His next experience was as a railway newsboy, at which he succeeded as long as he was permitted to conduct the business to suit himself, but when the company bought the right of selling on all trains he disposed of his stock and entered its employ. For reasons which redound greatly to his credit, he was afterwards discharged and the twenty-five dol- lars security deposited with the company declared forfeited. Refusing to submit to such a manifest injustice, he secured an attorney and entered suit for the sum of his deposit and damages, realizing which, the company re- turned him his money as the easiest way out of what promised to be for them an expensive and troublesome case. His being obliged to abandon the road proved a blessing in disguise, as it enabled him to enter the employ of the Barbee Wire and Iron Company, where he began working in a very humble capacity, his first duty being the carrying of heavy iron bars from one building to another, frequently several squares apart. This kind of labor proved exceedingly hard and disagreeable, especially in cold and inclement weather, but, nothing daunted, he continued it for six months, when he was assigned to the lighter duty of handling wire, in which he demonstrated marked ability and made rapid progress.
About the year 1887 Mr. Steele, with fifteen other employes, went to Chicago to work in a new factory, but after a few months he resigned his position in that city and returned to Lafayette again, taking service with the Barbee plant, but at double his former wages. This proof of his value to the firm proved an impetus to his efforts and from that time on his aim was to make daily advancement in his line of duty, so as to eventually be- come a necessity to his employers. His continuous striving for promotions and higher grades of work were in due time rewarded, and in 1889 he was made foreman of the channel iron department, which position he filled with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of the firm until 1894, when he was obliged to retire temporarily on account of an accident which resulted in the loss of one of his eyes.
When sufficiently recovered, Mr. Steele was made assistant superin- tendent of the factory and by reason of various changes which subsequently took place he was later promoted to the responsible position of superinten- dent, which place he still holds, discharging the duties of the post with ability and acceptance and proving a very capable and exceedingly popular official. At the time of the latter appointment peculiar conditions obtained in the company, which were difficult to meet, but with remarkable sagacity and a thorough knowledge of the situation Mr. Steele applied himself to the delicate duty of adjusting matters, which he accomplished in due season
910
PAST AND PRESENT
to the satisfaction of all concerned, proving in this, as in other situations of like character, a shrewd, diplomatic, but thoroughly honorable leader, who foresees with remarkable accuracy the future outcome of his well-laid plans and who as yet has never failed to mould circumstances to suit his purposes.
Mr. Steele has been superintendent of the large and important estab- lishment with which he is connected for a period of fifteen years, during which time he has also become a stockholder in the company and a member of the board of directors. His efficiency and sound judgment peculiarly fit him for the responsible and arduous duties of the position he so worthily holds, and to his able and judicious management is due much of the con- tinuous progress and success of the company during his incumbency.
Mr. Steele, on November 27, 1895, entered the marriage relation with Emma Louise Wurster, of Lafayette, daughter of Godfrey and Mary Rosina (Keller) Wurster, the union resulting in the birth of one child, Dorothy Louise Steele, an intelligent and popular young lady who has proven a welcome accession to the home circle and in whom are centered many ardent hopes for the future. Mr. Steele is a member of the Pythian brotherhood and an active and influential worker in the lodge to which he belongs. Al- though a business man and deeply interested in the enterprise with which identified, the subject possesses strong domestic tastes, his love of home and family amounting almost to a passion. When the labors of the day are done, he hastens to the domestic fireside where, in the company of those near and dear to him, he finds the rest and solace which he has so well earned, and where, with all cares laid aside, he is seen at his best, a tender and affectionate husband, a loving and indulgent father, and a true type of the intelligent, broad-minded and hospitable American gentleman. Since his childhood he has evinced decided musical talent and his favorite recre- ation for some years past has been the taking part in concerts given from time to time by one of the bands of Lafayette to which he belongs.
WILLIAM W. YEAGY.
Improvement and progress may well be said to form the keynote of the character of William W. Yeagy, one of the best known contractors of Tippe- canoe and adjoining counties, and he has not only been interested in the work of advancement in individual affairs, but his influence is felt in up- building the community of which he has long been an honored citizen. Al-
911
TIPPECANOE COUNTY, IND.
though yet a young man, he has shown what energy, fidelity to right prin- ciples and persistent effort can accomplish when rightly directed and con- trolled. His birth occurred at Williamsport, Indiana, July 3, 1872. . He is the son of Warren U. and Clara F. (High) Yeagy.
The father was a native of Berks county, Pennsylvania, where he was reared and learned the miller's trade. When a young man he came to In- diana and settled at Williamsport, where he worked at his trade several years, and where he was married. He later engaged in farming in War- ren county. At present he holds the responsible position as general man- ager of the Gary Construction Company at Gary, Indiana, one of the larg- est contracting firms of that city, in which he is also a heavy stockholder.
The High family was one of the most prominent ones of Williams- port for several generations, to which place they came from the state of Pennsylvania, where members of this fine old family had been distinguished for a still longer period, or since the early pioneer days. One of the most noted of William W. Yeagy's ancestors was Brigadier General William High, of the Second Brigade, Sixth Division, Pennsylvania Militia. He was a man of high standing there in the early days of the state's history. He was the great-grandfather of Mr. Yeagy's mother.
William W. Yeagy spent his boyhood days in Williamsport, where he attended the public schools and the high school. After finishing the pre- scribed course at the latter, he went to Lafayette and took a commercial course in a business college. He thus became well equipped for his sub- sequent business career.
On May 15, 1895, Mr. Yeagy was united in marriage with Lena Kildee, a young lady of culture and refinement, the daughter of Joseph A. and Caroline Isabel (Howland) Kildee, a highly respected and influential family.
After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Yeagy moved to Lafayette, where Mr. Yeagy engaged in the grain business with F. B. Parker, profitably con- tinuing in the same until 1903. building up an extensive trade in the mean- time. The winter of 1903 and 1904 was spent in Texas, the sojourn in the Lone Star state being a delightful one away from the rigors of a northern climate. In the spring of 1904, upon his return to Lafayette, Mr. Yeagy entered the cement and concrete business as a contractor, in which he is still engaged, having been quite successful from the first. He builds houses, bridges and various other structures. He has turned over some big jobs, but whether large or small. they have been uniformly satisfactory, owing to the care he takes with all his work, employing only expert men and the most modern methods. Among some of the noteworthy jobs he has handled
912
PAST AND PRESENT
was the laying of all the cement walks at Purdue University and on Main street from the Wabash railroad to' the river. The nature of his work is such that he has some leisure during the winter months, and this time is spent in travel in the southern states. The most recent trip taken by Mr. and Mrs. Yeagy included Cuba and other parts of the West Indies as well as the most interesting places in this country, the trip being not only pleas- ant but educational. The many valuable and interesting mementoes of their travels would indicate that they know how to get the most out of such trips.
In 1901 Mr. Yeagy built a beautiful home for himself, immediately east of Governor Hanly's residence, at the corner of Ninth and Owen streets. It is not only very attractive from an architectural viewpoint, but is tastily and beautifully furnished, and here Mr. and Mrs. Yeagy often extend a welcome to their friends.
Mr. and Mrs. Yeagy are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and liberal supporters of the same. Fraternally, Mr. Yeagy is a member of the Knights of Pythias. He is regarded in business circles as a man whose integrity of principle is unquestioned and he is a man of friendly disposition, consequently is generally popular not only in business circles but fraternally and socially.
WILLIAM F. BUTLER, M. D.
Good intellectual training, thorough professional knowledge and the possession and utilization of the qualities and attributes essential to success have made Dr. William F. Butler eminent in his chosen calling, and he stands today among the enterprising physicians in a community noted for the high order of its medical talent, while at the same time he has won the confidence and esteem of the people of Tippecanoe county for his upright life and genial disposition, being regarded as one of the representative citizens of Stockwell, Lauramie township. He was born in Plainfield. Indiana, May 5. 1857, the son of Alfred and Elizabeth (Morgan) Butler, the former a native of Vir- ginia, in which state he was born May 29. 1822. In 1832 he came to Indiana, settling in Henry county, near Lewisville, and there he was reared on the farm and in due time owned land which he later traded for canal stock. He moved from there to Richmond, Indiana, and then to Grant county, this state, his last move being to Marion, Indiana, where his death occurred March 30. 1886. He was a very successful man and was honored for his public spirit and honesty. He married Elizabeth Morgan, August 28. 1844, at Raysville,
W. F. BUTLER
913
TIPPECANOE COUNTY, IND.
Indiana, and to this union seven children were born, four of whom are living at this writing, the subject being the only one residing in Indiana.
Doctor Butler was educated in the schools of his native community, and he also studied at Amboy Academy, receiving the major part of his educa- tion here. Later he attended Earlham College at Richmond, Indiana. He received an excellent education and became a teacher at the academy at Amboy. He gave satisfaction as an instructor and if he had continued teach- ing he would doubtless have won a reputation as an able educator.
The Doctor worked a year in a manufacturing pharmacy school in Chi- cago and then engaged for a time in the retail drug business at Remington, Indiana, and also at Greenfield, Hancock county. Deciding to devote his life to the practice of medicine, he entered the Indiana Medical School at Indian- apolis in the fall of 1892, and graduated from that institution with an hon- orable record in 1895. He remained in the capital city until 1897, in which year he located in Stockwell, Tippecanoe county, where he has remained, building up a lucrative patronage throughout this part of the county.
Doctor Butler's harmonious domestic life began in 1881 when he formed a matrimonial alliance with Phoebe Pearson, a native of Miami county, In- diana. She was a woman of pleasing personality and her family is an old and honored one in the community where she was reared. After becoming the mother of seven children, she was called to her rest in November, 1903. In 1905 Doctor Butler married Bertha Williams, a native of Tippecanoe county. She is a well educated and cultured lady who takes a delight in her home, the Doctor's residence in Stockwell being a modern, commodious and nicely furnished one, where the many friends of the family frequently gather, finding there a free hospitality.
Doctor Butler's children are: Raymond A., a graduate of the Indiana University of Medicine, and he is at this writing an interne at the City Hos- pital in Indianapolis. Mary is the wife of Earl H. Campbell, of Stockwell, this county. Benjamin J. is in the employ of the Big Four railroad.
In politics, Doctor Butler is a Republican. He is a member of the coun- ty, state and national medical associations, while fraternally he belongs to Miller Lodge, No. 268, Free and Accepted Masons; Summit Lodge, No. 350, Knights of Pythias; and Stockwell Lodge, No. 439, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is past grand, and he is also a member of the grand lodge. He belongs to the Modern Woodmen, taking a very prominent part in all the above-named lodges, and seeking to exemplify their sublime teach- ings in his every-day life. Religiously, he supports the Methodist Episcopal
(58)
914
PAST AND PRESENT
church, of which he is a devoted member, and he is superintendent of the Sunday school in the local congregation. In fact, he is deeply interested in all movements, whether religious, political or material, that have for their ob- ject the betterment of his county and humanity in general, and as a result of his many praiseworthy traits of character he is held in high esteem by all with whom he comes into contact, to say nothing of their admiration for his eminent skill as a physician, which is second to none in this locality.
WILLIAM B. FORESMAN.
A worthy descendant of sterling and influential ancestors who figured prominently in the development of various localities in both the old Key- stone and the Hoosier states, is William B. Foresman, a well-known repre- sentative of the Crabbs-Reynolds-Taylor Company of Lafayette, extensive dealers in grain and seeds. We first hear of William Foresman, a native of Pennsylvania, of Scotch-Irish ancestry. He was a rugged pioneer, reared a family of similar traits to those for which he was noted, having been the father of Philip Foresman, who was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, whither his parents moved when that locality was yet undeveloped. Philip Fores- man grew up in his native community where he received a meagre education in the rude log school houses of those early times, and while still a young man he moved to Tippecanoe county, Indiana, when this locality was yet in an early stage of development, and he here erected what is known as the Lower Wea Mill, the first mill built in this county. About the same time he bought a tract of unimproved land, and in due time became pros- perous by judicious management of both these properties, his mill having been patronized by the early settlers for many miles around. He was an obliging and whole-hearted gentleman and he stood high in the estimation of the people here. His first wife having died early, he later married Eliza- beth Bennett, a native of Pickaway county, Ohio. She was the daughter of George Bennett, a native of Virginia, and this union resulted in the birth of three sons, namely: Bennett, George and William. Philip Foresman was a man of unusual strength of character and intellect and he was a leader in his community for many years, especially in a political way. He represented Tippecanoe county two terms in the state legislature, having made a very creditable record in that body, and he was regarded by his colleagues as a man whose counsel and public views were worthy of the ut-
915
TIPPECANOE COUNTY, IND.
most respect and consideration. His death occurred in 1847. Afterwards his widow returned to Circleville, Ohio, to make her home, and there her son Bennett remained until 1858, when he returned to Tippecanoe county and soon became a very successful farmer and stock raiser, owning about six hundred acres of land in Union township, all under a high state of im- provement.
On October 20, 1864, Bennett Foresman married Mary Groce, dauglı- ter of John and Ellen (Graham) Groce, and to this union two children, John Philip and William Bennett, were born, the latter's birth occurring on August 3, 1873. His boyhood was spent on his father's farm in Union township. He attended the public schools in that community and later took a four-years course in Purdue University, where he made a splendid record. becoming a well educated man, having mastered the mechanical engineering course. He left Purdue in the spring of 1896 and entered the lumber and coal business at West Point, this county, succeeding T. J. Taylor & Brother. In 1901 he and Bennett Taylor bought two grain elevators at West Point, one at Riverside, and one at Shadeland. After conducting them successfully until 1904, they sold them to the Crabbs-Reynolds-Taylor Company of La- fayette and became members of the company and are still engaged in that business, which has greatly increased since the formation of the company until a trade of no small magnitude is enjoyed, hundreds of car loads of grain and seeds being handled annually. No small part of the success of this large enterprise is due to the excellent business ability and sound judg- ment displayed in its management by William B. Foresman, auditor of the company.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.