USA > Indiana > Tippecanoe County > Past and present of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, Volume II > Part 59
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Professor Skinner's father, William Harrison Skinner, was a native of Franklin county, Indiana, but settled in Tippecanoe county in the sixties and followed farming as an occupation. In 1861 he enlisted in a company of
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the Thirty-seventh Indiana Regiment and served three years. He is at present living on his farm near Romney, where he has lived for thirty-five years. He married Mary Alexander, a native of Greene county, Tennessee, by whom he had five children, three surviving: Mary A. Simison lives at Romney : Gertrude B. Wray at New Richmond, Indiana; Jessie dying while young ; and George A. met death accidentally, at the age of forty-one. Aug- ust, 1909, through contact with a live electric wire.
John Harrison Skinner, the other member of this family, was born at Romney, in Tippecanoe county, March 10, 1874. After the usual routine in the public schools he entered Purdue University in 1893 and completed the four-year course in 1897. with the degree of Bachelor of Science. For two and a half years following he managed his father's grain and stock farm, after which he returned to Purdue and began work in 1899 as as- sistant agriculturist in the experiment station, continuing until the fall of 1901, when he went to the University of Illinois as instructor in animal husbandry for a year. Returning to Purdue, he was made associate pro- fessor of animal husbandry, then professor of animal husbandry, and later promoted to dean of the school of agriculture in 1907. He is a member of the American Breeders' Association, the Society for the Promotion of Agricultural Science and secretary of the Indiana Live Stock Breeders' As- sociation.
September 3. 1903, Professor Skinner married Mary E., daughter of Edwin W. and Anna ( Webster) Throckmorton, of Romney. They have two children, John Harrison, Jr., born January 20, 1906, and Mary Eliza- beth, born July 17, 1908. Mr. Skinner is a member of the Methodist church and is a Master Mason, belonging to Romney Lodge, No. 441, and Urbana Chapter, No. 80, Royal Arch Masons.
The following is a statement of degrees conferred, professional career, research work, publications, etc. :
Degree : Bachelor of Science, Purdue University, agricultural depart- ment. 1897.
Professional Experience : Assistant agriculturist Purdue experiment station, 1899-1901 ; instructor of animal husbandry, University of Illinois, 1901-1902; associate professor of animal husbandry, Purdue University, 1902-1906; professor of animal husbandry, Purdue University. 1906-1910; dean of the school of agriculture, Purdue University, 1907-1910; lecturer in Indiana Farmers' Institute, 1902-1910; expert judge of Cheviot sheep. St. Louis Louisiana Purchase Exposition, 1904: expert judge of Rambouillet
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sheep, International Livestock Show, 1906 and 1907: expert judge of Aber- deen Angus cattle, International Livestock Show, 1907.
Honors conferred: Captain in Purdue Cadet Corps, 1896 and 1897; secretary Indiana Livestock Breeders' Association ; member American Breed- ers' Association.
Research Work: 1903, 1904, 1905, study of pork production, involy- ing various breeds of hogs, including bacon types; 1902-1908, study of the value of soy beans on pork production ; 1905-1906, relative value of protein in roughage and concentrates for fattening cattle ; methods of utilization of corn and by-products ; study of linseed meal and tankage as supplements to corn in pork production; 1906-1909, a study of the influence of age. length of feeding period and the use of silage on the efficiency of the ration and the profits in feeding beef cattle; comparative value of nitrogenous concentrates as supplements in steer feeding; the influence of different nutritive rations on the efficiency of rations in pork production; 1908 and 1909, a study of maintenance ration for brood sows; a study of maintenance ration for grow- ing pigs ; a study of maintenance ration for breeding ewes ; a study of forage crops in pork production ; a study of skimmilk as a feed for pigs; a study of the comparison of hominy meal and corn meal for pigs.
Publications : Thirteenth annual report of the Indiana Agricultural Ex- periment Station, published 1900, pages 89, 90, 91, "Sowing Clovers at Different Dates," pp. 92, 93. 94. "Forage Crops"; Bulletin No. 88, vol. II, Purdue Experiment Station, March, 1901, "Systems of Cropping With and Without Fertilization," in co-operation with Prof. W. C. Latta; Bulletin No. 108, Purdue Experiment Station, July, 1905. "Soy Beans, Middlings and Silage as Supplemental Feeds in Pork Production;" Bulletin No. 115, Pur- due Experiment Station, December, 1906, "Steer Feeding;" Bulletin No. 129, Purdue Experiment Station, 1908, "Steer Feeding:" Bulletin No. 130, Purdue Experiment Station, 1908, "Results of Short vs. Long Feeding Period;" Circular No. 8. Purdue Experiment Station, October, 1907. "Beef Production ;" Circular No. 12, Purdue Experiment Station, 1908, "Methods of Beef Production in Indiana;" Circular No. 14, Purdue Experiment Sta- tion, 1908, "Factors Influencing the Value and Cost of Feeders." The bul- letins published from 1906 to 1909 have been gotten out jointly with W. A. Cochel, associate in animal husbandry.
Numerous articles have been contributed to the Breeders' Gazette, pub- lished by Sanders Publishing Company, Chicago, and other Indiana agri- cultural papers. Annual reports of the Indiana Livestock Breeders' Associa- tion from its organization to the present time have been published in the an-
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nual reports of the Indiana state board of agriculture, beginning with report for 1903, Vol. 45.
Addresses: Addresses have been delivered before the American As- sociation of Farmers' Institute Workers (published in the proceedings of the eleventh annual meeting of American Association of Farmers' Institute Workers), Illinois Livestock Breeders' Association, Nebraska Livestock Breeders' Association, Ohio Livestock Breeders' Association, Indiana State Board of Agriculture, Indiana Swine Breeders, Indiana Shorthorn Breed- ers, Indiana Hereford Breeders, Indiana Corn Growers, and county farmers' institutes in many counties in Indiana. Several of these addresses have been published in reports of the Indiana state board of agriculture.
EDWARD ELMORE BAKER.
The agricultural interests of Tippecanoe county have no better repre- sentatives than its native-born citizens, many of whom are classed among its most practical, enterprising and successful farmers. One of the num- ber is Mr. Baker, who is one of the prominent citizens of Sheffield town- ship. Reared to a farming life, he has so applied his energies and ability as to attain a success worthy the name, while his present high standing in the community indicates the appreciation of his sterling character.
Edward E. Baker, who resides on a fine and productive farm located a half mile south of Dayton, was born in Perry township, this county, on January 18, 1867, and is a son of Clark L. and Martha Ann ( Fickle) Baker. Clark L. Baker was born in Butler county, Ohio, November 1, 1835, and was a son of Ephraim J. and Rebecca ( Hawthorne) Baker, who were mar- ried on December 24, 1834. Rebecca Hawthorne was a native of Warren county, Ohio, and was a daughter of Francis and Nancy Hawthorne, natives of Ireland. Ephraim J. Baker's father was Ephraim Baker, a native of New Jersey and of English and German descent. Ephraim J. Baker came with his parents to Tippecanoe county, Indiana, in 1854, and located in Wabash township, where he resided until his death, which occurred on June II, 1872. He was born July 6, 1810, in Butler county, Ohio, and he was a faithful member of the Baptist church, as was also his wife. Rebecca Hawthorne was of Scotch descent. her ancestors having left their native land because of religious troubles. Of the children born to this worthy couple, the subject's father, Clark L., was the eldest. When nineteen years
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of age he accompanied his parents to Tippecanoe county and remained with them until he was twenty-three years old. He started life a poor boy, and, without the aid of wealth or influence, forged his way ahead and eventually became a well-to-do and influential citizen of the county, owning at the time of his death four hundred and thirty-five acres of as good land as could be found in this section. He resided on the one farm from 1859 up to the time of his death, which occurred August 28, 1892. He was prominent in the public affairs of his county and in 1878 was a representative to the state legislature, and to him belongs the distinction of having been the only Demo- crat ever sent to the legislature from Tippecanoe county. He also served several terms as trustee of Perry township. He and his wife were members of the Mt. Hope United Presbyterian church in Clinton county, of which he was an elder, and when this church society was dissolved they joined the Presbyterian church at Dayton, of which he was an elder for the long period of twenty-one years. These parents are buried in the Oxford cemetery in Perry township. On August 26, 1858, Clark L. Baker married Martha Ann Fickle, and to them were born ten children, of whom only two grew to mature years, Edward E., subject of this sketch, and Nancy Marilla, the wife of S. P. Newhard, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. The death of Martha A. ( Fickle) Baker occurred on November 12, 1881. Clark L. Baker was a man of sterling qualities of character and always stood for the highest interests of the community. He enjoyed the confidence of all who knew him, and his death was generally regretted throughout the con- munity.
Edward E. Baker received his education in the public schools of his home community. He lived with his father until the latter's death, at which time he bought the home farm of two hundred acres, which he operated until 1904, when he moved to his present farm. This place comprises one hundred and seven acres, to which the subject gives the closest attention, as he does also to the old home farm, which he still owns. He is progressive in his farming methods, keeping abreast the times in the latest advances in the science of agriculture, and hence he has been enabled to make a hand- some profit from his land.
Politically, Mr. Baker is a stanch Democrat and takes a live interest in political matters, though he is not in any sense an aspirant for public office. In his fraternal relations, he is a member of Dayton Lodge, No. 103, Free and Accepted Masons, and is also a member of the Dayton chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, of which Mrs. Baker was one of the charter mem- bers.
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On the 26th of October, 1892, Mr. Baker married Amelia Hildebrandt, who was born in White county, Indiana, the daughter of August and Cath- erine (Myer) Hildebrandt. Her parents were both natives of Germany and married after they had separately emigrated to this country. At one time he owned part of the land where the Purdue University buildings now stand. To Mr. and Mrs. Baker have been born the following children : Ethel Katherine, Clark L. and Natalia Edith, all at home. Mr. and Mrs. Baker are among the popular members of the social circles of their com- munity, and their latchstring ever hangs outward, their pleasant home being frequently the scene of social gatherings. Mr. and Mrs. Baker are members of the Dayton Presbyterian church, Mr. Baker having been an elder in same for the past fifteen years.
THOMAS ELLIS.
Tippecanoe county is characterized by her full share of the pioneer ele- ment who have done so much for the development of the county and the establishment of the institutions of civilization in this fertile and well-fa- vored section. The biographical sketches in this volume are largely of this class of useful citizens and it is not in the least too early to record in print the principal items in the lives of these hard-working and honest people, giving honor to whom honor is due. They will soon be gone and the past can have no better history or memento than these records. Among these early pioneers of this county none had a greater part in its development than Thomas Ellis, whose death occurred many years ago, but who during his active years here was conspicuous because of his activity and the progressive and enterprising spirit displayed by him in local public affairs. No family stood higher in local public esteem, and the same may indeed be said of the present representatives of the family.
Thomas Ellis, who for many years was one of the most highly esteemed residents of Lauramie township, was born in Maryland on the 19th of Feb- ruary. 1792, and was the son of Rowland and Frances Ellis. Rowland Ellis was a valiant soldier for the colonies in the war of the Revolution. On January 22, 1818, Thomas Ellis married Elizabeth Stoner, their marriage taking place in Ohio, whither the former had gone in young manhood. Elizabeth was a daughter of Isaac and Barbara Stoner and was born March 31, 1796, of sturdy Pennsylvania-Dutch stock. When Mr. Ellis first went to Ohio he entered one hundred and sixty acres of land located in what is
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now the heart of Cincinnati. On leaving his Maryland home he built a flatboat and floated down the Monongahela river to Pittsburg, thence down the Ohio to his new home. He was a cooper by trade, which occupation he followed together with farming operations, while at the same time his wife was an adept in making horse-hair sieves, for which she found a ready sale. After residing at this location for a time, Mr. Ellis sold his farm and moved to the vicinity of Columbus, Ohio, where he entered land and remained until 1828. In that year he came to Lauramie township, Tippecanoe county. and entered one hundred and sixty acres of land, a part of this land being now owned by his grandson, Thomas P. Ellis. Here he first built a log cabin, the common habitation of those days, and then went to work to clear the land and render it fit for cultivation. On the place were two splendid springs of water, near which were favorite camping grounds of the Indians. One day, while walking through the woods on other land nearby, he discovered another fine spring, the water of which was heavily saturated with sulphur. and, though the ground appeared to be practically worthless, he recognized the value of the spring. Soon afterwards he overheard a man say that he was going to enter this land. Mounting his horse, Mr. Ellis at once made a hurried ride to Crawfordsville and entered the land, eighty acres, which is now owned by another grandson, Reuben W. Ellis. By good management and a wise economy, Mr. Ellis became a well-to-do man, was widely known throughout the country and highly respected by all who knew him. He was a man of many fine personal qualities and had a well-earned reputation for honorable dealing. While a member of no church, he was nevertheless a believer in the creed of the Quakers, his wife being a Dunkard, as were the other members of her family. Mr. Ellis eventually settled on the eighty-acre tract he last entered and there he spent the remainder of his days. The old log cabin that he built in 1831 and the barn built the following year are still standing and are prized relics of the old pioneer days. The death of this honored old pioneer occurred on July 30, 1861, and that of his wife on March 4, 1874, and their remains now rest in the Concord cemetery.
Thomas and Elizabeth Ellis became the parents of the following chil- dren : John J., born July 18, 1819; Mahala, who was born August 4. 1820, married Joseph Fowler on August 23, 1838, and her death occurred July 13, 1862; Joseph, born September 16, 1821, died December 10, 1876; Hannah, born March 9, 1823, married Elisha F. O'Neall on June 7, 1840, and is now deceased; Mary Magdalena, born August 11, 1824, married Richard Gladden October 31, 1841, and her death occurred on December 10, 18.45; Frances, born September 25, 1826, married Richard Gladden on November 8. 1846,
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and her death occurred on October 4, 1877; Sarah, who was born August 14, 1828, married Solomon B. Russell March 25, 1847; he died April 21, 1847, and on July 9, 1848, she married Thomas H. O'Neall; she is now deceased; James, born December 20, 1830, died June 8, 1859: Barbara Ann, born September 13, 1832, married William Gladden, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work; Eliza Ann, born August 9, 1834, married Morris Peak on November 15, 1901 ; Nancy Ann, born April 2, 1837, married Moses Hanger and is now deceased; Elizabeth, born July 5, 1838, died March 9, 1862.
John J. Ellis. eldest son of Thomas and Elizabeth Ellis, was born in Ohio and received as good an education as was possible to secure in the common schools of that day. He assisted his father in clearing the various farms which he owned from time to time. He taught several terms of school in the old log school house which was located on his father's farm. Event- ually, when the postoffice was established at Stockwell, he became a clerk in the office and the store in which it was located and which was owned by Reuben Baker. He was married, February 9, 1862, to Harriet Lambkin. The latter was born in county Kent, England, May 3. 1835, a daughter of William and Rachael Lambkin. She died June 14, 1878, while her husband survived her a number of years, dying on November 18, 1894. After their marriage, John and Harriet Ellis moved onto the old home farm, where they spent the remainder of their days. Mr. Ellis was a stanch Republican in politics. They were the parents of the following children: Mary Alice, born November 8, 1862, married Ennis Coe March 5, 1884, and they now reside at Stockwell; Martha Kate, born November 20, 1864, married John W. Skinner September 4. 1894, and they live at Stockwell; Reuben Wade, born June 23, 1867: a daughter, horn December 29. 1868, died in infancy; William Jerome, horn February 27, 1890, resides at Stockwell; Florence May.
Reuben Wade Ellis, the third child born to John and Harriet Ellis, was born, reared and educated in Lauramie township, and has always lived on the old home farm, being the third generation of the family to occupy the place. He was married November 20, 1895, to Rose A. Nalley. a native of Lafayette, Indiana. To this union have been born the following children : Harriet Marie, born January 21, 1897: Helen, born December 14, 1903; Florence Mildred, born June 21, 1906; Mary Etta and Martha Evelyn, twins, born April 23, 1908. In politics Mr. Ellis is a Republican and takes a com- mendable interest in public affairs, though not a seeker after public office. He gives his attention to general farming, and the present fine condition of
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his premises indicate their owner to be a man of good judgment and wise discrimination. In addition to farming, Mr. Ellis also gives considerable attention to the handling of real estate, in which he has been successful. He is a man of splendid qualifications and enjoys the confidence and esteem of all who know him.
B. F. FOTTERALL.
A man of wide business experience and unusual endowments in the world of commerce, in which he was long a very active and influential factor in the city of Lafayette and several other localities, was B. F. Fotterall, a man who won the admiration of all with whom he came in contact for his high sense of honor. his straightforward dealing with his fellowmen and his loyalty to home industries, and, although lie has long since joined the great majority in the charnel house of destiny, he is well remembered and highly revered by a large circle of friends in this vicinity.
B. F. Fotterall was born in New York city July 31, 1825. His father dying when he was but a child, the responsibilities of life weighed upon his shoulders earlier than they should have done, but he was a lad of much grit and determination, and set out to make his own way in the great, cruel world, and it is useless to add that he succeeded admirably well. His mother, Ann C. (Letts) Fotterall, was also a native of the New England states, B. F. being her only child. When a young man he left New York city, be- lieving that greater opportunities existed for him in the newer West than in the great metropolis. Finally making his way to Vicksburg, Mississippi, he there engaged in business. Returning to New York, he remained in his native city until the breaking out of the Civil war, when he again penetrated to the heart of the continent, this time locating at Dubuque, Iowa, in 1859. in which city he remained successfully engaged in business until 1870, when he removed to St. Louis, Missouri. There he remained a short time, then came to Lafayette, Indiana, where he began the manufacture of boots and shoes with the firm of A. G. Carney & Company. He acted in the capacity of a salesman for a short time, during which he succeeded in increasing the sales and prestige of the firm, then he went into business for himself, taking in a Mr. Parker and a Mr. Brown, the firm being known as Fotterall, Parker & Brown. They did a large business, largely due to the efficient management of Mr. Fotterall.
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After a life of unusual activity and usefulness, B. F. Fotterall was called from his earthly labors July 21, 1893, leaving a neat competency to his faith- ful life companion, whom he married September 14, 1859, in Xenia, Ohio. To this union five children were born, all of whom died in infancy.
The father of Mrs. Emily Fotterall, Nicholas -, was born in Wor- cester. Massachusetts. Her mother, Clarisse Kinney, was born in Glanton- bury, Connecticut. Mrs. Emily Fotterall was born in Homer, New York, July 21, 1837, the youngest member of a family of thirteen children, and of this number she is the only one now living. Her mother lived to see ten of her children grow to maturity and marry. The mother of Mrs. Fotterall died at the age of seventy-four years and her father passed away at seventy- five years of age.
Mrs. Emily Fotterall is a faithful member of the Second Presbyterian church, with which she has been identified for the past forty-nine years. Mr. Fotterall was a Knight Templar Mason, as was Mrs. Fotterall's father and all her brothers. Mrs. Fotterall is a member of the Order of the Eastern Star. Her home at No. 806 South street is always neatly kept and cozy, a place where her many friends delight to while the hours away, for there they always find hospitality and good cheer, for Mrs. Fotterall is an ideal hostess, being unusually alert both mentally and physically, and she is ready at repartee and interesting conversation. She is of an optimistic turn of mind as well as happy in disposition.
JOSEPH MADDEN.
It is eminently proper to mention in this work the name of Joseph Mad- den, whose splendid collection of Indian relics and early implements and weapons is now on exhibition at the Washington school, Lafayette. Joseph Madden was born in Pennsylvania, October 31, 1837, and in his boyhood he lived in the family of John Levering at Bryn Mawr. In 1849 he removed from Pennsylvania to Lockland, Ohio, and in 1850 he came with John Lev- ering to the latter's farm, one mile and a half northeast of Romney. When the Civil war broke out he enlisted and became quartermaster sergeant of the Fortieth Indiana Regiment, remaining as such until the war closed. He began the collection of Indian relics and other curios soon after he came to Indiana, and for more than fifty years he kept adding to his collection, until it probably became the finest one in the state, especially of Indian arrow
Lose/2h
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heads. After his death, September 1, 1908, his collection of relics and curios remained in the old homestead until October 29, 1909, when, after long negotiations with the heirs of Joseph Madden, Mrs. Alva Somers and John Madden, the collection was secured for exhibition purposes by the Lafayette school board. A room at the Washington school building was fitted up and the collection installed as a museum of the early antiquities of this region, the same being labeled "The Joseph Madden Collection of Indiana Relics and Curios." Mr. Madden was a member of the Masonic order and of the Presbyterian church, both at Romney.
GEORGE W. LEE, M. D.
The father of this well-known physician was during his lifetime a dis- tinguished and successful educator. Born in Monroe county, Indiana, the elder George W. Lee was a graduate of old Asbury University and for nine year from 1870 was a professor in the city schools of Greencastle. His brother, Thomas J. Lee, had conducted an academy at Loxa, Illinois, for some years, and when he died in the fall of 1888 he was succeeded by Prof. George W. Lee, who continued the work until 1894, and then moved the academy to Ashmore, in the same state, where he ended his useful career by a somewhat untimely death in April, 1897. In early manhood he had mar- ried Isabelle M. Cole, of Clark county, who died January 29, 1907, leaving two sons, Mordecai B., the eldest, a resident of Indianapolis, who is mar- ried and the father of four children.
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