USA > Indiana > Tippecanoe County > Past and present of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, Volume II > Part 61
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Cornelius Walter received his education in the common schools and lived at home until his marriage. He became the owner of a good farm of one hundred and three acres in Sheffield township, and he made brick and built a fine dwelling-house on his place. He was a hard worker and cleared his land on which he made money rapidly. He retired in 1887 and moved to Mulberry, Indiana, where his widow is now living, his death having oc- curred in 1906. They were the parents of six children, namely: Charlie, Philip, Sarah, Dora, all deceased; William J. is a farmer in Perry township (see his sketch in this volume) ; Alida C., wife of Charles W. Ohl, was the youngest in order of birth. To Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Ohl the following children, seven in number, have been born: Erma A., Troy R., Cleo E., Russell J., Opal M., Morris E. and Gordon C.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Ohl lived in Clinton county, Indiana, on the old Ohl homestead until 1901, when they moved to Perry township, Tippecanoe county, locating in section 34 where they have since resided. He has devoted his life to farming with gratifying results. He carries on general farming and is making a good living besides laying by a competency. His place is well managed, kept clean and highly improved and well stocked. He is a member of the Lutheran church at Mulberry, In- diana, and he and his family stand high in the estimation of all their neighbors.
WILLIAM J. WALTER.
The family of this name originated in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, but representatives of it became pioneers in the west at what the local historians are fond of calling "an early day." We first hear of John and Catherine (Mohr) Walter, who married and reared a family of children in Pennsyl-
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vania before they decided to emigrate to the west. Several of the children remained in the home state, but Cornelius accompanied his father and mother to Indiana in 1847, and with them located in Tippecanoe county, where his father bought land in Perry township. He found but few improvements on his new possessions, and faced the usual task of the pioneer in the shape of endless clearing, grubbing and fencing. He and his wife both died in 1866, within a few weeks of each other, and left their earthly possessions to the surviving children. Cornelius, who was born in Lehigh county, Pennsyl- vania, had been the mainstay of his parents during their long journey to the west and in the subsequent battle with the wilderness. He was an obedient and industrious boy, helped in all the farm work and remained at home until the time came to embark in business on his own account. He married Susan- nah Craig, of Butler county, Ohio, and soon after bought a farm of one hun- dred and seven acres in Sheffield township. He made brick on the place out of which he constructed a fine residence for those days, improved the prem- ises in many ways and carried on his agricultural work with success. In 1887 he retired and moved to Mulberry, Indiana, where he died in 1906. His widow still resides at Mulberry. Cornelius and wife had six children : Charles, Philip, Sarah, Dorra, William J., and Alida, the latter being now the wife of Charles W. Ohl, of Perry township.
William J. Walter, the only one of this family now living, was born in Perry township. Tippecanoe county, Indiana, September 22, 1848, helping with the farm work and management. In 1882 he married Barbara Meisen- helder, and this union resulted in the birth of ten children: Mary, Rosa (de- ceased), Abbie, Amelia, Sarah, Myrtle, Levi, Philip, Wilford and Maude. In 1901 Mr. Walter located on a farm known as the Starret place on section 35, of Perry township, where he has since resided. He carries on general farming, raising all the usual crops adapted to this latitude and a full com- plement of live stock, principally horses and hogs. He is a quiet. unob- trusive citizen, who enjoys the esteem of his neighbors and fulfills to the let- ter all the obligations resting upon an honest man.
ELMER RITCHEY WATERS.
Elmer Ritchey Waters was born September 10. 1870, in Piatt county, Illinois, the son of John Waters, who was born near Crane. Tippecanoe coun- ty, Indiana, March 28, 1836, and who, together with Thomas Waters, grand-
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father of Elmer, of this review, have done something for the development of this locality from the pioneer days to the present-day prosperity. Thomas Waters was a native of Elkridge Landing, Maryland, now part of Baltimore, and came to Tippecanoe county, Indiana, in 1838. He married Elizabeth DeHart, born in Ross county, Ohio, in 1814. Both the paternal great-grand- father and great-great-grandfather were named Philip. They lived at Elk- ridge, Maryland. John Waters, father of Elmer, married Eliza E. Ritchey in January, 1868. She was the daughter of John Ritchey, who was born in 1805 in Ross county, Ohio. He married Maria Adams, who was born in 1810 in Chillicothe, Ohio. She was a descendant of John Quincy Adams, of Massachusetts. John Ritchey came to Tippecanoe county, Indiana, in 1832, and settled in Wea township in section 27, in 1834. He was the son of George Ritchey. Maria (Adams) Ritchey was the daughter of Elisha Adams, who married Margaret McCune, of Virginia. Following are the children of Thomas and Elizabeth Waters: John, father of Elmer, of this review; Mary, who married George Shoemaker, is deceased, as is also Allen; Howard lives at Stockwell, Indiana. The DeHarts were natives of England; they came to America and settled in Virginia before the Revolutionary war; their ancestry is traceable as far back as 1700. The following children were born to John Ritchey and wife: Josephine married Joseph Gladden, and both are de- ceased; Margaret, who married J. Kelly O'Neal (deceased), is living in Lafayette, Indiana; Eugene B., who married Emma McCoy, is deceased, but his widow is living in Lafayette; Eliza E. was the mother of Elmer Waters; Alice, deceased, who married David Elliott near Crane Station; Keltie mar- ried John McCoy, of Lafayette.
The Ritchey family constituted an old clan in Scotland that was driven out and moved by Cromwell to the northern part of Ireland, later coming to America, settling in Virginia prior to the Revolutionary war. The McCune family was of Scotch-Irish descent. They came to Virginia, settling on the Wilderness road and conducted a tavern at which such noted characters as Henry Clay, David Crockett and many other noted men of that time stopped. The family later moved to Chillicothe, Ohio, and in 1834 came to Tippecanoe county, Indiana, settling in Wea township, John Ritchey having first made the trip here in 1832 on horseback, carrying seven hundred dollars in his sad- dle-bags. Elmer Waters now owns the saddle-bags. In those days there were no safes, so when a guest stopped over night on his travels, he turned his saddle-bags over to the landlord, who threw them into a closet together with those of other travelers and in the morning each man sorted out his own saddle-bags. John Ritchey purchased twelve hundred acres of land in Wea
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township with the seven hundred dollars he carried from his home in Virginia, and there, in section 27, he cleared the land and in time established a good home, spending the remainder of his life here.
Thomas Waters, in company with Peter Goldsberry, came to Tippecanoe county, Indiana, in 1835. They, with a man named Eaton in partnership, were hired by the United States government to supply meat for the Indians for one year. They did not secure land for some time, but hired to Simion Langlois, a half-breed Indian, for one season. He was the chief of the Potto- watomies. Waters was offered eighty acres of land, lying just east of Ninth and north of Main street in the present city of Lafayette, for the sum of four hundred dollars, but the soil was so poor that he refused the offer. He later purchased land on Wild Cat prairie near Crane Station ( then called Culver), which is still in possession of the Waters family, being owned by John Waters and wife. He cleared this land and established his home here, but in 1837 moved to Clinton county. Four years later he returned to his home in this county and died at the age of forty-eight years. His wife. Elizabeth, who was a sister of Allen and Abner DeHart, died at the age of ninety years at Stockwell. An uncle of Thomas Waters, named Nicholas Waters, was a scout under Gen. William Henry Harrison during his Tippe- canoe campaign, but he was not in the battle. He lived in Kentucky many years and was considered one of the fastest runners in the state, having run down a deer, it is said, on a bet, and killed it with his hunting knife.
One branch of the Waters family settled near Russiaville, Howard county. John Waters, father of Elmer, attended the district schools and was taught by Doctor Nevins, an old Scotch sea captain, who taught in DeHart's school, and who became a prominent banker at Thorntown. Mr. Waters received a good education for those days and he was enabled to teach school, which he did very successfully. He was twice married, first to Kirkpatrick, who died in 1864. One son, George, was born to this union, who is now a wholesale fruit dealer in Crawfordsville, Indiana. He married Lide Reynolds and they have two children. Elsie and John. John Waters then married Eliza E. Ritchey, and in 1868 went to Monticello, Illinois, where he farmed for ten years, then came back to Tippecanoe county, Indiana, and bought the Elihu Hollingsworth farm, near Farmers Institute, and with the exception of four years spent in West Lafayette, he has since made his home on this place. Although a loyal Republican, he has held no public office. He is a member of the Christian church. Elmer Waters, of this review, is the only child by John Waters and his second wife.
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Elmer Waters was educated in the home schools, at Farmers Institute Academy and at Purdue University, graduating from the latter in 1891 and in 1892 taking a post-graduate course in civil engineering. On December 8. 1897, he was married to Sarah A. Welch, of Webster City, Iowa, the daugh- ter of James and Susan (Shotwell) Welch, both natives of Wea Plains, the former a son of Dr. Turner Welch, of Ross county, Ohio, and one of the first settlers of Wayne township. He was a surgeon in the war of 1812, and he came to Tippecanoe county, Indiana, in 1828. He enjoyed an extensive practice, doing all his riding on horseback. Susan Shotwell is the daughter of Eden and Ann (Hass) Shotwell; they lived in Loda, Illinois. James Welch spent his boyhood on the home farm and attended the neighboring schools, having been taught by Moses Stevens. He helped organize the Farmers Institute Academy and also assisted in erecting the old log building for the same. He went to Loda, Illinois, in 1861, bought horses and mules for the United States government and he served in the secret service under Yates, later governor of Illinois. During the war he desired to harvest his crop of wheat, but could not get help, so he wrote to President Lincoln, ask- ing him if he could get negroes to do his work. His request was granted and he induced a carload of negroes at Knoxville, Tennessee, to come and do the work. He was compelled to arm them in order that they might protect themselves, for attempts were made to kill them. Many attempts were made to kill him but were unsuccessful. Perhaps the narrowest was from Quant- rell's guerrillas. Mr. Welch also assisted in putting down the "Knights of the Golden Circle." In 1873 he located near Holder, Illinois, and was an ex- tensive breeder of Clydesdale horses, also of cattle. In 1887 he went to Web- ster City, Iowa, and engaged in the real estate business, settling five hundred families from Illinois and Indiana in that section. He became known as "Jim Welch" through central Iowa. He had considerable influence with the Illi- nois Central railroad over which he had passes. He was also interested in the corn canning business and held title to much Kansas and Texas lands. He assisted in breaking up "boot legging" in Iowa. He was always a Re- publican and a member of the Quaker church. His death occurred April 17, 1909. His family consisted of six children: Charles, who married Susan Brown, lives in Lafayette; Esther, who married Elvin Young, lives in Web- ster City, Iowa; George and Walter are deceased: Turner Welch, of Web- ster City, Iowa, married Jessie Medberry; Sarah A., wife of Elmer Waters. To Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Waters the following children have been born: Marie Welch, born April 10, 1899; Helen Ritchey, born September 24, 1903 ;
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Dorothy Esther, born January 8, 1908. They are all bright and interesting children.
In January, 1891, Elmer Waters located at his present home at South Raub, Tippecanoe county, in section 31, where he owns one hundred and sev- enty-four acres of rich and highly improved land, on which he carries on general farming. He is agent for the Haynes automobile, of Kokomo, In- diana; he also represents the O'Neal Corrugated Culvert Company. He has been successful owing to his close application to business and his good man- agement and he has a good home and a good yield from his farm.
Fraternally, Mr. Waters is a Mason, belonging to Romney Lodge, No. 449, and also the Lincoln Club of Lafayette.
A. W. SHOUP, M. D.
Among the men who have taken an active part in the affairs of Tippe- canoe county and won a reputation for their interest in the welfare of the general public and a profession as well is Dr. A. W. Shoup, who is eminently deserving of the high esteem in which he is held. Born in the adjoining county of White, in the city of Monticello, Doctor Shoup is the son of Daniel and Caroline (Lamar) Shoup, a worthy old couple who moved to Tippecanoe county in 1863 and spent the remainder of their lives here, established a good home and won the confidence and respect of a wide circle of friends. Of their family of eight children Dr. A. W., of this review, was the oldest. He spent his early youth on the farm assisting with the work on the same and attending the district schools during the winter months. He applied himself very carefully to his work and was enabled to take up teaching, which profession he followed with much success in the schools of his home county during the next twelve years, his services being in great demand, for he was not only well qualified for this line of work from a text-book standpoint but also had all the other necessary qualifications for the successful teacher. All the while he was interested in scientific subjects, and his reading was wide in its scope. Feeling the need of a more thorough training in order to fit himself for the medical profession for which he had long had a predilec- tion, he entered Purdue University at Lafayette, from which institution he was graduated in the summer of 1887, with the degree of Doctor of Phil- osophy. For some time following his graduation he was engaged in the drug business in Lafayette, studying medicine in the meantime. Entering
A. W. SHOUP, M. D.
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a medical college in Louisville, Kentucky, he finished the course in a very creditable manner in the spring of 1904. So well had he done his work in Purdue University that he was enabled to pass many of the examinations in the Louisville school without taking the subjects over again. Upon his graduation he located in the city of Terre Haute, where he built up a very good patronage, but believing that a more desirable field awaited him at Battle Ground lie established an office here, and his success was instantaneous. He now has an excellent practice throughout this part of the county.
Doctor Shoup was first married in November, 1895. to Eugenia Van Dyke, of Kentucky. On account of the failing health of Mrs. Shoup, the Doctor was compelled to relinquish his practice here and locate in the South, consequently they moved to North Carolina; however, the change in climate did not result in the benefit to the health of Mrs. Shoup anticipated and she was called to her rest in 1900. To this union one son was born, Van Dyke Shoup, in 1896. Soon after the death of his wife the Doctor returned to Battle Ground and again took up his practice here, where he has since re- mained. The Doctor was again married on April 12, 1909, his last wife being known in her maidenhood as Hester Fowler. Mrs. Shoup has lived in Tippecanoe county all her life and has a large acquaintance.
Doctor Shoup is deeply enamored of his work and keeps abreast of the times in all scientific research bearing on the medical profession; he is a deep student not only in medical lines but in various lines of literature. He has long been active in the affairs of the Republican party.
JOSEPH JENNINGS MOREHOUSE.
One of the prominent and early settlers of Tippecanoe county is the gentleman of whom this sketch is penned. He is a practical, thorough-going farmer, understanding every department of the work connected with the proper supervision of a country home, and success has abundantly rewarded his persevering labors. Now, in his declining years. he may look backward over the pathway he has traversed and truly feel that his efforts have been blessed, while he can have few regrets for idle days and wasted moments.
Joseph J. Morehouse was born in Pine Village. Warren county, Indiana, on the 23d day of June, 1839, and is the son of Levi J. and Lucy (Kee) More- house. The subject's paternal grandfather was Amos Morehouse, who was born May 11, 1793, in the state of New Jersey. He moved from his native
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state to Ohio, and subsequently, about 1830, came to Tippecanoe county, In- diana. He was by trade a brickmason and plasterer and in an early day he erected a brick house at the corner of Main and Third streets, Lafayette. On September 11, 1817, he married Rhoda Jennings and to them were born ten children, namely: Levi J. (the subject's father), Benjamin P., Easter, Mor- gan, Silas, James, Jacob, John, Elizabeth and Sarah. Of these, all are now dead but Jacob. Amos Morehouse died at the age of fifty-four years. His wife, Rhoda, was a native of Ohio, but in her youth she was brought to Tip- pecanoe county by her parents, who bought eight hundred acres of land. Mrs. Morehouse's ancestors, in both lines, were prominent in the early history of the county and were considered very wealthy for that day.
Levi J. Morehouse, who was born at New Carlisle, Ohio, March 10, 1819, attended school but a few days in his life, but was possessed of unusual mental ability and had the faculty of quickly grasping the essential points of anything to which his attention was called. He was heavily engaged in the livestock business during most of his active life. He started with compara- tively nothing, but was successful in his dealings and at his death was con- sidered very well-to-do. He was an active man in politics, being a radical Republican, but could never be induced to accept public office. In religion, he was a member of the Christian church for many years and was a gen- erous supporter of that society, in which he took an active part, being almost constantly a member of the church official board. His death occurred in 1887. He had led what in these days would be called a strenuous life, as in his early days the country was but little improved. Lafayette was but a village and there was not a great demand for produce. Consequently, Mr. Morehouse hauled most of his produce to Chicago, by ox teams, generally bringing back a load of salt or some other desired merchandise. Most of his livestock was shipped to Buffalo, New York, and other eastern markets. Mr. Morehouse married, in this county, Lucy Kee, who was born in Ohio, March 10, 1819. She lived to be seventy-six years old. Her father, Caleb Kee, was one of Tippecanoe county's most prominent characters. He was present at General Hull's surrender at the battle of Detroit, during the war of 1812. He lived to the age of eighty-seven years. To Levi and Lucy Morehouse were born ten children, namely: Joseph J., the immediate subject of this sketch : Rachael, deceased; Silas A., who lives in Wabash township; Levi, de- ceased; Martena, deceased; Emma, John and Mary died in infancy ; Try- phena, deceased; and Charles, who is living on the west side. Martena en- listed in the One Hundred and Fiftieth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry at Lafayette in 1864, and contracted tuberculosis in the army.
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Joseph J. Morehouse attended the common schools during his boyhood days and secured a fair education for that day. He became an assistant of his father in the livestock business as soon as old enough and for about twen- ty years was his active partner, the father attending to the buying, while the subject looked after the shipping. He has also given much attention to farming operations, in which he has been successful to an unusual degree, now owning land in sections 20, 26, 27, 23, 22 and 16, Wabash township.
In his stockraising, the subject has made a specialty of Berkshire hogs for nearly fifty years and during the past ten years has also given some spe- cial attention to Durham cattle, having been in the cattle business ever since boyhood. He is said to be an exceptionably good judge of cattle and hogs. His home, which is located in section 23, is considered one of the finest coun- try homes in the township. He has in all his transactions been characterized and prompted by a spirit of fair dealing and his word has always been con- sidered as good as his bond. He possesses a genial personality and his friends are in number as his acquaintances.
When twenty-two years old, Mr. Morehouse was united in marriage with Mary E. Marsteller, of Lafayette, who is deceased. She has been dead for about thirty years. She bore her husband three children, namely: Wil- liam V., Estella E. and Harry S. On August 23, 1881, Mr. Morehouse mar- ried Nancy J. Plummer, a daughter of John and Mary Plummer, whose an- cestry can be traced back to the Pilgrims of the early New England days, they having come over in the "Mayflower." She still possesses some relics of that far-away day, one of the most interesting being a string of beads which she believes has been in the family for four hundred and sixty-five years. Mrs. Morehouse was born in White county July 26, 1855, and her marriage to the subject occurred on August 23, 1881, in that county. To them have been born six children, four boys and two girls, as follows: Byron Jennings, born June 17, 1883; John L., born November 16, 1885; Joseph J., born Sep- tember 14, 1887; Howard H., born February 14, 1890; Ruth L., born June 18, 1892 ; Lee Oata T., born November 5, 1895.
Politically, Mr. Morehouse has always rendered a stanch allegiance to the Republican party, though in principle he is now an ardent prohibitionist. He and his wife are earnest and faithful members of the Christian church and give that party a generous support. Mrs. Morehouse has in her possession a gun carried in the war of 1812 by John Ladd, and she also has a tea set that came from England on the "Mayflower." Uncle James Kee and Thomas Plummer helped move the Indians from the state of Indiana to Missouri.
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FERDINAND CORTEZ JACKSON.
Clearly defined purpose and determined, persistent 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 intrinsic individuality which made such accomplish- ment possible, and thus there is granted an incentive and inspiration, while at the same time there is enkindled a feeling of respect and admiration. The qualities which have made Mr. Jackson one of the prominent and successful mon of Tippecanoe county have also brought him the esteem of his fellow- citizens, for his career has been one of well-directed energy, strong determi- nation and honorable methods.
Ferdinand C. Jackson was born in Carroll county, Missouri, on the 3d of April, 1846, and is a son of Philip and Hulda (McCleary) Jackson. Philip Jackson was a native of the state of Ohio, and his death occurred on May 19, 1852. He was brought to Tippecanoe county by his parents and his father died here in 1865. Philip spent his early years in Tippecanoe county and se- cured a fair education in the public schools. He learned the trade of carpen- ter at which he worked the greater part of the time. Some time after his marriage, and after the birth of his first child, the family moved to the state of Missouri, where he worked at his trade and also farmed to some extent. He was fairly successful in whatever he undertook and enjoyed the respect of all who knew him. He was an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His death occurred in 1852, and in 1855 his widow brought her family back to Tippecanoe county, where she spent her remaining days. Mrs. Jackson was a native of Ohio and came to Tippecanoe county in a very early day with her parents, who were numbered among the honored pioneers of this locality. To Philip and Hulda Jackson were born five children, namely : Isabel, who was born in Tippecanoe county, is deceased; Christopher C. lives in West Lafayette ; the subject of this sketch is the next in the order of birth; Missouri Ann married a Mr. Hain and lives in West Lafayette; Margaret, who became the wife of a Mr. Albertson, resides in Lafayette.
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