USA > Indiana > Allen County > Fort Wayne > The pictorial history of Fort Wayne, Indiana : a review of two centuries of occupation of the region about the head of the Maumee River, Vol. II > Part 23
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8.2. march
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peace as has he also when our nation has recently become involved in the terrific European war. He was formerly identified with the operation of a stave mill in Jackson township, this country, besides which he and his wife conducted for a number of years a popular boarding house at Edgerton, where they are now living in well earned retirement and comfort. Of their four children the eldest is Mrs. Lillie Roose, of Fort Wayne; Henry A. is superintendent of a stave mill at McMillan, Mich- igan; Mrs. Carrie Phillips resides in Fort Wayne; and Mrs. Everson is the youngest of the number. Mr. and Mrs. Everson have three children -Czerney L., Minta, and Lillian.
Edgar D. Eward has been identified more or less successfully with various business enterprises, but his latest venture seems to be the one that is most satisfactory to him and the one in which he will find activity for the coming years. He came to Fort Wayne in 1913 in the interests of the Consumers' Ice Company, and he has lately arisen to the post of secretary-treasurer and manager of the local concern. The term "self-made" is so hackneyed that one hesitates to apply it in any instance, but the fact remains that Mr. Eward is himself mainly respon- sible for such success as has been his portion thus far. He was born in Converse, Indiana, on December 18, 1869, and is the son of John W. and Rebecca Jane (York) Eward, natives of Virginia and Indiana, respectively. Mrs. Eward is the daughter of Alfred York, a pioneer of Indiana, who entered land in the vicinity of Monroe in the early days of Indiana settlement, and he rode horseback through a dense swamp from his location in Grant county to Fort Wayne when he went to that point to prove up on his homestead and get his patent. John W. Eward, now living retired at the old home in Converse, practiced law in the early days and was fairly prosperous for his time. He was postmaster at Converse for eight years, and at the present writing is a director in his local bank, and takes an active interest in the affairs of the com- munity, though now in the eightieth year of his life. His life companion still lives and they are enjoying a serene old age in the place that has been their home and the center of their activity for these many years. Five children were born to them. Jessie, the eldest, is the wife of Harry Smith, of SanAntonio, Texas. Edgar of this review is the second born. Fred O. is engaged in the icc and cold-storage business in Marion, Indiana. Homer, the fourth child, died in infancy and Albert died in boyhood. It was a theory of the elder Eward that his sons, being able bodied and possessing health and strength, should make some contribution to their support as soon as they were able to become earners in some degree, and it was expected of the boys that they should earn their own clothes. This rule, while it was doubtless something of a hardship to the boys in a way, may safely be said to have been a corrective influence in their young lives and to have had a tendency to character building that more indulgent methods might not have engendered. When Edgar Eward was twelve years old his father bought a farm in the vicinity of their home and as a boy he spent much of his time at work on the place. The first actual money he ever earned came from his labors on the farm hauling rock, a pastime that many a farmer boy recalls with mingled feelings of pride and resentment, but not all of them can look back to the possession of thirty dollars as a reward for the stone bruises and back aches that accrued from the work. With this sum of money he bought three calves, and from then on he was a stock dealer on a small
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scale, and realized both pleasure and profit from his activities in that work. When he was eighteen years old he moved back to town from the farm and found employment in a harness shop at the meagre wage of three dollars a week. One year of that work sufficed and he next engaged himself with his uncle in the glass business, where he earned fifteen dollars weekly. He continued with his uncle for three years, learning the glass blower's trade in that time, and for the next ten years was engaged in that work. He left it to engage in the livery business in Matthews, Indiana, but after eight months of that he went back to Converse and there conducted a similar enterprise for the next four years. His next move took him to Marion, where he carried on a successful business in chattel loans for about four years. In 1913 he came to Fort Wayne, here to engage in his present business as man- ager of the Consumers' Ice Company, as has been previously stated. Mr. Eward was married on March 17, 1898, to Miss Tressie Zirkle, a young woman of many excellent qualities of heart and mind and a native daughter of Indiana. They have two children-Harold and Helen. Mr. Eward is a Republican in politics, and his fraternal affiliations are with the Knights of Pythias, the Elks and the Modern Woodmen and the Maccabees.
Daniel M. Falls .- The firm of Bowser, Prentis & Falls has controlled a successful business in the installing of machinery and in its line has held precedence as one of the most important concerns of the kind in Northern Indiana. The late Daniel M. Falls was employed by the firm for a number of years before he became a member thereof and played an influential part in the development of the business. This firm had the distinction of having installed the machinery used at the Centennial Ex- position of 1876, and Mr. Falls was in charge of this important work in the city of Philadelphia. He continued as a member of the firm and as one of the prominent and honorable business men of Fort Wayne until his death, which occurred December 16, 1916. Mr. Falls was born in Pennsylvania, July 3, 1832, and thus was more than eighty years of age at the time of his death. He was a son of Thomas and Barbara (Staufer) Falls, both natives of Germany. The father was a cabinetmaker and came to Fort Wayne in 1843, both he and his wife having passed the remainder of their lives in Allen county and of their nine children the subject of this memoir was the last to survive. As a youth Daniel M. Falls learned the trade of blacksmith, but after having been employed at this trade about two years he became associated with the firm in which eventually he purchased an interest and with which he continued his connection until his death. For some time he was engaged also in the rendering business, but he retired from that field of enterprise in 1905. His old home, in which his death occurred, was erected by him in 1863, and there he con- tinued his residence during the long intervening years. Mr. Falls married Margaret Gormely, a native of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and they became the parents of four children-Charles M., George E., Oliver M. and Etta F. The three first named are deceased and Etta F. is the wife of Calvin K. Rieman, who is factory manager of the S. M. Foster Shirtwaist Company. Mr. and Mrs. Rieman have one child, Carrie K. Mrs. Falls passed to the life eternal, February 22, 1916, and her husband survived her by less than a year, so that in death they were not long divided. Both were earnest communicants of the Protestant Episcopal church, and Mr. Falls was affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, besides having been a charter member of the local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
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Earl D. Farr has so applied his technical and executive ability as to win for himself the responsible office of manager of the large and important manufacturing plant of The Boss Manufacturing Company in the city of Fort Wayne, and he is one of the alert, progressive and popular young business men of the Allen county metropolis. Mr. Farr was born in Fulton county, Illinois, on January 5, 1882, and is a son of John and Peninah (Cain) Farr, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Illinois. The father became a successful exponent of agricul- tural industry in Fulton county, Illinois, where he is now living retired, his wife having been summoned to the life eternal several years ago. Of their children the first, Arthur, died in infancy; Bertha is the wife of Albert K. Tate and they now reside in the city of Los Angeles, Cal- ifornia; Cooper C. resides at Kewanee, Illinois; and the subject of this sketch is the youngest of the number. Earl D. Farr continued his studies in the public schools of his native county until he had duly profited by the advantages afforded in the township high school, and in the meanwhile he gave practical assistance in the work and management of the home farm. At the age of eighteen years he found employment in an Illinois manufactory of farm implements, and later was associated with the printing business conducted by his brother-in-law, Mr. Tate. After severing this alliance he was employed about nine years by the Western Tube Company, at Kewance, Illinois, and at the same place he then entered the service of the Boss Manufacturing Company, which, in 1912, transferred him to its headquarters in Fort Wayne, where he has since given effective service as manager of the company's well- equipped manufacturing plant. Mr. Farr pays his political allegiance to the Republican party, is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias, and he and his wife hold membership in the Baptist church. June 7, 1905, recorded the marriage of Mr. Farr to Miss Lenna E. Radford, who was born and reared at Kewanee, Henry county, Illinois, and they have three children-Beatrice J., Lillian E., and John R.
Adrian E. Fauve, M. D., has been engaged in the practice of his profession at Fort Wayne since 1906 and his recognized ability and gracious personality mark him as one of the representative physicians and surgeons of this section of the Hoosier state. The Doctor is a scion of fine French stock and takes pride in claiming beautiful France as the place of his nativity, his parents, Louis and Eulalie (Monin) Fauve, being still residents of Bourges, France, where the father is now in the consular service, doing all in his power to uphold his native land in its bitter struggle with opposing forces in the great conflict that is now ravaging and devastating so many European countries. Doctor Fauve was born in Bourges, France, on March 5, 1878, and is the younger in a family of two children, his elder brother, Eugene, being in active service as a gallant soldier of France in the great European war that is raging at the time of this writing, in the spring of 1917. Doctor Fauve was afforded in his native land excellent educational advan- tages along both academic and professional lines, and he came to America in 1896. He has been indefatigable in fortifying himself for his profession in consonance with its highest modern standards, and he received his degree of Doctor of Medicine from one of the leading institutions of France. Since establishing his home in the United States he has taken effective post-graduate courses in medical institutions both in Indian- apolis and Chicago, in which former city he was engaged in the practice
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of his profession about one year. In 1906 he established himself in gen- eral practice at Fort Wayne, and here he has built up a substantial and representative practice, in which he now gives special attention to the diagnosis and treatment of the diseases of the stomach and other digestive organs. His success has been on a parity with his enthusiasm and earnest effort and he has gained high standing in the esteem of his professional confreres. He is actively identified with the American Medical Association, the Indiana State Medical Society, the Twelfth District Medical Society, and the Allen County Medical Society. He is a member of the Medical Reserve Corps of the United States army with the rank of first lieutenant. He is affiliated with both the York and Scottish Rite bodies of the Masonic fraternity. On June 29, 1904, was solemnized the marriage of Doctor Fauve to Miss Mary Etta Juilliard, who was born at Canton, Ohio, and who is of French descent on both the paternal and distaff sides. She is a woman of distinctive culture and talent, having received the advantages of both American and French educational institutions, including those of the convent at Oiseaux, France, and having developed her musical talent through effective study in both America and France. A woman of fine social qualities and gracious presence, she is a popular figure in the representative social life of Fort Wayne. Doctor and Mrs. Fauve have no children.
Franklin J. Federspiel, who conducts a successful and representative general insurance business in Fort Wayne, is a scion of the third gener- ation of the Federspiel family in Allen county, and his father, who like- wise was born and reared in Allen county, where he lived retired in the village of New Haven, St. Joseph township until his death, was long and successfully engaged in the conducting of a blacksmith and repair shop, as a skilled artisan and as a man whose fine physical powers found effective balance in his sterling character and strong mentality. The lineage of the Federspiel family traces back to patrician sources in Germany and Switzerland, and it is specially gratifying at this juncture to enter the following data, which are taken from the archives of the official records of the town of Chur, Germany : "The old, noble and aristocratic family of Federspiel comes originally from Switzerland (1257), the Canton Graubundten, where Ulricus von Federspiel first became distinguished. The aforesaid ruled the Bishopric Church in a praiseworthy fashion and by this he became Freiherr (Baron), which the descendants carried on. Yohan Anton Freiherr von Federspiel was then, in the year 1759, made Canon of Chur. Later this family spread out to north Germany. The main colors of the coat-of-arms are silver and blue. Blue in the coat-of-arms means consistency and true devotion towards God. Silver signifies purity, wisdom and innocence. The wings on the helmet mean that the family through praiseworthy deeds raised itself up. The snake is the symbol of wisdom, craft and unity. Taken from Professor Tauhis' Dictionary of Heraldry and the General Heraldry Knowledge of Europe, Vo. V., page 184, Philip Warwitz, heralder and genealogist. Von Federspiel, a Swiss family, from which, as Castle- Colonnel, Lucius Rudolph von Federspiel, in the year 1718, was made a noble." Baltzer Federspiel, grandfather of him whose name introduces this article, was born in Alsace-Lorraine, France, in 1815, and came to America when about fifteen years of age. He settled in New York and when about twenty-one years of age came to Indiana and settled in Allen county. He was a blacksmith by trade and as he found a well-
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established blacksmith shop in Fort Wayne he went to New Haven, in which village he opened a shop and became a pioneer blacksmith of Adams township, both he and his wife having here remained until their death and his name meriting enduring place on the roll of the honored pioneers of Allen county. Joseph Federspiel, father of the subject of this sketch, was born at New Haven, this county. Here he maintained his home and was virtually his father's successor in the blacksmithing business. He followed his sturdy trade for many years. He was a Democrat in politics and was from his youth an earnest communicant of the Catholic church. As a young man he wedded Miss Catherine Poiry, who was born in Ohio, and her death occurred in 1888. The three children of this union are George C., Frederick B. and Franklin J., all of whom now reside in Fort Wayne. For his second wife Joseph Federspiel married Miss Helen Huth, who is still living, and of this union were born one son and three daughters: Alfred is a resident of New Haven; Catherine is the wife of Alban Schelkner, of New Haven; Clara is the wife of Albert Welling, of New Haven; and Marie is employed as a stenographer in the Dreibelbiss abstract offices, in Fort Wayne. Joseph Federspiel died November 30, 1916. Franklin Joseph Federspiel, the immediate subject of this review, was born at New Haven, this county, March 29, 1877, and he continued his studies in the parochial schools of St. John's Catholic church in that village until he had completed the curriculum thereof. In 1898 he established his residence in Fort Wayne, where he entered the employ of Francis X. Schuhler, who was here engaged in the insurance business and who had developed a substantial enterprise as representative of lead- ing fire, life and accident insurance companies. Upon the death of Mr. Schuhler, in 1906, Mr. Federspiel succeeded to the business, and he has since continued the same with unequivocal success, his clientage being of representative character and the business showing a constantly cumu- lative tendency under his vigorous and effective direction. He gives his political allegiance to the Democratic party, botlı he and his wife are zealous communicants of the parish of St. Patrick's Catholic church, and he is affiliated with the following named and representative organ- izations : The Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Knights of America, the Holy Name Society, the Catholic Benevolent League of Indiana, the French-American Society, the National Union and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. On September 10, 1901, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Federspiel to Miss Justina Poiry, daughter of Peter Poiry, who was for many years in the employ of the Pennsylvania Rail- road Company. Mr. and Mrs. Federspiel have six children, namely : Lucille, Florence, Genevieve, Dorothy, Virginia, and Frank Joseph, Jr.
Charles Feichter has proved himself possessed of that ambition and resourcefulness which make for success in every line of human endeavor and in his native county has found satisfaction and profit in his continued allegiance to the great basic industries of agriculture and stock-growing, of which he is one of the progressive and popular exponents in St. Joseph township, where his homestead farm is a well improved and productive place of forty acres. His parents-Jacob and Rachel Feichter-natives of Germany, may consistently be said to have been pioneers of Allen county, both having been young folks at the time of coming to the county and their marriage having here been solemnized. They established their home on a farm in Lafayette township and there passed the remainder of
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their earnest and useful lives, secure in the respect and good will of all who knew them. They became the parents of four children-Mary, Lydia, Jacob HI., and Charles. He whose name initiates this paragraph learned at first hand the mysteries and intricacies of agricultural in- dustry, for he was reared to the sturdy discipline of the farm and early gained abiding appreciation of the dignity and value of honest toil and endeavor, the while he profited also by the privileges of the local schools of his native township. In his maturer years he continued his farm operations in Lafayette township until 1914, when he removed to his present attractive farm in St. Joseph township, the same being eligibly situated about two and one-half miles distant from Fort Wayne and receiving service on rural mail route No. 14 from that city. In politics Mr. Feichter has always been arrayed in the ranks of the Democratic party, though he has neither desired or held public office; he is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows; and he and his wife are active members of the United Brethren church at Nine Mile. In 1897 Mr. Feichter wedded Miss Martha Milledge, daughter of Henry and Minnie (Smith) Milledge, who was born in Ohio and came from that state to Allen county many years ago. Of the ten children born to Mr. and Mrs. Feichter all are living except the youngest, Richard. The names of the other children are here noted in respective order of birth : Effie, Florence, Charles, Jr., Clarence, Clifford, Pearl, Homer, Ruth and Ver- donna.
John Ferguson, during his long residence in Fort Wayne, contributed largely and substantially to the welfare of the city, and his death April 9, 1917, was mourned by many who came within the scope of his interests as represented in the financial world and the social circle. Mr. Ferguson was eighty-three years of age at the time of his death, twenty-nine years of that period having been passed as a citizen of Fort Wayne. from the time of his final location here in 1888. Previous to this, however, be- ginning in 1855, he was a resident of Fort Wayne for a considerable period. John Ferguson was of Scotch-Irish parentage, born June 24, 1834, near Quebec, Canada. The father of Mr. Ferguson, who bore the same name is the son, was a native of Scotland, the place of his birth being Westfield, near Olloa, and the date, 1795. For sixteen years, be- ginning in 1816, the father followed the life of a sailor. About the year 1830, he came to Canada. Mary Orr, who became his wife, was born in County Armaugh, Ireland, in 1805; she had come to Canada about one year previous to the arrival of Mr. Ferguson. The elder Ferguson and his wife settled upon a farm and there remained until the time of their death. Mrs. Ferguson passed away, March 19, 1879, while her husband remained until February 20, 1883. Mr. Ferguson was a man of great energy and careful habits, and his rugged constitution knew no suffering until just before his death, at four score and eight years. To these par- ents were born eleven children. The son, John, subject of this memoir, remained on the farm until his twentieth year, when, in 1855, he came to Fort Wayne. Mr. Ferguson laid the foundation for his eminently suc- cessful business career during the early years of his residence in Fort Wayne, when he established a large lumber mill in Wells county. Dur- ing this priod, he secured many large lumber contracts for railroad con- struction throughout the middle west. After an absence from Fort Wayne of several years, attending to business matters in other portions of the country, Mr. Ferguson returned to this city, in 1888, and resided here continuously until the time of his death. Much of the output of
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Mr. Ferguson's lumber mills was shipped to Chicago. His enterprising spirit led him into other investments, many of which have developed into leading Fort Wayne institutions which have contributed materially to the progress of the city. In 1909, Mr. Ferguson established the Ferguson- Palmer Lumber Company, of Paducah, Kentucky. Many of his outside interests, however, were sold during recent years (in order that he might give more intimate attention to important affairs in his home city. Dur- ing the days of natural gas, Mr. Ferguson was a director of the Natural Gas Company, and for twelve years served as the president of the Bluffton Gravel Road Company. When the Citizens' Trust Company was or- ganized in Fort Wayne, Mr. Ferguson became the first president of that important financial institution. Upon the reorganization of the com- pany, in 1907, he assumed the duties of first vice-president and thus served to the time of his death. Mr. Ferguson's interests in local prop- erty were heavy, and he also possessed large tracts of land in Allen, Huntington, Wells and Marshall counties, Indiana, and Lucas county, Ohio. Mr. Ferguson was ever identified with the interests of the Repub- lican party of his county and state, and was a prominent figure in the local fraternal circles. He was actively identified in the Masonic order, being a thirty-second degree Mason, as well as a member of the Mystic Shrine. Ile was also a member of Harmony lodge, No. 19, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. For many years he was an active member of the First Baptist church. The marriage of Mr. Ferguson to Miss Eliza King was solemnized, November 19, 1861. Mrs. Ferguson was a native of Canada, born in 1837. The following children, born of this union, sur- vive: Mrs. Earl Palmer, of Memphis, Tennessee; Mrs. Lida Vernon, of Fort Wayne; and John King Ferguson and Mrs. Robert S. Robertson, of Paducah Kentucky. Mr. Ferguson was a man of excellent character and his death was a distinct loss to the financial and commercial inter- ests of the city, as well as to the community as a whole, as his charitable nature endeared him to a wide circle of true friends.
Edward L. Feustel has been a resident of Fort Wayne from the time of his birth and through his own ability and energy has here won advance- ment to a position of prominence and influence in connection with busi- ness affairs in general, as is evident when it is stated that he is manager of the Fort Wayne offices of the great national commercial agency of R. G. Dun & Company. As representative of this important concern he has shown marked executive ability and that discrimination which makes him capable of placing accurate estimates upon all lines of busi- ness enterprise, and he has assured position as one of the representative young business men of his native city, with a popularity that denotes the estimate placed upon him in his home community. Mr. Feustel was born in Fort Wayne on November 27, 1873, a son of August F. and Sophia D. (Kiefer) Feustel, the former of whom was born in the Kingdom of Saxony, Germany, and the latter in Adams county, Indiana. The father was a gardener by vocation and was long numbered among the sterling and honored citizens of Fort Wayne, where his death occurred November 3, 1893, his wife surviving him and being still a resident of this city. Of their children the eldest is Henry A., of Pittsburgh, Penn- sylvania, and the subject of this sketch was the next in order of birth; Adolph J. resides in the city of Detroit, Michigan; George O. is still a resident of Fort Wayne; Katharine C. is the wife of R. B. Garmire, of this city; Frederic F. maintains his home in Detroit, Michigan; Albert
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