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 79
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Fort Wayne, but the best years of his life were passed on his farm home, where he died in 1905, after several years of practical retirement from active work. He was twice married. His first wife was the mother of six children. Jennie lives in Lafayette township. Alfa is a resident of Nevada, Missouri. Amanda married Christian Ambler. Mary is the wife of Washington Bolinger, and Sarah and John are deceased. The second wife was Elizabeth Bowman, mother of the subject. Two children were born of this marriage-Elmer and Eli C., living in Fort Wayne. Elmer Stump had his education in the common schools of his community and in Mount Morris College, in Illinois. He prepared himself for the voca- tion of a teacher, but never applied himself to that work. He was a fireman in Gas City, Indiana, for two years and then entered the Hedge Tool Works of that city, where he was foreman for eleven years. Later he returned to his native community and rented a farm, still later buying a fifty-acre tract and engaging in stock-farming, in which he has been enjoying very favorable success. He has specialized in Durham cattle and his place is known for the cattle it produces. Mr. Stump has made many improvements on his farm since he became its owner and has justly earned the title of successful farmer in the years he has been occupied in his present work. He has various other interests in the township industries. Mr. Stump was married on April 7, 1889, to Miss Luly Morris, daughter of Thomas and Ellen Morris, who came from Ohio to Huntington county, Indiana, and were counted among the early settlers of that county. Mr. and Mrs. Stump have six children and five grand- children. Gussie, the first born, is the wife of Arby Brandstrator, of Abbott, Indiana. Orval and Otis, twins, are dead. Goldie married Earl Hefner, of Roanoke. Bertha and Harvey live at home. Gussia Brand- strator is the mother of Gussie, Olive, Alice, Alta and Elmer, Alice and Alta being twins. Goldie Hefner has one son, Carl. The family is one of the well established ones of the township and Mr. Stump is recognized as the successor of his esteemed father in those elements of better citizen- ship that were dominant characteristics in the make-up of that sturdy old settler.
John Suelzer, Jr., was born in Fort Wayne March 30, 1884, son of John and Catherine (Suelzer) Suelzer, both natives of Germany. The father was born in the vicinity of Cologne and came to America, in 1880, the mother following one year later. Mr. Suelzer was a carpenter by trade and came directly to Fort Wayne on arriving in America, engaging in general contracting, which business he has since carried on. Of the ten children born to these parents, all are still living. John, Jr., was educated in St. Peter's Parochial School and completed a commercial course there that fitted him for a position in the offices of the National Biscuit Company when he left school. His next work was with his father in the general contracting business and it was largely due to the son that the father joined him in the organization of an enterprise known as the Fort Wayne Builders' Supply Company. The business was organ- ized in 1904 and young Suelzer was installed as manager at its inception. In 1905 they found the business growing beyond their available capital, so they incorporated it, thus adding new capital to the enterprise. The Fort Wayne Builders' Supply Company began its business career with three city lots and a few small buildings. They have added to their holdings from year to year until they have at the present time almost two acres of ground space. Commencing with five employees, they now
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have thirty-five, and Mr. Suelzer feels justified in making the claim that their concern has made greater strides in advancement than any other similar establishment in the city. They handle a complete line of build- ing materials, excepting only hardware, glass and paints. Lumber, lime and cement make up a large part of their stock. They operate a planing mill and are prepared to get out anything and everything in woodwork, with special attention to architects' details. The growth of the firm speaks more convincingly of the character of the service this concern stands for than any words might convey. Mr. Suelzer was married on June 22, 1916, to Miss Marie Berghoff, native of Fort Wayne and daugh- ter of G. A. Berghoff, engaged in the soap manufacturing business here. They are members of the Roman Catholic church, and Mr. Suelzer is affiliated with the Knights of Columbus, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Commercial Club of Fort Wayne.
Eliza Ann Suter .- Particularly worthy of mention in a work de- voted to a record of the lives of the pioneers of the county is the name of Elizabeth Ann (Chaffner) Suter, who is a resident of Lafayette town- ship. She came to this part of the state when it required a courage amounting almost to heroism to take upon one's self the burden of life in a wilderness region, and she bore her full share in the arduous work of carving a home out of the forest and establishing the family name in the county. She was born in Stark county, Ohio, November 15, 1833, a daughter of Martin and Susan (Leece) Chaffner, who were native born Germans, coming to America in the early days when the sailing vessel was yet in vogue, and it is a noteworthy fact that they were ninety days making the trip. They settled in Stark county, Ohio, reared their family and there spent the remainder of their lives in comparative ease. Their daughter, Elizabeth Ann, married Jacob Suter, in 1862, and to- gether they came to Lafayette, Allen county, and applied themselves with all of courage and fortitude to their self-imposed task of making a home in a new country. They knew all the rigors of life in the wilder- ness, but many joys were theirs that later generations may not know. They gradually improved their land until it was one of the fine homes in the township and the land that was theirs for the taking then has come to have a market value they would not have guessed in the wildest flights of imagination. They were the parents of six children. Mary is the wife of William Feightner, of Lafayette township. Daniel is on the old home place. Emma is deceased. Elizabeth is the wife of Charles Smith, living in Lafayette township. Catherine married James Malon and Jennie is deceased. There are eleven grandchildren. Mary, the eldest daughter, is the mother of Anna, Charlie, Margaretta, Adda, Sadie and Russell, and Catherine, the youngest living child of the subject, is the mother of Clara, Ethel, Ralph, Clarence and Jennie, all living but the last named, who died in infancy. Three great-grandchildren should also be mentioned. They are Eveline, the daughter of Charles Feightner ; Selda, the daughter of Margaretta, and Virgil, the son of Adda, all the grandchildren of Mary (Suter) Feightner. Mrs. Suter is living on the old home place at the advanced age of eighty-four years, and is one of the honored residents of the community she has so long called home. She is loved of all who know her and the record of her years of labor in the village she helped to make will go down in the hearts of many who knew her as well as on printed page.
PUBLIC LIBRENI
ASTOR, LENOX TILDEN FOUNDATION
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Edward Swank, born in Pleasant township, Allen county, January 16, 1879, is a son of David and Anna (Stanton) Swank, who were native Ohioans. The father was of German descent but the mother came of Scotch and English parents. Mr. and Mrs. Swank came to Allen county in the late forties and settled on a farm of eighty acres, on which they have lived down to the present time, with exception of a period of about five years. Mr. Swank is a Democrat and was township assessor for twenty-five years, an office he filled with much satisfaction to his fellow townspeople. They were the parents of ten children. Irvin, the eldest, is a resident of Chicago. M. lives in Wallin, Indiana. Alonzo is a resident of Houston, Texas. Mason lives in Pleasant township. Thomas is a farmer in Sheldon. Stephen is in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Wesley lives in Sheldon, Indiana. Edward, the subject, is the eighth child. Flora is the wife of Stephen Kenert, of Fort Wayne. Grover is also a resident of Fort Wayne. Edward Swank had his education in the Pleasant township schools and never left the home farm. He has done his full share in building up the place and bringing it to its present state of productiveness and prosperity and has manifested the traits of a natural farmer. He is a Democrat and a man of influence in his com- munity. He was married on November 26, 1902, to Miss Louisa Madden, the daughter of Dennis and Mary Madden, of Wallen, Allen county, both of whom are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Swank have three children-Leslie, Howard and Helen, all at home.
Thomas W. Swinney .- The time shall not come when Allen county and the city of Fort Wayne can justly fail to pay a tribute of honor to the sterling pioneer to whom this brief memoir is dedicated and whose name is perpetuated, whose civic loyalty and generosity given enduring distinction in the beautiful Swinney Park, which was by him presented to Fort Wayne and which has been developed into one of the finest constituent portions of the park system of the Allen county metropolis and judicial center. This park passes into the full possession of the city upon the death of Misses Caroline and Frances E. Swinney, daugh- ters of the honored pioneer to whom this tribute is dedicated, they having continued to reside in the attractive old homestead in Fort Wayne for the long period of seventy years, and the only other surviving child being Margaret, who likewise maintains her residence in Fort Wayne. Thomas W. Swinney was born at Piketon, Pike county, Ohio, on November 3, 1803, less than one year after the admission of Ohio as one of the sover- eign states of the Union, and his parents were numbered among the earliest settlers of Pike county, where he himself was reared to man- hood under the conditions and influences that marked pioneer life on the frontier. Mr. Swinney made good use of such educational advantages as time and place afforded and through self-discipline developed his strong mentality as well as the sturdy physical powers that admirably equipped him for the labors and responsibilities of a pioneer in Indiana, where he established his home within the first decade after the admission of the state to the Union. At some time between the years 1820 and 1824 Mr. Swinney came to Fort Wayne, which was then represented princi- pally by the old frontier fort, around which had been developed a little settlement. He purchased a considerable body of wild land in Allen county and was one of the earliest and most successful exponents of agricultural industry in this section of the state. With the passing of the years and the rapid settlement and development of the county herc-
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abouts, his land holdings greatly appreciated in value and he became one of the substantial men and influential citizens of Allen county, the closing years of his life having been passed in the old homestead now occupied by his two daughters, in Fort Wayne, and the place being one of the veritable landmarks of the city. Mr. Swinney passed from the stage of life's mortal endeavors on January 20, 1875, and his loved and devoted wife was summoned to eternal rest on May 20, 1860. He was a staunch advocate of the cause of the Republican party, with which he aligned himself at the time of its organization, and served for some time as justice of the peace, as did he also in the office of overseer of the poor. In December, 1827, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Swinney to Miss Lucy Taber, daughter of Paul Taber, one of the prom- inent and honored pioneer citizens of Fort Wayne. Of the children of this union three are living, Margaret, Caroline and Frances E., the latter two, as previously stated, remaining in the old homestead which has been their place of abode for three score years and ten and which is endeared to them by the hallowed memories and associations of the past. They keep in touch with modern sentiment and progress, but find solace and compensation in holding themselves aside from the "mad- ding crowd's ignoble strife." By the provisions made by their father in the connection they retain until death a vested interest in the beau- tiful Swinney Park, which thereafter is to pass into the absolute control of the city.
Robert S. Taylor .- Recognized and honored as the dean of the bar of Allen county, Judge Robert Stewart Taylor enjoys the respect of countless friends who, in his later years, exhibit in every way their appreciation of his value as a citizen and a lawyer. He was born near the city of Chillicothe, Ross county, Ohio, on May 22, 1838, son of Rev. Isaac N. and Margaretta (Stewart) Taylor, The father was a Pres- byterian minister, a pioneer of his church in western Ohio and one who was located in turn at Celina and St. Mary's, Ohio, before removing, in 1844, with his family to Jay county, Indiana. The mother of Judge Taylor was born February 14, 1818, and died February 14, 1889. Rev. Isaac N. and Margaretta (Stewart) Taylor were the parents of eight children-Robert S., Esther C., William J., Sophia, Isaac N., Jr., Samuel R., John W. and Bertha. The father, after locating in Indiana, founded a school known as Liber College, near Portland, and in this well-con- ducted institution many young men of that section of the state received valuable instruction from the father of Judge Taylor. The latter here obtained the excellent preliminary training which naturally followed the instruction he received in the common schools. He was graduated in Liber College in the spring of 1858. Within a few minutes thereafter was solemnized his marriage to Miss Fanny W. Wright, of Randolph county, a young woman whose charming traits of character developed and ripened with the succeeding years; her death occurred in Fort Wayne, in 1913. Judge Taylor commenced the reading of law under the preceptorship of Judge Jacob M. Haynes, of Portland. In November, 1859, Judge and Mrs. Taylor removed to Fort Wayne, and here he con- tinued his law studies, besides spending a portion of his time in teaching school. In November, 1860, he became a clerk in the office of Judge Lindley M. Ninde, a prominent member of the Allen county bar. Two years later the partnership of Ninde & Taylor was formed. In 1866 Colonel Robert S. Robertson became a member of the firm, and for
RS, Taylor
ASTOP, LENO 'TILDEN FOUNDNOKF
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six years it was one of the most prominent and influential in northern Indiana. In 1868, upon the establishment of the criminal court in Fort Wayne, Judge Taylor was appointed its first prosecuting attorney. In this same year the firm of Ninde, Taylor & Robertson was dissolved and Judge Taylor was appointed judge of the court of common pleas, which position he held until the following election, when he was chosen to represent Allen county in the Indiana general assembly. While a member of this body he introduced the bill that made possible the street car system of Fort Wayne. In 1874 he was the Republican candidate for Congress in the Twelfth congressional district, his opponent being Hol- man H. Hamilton. In 1880 he was again the candidate of his party for congressional honors, in opposition to Walpole G. Colerick. Both times he met defeat, but the normal Democratic majority was so greatly reduced as to indicate clearly his wide popularity. Judge Taylor has ever been recognized as a leader of his party in Indiana. A ready writer, clear in diction and forceful in logic, he speaks with influence upon any subject to which he gives his thoughtful attention. In March, 1881, Judge Taylor was appointed by President Garfield a member of the important Mississippi River Commission, to succeed Benjamin Har- rison, and this position he held through successive presidential appoint- ments for more than thirty years, his service having continued until March 10, 1913. Since 1883 Judge Taylor has devoted his attention to patent law. He is a Presbyterian, a member of the Commercial Club, and affiliated with organizations of various kinds which value highly his connection and his ever-ready assistance. The only child born to Judge and Mrs. Taylor is Frank B. Taylor, who was born, Novem- ber 23, 1860. He is a geologist whose capabilities have been repeatedly recognized by the United States and Canadian governments. He is an authority on the post-glacial geology of the Great Lakes region.
Rev. Charles Thiele, rector of St. Peter's church at Fort Wayne, was born June 22, 1863, at Leer, Oestfriesland, Hanover, Germany. At the age of three years he came with his parents to Baltimore, Maryland. A few years later they moved to Goshen, Indiana, where he spent his boyhood and received his early education. In 1879 he began a classical course at Notre Dame University, after which he was sent to St. Francis' Seminary at Milwaukee for his philosophical and theological courses. He was ordained priest by Bishop Dwenger in the Cathedral at Fort Wayne, June 29, 1888. In July he was appointed pastor at Monterey, remaining until August, 1898, when he was transferred to Sacred Heart church, at Whiting. June 7, 1905, he was named irremovable rector at St. Peter's church at Fort Wayne.
J. Gottlieb Thieme, vice-president and manager of the Thieme Broth- ers Company, was born in Fort Wayne on December 25, 1862, a son of Frederick J. Thieme, who was one of the old and honored citizens of Allen county at the time of his death. Mr. Thieme gained his early education in the parochial and public schools and supplemented this by a course in Concordia College. As a youth he learned the tailor's trade, to which he gave his attention about six years. He thereafter was associated with his brother, John A., in the conducting of a merchant tailor business, at 118 West Berry street, until 1907, when he assumed full control of the enterprise. In 1909 he sold the business and became one of the interested principals in the Thieme Brothers Company, man- ufacturers of silk hosiery, of which he is now vice-president and man-
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ager. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party and he is known as one of the liberal and progressive citizens and repre- sentative business men of his native city. He holds membership in the Fort Wayne Commercial and Country Clubs, is affiliated with the various York and Scottish Rite bodies of the Masonic fraternity, as well as the Mystic Shrine, and both he and his wife are communicants of Trinity Lutheran church. On June 14, 1898, Mr. Thieme wedded Miss Mary Adams, daughter of Morgan O. Adams, of Yellow Springs, Ohio, and the two children of this union are Morgan and Virginia.
Theodore F. Thieme .- In every progressive city of America a lim- ited number of men are pointed out as the leaders of the public thought in their community. Theodore F. Thieme is one of these, and to his untiring efforts to make Fort Wayne a better and more representative city of America we owe much of the present position of Fort Wayne among the municipalities of the middle west. As the man who believed that Fort Wayne could become the seat of a great knitting factory and who, through his integrity, his energy and his courage, as well as through his initiative and executive ability, made the dream a glorious reality, he has the satisfaction of knowing that today the products of the Wayne Knitting Mills, of which he was the founder and is the president and general manager, are known throughout America. Mr. Thieme was born in Fort Wayne, on February 7, 1857, a son of Fred- crick J. and Clara Thieme, both of whom are deceased. The father was for many years a prominent clothing merchant and influential cit- izen. Theodore F. Thieme gained his early educational discipline in the public schools of Fort Wayne and in Concordia College of this city. Upon leaving school he determined upon a commercial career and decided to take up the study of pharmacy, with the result that he went to New York and entered upon a course of study in the New York College of Pharmacy, in which institution he was graduated as a member of the class of 1876. He engaged in business in New York city for a time and then came back to Fort Wayne, where he opened a drug store which became one of the leading retail establishments of the city. Even at this early period in his career Mr. Thieme was a deep student of large affairs and in 1889 sold his drug business in order to go to Europe to investigate several lines of manufacture that were influenced by the application of the Mckinley tariff law. In Chemnitz, Germany, he became deeply interested in the knitting industry and here spent an entire winter investigating the business, with a view to the establishing of knitting mills in his home city. He was thoroughly convinced that the project could be carried to a successful conclusion, and so, upon his return, succeeded in interesting a sufficient number of citizens to organize the Wayne Knitting Mills, with a capital of thirty thousand dollars. Returning to Germany, Mr. Thieme purchased machinery with which to equip the mills and brought back a number of skilled knitters to operate the machines and to serve as instructors to others who would join them. The business was started in a small way, in rented quarters at the northeast corner of Clinton and Main streets. The chief difficulties to be overcome at the beginning were the opposition of foreign manufac- turers and the ever-present stumbling block of local prejudice. How- ever, dealers were finally convinced of the superiority of the Wayne Knit hosiery, and in 1892 the company built and equipped its first mill. From that time until today the plant has gradually been enlarged until
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its various departments now utilize 403,859 square feet of space. Fort Wayne has proved to be an excellent place of location for these mills and, fortunately, here has been found a class of workmen who appre- ciate the fact that the employer has their every interest at heart. This was early manifested when the company established a profit-sharing plan and every modern provision that bespeaks co-operation and fellowship. In 1910 the company established the Wayne Knit clubhouse, at a cost of fifty thousand dollars, in order to provide for its employes every social advantage as well as the means of athletic exercise. The building con- tains commodious dining-rooms, a lecture room with stage for dramatic and other entertainments, and various clubs and organizations composed of the employes of the mills use the clubhouse as a community center. Its influence has induced other Fort Wayne manufacturers to give deeper thought to the welfare of their employes. In 1909 Mr. Thieme took up, in a thoroughly businesslike way, the question of better city government. While on a trip to Europe he gave much time and thought to the methods followed by European cities in the attainment of objects which are not often found in American cities. Combining the result of his investigations with much that he had learned from the foremost students of this subject, Mr. Thieme has exerted a wide influence throughout the state of Indiana in bringing about improved conditions in the cities of Hoosierdom. He prepared the so-called "business sys- tem of city government" charter, modeled after the well-known plan in use in all progressive European countries. He was the organizer and is at present (1917) the chairman of the Citizens' League of Indiana, which was foremost in the fight for a new state constitution, home rule for cities, taxation reforms and other fundamental measures in the inter- est of modern economical government. Mr. Thieme is a director and officer in a number of leading industries, banks and trust companies, and while he has never held public office and is not engaged in partisan politics nevertheless takes an active interest in public affairs and espe- cially in all political reforms. In 1894 Mr. Thieme wedded Miss Bessie Loring, of Boston, and they have one son, Wayne Thieme. The town house of the family is situated at West Berry and Rockhill streets, and the country home, southwest of the city, on the Covington road, is one of the handsomest rural estates of this community.
Theodore Thimlar .- One of the prosperous and prominent men of New Haven is Theodore Thimlar, director of the State Bank, retired farmer of Milan township, and prominently connected with a number of the leading lumber concerns in this part of the state. Mr. Thimlar was born in Milan township, Allen county, on September 6, 1856, and his parents were John and Annie Thimlar, both natives of Berlin, Germany. They came to America after their marriage and located in Salem, Ohio, where the father was identified with farming operations. In 1854 they came to Milan township, bought a farm and in connection with agricul- tural activities, Mr. Thimlar devoted some time to his trade as a stone- mason. He prospered and was able to retire from active work some ten years before his death. He was a Democrat and a member of the German Lutheran church, and for a number of years was a member of the Board of Supervisers for his township. Nine children were born to these peo- ple. Theodore, whose name heads this brief family sketch, was the first born. Then came Charles, a resident of Milan township and a prominent man of his community. Adeline is the wife of Daniel Stauffer, of Milan
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