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 80
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township. Cora B. married L. B. Lindsay, of Lakeside, Indiana. Levi lives in Milan township. Franklin and John have homes in Springfield township. Byron is a resident of Adams township and Walter lives in Harlan, Indiana. Theodore Thimlar, as the eldest son, carried some of the responsibility of carrying on the farming operations conducted by his father. He had a common school education, and when he was twenty- one years old he left home for the first time. He went to New York state and there was employed for a year on a hop farm. Returning to his home, he next ventured into Michigan, where he made his first acquain- tance with the lumber business. He spent a winter in the pine woods of that state, then famous for its lumber industries, and returning again to his native community, he bought a small tract of twenty-three acres of land in Milan township. This acreage formed the nucleus of his present fine place of about 460 acres, and for years he devoted himself almost exclusively to farming and its allied industries. He later identified himself with various lumber concerns, and at this time is a director in the New Haven Lumber Company & Green House and a part owner in the Monroeville Lumber Company. When the Peoples State Bank was organized he was one of the leading spirits in the enterprise and has from the beginning served as president of the institution and as a mem- ber of its directorate. Mr. Thimlar is a member of St. John's church (Roman Catholic) and is a Democrat in politics. He was married on May 29, 1882, to Henrietta, daughter of Bernard and Annie Barba, of Cedar Creek township, Allen county. Mr. and Mrs. Thimlar have the following named children : Wylie J., of Fort Wayne, Indiana; John, who is deceased; Almeda, of Fort Wayne; Hugh, living in Milan township; Cora, living at home; Cleatus, of Fort Wayne, Indiana; Barbara and Theodore living at home.
Barney Tibbet, whose death occurred August 23, 1912, about one month prior to the seventieth anniversary of his birth, had long been known and honored as one of the sterling citizens and representative farmers of Adams township and was a member of one of the pioneer families of Allen county, where he passed his entire life and where his character and achievement so marked him as worthy of the confidence of his fellow men that it is specially consistent that in this history be entered a tribute to his memory. Mr. Tibbet was born in Allen county on Septem- ber 28, 1842, and was a son of Herman and Adeline (Holtal) Tibbet, both of whom were born in the Kingdom of Hanover, Germany, and both of whom passed the closing period of their lives on their old homestead farm in Allen county, their names meriting high place on the roll of the honored pioneers of the county. Of their five children the subject of this memoir was the eldest, and all of the others are now deceased- Katherine, Mrs. Mary Brames, Rosa and Theodore. Barney Tibbet acquired his early education in the parochial school of St. Mary's Catho- lic church in Fort Wayne, and he thereafter remained with his parents on the old homestead farm until they were summoned to the life eternal. He assisted his father in the reclaiming of the farm, near New Haven, and had his full quota of pioneer experience. Mr. Tibbet found profit and satisfaction in his continued allegiance to the fundamental industries of agriculture and stock-raising and his widow and children still reside on the fine old homestead farm of eighty acres, in Section 11, Adams town- ship. Mr. Tibbet was a man of strong mentality, broad views and inde- fatigable industry. He accomplished much as one of the world's pro-
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ductive workers and in addition to his farm became the owner of a valuable business block in New Haven, this property having been sold since his death by his widow, who was made the executrix of the estate. Mr. Tibbet took a loyal interest in all things touching the communal welfare, was a Democrat in politics, and he served two terms as trustee of Adams township. At New Haven he was affiliated with the Catholic Knights of America and with St. John's Benevolent Society, and there also he was a zealous and honored communicant of St. John's Catholic church; in which his widow and children retain active membership. June 22, 1871, recorded the marriage of Mr. Tibbet to Miss Josephine Pripsing, whose death occurred February 19, 1888, the only child of this union having been Catherine, who died in infancy. On August 19, 1890, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Tibbet to Miss Caroline Reville, who was born and reared in this county, the date of her nativity having been May 16, 1866. Mrs. Tibbet is a daughter of Adolph and Mary (Cramer) Re- ville, the former of whom was born in France and the latter in Germany, the father having come to America in 1852 and the mother, as a child, in 1839. Mrs. Tibbet was the second in a family of eight children, and the names of the others are here recorded : Fannie, John, Mary, Ernest, Eli, Alice, and Frank. John and Eli are now deceased. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Tibbet, and the respective dates of birth, are: John J., September 28, 1891; Helena F. was born April 12, 1893, and died on February 11 of the following year; Clarence J., December 31, 1894; Aliee M., January 17, 1897; Anna J., March 17, 1899; Edwin F., June 6, 1901; and Eugene B. and Agnes C., twins, June 2, 1905. All of the surviving children remain with their mother on the old homestead and the family is one of prominence and popularity in the social life of the community.
Henry Till .- The fine farm home of Henry Till, long a resident of Washington township, is a splendid example of thrift and progressive- ness and a credit alike to its owner and to the community. Mr. Till has demonstrated the practical value of every modern method known to successful farming in this seetion of the country, and has been ready at all times to accept the new idea and discard the old one, when he had proven to his satisfaction that the newer idea had more to recom- mend it than did its predecessor. These taeties have won for him an unqualified success in his ehosen work, and his opinions are sought after by his fellow townsmen. Mr. Till was born on June 13, 1855, in Ohio, son of Nicholas and Catherine (Loss) Till, both of German birth and ancestry, who came to Ohio as young people, settling with their respective fam- ilies in Hocking county. They married there and continued to live in Hocking county, Ohio, until 1885, when they came to Allen county, Indiana, settled on a farm in Washington township, and there spent the remainder of their lives in farming activities. Their six children were Nicholas, Henry, Fred, Michael, George and Joseph. Henry Till had his schooling in Hocking county, Ohio, and when the family moved into Allen county, in 1883, he accompanied them and turned his atten- tion to farm work, in which he has ever since been actively engaged. Today Mr. Till is the owner of two hundred and twelve acres of valuable farm land in Washington township, and his place, as has already been stated, is a model of modern improvements, well tiled and fenced, and boasting fine and commodious barns and dwelling. Mr. Till was married on September 7, 1880, to Miss Mary Ellen Judy, daughter of Joseph and Catherine (Kinkler) Judy. The father was a native Pennsylvanian
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and the mother was born in Ohio and there reared. Joseph Judy came from Pennsylvania to Ohio, there met and married his wife, and there, in Hocking county, they spent their remaining years. They were the parents of eleven children, the first child being Mary Ellen, wife of the subject. The others were Frank, Louisa, John, Augustus, William, Charles, John, Victor, Thomas and Edward. It will be noted there are two named John. The first one died as a little child and another child was named for him in later years, who is also now deceased. William, Victor, Thomas and Edward are no longer living, and it is worthy of mention here that three of these died of smallpox in less than six weeks' time. To Mr. and Mrs. Till have been born ten children. They are Joseph, William, Michael, Nicholas, Leo, Thomas, Lawrence, John, Albert and Bertha. This is indeed a remarkable family, and it should be men- tioned that five of the sons-Joseph, Michael, Leo, Thomas and Lawrence -are members of the Knights of Columbus, all having membership in Council No. 451 at Fort Wayne. One son, William, died in 1908. The family are communicants of St. Vincent's Roman Catholic church.
Albert Tomkinson .- When Albert Tomkinson came from England to America and applied himself to his trade as a plumber, he was a young man just twenty-one years old. He located at Youngstown, Ohio, first, and after five years came to Fort Wayne, spending ten years as a journeyman plumber, and in 1897 was able to open a shop on his own responsibility. He has since continued to enjoy a favorable patronage in the city, where his ten years of actual experience demonstrated incon- trovertibly his native ability and his thorough understanding of his work. Mr. Tomkinson was born in England on December 10, 1861, a son of James and Mary (Leck) Tomkinson, both natives of England, where they passed their entire lives. The father was a prosperous contractor in brick and stone in his community. Their two sons came to America, in 1882, Leonard Tomkinson also being a resident of Fort Wayne, there engaged in business. Mr. Tomkinson has been established in Fort Wayne for the past twenty years, and conducts a thriving busi- ness in plumbing, heating and gas fitting, his establishment being one of the foremost of its kind in the city. On January 9, 1882, Mr. Tom- kinson was married to Miss Pemila Ann Gater, who like himself was of English origin. Nine children have come to them-five sons and four daughters. Mary is the wife of Stillman Brokaw, who is mentioned elsewhere in this work. Joseph J. lives in Fort Wayne. Elizabeth is the wife of Thomas Hart, of Fort Wayne. Albert and John are both residents of Fort Wayne. Pemila is the wife of Wade Verweire, of Fort Wayne, and the three youngest children-Phoebe, William and Martha- are still at home. Mr. Tomkinson is a Republican and a member of the Episcopal church, his family also having membership in that body, and he is a thirty-second degree Mason, a Shriner and a member of the Sons of St. George, the latter identifying him unmistakably with his British origin.
John H. Trautman is another of the native sons of Allen county who is here doing his part in upholding the high standard of agricul- tural and live-stock industry, his well-improved farm, comprising fifty acres, being eligibly situated in Section 32, Aboite township. His home- stead is about six miles distant from Roanoke, Huntington county, and from that village he receives service on rural mail route No. 4. Mr. Trautman was born in Fort Wayne, June 18, 1866, a son of Jacob and
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Elizabeth (Swartz) Trautman. Jacob Trautman was born and reared in Marion township, this county, where his parents settled in the early pioneer days, and as a youth he learned the trade of blacksmith, under the direction of his father, who was a skilled workman. For twelve years Jacob Trautman was employed as a skilled mechanic in the Fort Wayne shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and for the ensuing seven years he farmed on rented land. Finally he purchased a farm of eighty acres, in Aboite township, where he is now living in retirement and in the enjoyment of the rewards of former years of earnest endeavor. His devoted wife is still with him in gracious companionship that has covered a period of more than sixty years. Of their children the subject of this review is the eldest; Frederick and David are successful farmers in Aboite township; Miss Catherine is a dressmaker by vocation and now resides in the city of Springfield, Illinois; Charles has established a home in the state of Oklahoma; Jay is employed as a brakeman on the Pennsylvania Railroad; William is a resident of Oklahoma; and Harry and Mary remain at the parental home. John H. Trautman profited by the advantages afforded in the public schools and after his school days continued to assist in the work of the home farm for several years. Thereafter he was employed by the month at farm work until he went to Fort Wayne and gave his attention to learning the plasterer's trade. He did not long continue in the work of his trade, for in the late '80s he resumed his association with agricultural industry. He farmed on rented land several years and, in 1897, purchased his present farm, on which he has made good improvements and which he has brought up to a high state of productiveness. Like his father, he accords a staunch allegiance to the Democratic party and is always ready to do his part in the furtherance of those measures that tend to advance the civic and material welfare of the community. On March 20, 1890, Mr. Traut- man married Miss Lucy Jackson, who likewise was born and reared in this county and who is a daughter of the late John and Mary (Scher- rick) Jackson, the former a native of North Carolina and the latter of Ohio. John Jackson, who was a valiant soldier in his country's service, passed the major part of his life in Allen county, and here both he and his wife died. Of their children the eldest is John, who is residing on his farm in Lafayette township; Jacob is deceased; Peter is a resident of Fort Wayne; Hannah is the wife of Alfred Heckman, of Huntington county; Lydia is the wife of Henry Adams, of Sheldon, Allen county ; Thomas resides in Fort Wayne; and Lucy, wife of the subject of this review, is the youngest of the daughters. Mr. and Mrs. Trautman have but one child, a daughter, Fay, who is a member of the class of 1917 in the Roanoke high school.
John Trautman, who is now living retired in the city of Fort Wayne. is one of the well-known, venerable and honored citizens of the Allen county metropolis, which represented his home for many years and in which his activities in the past were of varied order, including effective and prolonged service as a member of the city police department. He was born in Stark county, Ohio, on October 23, 1835, and thus passed the age of four-score years, though his sturdy and vigorous life in the past has given him splendid vigor that is so pronounced that he has the appearance and vitality of a man many years his junior. Mr. Traut- man is a son of George and Mary M. (Lameron) Trautman, both of whom passed the closing years of their lives on their old homestead farm in
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Marion township, this county. George Trautman was born and reared in Baden, Germany, whence he immigrated to America in 1833. IIe estab- lished his residence in Stark county, Ohio, and there followed for a number of years the trade of blacksmith, which he had learned in his native land. After coming to Allen county, Indiana, he eventually became the owner of a farm of forty acres, in Marion township, and there passed the remainder of his long and useful life, his political support having been given to the Democratic party and both he and his wife having been members of the Lutheran church. Of their children the subject of this skecth is the first born, and the names of the others are here noted: Charles, Jacob, Peter, Henry, Casper, Frederick, Ed- ward, Alice, Sarah, Margaret and George. John Trautman was about one year old at the time of the family removal to this county and acquired his early education in the pioneer schools of Marion township, in the meanwhile assisting in his father's blacksmith shop. As a skilled work- man he was thereafter associated with his father in conducting the shop · and business, and later was employed six years as a blacksmith in the Fort Wayne shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad. For several years he was engaged in teaming and next became a member of the Fort Wayne police force, with which he continued his effective service for the long period of eighteen years. In 1905 Mr. Trautman bought in Fort Wayne a well-equipped sporting goods store, to which he gave the name of The Emporium, and this he successfully conducted until 1914, since which time he has lived in well-earned retirement, his pleasant home, a property owned by him, being at 414 East Wayne street. As a city officer in the police department Mr. Trautman naturally took deep interest in municipal affairs and has always given unqualified allegiance to the Democratic party, in behalf of whose cause he has given effective service. October 8, 1864, recorded the marriage of Mr. Trautman to Miss Mary Gutermuth, daughter of the late George Gutermuth, who was a native of Germany and who became one of the sterling pioneers of Allen county, Indiana, where he established his home in 1836 and where he and his wife, Gertrude, passed the residue of their lives. To Mr. and Mrs. Trautman have been born ten children, namely : George, Emma, Henry, Louisa, Jacob, John, Jr., Sarah, Mary, Samuel and Rebecca. Mr. Trautman has lived a vigorous, upright and useful life and in the gracious evening of his days is enjoying the rewards for former endeav- ors, the while his circle of friends is limited only by that of his acquaint- ances.
Dayton S. Trease .- Dayton S. Trease was born in Cedar Creek town- ship, Allen county, Indiana, November 3, 1859, son of George W. and Rosanna (Macafee) Trease, both native-born Pennsylvanians. George Trease came to Ohio with his parents as a boy, and later, in 1845, settled in Cedar Creek township, the parents both dying there well advanced in years. He married and reared a family of eight children-Mary, James, John, Elsie, Minnie, Margaret, Alice and Dayton S. Mary, John and Margaret are deceased. Dayton S. Trease had his education in the common schools of Cedar Creek township, and early identified himself with farm life, in which he is still actively engaged. He is owner of fifty-two and a half acres of land in St. Joseph township and has an interest in one hundred and thirteen acres of the undivided estate of his father, in Cedar Creek township. Mr. Trease has a well-improved farm, reflecting no little credit upon his energy and good management,
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and his new and modern home is one of the finest in the township. He was married on February 14, 1883, to Harriet Tonkel, daughter of Henry and Frances (Cuttet) Tonkel, both born in France, and settlers in Stark county, Ohio, in early youth. They located in Cedar Creek township, in 1862, and there spent the closing years of their lives. They had ten children-Louis, Joseph, August, Hattie, Mary, Josephine, Henry, George, Frank and William, all living but Henry. Mr. and Mrs. Trease have no children.
Eugene G. Trenkley .- The late Eugene George Trenkley passed his entire life in Fort Wayne and from his youth until his death was here actively identified with the jewelry business, in which domain of enter- prise he may consistently be said to have grown up, for his father had long been proprietor of the well-equipped jewelry establishment to which he himself eventually fell heir, his early and practical experience in the business having admirably fortified him for the condueting of the same when he assumed control, and his record having been that of a successful and prosperous jeweler and representative business man of his native city. Mr. Trenkley was born in Fort Wayne, at 336 West Washington street, on October 27, 1874, and died at his pleasant home at 1224 Fairfield avenue, in April, 1915. He was a son of Celestine and Emily (Greve) Trenkley, the former of whom was born in Siemons- wold, in the historic Black Forest of Germany, and the latter was a native of Switzerland. Eugene George Trenkley was the third in a family of six children, the others being Edward, Theodore, Arthur, Clara and Edna. When the honored father passed from the stage of life's mortal endeavors none of the heirs seemed so well fitted to carry on the jewelry business as Eugene G., who had passed much time in the establishment and understood the business thoroughly. He admitted to partnership in the business Robert Koerber, and they successfully eon- tinued the business which had been established by Celestine Trenkley, the father, in the early '60s. When Eugene G. Trenkley died, in 1915, his widow came into possession of his share of the business, in which she has sinee continued her interest, as a principal in the incorporated firm of Trenkley & Koerber. Mr. Trenkley had a wide circle of friends in the business and social life of his native eity and was actively affiliated with the Fort Wayne Lodge of Elks. On November 29, 1913, was sol- emnized his marriage to Miss Emma A. Bulger, who likewise was born and reared in Fort Wayne and who is a daughter of Patrick J. and Mary Jane (Ryan) Bulger, the former born in County Carlow, the city of Dublin, Ireland, and the latter in Fort Wayne. Mr. Bulger for many years conducted one of the largest trucking lines in Fort Wayne and in this connection handled the wares of many of the leading business houses in the city. He died, November 9, 1914, his wife having passed away, June 15, 1898. Of their six children Mrs. Trenkley is the only one now living. The names of the deceased children were Charles J., Ida, Jolın, Nellie and George. Mr. and Mrs. Trenkley had no children.
George F. Trier may consistently be designated as a seion of one of the sterling pioneer families of Allen county and in the city of Fort Wayne has made for himself a place of prominence and influence both in business and social circles-in fact, his very vocation is one that touches most closely both the social and business affairs of the com- munity, as he has been actively associated with his wife in the develop- ment and upbuilding of a thoroughly metropolitan dancing academy that
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receives a representative supporting patronage and figures largely in the- social life of the city. George F. Trier was born at Fort Wayne on November 8, 1876, and has here continuously maintained his home save for a period of three years during which the family resided in Kansas, when he was a youth. In his native city his circle of friends is coinci- dent with that of his acquaintances and he is specially entitled to recog- nition in this publication. George Frederick Trier is a son of Henry and Wilhelmina (Meier) Trier, the former of whom was born in Allen county, Indiana, November 27, 1838, and the latter in Hessen-Cassel, Germany, their marriage having been solemnized, November 25, 1864. Mrs. Trier was left an orphan in her childhood and was fourteen years old when she came with friends to America, her home finally being established at Fort Wayne, where her marriage later occurred. Of the eight children the eldest is Sophie, who is the wife of Fred Ludwig, of Denver, Colorado; William F. resides at Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Anna remains at the old home in Fort Wayne; Frank and Theodore are de- ceased; George F., of this review, was the next in order of birth; Oscar is deceased; and Lula Louise is the wife of Richard Elke, of Chicago. He whose name introduces this article received his rudimentary educa- tion in the German Lutheran parochial school of Fort Wayne, in which city his father became a successful contractor and substantial citizen, and when he was thirteen years of age the family removed to Newton, Kansas, where he continued his studies in the public schools until his graduation in the high school. On returning with his parents to Fort Wayne he here entered the International Business College, in which he completed an effective course. At the age of eighteen years he became stenographer in the law office of J. B. Harper, with whom he remained about one year. He then became stenographer and bookkeeper for the National Telegraph Company and about a year later was advanced to the position of superintendent of the local office of this company. A year later there came to him further and well-merited preferment, in his advancement to the position of secretary and general manager of the company, with headquarters at Fort Wayne. He retained this office about five years and until the time when the company consolidated with the Home Telephone Company. He then accepted a position with the Delaware & Madison Counties Telephone Company, for which corpor- ation he was secretary and general manager about three years. . In the meanwhile he had formed the acquaintance of Miss Estella Mulqueen, who had established a private dancing school in which he was one of her first pupils. That he developed marked facility in the terpsichorean art is shown by the fact that his instructor soon retained him as her coadjutor in demonstration work, but the more gracious sequel of this alliance was the marriage of the two young people two years later. Mr. Trier thereupon turned his attention fully to the teaching of dancing and has become one of the successful and representative exponents of the art in the middle west. The history of the growth of his classes has been in pace with the general advancement of Fort Wayne. When he initiated his activities in this field a class was considered numerically strong if it had thirty members, but within the intervening seventeen years the popularity of the Trier school has been such that it has three times been necessary to seek larger quarters for the accommodation of the ever- increasing patronage. In 1911, to meet the demands placed upon his metropolitan school, Mr. Trier planned and erected the Minuet building,
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