USA > Indiana > Allen County > Fort Wayne > Valley of the upper Maumee River, with historical account of Allen County and the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Volume II > Part 15
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The first president of the company named was that well-known and enterprising citizen, Fred. C. Boltz. In the year 1849, being at that time one year old, Mr. Boltz was brought here by his parents from his native town of Saarbruken, Prussia. He was brought up in this city, and enjoyed the advantages of the public schools. He engaged in busi- ness in 1864 at the age of sixteen years, and has been identified with different business interests ever since. In 1864 he engaged in the manu- facture of cigars, and at present is one of the prosperous men in that branch of business, operating factory No. 201, which produces several
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brands of fine cigars, the most popular being the " B. & O.," and " Fuss." In 1886 Mr. Boltz became a stockholder in the Anthony Wayne manu- facturing company, being one of the organizers, and served as president until 1887, when he resigned, but still holds a directorship. He is also a member of the contracting firm of Boltz & Dehrheimer. From May, 188r, until 1835, he served as a member of the city council. He has been a member of the Masonic fraternity since 1869. Mr. Boltz was married October 8, 1871, to Miss Catherine Best, of New York city. Mr. Boltz's father is yet a resident of this city, but his mother died in 1876.
The Hoosier manufacturing company, A. S. Evans, president, is a well-known establishment. The superintendency of the factory of this company is in the hands of William A. Thomas, a capable business man. He began mercantile life in 1873, in the retail clothing trade at Addison, Ohio. This he sold out in 1880, and in ISSI he came to Fort Wayne, and here was first engaged as assistant bookkeeper for Evans, McDon- ald & Co., wholesale dry goods merchants. Soon after the incorpora- tion of the Hoosier manufacturing company he was intrusted with the position of bookkeeper, and since January, 1887, has occupied his pres- ent position. Mr. Thomas was born in Champaign county, Ohio, Sep- tember 2, 1851, son of John H. and Elizabeth Thomas. The mother was a native of that county, the father of Rockbridge county, Va. Mr. . Thomas attended the district school, and at sixteen entered Denison University at Granville, Ohio, whence he graduated in 1872. He was married June 24, 1874, to Mary F., daughter of Capt. Nathan McCon- key, late of Springfield, Ohio. She was born in Clark county of that state. They are the parents of two children, Ross and Stella, both liv- ing. Mr. Thomas and wife are devoted members of the First Baptist church. He has been a Mason since the night of his twenty-first birth- day, and has attained the rank of thirty-second degree; he is also a member of the Knights of Pythias.
John Rhinesmith, senior member of the well-known lumber firm of Rhinesmith & Simonson, was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, in 1832. His father, George Rhinesmith, was born in Pennsylvania, moved to Ohio when a young man, and after working as a farm laborer about six months, bought land and began its cultivation, continuing as a farmer until his death in 1859. His wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Earle, is a native of Ohio. She removed to Fort Wayne in 1862, and now resides at the home of her son John, in her eighty-second year., John Rhinesmith, after leaving school, clerked for a few years, and in 1885 came to Fort Wayne and entered the employment of a produce dealer. Subsequent to 1861 he was a messenger for a few years for the American Express company, and in 1865 he engaged in the lumber business in partnership with John H. Clark. The firm was incorporated as the Clark & Rhinesmith lumber company in 1872, and was suc- . ceeded in 1877 by the firm of Rhinesmith & Simonson, J. H. Simonson being the partner. The business of this concern has become very exten-
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sive and successful, having increased from a capital of about $33,000 to over $60,000, and the average annual business is now $200,000. The product is sash, doors and blinds, and they do all kinds of factory work, employing between fifty and sixty-five men, and also deal in lumber. Mr. Rhinesmith is also president of the Anthony Wayne manufacturing company, in which he owns a one-fourth interest, and is one of the prom- inent men of the city.
James H. Simonson, member of the firm of Rhinesmith & Simonson, and secretary and treasurer of the Anthony Wayne manufacturing com- pany, was born at Peeksville, N. Y., in 1838, the son of Isaac and Abby J. (Mosher) Simonson. The father was a contractor of considerable note, and with others built the palace of General Bolivar, at Bogota, S. A. He was one of an old Dutch family whose ancestors came to New York in 1643. He died in 1857, and the mother, who is a descend- ant of an English family that landed on Block Island in 1736, is now a resident of New York. In that city James H. was raised and educated in the city schools. He was holding a position as bookkeeper in a machine shop at New York, at the outbreak of the civil war, when, being a member of the famous seventh regiment, he went with that regiment to the capital at the call of President Lincoln. As soon as relieved from guard duty Mr. Simonson returned to New York, and in 1862 removed to Pittsburgh and entered the employment of the Penn- sylvania company. In 1864 he removed to Fort Wayne, where, until 1867, he was cashier in the freight depot of the Pittsburgh railroad. Resigning his position he entered the employment of Clark & Rhine- smith, and upon the organization of the Clark & Rhinesmith lumber company, in 1872, he became a stockholder and director. Subsequently he and Mr. Rhinesmith succeeded to the business. He is also a fourth owner in the Anthony Wayne manufacturing company. Mr. Simonson was one of the projectors of the Masonic temple, and upon the com- pletion of the opera-house portion in 1885 he was appointed manager of the same, a position he still holds. Mr. Simonson's genial and happy nature has gained him many warm friends, and he is one of the popular men of city. In 1887 he was the republican candidate for mayor, but though making a gallant contest was unable to overcome the adverse majority. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, of the rank of Knight Templar.
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Among the careful and trustworthy foreman of the manufactories of the city, William C. Pape, of the Rhinesmith & Simonson factory, should be creditably named. Though a young man, he was given in 1885, a foremanship at the Peters box and lumber company's works, which he held until 1887, when he accepted his present position with one of the leading firms in wooden manufacture. Mr. Pape was born at this city, May 2, 1863, son of Charles and Minnie (Bearman) Pape. He was educated at the German Lutheran schools, and August 31, 1884, was married to Carrie Paul, a native of Ohio. They have one child, Roy. Mr. Pape is a member of one of the prominent families of the city, and
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is highly esteemed. He and wife are members of the Lutheran church, and he is politically a democrat.
Louis Diether, senior membr of the firm of Louis Diether & Bro., manufacturers of sash, doors and blinds and mouldings, and dealers in lumber, is one of the notably successful manufacturers of the city of Fort Wayne. His parents, Charles F. and Barbara Diether, natives of Germany, were married in New York city and came to Indiana in 1850 to seek a place to plant their home in the new land. They located in this city in 1850, and here in the same year, their son Louis was born. The mother died at Fort Wayne in 1885. Louis was educated in the city schools, and at the age of twenty years, engaged in the hardware business at Mendon, Mich. He returned to Fort Wayne, however, in July of the same year, and took a position as book-keeper for the firm of Cochrane & Humphrey, one of the oldest lumber firms of the city. He was subsequently with Nuttman & Taylor three years, and was book- keeper for Meyer Bros., wholesale druggists, five years. Afterward he embarked in the lumber business, succeeding the firm of Cochrane & Humphrey. In May, 1887, and on January 1, 1888, the firm of Diether & Bro. was formed by the admission of his brother John to a partner- ship. The firm ranks with those which do the largest business in the city, and employ an average of thirty-eight men. In addition to their manufactures, which include all kinds of factory work, they deal exten- sively in rough and dressed lumber and shingles. Their factory, at 100 Pearl street, is one of the prominent concerns of the city, and their lum- ber yards are located on Superior street.
John H. Diether, junior member of the firm of Louis Diether & Bro., above referred to, was born in this city, January 3, 1852, the son of Charles F. and Barbara Diether. At the age of eighteen years he set out to learn the trade of harness making, and two years later, became a member of the firin of F. Hilt & Co., manufacturers and dealers in sad- dles and harness, and was so engaged for twelve years, selling out his interest at the end of that period. In January, 1888, he formed the present partnership with his brother Louis. For a time he took charge of the lumber yards of the firm on Superior street, but at present has the management of the manufactory on Pearl street. Mr. Diether was mar- ried April 27, 1882, to Malana McIlvaine, of Fort Wayne, who was born in New York city in 1862. They have three children.
John B. Monning, the eldest of five children of the late Hon. Henry Monning, an account of whose life appears in another portion of this work, was born at Cincinnati, Ohio, May 2, 1852. In the fall of the same year his parents began their residence at Fort Wayne, so that the life of the subject of this mention has been almost entirely spent in this city. In the Catholic schools of the city, as he grew in years, he received a good and comprehensive education. When sixteen years old he became deputy county treasurer, serving under his father, then county treasurer, and after his father's retirement from office, for one year with his successor. During this period his father and A.
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C. Trentman had established a coffee and spice mill, and John B. Monning engaged in this in 1874, and in 1881, under the firm name of J. B. Monning & Co., began the business of flour milling, at which he is still engaged. His business sagacity and enterprise, joined with that honor and integrity which characterizes his undertakings in all chan- nels of activity, have made him a highly successful man, and one who ranks among the leading citizens of Fort Wayne. He is prominent in the affairs of the city, and being a leader among those who delight in advancing the interests of the whole community, has been secretary of the business men's association since its organization. Mr. Monning was married in 1876, to Mary Luhn, who was born in Cincinnati, March 2, 1852, and their union has been blessed with four children: Mary, Agnes, Anna and John. Mr. Monning and wife are members of the Catholic church, and he is active in the interests of the order known as the Catho- lic Knights of America. In politics Mr. Monning is a democrat.
John Ferguson, prominent among the leading manufacturers and lumbermen of Fort Wayne, was born near Quebec, June 24, 1834. His father, John Ferguson, a native of Scotland, was born at Westfield, near Alloa, in 1795, and in 1816 went to sea, and for sixteen years continued the life of a sailor. About 1830 emigrated and settled in Canada. Mary Orr, who became his wife, was born in County Armaugh, Ireland, in 1805, and had come to Canada, about 1829. She and her husband settled on a farm and they were occupied in its cultivation until their death. She died March 19, 1879, and his death followed, February 20, 1883. He was a man of great energy and careful habits, and his rugged constitution knew no suffering until just before his life went out at four score and eight years. To these parents were born eleven children, of whom seven survive. Their son,. John Ferguson, remained on the farm near Quebec until his twentieth year, when, in 1855, he came to Fort Wayne, which has since been his home. He engaged in the lumber business in 1861, and has ever since been successfully prosecuting that industry, having two large mills on the Fort Wayne & Muncie railroad, the product of which finds market principally in Chicago. His enter- prising spirit has led him into other investments for the advancement of the city, and he is a director of the Wayne natural gas company, and for twelve years has been president of the Bluffton gravel road company. Mr. Ferguson's interest in this city, is property valued at $30,000. He owns about 1,000 acres of mostly improved land in Allen, Huntington, Wells and Marshall counties, and also $11,000 worth of property in Lucas county, Ohio. Mr. Ferguson was married November 19, 1861, to Eliza King, a native of Canada, born in 1837, and they have five children as follows: Cora M., Fannie, now Mrs. Palmer, wife of Earl Palmer, who is now engaged in the lumber business with Mr. Ferguson, Eliza K., John K., and Minnie E. He is a prominent republican in politics, a member of Harmony lodge, No. 19, I. O. O. F., and with his family are members of the First Baptist church. Enterprise and energy are the crowning characteristics of his character.
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John Ferguson
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Louis Rastetter, who has had an honorable career in this city since September 27, 1857, came here at that date, expecting to find employ- ment as a machinist, a trade he had well learned in his native land, and had practiced in America since he landed in 1854, unaccompanied by any relatives, to search his fortune in a new land. He had been employed two years at Rochester, N. Y., and one year at Buffalo, before coming to Fort Wayne. Here he found work in the old Wabash shops. In November, 1859, he went to Germany to visit his parents, and returned in June, 1860, to resume his position in the shops. Marrying soon afterward, he set up a small machine shop of his own, which he conducted with considerable success until 1870, when he sold his busi- ness and took the position of master-mechanic of the wheel works of N. G. Olds. Here he remained until the fall of 1876, when, with two associates, he went to Lima, Ohio, and they established a factory for the production of hubs, spokes and buggy bows, under the name of the Lima wheel company. At the end of four years and a half he sold to his partners and established his present factory at Fort Wayne, which was removed to the site now occupied on the corner of Broadway and the Pittsburgh railroad in the fall of 1881. This, the Fort Wayne buggy bow works, is one of the important manufactories of the city, and in its management Mr. Rastetter displays notable ability. Mr. Rastetter was born in Baden, Germany, May 31, 1834, the son of Andrew and Anna Mary (Sutter ) Rastetter. He was educated for a teacher by his parents, but his inclinations led him to learn the machinist's trade. He was mar- ried August 4, 1860, to Elizabeth Hauenstein, who was born in Fort Wayne, March 27, 1841, daughter of John and Anna Mary Hauenstein, natives of Switzerland. Mr. Rastetter and wife have had seven chil- dren, of whom four are living: William C., Helen, Charles and Mary. Mr. Rastetter is a member of the I. O. O. F.
John Lillie, one of the prominent manufacturers and business men of Fort Wayne, was born in Scotland, September 12, 1847, the son of John and Jane (Fowler) Lillie. The parents were natives of Scotland, the father born October 16, 1819, the mother about 1821. The family came to the United States in June, 1850, and settled at Fort Wayne. The mother died at Wells county, this state, in 1852. In 1856 the father en- gaged in the lime and stone business at Fort Wayne, and in 1875 removed to Columbus, Ohio, where he died May 21, 1885. John Lillie is the second of five children of these parents, of whom three are now living. He received a common school education. In 1872 he became a member of the firm of James Lillie & Co., and in 1883 became sole proprietor. In January, 1884, he admitted Charles A. Munson as a partner in the manufacture of Huntington lime, with their works located at Lillie, Huntington county. The firm also deals in cement, plaster, sewer pipe, etc., and does a large business. Mr. Lillie is a valued citizen, is a repre- sentative business man, and is widely known as one of the most promi- nent Masons of Indiana. He has attained the thirty-second degree, is past eminent commander, Knights Templar, has been grand secretary of
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the grand lodge of Perfection, A. A. S. R., at Fort Wayne, since its organization March 12, 1887, and is one of the trustees of the Masonic Temple. His prominence in these fraternal connections is a valuable testimonial to his fine social qualities and worth as a man. The esteem in which he is held by those who know him best is shown by his having been elected repeatedly to represent his ward in the city council, though he is a firm republican, and his is the leading democratic ward in the city. Mr. Lillie was married March 9, 1871, to Kate Williams, of this city, who was born in Canada in 1851.
William Ranke, of the firm of Ranke & Yergens, manufacturers, was born in Prussia, September 16, 1838. In 1854, he immigrated and landing at Baltimore, proceeded to Cincinnati, where resided two years. In 1856 he came to Fort Wayne, where he engaged three years later, in the bakery business. After a career of seven years in this line of trade, he formed a partnership with William Yergens in a saw-mill, which they managed until 1871, when they engaged in the manufacture of staves and heading, to which products were added buggy bows, in 1889. Their factory is one of the extensive establishments of the city, employing forty-five to fifty men. The product, which annually amounts to $75,000 to $100,000, is shipped to St. Louis, Cincinnati, Louisville, Boston, Buffalo and other points. The manufactory is situated between Ewing and Griffith streets, fronting on Superior, and extending to the tracks of the "Nickle Plate " railroad. Mr. Ranke was married April 19, 1863, to Sophia Jacobs, a native of Germany, who was born Febru- ary 18, 1845, and came to America with her parents in the August fol- lowing. She is the daughter of Frederick Jacobs, a painter by trade, who was one of the pioneers of this city, and died in August, 1879. In the same year his wife died, whose maiden name was Sophia Jacobs. Mr. and Mrs. Ranke have nine children: William, born January 20, 1865: Sophia, July 21, 1867; Henry, March 1, 1870; Louisa, August 3, 1873; Emma, May 29, 1876; Frederick, October 14, 1878; Clara, February 4, 1881; Herman, September 25, 1884; Lydia, April 7, 1887. Mr. and Mrs. Ranke are members of the Emanuel's Lutheran church.
William Yergens, of the above named firm, came to America in 1845, from Prussia, where he was born March 26, 1828, and from New York, came to Fort Wayne by the way of Albany, Buffalo and over the lake to Toledo, thence by the Wabash & Erie canal. His settlement dates June 1, 1845, and though that seems a comparatively recent period, yet he had the experiences of an early settler and pioneer, as there were then not over 500 people in the town, and Indians were almost as numer- ous as whites. He has seen the town increase a hundred fold. He first engaged in canal boating, but in 1860, started a saw-mill, and embarked in lumbering. The mill was destroyed in 1863, but immedi- ately rebuilt. In 1866, the partnership with Mr. Ranke was formed, which has developed into a prosperous and important business. Mr. Yergens was married in 1850, to Eliza Jacobs, who was born in Ger- many, November 26, 1834, and came with her parents, Frederick and
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Sophia Jacobs, in 1845, to America, and settled at Fort Wayne. They have six children, three of whom are living: William, born in 1854, is. married, and is employed in the works; Gustav, born in 1861, is mar- ried, and served as deputy revenue collector during Cleveland's adminis- tration; and Emma, born in 1864, is the wife of William Moellering, of the city. The family are members of the Lutheran church.
Noteworthy in the roll of young men of the city who are interested in manufacturing, is John M. Landenberger, treasurer and manager of the Indiana machine works. He assumed the duties of his present position April 7, 1888. Mr. Landenberger is a native of Philadelphia, born September 28, 1863, son of Gottleib and Mathilda (Storm) Land- enberger, natives of Germany. The father, who was born in 1843, came to the United States in early boyhood, and lived in Philadelphia until his death in 1866. The mother died in the same city in 1871, at about forty years of age. Of their seven children John M. is the fourth. He obtained a common school education, and came to Fort Wayne in 1875, and studied three years at Concordia college, subsequently attend- ing a business college at his native city. He was married October 19, 1887, to Amelia F., daughter of J. F. W. Meyer. She was born in this city in 1863. They are active members of the Lutheran church. Mr. Landenberger is a republican, and cast his first electoral ballot for James G. Blaine.
The City carriage works, established in 1857, is extensively engaged in the manufacture of carriages, buggies, sleighs, etc., and is one of the largest of the kind in the city. The plant includes a brick factory, 60x100 feet, on Clay street, and a large storage warehouse on Clinton street. The firm name of the proprietors is Dudenhoefer, Daniels & Co., the partners being George P. Dudenhoefer, S. S. Daniels, H. E. Bueker and H. P. Sherer, recently of New Mexico. The other gentle- men named are much respected citizens, of long residence in the city, which they have done their part to advance.
George P. Dudenhoefer, the senior partner, learned the trade of carriage-maker with his father, George P. Dudenhoefer, who emigrated from Germany in 1841, and in Pennsylvania married his wife, Mary A., also a native of Germany. They resided four years in Ohio, and came to Allen county in 1845, settling in Marion township, where their son, George P., was born January 27, 1848. The latter, at eighteen years of age, came to Fort Wayne, and worked for eight years in various fac- tories. In 1877 he purchased an interest in the City carriage works, of which he has since been one of the proprietors. Mr. Dudenhoefer was married October 19, 1871, to Minnie Scherer, a native of Marion town- ship, daughter of Louis and Elizabeth Scherer, natives of Germany, who were married in that county, and emigrated and settled at Fort Wayne in 1847. Mr. Dudenhoefer and wife have had three children: Amelia C., Mary S. and Clara C., the last of whom died in infancy. He and wife are members of the St. Paul's Lutheran church. His long expe- rience and talent for business give him a high rank among the manu- facturers of the city.
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Capt. Edward A. Ross-Lewin, one of the foremost of those skillful men whose work have done so much for the advancement of the city, now foreman of the Fort Wayne furniture company, was born in Ireland, June 12, 1833, son of Francis B. and Susanna (Kenney) Ross-Lewin, both natives of County Clare. The father was born in 1787, came to the United States with his family in 1849, located first at Rochester, N. Y., and in 1857, removed to Elkhart, Ind., where he died in 1858, and was followed in death by his widow in 1864, at the age of fifty- seven. They had eleven children, of whom eight are living, Edward being the second. He was educated in his native country at King's col- lege, at Ennis, and after coming to this country began in 1849, an apprenticeship at the carpenter's and joiner's trade at Rochester, N. Y. In 1854 he went to Elkhart, and was there engaged for five years as a contractor. He removed to Rochester, N. Y., in 1859, and in 1861 enlisted in Company H, Twenty-sixth New York infantry, was elected second lieutenant by his company, in 1862 commissioned first lieutenant, and in the fall of the same year commissioned as captain. His regiment was actively engaged for two years in nearly every engagement in which the army of the Potomac was. His record as a true and faithful soldier was terminated by his honorable muster out in 1863. In 1864 he came to Fort Wayne and for fourteen years he was occupied as foreman of the great wheel works of N. G. Olds & Son. He also acted as fore- man in the construction of the Masonic Temple and First Presbyterian church. His connection with the Fort Wayne furniture factory began in 1888. Mr. Ross-Lewin was married in 1858, to Sarah Jane Gardner, of Rochester, N. Y., who was born in 1837, daughter of John and Anna Spencer Gardner, and they have two children: Ida L., now cash- ier of the Fort Wayne furniture company, and Jennie S. In politics he is a democrat.
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