James W. Wynkoop
 

JAMES W. WYNKOOP, one of the oldest living residents of Boone county, Ind, springs from sterling German ancestry, and traces his genealogy to the early history of Pennsylvania, in which state his paternal grandfather was born and reared. His father, Isaac Wynkoop, also a native of the above state, where he married Ann Winder, became a resident of Indiana at the age of thirty years, locating first in Union county, and later in the county of Boone, which at that time was an almost unbroken wilderness. He was by occupation a farmer, in which useful calling he took a front rank, and did much, in a quiet way, for the material and moral advancement of the community which he assisted in founding. He was progressive and enterprising, a leading member of the Presbyterian church and he enjoyed the acquaintance of a large circle of friends throughout the county of Boone. James W. Wynkoop was born in Franklin county, Ind., January 23, 1821, and was seventeen years of age when he accompanied his father to Boone county, of which he has since been an honored resident. In the pioneer schoolhouse of the olden time, with its stick chimney, puncheon floor and greased paper windows, he acquired a limited education, and in the clearing of the fields learned the lessons of industry which afterward enabled him to succeed in life and become the possessor of a comfortable portion of worldly wealth. He recalls with pleasure the stirring scenes of long ago, when the deep forests abounded in wild game of all kinds, which served as the chief means of subsistence for the early settlers, and when the nearest neighbor lived several miles distant from his home. From a primitive condition he has witnessed the many changes through which Boone county has passed to its present advanced stage of civilization, and frequently goes back in memory to the period when he assisted the neighbors in log rolling for thirty days in succession. He married in April, 1845, Amanda J. Gleaner, daughter of Benjamin and Elsie (Shepherd) Gleaner, and immediately thereafter settled on a farm not far from the county seat. Later he purchased his present place in Harrison township, which at that time was but little improved only a very small area being in cultivation. He states that when he moved to his new home in the forest the brush grew to the very door of his dwelling, and the outlook was anything but encouraging. Possessed of a strong physical frame, he at once began felling the forest, and with the assistance of his good wife, who worked with him early and late, succeeded in due season in bringing a number of acres under a state of cultivation. He has always been a very industrious man and spent the prime of his life in improving his place; which is now one of the best farms in Harrison township. He has reached the good old age of seventy-three years, is well preserved physically and mentally, but is now practically retired from the active duties of the farm; his wife is hale and hearty at sixty-six years of age, and it is a compliment justly bestowed in saying that she is one of the most highly respected and kindhearted women of her neighborhood. Their children are as follows: Levi L., Julia A., Isaac, Rebecca, Perry, Henry G., David, Mary E. and Ora. Of the above, Isaac, Mary E., Julia A. and Perry are dead; the others are all living and doing well for themselves. The parents of Mrs. Wynkoop were early settlers of Boone county and highly respectable people. Her grandfather, William Shepard, was a patriot of the Revolution, in which struggle he served eight years and eight months, and took part in a number of leading battles under Gen. Washington.

Transcribed by: Chris Brown
Source: "A Portrait And Biographical Record of Boone and Clinton Counties, Ind.," pp 533-534, published in 1895 by A. W. Bowen & CO. Chicago