GARDNER-Benjamin - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

Benjamin Gardner. The history of every community is made up so far as its more interesting features are concerned of the events and transactions of the lives of its prominent, representative citizens. In any worthy history of Fountain County an outline of thel ife of the subject of this sketch should not fail to be given, together with a sketch of his family. He has been upright and honorable in every relation of life, and although quiet and unassuming, his life has been full of good deeds. Mr. Gardner claims Ohio as his native state, his birth occurring in Richland Co on 6 April 1820 but his parents, James and Rebecca Stewart Gardner were both natives of Cayuga Co NY. The elder Gardner moved with his family to the Buckeye State in 1816 and settled near the line of Western Reserve. Later he moved to Huron Co, just across the reserve and was there engaged in tilling the soil for some time. After the death of his father in 1836, our subject ran a hotel in the village of Paris, now Plymouth. In 1845 he came to Indiana, settled in Covington and was engaged in working by the month for JG Hardy for seven years or until 1852. He then opened a meat market and continued this until 1860 when he engaged inp ork packing in partnership with Thomas Bennett, now of Russellville, Il. After this about 8 years he was engaged in small business with JG Hardy, being at Covington 3 years of that time. Following this our subject was engaged in pork packing at Lafayette for 8 years and met with the best of success, at times running a business upward of $50,000. He gave his entire attention to this calling and begin enterprising, thorough going and pratical, the best results attended his efforts. Since then he has been engaged in agricultural pursuits one mile from Covington and in this, as in all other occupations, he has made a complete success. He owns 230 acrse of excellent land and all his farming operations are conducted in a manner showing him to be a man of good judgment and one capable of conducting almost any enterprise. In 1867 our subject with Mr. hardy owned 2,400 acres of land in KS and in 1888 Mr. Gardner sold his interest to Mr. Hardy. The latter recently died in Toledo, OH. OUr subject entered over 9,000 acres of land at a cost of 67 and 1/2 center per acre in Kansas and spent several months there. In 187 he fenced this land himself. In his political views Mr. Gardner is a Republican, but is not a strict partisan voting for the man instead of the party. After a long and useful life he has retired from the turmoil and worry of life and from now on will enjoy the fruits of his labors. He resides on one of the most attrative agricultural spots in thecounty, being conspicuous for the management that, while making it neat and attrative, still shows prudence and economy. The nuptial day of our subject occurred 1849 in Perry Co OH when he led to the altar Miss Mary Adeline Worth who only survived until 1852. Our subject's second marriage occurred 1855 in Covington to Miss Charlotta Savage. The following children born to this union: Lincoln, eldest son lives on a farm; Mary Mrs. Julian Martin resides in Covington; Alanson engaged on Clover Leaf RR; Charles time keeper on C & EI at Danvilla, Il; and James and Celia who died in infancy. Mr. Gardner was one of the organizers of the Citizens Bank with Hardy & Reed and was connected with this for 3 years.