WIDENER-Clarence - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

Life is pleasant to live when you know how to make the most of it. Some people start in life as if they had weights on their souls or were afraid to make the necessary effort to live up to the high standards. Others, by not making the proper study of the conditions of existence, or by not having that blessed trainer, a good and intelligent mother, are side tracked at the outset and never seem thereafter to be able to get back again on the main track. Much depends on the start, just as it does in a race. The horse that gets the best start all other things being equal, will almost invariably win the race. So in the race of life; if you are properly started with suitable groom, such as good educational and splendid home training, you will lead in the race in after years and enjoy every minute of your existence. Such home influences were thrown around Clarence WIDENER, one of the leading farmers in Montgomery County in his early years. Both father and mother are people of unusual intelligence, and both have ever led lives of singular wholesomeness. Mr. Widener was born Aug 8, 1871 in Fountain County, Indiana. He is a son of George and Alice QUICK Widener. The father was born August 30, 1845 in this county and here the mother also saw the light of day Oct. 31, 1848. Here they grew to maturity, received their educations in the common schools and were married; they are now living in a pleasant home in Crawfordsville. They have spent their active lives on a farm, but having accumulated sufficient of this world's goods to insure their declining years free from want, they are now living retired. They moved from this county to Fountain County in 1870, where they lived 5 or 6 years, then returned to Montgomery County. Two children were born to them, Clarence, of this sketch; and Guy born July 3, 1874; he married Minnie COWAN and they live in Michigan. Clarence Widener grew to manhood on the farm and when a boy did his full share of the general work about the place. He received a good common school education. On September 6, 1896, he married Mrs. Dora FLOREY, who was born in Fountain County, Nov 8, 1878 and is a daughter of Joseph and Mary C. MELOTT Florey, her parents being natives of Indiana and they became very comfortably established in Fountain County through their industry. Five children have been born to the subject and wife: Leslie, born Oct 1, 1898 is attending high school; Bernice, born June 7, 1900; Lester born Oct 14, 1904; Katheryn, born June 2, 1909; and Josephine born March 26, 1910. Mr. Widener has worked his way up from a modest beginning to the front rank of agriculturists and stock raisers having worked hard and managed well and at the same time dealt fairly with his neighbors, whose respect he has ever had. Mr. Widener has always followed farming, and each succeeding year has found him further advanced. His attractive, well kept and desirable farm in Union Township known as Mt. View Farm, is one of the show places of this section of the county. It contains 240 acres, nearly all tillable, 45 acres being in pasture and woods. It is well improved in every respect and on it is to be seen a large, well arranged dwelling and good outbuildings. On a large scale general farming is carried on. Mr. Widener now making a specialty of raising Jersey cows, and he formerly bred cattle of a high grade. Politically, he is a Progressive and has been very much interested in the new movement. Fraternally, he belongs to the Knights of Pythias, Crawfordsville and in a religious way he holds membership with the Methodist Episcopal Church.