Loop - William C.
Source: (Submitter note: William C. Loop (1855-1946) was a son of Andrew Loop and Lydia Wheat. This biography was published in History of Montgomery County, Indiana in 1913.1 Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.) p. 720
As an agriculturist and stock raiser William C. Loop, of the vicinity of New Ross, Montgomery county, has been successful to a marked degree, for he has always worked hard and waited patiently for results, and has not depended upon others to do what he himself had in hand. He has endeavored to keep the good name of his honored father and the rest of the family untarnished and has therefore won the respect of all who know him.
Mr. Loop was born in Walnut township, Montgomery county, on January 17, 1855. He is a son of Andrew and Lydia (Wheat) Loop.
Andrew Loop was born in Augusta county, Virginia, March 24, 1816, of German descent, his grandfather, Christian Loop, having been a native of Germany.2 Christian Loop, Jr., father of Andrew, was born in Rockingham county, Virginia, November 17, 1788, and when a young man he moved to Augusta county, that state, where he married Eva Airhart, daughter of Christian Airhart and wife. He continued to reside on a farm in that county until 1834, when he came to Indiana, settling among the pioneers of Boone county, where he bought land and also entered some from the government, paying a thousand dollars for a quarter section, only about fifteen acres of which was cleared, and he devoted himself to the further improvement of the property during the twenty years that he resided upon it. In the meantime he added to his landed estate until he possessed a half section at the time of his death. In the latter part of his life he removed to Beckville, and lived retired until his death, November 20, 1879, at the advanced age of ninety-one years. His wife ws born April 7, 1779, and died in 1867. Christian Loop, Jr., was a worthy member of the Lutheran church, and politically was a Democrat.
Eight children were born to Christian Loop, Jr., and wife, all of whom grew to maturity, namely: John engaged in farming in Texas; Sallie married John Bowman and they established their home in Iowa; Andrew, father of the subject of this sketch; David, who was a farmer in Montgomery county, died many years ago; Elizabeth, who married William Bowman, has also been dead many years; Catherine married John Airhart of Boone county; Rebecca married John Simmons of Missouri and has been dead many years; Polly married Jacob Fall and she lived many years with Andrew, her brother.
Andrew Loop was eighteen years old when he came to Indiana with his father, with whom he remained until he was twenty-two. After his marriage he located in Walnut township, Montgomery county, on a quarter section of land that he purchased from his father, and soon had a good start as a general farmer and stock raiser. His land was partly cleared when it came into his possession, and he actively set to work to fell the remainder of the standing timber and to place its soil under cultivation, and in due course of time he had developed one of the finest farms in the township. He dealt extensively in real estate, increasing the size of his farm to four hundred and fifty-seven acres, all in Walnut township, and at one time he owned one thousand acres of realty in Iowa.
Andrew Loop was first married on December 27, 1837, to Elizabeth Airhart, daughter of Peter and Elizabeth Airhart, of Augusta county, Virginia. She died, leaving one daughter, Mary Jane, who became the wife of James G. Johnson, of Mace. Mr. Loop's second wife was Harriet Farlow, daughter of William Farlow, of Boone county. She was the mother of two children, namely: Harriet E., who married William Gaskell, a farmer of Kansas, and Amanda C., who married William Chambers of Walnut township. Mr. Loop took for his third wife Mrs. Lydia Lockridge, widow of James Lockridge, and daughter of James W. Wheat, who came from England. Three children were born to the third marriage, namely: William C., subject of this review; Virginia A. married William A. Stafford, a farmer of Union township; and Lydia L. married Charles M. Bratton, of Union township.
When the Loop family came to Indiana they had to transport their household goods through the wilderness with horses and wagons, and were four weeks making the trip. The Airharts came with them, and five of the girls walked all the way. At that time Crawfordsville was only a hamlet, and the nearest mill was on Cox river, ten miles distant. Many of the farmers took their wheat to Chicago to market. The pioneers here lived in log houses, wore clothes made of flax and wool, raised on their farms, and woven, cut and made by the wives and daughters, and their food was of home production, varied by game from the forests.
Andrew Loop's ability and solid worth received due recognition from his fellow citizens, who called him to various responsible offices. He was a member of the County Board of Supervisors two years, was justice of the peace eight years, and notary public twelve years. He was also elected constable, but declined to serve. He acted as administrator of different estates, which fact proved that the integrity and conscientiousness of his life in the community led the people to accord him respect and confidence. He belonged to the Horse Thief Detective Association, and was its treasurer a number of years. He was a Democrat, a Presbyterian, and was elder of the church at Union, two miles east of Mace, but his wife was a member of the Methodist church.
The death of Andrew Loop occurred on October 15, 1910.
William C. Loop, the immediate subject of this sketch, grew to manhood on the homestead in Walnut township and he received a common school education, supplemented by two years in Wabash College, after which he took up farming in which he has been active ever since. He married on January 3, 1877, Euphemia J. Dice, daughter of Christopher and Jane (Brockman) Dice. The father, who was one of the oldest settlers in the county, came from Virginia.
William C. Loop helped organize the Crawfordsville State Bank, of which he is at present a member of the board of directors. He is also vice-president of the Farmers Mutual Insurance Company of Montgomery county. He is a member of the Montgomery County Fair Board and has done much toward making the local fairs equal to any county fairs in the Middle West. He carries on generl and mixed farming on a large scale, raising hogs and cattle in large numbers. His finely improved and valuable farm in Walnut township consists of four hundred and eighty acres, and on it stands a commodious and attractive dwelling and substantial and convenient outbuildings.
Politically, he is a Democrat. He was a member of the Advisory Board of his township for one term. Religiously, he belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church; is a member of the nights of Pythias and the Horse Thief Detective Association.
Mr. Loop and his wife became the parents of six children, one of whom is deceased, namely: Clyde D., Ernest A., Ludella, Ethel V., Rugh J., (deceased), and Mary Esther. Clyde D. married mamie Buckannon, and lives on the old home place near Union township; Ernest A. Married Ethel Conn, and lives at Warsaw, being a special agent for the Ohio Farmers Insurance Company. Ruth J. married Wallace McNulty, a farmer of Walnut township.