Wilhite - Charles Orth - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

I was born the 16th of October, 1866 at Crawfordsville, Indiana. Educated in the Public Schools, the High School, and Wabash College, all of Crawfordsville, Indiana. Learned the printer's trade beginning in 1882 and continued until 1892 working irregularly at it, and going to school a part of the time. In 1892 learned stenography and typewriting and have continued it up to the present time, holding the first position with the Pennsylvania Railroad at Indianapolis, Indiana: the next position with Ballard & Ballard, Attorneys-at-law, Crawfordsville, Indiana, where I studied law and was admitted to the practice of law at Crawfordsville Indiana, in 1896, and continued with the firm but did not practice until the declaration of war with Spain in 1898. In the mean time I had entered the National Guard of the State in 1889 and been promoted from private through the various noncommissioned offices and commissioned offices of the various military organizations, Co. D. 1st Regt., Inft., and Cos. 1 and M, 2nd Regt., Indiana National Guard until at the time of the breaking out of hostilities was holding the rank of First Lieutenant, Co. M., 2nd Reg. Inft., Ind. National Guard. On the 26th of April. 1896, Co. M. was mobilized with the Indiana Natioal (sic) Guard at Indianapolis, by the Governor, James Mount to answer the call of the President of the United States, William McKinley, and we were mustered into the U. S. Volunteer Service May 10, 1906 (sic) as Co. M, 158th Ind. Vol. Inft., of which I was 1st Lieutenant. We went to Chickamauga, Ga., where on July 10th 1898 I was appointed Range Officer for the Regiment, and on the 28th of August, 1898, was promoted Captain of the same Company and Regiment. Later we moved to Knoxville, Tenn., then to Indianapolis, Ind., in early September, and after a 30 days' furlough from September 16th to October 16th, were mustered out on November 4th. 1898. After this I took up the work in the law offive (sic) of Ballard & Ballard again, moved to Logansport, Ind., about the first of May 1899 and the first of November, 1899 was appointed stenographer to Senator Albert J. Beveridge, being his first official stenographer and coming to Washington with him. After his first term in the Senate, I took the Civil Service examination and accepted a position as one of the stenographic clerks with the Taft Commission, appointed by President McKinley, and went to the Philippines, remaining there from January 1 (date of departure from San Francisco) 1901, until May 20, 1903. During my stay in the Pilippines (sic) won the championship of the Islands at shooting contests under the auspices of the Manila Gun Club, at blue rock targets, and later on the way home, beat the English at the gun club at, Victoria, Hong Kong. Returned to the United States June 21, 1903, after passing through China and Japan, and on March 25, 1904, took a position in the Office of the Secretary, of Agriculture, where I am still employed.