Zaring - Family - Putnam

Few families of Putnam county are as well known and highly esteemed as the Zarings, who were among the early settlers of Washington township and from the year of their arrival to the present time the name has ever stood for honorable manhood and progressive citizenship. Perhaps the best known representatives of the family, certainly one of the most enterprising and successful, was the late Daniel Zaring, whose parents moved to this country in 1844, originally settling where the. Mt. Olive church now stands, later changing their residence to a farm south of the village of Manhattan. Daniel Zaring, father of Daniel, was a native of New York, but in early life went to Pennsylvania, where he grew to manhood. From the latter state he went to Ohio when a young man and locating near Wooster, where he married and lived until the coming to Indiana in the year mentioned above. Daniel Zaring, Jr., was born December 3o, 1839, in Ohio, and in 1844 accompanied his parents to Putnam county, Indiana, growing to maturity on the home farm in Washington township, where he developed those sterling traits of character which so greatly tended to his success in after life. He was reared in agricultural pursuits, assisted in the cultivation of the family homestead until attaining his majority, when he married and entered upon his own career, choosing for his wife Lucinda Lewis, who was born December 24, 1841, and to whom he was united in the bonds of wedlock in November, 186o. Mrs. Zaring was a native of Putnam county and a daughter of Abram Lewis, who moved to this county from North Carolina in an early day and settled east of Reeseville, on the farm adjacent to Walnut creek, now owned by Lycurgus Stoner. He was one of the early pioneers of that locality and his, name appears as a juryman at the first term -of court held in Putnam county. He cleared and improved a good farm, lived an exemplary life and died a number of years ago at an advanced age. After their marriage Daniel Zaring and wife began housekeeping on a farm belonging to his father, but some years later he removed to what is known as the Athey farm, where the first term of court was held, remaining on the latter place for about five years. At the expiration of that period he moved to the farm on Deer creek which his father afterwards deeded to him, the improvement at the time he took possession consisting of an old house and about thirty acres of cleared land. With his characteristic energy he addressed himself to the task of further developing the place and it was not long until he had one of the finest and most valuable farms in his section of the country. Among the improvements which he added from time to time was the large and comfortable residence erected in 187o, and which is still one of the best edifices of the kind in the community, also a fine barn and other buildings, which greatly enhanced the value of the place and made it one of the most desirable homes in that part of the county. Mr. Zaring's farm originally consisted of one hundred and sixty acres, but by additional purchases it was afterwards increased to three hundred and fifty acres, about two hundred being bottom land of great fertility, the old farm being owned by his son, Lewis Zaring. For several years he and his son Lewis carried on farming and the livestock business as partners, making a specialty of high-grade cattle. Mr. Zaring was always an enterprising, wide-awake man and manifested a lively -interest in his business affairs as long as he lived, retaining possession of his farm to the day of his .death. He was essentially a home man, great lover of his family and made every other consideration subordinate to his children's interests, taking little part in politics beyond voting the Democratic ticket and having no ambition whatever for official preferment. In the management of his affairs he was prompt and methodical, not given to speculation, but satisfied with legitimate and gradual gains. Mr. Zaring died on the 20th day of September, 1895, at the village of Manhattan, his wife passing to her reward on March 25, 1901. The family of this worthy couple consisted of four children, the oldest being Lewis A., a sketch of whom appears elsewhere. Clinton Thomas Zaring, M. D., of Greencastle, one of the leading physicians and surgeons of Putnam county, is the second in order of birth, the third being Clara May, who died unmarried at the age of thirty-eight. She was an accomplished stenographer and for a number of years held important positions in various offices in the city of Indianapolis. Musa D., the youngest of the family, became the wife of Ernest Stoner, of Greencastle, Indiana, and died at Manhattan two years after her marriage.