JAMES EARL, the subject of our sketch, grew to manhood in Ross County, where he married MARY A. ADAMS, who had been reared in that county, though probably born near Cincinnati.  From Ross County they removed to Seneca County, same State, and after seven years residence there removed to Tippecanoe County, in 1831, coming by team, and settling upon a tract of 211 acres adjoining Wildcat Prairie, purchased by MR. EARL the year before of JOHN I. DAVISON, in what was then Fairfield, but now Wea Township.  They had intended to come in the spring of that year, but were delayed by sickness and postponed their journey till October.  They were on the way twenty-one days, eighteen days of which time they had almost constant rain--on only three days could they see the sun.  In a slough on Twelve Mile Prairie the ground was so soft that the horses sank down, carrying down with then under the water one of the boys who was riding him, and it was with considerable difficulty that they rescued themselves from this disagreeable situation.  The prairie portion of the land upon which MR. EARL located was fenced and broken.  The farm was improved by him until 1840 when he removed upon an adjoining farm, on account of malaria from the low ground in the original purchase.  In 1838 the sickness prevailing in this section of the country surpassed every epidemic that has visited it.  There was not a sufficient number of well persons to take care of the sick.  MR. EARL was a successful farmer and stock-raiser, excelling in the latter capacity.  In his political views he was an old-line Whig, and later a Republican, and was an active man in public affairs.  He was more than once put forward by his party for public office.  In one campaign he was a Whig nominee for judge, but not being anxious for the office he made no personal effort for his election.  In 1838-’39 he was a Representative to the Legislature.  He had been keeper of the poor house in Ross County, Ohio, four years, and frequently remarked that the two best days’ work he ever did was when he went into that poor house and when he came out.  In religious connections he was an active Presbyterian, belonging to Dayton congregation, of which his wife was also a member.  He died February, 1864, his wife surviving  him four years.  Both were buried in the cemetery on the Black farm in Wea Township.

THOMAS EARL, third son and fifth child in the above family, was born in Seneca County, Ohio, January 7, 1826, and has lived in Tippecanoe County since five years of age.  He received his education in an old-fashioned hewed-log school house, where sixty scholars would sometimes be in attendance at once, and half of them would have to pass the day  without an opportunity of reciting.  He was brought up to farm life, and remained with his parents until his marriage, April 16, 1850, when he commenced housekeeping on a farm he had received from his father, on section 21, Wea Township, on the banks of the Wea, where he has since resided and where he had made most of the present buildings and other improvements.  When he came here the place had on it an old unfinished farm house, the oldest in the county.  After occupying it ten years he built his present handsome residence.  MR. EARL is a Republican in his political views; has served as supervisor, and was once elected justice of the peace, but declined to take the office.  He has been delegate to county conventions several times.  At present he has 316 acres of land, all but fifty acres of timber land located on Wea Creek being under cultivation.  MRS. EARL was formerly SARAH ANN CULVER, and is a native of Ohio, born near Middletown.  Her father, MICHAEL CULVER, removed to this county shortly before 1840, and resided here until his death.  Her mother is also deceased.  Both were buried in Dayton cemetery.  MR. and MRS. EARL have had three children – EDWARD W., deceased; FRANK C., and MELVILLE W., residing with their parents.  FRANK C. married VIRGINIA TAYLOR, who died leaving one child, named EDWARD.

Biographical Record and Portrait Album of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, pp. 655-656.
Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1888.

Volunteer: Adina Watkins Dyer

SAMUEL BOWER, who has been identified with the interests of Washington Township for almost thirty-four years, was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, January 2, 1819, a son of SAMUEL and ELIZABETH (EMERICK) BOWER, natives of Pennsylvania, the father born in Schuylkill County, and the mother in Adams County.  The father was a soldier in the War of 1812.  He was married in Montgomery County, Ohio, and in 1832 settled in Preble County, Ohio, where both parents lived until death, the father dying in his eighty-fifth year, and the mother at the age of sixty-eight years.  They were the parents of nine children— JACOB, CATHERINE, ELIZABETH, JOHN, WILLIAM, SAMUEL, GEORGE, MARY M., died at age fourteen years, and SARAH, died aged seventeen years.

SAMUEL BOWER JR., the subject of this sketch, was reared in the usual manner of farmer boys, assisting on the farm in the summer and attending the district schools during the winter months.  He was married may 23, 1847, to MISS HARRIET RAPE, who was born in Preble County, Ohio, and reared on the farm adjoining her husband’s boyhood home.  Her grandfather was a native of France, and in that county he joined General La Fayette’s army, and with it came to America to help General Washington gain his victory.  He remained in America after the war, having an uncle in this country he was hoping to find.  After crossing the river at Harper’s Ferry, he and his comrades stopped at a tavern, which to his surprise he found to be his uncle’s.  He subsequently settled in Rockingham County, Virginia, where his son JOHN, the father of MRS. BOWER, was born.  When JOHN RAPE was six years of age  his parents removed to Preble County, Ohio, and here he was reared and married to MISS AMILLY TROWBRIDGE, the mother of MRS. BOWER.  MR. and MRS. BOWER have had born to them five children, four of whom are yet living—BENJAMIN F., ALFRED N., MARY ETTA and SARA ALICE.  J. W. died in his sixth year.  In 1854 MR. BOWER brought his family by team to Tippecanoe County, Indiana, and bought eighty acres of his present farm, which was partially improved.  By persevering industry and good management he has prospered in his agricultural pursuits, and has added to his original purchase until he now owns 321 acres, all well improved and under a high state of cultivation, with comfortable residence and excellent farm buildings for his stock and grain.  His barn, which is one of the best in his township, is 38x69 feet in size, with 16-foot posts, and good stone basement.  MR. BOWER is also a first-class blacksmith as well as a farmer, and has worked at his trade considerably, both for himself and his neighbors.  In politics MR. BOWER affiliates with the Democratic party.  He is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.  He is a man of firm purpose, strong in his beliefs of right and wrong, fair and honorable in all his dealings, and is held in high esteem by all who know him.

Biographical Record and Portrait Album of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, pg. 417
Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1888.

Volunteer: Adina Watkins Dyer

P. C. VAWTER, city civil engineer, of Lafayette, is a native of Indiana, born in Jennings County, November 7, 1830.  His parents, WILLIAM and FRANCES VAWTER, were natives of Virginia, and when children were taken to Kentucky, where they were reared.  In 1806 they emigrated to Jefferson County, Indiana, where in 1809 they were married, and in 1829 they removed to Jennings County.  Settling in the Territory as they did ten years before the organization of the State government, they passed through many of the hardships and privations incident to pioneer life.  The surrounding country was at that time but a wilderness, and Indians were numerous.  The father was a farmer by occupation, and also a Baptist preacher.  He was a captain of militia in his earlier days.  He died in 1868, at an advanced age, his widow surviving until 1870.

P. C. VAWTER, whose name heads this sketch, was reared in Jennings County, remaining there until twenty-five years of age.  He received good educational advantages in his youth, attending Franklin College four or five years, from which institution he graduated with honors in 1855.  He came to Lafayette the same year and began teaching in the public schools, remaining here until 1858, when he returned to Jennings County.  In 1863 he again left Jennings County and returned to Lafayette where he has since resided.  He was united in marriage to MISS SYLVIA HUNTER in 1858, and they are the parents of two sons, named EVERETT B. and WILLIAM H.  MR. VAWTER has spent most of his years in surveying and civil engineering, and for seventeen years held the office of county surveyor.  He was appointed city civil engineer in 1884, which office he has since filled to the entire satisfaction of all concerned.

Biographical Record and Portrait Album of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, pp. 416-417.
Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1888.

Volunteer: Adina Watkins Dyer

ELIHU PETERS, residing on section 11, Lauramie Township, was born in Ross County, Ohio, January 27, 1826, a son of JOHN PETERS, who was also a native of Ross County, Ohio, his father being a native of Germany.

JOHN PETERS, the father of our subject, was one of the old and respected pioneers of Tippecanoe County, coming here with his family in 1828, and the following spring settled in Sheffield Township.  Indians and wild animals were the principal inhabitants of the county at that time, an Indian trail passing in front of the cabin of the PETERS family, and our subject saw as many as 500 pass in one day.  The father often hauled corn to LaFayette, which he sold at 8 1/3 cents a bushel.

ELIHU PETERS, the subject of this sketch, received but limited educational advantages in the crude log subscription schools of his day.  He was reared among the wild surrounding of pioneer life,  and from an early age assisted his father with the work of the farm.  He is now engaged in farming and stock-raising,  paying special attention to graded stock, and is the owner of 107 acres of choice land.  MR. PETERS was married in Ross County, in October, 1850, to CAROLINE ARMSTRONG, a daughter of JOHN ARMSTRONG, who is now deceased.  Five of the seven children born to them are living--ALLEN, of Wea Township; JOHN W., living in Lauramie Township; FERRIS P.; MELVIN W., living in Oswego, Kansas, and MARY A.

ALLEN married EMMA SLEIGHBACK, and has four children--FLORENCE, GRACE, JOSEPH, and COURT.   JOHN married LIDA GLADDEN.  MELVIN married OLIVE USHER, and has one child named MAUDE.

Both MR. and MRS. PETERS are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a member of the Horse-Thief Detective Association.

Biographical Record and Portrait Album of Tippecanoe County, Indiana,  pp. 628-629
Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1888.

Volunteer: Adina Watkins Dyer

CLARK L. BAKER, section 26, Perry Township, was born in Butler County, Ohio, November 1, 1835, a son of EPHRAIM BAKER, who was also born in Butler County, Ohio, July 6, 1810.  The paternal grandfather of our subject, whose name was EPHRAIM BAKER, was a native of New Jersey, and of German and English ancestry, and was one of the pioneers of Butler County.

EPHRAIM BAKER, Jr., was married December 24, 1834, to REBECCA HAWTHORN, a native of Warren Co., Ohio, and a daughter of FRANCIS and NANCY HAWTHORN, natives of Ireland.  He came with his family to Tippecanoe County in May, 1854, where he made his home until his death, June 11, 1872.  He was a member of the Baptist church, and a much respected citizen.  His widow, who is a member of the same church, still lives on the homestead farm.  Of a large family, seven children are living—CLARK L., PRESLEY, ORLANDO, MRS. CLARA LOWMAN, MRS. HANNAH RICHARD, DEMPSEY A. and MRS. ALZINA RELANDER.

CLARK L. BAKER, our subject, was in his nineteenth year when he came to Tippecanoe County.  He resided on the home farm till twenty-two years of age, when he engaged in teaching school, and taught several winter terms.  He was first married August 26, 1858, to MARTHA FICKEL, daughter of HUGH FICKEL, of Perry Township.  She died November, 1881.  Ten children were born to this union, all of whom died in infancy but two--MARILLA, wife of S. P. NEWHART, of Perry Township, and EDWARD E., at home.   MR. BAKER again married October 2, 1883, to LOIS ANN SIMS, who was born in Clinton County, Indiana, September 23, 1842, a daughter of WILLIAM SIMS.  MR. BAKER has resided on his present farm since 1859, and is one of the successful farmers of his township.  In politics, like his father, he is a Democrat.  In 1878 he was elected to represent his county in the State Legislature, which position he filled with credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents.  He has also served several terms as township trustee.  He is a member of the Presbyterian church, of which he has been an elder for twenty years.

Biographical Record and Portrait Album of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, pg. 623
Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1888.

Volunteer: Adina Watkins Dyer

JOHN R. COFFROTH, one of the ablest lawyers of Indiana, and since 1870 a resident of Lafayette, was born in Greencastle, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, August 11, 1828.  His father, WILLIAM COFFROTH, was a native of Maryland, and of German descent, and his mother, ELIZABETH (WOOD) COFFROTH, was of English extraction, her ancestors for several generations being natives of Virginia.

MR. COFFROTH received a good education, and when very young he began a study of law in the office of Hon. JAMES X. McLANAHAN, in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.  November 2, 1848, before he had reached his majority, he was admitted to the bar, and in May of the year following he removed to what was then the far West, settling in the village of Huntington, Indiana, where he resided until 1870, when he removed to Lafayette.  He at once entered upon the practice of law, which he has ever since pursued with eminent success.  He was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the State of Indiana and alos the United States Circuit Court in November, 1851, and in the Supreme Court of the United States in March, 1866.  In his political principles he has ever been a Democrat, advocating his views during the various campaigns with an ability seldom equaled, serving on party committees, in nominating conventions, etc.  Being very diffident, he has generally avoided office-holding, but several times he has represented his district in the Legislature.  In 1866 he was the candidate for the office of attorney general; in 1868, 1872 and 1880, the candidate for Democratic Elector from the State at large, and in 1886 was the candidate for Supreme Judge of the State.  In 1878 he was the choice of his party for member of Congress, but he declined to become a candidate on account of his private business.  He is the favorite of his party for any office.  In educational matters he takes a great interest; was a trustee of Purdue University for several years, a part of the time being president of the board; was also president of the Lafayette city school board for a number of  years, and ex-officio president of the public library.  MR.  COFFROTH is noted for his industry, as well as skill, for perseverance, as well as enterprise, and to these attributes is due most of his success in life.  His kindly manners and genial disposition make every one his friends.

March 24, 1864, is the date of his marriage to MISS SUSAN RANDOLPH, and the children born to this union are WILLIAM R., born January 26, 1865, at present a student at law, and BESSIE, born September 1, 1866.

Biographical Record and Portrait Album of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, pg. 418
Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1888.

Volunteer: Adina Watkins Dyer

WILLIAM M. NAGLE, one of Shelby Township’s old and respected pioneers, was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania, December 7, 1808, a son of JOHN and MARY NAGLE, who were natives of the same county and of German descent.  They were the parents of ten children, and of this once numerous family but one is living—Frederick, a resident of Ohio.  The father was a mason by trade, and was an expert workman.  WILLIAM M. NAGLE began learning the tailor’s trade at the age of fourteen years, serving an apprenticeship.  He then worked at his trade as a journeyman for several years, when he engaged in business for himself.  He was married June 19, 1828, to MISS ELIZABETH BETZER, who was also a native of Berks County, Pennsylvania, and to them were born twelve children, ten of whom yet survive: WILLIAM, ALBERT, MARTHA JANE, wife of THOMAS DAVIS; THOMAS, ELIZABETH, wife of NOAH HOFFMAN; RACHEL, wife of JOHN SWITZER; JAMES, MARY and FRANK (twins), the former married to JACOB SWITZER; and SARAH, wife of O. THORNBURG.  CHARLES, the second child, and JOHN, the fifth child, both died at the age of nineteen years.  The latter was a member of Company D, Tenth Indiana Infantry, during the War of the Rebellion, and died May 12, 1864, at Chattanooga, Tennessee, of disease contracted in the army.

MR. NAGLE remained in his native State until 1832, when he removed with his family to Ross County, Ohio, locating at Adelphi, where he followed  his trade for seven years, with good success.  In 1839 he came to Tippecanoe County, Indiana, making the journey drawn by five horses, and while on the way had a narrow escape from being robbed by highwaymen.  On coming here he located at Indian Hill, in Shelby Township, where he bought a tract of 260 acres, paying for the same $2,000.  Here he made a good home for his children, all of whom have become honored and respected members of society.  His house, erected at a cost of $2,200, was one of the best in the township, and his barn and farm buildings were substantial and commodious, and two orchards were on the land, the entire surrounding showing care and thrift.  Here on this farm MR. NAGLE made his home until 1886, when he retired from active life, and spent his remaining years at Otterbein, Indiana, enjoying the fruits of a well-spent life, and surrounded with all the necessary comforts of life.  He always took an active interest in the causes of education and religion, and gave liberally of his means toward their advancement.  He was a worthy and consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Otterbein, and served his church as class leader two years, and and as a citizen he stood high in the estimation of the people.  MR. NAGLE lived to have thirty-three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.  He died January 4, 1888, and is buried at Montmorency Cemetery, in Tippecanoe County.

Biographical Record and Portrait Album of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, pg. 418-421
Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1888

Volunteer: Adina Watkins Dyer

JAMES G. VAN NATTA, one of Shelby Township’s leading citizens, was born on the farm, on section 3, of the same township where he now resides, the date of his birth being July 12, 1835.  His father, JOHN S. VAN NATTA, who is now deceased, was one of the prominent pioneers of Tippecanoe County, where he made his home until his death.  JAMES G. was reared on the old homestead to the vocation of a farmer, which he has followed through life, and in his youth he received a common school education in the schools of this county.  He was united in marriage to MISS MARTHA J. OBENCHAIN, a lady of intelligence and refinement, a daughter of  JOHN and ELIZABETH (STAIR) OBENCHAIN, who were prominent citizens of Washington Township.  They are the parents of seven children: SARAH COLUMIA, CARRIE ELIZABETH, JOHN THOMAS, CHARLIE OBENCHAIN, AARON EARL, NELLIE JANE and MARY GRACE.  After his marriage MR. VAN NATTA settled on section 22, Shelby Township, where he resided several years.  He then removed to Benton County, Indiana, and for eleven years made his home on section 28, Pine Township, and December 18, 1884, he bought the old homestead where he was born and reared.  In his agricultural pursuits he has met with excellent success, and is now the owner of 615 acres of Shelby Township’s best soil.  His farm is well improved, and everything about the place shows care and thrift.  His fine two-story residence is surrounded with shade and ornamental trees, and is one of the finest farm houses in this neighborhood.  In connection with his general farming MR. VAN NATTA devotes considerable attention to stock-raising, and is one of the prosperous stock-raisers of his township.  Both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.  Politically he is a Republican.

Biographical Record and Portrait Album of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, pg. 421-422
Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1888

Volunteer: Adina Watkins Dyer

WILBUR F. SEVERSON
A worthy representative of two pioneer families of Indiana, the subject of this review was born in Lafayette, February 4, 1860, a son of PAGE B. and MARY J. (JONES) SEVERSON.  The parents were both natives of Tippecanoe County, and for many years the father was numbered among the leading business men of Lafayette.  He was the proprietor and manager of a music store, which since his death, March 2, 1897, has been carried on by his son, FREDERICK J.   FREDERICK J. and WILBUR F., of the sketch, are his only children.  The widowed mother is still living.

The paternal grandfather of our subject, JAMES SEVERSON, was a native of Pennsylvania and was possibly, of Scotch ancestry.  He went to Ohio when a young man, there married PATIENCE J. PIERCE, and subsequently removed to this state, taking up his abode at a point seven miles west of Lafayette.  He was one of the pioneers of this section and was actively associated with the early development of the county.

On the maternal side of our subject’s family we find that his grandfather, MARK JONES, was born in Kanawha County, West Virginia, January 14, 1814.  When he was a child he removed with his father, WILLIAM JONES, by flat-boat down the Ohio River to Cincinnati and thence proceeded to Wayne County, Indiana.  In 1824 he came to Tippecanoe County, where he became one of the most valued citizens.  He served for twelve years as clerk of the court, and also acted in the capacity of
constable.  For several years he was judge of the Court of Common Pleas and during the remainder of his life he was actively engaged in the practice of law.  His long and useful life was closed March 4, 1897, and his loss has been deeply felt by his large circle of admirers and friends.

WILBUR F. SEVERSON received a good education in the public schools of Lafayette and later was a student of Purdue University for four years.  The next two years he attended the Cincinnati Law School, graduating there May 25, 1881.  He was at once admitted to the bar of this state and entered upon a practice which has been successful from the start and has been constantly widening in importance.  Since February 1885, he has held the position of United States commissioner, and upon the 14th of October 1880, he was granted a license to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States.

He has always been a great lover of music, and while living in Cincinnati he was a pupil in the Conservatory, taking special instruction on the piano and organ.  He uses his right of franchise in favor of the Republican party, in the success of which he is earnestly interested.  A Mason of the thirty-second degree, he belongs to Tippecanoe Lodge, No. 492, F. & A. M.; Lafayette Chapter, No. 3, R.A.M.; Lafayette Commandery, No. 3, K.T. and is, moreover, a noble of the Mystic Shrine.

The marriage of MR. SEVERSON and MISS MINNIE E. GWIN, of Battle Ground, Indiana, was celebrated November 29, 1892.  They are members of Saint John’s Episcopal Church of this place, and are interested in all worthy religious and philanthropic enterprises.

Biographical History of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski Counties, Indiana, Illustrated, Volume 1, pp. 350-351
Lewis Publishing Company, 1899

Volunteer: Adina Watkins Dyer

CAPTAIN WARREN SHEETZ
CAPTAIN SHEETZ is a native of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, his birth occurring on the 9th of October, 1837.  He was the third child of the eleven children of FREDERICK and ELIZA C.  (TAYLOR) SHEETZ, the parents being natives of Hampshire County, Virginia, and very early pioneers of Tippecanoe County, locating on a farm near Lafayette in 1821.  There FREDERICK grew to manhood, learning the miller’s trade, an occupation which he followed for many years, and in 1845 he bought a farm and ended his days in agricultural pursuits, his death occurring there in 1864; and his wife survived till 1867.  The Captain's ancestors on his father's side were German, and on his mother's side they were Scotch-Irish.  Of their large family all are living so far as known to the subject of this sketch, excepting a brother who died in the army.  EDWARD F. is a farmer in Spink county, North Dakota; HARRIET became the wife of W. S. VAN NATTA, whose sketch is given elsewhere in this work; WARREN, whose name heads this sketch; ALFRED, who was a member of Company D, Tenth Indiana Infantry, and died in the army service in 1863; MARGARET, the wife of MR. KELSO, lives near Indianapolis: her first husband was GEORGE SHIGLEY; CHARLES is a farmer near Lafayette; WILLIAM T. has been lost to his family for many years and is presumed to be in the far west, if living; FREDERICK is a bookkeeper at Indianapolis; FRANK is a farmer near Lafayette; ROBERT is a prosperous machinist at Muncie, this state; and MARIA VIRGINIA is the wife of DR. B. F. BEASLEY, who is a successful physician at Lafayette, this state.

The paternal grandfather of our subject was a native of Virginia, FREDERICK SHEETZ by name; and the maternal grandfather was ROBERT TAYLOR, also a native of the Old Dominion; and both families were prominently identified with the history of that state.

CAPTAIN SHEETZ received a common-school education in his native county, and his early life was spent on his father's farm, where he remained until his enlistment in the army, at the age of twenty-four. He was one of those who promptly responded to their country's needs, and enlisted on the 18th of September, 1861, as a private in Company D, Tenth Indiana Infantry.  On the organization of the company he was appointed one of the five sergeants and served in that capacity one year.  In recognition of his special fitness to command, his devotion to duty and bravery on the battlefield, he was commissioned first lieutenant and soon thereafter was promoted to the rank of captain; and for two years he commanded his company and was present with it in all the dangers of three years' active service at the front.  The first rendezvous of the regiment was at Louisville, Kentucky, where it was assigned to the command of General Thomas; and it afterward participated in active maneuvering and skirmishing against guerrillas in Kentucky.  The first general engagement was at Mill Springs, which was quickly followed by the terrific battles at Shiloh and Corinth, Mississippi.  It was next attached to the Fourteenth Army Corps and marched upon Nashville, Tennessee; made a forced march from Nashville to Louisville in pursuit of General Bragg, of the rebel forces, and had various skirmishes in Tennessee; returned to Nashville, and thence went out on the Chickamauga campaign, where, going into the battle of Chickamauga with forty men, CAPTAIN SHEETZ brought his company out with only thirteen men capable for service, twenty having been killed or wounded.   He remained at Chickamauga from September 15, 1863, until February, 1864, during which time the regiment was recruited and given the opportunity to re-enlist in the field.  CAPTAIN SHEETZ was detailed to bring the soldiers home on return furlough, and was home thirty days; but as an organization they did not improve the opportunity. The siege of Chattanooga being raised, the Captain and his company started out on the Atlanta campaign, but his term of service expired before he reached Atlanta, and the regiment was relieved at Ringgold, Georgia, and returned to Indianapolis, where it was mustered out of service, September 18, 1864.

Returning from the war, CAPTAIN SHEETZ resumed agricultural pursuits, purchasing a farm of two hundred and forty acres southeast of Fowler, upon which he lived till 1885.  By reason of failing health he retired from active labors of all kinds and located in Fowler, where he has resided since his retirement from the farm.

Of the social orders CAPTAIN SHEETZ selected only the one which brings together for mutual protection and counsel his old army comrades, and accordingly he has been a member of the Grand Army post from its earliest history, and in this he has taken great interest.  He recognizes the G. A. R. button as a "badge of honor," conveying to him in unmistakable language the mortality of man.  He realizes that it is a society with a “time limit,” and that soon the final reveille will call the last veteran to his eternal rest.  He recognizes the emblem of the order as the “insignia of rank,” telling to the world that the wearer was not only a defender of liberty and union, but also that his military record bore the closest scrutiny, for no traitor or convicted coward can enter the portals of the order.  CAPTAIN SHEETZ has served in all the official capacities of the local post, excepting that of adjutant, and is proud of his connection with the “time-limited and fire-tested fraternity.”

In matrimony CAPTAIN SHEETZ was united, September 6, 1870, with MISS HARRIET H. JOHNSON, a daughter of WILLIAM R. and MARGARET (FINCH) JOHNSON, early settlers of Benton County.  Her father was a prosperous farmer and stock-grower, who died in 1863, at the age of fifty years, and her mother is still living on the old home farm near Oxford, at the age of seventy-five years.  MR. and MRS. SHEETZ became the parents of four sons and two daughters.  The two first born-THEODORE M. and MARGARET E.- died of diphtheria, the latter in infancy, their deaths occurring within a few days of each other; LAURA A. is the wife of CHARLES B. McKNIGHT, an attorney in Fowler; DAVID C. is a clerk in the shoe store of Van Natta & Evans, also in Fowler; WARREN, Jr., is a student in the Fowler schools; and CHESTER is living with his aunt at Lafayette.

On the 31st of August, 1885, having but recently returned from the farm to Fowler, MRS. SHEETZ died.  This was a severe blow to the family, and the Captain still realizes his loneliness and the disruption of family affairs.  Since the occurrence of this sad event  he has made his home for the most part with his married daughter, MRS. McKNIGHT.

In his political sympathies CAPTAIN SHEETZ has always voted with the Republican party, in whose councils he has always been active and influential; but with the advancing years and bodily infirmity he has relinquished to some extent his former political enthusiasm.  He has held the position of trustee of Pine Township two terms, or four years, and he held a similar position in Center Township (Fowler) for a like period.  He is not connected with any church organization, though his wife was a devout Christian lady, a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Biographical History of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski Counties, Indiana, Illustrated, Volume 1, pp. 75-77
Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois,1899

Volunteer: Adina Watkins Dyer

DAVID BRYAN
One of the best known citizens of Lafayette is this gentleman, who is a member of the firm Bryan & Son, engaged in the real estate and loan business, and are agents for a number of the leading insurance firms of this country, the office of the firm being at No. 4 North Third Street.  In the various fraternities MR. BRYAN stands high, and among those with which he is identified are the following: Tippecanoe Lodge, No. 55, I.O.O.F., and Star City Encampment, No. 153; Columbian Lodge, No. 334,
Knights of Pythias; Uniformed Rank, Knights of Pythias, No. 1, Lafayette Division; John A. Logan Post No. 3, G.A.R.; Union Veteran League; Rebekah Lodge of the Odd Fellows, and Rathbone Sisters of the Knights of Pythias.  He was one of the charter members of Kern Lodge, No. 111, and Columbian Lodge, No. 334, and also of the encampment, of Odd Fellows.

The parents of DAVID BRYAN were DAVID and CAROLINE (NORRIS) BRYAN, natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio, respectively.  The father was a farmer by occupation, and in November, 1839, he removed with his wife, whom he had married in Ohio, to Tippecanoe County.  Settling on a farm near Battle Ground, he resided there until 1861, when he sold out, and for
five years made his home in Lafayette.  He then located on a farm three miles west of Battle Ground, and there his death occurred in 1881, when he was nearly eighty-four years of age.  His first wife died in 1847, and he chose for his second wife MRS. AMANDA SMITH, who had two children by her former marriage.  To her second marriage, on son, GEORGE W., was born.  She departed this life in February, 1898.  Both she and her husband were members of the Christian church, he being a trustee in the same.  For over twenty years he held the office of justice of the peace, and, without exception, his acquaintances held him in high esteem.  His father, who died in Pennsylvania, was of Irish descent, and his mother, who survived her husband, passed her last years in Tippecanoe County, dying at an advanced age.  Of the ten children born to our subject’s own parents, only four are yet living.  His brother, JAMES M., lives in Elgin, Kansas; WILLIAM H. is a resident of Sedan, Kansas; and SARAH H., MRS. ADAM H. SMITH, the only sister, also lives in that state, her home being in the town of Lowe.

DAVID BRYAN, of this sketch, was born in this county, on his father’s farm, near Battle Ground, December 29, 1839.  There he passed his youth, engaged in the accustomed pursuits of farmers’ boys, and attending school in an old log cabin.  When he had reached his manhood his father gave him, as he had done with his other children, a sum of money with which to make a start in life.  The young man wisely invested his money in land, and engaged in the cultivation of the same for a year or more, but his labors were just then interrupted by the Civil War, and afterward he sold this property.

As he was not yet married and had no one dependent on him, DAVID BRYAN was not the kind of man to stay at home when his country was in danger, and bravely did he fight for her preservation, on many a field of battle, for three years and five months.  He enlisted as a private soldier in Company H, Fortieth Indiana Infantry, and was promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant for meritorious service.  At the battle of Resaca he was wounded, and to give a complete account of his sufferings
and hardships would exceed the limits of this article.  Suffice it to say that his fortunes were such as fell to the lot of many others of the brave boys in blue who with him gallantly participated in the battles of Resaca, Shiloh, Corinth, Perryville, Stone River, Chattanooga, Mission Ridge, Chickamauga and Knoxville, besides numerous others, and also the long weary campaign in Georgia.

After the war he was employed by Peck & Abbott, of Lafayette, for the long period of eighteen years, which speaks well for his faithful and appreciated work.  He was then elected county recorder, and served in that office for four years, since which time  he has carried on his present business.  He has always been a loyal Republican, but has not been a politician.

December 6, 1866, MR. BRYAN married MARY E., daughter of HARRISON and MARTHA (McBETH) BENNETT.  They became the parents of four children, namely: HARRY L., who is engaged in business with his father, married IDA ANSON and has two children, ROBERT and GENEVA; ELLA MAY, who is unmarried; and GEORGE W. and MINNIE, deceased.  The mother of these children died, and MR. BRYAN afterward married her sister, HARRIET J., by whom he had one child, BESSIE.  This wife also died, and MR. BRYAN wedded ALMA S. BIRCH, daughter of SYLVESTER E. BIRCH.  Two children bless their union, HAZEL B. and BENJAMIN HARRISON.  MR. and MRS. BRYAN are members of St. Paul’s Methodist Episcopal church.  Since 1887 the family has resided at the corner of Howell and Fifteenth streets, the
property having been purchased that year by our subject.

Biographical History of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski Counties, Indiana Illustrated, Volume 1, pp. 1043-1045
Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois,1899

Volunteer: Adina Watkins Dyer

GEORGE W. BRINGHAM
This prominent, public-spirited citizen of Montmorenci, Tippecanoe County, is a representative of one of the sturdy pioneer families which settled north of the Wabash River in what is now known as Wabash Township, about 1825.  His ancestors were of English origin, and his grandfather, SAMUEL BRINGHAM, was born in one of the northeastern states of the Union.  He removed to the vicinity of Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio, at an early day, and in 1825 entered land and located permanently in Wabash Township, Tippecanoe County.  He died at his homestead there when well along in years, respected by every one.  His children were JONAS, JESSE, MARTIN, LEVI, AARON, ISAIAH (who served in the Mexican War), JOHN, BETSY (who first married a MR. HEATLY and after his death became the wife of a MR. SIMPSON), and JANE (who married a MR. CASTER and reared a large number of children).  They also became residents of this county about 1825.

JOHN, father of GEORGE W. BRINGHAM, was born in the east in 1797, and removed with his father to Ohio when young.  He was married in that state, July 8, 1821, to JANE SHEPPARD.  She was of Pennsylvania-Dutch ancestry, a daughter of ADAM SHEPPARD, and was born March 1, 1806.  In the autumn of 1825 MR. BRINGHAM started to move to Indiana, his family and household goods being conveyed in wagons.  He took up his abode on a beautiful, wild prairie, a little south of the site of Purdue University, built a log cabin and spent a year or two there.  He then entered land in Wabash Township, the property later known as the Kellogg place, and went to Crawfordsville for the purpose of taking up the claim.  He improved the farm and in 1832 went to Shelby Township, where he bought eighty acres of land, and for three years attended to its cultivation.  He then purchased the place now owned by our subject and continued to accumulate more land until he owned about five hundred acres.  He dealt extensively in cattle for years, and was a practical, enterprising businessman.  Both he and his wife were active members of the Methodist church, and in early days their house was used as a place of worship by the pioneers.  He was one of the organizers of Shelby Township, was one of its first voters and the first postmaster of the
district, the office being known as Bringham’s Grove, and located in his own house, which stood at the edge of Grand Prairie.  He was a carpenter by trade, and erected many a building in this county.  He died July 22, 1849, when about fifty-two years of age, revered and loved by a host of friends and associates.  His widow, after several years, became the wife of SAMUEL SHIGLEY, in February, 1864, and departed this life December 15, 1873, in Shelby Township.

The children born to JOHN and JANE BRINGHAM were named and the dates of their births were as follows: ALLEN, November 8, 1822; LEANDER, September 9, 1826; ADAM A., November 18, 1828; JOHN W., January 7, 1834; SAMUEL, March 7, 1836; ELIZABETH J., August 8, 1843; GEORGE W., October 17, 1845; and SARAH M., born December 5, 1848.  The last mentioned died March 18, 1853; two infants died unnamed; JOHN W. died December 16, 1838; ALLEN died March 25, 1861; ELIZABETH JANE, who married LEVI SCOTT, died about 1878; and LEANDER died February 20, 1899, at Brookston, Indiana.

GEORGE W. BRINGHAM, as stated, was born October 17, 1845, on the old homestead, Bringham’s Grove, in Shelby Township.  He obtained a good education in the district schools and mastered farming in all of its details.  He enlisted, at the age of nineteen years, in January, 1865, as a private in Company A, One Hundred and Fiftieth Regiment of Indiana Volunteer Infantry, to serve for one year or during the war.  He saw active service at Winchester and Stevenson’s Station, and was always at his post of duty and never in the hospital.  He was honorably discharged at the last mentioned town, August 11, 1865, as there were no longer need of his services.  Returning home, he attended Battle Ground College for two years, and then turned his attention to the mastery of the carpenter’s trade, after learning which he followed the calling for a number of years.

On the 4th of April, 1872, MR. BRINGHAM and EMMA MARSHALL were united in marriage, in Shelby Township.  She was born near Springfield, Ohio, in 1851, a daughter of SOLOMON and SARAH (WRIGHT) MARSHALL.  Three children were born to our subject and wife, namely: JENNIE, LULU and EDNA.

In his political affiliations, MR. BRINGHAM is a staunch Republican.  He was elected to serve as one of the trustees of this township, in the autumn of 1894, his term to expire in 1900.  During Harrison’s administration he was the postmaster of Montmorenci for one year.  He stands high in the estimation of those who know him, and as a public official has given general satisfaction to all concerned.  He is member of the Methodist church and his influence and means can always be safely relied upon in the promotion of righteous causes.

Biographical History of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski Counties, Indiana, Illustrated, Volume 1, pp. 966-968
Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois,1899

Volunteer: Adina Watkins Dyer

ROBERT W.  SAMPLE
Among the men who occupy high position in the business circles of Lafayette and to whom the citizens of this place can point with pride, none, perhaps, is more worthy of biographical honors than ROBERT W. SAMPLE, president of the First National Bank of Lafayette.

He was born in Lafayette September 2, 1833, son of HENRY T.  and SARAH (SUMWALT) SAMPLE, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Maryland.  In the SAMPLE family were five children, three of whom are now living: ESTELLA, widow of HENRY TAYLOR; ROBERT W.; and SALLIE, widow of DAVID McBRIDE.  HENRY T.  SAMPLE, the father, was a tanner and pork packer.  He came to Lafayette in 1827, and was in business here for many years, up to nearly the time of his death, which occurred in 1882, at the age of seventy six years.  During his early career at this place he operated under the firm name of SAMPLE & HANNA, and later under the style of H.  T.  SAMPLE & SONS, doing a large business in pork and beef packing.  He was also indirectly interested in other business - manufacturing, farming and stock-raising.  Actively identified with the County Agricultural Association, he was its president for many years, holding that office at the time of his death.  In other public matters he also took a deep interest, and was recognized as one of the public-spirited men of the town and county.

The paternal grandfather of our subject was JOHN SAMPLE, a soldier of the War of 1812.  He was a native of Ohio, of Scotch descent, and by occupation was a miller.  From Butler County, Ohio, he came to Indiana and settled in Randolph County, and later went from this state to Henry County, Iowa, where he died of cholera, in 1851, at the age of seventy seven years.  Two other members of the family died on that same day - his wife and his daughter-in-law, AMANDA SAMPLE, and his son, WILLIAM T.  died on the 10th of the same month, all of cholera.  MR.  SAMPLE's maternal grandfather was named JOHN SUMWALT.  He made a visit to Indiana in the pioneer days and died while here, leaving a large family.  He was of German descent.

ROBERT W.  SAMPLE, the immediate subject of this sketch, was reared in his native town and received his education in its common schools and seminary.  In youth he learned the tanner's trade, and when he grew older became interested in business with his father, as partner in all the latter's interests.  After his father's death the packing and other business enterprises were disposed of, and ROBERT W.  devoted his energies to farming and stock-raising, operating three large farms and breeding and raising cattle extensively, making a specialty of the Hereford variety.  He had been a director and vice-president of the First National Bank of Lafayette for many years, and in 1889 became its president, a position he still holds, while he is also interested in various manufacturing industries.

MR. SAMPLE resides at 311 South Ninth street, Lafayette, where he built the family residence in 1868.  He was married October 31, 1855, to MISS ELIZABETH M. ANDERSON, and they have had seven children, namely: CANDACE, wife of DR. BURT; ANNA A., wife of ASHLEY JOHNSON; ELIZABETH, who died at the age of two years; ROBERT W., who died in infancy; MARY S., widow of JOHN EWRY; JOHN G., teller in the First National Bank; and RICHARD B., vice-president of the Henry Taylor Lumber Company.

In their religious views MR. and MRS. SAMPLE are Methodists, belonging to Trinity Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is a trustee.   Politically he is a Republican, always taking a commendable interest in public affairs and at the same time firmly refusing to accept any official honors.  He has traveled all over the country, but has always made Lafayette his home, honoring the city by his residence here and enjoying the highest esteem of his fellow citizens.

Biographical History of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski Counties, Indiana, Illustrated, Volume 1, pp.  946-948
Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois,1899

Volunteer: Adina Watkins Dyer

DAVID YOST
The YOST family springs from old colonial stock of Virginia and German ancestry, who were Lutherans.  ANTHONY YOST, the grandfather of DAVID, was a farmer in Rockingham County, Virginia, and his children were JOHN, JACOB, ANTHONY, ABRAHAM, WILLIAM; MAGDALENE, who married WILLIAM GLADDEN and settled in Wea prairie, Tippecanoe County; a daughter who married MR.  BOWERS and located in Preble County, Ohio; another daughter, who became the wife of a man named WIKLES; and still another, who became MRS.  BECK.

ANTHONY YOST settled at an early day in Preble County, Ohio, as a pioneer, cleared a tract of land in the forest and passed his remaining days there, as a farmer.  He lived to be a man of venerable age, dying at his home in Preble County.  JACOB YOST, the father of our subject, was born in 1805, in Rockingham County, Virginia, and when young went to Preble County, Ohio, where he was brought up a farmer and also learned the distilling business.  In the county mentioned he married RACHEL FOUTS, a native of North Carolina.  MR. YOST continued to reside in Preble County, for a number of years after his marriage, and then emigrated to Indiana, settling in Tippecanoe County, on the Wea prairie near the GLADDENS, about 1839.  Next he purchased land on the Wildcat Creek, in Carroll County, and finally owned about two hundred acres.  He did not settle on the land just alluded to, but continued to follow the business of distilling, settling about 1843 on land near where his grandson AMOS now lives, in Perry Township, when there were three distilleries in the neighborhood.

His children were: WILLIAM, born in 1827; ISAAC, in 1829; JAMES, about 1831; DAVID, January  17, 1832;  CATHERINE, who died an infant; JACOB; LEVI, who died young; MARY, JOHN and GEORGE.  The first six were born in Preble county, Ohio, and the others in this county.  MR. YOST was an industrious and upright man who reared his children to good habits.  He died in August, 1854, in Perry township, this county, at the age of fifty-five years.

DAVID YOST, the father of our subject, was born January 17, 1832, in Preble county, Ohio, and was seven years old when brought by his parents to Tippecanoe county.   He received no school education, but learned to read and write by his own energies, while he was brought up among the typical pioneers of this great state.  Throughout the most of his life,
especially in his younger days, he was employed in clearing land.  At the age of twenty-two years, in 1855, in Perry township, he married MARY  J. WEAVER, who was born March 7, 1839, in that township, a daughter of JOHN and CATHERINE (HOMER) WEAVER.  JOHN WEAVER was born in Ohio, of sturdy  Pennsylvania-Dutch stock from Montgomery county, Ohio.   He moved to Tippecanoe county in pioneer times, locating on land in Perry township.  His father, JACOB WEAVER, also came to Perry township and built a mill on the south fork of the Wildcat, and this was one of the earliest mills in  Perry township.  JOHN WEAVER became a prosperous and substantial farmer, owning at the time of his death about two
hundred acres of land.  His children were SAMUEL, CHARLES, MARY J. and JAMES.   He died at the age of about fifty-five years, a member of the "Dunkard"  church.

After his marriage DAVID YOST resided in Perry township, bought land in the green woods in Ross Township, Clinton County, Indiana, where he cleared a goodly farm  of eighty acres, and completed a comfortable residence with inviting premises.  By his first wife his children were CHARLES, WISLEY and JOHN.   The mother of these children died in 1858, three years after marriage at the early age of nineteen years.  She was a young woman of noble character.  In 1865 MR.  YOST married, in Darke County, Ohio, MRS. SARAH (WEYBRIGHT) LUCAS, the widow of GEORGE LUCAS, and by this marriage there were five children: AARON, AMOS, DAVID, RACHEL and NANCY.  MRS.  YOST died March 21, 1877.   MR. YOST is a member of the German Baptist church, as were also both his wives.  He has always been a hard-working farmer, and, in relation to his fellow-citizens, zealous in good works.

AMOS YOST, one of the sons above mentioned and also one of the subjects of this sketch, was born in Clinton county, Ohio, April  27, 1867, brought up on a farm and received a common-school education an also a normal education at the National Normal School at Lebanon, Ohio, and also a collegiate training at Purdue University, near Lafayette, this state.  After quitting the halls of scholastic learning, he began teaching a public school, in Ross Township, Clinton County, this state, in 1890, and continued the successful prosecution of his profession there for five years.  In 1896 he began teaching  in Perry Township, Tippecanoe County where he is at present a well known educator.  He purchased forty acres of good farming land, settling upon it in 1895, and here he has a pleasant home.  He is a young man of good education and intellectual ability, having a good reputation throughout the county as an efficient educator and being uniformly successful in his school work.  Politically he is a Republican.   He was married in Clinton County, Indiana, August 13, 1893,  to MYRTLE WOODRUFF.   MR. YOST's children are VELDA R., born September 11, 1894; and LILA BERNICE, born February 12, 1898.

CHARLES W.  YOST, another son of DAVID YOST, and a patron of this work, was born May 13, 1856, in Carroll County, Indiana, received the usual country school education and has always been a farmer.  At the age of twenty-four years he married, in Perry Township, February 17, 1881, VIOLA MAY WARWICK, who was born in this township, in 1860, a daughter of ROBERT and ELIZABETH (STALEY) WARWICK .  After marriage Mr. YOST occupied rented land for several years, and in 1892 moved to his present farm of one hundred and fifty acres, well improved.  His children are CLARENCE, BERTHA and EVA M.   Politically he is a Republican.   He is an honored citizen of the township, of which he has been trustee three years and is a practical, straightforward honorable citizen.

AARON YOST, still another son of DAVID YOST, is a practical farmer and respected citizen of Perry township, born in Clinton County, Indiana, October 21, 1865.  He received a common-school education, taught school two winters in Perry Towship, and October 18, 1889, married RENA WARWICK, also a native of this township, born April 28, 1870, on the WARWICK homestead, a daughter of GEORGE W.  and CATHERINE (BARR) WARWICK.  After his marriage MR.  YOST continued to reside on the WARWICK homestead, and is well known as a straight forward and practical farmer.   His children are DALE M., born April 22, 1890  and VERNE W., born November 15, 1894.

Professor JOHN YOST, another son of DAVID, has passed all his professional life in the educational field, and is now a resident of Egg Harbor, Wisconsin.

Biographical History of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski Counties, Indiana, Illustrated, Volume 1, pp.  926-928
Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois,1899

Volunteer: Adina Watkins Dyer

SAMUEL BEST
ESQUIRE BEST, formerly a justice of the peace of Shelby township, and now a resident of Montmorenci, Tippecanoe County, has passed nearly all his life in this county, where his grandparents were pioneers and his father almost a life-long citizen.  He is of sterling German stock. EZEKIEL BEST, his grandfather, was a native of Germany and a farmer, who in his native land married KATHARINE SCHONER and immediately afterward emigrated to America, settling in Pennsylvania.  After a residence of several years there he moved to West Virginia, where in the forest he cleared a hundred acres of land.  Subsequently he moved to Greene County, Ohio, when that section was still a wilderness, and about 1830 came to Warren County, Indiana, where he passed the remainder of his life, dying about 1850, at the age of ninety-three years.  His children were GEORGE, SILAS, ISAAC, ADAM, SOLOMON, PETER, SUSAN, ELIZABETH and
MARY A.

Of these, ISAAC BEST, the father of our subject, was born February 27, 1797, in Pennsylvania.  When fourteen years of age he was a drummer boy in the war of 1812.  By occupation he was always a farmer.  In Greene County, Ohio, whither the family had removed when he was a child, he married JANE JACKSON, who was born in Kentucky in 1897, a daughter of PHILIP and SUSAN (DOWNEY) JACKSON.   He followed agricultural pursuits, on a quarter section of land which he had entered from the government, until 1837, when he removed to Tippecanoe County, locating in September, in Wabash township, six miles west of Lafayette.  In 1843 he purchased eighty acres of land in Grand Prairie, same township, and this tract he improved and cultivated, spending there the remainder of his life.  He also bought forty-four acres of timber land six miles south of this place.  He was an exemplary citizen, being a local preacher of the Methodist Episcopal church; and his house was a headquarters for Methodism.  In politics he was a Whig.  He died June 15, 1855, aged about fifty-eight years.  His children were DELILAH, WILLIAM, HENRY, CATHARIN, SARAH, AMANDA, SAMUEL, SILAS, ISAAC N. and JOSIAH B.

Of these children, SAMUEL BEST, our subject, was born September 6, 1832, in Greene County, Ohio, and was five years old when the family came to Indiana.  At the age of twenty-one he learned the blacksmith’s trade, on Grand Prairie.  In April, 1862, he opened a shop in Montmorenci, where he has since resided and continued at his trade.  Politically he is a Republican.  In 1882 he was elected a justice of the peace, which office he filled until 1892, when, although re-elected, he refused to serve longer.  Ever since April, 1892, however, he has been a notary public.   He is a member of the Methodist church.   April 13, 1854, he was married to MARY CONN, a native of Union County, Indiana, born November 10, 1827, a daughter of WILLIAM and ELIZABETH (THOMAS) CONN, and they have the following named children: WILLIAM E.,
who was born April 20, 1855; ISAAC B., September 19, 1856; JAMES E., July 22, 1860; and MARTHA E., July 12, 1872.  MR. BEST was married a second time, wedding MRS. MARTHA BOOKER, nee CONN.  This lady was first married to ALBERT SUTTON, by whom her children were MARY J., JOHN S., GEORGE W. and REBECCA A.  By her second marriage she wedded JONATHAN BOOKER, and by that union were JACOB E. and LEWIS CASS.

Biographical History of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski Counties, Indiana, Illustrated, Volume 1
Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1899

Biographies Index

Tippecanoe County, INGenWeb Project

Indiana Biographies Project