Samuel Campbell

One of the most respected residents of Wells county, Indiana, is Samuel Campbell, who was born in Summit county, Ohio, April 24, 1843, and is a son of Samuel and Eleanor (Kyser) Campbell, the former of whom lost his life in the late Civil war. The mother remarried, and settled in Union township, Huntington county. When fourteen years old, Samuel Campbell, the subject, started out in life for himself. He worked in a saw-mill, on a farm, or at whatever he could get to do and when the war began, he gallantly responded to his country's call to arms to aid in suppressing the rebellion. He enlisted in August, 1862, in Company G. One Hundred and First Indiana Volunteer Infantry, under Captain Truesdale, and was mustered into the United States service at Indianapolis, whence the regiment was sent to the front, via Cincinnati, in order to head off the contemplated attack by the rebel general Braxton Bragg on that commercial metropolis of the Buckeye state. Crossing the river at Cincinnati, the regiment was ordered to Louisville, Kentucky, and so onward to Milton, Tennessee, where Mr. Campbell engaged in his first battle, following which came those of Missionary Ridge, Tullahoma, Chickamauga, Chattanooga and several minor engagements in 1864. Mr. Campbell also followed the fortunes of his regiment through the memorable Atlanta campaign and was with Sherman on his famous march to the sea, took part in the reduction of Savannah in December, marched through the Carolinas and took part in all skirmishes and the battle of Bentonville, North Carolina, in March, 1865, and of Raleigh in April, 1865. As the war here closed, the One Hundred and First Indiana joined in the march to Washington to take part in the grandest military pageant the world had witnessed, or probably ever will again witness -- that of the Grand Review. After having shared in this historical event, in May, 1865, the One Hundred and First Indiana was mustered out of the service in June, 1865, and honorably discharged, and Mr. Campbell reached Markle, Indiana, in time to witness, if not participate, in the notable Fourth of July celebration that followed his return home. A recapitulation of the engagements in which the One Hundred and First Indiana took part will not here be out of order, although not in chronological precision: Hartsville, Milton, Hoover's Gap, Tullahoma, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Missionary Ridge, Graysville, Ringgold, Tunnel Hill, Rocky Face Ridge, Dalton, Resaca, Adairsville, Cassville, Acworth, Pickett's Mills, Culp's Farm, New Hope Church, Big Shanty, Lost Mountain, Smyrna, Peach Tree Creek, Chattahoochie River, Ezra Church, Atoxi Creek, Allatoona, Jonesboro, the last twenty-three being included in the Atlanta campaign. It is left to the reader to decide whether Mr. Campbell is entitled to the honorable name of "soldier" or not. For all this service to his country, Mr. Campbel [sic], besides the usual pay and rations he received while in the service, is now allowed a pension of ten dollars per month. On his return from the army, Mr. Campbell was again employed in a saw-mill and in this line of business he has been employed for a number of years. He also learned the carpenter's trade, and has worked more or less at this business ever since.

In 1868 Mr. Campbell was united in marriage, in Murray, Wells county, with Mrs. Catherine (Maddux) Redding, daughter of John Maddux and widow of W. L. Redding, and a highly cultivated lady. This union has been crowned by the birth of one child, Alice, who was born in 1870, was educated in the common schools of Wells county, and is now the wife of Andrew Christmore, farmer and holder of oil well interests.

Fraternally Mr. Campbell is a member of Post No. 560, Grand Army of the Republic, at Markle, in which he has served as officer of the day and as adjutant one term, and it is not necessary to add that no one save an honorably discharged soldier (or seaman) from the military service of the United States can hold this position. The religious connection of the Campbell family is with the Lutheran church of Horeb, in which Mr. Campbell has served as deacon.

As a mere incident, or episode in the life of Mr. Campbell, it may be worthy of mention that about 1897, in company with Capt. D. L. Elliott, of Warren, Harman Allen, Christopher Lew, Nathan Luckey, J. J. Creviston and others, Mr. Campbell visited the scenes of their former military exploits, including Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain. Their sensations on this visit may be more easily imagined than described.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana. B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903., pp. 589-591.


William Carger

WILLIAM CARGER, one of the progressive farmers of Rock Creek Township, is a native of Ohio, born in Knox County, June 18, 1834, a son of Emanuel and Margaret (Long) Carger. When he was a child his mother died, and after her death he found a home in the family of William Roberts. He came with Mr. Roberts to Wells County, Indiana, in 1850, remaining with him until his death, almost twelve years. After the death of Mr. Roberts he went to work for Jacob Shively, remaining in his employ four years when he went to Warren, where he spent one year.

He was married September 11, 1859, to Miss Margaret Sheets, a native of Huntington County, Indiana, and daughter of John Sheets. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Carger, of whom one son, Emanuel, is deceased. The names of those yet living are: Julia A., Mary C., John and William.

After his marriage Mr. Carger bought 101 acres of laud on section 6, Rock Creek Township, of which fifteen acres were partially cleared. He cleared and improved this land, making his home there until 1874 when he traded his land on section 6 for 101 acres of his present farm on section 7, to which he has since added eighty-two acres, all of which is now cleared and under good cultivation. All his property has been made by years of toil and strict economy, and his first fifty-six acres were paid for with money he earned while working as a day laborer. Mrs. Carger died September 10, 1886. She was a worthy member of the Christian church. Mr. Carger is a member of the same church. He is an Odd Fellow, and belongs to Markie Lodge, No. 362. In his political views he affiliates with the Democratic party.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 979-980.


William Carnes
WILLIAM CARNES, County Commissioner of Wells County, was born in Guernsey County, Ohio, the date of his birth being June 29, 1828. His parents, John and Ann (Bell) Carnes, were natives of Ireland, where they were reared and married. On coming to America they lived for a time in New York, and from there moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A few years later they removed to Guernsey County, Ohio, where they lived till their death, the mother dying in 1838, and the father in 1857.

William was reared in his native county, and was early in life inured to hard work. His youth was spent in assisting his father clear his farm, and after that had been cleared he assisted in clearing several other farms. September 28, 1854, he married Miss Hannah Booth who was born and reared in Guernsey County, Ohio, a daughter of Thomas and Susannah (Latherow) Booth. Of the eleven children born to this union ten yet survive: Susan, wife of John O. Houser, of Poneto, Wells County; Robert F. married Eliza Eleanor Speece; Sarah Elizabeth, wife of Jasper Merriman, of Wells County; John married Eliza E. Harris; Thomas married Hannah Miller; William Henry, George W., Oscar, Mary Etta and Myrtle Alice. La Fayette is deceased.

In the month following his marriage Mr. Carnes came to Wells County, Indiana, and located on a tract of eighty-four acres in Chester Township, which he had previously purchased, and at once began clearing a space, and with the timber thus cut down he built his cabin. The country was in a state of nature, not even a road leading to his place, he being obliged to cut one before getting to it. His wife with her parents followed soon after, and by the time they arrived he had his new home ready for occupancy. He has by hard toil and persevering energy made from his pioneer home in the wilderness, a well-improved farm, having now a comfortable and commodious dwelling and good farm buildings, and the surroundings of the place show the owner to be a thorough practical farmer. His farm consists of 120 acres, of which about ninety acres is cleared and brought under cultivation. Politically Mr. Carnes is a Democrat. In 1857 he was elected road supervisor, and since then has served in that capacity eight or ten times. He is the only man in Chester Township who has held the office of road superintendent. At the November election of 1884 he was elected commissioner of Wells County, and during his term of office more work of a public nature has been done than has been accomplished in any term before. Since Mr. Carnes has held this office, two bridges have been built in Union, one in Liberty and one in Nottingham Township, and an abutment has been built to the bridge across the Salamonie River in Jackson Township. The new bridge at Bluffton is the largest and finest in the county, and one of the best to be found throughout the State of Indiana.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 1016-1017.

James S. Cartwright
JAMES S. CARTWRIGHT, farmer, section 22, Jefferson Township, was born in Niles, Trumbull County, Ohio, son of John and Margaret (McCorkle) Cartwright, the former a native of Berks County, Virginia, born February 3, 1797, and the latter born October 24, 1801, in Trumbull County, Ohio, of Irish ancestry. They were married in that county, and seven of their children were born prior to their removal to Indiana-James S., John A., Allison B. [sic], Margaret, Mary, Nancy and Lorinda. In the fall of 1852 the family settled in Ossian, and John engaged in the mercantile trade for several years. Soon after locating he was appointed postmaster, and during a Democratic administration, from the time of President Pierce until after the inauguration of President Lincoln, he filled that position. He was a very prominent local politician, and with the exception of James S. all his children were Democrats. The death of the mother occurred September 12, 1857, and afterward John Cartwright married Mrs. Nancy Stapleford, of Fort Wayne. Both are now deceased. Isabella, the oldest child, was married in Ohio to Henry G. Donaghy. They had four children, only one surviving. Margaret married John Johnston, and they had two children. Mr. Johnston died and his widow married Samuel Oswalt, of Ossian, and they have one son. Mary married Milo J. Garrell. John A. became the husband of Susan Hyatt, and is a resident of Delphi, Carroll County, Indiana; he was principal of the schools of that city for several years; was a member of the General Assembly in 1884-'86. Nancy became the wife. of Dr. John I. Metts. Allison D. [sic] graduated in medicine and practiced at Zanesville several years; he married Mary Jennings, and they reside in Delphi, Indiana, where Mr. Cartwright is engaged in the mercantile trade. Lorinda graduated at the Presbyterian College at Granville, Ohio, and has taught many terms of school in Bluffton and Kansas; she married John S. Howard, a merchant of Los Angeles, California.

Mr. Cartwright was educated in the common schools, and passed his early life on the farm. October 5, 1842, he was married to Miss Sarah Shafer, daughter of Jacob and Mary Shafer, William Roberts, Esq., of Trumbull County, performing the ceremony. The Shafer family were natives of Perry County, Pennsylvania, and immigrated to Ohio in about 1818. They were the parents of eleven children, five of whom are living-Susan, wife of John Rush, of Southern Iowa; Emily became the wife of William Ripple, of Youngstown, Ohio; Laura married John Murphy, a farmer of Champion, Ohio; Almira married Emory Kibler, a farmer of Manchester, Ohio; Mrs. Cartwright is the only child living in this State. Both her parents are deceased and are buried in Ohio. When Mr. Cartwright came to this county he purchased and settled upon the tract of land now owned by David Hoopingarner. A cabin had been built and a few acres cleared. A stick fireplace ornamented the most of one end of the cabin, and the great piles of wood consumed were not taken into account in that early day. Mr. Cartwright also purchased the eighty acres where he now resides, not a stick having been removed. In 1855 he purchased and removed to this tract a small frame house, which has since been replaced by good substantial buildings, and the appearance today suggests much care and taste upon the part of the owner. He wielded a skillful ax, and while some of his neighbors employed their time in hunting, Mr. Cartwright made large inroads upon the forest trees which covered his lands. He also dealt considerably in stock as his lands became improved, and from the commencement of his business life in this county it has been a success.

Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright have had twelve children, six of whom are living--John T. (deceased), Henry J. (deceased), Andrew J., William A. (deceased), Mary (deceased), Clark and Margaret (deceased), Emma, Alice J., Susan F., Lucy and Morton M. John T. was a veteran of Company K, Seventy-fifth Indiana Infantry, and passed through many severe engagements unharmed. The malarious atmosphere of the southern swamps finally caused his death at Nashville, Tennessee. His remains were sent home and are buried in Ossian cemetery. Henry was also a member of the same company, and served in many battles. He was with Sherman on his march to the sea. His death occurred after his return from the army. Andrew enlisted, when seventeen years of age, in the One Hundred arid Fifty-third Indiana Infantry. His regiment did garrison duty in Kentucky, and never saw active service in the field. He is the husband of Lydia Archibald and resides in Jefferson Township. William A. died in infancy. Mary also died in childhood. Clark died of small-pox in 1852. Mr. Cartwright contracted the disease on the lakes when coming to this county, and was the first to have the dread disease which terminated the lives of his children the second year of their stay in the new country. Margaret married Martin Caston, and at her death left two children-Maggie C., the surviving one, is cared for by her grandparents, and is an unusually bright and interesting child. Emma married James K. Beatty and resides in this towmiship. Mr. Beatty is an insurance agent and does an extensive business. Alice J. married Warren Taylor, a large carriage manufacturer at Zanesville. Susan F. married Josephus Caston, a farmer of Jefferson Township. Lucy became the wife of James C. Johnston and resides with her parents on the home farm. Morton M. is unmarried and lives in the West.

The first vote Mr. Cartwright cast in Jefferson Township was challenged, he, with four others, casting their votes for Hale, the Free-soil candidate for President. The Free-soil party and the Whig party united formed the Republican party. His vote was afterward accepted, and he acted and voted with that party, then voted the Whig ticket, and was one of the first Republicans forming a party organization in this county. Himself and wife have been members of the Methodist Episcopal church for more than forty years. Mrs. Cartwright's grandfather, Thomas McCoy, was a native of Scotland, and landed in America three days before Independence was declared, being one of the first to enlist in the struggle. He served through the entire war. His wife was Mary Stewart, a native of Ireland and a member of the celebrated Stewart family who possessed fabulous wealth. Her father was a soldier in the war of 1812, and participated in most of the noted battles. Mr. Cartwright was one of the first men made Master Masons by Ossian Lodge, No. 297, A. F. & A. M., and has since retained a membership with the fraternity.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 761-765.

Edgar N. Cassell
The agricultural development of any county or township does not depend upon the efforts of any one individual, but results from the combined labors and enterprise of many. There are, however, usually a few who are leaders and who know best not only how to utilize their own labors but to so direct the energies of others as to produce results of far-reaching importance in agricultural life. Among those who are prominently connected with movements making for progress in Chester Township, Wells County, one who is well known, is Edgar N. Cassell, whose finely developed farm is located on Poneto Rural Route No. 1

Edgar N. Cassell was born at Hartford City, Indiana, July 23, 1874, a son of Dr. G. W. and Arabella (Moorman) Cassell. The family was one of the most prominently known at Hartford City, which was laid out by Abram Cassell, the grandfather of Edgar N., in the capacity of county surveyor of Blackford County, Indiana. Abram Cassell had come as a pioneer to Blackford County and owned much land in the locality in which Hartford City was situated. He rounded out his life in agricultural pursuits and became one of the well-to-do men of his community. Dr. G. W. Cassell was born at Hartford City, was thoroughly prepared for the profession of medicine, and for many years practiced as a physician and surgeon. During a long period he practiced at Hartford City, where he was widely and favorably known, but in later years centered his professional business in the communities of Keystone and Poneto, and his death occurred at Hartford City, Indiana. Doctor Cassell was one of the skilled men of his calling and was highly regarded by his professional associates and by the public in general. His ability and industry combined to gain him a handsome material competency, and at his death his property was divided among his children. He was a church member, and in addition to the organizations of his calling belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Of his six children three are living at this time: Edgar N.; Ida, who is the wife of Guy Mahoney of Hartford City, Indiana; and Bonnie, the wife of Jesse Craft, also of that city.

In the month following his marriage Mr. Carnes came to Wells County, Indiana, and located on a tract of eighty-four acres in Chester Township, which he had previously purchased, and at once began clearing a space, and with the timber thus cut down he built his cabin. The country was in a state of nature, not even a road leading to his place, he being obliged to cut one before getting to it. His wife with her parents followed soon after, and by the time they arrived he had his new home ready for occupancy. He has by hard toil and persevering energy made from his pioneer home in the wilderness, a well-improved farm, having now a comfortable and commodious dwelling and good farm buildings, and the surroundings of the place show the owner to be a thorough practical farmer. His farm consists of 120 acres, of which about ninety acres is cleared and brought under cultivation. Politically Mr. Carnes is a Democrat. In 1857 he was elected road supervisor, and since then has served in that capacity eight or ten times. He is the only man in Chester Township who has held the office of road superintendent. At the November election of 1884 he was elected commissioner of Wells County, and during his term of office more work of a public nature has been done than has been accomplished in any term before. Since Mr. Carnes has held this office, two bridges have been built in Union, one in Liberty and one in Nottingham Township, and an abutment has been built to the bridge across the Salamonie River in Jackson Township. The new bridge at Bluffton is the largest and finest in the county, and one of the best to be found throughout the State of Indiana.

Edgar N. Cassell was reared at Hartford City, in Chester Township, and at Keystone and Poneto, and attended school in all of these communities. While his father was a professional man, the family home on a farm during a large part of the time, and thus it was that Edgar N. Cassell grew up more as an agriculturist than anything else and that he turned his attention naturally to that vocation when he entered upon his life's work. When still a young man he was united in marriage with Miss Blanche Starr, daughter of B. F. Starr, and they have since resided on the old Starr homestead place, which had been originally settled by Mrs. Cassell's grandfather, B. F. Starr, Sr. Mr. Cassell carries on general farming, but like many others in the county specializes to some extent, particularly in the way of breeding Aberdeen-Angus cattle. Of this stock he has a herd of twenty head, aat the head of which is the individual Duck Creek Phelps. He has also other good grades of stock, and is a director in the Farmers Co-Operative Elevator Company at Poneto, and a director in the Farmers State Bank, of which he was one of the organizers. In politics he is a republican, but not active.

Mr. and Mrs. Cassell are the parents of three children: Mazie, a graduate of the Hartford City High School, class of 1917; and Madge and George, who are both attending the Keystone High School.

Standard history of Adams and Wells Counties, Indiana. Tyndall, John W. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, 1918, p. 637-8.
Transcribed by Karin King


Evan L. Chalfant

This prominent and widely known young agriculturist, journalist, and teacher, is now considered one of the most prosperous and successful farmers in Jefferson Township. He was born in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, March 22, 1859, and the first eight years of his life were spent amongst the hills and streams of that state. In 1867 he came with his parents, James and Amanda H.(Barber) Chalfant, to Wells county, Indiana. After completing the common school studies, and some of the higher branches in the Ossian graded schools,he began to teach, which occupation he followed in Wells county for nineteen years, meantime being engaged in his father's saw-mill and being familiar with all departments, especially that of head sawyer. He then settled down to what he considers his life occupation, farming. He takes great interest in this, his chosen calling, reads many farm journals and books on agricultural subjects and is also a contributor to several farm papers. At the present time he is chairman of the Wells county Farmers' Institute Association. He is also a justice of the peace, having been elected the second time to that position as the nominee of the Republican party.

In the month of May, 1886, Evan L. Chalfant was united in marriage to Miss Flora E. Benedict, daughter of Luther and Julia Benedict, and who also for eleven years had been a teacher in the public schools. They have one child, Beth E. Mr. Chalfant and wife are members of the Kingsland Presbyterian Church, of which he is an elder and trustee, clerk of the session and secretary of the congregation. They are both likewise teachers in the Sunday School, of which he was superintendent for some years, Mrs. Chalfant of the primary class and he of the young ladies' Bible class. Of fraternal orders, Mr. Chalfant is a member of the Uniondale Lodge, K.P. and of the Ossian Lodge, K.O.T.M.

Mr. and Mrs. Chalfant mingle with the best people of Jefferson township and Wells county, by whom they are greatly esteemed and with whom his graphic and trenchant pen wields a potent inlfuence. His habits of close observation and his retentive memory are valuable aids in the preparation of his numerous contributions to the press. These articles are read with interest by all on account of lucidity of expression and valuable information which they impart to the reader and seeker after agricultural knowledge, and are also widely quoted.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana. B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903., pp. 589-591.
Transcribed by RMCHAPMAN@prodigy.net


Abraham J. Clark
ABRAHAM J. CLARK, of Ossian, was born in Greencastle, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, in 1818. His father, Walter B. Clark, was born in Frederick, Maryland, and his mother, Margaret (De Groff) Clark, was a native of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. They were married in Pennsylvania, and settled in Greencastle in 1811. Six children were born in that State. The names of the children are-John B., Amelia, Abraham J., Jeremiah, Catherine and Washington. In 1833 the family came to Wayne County, Ohio, and settled near Doylestown. A location was made in Medina County in 1841, and the eleven years spent in that county was the severest struggle for existence the family ever experienced. Abraham and his brother Jeremiah bought 100 acres of land, divided it equally, and began the problem of carving out their destinies. Rough fare, rougher clothing and innumerable hardships daunted them not, but years of toil brought a fitting reward. Five years later Abraham sold his land, purchased 100 acres, and made another beginning. A small clearing had been made and a small cabin was built. Having claims upon 200 acres, and having built three good log houses, in 1852 he decided to sell and emigrate to Indiana. The change was made, and his ready cash purchased a nice tract of land. During the winter of 1852 the death of the mother occurred, and after the children came to this county the father also removed here, and died February 22, 1860. Three of the brothers are living; Washington resides in Wisconsin, and Jeremiah and Abraham in Ossian.

The marriage of the latter to Catherine Rasor, in Medina County, Ohio, occurred November 6, 1841, George Miller, Esq., performing the ceremony. The Rasors were natives of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and were the first couple married in Wadsworth Township, Medina County, Ohio. They reared a large family of children, and remained in that county during their lifetime, their last days being spent in the village of Wadsworth. In November, 1852, our subject with his wife and children came to Wells County, locating in the woods of Jefferson Township. He purchased 240 acres of choice timber land on which not a stroke of the ax had been made. The first log house was built in the spring of 1853, into which the family moved in the spring of that year; it is still standing. The eldest son, George, just developing into manhood, died June 3, 1864, and although only nineteen years of age, he was accepted by the Government and enlisted in defense of his country's flag, becoming a member of time One Hundred and Thirtieth Indiana Infantry. The pride of his father and joy of his mother went forth to do battle, but disease cut short his youthful vigor, and he died at Nashville, Tennessee, in less than a year from the time of his enlistment. His remains repose in the cemetery at Ossian. James, the third child, is the only one of the four children that is living. He resides on a part of the old homestead first purchased by the father in Indiana. He became the husband of Eliza Baughman March 3, 1870, and they are the parents of three children-William J., Charles E. and Mary E. The two daughters reached maturity. The eldest, Margaret, became the wife of John H. Ferguson April 26, 1866. They had three children-Jennie E., Albert B. and Marion J. John Ferguson was also a hero of the late war, being a member of the Eighty-eighth Indiana Infantry. His wife died in the spring of 1885. Mary J., the fourth child, married Lewis Caston in September, 1875. She also had three children-Judson B., Maggie M. and James J. The death of Mrs. Cason occurred August 20, 1882. In that year Mr. Clark erected a neat cottage in Ossian, where they have since resided.

These pioneers, who have braved the summers' sun and the storms of many winters, have gained a competence; and yet they find consolation in the joy of the love and companionship of each other and their numerous grandchildren, in the veins of whom flows the blood of an ancestry which has never been sullied with dishonor. This sketch gives a brief history of one of Ossian's best families. Walter B. Clark, the father of our subject, was a soldier of the war of 1812, under the command of Major Wood. He was present at the battle of Baltimore, and passed through the remainder of that campaign. The history of Walter Clark was that which usually follows upon one used to agricultural calling, although in earlier years he was a mechanic and worked at his trade in the manufacture of saddle-trees. Of the De Groff family but little can be learned. Walter's wife was the daughter of a gentleman who was a native of Poland, but his relatives do not remember his name. One of his sons, Abraham De Groff, was for many years proprietor of an inn near Baltimore, Maryland.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 730-731.

Mrs. Frances (O'Ferrall) Clark

Mrs. Frances Clark died at the residence of her son, Matthew J. Clark, in Peachville, Butler county, Pennsylvania, on Monday, the 13th of June, 1887. She was a daughter of Ignatius and Frances (McKiernan) O'Ferrall, was born at Martinsburg, Berkeley county, Virginia (now West Virginia), on the 14th of October, 1793 and had therefore passed her ninety-third birthday. Her parents were Irish, and she had inherited in a remarkable degree the nobler traits of the Irish character. She was the widow of Major Matthew J. Clark, who died at Morgantown, West Virginia, in 1859, eighty-three years of age, more than four-score years. Born back in the last century! What an ocean of events! What a sea of trials, troubles and tribulations she had passed over during her long life voyage! She had heard the patriots of the Revolution, when still comparatively young men, tell of Valley Forge, Quebec, the Cowpens and Yorktown. She had seen a brother, with the ardor of youthful patriotism glowing in his countenance, march to North Point to meet "the British invader," and had listened to the cannon's roar in our second war for independence. She had heard the returning tramp of the victorious veterans from the plains of Mexico, and then had seen our land involved in internecine strife and bathed in the commingled blood of brothers; had furnished sons for the maintenance of the Union, and then lived to rejoice over a re-united country—one flag and one people—and a restoration of fraternal feelings between the sections. She had witnessed the column of states run up from fifteen to thirty-eight, and the increase of our population from four millions to sixty millions, and infant weakness raised to giant power. She had lived in the days of Washington and had mourned with a nation over his death; She had stood at the graves of her parents, three brothers and a sister, or had wiped away the teardrops as news of the departure of one after another reached her, until she remained as the only survivor of her family. Children had been born to her and grandchildren had delighted her heart, and her days had been so lengthened as to be blessed with great-grandchildren. In all the relations of life, as wife, mother, grandmother. great-grandmother, friend, she was the perfect woman. Possessed of remarkable strength of character, equable temperament, amiable disposition and fine judgment, she impressed herself upon all with whom she was brought in contact and in the family circle her influence and example shed their benign rays and made useful citizens of her sons and exemplary women of her daughters. Being of a bright, cheerful nature, her presence ever brought sunshine into the gloomy vaults of a heart depressed, and so self-sacrificing was she that she thought not of her own comfort, if she could bring ease to the suffering, rest to the weary or happiness to the distressed. But she is gone, full of years, leaving behind her many to call her blessed, many to revere her memory. Three sons and one daughter and many kindred, among these two nephews (Gen. John W. O'Ferrall, of Mississippi, and Judge Chas. T. O'Ferrall, member of congress from the Shenandoah valley, Virginia), survive her.

Should there be sadness over her departure?
Ye are not sad to see the gathered grain,
Nor where their mellow fruit the orchards cast,
Nor when the yellow woods let fall the ripened mast.
Should there be weeping over her grave?
When her life's labors are done, and she has passed serenely to her final rest, and
The soft memory of virtues yet
Lingers like twilight hours, when the bright sun is set.
No; but let those whose hearts are so deeply touched by the recollection of the now stilled voice that was ever as sweet music to their ears, and by the sight of the now vacant old arm-chair, and those in distant parts who loved her, be enabled to say with true Christian resignation, "The will of the Lord be done."
And we are glad she has lived thus long,
And glad that she has gone to her reward;
Nor can we deem that Nature did her wrong,
Softly to disengage the vital cord.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana. B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903., pp. 223-224.


I. K. Clark

I.K. Clark, was born in Maryland or Virginia about the year 1839. His father, Matthew J. Clark, was a native of Virginia and his mother, Fannie O’Terrel, of the state of Maryland, and were married and settled in Virginia in an early day. Matthew in his earlier days was a merchant or store keeper, but the latter part of his life he spent in the vocation of farming in the state of Virginia. He remained in that state until his death, his wife dying in Butler County, Pennsylvania. He was twice married and had by his first wife five children, John G., William, Elizabeth, Catherine and James, all of whom are deceased. By his second marriage he was also the father of five children, three of whom are still alive; Frances, deceased, was the wife of Thomas Jacobs; Matthew J., Jr., is now a resident of Marietta, Ohio; M.G. was a resident of Washington, Pennsylvania, but now of Warren, Indiana; I.K. the subject, and Clemit, deceased. During the Civil war the southern army entered and ransacked Matthew Clark’s house, destroying everything, including records, etc., he being absent at the time as a soldier in the Federal army.

I.K. Clark obtained his schooling in the state of Virginia by attending the subscription schools. He attended his last term of school when he was about twelve years old and when he was thirteen years of age he began to do and care for himself by working by the month. He continued to work in this way until his marriage, April 11, 1880, to Minerva Russell, a daughter of Robert and Elizabeth (Lyon) Russell, the father a native of Pennsylvania and his wife of Ohio. Mrs. Clark came to Wells County with her parents in an early day (about 1843). Neither of her parents are now living, both having died in Wells County. The subject came to Delaware County, Indiana, about 1867, having a sister residing there. He began working by the month and was there for about two years. His sister, who had a tract of wild land in Liberty township, Wells county, made a proposition to him for the clearing of this land, which he accepted and came to wells county and began working by the day, and at odd spells on this clearing. After a few years he purchased forty acres of land of a Mr. Smith, which he also cleared up. He then purchased an additional forty, which he cleared, thus possessing an improved farm of eighty acres in one body. He then purchased forty acres more, which he partially cleared, having then a hundred and twenty acres of fine land in Liberty township, Wells county, secured by the labor of his own hands. He continued his work, boarding at different times with John J. Kingon, James Davis, George White and Thomas Jacobs. Having gone in debt on his land, in order to make better wages he spent the harvest and corn-husking seasons in Delaware county, carrying his wheat cradle on his shoulder from Wells county to his field of labor, where he received twenty-five cents extra on the day’s labor. At one time on his way across the country he had to stop over night. Telling his host he was looking for work, the farmer kept him over night without charge, but not wishing to impose upon the hospitality of his entertainer, the subject shouldered his cradle and proceeded breakfastless on his way. After traveling a couple of miles he came upon an old man and a boy who were just beginning to reap a field of ten acres of wheat. Entering the field, the subject inquired of the owner if he wanted a hand to help harvest his wheat. Being answered in the affirmative, a bargain was struck for putting the field of wheat in the swath for the sum of ten dollars. So anxious was the subject to complete his task that without mentioning the subject of breakfast, he set down his carpet sack and begun work, awaiting a regular noon hour for something to eat. He continued his work until the field of wheat was in the swath, received his pay and pursued his way. This incident is a striking example of the habits of industry, economy and sturdy independence that have characterized his whole life. He found more work in the same settlement, and remained through the harvest, threshing and corn cutting seasons as well, and finally when cold weather came on he employed himself in “grubbing” and did not leave Delaware county until he had earned one hundred and fifty dollars, which he applied in payment on purchase of his first forty acres of land. At one time Mr. Clark asked a Mr. Smith what he would take for a certain forty-acre tract of land, and he replied seven hundred dollars. How much down, was the next inquiry of the subject, who was desirous of adding to his vested possessions. “Oh’” was the reply, “enough to pay the delinquent taxes , about fifteen dollars, and the balance on the 15th of the following December.” Having fifteen dollars due him for a month’s work for a man in Delaware county, the subject was thus able to make the first payment and accepted Smith’s proposition, the deeds being drawn by Mr. Daily and the first payment of fifteen dollars duly paid in hand. Mr. Clark then went to Delaware county and borrowed the remainder of the money necessary to complete the purchase at ten per cent. And when the stipulated 15th of December came around he met his obligation by the payment of the balance of the purchase price, six hundred and eighty-five dollars. This transaction shows the comparative values put on land at that time with the present, and it also shows the tenacity of purpose and prompt and sagacious action of the subject in securing that most valuable of assets in a new and growing county, well located and productive real estate. In 1880 Mr. Clark married and settled on the farm where he now lives in Jackson township and has been here ever since. He has devoted his entire life to the vocation of farming and allied interests. He has been a general stock farmer, breeding and handling hogs, cattle and sheep. In the line of hogs, he prefers the Chester White and Poland China varieties, while in cattle and sheep, the shorthorn and Shropshires respectively engage his fancy. He started in life without a dollar and is now the owner of three hundred and thirty-two acres of farm land and also two city lots in Muncie, Indiana. There are seventeen productive oil wells on his land, which at one time yielded him a profit of one hundred dollars a month.

Mr. Clark raised an orphan child from about eighteen months of age, who is now twenty-one years of age and a member of his family. Her name is Alice Carman, a bright young lady, and Mr. and Mrs. Clark think of her as their own child.

Politically the subject affiliates with the Republican party. The father of Mrs. Clark, Robert Russell, was born January 25, 1803, and died April 15, 1875, and her maternal parent, Elizabeth Russell, was born August 24, 1802, and died September, 1882. the subject is an exemplar of the possibilities of our form of government, in which, however unfavorable may be the environments surrounding the actor in the labors of life, a determined purpose, with success the goal, coupled with habits of industry and thrift, is sure in the end to lead to competency and public esteem.

Mr. and Mrs. Clark have in their possession several valuable and curious relics of former days. Among them is a copper tea kettle, in a good state of preservation, which is over three centuries old. They also have an old bread toaster, a century old, a pair of snuffers, a pair of andirons, and a double coverlet woven by the grandmother of Mrs. Clark. Another quaint article of furniture in their home is an old “grandfather’s,” or Longfellow, clock, seven feet tall and eighty-five years old, and which still keeps accurate time.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana. B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903., pp. 154-156.
Transcribed by Kathy Davis


Rufus B. Clark

While in old England they boast of their ancestry back for twenty generations or more and in New England they lay claim to more than half as many, here in the west if we can look back upon our family tree a hundred years and see nothing to be ashamed of, we are liable to strut a little and feel some semblance of the aristocratic thrill that is supposed to bespeak the blue blood of nobility. There are many in the west possessed of such a family tree. Some it impells to put on airs and affect superiority. Others view it in the purely American sense, that a manÂ’s worth is neither increased or diminished by what those who preceded him have or have not been. Of the latter class is the Clark family of Wells and Huntington counties, one of whom is the subject of this sketch, Rufus B. Clark, of Liberty township, Wells county, Indiana. He has a family of which he might boast, but he is too much interested in the affairs of his own life to waste time with such foolishness.

He is a young man, but a very successful one. He was born in the township where he now resides January 9, 1874, and, though only in his twenty-ninth year, is as capable and thorough a business man as one can encounter. The paternal grandparents of Rufus B. Clark were Sargeant and Eunice (Irwin) Clark, natives of North Carolina, who came in the winter of 1838-9 from their native state to Huntington county, Indiana, traveling the entire distance in a wagon. They entered a tract of eighty acres of government land in Salamonie township, and here built a home, cleared the land and reared their family. They were the parents of eight children, viz: Martha J., deceased; John I., who was the father of Rufus B., the subject; Rachael, wife of John Radcliff, of Newark, Ohio; Roscoe L., a resident of Huntington county, Indiana, residing on part of the old homestead; Landona, wife of Amos L. Carl, of Beamer, Indiana; Hannah, Lewis and Jasper. Of all the early inhabitants of Huntington county, none are remembered with kindlier feelings than Sargeant and Eunice Clark. They were naturally unselfish, kind and generous, and to those gifts they added a benevolence and hospitality that is popularly supposed to be peculiarly prevalent in the south. They spent nearly as much time caring for neighbors in need as they did in looking after their own affairs, yet did not slight or neglect the latter. Mr. Clark helped to build roads, bridged, churches and school houses, never exacting renumeration for his services; indeed, he would [have] felt offended if asked what his charge was. His good wife was constantly, in her motherly way, on some errand of mercy or charity.

The maternal grandparents of Rufus B. Clark were George and Nancy (Hampton) Helm. They were natives of Tennessee, but came from that state, by wagon, in 1838, to Huntington county, Indiana, and settled on the bank of the Salamonie river about two miles below Warren. The most numerous inhabitants of the county at that time were Indians. There, in the depths of the wilderness, June 6, 1846, Nancy Helm, the mother of Rufus B. Clark, was born. Her birth place is now in the township of Jefferson. In the early days of the settlement the people were obliged to go to Preble county, Ohio, for supplies. It was a long, tedious journey, through the trackless woods. The round trip frequently required weeks in accomplishment, especially during inclement weather or when the streams were swollen. On one such trip the husband and father, George Helm, was away six weeks and his intrepid little wife with here three small children remained alone in the cabin, during the day in the mortal dread of the red savages with whom the woods were peopled, and at night almost equally in fear of the wild beasts of the forest. Mr. Helm cleared and improved this land and made it his home up to the time of his death. George and Nancy Helm were the parents of eight children, viz: Lorinda, widow of James Gill; John A. Died on the old home place; William is a resident of Huntington, Indiana; Nancy, wife of John I. Clark; Sarah was the wife of Jacob Irwin, but is now deceased; Jane died at the age of sixteen years; David at the age of seventeen and James died when he was but two years old. The parents were among the most enterprising, public spirited and prosperous of the early settlers. Nancy Helm died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. John I. Clark, in the fall of 1874.

John I. Clark, father of the subject, grew to manhood on his fatherÂ’s farm in Salamonie township, attended the public schools and received a fair common school education. He worked by the day, week or job until he was twenty-three years of age, when he rented the farm of George Helm, making his home in the Helm family. For five years he continued on this farm, and was united in marriage to Miss Nancy Helm, a daughter of the family in which he had been boarding. He then purchased eighty acres of land in Liberty township, Wells county, Indiana, which was then unimproved, but now forms part of the farm owned by him and on which he still resides. The size of this farm has been constantly increased by purchase until it now comprises three hundred and twenty acres. It is well fenced, ditched and otherwise improved. In 1882 Mr. Clark built a barn, forty by eighty feet, which was added to in 1896 and it is now one hundred and five feet in length. In 1886 he erected a model home, large, commodious, well finished and handsomely furnished, among the best in the entire county, while the other buildings on the farm correspond well with those mentioned. John I. And Nancy Clark are the parents of four children, viz: Viola P., wife of Albert Minniear, a resident of Liberty township; Rufus B. Is the subject; Garnet E., wife of John C. Smith, a resident of Huntington; Lester E., the youngest of the family, is still unmarried and resides with his parents. In September, 1901, John I. Clark, the father of this family, was stricken with paralysis and has been helpless ever since. His good wife and youngest son, Lester, accord him every care and make him as comfortable and cheerful as possible in his affliction. Though still only a youth, Lester is much interested in the work of the farm and in the breeding and feeding ob blooded stock. He is attending the graded school at Liberty Center and will finish the course this year. Both parents have been members of the Methodist Protestant church a number of years, at Beamer. During his entire career John I. Clark has been strictly a temperance man and was ever ready to advance the work of churches and schools in the interest of morality, religion and learning. In politics he was always a stanch Democrat, as was his father before him. Like the wise and provident man that he is, he has made ample provision for his children, as after laying aside a farm of one hundred and eight-five acres for his faithful wife, each of their children will be presented with a tract of forty acres.

Rufus B. Clark attended the public schools of his native township until he was twenty years of age. He then, in connection with Albert Minniear, his brother-in-law, began the cultivation of his father’s farm, receiving for their services a share of the crop and for four years they continued thus, steadily prospering. On the 4th day of December, 1898, Rufus B. Clark was united in marriage to Miss Zora A. Burman, a lady of intelligence and refinement, born in Franklin county, Ohio, October 4, 1874. She is a daughter of George W. and Lydia (Trimmer) Burman, natives of Ohio. The parents of George were Daniel and Harriett Burman. George was twice married, his first wife being Sallie Hempy, who accompanied him to Indiana when he emigrated from Ohio. Two children were born to them, both of whom are now dead, as also is the mother. His second wife was Lydia A. Trimmer, a native of Ohio, where they were married and where they resided a number of years, when he returned with his wife to Huntington county, locating near Pleasant Plain. Both are still living, residents of Warren county, Indiana. Her parents were John and Sarah (Stumbaugh) Trimmer, natives of Pennsylvania, who moved to Fairfield county, Ohio, in the early ‘forties. There they resided until the death of Mrs. Trimmer, when her husband came to Huntington county, Indiana, and made his home with his daughter, Mrs. Lydia A. Burman until his death, which occurred January 1, 1892. To this marriage two children were born, viz: Etta, wife of Elsie Thompson, of Liberty township, and Zora A., wife of Rufus B. Clark.

The place owned by Rufus B. Clark is known as the Hickory Grove Stock Farm. About the time of his marriage he erected a fine residence upon the place and in 1899 built a barn thirty-six by fifty-six feet, in 1892, increasing its size to fifty-four by fifty-six feet. He has cleared, fenced, ditched and otherwise improved the land until it is today one of the best kept farms in the county. The finest well in that locality in\\s on the premises, always supplied with abundance of pure healthful water for man or beast. He has also a large orchard of fine, thrifty young trees of all kinds. He breeds the Ohio Improved Chester hogs, Hereford cattle and a general class of sheep, most of the cattle being thoroughbreds. He carries on general farming and always aims to feed more grain than he raises on the premises, not that he wants to raise less grain, but that he aims to feed more stock. He is the owner of stock and other personal property that will easily reach in value two thousand dollars.

To Mr. and Mrs Rufus B. Clark two children have been born, viz: Hazel F., born February 26, 1900, and Howard Russell, born August 14, 1902. The parents are members of the Methodist Protestant church of Beamer, having united with that denomination in May, 1902. He is a member of Lodge No. 747, I. O. O. F., at Liberty Center, and in politics is a Democrat, active and zealous in all campaigns. There are few men in the country of whom it can be truthfully be said they never drank intoxicating liquor, chewed tobacco, smoked, played cards or indulged in any species of gambling. That statement, however, can truthfully be made regarding the subject of this sketch, Rufus B. Clark. He is a moral, model, manly man. If men of his kind were more numerous this country and this world would be greatly improved.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana. B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903., pp. 380-383.
Transcribed by Wendy Hendricks


William Clark
WILLIAM CLARK, general farmer, Chester Township, and one of the early settlers of Wells County, was born in Wayne County, Ohio, March 16, 1832, a son of William and Christina (Cook) Clark, natives of Pennsylvania, the father of Irish and the mother of Dutch descent. They were married in their native State, and subsequently removed to Wayne County, where they made their home until about the year 1838. They then started for Indiana by teams, locating in Fayette County, where they remained one year, coming thence to Wells County, settling in Chester Township, where the father had entered 129 acres of land the year previous. The land was entirely unimproved, and heavily covered with timber, he being obliged to clear a space to build his log cabin, into which the family removed the following February. This house is still standing on the land now owned and occupied by our subject, and is probably the oldest house in the county. Wild animals roamed the country, and the howling of the wolves around the pioneer's cabin was an almost nightly occurrence. Mr. Clark did much toward improving his land, but did not live to enjoy it, his death occurring in 1849. His widow survived him a number of years, dying about the year 1873.

William Clark, the subject of this sketch, was a lad of seven years when brought by his parents to Wells County, and here he was reared, passing through all the incidents of pioneer life. He was early in life inured to hard work, helping his father clear and improve his land, but the lessons of persevering industry learned in those days have been of lasting benefit to him. He has always lived on the land where his father first settled in Wells County, and has witnessed the wilderness change into well cultivated fields and prosperous towns and villages. He was united in marriage November 24, 1855, to Miss Elizabeth Twibell, a daughter of David and Margaret Twibell, and of the five children born to this union three are living-Amanda Ellen, wife of Percival Johnson; Allison married Mattie Angeline Shreve, and Martha Jane. Emerson and Margaret Emeline are deceased.

Mrs. Clark died February 5, 1872, and June 16, 1874, Mr. Clark was married to Miss Elizabeth Limerick, a native of Sandy Township, Stark County, Ohio, and daughter of Commodore C. and Harriet (Yahne) Limerick, her mother being a native of Ohio. Her parents removed from Ohio to Huntington County, Indiana, thence to Wells County, where the father died March 30, 1876. The mother is still living in Chester Township. Mrs. Clark is a member of the Wesleyan Methodist church. In his political views Mr. Clark is a Democrat. He is a public spirited citizen, and has served his township as supervisor. He is a member of Five Points Grange, No. 522, Patrons of Husbandry, and has held the office of gate-keeper of his grange several times. He is a member of Wells County Pomona Grange.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 796-797.

Henry S. Cloud
HENRY S. CLOUD, an active and progressive farmer of Chester Township, was born in Clinton County, Ohio, April 27, 1837, a son of Henry S. and Annie (Laymen) Cloud, natives of Ohio and Pennsylvania respectively. The mother was brought to Ohio when young, and was married in that State to the father of our subject, who died the same year of the birth of his son Henry S. The latter was reared in Clinton County until fifteen years of age, when he left his native State for Indiana, and after remaining a short time near Muncie he came to Wells County, and has since been identified with the interests of this county, but shortly after coming here he found employment in Blackford and Grant counties. He worked for a number of years as a farm laborer in Wells County, and sometime in the '60s he purchased the farm in Chester Township, where he has since made his home. Of this land only a few acres had been cleared for farm use, on which stood an old log building; and at that time not a house had been built in the present village of Mount Zion, of which his house now forms a part. All the improvements have been made on the farm by Mr. Cloud, and the present commodious dwelling and good farm buildings have been erected since he settled here.

He was married in Wells County, January 12, 1860, to Miss Mary Batson, a native of Wells County, and a daughter of Nathaniel and Nancy (Ralston) Batson, who were among the early settlers of this county. To them were born six children-James Demming, Samuel Denton, Mary Delcie, Miami Dell, Lewis Delmer and Henry Delfries. In politics Mr. Cloud was reared a Democrat, but takes an independent position in the political affairs of his township or county. When twenty-seven years of age he was elected supervisor of his township, serving at that time one term. His next office was that of justice of the peace, which he filled efficiently for one term, and in 1881 was again elected township supervisor, which position he has since filled, serving to the best interests of his county. He is also notary public, having been appointed to that office in the spring of 1886. Mr. Cloud has carried the mail between Mount Zion and Boehmer about ten years. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to King Lodge, No. 146, at Warren. Mr. Cloud was bereaved by the death of his wife on the 17th of January, 1881.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 817-818.

Thomas C. Cloud

Thomas C. Cloud first saw the light April 7, 1823, in Clinton county, Ohio. He is the son of Joseph and Nancy Cloud, natives of Pennsylvania, the former a son of Thomas Cloud. Joseph and Nancy Cloud, after their marriage, settled in Clinton County, Ohio. He was a stone dresser and mason and worked in Cincinnati, Ohio, when it gave but small promise of the populous city of today. They moved from Ohio to Rush county, Indiana, about 1828, and were there for about two years, when Joseph died, leaving a widow and nine children: Betsie, deceased; Peggie, deceased; John F., deceased; Sallie, deceased, was the wife of William Duckwall; Prudie, now a resident of Ohio; Thomas; Pricilla, a resident of Frankfort, Indiana; Keziah, deceased, and Nancy now a resident of Warren, this state.

After the death of her husband Nancy Cloud removed her family to Grant county, Indiana, about the year 1841, her son, Thomas, who now acted as head of the family, having previously gone there and helped to build a cabin. They were there about thirteen years when they sold their place for five hundred dollars and came to Wells county and bought the farm where Thomas now lives, paying the same amount for forty acres of land on which there had never been an ax. This made it necessary to rent land on the river front until they could get some cleared. During the first three years Thomas Cloud cleared thirty acres and attended to his crops besides. He finally cleared up ninety acres on the farm, which had grown to a hundred and twenty acres. February 20, 1850, Thomas Cloud was married to Rebecca A. Jones, a daughter of Daniel and Susie Jones, natives of Pennsylvania. Thomas and Rebecca A. Cloud are the parents of seven children, three of whom are yet living: Isaac, born January 20, 1851, died July 8, 1874; Sarah D., born February 19, 1852, married John E. Dillman, December 30, 1877; they are now keeping house for the wife's father. John Dillman is the father of nine children, seven of whom are still living, Charlie, deceased, Homer, Josie, Mary, George, deceased, Almeda, Thomas, Vergie and Hazel. Susan, the third child of Thomas and Rebecca Cloud, was born June 13, 1854, is the wife of Eli Rea, of McNatts, Indiana, and they are the parents of one child, Nellie A. Nancy was born August 8, 1856, is the wife of Calvin Alspach, and the mother of seven children: Laura, Daniel, Amos, Charlie, Clinton, Lucy and George, deceased. Daniel W. was born May 15, 1858, and died October 7, 1873, Delilah J. was born September 12, 1860, and died May 25, 1864; Joseph L. was born March 23, 1864, died October 8, 1888, his death being caused by a fall from a horse; he married Rosa Minnich and a daughter, Josie, was born after his death.

The subject has worked at the carpenter's trade at times, but has devoted most of his life to farming, though he has not done active farm work for eleven years. He has also been a general stock raiser, rather preferring hogs as a specialty. Rebecca A. Cloud, his wife, died January 1, 1900, and in the fall of 1902 his daughter, Sarah Dillman, moved into his home to care for her father in his old age. In the spring of 1900 Mr. Cloud suffered a stroke of paralysis which confined him to his bed for some time, but after a few weeks he was able to arise from his bed and is now able to walk about the yard of his home and other short distances. He and wife were consistent members of the Methodist Protestant church and he loves the Christian church. While he was in active life he always manifested a lively interest in everything which had for its object the promotion or advancement of the class to which he belonged. With this idea in view, he took an active part in the early Grange movement inaugurated by the farmers of the country. In politics Mr. Cloud has always been a Democrat. In character, as exemplified in his life, Thomas C. Cloud has set an example which is worthy of all commendation, and the success which has attended his labors and the estimation in which he is held in the closing years of a long and well spent life should prove an incentive to the youth of the land. Forced by the death of his father to assume the responsibilities of life at an early age, he proved himself a strong reed, upon which his widowed mother with her large and fatherless family were able to lean. With filial care devoting himself to the general welfare of the family, he thus laid the foundation of his own fortunes and assured himself of a competency for his own old age. The success which has crowned the labors and life of Father Cloud proves that environment alone does not determine results; that "Honor and fame from no conditions rise; but in acting well yhour part, therin the honor lies."

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana. B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903., pp. 117.
Transcribed by Judy Matlock


Joseph W. Cobburn
JOSEPH W. COBBURN, farmer and stock-raiser, Harrison Township, was born in Hocking County, Ohio, November 6, 1829, the second son of James L. and Sarah (Webb) Cobburn. His father was born in Maryland, July 25, 1775, of Irish ancestry. He was first married to Miss Nancy Scap, and after his marriage he settled in Pennsylvania, thence to Virginia, and from there he went to Hocking County, Ohio, being among the pioneers of that county. His wife died in Logan County, Ohio, leaving one daughter, named Nancy Ellen. He was subsequently married to Miss Sarah Webb, who came from Virginia to Hocking County, Ohio, among the first settlers. She was a native of Virginia, and of Irish descent. Seven children were born to this union, of whom six grew to maturity, five still living-William, Joseph W., Henry G., James L. and Martha E., wife of Amos Warner. Those deceased are- Amos W. and Rufus, the latter dying in infancy. Mr. Cobburn followed tailoring during the winters, and farming in the summer months in Ohio until 1836. In February of that year he started with his family for Wells County, Indiana, and the following March arrived at their destination, and the roads in those days being almost impassable, the journey was long and tedious. The father entered 160 acres of land on section 22, Harrison Township, which he began to clear and improve, and here he passed through all the hardships and privations incident to pioneer life, having no roads, only Indian trails, going many miles to mill, etc. He worked at his trade in the winter seasons, and for his pay he was assisted in the clearing of his farm. He lived to improve his farm, and bring it under fine cultivation, and died February 14, 1861. His widow survived him ten years, dying at the age of seventy-seven years. Both were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, serving under General Harrison. In early life he served as sheriff of the county in which he lived in Virginia, and while living in Hocking County, Ohio, he was Captain of the militia. In politics he was formerly an old line Whig, but in later life affiliated with the Republican party.

Joseph W. Cobburn, whose name heads this sketch, was seven years old when brought by his parents to Wells County, and here he was reared on a frontier, receiving such education as could be obtained in the early subscription schools of Harrison Township. He lived with his parents until his marriage, November 10, 1853, to Miss Lou Ann Burgess, a native of Hocking County, Ohio, coming to Wells County in 1837, with her parents, John and Sarah Burgess. After his marriage he settled on his father-in-law's farm, where he resided three years, then purchased forty acres of his father's homestead, of which only six acres had been cleared. He cleared the remainder of his land, which he improved and put under good cultivation, residing on it about five years. Mrs. Cobburn died August 12, 1861, leaving a daughter, Tabitha, fourteen days old. She was the mother of four children the first three dying in infancy.

November 19, 1863, Mr. Cobburn was married to Miss Mary A. Gavin, a daughter of George and Mary Gavin. She was a native of Ireland, coming to America when six years of age, and after living in Ross County, Ohio, two years she came to Wells County, Indiana. She died in 1870, and Mr. Cobburn was again married January 13, 1877, to Miss Sarah Chalfant, a native of Wells County, and a daughter of Charles and Nancy Chalfant. To this union three children have been born-Leona, died aged one year; Mary E. and George T. In 1861 Mr. Cobburn moved to the county infirmary, taking charge of the place for four years, and in 1865 he moved to his present farm, section 26, Harrison Township, where he has 120 acres of well improved and highly cultivated land. In politics he affiliates with the Democratic party.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 948-951.

John P. Connett
JOHN P. CONNETT, farmer, Harrison Township, was born in Athens County, June 7, 1821, the fifth son and seventh of ten children of John and Rebecca (Pickett) Connett, the former a native of New Jersey and of Scotch ancestry, the latter a native of Maryland and of English ancestry. He remained with his parents on the farm until he reached his majority, and December 30, 1841, he was married to Miss Jane McCartney, daughter of John and Sarah (Jones) McCartney, of West Virginia, and of Irish and Welsh ancestry. After his marriage he settled upon a farm in his native county and lived there until the fall of 1847, when he came to this county, bringing his wife and two small children

They remained in Bluffton during the winter, and the following spring Mr. Connett purchased forty acres of heavily timbered land on section 16, Harrison Township, which he began clearing and improving. He cleared ten acres, built a dwelling-house, lived there two years; then sold out and purchased his present farm on section 21, again settling in the wilderness. His farm consisted, of eighty acres, which he has cleared and improved, and now has it in a good state of cultivation. They passed through all the vicissitudes of pioneer life. They were the parents of ten children, five of whom are living--Emily, wife of William Brice; Rhoda, wife of William Singer; Rebecca, deceased; Sarah married Joseph Stead, and is now deceased; Margaret F., deceased; John N.; James M., deceased; Julia A.; Laura B., and Lydia M., deceased.

Mr. Connett came to this county with limited means. He chopped wood for 25 cents a cord, and worked for John Studabaker for seven years. He now has a good property; which he has accumulated by hard work and good management. Himself and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in politics he is a Republican.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, p. 867.

John S. Conrad
JOHN S. CONRAD, farmer and stock raiser, Harrison Township, is a native of Virginia, born in Harrison County, March 7, 1807, a son of John and Susan (Smith) Conrad, who were also natives of Virginia. His father died at the advanced age of ninety years. He was a son of John Conrad, who was of German descent, and lived to be one hundred years old. Our subject's maternal grandfather, John Smith, was a native of the State of Virginia, and of German ancestry.

Our subject was reared to manhood on a farm in his native county, where he remained until attaining the age of twenty years. He then went to Hocking County, Ohio, and some four months later his father's family followed, and there purchased 100 acres of partially improved land. Our subject assisted his father clear and improve his 100-acre tract, he remaining with his parents until 1836, when he came to Wells County, Indiana, and entered 160 acres of Government land on section 25, Harrison Township. He then went to Noble County, and bought a tract of twenty acres of heavily timbered land, which he cleared and improved.

He was married June 2, 1844, to Miss Chloe Ann May, a native of Pennsylvania, and of the six children born to this union four yet survive-Frances W., George A., Sarah E. and Susan. Mary and Samantha are deceased. November 15, 1844, Mr. Conrad returned to his Wells County land, then a dense wilderness, and here he built a hewed log cabin, into which he moved, and began clearing his land, and here he has since followed farming on the farm which he has owned for half a century. He is a self-made man, having by his own persevering industry and good management accumulated a competence for his declining years, and by his honorable and upright dealings has gained the confidence and respect of the entire community. In politics he is a Democrat, casting his first presidential vote at the second election of Andrew Jackson, and has since voted at every presidential election. Mrs. Conrad is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, p. 953.

Luzerne Henry Cook, M. D.
LUZERNE HENRY COOK, M. D., of Bluffton, was born in Bluffton, Wells County, Indiana, December 6, 1856, a son of Henry and Eliza A. (Deaver) Cook, who were natives of Germany and Ohio respectively. The father received a liberal education in his native county and was a man of more than ordinary ability. He immigrated to America when a young man, and after living in various places in Ohio and Indiana came to Bluffton, Wells County, in 1850. He was then employed in the store of John Studabaker, of Bluffton, for several years, when he engaged in the hardware business at Bluffton, which he carried on for seventeen years, after which he was in no particular business, but was employed as bookkeper at times until his death, which occurred at Bluffton in 1879, at the age of sixty-three years. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity. In his religious views he was a Lutheran. The mother of our subject came to Bluffton with her parents when quite young, and was married here to Mr. Cook in 1852. She still survives her husband, and is making her home with her children at Bluffton. She is a member of the Bluffton Methodist Episcopal church.

L. H. Cook, the subject of this sketch, was reared to manhood in Bluffton and attended the public school until he was eighteen years of age. After leaving school he was employed for three years at Bluffton as assistant freight agent for the Fort Wayne, Muncie & Cincinnati Railroad Company. He was engaged in the grocery business at Bluffton from 1877 until 1880, when he began the study of medicine under Dr. C. T. Melsheimer. He subsequently attended three regular courses at the Medical College of Ohio at Cincinnati, and graduated from that institution with the degree of M. D., in the class of 1885, receiving the third honor in a class of seventy-five students. In March, 1885, he began practicing medicine at Bluffton, and has met with unusual success, and bids fair to rank among the leading physicians of his county.

Dr. Cook was married at Bluffton, April 15, 1886, to Miss Clara Belle Lacy, who was a daughter of Rev. H. J. and Lizzie Lacy, of Bluffton. She died of typhoid fever July 30, 1886. She was a lady of many accomplishments, and esteemed by all who knew her. She was educated at the high school at Portland, Indiana, and was a graduate of the Fort Wayne Musical Conservatory. She was a member of the Bluffton Methodist Episcopal church. Dr. Cook is a member of the same church. He is a member of Bluffton Lodge, No. 145, A. F. & A. M.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 855-856.

John A. Coons
JOHN A. COONS, pastor of the Christian church at Nottingham, was born in Highland County, Ohio, October 6, 1836, son of Michael and Elizabeth (Allison) Coons, the former born in Shenandoah County, Virginia, and the latter in the State of Delaware. The parents were married in Highland County, Ohio, and October 4, 1837, they removed to Jay County, this State, where the father died December 4, 1865, in the sixty-eighth year of his age. The mother is still living, and is in her eighty-eighth year. John A. was reared to farm life in Jay County, and this occupation he followed until he entered the ministry. He was married in his native county August 14, 1856, to Miss Catherine Hall, a native of Union County, Ohio, and to this union have been born ten children, of whom two, William T. and Dora Melville, are deceased. Those living are-Isaac O.; Mary Rebecca, wife of John Gardner, Dennis, who resides in Blackford County; Laura Olive, wife of John Mumford, also residing in Blackford County; Montille Orestus, Osro Nelson, Marvin Coons and Austin Decatur. Mrs. Coons died March 21, 1880, and then Mr. Coons decided to enter the ministry.

He was first placed in charge of the congregation in Jackson Township, Blackford County, where he preached the gospel two years. He was then engaged at Silver Lake church, where he had charge two years. In December, 1885, he received his call to the Nottingham church, and besides attending to this charge, he is doing a great deal of missionary work around Wells, Randolph, Jay, Blackford, Delaware and other counties. Mr. Coons was married to his present wife July 31, 1886. She was formerly Mrs. Anna M. Eifer, whose first husband was Dr. P. J. Lanning. February 28, 1864, Mr. Coons enlisted in Company H, One Hundred and Thirtieth Indiana Infantry, and was assigned to the First Brigade, Second Division, Twenty-third Army Corps, under General John A. Schofield, General Hovey being the first Division Commander, General Haskell the second and General Ruger the last one. He was in the engagements at Resaca, Marietta, siege of Atlanta, Jonesboro and the two days' fight at Nashville, which occurred December 15 and 16, 1864. His last engagement was at Kingston, North Carolina. They garrisoned Charlotte for seven months after the close of the war, and then returned home. He was discharged December 2, 1865. Mr. Coons was one of the charter members of Alexander Trimble Post, No. 213, Red Key, Indiana, and was the first chaplain of the post. He has held that office ever since its organization.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, p. 778.

Nathan Cory
NATHAN CORY, farmer, Nottingham Township, was born in Henry County, Indiana, November 11, 1831, son of Daniel and Mary (Howard) Cory, the former a native of Ross County, Ohio, and the latter of Virginia. Joseph Cory was born in Wales, and at an early day came to America and located in Kentucky. Afterward removed to Ohio, where he reared his family and died at an advanced age. His son, Nathan Cory, was born June 24, 1776, and married Sarah Wright. Both died near Frankfort, Ross County, Ohio. They had a family of twelve children, of whom Daniel was the eleventh. Daniel Cory was married to Mary Howard in Ross County, and about 1825 they removed to Henry County, Indiana, being early settlers of that county. The father died there in 1873, and the mother in August, 1872.

Nathan was reared to farm life in his native county, and was married there, August 14, 1851, to Miss Elizabeth Hoover, a native of Bedford County, Pennsylvania, and daughter of George P. and Barbara Hoover. Her father was born in Bedford County, and her mother in Huntington County, same State. They removed to Henry County, Indiana, in 1841, where her father died June 24, 1879, and her mother, June 25, 1878; the former was born June 29, 1810, and the latter, September 1, 1811. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Cory remained in Henry County until 1855, when they decided to remove to Kansas. Taking with them what household effects were necessary, they started with wagon and team, camping out at night, and after a journey of four weeks, reached Jefferson County, Kansas. The next season they removed to Lyon County, where Mr. Cory had taken up 160 acres of land. This was all wild prairie and the country was new. Indians were far more plenty than stock, and the nearest neighbor was four miles distant. It was 110 miles to a mill, and consequently very little milling was done. Mr. Cory purchased eighty acres of timber, and remained on his land during the exciting scenes of 1856-'57, known as the Kansas and Missouri trouble. Then the civil war broke out, with all its horrors, and February 14, 1864, while the family was absent from home, the house was burned and nearly all its contents were consumed by the flames. It was supposed to have been the work of Indians. In 1865 he exchanged his farm for the one he now occupies in Nottingham Township, and returned to Henry County. Four years later he came to this county, where he has since resided.

Mr. and Mrs. Cory have had nine children, of whom one, Elva L., is deceased. Those living are-John Milton, who resides in Lane County, Kansas; Mary Samantha, who married George Kirkwood; Joseph Henry, now a resident of Jay County; Barbara Leanna, wife of Amos McDaniel, residing in Nottingham Township; Elsie Jane, who married William Barnes and resides in Jay County; Elza N., Susie E., and Michael Sylvester. Mrs. Cory is a member of the German Baptist church. In politics Mr. Cory is a Democrat, and has served his township in various capacities. During the time of General Price's raid, Mr. Cory was called out for thirty days service, and with about 30,000 men from Kansas, they met Price at Mound City, and took 500 prisoners in a corn-field. When he returned home he was again called out to protect the settlement from the Indians, who had broken in during their absence and had killed fourteen men, women and children, and was out about one week.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 740-741.

C. S. Cotton
C. S. COTTON, farmer and stock raiser, Rock Creek Township, was born in Holmes County, Ohio, December 30, 1840, a son of Samuel Cotton. When he was four years of age his parents came to Wells County, Indiana, and settled in Rock Creek Township, where he grew to manhood, his youth being spent in assisting his father on his farm and attending the schools of his neighborhood. He remained with his parents until his marriage, which occurred September 6, 1860, taking for his wife Miss Margaret Torance, a daughter of Francis Torance. She was born in County Donegal, Ireland, and came to America when eight years of age. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Cotton-Sumner Wellington, a farmer of Rock Creek Township; Sarah Lizzie, wife of Jacob A. Funk, of Rock Creek Township; Minnie, died aged sixteen years, and Charlie L. After his marriage Mr. Cotton settled on a tract of forty acres of unimproved land in Liberty Township which his father had given him. He cleared and improved this land, living on it until 1865, when he sold it and bought eighty acres where he now resides, which was then entirely unimproved. Since that time he has cleared his land, which he has brought under a good state of cultivation, and his improvements are among the best in his neighborhood, his land being well fenced and well drained, and his residence and farm buildings commodious and convenient. He also owns 120 acres located a short distance from his home farm which is under cultivation. With the exception of the forty acres given him by his father he has acquired his property by his own persevering industry and good management. In connection with his general farming he has been extensively engaged in dealing in and shipping stock, and is now one of the oldest stock shippers in the county, beginning this enterprise in 1864, and is still largely engaged in dealing in stock. In his political views Mr. Cotton affiliates with the Republican party. He is a member of the Baptist church, and his wife belongs to the United Presbyterian church.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, p. 889.

George W. Cotton

In calling to mind the dealer in live stock, persons will picture him as a hard-riding, hard-drinking, hard-sweating individual genial and kind enough in his way but rough of language and uncouth of manners. Whether or not it is the life they lead in driving over the country, purchasing stock, driving them to the station to be shipped and keeping up a night and day vigilance upon them while in transit, that gives them the distinguishing traits of character referred to, it would be difficult to assert. Certain it is, however, that the great majority of those who actively engage in purchasing, driving and shipping live stock to the commercial centers of the country would never be called upon to impart instructions in good breeding to the pupils of a young ladies seminary. In this as in all other things there are some very notable exceptions. One of these is George W. Cotton, a resident of Bluffton, Wells county, Indiana, the subject of this sketch. His career amply shows that a man may be truthful, honest and moral in any respective calling; in other words, that to be possessed of the virtues mentioned, including abstinence, it is not necessary to become a theological student or a minister of the gospel.

The Cotton Family was one of the first families to locate in Wells County. It is now more than sixty-two years since Samuel G. Cotton and his good wife Dianah, who were natives of Holmes county, Ohio, decided to make their home in that locality. After investing in a number of tracts of land in Rock Creek township, he finally purchased the farm which has since been known as the Cotton Farm and by the labor of his hands and sweat of his brow, made it what it now is, one of the best improved and most productive pieces of land in the county. Here he lived until the latter part of his life, when he moved to Bluffton, where his wife died in 1895. His death occurred in Chicago May 21, 1902. He was widely known and because of his excellent qualities he possessed the esteem and regard of all who knew him. The county is largely indebted to him for its early development.

Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Cotton, father and mother of George W. Cotton, were parents of five sons and one daughter. George W., the subject hereof, was born Aug 1, 1851 and was the youngest child of the family. He was educated in the common schools of Rock Creek township, later in the graded schools of Bluffton, eventually going to Marion where educational facilities were supported to be better. Outside of the time occupied in his studies, he worked upon his father's farm until he attained his majority, when he engaged in business for himself, buying and selling live stock. He was, indeed is yet, what is termed in these latter days "a hustler," and the competitor who gathered in more animals than he did during the course of a year had to get up earlier in the morning, move faster during business hours and prolong his labors later at night than the average stock buyer is in the habit of doing. His negotiations are conducted calmly, coolly and generally satisfactorily. He always pays the highest price permitted by the conditions of the market and during the long and active life has paid to the farmers of Wells and adjoining counties hundreds of thousands of dollars. At different times he was associated in business with his brothers, Cyrus and Frank, but for the last fifteen years he has been alone. That he has been most successful is amply attested by the volume of business he has done. His shipments are made to Chicago, Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Buffalo and others points. His long experience both as to the markets and the stock, have brought to him a penetration and judgment that seems almost infallible.

April 27, 1875, Mr. Cotton was married to Miss Josephine McDonald, who is a native of Noble county, Indiana. To them have been born eight children: Bessie, the first born, is the wife of Hamer McKinney; Marshall S.; Ralph C.; Franklin F.; Hazel D., and Ruby; two are dead. Mr. Cotton was a Republican and always voted with that party until 1884, when he transferred his allegiance to the Prohibition party, with which he has since steadily voted. He has two separate occasions occupied a place upon the county ticket of the Prohibition party, once for sheriff and at another time for representative, but in Wells county they seldom elect to office any other kind of people than Democrats. Prohibitionists are especially obnoxious to them, hence it is unnecessary to say that he was defeated each time. He and his wife are members of the Baptist church of Bluffton, are zealous in all charitable and Christian work and give of their substance quite liberally to every worthy cause. While a moral, upright Christian man, Mr. Cotton of not a long-visaged, canting, pretending personage. He is warm-hearted merry and jovial, a man whose friendship you would be induced to court and whose loyalty you would never question in any emergency.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana. B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903., pp. 190-191.


William Cover
WILLIAM COVER, engaged in farming and dealing in stock, Rock Creek Township, was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, February 17, 1842, the only son of John and Harriet (McAffee) Cover. John Cover was a native of Pennsylvania, and of German descent. He died when our subject was two years old, and his widow subsequently married John Lesh, and in May, 1848, they removed to Wells County, Indiana, where William was reared. He remained with his mother and step-father until reaching his majority, and from the age of eighteen until twenty-one years old he worked for pay for his stepfather.

December 24, 1863, he was married to Miss Louisa A. Hafflich, a native of Richland County, Ohio, a daughter of Samuel and Sarah Hafflich, who were natives of Pennsylvania, of German ancestry. Of the ten children born to this union, seven are living-Samantha, Jane I., Matilda Ann, William O., Ollie L., Homer I. and Thomas C. Rosenna, Evalina and an infant unnamed are deceased. After his marriage Mr. Cover settled on his father-in-law's farm. After the death of his father-in-law, in 1870, he purchased two-thirds of the farm, and later bought the rest of the farm. He was reared to the avocation of a farmer, which he has followed principally through life, and in his chosen avocation has met with success. In August, 1879, in connection with his general farm he engaged in shipping stock, which enterprise he has since followed successfully. His farm now contains 221 acres of land, which is under a fine state of cultivation. In 1870 he was elected assessor of Rock Creek Township, and served as such seven years by re-election. In 1882 he was elected township trustee, which office he held two years. He also served two years as constable, having been elected to that office in 1866. He and his wife are members of the Lutheran church.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, p. 889.

William Craig
WILLIAM CRAIG, of Ossian, was born in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, near Glasgow, Scotland, February 11, 1824, a son of William and Jennette (Robinson) Craig, who immigrated to America in 1828, and settled at Troy, New York, where they remained four years, then removed to London, Ontario, in 1832. The Craigs made a permanent location in this township July 12, 1838, where the parents remained until death. Their three eldest children that still survive are residents of this county. Mr. Craig well remembers the first train of cars that ever passed over a line of road in Michigan. The date was July 4, 1838. The train left Detroit and stopped at Ypsilanti, that being the terminus of what is now the Michigan Central. The farm upon which the Craig family settled is now owned by Warren Mills. The father erected the second log cabin in Jefferson Township in the autumn of 1837. Robert Craig, a brother of our subject, came with his wife the same year, and the brothers entered adjoining tracts. The cabin of Robert being first completed for occupancy, made his the first actual settlement in the township. He removed with his family to Illinois a few years later. The father was the first naturalized citizen of Jefferson Township, and was one of the best known men in the county. His death occurred in 1863, and his wife survived him eight years. They were the parents of five children-William, Jennette, Lucy (deceased), Robert (deceased), and David. Jennette is the widow of Dr. William Johnston; David is a farmer, married Miss Eliza Salter, and they reside near Ossian; they have one daughter-Maggie, wife of Harry Deam, of Bluffton, whose grandfather, John Deam, was one of the first settlers of the county.

Our subject married Margaret, daughter of Robert and Mary A. (Stout) McConnell, natives of New Jersey, in which State Mrs. Craig was born October 4, 1827. Their marriage occurred April 11, 1850, at the home of the bride's parents, in Jefferson Township. The young couple began domestic life upon a farm, and have followed that occupation to some extent. Mr. Craig has also been a merchant of Ossian, but now lives a retired life in the village of Ossian, having sufficient means to render him independent. They have four children-Robert J., who has attained the age of twenty-one; Walter M., who married Anna Hatfield; Frank M. and Jennie. The latter is a graduate of the Ossian High School, and is now a teacher in the primary department of that school. The first election held in the township was at the house of William Craig. Samuel Saul Weston was elected justice of the peace, and J. R. Zepever, township clerk. Robert Burns, the poet, was a near neighbor of Mr. Craig's grandparents, and Mr. Craig was born in the same neighborhood, and was familiar with the country which formed the topics of his famous poems.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 739-740.

Jesse Crites

Sixty years ago Indiana was by no means the inviting place to bring a young and blushing bride that it is today. In the towns some of the comforts of civilization might be procured, but in the timber the rudest kind of fare was what the hardy settler lived on. It was to a home in the woods of Indiana, more than a half-century ago, that Jesse Crites, of Union township, brought his wife. The maidens of those days were not so fastidious and exacting as those of the present. They were content with little and were happiest when their husbands permitted them to bear their share of the burdens of pioneer life, and doubtless they were all the better for it.

Jesse Crites, the son of John and Mary (Walters) Crites, was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, December 2, 1824. His parents were natives of Pennsylvania, but in their youth emigrated with the families to which they respectively belonged to Ohio, and settled on adjoining tracts of land. Both families were of German ancestry, and the intimacy between them led to a closer relationship between the children. John and Mary were married and set up housekeeping on a piece of land they bought from the government. He was by trade a cabinetmaker and set up a shop near his residence, from which he turned out many handsome, substantial pieces of furniture. Many of the best tables, stands, bureaus and bedsteads that adorned the homes in the neighborhood where he lived were of his handiwork. The union of John and Mary Crites was blessed by the birth of five sons and five daughters. Nine of these still survive, namely: Rebecca, Jesse, Catherine, Elizabeth, John Cyrus, Eli, William and Sarah. The father of this family prospered and accumulated money. He followed his business of cabinetmaking many years and continued to reside upon his farm up to the time of his death at sixty-eight years of age.

Jesse, the oldest son, was reared upon his father's farm and helped to clear the land, much of the clearing devolving entirely upon him as he grew older, for his father was frequently quite busy in his shop. The boy was ambitious and desirous of being in the possession of land of his own, so when he attained his majority he looked about for a piece of government land in his native county, but there was none to be had. It was not quite so scarce in Indiana, however, so to that state he proceeded and in Union township, Wells county, he found a tract of eighty acres which suited him and after making his entry upon it in 1848 he returned to Ohio.

In February, 1849, Mr. Crites was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Myers, a native of Tuscarawas county, Ohio, born in 1829. Her parents were natives of Pennsylvania, where they were born, reared and married, and soon afterward located in Tuscarawas county. Two years afterward she accompanied her husband to the woods of Wells county, and in the fall of 1849 her parents followed to Allen county, going to Wisconsin four years later, where her father died and her mother moved to Kansas, where she continued to reside until her death. Mrs. Crites was blessed by nature with vigorous health and strength and in her girlhood days she frequently assisted her father in the clearing and in the fields. Hence, when she came into the woods of Wells county with her husband, she proved a valuable assistant to him. They first took up housekeeping in a little log shanty on the farm of a neighbor, Isaac Roe, while Mr. Crites was building a log cabin on his own place. When it was completed they moved into it and began the laborious task of converting the woods and swamps into a productive farm. It took time, muscle and energy, but it was eventually accomplished, as is amply attested by the well-kept, well-improved farm upon which he resides in section 20. To the original eighty acres he has added, until he was the owner of two hundred and four acres. This he has since divided and given a good portion of it to his children, leaving one hundred and forty-four acres in the homestead. When he came to Wells county, he had just fifteen dollars in money, and it was stolen from him within a short time after his arrival, and he never got even the satisfaction of knowing the thief.

Mr. and Mrs. Crites were the parents of seven children, only three of whom are still living. They are John, who married Amanda McGoogan, resides at Uniondale; Jesse F. married Vianna Shaw, and resides in Charlevoix county, Michigan; Isa, wife of G. F. Platt, resides on the old homestead, which he operates. In religion Mr. and Mrs. Crites are members of the Church of God at Trinity Chapel, and he has been a worshipper in that society for sixty-one years, joining the church when he was only eighteen. For several years he has been a church official. The first meeting held in this vicinity by the adherents of this faith was held in Mr. Crites' cabin about fifty-two years ago, and the first society was organized there, there being six members, himself and wife. Daniel Fisher and wife and Daniel Hostetler and wife, the later having come at the same time as did Crites, and of these six four are still living, Mrs. Fisher and Mr. Hostetler being deceased.

In politics Mr. Crites is one of the old-line Republicans in Union township, but never sought or held any official position at the hands of his party. His business of farming and stock raising has occupied too much of his time to afford him the chance of dabbling in politics. He is a man of kindly disposition and strong sympathy and every impulse of his nature is for the betterment of his fellow men. Hence, he is not only well liked, but exceedingly popular, a man whose friendship is highly valued and whose influence is sought and appreciated.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana. B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903., pp. 511-512.


Ezra C. Croasdale
EZRA C. CROASDALE, farmer, section 15, Liberty Township, was born in Warren County, Ohio, October 31, 1820, youngest son of Joseph and Lydia (Crosley) Croasdale. His father died before he was born, and while he was an infant his mother removed to Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, where he was reared on a farm, receiving his education in the common schools. When he was ten years of age his mother died, and he went to live with a Quaker by the name of Knight, with whom he remained until he was sixteen years of age. He then worked in various places for about four years, then shipped aboard a coasting vessel for the West Indies, where he was taken sick and obliged to remain nearly a year. He then returned to North Carolina, thence to New York and up the Hudson River to Skaneateles, where he remained eight months, and then returned to Philadelphia for two years, thence to Clinton County, Ohio, where he was married December 9, 1845, to Miss Ruth Ann Walker, daughter of Robert and Elizabeth (Ruland) Walker, who were natives of Kentucky and came to Ohio in an early day. After his marriage he remained in Clinton County seven years, five years of the time being engaged in selling goods.

In October, 1852, they came to Indiana, settling in Huntington County, where they lived three years, then came to Wells County, where Mr. Croasdale purchased eighty acres of partially improved land on section 15, Liberty Township, where he has resided thirty-three years. He has since added eighty acres, and now owns 123 acres of well improved and well cultivated land. Mr. and Mrs. Croasdale have had six children-Nathan R., Robert W., Susanna, wife of Henry Mendenhall, and now deceased, Amos (deceased), Elizabeth Ellen, wife of James Barcus, and Lydia J. Nathan R. married Miss Jane Hartley, March 12, 1875, and they have two children-Alfred and Annie Emily. Robert W. married Martha Clowser, January 1, 1873, and they had two children-Ezra Demint and Robert Henry. His wife died October 1, 1875, and he was married again to Eliza Jane Ernst, July 25, 1878. They have three children-Augustus Amos, Charles Clinton and Minnie. Mr. and Mrs. Croasdale are members of the Christian church, and politically he affiliates with the Republican party. He is a self-made man, having earned all he has by industry and economy.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 894-895.

James Crosbie
James Crosbie, one of the enterprising and public spirited citizens of Wells County, is a native of Scotland, born in Earlston, Berwickshire, February, February 7, 1821. His parents, Thomas and Christina (Kelly) Crosbie, were natives of the same shire. They were the parents of six children, three sons and three daughters, our subject being the eldest child. He attended school until reaching the age of fourteen years, when he became a laborer for a turnpike company. He worked in this capacity until eighteen years of age, when he was promoted to the position of superintendent, being thus employed until 1847, and for three winters during this time he attended night school. He gave up his situation with the view of coming to the United States, but obtaining another situation, to take charge of the estate of R.K. Eliott, of Clifton Park, near Kelso, he remained in his native country two years longer. He was married in 1843 to Miss Mary Rule of Berwickshire, a daughter of James and Agnes (Dickson) Rule, and they now (1887) have seven children - Agnes, Thomas, James R., John, Mary J., Margaret and Christina Bell.

In 1849 Mr. Crosbie immigrated to America with his family, then consisting of his wife and two children, taking forty-five days to come from Glasgow to New York. He came directly to Wells County, where he purchased 160 acres of land in Rock Creek Township, which he cleared from the heavy timber and improved eighty acres, on which he resided until 1862, when he disposed of his land, and purchased 352 acres of land in Liberty Township, converting this tract from a state of nature to one of the best farms in that township, and there he made his home until coming to Bluffton in 1875, being still a resident of this city. In connection with his general farming he is extensively engaged in dealing in stock, and has followed this business twenty-five years. He built the Narrow Gauge Railroad from Bluffton to Warren, and has also built many miles of turnpike in this county. Mr. Crosbie, his wife and five of their children are members of the Presbyterian church. In politics, he affiliates with the Prohibition party.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887.
Contributed by bearbreath


Dr. Jehu W. and Mary A. (Rodgers) Crouse
MRS. DR. CROUSE. The history of men, great in the day in which they lived, is always read with interest; but their virtues shine with greater splendor when those with whom the departed were upon the most endearing terms of friendship yet live. The lady whose name heads this sketch was the amiable wife of one of the pioneer physicians of this county, and, although his second wife, was for nearly a quarter of a century a loving and devoted helpmeet, and cheerfully shared with him the successes and cares which come to those who have the care of a family. She was born in Columbiana County, Ohio, daughter of Robert G. and Lucy G. (Whitfield) Rodgers, who afterward removed to Paulding County. Mary A. formed the acquaintance of Dr. Crouse through his sister, Mrs. Porter, and the acquaintance thus formed ripened into love, and they were married July 20, 1860, at the home of her parents. They came directly to his home at Ossian, where they resided happily nearly a quarter of a century.

Dr. Jehu W. Crouse was born in Cuyahoga County, Pennsylvania, and had been in practice at least ten years before locating at Ossian in 1849. He was married to Mary Old, in Ohio, and three children were born in that State. Her father, Isaac Old, was one of the first settlers of the neighborhood in which they resided. The ancestors of our subject were residents of Southampton County, Virginia, but the father was born in Scotland. The grandfather, John Whitfield, and his wife, Mary, were of an ancient family, possessed a large plantation and owned many slaves. They lived in royal style, and until the insurrection the parents of Mrs. Crouse resided in the paternal mansion. The death of Mrs. Crouse occurred September 4, 1857, she having been the mother of ten children. Five were reared and four are now living- Rachel, Ethelbert, Almira and Erastus. All are married and have families. After the marriage of Dr. Crouse with Mary A. Rodgers they had four children-Ella, Lizzie, Hugh, and one died in infancy. Ella wedded Dr. Hamilton Emanuel, of Dakota; Lizzie married Ezra P. Johnson, and resides on the homestead; Hugh is completing his studies at Crawfordsville, Indiana, and will graduate in medicine. The doctor accumulated a large property, and leaves to his widow and children a competency. He died August 16, 1883, aged sixty-six years. He left a record which his children may always refer to with pride. He was one of the first physicians in the northern part of the county.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, p. 971.

John H. Crum
JOHN H. CRUM, Esq., of Banner City, was born near Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, January 14, 1848, son of Samuel and Mary (Brehm) Crum, also natives of Pennsylvania. John H. was an only child, and when his mother died he was but two and a half years of age. For his second wife Samuel married Elizabeth Shupe, and in 1863 the family came to Wells County, locating in Rock Creek Township, where the father still resides. After coming to Indiana Mr. Crum was again married, his third wife being Elmina Swartz, whose parents were natives of Pennsylvania, in which State she also was born. They have had four children, three of whom are living - Eli, Emanuel and David. John was fourteen years of age when he came to this county. He has been educated here, and for several years has been engaged in agricultural pursuits, although he taught school for some time previous to his marriage. This event occurred in April, 1870, Miss Alice Gardenour becoming his wife. After marriage they came to the farm which was purchased by Mr. Crum in 1869, upon a portion of which the new town of Banner is located, and along which the Chicago & Atlantic Railroad passes. In 1884 Mr. Crum built his fine farm house, adjacent to the village of Banner. They have six children - Franklin, Charles, Delbert, Effie, Attie and Iva. In 1882 Mr. Crum was elected justice of the peace of his township, and re-elected in 1886. Mrs. Crum died January 9, 1887, and her remains were interred in St. John's cemetery, Union Township. For several months Mr. Crum has been engaged in the insurance business, which, with the duties of his office, keeps him busily employed.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 733-734.

Samuel Crum
SAMUEL CRUM, a progressive farmer, residing in Rock Creek Township, is a native of Pennsylvania, born in Dauphin County, March 22, 1822, his parents, John and Elizabeth (Haynes) Crum, being natives of Pennsylvania and of German ancestry. Samuel was reared on the home farm, and received such educational advantages as the rude log cabin subscription schools of that early day afforded. He lived with his parents until nineteen years of age, after which he worked out by the day and month until his marriage. He was married October 25, 1847, to Miss Mary Brahm, who was born in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, her father, John Brahm, being a native of the same State, and was also of German descent. After his marriage he rented his father-in-law's farm for fourteen years. He was bereaved by the death of his wife in 1851, who left at her death one child, a son, named John H. In February, 1858, Mr. Crum came to Wells County, Indiana, and bought 100 acres of land in Rock Creek Township, which was then only partially improved. He married again in 1863, Miss Elmina Swatz, who was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, coming with her father's family to Wells County in the year 1854. To this union have been born four children: Eli, Emanuel, Aaron (deceased) and David. Mr. Crum began life without capital, and by his own industry and exertions he has accumulated a good property, which he uses in surrounding himself and family with all the necessary comforts of life, in politics Mr. Crum casts his suffrage with the Democratic party. Mrs. Crum is a member of the German Reformed church.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 1021-1022.

Patrick Curran

Patrick Curran and his wife, Margaret Ann, were both born and married in Hocking County, Ohio. The former was born April 22, 1852, the latter, August 10, 1857; the marriage date is September 28, 1876. Their only child is Carrie E., born August 26, 1877. Patrick Curran is engaged in farming. He is a resident of Liberty Township and settled in Wells County in 1879. His parents are John and Elizabeth R. (Fling) Curran. Mrs. Curran is a daughter of Grafton D. and Priscilla (Mathias) Eckhart. Address, Liberty Center.

Historical Hand-Atlas, With Complete Reference Map of the World, History of Wells Co., IN, Chicago & Toledo: H. H. Hardesty & Co., 1881, p. 214.


Robert Curry
ROBERT CURRY, deceased, was one of the earliest pioneers of Zanesville. He entered the land upon which his widow now resides in 1847. This tract was a portion of the Indian Reserve. Mr. Curry was born in Preble County, Ohio, and was a son of John and Nancy (Downey) Curry. John Curry's father was also named John. He was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and removed to Preble County, where he was married to Nancy Downey, and they had six children, four of whom were reared-Robert, Josiah, Martha and Elizabeth. Robert was reared on the farm, and learned the art of pioneering in detail. His accumulated savings were barely sufficient to pay for his entry of 120 acres of land in Wells County, but with a determination to have a home of his own, in March, 1850, he moved upon his land in the wild woods of Wells County, which three years before had been the home of the Pottawatomie Indians. There was no road cut through the woods, but Robert made his way to his lands, found a suitable location and built his cabin near the place where their present home was built. Nothing now remains to mark the place where their early life was passed and where so many happy days were experienced, save the ancient chimney. Robert was a bachelor when he built his cabin, and he was in a measure prepared for housekeeping before he thought of getting a wife.

James Gardner with his family had located near Murray in the fall of 1849, coming from Wayne County, Ohio. Neighbors were not numerous, and religious services were held at the most central point. Robert was a member of the United Presbyterian church, and services were held regularly at Murray. He there formed the acquaintance of Miss Elizabeth Gardner, daughter of James and Jane (McCaughey) Gardner, and March 2, 1852, they were married at the residence of her parents in Lancaster Township, Samuel Caley, Esq., performing the ceremony. March 8 found them domiciled in the log cabin, and the young couple were ready to begin life in earnest. Children came to gladden their home. John Irvin, Martha J. and James G. were born in their cabin home, and its walls were rendered doubly sacred by the death of their first-born and the youngest child. The first was almost four years of age, and the daughter two years of age. Notwithstanding their bereavements the family lived contentedly, and their hopes centered upon their son James, who grew to manhood to be the joy of his father and the idol of his mother. He was reared to manhood, and prosperity came before the death of the father, which occurred November 16, 1883, aged sixty-five years. His son took charge of the farm, and January 7, 1886, was married to Miss Naomi, daughter of Elijah and Lybia [sic] (McGuire) Jacobs, residents of Union Township. They settled on the home farm and never knew the hardships which came to those who first settled in the new country. Charles Irvin, their first son, was born on the home farm within a few rods of the birth-place of his father. The widowed mother is an inmate of their household.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 844-845.