JAMES DAILEY, one of Wells County's pioneers and one of its prominent men, was born in Salem, New Jersey, September 24, 1815, a son of James and Mary Ann (Miller) Dailey, both of whom were born in the State of New Jersey. In 1827 the family emigrated to Cincinnati, Ohio, and the following year removed to Franklin County, Indiana, settling in the wilderness of that county, and there our subject grew to manhood, his youth being spent in hard labor, assisting to clear the home farm. He received a rudimentary education in the subscription schools of that early day, but being of a studious nature he is in a large degree a self-educated man. Before reaching manhood he had qualified himself to teach. The first money he earned for himself after reaching the age of twenty-one years was made in teaching school in the neighborhood in which he lived. After this his time, until coming to Wells County, was spent in teaching school and working at the carpenter's trade.

He was first married in Franklin County, November 1, 1837, to Lydia Garton, a daughter of Jonathan Garton, and to them were born five children: Charles, of Lancaster Township; Lewis was First Lieutenant of Company I, Twenty-second Indiana Infantry, during the late war, being the youngest officer in his regiment, and died in his twentieth year at the battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas; Joseph S., a prominent attorney at Bluffton; Mary Ann died after reaching maturity, and Rachel, wife of Thomas J. Sowards, of Lancaster Township, all the children but Charles having been born in Wells County.

He came to Wells County in March, 1842, with his wife and one child, having but 75 cents in cash when he reached here. His first home was on rented land on section 10, Lancaster Township, of which only five acres had been cleared. After living on this land one season he removed to a forty-acre tract of heavily-timbered land on section 21 of the same township, which he bought on credit, living here seven years, his time being occupied in improving his property, teaching school and working at the carpenter's trade. His wife died on this property February 13, 1850, in her thirtieth year. Mr. Dailey was again married in Adams County April 22, 1851, to Adeline Niblick, a native of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, born November 9, 1829. Her parents, James and Anna (Carter) Niblick, were pioneers of Adams County, making their home three and a half miles west of the present site of Decatur, November 9, 1838, her mother dying there August 12, 1840, aged thirty-nine years. Her father was married again to Miss Sarah Ball, and to this union were born five children: DeWitt Clinton, Elizabeth, Rachel, Emily and Mary, all with the exception of Emily and Mary living in Chicago, Illinois. Emily resides at Toledo, Ohio, and Mary lives at Bluffton, Wells County. By his first marriage Mr. Niblick had five children: Adeline, wife of our subject, and Robert, Jesse, Susan and Caroline, residents of Adams County. Eleven children have been born to the second marriage of Mr. Dailey, as followsÂ-Edgar, living with his parents; James, of Bluffton; Edessa, wife of Lemuel Sturgis, died, leaving one child named James D., who has been taken to the home of Mr. Dailey; Dora, wife of Benjamin Hooner; Augusta, wife of Peter Hartman, of Adams County; Robert M., of Lancaster Township; Nellie, at home; Willard died in his nineteenth year; Adeline, John and Jesse, the three last attending school.

Mr. Dailey has met with success in his farming operations, and by his own efforts has accumulated his present fine property in Lancaster Township, consisting of 160 acres of improved land, 100 acres being under good cultivation. Mr. Dailey was early recognized by his fellow-citizens as fitted for positions of honor and trust, who in 1845 elected him magistrate, which office he filled until 1850. He was then elected county auditor, and removed to Bluffton to attend to the duties of that office, serving in that capacity two terms. In 1850 he was one of the Deputy United States Marshals who took the census of Wells County. In 1865-'66 he was the deputy and acting sheriff of the county. He served as a member of the school board of Bluffton for several years. In 1867 he removed from Bluffton to his present residence on section 11, Lancaster Township. He has held the office of magistrate in Lancaster Township four years, besides serving in several minor offices. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and while living in Bluffton was a member of the Odd Fellows order. In politics he is a Democrat, voting that ticket since the days of Andrew Jackson. Of his brothers and sisters, Samuel M., formerly a resident of Wells County, now lives in Arkansas; three sisters, Mrs. Emily High, Mrs. Elizabeth High and Mrs. Margaret Sutton, died in Wells County; Mrs. Hannah Reed lives in Miami County, Indiana; Joseph died in Franklin County, and Mrs. Susan Allen died in Decatur County, Indiana.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 688-691.

HON. JOSEPH S. DAILEY is a native of Wells County, Indiana, born May 31, 1844, and has always been a resident of the county. He is the fourth son of James Dailey, who in 1850 was elected auditor of said county, when he removed from his farm to Bluffton, where he lived and faithfully discharged his duties as auditor to the satisfaction of all. The subject of this sketch, after attending the public schools of his native county, received a thorough training in the law department of the State University at Bloomington, Indiana, where he graduated in the winter of 1866, and immediately entered upon the practice of law at Bluffton, Indiana, with Hon. George S. Brown. In October, 1866, he was elected district attorney for the common pleas district in which he resided, and in 1868, '70, '72 and '74 he was elected prosecuting attorney of the judicial circuit to which Wells County was attached. In 1870 he formed a partnership with Hon. Levi Mock, with whom he has since been associated under the firm name of Dailey & Mock. When the Narrow Gauge Railroad was in process of construction Mr. Dailey was attorney for the road, and was at one time a director thereof, and has at all times been an active promoter of public improvements. His acquaintance and relationship is very extensive, and he is affable and obliging in his manners, and his success as a lawyer has been very great. So large is the number of his friends that when the question is asked by one needing a lawyer, "To whom shall I go for advice," the answer springs from many lips, "Go to Joe Dailey." No deserving poor person goes in vain to Mr. Dailey for such aid as is in his power, though he is by no means a rich man.

Mr. Dailey's mother was Lydia Garton, a daughter of the well-known Judge Jonathan Garton of Wells County, who died recently at the age of eighty-three years, respected by all who knew him. Mr. Dailey's mother died in 1850, but his father is still living, an upright and intelligent farmer, active still in his labors, at the age of seventy-one years. Mr. Dailey was elected a member of the Indiana House of Representatives in 1878, serving his constituents with fidelity. In 1882 he was the nominee of his party for Congressman from the Eleventh Indiana District, but though defeated, he reduced the National Republican majority of that district from 1,080 to 333.

Mr. Dailey was married March 15, 1870, at Marion, Indiana, to Emma, daughter of John P. and Henrietta Gutelius. His wife was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, January 17, 1852, and came with her parents to Wells County in September, 1868, and is still living. Mr. and Mrs. Dailey are the parents of four children: Frank C., born December 22, 1870; Lewis W., born March 8, 1874; Charles G., born March 29, 1876, and Blanche born February 9, 1886. Mr. Dailey's qualifications as a lawyer are recognized by both bench and bar, and he has been several times called by court and counsel to sit as special judge in the trial of important law suits.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 688-691.

An enumeration of those men of the present generation who have won honor and public recognition for themselves, and at the same time have honored the state to which they belong, would stultify consistency were there failure to make prominent reference to the one whose name initiates this review. He holds distinctive precedence as an able lawyer and judge, having served with signal ability as associate justice of the supreme court of the state of Indiana, is a man of recondite attainments and has ever borne himself with that honor and dignity whose natural offspring is unequivocal confidence and esteem from objective sources. He has been and is distinctively a man of affairs and one who has wielded a wide influence. A strong mentality, an invincible courage, a most determined individuality, have so entered into his makeup as to render him a natural leader of men and director of opinion. Aside from his position in public and civic life, there is farther propriety in according him representation in this work, for he is a native son of' Wells county, and this has been the scene of the greater part of his life's earnest labors, his home being in the attractive capital of the county, the city of Bluffton, where he is at the present time still actively engaged in the practice of his chosen profession.

Joseph S. Dailey was born on a farm in Lancaster township, Wells county, Indiana, on the 31st of May, 1844, and is a representative of one of the worthy pioneer families of the state. He was the fifth in order of birth of the nine children of James and Lydia (Garton) Dailey, and of these children four died in infancy. His brother, Lewis W., died at the age of nineteen, while in command of a company of the Twenty-second Indiana Volunteer Infantry, during the war of the Rebellion. His sister, Mary A., died at the age of eighteen, and another sister, Mrs. Rachel L. Sowards, yet survives. The genealogy in the agnatic line records, perhaps, the "short and simple annals of the poor," and yet betokens sterling manhood and noble womanhood, as one generation followed another onto the stage of action. As has been said in a previously published article referring to Judge Dailey. "His paternal ancestors were plain, unpretentious men who performed their several duties modestly and without ostentation. They were content to earn an honest living on the farm or in the shop, without seeking official honors or public favor. He is of the fifth generation by direct lineage from Dennis Dailey, who was a native of county Sligo, Ireland, and who emigrated to America before the middle of the eighteenth century, settling in New Jersey. Both of Judge Dailey's grandfathers attested their courage and patriotism by honorable service in the war of 1812, against England. Both of them were natives of New Jersey; both removed to Indiana and became early settlers of Franklin county. Here his father and mother were married and lived until their first three children were born; they then removed to Allen county, where the fourth was born; thence to Wells county, which became their permanent home."

Joseph S. Dailey secured his early educational discipline in the public schools of Bluffton and then began his technical preparation for his chosen profession by entering the law office of Newton Burwell, of this place, under whose direction he continued his studies for two years. In order to secure the funds necessary to defraying his course in the law department of the state university, he devoted a portion of his time to teaching in the district schools of Wells county and also in the public schools of Bluffton. In 1865 he was duly matriculated in the law department of the university, where he was graduated in 1866, being admitted to the bar of Indiana in that year. He forthwith entered into a professional partnership with the late George S. Brown, who later removed to the state of Kansas, his death occurring in its capital city a number of years later. In October, 1866, within the first year of his active practice in Bluffton, Judge Dailey was elected to the office of district attorney for the court of common pleas, and two years later still further advancement came to him along the line of professional work, since in 1868 he was elected prosecuting attorney for the district in which Judge Lowry, of Fort Wayne, presided. That his services in this capacity met with favor is evident from the fact that he was re-elected in 1870, 1872 and 1874, thus serving four consecutive terms of two years each. Of his career in this office the following pertinent words have been written: "The position secured for the young lawyer not only a reasonable income, but also afforded the desired opportunity for practice. Gaining familiarity with criminal statutes, in conducting investigations before the grand jury, preparing indictments and prosecuting the cases in court, was not the only benefit derived from the service. There was constant incentive to thorough preparation in all the details of procedure. The defense was usually conducted by lawyers of ability and experience, with whom the prosecutor must cope in the preparation of indictments and pleadings, m the marshalling of evidence and the examination of witnesses, and, finally, in the presentation of cases to a jury. This profssional [sic] contact sharpens the intellect and stimulates the desire for superiority. It tends to the cultivation of alertness, quickness of perception and self-confidence. If the young practitioner is favored by nature with the endowments essential to a reasonable degree of success he soon apprehends the futility of depending upon inspiration, and the importance of knowing all the elements and features of his case. Professional pride and persistent application are equally essential. Mr. Dailey soon acquired a good practice. He was not without ambition. In 1878 he was nominated and elected a representative in the state legislature. His record in that body was that of a conservative working member, -- always persistent, always moderate, yet courageous in the expression of his views. As a member of important committees, and in support of measures on the floor, he was influenced in formulating and securing the passage of much legislation. He was also potent in opposing much that was vicious and objectionable. His uniform courtesy and firmness won him the esteem of political opponents. His conscientious regard for public duty secured to him the confidence of all his colleagues and associates. Once afterward he yielded to the importunities of partisan friends and became a candidate for political office. In 1882 he accepted the Democratic nomination for congress and made a race that was hopeless, because of the adverse partisan majority, though his canvass was highly creditable and entirely honorable. Settling down again to the practice of law, he secured a valuable clientage, extending over a large district. In 1888 he was elected judge of the twenty-eighth circuit, comprising the counties of Huntington and Wells, for a term of six years. His service on the bench was alike acceptable to the bar and the populace. He exercised wise discretion and commendable humanity in dealing with youth convicted of violating penal statutes. In most instances of first offense, if the accused had previously borne a good reputation, sentence was withheld and he was allowed to enjoy liberty, after timely advice and warning by the court, so long as good deportment was maintained. In this way boys were reclaimed and saved for good citizenship instead of a life of crime. Before the expiration of his term in the circuit Judge Dailey was appointed judge of the supreme court of the state, by Governor Matthews, receiving his commission to this exalted office July 25, 1893. His qualifications for the office of judge, whether in the trial of causes or in the court of last resort, are unquestionable. First of all, he has the integrity of character. He possesses the natural ability and essential acquirements, the acumen of the judicial temperament. He was able to divest himself of prejudice or favoritism and consider only the legal aspects of a question submitted. No labor was too great, however onerous; no application too exacting, however severe, if necessary to the complete understanding and correct determination of a question. These are, indeed, words of high praise, but the encomium is justified in every particular, for the Judge has proved him a distinct man, in all the term implies, and its implification [sic] is wide. Many of the decisions of the circuit and supreme courts bear the impress of his patient investigation and his logical argument and deductions. As a practitioner he employs none of the arts and tricks of oratory, but his speeches are eloquent in the clearness of statement, the broad common sense of reasoning, the force of logic, earnestness and power. His career on the bench and at the bar offers a noble example and an inspiration, while he has never been known to fail in that strict courtesy and regard for professional ethics which should ever characterize the members of the bar. Faultless in honor, fearless in conduct and stainless in reputation, his career reflects credit upon the judiciary and bar of one of the sovereign commonwealths of the Union. Since his retirement from the bench Judge Dailey has been actively engaged in the practice of his profession in Bluffton, though his range of professional labor far transcends local limitations, as a matter of course. He has as associates in practice his eldest son, Frank C. Dailey, and Abraham Simmons, the large and important business being conducted under the firm name of Dailey, Simmons & Dailey. The writer from whose signally able and appreciative estimate we have hitherto liberally quoted, continues farther, as follows: "The Judge is favored in the possession of a healthful, vigorous constitution, - robust energy and marked vitality. He is in the prime of middle life, which is conducive to the most effectual utilization of all the mental resources. Candid, earnest and sincere, he is a reliable counselor. His popularity as a citizen is the natural outgrowth of confidence in his ability, integrity and sound judgment."

The domestic chapter in the history of Judge Dailey has been one of ideal character, and it would be impertinence to more than lift the veil from the sacred precincts where much of his inspiration, courage and confidence have been born of the grateful influences supplied by the gracious womanhood of his wife and the love and respect of his devoted children, to whom he has accorded the best possible educational advantages, finding ample recompense in the worthiness and usefulness of his children. On the 15th of March, 1870, Judge Dailey was united in marriage to Miss Emma Gutelius, of Bluffton, who is of French extraction in the agnatic line, which traces back to a distinguished surgeon in the French army. She was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, being a daughter of John P. and Henrietta Gutelius. Judge and Mrs. Dailey are the parents of four children, namely: Frank C., who was admitted to the bar of the state and is now associated with his father in practice, as previously noted; Lewis W., who was graduated in the Indianapolis Dental College in 1884, and who is now established in an excellent practice of his profession in Bluffton; Charles Gutelius, who is incumbent of the position of principal of the Bluffton high school, and Blanche who is studying at home.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana, B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903. pp. 96-99..

HENRY W. DALRYMPLE, of Liberty Township, was born in Preble County, Ohio, January 19, 1838, son of John and Judith (Williams) Dalrymple. The father was born in New Jersey, August 18, 1810, of German descent, and the latter was a native of Ohio and a daughter of Isaac Williams. When our subject was three years of age his parents removed to Huntington County, this State, where the father purchased a farm in the dense wilderness. Here Henry W. was reared to manhood. In his father's family were fourteen children, nine of whom are living. Both parents were members of the Disciple church. The father died in October, 1862, at the age of fifty-two years; the mother died in 1856.

Mr. Dailey's mother was Lydia Garton, a daughter of the well-known Judge Jonathan Garton of Wells County, who died recently at the age of eighty-three years, respected by all who knew him. Mr. Dailey's mother died in 1850, but his father is still living, an upright and intelligent farmer, active still in his labors, at the age of seventy-one years. Mr. Dailey was elected a member of the Indiana House of Representatives in 1878, serving his constituents with fidelity. In 1882 he was the nominee of his party for Congressman from the Eleventh Indiana District, but though defeated, he reduced the National Republican majority of that district from 1,080 to 333.

Henry W. was married April 7, 1861, to Miss Hannah A. Wright, daughter of Ruel and Elizabeth (Shaw) Wright, the former a native of New Jersey, and the latter of Pennsylvania; they settled in Huntington County, this State, in an early day. Mrs. Dalrymple was born in Columbiana County, Ohio, in September, 1838, and came to Indiana when six years of age. Mr. Dalrymple purchased a part of the old homestead and resided there until September, 1874, when he removed to Wells County and purchased 120 acres of partially improved land on section 5, Liberty Township. In 1885 he sold his farm and bought his present one on section 4 of Liberty Township. The farm contains 252 acres of improved land in a high state of cultivation.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 752.

(1893-1951)
Claude Matthew Davenport was born March 10th, 1893 in Wells County, Indiana to Dr. Evan P. Davenport and Amerintha Latamore Davenport. He was named for the Governor of Indiana. He grew up in Craigville, where his father practiced medicine and ran a general store. Very little is known of his life, in fact much of the information presented here is based upon news articles, photos and an oral history my father told me. In 1910, at age 17, he was reported to have impregnated a local girl, and his father paid to have him sent to Arizona to remove him from the situation for several months. After returning to Indiana, he met and in January 24, 1914, married my grandmother Rosella Fanny Romey. Their first-born child (3/11/1915) was a stillborn male named Darrell.

At age 25, he joined the Army 7/1/18. After training in Burlington, Vermont he was eventually assigned at Camp Meade in Maryland, outside of Washington DC with the 429th Signal Corps and was eventually promoted to the rank of Sergeant. His unit was never deployed due to an outbreak of the flu epidemic of 1918 while awaiting deployment to the front lines in Europe. He was discharged at the rank of Sergeant at Camp Taylor, Kentucky 1/22/1919. Returning to Indiana he had 3 more children: Betty Anne b. 11/21/1919, John Evan b. 2/22/1922, Claude Romey b. 4/13/1923. He ran for County surveyor of Wells County as a Democrat winning twice and serving 1923 until 1931. During this time, he was a member of the American Legion, the Elks, and the Masonic Temple of which he was a Knight Templar.

After 1931 he proceeded to file to for a divorce from Rosella and moved to Nebraska, where he worked for the Army Corps of Engineers. I have in my possession a series of articles related to the divorce and his subsequent arrest in 1932, the charge was child neglect and failure to pay child support of $5 a month for each of his 3 children over a period of 3 years. He was sentenced to serve six months at the Allen County Penal Farm. Returning to Nebraska he married a woman named Bertha, part American Indian and 11 years his younger. He remained married until his death in 1951.

CM worked as a civilian in the US Army Corp of Engineers primarily in Omaha, Nebraska but also worked at Sergeants Bluff, Iowa and Plattsmouth, Nebraska. He retired early on disability 2/11/50 due to poor health (the diagnosis given was heart and asthma). He moved to Van Nuys, California where he was admitted to the Veterans Administration Hospital and died March 2nd 1951. The Death Summery read as follows: This 57 year old white male entered the hospital on 1/20/1951 with the complaint of shortness of breath of 5 years. Patient stated that he slipped and fell in 1945, fracturing several ribs and developed subcutaneous emphysema. Since that time he as noted progressive increase in dyspnea and increase in semi-productive cough. He smokes 1½ packs of cigarettes a day. His mother died at the age of 35 of tuberculosis. The cause of death is listed as Obstructive Pulmonary Emphysema and Right Lower Lobe Pneumonia. Interestingly his physical exam done for insurance purposes on 6/25/1928, at age 35, fit a profile of the diagnosis of early Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. He is buried in the Veterans Cemetery in Van Nuys, California.

Contributed by Kevan E. Davenport

LOUIS COULSON DAVENPORT, was born at Woodsfield, Monroe County, Ohio, March 16, 1852, a son of Samuel and Caroline (Gratigny) Davenport. His grandfather, the Hon. John Davenport, was born in Jefferson County, Virginia, January 9, 1788, and March 31, 1808, married Martha Coulson, of Cecil County, Maryland. They subsequently moved to Woodsfield, Ohio, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits. Upon arriving at full age he fell heir to twenty-one slaves, but being opposed to the institution of slavery, he liberated them. He was a prominent Whig and represented his party in the old Seventeenth District of Ohio, in the Seventeenth Congress. His son, Samuel Davenport, was born at Woodsfield, Ohio, Jnne 14, 1828, and graduated from Washington College, Pennsylvania, in 1848. From 1857 to 1860 he was President of the Beaver, Pennsylvania Female College, and for several years was editor of the Beaver (Pennsylvania) Argus. In 1860 he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention that nominated Lincoln and Hamlin. February 27, 1863, he was appointed Assessor of Internal Revenue for the Twenty-fourth District of Pennsylvania, and held the office five years, when, in 1868, he moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, and for one year was Professor of Languages in the Fort Wayne Methodist College. He then moved to Bluffton, Indiana, and founded the Bluffton Chronicle, which he conducted successfully several years. He was appointed Postmaster at Bluffton by President Grant, in February, 1875, and had charge of the office until his death, which occurred December 18, 1879. He was a fine scholar, possessing a wonderful fund of information, and was a pleasing and forcible writer, and agreeable conversationalist. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which he was greatly devoted and was an earnest Christian gentleman. He was an ardent supporter of the principles of the Republican party. He was married at Bealsville, Ohio, in May, 1851, to Caroline Gratigny, a daughter of Dr. Louis and Desdemona (Ford) Gratigny. She is a lady of refinement and highly respected by all who know her. She is also an earnest and devoted member of the Methodist church. Her father was born in Bordeaux, France, in 1795, and her mother in Boston, Massachusetts, in September, 1798.

Louis C. Davenport, whose name heads this sketch, after completing his education at Beaver, Pennsylvania, learned the drug business at Fort Wayne, and in 1874 came to Bluffton, and opened a drug and notion store, which he has since continued, and is now one of the prominent business men of the place. He is a staunch Republican, and from 1889 to 1882 was chairman of the Republican Central Committee. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, Bluffton Lodge, No. 145, Fort Wayne Commandery, No. 4, and a Thirtysecond degree member of the Indiana Consistory, A. & A., Scottish Rite.

Mr. Davenport was married June 12, 1878, to Miss Addie Bliss, only daughter of Jeffrey and Lucinda (Angel) Bliss, pioneers of Wells County, and highly esteemed citizens of Bluffton, Mr. Bliss being a well-known and influential business man and the owner of the Bliss House. Mr. and Mrs. Davenport have three children: Mattie, born December 15, 1879; George Bliss, March 12, 1882, and Nellie, May 26, 1885.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 1024-1025.

JOSIAH DAVIS, deceased, was born in Hocking County, Ohio, July 12, 1825, son of William and Sarah Davis, and of Welsh ancestry. He was reared on a farm, and when he was fourteen years of age his mother died, after which he began the battle of life for himself. He worked out by the day and month until he reached maturity. About the year 1848 he came to Wells County and purchased eighty acres of unimproved land on section 29, Harrison Township, which he began to clear and improve. January 20, 1854, he was married to Miss Harriet Groves, a daughter of Joseph Groves. They settled on the farm owned by Mrs. Davis' father and lived there three years, then removed to his own farm. By dint of perseverance and close attention to business, he soon had his farm in a good state of cultivation, and he followed farming during the remainder of his days. Of their four children, three still survive: Edwin R., Emma A., wife of Lewis Cobbum, and Henry Sherman. Mr. Davis was an active member of the United Brethren church, as is also his wife. Politically he affiliated with the Republican party. After an illness of over two years with cancer, he died September 3, 1886. His wife still resides on the old homestead.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 842.

JOHN R. DAVIS is a native of Wells County, Indiana, born in the village of Murray, March 31, 1839, his parents, William P. and Lucinda (Richey) Davis, being early pioneers of the county. The father being a farmer, our subject was reared to the same avocation, remaining on the home farm until his marriage. He was united in marriage June 23, 1864, to Miss Catherine Falk, a daughter of Albert and Catherine Falk, who were of German birth, both coming from Hesse, Germany, to America before their marriage. They were married in Richland County, Ohio, and in 1849 settled in Rock Creek Township, Wells County, Indiana, where both died, the mother dying in 1856, and the father March 8, 1880. Two of their sons, John and Peter, live in Bluffton; three sons, Jacob, Joseph and Henry, reside in Rock Creek Township; William lives in Kansas; their daughter Mary is married and lives in Kansas; Mrs. Davis is the third child, and was born in Richland County, Ohio, June 5, 1840. Mr. and Mrs. Davis are the parents of two sons, promising young men, William H., who was born April 20, 1865, is a school-teacher, and George E., who was born May 29, 1867. Mr. and Mrs. Davis still occupy the home on section 30, Lancaster Township, where they settled after their marriage. The homestead contains ninety acres of well improved and well cultivated land. His land is thoroughly drained, having 1,400 rods of tile drainage, making it one of the most productive farms in his township. William P. Davis, the father of our subject, was born in Tennessee, a son of George and Susan (Miller) Davis. When he was ten years old he was brought with his father's family to Indiana, and lived in Union and Henry counties until coming to Wells County. He was married in Henry County, in 1834, to Lucinda Richey, a native of Butler County, Ohio, a daughter of Jacob and Mary Richey, who were formerly from New Jersey. Their eight children were as follows: Leander P., of Union Township; Milton M., living on the homestead on section 30; John R., the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Juliette Scotton; George W.; Mrs. Maria Bulger, a widow living in Lancaster Township; Mrs. Ammert I. Bulger, and Marcellus the youngest child, who died in 1861, aged seven years. The parents came to Wells County in 1837, settling in the then wilderness on the present site of Murray among the first six families. William P. Davis was not an ambitious man, as far as acquiring property was concerned, looking only to actual needs for the present, which he always amply provided. He built and made some improvements on section 19, where he owned eighty acres, now the residence property of Rev. J. J. Markley. This was his second home in the county. From there he removed back to Murray in 1852, buying sixty acres of timber land on the southeast part of section 30. There he made his home till near the end of his life. During the last year of his life he lived on a small property near Bluffton, but within the limits of Lancaster Township, dying there in August, 1883, at the age of seventy-one years. His widow still resides on this property, enjoying the respect and esteem of all who know her.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 961-962.

JOHN R. DAVIS is a native of Wells County, Indiana, born in the village of Murray, March 31, 1839, his parents, William P. and Lucinda (Richey) Davis, being early pioneers of the county. The father being a farmer, our subject was reared to the same avocation, remaining on the home farm until his marriage. He was united in marriage June 23, 1864, to Miss Catherine Falk, a daughter of Albert and Catherine Falk, who were of German birth, both coming from Hesse, Germany, to America before their marriage. They were married in Richland County, Ohio, and in 1849 settled in Rock Creek Township, Wells County, Indiana, where both died, the mother dying in 1856, and the father March 8, 1880. Two of their sons, John and Peter, live in Bluffton; three sons, Jacob, Joseph and Henry, reside in Rock Creek Township; William lives in Kansas; their daughter Mary is married and lives in Kansas; Mrs. Davis is the third child, and was born in Richland County, Ohio, June 5, 1840. Mr. and Mrs. Davis are the parents of two sons, promising young men, William H., who was born April 20, 1865, is a school-teacher, and George E., who was born May 29, 1867. Mr. and Mrs. Davis still occupy the home on section 30, Lancaster Township, where they settled after their marriage. The homestead contains ninety acres of well improved and well cultivated land. His land is thoroughly drained, having 1,400 rods of tile drainage, making it one of the most productive farms in his township. William P. Davis, the father of our subject, was born in Tennessee, a son of George and Susan (Miller) Davis. When he was ten years old he was brought with his father's family to Indiana, and lived in Union and Henry counties until coming to Wells County. He was married in Henry County, in 1834, to Lucinda Richey, a native of Butler County, Ohio, a daughter of Jacob and Mary Richey, who were formerly from New Jersey. Their eight children were as follows: Leander P., of Union Township; Milton M., living on the homestead on section 30; John R., the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Juliette Scotton; George W.; Mrs. Maria Bulger, a widow living in Lancaster Township; Mrs. Ammert I. Bulger, and Marcellus the youngest child, who died in 1861, aged seven years. The parents came to Wells County in 1837, settling in the then wilderness on the present site of Murray among the first six families. William P. Davis was not an ambitious man, as far as acquiring property was concerned, looking only to actual needs for the present, which he always amply provided. He built and made some improvements on section 19, where he owned eighty acres, now the residence property of Rev. J. J. Markley. This was his second home in the county. From there he removed back to Murray in 1852, buying sixty acres of timber land on the southeast part of section 30. There he made his home till near the end of his life. During the last year of his life he lived on a small property near Bluffton, but within the limits of Lancaster Township, dying there in August, 1883, at the age of seventy-one years. His widow still resides on this property, enjoying the respect and esteem of all who know her.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 961-962.

The successful farmer of today must be able to carry on his enterprise with close calculation and scientific management and because of their ability to do so, many of the agriculturists of Wells County have become practically independent. Among the prosperous agriculturists of Chester Township is John C. Dawley, whose richly cultivated farm of forty acres presents proof of careful tillage and judicious farm methods.

John C. Dawley may almost be called a native of Well's County, Indiana, as his entire life, with the exception of a few months in infancy, has been passed here. He was, however, born in Highland County, Ohio, June 11, 1851. His parents were William A. and Malinda (Pannel) Dawley. His father was of New England ancestry and was born in Vermont, and his mother was a native of Ohio, in which state they were married in 1850. In December, 1851, they came to Wells County, Indiana, and settled in Nottingham Township and spent the rest of their lives here. They were most worthy people and consistent members of the Christian Church. They had five children born to them and three of these are living, namely: John C.; James F., who is a farmer in Jay County, Indiana; Amanda J., who is the wife of Jeremiah Smith, a farmer in Oklahoma.

John C. Dawley was reared in Nottingham Township. When old enough he started to go to school and well remembers the old schoolhouse of logs located not far from his father's farm, a very different building from the one in which his own children were educated. He has been a farmer all his life and until he was twenty-one years old worked by the month at farm labor, and thus had good practical training for the future when he had his own farm to manage.

Mr. Dawley was married to Miss Barbara Poulson, in Wells County, and they had three children: Martha J., who is the wife of William Keene of Chester Township; James H.; and Rosetta, who is the wife of Austin Lewis. The mother of these children died when they were young and Mr. Dawley's second marriage was to Miss Bashaba Jarrett. To this marriage the following children were born: John W.; Mary E., who is the wife of Lawrence Penrod; and Flossie W. and M. W., both of whom live with their parents.

For many years Mr. Dawley has been prominent in republican politics in Wells County and has served with the utmost efficiency in public offices. For five years he was assessor of Chester township and otherwise has been capable in public matters. He is widely known and has a host of personal friends. This fact was proved when his party nominated him for the office of sheriff of Wells county and in the election he cut the normal democratic majority of 1,800 to 500 votes.

Standard History of Adams and Wells Counties Indiana. John W. Tyndall for Adams Co and O. E. Lesh for Wells County. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1918, pp. 538-539.

Wilson Deam, son of John A., and Elizabeth (Miller) Deam, is a native of Montgomery county, Ohio, having been born in the year 1825. He was married at Upper Sandusky, Ohio, in 1850, to Mary E. Kiskadden, daughter of James and Rebecca (Erving) Kiskadden. She was born in the year 1828, in Clark county, Ohio. Her children are: Belle R. (Deam) Wallace, born December 5, 1852, and resides in Dayton, Ohio; Harry, July 16, 1858, is a resident of Cleveland; Hattie (Deam) Mulkins, July 16, 1858, resides at St. Joe, Missouri; Ida M., January 3, 1861, is a resident of Dayton, Ohio. Wilson Deam is a resident of Harrison township, and the proprietor of a Livery, Feed and Sale Stable, situated on Market street, opposite Central Hotel, Bluffton, Indiana.

Historical Hand-Atlas, With Complete Reference Map of the World, History of Wells Co., IN, Chicago & Toledo: H. H. Hardesty & Co., 1881, p. 208.
Transcribed by Kathy Davis

WILSON DEAM, who is now deceased, was a native of Ohio, born near Dayton in the year 1825. When a lad he came with his parents to Indiana, in which State he grew to manhood. At the age of twenty-one he located at the present site of Bluffton when this now thriving village could boast of but one dwelling. Here Mr. Deam engaged in the livery business, as there was much travel, although the surrounding country was sparsely settled, and this business he conducted for a period of more than forty years. For a number of years he also operated the stage line, transporting passengers and carrying the mail between Bluffton and Fort Wayne, and this associated with his livery made for him a lucrative business.

Mr. Deam was twice married, taking for his first wife Miss Hannah Burwell, daughter of James Burwell. Mrs. Deam died leaving one daughter, Francis M., now the wife Robert Hart, of Kosciusko County, Indiana. About a year after the death of his wife Mr. Deam married Mrs. Richey, widow of S. P. Richey, and to this union were born four children: Belle K., wife of Rev. Thomas Wallace, of Dayton, Ohio; Harry and Hattie (twins), the former being the wife of Professor Isaac C. Mulkins, of St. Joe, Missouri, and Ida M., wife of Rev. G. G. Copeland, of Savannah, Ohio. Mr. Deam died January 25, 1885, and was buried with Masonic honors, he having been a member of that society for many years. In politics he was an unswerving Democrat. In religion he was a Presbyterian, and was a liberal contributor to his church. He was of a genial and generous nature, and made many friends, and his death was a source of universal regret. His widow still survives, and is living in the old homestead at Bluffton.

Harry Deam, the only son, was born July 16, 1857, and was reared in the town of Bluffton, where he attended school until reaching the age of seventeen years. He then went to Fort Wayne and began clerking for Foster Brothers, and at the close of the year he was promoted to foreman of their mercantile establishment, where he remained three years. He then became foreman of a branch house of William Lambert & Co., located at Bloomington, Illinois, where he was engaged seven months, when he returned to Bluffton, and for two and a half years following was in the employ of Wiley & Sunier, and A. Curry, all merchants of Bluffton. He then engaged as traveling salesman for the firm of E. M. McGillin & Co., of Cleveland, Ohio, for one year, when he again returned to Bluffton and formed a partnership with Philo Rogers in the dry goods business, with whom he was associated for one year. He was then appointed inspector and clerk of customs at Port Townsend, Washington Territory, which position he occupied for one year, when he was called home owing to his fathers illness. He then engaged on his own account in the notion and millinery business, which he conducted until his father's death, and also owned an interest in the livery business with his father. After his father's death he gave up his store and has since given his entire attention to the livery business. April 16, 1884, he was united in marriage to Miss Maggie J. Craig, a daughter of David and Eliza Craig. Mr. Deam is one of the enterprising and successful business men of Bluffton. He is a member of the Masonic lodge at Bluffton, holding his membership since 1880. Politically he is an uncompromising Republican. Both he and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 768-769.

Charles W. Decker, a former county surveyor of Wells County, has been active in the automobile business at Bluffton since retiring from office. Mr. Decker is a native of Wells County and represents one of the old and prominent families here.

His grandfather, Isaac Decker, was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 1820, son of Christin and Elizabeth (Albert) Decker, natives of the same state. When a young man he went to Fairfield County, Ohio, where he married Miss Langle. They removed to Jay County, Indiana, and on his return to Fairfield County his wife died. In Montgomery County, Ohio, he married Miss Elizabeth Houser, daughter of Henry Houser. Following that he was again in Jay County, Indiana, but failing health sent him back to Montgomery County, Ohio, and in 1853 he came to Rock Creek Township of Wells County, where his father had previously bought land. Still later he removed to Huntington County, where he cleared up a wild tract of 160 acres, but after eighteen months returned to his father's farm in Wells County. Only nine acres of that land had been cleared from the sovereign wilderness and it was the scene of his prosperous activities as a farmer until his death in 1868, at the age of forty-eight. His wife survived him until 1872. They had ten children. Isaac Decker was an early democrat in politics.

His son Edward Decker, father of Charles W. Decker, was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, July 19, 1846, and was seven years of age when his parents came to Wells County, where he lived ever afterwards save for the brief time spent in Huntington County. He was educated in the district schools of Rock Creek Township, and after his father's death bought the old Decker farm and became one of the well-to-do and influential agriculturists of the county. He lived a long and useful life, terminated by his death at the age of seventy in December, 1916. He died in Hope Hospital at Fort Wayne, Indiana. In 1869 he married Miss Rebecca L. Houtz, daughter of John Houtz, of Rock Creek Township. They were the parents of seven sons and two daughters, including Charles W., John F., Rufus L., Otto R., Devilla N., Orpha, Jesse and Lydia E. The latter is now the wife of William Hoover of Huntington County, Indiana. Edward Decker was an active member of the Emmanuel Reformed Church of Rock Creek Township.

Mr. Charles W. Decker was born on his father's farm in Rock Creek Township March 5, 1877, and in that locality, endeared to the family by so many associations, he grew to manhood. He was educated in the district schools and in Valparaiso Normal, and for three years was a teacher in Rock Creek Township. Of his six brothers four also taught in the same schools. At the age of eighteen Mr. Decker removed to Bluffton and became deputy surveyor of Wells County, but resigned that position to complete his education. In November, 1910, he was elected county surveyor and filled that office with great credit and efficiency a full term of four years, completing his work on December 31, 1914. The following year he took the local agency of the Overland automobile, and has done much to distribute that deservedly popular and high class car.

August 13, 1899, Mr. Decker married Lillie M. McAfee, daughter of John McAfee, of Rock Creek Township. The McAfees are another old and well known family of Wells County. Mrs. Decker is a graduate of the common schools of Rock Creek Township, having attended the same school as her husband and in the same grade. They have three children: Verdi, who graduated from the Bluffton High School in 1917; Ruth, aged six years; and Charles W., Jr., now two years old. Mrs. Decker is a member of the Lutheran Church at St. Paul, while her daughter is active in the Reformed Church. Mr. Decker has followed the political faith of his ancestors and is a sturdy democrat. He is now serving his second term as treasurer of the Bluffton School Board, and other interests require considerable of his time. He is secretary and general manager of the Bluffton Free Street Fair and is a stockholder in the Banner Publishing Company.

Standard History of Adams and Wells Counties Indiana. John W Tyndall for Adams Co and O. E. Lesh for Wells County. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1918, pp. 489-490.

ISAAC DECKER, one of the old pioneers of Wells County, who is now deceased, was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 1820, a son of Christian and Elizabeth (Albert) Decker, who were natives of the same State. He spent the early part of his life on a farm in his native county, and when a young man went to Fairfield County, Ohio, where he was married to a Miss Langle, and to this union was born one daughter--Lucinda. After his marriage he immigrated to Jay County, Indiana, where he resided for a time, when on account of the ill health of his wife he returned to Fairfield County, where his wife died. He was again married in Montgomery County, Ohio, to Miss Elizabeth Houser, a daughter of Henry Houser. After his second marriage he returned to Jay County, Indiana, but his health failing he returned to Montgomery County, Ohio, where he made his home until 1853. He again returned to Indiana and settled on a farm in Rock Creek Township, Wells County, which his father had previously bought, and after residing there a year and a half he removed to Huntington County, and settled on a heavily-timbered farm of 160 acres which he had bought some time before. He cleared this farm and made improvements, residing on it eighteen months, when he returned to his father's farm in Wells County, which contained 160 acres. When he settled on this farm only nine acres had been cleared. He cleared and improved the remainder of the land, and here he followed farming the rest of his life. He died in 1868, at the age of forty-eight years, his widow surviving until 1872, her death occurring at the age of forty-seven years. They were the parents of ten children, five of whom still survive: Edward, Christena, Mary J., Maria R. and Isaac W. In his political views Mr. Decker was a Democrat. He was an active and public spirited citizen, and was always interested in any enterprise which had for its object the advancement of his township or county.

Edward Decker, the eldest son of Isaac Decker, is one of the enterprising agriculturists of Rock Creek Township, and a highly respected citizen. He is a native of Ohio, born in Montgomery County, July 19, 1846. He was seven years old when his parents came to Wells County, and here he was reared on the home farm, receiving his education in the common schools. He resided with his parents until their death, when he succeeded them in the old homestead, where he still follows agricultural pursuits. He was married in 1869, to Miss Rebecca L., daughter of John Houtz, of Rock Creek Township. They are the parents of seven children: Lydia E., Davilla N., George E., Charles W., John F., Rufus L. and Otto R. Both Mr. and Mrs. Decker are members of the Reformed church. In politics Mr. Decker casts his suffrage with the Democratic party.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 882-883.

ALEXANDER DELONG, one of the old pioneers of Wells County, was born in Botetourt County, Virginia, April 17, 1809, and died at his home in Lancaster Township, April 25, 1881. He was married near Fletcher, in Miami County, Ohio, in 1832, to Miss Elizabeth Beers, a native of Montgomery County, Ohio, a daughter of Peter and Mary (Shanks) Beers, who were among the earliest settlers of that county. They began housekeeping in Miami County, where three children, named Asa, Solomon and George, were born to them. In the fall of 1847 Mr. DeLong came with his wife and children from Miami to Wells County, settling on a heavily timbered farm on section 34, Lancaster Township. Here he erected a log cabin the same fall, felled the trees and prepared the land for crops for the following year. The first patch cleared was three acres which he planted in fruit trees in the spring of the next year, and year by year the improvements were more manifest until he had his farm under thorough cultivation, which is now in possession of his son Solomon. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. DeLong after coming to Wells County, Joseph, a book dealer of Bluffton, and Mary A., deceased wife of Charles Cole. The father lived on the old homestead until his death, and reared his family to honorable and respectable status in life, and earned the respect and esteem of the entire community. He came to the county in limited circumstances, having only enough money to enter 160 acres of land, which cost him $200. The original patent bore the signature of President Martin Van Buren, and was dated August 5, 1837. The widow still resides on the home farm. Mr. DeLong was a member of the Baptist church during the latter years of his life.

All the children living are married except Solomon, who has charge of the home farm, and the fine appearance of the buildings, stock, and ground show him to be a systematic and successful farmer. In politics, like his father, he has always affiliated with the Republican party. Solomon DeLong was one of the loyal men of Wells County who left the peaceful pursuits of farm life to defend his country. He enlisted in August, 1862, in the One Hundred and First Indiana Infantry, under Captain Peter Studabaker, and his regiment was assigned to the Army of the Cumberland. Mr. DeLong was assigned to duty in the Pioneer Corps, and did faithful and meritorious service until the close of the war. His brother George was also a gallant and faithful soldier, serving three years in the Thirty-fourth Indiana Infantry.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 797-798.

Capt. E. E. Derr, of Ossian, is the son of H. B. and Clarinda Derr and was born in Wabash county, Indiana, September 30, 1866. The Derr family formerly lived in Pennsylvania, and are natives of that state. Years ago they migrated to Ohio and later to Indiana. They lived for a time in Wabash and Allen counties, eventually taking up their permanent residence in Wells county, though the greater part of the first six years of Capt. Derr's life was spent in Allen county. About the year 1872 the family moved to Wells county, locating at Ossian. Here he attended school, acquiring an education that has been most useful to him in his career of usefulness. Having passed through the high school with well earned honors, he took up the profession of teaching and, although quite successful his experience was such as to make the vocation distasteful to him for many reasons, not the least of which was the meager compensation granted for the enormous amount of work required For eight years he worked in Nimmon's factory, becoming skillful in the work required of him and popular with his employers and his fellow workmen. Meanwhile he had acquired a knowledge of the barber's trade, and on June 5, 1886, he opened a barber shop at Ossian. In March, 1897, the individual who would predict that this country, in little more than a year, would be involved in war with one of the leading European powers, was liable to be brought before a commission of lunacy to have his sanity inquired into, and yet it must have been something in the nature of a prophecy that induced E. E. Derr, at that time, to organize a military company from among the young men of the town and surrounding country. He was made captain of the company, and when not actively engaged in the duties of his shop, devoted himself to the study of military tactics. The result was that, in February, 1898, when the battle ship "Maine" was treacherously destroyed in the harbor of Havana, and when the country from one extremity to the other was clamoring for war, Captain Derr, so far as drill and military discipline were concerned, had his company of vigorous, athletic youths on prime war footing. Most of the members of this company enlisted and were mustered into the United States service, May 12, 1898, as Company F, One Hundred and Sixtieth Indiana Regiment. As might have been expected, it proved to be one of the best behaved, best drilled, and most efficient companies of volunteers that entered the service during the Spanish-American war. After a sojourn of some time in the South, the regiment was transferred to Cuba, where it did valiant service until the close of the war. It was mustered out at Savannah, Georgia, April 25, 1899. Returning to his home in Ossian, Captain Derr engaged for a time in the livery business at Warren, Indiana. Finding that calling not wholly to his taste, he embraced an opportunity of selling out and, returning to Ossian, resumed his old business of barber, in which calling he is now engaged and meeting with that degree of prosperity which his abilities, judgment and genial dispositon so well deserve.

In 1890 Captain Derr was united in marriage to Miss Allie Woodward, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. Woodward, and they are the parents of two sons, Dale and Russell, aged nine and six years respectively. Politically Captain Derr is a Republican, and on a number of occasions has been selected as a delegate to various county and state conventions. He has served two full terms as clerk and treasurer of his township. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Ossian Lodge No. 297, and of the Scottish Rite Masons at Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is also a Knight of Pythias and a Knight of the Maccabees.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana, B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903. pp. 460-461.

Many a man is unfortunate in having become skilled in a calling for which he never afterwards had any use. Years of time and unlimited patience have been expended to acquire a thorough knowledge of business, only to find, when it has been secured, that a machine has been invented which does the work better and many times faster than it can be done by hand. In such an emergency all that is left to the unlucky artisan is to turn his talent to something else in the hope of not being forestalled in that also. It often happens that what the poor victim of fate looked upon as real misfortune later proved to be only a blessing in disguise. It proved so with John G. Dettinger, the subject of this sketch. In early life he learned the business of a nailer, or manufacturer of nails (by hand). At the time it was a most flourishing and remunerative calling. Within a few years after he became thoroughly skilled in the business, machinery so completely superseded hand work and nails became so inordinately cheap that no one but a crank or imbecile would think of having nails made by hand. The result was that John G. Dettinger, skilled nailer, found himself out of a job. He came to America, turned farmer in the woods of Ohio and Indiana and now in his declining years finds himself one hundred fold better off than he would have been if the business of making nails by hand had not completely collapsed.

John G. Dettinger was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, July 4, 1830. His parents were Samuel and Rosa (Frank) Dettinger, natives of that country. Samuel Dettinger was well educated and a skilled mechanic, the manufacturer of nails by hand. It was good business, in which there was at that time unlimited employment. The family was not rich, but in very comfortable circumstances. They were members of the German Lutheran church and were the parents of eight children, four of whom are living, three in the fatherland and one, John G., here. Both parents are dead, their entire life having been passed in their native land.

The benefit of a fair, common school education was accorded to John G. Dettinger. He attended school until he was fourteen years of age, and then went into the shop and worked with his father until he had learned the trade. At twenty-one he was forced into the military service of the country and required to serve for a period of six years. On being discharged he hastened across the waters to America, landing in New York July 1, 1857. Ten days after he landed he went over into the state of New Jersey and was united in marriage to Miss Mary Kile—rather a brief courtship, it might be thought, but not nearly so brief as on its face it seems. Miss Kile was a passenger on the same ship coming across the Atlantic and, as the voyage in those days was of many weeks' duration, there was ample time for getting acquainted and coming to an understanding. When the first flood of connubial happiness had subsided, the first thought of the young people was to seek remunerative employment. Making nails by hand had then ceased to be a calling in New York and vicinity, so Mr. Dettinger turned his attention to something else. He had some money and so wisely determined to go west. They located in Ohio, where they remained until 1886, when they moved to French township, Adams County, Indiana. He invested in a farm of fifty acres which he cultivated for some time, when he added, by purchase, forty acres more, which gave him a very desirable farm of ninety acres. Through his experience in Ohio and Indiana, Mr. Dettinger became a very expert farmer. He was always favored by good crops, because he always saw that plowing, planting and cultivating was well done. No year was permitted to elapse without laying aside a little from the receipts of the farm. These sums, as soon as they had assumed sufficient proportions, were always judiciously invested, generally in property that afforded an income, investments which have all turned out well. In 1897 he sold his farm at a very gratifying figure and moved his family to Vera Cruz, being now retired from active labor. He has real estate and other property from which he derives a comfortable income, enough to supply his own wants and those dependent upon him.

To Mr. and Mrs. Dettinger fourteen children have been born, of whom twelve are living, viz: Maggie, Eliza, Christina, John, Jacob, Charles, Caroline, Samuel, Mary, Rosa, Wilson and Emma. Maggie is the wife of W. D. Markley and Eliza is the wife of John Lobsiger. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, regular attendants upon its services and contribute liberally to the support of religion and charity. In politics Mr. Dettinger is a Democrat, but has the wisdom to know that most of the time spent in politics is time wasted. He is a man of very wide acquaintance, genial, liberal and companionable. Among people of his own nationality especially he wields a wide influence and always for good. Any way that his life may be looked upon, financially, socially or domestically, it must be pronounced a success. He has reared a large family of bright, intelligent, moral sons and daughters who are a credit to their parentage and to the community in which they live. Had the business of making nails by hand continued to flourish, it is quite likely that Mr. Dettinger would have stayed at his forge and anvil and never have accomplished the tenth part of what he has. The total collapse of that business proved in the end indeed a blessing in disguise.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana, B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903. pp. 358-360.

GEORGE F. DICKASON, farmer, Nottingham Township, was born in Clarke County, Ohio, April 11, 1831, son of John W. and Nancy (Stanley) Dickason. He lived in his native county until he was seventeen years of age, following farming principally. In 1848 the family removed to Nottingham Township, this county, where the father purchased a farm not far from where he now resides. The mother died in this county March 25, 1881. George F. made his home with his parents until his marriage, although he worked out by the month on the farm. In 1856 he had accumulated enough to buy eighty acres of land where he now resides. This land was at that time covered with a heavy growth of timber, and an ax had never marred one of the trees. The roads that now pass by his house on the north and east had been blazed when the township was surveyed, but nothing had been done toward making roads for travel. His first work was to clear out some of the brush on the line of the road, to pay his road tax. Mr. Dickason has cleared fully sixty acres of his land almost entirely with his own hands.

March 26, 1857, he was married to Miss Caroline Houdyshell, a native of Clarke County, and a daughter of George and Susan (Gentis) Houdyshell, also natives of Ohio, the former of Hocking County, and the latter of Clarke County. They removed to Indiana in 1838, landing a mile and three-quarters southwest of Vera Cruz, this county, and the next day he had to go two and a half miles for water. While he was absent his wife was cooking meat, and five wolves, attracted by the odor of the meat, set up a howl outside which was continued until chased away by the father when he returned with the water. That year Mr. Houdyshell went back to Springfield, Ohio, to mill, taking a wagon for transportation. The Indians often came and looked in the windows at night. The father died in this county December 23, 1883, and the mother, July 12, 1881, in Shawnee County, where they were living at that time. Mr. and Mrs. Dickason were the parents of six children, one, John Franklin, being deceased. Those living are Mahala, Eveline, wife of Andrew Klinger, of Warren, Huntington County; Aggie C., wife of Henry Klinger; Susan Isadora, wife of Julian Adzett; Mary Aldine and Hezekiah. Both parents are members of the Protestant Methodist church, and in polities he is a Greenbacker.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, p. 701.

WILLIAM DICKEY, farmer, Rock Creek Township, is a native of Scotland, born in Stirlingshire December 1, 1831, a son of William and Elizabeth (Bennett) Dickey, who were natives of the same country. The father was a son of Robert and Margaret (Bayne) Dickey, and the mother of our subject was a daughter of William Bennett. In 1849 the father came to America and located in Knox County, Ohio, and the following year the remainder of the family followed him, taking seven weeks to come from Glasgow to New York. For six weeks they were out of sight of land, and at one time the sea was so rough that the steerage passengers were sent below and the hatches closed. Of the five children born to the parents of our subject only two are living. William Dickey, whose name heads this sketch, was reared in his native country, remaining there until about nineteen years of age, when he crossed the ocean with his father's family. After coming to America he worked as a laborer for two years, after which he spent two years in Ohio at boilermaking. He then came to Indiana, and followed boiler-making at Fort Wayne for two years, then was in the employ of a railroad company for six years.

October 29, 1858, he was married to Miss Margaret Gordon, a daughter of Thomas and Margaret (Smith) Gordon, natives of Roxburyshire, Scotland, who came to the United States in 1854. They are the parents of five children: William, Thomas, Jannett, Elizabeth and Robert. In 1863 Mr. Dickey came with his family to Wells County, Indiana, and settled on a farm of eighty acres of partially cleared land on section 28, Rock Creek Township, where he has since followed farming, and now has his land under fine cultivation. He had purchased this land two years before coming to the county. Since becoming a resident of Rock Creek Township he has served as justice of the peace four years. Politically he affiliates with the Republican party. The father of Mr. Dickey died at his home in Wells County in April, 1876, at the age of seventy-three years. The mother died in Ohio.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, p. 947.

ANDREW DILLMAN, deceased, was one of the prominent agriculturalists of Jackson Township, as well as a much respected citizen. He was a Kentuckian by birth, born in Bracken County, February 12, 1811. His parents, John and Lydia (Roer) Dillman, settled in Ohio when he was a child, and in that State he grew to manhood, being reared to the avocation of a farmer, which he made his life work. He was united in marriage in Brown County, Kentucky, November 19, 1835, to Sarah Kilander, a native of Kentucky, born January 15, 1819, a daughter of Jacob and Mary (Dillman) Kilander, natives of the State of Virginia. Her parents subsequently removed to Ohio, where they lived until 1854. In that year they came to Wells County, and made their home in Jackson township until their death. They were members of the Disciple church. They left at their death a family of five children, three sons and two daughters, all of whom are yet living except one. Thirteen children were born to Mr. and Mrs Dillman, ten still living - Mary, Susan, Lydia, Levi, Jacob, John, Sidney, Alice, William, and Minnie. Mr. Dillman followed farming in Ohio until April, 1854, when he came with his family to Wells County, Indiana, and settled on section 19, Jackson Township, where he lived until his death, which occurred February 2, 1886. His widow still resides on the old homestead. She is a member of the Christian church. Mr. Dillman was also a worthy member of the same church until his death. In politics he affiliated with the Democratic party. He was an enterprising and public-spirited man, taking an active interest in the affairs of his township. The postoffice at Dillman was named in honor of him.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 902-903.
Contributed by Tammy Rable

GEORGE C. DITZLER, lumber dealer, was born in Crawford County, Ohio, son of George and Catherine (Sauerbaugh) Ditzler, natives of Pennsylvania, in which state they were married. They removed to Crawford County about the year 1852, bringing with them four children - Sarah, Belinda, Susanna and Mary. John R., George C., Alice and Frank were born in Ohio. The family settled in Gallion, where the father worked at the carpenter and joiner's trade. Later he purchased a farm near Gallion, and the family removed to the country. In 1864 they came to Wells County, settling in Rock Creek township, on the Wabash River, upon the farm now owned by George C. and his brother John. The parents are now living a retired life in Murray. All the children are married, and all live in Indiana except Susanna and Alice. Susanna became the wife of John Shorey, who is now deceased, and later became the wife of Jacob Strausbaugh. Sarah married Jacob Alshouse; Belinda became the wife of Lemuel Line; Mary married John Schoch, and after his death married his brother Samuel; John R. married Catherine Brickley; Alice married Charles Taylor, and resides in Missouri; Franklin is the husband of Lulu Sechler, and George C., our subject, married Laura Teeple February 6, 1879, Rev. John Markley, a minister of the New Light Church, performing the ceremony. Mrs. Ditzler's parents were residents of Adams County for several years. They removed to Butler county, Iowa, in which county Mrs. Ditzler was born in 1857. At the breaking out of the civil war, Samuel Teeple, the father, enlisted as a volunteer and died while in the service. His children were eight in number - Sarah, Jane, Rebecca, Dorothy A., Mary M., Laura E., Henry I., and Lavina A. Rebecca and Lavina A. are deceased. Sarah married David Harker; Jane became the wife of Jacob Loop (sic, Roop); Rebecca married Eli Townsend; Dorothy married Solomon Swank; Mary M. became the wife of Ed Musgrove, of Sherman City, Michigan; Henry married Rebecca Miller, and Lavina married Thomas Fox. The mother is now the wife of Daniel Wisehaupt, a resident of Murray.

Mr. Ditzler purchased a mill at Murray prior to his marriage, and the young couple began their domestic life in that village. This mill was sold in 1882, and Mr. Ditzler took a large contract of furnishing material for the building of the Chicago and Atlantic Railroad, that had been surveyed out and the land partially graded. He immediately began the erection of a new mill, which was completed the same year. It is the largest mill in the county, having a capacity of 15,000 feet. Since its completion in May, 1882, Mr. Ditzler has furnished most of the ties and bridge timbers for some distance each way from where Uniondale is located. This is a merchant mill, and is run to its full capacity nearly all the time, employing on an average twenty hands and from six to eight teams. It is the principal industry of the village, and has been a great source of revenue and has done everything toward building up the town. Mr. Ditzler's residence was the first one completed in the village, located only a few feet from his present home. His mill turns out 2,000,000 feet of lumber annually, most of which is furnished to different railroads. His mill cut the material for the first as well as all the houses in town. Mr. and Mrs. Ditzler have had three children - William H., Charles F., and Ray I. Charles was the first child born in the village of Uniondale; date, December 5, 1882.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 901-902.
Contributed by Tammy Rable

The biographies of enterprising men, especially of good men, are instructive as guides and incentives to others. The examples they furnish of patient purpose and steadfast integrity strongly illustrate what it is in the power of each to accomplish. Some men belong to no exclusive class in life; apparently insurmountable obstacles have in many instances awakened their dormant faculties and served as a stimulus to carry them to ultimate success. The instances of success in the face of adverse fate would seem almost to justify the conclusion that self-reliance, with a half chance, can accomplish any reasonable object. The gentleman whose life history is herewith outlined is a man who has lived to good purpose and achieved a much greater degree of success than falls to the lot of the average individual. By a straightforward and commendable course he has made his way to a respectable position in the world, winning the hearty admiration of the people of his county and earning a reputation as an enterprising, progressive man of affairs which the public has not been slow to recognize and appreciate.

John R. Ditzler, the present superintendent of the Wells county infirmary, was born in Galion, Crawford county, Ohio, October 9, 1853, and is the son of George and Elizabeth (Saurbaugh) Ditzler. The Ditzler family is from Reading, Pennsylvania, and there George Ditzler was reared. Upon attaining maturity he learned the trade of a carpenter and also carried on farming. He was married in his native state and afterward moved to Crawford county, Ohio. He had run a grist-mill in Pennsylvania, but upon his removal to Ohio he sold the mill and at Galion he was engaged in farming and also worked at the carpenter's trade. In 1863 he emigrated to Rock Creek township, Wells county, Indiana, bought a farm and made that his home during the remainder of his life, dying May 6, 1892. He was the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land and on this he made most of the improvements and achieved an enviable reputation as a progressive and successful agriculturist. He was the father of the following children: George married Lillie Teeple and now resides near Markle, Indiana; Frank married Lula Sechler, daughter of Benjamin Sechler; Susana is a resident of this county, and the wife of Henry Biggans; Mary, now Mrs. Samuel Schoch; Sarah is the wife of Jacob Alshouse; Belinda is the wife of Lemuel Lyons; Elizabeth is the wife of John Haiflich, and Alice is the wife of John Taylor.

John R. Ditzler was reared upon the home farm and was early inured to the toil and incessant labor incident to the life of the average farmer. He was given the advantage of such educational facilities as were afforded in the common schools of the neighborhood. Upon attaining his maturity he was married and at once commenced to farm for himself, which occupation he followed until his appointment as superintendent of the New Lancaster and Markle gravel road, a position which he very satisfactorily filled for twelve years. At that time the state law was changed so that the county was divided into three districts and in the spring of 1895 he was appointed to the oversight of one district, filling this position for about eighteen months. His performance of the duties of these positions was eminently satisfactory and reflected great credit upon him. So strongly did he intrench himself in the confidence of the people that, in 1898, he was appointed by the county commissioners to the responsible position of superintendent of the Wells county infirmary, being chosen over thirty-five other applicants for the position. So wise and discriminating has been his management of the institution that he has been successively reappointed to succeed himself and is still occupying the position. He is good natured, kind hearted and sympathetic and accomplished much towards the alleviation of the condition of the inmates of the institution over which he presides, and by his sound judgment, wise discrimination and careful economy has kept the expense account down to the minimum, at the same time taking proper care that the inmates are properly provided for in all their requirements.

John R. Ditzler was united in marriage September 14, 1873, with Miss Malinda Brickley, daughter of Alfred Brickley, ex-trustee of Rock Creek township. This union has been a most happy and congenial one and has been blessed by the birth of the following children: Etta is the wife of John A. Miller; John C. married Miss Mary Hawkins and resides in Rock Creek township, this county; Nora and Pearl are unmarried and still have their home under the paternal roof. Besides these children Mr. and Mrs. Ditzler are rearing an orphan child, Inez Guardhnour [i.e. Gardenour], and are giving to her the same loving care and attention they gave to their own children.

Politically Mr. Ditzler has always affiliated with the Democratic party and has been an active and influential worker in the interest of the party. Religiously he and his wife are faithful and consistent members of the Lutheran church, of which he has served as elder. Mr. Ditzler's character is endowed with many noble qualities that contribute so much to his eminent usefulness and the esteem in which he is held by the citizens of Wells county. His kindliness of heart, his unvaried cheerful disposition, his wisdom as a counsellor and advisor among his neighbors and friends and his modest, unassuming manner in every relation of life are among the most distinguished characteristics which have attracted to him the many warm friends whom he prizes so highly and whose warm personal regard he will always retain.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana, B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903. pp. 506-508.

THOMAS A. F. DOAN was born in Staffordshire, England, June 10, 1845, and immigrated to America in 1870. His first permanent location was made at Ossian, in 1870. He is a miller by trade, and for several years was engaged in a large merchant mill at Burton-on-Trent. His parents were John and Elizabeth (Foundling) Doan, also natives of England, and they reared four children:—Mary A., who is the wife of Samuel Kirby, miner; Emma, wife of John Blackshaw, laborer; Sarah deceased, and Thomas; all are in England except Thomas. After his arrival at Ossian Mr. Doan was employed in the stave factory of L. M. Cary, and later at Decatur, Adams County. In 1871 he returned to Ossian, and the 18th of August, the following year, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States, and identified himself with the Republican party. In 1875 he purchased an interest in the saw and planing-mills of Koons & Co., which has continued to the present time. He is bookkeeper of the firm and looks after the general interests of the mill.

Mr. Doan was first married in England, to Annie White, and they had one son, Richard, who died at the age of three months. Mrs. Doan died October 8 and the son October 28, 1869. Mr. Doan's second wife, whom he married October 17, 1872, was Miss Mary E. Metts, the marriage ceremony being performed by Rev. L. Roberts, of Ossian. Mrs. Doan is the daughter of James and Miranda (Sutton) Metts, who were among the pioneer families of this county. Mr. and Mrs. Doan are the parents of two children: Maggie Mabel and William Metts. Mr. Doan has become one of the foremost business men of Ossian, and is very highly esteemed in his community.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 686-687.

In this enlightened age, when men of industry, energy and merit are rapidly pushing themselves to the front, those who by their own unaided efforts have won favor and fortune may properly claim recognition. There have come hither from foreign lands men of limited resources, but imbued with that sturdy independence and determination to succeed which entitles them to a place on the pages of the history of that section of the Union with which they have been identified. The career of him whose name initiates this paragraph illustrates most forcibly the possibilities that are open to a man who possesses sterling business qualifications. It proves that neither wealth nor social position, nor yet the assistance of influential friends is at all requisite in placing an individual on the road to success. It also proves that ambitious perseverance, steadfastness of purpose and indefatigable industry, as conjoined with sound business principles, will be rewarded and that true success is the natural comcomitant (sic) of individual effort directed under such conditions.

Standing distinctively forward as one of the reprsentative (sic) business men of Wells county, and as one of the most progressive and valued citizens of the thriving village of Ossian, Mr. Doan owes his pronounced success in life solely to his own efforts and is clearly entitled to that proud American title, a self-made man. He has been a resident of America only a quarter of a century, and at the time of his arrival in Ossian his financial resources were represented in a five-dollar bill. The story of his life is simple and honest, and into his career have entered no esoteric elements, his every action having stood open to scrutiny and to the judgment of men Not an eventful life, but one that has been true to its possibilities and its opportunities, and one that has not been denied a goodly harvest in due season. Mr. Doan is a native of England, having been born in Staffordshire, on the 10th of June, 1845, the son of John and Elizabeth (Foundling) Doan, both of whom were of English nativity, being people of intelligence and sterling worth, but placed in modest circumstances. They became the parents of four children, namely: Mary A., wife of Samuel Kirby, of Overseal; Emma, wife of John Blackshaw, of Burton-on- Trent; Sarah, deceased; and Thomas A. F., the immediate subject of this review.

Our subject was not afforded educational opportunities of more than meagre order, yet he was a youth whose prescience of the value of knowledge led him to make the best use of the privileges which were his, and his receptive mentality and intuitive judgment have been such that in the practical affairs of life he has gained a wide fund of information and an intellectual strength which mere theoretical discipline could never afford. In his youth he learned the miller's trade, and for several years he was employed in an extensive rnerchant mill at Burton-on-Trent. Prior to leaving his native land he had assumed the responsibilities of connubial life, having been united in marriage to Miss Annie White, who bore him one child, Richard. But the little home, where mutual solicitude and true happiness thus found an abiding place, was destined to be violated by that power whose summons are inexorable: the devoted wife and mother was called to the life beyond on the 8th of October, 1869, and on the 28th of the same month the little son was laid to rest beside her.

It was then, when the hallowed associations of the home had been so rudely set at naught, that Mr. Doan determined to seek his fortunes in America, and closing his affairs, he emigrated to the United States, reaching the shores of the New World in the year 1870. Upon reaching Ossian his exchequer was practically depleted, as before intimated, but his was the courage of effort, and he stood ready to do whatever his hand found to do, and for some little time was employed in the stave factory of L. M. Cary. Subsequently he went to Decatur, where he found employment for a time, and then returned to Ossian, having determined to make this place his permanent home. For the succeeding four years he was engaged as an operative in the gristmill and heading factory, and for the greater portion of the time had consecutive employment at fairly remunerative wages. His experience had been such as to show him the value of money and the advantages that were afforded to one who was willing to make an earnest effort and to husband his resources. He was determined to so fortify himself by economy and industry that he might eventually engage in business for himself, and that he realized his ambition is evidenced in the fact that, in 1875, he was enabled to purchase an interest in the saw and planing mill business of Koons & Company, his present business associate, William R. Beaty, having at that time been a member of the firm noted. After the course of a few years, Messrs. Beaty and Doan secured full control of the industry mentioned, and they have since continued operations under the firm title of Beaty & Doan. They have thus been associated in their business affairs for the long period of two decades, and the utmost sympathy and harmony have prevailed, and their interests have been identical and have been materially advanced by careful and conscientious methods and by well directed enterprise. Their mill has a capacity for the output of 5,000 feet per diem, and employment is afforded to a corps of ten capable operatives. In January, 1895, the firm effected the purchase of the Ossian brick-yard, which they are now operating in connection with their mill-the two enterprises being among the most important and valuable industries of Ossian.

Our subject has maintained a lively interest in all that pertains to the legitimate advancement and material prosperity of the county and village, and has not been hedged in by the narrow limitations which are quite likely to confine the efforts of one who has gained success by assiduous labor and individual application. He was one of the organizers of the Jefferson Building and Loan Association, was the first incumbent as president of the same, and is still a member of its directorate. In his fraternal relations he is identified with the Masonic order, being a member of Ossian Lodge, No. 297. Mr. Doan is thoroughly in sympathy with the American spirit, having been admitted to full citizenship on the 18th of August, 1872, since which time he has exercised his right of franchise in support of the Republican party, taking a well informed interest in the questions of the day, and warmly espousing the cause of his party.

The second marriage of our subject was solemnized in Ossian, on the 17th of October, 1872, when he wedded Miss Mary E. Metts, Rev. L. Roberts officiating. Mrs. Doan is the daughter of James and Miranda (Sutton) Metts, who were among the pioneers of Wells county. Our subject and his wife are zealous members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in the local organization Mr. Doan holds official preferment as Trustee. They are the parents of two interesting Children -- Maggie Mabel and William Metts. Enjoying the respect and esteem of the community, and having gained a distinctive success in the temporal affairs of life, our subject has no cause for regretting that he has thus cast his fortunes in the United States, and the republic has no more loyal supporter than is he.

From Memorial Record of Northeastern Indiana, Chicago: Lewis Publishing, 1896, pp. 121-123.

Among all branches of history, there is none more instructive or more eagerly sought after than that which truthfully delineates the rise and progress of the state, county or community in which the reader lives. There is pleasure as well as profit to every intelligent mind in contemplating the struggles of the early settlers in every portion of the great west; how they encountered and successfully overcame every species of trial, hardship and danger to which men in that stirring period were subjected. But these things strike us more forcibly and fill our minds with more immediate interest when confined to our own locality where we can yet occasionally meet with some of the silver haired actors in those early scenes, men whose bravery in encountering the manifold troubles and misfortunes incident to frontier times has borne an important part towards making Indiana what it now is and whose acts, in connection with hundreds of others in the first settling of our vast domain, have compelled the world to acknowledge the Americans an invincible people. The early settlement of Wells county was marked by as much heroism and daring as characterized the frontier history of any other section of the state. Her pioneers were men of invincible courage, undaunted by no obstacle, and the results of their self-sacrificing labors are today seen in the wonderful achievements they wrought in laying the foundation upon which their successors have builded wisely and well. The great majority of these vetterans [sic] of the early day long since finished their work and are now sleeping the peaceful sleep which knows no waking on this side of the mystic stream of death. To meet and converse with the few living representatives of the pioneer period, those who came here as children or as very young men and women and are now fast approaching or have passed the allotted three score years and ten, stooped with age, venerable patriarchs mostly and their white haired companions and helpmeets, is one of the peculiar experiences and pleasing tasks which falls to the lot of the writers of these pages. To gather up the raveled and now mostly broken threads of the strange but simple stories of their lives, to catch the fleeting facts of their histories and hand them on to posterity, might well be the ambitious labor of any man's life. Among the oldest surviving pioneers of Wells county is the well known gentleman whose name furnishes the heading of this review. W. A. Donaldson came to Indiana nearly fifty-three years ago and from that time to the present his life has been very closely identified with the growth and development of Wells county. In his veins is mingled the blood of a long line of sturdy Scotch and Irish ancestors and he appears to have inherited many of the sterling characteristics which have made those nationalities noted among the people of the earth. From the most reliable information obtainable the first representatives of the Donaldson family to visit the United States was one Isaac Donaldson, who left the shores of his native Scotland early in the colonial period and found a home in eastern Pennsylvania when that part of the Keystone state was a wilderness infested by wild beasts and the scarcely less wild but more bloodthirsty red men. He became the father of three daughters and one son, the latter, James by name, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch. Not long after locating in Pennsylvania the French and Indian war broke out and in the long and arduous struggle which followed the elder Donaldson took a brave and active part. Joining a company of volunteers he participated in a number of bloody battles in one of which he lost his life, leaving his children to the care of his widow by whom they were reared to years of maturity.

James Donaldson grew to manhood in Pennsylvania and there married Martha Reynolds, whose people were also among the early pioneers of that state. To this marriage were born sons and daughters, among whom was Robert Donaldson, the father of the subject. The family achieved much more than local prominence in that several of the brothers of Robert became noted in different walks of life, among their descendants being a minister of distinction, successful architects, well-to-do farmers and others who rose to leading public positions in their own and other states. Robert Donaldson was reared to agricultural pursuits, but early in life turned his attention to carpentry and in due time became a skillful and successful builder. In 1850 he left Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, where he had previously lived, and came to Wells county, Indiana, settling in the deep woods of what is now the township of Lancaster, where he purchased land and began the task of its improvement. After erecting a small cabin of the most primitive pattern he addressed himself to the formidable work of clearing a farm, which in due season was accomplished. After the death of his first wife he moved to Ossian, where some time later he took a second companion, and after her death he migrated to Iowa, of which state he was also a pioneer. Mr. Donaldson spent the remainder of his days in Iowa, dying there a number of years ago respected by all who knew him. Reared according to the strict teaching of the Presbyterian church, he became a prominent member of that body and lived a life consistent with his religious profession. Gifted in music, he devoted his splendid talents to the worship of God and wherever he lived invariably led the singing in the churches with which he worshipped. He was a good man, just in all his dealings, kept himself unspotted from the world, and left to his descendants a character above reproach and a reputation for probity and godliness which they prize as a priceless heritage. Robert Donaldson was the father of five children, namely: James, Catherine, William A., Jane and Samuel.

William A. Donaldson, of this review, was a son by his father's first wife, who bore the maiden name of Ann Felton. He was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, on the 19th of August, 1833, and at she age of sixteen accompanied his parents to Indiana, growing to mature years in the county of Wells. Before leaving the home of his childhood he attended at intervals such schools as the community afforded, but after coming to the new home in the wilderness his assistance was required in clearing and developing the farm, consequently there was little time at his disposal to devote to educational discipline. He grew up strong of limb and lithe of body and while still a youth in his teens had become so inured to vigorous exercise with the axe and other implements as to be able to do a man's work at all kinds of manual labor.

Mr. Donaldson remained with his parents until 1855, on August 9 of which year he was united in marriage to Miss Eliza Karns and began farming upon his own responsibility. Mrs. Donaldson is the daughter of Michael and Lucinda (Mann) Karns and was born in Ohio in the year 1834. She was brought to Wells county as early as 1842 and grew to young womanhood near Ossian, later moving to Bluffton. She was educated in the common schools and for one term prior to her marriage taught in the Bluffton school, earning the reputation of a capable and popular teacher.

Mr. and Mrs. Donaldson set up their first domestic establishment on the Donaldson homestead and nothing occurred to disturb or mar the serenity of their lives until the approaching clouds of the great Civil war. When the struggle began, Mr. Donaldson, with true patriotic fervor, laid aside the implements of husbandry and tendered his services to his country. Enlisting at Wabash on the 22nd day of August, 1862, in Company G, One Hundred and First Indiana Infantry, he proceeded to Indianapolis, thence to the front, his regiment joining the force under Rosecrans in time to take part in the celebrated pursuit of Bragg through Tennessee and Kentucky. His first engagement of any note was the bloody battle at Perryville, where his command faced the enemy in the thickest of the fight after which, by reason of sickness brought on by exposure and overexertion he was sent to the hospital for treatment. So completely broken down was he that five months elapsed before he was able to rejoin his command and no sooner had he done so than he was discharged as being entirely unfit for active service. Returning home in March, 1863, Mr. Donaldson resumed farming, cheered by the delusive hope that a few months spent thus would so improve his health as to enable him again to join his regiment and assist in crushing the rebellion. To his great disappointment his ailment did not yield easily to treatment and he was obliged to forego the pleasure of participating in the final overthrow of the cause of the Confederacy. He has never entirely recovered from the disability contracted while in the service and still suffers therefrom, although able to look after his farm and manage successfully his various business interests.

Mr. Donaldson continued agricultural pursuits with most gratifying result until October, 1897, meantime purchasing the old family homestead of one hundred and twenty acres, of which he made one of the best farms in the county of Wells. As a farmer he easily ranked with the most enterprising and successful in the township of Lancaster, bringing his place to a high state of tillage and carrying on his labors by the most approved methods of modern agriculture. By reason of advancing age and increasing infirmities he finally concluded to abandon active labor and spend the rest of his life in the enjoyment of the well earned fruits of many years of honest toil; accordingly in the year 1897, he turned his place over to the care of others, purchased a comfortable home in Bluffton and since that time has been living in honorable retirement.

Mr. and Mrs. Donaldson have been blessed with eight children, the oldest of whom, William W., died in infancy; Lucy, whose birth occurred on the 11th of April, 1858, died in the year 1880; Frank, born July 1, 1860, married Bessie Ward and is engaged in business in the state of Iowa; Luella, the next in order of birth, died when an infant; Samuel, born June 20, 1867, was one of the county's successful teachers and departed this life in November, 1887; Carrie, born August 14, 1869, is the wife of Alexander Brickley and lives in Lancaster township on the old homestead; Jennie was born June 3, 1873, and died in January, 1899; she was a graduate of the Ossian high school, a popular teacher and a young lady of refinement and varied culture; Lewis, born August 9, 1875, is now substituting on a rural mail route with a promise of a regular route to be established soon. Mr. Donaldson spared no pains in providing his children with the best educational advantages obtainable and they in turn profited by his efforts in their behalf. He has always been a friend of whatever tended to benefit the community, materially, intellectually and socially, and in matters religious. like his ancestors before him, he has adhered strictly to the Presbyterian creed, holding the responsible position of ruling elder in the congregation to which he now belongs. While an ardent Republican and earnest in the expression of his opinions, he has never been an active partisan, much less an aspirant for public distinction or official honors. Fraternally he is a member of Lew Dailey Post No. 33, G. A. R., and is now holding the office of junior vice commander in that organization, his wife being an active worker in the Woman's Relief Corps. Mr. and Mrs. Donaldson are among the old and highly respected citizens of Wells county, and have seen the county developed from a primitive condition to its present advanced state of prosperity and civilization. In numerous ways they have contributed to the many remarkable changes that have taken place within the last half century and now in the evening of life, after having borne the burden and heat of the day, they are passing toward the twilight and the journey’s end, loved and revered by their children and honored by a large circle of friends, all of whom wish the venerable couple many more years in which to bless the world with their presence.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana, B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903. pp. 146-149.

HON. HUGH DOUGHERTY, banker, of Bluffton, was born on his father's farm in Darke County, Ohio, July 28, 1814, a son of William and Margaret (Studabaker) Dougherty, both now deceased. The Doughertys are of Irish descent, the Studabakers of German. He remained on his father's farm until he was sixteen years of age, having in the meantime attended the common schools of his native county. When seventeen years old he had by his own energy, perseverance and skill obtained sufficient knowledge to enable him to teach in the public schools. In August, 1862, he enlisted in company F, Ninety-fourth Regiment Ohio Volunteers, and ten days after his enlistment was ordered to the front. The next day after reaching Lexington, Kentucky, he marched to Richmond, Kentucky, and took part in the engagement before that city, where his intimate friend and messmate, Perry Weikle, was killed, and William H. Birely, of the same company, was seriously wounded. In this engagement his regiment was heavily depleted by having a large number of its members taken prisoners while falling back to Lexington, and from there fought their way to Louisville, where they remained until reinforced. They were then assigned to General Buell's army and took part in the battle at Perryville, being in the hottest part of the fight, and his regiment was again reduced in number by killed, wounded and taken prisoners. From there what remained went to Nashville, remaining there some time, and then advanced and took part in the battle of Stone River, where he was captured while guarding ammunition and stores, near Nolensville, and was paroled, the following being a copy of the oath he was obliged to take:

"Nolensville, Tennessee, December 30, 1862. "I, Hugh Dougherty, private of Company F, Ninety-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, U. S. A., do take a solemn oath not to take up arms again the Confederate States Troops, nor reveal anything I may have learned derogatory to the interests of the Confederate States of America, nor do any police or constabulary duties until I shall have been properly exchanged, under penalty of death. HUGH DOUGHERTY. "Witness, Lieutenant-Colonal M. H. Hawkins of General Wheeler's staff."

It is now the privilege of the biographer to offer a brief review of the life of one whose ancestral history has been one of long and prominent identification with the history of the republic, of one who stands distinctively forward as among the truly representative then of the State of Indiana, who has attained to marked success in temporal affairs, whose patriotic services to his country have been unstinted, who has gained distinguished preferments, and whose position in the respect and esteem of his fellow men is assured. It is certainly germane that the life of such a man should come up for consideration in the premises, -- not for undue panegyric; not, perhaps, for the voicing of his own modest estimate of himself, but as giving incidental utterance to the opinions of those who have known him long and well. Such a task can never prove an ungrateful one, and there is pleasure in tracing such a genealogy.

Hugh Dougherty, who has for many years been one of the most prominent and most honored citizens of Bluffton, Wells county, Indiana, was born on the parental homestead, in Darke county, Ohio, on the 28th of July, 1844, his lineage showing the sturdy dual strains of the Irish and Gerrnan extraction. His paternal grandfather, whose full patronymic our subject bears, emigrated from Ireland and took up his abode in Pennsylvania in the year 1818, and in the old Keystone State was born William Dougherty, the father of our subject, the date of his nativity having been 1820. The family removed to Ohio in the year 1631 and settled on a farm in Darke county, where the grandfather died in 1833. The mother of the subject of this review was of German descent, her maiden name having been Margaret Studabaker. Her ancestors were among the early Gerrnan settlers in Pennsylvania. She was born in Darke county, Ohio, in August, 1821 , on the farm which had been reclaimed by her father, who settled in the primitive wilderness at a time when practically only the Indians were present to dispute dominion with the beasts of the forest. The father was compelled in those early days of toil and endeavor to keep his wife near him in the clearing in order to afford her protection from the prowling bands of unfriendly. or marauding savages. In Darke county, on the 7th of June, 1841, was consummated the marriage of William Dougherty and Margaret Studabaker, and there they remained until the death of the latter, on August 15, 1860. Mr. Dougherty afterward removed to Indiana, settling on a farm near Bluffton, convenient to his son's home, and there he passed the residue of his days, his demise occurring on the 2d of June, 1879.

Hugh Dougherty grew up under the sturdy and invigorating discipline and environment of the paternal farmstead in Ohio, and there remained until his seventeenth year, alternating between the work of assisting in the cultivation of the farm and attending the district schools. His educational privileges were of necessity somewhat meagre, since he was only enabled to prosecute his studies during the winter months. However, his nature was one of reliant and introspective order, and his ambition had been quickened to effort and appreciation of the value of an education, and at the age of seventeen years he had progressed sufficiently far to enable him to put his acquirements to practical test by engaging to teach school, having been indefatigable and persevering in his study. Thus he devoted himself to that vocation which has served as a stepping stone to so many of our most able and successful men.

But to our subject soon came a recognition of a higher duty than that implied in effort for personal ends, for there came the clarion call to arms which roused every loyal citizen to respond to the nation's demand for men to assist in defending her honor and preserving an integral union. Essentially ardent and patriotic, Mr. Dougherty prepared to go forth for service in the ranks of the Union army, and in August, 1862, at the age of eighteen years, he enlisted as a member of Company F, Ninety-fourth Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which his brother, Abraham, was already enrolled. Within ten days after his enlistment, his regiment proceeded, under orders, by rail to Lexington, Kentucky, and thence by march toward Richmond, Virginia, passing the old Henry Clay homestead, on the Richmond and Lexington turnpike, and on the second day encountering the Confederates, who were moving toward Lexington. In the engagement which ensued Mr. Dougherty's intimate friend and messmate, Perry Weikle, was killed, and William H. Birely, of the same company, was very severely wounded. The Union forces retreated to Lexington, and the remnant of the Ninety-fourth numbered only about three hundred men, all the others having been either killed, wounded or taken prisoners. The survivors fought their way back to Louisville, where they remained until the regiment was repleted and reorganized, when it was assigned to Buell's army and participated in the battle of Perryville, being in the thickest of the fray in this hard-contested engagement. The ranks of the regiment were again decimated by the large number killed, wounded or captured, and after this battle such of the members of the regiment as were eligible for service marched to Nashville, where they remained twenty days and then proceeded to Stone River and took part in the battle at that point. During the engagement young Dougherty was stationed near Nolensville, guarding ammunition and stores, and the Confederate cavalry made a detour in the rear of the point where he was thus stationed arid captured him and others of the guard. They were immediately paroled, after subscribing to an oath, of which the following is a copy:

NOLENSVILLE, TENNESSEE, December 30, 1862.
I, Hugh Dougherty, private of Company F, Ninety-fourth Ohio infantry, U. S. A., do take a solemn oath not to take up arms against the Confederate States' troops, nor reveal anything I may have learned derogatory to the interests of the Confederate States of America, nor do any police or constabulary duties until I shall have been properly exchanged, under penalty of death.
(Signed) HUGH DOUGHERTY.
Witness: Lieutenant-Colonel M. H. Hawkins, of General Wheeler's staff.

"I cannot do my subject, or the State, a better service than by quoting the words of our comrade, the Hon. Hugh Dougherty, commissioner for the State at large: 'Indiana is the pulse State of the Union. Through her the great throbbing veins of commerce, which nourish every part of our natioilal body, flow. Her geographical location and physical features are such that the East and the West traverse her territorv in passing to and fro. Her capital is the largest inland railroad center in the world. The center of our country's population is within her borders Her position among her sister States is unique, and her marvelous progress since organization as a Territory calls for a centennial jubilee of such a character as will best enable her sons and daughters to appreciate the heritage of a hundred years. There is no way in which we could more effectively kindle that wholesome State pride which must underlie the noble action of her present and future citizenship than by a parade of her achievements and a fresh revelation of her early struggles. The latter are now matters of recorded history to most of us. and a retrospective view of the heroic struggles of our fathers would be an eloquent lesson to partiotism (sic). In their toils, their sufferings, their hardships, their conflicts, momentous questions were at stake and issues vital to the future world. In appearance they were insignificant at times, but in reality, copious arid full of benevolent consequences. Acting at the springs of our future greatness, instruments otherwise weak became mighty for good, and our pioneer fathers, obscure to the world, proved to be agents of destiny. They entered an untamed wilderness with vast wastes of forest verdure to make a garden for their children, and the hills then silent in their primeval sleep now echo the music of happy homes of industry. Those hardy sons of toil, whose school was the forest, whose trade was barter with savages, whose social life was that of the campfire, whose daily lesson was self-sacrifice, conquered the Territory of Indiana for civilization. Such memories as these ought to kindle a burning enthusiasm in every loyal Hoosier breast to join in the proposed observance of our anniversary. Such an observance would be of more than local consequence. It would be a formal way in which our State could give evidence to the world of her worthiness of a place in the family of States comprising our great republic. Our exhibit would say: "This is our achievement," and of this we need not be ashamed. With an agricultural productivity unsurpassed; monumental manufacturing industries; natural resources inexhaustible, among which are lumber, stone, coal, natural gas and petroleum; a school system which is an object lesson to the world; an intelligent, industrious, patriotic, Christian citizenship; populous cities, with every modern improvement, -- in fine, all that constitutes the highest degree of prosperity and civilization to be found on the globe, -- the people of this great State may be exceedingly glad to make a representative exhibit of the fruit of their labors and say to the world: "Behold the heritage of a hundred years. Then, let us celebrate the event which has led to such marvelous consequences -- an event contemporaneous with the beginning of a century which has seen greater commercial development, more extensive manufacturing enterprise, more valuable invention and discovery, more fruitful agricultural activity, more widespread intelligence, more altruistic feeling, and more application to the agencies that make possible complete living than all the centuries that preceded; and in the observance of this historic event let us show that Indiana has contributed her full share toward achieving this unparalleled progress."

True biography has a more noble purpose than mere fulsome eulogy. The historic spirit, faithful to the record; the discerning judgment, unmoved by prejudice, and uncolored by enthusiasm, are as essential in giving the life of the individual as in writing the history of a people. Indeed, the ingenuousness of the former picture is even more vital, because the individual is the national unit, and if the unit he justly estimated the complex organism will become correspondingly intelligible. The world today is what the leading men of the last generation have made it, and this rule must ever hold good. From the past comes the legacy of the present. Art, science, statesmanship and government are accumulations. They constitute an inheritance upon which the present generation have entered, and the advantages secured from so vast a bequeathment depend entirely upon the fidelity with which is conducted the study of the lives of the principle actors who have transmitted and are still transmitting the legacy. This is especially true of those whose influence has passed beyond the confines of locality and permeated the state or national life. To such a careful study are the life, character and services of Hugh Dougherty pre-eminently entitled, not only on the part of the student of biography but also of every citizen who, guided by example, would in the present wisely build for the future.

Any piece of biographical writing should have an autobiographic quality; should be an impression and interpretation, quite as much as a summary of facts. Facts, to be sure, are of use as wholesome correction of prejudice or whimsy, but in the condensed narrative of a life there is danger that they may tyrannize. In studying a clean-cut, sane, distinct character like that of the subject, interpretation follows fact in a straight line of derivation. There is a small use for indirection or puzzling. His character is the positive expression of a strong nature. A partial revelation of his prolific application, sturdy patriotism, worthy ancestry and eminently successful life will be seared through a perusal of this brief tribute. Wells county may well be proud of such citizens as this popular and honored citizen of Bluffton.

Hugh Dougherty is a native of that state concerning which Senator Depew spoke in the following amusing paraphrase: "Some men are born great, some achieve greatness and some are born in Ohio." Mr. Dougherty was born on the parental homestead, in Darke county, Ohio, on the 28th of July, 1844, his lineage showing the sturdy dual strains of the Irish and German extraction. He bears the full patronymic of his paternal grandfather, Hugh Dougherty, who emigrated from the Emerald Isle and took up his abode in Pennsylvania in 1818, and there, in 1820, was born William Dougherty, the father of the subject. About a decade later, in 1831, the family emigrated to Ohio and settled on a tract of unreclaimed land in Darke county, where the grandfather died in 1833. There William grew to years of maturity and there, on the 7th of June, 1841, was solemnized his marriage to Miss Margaret Studabaker, who was born in that county in August, 1821, on the farm which her father had taken up when that section of the Buckeye state was a veritable wilderness, and where there was the menace of Indians and wild beasts to fear, besides the endurance of the privations and vicissitudes incidental to the pioneer days. Grandfather Studabaker was compelled to keep his wife near him in the clearing while he was engaged in his arduous toil, in order to protect her from prowling bands of hostile Indians. He was of stanch German extraction, and the name was one which early became indentified with the history of the old Keystone state of Pennsylvania. Margaret (Studabaker) Dougherty passed her entire life in Darke county, where her death occurred on the 15th of August, 1860. She was survived by six children. Her husband eventually removed to Wells county, Indiana, and settled on a farm near Bluffton, where his death occurred on the 2nd of June, 1879. These were folk of sterling character, and their lives were signally true and noble, though not lived on an exalted plane.

Hugh Dougherty grew up under the sturdy and invigorating discipline and environment of the old home farm in Darke county, where he assisted in the farm work during the summer seasons and prosecuted his studies in the district schools during the winter months. However, his nature was self-reliant and positive, and he was not satisfied with the somewhat meager educational opportunities afforded him in his boyhood, and thus he so applied himself as to become eligible for pedagogic honors when seventeen years of age. He devoted his attention to teaching for some time, being successful in his efforts, and was thus engaged when there came the clarion call to respond to the demands of higher duty, as the integrity of the nation was placed in jeopardy through armed rebellion. In August, 1862, at the age of eighteen years, he enlisted as a private in Company F. Ninety-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which his brother Abraham was already enrolled, and within ten days after his enlistment the regiment proceeded, under orders, by rail to Lexington, Kentucky, and thence by march on toward Richmond, Kentucky, passing the old homestead of Henry Clay, on the Richmond & Lexington turnpikes and on the second day encountering the Confederates, who were moving toward Lexington. In the engagement which ensued Mr. Dougherty's intimate friend and messmate, Perry Weikle, was killed, and William H. Birely, of the same company, was severely wounded. The Union forces retreated to Lexington, and the remnant of the Ninety-fourth numbered about three hundred men, all the others having been killed, wounded or taken prisoners. The survivors fought their way back to Louisville, where they remained until the regiment was repleted and reorganized, when it was assigned to Buell's army and participated in the battle of Perryville, being in the thickest of the fray in this spirited engagement. The ranks of the regiment were again decimated by the large number killed, wounded and captured, and after this battle such of the members as were eligible for service marched to Nashville, where they remained twenty days and then proceeded to Stone river and took part in the battle at that point. During this engagement young Dougherty was stationed near Nolensville, guarding ammunition and stores, and the Confederate cavalry made a detour in the rear and captured him and others of the guard. They were immediately paroled, after subscribing to an oath

Mr. Dougherty was then sent back to Nashville and thence to Camp Chase, at Columbus, Ohio, to remain until his exchange could be accomplished. Learning of the critical illness of his soldier brother, Abraham, who had been sent home on sick furlough, he made a visit to his home, where he remained until his loved brother yielded up his life to the one invincible foe, death, after which he reported for duty, but was almost immediately attacked with a serious illness, which rendered him ineligible for active service, so that he was soon afterward accorded an honorable discharge, by reason of disability. After his military career had been thus summarily terminated, Mr. Dougherty returned to his native state, and at Greenville found employment as deputy in the office of the recorder of Darke county, remaining in tenure of this position for a period of three years. His removal to Bluffton occurred immediately after his withdrawal from this office, and after his arrival here he was for six months employed as salesman in a dry-goods establishment. He then entered into a partnership association with his uncle, John Studabaker, in the grain and produce business, in which line he continued operations for a period of seven years, doing a large and successful commission business. In the meantime he became assistant cashier in the First National Bank of Bluffton, of which his uncle previously mentioned was president, and this institution was subsequently merged into one of a private character, becoming known as the Exchange Bank of John Studabaker & Co., the interested principals being Hon. John Studabaker, Major Peter Studabaker and Mr. Dougherty. The Studabakers were among the early settlers and most prominent and influential business men of Bluffton, as is noted in the general historical sketch appearing elsewhere in this work, and they are of the same family line as the celebrated manufacturers of South Bend, this state, and Chicago. This banking firm transacted an extensive and representative business under the able and discriminating managemnt [sic] of Mr. Dougherty, to whom all the executive details were entrusted. Major Peter Studabaker died on the 19th of May, 1888, and the surviving partners decided that the demands placed upon their institution by the enlarged and still increasing business rendered a change of system and methods expedient, and accordingly, on the 1st of January, 1895, the proposed changes were made and the institution was given title as the Studabaker Bank, Mr. Dougherty being chosen president, while other officers were selected for the minor executive duties, The institution is capitalized at one hundred and forty thousand dollars and Mr. Dougherty is still its presiding officer.

The subject has not only gained recognition and prestige as one of the most able and discerning financiers and capable business men, but also has always had an abiding interest in all that touches the material progress and general prosperity of his home city, being known as one of Bluffton's most progressive and public spirited citizens, and having contributed, both by influence and tangible aid, to all legitimate projects which have tended to conserve the best interests of the community. He was largely instrumental in pushing to final completion the Fort Wayne, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad and was superintendent of the construction of the section of the line between Bluffton and Fort Wayne. He was also signally interested in the Toledo, St. Louis & Kansas City Railroad and was associated with James Crosbie in the building of the section between Bluffton and Warren. He threw the weight of his influence and energy aggressively into the movement for the construction of turnpikes and gravel roads throughout Wells county, an improvement whose value to the county can not be overestimated. He has been active and liberal in the promotion of all material interests in his city and county and has been equally conspicuous in advancing the causes of education and morality. Mainly through his determined personal efforts, while a member of the board of school trustees, the handsome and commodious school building of Bluffton was secured,—in fact, it was through his individual credit that the money was procured for its construction, as no public funds were available at the time. In January, 1866, Mr. Dougherty became a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and in 1871, when was essayed the task of providing for the erection of a new church edifice in Bluffton, he was selected as financial manager during the period of building the spacious and beautiful structure, which met the requirements of a progressive church society for a score of years. The edifice proved finally inadequate for the demands placed upon its and in 1892 it was rebuilt and greatly improved, very largely through the financial aid and active management of the honored subject of this sketch. His name appears on a tablet, let into the interior walls of the church, and the inscription in the connection gives a perpetual evidence of his earnest and successful efforts in effecting the erection of the original building and also the new and imposing edifice evolved from the former.

In politics Mr. Dougherty has ever accorded an unequivocal allegiance to the Democratic party and for more than a quarter of a century he has been an active and valued worker in behalf of its cause, prominent in the councils of its leaders. His advice and assistance in partisan affairs of the county and district have been freely sought and in his mature and conservative judgment great confidence has been placed. He was made a member of the Democratic executive committee of the state in 1890 and served in this capacity until 1896. In 1870 he was elected to the state senate, from the district embracing Wells and Huntington counties, and he served with signal acceptability for four years, doing much to further wise legislation and to advance the interests of the state at large. He voted in favor of the famous Baxter bill, providing for the controlling of the liquor traffic in the state through local option on the part of the several counties, and in this action showed to a marked degree the courage of his convictions and that he could not be swerved by any matter of personal expediency or political policy when the matter of conscience was involved, for his party was intensely opposed to the bill. He has had no occasion to regret his action in the premises, but, on the contrary, adheres firmly to the principles which he advocated in supporting that law. In 1878 he was a candidate in the nominating convention for member of congress, and was defeated by only five votes, after one hundred and fourteen ballots had been taken in the convention. In the opinion of his friends he could have received the nomination in the convention of 1886, had he not peremptorily declined when his name was presented. He was a delegate to the national convention of his party, in Chicago, in 1884, to that held in the same city in 1892, and also at Kansas City in 1900, in which he was a delegate at large from the state. Mr. Dougherty was nominated by the Democratic state convention for the office of state treasurer, but went down to defeat with the balance of the ticket, though running over two thousand votes ahead of the ticket, the latter fact indicating his personal popularity.

In 1887 Mr. Dougherty was appointed by a commission, composed of the governor and other state officers, as one of the commissioners of the soldiers' monument, provided for by act of the legislature and erected in the state capital, and though fully appreciative of the honor conferred he felt constrained to decline the appointment, by reason of impaired health and the insistent demands of his business. When the state tax board, under the law of 1891, undertook to require all banks to furnish to assessors a written statement giving the names of all the depositors, with the amounts of the respective deposits, the associated bankers of the state decided to resist the demand by legal process, deeming the action inquisitorial and unconstitutional liter. Dougherty was selected to represent the private banks, with Volney T. Malott, of Indianapolis, representing the national banks, and Philip C. Decker, of Evansville, representing the state banks, to test the constitutionality of the law. The result of the litigation was finally summed up in an order from the court vacating and setting aside the order of the state tax board—this showing the ability with which the three representatives were enabled to present the case.

The organization of a company in Bluffton for the development of natural gas, and its subsequent action, which resulted in supplying the city with such gas, were largely accomplished through the leadership and persistent energy of Mr. Dougherty. Popular confidence in his judgment and extraordinary executive ability enabled the company to raise in the town the capital of one hundred thousand dollars required to consummate the project. He was selected by the associated gas companies of the state as one of a committee to direct the resistance of the Chicago Natural Gas Company to pipe gas out of the state, the result being that the movement was delayed for two years, though the Chicago company was eventually successful. In the autumn of 1894 the Bluffton Gas Company was consolidated with that of Fort Wayne and the stock passed into the hands of an eastern syndicate, which selected Mr. Dougherty as its Indiana representative on the board of directors, in which position he has continued to serve until the present. He was at one time a part owner of the Indianapolis Sentinel, being one of the directors of the company. Mr. Dougherty is also president of the United Telephone Company, with an actual paid-in capital of three hundred thousand dollars, and of the Federal Union Surety Company of Indianapolis, with a paid-in capital of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

In June, 1895, Governor Matthews appointed Mr. Dougherty a member, from the state at large, on the commission to arrange for the proper celebration of the centennial anniversary of the organization of the territory of Indiana, and he made exceptional effort to make the laudable project materialize in success, but owing to unfortunate apathy the observance of the centennial as a state function was finally abandoned. At a meeting of the Indiana Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion, held at Evansville, Indiana, December 19, 1895, Col. Eli Lilly, of Indianapolis, offered a vigorous and interesting address in response to the toast, "One Hundred Years of Indiana," and incidentally incorporated the views—as expressed in an interview— of Mr. Dougherty as touching the centennial celebration of Indiana territory, and it is eminently appropriate that space be given to perpetuating these sentiments in this connection. Referring to the spirit which inspired the Indiana Centennial Commission in its work, Colonel Lilly said: "I cannot do my subject, or the state, a better service than by quoting the words of our comrade, the Hon. Hugh Dougherty, commissioner for the state at large:"

Indiana is the pulse state of the Union. Through her the great throbbing veins of commerce, which nourish every part of our national body, flow. Her geographical location and physical features are such that the East and the West traverse her territory in passing to and fro. Her capital is the largest inland railroad center in the world. The center of our country's population is within her borders. Her position among her sister states is unique, and her marvelous progress since her organization as a territory calls for a centennial jubilee of such character as will best enable her sons and daughters to appreciate the heritage of a hundred years. There is no way in which we could more effectively kindle that wholesome state pride which must underlie the noble action of her present and future citizenship than by a parade of her achievements and a fresh revelation of her early struggles. The latter are now matters of recorded history to most of us, and a retrospective view of the heroic struggles of our fathers would be an eloquent lesson to patriotism. In their toils, their sufferings, their hardships, their conflicts, momentous questions were at stake and issues vital to the future world. In appearance they were insignificant at times, but in reality, copious and full of benevolent consequences. Acting at the springs of our future greatness, instruments otherwise weak became mighty for good, and our pioneer fathers, obscure to the world, proved to be agents of destiny. They entered an untamed wilderness with vast wastes of forest verdure to make a garden for their children, and the hills then silent in their primeval sleep now echo the music of happy homes of industry. Those hardy sons of toil, whose school was the forest, whose trade was barter with savages, whose social life was that of the camp-fire, whose daily lesson was self-sacrifice, conquered the territory of Indiana for civilization. Such memories as these ought to kindle a burning enthusiasm in every loyal Hoosier breast to join in the proposed observance of our anniversary. Such an observance would be of more than local consequence. It would be a formal way in which our state could give evidence to the world of her worthiness of a place in the family of states comprising our great republic. Our exhibit would say: "This is our achievement," and of this we need not be ashamed. With an agricultural productivity unsurpassed,; monumental manufacturing industries; natural resources inexhaustible, among which are lumber, stone, coal, natural gas and petroleum; a school system which is an object lesson to the world; an intelligent, industrious, patriotic, Christian citizenship; populous cities, with every modern improvement,—in fine, all that constitutes the highest degree of prosperity and civilization to be found on the globe,—the people of this great state may be exceedingly glad to make a representative exhibit of the fruit of their labors and say to the world: "Behold the heritage of a hundred years." Then, let us celebrate the event which has led to such marvelous consequences—an event contemporaneous with the beginning of a century which has seen greater commercial development, more extensive manufacturing enterprises, more valuable invention and discovery, more fruitful agricultural activity, more widespread intelligence, more altruistic feeling, and more application to the agencies that make possible complete living than all the centuries that preceded; and in the observance of this historic event let us show that Indiana has contributed her full share toward achieving this unparalleled progress.

Fraternally Mr. Dougherty is identified with Lew Dailey Post No. 33, G. A. R., and through his active association with the organization he keeps in touch with his old comrades in arms and perpetuates the more grateful memories of the days when he was serving as a leal and loyal son of the republic in the greatest internecine war known in the annals of history. In the midst of the thronging cares and demands of a busy life Mr. Dougherty is always approachable, being gracious in his association with his fellow men and enjoying personal popularity which is a natural result of his characteristics. He has gained a reputation as a man well equipped equally with the solid and the brilliant qualities essential to material success, but above this he has ordered his life on a high plane, having a deep sense of his stewardship and an appreciation of the responsibility that canopies every life. He is a man of fine intellectuality and is a wide and discriminating reader of the best literature, while as a writer and speaker he has facility and ease in the employing of choice and effective diction. He has been devoted to the public service and to the improvement of his town and county, is beloved by his friends and admired and esteemed by the community. His generosity, unswerving integrity and pronounced ability have gained to him a distinctive position as one of the truest and best citizens of Bluffton. He has traveled extensively and has studied men and affairs with intelligence and interest. His career has been crowned with usefulness and sustained by genuine popular approval.

On the 25th of October, 1877, Mr. Dougherty was united in marriage to Miss Emma Gilliland, the only daughter of Theodore F. and Elizabeth (Sheldon) Gilliland, both of whom were natives of the state of New York and of stanch Scotch-Irish extraction. Mrs. Dougherty was born in Sterling, Illinois, on the 22d of June, 1857, and is a woman of gentle refinement and gracious presence, taking an active part in the social and religious life of her home city and holding the appreciative regard of all who come within the sphere of her kindly and helpful influence. Since her girlhood she has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. and Mrs. Dougherty have one daughter, Elizabeth, who was born on the 23d of March, 1885, and who is one of the popular young ladies in the social circles of Bluffton.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana, B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903. pp. 89-96.

JOHN DOUGHERTY, dealer in hay and lumber at Bluffton, is a native of Darke County, Ohio, born on a farm near Greenville March 17, 1849. His parents, William and Margaret (Studabaker) Dougherty, had a family of seven children, four sons and three daughters, he being the third son. He was reared to agricultural pursuits on his father's farm, and was educated in the common schools of his neighborhood, which he attended during the winter terms until reaching the age of sixteen years, after which he taught school for five months. In December, 1868, he came to Wells County, and found employment on the farm of D. D. Studabaker until September, 1869. He then entered the store of James Kain, of Bluffton, as clerk. In May, 1870, he was engaged as bookkeeper by the manufacturing firm of Linn & Studabaker, and in the fall of 1871 he became associated with James Crosbie, B. F. Willy David Drummond, and was engaged in pork packing, and buying and shipping grain and livestock, under the firm name of Crosbie, Willy & Co., until September, 1872, when the business was discontinued. He then with others engaged in the produce business, and later engaged in the livery business at Bluffton, which he carried on until 1874. In that year he began dealing in lumber at Bluffton with Calvin Whitney, with whom he was associated under the firm name of Whitney & Dougherty, until November, 1883, when the firm name was changed to John Dougherty & Co.

Mr. Dougherty has been twice married. September 27, 1871, he married Mattie E. Best, who lived near Huntington, Indiana. She died at Minneapolis, Minnesota, while on a visit, September 10, 1877, leaving a son named Charles B., who was born at Bluffton, October 2, 1872. Mr. Dougherty was again married December 15, 1880, to Dora E. Owen, a daughter of Seymour and Dollie (Gilson) Owen, of Norwalk, Ohio. This union has been blessed with one child, Owen Gilson, who was born at Bluffton, December 29, 1886. They have an adopted daughter named Maud Cecil Irvin, who has lived with them since February, 1882, being at that time four years of age. Mr. Dougherty is a member of the Methodist church, as was also his first wife. His present wife is a member of the Episcopal church of Norwalk, Ohio.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, p. 685.

WILLIAM DOUGHERTY, deceased, father of Hon. Hugh and John Dougherty, who are classed among the active and enterprising men of Bluffton, was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, June 20, 1820, a son of Hugh Dougherty. His parents were natives of Ireland, the mother being of Scotch-Irish ancestry. They left their native country for America in 1818, bringing with them their only child, Betsy, who is so well and favorably known as Aunt Betsy Miller, she having married the late Daniel Miller, and both were numbered among the pioneers of Wells County. Six children were born to the parents of our subject after coming to America — Margaret, widow of John Tillman; William, whose name heads this sketch; Hugh, deceased; John, of Jay County; Anna, wife of Crawford Edington, a merchant of Poneto, Indiana, and Edward, deceased. The father first settled in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, where he followed farming until 1831. In that year he removed with his family to Darke County, Ohio, and settled on a farm near Greenville, where he died about 1833. William Dougherty was reared to the avocation of a farmer in Darke County, Ohio. He was united in marriage June 7,1841, to Miss Margaret Studabaker, of Darke County, where she died August 15, 1860, at the age of thirty-nine years. Mr. Dougherty became a resident of Adams County, Indiana, in 1874, where he made his home until his death, which occurred June 2, 1879, at the age of fifty-nine years.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, p. 654.

David H. Drummond born in Kentucky, in the year 1800, removed to Wells County in 1851. He is a farmer, residing in Harrison Township. In 1820 he was married to Nancy Pollock, the marriage taking place in Kentucky. She was born in Jefferson County, Virginia, in the year in the year 1800, Her children are: J.J., born April 14, 1821; A.M., July 7, 1823; E.C., February 20, 1828; D.A., October 4, 1831; A., January 26, 1834; W.T., June 6, 1836; M.E., February 15, 1840. A second marriage was to Julia Ann Beeler, born in Jefferson County, Virginia, November 21, 1812. She is the mother of A.E. Crosby, born June 14, 1851. Address, Bluffton.

Historical Hand-Atlas, With Complete Reference Map of the World, History of Wells Co., IN, Chicago & Toledo: H. H. Hardesty & Co., 1881, p. 208.

ASBURY DUGLAY, senior member of the law firm of Duglay & Silver, of Bluffton, is a native of Allen County, Indiana, born on a farm near Churubusco, January 10, 1859, a son of Joseph S. and Margaret (Avis) Duglay, the father a native of France, and the mother born at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, of German parentage. Our subject was reared on the home farm in Allen County, and at the age of fifteen years his father allowed him to do for himself, when he began teaching school, he received the rudiments of an education in the district schools and at a select school at Churubusco. In 1875 he entered Fort Wayne College at Fort Wayne, Indiana. from which institution he graduated in the class of 1879, he having defrayed his college expenses by teaching in the schools of Allen, Whitley and Noble counties, Indiana, during the winter terms. In 1880 he began the study of law in the law office of Robertson & Harper at Fort Wayne, where he remained as a student one year, when he entered the law department of the Michigan State University at Ann Arbor, and graduated in 1882. In April of that year he came to Bluffton, Wells County, Indiana, and began the practice of law with J. J. Todd, under the firm name of Todd & Duglay. In April, 1885, he retired from the firm and became associated with Winfield S. Silver, when the present law firm of Duglay & Silver was formed.

Mr. Duglay was married at Bluffton August 21, 1883, to Miss Julia Lusk, a daughter of Mrs. Mary Frees, of Bluffton. She was born in Wells County, Indiana, reared and educated in the schools of Bluffton, and before her marriage taught in the schools of Wells County. Mr. and Mrs. Duglay are the parents of one son, named Hugh. In politics Mr. Duglay affiliates with the Republican party. Both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is a steward. Joseph S. Duglay, the father of our subject, immigrated to America when eighteen years of age, and first located in the State of New York. He removed to Indiana in 1840, locating in La Grange, where he was married. He remained at La Grange until 1848, when he removed to Allen County, where he worked at his trade, that of a blacksmith, until 1868. In 1858 he purchased a farm in Allen County, in the vicinity of Churubusco, where he followed farming until his death in April, 1882, at the age of sixty-six years, he having been killed by being thrown from his buggy. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and for many years a licensed local preacher. The mother of our subject was also a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. She died in Allen County in February, 1878, at the age of fifty-six years. They were the parents of seven children, four of whom are living and are residents of Indiana.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, p. 654.

Weaving, like spinning, in the homes of the country is a thing of the past. Yet less than forty years ago it was no very rare thing to hear, on approaching a farm house, the hum of the spinning wheel or the rattle of the shuttle in the loom. Of either accomplishment, weaving or spinning, the present generation knows comparatively nothing. In the early settlement of Indiana weaving was a species of skilled labor much in demand. William Dulinsky, father of George, the subject of this sketch, was a weaver and put his knowledge of the business to good use while clearing his land and making a home for his family in Wells county during the 'fifties.

George Dulinsky, the subject hereof, was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, July 26, 1844. He was the son of William Dulinsky, a native of Poland who came to America when a lad of only fourteen years. William's first employment in this country was in a woolen mill in the east. He was a steady lad, observant and quick to learn, and when given an oportunity (sic) to learn weaving he made the most of it. Becoming an expert weaver, he decided to try his fortune in the west. He secured a position in his business in Pickaway county, Ohio, where he met and married Miss Mary Leist, a native of the same place. She was a daughter of George and Barbara Leist, natives of Pennsylvania, but had come to Ohio and made settlement there early in life. They spent the remaining years of their lives in their new home in Ohio.

For a number of years after their marriage, Mr. And Mrs. William Dulinsky continued to reside in Pickaway county, he working at his trade of weaving. Finally, in 1850, he moved his family to Wells county, Indiana, bought a farm of forty acres in the woods of Nottingham township and proceeded to make a home. A log cabin, stable and five acres of cleared land were all the improvements there were on the place. For fifteen years this constituted the home of the family. During this time William Dulinsky equipped an apartment which he devoted to the business of weaving. He was about the only weaver in that region and consequently had plenty to do. In 1864 he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of timber lands west of where his son George, the subject of this sketch, now resides. This place he cleared, improved and occupied until his death, which occurred in 1891. He followed the business of weaving until 1881, when he gave it up as unprofitable and no longer of much use in a country place. Mrs. Dulinsky is still living on the old home place. She is eighty-four years old, but strong and active. She is the mother of five children, four of whom are still living. George, the subject hereof, is the oldest of the family: Samuel and Levi both reside on the old home place; Ellen is dead and Barbara resides with her mother.

The opportunities for receiving an education afforded to George Dulinsky were by no means all that could be desired. In those days the public schools of Nottingham township was open only three months in the year. These three months, however, were utilized by George to the very best advantage. He attended the sessions right along up to the time that he was nineteen years of age. A year previous he began working out by the month, but continued to make his home with his parents. On June 27, 1869, he was united in marriage to Miss Ellen Yarger, who was born in Ohio, November 22, 1842. She was the daughter of Joseph and Margaret Yarger, old settlers of Wells county, but both now deceased. The first year of their married life Mr. And Mrs. Dulinsky occupied the William Oswart farm, the next three years he cultivated his father's farm and for the next four years he was on the McClain place. By this time he had accumulated sufficient money to purchase a place of his own. He bought sixty acres of timber land, paying four hundred dollars cash and going in debt for as much more. This he has cleared and improved and upon it he now resides.

When they started in life at the time of their marriage, the Dulinskys were owners of very little property. He had a two-year old colt and two pigs and she had a cow. From this small beginning they have by hard work and good management secured a very fair start in life. In 1880, after buying their place, he built a round-log house eighteen by twenty-four feet, and a pole barn. Both were raised the same day. While clearing his land he continued to rent some ground, farmed it and made a good living for his family. He also worked at ditching and such other employment as he could secure. He is now the owner of a well improved farm of eighty acres, seventy of which is under cultivation. In 1895 he erected a handsome, comfortable home and a substantial, commodious barn upon the place. He carries on general farming and stock raising, prefers Poland China hogs, but is of the opinion the better success is secured by a mixture with the Chester White. The ordinary run of cattle he considers quite good enough to attain success with on the farm, if the products are fed instead of being sold. On his place he has six oil wells from which he realizes a nice little sum each month. Farming has been his life work and he has made it profitable.

Along toward the latter days of the war, in 1865, George Dulinsky was drafted for service in the Federal army and taken to Wabash. It was the last call made for troops and was most peremptory. He and thirteen others were taken forthwith without getting any time whatever to adjust their affairs. Only seven were needed, but fourteen were drawn. The seven were secured from his fellow victims of the draft before Mr. Dulinsky's turn on the list came, so he was permitted to return home without a uniform.

To Mr. And Mrs. Dulinsky six children have been born, viz: Orlando, born December 10, 1869, married Della Ira, now lives in Nottingham township and is working in the oil fields; Mary Estella died in childhood; Emma, born June 29, 1875, married Bert Kelley and now resides in Nottingham township; she is the mother of two children, Lelo F. and Marion; Lewis was born June 13, 1878, and resides at home with his parents; Nora died in infancy; Oscar died in childhood. In politics George Dulinsky is a Democrat, always votes the ticket and warms up some during the heat of the political campaign. In local affairs, however, he prefers to be independent and vote for the man. He is a man who commands the respect and esteem of all his fellow citizens.


Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana, B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903. pp.261-263.

Peter Dunwiddie is a son of John and Ruth (Betts) Dunwiddie, the former born in Delaware in 1781, the latter born in that State in 1785. In 1855 Peter Dunwiddie settled in Wells County. He was born in Green County, Ohio, April 5, 1816. He is engaged as a farmer and minister. His wife, Eunice (Hanes), to whom he was married September 1, 1836, in Warren County, Ohio, was born in that county on September 20, 1817. She is the mother of Jonathan H., born September 12, 1837, died May 26, 1843; Hannah G., August 1, 1839; Brooks C., August 24, 1841, died November 5, 1872; William, December 29, 1842; Matilda, October 25, 1844; John, April 25, 1846; Jacob, September 23, 1847, died March 29, 1849; Harrison, June 16, 1849; Mary Ellen, August 15, 1851; David, March 25, 1855, died March 30, 1855; Susan, November 23, 1857. Brooks C. served four years in the War of the Rebellion, was a member of the 40th Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry; took part in nearly all the battles. in which his regiment was engaged. William served three years; was a member of the 91st Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry; was with Sherman on his march to the sea. John served two years; was a member of the 40th Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Mrs. Dunwiddie's father, Jonathan Hanes, was born in -. Her mother Naomi (Stratton) Hanes, was born in New Jersey. Mr. Dunwiddie's great-grandfather had two brothers killed in the Revolutionary War. His father, John Dunwiddie, was a soldier of the War of 1812. Address, Twin Grove, Adams County, Indiana.

Historical Hand-Atlas, With Complete Reference Map of the World, History of Wells Co., IN, Chicago & Toledo: H. H. Hardesty & Co., 1881, p. 224.

Few of the men who joined the army during the Civil war and remained out any length of time returned very much improved financially. The precarious existence of a soldier, with the chance staring him in the face of having even that existence cut short at any moment, is not calculated to develop principles of either prudence or economy. Who that is daily facing death in various forms cares to lay away money, that perchance, strangers may have the pleasure of spending? Hence the soldier spent while he had it to spend and was just as happy when "broke" as when he had abundance. A few there were, however, who held to a firm hope of being able to live another day and at another time when the devastation of war would no longer ravage the land. They practiced the virtues of peace amidst the dissolution of war, and while most of their comrades returned poor indeed, they had oftentimes more than enough to supply immediate necessities. William Dunwiddie, of Nottingham township, Wells county, Indiana, the subject of this sketch, was such a soldier. He spent much as the others did, but he managed to save enough to enable him to purchase forty acres of land on his return from the front.

William Dunwiddie was born in Warren county, Ohio, December 29, 1842. His paternal grandparents were John and Ruth (Betts) Dunwiddie, the former born in Delaware in 1781 and the latter in New Jersey in 1785. His father was Peter Dunwiddie, a native of Greene county, Ohio, born April 5, 1816. His wife, the mother of the subject, was Eunice Haines, a native of Warren county, born September 20, 1817. They were married September 1, 1836, and continued to reside in the county of their nativity until 1855, when they moved with their family to Wells county, Indiana. He was a minister of the gospel, but was much as those to whom he administered spiritual and religious consolation, having little more than enough to provide material sustenance for themselves. Thus he was obliged to occupy his time during the week on the farm preaching at least twice each Sunday. To them eleven children were born, viz: John H., born September 12, 1837, died May 26, 1843; Hannah G., born August 1, 1839, deceased; Brook C., born August 24, 1841, died November 5, 1872; William, the subject, who will hereafter be referred to more particularly; Matilda, born October 25, 1844, deceased; John, born April 25, 1846, deceased; Jacob, born September 23, 1847, deceased; Harrison B., born June 16, 1849, a resident of Reiffsburg; Mary E., born August 5, 1853, deceased; David, born March 25, 1855, died in infancy; Susan B., born November 23, 1857, wife of Sylvester Pontius; Brooks C. served four years during the war in Company E, Fortieth Indiana Regiment; John served two years in the same company and regiment, and William was out three years, three months and five days during the same eventful period. John Dunwiddie, their paternal grandfather, served in the United States army during the war of 1812. The parents of these children are both dead.

William Dunwiddie received his education partly in Warren county, Ohio, and partly in Benton county, Indiana, whither he had gone and where he resided a number of years previous to the Civil war. When but nineteen years of age, in the early part of the war, in Oxford, Benton county, Indiana, he enlisted in Company C, Ninety-ninth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Few regiments participated in more of the important battles of the war than did the Ninety-ninth Indiana. With his regiment, the subject followed the flag in the following engagements: Vicksburg, Jackson, Mississippi, Mission Ridge, the Knoxville campaign, Rocky Face Ridge, Resaca, Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta, July 22 and 28, Jonesboro, Lovejoy Station, Fort McAllister, Savannah, Columbia, Goldsboro and Raleigh. On the march to the sea William Dunwiddie was one of those detailed to do the foraging for the other members of the company. Food had to be gotten and it was at times so difficult to provide that his ingenuity was often taxed to the utmost to find the supply of live stock, grain and provisions which the owners had hidden away. He was always so successful that his admiring comrades gave him a number of pet names which were neither euphonious nor pretty and which it is unnecessary to mention here. During the entire term of his service he was not off duty more than three weeks and that was on account of sickness. At the close of the war the regiment went to Washington City, where they took part in the grand review and where they were mustered out. The old flag they bore through many a battle was so torn and rent by shot and shell and soiled by the blood of its brave defenders that a new one was procurred in Washington on which was emblazoned a list of the battles in which the regiment took part, but when brought out it elicited no enthusiasm whatever, the boys preferring the old tattered banner they had followed so long and so faithfully. It was brought out amid the cheers of its defenders and it and the regiment formed a very conspicuous portion of that historic parade. During its time of service the regiment traveled thirty-three hundred and ninety-eight miles, which does not include the steps taken by the subject in his foraging expeditions. All this was accomplished on foot except a few hundred miles by rail and transport.

For two years after William Dunwiddie's return from the war he worked for his father, receiving as compensation only his board and clothes With what little he was able to save during the days of his soldiering he bought forty acres of land, the same on which his brother-in-law, Mark Watson, now resides. For a year he worked in a saw-mill in western Indiana, then returned to Wells county and began clearing his land. The last hundred dollars he owed on the place he paid out of his earnings in the saw-mill. September 3, 1868, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary J. Watson, a native of Adams county, Indiana, born February 19, 1846. Her parents were John and Margaret Watson, natives of England and early settlers of Adams county, but both are now deceased. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Watson, viz: Sarah, deceased; Wesley died in the army during the Civil war; Mary J., wife of William Dunwiddie, the subject; Joseph, now a resident of Adams county; Phoebe C., wife of S. W. Skeels, now resides in Michigan; Ruth, wife of William Heaston, of Geneva.

At the time of the marriage, a log cabin and fifteen acres cleared were all the improvements that had been made on the forty acres which Mr. Dunwiddie owned. However, they took up their abode in the log cabin and cultivated and improved the place for one year, when they rented the Josephus Marlin farm in Adams county. They remained there only one year, when they returned to Wells county, bought the west eighty acres of the old homestead, and proceeded to build a house thereon. In the meantime he had sold the first forty acres he had purchased, to his brother-in-law, Mark Watson, who is yet the owner and occupant thereof. On the new tract he had purchased he was obliged to incur an indebtedness of sixteen hundred dollars. At the time it was bought the only improvements there were on the place was fifteen acres cleared. It is now all cleared but thirty acres, well ditched, fenced and provided with lasting and substantial improvements. He has purchased another eighty acres immediately adjoining, which gives him one hundred and sixty acres of fine farming land in one compact body. On this land are six producing oil wells, from which he now realizes about eighteen dollars per month, though there was a time when much more was realized on the output.

To Mr. and Mrs. William Dunwiddie five children have been born, viz: Clara E., born in Adams county, January 24, 1871, wife of Jacob Bierrie; P. W., born in Wells county, September 27,1873, married Hattie Brown, has one son, Harry, and resides in Adams county; Margaret J., born in Wells county July 30, 1876, married Lawrence Watson and they are residents of Nottingham township; Ruth E., born in Wells county, August 8, 1879, resides with her parents; Benjamin H., born in Wells county, January 27, 1882, is at home with his parents. Each have received a good common school education. Clara is a graduate of the Geneva high school and taught a number of terms, until compelled by failing health to cease.

Mr. Dunwiddie has unlimited faith in the American hog. He believes that if properly handled it will pay more debts for its owner than any other animal. He asserts that its capabilities for swelling a bank account are unrivaled and devotes his entire time to farming and stock raising. With Poland China hogs, shorthorn cattle and a general class of sheep, his farm is constantly well stocked. All but two and a half years of his married life have been spent upon his present farm and his present prosperous condition indicates clearly the success he has attained.

The family are all members of the Methodist Episcopal church, except the husband and father. While having no ill will whatever toward religion, he is not connected with any denomination. He is a member of John P. Porter Post No. 83, G. A. R., of Geneva. In politics he is a Republican, has always been an active worker in the party and is recognized as a man of standing and influence in his locality, being generally a delegate in the conventions of his party. From an exceedingly small beginning he has accomplished far more than many others with better opportunities, which speaks well for the native merit of the man.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana, B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903. pp. 345 - 348.

The business of cultivating the soil is looked upon as a calling that may be embraced by any one, and it is currently believed that no amount of brains, intelligence or skill is necessary to be a successful farmer -- he need only to put the seed in the ground and nature does the rest. These views are entertained by people who have no conception of either the labor required or the experience and intelligence necessary to conduct the affairs of a farm successfully. Their view of the farmer is well expressed by the author of "The Man with the Hoe" in the poem of that title. Those who have followed agriculture as their life vocation know better, and those who, in their youth, got their first lesson in industry in the woods, the clearing and the field are better posted. To be successful on the farm a man must have more industry, as much intelligence and at the very least an equal amount of experience as is required of men in other walks of life. There are few counties in Indiana possessed of better or more successful farmers than Wells county. The townships of Jefferson, Lancaster and Harrison are particularly well supplied with this class of farmers. Prominent among those of Lancaster township was John Henry Durr, deceased, who for more than fifty years lived in the same locality. He saw the region gradually change from wood and swamp to fertile fields and green pastures, and contributed his full share in time, labor and means, toward bringing about the important change.

John Henry Durr was born in Lancaster township, Wells county, Indiana, February 18, 1851, and was a son of Jacob and Mildred Durr, who were among the early pioneers of Wells county. Upon the farm where he was born John Henry Durr spent the first twenty-six years of his life. Aside from the few brief months each year devoted to school, his entire time was occupied in the labor of the farm with his father. His education was about the same as that of other boys of that time and locality. The few months spent in the school room each winter sufficed to give him an education that subserves every purpose. All of the common school branches were thoroughly mastered by him and with these as the key to the vast storehouse of learning, during his leisure hours he absorbed an amount of information possessed by few persons in his position.

On July 28, 1877, he was united in marriage to Miss Angeline Bowman, daughter of Gideon and Alvina Bowman, of Adams county, Indiana, and to this union were born five children, four of whom are living Minnie and Carley (twins) were born August 20, 1878, the latter dying Novernber 1, 1880; Nettie, born February 11, 1880; Olie, born May 23, 1882; John Willard, born August 22, 1885. The wife and mother, Angeline Bowman Durr, died May 26, 1890, at the early age of thirty-three years.

At the time of his marriage John H. Durr and his brother Ed were each presented with eighty acres of woodland by their father. Anticipating his marriage, John selected a nice building site on his tract, cleared it and erected a comfortable home to which to take his bride. Settling down to the realities of pioneer life, he began clearing and improving his land with the result that within a very few years he had a well improved farm. In 1881 he purchased an additional forty acres from his sister, Mrs. Patterson. It also was woods, but having now acquired taste for the subjugation of the forest, Mr. Durr lost no time in reducing it also to fertility and productiveness. He owned, at the time of his death, one hundred and twenty acres of as fine land as Indiana could boast of, ninety-five acres of which were-cleared, drained and fenced by his own hand and constitutes a farm, whose superior, acre for acre, cannot be found in Wells county.

Politically Mr. Durr was a Democrat, well posted in the principles of his party and always firm in the advocacy thereof. He took a deep interest in the work of each campaign and always did much, personally and with his means, to advance the interests of the ticket. He was a genial, kind, good natured gentlemen, who loved his friends and never lost an opportunity of doing a kind turn even to a stranger. His death, which occurred December 8, 1902, was mourned by his many friends, and was looked upon as the loss of one from their midst, whose life had been an example of all that was good and noble.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana, B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903. pp. 433-435.

The medical profession in Wells County, as elsewhere, is found to include the ablest and most scholarly men in every community, and in Dr. E. W. Dyar, the pleasant town of Ossian, Indiana, has a physician and surgeon of this order and a man of both personal and professional standing entitling him to high regard, he being also president of the Farmers State Bank of Ossian.

Doctor Dyar was born in Robinson, Crawford County, Illinois, and is the son of William and Elizabeth (Werrich) Dyar, both of whom are deceased, the father passing away in 1881 and the mother in April, 1888.

Fortified with a sound public school education, E. W. Dyar then turned his attention to the study of medicine, subsequently entering the Indiana Medical College, Indianapolis, from which he was graduated with his medical degree in 1904. In the same year he came to Ossian and has been in active practice here ever since, through medical knowledge and surgical skill gaining universal confidence. He devotes his entire time to the labors of his profession and keeps thoroughly abreast with the wonderful advances it is making in modern times.

Dr. Dyar was married September 8, 1901, to Miss Ola M. Hardin, who is a daughter of Thomas and Lyda Hardin, well known residents of Hardinville, Illinois. Dr. and Mrs. Dyar have one son, Edwin W., a school boy of eleven years.

Dr. Dyar gives to politics only the attention that good citizenship demands, voting always with the republican party from principle, but is liberal minded on many public questions. He is a member of Wells County, Indiana State and American Medical societies. In Masonry, he is a member of Ossian Lodge No. 297, F. & A.M., having received the Scottish rite in Fort Wayne Consistory, and is also a member of Ossian Lodge No. 343, K. of P. Dr. and Mrs. Dyar are members of the Presbyterian Church.

Standard History of Adams and Wells Counties Indiana. John W Tyndall for Adams Co and O. E. Lesh for Wells County. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1918, pp. 463-464.
Contributed by Nola Rains