CHARLES E. LACEY, a young attorney, and connected with the firm of Wilson & Todd of Bluffton, Indiana, was born at Pierceton, Kosciusko County, Indiana, April 22, 1864, and is the youngest son of Rev. Henry J. Lacey and Elizabeth (Thompson) Lacey. His father was reared on a farm in Wayne County, Indiana, and was the son of William Lacey, one of the early settlers of that county. Elizabeth Thompson was born and reared in Randolph County, Indiana. Her parents died when she was young, and she was taken into the family of William Kenedy, where she lived as a daughter until her marriage, to Henry J. Lacey. They settled on a farm in Randolph County, where they lived for several years until he felt himself called to the ministry. Being a member of the Methodist Episcopal church he became a minister of the gospel in that church in 1853, and continued his active ministerial labors for thirty-three years, when he retired from active duty in the spring of 1886 and went back to his farm. To Henry J. and Elizabeth Lacey were born nine children, two dying in childhood, while seven, four sons and three daughters, grew to manhood, and womanhood, six of whom are now living, four sons and two daughters, the youngest of all being Charles E., the subject of this sketch.

He obtained his early education in the graded and high schools of the various places where his father was engaged in the ministry until the spring of 1881, when he finished his high school studies and in the fall of the same year went to Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, to complete his education. He remained there two years, pursuing a general course of study, and in the summer of 1883 returned to Indiana. Between this time and the fall of 1884 he was engaged at different times in teaching school, in farming and in mercantile business, as clerk. In the fall of 1884 he came to Bluffton, where his father was then located, and, soon after began studying law in the office of Wilson & Todd, where he has ever since remained. He was admitted to practice at the Wells County bar March 24, 1886, a short time before his twenty-second birthday, and is the youngest attorney in Wells County. He is a Republican in politics and takes an active interest in political issues. On January 27, 1887, he was joined in marriage with Alice Studabaker, the youngest daughter of Major Peter Studabaker and Sarah (Morgan) Studabaker, and with his wife has made his home in Bluffton.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, p. 947-948.

Robert Lambert removed to Wells County in 1850, at which date there was no road between Chester and Nottingham. He is a native of Ireland, born April 3, 1815. His parents are Robert and Susan (Hill) Lambert. He was married in Ireland, January 1845, to Christina Dickinson, also a native of Ireland, born December 11, 1815. Their children are Joseph D., born in Ireland, December 1845; William, born in Ireland, October 21, 1847; Robert, born in Ireland, deceased; Robert, born in America, in 1855, deceased. Mrs. Lambert is a daughter of Richard and Kitty Ann (Moss) Dickinson. Robert Lambert is a resident of Chester Township. His brother, Thomas Lambert, a soldier of the late war, and a member of the 124th Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry died of fatigue while on the march. Address, Washington, Wells 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. 223.

ROBERT P. LAMBERT, farmer, Nottingham Township was born in Queens County, Ireland, April 7, 1847, son of William and Susan Lambert. When he was three years of age his parents came to America, locating in Butler County, Ohio, where they remained about two years, then removed to Wayne County, this State, where the father followed farming until 1859. They then came to this county and settled in Chester Township, where the father had purchased land prior to coming to this county. They did not make a permanent location on this land, as it was a wild forest, but rented some land in Nottingham Township. The mother died while on the voyage across the ocean, and while living in Butler County the father married Matilda Moore, who died in Nottingham Township, in August, 1860, the father following her five days later. The only children were Robert P. and Susan Jane, the latter dying a short time previous to the death of the father. Robert P. was thus left at the age of thirteen years, without brother or sister, and he was thrown upon his own resources. May 12, 1872, he was married to Miss Caroline Harding, a native also of Queens County, Ireland, and daughter of Arthur and Lavinia (Dickison) Harding. Mr. Lambert enlisted in the service of the Union. He served mostly under General Thomas, and remained with his command until the time of his discharge. He is a Lew Daily Post, at Bluffton. Mrs. Lambert's father died in Ireland, and her mother afterward removed to Manchester, England, and was living when last heard from. Mrs. Lambert came to America alone when twenty-three years of age, and heard of her father's death at Castle Garden, New York. She then came to this county.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 675-676.

Harvey B. Lancaster, born February 17, 1864, one-half mile south of Keystone, Wells county, Indiana, is a son of Nathan Lancaster, a native of Indiana, born in November, 1836, and Mary Starr, born on the old Starr farm in Chester township, Wells county, Indiana, both of whom are yet living in Chester township. Nathan is a son of John and Ruth Lancaster, both natives of Ohio who settled in Grant county, Indiana, in an early day and later came to Wells county, Indiana, where John died in June, 1899. Ruth is yet living with a daughter, Mrs. Mollie Cox, in Hartford City, Indiana. Nathan Lancaster is the father of seven children, four of whom are still living: L. G.; H. B., the subject of this sketch; Jennie, who is now the wife of G. A. Mason; J. E. Lancaster, deceased; M. E., deceased; and O. L. Lancaster, now at home with his father. The subject of this sketch attended the schools of Keystone in Chester township until he was sixteen years of age, when he entered the normal school of Bluffton, Indiana, in which he remained for three years. He then taught two terms of school in Chester township, at schools Nos. 3 and 4.

The subject remained with his father, working for his board, clothes, etc., until he was twenty-one years of age, when he began farming for himself. He spent one season on his grandfather Lancaster's farm and the next year, March 13, 1886, he married Miss Sarah Jarrett, born in November, 1866, a daughter of John and Mary (Sells) Jarrett. The parents of Sarah were both old settlers of Chester township, Wells county, and are now deceased. After his marriage the subject settled on the farm where he now lives, which was then all in the woods. At the time of his purchase there were no improvements whatever on his land, but he now has seventy acres of it cleared, in a high state of cultivation, and improved with good buildings. Mr. Lancaster has been a breeder of common-grade stock and, being located in the oil fields, has devoted some time to his interests in that line. There are two wells on his farm which are producing five inches (tank measure) per day.

Mrs. Lancaster is a member of the Friends' church in Keystone, and an amiable, intelligent Christian lady, devoted to her husband, home and children. The subject is a Republican in politics and an active worker in the ranks of his party and especially interested in all matters politically pertaining to his own county and township. The foregoing record of the subject establishes the fact that the old pioneers and first settlers cannot appropriate all the credit for subduing the wilderness and clearing up the country, and proves that a worthy descendant of that class to whom the present population owes so much even of the third generation, after availing himself of the opportunities by obtaining an education, had the ambition, energy and force of character to carve out for himself a farm and home from the virgin forest. His achievement and success in that line, as well as his efforts to improve the live stock interests of his locality, with his intelligent interest in public affairs, should prove an inspiration to the young men of his vicinage to emulate his example in his aspiration to a higher citizenship. Such men as Harvey B. Lancaster are an honor to the state and wield an untold influence in moulding that higher commonwealth toward which we are tending.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana. B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903, pp. 456-457.

JOHN LANCASTER, retired farmer, Chester Township, was born in Warren County, Ohio, February 24, 1810, son of John and Rachel (Haskett) Lancaster. His father was born and reared in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and when he was twenty years of age went to Florida with two friends, and was there married to a daughter of David Brown, who died in that country. He afterward removed to South Carolina, where he worked at his trade, that of shoemaker and tanner and was there married to Rachel Haskett. They remained several years in South Carolina, and in 1796 removed with their four children to Miami County, Ohio, settling about seven miles southwest of Troy. They traveled the entire distance by team. When they went through Cincinnati, that great city of today, there were only about seven cabins on the hill, and the residents tried very hard to get the travelers to remain there. Dayton was on their route, and it also contained but few cabins, and Major Williams, a noted man of that day, was the storekeeper. When they settled in Miami County they were far removed from white neighbors, and quite near the Indians. They lived there eight or ten years, then removed to Warren County, where again they were early settlers. In 1820 they moved to Clinton County, near Wilmington, and in March, 1833, they sold their property and came to Grant County, Indiana, locating upon the spot where Marion now stands. The father died in the fall of that year, and on the 9th day of September his wife started back to Miami County, where she died at her brother's in 1840. She was born and reared on Bush River, South Carolina. John followed the fortunes of the family for some time after his marriage, taking care of his mother in her last days.

In 1837 he came to Wells County and camped out until fall. In the meantime he cleared six acres of land and hauled the logs to the place selected for his cabin, which he built that fall. Wolves, bears, deer and all kinds of wild game were abundant. He has killed as many as 500 deer in Wells County, and also several bears. There was a corn-cracker at Warren, fourteen miles distant, but he frequently had to go to Fort Wayne, and even to Cambridge, seventy-five miles away, to get his milling done. He at one time paid $18 for 100 pounds of flour and a barrel of salt. He was married in Clinton County, Ohio, March 1, 1833, to Miss Ruth Shields, a native of Berkeley County, Virginia, and a daughter of John and Ann (Robison) Shields, natives of Virginia, and of Irish descent. Her parents removed to Clinton County when she was but a year old, and from there they moved to Wilmington, the county seat, where her mother died in 1823, and her father in September, 1844.

Of the eight children born to Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster, only four are living. Nathan married Mary Stone; Amaziah married Matilda Holloway; Susan is the wife of William McIntyre, and lives near Mill Grove, Blackford County, and Mary Miranda is now Mrs. Van Horn. The deceased are-John William, Martha Ann, George and Lewis. John William was a member of the Seventy-fifth Indiana Infantry during the late war. He lay sick at Murfreesboro a long time, was brought on the cars to Huntington, and from there in a spring wagon, dying the third day after reaching home. He left a wife, formerly Margaret Helms, and one child. Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster are members of the Christian church, and in politics he is a Republican.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 655-656.

Weak and futile is the effort of parents of foreign birth to keep their children as zealously German, Scandinavian, Bohemian, Italian or other nationality as they themselves are. The first generation that comes across the water herd to themselves and may influence to some extent the first generation born in America, but even the first generation is as intensely American as the Daughters of the Revolution. The average citizen of the United States, tracing back his family history, is surprised to discover how much German, Irish, Scotch, English and other blood it takes to make one good American. Louis G. Lancaster, the subject of this sketch, is just such an American. He is a resident of Keystone, Chester township, Wells county, Indiana, and in that township he was born on October 28, 1863, the son of Nathan and Mary (Starr) Lancaster.

The paternal grandparents of Louis G. Lancaster were John and Ruth (Shields) Lancaster. She was of Irish parentage and was born in Virginia. He was born near Lebanon, Warren county, Ohio, and was of English-Scotch ancestry, being, it is said, a descendant of the house of Lancaster which figured so prominently in English history, particularly during the wars of the Roses. In 1833 John and Ruth Lancaster settled in Grant county, Indiana, about where the soldiers' home is now located, the following year went to housekeeping, and in 1836 moved to a point near where Van Buren now stands. In the fall of 1837 they settled in Wells county, purchasing the land which is now owned and occupied by Nathan Lancaster, father of the subject. In 1890 John and Ruth Lancaster moved to Hartford City, and there resided until his death, June 29, 1900. His widow still lives, at the age of eighty-seven years, making her home with her daughter, Mrs. Miranda Cox. The subject had, a few years ago, his four grandparents all living, the youngest of them being eighty-four years of age.

Benjamin and Matilda (Popejoy) Starr, the maternal grandparents of Louis G. Lancaster, were Virginians by birth, but were among the earliest settlers of Wells county. He was born December 27, 1814, and died January 20, 1899; his wife was born December 6, 1814, and died July 29, 1898. From a very small beginning they were quite prosperous and successful. The best years of their lives were spent in Wells county and there they remained until their deaths.

Nathan Lancaster, father of Louis G., was born in Van Buren township, Grant county, Indiana, October 25, 1836, and grew to manhood in Wells county. December 18, 1862, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Starr, a native of Wells county, born February 5, 1837. Their home was on a tract of land, eighty acres, which he purchased of his father, and they cleared it, improved it and made a farm of it, and this has been the home place ever since. They are now owners of five hundred and ninety acres of land, all in Chester township, of which two hundred and forty acres constitute the home place. To Nathan and Mary (Starr) Lancaster seven children were born, viz: Louis G., the subject of this sketch; Harvey B. received a liberal education and followed teaching for two years; Jennie L., wife of George A. Mason, a lawyer of Montpelier, Indiana, taught school a number of terms early in life; John E., died at the age of twenty-six years; Matilda E. died at the age of seven years; an infant died unnamed soon after birth; Orley L., who still makes his home with his parents, is a teacher of much success and considerable prominence.

Louis G. Lancaster grew to manhood in Chester township, Wells county, attended the public schools until he was eighteen years of age and profited well by his opportunities. He attended the normal four terms and studied under the instruction of Professors P. A. Allen, W. H. Ernst and Samuel McCrea. He began teaching at the age of eighteen and continued as an educator for eight years. All those years he was devoting what time he could spare from his duties in the school room to the assistance of his father on the farm. On July 3, 1887, he was united in marriage to Miss Sarah S. Williams, who was born March 4, 1864. She was a daughter of Andrew B. and Mary (Bugh) Williams, both natives of Ohio, and early settlers of Blackford county, Indiana. The mother, who was born September 24, 1834, died November 29, 1874, when Mary, the daughter and wife of the subject, was only ten years of age, the father, who was born October 6, 1822, dying on the 8th of October, 1881. They were the parents of ten children, viz: Henry, deceased; Joseph resides in Blackford county; Oliver is a resident of Blackford county; Jennie, wife of Scott Swartz, of Newton, Kansas; Sarah, wife of the subject; Andrew B., a resident of Chester township; Mary, the wife of Charles McGeath; Emma, deceased; James, deceased.

After marriage the young couple went to housekeeping on his father's home place, but remained there only one year. They then took up their abode at Montpelier, where he engaged in teaching, but subsequently they moved to their present home. When this land was purchased by them it was wild, heavily timbered and wholly unimproved, but it is all cleared now, excepting ten acres which is reserved for timber. On it Mr. Lancaster has dug all necessary ditches, built fences and the place is splendidly cultivated. There are four producing oil wells on the place, yielding about a tank a month.

Mr. and Mrs. Louis G. Lancaster are the parents of four children, viz; Mary Pearl, born April 6, 1880; Grace, born November 15, 1892; and (sic) infant daughter who died unnamed; an infant son, born May 20, 1902. The parents are members of the Friends church of Keystone, Indiana, and are active in church as well as in all other works. He is a member of and has filled all the chairs in Lodge NO. 410, I. O. O. F., at Montpelier, having joined the order in 1883. In politics he is a Republican and is always sufficiently interested in the success of his party to take part in the campaigns as they come around. He has served as delegate in many conventions, county, district and state, and has seldom failed to make his influence felt upon the proceedings. In 1900 he was commissioned a census taker and discharged the duties of the office with promptness and efficiency.

General farming and stock raising is the business which Mr. Lancaster follows. He always aims to keep sufficient stock on his premises to consume the crops, Poland China hogs, Shropshire sheep and shorthorn cattle being the breeds he prefers on his place. His personal property, at a fair valuation, amounts to not less than twelve hundred dollars. He is a man of bright intellect, acknowledged ability and, being still young in years, gives promise of a future of which his relatives and friends will be proud.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana. B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903, pp. 312-314.

NATHAN LANCASTER, farmer, Chester Township, was born in Grant County, Indiana, October 25, 1830, son of John and Ruth (Shields) Lancaster. His father was born near Lebanon, Warren County, Ohio, and of English-Scotch ancestry, the Lancaster family being direct descendants of the Lancasters of England. The mother was born in Virginia, of Irish ancestry. Nathan was only a year old when his parents removed to Chester Township, and here they have resided ever since. At that time not a blow had ever been struck on the place, and the father made his own clearing and built his own log cabin. Deer were plenty, and Nathan well remembers when six or seven deer came into the fields in a drove. He was married in this county, December 18, 1862, to Miss Mary Starr, born in Chester Township, and a daughter of Benjamin and Matilda (Popijoy) [sic] Starr, natives of Ohio, the father of Hocking County and the mother of Fayette County. Her grandfather settled on Six-mile Creek, Wells County, in an early day. Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster have had seven children, of whom two, Matilda Ellen and an infant unnamed, are deceased. Those living are Louis Grant, Harvey B., Louisa Jane, John Edward and Orley Lionel. Mr. Lancaster's brother John was a soldier in the late civil war, being a member of the Seventy-fifth Indiana Infantry, and died from disease contracted while in the service. He was in the last stage of his disease when brought home. Politically Mr. Lancaster affiliates with the Republican party, and religiously he is a member of the Christian church. He owns 240 acres of land, 100 acres being cleared.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 864-865.

PETER C. LEAVENGOOD was born in Union County, Pennsylvania, November 11, 1823, son of Christian and Elizabeth (Keiser) Leavengood. His grandfather, Jacob Leavengood, was born in Germany, and with his wife settled in Union County, Pennsylvania, near the Susquehanna River, during the latter part of the seventeenth century. He, with his brothers John and Fiedel and their sisters, were sold from the ship in which they crossed the ocean, to pay their passage money. Jacob was married before the war of 1812. He and his brother John served during that war, and during its progress John was killed and scalped by the Indians. Twice during their early life in Pennsylvania Jacob had to flee with his wife across the Susquehanna, where there were more settlers, in order to save their lives from the prowling savages. These savages were hostile, and frequently murdered and robbed the early settlers. At the age of eighteen years Christian began to learn the blacksmith's trade, and later took charge of his employer's shop. Previous to his marriage he built a shop on his father's farm, where he worked at the forge for many years, quitting it in later life to take charge of the ancestral homestead. On this farm their nine children were born-Mary, Elizabeth, Jacob, John, Susanna, Daniel, Catherine, Peter C. and George. In 1830 the family removed to Tuscarawas County, Ohio, where Christian had bought land before the Indians left that county. Only three houses had been built in New Philadelphia, the county seat of that county, when he made his purchase, and one of these he helped to put the rafters upon. When he selected these lands Indians yet had their cabins in the woods, and he slept in their deserted wigwams. The parents died on this farm, the father at the age of ninety years, and the mother at the age of seventy-nine years. All their children were married before their death, and all are living in Ohio except our subject and his sister Mary, who married Jacob Stahe in Pennsylvania previous to the removal of the family to Ohio. Elizabeth married Abram Deitz; Jacob married Susanna Stahl; John became the husband of Margaret Homer; Susanna married Jacob Lehmann; Daniel married Mary Lowrey; Catherine became the wife of George Peshing; George married Magdalene Forney, and Peter C. married Martha A. Zimmerlee, daughter of Jacob and Clara (Brown) Zimmerlee, of this county. She was born in Huntington County September 6, 1848. Their marriage was celebrated March 28, 1868, John Lantz, Esq., performing the ceremony.

In 1849 Mr. Leavengood bought the land upon which he now resides, and for fifteen consecutive years made annual trips to Ohio, where he was a contractor in his business, that of a stone mason. His first log cabin is still standing, fronting their handsome country residence, and it presents a venerable appearance. It is a monument to the pioneer days when, full of life and vigor, the young husband felled and hewed the logs which form its weather-beaten walls. He was a proud and happy husband when his young bride was installed mistress of what was then an aristocratic mansion. The death of their first-born, Melinda E., occurred beneath its roof; September 23, 1878. The other children, Delphena, Silas G., Salome A. and Celeste O., were all rocked to sleep within its portals. The family have moved into a fine frame building, and the wealth of the owner has increased with his years. His broad acres are bereft of the stately oak, and large crops are raised where the Indian once chased the flying deer. The same that roamed the woods in countless numbers have all disappeared, and the young men of forty years ago are the aged sires of today, and from their lips are gathered the facts that make the history of their county.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, p. 758-759.

One of the prominent young farmers of Union township, Wells county, Indiana, is Silas G. Leavengood, a native of this township, born December 21, 1871, and a son of Peter C. and Martha A. (Zimmerlee) Leavengood. Jacob Leavengood, great-grandfather of Silas G., was a native of Germany and prior to the war of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain brought his wife to America and settled in Union township, Pennsylvania. They were in somewhat indigent circumstances, and, in accordance with the custom of the time, Jacob and his brothers and sisters were "apprenticed" or bound out to work until they had earned sufficient money to pay for their passage across the ocean. Jacob Leavengood and his brother Daniel enlisted in the American army and in one of the sanguinary conflicts with the Indian auxiliaries of the British forces Daniel lost his life. Jacob Leavengood and his wife then fled across the Susquehanna river and sought a more densely populated district, in which they passed the remainder of their lives. Christian Leavengood, grandfather of Silas G., was apprenticed to the blacksmith's trade and before his marriage had become master of his own shop. He moved from Pennsylvania to Tuscarawas county, Ohio, in 1830, having purchased a tract of land in the woods. He readily accommodated himself to the surroundings, learning to sleep in deserted Indiana wigwams and to endure many other hardships and inconveniences, but lived to see the heavy timber cleared away and a fine farm substituted, and there passed the remainder of his life. Peter C. Leavengood was reared in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, but was united in marriage in Huntington county, Indiana, March 28, 1868. He had purchased his farm in Union township in 1849, and on this he passed away March 20, 1889. The union of Peter C. and Martha A. (Zimmerlee) Leavengood was graced with five children, namely: Malinda E. died in 1878, aged nine years; Delphine; Silas G.; Salome A., now the wife of Frederick Platt, of Union township, and Celesta O.

Silas G. Leavengood was reared to agricultural pursuits on his father's farm, but was given every opportunity to attend school ni the winter seasons, when farm duties did not require all his attention. He ably and dutifully assisted his father until the time came about for his own marriage, when he chose for his bride Miss Lydia Roudebush, a native of Union township, to whom he was married October 1, 1893.

Peter C. Leavengood was one of the most substantial citizens of Union township and was greatly honored by all who knew him. Of the Zimmerlee family, Jacob, the father of Mrs. Peter C. Leavengood, was born in Virginia, yet little is known touching his ancestry, save the fact that his parents died when he was a boy, and he then made his home with a brother-in-law, Jacob Miller, until his own marriage. At the age of fourteen he came to Wells county with this brother-in-law and was here employed by the latter to drive a team between Bluffton and Cincinnati, and in this occupation he was engaged at the time of his marriage, December 25, 1845, with Miss Clara Brown, of Wilkes county, North Carolina. This lady is of German descent and a daughter of Elisha and Elizabeth (Redding) Brown. At the time of this marriage Mr. Zimmerlee had but about five dollars, but four years later he purchased on credit forty acres of land in Union township, and in order to pay for this land he worked out by the month, while his wife stayed at home and kept herself busy at weaving, thus adding to their mutual income. After the land had been paid for, Mr. Zimmerlee cleared, sold it and purchased the farm now owned by Thomas Powell, on which he lived until his death. His widow survived him about eighteen years, dying at seventy-six years of age. Mr. Leavengood still resides on the old farm, a part of which constitutes the farm of Silas G.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana. B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903, pp. 547-549.

JONATHAN R. LEE, one of the oldest residents of Wells county, now living a life of honorable retirement, is a native of Miami county, Ohio, born on the 2nd day of December, 1822. His father, William Lee, an early settler of Ohio, was a native of Virginia, as was also the mother, whose name before marriage was Martha Little. These parents were married in Virginia and for a few years thereafter lived in that state, Mr. Lee followed the shoemaker's trade for a livelihood. Thinking to better his financial condition further west, William Lee moved to Piqua, Miami county, Ohio, where he ran a shoe shop about five years and at the expiration of that time engaged in agricultural pursuits in the county of Clark. About the year 1847 he took up his residence in the newly settled county of Delaware, Indiana, where he entered a tract of land and began the work of clearing a farm. After a few years there he disposed of his place and purchased land in the county of Wabash, where in due time he cleared a large farm and became well-to-do financially. Subsequently he sold out and moved to Huntington county where he lived the remainder of his days, dying on his farm, a short distance east of the city of Huntington, after reaching a good old age. His first wife, the mother of the subject of this sketch, died in Piqua, Ohio, and later he entered into the marriage relation with Margaret Haney, who survived him a number of years.

To William and Martha Lee were born four children, namely: Margaret, deceased; Jane, widow of Abram Seamore; Jonathan R., and Martha, who died in childhood. By his second wife Mr. Lee was the father of six children, five of whom are living at the present time: William; Samuel; Ezra; Catherine, widow of Daniel Haney; Jonas, the oldest of the second family, has been dead a number of years; Jacob, died in the Civil war, and Susannah, also dead.

The early life of Jonathan R. Lee was spent on a farm in Clark county, Ohio, and it was there that he received his educational training in the subscription schools, attending the same until about fifteen years old. He then accompanied his parents to Indiana and for a number of years thereafter his life was closely identified with the pioneer period of Delaware county. He assisted his father to build a small log cabin on the latter's place and though but a lad of fifteen did his full share in cutting down timber, piling logs and other hard work necessary to clear land and fit it for cultivation. He also met with many interesting incidents peculiar to life in the backwoods, one of which was the killing of a large deer, with a gun which his father had forbidden him to take from the house, thinking such weapons dangerous in the hands of a lad unexperienced in their use.

Mr. Lee grew up a strong and vigorous young man and was able to do his full share of clearing, cutting wood and other hard work long before attaining his majority. In 1842, when twenty years old, he was united in the bonds of wedlock to Miss Susana Banter, of Virginia, and immediately thereafter commenced farming on rented land in Delaware county, where he spent the first two years of his married life. At the end of that time he bought forty acres of unimproved land in Wells county, for which he agreed to pay the sum of one hundred and fifteen dollars, going in debt for the greater part of the amount. Erecting a small log cabin of the most primitive pattern, eighteen by twenty feet in size, he and his good wife set up their domestic establishment, cheered by a sense of ownership such as their previous experience had not brought to them. He then addressed himself to the larger task of clearing his place and by dint of hard work, frequently prolonged far into the night, prepared for cultivation the first spring about six acres, which were planted in corn. Between attending his crop and clearing, during the following summer he increased the area of cultivatable ground so that by fall he was enabled to sow quite a number of acres in wheat which in due season yielded bountiful returns. Meantime from the sale of such products as could be spared and by trading in live stock he greatly reduced the debt on his farm and it was not long until the place was entirely free of incumbrance (sic). Six years after locating in Wells county he was able to purchase other land and from that time on he continued to add to his real estate until he became the owner of about four hundred acres, the greater part of which was brought to a high state of cultivation. After his boys married and left home and Mr. Lee by reason of advanced age was no longer able to run his farm, he divided the estate among his eight children, giving to each forty acres and retaining eighty acres for his own use. As a farmer he early took high rank in his township, having always been a man of progressive ideas and sound judgement in matters pertaining to the pursuit of agriculture. He also achieved an enviable reputation as a raiser of fine horses and in this way made the greater part of his wealth; there was always a great demand for his horses, as they were of superior breeds and well calculated for draft and general farming purposes. Later in life he devoted considerable attention to the raising of fine hogs, in which he was also successful, adding very materially to his income from this source alone.

After a happy married life of a half century's duration, Mrs. Lee entered into rest on the 17th day of March, 1894. She was a most faithful and loving companion and true helpmeet to her husband during the long period they lived together, ministering to him in times of suffering, encouraging him when the world looked dark, and contributing to his success in the days of his prosperity. She bore him eight children, all of whom are living at this writing (1902): their names are William, a prosperous farmer of Jackson township, this county; Elizabeth, wife of Samuel H. Palmer, also a resident of Jackson; Margaret, widow of the late Philip Elkin and, since the latter's death a number of years ago, her father's devoted companion, especially since the death of Mrs. Lee; she is the mother of one son, Daniel K., who was nine months old when his father died, but since that time he has made his home with his grandfather whose interests he now looks after with the most filial regard; he married Miss Emma Kiser; Lucy J., the next in order of birth, married Meredith Capper, a farmer and stockraiser (sic) of Pulaski county; John, a teacher, married Miss Montry C. Kilander; George W. is a resident of Jackson township; Sarah A. is the wife of Thomas Morris and lives at Mt. Zion, this county; the youngest member of the family is Mary, now the wife of George McFarland, a well known resident of the county of Wells. All the children of Mr. Lee are honorable, upright citizens of integrity of character and occupy enviable positions in the several communities in which they have resided.

Mr. Lee has passed the eightieth milestone on life's journey, but is remarkably active for one his age, being able to get about with comparative ease, also retaining to a marked degree the possession of his mental powers. His coming here and the settlement of this township were almost coeval events and to much of its growth and prosperity it is indebted to him. He has been a western man in the broad sense of the term, and is one of the few left to tell the story of the struggles, adversities and final successes of the pioneers to whom the people of the present day owe such a deep debt of gratitude. Forty years ago Mr. Lee, with his good wife, joined the Universalist church and commenced the Christian life that has characterized him ever since. Born and reared a Democrat, he faithfully upheld the traditions and doctrines of that political faith until the organization of the Greenback party when he gave his allegiance to the latter, firmly believing the financial policy which it advocated to be for the best interest of the American people. Of late years he has paid little attention to politics, voting for men and principle rather than at the dictates of party leaders. Throughout his entire career he has tried to live up to his ideal of right, in view of which fact there is nothing in the future that he need fear.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana. B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903, p. 176.
Transcribed by Earl W. Hoffman

MINOS WINFIELD LEE, junior member of the law firm of France & Lee, of Bluffton, was born November 17, 1853, in Wayne County, Indiana, but was reared in Randolph County. He remained on the home farm until eighteen years of age, and up to that time had attended the district schools of his neighborhood. At the age of eighteen years he entered the high school at Winchester, Randolph County, from which he graduated in the class of 1873. In 1874 be attended the Lebanon College, at Lebanon, Ohio, and during 1875 and '76 he attended the Normal School at Winchester, and during this time read law in the evenings, under General Thomas M. Brown and John E. Neff, of Winchester. Mr. Lee was married near Huntsville, in Randolph County, May 22, 1876, to Miss Phoebe E. Gaddis, a daughter of Elisha P. and Lydia E. (Macy) Gaddis. Of the three children born to this union only one is living, named Roscoe H. Lena A. died in infancy August 27, 1879, and Arthur E. died September 16, 1882, aged over two years. Mr. Lee was admitted to the bar at Muncie, Indiana, in 1880, where he practiced law until 1881. He then came to Bluffton and was engaged in the practice of his chosen profession alone until 1884, when he formed a partnership with C. M. France, with whom he has since been associated under the firm name of France & Lee. In politics Mr. Lee was formerly a Greenbacker, but in 1885, seeing the inevitable dissolution of that party, he became a Democrat. In 1878 he was a candidate for Congress as the nominee of the Greenback party for the Sixth District, receiving the largest vote on the Greenback ticket. In 1882 he was nominated on the same ticket for Attorney-General for the State of Indiana, receiving a very complimentary vote. In 1884 he was again the nominee of the Greenback party for Congressman for the Eleventh District, which he declined to accept. Mr. Lee is a member of Muncie Lodge, No. 137, K. of P., of Muncie. In her religious faith Mrs. Lee is a Universalist, and belongs to the church of that denomination at Bluffton.

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

To the present generation of Wells County at least William A. Lee is a citizen too well known to require any introduction. He has been a resident of the county practically all his life, has been a farmer, educator, lawyer and deputy prosecutor and represents one of the old and substantial names of this section of Indiana.

He was born in Nottingham Township August 20, 1855, a son of Alexander and Susanna (Tracy) Lee. His father was born in Virginia September 5, 1824 and the mother in Perry County, Ohio in 1828. Alexander Lee settled in Wells County at an early day, and acquired a substantial property as a farmer and was also honored with the office of county commissioner and for many years he was a leader in the Methodist Episcopal Church at Poneto. He was Sunday School superintendent there for over sixteen years. His death occurred in 1907 and his wife passed away in 1897. They had ten children, six of whom are still living.

William A. Lee spent his boyhood days on a farm, got his education in district schools, and attended the County Normal at Bluffton. When only seventeen he was granted his first license as a teacher, and he taught school in this county until 1882. While teaching he took up the study of law, and for a number of years he also filled the office of justice of the peace. He has been in active practice since 1898, and has filled the office of deputy prosecuting attorney since the election of Aaron Waltz to the office of chief prosecutor. Mr Lee also owns 100 acres of land constituting a good farm, and has many interests that identify from with the county of his nativity.

On December 29, 1880, he married Miss Emma R. McFarren, who was born in Wells County, youngest sister of the prominent Bluffton business man, George E. McFarren. Mr. and Mrs. Lee have three children. Carl A., who acquired a good education in the common schools and in a commercial college, was a teacher but is now a practical farmer. He married Cecile Kiser. Grace S. was a teacher for a number of years and is now the wife of Levi J. Nutter. Ralph C. married Grace Fleming and lives in Nottingham Township. Mr. William A Lee is an active democrat and has always been affiliated with the party in his political efforts.

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. 553-554.
Contributed by Dawn Maddox Montgomery

Education and financial assistance are very important factors in achieving success in the business world of today, where every faculty must be brought into play, but they are not the main elements. Persistency and determination figure much more prominently, and a man possessed of these qualities is bound to win a fair amount of success. Adolph Leimgruber, whose name forms the caption for this article, is self-educated and during the latter years of his life he has climbed to a high place on the ladder of achievement. For the past two years he has been a resident of Bluffton, where he is engaged most profitably in the manufacture and distribution of ice, his plant being known as the Bluffton Pure Ice Company.

Adolph Leimgruber was born in Perry County, Indiana, December 30, 1864, and he is a son of Sebastian and Julia Ann Leimgruber, both natives of Switzerland. As a boy Mr. Leimgruber attended the public schools of Tell City and he resided in that place until his marriage in 1889, when he located at Greensburg, Indiana, where he was successfully engaged in the ice business for a period of nineteen years. In 1908 he moved to Attica, Indiana, there erecting an ice plant, which he disposed of four years later. He then settled in London, Ohio, whence he came to Bluffton in November, 1915. Here he purchased the site of the old washing-machine factory from the Mike Long estate and on the same erected a substantial and up-to-date building for the manufacture of ice. The company, of which he is head, is known at the Bluffton Pure Ice Company and it is more than a local enterprise, as ice is shipped to many of the towns and cities adjacent to Bluffton. The plant runs day and night and has an output of twenty-five tons in twenty-four hours. During the short time he has been a resident of Bluffton Mr. Leimgruber has gained a reputation for square and straightforward business methods and his enterprise is a welcome adjunct to the other industries of this section.

In 1889, in Tell City, Indiana, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Leimgruber to Miss Ann Fromer, who was born in Ripley County, Indiana, and educated in the local parochial schools. Sever children were born of this union, one of whom, a son, is deceased. Following are the names of the other children: Herman, Lillian, August, Lawrence, Christena, and Geraldine.

Mr. Leimgruber believes in the principles set forth by the republican party, but in voting maintains an independent attitude, preferring to give his support to the man rather than to the party. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Catholic Knights of America and the Greensburg Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Eagles. He and his wife are devout communicants of the Catholic Church, in which faith they have reared their children. Mr. Leimgruber is a man of marked enterprise and his success in life is due to his own well-directed endeavors. He is warm hearted and generous in disposition, is fond of home life and is held in high esteem by all who know him.

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. 483-484.
Contributed by Nola Rains

George Leist, who stands among the up-to-date farmers of Wells county, is a native son of the Hoosier state, having been born in Harrison township on the 2d of February, 1843. His parents, Henry G. and Leah (Loy) Leist, were natives of Pickaway county, Ohio, and were there married. In 1842 they came to Wells county and entered a tract of land near Reiffsburg, the place on which Reuben Stout now resides. The land was at that time covered with a heavy growth of timber, which he succeeded in clearing away and creating for his family a comfortable home. He and his wife resided on this place until their deaths and during their long residence there they retained the warm friendship and regard of a large circle of friends. Politically he was affiliated with the Democratic party. His religious creed was that of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he was a loyal and consistent member. He was the father of six children, Jacob, Sarah, Elizabeth, Catherine, Mary, deceased, and George.

George Leist was reared upon the parental homestead and in the subscription schools of the neighborhood attained his education. He bore his full share in the cultivation of the farm and remained at home until he was thirty-seven years old, farming for his father as well as on his own land. In 1893 he bought the farm west of Bluffton, on which he now resides, and has since been solely engaged in its cultivation.

On the 11th of March, 1880, Mr. Leist was united in marriage with Miss Susan Myers, the daughter of Michael Myers, and to their union have come six children, Lulu, Arlia, John, Gracie, Laura and Clara, deceased. In political matters Mr. Leist's vote and influence are cast in favor of the Democratic party, though he does not seek official distinction. He is a man of pleasing presence, genial in manner and conversation and his social qualities as well as his sterling characteristics have made him popular with a large class of citizens. Mr. Leist is a reader and thinker, is well informed on general topics and spares no pains to keep himself in touch with the trend of modern thought. A close observer of current events, he has well defined opinions upon political, economic, sociological and kindred subjects. He is an honest, straightforward and conscientious man in all his dealings, and it is with pleasure that this brief synopsis of his life and tribue (sic) to his worth as a factor in his community is given a place in this volume.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana. B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903, pp. 521-522.

Jacob Lesh is a native of Pennsylvania and was born in Berks county, September 25, 1835, but has lived in Wells county, Indiana, since he was thirteen years old, when he was brought hither by his parents. The Lesh family is of German origin, but the ancestors of the family from which the gentleman whose name opens this sketch descends, were among the early settlers of the Keystone state. It may be added, as a matter of honor to the Lesh family, that the grandfather of Jacob Lesh, Peter Lesh, was a participant in the war of the American Revolution. John Lesh, the father of the subject, was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, in the year 1800. He married Miss Mary Snavely, who was a native of Lebanon county, the same state. She bore him six children, namely: Elizabeth, John, Jacob, Peter, Jonas and Daniel, twins, all of whom are now deceased except the subject. The mother of this family died when the subject was a small boy, and the father subsequently married Harriet McAfee, who bore him eight children, viz: Sarah, Catherine, deceased; Prescilla (sic), deceased; Samuel, deceased; James, Susan, Matilda and George W. After his father's death, John Lesh bought the old homestead, which he subsequently sold, and in 1848 moved to Indiana. He came by wagon and was twenty-one days on the road, finally reaching Union City, whence he came to Rock Creek township, Wells county. Here he settled on eighty acres of land which he had purchased the year previous for nine hundred dollars and on which was a hewed-log house. Thirty acres had been placed under cultivation, and it was on this farm that he passed the remainder of his life, dying in 1864, in the faith of the Lutheran church. He was a Democrat in politics and always took an active interest in the success of his party, though never aspiring to public office. He was an honest, enterprising and hard working man, and was highly respected by all who knew him.

Jacob Lesh was educated in the district schools of Wells county and assisted on the home farm until twenty-one years old. He then worked at the carpenter's trade, which he thoroughly learned. Later he purchased a threshing machine, and still later bought eighty acres of land, the farm on which he now resides.

At the age of twenty-five years, Jacob Lesh married Miss Mary A. Gregg, a sister of the late W. H. Gregg, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this volume. Mr. Lesh, at his marriage, erected a small house, in which there was born to him one daughter, Mary L., now the wife of A. J. Miller, and in which Mrs. Lesh died. The second marriage of Mr. Lesh took place November 9, 1872, to Miss Elizabeth Gilbert, a daughter of Martin and Lydia A. (Houtz) Gilbert, and who was born in Rock Creek township, Wells county, Indiana, October 6, 1852. To this union have been born six children, namely: Charles E., born April 3, 1875, but now deceased; George L., born August 8, 1877, is married to Clara Farling and is farming in Rock Creek township; Fred C., born June 22, 1881, received his preliminary education in the district schools and was subsequently graduated from the Northern Indiana Normal School and Business College at Valparaiso; Henry A., who was born March 29, 1884, was graduated from the common schools in 1901, and is now a teacher in Chester township; Maggie C. was born September 29, 1887 and Jessie Esther, July 5, 1893. Mrs. Lesh is a member of St. Paul's Lutheran church in Rock Creek township, and in politics Mr. Lesh is a Democrat. No family is more highly respected than that of Mr. and Mrs. Lesh, and if an upright and useful life entitles them to the high regard in which they are held, it may truthfully be said that no family is better entitled to it. Such people are a credit to any community.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana. B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903, pp. 445-446.

JOSEPH LESH, a successful agriculturist of Rock Creek Township, engaged in farming and stock-raising on section 9, was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania, March 29, 1835. His parents, John and Elizabeth (Ulrich) Lesh, were natives of Pennsylvania and of German ancestry. They had a family of twelve children, of whom nine are still living. Of this family our subject was the seventh son and tenth child. He was reared on a farm in his native county until 1850, when he came with his parents to Wells County, Indiana, they locating on a tract of unimproved land on section 17, Rock Creek Township. Here his father purchased sixty acres, which he cleared and improved, making his home on this land until his death, which occurred in January, 1864, at the age of sixty-two years. His widow survived until May, 1881, dying at the advanced age of eighty-three years. She was an active and consistent member of the German Reformed church.

Joseph Lesh was fifteen years of age when he came with his parents to Wells County. He lived on the home farm in Rock Creek Township until 1856, when he went to Murray, Wells County, and began clerking in the store of Hiram Hatfield, where he remained two years. He then went to Bluffton, and was employed by George Arnold for one year, when he went to Markle and engaged in the mercantile business with his former employer, Mr. Hatfield. A year later he purchased his partner's interest and continued the business four years. In 1864 he sold out the business and purchased a small farm on section 9, where he has since followed farming, and by his own efforts has accumulated his present fine property, which consists of 420 acres of well improved and highly cultivated land, the result of persevering, industry and good management.

Mr. Lesh was married October 4, 1860, to Miss Sarah Lesh, a daughter of John and Harriet (McAffee) Lesh, who came from Berks County, Pennsylvania, to Wells County, Indiana, in 1847. Eight children have been born to this union-Daniel W., Douglas A., Quilla, Priscilla (died aged five months), Sylvester, Ulysses S., Lincoln and John E. Mr. and Mrs. Lesh are and have been members of the Evangelical Lutheran church since 1861. In politics Mr. Lesh is a Republican. At present he is serving as secretary for the Rock Creek Fire Insurance Company, and also for the Rock Creek Detective Association.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 939-940.

Many of the most thriving and enterprising agriculturists of Adams County have come across the sea, and having brought to their new homes the habits of industry and thrift common to their countrymen have won success in their ventures. Prominent among, the number is Benedickt Liniger, of Preble Township, a progressive and prosperous farmer, and a man of far more than average business ability and judgment. He was born, May 18,1858, in Berne, Switzerland, a son of Christian and Magdalena Liniger.

Joseph Lesh was fifteen years of age when he came with his parents to Wells County. He lived on the home farm in Rock Creek Township until 1856, when he went to Murray, Wells County, and began clerking in the store of Hiram Hatfield, where he remained two years. He then went to Bluffton, and was employed by George Arnold for one year, when he went to Markle and engaged in the mercantile business with his former employer, Mr. Hatfield. A year later he purchased his partner's interest and continued the business four years. In 1864 he sold out the business and purchased a small farm on section 9, where he has since followed farming, and by his own efforts has accumulated his present fine property, which consists of 420 acres of well improved and highly cultivated land, the result of persevering, industry and good management.

Mr. Liniger married Christina Dettinger, who was born in Ohio, December 22, 1861, a daughter of John and Mary Dettinger, who reared the following named children: Margaret; Eliza; Christina; Jacob; John, deceased; Caroline; Samuel; Charles; Mary; Rose; Wilson; and Emma. Ten children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Liniger, namely: Emma, who married Burt Weaver of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and has one child, Norma; Fred; Frank, deceased; Daniel; Charles; Julia; Frank; Harvey; Paulina, deceased; and Rodger. Mr. and Mrs. Liniger are active members of the Reformed Church.

Standard history of Adams and Wells Counties, Indiana. Tyndall, John W. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, 1918, p. 900.
Transcribed by Karin King

HENRY W. LIPKEY, merchant at Uniondale, was born in Union Township January 2, 1859, son of Henry and Rachel (Crum) Lipkey. The father was born in Brooke County, Virginia, and removed to Mahoning County, Ohio, where he was married and where four of his children were born - Charles, Mary, William and Amos (deceased). James, Elizabeth, Austin, Rachel, Wesley, Margaret, Daniel and Henry were born in Union Township, this county. They settled upon the farm now occupied by the mother, about 1857. James married Martha Longshore, and they have two children--Jesse and Hattie; Elizabeth became the wife of George W. Black, and they have two children-Hubert and Minnie; William married Mollie Friedlein, and their children are Clifford and Nova. Charles manages the farm, and the mother and Mary make their home with him. Austin, Rachel, Wesley, Margaret and Daniel are deceased. Henry was educated in Union Township, and when fourteen years of age began business for himself. He was the pioneer merchant of Uniondale, and the first business house was built by him. This was then a country cross-road, and no thought had existed that an enterprising village would in a few years mark the site now inside the boundary of Uniondale. His stock of goods was of a general character, and the growth of the town made him a fine trade. From the small investment of a few dollars the trade has increased until a large stock of merchandise now graces the shelves. In November, 1883, a partnership was formed with Mr. William Newhard, which has continued to the present time. January 25, 1886, he was appointed postmaster, and was the first postmaster of Uniondale. He was the first appointed ticket agent of the Chicago & Atlantic Railroad Company at this village, and from the very first has been identified with the business interests of Uniondale.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, p. 675.

WILLIAM LIPKEY, a prominent agriculturalist of Union Township, with whose interests he has been identified for many years, was born in Brooke County, Virginia, May 26, 1822, a son of Charles and Margaret (Crow) Lipkey, the father having served as a soldier during the war of 1812. He was the only son in a family of six children of Henry and Mary Ann Lipkey, and was of German descent, his father, Henry Lipkey, coming from Germany when sixteen years of age. He was a soldier during the war of the Revolution. Charles and Margaret Lipkey were the parents of the following children-Henry, who died leaving a family of four sons and two daughters; Philip, Charles (deceased), Margaret Jane, deceased, wife of Edward Meacham, left at her death two sons; Elizabeth married George Clemmens, and has three sons; Rachel and Catherine died unmarried, and William, the subject of this sketch. In September, 1822, the parents removed with their family from Virginia to Trumbull County, Ohio, and there our subject spent his boyhood and early manhood in agricultural pursuits.

In 1848 he started on foot with knapsack on his back, from Trumbull County, and in this way traveled to Wells County, Indiana, and pre-empted the land on which he now resides, being the southeast quarter of section 13, township 28 north, range 11 east. Mr. Lipkey was married February 1, 1854, to Miss Belinda S. Lewis, a daughter of Wheeler and Abiah Lewis, of Connecticut. Mr. and Mrs. Lipkey joined the Methodist Episcopal church in December, 1856, and became active, earnest members and liberal supporters of the Christian religion. Mrs. Lipkey was for many years an invalid, yet peacefully and quietly awaited the end of her earthly pilgrimage, and died in the blessed hope of a glorious immortality, November 7, 1886. Mr. Lipkey has been a member of the quarterly conference of his church for nearly thirty years, either as trustee, steward, classleader or superintendent of the Sabbath-school. He is one of the public-spirited, enterprising citizens of Wells County, and is always ready to assist in all things that may add to the welfare of the people. He is frequently called upon to act as executor, administrator or guardian, and is always found to be efficient, capable and honest, and is a man highly respected by all who know him, for his uprightness of character. He is a good neighbor, a trustworthy friend and a Christian gentleman. In his political views he is a Republican. He is a member of the Masonic lodge, belonging to Ossian Lodge, No. 297.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, p. 810.

Prominent among the leading citizens of Union township, Wells county, Indiana, stands William Lipkey, who was born in Brooke county, Virginia (now West Virginia), May 26, 1822, a son of Charles and Margaret (Crow) Lipkey, of remote German descent and of ante-Revolutionary citizenship. Charles Lipkey, father of William and a soldier of the war of 1812, was the only son in a family of six children born to Henry and Mary A. Lipkey, the former of whom was the first of the family to come from Germany to America. Henry Lipkey was but sixteen years old when he arrived in the colonies, but at once espoused the cause of freedom and served as a private soldier in the army of the patriots until the glorious end had been achieved. To Charles and Margaret (Crow) Lipkey were born three sons and three daughters, viz: Philip and Charles, deceased; Margaret, now deceased, was the wife of Edward Meacham, and left two sons; Elizabeth was the wife of George Clemmens; Rachel died unmarried; William is the subject proper of this sketch. In September, 1822, Charles Lipkey moved from Brooke county, Virginia, to Trumbull county, Ohio, where young William was reared on his father's farm, and where he acquired as fair an education as that early day afforded. At the proper age he went out to work by the month and found employment at various occupations until he had amassed a small sum of cash, and then started out on foot for the West. When he reached Wells county, Indiana, he entered the land on a part of which he still resides. He continued to add to his original tract until he became the owner of one hundred and eighty acres of well-improved property in Union township, and has here made his home continuously since 1856. He is today one of the most honored of the township's citizens, having devoted his best energies to the development of the resources of the country and the prosperity of the community in which he has lived for more than half a century.

Mr. Lipkey has ever been among the foremost in advocating public improvements and was one of the first to agitate the project and petition for the building of the road that runs east and west through the center of Union township, from the Indianapolis pike to the George Glass farm, which petition was granted in March, 1849, the line being surveyed by the then county surveyor, George Mann. Mr. Lipkey has always interested himself in these affairs and his judgment is implicitly relied upon by his fellow citizens who time and again have selected him as administrator of very important estates.

February 1, 1854, William Lipkey was joined in marriage with Miss Belinda Lewis, daughter of Wheeler and Abiah Lewis, of Connecticut. Although no offspring has blessed this union, Mr. and Mrs. Lipkey's hearts warm toward the orphan and they have reared, or partly reared, six children, born to others, viz: Margaret Lipkey, who at the age of two years, was taken to their home, but who, at the age of fourteen was most untimely called away; Jennie Dick, at the age of fourteen, won the affection of Mr. and Mrs. Lipkey, and by them was reared until her marriage to Thomas Lepper; she died at twenty-nine years of age; James Lipkey was but ten years old when in the fall of 1865 he found a place in the hearts of Mr. and Mrs. Lipkey; he is still an inmate of the old homestead, operating the farm, and is married to Martha J. Longshore; they have two children, Jesse W. and Hattie A., and lost one, William H., in infancy; Frances McDermott was taken by Mr. and Mrs. Lipkey in the fall of 1866, when she was about four years old, and is now the wife of Ira Longshore; Annie Fry was next adopted, at fourteen, but she, too, passed away aged twenty-one, and Frank McMullen lived with Mr. and Mrs. Lipkey six years, from the age of ten. To each of these children who were married Mr. Lipkey donated sufficient means for a start in life, and there probably exists nowhere in the township or county a similar instance of munificence.

Mr. and Mrs. Lipkey united with the Methodist Episcopal church in December, 1856, and have ever been earnest and active in their work for this denomination. They are liberal contributors financially toward its maintenance and rejoice in its prosperity and the spread of its teachings. Mr. Lipkey has been officially connected with the church as trustee since 1861 and class leader for forty-two years thus showing the sincerity of his faith and the kindness of his heart in acts innumerable. He has been a member of the quarterly conference since 1856, and for several years has served as Sunday school superintendent. Fraternally he is a member of Ossian Lodge No. 297, F. & A. M., and politically he is one of the leading and most substantial Republicans of Union township and Wells county. Mrs. Lipkey, it is sad to add, was for many years an invalid, and Mr. Lipkey, with his usual patience and charity of disposition, cared for her until she passed into the silent land, November 7, 1886.

Mr. Lipkey in his youth did not have the opportunity of obtaining a very complete education, the ordinary grade of arithmetic being the highest study in the school curriculum in his day and neighborhood. The school house was of the common type of the period, with slab benches, greased-paper windows and other rude accommodations. During his long life Mr. Lipkey has contributed toward the erection of eight church buildings, seven in Wells county and one in Allen county, and has in many other ways exhibited a lively interest in the welfare of those about him.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana. B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903, pp. 368-370.

The steady, plodding, persistent boy is the one who almost invariably makes the best success in life. The eager, dashing, brilliant lad may accomplish much by a single bold stroke, but there is too much of chance in such ventures. It is the youth who makes each period of time speak for itself and all of them to speak well in his behalf, who always has most to show for the days, weeks and months that have elapsed. John Lobsiger, of Harrison township, Wells county, the subject of this sketch, is steady, plodding and persistent. He has been twenty-nine years in America and has something of value to show for each year.

July 30, 1861, John Lobsiger was born in Switzerland, the son of John and Elizabeth (Waible) Lobsiger. They and their ancestors, for many generations, were natives of that oldest republic on earth. In his native land, John, the father of the subject, was a laborer, who by hard work established himself in comfortable circumstances and, as is generally the case, just about the time he began to be prepared to enjoy life, died. His widow mourned her loss for a suitable period and cared for her little, son, John, the subject, then consoled herself by accepting a second husband. In 1873 she came to America, bringing with her her little son, and settled near Vera Cruz, Wells county. Here the lad, although but twelve years old, began working by the month as a farm hand. In 1878 he entered the employment of John L. Steiner and after working for him by the month for a year, although then but eighteen years of age, he rented the farm, and did so well with it that it was leased to him year after year for eighteen years. In 1885 he was united in marriage to Miss Eliza Dettinger, a young lady of Van Wert county, Ohio, who was born July 4, 1861, but had moved with her parents to Wells county in 1873, where she resided up to the time of her marriage. In his wedded state, as during single blessedness, John continued frugal and provident, gradually increasing his yearly income and year by year adding to his material possessions. He and his wife are the parents of four children, viz: Rosa, born April 10,1887; Harry, born April 30, 1889; Robert L., born October 6, 1890; Martin, born April 4, 1892. The children are all intelligent, apt in their studies at school, and give promise of being useful, worthy citizens.

In politics Mr. Lobsiger is a Democrat, a firm believer in the tenets of that political creed and during each and every campaign exerts himself for the advancement of the cause. He has never sought office for himself and desires no official position at the hands of his party, but generally there is some man upon his party ticket to whom his special zeal is accorded and even if there should not be, he is none the less interested in the result. He has been a resident of Vera Cruz since 1896, is a member of the lodge of Knights of Fidelity and is generally regarded as a worthy and estimable citizen He is a man of kind disposition and generous impulses, a faithful husband, kind father, a true and sincere friend. He is still, comparatively speaking, a young man, and those who know him best predict for him a most brilliant future. Mild mannered, calm and dispassionate, no judge ever set upon the bench who considers every question which arises with more cool deliberation than he does. Every feature of a proposition is looked at before he decides and when he does decide he is always true to his convictions. It is through the injection of such blood that the American is beginning to dominate the earth.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana. B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903, pp. 365-366.

G. A. LOCKWOOD, farmer, Nottingham Township, was born in Madison County, Ohio, October 31, 1838, son of Alonzo and Eliza (Stanley) Lockwood. His father is a native of the State of Maine, and followed boating while in that State. His mother is a native of Ohio. When he was eight years of age his parents removed to this county and located in Nottinghamn Township, where they still reside. He was reared to manhood in this county, and has always lived here since his first advent here. He purchased forty acres of land where he now resides in 1859, and has since added to it until he now has 120 acres. He was married in Wells County, July 14, 1859, to Miss E. Schooley, born in Martin County, Indiana, and a daughter of Harvey and Mary (Mitchell) Schooley, who reside in Nottingham Township. His children were ten in number, of whom seven are living-Mary Eliza, wife of Thaddeus Hurst; Alice Albina, wife of Peter Shoemaker; William Ulysses, Lita, Harvey, Oliver and Thaddeus. The deceased are-Litha, Henry Stanley and an infant unnamed.

Mr. Lockwood enlisted in the service of the Union in October, 1864, as a member of Company K, Fifty-third Indiana Infantry, and was assigned to the Seventeenth Army Corps, under General Sherman. He went to the front at Nashville, thence to Dalton, Georgia, thence to Nashville again, thence to Pittsburg and Baltimore, thence by ship to Morehead City, North Carolina, thence to Kingston, where they drove the rebels to Goldsborough, thence to Raleigh to meet Johnston; but after the line of battle was formed, Johnston refused to fight and laid down his arms. Mr. Lockwood then went to Richmond, thence to Louisville, where he was mustered out, and was discharged the 21st of July, 1865, and returned home. Politically Mr. Lockwood has been identified with the Republican party since the Rebellion.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 687-688.

JOHN STANLEY LOCKWOOD, farmer, Nottingham Township, was born in Champaign County, Ohio, February 2, 1844, son of Alonzo and Eliza (Stanley) Lockwood. His father was born in the State of Maine, and followed boating during his residence in that State and previous to his removal to Ohio. In 1848 the family removed to Indiana, locating in Nottingham Township, Wells County, where they still reside. Here John Stanley, or Stanley, as he is usually called, was reared to manhood, and has always made his home in Nottingham Township since coming to the county. In 1865 his father gave him forty acres of land, which he afterward sold, and bought eighty acres where he now lives, to which he has since added forty acres more. The land was covered by a heavy growth of timber when he purchased it; he now has about eighty-five acres cleared. May 1, 1865, he was married to Miss Margaret E. Gibson, born in Noble County, this State, and a daughter of George W. and Mary (Michaels) Gibson. Her parents died in Noble County when she was a child, and she was reared by her uncle in Champaign County, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Lockwood have had six children, four of whom are living-John Wilbur, Eva Janetta, William Ulysses and Pearl Edwin; the deceased are Hettie Mevilla and Rosetta.

In 1864 Mr. Lockwood volunteered his services in behalf of the Union, and on the 1st day of March became a member of Company A, Forty-seventh Indiana Infantry. He joined his regiment in this county, its members being home on a veteran furlough, and went with it directly to the front, and ten days after leaving Indianapolis they met the rebels at Alexandria, Louisiana. He remained with his regiment in Arkansas, Tennessee and Louisiana until after the battles of Forts Spanish and Blakely, and the capture of Mobile, which was the last engagement of the civil war. He was mustered out at Baton Rouge, discharged there October 23, 1865, and returned home via Cairo and Indianapolis. He lost his health in the service, and has never entirely recovered. Politically he is a Republican.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 711-712.

Sylvester Lounsberry, farmer, was born in Jackson Township, Wells County, Indiana, the date of his birth being March 6, 1844. His parents, Smith and Sallie J. (Tomlinson) Lounsberry, were both natives of Connecticut. They left their native State for Coshocton County, Ohio, removing thence to Grant County, Indiana, and from there came to Wells County, about the year 1840, locating across the river from the present home of our subject, where the father entered 400 acres of land. There the father died in 1857, his widow surviving him until the year 1868. They were the parents of seven children.

Sylvester Lounsberry, the subject of this sketch, was reared to the avocation of a farmer in his native township, his father being a farmer by occupation. He was united in marriage in March, 1877, to Miss Mahala C. Matlack, a daughter of William and Catherine Matlack, and to this union have been born two children, named Wells and Ralph. Mr. Lounsberry made his first purchase of land in 1883, and by industry and good management he has acquired 173 acres of choice land. In his political views he affiliates with the Democratic party. He is well known and much respected throughout the county, and has filled several local offices with credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents. In 1879 he was elected county commissioner, assuming the duties of that office in December of that year, and he has also served as township assessor and land appraiser.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 903-904.
Contributed by Tammy Rable

Sylvester Lounsbury was born March 5, 1844, in Jackson township, Wells county, Indiana, in sight of the place where he now lives. His parents, Smith Lounsbury, born in 1801, and Jeannett (Tomlinson) Lounsberry, born in 1804, were natives of the state of Connecticut. After Smith's marriage he first settled in Connecticut, engaged in farm work, remaining there until the year 1831, when he emigrated with his family to Coshocton county, Ohio, where he remained about two years. At that time; about 1833, he removed to Marion, Grant county, Indiana, when one or two log cabins constituted all there was of the now bustling and important city on the banks of the Mississinewa. About 1840 he moved onto the Salimonie river in Wells county, and here entered at one time about four hundred acres of land in the woods. There were no roads at this time, but bridle paths led from Marion to his new possessions. In going to and returning from Ft. Wayne, Indiana, where the land office was then located, he would lie down and sleep in the woods beside the path when and wherever night would overtake him. Smith Lounsbury was the father of seven children, three of whom are yet living: Jane, born in Connecticut February 16, 1825, deceased; Truman, born in Connecticut, January 9, 1828, deceased; Nathan, born in Connecticut July 8, 1830, deceased; Hannah, born in Ohio October 5, 1832; Matilda, born in Marion, Indiana, July 22, 1835, deceased; Henrietta, born November 3, 1837, on Sugar creek in Grant county, widow of J. I. McGrew, Montpelier, Indiana, who is now deceased; Sylvester, the subject, born on Salimonie river in Wells county.

The subject attended the district schools of Jackson township until he was twelve years of age. While he did not attend school after that early age, yet he is self-educated to an extent sufficient to enable him to attend to all kinds of business. He has been a commissioner of Wells county and is now serving as a justice of the peace and finds no difficulty in transacting the business appertaining to those positions. The elder Lounsbury died when the subject was but a child, and when the latter was seventeen years of age he assumed the management of the farm, remaining home, caring for and supporting his mother. He continued thus until he was about twenty years old, when he decided to do for himself, and went into Delaware county, working by the day and month three years in that and Henry county, spending also some time in this manner in Michigan. After working five years in this way, he returned home to again care for his mother and was with her until her death. The last two years of her life she was continually in a very poor state of health and the subject believes he spent five hundred nights during that time at her bedside, working on the farm during the daytime.

Sylvester Lounsbury was married March 10, 1877, to Mahala Matlack, who was born November 14, 1856, in Preble county, Ohio. She was a daughter of William and Catherine (Stambach) Matlack, William being a native of Pennsylvania and Catherine of Ohio. William was married and first settled in Ohio, but about the year 1857 they removed to Huntington county, Indiana, purchasing the old McFarren farm, on which they lived the remainder of their lives. William Matlack was the father of four children, all of whom are living: David T., farmer in Liberty township, Wells county, married Mary E. Priddy and is the father of two sons, George A. and Edward; Mary J. is the wife of Thomas Mounsey, a farmer of Liberty township, and is the mother of three children, Mahala, Debbie and Elna; Martha, wife of Thomas Weekly, a resident of Wells county, was first married to Palmer McKee, and is the mother of four children, David, Ida, William and Mattie; Mahala, the wife of the subject. Mrs. Lounsbury was but a child when brought to Huntington county by her parents, and she was here reared, receiving her education in the common schools. She is a lady of most pleasing address, of an affectionate nature, and has been a true and loving wife and mother. By her untiring efforts she has assisted largely in the erection of their cosy and comfortable home. After his marriage the subject settled on the farm he now occupies. He had at that time one hundred and twenty acres of land, on which he has since made many improvements and to which he has added by purchase two tracts of fifty-three acres and eighty acres respectively, and he now has a fine farm of two hundred and fifty-three acres in Wells county. He now has fourteen producing oil wells, which are probably yielding from sixty to sixty-five barrels of oil per day.

The subject devotes the greater part of his time to farming and especially to stockraising. He has handled some western horses and has been greatly interested in cattle, especially of the shorthorn variety. Of sheep he prefers the Shropshire breed. The subject is the father of eight children: Wells, born July 25, 1884, at home; Vaughn, born January 5, 1888, at home; Ralph, born May 15, 1886; Cletus, born February 16, 1890; Fern, born November 30, 1891; Earl, born February 5, 1893; Jeanette, born May 3, 1894; Winnie, born May 10, 1897.

Mr. Lounsbury has always acted with the Democratic party and is a firm believer in the principles of that organization. He was elected, by his party about 1880, as one of the commissioners of Wells county, and served for three years, his colleagues being Studabaker and John Sowards, who died soon after the subject became a member of the board, Ephraim Middaugh being appointed to the vacancy for the unexpired term. The first official business transacted after the subject became a member of the board was the letting of the contract for the Wells county jail. The first gravel roads in the county were built during his term of office. At about the same time the iron bridges in the county were also built, the old wooden bridges going down at that time and iron ones being generally substituted, the board advertising at one time for bids on as many as ten iron bridges for crossing streams in different parts of the county, but the board from some cause failed to receive a single bid on these bridges. The subject, as he says, "took the ox by the horns," contracted for the stone and hired men to build the bridges. Mr. Lounsbury was appointed and afterward elected assessor and land appraiser for Jackson township, in which capacity he served for three years. Since November, 1901, he has been serving as justice of the peace of his township.

It has been the lot of the subject of this sketch to live at a period of our national history which has enabled him to see many of the transitions of the country from that of the possession of simply the utilitarian necessities of a new country and a border civilization to that of the luxuries and culture which are the sequence of older and longer settled communities. His labors and experiences have partaken of the nature both of the pioneer and the recipients of the fruits of a yet earlier race of empire builders. Armed with the mental equipment secured in the common school, supported by the scant facilities of his early youth, he entered and bravely faced the battles of life. Deprived in childhood of a father's love and protection, he devoted years of his youth and young manhood to the filial care and support of his widowed mother. In the race of life, which his friends hope may not close for many years, his native ability, supplemented by his self improvement and united with his strength of character, has enabled him to win a competence and serve with honor in the several offices to which the esteem and confidence of his party friends has successively called him. He is a successful farmer and business man, a good citizen and neighbor and worthy of the high estimation in which he is held.

Mr. and Mrs. Lounsbury have in their possession several relics of "ye olden days," among which are two double coverlets, and a counterpane woven or made by Mrs. Lounsbury's mother. They also have copies of the oldest almanacs extant, one, published in 1816, having been published by Cotton and called "New Virginia Almanack ;" also an almanac of 1805, and a Bible printed about 1800.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana. B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903, pp. 140-143.

William C. Luckey was born in Clinton county, ohio, May 11, 1831. He purchased his farm in Liberty Township in 1861, it being entirely without improvements. He enlisted in his country’s service on July 26, 1862, becoming a member of the 75th Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He died at New Albany Hospital, December 11, 1862. His parents, William and Martha (Curry) Luckey, the former of whom is deceased, were residents of Huntington county, Indiana. His wife, Millicent, whose parents, Elisha and nancy (Morris) Sexton, reside in Fayette county, Ohio, was born in that county in the year 1835, and married in the same county in 1853?. Her four children are: Nancy (Lantis), born June 11, 1850?, resides in Liberty township; Sarah (Davy), December 22, 1858, resides in Huntington county, Indiana; Mary A., December 8, 1860; William E., May 31, 1862. The two latter reside at home. Business, farming. Address, Liberty Center.

Historical Hand-Atlas, With Complete Reference Map of the World, History of Wells Co., IN, Chicago & Toledo: H. H. Hardesty & Co., 1881, p. 215.

JOHN N. LUSK, one of the self-made men of Wells County, residing in Lancaster Township, on section 31, was born in Butler County, Ohio, May 12, 1829, a son of James and Julia A. (Beeler) Lusk, natives of Tennessee and Virginia respectively. They were married in Ohio, and to them were born three children, of whom John N. is the only one living. When he was a child his father died in Ohio, and his mother subsequently married Rev. D. H. Drummond, who died in Harrison Township, Wells County, about the year 1870. The mother now lives in Bluffton with Mrs. Ann Eliza Crosby, a daughter by her last marriage.

John N. Lusk, the subject of this sketch, was reared, after his father's death, by his maternal uncle, C. C. Beeler, in Union County, Indiana, his youth being spent in assisting his uncle on the farm and in attending school, receiving such education as the district schools of that early day afforded. At the age of twenty-one years he became his own master and began to do for himself, commencing with no capital but strong hands, industrious habits and a determination to succeed. A few years after reaching his majority he visited Wells County and purchased 160 acres of heavily timbered land on section 31, Lancaster Township, although he did not make his home in the county until several years later. He did some chopping on his land, and sold it a few years later, but subsequently purchased eighty acres in the same section, upon which his residence and farm buildings now stand.

Mr. Lusk was married January 24, 1861, to Miss Mary Jane Robinson, a native of Ohio, and a daughter of Alexander and Deborah Robinson. She died February 17, 1862, leaving one son named David Robinson, who died at the age of two years. For his second wife Mr. Lusk married Miss Martha E. Routh, August 23, 1866. She was born in Wayne County, Indiana, September 27, 1846, a daughter of John R. and Louisa Routh, who were natives of Ohio and North Carolina respectively. Her parents settled on section 29, Lancaster Township, in 1856, and improved a farm from the wilderness, where the father died in March, 1877. The mother now lives in Bluffton. They were the parents of eight children, of whom seven are yet living, Mrs. Lusk being the third child and eldest daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Lusk have two children, named Mary Jane and Charles R. After his first marriage Mr. Lusk settled on his parents' farm in Lancaster Township. He bought back eighty acres of his original purchase in Wells County, which makes the 160-acre farm he now owns, this being one of the best quarter sections in the township where he resides. He has 100 acres of his land well improved and under cultivation, the remaining sixty acres being reserved for timber. He is one of the active, progressive men of Lancaster Township, and is always interested in any movement for advancing public good.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 955-956.