August Karp was born January 28, 1842, in Hesse, Germany, and came to Monticello from Danville, Illinois, in 1875, and two years later married Miss Maggie Manders, to whom were born five children, four of whom are still living, the widow and one son having died at the same time, about 1913. He was for many years a partner of the late Peter Fox in the retail liquor business in Monticello. No man was more attached to his family or more dearly beloved by wife and children. He was successful in business and identified with many of the improvements of the town during his life. He died at Monticello, May 3, 1895.
John C. Karr, an old and well known resident of Liberty Township, was born in Middletown, Ohio, September 25, 1824. Came with his parents to White County in 1839. In 1849 he was married to Rachel M. Moore and bought the farm on which he lived the remainder of his life. This farm included the present site of the village of Buffalo, which was laid out by him. His wife died in 1890, and in 1893 he married Mrs. Emily Yount, who died three years later. He was a man of strong character and held in high esteem. He left nine children surviving him.
The bar of White County has some members whose attainments place them well to the front among Indiana lawyers, and one of these is George W. Kassabaum, who for the past ten years has enjoyed a large practice as a lawyer and influence as a citizen at Monticello.
While not a native of White County, George W. Kassabaum has spent the most part of his life in this part of Indiana. He was born on a farm near Goodland, in Newton County, Indiana, March 7, 1877. His parents, Henry and Mary (Gettings) Kassabaum, were both born in Prussia, but came as children with their respective parents to the United States at a time when sailing vessels provided the chief means of transportation over seas. Henry Kassabaum was a sturdy type of the German youth who came in such numbers to America during the '40s. When gold was discovered in California he made the trip to the Pacific coast around Cape Horn, and spent about a year in the gold fields. Returning east he located at York, Pennsylvania, and was engaged in farming there and was married in Pennsylvania. In 1856 he came west and located at Joliet, Illinois, and from there removed to Newton County, Indiana, where he continues to reside. His wife died October 10, 1904. Eleven of their twelve children are still living.
George W. Kassabaum, one of the younger children, grew up on the old home farm in Newton County, and while assisting with such strength as he possessed in the duties of the farm also attended district school. His literary education was completed by two years in the University of Indiana at Bloomington. He read law in the office of Comparet & Schoonover at Kentland, Indiana, and was admitted to the bar in 1898.
Mr. Kassabaum also has a military service to his credit. On July 28, 1898, the year of his admission to the bar, he enlisted in Company I of the One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry and went with the regiment to Cuba and was stationed at Havana and in that neighborhood during the term of his service. He was sergeant of his company and received an honorable discharge in April, 1899. On returning home he began the practice of his profession at Kentland, but in 1901 removed to Brookston, where for three and a half years he was assistant cashier of the Bank of Brookston.
Mr. Kassabaum removed to Monticello and began practice as a lawyer January 1,
1905. Politically he is a stalwart republican, has supported that party in
its campaigns since he reached manhood, and has firm faith in the grand old party
as a party of achievement which more than
any other political faction has caused the great strides in national history
during the past sixty years. Mr. Kassabaum is a thirty-second degree Scottish
Rite Mason and also a member of the Knights of Pythias. He and his wife are
members of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Kassabaum was married January 7, 1914,
to Miss Maucie Myers, of Monticello. They have one daughter, Isabel.
Daniel Keefer of Wooster, Ohio, married Charlotte Englebright of England. In 1855 or 1854 they moved, to White County, where they bought the farm now known as the Warden farm, east of Monticello. Here they lived until they died. Mr. Keefer was a reserved gentleman. Mrs. Keefer was a woman of unusual temperament. She was good looking, fond of dress and had some little talent for art. She kept her household accounts in a book with large margins, and in these margins were her designs and drawing. She was loyal and loving, but could also be haughty, yet all who remember her do so with delight and admiration. I have heard more than one old lady in Monticello say that as a girl, it was her ambition to grow old like Mrs. Keefer. She never grew too old to be interested in her personal appearance and to take care in the details of her dress. This was no common thing in her day and surroundings.
Two children survive the marriage of Daniel and Charlotte Keefer: Lucyndia, living in Ohio; and Daniel, living in Attica, Indiana.
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"Only a few residents of Monticello could claim a longer residence here than
William B. Keefer, and few could show a cleaner record." Such was the eulogy of
a friend on the death of Mr. Keefer. He was born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania,
December 9, 1829, and moved to Ohio in early life, where he married Sarah A.
Mowrer in 1850, and in 1853 came to White County and established himself in the
tailoring business, in which he was quite successful. In 1879 his wife died and later he
married Miss Sarah Briggs. By his first marriage he had seven children, of whom
four survived him. He was an earnest member of the Christian Church, an honest
man, and beloved by all who knew him. He died at Monticello, February 8, 1891.
William Beaver Keefer,* one of the early settlers of White County, was a son of Daniel and Charlotte (Englebright) Keefer. He married Sarah Anne, daughter of Joseph and Mary (Harley) Mouer. They lived near Wooster, Ohio, where their oldest daughter Lucy was born. In 1852 they came with the Mouer family to White County and setted in Monticello, where Mr. Keefer began his career as a merchant tailor and real estate dealer. At one time be owned and lived on the farm now known as the Roberts farm, and it was he who planted the original apple orchard east of the dam.
Mr. Keefer was a self-educated man. He was fond of learning, and at his death
had a well-selected library. Mr. and Mrs. Keefer were members of the Christian
Church in Ohio, and later Mr. Keefer became a member of the Christian Church in
Monticello. They were known for their honest kindness. Their children are: Lucy,
who married Dr. Frank Dale, both now deceased, and it is said by all who knew her
that Mrs. Dale was the sweetest singer and the most beautiful woman Monticello
has ever had; Mary Charlotte, who married James Michael Gardner, now living in
Camden, Indiana; Elizabeth Jane, who married William Ziegler
of Attica, Indiana; James and Ida, both deceased; and William D., living in Alaska.
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*By Miss Gardner, librarian of the Monticello Library
After being confined to his home for some two years Robert Keever died at his farm home, four miles northeast of Monticello, September 16, 1897. He was born in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, in 1818 and came to White County in 1850. Like so many of the county's early settlers who came from that part of Pennsylvania, he was a sturdy, successful farmer and was held in high esteem by all who knew him.
A family with a large relationship and with a record of great usefulness in Honey Creek Township is that of Kellenburger, which was established in White County about half a century ago. Members of three successive generations have lived here during that time. Ernest C. Kellenburger is a representative of the third generation, and has a substantial farm four miles north and a half mile east of Reynolds.
Luther Kellenburger, the grandfather, was of German family, and married Margaret Kellenburger. They lived for a time near Chillicothe, Ohio, and a short time before or during the war came to White County. Luther Kellenberger was a substantial farmer, a Methodist, and a democrat. He and his wife were parents of ten children.
Abram Kellenburger, the second son, was born near Chillicothe, Ohio, May 7, 1844, and had about reached manhood when he came with his father to White County. He was married on May 9, 1864, to Mary Truax, a daughter of William and Abigail (Benn) Truax, who were natives of New York State and came to White County, locating four miles south of Monticello. Abram Kellenburger and wife had four children: Milton, now deceased; George A., of Honey Creek Township, who by his marriage to Anna Miller has two children, Pearl and Ruth; Joseph F.; and Ernest C. Abram Kellenburger spent his life as a farmer and carpenter, and though a democrat was not an office seeker. He was a member of the German Brethren, better known as Dunkards, and was a regular attendant at church services and was one of the trustees. He got along well with his neighbors, and was a thrifty and honorable man. He owned about forty acres of land.
Joseph F. Kellenburger was born in Union Township on section 18, December 9, 1869. On January 28, 1894, he married Miss Flora Veatch, a daughter of James and Sarah E. (Dearinger) Vestch of Honey Creek Township. Her father was a native of Kentucky, and Veatch is an Irish name, though with an admixture of German stock. Joseph F. Kellenburger and wife have two children: Laura C. and Flossie G., both living at home.
Joseph F. Kellenburger began farming on his own responsibility as soon as married, spent two years in Preston Township, and then came to his present place in Honey Creek Township. He has taken quite an active part in public affairs as a democrat and for five years was supervisor of his township and was also elected a member of the township advisory board. He has frequently been a delegate to county conventions. He is a trustee and deacon in the Brethren Church, having filled the former office about four years, and having acted as deacon for six years or more. He is a stockholder in the Reynolds Bank and also in the Reynolds Creamery, and lends his influence to everything for local improvement. He has a fine farm of 204 acres situated six miles northwest of Monticello and six miles northeast of Reynolds. It is well improved with buildings and its management indicates that he is one of the leaders in agricultural enterprise in his section of White County.
Ernest C. Kellenburger, the youngest of his father's family, is a resident on the old Kellenburger homestead, which has been in the family name for thirty-eight years. He has likewise prospered in his efforts, and is usually found where progressive and public spirited men gather together to consider and act for the welfare of their locality. He is a democrat, and has been a delegate to county democratic conventions.
Ernest C. Kellenburger was married June 4, 1902, to Miss Viola Sickler, daughter of O. E. and Emma Sickler, who have lived in White County for the past forty years. Mr. and Mrs. Kellenburger have one child, Estelle G.
The scope of a physician's influence is almost unlimited, and it is not unusual to find a long established and successful doctor one of a community's leaders in a business and civic way. Such is the position which Doctor Kelley has enjoyed at Brookston for many years. He began practice there nearly thirty-five years ago, with hardly enough money to pay a month's office rent. He has handled a large practice with special ability and conscientious care, so that be is one of the oldest and most highly esteemed medical men of White County, and at the same time has been one of the progressive factors in the community at Brookston, owns large tracts of farming land and has identified himself with every movement for the upbuilding of that locality.
Of Scotch-Irish descent, Doctor Kelley was born in Tompkins County, New York, March 12, 1855, a son of Dennis and Sarah Kelley. His father is still living in his eighty-seventh year in Tompkins County, New York. The grandfather was John Kelley, an ancestor whose service in the Revolutionary army has conferred distinction upon all his descendants. For his help in winning independence for the American colonies he was given a grant of 160 acres of land near Locke, New York, but on investigation never located the warrant since the land seemed practically worthless.
Doctor Kelley was well educated during his youth, attending the common schools of his native state and a preparatory school at North Lansing, New York, and finally entered the medical department of the University of Michigan, where he was graduated M. D. in 1881. In September of the same year he moved to Brookston, Indiana, and has lived in that one community ever since. When he arrived he had a ten dollar bill in his pocket and it required a great deal of determination and self-confidence in order to pass through the initial stages of gaining a practice. Since then he has become one of the very successful men, and at the present time owns over 1,000 acres of land, practically all of it in Prairie Township. He has also one of the finest homes in Brookston. Doctor Kelley was one of the founders of the Brookston Canning Factory.
Since 1886 he has been a member of Anchor Lodge of the Knights of Pythias at Brookston Anchor Castle Hall, No. 289, is a member of Lafayette Lodge, No. 128, F. & A. M., and has affiliations with the Scottish Rite Consistory at Indianapolis, and the Temple of the Mystic Shrine in that city. He is a member of the White County Medical Society, and stands very high in medical circles. In politics he is a republican, but has never sought any political honors.
In October, 1886, Doctor Kelley married Miss Mina Allen, daughter of John and Nancy Allen, who were early settlers in White County. She died in April, 1891, and in February, 1896, he married Harriet D. Finch. Doctor and Mrs. Kelley have one son, Herbert, a member of the eighth grade of the public school.
Francis G. Kendall was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, January 2, 1823, and came to White County in 1833 where he continued to reside until 1865 when he removed to Burlington, Iowa. He died at Tipton, Iowa, October 30, 1890, and was buried in Burlington, Iowa, on November 2d of the same year. During his residence in White County he was one of our most prominent business men and was one of the leading members of the Presbyterian Church. He was the first W. M. of Libanus Lodge No. 154, F. & A. M. at Monticello, at its organization in 1854.
Mrs. Mary Eliza Kendall was the third daughter and last surviving member of the family of George Armstrong Spencer. She was born in Perry County, Ohio, in 1825 and came to White County with her parents in 1830. She was married to Charles W. Kendall in 1845. She died at her home on North Illinois Street May 22, 1901, at the age of seventy-six years, leaving four children: Howard C., Mrs. Sallie Loughry, wife of A. W. Loughry of Monticello, Mrs. May E. McDowell of New Jersey, and Charles W. Kendall of Duluth, Minnesota. Two other children, Walter B. Kendall and Mrs. Maria Hull, wife of Philip A. Hull, had died some years previous.
Phineas Martin Kent, son of Carroll Kent and Phebe Dimmick Kent, was born on a farm near Cary's Corner, Oneida County, New York, October 20, 1808, on the same farm on which was fought the Battle of Oriskany, on August 6, 1777, and upon which the Oneida Historical Society has erected a monumental shaft.
Carroll Kent, father of Phineas M. Kent, moved from New Ashford, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, to New York State in the year 1790, and settled in Oneida County, where he and his brother, David Kent, owned and operated boats carrying freight which they poled on the Mohawk River, Wood Creek, Oneida Lake, Oneida River, Oswego River, Seneca River and Seneca Lake, to Montezuma, New York.
Carroll Kent loaded the first boatload of freight shipped on the Erie Canal. It was loaded on Rail Creek, West Utica, New York, and was shipped to Montezuma, in the same state, the bill of lading being issued in 1821. It was the first bill of lading issued by the Erie Canal and so notable was this shipment that it was published in the Utica Telegram and other papers in 1821.
Phineas Martin Kent was educated for the ministry by his parents but was never ordained, as he was determined to study law, and at the age of twenty-six, in the year 1834, came West and settled at Vevay, Indiana, where he studied and began his practice. In 1836 he was married to Louisa Franklin Knox, a fine, lovable young woman, and in 1838 they moved to New Albany, Indiana, where Mr. Kent became prominent in his profession and, as the founder and editor of the New Albany Daily Ledger, he was soon one of the leading figures of the community. He was an ardent democrat and later his active interest in politics, including his work as a member of the Constitutional Convention, which in the year 1850 revised the constitution of Indiana, brought him into prominence throughout the state and in Washington, and gave him the acquaintance of nearly all the distinguished political men of his generation.
His spacious residence was noted for its hospitality and was conspicuous in that section of the county as a rendezvous for the leading politicians and professional men.
Phineas M. Kent was a well known and frequent visitor at Washington, District of Columbia, and the esteem in which he was held nnd his ability regarded, was demonstrated when during the Pierce administration he was tendered the appointment of minister to the Court of St. James, which honor he was induced to decline through the advice of older men, who unfortunately in that day considered any interruption to the routine of business or professional life a disadvantage.
Phineas M. Kent was a man of temperance in all things and never used tobacco in any form. In appearance he was of medium height, expressive blue eyes and dark hair, with features of the old distinguished Roman type. He was most entertaining in conversation, possessed of a fine memory, keen sense of humor and an unusual command of language. Few could equal his concise and convincing form of expression. He wrote many articles on political and other subjects. His broad intelligence and literary attainments were of unusual distinction and one of his chief delights was his library, which consisted of many hundred volumes. He was a great lover of history, particularly the history of all religions, and devoted to the classics.
In the year 1856, Phineas M. Kent, Alexander J. Kent, his brother, and Warren R. Fowler, laid out and platted the Town of Brookston, Indiana, where in 1857 Mr. Kent took up his residence and lived the remainder of his life, except four years, which were spent in Chicago for the purpose of securing certain educational advantages for his children.
After the loss of his wife, Louisa F. Kent, Mr. Kent married in 1855 Cornelia Davis Miller, a young woman of stately beauty, rare character and attainments, besides possessing the ability necessary to make her the helpmate at all times and in all requirements, whether beside the sick bed, in the home-making as wife and mother, in the political, intellectual or social gathering, her grace and culture were ever conspicuous. The chief ambition of this grand woman was for the spiritual and character development and education of her children. Her ready sympathy, quick perception and wonderful courage to act has 1eft a deeply helpful legacy of ideal womanhood in the minds of all who her.
Phineas Martin Kent died at Brookston, Indiana, November 21, 1888, and was
buried in New Albany, Indiana.
Llewellyn G. Kenton, a son of William Miller Kenton and grandson of Simon Kenton, the famous Indian fighter, was born on his father's farm three miles west of Monticello, March 9, 1839, and died at the Soldiers' Home, Marion, Indiana, October 1, 1911. He enlisted November 5, 1861, in the Forty-sixth Indiana Infantry and served until the close of the war, when he was honorably discharged. On December 6, 1866, he was married to Miss Mary M. Hull, who, with four daughters and one son, survive [sic] him. He was buried with military honors in the old cemetery at Monticello.
William Miller Kenton, a son of Simon Kenton of Indian fighting fame, died at his home about four miles southwest of Monticello, April 30, 1869, in his sixty-third year. His remains were buried in the old Kenton graveyard about five miles southwest of town, but about 1885 were removed to the old cemetery in Monticello. At the age of sixteen he received a commission in the navy, but after a brief service he resigned, was appointed a cadet in the military academy at West Point, where he excelled in athletic sports, but was averse to the strict discipline enforced by that institution and was at last honorably relieved from any further attendance. He then went home, was married, and having some means of his own, came to what was then Carroll County, but later White County, bought large tracts of land from the Government (about 3,000 acres) and was one of the first settlers of Grand Prairie. He was largely engaged in farming and cattle raising, dispensed a profuse hospitality to both white and Indian, and was popular with all classes. He had some claims for lands in Kentucky which he had inherited from his father's estate and frequently visited that state on this business. On one of these trips he went on board a steamer at Madison, Indiana, named Simon Kenton, and when the captain discovered he was a son of the man after whom his boat was named he refused to accept any fare, but treated him throughout the trip as a guest of honor. In politics he was an ardent whig, a personal friend and adherent of Henry Clay, who had also known and befriended his father in the olden days. He served for several terms in the legislature, was a close personal friend of Albert S. White and had the honor of placing that gentleman's name in nomination for United States senator when he was elected to that office. Near the close of his life he became involved in some financial difficulties which caused him much annoyance, but by this statement no charge is placed against his honesty. He saved much of his property out of the wreck and closed his life in peace. Many of his descendants are living in White County and are reckoned among our most respected people.
Artemus P. Kerr was born in Rossville, Indiana, February 15, 1851. His father, a Baptist minister, had learned the saddlers' trade with Joseph E. McDonald, afterward United States senator. Located in Monticello in 1862, where he learned the printer's trade and was later connected with James W. McEwen in the publication of the Constitutionalist. In 1880 he moved to Indianapolis and for some years was connected with the Indiana Newspaper Union. He wrote some very creditable poems, among which was one entitled "The Old Tippecanoe," which was published with an account of his death, which occurred August 20, 1901. His remains were brought to Monticello and buried in the old cemetery at the north edge of town.
Clement S. Kingsbury was born in St. Lawrence County, New York, March 14, 1843, died at his home in Monticello April 15, 1906. He was a member of Company D, Twelfth Indiana Volunteers. In 1867 he was married to Harriet C. Ross, who died only a few months prior to his decease. He was elected trustee of Union Township, serving one term and for a number of years was engaged in the grocery business. He left four children.
Ira S. Kingsbury, who died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Day, at Olivet, Michigan, on December 21, 1913, aged eighty-seven years, had spent almost his entire life in Monticello, where he worked at his trade of bricklayer. Only a few months prior to his death he compiled a history of the Kingsbury family in America for the White County Historical Society. It is a finely-bound, typewritten book of thirty-seven pages and exhibits much care in its compilation. His family came from England in 1628 and is now scattered throughout the entire country. He came from good old Puritan stock, was for many years an elder in the Presbyterian Church and was always found on the right side of all moral and religious subjects. He was born August 21, 1826, and was twice married, both wives having preceded him to the unknown. His remains were brought to Monticello and interred in the old cemetery,
Mrs. Mary Kingsbury, daughter of Robert and Sarah Buchanan, was born in Big Creek Township November 19, 1832. She died at her home in Monticello, December 15,1904, leaving a half-brother, James E. Barnes, of Galena, Kansas. February 24, 1853, she was married to Thomas Roberts, and in 1857 they moved to Northwestern Iowa, building their home on the present site of Sioux City. Here, in July, 1861, Mr. Roberts and a companion were killed by Indians while at work in a field some distance from the house. Soon after she returned with her three small boys to Monticello, where, December 11, 1864, she was married to Ira Kingsbury. Her only surviving son, Fred Roberts, is still a resident of Monticello, where he is secretary and manager of the Farmers Elevator.
Prominent among the leading agriculturists and extensive property owners of White County, is found Joseph H. Kious, who is carrying on operations in Prairie and other townships and resides at Brookston, where he is president of the Farmers Bank and also interested in various other ventures of a business and financial character. Mr. Kious has reside [sic] in this community all of his life, having been born December 12, 1846, in section 15, range 4, Prairie Township, a son of John and Harriet (Pritchard) Kious.
Adam Kious, the grandfather of Joseph H. Kious, was of German parentage, and was born in Pennsylvania, where he was married to Margaret Hyde. There their son, John, was born December 3, 1803, and when he was three years of age the family moved to Madison County, Ohio, where he received a college education and grew to manhood. He early began investing and speculating in land, and although on several occasions he nearly lost his all, he eventually accumulated large holdings and at one time was the owner of 10,000 acres of land in the vicinity of Mount Sterling, Ohio. In the year 1843, with two wagons and considerable cattle, he came West as far as Dayton. It had been his intention to come on at that time to White County, but the lack of feed here kept him from coming until the following year. For two years he rented land, and then purchased a tract in Prairie Township, and through industry, perseverance and good management accumulated what was a fortune for that time, although crop failures and plunging had almost bankrupted him. He was progressive and enterprising in all things, was the first man to raise 1,000 acres of corn in White County, and lived to be one of the foremost men of this day in his community. Himself a college graduate and a close and careful student, he was a great friend of education and did much to secure advantages in this line in his township. He donated the land and most of the logs for the Hickory Ridge School, the first schoolhouse in his neighborhood, and also gave the land for the first school at Brookston. Mr. Kious was a kind-hearted man and wished to see every one succeed. He was generous to a fault, would give employment to men just because they needed help and not because he needed their services, and it is said that during his life here he boarded enough people free to have paid for a good-sized farm. He was a medium-sized man, but was strong and rugged and capable of doing an immense amount of work. In political matters he was originally a whig and later a republican, and served his county as surveyor for three terms, or from 1865 to 1870. He died March 12, 1873, and was buried near Chalmers, in White County.
While a resident of Madison County, Ohio, Mr. Kious was married to Rebecca Bowers, who died leaving several children. He was married later to Harriet Pritchard, who was born in Pickaway County, Ohio, January 8, 1814, and died March 19, 1887, daughter of Edward and Harriet Pritchard, of that county. She was also laid to rest in White County. Their children were as follows: Amanda, who married Willis Gant, who died in Iowa, and later married a second time; Lasa Ann, who married Rev. J. C. Mahin and after his death married Simon Bailey, and died at Battle Ground, Indiana, in 1903; Josephine, who died as the wife of John D. Cutler, in Prairie Township, in 1907; Napoleon B., who died in Prairie Township, in 1882, unmarried; George W., who died young; Joseph H., of this notice; Harriet V.; and Eliza A., who died in infancy.
Joseph H. Kious grew up amid rural surroundings in the vicinity of Brookston, and was given good educational advantages in his youth, attending the district schools and completing his studies at Battle Ground Academy, where Judge Palmer was a fellow-student. He inherited very little property from his father, but what was better he inherited the business judgment, acumen and ability that had made the elder man successful. While he has always carried on agricultural pursuits, he has specialized in handling cattle, and in this line of operation he has found his chief success. He owns broad acres of some of the most valuable land in White County, as well as in adjoining communities, and has interested himself in various enterprises which have added to the prestige of the community as well as to his material wealth. At the present time he is president of the Farmers Bank of Brookston, one of the leading financial institutions of the county, in the direction of which he has displayed the possession of marked capacity as a banker. He has been a supporter of the local Young Men's Christian Association, and while not a member of any religious denomination has donated liberally to various movements of a religious and educational character. He has also shown an interest in the civic affairs of his community, and has contributed of his time and abilities in serving the community, acting as a member of the town school board for nine years, during which time he was variously president, treasurer and secretary.
On June 12, 1889, Mr. Kious was married to Miss Laura Finch, a daughter of George H. and Rebecca Finch, of Benton County, Indiana. To this union there has been born one daughter: Laura Blanche, who married L. A. Waugh, a manufacturer of Crawfordsville, Indiana.
Mrs. Elizabeth Kitchen, who now lives in her comfortable home at Monticello, is the owner of a large farm in Liberty Township, and represents through her family some of the early pioneer settlers of White County. Her husband was the late William Kitchen, who had lived in White County for a few years and had only laid the foundations for his extensive farming enterprise when death claimed him.
William Kitchen was born October 15, 1851, in Troy, in Miami County, Ohio, one of the six children of Hugh and Mary (Myers) Kitchen. Both parents died in Ohio and are buried there. William Kitchen grew up in his native state, received his education in the common schools, and farming became his regular business. He owned a small place of forty acres in Ohio, but sold this and in 1901 came to White County in search of a new and larger home. He established his residence in Liberty Township, and was successfully engaged in general farming and stock raising when he died in his fifty-second year on May 30, 1903. He was buried at Buffalo in White County. In all his varied relations of life he bore an honorable reputation, was a great lover of home, and while a democrat and interested in public affairs generally, never held any office.
On June 1, 1893, at Logansport, Indiana, Mr. Kitchen married Elizabeth Moore, daughter of Thomas and Louisa (Paul) Moore. A few years after the death of her husband Mrs. Kitchen, after renting her farm of 295 acres, moved into Monticello, where she now lives in comfort and enjoying her relations with the Methodist Church and with a large circle of friends. Mrs. Kitchen has one son, Paul M., who was born July 19, 1894, and has just attained his majority. Mrs. Kitchen grew up in White County, and for eighteen years was one of the most successful and popular teachers in this part of the state. Five of these years were spent in the Monticello schools.
Thomas Moore, her father, was one of White County's pioneers, and during his
lifetime witnessed the most important changes that have transformed
White County from a wilderness into one of the flourishing districts of the
Hoosier State. He was born July 9, 1824, near McConnellsville in Morgan County,
Ohio, and died near Buffalo in White County, Indiana, October 8, 1895. His wife,
Louisa Paul, was born October 20, 1831, in Muskingum County, Ohio, and died July
11, 1892. Both are buried at Buffalo. They were married in Ohio, September 20,
1849, and in 1852 came by wagon to White County, locating on unimproved farm
land in Liberty Township. The late Thomas Moore was unusually successful as a
farmer and stock raiser and his life was in many ways a benefit to the community.
He was a republican in politics, served for a number of years as justice of
the peace, and was a strong Union man and showed his friendship for the old
soldiers in many ways both during the war and afterwards. During the war he
frequently carried the soldiers across Tippecanoe River when they came home on a
furlough. Mrs. Moore was noted for her hospitality and maintained her home as an
open house and it was almost constantly a place of entertainment for friends, and
was always open to the old circuit riders and the Methodist ministers. Mr. and Mrs.
Moore were the parents of the following children: Mary Ellen, deceased; Jacob,
deceased; Elizabeth, Mrs. Kitchen; Benjamin F.; John; Lily, wife of Rankin Renwick;
and Joseph. Benjamin F. graduated from the State Normal University at Bloomington,
Indiana, and was superintendent of schools at Monticello, at Frankfort and at
Marion. He is now superintendent of the Muncie public schools. Joseph and Lily
were both teachers. Mrs. Kitchen was also a teacher in her home county for
eighteen years, and her last work was in Monticello.
Undoubtedly one of the best known and most popular citizens of White County is Charles H. Kleist, whose name requires little introduction to the people of the county on account of his capable service as county recorder for several years, and in the community about Wolcott, where he has spent most of his life, he has long been one of tbe leading citizens and is now cashier of the Citizens State Bank.
His family, which originated in Posen, Germany, was established in White County prior to the Civil war. His father was Rudolph Kleist, who emigrated to America and settled about 1869 at Bradford as it was then known, now the City of Monon. From the very modest circumstances in which he came to White County he soon found the means to advance himself in community esteem and secure a sufficiency of this world's goods. About 1865 he removed to Reynolds. In the old country he had learned the trade of cabinet maker, and at Reynolds from 1865 to 1883 worked as a carpenter and also conducted a furniture and undertaking business. His death occurred February 13, 1883, and he is buried in the Bunnell Cemetery southeast of Reynolds. A distinctive part of his record is his service to his adopted country during the Civil war. He enlisted in Company G of the famous Forty-sixth Indiana Infantry, veteranized at the end of his term, and was with the command until honorably discharged in 1865. He not only carried a musket but also performed most of the clerical work for the regimental commanders, being a fine penman. He was a member of the German Lutheran Church, and in politics mainly a republican, though in 1878 he was unsuccessful candidate for the office of county recorder on the greenback ticket. Besides these items which indicate his useful position in the community, he was also materially prospered, and at the time of his death owned some town property and 160 acres of farming land. Rudolph Kleist married Johanna Swantes, who was also born in Posen, Germany. Their two oldest children died in infancy, and the other four are mentioned: Elizabeth, who is the wife of Seward Phillips and lives in Chicago; Emma is the wife of Rev. T. D. Moore of Spokane, Washington; Ida is the wife of R. E. Powell of Reynolds; and the sixth and youngest is Charles H.
Charles H. Kleist was born in the Town of Reynolds, April 3, 1870, and practically all his life has been spent in White County. With only such advantages as the common schools could then bestow, he has since early youth been a resourceful and energetic worker. While living at Reynolds he learned telegraphy, and at the age of nineteen was employed by the Monon Railway. From 1889 to 1904, a period of fifteen years, he was an operator and agent at various places, spending six years as agent at Reynolds and five years at Brookston. In the meantime he had gained a large acquaintance over the county and had become one of the leaders in the democratic party. In 1904 he was elected county recorder, and held that office in the courthouse at Monticello from 1904 to 1912 a period of eight years. Prior to leaving the office he became cashier of the Citizens State Bank at Wolcott in August, 1911, and for several years the duties of that position have commanded most of his time and attention. Prior to his election as county recorder he served three years from 1893 to 1895 as town trustec, and was clerk of the Town of Reynolds for one year in 1892. Among other interests Mr. Kleist is owner of 160 acres of land near Reynolds.
Fraternally he is affiliated with Lodge No. 92, F. & A. M. at Gosport, Indiana, with the Royal Arch Chapter at Monticello, and with the Consistory of the Scottish Rite and the Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Indianapolis. On October 25, 1899, while still in the railway service, Mr. Kleist married Mabel V. Ashley, a daughter of George and Margaret (Cowger) Ashley of Monticello, both parents being now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Kleist's only child, Karl E., is now deceased.
Business foresight, an inclination for his vocation, appreciation of its many advantages and belief in his own ability to succeed placed Hiram J. Klepinger among the foremost and most substantial agriculturists in Prairie Township. Coming here in 1870, through his unaided industry he secured ample means, permitting his retirement to Brookston in 1907 and his consigning to younger hands the tasks that made up the sum of his activities for thirty-seven years. He is now the owner of a pleasant home and is considered one of the financially strong residents of Brookston.
Mr. Klepinger was born September 16, 1841, in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, and is a son of Jacob and Mary (Campbell) Klepinger. His father was born in Ohio, of German descent, in 1803, and about the year 1833 or 1834 came to White County, Indiana, with Aaron Yarnall, they being the two farthest out of Lafayette for a number of years. Mr. Klepinger took up eighty acres of land from the Government, on section 32, range 4, Prairie Township, and during his early life on that property he had many experiences with the Indians, which he delighted to relate in after years. After two or three years on this pioneer tract, he removed to Tippecanoe County and there the remainder of his life was passed, his death occurring March 22, 1865, when he was past sixty-two years of age. Mr. Klepinger married Mary Campbell, a native of Xenia, Ohio, of English descent, and they became the parents of eleven children, of whom seven are living, Hiram J. being the seventh in order of birth and the only one now living in White County.
The public schools of Tippecanoe County furnished Hiram J. Klepinger with his education, and it was but natural that he should adopt the vocation of farming as his life work when he entered upon his career. During the Civil war he enlisted in Company E, One Hundred Thirty-fifth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, with which he served for four and one-half months, and has always maintained his interest in his old army comrades, being at this time a member of Champion Post, Grand Army of the Republic, at Brookston. Mr. Klepinger was married November 25, 1868, in Tippecanoe County, to Miss Irilla Colvert, of that county, and one son has been born to this union: Velda C., a resident of Tippecanoe County, who married Nancy Hodgin and has one son, Robert V. After the death of his first wife Mr. Klepinger was again married, being united with Eliza J. Schoonover, a daughter of John and Eliza (Potter) Schoonover, early settlers of Tippecanoe County. Mrs. Klepinger is a native of Tippecanoe County, born July 9, 1880, and was the fourth in a family of eight children, three sons and five daughters, seven of whom are living, and two are residents of White County. She was educated in the common schools. Mr. and Mrs. Klepinger have two children: Emory D., living three miles southwest of Brookston on a farm, who married Lora Kantz, and has two daughters, Marjorie E. and Mary M.; and Estella M., who resides with her parents at Brookston.
Hiram J. Klepinger came to Prairie Township in 1870, and here engaged in agricultural operations, which continued to occupy his attention to his retirement in 1907. He is still the owner of 117¾ acres of valuable land, in addition to which he has town property at Brookston, where he owns his own home. In political matters he is a republican, although inclined to be independent in local elections, where he endeavors to support the man he deems best fitted for the office. With Mrs. Klepinger he attends the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he is an active and liberal supporter, and in former years was a member of the board of trustees of Old Prairie Church. He has done his full share in promoting the material prosperity of his township and county, is a man of most upright character and correct life, and in the community where he has lived so long is greatly respected and regarded as one of its most useful and exemplary members.
Rev. William P. Koutz, remembered by our oldest citizens, died at Cutler, Indiana, July 18, 1900, in his seventy-eighth year. He was stricken with paralysis about a year before his death and on July 7 came a second stroke, from which he died. When a young man he taught school in Logansport and later was elected recorder of Cass County and served one term. He had also been admitted to the bar, but for more than fifty years he had labored as a minister in the Presbyterian Church. In 1864, after a pastorate of five years in Monticello, he resigned and entered the service as chaplain of the One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Regiment, Indiana Volunteers, and served until near the close of the war. His remains were brought to Monticello and buried in the old cemetery.
No man in West Point Township is more substantially and honorably identified with the agricultural growth of his part of White County than William Krapff. He has never allowed opportunity to knock more than once at his door, and has turned every such opportunity to the best possible account both from a personal and a community standpoint. From modest beginnings and without the encouragement of financial assistance, he has come to be the owner of a handsome estate, which in its tillage and general improvements compares favorably with any in this township.
The third in a family of seven children, William Krapff was born July 15, 1849, in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, a son of John and Sophia (Kellman) Krapff. His parents were natives of Hesse Cassel, Germany. His father came from that country and settled first in Pennsylvania, and in 1856 moved out to Princeton, Bureau County, Illinois, then a comparatively new district in that fertile section of the Prairie State. He died in Bureau County, April 18, 1891, and is buried with his wife in the Oakland cemetery in that county. His wife died November 19, 1898. One of the interesting facts about the family record is that with the exception of the father and mother there has not been a death of the family either among their children or descendants since the year 1853.
William Krapff grew to manhood in Bureau, McLean and Tazewell counties of Illinois, and got his education as best he could in the district schools of the various localities mentioned. Up to the age of seventeen he assisted his father in the latter's blacksmith shop, and then went on a farm until the spring of 1871. After spending a short while in Kansas he returned in the fall of 1872 to Bureau County and in the spring of the following year went to St. Louis. He returned to Bureau County in August and four days later fell a victim to the cholera, but survived this dread disease. He soon afterward took up the trade of carpenter, and was employed at that vocation until November 18, 1875, when he married Miss Anna C. Meyer. She was born in Germany and was fourteen years of age when she cane to this country. Her birth occurred at Glinstadt, Bremen, Hanover, Germany, March 9, 1851.
A few months after his marriage Mr. Krapff brought his bride to Benton County, Indiana, in the spring of 1876. He lived on the farm now known as the Frank E. Fisher place near Shilo, but in the spring of 1877 moved to West Point Township in White County, locating in section 24, range 5 west. That was the scene of his progressive activities for seven years, after which he moved to his present farm in section 32, range 5 west, of West Point Township, in the spring of 1884. Mr. Krapff was instrumental in having the windows in the schoolhouses of the township placed in the end of the building, so the light would not be in the pupils' faces and thus portecting [sic] their eyesight. He has the kindliest feelings and regard for his dear friend and benefactor, C. A. Eastborne, who persuaded him to purchase his present beautiful estate in West Point Township and who fully endorsed Mr. Krapff in the purchase of the same. Here for more than thirty years his energies have been carefully directed to the successive cropping of the farm and to the improvement of its facilities and general upbuilding of the farm and home.
In the meantime seven children have been born into the household of himself and his good wife. Alice M., the oldest, is the wife of Marion M. Wilson, living at Chalmers, and their four children are named Faye C., Geneva M., William E. and Dolores P. Jesse R., who looks after some of his father's farming interests in Jackson County, Oklahoma, married Elizabeth A. Schofield, and their two children are Marion O. and Mildred L. George G., also a resident of Jackson County, Okiahoma, married Verde Forrester and has a child named Evelyn C. Fred R. is unmarried and living at home with his parents. He spent two years at the Chalmers High School. Franklin I. is also at home and he also received a two-year high school training. Bessie May, who was a student in high school, is the wife of Ward Pampel, living in West Point Township. Leota L., the youngest, is still at home.
As to politics, Mr. Krapff votes for the national candidates of the democratic party, but has been strictly nonpartisan in selecting the officials to manage local affairs. He has himself frequently been called to office by his fellow citizens and has served twelve years as a member of the township advisory board. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias fraternity at Chalmers. His best public service has been as a leader in matters of local improvement. As is well known, a vigorous stand for such improvements often makes a man unpopular for the time, though in after years the people give him full credit for his far-sighted endeavors. Such has been the experience of Mr. Krapff, who has himself never fought any public improvements, but has been abused on account of his taking so active a part in securing the construction of ditches and roads. As a result of his determined and unselfish work in this direction the six-mile road between West Point and Prairie and Round Grove townships, is now known as the Krapff Road. There is also a tiled ditch beginning in section 32, running through section 23 and into section 24, terminating in the John C. Vanatta ditch, which out of tribute to his efforts in its construction, is known as the Krapff Ditch.
Though always public spirited and generous, Mr. Krapff is one of the most successful and prosperous citizens of White County. His home farm comprises 240 acres, and he also owns 480 acres of land in Jackson County, Oklahoma. He is a stockholder in the Chalmers Telephone Company, and was one of the principal organizers of that enterprise. He also assisted in organizing the Bank of Chalmers. Is a stockholder in the Farmers Elevator at Chalmers and has stock in the Farmers Mutual Insurance Company of Jasper, Benton and White counties. Mr. Krapff has made his money through his own efforts and has used his prosperity to give greater prosperity to the community. His own farm is one of the model places in White County and is situated seven miles west and one mile south of Chalmers.