The youth obliged to make his own way in agricultural pursuits, without the aid of means or influence, should find encouragement in the career of the late Stephen Nagel, who, during a long and honorable career, was identified with the farming interests of White County. When he arrived in the United States he was a poor German emigrant lad of seventeen years, with little save his ambition and determination to aid him, but so well were his subsequent activities directed that at the time of his death, in 1907, he was the owner of a valuable property and the possessor of the esteem and respect of the people in whose midst he had lived for so many years.
Mr. Nagel was born in Baden, Germany, May 25, 1837, a son of Simon Nagel, who passed his entire career in Germany and there died. Stephen Nagel's education was obtained from the public schools of his native land, but like many others of his fellow-countrymen he felt that there was no future for him there, and at the age of seventeen years managed to secure passage money and embarked on a sailing vessel, bound for America. Landing at New York City, he at once made his way to Michigan City, Indiana, and there secured employment, being a willing and industrious worker, ready to turn his hand to whatever honorable position presented itself. The Civil war called him to the ranks of the Union army in defense of the flag of his adopted country, he enlisting in Company H, Thirty-fifth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and being mustered into the service at Indianapolis. While in the army Mr. Nagel contracted sickness, which disabled him for further service, and June 16, 1865, he honorably discharged and returned to his home.
Not long after the war Mr. Nagel came to White County, locating on a farm near Reynolds, in Honey Creek Township, and there continued to be engaged in farming and stock raising for several years. Subsequently he disposed of this property and purchased another tract in Big Creek Township, to which in the following years he added from time to time until he had accumulated 420 acres, and this property continues to be in the family possession at this time. Mr. Nagel continued to labor faithfully and industriously as a farmer until October 20, 1902, when he felt that he bad earned a rest from his activities, and accordingly retired with his family to his home at Monticello, where he passed away January 14, 1907, being buried in the Lutheran Cemetery at Reynolds, Indiana. Mr. Nagel was a great lover of his home and was always a kind husband and indulgent father. His long residence in White County made him well known throughout this section, and the esteem and regard in which he was universally held testify eloquently to the probity of his life. For many years he was a consistent member and liberal supporter of the German Lutheran Church, and his only fraternal connection was with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In national politics Mr. Nagel was a democrat, but in local elections was inclined to use his own judgment in his selection of candidates whom he believed best fltted for the offices at stake, and thus refused to be bound by party lines.
Mr. Nagel was married to Miss Caroline Tumm, and three children were born to this union: Robert, August and Stephen, the last-named of whom died at the age of two years. On May 13, 1866, Mr. Nagel was again married, his wife being Amelia Krining, the daughter of Adolphus and Rosanna (Quade) Krining. Mrs. Nagel's parents came to White County in 1854 and here passed the remainder of their lives, and are now at rest at Bunnell Cemetery. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Nagel: Henry, a resident of Los Angeles, California; Andrew, who is engaged in operating the old homestead place and chairman of the Board of Commissioners of White County; Louisa, who is the wife of C. F. Bliss, of Chicago; John, who is a practicing physician of Chicago; Caroline, who is unmarried and resides with her mother; George, a resident of Chicago; and Albert, who lives at Los Angeles, California.
For thirty years or more a factor in the community at Brookston as a farmer and banker, John J. Nagle is a native of Indiana and has lived in White County since his marriage.
John J. Nagle was born on a farm in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, January 22, 1864, a son of William and Samantha (Holloway) Nagle. His father was a native of Pennsylvania and his mother of the Green Hill community of Indiana. His father was born about 1831, was a farmer, and died December 9, 1912. He came to Indiana in the early days, and spent most of his life in Tippecanoe County. He was an active Methodist, a trustee in the church, and superintendent of the Sunday School, and was a fine singer. He was likewise a superior business man and accumulated a large amount of property. His distinguishing characteristic was his sterling honesty. In politics he was a republican.
John J. Nagle was the fourth in a family of eight children, four of whom are still living. He was reared near Otterbein, just across the Tippecanoe County line in Benton County, and attended country district schools and also the schools in Otterbein. In 1881 he entered DePauw University at Greencastle and was graduated Bachelor of Science in 1885. On November 24, 1886, he married Luella Jennie Becker, daughter of Daniel Becker of Battle Ground, Indiana.
After his marriage Mr. Nagle began farming about four miles southeast of
Brookston, and agriculture has been his steady pursuit ever since. At the
reorganization of the Bank of Brookston he moved into town and became a director
and vice president, and now for a number of years has directed the institution
as its president. For about ten years he has also been a director of the
Brookston Building and Loan Association. Mr. Nagle is a republican, in Masonry
has attained thirty-two degrees in the Scottish Rite, and is a member of Murat
Temple of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine at Indianapolis. He also belongs to
the Phi Delta Theta college fraternity. Mr. and Mrs. Nagle have two children:
Ida Lois and John Clifford. Mrs. Nagle is a member of the Presbyterian Church.
One of the substantial farmers of Big Creek Township, Wallace W. Nance owns a well improved farm of sixty acres.
Mr. Nance is a native of White County, born April 18, 1872, a son of Frank M. and Sallie (Kepley) Nance. Both parents were natives of Indiana. Two of their sons died in early childhood, while those who grew up were: Phoebe, who married Nathan Grace; Wallace W.; Richard, who married Lula Williams; and Louis, who married Ethel Thomas.
Frank M. Nance moved to White County in 1871, and after living on a rented place for a short time moved to the Waltz farm, and lived there for twelve years. He then bought eighty acres of his own, improved the land and put up buildings, and is now owner of 120 acres. His wife is now deceased.
Wallace W. Nance had only a common school education, and his youthful years were spent in hard work rather than in the leisurely employment of attending school or in the usual recreation and sports of modern boys. In 1895 he married Stella Hilman, daughter of Henry Hilman. Their three children are named Margaret, Fay and Irene. After his marriage Mr. Nance removed to his father's place, lived there twelve years, and then bought his present farm of sixty acres. Practically all the improvements are the result of his own labors and management, and the buildings have been constructed since he took possession. Mr. Nance is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and in politics is a democrat. His father is also a democrat and has served as assessor and supervisor in his township.
Every quality of integrity, straightforward honesty, industry and public spirit is associated with John W. Neel who has spent practically all his life as a farmer in Jackson Township.
John W. Neel was born at the old homestead on section 33 in Jackson Township, May 13, 1849, a son of Abram and Elizabeth (Gibson) Neel. His grandfather, Samuel Neel, was the son of an Irish emigrant, and in 1832 journeyed from Logan County, Ohio, to Greene County, that state, and then to Carroll County, Indiana. Later he moved to White County, and after passing through many pioneer experiences and doing his part in clearing up the land of a new country, died in August, 1863, and was laid to rest in Pleasant Run Cemetery. In politics he was first a whig and later a republican, and belonged to the seceder branch of the Presbyterian Church. Samuel Neel married Elizabeth Ginn, who was born in Ohio.
Abram Neel, the third in the family of seven children, was born in Ohio, September 5, 1816, and was about sixteen years of age when the family came to Indiana. He subsequently became one of the pioneer farmers of White County, and though starting life a poor man he was able to rear and support a large family of children, and was the owner of seventy acres at the time of his death. He lived a straightforward, honest career, was cheerful and patient in the face of difficulties, and to the end enjoyed the respect and esteem of his entire community. He was a democrat in politics, but never sought office. Originally he belonged to the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, but at the time of his death both he and his wife were members of the Reformed Presbyterian denomination. He died January 28, 1878. He married Eliza Gibson, a daughter of John Gibson, one of the early settlers of White County. She was born October 12, 1817, and died January 12, 1883, and was laid to rest beside her husband in Idaville Cemetery. Abram and Elizabeth Neel were the parents of eleven children, named as follows: George C.; Anna G.; Samuel G.; Mary M., deceased; Jane Elizabeth, deceased; John W.; Sarah E.; Cyrus F.; James H.; Effie A.; and Emma T., deceased. Eight of these are still living.
John W. Neel was married March 20, 1873, to Miss Mary J. Glasgow, a daughter of Arthur and Eliza (McCullough) Glasgow, of Jackson Township. To this union, which has continued unbroken for a period of more than forty years, were born five children, as follows: Eva A., who married John Tate and has two children, Mary Gertrude and Mildred, the Tate family living in Jackson Township; Clara E., who lives at home; Edgar E., who lives in Union Township and by his marriage to Jennie Johnsonbaugh has one child, Eva Belle; Ada J., who lives at home; and Clair Stanley, also at home.
Mrs. Neel is a native of Shelby County, Ohio, born November 4, 1848, the seventh in a family of nine children, four sons and five daughters, born to Arthur and Eliza (McCullough) Glasgow. Only two are living besides Mrs. Neel. Samuel, a resident of Idaville, Indiana, married Miss Elizabeth Stipp. He was a soldier in the Civil war and they are members of the United Presbyterian Church. Joseph is a resident of Garden City, Kansas, and he was an agriculturist. He was also in the Federal army. Mr. Glasgow was a native of Adams County, Ohio, and reared as an agriculturist. He was educated only in the common schools. His religion was that of the Presbyterian Church. He died in 1853, on the ocean on his return from California, and was one of the forty-niners. Mrs. Glasgow was a native of Ohio and she died in her native state in 1870. Mrs. Neel is a pleasant and affable lady, and received a good common school education and taught school in her native state of Ohio. She is a devout member of the United Presbyterian Church at Idaville, Indiana.
Mr. John W. Neel is a democrat and a man who takes broad views in local affairs and always stands for the good of the community. He has been a liberal supporter of the United Presbyterian Church, and the neighborhood always counts upon him as a ready worker in any public enterprise. Mr. Neel, as the result of many years of successful effort in farming, has a fine place of 170 acres of land and livcs in the southwest part of Idaville. He is a stockholder in the Idaville Co-Operative Telephone Company. He was one of the first jurors empanelled for service in the new courthouse at Monticello. Mr. Neel has lived at peace with his neighbors and has never had a lawsuit in all his career.
More than sixty-five years have passed since the Neel family first became identified with White County. One of the most prominent citizens of Jackson Township is Samuel G. Neel, who was born in that part of White County, and still takes an active part in affairs.
His grandfather, Samuel Neel, was the son of an Irish emigrant, and in 1832 journeyed from Logan County, Ohio, to Carroll County, Indiana. Later he moved to White County. and after passing through many pioneer experiences and doing his part in clearing up the land of a new country, died in August, 1863, and was laid to rest in Cedar Cemetery. In politics he was first a whig and later a republican, and belonged to the seceder branch of the Presbyterian Church. Samuel Neel married Elizabeth Ginn, who was born in Ohio.
Abram Neel, the third in the family of seven children, was born in Ohio, September 5, 1816, and was about sixteen years of age when the family came to Indiana. He subsequently became one of the pioneer farmers of White County, and though starting life a poor man, he was able to rear and support a large family of children, and was the owner of seventy acres at the time of his death. He lived a straightforward, honest career, was cheerful and patient in the face of difficulties, and to the end enjoyed the respect and esteem of his entire community. He was a democrat in polities, but never sought office. Originally he belonged to the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, but at the time of his death both he and his wife were members of the Reformed Presbyterian denomination. He died January 28, 1878. He married Eliza Gibson, a daughter of John Gibson, one of the early settlers of White County. She was born October 12, 1817, and died January 12, 1883, and was laid to rest beside her husband in Idaville Cemetery. Abram and Elizabeth Neel were the parents of eleven children, named as follows: George C.; Anna G.; Samuel G.; Mary M., deceased; Jane Elizabeth, deceased; John W.; Sarah E.; Cyrus F.; James H.; Effie A.; and Emma T., deceased. Eight of these are still living.
Samuel G. Neel was born on section 33 in Jackson Township of White County, January 27, 1843. His birthplace was an old log house, and he grew up in surroundings that were of the simplest character though his parents were both high-minded and earnest people, who trained their children in the way they should go. Samuel G. Neel was married March 23, 1865, to Elizabeth A. Delzell, a daughter of Samuel and Mary C. Delzell, who came out to Blount County, Tennessee, and located in Carroll County, Indiana, in the early days. To the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Neel were born three children: Emma J., who died in infancy; Ella F., the wife of Forest Hackenburg, and they live in Monticello and have one child, Maude E.; and William W., who died in infancy. One of those impressive family events which always attract attention was the celebration of the fiftieth marriage anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Neel on the 23d of March, 1915. On that occasion nine persons were present who were guests at the wedding in 1865. There were thirty-one wedding guests, and twenty-one of them are still alive. Mr. Neel has been a farmer all his active career. He was educated in the common schools such as were maintained in White County during the '50s and early '60s. In many ways, in addition to acquiring sufficient material prosperity for himself and family, he has worked for the benefit of the community. He is a democrat, and while never seeking office, was honored in his township by election to the office of supervisor for two terms, once in Carroll County and once in White County. Mr. Neel was a resident of Carroll County from about 1865 to 1872, and since the latter date has been steadily occupied with his interests in White County. He also served as school director one year. He owns forty acres of land 4 1/2 miles east of Monticello, and is a stockholder in the Idaville Co-Operative Telephone Company. He and his wife are both members of the United Presbyterian Church, and among the most liberal supporters of that society.
In the prosperous little Village of Wolcott and in the agricultural community of West Point Township one of the chief factors in business enterprise is John R. Nelson, who while essentially a farmer has also identified himself with the business activities of Wolcott and is vice president of the Farmers Cooperative Company which operates the new elevator in that town. Mr. Nelson has spent his life in White County and long years of industry, honorable dealings with his fellow men, and strict observance of the principles of integrity have given him a high esteem in this community.
His father was the late Henry Nelson, one of the best known citizens of White County, who for a great many ycars had been engaged in farming near the Meadow Lake Church in West Point Township. Henry Nelson, a son of Robert and Hester (Atkinson) Nelson, was born May 19, 1842, at Beverley, Yorkshire, England. While growing up there he received a limited education in a boys' school, but at the age of seventeen, in 1859, accompanied the family on its removal to America. The Nelsons located at Luray in Licking County, Ohio, where he became associated with his father and older brother Peter in the building of wagons, buggies and the operation of a general repair shop.
On March 23, 1865, Henry Nelson married Miss Almeda Goss, who was born in Hardin County, Ohio, a daughter of John Goss. To their marriage were born nine children, seven sons and two daughters, one son and one daughter dying in infancy. The oldest is Peter William, who is now station agent at Brookston; John Robert is the second in age; Henry Harvey lives at Rose Lawn, Indiana; Charles Frank lives at Chalmers; Fred Clifton and George Albert both reside at Rose Lawn; and Grace May died September 16, 1892. In 1878 Henry Nelson brought his family to West Point Township in White County and he lived there for thirty-one years. Early in 1909 he sold his farming implements and stock and moved with his wife and two sons on the 15th of February to Rose Lawn where he had purchased a little home and was planning to enjoy a season of rest. There after a brief illness he died March 21, 1909, aged sixty-six years ten months and two days. He was survived by his widow and the six sons already mentioned. Henry Nelson was a man of many excellent traits of character. In politics he voted the democratic ticket without making any effort to advance himself in political favor. He was affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Hebron, Ohio. He was a faithful and devoted husband, a kind father, and a man who strove to realize the ideals associated with truth, justice and honor. It is a pleasant task to be able to record that these fundamental qualities of character have been reproduced and find expression in the lives of his children.
John Robert Nelson, whose activities have brought him in such close touch with the agricultural and business interests of his home township, was born June 23, 1868, near Newark, Ohio, and was about ten years of age when the family came to White County. Studious in his boyhood, he gained an adequate education and is remembered by many people for his successful work as a teacher. He taught eleven terms in his home township. The record of this service includes one term at the Snyder School, one at the Walker, one at Salem in Benton County, two at Brownedge, two at West Point, two at Wynekoop and for three years he was in the primary department of the Meadow Lake School. Since then his career has been almost entirely taken up with his farming interests.
On January 31, 1891, Mr. Nelson married Miss Margaret A. Jones, daughter of J. C. and Ellen (Pugh) Jones, who are mentioned on other pages. Mr. and Mrs. Nelson have three children: Albert H., Eleanor M. and Mary A. The oldest, Albert, is making his mark in the educational world. He was graduated A. B. from Wabash College at Crawfordsville in 1913, and in the following year received his degree Master of Arts from the same institution. At this writing he is assistant instructor in the English department of the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College at Stillwater, Oklahoma.
An active democrat, Mr. Nelson has given some capable public service to his home township. He served three years as township assessor, finishing out the unexpired term of Stephen Plummer, and for four years had the responsibilities of the local schools in the office of township trustee. He and his wife are members of the Meadow Lake Presbyterian Church. Their home is on the old Backus farm, where Mr. Nelson superintends the cultivation of 265 acres of land.
John W. Nethercutt, a pioneer of Jackson Township, died in Burnettsville, Thursday, December 18, 1913. He was born in Eaton, Darke County, Ohio, November 29, 1830, and came to Indiana with his parents when he was but a mere infant, locating on a farm southeast of Burnettsville. He spent his entire life in that locality, being outside the state but once, making a visit to Chenoa, Illinois, when what is now the Pan Handle Railroad, was completed. On April 30, 1857, he married Lydia C. Smith and to them was [sic] born ten children, six of whom and also the wife preceded him to the unknown. Those children who survived him were Alfred H., William E., Clifford H., and Arch O. At the time of his death he was Burnettsville's oldest business man and for many years had been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
In account of the history of White County mention must be made of Israel Nordyke, who had a large share in shaping the destinies of this section. He was one of the men of pioneer type who were willing to sacrifice much for the sake of the community, and who bent all their efforts toward building up the country in which they have made their homes. In the memories of all the older settlers of this county he is remembered as a man of splendid business ability and of great strength and nobility of character.
Israel Nordyke was born in Guilford County, North Carolina, June 10, 1824, while James Monroe was still president of the United States, and died at his home in Monticello, April 17, 1904, during the administration of Theodore Roosevelt, when at the venerable age of seventy-nine years, ten months and seven days. His life span covered the period of development from about the time of the completion of the Erie Canal and before the first railroad had been built in America, and ended about the time the automobile and airship became distinctive features of our modern life. There are some interesting details concerning the ancestry of Israel Nordyke. The family was of Holland extraction, and have long been identified with America. Back in the earlier generations a Nordyke, then a widow, became the wife of Peter the Great, and by that union one son was born, who for some reason retained the name of Nordyke. This son married and two of his sons emigrated from Holland to New York, and thus founded the family in the Dutch colonies of old York State.
Israel Nordyke was the fifth in a family of eleven children born to Robert and Elizabeth (Wood) Nordyke. Three of these children are still living: Benajah, Paris and Rhoda Hinchman. It was in 1830 that the family located in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, among the pioneers, and in 1844, a little more than seventy years ago, located in Princeton Township of White County. Israel Nordyke had acquired his education in Indiana from a well-known pioneer schoolmaster named B. W. Smith. Two years after he located in White County his parents came thither, and several years later his father died and his mother passed away in 1862.
In 1859 Israel Nordyke sold his farm, which he had developed from raw land, and engaged in the mercantile business in Pulaski County, but a year later returned to Seafield, and two years after that removed to Wolcott and in partnership with Anson Wolcott, founder of that town, embarked in merchandising. Mr. Nordyke subsequently acted as local agent for the P. C. C. & St. L. Railway until 1873. In that year he was elected county treasurer of White County and moved to Monticello, the county seat.
Mr. Nordyke was a republican in politics, and in earlier days had voted with the whig party. He took much interest in public affairs, and gave a capable administration of the office of county treasurer for four years. He then became identified with the hardware trade in Monticello under the firm name of Nordyke & Son. He continued in business until 1900, spending the last four years of his life in the quiet comfort of old age.
Israel Nordyke was of Quaker faith, and remained an adherent of that church until the age of sixty-two, when he joined the Methodist denomination. Besides his enterprise as a business man he was noted for his indulgent treatment of his family, and was a great lover of home. In 1848 he married Jemima Stewart, and four children were born to that union. Mrs. Nordyke died in 1859, and on April 9, 1862, he married Eliza Kahler, daughter of Henry and Nancy (Creighton) Kahler. The one son of this union was John P. Mr. Nordyke became identified with the Masonic order at Winnemac [sic] in 1859.
Noble Nordyke, who came to White County in 1846, was born in North Carolina, February 11, 1832, and died at Wolcott, August 15, 1912. He was reared a Friend but his latter days were spent as a member of the Advent Church. In 1852, he married Mary E. Vinson and they lived together forty-six years, until her death April 12, 1898. In December, 1898, he was married to Mrs. Eliza Carpenter of North Liberty, Indiana, who, with three children by his first marriage survived him.
With the increasing perspective of national life more and more honor will be shown to the veterans of the great war which cemented the integrity of the union of states. It has been the good fortune of Liberty Township to have among its residents for more than thirty years one of these veterans in the person of Layton M. North, whose long life has not been without important accomplishment in other directions though his services during the days of trial in the '60s must constitute a perpetual debt of gratitude upon the future generation.
A native of Ohio, Layton M. North was born in Miami County February 5, 1837, a son of William M. and Esther (Hall) North. The North family has long been identified with America, and was established at Charleston, South Carolina, about the time Lord Baltimore established his colonies in Maryland. Mr. North's great-grandfather, John North, served as a soldier under General Washington in the Revolutionary war, and was with that great general at Valley Forge. The grandfather, also named John North, and his brother, Joseph, were both soldiers in the War of 1812, and the former drove a six-horse team and the latter led four pack horses from Fort Wayne through to Detroit, Michigan, when the Indians were in this part of the country. The war record of the family has been further perpetuated by Allen A. North, the son of Mr. North, who was a private in the Spanish-American war, and was in Porto Rico. He participated in the battle of San Juan Hill, and well remembers Colonel Roosevelt's "Rough Riders." William M. North and wife are both deceased and are buried in Miami County, Ohio. Four of their eleven children still survive.
From the common schools that existed in his youth in Ohio Layton M. North acquired the rudiments of an education, and was already a capable and industrious young man when the war came on. On October 28, 1861, he enlisted in Company B of the Seventy-first Ohio Infantry under Colonel Mason. He joined the army at Paducah, Kentucky, and was a participant in those great campaigns which opened up the Mississippi Valley to the Union forces. At the battle of Shiloh he was wounded and received an honorable discharge in the fall of 1863. On his return to Ohio he engaged in farming, and about a year later assumed new responsibilities by his marriage on August 15, 1864, to Miss Martha Tucker. About a year ago Mr. and Mrs. North celebrated the golden anniversary of their wedding, and a large number of children and grandchildren as well as hosts of friends do them honor in their declining years. Mrs. North is the daughter of Jonathan and Sarah (Swisher) Tucker of Ohio. To their marriage were born ten children: Doshia, who married Frank Coonrod; Minnie Jane, who married Owen Robison; Sarah Esther, who married William Helfrich; Ida Maggie, who died at the age of two years; John Leon; William Weldon; Mary L., who married Wilbur Patterson; Allen Arvilla; Julius Noah, who lives in Chicago; and Elizabeth Caroline, who married Frank Powell.
It was in 1878 that Mr. North brought his family to White County and
located in Liberty Township. At that time he bought his present farm of
eighty acres in section 10, but his subsequent labors and improvements
have almost transformed the land in the past thirty-five years. He
remodeled the old home, has constructed barns and other outbuildings,
and after rearing and carefully providing for the needs of his children
he has ample provision for his declining years. Mr. North is a Lincoln
republican in politics, and for four years served as a justice of the
peace. He is a member of the Grand Army Post at Monticello and with his
family worships in the Christian Church at Buffalo. The home of this
honored citizen of White County is located on Rural Route No. 1 out of
Monticello. In retrospect it may be added that Mr. and Mrs. North have
attended the log cabin schools of the early days, where the seats were
benches, the writing desks a long board and their pens the goose quill
made by the teacher. Later, after the school days were ended, Mrs. North
wove flax and jeans for clothing for her family, and also colored the
yarn for their socks and stockings, while Mr. North wielded the
old-fashioned sickle and swung the cradle, from early morn until
late at night. As the years have passed they have kept pace with
advancements and improvements, and White County numbers them among her
worthy and substantial citizens.