George
F. Aichele is senior member of the firm of Aichele & Son, which conducts in Fort Wayne a substantial
and representative business in
the manufacturing and handling of cemetery monuments of the best modern type, and the concern has
acknowledged leadership in this line of enterprise in Allen county, with a
large and well equipped establishment that has the best of facilities for the
handling of all classes of monumental and other enduring memorial work on sacred
grounds, consecrated to those
who have passed forward to "that undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler
returns." Mr. Aichele was born in
Wurtenberg, Germany, August 23, 1851, and was a child of three years when he came with his parents to the
United States, the voyage across
the Atlantic having been made on an old-time sailing vessel of the type then commonly in commission for
such transportation service. The
family home was established in Kendallville, and there the subject of this review acquired his early
education in the public schools. In 1881 he established his home in Fort Wayne
and found employment in connection
with the line of business of which he is now a prominent representative. He learned the trade of
marble and granite cutting in a
most thorough way and he has here been established in his independent business as a manufacturer of and dealer
in cemetery monuments, gravestones, markers, etc., since 1894, the enterprise,
built up on the best of service
and honorable methods, being now conducted under the firm name of Aichele & Son. Mr. Aichele is
a man of broad views and well fortified
opinions, takes loyal interest in public affairs of local order and gives his political support to the
Socialist party, though he has never had any desire for political activity or
public office. In addition to his business he is the owner of valuable real
estate in Fort Wayne, including his attractive home property. In the state
of New York, in 1874, Mr.
Aichele wedded Miss Marie Scheymentki, and they became the parents of three children : Wilhelmina D.,
Clarence, who is a barber and resident
of Fort Wayne, and August C., who is associated with his father in business, as junior member of
the firm of Aichele & Son. John H. Aiken is another of the
native sons of Allen county whose ability, ambition and character have
brought to him established position as one of the successful and
representative members of the bar of the county, and his precedence has been shown
also by his able administration on the bench of the superior court of
Allen county, a position of which he was the incumbent about two years.
Since his retirement from this judicial
office he has given his undivided attention to his substantial and important general law business, and he
maintains his offices in the Swinney
building, Fort Wayne. Judge Aiken was born in Lafayette township, this county, on the 19th of
January, 1870, and is a son of John and Martha J. (Trainer) Aiken, the former
of whom was born either in
Pennsylvania or Eastern Ohio, and the latter was born in one of the eastern counties of the old Buckeye State.
John Aiken came to Allen county in 1860 and established his home in
Lafayette township, where he
owned and improved a good farm. After the lapse of a number of years he sold this property and, after
passing an interval in the state of Tennessee, returned to Allen county and
engaged in farming in Lake township.
He was a Democrat in politics, served as county assessor, and was influential in community affairs. A
man of the deepest Christian faith
and practice, he served many years as a local preacher in the Methodist
Episcopal church, and both he
and his wife passed the closing years of their lives in Fort Wayne, the subject
of this review being the youngest
of their eight children. John H. Aiken passed the period of his childhood and early youth on the
home farm and after profiting duly
by the advantages of the public schools he took a course in the old Methodist College in Fort Wayne. In
consonance with his well defined ambition to prepare himself for the legal
profession, he entered the law department
of the great University of Michigan, in which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1891 and from
which he received his degree
of Bachelor of Laws. In May of that year he was admitted to the Indiana bar and established himself in
the practice of his profession in
Fort Wayne. He was for a time associated with M. V. B. Spencer, and thereafter he conducted an independent
practice until 1905, when he formed a partnership with Homer C.
Underwood. This alliance continued until 1908, when Judge Aiken removed to
Warsaw, the judicial center
of Kosciusko county, where for the ensuing three years he was associated in practice with Judge A. G.
Wood. He then returned to Fort
Wayne, and here his law business has since been of an individual order. As a skilled trial lawyer he has
appeared in connection with much important litigation in the various courts
of this section of the state, and from 1900 until November, 1902, he gave
most effective service on the bench
of the Superior court of the county, from which office he retired to give his undivided attention to his
large and representative private law business. In 1896 he was appointed
county attorney for the poor, and
of this position he continued the incumbent four years. In politics Judge Aiken is a stalwart and well
fortified advocate of the cause of the Democratic party, and he is actively
affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, in which he has received the thirty-second
degree of the Scottish Rite,
besides being identified with the Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a Knight
Templar. On the 1st of September, 1891, was recorded the marriage of Judge
Aiken to Miss Lulu Bush, daughter
of Dr. Morton W. Bush, of Chelsea, Michigan, and the one child of this union is Arthur L., who is
now a resident of the city of Detroit,
Michigan. William Albersmeyer is a native
German, born on November 15, 1873,
son of Fred and Elizabeth (Heine) Albersmeyer. The father died in Germany and, in 1883, his widow took
her family of seven children and
came to America, settling in Fort Wayne, where she passed the remainder of her life. The sons and
daughters were Fred, Charles, Christ, William, Minnie, Lizette and Hannah.
William was sent to live with an uncle in Milan township, after the family
located in Fort Wayne, and there
had such educational advantages as the public schools offered. He was still in his teens when he took up
farming on his own lookout and has since continued to be actively identified
with that industry, enjoying a
pleasurable degree of success and acquiring possession of ninety acres of the most fertile and productive land in
the township. He bought unimproved land and has himself carried on the
difficult task of bringing it
up to its present high state of cultivation, and his work along the lines of diversified farming is highly
creditable to him. Mr. Albersmeyer was married, in 1901, to Miss Sophia
Dressier, daughter of August Dressier.
Four children have come to them — Esther, Imogard, Elmer and Gertrude. The family have membership
in the German Lutheran church
and Mr. Albersmeyer is an adherent of the Democratic party in politics. Samuel Rockwell Alden.
Thirty-eight years have passed since Samuel R. Alden established himself in the
practice of law in Fort Wayne. In
these years he has been a participant in many of the developing
processes that have gone to
make that place the prosperous and representative American city it is known to be, and his
labors have won for him a
position and prominence that might well be envied by his associates. Samuel Rockwell Alden was born in South
Wilbraham, Massachusetts, on
August 30, 1847, and he is the son of Harlow and Mary Ann (Imson) Alden. Harlow Alden was born in Lyme, New
Hampshire. An inventor, dreamer
and all-round mechanic, he never made a financial success, though expert in carpentry, cooperage and
cabinet work. Disabled during the
civil war, in service as sapper and miner, he could not help his son. The mother, spiritual, educated, and
energetic, was the formative force in the education and development of her
son, and by teaching she was for
years the family support. Of mixed descent, English, Scotch, Welsh, German, Dutch and Irish — Samuel R. Alden
is a typical American and the
twelfth in line from John Alden of Mayflower fame. He came with his parents to Whitewater, Wisconsin, when
a small boy and attended the
schools in that place. When he had finished his high school course he entered Beloit College, at Beloit,
Wisconsin, but his studies were broken off as the result of an injury he
sustained in an attempt to stop a runaway. When the Normal School opened at
Whitewater, his home town,
young Alden began to attend, though he was still suffering from his accident and was able to get about
only on crutches. Shortly after that he was appointed to the position of
instructor in certain subjects, and for two years taught advanced English
and Elocution. His next post was
as assistant in Mathematics to Prof. Horace Briggs, at the Buffalo Classical School, a preparatory school for
boys. Mr. Alden continued there
for two years and in 1874 he went abroad to continue his studies. He attended the University of Leipsic for
a year and then entered the University
of Heidelberg, after which he spent several months in study in Paris. Returning to his native country
he entered Columbia Law School,
and he completed a two year course in one year. His admission to the bar of the state of Wisconsin
followed shortly afterward and in 1878 he came to Fort Wayne, where he has
since been engaged in civil practice,
enjoying a marked degree of success and prosperity. Mr. Alden is a prominent Republican and a member of
the Baptist church. He has been
a Scottish Rite Mason since 1890 and is a member of the Shrine. He has long been a staunch member of the
Fort Wayne Commercial Club, and
for several years served as president of its predecessor, the Fort Wayne Club. In December, 1884, Mr. Alden
was married to Carrie Savin, the
daughter of Auguste F. and Sarah J. (Staniford) Savin, of New York City, where Mrs. Alden was born. Three
children have been born to Mr.
and Mrs. Alden. Whiting, the eldest, is a forester, in the employ of the Canadian Pacific railway and
stationed at Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dorothy is the wife of Fernand
Trussing, a mechanical engineer of Chicago, and, like her new-woman
sisters, continues her professional work after marriage. Spencer Thorndyke, a
senior at Cornell University, enlisted
in the Naval Reserve and is now in the coast patrol guard, stationed at Newport, Rhode Island. Charles B. Aldrich, recognized
as a man of excellent professional attainments, has been engaged in the
practice of law in Fort Wayne since 1911 and is one of the prominent and
influential younger members of the bar of Allen county. A scion of sterling
New England colonial ancestry, he
was born at Chattanooga, Massachusetts, on June 12, 1885, and is a son of Charles T. and Susetta (Milan)
Aldrich. After due preliminary educational
discipline he entered historic old Yale University, and in this institution he was graduated as a member
of the class of 1906 and with the
degree of Bachelor of Arts. In preparation for his chosen profession he was matriculated in the Chattanooga Law
School, in the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and from the same he received
his degree of Bachelor of
Laws in the year 1908. In 1910 he completed an effective post-graduate course in the law school of Yale
University, but he had been admitted to the Indiana bar in the year that recorded
his graduation in the Chattanooga Law School. In 1911 he engaged in the
practice of his profession in
Fort Wayne, and since January 1, 1916, has here been a member of the strong and representative law firm of
Ryan, Ryan & Aldrich, which controls a substantial and important
practice. Mr. Aldrich is a popular member of the Allen County Bar Association
and holds membership also in
the Indiana State Bar Association. His political allegiance is given to the Democratic party, he and his wife
are communicants of the Catholic church, and he is affiliated with the
Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks and the
Improved Order of Red Men. On the
9th of July, 1912, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Aldrich to Miss Juanita Ryan, of Fort Wayne, and the one
child of this union is a son, William
Right Rev. Herman Joseph
Alerding, the present bishop of the diocese of Fort Wayne, has been the occupant of
that exalted station since his
consecration, November 30, 1900, and under his administration the diocese has flourished, the churches have
been increased in members, church
properties improved, and all kindred interests have progressed most satisfactorily. Bishop Alerding was
born in Westphalia, Germany, April
13, 1845, and while he was as yet an infant the family migrated to America, establishing a home at
Newport, Kentucky, where the future Bishop attended the parochial schools of
Corpus Christi church. Bishop Alerding
relates that all the children of the parish, boys and girls, numbering about one hundred and fifty, were taught
in one room, by one teacher,
which is in striking contrast with the schools of the present day. The education was in every respect
strenuous, but the youthful Alerding
persisted in his studies, as he had, from his earliest boyhood days, evinced an inclination and a desire
to become a priest. He received his first lessons in Latin from Rev. John
Voll, pastor of Corpus Christi church
at Newport, and from 1858 until 1859 attended the diocesan seminary at Vincennes, Indiana. The second
year of his studies was spent
in the old St. Thomas Seminary, near Bardstown, Kentucky, and in the fall of 1860 he was sent to St.
Meinrad's College and Seminary in
Spencer county, Indiana, which institution was conducted by Benedictine
Fathers who had come to this
country from Einsiedlen, Switzerland. There young Alerding
finished his studies and received the Holy Orders from Bishop de St. Palais, the
Tonsure and Minor Orders being received
on September 18, 1865, Subdeaconship on June 18, 1867, Deaconship on June 21 of the same year and
Priesthood on September 22, 1868. After receiving the Holy Orders his first
appointment was that of assistant to the Rev. John B. Chasse at St. Joseph
's church, in Terre Haute, and there
he remained until October 18, 1871. While serving there in that capacity he also had charge of the missions at
Rockville and Montezuma, the
stations at Rosedale in Parke county and the mission at Sullivan and the station at Farmersburg, in
Sullivan county. He was removed to Cambridge City, October 18, 1871, and
there he served as the pastor of
St. Elizabeth's church until August, 1874. He found a demoralized congregation in this place, but he was
able to liquidate the indebtedness on the church property and also to
purchase a more favorable site for
the erection of a new church building. During his pastorate in Cambridge City he also had charge of the
station at Knightstown and
Newcastle, in Henry county, and Hagerstown, in Wayne county. The churches at Knightstown and Newcastle
were built by him and wholly
paid for. In the summer of 1874, Father Alerding was transferred to Indianapolis and appointed to the
position of procurator for the newly
established St. Joseph's seminary, also serving as pastor for the congregation which had regular services in
the seminary chapel. The seminary
was abandoned after one year, and later Father Alerding was directed to build a new church. In
compliance the present St. Joseph's church was erected and the dedicatory
services were held on July 4, 1880.
Father Alerding continued as pastor of this charge until 1900, when the See of Fort Wayne became vacant
upon the death of Bishop Rademacher,
and Father Alerding was appointed to the position, the consecration taking place on November 30
of the same year. In 1901, the
first year of his administration, the Bishop's House, at the corner of Lewis and Clinton streets, was erected,
and in 1906 a crypt for the burial of church dignitaries was
constructed beneath the sanctuary. In 1883 Bishop Alerding published "A
History of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Vincennes," which book "
is a monument to his industry and
untiring patience," and in 1907 he published "The Diocese of Fort Wayne; a Book of Historical
Reference," which increased the debt of gratitude owed him by the
thousands of interested members of the Mother Church. John D. Alleger, proprietor of
the Monroeville Breeze and Nestor of the Press in Allen county, was born in
Danville, Pennsylvania, August 24,
1854. The year following his birth the parents came to Allen county, and here he has spent his life
from that time to the present. The
first home of the family was in a small house which stood on the grounds now a part of Concordia College.
The father owned and operated a
portable sawmill and thus it came about that Mr. Alleger lived in various parts of the county. Acquiring
only a rudimentary education, he
early began that course of industry which has become a settled
characteristic. He went
through the bootblack and newsboy period of business, in the former of which he was the first in
the city, and in his early
'teens was a coachman for Hon. Hugh McCulloch. In 1869 he took up the printer's calling in the old
Fort Wayne Gazette office and
with slight variation he has been identified with the newspaper business of the county since that time. He
worked for three years in the Monroeville Democrat office and then
returned to Fort Wayne, where
he remained until 1881, when he resumed his connection in Monroeville. He bought the Democrat, January 1, 1884,
and at once changed the name
to the Breeze, by which it has been known ever since. He was then without funds, but was enabled to
purchase it through the aid
of thirty-three citizens who signed a promissory note for $1,000 — on which he borrowed the money. The Breeze
has been a consistent advocate
of Democratic principles though not a slave to partisan rule. In February, 1874, was solemnized his
marriage with Malinda Wass, who
has borne him three children, named Mrs. Dovie May Noyer (now deceased) ; William R., and Mrs. Elsie
Winifred Battenberg. The son is
now associated with the father in conducting the Breeze and thus Mr. Alleger is enabled to give attention
to his other interests, among which
is a fine farm of seventy-one acres near the town. William R. was married to Susie E. Filler and they
have one son — John Carlton — now
thirteen years old and a pupil in the high school. Mr. Alleger is, as may be inferred, a Democrat in politics
and has held the office of Justice
of the Peace for thirty years and through this has come to be known among his acquaintances as Judge
Alleger. Fraternally he belongs
to the Masons, I. 0. 0. P., K. of P. and Jr. 0. U. A. W. Albert C. Alter passed his
entire life in Fort Wayne and was but forty years of age at the time of his
death, which occurred December 7, 1912. The succinct biography of any man
may be summed up in the terse expressions
that he was born, he lived and he died, but how much is implied aside from this depends upon the
man himself and the use he makes
of his powers, the attitude which is his toward his fellow men. Mr. Alter achieved independence and
success through his own efforts, but over and above this he held himself
true and loyal in all of the relations of life, expressed his buoyant nature in
kindly thoughts and kindly deeds,
and it may well be said that when he passed from the stage of his mortal endeavors the popular estimate of
him was shown in the sorrow and
regret that came to the hearts of a host of friends who had been drawn to him during the course of his
generous and gracious life. To have
gained such friends bespeaks the most and best for any man. Albert C. Alter was born at Fort Wayne on October
18, 1872, and was a son of Nicholas
and Barbara (Qrotenrath) Alter, the former a native of Fort Wayne and the latter of Cleveland, Ohio.
The father was one of the pioneer
shoe merchants of Fort Wayne, where he continued to reside until his death and where his widow still
maintains her home, at 1040 Lake avenue. From an appreciative estimate that
was published some time prior
to the death of Mr. Alter may consistently be taken the following quotations: "The subject of this sketch is
a living proof of the falsity of
the assertion that there is nothing in a name. The verb alter,
according to wise old Noah
Webster and a few other authorities, means the same as 'change,' and this tells in a word just the
manner in which Mr. Alter made his
money. No, he didn't make it on 'change,' as many another man has done; he simply made it out of
change, small change, pennies, nickels and dimes. He started in as a hustling,
thrifty newsboy, crying his wares on the very corner of which he is now the
boss, a splendid example for the 'newsies' who congregate there daily
and make life interesting for those
waiting for their cars. We hope they'll all peruse this little story and profit thereby. One day Mr. Alter
found himself in charge of the news
stand of the Aveline Hotel. Gradually his prosperity increased until he
was able to open the present finely equipped cigar and news stand on the busiest corner of the city.
All of this and his other evidences of prosperity have been accomplished
because he tried to treat everybody right, not forgetting, of course, Mr.
Albert C. Alter." Mr. Alter not only thus proved himself a worker when he
was a mere boy but he also profited
duly by the advantages offered in the public schools of his native city. As a boy he began to assist in the
work of his father's shoe store, and later he was for some time employed in
the store of A. C. Cott, news dealer.
His advancement was shown by his presiding over the news stands in the Aveline Hotel and the Wayne
Hotel, and it was in the year 1901
that he opened his cigar and news stand at the corner of Calhoun and Main streets, where he continued to
conduct a prosperous business until
the time of his death. Mr. Alter was a Democrat in politics, was a communicant of the Catholic church, and
was affiliated with the Knights of Columbus and the Benevolent &
Protective Order of Elks. On the 20th of November, 1902, was solemnized his
marriage to Miss Alice Hunt, who was born and reared in Fort Wayne and who
is a daughter of James and Mary
(Pinan) Hunt, the former of whom has been a resident of Fort Wayne from the time of his birth and the
latter, now deceased, was a native
of Ohio. Mr. Hunt was for many years one of the successful buyers and shippers of live stock in North
Indiana and is now living retired in Fort Wayne. Mr. and Mrs. Alter became the
parents of three children, two
of whom survive him, Charlotte and Julian. The second child, Albert, died in infancy. On the 15th of
November, 1915, Mrs. Alter contracted a second marriage, and her present
husband, Harry C. Beekner, a native
of Fort Wayne, is a commercial traveling salesman for the C. T. Pidgeon Millinery Company, of this city. Noah Amstutz is one of the
energetic and representative farmers of the younger generation in his native
township, is a scion of one of the
old and honored families of Allen county, and in his operations as an agriculturist and stock-grower is
bringing to bear the best of modern methods and policies, so that the maximum
success attends his farm enterprise,
besides which he shows his civic loyalty by taking active and liberal interest in community affairs.
He is a son of Jacob and Sophia
(Culp) Amstutz, and on other pages of this publication are given adequate data concerning the family
history. Born in Springfield township,
December 2, 1882, Noah Amstutz passed the period of his childhood and youth under the benignant
influences and discipline of the
home farm and in the meanwhile did not fail to profit fully by the advantages of the public schools of
his native township. A young man
of alert mentality and definite ambition, he has never severed his allegiance to the great basic industry of
agriculture and through the medium
of the same has achieved success that has fully justified this fealty. His independent operations as a
farmer were instituted on the old
homestead, and he is now the owner of a fine farm of one hundred and fifty-four acres in Section 32,
Springfield township, as well as a well-improved additional tract of
forty-five acres in Cedar Creek township. The year 1917 finds him serving his second
term as one of the progressive
and valued members of the Allen county council, and he is aligned as a stalwart advocate and
supporter of the cause of the Democratic
party. In the time-honored Masonic fraternity his ancient- craft affiliation is with Harlan Lodge No.
296, and he is identified also with
other York Rite bodies, has received advancement in the Scottish Rite
and is affiliated also with the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. In 1902 was
solemnized the marriage of Mr. Amstutz
to Miss Millie Knight, daughter of Lewis and Christina (Miller) Knight, of Milan township, and the four
children of this union are Kenneth,
Jeanette, May and Thelma. The attractive rural home of the family is known for its generous
hospitality and is about three fourths
of a mile distant from the village of Harlan. Peter S. Amstutz was born in Springfield
township, Allen county, September
27, 1853, on the farm that is now his home, so that he has a record of sixty-four years of continuous
residence in the one spot. He
is one of the prosperous men of the community, connected prominently with various business enterprises in his
district, and is a man highly
esteemed of all who know him. He is the son of Peter and Barbara (Schulenger) Amstutz, both natives
of Alsace, the French province
in Germany. Peter Amstutz, the elder, came to America when he was twenty-two years of age and located
in Wayne county, Ohio. His marriage
took place in Stark county, Ohio, and after several years of residence there he came to Allen county,
Indiana, in 1852, settling on the
farm now the home of the subject. Nine children were born to Peter and Barbara Amstutz, of which number
only two survive. The children,
named in the order of their birth, were John, Joseph, Jacob, Lydia, Barbara, Peter, Jr., Mary, Anna and
John, the last named being a
prosperous citizen of Wayne county, Ohio. The parents spent their lives in work on their Allen county farm,
and prospered according to their
labors. When they died the home place went to Peter, Jr., the only other surviving child being
established in Wayne county, as has been stated previously. When young Amstutz
was eighteen years old he
engaged in the implement business, using the home place as a center for his operations. In 1901 the Wabash
Railroad, cutting through Springfield
township, made Grabill a busy center and Mr. Amstutz moved his business to that point. He has
carried on a successful trade in
farm implements these many years, besides having found many other important enterprises to identify himself
with. He is president of a successful
lumber company, director of the People's Store Company and a director of the Woodburn Banking
Company, of which concern he
was one of the organizers. He is also a stockholder in the Harlan State Bank. In 1879 Mr. Amstutz was
married to Anna Roth, who was
born in Allen county, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Souder) Roth. Mr. and Mrs. Roth were the parents
of five children, of which Mrs.
Amstutz was the eldest. The others were Levi, Elizabeth, Lydia and Louisa. Five children were born to Mr.
and Mrs. Amstutz. Aaron, the
eldest, is located on a farm near Harlan. Delbert G. is also located in that vicinity as a farmer. Harvey is on
the old home place. Emma is
the wife of Albert Neuenschwander, of Grabill, and Viola, the youngest,
is at home with her parents.
In 1903 the wife and mother died and in later years Mr. Amstutz married Lydia
Grabill, who has since shared his
fortunes. Mr. Amstutz is a Republican, prominent in local politics, and a public-spirited citizen first and
last. He has served his community ably as a director of the school board and
has been supervisor of his township
on several occasions, as well as holding other township offices from time to time. In all of them he has
displayed an aptitude for public service and has amply earned the regard
and esteem in which he has long been held by his fellow citizens
and neighbors. Rite and is
affiliated also with the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. In 1902 was
solemnized the marriage of Mr. Amstutz
to Miss Millie Knight, daughter of Lewis and Christina (Miller) Knight, of Milan township, and the four
children of this union are Kenneth,
Jeanette, May and Thelma. The attractive rural home of the family is known for its generous
hospitality and is about three- fourths of a mile distant from the village
of Harlan. Peter S. Amstutz was born in
Springfield township, Allen county, September 27, 1853, on the farm that is
now his home, so that he has a
record of sixty-four years of continuous residence in the one spot. He is one of the prosperous men of the
community, connected prominently with various business enterprises in his
district, and is a man highly
esteemed of all who know him. He is the son of Peter and Barbara (Schulenger) Amstutz, both natives
of Alsace, the French province
in Germany. Peter Amstutz, the elder, came to America when he was twenty-two years of age and located
in Wayne county, Ohio. His marriage
took place in Stark county, Ohio, and after several years of residence there he came to Allen county,
Indiana, in 1852, settling on the
farm now the home of the subject. Nine children were born to Peter and Barbara Amstutz, of which number
only two survive. The children,
named in the order of their birth, were John, Joseph, Jacob, Lydia, Barbara, Peter, Jr., Mary, Anna and
John, the last named being a
prosperous citizen of Wayne county, Ohio. The parents spent their lives in work on their Allen county farm,
and prospered according to their
labors. When they died the home place went to Peter, Jr., the only other surviving child being
established in Wayne county, as has been stated previously. When young Amstutz
was eighteen years old he
engaged in the implement business, using the home place as a center for his operations. In 1901 the Wabash
Railroad, cutting through Springfield
township, made Grabill a busy center and Mr. Amstutz moved his business to that point. He has
carried on a successful trade in
farm implements these many years, besides having found many other important enterprises to identify himself
with. He is president of a successful
lumber company, director of the People's Store Company and a director of the Woodburn Banking
Company, of which concern he
was one of the organizers. He is also a stockholder in the Harlan State Bank. In 1879 Mr. Amstutz was
married to Anna Roth, who was
born in Allen county, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Souder) Roth. Mr. and Mrs. Roth were the parents
of five children, of which Mrs.
Amstutz was the eldest. The others were Levi, Elizabeth, Lydia and Louisa. Five children were born to Mr.
and Mrs. Amstutz. Aaron, the
eldest, is located on a farm near Harlan. Delbert G. is also located in that vicinity as a farmer. Harvey is on
the old home place. Emma is
the wife of Albert Neuenschwander, of Grabill, and Viola, the youngest,
is at home with her parents.
In 1903 the wife and mother died and in later years Mr. Amstutz married Lydia
Grabill, who has since shared his
fortunes. Mr. Amstutz is a Republican, prominent in local politics, and a public-spirited citizen first and
last. He has served his community ably as a director of the school board and
has been supervisor of his township
on several occasions, as well as holding other township offices from time to time. In all of them he has
displayed an aptitude for public service and has amply earned the regard
and esteem in which he has long
been held by his fellow citizens and neighbors.
Charles Ashley. As senior
member of the firm of George L. Ashley's Sons, the subject of this review is one of
the progressive and successful
representatives of the real estate business in his native county, and since the death of their honored
father he and his brother, George S., have successfully conducted the
substantial business that was founded by the father after he had retired from
the office of county recorder, the
family having been one of prominence in Allen county for three generations. Charles Ashley was born on a
farm in St. Joseph township, this
county, a few miles distant from Fort Wayne, and the date of his nativity was March 11, 1876. He is a son
of George L. and Josephine (Darling)
Ashley, the former of whom was born and reared in this county, where his parents settled in the
pioneer days, and the latter was born at Keene, New Hampshire. The parents
of George L. Ashley settled in
Allen county as pioneers and his father here became a prosperous farmer, with which line of basic industry
he continued to be identified until
his death. George L. was reared to the sturdy discipline of the farm and in his independent operations as an
agriculturist and stockgrower he
eventually became the owner of one of the model farms of St. Joseph township. To the management of this
homestead he continued to give his
attention until he was elected county recorder, in the autumn of 1904, his inviolable hold upon popular
confidence and esteem having been significantly shown in this connection, as
he successfully overcame at the polls the large and normal Democratic
majority and had the distinction of being the only Republican elected to
this office in the county during the entire period of its history. He
assumed the duties of the office January 1, 1905, and his able administration
during the ensuing four years fully
demonstrated the consistency of the popular choice of an incumbent. After retiring from office he established
himself in the real estate business in Fort Wayne, and his exact and
comprehensive knowledge of realty values in this section of the state
combined with his executive ability and personal popularity to fortify him
splendidly in the development of a substantial business, his two sons having
been associated with him in the enterprise which they have effectively
continued since his death. George L. Ashley was a man of broad mental ken,
of invincible rectitude in all of
the relations of life, and held himself true to his high ideals until
he passed from the stage of
his mortal endeavors, January 5, 1916, the wife of his youth having passed away on the 7th
of January, 1879, leaving one son,
the immediate subject of this sketch. Mrs. Ashley was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, as was
also her husband. He married, second,
Addessa M. Miller and she bore him the following children : Olive E., wife of Arthur J. Smith, of Fort Wayne
; Oscar J., died in 1913 ; George S., junior member of the real estate firm
of George L. Ashley's Sons, and Josephine Margaret, wife of Calvin C.
Magley, of Fort Wayne. He married,
third, Mrs. Zella Culber, who survives him. Mr. Ashley attained to the thirty-second degree in the Ancient
Accepted Scottish Rite of Masonry,
and it is pleasing to note that he was treasurer of the class of 1912, in which he and his three sons
simultaneously received the thirty- second degree and were duly crowned
sublime princes of the royal secret. In the public schools of his native county
Charles Ashley continued his studies
until he had duly availed himself of the advantages of the high school in Fort Wayne, after which he
completed a course in a well ordered business college in this city. He
continued to be associated in the work and management of the home farm until he
was twenty-four years old the latter 's regime of four years, after
which he became a member of the firm of George L. Ashley & Sons, in
the real estate business in Fort Wayne. After the death of the honored
father the present title of George L. Ashley's Sons was adopted, and
the firm controls a well ordered and substantial business in the
handling of both city and farm property in this section of the state.
Mr. Ashley holds himself unwavering in allegiance to the Republican
party, and in addition to his affiliation with the Masonic fraternity,
as previously intimated, he is identified also with the Tribe of Ben
Hur, both he and his wife being members of the Methodist Episcopal
church. In 1900 was recorded his marriage to Miss Jessie V. Sweet, who
was born and reared in Fort Wayne, and they have two children, Charles
L. and Marjorie R. Mark Ashton, who was born in Maumee
township, January 11, 1876, is
now numbered among the representative exponents of agricultural and live-stock industry in this township,
his excellent farm, comprising seventy-five
acres, being well improved and eligibly situated. Mr. Ashton is a son of Ambrose and Mary Annie
(Cummins) Ashton, both natives of Ohio, the former having been born in Brown
county and the latter in Clermont
county, and both having been children at the time of the removal from the old Buckeye state to become
pioneer settlers of Allen county, Indiana. After their marriage Ambrose
Ashton and his young wife established their home on a farm in Maumee township,
and there they passed the
remainder of their earnest and industrious lives, the passing years bringing to them a consistent measure of
prosperity, the while they had inviolable
place in the esteem of all who knew them. They became the parents of seven children, and all are
living except Clark, who was a twin
of the subject of this sketch and who died at an early age, and Clarence F., the youngest of the number,
who is also deceased. The surviving children are George P., Mrs. Nellie A.
Doerring, Joseph L., Mrs. Lily
D. Keefer, and Mark. The honored father passed from the stage of his mortal endeavors December 24, 1895,
the devoted wife and mother having
been summoned to eternal rest October 3, 1892. Ambrose Ashton played a large and benignant part in the
community life, commanded unqualified
confidence and esteem, served as township trustee of Maumee township, and for a number of years held
the office of justice of the peace.
Mark Ashton is indebted to the public schools of his native county for his early education, and he has been
continuously identified with agricultural
pursuits from the time of his youth, his independent operations having been instituted on the old home
farm, of which his present well
improved farm is a part. His political support is given to the Republican party, he is a loyal citizen
who gives co-operation in the furtherance
of measures and enterprises advanced for the general good of the community, but he has manifested no
ambition for public office of
any kind. November 1, 1900, stands as the date of the marriage of Mr. Ashton to Miss Lela H. Burrier, who
likewise was born and reared in
this county and who is a member of a family that was here established in the early pioneer days. She is a
daughter of George and Alice (Sanders)
Burrier. Mr. and Mrs. Ashton have four children, whose names and respective dates of birth are
here designated: Florence M., December
22, 1903; George B., September 20, 1906; Frances L. January 30, 1909; and Forrest C., December 25,
1912. Austin Augspurger is one of the
progressive citizens of Maumee township,
with place of residence at Woodburn, where he is engaged in the lumber business and also gives some
attention to farming. Mr. Augspurger
was born, May 23, 1869, and is a scion of a highly respected family, a number of members of which are
residents of the city of Fort Wayne.
In the lumber business Mr. Augspurger finds opportunity for the exercise of those qualities of thrift
and energy with which he is abundantly
endowed, and his activities add to the general spirit of enterprise and endeavor which
characterizes the prosperous village of Woodburn.
Source: The Pictorial History of Fort
Wayne, Indiana By Bert Joseph Griswold, Samuel R. Taylor
