PULASKI COUNTY INDIANA
BIOGRAPHIES
GEORGE PFEIFFER
As the surname of
our subject indicates, he is of German ancestry on the paternal side.
His father, Henry Hamilton Pfeiffer, was born in 1797, at Fort
Hamilton, Ohio. But three years of age at the time of his father's
death, he was reared by his maternal grandmother, whose name was
Williams and whose home was in Philadelphia. In the schools of that
city he obtained an excellent education and studied medicine. Then for
some years he was successfully engaged in teaching, and having given
some attention to theology he was ordained as a minister of the
Episcopal church. About the time that he arrived at
his majority he went to Baltimore, Maryland, and in the early part of
the '30s he came to Indiana, settling in Washington county. There he
bought a farm of forty acres, situated in Posey township, and was
living on that homestead at the time of his death, in 1868. After
coming to this state he taught schools in Harrison and Washington
counties, but did not practice the other professions mentioned above.
In his early manhood he had married a lady in the Quaker city, and she
died in that metropolis. Later he wedded Marie Ann, daughter of Jacob
Fredericks, of English descent. Both she and her father were natives of
Kentucky, from which state the family removed to Indiana. Her brothers
and sisters were named, respectively: Henry, Lovisa, Catherine,
Christopher Columbus, Jacob and Lorenzo Dow. The death of Mrs. Henry H.
Pfeiffer occurred three months prior to the demise of her husband, her
age being fifty three years.
George Pfeiffer,
who was born September 3, 1839, in Harrison county, Indiana, is one of
ten children, the others being as named below: Mary Ann, who first
married John Hallenback, and then became the wife of William Brown, is
now engaged in missionary work in Palestine; Martha Ann, widow of John
Bennifield, resides in Logansport, Indiana; Margaret, wife of William
H. Price, who holds a clerkship in Washington, District of Columbia,
has one daughter, Cora, wife of Emmet Lewis; Eliza, who married Stephen
Frazier, died in 1898; Henry, who wedded Mary Able and has seven
children, Mary, Nora, George, Oscar, Lewis, Nettie and Cora, resides in
Ohio; Josephine, who is the wife of Francis Duncan, of Logansport, has
two sons and two daughters, James, Alice, Albert and Maggie; Sarah Ann,
who married John Trueblood, of Washington county, Indiana, died when in
her twenty fifth year; Alice, wife of Joshua Shields, of Logansport, is
the mother of Frank, James, Thomas and Martha Ann; Jacob, twin brother
of Alice (Mrs. Shields), chose for his wife Aurelia Rose, and their
children are named respectively Robert, Bertha, Bessie, Edgar, Elmer
and Allen.
As he was one of the older children,
and for years the only son of his parents, George Pfeiffer was of great
assistance in the work of the farm, and even after his father's death
he cared for the younger brothers and sisters and exercised almost a
parental watchfulness over them. After his marriage in 1871 he rented
farms which he cultivated for a period of ten years. In the spring of
1872 he came to Pulaski county and purchased the homestead on section
14, Van Buren township, owned by J. R. Dukes. Shortly afterward he
erected a substantial residence, and year by year has added such
improvements as he desired, thus making his country home one of the
most valuable in the county.
For a companion in
the joys and sorrows of life, Mr. Pfeiffer chose Miss Marie Ann
Houghland, a daughter of Henry and Jane (Peters) Houghland, and a
native of Harrison county, Indiana, born in 1836. The oldest child of
our subject and wife is William Henry, whose birth occurred October 24,
1871, in Washington county, this state. He is a successful teacher,
having charge of a school at Thornhope, Pulaski county, at present, and
having previously taught the Forest school one term, the Sutton school
three terms and the Burk school for one term. His marriage to Laura,
daughter of George and Donna (Pickard) Liming, was celebrated October
10, 1898. She was born in this county, July 2, 1879, and received a
liberal education in the public schools. John Wesley, born February 14,
1874, remains at home and aids in the care of his father's farm. George
Washington, born April 17, 1876, died when but two years old.
Both sons of our
subject, as well as himself, are loyal supporters of the Republican
party. He is a member of the United Brethren church, and uses his means
and influence in ways whereby his generation and community shall be
benefited. He possesses the genuine friendship of all who know him and
the respect of all with whom he has business dealings.
OLIVER
PERRY CRANE
Born August 29, 1856, in Pulaski county, the subject
of this memoir was
bereft of his father, Levi Morris Crane, when quite young, and has been
obliged to depend upon his own resources in the working out of life's
problems. That he has come off a victor in the strife, he owes to no
fortuitous circumstances, but to honest, persevering toil and
indomitable will.
For a short time after commencing to earn his own livelihood, Mr. Crane
worked for wages, but he was too ambitious to continue long in this
manner, and his business ability speedily became apparent when he began
taking contracts for the cutting of a field of grain or other farm
labor. Then for six years he was associated with William Sutton (until
Sutton's death), in ditch contracting, and during this period some of
the most important ditches in this portion of the state were
constructed. Later his partner in this line of enterprise was his
brother, Robert F., and J. H. Miller. Among the pieces of work done
were the well known Miller Branch ditch, the W. W. Agnew, the Thompson
ditch, the M. W. Vernard ditch, the Besson Temple ditch and the Fred
Kneble ditch. Altogether, Mr. Crane has been actively interested in the
building of about fifty miles of ditches in Pulaski county, the main
part of this work being in Harrison township. This occupied his time
and attention for about twenty years, and in the meantime he and R. F.
Crane also assisted in the grading of the Chicago & Erie Railroad,
and held one of the important sub-contracts for grading in the Kankakee
swamp.
In 1889 Mr. Crane went to Chicago, where he was in
the employ of the
Conduit Wire Fence Company for a short time, after which he worked for
the Frank Parmelee Company for three months. Since that time he has
been employed by the Arthur Dixon Transfer Company, which is rapidly
becoming one of the most important concerns of the kind in the country,
and is the largest transfer company in the world. For two years Mr.
Crane had charge of the transfer business of the Illinois Central;
then, after attending to the similar business of the Grand Trunk road
for a year, he returned to the Illinois Central, and two years later
was assigned to his present task of taking care of the transfer of the
Wisconsin Central Railroad's freight. Their business has grown
wonderfully, and eight wagons are now required to perform the work
which one was sufficient for at the time he began transferring goods
for them.
One of the prime secrets of Mr. Crane's success in life has been his
general reliability and faithfulness. That he will perform to the
smallest item any work which he undertakes, his employers know
perfectly; and he has always commanded the best prices as a contractor,
and the highest salary paid to an employee. Very recently he has been
appointed private detective for the Dixon Transfer Company, his duties
as such requiring him to visit suspected places and parties in all
parts of the city, ferreting out parties who rob the company's wagons,
etc. He merits and enjoys the respect of all with whom he has ever had
business dealings. In political faith he is a Republican.
The marriage of Mr. Crane and Miss Ella Markley took
place April 24,
1880. She was born June 29, 1863, in Marion county, Ohio, a daughter of
William Markley. Two sons and two daughters have been born to our
subject and wife, namely: Lola Belle, December 7, 1882; Elmer Franklin,
January 24, 1885; Opie, Jr., October 3, 1888, and Ada Hazel, September
17, 1896. The youngest son, his father's namesake,
died at the age of three years and four months, February 3, 1891. The
eldest son and daughter, bright, promising children, are attending
school and qualifying themselves for the serious battles of life.
ROBERT FRANKLIN CRANE
America is, perhaps more than any
other country, the land of self made
men, men who have advanced from the lowly ranks of poverty to
prominence, and by force of will and native talent have amassed a
competence. Such, in brief, has been the history of not a few of the
chief citizens of Pulaski county, among these being Robert Franklin
Crane.
One of the native sons of this county, he was born March 5, i860, his
parents being Levi and Rebecca (Hartley) Crane. His father dying when
our subject was a mere child, he not only missed the loving counsel and
training he would otherwise have received, but he was forced to begin
making his own way in the world at an age when he should have been a
care-free school-boy. For several years he worked for neighbors, glad
if he was given a trifle now and then besides his board and
clothes.
When he had nearly
reached maturity he found employment at the hands of his elder brother,
Oliver P. Crane, a contractor for the building of ditches and similar
public improvements. Faithfully did the young man continue in this line
of business for about twenty two years. About 1889 he bought forty
acres of wild land of Marietta Helm in Harrison township, Pulaski
county. This he cleared and ditched and reduced to cultivation all
excepting four acres, and built a house upon an eligible site. In
August, 1895, he sold this farm to H. H. Capis, and for a short time
tried working by the job and day; but, becoming tired of that, he
bought a team and resumed farming upon a place of about sixty acres. He
has succeeded in making an excellent livelihood for himself and family,
and has an enviable reputation for integrity and business honor. Public
spirited, as becomes a patriotic citizen of this great commonwealth, he
supports all measures which he deems worthy, and his ballot is given
for the nominees of the Republican party.
On the 10th of November, 1894, Mr. Crane and Mrs. Jessie Elizabeth
Clark were joined in wedlock. She is a daughter of John Beard, and was
first married to John Clark, one child, Rosie Fay, now twelve years of
age, blessing their union. Mr. and Mrs. Crane have two little sons,
Levi Hanna, born October 11, 1896, and Albert DeWitt, August 30, 1898.
Mrs. Crane was born in Grant county, Indiana, about thirty five years
ago, and when young was brought to Pulaski county. Her parents
originally were from Ohio, and after their arrival in this section they
located upon a farm in Beaver township, which they bought of Moses
Dilts. Their son, Albert G. F now in Logansport, is a bachelor; and a
daughter, Florence, is the wife of David Sutton, of Star City, Indiana.
JAMES KNOX POLK DECKER
Born September 24,
1845, on his father's homestead in Indian Creek
township, the subject of this article has always been identified with
the welfare of Pulaski county. His great-grandfather Decker was a hero
of the Revolution, prior to which great conflict his ancestors had
settled in one of William Penn's colonies in Pennsylvania. His
son, John Decker, a native of the same state, died in Seneca county,
Ohio, in the early part of the '50s, when over three-score years of
age. He married Julia Ann Royer, and their children were as
follows:
1. Jacob, who was twice married and lived in Seneca and Huron
counties, Ohio; his children were: John, David, Amos, Milton and
Barbara.
2. John, who married Jane Taylor, and whose home was in New
Orleans for a period, later in Wells county, Indiana, where he bought
half a section of land, and after selling that property, came to
Pulaski county. His son, Charles, owns one hundred and eighty acres on
section 22, Beaver township. Julia, the eldest daughter, became
the wife of Jacob Nice, Jr., who owns a farm of one hundred and
fifty three acres on section 30. Ellen married Henry Jasper Emler, who
cultivates a homestead of two hundred acres on section 22. Dora is the
wife of Benjamin Herrick, who carries on a one-hundred-and-twenty-acre
farm on section 17.
3. Samuel, the father of our subject, was the next
in order of birth.
4. Elizabeth became the wife
of William Heater, and in i860 removed from Seneca county, Ohio, to
Richardson county, Nebraska, where she is yet living. She is the
mother of seven children: Lydia, Hattie, Julia, Catherine, Freeman,
John and Austin.
5. Sarah wedded Peter Barguer, a farmer of Seneca
county, Ohio.
6. Adam married a Miss Romig and had one son, Samuel, who
resides in Seneca county, Ohio/ In the '50s Adam Decker came to this
county and settled upon land in Tippecanoe township (on sections 17 and
20). For a second wife he wedded Catherine Hatton, and their daughter
Sarah, who married Ed Young, resides upon a farm of forty seven acres,
on section 17, Tippecanoe township, while the son, John, married Mary
Hazel and lives in Fulton county, this state.
7. William married and
had the following named children: Julia, who died at the age of
eighteen years; Elizabeth; Mary, who is married and lives in Bellevue,
Ohio; Alice, wife of Joseph Felker, who owns eighty acres on section
21, Indian Creek township; Olive, who married Benjamin Dipert and
lives in Kewanna, Indiana; and Laura, unmarried.
8. Catherine, the wife
of Thomas Harpster, removed to Richardson county, Nebraska, in 1865,
and later dwelt in Gage county, same state; but both are now deceased.
Their children were named Freeman, Elizabeth, Sarah, John and Hattie.
9. David married Mrs. Margaret Highland, a widow, and, coming to
this state in the early part of the '50s, located in Fulton county.
Samuel Decker, the father of the subject of this
sketch, was born
January 27, 1813, in Berks county, Pennsylvania, and when young
accompanied his parents to Wayne county, Ohio. Later he lived in Seneca
county, same state, and in 1842 he located in Logansport, where he
engaged in teaching school for a year. In the spring of 1844 he came to
this county, where he had taken up two hundred acres of land from the
government the preceding year, and built a log cabin. This property,
now owned by our subject, is situated on sections 10 and 11, Indian
Creek township, one hundred and twenty acres on the first named
section, and the rest on section 11. The first small cabin was
supplanted by a good hewed log house at the end of eight years, and
this was burned down February 17, 1863, a few clothes, only, being
saved, as the mother was alone there at the time. After he settled here
he entered forty acres of land on section 17; eighty acres on
section 24, and another tract of forty acres, all in this
township. The patents to his first two hundred acres are dated April
10, 1843. At the time of his death, June 27, 1894, he owned two hundred
and forty acres, one hundred and eighty of which had been under
cultivation, while forty acres is covered with timber. This land,
originally deeded to John Reeder by the government, April iv 1843,
was purchased by Mr. Decker, May 27, 1847.
Being a man of good education, Mr. Decker was
interested in schools,
and after coming to this vicinity he taught one winter, and later
served as a school examiner for five years. Very active and radical in
politics, he was elected by his friends, on the Democratic ticket, to
the legislature, where he served for two years, 1846-7. After his
return home he was a justice of the peace for three years, and at
another time he held the office of township assessor for two years. He
voted for Douglas, and, while opposed to the policy of the
administration during the war, he was loyal to the Union and assisted
in raising Company H, of the Forty sixth Regiment of Volunteer
Infantry. Subsequently he again ran for the office of state
representative, and though he made numerous excellent campaign speeches
he was defeated by the Whig candidate, the Rev. Mr. Sneathen, a
minister of. the Christian church. Religiously, Mr. Decker adhered to
the German Reformed church, in whose doctrines he had been reared.
For a wife he chose Matilda, daughter of John Wages,
and their eldest
born, Lewis, whose birth occurred September 24, 1844, died when but two
weeks old. James K. Polk, our subject, was the second child. George
Washington, born June 18, 1848, now serving as one of the commissioners
of Pulaski county, never married but resides with his widowed mother on
the old homestead. Julia Ann, born August 4, 1849, married E. W.
Hummell. Rebecca, born September 28, 1851, married Ephraim Felker, of
this county, Sarah Matilda, born December 10, 1855, is a court
stenographer, with headquarters at the county seat, Winamac. Mary
Ann, born June 15, 1858, married George Bailey, and has one child,
named Mary. They live in Blaine township, Garfield county, Oklahoma.
Mrs. Matilda Decker was born August 4, 1824, on a farm near
Westminster, Maryland, of which state her father, John Wages, was
likewise a native. He married Margaret Logue about 1820, in 1831
removed to Germantown, Ohio, and seven years later proceeded to
Logansport, Coming to Pulaski county in 1849, he located upon section
35, Indian Creek township, where he owned forty acres. He died March
22, 1855, when about sixty years of age, and in March, 1869, his widow
entered the silent land, both being buried at the graveyard in this
township. His father, Richard Wages, of Holland-Dutch extraction,
married Ann Frizzle, and their children included John; Richard; Rachel,
who married Caleb Roach, of Maryland; Elizabeth, who became the wife of
a Mr. Frizzle; and Ann, who married a Mr. Penny. William Logue, father
of Mrs. Margaret Wages, was of Irish descent. Two of his sons, Ambrose
and William, emigrated from Maryland to the vicinity of Dayton, Ohio,
at an early day, the former becoming a permanent resident there, but
the latter returning to his native state at the end of a year. The
other members of that family were Eliza, Elizabeth, Jesse and John.
As stated at the beginning of this article, James K.
P. Decker was born
and has usually dwelt in Indian Creek township. In
his youth he had but limited educational advantages, and until .he
arrived at his majority he continued to aid his father in the care
of the home farm. Then for three months he worked at sixteen dollars a
month as a farm hand, after which he engaged in ditch contracting, for
which he obtained ten or twelve cents per yard, the ditches being made
from twelve to fourteen feet wide and from four to six feet deep. This
line of business he followed successfully until 1885, chiefly in this
township, but also in other parts of this and Starke counties, and
employing from four to six men. He then leased forty acres of land of
Mrs. Susan Shideler, in Monroe township, on which property stands a
house which was erected by George Wi,, brother of our subject.
On the 14th of November, 1867, James K. P. Decker
married Catherine
Ann, daughter of Frederick and Margaret Reap. She was born in Germany,
February 2,1846, and died October 26, 1870. The infant daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Decker, Margaret Matilda, born March 1, 1870, died September 6
of the same year. The second marriage of our subject, March 10, 1872,
was to Semirah Elizabeth Shideler, daughter of Jacob Shideler. Mrs.
Decker was born September 4, 1851, near Dublin, Wayne county. The
children born of this union are Rosetta Isabella, whose birth occurred
September 26, 1873; Viola Frances Pearl and David Oscar Newton (twins),
born August 16, 1876; Charles Lewis, July 24, 1879; Samuel
Isaac, born
April 26, 1882, and died January 21, 1896; Barbara Alice, born
September 21, 1891; and Jessie Agnes, born September 2, 1895.
Politically, Mr. Decker adheres to the early training which he received
and is a stanch Democrat. He is one of the trustees and is a valued
member of the United Brethren church.
FREDERIC L. ROENBAUGH
One of the enterprising agriculturists of Pulaski
county is Frederic
Lincoln Roenbaugh, who within the past few years has amassed a
competence by strict attention to business, economy and prudence in the
management of his affairs.
A son of Frederick and Cynthia (Carson) Roenbaugh,
our subject was born
October 28, i860, in Newcomers town, Tuscarawas county, Ohio. His
father, who was born about 1810, was a boatman on the Ohio canal for
many years, a part of the time being the owner of a boat. He had
learned the shoemaker's trade in his early manhood, and followed that
occupation during the winter season, thereby making a good livelihood
for his family. He died September 21, i860, when about fifty years of
age, respected by all who knew him, and his widow survived until March,
1877.
The boyhood of our subject was spent quietly in his
native state, bat
after the death of his mother the orphan was obliged to start out upon
the struggle of life in earnest. In August, 1877, he came to Pulaski
county, and from that time until he arrived at his majority he made his
home with his uncle, Stephen Ginther, becoming a practical farmer. For
two years he operated the Smith farm of forty acres, after which he
carried on the old Christ farm in Harrison township for some three
years. Later he took charge of the Charles E. Jackson farm for five
years, and in the spring of 1899 he removed to his present place. This
farm, known as the Venard homestead, is situated on section 29,
Harrison township, and is well improved and fertile. Mr. Roenbaugh is a
member of the Knights of Pythias. In his political standing, he is a
stalwart Republican, devoted to the welfare of his party, though not a
politician in the usual acceptation. He was united in marriage to Miss
Martha Borders, on Christmas day, 1890, and they have a pleasant, happy
home.
ISAAC MORTON SHIDELER
Numbered among the progressive farmers of Pulaski county is Isaac
Morton Shideler, whose birth occurred two score years ago, on the 9th
of May, 1859, on the old homestead owned by his father. He and his
ancestors have chiefly followed agriculture as a means of livelihood,
and without exception they have been upright and useful citizens in the
various localities in which their lot has been cast.
As our subject's surname indicates, he is of German extraction, and the
founder of the family in this country was his great-great-grandfather,
George Shideler, who was a Hessian in the British service during part
of the war of the Revolution, but later deserted and enlisted under
General Washington. His son George, the next in the line of descent,
was born in Pennsylvania, He removed to Ohio, where his son George, the
grandfather of our subject, was born in 1795. For a wife he chose
Elizabeth Neff, and in 1829 the family removed to the vicinity of
Logansport, Indiana. The children were named as follows: Levina, Mary,
Catherine, Naomi, Jonathan, Jacob, Elizabeth, Abraham and Isaac (the
last two being twins).
Jacob Shideler, the father of Isaac M. Shideler, was born August 17,
1827, in Preble county, Ohio, and was reared to manhood in Indiana.
Coming to Pulaski county in the spring of 1854, he located on state
land, in the northeast corner of section 34, Monroe township, and
proceeded to improve
a farm. He died on the 21st of June, 1875, loved and respected by his
neighbors and associates. He had married Susan Shideler, his own
cousin, at her home, nineteen miles west of Richmond, Indiana, June 6,
1850. She was born August 25, 1827, in Montgomery county, Ohio, and is
still living at the old homestead where she and her husband spent many
happy years together, her son now looking after her comfort and caring
for her in a kind and dutiful manner. She became the mother of four
children, namely: Sarah E., who was born September 4, 1851, and became
the wife of James K. Decker; Alice Priscilla, born December 29, 1853;
Charles Fremont, March 30, 1856, and Isaac M., May 9, 1859. The
daughter married George Shellhart, and died March 24, 1875, leaving two
children, Sarah Elizabeth, born April 16, 1873, and Charles, born March
20, 1875. The daughter became the wife of William Galbraith. The
maternal grandfather of our subject, George Shideler, married Barbara
Shimer and had three children, Samuel, Susan and Marion. Barbara
(Shimer) Shideler's father was a Hessian soldier in the war of the
Revolution, and before it was finished he left the service of the
British and espoused the cause of the Americans, enlisting in
Washington's army.
Isaac Morton Shideler has passed his entire life on the farm which he
now owns and cultivates. He early mastered the details of agriculture
and became a practical, thorough business man, looking after his
affairs in a methodical manner. His farm is well improved, and the land
is suitable for the raising of a diversity of crops, which find a ready
market in the large towns and cities near. Public spirited and
patriotic, he strives to perform his entire duty as a citizen, and uses
his right of franchise in favor of the nominees of the Republican
party. He takes great interest in the cause of education and in
religion, and for some time he has been one of the trustees in the
United Brethren church.
The marriage of Mr. Shideler and Miss Rosie Delia Baker was celebrated
July 24, 1889. She is a daughter of William and Mary Baker, and was
born September 13, 1871, in this county. The eldest child of our
subject and wife is Ida May, who was born February 14, 1890. William
Jacob, the eldest son, was born August 18, 1891. Charles Le Roy, born
February 7, 1894, died May 10, 1896, and George Clement was born
January 2, 1896. The family are highly respected in the community, and
their home is ever hospitably open for the entertainment of their
numerous friends.
To have settled in a country whose language and customs are strange, to
have founded a home and reared a large family to be useful citizens of
the land of his adoption, to have taken an active part in all of the
affairs of his
community, are no slight undertakings, and, in brief, are a
summary of the career of the subject of this sketch, now an honored
citizen of Winamac, Pulaski county, where he is living retired,
enjoying the fruits of his past toil, and looking back over a record of
which he has just cause to be proud.
His father, Michael Kuhn, was born in 1803, on the old estates which
had belonged to his ancestors for several generations, and were
situated near the village of Zulbag (now called Acherdam), Bavaria,
Germany. He became the owner of this property, eventually, and
cultivated the land until his death, in 1887. He was reared in the
faith of the Catholic church, and his descendants are adherents of the
same. His brother Joseph married and had several children; Antony,
another brother, came to America in 1818, and settled on the hills near
Brookville, Indiana, living there until his death; and a sister married
a Mr. Wolford. For a wife he chose Barbara Song, whose birth had
occurred in the same village in 1805, and who died the same year as her
husband, and is buried by his side in the little cemetery at Acherdam.
Her father, Matthias Song, was married twice, and his children included
Elizabeth, wife of George Sweitzkoff; Mrs. Weingardner; Margaret, who
never married; Virginia; and Joseph, who was married twice. The two
last mentioned were children of the second marriage of Matthias Song.
Matthias Kuhn, who was born on the hereditary estate in Bavaria,
Germany, February 16, 1836, is one of several children, the eldest of
whom is Joseph, who is married and has a son, named George, and other
children. Margaret, the eldest daughter of Michael Kuhn, died when but
twenty one years of age. George, the second son, married Margaret Zahn,
and has children. Joseph, who never married, died at the age of twenty
six years. Virginia became the wife of a Mr. Hock, and their daughter
Elizabeth married Mr. Ault and resides in Chicago; while a son, Frank,
lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Elizabeth, the youngest child of Michael
Kuhn, wedded John Burger, and their children live in Baltimore,
Maryland.
Having determined to seek his fortune in the new world, Matthias Kuhn
bade adieu to the friends and scenes of his youth and sailed toward the
western continent, arriving in New York city in June, 1853, after a
tedious voyage of thirty days. Proceeding to Brookville, Indiana, where
his uncle Antony was living, he soon turned his attention to the
mastery of the blacksmith's trade. Having worked for twenty months as
an apprentice, he went to Rush county, Indiana, where he found
employment on farms and at his trade for three years. In the spring of
i860 he came to Pulaski county, and with his young wife began
housekeeping on a farm of one hundred and sixty acres which her father
had given them. This place, located on section 1, Van Buren township,
was greatly improved by him, and in 1862 he built
a comfortable house on the place. With the exception of seven
years, when he lived in Fulton county, he dwelt upon the old homestead,
cultivating and caring for it with success until he retired in the
autumn of 1897, thenceforth to make his home in Winamac. Altogether, he
has owned five hundred and forty four acres of excellent farm land in
this county, but has settled much of this upon his sons, thereby giving
them a good start in independent life. He also owns a house and lot in
Kewanna, and retains sufficient means to meet the expenses of a
comfortable life during his remaining years.
The marriage of Mr. Kuhn and Miss Catherine Mull was solemnized October
9, 1859. Her father, George Mull, was the great grandson of a Mr. Mull,
who with his two brothers came to the United States in colonial days
and founded the family on these shores. George Mull, who was born in
August, 1799, in Loudoun county, Virginia, removed to Hamilton county,
Ohio, with his parents. After the death of his father, George
Washington Mull, he removed to Rush county, Indiana, where he became
the owner of four hundred acres of land, most of which he placed under
cultivation. His brothers, Anthony, David and John, remained in Ohio,
and Frederick, a twin brother, and Jacob, came to Indiana, each taking
up a quarter section of land at the same time that he did. Jacob was
worth several hundred thousand dollars, and Frederick owned twelve
hundred acres of land. A man of unusual intelligence and ability, Mr.
Mull became well educated by private study and taught school for a
number of years, thus earning the capital with which he gained his
start in this state. Politically, he was a Henry Clay Whig, but at
times voted the Democratic ticket. Elected to the office of justice of
the peace, he served capably in that position for sixteen years,
lacking three months, and then, though again elected, he resigned.
After a very prosperous and influential career he was called to the
silent land when about ninety years of age. He had married, in Hamilton
county, Ohio, on the 1st of January, 1824, Miss Mary Ball, the ceremony
being performed by the Rev. M. A. Horniday, a Baptist minister. She was
born in 1805, on the old homestead where she was married, and was of
Scotch Irish extraction. Her four brothers were: James, of Rush county,
Indiana; Joshua, of Iowa; Isaiah, of Fulton county, Indiana; and Isaac,
who was a Baptist minister and lived at Rising Sun, Ohio. Mrs. Mary
(Ball) Mull departed this life in 1893. Of her children, Sarah married
Henry Workman, of Rush county; Mary B. became the wife of Jefferson
Bowles, a farmer; William Drybread married Amanda Cart and subsequently
Miss Sidney Hilligash; Henry Clay's first wife died, and his second
wife was Elvira Shaw; George Washington married Sarah Jane Willey, now
deceased; and Margaret, who was the wife of George Cart, of Rush
county, Indiana, is deceased.
MATTHEW ENOLDS JONES
That Pulaski county has become rich and prosperous, and to-day ranks
among the foremost counties of the great commonwealth of Indiana, is
owing largely to the character of her citizens and pioneers, those who,
like the Jones brothers and their father, came here at an early day.
and from that time forward identified themselves thoroughly with its
upbuilding.
Several generations ago the ancestors of our subject came to
America from Scotland. His grandfather, Levi Jones, who died in Ohio in
1850, aged about eighty years, was a native of Bedford county,
Pennsylvania, as is believed. By trade he was a millwright, and in the
new country in the Buckeye state, to which he removed early in this
century, he found plenty of work in fitting up mills for the pioneers.
While the war of 1812 was in progress he was drafted, but at the end of
three days service he made arrangements with his colonel to accept as
his substitute his son Thomas, whose business affairs and domestic
responsibilities were not nearly so great. The son, therefore, took the
father's place and served until the close of the war, taking part in
the battle of Baltimore and in other engagements. Besides Thomas there
were three sons in his family, Andrew, Stephen and Robert,— and three
daughters, Margaret, Naomi and Catherine. Stephen Jones came to Pulaski
county in 1838 and located on the old Nathan Brown place. In time he
became the owner of over four hundred acres of land here, and it was
not until 1884 that he left this locality, going to Arkansas, where he
died about a year later. He married first Nancy Bucher, and their
children were David, Wesley, Amos, Allen, Rachel, Clara and Mary Ann.
The last mentioned is the wife of Itha Shepherd, of this county, and
Amos is a resident of Thornhope. By his marriage to Martha Dilts
Stephen Jones had three children, Rebecca, Jane and Daniel. Andrew and
Robert, brothers of Stephen Jones, lived in this county for a period.
Andrew died in 1856. Robert enlisted in the Forty sixth Regular Indiana
Volunteer Infantry in the civil war and was killed by a gunshot.
Thomas Jones, father of our subject, was born July 7, 1798, in Bedford
county, Pennsylvania. He was a skillful mechanic and worker in wood,
besides being the master of his father's trade, that of millwright. In
February, 1848, he arrived in this county, having driven with his
family from Ohio. Besides his wife and four children, his son William,
and Richard Anders, who married his daughter Naomi, were of the party.
After renting land for a period, Thomas Jones bought eighty acres on
section 22, Van Buren township, but let that property go and purchased
forty acres on section 26, same township, erecting a house there in
1859, which building is still in good preservation. Subsequently to his
last purchase of land, he bought another tract of like size, on section
25. He had lived in Highland, Clinton and Fayette counties, Ohio, and
for five years in Fulton county, Indiana. Politically, he was a
Democrat, and religiously a Methodist, but as there was no church of
that denomination when he settled here, he joined the United Brethren,
His long and upright life came to a close October 25, 1880, and he was
placed to rest in the Victor churchyard. His first wife was Elizabeth
Van Zandt, and their children were Margaret, Naomi, Catherine,
Robert, William, Levi and John. William died July 3, 1899. The
second wife was Mary Victoria Clifton in her girlhood. Born in 1801, in
Delaware, she came to Ohio at the age of nine years, and lived upon her
father's old homestead near Leesburg, Highland county, until she was
married. Her first husband was John Falkinburg, and the children of
that marriage were Mary Ann, Abigail, Hannah, Charles, James and Caleb.
To Mr. and Mrs. Jones were born: Esther Elizabeth, who married Joseph
Hurst and lives in Cass county; Trusten Adams; Lydia Ann, wife of
George Williamson; and Matthew E.
Matthew Enolds Jones, born November 16, 1833, on a farm in Fayette
county, Ohio, remained under the parental roof until he arrived at his
majority. When he started to earn for himself he was economical and
soon amassed a snug little capital, which he invested with excellent
judgment. His first employer was Anthony Fickle, for whom he drove six
yoke of oxen much of the time for three years. The following three
years he was employed in several counties in the construction of
ditches, which were being made by the state. More than half a century
ago he came to this county, which he has since regarded as his home.
After his marriage he lived upon a rented farm for three years. The
first land owned by him was forty acres on section 25, which property
he bought from the government at one dollar and a quarter an acre. He
exchanged it, with Isaac Coen, for two oxen and a plow. The land is now
valued at twelve hundred dollars. For three years he lived upon a forty
acre tract of land on section 24. This place, known as military land,
came into his possession by purchase, and after building upon it and
otherwise improving it, he exchanged it for forty acres on section 22,
and this in turn was exchanged for a farm of similar size on section
23. Half of this place Mr. Jones sold to Gangwer in exchange, and,
buying an adjoining eighty acres, he now has a fine farm of one hundred
acres. In 1876 he erected his comfortable house here, and has
instituted various desirable improvements, which make the homestead one
of the best in this locality.
Mr. Jones has been twice married, his first union being with Susanna
McGowan, a daughter af Martin and Hannah (Parcel) McGowan. The eldest
child of Mr. and Mrs. Jones, George William, was born August 14, i860,
married Ora Dowd, and has one child, Elmer, and they reside at
Logans-port; Emma Alice, who died at the early age of twenty two years,
was the wife of Erastus Oliver South, and their two sons, Ernest and
Clyde, are both deceased; Mary Arabella lives in Indianapolis; Charles
E., of Dunkirk, Indiana, married Miss Martin and has a little daughter,
Marjory; Delmer Trusten is employed in a bicycle shop in North Dakota;
and LeRoy Martin is the youngest of this family.
On the 23d of February, 1878, Mr. Jones and Clara Deweese,
daughter of Jesse and Amy (Blue) Deweese, were united in marriage. Mrs.
Jones is a native of Shelby county, Ohio, her birth having taken place
March 26, 1846. The eldest child of our subject and wife is Jesse C,
who was born October 23, 1878, and is at home assisting in the care of
the farm; Hugh born June 13, 1880, died March 28, 1890; ida, born
December 10, 1881, died August 28, 1883; Wilbert C, born February 22,
1885; Harriet, born January 13, 1887, and Paul D., born October 30,
1892, are at home, and attending school.
During the civil war Mr. Jones went to Chicago, and February 22, 1865,
enlisted in Company E, One Hundred and Fifty sixth Illinois Volunteer
Infantry. He was assigned to guard duty, and saw active service for
five months; but, on account of being ill for about three months, was
honorably discharged, October 11, 1865. He is now a member of the Grand
Army of the Republic, being connected with Star City Post. Politically,
he is a Democrat, and has served efficiently in local offices, having
been constable for one year; one of the township supervisors, and road
supervisor. He is highly respected by all who know him and is a loyal,
patriotic citizen.