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1204201

Q^MT^ALOGY COLLECTION

3 1833 01786 7919

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Standard History of

Adams and Wells Counties

<^ , „

Indiana

An Authentic Narrative of the Past, with an Extended Survey of Modern Developments in the • Progress of Town and Country

Under the Editorial Supervision of

• JOHN W. TYNDALL, Decatur

For Adams County and

O. E. LESH, Bluffton

For Wells County

Assisted by a Board of Advisory Editors

VOLUME II

ILLUSTRATED

THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY CHICAGO AND NEW YORK

1918

f

1204201

r. A. ALLEX

Adams and Wells Counties

Prof. Philemon A. Allen, superintendent of the public schools of Blufftou, Indiana, has been associated with educational work in the Hoosier State during much of his active career. For twelve years, how- ever, he was interested in journalism and during that time was editor of the Bluft'ton Banner. Holding advanced ideas concerning education and methods of teaching, during the ten years of his incumbency as superintendent of the Blutfton schools, he has introduced many methods that are proving of the most practical value in making the school what it ever should be — a preparation for the responsible duties which devolve upon evei-y individual after reaching maturity. His course has received the hearty approval of the most progressive citizens of Bluft'ton and he has procured the co-operation of his teachers to such an extent that the result is one of great benefit to the pupils enrolled.

A native of Whitley County, Indiana, Philemon A. Allen was born January 29, 1853, and he is a son of Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Force) Allen, both natives of Akron, Ohio, where they were reared, educated and married. Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Allen came to Indiana in 1843 and located in Whitley County, then all woods, and there operated a saw mill with marked success for a number of years. There were nine children born to them, three of whom died in infancy and three of whom are living, in 1917. William and Wesley Allen, two of their sons, were both Union soldiers in the Civil war. The Aliens were devoHt members of the ]\Iethodist Episcopal Church and they were influential citizens in their own community.

Born and reared on a farm. Professor Allen attended the neighbor- ing district school during the winter months and in the summer time ably' assisted his father and brothers in the work and management of the old homestead. So diligent had he been in procuring an education that at the age of seventeen years he began to teach school himself. In 1873 he entered the National Normal School, at Lebanon, Ohio, and after several years' attendance in that institution he taught school for two years in Mason County, Illinois. During the year of 1875 he was a student in Fort Wayne College, where he subsequently became an instructor in the normal department, holding that position for two years. In 1877 he was elected superintendent of the Ossian schools and he served in that capacity with the utmost efficiency for a period of four years, during which time he raised the standard of and graded the schools. In 1881, in order to make himself more efficient as an educator, he traveled extensively in Europe and while there made a thorough study of the school systems of the various countries he visited. Immediately after his return home he was elected superintendent of the Bluft'ton schools, holding that position for ten years. One of the first things he did on assuming office was to organize a high school, the first class of which graduated in June, 1883. In every possible manner Professor Allen 453

454 ADAMS AND WELLS COUNTIES

raised the standard of the schools under his guidance and did much to stimulate the pupils to greater efficiency in their school work. In May, 1891, he resigned his office as head of the Bluffton schools and was in- stalled as editor of the Bluffton Banner. For the succeeding twelve years the dissemination of news, the discussion of public questions and the promotion of the general welfare through the columns of his paper constituted life's object with him as a private citizen. Keturning to the educational field in 1905, Professor Allen established a business college in Bluft'ton and conducted the same with marked success for a period of two years. In 1907 he was again prevailed upon to serve as local super- intendent of schools and by successive re-elections he has continued to serve in that capacity up to the present time, in 1918.

Professor Allen is a democrat in politics and in a fraternal way is a Royal Arch Mason. His religious faith coincides with the doctrines of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he seiwed as superintendent of Sunday school for twenty-four years.

December 25, 1884, was celebrated the marriage of Professor Allen to Miss Georgiana Swaim. She was born at Troy, Ohio, and was edu- cated in the public schools of Ossian. Mrs. Allen, prior to her marriage, was a teacher in Wells County and she is now an enthusiastic church and Sunday-school worker. Two children were born to Professor and Mrs. Allen : Forrest and Lucile. Forrest was graduated in the Bluffton High School as a member of the class of 1903 and he is now one of the assistant superintendents of the National Malleable Castings Company, in Chicago. In October, 1911, he married Grace Murray, of Chicago, and they have three children, namely : Murray Bernard, Charles Forrest and Patricia. Lucile, born October 2, 1888, died February 6, 1891.

Hon. David Studabakee. No one would regard it as a disparagement or criticism of other men to say that Hon. David Studabaker was one of the gi-eatest, most commanding figures in the life and affairs of Adams County whether as a lawyer, banker, or all around citizen. His is one of the names that recurs most frequently in the reminiscences of the older and later generations, and,-so far as possible the record of his life should be set forth \rithout diminishment or abbreviation, even though a number of years have elapsed since he quit this mortal presence.

He was born at Fort Recovery, Ohio, August 12. 1827, and died at his home in Decatur ]\Iay 3, 1904, in his seventy-seventh year. The Studa- bakers are of Holland ancestry, originally lived in Pennsylvania, and the Studabakers of Adams County, of Wells County, and the famous manufacturing family of Studebakers of South Bend all trace their descent from a common ancestor several generations back.

The father of David Studabaker was Peter Studabaker, who had moved from his old home at Fort Recovery to Jay County, Indiana, and was the first settler at Portland in that county. In 1833 Peter Studa- baker came to the Wabash River in the southern part of Root Town- ship, and was one of the first to take up land at Geneva. He was in- dustriously engaged in the development of his farm on the Wabash, and while thus employed was stricken with typhoid fever and died in 1840. Peter Studabaker married Mary J. Simison. whose family also were prominent pioneei-s of Adams County.

David Studabaker was seven years of age when his parents removed to Adams County and he grew up in Wabash Township, trained to the duties and occupations of a farmer and as the oldest child though only thirteen years of age when his father died, lie assumed many of the responsibilities and burdens of keeping the rest of the family together. He received an education in primary schools which he attended during

ADAMS AND WELLS COUNTIES 455

the winter months, and was a pupil in the first school taught in Wells County. It was a subscription school, the teacher an Irishman, and was held in a primitive log cabin with a puncheon floor, the window being made by leaving out a log from the wall and the space covered over with greased paper. David Studabaker also attended 9, high school near Greenville. Ohio, one term, and the Jay County Seminary at Portland a year and a half. In the meantime he had qualified and had taught district schools in both Adams and Wells counties. Teaching was more or less a constant occupation with him until the spring of 1851, when he began the study of law in the office of Hon. Jacob M. Haines at Portland. In June. 1852. he was admitted to the bar at Portland, before Judge Jeremiah Smith. Later in the same month he located at Decatur and began the practice of his profession. It is said that while living with his mother in their home on the Wabash he was greatly encouraged in the pui-suit of his law studies by P. N. Collins, an acquaintance and political leader, and by his lifelong friend and neighbor David McDon- ald, who subsequently became sheriff of Adams County and served in the State Legislature. Uncle David McDonald, as he was commonly called, was something of a hunter, and while he and young David were in the woods the older man would always insist that the younger make a speech, and thus he greatly encouraged and trained his budding forensic talents.

Mr. Studabaker practiced law at Decatur until 1883, a period of thirty-one years. During that time he was associated a number of years with James R. Bobo and John P. Quinn. Along with his law practice he began dealing in real estate at a very early time. He had an im- portant public record, beginning in 1852 with his election as prosecuting attorney for the district of Allen and Adams counties. He filled that office two years and in 1854 was elected to represent Adams County in the lower house of the Legislature and was reelected in 1856. In 1858 the district of Adams. Jay and Wells counties sent him to the State Senate and in 1868 he w-as elected .iudge of the Common Pleas Court for the district of Adams, Allen, Huntington and Wells counties. He resigned this office before his term expired.

He proved himself an excellent .judge, his knowledge of the law was profound, and his administering of the ends of ju.stice was tempered with moderation and with consideration. The attorneys who practiced in his court found in him a man who was eminently fair and courteous and he filled the office to which he had been chosen with dignity and to his la.sting credit.

For many years Judge Studabaker was chiefly a figure in the com- mercial life and the larger affairs of his section of Indiana. In 1869 he was one of the promotei-s of the Richmond & Port 'Wa\nie Railroad, was elected one of its directors, and held that position for a long perioil of years, in fact until his death. In 1871 he became a stockholder in the Adams County Bank, and when it was incorporated in 1874 he was chosen a director and vice president and in 1883 elected president. He was also a director of the Bankers National Bank of Chicago, the First National Bank of Marion. Indiana, the Bank of Geneva and the Bank of Berne, and the First National of Fort Wayne and the Bank of Wren, Ohio. In politics he was an active democrat.

On October 26, 1854. David Studabaker married Miss Harriet Evans, whose father, John K. Evans, was a prominent figure in the state's history and had been shortly before the marriage of his daughter to David Studabaker associate .iudge of the District Court in which Adam.s County was located. ]Mrs. David Studabaker died June 7. 1891. In June, 1895. he married Mrs. Jennie Phelps, who survived him. The

456 ADAMS AND WELLS COL^XTIES

children of Judge Studahaker who reached maturity were: Mary, wife of John Niblick of Decatur; Mrs. Lizzie Morrison of Decatur; Ilattie; Mrs. "W. J. Vesey of Fort Wayne; and David E.

How much the career of Judge Studahaker meant to the people of Adams Count}' was well expressed in the words of an editorial in the Decatur Democrat, quoted herewith: "In the death of Judge David Studahaker a worthy and honored citizen has lived his allotted time and passed to the Great Beyond. During his long life, covering a period of three score years and ten, we look back upon a busy, active and useful career, in which he rose from a self educated boy to a school teacher, then a law student, lawyer, ,iudge, banker and in later years has been as busy and as energetic in the control and management of his many and varied personal interests. All of these he managed and directed to the last days of his last illness, and he died honored and respected to the highest degree. Such a life is worthy of the ambi- tion that is rife in the mad rush of progress, and its emulation should be a high ideal among the youth who are striving to win laurels in the days and years to come. Judge Studahaker 's public and private life is an open hook, and upon its pages are written many good deeds of charity and encouragement. Public spirited, kind and observant, his counsel and advice will lie severely missed but thanks to the seed that has been sown Judge Studahaker will live for many and many years to come."

John Niblick. It would be impossible to tell the history of Adams County or recount the business activities of the City of Decatur with a multiplication of reference to members of the Niblick family. More than eighty years ago they settled in the county, then a complete wilder- ness. They did the work of pioneers, clearing up the forests, making possible the cultivation of land, and their business enterprise took many directions. One branch of the family, of which Mr. John Niblick is a member, has been especially identified with merchandising and banking at Decatur. Mr. John Niblick is president of Niblick & Company, con- ducting perhaps the chief department store of Adams County, and it is interesting to note that this business is a lineal and logical successor of a stock of merchandise established in a log house in Decatur more than seventy-five years ago.

The Niblicks from time out of miud have been Irish Presbyterians, their original home being in County Armagh, Ireland. Several gen- erations ago the name was spelled Niblack, and it was the grandfather of Mr. John Niblick who changed the spelling to the present form. The founder of the family in America was known as John Niblack, Sr., who was horn in County Armagh of old Irish stock. Besides farming he was also an Irish miller. He brought his family to America about 1803.

James Niblick and his twin brother Robert were both pioiieers of Adams Comity, Indiana. James Niblick was born in County Armagh, Ireland, in 1801 and was brought by his parents to America at the age of two years. From New York State they removed to Ohio, where James Niblick's brother followed farming and James learned the cooper's trade, and in the fall of 1834 came to Adams County, settling on section 6 of Washington Township. He is said to have been the ninth settler in the county. He subseiiuently sold his farm in that township and moved to Decatur, and later removed to Missouri, where he lived until his death in the fall of 1869.

Before coming to Indiana James and Robert Niblick lived for some time in Tuscarawas and Harrison counties, Ohio. James married his

ADAMS AND WELLS COUNTIES 457

first wife tliere, Anna Carter, and tliey l)roug:lit witli them to Adams County two children, Jesse and Adelaide. They arrived in this county the same year as Decatur was laid out as a town. Robert Niblick made settlement at the same time and in the same community. Before they could engage in agriculture it was necessary to clear away the heavy forests which encumbered the land, and their first homes were log cabins. Indians were still numerous, and these pioneers had no diffi- culty in supplying the tal>le with provisions of wild game. There were no roads nor bridges, and the Niblick brothers cut or blazed ti'ails through the woods in order to mark the way to their habitation. Roliert Niblick died oij^ his old homestead in Adams County. James Niblick married for his second wife Sarah A. Ball, who died in the fall of 1886, having returned to Decatur after her husband died in Missouri. James Niblick was the father of sixteen children, eight by each wife, there being five sons and three daughters of the first marriage and one sou and seven daughters of the second. Among the children of the first marriage were Robert. Jesse, Mary Jane, Adelaide and William S. William is a bachelor and still living in Chicago. Adelaide is ;\Irs. James Dailey and lives in Wells County.

Jesse Niblick, son of James and Anna (Carter) Nil)liek, was born in what is now Carroll County, Ohio, August 12, 1826. His mother died on the old homestead in Adams County August 12, 1838. Jesse Niblick was about ten years of age when the family came to Adams County and a few j^ears later his grandfather, John Niblick, gave him the opportunity of attending school at Cadiz. Ohio. In 1842 he re- turned to the home farm, and he soon began an apprenticeship at the .shoemaker's trade, and in 1846 engaged in that business for himself. He thus became early identified with the business af¥airs of Decatur, and continued the boot and shoe business until 1866. In that year he sold his business to his brother-in-law and in July of that year bought an interest in a general store with John Crawford, under the name Niblick and Crawford. They liought the stock of merchandise estab- lished by that pioneer of Decatur merchants, John Nutman. Later the firm of Niblick & Crawford brought in their sons as partners and the business title was changed to Niblick, Crawford & Sons. In February, 1887, the Crawfords withdrew and from that time on Mr. Niblick was active head of the business until his death in October, 1895. After that the store was conducted by his son John and the latter 's brothers as executors, and in March. 1897, the business was incorporated under the name of Niblick & Company. This has been developed as a large department store, carrying a stock of staple merchandise sufficient to supply all the demands of both city and country dwellers. Thus there has been no interruption to a business which was established by J. D. Nutman in a log house in Decatur in 1840. Years have brought many increases and changes in style and quarters, tiut the house is today one of the oldest business firms of the county.

In 1871 Jesse Niblick with J. D. Nutman engaged in a private bank- ing business, opening the Adams County Bank, Niblick & Nutman, bankers. Later David Studabaker and R. W. Allison became asso- ciated with them. Joseph D. Nutman was responsible for the estali- lishment of the first bank at Decatur in 1857. The in.stitution was moved to Fort Wayne several years later. The permanent banking history of the city begins with the year 1871. Mr. Nutman soon re- tired from banking, leaving the firm Nil>lick, Studabaker & Company, and ijn August, 1874, the Adams County Bank was organized with a state charter. Jesse Niblick was elected a director and the first presi- dent of this bank, and was later succeeded by R. B. Allison as presi-

458 ADAMS AND WELLS COUNTIES

dent, he taking the office of vice president. Jesse Niblick was also identified with the organization of Eagle Manufacturing Company of Decatur. He was also prominent in local affairs, was a stanch demo- crat, was elected clerk of Washington Township in 1848 and until 1865 was either clerk or trustee of the towmship. sometimes holding both offices at once. In the fall of 1865 he was elected county treasurer and reelected in 1867. For many yeai"s from 1870 he held the office of village trustee or councilman.

Jesse Niblick married October 16, 1851, Miss Catherine Closs, a native of Germany and a daughter of John and Catherine Closs. Jesse Niblick and wife were the parents of eight children. The sons to grow up were William. John, James K., Charles and Daniel.

Mr. John Niblick has spent all his active life in the atmosphere of the business which was established by his father. He was born in Decatur in a home that stood on the public square January 8, 1853. He was educated in the local schools and early became identified with the store of his father. He has been president of Niblick & Company since it was incorporated in 1897, and his brother Daniel is the present secretary of the company. His niece Marj- Catherine Niblick has for many years presided at some of the important departments of the store, and several of the many employees have long and faithful records of service and have contributed much to the prosperity and importance of the establishment. It is no exaggeration to say that this is the largest mercantile enterprise of its kind in Adams County.

While the conduct of this store has absorbed Mr. Niblick's best abilities, he has never neglected to contribute his resources and influence to the public welfare in every possible way. He is a director and mem- ber of the finance committee of the old Adams Comity Bank. This institution which was first started by the state in 1874 as above noted, was conducted throughout the twenty years of its first charter as the Adams County Bank. It was rechartered in 1894 and then became the Old Adams County Bank. In 1914 it was again chartered and during the more than forty years of its existence no depositor has ever lost a single dollar and the resources and integrity of the institution are unimpaired to the present time.

On May 18, 1876, Mr. John Niblick married Mary A. Studabaker. She was born in Decatur in 1855, grew up and received her early educa- tion there and in 1875 gi-aduated from Glendale College, at Glendale, Ohio. The Studabaker family have been identified with Adams and Wells counties for fully eighty years, and their relations with banking, business, law and civic and social affaii-s give them an enviable prom- inence in the history of this locality. Judge David Studabaker was a cousin of the great family of Studebakers of South Bend, Indiana, though there is a slight variation in the spelling of the name. Judge David Studabaker in early life was a teacher, was admitted to the bar in 1852, was in active practice of law at Decatur over thirty years, and filled many offices, including prosecuting attorney, member of the legis- lature anci senate and judge of the Court of Common Pleas. He was also a railroad builder and was long active in the Adams County Bank. His death occurred in 1894.

Mr. and Mrs. John Niblick had four children: Harrie E. married Arthur D. Suttles, now assistant cashier of the Old Adams County Bank. "Sir. Suttles was well educated in the Decatur High School and Normal School, and for about eight yeai-s was principal of a ward school in Decatur and he has been connected with the Old Adams County Bank since 1907. They have four children, Mary, Josephine, Arthur D., Jr.. and Hefen. The second child of Mr. and Mrs. John

ADAMS AND WELLS COUNTIES 459

Niblick is Josephine, wife of 0. P. Edwards of Leipsic, Oliio. They have one daughter, Harriet. Burton S. is now bookkeeper in the Old Adams County Bank and married Bessie Nolan. Helen, the youngest child, is a gi-aduate of Lake Forest College, studied at Mount Holyoke, is a graduate of the Ohio Wesleyan Univei-sity at Delaware and took domestic science work in Chicago. She has been very active in local affaii-s at Decatur and espeeially prominent in Red Cross matters. The Niblick family are active members of the Methodist Church. Mr. Niblick is a clemoerat.

Ralph Studabaker Todd. It is not necessary that the man who achieves success be made of sterner stuff than his fellow man, but there are certain indispensable characteristics that contribute to the prosperity of an individual ; these are energy, ambition, determination and the ability to i-eeognize and improve success. These qualities are cardinal elements in the character of Ralph Studabaker Todd and have accom- panied him in his progress to a position of prominence and affluence. Mr. Todd is one of the substantial citizens of Blutfton and is president of the Studabaker Bank here.

Jacob Todd, grandfather of the subject of this review, was born in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, March 12, 1805, and his wife, whose maiden name was Jane Thomas, was a native of Columbiana County, Ohio, where her birth occurred January 2, 1807. After their marriage they located on a farm in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and there resided until 1851, when they came to Wells County, Indiana, and settled on a farm in section 19, Jefferson Township. The latter place was their home until their respective deaths, he passing away November 3, 1861, and she died June 5, 1888. Jacob J. Todd, son of Jacob and Jane (Thomas) Todd and father of Ralph S. Todd, was born in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, March 12, 1843, and he was eight years of age when the family home was established in Indiana. After completing the curriculum of the public schools of Wells County he attended Roanoke Seminary and Fort Wayne College. He taught school during most of the time" from 1861 to 1866. In August, 1861, he enlisted in Company A, Thirty-fourth Indiana Infantry, but was rejected on account of poor health. In April, 1864, he was accepted as a volunteer in Company D. One Hundred and Thirtv-seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and he served until October, 1864, when he was honorably discharged. During his spare time while teaching school he studied law and was admitted to the bar May 22, 1866. His first political office was that of assessor of Jefferson Township, Wells County, and in June, 1872. he was appointed national alternate delegate to the National Republican Convention at Pliiladelphia. In 1880 he was delegate to the same convention in Chicago. He was prominent both in state and national politics. August 12, 1876, he married Mary J. Studabaker, a daughter of John and Rebecca (Angel) Studabaker. Mrs. Todd was educated in the Bluffton schools and in Fort Wayne College. To this marriage were born two children : ]Mary and Ralph S. Jacob J. Todd was a Knight Templar and a thirty-second degree Mason and in that connection he served for one year as grand master of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Indiana. He died Mav 13. 1900, and his cherished and devoted wife passed to rest February 7, 1903.

Jacob J. Todd left an indelible impression on the public I'fe in Bluff- ton. No citizen of the community was ever more respected and no man ever more fully enjoyed the confidence of the people or more richly deserved the esteem in which he was held. In his lifetime the people of his community, recognizing his merit, rejoiced in his advancement and

460 ADAMS AND WELLS COUNTIES

in the honors he attained and since his death they have cherished his memory, which remains as a blessed benediction to all who knew him. Honorable in business, public-spirited in civil life, charitable in thought, kindly in action, true to every trust confided to his care, his life was the highest type of Christian manhood.

Ralph S. Todd, born in Bluffton August 5, 1880, was graduated in the local high school in June, 1897, and in the fall of that year he entered DePauw University at Greeneastle, Indiana, in which excellent institution he was gi-aduated as a member of the class of 1901, with the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy. He initiated his business career as a bookkeeper in The Studabaker Bank in Bluffton, and in due time became assistant cashier and later cashier of that substantial financial institu- tion. In June, 1909, he was chosen president of the bank and had the distinction of being the youngest man to hold such a position in the State of Indiana. He is still the efficient incumbent of that position, filling it with satisfaction to all and credit to himself. He is a director in the Studabaker Grain & Seed Company, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the W. B. Brown Company, director in the Bank of Petro- leum and in the Fair View Cemetery Association and one of the trustees of DePauw University.

While a student in De Pauw University. Mr. Todd became acquainted with Miss Agnes Moulden, of Greenfield, Indiana, and his marriage to her was solemnized October 15, 1902. She was born in Marion County, Indiana, August 29, 1882. Mr. and Mrs. Todd have two children: James ]\Ioulden, born February 2. 1904 ; and Martha, born October 6, 1909. They are valued and appreciative members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he is a member of the board of trustees.

Fraternally Mr. Todd is a thirty-second degree Mason, a member of Bluffton Commandery. Knights Templar, and of ilizpah Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is past chancellor of Bluffton Lodge No. 92, Knights of Pythias, and is con- nected with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is a stal- wart republican and was a delegate to the National Republican Con- vention in Chicago in 1916. As a loyal and public-spirited citizen Mr. Todd commands the unqualified esteem of his fellow men and he is regarded as a substatial and influential factor in the civic and indus- trial life of Bluffton and of Wells County.

Hon. Sil.\s W. Hale. As Mr. Hale is one of the advisory editors for Adams County in this publication, his career is a subject of general interest to all the readers. But aside from this, the achievements of a long and worthy life deserve such description and record as a work of this kind alone can afford.

Mr. Hale was born at Bluffton in Wells County, Indiana, September 18, 1844, son of Bowen and Mary Ann (Deam) Hale. His father, Bowen Hale, was born in Kentucky in 1801, but from early youth was reared in Greene County, Ohio. His early environment was that of a farm, but he also learned the trade of chair maker and painter. During the '20s he worked at these trades along the Mississippi River and ii\ a number of the old towns in that section of the country. He finally came to Indiana and engaged in merchandising at Fort Wayne and from there moved to Wells County. He was one of the pioneers of Wells County, was here at the time of organization, and became one of the promi- nent citizens and officials of Bluffton. He was postmaster, clerk of the Countv Court after its organization, and was alwavs keenly interested in public affairs. He lived at Bluffton until his death in 1887. His wife, Marv A. Deam, was a native of Ohio. Bowen Hale was a demo-

ADAMS AND WELLS COUNTIES 461

crat and a member of the Masonic fraternity. His ehildren were : John D., former clerk of the County Court of Adams County ; Silas W. ; James P., who became a prominent lawyer at Bluffton ; Emma, who married Andrew Van Emmon; Jane, who married Daniel Markley; Mary; and Bowen.

Silas W. Hale is today one of the oldest surviving native sons of Bluff- ton. He grew up there, attended some of the early schools, graduating from high school. At the age of eighteen during 18G2-63 he taught in a country district. In December, 1864, Jlr. Hale enlisted in the army and was made sergeant in Company E of the 153rd Indiana Infantry. Later he was transferred to the quartermaster's department and served with the Army of the Tennessee during the tinal months of the great war. He was discharged at Louisville, Kentucky, in September, 1865.

After the war 'Sir. Hale was employed in the store of A. Deam & Company at Bluffton as a clerk, and remained there until 1869, when he joined his brother John D. Hale at Bluffton in the grain and produce trade under the firm name of J. D. Hale & Brother. In 1871 they transferred their business to Geneva in Adams County. The partner- ship was continued until 1878. In the meantime from 1873 to 1878 Silas Hale was also telegraph operator for the Grand Rapids & Indiana Rail- way at Geneva, and during 1876-77 was also station agent for that road.

Upon the dissolution of the partnership in 1878 Silas Hale moved to Portland, Indiana, and engaged in the same line of business there. In 1883 John D. Hale was elected to the office of county clerk of Adams County. His brother then sold his business interests at Portland and returned to Geneva to take charge of the prospei'ous establishment in that place, and continued it with growing success and energy until he finally retired in 1902. Mr. Hale still makes his home in Geneva.

For a long period of years Mr, Hale's name has been associated with offices of trust and responsibility in this part of the state. One of his earliest positions at Geneva was as member of the School Board from 1883 to 1886, and altogether he put in eighteen years on the board of education and has exercised every influence in his power to promote the welfare of the local schools. In 1886 he was elected to represent Adams, Jay and Blackford counties in the senate and was a member of that body during 1887 and 1889. During the session of 1889 he was chair- man of the Committee on Military Affairs, and his study and careful planning brought about the military laws under which Indiana has conducted its state military organization since that date.

In 1891 'Sir. Hale was elected by the Legislature a member of the Board of Trustees of the Eastern Indiana Hospital for the Insane, and was on that board twelve years, all of the time its treasurer. He spent much of his time in looking after the material welfare and upkeep of the institutions under the board and was also a close student of the many subjects connected with the administration of insane hospitals. By virtue of his office he also was a member of the National Confer- ence of Charities which met in various cities of the TTnited States. At the close of his long service of twelve years as a member of the Board of Trustees and upon his retirement the Board of Stati' (liaritics passed a very complimentary resolution giving him credit f(ir |iaiiistakiiiii'. care- ful and conscientious service in every relationship with the Ixiard.

After retiring from this board he was appointed one of the trustees to establish and organize the epileptic village near Newcastle. That great institution owes much to him for its foundation and he was a member of its Board of Trustees four years.

Mr. Hale has found many interests to give him useful occupation

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even in his later years. He has been an ofScer of the Bank of Geneva. He has i-onnded out more than half a century of membership in the Masonic order. He was first made a ]\Iason in Bluffton Lodge in 1867. In 1878 he transferred his membership to Portland and was master of Portland Lodge in 1882 for one year. On returning to Geneva he be- came a charter member of Geneva Lodge No. 621 Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and has been one of its most regular attendants. He is also a member of the Lodge of Perfection and the Scottish Rite Valley of Fort Wayne, and is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias of Geneva. Mr. Hale was reared as a Presbyterian, but in 1884 took his letter from that church at Portland and placed it with the Methodist Church at Geneva.

In 1869 Mr. Hale married Miss Phebe C. McFadden, a native of Ohio and daughter of John and Catherine (Daugherty) McFadden, who set- tled on a farm in Wells County, Indiana, in 1852. John ilcFadden wa.s for a period of eight years county auditor of Wells County. ]\lrs. Hale, who died August 17, 1906, was the mother of the following chil- dren: William, married Nellie Clawson and has three children, Helen, Mary and W^illiam; Frank, married Daisey Mason and has one daugh- ter, Mrs. Ed Lemike of Fort W^ayne; Stella and Winnie are deceased Clara, married J. A. Andei-son, now deceased, has two children, Cath- erine and Joseph ; and Fred, married Anna Schaft'er and has two chil- dren, Cornelius and James.

J. D. French. A well known educator of Wells County is J. D. French, for the past nine years a teacher in the Petroleum public schools, and additionally one of the county's enterprising and successful agri- culturists. He was born in Hartford Township, Adams County, Indiana, November 25, 1863, and is a son of William and Sarah (Johns) French, the latter of whom was born in 1828, in Virginia, and is still surviving and bearing well the weight of years.

William French was born in Dearborn County, Indiana, the second son of Joseph French, an early settler in this state. Joseph French reared the following children : Joel, William, Jolui G., Slinerva, Sylvia, JIary and Melissa, the eldest being an early teacher in Adams County. William French grew to manhood on his father's farm and then mar- ried Sarah .Johns, who was an educated woman and a school teacher in Wells County. After marriage William French and wife took posses- sion of the log cabin in which all their children were subsequently born, and they lived on the Adams County farm until 1882, when Mr. French sold that property and purchased a farm in Arkansas. He died shortly after taking possession. His widow remained in Arkansas for one year and then returned to Indiana and bought a farm near Linn Grove. There were five children in the family, namely : Charlotte, who is the wife of W^illiam Miller, of Muncie, Indiana ; Joseph, who died at the age of thirty years; Melissa, who has been a teacher for twenty-five years ; J. D. ; and Andrew, who resides with his mother.

J. D. French was reared in Adams County and attended the country schools and was one of the first two graduates. This was in 1882 and he then taught school in Adams County until 1886. when he entered Val- paraiso University, from which he was graduated with the degrees of B. S. and A. B., having completed the scientific course in 1890. and the elocutionary in 1891 and the classical course in 1894. Mr. Frencli was then elected superintendent of the Linn Grove schools and remained there two years. Subsequently he taught at Whiting, Indiana, for four years, and at Lisbon, Illinois, for four years, and then took a post grad-

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uate course in science in the Illinois Normal University. ]\Ir. French has life certificates in both Illinois and Indiana.

In 1901 Mr. French bought his present farm in Nottingham Town- ship, Wells County, and is paying quite a good deal of attention to breeding high grade stock. In the meanwhile Mr. French has continued in the educational field and, as stated above, has been identified for almost a decade with the Petroleum schools, having taught in every department.

Mr. French was married August 18, 1894, to Miss Sarah McEhinary, who was born in Henderson County, Illinois. Like Professor French, she is a B. S. graduate of Valpai'aiso University, and prior to her mar- riage was a popular teacher in her native state. They have three chil- dren, namely : Fleming, who is a graduate of the Petroleum High School, later attended the Muncie Normal School and subsequently was graduated from an automobile school in Chicago, is one of the patriotic young men worthy of all honor, now a member of an engineer corps of the United States on duty in France; Helen, who is a graduate of the Petroleum High School, was a student for two years in the State Nor- mal School and taught one term prior to her marriage to Christian Egly ; and Winnifred, who is a student in the Petroleum High School.

]\Ir. French is a member of Linn Grove Lodge, Odd Fellows, of which he is past noble grand, and Mrs. French belongs to the order of the Eastern Star and to the Royal Neighbors. In his views on public ques- tions ]Mr. French has firm convictions, and in the belief that many of the country's ills are caused by intemperance, he has identified himself with the prohibition party and is an active worker for the cause. The family belongs to the Evangelical Church.

E. W. Dyar, M. D. The medical profession in Wells County, as elsewhere, is found to include the ablest and most scholarly men in every community, and in Dr. E. W. Dyar, the pleasant town of Ossian. In- diana, has a physician and surgeon of this order and a man of both personal and professional standing entitling him to high regard, he being also president of the Farmers State Bank of Ossian.

Doctor Dyar was born in Robinson, Crawford County, Illinois, and is the son of William and Elizabeth (Werrieh) Dyar, both of whom are decea.sed, the father passing away in 1881 and the mother in April, 1888.

Fortified with a sound public school education, E. W. Dyar then turned his attention to the study of medicine, subsequently entering the Indiana Medical College, Indianapolis, from which he was grad- uated with his medical degree in 1904. In the same year he came to Ossian and has been in active practice here ever since, through medical knowledge and surgical skill gaining universal confidence. He devotes his entire time to the labors of his profession and keeps thor- oughly abreast with the wonderful advances it is making in modem times.

Dr. Dyar was married September 8, 1901, to Miss Ola M. Hardin, who is a daughter of Thomas and Lyda Hardin, well known residents of Hardinville, Illinois. Dr. and Mrs. Dyar have one son, Edwin W., a school boy of eleven years.

Dr. Dyar gives to politics only the attention that good citizenship demands, voting always with the republican party from principle, but is liberal minded on many public questions. He is a member of AVells County, Indiana State and American Jledical societies. In Masonry, he is a member of Ossian Lodge No. 297, F. & A. "SI., having received the Scottish rite in Fort Wayne Consistory, and is also a member of

464 ADAMS AND WELLS COUNTIES

Ossian Lodge No. 343, K. of P. Dr. and Mrs. Dyar are members of the Presbyterian Church.

Calvin D. Kunkel, one of the advisory editors of this publication, is a member of a family with perhaps as old and substantial