”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

REV. L. A. ALFORD, D. D., LL. D., deceased, one of the most distinguished Baptist clergymen of Indiana, was born at Ferrisburg, Addison Co., Vt., May 29, 1814, and was the son of Rev. O. P. Alford, a pioneer Baptist minister, who preached and organized churches throughout New York State many years ago. Dr. Alford united with the Baptist Church at the early age of fourteen and commenced preaching at the age of eighteen, and was ordained at Erie, Penn., when but twenty-one. He labored and preached in churches at Erie and vicinity, and moved West, in 1844, to Adrian, Mich., where he was pastor a short time. He labored diligently with a number of churches, reorganized a congregation at the town of Rollin, and later was called as pastor of the Litchfield Church, Hillsdale County, where he held large revivals and baptized a great many converts. He moved to Hillsdale, Mich., in 1849, and there organized a Baptist Church and built a substantial house of worship. Here he commenced publishing a paper for Sunday-schools, called The Sunday Visitor, and commenced working zealously in the Sunday-school cause. The paper had a large circulation and was the means of accomplishing great good. He commenced running Sunday-school excursions for the benefit of Sunday-schools and churches on the Michigan Southern Railroad on November 2, 1849, and afterward was elected by different roads as excursion superintendent and ran many hundred excursions throughout the United States. He built a church edifice at Burr Oak, Mich., and organized a flourishing congregation. He moved to Elkhart, Ind., and there organized a Baptist Church and built a house of worship, costing him over $4,500, which he donated and deeded to the society. He moved to Logansport, Ind., in 1864, and here he wrote his great works "The Masonic Gem," "Great Atonement Illustrated," "Mystic Numbers of the Word," "Biblical Chart of Man," "The War in Heaven" and his last work, just before his death, "Trip to the Skies." He was elected president of the Eclectical Medical College of St. Louis, Mo., which position he held a number of years; also vice-president of State Medical Association; also of Medical Association of the United States. He organized the Anthropological University of St. Louis. He resided in Chicago a few years for his health, and while there filled a number of pulpits. He returned to Logansport in 1874; was called to preach at Goodland, also at Monticello, but poor health obliged him to give them up. He received a number of honorary titles for his writings, also a gold medal and title of Ph. D. for his last work from the Society of Science, Letters and Arts, London, England. He was beloved by all who knew him, and always labored zealously without pay or price for the great cause which he so long represented. He was married, 1835, to Miss E. P. Butler, who departed this life March 6, 1883. Children: Corrington L.; Annetta, wife of Dr. W. C. Isherwood; Cecilia, deceased; Mindwell, deceased; Lovisa, wife of A. B. Crampton.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

CORRINGTON L. ALFORD, only son of Dr. Loyal A. Alford, was born in Ashtabula, Ohio, April 20, 1836. His early educational training was received in his native city and other places, and in 1847 he commenced learning the printer's trade in the office of The Watch Tower at Adrian, Mich. He subsequently published The Sunday Visitor at Hillsdale, Mich., of which his father was editor, and in 1857 took charge of The Elkhart Herald, Elkhart, Ind., with which he was identified until 1864. He came to Logansport in the latter year and engaged in the manufacture of fine-cut tobacco and cigars, which he carried on with good success until 1884. In that year he abandoned the tobacco business and gave his attention to cigars, which he has since manufactured, having a large and a lucrative trade in Indiana and other States. Mr. Alford was first married, in 1861, to Miss Elizabeth Rowe, of Livingston, N. Y., by whom he is father of one child: Ida, wife of George S. Ricketts. Mrs. Alford died December 3, 1864. Mr. Alford's second marriage was solemnized June 24, l868, with Miss Ellen Harrison, of Logansport, who has borne him the following children: Lelonia, Cora, Bessie and Tillie. Mr. Alford is a member of the I. O. O. F., and K. of H., and with his wife belongs to the Baptist Church.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

GEORGE ASH, of the firm of Ash and Hadley, dealers in furniture and upholstery, is a native of Devonshire, England, born in the year 1848. He was educated in the schools of his native country, and at the age of fifteen engaged to learn the upholstery trade, in which he soon acquired great proficiency. On attaining his majority he came to the United States, and worked at his trade in the cities of Cleveland, Toledo and Canton, Ohio, until the fall of 1872. He came to Logansport the latter year, and engaged in the upholstery and furniture business, which, from a moderate beginning, has grown to be one of the lending industries of the city. In 1882 he effected a partnership with J. C. Hadley, which still continues. Their place of business is on Market Street, and their stock of furniture is one of the largest in northern Indiana. Mr. Ash was married, in the year 1876, to Miss Tillie Brim, of Toledo, Ohio.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

DANIEL PRATT BALDWIN, LL. D., of Logansport was born in Madison County, N. Y., March 22, 1837. His parents were Hira and Harriet (Pratt) Baldwin, the latter a sister of the late ex-Senator D. D. Pratt, for whom the subject of this sketch is named. The ancestry of the family may be traced to the early settlers of Massachusetts and Connecticut. Daniel P. Baldwin was brought up on a farm, upon which he worked in summer. During the winter he went to school, where he showed such scholarly ability that it was decided to give him an advanced education. He took an academic course at Cazenovia Seminary, Madison County, N. Y., and received his diploma in 1852. He graduated from Madison University in 1856, and from Columbia Law School in 1860. During these ten years he stood at the head of his classes, and was especially noted as a speaker and writer. In June, 1860, he removed to Logansport, Ind., and commenced his profession with the late Hon. D. D. Pratt, under the name of Pratt & Baldwin. During the following ten years the firm enjoyed a large and lucrative practice, which extended to many parts of the State. In 1870 Mr. Baldwin was appointed judge of the Court of Common Pleas, to fill a vacancy and in the following year was elected to the same position. In 1872 he received the degree of LL. D. from Madison University and Wabash College. In 1873 he resumed the practice of his profession, in which he is still engaged. Owing to a partial deafness, he was prevented from entering the army during the late war, but used his whole influence to aid the Union cause. He is an earnest Republican in politics. Judge Baldwin was for a number of years proprietor of the Logansport Journal daily and weekly, and at times contributed to its editorial columns. In June, 1878, he was nominated by acclamation by the Republican State Convention for the important office of attorney-general of the State. He was elected to the position, and discharged the duties of the office one term. Within the past six years Judge Baldwin has delivered a number of college addresses and numerous popular lectures. He is the author of the well-known essay, "A Lawyer's Reading in Evidence of Christianity," which was published in 1875. Among his published addresses are "The Defects in Our Political System," and "The Cause and Cure of Hard Times," both of which have been widely quoted. For many years he has been active in the interest of Wabash College, and instituted the Baldwin Oratorical Prize. But few men have been more careful in the selection of a library. In his reading he confines himself to the choicest works. He has made a special study of political economy and the science of government. With all his eminent ability as a lawyer and excellence as a scholar Judge Baldwin is entirely free from ostentation. He was married, June 16, 1863, to Miss India Smith, of Logansport. They have had two children, both of whom are dead.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

JOHN W. BALLARD, M. D., one of the leading physicians and surgeons of Logansport, was born in Carroll County Ind., February 28, 1855, and is the son of Anson and Mary J. (Hoornbeck) Ballard, natives, respectively, of Indiana and Ohio. Dr. Ballard's rudimentary education was acquired in the common schools, and at the age of seventeen he entered Purdue College, from which he graduated in 1876. On quitting college he engaged in teaching, which profession he continued for a limited period, reading medicine in the meantime under the instruction of Drs. Beck and Smith, of Delphi. He entered the Medical College of Ohio in 1877, graduated in 1879, and began the practice of his profession in Lockport, Carroll County, where he continued until his removal to Logansport, in 1881. The Doctor was married in 1876 to Miss Ellen, daughter of Samuel Milroy, of Delphi, to which marriage have been born two children: S. Milroy and Charles A. Since locating in Logansport, Dr. Ballard has built up a large and lucrative practice. He is a member of the Logansport Medical and Surgical Association, and stands high in the profession. He belongs to the F. & A. M., Knights of Maccabees, and National Union fraternities, and is a Democrat in politics.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

JOHN W. BARNES, editor of the Logansport Pharos, is a native Indianian, having been born in the city of Muncie July 7, 1855. His father, William Barnes, came from English ancestors; was born in Pennsylvania and settled in Indiana shortly after it became a State. The father still resides in Muncie, where he follows the business of a contractor and builder. His mother, Evaline Wachtell Barnes, is a native of Maryland, and is also living at this time. John W. Barnes was educated in the ward and high schools of Muncie. Upon completing school at the age of nineteen, he began learning the printing business in the office of the Muncie Democrat. He remained there two years, when the paper suspended. He then took service with the Liberal Republican, a paper established for the support of Horace Greeley for President, remaining there until he finished his trade, in the meantime doing considerable writing for the paper. During the campaign of 1876, Mr. Barnes was engaged on the Democrat at Anderson, Ind. He remained there until 1878, when he came to Logansport and began work on the Pharos, where he has since labored uninterruptedly. In 1881 he purchased an interest in the paper with B. F. Louthain and the two have since remained in partnership, each owning a half interest in the paper. The appointment of his partner as postmaster of Logansport in July, 1885, placed upon Mr. Barnes the sole responsibility of the editorial and business control of the paper. He comes from a Democratic family, his father having always been identified with that party. Mr. Barnes has shown rare ability in his successful management of the Pharos and as a newspaper man stands high among the journalists of northern Indiana. He was married September 30, 1885, to Miss Emma Grable, daughter of Jonathan and Hester Grable, of this county.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

JOHN E. BARNES, contractor, was born in Newton, Devonshire, England, September 8, 1841. He remained in his native country until 1853, at which time, in company with his parents, he came to the United States, locating temporarily in the city of Brooklyn N. Y., and the following year came to Logansport. His father was a contractor and builder and did an extensive business in Cass and other counties until his death, November, 1865. John E. Barnes learned the stone and brick-mason's trade under his father, and, with the exception of a few years spent in farming in the State of Minnesota, has followed the same with good success until the present time. He effected a partnership in contracting and building in 1877 with John Medland, and the firm thus formed has clone an extensive business throughout Indiana, erecting many of the large business houses and public works of Logansport and other cities. Mr. Barnes is a Republican in politics and takes an active interest in the deliberations of his party in Cass County. He was elected councilman from a Democratic ward, a fact which attests his popularity with the people. He is a member of the Odd Fellows fraternity and belongs to the Universalist Church. Mr. Barnes was married, August 1, 1864, to Miss Elizabeth J. Bates, daughter of James J. Bates, who came to Logansport many years ago. Seven children were born to this marriage, all living: Clara A,, Charles J., William, James I., Benjamin F., George W. and Egbert.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

JOSEPH BARRON was of French extraction, his ancestors, some two centuries ago, having come over from France and settled near Quebec, Canada, whither the tide of emigration from that quarter was then drifting. About the year 1749 the family moved westward and settled at Malden, in the vicinity of Detroit - the center of all extensive Indian trade carried on by the French population. Here, in the month of January, 1773, the subject of this sketch was born. From his surroundings in early life, and his natural aptness in the comprehension of language, in addition to a most retentive memory, it is not remarkable that he early became proficient in his knowledge of the dialect peculiar to the numerous Indian tribes of the locality. Trading along the route from Detroit to "Old Post Vincennes," he gradually became familiar with the language of the Wabash Indians. Finally he settled at Vincennes about the year 1790. Early attracting the attention of the civil and military authorities at the "Post," his services as all interpreter were in frequent demand. In the year 1798 he was married to Mrs. Barbara Jerceaux, sister of the elder Michael Brouillette, by whom he had one child. Mrs. Barron lived but little more than a year after her marriage, her child dying soon after. He remained a widower about one year and a half, and was then married to Miss Josephine Gamelin, daughter of Pierre Gamelin, Sr., one of the most prominent citizens of Vincennes. By this marriage he was the father of seven children--five sons and two daughters. Of these, only the youngest two survive: Mary Ann, wife of the late Harvey Heth, an old citizen of this county, now the wife of Anthony F. Smith, Esq., formerly judge of the city court of Logansport, and Napoleon B., formerly one of the leading magistrates of this county, and now president of the "Old Settlers' Society," of this county. Upon the division of the Territory Northwest of the Ohio, including the State of Indiana, and the appointment of Gen. Harrison as Territorial governor, Mr. Barron was chosen one of the governor's official interpreters. As an evidence of the estimation in which he was held by the Government authorities, we find his name connected with nearly every important treaty and council with the Indians in the Northwest from 1803 until 1843, as special interpreter. Gen. Harrison, Gen. Hopkins and other officers, in their reports to the Department at Washington, speak of his qualities as an interpreter, and of the efficient services rendered by him, as unequaled in the accuracy of his knowledge of the language and characteristics of every Indian tribe on the Wabash. In the month of May, 1810, he was intrusted by Gen. Harrison with the execution of a most hazardous enterprise, that of conveying to the hostile Indians, assembled at the Prophet's Town, on the Upper Wabash, a talk, concerning the policy pursued by them. Having delivered his message, he was brought before the Prophet, who taunted him with being his prisoner, and that he should be immediately put to death, at the same time pointing to an open grave, newly made, saying, "There is your grave." This threat would no doubt have been executed, but for a the interposition of Tecumseh, who demanded his release, saying: "The flag of truce, borne by him, was always been respected, and shall be now! Again, on the 13th of August, of the same year, he officiated as interpreter at the celebrated council at Vincennes between Gen. Harrison and Tecumseh, when the latter contradicted the Governors' statements, and, with his warriors present, in violation of the terms of the conference, sprang up, with tomahawks raised, meditating an attack. The cool promptness of the Governor and his guards, however, soon put an end to the movements of the savages. On a subsequent occasion, when acting under the Governor's instructions, in company with Gen. Walter Wilson, through the treachery of Tecumseh's brother, the Prophet, he and his companion were condemned to die, but were relieved from their perilous situation by the timely interposition of Tecumseh himself, by whom, also, they were guided out of danger. In the battle of Tippecanoe, which occurred on the 7th of November, 1811, he bore a conspicuous part, from the intimate knowledge of the character and movements of the savages. Many other striking incidents of his career might be related, but space will not permit. Mr. Barron was above the medium height, of affable manners, and easy address, honored and respected by all for the strict integrity of his life and his conduct of public affairs. Although surrounded by numerous opportunities for pecuniary gain, he yielded not to temptation, preferring to eat the bread of his honest toil. He died on the 12th of December, 1843, at peace with all the world, having finished the work given him to do. He was buried with military honors.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

J. C. BEATTY. The gentleman whose biographical sketch is herewith presented is a native of Philadelphia, Penn., and the fourth son of William and Fannie (McMichael) Beatty. William Beatty was born in Ireland, and came to the United States in early manhood, settling in the city of Albany, N. Y. He subsequently moved to Philadelphia, where he remained until 1856, following the blacksmith's trade during that period. In the latter year he removed to the city of Milwaukee, Wis., where he worked at his trade and kept hotel until 1869, at which time he came to Logansport, Ind. He entered the army in 1861, enlisting in the Ninth Illinois Cavalry, with which he served until the winter of 1862. He died in one of the Government hospitals, at St. Louis, that year. Mrs. Beatty is a native of Ireland also, and when quite young came with her parents to the United States, locating in Philadelphia. She was married in that city, and is still living, making her home in Logansport at this time. William and Fannie Beatty were the parents of six children, whose names are as follows: William (deceased), Robert, James (deceased) , John C. Emma and William H. The immediate subject of this sketch was born on the 5th of September, 1855, and spent the years of his youth in the cities of Philadelphia, Milwaukee and Logansport. His educational training, owing to the death of his father, was rather limited, and in early life he was obliged to rely in a great measure upon his own resources. He improved such opportunities as presented themselves, however, and by close reading and intelligent observation, aided by a business experience, has obtained a practical education such as schools fail to impart. He began the painter's trade at the age of eighteen, and one year later began life upon his own responsibility. He soon acquired great proficiency in his vocation, and for a period of thirteen years has been working in Logansport, where he now has a large and constantly increasing business. He does general painting, graining, paper-hanging and decorating, in all of which he has been reasonably prosperous. Mr. Beatty is an active member of the I. O. O. F., belonging to Eel River Lodge, No. 417. He is also a member of the Sons of Veterans, and in religion holds to no creed, being liberal in all that term implies. On the 20th of December, 1881, was celebrated his marriage with Miss Alice Witters, daughter of James and Elizabeth Witters of Harrison Township, this county. Mr. and Mrs. Beatty have one child: William C., born February 6, 1883. They reside in a neat home on Chippewa Street, West Side.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

MAJ. DANIEL BELL. "Maj." Bell, as he was familiarly known, was born in Washington County, Penn., on the 7th of March 1788. His father was a farmer in moderate circumstances, until, with a view to bettering his own and the condition of his family, moved thence to Bourbon County, Ky., in the fall after Daniel's birth. At the date of his settlement, Kentucky was but sparsely settled, adventurous pioneers only being drawn thither by the prosperous advantages offered. The father, in this instance, was not an exception, and was willing to risk the contingencies of Indian warfare, depending upon his own strong arm and trusty rifle to maintain the equality of right. With the surroundings incident to pioneer life in Kentucky, the early experiences of Maj. Bell eminently fitted him to become a participant in the progress of settlements in Indiana Territory. With these qualifications, he moved with his father, and settled in Corydon, Ind., in the spring of 1811. About this time, there was great excitement growing out of the numerous Indian depredations committed along the line of frontier settlements by the hordes under control of the Shawnee Prophet, whose village was on the north side of the Tippecanoe, a short distance above its mouth. Mutual defense was the order of the hour among the hardy pioneersmen of this locality. Capt. Spencer had raised a company of mounted men to go with the expedition against those Indians. Young Bell at once enlisted, and soon after the expedition started, the Prophet's Town being the objective point. At the battle of Tippecanoe, on the 7th of November following their company (the "Ye1low Jackets") acquitted itself with distinguished honor, more than half the number being killed or wounded. Among the killed was the gallant captain. Maj. Bell was unhurt. After that time he participated in numerous major engagements with the Indians, in which he bore himself with the courage characteristic of the true backwoods soldier. After the return of the expedition from Tippecanoe, in the month of December of the same year, he was united in marriage with Miss Nancy Spencer, daughter of the late captain. Having resided in the vicinity of Corydon until some time in the year 1824, he removed thence to Putnam County, Ind., remaining there until the early spring of 1827, when, with his family, he again moved settling on the north side of the Wabash, within the present boundary of Logansport, landing here on the 27th of March, 1827. Maj. Bell's cabin was the first ever erected within the limits of our city. In 1830, haring purchased an interest in the Louison Reserve, north of Eel River, he moved to that point, and made an improvement on his land. Five years later, he made a further settlement at Georgetown in this county, being the proprietor of that place. Two years after the death of Gen. Tipton his brother-in-law- Maj. Bell returned to Logansport, and took control of the General's domicile, at the request of his children. He remained in charge until 1845, when the Miami Reserve (recently purchased from the Indians began to be settled. The pre-emption law was then in force, and, following the bent of his inclinations to become it pioneer again, he took a claim and settled on the border of a prairie in Jackson Township, since known as "Bell's Prairie," in the immediate vicinity of Galveston. On this tract he remained the balance of his life. For twenty years prior to his death, Maj. Bell had directed his efforts toward the organization of a society composed of the remaining "old settlers" and their immediate descendants. In the course of time such an association became a necessity, and, accordingly, on the 26th of March, 1870, such a society was formed, and the Major made president for life. Naturally possessing a strong physical organization, with a fair intellectual development, at the age of more than fourscore years, his mind was still active, and the fire of his eye remained undimmed. From that time, however, his strength began to give way; having endured the frosts and snows of eighty-three winters, his mind, also, became impaired, and he was again a child. Thus he passed to his final rest, on the evening of November 7, 1874, on the sixty-sixth anniversary of the battle of Tippecanoe.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

ISOM N. BELL, editor and proprietor of the Logansport Times, was born in Ripley County, Ind., September 8, 1861, son of William and Nancy (Caster) Bell, natives of Kentucky and Indiana, respectively. Subject's paternal grandfather, Nathaniel Bell, was one of the pioneers of Indiana, settling many years ago in Jefferson County. James Custer, grandfather on the mother's side, came to Jefferson County many years ago, and is still living there. William Bell came to Cass County in 1871, and settled in Boone Township, where he is still living. He is the father of fourteen children, subject of this sketch being the fifth in number. Isom Bell grew to manhood in Cass County, and passed his youth on a farm, attending the county schools at intervals, until his eighteenth year. He began life for himself at the early age of fifteen, and three years later engaged in teaching, which profession he continued four years in Cass, Fulton and Lake Counties. In 1881 he entered the Valparaiso Normal School, attending the same two years, and in April, 1885, began publishing the Galveston “Times”, Galveston, Ind., which he issued until March1, 1886. In the latter year he established the Logansport “Times”, with which he has since been identified, and of which he is at the present time sole editor and proprietor. Mr. Bell is a Democrat in politics, and a member of the I. O. O. F., belonging to Onward Lodge.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

WILLIAM H. BEVAN. The gentleman whose name introduces this sketch is a native of Toronto, Canada, born June 15, 1834. His parents, George and Elizabeth Bevan, were born in England, and immigrated to Canada about the year 1833. The father was a lumber dealer, and died in Canada; the mother died in Logansport, Ind. William Bevan passed the years of his youth in his native country, and early learned the saddlery trade, at which he worked for some time. He subsequently took up the carpenter's occupation, learning the same under his brother, George Bevan, and worked at the trade with good success until 1862. He came to Logansport in 1852, and ten years later engaged in the lumber and coal trade, which he continued until 1876, at which time he ceased dealing in lumber and established his present business- wood and coal. He afterward went into partnership with Geo. W. Connalley in the manufacture of mineral water, which he now carries on in connection with his other business. Mr. Bevan has met with encouraging success in his various enterprises, and is in the enjoyment of a large and constantly increasing business. On the 6th of November, 1866, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Cridland, of Dayton, Ohio, a union blessed with the birth of the following children: Harry T., Maude, May, Charley, Earl, Ethel and Nellie, living; Willie and Louie, deceased. Mr. Bevan belongs to the Masonic fraternity, and in politics votes the Republican ticket.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

HORACE P. BIDDLE, LL. D., Ph. D. and ex-judge of the Supreme Court of Indiana, was born on the 24th of March, 1811, about twenty miles below Lancaster, Ohio, on the Hocking River. He was born near what is now Logan, the county seat of Hocking County, though at that time the county (which has since been divided was a large one) and all went under the name of Fairfield. His father was Benjamin Biddle, who came from Connecticut in 1789, under the protection of Gen. Israel Putnam, to look at the country, while the chieftain was making his tour among the Indians and arranging treaties with them. Benjamin Biddle settled at Marietta that year, removing to Waterford in 1791, and finally, in 1802, to the place on the Hocking River. His wife was Abigail Converse, who died in 1817, leaving Horace, the youngest son, at the age of five years, to the care of a sister twelve years older. His father died in 1829. There were nine children- the subject of this sketch, as before stated, being the youngest. He worked upon the farm, going to school as occasion afforded, which was rather infrequent, unti1 he was sixteen years old, when he went to Muskingum County and clerked in a country store for an elder brother, Daniel C. Biddle. From there he, after a time, returned to the old farm, where he remained until 1836. He was then in his twenty-fourth year, and had read and digested everything he could get his hands on. He had a quick perception, was noted as a fluent talker, and had a deeply analytical mind. With these advantages in his favor, he determined to study law, and applied to Thomas Ewing. Sr., at Lancaster, who recommended the aspiring young farmer to Hocking H. Hunter, one of the most striking men Ohio ever produced. In Senator Ewing and Mr. Hunter Mr. Biddle found fast friends, and his progress in the law was rapid. He was admitted to the bar (State courts) in Cincinnati, April, 1839, and in the same month was admitted to practice in the Federal courts. From April until October of that year he traveled the circuit with the old lawyers, among whom were Ewing, Hunter, Stanberry, Brazee and Medill, all prominent in the history of their State. The circuit extended over the counties of Fairfield, Hocking, Perry and Licking, and the training enabled the young lawyer to go to Logansport, Ind., on the 18th of October, 1839, and there hang out his shingle with some degree of assurance. In 1840 he had a full and lucrative practice, and, growing in favor with his new neighbors, was in 1844, placed upon the Whig electoral ticket, and stumped the northern part of the State for Henry Clay, meeting in debate upon the political questions of the day such men as Hon. G. S. Fitch and the eloquent Charles Cathcart. Judge Biddle was a warm personal friend of Henry Clay, and after his defeat left the field of politics with sadness and disgust, though in 1845, while attending the Supreme court at, Indianapolis, he was, without his sanction, nominated by Whigs of Cass County f or the Legislature, but was defeated at the ensuing election. In December, 1846, by the joint ballot of the Senate, he was elected president judge of the then Eighth Circuit for a term of seven years. He held the office six years and resigned, having been nominated (18 52) f or Congress against the late Dr. Norman S. Eddy, by whom, the district being largely Democratic, he was defeated. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention in 1850, and participated in the debates on all the leading questions. In 1857 he was elected supreme judge by 23,000 majority, but the supreme court held that at the time there was no vacancy. He was therefore not commissioned. From 1852 until 1860 he devoted his full attention to his practice, which yielded him a yearly revenue of nearly $8,000. In the latter year, wishing to retire from the practice which had become exceedingly laborious he accepted the nomination, and was elected to the circuit bench, being re-elected in 1866 - the last time, without a vote against him. In 1872 he declined a re-election, and from that time until 1874 he gave the greatest part of his time to literary pursuits. He was then nominated for the supreme bench by two State conventions, the Democratic and Independent, and elected by the largest majority ever given to any candidate in the history of the State, his majority reaching 33,000. Mr. Biddle held the office of supreme judge for a period of about eighteen years. Judge Biddle is not only foremost among the jurists of Indiana, but is a thoroughly educated man, although he has not had the benefit of a college course, nor attended any but the ordinary country schools. He has supplied the deficiencies by a long and rigid course of self-instruction. He has a full knowledge of Latin, and is thoroughly conversant with German and French, from all of which he has made translations, weaving some of the poems of the two modern languages into sparkling gems of verse. In former years he was a frequent and valued contributor to several of the lending magazines, but not recently. In 1840 he published his first volume of poems, sending the book into the world with the modest title of a "Few Poems." The work was highly complimented by Irving, Longfellow, Charles Mackay, and others. In 1858 another and larger volume containing 240 pages, was issued under the same title. In 1849 he wrote his work on "The Musical Scale," which was not published until 1860. Oliver Ditson, of Boston, purchased the copyright, and has since published two or three editions. In this book the Judge differs regarding the musical scale from preceding authorities, not only in tile analysis of harmony, but in the combination of harmonies and the arrangement of some of the intervals of the scale. Recently, in London, the Judge's theory was proved correct by the microphone, in opposition to Tyndall and Helmholtz in their recent works, and is now accepted as authority. In 1864-65 he wrote "Glances at the World," his third volume of poems, a book of 350 pages, published in 1874. In 1876 he published another volume, a poem entitled, "American Boyhood," in which are portrayed American boyhood with its surroundings as found in the West in the early part of the nineteenth century, with all its joys, sorrows, hopes, fears, trials and ambitions incidental to the early settlement of the country. The Judge has contributed several pamphlets to the literature of the country, prominent among which are "A Discourse on Art," "The Definition of Poetry," "A Review of Prof. Tyndall's Work on Sound," "The Analysis of Rhyme," An Essay on Russian Literature," and "The Tetrachord, a New Musical Instrument". The Judge's last literary productions were: "Elements of Knowledge," 1881; "Prose Miscellany," 1881; and "Last Poems" published in 1882. In addition to the publications named, Judge Biddle had printed a number of years ago a volume in scrapbook form, for distribution among friends, but not intended for general circulation. In 1873 a beautifully bound and elegantly gotten up volume entitled " Amatories by an Amateur," was printed by a house in Cincinnati, only ten copies comprising the edition. Yet this volume is the ,i>chef-d’oeuvre of Judge Biddle's pen, the anacreontics being exceedingly beautiful. Surrounded by books, birds, paintings, music and flowers, Judge Biddle lives on what is known as Biddle’s Island in the Wabash River, opposite the city of Logansport. The house in which Judge resides was built in 1836 by the late Gen. John Tipton, then United States Senator from Indiana. The library in this fine old mansion is the largest private library in the State, containing over 7,000 volumes, many of them extremely rare and curious. After the defeat of Clay in 1844, Judge Biddle ceased to be a partisan, and paid little or no attention to politics, dividing his attention between his profession and literature. When the old Whig party disintegrated he stood on neutral ground, with but one violent and deep-rooted antipathy – an u ncompromising opposition to Know-nothingism. When the flag went down at Sumter he was with the Government- a Republican or War Democrat until the conclusion of the struggle. After the abolition of slavery and the adoption of the amendments, he saw no great difference between the parties, though differing with the Republican party in its reconstruction measures. The Judge has a kindly and genial disposition, and many young aspirants for fame in literature or law attribute their success to his generous encouragement and kindly sympathy. His mind contains vast stores of useful knowledge, acquired partly in the course of his professional experience in courts and legislature bodies, and partly gathered by hard work from various departments of science and literature. Poet, scientist, jurist and philosopher, it may be truly said of Horace P. Biddle, that he is one of the notable men of his day and generation.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

PROF. JAMES C. BLACK, superintendent of the Logansport city schools, is a native of Hendricks County, Ind., and the son of John and Virginia T. (Campbell) Black; parents born in Kentucky, of Scotch and Irish lineage, respectively. Prof. Black was raised on a farm and obtained a rudimentary education in the public schools of his native county. He made rapid progress in his various studies, and at the early age of seventeen was sufficiently advanced to obtain a teacher's 1icense. Actuated by a desire to complete his education, he engaged in teaching for the purpose of raising the means to defray the expense of a college course, and at the age of nineteen became a student of Butler University, where he pursued his studies for a period of three years. On quitting the university he entered the State Normal School at Terre Haute, and attended the same from 1874 until 1876, graduating the latter year. After graduation he engaged in teaching in the schools of Marion County, and later was employed as tutor in the Institution for the Instruction of the Blind, at Indianapolis, a position he filled in an eminently satisfactory manner from 1880 until 1883. In 1884, he was chosen principal of the Logansport High School, and in June, 1886, was elected superintendent of the city schools, to succeed Prof. J. K. Watts. As a teacher Prof. Black has few equals in Indiana, and his name is well known in educational circles of the State. He is a finished scholar, a polished gentleman, and possesses the necessary traits of character which insure his success and popularity. He has been an active member of the Christian Church for a number of years, and at the present time is superintendent of the Christian Sunday-school, of Logansport. Prof. Black was married December 26, 1877, to Miss Ida B. Whitsett, of Boone County, Ind.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

JASPER N. BOOTH. Conspicuous among the active business men of Logansport is J. N. Booth, son of DeHart and Nancy (Caldwell) Booth, who was born in Noble Township, Cass County, October 26, 1843. His parents are natives of Harrison County, Va., and were among the early settlers of Cass County, moving to Logansport in the year 1828. DeHart Booth worked at the carpenter's trade until 1838, at which time he moved to Noble Township, a short distance north of Logansport. J. N. Booth was raised to agricultural pursuits, and received his educational learning in the district schools of his native township. He remained on the farm until twenty-eight years of age, at which time (1873) he came to Logansport and engaged in the coal business, which he carried on very successfully until the spring of 1881. In the latter year he took an interest in the Logan Milling Company of which he was made secretary, a position he held until elected president of the company in 1885. The milling enterprise with which Mr. Booth is identified is one of the leading industries of Logansport, manufacturing a superior grade of flour, much in demand throughout the State. Mr. Booth gives his entire attention to the mill, and much of the enterprise's success is due to his able management. Mr. Booth was married October 23, 1872, to Miss Mattie, adopted daughter of William H. Standley, of Logansport. He is a member of the K. of P. and a staunch supporter of the principles of the Republican party.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

FERDINAND E. BORGES. Nr. Borges was born in the city of Logansport May 13, 1864, and is the son of Ernest and Anna (Luy) Borges, natives of Holland and the State of Ohio, respectively. Ernest Borges came to Logansport a number of years ago and engaged in the drug business, which he carried on until his death in 1874. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity, and for many years a leading business man of the city. Ferdinand Borges received his rudimentary education in the schools of Logansport, and in 1881 entered the Pennsylvania Military Academy, Chester, Penn., which he attended four years, graduating June, 1885. Mr. Borges' career as a student is exceptionally brilliant, and his record is one of which he feels deservedly proud. In November, 1S85, he engaged in the wholesale saddlery hardware at Logansport, with J. K. Neal, under the firm name of Neal & Borges. Their business house is on Broadway, and their stock of goods is one of the largest and most complete of the kind in the State.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

STEPHEN B. BOYER, native of New Bloomfield, Perry Co., Penn., and son of William and Marian (Fritz) Boyer, was born December 7, 1842. His parents were natives of York Co., Penn., and of German descent, their ancestors coming to America prior to the adoption of the Federal Constitution. Mr. Boyer's educational training was somewhat limited, owing to the death of his father, which early threw him upon his own resources. At the age of twelve he went on a farm and three years later engaged with the Pennsylvania Canal Company for which he worked for a period of three years. At the end of that time he accepted a position as salesman in a grocery house at Duncannon, Penn., in which capacity he continued until the breaking out of the war, when he enlisted (1861) in the Ninth Pennsylvania Cavalry. He served with this regiment until mustered out, December, 1864, and during that time participated in a number of engagements, in one of which he received a severe wound in the left hand. After his discharge he entered a commercial college in Philadelphia, where he took a thorough business course. He came to Logansport in 1863, and engaged as bookkeeper for C. B. Knowlton, and was afterward promoted superintendent of the manufacturing establishment of Knowlton & Dolan, which position he held until 1885. He assisted in rebuilding the Logan Mills, in 1552, and was president of the company for three years. In June, 1885, he was elected secretary and treasurer of the company, the duties of which position he is discharging at the present time. Mr. Bowyer is a successful business man and has won many friends since coming to Logansport. He is a Republican in politics and an active member of the G. A. R. In September, 1872, was solemnized his marriage with Miss Josephine Goodwin, of Logansport - a union blessed with the birth of three children, viz.: Alexander, Mary J. and Helen P.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

COL. THOMAS H. BRINGHURST, of Logansport was born in Philadelphia, Penn., in August, 1810, and of American and Irish parentage. He received a comrnon school education, and at the age of sixteen was apprenticed to a cabinet-maker for five years. He then spent a year in Alabama, and from there removed to Dayton, Ohio, where for four years he worked at his trade. In January, 1848, he removed to Logansport, built a sawmill at the mouth of' Eel River, and manufactured fine veneers and lumber for the Eastern market. In May, 1846, he enlisted in the First Regiment Indiana Volunteers and served under Gen. Taylor in the Mexican war. Returning to Logansport, in 1847, he resumed work at his trade; in 1849, at the solicitation of leading Whigs, he purchased the office of the Logansport Telegraph and established the Journal, which he edited until 1870. In 1861 he assisted in organizing the Forty-sixth Regiment Indiana Volunteers, and was commissioned major by Gov. Morton. In May, l862 he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and in August of the same year he became colonel, owing to the resignation of Col. G. N. Fitch. His regiment was with Gen. Grant on the Mississippi River as far as Vicksburg and in the campaigns on the Bayou Teche and Red River. He was mustered out in 1865, and returned to Logansport. He immediately resumed his position on the Journal, and continued it until December, 1869, when he was appointed special agent in the Post office Department. In 1876 he resigned his position, and in 1877 became a partner in the manufacturing firm of Charles Kahlo & Co., now the Logansport Manufacturing Company. As an editor of the Journal Mr. Bringhurst speedily attained a leading position in the Whig ranks in this section of the State, which he fully maintained in his subsequent similar relations to the Republican party. As a speaker he is plain and forcible. He is a thinker and worker, rather than a merely entertaining orator. His army record is bright with duty intelligently and faithfully performed. By his kindness to the men of his command he won their warmest regard, and by his vigilance, ability and energy secured the esteem of his superiors. The same traits distinguished his connection with the civil service, placing him in the highest ranks of his official grade.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

W. H. BRINGHURST, leading druggist of Logansport, was born in October, 1824, in the city of Philadelphia, and is the second son of Robert R. and Mary W. (Wood) Bringhurst who were natives of Pennsylvania and Ireland, respectively. Mr. Bringhurst grew to manhood in his native city, received a good education in the high school of the same and began life for himself as an employe in a commission house, in which capacity he continued until about 1849. In that year he went to California, where he engaged in the commission business and mining, and where he remained for a period of five years, meeting with good success in his various enterprises during that time. He returned to Philadelphia in 1833, and one year later came to Logansport, Ind., and established his present drug store, which is one of the most prosperous business houses in the city. For thirty-one years his business has been uninterrupted by change except in its extension and magnitude; and with his constant growth of favor and confidence with the public and continued volume and variety of sales, he is today regarded as the leading druggist of Cass County. His house is widely and favorably known both in the business circles of his own State and the commercial centers of other parts of the country as well. Mr. Bringhurst was, January, 1860, united in marriage with Miss Anna Torr, of Philadelphia, who has borne him five children, three of whom are living- namely: Harry W., Alfred T. and Josey. Mr. Bringhurst is a Republican in politics, ready and earnest in the support of his political connections, but has never been an aspirant for official honors. He takes an active interest in all enterprises for the public good, and is an ardent friend and patron of the public schools.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

CHAUNCEY CARTER, the subject of this sketch was born March 23, 1796, in what was then the parish of Canaan, now the town of New Canaan, Fairfield Co., Conn. He was the eldest son of Ebenezer and Rhoda Carter, and was of the fifth generation from his ancestor, Samuel Carter, who came from London, England, to Boston, Mass., at the age of twelve years. He was married in 1690, and was living in Deerfield, Mass., with his family when the town was taken and burned by the Indians, February 20, 1704. When the town was attacked he was absent from home, and his wife and children were taken captives. The mother and two children were slain on the way, and the remaining children taken to Canada. One of the sons, Ebenezer was stolen from the Indians by merchants trading between Albany and Montreal, and restored to his father. The following year (1705) they moved to Norwalk, Conn.. and settled. Ebenezer afterward married, and in 1731 moved to the parish of Canaan, then a part of Norwalk, where he reared a numerous family. In I733 he received a commission as captain from Joseph Talcott, then acting governor of the Colony of Connecticut during the reign of George II. His youngest son, John, was an active patriot during the Revolutionary war, and received a commission as captain from Jonathan Trumbull, then captain-general and commander-in-chief of Connecticut. His youngest son, Ebenezer, settled near him, living in the first framed house built in the town, where his large family of children were born and reared, Chauncey being the oldest. This old homestead of the Carter family still remains, and is occupied. The date of its erection is not known, but 140 years ago it was the residence of the first minister of the first church of the parish. Chauncey received his early education at the public schools, and at the age of twenty-one years left the paternal mansion, going thence to Walkill, Orange Co., N. Y., where he engaged in teaching school, subsequently following the same occupation at Harrisburg, Penn. Leaving there he went to Corydon, the then capital of the new State of Indiana, and for a time gave his attention to commercial pursuits. At this place he made the acquaintance of Gen. John Tipton, who ever after was his stanch and confidential friend. Less than two years afterward he became a citizen of Fort Wayne, then the central point of the Indian trade in northern Indiana, whither Gen. Tipton and preceded him and prepared the way for a lucrative business. Soon after his settlement at Fort Wayne he received an appointment from the United States Government as surveyor of Indian land grants along the margin of the Wabash River. This engaged his attention, at intervals, until the conclusion of the treaties with the Pottawattomies and Miamis, in October, 1826, when an enlarged field was opened for him in the vicinity of what is now Cass County. He was thus engaged during the greater part of 1827, and afterward in 1838. Having previously secured the chief interest, in the section of land granted to George Cicott at the falls of Eel River, on April 10, 1828, he surveyed and laid out the original plat of Logansport. Afterward, when the county had been organized, the town was made the seat of justice of the new county. At the election of officers in April, 1829, Mr. Carter was chosen a member of the first board of county commissioners, of which body he became the leading member. In the fall of 1828, with Gen. Tipton and others, he was instrumental in establishing the Eel River Seminary. Again, soon after Logansport had been selected as the seat of justice of the county, he was appointed postmaster, the successor of Hugh B. McKeen, who was the first one at this post. When Mr. Carter's term of office as a member of the first board of county commissioners had been completed, he was elected judge of the probate court, and entered upon the discharge of its duties at the November term, 1832. He held this office two years. Upon the death of Gen. Tipton, in April, 1839, Mr. Carter was appointed one of his administrators, and continued in that position until 1850, when he resigned the trust. Sometime in 1847 he became superintendent of a division of the Wabash & Erie Canal, which he held unti1 l860 or 1861. In the early days of the county's history he frequently held the office of county surveyor, and subsequently of city engineer. At the October election in 1862, he was chosen treasurer of the county, but did not enter upon the discharge of its duties until September 7, 1863. In the discharge of the duties of this office, as of those pertaining to every other trust reposed in him, he brought to bear this strict integrity of character and extensive acquaintance with the management of financial affairs. He had not completed his term of service as treasurer at the time of his death, which occurred December 4, 1864. Mr. Carter was married on Ma y 8, 1828, to Miss Mary Holman, daughter of Joseph and Lydia Holman, formerly of Wayne County, Ind., by whom he is father of six children: Rhoda, the deceased wife of the late Joseph Culbertson: Eliza, George, William and Edwin, who all died in childhood; and Emma, wife of Fred W. Munson, of this city the only child now living. His widow died in this city November 2, 1880. Chauncey Carter was a devoted Mason, one of the original members of Tipton Lodge, No. 33, of Logan Chapter, No. 2, and of Logansport Council, No. 11, in all which branches of the order he was honored with the highest official positions, and was also a member of the several grand bodies of the State. He was probably one of the most skilled workmen in this jurisdiction. As a citizen, his private character was in all respects above reproach while his whole life, in one position of trust or another, was devoted to the public weal. He was a man of decided convictions, with the courage and ability to maintain them - one of those sturdy pioneers who, in the course of a long and useful life, leave their mark upon the times and the communities wherein they dwell.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

CHARLES A. CLARK, proprietor of the Logansport paper-mill, was born in the town of Morris, Grundy Co., Ill., October 6, l851, and is the son of Roderick and Mary (Ryal) Clark, natives, respectively of Massachusetts and Ireland. At the age of four years he was taken by his parents to La Salle County, Ill., where, unti1 1868, he lived on a farm, attending the public schools at intervals during that period. His common school training was supplemented by a course in Oberlin College, which he attended one year, and after quitting school he commenced the machinist trade at Marseilles, where he worked from 1870 till 1877. He was for several years ticket and freight agent on the Rock Island Road, a position he held until his removal to Logansport in 1880. He established the Logansport Paper Company in 1880, and later (1885) purchased the stock and became sole proprietor. He operates the paper-mill on an extensive scale, employing 20 men, and has a large and lucrative trade throughout Indiana, and all adjoining States. Mr. Clark was married, June 28, 1876, to Miss Nellie A. Hill, of Peru, Ill. Two children have been born to this union: Roderick and Rexford. Mr. Clark is n member of the K. of P., and a Republican in politics.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

EMANUEL A. CLEM. Mr. Clem is a native of Perry County, Ohio, and the youngest son of George and Catherine (Darst) Clem, who were born in Maryland, of German descent. Mr. Clem was born October 15, 1825, and grew to manhood on a farm, with the rugged duties of which he early became familiar. He attended the common schools of his native county for a number of years, but owing to delicate health was not permitted to get the education he desired. He has always been a great reader, however, and by coming in contact with business men, in his different business capacities, has obtained a practical education, such as books and schools fail to impart. He came to Logansport in 1830, and engaged in the bakery business with his brother, George P. Clem, with whom he remained for a period of seven years. At the encl of that time he became clerk at the Gehring house, in which capacity he continued until engaging in the livery business, in 1873. He kept a stable on Broadway until 1876, at which time he removed to his present place on Eighth street, where he is doing a prosperous business. Mr. Clem is a Republican in politics, but not a partisan in the sense of seeking official position.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

ASA COLEMAN, M. D., son of Asa and Mary Coleman, natives of Connecticut and Maryland, respectively, was born March 26, 1833, at Troy, Ohio. His early educational privileges were such as the public schools of that day and locality afforded. During the progress of this primary course and immediately afterward, as a means of making his future course self-sustaining, he was in business for his father, and received regular wages. With the pecuniary capital thus acquired, and in the possession of a laudable ambition to drink more deeply at the fountain of knowledge, he entered college at Cincinnati, Ohio, where, in due time he graduated. Having completed his collegiate course he returned home and began to send medicine with his father, who was not then actively engaged in practice. Subsequently, in 1853, he came to Logansport, and engaged temporarily in the drug business with Charles Bruce, occupying all his spare time reading in the office of Dr. Fitch. He had previously, however, attended one course of lectures at Jefferson Medical College, in Philadelphia, Penn., and in 1854 he attended a second course, and graduated at the encl of the session. Afterward he returned to Logansport, and was, for a short time, in business with his brother, Horace, then a resident here, and again entered the office of Dr. Fitch as a partner, which relation, with the exception of about four years spent in the western Territories, has continued from that time to the present. In 1857 he received the appointment of physician and surgeon in the Indian Department, in Minnesota Territory, holding the position, with occasional intervals, for a period of about four years. During these intervals he spent a portion of his time in Dakota Territory, with the intention of becoming a permanent settler. Returning from the West just prior to the commencement of Rebellion, and when the call for volunteers made it necessary to prepare for the common defense he engaged at once procuring recruits for the service. In the spring of 1862 he was appointed assistant surgeon in the Forty-sixth Regiment, previously formed and mustered in at this place. The following year, however, in order to prevent permanent disability, he resigned that position and returned home, resuming his professional relations with Dr. Fitch in the practice of medicine and surgery. Since that time, as before, he has continued to enjoy a well-merited reputation for success in his calling. He was appointed United States pension surgeon in 1866, and since that time has continued in that position, except during an interval of four or five years, and still holds the same. He was married in, December, 1864, to Miss Emma, daughter of Dr. G. N. Fitch, of this city, who has borne him three children: Harry Fitch, Hattie M. and Charles Denby. Dr. Coleman's paternal grandfather, Asa, was a surgeon in the army during the war of the Revolution, and his father, of the same name with himself, was a surgeon in and during the war with Great Britain in 1812. Politically Dr. Coleman is a Democrat, and while he has heretofore, and does now, take all active interest in the political movements of the day, he is, nevertheless, not a politician.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

DANIEL H. CONRAD, retired farmer and prominent citizen of Logansport, was born February 22, 1803, in Washington County, Penn., and is the son of John and Hannah (Hackett) Conrad, natives, respectively, of Pennsylvania and Virginia. His paternal ancestors came from Germany many years ago, and mere among the early residents of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Conrad was born of English parentage, her ancestors being among the early settlers of Virginia. Daniel Conrad was reared to manhood in his native county and enjoyed fair educational advantages in the common schools, which he attended at intervals during the years of his majority. He was raised to agricultural pursuits, and after reaching his majority began farming for himself, and continued the same in his native State until the year 1840. He then immigrated to Cass County, Ind.; and settled in Adams Township, where he purchased a valuable tract of land and developed a good farm, which was his home until 1867. In that year he abandoned farming and removed to Logansport, where he has since resided in the enjoyment of that quiet and content which are only enjoyed by those who have successfully accomplished life's great mission. As a farmer he was a representative man in his community and by his industry and careful management succeeded in accumulating a comfortable competence. His great aim in life has been to be known as an honorable and trustworthy man, and no one has ever called in question the integrity of all his purposes. Mr. Conrad was educated in the Democratic school of politics, and cast his first rote for Andrew Jackson. While he is uncompromising in his political convictions, he numbers among his warmest personal friends many of the leading Republicans of the county and city. Mr. Conrad was married, October, 1826, to Miss Sarah Custer, of Washington County, Penn., who was born in the year 1808. She is a distant relative of George Washington, and a most estimable lady in every respect. Mr. and Mrs. Conrad have had eight children, whose names are as follows: George, John, Susannah, David, Elizabeth, William, James P. and Mary E. Mr. Conrad is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and served as justice of the peace in Adams Township thirteen years. He has twenty-one grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

JOSEPH C. CORY (deceased) was born in Tippecanoe County, Ind., November 1, 1834, and was son of Nathan and Ruth (Corbett) Cory, natives of Ohio. Mr. Cory's ancestors came from England in an early day, and were among the early settlers of Ohio, where several members of the family still reside. Nathan Cory came to Cass County in 1831, and was one of the pioneers of Noble Township. He was a farmer by occupation, and departed this life about the year 1838. Joseph C. Cory, after the death of his father, went to live with an uncle in Chillicothe, Ohio, where for several years he found employment as workman in a warehouse. He afterward learned civil engineering and assisted in surveying the first railroad in Minnesota, the Winona & St. Peter. He was f or some time engaged in surveying in the States of Minnesota and Wisconsin, but in 1861 laid aside the theodolite for the musket, enlisting that year in the Second Wisconsin Infantry, with which he served until discharged, on account of poor health, nine months later. He was for some time mail agent on the Winona & St. Peter Railroad, and in 1865 came to Logansport and engaged in the butchering business, which he followed until his death, December 11, 1874. Mr. Cory was married, November 23, 1862, to Miss Anna M. Bunn, of Chester County, Penn., by whom he was father of one son, J. B. Cory, born August 29, 1867.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

SAMUEL A. CUSTER was born in Washington County, Penn., October 31, 1818, and is the fourth son of George and Mary (Wise) Custer, natives of Virginia, and Pennsylvania, respectively. His paternal ancestry were of English origin, and on the maternal side he is descended from the German stock. Mr. Custer was raised on a farm and enjoyed but few opportunities for improving his mind, and those of an elementary character. He attended the common schools at intervals during the years of his minority, but subsequently obtained a valuable practical education by coming in contact with business men in various business capacities. He was early thrown upon his own resources, and for a number of years worked at various occupations, chief among which were carpentering, brick-laying and cistern-building, in all of which he was more than ordinarily successful. He came to Indiana, in 1839 and purchased land in Wayne Township, Fulton County, adjacent to the Cass County line, and lived upon the same for a period of seventeen years. At the expiration of that time he moved to Logansport and engaged in farming and later in the manufacture of brick and drain tile, which he carried on successfully until 1880, when he disposed of his manufacturing interests and retired from active life. He was married on the 4th of March,1841, to Miss Hannah Jenkins, of Jefferson County, Ohio, a union blessed with the birth of five children, only one of whom, Elvira, wife of Ed. Jamison, is now living. The names of those deceased are Martha J., Mary E., David M. and Albert N. Mr. Custer has been a very active business man, and is justly entitled to a place among the successful and self-made men of Cass County. He is a zealous member of the Christian Church, to which he has belonged for many years, and is a man against whose moral character no taint of suspicion has ever rested. In politics he is a supporter of the Democratic party.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

JOHN DAVIS, retired farmer and prominent citizen of Logansport, was born March 7, 1817, in Butler County, Ohio. His parents, Benjamin and Jane (McKinstry) Davis, were farmers by occupation, and natives, respectively, of Virginia and Kentucky. The ancestors on the paternal side were French-Iris, having immigrated to America in the early days of its history. His grandfather, Benjamin Davis, Sr., was born in Virginia, but early moved to Ohio, having been one of the pioneers of that State. William McKinstry, maternal grandfather, was a native of Ireland and an early settler of Kentucky. John Davis was raised on a farm, and the early death of his father threw him upon his own resources. At the age of fifteen he began learning the brick-layer's trade at Hamilton, Ohio, at which he served a three years' apprenticeship. He worked at the trade until his twenty-second year, and then moved to Treble County, Ohio, and engaged in agricultural pursuits, which he carried on in that county until 1847. He came to Cass County, Ind., the latter year, and settled in Deer Creek Township, where he cleared two farms and where he resided until 1865. By his application to farm work he established those habits of industry and frugality which have insured his success in after life. While actively engaged in agricultural pursuits, Mr. Davis was regarded as a typical farmer. His thorough system of tillage, the order of his fences, the well-cared-for condition of the fields, all demonstrated his intelligent management and substantial thrift. He early manifested considerable interest in political affairs, and in 1862 was elected on the Democratic ticket senator for the counties of Cass, Howard and Pulaski. At the expiration of his term as senator he returned to his farm, and in 1864 was elected sheriff of Cass County, and re-elected again in 1866. In the fall of 1870 he moved back to his farm, but returned to the city in August of the following year. In 1872 he disposed of the greater part of his real estate, and purchased a beautiful farm within the city limits, upon which he resided for one year. He afterward disposed of this farm and removed to Logansport, where he at present resides, having practically retired from active life. As a farmer and business man in public life Mr. Davis has always been regarded as a representative citizen of his town and county. He is a good financier and careful business man. His judgment is seldom wrong in matters of business policy, and he may be regarded as a notable example of the exercise of those principles which win success. He has always been an uncompromising Democrat in politics, and is zealous in the advancement of party measures, being recognized as one of the standard bearers of Democracy in Cass County. He was married, June, 1837, to Miss Elizabeth Ditchler, of Clarke County, Ind., a union which has been blessed with the birth of the following children: Jane, deceased; Nicholas M.; Nancy A.; James P., member of the Thirty-ninth Indiana Infantry, died at Louisville in 1862; Benjamin C., killed at Atlanta, Ga., in 1864; John D. and Matilda M. Mr. Davis is a Mason of high standing, being one of the oldest Royal Arch Masons in northern Indiana. He and wife are members of the Methodist Church.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport

JOHN DAY, editor and proprietor of the Logansport Deutsche Zeitung, is a native of Germany born at the town of Deidesheim, in the kingdom of Bavaria, February 4, 1844. He received his education in different institutes in his native country, and, after traveling extensively in France and Switzerland came to the United States, landing in New York in January, 1864. He resided in different parts of this country, came to Logansport several years ago, and in October, 1882, established the Deutsche Zeitung, one of the most popular German newspapers of northern Indiana. Credit is due Mr. Day for the energy displayed in the management of the Zeitung, which from a very small beginning has reached a circulation of nearly 2,000. The paper is Democratic in politics, and wields a wide influence among the German citizens of Cass and other counties.

”History of Cass County, Indiana”
Edited by Thomas B. Helm
Brant & Fuller, Chicago, 1886
City of Logansport