Mary Ringle was born April 4, 1829 in Wooster, Ohio to John and Diantha (Emmons) Ringle. She moved with her parents to Marshall county when she was 5 years old. They settled near the present town of Bremen. She married Josiah Geiselman on March 26, 1849. Her husband built the first house in Bremen. She was the first mother to reside there and her son John was the first male child born there. Mary had nine children, Eliza, John D., Emeline, Nathan, Norman, William, Acy Edward, Jacob and Cora. Norman, Willian and Eliza died in infancy and youth. Nine years before her husband's death in 1905 they moved to Culver where they lived for six years and then moved to Plymouth. For almost three score years she was a resident of Bremen or the vicinty and was highly respected because of her untiring efforts to make her acquaintances happy and when there was sickness she was present to relieve distress in whatever way she could. Mary was a member of the United
Brethren Church of Bremen of which she was a devoted worshiper. She died January 14, 1914 in Culver and was buried in the Bremen Cemetary.
Sources: Adapted from the obituary of Mary Ringle Geiselman, History of Indiana,Marshall County, pages 335 and 336, and Bremen cemetary records and death records.
Submitted by: Kim Wroblewski
Owen Hall, of the firm of Sharmota & Hall, blacksmiths, Barron, was born on a farm in Marshall County, Indiana, Feb. 10, 1889, son of J. F. and Delia (Denmann) Hall, natives respectively of Indiana and Ohio. The family came to Barron County in 1894, settled on a farm in Maple Grove Township, improved what was mostly wild land, and remained here until 1916, two years after they sold out. They then returned to Indiana, where the mother died Feb. 20, 1915, and where the father is still living. In their family were four children. The oldest daughter is dead. The second, Maggie, was born Nov. 30, 1883, and is now the wife of Maurice Kuhnly, who farms at Brookton, New York. The other son, Edward, was born Nov. 11, 1893, and has a homestead in Montana. After working on the home farm, Owen Hall secured various employment until he learned the blacksmith's trade. In 1910 he went to eastern Montana, but two years later came back and again took up work on the
home farm. In 1914 he started farming in Stanfold Township, this county, but four years afterward again resumed his trade. In 1918 he formed his present partnership with Fred Sharmota, at Barron. The firm does a general blacksmithing business, wagon making and gas welding, and enjoys a good trade. Mr. Hall was married June 8, 1914, to Hattie Barton, who was born in Maple Grove Township, Jan. 17, 1894, daughter of William and Clara (Watson) Barton. This union has resulted in three children: Alice, born March 19, 1915; Marjorie, born July 27, 1916; and Herbert, born July 21, 1918. The family residence is in the City of Barron.
Submitted by: Victor R. Gulickson
Taken from: History of Barron Co., Wisconsin, H. C. Cooper, Jr., & Co., 1922, pg. 968
Samuel Corl Jr. came to Bourbon, Indiana in 1855, where he engaged in a milling business and was later instrumental in the organization of the present I.O.O. F. Lodge, No. 203.
Samuel was born in Stark County, Ohio about 1828 to Samuel and Tobitha Corl (originally from Pennsylvania). He married Mary Shivley in Portage County, Ohio on Aug 15 1850. They had eight children: Emeline was born 1851, Elaina was born 1853, Joseph Warren was born Jan 15, 1855, William B. was born 1858, Frank A. was born 1860, Ora was born 1866, Ida May was born 1869, Ida Belle was born 1869. Samuel died and was buried in Bourbon, Indiana on Jun 21 1890.
Daniel Corl also came to Bourbon, Indiana around 1878, after visiting his older brother, Samuel.
Daniel was born in Portage County, Ohio May 06 1838 to Samuel and Tobitha Corl. He married Mary Lucinda Wilson on Sep 14 1860. They had 10 children: Emma was born 1861,
Ellen/Ella was born 1863, Cletus was born 1865, James Clyde was born Oct 14 1867, Sarah was born 1871, Clement was born 1873, Tabatha was born Jul 27 1876, Samuel was born 1879, Lucinda was born 1880, Maude was born 1882. Daniel died and was buried in Bourbon, Indiana on Apr 23 1895.
Submitted by: Kathi Corl Browne
Dr. BORTON was born December 16, 1831, in Stark County, Ohio. His parents, Samuel and Mahala (NASH) BORTON, emigrated to that county with their parents when they were children - the father from New Jersey and the mother from Kentucky. They grew to maturity in that county, and were married in 18__. Samuel BORTON was a farmer, and was engaged in agricultural pursuits during his life. He was a mild, quiet man, yet one of strong character,and was always recognized among the best citizens of the community in which he resided. His wife was a noble Christian woman, and, under the influences of pious home training, their children all grew to honorable and useful maturity.
Artemas, the subject of this biography, was engaged, during his boyhood, in the performance of farm work at home, and had access to the best schools within the county, receiving a liberal education. At the age of twenty-four years, he began the study of medicine with Dr. J. H. DAY, at Limaville,
Ohio, continuing as a student in his office for more than three years. During a part of this time, he attended Starling Medical College at Columbus, Ohio. He then entered upon the practice of his profession with his former preceptor, and was associated with him for six months. On the 28th of October, 1858, he was united in marriage with Miss Jennie B. GREEN, in Portage County, Ohio, and, in November of the same year, came to Plymouth, Ind., where he has since continued to practice with marked success. His practice, from the first, was satisfactory, and increased year by year as he became better known, until he had established a fine professional reputation, and his circle of patrons was largely extended. He is an honored member of the Presbyterian Church of Plymouth, and his daily life is exemplary of his religion. I social life he is highly esteemed, and his personal and professional integrity entitle him to the high regard in which he is held as a citizen and practitioner.
Mr. Acker was born September 18, 1836, in Rensselaer County, N. Y. He was reared on a farm, and until seventeen years of age was engage in the usual routing of farm labor, attending school in the winter. At the age of seventeen, he left home and accepted employment on the Albany & Boston Railroad, finally attaining the position of Superintendent of a section. The financial crisis of 1857 caused a general reduction of wages, to which he refused to submit, and this action was the first step in a course which finally made him a citizen of Marshall County. Having relinquished his position on the railroad, he decided to visit the West in quest of a satisfactory location, believing that he could earn better wages. He went first to Iowa, thence to Illinois, and afterward located at Fort Wayne, Ind. In May, 1858, he removed to Bourbon, in Marshall County, and was employed on the railroad until October of that year. Associated with F. P. MORGAN, he then engaged in the lumber trade, operating a saw-mill at Bourbon, and has ever since continued in this line of business. In the fall of 1866, associated with Jacob SLOUGH, he erected the saw-mill of which he is now the proprietor, having purchased the interest of his partner, after the death of the latter, in 1878. In June, 1879, he purchased the hardware establishment of ARNOLD & TESCHER, at Bourbon, and associated his son with him as the junior member of the firm, still continuing his operations in lumber, which to many thousands of dollars yearly.
It was a rule of his early life to always save a portion of his earnings, and from this fact has grown the prosperity that has crowned his later years. He is a competent business man, a good manager, and has fought his way to success against trying obstacles. He is well and favorably known throughout this county, and possesses the confidence of all who know him. His business transactions have always been governed by a high
sense of honor, and he has never taken an unfair advantage in trade. By a course of economy and close attention to business, he has accumulated a competence, and with it the good will of those with whom he has had dealings. He is a public spirited man, and has always been ready to help enterprises designed for the public good. In the cause of temperance he has been especially active, and has been prominently identified with the various temperance movements. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and unites the ability of the successful business man with virtues of the Christian gentleman. On the 15th of August, 1861, he was united in marriage with Miss Mercia A., daughter of John Z. GRANT, Esq., a highly respected citizen of this county. They are the parents of four children, viz., Frank Ellsworth, Charles Ernest, Ottis Edwin and Grace Edna.
Thomas HOUGHTON was born in Rush County, Indiana, January 4, 1829. His father, James HOUGHTON, was a native of England, and came to the United States when a young man. From New York he removed to Fayette County, Indiana, and married Miss Hannah MORRIS in 1824. They were the parents of nine children, named respectively: Phebe, John, Thomas, Clarissa, Rachel, William, Elvira, Edward and Jefferson. Thomas, the subject of this sketch, grew to manhood on the home farm, and in maturer years adopted the pursuit of farming as his permanent occupation. He has continued it with marked success, and by years of industry and good management has accumulated a comfortable fortune. On the 27th of March, 1851, he married Miss Nancy M. MITCHELL, who died March 18, 1854, leaving two sons, Lorenzo M. and James E. On the 6th of April, a855, he married Miss Mary E. BIRD, and on the 9th of April, 1875, his second wife died. Four children blessed this second union, viz..:
Charles E., Thomas E., John C. and William N., of whom Charles E. and John C. are deceased. On the 18th of December, 1876, Mr.. Houghton married Julia A. MYERS, his present companion. They are the parents of three children - Orlando M., Luther P., and Bertha E. Mr.. Houghton is one of the substantial farmers of his township [Union], and a representative man of the community in which he resides. He feels a commendable pride in the cultivation of his fine farm, and his estate bears evidence of his skill as an agriculturalist. In all his dealings with the world he has been governed by pure motives, and his integrity is above question. He has contributed liberally to the public enterprises of the county, and has always been the warm friend of public education.
The subject of this sketch was born in the city of Philadelphia, Penn., on the 14th of February, 1831; at the age of eleven years, he removed to Marion County, Ohio, with his parents, Nathan and Uree LEE, and grew to maturity there. His father was a carpenter and cabinet-maker, and Thomas served an apprenticeship at the same trade. For a period of twenty years he was engaged at this trade as a contractor, and finally he and his brother contracted to perform certain work at Van Wert, Ohio, but after reaching that point, the party of the second part, proved unfaithful to the terms of the agreement, and the brothers started out in quest of a location. They erected a saw-mill northeast of Bourbon, in Marshall County, Ind., and conducted a satisfactory lumber trade from June, 1863, to 1875. His brother then retired from the firm, leaving the business in the hands of its present proprietors, Thomas B. LEE and Dwight L. DICKINSON. They have an extensive
saw-mill and lumber-yard, at the village on Inwood, on the line of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railway, and transport large quantities of lumber, annually, to the western markets. There is much about Mr. Lee's life that is deserving of commendation. He has risen in the world by his own exertions, and with few advantages to assist him. >From his hard earnings as a mechanic he first saved sufficient capital to enable him to embark in business on a small scale, gradually enlarging, until the enterprise assumed its present proportions. He is a thorough business man, and by a course of economy and good management, has accumulated a competence in worldly goods. His transactions with the world have always been honorable, and his personal characteristics have gained him many friends; he stands high in the community, and is a worthy member of the Masonic fraternity and the Order of Red Men. September 20, 1854, he was united in marriage with Miss
Ruth H. PLATT in Morrow County, Ohio. They are the parents of two daughters - Helen Viola and Clara Rosamond.
Toliver G. Parks, one of the active and enterprising citizens of Prairie Township, residing on section 15, is a native of Kentucky, born in Bourbon County, June 6, 1822, a son of James and Elizabeth (Hughes) Parks, the father being a native of Maryland, and the mother of Virginia, and of Irish and Scotch ancestry respectively. They were united in marriage about the year 1807, and to them were born twelve children - Polly F., wife of Solomon Linn, both now deceased; George W., now deceased, was a prominent physician of South Bend, Indiana; William C., deceased; James O., an attorney and farmer of Marshall County; Edward R. was a prominent physician of Kosciusko County, now deceased; Penelope M., wife of John Greer, of Bourbon, Marshall County; John F., a prominent physician of Bourbon, Marshall County; Grason H., deceased; Toliver G., our subject; Isaac, deceased; Elizabeth, deceased, and a child who died in infancy, unnamed. The father removed with
his family from Kentucky to Rush County, Indiana, in 1828, and in 1836 settled in Marshall County, being one of the oldest settlers of that county, where he lived till his death, September 29, 1839, at the age of sixty-three years. The mother died in December, 1873, at the advanced age of eighty-six years. Toliver G. Parks, the subject of this sketch, received his primary education in the common schools which he attended till twelve years of age. He then entered the academy at Indianapolis, where he spent four years. December 27, 1842, he was married to Miss Lucinda Wood, a daughter of Eli and Elizabeth (Carr) Wood, who were natives of Ohio. Nine children were born to this union - Joel H. and Hezekiah, both deceased; Artemesia, wife of Jackson Thomas, of Prairie Township; Alice A., wife of Jacob Harland, of Marshall County; Flavius J., living in Marshall County; Palatha A., wife of W. H. Robinson, of Kosciusko County; Dovie J., wife of Joseph Lavender,
of Scott Township, Kosciusko County, and one who died in infancy. Mrs. Parks died April 20, 1875 and October 24, 1886, Mr. Parks was married to a widow whose maiden name was Ada E. Cowen. Mr. Parks came to Kosciusko County, in 1853, when he purchased 200 acres of partially improved land, sixty acres of it being under a high state of cultivation. In connection with his agricultural pursuits he is engaged in the practice of law, in which he is meeting with fair success. Politically he affiliates with the Republican party. Since 1840 he has been an anti-slavery lecturer, and ever since the organization of the Republican party has voted with that party.
"Biographical and Historical Record of Kosciusko County, Indiana" by The Lewis Publishing Company, 113 Adams Street, Chicago, 1887.
Northern Indianian Oct. 19, 1899
DEATH: Tolivar G. Parks, one of the oldest settlers of Kosciusko county and Marshall county, was born in Bourbon county, Ky. June 6, 1822 and died September 12, 1899 at his home, west of Clunette, age 77 years, three months and five days. Death was due to paralysis. He came with his parents to Rush county, Indiana; in 1836 to Marshall county. He went to common school until 12 years of age. He then entered the academy at Indianapolis where he spent four years. He was united in marriage December 27, 1842 to Lucinda Wood and 11 children were born to this union, two sons and four daughters surviving. Mrs. Parks died April 30, 1875. Mr. Parks moved with his family 34 years ago on his farm three-fourths mile west of Clunette where he lived until his death. In connection with his agricultural pursuits he was engaged in the practice of law. His funeral was held at the U. B. church with burial in the Clunette cemetery.
Submitted by: Pamela Bellanca, 4th great grandniece of Toliver G. Parks.
Mr. HULTS was an early settler of Union Township, and, for many years, one of its prominent citizens. He was born January 22, 1823, in Marion County, Indiana, to which county his father, Daniel C. Hults, had removed from the State of New York. In 1836, the family came to Marshall County, Indiana, where the subject of this sketch was engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death, which occurred on the second day of December, 1880. Like the majority of children of pioneer parents, he enjoyed few opportunities for acquiring an education in his younger days. The subscription schools furnished him the elements of knowledge, and for whatever he acquired in later years, he was indebted to his own efforts. He learned to follow the plow at an early age, and soon became familiar with all the details of farm life. As he arrived at years of discretion he decided to adopt the pursuit of farming as his life-work, and in this pursuit he achieved success. His father dying in 1844, he became the mainstay of the family, and took upon himself the management of the home farm. His life was plain, uneventful; but of him it may be truly said that his career was exemplary of the purest principles of manhood, and all his transactions were marked by the strictest integrity. As a member of the Reformed Church he led a consistent life, and as a citizen, friend and neighbor he was always esteemed.
On the 7th of May, 1864, he was united in marriage with Miss Hannah ENGLE, who still survives. This union was blessed by two children, Carrie Belle and Cora Dove.
Mr. PLUMMER was born in Rockingham County, N. C., May 5, 1809; in 1814, he came with his parents, Thomas and Barbara PLUMMER, to Fayette County, Ind. Here he grew up to manhood, assisting his father in opening up and improving his farm. To clear and cultivate a farm in that wooden district was no small undertaking. Here he shared, with his father's family, the many hardships as well as the pleasures incident to the early settling of Indiana. On the 13th day of February, 1840, he was married to Miss Politha YOUNG, daughter of Benjamin and Susanah YOUNG, of Marion County, Ind.; in 1846, he came to Marshall County, and bought the 146-acre tract where he is still living. When they settled here, there was but one three-acre piece of land cleared between their farm and where the town of Bourbon now stands. At that time there were but a few white families living in the settlement, while the red men abounded in great numbers. Mr. Plummer and his good wife were held in
great esteem by these children of the forest, and, with the exception of the habit so characteristic of the Indian, that of begging such delicacies as could be found in the white man's cabin only, proved themselves to be very peaceable neighbors. Mr. Plummer was a man of great physical strength and endurance, and cheered by the prospect before him, wielded his trusty steel with unrelenting industry, felled the sturdy oak, made mighty bon-fires out of its branches, and soon had the satisfaction of beholding the waving corn covering the surface of the little clearing which formed the nucleus around which his farm was to gradually open up. These good people have lived to see the fruits of their toils of earlier years, and are surrounded by all the comforts and luxuries to be found on a well-regulated farm. They have never had any offspring, but have raised four children - a boy and three little girls, all of whom have grown up under the most favorable circumstances. Mr. Plummer's great-grandfather
was a native of England, and his grandfather, Thomas PLUMMER, and his father, were born in Maryland. Mrs. Plummer's ancestors were English and German; her father and mother, however, were born in North Carolina. For more than fifty-three years, Mr. Plummer has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and his wife has been a member for over thirty-eight years. Mr. Plummer is a sound Republican, yet charitable toward men of different views, in either politics or religion. The portraits of this good couple appear in this history, and will be hailed with pleasure by their scores of friends who have learned to respect them for their purity of character and their lovable dispositions.