Jacob Huser was born in Adams county, April 7, 1855. He spent his boyhool on his father's farm and when he was old enough took an active part in clearing and cultivating the farm. He was educated in the rude schools of the neighborhood and received as good an English training as the time and conditions made possible. He was an industrious and dutiful son and laid the foundations for a career that was to bring him esteem and honor. He learned the lessons of a pioneer's life and frugal habits.
The marriage of Mr. Huser and Miss Lydia Liechty occurred in 1877. Mrs. Huser is a daughter of Jacob and Catherine (Wenger) Liechty. Her parents were born in Germany and after their marriage came to the United States . They were among the earliest German immigrants to Adams county and located in French township. They settled on and cleared a farm and lived on it, following farming until their deaths. Mr. Liechty died October 12, 1881, at the age of seventy-three, and his wife died September 18, 1900, at the age of eighty-three.
Nine children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Huser. All of these children are living with their parents and are : Emma, Katie. Albert, Fanny, David, Rufus, Amos, Levi and Vilas.
Mr. Huser is the owner of a fine farm in Monroe township, consisting of two hundred acres. Almost all of this tract is cleared and improved and at a high state of cultivation. He carries on a general farming business and his crops are large and profitable. He is a progressive man and appreciates the advantages of modern methods and machinery. He cultivates his estate according to the best principles of modem farming. He raises a good grade of stock and makes a specialty of swine and draft horses. All of the improvements on his place have been put there by Mr. Huser. His buildings are excellent. His home is large and modern in all respects and his barn is a large structure one hundred by forty feet. He also has a sheep barn forty-one by forty feet. His place is well drained and fenced and is one of the most valuable estates in the township. In politics he is a Democrat and he takes an interest in the affairs of his township. He is a public-spirited man and has done much to improve conditions in his neighborhood. He is an advocate of good roads and has been instrumental in improving the roads of his section of the county. He has served his fellow residents of Monroe township in public office and is at present a trustee, to which office he was elected in 1904. He is engaged in superintending the erection of a fine new school house.
Submitted by: Margie Roop Pearce
Snow's History of Adams County, Indiana, John Fletcher Snow, B. F. Bowen, Indianapolis, IN, 1907, (image 529)
Of this family William, the subject of this sketch, was the eldest. When he was twenty-nine years of age Wiliam F. Schug purchased his present farm. It is a fine tract of one hundred and forty acres in Monroe township, but was covered with woods when he purchased it. In addition it was wholly without improvements of any kind, and the labor and energy of the present owner were expended in bringing it to its present state. He set to work to clear the place immediately after it came into his possession, and he worked at this task until he had completed it. He erected a comfortable residence and commodious bams and other outbuildings and fenced and drained the entire farm. He conducts a general farming business and his crops are productive of a handsome income each year. He raises some excellent cattle and his strain of Poland China swine is one of the best in the county.
In addition to his farming he has other business interests. He is a man who is alive to the needs of his community and when banks were proposed he entered heartily into their organization. He subscribed to the capital stock of the People's State Bank of Berne and is still a stockholder in this sound financial institution. He also holds stock in the Grabill State Bank of Grabill, Allen county. He is also a director of this latter bank. For some years during his earlier life he followed carpentering in connection with his farm work. He has also gained more than a local repute as a veterinary surgeon, and he is called in line with this profession frequently. He makes his home on his fine estate of one hundred and forty acres in Monroe township. Of this tract he has one hundred and twenty-six acres under cultivation. The remainder he allows to remain in woods and pasture land. He owns eight acres of fine woods. He is interested in the politics of his section and is an ardent Democrat. He is a public spirited man and a believer in good roads. He circulated the first petition for pike roads in Monroe township and has been instrumental in bringing about many desirable improvements. He is a member of the German Reformed church and contributes generously to the objects and charities of this denomination.
Submitted by: Margie Roop Pearce
Snow's History of Adams County, Indiana, John Fletcher Snow, B. F. Bowen, Indianapolis, IN, 1907, (image 527)
William P. Hendricks was born in Monroe township, Adams county, January 29, 1864. He is directly descended from pioneer settlers of northeastern Indiana , and his forebears in this section of the country have been men and women who contributed much to the development and prosperity of their region. He is a son of William and Mary A. (Ray) Hendricks. His father was the son of Thomas Hendricks, who lived in Ohio at an early day and came to Indiana in 1847. His son William accompanied his father to this state and settled on a farm in Monroe township. He lived on this farm and cutlivated it until his death in 1901. His wife died some years earlier, her death occurring in 1883. To the elder Hendricks eight children were born. Of these children Eli W., a farmer of Monroe township, cultivating the old homestead; William P., Ella, the wife of Joseph R. Smith, of Petoskey , Michigan , and Josiah, also a resident of Petoskey, are living. The father of these children was a good citizen. He was a progressive man and a successful farmer. He served as an assessor for one term and consistently voted the Democratic ticket. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
William P. Hendricks attended the country schools and received a good English education. He assisted his father to improve and cultivate his estate and worked on it until he grew to manhood. He was married in 1887 to Miss Achsah A. Harris, a daughter of William and Julia (Jones) Harris. His wife was born in Adams county and her father was one of the early men to come to Indiana from Ohio . He settled in Adams county about 1850 on land he purchased from the government. He always lived on this farm after coming to Adams county and died on it in 1871. This land was transferred but once since it was purchased originally from the government, and that time was when it came into the possession of Mr. Hendricks.
Soon after Mr. Hendricks married Miss Harris he purchased her father's land. This is a tract of eighty acres and is admirably located for agricultural purposes. It is rich and is in one of the best regions in the county. During the tenure of Mr. Harris the property was improved, and after his death it was improved still more by his widow. Since coming into the possession of Mr. Hendricks still other improvements have been added from time to time until today it is one of the most valuable and most attractive places of its kind in the entire county. Among the recent improvements made by the present owner is a fine barn seventy-six by thirty-eight feet. His residence is a substantial and comfortable building and the other buildings on the estate are up-to-date and commodious. He is a progressive man and employs modern methods and machinery in cultivating his farm. His crops are rotated with judgment and are aways profitable. He is a man who takes a live interest in the affairs of his county and township. His interest extends to a hearty co-operation in all projects that are aimed at improving the status of the county and increasing its prosperity and commercial development. In politics he is a member of the Prohibition party and he is active in the work of this party in Adams county. He and his wife are members of the Evangelical church at Berne and are the parents of one child, a son, Guy R. Hendricks.
Submitted by: Margie Roop Pearce
Snow's History of Adams County, Indiana, John Fletcher Snow, B. F. Bowen, Indianapolis, IN, 1907, (image 525)
Nicholas Rich, who today is one of the most prosperous and successful farmers of Monroe township, Adams county, was born in French township, Adams county, December 6, 1867. He is a son of Joseph and Ann a (Moser) Rich. His father was born in Germany , where he spent his boyhood and received his early education. When he grew up he left Germany and crossed the Atlantic to find a home in the new continent. He settled in Canada , where he lived for a short time. He became dissatisfied with the prospects for success in Canada and decided to cross the line and settle in the United States . Accordingly he sold his land holdings in the Dominion and came to Indiana . He purchased land in French township and began the life of a farmer under the stars and stripes. At the time he settled in French township the country was but thinly settled. The land was unimproved and the conditions were not inviting. However, he possessed determination to surmount all obstacles and in a few years had his land well cleared and improved so that it was productive and profitable. He became the father of ten children, nine of whom are still living. The living children are: Peter, Barbara, Joseph J., Christ, Nicholas, John, Ann a, Mary and David. Jacob died some years ago. The father of this sturdy family is still living, enjoying the fruits of the labor and industry of his early life. He is a highly respected man and is one who has enjoyed the esteem and confidence of his fellows during his long and useful life.
Nicholas Rich was the fifth of this family in order of birth. He saw the light of day for the first time on his father's farm and was reared on this estate. He attended the schools of his neighborhood as a youth and secured a good English education. He assisted his father in the cultivation of the family homestead as soon as he was old enough to take an active part in farm work, and he learned the lessons of agriculture. He was an industrious boy and when he reached his maturity he was considered a skilled fanner, who knew the intricacies of his profession. In 1884 he was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Bailey, a daughter of Daniel and Mary (Leinihger) Bailey. Her parents were natives of Ohio who came to Indiana and settled in Wabash township, Adams county, in the early eighties. They were the parents of nine children: Andrew, deceased; Jacob, Elizabeth, Mary, Daniel , Lydia , John, Samuel and an infant that died unnamed. The parents of Mrs. Rich are still living.
Mr. Rich is the owner of a farm of one hundred and forty acres in Monroe township, where he makes his home. It is one of the finest and most productive estates in the township. He secured his farm when it was but little, if any, improved, and he has developed it to its present valuable state. The years that have passed since he purchased this tract have been filled with the hardest kind of labor, but he has not faltered, and in the end he conquered all difficulties. His place is admirably located in one of the most fertile sections of the county. It is well drained and tilled, and the fencing and buildings are substantial and adequate. His home is a most attractive building and modem in all respects. Recently he erected a large barn eighty-eight by forty feet. He follows a genera! farming business and his crops, which are rotated with judgment and intelligence, are always satisfactory and bring a handsome profit in the markets. He has all of his place under cultivation with the exception of thirty-two acres, and twelve acres of this tract are covered with fine timber. He raises fine stock and his strains of Durham cattle and I. O. C. swine are known throughout the county. He is a Democrat in politics but cannot be said to be a public man. He is alive to the interests of his fellow residents of his township and contributes to the advancement of the county's interests. He and the members of his family are members of the Reformed church and he contributes to the charities and support of this denomination with liberality. Three children have been born to him and his estimable wife. These children are: William, Ida and Edna.
Submitted by: Margie Roop Pearce
Snow's History of Adams County, Indiana, John Fletcher Snow, B. F. Bowen, Indianapolis, IN, 1907, (image 523)
The life story of Joseph T. Johnston will accurately substantiate any claims he might make of being in reality a pioneer settler of northeastern Indiana . For more than seventy years he has lived in Adams county, and he has witnessed all the changes that have transformed this section of the state from a wilderness with a few inhabitants to one of the most productive and pleasant portions of the commonwealth. He was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio , August 7, 1834. He is a son of James and Eliza (Merryman) Johnston. His father was born in Pennsylvania and came to Ohio some years before the birth of Joseph. He was a farmer and miller during his residence in Ohio and removed to Indiana when Joseph was but three years of age. The family located in Washington township near the present site of the Washington church. The land was rough and inhabited by roving bands of Indians and wild game. Among the stories told by Mr. Johnston are the interesting ones of his earlier days when he shot deer, turkeys, squirrels and other species of wild game where farms and villages are located today. In those early days the country was thinly settled and the houses were distant from one another. There were no schools and log cabins were the homes of the majority of the settlers. They were a hardy race and worked industriously at clearing their farms and making them productive, and the children grew up in an atmosphere of independence and learned the wholesome lessons of thrift and frugality. Joseph Johnston worked in the woods for several years and lived in a round log cabin for many years. He received his early and meager education in a log school with puncheon floors and with benches that boasted no backs, and he did not know what a school house looked like until he was eleven years of age. However, he was ambitious and made the most of such poor advantages as were offered him. In his early manhood he hewed railroad ties and has the distinction of making more ties than any other man in the county. His uncle, Joseph Johnston, helped build the first log jail in the county. Joseph, our subject, worked at different times clearing land for others, and it is said that he has cleared more than three hundred acres during his life. His father died in 1854 and since that time Joseph has been the support of his mother, who survived her husband forty-two years, dying in 1896, in her ninety-eighth year.
Joseph was married in 1858 to Miss Minerva Reynolds. She is a daughter of John and Rachel (Ball) Reynolds, who were natives of Maryland and came west. They lived for a time in Ohio and then removed to Indiana , settling in Root township about 1830. Their farm when they purchased it was in the woods and was soon improved and made productive. Mr. Reynolds added to his real estate holding from time to time and at one period of his life owned hundreds of acres of land in Adams county, included in which was the present site of the city of Decatur. He died in 1846 and his wife died in 1890. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph T. Johnston have become the parents of ten children, seven of whom are still living. Those living are: Willis M., Emma R., Florence A., Edward J., Sarah E., Charles M. and Rose Ann . Eliza J., Edna E. and Cora M. are dead.
Throughout his life Mr. Johnston has voted the Democratic ticket. He has always taken an active part in county and township affairs and has served as a supervisor and a member of the county council. With his wife and the members of his family he is an earnest and consistent member of the Christian Union church.
Submitted by: Margie Roop Pearce
Snow's History of Adams County, Indiana, John Fletcher Snow, B. F. Bowen, Indianapolis, IN, 1907, (page 254-5)
Eli Hendricks was reared on his father's farm and attended the winter sessions of the school in his neighborhood. He secured a good English education and learned the lessons of farming under the direction of his father. He remained on the family homestead until he reached his majority and then was variously employed for a few years. January 10, 1884, he married Miss Mary Ellen Reffey, a daughter of David and Ann (McClain) Reffey. His wife's father was a native of Berne , Switzerland , and came to the United States with his parents when a youth. He lived for a time with his parents in Ohio and came with them when they removed to Indiana . His wife, the mother of Mrs. Hendricks, is still living with a son on the old homestead. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Reffey: John W., Mary E., Philip H., Oliver M., Maggie R., Lee, Viola and Ida. The last named are dead.
Mr. Hendricks is the owner of a good farm of one hundred and nineteen acres in Monroe township. All of this tract is cleared and under cultivation with the exception of six acres, which are in timber of a good quality. He carries on a general farming business, raises stock and does dairy farming. He feeds all of the products of his farm to his stock and his strains of shorthorn cattle and Duroc swine are famous over the county. He has improved his estate until it has become one of the most attractive in the township. His buildings are modern and substantial and the whole farm is well drained and fenced. He is interested in the Monroe Creamery and holds stock in this business enterprise. His farm is located one mile from the village of Monroe and is a valuable possession.
He is an example of a successful farmer and has accumulated his possessions through his own unaided efforts. He is a citizen who takes a keen interest in the affairs of his township and is in the van of all movements designed to increase the commercial prosperity of the township or the welfare of the residents of Adams county. He is a member of the Democratic party, but is in no sense a public man. He has held no public office and aspires to none. He and the members of his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and give this church their hearty support. Three children have been born to Mr. Hendricks and his estimable wife: Lulu H., the wife of Sylvester Johnston, living on the home place, and teaching school in Monroe township; Roy and Noah, also at home. The family is one of the most highly esteemed in the township.
Submitted by: Margie Roop Pearce
Snow's History of Adams County, Indiana, John Fletcher Snow, B. F. Bowen, Indianapolis, IN, 1907, (page 253-4)
There were thirteen children born to this hardy pioneer and his estimable wives. James K. Martz was born May 1, 1846. He was a son by his father's second wife and was reared on the homestead in Monroe township. He spent his youth much as other boys did in his day and attended the schools of the district in which he lived and secured as good an education as was possible in that day and section of the country. He worked on his father's farm until he grew to manhood and then he spent two years in the Michigan woods as a lumberman. He also engaged in building the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad from Monroe to Berne when that road was extended. In 1872 he purchased a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Monroe township and in the same year was married to Miss Rachael Hahn, a daughter of George and Elizabeth (Swiger) Hahn. His wife's parents were born in Ohio and came to Adams county early in their lives and followed farming. Her father is still living at the advanced age of eighty-two.
When Mr. Martz purchased his land it was unimproved and represented a vast amount of labor before it could be made productive. However, he went to work and in a short time he had cleared the greater part of his land and had it under cultivation. Today his estate is one of the best and most productive in the township. All of the land is cleared with the exception of fifteen acres, which is in timber. Recently Mr. Martz refused an offer of fifty dollars an acre for his timber. He has many many improvements on the land since it came into his possession. The tract is well drained and fences and the buildings are substantial and commodious. In addition to a general farming business he raises swine and cattle of good strains. He also has a large flock of more than a hundred sheep and lambs. He is a public-spirited man is one who takes a keen interest in the affairs of his township. He is a Democrat in politics and served for about ten years as a member of the township advisory board and has been instrumental in securing pike roads for the township. Hes country place is located two miles south of the village of Monroe and is considered on of the most attractive in the township.
Mr. and Mrs. Martz are the parents of nine children. Of these children two are dead, Jonathan and Oliver. Those living are: Ida, Lillian F., Mary, Daisy, Cleveland , Clem and Josephine. The latter two are twins.
Submitted by: Margie Roop Pearce
Snow's History of Adams County, Indiana, John Fletcher Snow, B. F. Bowen, Indianapolis, IN, 1907, (page 251-3)
James D. Hoffman was born on his father's place at West Penn, Pennsylvania , June 8, 1850. His mother was the daughter of a man named Daubenspeck. She was born in West Penn, July 7, 1820. The father was born in Northampton county, Pennsylvania , February 14, 1810. The marriage of his parents occurred September 16, 1S38. Before his marriage the elder Hoffman taught school, although he himself had only attended school for thirty days. He also engaged in farming and was, in very truth, a self-made man of strong characteristics and abilities. Following the death of his wife in 1865 he came to Indiana , where he bought eighty acres in Adams county, and an additional one hundred and twenty acres of land in Washington township. However, he made his home on the former tract, as a portion of it was cleared and had a log cabin on it. Here he lived until his death, which occurred October 27, 1888.
James Hoffman accompanied his father when the latter came to Indiana . He made his home with his parent until 1874, when he purchased the tract of eighty acres his father owned. Then his father transferred his residence to his son's place. James was married June 4, 1874, to Miss Jennie Fulk, a daughter of Jacob Fulk. Her father was a native of Stony Creek , Pennsylvania . Five children were born of this marriage : Dora May, Elizabeth , deceased ; Lydia and Mary, twins, and Ida. Mrs. Hoffman died in 1883. Two years later Mr. Hoffman was married to Catherine L. Hilgeman, a daughter of Henry and Wilemena (Lambert) Hilgeman. Both of her parents were born in Germany. By this marriage Mr. and Mrs. Hoffman have six children. These are: Blanche, Jason, James C, Francis and Gladys. The other child, Lillie, is dead.
Mr. and Mrs. Hoffman have a most comfortable home. Their farm is well improved and is a monument to their industry and frugality. He takes a keen interest in public affairs and was the second man to circulate a petition for ditch drainage. He is a Democrat in political faith, having voted first for Horace Greeley, and is a consistent member of the German Reformed church.
Submitted by: Margie Roop Pearce
Snow's History of Adams County, Indiana, John Fletcher Snow, B. F. Bowen, Indianapolis, IN, 1907, (image 513)
John T. Kelly, farmer, lawyer and manufacturer, is a resident of Jefferson township, Adams county, Indiana, where he was born December 21, i860, and is the second son of Isaac B. and Laura (Hersey) Kelly, natives of Ohio, the father of Carroll, and the mother of Hardin county. Isaac was a farmer in Ohio , but thought to better his fortune by emigrating to Indiana , which he did many years ago, settling in the dense forests of Jefferson township, Adams county, a part of which he afterward improved. He died November 30, 1893, his wife, Laura, having preceded him in the year 1861. In their church relations they identified themselves'with the Methodist Episcopal society and lived exemplary lives. Isaac gave faithful and loyal service to his country as a soldier for a period of two years during the war of the Rebellion. His political faith and affiliations were with the Democratic party.
They had two children—Willis, who died in infancy, and John T. For his second wife Isaac married Isabelle Ramsey, a native of Wells county, Indiana, and as a result of this union six children were born to them: Marvin, Aionzo, Finley, Alfred, Ida and Isaac B.
John T. was raised on his father's farm, where he secured such educational advantange as were to be derived by the busy farmer boy from the common schools of the district. Not satisfied with the education thus acquired, he afterward attended the Eastern Normal School at Portland , Indiana, and there equipped himself for the duties of teacher, which profession he followed with marked success for a period of twenty years.
In the meantime he took up the study of law and is at the present time a member of the Adams county bar. He is the owner of a fine little farm of twenty acres, nicely improved, with thoroughly modern buildings surrounding it, and a most pleasant and comfortable home. He is also engaged in the manufacture of cement building blocks.
In 1888 he was married to Rebecca Thatcher, a native of Miami county, Ohio , a daughter of Hillman and Julia (Rooks) Thatcher, who were originally residents of the state of New Jersey , but later of Ohio . To them was born one child, a daughter, Lola Opal, now at home.
John is a member of the Knights of Pythias and Independent Order of Odd Fellows lodges at Berne , Indiana , and. with his wife, is a consistent Christian and member of the Evangelical church. Mr. Kelly in his political belief advocates the basic principles and doctrines of the Democratic party and has always been a source of strength to its cause by his wise counsel and sturdy character. With his party and his friends he is much esteemed, as evidenced by his election in 1894 and again in 1896 to represent his county in the state legislature, where his services were eminently satisfactory to his constituency.
Submitted by: Margie Roop Pearce
Snow's History of Adams County, Indiana, John Fletcher Snow, B. F. Bowen, Indianapolis, IN, 1907, (image 509)
Levi D. Miller was born in Hartford township, Adams county, Indiana, on December 10, 1850, and is the son of Daniel Miller, who settled early in the state and concerning whom mention appears in the sketch devoted to David Miller that appears elsewhere in this volume. The son grew to manhood on his father's farm and obtained such an education in the district schools of his neighborhood as the times afforded. With the exception of the weeks of the winter months spent in the school room Mr. Miller worked with his father on his farm and learned the lessons an active, out-of-door life in a farming community taught. In time he became a skillful farmer and was a great help to his father. In addition to his labors on his father's farm he operated a stone quarry, which he made profitable.
On reaching manhood and his majority he decided to marry and set up a home for himself. In line with this idea he wooed and won Miss Mary Kirchhofer, a daughter of David and Barbara (Bixler) Kirchhofer. His wife's father was a native of Germany , being born in that European country October 19, 1S09. Her mother's birth occurred in Wayne county, Ohio , October 6, 1822. Mrs. Miller's father came to America with an early tide of seekers after new homes in the new republic. He landed on the eastern shore with his parents in 1818. The family continued westward until the Ohio country was reached. Land was secured in Wayne county and there David Kirchhofer grew to manhood. He was married December 30, 1841, and seven children were born to this union. Four of these children, Abraham, Ann a, Mary, the present Mrs. Miller, and Daniel, are living. Three others -Elizabeth, Jacob and Catherine - are dead.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Miller took place in 1881 and immediately following it Mr. Miller gave up his work in connection with his stone quarry and purchased a tract of eighty acres in section 34 of French township, Adams county. The major part of this land was cleared and under cultivation when it came into his possession. However, there were no substantial improvements and no house building. One of the first things done after the young people entered into possession of the land was the erection of a small cabin, which became their home for several years. Mr. Miller proved to be an industrious farmer and in the course of a few years he had his land improved, drained and properly fenced and at a profitable stage. Some ten years ago he erected a handsome residence on his farm and later added other modern buildings. Among this latter list was a fine modern barn structure, erected in 1902. Today his property is very valuable and ranks more than favorably with any other similar piece in the county. He does a general farming business and his crops have proved salable and remunerative from year to year.
One child, a son, has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Miller. This young man, Milton Miller, is at present a student in a college at Angola . It is his ambition to take up the law as his profession and he contemplates a course at the State University at Bloomington.
The elder Mr. Miller is a fine type of the progressive farmer and is a man who is esteemed highly in his community. He takes an active interest in political matters and is a valued member of the Democratic party of his section of the state. Mrs. Miller is a member of the Evangelical church at Lynn Grove.
Submitted by: Margie Roop Pearce
Snow's History of Adams County, Indiana, John Fletcher Snow, B. F. Bowen, Indianapolis, IN, 1907, (image 507)
John C. Augsburger was born in French township, Adams county, Indiana, in 1876. He was one of a family of sixteen children who were born to Christian and Barbara (Liechty) Augsburger. His parents were of sturdy German stock. His father was born in Tioga county, Pennsylvania , June 19, 1821, and his mother in Adams county, Indiana, in 1841.
The elder Augsburger came to Indiana from his Pennsylvania birthplace with his parents in 1841. A farm had been operated in Ohio before the final move to Indiana was made, but the Ohio conditions did not please the emigrants and they pushed on westward. Reaching this state, the Augsburgers settled on a tract of land in section 35, of French township. The tract comprised one hundred and sixty acres, all of which was heavily timbered. The parents, with the aid of their children, cleared the land and lived on the farm until their deaths. The elder Augsburger died in 1855 and his wife survived him more than two decades, dying in 1876, at the advanced age of ninety-two, in Hartford township.
The elder Augsburger grew to manhood in Ohio and received his education in the common schools of his neighborhood. He taught school for several terms in his native Ohio county and also after he had moved to Adams county. He was one of the earlier educators of Adams county, and to him many of the successful farmers of the county are indebted for their knowledge of the first principles of learning. He seems to have played an important part in the affairs of his section of the state in his day, and was chosen to hold important offices. For a time before he was married he served his fellow residents of Adams county in the capacity of township clerk and following his marriage he was an assessor for two years. The records show that he was a faithful official and discharged all of his duties with skill and discrimination. He was a man of keenly religious tendencies, and was a minister of the Mennonite faith for thirty-six years. He was an eloquent preacher and served many congregations intelligently and added to the lustre of his good name.
He took as his wife in 1859 Barbara Liechty, a daughter of Jacob and Catherine (Wenger) Liechty, both natives of Switzerland , who came to America in 1832. Mrs. Augsburger's parents lived in Wayne county, Ohio , where they were married. In 1840 they moved to Indiana and settled on a farm in French township, Adams county. Her father died in 1883 and his wife seven years later.
The subject of this sketch, John C. Augsburger, was married in 1904 to Amelia A. Ashbaucher, a daughter of Christian and Malina (Arnold) Ashbaucher, natives of Switzerland . Her parents came to the United States in 1850 and after living for a time in Ohio moved to Indiana and took up land in Adams county. John Augsburger took charge of his father's farm after the latter's death and has continued to operate it. It is one of the largest in the township and has been brought to a high state of fertility and productiveness. The residence and buildings devoted to farm uses are modem and comfortable and the air of the place indicates progressiveness and thrift. Mr. Augsburger is the only member of his father's large family to live continually on the homestead tract. The other children of his parents are living with the exception of four. Those living are: Catherine, Mary, Moses, Aaron, David, Amos, Jacob, Verena , Lydia , John, Elizabeth and Daniel. The children dead were : David, Christian and twin infants, who died unnamed.
Mr. Augsburger is an aggressive and active citizen of his township. He takes an active and interested part in the affairs of his county, and has been elected to political positions of importance and responsibility. In 1900 he was chosen as a township assessor, the duties of which office he discharged so ably that at the expiration of his term in 1904 he was elected to the more important office of township trustee, which office he still holds. He is a Democrat and is alive to party interests and stands high in the councils of his party in northeastern Indiana.He is a member of the German Reformed church and is one of the esteemed members of that organization. His course through life is such that recommends him to the careful and favorable consideration of all who know him.
Christian Augsburger, the father of our subject, died January 19, 1903, at the age of eighty-one years and seven months.
Submitted by: Margie Roop Pearce
Snow's History of Adams County, Indiana, John Fletcher Snow, B. F. Bowen, Indianapolis, IN, 1907, (image 505)
While the business career of Willis C. Glendening about whom this sketch is concerned, has been a varied one and a most active one, it has been uniformly successful; and has gained much enviable repute. Mr. Glendening is today one of the substantial men of this section of the state, and he is widely and favorably known. He was born in Adams county, May 27, 1862. He is the son of John and Rachel (Pontius) Glendening. His father was born in England , and when he left the old country he came direct to Indiana . He settled in Hartford township and purchased land, which he farmed until his death, March 15. 1876. Following the death of her husband, Mrs. Glendening married Thomas Uptgraft, who died in 1897. She contracted a third marriage with John Mason, a Wells county farmer, and lives with this husband on his farm.
W. C. Glendening was the second in order of birth of a family of four children. The others are: William, a farmer living in Hartford township; Charles, living at Geneva , and Sherman , living in Hartford township. The early life of the subject of this sketch was spent on his father's farm. He attended the district schools and at intervals assisted in the farm work. When he reached his twenty-first year he engaged in the drug business in Geneva , in which business he continued for the following four years. At the end of this period he disposed of his interest in the drug business and engaged in farming in Jay county. After three years spent in farming his Jay county place he was attracted by the opening of the Indiana oil fields and formed a business arrangement with the Bolds brothers, with whom he was associated for two years. He again changed the nature of his business after this arrangement was concluded and entered the general merchandise business at Geneva , having the Bolds brothers as associates.
This business was managed by Mr. Glendening for about three years and grew to be one of the most profitable enterprises of Geneva . At the expiration of three years he entered the general merchandise business with Fields & Company, and still later became associated with the firm of Minch & Company. But the oil business attracted him again, and he once more embarked in it. This time he interested himself in the new field discovered and opened near Robinson , Illinois , and he retains his interests in this field to this day. At present he is a clerk with the firm of Acker & Teeple, of Geneva . This firm does a general merchandise business and Mr. Glendening became connected with this store September 15, 1905. The following year after he became associated with the last named firm he fitted out the Shamrock Hotel in a modem manner. All the fittings and furnishings were new, and the place was brought to a modern standard. This property he subsequently traded for a farm in Ohio in January, 1907. From these foregoing facts it will be seen that the business career of Mr. Glendening has been an active one. Throughout his career he has been an able and aggressive man. His methods have been progressive and satisfactory to all connected with the enterprises in which he was interested.
He was married to Miss Ella Darr, a daughter of Patton and Elizabeth Darr, in 1885. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Glendening: Lake E. , Bertie R. and Willis D. Mrs. Glendening died in September. 1902. The home life of the family is ideal and the home is the center of much of the social life and wholesome gaiety of the town.
Mr. Glendening is a public-spirited man.He takes an active part in the affairs of his community and is identified with all movements to help the community. He votes the Republican ticket but is not a partisan politician.
He is a member of Geneva Lodge, No. 514, Knights of Pythias, the Maccabees and Sons of Veterans. For two years he served as town clerk. He is an ardent hunter and. spends a month each year in the woods of northern Michigan in search of deer. He is usually successful and the venison he sends home is much enjoyed.
Submitted by: Margie Roop Pearce
Snow's History of Adams County, Indiana, John Fletcher Snow, B. F. Bowen, Indianapolis, IN, 1907, (image 501)
Henry Decker, than whom no man in Wabash township, Adams county, Indiana, is more highly respected and esteemed, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on March 15, 1854. His parents were Henry and Elizabeth (Zieg) Decker, who subsequently came to Ripley county, Indiana, and located on a farm, where the father died shortly afterwards. They were the parents of nine children.
Henry Decker attended the common schools of the locality in which he was reared and his early years were given to the pursuit of agriculture, to which he has devoted the subsequent years of his life. He is now the owner of sixty-five acres of splendidly improved land, a part of which is in Jay county and the balance in Wabash township, Adams county. His first experience in anything was as a laborer in Decatur county, Indiana, after which, in 1874, he came to Wabash county, where he lived until locating on his present homestead. He soon reclaimed his farm from the forests which originally covered this section and has made many substantial and permanent improvements. He has given considerable attention to the breeding of stock, especially Chester White hogs, in which line he has achieved a distinctive success. Mr. Decker is public spirited and takes an active interest in local public affairs, having served as supervisor of his township for two years, and in 1904 was elected trustee, in which capacity he is now serving. Mr. Decker is an ardent sportsman and annually spends thirty days in hunting deer in Michigan and the Dakotas . He is a good shot and possesses many trophies of his skill.
In 1885 the subject was married to Miss Frances Bucher, daughter of Joseph and Harriet (Eckrote) Bucher, who came to Adams county, Indiana, and settled on a farm in Wabash township, where they still reside. To the subject and his wife have been born three children : Guy, deceased; Bessie and Lucy, who both attend school.
Mr. Decker is public spirited in his attitude toward all things that tend to promote the material prosperity of his community and enjoys the respect and esteem of all who know him.
Submitted by: Margie Roop Pearce
Snow's History of Adams County, Indiana, John Fletcher Snow, B. F. Bowen, Indianapolis, IN, 1907, (image 501)
The youth of H. P. Bradford was spent on his father's farm in Adams county. He attended the winter sessions of the schools of his neighborhood and secured a fair English education. In the milder months of the year he assisted in the cultivation of the home farm and lived on it for a number of years after reaching manhood. After the death of his father much of the care and responsibility of cultivating and managing the family homestead fell upon his shoulders. He continued to operate the farm and lived on it, caring for his mother until her death.
After his mother died he married Miss Rosie Wible. His wife is a native of Jay county, Indiana, and is a daughter of Samuel and Jane (Burris) Wible. She was reared and educated in Jay county and lived with her parents until her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Bradford are the parents of three children. These children are: Inez I., Vera and Jane, and are residing with their parents on the home place.
Mr. Bradford is the owner of a tract of thirty-five acres inside the corporation limits of the town of Geneva . He has always lived on this place and it descended to him from his father. He conducted a general farming business and is a prosperous and successful man. However, he sold out his interests in both of these businesses and now devotes himself to the cultivation of his place and to dealing in Adams county real estate. In addition to his farm in Geneva he is the owner of other real estate that is increasing in value as the years pass.
Although Mr. Bradford is an enthusiastic member of the Democratic party, he is not a public man in the sense that he aspires to office and he has never held public office of any kind. He is not affiliated with any fraternal bodies. He is an excellent example of a good citizen and a progressive, wide-awake man and is esteemed and trusted by all who know him.
Submitted by: Margie Roop Pearce
Snow's History of Adams County, Indiana, John Fletcher Snow, B. F. Bowen, Indianapolis, IN, 1907, (image 499)
Dr. Lemuel Lewis Mattax was born in Adams county, Indiana, September 5, 1862. He is a son of William L. and Bersheba (Coverdale) Mattax. Both his father and mother were natives of Ohio . The former was born in Tuscarawas county in 1838 and the latter in Muskingum county in the same year. W. L. Mattax came to Indiana and settled in Adams county with his parents, who entered a farm in Monroe township in 1840. The parents are still living in Blue Creek township, Adams county. Dr. Mattax is one of two children of his father's family who are still living. A sister is the wife of Virgil Mercer, living on the old homestead. Two other children died in youth. These were Bertie and Lida.
Like almost every other country boy of the period, Dr. Mattax was reared on a farm and learned the meaning and responsibilities of a farmer's life. He attended the schools of his township and picked up as good an early education as was possible. He worked on his father's farm and assisted in cultivating this tract. After he had completed his studies in the common schools he read medicine in the office of Dr. Coverdale for three summers. This study gave him a decided preference for medicine as a profession, opposed to a farmer's life, and he entered the Starling Medical College at Columbus , Ohio . On March 7, 1891, he graduated from this institution, standing high in his class. He returned to his home at Geneva and at once took up the active practice of his chosen profession.
A year following his graduation he was married to Miss Sophia Eocher, a daughter of John and Louise (Seaman) Eocher. His wife's parents were born in Germany and came to Indiana and settled at Bluffton in an early day. Mr. Eocher followed the employment of a cooper. To Dr. and Mrs. Mattax have been born four children, all of whom are at their parents' home. These children are: Harold, John Lee, Louise V. and Lavone B.
Dr. Mattax has led an active life. He stands high in his profession and has taken an interest at all times in matters that meant the betterment of his community. He is a Democrat in politics and has served as town treasurer and as health officer. He is a member of Geneva lodge, No. 514, Knights of Pythias, of which he has been chancellor commander. He is public spirited and a man who believes thoroughly in progression.
Submitted by: Margie Roop Pearce
Snow's History of Adams County, Indiana, John Fletcher Snow, B. F. Bowen, Indianapolis, IN, 1907, (image 497)
Dr. Aspy was reared on his father's farm and obtained his early education in the common schools of the district. He decided to take up the medical profession and entered the Miami Medical College at Cincinnati , from which institution he was graduated in 1876. He returned at once to Geneva , where he began the practice of his profession. In this he has been engaged ever since and has built up a large and remunerative clientage. He is a physician who believes in keeping fully abreast with the developments and progress of his profession, and does this to a marked extent. However, although his profession has claimed a major portion of his time and attention, he has interested himself in other commercial enterprises. He is secretary and manager of the Geneva Telephone Company, which was organized in 1900 by Geneva people, where all the stock is held, and has done much to put this company on a paying basis. In addition he owns thirty-two acres of farm land, a part of his father's farm.
In 1879 he married Miss Elizabeth Burke, a daughter of William Burke, who came to Adams county from Ohio , and is one of the older settlers of the county: Three children have been born to Dr. and Mrs. Aspy. They are: Blanche, who is in the millinery business at Geneva ; Gladys and Floyd. The latter children reside with their parents.
Dr. Aspy is an enthusiastic Republican and has served as town treasurer and as a member of the Board of Health. He is a member of the Geneva Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and was one of the first members the lodge initiated. He has a comfortable home and other property and is counted among the substantial men of Geneva . He and his iamily are popular and their home is one of the most delightful in the neighborhood.
Submitted by: Margie Roop Pearce
Snow's History of Adams County, Indiana, John Fletcher Snow, B. F. Bowen, Indianapolis, IN, 1907, (image 495)
Conditions at the birth of S. II. Teeple did not argue a very bright future for an interesting youth. His parents, James B. and Mary (Smith) Teeple, were very poor. The father came to Indiana and settled in Adams county at an early date and followed farming and carpenter work. The success of the elder Teeple was but moderate and their son was not given the advantages even of that poor day. He was born on his father's farm in Adams county July 19, 1857. His youth was hard and filled with toil. He was one of a family of nine children and shared with them the poor comforts of his parental home. Of the family four are living: Isaac, S. H., Sarah and Mary C. It will be seen that our subject was the second of these children in order of birth. He received a poor education in the common schools of his district, but his duties at his home compelled him to forego all but a few terms in the schools. His education during his youth was necessarily incomplete, but in his after life he improved his fund of knowledge by a liberal and intelligent course of independent reading. He spent his life on the farm until 1886, when he engaged in the mercantile business at Geneva . He opened a store and it proved a successful venture. He continued to conduct the affairs of his store during the six years that followed its founding and he gained much in patronage and in material wealth. But the fascinations of farm life proved too strong for him to resist and at the end of the six years' period he retired from active connection with his store and returned to his farm. This estate he improved from time to time. It consists of one hundred and eighty-five acres and is considered one of the most attractive and productive farms in its immediate section of the county. When oil was discovered in northeastern Indiana this farm lay directly in the most productive belt. At intervals wells were drilled until a total of fourteen had been put down on the Teeple farm. Eleven of these proved productive to a marked extent and are still pumped. Three others that were among the number originally drilled have become unproductive.
Mr. Teeple has been an active partisan in politics and has been one of the staunchest supporters of the Republican party in his county. He has taken an interested part in his section of the state when matters affecting his political affiliations were considered. His reward for his faithful party work came a year ago, when he was appointed postmaster of Geneva . Until receiving this appointment he had lived on and tilled his farm since retiring from his mercantile business in Geneva . He assumed the duties of postmaster July 1, 1906.
Mr. Teeple was married in 1885 to Miss Cora A. McCollam, a daughter of Jesse and Charlotte (Kelly) McCollam, who were farmers cf Adams county. Mr. and Mrs. Teeple are the parents of two children. Jesse F. is employed at the Teeple mercantile establishment at Geneva and Myrle resides at home. Mr. Teeple is a member of the Geneva Lodge, Knights of Pythias, and with his family worships at the United Brethren church.
Submitted by: Margie Roop Pearce
Snow's History of Adams County, Indiana, John Fletcher Snow, B. F. Bowen, Indianapolis, IN, 1907, (image 493)
Mr. Irlan came to Adams county in 1902 and engaged in the livery business, which he has since successfully conducted. Prior to this time he was engaged in various occupations, having been a teamster for ten years, farming five years in Willshife , Ohio , and two years in Van Wert county, Ohio . In all of his various occupations he has been successful and now owns his residence in town, besides his livery barn. He is a Democrat in politics, though not a seeker of emoluments. Fraternally he belongs to the Woodmen of the World at Salina , Ohio , and the Knights of Pythias at Geneva . He and his family attend the United Brethren church.
In 1880 Mr. Irian married Miss Rachael Beem, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Riffle) Beem, residents of Dark county, Ohio . To the subject and his wife have been born three children: James, who is married and makes his home with his father; Nellie, who became the wife of Frank Bergel, a harness-maker of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Cecil, the wife of Karl Ford, a lumberman, also at Fort Wayne . Mr. Irlan so far has performed well his part in life and is enjoying the regard and esteem of all who know him.
Submitted by: Margie Roop Pearce
Snow's History of Adams County, Indiana, John Fletcher Snow, B. F. Bowen, Indianapolis, IN, 1907, (image 493)
William B. Drew was born near Elkland, Tioga county, Pennsylvania , July 5, 1833. He removed with his father to New York , where he lived until twenty years of age. In 1853 he went west and settled in Fayette county, Ohio . For the next three years he was employed as a cierk in a hotel, and then he pushed farther west, coming to Randolph county, Indiana. While living in Steuben county Mr. Drew studied in the county schools and took a course for two years in an academy at Knoxville , Pennsylvania . Here he acquired a smattering of law, and when he came to Indiana he pursued his reading of law during the six years he taught in the Randolph county schools. He was chosen a justice of the peace and filled this office and practiced law in said county for thirteen years. His practical work while in office, supplemented by his industrious and careful reading, gave him a grasp of the principles of his profession few men have.
In 1856 Mr. Drew married Miss Rebecca Vorhis, daughter of Cornelius and Elizabeth (Large) Vorhis. Mr. Vorhis and his wife were natives of New Jersey who came to Indiana early in the fifties and settled in Randolph county, where they devoted themselves to farming. Following his marriage Mr. Drew successfully practiced his profession and at the beginning of the Civil war he enlisted in the Eigthy-fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. His command was attached to the Army of the Cumberland under General Granger. Mr. Drew saw much active service until his discharge in 1863 because of ill health. He then returned to his home in Randolph county and again took up the practice of law and in 1876 removed to Geneva , Adams county. During their married life a number of children were bom to Mr. and Mrs. Drew. These were named: Rufus, since dead; Ann a, the wife of James Lindsay, of Alexandria, Indiana ; Bessie, the wife of Felton D. Garrison, who during his life was employed by a railroad, his widow now a resident of Kalamazoo, Michigan; Thomas, who conducts a harness store at Geneva and is married to Delia Buckingham; Willard, a farmer of Butler county, Missouri, and the husband of Lucy Carpenter; Charlotte, the wife of Robert B. Black, an oil man of Geneva ; Charles, in the employ of the Southern Pacific Railroad, and Moore and Adelbert, who died in infancy. Mrs. Drew died in 1898.
Mr. Drew has ever been a man who took a keen interest in the affairs of his county = ind neighborhood. He has long been an ardent Prohibitionist, and was among those who organized the party in Adams county. He has been a successful business man and owns several fine residence properties in his town and some vacant property. He has been a notary public for more than twenty years and has been prominent in public affairs. He is one of the men of the county who can view his achievements and then say with honesty that what he has accumulated has been done through his own unaided efforts. He is a man universally esteemed by all who know him and enjoys the fullest confidence of his neighbors and fellow residents of Adams county.
Submitted by: Margie Roop Pearce
Snow's History of Adams County, Indiana, John Fletcher Snow, B. F. Bowen, Indianapolis, IN, 1907, (image 489)