Blackford County Biography Ref. Page

DANIEL DEWITT. During a long period of years the late Daniel DeWitt was identified with the agricultural interests of Blackford county, and during his career advanced from obscurity and modest circumstances to prominence and independence among the substantial men of his day.

He was born in Randolph county, Indiana, September 13, 1848, and died at his home in section 20, Washington township, Blackford county, November 12, 1910.

Daniel and Elizabeth DeWitt, the grandparents of Daniel DeWitt, came to Indiana from some one of thee astern states, engaged in agricultural pursuits for many years, and became prominent farmers and well-known members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in the faith of which they died in advanced years. Two of their sons were ministers of that faith: Rev. Elisha, who died in Delaware county, Indiana, when past sixty-nine years of age, leaving a family; and Rev. Leonard, who lived in the West and at his death there left several children. There were several other brothers, including John W., Daniel and Uriah and several sisters. Uriah DeWitt, the father of Daniel DeWitt, was born in Indiana and there married Elizabeth Holloway, also a native of the Hoosier State. They began married life in Randolph county, but subsequently moved to Huntington county, where Mrs. DeWitt died in middle life. Subsequently Mr. DeWitt was married a second time, his wife bearing the name of Martha Estell, and they had a family, two of whom died when small, two grew to maturity and one is still living. The children of Uriah and Elizabeth (Holloway) DeWitt were: Sarah, who married and is now deceased; Mary, who is married and has a foster son; Daniel; John R., deceased, who was a factory worker, married and left a family; and Mrs. Martha DeWitt still lives in Anderson.

Daniel DeWitt grew up in Anderson, Madison county, Indiana, and became a farmer having no education. In 1885, he came to Blackford county and for four and one-half years lived on the George Mussetter farm in Washington township, later renting the farm for three years and then purchasing eighty acres of land in section 20, then known as the Harry Smith farm. Here he began in earnest to establish himself as an agriculturist, and had begun extensive building operations when he struck oil of some value. He later purchased the forty-acre tract adjoining, and there his son now resides, having a well-improved farm with a good set of buildings. Mr. DeWitt was a progressive and practical farmer and whatever success he made in life was due to his own efforts, aided by those of his worthy wife. He was an active republican in political matters, and for a time served as superintendent of the turnpike in his township and county. At all times he could be relied upon to support movements of a beneficial nature, and his honesty and integrity gained him widespread confidence among his associates. For many years he was a devout member if the Church of Christ and died in that faith.

Mr. DeWitt was married in Madison county, Indiana, in 1872, to Miss Mary E. Childress, who was born in Hancock county, Indiana, September 19, 1848. She was reared and educated in Madison county, whence she was brought at the age of two years by her parents, Alfred and Ruenwa (Childress) Childress, natives of Virginia who had been relatives prior to their marriage. On coming to Indiana, Mr. and Mrs. Childress located at a point near Warren, and there most of their children were born, but later they moved to Madison county, where they spent a few years. While on a trip back to Virginia, Mr. Childress was thrown from a fractious colt which he was attempting to break, and his injuries resulted in his death, August 19, 1848, when he was still in the prime of life. Mrs. Childress was married in 1851 to a Pennsylvanian Hugh B. Stephenson, and they returned to Madison county, Indiana, he dying there at the age of seventy years, in 1873, and she in January, 1877, at the age of sixty. Mr. and Mrs. Stephenson were members of the Church of Christ, while Mr. Childress was a Baptist

Mrs. DeWitt has been the mother of three children and the foster mother of eight children. Her daughters, Anna Mary, and Danna May, died young, while her son Charles, R., is still living. He was born August 15, 1876, and was educated in the public schools, following which he became a farmer and at his fathers death took charge of the homestead. He married Miss. Florence E. Drinnen, and they have had the following children: Cleo A., a graduate of the public schools; Bertha E., Catherine M. and Thelma M., attending school; and Ivaline M., James D., Charles R., Jr., and John H.

Mrs. DeWitt has taken to her heart and home the following children: George Rush, who died unmarried after growing to manhood; Albert Howard, who died after his marriage; Bertha Riley, who died in young womanhood; James C. (not relation) DeWitt, an employee of the flouring mill at Pennsville, Jay county, is married and has three children: Daniel P., Clarence R. and Violet I.; George Miller, who died at eighteen years of age; Jane Estell, who married Archie Carson, and died in Greely, Colorado, leaving one daughter; and Alura Angeline Diltz, who is single and has been in Mrs. DeWitt's home for fifteen years. Mrs. DeWitt has been a member of the Christian church for more that fifty years, and is one of the well known and best beloved ladies of this part of the county.

Blackford and Grant Counties, Indiana A Chronicle of their People Past and Present with Family Lineage and Personal Memoirs Compiled Under the Editorial Supervision of Benjamin G. Shinn
Volume I Illustrated
The Lewis Publishing Company Chicago and New York 1914
Submitted by Peggy Karol

JAMES A. E. ALFREY. The claim of James A. E. Alfrey upon the consideration and esteem of his fellow-citizens in Jackson township is based upon thirty years of effective and energetic agricultural work, upon an honorable record as a Union solider during the war between the North and the South, and upon his helpful co-operation in advancing the best interest of his community. Coming here in 1884, he has devoted his attention to the tilling of the soil, and so well directed have been his efforts that today he is the owner of one of the handsome farming tracts if the township, a property of 140 acres, located six miles east of Hartford City.

Mr. Alfrey was born in Switzerland county, Indiana. November 1, 1845, and is the son of James and Nancy (Helms) Alfrey. His parents, natives of Tennessee, came as young people to Switzerland county, Indiana, where they were married, and there resided until James Alfrey's death in 1850. Mrs. Alfrey subsequently married James Craig and moved to Blackford county, and later to Hamilton county, Indiana, where she died in 1892. By her first marriage she was the mother of eleven children of whom three are living at this writing: Elizabeth, who is the widow of Mr. Hultz; Martha J., who is the widow of A. J. Reynolds; and James A. E. The subject of this review was five years of age when his father died, and he went to live at the home of a brother, a farmer of Hamilton county, Indiana. There he received his education, when he enlisted for service in Company I, One hundred Thirty-second Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, with which he remained four months, and was honorably discharged, and mustered out of the service. He had an honorable record as a soldier, and faithfully performed every duty that devolved upon him. Upon again taking up the occupation of peace, Mr. Alfrey went to Hamilton county, and there engaged in farming until 1886, in which year he came to Blackford county. Here he secured a tract of land in Jackson township, to which he has since added from time to time as his finances have permitted, and now has a well-cultivated tract of 140 acres, upon which he has made improvements of a modern and substantial character. He is one of the hustling progressive men of his community, and has a thorough knowledge of the most approved methods of farming and stock raising.

In March 1871, Mr. Alfrey married Miss Mary A. Vail, of Hamilton county, Indiana, who was born in Claremont county, Ohio and came to Indiana as a child, being reared on a farm in Hamilton county. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Alfrey, namely: Ida E., who was the wife of Thomas Barnes, of Hartford City; Charles E., of Jackson township, who married Ida Van Gordon; James A., also a resident of Jackson township, who married Edith Strait; and Frank V., who is single and assists his father on the homestead. The family is connected with the Methodist Episcopal church.

Mr. Alfrey is a member of the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic, and of Blackford Lodge, A. F. & A.M., at Hartford City. In politics, a republican, he has served his precinct as a committeeman, has taken some interest in local affairs, and is at present his party's nominee for assessor of Jackson township. He is looked upon as an intelligent, progressive, and public-spirited member of the community.

PHILIP E. WENTZ. The agricultural region lying in Jackson township is ably represented by Phillip E. Wentz, a highly respected citizen who has lent strength and substance to the community in which he has resided for so long.

Mr. Wentz is a native of Jackson township, and was born August 11, 1850, his parents being Jacob and Elizabeth (Ramge) Wentz. The parents were born in Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, the father in 1807, and the mother in 1809, and there grew up, were educated and married. On coming to the United States they landed in Baltimore, Maryland, from whence they went to Pennsylvania, and after three years came to Indiana, and located on a new farm in Jackson township, on the Camden turnpike, two miles east of Hartford City. There they pasted the remainder of their lives, the father dying June 6, 1874, and the mother in September 1881. They were the parents of seven children, of whom three survive; Elizabeth, widow of Peter Schmidt, living in Seattle, Washington; Henry, a resident of Harrison township, Blackford county; and Philip E.

Philip E. Wentz was raised in a log cabin, 12 x 16, with its log stick chimney, with its puncheon floor, with its one six-light window 8 by 10, with its rough lumber door, with its wooden hinges, with its string latch always hanging out to welcome those who wish to enter, with its roof covered with clapboards, and long straight weight poles to hold the boards in place, and tied down at each end with twisted hickory withes. This cabin went up in flames on the 4th of July, 1856. Mr. Wentz attended the district school, where he received an ordinary education and remained at home until he reached the age of twenty-four years, when he founded a home of his own by his marriage with Mary A. Smith, July 25, 1874. She was born in Highland county, Ohio, January 25, 1857, and came to Blackford county, Indiana, in 1861. Mrs. Wentz died August 8, 1890, having been the mother of three children, of whom two are living: William A., born April 22, 1876, a farmer of Jackson township; and Charles M., born April 22, 1888. On July 23, 1891, Mr. Wentz married Catherine Murphy, and four children have been born to them: Orville, born May 8, 1892; Mabel, born May 25, 1894; Floyd, born July 26, 1896; and Wayne, born January 30, 1899. He is a member of Zion Lutheran church, at Hartford City, and in his political views is a democrat. He is well and favorably known in Jackson township, where he has been engaged in general farming and stock raising for many years, and owns a good property of forty-eight acres, located one-half mile south and two miles east of Hartford City. He moved to his present place in 1882. It was all swamp and he ditched it and cleared off the timber and planted his orchard.

William A. Wentz, son of Philip E. Wentz, is one of the young and energetic farmers of Blackford county who are doing so much for the progress of agricultural standards here. He is the owner of Maple Grove Farm, consisting of forty acres, and located in section 18, one and three-quarters southeast of Hartford City. He was born April 22, 1876, in Jackson township, and attended the district schools here until reaching the age of eighteen, following which he worked for his father until attaining his majority. He was married September 12, 1901, to Jennie M. Spears, who was born in Adams county, Ohio, July 31, 1875, daughter of J. H. and Catherine (Walker) Spears, both now deceased. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Wentz went to the farm on which they now live, at that time located in the midst of heat woods, and this Mr. Wentz cleared, erecting good buildings and installing numerous modern improvements, so that today it is one of the valuable farms of the township. In addition to his general farming operations, Mr. Wentz is agent for counties of Blackford and Wells for Pioneer Herbs, and in this line has met with decided success. Like his father, he is a democrat, but has found little time for public affairs. His religious belief is that of the Lutheran faith, while Mrs. Wentz belongs to the Christian church. They have no children.

JOHN B. WILLMAN. During a long and active career John B. Willman has contributed materially to the agricultural welfare of Blackford county, and has succeeded in establishing himself firmly in a foremost position among the substantial men of his community as well as in the esteem of his fellow-citizens. A man of progressive ideas and spirit, he represents the most enlightened tenets of agriculture, and his handsome farm, located two miles east of Hartford City, evidences eloquently his mastery of his vocation. Mr. Willman was born in Morrow county, Ohio, March 10, 1846, and is a son of John M. and Rebecca (Bailey) Willman.

John M. Willman was born in Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, in 1810, and in 1832 emigrated to the United States, landing at Baltimore, Maryland, from whence he went thirty miles north and secured employment in digging a canal. At that point he was married to Miss Rebecca Bailey, who was born in York county, Pennsylvania in 1808, and after two years they went to Richland county, Ohio, and later to Morrow county, in the same state. The parents came to Indiana in 1855, settling on a farm in the vicinity of Hartford City, and there passed the remaining years of their lives, the father dying at the age of seventy-seven years, and the mother when she was eighty-two. They were the parents of the following children: John B., of this review; George, who lives on the old Willman place; and five others, since passed away.

John B. Willman was nine years of age when the family came to Indiana, and he was reared among pioneer surroundings, assisting his father to clear up the homestead and securing his educational training in the early district schools. On November 16, 186, he was married to Miss Caroline Kessler, and to their union were born six children; George F., a resident of Jackson township; Mary, who is the wife of David Bennett of Licking township; Rebecca, who is the wife of Riley Stephenson, of this township; Sarah, the wife of Charles Ruble, of Jackson township of Jackson township; and Elizabeth and Catherine, who are single and reside with their father. Mrs. Willman died in 1885, and Mr. Willman married Nancy Lindley, and they had five children of whom three died young. Jacob L., met death by drowning, July 5, 1914, aged twenty years, three months and twenty-one days, and Hazel B., is single and resides with her father. Mrs. Willman died July 30, 1898. The members of the family are associated with the Lutheran church.

Mr. Willman has always engaged in farming, and at this time is the owner of 500 acres of land, all accumulated through his well-directed efforts. He has always been honorable in his in his dealings, thus insuring for himself the confidence of his associates, and a review of his career discloses that he has never taken an unfair advantage of an adversary. He is no politician but supports democratic principles and candidates, and takes an interest in the welfare of his township. All in all, Mr. Willman may be accounted a reliable, representative citizen of this part of the state.

THOMAS BRYSON. The late Thomas Bryson was a man of prominence and influence in Wells and Blackford counties, the former of which he established his residence on his immigration from the old Keystone State, more than half a century ago. He was of Scotch-Irish ancestry, the original progenitors of the line in the Emerald Isle having left their native Scotland and established a home in the north of Ireland, where they were zealous members of the Presbyterian church, clinging to the somewhat stern, but still benignant , tenets of faith that significantly marked the Presbyterian church in Scotland in the early days. Mr. Bryson was a man of impregnable integrity, of distinctive business acumen, and he left a definite and worthy impress upon the history of Wells county, Indiana, whence he eventually removed to Montpelier, Blackford county, Indiana, in which attractive little city he continued to reside until his death which occurred in February, 1898, about four months prior to his eighty-fifth birthday anniversary. He did much to foster the social and material development and progress of this section of the Hoosier State, and as a sterling pioneer, his name and deeds merit a memorial tribute in this publication.

Thomas Bryson was born in Butler township, Butler county, Pennsylvania, on the 28th of June, 1813, and was a son of Robert Bryson, the maiden name of his mother having been Dobbs. Family tradition indicates that Robert Bryson was born on the primitive sailing vessel in which his parents voyaged to America upon their emigration from Ireland, a few years after the close of the war of the Revolution. His parents established their home in Butler county, Pennsylvania, where they passed the residue of their lives, the father having become the owner of an extensive landed estate and having been one of the representative farmers of that section of the Keystone Commonwealth. Robert Bryson was reared and educated in Butler county, where he not only held distinct prestige as a substantial farmer and successful miller, but where he also was known and honored as a citizen of enterprise, loyalty and influence. He and his wife were not long separated in death, and each was slightly past the age of seventy years when summoned to the life eternal, both having clung earnestly and zealously to the faith of the Presbyterian church, and having regulated and molded their lives in harmony with the high Christian principles which they held with much of consecration.

Thomas Bryson was reared to the sturdy discipline of the home farm and was afforded the advantages of the common schools of the locality and period that compassed the days of his boyhood and youth in Butler county, Pennsylvania. In his native county he did not sever his allegiance to the great basic industry of agriculture until his removal to Indiana, in 1865. In Butler county, Pennsylvania, he wedded, and in that county all of their children were born on the old homestead place. Upon coming with his family to Indiana, shortly before the close of the Civil war, Thomas Bryson purchased a tract of land in Wells county, and he eventually became one of the extensive land holders and leading agriculturists of that county, where he ever held the unqualified esteem of all who knew him, and where he continued to be honored as a citizen of dignified worth and beneficent influence until he retired from the active labors that had long engrossed his attention and removed to Montpelier, Blackford county, in 1892. In an attractive home, in this fine little city, both he and his wife continued in loving and devoted companionship until death severed the gracious ties, he having passed to the :land of the leal" in 1898. Both he and his wife were zealous and consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church and Mr. Bryson was originally a whig and later a republican in his political proclivities. This worthy couple marked the passing years with kindly words and kindly deeds, and their memories are revered by all who came within the sphere of the gracious influence. Concerning their children brief record is given in the following paragraph, and it will be recalled that all were born in Butler county, Pennsylvania.

James C., who was born on the 12th of October, 1836, was a prominent lumber dealer at Pinckneyville, Perry county, Illinois, at the time of his death, in January, 1911, and he was survived by his widow and five sons and one daughter. John A., who was born March 30, 1838, died at Montpelier, Indiana, in February 24, 1871, and his two children likewise are deceased, his widow having survived him and having contracted a second marriage. Joseph B., who was born February 24, 1840, died in the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, in middle life after having served with distinction throughout the Civil war, in which he was a member of Company I, Thirty-fourth Volunteer Infantry. His widow is still living as is also one daughter. William F., twin brother of Joseph B., was a member of the same company and regiment, as was the latter in the Civil war. He died November, 1913, his wife having preceded him to the life eternal, two sons and one daughter surviving them. Eli X., who was born June 26, 1842, was actively identified with the lumber industry during virtually his entire business career, and he died at Salida Lake county, Ohio in November, 1911, leaving a widow, four sons and one daughter. Sarah Nellie, who is familiarly known to her wide circle of friends as Nellie, was born December 7, 1844, and her early education was acquired in the schools of Butler county, Pennsylvania and Wells county, Indiana, in which latter county she continued to reside with her parents on the old homestead until their removal to Montpelier in 1892. Here she continued to care for her venerable parents with the utmost filial love and solicitude until they passed from the stage of life's mortal endeavors, and she still resides in the fine old home, at 117 North Main street, she being the owner of this and other valuable real estate in Montpelier, where her circle of friends is limited only by that of her acquaintances. Miss Bryson is a zealous member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and this faith has also been held by the most of her brothers and sisters. Ida J., who was born on March 9, 1858, likewise resides in Montpelier. She became the wife of George Lattie, and the two children of this union are George and David. Prior to her marriage Mrs. Lattie was a popular in the public schools of Wells and Blackford counties. David A. Bryson, who was seventh in order of birth of the nine children, is individually mentioned on other pages of this work, and is president of the First National Bank of Montpelier.

Deb Murray