Blackford County Biography Ref. Page

JOHN I. WHITE. Some of the more progressive farmers of Grant county are realizing the value of this section as a fruit-growing community and are devoting a part of their attention to this profitable branch of agricultural enterprise, and among these is found John I. White, of section 12, Washington township, whose ventures along this line have met with decided success. Mr. White has passed his entire career within the limits of Grant county, is by inclination and training a farmer, and by reason of the satisfactory results he has obtained from his labors is accounted one of the substantial men of his community. He was born on the farm on which he now resides, May 25, 1875, and is a son of Levi and Caroline (Burns) White.

Levi White was born in 1840 in Pennsylvania and as a lad migrated to Ohio, where he devoted himself to the tilling of the soil. He was thus engaged at the outbreak of the Civil war, when, with other young men of his neighborhood, he enlisted in the Union army, and served throughout the struggle in an Ohio regiment connected with the army of General Sherman. He participated in a number of the hard-fought engagements of the war, and at the close of a valiant military career returned to the pursuits of peace and came to Grant county, where he settled on the farm now owned by John I. White in Washington township. Levi White lived on the farm John I. White now owns until about 1901, when he moved to Marion and died there, his death occurring in August, 1909. Mr. White was an industrious, hard-working farmer, and made a decided success of his operations, accumulating 240 acres of land. He married Caroline Burns, who died November 12, 1908, and they became the parents of five children, as follows: Curtis A., a resident of Marion; Y. F., the present sheriff of Grant county and also a resident of Marion; William E., who resides in that city; Frank L., a farmer of Van Buren township; and John I.

John I. White was given the educational advantages to be obtained in the district schools of Washington township, and in the meantime was trained to agricultural pursuits, in which he engaged on attaining his majority. When first married he lived for a year in Van Buren township, then came to his present farm in 1902, and in 1904 became its owner by purchase, and at the time of his father's death inherited a part of his property. His present farm consists of eighty acres, of which ten acres are in timber, and here he has made a success of his various ventures, his land paying him well for the labor he has expended upon it. That he has brought his land to a high state of cultivation is evidenced by the fact that in 1912 he raised 1,600 bushels of corn on twenty-five acres; in 1913 he put fifteen acres in oats and raised a bumper crop. He began his operations as a fruit grower in 1909, when he set out a number of apple trees and a variety of small fruits, and in 1910 set out another orchard. In addition he has a productive berry patch. The home residence, which was erected by his father in 1901, was remodeled by Mr. White in 1911, and this fine white house now has eleven rooms with bath, hot and cold water and electric lights. Mr. White owns his own electric light plant and secures a fine supply of water from a drilled well. In 1909 he erected a large white barn, of handsome design and substantial construction, and this is connected with the residence by a long driveway, bordered with hedges, the whole presenting a very pleasing and attractive appearance. From the foregoing it will be seen that Mr. White is a man of modern views and ideas, one whose activities are developing his community and beautifying his locality. Such a man is a decided acquisition to any section, and his standing among his fellow-citizens is deservedly high.

In 1896 Mr. White was married to Miss Cora Dell Dicken, daughter of George Dicken, an old and honored resident of Grant county, and to this union there have been born three children: Lewis Luster who was born July 10, 1899; Homer Orval, born March 21, 1902; and Eula Bernice, born February 25, 1907. Mr. and Mrs. White are consistent members of Union chapel of the United Brethren church. In his political views he has always been a. Democrat.

"BLACKFORD AND GRANT COUNTIES INDIANA, A CHRONICLE OF THEIR PEOPLE PAST AND PRESENT WITH FAMILY LINEAGE AND PERSONAL MEMOIRS"; Complied Under the Editorial Supervision of BENJAMIN G. SHINN; vol. II ; THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY; CHICAGO AND NEW YORK; 1914
Submitted by:Peggy Karol and Karen Overholt

J. WILLS STEPHENSON. Although a comparatively new comer into Marion, Indiana, J. Wills Stephenson has become one of the prominent and leading citizens of this city. It is not only because of his success in the business world that he occupies a position of such high standing, but because he is a man of force of character and strength of mind. He is a man of many interests and few spare moments yet his activity in civic service is as well known as his work in the business world. Mr. Stephenson is treasurer and general manager of the Rutenber Motor Company and his many years of experience in this and similar lines of work have made it possible for him to make of this company a very successful and prosperous institution.

J. Wills Stephenson was born in Jasper, Pike county, Ohio, on the 27th of April, 1879. His parents were John W. and Jennie (Wills) Stephenson, his father being a native of Jackson county, Ohio, and his mother being of Pike county, Ohio. His father was a merchant and lived until 1911. His mother is at present in California although she makes her home in Marion. Her husband never resided in Marion although his death occurred here while he was on a visit to his son. Seven children were born to John W. Stephenson and his wife, all of whom are now living. Only one of these, W. B. Stephenson, who is sales manager of the Rutenber Motor Company, besides J. W. Stephenson, is located in Marion.

J. Wills Stephenson only received a common school education but his education in the business world began early in life. At the age of seventeen he went to work in the tin plate factory of the Morewood Company at Gas City in Grant county, Indiana. He entered the employ of this firm in a humble capacity and was employed at various kinds of work, but his efficiency and capacity for work won him continued promotion and when he left the service of the company after five years he was holding the position of paymaster. He now became superintendent of the Carnahan Tin Plate and Sheet Company at Canton, Ohio, being thus engaged for two years. He next went south and located in Alabama where he became treasurer and general manager of the Hand Lumber Company. This company is a large concern with a plant near Mobile, Alabama. During the time that Mr. Stephenson was with them fifty thousand acres of timber were cut, and they owned and operated two large saw mills and a railroad which was used for logging purposes.

It was in 1909 that Mr. Stephenson returned to Indiana. He purchased an interest in the Western Motor Company, of Logansport, Indiana. During the summer of 1909 this company built a modern plant in Marion and upon the completion of this plant Mr. Stephenson moved to Marion and took charge of its operation. In the summer of 1912, the Rutenber Motor Company was organized and took over the business of the Western Motor Company. Mr. Stephenson then became treasurer and general manager of the new organization. This company are manufacturers of gasoline motors for automobiles and trucks and they also do a general casting business. They own a magnificent plant and the business is one of the live enterprises of Marion.

In addition to this business Mr. Stephenson is president of the People's Drug Company of Marion and is a director of the Boston Store, two of the thriving mercantile establishments of the city, also President of the Delta Electric Company, a new but thriving Marion manufacturing institution. He also has banking interests outside of the city of Marion, gas and oil interests in Ohio and Indiana, and has interests of a varied nature in the South.

Mr. Stephenson is a member of the Hamilton Club of Chicago, the Country Club of Marion, and also belongs to the Civic Assembly and to the Young Men's Christian Association. In the fraternal world he is a member of the Elks and of the Knights of Pythias.

In 1903 Mr. Stephenson was married to Miss Edith M. Barley, a representative of one of the leading families of Grant county, being a daughter of J. L. Barley. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Stephenson, as follows: Helen, Dorothy, Mary and Mildred.

CALVIN DEAN. It is now many years since the Dean family was established within the limits of Grant county, the earlier ones have long since passed away, but there is definite record of their worthy work as pioneers, as developers of the wilderness during the pioneer times, and in later generations the activities and the associations of the family have always been of the most useful character. Mr. Calvin of Fairmount township would be considered primarily a farmer, though he is best known for his long connection with the business of auctioneering, and in that profession he probably has no superior in the state and his work takes him to many counties besides his home locality.

The Dean family was established in Kentucky many years ago, and grandfather Thomas Dean was born in Bourbon county, and died near Nicholasville, in that state when seventy-eight years of age. Farming was his occupation during his active years. He married a Kentucky girl, and they were both members of the Baptist faith, and had a large family of children. Among the younger ones was John Dean, and others who can now be recalled were James, Harrison and Thomas.

John Dean was born in Kentucky about 1820, grew up on a farm, and married Serena Tennel, who was born about 1823, a daughter of Joseph Tennel. Joseph Tennel, a native of Kentucky, was a soldier in the war of 1812, and died when an old man, after a career of much local prominence. The Tennel family like the Deans were prominent land owners, and early settlers of Kentucky, and before the war their possessions comprised many broad acres of land and a numerous household of black slaves. After the marriage of John Dean and wife, they lived in Kentucky for a few years, and two or three of their children were born in that state. Later they moved north to Johnson county, Indiana, and it was in Johnson county that Calvin Dean was born August 27, 1847. During the early fifties the family moved to Delaware county, Indiana, where John Dean bought eighty acres of wild land. In the midst of the woods a log cabin was erected, and the strenuous labors of the head of the family and his children went to the clearing and improvement of that estate. After living there a number of years John Dean traded his farm for another eighty acres near Little Ridge in Liberty township of Grant county. In 1883, he sold that and bought forty acres in Fairmount township and there he and his wife passed their peaceful years until death. He passed away at the age of seventy-seven, while she was seventy years old. Their church was the United Brethren. In politics John Dean voted the Democratic ticket regularly. There were seven sons and five daughters, and the only son now living is Calvin. His two sisters are Lucy and Laura, the latter the wife of James Logan of Anderson. Two of the sons, James H. and John, were soldiers in the Civil war, going out from Delaware county in the Eleventh Indiana Cavalry. Their military service brought them actively into many battles and campaigns, and John was disabled when he fell from the breastworks of the fortifications about Memphis, Tennessee. However, both brothers returned home, without serious injury, and the older died in Fairmount township, and the younger in Madison county, both leaving families of children.

As previously stated, Calvin Dean was born in Johnson county, Indiana, August 27, 1847, and when sixteen years of age, his parents located in Grant county. His home was with his parents until he was twenty-two, and during his boyhood he had the advantages of local schools. From early boyhood, one thing of which he may be justly proud was his devotion during his earlier life to his parents, and he lived with them and cared for them during their declining years. His first move toward establishing a home of his own, was the purchase of a part of the old Liberty township homestead. Selling that his next acquisition was one hundred acres in Fairmount township, and this was the nucleus of his accumulation of land in that section of the county. It has been increased, until he is now the owner of two hundred and twenty acres, in Fairmount township, and there are probably no better improved farms in the vicinity. Where needed there are plenty of ditches, and practically all the ground is tillable. He is a progressive farmer, and has made a reputation for the growing of crops. A feature of his barnyards is the fine red Duroc swine, and all the rest of his stock are of high-grade. His home is comfortable, but without ostentation. For the past forty-five years Mr. Dean has plied his profession as auctioneer, and his record in that line cannot probably be excelled. His services have been almost constantly in demand, and some years ago he established a record of working as auctioneer for sixty consecutive days with the only intermission on Sunday. As an auctioneer he has visited many counties of the state, and his patrons have felt the utmost confidence in his ability, and effective salesmanship.

Mr. Dean was first married to Lavina Reed, who was born in Madison county, and who died in Grant county of lung trouble in 1876. Her one son, Pearl R., has followed in the footsteps of his father, and is now a well known local auctioneer with home at Summittville, in Madison county. He married Maude Worth, and they have one son, Rolland Dean. Mr. Dean after the death of his first wife married, in Madison county, Miss Arminta Alice Cree, who was born in Madison county, March 27, 1858. Her father was the late Honorable Robert Cree, who at the time of his death was serving as state senator from Madison county and had a long career of activity in politics. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Dean are mentioned as follows: Charles, now a farmer and breeder of horses and mules, married Emma Woolen, a daughter of Edward Woolen, and their children are Ortense A., and Winton A. Ella S., is the wife of Eldon Marine of Delaware county, living near Muncie, and they have two children, Eva W. and Claude M. Frederick O., also a farmer, with his home near Summittville, in Madison county, married Arlice I. Johnson, and has two children, Lodema C. and Estelle Louise. Flossie E., like the other children has received the best advantages of school, and is now a member of the class of 1916 in the Fairmount Academy. Mr. Dean and family are members of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, and in polities his support has been given to the principles of the Prohibition party.

Note: Researcher Lora Lawson Grabow has reported that Calvin's lineage should be father, John Dean; grandfather, James Dean and great-grandfather is Thomas Dean. There is an accounting of John's history in Dean family reunions in the Kokomo papers, that tells of John's migration with some of his siblings and his mother, Kesiah from Mercer Co. in the 1840's. Eliza J., a sister to John, who married Ransom Lawson, is Lora's line, and is buried close to Kesiah. James (John and Eliza's father) had died in Mercer Co. Ky. before they moved to Indiana. James was born about 1765, (the census reads, in Va.) It is a good possibility a Thomas is the GRANDFATHER of John. Thomas also had sons, John, Joseph and Thomas. There is no proof the Thomas from Bourbon co., Ky is the right Thomas. The Deans at that time were located in Mercer and Jessamine Co., not Bourbon Co. Another Thomas Dean from Ireland is also a possibility and according to Lora a better one.

FRED SCHRADER. A cursory review of the life of Fred Schrader reveals among many admirable and praiseworthy traits one in particular which has, perhaps, been the mainspring of his splendid success in life�his unfailing business tact and judgment. Few men in Grant county have begun their business careers with the handicap that was Mr. Schrader's portion, and few have excelled him in the measure and character of their achievement. It is fitting and proper that some mention, even though brief, be accorded to him in a publication of the nature and purpose of this one, and though the facts are meager they will tend to indicate something of the character and individuality of the man.

Mr. Schrader is of German nativity, born in Lippe Detwold, Germany, on October 8., 1845, a son of Conrad and Dena (Slaver) Schrader, also natives of the province above named, from whence they came to America with their children. They were of the farming class� fine old German folk of solid character and genuine worth, all their lives members of the Lutheran church in their community. They were married in their native province, and all their children were born there. It was in the year 1867 they came to America, and after landing at New York City came direct to Ripley county, Indiana. There they purchased a comfortable farm and settled down to farm life in their new home. Some little time after that Fred Schrader, their son, went to live on a farm of his own in the vicinity of Kokomo, and there the parents also went to live. They spent their remaining days in the home of their son, who was ever one of the most dutiful of children, and on September 12, 1897, the father passed away, at the advanced age of eighty-three years. The mother survived until 1904, and she was eighty-six years of age when she passed away in the home of her daughter, Mrs. Hannah Weser, where she had gone to live soon after the death of her husband. They were the parents of six children, but only two of that number grew to years of maturity, and they are still living, a son and daughter. The latter, Hannah, married Philip Weser, mentioned above, and they have three children, Eda, Lillie and Jeannette.

Fred Schrader secured some educational training in his native land, but when he came to America he was, like many another foreigner, unable to speak a word of intelligible English. He did not let that difficulty long stand in his way, and early applied himself to the business of mastering the language. He learned the trade of a brick maker as a young man at home, and when he settled near Kokomo devoted himself to that work. At first his father was engaged in the work with him for some time in Ripley county, and later they carried their brick-making activities into the vicinity of Kokomo, where they operated a large yard. They gradually carried their activities into other places until they had yards at Elwood and at Montpelier, Indiana, as well as at Kokomo. In 1896 Mr. Schrader and his father came to Jonesboro and opened a large yard in the vicinity of this place, which they operated in conjunction with their other plants for several years, the combined output of their several plants being about 100,000 bricks daily. When the father died in 1897 the son, Fred Schrader, continued alone in the business, his success being constant and pleasing. He had in the meantime purchased a farm of two hundred and eleven acres in Mill township, in section 32, and though it was in a fine state of cultivation when he became the owner he gave close attention to it and brought it up to a condition bordering on perfection with his various improvements. He purchased the farm with the intention of settling down on it and living quietly, and in due time he withdrew from his brick making activities, selling the business outright, and has since given his time to his farm. He still retains various business interests, however, and he has stock in several banks in and about the county, being at one time a director in the State Bank at Jonesboro. The principal business interest of his life now is the care of the farm, which has responded most generously to the labor he has expended upon it, so that his home is an ideal one. After he moved to his farm he built a fine twelve-room brick house, said to be the finest brick house in the county. The brick was made in his own plants, and is of the finest quality, as one might expect. The house itself overlooks Jonesboro, Gas City and the Mississinewa Valley, and is surrounded by spacious and well kept grounds. The interior of the place is finished in choice selected wood, and the entire farm reflects the genuineness and sturdiness that have so marked the life and activities of its owner.

In 1871 Mr. Schrader was married in Ripley county, at Batesville, Indiana, to Miss Elizabeth Hoyer, who was born, reared and educated in that community. She was born on September 11, 1852, and is the daughter of John A. and Margaret (Bates) Hoyer, both German born people who were married in the Fatherland and came to America after the birth of their first child. They settled in Ripley county, Indiana, later making a home at Batesville. Mr. Hoyer was a farmer and shingle maker, and they spent the remaining years of their lives in the Batesville community. The father died there in May, 1911, when he was eighty-four years of age, his birth having occurred on October 8, 1827, and his wife preceded him in death, passing away on February 21, 1904. She was then in her seventy-eighth year, having been born June 13, 1826. The father was a Republican and proved himself an excellent citizen in his adopted country. Five daughters were born to these good people, and are mentioned as follows: Eva, the first born, married Fred Youngman, and had three children, Louisa, Rosa and Nellie. Mrs. Youngman died in June, 1911. Elizabeth, the second born, married Fred Schrader. Barbara is the wife of Henry Schumaker, and their home is in Indianapolis. They have one son, Albert, who is a student at Purdue University, class of 1914. Margaret married August Bush, and they took up their abode on the fine old farmstead in Batesville. Their children are Ida, Harry, Nellie, Lillie, Bertha and Carrie. Anna became the wife of Godfrey Clemens, of Washington, Illinois, and they have one daughter, Maybelle.

To Mr. and Mrs. Schrader eight sons and daughters have been born, namely: William, a resident of Kokomo, is in the automobile works at that city. He married Blanche Bromley, and their two children are Harold and Anna Elizabeth. Ella H. lives at home. She was educated in the Kokomo schools, as were her brothers and sisters, and she is especially talented in music. She is the organist in the Episcopal church in Marion, and is also a teacher of vocal music in the Jonesboro high school. Anna Bell, also at home, displayed unusual musical talent, and has devoted some time to studies along that line. Clara married Dr. E. E. Young, a dentist, and is living in Kokomo. Edward is engaged in the hardware business in Kokomo. He married Besse Lease, and they have one son, Edward, Jr. Fred, unmarried and at home, is employed in the Indiana Rubber Works at Jonesboro. Harry owns and operates a garage in Jonesboro. He is a mechanical engineer of ability, and is also a student at Notre Dame. Otto, a practicing dentist at Jonesboro, took his D. D. S. degree at the Indianapolis Dental College with the class of 1911.

It thus appears that Mr. and Mrs. Schrader have done the very best they could in the way of providing complete and fitting educations for their children, allowing them to develop along the lines in which they have manifested special talent, and the result is that each one of their household is fitted to properly fill his own niche in life in a manner that will conduce to the highest possible good. The parents have membership in the Presbyterian church of Jonesboro, and Mr. Schrader, like his father, has adopted the principles of Republicanism, and is a citizen of genuine worth in his community. By reason of his admirable character and his very definite achievements in his business career he has gained a place in the esteem and regard of his fellow men that will be his as long as he lives, and his name will ever enjoy the respectful recognition of those who have known him in his daily walk.

Deb Murray