Prior to his removal to Indiana, January 1, 1846, Mr. Warner was married to Miss Ruth S. Tillotson, a daughter of Asa and Ruth (Beebe) Tillotson. She was a native of Monroe county, New York, born near the city of Rochester on August 30, 1825. She was a child of about three years of age when her mother moved to Ohio. There she attended the same school in which her future husband was educated and, like him, made the best use of the limited facilities for obtaining an education. On coming to Indiana to establish their home they met the usual difficulties and hardships that attend the pioneer, but their courage was undaunted and, knowing that honorable and well applied industry would bring in time those comforts which make a home the "dearest spot on earth," the task was never neglected nor the time wasted. As a result their efforts were rewarded, as evidenced by their substantial home and well-cultivated fields where Mrs. Warner now resides. They never enjoyed the comforting pleasures of parentage, but the innate goodness of their hearts went out to children who were bereft of parents. They gathered seven in the course of time and reared them to manhood and womanhood, as follows: Isaac Harrison became a soldier during the Civil war and nobly gave up his life in defense of his native country; Clarissa Madden became the wife of William Clover, and is the mother of two children, Eva and Chester; Mrs. Clover is deceased, and the two children are now making their home with Mrs. Warner; Tillie Warner married Seward Crosby (deceased), and resides at Larwell, Indiana; Marion Galbraith, now a farmer of Washington township; and Francis Moore, also a farmer of Washington township.
The Tillotson family, of which Mrs. Ruth Warner is a direct descendant, is closely traced back to a period prior to the Revolution. The chronological record dates from the early settlement in the province or colony of Connecticut, where three brothers of English descent settled and reared families. All of them were active participants on the patriot side in that memorable struggle. On the Warner side the same conditions are traced, three brothers, Ichabod, Nathan and one younger, coming to America from England, and settling respectively in New York and Pennsylvania. They took an active part in the war for independence from English rule, and later in the war of 1812. It will be seen therefore that the late Mr. Warner and the estimable lady who bears his name both sprang from that grand type of American stock which became famous in history and whose heroic struggle against the greatest and most powerful nation of the world added a new nation among the powers and opened a new continent as an asylum for the oppressed of every land. During the Civil war of 1861-5, which so thoroughly tested the enduring power of American government on the basis of government by the people, the successful issue of which insured the perpetuity of our form of government and its ennobling institutions, Mr. Warner was as earnest in his support of his heritage from Revolutionary ancestors as were they in its establishment. Physically disabled to such an extent as to prevent his entering into active service, his heart and soul were in the cause, and whatever aid he and his estimable wife could give was given cheerfully and gladly.
Mrs. Warner still retains the original one-hundred-and-sixty-acre homestead, the management of which is under her immediate supervision. She has about one hundred acres under cultivation and the excellent appearance of everything about the place shows a careful and thrifty method in every detail. Pleasantly located about two and a half miles from the town of Pierceton, her delightful, roomy residence always attracts the attention of thoSe who pass that way, and the sense of comfort and pleasure it imparts is but the reflex of that refinement which dwells therein. Mrs. Warner is ever doing something which shows her innate nobleness of purpose, and her benefactions are innumerable. The last to know her as a mother was Miss Blanche Wilt, whom she raised from a child. She first married Ed ward Pocock; her second marriage was to Joel Perkins, and their home is now in North Dakota.
Progressive Men and Women of Kosciusko County, Indiana
B. F. Bowen, Publisher
Logansport, Indiana
1902
HIRAM ULREY.
The subject of this sketch is a grandson of Joseph Ulrey, Sr., whose biography appears elsewhere in these pages, and was born in Jackson township, Kosciusko county, on the 21st day of July, 1867. His parents were Aaron B. and Mary A. Ulrey, both well-known and highly respected people who figured in the early growth and development of the part of the country in which the Ulrey family originally settled. The subject spent the years of his childhood and youth on the farm where he first saw the light of day, and when a small boy was deprived of his father, after whose death he went to live with his grandfather, Joseph Ulrey. With the latter he found a good home and during his stay under his grandfather's hospitable roof was the recipient of many kindnesses, being regarded with especial favor and pride by every member of the household. His educational training was such as the common schools of the neighborhood could impart, this being supplemented by one term in the high school at North Manchester, and two terms at Logansport College. When a lad in his 'teens he learned, under the direction of his grandfather, the shoemaker's trade, at which he soon became quite a proficient workman. From an early age Hiram exhibited a willingness to learn and his decided industry and energy won the love and admiration of his grandfather, who did all within his power to implant in the lad's mind the principles of honesty and integrity, so that he would grow up an honorable man and be of some use in the world. After his mother's second marriage he returned to her home and assisted his stepfather on the farm until his eighteenth year, after which he returned to his grandfather, with whom he stayed until the spring previous to his marriage, when he bought a half interest in a hard ware store in the village of Sidney, but shortly afterward, by the advice of his grandfather, he traded it for a small farm near the village. Shortly after arriving at man's estate he formed the acquaintance of an estimable young lady of Monroe township by the name of Dencie Noggle, born May 15, 1868, to whom, after a brief courtship, he was united in wedlock, on November 20, 1892. Mrs. Ulrey was reared on a farm and after obtaining a good education engaged in teaching, a work in which she developed great efficiency, earning an enviable reputation during the several years she was employed in the public work in Kosciusko county. Immediate1y following his marriage Mr. Ulrey moved to a forty-acre farm about one mile north of the village of Sidney, Jackson township, where he continued to live for a number of years, meeting with success as an agriculturist and winning for himself a conspicuous standing among the intelligent and enterprising citizens of the community. He followed husbandry until the continued ill health of his wife obliged him to turn his attention to less arduous labor. Accordingly he left the farm and, moving to Sidney, opened a harness shop, in connection with which he also carried on shoe repairing, doing a good business in both lines. Subsequently he opened his house for the accommodation of the traveling public and has since kept a neat and well-appointed hotel, which from the beginning has had a well paying patronage and is now one of the most popular places of the kind in the county. MR. Ulrey still carries on shoe repairing and the harness business, doing all kinds of general repairing in both lines of work besides dealing directly with the general trade in hand-made harness and appliances connected therewith, meeting with encouraging results in all of his undertakings. The industry and thrift which marked his early years are still among his most prominent characteristics and, fully appreciating the true dignity of honest toil, he believes that man should earn his bread by the sweat of his brow, and looks upon willful idleness as being almost criminal in its nature and results. In all the essential elements of true and upright manhood he is easily the peer of the best citizens of his village and county, and his aim always has been to so do his duty as to benefit himself and society at large.
Mr. Ulrey is held in high esteem by all who know him and his large acquaintance throughout Jackson and neighboring townships has brought him to the favorable notice of all classes of people. He is a creditable representative of one of the oldest and most honorable families of Kosciusko county and, inheriting many of the sterling qualities of his honest and sturdy ancestors, has devoted his life and energies to the general welfare of the community, deporting himself in every relation as a man who unselfishly tries to make the world better by his presence. Politically a strong Republican, he takes no very active part in party affairs further than keeping himself well informed on the leading questions before the people and using his influence to get good men into office and elevate the standard of public morals. The German Baptist church, of which he is an humble and zealous member, embodies his religious creed and for a number of years past he has been one of the pillars of the congregation worshiping in the village of Sidney. His wife is also identified with the same communion and in a quiet and unostentatious way has aided much to promote the good work which the church carries all. Mr. and Mrs. Ulrey are without children, the only issue of their marriage dying some years ago.
Progressive Men and Women of Kosciusko County, Indiana
B. F. Bowen, Publisher
Logansport, Indiana
1902
AARON MILLER.
Aaron Miller is a native of Indiana, having been born in Kosciusko county, January 18, 1845. His father, Stephen E. Miller, was a native of Ohio and was a son of Stephen E. and Anna (Rodabaugh) Miller, who were among the early pioneers of that state. He was married in Montgomery county, Ohio, to Elizabeth Landis. She was a native of Pennsylvania and from thence emigrated in an early day with her father David Landis, to Ohio. In 1834 Stephen E. Miller, the father of our subject, moved to Elkhart county, Indiana, and about one year later came to Kosciusko county. He entered land in Jefferson township, on which he settled and resided there until death. He and his wife were both members of the German Baptist church, in which he was also a minister for a number of years, and during the latter part of his life for more than twenty years he served as elder of that church. He died in July, 1873, at the age of sixty-two years, and his wife died in April, 1898, at the age of eighty-seven years. They were the parents of nine children, viz.: Anna, deceased; Catherine, deceased;. John H. is an elder in the German Baptist church and resides at Goshen, Indiana; Henry, deceased; Mary A. is now Mrs. Samuel Riggle and resides at Portland. Oregon; Aaron is the subject of this review; Daniel D. is a farmer and lumberman of Petoskey, Michigan; Jonas B. resides at Michigan City, Indiana; David E., deceased.
Aaron Miller was reared on a farm and received his first knowledge of books in an old log school house in Jefferson township in his native county. He was an apt scholar and lost no time in his endeavor to gain a good education. He applied his evenings and what spare time he had at home to his books and today is one of the best-posted men on all subjects in Kosciusko county. He also has the best library in the county and is a great friend to education. In the spring of 1871 Mr. Miller settled on a farm in section 12, Jefferson township, which he still owns. Here he resided until 1881, in which year he moved to Milford, where he now resides. He concluded to retire from actual business, though he still conducts his farm and engages somewhat in stock raising. A feature or Mr. Miller's farm worthy of mention is his barn, one of the finest and best constructed barns in Kosciusko county, which was erected at a cost of about three thousand dollars. It is built in the form of an L, one hundred and ten feet by one hundred feet, the two ends being respectively thirty feet and forty feet in width with twenty-six-foot posts. It was constructed without purl in, plate, purl in post or beam, and is so constructed that the strain and support is equal in all directions. The floor, which comprises six thousand six hundred square feet, is laid with Portland cement, and is divided into compartments for different kinds of stock, the partitions being so arranged, however, that all may be thrown into one room. The building is fitted throughout with water pipes, thus reducing the labor of caring for the stock to the minimum, the water being conducted from a water system located within the building.
Mr. Miller was married in Kosciusko county, March 17, 1870, to Miss Susannah Leatherman, and to his marriage five children were born, viz.: Rosella, who died when about five months old; Mary E., who married Charles Shinnebarger and resides on the home farm; Anna, who is still under the parental roof unmarried, and two that died in infancy, not named. Miss Anna has taken the full high-school course in Milford and will enter the Northwestern University at Evanston, Illinois, in the literary and musical department in 1902. She is a young lady of great ambition and personally superintends the culture of eight acres of onions on her father's estate, a fact of which she is proud, and she wishes to be self-supporting. Mrs. Miller was born in Kosciusko county, Indiana, December 20, 1845, the daughter of Joseph and Mary (Brumbaugh) Leatherman. Joseph Leatherman was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, about 1819, and died in Kosciusko county, Indiana, about 1872. He received a good common-school education, and was a pioneer of this part of Indiana, having entered land from the government. His vocation was that of farming, and in his community he was highly esteemed by all. Politically he was formerly an old-line Whig, but affiliated with the Republican party after its organization. Religiously he was a member of the German Baptist church. His wlife, whose maiden name was Mary Brumbaugh, was born in Ohio about 1829 and died about 1886. She also was a member of the German Baptist church, and she and her husband now lie buried in the Brumbaugh cemetery. They were the parents of six children, four sons and two daughters, of whom the following are living: Wil1iam is a resident of Jefferson township, this county; Mary, Mrs. Miller; Conrad, a farmer, is married and resides on the old homestead in Jefferson township; Franklin, who is connected with the oil industry, is married and lives at Whiting, Indiana; David, a shoe manufacturer, is married and resides at Anderson. this state.
Mr. Miller is in politics a Republican and while not an aspirant for public office, he was elected in 1892 to the office of commissioner of Kosciusko county and was reelected in 1894, serving two terms of three years each. A few noteworthy facts concerning Mr. Miller's administration as commissioner are here presented. When he entered the office in 1892 the tax rate of the county was fifty cents per one hundred dollars, but before the close of his term it had been reduced to twenty-eight and a third cents. The number of bridges in the county in 1892 was fifteen, but during Mr. Miller's official term there were built ninety-three bridges and twenty-one stone arches. During his incumbency the county infirmary, one of the finest in the state, was erected at a cost complete of forty thousand dollars and the county court house and jail were entirely refurnished on the interior in the way of papering, plumbing, heating and carpeting, all these improvements being made in spite of the marked reduction in the tax rate. A large saving was made in the cost of construction work, as follows: the price formerly paid for bridge construction was twelve dollars per lineal foot, including wooden joists, and five dollars per cord for stone, while the cost of laying the latter was seventy-five cents per perch. Mr. Miller succeeded in reducing these prices as follows: The price of fifty-seven bridges per lineal foot was eight dollars, with steel joists, a saving to the county of thirteen thousand, six hundred and eighty dollars, while in the thirty-six others which were built at the former price steel joists were used instead of wood, as had been the custom. The reduction in the price of three thousand, eight hundred and seventy cords of stone amounted to seven thousand, seven hundred and forty dollars, and the decrease in the cost of laying the same, twenty-seven thousand perch, was eight thousand dollars, making a total saving to the county in these three items alone of twenty-nine thousand four hundred and twenty dollars. Another progressive move was in the direction of good roads. When Mr. Miller took the office of commissioner there was not a rod of public road owned by the county, but during his incumbency roads were established and constructed in five townships, Jacksbn, Washington, Plain, Wayne and Franklin.
Mr. Miller is a splendid example to the youth of today of what may be accomplished by one who started out in life with no resources upon which to rely aside from his own determination and boundless ambition and energy. These qualities, however, have been the secret to many successful lives and to them Mr. Miller owes his present high standing among his associates. He is a friend to all movements that tend to the betterment of his community and in educational matters especial1y he is deeply interested.
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Progressive Men and Women of Kosciusko County, Indiana
B. F. Bowen, Publisher
Logansport, Indiana
1902
WILLIAM ELMER GERARD.
William E. Gerard, the affable proprietor of the livery and feed stables at Pierceton, Kosciusko county, Indiana, is a son of Isaac and Louisa (Kirkpatrick) Gerard, born in Plain township, Kosciusko county, Indiana, July 7, 1864. He enjoyed the advantages of our present excel1ent common-school system in his native township and that of Tippecanoe township. Laying aside his text-books at the age of seventeen he began his struggle for self-maintenance and future prosperity as a railroader, working for the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago railway, with which he remained for three years. He then turned his attention to farming, but disposed of his farming interests and went to Fort Wayne, where he entered the service of the traction company as conductor and driver. When the old system of power was superseded by the electric system, Mr. Gerard had charge of and was conductor of the first car run over the road. He remained with the company for two years, and then accepted a position with the Centliver Brewing Company of Fort Wayne, remaining with it for one year and a half. Returning to Kosciusko county, he again engaged in farming, locating in Tippecanoe township, which he followed for six years. He then moved to Marshall county and in 1901 moved to Pierceton and purchased a half interest in the livery business conducted by his cousin, Cary Gerard. Believing that the business could be better conducted alone, he purchased his cousin's interest and is now sole proprietor. He has seven head of good horses, two sample wagons, and other vehicles necessary for a complete livery and in sufficient quantity to meet the requirements of business and, being central1y located, is quite prosperous.
On January 11, 1885, Mr. Gerard led to the hymeneal altar Miss Elizabeth Coons, a daughter of Moses and Sarah (Hamlin) Coons. They are now the parents of three interesting children: Clara, Lora and Olia, all at home. Mrs. Gerard was born at Etna Green, this county, March 4, 1867, and was there educated in the public schools. Both parents of Mrs. Gerard are deceased, passing away at their home in this county, the father in 1885 and the mother in 1880.
Mrs. Gerard had five uncles on the maternal side who served in the Civil war. The father of Mr. Gerard died in Etna township in 1882; his mother passed away in Plain township in 1864.
Progressive Men and Women of Kosciusko County, Indiana
B. F. Bowen, Publisher
Logansport, Indiana
1902
MILTON H. BRINDLEY.
In many respects the career of the subject of this review is peculiarly instructive in that it serves to show what a well defined purpose, supplemented by correct principles and high ideals, can accomplish in the face of discouraging circumstances. It is an example of triumph over obstacles, the winning of success by honorable methods, and as such may be safely followed by those whose Life work is yet to be accomplished.
The Brindley family in America had its origin in Ohio, where the subject's ancestors settled in an early day, coming to this country from Scotland and Ireland. James Brindley, father of Milton H., was born and reared in the above state and when a young man was there united in marriage to Sarah Shanholts, whose people were among the early Scotch pioneers of Canada. The Shanholts were also early settlers of the county in Ohio where the Brindleys originally located and the names of both families are still familiar in the local annals of the community where they lived.
James Brindley was a man of diversified occupation, but devoted the greater part of his attention to farming and trading. In 1856 he left Ohio and migrated to Kosciusko county, Indiana, settling in the town of Etna Green, where he was engaged in merchandising until the breaking out of the late Rebellion. When the President issued a call for troops he closed his business and, leaving a wife and five children, went to the front as a private in Company C, Thirteenth Indiana Infantry, and gave a little over two years to the service of his country. He died a short time after his return from the army and is remembered as a man of intelligence and strict integrity and a true patriot. Of his seven children the following are living: Frank, Milton H., Effie A., Arthur and Norman, those deceased being Martin and Charles.
Milton H. Brindley is a native of Etna township, Kosciusko county, Indiana, and dates his birth from the 15th day of February, 1857. In his childhood he lived in Etna Green, but as a youth made his home on a farm a short distance south of the town and grew up to be an increasing help to his parents, meantime pursuing his studies at intervals in the public schools.
He was reared to habits of industry, but by reason of the straitened circumstances of his mother, his father having died when he was young, was obliged to begin the struggle of life with no capital save his own hands and a well-founded purpose to make the most of his opportunities. Poverty is exceedingly uncomfortable, as many people can testify, but in nine cases out of ten the best thing that can happen to a young man is to be, figuratively speaking, tossed overboard and be compelled to swim for himself. Young Brindley was early obliged to buffet the waves of adverse fortune, but animated by inborn strength, his resolution never wavered and in due time he had gotten a sufficient start to justify him in asking a young lady of his acquaintance to travel life's pathway with him. In October, 1880, he was united in marriage to Miss Margaret A. Halterman, of Ohio, who came with her parents to the county of Kosciusko the same year in which her name was changed to the one she now bears. After his marriage Mr. Brindley took charge of his mother's little farm, which he cultivated until 1891, when he purchased the place near Etna Green where he now lives. In the spring of 1888 he was elected on the Republican ticket township trustee and served as such until 1890, when he was chosen his own successor for another term of four years. During his incumbency he did as much if not more for the township than any of his predecessors, among the improvements being several substantial bridges, three school houses and four or five highways, besides work of lesser magnitude.
Not being favored with a finished education himself, Mr. Brindley has always appreciated, the great value of schools and while trustee gave the matter of public instruction special consideration. He spared no expense in the buildings erected for school purposes, although judicious in the expenditure of the people's money, and used his best endeavors to secure teachers of recognized intellectual ability and professional training he managed so as to have two terms a year in each district, one in the winter and one in the spring and summer, thus making it possible for the smallest child of school age to receive its allotted amount of training. He is an untiring political worker and while serving as a member of the county central committee his township always came up with its old-time Republican majority and during the last two or three years as committee and the vote was increased to a much higher standard than theretofore. In the year 1901 Mr. Brindley was appointed postmaster of Etna Green, the duties of which he has since discharged in a highly creditable manner, being a kind and obliging, as well as an able and judicious, official.
Mr. and Mrs. Brindley have two children, both daughters: Nellie Golden, born December 4, 1883, is a graduate from the county schools and a stenographer and typewriter, being equally proficient in both; Roxie Van Orman was born September 6, 1892, and, with her sister, still lives under the parental roof.
Fraternally Mr. Brindley belongs to Etna Lodge No. 268, at Etna Green, and Maccabees Tent No. 135, in both of which he has been honored with important official stations, being a charter member of the latter society. While not identified with any church organization, he has profound respect for religion and is a liberal supporter of the Methodist congregation, to which his wife belongs. He is a reader and keeps himself well posted on current events and general topics, taking a lively interest in the great political, industrial and religious questions of the day, on all of which he has decided opinions. As a neighbor and citizen he has always stood high in the esteem of his fellow men, he and wife being widely acquainted and moving in the best social circles of the town and surrounding country.
The above salient facts of Mr. Brindley's history light the retrospect of a life of usefulness, graced by a noble tone of manhood and consecration to duty whose influences are and will continue to be a blessing to society and a contribution to the best inspiration of onward and upward progression.
Progressive Men and Women of Kosciusko County, Indiana
B. F. Bowen, Publisher
Logansport, Indiana
1902
JOHN GAWTHROP.
For many years an esteemed and honored resident of Van Buren township, Kosciusko county, Indiana, the subject of this review is entitled to special mention with the successful and representative men of the county of Kosciusko. His name has long been inseparably connected with the agricultural and industrial growth and development of the county and in the equally important matters of education and public morals he has also taken a leading part. While primarily attending to his own large and varied business interests, his life has been largely devoted to his fellow man, having been untiring in his efforts to inspire a proper respect for law and order and ready at all times to uplift humanity and make the world better. His is a noble spirit and his life has been upright, as well as successful in the accumulation of material wealth. His career contains few mistakes and abounds in much that is honorable and of good report, containing the record of an untarnished name and a character above reproach, which is much more to be desired than great riches.
John Gawthrop is a native of Kosciusko county, Indiana, and dates his birth from the 25th day of March, 1848. His father, Amos Gawthrop, a native of Ohio, was born October 9, 1820, and when a young man came with his parents to Kosciusko county, Indiana, settling on what is known as "Little Turkey Creek prairie," Van Buren township. The subject's grandfather entered a quarter section of government land and was among the early pioneers of Van Buren township. Amos assisted to clear and develop the home farm and when he began life for himself chose agriculture as a vocation. He was married May 19, 1847, to Sarah Egbert, cleared a great deal of land and became one of the well-to-do farmers of his neighborhood. He was a man of excellent parts, industrious and thrifty, and wherever known his word was as good as his bond. He was one of the leading citizens of the county in which he lived, and until the breaking out of the great Civil war was a Democrat in his political belief. Being a stanch and uncompromising friend of the union and disagreeing with his party upon the matter of slavery and its policies generally, he severed his connection therewith and became a Republican, continuing such to the end of his days.
Amos and Sarah Gawthrop were the parents of six children, the subject being the oldest of the family, Florence C., the second in order of birth, married Henry Gibson, a farmer of Van Buren township, and has two daughters, Lena and Mabel; Mary M., the third in succession, died in childhood; Egbert, who comes after Mary M., is a citizen of this county; he married for his first wife Dicy Long, who bore him two children, Jackson, who died young, and Sarah E., a teacher in the puhlic schools of Milford; by his second wife, whose maiden name was Eleanor Woods, he has five children, Karl, Ellen and Emma (twins), Amos and Charles; Victor, the fourth of the family, married Ellen Thompson, who died May 1, 1902, leaving two children, Permelia and Victor H. He is a farmer of Van Buren township and. looks after the interests of his widowed mother, who makes her home with him. Charles, also a resident of Plain township, married Ellen Beatty, the union resulting in one child, Chester, who died in infancy. Amos R., the youngest of the subject's brothers, is engaged in the dairy business at Milford, his wife, who was formerly Miss Emma Rippy, has borne him one child, Charlie.
John Gawthrop was reared on a farm and the period of his childhood and youth passed uneventfully, having been unmarked by anything of especial importance. He grew to the full stature of vigorous manhood, developing his bodily powers by healthful outdoor labor and by coming in close touch with nature in its varied farms, early having learned to appreciate and value at their true worth the blessings and advantages of rural life. Being the oldest son, to him naturally fell much of the labor and responsibility of the farm and until his twenty-fourth year he remained at home and contributed to the support of the family. On the 1st day of October, 1872, he was united in the bonds of wedlock to Miss Minnie Gibson, daughter of William K. and Nancy (Kennison) Gibson, and for two years thereafter farmed as a renter in the township of Van Buren. At the expiration of the above time Mr. Gawthrop purchased one hundred and twenty acres of partially cleared land in section 30 and during the following sixteen years lived on the same, bringing the place to an excellent state of cultivation. He did much hard labor in the way of ditching his land, using plank for the purpose until drain tile was introduced. In 1890 Mr. Gawthrop moved to Milford and purchased property there and in 1894 disposed of his former farm at a good figure. He continued to reside in Milford until purchasing his present place in 1894. He has a beautiful and well-cultivated farm, which produces abundantly all the grains, vegetables and fruits grown in this part of the state and the general spirit of thrift and prosperity everywhere present on the premises indicates the interest the owner has taken in his work and the success with which he manages his affairs. The large and elegant modern residence which his family now occupies was erected in the year 1895; the building is beautiful in architectural design, attractive in appearance and surrounded by trees and lawns, is one of the most imposing farm dwellings in the township.
Mr. Gawthrop has met with most gratifying success in his business affairs and is now the possessor of a fortune of considerable magnitude, owning, in addition to his fine farm and other property in Kosciusko county, lands to the amount of seven hundred and sixty acres in Michigan, all devoted to cultivation and pasture except a quarter section of valuable timber land. From the latter Mr. Gawthrop expects to realize a considerable sum of money, for at the most conservative estimate it is claimed that the hundred and sixty acres contains at least one million feet of fine saw timber, besides other of less value. Live stock has occupied much of Mr. Gawthrop's attention during the last six or eight years and as a raiser of fine cattle, hogs, sheep and horses he has no superior in this part of the country. Of late he has given less of his attention to sheep than formerly, devoting the greater part of his time, aside from farming, to other stock especially horses, of which he keeps a number of very fine animals, including a valuable brood mare whose colts have already brought him the sum of eighteen hundred dollars. He is an excellent judge of horse flesh and takes pride in this noble animal, which in all ages has been man's most useful and faithful friend.
Mr. Gawthrop is a Democrat and has done his party valuable service in a number of campaigns, both local and general. He is well read on the issues which divide the great political parties and has the courage of his convictions, being a man of pronounced views and with the intelligence and ability to maintain them. Although not ambitious to possess office or aspire to public distinction, he was for five years elected trustee of Van Buren township, his continuous retention in the position speaking well for his capability, faithfulness and popularity. Religiously he and family are Methodists and for a period of four years he held the office of trustee and treasurer in the local church to which he belongs.
Mr. and Mrs. Gawthrop had three children, namely: Mabel, born August 27, 1873, died when one year old; William G., born September, 1875, married Lily Price and is the father of two offspring, Thelma and Zelda; Lulu S. was born April 2, 1881, and is still with her parents. Mrs. Gawthrop's parents, William K. and Nancy Gibson, had a family of children as follows: Margaret is the wife of Henry Bowser and they have five children, William Morris (resides in Elkhart county, married Setta Cart and has three children), Hattie (the wife of Henry Neff, of St. Joseph county, Indiana, and the mother of four children), Agnes (married Daniel Neff, of Milford, Indiana and they have one child), Charles E. and Luella, both at home. Amanda, wife of Edward Moore, is the mother of eight children, four dying in infancy; the others are Jesse, Samantha, Kittie and Bret. Davis, the third of the family, married Hattie Blough, who has borne him one son, William K., a farmer of Harrison township, this county. Henry, who married Florence Gawthrop, a sister of the subject, is a retired farmer living in Milford. Harlan, the next in succession, has been twice married, first to Mary Dewart, who bore him two children, Minnie and Samuel C.; the second wife, whose maiden name was Rilla Waldron, is also the mother of two offspring, William K. and Victor. Clark married Ida Chrowl, his family consisting of two children, Treva and Gerald. The youngest son, Charles, a resident of Goshen, Indiana, married Hattie Pinkerton, a union blessed with two children whose names are Bert and Murriel.
Progressive Men and Women of Kosciusko County, Indiana
B. F. Bowen, Publisher
Logansport, Indiana
1902
ANDREW E. SARBER.
Andrew E. Sarber, son of Thomas B. and Martha A. (Timmons) Sarber, is a native of Seward township, Kosciusko county, Indiana, and was born the 19th day of December, 1868. He was the youngest of three children, the others being Edson B., whose biography appears elsewhere in this history, and Louisa C., who died in infancy. His early life was spent on the farm, helping with the farm work during the summer season and attending district school during the winter. After completing the course of study in the district school, he spent two years in the Burket public schools, preparing to be a teacher. He began teaching in the autumn of 1886 and has taught continuously ever since. In 1893 he assumed the principalship of the Beaver Dam public schools, which he held for seven years, when he resigned to accept a similar position in the Burket schools, which position he sti1l holds. The greater portion of his vacation is spent in preparing himself for higher and better work. He has spent several terms in the Northern Indiana Normal and Business Institute at Valparaiso, Indiana, and at the present time is taking the scientific course in that institution. His highest ambition seems to be to excel his present self and attain greater excellence in the various lines of professional work.
Mr. Sarber takes a real genuine interest in the pupils with whom he comes in contact and hence has built up an enviable reputation among those with whom he has labored. While interested in the welfare of all his pupils, he has always taken a special interest in those less fortunate boys and girls who get so little encouragement from the world at large. Nothing, he says, gives him greater pleasure than the knowledge of the fact that a number of boys and girls have, due to his counsel, remained in school and completed the course of study who otherwise would have dropped out.
Andrew E. Sarber was united in marriage, October 16, 1888, to Etta Estella, daughter of ex-County Superintendent Samuel D. and Axsa (Boggs) Anglin, whose genealogy appears elsewhere in this record. This union has been blessed with two bright children, Earl Fennimore Cooper, aged twelve, and Beulah May, aged four. Earl began attending school at the age of six and for the past four years has been neither tardy nor absent. While he has kept pace with his class in his school work, he says he is going to be a farmer. When he was four years of age his grandfather Sarber gave him two sheep, the increase from which now numbers one hundred and forty. He lets them out on the shares, is assessed, pays his own taxes, and this year took one of his father's and one of his uncle's horses and went out on the road and hauled gravel to the amount of his road tax. This lad seems to have made a fair start to become that which he desires, an honest til1er of the soil.
Progressive Men and Women of Kosciusko County, Indiana
B. F. Bowen, Publisher
Logansport, Indiana
1902
LANDON C. MALCOLM.
The gentleman to whom the biographer now calls the reader's attention has for over two decades been a resident of Jefferson township, Kosciusko county, Indiana, and though his life has not been altogether one of ease, yet today he can look back with satisfaction as he recalls the arduous toil performed, the many obstacles overcome and the victories won in his struggles to gain the independent position which is now his. But those sturdy traits of his Scotch and English ancestors were inherited by him and exemplified in the determination and perseverance which characterized him. The country is largely indebted to the sturdy and indefatigable class of citizens of which our subject is a conspicuous example.
Landon C. Malcolm is a native of West Virginia, having been born in Hampshire county, January 2, 1835. His parents, Charles B. and Priscilla (Seiton ) Malcolm, were both natives of Virginia and of Scotch and English extractions. Charles B. Malcolm was a son of William Malcolm, who a native of Scotland, emigrated to the United States with his father, James Malcolm, in a very early day. They settled in Virginia where James, the great-grandfather of the subject, afterwards resided until death. He was a fanner by occupation and was the father of three sons, James, Peter and William. The latter, the grandfather of our subject, was reared on a farm and followed that vocation during his entire life. He was married in Virginia to a Miss Burris and by her had nine children, viz.: James, William, Charles B., Mariah, Ann, Nathan, George, Lucy A. and Isaac.
Charles B. Malcolm, father of the subject, was born in Hampshire county, Virginia, in 1807. He was also reared on a farm and engaged in agricultural pursuits all his life. He was married in Hampshire county, Virginia, about 1829, to Priscilla Seiton, who was born in Loudoun county, Virginia, in 1812. After his marriage he settled on a farm in Hampshire county, Virginia, which he had previously owned. Here he remained until 1844, in which year he moved to Shelby county, Ohio, where he purchased land and resided until 1864. He then removed to Elkhart county, Indiana, where he purchased land and resided until 1869, then moved to Kosciusko county, where he died in 1871. His wife died in Elkhart county in 1868. They were the parents of tel1 children. viz.: Edward V. deceased; Samuel B., deceased, was a soldier during the Civil war in the Fourth Ohio Cavalry and served three years and seven months; Landon C. the subject of this review; William was also a soldier in the Fourth Ohio Cavalry and was kil1ed while on duty; Catherine, now Mrs. Joeb Sharp, resides at Gravelton, Indiana; Horace H. was a soldier in the Thirty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry and served three years, being an inmate of the Andersonville prison seven months, and is now a resident of Goshen, Indiana.; Jane married David Shive and resides in Iowa; Phide1ia, now Mrs. John Malcolm, resides in Kosciusko county; Araminta died in infancy, and John Q. lives in Miami county, Ohio.
Landon C. Malcolm, the subject of this review, came with his parents to Ohio in 1844 and from thence to Elkhart county, Indiana, in 1864. He was married in Elkhart county, October 6, 1866, to Lucy A. Pierce, who was born in that county, June 24, 1844, a daughter of Luther and Harriet (Clyde) Pierce. The latter were both natives of New Hampshire and moved from thence to Elkhart county, Indiana, about the year 1833, where they resided until their deaths. They were the parents of four children, viz.: George and Clora, both deceased, Jane, and Lucy A., the youngest of the family.
After Mr. Malcolm's marriage he first settled in Elkhart county, and in 1878 purchased and settled on the farm on which he now resides, and has since lived. He owns one hundred and twenty acres of fine and well improved land. He has had born to him eight children, viz.: Alpharetta, now Mrs. George Hatfield, of Nappanee, Indiana, was a teacher in Kosciusko county; Minnie R. at home; Harriet, Mrs. Edward Tindal, of Muncie, Indiana, a teacher; Charles; Myrtle is a teacher; Earl is in the high school at Milford, and is fond of mathematics; Pearl and Mary. Mr. Malcolm is a good farmer and makes a business of general farming, giving some attention a1so to stock raising. He has always had a keen interest in the welfare of his community and because of those sterling qua1ities of character which he has evinced in his daily life he has won and retained in a high degree the respect and admiration of his community. Politically he is a Republican. He is a member of the Progressive German Baptist church and Mrs. Malcolm belongs to the German Baptist church.
Progressive Men and Women of Kosciusko County, Indiana
B. F. Bowen, Publisher
Logansport, Indiana
1902
OMAR F. GROVES.
Occupying a prominent place among the representative farmers of Jefferson township is found the gentleman whose name initiates this sketch. During his life span of a little over thirty-six years has he been a resident of Kosciusko county, his birth having occurred here on the 28th day of September, 1866. His parents, Desken B. and Sarah (Brown) Groves, natives of Ohio and Indiana respectively, were among the early settlers of the county of Elkhart, where their marriage was solemnized a number of years ago. Shortly after being united in the bonds of wedlock they moved to Kosciusko county and located an a tract of land in Van Buren township which Mr. Groves had purchased some time previously. Desken Groves c1eared and developed a good farm and became one of the leading men of the community. To his first marriage, noted above, one child was born, the subject of this sketch. Sarah Groves died in June, 1867, and Mr. Graves was again married, the second union resulting in three children, Arbie, Vida and Cora M. He subsequently contracted a third marriage, which was without issue.
Omar F. Groves' childhood and youthful experiences were similar to those of most boys born in the country and reared amid the active scenes of the farm. While at home his time was spent in the fields, except of the winter season when he attended the district schools, and he continued thus until the death of his father, which occurred when the lad was but thirteen years of age. This sad event was the means of changing very materially his future plans, as it threw him upon his own resources and compelled him to face the future alone and unaided. He earned his first money as a common laborer and continued to work among the farmers of his neighborhood until attaining his majority, meanwhile attending school as opportunity admitted. On the 15th of March, 1888, he was united in marriage to Miss Chloe J. Whitehead, daughter of John W. and Catherine (Brumbaugh) Whitehead, early settlers of Kosciusko county. Mrs. Groves was born June 8, 1868, in Jefferson township and has spent all of her life in the county of her nativity.
After his marriage Mr. Groves moved to a farm in Elkhart county and continued to live there about four years, meeting with encouraging success in his business affairs and accumulating by thrift and economy sufficient means to purchase a fine farm in Jefferson township, to which he changed his residence in 1892. His place, which consists of one hundred and thirty acres, is under a high state of cultivation and contains many va1uable improvements, the buildings, fences and other accessories being in first-class repair and the entire premises bearing evidence of the well-directed thrift and successful management of the proprietor. Mr. Groves is a progressive farmer, a judicious business man and a striking example of the exercise of those correct principles which win success. His youth was beset with many adverse circumstances, not the least of which was the lack of a mother's tender care and a father's wise advice and guidance at an age when boys most need the influence of parental control to direct them into the proper channels of life. That he successfully withstood temptation and pursued the right course shows him to have possessed moral stamina and a well-defined purpose to rise superior to his environments and become of some use in the world, a determination which has actuated him from his youth to the present time. Few young men situated as was Mr. Groves in the beginning of life, without capital or assistance which influential friends could exert in his behalf, would have accomplished as much as he has in removing the obstacles from his pathway and winning not only a competence but the esteem and confidence of his fellow citizens. Upon attaining his majority he inherited eighty acres of land and two thousand dollars in money. He occupies a conspicuous place in the community, has a large number of friends and' is popular with all classes of people. Courteous and kindly in manner and of unassailable integrity, his career has been that of a typical American gentleman whose prominent aim has been to help others while building up and establishing his own success in life. He has a beautiful and attractive home, which is the center of a free and hearty hospitality. Here, surrounded by family and friends endeared to him by kind deeds, he finds that solace and repose in the interchange of neighborly offices, without which life would be divested of many of its charms. He is still a young man, in the prime of physical and mental manhood, and, with the past as a criterion, it is reasonable to predict for him a long and useful life.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Groves has been made bright by the presence of two promising sons, Ralph J. and John D., aged twelve and eight years respectively. Politically Mr. Groves is a Democrat.
Progressive Men and Women of Kosciusko County, Indiana
B. F. Bowen, Publisher
Logansport, Indiana
1902
