He was born three and one-half miles north of Bucyrus, Ohio, August 20, 1853. His parents were Harrison and Celia Ann (Benson) Lones. In 1854 they removed, by way of the Mad river road, the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, to Iowa, but soon returned and located on a farm in Wyandot county, Ohio. His father died when he was six years old and the mother moved with her two daughters and son to Marsailks, Ohio, where he attended school until twelve years of age, when they returned to the farm. Bereft of a father when so young, as the only son he early grew into the responsibilities of the head of the family and between the ages of fourteen and nineteen had full charge of the affairs of the farm. Thus the young man was in training for the larger duties and responsibilities of later years. These years of practical experience only whetted his taste for learning and he now entered the National Normal School at Ada, Ohio, his mother removing to that place in order that each of her children might enjoy the advantages of the school. The following June his mother died. During the winter of the coming year he taught his first school at Kenton, Ohio. Wishing to still better prepare himself for the business of life, he then took a course of study in the Iron City Business College in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. The following summer was spent in improving the farm and, making repairs with a view to selling, which was done. A desire for railroad business had begun to possess him and later he came to Ft. Wayne, where he applied for an agency, but learned that to hold such a position it was necessary for him to be a practical operator. He sought other employment, but with little success and after a few weeks was willing to take any position offered and accepted a position as brakeman on a freight train on the central division of the Pittsburg & Ft. Wayne Railroad. His earnest desire to excel was soon recognized and within a year he was given a place in the freight office at Ft. Wayne. Later he had charge of the freight department of the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad in the Pennsylvania office and was next made assistant cashier for that office. However, he still desired an office of his own and, having well prepared himself for such a position by this previous training, on the 28th of August, 1883, he was appointed agent for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company at Warsaw and on the 30th of the same month took charge of the office.

Mr. Lones' worth as manager of the company's interests was recognized in assigning him to so important a place, for the office was a good one even then and there were prospects for a larger increase in business with the opening and improvement of the county. Although the regular salary was but forty dollars a month, there was a handsome commission on sales of tickets, this alone increasing the salary in some months to from one hundred and twenty-five to three hundred dollars per month. After the interstate commerce law went into effect this custom was discontinued and since then the office has not afforded such good returns. The office now requires a force of three clerks and two operators. The business formerly done was largely in live stock, timber, lumber and ice, but, with the changing interests of the county, the class of freights has changed, the present business being more largely of merchandise and manufactured products. Mr. Lones himself has been one of the foremost men in bringing about some of these conditions. Twelve years ago he, in company with A. O. Catlin and O. H. Mathews, had some experience in profitable investment in Iowa lands, his companions buying the famous Alexander Mitchell farm. Selling to advantage, he again invested in a tract of about eight hundred acres, which he sold during the next three years at a great profit, generally doubling; where he had bought for fifteen dollars, he sold for thirty dollars. Six years since he secured a tract of three hundred and sixty acres of what was then almost worthless land near Warsaw and which he set about to make valuable by suitable drainage. In order to secure the proper fall of water it was necessary to have the main channel of the Tippecanoe river straightened, which was done by the co-operation of many other citizens, the course of the river being shortened about five miles. Ditches cut to Little Pike lake lowered that body about four feet, which enabled them to drain all the low land, making excellent farms of what was before but little more than worthless swamp. The reclaiming of this land was a public benefit by ridding the vicinity of a miasmia breeding marsh and by increasing the value of surrounding land. One of the best stock farms is the result of this effort, to which is applied the name of Lake Glen Stock Farm. Here Mr. Lones' faculty for doing whatever he does well is in evidence. He has a herd of fifty very excellent thoroughbred Aberdeen Angus cattle. Shropshire sheep are also bred here and to the details of all breeding Mr. Lones devotes his personal attention, subverting it only to the demands of his office.

One of the first enterprises of public benefit of which he was one of the organizers was the People's Loan & Savings Association of Warsaw, of which he has been vice-president since its organization. Dr. Burket is the able president. In January, 1900, the officers of this association organized the Indiana Loan & Trust Company, of which Mr. Lones is vice-president. In December, 1900, the Warsaw Canning Factory was incorporated, with a capital of twenty thousand dollars, of which he is one of the principal stockholders and its• president.

As in other things, so in lodge work, Mr. Lones could be satisfied with nothing but the highest rank and stands a thirty-second degree Mason, holding relation to the Indiana Consistory at Indianapolis; Ft. Wayne Lodge of Perfection; and Darius Council at Ft. Wayne. He is high priest, as well as past high priest, of the Warsaw Chapter, R. A. M., and past eminent commander and present prelate of the Warsaw Commandery, K. T. He and his wife were charter members of local chapter of the Order of Eastern Star, he being past worthy patron and she past worthy matron.

Mr. Lones was married, in 1878, at Ft. Wayne, to Miss Jennie Logan, who was born and reared in that city. In politics Mr. Lones is a stanch Republican, and an energetic exponent of the principles of his party.

Progressive Men and Women of Kosciusko County, Indiana
B. F. Bowen, Publisher
Logansport, Indiana
1902

BENJAMIN F. DAY.
It is no doubt true that of all countries of the world Ireland has sent more emigrants to the United States in proportion to population than any other country, and the reason is well known. For hundreds of years the Emerald Isle has been denied many of its most sacred privileges by Great Britain, and the self respect and pride of the people were ground into the dust. The only way to avoid this was by emigrating to the free soil of the United States, where the Irishman could have an equal chance in the battle of life. The grandfather of subject, John Day, was a native of old Ireland and emigrated first to England and then to the United States about the time of the Revolutionary war. He enlisted in the army of Washington and assisted the colonies in obtaining their independence. He served as a private, was in a number of important movements of the armies and finally was honorably mustered out. At the close of the struggle he came west and settled in Ohio and there lived the remainder of his days. In Ohio he married Elizabeth Ballanger, who was a native of Ohio, and by her had six children, as follows: Bryan D., Jacob E., Axie, Huston, Jesse, Joseph and Lydia. John Day was a typical Irishman and a genuine pioneer. His son Joseph grew up on his father's farm and selected that occupation for his life's work. Upon reaching manhood he wedded Miss Lydia Hyatt, a native of North Carolina, and by her had eight children, as follows: Benjamin, subject; Elizabeth, who became the wife of George Reese and is deceased; Rachel, who died in early womanhood; William, who died when a young man, was never married; John, who married Ella Rush, now deceased, and lives in Grant county ; Alfred, who died when a boy; Ella, who married Edwin Woods and resides in Illinois; Ida, unmarried. Benjamin F. Day was born in Grant county, Indiana, October 4, 1844. He grew to man's estate on his father's farm and secured a fair education. He remained on the Grant county farm until about the age of twenty years, when, he enlisted in Company H, One Hundred and Eighteenth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served as a private for six months. He then returned to Grant county, and soon afterward again enlisted, this time in Company D, Eighth Indiana Volunteer Cavalry. Under his first enlistment he was in several skirmishes, and in his last service he fought at Greensborough, Raleigh, Nashville, Franklin and many skirmishes. He was neither wounded nor taken prisoner, but was in the hospital one week. He was mustered out July 20, 1865, and now draws a pension of ten dollars per month. After the war he resumed farming on his father's farm in Grant county. In 1867 he wedded Miss Mary J. Willhike and by her has four children: Edward, who married Leona Daily and lives in Grant county ; Joseph, deceased; Lillie I., who married Dallas Bay and lives in Grant county; Clayton died in infancy. His first wife dying in 1879, he married Mrs. Mary (Benbow) Criswell, and by her has two children: Thomas, who lives in Grant county, and Spritz Nellie, who also lives in Grant county. His second wife dying, he married Mrs. Lucinda (Robinson) Miller, his present wife, in March, 1893. She was the widow of Gilford Miller. Three children were born to this union: Elza, deceased; Nora A., who lives with her father; Everett, who married Cora Limebaugh and lives in Peru, Indiana, and is the father of one child, Burdette, born April 1, 1894. Mr. Day has a fine farm and is in comfortable circumstances. He is a Republican and takes much interest in his party's success. He and his wife are people of undoubted high respectability.

Progressive Men and Women of Kosciusko County, Indiana
B. F. Bowen, Publisher
Logansport, Indiana
1902

JOHN M. MILLER.
If there is one thing which distinguishes the American business man over those of any other country it is the facility with which any and all occupations are readily taken up by him and made successful. In the older countries it was customary for the son to follow the father's pursuit. "Follow your father, my son, and do as your father has done," was a maxim which all sons were expected to adapt. It is in such countries as the United States that full swing can be given to the energies of the individual. A man may choose any business or profession he desires, and he is limited only by competition. He must meet the skill of others and give as good service as they or he will not get the positions. Such adaptation to any work or business is well shown in the early career of the subject of this sketch. He turned his hand to many things and proved that farming was not the only occupation which he could make successful. He was born in Ober-Kalbach, Germany, May 30, 1837, and is the son of Nicholas and Elizabeth (Yost) Miller, both parents being also natives of that country. The father was a miller in truth, as his name indicates, and for many years ran a grist-mill, but in connection with the same also conducted the operations of farming. Both parents were people of more than ordinary intelligence and both had good educations in their native tongue. The father took a very active part in the movements of the Reformed church and was a man of much influence and prominence in that country. The issue of his marriage was as fallows: Elizabeth, who married in Germany and is now deceased; Catherine married in Germany and is also deceased; Anna, who married Nicholas Ommert and lives in Germany; Nicholas, deceased; Nicholas, J r., deceased; John M., subject. The latter was the youngest of the family, and he and his sister Anna are the only ones living. John remained with his father on the farm until he had attained the age of nineteen years. During his youth he attended the schools of the country, and received a good education in German and Latin, and in this respect was pretty well-prepared for the duties of life. He had heard of the great country across the Atlantic and in early manhood determined to go there, believing that he could improve his condition. So on August 27, 1856, he boarded a sailing vessel and on October 16, 1856, was landed in New York harbor. He came west at once and stopped at Cleveland, Ohio, where he hired out to a blacksmith for six dollars per month. He knew his services were worth more than that small sum, but he must get a start and was willing to do anything at first. The next spring he was offered fourteen dollars per month to remain with the blacksmith, but refused, and came on to Indiana, landing at Warsaw where he secured a job on the railroad at one dal1ar and fifteen cents a day. In the fall of same year he went to Ft. Wayne and began working at the wagon trade, but ere long returned to this county and began working at the carpenter's trade, continuing the same for a number of years, at the end of which time he began to contract for himself. All this shows in a marked degree his skill in adapting his energies to anything that will give him a profit. In other words, it shows him to be a good business man. From that day to this he has built scores of buildings in this section of the county. When he first came to Warsaw he had twelve dollars and fifty cents. He now has one hundred and sixty acres of excellent land, and has made the whole of it himself except one hundred and fifty dollars which he received from home. In the spring of 1863, March 8, he married Miss Lena Homan, who is of Germanic descent, her parents having come from that country a number of years before. She was born October 21, 1838. The issue of this marriage was two children as follows: Anna E., born December 10, 1863, living with her parents, and Catherine, born April 12, 1870, who is the wife of Amber D. Sands and lives in Seward township. The family belongs to the Lutheran church, in which Mr. Miller is an active member and deacon. In politics he is a conservative Democrat and his prominence is shown by the fact that on several occasions he has been named by his party for county commissioner, but as the county is strongly Republican he went down with his party to defeat. On two occasions he was defeated for township trustee by a very low majority. He made no canvass to secure the position. He is the present actuary of the Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company of this county, which position takes much of his time at present. But it shows the recognized ability, high character and standing of Mr. Miller. Mr. Miller has at various times since 1863 acted in the capacity of guardian and as administrator of estates, and in these capacities has handled thousands of dollars' worth of property, to the thorough satisfaction of the beneficiaries. He has also served as a juror a number of times.

Progressive Men and Women of Kosciusko County, Indiana
B. F. Bowen, Publisher
Logansport, Indiana
1902

SILAS M. ROBINSON.
It is the pride of the citizens of this country that there is no limit to which natural ability, industry and honesty may not aspire. A boy born in ignorance and poverty and reared under the most adverse surroundings may nevertheless break from his fetters and rise to the highest station in the land. And the qualities do not have to be of transcendant character to enable him to accomplish this result. It is more the way he does it and his skill in grasping the opportunities presented than to any remarkable qualities possessed by him. Accordingly it is found that very often in this country the president, governor and other high public officials possess no higher ability than thousands of other citizens. They have simply taken better advantage of their circumstances than their fellows. And this truth runs through every occupation. The farmer who rises above his fellow farmers does so by taking advantage of conditions which others overlook or fail to grasp. The family represented by subject has always heen classed with the best and thriftiest of the county in point of skill in farming and stock raising. Silas M. Robinson was born in Seward township, Kosciusko county, July 31, 1860, his parents being Andrew and Rebecca (Paxton) Robinson. In the spring of 1838 the Robinson family came from Kentucky to Tippecanoe county, Indiana, and thence to Kosciusko county, where the grandfather had bought one hundred and sixty acres of wild land. The Paxton family came from Ohio to Indiana in 1841. Both families are of English descent and people of much respectability. Andrew Robinson and Rebecca Paxton met, loved and were rnarried in 1850. To them three children were born, two sons and one daughter: Lucinda R. became the wife of Gilford B. Miller; after whose death she married Benjamin F. Day and resides on the west eighty acres of the old farm; Lyman W., who married Miss Sally Miller, lives in Akron, Indiana; Silas M., subject. The latter has always lived on a farm and on the old one which his grandfather entered from the government nearly three-quarters of a century ago. He secured, in youth, a common-school education and learned early to handle the ax and plow. In 1882 he concluded, as did the apostle, that it was not good for man to live alone, so he determined to take unto himself a wife, which he did in the person of Miss Amanda E. Richards, a young lady of many graces and accomplishments. To this marriage one child, Maud M., was born July 5, 1883. She has now passed the eighth grade in school. His first wife having died in February, 1894, Mr. Robinson selected for his second wife Mrs. Viola Kryder, widow of John Kryder, and to this marriage one child was born: Leora, born June 14, 1901. Mrs. Robinson was born in Stephenson county, Illinois, January 29, 1863, and is a daughter of Enos S. and Catharine A. (Babb) Rees. The latter couple were the parents of six children, two sons and four daughters, of whom five are yet living, three in Illinois and two in Indiana. Enos S. Rees was born in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, October 1, 1838, and is yet living. He followed farming, but has been during his later years a minister in the Lutheran Evangelical church. In politics he is a Democrat. His wife was born in Muncy, Pennsylvania, April 21, 1840, and is a member of the Lutheran church. Mr. Robinson has a fine farm of eighty acres and raises an excellent grade of stock of all kinds, being a good judge of fine stock. He is one of the most enterprising farmers of the county and has a comfortable home. He was at one time a member of the United Brethren church, while his wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal denomination. He belongs to Tent No. 57, K. O. T. M., at Akron, Indiana, in which he carries life insurance. He is a Republican and takes an appreciative interest in politics. Mr. Robinson has in his possession an old parchment deed, dated July 5, 1837, and signed by President Martin Van Buren, which was for land entered by William Robinson, the grandfather of the subject.

Progressive Men and Women of Kosciusko County, Indiana
B. F. Bowen, Publisher
Logansport, Indiana
1902

IRVIN B. WEBBER.

Indiana has been especially honored in the character and career of her public and professional men. In every county there are to be found, rising above their fellows, individuals born to leadership in the various avocations and professions, men who dominate not alone by superior intelligence and natural endowment but by natural force of character which minimizes discouragements and dares great undertakings. Such men are by no means rare and it is always profitable to study their lives, weigh their motives and hold up their achievements as incentives to greater activity and higher excellence on the part of others just entering upon their first struggles with the world. These reflections are suggested by the career of one who has forged his way to the front ranks of the favored few and who by a strong inherent force and superior professional ability, directed by intelligence and judgment of a high order, stands today among the representative men of Kosciusko county and northern Indiana. It is doubtful if any citizen of this, part of the state has achieved more honorable mention or occupied a more conspicuous place in the profession which he represents than Irvin B. Webber, a leading physician and surgeon of Warsaw, to a brief epitome of whose life the reader's attention is herewith respectfully invited.

Dr. Webber is descended from an old Ohio family that figured in the early pioneer history of Mahol1ing and Portage counties. His father, John Webber, was born in the northeastern part of that state in 1811, and the mother, who bore the maiden name of Lucinda Stall, first saw the light of day one year later. They were married in Mahoning county and subsequently settled in the county of Portage, of which they were early pioneers. John Webber purchased a tract of wild land upon which he erected a rude log cabin and for a number of years thereafter labored industriously, clearing his farm and making a home for himself and those dependent upon him. He was honorable in all of his relations, a successful agriculturist, and although quiet and unobtrusive in demeanor was a man of strong mentality and wide and varied information. He was a pronounced Republican in politics and always labored earnestly far the success of his party, but never aspired to office or public distinction. He lived a long and useful life on the old homestead in Portage county, always enjoyed the esteem and confidence of his fellow citizens and at his death left as a heritage to his family a name untainted by the slightest suspicion of anything dishonorable. His death occurred February 17, 1881.

The Doctor's mother is still living, having reached the remarkable age of ninety years. She retains in a marked degree the possession of her bodily powers and mental faculties, and is noted for her beautiful Christian character and sterling qualities of head and heart. She has long been zealous in religious work and from early youth her daily life has been a practical exemplification of the sincerity of her Christian faith. At the present time she lives among her children, who are unremitting in their efforts to make the remainder of her earthly pilgrimage pleasant and agreeable, sparing no kindly attentions or loving ministrations. John and Lucinda Webber were the parents of five children: Edwin L., deceased; Lydia J., who married William Cleverly and resides in the town of Atwater, Portage county, Ohio; Selden, a hardware merchant of Warsaw; Irvin B. of this review; and Charles, who died in childhood.

Dr. Irvin B. Webber was born at Deerfield, Portage county, Ohio, on the 31st day of March, 1846. Blessed with excellent parental training, he early formed correct habits which had a decided influence in moulding his character and shaping his future course of conduct, and his childhood and youthful years sped away on the farm, that fruitful soil from which have sprung the moral bone and sinew of the land. Dame Fortune cast no glittering favors in his pathway and at an early age he was obliged to bear his part in cultivating the fields and contributing to the support of the family. This free, wholesome life, in close touch with nature, was not without salutary influence, as it taught him the valuable lessons of independence and self-reliance which have always been among his most marked characteristics. In the district school of his neighborhood he acquired a knowledge of the elementary branches and subsequently, when fourteen years old, he entered the high school at Alliance, where for some time he pursued an advanced course of study. Actuated by a laudable desire to add to his scholastic attainments, he still later attended an excellent select school at Randolph, after which, at the age of seventeen, he began teaching in his native county.

Shortly after entering upon his duties in the school room the Doctor resigned his position for the purpose of entering the army, enlisting in January, 1865, in Company H, One Hundred and Eighty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until September following. His military experience consisted principally of guard duty, the regiment being assigned to watch the Nashville & Chattanooga railroad and to prevent the enemy from interfering with that line of communication. Receiving his discharge, the Doctor returned to Portage county and resumed the work of teaching and was thus engaged about one year when he became a student of Oberlin College which institution he attended until the fall of 1866. Being offered the superintendency of the public schools of Canal Fulton, a thriving town of Stark county, he left college and during the ensuing two years filled that position with credit to himself and satisfaction to all concerned. He achieved an enviable reputation, both as instructor and school manager, and had he seen fit to devote his life to educational work would doubtless have achieved distinction in that important field.

When a mere youth Dr. Webber manifested a decided preference for the medical profession and while teaching formulated plans for carrying out a desire of long standing to become a physician. During his vacations he read medical works as opportunities afforded and the money earned by his services as superintendent enabled him to resign that position and devote his time exclusively to study. Entering the office of Drs. Belding and Waggoner at Ravenna, Ohio, he prosecuted his studies and researches until 1868, in the fall of which year he entered the medical department of the University of Michigan. After remaining at that institution one year he attended, during the winter of 1869-70, the College of Medicine and Surgery at Cincinnati, completing the prescribed course and receiving his degree in February of the latter year. With a mind well disciplined by intellectual and professional training, Dr. Webber, on the 1st day of April, 1870, opened an office in Warsaw and entered upon the active practice of his profession. His abilities in his chosen calling were not long in being recognized and appreciated and within a comparatively brief period he succeeded in building up a lucrative practice. The Doctor is a man of marked ability and today is recognized as one of the most eminent physicians and surgeons in northern Indiana, also standing in the front rank of his compeers throughout the entire state. His watchfulness over the interests and the welfare of his patients, his devotion to the profession, his sound judgment and good sense, with other equally meritorious qualities, combine to complete his acknowledged fitness for his calling. His adaptability for the position of family physician is excelled by none and equalled by few, and his intercourse with his fellow men is such that his conduct commands the respect and confidence of all. His practice has been professionally and financially successful, and he has gained an ample competence, besides achieving a reputation much more than local. At the present time he is one of the oldest resident physicians in Warsaw, but his powers are still in the zenith of their usefulness and there yet remain to him many years in which to minister to humanity and alleviate the sufferings to which the race is subject.

Dr. Webber was married at Owatonna, Minnesota, on the 21st of May, 1874, to Miss Jennie M. Wilson, whose birth occurred in this county May 22, 1885, the daughter of Rev. William S. and Margaretta (Craig) Wilson. They have three sons: Roy I., born August 27, 1876; John W., born July 29, 1879; Edwin M., who first saw the light of day April 18, 1889. Roy I. Webber was graduated from Purdue University, Lafayette, and is now an accomplished civil engineer of Sewickley, Pennsylvania; John W. is engaged in the insurance business at Warsaw, and Edwin M., who is a student, is still under the parental roof.

Dr. Webber keeps in close touch with the trend of modern thought relating to medical science, has a fine library and is much referred to by his professional brethren of Warsaw and elsewhere. As a member of the Kosciusko County Medical Society he has done much to advance the standard of excellence among the physicians and surgeons in this part of the state, and has taken a prominent part in the deliberations of that body. As a member of the Indiana Medical Society he has met the leading men of the profession throughout the state, among whom his reputation has long been known and duly appreciated. In addition to the above two organizations he holds membership with the American Medical Society and for some years has been identified with the Big Four Railroad Association as one of its representative surgeons. At the present time the Doctor is secretary of the local board of pension examiners and holds a similar position with the Warsaw city board of health. From 1890 to 1899 he served as secretary of the board of school trustees of Warsaw, in all of which his duties have been discharged in a manner calculated to add to his high professional repute.

Dr. Webber is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity, in which he has risen to a high rank, having served as grand commander of the Knights Templars of Indiana in 1891. He also served as grand patron of the Order of Eastern Star and has been enthusiastic and untiring in his efforts to promote the interests of the various departments of the orders with which he is connected. In politics he is a decided Republican, always ready to support and defend his political convictions. He is active in his party, acting always from principle and not from aspirations for office or political preferment. Sometimes he sees fit to differ from party leaders, in which instances he claims the privilege of supporting men and measures only when in his judgment they are calculated to secure the best interests of the whole people. He is bold and independent in character, resolute in purpose and only yields to dictation from others when such a course meets his approval and subserves worthy ends.

Dr. Webber is a firm believer in revealed religion and, with his wife and three sons, belongs to the Presbyterian church. He contributes liberally to the support of the gospel both at home and abroad and his name is invariably identified with all worthy enterprises tending to promote the morals of the community and make the world better. He also takes a pardonable pride in the material prosperity of the city of his residence, is a believer in its future and lends his influence to all movements calculated in any way to develop the resources of the county and state. Socially the Doctor and his family move in the best society circles and arc deservedly popular with all classes of people in the community. Their home is a quiet retreat where refined simplicity reigns and within its hospitable walls his friends are frequently wont to assemble to enjoy the spirit of good cheer and be entertained by the charm of their presence and conversation.

Of Dr. Webber personally it may be said he is a man of strong and active sympathies ; his temperament is warm and ardent, his feelings deep and intense and these and other attractive characteristics have unconsciously drawn to him an unusual number of devoted friends upon whom, under al1 circumstances, he can rely. He is a close student of human nature and comprehends with little effort the motives and purposes of men. A lover of truth, he despises insincerity and sham, and hypocrisy in an of its phases is to him an especial abomination. In brief, he is a manly man, of pleasing but dignified presence, a profound student of many subjects and a leader in the profession to which his life has been devoted. Of spotless character and unflagging industry and energy he has risen to a position of great usefulness and distinction and stands today a conspicuous example of symmetrically developed, successful American manhood. He has long been recognized as one of the noted physicians and surgeons of northern Indiana and his position as one of the state's representative citizens is cheerfully conceded by all who know him.

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Progressive Men and Women of Kosciusko County, Indiana
B. F. Bowen, Publisher
Logansport, Indiana
1902

EPHRAIM WELLS.
In reading over the record of the lives of many prominent citizens one becomes impressed with the fact that certain families show at the outset their strong inclination toward books and learning generally. Among the farming community it is the rule and not the exception to find ordinary educations, but occasionally a family is met with that rises above the others in the scale of education and the capacity to grasp the larger questions of mental improvement. Such a family is that of the subject of this memoir. He was born in Miami county, Ohio, November 11, 1839, and is the child of William P. and Almyra (Trueax) Wells, the father's family hailing originally from Virginia and the mother's from Maryland. The grandfather was Levi Wells, a man of unusual capacity - a genius, in short. He married, in Virginia, a Miss Simmons and to them fifteen children were born. He exhibited his oratorical ability in early manhood and later became an exhorter of the Methodist Episcopal church and was a man of sincere piety and great personal worth. He studied and practiced medicine and was as successful in that difficult profession as in the ministry. In connection with his other duties, he kept a store and was in many ways the leader of his section in thought and motive. He also owned a farm and carried on husbandry to a considerable extent. His son, William P., was reared under these excel1ent influences and benefited by them. He grew to manhood on his father's farm and early married Miss Trueax and to them the following children were born: Levi, who died in infancy; Ephraim, subject; Martha J., who became the wife of Benjamin Keesey, and after his death, the wife of George Michaels, of Lake township; Harriett E. married Peter Clemmer and is deceased; Nancy E., who married William Clemmer and lives in Mentone, Indiana; Anna, who became the wife of William Caldwell and lives in Clay township; Esther, who married Henry Leffel and resides in Wayne township. William P. Wells moved from Miami county, Ohio, in November, 1849, and bought a farm in Lake township. Like his father, he also was a minister of the gospel, but his church was different, being the United Brethren. He preached about thirty years and for about fifteen years was an itinerant. He possessed much of the fine oratorical ability of his father, and was a man of great usefulness and high character, his life being filled with good deeds, mostly unknown to his neighbors. At ten years of age the subject of this memoir was brought to this county by his father. He attended the common schools and was very apt, managing to easily master the common branches at an early age. At the age of twenty-one years he began teaching in the common schools and for twenty-four years continued to be thus employed. He became probably, the most proficient teacher, in the county, and held the highest license granted by the county superintendent. He took special instruction for teaching from the high school in Warsaw, and from the Methodist Episcopal college at Ft. Wayne. At one time he held a position in the public schools of Silver Lake. His methods of instruction anticipated in many ways the excellent usages and ideas of the present day. His high moral character, fine scholarship, advanced ideas and splendid discipline made him the leading educator of the county, not excepting one. He has been three times married his third wife being Mrs. Jennie (Funk) Widener, who presented him with two children: Aaron, who died in infancy, and Edna, born December 11, 1883, who will complete the freshman year in 1902 in Otterbein University, at Westerville, Ohio. She has a fine musical education, which she is still further improving. Being their only living child, it is the intention of the parents to give her the best education obtainable. Mr. Wells has an excellent farm and raises grain and good grades of stock. His wife is a prominent worker in the farmers' institutes. Both are earnest and consistent people, filled with the love of life and hope for the future. Mr. Wells is a sterling Republican, having cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln, and takes great interest in the success of his party. He is one of the strongest workers for party success in the county, and wields great influence through his high character and personality. In the fall of 1884 he was the candidate of his party for county commissioner, and was easily elected and continued to serve with distinction for ten years, his election and re-elections attesting the confidence of his fellow citizens in his judgment and honor. The family are members of the United Brethren church, of which he has served as trustee and steward. He is a member of Lake View Lodge No. 164, Knights of Pythias, of Silver Lake, and is one of the strong intellectual, moral and practical factors of the county.

Progressive Men and Women of Kosciusko County, Indiana
B. F. Bowen, Publisher
Logansport, Indiana
1902

SYLVESTER BARBER.
The subject of this memorial is another of the old soldiers whom it gives the historian the greatest pleasure to place on record. This should be done before it is too late to get the full particulars from their own lips. Their sacrifices were too great not to deserve ample mention in the pages of history. It meant a great deal to quit all pursuits and go off to war with the chances against him of ever coming back, or if he came back to do so with shattered health for the remainder of his life or in a crippled condition. But such was the chance taken willingly by Mr. Barber; in fact, he seemed to enjoy taking chances for Uncle Sam, for he enlisted three several times. Let us learn a little more about this gallant old soldier. He comes of mixed Scotch and English stock, which fact in a large measure accounts for his courage and hardihood. His father's people were English and his mother's were Scotch. Subject was born in Seward township, Kosciusko county, October 21, 1845, his parents being Milo R. and Marinda O. (Butler) Barber. Grandfather Roswell Barber was a native of England and crossed the ocean to Massachusetts when he was a young man. He there met and married a lady of that state and they were the parents of the following children: Laura, Sylvia, Milo R., Nancy and Myron. Roswell was a farmer and his children were brought up on a farm. Milo received a fair education and upon reaching manhood married Miss Butler. At the age of sixteen years he left his father's home and began learning the tanner's trade. A few years after his marriage, which occurred in New York, he started for the West and in due time landed in Warsaw, Indiana, coming as far as he could on the Wabash & Erie canal. He there secured an ox team and brought his family and household goods to Kosciusko county, arriving in 1838, having entered eighty acres in the dense woods. Two years later he built a log cabin on the land and placed his family therein and began to clear off the heavy timber. He was one of the first settlers in this part of the county and at that time his place was part of a wilderness, filled with wild animals. He was a man of great physical strength, and in the early times was a supporter of Andrew Jackson and the Democratic party, but upon the repeal of the Missouri compromise he joined the Whigs and later the Republicans, and remained with them until his death. He was the first trustee of Seward township, being appointed first and later elected, and served as such for six years. He soon became known throughout the county for his sterling qualities and was finally brought out by his party as a candidate for county commissioner. He was triumphantly elected, serving as such for six years and performing while thus engaged many important acts for the benefit of the county. He was an active member of the Presbyterian church and was a power for good in his community. He lived to a great age, dying with the highest respect of everybody at the age of ninety-six years, three months and sixteen days. He became the father of eighteen children, as fol1ows: Abi O., who became the wife of Isaac Brockway and lives in Kansas; Sophronia, who married James Reed and lives in Marshall county, Indiana; Charles, who married Barbara A. Hoover and is deceased, was a private in the Twenty-eighth Iowa Infantry in the Rebellion and served three years; Myron F., who married and lives in Nebraska, served in the Twentieth Indiana Infantry; Milo R., Jr., who married May Ann Swalley and lives in Oklahoma, served in the Twenty-sixth, One Hundred and Thirty-eighth and One Hundred and Fifty-second Regiments Indiana Infantry; Calvin S., who married Hannah Dancer and lives at Newport, Nebraska, served in the Twentieth and Twenty-sixth Regiments Indiana Infantry, in all about three and a half years; Sylvester, subject; George, who wedded Lena Miller and is now deceased, served in the One Hundred and Twentieth Regiment Indiana Infantry for three years; Edwin, who wedded Angie Bailey and lives in Marshall county, Indiana; Theron L., who married Anna Herold, lives in this township. As will be observed above, six of the Barber boys, when the Civil war broke out, enlisted in the army and served substantially until peace was declared. They were all hardy and daring fellows and made ideal soldiers. They were present in nearly all the principal movements of the war and suffered intensely from the severe campaigns and the hardships generally. Sylvester Barber was reared upon his father's farm, receiving a fair education and learning the meaning of hard work. At the age of sixteen years he enlisted in Company F, Twelfth Indiana Infantry, under Captain Reuben Williams, and served as a private for eighteen months, during which time his company participated in the battle of Richmond, Kentucky, where he was taken prisoner and kept for three days and was then paroled and returned to the service, subsequently fighting at Jackson, Vicksburg, Missionary Ridge, etc. He then was obliged to leave the service owing to failing health and returned home, but recovering himself and feeling the old fire return, and having regained some of his lost weight, which was but eighty-four pounds when he came back, he again enlisted, six months later, in the One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Regiment Indiana Infantry and took the field, but was placed on guard duty for one hundred days. He again returned home, but as soon as he had recovered himself a little he again enlisted in the Twenty-sixth Regiment and served with the same until the end of the war. While with the last regiment he was under fire for thirteen days at Mobile, Alabama. He was mustered out at Vicksburg in December, 1865, and returned to his father's farm. He now draws a pension of fourteen dollars per month for the health he lost in the service of his country. His military record is a splendid one, showing his intense loyalty to the old flag and his bravery in battle and his endurance in the harassing campaigns. He was only about twenty years old at the close of the war. Before he was a voter or a citizen in the eyes of the law he had served about three years in the service of his country. His excellent record and that of his brothers should forever render sacred the family name in the annals of the United States. After the war he began to work by the month and later took a trip through Michigan and Iowa, returning and going to work on his father's farm in 1869. The following year he married Miss Clarcie E., daughter of Daniel Stevens, a pioneer of this county and an Englishman by descent. She bore him three children: Abi, who married George Rider and resides in this township; Walter, who married Amanda Roberts and lives on his father's farm; Arthur, who wedded Miss Ida Harold and lives in Illinois. His wife having died, Mr. Barber married, in 1881, Minerva J. Callahan, who presented him with one child, now deceased. Mr. Barber is a Republican, and was elected trustee in a Democratic township. In that capacity he did his township much good, improving the schools and schoolhouses and lengthening the school year. He is a member of the United Brethren church and one of the most prominent of the county's citizens. Mr. Barber has two old parchment sheepskin deeds, one bearing the date of April 1, 1843, and the signature of President John Tyler. This is the third deed found in the county of Kosciusko by the genealogist and is a valuable souvenir and relic in the Barber homestead.

Progressive Men and Women of Kosciusko County, Indiana
B. F. Bowen, Publisher
Logansport, Indiana
1902