Benjamin F. Baer, who passed his life at and near Monticello from boyhood, was a respected and popular miller, soldier and farmer, his death occurring at his country home north of Monticello, August 6, 1913, in his seventy-second year. He was born near Akron, Ohio, on the 6th of March, 1842, and was taken to Erie County, New York, by his widowed mother. In 1855, having sold her home there, the family came to White County and located on what is known as the Jacob Fross place, about six miles north of Monticello. Benjamin F. learned the milling trade under his brother David at Lockport, Indiana, and later worked with Henry Shafer, who was then operating the grist mill at Norway for the widows of Benjamin and Peter Fisher. Later he entered the canal boat service between Toledo and Vincennes and often, in after years, seemed to enjoy recounting the interesting incidents of this period in his life. After serving six months in the Union army during the last year of the war he returned to the home farm and later engaged in milling at Reynolds and other points in the county.
In 1876 Mr. Baer married Phoebe M. Carney and three sons were born to their union—Jasper A., Frank M. and Bernard M., all of whom are living. After his marriage he settled on a farm north of Norway, which he improved into a beautiful homestead, adding to his landed possessions until he owned 200 acres. About a year before his death he purchased and improved the Forbis place, where he passed his last days. The deceased was a German Lutheran and a good, genial, industrious citizen.
David Baer was born December 6, 1827, in Erie County, New York. For many years he served as a sailor, but located in White County prior to the Civil war. He died at his home northeast of Monticello, February 18, 1898.
The agricultural interests of Union Township have an able and progressive representative in the person of J. A. Baer, who is intelligently cultivating the old home property of 225 acres, as well as ten acres in another tract. He was born on the farm which he now occupies, September 1, 1877, and is a son of Benjamin and Phebe M. (Carney) Baer.
Benjamin Baer, the grandfather of J. A. Baer, was a resident of Erie County, New York, at the time of his marriage in 1827 to Nancy Hoil, and in 1837 moved across the Canadian line, but later returned to New York. He was engaged in farming throughout his career and died in 1849. Nancy Hoil was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, November 23, 1806, and subsequently moved with her parents to Erie County, New York. In later years she frequently related of the stirring times of the War of 1812, and remembered fleeing with her father and the other members of the family into the interior when the British forces crossed the frontier, as well as the burning of Buffalo and the destruction of Fort Erie. She died January 17, 1887, in the faith of the German Lutheran Church, in which she had been an active worker in both church and Sunday school.
Benjamin Baer, the father of J. A. Baer, was born March 6, 1842, near Akron, Ohio, and as a youth located on a farm known as the Jacob Fross place, about six miles north of Monticello, in Liberty Township, White County, Indiana. He learned the milling trade under his brother, David Baer, at Lockport, Indiana, and later worked with Henry Shafer, who was operating a grist mill at Norway, White County. Subsequently he entered the canal boat service between the cities of Toledo and Vincennes, and in later years frequently referred to this as the most interesting period of his life. On February 16, 1865, Mr. Baer enlisted in Company G, One Hundred Fifty-first Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and after serving six months as a soldier was given a hospital discharge, August 28, 1865, at Louisville, Kentucky. At that time he again engaged in farming in Union Township, and through long years of effort and patient endeavor succeeded in developing one of the handsome and valuable farms of this locality, with the finest of improvements of every kind. He was a great believer in progress and was quick to grasp new methods in his work. Mr. Baer was a man universally respected in his community, was baptized in the German Lutheran Church, and for many years took an active part in Sunday school work in the church at Norway, where he served in the capacity of treasurer. His political belief was that of the republican party. At the time of his death, August 6, 1913, Mr. Baer was one of the oldest members of Monticello Lodge, No. 107, and Stewart Encampment, No. 159, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and also held membership in Tippecanoe Post, No. 51, Grand Army of the Republic. On October 10, 1876, he was married to Phebe M. Carney, and they became the parents of three children: Jasper A., who married Lillian Tarr, a daughter of Samuel Tarr; Frank M., who married Lottie Ray, and has one child, Marguerite; and Barnard M., who is single.
Jasper A. Baer was educated in the public schools of Union Township, was brought up to agricultural pursuits, and has devoted his entire career to farming and the raising of livestock. His property, the home farm of 225 acres, gives ample evidence of his ability, thrift and good management, and its improvements are modern in every respect. He also cultivates a 10-acre tract, and this has improvements of its own. In his community Mr. Baer is regarded as a good and public-spirited citizen, but his only public services have been in the postoffice, where he served for three years. He is a republican in his political views, and his fraternal connections include membership in the Monticello Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Improved Order of Red Men. With his family he attends the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Mr. Baer was married March 3, 1901, to Miss Lillian B. Tarr, and they are
the parents of four children: Gavis, born December 12, 1903, in Union
Township; Daurice, born October 16, 1906, at Michigan City, Indiana; Marian
Alberta, born January 22, 1911, at Quincy, Illinois; and Eliza Helen, born March
7, 1914, in Union Township.
One of White County's most estimable and honored citizens passed away in the death of Samuel W. Bailey on August 27, 1913. His career, which was mainly spent in White County, was productive of many benefits, and the material prosperity that rewarded his efforts was only one of the fruits of his character and activities. He possessed those elements of mind and manhood which serve as distinguishing traits out of the commonplace type of people. It is only due to his life and to his family that some memorial tribute should be inscribed in this volume of White County history.
The Baileys were Scotch-Irish people, and the late Samuel W. Bailey was the youngest child of Abraham and Eliza (Webb) Bailey. Abraham Bailey died in Ohio in 1833. His widow then brought her seven children to Carroll County along with her brother, Henry Webb. Henry Webb married a member of the Hayes family, which was distinguished by Rutherford B. Hayes, one time President of the United States.
Samuel Webb Bailey was born February 23, 1830, at Chillicothe, Ohio, and came to Carroll County, Indiana, a few years after his birth. He married Melissa Hoover, a daughter of Alexander and Eliza Hoover. The Hoover family settled in Adams Township of Carroll County in 1825, and were among the earliest pioneers in that locality. To the marriage of Samuel W. Bailey and wife, which was celebrated August 4, 1857, were [sic] born a family of seven children. The oldest of these, Clara, now Mrs. F. M. Frye, is living in the old house which her father built a great many years ago in Adams Township of Carroll County; she and her husband have five children: Walter, who married Susan Nichols, and their three children are named Frances Mary, Eillene and Jessie; Alonzo, now deceased; Quincy; Russell, who by his marriage to Henrietta Purviance has a child named Philip M.; and Alexander. Besides Mrs. Frye the only surviving child of the late Samuel W. Bailey is Mary E. Bailey, now living at Burnetts Creek in White County. A niece, Mrs. Mary J. MacGlennon, a resident of Hammond, Indiana, is the widow of John MacGlennon. The younger children, all now deceased, were named Jessie, John H., Lawrence, Edwin and Nellie.
After his marriage Samuel W. Bailey followed farming until about 1880. From that year until 1889 he was postmaster and also conducted a store at Lockport in Carroll County. After 1889 he lived at Burnettsville. He was in ill health for about four years, but about 1893 bought a general merchandise store and built up a large trade at Burnettsville, finally selling out in 1896 to A. C. Hufford, and the store is now owned by A. F. Galbreath. After 1896 Mr. Bailey lived retired on account of ill health until his death. He was laid to rest in the Cedarville Cemetery in Carroll County, beside his wife, who died July 26, 1872.
Mr. Bailey after reaching his majority became a voter with the whig party, and was one of the original members of the republican party after its organization during the '50s. He was a positive and vigorous thinker and actor, and like many others in the days when the currents of political belief ran much deeper and more sincerely than at present he could never be brought to entertain a high respect for a democrat. He took much interest in party affairs, but was not an office seeker and served only as a justice of the peace and road supervisor. While in his youth he had received only a common school education, he was an inveterate reader, and gained and retained a wonderful fund of information. He always advocated the benefits of higher education for the younger generation. In his reading he was especially attracted to the study of history and knew the past records of the nation and the world much better than the ordinary citizen. He and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and he helped to build the church of that denomination at Lockport, and was always a liberal contributor. Among his chief characteristics was a fondness for children, and he showed great depths of affection for members of his own family. While quick tempered, he quickly forgot his anger, and had a great circle of loyal friends. In his lifetime he accumulated a great deal of money in the aggregate, but spent it freely, and while he provided a good home and advantages for his children, he had no ambition to die a wealthy man. He was affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Monticello.
When Mr. Bailey came to Burnettsville he was accompanied by his daughter, Mary E. Bailey, who has lived in that village ever since. Miss Bailey is a member and a liberal supporter of the Methodist Church at Burnettsville and finished her education with two years at the Holy Angels Academy at Logansport. She owns a comfortable home at Burnettsville, and besides looking after her home and attending to her various interests as a churchwoman she spends much time as a nurse and in this capacity has proved a friend in need to many homes in that community.
The men of finance and commercial affairs always play a great and important part in the true history and records of a county, state or nation. Mr. Baker, as a financier, teacher and landowner, is so well known that he needs no special introduction to the citizens of White County and its contiguous territory.
He is a native of the good old Hoosier State, which has contributed to the nation some of its most eminent statesmen, orators, poets and scholars. His birth occurred October 5, 1868, near the pretty little town of Wolcott in White County, a son of Charles F. and Ann (Gill) Baker. His parents are among the highly respected citizens of White County, and reference to them is made on other pages. Mr. Baker finished his school education in his native county and was the first graduate of the public schools in Round Grove Township with the class of 1887. He also attended the city schools of Monticello, and later graduated in the business and scientific courses at the Valparaiso University at Valparaiso, Indiana. He spent eight years altogether in the teachers' profession, partly in Porter County and partly in White County. He was principal of the Reynolds schools two years, and principal of the Chalmers School one year.
While he was at work in the Chalmers schools he was elected county recorder of White County in 1894, and served two terms, from July 7, 1895, to July 7, 1903. In 1903 he organized the Monticello Abstract Company, taking in the abstract books of Hon. E. B. Sellers, Reynolds & Sills, Million & Palmer, and George F. Marvin. Mr. Baker became general manager and held that position until 1908. He is himself a man of large possessions in land both in White and adjoining counties. In 1911 Mr. Baker organized The Farmers State Bank of Monticello, and was elected its first president. He resigned that office to take the duties of cashier, a position involving much heavier responsibilities. He still remains as cashier of one of the strongest banks in White County. He is an active friend of the public schools and was a member of the board of education of Monticello. Mr. Baker is the owner of over a thousand acres of land in White and adjoining counties, where his wife likewise has some important possessions of the same class.
Mr. and Mrs. Baker have one of the ideally happy homes of White County. On February 5, 1896, he married Miss Ella Wolverton, and they have one son, Burdell W. This son is now a student in the first year of the high school at Monticello, and has shown himself unusually bright and progressive in his studies. He takes much interest in his father's business, and has the latter's tastes and inclinations in business affairs.
Mrs. Baker is a native of White County and was born July 10, 1877, a daughter of George W. and Nancy J. (Reynolds) Wolverton. There were four children in the Wolverton family, but the only two now living are Mrs. Baker and her brother Guy R., who completed his education in the common schools and attended Purdue University and is now an agriculturist in Big Creek Township. George W. Wolverton, the father, is a native of White County, and has long been one of the leading citizens and farmers of Big Creek Township. His wife is also a native of this county.
Mrs. Baker received her education in the White County public schools and was a student at St. Mary's College at South Bend, where in addition to the regular course she received musical training. She has many of the qualities of the ideal home maker and has lent grace and dignity to the attractive Baker residence situated near the western limits of the City of Monticello. Her friends speak of her very pleasing personality and gracious presence and at all times she has proved herself ready and valuable in counsel and advice to Mr. Baker. It is a model home and its doors have always been open to a large circle of warm and true friends.
As a politician Mr. Baker was a republican, but in 1912 he advoeated the principles of the progressive party and was its candidate for the office of state treasurer. He was appointed trustee of the Tuberculosis Hospital at Rockville, Indiana, by Governor Marshall. The first presidential vote he cast was for Benjamin Harrison. Fraternally he is one of the honored members of different orders, including the following: Castle Hall Lodge No. 178, Knights of Pythias, at Chalmers, Indiana Conawaugh Tribe No. 518 of the Improved Order of Red Men at Monticello; Lodge No. 1549 of the Loyal Order of Moose at Monticello; Lodge No. 143, B. P. O. E. at Lafayette. Mrs. Baker is a member of the Presbyterian Church and Mr. Baker has always been ready to supply the church and various philanthropic causes with a generous share of his means. The beautiful home of Mr. and Mrs. Baker, lying just at the western limits of the city, surrounded by the natural trees of the forest, is known as Moose Grove. The occupants of this hime [sic] are people who know how to enjoy life, and having that knowledge, act upon it not only for their own advantage but for the pleasure of their many friends.
The pioneers of a county or state were those who laid firmly the foundation of the structural civilization which their descendants and others in the present generation enjoy. The late Charles F. Baker, of Wolcott, was one of the most worthy and typical men of this class, and did much to open the way of civilization in White County.
He was a native of Ellicott Mills, a suburb of the City of Baltimore, Maryland, and was born March 29, 1822. He was a son of Jacob and Charlotte (Dove) Baker. There were eleven children in the family, six sons and five daughters, and the only two now living are Margaret, widow of Samuel Hillery of Licking County, Ohio, and Lavina, widow of Elsa Dush, of Ohio.
When about seven years of age the late Charles F. Baker left his native State of Maryland with his parents, and they accomplished an overland trip to Licking County, Ohio. This journey was one which he always recalled and it was made in true pioneer style. They had a wagon drawn by teams, while many of the party walked alongside or behind the slow moving horses, and at night they stopped by the wayside and slept in the wagons or under the open stars. They cooked their meals along the road, and the route to Ohio led them across mountains, over streams, through high and low land, and they had to endure the vicissitudes of all kinds of weather and many inconveniences. Arriving in Licking County they settled on a grant of 160 acres of land that had been given to Jacob Baker. In the year 1915 this land is still owned by members of the Baker family.
The late Charles F. Baker was educated in the primitive schools of the pioneer type, kept up by subscription from the patronizing families. These schools in Licking County he attended as opportunity offered, and he then started out to make his own way in the world. At Newark, Ohio, he married Miss Ann Gill in 1847. She was a native of Yorkshire, England, and was about six years of age when she crossed the Atlantic with her parents to the United States. It required three months to make the voyage by the old fashioned sailing vessel, though the same trip can now be made in five days.
Jacob Baker, father of Charles F. Baker, was a son of Ephraim Baker, of Baltimore, Maryland, while Ephraim Baker was a son of Meshack Baker, who was the son of Jacob Baker. The last mentioned Jacob Baker and his wife died from camp fever during the Revolutionary war. The father of Charles F. Baker was born August 2, 1797, and served as a soldier in the War of 1812.
To the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Baker were born twelve children, seven sons and five daughters, and seven of them are still living. Mary, widow of Henry C. Shoop, and a resident of Monticello. Charlotte, wife of S. A. Plummer, and they reside on a farm in Cass County, Indiana. George F. lives in Wolcott, Indiana. Charles W., who married Mary Gearhart, lives in Monticello. Frank U. is a resident of Monticello. Fannie S. is the wife of Henry Downing of West Point Township. Burdell B., the banker at Monticello, is represented on other pages of this publication.
It was on March 16, 1860, that Charles F. Baker and his wife arrived in White County, settling in West Point Township, and as renters they located on a part of the Samuel Snider estate. In 1875 Charles F. Baker bought 320 acres of land in Round Grove Township, and he still owned part of that at the time of his death. He was known as a methodical and careful farmer and the keynote to his life was honesty and integrity. In politics he was a Jeffersonian democrat, though he supported the great Lincoln during the Civil war. His religious principles were those of the Methodist faith. He died March 7, 1893, and was laid to rest in the West Point Cemetery. His wife, who, as already mentioned, was born in Yorkshire, England, and received her education in the common schools, was reared in the faith of the Episcopal or Church of England, but in later years she was a Methodist. Her death occurred June 8, 1891, and she is also at rest in the West Point Cemetery. Mr. and Mrs. Baker were people who deserved and received and enjoyed the full confidence and respect of all who knew them. While they spent most of their lives in Ohio and in White County, Indiana, they lived for a short time during the year 1855 in the City of Chicago.
Prominent among the agriculturists of White County who through years of industry and labor have attained a competence and at the same time have acquired and have the respect and confidence of their fellow citizens is George F. Baker, now in possession of a good, substantial home, together with other valuable property in the Town of Wolcott, where he has lived for the past twenty-five years.
He has spent most of his life in White County, coming with his parents in 1860, when they took up their residence there. He has seen the growth and development of this section of Indiana, and has contributed his share to the end that the portion he has had to deal with should be made better for his having had charge of it, and in many other ways in his community has made himself a not unimportant factor in the changes he has witnessed for the better.
Mr. Baker was born on the 8th day of October, 1852, and was, therefore, in his eighth year when his parents moved to White County, where he grew up on the farm, attending the meagre terms of the common schools of that early day, which he put to such good use that when he arrived at manhood he was employed as teacher of the common schools for the period of twenty-two years, teaching in White County, only, and within Princeton, West Point and Round Grove townships. He was principal of the town schools of Wolcott, for three years.
As a farmer Mr. Baker has the cultivation and ownership of over 500 acres in the above named townships, but has for a number of years been engaged in the real estate business in Wolcott. He is a prosperous and high minded citizen.
On December 28th, 1881, he married Martha E. Stanford, daughter of William E. and Elizabeth A. (Swartz) Stanford. Three children have been born to their union: George F., on February 17, 1883; Walter E., October 14, 1884; and Homer S., July 1, 1889.
Mr. and Mrs. Baker have given each of their sons a college education.
George spent one year in Normal at Marion, two years at DePauw University, two short terms at the University of Indiana and then four years at Purdue University. The son Homer is a graduate of Purdue University, while Walter is a graduate of the Scientific Department of Marion Normal College.
Mr. Baker is affiliated with the Masonic lodge at Wolcott, and the Kentland Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, at Kentland. He, with his wife and son, Homer, are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Wolcott. The community has, at different times, sought his services for public offices, and he served five years as clerk and treasurer, and two years as treasurer, of the Town of Wolcott.
Being a man of positive nature, he has always taken the side of right and morality whenever a question has been submitted to the public voice for decision. In polities, Mr. Baker is a republican.
A citizen of Cass Township who has given a good account of himself during his long career as a farmer in that locality is John H. Baker, whose fine farm of 120 acres in section 17 stands out as a conspicuous landmark on account of its generally attractive situation and its many marks of enterprise and improvement. Mr. Baker grew up in a farming community, and has made agriculture a life study, and has brought to it the same qualities and energy which would have enabled him to succeed in any other vocation.
John H. Baker is a native of Missouri, born at Boonville, July 14, 1857, a son of John Vance and Elizabeth (Barker) Baker. The Bakers were German people and the greatgrandparents of Mr. Baker were born in the old country, and came to the United States and located in Pennsylvania. The family lived in a number of different states, in Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio and Indiana. John V. and Elizabeth Baker were the parents of four children: Anson H., of Washington; one that died in infancy; Orange S., of Rensselaer, Indiana; and John H.
The Baker family came to White County in 1870, locating in section 15 of Cass Township. John V. Baker bought forty acres from John Thompson and forty acres from another party and was proprietor of that eighty acres when he died. He and his wife were Baptists and both interested in church affairs. In politics he was a republican, and did the part of a good citizen without mingling in party activities to any great extent. His death occurred October 6, 1886, and his wife passed away August 15, 1912.
John H. Baker, during the forty-five years of his residence in Cass Township, has witnessed many improvements and changes, and has not been an idle spectator of these improvements, but has himself put his shoulder to the wheel and helped to give several turns to the chariot of progress. He was thirteen years old when he came to White County, and had already been attending the public schools for several years. His education was completed in Cass Township, and as soon as old enough he used his strength in performing the duties of the farm. At the age of twenty-seven Mr. Baker started out for himself, and on November 9, 1880, married Miss Alice M. Teeter. To their marriage were born four children: Ora A., Charles F., Edna Blanche, and George Ray. Ora A. is a resident of Indianapolis. He was formerly a farmer, but is now employed in that city. He married Miss Leora A. Valentine, and they have one child, Robert Leslie. Mr. Baker is a graduate of the Marion Business College and affiliates with the republican party. Charles F. resides in Freesoil, Michigan, where he has a garage and is doing well. He is also a graduate of the Marion Business College. He married Miss Jessie Evans, and they have two children, Alice Geneva and Henry Lee. Mr. C. F. Baker is a republican and a member of the Odd Fellows fraternity and the Church of God, while his wife is a Methodist. Edna Blanche became the wife of Alonzo Foust, and has a little daughter, Evelyn, now in school. Mrs. Foust is a member of the Church of God and of the Ladies' Aid Society, and her home is with her parents. George Ray, who is at home, received a common and high school education, and is a member of the fraternal order of Odd Fellows. Mr. and Mrs. Baker also took into their home a little girl, Gladys Willetta, when nine years of age, and reared and educated her as their own. She married John Maples, of Lafayette, Indiana, an electrician. They have two children, Arthur Elmer and Edward Melvin. Mrs. Maples is a member of the Church of God. Mrs. Baker was born in Montgomery County, Indiama, October 31, 1859, a daughter of William J. and Martha A. (Quick) Teeter, in whose family were five children, and all the children and the parents are living. The children are residents of Indiana with the exception of Abigail J., who is with her parents in Canton, Mississippi, and George Teeter, a farmer in Meade, Oklahoma. Mr. Teeter was an agriculturist, and was one of the first "Star Routers" of the mail service. He affiliated with the republican party, and was a soldier in the Civil war, a member of the Sixty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was badly wounded at the battle of Resaca, Georgia, under the command of General Sherman. He afterward rejoined his regiment, and was in the Grand Review at Washington, District of Columbia, at the close of hostilities. He was born in Indiana, as was also his wife. Mrs. Baker was a little child of two years when brought to White County. She received a good education and became a teacher. Her sister, Abigail, was also a teacher for a number of years. Mrs. Baker takes great interest in her church work, being a member of the Church of God, of which she is serving as clerk at Headlee, and is president of the Ladies' Aid Society. The conference of this church convenes at Headlee, August 31, 1915, and Mrs. Baker's subject before the conference is "Just Limitations to the Subordination of Sisters in the Church." She performs her full duty at all times in the furtherance of church work.
Mr. Baker is a republican and in church affairs is a member of the
Church of God. His business is that of general farming and stock raising,
and he has well deserved his prosperity.
The Bank of Reynolds is one of the solidest and best officered institutions in White County. Every financial institution during its earlier years acquires estimation and influence largely through the character and reputation of the men whose names are most intimately associated with the undertaking. The personal factor is always the indispensable quality in an institution of this kind, particularly at the beginning. The men who have been connected with the Bank of Reynolds since its beginning enjoy the thorough confidence and esteem of the business territory which their bank serves, and this is the principal reason for the success of the institution.
It began in 1897 as a private institution with $10,000 capital. The owners and officers at that time were: John C. Vanatta, president; William T. Wagner, vice president; and Fred Dahling, cashier. On June 15, 1914, the bank was reorganized under a state charter, with a capitalization of $25,000. The officers remained the same as above noted, the only change being the appointment of J. W. Scearcy as assistant cashier. The bank was prosperous from the start, and in point of stability compares with any other bank in White County. It has never refused a loan on good security, and during hard times it has been in a situation to pay every dollar to its depositors.
Fred Dahling, who has been identified with this bank from its beginning, and whose genial personality and judgment have been important factors in its growth, has spent nearly all his life in White County, and was a teacher and connected with different local offices before taking up his present business.
Fred Dahling was born in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany, October 25, 1870. His parents, William and Sophia (Boltz) Dahling, brought their family to the United States in 1875, locating in Monticello, from which city they removed three years later to Reynolds, where they spent the rest of their lives. The father died December 10, 1900, and his wife on February 5, 1876. Both are now at rest in the Lutheran Cemetery at Reynolds. The father was a democrat in politics, and took a general interest in public affairs, though never an office holder. He was reared and always remained in the faith of the Lutheran Church. The three children were: Henry, who is in business at Brookston; Mary, wife of H. G. Krueger, of Reynolds; and Fred.
Fred Dahling was about five years old when he came to White County. He attended the public schools at Reynolds, and his earlier experiences were as school teacher, an employe [sic] in the county recorder's office, as deputy county treasurer, and in 1894 he was honored with election to the office of township trustee. He held that office six years, and in the meantime had engaged in banking, and has presided at the cashier's window of the Bank of Reynolds for eighteen years. In July, 1914, he was appointed to the office of postmaster at Reynolds, and is now giving part of his attention to the administration of that office.
Mr. Dahling is a democrat in politics, and is a member of the Lutheran Church at Reynolds. On November 24, 1901, he married Miss Ida E. Erdmann, daughter of Gottlieb and Mary (Hagen) Erdmann. They are the parents of one son, Waldemar, who was born March 15, 1904, and is now attending the public schools.
Among the early settlers of White County few have been more prominent than Allen Barnes, who was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, July 13, 1797, and died near Idaville on March 15, 1880, in his eighty-third year. In 1884 he moved to the new County of White, where he resided until his death. At the age of twenty-five he married Elizabeth McIntire and soon after joined the Associate Church of Clark's Run, then in charge of Rev. James Adams. In 1836 his wife died and the following year he married Mrs. Jane Dixon, who died in 1870. He had four children by his first wife and five by the latter. In 1858 he united with the United Presbyterian Church and retained his membership therein until his death.
Judge James Barnes, one of the old associate judges of White County, died September 21, 1873, aged ninety-four years. He was born in Virginia, came to White County at an early day and was one of our most prominent citizens until, by extreme age, he was compelled to quit his active life. He had been married four times and was the stepfather of Mrs. Amanda McCuaig, now living in Monticello. In his death the community lost a valued citizen and his family an ever kind and indulgent husband and father.
Few men in the eastern part of White County were better known than John T. Barnes, who for many years was prominent in the business affairs of that section. He was born in Clarke County, Ohio, November 29, 1828, and was the oldest son of five children born to David and Elizabeth (Gedd) Barnes, natives of Ohio and of Scotch-Irish descent. When he was six years old his parents moved to Carroll County, Indiana, and nine years later his parents died. In 1850, he married Miss Sarah J. Shaver, born in East Tennessee in 1831, died in White County, August 6, 1903. Ten children were born to this marriage, but two of whom, Henry M. Barnes, of Idaville, and Mrs. Ada M. Callaway, of Cass County, survive. In 1849, Mr. Barnes purchased a forty-acre farm in Jackson Township, but in 1851 traded this for a farm of 120 acres, and about this time moved to White County and opened a general store in Idaville, in which he was engaged until 1864, when he located on a farm two miles north of Idaville, but a year later he engaged in business in Idaville again until 1868, when he traded for a 300-acre farm three miles northwest of Idaville, but in August, 1882, he again entered business in Idaville as a member of the firm of Hall, Barnes & Co., but for several years prior to his death he was not actively engaged in any business. In the year 1878 he was elected county commissioner as a republican, an office which he filled to the satisfaction of his party and the public. Mr. Barnes was a pioneer of Idaville, in which he claimed to have erected the first building. He was a man highly respected and merited the esteem of the public. He died in Idaville, January 23, 1905.
Thomas M. Barnes, an honored citizen of Jackson Township, was born June 27, 1814,
in Xenia, Ohio. He was of Scotch-Irish descent and came when an infant with
his parent to the Territory of Indiana and was a
participant in all the trials incident to pioneer life and lived for forty-one
years on the farm near Idaville on which he died. He was married February 19,
1840, to Miss Cynthia Ginn, by whom he had nine children. He died February 4,
1890. He was for many years a prominent member of the United Presbyterian Church
at Idaville and enjoyed the respect of all who knew him.
For thirty-five years William A. Barnes has been a resident of White County, and practically all his life has been passed in this section of Indiana. His interests and activities have identified him with the rural community, and it was only after developing a fine farm and reaping the fruits of a well spent career in an ample competence for his future needs that he retired from the farm and moved into Monticello about three years ago. His active years have been accompanied with definite achievements and his sterling integrity is recognized by all.
William A. Barnes was born in Adams Township, Carroll County, Indiana, June 3, 1840, one of seven children, three of whom are living, born to John and Sarah (Allen) Barnes. His father was a native of Ohio, and his mother of Pennsylvania, and they were married in Carroll County, Indiana, and spent the rest of their lives on land they had secured from the Government. They had acquired this homestead of a quarter section immediately after their marriage, and lived there as hard workers, good neighbors and on an increasing scale of prosperity till taken away by death. At his death John Barnes left an estate of about 240 acres. He died about 1880, his wife having preceded him two years, and both were laid to rest in Carroll County.
William A. Barnes was reared and educated in his native township and his early experience on a farm he turned to good account when taking up life for himself. He first came to White County in 1869, but a year later returned to Carroll County, lived there nine years, and then identified himself permanently with White County. His location was in Jackson Township, where he conducted and improved a tract of land, raised stock and worked up his graded live stock finally into a herd of blooded Durham cattle. At one time he owned 320 acres of Jackson Township, but gave eighty acres to his son and sold the rest when he retired and came into Monticello in 1912. Mr. Barnes has been a stanch [sic] republican for fifty years or more, but has never cared for political office.
On August 6, 1863, he married Margaret J. Carson, who died March 8, 1903, after
they had lived together in married companionship nearly forty years. Of her five
children, three died many years ago. Elsie G., one of the survivors, married Harry
W. Sharp, and died in 1905, leaving two children, Walter and Blanche. The only
living child is Elmer, now engaged in the grocery business at Monticello. On
October 7, 1908, Mr. Barnes married for his present wife Mrs. Emma G. (Gress)
Barnes, widow of George T. Barnes, and daughter of Morris and Delilah (Hall)
Gress. Her parents came to Carroll County from Pennsylvania about 1865. Her
father, who was a carpenter by trade, died in Carroll County, and her mother in
White County. After the death of Mr. Gress his widow married Cornelius Nicholas
in February, 1880, and they came to White County. Morris and Delilah (Hall) Gress
had seven children, four of whom are now living: Susan, who is Mrs. Edward Dixon;
John; Mahlon; and Emma, who is Mrs. Barnes. Mrs. Barnes lost her father in
1870, and her mother died in 1894. Mrs. Barnes' grandmother, Kesiah Gress, was a
daughter of Sir Henry Clinton. Mr. Gress was a republican, though never an
officeholder. Mrs. Barnes is a great-granddaughter of Sir Henry Clinton, who was
one of the chief commanders of the British forces in the War of the Revolution.
By her first marriage Mrs. Barnes was the mother of five children: Aura Dell,
wife of Allen Cossell, and they have a child, Helen, born November 6, 1906; Georgia
V., wife of C. C. Baker; Lawrence G., of New York State; Hazel, who died in
October, 1893, at the age of sixteen months; and Gilbert Paul, of Monticello.
One of the earliest settlers of what is now White County was James Barr, who was born in Franklin County, Ohio, January 4, 1813, and came to what is now White County in 1831. In 1842 he married Eliza J. Shaw, daughter of John Shaw, who located at Battle Ground about the year 1829. In 1843 James Barr located upon and cleared up a farm of 360 acres in Prairie Township and on this farm he died November 10, 1876. He was an industrious farmer, an honest man and a good citizen.
John C. Bartholomew, whose remains were buried in the old cemetery of Monticello, was wounded in the leg in the battle before Richmond, taken to the Army Square Hospital in Washington, D. C., and there died from loss of blood. He was a saddler by trade and followed his vocation in Norway, but enlisted in the Twentieth Regiment, Indiana Volunteers, and became a lieutenant. He was married July 16, 1860, to Christenia Snyder, a sister to Capt. Henry Snyder, and she now lives with the captain in Monticello.
Catherine Bartley was born in Logan County, Ohio, in 1810, came to White County prior to its organization and located on the Tippecanoe River at what is now Springboro. After her marriage to George R. Bartley she made her home in Monticello, where she died January 8, 1881. She was a consistent member of the Presbyterian Church and one of those early settlers to whom we owe so much for having opened a wilderness and caused it to blossom as the rose. Her funeral was held at her residence, conducted by Rev. John B. Smith, of the Monticello Presbyterian Church, and her remains were interred in the family cemetery south of Monticello.
Forty years a resident of White County, John A. Batson has been identified with varied interests in Honey Creek Township, both as a merchant and as a farmer.
He was born in Berrien County, Michigan, August 31, 1842, a son of William and Lorinda (Robertson) Batson. His father was of Welsh and his mother of German ancestry. They were married in Henry County, Indiana, and both died and are buried in Michigan.
John A. Batson was one of a family of twelve children. His youth was spent in Michigan, where he acquired his education, and at the age of twenty-one he started out to make his own way in the world. In the spring of 1875 he came into White County, and established his home at Reynolds. For five years he was engaged in the drug business, and was also a justice of the peace four years. In 1879 Mr. Batson was admitted to the practice of law, but has not been steadily identified with that profession. From 1884 to 1894, he was traveling representative for the Heath & Milligan Company, paint manufacturers of Chicago. He now has one of the fine farms of the community, 208 acres lying in Big Creek Township, and he has erected thereon one of the most sanitary and up-to-date barns in Western Indiana. In addition he also has a block of five lots and two residences. Mr. Batson is a man of research, a reader and thinker, and he has aimed to keep abreast of the times.
Mr. Batson is a republican in polities, and takes a keen interest in local and
national affairs. On September 16, 1872, he married Marian H. Beam,
daughter of John Q. Beam and Hannah M. (Wheeler) Beam. To their union
were born two children, John B., who died in 1892 and Lula B., the wife of Arthur
H. Rice of South Bend, and the mother of one daughter, Zelda. Mr. Batson is a charter
member of the Royal Arch Chapter of Masons at Monticello.
About 1858 there arrived in Monticello a young man seeking his fortune in the West and one of his first acts after his arrival was to hang out his "shingle" at the northeast room upstairs of the old Commercial Block bearing the legend, "James B. Belford, Attorney at Law." This gentleman was born in Pennsylvania in 1837. In 1864 he was a Lincoln presidential elector and in 1866-68 was a member of the Legislature of Indiana. Later he removed to Laporte, Indiana, and resumed the practice of the law and also served as school examiner. From Laporte be went to Colorado, from which state be served in Congress from 1877 to 1885. After his retirement from Congress he served as one of the justices of the Supreme Court of Colorado and died in Denver, January 7, 1910. Mr. Belford was a brother-in-law of James W. McEwen of Rensselaer and is well remembered by most of the older citizens of White County. While in Congress his readiness in debate and quickness in repartee gained for him the cognomen of "the red-headed rooster of the Rockies." Mr. McEwen, while differing from him in politics, always had a high regard for him personally and frequently narrated a circumstance which occurred in the trial of the famous Star Route cases. Mr. Belford was a witness in this trial and in an altercation with the attorney for the Government used the short and ugly word, for which the judge at once assessed a fine of $100 and stopped the trial until this fine was paid. The late Col. Robert G. Ingersoll was counsel for the defendant and was so well pleased that he at once produced a hundred-dollar bill, paid the fine himself, and the trial proceeded.
The career of Marion Benjamin, from earliest boyhood, has been one filled with earnest and unending effort. In his youth he was forced to meet and overcome many disadvantages and obstacles, his early years were passed amid the hardships of pioneer existence, and in later life he was compelled to experience the vicissitudes which characterize the activities of the individual making his way without monetary or friendly influences. That he is now the possessor of independence and an honored position among his fellow-citizens, is due solely to his own labors and his abiding faith in his abilities.
Mr. Benjamin was born in the township in which he now resides, that of Liberty, White County, Indiana, March 4, 1856. He is one of the eight children, all of whom are now living but one, born to the marriage of Abel and Mary (Conwell) Benjamin. Abel Benjamin was a native of Ross County, Ohio, and when a boy was left an orphan, being reared in the family of Isaac Davis, who brought him to White County at a very early day, where he was reared to manhood and married. Mr. Benjamin began housekeeping in a log house on section 23, in Liberty Township. He secured but few educational advantages as a boy, the greater part of his education being secured in the schools of hard work and experience, and when the Civil war came on he enlisted in the Forty-sixth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry. It was his fate to meet a soldier's death, for he fell at the battle of Champion Hills, Mississippi, May 16, 1863. His son, George, was also a soldier in the Union army, belonging to the One Hundred and Twenty-third Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in which he enlisted at the age of fifteen years. He passed safely through the war and at the present time is a resident of Nebraska.
Mrs. Benjamin, at the time of her husband's death, was left with a large family of children to care for, in a part of the country that was not developed, and at a time when currency had deeply depreciated. She did not allow herself to become discouraged, however, but bravely faced the existing conditions, and in some way managed to keep her little flock together. In later years Mrs. Benjamin was again married, to Robert T. Harrison, and both are now deceased.
Of his parents' eight children, Marion was the sixth in order of birth. He was reared in Liberty Township and in addition to helping on the home place, attended in a limited way the district schools of the locality. When he was about eighteen years old he began the battle of life upon his own responsibility, securing employment as a farm hand, at a salary of $16 per month, and gradually accumulated some small means. Mr. Benjamin was married February 20, 1879, to Miss Catherine J. Adams, who was born in Ohio, and for a number of years after this union was engaged in renting land in White County, beyond the limits of which he has never resided. His first ownership was a tract of 100 acres of land located in sections 13 and 14, and at the present time he owns 260 acres, all accumulated by his own ability and hard work. In addition to general farming, Mr. Benjamin has always carried on stock-raising, and in both departments has been more than ordinarily successful. He combines practical means, with the more modern methods, raises the standard crops of the locality, and displays keen business discrimination in the disposal of them. Mr. Benjamin has not been a seeker for preferment in public life, being content to devote himself to his pastoral pursuits, yet he takes an interest in the welfare of his community and lends his support to all beneficial movements. He is inclined to be independent in his political views, but all else being even generally favors the candidates and principles of the democratic party.
To Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin four children have been born: William; Edward E.; Mary Ellen, who is the wife of William Hepp; and Gertie, who is the wife of Edward Frye.
Esau Bennett, an old-time grocer of Monticello, was born in Pendleton County, West Virginia, November 6, 1822, and in 1866 came to Monticello and engaged in the grocery business in which he was quite successful. He was married April 1, 1844, to Rachel Hudkins, and to this union was born eight sons and two daughters. His wife died March 15, 1872, and on April 3, 1873, he was married to Eliza E. Long, of Jeffersonville, Indiana. He died at his home in Monticello, June 9, 1885.
Conspicuous among the enterprising, thrifty, and progressive men who, a generation or more ago, were leaders in the business circles of White County, was Henry P. Bennett, a man of recognized ability and worth. A native of Virginia, he was born, March 15, 1815, in Barbour County, and was there bred and educated.
A youth of fine physique and broad mental capacity, Mr. Bennett began the battle of life on his own account as soon as he attained his majority, having just previous to that time taken unto himself a wife, his marriage with Phoebe Hudkins having been recorded in 1835. In 1854, being strongly impelled by the restive American spirit that led so many to seek new locations in the wild lands of this section of the country, he came with his family to Indiana, following the emigrant's trail to Fulton County, where he bought land, and for several years continued his agricultural work.
Coming to White County in 1869, Mr. Bennett embarked in mercantile pursuits, opening in Monticello a grocery store, which he operated successfully for many years, having built up a large and highly remunerative patronage in this part of the county, where he was well and widely known. Mr. Bennett was elected justice of the peace, and held the office until his death, in 1889. He was an able business man, and through judicious investments accumulated considerable wealth, his real estate including valuable farming property in the O'Connor Addition to Monticello. Politically he upheld the principles of the democratic party, and religiously he was a life-long Methodist, and one of the pillars of the old church in the north end of town.
The maiden name of the wife of Mr. Bennett, as previously stated, was Phoebe Hudkins. To them ten children were born, namely: Franklin, deceased, fought in the Union army during the Civil war; Roanna M., deceased, married Michael Hogan; James R., deceased, served throughout the entire period of the Civil war as a soldier; Edwin L., deceased; Miranda J., widow of Richard H. Singer; Mary F., deceased, was the wife of Benjamin F. Ross; Johnson L., now a resident of Illinois; Prudence, widow of John A. Rothrock, of Indianapolis; Sarah Etta, died in infancy; and Robert P., living in Arkansas. Mrs. Bennett survived her husband for many years.
In the sudden and unexpected death of Frank P. Berkey in the early morning of Tuesday, April 21, 1914, Monticello lost one of its best and most highly esteemed citizens. He was the son of Michael and Margaret Berkey, and was born in Monticello, September 24, 1852. When nineteen years old he entered the employ of Loughry Brothers, or rather of their father, in the milling business and continued with them almost continuously to the time of his death. So close were his relations that he was regarded more as a member of the firm than as an employe [sic]. For many years prior to his death he was general superintendent of their large milling interests at Monticello. June 26, 1884, he was married to Mrs. Florine (Failing) Morony, daughter of the late Peter B. Failing, who survived him. He also left one brother, Howard Berkey, of Lincoln, Nebraska, and one half sister, Mrs. India Fleming. Another sister, Mrs. James B. Roach, of Monticello, died April 23, 1909. He was an early member of Monticello Lodge No. 73, Knights of Pythias, and about fifteen years before his death he joined the Masonic fraternity, becoming an active member of the Blue Lodge, Chapter and Council. He served five successive years as Master of his lodge and at the time of his death was serving his fifth term as High Priest of Monticello Chapter No. 103, Royal Arch Masons. At his death the Chapter adopted a most touching memoriam, reading in part as follows:
"Since our last convocation this Chapter has suffered an irreparable loss in the death of our Most Excellent High Priest, Frank P. Berkey. He was a Companion tried and true, whose advice was always timely and whose work was always good; and when on April 13th he conferred the Most Excellent Master's degree upon these Companions who have to-night been exalted—declared the Key Stone placed and the Temple completed--little thought we that these words proclaimed the end of his own labors among us, and that never again would we see his face amid these familiar scenes, or hear his voice giving encouraging admonition to the workmen.
"He has presented his work to the Master Overseer, and we have every confidence that it has been accepted. The Key Stone has been placed; the Temple finished; and we trust that, armed with the Signet of Zerubbabel, he has been admitted within the veil and is now pursuing his labors under the direction of the Grand Council of the Universe—not delving in the ruins, but enjoying the ineffable splendors of the Temple completed."
A scion of a family whose name has been worthily linked with the annals of White County for half a century, Mr. Beshoar has here maintained his home since the days of his early youth and has been successfully concerned with farming and stock-growing, with business interests in the City of Monticello, and with civic affairs. He is now engaged as a buyer and shipper of stock and is a valued member of the City Council of Monticello—a citizen of sterling character and one who has impregnable place in popular confidence and esteem.
Though his entire adult life has been passed in White County, Mr. Beshoar reverts to the old Keystone State as the place of his nativity. He was born at Lewistown, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, on the 29th of January, 1850, and is a son of Daniel and Mary (Smith) Beshoar, the former of whom was born in Juniata County, Pennsylvania, on the 15th of June, 1805, and the latter of whom was born in Snyder County, that state, on the 12th of January, 1831, their marriage having been solemnized in Mifflin County, on the 12th of January, 1849. The father was of French and the mother of Irish lineage and both families were early founded in Pennsylvania. Of the nine children the subject of this review is the firstborn; Adaline, who was born October 15, 1851, died in 1866; Emma, who was born October 7, 1853, died on the 18th of the same month; James was born October 16, 1854; Margaret, May 3, 1857; and Hiram, June 19, 1859; Albert was born September 30, 1861, and died April 2, 1873; Alice was born December 16, 1864; and William on the 11th of February, 1866, the foregoing list indicating that five of the children are still living. The father was first married on the 20th of March, 1828, and Rev. David Shallenberger then performed the nuptial ceremony which made Miss Susanna Rothrock his wife. She passed to the life eternal December 18, 1847, and of the ten children of this union only two are living—Mrs. Sarah Musser, of McVeytown, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, and Mrs. Asenath Snyder, who resides at Trinidad, Colorado.
In his native state Daniel Beshoar, Sr., received excellent educational advantages, as gauged by the standards of the locality and period, and as an able linguist familiar with both the French and German as well as the English languages, he was frequently called upon to serve as an interpreter in court proceedings in Pennsylvania. He continued his residence in the Keystone State until March 16, 1865, when he removed with his family to White County, Indiana, and located on a farm one and one-half miles north of Monticello, where his death occurred on the 27th of October of the same year. He was originally a whig and later a republican in politics and as a man of well-fortified opinions concerning governmental affairs he took a lively interest in public matters and in all that pertained to the community welfare. Mrs. Mary (Smith) Beshoar survived her husband by forty years and was summoned to the life eternal on the 12th of October, 1905, at the age of seventy-four years, both having been earnest members of the Old Brethren Church and the remains of both being laid to rest in the cemetery at Burnettsville, White County.
Daniel Beshoar II, the immediate subject of this sketch, acquired his early education in the excellent schools of his native state and was nearly sixteen years of age at the time of the family removal to White County, Indiana. At the age of eighteen years he initiated his independent career as a farmer in this county; shortly prior to this he had assumed marital responsibilities, since, on the 12th of November, 1867, was solemnized his marriage to Miss Catherine A. Young, a daughter of Jacob and Amanda (Conroud) Young, who immigrated to Indiana from their native State of Pennsylvania in 1866 and who first settled in Carroll County, whence they came to White County two years later; they located on a farm near the Village of Norway and later removed to Lake Cicot, Cass County, where Mr. Young died on the 19th of March, 1876, his widow long surviving him and passing the closing years of her life in the City of Gary, this state, where her death occurred on the 22d of November, 1913, aged eighty-two years, six months and twenty-seven days. Mr. and Mrs. Beshoar became the parents of three children: Gertrude, who is the wife of Robert Spencer, of this county; Milton, who died at the age of five weeks; and Ella, who is the wife of Ora Hamill, their home being in the City of Monticello.
Mrs. Beshoar is a lady who commands the respect and friendship of all who know her. Socially she is a member of the Eastern Star No. 165 of Monticello. When she and her husband were married and began the journey of life their cash capital would not exceed $25, and in the years' labor and economy they have acquired a nice competence, besides rearing and educating their children for honored places in their respective homes. Mrs. Beshoar has stayed by her husband's side all these years, aiding him in the building up of their peaceful and happy home life, and their home is one of cordiality and good cheer to their many friends who may enter its hospitable portals.
Mr. Beshoar continued his operations as one of the progressive and substantial agriculturists and stockgrowers of Jackson Township until December, 1887, when he removed with his family to Monticello, where he and his wife have since maintained their residence and where they have an attractive home that is known for its hospitality. For a period of eleven years Mr. Beshoar was successfully engaged in the meat-market business in Monticello, and since that time he has been active as a stock buyer. He has been under all circumstances and conditions a stalwart supporter of the cause of the Republican party and has taken an active part in public affairs of a local order. He served two terms as city marshal and is at the present time a member of the city council, a position of which he has been the loyal and efficient incumbent since 1914. He is affiliated with the local organizations of the Masonic fraternity, including the Order of the Eastern Star, and also with the Knights of Pythias. A man whose course has been guided and governed by the highest principles of integrity and who has marked the passing years with worthy achievement, he has a wide circle of friends in the county that has long been his home.
The following paragraphs contain the important facts in the life and family records of a White County citizen whose name has always stood for all that is honest and of good report in this community, for successful thrift and business integrity and for a position which all must respect. There is now a quite extensive relationship of the Beshoar family in Whi