Biography of Jason B. Childs, pages 683/864/685. History of DeKalb County, Indiana; B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc., Indianapolis, 1914. Jason B. Childs Through struggles to triumph seems to be the maxim which holds sway for the majority of our citizens, and though it is undeniably true that many a one falls exhausted in the conflict, a few, by their inherent force of character and strong mentality, rise above their environments until they reach the plane of prosperity. Such has been the record of the gentleman whose name appears as the caption of this sketch and who is today numbered among the representative citizens of Fairfield township, DeKalb county, Indiana. Jason B. Childs was born on August 27, 1859, in Fairfield township, DeKalb county, Indiana, and is the son of Willard and Amanda (Buchanan) Childs. Willard Childs, who was born near Utica, New York, on February 15, 1811, was the son of Phineas and Theodosia (Phillips) Childs, the former a native of New Haven, Connecticut, and of English descent, the later also a native of Connecticut, but of Welsh descent. In 1813 these parents moved to Jefferson county, New York, and in 1826 to Onondaga county. When he was fifteen yeas of age he began to work by the month for farmers. In 1837 he came to DeKalb county, Indiana, and bought one hundred and twenty acres of land, and after paying for it had but seventy-three cents left. He then went to Fort Wayne and there earned the money with which to return to New York. In 1846 he moved his family to DeKalb county, landing in Fairfield township on August 24th. He moved into a log cabin belonging to B.H. Chaffee, and a short time afterwards bought the land on which it stood. There were but fourteen families in this township when he settled there and the land was mostly heavily timbered. He added to his first purchase until he became the owner of two hundred and eight-six acres of land comprising one of the best farms in the township. In his native state he married Cornelia Steves, by whom were born two children, Emma and Phineas G. His first wife died in 1856, just after he had completed the erection of a new home, and he afterwards married Amanda Buchanan, who was born in Holmes county, Ohio, the daughter of Alexander Buchanan. She was reared in her native state and became a school teacher and, coming to DeKalb county, made her home with relatives and engaged in teaching school until she married. To this union were born two children, Jason B., the immediate subject of this sketch, and Mary E., wife of Wilber Haller, of Kendallville, this state. Willard Childs died in 1890, at which time he was the owner of two hundred and sixty acres of land, and his wife passed away in 1892. They were both members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Jason B. Childs was reared on the home farm and after completing his common school studies attended the high school at Waterloo, and later Methodist College at Fort Wayne, Indiana. He then resumed agricultural operations on the home farm, but after his marriage in 1880 he located on a tract of one hundred and twenty acres in section 27, Fairfield township, where he has remained continuously since. By the most persistent energy and wisely directed efforts he has attained and eminent success in this effort and is number among the successful farmers of that locality. In 1883 he built a nice residence, and a splendid barn in 1908, in connection with which is a good silo, and in other ways he has shown a disposition to keep up with the times in every department of his farm work. He raises all the crops common to this locality and also gives a proper share of his attention to the raising of live stock, in which line also he is successful. In December, 1880, Mr. Childs was married to Anna E. Haller, who was born in Noble county, Indiana, the daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth (Bolenbaugh) Haller. The latter, who was born in Seneca county, Ohio, was the daughter of John and Susan (Bixler) Bolenbaugh. Daniel Haller was a native of Germany, the son of Jacob and Catherine (Weller) Haller, and came to America when about three years old with his parents, who located first in Pennyslvania, subsequently moving to Ohio. He came to Noble county, Indiana, where he made his permanent home and here married Elizabeth Bolenbaugh. Jacob Haller was a soldier in the army of Napoleon Bonaparte for nine years, taking part in the historic battles of Austerliz and Waterloo. Elizabeth Bolenbaugh came to Noble county, Indiana, with her parents at the age of twelve years, at which time Kendallville was a hamlet of but two houses. Her parents lived in that locality six or seven years, and in that vicinity until advanced age, when they moved to Wisconsin, where their deaths occurred. Elizabeth Bolenbaugh was reared and married in Noble county, and when her daughter, Anna, was three or four yeas old, the Haller family moved to Fairfield township on a farm of nine-six acres, and lived there the rest of their lives, the father dying in 1891 and the mother on June 20, 1907. The father was a cooper by trade and by that means made money with which to buy his farm. The mother was first a Methodist in her religious views, but later joined the Evangelical church. To Mr. and Mrs. Childs have been born four children: Effie became the wife of W.W. Lower, who was killed in a railroad accident, leaving two children, Ethel and Elizabeth. After his death she became the wife of James Vogtman, of Hudson, and they have one child, Anna; Willard married Daisy Walker, the daughter of Eli Walker, and lives in Smithfield township, and they have one son, Ralph; Curtis L, is unmarried and lives in Fort Wayne, and Herbert, who is twelve years of age, remains at home. Fraternally, Jason B. Childs is a member of the Knights of Pythias, having been one of the charter members of the Corunna lodge, and he and his wife and children, Effie and Willard, are members of the Pythian Sister. Mr. Childs is a man of public spirit and progressive ideas and is numbered among the strong and influential citizens of his community, and as such is eminently entitled to representation in a work of this character. Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin Auburn, Indiana Agoodwin@ctlnet.com