Biography of Frank William Gfeller, pages 886/887.  History of DeKalb 
County, Indiana; B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc., Indianapolis, 1914.



Frank William Gfeller



	The subject of this review is a gentleman of high standing to 
whom has not been denied a full measure of success.  He is 
distinctively one of the representative citizen of Smithfield township, 
and has long been a recognized factor of importance in connection with 
the agricultural interest of the county of DeKalb.  Mr. Gfeller has 
been conspicuously identified with the material growth and prosperity 
of this part of the state and his life has been very closely interwoven 
with the history of the county where he has lived.

	Frank William Gfeller was born on December 23, 1877, just east of 
St. Michael’s church, in Smithfield township, DeKalb county, Indiana, 
and is a son of Frederick and Mary (Mehr) Gfeller.  When he was about 
three years of age the subject’s parents moved to their present home, 
which is located a little over a half mile north of St. Michael’ 
church, and there he has lived continuously since.  He was reared to 
the life of a farmer and secured his education in the district schools 
of the community.  He assisted his father in the operations of the home 
farm until the latter’s death, when he bought out the interests of all 
the other heirs to the estate, except his mother’s life interest in one 
hundred and seventy-two acres.  He has devoted himself indefatigably 
and persistently to the development, improvement and cultivation of the 
farm and that he has met with well, deserved success is a matter of 
common knowledge in his locality.  Among his fellow citizens he has 
earned the splendid reputation which he now enjoys by honest, 
intelligent effort and is eminently deserving of the splendid success 
which has crowned his efforts. 

	On October 27, 1898, Mr. Gfeller married Anna Schiffli, daughter 
of Anthony and Katherine (Fetters) Schiffli, her birth having occurred 
in Alsace, France, now Germany, and being brought to the United States 
with her parents when but five years old.  To Mr. and Mrs. Gfeller have 
been born three children living, Laurette, Clarence and Raymond and 
one, Olivia, who died at the age of ten weeks.

	Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Gfeller are earnest and loyal members 
of St. Michael’s Catholic church, in the prosperity of which they are 
deeply interested, and they give their earnest support to every 
movement for the uplift of their fellow beings. Mr. Gfeller is a man of 
wide knowledge, being a great reader, a deep tinker and a good 
conversationalist, and withal is a pleasant gentleman to meet.  He 
possess a personality that wins friends and all who know him speak in 
high terms of his many fine qualities and up-right conduct.



Submitted by:

Arlene Goodwin

Auburn, Indiana

Agoodwin@ctlnet.com