Biography of Frank W. Olinger, pages 624/625/626/627/628.  
History of DeKalb County, Indiana; B. F. Bowen & Company, 
Inc., Indianapolis, 1914.



Among those persons who have, by virtue of their strong 
individual qualities, earned there way to high standing in 
the estimation of their fellow citizens, have by sheer 
force of character and persistency won their way from an 
humble beginning to place of influence and prominence in 
the community,  where they are active in business affairs, 
the subject of this sketch is entitled to specific mention 
in a volume of the character of the one at hand. Frank W. 
Olinger was born in Keyser township, DeKalb county, 
Indiana, a short distance west of Auburn, on March 4, 1870, 
and he is a son of John S. and Lucy (Yard) Olinger. The 
subject paternal grandparents were David B. and Rebecca 
(Swihart) Olinger. David B. Olinger was born near 
Hagerstown, Maryland on June 17, 1813, and died near 
Auburn, Indiana, on December 19, 1896, at the age of 
eighty-three years. He was descended from good old 
Pennsylvania Dutch stock, He emigrated from Maryland to 
Stark county, Ohio, where, on February 18, 1836, he married 
Rebecca Swihart, and there on February 21, 1837, their only 
child, John S., was born. They remained in Stark county 
until August, 1846, when they came to Indiana. They drove 
through, the journey being one characterized by hardships, 
poor roads, bridgeless streams, and other conditions which 
made the journey a tiresome and ofttimes dangerous 
experience. Upon their arrival here they located two and a 
half miles east of Auburn, where David bought eighty acres 
of timber land, on which not a stick had been cut.  For a 
time the family lived on a near-by tract, on which was a 
small cabin, with the roof so low that they could reach it 
form the ground. About a year later they moved to the Henry 
Shull place, north of Auburn, where they lived about three 
years, moving from there to the Brandon farm, two miles 
west of Auburn, where they remained ten or twelve years. 
Then Mr. Olinger bought eighty acres just south of that 
tract, on which he built a house, that being about two 
years prior to the outbreak of the Civil war, and there 
David Olinger made his permanent home. His first wife died 
on February 29, 1870, and on October 10, 1878, he married 
Margaret Kiestrick, who died on the 12th of October, 1892. 
After her death he lived with his son, John S. Olinger.  
For about twenty-five years David B. Olinger served his 
community as justice of the peace and was honored and 
esteemed by all who knew him.  John S. Olinger was a lad of 
ten years when his parents brought him to DeKalb county, 
and he was thus an eye-witness of the early development of 
this section of the country.  When he came here Indians 
were still roaming the forest and deer were as numerous as 
sheep are today. Living conditions were primitive in the 
extreme for the first few years, and in the gigantic task 
of clearing the land, developing farms and making public 
improvements he had an active part. He was reared to the 
life of a woodsman and his own first land was acquired 
through  his skill in woodcraft, for by cutting the timber 
from forty acres he was given a forty-acre tract in payment 
for his labor.  In 1862, John S. Olinger enlisted in 
Company A, One Hundredth Regiment Indiana Volunteer 
Infantry, his regiment being assigned to the Western Army. 
He proved a faithful and courageous soldier, but after 
about ten month’s service he was honorably discharged 
because of physical disability. His illness so 
incapacitated him that he was practically unable to work 
for about a year afterward.  He then bought forty acres of 
land north of Garrett, a part of which he cleared, and then 
sold the tract and bought forty acres located about one and 
a half miles farther east, of which about an acre had been 
cleared and on which was a log house. He cleared the 
remainder of that land, which he cultivated for a few 
years, and then sold it and bought forty acres a mile and a 
half west of Auburn, which, like the preceding place, had 
but a small portion cleared. However, a trifling matter 
like that offered to him no discouragement, and he soon had 
the tract cleared and in cultivation. He has lived on that 
place now for forty-five years and has made of it one of 
the best farms in his section of the county, In addition to 
his labors as a farmer and woodsman, Mr. Olinger worked 
much at the carpenter’s trade during his active years. On 
April 18, 1861, John S. Olinger married Lucy Yard, who was 
born at Exmouth, England, on June 9, 1842, the daughter of 
John and Mary (Simmons) Yard. Her parents, who were highly 
educated and well-to-do, were principals of an academy in 
England, but emigrated to this country in an early day, 
probably in 1852. The first located in Cleveland, where  
they remained a short time, coming then to DeKalb county, 
and locating a mile north of Garrett, where they bought a 
farm and made their permanent  home, their original tract 
comprising about sixty acres. Though Mr. Yard was 
handicapped by having the use of only one hand, he was a 
man of energy and good business ability and eventually 
became quite well-to-do. To John S. and Lucy Olinger were 
born six children, namely: Salome died in infancy; David B. 
died at the age of ten years; Frank W. is the immediate 
subject of this review; Cora E. is the wife of George M. 
Ditmars and they live two miles south of Auburn;  Mitchell 
H. is a barber and lives at Garrett; Nettie May is the wife 
of Bert Lockwood and they live on her father’s farm, on and 
a half miles west of Auburn. The mother of these children 
died on January 29, 1908, at the age of sixty-five years, 
having been an invalid for many years.  Despite her 
sufferings, she ever remained cheerful and patient, 
evincing and expressing an unfailing trust in an all-wise 
Providence. She was reared in the Church of England, or the 
Episcopal church, but later identified herself with the 
Lutheran church, of which she was an earnest an faithful 
member. John S. Olinger is a member of the Grand Army of 
the Republic and the Farmer’s Alliance. He is a man of 
unquestioned integrity and consistent life and, because of 
his right living, his kindly nature and his success in 
life, he enjoyed a high standing in the community honored 
by his citizenship.  Frank W. Olinger remained with his 
parents on the home farm until he had attained his 
majority. In November, 1908, he moved into Auburn, buying a 
good residence property on South Jackson street. He was 
associated with John Clark in the furniture business until 
he accepted the nomination for sheriff in the fall of 1912, 
being nominated by the Republican party for that office, 
but, owing to the Democratic landslide of that year, he 
went down to defeat together with the rest of the ticket. 
On May 14, 1913, Mr. Olinger engaged in the lumber business 
at Auburn, in partnership with Ora Brandon, and to this 
business he is now giving his undivided attention. They 
carry a complete line of all kinds of lumber, together with 
general building supplies and, owing to their  excellent 
business methods and evident desire to please their 
customer, they are enjoying their full share of patronage. 
In September, 1911, Mr. Olinger bought a beautiful home at 
the corner of Thirteenth and Main street, which he has 
improved and where he now resides. On September 30, 1891, 
Frank W. Olinger was married to Mary M. Ditmars, who was 
born about three miles south of Auburn, the daughter of 
Isaac and Martha (George) Ditmars. Isaac Ditmars, who was 
born in Wayne county, Ohio, on September 7, 1837, was the 
son of John A. and Eliza (Neff) Ditmars, who, in 1853, came 
to DeKalb county, Indiana, locating a mile an a half south 
of Auburn, where they made their permanent home. There John 
A. Ditmars owned a farm and a good water-power saw mill. In 
the building of the latter Isaac Ditmars had a hand and 
there he labored many a day and night. John A. Ditmars, who 
was born in New Jersey on November 28, 1811, married Eliza 
Neff, who was a native of Hunterdon county, New Jersey. On 
their DeKalb county homestead Isaac Ditmars was reared to 
maturity and took up farming for his life occupation. On 
September 22, 1861, he enlisted in Company F, Forty-fourth 
Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, with which he saw some 
severe service. At the battle of Shiloh he received a 
serious wound, from the effects of which he was rendered 
unfit for duty and received an honorable discharge. He 
still limps some from the effects of the injury. After 
returning home, Isaac Ditmars resumed his farming 
operations south of Auburn, in which he met with good 
success, at one time owing three hundred and twenty acres 
of land. Since the death of his wife he has made his home 
with his sister, Mrs. Emily Reed, about a mile and a half 
north of Auburn. On October 20, 1862, Isaac Ditmars married 
Martha George, who was born in Wayne county, Ohio, and was 
the daughter of John T. and Nancy (McClelland) George, who 
came to Indiana in 1844. To Isaac and Martha Ditmars were 
born four children, namely: Ulysses Ellsworth was killed by 
falling from a tree October 2, 1873, in the eleventh year 
of his age; George M. is a farmer about two miles south of 
Auburn; Mary  M., the wife of Frank W. Olinger; Anna L., 
the wife of Frank Dawson, who lives a mile north of Auburn. 
The mother of these children, who passed away on April 20, 
1905, was a worthy woman and a highly esteemed member of 
the Baptist church at Auburn.  To Frank W. and Mary M. 
Olinger have been born three children, namely: Everett D., 
born September 30, 1893, died on December 5, 1897; Ethel 
Geraldine, born June 16, 1897, is a student in the Auburn 
high school, and George M.  who was born on April 15, 1899, 
is also a student in the public schools. Fraternally, Frank 
W. Olinger is a member of the Knights of Pythias and the 
Knights of Maccabees. Earnest purpose and tireless energy, 
combined with mature judgment and every-day common sense, 
have been among his most prominent characteristics, and he 
has merited the respect and esteem which are accorded him 
by all who know him. He is broad-minded, kind-hearted and 
friendly in his relations with others and is universally 
well liked.

Submitted by:

Arlene Goodwin

Auburn, Indiana

Agoodwin@ctlnet.com