Biography of William M. Ballentine, page 213. History of Northeast Indiana; 
LaGrange, Steuben, Noble, and DeKalb Counties, Vol. II, under the editorial 
supervision of Ira Ford, Orville Stevens, William H. McEwen, and William H. 
McIntosh.   The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago and New York, 1920.  

   William M. Ballentine.  For a number of years William M. Ballentine has 
been rated as one of the independent and successful farmers of Butler 
Township, DeKalb County.  Some of his good neighbors and friends remember a 
time when he was working as a farm hand or as a renter and know that his 
good fortune and present prosperity have been well merited and earned by an 
efficient career of hard labor and good management.
   Mr. Ballentine, whose home is in section 17 of Butler Township, was born 
in DeKalb County, September 27, 1866, a son of James and Emeline (Monroe) 
Ballentine, both natives of Ohio.  His father, who was born in Richland 
County, married after moving to DeKalb County, Indiana, and settled down 
on land east of Auburn, where he spent the rest of his life.  He was a 
Union soldier for eighteen months and an honored member of the Grand Army.   Politically he was a republican. There were three children: William M., Phoebe, wife of Jacob Kemery, of DeKalb County, and Samuel, who is employed in the elevator at St. Johns, Indiana.
   William M. Ballentine grew up on a farm near St. Joe, attended the 
district schools and was fifteen years old when his father died.  After 
that he, being the oldest child, had to assume most of the responsibilities of working the fields and to a large degree he filled his father’s place.  His mother afterward married again, and when about twenty-one years of age he moved to Butler Township and worked out as a farm hand.
   December 22, 1891, he married Elnora Smith.  She was born in Butler 
Township, March 1, 1870. After their marriage Mr. Ballentine was a ditch 
contractor about two and a half years and for three years worked on the 
section of the New York Central lines.  He began his independent career as 
a farmer on land he owns today.  At that time he was a renter, but he has 
since bought the farm, seventy-six acres.  He is also a stockholder in the 
Garrett elevator.  A democrat in politics, he has filled the office of 
supervisor.
   Mr. and Mrs. Ballentine have four children: Arlo E., a graduate of the 
Garrett High School, attended North Manchester College, and is a foreman 
of car repairing of Garrett.  Fred is a graduate of the common schools, 
lives on a farm in Keyser Township, and married Bernice P. Rugman. 
Raymond, the third son, is a graduated of the Garrett High School, also 
attended a business college at Fort Wayne, and married Velma Grove.  Mabel 
Lucile is the fourth and youngest child. Mr. Ballentine has four 
grandchildren, Josephine L. and James H., children of his son Fred; and 
Omar and Virginia M., children of Arlo.
   
Submitted by:
Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
Agoodwin@ctlnet.com