Abram C. Lane, an honored citizen of White County, passed away at his home, four miles southwest of Reynolds, August 8, 1908, in his ninety-first year, and was interred in the Lane Cemetery near his old home. He was born March 28, 1818, near Cincinnati, Ohio, and, after learning the trade of wagonmaker, he married in May, 1839, at Springdale, Ohio, Miss Eliza R. Wooley, who died at Stockwell, Indiana, February 15, 1858. Three children were born to them, one of whom, Mrs. Bernard G. Smith, now lives in Monticello.
On January 27, 1859, he married Miss Barbara Darland, of Clinton County, Indiana, who died at the old home place in September, 1868, leaving two children, Eliza, wife of Thomas Baker, and a son, John. His third marriage, and to which no children were born, was to Mrs. Mary A. Baker, mother of Thomas Baker. This marriage occurred in November, 1869, and she died at their home June 1, 1877.
In the spring of 1852 Mr. Lane moved to what is now known as Stockwell, Indiana, where he lived until 1864 when he came to White County and purchased the farm on which he died.
When yet a young man he became a member of the Christian Church through the preaching of a noted divine, Rev. George Campbell, and remained a faithful attendant and liberal supporter of that organization during the remainder of his life. He was a man of strong character, with well-rounded convictions on all subjects. In polities he was identified with the old abolition party, but when the republican party was organized he transferred his allegiance to it and remained true to its principles the rest of his life.
Mr. Lane lived through many great epochs of our national history. He saw and felt the effects of three great wars. Saw all our great western territories admitted as states of the Union. Saw slavery abolished and the telegraph, telephone and railroad network constructed, and all the up-to-date improvements in all of which be took great interest and felt a just pride.
Mrs. Sarah Large, widow of John Large, was born in Wayne County, Ohio, January 17, 1820. Her maiden name was Burnett, and she was married to John Large in 1837, and came with him to White County in 1865, locating in Big Creek Township. She was the mother of Frank and Charles Large, formerly of Monticello, Mrs. U. M. Ballenger, who removed to Michigan City, and Mrs. Bonam Fox, of Athens, Tennessee. She died at her home in Monticello, March 24, 1896.
One of the good old pioneers who should be remembered in a history of White County, as the memory of his character and attainments must be regarded and respected by his descendants, was the late James Lawrie, who lived in White County more than sixty years, and made his life effective in promoting the work of the world. His aged widow is still living on the old farm in section 10 of West Point Township, and there are both children and grandchildren to cherish his memory and to exemplify in their own lives many of the sterling characteristics which are salient points of his nature.
Born in New York City, February 20, 1830, James Lawrie was a son of Alexander and Sarah (Combs) Lawrie. His father was a native of Scotland and came to the United States when about thirty years of age, being in business in New York City for several years. In 1852 he brought his family out to White County, Indiana, and located on section 26 in West Point Township. It was an abrupt change from the conditions and surroundings of metropolitan life to the sparsely settled and unimproved environment which they found on coming to this county. The family had many of the trials and hardships incident to such an existence, but eventually secured a firm foothold in the county, and the name from that day to this has been one of honor and usefulness. Alexander Lawrie was born February 18, 1788, and died in advanced years June 7, 1871. He was married November 20, 1821, to Sarah Combs, who was born February 1, 1796, and died September 30, 1871. Their children were: Elizabeth, deceased; John, deceased; Alexander, who is living at Battleground [sic]; Arthur, James and Mary, all deceased.
The late James Lawrie was educated in New York City and was twenty-two years of age when he came to White County with other members of the family. He had received the advantages of schools back East, and while there had learned the trade of wagonmaker, but finding little opportunity for its exercise in the new country, he took up farming and stock raising and on the basis of that vocation gained a very substantial success.
On November 29, 1855, he married Susan A. Irion, a daughter of Captain Anderson and Sophia M. (Dragoo) Irion, a prominent White County family mentioned elsewhere. To Mr. and Mrs. Lawrie were born a family of ten children: Robert, born September 16, 1856; Arthur S., born August 26, 1858; Ralph, born February 27, 1861, and now deceased; Anna E., born March 9, 1863, deceased; Alexander, born August 21, 1865, deceased; John, born April 7, 1868; Charles D., born May 23, 1871; Josephine Mary, born October 30, 1873; Lanier, born November 17, 1876; and Nora F., born March 18, 1881.
A large community paid tribute of affection and respect to James
Lawrie when he died on November 16, 1913. He was then eighty-three years of age,
and had always lived up to his opportunities, and not only provided liberally for
his growing children but left a considerable estate at the time of his death. He
was buried in the West Point cemetery. Politically his vote was cast for
republican candidates until William J. Bryan appeared on the political horizon,
after which he was a loyal follower of the great commoner. Immediately after his
marriage James Lawrie and wife located on section 26 in West Point Township, but
later left that farm in order to educate their children in the academy at
Brookston. Some years later they returned to the country and Mr. Lawrie followed
farming the rest of his career. A part of his record which should not be omitted
and which will always be a matter of pride to his descendants was his service in
the Civil war as a member of Company K in the One Hundred Fifty-fifth Indiana
Infantry. Mrs. Lawrie, who was born September 20, 1836, and is now nearing her
eightieth birthday, has all the comforts of life, and surrounded by her children,
looks into the future with resignation and hope. Her home is 100 acres in section
10, and the land is operated by others.
Charles Augustus Lawson was born in Sweden, January 20, 1846, and died at his home near Reynolds, October 5, 1914. Since his fourth year he had been a resident of White County and was a veteran of the Civil war and a member of Tippecanoe Post No. 51, G. A. R., Monticello, Indiana. On November 24, 1870, he married Miss Virginia John, and to them were born two sons and two daughters, who, with the mother, survived him. He was a member of the Christian Church.
A resident of White County for sixty-seven years, Hiram F. Lear was born in Culpeper County, Virginia, January 21, 1821, and died at his home in Wolcott, May 16, 1905. His grandfather was a soldier in the Revolutionary war and his father in the War of 1812. His father's family came to White County in 1838, locating in Big Creek Township. Here he was married to Miss Margaret Ann Burns, daughter of Uncle John Burns, and soon after located in Princeton Township. He left thirteen living children.
Around the little Village of Seafield in Princeton Township are to be found some of the choicest farm estates in White County. The owner of one of these is Thomas A. Lear, whose individual enterprise has been highly creditable and has brought him a substantial success, and who is further related to White County by the fact that his family was among the first to settle and break the virgin soil of Princeton Township.
Few families now represented in White County have touched the life and progress of the nation at more points than the Lears. Back in the early colonial period the family lived in old Virginia. One of the interesting early records states that the great-grandfather of Thomas A. Lear was one of three Virginia blues who carried General Braddock from the field of his disastrous defeat in Western Pennsylvania early in the French and Indian war, a defeat which was invited by the obstinacy and conceit of the British general and which was only partly retrieved by the gallant conduct of the Continental troops, prominent among whom were the Virginians. A number of years later this ancestor also fought on the American side in the war for independence. The military honors of the family are made more illustrious by the fact that Mr. Lear's grandfather was a soldier in the second war with Great Britain, from 1812 to 1815.
The White County pioneer of the Lear family was the late Hiram F. Lear, concerning whom there are many interesting facts worthy of record. He was born January 21, 1821, in Culpeper County, Virginia, a son of Nathan and Maria (Spicer) Lear. When nine years of age his father took him from Virginia to Belmont County in Eastern Ohio, and he lived there until the spring of 1838, when he came out to White County and began settlement in Big Creek Township. As soon as he reached his majority he started out for himself, and for three years farmed and rented land owned by Joseph Thompson, another early settler in that community. From Big Creek Township he moved into Princeton Township, and bought eighty acres in section 4. With that as a nucleus he continued a career of growing prosperity until his possessions included the ownership of more than 500 acres, largely in Princeton Township. Besides farming he was for seven years engaged in merchandising at Monon, and about six years before his death retired from active business and moved to Wolcott, where he died June 16, 1905. He was laid to rest in the Palestine cemetery. Hiram F. Lear was more than a successful business man. Throughout his long life he practiced the golden rule, and his fellow citizens had special reasons to esteem him because of his qualities as a peace maker, and many cases have been recalled in which he acted as a mediator in settling differences between his neighbors. A republican, he never sought official honor, and was an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Though rather small in stature, he possessed an inexhaustible fund of energy and exemplified the trait of loving kindness to a remarkable degree. He was married April 9, 1857, to Margaret A. Burns, a daughter of John and Malinda Burns, who were numbered among the very early settlers of White County. To their marriage were born fourteen children: J. Franklin, who now lives in Lafayette; Charles N., a resident of Terre Haute; Thomas A.; James B., of Princeton Township; David M., now deceased; one that died in infancy; Zorah M., now deceased; Hiram F., Jr., who lives in Princeton Township; William W., deceased; Samuel E., deceased; Bert L., living in Wolcott; Jennie, wife of Ed Hafflin, living in Spokane, Washington; Dessa E., wife of Paul Adams, living in Terre Haute; and Hugh L., of Monticello.
Thomas A. Lear was born on the old farm in section 4 of Princeton Township, September 21, 1861, and only for a few days at a time has he been absent from White County during all the years of his life. After procuring such education as the common schools could offer, he chose to be a farmer, and has had a very prosperous career. His fine place of 120 acres is located 3 3/4 miles northeast of Seafield.
On September 24, 1885, when twenty-four years of age, Mr. Lear married Emma B. Johns, a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Johns. Mrs. Lear was born in Boone County, Indiana, but at the time of her marriage was living in White County. To the marriage was born one daughter, Winnie M., who is now the wife of Fred Dobbins, of Princeton Township, and their two children are named Helen L. and Harold J.
Mr. Lear is a citizen who has enjoyed the confidence of his community and has been chosen at different times for official responsibility. He served as township supervisor eight years, and for seven years was a member of the township advisory board. In politics he is a republican, he and his wife are members of the Christian Church, and he is now serving as an elder and trustee of that denomination. His fraternal associations are with the Knights of Pythias lodge at Wolcott.
The career of James Monahan Leffel, city superintendent of schools at Monticello, Indiana, is one remarkable in a number of ways and is an illustration of the value of constant application and untiring effort in the overcoming of early environment and the surmounting of obstacles. He was born in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, May 3, 1880, a son of Michael A. and Lucy Louise (Molann) Monahan. He was but ten years of age when his father died, and arrangements were made by his mother for the lad's admission into the New England Home for Little Wanderers, at No. 202 West Newton Street, Boston. In June, 1890, he was brought from the East to Warsaw, Indiana, with twenty-four other children, and was adopted by Joshua Leffel, whose name he later took as his own.
The Leffel family is one that is widely and favorably known in Kosciusko County, Indiana, where its members have lived for many years and where they have taken a prominent part in the various affairs of life. William Leffel, the father of Joshua Leffel, migrated to Lake Township in that county at an early date and secured a Government land grant bearing the signature of Andrew Jackson. His wife was Julianne Tridle, of an old Kosciusko County family. The wife of Joshua Leffel was Mary Isabel Homman before her marriage, and she also belonged to a family of pioneers of that county.
James Monahan Leffel received his elementary training in the common schools of Lake Township, District No. 6, Kosciusko County, and in 1898 was graduated from the Commission High School of Silver Lake, Indiana. In 1908 he graduated from the department of history and political science, University of Indiana, and since that time has been doing work in the universities of the Middle West, especially at the University of Chicago. For fifteen years Mr. Leffel has been engaged in teaching in various capacities and at different points. He began his career as an educator in Lake Township, where he taught in the district schools for two years, was for one year principal of the grammar school at Pierceton, Indiana, and for three years was principal of the centralized schools of Jackson Township. For four years he was at the head of the history department at Brazil, Indiana, and then became superintendent of schools at Knox, Indiana, where he remained for a like period. In 1914 Mr. Leffel was called to the superintendency of the schools of Monticello, his present position, and under his administration the system has been improved to an efficiency never before attained. Mr. Leffel, aside from being a thoroughly learned and capable educator, is a man of much executive and business ability, and is popular with his teachers as well as with the pupils and their parents. His entire career has been devoted to his profession, his advancement in which has come to him through individual merit, combined with hard work and constant study. Mr. Leffel is a member of the Beta Theta Chapter of the Kappa Sigma fraternity, University of Indiana, and of Lodge No. 579, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Sidney, Indiana, and Monticello Chapter, No. 103.
On December 28, 1904, Mr. Leffel was married to Miss Ruby Caroline Patterson, daughter of dames W. and Henrietta (Copeland) Patterson, who reside on Rural Free Delivery Route No. 3, North Manchester, Lake Township, Koscuisko County. One child has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Leffel; James Monahan, Jr., born June 21, 1909. Mrs. Leffel's great-grandfather, Joel Hidy, was a native of Virginia, who migrated to Kosciusko County, Indiana, at an early date, settling on Government land along the Eel River. He assisted to establish the first boundary lines of section and range in that county, was a prominent man in the affairs of that locality, and was one of the organizers of Masonic Lodge No. 579, at Sidney, Indiana. Mrs. Leffel's paternal grandfather was Joseph Patterson, who migrated from Pennsylvania to the same locality many years ago, and for a long period conducted a tanning establishment at Liberty Mills, Indiana.
A man of earnest convictions, strong character, and deep consecration, Rev. J. H. Lindhorst, pastor of the German Lutheran Church at Reynolds, is devoted, heart and soul, to the work of the Christian ministry. Born in Hanover, Germany, March 21, 1872, he immigrated to the United States in 1887, and was here fitted for the ministry. Coming to Reynolds in 1894, he assumed charge of his present church in August of that year, and since been a zealous worker in the cause of religion. He is an effective and pleasant speaker, both in the pulpit and out of it, and is a firm friend and wise counsellor to all who go to him for advice and consolation.
The church was organized in 1861, and the church building, erected some
years later, cost approximately $2,000. Reverend Meisner was its first
pastor. He was succeeded by Rev. H. Schlesselmann and later Rev. J. H.
Bethke assumed its charge. He remained as its pastor until his death,
sixteen years later. He was succeeded, in 1894, by Reverend Lindhorst,
who has successfully conducted the affairs of the church since. It is
now in a most flourishing condition, having about 275 communicant
members, while its voting contingent numbers ninety-five. The church
buildings have been changed to some extent under the
management of its present pastor, and in 1911 a new parochial school
building, costing $3,000 was erected, the increased number of pupils
attending the school demanding more commodious quarters.
Sarah Line, daughter of Elihu and Nancy Line, was born in Butler County, Ohio, January 30, 1814, and died near Monon, August 21, 1897. In 1832 she married Smith Jessup, two years later he died, and in 1835 she came to White County, being one of the first settlers of the county. She was the last survivor of her family and her sole heir was her nephew Dennis Line, who yet lives in Monon. She was a woman of deep religious convictions, always interested in the old settlers' annual meetings, which she was careful to attend, and a peculiarity was revealed by her when she bid all adieu before dying and asked to be buried in a shroud made by her thirteen years previous. She was buried at the Chapel Cemetery three miles east of Monon.
William Lisk, the pioneer merchant of Wolcott, was born near Morristown, New
Jersey, June 10, 1819, but in his youth his father moved to Franklin County,
Ohio, and in 1844 to Ross County, Ohio, and here two years later the subject of
this sketch was married to Sarah A. Edmonds, daughter of Robert and Margaret
Edmonds, and to this marriage seven children were born. In 1847 Mr. Lisk moved
to Tippecanoe County, Indiana. Seven years later he migrated to Wapello County,
Iowa, returning in 1860 to Tippecanoe County, and eight years later to Princeton
Township, White County, where he died February 9, 1899. He was a son of Peter and
Abigail (Moore) Lisk and of Dutch and Scotch descent. William Lisk was for many
years a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, interested in all that pertained
to the welfare of the community and a member of the republican party.
One of the real pioneers of White County, a companion of the wilderness and a sharer in the prosperity which was developed by the industry and tireless labors of its sturdy workers, the late Henry T. Little was one of the county's best known and most highly esteemed citizens. His activities covered the fields of agriculture, carpentry, merchandise and hotel keeping, and at his death, in 1896, the county lost a man who had at all times labored faithfully in advancing its best interests.
Mr. Little was born near Piqua, Miami County, Ohio, November 8, 1825, and was a son of William and Jane (Smith) Little. About the year 1846 the parents removed from Ohio with their family to Tippecanoe County, Indiana, and several years later came to White County, where they followed agricultural pursuits during the remainder of their lives. They were buried at Spring Creek Cemetery. One of a family of seven children, all of whom are now deceased, Henry T. Little received his education in the public schools of his native state, and for a short time in his youth followed farming. Subsequently he learned the trade of carpenter, which he followed both in Ohio and Indiana, but after the family came to White County he turned his attention to mercantile lines, and for a long period of years was the proprietor of a store at Brookston. He was well and prominently known there, wielded some influence in public affairs, and during the Civil war served his community as postmaster. In his later years Mr. Little removed to Delphi, Indiana, and was there engaged in conducting a hotel at the time of his death, January 10, 1896. Mr. Little was a republican in his political views, and always took an interest in public affairs, although rather as a public-spirited citizen than as a seeker for official preferment. He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and his religious connection was with the Methodist Church, to which Mrs. Little also belongs.
On January 24, 1850, Mr. Little was married to Miss Jane Van Scoy, daughter of William and Mary (Channel) Van Scoy. Her parents, also pioneers of White County, came here from West Virginia as early as 1847 and settled in Big Creek Township, where they entered two 40-acre tracts of land from the Government. In later years they removed to the State of Iowa, where both passed away, they being buried near New Virginia. They were the parents of thirteen children, of whom four survive. To Mr. and Mrs. Little there were born seven children. Mary E. survives and resides with her mother at Monticello.
Mention has been made on other pages of this history of the firm of Loughry Brothers, millers and grain merchants at Monticello. This is one of the oldest and at the same time one of the most prosperous institutions in a commercial sense in White County. One member of the firm who for many years has contributed his resources and energy to the upbuilding of the business, and who has at the same time been a valuable citizen in his relations toward the community, is Albert W. Loughry.
Albert W. Loughry was born in Saltsburg, Indiana County, Pennsylvania, June 9, 1847. His parents were Nelson B. and Rachel (Wright) Loughry, and his grandparents were Joseph and Sarah (Howard) Loughry, members of both these generations being referred to more at length in a sketch of Joseph E. Loughry on other pages. Albert W. Loughry grew up in Pennsylvania, acquired a common school education, and spent several years of his early manhood as a farm worker. He learned the milling business in the establishment of which for forty-three years he has been a part owner.
Mr. Loughry is a charter member of the local lodge of the Knights of Pythias and a Blue Lodge Mason. His wife is a member of the Presbyterian Church. On May 3, 1881, he married Sallie Kendall, a daughter of Charles W. and Mary E. (Spencer) Kendall, and through her mother a granddaughter of George A. and Sarah (Reynolds) Spencer. The Spencers as told elsewhere were among the county's earliest and most prominent settlers. George A. Spencer and wife came to the county about 1833, settling in Big Creek Township, where he developed a farm and followed agriculture for many years. George A. Spencer was a squire or justice of the peace, took a great interest in public affairs, and though a democrat, was not a seeker for office beyond his position as justice of the peace. There were seven children in the Spencer family, all of them now deceased and at rest in Monticello.
Charles W. Kendall, the father of Mrs. Loughry, was born in Pennsylvania and came to Indiana when a young man, joining the pioneers who were already settled in the county. For many years he was a drygoods merchant in Monticello, was married in that town, and he and his wife had six children, three of whom are still living. He was a man whose name was identified with many local concerns during the last century, he was interested in all movements for local betterment, was president and stockholder in the first local bank, and was postmaster in Monticello during the Civil war. His death occurred in 1875, and his wife passed away in 1901. Mr. Kendall was an elder in the Presbyterian Church and a member of the Masonic fraternity in Monticello.
To Mr. and Mrs. Albert W. Loughry three children have been born, namely: Howard
Kendall, born March 21, 1882, and a graduate of the West Point Military Academy;
Maynard, born April 17, 1889, and a bookkeeper in his father's mill, and Chester,
born October 28, 1893, now
pursuing a course of studies in the University of Indiana.
An industry whose wheels have been turning and whose machinery has been making useful products for nearly half a century at Monticello is the mills operated under the name Loughry Brothers Milling & Grain Company, one of the oldest organizations of the kind in Monticello or of White County. This firm operates the largest mill and are also engaged in the grain business in the county, and in the forty odd years of its existence it has accomplished an aggregate of commercial service probably not exceeded by any other institution of the kind in the county.
The Loughry Brothers are sons of Nelson B. and Rachel (Wright) Loughry, who came to White County in 1859. The grandparents were Joseph and Sarah (Howard) Loughty. Both the grandparents and parents were natives of Pennsylvania, and in 1855 moved to Lafayette, Indiana, but settled in White County, in Monon Township, in 1859. The late N. B. Loughry was commercially engaged in Pennsylvania, but followed the milling business in Monon Township, and was also a merchant and farmer. The grandparents died and were laid to rest in the Monon Chapel cemetery. Grandfather Joseph Loughry was a colonel in one of the Pennsylvania militia regiments and he served as a soldier in the War of 1812. He was also sheriff of Indiana County, Pennsylvania, and Nelson Loughry was deputy sheriff and was the prothonotary of Indiana County. The late Nelson B. Loughry, who died in 1890, was more or less actively identified with the republican party, served as trustee of Monon Township, and was held in the highest esteem both as a merchant and as a citizen. His wife died in this county in 1895 on her eightieth birthday, and the bodies of both now rest in Monticello cemetery. N. B. Loughry was an elder in the Presbyterian Church both in White County and during his residence in Lafayette. There were six children: Sarah, who died at the age of thirteen in Indiana County, Pennsylvania; Joseph F.; Clara, widow of J. H. Edwards, of Logansport; Albert Wright, of Monticello; Amy, who lives at Monticello, and is unmarried, and Cloyd, of Monticello.
Joseph B. Loughry, the senior member of the firm of Loughry Brothers Milling & Grain Company, was born in Saltsburg, Indiana County, Pennsylvania, September 4, 1842. He was thirteen years of age when the family removed to Indiana, completed his education in the high school at Lafayette, and in 1859 came to White County. His first experience in the milling industry, was as an employe [sic] in Cooper's mill in Monon Township. This was interrupted by the war and his service therein as one of the Indiana soldiers. He enlisted August 9, 1862, in Company D of the Twelfth Indiana Infantry. He was mustered in at Monticello, and among other incidents of those stirring war times he recalls that just before the company left for the Trout a flag, presented by local citizens to the company, was delivered to the color bearer with a speech from Congressman Schuyler Colfax, who subsequently was vice president with General Grant as president. He marched away with his regiment, participated in many of the arduous campaigns of the war, was with Sherman in Tennessee, Georgia and the Carolinas, and with those victorious troops participated in the grand review at Washington in June, 1865, at the close of the war. In that grand review the Twelfth Indiana Infantry marched at the head of the army, and Mr. Loughry remembers seeing General Sherman refuse to shake hands with Secretary of War Stanton. He received his honorable discharge in Washington, and then returned to White County, laying aside the arms of warfare for the implements of peace. He took a course in the Bryant & Stratton Business College at Indianapolis, and then was given active management of the Cooper mill. In 1869 he went to Attica, Indiana, was employed there in a mill, but in the following year returned to Monticello and took charge of the Monticello mills.
It was on April 22, 1872, that Mr. Loughry and his two brothers established the firm of Loughry Brothers Milling & Grain Company, and in 1915 they celebrated the forty-third anniversary of their continuous association as business partners.
Joseph E. Loughry was married June 3, 1873, to Miss Nancy Turner, daughter of William and Susanna (Imes) Turner. To their marriage have been born three children: Louise T., wife of W. E. Clapham, of Fort Wayne; Mabel, wife of W. C. Taylor, of Seattle, Washington, and William N., at home in Monticello. Mr. Loughry has always manifested a general interest in public affairs, and has identified himself with a number of movements for local improvement and betterment. He is a Mason, a member of Libanus Lodge, No. 154, of Monticello, and he has occupied the chair of Most Worshipful Master. He is also a member of the G. A. R., and was commander of Post Tippecanoe, No. 51. Mrs. Loughry is a member of the Presbyterian Church.
Nelson B. Loughry, one of the most prominent citizens in White County, was born in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, February 13, 1815. Was married to Rachel Wright November 13, 1834, at Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, with whom he lived for more than half a century. In l855 he came to Indiana and after four years spent in Lafayette, he moved to White County where he lived until his death on August 24, 1890. Several years prior to his death he retired from active business, that of milling, and turned his affairs over to his sons, who are yet in business in Monticello. His was a life well spent. He let his influence for good be felt in the Presbyterian Church of which he was an earnest memher and in the community in which he lived. His three sons, Joseph E., Albert W. and Cloyd, have for several years conducted one of the largest milling and grain trades in the state.
One of the wealthiest and best known men in White County, and for many years one of the well known Lowe brothers, "Lark and Stave," Larkin Lowe was born in Miami County, Indiana, June 26, 1836, and died in Monticello, November 1, 1907. His parents were Charles and Elizabeth Lowe. In 1840 they came to White County, locating in Monon Township. Early in life he and his brother, Gustavus, formed the partnership above mentioned and continued in the stock business until 1888, when he moved to Monticello. In 1890 he purchased the Monticello elevator, which he conducted for several years under the firm name of Lowe & Son. In February, 1862, he was married to Celnira Phillips, who, with two sons, John and Bert (Larkin B.), is still living.
Of the former citizens of White County, probably none had a more distinctive success as a farmer and stock man than the late Larkin Lowe, who lived for many years in Monticello, where he died November 1, 1907. By hard work and strict attention to business he had accumulated something like 1,000 acres of fine farm lands, and his business success was made on the basis of fair dealing and an incorruptible integrity, and he always enjoyed a reputation as an honorable and respected citizen.
The late Larkin Lowe was born near the Eel River in Indiana June 26, 1836, and was therefore past seventy-one years of age at the time of his death. His parents were Robert and Elizabeth (Dickey) Lowe, the former a native of Virginia and the latter of Indiana. The parents removed to Monon Township in White County at an early day, were pioneers, and experienced all the trials and incidents of the early times. Both died in this county and are buried here. There were seven sons and one daughter in the family.
Larkin Lowe had very little schooling as a boy, and his life was one of practical effort and experience. At about the age of twenty-five he left home and began doing for himself and soon established a home of his own. On February 9, 1862, he married Scelnira Phillips, daughter of John and Catherine (Brough) Phillips. To their marriage were born four sons, as follows: John, who is a farmer and stock raiser, married Sarah E. Crawford, daughter of Samuel and Anne (Clapham) Crawford; James, who died in June, 1910, married Ella Garinger, daughter of John Garinger; Christopher, who died February 19, 1872; and Larkin B., who is engaged in farming on the old Lowe homestead, married Etta Seymour, daughter of James Seymour. John Phillips, the father of Mrs. Lowe, came to Monon township about 1855, was a respected farmer, a stanch [sic] republican, and he and his wife spent the rest of their lives on a farm in that township.
The late Larkin Lowe was a democrat in politics, but never ought nor held any office. He was one of the most extensive cattle buyers and shippers in White County, shipped stock to all parts of the country, and his shrewd judgment seldom ever failed him in these transactions. He moved into Monticello about 1882, and resided there the last twenty-five years of his life. His body was laid to rest in Bedford Cemetery, Monon, Indiana.
There are few residents of Princeton Township whose prosperity is marked by more definite and convincing terms than that of Augustus U. Lux. At the outset of his career Mr. Lux had none of those resources such as capital and influential friends and was compelled to rely entirely upon what he had within himself—character, honesty, industry, and a judgment which was soon developed by experience. In early life he had vicissitudes and crosses, but now for thirty years or more has been traveling the center of the road to prosperity, and without any conspicuous deviation therefrom.
His family is one of the oldest represented in Northwest Indiana. His parents were Peter and Christina (Fox) Lux. Peter Lux was born January 11, 1809, in the Province of Lorain, which only a few years before had been transferred from German sovereignty to the French Empire by the great Napoleon. However, Peter Lux was of Teuton family and grew up with an education in both the French and German languages. Very early in his career he emigrated to America and in 1830 located at Logansport Indiana, becoming one of the earliest settlers along the Wabash in Cass County. He was married after coming to Logansport. By trade he was a blacksmith, but for many years followed farming. A few years after his location in Cass County he was detailed to take ebarge of a party of Indians when the red men were being removed from the country around Peru and Logansport to their homes west of the Mississippi. In this work he was under the command of General Tipton and Doctor Fitch and made three separate trips with his charges. Later he saw active service in the war against Mexico in 1846-48, serving with the cavalry. He was a man of no little prominence in Cass County during the early days and for eight years served as deputy sheriff. In politics he was a democrat. In 1862 Peter Lux moved out to Piatt County, Illinois, locating on a farm near Bement. While in Illinois he served as a constable and justice of the peace. He was a Catholic by training and by faith until a few years before his death, when he joined a Protestant Church. He died in Illinois and was buried in Bement Cemetery, in Piatt County, passing away May 14, 1902, at the age of ninety-three years, four months, three days. He and his wife became the parents of thirteen children. Those now living are named Peter, Henry F., Martin B., Mrs. Louisa Bogue, Augustus U., Harvey A., Mrs. Katie Bauman. Those deceased are Mary, John, Jacob, Mrs. Susan Myers, Charles and Nicholas.
It was in the city of Logansport, Indiana, that Augustus U. Lux was born, March 27, 1861. In infancy his father removed to Illinois and he grew to manhood in Piatt County. At the age of twenty-two he returned to Logansport to enter the employ of his brother, John, in the wholesale and retail grocery business. He was with his brother four years, fifteen days. He then married Alice Sidenbender, a daughter of George and Mary (Hoover) Sidenbender of Carroll County, Indiana. After his marriage he removed to Piatt County, Illinois, took up farming on the old homestead, but within a year his wife died and after this loss he became dissatisfied with farming and returned to Logansport. Here he was once more in the employ of his brother four months, and from there moved to Seafield in White County and bought the only store of that village from John G. Kerlin. This was in 1886, and after conducting the store nineteen months he sold out to G. L. Schlademan, and returned to Logansport. For eight years Mr. Lux was a traveling salesman, at first for his brother and later for the firm of Marion Collins Company of Chicago.
At Seafield, in White County, December 1, 1887, Mr. Lux married Miss Anna Hinchman, daughter of William Hinchman, one of the prominent pioneers of Princeton Township. To this marriage were born five children. The sons, Verdent and Fred, are associated together in the grocery and fire insurance business at Wolcott, and Verdent married Mabel Watson while Fred's wife was Estella Keck, and they have a child named Jean. The other three children are Ola, Floyd B. and Helen, all living at home. Ola received her diploma from the public schools, also graduated from the Wolcott High School, and is now a member of the class of 1916 in the Woman's College, at Jacksonville, Illinois. She is a member of the Baptist Church, as are also all the children. Floyd B. received his diploma from the public schools, and has eight honor rolls for promptness, never having been tardy, and is now in the first year of the Wolcott High School. Helen is a member of the seventh grade of the common schools.
Since 1888 Mr. Lux and family have resided in Wolcott, with the exception of one year spent at Royal Center, Indiana. During all this time he has been esteemed for his substantial civic qualities as well as his business enterprise. As a democrat he has served three terms as justice of the peace, and for a number of years has been a trustee of the Baptist Church, to which both he and his wife belong. He is affiliated with Wolcott Lodge No. 180 F. & A. M., of which he is past master, and with the royal arch chapter at Monticello. He and his wife are members of Wolcott Chapter No. 171 of the Order of Eastern Star, in which Mrs. Lux served as worthy matron two years.
On giving up his business as a traveling man Mr. Lux entered the road contracting business, with headquarters at Wolcott. That was his chief work from about 1898 to 1906, and in that time he was associated with Robert F. Dobbins and George M. Cheney in the construction of the Charles E. Thrasher macadam road, a system aggregating in length 24 miles, 311 feet, all in Princeton Township. Mr. Lux had the active charge and the entire superintendence of this important piece of road building, which required 433 days to complete. Following this he was engaged in the building of concrete arches and bridges in Sullivan and Greene counties, Indiana, and fulfilled several large contracts there. Mr. Lux was in the grocery business at Wolcott up to two years ago, at which time retired from merchandising, and has since devoted his time to the handling of real estate and loans and the active supervision of his extensive farms. His holdings in White County comprise 140 acres, besides 192 acres in Cass County, while in Central Missouri he has 440 acres and 160 acres in Kearney County, Kansas. Thus, at the middle stage of life, Mr. Lux finds himself situated high above the line of want, and with promise of many years of usefulness before him.