Shep Florer, farmer; P. O. Oakland; born in Newport, Vermilion Co., Ind., March 29, 1839; he was the son of Alexander B. Florer, of the early pioneers of that county, and who was elected Second County Clerk, which office he held fourteen years; was elected Recorder of the county several times, which office he held for many years; he was also an eminent lawyer of that part of the State of Indiana until his death, which occurred Aug. 9, 1863; Shep Florer was raised in the above county at the age of 14, he commenced clerking for Jones, Culbertson & Co., and at 17 he was appointed Deputy Auditor of the county under Henry D. Washburn, and afterward as Deputy Clerk and Recorder at 20 years of age; he did a heavy grocery trade in that town; at the beginning of the war, he enlisted in Co. C. 18th Ind. Vols., and served his country three years as private messenger for Col. Tom Patterson and Gen. H. D. Washburn. On Sept. 23, 1864, he located with his mother, A. A. Florer, at Milton Station, Coles Co., Ill., where he sold general merchandise for five years, and on the 11th day of October, 1870, he moved to his mother’s farm of 529 acres, situated in Morgan Tp., Coles Co., where he now resides. He married June 4, 1866, to Louisa A. Hawkins; she was born in Rush Co., Ind., March 7, 1846; she removed with her parents to Coles Co., Ill., in 1850, where her father and stepmother now reside; five children were the fruit of this union, two of whom are deceased, the names of the living are Mary Elizabeth, born May 13, 1876, and Katie and Clara, twins, born June 11, 1878.
