Crawfordsville Indiana Genealogy

Biography of Hon. F. M. Benefiel

Hon. F. M. Benefiel. The State of Kansas can justly lay claim to many advantages, among these being a general citizenship that is enlightened and discriminating. It knows well how to choose its representative men, those to whom it entrusts its public responsibilities. Occasionally a mistake may be made but when public favor is shown to the same individual year after year and under many changing political conditions, it is made plain that merit and not mere popularity is at the root of such action. Among the favorite sons of Montgomery County is F. M. Benefiel, at present city collector … Read more

Biographical Sketch of J. D. Cassell

J. D. Cassell, proprietor Cassell’s Restaurant, Mattoon; was born in Montgomery Co., Penn., A. D. 1827; until he was 17 or 18 years of age, he passed his life upon the farm, deriving his education mostly from the common schools; in 1854, he came West to Jennings Co., Ind., where he remained one year; he then went to Crawfordsville, Ind., and was a student in Wabash College a short time; he next engaged in the merchant tailoring business there for two or three years; leaving Crawfordsville, he next located in South Bend, remaining one year; in the fall of 1859, … Read more

Switzers of Indiana

Abraham Switzer, son of immigrant Valentine Switzer, and his wife, Mary Hotzenpillar Switzer, was born in Hampshire County, Va., on April 4, 1767, and died near Crawfordsville, Ind., Jan. 12, 1838. He was married to Elizabeth Grant. Elizabeth Grant Switzer, was married to Abraham Switzer. She was born September 30, 1777. Died Aug. 10, 1845. Children: Polly Switzer, born Sept. 12, 1798 Peter Switzer, born May 27, 1801. Sally Switzer, born April 11, 1803. James Switzer, born March 18, 1805. John Switzer, born Oct. 6, 1807. Elizabeth Switzer, born June 3, 1810. Louisa Switzer, born Feb. 16, 1813. Gaily Switzer, … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Thomas Ernest Borton

Borton, Thomas Ernest; broker; born, Plymouth, Ind., Dec. 14, 1868; son of Dr. Amos 0. and Mary Cooper Borton; educated, high school; graduated in 1887; went to Wabash College, graduating in 1893; married, Elyria, O., Miss Elizabeth Lewis; issue, three children, Marion Frances, Jean Lewis and Robert Ernest; entered the employ of the American Steel & Wire Co.; worked for Dime Savings and Trust Co.; then became sec’y of the Reserve Trust Co.; then sec’y and treas. of the Prudential Trust Co.; resigned and went to California; after two years there returned to Cleveland as asst. cashier of the Cleveland … Read more

Biography of Edward Montieth Moore

Edward Montieth Moore, vice president and manager of the Hutchinson Office Supply and Printing Company, is one of the veterans of the newspaper and printing industry at Kansas, and in point of continuous service is one of the oldest men connected with the Hutchinson Daily News. Mr. Moore had spent most of his life in Kansas and is a son of the late Rev. D. M. Moore, D. D., one of the pioneer ministers of the Presbyterian Church in this state. Edward Montieth Moore was born at Greenfield, Ohio, April 27, 1861. His grandfather, Samuel Moore, was a native of … Read more

Biography of Hon. John B. Allen

HON. JOHN B. ALLEN. – “I think Walla Walla is destined to be the central and commercial city of that large area of country in Eastern Washington lying south of the Snake river, and of much of Eastern Oregon. Probably no city of its population in the Northwest equals it in wealth. It is just now emerging from years of transportation extortions, which few other regions could have borne. Competitive systems will infuse new life to every industry, and stimulate the developments of resources heretofore lying dormant.” This is the horoscope of the young city as cast by Mr. Allen; … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Daniel B. Powers

Daniel B. Powers, retired farmer; P. O. Oakland; one of the early pioneers of Coles Co; born in Butler Co., Ohio, July 1, 1807, where he engaged in farming until 1836, when he emigrated West and located in Crawfordsville, Ind., where he engaged in the mercantile trade for about eighteen months, when he sold his interest in the store and removed to East Oakland Township in March, 1838, where he purchased 180 acres of land, where he has since lived during a period of forty years; he has upon his old farm upon which he lives, a fine brick residence, … Read more

Biography of Arthur A. Hughart

Arthur A. Hughart. The life work of Arthur A. Hughart has been in the educational field. In his native state of Indiana he gained more than a local reputation as an able schoolman, not only as an individual teacher but as a school executive, and it was from that field he was called to the superintendency of the city school of Coffeyville in 1912. Here his influence has been of the greatest value. He has thoroughly reorganized and systematized the work of the city school system, has introduced some new departments and methods, and has made the local schools an … Read more

Biography of William Howard Thompson, Hon.

Hon. William Howard Thompson was born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, October 14, 1871. He is a son of John Franklin Thompson and Emma Dora (McGriff) Thompson, and with his parents came to Kansas in the year of 1880, and settled on a farm six miles north of Sabetha, in Nemaha County, and made that county had home until he went to Topeka, where he served as clerk of the Court of Appeals. Senator Thompson is descended from patriotic stock. His paternal ancestors were early Colonial Amerieans of Scotch-Irish lineage, and fought as soldiers in the Revolution, the War of 1812, the … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Robert Bruce Spilman, Jr.

The only son of the late Judge R. B. Spilman still living in Manhattan is Robert Bruce Spilman, Jr. He was born in Manhattan September 7, 1875, and that city has always been his home. He attended the public schools, and in 1894 entered the halls of his father’s Alma Mater, old Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana. He continued his studies at Wabash until 1896. Returning home he occnpied himself with various lines of employment until 1900, and in that year was elected clerk of the District Court for Riley County. Since beginning his duties as clerk of the District … Read more

Biography of Robert Bruce Spilman

The name Spilman has for half a century been one of prominence in Riley County. The people of that county, including both the bar and the general public, will always recall with special marks of affection and esteem the life and services of the late Judge Robert Bruce Spilman, who was one of the pioneer lawyers of Manhattan and for ten years occupied a seat on the district bench. A son of William and Dorcas Jane (Garrison) Spilman, who were natives of Kentucky, and early settlers in Indiana, Judge Spilman was born at their home at Rockville, Indiana, August 7, … Read more

Biography of Don Francis Reed

Don Francis Reed has been identified with Harper, Kansas, successively as a blacksmith, farmer and lawyer. Admitted to the bar a little more than two years ago he had won his spurs in his first legal contest, and is now well established with a general clientage drawn from all over Harper County. Mr. Reed was born at Logansport, Indiana, January 10, 1887, and is a member of a family that had three living generations. He is of Scotch ancestry. His great-grandfather, Herriman Reed, was born in Scotland, came to this country in early times, settling in Philadelphia, and died there. … Read more

Biography of George W. Suttonfield

George W. Suttonfield was born at Fort Wayne, Indiana, February 14, 1825. His father, Colonel William Suttonfield, a native of Virginia, was in the regular army, under General Harrison, in the Black Hawk war. He built the first house in Fort Wayne and lived there until his death, which occurred in 1841. His wife, Laura (Taylor) Suttonfield, was a native of Connecticut. They had six children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the fourth. He attended Wabash College at Crawfordsville, Indiana, for four years, and in 1849 came to California. He started from Fort Smith, Arkansas, in April, … Read more

Biography of Newton J. Davison

Newton J. Davison, former county clerk of Lincoln County, had been in Kansas for many years and is now giving a splendid business service as an abstractor and real estate and loan business man at Lincoln. Mr. Davison was born at Crawfordsville, Montgomery County, Indiana, September 14, 1866. His grandfather Davison was born in Belfast, Ireland, in 1798, married in his native country, where he had a small bit of farming land, and later he and his wife, Rachel, immigrated to America, settling first in New York State and moving from there to Crawfordsville, Indiana, where he farmed until his … Read more

Biographical Sketch of John William Perrin

Perrin, John William; librarian; born, Eugene, Ind.; son of William Jasper and Susan (Allen) Perrin; A. M., Wabash College. Ind., 1889; studied Johns Hopkins, 1890-1892; graduate student and honorary fellow, University of Chicago, 1892-1893, Ph. D., 1895; married Harriet Naylor Towle, of Evanston, Ill., April 16, 1890 (died, Jan. 25, 1910); prof. of history and politics, Allegheny College, Pa., 1894-1898; prof. of history, Adelbert College, (Western Reserve University), 1898-1904; Albert Shaw, lecturer, American diplomatic history, Johns Hopkins, 1904; lecturer on American history, Allegheny College, 1905; librarian, Case Library, Cleveland. since June 1, 1905; organized, 1899, and chairman until 1903, conference … Read more

Descendants of Benjamin S. Atwood of Whitman, MA

Benjamin S. Atwood, the well-known box manufacturer of Whitman, Mass., was one of the best known men in Plymouth county, and as a business man and as a soldier stood high in the estimation of all who know him. He was born in the town of Carver, Plymouth county, June 25, 1840. The Atwood family of which Benjamin S. Atwood is a descendant is an old and prominent family of Plymouth Colony. The founder was John Wood, who came to Plymouth in 1643, and was later known as John Atwood – a spelling of the name that has been retained to the present time.