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Biographies
Source:
History of Miami County, Indiana
Publ.
Chicago - Brant & Fuller
1887
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Jackson Twp. -
A. ACKER, Undertaker and Furniture Dealer,
was born in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Jan. 20, 1847, son of
Edward and Mary (Haskell) Acker. The father was a
native of Baden-Baden, Germany, and emigrated to America in
1832, and was a prominent physician in Philipsburg,
Pennsylvania, where he established a great water cure. He
died October 25, 1855. His wife preceding him in 1850.
Our subject received a good education in both German and
English, and at the age of sixteen began for himself by going to
Pittsburgh and learning the chair-making trade. In August,
1864, he enlisted in the Fifth Pennsylvania heavy artillery, and
served until the close of the war. After that he resumed
his trade, which he has since followed. Mr.
Acker is perfectly conversant with all branches of his
business, and has followed his occupation in many of the large
cities. He established his present business in March,
1886, where he has since done an increasing trade, and earning
his reputation as an honest and reliable citizen.
Source: History of Miami Co., Indiana - Publ. Chicago: Brant
& Fuller - 1887 - Page 637 |
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Peru Twp. -
HON. LEWIS D. ADKISON, a prominent citizen and pioneer of
Peru, is a native of Fayette County, Indiana, born about eight
miles west of Connersville, May 26th, 1816. His parents,
Robert and Rebecca (Henderson) Adkison, were born in
North and South Carolina respectively, of Irish lineage.
The father in 1829 moved to Fountain County, where his death
occurred one year later. The mother was born in the year
1776, and departed this life on the 27th of August, 1846. Lewis
D. Adkison, when thirteen years of age, accompanied his
parents to Fountain County, where for two years he worked on his
father’s farm. His early educational advantages were
limited, being only those derived from attendance at the
indifferent county schools of that period for about three months
each year, until he arrived at the age of eighteen. He
left home in the spring of 1835, and went to Logansport, were he
worked at brick making until the following Fall, at which time
he came to Peru and secured employment on the Wabash and Erie
Canal, then in progress of construction. After one year
spent as workman on the canal Mr. Adkison accepted
a clerkship in the mercantile house of D. R. Bearss, and
later was engaged in the same capacity by Mr. Bearss’
successor, Jacob Lindsey, acting as clerk in all
about three years. In 1838, he was appointed by
Governor Wallace Sheriff of Miami County to till the
unexpired term of Asa Leonard, who died in office,
and at the ensuing election in 1840 was chosen Sheriff, the
duties of which position he discharged for about four years.
On leaving the office he engaged in the plasters’ and brick
laying trades and after continuing the same for some four years,
opened a general store in Peru, which he conducted with good
success for sometime. He subsequently abandoned that line
of trade and for some years was engaged in the lumber business,
which he carried on quite extensively in connection with a
general hardware trade. In 1855 he disposed of his
mercantile interests in Peru and emigrating to California opened
a general store at Oak Valley, in the mines. He was
subsequently elected Supervisor of Yuba County, that State, an
office similar to that of County Commissioner in Indiana, and
after serving one and a half years was chosen Sheriff, the
duties of which office he discharged for about four years.
In 1868 he returned to Indiana and settled in Fulton County,
where, until 1874, was engaged in agricultural pursuits,
disposing of his farm at the end of that time and returning to
Peru. In 1874-5 he was Assistant Doorkeeper of the Indiana
State Senate, and in 1882 was elected State Senator from the
counties of Miami and Howard. He took an active part in
the deliberations of that body and served on some of the most
important committees, among which were these: Banks and Banking,
Public Printing, Public Buildings, Swamp Lands, Fees and
Salaries, etc. Since the expiration of his term as
legislator, Mr. Adkison has been engaged in the
insurance business and loaning money at Peru. On Dec.
16th, 1840, he married Mrs. Lucy Davis, daughter of the
late Judge Albert Cole, of Peru, by whom he
had four children, only one of whom, Lucy A., wife of
James H. Fetter, is living. Mrs.. Adkison was
born in the year 1820, and died March nth, 1885. Mr.
Adkison was originally a Whig, but since the organization
of the Republican party, he has been an ardent supporter of its
principles. He is a member of the Presbyterian church and
belongs to the Odd Fellows fraternity.
Source: History of Miami Co., Indiana - Publ. Chicago: Brant
& Fuller - 1887 - Page 392 |
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GIDEON ALSPACH,
one of Perry Township's substantial farmers, was born in
Fairfield County, Ohio, May 25, 1830, the son of Jacob and
Mary (Miller) Alspach, natives respectively of Pennsylvania
and Virginia. Gideon was reared on the farm in
Ohio, remaining with his parents until the death of his mother,
which occured when he was fifteen years of age. He
had received a limited education; he then engaged as a farm
hand, until he attained his majority, when in 1851, he made a
prospecting tour to Indiana and Miami County, purchasing land on
which he permanently located the following year. Feb. 22,
1855, Catherine Kensler became his wife, and to their
union five children have been born, viz.: Ambrose,
who married Maggie Beard; Glendora, Abner, Albert and
Laura. In his vocation of farming, Mr. Alspach
has met with good success, owning 102 acres of well-improved
land. He and wife are members of the Church of God.
In politics he is a Democrat.
Source: History of Miami Co., Indiana - Publ. Chicago: Brant
& Fuller - 1887 - Page 726 |
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Peru Twp. -
NOTT N. ANTRIM, a prominent member of the Miami County bar and
fourth son of Benjamin and Frances (Grey) Antrim, was born in
Cass County, Indiana, on the 25th day of March, 1847. Left
motherless at the age of four years and fatherless at ten, he
was early in life obliged to rely almost wholly upon his own
resources, and until attaining his majority worked on the farm,
obtaining a common school education in the meantime. Possessing
a desire to make law his life work, Mr. Antrim, in 1872, began
his legal studies with Messrs. Mitchell & Shirk, of Peru, under
whose instructions he continued until his admission to the bar
in 1873. He began the active practice of his profession, April,
1874, and within a short time thereafter won for himself a conspicuous place among the lawyers of Miami and adjoining
counties, having been elected the same year to the office of
State’s Attorney for the circuit composed of Miami and Wabash
counties. He was re-elected to the same position in 1876, and in
1882 was chosen to represent Miami County in the General
Assembly of Indiana. In 1881 he effected a copartnership in the
practice with James M., Brown, Esq., and the firm thus formed
still continues. As a lawyer, Mr. Antrim is painstaking and
methodical, and has already an extensive and lucrative practice
in the courts of Miami and other counties of Northern Indiana. His official, as well as private life is above reproach, and he
enjoys in a marked degree the esteem and confidence of the
community around him. In politics, he is a Republican, and, as
such, has rendered valuable service to his party in this county.
Mr. Antrim on the nth day of February, 1875, was united in
marriage with Miss S. Marilda Adkisson, of Crawford County,
Illinois.
Source: History of Miami Co., Indiana - Publ. Chicago: Brant &
Fuller - 1887 - Page 394 |
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