From "Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana," 1903, pp. 221-223.

C. B. FUNK.

The native Hoosier is as proud of the commonwealth of his birth as any man on earth. He has many and very substantial reasons for being so. It is a productive state; it is inhabited by progressive people; it has kept pace with its neighbors in the matter of material advancement; politically it is the most liberal state in the Union, never being chained to the triumphal car of either political party; its climate is healthful; its air is salubrious, and the opportunities for individual advancement in Indiana are at least equal to those of ally other The only person who need not be ambitious to be a native Hoosier is the one who can lay claim to that distinguished honor as his birth-right.

C. B Funk, the subject of this article, is a native of the Hoosier state. He was born in Chester township, Wabash county, Indiana, on the 26th day of January, 1857. He is the son of Samuel D. Funk and wife, Catherine (Burk) Funk, the latter a native of Ohio. The grandparents of the subject were natives of Germany; they were prosperous and thrifty, and coming to America at an early period, possessed of considerable money, they located in Huntington county, where a tract of nine hundred and sixty acres of land was purchased, out of which they carved enough land for each of their sons and daughters to make a good farm. Here his son, Samuel, the father of C. B. Funk, was married to Catherine Burk, daughter of Abraham Burk, and took up his abode upon the land granted him by his father. Finding a piece of land located in Wabash and Whitley counties quite to his fancy, he took occasion to dispose of his place in Huntington county, purchased the Wabash county land and moved his family thereto. A part of the tract extended over into Whitley county, but the house, barn and outbuildings were located in Wabash county. This was the birth place of C. B. Funk, and on this place Samuel Funk resided until his death, which occurred January 2, 1892. His good wife, Catherine, is still living; she owns the old home place, but does not live upon it, preferring to make her home with her children.

Samuel and Catherine Funk were the parents of ten children. Only one of the interesting group has passed into eternity, Delila, who died when four years of age. The others are J. B., Sarah A., George M., Oliver W., Mary J., C. B., Elizabeth, Elenora and Ora. J. B., Oliver and Elenora are still residents of Wabash county, the latter the wife of H. T. Tillman; Sarah is the wife of James Roadarmey and lives in Illinois; George and Elizabeth live in Kosciusko county, the latter the wife of G. M. Rice; Mary is the wife of Rev. Samuels, of Eaton, Ohio, and Ora is Mrs. Warren Robbins, of Kosciusko county.

C. B. Funk grew to manhood in Wabash county and attended the public schools until he was twenty years of age. So well did he improve his time that after passing a very creditable examination he was granted a license to teach. That calling, however, was not wholly to his taste. One term sufficed to convince him that imparting knowledge to the youths of the land was a calling in which others might excel. He ceased to have any ambition whatever for the acquisition of fame in that direction, as farming and stock raising were more to his taste. For seven years he assiduously devoted himself to this labor, renting the old home place on the shares, thereby greatly improving his financial condition.

On August 28, 1881, C. B. Funk was united in marriage to Catherine Swank, a native of Wabash county, Indiana, having been born there March 17, 1861. She is the daughter of John and Fannie Swank, both natives of Ohio, but early settlers of Wabash county, Indiana. Fannie died in 1872, but John is still living, residing in California. They are the parents of ten children, all of whom are living. Sarah is Mrs. William Heeler; Susan is Mrs. Mike Snydeman; Emma is Mrs. Mahlon Harmon; Mariah is Mrs. S. W. Heeter; these and their brother James all reside in Wabash county; Zacharia and Ambrose live in Miami county; Dayton lives in Huntington county; Catherine is Mrs. C. B. Funk and Frances is Mrs. Mort Kenard, of Kosciusko county. All are worthy citizens, highly respected in the various communities in which they reside.

Four years after his marriage C. B. Funk moved to Adams county, Indiana, where he purchased eighty acres of land, chiefly on credit. It was nearly all cleared and fairly well improved. After twelve years of unremitting toil and commendable economy he found himself wholly out of debt, with a farm so splendidly productive and under such thorough cultivation as to excite the envy of many of his less industrious neighbors. The receipts from the products of this place alone were sufficient, not only to pay for the land, but to leave its owner with a comfortable bank account. In addition to his labors on the farm he devoted much of his time, during the season, to threshing and to the manufacture of lumber and shingles. In 1898 he disposed of this land and secured a farm of one hundred and twenty-one acres in Nottingham township, Wells County, on which he now lives. Of this tract one hundred and five acres are cleared and under cultivation. He is still interested in threshing, owning one of the best threshing rigs to be found in that section of the state. At this time he is discharging the duties of trustee of the estate of his father over in Wabash county. He is also an extensive breeder of shorthorn cattle, Poland China hogs and Shropshire sheep.

Mr. and Mrs. Funk are the parents of three children, two of whom are living: Artie B. was born February 15, 1886, died October 23, 1886; Flossie M. was born February 5, 1887, resides with her parents and has finished the regular course in the district schools of Nottingham township; Losier was born August 30, 1897.

Religiously Mr. and Mrs. Funk do not belong to the same denomination. He is a member of the Evangelical church, while she belongs to the Christian church. This, however, does not interfere in the least with the Christian zeal or work of either. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Lyn Grove and of the encampment at Bluffton, and both are members of the Rebekahs at Liberty Mills. He is a lifelong Republican in national and state affairs, but in local matters believes in supporting the man whom he considers most worthy and capable. As a man, a citizen, a husband and father, the story of the life of C. B. Funk conclusively proves that he is and has been all that he should be in each and all of these capacities.