From "Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana," 1903, pp. 158-160.
PETER BRICKLEY.
The subject of this sketch is among the oldest living settlers of Wells county, his residence of over a half a century covering the most important period in the history of this part of the state. He is a native of Ohio and the son of George and Belinda (Wolfecall) Brickley, both parents born in Pennsylvania and descendants of old pioneer families of that commonwealth. In an early day George Brickley moved to Ohio, where he lived a number of years, subsequently selling his possessions there and migrating to Wells county, Indiana, where he purchased a partially improved farm which he made his home for a considerable period. This place is situated in the township of Rock Creek and is now one of the oldest and best farms in that section of the country. Late in life Mr. Brickley changed his residence to a farm a short distance south of Markle and it was there that he spent the remainder of his days, dying at a good old age, honored and respected by the people of his own and other communities. He is remembered as a man of enterprise and untiring energy, progressive in his ideas and successful in the accumulation of land and other property. Of his family of eleven children the following are still living in the county of Wells: Peter, Alfred, Lewis, Nancy Jane, Ogden and Laura.
Peter is the second in order of birth and first saw the light of day at Lordstown, Ohio, August 1, 1832. He was reared in his native state, received such educational discipline as the indifferent subscription schools of those times could impart and, while still a mere lad, was obliged to assist his father with the varied labors of the farm. He was early taught lessons of industry and economy and grew to manhood strong and healthy in body and with a fixed purpose of making the most of such opportunities as came his way. He remained on the home place until his twenty-second year and then began life's struggle for himself, choosing the time honored vocation of an agriculturist as the pursuit most suited to his tastes and inclinations. Mr. Brickley lived in Ohio until 1851, after which he removed to Wells county with his parents, August 24, 1854, Mr. Brickley married Mary Ann Smith, of Rock Creek township. At this time he was given a farm of sixty acres by his father which he afterwards sold and with the proceeds purchased a farm in Lancaster township. Addressing himself to the task of improving his land, he was rewarded in due time with a finely developed farm, to which additions were made at intervals when favorable opportunities presented themselves.
Mr. Brickley's career in Wells county was signally successful from the beginning. He continued to increase his holdings until his real estate amounted to three hundred and twenty-five acres, all admirably situated for agricultural purposes, and with the passing years and corresponding growth of the county these lands advanced in value until they now represent a fortune of no small magnitude. As a farmer he was enterprising in all the term implies and soon earned the reputation of one of the county's most successful and progressive agriculturists. In addition to tilling the soil he added much to his capital by buying and shipping live stock, also made considerable money raising cattle of his own, a business in which his success was most encouraging. He has always been a far-sighted business man and everything in which he engages seems to prosper. After acquiring a sufficiency of this world's goods to make him independent, Mr. Brickley, in 1896, left the farm and moved to Bluffton where he has since lived in honorable retirement. Blessed with an abundance of everything calculated to minister to his material comfort, he is now passing his declining years in the midst of friends and companions cheered by the thought that his competence was accumulated by honorable means and that his friendships were won by conduct above reproach.
Mr. Brickley was early led to take an active interest in political matters and ever since old enough to vote he has been an earnest and uncompromising supporter of the Democratic party. He never missed an election when able to go to the polls and his activity and leadership have contributed much to the strength and success of Democratic principles in Wells county during the fifty-two years of his residence therein. Early in the '70s he was elected justice of the peace of his township and continued to hold the office by successive elections until positively declining longer to serve, having held the position for a period of eight years. In 1890 he was nominated and elected a member of the board of county commissioners, the most important office within the gift of the people, and discharged the duties incident thereto for six years, having been chosen his own successor in 1894. It was during Mr. Brickley's incumbency as a member of the commissioner's court that many of the most important public improvements were inaugurated and carried to successful completion. Among these were the purchase of one hundred and twenty acres for a county farm, and the erection of the necessary buildings thereon, the construction of two large bridges across the Wabash, besides a general improvement of the public highways and other work of much importance to the people. Mr. Brickley's record as a public servant proved eminently satisfactory to the people, as well as affording him inward consciousness of having well and faithfully performed his duty. His judgment with respect to public matters was seldom if ever at fault, and his county is largely indebted to him for much of the prosperity which it now shares with its sister counties of the state.
Personally Mr. Brickley is a quiet and unassuming gentleman and his relations with his fellow citizens have always been of the most pleasant and agreeable character. He is not much given to speech making, but makes his presence felt by his actions, which have always been correct, and by his influence, which has ever been on the right side of all great moral questions and issues. His popularity with all classes of people is only bounded by the limits beyond which his name is not known and it is a compliment nobly earned and fittingly bestowed to class him with the best and most enterprising of the county's representative citizens.
In the year 1900 Mr. Brickley suffered a sad bereavement in the death of his faithful and devoted wife, since which time he has made his home with a daughter living in Bluffton. Mrs. Brickley was a lady of beautiful moral character, a sincere member of the Presbyterian church and, with a Christian's faith to cheer her, she entered into rest on April 19 of the above year. She bore her husband twelve children, namely: Andrew J., for a number of years one of the county's successful teachers; James; Louisa M.; Mary C.; John Z., formerly a teacher in the public schools; Elzy M., Cora J., Maggie, Frank, Arlie A. and Artha, all married except Artha and Maggie.