Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana, 1903. pp. 242-245.

SANFORD H. TEMPLIN.

Rent is one of the most exacting and persistent sources of expense to the poor. It feasts upon a slender income with as much voraciousness as a hungry guest at a cheap restaurant. Nine-tenths of the poor would not be so poor as they are if they did not have to pay rent all their lives. The average man who has been the head of a family twenty-five years is appalled when he figures up the amount he has paid out in rent. Most people think there is no other help for it but to pay and keep on paying. Sanford H. Templin, of Nottingham township, Wells county, the subject of this sketch, long ago discovered that the rent cormorant could be avoided. It would be difficult for a young couple to be much poorer than he and his young wife were when they were first married thirty-seven years ago. They started in their married life with the purpose of avoiding all unnecessary expense, rent among the rest, and now in the fifty-eighth year of his age he can truthfully say he never defrauded a landlord out of a penny or paid a cent of rent in his life. In reply to those who inquire how he did it, all that is necessary to say is that when there's a will there's a way.

Sanford H. Templin was born October 11, 1845, in Henry county, Indiana. He is the son of Terry and Rachael (Johnson) Templin. The father was a native of Highland county, Ohio, a son of Robert and Eunice Templin, both natives of Ohio. The Templins were of English ancestry and the Johnsons of Welsh. Terry Templin grew to manhood in his native state, married Rachael Johnson and settled down to his life on the farm. In 1830 he moved his family to Delaware county, Indiana, his parents accompanying him. All settled in the same neighborhood where they remained until after the death of Robert Templin, grandfather of the subject. His wife Eunice died at the home of her son Timothy, in Howard county, some years after.

On first coming to Indiana Terry Templin engaged in farming. He followed this for a number of years, when he embarked in the manufacturing business. He opened a small factory, foundry and shop at Blountsville, Henry county, and engaged in the manufacture of such agricultural implements as were in use at the time. He was very successful and continued in the business up to the time of his death, January 23, 1855. To him and his wife Rachael thirteen children were born and at the time of his death his wife and eleven children were living. Sanford, the subject, was then only nine years of age. The children are: Sarah A., born February 23, 1829, deceased; Nancy J., born November 3, 1830, deceased; Mary E., born December 5, 1832, deceased; Lancey J., born December 20, 1834, deceased, was a minister in the Methodist Episcopal church; Eunice, born December 30, 1836, deceased; Catharine, born March 5, 1836, is the wife of Ephraim Carey, and resides in Dallas, Texas; Elizabeth, torn May 24, 1843, is the wife of Alexander Chalfant; Grace A. is the wife of William Faulkner, a resident of Nottingham township; Sanford H., the subject of this sketch, will be more particularly referred to hereafter; Rachael L., born October 17, 1847, deceased; Charles E., born July 10, 1851; Seneth A., born June 24, 1854, is the wife of F. M. Campbell and resides in Randolph county; Letitia died in infancy, December 28, 1859. Rachael, the mother of these children, died at the home of her son. Sanford H., April 17, 1884, the latter years of her life having been spent under his roof, where she was tenderly cared for.

Delaware and Henry counties each contributed to the education of Sanford H. Templin. Until he was eighteen years of age he attended the public schools and secured a fair education. The family being poor at the death of his father, every resource had to be taken advantage of to supply the wants of the widowed mother and children, and Sanford, therefore, early had to learn to work. At the age of ten years he began to work for neighboring farmers by the month. Unselfishly, willingly, even gladly, the little fellow gave up every dollar that he earned to supply the necessities of his mother and sisters and he continued to do so as long as occasion required. When not employed by the month he chopped cord wood, was engaged in this class of work at the time of his marriage and continued it for five years thereafter. On February 4, 1865, he was united in marriage to Miss Judith M. Faulkner, a native of Randolph County born January 16, 1847. She was the daughter of Solomon and Ruth (Bales) Faulkner. Solomon Faulkner was born in Virginia, March 26, 1799, his wife Ruth on August 26, 1808, and they were married in 1825. His parents were David and Judith Faulkner, natives of Wales, while her parents were John and Lois Bales. Some three years after marriage Solomon and Ruth Faulkner moved to Randolph county, Indiana, and there remained on the same farm until their deaths.

Fourteen children were born to Solomon and Ruth Faulkner: Isaiah M., born September 16, 1826, died August 27, 1895; Nathan, born November 29, 1827, died January 27, 1895; Jason and Jabert were twins, born November 22, 1829; the latter died on the day of his birth, the former living until October 21, 1834; Mary, born January 15, 1832, is the widow of Jacob Booher; Rachael, born December 27, 1833, is the widow of Henry Hill; Jesse, born January 21, 1836, resides in Muncie, Illinois; Phoeba J. and Betsie E., twins, born March 17, 1838; the latter died December 7, 1882, and the former is the wife of Aaron H. Pucket; John, born November 29, 1841, is a resident of Delaware county; William, born September 13, 1842, resides in Wells county; Lois A., born May 25, 1844, is the wife of William Williams; Judith, born June 16, 1847, is the wife of Sanford H. Templin, the subject of this sketch; Martha E., born June 2, 1849, died February 22, 1854.

After marriage Sanford H. and Judith Templin established themselves at housekeeping at Windsor, Randolph county. They purchased a small house, paying five dollars down, and the greater part of the purchase money was paid in labor and in truck which he raised in his garden. They started out in their married life with the purpose of never paying rent and so far they have fulfilled their purpose. Their present prosperous condition and good financial standing gives promise of their being able to continue to do so. As a wedding portion her father gave her a cow and three sheep and her mother gave her a half dozen chickens and some household necessities. While commendably industrious, Sanford had saved nothing from all his hard labor, because what he earned was mostly devoted to his mother and sisters. For several years he chopped cord wood, then put in two years scoring timber to be used in the building of bridges, receiving for this work one dollar and a half a day. Jonathan Clevenger was his employer and from him he purchased a piece of ground, nine acres in extent, and all his earnings, while scoring timber, went to pay for this land. Meanwhile Solomon Faulkner, father of Mrs. Templin, died and Sanford traded his nine acres to his brother-in-law, William, for his interest in the Faulkner farm. He and his wife then moved to the farm and took up their residence there.

As showing how thrifty and economical people were in those days, the first year they were on the farm Mrs. Templin took one hundred and twenty-five pounds of wool from her sister's sheep, carded and spun it with her own hands, gave half of the thread for weaving it into cloth and out of this cloth she cut and made garments for the family. She did this without in the least interfering with her regular work, caring for her household, looking after her children, milking three cows and making butter therefrom, raising her chickens and gathering the eggs. They remained on this place about three years, when they traded their interest in it for eighty acres of land, incurring thereby an indebtedness of four hundred dollars. The greater part of this land was woods, but the trees on forty acres of it had been deadened by girdling. There were no ditches or fences on the place and the log house, when they moved into it, had been "chinked," but not "daubed.' For a window there was a hole in the side of the structure and a bed quilt supplied the place of a door. Once while the mother was out milking, the sheep went in and frightened the babies nearly to death. At another time they were short of milk for nine weeks. The cows wandered off and were not found for that length of time.

It was the purpose of Mr. Templin to plant ten acres of corn on his place the first year, but he only succeeded in preparing the ground and planting about eight acres. Between clearing, ditching, fencing, plowing and planting, to say nothing about gathering his crop and feeding his stock, he was kept quite busy the next few years. When the project of digging the Wilson creek ditch was inaugurated Mr. Templin was one of its chief promoters. Year by year, through hard work and good management, he prospered and added to his worldly possessions. In 1888 he built a large barn and in 1891 he erected a comfortable, commodious residence. He has added, by purchase, forty acres to his farm on the south. It was nearly all clear and he incurred some indebtedness in securing it, but every dollar of it has been paid off long ago. Last year he purchased forty acres on the north, which gives him one hundred and sixty acres, all in one body. On this place he has five oil wells that are now bringing him fifteen dollars per month. At one time they were good ones, producing the first year not less than two thousand dollars.

To Mr. and Mrs. Sanford H. Templin three children have been born, viz: Leticia Jane, born November 8, 1865, married George Chenoweth, and they have four children, Clarence, Elma, Charley and Owen; Cary, born November 20, 1867, was twice married, his first wife, whose maiden name was Ella Kelley, having died five months after marriage; he later married Ebbie Chenoweth, and they have three children, Chester R., deceased, Roswell M., Clinton H.; George, born March 20, 1870, married Ollie Settle, and they have two children, Lawrence and Helen. The family are members of the United Brethren church and are active in church and charitable work. The father is a trustee of the church near his home, where they attend, and his son Cary is a trustee of the church at Petroleum.

In addition to land which he owns, the personal property of Sanford H. Templin will schedule upward of two thousand five hundred dollars. Considering how small their beginning was, this is quite a showing for the work they have done and the savings they made. In politics he has always been a Republican active in his party's and is generally quite active in his party’s interest, especially during important campaigns. He has served as a member of the county central committee a number of years, was deputy assessor and has frequently attended the state convention as a delegate. He is a man of ability and influence in his locality whose opinions are deferred to, whose influence is courted and whose worth is well appreciated.

Before closing this sketch, it will be worthy of note to state that the original Templin ancestor was a sailor, having served as such on the "Mayflower" when she brought her famous passengers to Plymouth Rock. He made thirteen trips across the Atlantic, but finally gave up his seafaring life and settled in Pennsylvania, and from him the entire Templin family in the United States is descended. The subject's great-grandfather Templin felled the first tree in Cincinnati when the fort there was built.