Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana, 1903. pp. 140-143.

SYLVESTER LOUNSBURY.

Sylvester LOUNSBURY was born March 5, 1844, in Jackson township, Wells County, Indiana, in sight of the place where he now lives. His parents, Smith LOUNSBURY, born in 1801, and Jeannett (Tomlinson) Lounsberry, born in 1804, were natives of the state of Connecticut. After Smith's marriage he first settled in Connecticut, engaged in farm work, remaining there until the year 1831, when he emigrated with his family to Coshocton county, Ohio, where he remained about two years. At that time; about 1833, he removed to Marion, Grant county, Indiana, when one or two log cabins constituted all there was of the now bustling and important city on the banks of the Mississinewa. About 1840 he moved onto the Salimonie river in Wells County, and here entered at one time about four hundred acres of land in the woods. There were no roads at this time, but bridle paths led from Marion to his new possessions. In going to and returning from Ft. Wayne, Indiana, where the land office was then located, he would lie down and sleep in the woods beside the path when and wherever night would overtake him. Smith LOUNSBURY was the father of seven children, three of whom are yet living: Jane, born in Connecticut February 16, 1825, deceased; Truman, born in Connecticut, January 9, 1828, deceased; Nathan, born in Connecticut July 8, 1830, deceased; Hannah, born in Ohio October 5, 1832; Matilda, born in Marion, Indiana, July 22, 1835, deceased; Henrietta, born November 3, 1837, on Sugar creek in Grant county, widow of J. I. McGrew, Montpelier, Indiana, who is now deceased; Sylvester, the subject, born on Salimonie river in Wells County.

The subject attended the district schools of Jackson township until he was twelve years of age. While he did not attend school after that early age, yet he is self-educated to an extent sufficient to enable him to attend to all kinds of business. He has been a commissioner of Wells County and is now serving as a justice of the peace and finds no difficulty in transacting the business appertaining to those positions. The elder LOUNSBURY died when the subject was but a child, and when the latter was seventeen years of age he assumed the management of the farm, remaining home, caring for and supporting his mother. He continued thus until he was about twenty years old, when he decided to do for himself, and went into Delaware county, working by the day and month three years in that and Henry county, spending also some time in this manner in Michigan. After working five years in this way, he returned home to again care for his mother and was with her until her death. The last two years of her life she was continually in a very poor state of health and the subject believes he spent five hundred nights during that time at her bedside, working on the farm during the daytime.

Sylvester LOUNSBURY was married March 10, 1877, to Mahala Matlack, who was born November 14, 1856, in Preble county, Ohio. She was a daughter of William and Catherine (Stambach) Matlack, William being a native of Pennsylvania and Catherine of Ohio. William was married and first settled in Ohio, but about the year 1857 they removed to Huntington county, Indiana, purchasing the old McFarren farm, on which they lived the remainder of their lives. William Matlack was the father of four children, all of whom are living: David T., farmer in Liberty township, Wells County, married Mary E. Priddy and is the father of two sons, George A. and Edward; Mary J. is the wife of Thomas Mounsey, a farmer of Liberty township, and is the mother of three children, Mahala, Debbie and Elna; Martha, wife of Thomas Weekly, a resident of Wells County, was first married to Palmer McKee, and is the mother of four children, David, Ida, William and Mattie; Mahala, the wife of the subject. Mrs. Lounsbury was but a child when brought to Huntington county by her parents, and she was here reared, receiving her education in the common schools. She is a lady of most pleasing address, of an affectionate nature, and has been a true and loving wife and mother. By her untiring efforts she has assisted largely in the erection of their cosy and comfortable home. After his marriage the subject settled on the farm he now occupies. He had at that time one hundred and twenty acres of land, on which he has since made many improvements and to which he has added by purchase two tracts of fifty-three acres and eighty acres respectively, and he now has a fine farm of two hundred and fifty-three acres in Wells County. He now has fourteen producing oil wells, which are probably yielding from sixty to sixty-five barrels of oil per day.

The subject devotes the greater part of his time to farming and especially to stockraising. He has handled some western horses and has been greatly interested in cattle, especially of the shorthorn variety. Of sheep he prefers the Shropshire breed. The subject is the father of eight children: Wells, born July 25, 1884, at home; Vaughn, born January 5, 1888, at home; Ralph, born May 15, 1886; Cletus, born February 16, 1890; Fern, born November 30, 1891; Earl, born February 5, 1893; Jeanette, born May 3, 1894; Winnie, born May 10, 1897.

Mr. Lounsbury has always acted with the Democratic party and is a firm believer in the principles of that organization. He was elected, by his party about 1880, as one of the commissioners of Wells County, and served for three years, his colleagues being Studabaker and John Sowards, who died soon after the subject became a member of the board, Ephraim Middaugh being appointed to the vacancy for the unexpired term. The first official business transacted after the subject became a member of the board was the letting of the contract for the Wells County jail. The first gravel roads in the county were built during his term of office. At about the same time the iron bridges in the county were also built, the old wooden bridges going down at that time and iron ones being generally substituted, the board advertising at one time for bids on as many as ten iron bridges for crossing streams in different parts of the county, but the board from some cause failed to receive a single bid on these bridges. The subject, as he says, "took the ox by the horns," contracted for the stone and hired men to build the bridges. Mr. Lounsbury was appointed and afterward elected assessor and land appraiser for Jackson township, in which capacity he served for three years. Since November, 1901, he has been serving as justice of the peace of his township.

It has been the lot of the subject of this sketch to live at a period of our national history which has enabled him to see many of the transitions of the country from that of the possession of simply the utilitarian necessities of a new country and a border civilization to that of the luxuries and culture which are the sequence of older and longer settled communities. His labors and experiences have partaken of the nature both of the pioneer and the recipients of the fruits of a yet earlier race of empire builders. Armed with the mental equipment secured in the common school, supported by the scant facilities of his early youth, he entered and bravely faced the battles of life. Deprived in childhood of a father's love and protection, he devoted years of his youth and young manhood to the filial care and support of his widowed mother. In the race of life, which his friends hope may not close for many years, his native ability, supplemented by his self improvement and united with his strength of character, has enabled him to win a competence and serve with honor in the several offices to which the esteem and confidence of his party friends has successively called him. He is a successful farmer and business man, a good citizen and neighbor and worthy of the high estimation in which he is held.

Mr. and Mrs. Lounsbury have in their possession several relics of "ye olden days," among which are two double coverlets, and a counterpane woven or made by Mrs. Lounsbury's mother. They also have copies of the oldest almanacs extant, one, published in 1816, having been published by Cotton and called "New Virginia Almanack ;" also an almanac of 1805, and a Bible printed about 1800.