Contributed by Charlene Saunders:
GEORGE LUCUS, a prominent and successful citizen of Sheffield Township,
was born in Ross County, Ohio, in 1825, a son of LUTHER LUCUS, who was
born and reared in the State of Maryland. LUTHER LUCUS left his native
State for Ohio in company with his twin brother MARTIN, and there he was
married to MISS ELLEN KELLINGBERGER, who was also a native of Maryland.
He settled and improved a new farm near Chillicothe, Ohio, where he
lived until his death. His widow subsequently became the wife of
WILLIAM HOWARD, and in 1833, came with her husband and children to
Tippecanoe County, and the year following MR. HOWARD bought a farm in
Lauramie Township, a part of the present village of Stockwell being on
this farm. MR. HOWARD paid for this land, which was but slightly
improved, $5 per acre, and converted the same into a good farm, and here
he spent the rest of life, his wife dying some two years later.
LUTHER LUCUS and wife had born to them five children, only two of whom,
GEORGE and JAMES, are now living; the latter in Richland County,
Wisconsin. Of the deceased, ELIZABETH married NATHAN WESTLAKE, and died
at her home near Stockwell, leaving a family of six children; MARGARET
married JOEL FULLER, and after living in Sheffield Township about twenty
years, they removed to Macon County, Illinois, where both died, leaving
five chldren; LUTHER died in White County, leaving a wife and six
children, all of whom are deceased. By her marriage with MR. HOWARD the
mother of our subject had four children--MARTIN, MARY, ELLEN, NELSON and
ELIZA JANE, all now deceased except MARTIN, who resides at Stockwell.
GEORGE LUCUS, whose name heads this sketch, came to the county with his
mother and stepfather in 1833, and here he was reared from childhood
amid the wild surroundings of pioneer life, and from an early age was
inured to hard work. He has worked on the farm he now owns for his
uncle MARTIN, for $9 a month, he having purchased this farm from his
uncle's heirs for $60 an acre, paying for the whole over $12,500. The
farm contains 208 acres of well improved land, and is considered one of
the best tracts of land to be found in Tippecanoe County, and his
residence, erected in 1880, in English cottage style, is among the
finest dwellings in Sheffield Township. His barns and out-buldings are
substantial and commodious, and his farm is well watered, and is well
adapted to both stock and grain raising.
MR. LUCUS may be called a self-made man, he having commenced life a poor
boy, and by his own persevering energy and industry, accumulated his
fine property, and has become one of the prosperous men of his
township. Besides his fine home farm he owns land in Lauramie Township,
and also valuable village property in Stockwell. MR. LUCUS was united
in marriage to MISS ISABEL WADDELL, whose father, ALEXANDER WADDELL, was
one of the first settlers in Sheffield Township. MR. and MRS. LUCUS
have six children living--FRANCES is the wife of CHARLES EMMONS, of
Stockwell, and they have two children; CHARLES LUCUS married MARY
BOWMAN, and they have a family of three children; VIOLA J., wife of
FRANK HEAVILON, has two children; EMMA, wife of J.W. STINSON, of
Washington County, Kansas, has three children; JAMES HOWARD LUCUS
married MEDIA STORMS, and they are living near his father's homestead,
and ANNIE, wife of THOMAS CONROE, living near the village of Concord.
Four children are deceased--CHARLES, VIOLA J., INSCO and LUELLA. In
politics MR. LUCUS affiliates with the Republican party.
Biographical Record and Portrait Album of Tippecanoe County, Indiana
pp. 549-550