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Surnames: Terhune
Classification: Biography
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Message Board Post:
Albert E. Terhune
As recorded in:
Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana
…Men and Women of the County Whose Works of Merit Have Made Their Names Imperishable
by B. F. Bowen
1903
Pages 308-310
Wells county is proud to number among its enterprising farmers and progressive men of
affairs the well known and highly esteemed gentleman to a brief review of whose life and
achievements the reader's attention is her directed. Albert E. Terhune is a native of
Miami county, Indiana, and the son of Garrett and Mary Ann (Davison) Terhune, the father
born in Kentucky and the mother in the state of Pennsylvania. The maiden name of Mrs.
Terhune was Davison. She was brought to Indiana when young, as was also Mr. Terhune, and
their marriage was solemnized a number of years ago in the county of Wells. Subsequently,
they removed to Miami county and after living for some time in that part of the state,
returned to Wells and located on the place now owned by William Terhune, where they spent
the remainder of their lives, Mrs. Terhune dying November 27, 1900, and her husband on the
23rd of April 1898. They reared a family of five children, all but one still living, the
subject of t!
his sketch being the first born; the others are Edward, a farmer of Chester township, this
county; Elizabeth, the wife of Peter Speece, of Wells county; Alice, deceased, was the
wife of Robert Murray, and William, who, as stated aboce, owns and cultivates the family
homestead in Chester township.
Albert E. Terhune was born on the 22nd day of July, 1851, in Miami county, Indiana, and at
the age of nine years was taken by his parents to Illinois. After spending two and a half
years in that state, the family returned to Indiana and settled on a farm near McCullick
Ford, Wells county, and it was on this place that the subject grew from youth to young
manhood. Mr. Terhune's first educational experience was in Miami county, and later he
attended three terms of school in the state of Illinois. After moving to Wells county he
continued his studies in the winter time until about twenty years old, attending his last
term at the Five Point school house in Chester township. On attaining his majority Mr.
Terhune worked as a farm hand during the greater part of one year and then returned home
for the purpose of looking after his parents' interests. He remained with his father
until about twenty-five years of age, when he took to himself a companion and helpmeet in
the person !
of Miss Susan Jones, the ceremony by which the two were made husband and wife being
solemnized on the 28th day of December, 1876. Mrs. Terhune was born in Wells county,
August 8, 1858, the daughter of Isaac and Sarah (Huffman) Jones, natives of Ohio and early
settlers of Jackson township, this county, where they are still living. Isaac Jones came
to Indiana when Wells county was a wilderness and took an active part in the material
development of the country; he reared a family of ten children, whose names are as
follows: Susan, wife of the subject of this sktch; Mary, wife of Ira Brown; Daniel;
Eliza, now Mrs. Jacob Sills; Mary C. married W. O. Terhune; Nora, wife of Charles Stinson;
Amy, wife of O. F. Whilte; Ella, who married J. A. Alespaugh, and Minnie, who became the
wife of Willard Grover.
Immediately following his marriage, Mr. Terhune settled on a part of his father's
place and during the succeeding three years followed agricultural pursuits there with
gratifying results, at the expiration of that period moving to the Shull place, where he
lived about the same length of time. He then cleared up a tract of wood and swamp land in
Chester township on which no improvements worth mentioning had been made and addressed
himself to the task of clearing away the timber and draining the parts too wet for
tillage. To redeem this land and transform it into one of the finest and most productive
farms in Chester township required a prodigious amount of hard labor, but in due time the
forest disappeared and what was originally a wilderness of miry swamp and marsh is now the
richest of black loam soil, producing abundantly all the grain and vegetable crops grown
in this latitude. Mr. Terhune has good substantial buildings on his place, fine fences
and everything pertaini!
ng to the premises indicating the home of an intelligent, progressive farmer who keeps in
touch with modern agricultural methods.
In addition to the income from his crops and the fine grades of live stock which he
raises, Mr. Terhune realizes considerable money each year from the four producing oil
wells on his farm, his place lying in one of the richest oil districts of Indiana. In all
that constitutes the enterprising, up-to-date farmer, the true and loyal citizen, the
subject of this review is the peer of any resident of the county; he maintains an abiding
interest in whatever concerns the welfare of the community, takes an active part in its
material and moral development and is ever ready to lend his influence or aid in a more
substantial way any movements with these objects in view. He is a member of Odd Fellows
Lodge No. 684 at Mt. Zion, having filled all the chairs in the same, besides representing
the organization in the grand lodge during the session of 1898. In politics he has always
been a Republican and in religion his belief is in accord with the plain, simple teachings
of the Christia!
n church. He and his wife have been identified with this communion for a number of years
and are among the most zealous members of the congregation to which they belong.
Mr. and Mrs. Terhune have had twelve children, of whom nine are living at this time,
namely: Cora, born June 15, 1879, is the wife of Irvin West and the mother of one child,
Ota; Isaac, whose birth occurred August 10, 1881, lives on the home farm; Della was born
March 10, 1883, married James Hunnicutt and has one daughter, Ethel N.; Ada A. was born
October 6, 1885, and is the wife of George C. Neff; Daniel E. was born on the 8th day of
April, 1887; Lela E., May 20, 1980; Ethel, March 15, 18992; Effie G., August 28, 1892;
Ora, born on the 1st of April 1894, and Gladys, the baby aged four years. The names of
those deceased are Homer, born August 12, 1888, died June 13, 1899; Nora H., born February
12, 1896, and died September 14, 1897."