Lake County IN Archives Biographies.....Nichols, Sarah E. Wheeler 1845 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com December 24, 2006, 11:27 pm

Author: T. H. Ball (1904)

MRS. SARAH E. NICHOLS.

    The ladies of our state and nation play a most conspicuous part in the
affairs of home and community, although "the happiest women, like the happiest
nations, have no history," their lives and influence being among the "silent
forces" which effect great works without display or heralding abroad. Among the
worthy, noble and esteemed women of Lowell is to be numbered Mrs. Sarah E.
Nichols, who has lived in this county a number of years and has made her
influence felt through her family and in whatever relation she has touched the
society about her.

    Mrs. Nichols was born in Barnston Corner, Lower Canada, February 24, 1845,
being the third of four children, one son and three daughters, born to Hiram and
Elvira (Sprague) Wheeler. Her two sisters are still living, Matilda, a widow,
being a resident of Arkansas City, Kansas, and Laura the wife of Alexander
McNay, of Lowell, Indiana. Her father was born in Canada about 1818, and
followed the occupation of farming. Mrs. Nichols' mother was also a native of
Canada, and her death occurred when the former was about seven years old.

    Mrs. Nichols being left an orphan was reared by her grandmother until she
was fourteen years old, and her education was received in the common schools.
March 29, 1862, she married Horatio J. Nichols, in this county. They became the
parents of ten children, four sons and six daughters, and six of them are still
living: Laura was educated in the Lowell schools and still resides in this town;
she wedded Sigel Hayden, and has two children: Harry S., in the second year of
high school, and Harold J., in the sixth year of Lowell schools. Wheeler J., a
stock buyer and farmer at Lowell, married Miss Cora Davis and has three
children, Dilwyn and Ruth and Ruby. twins; his wife was educated in the Crown
Point high school and was a successful Lake county teacher; he is the owner of a
nice farm in this county and also of real estate in Lowell, and in politics is a
Republican. Sadie Nichols is a successful teacher, and has studied music. Pearl,
who graduated from the Lowell high school in 1896 and has shown considerable
ability as an artist in crayons, is now the wife of Emil Ruge, who was engaged
in the mercantile business at Lowell. Calhoun, one of the popular young
Republicans of Lowell, married Miss Lona Flynn, who is a daughter of an
ex-soldier of the Civil war and who spent three years in the high school at
Rensselaer, Indiana; they have two children, Halbert and Vilmer. Huron, the
youngest, is a bright pupil in the eighth grade of the Lowell schools. Mrs.
Nichols' deceased children have the following record: Edna, who died in 1894,
was the wife of William Bruce and had two children, Carrie and Bertie. Albert,
who was killed by lightning in June, 1896, had by his wife, Amma Pinkerton, now
a resident of Lowell, four children, Fern, Guy, Beulah and Bertie. Jessie,
deceased wife of Bert Holshaw, passed away February 1, 1897, she being a well
educated and most lovable young woman. The boy Fay is in the third grade.

    Horatio J. Nichols was a native of Lake county, born January 4, 1841, and
his death occurred September 12, 1898. He was reared and educated in this
county, and being trained on his father's farm he early took to farming
pursuits, and he followed that occupation and dealing in stock for his career.
He lost his father when he was young, and he remained with his mother and was
her mainstay and principal support for many years. He was a student in a
log-cabin school, and his early life in Lake county was spent among pioneer
conditions. He and his wife began their married life without much capital, and
their success was due to their happy combination of energy and good management.
The first land he bought was forty acres in Cedar Creek township, and he went in
debt for part of it, but their diligence soon paid off all the incumbrance, and
after selling it they bought land in Cedar Creek and West Creek townships, and
at his death he was the possessor of over four hundred acres of land, an estate
which is still held by the family entire. It was in 1887 that they erected their
pretty residence in the western part of Lowell, on Commercial avenue, and it
still retains its reputation as a home of genuine hospitality and good cheer.

    Mr. Nichols was an ardent supporter of the Republican party, and his first
presidential vote was cast for Abe Lincoln, and he continued to uphold the party
doctrines and candidates from that time till his death. He was a man of generous
nature, offering his philanthropy to those in need; and being a man of the
strictest honor and integrity, his word was always considered as good as his
bond. In his death the community lost a most worthy citizen, and his family lost
their best friend, for he was a lover of home and fireside and found his chief
delight when among his family. In 1895 he and his wife made an extended trip to
the east, to Boston, and on the return visiting Mrs. Nichols' old home in
Canada. His remains rest in the Lowell cemetery, and a beautiful monument stands
sacred to his memory. Mrs. Nichols resides in her pleasant Lowell home,
surrounded by children and friends, and her family record forms a most important
addition to this history and genealogy of Lake county.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

ENCYCLOPEDIA
OF
Genealogy and Biography
OF
LAKE COUNTY, INDIANA,
WITH A COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY 
1834—1904

A Record of the Achievements of Its People in the Making of a Commonwealth and
the Founding of a Nation.

REV. T. H. BALL
OF CROWN POINT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ILLUSTRATED
CHICAGO   NEW YORK
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
1904


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