Albert W. Furness, BiographyPorter County biographical sketches . . . .
Transcribed biography of Albert W. Furness
ALBERT W. FURNESS. Among the citizens of Pine township who are prominent factors in the various affairs pertaining to the welfare of the community, Albert W. Furness must be given a leading place on the list. The Furness farm is one of the best conducted and largest in this section and under the management of Mr. Furness yields him a fine profit. The place comprises two hundred acres of land, eighty acres of which are owned by Mrs. Furness. The reputation of Mr. Furness rests not alone on his prominence as a prosperous and up-to-date agriculturist, but he is also widely known throughout Porter county as an influential politician in the Republican party ranks and served on the election board for four years.
Mr. Furness comes of sturdy New England stock, both his father and his mother having been natives of Maine and grew to maturity there. The father, William H. Furness, was born at Thomaston, Maine, in 1829, and was an early settler at Batavia, Illinois, where the son, Albert W., was born on October 2, 1856. 1n 1870 the family came to Porter county, Indiana, and the elder Furness lived here until his death occurred. Mrs. Furness, who was before her marriage Katuria Ann Watts, was born in the year 1830, in Maine, and is now living in Pasadena, California. All of the five children of the family are also living, Lucy, wife of George Sharp, in California; Albert W., in Pine township; Louise, wife of George Tufts, in Maine; Nettie, wife of Melvin Woodman, in Maine; and William H. is a resident of Holtville, California. E. L. Furness of Westchester township, this county, is an uncle of the above named family.
Albert W. Furness was sixteen years old when he came with his parents to Porter county, Indiana, and he has been a resident here ever since. He was educated in the common schools of Illinois and Indiana, but at the age of seventeen was obliged to assist in the support of his widowed mother. The home farm was not at that time all cleared and it fell to his lot to assist in removing the timber and so improve the land that it could be brought under proper cultivation. He continued to manage the home place for many years on a profitable basis, then purchased the farm, which consisted of one hundred and twenty acres of land, becoming its owner in 1894.
That also was the year of his marriage, on December 13, to Miss Jennie Malone, who was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, August 27, 1857. She was a child of three years when her parents, Jacob and Sarah (Haverstock) Malone, removed to Greene county, Indiana. Her father, originally from Pennsylvania and a veteran of the Civil war, died October 26, 1896, while her mother, who was a native of Ohio, departed this life July 7, 1900. Mrs. Furness is a member of a family consisting of the following children, all of whom are living, namely: William H., who married Anna Heinman; James W., who married Jane Ward; Margaret, wife of Leander Jollff; Samuel, whose wife was Lulu Gridley; Jennie; Peter F., married to Alda Ward; Mary, wife of Walter Dove; and Ella, wife of A. Miller.
Mr. and Mrs. Furness are the parents of two children, the oldest, a son named Herschel B., was born in 1896, and is now a student at the Michigan City high school. The daughter, Hazel M., was born August 13, 1900.
Mr. Furness is well known in fraternal circles and holds membership in Acme Lodge, No. 83, A. F. & A. M.; Chesterton Chapter, No. 123, R. A. M.; and Michigan City Council, No. 26, R. & S. M. In this as in other lines of activity he is a leader and he has held several high offices in the Chapter. He is a talented organizer and it was due to his efforts that the Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company was formed. He takes a prominent part in the management of the organization's affairs and fills a place on the board of directors, representing Westchester and Pine townships.
In whatever line of endeavor Mr. Furness chooses to exert his energies he has compelled success. His personal attributes are of a high order, he is of liberal and progressive instinct and is loved and respected by all who have the pleasure of his acquaintance.
Source: Lewis Publishing Company. 1912. History of Porter County, Indiana: A Narrative Account of its Historical Progress, its People and its Principal Interests. Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Company. 881 p.
Page(s) in Source: 812-814
This biography has been transcribed exactly as it was originally published in the source. Please note that we do not provide photocopies or digital scans of biographies appearing on this website.
Biography transcribed by Steven R. Shook