A Man of Mystery

After Morgan Blachly's death in 1910, his widow, Amelia, retained ownership of at least part of the 180-acre homestead, although she and their only daughter, May, went to live in Hobart. In 1912 Amelia sold the southeast 40 acres to Christian Weiler. As for the rest, she may have rented or sold parts of it to the three Blachly sons, Walter, J.B. and Earl, as all of them were farmers.

In 1913 Earl got tired of farming, bought a partnership in B.C. Wells' Hobart garage and sold all his livestock and farming equipment — but he didn't sell his land, just rented it to someone else. After about a year in the garage business, Earl had enough of that and returned to the farming life. His wife of 12 years, Elizabeth (née Bodamer), divorced him in 1916 and was awarded custody of their daughter. Earl consoled himself in 1917 by marrying Annie Witt — yes, of that same Witt family whose members have been all over the Ainsworth area. (Elizabeth married Walter J. Tutwiler of Hobart in December 1917.)

By contrast, J.B. and Walter Blachly had more stable lives. Their farming and their marriages went on without interruption.

In 1915 May Blachly traded three lots she owned in Hobart for 75 acres of farmland, known as the old Ragen farm and lying across the Joliet road (73rd Ave.) from the Blachly homestead. A couple years later, she and her mother left their Hobart home and moved to May's farm. After living there about four months, May began advertising her farm for sale.


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Outlined in green is the 75-acre parcel May Blachly bought in 1915 — just north of the old Blachly homestead, outlined in red.

She found a buyer in S.J. Craig, Lake County's agricultural agent and the author of this immortal tome:


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I wonder if there was any awkwardness about his coming into the neighborhood, considering the unpleasantness of 1914 — following the outbreak hoof-and-mouth disease that year, local farmers John Gruel and William Shults (along with Fred Bowman of Lowell) led an effort to remove S.J. from office, and the petitions they circulated eventually garnered 200 signatures. But perhaps by 1917 that was all bygones.

As for S.J. himself, he's a man of mystery. I don't even know his given name, since he never used it, even, it seems, hiding out from census enumerators so he wouldn't have to give it — which also means I know nothing about his family, if he had one. I've seen him now and then in the news, but only in his official capacity, e.g., haranguing people to produce food for the war effort.

Perhaps if he comes to live on this farm, we'll find out more about him.


County Agent S.J. Craig (right) on the job, from The Lake County Agricultural Advisor. Note how he carefully hides his face from the camera.


Sources:
♦ 1891 Plat Book.
♦ 1926 Plat Book.
♦ "Additional Local News." Hobart Gazette 21 Sept. 1917.
♦ "Blachly-Witt." Hobart News 19 Apr. 1917.
♦ Craig, S.J. The Lake County Agricultural Advisor. Crown Point: Lake County Star, 1916.
♦ Indiana Marriage Collection.
♦ "Local Drifts." Hobart Gazette 30 Jan. 1914; 1 May 1914; 3 Aug. 1917.
♦ "Personal and Local Mention." Hobart News 31 July 1913; 10 Dec. 1914; 28 Jan. 1915; 4 Feb. 1915; 9 Mar. 1916.
♦ "Personal Mention." Hobart News 8 Aug. 1912.
♦ "Public Sale." Hobart News 20 Feb. 1913.
♦ "Tutwiler-Blachly Nuptial." Hobart Gazette 7 Dec. 1917.
♦ Untitled social column. Hobart News 19 Apr. 1917; 2 Aug. 1917; 11 Oct. 1917.
♦ "Wells & Blachly Is Name of New Garage Firm." Hobart News 3 Apr. 1913.