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John B. Latchem

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Birth	:	2 Apr 1842 Rush County, Indiana, USA
Death	:	6 Jul 1913 Wabash, Wabash County, Indiana, USA
Burial	:	Queens Meadow Point Cemetery, Keyser, Mineral County, USA
Coordinate	:	39.4291992, -78.9627991
Plot	:	Sec F, lot 161, sp 5
Description	:	(From "History of Wabash County, Indiana" by Clarkson Weesner, pub. 1914. pp 533-535) JOHN B. LATCHEM. Throughout a long and prosperous business career John B. Latchem, who died at his home in Wabash, July 6, 1913, when past seventy-one years of age, was one of the best friends and benefactors of his home city and the county. His career is noteworthy not only for the success he attained, but for the fact that it was won not by speculation but by rare business foresight and acumen, the ability to forecast the value of protective enterprises. He seldom if ever... Read More	(From "History of Wabash County, Indiana" by Clarkson Weesner, pub. 1914. pp 533-535) JOHN B. LATCHEM. Throughout a long and prosperous business career John B. Latchem, who died at his home in Wabash, July 6, 1913, when past seventy-one years of age, was one of the best friends and benefactors of his home city and the county. His career is noteworthy not only for the success he attained, but for the fact that it was won not by speculation but by rare business foresight and acumen, the ability to forecast the value of protective enterprises. He seldom if ever failed in any of his business ventures for the sufficient reasons that he never engaged in one that was not honorable and for which there was not a legitimate demand. He was one of the men who did things on a large scale in Wabash through a long period of years, and the net results of his life are large and still a vital part of the community welfare. The late John B. Latchem was born in Rush county. Indiana. April 2, 1842, a son of Caleb and Sarah Baker Latchem,the father born in Delaware and the mother in Indiana. Caleb Latchem, who was born in 1819, followed the trade of miller, moved when a young man to Rush county. where he married, and in 1848 to Wabash county, locating in Noble township, and taking up an active career as a farmer on that place of one hundred and twenty acres. An industrious, hard-working citizen, he accumulated a competency through his well-directed efforts, and gained also the respect and esteem of his fellow citizens, when he represented as justice of the peace. He died in 1882. his wife having passed away four years previously. Of their ten children, eight lived to maturity. As an examination of the early incidents of his life shows, John B.Latchem achieved success by sheer force of character and admirable powers of industry and vigilance. As a boy he attended the country schools near the old home in Wabash county, and one winter with a cousin, Thomas Merrick, came to Wabash to secure higher advantages. The young men walked in the distance of six miles from the farm on Monday morning and returned home each Friday night. They had a small room over a grocery store, and their food consisted mainly of bread and molasses. It was the ambition of both to become lawyers, but neither John B. Latchem nor his father could afford to buy the necessary law books, and thus one ambition was thwarted, but with a man of his determination new paths toward success are always opening. It is interesting to note that the cousin, Thomas Merrick, subsequently became a lawyer and gained considerable prominence in the profession. The incidents and experiences of his early career cannot be followed in detail. At the age of eighteen he took charge of a country school, and was a teacher for three winters. Six months were spent as a canvasser in the book trade, after which he engaged in the grain elevator business with William Steele, and followed that line for thirteen years. He was distinctly a man of affairs, one who could successfully manage more than one enterprise at a time. He founded the Treaty Creek Stone and Lime Company, and to that ten years later added lumber under the firm name of Hildebrand & Latchem, which under the able management of Mr. Latchem was a prosperous business for a number of years. He was a director of the first building and loan association founded at Wabash in 1880, and was later identified with the Wabash Building & Loan Association, and when the Wabash Valley Loan & Savings Association was organized in 1894, he was made its first president, a position which he held four years, and then became its secretary and manager. In October, 1907, the Wabash County Loan & Trust Company was organized, and Mr. Latchem was elected Secretary and Treasurer. This office he capably filled until his death. During many years much of his attention and capital were devoted to the upbuilding of the industrial interests of Wabash. While he had himself started without capital, he was able to assist in realizing the ambitions of a number of younger business associates. Early in his career he was connected with the Underwood Manufacturing Company, which is now the Wabash Cabinet Company, an enterprise started when his capital was limited to five thousand dollars, but which was subsequently developed and has had a course of uninterrupted prosperity. When the Wabash Bridge and Iron Works Company was established,in 1895, Mr. Latchem was made president, and was also for a time a member of the board of directors of the Anderson Malleable Iron Company at Anderson. For sixty-five years a resident of Wabash county, Mr. Latehem gained a wide acquaintance over the county and the northern part of the state, and was esteemed for his upright character and strict integrity not less than for his business success. From the time he arrived at manhood he voted the democratic ticket and was an active worker in the ranks of his party, being chairman of the democratic county central committee and acting as delegate to numerous state and county conventions. For ten years succeeding 1883, he served as a member of the city council, and proved himself a valuable official. Fraternally he was both a York and Scottish Rite Mason having served as Master of his lodge, as High Priest in the Royal Arch Chapter, belonged to Wabash Commandery No. 37, and reached the thirty-second degree in the consistory of the Valley of Indianapolis. He was a member of the Grand Lodge of Odd Fellows and affiliated with the tribe of Ben Hur. At his death the Wabash Commandery of Knights Templar acted as escort to his funeral, and the St. Anastasia Mesnil Lodge of Odd Fellows also attended in a body. Mr. Latchem was for many years an active member of the Presbyterian church of Wabash, having served as deacon. While his outside interests were perhaps as varied and important as those of any other citizen in Wabash. it was in his home that his character had its finest illustration. He was devoted to his family, and it was the proud boast of his mother that he had never said an unkind word to her in his entire life. This was a fact, a keynote to his character in all its relations with his fellowmen that was properly emphasized by Dr. Little in the funeral service. But at home and on the street and in his office he was noteworthy for his remarkable control of temper, and seldom if ever was he heard to make an unkind remark to anyone. On October 20, 1869, Mr. Latchem was united in marriage to Miss Amelia Alber, daughter of Philip Alber, at Wabash. Mrs. Latchem, who survives her husband, and enjoys a large circle of friends at Wabash, is the mother of three children: Charles, Paul and Lucy. Charles is identified with the Wabash Canning Company. Paul is Cily Civil Engineer at Huntington, Indiana. Another member of the household was Miss Bessie Latchem. a niece of Mr. Latchem's.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is John B. Latchem's memorial?
John B. Latchem's memorial is located at: Queens Meadow Point Cemetery, Keyser, Mineral County, USA.
When did John B. Latchem death?
John B. Latchem death on 6 Jul 1913 in Wabash, Wabash County, Indiana, USA
Where are the coordinates of the John B. Latchem's memorial?
Latitude: 39.4291992
Longitude: -78.9627991

Family Members:

Parent

Caleb Latchem

(1819 - 1884)

Sarah Ann Baker Latchem

(1824 - 1878)

Spouse

Amelia Alber Latchem

(1849 - 1929)

Siblings

Isaac Latchem

(1847 - 1912)

Josephus Franklin Latchem

(1850 - 1929)

William T Latchem

(1852 - 1859)

David O Latchem

(1865 - 1867)

Children

Charles “Charlie” Latchem

(1870 - 1939)

Lucy Latchem

(1877 - 1942)

Paul Earl Latchem

(1888 - 1949)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Queens Meadow Point Cemetery
Keyser, Mineral County, USA
Coordinate: 39.4291992, -78.9627991

2. Potomac Memorial Gardens
Keyser, Mineral County, USA
Coordinate: 39.4312000, -78.9579700

3. Dayton Cemetery
McCoole, Allegany County, USA
Coordinate: 39.4437000, -78.9573400

4. Locust Cemetery
Keyser, Mineral County, USA
Coordinate: 39.4449577, -78.9769135

5. Town Hill Cemetery
Petersburg, Grant County, USA
Coordinate: 39.4351762, -78.9882074

6. Thorn Rose Hill Cemetery
Keyser, Mineral County, USA
Coordinate: 39.4374352, -78.9929199

7. Arnold Cemetery
Keyser, Mineral County, USA
Coordinate: 39.4263992, -78.9950027

8. Saint Thomas Cemetery
Keyser, Mineral County, USA
Coordinate: 39.4406900, -78.9960300

9. Saint Mary's Cemetery
Keyser, Mineral County, USA
Coordinate: 39.4403000, -78.9963989

10. Cabin Run Cemetery
Keyser, Mineral County, USA
Coordinate: 39.4206009, -78.9216995

11. Sears Cemetery
Mineral County, USA
Coordinate: 39.4026900, -78.9148200

12. Leatherman-Parish Cemetery
Keyser, Mineral County, USA
Coordinate: 39.4075080, -79.0150020

13. Dawson Cemetery
Dawson, Allegany County, USA
Coordinate: 39.4737360, -78.9464880

14. Barrick and Rines Cemetery
Mineral County, USA
Coordinate: 39.3994010, -79.0143540

15. Duling Cemetery
New Creek, Mineral County, USA
Coordinate: 39.3906525, -79.0041940

16. County Poor House Cemetery
Mineral County, USA
Coordinate: 39.4788710, -78.9411070

17. Mount Zion Cemetery
Mineral County, USA
Coordinate: 39.4642900, -78.8974500

18. Orr Cemetery
Independence, Preston County, USA
Coordinate: 39.4252620, -78.8777500

19. Urice Cemetery
Mineral County, USA
Coordinate: 39.4687400, -78.8923000

20. Miller Cemetery
Westernport, Allegany County, USA
Coordinate: 39.4888110, -79.0043140

21. Bane Cemetery
Burlington, Mineral County, USA
Coordinate: 39.3579200, -78.9598200

22. Thrush Cemetery #01
Burlington, Mineral County, USA
Coordinate: 39.3588200, -78.9289400

23. Arnold Cemetery #2
Ridgeville, Mineral County, USA
Coordinate: 39.3612890, -79.0072440

24. Duckworth Cemetery at Stoney Run
Westernport, Allegany County, USA
Coordinate: 39.4984280, -79.0136400