Albert D. Toner  

Birth 20 JUN 1834 Fayette Co, Indiana
Death 22 JUN 1915 Fulton county Indiana

Prominent Man Passes Away.

A. D. Toner of Kewanna was found dead in bed on Tuesday morning of last week.

He had reached the age of 81, and was in apparent good health.

At the age of 25 he became a resident of Kewanna.

In 1880 he inaugurated the movement for the construction of a railroad from Logansport through Kewanna to South Bend and was instrumental in the organization of a company of Kewanna citizens for the construction of said railroad.

The movement resulted in inducing the Vandalia Railroad company building from Logansport to Maxinkuckee in consideration of the right of way and $20,000. Mr. Toner, P. S. Troutman, John F. Wilson and Hickman Philips assumed the responsibility of securing the right of way and the money.

Mr. Toner built 13 miles of the road as a contractor, and as soon as the road was completed built a grain elevator at Kewanna.

He was one of the men who hunt trie Masonic temple in Kewanna. In 1886 he erected the Toner hotel in Kewanna, which he continued to own. Through his energy the C. & O. railway was also built through Kewanna, in which enterprise he largely figured as before.

He also built the grain elevator at Fulton and built several fine residences and brick business rooms in his home town.

He was always interested in farming and at one time owned nearly 1,000 acres of land in high state of cultivation in Wayne and Union townships.

He established the Kewanna Bank in 1893, a testimonial of his financiering after beginning life without a dollar.

He was a man respected in his community and honored by all citizens.

In politics he wras a staunch democrat, serving his party and peopie as joint representative of Pulaski andFulton counties in the legislature of 1884-5.

He was also an ardent Mason, a member of Kewanna lodge. - Citizen Jul 1 1915

Tuesday, June 22, 1915
Special to the Sentinel

Kewanna, Ind., June 22 -- Albert D. TONER, 81 years old, was found dead in bed at his home in this town at nine o’clock this morning. The news of the death came as a shock to the residents of Kewanna and to the relatives of Mr. Toner as he was not known to be ill. The coroner and physicians were called and pronounced the death due to heart failure.

Mr. Toner was one of Fulton county’s most prominent citizens and in his long life had been connected with practically every big enterprise here. He was in fact known as the builder of Kewanna and did more than any one man to build this town to its present size. He was one of the county’s wealthiest men and leaves a fortune estimated at $100,000 and $150,000.

The sum includes two business blocks in Kewanna, the opera house, a hotel and several lots in the city. The Kewanna elevator, one of the largest in many counties, was at one time the property of Mr. Toner. Besides this property in Kewanna, he also possessed several farms in outlying districts. In a will made three years ago Mr. Toner deeded all of his property to four people, Mrs. Ida HOWELL, Mrs. Alice LEITER, Mrs. Lucile COOK and Flo McNITT. Mr. Toner was born in Fayette county, Indiana and came to Kewanna in 1842.

For 73 years of his life Mr. Toner resided in Kewanna, and watched it grow from a very few buildings into a thriving little center. After acquiring a large part of the real estate upon which the city is now built, he commenced to construct business blocks, erecting three, two of which he owned at his death.

He served one term in the state legislature as democratic representative from Pulaski and Fulton counties.

He became a prominent railroad contractor and constructed the Vandalia railroad grade from Logansport to Culver and the C. & O. railroad grade from North Judson to Fulton.

Mr. Toner was never married and leaves but few relatives.

During the last few years of his life he was not as prominent as formerly but still retained an active interest in his affairs.

He is well known over the state and was familiarly called the father of Kewanna.

The funeral will be held in this city on Thursday, although complete arrangements have not yet been made public

Wednesday, June 23, 1915 - The funeral of Albert D. TONER will be held Thursday morning at ten o’clock at the home in Kewanna. A number of Rochester people will attend

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From the Logansport Pharos Tribune dated 15 Aug 1882:

...Al Toner, one of Kewanna's influential citizens, is that sure of the road being Built that he purchased twenty-six acres of land at Lake Maxinkuckee probably for speculative purposes. The land purchased is on the present site where it is thought the depot will be located. The citizens of Marmont are not behind in agitating the benefits to be derived from the building of the road, and will, it is understood, aid in its construction by giving liberally of their wealth...

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Another old timer of Culver who established the Toner Addition of culver and had Toner Street named after him was

The subject of our sketch is the youngest son of Samuel and Annie Toner, and was born June 30, 1834, in Ohio.

His father and family came to this county in 1842, and settled in Union Township, where he resided until the time of his death. Mr. Toner has ten brothers and sisters, of whom only John, Edward and Andrew are living.

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The subject of our sketch is the youngest son of Samuel and Annie Toner, and was born June 30, 1834, in Ohio.

His father and family came to this county in 1842, and settled in Union Township, where he resided until the time of his death. Mr. Toner has ten brothers and sisters, of whom only John, Edward and Andrew are living.

Mr. A. D. Toner commenced business for himself when he was nineteen years old, by taking charge of his father's farm of eighty acres, providing for his parents while they lived.

In a few years he commenced dealing in stock, and after some severe reverses of fortune he commenced to rapidly climb the fortune's ladder, and is now the possessor of some fourteen hundred acres of land, which he has brought up to a high degree of cultivation, also considerable town property in Kewanna and in Marmont [Culver ], Marshall County. He is a man of much public spirit, and is doing a great deal for public improvements in the way of ditching, and putting up buildings, straightening roads, etc.

It was mainly through his representations that the Vandalia Company was induced to extend its line northward through this part of the county, and for a year has done everything in his power to assist in the rapid construction of the road.

He is preparing to build the finest hotel in the county, said hotel to be in Kewanna.

Mr. Toner's transactions in live stock have reached, some years, nearly $100,000. He is unmarried, preferring to live a single life. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, Kewanna Lodge, No. 546. - -T. B. Helm, F ulton County Atlas, A. L. Kingman, 1883, p. 59