KSurname

CARL MAITLAND KITSELMAN , Indiana manufacturer, was one of the men who developed at Muncie the extensive plants devoted to the manufacture of fencing and other wire and steel products, the output of which has been sold and used practically round the world. Carl Maitland Kitselman's oldest brother, A. L., is still living and active in the business. Carl M. Kitselman died at his home in Muncie November 27, 1930, at the age of sixty-five. He was born at Ridgeville, Indiana, August 15, 1865, son of Davis S. and Mahala (Starbuck) Kitselman. He attended public school in Ridgeville, also Ridgeville College, and at the age of fifteen had qualified for a position in handling the telegraph key. His attitude toward life was always one of serious purpose, and to his every undertaking he devoted himself wholeheartedly. He was a telegrapher for five years, and then became a general merchant at Redkey, where for eight years he sold goods over the county to the local trade of the countryside. During the decade of the '90s the industrial age came to Eastern Indiana, transforming many rural villages into manufacturing towns and presenting special opportunities for the ambitious, the enterprising, the far-seeing. Among them were the Kitselman brothers, Alva L., David M., Edwin Fay and Carl Maitland. Kitselman Brothers as an organization put up a small factory at Ridgeville, where they manufactured roller skates. The roller skating craze was then at its height. They developed a fairly prosperous business as long as the craze lasted, but a single specialty was not enough for a permanent industry. In 1900 the Kitselman brothers moved to Muncie, already coming into prominence as a manufacturing center, and there put up a plant to make wire fencing. Kitselman brothers developed their business on a two-fold basis, as wholesale manufacturers and also as mail order dealers. They were judicious and extensive advertisers, and during the past quarter of a century Kitselman fencing material has enjoyed a well-deserved reputation and a sale to all parts of the United States and in foreign countries as well. Their enterprise came to be represented by two large plants, employing hundreds of men and women. There were two business organizations, the Kitselman Brothers Company and the Indiana Steel & Wire Company. The late Carl Mäitland Kitselman was treasurer of both companies. The late C. M. Kitselman was also a director of the Merchants National Bank and of the Muncie Oil Engine Company. He was a member of the Exchange Club of Muncie, the High Street Methodist Episcopal Church, the Muncie Garden Club, and one of his hobbies was the culture of flowers, illustrated in his efforts at his beautiful home, which he erected in 1926 and also in a public way in the beautifying of Muncie's parks. Mr. Kitselman was never active in politics. Aside from his business his chief interests centered in his home and family. He was devoted to his brothers, particularly his brother Fay, who preceded him in death only a few days, passing away November 10, 1930. Mr. Carl Maitland Kitselman married in 1892, at Redkey, Indiana, Miss Irene Orr, who survives him. There were two children, a much beloved son, Fred Davis, who died when seventeen years old, and a daughter, Mildred Elizabeth, who is now the wife of Fred M. Crapo. Mr. Crapo has for several years been associated with the Kitselman interests in Muncie. There are also three grandchildren, Catherine Elizabeth, Mildred Ann and Janet Carrell Crapo. One of the friends whose knowledge enabled him to go beneath the superficialities of a busy life wrote of him as "the gentle, kindly, human, loving personality of C. M. Kitselman. None who knew him but must have had a deep affection for him. The troubles of others touched him as if they were his own. His griefs were deep, too deep for his own welfare. The loss of his son affected gravely his whole life afterward; that of his brother Fay, for whom he felt a love that was more than brotherly and rather like that of a father for a son, although the two were nearly of an age, appeared to him almost unbearable and it cannot be doubted that it had an effect that may have hastened his own end. To appreciate the character that was Mait Kitselman one should not only have known him, but also should have known the men and women with which he was associated daily throughout the years. To them his death is not that alone of a beloved employer or business associate, but rather that of a member of their intimate families. The monument to his memory is in their hearts. No such life as his can go unrewarded; no such good influence as his can ever die."
This book has no cover, and no index, and no author. I bought it on Ebay; it just has the insides, but it is full of Indiana biographies. I am not researching this family, just thought I would share. I do not know anymore about these families or these surnames. NOTE: I don't know if there is any additional mention of this family in the book, it has no index. I do not want to sell this book. I am typing the biographies from it.
Typed by Lora Radiches