Source: Clarkson W. Weesner, History of Wabash County Indiana (1914), Vol. II, pp. 939-940.

DANIEL E. SPEICHER.  One of the oldest and largest families of Wabash county is that bearing the name of Speicher, whose representatives have long been prominent in public and civic life, in the professions, in agriculture and in business affairs. A worthy representative of the name is found in the person of Daniel E. Speicher, directing head of the Cyclone Seeder Company, manufacturers of the Cyclone Seeder, an invention which has become known to agriculturists all over the United States and in various other countries. Mr. Speicher was born on his father's farm in Lagro township, Wabash county, Indiana, September 22, 1867, and is a son of Samuel S. and Mary (Kepler) Speicher, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Indiana.

The Speicher family originated in Switzerland, from whence two brothers emigrated to the United States, married and reared families in Ohio. Mrs. Speicher's people originally came from Holland. Samuel S. Speicher was a small child when brought by his parents to Indiana, and here at the age of fourteen years he began his career as a carpenter, an occupation which he followed for some thirty years. He subsequently turned his attention to farming and became the owner of a valuable farm, which he conducted in a modern manner and with successful results. He had always been of an inventive turn of mind, and had made numerous labor-saving devices for his own work on the farm, but it was not until 1870 that he conceived the idea for a seeder, which proved such a great boon that he finally placed it upon the market. He first fitted up a little shop on his farm where he was able to produce about 150 seeders a year, and continued to so operated for about ten years, when, a heavy demand having come for the product, he moved his business to North Manchester, and there turned out about from 2,000 to 5,000 seeders annually. After being in North Manchester about ten years, he moved his plant to Urbana, where he took over the old Urbana Planing Mill, and this was used for a part of the factory until 1913, when this department was destroyed by fire. New quarters were immediately found, and the product of the factory now averages from 30,000 to 40,000 seeders per year. Mr. Speicher continued to be at the head of this business until his death, which occurred in 1895, and through his industry, energy and good management built it up to large proportions. He was a man of the strictest integrity and fidelity in business matters, and on numerous occasions proved his good citizenship. Mrs. Speicher, who survives her husband, has been the mother of three children: Daniel E., of this review; Matilda, who is now the wife of Charles Grist; and Paul J.

Daniel E. Speicher received his education in the public schools and was brought up as a farmer, but in 1890 came to Urbana to join his father in the business established here. At the time of the elder man's death he became the directing head of the enterprise and his diligence, executive ability and modern ideas have resulted in a largely increased business. The principal product of the Cyclone Seeder Company is the Cyclone Seed Sower, considered one of the best on the market. Among its chief features are found a slant feed board, which keeps the hopper properly filled; an automatic feed adjustment, which stops or starts the flow instantly; oscillating feed agitator, a positive force feed which cannot clog; a patent distributing wheel, full regulation size, without soldered joints, which always scatters the seed instantly; triple, adjustable gears, and a large hopper, which, while easy to handle, is of unequaled capacity. Other articles manufactured by the company are the Chicago (Bow) Seed Sower, the Little Wonder Seed Sower, the Double Fan Seed Sower and the Sectional Tube "Horn" Seed Sower, while smaller articles are the Cyclone Jr. Seed Sower and the Champ Jr. Seed Sower. All of these goods have an extensive sale throughout the country, and for the foreign trade an office has been established at No. 149 Queen Victoria street, London, England.

Mr. Speicher was married April 21, 1892, to Miss Alice Stark, who was born at Naperville, Illinois, daughter of the late William Stark, and to this union there have been born four children: Naomi, Miriam, Harold and Virginia. Mr. Speicher is a member and trustee of the Evangelical Association church. In political matters he is a stanch prohibitionist.