USA > Indiana > Lake County > Reports of the historical secretary of the Old settler and historical association of Lake County, Indiana, 1906 - 1910 > Part 1
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GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02300 1628
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013
http://archive.org/details/reportsofhistori00olds 1
Tombeal Secretary Old benler aj Hisgment
Reports
of the
Historical Secretary
of the
Old Settler and Historical
Association
of Lake County, Indiana.
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From 1906 to 1910.
Printed in accordance with the vote of the Association, August 25, 1909
OFFICERS OF THE ASSOCIATION.
President
Vice President
Recording Secretary
- Curator
Treasurer
Sam B. Woods John M. Hack Mrs. H. Groman Mrs. Jessie Pattee Miss Edith Dinwiddie
Historical Secretary
T. H. Ball
Crown Point, 1910.
J. J. WHEELER, PRINTER.
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Introductory Note.
Those who are not familiar with our Reports, com- mencing in this form with 1885, may think that too much space is given to the death record. When the annual re- ports were first read the necrology was considered one of the important particulars, and received, at the time of the reading, special attention. There were few, seven , names only, to be recorded at first, but in later years the pioneers have passed away more rapidly, until now only a few are left. It is no more than justice and courtesy to preserve a record of their names, and a few other names are mingled with them.
A few years ago it seemed desirable to notice the mar- riages of the children of pioneers. That list is now of some length. But every record of events, of marriages, or of deaths, is likely, in future years, to be of interest, perhaps of value to.some one.
For special objects these records are made.
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HISTORICAL SECRETARY'S REPORT FOR 1906.
Aug. 29.
Once more we meet on our own anniversary day, the last Wednesday in August, and once more, and very fully, the events of the past year call for gratitude, large and sincere, from all true hearts, to the Giver of all good gifts, and a humble, hearty recognition of the wonderful providential rule of the Lord of the universe. Many of us meet in health and in prosperity once again; but there are also some who come no more.
There is but one perfect record of human events. In figurative language the Recording Angel keeps that. But records as imperfect as are ours, and of a very small number of people, recalling to mind events already almost forgotten in the rush of the present, ought to have an interest for those interested in our yearly advancement. I know Longfellow wrote, "Let the dead past bury its dead," but that dead past may be very closely connected with this living present. That its lessons are valuable every student of history knows.
Of the many events making up the history of another year, some appear on this record. All could not be re- corded. A selection of necessity had to be made.
An eclipse of the sun at sunrise was seen by several early risers at Crown Point on Wednesday, August 30, 1905, the day on which we should have met had not the county fair been held at that time.
The fair had a large attendance. Among visitors then in the county were Consul Winslow and wife and Captain Almon Foster.
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SOME SOCIAL EVENTS.
The Dinwiddie Clan met at Plum Grove September 2. About one hundred and forty present. The reunion was „at O. Dinwiddie's. The lawn was beautifully arranged. It was decorated on two sides by "flags of all nations," so called, twenty-two in number.
THE PATTEN FAMILY REUNION.
A long table was set on the lawn of Mr. Joseph Patten in Crown Point. Four brothers were present and one sister, ·Mrs. Colby, and children and grandchildren were also present, numbering in all forty-one. The four broth- ers and the sister were each between 70 and 81 years of age.
THE DICKINSON FAMILY REUNION.
The members of this family group met this year at the Fair ground. There were present of the Dickinson families forty-five men, women and children and eight guests. They took their dinner in Floral Hall, which formed for them a very commodious and beautiful dining place, some occupying the center and some the outside of the circular tables, reminding one of the dining ar- rangements in Bible times when the guests reclined at the tables. The business meeting was held in the grand stand, where they had plenty of room. The air was very still in the afternoon, the surface of the lake without a ripple, and the reflection of the trees on the further side of the lake made in the water a very beautiful picture. The members of the families lingered amid the quiet beauty of the lake and the oak trees, the twenty young people en- joying their sports, until the evening shades began to draw near. The full membership of this group of families is
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about 75. Crown Point is not for them a central place of meeting, as the homes of most of them are near Lowell.
The three large family gatherings that have now been named were exceedingly pleasant occasions all, and at each one the Historical Secretary and his wife were guests, a privilege they highly enjoyed. Artists Vilmer and Lynch took views of the Dinwiddie Clan and Artist Hayward of the Patton Group.
Early in September occurred an automobile accident, perhaps the first in the county resulting in death. Asa Bullock, Esq., a lawyer of Hobart, was passing in a buggy to attend court at Crown Point and not far from Merrill- ville met one of those vehicles which so many yet dread. His horse was frightened, his buggy was overturned, he was thrown into a roadside ditch, a limb was broken, other injuries inflicted, and he died. Many are deprived of the use, or at least of the comfortable use of the improved roads of the county, because of these headlong rushing machines called automobiles. It is a matter of observa- tion, and can be recorded without hesitation, that some who use them pay very little regard to the rights of others. Seven of these automobiles are now owned in Crown Point.
A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION.
September 14, 1905, was the 79th birthday of one of the noble women, of whom Lake County has many, Mrs. Albert Kilborn. A surprise party was planned and suc- cessfully carried out. It included a feast prepared by the ladies, presents and speeches.
On Monday, September 25, robins were still staying with us.
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On the T. J. Wood place were raised this summer of 1905, 1,500 ducks.
At a cheese factory established at Woodvale, or Deep River,' which commenced business April 17, 1905, where . excellent cheese is made, in a single day in the summer of 1905 were taken in 5,200 pounds of milk.
In Ross township eleven schools in session in October 1905.
h 'Winfield township seven schools.
These two townships may be considered about the larg- est and the least in the county.
In the fall of 1905 the school girls of Crown Point, large and small, probably in other parts of the county, took up the custom of going without hats. Bare-headed each day they went to their school rooms for some weeks, but soon they learned, healthy and strong as they looked, with their bright, "laughing eyes," that over their heads were no tropical skies, for on Thursday, November 2, 1905, when in the afternoon a shower of sleet came down, every head of brown hair was covered. The bare-headed fashion will probably not return till spring comes.
On Friday, October 20, was completed the last of the stone walk around the public square of Crown Point in front of the business houses. This last part was real stone laid in front of Mr. Paul Raasch's business place. The rest of this stone sidewalk is all, or nearly all, concrete. Except some brick paving across the walk, where wagons are to pass, one can now go the entire circuit of the square on stone. One can drive around the square now on brick pavement and walk around the inner square of the court house on stone, real stone; something that Solon Robinson and Judge Clark did not foresee when they pro-
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posed to leave for the coming years an open square on which in their day men and boys were accustomed to take athletic exercise, playing, not the modern, but the old style baseball.
A SOLDIERS' REUNION.
The Twentieth Regiment of Indiana Infantry, those who "were left of them," held a reunion at Crown Point Wednesday and Thursday, October 4 and 5, 1905. Wednesday evening they had public exercises of different kinds at Music Hall. There were reported present twenty-five of that noted Twentieth Regiment.
At 6:35 in the morning of Friday, Oct. 27, 1905, Frank E. Cooper, superintendent of the schools of Lake county, passed from the duties of his office, passed from the relations of life and the scenes of earth, passed into the world invisible to mortal eyes. He had long warning that his years on earth would probably not be many, as some count years.
He was born in Lake county April, 1855, and became school superintendent in 1882.
About 2:30 in the afternoon of Friday, October 27th, I saw, to my surprise, a robin. I had seen none since September 25th and had supposed all were gone.
At about 8 in the evening of October 30th, 1905, Mr. Blakeman, who has been feeble for a long time, departed from this life, a member of the Free Methodist church.
On Saturday, November 4, 1905, the township trustees of Lake county met at Crown Point and elected W. R. Curtis of Hobart, as superintendent of schools, to take the place made vacant by the death of Frank E. Cooper.
adi الجنا أحال ٢٥ الحيرة لحـ
Gomfir e For sake oof oill smers vitualoW
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RURAL, MAIL DELIVERY.
The first rural mail in this county and the first in this part of the State was Rural Mail Route No. I, going out from Hobart. It was obtained by Mr. N. P. Banks. De- livery commenced August 1, 1899.
Rural route from Hobart No. 2 commenced delivery in 1
August, 1902.
These two lines supply about 275 families.
In October, 1905, in the Hobart postoffice, were 300 boxes for town delivery and 35 lock boxes.
In the same month were two banks in Hobart, seven churches, and ten saloons.
The Owen terra cotta works have been bought or ab- sorbed by a union.
In November, 1905, in the Lowell post office, were in all 364 boxes, and four lines of rural mail delivery went out from Lowell supplying 400 families. Proceeds of Lowell postoffice $1,400.
In this summer of 1906 there are going out from Crown Point seven mails on rural lines, supplying 500 families.
There are thirty-three postoffices in the county.
Among several barns erected in the fall of 1905, the following particulars have been received in regard to one built by Mr. Thomas Hooley, living between Merrillville and Shererville. It is 72 feet long, 32. feet wide, has a large grain bin, stalls for eight horses, places for about thirty cows, is quite high in the second story, fitted to receive a large amount of hay, stands on brick pillars, and appears to be strongly built and done off in good style. Four men worked upon it twenty-one days, completing their work, carpenter work, October 21, 1905.
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Mr. Hooley has shipped milk to one man in Chicago for some twelve years, and has met with no losses. He now keeps thirty cows.
The barn of Herbert M. Esty is very fine looking. It is in form an exact circle, in diameter 80 feet, and in cir- cumference 251.328 feet. The height to the roof, which is beautifully curved is 20 feet. The extreme height is 54 feet. The silo, which is in the exact center, is 16 feet in diameter and 36 feet deep. The barn will hold about 50 cows and 150 tons of hay. The area of the ground cov- ered is 5,026 feet, or equal to a barn 100 feet by 50 or a little larger than a barn 80 feet long and 60 feet wide.
Some time in November a birthday anniversary cele- bration was held at the home of Herbert M. Esty. The mother of Mrs. Esty, Mrs. Drury, was then 69 years of age and her brother, A. L. McMurphy, 59 years of age.
Mr. Alonzo L. McMurphy was a member of Captain John Douche's company, 7th Indiana Cavalry, and he and his wife left Lowell thirty-four years ago. They reside in Kansas, near Sterling, when in 1905 Mr. McMurphy raised 40,000 bushels of wheat and 18,000 bushels of corn. The McMurphys were visiting in this county at the time of the birthday celebration.
RELICS.
On the way to the county fair last fall, in the last week of August, Mr. John N. Sanger found between his house and what is known as Sanger's Corners, an old Spanish coin, such a piece as seventy years ago was in circulation here, and worth twelve and a half cents. The date on this coin is said to be 1732. How it came to be where it was found and how long it had lain there no one knows. It
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may have been that a pioneer or perhaps an Indian lost it. Its age makes it valuable.
It is reported that Mr. Newland, working on the dredge of John Hack and Son, found some time this year, the well preserved antlers of a deer in the West Creek ditch eight or nine feet below the surface.
I found last fall at Mrs. George Phillips, near Elliott Station, an old letter that may be of some interest as a relic and as illustrating those early times. It is dated 1839, is written in French and a knowledge not only of French as printed but as written would be needful to enable one to read it.
On Tuesday, September 26, 1905, a verdict of $1,500 was rendered by the jury in a Chicago court, against the. Chicago City Railway, in favor of the estate of George W. Waters of Lowell, who was fatally injured by a street car March 20, 1902.
The Lake County Title and Guaranty Company hav- ing employed quite a clerical force for many months in getting up a set of abstract books, commenced to furnish abstracts of titles in the spring of 1906.
MEMORIAL BECORDS.
Each year some of our number pass away from earth.
I. Mrs. Atkins, Ruth Alice May, born in Akron, Ohio, Oct. 2, 1826, married to Alexander MacDonald in Decem- ber, 1852, after his death to Henny Pratt, and finally, Sep- tember 27, 1887, again a widow. She was married to Major B. Atkins, whom she outlived for several years and died August 31, 1905, nearly 79 years of age. She was a faithful mother to many, and a well known, highly es- teemed woman in Crown Point for nearly fifty years.
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2. James Frazier was born in Central Tennessee, Sep- tember 17, 1827, and became a resident of Lake County about fifty years ago. Of six children, one only, William Frazier of Chicago, is now living. He died quite sud- denly, Tuesday morning, Sept. 19, 1905, 78 years of age. He left a second wife to whom he was married thirty- three years ago. ,
3. Died Sept: 25, 1905, Abiel G. Plumer, born in Bos- cawen, New Hampshire, May 24, 1824, who settled in Lake Prairie in 1852, and died in Lowell, in the 82d year of his age.
4. Albert Kilborn was born in Vermont, Dec. 3, 1826, but in childhood went with his father's family into Canada, and was there married to Frances C. Evans, and then, about fifty-six years ago, came as a resident to Lake County. He died at his home in Crown Point, Feb. 25, 1906, in the 80th year of his age.
Of New England parentage and of Canadian training he was a tried and true man, a valuable citizen, a very worthy member of the Methodist Church, one to be greatly missed.
5. Died at Lowell, March 22, 1906, Edgar Hayden, born Oct. 16, 1840, a son of that well known pioneer set- tler, Nehemiah Hayden of West Creek.
6. At Elkhart, Indiana, at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Lizzie Ames Compton, April 23, 1906, died, Mrs. Ames, widow of Hon.'Samuel Ames, who was among the founders of the New Hampshire neighborhood of Lake Prairie, and mother of E. P. Ames of Hammond, wanting but seven days of being 84 years of age. She was an ex- cellent singer and a noble Christian woman.
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SUICIDE.
Mr. Henry Uhter, who lived a little cast of the Egypt school house, born in Germany, Jan. 20, 1818, coming to Lake County in 1870, was found dead in his room Sunday morning April 15, 1906, with a gun upon or beside him. He was 88 years of age. Had been quite an invalid for twelve years. Three sons and six daughters, four of the daughters married, are living. The married daughters are : Mrs. Albert Hack, Mrs. Westberg, Mrs. Henry Worley, Mrs. John H. Worley. Mrs. Uhter is also living.
Parry Hathaway, an early resident in Lake County, brother of Mrs. J. L. Worley, died in Momenee, where he had been living for many years, March 30, 1906, over 80 years of age.
George F. Gerlach, one of those appointed to prepare a paper for the semi-centennial celebration of Lake County, see page 9 in Lake County, 1884, and who has taken a good interest in our publications, always a friend of the Old Settlers, a leading business man of St. John township, died at his home in the town of St. John, at 9:15 Thursday morning, March 29, 1906. He was born in Bavaria and was 66 years of age. He had resided for many years in this county.
Mrs. Charles L. Merrill, Louesa M. Dutton, born Oct. 2, 1853, married April 3, 1872, died in a hospital in Chi- cago, March 15, 1906, in the 53d year of her age. The burial services were held at Merrillville, March 18th.
May 18, 1906, died at her home in Crown Point, Mrs. S. B. Meeker. She was born March 7, 1830, in Pennsyl- vania, was married November 4, 1849. She was known in
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girlhood as Elizabeth A. Cress. She was 76 years of age.
Phoebe Jane Foster was born December 13, 1840, was married to Mr. John MacNay, October 21, 1858, and died May 19, 1906.
Thus within two days there passed away from this life two very worthy women. Mrs. MacNay, for many years residing in Crown Point, was a quiet home-keeping woman, one to leave a great vacancy in a home where she had long been a light and joy. The home was lonesome after her departure.
Each year some bodies are brought by kindred and friends to find a resting place in some of our cemeteries.
Dr. Andrew S. Cutler, a son of Mrs. Esty of Creston, who had a home for a time near Creston and at Crown Point, but where professional life as a dentist was spent in Kankakee, Illinois, died at Rockwood, Tennessee, on Mon- day, June 11, 1906, at one p. m., and the body was brought to Creston, where after religious services in the church, it was laid away to sleep till the morning comes. A heaten poet, Ossian, wrote, "When shall day dawn on the night of the grave?" And the Christian asks when?
[NOTE -- The body of Dr. Cutler came to Creston in the care of his wife, Mrs. M. J. Cutler, who was Mary Jane Ball of Cedar Lake, and she prepared and published the next year a volume of 267 pages, well written, well printed, much of the work done at the STAR office in Crown Point, entitled, "Memories of Andrew S. Cutler." The book is well worthy of a place among our publications.]
Another body was also brought home for its resting place.
Hiram S. Holton, born in Canada, but of New England parentage, a prominent citizen of Crown Point for many
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الاتحاد الد الوالية لملة الحد المصريتد وير الأبد ذرة
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years, enjoying the last two anniversaries here with us, died in Englewood at his daughter's home June 30, 1906, 77 years of age. The burial services were held in the Methodist Church conducted by Dr. White of Englewood, assisted by Rev. J. M. Brown, the pastor of Crown Point, Rev. T. H. Ball reading the memorial, and the Lake Lodge of masons taking charge of the body and laying it away in the Crown Point cemetery.
John Mondernach, father of the present trustee of Han- over Township, who was an early resident and an excellent citizen of the west side of Cedar Lake, died about June 20th at the home of his son in Iowa, 90 years of age. Be- fore his marriage he was for some time a member of the Ball family at Cedar Lake, and a member there of the then existing Baptist Church. He became afterward a member of the German Methodist Church. Between him and the writer of this record was a special friendship.
Another true pioneer of the county passed from among us this year, Joseph A. Clark, born in the State of New York, Ontario County, March 27, 1827, coming with his father and mother, Joseph A. and Harriet S. Clark, to Lake County in May, 1837, the family settling in what is now Cedar Creek Township, passing through all the pioneer and the later railroad life, he died at one p. m., July 9, 1906, in the 79th year of his age. His record as a citizen soldier is of more than ordinary interest. He enlisted July 22, 1861, in Company B, 20th Indiana, be- came lieutenant of his company, was in all of the more than thirty hard fought battles of that regiment, and was wounded five times, but not seriously.
He was the first master of Colfax Masonic Lodge. His two children are J. Addison Clark and Mrs. Carl Brownell.
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A descendant of two of our early families, the Barney and Williams families, Nettie Williams, born in School Grove, youngest daughter of Mrs. Henry Williams, died at her mother's home July 17, 1906. She was born Sept. 12, 1874. She was a very interesting child.
Peter Buderbach, a prominent German Roman Catholic citizen, died August 7th at 4:40 in the morning, after a long struggle with disease. He was 78 years of age. Had been a singer in his church choir. A liberal minded and good man.
SAD EVENTS.
September 18, 1905. Monday afternoon the Erie train brought two bodies from Englewood for burial in the Crown Point cemetery. Horace Meyer and his wife, who both left the confines of earth at about the same time. The circumstances were sad attending the death of each.
The train was late. As the funeral procession, two hearses and several carriages, started westward the red sun was on the horizon and toward that they pressed rap- idly onward. Turning at length southward the procession passed along Main street at a more rapid rate than one had been known to pass before. The cemetery was reached. Night was coming on. The bodies were com- mitted to the earth, a few words were spoken by the aged friend of the Meyer family, Rev. T. H. Ball, one solemn prayer was offered, and the city of the dead, with no elec- tric light to shine upon its mounds and its tombstones, was left to the silence of the night and the vigils of the stars, and of the angels.
On Tuesday, September 19th, 1905, was another impres- sive burial service. Ida Taylor, an attractive young woman, a great granddaughter of the pioneer Horace Taylor, born
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a littleway east of the old West Point, was shot at the old Adonijah Taylor place, now known as Binyon's Hotel, a short time after her marriage, by a young man who had wanted to marry her, but whom, it seemed, she had dis- carded. It was certainly a cruel murder, of which in these lawless times there are many.
The funeral procession passed from the Binyon Hotel to the Creston church, where the burial services were held, conducted by Rev. T. H. Ball, in the presence of a large assembly. To be thus murdered was sad. Sad events are constantly occurring in this world where accidents are so common, and there are, as in other things, degrees of sad- ness. One of these sad events in Crown Point was the death of Wilbur Etling, eight years of age, who was bitten quite severely in August last by a small stray, black dog that came into his father's yard.
The dog bit some others slightly and was soon after killed. He was not known to be mad. The boy was pet- ting the dog, which had a sore foot, and, as a stray, would naturally have received kind treatment gladly. The wound which the boy received was carefully treated, and was sup- posed to be perfectly healed. But the boy became sick, and in November suffered intensely, and died exhibiting, as medical men supposed, symptoms of hydrophobia. The burial on Wednesday, November 8th, the services held in the Lutheran Church, the school children of Miss Edna ' Maynard's room attending in a body, was very pathetic.
"S. S. M." in the Register says :
"No death has reached the hearts of the community in the manner that this sad taking away has. He was an un- usually handsome child and possessed a very attractive per-
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sonality. He was studious and manly, gentle and tender hearted."
Another of these sad events was the death by fire of Miss Abbie and Miss Mabel Simpson at Lowell in the night of Monday, Nov. 6, 1905. (See Lowell Tribune, Nov. 9, 1905). After mentioning the disastrous fire, details are given too long and too sad for this report.
It is sad enough to be obliged to record that the two sisters mentioned above, Edith Mabel Simpson and Abbie Burnette Simpson, one 23 and the other 20 years of age, lost their lives by suffocation in what must have been the fearful confusion of that conflagration. One of the sisters was on night duty at the Central Telephone office, the other was staying with her. Beneath their office was a drug store. Why they could not get pure air before their bodies were reached does not seem clear in the reports. They did not, and they died, with many persons near. Lowell has had but one such burial service.
In this month of August, on one Saturday evening, Roman Zacharias of East Chicago, a boy ten years of age, was playing on a veranda. Some boys were playing on the sidewalk below him. "Roman," says the Globe, "leaned over the banister to watch the boys below. His weight broke the banister. The boy fell to the cement pavement below, a distance of ten or twelve feet, striking on his head." The physician who came immediately found his neck broken. He was dead. He was 'an only son. "Was in the bloom of health," and the shock to his parents was terrible. Perhaps that boy was out of his proper place, or perhaps that banister showed defective workmanship. A good banister should hold a boy's weight.
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