A Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of Laporte County Indiana, Part 117

Author: Rev. E. D. Daniels
Publication date: 1904
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1273

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Charles P. Smith is the sixth child and fourth son of the family. He was five years of age at the time of his parents' removal to Michigan, and upon the home farm in Lenawee county he re- mained until about fifteen years of age, when he went to Schoolcraft, Kalamazoo county, to learn the blacksmith's trade. He served an apprentice- ship covering five years, and then began working as a journeyman, being employed in different states for about three years. In 1851 he arrived in La Porte county, but afterward spent some time in the west and the south. He assisted in the placing of the first engine on the railroad from Burlington to Peoria. In 1854 he returned to Lenawee county, Michigan, where he remained for a brief period, and then again came to La- Porte county.

It was on the 21st of October of that year that Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Harriet E. Taylor, born November 11, 1831, and a sister of James H. Taylor (see sketch of James H. Taylor for family history). The young couple then returned to Michigan and established their home in Rockford, Kent county, where Mr. Smith engaged in blacksmithing, carrying on a business for himself for some time. There he re- mained until 1859, when he removed to LaPorte county, and about 1860 he again went to Rock- ford, Michigan. He was there at the time of the outbreak of the Civil war, when he responded to the country's call for aid, enlisting in Company D, First Regiment of Michigan Engineers, on the 2d of December, 1861. He joined the army as a mechanic, and served in that capacity for three years, during which time he was promoted from the ranks, becoming first a corporal and after- war a sergeant. On the expiration of his term of enlistment he again offered his services, and as a veteran once more joined the army on the Ist of January, 1864. He then continued with the boys in blue until the close of the war, and was mustered out on the 22d of September, 1865, hav- ing performed faithful military service for his country for three years and ten months. During this time he served under Generals Buell, Rose- crans and Sherman, and with two other men he prepared the remains of General Zolicoffer for

shipment through the lines to Nashville after his death at the battle of Mill Springs, Kentucky.

Following his discharge from the army Mr. Smith returned to LaPorte county, Indiana, and located upon a farm in Pleasant township, which he had purchased while home upon a furlough in 1864. He has since been identified with agri- cultural interests in this portion of the state. He lived for ten years in Hudson township, and dur- ing the remainder of his residence in LaPorte county he has resided in Pleasant township. He has one hundred and seven acres of land, which he has highly cultivated, and his farm is a valu- able property indicating the life of industry and enterprise which he has led.

To Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been born two children : LeRoy T., who is now residing at Fish Lake in Lincoln township, LaPorte county, where he carries on agricultural pursuits; Lena D., the wife of Constantine Heim, a resident far- mer of Warwick county, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Smith also lost two children : Ida C., who died at the age of twenty years ; and Pearl, who died at the age of ten months. Mr. Smith and his fam- ily are widely and favorably known in this coun- ty. He is a prominent member of Patten Post, No. 147, G. A. R., of LaPorte, which he joined upon its organization. He endorses the meas- ures of the Republican party and takes an active interest in its work. He gives a generous sup- port to all measures for the public good, and as a citizen of long residence in this county he is widely and favorably known.

EBER LEANDER ANNIS, M. D. The world instinctively pays deference to the man whose success has been worthily achieved, and Dr. Annis is one who certainly deserves much credit for what he has accomplished, as he represents a profession in which advancement depends en- tirely upon individual merit and capability. The physician's power must be his own. Not by pur- chase, by gift or by influence can he gain it. He must commence at the very beginning, learn the rudiments of medicine and surgery, continually add to his knowledge by close study and earnest application, and gain reputation by merit. If he would gain prominence it must come as the result of superior skill, knowledge and ability, and these qualifications are possessed by Dr. Annis.

The Doctor is one of LaPorte's native sons, his birth having occurred here on the 19th of May, 1860. His parents were Eber Leander and Samantha J. (Newton) Annis. His father was

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born in Vermont, and was of Scotch-English de- scent, while his mother, whose birth occurred near Saratoga Springs, New York, is of Scotch-Irish lineage. His father was a wagon-maker by trade, and in later life became a painter and decorator. In 1845 he took up his abode in LaPorte, where he continued in active business for many years, his death occurring here on the 2d of January, 1903, when he had reached the advanced age of seventy-nine. His widow still survives, and is now living at the age of eighty-one.

Dr. Annis obtained his education in the schools of LaPorte, and thus with good literary knowl- edge to serve as a basis for professional learning he took up the study of medicine under the direc- tion of Dr. Alexander G. Stevenson, of this city. He began his studies when but a boy, and received a fine practical training that has been of great value to him. Matriculating in Rush Medical College of Chicago, he was graduated from that institution on the 22d of February, 1881, and upon 'his return to LaPorte opened an office of his own and has since been a member of the medical fra- ternity here. Although he engages to some ex- tent in general practice, he has made a specialty of surgery and obstetrics, and in the later branch has achieved remarkable success. He is a sur- geon for the Lake Erie & Western Railroad Com- pany, at LaPorte, and in 1894 was appointed city health officer, while at the present writing he is a member of the city board of health. In 1896 he was elected president of the LaPorte County Medical Society, and served in that capacity for some time, his administration of the affairs of the office proving of great value to the profession. Through his connection with many medical so- cieties he keeps in contant touch with the pro- gress made by the fraternity and with the ad- vanced thought of the day. He is a member of the Indiana State Medical Society, the Interna- tional Association of Railway Surgeons, the New York Medico-Legal Society, to the International State Society of Railway Surgeons and the Amer- ican Medical Association. He is also examiner for the New York Life, the Mutual Life, North- western Mutual Life, United States Life, Trav- elers and other insurance companies, numbering altogether about fifteen.

In his political affiliations the Doctor is a Dem- ocrat, earnest in his advocacy of the party, and during President Cleveland's first administration he was appointed pension examiner, while at the present writing he is secretary of the board of United States pension examiners for this district and has been a member of the pension board for

sixteen years barring the presidential term of Benjamin Harrison. He served as deputy coroner for several years, and afterward, in 1888, was elected coroner of LaPorte county for a term of four years. Whatever tends to promote the interests of his profession and give to man the key to that complex mystery which we call life at once at- tracts the interest and co-operation of Dr. Annis. He is now extremely busy and successful, con- stantly overburdened by demands for his profes- sional services. He is recognized as an indus- trious and ambitious student and one whose knowledge of his profession and whose efficiency in his work are constantly increasing.

DAVID APPLETON is now in his seventy- ninth year, and yet in business affairs displays an activity and energy that is not shown in many a man of much younger years. He is assisted in the active work of the farm by hired help, but he gives to its operation his personal supervision. His life has been an industrious one, characterized by honorable principles and integrity, and he re- ceives the respect and good will of all who know him, and his acquaintance is a wide one. His farm is located on section 16, Hudson township, where he owns a valuable tract of land of two hun- dred and twenty-five acres.

Mr. Appleton was born in Wayne county, Ohio, August 31, 1825. His paternal grand- father, Jarvis Appleton, was born, reared and mar- ried in England and after the birth of five of his children brought his family to America, establish- ing his home in Delaware. He became a large slaveholder of that state. David Appleton's fath- er, Thomas Appleton, was a native of Delaware and was reared and educated there. At an early day in the development of Ohio he removed to the Buckeye state, locating in Wayne county about fifty miles south of Cleveland. He became a contractor on the Ohio canal, and built nine of the sixteen locks at Akron. Thus he contrib- uted largely to the improvement and substantial progress of the state, because this canal was one of the most important features in business inter- ests at an early day, furnishing a means of ship- ment for the settlers. He was also interested in the crossroad canal from Pittsburg to Akron. A gentleman of excellent business ability, he was also well liked, and he looked upon life from a broad standpoint, characterized by humanitarian principles. He was twice married and became the father of eight children. The mother of David bore the maiden name of Hannah Meyers, and

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was born in New Bedford, Pennsylvania. She, too, was twice married, and her children were eight in number. She was of English and German lineage and was connected with the Brays a very prominent family of Philadelphia. Her father was a coppersmith by trade, and, locating in New Bedford, Pennsylvania, there carried on a suc- cessful business.

David Appleton is the eldest child of his fath- er's second marriage. He was reared in the place of his nativity until twenty years of age, and dur- ing that time acquired a good education, after which he started out in business life for himself, working at anything he could get to do. He would accept any employment that would yield him an honest living, and thus he gained a good start in life. When a boy he went to Stark county, Ohio, twelve miles north of Canton, near Congress lake, and remained there for two years, after which he became a resident of Portage county, Ohio, where he continued to reside for six or seven years. On the expiration of that period he removed to Medina county, Ohio, and thence to Noble county, Indiana, where he remained for one winter. He afterward located in Peru, Miami county, Indiana, and subsequently went to Wa- bash county, this state, after which, he returned to Noble county. He next went to St. Joseph county, and in 1875 ar- rived in LaPorte county. He, however, had resided just across the line in St. Joseph county for ten years, so that he had become well ac- quainted with this county, having lived continu- ously in the neighborhood since 1865. He owns two hundred and twenty-five acres of good land, and is one of the prosperous and influential citi- zens of his community. When he came to the west, however, he had little money and has gained most of his prosperity since establishing his home within the borders of LaPorte county. His farm is now very rich and valuable, and it is operated by hired help under the direct supervision of Mr. Appleton.

On the 11th of March, 1844, David Appleton was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Fritz, who was born in Venango county, Pennsylvania, in 1824, and was reared in Ohio from early girl- hood. She died November 7, 1877. By that mar- riage there were seven children: Mary Jane, who is the wife of Francis Ryland, of Cincin- nati, whose remarkable cures by faith have at- tracted widespread attention ; Jacob W., deceased ; Hannah Elizabeth, the widow of George Spicer ; David F., a resident of Lima, Ohio; Ann Eliza, of South Bend; Emma, the wife of Harry Lath-

rop, of Glenville, Ohio; and James L., a resident of Everett, Washington. In 1878 Mr. Appleton was again married, his present wife having borne the maiden name of Elizabeth Solloway. She was born near Cleveland, Ohio, July 16, 1834, and her parents were natives of England. Her girlhood days were spent in the city of her birth, and her education was acquired in the public schools.

In his political affiliations in early life Mr. Appleton was a Democrat, and cast his ballot for the men and measures of that party until 1860, when he voted for Abraham Lincoln. He con- tinued to affiliate with the Republican party until 1896, when he again became a Democrat, and al- though elected to local office he would not qualify, preferring to perform his duties as a private citi- zen rather than in official service. Truly a self- made man, he is deserving of much commendation for what he has accomplished. He started out to make his own way in the world by working at a salary of three dollars per month. Prosperity has come to him as the years have passed, and he who reads between the lines of this review will know that his life has been very active, that he has worked hard and persistently and that his suc- cess is the just reward of continued effort.

EDWARD McCABE. Among the repre- sentative and progressive farmers of LaPorte county, Indiana, must be numbered the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch. He was born in Herkimer county, New York, on the 18th of November, 1852, and is of Irish descent, his par- ents, James and Alice (O'Brien) McCabe, both being natives of county Meath, Ireland, the former born in 1818, the latter in 1821. In early life they emigrated to the United States, where they spent their last years. The father died in 1875, but the moth- er long survived him, passing away on the 19th of October, 1894. They were the parents of nine children, namely: Mary, Bryan, Rose, Edward, James, Alice, Annie, John and Thomas. The three oldest were born on the Emerald island, and the others after the emigration of the parents to America.

Edward McCabe was only two years old when he accompanied his parents on their removal from New York to Indiana, and he is indebted to the district schools of LaPorte county for the edu- cational advantages he enjoyed during his youth. During the summer months his time was devoted to the work of the farm, and through the winter he attended school until about eighteen years of age. On starting out in life for himself he en-

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gaged in farming upon rented land until 1882, when he purchased his present farm near LaPorte and has since engaged in its cultivation.

On the 8th of January, 1902, Mr. McCabe was united in marriage to Miss Katharine Kelley, who was born in this county, January 18, 1855. In 1900, she removed to Racine county, Wisconsin, where their marriage was celebrated, Mr. McCabe arriving there the day before the wedding. He brought his bride back to the home he had pre- pared for her in this county. Her father, Patrick Kelley, was born in county Monaghan, Ireland, in 1812, and in 1826, came to America. He worked at various occupations for about two years, and then accepted a government position, being employed on public works for twelve years. At the end of that time he turned his attention to far- ming, which he continued to follow throughout life. He came to LaPorte in 1851, and died here on the 22d of April, 1893. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Mary Nolan, was born in county Tyrone, Ireland, March 17, 1814, and died February 17, 1900:

In religious faith, Mr. and Mrs. McCabe are Catholics attending St. Peter's church at La- Porte. In politics he is an ardent Democrat, tak- ing a very active and prominent part in public af- fairs. For fifteen years he served as supervisor of his district, and his official duties were always most faithfully and conscientiously discharged, winning for him the commendation of his constit- uents.

WILLIAM S. COULTER, although past the Psalmist's three-score and ten, is still one of the energetic and progressive farmers of LaPorte county, and the farm in section 6, Cass township, which has responded bountifully to his efforts for so many years, still brings forth its fruit in good season and in yet larger abundance than in the palmiest days of the owner's vigor and man- hood strength.

Mr. Coulter is the son of a LaPorte county pioneer, James Coulter, who was born, reared and married in Ohio, and came to LaPorte county in 1834, taking up government land in New Dur- ham township and in the course of time improv- ing two or three farms in that vicinity. He lived in the county till his death at the age of fifty-seven years. His wife, Miss Stevenson, was also a na- tive of Ohio, and died at the age of seventy-three years, having been the mother of one daughter and four son.

William S. Coulter, who was the eldest child, was born in Bucyrus, Crawford county, Ohio,

July 13, 1830, and has been almost a continuous resident of LaPorte county since he was four years old, nearly seventy years in all. He was reared and educated among very primitive sur- roundings, and carries in his mind a history of personal experience with the crude and awkward implements of agriculture long before the days of self-binders and riding plows and threshing machines, as well as with the powerful and rapid time and labor saving machinery of the present day and generation. He assisted in the cultiva- tion of the homestead until he was twenty-seven years old, and has since then been carrying on farming independently and successfully. He has resided on his present farm of three hundred and seventy acres for forty-six years, and is re- sponsible for nearly every improvement put on it since it was raw prairie until now it varigated tilled fields and meadows are a thing of beauty as well as material wealth.

In 1857 Mr. Coulter was married to Miss Elizabeth Adams, and five children were born of this union, as follows: Margaret Jane is the wife of Brazil Horner; Ann is the wife of William Fryar; Ida is the wife of Ira Bull; James H., who married Docie Concannon, and had two sons and one daughter, is now deceased; and Emma Etta is the wife of Henry Moore. All these chil- dren were born in LaPorte county, and all but one on the farm where their father still lives. After the death of his first wife Mr. Coulter mar- ried, in 1891, Mrs. Ida M. (McConnell) Fes- senden, who is the daughter of Joseph and Edith (Lee) McConnell, old settlers of Porter county, Indiana, where she was born August 9, 1855. She was reared and educated in Porter county. She was wedded to John Fessenden and two chil- dren, Pearl and Joe L., were born. Pearl wedded Otto Marks, a resident of Valparaiso, Indiana, and employed by the Pennsylvania Railroad; Mrs. Marks graduated from the Wanatah high school and was also a student at Valparaiso nor- mal. Joe L. is a resident of Valparaiso, Indiana. Mrs. Coulter is a member of the Christian church at Valparaiso, Indiana. Mr. Coulter was an ad- herent of Whig principles when he cast his first vote, and since the organization of the Grand Old Party has voted for every one of its presi- dential candidates.

GEORGE S. DENISON, for nearly fifty- eight years a resident of LaPorte county, for four years a soldier in the Union army during the Civil war, and for the past thirty-eight years the leading merchant of Hanna, is a descendant of

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WILLIAM S. COULTER

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William Denison, who came to the United States in colonial days, and settled in Connecticut. Great- grandfather Denison was a soldier in the Revolu- tion, and there were many members of the family who filled honorable positions in society and busi- ness.

Wheeler B. and Polly (Green) Denison were both natives of New York state, and the former was born in 1803 and died in 1862. He removed from his native state to Ohio, and in 1845 came to La Porte county, where he purchased eighty acres of choice land in Van Buren township. He was a Jackson Democrat, and among different township offices which he held was that of town- ship clerk.

George S. Denison, who was third of the six children of his parents, was born in Erie county, Ohio, February 1, 1836, and came to LaPorte county when he was nine years old. He received his education in the schools of this county, at Union Mills high school, and by his individual application was well prepared for life's duties. He was reared on a farm, but in 1855-6 was a lumberman in the woods of Michigan, and has spent most of the remainder of his life in mer- chandising. In August, 1861, at the second call of the president, he enlisted in the regimental band of the Twentieth Indiana Volunteers, and was sent to Virginia under General Wool. While at Fortress Monroe he witnessed the famous bat- tle between the Merrimac and Monitor. He was honorably discharged, and then came home and recruited a band for the Eighty-seventh Indiana Regiment, which was present at the battle of Mis- sionary Ridge, in the Atlanta campaign and siege of Atlanta, and the march from that city to the sea, and also up through the Carolinas to Richmond. They were at Smithfield, North Car- olina, in pursuit of General Johnston, when the news of Lee's surrender reached them. In the grand review at Washington he was at the head of the Second Brigade of the Third Division of the Fourteenth Corps, and saw General Sherman refuse to shake hands with Secretary Stanton on the reviewing stand. Mr. Denison has two large diaries of his experiences during the war, inter- esting and valuable reminiscences of that terri- ble period. He received his final discharge in August, 1865, after four years of faithful service in his country's cause.

The first important event in Mr. Denison's life after his return to LaPorte county was his marriage, and then, on September 1, 1865, he opened his merchandise store in Hanna. During all the subsequent years, by his fair dealing. cour-

teous treatment of customers, and the general confidence he has inspired in all who have deal- ings with him, he has built up a trade from small beginnings so that his annual sales now amount to more than twenty thousand dollars. Besides this establishment he owns about four hundred acres of land in Hanna township, and each year cuts hay from one thousand acres, carrying on a big business in the buying and selling of hay ; he also owns one hundred and forty acres of pine woods in the state of Georgia, and, altogether, has per- haps the most extensive interests of any man in the township. He has witnessed much of the de- velopment of the middle west, especially in La- Porte county, and he also saw Chicago when it was a comparatively small town, and a year be- fore a railroad had entered that city. During his lumbering experience in Michigan he acquired a knowledge of the Pottawottomie Indian tongue, and can still converse in that language of gut- terals.

August 29, 1865, two days before he opened his mercantile business in Hanna, Mr. Denison married Miss Amelia A. Blackman, who was born in Ohio, February 9, 1838, and died May 6, 1903. She was reared in Indiana, and was a graduate of Berea College, Ohio, and held a certificate of graduation from the Chautauqua Society. She was a woman of great refinement of character, and her loving and affectionate nature as mother of her family will prove an inspiration through- out the life of her children. She was a member and an active worker in the Methodist Church, and also a member of the Woman's Relief Corps. She is interred in the Hanna cemetery.

Four of the six children born to Mr. and Mrs. Denison are still living, as follows: George H. was a student at De Pauw University Greencas- tle, Indiana, for several years taught school in La- Porte county, and then took up the study of dental surgery in Chicago, and after graduation began practice in Hanna and then removed to Columbus, Indiana, where he is at present, a successful prac- titioner ; he is married and has three children. Esther was educated in the Valparaiso normal school, and is the wife of Thomas H. Richardson, a farmer and stockman of Hanna township; they have three children. Edmund D. graduated from Northwestern University at Evanston, Illinois, for some years was principal of schools, during the past year was principal of the Ripon Academy of Ripon College, and is now engaged in manu- facturing in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Agnes, a graduate of Northwestern Academy and educated in instrumental and vocal music, is at home.

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A Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of Laporte County Indiana, Part 117

Author: Rev. E. D. Daniels Publication date: 1904 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1273

Author: Rev. E. D. Daniels
Publication date: 1904
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1273