A Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of Laporte County Indiana, Part 119

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

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HISTORY OF LAPORTE COUNTY.

Ohio, he remained there for a number of years, after which he came to LaPorte county, arriving about 1833. He endured all the hardships and trials of pioneer life, establishing his home in the midst of the woods in Galena township. There he cleared a farm and made his own road from Hud- sonville to his place by cutting away the trees. He lived to be about seventy-five years of age, and was classed with the enterprising pioneers to whom the county owes such a large debt of gratitude for what they accomplished in the way of improvement. Mrs. Morrow was born in Ohio, and is now living at the advanced age of ninety years, the oldest resident of Galena township. She had eleven children, of whom Mrs. Heckman, the fourth, was reared in Galena township.

At the time of their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Heckman took up their abode in Weesaw town- ship, Berrien county, Michigan, where they re- mained for about two and a half years. He then sold out and in the spring of 1864 located where he now resides. Here he has carried on the till- ing of the soil and the raising of stock, and in both branches of his business has met with cred- itable success. He owns a farm of one hundred and nineteen acres, well improved with modern equipments, and in his farm work he displays marked energy and enterprise. To him and his wife have been born three children : Ellen, Lizzie and Charley. Ellen is the wife of George Leliter, and they have four children : Iona, Paul, Fay and Leon; their home is in Kankakee township, where Mr. Leliter follows farming. Lizzie is the wife of Charles Schwenk, who operates a sawmill in Galena township. Mr. and Mrs. Heckman also have one great-grandchild : Russell Riley, the son of Fred and Iona (Leliter) Riley, of LaPorte. Mr. and Mrs. Heckman are members of the Brethren church and he is identified with the Masonic fraternity, while in his political views he is a Republican.

H. CLAY WAGNER, who is engaged in general farming on section 20, Kankakee town- ship, is a well known and successful representa- tive of agricultural interests in northwestern In- diana. He was born in Springfield township, La- Porte county, on the 4th of November, 1844. His father, David F. Wagner, was a native of Penn- sylvania, but removed from Virginia to this state about the year 1835. He was a son of Jacob J. Wagner, also a native of the Keystone state and one of the pioneer settlers of LaPorte county, where he took up his abode about 1836, settling in Kankakee township. All around were evi-

dences of the pioneer condition of this district, for the lands were wild and the fields uncultivated, streams unbridged and what are now thriving towns and villages were then undreamed of.

David F. Wagner took up his abode in Spring- field township, entering land from the govern- ment, and upon the claim which he secured he de- veloped a good farm. After making a number of improvements there he sold that property, and purchased land in Kankakee township in 1845. This became the old family homestead and was located on section 20. There he remained throughout the residue of his days, and his at- tention was given to agricultural pursuits with good results. He died in the year 1854 and left behind him the memory of an active, honorable and useful career. In politics he was a Whig, but never sought or desired public office, preferring to give his attention to his business affairs that he might provide a comfortable home for his fam- ily. He was married in early manhood to Miss Angeline Cadwallader, who was born in Wayne county, Indiana, but was reared in LaPorte coun- ty from about the age of twelve years. She lived to the ripe old age of seventy-five years, and was a most faithful companion and helpmate to her husband, and an estimable lady, whose excellent traits of character won her many friends. Her father, Byron Cadwallader, was one of the pio- neer settlers of LaPorte county. He removed from Virginia to Henry county, Indiana, and thence came to this portion of the state. He was one of the associate judges of Henry county.

To Mr. and Mrs. David F. Wagner were born six children : Elizabeth, who is now the widow of Isaac Barrick; Milton, who joined the Union army for service in the Civil war, and laid down his life on the altar of his country ; H. Clay; Sa- rah, who was a successful and capable teacher in the LaPorte schools for many years; Ellen, the wife of John A. Bush, a resident of Great Falls, Montana; and David F., who is an engineer on the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad.

No event of special importance occurred to vary the routine of farm life for H. Clay Wagner in his youth. He remained upon the home farm in Kankakee township from the age of one year, and was educated in the common schools and in Evansville Seminary in Rock county, Wisconsin He was also a student at one time in Hillsdale College of Hillsdale, Michigan, and when his literary course was completed he returned to the farm, and has since followed agricultural pur- suits with the exception of one year spent in busi- ness at Fort Scott, Kansas. His labors as an agri-

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HISTORY OF LAPORTE COUNTY.

culturist have been effective, for he has devel- oped rich fields and raised good crops, which, find- ing a ready sale on the market, have returned to him an excellent income as the result of the care and labor he bestows upon his fields.

In 1871 Mr. Wagner was united in marriage to Miss Margaret E. Hews, a native of Pennsyl- vania, who came to LaPorte county, Indiana, with her parents when about eight years of age. For about four years after their marriage the young couple lived upon a farm near the city of LaPorte, and in 1875 they established their home upon the farm which is now their place of residence and which is the old family homestead of the Wagners. Here Mr. Wagner owns one hundred and twenty acres of land. His only son, Harry, is assisting him in the operation of the farm, which will one day become his property.

Mr. Wagner is a stanch Republican in his po- litical views, and keeping well informed on the questions and issues of the day is enabled to sup- port his position by intelligent argument. He had held the office of assessor, and was a member of the Republican county committee and served as its chairman. He does all in his power to pro- mote the growth and insure the success of his party, and he is equally active and influential in advancing general measures for the public good. He is identified with the Masonic fraternity and a leading member of the Agricultural Association, of which he served as treasurer from 1895 until 1901. His life work is familiar to the citizens or LaPorte county who know him to be a man of unfaltering integrity and honor.

SAMUEL FOX'S SONS is the title under which one of the most important manufacturing establishments of the city of LaPorte is con- ducted, and those who compose the firm are successfully carrying on a business that was es- tablished here forty years ago, to the subsequent inestimable benefit and advantage of the city and county. The Laporte Woolen Mills is one of the largest and best equipped plants of its kind in the west. The citizens of LaPorte take just pride in the industry, for it has been of great value in promoting the general prosperity and commercial activity of the city in addition to gaining the individual success of the stock- holders.

Samuel Fox founded the LaPorte Woolen Mills in 1864. He will always be remembered as one of the city's most progressive and en- lightened citizens. He gave his best years and efforts to the upbuilding of this industry, but at

the same time he so identified himself with the other interests of the city and county that his death was viewed as a calamity by every one con- cerned with the best welfare of LaPorte. While at the time of his death he was regarded as one one of the city's most prosperous men and one who had gained well deserved rewards from his life of industry and good business judgment and foresight, he had begun his career with no special advantages or wealth, and the inception of his woolen mill was likewise on a small scale.

Samuel Fox was born in Oettingen, Bavaria, Germany, March 29, 1838, and died at the Im- perial Hotel in New York, April 14, 1894, being at the time on a business trip in the east in com- pany with his son Maurice. He came to America at the age of sixteen, locating first in Philadel- phia, where he remained about three years, and then came to Wabash county, Indiana, where he became an extensive trader and had business dealings over a wide section of territory. About 1859 he moved his headquarters to LaPorte. where he established a dry-goods and clothing store in partnership with Mr. Guggenheim and Jacob Wile, the latter being then the president of the Citizens' Bank, but now deceased. The firm name of Guggenheim, Wile and Fox was assumed, and the new enterprise became suc- cessful.

About 1863 Mr. Fox conceived the idea of establishing a woolen mill in LaPorte, and suc- ceeded in getting Mr. Wile and John Rumely financially interested. Plans were perfected and the mill erected and put in operation in 1864 under the firm name of Wile, Rumely and Com- pany, Mr. Fox being the third partner. In 1873 Leo Fox, a brother of Samuel Fox, bought the interests of Mr. Wile and Mr. Rumely, and the firm then became Fox Brothers. A few years later Leo Fox retired from the firm, moving to Chicago, where he now resides. This left Samuel Fox as sole owner of the woolen mills which he had founded, and which remained in his name until his death. Since then the business has been conducted under the name of Samuel Fox's Sons.

This was the pioneer institution of its kind in this part of the country. It was started on a small scale, at first being a "three set" mill. It is now a "six set" mill, but the introduction of modern machinery and inventions has increased its out- put manifold. The plant has been so enlarged that it has become one of the leading manufac- turing institutions of Northern Indiana. The product of the LaPorte Woolen Mills was at first confined to the coarser woolens, but the grade

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has been gradually improved until now only ladies' dress goods of superior quality are manu- factured. In fact, the goods made by this old- established house have such an excellent reputa- tion that the company is unable to fill its orders, which come from the prominent dry-goods firms throughout the west. The owners of the mills spare no expense in employing the most skilled assistants and operatives, and thus sustain the high reputation of their excellent woolens.

Samuel Fox's wife, Mrs. Fannie L. Fox, a native of Philadelphia, still survives him. They had six sons, the four eldest of whom, Maurice, Herbert W., Arthur B. and Robert C., together with Mrs. Fox, composed the firm of Samuel Fox's Sons, until the death of Arthur B. on October 14, 1901, since which time the surviv- ing members have successfully carried on the enterprise. The sons are numbered among the alert, enterprising and progressive citizens of La- Porte, and are worthy successors of their honored father. The residence of Mrs. Fox is on Indiana avenue, near the LaPorte Woolen Mills, and is one of the finest in LaPorte, being surrounded by magnificent grounds and beautiful gardens.

In the death of Samuel Fox LaPorte lost a citizen whom it could ill afford to spare. He was extremely public-spirited and was often at the head of movements for the general good, and his financial support and co-operation were al- ways given for the benefit of the city and its progress along social, material and intellectual lines. For two years prior to his death he was the treasurer of the LaPorte school board. His suc- cess was attained entirely along legitimate lines of business, and resulted from diligence, per- severance and a recognition and utilization of opportunity.

HENRY C. WILLIAMSON, who has been connected with the Haskell & Barker Car Com- pany for the past thirty years, and is now a me- chanical engineer in the shops, came to America over fifty years ago, and in this land of opportu- nity has won a creditable success by his industry, steady habits and honorable and upright charac- ter. While his business career has thus been re- warded with comfortable circumstances, he has also been a partaker in the more general affairs of his town and county. He stands high in fraternal circles in Michigan City, has done his part as a public representative for the conduct of munic- ipal affairs, and in every relation of life has been energetic, wholesouled and public-spirited.

Mr. Williamson comes of an old Danish fam-

ily, most of whose members lived in those prov- inces bordering on the Baltic which during the last century were annexed to Prussia and now form a part of the German empire. Mr. William- son's grandfather died in Denmark at an old age, and his only son was John H. Williamson, who was also born in Denmark, but came to Barthol- omew county, Indiana, in 1864, where he en- gaged in farming, and where he died in 1895 at the age of eighty-three. His wife was Wilhelmina Sueverkrop, whose father was a soldier in the regular Danish army, held the public office of forester, and died at the advanced age of eighty- four years, having been the father of a good-sized family. Mrs. Wilhelmina Williamson died in 1893, aged eighty-one years, and she and her hus- band were both members of the Lutheran church. They had nine children, six sons and three daugh- ters, and the four now living are Henry C., Wil- liam, Charles, of Bartholemew county, Indiana, and George, of Columbus.

Henry C. Williamson was born in the city of . Kiel, on the Baltic Sea, now the principal harbor of the German empire, on July 12, 1836. He lived in Denmark until he was fifteen years old. attending the common schools, and at that age came to America and settled in Cincinnati, where he both worked at the machinist's trade and also went to school. In 1868 he came to Michigan City, Indiana, and for the following two or three years was in the employ of the Michigan Cen- tral Railroad Company. He then began work for the Haskell & Barker Car Company and has practically been with them ever since, for thirty- five years.

September 18, 1862, Mr. Williamson married Miss Sybilla Treon, who became the mother of four children. John, the first born, died in in- fancy. Minnie married John M. Dunlap, and they have two children living, Alice and Elmer. William is a molder in the car factory, and mar- ried Augusta Helms, who has become the mother of three children, Claude, Ethel and Russell. Frederick is a civil engineer, and married Jean- nette Powell.

Mrs. Williamson comes of an old American family, of French descent. Her grandfather, John Treon, was a native of Pennsylvania, whence he moved to Miamisburg, Ohio, where he died at advanced age, and was the father of eleven children. Andrew Treon, the father of Mrs. Williamson, was also born in Pennsylvania, and was a physician. He moved to Miamisburg, Ohio, and from there came as one of the early settlers of Shelby county, Indiana. He married

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HISTORY OF LAPORTE COUNTY.

Sarah Kaufman, whose father was of German de- scent and was a native of Pennsylvania ; he mar- ried Catharine Wymar, who was nearly ninety years old at her death, and they had eleven chil- dren. Andrew Treon died in 1865 at the age of sixty-two, and his wife in 1849, and of their twelve children five are now living, as follows: Sarah, wife of John Heck, of Bartholomew coun- ty, Indiana ; Samuel, of Mattoon, Illinois ; Sybilla, wife of H. C. Williamson; Jackson, of Washing- ton, Indiana; and Charlotte, wife of William Col- lins, of Bartholomew county. Andrew Treon married for his second wife Lydia Steinbarger, and they had five children, the three now living being Rebecca, wife of Ed Gabbard, of Blooming- ton, Illinois; Fred Treon, of South Dakota; and Lizzie, wife of Robert Lytle, of Michigan City, Indiana.

Mr. and Mrs. Williamson are members of the Presbyterian church, and he affiliates with Acme Lodge No. 83, F. A. & A. M., Michigan City Chapter No. 25, R. A. M., and Michigan City Commandery No. 30, K. T. He follows an in- dependent course in political matters. He served one term on the city council, and in every way his qualities as a man and a citizen entitle him to the esteem in which he is everywhere held by his fellow men.

ADAM SPENCE. From an early period in the development of LaPorte county Adam Spence has been one of its residents, and he follows farm- ing on section 31, Lincoln township. He was born in county Antrim, Ireland, in 1825, and lived in his native land until twenty-five years of age, being there engaged in farming. He was yet a single man when he came to America, landing in New York in 1850. He afterward made his way to Ohio, and in 1856 reached LaPorte coun- ty, Indiana. In 1859 he crossed the plains to Vir- ginia City, Nevada, where he remained for seven years, being engaged in mining there. In his work he prospered, and about 1863 he sold his mining interests to good advantage and returned to LaPorte county, where he began farming. He first established his home in Johnson township, where he still owns a tract of land of eighty-five acres. Removing to Lincoln township, however, he secured two hundred acres, upon which he now resides. He has been a successful farmer, and his long experience in this direction has made his efforts effective and enabled him to acquire a handsome competence. His fields are well tilled and productive, and return to him each year good harvests as a reward for his labors.

Mr. Spence was united in marriage to Miss Ann Daily, and they have one son, William, who is married and works upon the home farm. Mr. Spence has practically lived retired from active work for a number of years, his son having the management of the farm. He is one of the representative citizens of LaPorte county, having been identified with the work of development and progress here for many years. He is a Democrat in political faith and is a member of the St. Pat- rick's Catholic church, of LaPorte, Indiana, hav- ing been reared in that faith.

ORVILLE TRYON. Among the old and honored citizens of Noble township none stand higher in public esteem than the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch. For sixty-seven years he has been a resident of LaPorte county, and has therefore witnessed almost its entire de- velopment and upbuilding. In the work of pro- gress and improvement he has ever borne his part, and deserves to be numbered among the prominent pioneers and valued citizens of his adopted county.

A native of Vermont, Mr. Tryon was born in Pawlet, Rutland county, February 22, 1821, and is a son of David and Minerva (Castle) Tryon, the former also a native of Rutland county, Ver- mont, and the latter of Canada. Leaving his old home in the Green Mountain state, the father brought his family to the west in 1835, and, after spending one year in Chicago, located in Michi- gan City, LaPorte county, Indiana. Here he con- tinued to reside until the Mexican war broke out, when he entered the service and never returned. By trade he was a blacksmith. His wife died at the home of Mr. Tryon in this county. They were the parents of five children, namely: Caroline, who was born in 1817, and became the wife of Dr. Joseph Chamberlain, of Elkhart, Indiana; Catherine, who was born in 1819 and married Harvey Truesdale, of Michigan City; Orville; Rolland, born in 1825; and Charles, born in 1828.

Orville Tryon spent the first fourteen years of his life in the state of his nativity, and then ac- companied his parents on their removal to the west, coming with them to Michigan City in 1830. He began his business career by working in a general store, where he was employed for eight years, and during that time gained an excellent knowledge of business methods which was of much pracitcal value to him in later years. Later he was engaged in the grocery business with W. F. Miller until 1857, when he sold out and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of his

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present farm near Union Mills. He prospered in his farming operations, and as the years passed added to his property until he now has three hun- dred and seventy acres of rich and arable land under a high state of cultivation. 1

Mr. Tryon has been twice married, his first wife being Miss Lucy Beesmer, who was born in 1827 and died in 1854. In 1857 he married Miss Ellen Gunson Bragg, who was born in England in 1828. Three children blessed this union : Carrie Castle; Mary Gebraun, who married Ed- ward Hixon; and Nellie Bragg, who married Walter W. Wise.

Mr. Tryon is a member of the Episcopal church, having been reared in that faith. His mother helped to organize the first Episcopal church in Chicago in 1835, and always took an active interest in church work. He has now passed the eighty-second milestone on life's jour- ney and can look back into the past with satis- faction. In business affairs he has prospered, and his career has ever been such as to win him the confidence and respect of all with whom he has been brought in contact. On the rolls of LaPorte county's most honored pioneers his name should be among the foremost.

JACOB S. HECKMAN, who resides on sec- tion 20, Galena township, was born in Preble county, Ohio, March 25, 1829. His father, Jacob Heckman, was a native of Botetourt county, Virginia, born on the 8th of April, 1794, and after arriving at years of maturity was married there on the 8th of April, 1819, to Miss Eliza- beth Dodd, who was born in Franklin county, Virginia, on the 17th of May, 1800. She was a daughter of William and Rebecca (Griffith) Dodd, both of whom were of English descent.

In the fall of 1828 Jacob and Elizabeth Heck- man removed from Virginia to Preble coun- ty, Ohio, and in the spring of 1830 they made their way to Berrien county, Michigan, locating at Berrien Springs. Mr. Heckman assisted large- ly in laying out the town, and also in naming it. He remained there until 1835, when he removed to Galena township, LaPorte county, Indiana, where he continued to reside until the death of his wife, which occurred on the 24th of April, 1864, when she was in her sixty-fifth year. Mr. Heckman was one of the honored pioneer set- tlers of Galena township. There were no more than three or four families in the entire township when he took up his abode there. He entered a number of quarter sections of land. He gave to each of his children-nine in number-a quar-

ter section, and in addition to this he owned other realty in Weesaw township, Berrien county, Michigan. He retained for his own use one hun- dred and sixty acres, and he also bought an eighty-acre tract covered with timber in addition to all the other farming land which he possessed. He was a very useful, active and influential citi- zen, and was a leading factor in the upbuilding of LaPorte county. As a prominent member of the German Baptist church he took an ac- tive interest in its work and contributed generously to its support. In politics he was a stanch Republican, and he left Vir- ginia on account of the slavery question, believ- ing the system of holding slaves in the south to be wrong. He also took a deep interest in edu- cational work and served as a member of the school board. All that tended to promote public progress and improvement received his endorse- ment, and his efforts in behalf of the general good were far-reaching and beneficial. He died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Charlotte Am- mons, near South Bend, Indiana, on the 5th of March, 1886, in the ninety-second year of his age, and was laid to rest by the side of his wife in the Heckman cemetery in Galena township. To Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Heckman were born twelve chil- dren, nine of whom reached years of maturity. Sixty years elapsed between the death of the first child of the family and the last death in that generation.

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A Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of Laporte County Indiana, Part 119

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