A Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of Laporte County Indiana, Part 131

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

USA > Indiana > LaPorte County > A Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of Laporte County Indiana > Part 131

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

committee of the Indiana Association of Local Fire Insurance Agents, and for five consecutive years was a delegate to the convention of the national association, to which only five members are sent from Indiana. All this indicates his prominence in fire insurance circles, and his opin- ions carry weight in the councils of the men who are engaged in this department of business ac- tivity. Mr. Dorland is also the president of the LaPorte Telephone Company and the secretary of the LaPorte Sash & Door Company and treasurer of the LaPorte Investment Company. A man of resourceful ability, of marked enter- prise and strong executive force and keen dis- cernment, he has gained for himself a creditable position in the business world, sustaining an un- assailable reputation by reason of his integrity and straightforward methods.

On the 14th of April, 1891, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Dorland and Miss Belle R. Fail, of LaPorte county, a daughter of John N. Fail, a prominent farmer of Kankakee township. Her uncle, Benjamin F. Fail, was the first white child born in this county, and still lives on a large farm in Kankakee township. Mr. and Mrs. Dorland are popular young people of LaPorte, enjoying the esteem of many friends. He is well known in Masonic circles, belonging to the blue lodge, chapter, council and commandery. He was also the secretary of the LaPorte County Agricultural Society for a period of seven years, and he holds membership rela- tions with the Sons of Veterans, and the Sons of the American Revolution. He is likewise a mem- ber of the board of trustees of the First Baptist church, and is secretary of the board of direc- tors of the Pine Lake Assembly. In his life he exemplifies the enterprising spirit which has been the dominant factor in the upbuilding of the west. His life has been a very active one, his energy being one of the salient features in his character. When twenty years of age he secured a contract for numbering and lettering the LaPorte streets. and from the proceeds of this he took a trip by bicycle through Europe. This is indicative of the determination and force of his character and his recognition of opportunity and his enterprise. and he stands to-day as one of the strong and suc- cessful business men of his native city. .

JAMES D. M. HUCKINS, who has made his home in LaPorte county for over sixty-one years, and since attaining manhood's estate has been prominently identified with its agricultural interests, is the son of Nathan P. and Almira R.

Digitized by Google

J. D. M. HUCKINS FAMILY.

Digitized by

Google

Digitized by

727

HISTORY OF LAPORTE COUNTY.

( Norton) Huckins, old settlers of LaPorte coun- ty. These parents were married in New York state on December 27, 1832, and from there went to Ohio, whence they came to LaPorte county in 1842, locating at Door Village. For the first two years Nathan Huckins was engaged in the manufacture of fanning mills, and then pur- chased a farm of one hundred and fifteen acres, and turned his attention to its cultivation. and . improvement. As time passed he added to his property until he had three hundred and fifty acres under a high state of cultivation. He was also engaged in the sawmill business for some time, and was regarded as one of the leading citizens of the community. He was born Febru- ary 4, 1811, and died December 24, 1874, while his wife, who was born October 5, 1805, died January 13, 1869.

Six children were born to Nathan and Almira Huckins, as follows: Sarah Abigail, born Octo- ber 19, 1833, and died February 24, 1867; Nathan A., born June 12, 1836, and died Octo- ber 31, 1855; George, born May 22, 1838; James D. M. and Mary A., twins, born March 10, 1841, and the latter died November 8, 1855; and Amy A., born November 20, 1843. The oldest daugh- ter married Charles W. Banks, and at her death left five children, Adele, Almira, Ida, Charles Nathan and Lucy Isadore.

James D. M. Huckins was born in Brown- helm, Lorain county, Ohio, March 10, 1841. He attended school at Door Village, and was reared on the home farm, where he gained a prac- tical knowledge of the occupation he has made his life work. He is now the owner of a good farm in sections 9 and 10, Scipio township, where in early days stood the old block house which served as protection for the pioneer settlers when the Indians were on the warpath. One of the posts of the old fort is still standing, a land- mark of the days when this region was a vast wilderness and the Indians were far more num- erous than the white settlers.

On May 21, 1859, Mr. Huckins was married in this county to Miss Sarah N. Kelsey, who was born in New York state, December 4, 1842, a daughter of David M. and Mary J. (Wilcox) Kelsey. When she was fourteen years old her father, who was a carpenter by trade, took his family to Wisconsin, but he afterward came to LaPorte county and bought land in Noble town- ship. Mrs. Kelsey's father had two brothers in the Revolutionary war, and Mr. Huckins' grand- father, Israel Huckins, was also in the war, so that. the descendants are entitled to membership

in the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution. Mrs. Huckins is also second cousin of the late General Lawton, of Philippine fame. Mr. and Mrs. Kelsey were members of the Baptist church. Four of their six children are living, besides Mrs. Huckins: Helen, the wife of William Taylor, a native of LaPorte county, formerly a railroad engineer, and now a resident of St. Paul, Minnesota; Mary L., wife of J. R. Miller, a carpenter of Sioux City, Iowa; Charles H., who went to the Klondike regions and has never been heard of since ; Annie, widow of Ira G. Pattee, of Rutland, Iowa.

Mrs. Huckins was educated in the common schools and in the high school of Michigan City, and was a teacher for several years in Scipio township. She has no children of her own, but has adopted the youngest child of Mr. Huckins' sister, whose family is given above. Lucy Isa- dore was educated in the Laporte high school, graduating in the class of 1885, and has been a teacher in one district of Scipio township for the past six years. She has musical ability, and is a charming young lady, popular in social circles and highly esteemed by all who know her.

In 1888 Mr. Huckins erected a pretty coun- try residence, in which they enjoy the hospitality of their many friends. The home is located on very high ground, and from it the surrounding country may be seen in some directions for thir- teen miles. Mr. Huckins adheres to the doctrines of the Republican party, and fraternally, is a member of the Masonic Lodge, No. 41, at La- Porte, and he and his wife and daughter are mem- bers of Eastern Star Lodge, No. 55. Mrs. Huckins and her daughter are members of the Methodist church at Door Village.

WILLIAM A. HALL, a member of the banking firm of Hall, Weaver & Company, pro- prietors of the Bank of Indiana, was born in Scipio township, LaPorte county, on the 2d of March, 1843, ten years before his parents, Hon. Jacob R. and Catharine (Martin) Hall, had lo- cated in this county. The ancestry of the father together with the ancestral history of the family is given on another page of this work. Jacob Hall carried on agricultural pursuits, having de- veloped from a wild tract of land a splendid farm. It was upon this farm that William A. Hall was reared, and he early assisted in the labors of plowing, planting and harvesting. Throughout the period of his youth he continued to work in the fields and meadows, and he also attended the public schools, being thus equipped

Digitized by Google

728

HISTORY OF LAPORTE COUNTY.

by mental training to meet the responsible duties of a business career. He is now the owner of the old family homestead, consisting of four hundred acres, and he has achieved his greatest success as an agriculturist, although in later years he has resided in LaPorte. He has made the most of his opportunities, and his keen fore- sight and sound business judgment have con- tributed in large measure to his success. He yet has extensive farming and stock-raising inter- ests, and these have been the basis of his present prosperity. Ere leaving the farm he became a partner, in 1882, in the firm of Hall, Weaver & Company, proprietors of the State Bank of In- diana, which is the oldest bank in LaPorte, hav- ing had a continuous existence of over forty years .. Mr. Hall succeeded his father, the Hon. Jacob R. Hall, in this bank, the latter having been associated with its conduct from its organ- ization until his death.

In January, 1865, William A. Hall was united in marriage to Miss Hannah J. Lowery, a daugh- ter of Samuel Lowery, now deceased. Their marriage has been blessed with two daughters: Luetta, now the wife of Algernon Orr; and Blanch Allen. In social circles the family holds a most enviable position, and their own home is celebrated for its gracious and attractive hos- pitality. It was in the year 1886 that Mr. Hall removed with his family to LaPorte, where he has since maintained his home. He has for many years been prominently identified with LaPorte County Agricultural Association, and has greatly assisted in making the annual fair a most success- ful and pleasing institution of the county. In this way he has also stimulated agricultural de- velopment, and he has ever put forth the most earnest efforts in behalf of the farming interests of the state. At the present writing he is serving on the executive committee of the agricultural association. His political allegiance has ever been given to the Republican party, and, while having firm faith in its principles, he has never sought or desired political preferment. His busi- ness interests have been of an extensive and im- portant character, and in their control he has manifested strong purpose in carrying out his ideas, sound judgment in forming his plans and unabating integrity in all of his dealings with his fellow men.

CALITA PRESTON has almost reached the eightieth milestone on life's journey. He is one of the old settlers of LaPorte county and resides on section 7, Kankakee township. His birth

occurred in Lynchburg, Virginia, March 22, 1824. His father, Zenas Preston, was a native of Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where he re- mained until twelve years of age, when he ac- companied his parents to Campbell county, Vir- ginia. His father was John Preston, who is supposed to have been a native of the Keystone state. He met his death by accident in Virginia after residing in the Old Dominion for some time:

In that state Zenas Preston was reared and married, chosing as a companion and helpmate for life's journey Miss Elizabeth Stanton, a na- tive of North Carolina. In the year 1824 they left Virginia and removed to Union county, Indi- ana, where they remained for nine years. In 1833 they came to LaPorte county, locating on the farm which is now the home of their son Calita. Zenas entered a claim, securing the land from the government, and at once began the develop- ment of what was a wild tract, transforming it into richly cultivated fields. There he engaged in farming until his death, which occurred in 1852 when he was seventy-nine years of age. He was a member of the Friends church, and in his political views was a Democrat. His wife died in LaPorte county at the ripe old age of seventy-nine years, and like her husband had the friendship of many who knew her because of her excellent traits of heart and mind. To this worthy couple were born seven children, six sons and one daughter, but the latter died in in- fancy. The sons are Albert G., Vickers, Urbin, Elam, Calita and Enoch.

Calita Preston was the sixth in order of birth in the family, and was in his tenth year when his parents come to LaPorte county. He was very young at the time of the removal to Indiana, and almost his entire life, therefore, has been spent in this state. He was reared upon the home farm, where he now lives, and he cared for his parents until they were called to their final rest, thus repaying them in large measure for the devotion which he received from them in his youth. He acquired his early education in the primitive log schools which were common in the early days of Indiana, and although his mental discipline there was somewhat meager he has learned valuable lessons in the school of experience and through reading and observation.

Mr. Preston has been twice married. In 1848 he wedded Miss Cyntha Ellen Terwilliger, a na- tive of New York. To them were born the fol- lowing named: Augustus, now a prosperous farmer of Galena township; and Keziah, the wife

Digitized by Google

Calita Preston

Digitized by Google

Google

Digitized by

- - -- - - ----

729

HISTORY OF LAPORTE COUNTY.

of Zachary Taylor, of LaPorte. After the death of his wife in 1866, Mr. Preston was again mar- ried, his second union being with Miss Mary Martin, a daughter of Abram Martin. They also had two children that are now living: Dr. Paul Preston, of Plymouth, Indiana, who is success- fully engaged in the practice of medicine there; and Katarine, who is now a student in the Michi- gan University at Ann Arbor, where she is mak- ing a specialty of the study of German and other foreign languages.

For seventy years Mr. Preston has lived upon the same farm, and is one of the honored pioneers of the county. He assisted in the arduous task of developing new land, and with the family shared in all the hardships and trials incident to pioneer life. In his political views he was first a Democrat and afterward an Abolitionist, and when the Republican party was formed to pre- vent the further extension of slavery he joined its ranks and gave to it his allegiance for some time. He is now a stanch Prohibitionist, because of his views concerning the temperance question. For a long time he held membership with the Methodist Episcopal church, and is now a mem- ber of the Free Methodist church. He takes an active part in its work, being a local preacher and deacon, and his wife has been ever an honor- able and upright one, devoted to doing good. In all of his relations with his fellow men he has been honorable and straightforward, and those who know him respect him for his absolute in- tegrity and genuine worth.

It will be well to record on the permanent pages of history, for the edification of future generations, an occurrence that changed the whole course and trend of Mr. Preston's life, and which happened when he was about sixteen years old :

At this time he was striving hard to be- come an infidel, reading Paine's "Age of Rea- son," Voltaire, Hume and Bolingbroke. He was seeking sufficient evidence against the Bible to satisfy him in turning his back to its require- ments, but it was ordered otherwise. Septem- ber 22, 1839, he was prostrated with fever. Drs. Rose and Teegarden attended him. The fever lasted some twenty-one days leaving him very weak. One night the following November, about midnight, as he was thinking and planing what he should do when able to be out once more, he was suddenly made to feel and realize that his days were numbered, and he was lost. He tried to banish the thought and impression, but they grew stronger. He then called up the family and

upbraided his father and mother, and older brothers for not warning him against the life he had been living. He then passed into the spirit world and was in utter darkness, and in the power and grip of the devil who had deceived him and caused his ruin. But as he was being borne to the abode of the lost, he cried to the Lord for mercy, and He heard. This was at the pit's mouth. Here a great light appeared, and he heard a voice say: "Hold! he repents," then came the words, "Go back to the world and serve Me and thou shalt live to be old." At this his spirit returned to the body, greatly to the surprise of the weeping friends. He had been gone about thirty minutes. But a happier boy never lived; he rejoiced then, and he rejoiced ever at the mercy of God. That experience made him an Abolitionist and a Prohibitionist. The number seventy-seven was given him and he had expected that this would be the number of years of life, but he is now nearly three years past that time. It may have meant that seventy-seven would be added to the sixteen years, which would make him attain the age of ninety-three. Time alone will tell.

Two witnesses to these facts still live, his brothers Elam and Enoch.

HON. GEORGE CRAWFORD, deceased, the father of Mrs. A. W. Cole, of New Durham township, LaPorte county, Indiana, and one of the most prominent of the early pioneers of the old Hoosier state, was of distinguished Scotch ancestry in both the paternal and maternal lines. His grandfather was a native of famous Ayr- shire, the home of Robert Burns, and was a lineal descendant of the great Earl of Crawford. He was connected with the linen business of Belfast, Ireland, and was a linen draper, carrying on the principal part of his trade with the British col- onies in America. His company had large amounts outstanding in the colonies, and, while the Revolutionary war seemed imminent, he was sent to America to collect the debts which were due. He was in the midst of his work when the storm of revolution finally broke, and as a con- sequence he was able to collect but little. Many of his creditors availed themselves of the issue of the old continental money with which to dis- charge their obligations, but in a short time this paper was almost worthless. The trade of the company had extended from Boston, Massachu- setts, to Charleston, South Carolina, and its debts amounts to a million dollars, so that at the conclusion of peace efforts were made to secure

Digitized by Google

730

HISTORY OF LAPORTE COUNTY.

just settlement. Alexander Hamilton was the principal exponent of payment of debts both pub- lic and private, and was successful in his stand for the discharge of the obligations of the United States to foreign countries, but many of the states and private individuals seized the oppor- tunity for repudiation of their debts, and Mr. Crawford's firm was one of the heavy losers thereby. He was the senior partner of the com- pany, and, feeling that the losses in America were in part due to him, he declined to return and take charge of the business, with the result that he remained in this country and became the founder of the Crawford family in the United States. His wife joined him, and they settled in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania.

Hon. George Crawford was born at Chestnut Level, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, October 30, 1799, and received a limited education in his youth. During his minority he aided his father in the work of the farm and in the linen draper business. At the age of seven he had been brought to Jefferson county, Ohio, where he re- mained till he was of age. In the spring of 1820 he joined a surveying party whose destination was the Saginaw country of the territory of Michigan, and he was engaged in that work through that territory and the northern portion of Indiana until 1832, and had the reputation of being one of the most accurate and successful surveyors in that part of the country. . In 1828 he had made arrangements to engage in farming, and had secured a quarter section of land in Cass county, Michigan, and while here had made the acquaintance of Sylvester and George Meacham and General Brown, the brother of the hero of Lundy's Lane. In the fall of 1828 he went to the mouth of the Elkhart river and made a be- ginning of his agricultural operations. While here he received a visit from Major J. W. Vio- lett and Mr. Bishop, who were making a tour of exploration. At this time there were only six families in the vicinity. In the following year he built a grist mill at the mouth of Christiana creek, and in the same year, without solicitation on his part, was appointed by Governor Cass sheriff of Cass county, Michigan, but the estab- lishment of the boundary line between Indiana and Michigan determined Cass county to be in the former state. He shortly afterward received his appointment as postmaster of Pulaski (as Elkhart was then called), and on the organiza- tion of Elkhart county he was appointed county surveyor and commissioner of the "Three Per Cent Fund."

In February, 1829, he erected the first house in section 4, Concord township. In 1832 he was elected to the legislature of Indiana and served one term, in 1836 was chosen state senator for three years, and in 1840 he was appointed by the war department, through General Hugh Brady, as secretary of a commission composed of A. Coquellard, of South Bend, and Rev. Isaac Mc- Coy, to hold a treaty with the united nation of Pottawottomie, Ottawa and Chippewa Indians north of the Missouri river, which duty he dis- charged at Council Bluffs, Iowa.

In 1847 Mr. Crawford sold out his interests in Elkhart county to Dr. Beardsley, and in the same year settled on section 13, New Durham township, LaPorte county. In 1856 he was elected to the state legislature, serving one term. and in January, 1862, was elected a member of the board of agriculture and served two terms.

From the above brief summary of the im- portant events in the life of Mr. Crawford it will be seen how closely he followed in the footsteps of advancing civilization in the early part of the nineteenth century, and there were few who had more important connection with the settlement and development of northern Indiana, where his name will always appear listed among those most honored as pioneers.

CALVIN W. HAYS, one of the patriarchs of LaPorte county and at different times identi- fied with its public life and institutions, has lived in the county for about sixty-two years, and now lives a retired life on his farm in section 35, Springfield township. He was born in Onondaga county, New York, August 22, 1822, the son of Homer and Sarah (McNeal) Hays, both natives of Hartford, Connecticut. They were married in New York and resided there some time. then came to Erie county, Pennsylvania, and thence to Steuben county, Indiana, where they remained two years, and in 1842 located in Springfield township, LaPorte county. They both died in this township, the father at the age of sixty. and the mother when sixty-five. They were the par- ents of five children, three sons and two daugh- ters, and of these Mr. Hays is the fourth.

Mr. C. W. Hays obtained most of his educa- tion in New York state, in a log schoolhouse. with its characteristic primitive facilities such as pun- cheon floors, oak benches and rough desks con- sisting of a long board. He finished his school days in Indiana, and at the age of twenty came with his parents to LaPorte county. which was henceforth the scene of his labors. He remained

Digitized by Google

731

HISTORY OF LAPORTE COUNTY.

with his parents till their deaths, and during all his years of connection with the gricultural in- terests of the county he has been successful in his ventures, so that he has lived comfortably and happily, besides aiding in the general up- building of the county and taking a part in pub- lic affairs. He has a nice farm of one hundred and eighty acres, with first-class improvements, and his residence is a commodious brick house, which has been recently built. Now that he has passed the eightieth milestone of life's journey he has just reason to enjoy a comfortable exist- ence and the fruits of days of toil among the pio- near conditions which prevailed when he first came to LaPorte county. He was a Whig when he first began casting his ballot, and has ever since voted for Republican nominees. He has been a trustee of his township, and has taken more than an ordinary interest in political and public matters. He is a member of the Baptist church, and at one time was a Mason.

In 1859 Mr. Hays was married to Miss Mary Ann Rhodes, the daughter of Benjamin and Leticia (Miller) Rhodes. She was born in the city of LaPorte, Septem- ber 13, 1841, and remained there till she was twelve years old. Her parents were pioneers of the county, and her father was a native of England and a brewer. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hays, as follows: M. Ellen, the wife of James Hicks, has six chil- dren, Laura J., Mary E., Calvin F., Lola R., Esther D., Paul E. D. P .; Benjamin W., an en- gineer of Chicago, has two children, Homer and Benjamin; Jay C., who was born in 1868, and manages his father's farm ; Homer M., a carpen- ter and mason by trade, resides at home; Dora D. wedded Dr. David D. Hogan, a surgeon in the United States Army and now in the Philip- pine Islands ; Daisy H., of Kalamazoo, Michigan ; Olive, the wife of Frank Brickley, a telegraph operator, of Oklahoma, has two children, Mary Frances and Eugene Howard; and Frank R., at home; Mary Leticia died aged eleven months and fifteen days.

HENRY MILL. More than a half century has passed since Henry Mill became a resident of LaPorte county. He was born September 29, 1837, at Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania. His father, George Mill, was also a native of that place, born in 1812, and became a farmer by occupation, providing for his family through his work as a tiller of the soil. He was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Line, whose birth

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

A Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of Laporte County Indiana, Part 131

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