A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 2, Part 39

Author: Howard, Timothy Edward, 1837-1916
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Chicago, New York, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 887

USA > Indiana > St Joseph County > A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 2 > Part 39

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The marriage of Mr. Willett was celebrated in 1889, when Nellie McFarland became his wife. She was born in Defiance, Ohio, and is the daughter of William McFarland. One son has been born of this union, Harry How- ard, whose birth occurred on the 27th of October, 1890. Mr. Willett is a stanch Demo- crat in his political affiliations, taking an ac- tive interest in the work of the party, and his fraternal connections are with the Knights of the Maccabees of South Bend.

H. G. CHRISTMAN, a member of the firm

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of H. G. Christman Company, leading con- tactors and builders of St. Joseph county and also of northern Indiana, was born in South Bend on the 18th of February, 1869. His father, Henry Christman, was a native of Bavaria, Germany, but when a young man came to America and on to South Bend, In- diana. The year of his emigration was 1862, and in this city he engaged in teaming and contracting. He, however, subsequently re- turned to his native country, and was there married to Wilhelmina Lang, a native of Baden, Germany. With his young bride he again made the journey to America and to South Bend, where his death occurred at the age of fifty-one years, but his widow is still living. In their family were eight children, seven of whom are living at the present time.

H. G. Christman, their second child and eldest son in order of birth, is indebted to the public schools of South Bend for the early educational training which he received, and after its completion he began working with his father. After his father's death he learned the carpenter's trade, and in 1894 entered the field as a contractor, where he has won a name that is widely known. His fame as a contractor has passed beyond the confines of locality and has permeated many sections of northern Indiana. Among the many buildings which he has erected may be mentioned the following school buildings : The Laural, Oliver, Perly, Studebaker and the grammar school of South Bend, while the city hall, erected in 1900 at a cost of one hundred thousand dollars, the warehouse of the Singer Company, the largest of its kind in the state of Indiana, also the Singer foundry, the Studebaker Automobile Works, also the most extensive of its kind in the state, the Elks Temple, erected at a cost of about seventy thousand dollars, the veneer plant at Cairo, Illinois, costing two hundred thousand dollars, and a large school house at Grand Rapids, Michigan, all stand as monuments to his thrift and wonderful ability. At the present time he is engaged in the erection of an orphans' home near Misha- waka, which when completed will cost about one hundred thousand dollars, and they are also working on the Young Men's Christian Association building, one of the finest build- ings of the order in the United States. Many other large and beautiful structures are also the result of his handiwork, and South Bend

owes much to him for the part he has taken in her upbuilding and improvement.

In this city Mr. Christman was married to Minnie Haslanger, and they have four children-Ima, Clara, Theodore and H. G., Jr. He is independent in his political affilia- tions, and in this, his native county, is a man of wide influence.

LAMBERT MCCOMBS, an honored veteran of the Civil war, is now retired from the active cares of a business life, enjoying the com- petence which many years of farm labor has brought to him. William McCombs. his father, was born in Wooster, Ohio, January 31, 1818, the son of Lambert and Hannah Mc- Combs, both natives of Pennsylvania. From that commonwealth they journeyed to Ohio when their son William was a young man, while later the journey was continued to In- diana, arriving in Clay township, St. Joseph county, about 1827, and the land which they here homesteaded is now known as the Sam Pearley place. Lambert McCombs, Sr., drove one of the first bolts into the first boat that went up the St. Joseph river, and in many ways he was prominently identified with the early history of the county. And although he resided within its borders for many years, his death subsequently occurred in the far- off state of California. His son William was but a little lad of nine years when the family came to St. Joseph county, attaining to years of maturity on the old home farm here, and in his early manhood was married to Eva Cripe. Although she was born and reared in Ohio, she came in an early day with her father. John Cripe, to German township, St. Joseph county. Mr. and Mrs. McCombs be- came the parents of nine children, four sons and five daughters, all of whom were born and reared on the old homestead. The father was a self-made man, his possessions being the result of honest toil and perseverance, and during his lifetime he cleared and im- proved one hundred and eighty-four acres of land. Both he and his father upheld the principles of the Democracy, and the former lived to the age of sixty-eight years.

After attending the old log cabin schools of the township Lambert McCombs became a student in Notre Dame university, and his education was further supplemented by his attendance at the Northern Indiana Normal college, of Valparaiso, where he pursued a business course. In the fall of 1863, when twenty years of age, he enlisted for service

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Lambert McCombs

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in the Civil war, entering the twenty-first Light Artillery, with which he served for about eighteen months. During the battle of Franklin, Tennessee, he was wounded by an explosion, but he continued to serve until the close of the conflict, when he received his honorable discharge and returned to the old home farm. Shortly afterward, in 1866, he was united in marriage to Caroline Johnson, who was born in Union township, St. Joseph county, Indiana, January 29, 1847, her father, Joshua C. Johnson, having been an · agriculturist and one of the early pioneers of Clay township. They have become the parents of six children, three sons and three daugh- ters,-Laura, Mamie, Raymond, Alma and Frank B. The eldest, Laura, is deceased, and the second child died in infancy. Three of the number were born in St. Joseph county and three in Marshall county, Indiana.

For twenty-one years after his marriage Mr. McCombs was engaged in agricultural pursuits, owning and operating eighty acres of land, but in 1892, on account of ill health, he put aside active business cares, and since that time has lived quietly at his pleasant home in South Bend. Always faithful to the welfare and best interests of the Republican party, a true patriot and devoted citizen both in times of peace and war, he merits the high regard which is universally bestowed upon him.

OTTO S. HANS. During a number of years Otto S. Hans has been an honored resident of South Bend, and is also numbered among its native sons. He has won a reputation in business circles as a contractor and builder, and in all progressive movements he takes a deep and commendable interest. His natal day was the 16th of December, 1866. His father, Adam Hans, claimed Alsace Lorraine, then a province of France, now of Germany, as the place of his nativity, but at the age of fourteen years he came to America, first lo- cating in Hartford, Connecticut, and thence removing to Mishawaka. He was the first blacksmith employed in the Studebaker fac- tory where it is now located, and he con- tinued with them for some years, his death occurring in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, when he had reached the age of sixty-seven years. During the civil war he nobly offered his services to his adopted country, and during his military career was promoted from the ranks to the position of corporal. Mrs. Hans, who bore the maiden name of Hannah Glass,

was born in Bavaria, Germany, but during her early girlhood she became a resident of South Bend, whither she had removed with her parents, and her death occurred in 1873, aged thirty-five years. She had become the mother of three children, but one is now de- ceased, and the only daughter is Laura, the wife of Henry Weishart, of Fort Wayne. Mr. Hans was a second time married, Dora Ahrens becoming his wife, and they became the parents of six children, only four of whom are now living.

Otto S. Hans, the eldest child of the first marriage, spent the days of his boyhood and youth in South Bend, but from 1884 until 1890 he was a resident of Fort Wayne. When a lad of fifteen years he began learning the carpenter's trade in South Bend, at which he served his apprenticeship, and afterward fol- lowed his chosen calling in Fort Wayne. In 1893, however, he began contracting in his home city, thus continuing until the 20th of November, 1905, when he bought an interest in the St. Joseph Lumber and Manufacturing company, of which he is now the vice presi- dent and one of the directors. The corpora- tion includes in its membership some of the leading business men of South Bend, its presi- dent and treasurer being Charles Green, while its secretary is F. E. MacDonald. The plant is located on the corner of Indiana avenue and Franklin street, and the industry is one of which South Bend may well feel proud. Many of the fine residences of the city also stand as monuments to the skill of Mr. Hans as a contractor and builder. He is a prominent member of the Evangelical Lutheran church, of which his father was one of the founders, and is a trustee of the school connected with the denomination. His political affiliations are with the Democracy.

On the 23d of May, 1889, Mr. Hans was united in marriage to Emilie Schmidt, who was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, although her parents, Leon and Mary Schmidt, were na- tives of Alsace-Lorraine, then a province of France, now of Germany. They have two sons, Albert P. F. and Homer D. J.

JOHN P. BUTLER. The name of John P. Butler stands conspicuously forth on the pages of South Bend's history. For more than forty years he has been an honored resi- dent of the city, actively interested in all measures for the good of the people, and has performed his full share in the development and improvement of the city. He was born

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in Franklin, New Jersey, June 24, 1861, and came to South Bend with his parents, James and Rose (Sheekey) Butler, about 1865, when only four years of age. Therefore he has spent nearly his entire life in this city, re- ceiving his education in the St. Patrick Roman Catholic school. During the first twenty years of his active business career he was employed in the cabinet department of the sugar factory, and on the expiration of that period was made deputy street commis- sioner, in which he served for three years. For some time thereafter Mr. Butler was in the transfer business, thus continuing until he was again called to public service, having received the appointment as a commissioner for two and a half years. On the expiration of that period he was again appointed as deputy street commissioner, but seventeen months later was made a street commissioner under Mayor Fogerty, and was reappointed to that position by the present mayor, being its present incumbent. Accurate and system- atic in his work he has won the commendation of all concerned, and his public life has been one of entire satisfaction.

On the 27th of November, 1884, Mr. But- ler was married to Julia Cahill, whose death occurred in 1900, leaving four children, Margaret, James, John and William. Throughout the years of his maturity Mr. Butler has been a zealous worker in the Demo- cratic party, and in his fraternal relations he is a member of the Ancient Order of Hiber- nians and also of the Woodmen of the World.

FRED W. MARTIN. On the roster of St. Joseph county's officials appears the name of Fred W. Martin in connection with the posi- tion of city comptroller. This is an indica- tion of his popularity and prominence, and all who know him willingly accord him a leading place among the esteemed citizens of the community. His entire life has been passed in the county, and it has been one of uniform honor in business and fidelity in places of public trust. His birth occurred in South Bend on the 5th of February, 1856, his parents being Jacob and Catherine (Mat- thews) Martin, natives respectively of Ger- many and the state of New York. The father came to the United States when nineteen years of age, locating in New York, but in 1855 the parents came to St. Joseph county, Indiana. Mr. Martin was a cabinet-maker by trade, and his life's labors were thereafter continued in this city until he was called to

the home beyond, his death occurring in 1892, when he had reached the age of fifty-five years.

After completing his education in the pub- lic schools of South Bend Fred W. Martin en- tered a grocery store as a clerk, where he re- mained for a number of years, and the suc- ceeding five years were spent as a clerk in the county auditor's office. For a period of four years he was the assistant postmaster, and then for three years was the efficient manager of the South Bend Telephone Com- pany. Returning then to the grocery busi- ness, Mr. Martin spent five years in trade for himself, and in 1892 he was appointed city comptroller, while in 1906 he was reappointed for another four-year term. He is very prompt and faithful in the discharge of his duties, and his service has received high com- mendation from the citizens of St. Joseph county.

The marriage of Mr. Martin was celebrated in 1877, in February, when Mary E., a daughter of George Vinson, one of the promi- nent pioneer residents of this county, became his wife. Three sons and three daughters have been born of this union. Mr. Martin is a member of the Germania Masonic order, of the Elks, the Maccabees, the Owls, the South Bend Turn Verein and the Sons of Herman.

CAPTAIN WILLIAM S. ANDERSON, one of the honored pioneers who aided in laying the foundation on which to erect the superstruc- ture of St. Joseph county's prosperity and progress, was born in Burlington county, New Jersey, September 12, 1829. His father, William Anderson, whose native state is sup- posed to have been Pennsylvania, was a ship carpenter and ship owner. After removing to New Jersey he was married to Rebecca Seeds, a native of Burlington, that state, and whose death occurred in South Bend in her eightieth year. Her husband preceded her to the home beyond, passing away in his seventy- third year.

William S. Anderson, the fifth in order of birth in his parents' family of seven children who grew to years of maturity, spent the days of his boyhood and youth in his native place, receiving his educational training in its common schools, and at its completion be- gan sailing, he having been only about ten years of age at that time. He was mostly engaged in river trade, and thus continued his occupation until he reached his twenty-second

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William S. Anderson

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year, when he came to South Bend, Indiana, and on the 20th of April, 1861, enlisted for service in the Civil war, becoming a member of Company B, Fifteenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Enlisting as a private, he was pro- moted first to the position of corporal, and after the battle of Stone River he was made a sergeant, his meritorious service winning him his various promotions. His military career covered a period of three years and three months, during which time he particip- ated in many of the most historical battles of the war, including, on the 3d of October, 1861, Green Brier; July 11, 1861, Rich Mountain, West Virginia; October 3, 1861, the second day's battle of Shiloh ; October 8, 1862, Perry- ville, Stone River, Chattanooga; November 25, 1863, Missionary Ridge, where he was wounded by a ball in the left hand. After four weeks, however, he returned to duty, and remained in active service until June 25, 1864. when he was mustered out, for his term of service had then expired. His military record was one of which he had every reason to be proud, and he afterward held pleasant relations with his old army comrades of the blue by his membership in Auten Post, G. A. R.

After returning from the war Mr. Ander- son came at once to South Bend and found employment at the carpenter's trade and in railroad work. In 1874 he returned to his native state of New Jersey, where he resumed his old occupation of sailing, owning a small vessel and following the packing business for eight years, carrying produce to the Phila- delphia market. On the expiration of that period he sold his vessel and with his family came again to South Bend, where he after- ward lived a busy and useful life. He owned a farm situated five and a half miles from this city. For fifty-three years he was a resi- dent of South Bend, the place where he now resides having been a dense woods when he purchased it in 1855, he being one of the first to locate in that part of this city. At that time he purchased two and a third acres from his earnings of a dollar a day for twenty-four hours' work. He improved and platted the place, and built the first house in 1858, but all told he had erected about six residences on this tract, and owned four at the time of his death-April 23, 1907. Throughout the entire period of his residence in South Bend he was prominently identified with its growth and upbuilding, represented the Fifth ward

in the city council, and had been active in the work of sinking artesian wells in the city.

On the 30th of April, 1850, Mr. Anderson was married to Ellen Kemble, a native of Burlington county, New Jersey, and a daugh- ter of John and Martha (Prince) Kemble. They became the parents of five children, namely : Alice, deceased; Walter C., who re- sides on the farm; Rebecca, also deceased; El- liott T., of Chicago, Illinois, and M. Ellen, wife of Bert Smyser, of Logansport, Indiana. Mr. Anderson was a member of the First Christian church, and had taken an active part in its work.

H. N. S. HOME, the official reporter of the St. Joseph Circuit Court of South Bend, suc- ceeded Miss Lillian M. Jennings in that posi- tion on the 1st of August, 1905. He was educated in England, the country of his nativity, where he attended the public schools. and in 1896 he came to America. He is inde- pendent in his political views, preferring to cast his ballot irrespective of party ties.

H. MCCLELLAN. For a number of years past H. Mcclellan has occupied a very con- spicuous place among the leading business men of South Bend, being numbered among its most competent civil engineers. He was born in Green county, Ohio, on the 28th of May, 1857, a son of Samuel and Mildred (Mc- Donald) Mcclellan, also natives of the state of Ohio. Throughout the early years of his business career the father was engaged in farming in Ohio, but on October 10, 1864, he arrived in South Bend, at once taking up his abode on a farm in Greene township, St. Joseph county, where he now resides, aged eighty-five years. He was born on the 27th of October, 1821. He is a Democrat in his political affiliations, and is numbered among the highly respected citizens of St. Joseph county. Mrs. MoClellan died on the 11th of January, 1906, at the age of seventy-seven years.

After attending the country schools for a time our subject continued his education in the Northern Indiana Normal College at Val- paraiso, Indiana. He then resumed the oc- cupation to which he had been reared, that of farming, but in 1893 he left the farm and be- gan the study of civil engineering. Since completing his studies he has practiced his profession in South Bend, and during all these years he has taken an active interest in every movement or enterprise that has con- tributed to the welfare of South Bend and St.

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Joseph county, and at the same time he has succeeded in making for himself a name and place among its leading business men.

On the 2d of November, 1882, Mr. McClel- lan was married to Miss Mantie Skiles, a daughter of Thomas J. Skiles, of Greene town- ship, St. Joseph county, and they have two children : George Otto, who is now twenty- two years of age and who is pursuing civil engineering in Purdue University ; and B. G., the youngest son, is employed in the Stude- baker Wagon Works. The family are mem- bers of the Grace Methodist Episcopal church, and Mr. McClellan is also connected with the Masonic fraternity, Lodge No. 294, of which he is at present worshipful master, and with Chapter No. 29, of which he is past high priest. He is also a member of the Woodmen of the World.

MRS. MARTHA E. (MARTIN) (WARD) MYLER. Mrs. Myler is a representative of a family which has been prominent in the history of St. Joseph county from its early days, and throughout nearly her entire life she has re- sided within its borders and has given freely of her time and means to its philanthropic interests. Her father, John Martin, was a native of Pennsylvania, but as early as 1837 he came to St. Joseph county, Indiana, locat- ing on a farm in Harris Prairie. Prior to his removal hither he had married Elizabeth Crouthers, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsyl- vania, and they became the parents of seven children, all of whom grew to years of ma- turity and to lives of usefulness and helpful- ness. The father died the year following his arrival here, leaving his widow with the care of their large family, but bravely. she struggled on and was eighty-four years of age before death claimed her.

Mrs. Myler, the youngest of the seven chil- dren, was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, August 24, 1834, and was but three years of age at the time of the removal of the family to St. Joseph county. and here she was reared to years of maturity on the homestead farm on Harris Prairie. six miles from South Bend, attending the country schools of the locality and completing her education by one term in the city schools of South Bend. She was first married to Daniel Ward, who was born in Ohio, but during his young manhood came to this city. During the memorable tide of emigration to the Golden state of California in 1849. he joined the rush thereto, spending two years on the

Pacific slope, and following his return, in 1852, was joined in marriage to Martha E. Martin. Their happy married life was ended in the death of the husband on the 10th of January, 1890, after a busy and useful life devoted to agricultural pursuits. He was a member of the Christian church, and was prominent in the local affairs of his com- munity. Five years after the death of her first husband Mrs. Ward married Robert Myler, who was one of the leading politicians of St. Joseph county, representing the Democ- racy, and for a time served as the county auditor. He was also a prominent member of the Christian church, contributing liber- ally to its maintenance and support, and in its faith he passed away in death in 1899. Mrs. Myler has been almost a lifelong resi- dent of St. Joseph county, and since twenty years of age she has been a member of the Christian church, an earnest worker in the cause of Christianity. She has ever contrib- uted liberally of her means to the support of churches, generously giving to the Harris Prairie church, also assisting in the building of the Second Christian church of South Bend, while about 1895 she gave five thousand dol- lars to improve the First Christian church, and has but recently subscribed two thousand dollars for the erection of the new Christian church of this city. In addition to her gen- erous support of the churches she has also been a firm friend of the orphans' home and other benevolent institutions. She is loved and revered by all who know her, and her kind and loving deeds will be remembered long after she has passed to the home beyond.

JOHN WILLIAM FITES, the present deputy street commissioner of South Bend, was born in Marshall county, Indiana, near Bremen, on the 30th of March, 1862. His father, Peter Fites, was a native of Bern, Switzerland, where he was reared and educated, and he was there married to Barbara Foegely, also a native of Switzerland. In 1856 the young couple left their home across the sea and came to America, taking up their abode in Marshall county, Indiana, where the father was engaged in agricultural pursuits until his life's labors were ended in death at the age of fifty-six years. His widow survived him many years, passing away at the age of sixty-six years. They became the parents of thirteen children, but at the present time only four sons and three daughters are living. John W. Fites, the ninth in order of birth

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A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 2, Part 39

Author: Howard, Timothy Edward, 1837-1916 Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Chicago, New York, The Lewis publishing company Number of Pages: 887

Author: Howard, Timothy Edward, 1837-1916
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Chicago, New York, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 887