A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 2, Part 55

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 55

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Mr. Wenger was first married to Miss Nancy Hines, and the only son of this union was John C., a resident of Jackson, Michigan, where he is now serving as deputy warden at a lucrative salary. He married Miss Olive Redding, and they have had four children. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Wenger married Miss Mary Ross, their wedding hav- ing been celebrated on the 2d of September, 1865, in Darke county, Ohio. They have be- come the parents of eleven children, four sons and seven daughters, namely: Serena E. is the wife of Richard Teeters, a salesman in New Carlisle. Jacob E. is engaged in farming in Olive township. He married Miss Rhoda Reynolds, and they have five children. Sarah E. and Lydia M., are both at home. Walter E., who was educated in the common schools and also at the Northern Indiana Normal College of Valparaiso, Indiana, was engaged in teaching school for one term. He married Miss Theresa Ehrler, and they make their home in Olive township, where he is en- gaged in farming. One son has been born of their union. Ida M. is at home. Lloyd F., engaged in agricultural pursuits in Olive township, married Miss Eunice Smith. Chris- tena B., Mary H. and Ruby C. are at home. One child is also deceased. Mrs. Wenger was born in Darke county, Ohio, January 22, 1845, of which state her father was also a native, but her mother was born in Pennsyl- vania, and both lie buried in Darke county. She has proved to her husband a loving counselor and helpmate at all times, and has ably assisted him in the establishment of their home and the rearing of their children to honorable manhood and womanhood. Mr. Wenger gives his political support to the Re- publican party, his first presidential vote hav- ing been cast for Abraham Lincoln, and he has ever since continued to uphold its prin- ciples. Both he and his wife are members of the United Brethren church, and are active workers in the cause of Christianity.

HENRY B. RANSTEAD. Mr. Ranstead is one of the oldest living residents of Olive township, St. Joseph county. Wild was the region into which he came when but a little lad. Its forests stood in their primeval strength, the prairie land was still unbroken, and the Indians still roamed through the dense woods. From that early period he has been prominently identified with the history of old St. Joseph, and now in his declining years he is living retired in his pleasant home, crowned with the veneration and respect which should ever be accorded an honorable old age. He is a native of Decatur county, Indiana, born on the 25th of October, 1829, a son of Henry A. and Anna (Buell) Ran- stead. In their family were six children, Henry B. being the only son. The father was born in the old Bay state of Massachusetts in 1794, and his death occurred in 1860. From his native state he eventually removed to New York, where he was subse- quently married, and after a time he started with his family on the long and arduous journey to Indiana in one of the pioneer wagons, crossing the mountains, valleys and swamps and finally reaching what is now Decatur county, Indiana. There he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of heavily tim- bered land, clearing a sufficient space on . which to erect their little log cabin home, and they began life on the frontier in true pio- neer style. Decatur county remained their home for about eight or nine years, when the father sold the farm, and they started across the black swamps to St. Joseph county, mak- ing the journey in two of the large sway- backed covered wagons driven by ox teams, and the mother held her little son Henry in her lap during most of the journey. They camped out at night, and they passed through South Bend when it was a little struggling hamlet of six or eight log houses, while now it has reached a population of fifty thousand and is one of the largest manufacturing cities in the Mississippi valley. Previous to this time the father had visited Olive township and had purchased eighty acres of land, and after the arrival of the family he entered a large amount of land from the government. They continued to live in the wagons until the men could cut logs and erect the log cabin, the floor of which was of puncheons and the roof of clapboards, being held in place with weight poles. Their only light at night was obtained by pouring grease into a saucer,

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using a rag for a wick, which continued to serve until the old fashioned candles came into use. Mr. Ranstead gave his political sup- port to the Whig party, and his father served as an orderly under General Washington in the Revolutionary war. Both Mr. and Mrs. Ranstead were Methodists, and the first church society in the township was held in a little log school house, while Mr. Ranstead assisted in the erection of the first church in the township. Mrs. Ranstead' was a native of New York, born in 1796, and her death occurred in 1878. She was a devout Chris- tian, a brave pioneer, and the poor and needy ever found aid at her hospitable door. Both now sleep in the Hamilton cemetery, where a beautiful stone stands sacred to their memory.

Henry B. Ranstead was a little lad of four years when he was brought to this county, and here he has passed almost three-fourths of a century in Olive township. He was early inured to the duties of the farm, and his edu- cation was received in a little log cabin eight- een by twenty feet in size, heated with an old fashioned stick and mud chimney fireplace, the seats being of slabs with wooden legs, and the writing desk a huge hewed log resting on wooden pins driven into the wall, their writ- ing being accomplished by the use of the old goose quill pen. His text books were the old elementary spelling book and his arithmetic the old Daball, the schools being maintained by private subscriptions. This was the tem- ple of learning in those good old days when friendships were more lasting than in the twentieth century. Mr. Ranstead has also seen plenty of Indians pass the door. They would ride along the side of the fence and exclaim, "Quathkin," meaning they would trade a bird or fowl for some bread or other eatables, but they were always friendly. In those early days he has also plowed many an acre with ox teams, and he has worked many a day with the old fashioned sickle and the turkey wing cradle, and he can well remem- ber the astonishment the first reapers or bind- ers made when first introduced into the town- ship. Threshing out the grain was done by horses tramping it on the barn floor.

Mr. Ranstead married Miss Jane Fox, and they had five children, three sons and two daughters, but only three are now living: Emma, the wife of William Schimp, a coal merchant of South Bend; Walter, who is em- ployed at the stock yards in Chicago, and he is married and has four living children; and

Louie, the wife of Almer B. Wycoff, an agri- culturist of Hamilton. After the death of the mother of these children, Mr. Ranstead was again married, but this wife is also de- ceased. He has long been numbered among the prosperous farmers of the county, and is the owner of about six hundred acres of rich and fertile land, all in Olive township and on the celebrated Terre Coupee prairie. He has lived for forty-one years in the large brick residence on the Chicago road, and is revered by all who know him. He was for- merly a Whig in his political affiliations, and voted for the first Republican nominee, Gen- eral Fremont, having ever since supported those principles. He has long been a member of the Masonic fraternity, affiliating with Terre Coupee Lodge. His religious associa- tions are with the Methodist Episcopal church of Hamilton, of which he has long been a worthy member, and is an active worker in the cause of Christianity. He is now living retired in his pleasant home, surrounded by many friends, but his sun is fast setting and this full review of his life will be cherished and held sacred by his children when he has passed away.

HUGH V. COMPTON, whose name stands conspicuously forth on the pioneer records of St. Joseph county, is a native of Butler county, Ohio, where he was born on the 18th of September, 1829, a son of Josiah and Jane (Morris) Compton. In their family were five children, three sons and two daughters, of whom the son, H. V .. was the second in order of birth, and only two of the number are now living. The paternal grandfather, Joseph Compton, was one of the Revolutionary heroes, was present at the battle of Monmouth, in which he served as captain and also as a pilot to guide a body of soldiers through a swamp during the attack- ing of the British, and for that purpose General Washington gave him a compass. It is of unique construction, made of rosewood and fashioned like a casket. This is in an excellent state of preservation, as is also the old flint-lock musket which he carried during the war, and both are now in the possession of his grandson, H. V. Compton. The mus- ket is as good as ever, with bayonet fixed, although the flint has disappeared.

Josiah Compton, a son of this old Revolu- tionary hero, was a native of Ohio, but in 1830, emigrated to Indiana, taking up his abode near Crawfordsville, in a little hamlet

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HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.

known as Potato Creek Prairie, and in 1836 by covered wagon and in true pioneer style, he continued the journey to St. Joseph county, where he finally purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land south of New Carlisle, at that time heavily timbered. Their first home was a little log cabin, and at that time the red men were plentiful, one Indian, McSaba, often coming to play ball with the boys. Mr. Compton of this review can well remember . the first school which he attended in New Car- lisle, the building being made of poles and heated by the old fashioned fireplace, while the seats were slabs and the writing desks a broad board resting on wooden pins driven into the walls for support. The text books were such as the parents' limited library could furnish, consisting of Smiley's arithmetic and the Testament. The old fashioned cradle, called the Turkey Wing, was then in use, and Mr. Compton says that he has often cut ten acres of grain in two days with that crude implement. He has also used the old sickle and the old time ox teams. The amusements of those days are also fresh in his memory, such as the apple bees, the log rollings, etc., and although the families then lived four and five miles apart they were called neighbors. Mr. Compton began life for himself as a wage earner at eleven dollars a month, also giving half of that amount to his father, but as the years have passed by he has prospered in his undertakings. After devoting his life for many years to agricultural pursuits, he moved to New Carlisle in 1874, and for eight years thereafter was engaged in the livery business, but has since lived a retired life, surrounded by the comforts which former years of toil have brought him.

Mr. Compton has been twice married, first to Miss Catharine Lancaster, by whom he had two children, a son and a daughter. The former, Albert H., who is employed as a com- mercial salesman, was educated in the New Carlisle public schools, with also a course in De Pauw University, and has married Miss Cora Wells. The daughter is deceased, as is also the mother, who passed away in 1878. Mr. Compton subsequently married Miss Mary E. Wells, who was born in Kalamazoo county, Michigan, July 12, 1844, a daughter of Dar- ius and Mary (Breeden) Wells. They were the parents of six children, two sons and four daughters, of whom Mrs. Compton was the youngest, and only she and her sister, Mrs. R. J. Pidge, of South Dakota, are the only

survivors. The father was born in Washing- ton county, Pennsylvania, was both a Whig and Republican in his political affiliations, and at one time served as postmaster of his city. Both he and his wife were members of the Methodist church, and the mother was a southern lady, a native of Maryland. Both are now deceased, the father passing away in Michigan and the mother in New Carlisle. Mr. Compton is a stalwart supporter of Republi- can principles, and his first presidential vote was cast for the Whigs, but since the forma- tion of the Republican party he has upheld its principles. Mrs. Compton is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and both are active workers in the cause of temperance. They have an old family Bible which belonged to the Wells family, and it bears the date of 1802, being one of the oldest Bibles in the county of St. Joseph.

A little point of history in the life of Mr. Compton may prove of interest. His parents and the children landed in Olive township, June 24, 1836, and stayed all night in a little log cabin. Near this cot there was a pine tree ; in 1907 that tree was visited by Mr. Compton, seventy-one years since, and the tree is yet standing and measures fully three and one- half feet in diameter.

MRS. EMILY J. HOOTON. The ladies of our great state and nation play a most conspicu- ous part in its true history, and for over half a century Mrs. Hooton has witnessed and par- ticipated in the great changes which have been wrought in our fair land. She is a native of Decatur county, Indiana, born on the 6th of June, 1838, the eldest of the two children of Chesley and Mary (Long) Taylor. The brother of Mrs. Hooton is John D. Tay- lor. a prominent farmer of Laporte county, Indiana. During the Civil war he served as a member of the Indiana Volunteer Cavalry, and was wounded in the left leg during the struggle.

Chesley Taylor, the father, was a native of Virginia, where he was reared as an agricul- turist, and his education was acquired prin- cipally by his own efforts. During his early youth the family removed to Indiana, where he was subsequently married, and about the year 1852 he removed to Laporte county and purchased land in Wills township. Their first home was a little log cabin, and their farm of eighty acres was only partially cleared, but in time the land was cleared and placed under an excellent state of cultivation,

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while the primitive log dwelling gave place to a beautiful and substantial home. Mr. Taylor cast his first presidential vote for the Whig party, remaining true to its principles until the formation of the Republican party, when he joined its ranks. His father, Dudley Tay- lor, was one of the heroes of the war of 1812. Mrs. Taylor was a native of Kentucky, but reared in Indiana, and both she and her hus- band now sleep in Olive Chapel cemetery, where a beautiful stone marks their last rest- ing place.

Their daughter Emily on the 24th of Janu- ary, 1855, gave her hand in marriage to Jacob Hooton, and their union was blessed by the birth of seven children, three sons and four daughters, but only three of the number are now living. The eldest, Esther, is the wife of William Robinson, a farmer in Laporte county, and they have one son, Marion. Oscar, the son, has charge of the old home- stead and is a practical agriculturist. His first presidential vote was cast for James G. Blaine, and he has ever since remained true to Republican principles, and he is now serv- ing as road commissioner of his township. He married Miss Sadie Carr, who died in 1900, after becoming the mother of three children, Mollie, Willie and Ethel. Mr. Hooton resides on the homestead with his mother. Florence M. is the wife of Charles Wade, an engineer on the Santa Fe Railroad with headquarters at Marceline, Missouri. His wife and two children, Neil and Marjorie, both in school, live in Olive township, St. Joseph county. Mr. Hooton, the father, was born in Decatur county, Indiana, March 3, 1831, and died on the 20th of December, 1900. In his early life he was employed as a sawyer and thresher, but the latter part of his business career was devoted to agricultural pursuits, and he was numbered among the leading business men of Olive township. It was in 1836 that he came to St. Joseph county, when the Indians and wild animals roamed at will through the dense forests, the red men often coming to their door and asking for bread, but they were friendly. There was then not a railroad throughout the northern portion of Indiana, while the nearest market for their wheat was Michigan City, the teaming being done by oxen, and only eight or ten bushels could be hauled at a time on account of the bad condi- tion of the roads. Mr. Hooton was a man of firm decision of character, although kind hearted and generous to a fault, and many a

dollar he lost by not being able to say no. He was successful in his business ventures, and his estate consisted of five hundred acres of land in Olive township and Laporte county, a beautiful and valuable estate and a noble heritage to a noble pioneer. It was in 1853 that the young couple began life in a small clearing of fifty acres, their first home being a little log cabin where the brave pioneer wife cooked the meals by the old fashoned fire- place, and spun the yarn to knit the stockings for her children. Both were charter members of the Olive Chapel church, ever afterward remaining its truest and stanchest members, and Mr. Hooton aided in the erection of the church building. In his political affiliations he was first an old-line Whig, and after the formation of the Republican party, he cast his vote for its first presidential candidate, General John C. Fremont, remaining a loyal worker in its ranks. After his death the estate was divided and Mrs. Hooton now con- trols two hundred acres of excellent land in Olive township, on which their old homestead is located, and there she now resides, sur- rounded by life-long friends and her loving children.

REV. WILLIAM JAKWAYS. One of the best known and most generally loved citizens of New Carlisle and vicinity is Rev. William Jakways, many years of whose life have been passed in St. Joseph county, and who has long been a faithful servant in his Master's vine- yard. He was born in Spafford, New York, near Syracuse, March 31, 1818, a son of Ebenezer and Belinda (Jencks) Jakways. In their family were nine children, six sons and three daughters, of whom William was the sixth in order of birth and now the only sur- vivor. The father was a native of the state of Connecticut, and his father was a man of wonderful physique and came from the sturdy English race. Thomas Jencks, the paternal grandfather of Rev. Jakways, served as a sol- dier in the Revolutionary war, his military career covering a period of eight years. Mrs. Jakways was a native of New York, and was of Welsh extraction. Ebenezer Jakways emigrated to Michigan, where he spent the re- mainder of his life, his residence in that state covering a period of thirty years.

Rev. William Jakways remained in the east until reaching years of maturity, and there received a liberal education in the common schools, also attending De Reyter College. From his early youth he had desired to enter

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HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.

the ministry and preach God's word, and with that desire gratified he entered upon his first charge in Brownsville, Cass county, Michigan, and he continued his work in that state until 1878. Going thence to Nebraska, he assumed the care of five charges, one district alone which he opened containing thirty members, and in each there was an Evergreen Sunday- school with a large attendance. He has ever been a man of remarkable courage and convic- tions, and by prayer and admonition has accomplished a work in the saving of souls which will ever redound to his credit. He continued to reside in Nebraska for five years, and during that time secured one hundred and sixty acres of land which he proved upon. Returning thence to the east, he located in New Carlisle in 1892, and this city has re- mained his home ever since. In that year he preached each Sabbath at Hamilton in Olive township, and met with the usual success at- tendant to his work.

In 1847, Rev. Jakways wedded Miss Electa M. Bell, and six children, three sons and three daughters, were born of this union, but only three of the number are now living. William B., the eldest, received an excellent education in the state college at Lansing, Michigan, and for many years has been a prominent educa- tor, perhaps serving in that profession longer than any of his classmates in college. He was elected to the state legislature from St. Joseph county, Indiana. He is married and has four living children : Flossie, who is a professional nurse, receiving her training in South Bend, and she possesses that disposition which brings joy and gladness to the sick room; Ross, an agriculturist; Lucy, who received her education in the schools of New Carlisle, and is now an accomplished teacher; and Louis, at home. Mary, the second child of Rev. Jakways, is the wife of O. E. Hawthorne, agent for the C. & A. Railroad and a resident of Marshall, Missouri. Their two children are Ray and Lucille. Charles is a successful merchant in Montana, and is also a great hun- ter, finding this a pleasant recreation from his business cares. He is married and has four children, one son and three daughters. The wife of Rev. Jakways and the mother of these children, was born in Auburn, New York, May 26, 1829, and was but a small child when she removed to Michigan with her parents, there becoming a pupil of her future husband. For a period of fifty-eight years, over half a century, they traveled the journey of life to-

gether, and in all this time with her kindly advice and gentle nature she proved a great consolation to her husband in his labor of love, but her golden deeds and kindly acts have been garnered, and she has passed to the beautiful mansions not made by mortal hands.

Rev. Jakways was ordained as a Methodist Episcopal deacon by Bishop Simpson in 1862, and by Bishop Peck as an elder in 1880. He has erected two new churches, and it was re- marked by the presiding elder, "that Rev. Jakways had erected the best church he had seen for the least money." He is a charter member of the Republican party, and was one of the strong anti-slavery advocates, always standing firm for those principles.

FRANCIS M. HOOTON. Mr. Hooton is a rep- resentative of an honored pioneer family of St. Joseph county, and few residents of Olive township are better known or more highly esteemed than he. Many years have passed and gone since the family took up their abode within its borders, and there the son Francis M. was born on the 7th of September, 1850, his parents being William and Sarah (Clark) Hooton. In their family were ten children, five sons and five daughters, and six of the number are now living, namely : Mary E., the wife of J. H. Pickett, who is living a retired life in Preston, Minnesota; Francis M., whose name introduces this review; Thomas and Sylvester, both agriculturists of Olive town- ship; Alice, also a resident of Preston, Minne- sota; and Caleb D., a resident of Olive town- ship.

The family is of English lineage, and the name in the old English form was spelled Houghton. William Hooton was born in Dearborn county, Indiana, December 2, 1822, and his death occurred on the 23d of August, 1902. When but a lad he was brought by his parents to St. Joseph county, receiving his education in its primitive log school houses so common in those early days, and for fifty years he was engaged as a thresher, sawyer and agriculturist. His first purchase of land consisted of eighty acres in Laporte county, but as he was able he added to his original tract until he owned three hundred and twenty acres in Laporte and St. Joseph coun- ties and eighty acres in Iowa. The first home of the Hootons was a little log cabin, and William Hooton could well remember when the now populous city of South Bend was but a straggling village. He swung the old fashioned cradle from morn till night.

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and their nearest market place was then Michigan City, making the journey thither with ox teams over blazed roads through the timber. The Pottawatomie Indians were yet plentiful, and often came to their home to sharpen their hatchets or axes. Mr. Hooton was an old-line Whig until the formation of the Republican party, when he joined its ranks and cast his vote for its first presiden- tial candidate, General John C. Fremont. Mrs. Hooton was also of English descent, and was a cousin of General Greene and a relative of General Montgomery. She was a native of Franklin county, Indiana, born May 10, 1825, and died on the 23d of January, 1883. Her parents were Malachi and Rachel (George) 'Clark, in whose family were eleven children, and the three now living are: Zil- pha, the widow of James S. Parnell and a resident of New Carlisle; Elizabeth, the widow of Christian Hackman and a resident of Or- tonville, Minesota; and Thomas, an agricul- turist of Olive township. During the Civil war he served nineteen months as a member of Company F, Second Iowa Cavalry, his regi- ment being assigned to the Army of the Cum- berland under General Thomas. He was pres- ent at the battles of Nashville and Franklin, Tennessee, and received his honorable dis- charge at Jefferson, Indiana, May 22, 1865. He is a stalwart Republican in his political views. Mr. and Mrs. Clark, the parents, emi- grated to Keokuk county, Iowa, where they spent the remainder of their lives.

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A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 2, Part 55

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