A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 2, Part 62

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 62

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).

Walter F. La Feber was reared to years of maturity in his native county of Hamilton, receiving his education in its common schools and graduating with the class of 1889. He then took up the work of a telegraph oper- ator and general railroad man on the Lake Erie & Western Railroad at Atlanta, and on

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the 15th of December, 1891, was transferred by the company to La Porte, Indiana, where he remained for five months, when he was called to different parts of the state in the interests of the company. From February, 1894, until July 10, 1894, he was agent at Fisher's Station, after which he assumed en- tire charge of the station at Walkerton. Thus for thirteen years he has served as the agent and operator here, ever conducting the busi- ness of the Lake Erie & Western with entire satisfaction to the company as well as the general public, his gentlemanly deportment and kindly manner winning him many friends and making him an ideal official.

For his wife Mr. Le Feber chose Miss Rose Nichols, and they have two children,- Ralph W., who is pursuing his studies in the sixth grade of the Walkerton school, and Naomi, a bright little maiden of the fourth grade. Mrs. La Feber also claims Marshall county, Indiana, as the place of her nativity, but she was reared in Walkerton, and is a graduate of its high school with the class of 1889. For six years thereafter she taught in the schools of Walkerton, winning success in the teacher's profession. Her parents, P. Q. and Esther (Yoder) Nichols, are yet re- siding in this city. and their long identifica- tion with its interests and their prominence here have made them well known and hon- ored residents. The father, who is a native son of Pennsylvania, was a mechanic through- out his business career, and was a brave and loyal soldier during the Civil war. now hold- ing membership relations with the Grand Army of the Republic. Mrs. Nichols had her nativity in Virginia. Mr. La Feber gives his political support to the Republican party, his first presidential vote having been cast for Benjamin Harrison, and as its representa- tive he has served as the town clerk for five years and also as a representative to the state convention. He has fraternal relations with the Odd Fellows order, No. 445, at At- lanta, with the Knights of Pythias, No. 263, at Walkerton, and he is also a member of the Railway Telegraphers, of which he is serving as chairman at the present time. Both Mr. and Mrs. La Feber are members of the Presbyterian church, in which he is one of the deacons and also a member of the choir. They own their own little cottage home in Walkerton, where they dispense a gracious hospitality to their many friends

and acquaintances, and are young people of true worth in their community.

HENRY M. SMITH. The name of Henry M. Smith is well known to the residents of Lin- coln township, for here he has passed many years of his life and has represented its in- terests in some of its offices of honor and trust. He was born in La Porte county, In- diana, February 13, 1857, a son of Henry and Rebecca (Burke) Smith. In their fam- ily were three sons: Nelson S., who is mar- ried and is a prosperous agriculturist of La Porte county ; George L., a general business man of Gary, Indiana, and he is also mar- ried; and Henry M., whose name introduces this review. Mr. Smith, the father, was prob- ably born in Ohio, where he was also reared to mature years, but he was married in In- diana, and his death occurred when his young- est son was but nine weeks old, so but little is known of his history. The mother was also a native of Ohio, and her death occurred in December, 1906, and although she was seven- ty-seven years of age at the time of her death her hair had not been whitened by the hand of time.

Henry M. Smith, of this review, was but three years of age when his mother moved with him to St. Joseph county, she having become the wife of Jacob Snell, and they established their home on a farm in Lincoln township, which continued as the home of Mr. Smith until his marriage. He began as a wage earner, however, when only four- teen years of age, receiving fifty cents a day, and he continued working for wages until he reached his majority. On the 9th of October, 1878, Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Anastasia Dare, and two sons have been born to them. The elder, Leonard F., received his diploma with the class of 1897 in the public schools, and with the class of 1900 graduated from the Walk- erton high school. He then entered the cele- brated college of Notre Dame at South Bend, and after remaining there for one year took up the work of teaching in Lincoln town- ship, spending three years in one district. In 1904 he again entered Notre Dame Uni- versity, where he spent two years in pur- suing the civil engineering course, and then located for the practice of his profession in South Bend. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus. Henry Myron, the younger son. after receiving his diploma with the class of 1905 entered the Walkerton high

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Henry M. Smith and Family

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HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.

school, where he has been a student during the past two years, and is a member of the class of 1909. He has a special fondness for the study of languages, is a fine Latin stu- dent, and is also a lover of science and piano music. Mrs. Smith, the mother, was born in the house in which the family now reside, January 18, 1860, the second in order of birth in a family of four children. two sons and two daughters, born to William and Bridget E. (Curran) Dare, and three are now living: Anastasia, the wife of Mr. Smith; William M., who is married and is associated with the Singer works in South Bend; and Robert F., who is engaged in the wood and coal business in Walkerton.

Mr. Dare, the father, was a native of the mother country of England, where he spent the period of his early youth and then came to America, making his way direct from New York to La Porte county, Indiana, from whence he came to Lincoln township, but this particular division was then a part of Liberty township. Here he entered two hundred acres of land from the government, the most of which was covered with timber, and the first home of the family was a little log cabin, which stood for many years as a mute reminder of the early pioneer days of St. Joseph county, but it has been recently torn down by Mr. Smith. The Dares were among the first to take up their abode in this sec- tion of the county, locating here when the red men were among its principal inhabi- tants, they being the representatives of the once famous Pottawatomie tribe, when deer and wild game of all kinds were plentiful, and these were also the days of the old fash- ioned cradle and sickle. Mr. Dare had to haul his grain to Michigan City with ox teams, the trip consuming two days, and at that time there was not a railroad through- out the entire county, he having accorded to the first company the right of way across his farm in order that Lincoln township might enjoy its privileges, and in after years this grand, good man lost his life at the railroad crossing on his farm. He was a Jackson Democrat in his political affiliations. Mrs. Dare was born in the Emerald Isle, but in her childhood days she came with her parents to America, and in St. Joseph county, In- diana, she gave her hand in marriage to Mr. Dare. She was a devout Catholic in her religious belief, generous and sympathetic, and she early taught her children the value

of industry and honesty. With her husband she now lies buried in Woodlawn cemetery, where a beautiful stone marks their last resting place.

Mrs. Smith supplemented her common school training by a term in the St. Rose Academy of Laporte county, and after her marriage the young couple began life on the Dare homestead. It was just one year later that they lost almost their entire possessions by fire, including a large barn, thirty by sixty- four feet, with four head of horses, twenty- five tons of hay, three hundred and fifty bushels of wheat and many farm implements. This was indeed a heavy loss to the young couple just starting out in life, but undis- mayed they set about the task of retrieving their lost possessions. They now own two hun- dred and twenty-seven acres of as fine land as can be found in St. Joseph county, a part of which Mrs. Smith inherited as her share of the home estate, while in addition to purchas- ing the interests of the other heirs they have also added forty acres to boundaries of the old estate, making them a large and valuable homestead. Their home is known as the Plain View Farm. Mr. Smith affiliates with the Democratic party, casting his first presidential vote for General Hancock, and at various times he has been selected as delegate to the county conventions. In 1899 he was elected trustee of Lincoln township on the Demo- cratic ticket, continuing as the incumbent of this important position for four years. The cause of education always finds in him a warm and faithful friend, and he has done much to further the interests of the schools in Lincoln township. Both Mr. and Mrs. Smith are members of St. Patrick's Catholic church at Walkerton, Mr. Smith and his son Leonard having both been confirmed by Bishop Rademacher, while Mrs. Smith was confirmed by Bishop Dwenger.

AMOS T. ATWOOD. As a veteran of the Civil war Amos T. Atwood bears an honor- able record for brave service in the cause of freedom and Union, and in the peaceful pur- suits of a business life he has also won an enviable reputation. His birth occurred in Jennings county, Indiana, September 14, 1840, the fifth of the eight children born to Horace and Samantha (Pearse) Atwood. Six of the children are now living, namely : Delia, the widow of Jacob Hahn, who was engaged in the undertaking business in Buchanan, Michigan ; Edgar, a retired shoe and harness

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maker in Carroll, Iowa, was also for two years a soldier in the Civil war, serving as a mem- ber of the Twelfth Michigan Infantry ; Amos T., the immediate subject of this review; Robert T., who served for four and a half years as a member of the Sixth Michigan In- fantry during the Civil war, and is now a car- penter in North Carolina; Emory C., a retired cabinet maker in Los Angeles, California, was a member of the Twelfth Michigan Regiment during the war, serving for two years; Walter H., who is married and is a cabinet maker in Benton Harbor, Michigan.

Mr. Atwood, the father, was born in Clin- ton county, New York, in 1805, and his death occurred in Starke county, Indiana, in August, 1850. He followed the mason and shoemaker's trades, and was reared in his native state and there married. Some of his early progenitors were soldiers in the war of 1812. On leaving his native state of New York Mr. Atwood journeyed to Ohio, locating in Cuyahoga county, and from there removed to Jennings county, Indiana, where he entered land on the line separating that county from Marshall county. He affiliated with the Whig party, and was a gentleman of fine convictions and took a high stand on the subject of temper- ance. Mrs. Atwood was born in Clinton county, New York, in 1809, and her death oc- curred about 1892, dying in the faith of the Adventist church. She was of English ex- traction.

Amos T. Atwood was a little lad of ten years when the family in true pioneer style journeyed to Starke county, Indiana, with ox teams, making their first camp in north- ern Indiana, where they erected a temporary board shanty and resided there about nine months, thence continuing the journey to Ber- rien county, Michigan. There they estab- lished their home on the beautiful Terre Coupee prairie, where their son Amos was reared to mature years and received his edu- cation in its primitive district school of those early days. After his father's death much of the care of the family fell upon his young shoulders, beginning as a wage earner when only thirteen years of age, and from this early period he has been an active business man. With many other brave youths of the land he offered his service to his country at the inauguration of the Civil war, joining Company C, Twelfth Michigan Infantry, his regiment being under the command of Colonel Quinn, and they were assigned to the Trans-

Mississippi department under General Banks. Throughout his service Mr. Atwood was en- gaged principally in scout duty in Arkansas, and in all his long military career he was never wounded, taken prisoner or in the hos- pital. His honorable and final discharge was received at Camden, Arkansas, February 15, 1866, after two years of faithful and valiant service in the cause of freedom and Union, and he left the ranks as a corporal, to which he was commissioned at Devall Bluffs, Arkan- sas. Returning to Jackson, Michigan, the regiment was disbanded, and he returned home to resume his trade of shoe maker.

On the 8th of January, 1868, Mr. Atwood was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Hawk, and they have six children, five sons and one daughter. The eldest, Walter J., is a resi- dent of Walkerton and a member of the firm of Atwood Brothers, pickle and relish manu- facturers. He supplemented his common- school education by a commercial course in the Valparaiso University, and he makes his home with his parents. He is a member and chancellor of the Knights of Pythias frater- nity. Fred H., who is in the oil refinery at Muskogee, Indian Territory, also received a common school education and a commercial course at Valparaiso, and for several years served as a bookkeeper for a Chicago firm. Al- bert E. is a resident of Grand Rapids, Michi- gan, where for years he has been associated with the Heinz Pickle Company, now having charge of all the salting stations in the state. He was educated the same as his two elder brothers, and he married Miss Blanche Bray- man, by whom he has two children, Marjorie and Stuart. Ed E. is also a member of the firm of Atwood Brothers of Walkerton. this industry having been established in 1903. and it has now reached extensive proportions. He wedded Miss Dora Hummer, and they have one daughter, Vera. Harriet S. is the wife of Norman Beall, of Chicago, Illinois, where he is engaged in the steel works of South Chi- cago. She received her education in the Wal- kerton high school. Harry C., is associated in business with his brother Fred in Muskogee, Indian Territory. This large family of chil- dren. as has been noted, have received excel- lent educational advantages and have become prominent citizens of their respective com- munities.

Mrs. Atwood, the mother, was born in Mon- roe county, Pennsylvania, January 28, 1847, a daughter of Reuben and Salina (Serface)

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Hawk, both born in Pennsylvania. The father was born in 1817, and his death occurred about 1855, after a business career devoted to agricultural pursuits. Mrs. Hawk survives her husband and is living in Fostoria, Ohio, aged eighty-three years. Mrs. Atwood was but four years of age when her parents moved to Ohio, and there she was reared to the age of sixteen years, attending its common schools. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Atwood located in Buchanan, Michigan, where they purchased property and he worked at his trade. In 1874 they took up their abode in Walkerton, where they have ever since re- sided, and Mr. Atwood is now engaged in building the beautiful stone church of the Methodist Episcopal society in this city. He also owns one hundred and sixty acres of land in Starke county, Indiana, on which he has placed many valuable improvements. He cast his first presidential vote for Lincoln, and has supported each Republican presidential candidate since that time, including Garfield, Blaine, Mckinley and Roosevelt. During his residence in Starke county he was elected the trustee of his township, in which he served for two terms. His fraternal relations connect him with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, Lodge No. 437, in which he has filled most of the chairs, and Mrs. Atwood is a mem- ber of its auxiliary, the Rebekahs, No. 465. He is also a member of Jesse Coppock Post, No. 378, G. A. R., and both he and his wife are worthy members of the Methodist Epis- copal church, in which he is one of the stew- ards.

THOMAS J. FITZGERALD. Throughout nearly his entire business career Mr. Fitzgerald has been connected with the railroad service, and for a number of years past he has been asso- ciated with the Chicago, Indiana & South- ern Company in the capacity of agent at Wal- kerton. He was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, December 24, 1867, a son of Patrick and Bridget (Nevill) Fitzgerald, in whose family were ten children, eight now living: Elizabeth, the wife of John Garvey, an iron molder in Goshen, Indiana; Daniel, who. re- ceived his education in the Walkerton high school, and is now a prosperous real estate dealer in Gary, Indiana; David, who when last heard from was in Colorado, where he was engaged in the railroad business; Patrick L., who was also educated in the Walkerton high school, is married and is the police judge in Gary, this state; Nora, Thomas J. and Sadie,

all of whom reside in Walkerton; and Mau- rice, who is engaged in railroad construction work in Gary, the steel city. Patrick L., the fourth child, is a member of the Eagles and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

Patrick Fitzgerald, the father, was born in the county of Limerick, Ireland, March 17, 1830, and his death occurred on the 14th of December, 1904. He spent the first fifteen years of his life in his native country, when he bade adieu to home and homeland and sailed for America, arriving in this country a poor boy and a stranger in a strange land. He was always a great reader, and by this means he greatly added to the little educational train- ing he had received in his native country. His first employment here was with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company, one of the oldest railroads in the United States, with whom he worked through the east, and in 1876 came from Zanesville, Ohio, to Walkerton, Indiana, still in the employ of his former company, and during the last ten years of his life he was pensioned by the company on account of the efficient and earnest labor which he had performed for them in former years. He was a Republican in his political affiliations, and was a devout Catholic, having been one of the most active workers and earliest members of the church at Walkerton, while he now lies buried in St. Michael's Catholic cemetery. Mrs. Fitzgerald was born in the same county in Ireland as her husband, in 1832, and she now resides in Walkerton. She was ten years of age when she came with her parents to America, their home having been first estab- lished in Ohio, where she gave her hand in marriage to Mr. Fitzgerald on the 28th of November, 1854.

Thomas J. Fitzgerald, their son, was a lad of nine years when he accompanied his par- ents on their removal to St. Joseph county, Indiana, and he completed his education in the Walkerton high school. He began his business career as a salesman in the store of Elias Rensberger, with whom he remained until 1891. He had long, however, cherished a desire to enter the railroad business, and he accordingly began learning telegraphy under the instructions of his brother Daniel, begin- ning his studies in the spring, and in the fol- lowing fall was competent to take charge of the telegraph office at MeCool, Indiana, for the Baltimore & Ohio Company. This was in 1901, and he remained there and at differ- ent points until he became night operator in

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Walkerton. After a time, however, he severed his relations with the Baltimore & Ohio Com- pany, and in 1896 took charge as relief agent of the office of the Chicago, Indiana & South- ern Company, thus continuing for seven months, while during the following eighteen months he was the company's agent at Union Hill. Returning to Walkerton in the fall of 1898, he assumed exclusive charge of the com- pany's station here, and thus he has ever since continued, a faithful and competent employe. By his geniality and courteous treatment to the public, as well as by his efficiency as a business man, he has gained the full confidence of the public and the company whom he rep- resents.

The marriage of Mr. Fitzgerald was cele- brated on the 11th of June, 1900, when Miss Eva E. Platts became his wife, and they have two sons, the elder being Maurice D., who is pursuing his studies in the second year of the Walkerton high school, his specialty being language and history. He was confirmed at the age of fifteen by Bishop Alerding, of the North Bishopric of Indiana. Vivian J., the second son, is a member of the eighth grade, and he has also been confirmed. Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald will give their sons excellent edu- cational advantages and will fit them for the higher walks of life. Mrs. Fitzgerald was born in Three Oaks, Berrien county, Michi- gan, February 11, 1870, a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Platts, residents of Walkerton. The father, who was born in Ohio, is a promi- ent representative of the farming class, and during the Civil war he served as an honored and valiant soldier, participating in the fa- mous "march to the sea." Mrs. Platts is also a native of Ohio. When a little maiden of six years Mrs. Fitzgerald came with her parents to St. Joseph county, Indiana, receiving her education in the Walkerton high school. Mr. Fitzgerald has supported the Democratic presidential candidates since casting his first vote for Cleveland, and he has been active in the political life of his community. As his party's representative he has served as a dele- gate to the county conventions at various times, and during two years he also served as the town clerk of Walkerton. Fraternally he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, which he joined in Illinois in 1897, and he also holds membership relations with the R. W. Telegraphers. He, too. is a devout Catholic, and was confirmed by Bishop Rade- macher at the age of fourteen years. Mr. and

Mrs. Fitzgerald own their own pleasant little cottage home, where they dispense a gracious hospitality to their many friends and ac- quaintances, and they are numbered among Walkerton's leading citizens.

LEWIS PAUL. From the period of the ear- liest development in St. Joseph county Mr. Lewis Paul has been an important factor in the improvement and advancement of this sec- tion of the state, and is therefore numbered among the county's honored pioneers. He was born in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, August 20, 1834, the seventh in order of birth of the twelve children, six sons and six daugh- ters, born to Philip and Elizabeth (Moser) Paul. Five of the children are as follows: Lewis, whose name introduces this review; Eliza, who became the wife of Gideon Zigler, residents of Noble county, Indiana, and both are now deceased; Henrietta, the widow of Francis Block and a resident of Walkerton; Emeline, of Lexington, Ohio, is the widow of Henry Williams; and Joseph, who is mar- ried and is an engineer in Kansas City, Kan- sas. Mr. Paul, the father, was born in Penn- sylvania in 1801, and his death occurred in Ohio in 1848. He was a tailor by trade and an excellent representative of the craft, and he was a gentleman of more than ordinary educational advantages for those days, being proficient in both the German and English languages. In his native state of Pennsyl- vania he was married to Elizabeth Moser, and they emigrated to Belleville, Ohio, but after a residence of one winter in that city they re- moved to a farm in the Buckeye state and there spent the remainder of their lives. Mr. Paul was a representative of the stanch old Pennsylvania German stock, was a man of sound judgment and decision of character, and was honored and respected by all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance. Both he and his wife were members of the Method- ist Episcopal church, and he gave his political support to the Democracy. Mrs. Paul claimed Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, as the place of her nativity, born about 1803, and her death occurred at the age of sixty-six years.

Mr. Lewis Paul, a son of this honored old couple, was but two years old at the time of the family emigration to Ohio, the journey thither having been made in true pioneer style in a wagon drawn by a span of old horses, thus crossing the mountains and swamps to their destination. He was a lad of eighteen years when he became a resident of Indiana.

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In his early life he followed the cooper's trade, but his business career has been de- voted chiefly to the tilling of the soil, and as his parents were poor he was obliged to begin the battle of life at an early age. His first employment was carrying water in the har- vest field, for which he received twenty-five cents a day, while later he secured employ- ment at the munificent salary of four dollars a month. His labors in those days, too, were most arduous, for he has chopped the heavy timber and then grubbed out the roots and stumps, working by the job. Steadily and persistently, however, he has climbed the lad- der of success, winning for himself a place in connection with the activities and honors of life. It was in 1853 that he arrived in old St. Joseph county, walking the entire distance from his Ohio home, and here he began work- ing by the day or month as opportunity of- fered. After a residence here of two years Mr. Paul was united in marriage to Miss Mary Rupel, a representative of one of the oldest and most honored pioneer families of the county. Their wedding day was the 15th of April, 1855, and they have become the parents of three sons. The eldest, Jacob H., is a resident of Laporte county, Indiana, where he is engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was educated in the Walkerton schools, and is a Republican in his political affilia- tions. He was married first to Miss Sarah Koontz, and of their eight children five are now living: Maude Blanche, Mary Edith, Verne, Roy and Colburn. The mother is de- ceased. William Schuyler is a resident of South Bend and associated with the Singer Manufacturing Works. After completing his education in the Walkerton high school he married Miss Lizzie Dare, and they have four children : Howard, an employe in South Bend; Ralph, who is a fine scholar and is as- sociated with the Oliver Chilled Plow works; Winona May, a stenographer in Walkerton; and Lewis Edward. Mr. Paul is a Repub- lican. Frank Sheridan, named in honor of General Phil Sheridan, is engaged in the manufacture of artificial limbs in Kansas City. He married Miss Ella Griggs, and they have one son, Harry L., who holds the posi- tion of brakeman on the Three I. Railroad.

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A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 2, Part 62

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