USA > Indiana > St Joseph County > A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 2 > Part 74
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there remaining until her ninth year, when she was brought by her father to St. Joseph 'county. For forty-one years she has traveled the journey of life with her husband, they mutually sharing the joys and sorrows which have checkered their careers, and now as they pass down the western slope they receive the love and veneration which should ever be the reward of useful and well spent lives.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Shene- man took up their abode in a little home six- teen by twenty-four feet on their present farm, but as the years have grown apace their ac- tivity, industry and economy have made pos- sible the erection of the many beautiful build- ings which now adorn the place. The barn, which was erected in 1901, is a model one in all its appointments, and is forty by seventy feet in dimensions, with twenty foot corner posts and an eight foot basement. The land has also been placed under an excellent state of cultivation, and in addition to the original purchase of forty acres they also own fifty acres located just a little northeast, while in the pastures may be seen some of the best standard bred stock in the county, consist- ing of Polled Durham cattle, Clyde and Per- cheron horses and Chester White and Poland China hogs. Although a young man' Mr. Sheneman has attained a distinguished posi- tion among the leading business men of the township, and to-day he stands facing the future undaunted and is rapidly winning for himself a still higher place in the business world. His political support is given to the Democracy, and he has often represented his district in the county conventions. Still high- er political positions have been offered him, but he has preferred to give his undivided attention to his business interests. Mrs. Sheneman is a member of the German Luther- an church, and both are held in high regard by a large circle of friends and neighbors.
WILLIAM E. GUSHWA. One of the historic old families of the Hoosier state is the Gush- was; and the name is so well known in south- ern St. Joseph county that its representa- tives need no special introduction to its citi- zens. William E. Gushwa has spent nearly his entire life within its borders, and during the long period of fourteen years his name was interwoven with the educational interests of the county. He is of French origin and was born in DeKalb county. Indiana. Septem- ber 9. 1856, a son of John and Catherine (Reinoehl) Gushwa. They were the parents
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of four children, one son and three daughters, and three are now living, namely: William E., the eldest; Mary, the wife of James B. Fisher; who is employed as a carpenter and joiner in South Bend; and Sarah L., the wife of J. L. Weaver, an ex-official and prominent farmer of Liberty township.
John Gushwa, the father, was a native of Holmes county, Ohio, born on the 27th of January, 1831, and his death occurred on the 8th of February, 1903. He was reared as an agriculturist in his native state, but in 1844 emigrated to Indiana, the trip hither being made in true pioneer style, with ox teams and wagons, across quagmires, swamps and the virgin forests until they finally reached their destination in DeKalb county. After a short time spent as a renter, Mr. Gushwa purchased forty acres of unimproved land, the first habitation being a typical log cabin in the midst of the wilderness, where deer, wolves and other wild animals were frequently seen. In that early day there were but six voters in his township, the ballot box being an old boot leg, and other conditions and sur- roundings were equally as primitive. About 1862, when the tocsin of war sounded through- out the land, Mr. Gushwa offered his services to his country's cause, enlisting in Company B, Twenty-ninth Indiana Infantry, and served throughout the remainder of the conflict, re- ceiving his honorable discharge at its close and returning to his Indiana home to again don the civilian's garb and resume the duties he had so nobly put aside to further his coun- try's cause.
In 1865 he came to St. Joseph county, but previous to this time, in 1862, his wife had died, and in 1866 he was united in marriage to Miss Ellen Shambaugh, by whom he had five children, three sons and two daughters, of whom four are living, namely : Elza, who resides with his mother on the old homestead in Liberty township, and is one of its agricul- turists; Emma, the wife of D. E. Steele, also a farmer of Liberty'township; Albert. who married Miss Emma Price, and is an agri- culturist of Union township, St. Joseph coun- German Baptist church, as was also her hus- ty; and Frank, who wedded Miss Viola Man- gus and also resides on the old home farm. Mrs. Gushwa, the mother, is a native of Rich- land county, Ohio. She has been a loving and affectionate mother, not only to her own chil- dren but to her husband's as well. and is loved and revered by all who have the pleas-
ure of her acquaintance. She is a worthy member of the German Baptist church. Mr. Gushwa was a Jackson Democrat in his polit- ical affiliations, and was an honored member of the Masonic order.
William E. Gushwa, the eldest child of this honored old St. Joseph pioneer, was but a lad of ten years when the family home was es- tablished within its borders, and thus through- out nearly his entire life he has been identified with its interests. After completing his train- ing in the common schools he received a teach- er's certificate and taught for one year in his home township, after which he entered as a student the Northern Indiana Normal College at Valparaiso, there remaining from 1879 un- til 1880. He pursued the normal course of study in order to further perfect himself for his work as a teacher, and his field of labor lay in Liberty and Union townships, where for fourteen years he devoted his time to the task of instructing the young along lines of mental advancement, his scholarly attain- ments and intellectuality making him an able and successful teacher. In 1892, however, he left the professional for a business life, enter- ing the hardware and implement trade in North Liberty, where he was a member of the firm of Price & Gushwa. Two years later this partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Gush- wa then embarked in the real estate and in- surance business, also being a notary public, and in the insurance department he represents the Phoenix of Brooklyn, the Hartford and the Etna companies. He has met with success in all the departments of his work, and his name stands conspicuously forth among the leading business men of the community of North Liberty.
On the 25th of November, 1890. Mr. Gush- wa was united in marriage to Miss Estella Lee, who was born in Laporte county, Indi- ant, March 16, 1857, and she was but a little maiden of nine years when she came with her parents to North Lib- erty, completing her education in its pub- lic schools and also receiving musical instruc- tion. Her father was a native of the old com- monwealth of Virginia, but was reared in Ohio and Indiana, and was a soldier in the Civil war. His life's labors were ended in death on the 2nd of July, 1900, but his widow, a native of New York, still resides in North Liberty, and is a worthy member of the Epis- copal church. Mr. and Mrs. Gushwa are prom- inent in the social life of North Liberty. and
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where they are members of the Lecture Bur- eau, and theirs is one of the pretty modern cottages of the village. In his fraternal re- lations Mr. Gushwa is a member of the Mod- ern Woodmen of America. His courteous manners and broad-minded principles ren- der him a favorite with the people, and the circle of his friends is almost co-extensive with the circle of his acquaintances.
LARMON FOOTE, who is prominently identi- fied with the agricultural interests of Liberty township, is a scion of a family whose associa- tion with the annals of St. Joseph county have been intimate and honorable since an early epoch in its history, and such men and such ancestral prestige fully justify the compila- tion of works of this nature, that a worthy record may be perpetuated for future gener- ations. The birth of Mr. Foote occurred in St. Joseph county on the 16th of April, 1872, the only child born to Linus and Malissa (Rupe) Foote. The father claimed New York as the commonwealth of his nativity, born in 1848, and his father came from the little "Nutmeg" state of Connecticut. In the early year of 1854 Linus Foote came with his par- ents to St. Joseph county, Indiana, they pur- chasing land in Center township, but the first land which he owned was in Greene township, where he gradually increased his possessions until his estate comprised one hundred acres. He gives a stanch and unfaltering support to the principles of the Republican party, and has served as the trustee of Greene township, proving himself an efficient and competent of- ficer, and also as assessor and supervisor. Mrs. Foote is a native daughter of St. Joseph coun- ty, born on the 24th of December, 1848, to Daniel and Martha (Stull) Rupe, the former a native of Virginia. The mother was of Ger- man lineage, while her mother, Rebecca (Hughes) Stull, was of Scotch descent. Both Mr. and Mrs. Rupe were members of the Methodist church, and were people of true worth in the localities in which they made their home. Five children were born to bless their union, and all are now living in St. Joseph county with the exception of one daughter, Mrs. Margaret Cook, a resident of Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
Larmon Foote, whose name introduces this review. remained at home with his parents until reaching his majority, and on the 27th of November, 1891, Thanksgiving day, he was united in marriage to Miss Barbara Cullar, to whom have been born three daughters:
Blanche, who was a member of the class of 1905, but sickness prevented her graduation, and she has received musical instruction ; Dor- othy, in the eighth grade and a member of the class of 1907; and Helen, the youngest of the family. Mrs. Foote was born in St. Jo- seph county, Indiana, October 8, 1873, the youngest child of Samuel and Louisa (Metz- ker) Cullar, to whom were born eight chil- dren, and the five now living are: Josiah, who is married and resides in California ; Matilda, the wife of Jacob Barnhart, a merchant of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Rosa, the wife of Prate Baker, who is now living retired in that city ; William, who is represented elsewhere in this work; and Barbara, the wife of Mr. Foote. Samuel Cullar, the father, was born in Ma- honing county, Ohio, July 9, 1834, and his death occurred on the 13th of August, 1874. In his early life he had learned the trades of a carpenter and joiner, but after taking up his abode in Liberty township, St. Joseph county, Indiana, purchased eighty acres of unimproved land, erected a little log cabin, and began the arduous task of clearing and cultivating his farm. He subsequently re- moved to Douglas county, Kansas, where he became the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land, and there spent the remainder of his life. Mrs. Cullar continued her resi- dence in that commonwealth for eight years. and then returned to Indiana. Her birth occurred in Pennsylvania, September 28, 1838, and she is now living with her daughter, Mrs. Foote, a consistent and worthy member of the German Baptist church as was also her hus- band. He gave his political support to the Republican party.
Mr. and Mrs. Foote now own a valuable estate of one hundred and sixty acres of fer- tile and well improved land in Liberty town-' ship, their home being one of the pretty resi- dences of the township. His political affilia- tions are with the Republican party, casting his first presidential vote for Mckinley. Mrs. Foote is a member of the German Baptist church. Their many admirable qualities of heart and mind have gained for them a large circle of friends, and they are widely and favorably known in Liberty township and vicinity.
LEVI MANGUS has spent the greater part of his life in St. Joseph county, has witnessed the wonderful transformation which has taken place as its wild land has been transformed into . beautiful homes and farms and towns and villages have sprung up, and in all the
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work of upbuilding he has borne his full share. His birth occurred in Columbiana county, Ohio, July 3, 1831, his parents being Jacob and Mary (Stull) Mangus, in whose family were nine children, five sons and four daughters, of whom five are now living, name- ly: Levi, the eldest; Susan, the widow of John Borden and a resident of Lib- erty township; Simon, who resides south- east of the city of South Bend; Mary Ann, the widow of Levi Stull and a resident of Liberty township; and Hiram, a successful farmer of Union township, St. Joseph county.
Jacob Mangus, the father, was a native of York county, Pennsylvania, born in 1809, and his death occurred about 1855. When he was a little lad of twelve years he was brought by his parents to Ohio, the journey being made in the old sway backed wagons in true pioneer style, and their destination was Col- umbiana county. There the son Jacob grew to manhood's estate, continuing to reside in a little log cabin until the removal was made to St. Joseph county in 1855. However Mr. Mangus had previously journeyed to the coun- ty and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in Union township, where he erected a hewed log cabin, but ere its completion he was called to the home beyond. He was a member of the Lutheran church, as have been the family for many generations, and assisted in the building of the church here. Mrs. Mangus was born in Pennsylvania in 1803, and her death occurred in 1847. Both the Mangus and Stull families were of German lineage, and Grandfather Stull came from the fatherland during his young manhood and located in Pennsylvania.
Levi Mangus, whose name introduces this review, passed the early years of life in his native county of Columbiana, where he was reared to agricultural pursuits, but being of an inventive turn of mind his tastes naturally led to mechanics, and for a time he followed the occupation of shoe making and was also expert as a gun maker. In his youth he re- ceived only a meager education in the old fash- ioned log cabin schools of those days, where the seats were slabs with wooden legs and no backs, and the desks were long boards rest- ing on wooden pins driven into the wall. His first purchase of land consisted of forty acres in Liberty township, but as time has passed and as his means permitted he added to this tract until he now owns two hundred and seventy-cight acres and also two lots in North
Liberty. In 1878 he erected his pleasant and commodious residence, and the brick used in its construction was manufactured by him- self. He is truly an inventive genius, and is known as the Genius of Liberty township. He can fashion many articles from steel, and in an early day made guns, cleaned clocks, manufactured shoes, and in fact followed any occupation that would yield him an honest dollar. He yet owns a combined rifle and shot gun which he made with his own hands, it being beautifully inlaid with silver and manufactured from the best material. He has the pattern of a shuttle for a sewing machine, where the shuttle holds one spool, the other spool being on the machine, and he also has a book which is over a century old.
Mr. Mangus has been twice married, first in 1852 to Miss Caroline Jarrett, and they had ten children, four sons and six daughters, of whom eight are living: Lucinda, the wife of Thomas Cheatwood, of Canada; Marion, a farmer of Liberty township; Alonzo, who is also an agriculturist of Liberty township; Amanda Catherine, the wife of Percillus Wor- ster, of North Liberty; Charlotte, wife of Isaiah Bickle, a prosperous farmer of Liberty township ; Jane, wife of Henry Beuchtel, who is also engaged in agricultural pursuits in Liberty township; Lucretia, wife of Charles Unkefer, who is engaged in the creamery business at Robertsville, Stark county, Ohio; and Lot, who is married and resides in Liber- ty township. Mrs. Mangus, the mother, was a native of New Jersey, of English descent. and after her death Mr. Mangus married, October 15, 1874, Mrs. Sarah J. (Barton) Wharton. Mrs. Mangus had been previously married to Stacy Wharton, and they had six children, three sons and three daughters. of whom five are living: Margaret M., who is a well but self educated lady and resides with her mother; John A., a resident of South Bend: Alfred, an agriculturist of Liberty township ; Rachel, the wife, of William Crowl. a farmer of Liberty township; and Ellen, the widow of Henry Bickel and a resi- dent of Liberty township. Mrs. Mangus was born in St. Joseph county November 4. 1837. receiving her education in its early primitive schools, and has witnessed its won- derful transformation from a comparative wilderness to one of the most populous coun- ties of the commonwealth. Mr. Mangus gives his political support to the Independent party where national issues are involved, but is not
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THE
PUBLI LISTARY
Astor Laney and Tildem :
Foundations. 1909
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bound by party ties, and is a strong advocate of the cause of temperance. During the Civil war he enlisted as a soldier in Company K, One Hundred and Fifty-first Indiana Volun- teers, and with the regiment was ordered to Indianapolis, but while there he became ill and was sent to the hospital, afterward re- ceiving his honorable discharge and returned home. He is numbered among the honored, early pioneers of St. Joseph county, and the primitive manners and customs of its early days are familiar to him. His first home was a little log cabin, which was raised by the neighbors, they having come in hunter style, with their guns and shot pouches.
LEVI A. SMITH. Liberty township, St. Joseph county, numbers among its honored citizens Levi A. Smith, who is classed among its younger agriculturists, but his years have been no bar to his success, for he has won for himself a name and place among the lead- ing business men of the township. He is also a native son of St. Joseph county, his natal day being the 30th of August, 1865, and his parents Theodore A. and Katie (Holser) Smith. During his early boyhood days the lad was inured to the duties of the farm and to the raising of stock, and he has devoted his life to this enterprise with gratifying suc- cess, being now the owner of one hundred and twenty acres of excellent and well im- proved land in Liberty township, constituting one of the finest homesteads in the vicinity.
For his wife Mr. Smith sought and won Miss Mary E., the daughter of Allen Mc- Enderfer, whose history will be found on other pages in this work, and their home has been blessed by the birth of two little children, Leo L. and Elva Loretta. Mrs. Smith was born and reared on her father's farm in Liberty township, receiving her edu- cation in the public schools, and she has proved a most worthy assistant to her hus- band in the formation and building of their home. They began their young married lives with a great responsibility, but by industry and economy they will soon cancel all their obligations and will be the owners of'one of the valuable homesteads of the township. Mrs. Smith is a member of the German Lu- theran church. In his political affiliations Mr. Smith is a Republican, his first presi- dential vote having been cast for James G. Blaine, and he has ever since continued to support its presidential candidates. He is well known for his honesty of purpose and
integrity of character, and will make for his children a name that they may look upon with pride.
WASHINGTON A. SHENEMAN. As a repre- sentative of one of the earliest and most prominent families of St. Joseph county, and as one who has achieved success in his chosen calling of agriculture, we are pleased to re- cord the name of Washington A. Sheneman among the leading men and women of St. Joseph county. His birth occurred in Lib- erty township March 28, 1867, his parents being Henry and Elizabeth (Mullet) Shene- man, whose history will be found in the biography of Henry Sheneman in this vol- ume. Their son Washington, the fourth in order of birth of their seven children, has passed his entire business career as an agri- culturist, beginning as. a wage earner, and thus continuing until his marriage, which was celebrated on the 23d of December, 1893, Miss Eliza Ellen Stroup becoming his wife. Their union has been blessed by the birth of two children, Clyde H., who is pursuing his studies in the sixth grade of school, and Vera Belle, in the third grade, and both are re- ceiving musical instruction.
Mrs. Sheneman was born in Warren town- ship, St. Joseph county, October 22, 1873, a daughter of John and Catherine (Haas) Stroup, in whose family were nine children, but the only two now living are Moses, a carpenter and joiner in South Bend, and William, who follows farming on the old Stroup homestead in Warren township. Mr. Stroup, the father, was a native son of Penn- sylvania, where he was engaged in agricul- tural pursuits until his removal to St. Joseph county, Indiana, in 1855, his death here occur- ing in 1905. In his early life he voted with the Whigs, joining the Republican party at its organization, and both he and his wife were members of the German Baptist church. Their marriage was celebrated in Pennsyl- vania, where the wife's birth occurred in Juniata county, but all of their children claimed St. Joseph county as the place of their nativity. The mother passed away in death in 1903, and with her husband she now lies buried in German township.
Mr. and Mrs. Sheneman began their mar- ried life on a little twenty-five acre farm in Liberty township, a part of their present homestead and purchased with the earnings he had saved from his boyhood days. All of the many substantial improvements which
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now adorn the place stand as monuments of their industry and ability, and they also added to their original purchase until the homestead now contains eighty-eight acres. In 1906 Mr. Sheneman erected one of the finest basement barns in the township, sixty- six by forty feet in dimensions, with twenty foot posts and an eight foot concrete base- ment floor. Mrs. Sheneman, who so nobly stood by her husband's side in the establish- ment of their home, passed away in death on the 5th of September, 1899, and she now lies buried in the North Liberty cemetery, where a beautiful stone stands sacred to her mem- ory. Mrs. Adilliu Ross, the housekeeper, has had charge of the home and the guidance of the children during the past eight years. She was born in Butler county, Pennsylvania, June 10, 1851, and was reared in that com- monwealth and Ohio. Mr. Sheneman gives his political support to the Republican party, and as its representative has often been se- lected as delegate to the county conventions. His fraternal relations are with the Gleaners of North Liberty and the Republic Arbor, A. O. O. G., which has a membership of seventy-five in North Liberty and in which he has served as inner guard. He is well known in the township in which his entire life has been passed, and enjoys a wide popularity.
ALLEN MCENDERFER. The history of a state, as well as that of a nation, is chiefly the record of the lives and deeds of those who have conferred honor upon its society, whether in the broad sphere of public labors or in the more circumscribed but not less worthy and valuable realm of individual ac- tivity. The name borne by Allen McEn- derfer is one which has stood exponent for the most sterling personal characteristics and which has been indissolubly identified with the annals of St. Joseph county from an early epoch in its history, for over a half a cen- tury ago the family home was established within its borders by John McEnderfer, the father of Allen. He was born and reared in Ohio, remaining in his native state until his removal to Indiana in 1844, the journey hither being made in the old wide track wag- ons across the swamps and through the woods to the destination in St. Joseph county, the first winter being spent in Union township. Coming thence to Liberty township, he pur- chased three hundred and seventy-nine acres of land, the first habitation of the McEnder-
fers here being a little log cabin in the midst of the wilderness, surrounded by the dense woods and often visited by the wild animals which then inhabited this section, and the son Allen can well remember the carcasses of the deer which usually hung in this little cabin. Wild game of all kinds was plentiful, and on one occasion a panther was seen near the home, while wolves and wild cats were frequent visitors. The remnants of the Pot- tawatomie tribe of Indians yet inhabited this region, and their only roads were blazed trails.
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