USA > Indiana > St Joseph County > A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 2 > Part 76
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Joseph Kane, the father, was of Irish lin- eage, and was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, about 1830, and he was called upon to lay down his life on the altar of his country during the Civil war, having been killed at the battle of Bentonville, North Carolina, the last battle of the war. He spent the early years of his life in his native county of Co- lumbiana, and was there married. In a very early day with ox teams and in true pioneer style the family made the journey to Indiana, traveling through the black swamps in Ohio. All day long the weary travelers wended their way along the terrible roads, and at nightfall they could often see their camp fires of the night before, so little of the distance had they accomplished. Their destination was Jefferson township, Elkhart county,
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where their first habitation was a little log cabin, the birthplace of Elmer Kane and which he yet recalls to mind. In 1853 the family continued the journey to Liberty town- ship, St. Joseph county, where Joseph Kane purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, heavily timbered, but chosen on account of its high location. He was compelled to cut a road through to his land, and their first home here was a log house erected by Mr. Kane and his brother-in-law, William Hively. Remnants of the Indian tribe were here then, and even the son Elmer remem- bers seeing them, while deer and wild game were plentiful. He improved his land ere he left for the war, and in addition was engaged in masonry work throughout his en- tire business career, having been one of the best masons and plasterers in St. Joseph and Elkhart counties. In the early days he was an old-line Whig, and at the formation of the Republican party he joined its ranks and remained one of its stalwart supporters and active workers throughout his entire life, as- sisting in its campaigns and ever ready to blend his voice in song and speech. Oft- times during the campaigns he sung "Old Shady," wearing upon his head a broad rye straw hat, and he was ever a central figure in the meetings of. his party. It may here be mentioned that he was a descendant of the celebrated Dr. Kane. Mrs. Kane was of Pennsylvania German descent, and was born in that commonwealth about 1833, while her death occurred in February, 1899. She was reared principally in Columbiana county, Ohio, and was one of those brave pioneer wives and mothers who underwent the hardships and privations of establishing for her posterity a home in the then far west, and her many noble deeds will long be cherished by those who knew her. She scutched, broke and spun the flax for her children's clothing, at the same time perform- ing the many duties that fell to the lot of the pioneer women. She died at the home of her son, Elmer Kane, passing away in the faith of the United Brethren church, of which she had long been a worthy member.
Elmer Kane was but a year old when he became a resident of St. Joseph county, and here he has spent over half a century. The first school which he attended was held in a log cabin which had been erected by the set- tlers and was known as the Gearhart School. It was twenty by twenty-four feet in dimen-
sions, heated by one of the old fashioned box stoves, while the seats were slabs resting on wooden legs, and the desk a broad, rough board supported by wooden pegs driven into the wall. His first text book was the Saun- der's speller, and the school was maintained by subscriptions. He was early inured to the work of the farm, and agriculture con- tinued as his occupation until about eight years ago, when he entered the produce busi- ness, selling to the South Bend market, and he has built up one of the best trades of this kind in southern St. Joseph county. He makes two trips each week to the city, hav- ing done so during the past eight years, and his annual sales aggregate twenty-eight thou- sand dollars. He has so systematized his business that each customer is individualized in their wants, and he has so directed his efforts that his business interests have grown apace with the progress of the community.
On the 29th of January, 1874, Mr. Kane was united in marriage to Miss Lydia A. Hostetler, and of their six children, three sons and three daughters, three are now liv- ing: Ella, the wife of Charles Earley, the trustee of Liberty township, and also an agri- culturist, and his sketch appears elsewhere in this work; Arthur, who is engaged in agricultural pursuits, and is also a natural carpenter and joiner, wedded Miss Nellie Nitcher, and they have one child, Simon Elmer. He gives his political support to the Republican party. Gladys, the youngest of the family, is pursuing her studies in the second grade of school. Mrs. Kane was born in Holmes county, Ohio, March 16, 1855, where she remained until eleven years of age, when she came with her parents to Liberty township, St. Joseph county. She was one of fifteen children, nine sons and six daugh- ters, and six are yet living. Mr. and Mrs. Kane began their married life with a capital of thirty-five dollars, and as renters on a little farm in Liberty township, but later he received forty acres as his share of his fa- ther's estate, and subsequently sold that tract and purchased his present homestead of one hundred acres. where they have re- sided since 1890. Mr. Kane has made of life a success, and he is now numbered among the leading men of Liberty township. He is a stanch Republican in his political affiliations, casting his first presidential vote for R. B. Hayes, and he has four times been selected as a delegate to county conventions.
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He was one of the main factors in the cre- ation of the petition to the circuit court of St. Joseph county to drain nine miles of Liberty township, which resulted in nine thou- sand acres being converted into cultivatable land. Mrs. Kane is a member of the First Brethren church, and both, by their true worth and kindly life, have endeared them- selves to all who know them.
ZACHARIAH SHENEMAN. The Sheneman family have long been identified with the farming interests of St. Joseph county, and the subject of this review is now a worthy representative of the time-honored occupa- tion of agriculture. He traces his lineage to the Germans, a race which is known through- out the west as the best tillers of the soil, and was born in Holmes county, Ohio, July 17, 1849, a son of Frederick and Elizabeth (Friedland) Sheneman, whose history will be found in the sketch of Henry Sheneman elsewhere in this work. They were the par- ents of twelve children, eleven sons and one daughter, of whom Zachariah was the elev- enth in order of birth. His grandfather, Frederick Farugott Ferdinand Sheneman, was born in the province of Saxony, Ger- many, in the little village of Eisleben, Octo- ber 17, 1755, and was reared in his native land until fifteen years of age, coming thence to America. He had previously received an excellent educational training, and could speak fluently seven languages. Five years after his arrival in this country he was called upon to serve in the Revolutionary war, in which he served as a teamster, and thus his descendants are entitled to membership in the order of Sons and Daughters of the Revo- lution. On the 12th of April, 1785, he wedded Anna Marguerite Faust, of Bucks county, Pennsylvania, whither she had emi- grated from Germany in 1773, and they be- came the parents of fourteen children, ten sons and four daughters. The father died on the 30th of June, 1844, aged eighty-five years, seven months and thirteen days. He settled in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, and there purchased three farms in the coal and iron fields. He was a benevolent, kind- hearted man, always ready to aid the poor and needy, but finally disaster came to him and his valuable farms were sacrificed, al- though he signed them away, and to-day those rich fields of coal and iron could have fallen to the Shenemans. Mrs. Sheneman, the mother of our subject, bore the maiden name
of Elizabeth Friedland, and was born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, where she was reared and educated, and she was of Pennsylvania Dutch stock. For over fifty years she was a devout member of the Ger- man Lutheran church.
Zachariah Sheneman has passed the most of his life in St. Joseph county, and is classed among its honored pioneers. He was but eleven years of age when his parents came to Indiana, locating first in Plymouth, Indiana, and thence overland through the quagmires and dense woods they made their way to St. Joseph county in 1860, settling in the midst of the forest. Both Mr. and Mrs. Sheneman are familiar with the old log cabin days, and the school which they attended, located on the Gearhart farm, was a log building eighteen by twenty-six feet, covered with oak clapboards made on the Kane farm, and heated with a tin plate stove, while the furnishings were the crude benches and boards so often described. Their text books were Sanders Arithmetic, the Elementary Speller and McGuffy's Reader, and children were furnished with a slate, arithmetic and grammar. On the 2d of January, 1876, Mr. Sheneman wedded Mrs. Sarah (Kane) Long, and of their four daughters three are now living: Elizabeth, the wife of Albert Kring, who resides on the old homestead in Liberty township, and their two sons are Vernie Roy and Francis Zach- ariah; Rosa, who is pursuing her studies in the seventh grade of school; and Vina, a member of the fifth grade. Mary Lydia, the eldest daughter, married John W. Ullery, and they became the parents of two children, a son and daughter, but the little son, Ira Frederick, died when a babe of one year. The daughter, Ida May, is a little maid of five years and is living with her grandpar- ents. Mrs. Ullery died on the 26th of August, 1905, a consistent member of the German Lutheran church, and the funeral services were performed by Rev. Martin L. Peter. She was but twenty-eight years of age at the time of her death, and with her little son she now sleeps in the Lutheran cemetery.
Mrs. Sheneman is a representative of one of the honored early pioneer families of St. Joseph county, and was born in Jefferson township, Elkhart county, Indiana, February 2, 1851, the eldest of her parents' three chil- dren, and her brothers are Elmer, who is rep- resented elsewhere in this work, and Schuy-
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ler, who resides on the old family homestead. She came with her parents to St. Joseph county when three years of age, the family home being established in Liberty township, and they lived with Ben Ross until the completion of their hewed log house, to which they had to cut their way through the dense woods. She well remembers this little cabin home, and recalls a time when at least twen- ty-four saddles of venison hung in its loft, her father having kept the larder well sup- plied with wild game. She has used the old spinning wheel, and, as has been noted, at- tended the primitive log school house near her childhood's home. It may be here noted that the Kane family are distantly related to the celebrated Dr. Kane. Mrs. Sheneman was first married to Jonathan Long, and the only child of that union is deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Sheneman began their mar- ried life as renters on the old homestead, and afterward they located on an eighty-acre farm, forty acres of which belonged to Mr. Sheneman and the remainder to his wife, on which they lived in a little frame shack. Later they became the owners of their pres- ent building site of one hundred acres, but gradually they have increased their estate until it now consists of three hundred and twenty-seven acres, located in section 12, Lib- erty township. Their large and substantial barn was erected in 1881, while in 1891 their large and beautiful brick residence was built, which is one of the finest in the township, and their homestead is known as "Maple For- est Home." On the land is one of the finest sugar camps in the entire county of St. Jo- seph, and also a flowing well, from which he runs a one and a quarter inch pipe. This well contains the best and purest water, and is a valuable acquisition to the estate. Mr. Sheneman gives a stanch and unfaltering sup- port to the Republican party. casting his first presidential vote for U. S. Grant. and he has since voted for Blaine. Garfield, Mc- Kinley and Roosevelt. The family is held in high esteem, and the kindly social quali- ties with which they are endowed by nature win for them the friendship and good will of all.
HENRY SHENEMAN. During almost half a century this sturdy old St. Joseph pioneer has resided within the county's borders, and he is therefore numbered among the honored citizens who have not only witnessed the remarkable growth and transformation of the
region but have been important factors in its progress and advancement. He traces his lineage to the sturdy German race, for his grandfather, F. D. F. Sheneman, came from the fatherland and established his home in Pennsylvania, from whence he removed to Ohio. The original German spelling of the name was "Schoenemann." Henry Shene- man was born in Holmes county, Ohio. June 25, 1836, and has therefore almost passed the three-quarter mark on the journey of life. In his parents' family were twelve children, eleven sons and one daughter, but only five of the number are now living, the eldest being Henry, whose name introduces this review; F. D. F. is a retired farmer in North Lib- erty; Isaac is a farmer of Kosciusko county. Indiana; John is a retired agriculturist of Liberty township; and Zachariah, the young- est, also resides in Liberty township, where he is engaged in farming.
Frederick Sheneman, the father, was born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, about 1803, and died on the 28th of March, 1876. During the greater part of his business ca- reer he was engaged in the tilling of the soil, but he was a shoemaker by trade. After attaining to years of maturity he removed from his native state to Holmes county, Ohio, where he purchased eighty acres of timber land and their first home was a little log cabin. In the fall of 1860 the journey was resumed to St. Joseph county, Indiana, and here they purchased one hundred acres of land in Liberty township, one mile south of Mr. Sheneman's present home. In his early manhood he had married Elizabeth Fried- land, she being a native of Pennsylvania, born about 1807, and her death occurred in about 1885. She, too, was reared in the Key- stone state until attaining years of maturity, and was of German descent. Both were mem- bers of the German Lutheran church. and the father was one of the most important fac- tors in the erection of the first church build- ing. Both died in Liberty township. where they now lie buried in the Lutheran ceme- tery, a beautiful monument standing sacred to their memory.
Their son Henry Sheneman was reared in his native county of Holmes as a farmer and stockman, and at the early age of fourteen years he became a wage earner at five dollars a month, which munificent salary was given to his father. Thus when he reached the age of twenty-one years he had not twenty
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dollars to his credit, and in true pioneer style he began at the very bottom round of the ladder of life. On the 28th of August, 1860, he was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Mullet, and they became the par- ents of seven children, four sons and three daughters, and six of the number are yet living. The eldest, Susana, is the wife of Isaiah Roush, who is one of the leading farm- ers of Liberty township, and they have seven children, Charles, Claude, Melvin, Milo, Mabel, Iva and Alta. Mr. Roush is a stanch Democrat in his political affiliations. Rhoda Jane is the wife of Schuyler Kane, also a farmer of Liberty township, and their five children are Robert, Anna, Lola, Allen and Elden. Mrs. Kane had been previously mar- ried to Abraham Stull, by whom she has two living children, Elizabeth, the wife of John Hummel, and they have two children, Edna and Clarence, and George Henry, who re- sides in the state of Washington. The his- tory of the third child, John Sheneman, will be found on another page. Washington is one of the prosperous farmers of Liberty township. He married Miss Ella Stroup, who died leaving two children, Clyde and Vera. He erected one of the finest bank barns in the township in 1906, and is both a stockman and farmer, also belonging to the Gleaners, a farmer's insurance order. Alonzo is a prominent farmer of Madison township, and Elizabeth Ann, the youngest, is at home with her parents.
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Mrs. Sheneman was born in Holmes county, Ohio, November 28, 1835, her parents being Nicholas and Anna (Biddicoffer) Mul- let, both natives of Switzerland. In early life they crossed the ocean to America, spend- ing thirteen weeks on the voyage. The fa- ther was then eighteen years of age, and he first established his home in New York, re- moving thence to Holmes county, Ohio, and there he and his wife and his father died. He became a very successful farmer and stockman, having accumulated about five hun- dred acres of land, and in one year he sold over one thousand dollars' worth of wool. His political affiliations were with the De- mocracy, and both he and his wife were mem- bers of the German Reformed church. Mr. and Mrs. Mullet became the parents of twelve children, and the nine now living are: Elizabeth, the wife of Mr. Sheneman; John, an agriculturist in Holmes county, Ohio; Anna, the widow of Michael Steele, and a
resident of Liberty township; Daniel, an agriculturist of Whitley county, Indiana; Joseph, a resident farmer of Missouri; Sam- uel, engaged in farming in Holmes county, Ohio; Susie, the widow of William Bell and a resident of Ohio; Thomas, who is also en- gaged in agricultural pursuits in Holmes county; and Abraham, the youngest, who resides on the old homestead. Mrs. Sheneman received her education in the Ger- man tongue, and after their marriage, which was celebrated in Ohio, the young couple started on the journey to St. Joseph county, Indiana, where Mr. Sheneman purchased eighty acres of his present farm, on which stood a little log cabin with one door and window, and two acres of the land had been partially cleared. As the years passed by and with the aid of his sons he placed the land under an excellent state of cultivation, adding thereto until he is now the owner of two hundred acres, all lying in Liberty town- ship. No state in the Union can boast of a more heroic band of pioneers than Indiana, and their privations, hardships and labors have resulted in establishing one of the fore- most commonwealths in America, and one which has still greater possibilities before it. But their work is nearly complete, and soon, too soon, will the last of these sturdy pio- neers be laid away, but their memory will ever be cherished by those who lived among them and appreciated their efforts. The name of Henry Sheneman is closely associated with the early history of St. Joseph county, which has been his home for many years, and throughout that long period he has been closely allied with its upbuilding and devel- opment. He has been a life-long supporter of Democracy, and has ever been a firm friend of the public school, doing everything in his power for their advancement. During the long period of thirty years he has been a member of the Masonic order, exemplifying in his every day life its beneficent princi- ples, and both he and his wife are members of the German Reformed church.
WILLIAM ORLANDO CULLAR, one of the na- tive born sons of St. Joseph county, is num- bered among the leading agriculturists and stockmen of Liberty township. His birth oc- curred in the township on the 10th of June, 1868, his parents being Samuel and Louisa (Metsker) Cullar, in whose family were eight children, three sons and five daughters, and five are now living: Josiah, a resident of
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California, where he is a talented musician, and was formerly engaged in teaching school; Matilda, the wife of Jacob W. Barnhart, a merchant in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Rosa E., the wife of Prate Baker, who also resides in Colorado Springs, where he is en- gaged in ranching; William O., who is the seventh in order of birth of the eight chil- dren; and Barbara, the wife of Larmon Foote, an agriculturist in Liberty township. Samuel Cullar, the father, was of Scotch descent, and a native of Stark county, Ohio, born July 9, 1834, while his death occurred in Kansas on the 13th of August, 1874. He learned the trade of a carpenter and joiner, becoming proficient in that occupation, and in his early life he gave his political support to the Whig party, but upon the organiza- tion of the Republican party joined its ranks, and became one of its stalwart supporters. Both he and his wife were members of the German Baptist church. Mrs. Cullar is also a native of Ohio, born on the 28th of Sep- tember, 1838, and she yet resides in Liberty township, one of its brave and honored pio- neer women.
William O. Cullar spent the first five years companied his parents on their removal to Kansas, which continued as the family home of his life in St. Joseph county, and then ac- for nine years. The son was thus fourteen years of age when he returned to St. Joseph county, and the educational training which he had received in the Sunflower state was supplemented by attendance at the Valpar- aiso University, while for eleven years there- after he taught in the schools of this county. From the study of his life one may learn valuable lessons, for it illustrates in no un- certain manner what it is possible to accom- plish when perseverance and determination form the keynote to a man's life. At the early age of fourteen he began as a wage earner, receiving eight dollars a month in compensation for driving a horse to a grub- bing machine, and with the money thus earned he purchased his books, also a pair of boots, and started to school, diligently pur- suing his studies until he was later able to enter the school room as an instructor. The first land which he purchased was his present farm of one hundred and sixty acres. for which he went in debt to the amount of two thousand dollars. but soon. by the aid of his estimable wife. he was able to pay off the entire indebtedness, and in addition they have
erected one of the most beautiful modern country residences in the township, finished in hard wood, heated by a furnace and mod- ern in all its appointments. It was erected at a cost of three thousand dollars, and they also expended one thousand dollars in re- modeling their large basement barn. The pretty country seat is known as "Ingleside." On the farm is a large sugar camp of three hundred trees, while on their farm of two hundred and eighty acres in Union town- ship, the old Barrett homestead, and in which they own a half interest, they have a grove of one thousand trees, six hundred and sixty of which are tapped, and they have a patent evaporator with which to manufacture the genuine maple sugar, for which they find a ready sale on the market.
The marriage of Mr. Cullar was celebrated on the 12th of September, 1893, when Miss Mary C. Barrett became his wife, and they have three children: Fred Orlando, who is pursuing his studies in the fifth grade of school, and has also received musical instruc -. tion; Nellie May, a member of the fourth grade; and Cora Eva, the youngest of the fam- ily, who is in the third grade of school. Mr. and Mrs. Cullar will provide their children with the best educational advantages possi- ble, and they have already made for them a beautiful and comfortable home. Mr. Cullar cast his first presidential vote for Benjamin Harrison, and he has ever since continued to support the principles of the Republican party, often being selected as its delegate to the county conventions. He is a member of the German Baptist church. while his wife has membership relations with the German Lutherans, and their children attend the Sunday-school. The family are well and fa- vorably known, and are worthy in every way to be recorded among the representative men and women of old St. Joseph county.
LEONARD AMM. In the history of St. Jo- seph county the name of Leonard Amm should not be omitted, for through many years he has been one of the leading agri- culturists of Liberty township, progressive, enterprising and persevering. Such quali- ties always win success, and to Mr. Amm they have brought a handsome competence as the reward of his well directed efforts. He is a native of Dearborn county. Indiana. born on the 27th of March, 1855. a son of Andrew and Margaret (Kundinger) Amm, in whose family were seven children, five sons and two
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daughters, and six are now living: Adam, a farmer of Lincoln, Nebraska; Maggie, the wife of Albert Miller, who is living retired in Cincinnati, Ohio; George, who is mar- ried and resides in Dearborn county, Indiana, and with whom his father resided; Fred, who is married and also follows farming in Dearborn county; Leonard, whose name in- troduces this review; and Lizzie, the wife of Adam Ester, an agriculturist of Dear- born county.
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