A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 2, Part 79

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 79

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a Universalist in his religious views, while the mother was a member of the Christian church, and both were highly esteemed for their many noble characteristics.

William H. Aldrich was born near San- dusky, Ohio, the "Buckeye" state, July 9, 1834, and in that state was reared and re- ceived his educational training. He came to St. Joseph county, Indiana, in his young manhood, in 1854, and in Greene township was married to Mary Antrim, who was born within its borders, a daughter of William and Sarah (Wharton) Antrim. The father was a native of the Emerald Isle, but both he and his wife died in Greene township, St. Joseph county. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Aldrich were born eight children, and the four now living are : Henry J., who makes his home in South Bend; Matthew and Willie D., on the old homestead farm; and Mary, the wife of Dan Spencer, also of Greene township. Mrs. Ald- rich, the wife and mother, was called to the home beyond on the 3d of May, 1874. She .was a loving wife and mother, a kind neigh- bor, and was loved and honored by all who knew her. Mr. Aldrich afterward married Mary E. Garwood, who has proved a kind and affectionate mother to her husband's children, while the poor and needy never go empty- handed from her door. She was born in Greene township, a daughter of Jonathan and Martha (Mellender) Garwood, who came to this county from Ohio, and their daughter Mary was reared near Richmond, Indiana. Both Mr. and Mrs. Garwood passed away in death in Greene township, the father dying when he had reached the age of seventy-three years. He was a father and blacksmith, and gave his political support to the Republican party. He was very liberal in his religious views, but his wife was a stanch Methodist, and they were the parents of three children, Samuel, Mary E. and George W.

Matthew Aldrich, the second son of the subject of this review, was born and reared on the old home farm where he yet resides, having from his early youth assisted in its cultivation and improvement, and he is now numbered among the representative young agriculturists of the township. In 1906 he was elected a member of the advisory board. in which he has proved a worthy official, and in addition he is also the auditor of the Sum ~. tion Prairie Cemetery Association.

Mr. Aldrich. Sr., is a stanch supporter ~ the Republican party, having cast his vote for

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its first presidential candidate, General John C. Fremont, and has ever since continued to support its presidential nominees. His reli- gious affiliations are with the Baptist church, in which he has served as a deacon for many years. He has ever been honorable in busi- ness, faithful in citizenship, and now in the evening of life he is crowned with the venera- tion and respect which is ever accorded an honorable career.

ANDREW J. BYERS. They were strong men and true who came to found the empire of the west, and the forests and the trackless prairie were made to yield their tribute under the ef- fective endeavors of the brave pioneers. As a member of one of the very earliest families of Greene township Andrew J. Byers witnessed the wonderful development of St. Joseph county from its virgin wilderness to one of the foremost sections of the state. His birth occurred within its borders, September 26, 1849, his parents being John and Anna (Brown) Byers, in whose family were seven children, but only five are now living, namely :. Andrew J., whose name introduces this re- view; Abram, who is living retired in South Bend; Maggie, the wife of William Inwood, who is engaged in contracting and also a rep- resentative of the mail service in South Bend; Carrie E., also a resident of South Bend; and George W., a telegraph operator in the postal service of South Bend.

John Byers, the father, was born in Musk- ingum county, Ohio, July 23, 1829, and he is yet living, a resident of South Bend. He traced his lineage to Scotland, the land of hills and heather, and was but a small boy when with his parents he came in true pioneer style with wagons across the black swamps, through forests and across hills and dales to their destination in St. Joseph county in 1836. Their objective point was the county line between Plymouth City and St. Joseph county, and, securing land, took up their abode in the typical log cabin of those early days. Mr. Byers often killed deer near his premises, and wild animals of all kinds were plentiful. as were also the red men. Shortly after their arrival here, in 1838. the father of Mr. John Byers died, leaving his widow with seven small children, of whom John was the eldest, and consequently a great deal of the responsibility of the family fell upon his young shoulders. Although a practical agri- culturist, he also followed the brick and stone mason's trade and for a time was a member

of the teacher's profession. He underwent all the hardships and privations of a pioneer life, and to do this demanded an invincible cour- age and fortitude, a strong heart and will .!. hands, but all these were numbered among his characteristics. During many of the cold win- ters members of the family were obliged to go with ox teams as far as Mishawaka to mill, the weather often being so very severe that they suffered with the cold. Sometimes they were obliged to run with the oxen in order to keep from freezing. After the planting of their little crops of corn and while it was com- ing up it had to be constantly watched during the day to save it from destruction by the numerous wild turkeys and the raccoons. Mr. Byers was very successful in his business operations, and accumulated an estate of one hundred acres in Greene township. He is a Jackson Democrat in his political affiliations, and a devout member of the Methodist Epis- copal church, as was also his wife, they hav- ing united with the church at the same time. Both the paternal and maternal families were prominently represented in the Revolutionary war, and Grandfather Brown served in that 'conflict under General Washington. Mrs .. Byers was born in Middlesex county, New Jes- sey, December 29, 1829, and died on the 30th of January, 1907. She was but a little maiden when she came with her parents to St. Joseph county, Indiana, making the journey through the old Erie canal, thence by boat across the lake and on to South Bend by wagon. This was about the year 1835. and the remainder of her life was spent within the borders of St. Joseph county. Their little cabin home, five miles west of the city, was located on an In- dian trail, and ofttimes the dusky warriors passed the door. Her father taught the first school in the neighborhood, near the Warren township line, and the family were in many ways prominently identified with the early history of this section of the county. Mrs. Byers was devoutly religious, and her pray- ers and admonitions will ever live in the hearts of her children and grandchildren.

Andrew J. Byers, the eldest of his parents' seven children, is thus a representative of two of the most honored pioneer families of St. Joseph county. During his early boyhood days he attended one of its primitive log cabin schools, a building eighteen by twenty-four feet in size, with a clapboard roof and heated by an old-fashioned stove. and his text books were the Elementary speller, Pinner's gram-

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mar, Ray's arithmetic, Mitchell's geography and McGuffey's reader. Those little "temples of learning" presented a striking contrast to the schools of the present day, but within their walls the sturdy lads received the train- ing which fitted them for life's responsibil- ities. Mr. Byers also attended the Northern Indiana College, a Methodist institution, for two years, and later was a student in an academy located near the Oliver building in South Bend. For three years thereafter he taught in the schools of Greene and Portage townships, but the principal part of his busi- ness career has been devoted to farming and stock raising. He now owns a fine estate in Greene township of five hundred and forty acres, also valuable city property in South Bend. On his farm he raises the standard- bred stock, and in this department of his busi- ness, as well as in his agricultural pursuits, he has been very'successful, the county num- bering him among its leading business men.

On the 22d of October, 1872, Mr. Byers was united in marriage to Miss Margarette Greene, and to them have been born seven children, three sons and four daughters, but only four are now living. The eldest, Carroll J., resides on the old homestead farm. After completing a common school education he en- tered the Valparaiso University, where he pursued a literary course, and later became a student in Purdue University to study agri- culture, while his education was further con- tinued by a business course in South Bend. He wedded Miss Bessie Rupel, and their only child is a daughter, Esther. He is a Repub- lican in his political affiliations, and religious- ly is a Methodist, while his wife is of the Ad- ventist faith. Carrie Greene, the second child, is at home with her father. She received her diploma from the county schools in 1900, and in the following year entered the South Bend high school, graduating therein with the class of 1905, and for two years thereafter was engaged in teaching. She is also a student in both vocal and instrumental music, and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Charles B. is at present a student in the South Bend high school. a member of the class of 1907, and it is his intention to continue his studies and fit himself for the teacher's pro- fession. Previous to entering the high school he had received a diploma with the class of 1903 in the county schools, and was also a musical pupil and a member of the orchestra. Marguerite completed her education in the

county schools at the age of fourteen years, with the class of 1906, and is now a student in the high school of South Bend. She, too, is pursuing musical instruction. Mr. Byers has given his children superior educational advantages to fit them for the higher walks of life. Mrs. Byers, the mother, was a native daughter of St. Joseph county, born in Greene township on the 17th of April, 1851, and her death occurred on the 16th of December, 1896. She was a daughter of Jackson and Mary (Knott) Greene, honored early settlers of St. Joseph county. Her grandfather, John Greene, came to this county from Ohio in 1835, and Greene township was named in honor of this family. Mrs. Byers supple- mented a common school education by attend- ance at the Indiana Normal and was a teacher in instrumental music. For twenty-four years she traveled the journey of life with her hus- band, sharing with him the joys and sorrows which checkered their careers, and was a de- vout member of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Byers is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he has served as a steward since his twentieth year, and is now a trustee and superintendent of the Sunday school, hav- ing served in the latter position for almost fif- teen years. He is a stanch Republican in his po- litical affiliations, casting his first presidential vote for the soldier president Grant, and three times he has represented his party as a justice of the peace. He is a firm friend of the public schools and of all worthy objects for the growth and upbuilding of the locality which has been so long his home.

EPHRAIM H. PEFFLEY, one of the prominent business men and leading agriculturists of Greene township, has resided within the bord- ers of St. Joseph county throughout his en- tire life, and his birth occurred in its town- ship of Warren December 30, 1848, the year of the memorable discovery of gold in Califor- nia. He is of German descent, for his grand- father was born in the fatherland, but his son, Joseph Peffley, the father of Ephraim, was born in Lebanon county, Pennsylvania. Going to Dayton, Ohio, he was there married to Cath- erine Burtner, who was also born in Lebanon county, and later they removed to Preble county, Ohio, thence to Elkhart county, In- diana, and about 1842 came to Warren town- ship. St. Joseph county. where they both spent the remainder of their lives, the wife and mother dying at the age of sixty-five years, and the father at the age of sixty-seven.

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They were not long separated in death, for Mrs. Peffley died in the month of November, and in the following February her husband joined her in the home beyond. For many years he had served as a minister in the United Brethren church, and both he and his wife were active workers in the cause of Christianity. They were people of many noble characteristics, were charitable to all, and their names are honored and revered in the community where they so long lived and labored. Four children were born to bless their union : Simon, who is associated with the Singer Manufacturing Company of South Bend; Henry, a resident of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Daniel, who makes his home in South Bend; and Ephraim, whose name introduces this review.

Ephraim HI. Peffley was early taught the value of industry on the old home farm in Warren township, and during his boyhood days he attended the old log school house near his home, which was furnished in the most primitive manner, but within its walls he re- ceived the educational training which fitted him for the active duties of life. On the 2d of November, 1871, in South Bend, he was married to Anna Robertson, a member of a prominent old family of St. Joseph county. She was born on the Robertson homestead where she now resides and where she has spent her entire life. Her father, James Robertson, was a native of Ohio and a son of John S. and Elizabeth (Goble) Robertson, the former a native of Scotland and the latter born near Dayton, Ohio, of German ancestry. In their family were three sons. After coming to St. Joseph county John D. Robertson secured his farm from the government at the United States land office. James Robertson married Mary Ann Chord, a representative of a prom- inent old St. Joseph county family, and they spent the remainder of their lives here, the mother dying at the age of thirty-five years and the father at the age of seventy-three. In their family were four children : Muriel Mil- ler, deceased : W. Schuyler, of South Bend : Mrs. Anna Peffley; and Susie Kimball, of Mishawaka, St. Joseph county. Mr. Robert- son was a Republican in his political affilia- tions. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Peffley have been born two children : Mariel B., the wife of Pro- fessor William Early, principal of the high school at Huntington, Indiana. and C. R., a very promising young man of twenty-eight years who is at home. Both children received

excellent educational training, supplementing their studies in the county schools by attend- ance at the South Bend high school, and later were students in the Valparaiso University.

The Robertson farm on which Mr. and Mrs. Peffley reside is located five and a half miles from North Liberty and consists of one hun- dred and fifty-seven acres of excellent and well-improved land. The pleasant and sub- stantial residence was erected in 1892 at a cost of three thousand dollars, and contains eleven rooms, all tastefully furnished. In ad- dition to this homestead Mr. Peffley also owns ninety-four acres of land on section 10, mak- ing in all two hundred and forty-five acres. The pastures are well stocked with a fine grade of cattle, the fields are rich and well cul- tivated, and everything about the place is neat and attractive in appearance. As a rep- resentative of the Republican party Mr. Peffley served seven years as the township trustee, and has also served as trustee of the Sumption Prairie cemetery. He is a public- spirited, progressive citizen, honored for his integrity of character and for his fidelity to every trust.

ANDREW HEINZMAN. The above named, a respected citizen of South Bend, was known in Greene township for many years as an in- . dustrious and successful farmer. He was born in Germany in 1843, his father Matthias, and his mother, Eva Heinzman, being both chil- dren of the fatherland. They became the par- ents of three sons and three daughters, of whom Andrew was the oldest. Of this family · three were born in Germany prior to the emi- gration to America in 1853.

The father was a weaver by trade, and when he brought his family to South Bend, in the year named, the son whose life is here sketched was a lad of ten years. Here he was educated and brought up to habits of industry. and, as the family increased by the addition of three children, he did all in his power to assist in the support of the household. When he was twenty-one years of age he engaged in the bakery business, but subsequently turned to the soil as his means of livelihood. The father had in the meantime prospered and be- came the owner of a fine farm and homestead in Greene township, which Andrew now culti- vated and managed. He married. in South Bend, Liza Maxwell, a native of the county. and was employed in agricultural operations for a number of years.

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Heinzman have a

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. family of five sons and one daughter, all of whom have been born and reared in St. Joseph county, and as honored residents of South Bend, who have materially contributed to the agricultural prosperity and advancement of the county, the parents are now enjoying a comfortable and fully deserved retirement. Mr. Heinzman is a Democrat, but is not known in politics except as an intelligent citi- zen and voter.

SETH HAMMOND. Among the leading agri- culturists and prominent citizens of Greene township, St. Joseph county, none are better known than Seth Hammond, who was born on the homestead farm on which he now resides January 5, 1836. His paternal grandfather, James Hammond, was a native son of Penn- sylvania and of Scotch-Irish ancestory, an ele- ment which has given to the United States some of her most prominent men. His son, Matthew Brown, grew to years of maturity on the old home farm in that commonwealth, and was there married to Susan McCormick, who was also born and reared in Pennsylvania, where her father, Seth McCormick, was a rep- resentative of a prominent old family. In 1833 Mr. and Mrs. Matthew B. Hammond be- gan the long and toilsome journey to St. Joseph county, Indiana, via Lake Erie, and thence by teams and wagons to their destina- tion in South Bend, where they arrived in the following fall. In the spring Mr. Hammond purchased a claim of a Mr. Pomeroy, who was an Indian trader, selling bright calicos, beads and fire water to the red skins, and they were very much disappointed and disgusted when they found Mr. Hammond in the place of Mr. Pomeroy and his goods. The former owner had erected a log cabin on the place, into which the Hammonds took up their abode, but this little cabin home in time gave place to a substantial brick dwelling, which is now occupied by tenants. Mr. Hammond devel- oped his farm into a valuable homestead, and there he lived and labored until his life's work was ended in death at the age of seventy- six years. He devoted his entire business career to agricultural pursuits, was a Whig and Republican in his political affiliations, and was an elder in the Presbyterian church. His wife reached the age of eighty-two years ere she was called to the home beyond, and she, too, was a valued' and worthy member of the Presbyterian church. They were people of the highest worth of character, were charit- able to all. and their names will long be hon-

ored and revered in the county which they helped to build. Ten children blessed their union, seven of whom grew to years of ma- turity : William Brown, who died in Laporte county; Sarah Maria Beard, of Decorah, Iowa; Angeline, who died at the age of eigh- teen years; Samuel, whose death occurred while he was journeying across the plains to California, at the age of twenty-three years; Margaret, who died when young; Cynthia Ann, who also died when young; an infant son, deceased; and Eliza Hammond, who died in South Bend.

Seth Hammond, a worthy son of these hon- ored pioneer parents, spent the days of his boyhood and youth on the old farmstead in Greene township, where he was early inured to the work of the fields and was also taught that industry and honesty were requisite qual- ities for success. He attended the pioneer log school house near his home, which was primitive in its every appointment, and among the text books which he used were Mc- Guffey's reader, Davis' arithmetic and Col- burn, Brown and Clark's grammar. On the 18th of October, 1863, in German township, St. Joseph county, he was united in marriage to Sarah Longley, who has proved to him a worthy helpmate and a loving counselor in their journey of life together. She was born in Madison township of St. Joseph county November 21, 1841. Her father, Thomas Longley, was born in Somerset county, Penn- sylvania, of English ancestry, and was a mem- ber of a prominent old family of that com- monwealth. It was represented in the war of 1812, and was in many other ways identified with the early history of the country. For his wife Mr. Longley chose Mary Rupel, also a native of Somerset county, and a daughter of Jacob Rupel, who became one of the hon- ored early pioneers of St. Joseph county, com- ing hither from his native commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Longley also took up their abode here in a very early day. dating their arrival from 1834. They first established their home southeast of Elkhart, but later came to Madison township, where both spent the remainder of their lives and now lie buried in German township, the wife and mother dying at the age of fifty-six years, while the husband reached the vener- able old age of eighty-two years. Both were worthy members of the German Baptist church. In their family were eleven children, but only eight grew to years of maturity :

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Permelia Greenwood, of Clay township; Fran- ces Crill, of North Manchester, Indiana; Har- riett Greenwood, of Clay township; Martha Smith, who died at Carthage, Missouri; Mary E. Wenger, of South Bend; Newton, of Har- ris township; Mrs. Hammond; and Lewis, who died at the age of twenty-three years. Mrs. Hammond was reared in her native county of St. Joseph, where she received a good education in its public schools, also attending the Northern Indiana College, and before her marriage was a prominent and suc- cessful teacher. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hammond : Fanny, the wife of Jesse L. Drake, of Marseilles, Illinois, and they have seven children, Fanny, Louise, Seth Hammond, Paul Hayes, Florence, Mar- garet, Dean and Fern. Dr. Matthew Brown Hammond is a member of the faculty of the State University at Columbus, Ohio. He has received an excellent educational training, having studied at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, in Madison, Iowa, at Colum- biana, New York, in the state university at Urbana, Illinois, and also spent three years at the state university at Columbus, Ohio. He married Sunie Butler Denham, of Columbia, Missouri, and they have one daughter, Mar- gery. Lewis Wilbur Hammond, the third child, received an excellent education in the home schools and in South Bend, and now re- sides on the old homestead, where he has a fine residence near his father's home. He married Miss Georgiana Davis, and they have two children, Leslie Davis and Irene Esther.

In 1885 Mr. Hammond, of this review, erected his pleasant and commodious resi- dence, at a cost of six thousand dollars, while his barn, forty-six by eighty-six feet, was erected at a cost of forty-five hundred dollars. The Hammond farm is one of the most beauti- ful rural homes in St. Joseph county, and is located seven miles southwest of South Bend. There Mr. Hammond is extensively engaged in agricultural pursuits, and in addition is also interested to a large extent in real estate in South Bend. He is an excellent business man, frank and genial in manner, and has won and retained many friends. His political affiliations are with the Republican party, and he cast his first presidential vote for Lincoln. Both he and his wife are worthy members of the Presbyterian church.

THOMAS K. FRANKENBERRY. During the long period of twenty-eight years Thomas K. Frankenberry has been a resident of St. Jo-

seph county, and as the proprietor of Pine Grave Farm in Greene township he is well and favorably known to the residents of this part of the county. He is, however, a native son of Pennsylvania, his birth occurring in Fayette county of that commonwealth on the 19th of May, 1852. His father, James Frank- enberry, who has now reached the ninetieth milestone on the journey of life, is also a na- tive of the Keystone state, of Pennsylvania Dutch descent. He married one of its native daughters, Anna Wolf, and they removed to Licking county, Ohio, locating near Newark, where Mr. Frankenberry yet resides, but his wife, who was born on the 8th of January, 1814, died at the age of seventy-one years. They became the parents of eleven children, nine of whom grew to years of maturity and eight are now living, namely: George, Eme- line, Susan, Ann, James L., Thomas K., Han- nah and Lucy, but Mr. Frankenberry of this review is the only representative of the family in Indiana. The father has devoted his entire business career to the pursuit of agriculture, is a Democrat in his political affiliations, and is a worthy member of the Wesleyan church, as was also his wife.

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A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 2, Part 79

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