A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 2, Part 84

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 84

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After his marriage Mr. McDonald located on the land which he now owns and occupies, consisting of one hundred and eighty-five acres in Warren township, on which he has placed many valuable and substantial im- provements. The homestead is known as Grand View, and the farm is one of the best in the township. Mr. McDonald is one of the leaders in the ranks of the Republican party in this community, and as its representative has served in a number of the township's lead- ing offices, including that of trustee, of which

he was the incumbent for five years and four months. He entered upon the duties of that office in 1894, and served with credit and abil- ity. In 1904 he was a delegate to the state convention, and was also a member of the committee for the Miller and Peffer ditches in 1903. His interests are many and varied, but with all he has never neglected the higher duties of life, and is an active worker in the cause of Christianity as a member of the Brethren church, in which he has served as treasurer. His career has been an active, use- ful and honorable one, and his sterling worth has won him the unqualified confidence of his fellow townsmen.

DAVID ROSE. Among the thousands of men who marched forth to defend the Union and to maintain the supremacy of the stars and stripes during the memorable Civil war is numbered David Rose, one of the most hon- ored residents of Warren township. His birth occurred in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, December 12, 1847, a son of John and Eliza- beth (Farling) Rose, both of German ances- try. They have long since passed to their final reward, the mother dying at the age of fifty-five years, while the father was sixty-six years of age when he was called to the home beyond. He was a blacksmith by trade and was a Republican in his political views. Mrs. Rose was a member of the Lutheran church, and in their family were seven children : Daniel, Jacob, Kate, Henry, Mary, William and David. The son William also offered his service to his country's cause during the war of the rebellion, becoming a member of the Ninth Pennsylvania Cavalry, and he now lives at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

David Rose was reared in the occupation to which he has devoted his life's activities, and when he was but fourteen years of age he be- came a soldier boy, enlisting in Company M, Sixteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry, under Colonel Griggs and Captain Alexander, con- tinuing as a brave and loyal defender of his country's cause until the conflict was ended. In that time he participated in the battles of Sabine Cross Roads, Pleasant Hill, Shreve- port, Red River, where he served under Gen- eral Banks, and was then transferred to the eastern department under General Sheridan, with whom he served from the time of the

tle of Gettysburg until the greatest engage- ment of the war, that of Winchester. He also took part in the battle of Cedar Creek, where occurred Sheridan's famous ride, and other

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famous and hard fought conflicts up to and including the Grand Review at Washington, D. C. When the war had ended and his coun- try no longer needed his services Mr. Rose returned to his home in Pennsylvania, from whence he removed to LaSalle county, Illinois, and four years later to Iowa, from whence he returned in a short time to Pennsylvania. It was in 1870 that he came to St. Joseph county, and on the 23d of May, 1871, Mr. Rose was mar- ried to Mary Elizabeth Frame, with whom for thirty-six years he has traveled the journey of life. She was born in Warren township November 1, 1849, a daughter of Abraham and Martha (Poff) Frame. The father was numbered among the early pioneers of St. Jo- seph county, coming to this state from Ohio, and first taking up his abode in Henry coun- ty. He was a son of William and Nancy (Leach) Frame. The father was born in . Pennsylvania, and his death occurred in Warren township. The death of Abraham Frame occurred in Warren township, St. Jo- seph county, when he had reached the seventy- second milestone on the journey of life, and the mother died when eighty-two years of age. Both were members of the German Baptist church, and he was a Republican in his polit- ical affiliations. In their family were eight children, four of whom are now living: Mary E. Rose; Nathaniel, a resident of St. Joseph county ; Daniel, who also makes his home in this county; and John, of Salt Lake City, Utah. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Rose, but one, little Benjamin Harri- son, died at the age of nine years. The two living are John Abraham, who married Bes- sie Miller, and David Edgar, whose wife was Minnie Newsom, and both sons reside in War- ren township.

Rose Hill, the beautiful rural home of Mr. and Mrs. Rose, is one of the valuable estates of Warren township. It contains one hundred and ten acres of rich and fertile land, and is a beautiful place in which to spend the even- ing of a long, useful and honorable career. Mr. Rose has ever been a stanch supporter of the Republican party, and both he and his wife are worthy members of the German Bap- tist church. They have two of the old parch- ment deeds, one bearing the date of March 15, 1837, and the other of March 20, 1837, and executed by President Martin Van Buren. These are valuable souvenirs in the home of

Mr. and Mrs. David Rose of Warren town- ship.

GEORGE A. BROWN is prominently before the people as an instructor, for his ability has rapidly forced him to the front in the educa- tional circles of St. Joseph county. He is a representative of one of the county's old and prominent families, and is of Welsh descent, the progenitor of the family having emigrated from that country to America about the same time as William Penn. Colonel Isaac Brown, his paternal great-grandfather, served with distinction during the Revolutionary war, in which he was a member of the Seventh Vir- ginia Infantry. He married Hattie Williams, and among their children was Charles Brown, who was born in Loudoun county, Virginia, near Richmond, and he served his country in the war of 1812. He married Eliza Finch, who was born near Harper's Ferry, Virginia, and they became the parents of six children: Jacob R .: Cornelia Peters. deceased : Joshua F., the father of the subject of this review; Jason, who died in 1847; Permelia Byers; and Mary Gantz, of Ohio. Mr. Charles Brown, the father of these children, died in 1833, at the age of forty-five years. He was a Whig in his political relations, and his religious affilia- tions were with the Baptist church. His wife died near Crumstown twenty years ago, pass- ing away in the faith of the Christian church.

Joshua F. Brown was born in Carrollton, Carroll county, Ohio, March 19, 1830, and his death occurred when he had reached the sixty- second milestone of the journey of life. In 1849, with the Listenbergers of South Bend. he made the overland journey to California, and en route the company with which he trav- eled had a fight with the Indians and Mr. Brown was wounded in the shoulder by a poi- soned arrow. On his arrival in this county he purchased a farm at Crumstown, where the remainder of his life was spent, and he won for himself a foremost place among the honored pioneers and business men of this section of the county. On the 10th of Novem- ber, 1859, Mr. Brown married Miss Margaret Goodrich, who was born in Livonia, Livings- ton county, New York, a daughter of George and Lucena O. (Goodrich) Lithgow, the for- mer a Scotchman, and both have long since passed to the home beyond, the mother dying in Petersburg, Michigan. In their family were two daughters, and Mrs. Brown was reared by her maternal grandfather.

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George A. Brown, a son of Joshua F. and Lucena O. Brown, was born in St. Joseph county, Indiana, October 3, 1863, on the old homestead, of which his farm now forms a part, and his elementary education was re- ceived in the district schools near his home. He later entered the Valparaiso University, where he fitted himself for the teacher's pro- fession, and for fourteen years he taught the village school. He later spent seven years at South Warren, two years at Oak Grove and one year in Olive township, and during all this time he has also been a diligent student, endeavoring to keep abreast of the times in his profession. His methods have placed the schools with which he has been connected on a high plane, and he is winning a leading place in the educational circles of this section of the county. His landed possessions consist of a farm of seventy-five acres near Crums- town, which contains many substantial im- provements, and property in River Park.

At the age of twenty-seven years Mr. Brown was united in marriage to Martha Wedel, who was born in Michigan, and was reared and educated in Niles, that state. She is a daugh- ter of George Wedel. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Brown : Earl B., born in 1891, and Ray, now in his twelfth year. Mr. Brown is an active worker in the ranks of the Republican party, and has served as a dele- gate to its conventions.

H. WILSON LYDICK, now at the head of the Warren School No. 3, and who for nearly fif- teen years has been in the school work of St. Joseph county, as an educator has contributed work of lasting value to his county and at the same time has made a worthy reputation in a profession which ranks second to none in its benefits to humanity and civilization.

Though a resident of this county for the greater part of the time since he was five years old, Mr. Lydick was born in Perry county, Pennsylvania. Of Pennsylvania Dutch stock, both his grandfather, John Ly- dick, and his father, Irvin W. Lydick, were natives of Pennsylvania. The father (Irvin) grew up on a farm in Perry county, where the district schools afforded him an educa- tion, and on the outbreak of the war of the re- bellion, being a young man and as yet un- married, he enlisted as a soldier in Company D, One Hundred and Eighth Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers, in which he served with honor and distinction until the conflict was brought to a close. He subsequently mar-

ried Sarah Ellen Stroup, daughter of Samuel Stroup, both being natives of the Keystone state. . Irvin W. Lydick and wife now reside in Walnut Grove, German township, where they have been well known and highly es- teemed for nearly thirty years. The family are members of the Evangelical Lutheran church.

Mr. Lydick, who is an only child, was five years old when his parents came to Warren township. He lived on the home farm and performed its routine of labors. From the dis- trict schools of his neighborhood, he later went to secure additional advantages in the Val- paraiso University. He was nineteen years old when he began teaching, and has been identified with the work ever since. Warren school No. 3, where he has been in charge for some time, is one of the well known schools of the township, and now has an enrollment of over forty pupils. Mr. Lydick is a pro- gressive teacher, combines long experience with originality and independence of method, and gets results that cause him to rank among the most efficient of St. Joseph county's many educators. He is also a carpenter by trade, and follows this as a calling when not active- ly engaged in school work.

At the age of twenty-one Mr. Lydick mar- ried Miss Daisy E. Fields, daughter of B. F. and Martha (Augustine) Fields. Mrs. Ly- dick's two sisters are Maud Adell, wife of George W. Fisher, a farmer of German town- ship; and Kate, at home with her parents in South Bend. Pleasant View, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Lydick, is a beautiful rural home- stead, modern in all its appointments, and a place often enjoyed by their many friends and acquaintances. Mr. Lydick is a Democrat and affiliates with the Maccabees, his wife be- ing a member of the Ladies of the Maccabees, and both are identified with the United Brethren church.

LOREN C. MILLER. A most exemplary citi- zen and an honored veteran of the Civil war is Loren C. Miller, who has long been num- bered among the prominent agriculturists of Warren township, His birth occurred within the borders of St. Joseph county on the 10th of September, 1844, his father, Isaac Miller, having taken up his abode here in a very early day and become prominently identified with the early history of the county. He' came here during the Black Hawk war of 1832, journeying from near Richmond, Wayne county, Indiana, and established his home in

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German township, and there his parents, Aaron Miller and wife, both died. Their son Isaac grew to years of maturity in that and St. Joseph county, receiving his educational training in the primitive log school houses of those early days, and he was early taught the lessons of industry and honesty. He mar- ried a native daughter of Pennsylvania, Han- nah Smith, whose parents, John and Nancy Smith, also natives of that commonwealth, both died in St. Joseph county, Indiana. Isaac Miller was numbered among the pioneer mer- chants of South Bend, where he was engaged in business with his brother Solomon, con- tinuing his mercantile interests from the early '50s until 1859, when he disposed of his busi- ness and made the overland journey to Pike's Peak. When the Civil war was inaugurated he returned to his home in South Bend to en- list for the service, entering in 1863 the One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Indiana Infan- try, Company D. To him came the summons to lay down his life on the altar of his coun- try, his death occurring at Marietta, Georgia, and he now lies buried there. He had reached the forty-fifth milestone on the journey of life, and to the memory of this brave and loyal soldier all honor is due. From the Whigs he transferred his membership to the Republican party, and his life was the ex- emplification of the Golden Rule. At his death he left a wife and four children, three of whom are now living : Loretta Russ, of Min- neapolis, Minnesota; Aaron, a resident of southwestern Kansas; and Loren. One son, John, died in Mishawaka, Indiana, and four children, Wash, Quincy, Clara and Mark, died in childhood. His wife survived him for a number of years, joining him in the home be- yond when she had reached the age of fifty- two years. She was a loving wife and mother, and was honored and revered by all who knew her.

Loren C. Miller grew to years of maturity on his father's old homestead, and in August, 1862, he, too, enlisted for service in the Civil war, answering the call of Lincoln for three hundred thousand more men, and became a member of Company K, Eighty-seventh In- diana Volunteer Infantry, under Colonel Shy- lock. He was under fire at Prairieville, Ken- tucky, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Big Stoney, Buzzard's Roost. Resaca, the siege of Atlanta, and on with Sherman to Savannah and thence to the Carolinas, their last skir- mish having been at Smithville. North Caro-

lina. Going thence to Richmond and on to Washington, D. C., he participated in the Grand Review, the most magnificent military pageant ever witnessed in the United States. Throughout his entire military career he was never absent from his company a day and was never wounded or taken prisoner. With the close of the war Mr. Miller returned to his home in St. Joseph county, and twenty-eight years ago took up his abode in Warren town- ship, where he now owns a splendid estate of eighty acres, his home being known as Cottage Glenn Farm. In 1906 he erected a pleasant and commodious residence, costing sixteen hundred dollars, and many other substantial and valuable improvements now adorn the homestead.

In Portage township, St. Joseph county, in 1868, Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Miss Paulina Moomaw, who was born Febru- ary 24, 1846, in St. Joseph county, and was reared and educated in Botetourt county, Vir- ginia, post office Finncastle, a daughter of Christian and Frances (Noffsinger) Moomaw. both of German extraction, and both now lie buried in Mt. Pleasant cemetery, St. Joseph county. Three daughters have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Miller, namely : Anna M., a success- ful and popular teacher: Beatrice Morris, of South Bend: and Bessie Rose, of Warren township. Mr. Miller is a prominent and ac- tive worker in the ranks of the Republican party, and as its representative has served as a delegate to the county and district conven- tions, while for six years he was a member of the advisory board. In 1904 he was elected a trustee of his township, and proved a com- petent and worthy official. His three daugh- ters are members of the Methodist Episcopal and the Progessive German Baptist churches, and Mr. Miller holds membership relations with the G. A. R. Post. The family are held in high regard by a large circle of friends and neighbors. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have in their possession three of the old parchment deeds executed under the hand and seal of Presidents Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren, dated March, 1831, and one deed from Van Buren, August 20, 1838. This makes twelve deeds of the kind in old St. Joseph county. These are valuable souvenirs in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Miller. Their pretty home or residence is known as "Cottage Glen Farm."

GRIFFIN S. DUNNAHOO, the proprietor of Cedar Hill Farm, is closely identified with the

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business interests of Warren township, being one of its most prominent and influential agri- culturists. His birth occurred in this town- ship on the 23d of August, 1839, and he is a representative of one of its most honored pioneer families. His father, George Dunna- hoo, was born in Botetourt county, Virginia, in 1807, and his ancestors were Scotch High- landers. Remaining in the Old Dominion state until twenty years of age, he then went to Dayton, Montgomery county, Ohio, where he was united in marriage to Catherine Mike- sell, who was there born in 1812. The father was a soldier in the war of 1812, and was at Detroit when General Hull surrendered the fort to the British. Both he and his wife died in Ohio. In 1836 Mr. George Dunnahoo came with team and covered wagon to St. Jo- seph county, Indiana, making the journey in true pioneer style, camping out at nights and cooking over a camp fire. Arriving in War- ren township he located on land in section 28, which he leased for eight years, and then came to the Cedar Hill homestead. The first home of the family was a little cabin built of round logs, sixteen by twenty-four feet in dimen- sions, with puncheon floor, stick chimney and the old-fashioned fireplace, but in 1864 this rude dwelling gave place to the pleasant and commodious residence, while with the passing years he cleared his land of its dense growth of timber and became the owner of a valuable estate of one hundred and sixty acres. With advancing age he left the farm and took up his abode in South Bend, where he passed away in death at the age of sixty-four years, but his wife was eighty-five years of age ere she joined him in the home beyond. They were members of the German Baptist church, in which he long served as a deacon, and his political support was given to the Democratic party. To them were born nine children, and eight grew to years of maturity, namely: W. J., a resident of Los Angeles, California; Winchester, who died at the age of eighteen years; Maggie Brown, who died in this coun- ty; Griffin S., whose name introduces this re- view : Peter, who died at the age of fifty years in Elkhart county, Indiana; Mary, who died when fifteen years old; Agnes Jackson, who died aged about forty-two years; and George, who died in 1888, at Eureka Springs, aged forty.

Griffin S. Dunnahoo grew to mature years on the old home farm in Warren township, and the meager educational training which he Vol. II-80.

received in the district schools of the com- munity has been supplemented by actual ex- · perience, reading and travel. In 1864 he went to Montana, and spent three years engaged in mining in the far west, returning on the ex- piration of that period to his old home in Warren township. At the age of twenty-seven years he was married to Miss Phebe A. Ward, who was born March 11, 1846, and was edu- cated in St. Joseph county, being a successful and popular teacher before her marriage. Her parents, Franklin H. and Susanna (McMul- lin) Ward, were prominent early settlers of the county, and in their family were the fol- lowing children : Christian Ward, of St. Jo- seph county ; Phebe, the wife of Mr. Dunna- hoo; James P., deceased; and Franklin D., of Warren township. The parents have long since passed to their final reward, dying in the faith of the German Baptist church. The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Dunnahoo: Lillian M., who received her diploma from the common schools in 1884, and from the South Bend high school with the class of 1887, was one of the popular teachers of the county and city of South Bend for ten years. She is the wife of Dr. Stoltz, of South Bend, and they have one little son, Charles Raymond. William D. graduated in the com- mon schools with the class of 1887, and then took a business course at the South Bend Business College. He was with the Birdsell Wagon Company for seven years, and is now located in St. Louis, Missouri. Frank H. is a resident of South Bend and one of its leading attorneys. He graduated in the common schools in 1887, and then took the law course at Ann Arbor in 1894. He taught two years in St. Joseph county. He wedded Miss Mary A. Dunlap. Edith A. is the wife of Edward A. Morse, of South Bend. She graduated in the common schools in 1891, and then took a course at the South Bend high school, after which she taught for three years. Mr. and Mrs. Morse have two children, Edward D. and Phebe C., bright little children. Hugh P. graduated in the common schools with the class of 1891. He has taken up the study of law, and makes his real home with his parents. Walter A. graduated in the common schools with the class of 1892, and took two years' work in the high school, also a course in the business college at South Bend, Indiana. He traveled for the Standard Oil Company for four years, and is now stationed at Houston, Texas. He wedded Miss Mary W. Burks. Mr.

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Dunnahoo is an active worker in the ranks of the Democratic party, and for two years he served as the treasurer of the township. With his wife he is spending the evening of a long, useful and honorable life at his beautiful rural home, known as Cedar Hill Farm, which derives its name from the fine cedar trees which surround it. He has an old hand sickle which his father and mother used in the pio- neer epoch, and which is a valuable souvenir. They also have a dresser fully three quarters of a century old. They are members of the Christian church, and they share in the warm regard of many friends and acquaintances.

MELTIRE M. MORSS. One of the brave sol- diers in blue during the Civil war, and at all times a loyal citizen, Mr. M. M. Morss is num- bered among the representative farmers and honored pioneers of Warren township. He was born in Dearborn county, Indiana, Oc- tober 5, 1843, the same year in which Wil- liam Mckinley was born, and was reared to years of maturity on the old home farm in his native county. On his twentieth birth- day, the 5th of October, 1863, he enlisted for service in the Civil war, joining Company F, Sixty-third Indiana Volunteer Infantry, under Colonel J. S. Williams, Major J. N. Stiles and Captain F. E. Raschig. He took part in many of the historic battles of the conflict, including those of Buzzard's Roost and Resaca, where he was wounded in the shoulder and was in the field hospital there until transferred to the hospital at Chatta- nooga, thence to Nashville, on the hospital boat down the Cumberland and Ohio rivers to New Albany, Indiana, where he remained in the hospital until transferred to Indianapolis, there remaining in the hospital for seven months. He was honorably discharged on the 11th of May, 1865, and with a creditable mil- itary record returned to his home.

During the long period of forty years Mr. Morss has resided on his present farm, which is a valuable estate, and Warren township numbers him among her leading agricultur- ists. On the 7th of October, 1866, when twen- ty-three years of age, he was united in mar- riage to Ellen B. Snyder, who was born in Pennsylvania, but was reared in Elkhart and St. Joseph counties, Indiana, her parents being Jarred and Jane A. (Weston) Snyder. The mother is deceased, but the father sur- vives and resides in Panora, Guthrie county, Iowa. Three children were born of this union, namely : Irvin S., who for twelve years was a

successful educator, but is now a mail clerk with the Lake Shore Company ; Annie L., the wife of John Shapley, of Portage township; and Terry B., a telegraph operator in Ains- worth, Indiana. The sons received excellent educational advantages, and have become suc- cessful business men. The great loss of Mr. Morss' life was in the death of the loving wife and mother, who was called to the home beyond at the age of sixty-one years. She was a faithful wife, a kind and loving mother. and her memory is revered by all who had the pleasure of her acquaintance. In his po- litical views Mr. Morss has always been a stanch Republican. He was elected assessor of Warren township in April, 1880, and as- sessed the township eleven years in succes- sion. He has membership relations with Auten Post, G. A. R., of South Bend. His valuable homestead, which consists of thirty- five acres, is pleasantly located five miles from that city, and here he is spending his remain- ing days in the enjoyment of the fruits of his former toil.

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A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 2, Part 84

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