USA > Indiana > Elkhart County > A standard history of Elkhart County, Indiana : an authentic narrative of the past, with particular attention to the modern era in the commercial, industrial, educational, civic and social development, Volume II > Part 48
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Mrs. Willard's mother was Anna ( Nusbaum) Holdeman, who was born in Ashland County, Ohio, February 26, 1830, a daughter of Christian and Catherine ( Wise) Nusbaum, both of whom were natives of Europe. On September 24, 1846, she married Joseph Holdeman in Ashland County, Ohio, and they lived together nearly half a century until separated by death on August 19, 1894. When they came to Elkhart County Mr. and Mrs. Holdeman settled a mile west of Wakarusa when Salem or Wakarusa was a wilderness site covered with timber. There they actively identified themselves with pioneer life and times, and did their share in converting the forest into fields of plenty and advancing savage life to enlighten- ment. Mrs. Holdeman, who died May 5, 1907, aged seventy-seven years, two months, ten days, had been a faithful member of the Mennonite Church over sixty years, and she exemplified her Chris- tianity whether in health or sickness, weal or woe. Both she and her husband died on Sunday eve, and they were laid to rest at Shaum's or Olive churchyard on the following Wednesday. Here was a fruitful life, and her memory is sacred with her children and a wide circle of friends. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Holdeman are Vol. II-29
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survived by three children: Catherine R. Good, Margaret Flick- inger and Anna E. Willard, all of whom were born a mile west of Wakarusa. Margaret, who married Cyrus Flickinger, is still living on the old homestead. She has three children, Anna ( Flickinger ) Brown, Catherine ( Flickinger ) Weaver, and Joseph Flickinger. Catherine, who married John Good is living three miles west and two miles north of Wakarusa in the community known as Claud- ville. She has two children, Anna (Good) Weaver and Joseph Good. Anna E. Willard has one child, Frances E. Willard.
Frances E. Willard, the daughter and only child of Mr. and Mrs. Stanford Willard, was born at Wakarusa August 17, 1899, and has already made a record of accomplished scholarship in the schools of Elkhart County.
She began attending the Wakarusa schools September II, 1905, and graduated in the common school branches at the age of twelve, on April 24, 1912, having maintained an average scholarship of 98 per cent. She received two diplomas, one from Professor Hol- lopeter of the Wakarusa High School and one from County Super- intendent A. E. Weaver on June 1, 1912, at the Jefferson Building in Goshen. On September 3, 1912, she entered the Wakarusa Com- missioned High School as the youngest pupil in a class of forty. The high school course required four years, or a total of sixteen credits, for completion. Miss Willard graduated from the high school at the age of sixteen with eighteen and a half credits, being one of the twenty-three out of forty to receive her diploma from Prof. S. Leroy Scoles on commencement day, April 4, 1916. Throughout her high school career she was inspired by a purpose and a determination to obtain a college education, and with these objects before her carried extra work; and with this broad funda- mental equipment she is now ready to continue her higher education in some noted college.
MRS. HARRIET COMPTON BEACH. Among the octogenarians who have spent practically all their fourscore years in Elkhart County, one who has most interesting recollections of the early days, as well as of later times is Mrs. Harriet Compton Beach, whose home is in Osolo Township.
Only a few months separated her birth from the time of the removal of the family to Elkhart County. She was born in the City of Cleveland May 7, 1834. Her father was James Compton, born in New Jersey September 4, 1807. Grandfather Jacob Compton was born October 29, 1779, and from New Jersey he went as a pio- neer to Cuyahoga County, Ohio. He secured a tract of land a part
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of which is now included within the city limits of Cleveland. Much of the land when he bought it was covered with a heavy growth of timber, and for years he kept a grove of fine hard maples and each year set up the maple sugar camp and carried on the work and fes- tivities incident to maple sugar making on ground now covered by a great city. He also opened a stone quarry, and these industries supplemented his work as a farmer. Jacob Compton died at Cleve- land February 17, 1853. He married Mary Johnson, who was born in New Jersey August 11, 1788, and died November 27. 1871. Their children were James, Ezekiel, Hugh G., Eliza Ann, Charles, Sarah A., George and Mary, the last being twins.
James Compton was twelve years of age when his parents re- moved to Northern Ohio and he grew up and lived near Cleveland until 1834. In that year he brought his little family, consisting of his wife and two children, to Northern Indiana. The journey was made according to the customs prevailing at the time. There were no railroads through Northern Indiana for nearly twenty years afterwards, and the Compton family came by wagon drawn by ox teams. Elkhart County had been organized only two or three years, and the Comptons finally selected a location in Osolo Township, where they were among the earliest settlers. That part of the county was almost entirely forest, and the greater part of the entire area of this county was still in the hands of the Government. James Compton secured a tract of land about two miles north of the pres- ent City of Elkhart. There he constructed a log house, with a mud and stick chimney at one end, and a broad fireplace for heating and cooking. He was a man of sturdy pioneer character, and in the course of time he developed his land and left a good farm when he died October 20, 1876. James Compton married Eliza Nutting, who was born December 1, 1810, and died June 20, 1898, at a venerable age. She reared seven children named Thomas J., Mrs. Beach, Mary, Kenyon, Sarah A., Amanda and Albert.
Harriet Compton, who subsequently became Mrs. Beach, was an infant only a few months old when her parents made the journey already mentioned to Elkhart County. She grew up when the land about was still heavily forested, and she herself has seen deer, wild turkey and other game within close limits to the present City of Elk- hart. The Indians were not infrequent visitors at the Compton log house, and she came to look upon them as troublesome though not unkindly neighbors. She attended several different schools, and had her experience in an old log schoolhouse heated by a fireplace, and she also became accomplished in some of those housewifely occupa- tions which then prevailed. Her mother carded and spun wool and
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flax and knit all the stockings for the household, and while living in Ohio she had also woven the cloth for the homespun clothing. Mrs. Beach attended school in Elkhart when there was only one school- house, located on Second Street. Her first teacher there was C. G. Conn. The building had two rooms, which accommodated all the scholars then enrolled in the city district. She herself taught school in the Johnson schoolhouse in Osolo Township.
At the age of eighteen she married Edward W. Beach. Mr. Beach was born in Cayuga County, New York, October 7, 1825, a son of Erastus and Betsy Beach. Erastus Beach moved from New York to Indiana and became a pioneer in Elkhart County, but later moved to Cass County, Michigan, where he bought land and operated a sawmill. About 1856 he went out to California, making the trip by way of the Isthmus, and locating in Sierra County was elected a jus- tice of the peace in San Juan and served several years. He lived there until his death.
Edward W. Beach was about twelve years of age when his parents came to Elkhart County. In the blush of young manhood in 1849 he made the journey to California, going across the plains and was six months en route. He spent some months mining in the Far West and returned to the states by the Isthmus route. He was married to Miss Compton in 1852, and in 1854, with his wife and one child, he again set out for California. With a wagon drawn by an ox team they left Elkhart County on the 29th of March and made the entire journey overland, finally arriving in Marysville in the following September. As they crossed the great western plains they saw countless herds of buffalo, antelope and other game, and there were also many Indians along the route. In 1856 they came back East but in 1860 took the overland journey again, and spent four years near Marysville in Yuba County, and afterwards lived for three years at Shasta.
Except for these years spent in the Far West Edward W. Beach was a resident of Elkhart County and a practical farmer and pro- gressive citizen until his death on March 24, 1909. Mrs. Beach still occupies the old homestead in Osolo Township, and is one of the remarkable women of the county.
She reared four children: Dora, Ida, Charles and Jessie. Dora married John Wyllie and their three children are Beatrice, Gertrude and Blanche. Ida married Aymer Mckean, and they have four. children named Harriet, Erma, Jessie and Ruth. The son Charles lives at home with his mother. The daughter Jessie, who died October 5, 1913, married George Lowrey, and she was survived by five children named Mansfield, Helen, Melba, Arnold and Georgia, who reside in Sonoma County, California.
PHILO MORENOUS
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PHILO MOREHOUS, financier, son of Philo Morehous, was born in Hartland, New York, March 7, 1812, and died in Chicago September 1, 1881. His father participated in the War of 1812. His grandfather served in the Revolutionary war. When he was quite young his parents moved to Hartland and he was educated in the public schools of that place. He was as a youth ambitious, active and efficient in any task that lay before him.
Attracted by the opportunities offered in the then undeveloped West, he journeyed on horseback through the states of Ohio, Michi- gan, Indiana and Illinois. Much of this country was inhabited by Indians. It was in the year 1833, the time of the Black Hawk war. None of these localities had then felt the impulse of that magnificent stride of population and commerce to which Mr. Morehous subse- quently gave his untiring energy.
In 1842 he located in Elkhart, Indiana, where he engaged in mercantile business, to which he later added a banking exchange. In 1844 he built the first brick building erected in Elkhart, a three story structure, and he established his business in this building. When the Free Banking Law of Indiana was passed Mr. Morehous opened a bank of issue, "The Bank of Elkhart." This bank, of which he was president, continued in operation until the National Bank Law became effective, at which time Mr. Morehous called in his circulation of notes of the state bank and organized the First National Bank of Elkhart. He continued as president of this bank until he retired from active business, but the bank which he organ- ized in that early day is still one of the leading banks of the state. Mr. Morehous was a director in the Lake Shore, Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad, the main line operating between Buffalo, New York and Chicago, and later becoming a part of the New York Central lines. Mr. Morehous was a prominent and influential member of the board of directors. His advice and judgment had power with his business associates. "Influence is personal; qualities have power; nothing in the world is older or more powerful than personal influence." Through the personal influence of Philo Morehous the railroad shops were located in Elkhart. Other cities, larger and with more wealth put forth strenuous efforts to secure them, knowing the advantages of their possession. Mr. Morehous stood firmly for Elkhart, seeing the case clearly from both points of view, that of the railroad for which the locality was desirable and that of Elkhart, which would derive immeasurable benefit from the establishment of the works there. Mr. Morehous claimed the superior advantages of Elkhart and his voice carried conviction. The works were established in
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Elkhart by this influence, and they have been, from the time of their installation, the most important factor in the business enter- prise and growth of the city.
From the time Philo Morehous became established in Elkhart, in the pioneer days, to-the time that he retired from active business, he was the leading spirit in the development of the city, the first to establish and carry to success a number of the important enter- prises which build up a commercial center-mercantile, banking, "the" system of lighting and railroad advantages, etc .- and when he left the scene of activity others could take up and carry on his established work. In the accomplishment of these undertakings Mr. Morehous was guided by wisdom and discretion and a far- seeing gift of mind. These were dominating points in his character. He also possessed determination of purpose, controlled by good judgment.
Mr. Morehous established the Elkhart Gas Light and Coke Company, holding the controlling interest, and was president of the company. His varied interests led him to invest largely in rail- road securities, which he handled with a discretion that gave suc- cessful results. A man endowed as he was with ability and far- seeing qualities of mind would naturally enlarge and increase his powers when opportunities were presented and his business interests extended to the larger cities of Chicago and New York. It was often said that however absorbing Mr. Morehous' responsibilities, he was never too much occupied to speak a kind word; he gave a willing hand to assist others over difficult ways. Many were cheered and helped by his beneficence and he was sought throughout his life as counsellor and adviser by men of affairs as by those of lesser experiences.
On December 25, 1836, Mr. Morehous was united in marriage in Farmington, Michigan, to Catherine Winegar, of the family of Perry, native of Clarkson, New York. Five children were born of this union. The two eldest, a son and a daughter, died in infancy. Three children, Katharine, Philo Clinton and Frances, survived their parents.
Besides the home in Elkhart, which is still in the possession of the family and known as "Morehous Place," Mr. Morehous had built a handsome residence in Chicago for himself and family. In this home he died, surrounded by his family and survived by his wife.
Mr. Morehous' later years brought to him the fulfillment of his carlier hopes and ambitions and at the time of his death he stood at the head of the wealthy and honored men of Northern Indiana.
CYRUS D. ROYS
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CYRUS DUSTAN ROYS, soldier, lawyer and author, was born in Waterville, Vermont, January 11, 1836, and died suddenly of heart trouble en route home from Florida, May 18, 1915. Son of Benedict and Melissa Roys, of good New England lineage and in his life of strongly marked characteristics there was found this ancestral influence, as manifested in his unassailable integrity and his con- sideration for the rights of others. There came to him also, as an inheritance from his forebears, a strong constitution and an alert mind. His early American ancestors included distinguished men of letters, ministers and public officials.
The English ancestral history dates to Leicestershire, England. The name Roys came originally from France, where it still exists, a branch of the family coming in an early period to England. The Roys coat of arms is registered in the College of Heraldry, London.
The mother of Cyrus D. Roys took advantage of every oppor- tunity to give her son good educational advantages. He attended the Barry Academy in Vermont, he later entered Hillsdale College, of which his uncle, Rev. Ramsome Dunn, was professor of theology and later president. He was a student of marked ability and was graduated from Hillsdale College in 1859. With a desire for the study of law, he entered the University of Michigan, and in 1861 was graduated from the College of Law of the University of Michigan.
Early in the Civil war he enlisted in Battery I, First Michigan Regiment of Volunteers. He was later transferred as senior first lieutenant to Company L, First Michigan Light Artillery. He par- ticipated with General Buckner's forces in the engagement at MeIntire's Ford in the mountains of Kentucky, in the capture of Knoxville and Cumberland Gap, the siege of Corinth, in the his- toric Georgia campaign, and at Chattanooga, Tennessee. Before the war closed he was assigned to the staff of General Saunders and continued as staff officer until the close of the conflict. Subse- quently he removed to Chicago to devote himself to the legal pro- fession. He became general counsel to a number of leading firms and corporations of that city, among them the Wisconsin Central Railroad Co., the United States Steel Co., and the United States Rolling Stock Co., and soon after was retained by the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway Co., and remained the attorney for that company until he retired from active law practice, eighteen years later.
Mr. Roys furnished the picture of the ideal lawyer. His knowl- edge of law was deep and his advice to be relied upon, and he gave careful study to matters entrusted to his charge. Subsequently
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the summer home, "Morehous Place," at Elkhart, Indiana, became the permanent residence. Mr. Roys interested himself somewhat in local affairs and proved himself an able business man, and after the death of his father-in-law, Mr. Philo Morehous, he was appointed president of the Elkhart Gas Company, of which he was likewise part owner. He was president of the Century Club.
Mr. Roys had traveled extensively in America, in Europe and in the oriental countries. He had a remarkable memory and was a close observer of men and measures, and could impart to others of his great store of knowledge. In personal appearance his handsome face, strong, and yet genial in expression, and a notable distinc- tion of manner evidenced how well his features and bearing illustrated his character. In mind he was vigorous, direct, straight- forward and severely logical. Forcible in speech, possessing a fine sense of humor, he was of inexhaustible charity and kindness of heart-a true gentleman and a loyal friend. To those who knew him he was ever accessible, cordial and gracious. To strangers he was courteous, affable and winning, with a dignity of manner that always distinguished him. He was a speaker of brilliant and finished address and was frequently called upon to address public gatherings. An intimate acquaintance once said of him, "I always know more after a conversation with Mr. Roys than I knew before." Mr. Roys was noticeably fond of his home. In the latter years of his life he devoted much of his time to literary pursuits and to travel. He was the author of "Captain Jack," a stirring novel of the colonial days in Northern Vermont and Quebec. His lectures, addresses and other miscellaneous writings were full of power and original thought. He loved nature and the out-of-door life was full of charm to him. He was an enthusiastic fisherman and his days of recreation found him on lake or stream, with rod and reel.
Mr. Roys was president of the Union League Club of Chicago, vice president of the Illinois Association of the Sons of Vermont, and trustee of Hillsdale College. He was a liberal contributor to all worthy charities, and for many years was a vestryman in the Episcopal Church.
In politics he was always a staunch republican, and in 1900 was a candidate for nomination for Congress. Upon his death a me- morial flag was sent to Mrs. Roys by the Illinois Commandery, Mili- tary Order of the Loyal Legion, of which he was a member. The flag, which was draped with black, bearing in gold letters the name of the commandery, was accompanied by the following letter.
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"To the Family of Lieutenant Cyrus D. Roys: The Illinois Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion send this memorial flag and with it the sincere sympathy of his companions in the order, to his bereaved family, wishing them to retain the flag he loved and defended."
On December 8, 1864, Mr. Roys was married to Katharine, daughter of Philo Morehous, president of the First National Bank of Elkhart, Indiana. The many years of their married life were replete with happiness and prosperity, which they as liberally dispensed to others. He is survived by his widow.
ENOCH GEORGE MACHAN. Since coming to Elkhart fourteen years ago, Mr. Machan has been known not only as a successful business man but also for his prominence in local affairs. He is an educator of wide experience, and for many years was successfully identified with school work in LaGrange County, and is a former member of the state board of education.
He was born on a farm a mile and a half northeast of Dundee in Wayne Township of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, July 7, 1845. His father was John Logan Machan, who was born in the Town of Washington in Washington County, Pennsylvania, June 8, 1813. The grandfather was John Machan and his wife's maiden name was Logan. Both were natives of Pennsylvania and of Scotch ancestry. In 1817 these grandparents moved to Ohio and were early settlers in Tuscarawas County, where the grandfather bought a large tract of land in the Tuscarawas Valley. He lived there some years, and was a man of considerable prominence and enjoyed a large degree of prosperity. However, he was too generous in going security for his friends, and after losing most of his property he bought a smaller farm near Dundee. He was a man of good education for the time, and on account of his service as justice of the peace, at a time when that office involved greater and more responsible duties than it does now, he was widely known as Squire Machan. He died on his farm near Dundee, survived by his widow for a few years.
John Logan Machan was reared on the old farm in Tuscarawas County, and after marriage purchased a farm adjoining that of his father, on which he resided until 1865. He then sold and moved to Indiana and located a mile and a half north of LaGrange, where he bought a farm and continued the occupation of general farmer until his death at the age of seventy. John L. Machan married Cath- erine Kenestrick, who was born in Tuscarawas County. Ohio, a daughter of John and Sarah ( Hivener) Kenestrick. John Kene-
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strick and wife were natives of Maryland and were also early set- tlers in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. Mrs. Catherine Machan died at the age of seventy-five. She reared five children named John W., James, Enoch George, Samuel and Franklin B.
Enoch George Machan spent the first twenty years of his life in his native County of Tuscarawas, where in addition to the public schools he attended Fredericksburg Academy. He did his first work as a teacher at Dundee at the age of seventeen. On locating in LaGrange County, Indiana, he resumed teaching in a country dis- trict near the Town of LaGrange and with the exception of one year continued his work as a schoolman in that county until his election as county superintendent of schools in 1881. Mr. Machan served continuously for eighteen years as county superintendent, a record of service which for length is unusual in any Indiana county. In that time the school system of the county was practically reorganized and placed on a new plane of efficiency, and, much that is permanent in the schools of the county must be credited to the capable work of Mr. Machan.
In 1899 he was appointed a member of the state board of educa- tion, and after two years as a member of that body he engaged in the insurance business as resident agent for the Northwestern Mutual Life. In 1902 he was transferred to Elkhart, where he has since represented the company and has built up a large business.
As a citizen of Elkhart Mr. Machan has served as a member of the school board, where his broad experience as an educator has been most valuable to the community, and he has also been a mem- ber of the board of trustees of the Carnegie Public Library, and a member of the police commission.
In April, 1870, he married Miss Adaline McClaskey. She has the distinction of having been the first white child born in the Town of LaGrange, Indiana, and is a daughter of Robert and Hannah (Dwinell ) McClaskey. Her parents were natives of Pennsylvania and Vermont, and of Scotch and French ancestry. Mr. and Mrs. Machan have three children, Edith, Margaret and Robert. The family are members of the Presbyterian Church, in which he is a ruling elder. He is affiliated with Kane Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and with Star of the West Lodge No. 159, Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows at LaGrange.
TOBIAS HARTMAN. Every one in the southwest part of Elkhart County knows the Hartman mercantile house at Nappanee. It is one of the oldest establishments of the kind in that section of the
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