USA > Indiana > Kosciusko County > A standard history of Kosciusko County, Indiana : an authentic narrative of the past, with particular attention to the modern era in the commercial, industrial, educational, civic and social development. A chronicle of the people with family lineage and memoirs, Volume II > Part 33
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40
Mr. Longfellow is a republican, and is affiliated with the Masonic Order, the Knights of Pythias, and is a member of the Methodist Church.
WILLIAM W. KIRKPATRICK represents a family that has been identi- fied with Kosciusko County more than eighty years. He is one of the prosperous farmers of Washington Township and his rural home, marking the best improvements and developments and productiveness, is situated two and one half miles north of Pierceton.
His great-grandfather, John Kirkpatrick, was born in the high- lands of Scotland and came to the American colonies in 1775 at the beginning of the Revolutionary war. He first settled in Pennsylvania, afterwards moved to near Lexington, Kentucky, and in 1804 hought land adjacent to what is now the City of Springfield, Ohio, where he died.
The grandfather of Mr. Kirkpatrick was John Kirkpatrick who was born in Kentucky March 6, 1795. He moved with his parents to Greene County, Ohio, afterwards went with them to Clark County, and on November 15, 1817, he married Jane Cowan. She was born in Kentucky September 26, 1798, and was reared in Clark County, Ohio. Her father, William Cowan, was born in Pennsylvania in 1768 and died in Kosciusko County, Indiana. John Kirkpatrick died in Clark County, Ohio, August 17, 1826, leaving his widow and six children.
One of these children was the late William Kirkpatrick, who was born in Clark County, Ohio, July 19, 1822. He came to Kosciusko County on September 20, 1836, and lived with his mother and four sisters in section 25 of Plain Township. His mother had entered 160 acres of land there in 1836, and this is one of the early records of land entry in that section of the county. William Kirkpatrick was only fourteen years old when he came to this county, and due to circum- stances of the fact that very few schools were maintained his early education was limited. He worked the land under the direction of his mother until sixteen, after which he managed the place for himself.
February 18, 1847, William Kirkpatrick married Miss Ann Pierce, who was born in Clark County, Ohio, March 6, 1824, but at the time of her marriage was living in Madison County, Ohio. Her parents
646
HISTORY OF KOSCIUSKO COUNTY
were Moses R. and Mary (Cowan) Pierce, while her grandparents were Gilbert and Sarah (Quimby) Pierce. Gilbert Pierce was a na- tive of Massachusetts and died at Springfield, Ohio, in 1845. His wife was born February 23, 1769, and died in Ohio in 1839. Thus these family records go back into American citizenship to the time of the Revolution and even earlier.
After their marriage William Kirkpatrick and wife went to house- keeping on a rented farm, but the next year bought 100 acres in sec- tions 24 and 19, Plain Township. William Kirkpatrick built in sec- tion 19 a substantial hewed log house a story and a half high, which made a very comfortable home. They lived in that house until 1883, nearly thirty-five years. They then moved to Washington Town- ship, owning a farm in section 10, and lived here until his death on March 26, 1898. His wife passed away February 27, 1892. They were among the very elect of the substantial farming population of Kosciusko County and their names and records deserve a prominent place in this history. They were members of the Presbyterian Church and William Kirkpatrick served as an elder of the church and was a democrat in politics. They became the parents of nine children, four of whom are still living: Sarah J., who was born September 5, 1852, and lives at Warsaw. widow of John T. Gilliam : Margaret E., who was born July 21, 1857, and is unmarried and lives with her brother William W .; M. Pierce, who was born October 30, 1860, and married Hortense Crawford. of Pierceton : and William W. The de- ceased children are : John W, born June 8, 1848, died April 4 1849 : Mary E., born February 16, 1850. died December 12, 1861; Eliza A., born January 12, 1855 ; was married, September 24, 1879, to Samuel B. Long, and she died January 10, 1914 ; Eunice A., born July 25, 1865, died May 7, 1884; and Alvin W., born December 25, 1867, died August 18, 1872.
William W. Kirkpatrick was born in Tippecanoe Township of this county February 5, 1863, and lived among the old home surroundings in that locality until he was twenty years old. In 1883 he accom- panied his parents on their removal to Washington Township, and here he made his first essay as a practical and independent farmer. On November 18, 1896, Mr. Kirkpatrick married Nettie Goshert, who was born in Prairie Township of this county September 9, 1874. Her parents were Jasper and Electa (Hall) Goshert. Her father was born in Prairie Township September 9, 1845, just twenty-nine years to the day before the birth of his daughter. The mother was born in Prairie Township December 18, 1854. Mr. and Mrs. Goshert married Sep- tember 11, 1873, and were the parents of three daughters: Mrs. Kirkpatrick ; Pearl, who married Eugene Harley and is now deceased ; and Edith, wife of Professor Edwin Germann, of Fort Wayne. The children of Mr. and Mrs. William W. Kirkpatrick are: Edith Hope, born May 17, 1899, and William Merrill, born November 27, 1900. Both graduated from Pierceton High School and Edith Hope is teach- ing. Merrill is at home on the farm.
647
HISTORY OF KOSCIUSKO COUNTY
EDMOND C. DOKE. There is no citizen of Washington Township who more thoroughly enjoys the esteem and respect of his fellow citizens than Edmond C. Doke. He is a native of Kosciusko County and now occupies one of the best homesteads in the township. His individual prosperity has not been accomplished without benctit to the community in which he has lived, and his enterprise has been one of the stimulating factors of the county's general prosperity.
Mr. Doke was born on the farm where he is now living March 1, 1845. This farm is three and one-half miles northeast of Pierceton. It is one of the centers of early settlement in the county. Mr. Doke is a son of John S. and Harriet M. (Turner) Doke, while his grand- father, Alexander Doke, was a pioneer blacksmith at Urbana. Ohio, and commanded a company of volunteers as captain in the War of 1812. John S. Doke was born in Champaign County, Ohio, June 30, 1809, while his wife was born in Logan County, that state, August 12, 1809. They grew up and married in Logan County and on October 11, 1837, arrived in Kosciusko County, which was then to a large ex- tent just as nature had left it. John S. Doke made choice of the exten- sive government lands open to settlement by selecting a quarter section in section 13 of Washington Township. His individual labors brought about remarkable transformation in the course of years, though at the beginning he lived in the woods and had a cabin home on a space which he cleared with the axe. He was a prosperons and highly esteemed citizen of this locality for many years, but finally moved to Iowa and died in that state. His wife died in Kosciusko County. Of their nine children seven grew to maturity and four are still living: Thompson Doke, of Bloomfield, Iowa; Elizabeth, widow of A. D. Stinson, of Spokane, Washington; Hattie, widow of George Messick, of Kansas; and Edmond C.
Edmond C. Doke has spent nearly all the days of his life in Wash- ington Township. For his education he attended one of the old log cabin schools such as were typical of the institutions of learning in the early days. While a schoolboy he found employment on the home farm, and finally left home to enlist in Company D of the One Hun- dred and Fifty-Second Indiana Infantry. Though he was extremely young he did his part as a fighting soldier in that great struggle and was still under age when he returned home. Since the war for a period of more than half a century he has been active on the old farm, and is now owner of 290 acres of land. He has been a prom- inent figure in the live stock industry of the county and has fed and bred many cattle and has also been a breeder of Shetland ponies.
Mr. Doke married for his first wife Miss Mary A. Scott, who died leaving no children. By his second marriage, to Mattie Wright, he has one daughter, Mary W., who is a graduate of the common schools and the Pierceton High School. Mr. Doke is a member of the Presby- terian Church and fraternally is affiliated with Pierceton Lodge No. 377, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Chapter No 88, Warsaw Council, Royal and Select Masons, and the Knight Templar Com- mandery No. 10 at Warsaw. In politics he is a democrat and has
648
HISTORY OF KOSCIUSKO COUNTY
always sustained his part as a public-spirited citizen of the com- munity.
GEORGE E. SWONGER learned his business as a farmer and stock- man when a boy in Marshall County and having added to knowledge and experience the qualities of industry and prudence has been get- ting steadily ahead in the world since he began his independent career. For a number of years he has lived in Kosciusko County and now has one of the well managed farms of Wayne Township, located on the Fort Wayne Road six miles southeast of Warsaw on rural route No. 6.
Mr. Swonger was born in Marshall County, Indiana, July 20, 1871, son of James A. and Elizabeth (Shreck) Swonger. His father was born in Cumberland County and his mother in Dolphin County, Pennsylvania. Both went when young to Crawford County, Ohio, locating between Bucyrus and Galion. Elizabeth Shreck's father owned a tavern in that locality and she grew up there and married. In the spring of 1871 the Swonger family moved to Marshall County, Indiana, where the parents spent the rest of their years. They were members of the Evangelical Church. James A. Swonger was twice married and had two children by each wife. George E. is the young- est of these children. He has one half-brother still living.
Mr. Swonger was born near Bourbon, Indiana, and had a district school education. To the age of twenty-one he was at home and after that he farmed the old homestead until he was thirty-four. The place was then sold and the proceeds divided between him and his half brother. Mr. Swonger then came to Kosciusko County and bought the eighty-acre farm in Wayne County which he now occupies and manages.
October 28, 1900, he married Miss Cora Cress. Mrs. Swonger was born and reared in Washington Township of this county. Four chil- dren have been born to their marriage: Willard, Margaret, Leah and Floyd. They are members of the United Brethren Church and in politics Mr. Swonger is a republican.
ANDREW PETERSON. Members of the Peterson family have been closely identified with Kosciusko County for more than half a cen- tury. One of the principal business men at Warsaw is now David A. Peterson, proprietor of the Peterson Lumber Company. He is a son of the late Andrew Peterson, who died in Warsaw in 1870. It was he who founded the family in Kosciusko County, and something of his career should be given a permanent record where it may be read by following generations.
A native of Southeastern Ohio, Andrew Peterson was reared in that state, and became a farmer and sawmill operator. For a time he lived in Iowa but about 1859 he moved into Kosciusko County, and for four years lived near Silver Lake in this county. In 1864 he moved his residence to Warsaw and was first in the contracting and later in the grocery business. He was one of Warsaw's leading mer- chants at the time of his death.
649
HISTORY OF KOSCIUSKO COUNTY
The first year after he located in Warsaw he was elected a justice of the peace and continued to administer that office throughout the remainder of his life. In politics he was a republican of the stalwart kind, and was active and devout as a Baptist, serving as deacon in the church before coming to Kosciusko County. He is remembered as a man of medium height, but was rather large and weighed over 200 pounds. Courteous in demeanor and strictly just and up- right in his intercourse with his fellow men, he at once made friends and retained them, and was universally respected for his many sterling qualities of mind and heart. In his home he was kind, and instead of commanding obedience through fear he governed entirely by love. Few fathers were ever better loved or respected. He selected for his life's companion Martha Linn. They became the parents of seven chil- dren, five of them still living. Two sons, Sylvanus and John A., both served their country during the Civil war, and the former gave up his life for his country.
David A. Peterson, one of the younger children of the late Andrew Peterson and wife, was born at Waterloo, Iowa, where his parents were living temporarily, on August 29, 1858. He was only six months of age when the family moved to Kosciusko County, and since then his home has never been outside the county limits. The local public schools supplied his early education, and during much of his boyhood he assisted in conducting a grocery business at Warsaw. In March, 1889, he was appointed to the United States railway mail service, and for the first six months traveled from Michigan City to Indianapolis. After that his run was between Pittsburg and Chicago over the Pitts- burg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railway.
Resigning from the mail service in March, 1897, Mr. Peterson in conjunction with Silas Meyers, his partner, engaged in the retail lum- ber business at Warsaw In April, 1902, he became sole owner, and has since conducted this large and completely stocked yard as the Peterson Lumber Company, and is its sole owner. Politically Mr. Peterson is a republican, and he is a popular member of the Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows.
JOHN F. BOYER is one of the substantial agriculturists of Kosciusko County who have made their way against obstacles and difficulties, and with practically nothing but the work of his bare hands to begin with has effected a good home, gained prosperity and achieved a com- mendable position in the community. The Boyer home is a mile and three quarters east of Pierceton on rural route No. 1 in Washington Township.
Mr. Boyer represents some of the old families of Kosciusko County. He was born in Jackson Township near Sidney, February 27, 1875, son of Jacob and Leah (Hoppis) Boyer. His father was born in Sen- eca County, Ohio, and when a boy came with his father to Kosciusko County, the family first locating in Clay Township and afterwards in Jackson Township. Leah Hoppis was born in Kosciusko County, daughter of Christopher Hoppis. Both parents grew to maturity in
650
HISTORY OF KOSCIUSKO COUNTY
that section of Kosciusko County and after their marriage settled on the farm where they are still living. All their nine children are liv- ing, namely: Loretta, wife of William Deemer; John F .; Charles, who married Josie Snyder ; Ellen, wife of Albert Beber; William, who married Myrtle Metzger; Pearl, wife of Scott Keeper, of Warsaw; Merle and Myrtle M., twins. the former unmarried and the latter the wife of Lloyd Hunter ; and Herschel, who married Lena Hoover.
John F. Boyer grew up on the old Jackson Township farm, and had his education in the district schools. At the age of twenty-one he left home and began working as a farm hand by the month. On De- cember 25, 1898, he married Miss Minerva Krider, who was born in Lake Township of this county July 31, 1878, daughter of Monroe Krider. Mrs. Boyer was reared and educated in Lake Township.
After their marriage they lived in Lake Township and Mr. Boyer continued working by the month for some time. He acquired the first land of his own when he bought eleven acres, but after living on this tract for a year or so sold it and moved to the George A. Lepper farm in Washington Township. He rented there three years and then bought the place he now lives on, consisting of 611/2 acres, a farm that he has brought to an enviable state of improvement and production.
Mr. and Mrs. Boyer have had three children, but one died in in- fancy. The son Arthur is now a student in the common schools, and Alene is two years old. They are members of the Brethren Church at Sidney and Mr. Boyer is affiliated with the Moose Lodge at Warsaw and is a democrat in politics.
THOMAS A. HOOVER. One of the oldest and most prominent fami- lies of Kosciusko County, in the State of Indiana, is represented by Mr. Thomas A. Hoover, a well known retired farmer who still lives in his country home half a mile east of Pierceton. He is a son of Alfred Hoover, grandson of Henry Hoover, and great-grandson of Andrew Hoover.
The Hoover family was brought to America in the person of three brothers from Germany, all of whom first settled on Pipe Creek in Maryland. Subsequently two of them moved into Pennsylvania, while the other branch of the family went to Randolph County, North Caro- lina, and became identified with a Quaker settlement there. Andrew Hoover in 1807 brought his family west from North Carolina, first lo- cating at Dayton, Ohio, and soon afterward moving to Wayne County, Indiana, where they fere among the first pioneers of that wilderness section. Andrew Hoover had several sons, including Henry and David Hoover. David Hoover with other members of the family acquired a large tract of land and he was responsible for laying out the town which is now the city of Richmond. He gave the name to that town.
Henry Hoover, grandfather of Thomas A., was born in North Caro- lina September 22, 1788, and was about nineteen years old when his parents came out to Indiana. Though he had a limited education, he fitted himself by reading and study for some of the higher responsibili- ties of public as well as private life. In 1825 he was elected a mem- ber of the first Legislature that convened at Indianapolis. In 1832
651
HISTORY OF KOSCIUSKO COUNTY
General Lewis Cass, secretary of war, appointed him secretary of the commission to hold two Indian Treaties. Henry Hoover married in Wayne County Susanah Clark. After his marriage he settled at Whitewater in Wayne County and in 1830 bought a farm in the vi- cinity of Washington in that county, where his wife died August 9, 1853. In December, 1854, he married Mrs. Lydia C. Vaughan, and in 1855 he moved to Richmond and lived in that city until his death, July 23, 1868, in his eightieth year. Ile was reared a Friend, but rather late in life joined the Methodist Church. He could not be- come accustomed to the forms and ceremonies of that church, which were much at variance with the simple worship of his boyhood, and strenuously opposed the introduction of organs and choirs. Thus during the last years of his life he was again a member of the Society of Friends at Richmond. The children of this honored pioneer were: Alfred; Mary, who became the wife of David Culbertson, of Iowa; Ann, who married Thomas Harvey: Martha, who married Daniel Culbertson ; Allen, who moved out of lowa ; Daniel, who became a resident of Kosciusko County; and Henry, who was also an Iowa resident. It is a matter of widespread interest at the present time that of these children Allen Hoover was the grandfather of the present Herbert Hoover, food commissioner of the United States.
Alfred Hoover, father of Thomas A., was born near Richmond, Indiana, March 8, 1811, grew up on a farm and was with his parents until the age of twenty-seven. On February 9, 1837, he married Miss Mary Allred, a native of Ohio, though married in Wayne County, In- diana, where her parents were pioneers. She was the daughter of Thomas and Margaret ( Allred) Allred, who came from North Carolina to Ohio about 1808, and her father subsequently served in the War of 1812. After his marriage Alfred Hoover lived on a farm in Wayne County until 1853, when he sold his possessions and moved to Kos- ciusko County and settled on land in Washington Township. A num- ber of years before, in 1837, he had acquired it direct from the Govern- ment. He owned 320 acres. At the beginning this land was covered with poplar and walnut timber, but gradually it was cleared away, and cultivated fields took its place. Alfred Hoover served several times as trustee of Washington Township, and was always loyal to the church in which he had been reared. His wife was a Methodist. He was one of the quiet and substantial citizens of Kosciusko County until his death. He became a man of wide information through his studious at- tention to books, and was a man above the ordinary in character and general information. He and his wife had ten children, seven of whom are still living: Franklin of Kosciusko County; Thomas A .; John, who served as a soldier in the Civil war and is a resident of Cambridge City, Indiana ; Henry, of Kosciusko County ; Mary, widow of Rev. M. H. Smith ; Gertrude, wife of Joseph Snyder. of LaGrange, Indiana ; Lillie, wife of Mart M. Bradwick.
Thomas A. Hoover was born in Wayne County, near Richmond, October 15, 1841, and was twelve years old when the family moved to Kosciusko County. He attended the public schools of Washington Township and after reaching manhood he enlisted, in 1864, in Com-
652
HISTORY OF KOSCIUSKO COUNTY
pany E of the One Hundred Thirty-eighth Indiana Infantry. He saw some active service during the six months he was in the army and was granted an honorable discharge. Following the war he took up farın- ing, and that was his steady vocation until he retired.
In 1878 Mr. Hoover married Elizabeth Heagy, who was born in Wayne County, Indiana, December 11, 1850, daughter of John and Sarah Heagy. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Hoover located on the farm where they have lived now continuously for forty years and where their labors and mutual sacrifices have brought them ample prosperity.
Two children were born to them, Edna and Florence E. The lat- ter died at the age of sixteen. Edna was born in 1879, graduated from the common schools and studied in high school and is now the wife of Alvin B. Rusher. Mr. and Mrs. Rusher had one child, Robert H., who died when seven months old.
The family are active members of the Methodist Epicopal Church at Pierceton. Mr. Hoover has been one of its most liberal supporters for a number of years. His daughter Edna is secretary of the Wom- an's Missionary Society. Mr. Hoover is past commander and present adjutant of John Murray Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, is a past grand of Pierceton Lodge No. 257 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and past chief patriarch of the Encampment. Politically he is a republican, and in his younger years was a man of much influ- ence in local politics in this section.
AMOS RINGLE. It was forty years ago when Amos Ringle first be- came acquainted with Kosciusko County. For more than a quarter of a century he has been a continuous resident of Warsaw, and until re- cently was proprietor of one of the largest and best known mercantile establishments in that city. His standing as a business man and citi- zen is ahove question, and those who know Amos Ringle best know that his spoken promise can be relied upon.
By birth he is a native of one of Ohio's oldest counties. He was born near Minerva in Stark County, the county seat of which is Canton, on January 21, 1854. He is one of the seven surviving children in the family of eight born to John and Sophia (Bortz) Ringle. who were natives of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and Stark County, Ohio, respectively. Mr. Ringle's grandfather was also named John Ringle. The latter did teaming across the mountains to Pennsyl- vania before railroads were constructed and he also operated a small farm. He was of German stock but his wife was a native of Ireland. Grandfather John Ringle's father had served in the Revolutionary war and was with Washington in the terrible winter spent at Valley Forge. John Ringle, father of Amos, left his parents' home in Penn- sylvania and went to Stark County, Ohio, where he met and married Miss Sophia Bortz. He died in Stark County about forty years ago, while Mrs. Ringle died in 1913. One of their sons, the oldest of the family, served his country during the Civil war and is now living in Canton, and the son of this old veteran, named Homer, saw active serv- ice in the Spanish-American war.
653
HISTORY OF KOSCIUSKO COUNTY
On the old home farm in Stark County Amos Ringle spent his youth and early manhood. His experiences were not different from those of other Ohio boys of the time. He attended district schools, and learned how to work on the farm. In 1875, at the age of twenty-one, he came to Kosciusko County. The presence of a number of his moth- er's relatives in the county was what brought him here. He soon afterwards secured a school to teach, known as the Best school, south of Nappanee. He continued teaching for three years and used the proceeds of that work to defray his expenses at Professor Reubert's school at Bourbon.
About 1878 Mr. Ringle went to Emporia, Kansas, where for eight years he was engaged in the retail grocery business and also acquired ownership of several ranches in that section of Kansas. In 1889 he returned to Kosciusko County and for seven years was in the furniture house of R. H. Hitzler at Warsaw. He then engaged in the furniture business on his own account and developed a trade and maintained a stock in furniture and kindred lines second to none in Kosciusko County. Mr. Ringle sold out his furniture industry in December, 1917, and is now retired from active business.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.