USA > Indiana > Marshall County > A twentieth century history of Marshall County, Indiana, Volume II > Part 3
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Mr. Pomeroy seems to have had the strongest pull with the government authorities, as he knocked the first political persimmon by securing the appointment as the first postmaster at Plymouth, October 17, 1836. He opened the office in his father's house, then called the Yellow river hotel. For a little more than a year he was the big man of the little river valley
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HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
town of not more than two dozen inhabitants. But as all things earthly endure only for a time and pass away, so it was with Mr. Pomeroy's com- mission as postmaster.
During all the little more than a year Mr. Pomeroy had held the office, Mr. Wheeler had been laying the wires to have him removed and himself appointed to fill the vacancy, which, by hook or by crook, he accomplished, taking charge of the office January 3, 1838, moving it across the street into his dry goods store, located on the corner now occupied by C. R. Leonard as a furniture store. Mr. Wheeler held the office about three years when he was succeeded by Mr. Pomeroy, upon the election of Gen. Harrison in 1840, his commission being dated January 11, 1841. He served nearly four years, when, his business increasing rapidly, he resigned and secured the appointment of James Bannon as his successor, May 16, 1845. Mr. Bannon kept the office in his shoe shop, a little frame building adjoining Mr. Wheeler's store on the north. Mr. Bannon was a shoemaker by trade, a democrat of the old school, and a quiet, peaceable citizen. He served as postmaster until the inauguration of President Taylor in 1849, when he and his family went overland to the gold fields of California. Upon his retirement, Mr. Pomeroy again came to the front by securing the appoint- ment of Joseph B. Griffith as postmaster, March 23, 1849. Mr. Griffith served but a year and a half, when one day he was out hunting deer in the woods not far from town, his gun was accidentally discharged, killing him instantly. He kept the office in the building on the east side of Michigan street, then owned by Charles Molan, afterwards by Mrs. Haslanger, John L. Weller and others and now owned by Theodore Cressner, being the building between the hardware store of H. E. Buck and M. Ryan's dry goods store.
Mr. Barber served until after the election of Franklin Pierce in 1852, when Mr. Wheeler again came to the front by securing the appointment of Daniel McDonald January 7, 1853. During Mr. Barber's incumbency of the office, he kept it in a little frame building on or near Mr. Hill's res- taurant. Mr. McDonald removed the office to the building and the room west of the State Bank. During Mr. McDonald's incumbency of the office, he took charge of the town telegraph instrument (there being no railroad there then) moving the telegraph office into the postoffice and doing the business of both. He was young then and, having become tired of twelve hours a day confinement and inadequate pay, resigned after serving a year and eight months, and was succeeded by James F. Van Valkenburgh, also through the recommendation of Mr. Wheeler, August 23, 1854. Mr. Van Valkenburgh served until June, 1856, when, having been nominated for sheriff, he resigned. He kept the office in the shoe store of Edwards & Van Valkenburgh in a building about where the clothing store of M. Lauer & Son now is, on the west side of Michigan street. John K. Brooke was then appointed to fill the vacancy and removed the office to the frame building on the east side of Michigan street south of the old Edwards house.
Mr. Brooke served out the remainder of the term under President Pierce and was succeeded by Wm. C. Edwards February 1I, 1857, who served under the administration of James Buchanan until March 6, 1860, when he resigned and was succeeded by the second appointment of James
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HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
F. Van Valkenburgh. Mr. Edwards kept the office in his shoe store above noted. Mr. Van Valkenburgh removed the office to the Carter & Cleveland building, corner of La Porte and Center streets, which stood on the ground now occupied by Clarence Slayter as a grocery store.
After the inauguration of President Lincoln, O. H. P. Bailey was appointed, March 9, 1861, and removed the office to the building located on the corner now occupied by the Plymouth State bank, corner Michigan and Garro streets. Mr. Bailey held the office until September 28, 1866, when he was removed and Gideon Blain appointed. This change was occasioned by the assassination of President Lincoln and the accession to the presidency of Vice-President Andrew Johnson, who "liberalized" and undertook to reorganize the government by appointing other than straight republicans to office. As will be remembered, articles of impeachment were filed against Mr. Johnson and only one vote was lacking to remove him from the presidency. Mr. Blain was not a politician, but, on the recon- struction and other measures growing out of the war, sided with President Johnson and the democratic party. Mr. Blain's appointment was settled upon by the leading democrats, because he was a conservative man and a highly respected citizen, against whose character and fitness nothing in truth could be said. Mr. Blain removed the office from the front to the rear end of the building, fronting on Garro street. He served but five months and a few days when, through the efforts of the leading repub- licans, he was removed and Mr. Bailey again appointed, March 1I, 1867. He held it two years, when he was succeeded by John M. Moore, April 6, 1869. Mr. Moore was taken sick and died shortly after. An effort was made to secure the appointment of his wife to fill out the remainder of his term, but it was unsuccessful and Wm. M. Kendall was appointed May 15, 1869, and served a period of sixteen years and two months, ending July 18, 1885, shortly after Cleveland's first election as president. Maj. Kendall was a brave soldier throughout the Civil war, and, being an ardent working republican, managed to so manipulate the political wires as to hold the office four presidential terms. He kept the office in his own building in the room now used by C. A. Pesh as a meat market. One evening, early in 1902, Mr. Kendall was found in his grocery store seated in a chair, dead from heart failure.
During the terms of Messrs. Reynolds, Seiders, Jilson and Conger, the office was kept in the building owned by John A. Palmer, first door north of its present location, corner Michigan and Garro streets.
Since the tragic death of G. R. Reynolds, September 25, 1904, in a rail- road accident, of the eighteen who have served as postmasters, but six, with the present incumbent, are living-McDonald, Bailey, Seiders, Jilson, Conger and Yockey. Of these, Mr. Bailey resides in San Jose, Cal., and Mr. Jilson in Chicago, the others still reside in Plymouth. Of these eighteen it is somewhat remarkable that they have been equally divided between the two parties, nine democrats and nine republicans.
It would be interesting to give a historical sketch of the campaign made by the many candidates for the appointment of postmaster and the influences that resulted in their success or defeat, but the space allotted to this sketch has already been exceeded, and this part of the story must be omitted.
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HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
In the Plymouth Pilot of June, 1851, Levi C. Barber, a great big, fat, good-hearted, jovial soul as ever lived, was postmaster of Plymouth at that time, and published the following table of the arrival and departure of the mails from Plymouth :
Southern-Every day at 5 o'clock and departs immediately north.
Northern-Every day at 3 o'clock and departs immediately south.
Western-Every day at 2 o'clock and departs west same day at 5 p. m. Goshen-Every Thursday at 6 o'clock, returns to Goshen next day.
Fort Wayne-Every Wednesday at 12 o'clock, starts back 2 o'clock same day.
Onondaga-Every Saturday at 4 o'clock, and returns immediately. Marshall-Every Saturday at 2 o'clock, returns 4 p. m. same day. All mails close half an hour before departure of said mails.
L. C. BARBER, P. M.
The mails north and south and west were carried on coaches, and on the other routes on horseback. Then Plymouth had one mail per week to and from Fort Wayne; now it has as many as forty, and possibly more.
Under the head of Culver postoffice may be found some information in regard to "Onondaga," "Yellow River," which was possibly then known as "Marshall."
Marvelous changes have been made in the postal department of the government during the past more than half century, and especially in Mar- shall county since Mr. Barber served as postmaster. Postage stamps had not come into use then. Letters were 5 cents each, payable on delivery. Then only in the largest cities was there free delivery by carriers. Within the past dozen years, rural free delivery has been established generally all over the United States. Marshall county has been especially favored by having been given complete rural service by the establishment of the following :
Rural routes Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, from Plymouth.
Rural routes Nos. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, from Argos.
Rural routes Nos. 14, 15, 16, from Culver.
Rural route No. 17, from Donaldson.
Rural routes Nos. 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, from Bremen.
Rural routes Nos. 24, 25, 26, from Bourbon.
Rural route No. 27, from Tippecanoe.
These twenty-seven rural routes cover about 648 miles, which are traveled over daily except Sundays by the carriers, serving about 2,761 fam- ilies every week day.
The following are the employes of the Plymouth postoffice at the begin- ning of the year 1908:
Joseph A. Yockey, postmaster.
Earl A. Corbaley, assistant postmaster.
Fred D. Price, mailing clerk.
John E. Cook, money order clerk.
Le Otto C. Peterson, general delivery clerk.
Harry P. Hoham, R. F. D. Carrier No. I.
John D. Moore, R. F. D. Carrier No. 2.
William Gibson, R. F. D. Carrier No. 3.
Frank Shepherd, R. F. D. Carrier No. 4.
Ray Logan, R. F. D. Carrier No. 5.
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HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
Milton Foreman, R. F. D. Carrier No. 6. John O. Pomeroy. R. F. D. Carrier No. 7. Roller Kleckner, R. F. D. Carrier No. 8.
Bourbon Postoffice.
The Bourbon postoffice was established in October, 1839, with Dr. John F. Parks as the first postmaster. Those who have served as postmasters since his time are the following in regular order:
2. James O. Parks. IO.
I. Mattingly.
3. George Martin.
II. George Stockman.
4. John C. Hedrick. 12. Henry A. Snepp.
5.ยช Daniel O. Beeman. 13. John W. Colvin.
6. James E. Houghton. 14. Matthew Erwin.
7. Sylvanus Beals. 15. Daisy D. Erwin.
8. Henry D. Weaver. 16. Samuel Iden.
9. Harmon Baylor.
17. J. F. Martin.
Of the above John C. Hedrick, Syl Beals, George Stockman and John W. Colvin were democrats; all the others republicans. Bourbon has three rural free delivery routes, each twenty-five miles long. This service was established July 1, 1902.
Bremen Postoffice.
The writer of this history has been ifnable to gain very much informa- tion in regard to the Bremen postoffice, although inquiries have been made to which no reply has been received. The postoffice was probably estab- lished in Bremen about 1847. George Pomeroy, who was doing business in that pioneer town at that time, was the first postmaster, although there might have been someone acting in that capacity prior to that date, but there is no record prior to that date. Those who followed Mr. Pomeroy as postmasters in the earlier times were: Joseph Parker, John Prottsman, John Soice, Jonas Miller, William Stange, Phillip Kinnegar, Henry Hart- sock, Moses Keyser, etc. The office was made a money order office July 1, 1877. Burglars entered the postoffice at one time, securing stamps and small change amounting in all to about $20.
Culver Postoffice.
The remote antecedent of the Culver postoffice was located about six miles southwest of Plymouth and known as Onondaga, said to have been the second postoffice established in the county, Plymouth having been the first. The postmaster was Timothy Barber, who about that time erected at that place the first grist mill in the county. The place is now known as Sligo. The postoffice was established there about 1840, and continued to exist for about four years. The mail route was Plymouth to Onondaga and return, leaving every Saturday at 4 o'clock and returning immediately, the mail carrier being John Burch.
About the time this office was discontinued Benjamin F. Kendall, an agent of eastern speculators, located on the Burns farm near Burr Oak, where a postoffice was established known as the Yellow river postoffice, the mail being carried to it from Plymouth and on to Winamac and return
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HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
by a man by the name of Lenfesty. This office was discontinued about the year 1856, and was succeeded by Union Town postoffice, afterwards Mar- mont, now Culver, the names of the villages, however, having been changed some time previous to the change in the name of the postoffice. The Culver postoffice was advanced to the third class-presidential-October I, 1901, the salary being fixed at $1,100. The present salary is $1,800. The office force is a postmaster, an assistant postmaster, and one clerk the year round, and two clerks during the "tourist," or summer season. The office force as it now stands is :
B. W. S. Wiseman, postmaster.
Clarence Behmer, assistant postmaster.
Allie Wiseman, clerk.
D. H. Smith, E. E. Hawkins, S. S. Smith, rural carriers.
The names of the different postmasters, so far as can be ascertained, are as follows :
Onondaga, Timothy Barber.
Yellow River, Benjamin F. Kendall.
Union Town, Ephraim Moore and James Lyons.
Marmont, G. A. Durr, Joseph Miller, J. S. Bernhisel, Henry Speyer,
N. F. Clark, J. F. Koontz, H. M. Speyer, Urias Menser.
Culver, H. M. Speyer, B. W. S. Wiseman, present incumbent.
Maxinkuckee Postoffice.
The Maxinkuckee postoffice, on the east side of Maxinkuckee lake, was established at the village of that name about the year 1858, and was discontinued February 1, 1902, being merged into the Culver postoffice, most of its patrons being served by rural free delivery from that office.
For some time after the Maxinkuckee postoffice was established, mail was carried from there to Plymouth by a route connecting the two offices ; later by route beginning at Marmont, now Culver, and running via Maxin- kuckee and Sligo to Plymouth; still later by route from Marmont to Plymouth, by way of Maxinkuckee and Wolf creek. Capt. Ed Morris was the mail contractor and drove this route for a number of years, during the latter part of which service the route was lengthened to include Monterey and Winamac. The postmasters at Maxinkuckee were:
Eli Parker, James M. Dale, Harvey Atkinson, John F. Wise, Adin Stevens, D. C. Parker, George W. Kline, George M. Spangler and Frank Smythe.
La Paz Postoffice.
The postoffice at La Paz was established about the first of the year 1874. Morgan Johnson was appointed first postmaster and served as such until 1881, when Abram Shaffer was appointed and served four years under the Garfield administration, when W. S. Johnson was appointed and served four years under Cleveland's first administration, 1889, when he was suc- ceeded by Abram Shaffer, who served under Harrison's administration until 1893, when Fred H. Myers was appointed and served four years under Cleveland's second administration, until 1897, when Abram Shaffer was again appointed and has served continuously to the present time. Mr. Shaffer's record as postmaster of his town is the most unique of any other
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HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
government official in Marshall county. He has been able to hold the office and secure a reappointment under each republican administration since his first appointment, against all comers. The reason of this is, because he makes a satisfactory officer, not only to the government, but to the people generally without regard to political affiliations.
Tippecanoe Postoffice.
There was a postoffice at what was called Tippecanoe Town, a mile or so north of the present Tippecanoe, as far back as about 1851, which was continued there until the Nickel Plate railroad was built through the township south of it, when a postoffice was established at the railroad station called Ilion, when it was discontinued. The first postmaster at Ilion-now Tippecanoe-was W. A. Hardesty, who served until Cleve- land's first administration, when Wilson Roberts was appointed and served four years, when W. A. Hardesty was again appointed and served until Cleveland's second term, when David Harrington was appointed, but resigned, and the vacancy was filled by the appointment of Dr. L. D. Ely, who served until Mckinley's first term. During Dr. Ely's term the name of Ilion was changed to Tippecanoe, by which name it has since been known. Dr. Ely was succeeded by W. A. Hardesty, who resigned and was succeeded by John Noland, who served until his death, when Milo B. Ritter was appointed and has served as postmaster to the present time.
Teegarden Postoffice.
The postoffice at this place was established in 1874, Daniel Barber being the first postmaster. He was succeeded by James W. Falconbury, he by Gideon Logan, he by C. W. Moore, and he by W. C. Divine, the present postmaster. This office is in the northwest part of the county, on the Baltimore & Ohio railroad.
LXVIII. POLITICS IN MARSHALL COUNTY ..
The politics of a county has as much or more to do with its history as any other force in it. It will, therefore, be appropriate to give here a brief sketch of the political battles that have been fought in Marshall county since its organization in 1836.
The first election was held on the fifth day of August, 1836. At this election 138 votes were cast. The election resulted as follows:
Senators-Jonathan A. Liston, 68; Lot Day, 65.
Representatives-S. Marsters, 102; Joel Long, 32.
Sheriff-Harbert Blakely, 34; Jesse Roberts, 47; A. Caldwell, 49; D. Hill, 5.
Commissioners-C. Ousterhaute, 66; M. Coe, 28; J. Gibson, 36.
School Commissioners-John Houghton, 56; A. C. Hickman, 30; A.
W. Roberts, 37.
Probate Judge-Grove Pomeroy, 92; Oliver Rose, 46.
Coroner-John Johnson, 49; John Williamson, 33.
For senatorial and representative purposes Marshall was attached to Kosciusko and St. Joseph counties. Although Stephen Marsters went out
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HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
of Marshall county with a handsome majority, he was defeated in the other two counties. The two candidates for senator were both from St. Joseph county. At that time party lines were drawn between the whigs and demo- crats, but at this first election while whigs and democrats were on the tickets, party lines were mostly ignored on account of local interests. But this pacific state of political affairs did not last long. The political leaders on both sides began at once to line up their forces for future aggressive opera- tions.
At the time of the organization of the county elections were provided for in April for township officers, in August for county, congressional and state officers, and in November as now, for presidential electors. For several years there were only a few hundred votes polled, and in some of the townships the number was frequently only twenty-five, and some- times less than that number. The reason for this was that voters anywhere in the county were permitted under the law to vote in any precinct where they happened to be on the day of election.
Election day was set apart for a big time in those days. It brought the newly settled population together and enabled them to become better acquainted and to talk over the prospects for the future in the new country. A great many voters from every part of the county took advantage of election day to visit the county seat, deposit their ballots and have a good time generally.
Society at that time had not become settled. There were no churches or schoolhouses to speak of, and the population consisted of elements hard to control, such as are found in all frontier towns even in this enlight- ened age of the world. Fist fights were common in those days, and pugilistic encounters were always looked for on Saturdays and holidays, and especially on election days. There were several men that came early that had a sort of notion that they were monarchs of all they surveyed in the country round about. For the purpose of getting into a regular "knockdown" to enable them to show their muscular powers, they would pick a quarrel with one they had never seen about the most trivial thing, if by so doing they could bring on a fight. These word encounters generally took place after the participants had imbibed pretty freely of what was then called "red eye." After the lie had been freely passed, accompanied with bitter oaths and blackguard speech, and calling each other cowards and every mean thing that could be thought of, coats and "jackets" were hastily removed and the primitive pugilists began to maul each other with their naked fists with all the power they possessed. It was no child's play. They meant business, and the blood generally flowed in every direction the very first lick. It was great amusement for the entire population of the town who congregated in a circle around the belligerents to witness the fun. No effort was made to stop the quarrel or prevent the "clash of arms." They came to see the fun and the fellow who attempted to stop it was himself very likely to get into a fight for his impertinence in interfering with that which did not concern him.
These personal encounters seldom resulted in anything serious, or in making enemies of the belligerents. Each fighter had his friends who stood up manfully for their favorite, and it sometimes happened that several quarrels and knockdowns resulted from a single exhibition of the manly art.
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HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
After the fracas was over all hands generally made a bee-line for the saloon, where all differences were drowned in "a right good willie-waught" from the flowing bowl.
Politics Seventy Years Ago.
The following document, which shows the manner of conducting polit- ical campaigns seventy years ago, has been preserved among other historical matter to the present time. It is a circular letter written in "a good round hand," on foolscap paper, with the historic goose quill, and as there were no printing presses in this section of the state at that time it was undoubt- edly intended to be circulated in the various neighborhoods in the repre- sentative district from one to another until the "facts" therein stated had been fully understood by the voters :
Warsaw, Kosciusko County, Indiana, July 12, 1837. To the Citizens of the Counties of Marsball and Stark:
Fellow Citizens: We the undersigned citizens of the town of Warsaw and vicinity, in the county of Kosciusko and state of Indiana, would beg leave to represent to you that, viewing with much anxiety and feeling the importance of the coming election, and the course that has been and now is pursued by some designing men in this county to insure the election of their favorite candidate, whose views, interests and feelings are hostile and in direct opposition to what we conceive to be the true interest of the people of the western and southern portions of the representative district. In support of the expression we have made in relation to the unfriendly feelings manifested by the friends of some of the candidates, we would represent that all the internal improvements made on the north part of this county, and those that shall be hereafter constructed, would, as a matter of course, be supported by a man whose residence and interests are in the northern part of the county, to the entire exclusion of and benefit of the middle, southern and western portions of the county. An attempt, no doubt, will be made to cut off a portion from the south end of the county, and, should that be effected, it will be to the manifest injury of Marshall and Kosciusko counties.
Judge Perine is decidedly a northern man and will use his influence and interests to advance the improvements and promote the interests of all that may be considered hostile and in opposition to the middle, western and southern feelings and interests and spirit that we cherish and maintain toward this and our fellow counties if we give our support to a man entertaining such interests and feelings. A man from the central part of the county would be most likely to advocate and promote the interests and policy that would contribute to the advancement of these-Marshall and Stark-counties. Esquire Runyan, living in Leesburg, may with propriety be classed in the same range of politics with Perine, and is to all intents and purposes a northern man. We have been credibly informed that Peter Warner has declined, and is not in the race.
Now, gentlemen, let us suggest to you the propriety and advantage in supporting Col. Ludlow Nye. He is a central man and will use his industry, time and talents in advancing and bringing forward such measures as will conduce to the rise and progress of a system of internal improvements that shall benefit the representative district and forward the agricultural and commercial interests of the counties of Kosciusko, Mar- shall and Stark and redound to the honor of himself and his fellow citizens. These, gentlemen, are the sentiments we entertain in relation to the matters set forth in this circular, and in support of this candidate and in these measures we ardently ask your aid and hearty co-operation, and we pledge our united and undivided interest and exertions to promote and forward his election, and to support the measures by all honorable means in our power.
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