USA > Indiana > Marshall County > A twentieth century history of Marshall County, Indiana, Volume II > Part 34
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
C. A. REEVE. The name of C. A. Reeve is known throughout Mar- shall and adjoining counties from his long connection with the telephone interests of that section. He has been a lifelong resident of Marshall county, having been born in Plymouth December 25, 1855. He is a son of C. H. Reeve, who was born in New York and came in an early day to Laporte county, Indiana, with his parents.
Mr. Reeve was reared in Plymouth and there received his education. In 1882 he began his business career as manager for the local Bell Tele- phone Company and in 1885 became a half-owner in the newly organized Home Telephone Company, which began with a very small list of sub- scribers and one operator. In ten years after its organization Mr. Reeve became sole proprietor of the exchange, with a subscription list of five hundred and requiring seven operators to serve the interests of the rapidly growing concern. The service covered all of Marshall county, with trunk lines to adjoining counties. On August 1, 1907, Mr. Reeve sold out his entire interests and became president of the Marshall County Trust & Savings Company, of which he was one of the promoters and which opened for business December 16, 1907.
He was, on November 16, 1887, united in marriage to Miss Mary F.
le He REEVE
601
HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
Burroughs, of Indiana, and one child was born to them, a son, Charles Burroughs. Mr. Reeve spent his early days on the farm and has throughout his business career exemplified the principles of thrift and honesty in all his dealings.
ALFRED A. HUFF, a representative business man of Marshall county, has contributed in substantial measure to the commercial prosperity of Argos by the establishment and successful conduct of several enterprises. He readily recognizes and utilizes opportunities which others pass by heedlessly and to this characteristic is largely attributable the prosperity that he now enjoys. A native of Indiana, he was born in St. Joseph county August 29, 1866, his parents being Charles and Barbara (Friend) Huff. The father, who was one of the most progressive agriculturists of the county and a man whom to know was to respect and honor, was born in Germany April 3, 1829, and died on the 5th of October, 1900, at the age of seventy-one years. In his youth he came to America with his parents, Phillip and Catherine Huff, being then only about six years of age. The voyage across the Atlantic was made in a sailing vessel which eventually dropped anchor in the harbor of New York. The family home was established in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, where they remained until 1845, when they came to Marshall county, Indiana, set- tling in German township. There were fourteen children in the family, all of whom are now deceased.
Charles Huff was a youth of sixteen years at the time of the removal of the family to Marshall county. His educational advantages in youth were very limited, but he possessed an observing eye and retentive memory and he acquired by experience a knowledge of the world and of business that served him well in lieu of an education. After his mar- riage he spent two years in South Bend, Indiana. For a time he operated a sawmill near Bremen and subsequently removed to Missouri, where he entered government land, making his home in that state for some time. Later he returned to Marshall county and settled in Walnut township. where he was engaged in the operation of a sawmill for a number of years. He next purchased land, securing a tract upon which the old home stands today, and in 1885 he built the fine brick residence which continued to be his home until he was called to his final rest. He lived a life of untiring energy and what he undertook he carried forward to successful completion. In public enterprises he was regarded as a leader and co-operated largely in advancing measures for the public good. He and his brother were largely instrumental in building the I. P. & C. railroad, now the Lake Erie & Western, and owned at that time an extensive sawmill plant located just north of the present Lake Erie & Western Railroad depot. When the Nickel Plate Railroad was built he gave liberally of his time and means toward furthering the project and spent much money and energy in securing this trunk line for Argos.
On the 25th of September, 1850, Charles Huff was united in mar- riage, in St. Joseph county, Indiana, to Miss Barbara Friend and soon afterward settled in Bremen. She was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, January 28, 1832, and still survives her husband, living on the
602
HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
old homestead near Argos. Unto this worthy couple were born eight children, four of whom died in infancy, while four reached adult age, namely: Mrs. Sarah E. Finney, who has departed this life since the father's death; Ida C., the wife of James Bolin; Alford A., of this review; and Zua A., now the wife of Chris. Kreiger, of Argos. The death of Charles Huff occasioned deep and widespread regret, for he was a man of many friends, held in the highest esteem throughout the community. Such was the friendly regard for him that he was uniformly called Uncle Charley in Argos and this part of the county. He ever had a warm handclasp and a hearty, smiling greeting for all with whom he came in contact. He ever appreciated the good qualities of others and those who knew him valued his friendship and were anxious to win it. Ever honorable and upright, he lived in harmony with his pro- fessions as a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His political allegiance was given to the Democracy.
In his boyhood days Alfred A. Huff worked upon the home farm and attended school until he reached the age of seventeen. He then became his father's partner in farming operations and later in other business ventures. In 1896, having made a lake by the damming of certain waters, they built an icehouse on the bank and began dealing in ice, carrying on this business in connection with general agricultural pursuits. The relation between father and son was continued up to the former's death in 1900, since which time Alfred A. Huff has carried on his farming interests alone. In 1902 he built a cold storage plant, which he operates in connection with the icehouse and which has a capacity of forty cars. He is a wholesale dealer in beer and has built up a good business in the sale of Rochester, Mentone, Bremen, Inwood, Argos and Bourbon. He is farming two hundred and sixty-eight acres of rich and valuable land and upon the place are as fine improvements as can be found in the state of Indiana. In 1903 he built a modern bank barn, seventy-two by ninety-two feet, with cement basement, and in 1906-7 erected a most attractive residence of stone and brick, con- structed in modern style of architecture and richly and tastefully fur- nished. He has his lake well stocked with game fish and upon his farm he raises good grades of cattle and hogs. In addition to his other business interests he was one of the organizers of the Argos Furniture Manufacturing Company and is one of its board of directors. Thus his varied interests have been an element in the commercial activity and consequent prosperity of the town and he belongs to that class of repre- sentative American men who promote the public welfare in advancing individual success.
On the 24th of December, 1889, was celebrated the marriage of Alfred A. Huff and Miss Louise Swank, who was born in Kosciusko county, Indiana, and is a daughter of Adam and Mary (Heckaman) Swank, who lost her parents in girlhood. Her foster parents were Jacob and Elizabeth Yockey. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Huff have been born two children, Zola Joyce and Charles Dale.
In his political views Mr. Huff is a Democrat, but the honors and emoluments of office have had no attraction for him, as he has always preferred to concentrate his energies upon his business affairs, and in his
603
HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
work he has displayed untiring energy, quick perception and readiness in forming and executing his plans. In all things he has manifested an aptitude for successful management and is numbered among the repre- sentative agriculturists and business men of Argos and Marshall county.
JOHN GEORGE SCHROETER. In the early year of 1855, when this section of the country was but a vast wilderness, with its forests uncut and its lands uncultivated, there came to dwell within its borders a sturdy German couple, Jacob and Margaret Schroeter, who had left their native land of Germany in their early youth and were married in New York. From the Empire state they journeyed to Ohio, and in 1855 to Marshall county, Indiana, establishing their home one mile west of Bourbon, where they became the owners of forty acres of virgin land. In 1863 they transferred their residence to a farm four miles north of this city, where they purchased eighty acres of land and continued the cultivation and improvement of their estate until their busy and useful lives were ended in death. Mr. Schroeter answered to the call of death on the 23d of December, 1883, and he now sleeps beside the brave pioneers who blazed the way for future development in Marshall county.
During the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Schroeter in Stark county, Ohio, their son John G. was born March 28, 1852, and accompanying the family on their removal to Marshall county he received his educa- tional training in its public schools. After attaining to mature years he worked out by the day for a time, or until he was able to purchase a team and engage in the hauling of logs. For two years thereafter he operated a sawmill in German township, then worked for a year as a carpenter, and from 1884 until 1892 he operated a threshing machine, in which he owned a half interest. At the close of that period he pur- chased one hundred and five acres of land where he now lives, but at that time the farm was unimproved, without fences or buildings, and the pleasant and commodious residence which now stands thereon, as well as many other valuable improvements, are monuments to his industry and business ability.
On the 6th of December, 1888, Mr. Schroeter was united in mar- riage to Lizzie Foltz, a daughter of Nicholas Foltz, of Kosciusko county, Indiana. Mr. Schroeter is a member of the Lutheran Evangelical church. He is a Democrat in political sentiment.
WILLIAM F. BATES. In the death of William F. Bates Marshall county lost one of its most valued citizens. Many years of his life were spent within its borders, and during an extended period he was promi- nently identified with the agricultural interests of Tippecanoe township, · his fine estate consisting of two hundred and eighty acres only a mile and a half from the village of Tippecanoe, but eighty acres of the place has been sold to his son Frank. William F. Bates was an excellent business man, progressive in his views, and he commanded the respect of his fellowmen by his uprightness and his many admirable traits of character.
He was born in Portage county, Ohio, in 1866, a son of Frederick and Anna (Hickman) Bates, both also natives of that commonwealth,
604
HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
the mother born in Greene county, and the father was of English descent. Their son William grew to years of maturity on a farm in Ohio, and from his native state he came to Marshall county, Indiana, and enrolled his name among the leading business men and citizens of Tippecanoe township, prominently identified with its farming and milling interests. Mr. Bates married Miss Jennie Hoffman, a daughter of Henry and Lucinda (Bailor) Hoffman, both of whom were born in Pennsylvania, and the mother was a member of a Pennsylvania Dutch family. They came to Marshall county, Indiana, in 1840, an early epoch in its history, and for many years the father conducted a sawmill near the home farm of William F. Bates. He became prominent in the early life of his community, and his death occurred at the age of fifty-four, his wife being but fifty-two at the time of her death. In their family were eight children, five sons and three daughters, and the five now living are: Charles W., Frank, Alexander, Elizabeth and Jennie Bates. The three deceased are Rhoda, Vina and James F., all of whom attained mature years. The parents were members of the United Brethren church. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Bates: Alice Bailey, of South Bend; Anna, the wife of Herbert Laird, and they reside with her mother on the homestead; Frank, who lives south of the home farm, where he . is a successful farmer and stock buyer; Nellie Ellinger, of South Bend ; and Stella Plummer, of Tippecanoe township. The political affiliations of Mr. Bates were with the Republican party. He met a sad death in the streets of Bourbon on the 12th of May, 1906, leaving a grief-stricken wife and children to mourn his loss, while the community in which he had so long lived and labored mourned the loss of one of its truest and best citizens.
JACOB FIFER. The name of Jacob Fifer is closely associated with the early history of Tippecanoe township and Marshall county and he is a representative of one of its oldest and most prominent families. It was in a very early day in the county's history that Joseph Fifer, the father of Jacob, journeyed from his old home in Elkhart county, Indiana, to establish his home in the wilds of Tippecanoe township, this being in 1844, and on the present site of the home of his children, William and his sisters, he built his little log cabin and began the work of clearing and cultivating his land. The Indians were then numerous in this section of the state and Tippecanoe township was also the home of many wild animals and wild game. The son Jacob was quite a hunter in those early days, and many a deer and wild turkey have fallen before his trusty rifle. Joseph Fifer was a native of Pennsylvania, a member of a Hol- land Dutch family, and in his early life he went from his native state to Kentucky and thence to Ohio, where he was reared and later married to one of the commonwealth's native daughters, Nancy Myers, also of German descent. Her father served his country in the Indian wars and the War of 1812, and the father of Joseph Fifer served in the Revolutionary war under General Washington. After his marriage Joseph Fifer went to Elkhart county, Indiana, this being in about 1838, and a few years later, in 1844, he continued his journey to Marshall county. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Fifer, of whom four
605
HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
are now living: Jacob, William, Angeline and Susan, and those deceased are Joseph, Catherine, Ellen and Isaac. After a life devoted to agri- cultural pursuits Joseph Fifer was called to the home beyond at the age of fifty years, a Whig in his political affiliations and a member of the Evangelical church, as was also his wife, who long survived him and reached the age of seventy-three years. They were loved and honored by all who knew them, and their names are recorded high on the roll of the brave pioneers of Marshall county.
Jacob Fifer was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, near Dayton, March 18, 1833, and he was a little lad of eleven years at the time of the removal of the family to Marshall county, and he remained at home until his marriage. In 1864 he volunteered for service in the Civil war and was made a member of Company B, Eighty-third Infantry, General John A. Logan's command of the Fifteenth Corps, and participated in many of the hard-fought battles of the war, including the engagement of Kingston, North Carolina, and he was also at Rolla, that state, when General Johnston surrendered. Going to Washington, D. C., he par- ticipated in the Grand Review, and was mustered out of service at Louis- ville, Kentucky, receiving his discharge at Indianapolis, Indiana. Re- turning to his old home in Tippecanoe township, he resumed his agri- cultural labors and is now the owner of a fine estate of one hundred and five acres, well improved and under an excellent state of cultivation.
When he had reached the age of twenty-nine years Mr. Fifer mar- ried Nancy Jane Copeland, a native of Ohio. She was a daughter of Robert and Lucinda Copeland, prominent early residents of Marshall county, and at her death, in the fall of 1906, she left five children : Schuyler Colfax, a resident of Chicago, Illinois; Mahala Hetzner, who is with her father; Pleasant Mikesell, of Talma, Indiana; William, con- nected with a wholesale house in Indianapolis, Indiana; and Lucinda Pomeroy, a resident of Plymouth, Indiana. Four children are also deceased, Matilda Finley, two who died in infancy, and one in later years. Mrs. Fifer was a member of the Baptist church, and she proved to her family a true and loving counsellor until her life's work was ended in deathı.
JOHN F. BECK, deceased, was identified with the business interests of Marshall county for forty years, but his birth occurred in Elkhart county, Indiana, March 14, 1833. His father, Simeon Beck, was born in Kentucky, as was also the maternal grandfather, but his daughter, Mary Williams, who became the wife of Simeon Beck, was born in southern Indiana, and her death occurred on the 27th of June, 1872. In their family were the following children: Celena, Ann Caroline, William Monroe (a resident of Milford, Indiana), John F., David, George G., Elias and Sarah Ann. David died in California just two days after the death of his brother, John F., in Marshall county. The family are adherents of the Methodist Episcopal church, and politically they have allied their interests with the Republican party.
John F. Beck was born and grew to years of maturity on the old homestead in Elkhart county, near Goshen, attending the old-time log schoolhouses of the neighborhood. In 1867, with his mother and
6OG
HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
brothers, he left his childhood's home and journeyed to Marshall county, Indiana, where he became the owner of a fine estate of two hundred and forty acres in Tippecanoe township.
On the 18th of October, 1866, Mr. Beck was united in marriage to Annetta Watson, who was a successful and popular teacher before her marriage. She was born in Delaware county, Ohio, August 24, 1846, a daughter of Cyrus C. Watson, also a native of Delaware county and a son of William Watson, who claimed Connecticut as the commonwealth of his nativity, and the family were originally from England. In Mor- row county, Ohio, Cyrus Watson married Sally Poorman, who was born in Pennsylvania and was a member of a Pennsylvania German family. In 1854 they established their home on a farm in Center township, near Inwood, and afterwards at Bourbon, where the wife and mother died in 1897, and Mr. Watson died at the home of Mrs. Beck when eighty-five years of age. During the Civil war he served as a soldier in Company B, One Hundred and Fifty-fifth Regiment. In their family were three daughters: Sarah Frances Stockman, of Texas; Mrs. Elnora Jackson, of Talequah, Indian Territory, and Mrs. Annetta Beck. The only son, Martin Watson, died in Wisconsin. Mr. Watson, the father, was a stanch Republican in his political affiliations, and both he and his wife were members of the United Brethren church. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Beck, namely: Melvin, who resides on the old home- stead farm and is one of the best known business men of the community ; Mary Kesler, who resides in Texas; Sarah E., the wife of H. H. Herald, a harness maker and postmaster of Patricksburg, Indiana; Chloe A. Wood, of Tippecanoe township; and Celena, who married Ora E. Reed and resides in Center township. The political affiliations of Mr. Beck were with the Republican party, and he held membership relations with the United Brethren church. He was loved and honored for his many noble traits of character, and in his death, which occurred on the 25th of September, 1901, Marshall county lost one of its prominent business men, one who had been long identified with its agricultural interests. Mrs. Beck is also a member of the United Brethren church.
WILLIAM L. YANTISS, one of the three commissioners of Marshall county, is a representative of one of the county's earliest and most promi- nent families. The founder of the name here was the grandfather of W. L. Yantiss, John Yantiss, who with his wife, Mary Iden, cast his lot with its pioneer residents of 1858. He was born in the Old Dominion state of Virginia, and in 1846 the family became residents of Huntington county, Indiana, from whence they journeyed to Marshall county. In their family were four sons: J. J .; Jonah L., who lost his life in the service of his country during the Civil war, serving in the Seventy-third Indiana Infantry, and he was but seventeen years old at the time of his death; Damerio, deceased; and David, a resident of Fulton county. J. J. Yantiss was born in Ohio in 1842 and was but a lad when he came with his parents to Marshall county,, Indiana. At the inauguration of the Civil war he offered his services to his country's cause and became a member of the Seventy-third Indiana Volunteer Infantry, Company F, serving for three years as a brave and loyal soldier. For his wife he
607
HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
chose Elizabeth Riley, who was to him a true and loving helpmate in the journey of life. She was born and reared in Indiana, her parents having been numbered among the early pioneers of Wayne county, and her father was of Scotch ancestry. Two of her brothers, George and James Riley, served their country during its Civil war, and one is now living in Kansas and the other in Oklahoma. The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Yantiss: Malvin P., who resides near Hills- dale in Wisconsin; W. L., the subject of this review; and Manferd E., employed in railroad service. The wife and mother was called to the home beyond on the Ioth of March, 1893, when forty-four years of age. She was a member of the Wesleyan Methodist church. Her husband still survives her and resides in the county which he helped to transform from a wilderness to its present high state of perfection. He is liberal in his religious views and is a Republican in his political affiliations.
W. L. Yantiss was born on the old home farm of his grandfather in Tippecanoe township, Marshall county, January 1, 1870, and the educational training which he received in its district schools was supple- mented by attendance at the high school. He assisted his father in the work of the farm until the age of twenty-one, when, on the 28th of July, 1891, he was married to Catherine Grace, a daughter of Jacob and Louisa (Cupp) Grace, prominent and well known residents of Tippe- canoe township. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Yantiss-Gracie Chloe, Joseph Glenn and Jacob Cleo. Mr. Yantiss actively and efficiently upholds the principles of the Republican party, and in the fall of 1904 was its choice for the office of county commis- sioner. He is a good business man and is the owner of one hundred and forty acres in Tippecanoe township. He is a scion of one of the pioneer families of Indiana, and is inscribing his own name on the pages of its political and industrial history.
JAMES A. WORSHAM. One of the most prominent of Marshall county's business men is James A. Worsham, the proprietor of a sawmill in Tippecanoe township and also interested in the S. J. Peabody Lumber Company. His mill was erected in 1899, and has a capacity of five thousand feet daily, while during the past five months he has cut for the Peabody Company four hundred thousand feet of natural lumber. Mr. Worsham thoroughly understands the milling business in all its details and he has made his mill one of the leading industries of Marshall county.
He was born in Fayette county, Indiana, July 10, 1861, a son of Jeremiah Worsham, Jr., and a grandson of Jeremiah, Sr. Charles Worsham was killed in battle during the Civil war. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Maria Shores, was born in southern Indiana, and her father, Thomas Shores, was also a native of the southland. Jeremiah Worsham, Jr., died when his son James was but six years of age, leaving his widow with five children. His business career was devoted to the tilling of the soil, his political affiliations were with the Democracy, and his entire life was characterized by the utmost fidelity to the duties of life. Mrs. Worsham was a member of the Christian church.
James A. Worsham was taught the value of industry in his early
608
HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
life, and his first employment was in a mill on the Tippecanoe river, while later he spent one year at Hoffman's lake, and for six years he conducted a profitable business in Kosciusko county. In 1899 he became a resident of Tippecanoe township and in the same year erected his mill. In Plymouth, in 1881, by the Rev. Parker, he was married to Ida Hubler, a daughter of M. and Catherine Hubler, the former of whom is an ex-soldier of the Civil war. The six children of Mr. and Mrs. Worsham are Bessie Spencer, Alfred, Mabel, Ethel, Emanuel and Thomas S. The eldest daughter is married and resides on her father's farm of forty- four acres three and a half miles east of the village of Tippecanoe. Alfred, the eldest son, married Miss Nellie Hall and resides in Tippe- canoe, Indiana. The third child in order of birth, Walter, died in infancy. Mr. Worsham exercises his right of franchise in support of the principles of the Democratic party. He began life for himself empty handed at the early age of twelve years and all he has accumulated he has earnestly toiled for. He is known by all as a gentleman of the strictest integrity and great credit is due him.
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.