USA > Indiana > Henry County > Hazzard's history of Henry county, Indiana, 1822-1906, Volume I > Part 32
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 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71
Mr. Shoemaker is a member of Middletown Lodge, No. 97, I. O. O. F .; he also belongs to George W. Rader Post, No. 119, Grand Army of the Republic, Mid- (lletown, and is a member of the Christian Church, a denomination having a large following in Fall Creek and adjoining townships in Henry and Delaware Counties. Politically, he has been a stalwart Republican during his whole life, and in 1868 cast his first presidential vote for that grim warrior, Ulysses S. Grant, whom he had followed through the Vicksburg Campaign. He also voted for James G. Blaine, the ideal American citizen, in 1884, and with many others shared in the sorrow of his defeat.
Two brothers of Mr. Shoemaker also took part in the Civil War, the one being Sanford Harrison, and the other, Silas Marion. Both enlisted in Company G, 7th Indiana Cavalry, and were mustered into the service of the United States, as privates, September 5, 1863. Upon the re-organization of the regiment, they were transferred to Company F, of the re-organized body, and were mustered out February 18, 1866. They were faithful soldiers and were honorably discharged from the service.
Several other members of the large family of Shoemakers, residing in and about Middletown, enlisted in the army during the Civil War. Henry Shoemaker enlisted in Company E, 8th Indiana Infantry (three years) and was mustered into the service of the United States, as a private, September 5, 1861 ; veteranized ; mustered out August 28, 1865, after four years of arduous and honorable service. John M. Shoemaker enlisted in Company H, 69th Indiana Infantry, and was mus- tered into the service of the United States, as a private, August 19, 1862 ; wounded at Vicksburg, Mississippi, May 22, 1863 ; mustered out July 5, 1865. He too was a brave soldier and an active participant in the various battles, engagements and skirmishes of the "Old 69th." John P. Shoemaker enlisted as a private in Company C, 109th Indiana Infantry (Morgan Raid), and afterwards in Company B, 134th Indiana Infantry, and was mustered into the service of the United States, May 24, 1864; he was mustered out September 14, 1864. Joseph R. Shoemaker enlisted in Company B, 134th Indiana Infantry, and was mustered into the service of the United States, as a private, May 24, 1864; he was mustered out Septem- ber 14, 1864. All of the above named are grandsons of John and Elizabeth Shoemaker.
From the foregoing it will be readily seen that the Shoemaker family was a loyal and patriotic one, and that its several members did their whole duty towards the Government in its hour of peril.
ANCESTRY OF MRS. LEVI P. SHOEMAKER.
The parents of Mrs. Levi P. Shoemaker, mentioned above, belong to the well known family of Van Matre, treated of at length in the succeeding biographical sketch of Cyrus Van Matre, to which reference is made. Joseph Perry Van Matre
284
HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
was a nephew of David, the father of Cyrus. His father's name was John and his mother was Margaret, a sister of David, the two being distantly related. The father came from Fayette and located in Delaware County, near the Cross Roads, January 5, 1827, where himself and family thereafter resided. They were up- right, industrious people and part and parcel of the Van Matre family, who from the earliest settlement have been so numerous and so well known in Henry and Delaware Counties, in the Richwoods neighborhood.
-вучих (Ban Imalu
285
HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF CYRUS VAN MATRE.
LIEUTENANT, COMPANY E, 8TH INFANTRY REGIMENT, INDIANA VOLUNTEERS (THREE YEARS ) ; COUNTY COMMISSIONER AND AGRICULTURIST.
The Van Matre family came originally from Holland, the prefix "Van" to a surname uniformly indicating the bearer thereof to be a Hollander, either by birth or descent. It appears that among the first of the family was Emanuel Van Meteren (since changed by the family in America to Van Matre), who was the author of a "History of the Netherlands and Her Neighbors," a book published in 1597. Emanuel was born at Antwerp, June 9, 1535. His father was Jacob Van Meteren, of Breda, a son of one Cornelius Van Meteren. The father of Emanuel in his youth learned the "noble art of typesetting," and his most valuable work was the translation and the printing of the entire English Bible to the great for- warding of the Kingdom of Christ in England. He was assisted in this work by Miles Coverdale, the learned English student, after whom the book is called "The Coverdale Bible." Emanuel Van Meteren, during all his life, was faithful in the discharge of the many important duties which fell to his lot. He was an intensely religious man and suffered many and great deprivations because thereof. He died April 8, 1612.
Just when the Van Matres emigrated from Holland to America is not definitely stated, but it is clear that the American family is descended, in the direct line, from Cornelius Van Meteren through Jacob, Emanuel, Gisbertsen, Jan Gisbertsen, Kryn, John (senior) to John (junior) who is known to have lived near Martins- burg, West Virginia, as early as 1750. From there the family is traced through Abraham, son of John (junior) and his son, Joseph, to West Liberty, Ohio County, West Virginia. Joseph had a son, also named Joseph, who was the father of David Van Matre, the last named being the father of the subject of this sketch.
During the year 1796, the Van Matres emigrated from Ohio County, West Virginia, to Highland County, Ohio. Later the family moved to Fayette County, Indiana, settling near the old town of Alquina, about five miles from Connersville. They resided at this place for several years and then moved to near Yorktown, Delaware County, Indiana. . The first of this family to locate in Delaware County was David, the father of Cyrus, who came in the Spring of 1825, accompanied by his father, Joseph, and his older brother, William. David Van Matre entered a quarter section of land in Delaware County, located immediately north of the farm now owned by Cyrus Van Matre, two miles northeast of Middletown, Henry County, all of which was at one time owned by Cyrus, and of which he still possesses eighty acres. The land on which Cyrus Van Matre resides was entered in 1828 by Abner Van Matre, a great uncle of Cyrus and the patents for all the land entered by David and Abner, signed by President John Quincy Adams, in his own hand, are now prized possessions of Cyrus Van Matre.
David Van Matre was born July 18, 1805, in Highland County, Ohio, and died December 20, 1882, near Middletown. His wife, whose maiden name was Maria Van Matre, a distant relative, was born February 7, 1804. She was a native of Adams County, Ohio. She died December 8, 1882. Both are buried in the Painter Cemetery, near Middletown. They were married in Fayette County,
286
HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
Indiana, about 1822. Their children were Henry J., born March 5, 1823; Mary Jane, born December 17, 1824, now widow of Mathias Pittser, of near Holden, Missouri; Elma, born October 21, 1827, widow of William Pittser, of Delaware County ; Samantha, born January 19, 1830, afterwards Mrs. David Nation, now deceased ; Joseph, born January 16, 1832; Absalom, born January 4, 1834; Abner, born May 14, 1837 ; Cyrus ; Naomi J., born May 29, 1844, now wife of William A. Painter, one of Fall Creek Township's most prosperous farmers and a substantial citizen, of near Middletown; and Maria, born July II, 1846, widow of the late Charles C. Shedron, of Middletown.
David Van Matre, the father of Cyrus, was a prominent member of a repre- sentative family. He was a pioneer and lived to see the county developed to its present prosperity. He was a remarkably industrious, hard working, economical man. He lived an upright, honest and honorable life and to him and his nobility of conduct as a citizen is attributed very much of the excellence of the character of the neighborhood in which he lived. This particular section of country is known far and wide as the Richwoods settlement and it is surely entitled to all the praise bestowed upon it. Mr. Van Matre and his estimable wife went hand in hand, living consistent, praiseworthy lives. They were members of the Methodist Protestant Church and never deviated from the path of religious duty. Mr. Van Matre was an ardent friend and supporter of the cause of education. He was a staunch Whig and then Republican, believing it to be the party of reform and right, and ever did faithful work to ensure the party success.
CYRUS VAN MATRE.
Cyrus Van Matre, with whose life and character this sketch has most to do, was born in Salem Township, Delaware County, Indiana, February 19, 1839, and was the fifth son of David and Maria Van Matre. His boyhood days were in no wise different from those of the farmer boys of the period. He labored on the farm, during the Spring, Summer and Fall, and attended school in the Winter. During his youth, however, he met with a serious accident, having been caught underneath a falling tree which he had been chopping. The tree lodged and springing back at the base caught his left leg just above the ankle joint, breaking the ankle bone and cutting the leg nearly off. This wound was long in healing and has ever since given him a limp quite distinguishable in his walk.
At the commencement of the Civil War, he enlisted at the first call for volunteers in Company B, 8th Indiana Infantry (three months), and was mustered into the service of the United States, as a private, April 25, 1861. He served with the company and regiment during the full term and with it participated in the battle of Rich Mountain, July II, 1861. Returning to his home August 8, 1861, he again enlisted on August 16, 1861, in what became Company E, 8th Indiana Infantry (three years). He assisted in organizing this company and was mus- tered into the service of the United States, as Sergeant, September 5, 1861. He was later appointed First Sergeant of the company. He took part in every battle of the regiment from Pea Ridge, Arkansas, March 5-8, 1862, to Cedar Creek, Virginia, October 19, 1864, besides numerous affairs and skirmishes. The history of the 8th Indiana is the military history of Cyrus Van Matre, and should be taken as found in the preceding chapter, in connection with this sketch, to complete his military career.
287
HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
In the charge at Vicksburg, Mississippi, May 22, 1863, Sergeant Van Matre was wounded in the right arm, the ball passing entirely through the limb about half way between the elbow and the shoulder. The wound so far disabled him as to unfit him for service and he was sent home on a sixty-day furlough. He rejoined the regiment at Carrollton, Louisiana, shortly after the fall of Vicks- burg, July 4, 1863. He was afterwards promoted and commissioned First Lieu- tenant of his company, February 24, 1864, for gallantry in action. As First Lieu- tenant he was transferred with his company to Virginia and participated with his regiment in all the engagements throughout the Shenandoah Valley. At the battle of Cedar Creek, during which General Sheridan made the ride from Winchester, immortalized in the poem of Thomas Buchanan Read, entitled "Sheridan's Ride," Lieutenant Van Matre was struck by a minie ball on the angle of the left jaw, the missile passing entirely through his face and neck and coming out at the base of the brain, passing in its flight within a hair's breadth of the jugular vein. It was a narrow escape from instant death and when the victim was first carried from the field, it was the feeling of his comrades that he would soon die. From the field hospital he was soon taken to the hospital at Harper's Ferry and from there furloughed home. This second wound rendered Lieutenant Van Matre unfit for further active service ; but on his recovery, he returned December 1, 1864, to his regiment and on the Surgeon's certificate of total disability resigned three days later, thus closing his military career.
His resignation being accepted, he returned to the home of his father and did nothing for a year or more but to seek health and strength. During his two enlistments he had been all of the time on active duty, except the furlough men- tioned above, for a period of three years and seven months. His long rest at home after his retirement from the army restored his shattered health and he then resumed the life of a farmer.
On October 23, 1867, Lieutenant Van Matre was married to Sarah Catharine, daughter of the Reverend Samuel and Mary Sayford, and immediately took up his residence on the farm which he now owns and occupies. Mrs. Van Matre was a native of Roanoke County, Virginia, where she was born February 13, 1840 She died January 27, 1901, and is buried in the Miller Cemetery, near Middle- town. To this union were born two sons, namely: Dr. Cassius Emmett Van Matre, a popular practicing physician of New Castle, Indiana, born November 13, 1868, and Augustus Abner, a prosperous farmer, living near his father's place, born December 13, 1870. Something more than four years after the death of his first wife, Lieutenant Van Matre was married to Laura Virginia Sayford, March 19, 1905. She was born August 25, 1850, and is a sister of his first wife. A brief sketch of the Sayford family is appended to this article.
No man in Fall Creek Township has filled a more important place in its history than Cyrus Van Matre. He has always taken an active part socially and politically in the affairs of the township and county. From the time he became a voter, when he supported the immortal Lincoln, down to the present, he has been a strong Republican and his standing in the community may be judged from the fact that in 1876, unsolicited and without opposition, he was elected County Com- missioner, and at the expiration of his term was re-elected, serving altogether for a period of six years. He was regarded as a faithful, painstaking, economical officer and performed all the manifold duties of the office with scrupulous fidelity.
288
HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
He was one of the original stockholders and was active in the organization of the Farmers' Bank of Middletown, of which he was also afterwards a director. Later he sold his stock to Nimrod R. Elliott, the first President of the Bank. Mr. and Mrs. Van Matre are members of the Lutheran Church at Richwoods and are both its warm supporters. He is a member of George W. Rader Post, Number 119, Grand Army of the Republic, Middletown.
Mr. Van Matre's farm embraces about three hundred acres, is well improved and the land highly cultivated. The dwelling is a modern brick structure and the barns large and sufficient: He pays attention to the raising of improved breeds of stock and among his neighbors stands as an up-to-date farmer.
Two brothers of Cyrus Van Matre also took part in the Civil War. . Abner enlisted in Company E, 8th Indiana Infantry (three years). He was born May 14, 1837, and died December 12, 1895, at Holden, Missouri, where his remains are buried. Joseph enlisted in Company F, 57th Indiana Infantry. He was born January 16, 1832, and died in the Marine Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri, May 10, 1862. His remains are buried in the Painter Cemetery, near Middletown, Indiana.
Of the two children of Cyrus Van Matre, one, Dr. Cassius E. Van Matre above mentioned, was married September 16, 1896, to Minnie May McFarland, of Springfield, Ohio. She is a native of Lancaster, Fairfield County, in that State. and graduated from the High School in Springfield. She was, until her marriage, an accomplished and successful teacher in the Springfield public schools. The other son, Augustus Abner, was united in marriage to May Lois Davis, December 28, 1892. She is the daughter of Benjamin H. and Julia A. Davis of Middletown, and was born August 14, 1871. Their children are Herschel Davis, born January 31, 1894; Julia Catharine, born September 14, 1895 ; a son born September 25, 1898, died in infancy and is buried in Miller cemetery; Mary Elizabeth, born April 6, 1900 ; and Benjamin Cyrus, named after his two grandfathers, born May 21, 1904.
Charles C. Shedron, who married Maria, a sister of Mr. Van Matre, was a gallant soldier of the Civil War in Company H, 69th Indiana Infantry. His record will be found in the roster of that regiment followed by an appropriate bio- graphical sketch.
David Nation, who married Samantha, another sister, served in the 69th Indiana Infantry, as Captain of Company B, being mustered in August 19, 1862. He resigned on account of ill health, February 18, 1863.
Cyrus Pittser, a nephew of Mr. Van Matre and named after him, served with his uncle in Company E, 8th Indiana Infantry (three years). He was mustered into the service September 5, 1861, and died at New Orleans, October 7, 1863. His remains rest in Grave Number 3.751, Chalmette National Cemetery, near New Orleans. He was a gallant soldier. Another nephew, Warren Pittser, also served in the Civil War, but his regiment and company are not now ascertainable.
In the Alphabetical list of soldiers and sailors from Henry County, as pub- lished in this History, will be found the names of a large number of Van Matres, other than as above mentioned, showing how patriotic this particular family was. They were all directly or indirectly related.
THE SAYFORD FAMILY.
Samuel Sayford, son of John and Elizabeth (Shaeffer) Sayford, was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, February 16, 1806. His parents were natives of Ger-
3
28
HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
many. His father, dying early in life, left the care of the family to his widow. Both himself and wife died and are buried at Harrisburg.
At the age of eighteen, Samuel was received into the Evangelical Lutheran Church and about 1831 began to study for the ministry. He took a theological course at the Gettysburg Seminary, Pennsylvania, and left there in 1835 to begin his ministerial labors in Botetourt, Floyd and Roanoke Counties, Virginia, where he continued until 1848, when he came to Indiana and settled near Honey Creek, Henry County. In 1849 he moved to Salem Township, Delaware County, locating on the farm now owned by Augustus A. Van Matre (his grandson), on which also stands the Richwoods Lutheran Church.
He married Mary, daughter of Michael and Elizabeth (Trout) Miller (both of whom were of German descent), near Salem, Roanoke County, Virginia, April II, 1837, and to them were born seven children, namely : Elizabeth Henrietta, now Mrs. George Young, of Cross Roads, Delaware County; Sarah Catharine, after- wards Mrs. Cyrus Van Matre, now deceased; Augustus Luther, born May 20, 1842; Mary Ellen, wife of John W. Bell, Superintendent of the County Asylum ; Emma Frances, now Mrs. Rush H. Cramer, of near Cross Roads ; Laura Virginia, now Mrs. Cyrus Van Matre; and William Edmund Miller. The first five were born in Virginia, the other two in Delaware County, Indiana. All who are men- tioned as deceased are buried in Miller Cemetery. John and Elizabeth (Trout) Miller are buried near Salem, Roanoke County, Virginia.
The ministerial work of Samuel Sayford in Indiana extended over the counties of Delaware, Henry, Madison and Randolph until 1864, when he retired on account of failing health, preaching occasionally, however, until his death November 18, 1865. He was a Republican in politics and an enthusiastic union man during the Civil War. The son, Augustus Luther Sayford, was a member of Company H, 69th Indiana Infantry, and was killed at Port Gibson, Mississippi, May 1, 1863. He was buried on the battlefield but the remains were afterwards removed to the Vicksburg National Cemetery and re-interred in the unknown list.
19
290
HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF JOHN WESLEY WHITWORTH.
CORPORAL, COMPANY E, 8TH INFANTRY REGIMENT, INDIANA VOLUNTEERS (THREE YEARS ) ; COUNTY COMMISSIONER AND FARMER.
. John Wesley Whitworth is a worthy citizen of Henry County, whose record as a soldier of the Civil War, as a county official, as an agriculturist and as a citizen, designates him as one of the most prominent and most progressive of all who have figured in the affairs of the county.
The father of the subject of this sketch, William B. Whitworth, a son of Archibald and Elizabeth Whitworth, was born in Guilford County, North Carolina, August 4, 1814. At the age of fifteen years, he came with his uncle, Judge John Tomlinson, to Indiana, settling in Delaware County, where the latter entered two hundred and forty acres of land. He remained with Judge Tomlinson for a period of five years and then went to Muncie, Indiana, where he began to learn the trade of a carpenter. He soon left Muncie and came to Henry County, where on October 14, 1835, he entered land in Jefferson Township, the same being the west half of the southeast quarter of section eleven, township eighteen north, range nine east, eighty acres. On this land, which was afterwards brought to a very high state of cultivation, he continued to live until his death. His son, William W. Whitworth, now owns this property and makes it his home.
William B. Whitworth was married October 4, 1835, to Elizabeth, daughter of Judge John Tomlinson and Elizabeth, his wife. She was a native of Rowan County, North Carolina, where she was born October 20, 1810. She died Sep- tember 28, 1853, and is buried in Painter Cemetery, two and a half miles northeast of Middletown. The fruits of this union were six children, namely : Sarah Anın, deceased ; Margaret, now the wife of Vincent Cummins; John W., the subject of this sketch; Mary E., afterwards the wife of Abraham White, now deceased; Sanford; Jemima J., now the wife of Joseph Hurst. William B. Whitworth was again married, on May 28, 1854, his second wife being Catharine, daughter of Richard and Henrietta Deaver. She was born in Rowan County, North Carolina, December 8, 1823, and came from there with her parents, first to Wayne County, Indiana, in 1828, and then to Henry County in 1835. To this union were born eight children, namely : Eliza J., deceased; Celinda, now Mrs. Patrick Smith, of Anderson, Indiana; Celica C., now the wife of Dr. Jasper T. Englerth, of Honey Creek; William W .; Catharine, now Mrs. John F. Coffman, of Alexandria, Indiana; Emma, now Mrs. Stansberry B. Tibbs, who lives with her husband about three miles north of where she was born; Ulysses S. G., deceased, and Philip H. S. The two daughters, Catharine and Emma, are twins.
William B. Whitworth died February 19, 1895, and his wife, Catharine (Deaver) Whitworth, died February 25, 1891. Both are buried in the Miller Cemetery, two and a half miles east of Middletown.
He was, for many years, a well known citizen of the county, and, in the neighborhood where he lived, no one occupied a higher place in the esteem of the people. He was an extremely industrious man and freely assisted in every movement having for its object the well-being or betterment of the community. He was a radical Republican and during the exciting times from 1856, which
John wwhitworth
29I
HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
witnessed the birth of that political organization, down to and through the Civil War, and afterwards, even to the time of his death, he was a familiar figure in all political campaigns. Because of his intense political enthusiasm, he was appro- priately styled "Old Ben Wade," after one of the Ohio senators, a name at one time familiar to all who admired American pluck.
JOHN WESLEY WHITWORTH.
John Wesley Whitworth, of whom this article especially treats, son of Wil- liam B. and Elizabeth (Tomlinson) Whitworth, was born March 19, 1841, in Jefferson Township, Henry County, Indiana. During his younger years, he remained on his father's farm, which he helped to bring into a high state of cultivation, and during the same period received such education as was then furnished by the ordinary country schools of the neighborhood. He was united in marriage with Permelia Ann Marlow, June 27, 1867. She was the daughter of Jolinson and Naomi Marlow, and was born two and a half miles south of New Castle, Henry County, Indiana, January 26, 1847. Her parents were early settlers in Henry County, and lived for many years, immediately south of New Castle, in the Elliott, Shelley and Stinson neighborhood. To this union were born three children, namely : Charles E., born August 8, 1871, died March 15, 1874, and is buried in the Miller Cemetery, near Middletown; Bert, born March 21, 1875; and Joseph S., born July 12, 1878. The son, Bert, was married August 23, 1899, to Rosa E., daughter of James F., and Julia A. Webb, of near Maxwell, Hancock County, Indiana. This lady was born October 7, 1880. To their union were born three children, namely : Neva F., born November 9, 1900; Lloyd G., born Novem- ber 27, 1902; died February 2, 1903, and buried in Miller Cemetery ; Veva E., born December 15, 1903. The other son, Joseph S., was married November 22, 1900, to Lottie L., daughter of Miles P. and Martha (Riggs) Cannon, who live two and a half miles west of New Castle. She was born January 4, 1881. They have one child, Floyd L., born September 24, 1901. Both Bert and Joseph S. Whitworth are practical farmers and have comfortable homes within sight of their father's homestead.
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.