History of Dearborn County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions, Part 91

Author: Archibald Shaw
Publication date: 1915
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1123

USA > Indiana > Dearborn County > History of Dearborn County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 91

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).

SAMUEL AYRES VAN HORN.

As the shadow moves along the dial, but no one perceived it moving ; and it appears that the grass has grown, though nobody ever saw it grow; so the advances made in knowledge. as they consist of such insensible steps, are only perceivable at a distance. The same truly may be said of the progress of communities in a civic. social and industrial way. The present generation is conscious of the countless advantages shared by all the mem- bers of the community, but rarely is thought given as to how these advan tages were secured. it requiring the perspective of history to bring into view the insensible steps by which the present lofty heights were reached. It is this perspective which volumes of this character design to lend to the view. A rigid comparison of the days of the pioneers of this community with those of the present generation is as startling as it is illuminating. and if this historical and biographical work shall do no more than to create within the breasts of the younger generation of readers a vivid and comprehensive appreciation of the blessings they so readily accept as common gifts. the labor of its compilation shall have been well requited. There are still a few of the pioneers remaining in this section who have seen these commonly- accepted blessings slowly bud and blossom and fructify, and it is of one of these that this brief biography shall treat. the venerable Samuel Ayres Van Horn, of Lawrenceburg. one of the best known and most highly regarded

Digitized by Google

913

DEARBORN COUNTY, INDIANA.

citizens of Dearborn county, a man to whom his community owes much for the active part he has taken in the development of the same.

Samuel Ayres Van Horn, a retired hay dealer, who lives at 159 Ridge avenue, Lawrenceburg, Indiana, was born on York ridge, in York town- ship, Dearborn county, Indiana, January 15, 1833, the son of Cornelius and Lydia (Ayres) Van Horn, the former of whom was a native of New York state and the latter of whom was a native of Virginia, early settlers of this county.

Cornelius Van Horn was the son of Cornelius Van Horn, a native New Yorker, who came to Dearborn county by way of Cincinnati in which latter city he resided a while before coming here in 1816, when Cornelius, Jr., was eight years of age. He first located on Tanner's creek, but later bought land on York ridge, in York township, where he and his wife spent . the remainder of their lives, both living to good old ages. They were the parents of four children, Andrew, Cornelius, John and Jane. Cornelius, the second of these, grew to manhood on the paternal farm and remained a farmer all his life, becoming one of the most important factors in the develop- ment of that section of the county. He married Lydia Ayres, daughter of Samuel Ayres, one of the pioneer settlers of the Cincinnati neighborhood, whose father had a large farm near Mount Pleasant, where he and his wife lived to ripe old age and where they reared a family of five children, Stephen, Samuel, Emaline, Julia and Anna.

To Cornelius and Lydia (Ayres) Van Horn were born seven children, namely : John, who died in California in 1912; Samuel A., the immediate subject of this sketch; Stephen, deceased; Elizabeth, who died unmarried; Angelina, deceased; Harrison, who died in Los Angeles, California, in December, 1914, and George Cornelius, deceased. Cornelius Van Horn was one of the most prominent farmers in York township, owning a fine farm of three hundred and fifty acres on York ridge, and he and his wife, both of whom were earnest members of the Methodist church, were active in all the good works of the community and were held in the highest repute throughout the entire countryside. He died at the age of eighty-two, his wife having preceded him to the grave a few years previously.

Samuel A. Van Horn was reared on the paternal farm on York ridge, growing into a full knowledge of the ways of successful farming, and remained at home until the time of his marriage. In the days of Mr. Van Horn's boyhood the schools were not as well organized as in this day and he therefore did not possess the wonderful advantages in that line possessed (58).

Digitized by Google

914

DEARBORN COUNTY, INDIANA.

by the youth of today, his schooling being limited to attendance on the neighborhood school, which was secured by subscription of the settlers thereabout, but three months in the year. He availed himself of these meager advantages with such good effect, however, that he himself became a school teacher and for twelve years taught school in his home and other townships during the winter months. He then engaged in farming on his own respon- sibility, leaving home to take a farm on Wilson creek, in Lawrenceburg township, where he remained until the year 1865, in which year he moved into Lawrenceburg and engaged in the hay and grain business, in which he became quite successful and which he followed for nearly fifty years. at the end of which time he turned the business over to his son, William A., and his son-in-law, George T. Bateman, and is now living retired in his pleasant home on Ridge avenue, in Greendale, a surburb of the city of Lawrenceburg. calmly enjoying the evening of his life, well content with the ripe fruitage of his active career.

On Christmas Day, in the year 1862, Samuel A. Van Horn was united in marriage with Elizabeth Lockwood Emerson, who was born in the year 1838, in this county, the daughter of pioneer settlers of the Wrights Corners neighborhood, in Miller township. Her parents were natives of England. who came to this country and settled in Miller township at an early day in the settlement of that part of the county and there spent the remainder of their lives, rearing a family of children, six of whom lived to maturity, William, Thomas, John, Mary, Frances and Elizabeth.

To Samuel A. and Elizabeth Lockwood (Emerson) Van Horn were born five children: Angie Lou, who died in infancy; Alma. who died at the tender age of seven years; William Emerson, who died in infancy: and William A. and Fannie Belle, of whom William A. is now the only sur- vivor. Fannie Belle Van Horn, who married George Bateman. died on December 17, 1914, leaving her husband and two children, Frances Lock- wood and George Emerson. William A. Van Horn is engaged in the hay and grain business in Cincinnati and has made quite a success of his business. He married Anna Kurtzman and to this union were born three children. Elizabeth, Cornelius Earl and Elmer. Mrs. Samuel A. Van Horn died in May, 1901, at the age of sixty-three years. She was an earnest member of the Presbyterian church and her children were reared in the faith of that church. Mr. Van Horn long has been actively identified with the Presby- terian congregation in Lawrenceburg and for twenty years or more, in the more active days of his career, was a trustee of the church.

Mr. Van Horn was reared a Whig, but since the Civil War has been

Digitized by Google

915

DEARBORN COUNTY, INDIANA.

an active member of the Democratic party and for many years took a prom- inent part in the councils of his party in this county. He always has been noted for his interest in educational matters, this interest dating back to his early experiences as a country school teacher, and for more than twenty years served as one of the school trustees of Greendale, most of the time being treasurer of the board, and was head of the board at the time the present fine school house was built. He is one of the oldest members of Lawrenceburg Lodge No. 4, Free and Accepted Masons, in the affairs of which lodge he for many years has taken an active interest and among the membership of which he is highly honored. Mr. Van Horn looks back over many years of active participation in the busy life of the community in which his life thus far has been spent, with no small degree of satisfac- tion. An honorable and useful career, amply rewarded by a competence for his declining days, has left him with perhaps fewer regrets than the majority of men entertain at his time of life, and he views the past from a point of observation which gives to his counsels a rare value. He is a most entertaining conversationalist and his comments on men and affairs are mel- lowed by a good humor and a fine consideration for the foibles and frailties of humanity which lend to them a fine charm, making him one of the most agreeable of men and delightful companions. Mr. Van Horn very properly is held in the very highest regard by a large circle of devoted friends and it is peculiarly fitting that this fine old gentleman, a direct link between the present generation and that of the pioneers, should find here honorable men- tion in the history of Dearborn county. Mr. Van Horn has been a member of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce for upwards of fifty years.

THOMAS A. FITCH.

The Pilgrim and Puritan spirit has not fled. Its accents may be heard wherever there are gathered those who were reared under the fine influences of old New England, and in whom the hereditary principles and ideals still live and burn. Both young and old are animated by the belief that the future greatness of America depends, not upon material possessions, but upon the souls of those who inhabit it. Quality, not quantity, is the watch- word; and the sons will not basely relinquish that noble democracy, reaching up to the highest and down to the lowest, which the fathers, with so much difficulty, attained. Once a New Englander, always a New Englander, and a common ancestry, a common enthusiasm for the great memories and tra-

Digitized by Google

916

DEARBORN COUNTY, INDIANA.

ditions of the past, is a tie that binds. In Dearborn county there are not a few who are bound to the old New England traditions and ideals by ties of ancestry, in whom the hereditary principles still live and burn with most effective force, men and women who have proved or are proving dominant factors in the development of the best interests of the community life. Among these properly may be mentioned the gentleman whose name the reader has noted as heading this interesting biographical review, for the family from which he has descended was, in its day and generation, one of the most force- ful in the old New England colonies.

The Fitch family traces its history in this country back to Thomas Fitch, who was captain-general and governor-in-chief over His Majesty's English colony of Connecticut, in New England, and who appointed Azel Fitch captain of a company under his command in the year 1760. On the distaff side of Thomas A. Fitch's family, the Hayeses, there were several ancestors who were soldiers in the Continental army during the colonists' struggle for independence from British rule, and it therefore properly may be said that the Pilgrim and Puritan spirit has come down to Mr. Fitch with little diminution in force. Mr. Fitch's father and his grandfather were men of high prominence and large influence in this county and Mr. Fitch him- self has done well his part in maintaining the honorable traditions of his family. It therefore is but fitting and proper that in this work designed to perpetuate the memories of the past as related to this county, there should be found a place for setting out the salient points in the career of the immedi- ate subject of this biographical review, a task to which the present biographer turns with pleasure.

Thomas A. Fitch, a member of the well-known firm of Fitch Brothers, livery and undertaking, Lawrenceburg, Indiana, was born in Lawrenceburg on August 20, 1871, the son of Dewitt C. and Leah (Hayes) Fitch, both of whom were natives of this county, coming of pioneer families.

Dewitt C. Fitch was born in Lawrenceburg, the son of Harris and Han- nah (Biggs) Fitch, natives of New York and Kentucky, respectively, and early settlers in Lawrenceburg, who died in that town when well along in years, after a long and honored residence therein. Grandfather Fitch was one of the old town's earliest tavern keepers, the Fitch House, which he and his wife conducted for many years, having been one of the best known hos- telries in this part of the country. The bodies of both Grandfather and Grandmother Fitch were buried in the old cemetery at Lawrenceburg, but many years afterward were exhumed and given interment in the Greendale cemetery, where a fitting stone perpetuates their names for the coming gen-

Digitized by Google

917

DEARBORN COUNTY, INDIANA.

erations. They were the parents of Mrs. Jane Gazley, George, Dewitt C. and William.

Dewitt C. Fitch was reared in the town of Lawrenceburg and during his boyhood filled in the school vacation periods by clerking in a grocery store, but upon reaching manhood turned to the life of a farmer and for years was successfully engaged in farming near the town. He was a man of large public spirit and was one of the foremost factors in the development of the town's best interests. For several terms he served in the city council, his voice and his vote ever being actuated by a desire to advance the city's welfare in every way. He also took an active part in the city's business and financial life and for years was the president of the First National Bank, of Lawrenceburg, being recognized throughout the entire county as a banker of fine judgment and rare discrimination. He and his wife both were mem- bers of the Methodist church and ever were active in promoting the various beneficences of that church, as well as showing on all occasions a deep inter- est in all other good works of the community. Mrs. Fitch was a daughter of Walter Hayes, who owned a fine farm five miles north of Lawrenceburg, at the state line, where the Hayes family in this county had its origin. Dewitt C. Fitch died in July. 1892. his widow surviving him nearly ten years.

To Dewitt C. and Leah (Hayes) Fitch were born nine children, seven sons and two daughters, namely: Hannah Virginia. who married Archibald Shaw, of Lawrenceburg: Henry, who lives in Los Angeles. California : Wal- ter H., who lives at Spades. in Ripley county. Indiana ; Harris B., of Law- renceburg : James C., of Lawrenceburg; Ada Florence, who is unmarried and lives in Lawrenceburg; George W., of Madison, Wisconsin : and Thomas A. and Joseph (twins), who are engaged in business in Lawrenceburg. in the livery and undertaking way, under the firm style of Fitch Brothers.

These twin brothers, who were born and reared in Lawrenceburg. have been in business in that city continuously since they were sixteen years of age, at which time they opened a livery stable on Mary street. conducting their business there with such success that in 1893 they were enabled to buy the livery stable of R. H. Gould. on W'est High street. which they remodeled and modernized, enlarging the barn and making other im- provements essential to the proper care of their growing trade. They later enlarged the scope of their business by adding a department of undertaking and that branch of their business also has proved very successful. the fine consideration invariably exhibited to patrons of this latter department of the , business having met with proper recognition in the community. Few names in the business circles of Dearborn county are better known than that of

Digitized by Google

918

DEARBORN COUNTY, INDIANA.

Fitch Brothers and the popularity which has been accorded them is well deserved.

Thomas A. Fitch was united in marriage on March 27, 1906, with Lela Kepper, daughter of Charles and Louise (Schleicher) Kepper, who was born in Lawrenceburg. Her father was a native of Waterloo, Canada, and her mother was born in Indiana. The mother died in 1894, while the father is still living. They were the parents of nine children. those beside Mrs. Fitch being Sarah, William, Carlos, Alice, Gertrude, Lelia, Earl and Celestine. Charles Kepper was the eldest of four children born to his parents, the others being Mary, Lizzie and Anna. The maternal grandparents of Mrs. Fitch. Adam and Louise (Meyer) Schleicher, were natives of Germany and early settlers in Dearborn county, who were the parents of Louise, George, Joseph, Sarah, Alice, Emma, Charles and Delia.

To Thomas A. and Lela (Kepper) Fitch, have been born three children, Robert Allen, Theodore Harris and Thomas Clinton. Mr. and Mrs. Fitch are earnest Methodists and are rearing their children in the faith of that church. Mr. Fitch is a Republican and though giving such attention to the political affairs of the county as all good citizens owe to the commonwealth. never has been included in the office-seeking class. He is a member of Dearborn Lodge No. 49. Knights of Pythias, and Union Lodge No. 8. Indi- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, in the affairs of both of which lodges he takes a warm interest.

Mr. Fitch is a progressive and public-spirited citizen, who is deeply con- cerned in the welfare of the city in which he was born and in which he has lived all his life and is counted among those whose names are connected with all movements looking to the advancement of the best interests of the county of Dearborn and the city of Lawrenceburg. He and Mrs. Fitch take an earnest interest in the social affairs of the community and are very popular among a large circle of friends.

GEORGE H. WOOD.

Among the prominent citizens and successful business men of Law- renceburg. Dearborn county, Indiana. is the gentleman whose name heads this article. Mr. Wood has passed his entire life thus far in Lawrenceburg. having been born there on February 20. 1860. a son of William N. and Mary (McCright) Wood. the former from Cincinnati and the latter from Mercer

Digitized by Google

919

DEARBORN COUNTY, INDIANA.

county, Pennsylvania. William N. Wood came to Lawrenceburg in 1847, and Mary McCright came at a somewhat earlier date with her parents.

William N. Wood was the only child of his parents, Joel and Amanda, the former, Joel, a native of Carrollton, Kentucky, and the latter of Cin- cinnati, Ohio. Joel Wood was a steamboat pilot on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers with his home in Cincinnati, where he had married. He died in New Orleans before reaching middle age and his widow again married, her hus- band being Samuel Martin, by whom she had two daughters, Mary and Mar- garet. William N. Wood came to Lawrenceburg together with his mother and step-father, who, in company with James Wymond, opened up a cooper shop, in which business William N. acted as foreman. The two partners had formerly been in the same business in Cincinnati, but came to this city be- cause land was cheap and they could more easily secure a site for their business and also because this was at that time the terminus of the Big Four Railroad Company and an important shipping point. The partnership con- tinued until about 1861, when Mr. Wymond sold out his interest and went to Aurora and for about seven more years, Mr. Martin continued alone. After his death the business was closed up and William N. then found em- ployment as teamster for the Lewis & Eichelberger Milling Company, where he remained for some time and he later took the contract for filling up the streets of the city. His next venture was in the grocery business, which he conducted until 1876, when he sold out his store and moved to the country. where he became manager of a large peach orchard for J. C. Davis, located in Clark county. this state. He remained there three years. This orchard contained some three thousand trees on a tract of three hundred acres and was a most interesting business. After his return to Lawrenceburg, he assisted his son. George H. Wood ( who by that time had become proprietor of a grocery store), and at the same time served the city as constable. He died in Lawrenceburg at the age of sixty-nine years. his wife having passed away some five years prior at the age of sixty years. Both were active mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal church and were held in high esteem by all who knew them. William N. was quite a versatile man and could turn his hand to most anything. During the Civil War he served the govern- ment as a bridge carpenter and rendered excellent service in this manner.

Mary McCright, mother of George H. Wood, was a daughter of Joseph B. and Nancy ( Majors) McCright. both natives of Mercer county, in Penn- sylvania. They came westward in the early days of this section, and located in Lawrenceburg. The father was a millwright and, together with Andrew Pusey, built the woodwork of nearly all the big mills around in this section

Digitized by Google

920

DEARBORN COUNTY, INDIANA.

of the state at that time. Both he and his wife died at a ripe old age, hav- ing reared a family of five children: Elizabeth, Mary, Charles, Buena Vista and Squire.

George H. Wood was the only child of his parents and received his education in the public schools of Lawrenceburg. He began his business career by driving a delivery wagon for his father, who was then in the grocery business here and later went to work for his uncle, William J. Fitch, in the grocery store which he owned. He remained in that connection until the death of his uncle and a short time later took over the business himself, and has conducted it ever since. Mrs. Fitch, after being widowed, married the second time, her second husband being George C. Columbia and the business was in his name for a few months before Mr. Wood purchased it in 1888. He has, therefore, conducted the business in his own name for twenty-seven consecutive years.

On December 25, 1884, George H. Wood was married to Lou Seekatz, daughter of George P. Seekatz, and her death occurred December 11, 1886, there being no children of this marriage. Mr. Wood chose for his second wife, whom he married on December 19. 1889. Anna Wingerter, daughter of George and Barbara (Louster) Wingerter, and to this union have been born three children: Harvey N., Raymond M. and George C. Harvey N. is an electrical engineer in the employ of the Western Electric Company, of Chicago. Raymond M. has elected to follow the same course and is a student at Cincinnati University, where he is taking a course in electrical engineer- ing. George C., the youngest of the family. married Mary Hope Pitcher. April 30. 1915. and is associated with his father in the store.

Mrs. Wood was born in Lawrenceburg, her parents having come here from Biron. Germany. Her father died in 1888, but her mother still sur- vives and makes her home with Mr. and Mrs. Wood. There were nine children in the Wingerter family. as follow: George, located at Rushville, this state : Louisa, of Cincinnati, whose husband is Charles C. Mochler: Katie. also of that city, who married Harry Weirich : Louis, of Indianapolis : Anna. wife of the subject of this sketch : Edward, of Cincinnati: Maggie, who is Mrs. John Strauss: Ida married William Eckstine, of Indianapolis; and Carrie, who died unmarried. Mrs. Wood's father was a son of George M. Winger- ter. a native of Germany. Mrs. Wood's mother was a daughter of John Louster. of Baden. Germany.

Mr. Wood is considered a most successful business man and owns, in addition to his business and residence in town. a fine fruit farm of twenty acres located about two miles from town and there he says he intends to go

Digitized by Google

921

DEARBORN COUNTY, INDIANA.

when he has tired of business life and wishes to settle down to spend the remainder of his allotted span in peace and quietness. His religious affilia- tion he holds with the Methodist Episcopal church, while Mrs. Wood is a German Lutheran. Mr. Wood holds fraternal affiliation in Lawrenceburg Lodge No. 4, Free and Accepted Masons, and was the first man to be made a Mason in the new building. He also is a member of Lawrenceburg Chapter No. 56, Royal Arch Masons. In addition to this, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows through Lawrenceburg Lodge No. 8, and has served that body as its treasurer for the past twenty years. He is also a member of the United Order of the Golden Cross, Bain Commandery, No. 15, of New Albany, Indiana. In politics he is a Republican and is one of the stanch supporters of that party in this section.

JOSEPH A. SCHUMAN.

The town of St. Leon, where Joseph A. Schuman first saw the light, and where he has become a prosperous citizen, is located in the northern part of Kelso township, Dearborn county. As early as 1841, this pleasant village boasted of enough business establishments to insure further progress, and it was in this year that the first house of worship was built. It was a log struc- ture, in which Rev. Father O'Rourke officiated. Mr. Schuman has always found the demand for his goods a sufficient guarantee of ultimate success, and has been satisfied to watch his early store grow into a flourishing business.

Joseph A. Schuman, son of Adam and Margaretha (Herman) Schu- man, was born in 1864, near St. Leon, Kelso township, Dearborn county, where he was given as good an education as the schools of his day afforded. He assisted his father, and lived at home until his marriage. Adam Schu- man was a huckster and had a general store and saloon one mile from the town of St. Leon. As a huckster he made regular trips to Cincinnati, Ohio, for many years. He conducted this store until 1888, when his son, Joseph A., bought the store and moved the stock to St. Leon. Here Mr. Schuman conducted the business in a rented building for three years and then built a storeroom of his own. He also carried on the huckster business established by his father and drove through to Cincinnati every week for some thirty years:

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.

History of Dearborn County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions, Part 91

Author: Archibald Shaw Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1123

Author: Archibald Shaw
Publication date: 1915
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1123