USA > Indiana > DeKalb County > History of Dekalb County, Indiana, with biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of old families > Part 38
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 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100
Religiously, Doctor Hines is an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal church, in the prosperity of which he is deeply interested and to the support of which he contributes liberally. Personally, he is genial and unassuming, possessing to an eminent degree those qualities of character which commend him to the friendship of all with whom he comes in contact, and he not only enjoys a wide acquaintance throughout the county which has been honored by his citizenship, but he is deservedly popular among all classes.
CAPTAIN JOHN F. OTTO.
Among the representative citizens and honored ex-soldiers of DeKalb county, Indiana, is the subject of this review, who. after a quarter of a cen- tury of untiring effort in business pursuits, is now retired and living quietly in his home at Auburn. To such men as Captain Otto we turn with particular satisfaction as offering in their life stories justification for works of this
396
DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
character, owing to the life of honesty and sobriety he has led and his ener- getic nature and patriotic spirit.
Captain John F. Otto was born in Erfurt, Prussia, on December 10, 1826, and at the age of fourteen years was apprenticed by his parents to learn the trade of a glove maker, serving as such until he was eighteen years old. He then enlisted in the Prussian artillery service and assisted in crushing the rebellion in the South German states, participating in two battles and in the siege of the fortified city of Rastadt in 1848 and 1849. In 1851 Captain Otto was discharged from military service as a non-commissioned officer, and im- mediately emigrated to the United States, landing in New York City in May of that year. He soon found employment as a farm hand near Albany, New York, but was defrauded of his wages, and the following winter was one of privation and suffering, for, being a stranger in a strange land, without money or friends, he knew not which way to turn. In the summer of 1851 his par- ents came to this country and settled at Buffalo, New York, but he did not find them until the spring of the following year. He remained with them until the fall of 1853 when they all moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, and he obtained employment in the shops of the Pittsburg & Fort Wayne railroad. He was thus employed at the outbreak of the Civil war and in October, 1861, loyal to his adopted country, he enlisted in the Eleventh Indiana Battery, being mustered into the service on December 17th of that year and serving with courage and valor until January 7, 1865, when he was honorably discharged. At the organization of the battery he was commissioned junior first lieutenant, and on August 12, 1863, at Bridgeport, Tennessee, he was promoted to first lieutenant because of valiant service on the field of battle. On November 17, 1863, he was placed in command of the Twentieth Ohio Battery, but was relieved by a general order from headquarters to return to Indiana on recruit- ing service. In the spring of 1864 he rejoined his battery, with which he served until the end of the war. He took part in the battles of Shiloh, Corinth, Nashville, Murfreesboro, Manchester, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Mission Ridge, Buzzard Roost, Dalton, Resaca, Kingston, New Hope Church, Burnt Hickory, Kenesaw Mountain ( where he was wounded), Chattahoochee River and Atlanta. After his return from the army Captain Otto located in Auburn, and in company with Ernest Myers he engaged in the boot and shoe business. In this enterprise he was successful and in 1867 he bought his partner's interest and continued alone. Three years later he added a stock of groceries and continued his business with gratifying results until 1890, when, having amassed sufficient in a material way to insure his future years against
397
DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
want or embarrassment, he retired from active business and is now living quietly in his pleasant home in Auburn.
On January 26, 1865, Captain Otto married Mariah C. Reehling, of Fort Wayne, and to them have been born six children, namely: Kate is the wife of Isaac Grogg, of Auburn, who is mentioned at length elsewhere in this work; Francis and her brother, Alpha Blaine, are at Berkeley, California, where the latter is a successful pharmacist; Lucy is the wife of Herbert I. Scott, of Indianapolis ; Clara is the wife of John M. Samuels, of Los Angeles, California, and Lizzie is living with her parents in Auburn.
JOHN P. WIDNEY.
The importance that attaches to the lives, character and work of the early settlers of DeKalb county and the influence they exerted upon the cause of humanity and civilization is one of the most absorbing themes that can pos- sibly attract the attention of the local historian. If great and beneficent re- sults-results that endure and bless mankind-are the proper measure of the good men do, then who is there in the world's history that may take their places above the hardy pioneer. To point out the way, to make possible our present advancing civilization, its happy homes, its arts and sciences, its dis- coveries and inventions, its education, literature, culture, refinement and social life and joy, is to be the truly great benefactors of mankind for all time. This was the great work accomplished by the early settlers and it is granted by all that they builded wiser than they knew. Prominent among the worthy repre- sentatives of the pioneer element in the county of DeKalb was the well-known gentleman to a review of whose life the following lines are devoted. For many years he was a forceful factor in the growth and development of this locality and because of his life and accomplishments he is eminently entitled to representation in the annals of his county, for the record would not be complete were there failure to give him his due meed of credit for the im- portant part he played in the early drama enacted here.
John P. Widney was born of Irish parentage in Franklin county, Penn- sylvania, on November 28, 1816, his parents having been John and Joanna (Patterson) Widney. In 1835, at the age of nineteen years, he married and in May of the following year the young couple came to DeKalb county, Indi- ana, locating on the banks of the St. Joe river, in Concord township, where he
398
DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
entered a tract of government land. To the clearing and improvement of this land he immediately applied his energies and in the course of time suc- ceeded in establishing a comfortable home. In those years of toil and hard- ship inseparable from the life of a pioneer, Jolin P. Widney evaded no share of labor and during those early years he knew no idle moments. From want of facilities he had received but a meager school education ; but the necessities of pioneer conditions, and responsibilities as the head of a family so early in life, caused him to depend wholly on personal effort, guided by exceptional natural mental acumen. He developed such qualities of mind as won for him the respect and confidence of the early settlers, which was shown in an un- mistakable manner when the first election in DeKalb county was held, he being chosen with one other to constitute at the county seat the first canvassing board, whose duty was to verify the vote of the county to the governor. Subsequently he was elected a member of the Legislature, serving in 1847 and 1848. In this public capacity he proved himself worthy of the trust of his constituents and the regard of his co-legislators. In 1850 he was elected county clerk, serving one term of four years. His official duties required his residence in Auburn, and he shared with that village its early struggles and its ultimate success. In 1852 he was chosen one of the town's board of trustees. He was later elected justice of the peace and in that capacity showed himself sound of judgment and prompt in decision. He was also deputy internal revenue collector and held other positions of trust. During the Civil war Mr. Widney was active in his support of the Union cause, but did not enlist for active military service himself for the reason that, while putting in the first bridge across Twenty-six-mile creek, near Newville, he had been severely injured, not fully recovering until late in life. In matters political. he was not a blind partisan, but gave careful consideration to men and mea- sures, casting his vote at all times for what he considered the best interests of the community, state and nation. He was a man of strong and positive convictions, and wrote much for the press, giving his views on questions of the day and on matters that pertained to the county. In religious faith, he was a Universalist. In character, he was prudent in his investments, wise in the management of his affairs, and frugal in his tastes, qualities which en- abled him to accumulate a goodly amount of material substance, which was largely shared by his children. In reputation, social, business or official, John P. Widney was regarded as an upright, honorable man, of the strictest integrity of thought and action. He "stood four square to every wind that blew" and never violated the confidence which his fellow citizens reposed in
399
DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
him. His last years were spent with his children, his death occurring on October 1I, 1905, at the age of eighty-nine years-a long life, in which he gave the best that was in him for his family and the community. He always stood by the right as he knew the right, having the courage of his convictions, though sometimes in the minority. In evidence of this is the fact that he was renominated for election to the Legislature, but was defeated because he advo- cated the free-school system and a bill to regulate the sale of intoxicating liquors. It is a matter of fact that, though he was very successful in the accumulation of money, much of which he loaned, he never charged more than the legal rate of interest, and never distressed any one in the repayment of borrowed money, while, on the other hand, he gave material assistance to many a poor man in the securing of a home. His reputation for honorable dealing and just treatment of his fellows was firmly established and is empha- sized by those who best knew him. Quiet and unassuming, lie was never a seeker for public preferment, and it is said that he was never present at a meeting where he was nominated for office, though, as a loyal citizen, he gladly and efficiently performed his full duty when called by his fellow citizens to perform official functions.
In 1835 John P. Widney was married to Jane Linn, the daughter of John and Jane (Scyoc) Linn, and to them were born five children, of whom but two survive, Oliver H., who is referred to specifically elsewhere in this work, and Samuel L. Mrs. Jane Widney died on October 11, 1851, and on May 30, 1852, he married Mary H. Widney, a daughter of Judge Widney. To this union were also born five children, of whom three are living, Mrs. Mary Alice Lewis, John Morris Widney and Mrs. Cora Lodewick. All of the surviving children reside in Auburn, with the exception of Samuel L., who lives at St. Joe, this county, and Mrs. Lodewick, of Ashland, Ohio. Mrs. Mary Widney passed away at Auburn on November 14, 1903, after which Mr. Widney made his home with his children, who gave to him the most loving and solicitous attention.
The Linn and Widney families had been for a number of centuries closely connected. The Widneys are descended from Colonel Widney, who was an officer in the army of William of Orange, of Holland. He accom- panied that prince from Holland to England in 1688 and was in the war against King James II. For his valuable services he received a large estate in county Tyrone, Ireland, which was handed down to his descendants. Colonel Widney's great-grandson, James Widney, who inherited the estate, was a squire. In 1784, when thirty-one years old, he sold the ancestral acres and
400
DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
caine to America, buying six hundred acres of land in Path Valley, Franklin ( then Cumberland) county, Pennsylvania.
The Linn family is descended from the ancient Celts who migrated from Scotland to Ireland after the conquest by William of Orange. They settled not far from the Widney estate and the two families became very close in their relationships. When James Widney came to America, he sent word back to Hugh Linn, his sister's husband, and in 1788 Hugh Lind and his family came to Pennsylvania and located near the Widney estate, in Path Valley. There they became successful in their material pursuits and promi- nent in the social, civic and business life of the community.
LEVI BRANDABERRY.
It is signally consistent that in this compilation be entered a memoir of so worthy and honored a citizen as was Levi Brandaberry, who was for many years a resident of the county and who here attained independence through his honest and well directed efforts in connection with the great basic art of agriculture, while he stood forth as one of the representative citizens of his township.
Levi Brandaberry, whose untimely death on October 20, 1899, caused universal expressions of regret and sorrow throughout Smithfield township, was born in Stark county. Ohio, on June 2, 1844, and was the son of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Frick) Brandaberry. He was one of six children, the others being Isabell, Cyrus, Caroline, Sarah and Hannah. When the subject was but a boy the family moved to DeKalb county, Indiana, locating in Smith- field township, where the father bought a farm in the southern part of that locality, where the parents made their permanent home and died. On that farm Levi Brandaberry was reared to manhood and after his marriage in 1870 he lived for two years on the paternal farinstead, at the end of which time he bought a farm in the southwest part of Smithfield township, compris- ing one hundred and one acres of land, and to this he gave his undivided at- tention during the remainder of his life. Practical and progressive in his ideas, energetic and persistent in his methods, it was not strange that suc- cess crowned his efforts, for in him were combined those qualities of char- acter which insure success in any undertaking. He made many splendid permanent improvements on his farm, including a large brick house, a com- modious and well arranged barn and many other features which gave the
LEVI BRANDABERRY
lot
DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
place a splendid reputation as one of the up-to-date and modern farms of Smithfield township. Mr. Brandaberry gave his personal attention to every detail of his work, and knew no such word as idleness. His death was caused by being caught in a corn shredder, from which he received injuries that resulted in his death four days later. A careful and prudent business man, he had his affairs in good shape so that, although his death was un- timely, his widow found his affairs in good condition and has been enabled to carry on the farm work through tenants with good success. She is now making her home in Waterloo. Mr. Brandaberry was an earnest member of the Knights of Pythias, in the workings of which he took an interested part. Because of his high character; business success and his genial nature, he had won and retained a host of warm friends throughout the community where he lived, and his death was considered a distinct loss to the community which had been honored by his citizenship for so many years.
On October 9, 1870, Levi Brandaberry was united in marriage with Margaret Hamman, who was born in DeKalb county, Indiana, but went with her parents to Kosciusko county, this state. Her father died when she was but five years old, and her mother, upon whom was thrown the burden of rearing five small children, felt unable to properly care for them and conse- quently Margaret was placed with a family by the name of Chambers, by whom she was taken to Illinois, where they made a home. They died there and she was taken into the home of James Adams at the age of eight years,
with whom she remained until seventeen years old. By these people she was not given proper consideration, being treated badly in many respects, being compelled to work hard and being clothed scantily and denied the oppor- tunities of a proper education. In the meantime her brother, who was desirous of ascertaining her whereabouts, had written postal cards to every postmaster in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, asking for information as to her whereabouts. The postmaster where she was then living recognized the de- scription of her and gave her the card, to which she wrote a reply, and she was then informed that her relatives had about concluded that she was dead and wished to see her again. This she told to the people with whom she lived. who grudgingly gave her some clothes to travel in. When she ar- rived in the locality where her relatives were, she was waiting at the railroad station and saw two women, evidently a mother and daughter, eyeing her closely and whispering to each other. Finally one of them approached her and asked her name, which on learning, they told her they were her cousin
(26)
402
DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
and aunt. However, she did not know them and even her mother seemed to her like a stranger. She felt strangely alone in the world, for fate had cheated her of a child's natural heritage, a mother's love, during the forma- tive period of her life. She did not remain long at home, but secured a place and worked out in the neighborhood until her marriage to Mr. Brandaberry, who was prosperous and provided well for her, eventually leaving her a good farm and a comfortable home. She was in the truest sense of the word a helpmate to her husband, contributing by her encouraging words and sound advice to his business prosperity and in the community where so many of her years have been spent, she is held in the highest esteem by all who know her. No children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Brandaberry, but they adopted a girl, Jennie Fee, the daughter of John and Sarah (Johns) Fee, she now being the wife of W. B. Williams, of King county, Washington. During the thirteen years which have elapsed since Mr. Brandaberry's death, Mrs. Brandaberry has had only two tenants on her farm, and has had very satisfactory busi- ness relations with them. She is a shrewd, keen and sagacious business woman, handling her affairs with prudence and sound judgment, and be- cause of her kindly qualities of head and heart she has a large circle of warm and loyal friends.
A. BYRON DARBY, M. D.
Devoted during a long period of years to the noble work which his pro- fession implies, the gentleman whose career we essay to briefly outline in the following paragraphs has been faithful and indefatigable in his endeavors and has not only earned the due rewards of his efforts in a temporal way but has also proved himself eminently worthy to exercise the important functions of his calling, by reason of his ability, his abiding sympathy and his earnest zeal in behalf of his fellow mien. His understanding of the science of medicine is regarded by those who know him as being broad and comprehensive, and the profession and the public long ago accorded to him a distinguished place among the men of this class in Indiana. His has been a long life of earnest and persistent endeavor, such as always brings a true appreciation of the real value of human existence-a condition that must be prolific of good results in all the relations of life.
A. Byron Darby was born in Fulton county, Ohio, on November 18. 1839, and is a son of Samuel Byrant and Sepharna (Guilford) Darby, the former a native of Vermont and the latter of Massachusetts. These parents
403
DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
were married in Allegany county, New York, in 1826, and in 1836 they moved to what was then Henry, now Fulton county, Ohio, the long, tiresome and oft- times dangerous journey being made with two yoke of oxen and a lumber wagon. They were among the first settlers of Henry county, and in the organization and development of the county Samuel B. Darby was a promi- nent figure, he having helped to organize the first township in the county, was postmaster of the first postoffice, taught the first school and opened the first store, conducting the latter for several years. In his political affiliations he was first a Democrat, but after the organization of the Republican party he allied himself with that organization and was thereafter active in its support. He was a member of the historic convention which nominated John C. Fre- mont for the Presidency, and also the convention four years later which nominated Abraham Lincoln. His death occurred on July 15. 1884, and he was survived many years by his widow, who died in 1909, when nearly ninety- nine years of age. They were the parents of nine children.
A. Byron Darby received his early education in the common schools and then became a student in Alford College, Allegany county, New York, and later studied at Oberlin College, Ohio, where he paid his school expenses by teaching and working hours not required for study. Having determined to make the practice of medicine his life work, he devoted his spare time to the study of the necessary text books and in 1862 and 1863 he was a student in the Eclectic Medical College at Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was graduated in the spring of the latter year. Immediately after his graduation he located at Flint, Indiana, and in partnership with Dr. H. L. Smith practiced his profes- sion for about a year, at the end of which time, Dr. Smith moving from the place, the subject became the only physician in that locality. Here he built up a large and profitable practice, but his health becoming impaired he moved to Waterloo, DeKalb county, Indiana, which has been his home since that time. Proper intellectual discipline, thorough professional knowledge and the possession and utilization of the qualities and attributes essential to suc- cess made Dr. Darby eminent in his chosen calling, and during all the years since he located at Waterloo, he has stood among the scholarly and enterpris- ing physicians and surgeons in a community long distinguished for the high order of its medical talent. His life here has been characterized not only by high professional ability, but also by the most profound human sympathy, which has overleaped mere sentiment and become an actuating motive, for in youth he realized that there is no honor not founded on genuine worth; that there is a vital purpose in life, and that the best and highest accomplishment
404
DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
must come from a well trained mind and an altruistic heart. Those who have known him well have been unstinted in their praise of his superior ability and the younger men in his profession have frequently sought his counsel, all ad- mitting his eminence. The large success which has crowned his life work, coupled with his ripe experience and kind heart, have enabled him to bring comfort and confidence to the sick room and he has carried sunshine into many a home, his practice having extended over a wide radius of the surrounding county. Professionally, the Doctor is a member of the DeKalb County Medical Society, the Indiana State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. For many years he was the efficient secretary of the board of health of Waterloo.
On April 28, 1864, Dr. Darby was married to Linda M. Huyck, who was born in Huron county, Ohio, on February 7, 1842, the youngest daughter of John P. and Lucinda ( Bisil) White, the former of whom was born in the state of New York, and the latter in Vermont. Mrs. Darby came with her parents to Williams county, Ohio, when a young girl and lived there until her marriage to Dr. Darby. She acquired a good, self-secured education and taught a number of terms of school in Ohio and also several terms in Illinois. After he- removal to Waterloo she gained many warm friends during the long years of her residence here and was closely identified with the social and church circles, being always a leader in moral reform and actively interested in the work of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. She was possessed of more than ordinary talent and until late in life was a leader in the circles in which she moved in her community. She engaged in literary pursuits and ivas a charter member of the Ladies' Minerva Club, also an earnest and faith- ful member of the Christian church. Her death occurred on December 10, 1900. To the Doctor and Mrs. Darby were born three children, namely : Hadsell Byron, born June 3, 1865, now lives at Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he manages a drug store for Jacob Bills: he married Edith Griffith, of Corinna, this county, and they have two daughters, Nina and Naomi; Frank William Darby, born on February 11, 1868, and who is engaged in the drug business in Waterloo, married Neva Smith, of Steuben county, this state; Verna Darby, born November 6, 1878, is the wife of O. C. Lampland, who is conducting the Lowell Observatory at Flagstaff, Arizona. Mr. and Mrs. Lampland were fellow students and graduated in the same class at the Indi- ana State University, and Mrs. Lampland gives valuable assistance to her husband in his observatory work.
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.