USA > Indiana > DeKalb County > History of Dekalb County, Indiana, with biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of old families > Part 72
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After his marriage Mr. Roland operated the Hathaway farm for about seven years and then rented land near by. In 1899 Mr. Roland bought a farm east of Auburn, but later sold it, and in the fall of 1913 bought one hundred and sixty acres of land along the south line of Union township. In August, 1910, he moved in with Mrs. Roland's father in order to care for the latter during his advanced years. To Mr. and Mrs. Roland have been born two children, a son and daughter. Audrey Pearl and Norman Nathan. Audrey Pearl became the wife of Ralph G. Harding, and she has a daughter, Eunice Edna Harding. She and her husband are on the Hathaway farm with her parents. Norman W. lives on the Krise farm east of Auburn. He married Lulu Olinger and they have four children, Ralph. Letha, Norma Madonna and a baby daughter. Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Roland are mem- bers of the German Baptist or Brethren church, in which he has served as a
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deacon, and their daily lives conform to the creed which they profess. Politi- cally, Mr. Roland is a Democrat. Kind-hearted, generous and tolerant, they have in the largest sense of the word earned the respect of the community, for their lives have been such as have commended them to the good opinion of all who know them. Mr. Roland has not only been successful as a farmer, but he has also been active in his efforts to advance the welfare of the com- munity in every way, and his sympathies are always enlisted on the side of the right.
DAVID YARDE.
Among the representative farmers of DeKalb county is the subject of this review, who is the owner of a fine landed estate in Keyser township and is carrying on the various departments of his enterprise with that dis -- cretion and energy which are sure to find their natural sequence in definite success, having always been a hard worker, a good manager and a man of economical habits, and, being fortunately situated in a thriving farming community, it is no wonder that he stands today in the front rank of the agriculturists of this favored locality.
David Yarde, who was born on December 26, 1862, on the old Coombs. farm in Richland township, DeKalb county, Indiana, is a son of John and Lydia Ann (Houser) Yarde, old and well known citizens of this county,. who are referred to elsewhere in this work in the sketch of the subject's brother, Frank Yarde. Therefore, it will not be necessary to give further reference to the family ancestral history at this point. David Yarde spent ยท his boyhood days on the home farm in Richland township, and received a. good, practical education in the local schools. After his marriage in 1891. he moved to and rented his father's farm in Richland township, which he operated until his father's death. He then bought the farm, which con- sisted of one hundred and twenty acres, divided into two plats of eighty acres and forty acres respectively. Later he added to this one hundred and- twenty acres more, and still later another tract of similar size lying close to Garrett on the north. In addition to this extensive farm, Mr. Yarde also farms a twenty-acre tract for his mother. Mr. Yarde has built many of the outbuildings on the farm, the residence and barn having been built by his father. The buildings are all up-to-date and modern in style and arrange- ment, and the farm in every respect is kept up to the most modern and pro- gressive ideas relative to successful agriculture. Mr. Yarde is giving due-
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attention to every detail of his farm, including the drainage and preservation of the timber, and, because of his progressive tendencies and industrious habits, he has been enabled to achieve an enviable success in his work, being numbered among the representative farmers of his section of the county.
On March 19, 1891, Mr. Yarde married Mary Brechbill, the daughter of Jacob and Sarah (Ober) Brechbill, who are referred to specifically in the sketch of H. R. Davidson elsewhere in this work. To Mr. and Mrs. Yarde have been born four children, namely: Ora, who died on September 3, 1896, and Claude, Edna and Howard, who are at home. Politically, Mr. Yarde is affiliated with the Progressive party, in the support of which he is enthusiastic, and he is interested in everything that pertains to the common weal. His life history exhibits a career of unswerving integrity, indefatigable private industry and wholesome home and social relations, a most commend- ahle career crowned with a gratifying degree of success.
G. W. HANES.
The success of men in any vocation depends upon character as well as upon knowledge, it being a self-evident proposition that honesty is the best policy. In every community some men are known for their upright lives, strong common sense and moral worth rather than for their wealth or political standing. Their neighbors and acquaintances respect them, the younger generations heed their examples, and when they "wrap the drapery of their couches about them and lie down to pleasant dreams," posterity listens with reverence to the story of their quiet and useful lives. Among: such men of a past generation in Indiana was the late G. W. Hanes, who- was not only a progressive man of affairs, successful in material pursuits, but a man of modest and unassuming demeanor, well educated, a type of the- reliable, self-made American, a friend to the poor, charitable to the faults: of his neighbors, and who always stood ready to unite with them in every good work and in the support of laudable public enterprises. He was a man who in every respect merited the high esteem in which he was universally held, for he was a man of public spirit, intellectual attainments and exem- plary character.
G. W. Hanes was born May 29, 1828, and died near Butler, DeKalb county, Indiana, on the 28th day of May, 1897, lacking one day of being sixty-nine years of age. He came to this county with his parents when he-
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was but twelve years of age and with them tasted of the hardships, strug- gles and few pleasures of those trying pioneer days. On the 29th of Sep- tember, 1866, he was united in matrimony with Harriet Altenburg, daughter of Daniel and Sarah (Latson) Altenburg, natives of the Empire state. To this union were born eight children, one of whom died in infancy. The seven surviving children were with him at the time of his death and during the long last illness administering to his wants with loving hands.
In his early days the subject taught school and subsequently entered the dairy business with his brother, at which he was very successful. He was a good man in all that term implies, and was honored and respected by his neighbors and associates, who frequently solicited his sound advice on mat- ters of business.
Fraternally, Mr. Hanes was quite prominent in the Odd Fellows lodge, having belonged to the order at Butler, Lodge No. 282 and Encampment No. 160, for about twenty-eight years, during which time he was active in promoting the growth of that fraternity.
The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Hanes were as follows: Cameron R .. of Chicago; Sarah E., the wife of Charles Heffelfinger, of Chicago: Mary Ella, the wife of W. D. Gardner, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin ; Pearl, deceased : Wilmetta, the wife of Milton Wagoner, of Goshen, Indiana; Altenburg. of Waterloo, this county ; Carleton, at home; Clara, who lives with her mother. was married on November 25, 1909, to Eston McCague, who was born June 3. 1880. in Waterloo, this county.
Mrs. Hanes and family still own the home farm, comprising one hun- dred and forty acres of land, one hundred of which are tillable, and here they carry on general farming and stock raising.
GEORGE SHAFFER.
DeKalb county figures as one of the most attractive, progressive and prosperous divisions of the state of Indiana, justly claiming a high order of citizenship and a spirit of enterprise which is certain to conserve develop- ment and marked advancement in the material upbuilding of the section. The county has been and is signally favored in the class of men who have controlled its affairs in official capacity, and in this connection the subject of this review demands representation as one who is serving his community well in a position of distinct trust and responsibility. For many years recog-
GEORGE SHAFFER
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nized as one of the successful agriculturists of this locality, Mr. Schaffer has for a number of years been retired from active labor and is now spending his years in his comfortable and attractive home in Corunna.
George Shaffer was born on August 31, 1860, in Stark county, Ohio, and is the son of Lewis and Elizabeth (Luttman) Shaffer, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania. These parents were reared and educated in the old Keystone state and were there married, after which event they came to Ohio, whence, after a residence of about ten years, they came to DeKalb county, settling in Richland township on April 1, 1864. Here they spent the balance of their lives, the father engaging in blacksmithing, in which he was very successful. They were the parents of the following children: Martin. Mary, David, Katherine, George, Barbara, Lewis, Elizabeth and Ella.
The subject of this sketch received his education in the common schools of Richland township, this county, and upon attaining manhood's years he took up the vocation of farming, having wisely decided that in that voca- tion he would secure an independence and a success that was offered in no other line of effort. He carried on a general line of farming, in connection with which he also raised some live stock and became the owner of eighty acres of splendid land in Richland township which demanded his undivided attention until 1905, when, having amassed a sufficient competency to insure his future years from embarrassment, he retired from active life and now resides in Corunna, to which place he moved in April, 1904.
On October 18, 1883, Mr. Shaffer married Samantha Harding, the daughter of Dimmick and Sarah (Bike) Harding, who were early settlers in DeKalb county. Mr. and Mrs. Shaffer had no children of their own, but adopted a daughter. Lulu, who is at home and to whom they gave the same cheerful and loving attention that she would have received had she been their own daughter. Mrs. Shaffer died on September 13, 1905.
Democratic in politics, Mr. Shaffer has for many years been actively interested in the success of his party and in 1908 was elected trustee of Rich- land township, which important local office he is filling to the entire satis- faction of his fellow citizens. His term will expire in 1915. In the discharge of his official duties, Mr. Shaffer exercises the same vigilance and sound business methods that he followed in his private affairs and is giving careful attention to the welfare of the township in which he lives.
In every phase of life's activities in which he has engaged he has been guided by the highest motives and because of his integrity and high personal worth he has earned the commendation of all who know him.
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HARRY DIEHL.
Among the prosperous farmers and substantial citizens of Keyser town- ship is Harry Diehl, a gentleman of high character and reputation, whom to know is to esteem and honor. A quiet, unostentatious man, who makes his presence felt by his actions and influence rather than by conversation and public acclaim, he has contributed not a little to the stability and respect of the body politic and all who know him bear cheerful testimony to his many sterling qualities of mind and heart.
Harry Diehl was born on December 8, 1869, in Indiana county, Penn- sylvania, the son of George and Nancy (Ober) Diehl. George Diehl, who was a native of Germany, came to the United States with his parents when about five years of age, locating first in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, where the father followed farming and spent his entire life in that state. He died on November 22, 1899. During the marriage of George and Nancy (Ober) Diehl there were born eight children as follows: Mrs. Sarah Olinger, of Keyser township, DeKalb county, Indiana, who is the mother of one child, G. F .; John, of Keyser township; Mrs. Mary Shaffer, who lives in Calhoun township, Michigan, and who is the mother of six children; Mrs. Susanna Smith lives in Kendallville and is the wife of Isaac W. Smith, the minister of the Christian church. They are the parents of four children; Mrs. Jennie Shumaker, who lives in Harvey county, Kansas, is the mother of two chil- dren; Lincoln, who lives on the old homestead in Pennsylvania, is the father of two children; Mrs. Elizabeth Shumaker, who lives in Harvey county, Kansas, is the mother of five children ; the subject of this sketch is the young- est in order of birth.
Harry Diehl was reared to manhood in his native community and in 1892 came to DeKalb county, Indiana, where he was employed at farm labor. In 1893 he bought eighty acres of land in Keyser township, formerly known as the A. J. Bolyard farm, to which he has devoted his undivided attention and which he has developed into a fine and valuable farm. He erected an attractive and well arranged residence, large, commodious barn, and has in other ways made substantial and permanent improvements on the place. The land was practically all cleared when he obtained it, so he retained about eighteen acres of fine timber land. He carries on general farm operations, raising all the crops common to this locality, and also gives some atten- tion to the raising of live stock, making a substantial profit in both depart- ments of his work.
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On October 8, 1896, Harry Diehl married Laura Shumaker, a native of Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, and whose death occurred in 1905. To this union were born two children, Earnest and Virgil, who died in infancy. On October 16, 1907, Mr. Diehl married Bertha Olinger, a daughter of Ephraim and Kizzia (Mathias) Olinger, and the fruits of this union were four children, Olive, Illif, Ford and Glenn. Politically, Mr. Diehl has been a life-long Republican up to the organzation of the Progressive party in 1912, to which he gave his allegiance and in which he was enthusiastic and very active during the campaign. He is a man of strong mentality, keeping in close touch with the current questions of the day, and because of his upright life, his success and fine personal qulaities, he is clearly entitled to the high place which he holds in the minds of all who know him.
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Ephraim Olinger, the father of Mrs. Diehl, was born in Stark county. Ohio, where he lived until 1882, when he came to DeKalb county, Indiana, making his residence here until 1904. He then moved back to Stark county and now resides in Louisville. near Canton, that state. He has followed agri- cultural pursuits throughout practically his entire life, but is now retired from active work. His wife also was a native of Stark county, and to them were born the following children: Ida, deceased; Mrs. Josephine Flagler, who is now living in Auburn; Benton, deceased; Bertha, Mrs. Diehl and Mrs. Luhu Roland.
HENRY RICE DAVIDSON.
An enumeration of the representative citizens of DeKalb county would not be complete without specific mention of the well-known and popular gen- tleman whose name introduces this sketch. A member of one of the old and highly esteemed families of this locality and for many years a public-spirited man of affairs, he has stamped his individuality upon the community and added luster to the honorable name which he bears, having always been act- uated by a spirit of fairness in his dealings with the world in general, and leaving no stone unturned whereby he might benefit his own condition as well as that of his friends and the favored section of the great commonwealth in which he has been content to spend his life. Straightforward and unas- suming, genial and obliging, Mr. Davidson enjoys the good will and respect of a wide circle of friends throughout this part of the state.
Henry Rice Davidson, a native of Wayne county, Ohio, was born on
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March 13, 1865. His father, Henry Davidson, was born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, and was a bishop in the church of Brethren of Christ, being deeply interested in religious work. He attained to a prominent and influen- tial place in his church and was editor of the church paper. Eventually he moved from Pennsylvania to Michigan, where he bought a farmi and fol- lowed agricultural pursuits, as well as preaching. About 1881 he went to Kansas, where he bought a farm, continuing agriculture. While living in Kansas his second wife, whose maiden name had been Fannie Rice, died in 1894, and shortly afterwards he returned to Pennsylvania, where he later married Katie Brenneman, a native of Mechanicsburg. He died on March 17, 1903, and his widow is now living at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. By his first marriage Henry Davidson became the father of five children, namely: Mrs. Mary Yoder, a widow who now lives in Ohio, and is the mother of two children ; Mrs. Sarah Coup, also a widow, who lives in Ohio, and is the mother of five children: William, who is a farmer in Ohio, is married and has one child; Isaiah C. is the principal of the high school at Barberton, Ohio, which position he has held for nineteen years; Mrs. Carrie Landis, whose husband is a hardware merchant, lives in Kansas, and they have two children. By his marriage to Fannie Rice, Mr. Davidson became the father of eight children, namely: Mrs. Lydia Brewer, who lives in Kansas and is the wife of a re- tired farmer; Mrs. Rebecca Doner, of Ohio, whose husband is a farmer, and they have four children; Francis, a minister of the Brethren in Christ, has been a missionary in South Africa for the past fifteen years; Mrs. Emma Deihl, whose husband, John Deihl, is represented elsewhere in this work: Mrs. Henrietta Brechbill, whose husband, John Brechbill, is also represented elsewhere; Henry Rice, the immediate subject of this sketch; Albert, who lives in Colorado, is married and has two children: Mrs. Ida Huffman, whose husband is a minister of the Brethren in Christ, and also operates a large creamery plant. and they have two children: Mrs. Davidson was married a third time, but no children were born to the last union.
Henry Rice Davidson was reared in Ohio until the age of sixteen years, when he moved to White Pigeon, Michigan, with his parents, where he lived and farmed until the age of twenty-one years. He had attended the public schools in Ohio and also attended the high school at White Pigeon, thus re- ceiving a good practical education. In 1877 Mr. Davidson went to Kansas. where he operated his father's farm of one hundred and sixty acres, remain- ing there for about five years and then coming to DeKalb county, where he rented a farm.in section 28, Keyser township. This farm comprised one hun-
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dred and twenty-seven acres, in the operation of which he was profitably en- gaged, and eventually he bought this farm of his father-in-law and is still actively engaged in its operation. He has remodeled the residence and barn and made other permanent and substantial improvements which have greatly added to the value and attractive appearance of the place. He has about eight acres in valuable timber. The land is kept in good, fertile condition, well fenced, while the general appearance of the place indicates him to be a man of good taste and sound discrimination. He is up-to-date in his ideas, hesitating not to adopt new methods when their superiority over old ways has been demonstrated, and in the business and civic life of the community he has taken a prominent part, and is now township representative for the DeKalb Mutual Fire Insurance Company, of DeKalb county, in which he has done much effective work. He is also guardian of the estate of Albert Hatha- way, which comprises one hundred and fifty acres adjoining the farm of the subject. Politically, he is a progressive Republican, and his religious affilia- tions are with the Brethren in Christ, of which society he is a deacon.
On January 20, 1877, Mr. Davidson married Elizabeth Brechbill, the daughter of Jacob and Sarah (Ober) Brechbill, and to this union have been born four children, Fannie, Walter, Elsie and Loyd, all of whom are at home. Jacob Brechbill was born in Bedford county, Pennsylvania. In 1854 he moved to Stark county, Ohio, where, on February 3, 1859, he married Sarah Ober, who also was a native of Bedford county, Pennsylvania. In 1864 they came to DeKalb county, Indiana, buying eighty acres of land in section 29, Keyser township, and later bought the eighty acres where the subject of this sketch resides, to which he later added another forty acres ad- joining. Mr. Brechbill was a member of the Brethren in Christ, and much respected by those with whom he was acquainted. He learned the trade of shingle making, which he followed in connection with farming for many years. His death occurred on February 21, 1902, at the residence of the sub- ject of this sketch, who had taken care of him during his later years. His widow also died here on November 1, 1908. They were the parents of eight children, as follows: Martin, deceased; John, a farmer of Richland town- ship, who is the father of nine children; Mrs. Nancy Shirk, of Kansas, who is the mother of six children living and one deceased; Elizabeth, wife of the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Sarah Wagner, of Garrett, Indiana, the mother of four children; Mrs. Mary Yarde, whose husband, David Yarde, is repre- sented elsewhere in this work; and Francis and Claude, twins, who died in infancy. In this brief review but little has been said in a commendatory way
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of Mr. Davidson's life, but it is unnecessary, for in the community where he has spent his active years his life has been as an open book, and because of his upright character and consistent living he has enjoyed to a marked de- gree the respect of all who have known him. He is a man who has ever looked on the sunny side of life, ever hopeful that the good would rule instead of the bad, and as a result of such a fortunate disposition he has made it pleasant for those with whom he has came in contact either in a business or social way. He is a man of genial and kindly nature, which has made him popular with all who have associated with him and, being a man of high moral character, he has the confidence and good will of all.
TIMOTHY 'MCCLURE.
In presenting the biography of this well remembered gentleman, whose life was that of a high grade man, of noble ideals and laudable ambitions, we believe that the reader will be benefited and encouraged, for his life was a life that made for success because of the honorable principles he employed in dealing with his fellowmen and because of the many admirable attributes he possessed which made his daily walk one worthy to be emulated.
Timothy McClure was born in Brattleboro, Vermont, in 1818, and his death occurred at his home in Grant township, Dekalb county, Indiana, on September 1, 1878. He was a son of Samuel and Emily McClure, and was of Irish ancestry. From the age of eight years he was reared in the home of Simeon and Elizabeth ( Haynes) Aldrich in Vermont and eventually married Olive Aldrich, the daughter of his benefactors. After his marriage he and his father-in-law and his family went by wagon to the Hudson river, thence to Lake Erie and by water to Toledo, and from there by canal to Defiance, Ohio. Mr. Aldrich had been a wealthy farmer in New England, and, on starting west, stored his money in gold coin in bags in a chest. At Toledo, while transferring the stuff from the ship to a lighter, the chest of gold was dropped and broken and the gold went to the bottom of the lake, but, after an anxious time, was restored to its owner. Mr. Aldrich's two sons, Simeon and Terry, had come west some time before this and had spent four years in Williams county, Ohio. Soon afterwards the Holton family came across from that county to DeKalb county, Indiana, being the first settlers here, and in 1834 the Aldrich boys followed. These sons met Mr. McClure and the Aldrich family at Defiance, Ohio, and with ox teams
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were four days coming across the country to Troy township, locating four miles east of Hamilton. There Mr. Aldrich entered land for all his chil- dren, giving each of them a good start in life, and there his wife got lost in a swamp a year later, her death occurring from the effects of the exposure. Subsequently Mr. Aldrich returned to Vermont, where he married and brought his wife back to the frontier home, and here her death occurred about eight years later. Mrs. Olive McClure received from her father eighty acres of land and a house, each of her brothers being given one thousand dollars each. Mr. Aldrich, who had been a stock breeder in the east, came here in order to secure larger opportunities for the members of his family. Things were not very encouraging here at that time and it is related that a letter written him in 1836 from Vermont was sent to his nearest postoffice, Lagrange Center, about forty miles from his home. From about 1848 to about 1855 he carried the United States mail from Defiance to Lagrange, thence to Coldwater, Michigan, and to the neighborhoods between these points, riding horseback over roadless prairies and fording unbridged streams. He bought and sold farms frequently, owning a large number of them, and was really more of a business man than a farmer. In 1860 Mr. McClure moved to the eastern part of Grant township, where he spent the remainder of his life. He was for two terms trustee of Union township and was administrator and guardian of many estates, it being stated that for a period of nearly forty years he was constantly guardian of not less than half a dozen wards. A man of keen perceptions, strong character and bright and kindly face, he won the good opinion and friendship of all who knew him. he being familiarly called "Uncle Timmie."
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