USA > Indiana > DeKalb County > History of Dekalb County, Indiana, with biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of old families > Part 79
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794
DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
of this sketch, Mrs. Eliza Dilgard, Mrs. Elmira Parnell, John and David. Eliza, who became the wife of Simon Dilgard, a farmer of Grant township, this county, is the mother of three children living and two deceased, those living being Raymond Curtis, Jaques and Vera : Elmira, who became the wife of Curtis Parnell, a farmer of Pleasantville, Iowa, is the mother of two chil- dren, Mrs. Sivalla Hickenhangh and Mrs. Vesta McElrea: John, who is a traveling salesman and manager for the T. G. Norwall Company, of Sioux City, Iowa, married Irena Riachart, and they have two children, Odessa and Erwin, both of whom are married : David married Dora Smith, and is a far- mer near Cedar Lake, Smithfield township, and they have four children living and one deceased, those living being Mrs. Nellie Danner, of Fort Wayne, Raymond, Mrs. Elmira Myers, of Fairfield township, this county, and Virgil. Susannah ( Kiefer) Goodwin was a native of Delaware county, Pennsylvania, moving to Ohio with her parents when about eight years of age. After living in Wayne county, Ohio, about ten miles from Wooster, she became the wife of Daniel Goodwin, with whom she came to Indiana, and now makes a home for her stepson, as stated above.
William Goodwin was reared on the paternal homestead and has devoted practically his entire life to farming, the only exception being a period of about four years which he spent as a traveling salesman. In the spring of 1887 Mr. Goodwin bought fifty-seven and one-half acres of the home place, and in April, 1910. he bought one hundred and twenty acres of land in Grant township, near Waterloo, formerly known as the S. P. Klotz farm. Of this he deeded eighty acres to Daunt Updyke, a son-in-law, retaining forty acres in his own name. There were no improvements on the forty-acre tract, al- though the land had been cleared, and on March 10, 1912, he bought ten acres of the Seery farm adjoining his first purchase. He has tiled and drained his present farm, putting the soil in splendid condition, and has erected all the buildings which now render the place one of the most valuable of its kind in this township. The land is practically all now rented, as Mr. Goodwin re- tired in the spring of 1913, though he lives in the old farm residence. He has bought residence property in Waterloo and expects to move to that place in the spring of 1914.
On January 3, 1878, William Goodwin married Emma R. Shaffer, daugh- ter of William and Rebecca ( Francis) Shaffer, and to this union have been born six children, namely: One who died in infancy; Orpha A. became the wife of Daunt Updyke, a farmer of Grant township. near Waterloo, this county, and they have two children living. Carroll and Oliver, and one de-
795
DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
ceased; Vesta I. became the wife of Charles White, a farmer near Waterloo in Smithfield township, and they have two children, Francis and Robberta ; Lulu E. became the wife of Ward Jackman, a farmer of Grant township; Helen B. lives at home, as does Francis W. Religiously, Mr. Goodwin is an earnest and faithful member of the Evangelical church at Waterloo, to which he gives a liberal support, being interested in its various activities and doing what he can to forward every worthy movement under its auspices. Genial and unassuming in manner, Mr. Goodwin has earned the high regard in which he is held in the community, he and his wife moving in the best social circles and, taking a broad view of men and events, he gives his support to all move- ments having for their object the advancement of the public welfare.
Reverting to the family history of Mrs. Goodwin, it may be stated that William Shaffer was born on July 26, 1827. in Westmoreland county, Penn- sylvania. When a young man he moved to Stark county, Ohio, with his par- ents, Simon and Margaret ( Kinnard ) Shaffer, and there followed his vocation of wagon-maker, though in later years he became a farmer and thresher. On August 15. 1850, William Shaffer married Rebecca A. Francis, who was born on December 27, 1833, in Madison county, Ohio, where their marriage oc- curred. From Ohio he removed to Harrison county, Missouri, in 1853, from there to Marion county, Iowa : from there the family came to DeKalb county. where Mr. Shaffer engaged in farming, operating his mother's farm of eighty acres in Richland township, and also ran a threshing machine outfit. His death occurred on February 3, 1890, and his wife died on January 27. 1864, at Centerville, Iowa. Just prior to his own death Mr. Shaffer moved into the home of his son, Oliver Shaffer, where his death occurred. He was hale and hearty up to the time of his decease, having worked just prior to his death in a carriage factory at Auburn, and also worked in a repair shop run by his cousin, John Shaffer. He was twice married, there being five children born by his union with Rebecca Francis, namely: Isaac N., deceased; Oliver E .. Emma R., Clara I., Ida L. Of these, Clara I. married David Dilgard, a rail- road engineer at San Antonio, Texas, and they have two children, Mrs. Olive Bateman and Mrs. Flora Anderson: Ida I. became the wife of Charles Lehmbeck, a railroad employe at Sedan, Indiana, and they have two children, Della and Milda. Oliver E. married Vesta F. Husselman October 2, 1883, and they had one child, Arthur, deceased. On February 26, 1874, Mr. Shaffer married Mary Ann Rohm, and to them were born two children, Nettie and John, both of whom are deceased.
796
DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
CHESTER PRENTICE HODGE.
It is the dictate of our nature, no less than of enlightened social policy, to honor those whose lives have contributed in any way to the good of their community and their associates; to bedew with affectionate tears the silent urn of departed worth and virtue, to unburden the fullness of the surcharged heart in eulogium upon deceased benefactors, and to rehearse their noble deeds for the benefit of those who may come after us. It has been the commendable custom of all ages and all nations. Hence the following feeble tribute to one of nature's noblemen. In contemplating the many estimable qualities of the late Chester Prentice Hodge, industry and integrity appear as prominent characteristics-an integrity that no personal or other consideration could swerve, and an industry that knew no rest while anything remained undone. In the field of pedagogy Mr. Hodge stood in the front rank among his con- temporaries, his reputation as an able, successful and popular educator far transcending the limits of his home county. His temper was calm and equa- ble and his manners were emphatically those of the gentleman,-plain, sim- ple, dignified,-despising sham and pretense of all kinds. His devotion to every duty was intense, while his perception of truth and worth was almost in- tuitive. In his estimate of these he was seldom mistaken, and while his opinions were strong. he was always open to conviction, and when satisfied that they were erroneous his concessions were graceful and unqualified. He was a man whom to know was to respect and admire, and his loss was keenly felt by a wide circle of friends and acquaintances.
Chester Prentice Hodge was born at LeRaysville, Luzerne county, Penn- sylvania, and was a son of James and Keturah ( Ransom) Hodge. His maternal grandfather, Samuel Ransom, was a son of Samuel Ransom, Sr., who was beheaded at the historic massacre of the Wyoming valley during the war of the Revolution. He was a prominent man in his community and a successful farmer, had served in the French and Indian war and in 1776 was commissioned captain of a company, being the second independent com- pany attached to the Connecticut line. Rev. James Hodge, paternal grand- father of the subject of this sketch, was a Methodist circuit rider in Penn- sylvania, and at the same time dealt in groceries and liquors, the two stocks being carried in conjunction in those days and considered a perfectly proper proceeding. He and his wife are both now deceased and lie buried in the cemetery at LeRaysville. Chester P. Hodge, who was born December 16,
797
DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
1834, at LeRaysville, Pennsylvania, prepared for college at the Wyoming Seminary at Kingston, that state. He then engaged in teaching school for a while, after which he became a student at Union College at Schenectady, New York, where he stood high in his classes, especially in mathematics and sciences, graduating with the degree of Master of Arts in June, 1862. In August of the same year Mr. Hodge enlisted in the One Hundred and Forty- first Regiment. Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, with which he went to the front, and in October, while near Poolsville, Maryland, with General Robin- son's brigade, having been appointed assistant brigade quartermaster, he was seized with bilious colic, from which he nearly died. His recovery was so slow that late in December of that year he received an honorable discharge. His mother had died on November 21, 1862, and his father went to Towando, Pennsylvania, to live with his daughter, Priscilla Lee, who had become the wife of John H. Codding, at that time sheriff of Bradford county. The other sister, Sara Lucretia, went to live with her older brother, James W., who had been married eighteen months before and lived at Harrisburg. Tak- ing his sister back with him, Mr. Hodge opened the abandoned house, brought his father to it, and they formed the family household until spring. On the 14th of April. 1863. Mr. Hodge married Julia E., only daughter of E. B. Mott, one of the pioneers and prominent citizens of DeKalb county, Indiana, who had been at that time a resident of Auburn for almost twenty years. Mr. Hodge and his wife spent a year in LeRaysville, but his father died on Novem- ber 5, 1863, and Mr. and Mrs. Mott were anxious to have their children with them in Auburn, especially as one son, Sheridan, was in the army, while the eldest son, Egbert B. Mott, Jr., and the youngest, John Grenville, were in California. Mr. and Mrs. Hodge reached Auburn. Indiana, on April 24th, just three weeks bfore the death of Sheridan, which occurred at Nashville. He had been wounded in the battle of Chickamauga. Here Mr. Hodge en- gaged in the pedagogical profession, and the many hundreds who, during a period of thirty years or more, profited by his instructions, are witnesses to the ability, energy and faithfulness which he brought to the discharge of his duties. As a teacher of mathematics he had few equals, and for clear, logical and forcible reasoning it was difficult to find his equal. As a man, he was honest, upright and pure, one whose judgment was unbiased by selfish mo- tives. Modest and unassuming himself, he disliked pretension wherever he found it, but he was quick to recognize intelligence, integrity and genuine piety. Mr. Hodge was converted while young, united with the Methodist Episcopal church and remained a faithful member of that denomination for
798
DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
many years, but circumstances eventually persuaded him to join the Protestant Episcopal church, to which he became strongly attached and he was confirmed in 1874 and remained in that communion the rest of his life. A lover of music, he possessed a splendid singing voice and during most of his life he was a member of choirs, first in the Methodist and later in the Episcopal churches. His health had been gradually failing through many years and for almost three years prior to his death, which occurred on November 8, 1887. he had been disabled from regular work. His wife, Eugenia Mott, was born at Frederickstown, Ohio, on June 3. 1837, the daughter of Egbert Benson and Mary (Winterbottom) Mott, who, in 1843, moved with their four children to Auburn, Indiana, at which time Mrs. Hodge was but six years old. Here she was reared and passed her early womanhood except two or three years spent in completing her education at Wyoming Seminary. Kingston, Pennsyl- vania, where she graduated in 1857. It was at this school that she first made the acquaintance of Chester Prentice Hodge, to whom she was married in . April, 1863. She and her husband lived at various places in northern In- diana. where he was following his profession of teaching, but eventually located on the Mott farm north of Auburn, which was their home from that time for many years. Here her youngest child, Teresa, died in 1884. Her eldest living son, Egbert, at attorney of Chicago, died in 1893, and her mother also died in 1893. She spent the last few winters of her life in Kirkwood, Missouri, with her daughter, Julia M. Hodge, a teacher there, her death oc- curring at the latter place on January 8. 1912, at the age of seventy-four years. Of her nine children, she was survived by her daughter, Julia Mott. now a Bible teacher at Manila, Philippine Islands, and a son, Chester James. who lives on the old farm known as Greenhurst, in Union township, DeKalb county. She was a woman of unusual gifts and rare virtnes. Her friends were many and her life of childlike faith was full of gracious ministrations to those about her, leaving behind her a host of blessed memories. She was a poet of exceptional facility of expression and a gift of reaching the heart. her poems being admirably written and possess rhythm and meter. The Mott family have for many years been prominent in American life, and Mrs. Hodge is related to several well-known people, Ann Winterbottom Stevens. a famous author, her aunt; John Grenville Mott, her only living brother, of Chicago, a man of affairs, well known in business circles and others of equal prominence. Specific mention to the Mott family is given elsewhere in this work, therefore further detailed mention of the family will not be made at this point.
799
DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
JOHN S. POTTS.
From remote antiquity agriculture has been considered an honorable vocation, and in all ages men of sterling worth and humane impulses, as well as those of energy and thrift, have been tillers of the soil. The free, out-door life of the farm, besides inspiring new life and hope, has a tendency to develop and foster independence of mind and self-reliance, characteristic of strong. virile manhood, and no greater blessing can befall a boy than to be reared in close touch with nature amid the healthful labors of the field. From this fruitful soil and air spring in a large degree the moral bone and sinew of the country, and the majority of America's great warriors, wise statesmen, re- nowned scholars and distinguished men of letters, as well as the great captains of industry and leaders in the domain of thought, were born and reared on the farm, and to this fact is largely due the eminence to which they have at- tained. The well-known subject of this review is one of DeKalb county's representative agriculturists and as such has met with deserved success. He stands high in the esteem of his fellow men and as a broad-minded, pro- gressive citizen, fully abreast with the times, exercises a wholesome influence in the community, besides being a factor of no little weight in the public affairs of this township and county.
John S. Potts, of Fairfield township. DeKalb county, Indiana, was born in Lawrence county, Illinois, on January 31, 1864, and is the son of Wilson and Louisa (Pitman) Potts, both of whom were natives of the state of Ohio. Wilson Potts went to Illinois in a very early day, settling in Lawrence county, where he followed farming and where he became a prominent and respected man in the community. To him and his wife were born four children, Priscilla, Ella. John S. and Anna.
John S. Potts secured his education in the public schools of Lawrence county, Illinois, and at the age of twelve years came to DeKalb county, Indiana, making his home with John Potts. He was reared to the life of a farmer and has followed this vocation during all of his active years, in which he has been very successful and is now the owner of one hundred acres of land in Fairfield township, to the cultivation of which he is devoting himself assiduously and with practical ideas and up-to-date methods. He carries on mixed farming, raising all the crops common to this section of the country and also gives some attention to the breeding and raising of live stock, which he has found to be a very important and profitable adjunct to farming.
In 1885 Mr. Potts was married to Barbara .\. Ziegler, the daughter of
800
DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
Samuel and Elizabeth ( Melton) Ziegler, who were old and prominent families in DeKalb county. To Mr. and Mrs. Potts have been born the following children: Grover C., Cora M., Bessie E., Flossie M., Louisa E., John E., Samuel W., Vesta E. and Charley F.
Politically, Mr. Potts has been a life-long supporter of the Democratic party, in the success of which he has been an important factor, especially in local elections, and he is at present a member of the county council, in which position he is rendering efficient service to the county. He has succeeded in life because he possesses to a notable degree those qualities which will insure success in any undertaking, persistency in action, a clearly defined purpose and correct business methods, and because of these qualities and his high personal worth he has won an enviable standing in the community with which he has been identified for so many years.
ISAAC M. THOMAS.
It is by no means an easy task to describe within the limits of this review a man who has led an active and eminently useful life and by his own exertions reached a position of honor and trust in the line of industries with which his interests are allied. But biography finds justification, nevertheless, in the tracing and recording of such a life history, as the public claims a cer- tain interest in the career of every individual and the time invariably arrives when it becomes advisable to give the right publicity. It is, then, with a cer- tain degree of satisfaction that the chronicler essays the task of touching briefly upon such a record as has been that of the subject who now comes under this review.
Isaac M. Thomas, the well-known ice manufacturer of Auburn, is a native of Stark county, Ohio, where his birth occurred on October 16, 1841. The father, John Thomas, also a native of Ohio, was a prominent minister of the United Brethren church. He came to DeKalb county, Indiana, in the early days, settling on the Grogg farm, which he afterwards sold, and bought a farm near Feagle's Corners, Richland township, and subsequently they moved to Elkhart county, this state, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits. He also traveled as an ordained minister of the United Brethren church. going to various parts of the state, and was well and widely known as a suc- cessful minister of the gospel. doing much effective and valued work in this
MR. AND MRS. ISAAC M. THOMAS
801
DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
line. As a farmer he also succeeded well, exercising fine judgment and being progressive in his ideas. His death occurred in 1905. He married Mary Grim, who also was a native of Stark county, Ohio, and whose death occurred in 1841. John Thomas was three times married, the first union being to Mary Grim, by whom he had three children, John. who died while serving in the army; Joseph, and Isaac M., the immediate subject of this review. By his second marriage, which was to Julia Ann Poules, who died in 1897, Mr. Thomas became the father of six children, Simon, David Henry, Elizabeth (deceased), Julia Ann, Mary and Jacob. Mr. Thomas was married a third time where he was residing in Kansas, and to this union were born two chil- dren, Benjamin and Amanda, both of whom live in Kansas.
Isaac M. Thomas came to DeKalb county in 1855. when about fourteen years of age, and gave his attention to farming pursuits until his marriage in 1865, when he engaged in the saw-mill business at Auburn. This line of busi- ness engaged his attention during the following six years, at the end of which period he became the station agent for the Fort Wayne & Jackson railroad, now known as the Lake Shore. He was the first agent appointed at this place and held the position four years. He then engaged in the threshing business in this township, running the threshing outfit for twelve seasons, and also engaged to some extent in farming. He then retired from the thresh- ing business and again entered the saw-mill business, which engaged him for about eight years. At the end of that period he sold his saw-mill interest and engaged in the manufacture of artificial ice near Auburn, then known as Auburn Junction. This business, which is now in its eighth year, has enjoyed a healthy and steady growth from the beginning, and is now one of the most important industrial concerns in this locality. Mr. Thomas has as partners in his enterprise his sons, John C. and Arthur L.
Mr. Thomas is an intelligent and well-read man, having supplemented a good common school education with two terms in the Auburn high school, after which he engaged in teaching school for two terms prior to his mar- riage, he then taking a live interest in local public affairs, and from 1872 to 1876 rendered efficient service as trustee of Union township. Politically. he is an active supporter of the Prohibition party, believing the temperance question to be the greatest issue now before the American people. Religiously. he is a member of the Church of God at Auburn, and is an ordained minister in this church, being also an elder in the church, in which he is active and in- fluential.
(51)
802
DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
In 1865 Isaac M. Thomas was married to Sophia Buss, the daughter of Christian and Margaret (Staley) Buss. Mr. Buss was born in Switzerland, and as a young man came to America, locating first in Ohio, where he fol- lowed the carpenter trade, which he had learned in his native land. He mar- ried Margaret Staley in Ohio, and continued to follow his vocation until coming to Richland township, DeKalb county, where he engaged in the erecting of barns. He here bought eighty acres of land on which he engaged in farming, and also ran a saw-mill. The farm which he purchased has on it an old water power saw-mill, which he later replaced with steam power. This saw-mill is still standing and is in operation the greater part of the time. Mr. Buss died in the summer of 1867 on his home farm in Richland township. His wife, who also was a native of Switzerland, came to America with her father and two brothers, who located in the state of Ohio, where her marriage occurred. She died in 1874. To this union were born thirteen chil- dren : Sophia, Christian, Samuel: Henry, deceased .: Mrs. Mary Sherlock, who lives in Auburn, Indiana; Mrs. Clara Lahnum, who is a widow and lives with her sister, Mary, in Auburn; Maggie; Ida, deceased; and there were five others who died in infancy and youth. Mr. Buss was an active Democrat in his political affiliations, and took a live interest in local affairs, though he never held public office. To Mr. and Mrs. Thomas have been born six children : Laura Margaret, deceased : John; Mrs. Viola Kessler, who lives near Auburn, Indiana, and is the mother of one child, Arthur: Saloma. at home ; and Vesta, who died in infancy. Saloma has for four years been connected with the office of the ice plant.
Mr. Thomas is a man of kindly impulses, and because of the splendid relations that he has sustained with those about him he enjoys to a marked degree the confidence and regard of the community. Even-tempered, scrupu- lously honest in all his relations with life, hospitable and charitable, his many kindly deeds have been actuated chiefly from his largeness of heart, rather than from any desire to gain the approval of his fellow men. His record is too familiar to the readers of this work to require a fulsome encomium here, for his life speaks for itself in stronger terms than the biographer could en- ploy in polished periods.
John C. Thomas was born on January 19. 1869, at Auburn, and lived with his parents until 1889. when he went to Topeka. Kansas, as operator and became manager for the Postal Telegraph Company, which position he held successfully for fifteen years. In 1904 he returned home and immediately en- gaged in the saw-mill business with his brother, Arthur, and his brother-in-
803
DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA.
law. He later went into business with his father and brother Arthur in the ice manufacturing business, and they are still actively engaged in this enter- prise. At the same time he is continuing the saw-mill business with his brother and brother-in-law, W. H. Kessler. Mr. Thomas is a man of good education, having attended the common schools and also learning the tele- graph profession, which he followed, as above stated, for many years, enjoying the confidence of his employers and holding high official position with his company. Politically, he is a Republican. On May 15, 1894, John C. Thomas married Maggie Aldridge, the daughter of John and Sidena ( Innis) Aldridge. and to them have been born five children, Marie, George, Ralph, Mary, who died in infancy, and Margaret Grace.
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