USA > Indiana > DeKalb County > History of Dekalb County, Indiana, with biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of old families > Part 82
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REUBEN GRANT DANIELS.
Change is constant and general, generations rise and pass unmarked away, and it is the duty of posterity, as well as a present gratification, to place upon the printed page a true record of the lives of those who have pre- ceded us on the stage of action and left to their descendants the memory of their struggles and achievements. The years of the honored subject of this memoir were a part of the indissoluble chain which links the annals of the past to those of the latter-day progress and prosperity, and the history of DeKalb county would not be complete without due reference to the long life Mr. Daniels lived and the success which he achieved as an earnest, courageous laborer in one of the most important fields of human endeavor. Mr. Daniels was a man of more than ordinary distinction, from the following facts: He lived to a remarkable age, being past ninety-five years of age at the time of his death; he was the second permanent settler in Smithfield township, Isaac B. Smith, after whom the township was named, being the first; and in the early life of the community he was one of the leaders in the work of improve- ment and progress.
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Reuben Grant Daniels was a Yankee by nativity, having been born in Vermont on April 10, 1813, and was the son of James and Mary Daniels. At the age of eight years he was taken by his parents to Orleans, near Niagara. New York, where he remained until twenty years of age, when he moved to Lenawee county, Michigan. There, two years later, he married Betsey Ran- dolph Camburn, of Tecumseh, Michigan. In 1837 Mr. Daniels came to De- Kalb county, Indiana, with the intention of entering a tract of government land. For this purpose he made several trips to Ft. Wayne, in each instance finding that the site selected by him had already been entered. After many trying experiences, he finally entered one hundred and sixty acres of land in Smithfield township. He was accompanied here by his brother-in-law, Ira Camburn, who also entered land, and together they built a primitive log cabin. "doorless, without upper floor and without daubing." They were not denied plenty of fresh air, for the wind had free circulation in all directions through the cabin. To this frontier home Mr. Daniels brought his family on January 28, 1838. They brought with them two cows and two calves, and Mr. Daniels carried the calves, turn about, most of the way from Michigan. He was a strong, robust man, well fitted by nature for the rugged life in the wilderness to which he now devoted himself. Conditions were far from pleasant and discomfort was the rule. It is related that at one time Mrs. Daniels found a deadly massanga snake in her bed. The second child born in Smithfield town- ship was their daughter Lucinda, who subsequently became a successful teacher in the public schools of the county. In 1839, the year following the settlement of the family here, Mr. Daniels and Isaac Smith built the first school house here, a log structure which stood on a corner of Mr. Daniels' land. Mr. Daniels sowed the first wheat in the township, and at the first elec- tion in the township, in 1839, when only five votes were cast, Mr. Daniels was elected justice of the peace, over a large territory. His first official act was to marry a couple at Story Lake, in Fairfield township, whither he went on foot. He was to receive as his fee a wild hog, but. as he was unable to catch the hog, he returned home without his fee. Mr. Daniels was the first post- master of Uniontown, which is now the first ward of the town of Waterloo, the office being at first located at his farm home. At one time the office was robbed of twenty-five cents and Mr. Daniels promptly gave chase to the culprit and compelled him to refund the money. He was also the leader of the band of Regulators, who were organized to oppose the lawless gang of horse thieves, counterfeiters and other criminals who at that time infested this locality and made life anything but comfortable for the better element.
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Many secret meetings were held by the Regulators, many midnight rides taken in pursuit of the thieves, and at one time they found a wash boiler full of counterfeit money which had been buried in a swamp. On October 10. 1865, Mr. Daniels was elected county commissioner and it was during his member- ship on that board that the county treasury was burglarized. He held the office during three years, at a period when there was much important work be- fore the commissioners. . After his removal to Waterloo, Union township having been divided, he was elected the first justice of the peace for Grant township and held the office a number of years with credit to himself and the satisfaction of his fellow citizens. To Mr. Daniels also belonged the distinc- tion of performing the first marriage ceremony in Smithfield township, the contracting parties being Norton Blake and Hulda Holmes, who were united in 1839.
To Reuben and Betsey Daniels were born seven children, as follows : George, who was killed in the battle of Chickamauga : James lived in Michigan until reaching maturity, then went to Minnesota, where he engaged in busi- ness as a carpenter and contractor, and at his death, in 1913. he was the owner of eight hundred acres of land; Mrs. Lucinda Daniels, of Minneapolis, who was a teacher for many years in DeKalb county ; Sabina died in young woman- hood; Julia, the widow of Abram McEntarfer, lives in Waterloo with her daughter, Mrs. Ed Musser; Ancie is the wife of Orlando Smith, of Fair- mount, Minnesota ; Sylvia is the wife of .Albert McDonald, of Goshen, Indi- ana. The mother of these children died on May 25, 1850, and on March 20, 1851, Mr. Daniels was married to Mrs. Susan (Holobaugh) Sayner. She was born in Stark county, Ohio, where she was reared and where she mar- ried George Sayner, with whom she came to DeKalb county. He bought a farm in what is now Grant township and lived there until his death. They became the parents of three children, of whom two died in childhood, and one is living, Mrs. Frances Beard, of Ashley. To Reuben and Susan Daniels four children were born, namely : Harrison M., who lives on the farm origin- ally entered by Isaac B. Smith, in section 23, Smithfield township; Arthur G., who resides on the old Daniels homestead ; Jessie is the wife of John J. Baxter, of Waterloo: Nellie, deceased, was three times married, first to Ira Shock, later to William McHench, and lastly to Mr. Cressy, who survived her. Mrs. Susan Daniels died on October 15, 1876, and Mr. Daniels remained on the old farm in Smithfield township until 1883, when he moved to Waterloo, where his death occurred on June 6, 1908, in the ninety-sixth year of his age.
Religiously, Mr. Daniels was an active worker in the United Brethren
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church for many years, but late in life he became a believer in spiritualism. He was of a peculiarly even temperament, always kindly and considerate in his relations with others, and the relations between himself and the members of his family were very affectionate. He was a man of marked domestic tastes, his most enjoyable hours being spent about his own fireside in the com- panionship of his family. His life was a long and useful one to the highest degree, and no man ever lived in his locality who to a greater degree enjoyed the absolute confidence and regard of the people generally. In all that con- stituted true manhood and good citizenship he was a worthy example, his career being characterized by duty well performed, by faithfulness to every trust reposed in him, and by industry, thrift and wisely directed efforts.
VERNE ELSWORTH HARDING.
That the plenitude of satiety is seldom attained in the affairs of life is to be considered a most beneficial deprivation, for where ambition is satisfied and every ultimate end realized, if such be possible, apathy must follow. Effort would cease, accomplishment be prostrate, and creative talent waste its ener- gies in inactivity. The men who have pushed forward the wheels of progress have been those to whom satisfaction lies ever in the future, who have labored continuously, always finding in each transition stage an incentive for further effort. Mr. Harding is one whose well directed efforts have gained for him a position of desirable prominence in the agricultural circles of De- Kalb county, and his energy and enterprise have been crowned by a gratifying degree of success.
Verne Elsworth Harding is a representative of one of the old pioneer families of DeKalb county, his grandfather, Dimick Harding, having been one of the first settlers of Richland township. He was born September 12. 1803, in New York, came to LaGrange county, Indiana, in 1832, settling near Lima, now Howe, moving from there to Richland township, DeKalb county, in 1841, settling on the tract of land now owned and occupied by the subject of this sketch, and it is a noteworthy tract. The farm has been owned and occupied by the Harding family continuously for seventy-two years. Dimick Harding was married to Sarah Pike in LaGrange county, Indiana, in 1826. and to this union were born the following children : Levi, Samantha, Sabra. William Wrily, Solomon, Elmira, and Albert, all deceased. Of these children.
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Solomon was the father of the subject of this sketch. He married Sarah William, Wrily Solomon, Elmira and Albert, all deceased. Of these children, Mary J., Martha E., Frank M., Delbert H., Verne Elsworth, Rosa Evelyn, Dennis F. and Pearl D., all of whom are deceased excepting Verne and Dennis.
Verne E. Harding was born on the old homestead in Richland town- ship, this county, on July 24, 1865. He was reared under the parental roof, securing a good education in the public schools, and has always given thought- ful and intelligent direction to the vocation of farming, to which he was reared, and he has achieved a most eminent success in this point. The day is past and gone when the farmer is looked down upon by other professions, for the progressive and up-to-date farmer of today has asserted his place among the leading producers of work, and among the most serviceable of vocations. Mr. Harding has made a close and critical study of agricultural means and methods, which he has in many ways demonstrated by his own experience as an agriculturalist, and he has for many years been numbered among the pro- gressive and influential farmers of DeKalb county. He has been officially connected with the farmers' institutes of both the township and county at large, and has made many instructive and effectual addresses to the farmers of his county. For a number of years he has been a solicitor for the DeKalb Mutual Fire Insurance Company, and in many ways has demonstrated busi- ness ability of a high order. He owns one hundred and twenty acres of highly improved land in Richland township, to which he gives his attention, and here he has achieved a noteworthy success. He carries on general farm- ing, raising all of the crops common to this locality, and also gives a proper share of attention to the raising of live stock, one of the most important auxiliaries of successful farming. Politically. Mr. Harding is an earnest Republican, while, fraternally, he is an active and influential member of the Knights of Pythias, belonging to the subordinate lodge at Corunna.
On December 25. 1889, Verne E. Harding was united in marriage to Belle Cox, and to this union were born three children: Forest C., Mary Myrth (deceased), and Annise Luella. The son, Forest C. Harding, was married on December 25. 1911, to Mary J. Boren, and they have one son, Dale Clifford. born March 22, 1913. In all the elements that go to make upright and correct citizenship. Mr. Harding stands foremost, and by his earnest support of all worthy improvements, his own business success and upright character, he has earned and retained to a marked degree the esteem and confidence of the community in which his entirelife has been spent.
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DAVID R. KOSHT.
Whether the elements of success in life are innate attributes of the individual or whether they are quickened by a process of circumstantial de- velopment, it is impossible to clearly determine. Yet the study of a successful life, whatever the field of endeavor, is none the less interesting and profitable by reason of existence of this same uncertainty. So much in excess of those of successes are the records of failures or semi-failures, that one is con- strained to analysis in either case and to determine the measure of causation in an approximate way. But in studying the life history of the well known resident and popular citizen of St. Joe, whose name forms the caption of this article, we find many qualities in his make-up that always gain definite success in any career if properly directed, as his has evidently been, which has resulted in a life of good to others as well as in a comfortable competence to himself.
David R. Kosht, who is successfully engaged in the milling business at St. Joe, was born in Union township. DeKalb county, Indiana, on the 27th day of April, 1885, and is the son of Simon P. and Elizabeth (Krabill) Kosht. Simon P. Kosht was born in Ashland county, Ohio, on August 24, 1858, the son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Lash) Kosht, the former a native of Pennsyl- vania and the latter of Ohio. Daniel Kosht came to DeKalb county in 1866, settling in Union township, where he followed farming all his life. Among his children was Simon Peter, who received his education in the common schools and then took up farming, which vocation he has actively followed since. He is the owner of seventy-four acres of land and has been successful in his material affairs. To him and his wife were born two children: David R., the immediate subject of this sketch, and Annie May, who became the wife of Pathron Hindeman, of Concord township, this county. Politically, Simon P. Kosht is a Democrat, fraternally, an Odd Fellow, and in his religions helief he is a member of the Christian church.
David R. Kosht received his education in the common schools of Wil- mington township, this county, and was reared to the life of a farmer, which upon attaining mature years he followed for about six years in Wilmington and Concord townships. In January, 1912, Mr. Kosht engaged in the milling business at St. Joe, in which he is still engaged and in which he has met with a well deserved success. His mill is well equipped for general custom work and Mr. Kosht gives his undivided attention to his business interests, prompt- ness and good work being his watchword.
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On November 11, 1905, Mr. Kosht married Dona F. Engle, the daughter of Martin D. and Harriet ( Howey) Engle, who were early settlers of DeKalb county and successful farmers. To Mr. and Mrs. Kosht have been born two children, Margaret and Phyllis, both of whom are at home with their parents.
Politically. David R. Kosht has been a life-long supporter of the Demo- cratic party, actively interested in its success and he performs to the extent of his ability his duties as a citizen of the community. Fraternally, he is a mem- ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. while his religious adherence is with the Christian church at St. Joe. Personally, he is affable and popular with the people of his locality and ready at all times to encourage and aid all laudable measures and enterprises for the general good. By a life consistent in motive and because of his many fine qualities he has earned the sincere regard of all who know him and his success in his chosen field of endeavor bespeaks for him continued advancement and the highest sphere of usefulness in the business world in the future.
PERRY D. DEPEW.
To a great extent the prosperity of the agricultural sections of our country is due to the honest industry, the sturdy persistence, the unswerving perseverance and the wise economy which so prominently characterize the farming element of the Hoosier state. Among this class may be mentioned the subject of this life record, who, by reason of years of indefatigable labor and honest effort, has not only acquired a well merited material prosperity, but has also richly earned the highest esteem of all with whom he is associated.
Perry D. DePew, a successful farmer and public-spirited citizen of Key- ser township, was born on June 27, 1876, and is a son of Samuel and Fannie (Mason) DePew. Samuel DePew, who was born and reared in Stark county, Ohio, to the age of ten years, was a son of Joseph and Nancy ( Watson ) De- Pew, who, about 1855, came to DeKalb county, Indiana, and bought a tract of land in the northwest part of Keyser township. Here they developed and improved a fine farm and spent the remainder of their days, the mother dying on that farm and the father in this county also. When Samuel DePew was about seventeen years of age he heard the call for defenders of the national honor and responded promptly, becoming a member of Company F, One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Regiment Indiana Volunteers, with which he participated in many of the most important battles of that great conflict, being
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in the service four years, at the end of which time he received an honorable discharge and returned to the pursuits of peace. On coming back to the old home in Keyser township he bought the estate from his parents and lived there until 1899, when he moved to Anburn and spent the remainder of his days, his death occurring there in 1910. On July 12, 1867, Samuel DePew married Fannie Mason, the daughter of Abraham and Anne (Quince) Mason, the latter's parents being natives of Lincolnshire, England, where they were mar- ried and where five of their children were born, the father being a farmer in his native land. In 1857 they came to America and located in Richland county, Ohio, where the father followed ditching for a year, then rented a farm and in 1861 moved to DeKalb county, locating at Corunna on March 4th of that year. For three years he operated rented land and then bought a tract of forty acres two miles east of Avilla, where he remained three years. He then bought fifty acres of land three miles southwest of Avilla and later added forty acres adjoining. Eventually he sold that tract and bought eighty- two acres of land in the same neighborhood, but finally moved to Avilla, where he bought a home and lived until his death. After that event his widow lived with her children in Auburn until she passed away. Their daughter, now the widow of Samuel DePew, lives on the home farm with her son. Perry, the subject of this sketch. The place is well improved, including an attractive and well-arranged brick residence, good barn and outbuildings and in many other ways the farm is numbered among the attractive and profitable agri- cultural estates of the county. To the cultivation of the old home farm, Perry DePew, the immediate subject of this sketch, gives his earnest attention and is numbered among the progressive and up-to-date farmers of the town- ship. He is a well educated and symmetrically developed gentleman, wide- awake to all the current issues of the day, and takes a deep interest not only in the improvement of his material estates, but also in the advancement of the highest and best interests of the entire community in which he lives. He is one of six children born to his parents, the others being Mary, wife of John Cook: Frank; Martha, the wife of William Cook; Nettie, the wife of Levi Shirk: Belle, who now lives in Cleveland, Ohio, the subject of this sketch being the youngest in the family.
On December 6, 1899, Perry DePew married Essie B. Lawhead, who was born at St. Joe, this county, the daughter of Samuel and Sarah ( Keagy) Lawhead, who now reside in Richland township, this county. To Mr. and Mrs. DePew have been born two children, Ralph and Harold. Mr. DePew is a representative of one of the honored old families of this community and
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has ably sustained the enviable reputation which his forbears won during their residence here, his efforts being always exerted toward the advancement of his own interests as well as those of his fellows. Because of his genial disposition, agreeable nature and his kindly attitude to those about him, he has won many warm friends and numbers his acquaintances throughout this sec- tion of the county.
WILLIAM HENRY BACHTEL.
Among the citizens of Smithfield township, DeKalb county, Indiana, who liave built up a comfortable home and surrounded themselves with valuable landed estates and personal property, few have attained a higher degree of success than the subject of this sketch. With few opportunities except what his own efforts were capable of mastering and with many discouragements to overcome, he has made an exceptional success in life and in his old age has the gratification of knowing that the community in which he resides has been benefited by his presence and counsel.
William Henry Bachtel is a native of DeKalb county, Indiana, born on March 12, 1863, on a farm in Smithfield township and is a son of Henry and Mary (Moyer) Bachtel. Henry Bachtel, whose death occurred on July 23, 1913, was born in Holmes county, Ohio, on February 19, 1829, the son of George and Catherine (Mummaw) Bachtel, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania. He was reared in his native county and came to DeKalb county in 1850, where he was employed at the trade of a blacksmith, which he had learned in his home community and in which he had been employed since the age of nineteen years. He followed this pursuit at Auburn for a great many years, and in 1860 bought the Mortorff farm near Summit, comprising one hundred and twenty acres, which he operated until the fall of 1863. at the same time giving some attention to the trade of blacksmith. In the latter year he bought a farm of one hundred and twenty-four acres south of Waterloo, to which he gave his attention and to which he added by later purchases. In 1865 Mr. Bachtel was drafted for the war, but sent a substitute in his stead. He lived on this latter farm, now known as the Bachtel homestead, until his death, which occurred on July 23, 1913. His wife, Mary ( Moyer) Bachtel, to whom he was married on April 29, 1852, died on March 15, 1895. Mr. Bachtel had improved his farm, erecting the buildings now upon it, among the structures erected by him being a barn fourteen by thirty feet in size, and
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which was added to until it now measures forty by seventy-six feet, and in other ways he made many substantial improvements which indicated him to be a man of progressive ideas and up-to-date in his tendencies. After the death of his wife, Mr. Bachtel made his home with his son on the old homestead. He was a sober, earnest, hardworking man, regarded as one of the foremost farmers in the community, and was a loyal and active member of the United Brethren church. To him and his wife were born nine children, two of whom died in infancy, the others being Delilah, the wife of Robert Patterson, who is a shoe dealer of Waterloo; Emanuel, deceased; John Wesley, who lived to manhood near Waterloo and died in 1908, at his father's home; Mahala, the wife of Henry D. Shoemaker, of Smithfield township, this county; William H., the immediate subject of this sketch; Ada F., the wife of Daniel Dilgard, of Montpelier, Ohio; Emma, who died at the age of twenty-five years ; Albert, who died in childhood, and Bert, who is living on the old homestead.
William H. Bachtel was reared on the paternal farmstead, securing his education in the common schools and engaged in teaching schools in different townships in the county during the winter months, farming in summer. In 1894. two years after his marriage, he bought his present farm, on which he located in 1892. Four acres of this land is in standing timber and seventy-six acres under cultivation. Mr. Bachtel's barn, the oldest in the township. burned on July 30, 1913, and he is now engaged in the erection of a new one, which, when completed, will be one of the finest in Smithfield township.
On March 27, 1892, Mr. Bachtel married Mary Jane Walker, the daugh- ter of Eli Walker, who is represented elsewhere in this work, and therefore Mrs. Bachtel's personal family history will not be repeated here. To Mr. and Mrs. Bachtel have been born two children, Harry Earl and Estel Vern.
Politically, Mr. Bachtel has given his support to the Republican party consistently since attaining his majority and has been active and influential in its support. Fraternally, he is a member of the Knights of Pythias at Water- loo, being interested in the workings of that order. He is essentially a man of affairs, of sound judgment, keen discernment, farseeing in what he under- takes and every enterprise to which he has addressed himself has resulted in satisfactory financial returns. His success in life has been the legitimate fruitage of consecutive effort, directed and controlled by good judgment and correct principles, and because of his high qualities of character he is emi- nently deserving of the confidence and regard which are bestowed upon him in the community in which he resides.
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