History of Elkhart County, Indiana; together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history: portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, Part 87

Author:
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, C. C. Chapman & co.
Number of Pages: 1192

USA > Indiana > Elkhart County > History of Elkhart County, Indiana; together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history: portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 87

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They then removed to Kosciusko county, to get where there was prairie, and taking up a claim, lived there about two years, when a man appeared and swore that he had cultivated one corner of the section, and again they were thrown out of two years' hard labor and, what is so dear to every heart, a permanent home. They then went on to Iowa, remaining a few years, but affairs did not prosper and they returned to Elkhart county to an SO-acre lot they had pur- chased before going to Kosciusko county.

The early settlers in these days enjoyed life, felt less of want and more of satisfaction than came to some of them in their latter days. There was no written law or preached gospel, but in many cases they lived more peacefully and religiously than now when court-houses and churches dot the county like trees in an orchard. Religious meetings were held from cabin to cabin occasionally, and in 1830 two preachers of the Christian denomination held a service, and ultimately a Church of that faith was established. For a year or more Mrs. Nickeson meditated on the duty of professing a

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belief in God Almighty and joining his visible Church. Many hindrances were in the way, but Feb. 12, 1832, she rode on horse- back nine miles, forded a river filled with floating ice, and on the next day was immersed and became connected with the Church of which she has ever since been a consistent member.

In 1841 John Nickeson died, leaving her a widow with several small children. In 1842 she married Jacob Wogoman, and had by him 2 children. In these early days Indians were plentiful, but they suffered no loss save once: One day an Indian and two squaws came to her when husking corn, traded muslin and calico for corn, wishing to sit by her cabin fire to shell it. When they left she thought their bags too full, and on examining the house she found they had been to the pork barrel, taken a shoulder and side meat, some meal, and linen thread which she had spun and bleached ready for use. They were pursued, but an Indian encampment being within a few miles, further chase was deemed unsafe.

Like a thrifty pioneer that she was, she had a small flock of sheep, but they must be confined in a rail pen for fear of the wolves, and often she chased the hungry pack away from the pen where they were gnawing and scratching for a taste of mutton. The hog and nine pigs were missing one day, when she followed and found wolf tracks and six pigs gone; the remainder she succeeded in driving home again.

Mrs. Wogoman enjoyed no advantages of education, but her mother wit was such that rarely any designing person got the bet- ter of a bargain. One instance we will give, though many might be recorded. While a widow, a neighboring man hired her horse for 25 cents a day and kept him till he owed her $6. He died, and his son, a lawyer, settled the estate and paid her $3 in merchandise. She often asked him for the remainder, and at last he came to pay it. He demanded a receipt. She said, " Write it and I will sign it." It was so done, and he handed her $2, and then triumphantly carried off the receipt for $3! After this he avoided her. Time passed, she needed the money, yet could not collect it. She wrote a plain, concise statement of fact, and to which she could give oath, handed it to Dr. Ellis, then editor of the Democrat, saying if a man would serve a poor widow like that he deserved to have the story carried as far as the papers went. The Doctor said if the man did not pay he would publish it; but the delinquent soon appeared and found his creditor digging potatoes in the field. He rode up by the fence and called out, "Here's your money." She replied, without moving, " You can keep it," and he again said, " Come and get your money," while she answered, " If you can live and keep it I can live without it. You are a big lawyer in fine clothes and I am a poor widow with a baby and small children to support. I was not raised in the woods to be scared by an owl, and if you cheat me out of much you must get up before daylight." He passed her seven shillings, and the remainder is unpaid to this day.

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HISTORY OF ELKHART COUNTY.

The hardships of pioneers are of a peculiar kind and develop hardy, rugged virtues. They beget kindly feelings and hearty sympathy with one another, for which the more complicated cus- toms of civilized society and an abundance of wealth sometimes fail to furnish an equivalent.

Hon. William Allan Woods was born near Farmington, Mar- shall Co., Tenn., May 16, 1837. June 16, 1837, his father, Al- Jan Newton Woods, was buried, who was a student in theology, preparing for the Presbyterian ministry. IIis mother (nee Ewing), left withont dower or estate, was compelled for several years to snp- port herself and children (two daughters, besides an older son than our subject) by the use of needle and loom. The ancestry on both sides (including in the various branches the names of Blair, Cald- well, Dawson, Donaldson, Leeper and McCleary) was of Scotch- Irish extraction, the first of them in this conntry having come over from Ireland about 1760, and settled in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

In 1844 the mother of our subject married Capt. John J. Miller, who in the spring of 1847 removed with his family to Iowa, and settled on a farm near Troy, Davis Co. In the fall of the next year Mr. Miller died, leaving Allan (so he was called at home) the only reliance of his mother, to conduct and work the farm, which he did with fair snecess for two years or more. At the age of 14, his mother having married again, and not to his liking, he left home, to make his own way in the world. For a year and a half he had employ- ment with a steam saw and grist mill company, driving ox-team, haul- ing logs, and doing all kinds of work in and about the mill, at $12 per month, one halt of which went for board, washing and mending, and yet he saved money, never using tobacco or intoxicating liquor. Next for a few months, he "clerked in a store," being entrusted with the conduct of a branch store. Always identifying himself with the interests of his employers, his judgment was often consulted and followed.

In his earlier years he had attended a few terms of common school, and had made unusual, but necessarily limited, progress. He developed an early taste, a passion, indeed, for reading, but had the use of very few books. At 14 he read Shakspeare with great delight, and about the same time the "Wandering Jew," which was his first novel. In 1853 the Troy Academy was founded, and he became one of its first pupils. He subscribed a small sum ($5) to- ward the erection of the Academic building, and, unable to spare the inoney, "worked it ont" by carrying hod for the plasterers. Promised by a friend the loan of the money to pay his way through college, he entered vigorously upon his preparatory studies, paying his way in the academy by services as assistant teacher. During this time he was the Chief of the Lodge of Good Templars, at Troy, and in the winter of 1854 '5 went as delegate from that lodge to Iowa City, and there helped organize the Grand Lodge of that order for the State, and was elected one of the officers of that body.

John H. Violett.

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HISTORY OF ELKHART COUNTY.

In September, 1855, he was matriculated as a Freshman in Wabash College at Crawfordsville, Ind., and at once was recognized as one of the most laborious and promising students. He very soon achieved leadership in his debating society. Easily mastering the regular course of study and taking besides such optional studies as were allowed, he gave much time to reading, especially in history and metaphysics. Graduating with his class in 1859, he was employed for the next year as tutor in the college and received from the examining committee special commendation of his class in his- tory. In the fall of 1860 he was employed to teach in a collegiate school in Marion. Ind., and continued in that work until the news of the battle of Bull Run broke np the school.

He then enlisted and made preparations to go into the army, but, by an accidental fall into a stone quarry (on the farm of Sterns Fisher, near Wabash, Ind.), received such an injury of foot and ankle as to disable him for the service.

Before graduating from college he had read Blackstone, with reference to his choice of professions; and having chosen the law, had pursued, while teaching, a course of legal studies, and Feb. 20, 1861, had been admitted to the Bar of the Grant Circuit Court, then presided over by Judge Biddle, now one of the Supreme Judges. Continuing his legal studies, he served as Deputy Prosecuting Attorney at the February term. 1862, of said conrt, and then removed to Goshen, arriving March 17, 1862. He came an entire stranger, having neither kindred nor acquaintance in the county. The war had prostrated business and, still burdened with the debt of money borrowed while in school, his prospects were not encour- aging; but his abundant time was improved to advantage by hard study. Confidence was soon won and with it helpful friendship. On the recommendation of Dr. E. W. H. Ellis, he was appointed Provost Marshal for the county to conduct the draft of 1862, and as snch had the collection, without giving bond or security, of near $20,000 from the "conscientious exempts " from the draft; and afterward had the refunding of this money to those of whom it had been exacted. The faithful execution of this trust established his reputation for integrity.

Within half a dozen years he had reached the front rank of law- yers in Northern Indiana and held his place with increasing success and reputation until raised to the Bench of the 34th Judicial Cir- enit. In 1866 he was elected Representative in the Legislature and was known as "a working member," originating many, and secur- ing the passage of several measures,-among them a bill to regulate railway freight charges, perhaps the first measure to pass in any Legislature in the direction of what was afterward known as the Granger movement. (This bill was defeated by a veto.) He was practically the leader of the opposition to schemes of legislative jobbery and corruption.

Since Oct. 22, 1873, he has served upon the Circuit Bench with eminent success and acceptability. In 1878 he was nominated and re-elected without opposition, and having but fairly entered on his

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HISTORY OF ELKHART COUNTY.

second term as Circuit Judge, June 17, 1880, received the nomina- tion of the Republican party of the State for a place on the Supreme Bench as the successor of Judge Biddle, and his nomina- tion having been ratified by an election, he will, if spared in life and health, be entitled to take his seat on that Bench on the first Monday in January, 1881.

From boyhood he has been intensely opposed to the institution of human slavery, as indeed was his father before him, and his step- father, Capt. Miller, and on this account was disinherited by his Grandfather Woods, who died Oct. 28, 1851, leaving his estate and negroes to those who, or whose parents, had not antagonized his pro-slavery views and prejudices. Wbile borrowing money to pay his way in college, he insisted upon and accomplished the manu- mission and bringing to the free North of a negro boy to whom he and his sisters had become heirs, declaring his readiness and pur- pose to leave college and abandon hope of a professional career rather than go on by the aid of the price of a human being sold as a slave. His share of the sum offered for the boy would have paid well nigh a year's expenses in school.

In his youth Judge Woods became a member of the Presbyte- rian Church at Truy, and has always maintained an attendance upon the services of that denomination.

He was married Dec. 6, 1870, to Miss Mata A. Newton, daughter of Hon. A. Newton, ex-Mayor of DesMoines, Iowa, and grand- danghter on her mother's side of Gen. Wm. B. Mitchell, a well- known pioneer of this county, and who was the Government agent for the removal of the Indians from this vicinity, and represented the county in the State Senate. They have 2 children, Alice New- ton, born Nov. 22, 1871, and Floyd Allan, born Sept. 11, 1875.

Rev. Wm. H. Ziegler, Pastor of First Reformed Church, Goshen, was born in Cumberland county, Pa., Oct. 3, 1852. He was the son of Jonathan Ziegler, his mother's maiden name being Eliza- beth Jacobs. His father was a farmer, and William was reared on the farm until the age of 17, and attended common school and thus fitted himself for teaching, a vocation which he began at the age of 17. He taught three terms, employing the time intervening by attending the Normal School at Newberg, Pa. In the spring of 1873 he went to Clarke county, Ohio, and near Springfield taught another term. After this he went to the Theological school of Tif- fin, Ohio, where he remained three years and completed his course of study. He was ordained to the ministry in 1876, and received a call soon after from the Goshen Reformed Congrega- tion to become their Pastor. He accepted it and soon entered upon his labors. He has remained in this relation ever since. When he became Pastor of the Goshen Church it was a mission, and had but 12 members; now there are 75 members and a comfortable and commodious church. Mr. Ziegler is a Royal and Select Master Ma- son,a member of Bashor Council, No. 12,Goshen, and is a Republican in politics. He is also a member of a Good Templar Lodge. He is a man of excellent native quality, and has proved himself to be a very acceptable minister of the gospel.

HARRISON TOWNSHIP.

This township is diversified with slight hills and valleys, and it is mostly woodland, although the greater portion is under cultiva- tion. The land is quite productive and yields large crops of corn and wheat.

The first settler in this township was Daniel B. Stutsman, who came in 1831. He erected a log cabin,moved into it, and commenced the work of clearing. His was the first white man's ax that was heard in this township. The wild Indian was yet there. They were the neighbors to the white man, and indeed were their true friends. They would seldom visit the white settlers, but before leaving would give them some trinket or article of some sort, as a token of their love and respect for them. Mr. Stutsman's was the only white family in the township for a long while. They indeed encountered many hardships in those pioneer days. They sub- sisted chiefly, besides bread, on wild meat, and while he had various ways of capturing wild game, we will make mention of one in connection with an incident.

Mr. S. had off at some distance from his " cabin home " a turkey pen or trap. The trap was constructed of poles, perhaps three feet by four feet in size, with a ditch dug along under the pen for tlie turkeys to pass in, he having previously scattered shelled corn around the pen and also in the ditch as a bait. They would devour the corn in the ditch to its terminus, thien to get out would fly upward, instead of returning via the entrance, and would soon find them- selves entrapped. A turkey will always fly upward instead of down- ward to get out of a trap. On one occasion Mr. Statsman went out to his turkey pen with his rifle, baited it with the corn as usual, and stepped back a few paces to wait for turkeys to come. He soon heard the rustle of leaves (it was autumn and the leaves had just fallen) at a distance, and on looking some rods apace saw an object resembling a red-headed gobbler moving along as if looking over a log. Mr. S. coolly raised his gun, intending when Mr. Turkey alighted on the log to dispatch him with a bullet; just then an Indian with a red handkerchief tied around his head, seeing that " big Injun be shot " leaped from behind the log and came running withall the

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HISTORY OF ELKHART COUNTY.

speed that he could make to Mr. Stutsman, and clapping his hands on his benefactor's shoulders, exclaimed, " Good che-mo-ko-mon, good che-mo-ko-mon!" ( interpreted, good white man) " no shoot Injun," so glad was he that he did not meet with the fate to which he was destined, had he not emerged from his hiding place at that moment. Nor very soon after did Mr. Redman disguise himself as a turkey.

In 1833-'4 David Y. Miller, Conrad Brumbangh, James and Wm. Stewart and Samuel Buchanan effected settlements in this township, and in 1835 came James McDowell and Christian S. Far- ber. Time continued to roll over these old pioneers' heads till the spring of 1836, when they numbered 10 families. The 10 voters there convened and organized the township. The first election was held the following November, where 10 votes were cast, all Whigs and all were cast for Gen. Harrison. From the result of this elec- tion the township derived its name.

The first justice of the peace was Wmn. Stewart, who served five years.

In 1838 the citizens erected a log house for school purposes. We can have but a faint idea of the rudeness of these huts, and do not wonder at them for not receiving a very scientific education when we consider the limited advantages they enjoyed. There are now nine frame and brick school-houses in the township, and we see what pre-eminent facilities the present generation enjoys above those of earlier days. We see now as the result of these advanta- ges, a large number of the natives are teachers, and many are teach- ing their home schools.

Religious meetings were held in school-houses for a number of years. The first church in the township was built by the Mennonite society on sec. 28, in 1855, by Daniel B. Stutsman and Abraham Teeter. In 1862 the Dunkards erected a church on section 26. The Mennonites also built a church on the same section in 1868.

· About 1840 a postoffice, designated as "Cabin Hill," was located in the western portion of the township, but was discontinned after a few years of business, and was subsequently established at South- western, a small village in the southern part of the township. It was run there a few years, then discontinued, and some years since was re-established.

The justices of the peace from the beginning to the present are: Wm. Stewart, elected in 1840 for five years; Christian S. Farber, elected in 1845 for five years ; Solomon P. Yeoman, elected in 1850;

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HISTORY OF ELKHART COUNTY.

then Benjamin Benner, Christian S. Farber again, John Otto, Joseph Crupp, Martin P. Grush, Melcher Culp, Joshna Shriver, Aaron B. Craig and Leander Anderson. Others have been elected, but never qualified.

The prominent men of this township are Messrs. Joseph G. Culp, John A. Whisler, Leander Anderson, John Hay and Andrew and Peter D. Berkey, Daniel B. Stutsman, Wm. McDowell, Jacob Bechtel, P. H. Kurtz and Benjamin Hoffman, stock raisers; and Benjamin Benner, J. Shively, J. Buzzard, J. S. Cripe, Wm. Cough- man, C. S. Farber, C. M. Borntrager and some others are the lead- ing men that are engaged only in farming.

PERSONAL SKETCHES.

Following are short biographical notices of several citizens of Harrison township, whose lives have been so identified with its history as to be an essential part of it. Some are pioneers who have experienced all the scenes of frontier life elsewhere delineated in this work, and some are more prominent in the modern progress of the community.

Leander Anderson was born July 12, 1848, in this county. His parents, Noah and Mary Anderson, were natives of Delaware and Pennsylvania, respectively. His father was born Sept. 10, 1810. In 1832 he came to this connty, first settling in Waterford, where he lived till 1837, then moved into Harrison tp., where he resided till his death, which occurred Sept. 29, 1874. He was married Jan. 25, 1831, to Mary Ann Hay, daughter of Valentine Hay. To this marriage were born 10 children; S are living, viz .: Warren, Felix, Isabella (now Mrs. Kaylor), Esther (now Mrs. Nicholas Reed), Benj. F., Leander, Hiram, Erastus C., Uriah and Warren. Mr. Anderson was quite prominent among the people of this county. He served as County Commissioner for several years, and as a member of the Legislature for one term. .

Mr. Anderson's portrait is presented in this work.

Jacob Bechtel .- Among the prominent farmers of Harrison tp. Mr. Bechtel ranks with the leading. He was born in Lancaster connty, Pa., May 30, 1815. His parents, Peter and Sophia Bechtel, were natives of Pa. In 1828 they moved to Ashland county, Ohio. There he was reared, and received his mite of knowledge of school books in the rude log hut. To give a descrip- tion of this school building would not be out of place. It was a log structure, and not so very spacious within its massive walls. The roof was constructed by laying large logs on the top, and cov- ering with dirt; the floor was formed of rough, unplaned puncheons, the seats of slabs; the room was heated by a large fire-place, which occupied the full width of one end of the room; the win-

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HISTORY OF ELKHART COUNTY.

dows were made by removing a log from the side of the building, and greased paper was nsed for the window lights. What a hard- ship this would be to children of the present day ! In 1850 he came to this county, where he still resides, following the indepen- dent vocation of farming. April 20, 1837, he was married to Miss Anna Moyer, daughter of John and Elizabeth Moyer, natives of Pennsylvania. They have had 10 children, 7 of whom are living, viz .: John, who married Sarah Hoover, now deceased; Elizabeth, now Mrs. C. W. Nusbanm; Abraham, who died while in the war, at Gallatin, Tenn., Feb. 19., 1863; David S., who married Sophia Otto; Barbara A., now Mrs. Geo. H. Hoover, in Kansas; Sophia, now Mrs. Levi Hoover, also in Kansas; Peter, Catharine, Joseph (deceased), and Caroline (deceased).

Mr. Bechtel was elected to the office of Tp. Trustee. He served in this capacity three years, then was elected County Commis- sioner. He served in that office till 1862, and in 1865 he was re-elected and served six years. Mr. B. is a Republican, and is also a member of the Evangelical Church. His grandfather, Jacob Kinch, was a Hessian, and came across some time during the Revo- Intion.

Benjamin Benner, the subject of this sketch, is a native of Philadelphia, Penn .; was born March 23, 1804, and is a son of John and Mary A. Benner, natives of New Jersey. In 1806 the family removed to Baltimore, Md., where they lived till 1821, when Benjamin went to Cumberland county; in 1832 he moved to Clarke county, Ohio, and in 1834 he came to this county and settled near Waterford, where he lived till November, 1839, when he moved into Harrison tp., in a little, low, "log cabin in the woods," which had neither doors nor windows. Wild game was plentiful, and they subsisted chiefly on wild meat. Sept. 27, 1839, he married Caroline Broughton, daughter of Nathan and Lydia Broughton, natives, respectively, of Massachusetts and Connecticut. Mr. Ben- ner was born in New York, on the Mohawk river. Ten children were added to this family, 7 of whom are living, viz .: Elizabeth (now Mrs. Henry Bowser), Lydia A. (now Mrs. Isaac Richards), Car- oline (now Mrs. Joseph Dalrymple), Maria (now Mrs. Wm. Misner), Franklin (married to Lizzie Collins), Martha (now Mrs. Warren). The father of the subject of this sketch was a soldier in the war of 1812, and well does Mr. Benner remember the battle of North Point, which occurred Sept. 12, 1814, and where Gen. Ross was killed.

The subject of this sketch has held varions offices of the tp., al- thongh no office-seeker. He owns a farm of 80 acres, in sec. 25, worth $7,500.

Andrew Berkey was born May 19, 1831, in Somerset county, Penn. His parents, Daniel P. and Fanny Berkey, were natives also of Penn. Mr. Berkey went to Fulton county, Ohio, in 1855, and the same year he came to this connty, where he still resides, farming and stock-raising. In 1854 he married Rachel Wertz,

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HISTORY OF ELKHART COUNTY.

daughter of John and Susan Wertz, natives of Pennsylvania ; of their 7 children 6 are living, viz .: Elizabeth (now Mrs. Moses Baringer), David (who married Christiana Sherman), Malinda (now Mrs. David Means), Albert, Hiram, Allen, and Mary Ann, (deceased). Mr. Berkey owns 160 acres of land in sec. 10, worth $60 per acre.

P. W. Berkey was born in Somerset county, Penn., July 22, 1844. His parents were David and Fanny Berkey, who were born also in Pennsylvania. In 1866 he came to this county. He was married October 20, 1868, to Miss Catharine Berkey, daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth Berkey, natives also of the Keystone State ; 5 children were born to this union, viz .: Idella, Warren, Julia, Mor- ris, and Mr. Berkey has filled the office of Tp. Trus- tee for two terms. He owns 80 acres of land, valued at $5,200.

Christian Borntrager was born in Holmes county, Ohio, Oct. 25, 1842. His parents were Christian and Susanna Borntrager, natives of Pennsylvania. In 1860 he came to this county, where he has since resided, farming and stock-raising being his occupation. He was married Dec. 24, 1863, to Miss Nancy A. Garber, of Wayne county, Ohio, a danghter of Jacob and Lucy Garber, natives of Pennsylvania. To them were born 4 children, viz. : Mary E., Daniel J., Andrew W. and Susanna. Mr. B. is possessor of a fine farm of 160 acres, sec. 22, valued at $10,000.

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History of Elkhart County, Indiana; together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history: portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, Part 87

Author: Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, C. C. Chapman & co. Number of Pages: 1192

Author:
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, C. C. Chapman & co.
Number of Pages: 1192