USA > Indiana > Marshall County > History of Indiana : containing a history of Indiana and biographical sketches of governors and other leading men. Also a statement of the growth and prosperity of Marshall County, together with a personal and family histry of many of its citizens, Vol. II > Part 34
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Brinard, and has four children; Albert M., married Elizabet Payne, has a family of two children; Elijah M., of Bourbon, married Sophronia Petchor, has two children; Ollie, wife of Milton Martin, has three children; Richard, who resides at home; William, of Bourbon, who married Miss Dora Klingaman; Melvin, also of Bourbon, who married Emma Reddick, has one child.
George Ridenour is a native of Franklin county, Ohio, and fourth child of George and Mary (Sterrett) Ridenour. His an- cestors, both paternal and maternal, figured prominently in the early history of the country, his grandfathers having served with distinction in the war of the revolution. F. Sterrett, his moth- er's father, served on the body guard of Washington, with whom he was a close personal friend. The father of the subject was born in Maryland in the year 1785, and resided in that state until the age of twelve or fourteen years, when he accompanied his parents to Pennsylvania. In the year 1806 he moved to the neigh- borhood of Chillicothe, Ohio, where he lived four years, and later became a resident of Franklin county, that state, where he passed through all the hardships and dangers incident to that trying period. He was never molested by the Indians who made life so unpleasant to the settlers in that part of Ohio. George Ridenour was born in the year 1829, and lived upon his father's farm until the age of twenty, at which time he entered upon an apprenticeship to learn the blacksmith trade, which he followed with a good degree of success for over thirty years. He resided in his native county for fifteen years, and was there married May 18, 1854, to Sarah Staley. In 1861 he moved to Miami county, Ind., and followed his trade in the villages of Chilli and Paw-Paw until 1863, when he came to Marshall county, locating in Bourbon township on the place where he is now residing. His first acquisition of land was forty acres, to which he has added from time to time until he now owns 240 acres situated three miles east of the town of Bourbon. Since engaging in agricul- ture Mr. Ridenour has been very successful, his farm and im- provements ranking among the best in Marshall county. He is a self-made man, and his success in life is due to his own unaided abilities. He was appointed drainage commissioner in 1881, and held the office for five years, during which time he became well acquainted with the topography and resources of the county, which he considers the best tract of land in the state, his thor- ough knowledge making his opinion valuable. Mr. and Mrs. Ridenour are both members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which they were reared from childhood. They have a family of four children: Louis G., Henry S., Reuben Monroe and John F. Mr. Ridenour is a member of the I. O. O. F., belonging to lodge No. 262, at Etna Green.
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William H. Sickman, whose sketch is herewith presented, is a native of Wayne county, Ohio, and a descendant of an old and well-known German family, a number of representatives of which are living in various parts of Indiana. The family origin- ally settled in Pennsylvania, from which they subsequently mi- grated westward, locating in several states, principally Ohio. His father, John J. Sickman, was born in that state, in 1821, mar- ried in Stark county, Ohio, Miss Elizabeth Kinney, and came to Indiana in 1849, settling in Pulaski county, where he engaged in farming. William H. Sickman was born in 1849, and was six months of age when the family moved to this state. He was raised on a farm in Pulaski county, received his rudimentary education in the common schools, and subsequently graduated from the Valparaiso college with a professional training as a teacher. He taught for some time after completing his educa- tion, six years as principal of the high schools of Rochester, where he earned the reputation of a painstaking and first-class instructor. In the meantime he began the study of law with William E. Talcott, of Valparaiso, Ind., under whose instruction he continued the greater part of two years, and on severing his connection with the Rochester schools, engaged in the practice of his profession in that city, where he soon took high rank among his legal brethren of the bar. After continuing the prac- tice for some time and obtaining a lucrative clientage, he was compelled to withdraw from the profession on account of im- paired health, after which he engaged in farming, and in 1888 moved to his present place, consisting of 200 acres, a short dis- tance east of Bourbon. Mr. Sickman was married in 1880, to Clara Sturgeon, daughter of Enoch Sturgeon, a well-known law- yer of Rochester, now deceased. Three children have been born to this marriage: Ethel, Ruth and Mary.
Among the successful farmers of Bourbon township few rank as high as John Swoverland, who was born in Richland- county, Ohio, in the year 1837. His parents were Christian and Bar- bara (King) Swoverland, natives respectively of Pennsylvania and Germany. They settled in Ohio in the year 1828, at which time Christian Swoverland was twenty-eight years of age. The subject of this sketch is one of the family of ten children, nine of whom are still living, one sister, the wife of John Redinger, being a resident of Bourbon township. Mr. Swoverland began life for himself at the age of twenty-one as a farmer in Miami county, this state, where he lived for four years, and later moved to Marshall county, purchasing land in Bourbon township, where he now owns 407 acres all in one body. He is one of the largest land owners in the county, and upon his fine farm are many valuable improvements, among which is an elegant brick resi- dence erected in 1881, a commodious barn erected in 1873, and
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other buildings, all of which are constructed in the latest style of modern architecture. Mr. Swoverland possesses fine business ability, and as a farmer, has met with success such as few attain. He was married in 1867 in Miami county, to Nancy Jackson, who has borne him five children, viz .: Marida, Matt, Mark, Gail and Pearl. Mr. Swoverland served in the late war in Company H, Eighty-seventh Indiana infantry, enlisting in 1863, and was with his regiment for a period of seven months. In his younger days he had but little means of obtaining an education, but has given his family all the opportunities possible in this direction.
William M. Thompson was born in the year 1831, in Sanga- mon county, Ill., and is the son of John L. and Sarah (Van Sickle) Thompson, natives of Kentucky and Germany respectively. The parents were early settlers of Illinois, moving to that state about 1822, and later came to Indiana, locating in Madison county where they resided until 1834, at which time they became residents of Marshall county, locating near Wolf Creek Mill, Greene town- ship. John L. Thompson was elected sheriff in 1852, and moved to Plymouth, in which city he died before the expiration of his second term of office. The subject was at this time already work- ing for himself, having been married in 1853, in January of which year he moved to the present site of Bourbon and built the first business house in the town. It was a hewed log structure and stood near the marble shop where until quite recently, Mr. Thompson was in business. At the end of the first year his build- ing and stock were completely destroyed by fire, after which he went to Plymouth, where for eighteen months he clerked in the mercantile establishment of W. G. Pomeroy & Co. Returning to Bourbon, Mr. Thompson again engaged in the dry goods trade, which he conducted about two years meeting with good success. He afterward lived on a farm, and seven years ago moved to Bourbon, where he has since resided. He has been trustee of Bourbon township since 1888, and has proved a faithful and effi- cient officer. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, a re- publican in politics and is one of the thrifty and enterprising cit- izens of Marshall county. Mrs. Thompson's maiden name was Eliza M. Greer, whose father, John Greer, is mentioned elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson had four children only one of whom, Hosea Sherman, born in 1873, is now living.
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CHAPTER VI.
BY CHRISTIAN SEILER, JR.
BREMEN, INDIANA - EARLY SETTLEMENT AND GROWTH - INDUSTRIAL REVIEW -RAILROADS - RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS - SCHOOLS- GROWTH AND PRESENT CONDITION - SECRET SOCIETIES - FIRE DEPARTMENT, NEWSPAPERS, PHYSICIANS, LAWYERS, ETC.
HIRTEEN miles northeast from Plymouth, the county seat of Marshall county, upon the north fork of the Yellow river, on a kind of plateau, and in German township, is located the town of Bremen. It was first called New Bremen, the name being given by George Pomeroy and Joseph Geiselman, who thought the name appropriate, as it was of German origin, and a large portion of the early settlers were a German-speaking people. However, the name " Bremen" is somewhat misleading to many, perhaps, from the fact that Bremen, in Europe, is a renowned German seaport and city; and the early settlers of our town and its neighborhood, after the Pottawatomies and Miami Indians were here, consisted of emigrants from Alsace, France (now Germany), from Switzerland, and from Bavaria; and if a name had been given the town with the intent to indicate the nationality of its settlers and founders, the place might have been named Strasburg, Karlsruhe or Berne.
Bremen is a little more than half a century in age, or growth, the first settlements being made about 1836, and between that date and 1848, settlement was made by several families, among whom there were these: Hardzog, Heim, Weis, Beyler, Koontz, Yockey, Ringle and others who preempted government lands in the vicinity, and here in the wilderness established their homes and began the rugged toil of pioneers. Other families soon came in, and ere long a village was formed. In 1846 a post- office was established and named Brothersville, in honor of David Brothers, the first postmaster, and on whose premises the office was held by him two years. In 1848 George Pomeroy and John Bush bought of Mr. Brothers one acre of land. Mr. Bush took the east half and on it built a log cabin, where for two years he resided and followed the cooper's trade, and then sold his pos- sessions to John Parker, a Quaker by faith, and a shoemaker by trade. Thus Mr. Parker became the first shoemaker of the
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place; and he was succeeded by Philip Kenager, who to this date, August, 1890, still occupies the old log cabin, now antiquated and delapidated, and which, like its inmate, must soon give way to the march of time and be no more.
Mr. Pomeroy erected upon his half acre a crude frame, in which he kept the first store, it being a variety store, and here he held the postoffice, which, in 1848, had been changed in name from Brothersville to New Bremen. Mr. Pomeroy was the first notary public of the place. About this time, 1848, Joseph Geis- leman purchased of Peter Heim, a lot, and here, where now is the business house of J. R. Deidrich & Co., Mr. Geisleman erected a log blacksmith shop, the first of the village, and here fol- lowed his trade of blacksmithing. Two years later he built the first frame dwelling of Bremen. In 1851 Gottleib Amacher built a log cabin and became the first tailor; subsequently he sold his possessions to Joseph Biehl, who opened up a bakery and saloon. This building has been "sided up" and repaired, and is still owned by the Biehl family. Ben Shane had built a log cabin, which in the early fifties, John Soice, coming from Starke county, Ohio, purchased and converted into the first harness shop.
We have described nearly all there was of the village up to about 1851. October 21 of that year the first platting and laying out of the place was done by George Beyler, who laid-out and regularly surveyed forty-eight lots, and from this time on the town was called Bremen; the name of the postoffice being changed from New Bremen to the simple name of Bremen, which has ever continued unchanged. Thereafter the town con- tinued to grow but slowly, as the word " boom " was then un- known. Since the original platting of the town there have been made the following additions: Deidrich's, Heim's, Ringle's, Bauer's, first and second; Foltz's, first and continued; J. D. Mast's, Luther R. Martin's, Daniel Ringle's, first, second and third; Koontz's, Wanner's and John P. Huff's.
The town was not incorporated until at the March term, 1871, by the board of commissioners. As a corporation it was divided into six districts, the officers being a clerk and treasurer, a mar- shal, an assessor, and six trustees. In 1872 the town was re-dis- tricted, and the number of trustees reduced to three, the other offices remaining the same as before. Subsequently other changes were made by re-districting, but at present (1890), there are four districts, giving four wards, each represented by a trustee; and the office of clerk and treasurer made separate. The adminis- tration of the affairs of the town by the officials, all along, has been praiseworthy. The prosperity of the town has been established and maintained, the corporation now being clear of debt, with money in the treasury. Many and valuable improve- ments have been made in the way of streets, pavements, public
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buildings, etc., and the people may justly boast of their progres- sive, prosperous and well regulated town and homes, blessed with excellent schools, churches, and such other organizations necessary to the best of society. In regard to commerce and industries Bremen ranks high among the towns of Marshall county, and as evidence for the truth of this statement the fol- lowing review is made in this connection.
Industrial Review .- In 1852, Jacob Keifer came here from Mishawaka, Ind., and bought lot No. 2, in Heim's addition, and started thereon the first wagon shop in the village. In January, 1854, John Diederich, Sr., moved with his family to the place and erected a building which was the first cabinet shop in the town. The building erected was a frame and built of lumber. Chris- tian Seiler, Jr., then an apprentice at the cabinet trade, hauled from what was called the Keyser saw-mill, on the ridge, about the first in this section of the country, if not the first. Mr. Died- erich remained in the furniture and undertaking business till 1866, when he sold his stock and tools to William Keifer and Michael Holdered, and went exclusively into the grocery and dry goods business. In the spring of the year 1854, Daniel Ringle, Sr., Daniel Ringle, Jr. and William Ringle built the first saw-mill on the ground where Carbiner & Huff's mill now stands. It was an upright saw, and was more noted for its heavy frame work and clumsy construction, than for the good work it did, until the firm of Montgomery & Engleston put in new machinery and circular saws, when it began to run more systematically. May 28, of 1874, it burned to the ground and a better mill has now taken its place.
In the year 1856 the Biehl brothers came from Pittsburgh, Penn., and started a tannery just east of town, where now (1890) the old dilapidated building may be seen. The three brothers were Charles, Joseph and John F. Biehl, and apparently they did a good business till 1857, when Charles sickened and died. John F. Biehl then became sole proprietor of the business, which he continued with little evidence of success till 1869. In this connection it may be stated that the father of the Biehl family had for many years been an itinerant doctor, and about 1854 opened up in a log cabin the first drug store of Bremen. This early physician and druggist was found, on the 8th of January, 1857, frozen to death in his room, and superstitious people long afterward believed the house to be haunted.
In March, 1856, Christian Schilt, who had been in partnership with the Rumley Bros., in the foundry business at La Porte, re- moved to the vicinity of Bremen, and for one year farmed the old McCalf farm. He was a good machinist, and the people clamoring for a grist-mill (the nearest mill being at Plymouth, but most of the farmers going to South Bend or Mishawaka to
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get their grain ground), Mr. Schilt with Samuel Schmachten- berger, erected in 1857, the first grist-mill at Bremen. The farmers and citizens of the vicinity rendered them much aid in furnishing timber, lumber and work, because it was considered an improvement of much importance, and such encouragement was given as is necessary to make a town prosperous. In 1858 Jacob Schilt moved here with his family from Stark county, Ohio, and purchased Mr. Schmachtenberger's interest in the mill. The Schilt brothers operated the mill till 1863, when, by mutual agreement, they dissolved partnership, and Christ Schilt became the sole proprietor, remaining as such till his death oc- curred on August 21, 1874. The mill has now passed into the hands of William F. Schilt, his son, who has improved and made the mill one of the roller process. At the present date (1890) there are two flouring mills in Bremen, the second one being op- erated by the Bremen Milling company, which was erected by A. J. Knobloch & Co., in 1875, and is also of the roller process. The two mills are considered valuable enterprises, and as they have a productive surrounding, an agricultural region, from which to draw trade, their prosperity is assured.
In the year 1853 John Koontz erected the second blacksmith shop of Bremen, but in 1855 the shop was converted into a grocery store, and then Mr. Koontz erected his present shop, and while all other veterans in his profession have laid down their hammers, John Koontz may still be heard,
"Week in, week out, from morn till night, With measured beat and slow,"
pounding his anvil, and deserves great credit for the continua- tion of his trade these many years. In the spring of 1854, the Prottsman family removed from Goshen to Bremen, and for a time ran a general store, but subsequently erected a building on the present site of the American house, and here kept the first regular hotel of Bremen; but in 1859, the family not being suc- cessful in their undertakings, removed to La Porte county. Among the early tavern or hotel keepers of Bremen were the following: George Pomeroy (who kept really the first inn of the place), John Prottsman (as referred to above), John Bauer, Jr., and others.
Bremen now has two hotels, namely: the Garver house and American house, and both houses are under a prosperous man- agement.
In 1865 Jacob Knobloch erected in Bremen a large and commodious hotel, which was the pride of the town. It was known as the Knobloch house, and Mr. Knobloch operated it till 1869, when his death occurred, and about this time Mr. E. J. Thompson, Mr. Knobloch's son-in-law, assumed control of the
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house, which was thereafter known as the Thompson house. Subsequently H. M. Garver became the occupant and manager, but in 1879 the building was consumed in flames.
In 1866, Jacob Walter, in connection with William Huff, Sr., and August Mentzel, erected in Bremen, the first planing mill. About two years later Mr. Walter became sole proprietor of the mills, and under his management the mill was prosperous, con- tinuing to be operated until his death occurred, in 1889, since which time the mills have been somewhat idle.
Perhaps the most important industry established in Bremen is the Bent-wood factory, owned and operated by John J. Wright. Mr. Wright came to Bremen in 1869, in which year he erected his factory, which he has since continued to operate, manufacturing such as bent-wood material for the building of carriages, houses, fencing, etc. This factory affords employment for more workmen than any or perhaps all other enterprises of the place, and is of no little importance as an enterprise. Soon after the establishment of this factory there followed, in 1872, the institution of the Bremen Woolen Mills, by George and Peter Weyrough, two brothers. The mills were erected just east of town and seemed to prosper and did continue in opera- tion for some eight or ten years, since when for some cause best known to its proprietors, operation has been suspended, but evi- dently the suspension has not been due to the want of facilities, in the way of raw material, etc., necessary to supply and make prosperous such an industry.
In 1879 the Bremen Pump Company was organized, and a pump factory erected on or near the B. & O. railway at Bremen, and for a time it appeared a valuable and successful enterprise would continue, but adversity befell the attempt, and the project was abandoned, and subsequently the flames reduced the factory to ashes.
The only exclusively planing and shingle mills of Bremen were built about 1882, by Knoepfle & Vollmer, who have been successful in their enterprise. About 1878-9 A. Hadwin began the operation, upon a small scale, of a machine shop in the place, and continued the same till about 1886, when William May, the present proprietor, bought out Mr. Hadwin. It is now known as the Bremen Machine works, and is intended for doing re- pairing of machinery more than anything else. Still it is a valu- able addition to the industries of the town.
Burkhard & Hantz is the style of a firm now operating suc- cessfully a heading and stave factory, which was formerly known as the Michigan Heading and Stave factory. The same has been operated since about 1875, and the various changes in its management perhaps need not be recorded here in detail.
Carbiner & Huff operate the only saw-mill of Bremen, and
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their enterprise deserves no little consideration as a valuable industry to the town.
Since about 1884 the Schlossher Bros. have owned and oper- ated the Cottage Grove creamery, just south of Bremen, which is entitled to claim the enterprise as a valuable addition to its industries. The creamery was begun on a small scale and has increased in importance until it has reached large capacity, and gained a reputation along with that of the best creameries of our county, and all is due the enterprising proprietors who are founders, though young men.
Until the completion of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad com- paratively little merchandising was done at Bremen, since then mercantile pursuits here have been varied in character, and as usual many failures have been observed. Still there are and have been several successful merchants who by their practical business qualification have been successful in establishing a fair market for the farmer, and Bremen has become perhaps more than an ordinary trading point for a town of its size. Perhaps the first merchant to achieve a marked success in merchandising was Jacob Schilt, who during the civil war, and thereafter, up to the time of his death, which occurred only a few years ago, con- ducted an extensive business. He was progressive, enterprising and practical as a business man, and amassed considerable wealth in conducting a general merchandise business. He is re- membered as a representative business man, and a worthy citizen, moral, industrious and honest.
To make detailed mention of the several merchants who have been, and of those who are now, engaged in business here, would doubtless consume too much space. At this date, 1890, there are three prosperous dry goods stores, also carrying general merchandise; one is that of John J. Wright, managed by his son, W. D. Wright; one is that of George Helenlinger, and the third is that operated by J. R. Diedrich & Co. The following are proprietors of groceries: Jacob Bauer, Fred Ponader, George W. Sunderland and others. There are two hardware stores, the one controlled by John W. Steinick, the other by Weis & Ewalt. John Huff and John Miller each have furniture and undertaking establishments, and the two drug stores are separately operated by O. F. S. Miller and G. F. Wahl. The Garver house, with H. M. Garver, proprietor, and the American house, operated by Frank Walter, are the hotels. There are two harness shops, three shoe shops, several blacksmith shops, one tailor shop, two livery stables, one marble works, an elevator, a pickle factory, two millinery shops, two implement stores and many other business places. It is not intended here to give a complete business directory of Bremen, but only to present suffi- cient particulars to indicate the volumes of business done here.
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Prior to 1889, no regular bank had been established in Bremen. However, J. R. Diedrich & Co., since 1875, have conducted in their store a kind of exchange bank. In November of 1889, the Union bank was established, and is the first and only bank of the town, doing an exclusively banking business. This bank, though a private bank, controlled by an association of a number of stock- holders, transacts a lucrative business, and upon the plan of the Indiana State banks. However, it is not a state bank. At pres- ent (August, 1890), L. C. Curtiss is president and H. G. Hess, cashier.
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