USA > Indiana > LaPorte County > History of La Porte County, Indiana > Part 75
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Westville Christian Church .- In 1857 Elder John O. Kane held a series of meetings in Westville, which were very interesting and resulted in great good, for the same year a society of this denomi- nation was organized by Elder Wilson. About 100 afterward united with this Church. In 1858 they erected a very comfortable brick structure, which is their present house of worship. Among the elders whose labors they have enjoyed are Dr. C. G. Bartholomew and Elder Edmundson.
Westville Catholic Church .- This society has no regular services at present. They have purchased the old M. E. church, which makes a neat little place for worship.
Lutherans .- There is a branch of Otis Church located in West- ville, consisting of 24 communicants, with Rev. E. Hamman as pastor. They worship in the Baptist church.
BIOGRAPHIES.
We find personal sketches of those who have made the history of the town and township, and are to-day thus engaged, to be quite interesting, and fully as good history as we can give. We will there- fore speak briefly of some of the old settlers and prominent persons of the township:
E. Ansley .- This enterprising merchant of Westville was born in Calhoun county, Mich., May 27, 1842, and is a son of Ambrose and Mary Ansley, early settlers of Michigan. His aunt, Philene Ansley, wrote a history of Calhoun county, Mich. Mr. Ansley re- ceived his education in Lansing and Marshall, Mich. He went to Illinois in 1860, remaining there but one year, when he returned to Michigan and remained until 1865. He then went to Kankakee county, Ill., and engaged in farming until 1877, when he exchanged his farm for his present dry-goods and clothing store in Westville. He carries a stock of $7,000, consisting of dry-goods, clothing, boots and shoes, hats and caps, groceries, etc., and is doing a good business, which is steadily increasing. He was married July 4, 1867, to Miss Eliza Kibbon, by whom he has 3 children, viz .: Homer, Robert and Charlie Ansley.
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HISTORY OF LA PORTE COUNTY.
Levi J. Benedict. To give an interesting account of the Benedict family we will begin at the first, as near as we were able to obtain it. During the early colonization of the New England States there were three brothers of this family who emigrated from England to America and settled in New England; and all persons in America bearing the name of Benedict are, as far as we can learn, descendants of those three brothers. Stephen and Miriam Benedict, the parents of our subject were natives of New York State. The former purchased a soldier's elaim on land in Illinois, and concluded to locate upon it, and, accordingly in 1827 he started with his wife and 6 children (4 boys and 2 girls) for the Prairie State. They traveled by canal to Buffalo, N. Y., where they took a sail boat for Chicago. They here resided for a time in Fort Dearborn. Leaving his family, Mr. Bene- dict went on horseback to see his land, which was situated on Spoon river, in Fulton county. There was not a house within 50 miles of this secluded spot at that time, so far as he knew. He therefore abandoned the idea of taking his family there at that time, so he returned to Chicago, and placing his family and effects in a French barge he made his way by water to Joliet, and from there to Ottawa, Ill., where he purchased a claim and made some improve- ments, intending to make improvements on his land on Spoon river, while his family would reside here.
This was in 1828. At that time there were eight other families, that constituted the settlement at Ottawa. The bright prospects of future prosperity were soon all blotted ont, for on November, 1828, Mr. Benedict died. The family then decided to return to Indiana, but this was a severe undertaking; for blinding snow-storms met them alnost daily as they slowly plodded their way toward Fort Dearborn, or Chicago. It was so intensely cold that the oxen's ears and noses became frozen on the march, and some of the family had their faces frozen. A part of the timeit was so cold, and the blinding sleet and snow coming into the eyes of the lead oxen, that their eyes actually filled with ice, so that they could not see. Then the leaders were taken out and placed behind. This was repeated several times, the leaders becoming blinded in a short time. And on other occa- sions they broke through the crust on the snow, and they extricated the wagon by prying the wheels out with their bed rails.
Through these many hardships they finally reached Chicago. They remained here a short time " torecruit up a little," and while here wrote a letter to their friends near Niles, Mich., to meet them at the marsh near where Westville now stands, and to assist them in erecting a house. These friends were William Eahart and Samuel Johnson. They arrived at the designated spot before the Benedicts did, and as it was extremely cold they concluded that they were not coming yet, and returned to their homes in Michigan. The Benedict family arrived here on the 15th of March, 1829, and found traces of their friends; and Mr. Clyburn, who accompanied them from Chicago, went to Niles and brought their friends back.
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They erected a cabin for the Benedict family, and one for Mr. Eahart, who went to Michigan and returned with his family in April.
When the Benedicts arrived here there was 15 inches of snow on the ground, and they had no feed for their cattle; they cut down trees and let the cattle bronse upon them, which was their only subsistence until the snow left. They managed to keep some potatoes for seed in the following manner: They placed them in a barrel of corn and wrapped blankets around the barrel while on the way, and after arriving, they dug a hole in the ground under the tent, in which they placed them, placing around the potatoes some prairie grass that the boys had managed to procure on a little bank where the snow was partially blown off. The first season they raised a good crop, and the Indians very readily purchased the surplus, pay- ing for the corn, flour, etc, in furs and skins. These the settlers converted into money by selling to the fur traders.
Thus started the first settlement of La Porte county, Indiana, which is now one of the best counties in the State.
Levi J. Benedict was born in Greene county, N. Y., Nov. 29, 1816. His father was of English descent, and his mother of Ger- man on her father's side and of English on her mother's side. As is shown in the foregoing sketch, he was a pioneer boy, and knows all about the hardships and privations of frontier boyhood, and con- sequently his educational advantages were very limited. He early learned to use the bow and arrow, and shot much wild game in this way. He has hunted coons and fed cattle in snow shoes. The first sale of lands occurred at Logansport, and Mr. Clyburn gave Mrs. Benedict's bid for her land, which was $1.25 per acre. A speculator bid $1.26, and John Walker asked who it was that dared to bid against a widow and the oldest settler. He said he would shoot him if he knew who it was. The greedy land specu- lator gave it up, and Mrs. Benedict got her land at Government price, while others paid $5 or $6 per acre for theirs. Mr. Benedict was married in 1840, to Miss Dorothy Taber, a native of Crawford county, Pa., and who came to this county with her parents in 1836. This union has been blessed with 4 children, of whom 3 are living: Lovina, now Mrs. C. Weed, of Michigan City; Wm. H., a mer- chant in Westville, and Clara, who is at home with her parents. Mr. B. still has a portion of their first house in La Porte county. He has a cane made from one of the timbers which 51 years ago last March he dragged on the ground with oxen and chain. He also has a portion of the wood worked into the top of a center table, which is very ornamental. He has, too, a piece of brick which was burnt in the first kiln in the county, in 1832. He now lives a quiet life on his farm of 120 acres, and is engaged in farming on sec. 33. His only living brother, Holland Benedict, resides in Iowa. These two are the last of the first family that settled in La Porte county.
Wm. H. Benedict was born in this county May 27, 1846, and is a son of the last mentioned. He was reared on a farm, and edu- cated in the Westville high school. He was married Sept. 23, 1868,
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to Miss Sarah C. Terry, by whom he has had 3 children; of these but one is living, Nellie. Mr. Benedict engaged in the hardware business in Westville, in 1879, and carries a stock of $1,200, con- sisting of hardware, stoves, etc., and has a good trade. He also has a tin shop connected with his business.
E. M. Bryson was born in Knox county, Ohio, July 17, 1839, and is a son of Isaac and Mary Bryson (the latter is now widow Potter in Westville). Mr. Bryson was reared and educated in Mount Vernon, Ohio. He came with his parents to this county in 1856, and served an apprenticeship of three years in the machine shops of La Porte, and then worked in the same place two years, when, in 1861, he entered the U. S. army. He served faithfully for four years, participating in the battles of Perryville, Stone river, Chickamauga, Atlanta, Savannah, Mission Ridge, and others. At the battle of Chickamauga he received a wound in the hip. He was married in 1867 to Miss Sarah Soper. In 1872 he purchased a steam saw-mill in this tp. It is now located near the railroad on sec. 2. He uses the Cooper engine, which is of 25-horse power, and manufactured at Mount Vernon, Ohio. He does a good busi- ness, and makes all kinds of lumber.
Hiram Burner was born in Lucas county, Ohio, Sept. 8, 1835, and is a son of Jacob and Maria Burner, natives of Virginia. Mr. Burner was reared on a farm and educated partially in a common school, and in the college at Valparaiso, Ind. He was married in 1868 to Miss Frances J. Henderson, a native of Elkhart, Ind., and they have had 4 children, of whom 3 are living, viz .: Hiram A., Harry H. and Antoinette B. Mr. B. served this county as Sur- veyor from 1874 to 1878. He now resides on sec. 26, engaged in farming.
Dr. Chas. P. Cathcart was born in Dallas county, Texas, Oct. 8, 1849, and is a son of Henry and Nancy Cathcart. of this tp. His parents went to Texas in 1848, and returned in 1850. He was edu- cated in the Westville high school, and is a graduate of the Cincin- nati Eclectic Medical College. He spent one year in Pickaway county, Ohio, and came to this county in 1873, settling in Westville, where he has a good practice. He was married Feb. 12, 1879, to Miss Alicia Morrison, daughter of John Morrison, near Westville.
Henry Nassau Cathcart, was born at Cadiz, Spain, May 2, 1817; his father, James Leander Cathcart, was born in Ireland, and his mother, Jane Banker (Woodside) Cathcart, was born at Philadel- phia, Pa. His father was U. S. Consul at Cadiz at his birth, and his parents returned to the United States when he was a few months old, and resided in Washington, D. C., most of the time until he started for Indiana in 1833. He reached La Porte May 13, 1833, went to work with his brother, C. W. Cathcart, at the carpenter's trade, putting up a shop for Dr. Vaughn, worked a few days, then went down to Stanton's mill to work. There he " saw the elephant." He had never staid from under his father's roof a night before he started West. The change was awful,-from his house to that mill
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in the heavy timber. They had to work until 10 o'clock, A. M., in a thick smoke, to keep the gnats and mosquitoes from eating them up. Henry Vail was boss of the job. Admiral Peter and Calvil Burch, C. W. Cathcart and himself, were the mechanics. A young man named John drove oxen for Mr. Stanton and family, with whom they boarded. Their fare was as good as the country afforded. The house was a small log cabin; the family used the lower part for cooking and sleeping, and the boarders crawled up into the loft to sleep, where they had thousands of bacon bngs crawling over them all night, and little pieces of bark falling from the poles overhead into their faces. It made a great change to Henry from the way of living at his father's house. He worked at that mill two weeks, and by that time he was raw all over from the effects of the mosquito and gnat bites. When they got to the banks of Clear lake he and his brother went in and took a swim; they felt happy, and thought of heaven. Mr. C. has not seen that mill from that day to this, and " don't want to."
They finished Dr. Vaughn's shop. It was about the fifth frame building put up in La Porte, and stood about where the Old Line drug store now stands. They boarded with Richard Harris, whose wife did all the work of the house the most of the time and washed for some of the boarders. They had a cabin with two rooms, and a big fire-place to cook by, and for boarders, Dr. Ball, wife and two children, Dr. Malks, Dr. Hemonway, Dr. Vaughn, Robert and James Wickersham, Wm. Sheridan, Win. Harris, wife and child, a Mr. McLain, Sylvester and Richard Harris, C. W. Cathcart and the subject of this sketch. That old lady did all the work in good style, and had the best the country afforded to set on the table. There is no woman these days can tell how she did it.
The next fall Mr. C. went down to the place where C. W. Catlı- cart now resides, helped him to get out the timber and erect a frame house, which was the second frame building put up in New Durham tp. He worked through the winter and spring, making and hauling rails to fence the farm. Nathaniel Steele moved upon the place, and James L., John P. and Henry C. Cathcart boarded with them. In the spring of 1834 Henry went back to La Porte to work, helped C. W. Catlicart to build a house and store room for Dr. Ball. It has been enlarged, and still stands on the east side of the jail. In the fall he went back to the farm.
In 1838 occurred the "sickly season." C. W. Cathcart had moved to the farm that spring. He had 47 relatives of himself and wife; they were all sick at the same time, but one.
Jan. 4, 1844, Henry N. Catheart married Nancy Brown Eaton, daughter of John and Susanna (Lindsay) Eaton, and they now have 4 children living, namely: Leander, James, who has a drug and grocery store in Westville; John E., who resides on the farm; Charles P., who is a physician in Westville, and Mrs. Susanna A. (Cathcart) Long, whose husband resides in Westville. Nancy Josephine died in 1866, aged 83 years. Mr. and Mrs. Eaton came
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from Ireland in an early day and settled in Giles county, Virginia, and moved from there to La Porte county in 1834. They raised 12 children, 10 of whom are still living, all married but one, and reside in this county. Mr. Eaton has been dead ten years, and Mrs. E. is still living, 82 years old, and looks as if she might live 20 years longer.
In the spring of 1844 Mr. C. went to live on the place which he owned in the northeast corner of Clinton tp., and cleared up 50 acres of land. His wife's health failed, so that in 1849 he started for Texas, where they arrived in six weeks. After one year, his wife having regained her health, she thought she would like to return; so they sold out and started back, arriving here Aug. 1, 1850; he bought part of a threshing-machine and went to work. In 1853 he bought the place on which he now resides; has cleared up 75 acres of heavy, grubby land; has worked very hard for 47 years, satisfied with the country; thinks the Great Maker " put in his best licks " when he was making this country; pity he had not made more like it.
H. M. Cathcart was born in this county July 20, 1849, and is a son of Charles W. and Josephine Cathcart. He was reared on a farm, and educated in the Westville high-school. He has always resided in this county except the winter of 1869-'70, which time he resided in Nebraska. He was married in 1871 to Miss Mary Bellshaw, daughter of William Bellshaw, an early settler of La Porte county. They have 1 child, Hattie. Mr. C. owns 80 acres of land on sec. 10, and is engaged in farming and furnishing wood to the L. S. & M. S. R R. Company.
James L. Cathcart, son of Hon. Charles W. Cathcart, of this tp., was born in this tp. March 29, '41; was reared on a farm and edu- cated in a common school; served as Quartermaster, with the rank of Lieutenant, in the 99th Ind. Vol. Inf., during the late war; was married Sept. 22, 1863, to Miss Emeline, daughter of Lucas Hixon, of this tp. They have 2 children: Mary E. and Chas. W. Mr. C. is engaged in farming and stock-raising, on sec. 27.
Wesley F. Cattron was born in Fountain county, Ind., Oct. 7, 1826, and is a son of Valentine and Frances Cattron, the former a native of Virginia, and the latter of Tennessee; was reared on a farm and educated in a common school. In 1833 he came with his parents to this county. He was married in 1850, to Miss Amanda J. Starkweather, by whom he has had 15 children. Of these, 9 are living, viz .: Ellen, Chas. F., Josephine, Mary V., Della, William, John, Viola and Ettie. In 1874 Mr. Cattron erected a paper-mil near Otis, which is a valuable enterprise for the interests of La Porte county. There are two boilers for generating steam-power, and two engines, one of 10-horse power, and the other of 40-horse power. The mill is now doing a good business. It makes one and one-half tons of card-board daily.
John Charlesworth is a native of Yorkshire, England, and was born Nov. 5, 1802. His parents were Nathaniel and Mary Charles- worth. Mr. C. was raised a farmer, and educated in the common
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HISTORY OF LA PORTE COUNTY.
schools of England. He came to America in 1830, locating in Edwards county, Ill .; in 1833 he moved near Terre Haute, Ind., and to this county in 1834. He was married in 1831, to Miss Mary Nayler, by whom he had 1 child, Ann. Mrs. C. died in Angust, '33, and he was again married in 1860, this time to Miss Isabella Miller, by whom he had 3 children; of these, 2 are living, Ella and Ida. Mr. C. is a farmer and stock-raiser, but rents most of his land now. He owns 340 acres of valuable land, besides property in Westville. In 1836, when he first saw Chicago, it was not as large as Westville now is.
Charles Cole, grain merchant, Westville, Ind., was born in Wash- ington county, N. Y., Jan. 25, 1836. His parents are Zina and Rachel Cole, also natives of New York, who now reside in West- ville, and own and conduct the Cole House. Mr. Cole was educated in the Schuylerville Seminary, of New York State; came to this county in 1855, and was married Feb. 17, 1867, to Miss Elizabeth Lindsey, ly whom he has 2 children, Adda and Ella. Mr. C. was once engaged in the mercantile business with Mr. McClure, of Westville, but is now buying grain. The first three years in Indi- ana, however. he engaged in farming. Mrs. Cole is a worthy member of the Baptist Church.
B. A. Daggy was born in Augusta county, West Virginia, Apr. 22, 1822, and is a son of Jacob and Hannah Daggy, also natives of Virginia. His father was a tanner by trade, and B. A. was placed at work in the tannery as soon as he was large enough to work, at which he worked until 15 years old, attending school at intervals in a little log house, with a log removed from the side of the house for a window, and fence rails with legs in them for seats! He came with his parents to Clinton county, Ind., in the autumn of 1836, and early the following year they removed to Putnam county, this State. Mr. Daggy's mother still resides in Greencastle, and is in her SOth year. Mr. D. was married to Miss Lucretia Black in 1843. They had 3 children, of whom 2 are living, Wallace and Alexander. Mrs. Daggy died in 1848, and in 1849 Mr. Daggy was again married, this time to Miss Lucy A. Stoner, by whom he has 6 children: Albert, Josephine and Franklin, George L. (who is a subscriber for this book), Hattie and Calmetta J. In 1857, Mr. D. removed to Starke county, Ind., where he again engaged in farming. He came to this county in 1868, where he is still farming, and resides in Westville. He owns a farin of 160 acres.
George L. Daggy was born in Starke county, Ind., Sept. 30, 1856, a son of the last mentioned. He was reared on a farm and received a common-school education in Westville. He is now proprietor of the Westville Restaurant, and bids fair for a good trade in this pleasant little town. He also has a bakery in connection with the restaurant.
Samuel S. Davis, a successful farmer and prominent citizen of New Durham tp., was born in Tompkins county, N. Y., May 29, 1825. His parents were Joseph and Catharine Davis, who were
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HISTORY OF LA PORTE COUNTY.
also natives of the same county. The latter still lives with her son, at the advanced age of S1 years, and enjoys seemingly good health. Mr. Samuel S. Davis, the subject of this short biographical notice, was brought up on the farm, partly in one of the thrifty communi- ties of the great Empire State, and he received such an education as the public common schools of his day afforded. In 1835, when he was about ten years of age, his parents emigrated with him to this county, where they began to taste the sweets and bitters of pioncer life, and where young Samuel received that hardy drill, both mental and physical, which only a wild frontier life can give. When he became a man he followed mercantile business for a pe- riod of about three years, in this tp., and for two years he also sold goods in Goshen, Elkhart county. In 1850 he was joined in matri- mony to Miss Lovina Taylor, and they have had 6 children, of whom only the following 3 are living: Florence M., Laura E. and Hattie E. Oct. 13, 1870, Mr. Davis was married the second time, namely, to Mrs. Idelia A. Hoffe, and by her he has had 2 children, but of these only Frank Evaline is living. Mrs. Davis had one child, named Annie, by her first husband. Mr. Davis resides on sec. 4, or in what is known as the village of Holmesville. He owns 213 acres of valuable farm land, and has been eminently successful in farm- ing and stock-raising. As an early pioneer, as a prominent farmer, and as a representative citizen of the thriving community of New Durham and adjoininig tps., we present a portrait of Mr. Davis in this volume, on page 793.
John Dille, of the firm of Dille & Johnson, Westville, Ind., was born in Blackford county, Ind., Sept. 1, 1836, and is a son of Hiram and Nancy Dille, natives of Ohio. The former resides three miles south of Valparaiso, Ind., and the latter is dead. Mr. Dille was reared on a farm until 14 years old, when he learned the carpenter's trade. He worked several winters in a planing mill at Valpa- raiso, which he afterward purchased in company with Johnson, and removed it to Westville. He does a good business in dressing Inmber, turning neck-yokes, whippletrees, etc., and also mannfact- ures the wood-work for cradles. The engine that drives the machinery is one of 15-horse power. Mr. Dille was married Aug. 18, 1860, to Miss Caroline Lansing, by whom he has had 7 children ; of these, 5 are living: Berdell, Juya B., Neva E., Rosco V. and John. Mr. Dille served 8 months in the late war in Co. B, 155th Reg. Ind. Vol. Inf.
Benjamin Flood, deceased, was born in Franklin county, Ind., Aug. 31, 1817, a son of Benjamin and Hannah Flood, deceased ; he was reared on a farm and received a common-school education. In 1836 he came to this county on a visit, and while here he renewed the acquaintance and friendship of his schoolmate in early life, Miss Matilda Reed. This friendship rapidly grew into something deeper than mere friendship, and it was arranged that they be married the following year. He returned to his home in Franklin
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HISTORY OF LA PORTE COUNTY.
county, and at the appointed time Mr. Flood returned to his affi- anced, and they were married Ang. 10, 1837. He took his bride to Franklin county, where they remained two years, when they returned to this county. They have had 5 children born to them. namely, Joseph Wm., James, Emily, Mary T. and Benjamin F. When on their return from a visit to Franklin county in October, 1846, their eldest son, Joseph Wm., fell out of the wagon and was run over and mortally wounded. He died before the return of day. Mr. Flood was a very prominent stock-dealer in this county, and was
prospered in business. He died Jan. 7, 1866, loved and respected by all who knew him. The family lost a kind husband and father, and the neighborhood an active business man and valuable member of society in the death of Mr. Flood. He was always to be found upon the side of right and justice, and was always ready to build up schools and other useful institutions. Mrs. Flood is a daughter of Joseph and Margaret Reed, who were among the first settlers of La Porte county. She was born May 26, 1818, in Jefferson county, O. Her only remaining brother now resides near Oakland, Oregon, and her three sisters are all dead.
James Flood was born in this county July 18, 1841, and is a son of Benjamin and Matilda Flood, the former a native of Indiana, and the latter of Ohio. He was reared on a farm, and was educated in a common school and in Notre Dame University. He taught school 10 years in this county. He was married March 12, 1864, to Miss Maria A. Blane, by whom he has 2 children, Francis B. and Mary L. Mr. Flood is engaged in general farming, and resides on sec. 26.
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