USA > Indiana > Miami County > History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, Volume II > Part 26
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"THE CRESCENT" RESIDENCE OF MR. AND MRS. ISAIAH C. BROWER
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her native county and taught school eleven years in Miami county and one year in Kansas. She is a member of the Baptist church.
ISAIAH C. BROWER. Among the early settlers of Miami county, Indiana, was a family by the name of Brower and ever since pioneer days members of this family have been closely associated with the history of this county and this part of the state. A characteristic of the family has been their adaptability and interest in every phase of the life of the community. The original settler, like nearly everyone else at that time was a farmer, but he was not content to follow farm- ing alone and carried on other industries as well. Now in the person of Isaiah C. Brower, we find the same broad intelligence and varied interests. A successful farmer he has also been identified with many of the leading business interests of Denver, Indiana, for many years, and is a man highly respected for his business ability.
Isaiah C. Brower was born in a log cabin near the banks of Eel river, in Jefferson township, Miami county, Indiana, on the 10th of November, 1856. His father, John W. Brower, was born in Ohio, Preble county, and he was a son of George and Sarah (Swihart) Brower. George Brower was a farmer and a man of considerable edu- eation for those days. He was a preacher in the Dunkard church, and rendered his sermons in both German and English, according to the nationality of his congregations. He emigrated with his family to Miami county, Indiana, in the early pioneer days, and located on sec- tion 20, in Jefferson township. Here he began to clear the land and cultivate it, but he saw other opportunities in addition to the rich soil that made farming so profitable. He established a tanyard, and oper- ated one of the old "muley" up-and-down water-power saw mills on the banks of the Weasaw creek. He also had a cane mill from which he produced sorghum molasses, supplying his own family and his neigh- bors with what was a real luxury in those days. He acquired consider- able property before his death and was a leader in this seetion, domi- nating not only through the power of his intellect, but also through the honesty and strength of his character.
Ten children were born to George and Sarah Brower, as follows: Josiah, who is unmarried and lives on the home place; Susan, who mar- ried Aaron Fisher; Elizabeth, who became the wife of Harrison Grimes; Mary, who became Mrs. William Collet; John W .; Anna, who married Wilson Harris; Jeremiah, who was a lieutenant in the Union ranks during the Civil war and was killed at the battle of Franklin, Ten- nessee, never having married; Noah C., who was born in 1827, married Miss Flavilla Stonebarger and was a merchant in Chieago when he died on the 6th of September, 1872; Sarah, married Robert Metzker; and Phoebe, also married.
John W. Brower spent all his life as a farmer. He was a Repub- lican in his politieal beliefs. He married Miss Mary Harter, who was born in Preble county, Ohio, October 25, 1830, and died April 26, 1904. To their marriage were born three children, one of whoni died in infancy. The others were Isaiah C. and his sister, Minerva C., who married Soloman D. Raber.
As a boy, Isaiah C. Brower first attended the old "Brower" school near the home farm, and later attended the schools in Denver. He has followed farming and stock dealing practically all of his life, although sinee 1905 he has had so many other interests as to have almost entirely retired from farming. He owns about eighty aeres of land in Miami county, and although not an active farmer now he is recognized as an authority on agricultural subjects.
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In 1902 Mr. Brower aided in the organization of the Denver Co- operative Telephone Company, of which he was the first treasurer. He has also served as general manager of this company and for the past two years has been its president. He was a charter member of the Farmers Bank of Denver, and has been vice-president, director and auditor of this institution since its organization. He now makes his home in Denver. In politics he is a member of the Republican party and he has served one term as a member of the County Council.
Mr. Brower married Miss Mary C. Lewis, on June 18, 1890, and she died on the 15th of February, 1905. On October 26, 1909, Mr. Brower married again, his wife being Miss Rose E. Wilson, a daughter of Benjamin E. and Mary B. (Hollenshade) Wilson.
Mrs. Brower was born March 12, 1867, in Miami county, Indiana, the second in a family of four children, three sons and one daughter, born to her parents. All are living. Eldest is Chas. E., a resident of Miami county, and is a horseman. He married Miss Lelia Sturgis. James J. is a resident of Richland township and an agriculturist .. He wedded Miss Idella King. Leon T. is a resident of Chicago and is an attorney at law. He was educated in common and high school and then took a scientific course at the Northwestern University. Benjamin Wilson was a native of Virginia and was an agriculturist. He also bought grain and at one time was one of the county commissioners of the county. He is a Republican and a resident of Richland township. Mrs. Wilson is a native of Preble county, Ohio, and was a little girl of ten years when she came with her parents to Indiana and both she and her husband made the trip in wagons, in pioneer style. One of Mr. Wilson's progenitors on the maternal side signed the Declaration of Independence. Mrs. Wilson is a member of the Baptist church. Mrs. Brower was educated in the common schools and was reared in her home county. She has nobly filled her sphere as wife in counsel and advice with her husband in the establishment of their pretty home. Their residence is known as "The Crescent" and it is the abode of good cheer.
BENJAMIN F. ZARTMAN. The late Benjamin Franklin Zartman, long a resident of Miami county and one of the best known men within its confines at the time of his passing, was born in Perry county, Ohio, on February 26, 1839, and was a son of Peter, the grandson of Jacob and the great-grandson of Alexander I. Zartman, of German ancestry. He was reared to farm work and he followed that occupation all his life, realizing a success well worthy of the name. He married Lucy Ann Mohler on December 15, 1859, and soon after their marriage they moved to Miami county, settling on a farm two miles north of Macy. To them were born four children: Hattie B., born September 11, 1860, who married John S. Hines and lives in Peru; Clara Bell, married Grant Hoaglund, since deceased, and the widow makes her home in Missouri; Noah, born on October 21, 1863, married Herma Ford and lives at Mexico, Indiana; and William Frances, born April 7, 1865. Benjamin F. Zartman resided on his place in Allen township for the remainder of his life. Hc inherited the thrift and industry of his German forbears and accumulated a goodly bit of this world's material, and his wife shared in the same excellent traits of character. Both were church members, and were long regarded as among the best cit- izens of the county. Mr. Zartman died on September 26, 1872, a few weeks after the death of his faithful and loved wife.
William Frances Zartman was left an orphan when he was seven years of age, and his youth was necessarily passed among strangers,
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knocking about from one place to another, and but little schooling coming his way. Indeed, the greater part of his practical education was gained in the poor boy's "school of hard knocks," His more adult years were passed as a farm laborer at wages, and it was here he gained his first real start in life, for it was while thus engaged that he saved money to buy his first land. He made this purchase in about 1890, and forty acres was the extent of the buy. It was located in Union township, and he held it for about two years, then sold it and moved to Mexico, where he engaged in the buying and selling of stock. This continued until about 1904, when he bought his present farm of about ninety acres, adjoining Mexico on its southern border, and he has lived here ever since, his time being devoted wholly to farming and stock raising, in which he has been most successful.
Mr. Zartman is a Democrat in his political faith and has always manifested a keen and wholesome interest in the progress and develop- ment of the party, though he has not been more active in politics than the demands of good citizenship make upon him. He has always dis- played a proper civic and national pride, and is one who may ever be depended upon to perform his full share in duties of citizenship.
On October 30, 1890, Mr. Zartman was married to Rosanna Bender, a daughter of John G. D. Bender of Mexico. To their union have been born the following children: Cleo Bernice, born March 27, 1891, and married to Clarence Stuber of Jefferson township; Esther Marie, born September 9, 1892; John William Franklin, born May 15, 1894; Lucy Catherine, born March 24, 1899; Mary Helen, born February 23, 1901; and John George David Zartman, who was born on November 6, 1907.
Mrs. Zartman is a member of the Baptist church of Jefferson town- ship and is one of the most highly esteemed women of the community, where she enjoys the friendship of a host of worthy people, as does also her husband. The pretty estate of Mr. and Mrs. Zartman is known as "The Riverside Model Farm."
FRANK C. PHELPS. Among the enterprising agriculturists of Miami county, who have been progressive in inaugurating improvements on their property, and have shown their ability and progressiveness by taking advantage of modern inventions to increase their productiveness and decrease the cost of operation, Frank C. Phelps, of Clay township, holds a place in the foremost rank. Coming of an agricultural family, which has for years contributed its members to the tilling of the soil, he has made a place for himself among the substantial men of his com- munity. The Phelps homestead, a part of which he occupies and man- ages is one of the best known farms in Miami county, and represents the accumulations of Mr. Phelps' late father, but the sons have through their own management and labors more than doubled the value of the estate since they took charge.
Frank C. Phelps was born April 13, 1874, in Clay township, a son of Andrew J. Phelps, and a grandson of Bissell Phelps, both of whom were born in Lewis county, New York. About 1853, Bissell Phelps came west and settled in Clay township. Here since the establishment of the fam- ily home in that year, three generations have successfully pursued the arts of agriculture and have steadily prospered. Andrew J. Phelps was born November 21, 1831, was a teacher for some years after com- ing to Miami county, and for sixteen years held the responsible office of trustee of Clay. township. In 1863 he was elected county surveyor, but resigned before completing his term. In connection with his farm enterprise in Clay township, he also conducted a cheese factory for the convenience of the Phelps family only. His death occurred August 1,
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1897. On December 21, 1869, Andrew J. Phelps married Caroline C. Wyrick, a daughter of Jacob Wyrick. To their marriage were born the following children : George Bissell, born September 18, 1871, who mar- ricd Angeline Kendall; Frank C. born April 13, 1874; Albert J. born July 26, 1877; Thomas W. born January 1, 1879; and Nelson W., born December 15, 1887.
Mr. Frank C. Phelps started for himself at the age of twenty-one and first settled on eighty acres of land belonging to his father. Later he moved to Deer Creek township in this county, and took charge of the operation of a farm belonging to his father-in-law. After the death of his first wife, he returned to his present farm, a portion of the undi- vided estate left by his father. On this place, under his supervision have been crected a fine barn and two modern silos, and many other improvements have been introduced. Among the attractive features of this farm is his herd of fine cattle. He believes in carrying on agricul- tural work along scientific lines, and is regarded as one of the ablest crop and stock producers in Miami county.
In 1894 he married Miss Jennette Hardin, daughter of Tillman Hardin. Her grandfathers were Daniel Russell and William Scott. The children of their marriage are Ruth, born February 8, 1896; and LeRoy J., born February 26, 1898. His second wife was before her marriage Miss Alta May Russell, a daughter of Melby and Mary P. (Scott) Russell.
Mrs. Phelps is a native of Miami county, born August 26, 1875, she is the second of six children, three sons and three daughters, five of the number are living and all arc residents of Miami county. Mr. and Mrs. Russell are living in Deer Creek township. Mr. Russell is a Republican. Mrs. Phelps was educated in the common schools. The homestead of Mr. and Mrs. Phelps is one of the beautiful and valuable farms of Clay township and the excellent buildings and silos attest the assertion.
THE MAUS FAMILY is one that has long been identified with the his- tory of Miami county, and men of that name have wrought well in the growth and development of the county along varied lines. It is the purpose of this brief family sketch to deliniate lightly something of the activities of a representative of three successive generations, beginning with the first of the name to take up the burden of devel- opment in this district. He was John Maus, a native of Germany, where he was born near Frankfort, and there was reared and mar- ried. It was in the year 1834 that he came to America with his wife and two sons,-John and George. For eight years they lived in Somer- set county, Pennsylvania, and it is believed that the father was a weaver by trade. At any rate, he was known to wcave blankets after coming to Indiana to live, but for the most part he devoted himself to the business of farming after taking up his residence in the United States.
In the year 1842 the Maus family, led by the pioneer, John Maus, came to Indiana, settling in Miami county, on a wild section of land in Jefferson township. Here the elder son, John, and the mother, died not many years after their location. John Maus Jr., was born December 14, 1814, in Germany, and he continued to live with his parents in Pennsylvania and in Miami county after coming to this country until his death. He devoted himself to farming and possessed the proverbial thrift and industry of the German people, as a con- sequence of which fact he accumulated a considerable property, own- ing at one time something like four hundred and seventy acres of land.
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In his religious convictions, John Maus Jr., was a Lutheran, the faith in which his parents had reared him, and he was a staneh Democrat. He was widely known for his inflexible honesty and was one who never shirked a responsibility. He was a credit to his native land, and he honored his adopted country in his devotion to it. He died in 1886, secure in the kindly affection and the respeet of all who knew him. Mr. Maus was twiee married, his first wife having been Martha Vennard, and to them were born five ehildren, of which number there is but one living now,-William, a resident of Cass county, in Adams township. His second wife was Barbara Elizabeth Laver, and five children were likewise born of this union. Four of the five are living today. They are : Levi; Augustus and Josiah, twins; and Ida, now the wife of Ira Eikenberry, of Richland township.
Of these children, Josiah Maus was born in Jefferson township, Miami eounty, Indiana, on September 30, 1863, and he grew to man- hood on the plaee he now owns, and which he has always made his home. Mr. Maus received only a common sehool education and on March 25, 1891, he was married to Cora E. Fisher, the daughter of Henry Fisher. Two children were born to them, of which one daughter, Mabel, still lives. The mother died on September 15, 1899, and Mr. Maus remarried on March 24, 1901, Cora E. Girard, daughter of Ed- ward and Anna (Leedy) Girard, of Union township, becoming his wife. Mrs. Maus is a native of Miami eounty, born December 12, 1867, the second of five children, two sons and three daughters, born to Edward and Anna (Leedy) Girard, and all the children are living and are residents of Miami eounty except two sons. Frank B. is a resident of Akron, Ohio, and is with the Salvation Army. Samuel resides in Marshall county. Mr. Girard was a native of Ohio and he died June 21, 1912. He was an agrieulturist. Mrs. Girard was a native of Indi- ana, a resident of Miami and member of the Brethren ehureh. Mrs. Maus was edueated in the common sehools from which she received her diploma and she also reecived higher education in Ashland, Ohio, Normal and Valparaiso University. She taught eleven years in Miami eounty.
Mr. Maus is a Democrat in his political adherenee, and his wife is a member of the Progress Brethren ehureh. The estate of Mr. and Mrs. Maus is known as "The Pine Homestead."
GEORGE EIKENBERRY AND LEVI I. EIKENBERRY. The death, in 1900, of George Eikenberry, deprived Miami county, Indiana, of one of her most successful and representative eitizens. He spent his entire life as a farmer in this community, and was prominent in the religious, politieal, and social life of the county. His son, Levi I. Eikenberry, has also been a farmer all of his life. He has been an industrious, painstaking farmer and the suecess which has come to him has been due to his own efforts entirely.
George Eikenberry was born in Preble eounty, Ohio, May 6, 1830, on the farm of his father, Peter Eikenberry. The latter was a native of Virginia, and his wife, who was Eliza Morningstar before her mar- riage, was of German ancestry. George Eikenberry received his edu- cation in the common sehools of his time, in Preble county, Ohio. He married Rebeeea Miller in Mareh, 1851, and shortly after this event, in the same year, migrated to Miami eounty, Indiana, where he bought one hundred acres of land from William Donaldson. This land was located on section 27, in Jefferson township, adjoining the Riehland township line. He lived here for the rest of his days, as time passed accumulating considerable property. He at one time owned six hundred
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acres of fine land. While a man whose educational advantages had been limited, he made up for the deficiency by reading and assimilation of what he read, being considered one of the best informed men in the county on all subjects of interest in his day. He was a Democrat in politics and, owing to his practical common sense and executive ability, he was three times elected as county commissioner, being elected in 1876, again in 1880 and again in 1890. In religion he was a member of the Church of the Brethren, and in the fraternal world he was for many years a prominent Mason. He and his wife were the parents of ten children, six of whom are living, as follows: Sarah, who is the wife of Merrit Flory, of Richland township; Alice, the wife of William Fouts, of Richland township; Ira L., of Richland township; Ida, the wife of John H. Fouts, of North Manchester, Indiana; Levi I. and Albert, residents of Denver, Indiana. Mrs. Eikenberry died on Jan- uary 30, 1909, she also being a member of the German Baptist church. Her husband died October 29, 1900.
Levi I. Eikenberry was born on the old homestead south of Denver, March 11, 1865. He was educated in the common schools, and grew up on the farm. On the 13th of October, 1890, he married Miss Anna Balsbaugh, a daughter of Henry and Sarah Jane (Fisher) Balsbaugh. He has followed farming all of his life, together with stock raising. He now owns about four hundred and thirty acres of land in Miami county, practically all of which he has acquired by his own efforts.
Four children have been born to Mr. Eikenberry and his wife, namely : Vernon G., Orville R., Clinton H. and Walter B. Vernon G. received a common school education and diploma, and also spent some time in the high school. He is a farmer in Wabash county. Orville R. an agriculturist in Union township, Miami county, wedded Miss Lenora Martindale and they have one little son, Joseph Levi. Clinton H. is at home. He received his diploma from the public school and is a farmer. Walter B. is in the eighth grade. Mrs. Eikenberry is a native of Miami county, born November 14, 1870. She is the eldest of ten children-four sons and six daughters-and all living, her mother being the only one of the family deceased. Mrs. Eikenberry has been an able factor in establishing her pretty home and the rearing of her chil- dren. Both Mr. Eikenberry and his wife are members of the Church of the Brethren, and in politics Mr. Eikenberry is a Democrat. The Eiken- berry estate is known as "The Glendale Stock Farm," and is located eight miles northwest of Peru, Indiana.
THE GRAFT FAMILY. Three generations of the well known Graft family have been identified with the agricultural activities of Miami county since the advent of Abraham Graft into the county in October, 1851. That worthy pioneer was born in Lancaster county, Pennsyl- vania, on November 23, 1813, a son of David and Anna (Grove) Graft, both of German ancestry, and farmers by vocation, as have been repre- sentatives of the family for many generations. When Abraham Graft was about six years old he moved with his parents to Virginia, and from there, in 1823, he came to Preble county, Ohio, where he settled down to a life on the farm. He married there Miss Anna Morningstar in 1838, the daughter of George and Elizabeth (Swisher) Morningstar, and to them four children were born-two of them owning Ohio as their natal state, and two Indiana.
In October, 1851, as has already been stated, the family came by wagon to Miami county. Mr. Graft brought one load of household goods with the family and, when he arrived in Miami county, assisted George Fisher in the planting of his wheat crop. Mr. Fisher, in return
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for the courtesy, as was the custom in those days and still prevails in many farming districts, repaid his neighbor by returning to Ohio with Mr. Graft and helping him to move more of his household goods. Thus was accomplished the family exodus, with its household gods, from Preble county, Ohio, to its present location.
The children born to Abraham Graft and his wife were as follows: George, now deceased; David, living in Miami county; John T., who died in 1899; Elizabeth, the wife of Jacob Fike; Lydia, who married W. M. Turnipseed; and Mary, the wife of Robert Miller. The mother of Abraham Graft died in Preble county, Ohio, and his father subse- quently came to Miami county, Indiana, dying here of cholera in 1857.
Abraham Graft made his home in Miami county until his death. He was brought up in the faith of the Church of the Brethren, and died strong in his belief and hope in the future. While physically rather under the medium in size and strength, he more than supple- inented that deficiency by his extraordinary mentality. Strong in his convictions, he followed a well-defined plan of life, and succeeded far above the average, not only in the acquisition of material wealth, but in the establishment of an honored and honorable name. During his later years Mr. Graft came to be known as one of the wealthiest men in the county. He died on December 6, 1903. His faithful wife, who shared in all his trials as well as in his successes, bequeathing to her children the full richness of the beautiful Christian character that was hers, died on June 18, 1888.
George Graft, one of the children of Abraham Graft and his wife, was born on October 24, 1839, in Preble county, Ohio. He came to Miami county with his parents as a boy of twelve years, and he assisted his father in the work of clearing and improving the home place-no small task in those early days, when such work was accomplished al- most entirely with the hands. He married, in 1869, Miss Elmira Jones, born on July 8, 1841, and a daughter of Nathan and Anna (Cox) Jones, of Cass county, Indiana. Succeeding this important event in his life, George Graft engaged in farming on the place now owned by his son, Leroy Graft, in Section 36. He became known in the com- munity as one of the most strenuous workers there to be found, and it was, in fact, this hard work and grilling exposures in all weather that broke down his health and strength, never of the sturdiest, and brought about his untimely end. He died on October 13, 1882, at the early age of forty-three years.
In the later years of his life Mr. Graft became a member of the Church of the Brethren, with which his parents and grandparents had been affiliated. His widow survived him until February 20, 1902. They were the parents of six children, two of whom died in infancy and the remaining four reaching years of maturity. They are Leroy, Walter, Anna, the wife of Monroe Martin, and Blanche, the wife of Marion Swank.
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