History of Northeast Indiana : LaGrange, Steuben, Noble and DeKalb Counties, Volume II, Part 34

Author: Ford, Ira, 1848- ed
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 618

USA > Indiana > LaGrange County > History of Northeast Indiana : LaGrange, Steuben, Noble and DeKalb Counties, Volume II > Part 34
USA > Indiana > Noble County > History of Northeast Indiana : LaGrange, Steuben, Noble and DeKalb Counties, Volume II > Part 34
USA > Indiana > DeKalb County > History of Northeast Indiana : LaGrange, Steuben, Noble and DeKalb Counties, Volume II > Part 34
USA > Indiana > Steuben County > History of Northeast Indiana : LaGrange, Steuben, Noble and DeKalb Counties, Volume II > Part 34

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Isaac a. Sbest

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HISTORY OF NORTHEAST INDIANA

frame house, which was the second frame building erected in the township. Mr. Rose has since com- pletely changed the aspect of things on the farm, clearing and improving and erecting substantial buildings. He and his son, Irwin, have long been associated in the management of the farm and for some years they were breeders of Shorthorn cattle. Mr. Rose was the first county assessor under a new law, being appointed by the Board of County Com- missioners and later elected to that office. In poli- tics he is a republican and also served one term as township trustee. He is a member of the Christian Church at Metz, his father having been a member of the same denomination.

October 6, 1862, Mr. Rose married Miss Ann Eliza Powers. She was the second white child born in York Township, born January 2, 1839, a daughter of Winn Powers, and member of the well known Powers family of Steuben County, including her brother, Riley Powers. Mrs. Rose, who is now de- ceased, was the mother of five children. Mary is the wife of Ed E. Mitchell, of Phoenix, Arizona, and her daughter, Maggie, is married to Walter E. Frazee, of Rushville, Indiana. Jay O., the second child, lives at Angola, and by his marriage to Edith Fay has two sons, Minard F., Jr., and John. J. O. Rose is a minister of the Christian Church, was pastor of churches at Fort Wayne, Kendallville, Bryan, Ohio, and many other places, and in later years has been instructor in Bible classes at the Tri-State College. William E. Rose, a resident of Chicago, married Lena Merry, and their children are Winn, Lois, Edith and Dorothy. Irwin F., who for a number of years has been associated with his father on the farm, married Alice Goodale, daughter of the late Dr. Charles W. Goodale of Metz, and to their union have been born seven children: Mil- dred, Margaret, Graydon, Helen, Catherine, Ruth and Gordon, all living except Ruth. Mr. and Mrs. Rose lost one child, Ida, when she was two weeks old.

ISAAC A. WERT is proprietor of 113 acres of the old Wert farm two and a half miles north and a mile and a half east of South Milford. This farm is chiefly known because of the saw mill industry which has been operated there by Isaac A. Wert and by his father before him for a long period of years, and has been the source of pro- duction of much of the lumber manufactured in that part of LaGrange County.

Isaac A. Wert was born on his farm August 29, 1858, a son of Daniel and Eliza (Miller) Wert. His father was a native of Stark County, Ohio, and his mother of Seneca County, and after their mar- riage they came to Indiana, about 1855. In 1857 Daniel Wert bought the saw mill in Milford Town- ship. The plant was originally constructed about 1843, more than three quarters of a century ago. After buying the property Daniel Wert tore down the old plant and reconstructed a new and better one, and he continued its operations until the in- firmities of age prevented him from managing the business any longer, since which time his son Isaac has been proprietor. The father died at the age of eighty-seven years.

Isaac A. Wert married in 1884 Ella Eiman. She is the mother of one son, Cyrus D., born in 1885, who is married and lives with his father. Mr. and Mrs. Wert after their marriage lived on a farm six years and then moved to the Mill Farm, where they have lived ever since. During the World war Mr. Wert operated his mill to its fullest capacity in order to supply government needs. He is a stock- holder in the Noble Truck Company at Kendall- ville and the Sterlite Sales Company at Auburn,

Indiana. He is affiliated with South Milford Lodge No. 619, International Order of Foresters, and with the Encampment, and in politics is a democrat.

WALTER W. MOUNTZ is one of the best known public men in the official life of DeKalb County, is clerk of the DeKalb County Circuit Court, and has been a leader in local affairs for a number of years.

Though of an old family of Northeast Indiana, he was born at Overbrook in the State of Kansas July 10, 1886. He is a son of Francis and Della (Smith) Mountz. His father was born near Pleas- ant Lake, Indiana, July 6, 1859, had a common school education, was married at Ashley, and after his marriage lived in Kansas six years. Returning to Indiana, he settled in DeKalb County, at Garrett, where for fourteen years he was proprietor of a retail hardware business. He was also prominent in democratic politics, represented the Second Ward in the City Council of Garrett, and was an active member of the Garrett Fire Department at the time of his death. His widow is still living in Garrett. There were three children: Walter W .; Dessa, who graduated from the Garrett High School in 1906 and is the wife of Harry M. Barrie; and Russell M., clerk in a clothing and shoe store at Garrett.

Walter W. Mountz spent his early life at Garrett, attended the grammar schools there and one year in high school, and on leaving school was in the West for two years. July 10, 1909, he married Lulu Maurer. She died in July, 1910, and on August 5, 1912, he married Myrtle Osborne, of Kendallville, Indiana. Mrs. Mountz is a daughter of William S. and Anna (Johnson) Osborne and is a graduate of the Kendallville High School. They have one son, William W., born February 28, 1918.

Mr. Mountz was elected for two terms as city clerk of Garrett, going into office January 1, 1910, and serving seven years. He was reelected without oppo- sition but resigned toward, the close of his second term, on December 1, 1916, to take up his duties as circuit clerk. Mr. Mountz is a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason and a member of the Royal Arch Chapter at Garrett. He served as secretary of the Lodge of Eagles from June 1, 1909, to Janu- ary I, 1917. He is also affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a member of the Auburn Commer- cial Club, and of the Presbyterian Church.

CARL A. SURFUS is one of the younger business farmers of Noble County, has been very successful in handling land, crops and livestock, and is also one of the most influential in the public affairs of Noble Township.

His home is a half mile north of Wolf Lake. He was born on a farm adjoining his present home December 31, 1881, a son of E. L. and Anna J. (Clark) Surfus. His father was born in Iowa and his mother in Ohio. Both the Clark and Surfus families came to Noble Township and settled in the woods, and both families have contributed much of the labor by which the present day improvements have been brought about. Mr. and Mrs. E. L. Surfus had two children, Carl A. and Stanley L., the latter of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Carl A. Surfus grew up on a farm near Wolf Lake. He attended high school at Wolf Lake, and lived at home and acquired a practical knowledge of farming before he was ready to start out on his own account.

He married Lottie Kiester, of Noble Township. She is also a graduate of the Wolf Lake High School. Mrs. Surfus is one of a large family of seven daughters and three sons, all living but one.

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HISTORY OF NORTHEAST INDIANA

This interesting family is named briefly as follows: Anna, wife of E. L. Prickett, former clerk of Noble County, and now living at Albion; Martha, wife of C. E. Butts, of Sparta Township; Nancy, deceased wife of C. H. Bender; J. T., of Washing- ton Township; Hannah, wife of Claude Kimmell, of Sparta Township; Mary, wife of Charles Beers ; Lee, of Washington Township; George, of Noble Township; Lottie, Mrs. Surfus; and Ruth, wife of M. J. Beers, of Perry Township.

After his marriage Mr. Surfus located on the farm where he now lives and has eighty acres under a high state of improvement and cultivation. He buys and feeds the Polled Angus cattle and also the Durhams, and is regarded as a man of special ability and wisdom in livestock husbandry. He is also a stockholder in the Wolf Lake State Bank.

Mr. and Mrs. Surfus have three children: Claude E., born in 1910; Lora Belle, born in 1914; and Lucile, born in 1917.

Mr. Surfus is a democrat in politics and was one of the youngest township trustees ever elected in Noble Township. He was only twenty-six years old when he was chosen to that responsible office, and the four years he remained an incumbent fully justified the expectations of his friends and sup- porters.

S. P. WILLIBEY, who was born in Williams County, Ohio, and whose people were pioneers in that state, has been identified with Steuben County as a prac- tical farmer and thresherman for over thirty-five years, and is one of the leading men in influence and activities in Richland Township.

Mr. Willibey was born in Williams County, Flor- ence Township, July 6, 1853, son of George and Abigail (Look) Willibey. George Willibey was born in Stark County, Ohio, July 6, 1819, son of John Willibey, who was an early settler in the old Ohio Western Reserve, and finally moved to Wil- liams County, Ohio. George Willibey was one of the first settlers in Florence Township of Williams County, and spent the rest of his active life on a farm which he developed from the woods. He erected the first buildings and cleared the first land constituting his farm. He died in 1905. His wife, who was born in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, August 18, 1818, daughter of David Look, died in 1904. They were the parents of six children : John, who served with honor in the Union army during the Civil war, Elizabeth, Anna, Mary Jane, S. P. and Jeremiah. Jeremiah died in childhood.

S. P. Willibey secured his education in the public schools of Florence Township, and from early man- hood his experience has been in growing crops, be- ginning in Florence Township and after 1883 con- tinuing in Richland Township of Steuben County. With the exception of five years spent in York Township he has lived in Richland Township ever since. He bought his present farm of eighty acres in section 8 of Richland Township in 1915, and carries on a good business as a general farmer and stock raiser, handling the big type Poland China hogs. The harvesting feature of farming has been a matter of particular concern to Mr. Willibey. For forty years he operated a threshing outfit every sea- son.

Mr. Willibey married Harriet Lechleidner, daugh- ter of David and Rebecca Lechleidner. Nine chil- dren were born to their marriage, and they now have a number of grandchildren. Their children in order of birth were Maud May, Clarence, Blaine, Fred, Iva, Glenn, Paul, Orville and George David. Clarence died at the age of twenty-one. Maud May

is the wife of Ernest Wisner, and her two daughters are Ila and Dorothy. Blaine married Blanche Gates and has three children, Seleta, Galor and Ivan. Fred married Emma Gilbert and has two children, Alene and Alton Gilbert. Iva is the wife of William Hopkins and has a son, Kenneth. Glenn married Wava Newman, and their one child is Raymond. Paul married Ruth Bowles and has a child, Leotto. The family are members of the United Brethren Church, and Mr. Willibey has given his due time and means to the support of all religious causes. In his home church he has served as superintendent of the Sunday school, as a steward and trustee.

ISAAC CLYDE ALLEN. One of the younger men in the agricultural community of Salem Township, Isaac Clyde Allen has had sufficient time to make his efforts count and has achieved the dignity of the ownership of a fine farm and is working steadily toward a larger prosperity and the important service which the farmer represents.

Mr. Allen was born in Salem Township, July 27, 1883, a son of Artemus and Alvira (Garrison) Allen. His father was a son of Justice Allen, who after the death of his wife in Ohio brought his son Artemus to Steuben County in early days, and he died near Stroh many years ago. Artemus Allen lived for a number of years with Isaac Davis, and he met there Alvira Garrison, who was born in Kosciusko County in 1854 and for many years was a member of the Davis household. After their marriage they settled on a farm one mile south and half a mile east of Salem Center, and on selling that forty acres moved to a place a mile east and bought eighty acres, later increasing it to 127 acres. Mrs. Alvira Allen also inherited eighty acres from Isaac Davis. Artemus Allen lived in Salem Town- ship until his death at the age of sixty-five, and his widow is still living on the old farm. Both were active members of the Trinity Reformed Church, and he was a democrat in politics. They had nine children, named Samuel J., Edith, Ida May, Anna Elvira, Isaac Clyde, Everett E., Bertha, Amos, who died in infancy, and Wayne.

Isaac Clyde Allen grew up on the home farm and had a public school education. Since early man- hood all his efforts have been expended on agricul- tural work, and he made his independent start with only forty acres. He acquired another forty' acres, and on selling this property bought in October, 1917, his present attractive and valuable farm of 120 acres. He is engaged in general crop raising and stock raising.

Mr. Allen is an independent democrat in politics and his wife is active in the Trinity Church. He married in 1904 Miss Ida May Ferris. From the age of two years she was reared in the home of Edward Noll of Salem Township. Mr. and Mrs. Allen have two children: Loyal W., born August 6, 1906, and Fay E., born September 22, 1910.

WILLIAM ECKERT. While there is now the fourth generation in the house of Eckert in DeKalb County, William Eckert of Locust Dale Farm in Fairfield and a brother, Jacob H. Eckert, of Kendallville, be- long to the second generation, being the only surviv- ing children in the family of Sebastian Eckert, who located in Fairfield March 28, 1855, and since that time Locust Dale has been the family homestead.

The present owner of Locust Dale, William Eckert, was born there June 8, 1864, and his life has all been spent in one place, and his own children have had his childhood environment.

There is Scotch, Welsh and German blood in the family. However, his father, Sebastian Eckert, was one of six children brought by their mother, Mrs.

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HISTORY OF NORTHEAST INDIANA

(Pfeiffer) Eckert, from Germany. Their father, Peter Eckert, died of a fever in March, 1830, and in May of that year the mother and her children em- barked for America. They were three months on the Atlantic, landing in August. She located in Frank- lin, Pennsylvania, and from there the family scattered, the mother finally going to St. Louis. Sebastian was her only son. The oldest daughter died in childhood. The other four sisters were Elizabeth, Margaret, Eve and Barbara. Sebastian, Margaret and Barbara all lived in DeKalb County, Elizabeth being the wife of John Sthair, a blacksmith, and Barbara the wife of Jerome Reynolds, a cabinet maker. Both these men once operated shops in Fairfield Center. All the family now lie buried in the Fairfield Cemetery.

December 14, 1848, Sebastian Eckert married Susan Cox, a daughter of Jacob and Jane (Denman) Cox of Wayne County, Ohio. She was one of nine chil- dren: Eli, Mary, Susan, Freeman, Andrew, Rebekah Jane, Alpheus, Samuel and Newton. Three of them, Susan, Eli and Andrew, were later citizens of De- Kalb County, and they all lie buried at Fairfield. The children of Sebastian and Susan Eckert were Elizabeth, Jacob, Margaret, Amiel, Alice, Florence, William, Belle, Luther, Kate and Spener, the only two living today being mentioned above. These children all had a common school education. The family were members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. All but the two surviving brothers died before marriage. There are today only five voters in the Eckert family in DeKalb and Noble counties, and this vote is cast solidly in the interests of the democratic party.

William Eckert and Miss Mary M. Ringer were married June 8, 1886, which was his twenty-second birthday and the eighteenth birthday of the bride. They were married at the home of her parents in Richland Township. She was a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Wright) Ringer, whose family his- tory in DeKalb County goes back to 1853, when they came from Stark County, Ohio. Jacob Ringer as an Ohio shoemaker had earned the money with which he bought his farm in Indiana. He was the only son of George and Mary (Herbster) Ringer. He had five sisters, the oldest dying before the birth of the others. The four to grow up were Mary, Susan, Leah and Margaret.

The six children born to William and Mary Eckert are: Blanche R., wife of C. W. Getts; Ethel, who died at the age of eleven days; Roswell, who married Irene Stomm and has a son, Donald Cecil; Imo, who was buried February 24, 1915, just one year from the date of her marriage with John Berkes; Gran- ville J., who married Charlotte Bonbrake and has a son, William Louis, the first born in the fourth generation of the Eckert family in DeKalb County; and Martha Belle, the youngest daughter. The two grandchildren in the Eckert household are William Louis and Donald Cecil.

Roswell and Granville and their cousin, Russell Eckert of Garrett, were all young men under the draft. Granville was temporarily exempted because he was engaged in agriculture. Roswell had military - training at Camp Taylor, Camp Mcclellan and Camp Grant. He was battery clerk and was advanced to the grade of corporal when the armistice changed the prospect of so many young American soldiers. Rus- sell Eckert was at Fort Thomas. The Eckert children were all given the same educational advantages, and Granville and Martha have diplomas from the common schools.

Sebastian Eckert, founder of the family in Indiana, died at the family homestead September 6, 1890, while his wife lived on until March 19, 1919, and had

survived to welcome the two grandchildren of the fourth generation.

The farm buildings at Locust Dale were built in the reconstruction period following the Civil war, when there was an abundance of native timber, and the farmstead today is one of the well kept places in Fairfield Township.

JOHN A. CLINGERMAN. While not one of the largest farms in Noble County, Springhill Farm, of which John A. Clingerman is proprietor, has the distinctive characteristics of being a fine country home and a place where a good business is carried on in general farming and in stock raising. It is located in section 29 in Sparta Township and com- prises forty acres. It is the home of some high- class Jersey cattle and Shropshire sheep, Mr. Clin- german specializing in these branches of livestock husbandry.

This is the farm where Mr. Clingerman was born March 31, 1867, a son of John and Matilda Clinger- man. His parents were both born in Ohio, were married there, and then came to Noble County and settled on the farm where they spent the rest of their days and where their son now lives. They were active members of the United Brethren Church. John Clingerman, Sr., saw active service as a Union soldier during the Civil war, for many years was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and in politics always voted republican. He and his wife had seven children, and the three still living are: Isaiah W. of Whitley County, Indiana; Ellora, wife of Frank Spark, of LaGrange County, and John A.

John A. Clingerman as a boy attended the nearby district schools, and his career has been one of industry since early manhood. On June 6, 1894, he married Anna Adora Cripe. She was born in Noble County April 29, 1872, daughter of Noah and Lydia A. (Hammon) Cripe, the former a native of Elk- hart County and the latter of Ohio. The Cripe family is an old and prominent one of Elkhart County. Since their marriage Mr. Clingerman with the exception of two years has lived on the old homestead, and it has been owned by them for over twenty years. Mr. and Mrs. Clingerman have one son. Virgil W., born December 13, 1897. He has distinguished himself as a scholar. He graduated from the common schools when only thirteen, from the Cromwell High School at the age of seventeen, and for three terms attended Goshen College. He is now principal of the Laotto High School. Mr. Clingerman is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias Lodge at Cromwell and is a republican. He has served several terms as road supervisor.

CHARLES H. DULL has been one of the most widely known farmers and livestock traders in Noble Coun- ty for many years. He has been a buyer and dealer in horses for twenty years, and most of his opera- tions in this field center at Ligonier. He also has a fine farm, where he resides, in section 6 in Sparta Township.

Mr. Dull was horn in Washington Township of Noble County, July 5, 1867, a son of Peter and Mary (Moore) Dull. His parents were natives of Ohio, and their respective families came at an early day and settled in Washington Township of Noble County, where Peter and Mary were married. They were farmers of Noble County for a number of years, and finally dicd at the home of their son Charles in Sparta Township. They were active in the Lutheran Church, and Peter Dull was a repub- lican in politics. Of their eight children, seven are mentioned : Cora A., deceased; George W., who is associated with his brother Charles; Charles H .;

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HISTORY OF NORTHEAST INDIANA

Perry, of Kosciusko County; William, who lives in Ohio; John, of Sparta Township; Archie, of Elkhart Township, Noble County.

Charles H. Dull lived in Washington Township until he was seven years old, and then went to York Township and at the age of eighteen removed to Kosciusko County. He acquired his education in the common schools, and in Kosciusko County he worked at monthly wages for five years. On March 4, 1892, he married Catherine Rapp, of Kosciusko County, where she was born. For several years Mr. and Mrs. Dull rented land, and then traded for their present place of 115 acres, the improvements of which and the value of the property represents many years of hard toil and good management on their part. Mr. Dull is also a stockholder in the Citizens Bank of Ligonier, and in the Farmers Elevator at Ligonier.

He and his wife have one daughter, Ethel, a grad- uate of the Cromwell High School. She is now the wife of Ray Maggert and lives at Cromwell. Mr. Dull is affiliated with Cromwell Lodge of the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is a past noble grand. He has been quite active in re- publican politics, and is now a member of the County Central Committee, representing Sparta Township.

NELSON ELLSWORTH CAREY. From the standpoint of continuous ownership by one family one of the oldest farm homes in Steuben County is Pleasant View Farm in section 19 of Richland Township. Its present proprietor is Nelson Ellsworth Carey, who was born there, and the land was originally ac- quired by his father seventy-five years ago.

The first of the family in Steuben County was his father, William S. Carey, who was born May 15, 1818, son of John and Margaret Carey, who spent their last years in Knox County, Ohio. In that county William S. Carey married on February 21, 1843, Melissa Gordon. She was born in New York State, January 28, 1825, a daughter of William and Mary Gordon. William Gordon, who was born in Manchester, England, September 17, 1773. was a son of a physician and silk manufacturer and a man of great influence in England. As a result of a disagreement with his father William, at the age of twelve, ran away to sea, and spent three years before the mast on a whaling vessel and later joined the English army, his father's influence securing him a colonel's commission. Part of his service was under the Duke of Wellington. In 1802 he left England and came to this country and in 1809 was married and in 1814 took up his residence in Mor- row County, Ohio. He and his wife reared a family of eight children. It is said that in his last years William Gordon suffered the keenest regret for his early relations with his family and planned to revisit the old home. However, he put off carry- ing out this design, and finally died in 1882, at the remarkable age of 109 years. In 1844 William S. Carey and wife came to Steuben County and settled in Richland Township, where he died February 27, 1869, after having carried forward many of the early improvements on the farm. He and his wife were very active members of the Methodist Episco- pal Church. She survived her husband many years and died in 1894, at the age of sixty-nine.

Nelson Ellsworth Carey, who was born on the old homestead, November 29, 1861, has always lived in that locality. He attended the public schools at Alvarado, and since early manhood has been busily engaged on the home farm. He has it well im- proved and among other buildings has a double barn, each 30 by 50 feet. For some years he was a success- ful breeder of Duroc Jersey hogs, and all the hogs on his farm are pure bred though not registered.

Mr. Carey is a republican, and has served as road supervisor. He is affiliated with the Lodge of Knights of Pythias at Metz, and is a member of the Christian Church at Eden, Ohio.

On April 10, 1881, he married Miss Relefia Dally, daughter of Vincent Dally and a member of the prominent family of that name so frequently men- tioned in the annals of Steuben County. Mr. and Mrs. Carey have two children. The daughter, Melissa H., was born August 15, 1886, and was well educated in the public schools.

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History of Northeast Indiana : LaGrange, Steuben, Noble and DeKalb Counties, Volume II, Part 34

Author: Ford, Ira, 1848- ed Publication date: 1920 Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 618

Author: Ford, Ira, 1848- ed
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 618