History of Northeast Indiana : LaGrange, Steuben, Noble and DeKalb Counties, Volume II, Part 68

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 68
USA > Indiana > Noble County > History of Northeast Indiana : LaGrange, Steuben, Noble and DeKalb Counties, Volume II > Part 68
USA > Indiana > DeKalb County > History of Northeast Indiana : LaGrange, Steuben, Noble and DeKalb Counties, Volume II > Part 68
USA > Indiana > Steuben County > History of Northeast Indiana : LaGrange, Steuben, Noble and DeKalb Counties, Volume II > Part 68

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).

Mr. and Mrs. Lecount after their marriage had no capital and from that humble start they have acquired a substantial competence, represented by 108 acres in their home farm and also eighty-five acres which they own in Turkey Creek Township of Kosciusko County. Mr. Lecount is also a stock- holder in the Cromwell State Bank and the Kim- mell State Bank, in the Farmers National Insurance Company, and has interests in other business con- cerns. At the present time he buys and ships live- stock and puts in most of his time at that occu- pation.

Mfr. and Mrs. Lecount have two daughters: Lillie A. is the wife of Samuel Reed, of Sparta Town- ship, and Blanche is a graduate of the common schools, of the Fort Wayne Business College, and is the wife of Ben Miller of Columbia City, Indiana. Mr. Lecount is affiliated with Lodge No. 408 of the Knights of Pythias at Cromwell.

PERRY T. OBER, whose active career has been an interesting round of duties as a practical farmer and stock man in Butler Township of DeKalb County, represents one of the old and sturdy names in that locality.

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Mr. Ober, whose home and farm are in section 19 of Butler Township, was born in section 17 of the same township, October 29, 1871, a son of Levi S. and Elizabeth (Teeter) Ober. The parents are both natives of Bedford County, Pennylvania, where his father was born June 20, 1836, and his mother January 10, 1839. Levi Ober died December 5, 1913, and his wife May 5, 1904. On coming to Indiana they located in Butler Township and bought land in section 17, where they spent the rest of their lives. Both he and his wife were members of the Brethren Church. He was a republican in politics.

The record of the children of this worthy old couple is as follows: Sabina, who like all the other children bore the middle initial T, representing her mother's name, was born October 29, 1860, and is the wife of Joseph Heitz. Anna, born August 28, 1862, is the deceased wife of M. A. Hanson. She died August 9, 1907. David, born June 10, 1864, is a resident of Butler Township. Amanda born October 17, 1865, is the wife of Franklin Teeter, of Keyser Township. Ida, born September 11, 1870, is the wife of Henry Yarde, of Keyser Township. The next in age is Perry, who was born October 29, 1871. Ettie, born October 30, 1873, is the wife of William Gump, of Keyser Township. Arthur born November 3, 1877, lives in Butler Township.

Perry T. Ober was reared on the old farm and attended the district schools, working in the fields during the summer and also acquiring an expert acquaintance with the carpenter's trade, which he followed as a means of livelihood for about six years. On April 27, 1907, he married Clara V. Rhodes. She was born in Swan Township of Noble County, Indiana, in 1875. She acquired a good education and before her marriage was a teacher in Noble County. Mr. and Mrs. Ober had three children, Ralph T., Goldie and one that died in in- fancy. Mr. Ober owns eighty acres, keeps good grades of livestock, and is one of the stockholders in the Laotto Bank. Politically he is a republican.

SAMUEL W. YODER. Hardly any family has con- tributed more prosperous, hard working and intelli- gent citizens to the community of Eden Township in LaGrange County than that of Yoder, which has been connected with the history of LaGrange County for nearly seventy years. One of the representatives of the family is Samuel W. Yoder, a prosperous farmer living a mile west of Topeka, in section 36.

He was born in Eden Township March 6, 1854, a son of John S. and Catherine (Stahly) Yoder. His father was born in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, and his mother in Stark County, Ohio, and they grew up in Indiana and after their marriage lived in Noble and LaGrange counties. The father bought his first farm in Perry Township of Noble County, but a few years later sold and bought another place in Clear Spring Township of LaGrange County, and in the fall of 1879 moved to Eden Township, where he and his wife spent the rest of their days, the father dying in 1907 and the mother in 1911. He was one of the founders of the Amish Mennonite Church at Maple Grove, and for many years was an active member therein. In politics he was a republican. Their five sons were Samuel W., Daniel J., Emanuel C., Melvin A. and Alvin E.

Samuel W. Yoder grew up on his father's farm and attended winter terms of the district schools to the age of nineteen. After that until his marriage he remained at home working for his father, and had accumulated a very little capital and equipment when he establislied a home of his own. Since then his labors have enabled him to acquire and develop a good farm of 160 acres, and he is also one of the

stockholders of the State Bank of Topeka. He is a republican voter, and with his family worships in the Maple Grove Mennonite Church.

September 7, 1879, he married Amanda Dugan, who was born in LaGrange County. She died June 2, 1888, the mother of one son, Ernest. This son was born March 3, 1881, is a graduate of the Topeka High School, married Edith Lantz, and now lives on a farm a mile and a half west of Topeka. On De- cember 5, 1889, Mr. Yoder married Lizzie Kroft. She was born in Wayne County, Ohio, June 26, 1860. They have one daughter Leetta, born Feb- ruary 4, 1897, a graduate of the common schools and still at home.

FRANK J. BEIL, of Angola, is a member of a family of well deserved prominence in Steuben County. He was born at Angola May 3, 1871, a son of Joseph T. and Lucy (Morrow) Beil.

William Beil, father of Joseph T. Beil, married Prudence Sowle, and they came to Steuben County in 1854. William Beil was a blacksmith by trade and had a shop at Angola. He died in 1898 and his wife in 1886. Their children were Isaac, Joseph, Mary Jane, Artlisa, Janette, Charlotte and Belle.

Joseph T. Beil was born in Pennsylvania May 2, 1849, was educated in Steuben County, was a farmer, later a brick and tile manufacturer at An- gola, and at one time manager of the Bachelor Brick and Tile Company of that city. He died at Angola March 4, 1915. He was a democrat and Odd Fellow, and his wife was a member of the Christian Church. In 1870 he married Lucy Mor- row. She was born in Steuben County, New York, September 8, 1850, a daughter of Henry and Har- riet A. (Towles) Morrow. Henry Morrow was born in Sligo, Ireland, August 15, 1818, and came to this country when twelve years old. His wife was born in Steuben County, New York, October 30, 1828. In 1855 the Morrow family came to In- diana and located at Orland, where Henry Morrow conducted a shoe shop. In 1864 he moved to An- gola, later lived for about fourteen years at Ap- plemanburg, and then returned to Angola, where he died July 22, 1898. His widow passed away November 23, 1918. Henry Morrow and wife had the following children: . Elizabeth, who is the widow of John Richardson and has three children. Alta, Fred and Rosetta; Lucy; and Hattie, wife of Charles Wells.

The children of Joseph T. Beil and wife were: Frank J., Eugene, who died April 2, 1914, at the age .of thirty-seven, and Ana, who was born June 6, 1889, taught for eight years after finishing his course in the Tri-State College, and is now em- ployed by the Lampman Tool Company.

Frank J. Beil was educated in the Tri-State Col- lege, and for twenty years was a traveling salesman. Since April, 1918, he has been connected with the Angola Bank and Trust Company. In 1897 he married Miss Ada Hendry, daughter of Lewis A. Hendry.

WILLIAM S. LINCOLN for many years has had the active superintendence and responsibility of one of ne large and fine farms of Jackson Township in Steuben County, where he is successfully engaged in general farming and stock raising. Mr. Lincoln is a machinist by trade, and has used his trade skill and experience to much profit since he became a farmer.

He was born in Dennysville, Maine, September 12, 1860, a son of Benjamin and Deborah (Gardner) Lincoln, and member of an old and prominent fam- ily of that state. His parents spent all their lives there. Mr. Lincoln has in his possession a sword,

Shermey J. German

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one of the rare relics of the kind found in Steuben County. This sword was presented by General Washington to Mr. Lincoln's great-great-grand- father, Benjamin Lincoln, during the Revolutionary war. The handle of the sword is silver and the names of giver and receiver are on the handle. Mr. Lincoln has another interesting relic in the form of a peach sprout cane cut by his father on the battle- field of Gettysburg.

Mr. Lincoln grew up in his native state until he was eighteen years of age, and finished his educa- tion in the high school at Dennysville. Coming West, he located at Fort Wayne, Indiana, and put in four years' apprenticeship at the machinist's trade. He worked at that trade for a number of years and in different places. He took up farming a quarter of a century ago, in 1894, locating in Jackson Town- ship, on the farm of his wife's father, Hibbard Rob- erts. He has 320 acres, and for many years has been an extensive cattle and hog feeder. He put up the fine residence where his family reside, and has also done much to improve the other buildings and facilities. Mr. Lincoln is a republican and is affi- liated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Orland and the Knights of Pythias at Angola.

At Orland in 1887 he married Miss Marian Rob- erts. She was born on her father's farm north of Orland, August 31, 1861, a daughter of Hibbard and Clarissa (Twitchel) Roberts. Her father was born in New York State, November 16, 1819, and her mother in the same state in 1827. Hibbard Roberts came to Indiana with his parents, Daniel and Mary (Hibbard) Roberts, in 1836. They were pioneers of Jackson Township, where the family acquired a large amount of land. Daniel Roberts died March 13. 1841, and his wife October 18, 1857. Their ten children were named Daniel Hibbard, Mary, Nathan, Merinda, Emily, Erastus, John, Urania, Ziba and Sarah. Mrs. Lincoln's maternal grandparents were Jonas and Melinda Twitchel, who were likewise identified with the early settlement of Jackson Township. Mrs. Lincoln's father grew up in this county and acquired most of his education through his own efforts. He was seventeen years old when he came to Steuben County, and was a man of great enterprise, owning the Orland grist mill, was a mer- chant at that village, and owned a farm north of town, where he and his wife started housekeeping, and eventually owned several places. As above noted, he was owner of the farm where Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln now live, and in this locality he died January 10, 1906. Mrs. Lincoln's mother died Feb- ruary 24, 1891. Mr. Roberts was a republican and was an active churchman. He and his wife had five children, named Augustus, Helen, Homer, Mary and Marian.

Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln have four daughters. Ruth was born October 17, 1888, was educated in the Or- land High School and in business colleges at Fort Wayne and Milwaukee, and is now the wife of Henry K. Cowen, of Milwaukee. Helen, who was born March 23, 1895, is a graduate of the Orland High School, and by her marriage to Frederick Booth has one son, William Lincoln. Hannah was born May 18, 1897, graduated from the Orland High School and was a student in Hillsdale College in Michigan. Alice, the youngest, was born May 14, 1899, and is now the wife of Leslie Whipple.

FRED N. HUNT, one of the most widely traveled, experienced and capable men of affairs in Noble County, is president of the Sparta State Bank at Cromwell, and also head of the finest stock farms in this section of Indiana.

Mr. Hunt was born in Etna Township of Whitley

County, Indiana, August 6, 1878, a son of Franklin and Martha J. (Long) Hunt. His father, who was born in Wayne County, Indiana, February 22, 1828, had the great adventure of a trip to California in 1850, and was a gold seeker in the West for a year and a half. For many years he lived in Etna Town- ship of Whitley County, became prominent there as a farmer and citizen, serving as trustee, and died in September, 1910. His wife was born July 10, 1834. They were members of the Presbyterian Church, and in politics he was a Republican. There were twelve children in the Hunt family, named Lee, Thomas, James, Haskell, Frank, Fred, Ellen, Eliza- beth, Catherine, Frances, Martha and Minnie.

Fred N. Hunt grew up on the old farm and at- tended district schools to the age of fourteen. He then entered the Methodist College at Fort Wayne and also spent two years in the Michigan Military Academy at Orchard Lake. After that he satis- fied himself with the quiet routine of the farm until 1901, when he took a trip to the Orient, spending most of his time in Corea, where for a year he was connected with the Oriental Consolidated Mining Company. On returning to America he followed different activities in North Carolina for a year and a half and then returned to Indiana.

Besides heading the Sparta State Bank at Crom- well Mr. Hunt is president and general manager of the Gray Dawn Stock Farm Company. This farm is the home of some splendid specimens of Short- horn cattle.

On January 21, 1903, Mr. Hunt married Nelle F. Beezley, who was born in Washington Township of Noble County, Indiana, January 18, 1877. She is a graduate in music from Hillsdale College in Michi- gan, and is a woman of real culture and refinement. They have one daughter, Martha A., born October 6, 1905, now attending high school. Mrs. Hunt is a member of the Baptist Church. He is affiliated with the Masons, Knights of Pythias and Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and in politics is a republican.

SHERMEY J. GERMAN represents the third genera- tion of the German family in Northeast Indiana. He has some of the land which was cleared of the forest by his grandfather. It is now a fine stock farm, and his enterprise has done much to stimulate high class livestock husbandry in the county.

The old home of the Germans is in Jackson Town- ship, and Shermey J. was born near where he lives today October 4, 1884, a son of William and Mary (Hilton) German. His paternal grandparents were Edward and Rebecca German, pioneer settlers in Jackson Township who located 187 acres of land and built their log house and cleared up much of the land during their lifetime. They had the following children: George, Samuel, Cassie, John, Edward, William, Milo, Romie, May and Frank. The mater- nal grandparents of Shermey J. German were James and Lydia Jane (Smith) Hilton, likewise identified with the early settlement of Steuben County. Their children were: Ulrich Jack, Dora, Charles, Mary, Jarvis D., Edith May, Angela and Myrtie.

William German was born on the farm now owned by his son Shermey August 30, 1863. He was reared there, had a public school education, and has spent his active career as a farmer. He still owns forty acres of the old homestead but is living retired in the village of Flint. He is a republican in politics. His wife was born in DeKalb County, Indiana, July 28, 1866. They have two children: Shermey J. and Letha, the latter the wife of Ralph DeLancey, a son of Charles DeLancey of Angola.

Shermey J. German grew up on the home farm, and since leaving school has busied himself with

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farming and stock raising. He is one of the lead- ing threshermen in this section of Northeast In- diana, operating two threshing outfits. His farm is well improved and he has specialized in thorough- bred stock, including Duroc Jersey hogs, Belgian horses and Shorthorn cattle. He owns a fine stal- lion weighing 2,200 pounds. His farm comprises eighty acres.

Mr. German is a republican but has been too busy to identify himself with partisan politics. He is a member of the Order of Moose at Angola. In 1907 he married Miss Nellie Slick, daughter of George and Emma (Green) Slick, of an old and prominent family. They have four children: Violet, born May 25, 1911; Ray, born July 25, 1913; Gladys, born April 22, 1916; and Evelyn, born June 10, 1918. -

HARRY S. CARROLL is a veteran railroad teleg- rapher and dispatcher and for over a quarter of a century has been on duty with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad as dispatcher at Garrett for the Chicago Division. For a number of years he has been chief train dispatcher at that point.

Mr. Carroll, whose only son won fame by his ex- traordinary heroism while in the air service in France, comes of a long line of patriotic American ancestors. He was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, July 1, 1871, a son of George T. and Lucy (Cummins) Carroll. His parents were also natives of Pennsylvania, his mother of Green and his father of Washington County. George T. Car- roll was a Union soldier during the Civil war and had a brother, Thomas M. Carroll, who was a cap- tain in that struggle and at the close of the war went west and became prominent as a banker and attorney. Harry S. Carroll's maternal grand- mother was Elizabeth McCaslean. She was a native of Scotland and had a brother who served as a colonel in the Civil war. George T. Carroll after the war returned to Pennsylvania, married, settled down in business for a time and later was a travel- ing salesman. He lived in Wheeling, West Virginia, for a number of years. He was a republican, a member of the Presbyterian Church, and was active in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias, being a district deputy grand of the former order. In the family were six children, only two of whom are now living: Elizabeth, who is married and lives at Washington, Pennsylvania, and Harry S.

Harry S. Carroll grew up in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, attended common schools in the former state, and is a graduate of the high school at Quaker City, Ohio. While there he also learned telegraphy and has been continuously in the service of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad since early youth. In 1890 he was moved to Garrett as a telegraph operator and from 1893 for three years was sta- tioned in Chicago.

July 7, 1896, he returned to Garrett and was as- signed the important role of train dispatcher, and has been at his post with a splendid record of fidel- ity and efficiency ever since. A number of years ago he was made chief train dispatcher. Mr. Car- roll is a republican and a member of the Masonic Order.

In 1890 he married Anna A. Johnson, of Guernsey County, Ohio. She is also a graduate of the Quaker City High School. Their son, George C. Carroll, born August 22, 1892, is a graduate of the Garrett High School, attended Northwestern Uni- versity at Chicago two years, and subsequently graduated from the University of Virginia with the A. B. degree. Before his army service he had a successful record as an educator, being principal of the Garrett High School two years and in 1917

was elected superintendent of the city schools of Garrett. He soon afterward resigned to enter the second officers training camp at Fort Benjamin Harrison and ten weeks later was commissioned a first lieutenant in the air service. He went over- seas and was in France fifteen months and received the distinguished service cross and also honors from the French army. He returned to the United States February 21, 1919. The school board had granted him a leave of absence and immediately upon his return he was again elected superintendent of the graded schools.

The following citation by the commander in chief of the American armies is an appropriate matter of record and speaks for itself: "First Lieutenant George C. Carroll. For extraordinary heroism in action near Fort Dumarr, France, September 26, 1918. Lieutenant Carroll had ascended in a balloon to a height of one kilometer on a reglage mission, when he was attacked by enemy planes; but he re- fused to leave his post and fired on the planes with his pistol while incendiary bullets were striking his basket and balloon. He was finally forced to jump when his balloon burst into flames, but he reas- cended as soon as a new balloon could be inflated. Carroll also gave proof of exceptional courage by remaining in his balloon in the face of airplane at- tacks, jumping only when his balloon caught fire, and immediately reascending when a new balloon could be inflated. Home address, Harry S. Carroll, father, Garrett, Indiana."

LOUIS G. WHITTEN is president and treasurer of the Auburn Post Card Manufacturing Company at Auburn. This is an industry which serves to make this Indiana city widely known over the country, since the thousand of post cards manufactured at the plant has a national if not in international distribu- tion and sale. Mr. Whitten is founder and chief owner of the business, though the company is in- corporated, the other officers being W. H. Schaab, vice president, and C. P. Dennison, secretary.

Mr. Whitten was born in the State of Maine March 10, 1873, a son of Charles W. and Rachel (Pottle) Whitten. His father was a highly educated man and spent much of his life as a teacher and school principal. Louis G. Whitten, one of a fam- ily of five children, attended the public schools in his native state, graduating in 1896 from the Maine Central Institute at Pittsfield and took the regular collegiate course in Bates College of Lewistown, where he graduated with the Bachelor of Arts de- gree in 1900. The following year he pursued a post-graduate course at Harvard, and before en- gaging in the printing business was a well known educator in New England. For two years he was principal of the Marshfield High School in Massa- chusetts, was principal of the high school at Stough- ton, Massachusetts, four years, and left school work to begin the manufacture of post cards and general printing. For three years he had his business at West Bethel, Maine, and in the fall of 1910 moved to Auburn. Much of the business of the company is a mail order business.

Mr. Whitten married Martha Dennison, who is also a graduate of Bates College, taking the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1901. They have five daughters, Esther, Ruth, Barbara, Elizabeth and Alice. Esther finished the work of the common schools of Auburn in 1919. The family are members of the Presby- terian Church, Mr. Whitten being president of the Board of Trustees. He is president of the local Young Men's Christian Association, has served as president of the Auburn Commercial Club, is a li- brary trustee, and one of the men of influence in the

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civic and business affairs of the county seat. Fra- ternally he is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias and is a democrat in politics.

GATES BEARD, a well known farmer and public official of Steuben County, was born in Canada August 12, 1860, a son of Horace and Amanda (Randall) Beard. The year following his birth his parents settled in Branch County, Michigan. Horace Beard was a saw mill operator, being head sawyer for a number of years. He died in 1873. He and his wife had eight children: Wallace, Alice, Alma, Gates, Dora, Melvin, Carrie and Esther.

Gates Beard attended the public schools of Branch County to the age of thirteen and then came to Steuben County and has since been de- pendent entirely upon his own exertions. He worked as a farm hand in Scott Township, and about 1893 was able to buy the farm of eighty acres where he still lives. He has since increased his farm to 118 acres, and has made it profitable and a valuable property.

Mr. Beard is a republican, served on the Town- ship Advisory Board and is now in his second term of four years as township assessor. He is a mem- ber of the Christian Church.

In 1882 he married Louisa Rummell, of Steuben County. She died September 9, 1909, the mother of four children: Shirley, Pearl, who is the wife of Ernest B. Chard, Earl, deceased, and Alma, wife of Frank L. Davis.

FRED KOMP was born on a farm in Milford Town- ship, LaGrange County, Indiana, August 3, 1871, a son of Frederick and Elizabeth (Parker) Komp and a grandson of Henry and Margaret (Deetz) Komp. His grandparents, as also his father, were natives of Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, his father born in 1829. In 1832 the family came to America. They were on shipboard three months, and during the last week had a fare limited to sauerkraut and water. Their first location was in Mercer County, Ohio, and later they moved to Whitley County, Indiana. The children of Henry and Margaret Komp were: Frederick, Catherine, Daniel, John, Caroline and Sarah.

Frederick Komp was three years old when brought to America. He grew up on a farm in the Middle West, and at the age of eighteen his powers and talents as a worker in the Church of God were recognized and he then started on his career as a preacher, which he continued practically all the rest of his life. He carried on his work in six counties in Northern Indiana and three or four counties in Ohio, and in early days rode horseback from one congregation to another. As a means of paying expenses he also sold patent medicine and books. Frederick Komp also owned a good farm in Milford Township of LaGrange County and another in Noble County, and with the aid of his children car- ried on these farms. He died January 21, 1917. His wife, who was born in Pennsylvania, June 22, 1832, a daughter of Isaac Parker, died June 8, 1891. They had a family of six children : George E .; Margaret, who was married to George Pratt; Lodema, wife of Van Rasler ; Eva, who married John Rasler ; Dessie, who died in infancy; and Fred, who is the youngest of the family.

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History of Northeast Indiana : LaGrange, Steuben, Noble and DeKalb Counties, Volume II, Part 68

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