History of Northeast Indiana : LaGrange, Steuben, Noble and DeKalb Counties, Volume II, Part 93

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 93
USA > Indiana > Noble County > History of Northeast Indiana : LaGrange, Steuben, Noble and DeKalb Counties, Volume II > Part 93
USA > Indiana > DeKalb County > History of Northeast Indiana : LaGrange, Steuben, Noble and DeKalb Counties, Volume II > Part 93
USA > Indiana > Steuben County > History of Northeast Indiana : LaGrange, Steuben, Noble and DeKalb Counties, Volume II > Part 93

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 Luce from the age of ten years attended the public schools of York Township and when a young man went to work under his father. In 1882 he married Aurie Housman, daughter of .Jonas Hous- man. He brought his bride to the old homestead and has operated it continuously now for over thirty-five years. The farm comprises 120 acres, devoted to general farming and the raising of good livestock.

Mr. Luce's first wife died in 1900, the mother of one daughter, Blanche, who is a graduate of the Commercial College at Jackson, Michigan. He mar- ried for his second wife, Clara Bratton, daughter of Richard Bratton. She died February 19, 1918, leav- ing one daughter, Mary Bell. Mr. Luce and his two daughters live together on the old farm.

OTHO D. EASTERDAY. Throughout his career in Green Township of Noble County Otho D. Easter- day has exhibited those qualities which entitle him to the respect and confidence of his fellowmen, and therefore while he has prospered in a material way he has also gained that friendship and regard which are indubitable assets of life. His home is a well improved farm in section 6 of Greene Township.

Mr. Easterday was born in Albion Township of Noble County, May 4, 1856. His parents were George W. and Nancy E. (Smith) Easterday. His father was born in Holmes County, Ohio, March 29, 1828, and died in Noble County, Indiana, March 28, IgII, when eighty-three years of age. The mother was born July 25, 1828, in Morrow County, Ohio, and died in Noble County, May 10, 1894, having also reached advanced years. They were married in Morrow County September 28, 1851, and in August of the following year they came to Noble County, Indiana, making the way by pioneer conveyances and an ox team. George Easterday had already bought eighty acres in Albion Township, and he lived there about ten years. In 1862 he moved to Greene Town- ship, and spent his last days on the old farm. He and his wife joined the Lutheran Church soon after coming to Noble County, and for many years he served the church as a deacon. He was a republican in politics. Of the eight children two died young and five sons are still living: Otho D .; William D., of Greene Township; Jeremiah M., of North Man- chester, Indiana; Adair M., of Beech Grove, In- diana; and Drury, of Eaton, Ohio. A daughter, Edna E., was born November 13, 1860, and died un- married March 15, 1917.

Otho D. Easterday was six years old when his parents moved to Greene Township, and as he grew to manhood he attended the district schools and acquired those habits of industry which have proved invaluable to him in his life career. On August 26, 1877, having attained the age of twenty-one, he married Miss Flora Frank, of Albion Township. She was born in Wayne County, Indiana, April 23, 1857, and was ten years old when her parents came to Noble Township and settled on the same farm where Otho D. Easterday was born. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Easterday lived on the home farm for a year and subsequently moved to their present home, where Mr. Easterday owns forty acres and also thirteen acres in Jefferson Township. He has always been a good business man and his judg- ment was availed to settle his father's' estate and also the estates of his father-in-law.

Mr. and Mrs. Easterday had the following family of children: Luella G., born August 12, 1878, was educated in the high school and is now a resident of Fort Wayne; Clarence P., born January 31, 1881, died in infancy; Orlen G., born February 4, 1883; two children that died unnamed; Ralph, born Octo- ber 20, 1889, is now the practical manager of his father's farm; Claude M., born May 23, 1892, is a graduate of the common schools and lives at Fort Wayne; George S., born November 25, 1895; Fannie E., born March 7, 1898, a graduate of high school is a teacher in Greene Township; and Wilma A., born June 20, 1900, a graduate of the common schools. The family are members of the Evangeli- cal Church and Mr. Easterday has been one of the deacons in his church for twenty years, and always active in its affairs. He is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America and is a republican. He is a member of the Township Advisory Board.

JOHN KOONTZ. One of the many energetic and actively progressive men engaged in cultivating the rich and fertile soil of Noble County, John Koontz is one of the older living native sons of the county and has lived here and witnessed the development of the surrounding country for nearly three-quarters of a century. He still lives on his farm three miles west of Avilla in Allen Township.

Mr. Koontz was born in Jefferson Township of Noble County, September 17, 1842, a son of Jacob and Mary (Stondenour) Koontz, both of whom were natives of Bedford County, Pennsylvania, where they grew up and married. They first settled in Mansfield, Ohio, and two years later moved to Noble County and settled in Jefferson Township on September 9, 1842, just a few days before the birth of their son John. Jacob Koontz was a blacksmith by trade, and had a shop which he conducted in con- nection with his farming interests. Their farm consisted of 110 acres. Both he and his wife were active members of the Lutheran Church, and in politics he voted as a democrat. He and his wife had six children, two of whom are still living, Sarah and John. Sarah was born in 1851 and is unmar- ried.

John Koontz as a boy attended the local district schools and later learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed for ten years. He married Mar- garet A. Smith, also a native of Jefferson Town- ship.

After their marriage they lived on Mrs. Koontz' mother's farm for some years. Later he traded his property for his present place of 160 acres in Allen Township. Mr. Koontz is affiliated with the Masonic Lodge at Avilla, and is a democrat and has taken an active part in his community. Besides general farming for years he has been a breeder of Short- horn cattle.

His only son, Frank R. Koontz, was born August 22, 1880, in Jefferson Township, and at the age of five years came to the present home of his parents. He attended the district schools and worked on his father's farm until he took its active management.

September 4, 1900, he married Mabel Fisher, who was born in Allen Township and was educated in the district schools. Her parents were Moses D. and Elnore (Moree) Fisher, the former a native of Coshocton County and the latter of Richland County, Ohio. Moses Fisher came to Noble County at the age of seven, and his wife was also a child when her parents located there. They were married in Noble County and Moses Fisher died in 1913. His widow is still living. Of their nine children eight are alive: Eva, wife of Wilmer Walters; William B., of Avilla; Edith E., wife of Charles Brum- bangh; Mable and May, twins, the latter the wife

335

HISTORY OF NORTHEAST INDIANA

of Frank Weaver; Maude B., wife of Ervin Brum- baugh; Frank L., of Allen Township; and Bessie, wife of Carl Huffman.

Frank Koontz is a democrat in politics. He is a skillful musician, having made a thorough study of music and particularly of the violin, and has won a reputation as a teacher.

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Koontz have one son, Nor- man J., born November 12, 1902, now in the third year of the high school at Avilla.

STEVEN THOMPSON COOPER is one of the oldest business men of Howe. Nearly fifty years ago he bought a stock of merchandise in the old village of Lima, and has ever since busied himself with the management and expansion of his business and the task of affording a completely adequate mer- chandise service to the community.

Mr. Cooper has had a varied and interesting career of experience, and before coming to La- Grange County had fought as a soldier in the Civil war and had been a cotton planter in the South. He was born at Chester, Morris County, New Jer- sey, May 2, 1843, a son of David and Sarah R. (Dayton) Cooper, both natives of Morris County. His great-grandfather, Henry Cooper, Sr., was in the commissary department of the Continental army during the Revolutionary war. In the maternal line Mr. Cooper is indirectly descended from Colonel Elias Dayton, who was on General Wash- ington's staff, and for his services in the Revolu- tion received a grant of land in Ohio where the City of Dayton now stands, named in his honor. David Cooper was born in 1799. In 1856 he came west to Greenfield Township, LaGrange County, but remained there only two months, and then went to Ogle County, Illinois, where he became a farmer. His wife, Sarah Dayton, had died in New Jersey, and when he came west he was ac- companied by his second wife, Sabina Everitt. David Cooper was always interested in politics, first as a whig and later as a stanch republican. While in New Jersey he was twice elected a member of the Legislature. It is recalled that during one severe winter he hauled wood on a bob sled from his farm in New Jersey to New York City, a dis- tance of thirty-five miles, crossing the Hudson River on the ice during the winter of the great fire in New York. He had first come west in 1835, in company with Colonel Aaron Thompson and George Thompson, making the journey as far west as Ann Arbor, Michigan, on horseback and returning to New Jersey in the same way. David Cooper was always a farmer. He and his first wife had seven children, Mary, Elizabeth, who became the wife of Robert Thompson, Henry, Steven, William, Aaron and Sarah. Of these only Mary and Steven are now living. There was one daughter, Martha, by his second marriage.

Steven Thompson Cooper was about thirteen years old when he made his first acquaintance with LaGrange County, and while there he worked on the John Van de Venter farm. He then joined his father in Illinois, and received most of his education in the schools of that state. At Rochelle, Illinois, August 10, 1862, he enlisted for service in the Civil war, at first with Company H of the 92nd Illinois Infantry, but later the regiment was assigned to the mounted infantry. His service was for a period of three years, until August 11, 1865. During Sherman's march to the sea, on December 7, 1864, near Waynesboro, Georgia, he was cap- tured, and was held in one of the most notorious prison camps of the South, at Florence, South Carolina. During the severe winter weather he and his comrades had to dig holes in the ground

for shelter. On March 5, 1865, he was exchanged at Richmond, and before getting back to the ranks the war was over. Following the war he spent a short time in Mississippi and Arkansas, where he was associated with Col. Joseph R. Webster of LaGrange County and J. Railsback in cotton plant- ing. Colonel Webster, it may be recalled, was a captain in the 88th Indiana Infantry and later be- came lieutenant colonel of the 44th Regiment of colored troops during the Civil war. After the war he became a successful attorney and at one time was attorney general for Nebraska.

The years 1868-69 Mr. Cooper spent in Illinois, where his chief employment was breaking virgin prairie sod with four yoke of oxen. On May I, 1870, he bought out the business at Howe and be- gan his long service as a local merchant. At first his stock of goods comprised drugs and groceries, and he now handles drugs, groceries and seeds. It has always been an individual business and has always been conducted in the same building. Mr. Cooper also helped organize and has since been president of the Northern Indiana Sand & Gravel Company at Wolcottville. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church and of the LaGrange G. A. R.

In January, 1876, he married Miss Mary C. Wil- liams, now deceased. She was a daughter of S. P. Williams, of Howe. To their marriage were born three children: Isabell, Emily D. and Marion. Emily is deceased.

CHARLES E. GREENAWALT has made for himself an influential place in the community of Springfield Township, LaGrange County, is a prosperous farmer, a minister of the Gospel, and otherwise well known and well liked by his friends and neighbors.

He was born near Topeka, LaGrange County, January 28, 1880, a son of Samuel and Catherine ,(Plank) Greenawalt. Several members of this family have been mentioned elsewhere in this pub- lication. Mr. Greenawalt was five years old when his parents moved to Springfield Township, and as a boy there he attended public schools and the Mongo High School. He also was a student in the Tri-State College at Angola and for seven years was a teacher, four years in the common schools and three years as principal of the Springfield Town- ship High School. From teaching he engaged in farming, and for several years rented the land he now owns from his wife's father. Later he bought forty acres of this place, and as his wife inherited forty acres, and he now has a well proportioned farm of eighty acres, yielding a good living for himself and family. Mr. Greenawalt is a republican and is a member of the Advisory Board of Spring- field Township. He is a stockholder in the Mongo State Bank.

Both he and his wife are active members of the Church of God and he is an ordained minister of that denomination. On April 19, 1903, he married Miss Cora Eatinger. She was born in Milford Township January 29, 1879, a daughter of George W. and Sarah (Forst) Eatinger, both natives of Ohio and both born in the year 1849. Her father was a native of Holmes County and was a small child when his parents came to LaGrange County, where he spent his boyhood days in Johnson Town- ship. George Eatinger bought his first land in Milford Township, and out of his enterprise as a farmer accumulated more than 300 acres. He is now living retired at Decatur, Michigan, his wife having died in 1913. He is a republican, and with his wife was an active member of the Church of God. They had four children: Mrs. Cora Greena- walt, Charles, Jacob and Maggie.

Mr. and Mrs. Greenawalt have a family of five

336

HISTORY OF NORTHEAST INDIANA

children, named: Cletus Dale, Lawrence J., Agnes Ruth, Roger Norris and Gertrude Lucile.

EUGENE S. ALDRICH. There is no finer character in Steuben County, Indiana, than Eugene S. Ald- rich, who in every walk of life has proven his worth and gained an enviable reputation as a man of in- tegrity and sincerity. He was born at Warsaw, Wyoming County, New York, in 1842, a son of Col. Simeon C. Aldrich, one of the early settlers of Steu- ben County. Colonel Aldrich was born at Rocking- ham, Vermont, October 14, 1816, and came to Steu- ben County, in 1844. A tailor by trade, he opened a shop at Angola, but soon after the discovery of gold in California he crossed the plains to that state and was gone from home for two years. Upon his return to Angola he embarked in a mercantile business and conducted it and served as sheriff of Steuben County for one term. Returning from a second trip to California, Colonel Aldrich found his state in an unheaval of patriotism over the outbreak of the Civil war, and. he, with Captain Parks of Auburn, DeKalb County, were instrumental in rais- ing Company K of the Forty-fourth Indiana In- fantry, of which he was elected first lieutenant. Soon afterward he was promoted to the rank of captain, and in November, 1862, he was made lieu- tenant colonel, commanding the regiment at the bat- tle of Chickamauga, where he distinguished him- self for his courage and efficiency. After this en- gagement he was made provost marshal of Chat- tanooga, holding that position until the regiment re- enlisted, when he accompanied the veterans home. He returned with them to Chattanooga and con- tinued in command until August, 1863, when he was granted a leave of absence on account of ill health. A few days after reaching home he was suddenly taken worse and died August 14, 1863. He was' commissioned colonel July 27th, but owing to the reduced number of the regiment was not mustered in as such.

Colonel Aldrich was twice married, first on De- cember 23, 1838, when he was united to Polly A. Jackson, who was born in Livingston County, New York, September 16, 1816, died January 29, 1852, leaving three children, Eugene S., Helen Y. and Addison Umphrey. A daughter, Emma L., died in infancy. Helen Y. was married to Charles Tyler and died January 10, 1879. Addison died Novem- ber 12, 1863. On June 23, 1852, Colonel Aldrich was married to Melissa Knapp, and their children were as follows: Nellie, who lives at Toledo, Ohio; Lulu, who is the wife of William Feizel, of Hills- dale, Michigan; and Charles C., who is in Mexico. The second Mrs. Aldrich spent her last years at Hillsdale, Michigan, where she died.

Eugene S. Aldrich, like his father, was a soldier during the war between the states, enlisting in Com- pany K, Forty-fourth Indiana Infantry, his father's regiment, and served for three years. Although he enlisted as a private, upon the organization he was made third deputy sergeant, receiving his promo- tion to the rank of second lieutenant November 27, 1862, and to that of first lieutenant April 17, 1863. He participated in the battles of Shiloh, Corinth, Missionary Ridge and many others of less impor- tance. With the exception of three years spent in Ohio Mr. Aldrich has made Pleasant Lake his home since his return from the war.

The first wife of Mr. Aldrich, Lucy Knapp, a daughter of Lansing Knapp, died April 14, 1869, leaving one son, Simeon A., who died October 25, 1871. Subsequently Mr. Aldrich was married to

Addie C. Carver, born in Sandusky County, Ohio, in 1841. They had one daughter, Josie, born June 17, 1872, who was married in 1896 to Arthur Miller, a son of Hampton Miller. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have one son, Eugene H., who was born May 4, 1903. Mr. Aldrich owns a valuable farm of 100 acres on the south side of Pleasant Lake, which is now op- erated by his son-in-law, Mr. Miller. During his active years Mr. Aldrich was prominent in agricul- tural circles, and devoted himself to improving his farm and educating his daughter. His life has been one of probity and usefulness and his friends have always found his a strong hand and heart on which to lean in times of trouble. Sympathetic and gen- erous, few have ever appealed to him in vain, but he has preferred to assist a man in helping himself than to merely donate money, believing that the former method inculcates self respect, while the latter in many instances only encourages shiftless- ness. Public life has never made a strong appeal to him, but he has given his support to men and principles which in his judgment will work out for the betterment of the majority and aid in the de- velopment of his county and state.

FRANK K. FEE. The first white family to make permanent settlement in Otsego Township of Steu- ben County was headed by John Fee. His son, the late Frank K. Fee, spent his life on the old home- stead in that township, and was a man of energy corresponding to that of his pioneer father, and left a large and valuable farm to his wife and children.

John Fee was born in Southern Ohio, October 13, 1810, a son of William Fee. When he was nineteen years old John Fee went with the rest of the family to Williams County, Ohio. In that county on April 0, 1833, John Fee married Mary Ann Houlton. She was born near Chillicothe, Highland County, Ohio, May 4, 1811, a daughter of Samuel and Rebecca (Kilgore) Houlton. Samuel Houlton was born May 12, 1764, and his wife on August 22, 1772. Mrs. John Fee's father was one of the earliest settlers at Chillicothe, Ohio, and her brothers, Samuel and John Houlton, were conspicuous in the pioneer life of Williams County, Ohio, and Northeast Indiana. The Houlton brothers are recorded in history. as the first settlers of DeKalb County.

John Fee and wife moved to Otsego Township of Steuben County in 1833, and located 120 acres in section 32. John Fee possessed a superabundant energy and vitality, and was completely at home in the frontier district, having room to do all the work that his ambition impelled him to. His homestead farm in Otsego Township comprised 420 acres in one body, but at the time of his death he owned 2,600 acres. He spent his last days in Otsego Town- ship, where he died April 2, 1873. His widow sur- vived until January 6, 1887. John Fee built as his first home a log cabin, and as his own land was covered with heavy timber he cultivated his first crops on a rented tract on Jackson Prairie. He was a republican in politics. He donated the ground for one of the early Methodist churches, the site now being owned by the United Brethren denomina- tion. He also gave ground for a cemetery. He and his wife had nine children, two of whom died in infancy. Those to grow up were: Calvin; Clarinda, wife of A. L. Nickols ; Margaret, wife of A. J. Car- penter, of DeKalb County ; John; Ann, wife of L. T. Crain; William; and Frank.

Frank K. Fee was born on the old homestead in Otsego Township, July 6, 1854. He acquired a good education in the public schools and eventually suc-

Engine. S. Aldrich

337

HISTORY OF NORTHEAST INDIANA

ceeded to the ownership of the old homestead and its 420 acres gave him ample scope in which to carry out his varied projects of farming and stock raising. He was never in politics, contenting himself to vote the republican ticket.

July 24, 1877, he married Miss Setta Gilbert. She was born in Otsego Township October 3, 1856, a daughter of Joseph and Martha (Forder) Gilbert. Her father was born near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, August 2, 1825, a son of John and Mary Gilbert, and grew up in Portage County, Ohio, and in the fall of 1851 came to Steuben County and bought 160 acres in the woods of Otsego Township. He built a small log cabin, which was the first home of the Gilbert family in Steuben County, and later, as his means increased, erected a large residence and many fine buildings. He married in 1850, Martha Ann Forder, who died in 1859. She was the mother of three children : Alonzo, of Otsego Township; Mrs. Setta Fee; and Flora, who died March 16, 1913, at the age of fifty-five. Joseph Gilbert married for his second wife Emily Case. She died in 1884, and her three children are still living, named Alton, Victor and Verna. . Joseph Gilbert died March 4, 1904.

Mrs. Fee is the mother of six sons and three daughters, and has a large number of grandchildren about her. Her oldest child, Myrta, was educated in the public schools and the Tri-State Normal, was a teacher and is now the wife of Jay Learned, of Hamilton, Indiana, and has two children, named Oliver and Gertrude. Shirley Dale Fee is a well- known business man of Metz, elsewhere noted in this publication. Flora was educated in the high school at Hamilton and lives at home with her mother. John had a high school education and is a traveling salesman out of Dayton, Ohio. By his marriage to Jennie Dirrim he has two children, Wayne and Cleland. Asa graduated from the Hamilton High School, was a farmer, and died October 28, 1914. By his marriage to Inez Mortorff he had three chil- dren, Emmet, deceased, Paul and Ned. Clarence, who attended the common and high schools, married Blanche Mortorff, a sister of his brother Asa's wife, and had three sons, Wier, Clifford and Donald. Earl, who also had the advantages of the Hamilton High School, is a farmer, married Hazel Ireland, and has two children, Mary Louise and Margaret Ellen. Lloyd, who completed his education in the high school at Hamilton, is a farmer on the old homestead and breeder of purebred Hereford cattle and Percheron horses. Aldah completed her educa- tion in the high school at Hamilton and married Ora Baker, and they live on part of the Fee homestead. Mr. and Mrs. Baker have one daughter, Florabel.

AMOS ADAMS was for many years a successful farmer in York Township of Steuben County, and head of a family which has played a worthy part in the development of Northeast Indiana. Though his own life was comparatively brief, he achieved suc- cess and esteem and left an honored name.

He was born in Delaware County, Ohio, July 12, 1853, a son of Rulif Fisher and Ruth ( Piper) Adams. His parents were married in Delaware County and in 1863 moved to Steuben County, set- tling in York Township, on the land where Amos Adams spent most of his life. They owned 150 acres, and much of it was cleared during the life- time of the senior Adams, who died there in Sep- tember, 1879, at the age of forty-nine. His widow survived until 1901, to the age of seventy-one. They had three children, Amos, Sarah Ellen and W. Henry.

Amos Adams was ten years old when brought to Steuben County, and he grew up on the farm and

finished his education in the local schools. In early manhood he acquired sixty-five acres of the old place, and at one time had 108 acres, constituting a farm of many excellent improvements. In the midst of his work and success there he died in 1910, at the age of fifty-seven.

In 1878 he married Amanda Vanscoit, who was born near Findlay in Hancock County, Ohio, Feb- ruary 13, 1855, a daughter of Samuel H. and Sarah (Houck) Vanscoit. Her father was a native of Ohio and her mother of Maryland, and they moved to Steuben County in 1865 and settled on 120 acres in York Township. Later they sold this land and went east to Virginia, but after ten years returned to Indiana and spent their last years in York Township, where her father died in January, 1901, at the age of eighty-seven, and her mother in 1907, aged eighty- two. In the Vanscoit family were the following children : Joanna, deceased, Amanda, Charlotte, John, Kittie C., Ella and Stella.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Northeast Indiana : LaGrange, Steuben, Noble and DeKalb Counties, Volume II, Part 93

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