USA > Indiana > Steuben County > History of Steuben County, Indiana, together withbiographies of representative citizens > Part 66
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HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY.
County, Ohio, in December, 1834, and to this union have been born three children-Lewis, Hattie and Nellie. Mrs. Mundy was first married to Levi Bolin, who died in Jackson Township in March, 1863, and to them were born three children-George, James and Milton. Politically Mr. Mundy is a Republican, but in early life he was an Abolitionist.
John N. Ousterhout was born in Richland County, Ohio, in 1825. His father, John Ousterhout, was a native of the State of New York, and when a young man went to Richland County, Ohio, where he died in 1825. John N. lived with his maternal grandfather, Levi Bodley, in Plymouth, till sixteen years of age when his grandfather died. He then began working for farmers by the month. In 1843 he and an elder brother, James C., came to Steuben County, Ind., and bought 160 acres of land on section 9, Salem Township, now owned by John Beigh and Abram Cheno- worth. They came from Ohio with an ox team which proved of great assistance in improving their land. In the fall of 1849 John N. bought 120 acres on sections 4 and 8. In the spring of 1851 he went to Jasper County, Iowa, where he bought eighty acres of land and lived two years, working at his trade, carpenter, the most of the time. In 1853 he returned to Steuben County, and the fol- lowing year sold his land in Salem Township, and engaged in saw- milling on section 14. He sold his mill in 1857 and bought sixty acres of land on section 14, Salem Township, where he lived till 1859. In December, 1859, he bought the farm where he now lives and settled on it the following June. It was then a wild tract of land but Mr. Ousterhout has brought it under a good state of cultivation and it is now one of the finest farms in the township, located on the southeast quarter of section 34, Jackson Township. Mr. Ousterhout has been twice married. His first wife was Nancy Hammond, a native of Ohio, daughter of Samuel Hammond. She died in 1853 having two children-Mary A., wife of John Slick, and Samuel E. He afterward married Sarah Haines, a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1829, daughter of Thomas Haines, who came to Steuben County in 1853. They have six children-Viola, wife of Adelbert R. Wood; Ralph; Cora E .; Sarah V., wife of George L. Delong; Lillie M. and Alta G. Po- litically Mr. Ousterhout is a Republican. He was elected Justice of the Peace of Jackson Township in 1860 and served four years; was elected to the same office in 1878 and is now serving his third term. During the late war he was an active member of the Flint
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Legion, an organization whose object was to defend the State from raiders. He was First Lieutenant of this company. It was or- ganized March 31, 1863, and was not disbanded till after the close of the war. Mr. Ousterhout's residence is what was for many years known as the block church, built by the Methodists on sec- tion 3, and used by them and the Presbyterians many years as a house of worship. Mr. Ousterhout bought the building in 1860 and removed it to its present location. This is one of the most interesting relics of pioneer days.
Abijah D. Parsell, deceased, was born Oct. 25, 1827, in New Jersey. His father, Moses S. Parsell, was born Feb. 12, 1797, and Dec. 17, 1817, married Mary Campbell, who was born Sept. 10, 1795. She died in August, 1824, and March 17, 1825, he mar- ried Hannah Crilley, who died Aug. 6, 1846. In 1838 the family came to Steuben County, Ind., and settled in Jackson Township. Abijah grew to manhood on his father's farm and after his mar- riage, in 1851, bought the farm on section 35, where his family now live. For many years he devoted his entire attention to farm- ing, and then engaged in buying produce. In April, 1872, he moved to Angola and engaged in the produce business a year. Then returned to the farm, and in April, 1878, again rented his farm and moved to Angola and engaged in the grocery business till his death Nov. 11, 1882. He was married Dec. 4, 1851, to Jane T. Alcott, a native of Marion County, Ohio, born Sept. 24, 1829, daughter of Samuel and Nancy Alcott, the former a native of New Jersey, born in 1802, and the latter of Delaware. They moved to Marion County, Ohio, about 1837, and later to Lagrange County, where Mr. Alcott died April 24, 1861. The mother is still living with her children. Mr. and Mrs. Parcell had a family of seven children; but three are living-Austin M., born Nov. 1, 1855, and married Adeline M. Weight, daughter of Frederick Weight, of Salem Township. They have two children-Leona E. and Abijah D. Ichabod S. was born March 10, 1864, and Mi- chael A., Jan. 18, 1870.
John B. Richner was born in Seneca County, Ohio, in 1850. In the fall of 1854 his father, Andrew Richner, moved to Steuben County, and located on a farm in Jackson Township where he still lives. John B. was reared and educated in this township re- maining here till twenty-two years of age when he went to Michi- gan and engaged in farming near Coldwater four years. He then bought a farm and remained there another four years, when he
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HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY.
returned to Jackson Township. In 1881 he embarked in the general mercantile business at Flint but the next year sold out to H. B. Rickerd. In 1883 he again opened a store and is now do- ing a good business. He is a genial, social gentleman, and readily wins the esteem of his customers. July 8, 1885, he was appointed Postmaster at Flint and assumed the duties of his office July 25. He married Viola Davis, daughter of G. W. Davis, of Jackson Township. They have three children-Arthur, Alice and Ethel.
Robert Ryan, section 31, Jackson Township, was born in the town of Niles, now Semphronius, Cayuga Co., N. Y., in Novem- ber, 1814, a son of Robert and grandson of Robert Ryan, who was a soldier in the war of the Revolution, enlisting when thirteen years of age and serving six years. Our subject's father was a soldier in the war of 1812. He settled in Cayuga County, N. Y., in an early day, and lived there till his death. His widow is still living, aged ninety years. In 1836 Mr. Ryan came to Indiana in company with a family by the name of Jones, and settled in La- grange County. He worked by the month from November of that year till the following spring for Russell Brown, of Lagrange County, and later of Jackson Township, Steuben County. The next summer he worked for several of the early settlers and in the meantime entered 280 acres of land in De Kalb County, eighty acres in Fairfield and 200 acres in Smithfield Township. In the fall of 1837 he returned to New York and remained five years and in 1842 came again to Indiana. He exchanged his eighty acres in Fairfield Township, for eighty acres in Jackson Township, Steuben County, which is a part of his present farm. He afterward ex- changed his 200 acres in Smithfield Township, receiving as part payment a horse and buggy. His interests from that time were entirely in Steuben County. He afterward bought 160 acres join- ing his first purchase on the east, and still later another eighty acres making 320 acres in all. He has since sold seventy acres and now owns one of the best farms in the township, of 250 acres, with a good residence and farm buildings. Mr. Ryan was married in May, 1850, to Catherine Bebee, a daughter of David Bebee, who settled in Jackson Township in 1846. They have five children-Ann Eliza, wife of Dennis Ryan; Viola, wife of Squire Appleman; Janet, wife of David Haskins; Harvey, and Minerva, wife of James Bolin. Mrs. Ryan's father, David Bebee, was a native of Chenango County, N. Y., where he was reared and married Polly Mead. He moved to Steuben County in 1846, and lived in Jackson Township till his
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HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY.
death in 1871, aged seventy-eight years. His wife died in 1868. A brother of Mr. Ryan came to Steuben County about 1845 and lived on one of the farms of his brother, but in 1850 returned to New York and now lives in Kelloggsville, Cayuga County. Mr. Ryan in politics has been a Republican since the formation of the party.
David Sams, deceased, was born in Pennsylvania, Dec. 6, 1801, and removed to Richland County, Ohio, where he was married April 10, 1822, to Elizabeth Baker, a native of Baltimore County, Md., born June 20, 1800. In June, 1835, Mr. Sams with his brother-in-law, Andrew Welch, started for the State of Illinois, for the purpose of locating land. On reaching Jackson Prairie they were so well pleased with the country that they decided to remain and therefore Mr. Sams bought forty acres on section 8, and entered 120 acres adjoining. They returned to Ohio 'and the following August brought their families to their home in the wilderness. They built a cabin in which three families lived till they could clear some land and sow some wheat. Mr. Sams then built another house, Mr. Welch remaining in the first one. For a year or more the settlers found a market for their grain at home, the incoming settlers being obliged to purchase till they could raise crops of their own. Then for ten or twelve years their market was Fort Wayne. Mr. Sams lived where he first settled till his death April 16, 1874. He was a prominent citizen and was the first Assessor of Steuben County. Mrs. Sams still lives on the homestead. Their family consisted of eight children, but six of whom are living-Mary Jane, wife of Charles Trux, of Williams County, Ohio; Darius; Sarah Ann, widow of Alexander Carpenter; Abdella, of Salem Township; Amasa, of Jackson Prairie; and Henry, of Pleasant Township. Darius, the eldest son, was born in Richland County, Ohio, June 1, 1829. He was married in 1853 to Mrs. Phœbe Sams, widow of his brother Daniel, and daughter of Nehemiah Lounsbury, who settled in Jackson Township in 1845. Mrs. Lounsbury died Jan. 16, 1850, and Mr. Lounsbury, Jan. 16, 1871. Mrs. Sams was born in New York in 1832.
Nathaniel Shaffstall, son of Christian Shaffstall, was born on the old homestead in Salem Township, Steuben County, in 1847. He remained at home till his enlistment in the war of the Rebellion, in the spring of 1865. He served as Fife-Major of the One Hun- dred and Fifty-fifth Indiana Infantry till the close of the war. After his return home he engaged in agricultural pursuits and now
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HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY.
has a good farm on section 10, Jackson Township. He is the in- ventor of the Champion sulky plow attachment, which possesses what is known as the wonderful vibrating bail, and an improved mechanism for grinding the plow. It has proved a very impor- tant invention and is meeting with great favor wherever introduced. The patent was issued on the improvement, Feb. 28, 1882. Mr. Shaffstall married Mary C., daughter of C. C. Bodley, one of the early settlers of Stenben County. They have three children-Hat- tie E., Chauncey N. and Leruah B.
Norman C. Shank is a son of Cornelius Shank, who settled in Jackson Township in 50, a native of Maryland, and removed to Seneca County, Ohio, with his parents and thence to Steuben County. Norman was born in Seneca County in 1846. He enlisted in 1861, when but fifteen years of age, in the Forty-fourth Indiana Infantry. He participated in the battles of Fort Donel- son, Shiloh, Stone River, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, and was a witness of the battle of Lookout Mountain. He was injured at Pittsburg Landing while assisting in unloading a boat and was unfit for duty at the time of the battle but at his own request was permitted to accompany his regiment to the field and was wounded twice, in the left arm and in the left hip. He has recovered from his wounds but still suffers from his injury and receives a pension. After the battle of Mission Ridge his regiment was stationed at Chat- tanooga where they were on provost duty till the close of the war. Since the war he has been engaged in agricultural pursuits. His farm is located on section 10, Jackson Township, and contains 270 acres. He has been twice married. His first wife was Emaline Bowerman, daughter of Michael Bowerman, and to them were born three children. His present wife was Emma Davis, daughter of Horace E. Davis. They have three children.
Henry Spangle was born in Steuben County, N. Y., in 1821, a son of Henry and Mary Spangle, and when five years old accom- panied his parents to Seneca County, where he lived till twenty- three years old, when he came to Indiana and has since lived in this township. He bought 160 acres of William Hendrickson, only six acres of which at that time were cleared. He has cleared and now has under cultivation 120 acres, and in addition to the homestead bought in 1882 140 acres. He is one of the most prom- inent farmers of the township. He has three and a half miles of hedge on his original farm and a mile and a half on the addition. Mr. Spangle married Sarah Metzger, who was born in Seneca
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HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY.
County, Ohio, in 1841 and came to Steuben County with her par- ents in 1868. They have two children-Carrie and Clyde. Mr. Spangle's mother died when he was a child. His father followed him to Steuben County and died in this township in 1862. Mrs. Spangle's parents, Adam and Mary Metzger, settled in Jackson Township, where the mother died June 1, 1877. The father makes his home with Mrs. Spangle. They have had a family of nine children, eight of whom are living-Amos, of Montgomery County, Kas .; Elias, of Branch County, Mich .; Mrs. Catherine Decker, of Newaygo County, Mich .; Mrs. Elizabeth Hetler, of Berrien County, Mich .; Mrs. Mary Downs, of St. Joseph County, Mich .; Mrs. Anna Doudt, Mrs. Susan Benninghoff and Mrs. Spangle, of Jackson Township.
Charles S. Squiers, residing on section 2, Jackson Township, was born in this township in 1842. He was married to Hortense Morse, a native of Seneca County, N. Y., who removed with her parents to Michigan and thence to Indiana, in 1859. To this union has been born one son-Delmer, born in Jackson Township, July 5, 1865. Mr. Squiers has a well-cultivated farm of 123 acres with fine buildings upon it. His father, Charles P. Squiers, was a na- tive of Seneca County, N. Y., where he grew to manhood. He followed the tanner and currier's trade before coming to Steuben County in 1838, after which he followed farming till his death, having entered about 400 acres in Jackson Township. He died on Jackson Prairie in July, 1850, leaving a wife and five children. His wife, who still survives him, was formerly Irene Sanders, a native of Huron County, now a resident of Iowa. The children are -Rhoda M., wife of William Downs, and Charles S. (twins); Samuel M., of Iowa; Olive, wife of Dr. Jerome Holinger, living in Nebraska, and Narcissa, wife of John Davis, of Jasper County, Iowa.
Perry Stayner was born in Richland County, Ohio, in February, 1829. May 16, 1831, his father, John, and his uncle, Jacob Stay- ner, came to Steuben County with their families. They were strong, hearty men. Both had been soldiers in the war of 1812 under General Jackson. They came to this county with ox teams and lived in their wagons till they had got enough ground broken to put in their crops. They then built their cabins, John on the north side of Jackson Prairie and Jacob on the south. Jacob Stay- ner died Jan. 7, 1843, and his three sons, imbued with the same spirit that induced their father to undergo the hardships of pioneer life,
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HISTORY Y OF STEUBEN COUNTY.
subsequently settled in the West, Jacob, Jr., and William in Cali. fornia, and Jesse in Utah. John Stayner reared a large family, and lived to see themc omfortably settled around him. He died Sept 5, 1870, and his wife two years later. He was a Jackson Democrat and at one time represented his district in the Indiana Legislature. He named his township in honor of General Jackson. He and Adolphus Town built the first school-house in the town- ship, on the north side of the prairie, of tamarack poles; cost about $50. The first County Clerk's office was in his house and the first election was held in his dooryard, he being one of the Judges of Election. Perry Stayner now owns and occupies the homestead. The house, which is one of the oldest frames in the township, and probably the oldest occupied by a family, was built in 1841. He married Jane Powers, a native of Allegany County, N. Y., born in 1835, daughter of Stephen Powers, who came to Steu- ben County in 1837, and was among the early settlers of York Township. Mr. and Mrs. Stayner have had six children, but two of whom are living-Oliver, born Oct. 29, 1862, and Lydia, born Aug. 28, 1866. The three eldest and the youngest are deceased -Mary, died aged a year and a half; Martha, aged six and a half years; Cordelia, aged three years and Jennette in infancy.
Jonas Twichell, Jr., resides on the northwest quarter of section 9, Jackson Township, where his father, Jonas Twichell, settled in 1836. The latter was born in Oxford, Salem Co., Conn., in 1800; his wife, whose maiden name was Malinda Scott, was born in Sims- bury, Conn., March 12, 1802. They moved when children with their parents to Chenango County, N. Y., and were there married. Mr. Twichell was reared a farmer but learned the stone-engraver's trade at which he worked a number of years. In 1833 he moved to Catskill, N. Y., and in 1835 came to Steuben County and located land and the following year moved his family to their new home. A log cabin had been built and a few acres were ready for the plow ; with this exception no improvements had been made on the land. In their rude log cabin Mr. and Mrs. Twichell contributed as best they could to the comfort of strangers who came to the county seek- ing a new home. They made the farm in Jackson Township their home till 1856 when they moved to Orland where they still live, the oldest couple living who came to the county in or prior to 1836. Their family consisted of nine children, six sons and three dangh- ters; three were born in Steuben County, and six are still living- Harriet, wife of John Thompson, of Grand Rapids, Mich. ; Clarissa,
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HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY.
wife of D. H. Roberts, of Orland; Jonas, Jr .; Marcus, of Califor- nia; Sterling, of Orland, and Bliss, of Mill Grove Township. Jonas Twichell, Jr., has owned and occupied the homestead since March 17, 1858. He married Catherine Johnson, daughter of Harvey Johnson. She died May 5, 1866, leaving three children-Augusta, wife of William Craig; Eugene, in Minneapolis, Kan., and Har- vey, deceased. Mr. Twichell's present wife was Ann Milner, a native of Scotland, daughter of Ebenezer Milner. To them have been born four children-Victor, Bertice, Benjamin and Charles. Jonas Twichell, Sr., was a member of the first Board of Commis- sioners of Steuben County.
CHAPTER XX.
SALEM TOWNSHIP.
SITUATION .- GEOGRAPHY. - DESCRIPTION .- FIRST ENTRIES OF LAND AND FIRST SETTLERS. - FIRST CHURCH AND SCHOOL-HOUSE. - POSTOFFICES .- SALEM CENTER. - HUDSON .- TURKEY CREEK. - CHURCHES IN TOWNS HIP .- POPULATION OF TOWNSHIP .- AGRICULT- URAL STATISTICS .- PROPERTY AND TAXATION .-- POLITICS. - PRES- IDENTIAL VOTE, 1840-'84 .- DETAILED VOTE IN 1884 .- LIST OF OFFICIALS SINCE 1850 .- BIOGRAPHICAL.
The township of Salem is situated in the southwest corner of the county, and is bound ed as follows: On the north by Jackson, on the east by Steuben, on the south by the county of De Kalb, and on the west by the county of Lagrange. It is drained by Turkey and Mud creeks, and contains three good-sized lakes: Turkey, on sections 7 and 18, on the county line; Lime Kiln, on 28 and 29, and Little Turkey, on 35. Then there is Mud Lake, on section 17, and Henry Lake, on the corner of sections 17, 18, 19 and 20. Lake of the Woods extends from Lagrange County, on section 30, and McLish Lake, on section 31. The land of the township was origi- nally covered with a heavy forest of hard-wood timber. Salem is six miles north and south, and nearly six miles east and west, thus containing a little less than thirty-six sections, or nearly 23,000 acres.
The first entry of land in Salem Township was made Aug. 26, 1835, by Caleb Hopkins, who entered the west half of the southeast quarter of section 3. A few months after, Richard Knott entered land and remained, being the first permanent settler in the town ship. During the next three years a number of settlers came in, among whom were Edward T. Hammond, John Wilson, John Bodley, Benjamin Murphy, C. Lobdell, George Brown, Peter and Angus McKinlay, E. Griswold, B. Sherwin, G. Griswold, E. Teal, Isaac and P. Murphy, D. Wisel, A. Hollister, P. Bundy, C. C. Bodley, David Butler, Elias Hughes, E. Crusan, Daniel Butler, Jesse Butler, Loren Butler, Avery Emerson, M. Henry, J. Stone,
(722)
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HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY.
G. Stone, Israel Free, Mr. Vanclere, George Brown and Mr. Par- sell, Sr.
Eli Teal entered land May 3, 1836, and brought his family into the wilderness on the last day of September in the same year. He drove the team that brought through the first load of goods from Fort Wayne, and he also, in the fall of 1837, built the first frame house in the township. Edward Teal came in at the same time as Eli
The first church was built in 1841, where the North Church is now situated. The building was begun on a Monday morning, and the work was not stopped until the house was ready for dedica- tion, the following Saturday. This structure was known as the Block Church. The first minister was Elder Stealy, though Elder Locke preached quite frequently. The first school-house was built in 1837, of a very primitive design. The first teacher was Lanra Drver.
Charles Bodley (deceased) was born in Onondaga County, N. Y., June 25, 1807, and died Feb. 3, 1881, at Hillsdale, Mich., while on a visit. He came with his parents to Richland County, Ohio, early in life. There he was married, and he came to this State and county in 1836, settling in Salem Township. He was a mechanic and assisted in the building of Thompson's mill and other build- ings of that early day. Uncle Charles, as he was generally called, was the father of ten children, seven of whom survived him.
George Brown (deceased) was born in Olford, Mass., Feb. S, 1786. March 27, 1808, in Columbia County, N. Y., he was mar- ried to Miss Betsy Wright, with whom he lived happily more than a quarter of a century, until his death, Dec. 23, 1844. He removed to Lagrange County, this State, in October, 1835, and subsequently settled in Salem Township, this county. Mr. Brown had been a soldier in the war of 1812, and built the first frame house in Angola, for a man named Thomas Gale, in 1836. Al- though an old man at the time of his death, his widow, nearly as old, survived him more than a third of a century-longer than the average life of man. She died in Salem Township, Oct. 28, 1880, at the age of ninety years and four days. She was at that date mother of eleven children (nine of whom survived her), grand- mother of sixty-three, and great-grandmother of sixty-seven. She had been a member of the Presbyterian church for more than sev- enty-five years.
Metcalf Holden (deceased) was born in Northfield Township,
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HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY.
Franklin Co., Mass., April 7, 1797. He removed with his parents to Bethany Township, Genesee Co., N. Y., in 1815, and was mar- ried in 1820. In 1844 he removed to Michigan, and in 1845 he came with his family to Salem Township, this county, where he lived until his death, Feb. 15, 1879, aged nearly eighty-one years. He was not among the first settlers, but he experienced the priva- tions and hardships of a pioneer life in clearing up a new farm. Possessing a vigorous constitution and a will to do, his new home soon presented the appearance of belonging to the group of pioneer homes. Although prosperous in gaining a competency, he was many times forced to drink deep of sorrow's bitter cup. One after another his children passed the dark river. During the gold ex- citement his only son went to California, which cast a deep shadow over the household, and while the parents' hearts were made light with the news that their son was coming home, tidings came that he was drowned. A few years later his youngest daughter was stricken down. One child was left to comfort his widow. Mr. Holden was a good neighbor, a loyal citizen and an upright man.
Abijah D. Parsell (deceased) was born in Essex County, N. J., Oct. 25, 1827, and was brought by his parents in 1836 to this State and county, where they settled on a farm in Salem Township. Dec. 4, 1851, Mr. Parsell was married to Jane T. Alcott. They resided on a farm in Salem Township until the spring of 1878, when they removed to Angola. Here Mr. Parsell engaged in the grocery trade, which was his business when he died, Nov. 11, 1882, aged fifty-five years and sixteen days. He left a wife and three children, and many friends.
Abraham Shaffstall (deceased) was born Feb. 8, 1809, and came to Steuben County in 1854. He resided in Salem Township, this county, nearly a quarter of a century, and in April, 1879, removed to Kansas and purchased a farm. He died in Lincoln County, Kas., July 10, 1880, the cause of his death being concussion of the brain, resulting from his being thrown down by a calf he was lead- ing. As he fell the back of his head came in contact with the hard ground. He lived forty-eight hours after the accident. His age at death was seventy-one years, five months and two days.
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