USA > Indiana > Steuben County > History of Steuben County, Indiana, together withbiographies of representative citizens > Part 68
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735
HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY.
are not recalled. The only ruling member elected at the time of organization was John Wilson. Moses S. Parsell and George Brown were elected as officers of the church the following year, but the former died soon after and George Brown, Sr., and John Wilson served for several years. Services were held at the house of Mr. Wilson till the fall of 1839. Mr. Wilson, who was a zealons worker in the cause, organized a Sunday-school at his house in the spring previous to the organization of the church. This was the first Sunday-school in the township and Mr. Wilson was the first Sabbath-school Superintendent. In the fall of 1839 a log school-house was erected on the site of the present church which was used till the building of the " Block Church" by the Method- ists, near the present Presbyterian church, which was the first built in the county. The Presbyterians also held services in this church till the building of what was known as the "Singing house," which was partially built by public contribution and in- tended as a place of general public entertainment; it was finished by the Presbyterians and Methodists with the understanding that they were to use the building for religious purposes. This build- ing was then used for religious purposes by both the Presbyterians and Methodists till the building of their respective churches in 1868. Among the early ministers of this denomination, besides those mentioned were: Rev. Christopher Corey, who succeeded Rev. Littlefield, and then came a young man whose name is, not re- membered, but who remained for a short time; then came Rev. Mr. Chapin, who preached several years. The church was next several years without regular preaching. Then came Rev. Jacob Patch, who reorganized the church and was its pastor for ten or twelve years. Then came Rev. Mr. Kidder, who remained two or three years. The next regular minister was Rev. Robert D. McCarthy, who was the first Pastor after the church was built, and he was followed by Rev. Haliday. Several others preached for a short time and then came Rev. Mr. Christine, who was the last pastor. A Sunday-school has always been supported, which was union in its character and not denominational.
A class of the M. E. church was organized at the ; house of Robert Bell, on section 4, in 1838, The first members of that class, so far as remembered, were: Robert Bell and wife, Edward T. Hammond and wife, Mrs. Mary Butler, and probably a few others whose names are not remembered. Services were held at private houses for some time, and later at the log school-house on
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HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY.
section 4. The first Methodist church was known as the Block Church on section 3. Later, services were held at the Singing house, on section 3. The present M. E. church building at Salem Center was built in 1868, cost about $3,000 and was dedicated Jan. 8, 1869, by Rev. Mr. Gray, of Chicago. Rev. Joseph Sellers was the preacher in charge at that time. The succeeding pastors were: Revs. Geo. W. Howe, Brawn, Curtis, Mott, Bacon, Peda- cord, Johnson, Pascal and Ramsy. The church has always sus- tained a Sunday-school. The present membership of the church is thirty-three.
The history of the M. E. church at Hudson will be found in the history of that village.
The population of the township in 1870 was 1,385; in 1880, 1,- 560-an increase of 175. The present density of population is 44 per square mile.
The following leading crop statistics are for the last census year -1880: Acres of wheat sown, 3,713; average yield per acre, 18 bushels; total crop, 66,834 bushels; acres of corn, 2,076; average yield per acre, 20 bushels; total crop, 41,520 bushels; acres of oats, 587; average yield per acre, 25 bushels; total crop, 14,675 bushels: acres of meadow, 584; average yield per acre, 2 tons ; total crop, 1, 168 tons of hay; acres of potatoes, 103; average yield per acre, 40; total crop, 4,120 bushels.
In 1884 the total number of acres assessed was 21,390.69; value of same, $214,875; value of improvements, $67,965; valne of per- sonal property, $67.215; total valuation, $350,055; number of polls, 250; number of dogs, 134; total taxes levied, $7,478.49.
In politics, Salem Township has been Republican since the or- ganization of the party, before which time it was Democratic except in 1840, when it gave a Whig majority of 12. The smallest plural- ity the township ever gave was 10 Democratic, in 1844; the largest was 96 Republican, in 1856. The following statement of the presi- dential vote since 1840 shows the political complexion of the town. ship in the different presidential years, and also indicates the growth in population :
1840-William H. Harrison. 20 12 ! 1856-John C. Fremont. 164 96
Martin Van Buren 8
James Buchanan. 68
1844 -- James K. Polk 37
10
1860-Abraham Lincoln .. .147 68
Henry Clay .. 27
Stephen A. Douglas 79
1848-Lewis Cass. 57
24
Jonn Bell. 1
Zachary Taylor. 33
John Breckenridge 1
Martin Van Buren 5
1864-Abraham Lincoln 140 32
1852-Franklin Pierce 73
37
George B. McClellan. 108
Winfield Scott. 36
1868-Ulysses S. Grant. .159
34
John P. Hale. 7
Horatio Seymour .. 125
HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY.
737
1872-Ulysses S. Grant 169
94 | 1880-James A. Garfield .233
74
Horace Greeley. 75
Winfield S. Hancock .159
Charles O' Conor. 16
James B. Weaver .. 2
1876-Rutherford B. Hayes 226
74 | 1884-James G. Blaine. 220 59
Samuel J. Tilden 152
Grover Cleveland. 161
Peter Cooper. 1
John P. St. John .. 1
BIOGRAPHICAL.
Levi N. Bodley, section 8, Salem Township, was born in Ply- mouth, Richland Co., Ohio, in 1830, a son of William and. Sally Bodley. His father died in Richland County, March 8, 1861. and his mother in Angola, March 2, 1879. Their family consisted of thirteen children; all but four of the chil. iren have lived in Steu- ben County, Ind. But three now live in the county. Father and sons politically were Republicans. In 1860 the father and four sons voted for Abraham Lincoln and four days after his inaugura- tion the father died. Three of the sons served in the war ofthe Rebell- ion. Levi N. was a member of Company K, Twenty-ninth Indiana Infantry, from October, 1864, till the close of the war. Thomas, a younger brother, was Lieutenant of Company D, Seventy-fourth Indiana Infantry, and was killed at Chickamauga in September,. 1863. Levi N. Bodley came to Steuben County, Ind., in the fall of 1851, and with the exception of two years in De Kalb County has since made this his home. He married Mary J. Butler, who came with her father, Jesse Butler, to Steuben County in 1838. They have six children-Jesse W., Guy C., Nora G. (wife of G. Elliott), Susan E., Flemming W. and Isaac D. Their eldest son-Warren V. died in infancy.
Charles Brown is a native of Crawford County, Ohio, born in 1843. He came from Fulton County, Ohio, to Steuben County, Ind., in November, 1869, and settled on section 14, Salem Town- ship. In the fall of 1877 he bought what is known as the Dutch mill, a saw-mill on section 13. It is run by steam-power, and has a capacity for cutting 4,000 feet of lumber per day. Sept. 7, 1861, Mr. Brown enlisted in the Fifteenth Ohio Infantry and served three years. He participated in the battles of Shiloh, Stone River and Chickamauga. At the latter place, Sept. 19, 1863, he was wounded and taken prisoner. He was confined in Libby Prison a few days and then taken to the Alabama hospital where he remained till Nov. 18, following, when he was paroled and was exchanged at Camp Chase the following June. He has never fully recovered from the effects of his wounds and the subsequent exposure and hardships. He married Harriet Sophia Amerman, daughter of
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HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY.
Peter D. Amerman. They have two children, twin daughters- Lura Bell and Lelia Dell, born March 31, 1884.
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Samuel W. Brown, section 2, Salem Township, is a son of George Brown, one of the first settlers of the township. George Brown was born in Oxford, Mass., Feb. 8, 1786. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and subsequently went to Columbia County, N. Y. He married Betsey Wright, a native of Massachusetts, born Oct. 21, 1790. In 1837 they came to Indiana and settled on section 2, Salem Township, Steuben County, where he died Dec. 23, 1844. His wife died in 1880. They had a family of eleven children, five sons and six daughters, nine of whom are living. Samuel W. Brown was born in the State of New York, March 18, 1823. He married Elizabeth C. Wilson, a native of Richland County, Ohio, born in 1826, a daughter of John Wilson. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have had six children, only one of whom is living -- Estella D., widow of Ira Woodford. Mr. Woodford died in October, 1884, leaving one child-Ruth Estella.
Leander Brugh is the eldest of twelve children of George Brugh, who with his family settled in Steuben County in 1847. George Brugh was born in Pennsylvania in 1814 and when a boy moved to Columbiana County, and thence to Seneca County, where he married Catherine Clemens, also a native of Pennsylvania. In the fall of 1847 he came to Steuben County with a brother-in-law, William Clemens, who returned to Ohio. He was killed in the Ashtabula bridge disaster, on the Lake Shore Railroad, in December, 1877. Mr. Brugh bought eighty acres of land on section 16, Pleasant Township. He returned to Ohio and the following spring moved with his family to this county and located on his land. They came with teams and were accompanied by several other families, none of whom settled in Steuben County except his younger brother, William, who settled in Angola, where he lived a number of years, then moved to Salem Township and thence ten years later to Ful- ton County, Ind. Mr. Brugh erected a log house on his land and remained in Pleasant Township till 1852, when he moved to Salem Township and settled on section 2, where he remained till his death in 1856. His wife is living in Hudson. Leander Brugh was born in Seneca County, Ohio, in 1839, and has been a resident of Steu- ben County since 1848. He has always engaged in agricultural pursuits and has lived on his present farm since 1865. The part of Hudson that is in Salem Township is a part of his original farm. He platted and was the proprietor of that part of the village. He
739
HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY.
is one of the well-known, public-spirited citizens of Steuben County, and the success of Hudson is due, to a large extent, to his enter- prise. In the summer of 1878 he built his fine brick residence, which is a model of neatness and architectural beauty. Mr. Brugh was married in 1862 to Susan Smith, a daughter of Daniel Smith. They have had five children-Ginevra, Ortha, Byron (deceased), Avery and Hurma, the eldest of whom is married to Sumner Bixler, a practical druggist of Angola.
Henry P. and Marvin B. Butler are sons of Daniel Butler, one of the first settiers of Salem Township. Daniel Butler was born in Grand Isle County, Vt., Nov. 28, 1793. He married Mary Prentice, a native of the same section of country. A friend, Adol- phus Town, had settled in Jackson Township, Steuben Co., Ind., and sending back favorable reports of the country, Mr. Butler de- termined to move West and make a home for his family. In the early part of June, 1838, he left Vermont in company with his brothers, Loren and Jesse, and their families, and was four weeks on the route, going to Albany, N. Y., thence to Buffalo by the Erie Canal and by the lake to Toledo. He left his family at Toledo while he went into the interior and purchased ox-teams with which he conveyed his family to Steuben County, arriving in July. The three brothers purchased 500 acres on sections 5 and 8, Salem Township, on which they located and improved farms. Daniel's farm consisted of the east half of the southwest quarter of section 5, and the east half of the northwest quarter of section 8, and the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section S, con- taining 200 acres, where he lived till his death in 1847. His wife died in 1879. They had a family of five children-Susan, of An- gola; Harriet, deceased; Henry P., Marvin B., and Helen M., wife of David Gillespie. Henry P. was born in Vermont, March 16, 1831. He married Phobe Clark, daughter of Matthew Clark. They have three children-Melvin C., Wallace J. and Alberta M. In the fall of 1877 he was elected to the State Legislature and served one term. Marvin B. was born Feb. 15, 1834. He married Harriet M. Fuller, daughter of Elsley Fuller. They have two chil- dren-Benjamin M. and Harry M. The Butler brothers are among the prominent citizens of Steuben County. Politically they are Republicans, and both earnest and practical temperance men. In ante-bellum days their home was on the line of the underground railroad, and was often the refuge of runaway slaves, many of whom were sheltered and assisted on their way to freedom. Marvin B.
740
HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY.
enlisted Aug. 25, 1861, in Company A, Forty-fourth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, as a private; was soon after appointed Orderly Sergeant. Sept. 25, 1862, he was promoted to Second Lieutenant, and November of the same year to First Lieutenant. He participated in the siege and capture of Fort Donelson, where his health was injured by exposure and he was sent home on sick leave. He joined his regiment in July, 1862, at Battle Creek. He afterward took part in the battles of Perryville and Stone River, but owing to continued ill-health he resigned in May, 1863. The following fall he was elected Recorder and served two terms. In the fall of 1872 he was elected County Auditor and served four years. He then engaged in the mercantile business in Angola, the firm being Lewis & Butler. Retiring from the firm he returned to the old homestead and is now engaged with his brother, Henry P., in general farming and milling.
Seymour S. Butler, deceased, was born in Grand Isle, Vt., Jan. 24, 1832, a son of Jesse Butler, one of the three brothers who set- tled in Salem Township in 1838. He remained on his father's farm till after his marriage and then bought the farm on section 9, where his family now live, and where he died April 20, 1882. He was a soldier in the war of the Rebellion, serving nine months in the Twenty-ninth Indiana Infantry. He married Albina L. Con- ger, daughter of Silas and Hannah (Titus) Conger, natives of New York, the father of Albany County, born Jan. 7, 1800, and the mother of Delaware County, born Oct. 30, 1803. To Mr. and Mrs. Butler were born eight children, four of whom are living-Roelif E., Loren W., Ora S. and Fred H. Their eldest, a daughter, died in early infancy. Selwyn L., Omer C. and Sidney M. all died in childhood. In 1834 Mrs. Butler's parents moved to Huron County, and in 1843 to Richland County, Ohio, where her mother died the 30th of the following September. In 1849 the father and all his children, save the eldest son, came to Steuben County, Ind., and settled on the farm now owned by Benjamin Silva. He subse- quently moved to South Bend, where he died Nov. 25, 1869. He was married again after coming to Steuben County, and his wife died in Salem Township. His family consisted of six children, all of whom are living-Nancy O., widow of J. C. Bodley; Casper K., of Nebraska; Morrissa, wife of M. C. Markle; Albina, widow of S. S. Butler; Pembroke S., of Missouri; Selwyn, of Nebraska; Delmar, of Chicago. Two sons, Pembroke and Selwyn, were mem- bers of the Twenty-first Indiana Infantry, afterward the First In- diana Heavy Artillery, in the war of the Rebellion.
741
HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY.
Charles Clink was born in Sandusky County, Ohio, in 1838, a son of George and Catherine Clink. He was reared and educated in his native county, remaining there till twenty years of age when he came to Steuben County, Ind. He lived in Steuben Township about three years, and then returned to Ohio. In the spring of 1861 he came again to Steuben County, and Aug. 25, enlisted in Company A, Forty-fourth Indiana Infantry. After serving two years he was discharged with his regiment at Chatta- nooga, for the purpose of re-enlisting, and then served till Sept. 14, 1865. He served in the ranks about three years and then was promoted to Sergeant. He participated in all the battles of his regiment except Shiloh, when he was on the sick list, although he was on the field part of the time. Among the more important of the battles of the regiment were Fort Donelson, Stone River, and Chickamauga. After his return to Steuben County he married Catherine Ritter, daughter of Henry Ritter, of Steuben Township. They have five children-Mary C., Jennie E., Carrie M., Mattie L. and Nellie. One daughter, Laura E., died in her seventh year. In April, 1869, Mr. Clink bought a farm of 120 acres, eighty acres on section 14 and forty acres on section 23, Salem Township, where he has since lived. His residence is located on section 14. He learned the carpenter's trade in his youth, and has always given his attention to it in a greater or less degree. His farm is one of the best in the township, and his improvements are neat and substan- tial.
Calvin Conklin, section 10, Salem Township, is a son of David and grandson of Isaac Conklin, early settlers of Salem Township. His uncle, James Conklin, was the first of the family to settle in Steuben County. The family was originally from Dutchess County, N. Y., Isaac moving from that county to Cayuga County, and thence with his family to Richland County, Ohio, where he was one of the first settlers. Isaac Conk- lin reared a family of seven children, the most of whom grew to man and womanhood in Ohio. His wife died there and he subsequently made his home with his sons. About 1842 he came to Steuben County with his youngest son, James, who settled on section 10, Salem Township, which is now a part of Calvin's farm. In 1860 he moved to Kansas where he died a few years later. David Conklin came to Steuben County in September, 1844, and settled on the northeast quarter of section 15, Salem Township, eighty acres of which is owned by his son Calvin, and
47
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HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY.
eighty acres by his son Ensign, and John Cary. David Conklin was born in Cayuga County, N. Y., in 1803. He married Polly Van Vleet, who died in Ohio. Their children were seven in num- ber, five of whom are living-Ensign, of Salem Township; Eliza- beth, in Kansas; Calvin; William, of Wauseon, Fulton Co., Ohio; Cynthia, wife of Michael Clink, of Salem Township. In 1874 Mr. Conklin went to Fulton County, Ohio, where he died in 1881. Calvin Conklin was born in Crawford County, Ohio, in 1832, and was twelve years of age when he came with his father to Indi- ana. He married Lydia Ann, daughter of Dr. Jacob Boss, of Warsaw, Kosciusko Co., Ind. They have one son-Roscoe, born Sept. 9, 1864; married Eva Davis, a native of Mill Grove Town- ship, born in 1866, daughter of James Davis. Mr. Conklin owns 160 acres of land, eighty acres on section 10, and eighty on section 15. He is one of the enterprising farmers of the township, and a representative and influential citizen.
Abraham Diffinbaugh, general merchant, Hudson, Ind., was born in Lancaster County, Pa., in 1817. He served an apprenticeship at the miller's trade in his native county, at which he has worked the greater part of his life. When twenty-one years of age he moved to Dayton, Ohio, and in 1858 came to Indiana and located in Wabash County, where he superintended the flouring mill of E. N. Marvin, and from there went to Kosciusko County, where he enlisted in the spring of 1862, in the Thirtieth Indiana Infantry, and served three years as wagon-master. After the war he returned to Kosciusko County, and was employed in the mill of J. D. Thayer & Co. He subsequently went to Wabash County and again took charge of the mill of E. N. Marvin; thence to Roanoke, Hun- tington County, where he superintended the mill of William W. Meach, and from there to Fort Wayne, where he remained several years. He subsequently went to Hutchinson, Reno Co., Kas., where he engaged in milling and farming. In 1881 he re- turned to Huntington County, and in February, 1883, came to Hudson and rented the Hudson flouring mill, which he ran till May, 1884, when he embarked in the general mercantile business. Mr. Diffinbaugh has been twice married-first in Delphos, Ohio, to L. Stephens, who died in Kansas in 1881, leaving six children- Mary Ann, Henry T., Frances Cordelia, Edmund, Charles and Mina. His present wife was Miss Alice C. Christie, of Hunting- ton County.
Avery Emerson was born in Plymouth Township, Richland Co.,
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HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY.
Ohio, in 1827. His father, Avery Emerson, Sr., was born in New Hampshire, Sept. 22, 1788, where he was reared on a farmn. When a young man he went to Auburn, N. Y., where he married Sophronia Allen, a native of Massachusetts, born in February, 1799. In 1820 he moved to Richland County, Ohio. In June, 1836, he came to Steuben County, Ind., and selected a location, then returned to Ohio and the following November came again with his family. He settled on section 2, Salem Township, on what was known as the "Indian Fields," from the fact that the land had been cultivated by the Indians. The corn hills could be plainly seen although it had probably been many years since their cultivation. There were but three or four families in Salem Township at that time and the county seat had not been located. A warm contest
was then existing between Judge Gale in behalf of Angola and Glover and Seth Murray in behalf of Steubenville. He was the first Justice of the Peace for Salem Township, and in this capacity married the first couple, walking six miles to the house of Mr. Wright whose daughter was the bride. He was Probate Judge of Stenben County, from 1841 till 1849. In 1857 he sold his farm to his son Luke A. Emerson and removed to Angola. In the spring of 1864, he removed to Kendallville, where he died the following October, aged seventy-six years. His wife died March 17, 1877. Judge Emerson was a man of much prominence, and was closely identified with the early history of Steuben County. Politically he in early life was a Whig and later a Republican. He was a man of much general information, a great reader and especially interested in the cause of education. Ten children were born to Judge Emer- son, eight in Ohio and two in Steuben County. Eight are living- George, a resident of Toledo, engaged in the wholesale grocery business; John, of Kendallville; David, of California; Avery, Jr. ; Emily, wife of Dr. Parsell, of Hudson; Mary, wife of William M. Kendall, of Humboldt, Kas .; Almira, wife of A. A. Chapin, of Fort Wayne, and Sophronia, of Kendallville. Luke Allen died at the age of forty years, and Albert aged five years. Avery Emer- son, Jr., has lived in Steuben County since 1836, with the excep- tion of three years, several years ago, spent in the lumber regions of Wisconsin. He married Elizabeth S. Parsell, daughter of Mose- S. Parsell, who came to Steuben County in 1838. Mr. and Mrs. Emerson have nine children, seven sons and two daughters. He owns 327 acres of land and is one of the most successful and prosperous farmers of the township.
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744
HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY.
Samuel Ferguson, of the milling firm Ferguson & Fullerton Hudson, Ind, was born in Richland County, Ohio, in 1842. When he was ten years of age his parents moved to Milwaukee, Wis., and a year later to Rockton, Ill. In 1855 they returned to Ohio, and settled in Seneca County. In the spring of 1859 he began work- ing in a mill and followed that vocation till the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion. Aug. 15, 1861, he enlisted in the Fourth Ohio Infantry, and in 1863 he re-enlisted as a veteran. June 14, 1864, he was wounded at the battle of Resaca, and the following Decem- ber was discharged. He has never fully recovered from its effects. He participated in the last day's fight at Corinth, at Murfreesboro, Stone River, Chiekamanga and Chattanooga. Soon after the latter battle he re-enlisted and returned home on a furlough, joining the regiment at Tunnel Hill. After his return home, and as soon as he was able, he engaged in farming a short time, and then began work at his trade. Mr. Ferguson was married in Ohio, to Agnes Fullerton, daughter of Alexander Fullerton. They have four chil- dren-Alexander, Mary, William and Eva.
David Fisher was born in Mifflin County, Pa., in 1817, and when two years of age his parents moved to Columbiana County, Ohio, and several years later to Stark County, where he grew to manhood. In 1842 he came to Indiana and located in DeKalb County, where he was married the following year to Mary M. Mar- tin, a native of York County, Pa., born in 1818. Her father died when she was a child and her mother afterward moved to Stark County, Ohio, and in 1841, to De Kalb County, Ind. Mr. Fisher bought an unimproved farm of eighty acres in Smithfield Town- ship. He had but $80, and $50 of this he paid on his land. He was by trade a wheelwright, and worked at his trade to obtain money to pay for his land. He subsequently sold his De Kalb County farm and bought eighty acres of land on the southeast quar- ter of section 34, Salem Township, where he has since lived. This land was entered from the Government by Robert Meeks, but 110 improvements had been made when Mr. Fisher bought it. In 1863 he bought the rest of the quarter-seetion. He also owns eighty acres of improved and forty aeres of pasture land on section 27. He has made his farm one of the most valuable in the township. His buildings are all comfortable and of a convenient design. He now devotes the most of his time to agriculture and is one of the most successful in Steuben County. Mr. and Mrs. Fisher have had ten children, seven of whom are living-John, Leonard, Effie M., El-
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