History of Wabash County, Indiana, Volume 2, Part 33

Author: Clarkson W. Weesner
Publication date: 1914
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 619

USA > Indiana > Wabash County > History of Wabash County, Indiana, Volume 2 > Part 33

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The father of John Speicher, whose history we are about to sketch, was for many years the mayor of the city of Berne, Switzerland.

John Speicher was born in the canton of Berne, Switzerland, June 20, 1808. He was educated in Berne, and served faithfully as a soldier in the Swiss army for a term of years. In his father's family there were three boys and two girls. The father decided to give all his wealth to the younger son, Benjamin. So the others, having to shift for themselves, went to Germany and later to America. After the father's death, how- ever, the other children each got one thousand dollars by contending for it.

It is this youngest son's descendants that are now to be found in Switzerland. They were very extravagant, having fine coaches, maid and men servants. They also had their swell receptions. Thus they were soon reduced to poverty, and to this day those who have been at Berne find them still in the old castle, but all has become dilapidated, and they are living in poverty and ignorance, with their fellow men in Switzer- land.

When John Speicher had served his term of years in the army he determined to go to America, whence came fabulous stories of freedom and plenty, and there investigate the chances of bettering his condition. Leaving his native land unattended, he went to Germany, thence to France, where he took passage in a three-mast vessel which was bound for New York. The brave little vessel encountered many heavy storms and sixty days were consumed in the voyage, but at last land was sighted and the grateful passengers gave a prayer of thanksgiving. He at once went to Holmes County, Ohio, where he secured a position in a mill, remaining four years, and learning to speak the English language. He soon saw that America was the poor man's country and he thought of his friends at home who were toiling against adverse circumstances, so

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he returned to Switzerland with glowing accounts of his adopted land and induced about one hundred to return with him, among which com- pany was his brother Christ, and his sweetheart, Miss Elizabeth Krebs, to whom he was united in bond of matrimony, October 11, 1834, soon after reaching Ohio. Soon after this he purchased forty acres of land in Holmes county and built a grist mill of his own, as he had thoroughly learned this trade, ere he was called "Honest John Speicher, the miller."

Sixteen children were born to them, eleven sons and five daughters. One daughter died in infancy, but the others all grew to manhood and womanhood. In 1852 he disposed of his property in Ohio and moved to Indiana, locating in Wabash county. He made this journey on the Erie and Wabash Canal. He purchased about two hundred acres of slightly improved land in Lagro township, which is now located about one mile east of Urbana, and made it his home for many years, or to the time of his death, in the year 1879. The entire county was then in the early stages of development, there being no railroads, and Wabash was only a small town. They often walked to Huntington or Ft. Wayne to do their shopping. Mr. Speicher was energetic and accumulated a great deal of property, owning at one time about one thousand acres of land.

He had strong political convictions, and although he had identified himself with the whigs, at the advent of the new anti-slavery republican party he cast his vote for their first candidate, John C. Fremont. Two of his sons were laid on the altar of his country in the war of the rebel- lion which soon followed. They were John and Frederick. His was a deeply religious nature, and when he spoke the name of God he uncov- ered his head in reverence. The Bible was also very sacred to him and it is said that at one time when a minister entered his home and thought- lessly laid his silk hat on the Word of God, lying on the stand, he brushed it off, saying, "Excuse me, but nothing should lie on this Book." Through his generosity a church was placed not far from his home, on the estate of one of his sons, which has since been removed to Urbana, being the Church of the Evangelical Association in that place.

Joseph Benjamin Speicher, the sixth son of John Speicher, was born in Holmes county, Ohio, March 25, 1841. He came with his parents to Wabash county in 1852, in which county his entire life was spent. When quite a young man he learned the carpenter trade, by working with his older brother Samuel and later with his brother-in-law, Peter Mattern. He was a very diligent worker and for as much as a year at a time never lost a day. He spent most of his time at his trade until he was thirty years old, when on May 4, 1871, he was united in matri- mony with Miss Katherine Richer, daughter of John and Magdalene Richer, one of the early settlers of Miami county, residing near Peru. At this time he settled on an eighty acre farm which he had purchased of his father. Four daughters and one son were born to them. They are Clara, of Chicago; Lewis, residing near Bolivar, having been united with Inez Morford, in 1907, and to which three children have been born, namely, Eva Katherine, Paul Lewis, and Joseph Eugene. The other three daughters are Martha, Esther and Ruth.

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He like his father was an ardent republican up to the year 1885, when he heard of the prohibition party, and that it stood for the destruction of the liquor traffic. He immediately announced to his friends and neighbors that he would vote that ticket, and although they plead with him long and hard, and though the cause was a very unpopular one, he could not be persuaded from his purpose, and remained faithful to the prohibition cause to the time of his death.

He became very much interested in Sunday school work about the time that his own little flock were old enough to go to Sunday school, and acted in the capacity as superintendent for many years. Later he fell in with workers in the organized Sunday school work and attended a number of the State, National and International Conventions of that body, which took him to such cities as Boston, Denver, Colorado, and Atlanta, Georgia.

In 1898 he attended the international convention in London, England. He sailed on July 1, on the steamship Catalonia of the Cunard line, cele- brating the fourth of July on shipboard, in midocean. It was on this night that he experienced the thrilling experience of "a fire at sea." Having a brave band of men and women on board, who gave the captain and brave crew no extra trouble but who assembled on the deck for prayer and to await the outcome, the seamen were enabled by toiling all night long to raise the burning bales of cotton from the hold of the ship and throw them overboard, and thus their lives were spared, for which they devoutly thanked God. It was at this time that he traveled through England, Germany and France into Switzerland, to see what might be found of the old Speicher estate, being the only one of the Speicher descendants thus far to return to the land of their nativity. He found them living in ignorance and far "behind the times," as we would say, but anxious to come to America, "the land of blessing," as they say.

For a number of years he held the office of superintendent of the eleventh district in the Sunday school work, and in traveling over this territory in the interest of the work he was sometimes away from home for several days at a time and always on Sunday, as then he visited the rural Sunday schools, striving to encourage them in the work of training the young in the study of the Book of Books. He held this office up to the time of his death and only gave up the long Sunday trips when he was physically unable for the drives. When in his last sickness his only regret was that he had not been more efficient and been able to do more for his Master. His very soul was wrapped up in this work, and no doubt Eternity will tell of the good that was accomplished. He was well known in this capacity in Wabash, Huntington, Miami, Fulton, Kosciusko and Whitley counties. "Yea, they rest from their labors and their works do follow them."

At the time of his death he was living on the old Speicher homestead farm which he had purchased about fifteen years before his death, and where his widow and daughters still reside.

Written by Miss Martha E. R. Speicher.

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VALENTINE M. MATTERN. This sterling old citizen of Wabash county, now living retired from active pursuits, has been a resident of the county for a period of thirty-eight years, during which time he has been identified with agricultural pursuits. When he came to the United States from Germany, he was possessed of but little capital and few friends; today he is the owner of valuable farming land, has a fine home at Urbana and other assets, and is widely known and highly esteemed all over this section. Mr. Mattern's life has been an active and industrious one, and it has been made successful through his con- stant perseverance and well-directed labors. He has seen many changes in the county since his arrival here, has viewed the sparsely settled district blossom into a prosperous farming community, with beautiful homes, churches and schools, and has been an eye-witness to the wonder- ful development wrought by the invention and adoption of modern machinery and methods. Each of these changes has found him an active participant, ever doing his full share of the work allotted to the settlers in the line of material advancement, and now in his declining years he may view with satisfaction his past life, safe in the contented knowledge of having faithfully performed his each and every duty.

Valentine M. Mattern was born June 17, 1843, in Germany, his parents being Valentine and Elizabeth (Beamer) Mattern, who both passed away in the Fatherland, the mother dying when he was still an infant, and the father meeting death at the age of seventy years, in 1878. Valentine Mattern followed farming during the greater part of his life, was an industrious, hard-working citizen, and became the owner of seventy acres of land in different parts of his country. He and his wife were the parents of six children, as follows: John, who is deceased; Elizabeth, who became the wife of Wilhelm Snyder and is now deceased; Valentine M., of this review; Carl, who died in young manhood, in Germany; and Peter and Adam, who are both deceased.

The public schools of his native land furnished Valentine M. Mattern with his educational training, and he was reared to traits of honesty and integrity and to the vocation of farmer. He was an ambitious and determined youth, and soon, like thousands of others of his country- men, seeing no future ahead of him in Germany, he decided to try his fortunes in the United States. Accordingly, three days before Christ- mas, 1868, he left the shores of the Fatherland, and January 12, 1869, arrived safely at the port of New York, from whence he immediately made his way to Indiana. At Plymouth, Marshall county, he met his brother, John, who had preceded him to this country some years and who was the owner of a farm in the vicinity of Bremen. Mr. Mattern accompanied his brother to his farm, where he remained for a short time, and soon secured employment among the people of that region, commanding good wages because of his willingness and ability. For seven years he accepted such honorable employment as he could find, working as a farm hand and in sawmills, etc., and also during this time was engaged to some extent in buying and selling Marshall county land.

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On January 26, 1876, Mr. Mattern was united in marriage with Miss Julia Wassem, daughter of Fred and Catherine (Conrad) Wassem. He had saved some $700 or $800 when he came to the United States, and by the time he was married he had increased his capital to $1,800, but was compelled to go into debt to pay for his first eighty acres of land, for which he paid $3,000. This property was located in Noble township and had but few improvements, but Mr. Mattern cleared and ditched it, put in numerous improvements and erected buildings, and later added forty acres by purchase, which was followed by another forty- acre addition. There he continued to reside for twenty-eight years, when he retired from active pursuits, turned his property over to his children, and went to live in his comfortable home at Urbana. Mr. Mattern had erected two sets of buildings and made his farm one of the most attractive and valuable 160-acre tracts in the county. He devoted the greater part of his time to general farming, but also met with well-merited suc- cess in raising hogs, cattle and colts, for which he always received top- notch prices in the markets. He still is the owner of the 160-acre farm, and has eight acres at Urbana, where his home is located. He is a stockholder in the Farmers State Bank of Urbana, and has always encouraged local enterprises and assisted movements for the general welfare. He is a democrat in his political views, but has never been an office seeker, having believed that he could serve his community better as a good, public-spirited citizen, leaving the activities and doubt- ful emoluments of the political arena to others. With his family he attends the Evangelical church at Urbana, and has been a liberal con- tributor to its movements. Those with whom he has had business deal- ings know him as a man of honor and integrity, who has great respect for commercial ethics. During his residence here of nearly forty years he has become acquainted with people in all walks and conditions of life, and the general esteem in which he is held is sufficient evidence of his true worth and fidelity.

Mr. and Mrs. Mattern are the parents of the following children, who have been given good educational advantages and have fitted into their proper places in the community, a credit to themselves, their sec- tion and their parents: Elizabeth, who is the wife of John Carnes, and a resident of Paw Paw township; Catherine, who is the wife of Adam Keefaber, who is engaged in operating a part of Mr. Mattern's old homestead in Noble township; John, who married Elizabeth Danner and is successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits in Paw Paw town- ship; Rose, who became the wife of Harvey Haupert, and lives near Treaty, Indiana; William, who married Lula Lutz, and resides on part of the Noble township farm owned by our subject; Carrie is now Mrs. Roy Haupert and a resident of Lagro township, this county; and Carl, who married Gladys Smith, is engaged in farming in Noble township.

CHRIS HETTMANSPERGER. From no other foreign land has come such thrifty and substantial colonists as from Germany, and the better class of the German people have in many communities been the solid

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bulwarks of local industry. It is as true in Wabash county as else- where, and perhaps no family better typifies this sturdy people than that of Chris Hettmansperger, who is one of the prosperous citizens of Lagro township, and the possessor of a well cultivated and valuable estate of thirty-seven acres, three-quarters of a mile east of Speicher. Mr. Hettmansperger began his cereer as a renter and laborer, and a few years ago paid cash for his present place.

The Hettmansperger family have been identified with Wabash county for half a century or more, and the parents of this well known Lagro. township citizen were Chris and Barbara (Geiger) Hettmansperger, both natives of Germany, where they were married, and where all their children except the three youngest were born. The father was a blacksmith, followed his trade industriously, and by close economy . managed to accumulate a small hoard of capital. With those means. the family emigrated to the United States, there being four children at the time. One of these died at sea and was buried from the ship. That trip, accomplished in an old sailing vessel, required one hundred and sixty-six days. The family went from the Atlantic coast to Wis- consin and settled in that state in a portion which was still a wilder- ness and the father engaged in farming some eight or nine years. He then returned to his native land, once more resumed his trade, but his experience in the new world had put new ideas into his head, and he was unable to divorce himself from the land of freedom. Social con- ditions and economic conditions as well were disagreeable, and one day when he asked his good wife whether she would like to return to the land of freedom she answered, "I would rather start today than tomorrow," and so after about two years in Germany they again set out for America. This time the journey was made on one of the early steamers then crossing the Atlantic, and required only sixty-six days,. comparatively brief with respect to the former journey, but exceedingly long when measured by the time of ocean steamship at the present time. The family on their second return to America, came to Wabash county, Indiana, where the father rented a farm in Noble township, five miles south of Wabash. Subsequently he located as a renter on the Phillip Alber farm, just north of Wabash, and with his savings eventually bought eight acres located on Chippewa Pike, three and a half miles: north of Wabash. During the winter seasons, he often helped the old pioneer blacksmith, Phil Boechtel whose shop was nearby. After he had paid for his eighty acres, he and a cousin Fred Hettmansperger bought one hundred and sixty acres in partnership, and in order to secure the place he put a mortgage on his eighty acre farm. The timberland was. all paid for except about three hundred dollars, when hard times set in, and not only the new land but the old farm were lost to Mr. Hett- mansperger, and he had to begin all over again. During the next ten years, he was once more reduced to the necessity of farming as a renter, but he was steadily getting ahead in the world, and with a ripe fund of experience, which set him permanently on the road to prosperity. Finally he bought one hundred and ten acres, one mile north and three -.

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quarters of a mile east of Urbana that being the old Dunfee farm. He continued to manage that place actively until about 1893, when he sold out and retired to the village of Urbana, where both he and his wife died. Her death occurred when sixty-three years of age, and he lived to be seventy-three.

The elder Chris Hettmansperger was what his neighbors called a "red hot democrat." He often took an active part in the campaign in behalf of other candidates on the ticket, but never sought an office himself. He and his wife were the parents of seven children, as follows: Jacob, who resides in Wabash; Fred, of Roann; Charles, the child which died at sea; Katherine, who is Mrs. George Klein, a resident of Wabash; Chris; Ernest, who resides at Elkhart; and Philip, of Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

Chris Hettmansperger, Jr., was born in Baden Baden, Germany, February 8, 1856, and was about eight months of age when the family set out for the United States the second time. Growing up in Wabash county, and with a district schooling, he has from early years been a hard worker, and has earned all his present substantial prosperity. His school days put together would comprise hardly six months, but he is a man of thorough practical education, and has the ability to judge a steer or see into the prospects of a business deal as quickly as any of his contemporaries. In the early days he helped clear up the home farm, and at the age of twenty-five left home, and on December 28, 1881, married Mary Roush, a daughter of Abraham and Charlotte Roush, a well known family of farming people in this county. To the marriage of Mr. Hettmansperger and wife have been born the following children : Anna, wife of Charles Keefaber, of Wabash, and their three children are Roy, Helen and George; John married Anna Sparling, and is a farmer who lives near Treaty, this county, and has one child, Paulina; George married May Mckinley, lives in Wabash county, and their one child is Benjamin; Walter married Ethel Long, lives in Wabash, and has one child, Mary; Homer, is his father's assistant on the farm; Garl lives at home; Miss Charlotte is the youngest and all the children were well educated, their parents having taken special pains to afford them all the advantages of the home schools.

After his marriage Mr. Hettmansperger remained at home for a few months, and in the following spring rented the old Jerry Flinn farm of one hundred acres, half a mile north of Urbana. He remained on that place two years, then got together his stock and other products, had a sale, and with the proceeds moved to Urbana and bought a home, and for the following three years was employed in the saw mill. A few years later he again resumed farming and rented the Fred Mowery farm one mile south of Urbana, living there two years. The next three years were spent on the farm of his mother-in-law in Lagro township, and he and Ben Wolfe then went in as partners in a stock farm, their opera- tions being carried on on the Wolfe farm on four hundred acres in Lagro township. Mr. Hettmansperger spent thirteen years in charge and general supervision of that large estate, and by hard work impaired

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HOME OF MR. AND MRS. DANIEL KARN, NEAR NORTH MANCHESTER, WABASH CO., IND.

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his health, so that he was obliged to look for a smaller place, and at that time bought his present farm. The place was obtained from the Baker heirs. In true German style, Mr. Hettmansperger first built his barn and proper accommodations for his stock and implements and then erected his comfortable family residence. The house is thoroughly modern, with gas light, running hot and cold water, both hard and soft, with bath and toilet, and every convenience and facility that can be found in the best homes on city streets. Since taking possession he has put up all the buildings which now comprise a fine group of farm houses, has given value to much of his land by tile drainings, and besides his general farming does a good deal of buying and selling of live stock.

Mr. Hettmansperger affiliates with the Independent Order of Foresters at Wabash and the Wabash Detective Association, and is a democrat in politics, though usually voting for the man rather than the ticket. The secret of his success has perhaps been his thorough judgment of live stock and this was acquired by his experiences when a boy. One time, several years before he reached his majority, his father gave him a calf, and after it reached a salable size his father substituted for it another calf, and continued that process, so that the boy always had a calf but never realized any profit from its possession. When he left home he left a descendant of the original calf behind, and while he never realized any money from that fictitious ownership, he did in that way acquire a judgment as to the good points of stock and thus received his first practical experience in raising cattle, all of which proved very useful to him in his later career.

JOHN KARN AND DANIEL KARN. For many years there have resided in Wabash county a family bearing the name of Karn, whose members have been prominent in agricultural pursuits and in the movements which have made this one of the most prosperous and best governed sections of Indiana. Prominent among these representatives may be mentioned the late John Karn and his son, Daniel Karn, the latter of whom is now one of the influential and highly respected citizens of the vicinity of North Manchester. Men contribute in various ways and through diver- sified channels to the welfare of their community, through manufac- tures, trade, commerce and the professions, but when all is said and done it is to the farm that we must look for the nation's sustenance, and, viewed in this light, the farmer's place in the scheme of things is an important one.

John Karn was born August 7, 1824, in Stark county, Ohio, a son of Jacob and Leah Karn. He grew to manhood in his native commu- nity, received a good common school education and early adopted the tilling of the soil as his life's vocation. In 1848 he was married to Miss Eva Swank, and they became the parents of four children : Daniel, Mary, who married Jacob Butterbaugh, and is now deceased; Annie, who mar- ried Abraham Arnett, of Ohio; and Jacob, who passed away at the age of twenty-three years. Mrs. Eva Karn died in the spring of 1862, and Mr. Karn was married to Elizabeth Landis, and after her death to

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land, and he was also employed by others. As one of the older chil- dren, he did what he could to bring a little money home for the family support. His first regular employment was for George Bruner, and his first month's wages were four dollars. That four dollars looked like a greater sum to him than several times the amount has since, and it was a proud day for him when he turned the wages over to his parents. As a youth he was employed on different farms for several years, and that continued until the beginning of the war, at which time he had just passed his sixteenth birthday.

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History of Wabash County, Indiana, Volume 2, Part 33

Author: Clarkson W. Weesner Publication date: 1914 Publisher: Number of Pages: 619

Author: Clarkson W. Weesner
Publication date: 1914
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 619