USA > Indiana > Allen County > History of the Maumee River basin, Allen County, Indiana > Part 13
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THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.
MORSE HARROD, M. D.
The medical profession has an able and worthy representative in the city of Fort Wayne in the person of Dr. Morse Harrod, whose office and residence are located at 634 East Washington street. As a physician and surgeon he has won prestige through his devotion to the great profession for which he has so fully qualified himself, and as a citizen he commands the same high degree of confidence and esteem as denotes his professional status.
Dr. Morse Harrod is a native son of Allen county, and a member of one of its representative families. He was born on the homestead farm, in Marion township, on the 6th of April, 1866, and is a son of Morgan and Belinda (Bean) Harrod, both of whom were born in Ohio, while they now both reside in Fort Wayne. The Doctor was reared to the study and invigorating discipline of the home farm, while his educational privileges in his youth were those afforded in the pub- lic schools of his native township. He made good use of the oppor- tunities thus afforded and in the meanwhile continued to assist in the work of the homestead farm, in the management of which he was associated with his father until he had attained his legal majority. In the meanwhile he had formulated definite plans for his future ca- reer, having determined to adopt the profession of medicine as his vocation in life. With this desideratum in view, he began his tech- nical reading under the preceptorship of Dr. Joseph L. Smith, of Hoagland, this county, continuing his studies under these conditions for one year, at the expiration of which he was matriculated in the Eclectic Medical Institute in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, where he completed the prescribed course, one of notable thoroughness, and was graduated as a member of the class of 1891, while he simultaneously received his coveted degree of Doctor of Medicine. He was gradu- ated in January, and in the following June he established himself in
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practice in Fort Wayne, where he has labored zealously and effectively and gained success and precedence as a physician and surgeon. He is a member of the Indiana Eclectic Medical Society, is also president of Indiana Eclectic Medical Association, and is a member of Summit City Lodge, No. 32, Free and Accepted Masons, and Phoenix Lodge, No. 101, Knights of Pythias. In politics the Doctor is a stanch ad- herent of the Democratic party, and he has served two terms as coro- ner of Allen county, having been first elected to this office in Novem- ber, 1892, and having been chosen as his own successor two years later, so that he served four consecutive years. Both he and his wife are members of the First Baptist church.
On the 31st of May, 1888, was solemnized the marriage of Dr. Morse Harrod to Miss Jennie L. Lipes, who was likewise born and reared in Allen county, being a daughter of David D. and Mary J. Lipes, of Marion township. Dr. and Mrs. Harrod have three chil- dren, Camilla, Wayne A. and Velma J.
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JOSHUA RUCH.
Another of the native sons of Allen county who has here been reared to the great fundamental art of agriculture and who has con- tinued his allegiance to the same in his independent career, is Mr. Ruch, who is one of the progressive farmers and popular citizens of Jackson township, and who has resided in this county from the time of his birth.
Mr. Ruch was born in Aboit township, this county, on the 17th of May, 1861, and is a son of George and Mary (Lopshire) Ruch, the former of whom was born in Germany, in 1826, while the latter was born in Pennsylvania, in 1829, both representing fine German ances- try. The father was a child of six years at the time of his parents' immigration to America, and the family settled in Mercer county, Ohio, whence they came to Allen county a few years later. Here he was reared to manhood and here he received a good common-school education. He grew up on the farm and continued to be concerned in the operation of farming in Wayne township until he initiated his independent career in the same line of industry. He was married in 1848, and both he and his wife now reside on a well improved farm in Jackson township, being numbered among the honored pioneers of the county. They have had fourteen children, of whom six are liv- ing, the subject of this sketch having been the seventh in order of birth. In politics the father was a stanch Republican, having origi- nally been affiliated with the Whig party.
Joshua Ruch, the immediate subject of this sketch, was afforded the advantages of the public schools of Allen county, and from his boyhood up contributed his quota to the work of the homestead farm, in whose operation and management he was associated until he had attained the age of twenty-six years. He has been consecutively en- gaged in farming in his native county, and purchased his present farm
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in 1897, the same comprising eighty acres. The place was entirely unimproved at the time he acquired the same, and he has already reclaimed fifty acres to cultivation, while he has erected a good resi- dence and barn, besides other buildings demanded for the accommo- dation of stock, machinery, produce, etc. He has personally attended to the clearing of his land, and his energy and good management are indicated in the marked air of thrift which pervades his fine little farm. In his political proclivities Mr. Ruch is a stalwart adherent of the Republican party, and both he and his wife hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church.
On the 12th of July, 1888, Mr. Ruch was united in marriage to Miss Della E. Culver, who was born in Portage county, Ohio, on the 23d of March, 1866, being a daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Meads) Culver, of English descent, who came to Allen county in 1867, settling in Jackson township, where she was reared to ma- turity. Her father has been dead some years, and her mother now lives in Fort Wayne. Concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Ruch, we enter the following brief record, in conclusion of this sketch : Hazel M. was born September 8, 1889; Bruce K. was born August 21, 1891 ; Glenn J. was born October 9, 1893, and died on the 18th of July, 1900.
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THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.
JAMES BARNETT.
In the study of so eminently a practical and useful life as that of the honored pioneer to whom this memoir is dedicated, we find an opulence of incentive and are irresistibly moved to the according of respect, admiration and veneration. The history of the life of Mr. Barnett was closely interwoven with the early annals of Fort Wayne, and his name is writ high on the roll of the sterling pioneers of this section of the state.
James Barnett was born in the state of Pennsylvania, on the 15th of March, 1785, and he died in the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, on the 7th of June, 1851. He was a son of John and Elizabeth (Flynn) Barnett, who removed from the old Keystone state to Ken- tucky shortly after the close of the war of the Revolution. John Barnett had rendered valiant service as a private in the Continental line during the great struggle for independence, and upon his dis- charge had received land warrants purporting to entitle him to certain property in Kentucky. It was with the intention of taking up this land that he removed thither, but upon his arrival he found it im- possible to locate the claim, owing to the defective description in the land warrants, and after several years passed in the fruitless at- tempt he removed to Montgomery county, Ohio, securing land near the present city of Dayton and there reclaiming a farm in the midst of the sylvan wilds. Of his children four daughters and two sons lived to attain maturity. The daughters all married, and their names after marriage were as follows: Elizabeth Harris, Mary Houston, Susan Bruen and Rachel Watton. The elder son, Abraham, became a pioneer member of the bar of Dayton, Ohio. John Barnett died in 1797, leaving his widow and her six young children in somewhat straitened circumstances.
James Barnett
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At the time of his father's death James Barnett was twelve years of age, and as his elder brother was his senior by only a few years the burden of caring for the family rested in a large part upon the shoulders of the two boys, whose solicitude for their widowed mother was unabating during the remaining years of her life. For a num- ber of years the two brothers worked on the homestead farm, man- aging to provide for their mother and sisters only by the most strenuous exertion and careful management. During this crucial period, however, they succeeded in giving to their sisters such edu- cational advantages as were afforded in the schools of the locality and period, and at a later period James assumed the entire charge and care of the farm and family, in order to allow his brother the opportunity of studying law. James thus acquired his own edu- cational discipline principally through the aid of his brother and sisters, who imparted to him each evening the knowledge which they had acquired during the day at school.
As James grew to manhood and the cares of the farm and family became somewhat less exacting, he engaged in fur trading with the Indians, making long journeys into the west and south, by way of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Several times he journeyed as far as the city of New Orleans, then the principal market for the entire district of the middle states, and while thus engaged in business he became well acquainted with the location and latent advantages of Fort Wayne, which was at that time little more than is indicated in the name itself. His first visit to the fort had been made much earlier, as he had accompanied his father on a trip to this point in 1797. In 1812 he again visited the fort, as the captain of a com- pany of volunteers from the vicinity of Dayton, his company being a portion of the command which advanced to the relief of the fort under General William Henry Harrison. It was during this visit that Mr. Barnett canvassed the situation and determined to make Fort Wayne his home. This design, however, he did not carry out until a number of years later, and though it is impossible to determine with absolute certainty the date of his making a permanent location here, all evidence indicates that it must have been in the year 1818. In the interval he had made several trips in transporting goods from the east to the traders in Fort Wayne. These trips were made in
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boats, by way of the Littte river and St. Mary's river, the goods being carried across the portage some miles above Fort Wayne.
Upon making permanent location in Fort Wayne Mr. Barnett opened a general store. In 1819 he was joined by Samuel Hanna, another of the honored pioneers of the county and one of whom in- dividual mention is made on other pages of this work, and they formed a partnership under the firm name of Barnett & Hanna. The business of this firm was that of selling at wholesale to the traders throughout the country hereabouts, and the headquarters of the firm was a log structure situated at the northwest corner of what are now Barr and Columbia streets. Goods were brought from the east by way of Toledo and thence up the Maumee river in pirogues or dug-outs, and from Fort Wayne the distribution was made to the various traders. About 1830 Mr. Barnett retired from active partici- pation in this flourishing business enterprise, though he still con- tinued to retain his interest in the same. ' About the same time Allen Hamilton was admitted as an active member of the firm, which con- tinued the business under the title of Samuel Hanna & Company.
Among the other enterprises which gained the support and co- operation of Mr. Barnett at this time was that of milling. In 1824 he associated himself with Anthony Davis in the erection of a mill on the St. Mary's river, near the site of the present Orphans' Home of Allen county, this mill being later known as Beaver's mill and having been one of the first in this section of the state. Like many others of the early settlers, Mr. Barnett made large investments in real-estate, and among other properties he owned a farm which em- braced the block included between Calhoun and Harrison and Berry and Wayne streets, in the center of the city of Fort Wayne today.
In 1824 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Barnett to Miss Nancy Welch Hanna, of Troy, Ohio, a sister of Samuel Hanna, who came to Fort Wayne a few years later and become a partner with Mr. Barnett in business. For their first home Mr. Barnett erected what was then considered a very palatial residence, on East Columbia street, this being the first brick structure built in the town. It is interesting to note that this old landmark is still standing, being now utilized as a bakery, by John H. Schweiter. After residing in this house for a number of years Mr. and Mrs. Barnett built for
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themselves another residence, on West Berry street, on the site now occupied by the establishment of the Wolf & Dessauer Dry Goods Company, and in this home he continued to reside until his death, June 7, 1851, while his wife survived him by a number of years, being summoned into eternal rest on August 10, 1857. Both were devoted members of the Presbyterian church, and Mr. Barnett was one of the founders and most influential members of the First Pres- byterian church of Fort Wayne, and he was the second man buried in Fort Wayne under Masonic auspices.
James and Nancy W. (Hanna) Barnett became the parents of eight children, of whom only four lived to adult age. Concerning them we incorporate brief record. John Houston Barnett died in 1872, a bachelor. Mary was married, in 1849, to Watson Wall, of Fort Wayne, and she now resides in St. Louis, Missouri, as do also her four children,-Charles W., James, Mrs. Maitland Dyer and Mrs. Susan Beard. Abraham G. Barnett was married, in 1859, to Miss Elizabeth Angell, and of their children four are living, Byron H., Mrs. Katherine Beamer, James and Susan. Susan R. Barnett, the next in order of birth of the four children who attained maturity, was married, in 1870, to John A. Shoaff, and they became the par- ents of three children, of whom two are living: Mary, who is the wife of Albert J. Mitchell of St. Louis, Missouri; and Fred B., who is individually mentioned on other pages of this work. Mrs. Shoaff still resides in Fort Wayne, where she was born and reared and where she has ever made her home. To her kindly offices we are indebted for the data from which this memoir of her honored father is prepared.
All who remember James Barnett seem to unite in appraising him as a man of many sterling qualities. He is described as exceedingly simple and frugal in his personal habits, yet generous to an unusual degree toward others; as fiery-tempered, yet of strong self-control; honest and just, and of great physical strength and courage. It is said that he was known far and wide among the Indians for his great strength and his swiftness as a runner. Owing to the hard- ships and exposures of his early life, which were too great for even his naturally robust constitution to withstand, he lost his health at a comparatively early age, and, after a lingering illness of about twelve years' duration, he passed to his reward.
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As to the estimation in which James Barnett was held by his contemporaries, the following editorial, which appeared in the Fort Wayne Weekly Times of June 19, 1851, speaks for itself :
"We last week performed the melancholy duty of announcing the decease of this venerable and highly respected citizen, and we had reason to believe that some of his numerous friends who are ac- quainted with his early history and subsequent career would, in time for today's paper, prepare a suitable obituary. In this expectation we have been disappointed, but we can not let the occasion pass without testifying, however briefly and imperfectly, our respect for his memory. Strange as it may seem, we have been unable to ascer- tain with certainty his precise age or the place of his nativity, but from the imperfect items we have been able to gather we believe his age to have been about sixty-five years, and that he was born in Ken- tucky. He was a hardy, efficient frontiersman of remarkable prowess and brave as Caesar. At a very early age he was employed with his father in packing provisions from the 'settlements,' as Cincinnati and Dayton were then called, to the army in this region, and we have been informed that when a very small boy, as early as Wayne's cam- paign, he was at this place with his father. His peculiar personal qualifications, his great sagacity and his experience rendered him a most valuable assistant as messenger and bearer of dispatches be- tween difficult and almost inaccessible posts and places during the war of 1812. Wherever there were difficulties to overcome or dangers to be encountered in that line, on all this western frontier, there was James Barnett.
"He settled permanently at this place, as nearly as we can learn, about 1818, since which time he has constantly resided here and been intimately identified with the interests of the place, in its progress from a mere trading post, when the country for hundreds of miles in every direction was an unbroken wilderness, to its present pros- perous and flourishing condition. He erected the first brick building that went up in this town,-the two-story house yet standing on the north side of Columbia street and first door east of the Times building. He served for many years as justice of the peace. We have been told, and that no doubt, that he brought more money here than any other of the old class of settlers, and it is believed that but few of
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the new ones brought as much, and with his abundant means at that day, if he had been avaricious and grasping, he might have amassed an immense fortune. But he was nothing of the kind,-his hand was always 'open as the day' to the needy and suffering. His capital was always employed, but more frequently for the benefit of others than himself. It was a 'placer' from which the foundation of several splendid fortunes were dug. He was emphatically the poor man's friend, and we doubt if ever a person approached him needing assist- ance and was turned away empty. Honest and confiding to an eminent degree himself, he was wont to confide too much in others, and frequently suffered by becoming involved in their liabilities. Still, it is supposed he has left a handsome competency for those near and dear to him whom he has left behind."
Such was James Barnett,-a noble, honorable, generous, open- hearted man, and, as was said at his funeral, "the noblest work of God, an honest man." Owing to early hardships and exposures his constitution had been shattered, and for the last three or four years of his life he was quite feeble, being finally called from his earthly habitation to dwell in the home "not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." His funeral was attended by a large concourse of citizens and by the Masonic fraternity in full regalia. His loss was felt as a personal bereavement by the citizens in general, and in these later years, seeing his life in strong perspective, we can well understand the high regard in which he was held in the community which was so long his home and the scene of his earnest and effective labors.
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THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.
FREDERICK C. W. KLAEHN.
At this point we enter brief record concerning one of the leading farmers and most progressive and public-spirited citizens of Aboit township, where he has resided from his boyhood days, while the esteem in which he is held in the community is indicated in the fact that he is at the present time incumbent of the responsible office of township trustee.
Mr. Klaehn was born in Prussia, Germany, on the 22d of May, 1860, and is a son of Frederick and Maria Klaehn, who emigrated thence to the United States in 1869, coming to Fort Wayne soon after their arrival in the new world. The father first secured employment here in picking apples for Charles Mccullough, but this work was in- terrupted by an extraordinary snowfall in October, the trees being broken down by the combined weight of fruit and snow. During the first winter he was employed in connection with the grading of the line of the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad northward from Fort Wayne, and in the spring of 1870 he located on the old Bash farm, in Aboit township. Nine years later he effected the purchase of the present homestead farm, which is located in the same township, on the Illi- nois road, and five and one-half miles west of the city of Fort Wayne. He originally purchased eighty acres, for a consideration of three thousand dollars, the place having been comparatively well improved. Later he added an adjoining tract of one hundred and twenty acres, and here he developed one of the fine farms of the county, being a man of industry, integrity and good business ability, so that he was very successful in his efforts and also held as his own the confidence and esteem of those who knew him. He died on the 3d of January, 1898, at the age of sixty-two years. His widow still resides on the old homestead, in which she takes a lively interest, being still alert and ambitious and keeping house for herself in a portion of the com-
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modious residence, while she also finds much satisfaction in keeping her own cows, chickens, etc. Her friends are in number as her ac- quaintances, and she is finding the evening of her life one of gracious and pleasing order. The subject is the only child.
Frederick C. W. Klaehn was about nine years of age at the time of his parents' immigration to America, and he had received his ele- mentary education in the excellent schools of his native land, while he later duly availed himself of the advantages of the public schools of Allen county, and for two winters attended a good business college. He early began to render effective aid in the work and management of the home farm, of which he has had entire charge since the death of his father, being the only heir of his parents. He had previously purchased a good farm in the vicinity of the old homestead, and he has since added until his landed estate comprises three hundred and forty acres of as fine land as can be found in this favored section of the state. He has made excellent improvements on the farm, hav- ing rebuilt the house, which is modern and attractive in design and equipment, while he has also erected a fine bank barn and kept all other buildings in the best of repair, so that thrift and prosperity are to be noted by innumerable evidences. He is progressive in his ideas and utilized the means and methods which will bring the maximum returns, but he is not a follower of fads or one who wastes his time and energy in fruitless experimentation. He is a type of the sturdy and broad-minded yeomanry who constitute the bulwarks of our gov- ernment and our prosperity.
In his political allegiance Mr. Klaehn is arrayed with the Re- publican party, and he takes a lively interest in public affairs of a local nature, while this interest is manifested in tangible aid and co- operation when worthy objects are to be promoted. In November, 1904, he was elected trustee of Aboit township, assuming the duties of his office in January following. He is specially concerned in the educational matters in his jurisdiction. Aboit township has eight school houses and an equal number of teachers, while the enrollment of pupils at the time of this writing is three hundred and sixteen. The township has no high school, but sends each year a due quota to the Fort Wayne high school. It is the wish of Mr. Klaehn that all teachers employed be residents of the township in case qualifications
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are the same, as he feels that this preference is but due, and that local interest will be the greater. He is making an earnest effort to compass the desired result. The school buildings are all substantial brick structures, comparing more than favorably with the best in the county, and the accessories and equipments are of modern standard. The employment of duly qualified home teachers is the one desideratum which most challenges the efforts of our subject. Mr. Klaehn is one of the leaders of his party in Aboit township, and has frequently served as delegate to county and congressional conventions, while he has also been township assessor. Religiously, he belongs to the Evan- gelical Lutheran church.
On the 30th of December, 1886, Mr. Klaehn was united in mar- riage to Miss Elizabeth E. Kauder, who was born in Germany, and who was five years of age at the time of her parents' immigration to America. She is a daughter of Valentine and Elizabeth Kauder, well known pioneers of Lake township. Mr. and Mrs. Klaehn have six children, namely : Elizabeth E. M., William F., Carl L. W., Elma M. D., Bertha S. C. and Flora A. E.
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