USA > Indiana > Allen County > History of the Maumee River basin, Allen County, Indiana > Part 15
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Jonathan Hart, to whom this sketch is dedicated, retains a vivid recollection of the conditions which were in evidence here in the pio-
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neer days, and he early began to contribute his quota to the reclaim- ing and cultivating of the homestead farm, waxing strong in mind and body under the sturdy discipline involved, while he attended the common schools of the locality as opportunity afforded, his rudimen- tary education having been secured in Ohio, where he was reared to the age of twelve years, as previously intimated in this context. He has never wavered in his allegiance to the noble art of husbandry, and has been one of those whose efforts have demonstrated that agricul- tural operations constitute a most desirable field of endeavor when directed with energy and the same care and discrimination demanded in other lines of business. He has been successful and has developed one of the finest farm properties in Monroe township, having re- claimed much of the land from the forest and having made the best of permanent improvements. His fine estate is located in section 16 and comprises eighty acres, the greater portion being maintained under a high state of cultivation, while the owner also devotes no little attention to the raising of high grade live stock. In all the relations of life he has ever been sincere, straightforward and hon- orable, and the result in a concomitant way has been his retention of the unequivocal confidence and esteem of his fellow men, while he has not hedged himself in with his individual affairs, but has been progressive and public spirited in his attitude as a citizen, tak- ing deep interest in all that pertains to the progress and material and civic prosperity of his home township and county, and being one of the highly esteemed pioneer citizens of this section. In poli- tics Mr. Hart has ever rendered a stalwart allegiance to the Demo- cratic party, in whose cause he has been an active worker in a loyal way, though never a seeker of official preferment. He was reared in the faith of the Lutheran church, with whose doctrines his views are in harmony, while in a fraternal way we find him identified with the Junior Order of United American Mechanics.
On the 21st of February, 1861, Mr. Hart was united in mar- riage to Miss Sarah W. Hines, whose parents, D. H. and Sarah Hines, were born in Loudoun county, Virginia, while they were numbered among the sterling pioneers of Adams county, Indi- ana, where the closing years of their lives were passed. Concern- ing the children of Jonathan and Sarah W. Hart, we record that
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Oliver T. was born January 20, 1862; Wayne M., March 28, 1864; Jennety, November 15, 1866, and William C., May 15, 1870. All are living except the last mentioned, who died on the 5th of Decem- ber, 1870, aged about seven months. The devoted wife and mother was summoned into eternal rest on the 8th of December, 1897, at the age of sixty years, ten months and seven days. On the 7th of March, 1901, the subject consummated a second marriage, being then united to Mrs. Virginia E. Yerian, who was born in Adams county, Indiana, on the 10th of August, 1844, being a sister of Mr. Hart's first wife. The attractive family home is a center of gracious hospitality, and the members of the family are prominent in the social life of the community.
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ALLEN COUNTY, INDIANA.
MORRIS F. ROSE.
Allen country contributed to the federal armies many a brave and valiant soldier during the war of the Rebellion, and among the surviving veterans of that great conflict which determined the integ- rity of the Union, stands the subject of this review, who was loyal to his country in her hour of peril and extremity, and who has ever since been her stanch supporter in the "piping times of peace." The ranks of that noble organization are fast being decimated by the one invincible foe, death, and it is fitting that in every publication of this nature special tribute be paid to those men who served with all of fidelity in defense of the Union during the greatest civil war known in the annals of history. Mr. Rose was born in a far distant land, but has resided in the United States from his childhood days, while the family was established in Allen county more than a half cen- tury ago, so that he may well be mentioned as a representative of pioneer stock in this favored section of the old Hoosier state. He was long numbered among the progressive farmers and influential citizens of Jefferson township, where he has passed the major por- tion of his life, and he is now living practically retired in the vil- lage of Monroeville, where he has an attractive residence, and where he is held in the highest confidence and esteem by all who know him.
Morris F. Rose was born in one of the French-speaking prov- inces of the fair little republic of Switzerland, on the 22d of March, 1842, and is a son of Morris and Anna (Lynn) Rose, both native of the same section of Switzerland, and both of whom spoke the French language as their vernacular. The father was engaged in farming in his native land until 1850, when he sold his holdings there and emigrated with his family to America. In that year he made location in Stark county, Ohio, where many of French birth
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or extraction had colonized, and there he purchased land and engaged in farming, but in 1852 he sold his property and came to Allen county, Indiana, where he passed the remainder of his long and useful life. He became the owner of a good farm in Jefferson township, reclaiming much of the land from the virgin forest, and being one of the honored and substantial pioneers of this section at the time of his death, which occurred on the 25th of August, 1888, while his cherished and devoted wife soon joined him in the "land of the leal," her death having occurred on the 25th of the follow- ing November. They became the parents of five children, of whom two are living at the time of this writing. The parents were zealous and consistent members of the Catholic church, and in his political proclivities the father was a stanch Republican, having identified him- self with the "grand old party" at the time of its organization. He was a man of broad mental ken and marked individuality, was loyal and public spirited as a citizen and commanded unqualified confi- dence and regard in the community which was so long his home and the scene of his well directed endeavors.
Morris F. Rose, the immediate subject of this sketch, was a lad .of about ten years at the time of the family's removal from Ohio to Allen county, and in the years immediately following his portion was one of much work and close application, in connection with the development and cultivation of the home farm, while his educational advantages were of limited order, owing to the exigencies of time and place. He stated to the writer that he secured his early educa- tional training in the Sunday school which he attended after coming to Allen county, learning to read under the discipline there secured, while he never attended the common schools to any appreciable extent. He learned to write after entering the army, receiving instructions from kind-hearted comrades, who thus aided him in communicating with his home folk. His alert mentality has enabled him to make good the handicap of his youth, and he has profited fully by the valuable lessons gained in the school of experience, being a man of wide information and one who has kept in touch with the questions and issues of the day, while he soon developed that marked business acumen which has conserved his success in connection with the practical affairs of life.
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On the 10th of August, 1862, at New Haven, this county, Mr. Rose enlisted as a private in Company D, Eighty-eighth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, with which he proceeded to the front, his com- mand being assigned to the First Brigade, First Division of the Fourteenth Army Corps. He participated in a number of the important engagements of the great internecine conflict, and was ever found at the post of duty as a faithful and loyal soldier of the republic whose unity he thus aided in preserving. Among the more notable battles in which he took part may be mentioned the follow- ing: Perryville, Kentucky; Stone River, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Tennessee; Buzzard Roost, Georgia, and the ever memorable Atlanta campaign, under General Sher- man, and the battle of Bentonville, North Carolina, following hard upon the celebrated "march to the sea." At Tullahoma, Tennessee, Mr. Rose was promoted to the office of sergeant of his company, and he served as such until the close of the war. In December, 1863, after the battle of Chickamauga, he received a furlough of ninety days, which he passed at home, and he rejoined his command at Chickamauga, on the 30th of January, 1864, and thereafter remained in active service until victory had crowned the Union arms. He was with Sherman's forces on the march through the Carolinas to Rich- mond, and thence to the national capital, where he took part in the Grand Review, and he received his honorable discharge in June, 1865, being twenty-three years of age at the time.
After the close of his military career Mr. Rose returned to Allen county, where he has resided ever since, and where he has been actively identified with agricultural pursuits during the major por- tion of the intervening period. He became the owner of a fine farm of eighty acres, in section 27, Jefferson township, making the best of improvements on the place and conducting his operations with distinctive energy and discrimination, so that he gained a position among the substantial members of the farming community, and wielded no little influence in public affairs of a local nature, while to him has ever been accorded the implicit confidence and regard of the people of the county in which he has made his home for more than half a century. On the 25th of January, 1904, Mr. Rose pur- chased a nice residence property in the attractive village of Monroe-
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ville, where he now resides essentially retired, though he still main- tains a general supervision of his farming interests. In politics our subject is found arrayed as an uncompromising advocate of the prin- ciples and policies of the Republican party, having cast his first presi- dential vote for the martyred Lincoln, and in a fraternal way he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and with Wil- liam H. Link Post, No. 301, Grand Army of the Republic, in Mon- roeville, being one of the popular comrades of his post, of which he is commander at the time of this writing. His religious affiliation is with the Methodist church.
Mr. Rose has been twice married. On the 10th of August, 1865, he wedded Miss Elizabeth Snyder, who was born in Stark county, Ohio, on the 15th of July, 1845, being a daughter of James and Susan (Lynn) Snyder, who were of Pennsylvania German stock and who were early settlers in Allen county, where they passed the closing years of their lives. Mr. and Mrs. Rose became the parents of ten children, namely: Lucy, Ada, James, Sarah A., Susan M., William M., Maud A., Amy, Grace B. and Maggie. Mrs. Rose was summoned into eternal rest on the 17th of November, 1900, at the age of fifty-six years, four months and two days. She was a devoted wife and mother, and her gracious womanhood gained to her the affectionate regard of all with whom she came in contact. On the 16th of June, 1902, Mr. Rose was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Chapman, who was born in Tippecanoe county, Indiana, on the 27th of November, 1852, being a daughter of William and Margaret (Broyles) Chapman, both of whom are now deceased.
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ALLEN COUNTY, INDIANA.
ERNST F. W. BRANNING.
The subject of this memoir was a worthy representative of that valued type of men whom the German fatherland has given to Amer- ica, and through whose efforts the march of progress has been dis- tinctively accelerated. He was one of the pioneers of Wayne town- ship, where he settled more than half a century ago, on the farm now owned and occupied by his son Henry E. Industry and good management were the outward exemplification of his energies, and truth, honor, integrity and loyalty represented the intrinsic elements of his character, so that he naturally filled a place of usefulness and commanded unbounded esteem in the community in which he so long made his home, and in which he accomplished so much in a temporal way.
The fine farmstead which remains as a monument to the labors of our subject was a tract of wild and heavily timbered land at the time he came into possession of the property, whose purchase he effected in April, 1850, for what seems now the almost impossible consideration of five hundred dollars. Fertile fields, modern build- ings, and all the marks of an advanced civilization now are found patent on the land where he settled in the virgin forest in the years long past, while to him has been due the greater portion of the work of transformation.
Ernst Frederick William Branning was born in Buchholz Kreis Minden, Prussia, on the 25th of June, 1820, and he was reared and educated in his native land, whence he immigrated to America in 1844, in company with several other families and individuals from the same locality, all coming to Adams county, and virtually founding a sturdy little colony. Our subject remained for a time in that county, and then came to Allen county to aid in the support of his widowed sister, Mrs. Minnie Kammeier, whose husband had
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recently died, and who was at the time residing in Wayne township. Mr. Branning was a carpenter by trade, and in the pioneer commu- nity he found ample demand for his services in this line, having erected many of the first houses and barns in this locality. In 1850 he pur- chased his farm, as has been noted, and here he took up his residence in a log cabin of the primitive type, and set himself vigorously to the task of reclaiming his land to cultivation. This old cabin long withstood the ravages of time, continuing in use until 1904, though numerous improvements had been made on the same. It was then razed to make way for the present attractive modern residence, which was erected by the present owner of the farm. On this home- stead Mr. Branning continued to be actively engaged in general farming and stock growing during the remainder of his active career, and he made the forty-acre farm one of the best in the township. He was summoned into eternal rest on the 2d of May, 1901, in the eighty-first year of his life, while his name is held in lasting honor in the community where he lived and labored to such goodly ends. He was a stanch Democrat in his political proclivities, and both he and his wife were prominent and valued members of the Lutheran church, having been members of the parish of old St. Paul's church, in Fort Wayne, while he assisted materially in the building of all three of the Lutheran edifices, while his funeral was the first to be held from the beautiful Emmanuel church, on Broadway, interment being made in Concordia cemetery.
In St. Paul's Lutheran church, Fort Wayne, on the 24th of De- cember, 1850, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Branning to Miss Fredericka Wilhelmina Buchmann, who was born in Prussia, on the 8th of November, 1830, and who accompanied her parents to Amer- ica when a girl, the family locating in Allen county. Her death occurred about two years before that of her husband. Concerning the three children of this union we record that Wilhelmina, the wife of William Dammeyer, died on the 21st of February, 1883, at the age of thirty-one years; Sophia became the wife of Henry Miller, and after his death wedded Richard Franke, and they reside in Wayne township, and Henry E. remains on the old home place.
Henry E. Branning was born in the old homestead, on his pres- ent farm, on the 2d of September, 1863, and though the residence
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had been rebuilt and modernized, the house in which he was born still remains an integral portion of the same, so that this has prac- tically been his home throughout his life thus far. He duly availed himself of the advantages of the public schools of the county, and in his youth learned the carpenter's trade, which he has followed to a greater or less extent, in the city of Fort Wayne. Since his father's death he has given his attention almost entirely to the home farm, which adjoins the city limits on the south, and he has made the enterprise a most successful one, since he has had ample experi- ence, having been identified with the operation of the farm from his youth up, while he is known and honored as one of the representa- tive citizens of his township. In politics he holds to the faith in which he was reared, and gives a stanch allegiance to the Democracy. In the fall of 1904 he was the candidate of his party for the office of township trustee, but met defeat with the party ticket in general, this being the great landslide in which President Roosevelt was victo- rious by such phenomenal majorities. He and his wife are members of the Lutheran church.
On the 20th of December, 1888, Henry E. Branning was united in marriage to Miss Emma Bahde, daughter of Ernst and Augusta Bahde, who were early settlers in Allen county, the father having been a carpenter by trade, and having been employed in the rail- road shops in Fort Wayne until 1870, when he removed with his family to Fayette county, Illinois. Her mother died June 9, 1895, and her father died January 31, 1901. Mr. and Mrs. Branning have ten children : Henry, Anna, Ernest, Clara, Martha, William, Alma. Martin, Emma and Luella.
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HON. WILLIAM FLEMING.
Few men of Allen county were as widely and favorably known as the late William Fleming. He was one of the strong and in- fluential citizens whose lives have become an essential part of the history of this section of the state and for years his name was synonymous for all that constituted honorable and upright manhood.
William Fleming was a native of county Wicklow, Ireland, having been born not far south of the capital city of Dublin, on the 17th of June, 1828, and he was the son of Luke and Sarah (Holt) Fleming. Until the age of fourteen years he attended the national school in his native county, and was then sent to Dublin to continue his studies. In 1846 the family set sail for America, arriving safely at Quebec, Canada, but while lying in quarantine in that harbor, the father and four of the children died. The bereaved mother, with the three surviving children, all boys, then came to Fort Wayne, In- diana, where she passed her remaining days.
The subject of this sketch, after his arrival in Fort Wayne, first engaged in teaching school, being also employed at other lines of work, including stonecutting. He possessed a warm, genial nature and soon made friends of all his acquaintances. His first official position was that of deputy sheriff under Sheriff McMullen, and, at the death of that officer, he succeeded to the office, and was later, as a Democrat, twice elected to fill this responsible position. For eight years following the expiration of his last term as sheriff he served as city clerk, and in 1878 was elected state treasurer. In 1880 he was again a candidate for this office, but, with the balance of the ticket, was defeated. He was a prominent factor in the councils of his party and during his active political life was invariably a delegate to the Democratic national conventions.
MI Huming
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ALLEN COUNTY, INDIANA.
As a business man Mr. Fleming had few equals in Fort Wayne and no superiors, being industrious, enterprising, and successful in all he undertook. He was one of the originators of the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad and was a director of that road until it was sold to the Vanderbilt interests. He was for a long time editor and proprietor of the Fort Wayne Sentinel, was treasurer of the Indiana School Book Company, president of the Salimonie Min- ing and Gas Company, vice-president and acting president of the First National Bank of Fort Wayne, president of the Hartford City Paper Company, and a stockholder and director in many other busi- ness enterprises, being actively engaged in these matters until death, on January 13, 1890, at which time he was one of the wealthy men of the state. Mr. Fleming was twice married. In January, 1850, he married Miss Ann Mclaughlin, who passed away August 18, 1854, leaving two children, Luke M. and Mary E., the latter becoming the wife of Dr. L. J. Willien, of Terre Haute, Indiana. The second marriage of Mr. Fleming took place on July 7, 1859, when he wedded Miss Helen F. Mayer, a daughter of George and Catherine (Hiller) Mayer, of Germany. To the latter union were born the following children: Catherine S., wife of Dr. Dinnen; Helen G., wife of A. B. Trentman; Georgie F., wife of William McKinnie; M. Celeste; Stephen B .; Sister Mary Helen, of St. Mary's of the Woods; William; Sadie Marie. Mr. Fleming was a true and faithful member of the Roman Catholic church and rendered that church not only faithful service, but substantial financial support. He possessed many estimable qualities of character and left his impress on the city and county of his adoption.
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THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.
WILLARD O. SMITH, M. D.
Among the younger members of the medical profession in Allen county Dr. Smith holds a representative position, being a practitioner of the eclectic school and being amply fortified for the responsible and exacting work of his chosen vocation. He is engaged in prac- tice in the village of Hoagland, where he is senior member of the firm of Smith & Morris, his coadjutor, Dr. Elmer E. Morris, being both a physician and a dental surgeon.
Dr. Smith is a scion of one of the well known and representative families of this county, and he was born in Hoagland on the 20th of December, 1878, being a son of Dr. J. L. and Allie Smith, the for- mer being now auditor of Allen county, and having devoted the major portion of his active and independent career to the practice of medicine. Of the family of ten children, six are living, the Doc- tor having been the second in order of birth. Dr. Smith secured his preliminary educational discipline in the public schools of his native town, where he completed a high-school course, being graduated as a member of the class of 1892. He then entered the normal school at Marion, this state, where he remained as a student until 1897, having in the meanwhile been successfully engaged in teaching school for several terms and having also made a choice of vocation, deciding to prepare himself for the medical profession and taking up a preliminary course of reading in a private way. In 1897 he was matriculated in the Eclectic Medical College in the city of Cincin- nati, where he completed the prescribed technical course, and was graduated as a member of the class of 1901 with the degree of Doc- tor of Medicine. During intervals while attending the college he was engaged in teaching in the schools of his native county. Imme- diately after his graduation Dr. Smith opened an office in his native town, where he has met with gratifying success in his work, prov-
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ing the inapplicability of the aphorism that a "prophet is not without honor save in his own country." He is a close student, and is known as a physician and surgeon of high attainments and distinc- tive practical ability. He has been associated with Dr. Morris since 1902, and they control a representative practice in Hoagland and its vicinage.
In politics Dr. Smith gives his allegiance to the Democratic party, and professionally he is a member of the Indiana Eclectic Medical Association and the Alumnal Association of the Eclectic Medical Institute.
Dr. Smith married, in November, 1902, Miss Leah K. Shuler, of Fort Wayne.
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GEORGE W. LOUTTIT.
The true western spirit of progress and enterprise is strikingly exemplified in the lives of such men as Mr. Louttit, men whose ener- getic nature and laudable ambition have enabled them to conquer many adverse circumstances and advance steadily to leading positions in professional and business life. The subject is a worthy repre- sentative of this class, and is now a prominent figure in the legal circles of Allen county, having been successfully engaged in the practice of his profession in the city of Fort Wayne since 1890.
George W. Louttit is a native of the old Buckeye state, having first seen the light of this world at Dayton, Ohio, on the 30th day of June, 1868. He is the son of James J. and Katharine Louttit, the former a native of South Ronaldshay, Orkney islands, and the mother of Germany. Early in life the subject accompanied his par- ents on their removal to Fort Wayne, and here was given the benefit of attendance in the public schools. This training was supplemented by attendance at the University of Michigan, where he took a course in the law department. He was admitted to practice in the courts of Allen county, and in 1890 commenced the active practice of his profession in Fort Wayne, where he has since continued, having from the first enjoyed a liberal share of the business in his line. His abilities were soon recognized by his fellow citizens, who honored him by election as judge of the municipal court of the city of Fort Wayne, he being the first incumbent of this position, and filling the position to the entire satisfaction of the citizens of this city. In 1889 and 1901 he represented this county in the lower house of the state legislature, and there performed much efficient and valuable service in the interest of his constituents, gaining a well earned reputation as a hard-working and conscientious legislator. In matters political he has always been found aligned with the Democratic party, and
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