USA > Indiana > Lake County > Lake County, Indiana, from 1834 to 1872 > Part 19
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He was the first County Surveyor, being appointed by the Commissioners in May, 1837. He also held the office of County Commissioner.
He never married, and sometimes boarded away from his own home.
He died in August, 1853, and his dust reposes in the Centreville Cemetery.
His brother, who has a large family, now resides upon the farm.
JOHN WOOD.
Another of the sons of Massachusetts, coming from the eastern part of the State, was John Wood, who made a claim and examined this region in 1835. Dr. Ames, of Michigan City, himself, and three or four others, spent a night in the cabin of Jesse Pierce on the bank of Tur- key Creek during that tour in 1835. He settled in 1836,
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leaving Michigan City for his claim on Deep River July 4th, of that year. He found that, during his absence, Gen. Tipton, of Fort Wayne, United States Senator, had laid a float upon his claim in the name of an Indian, Quashma. The land, as a mill seat, was not properly subject to an Indian float ; but he purchased the quarter section, paying for it, instead of $200, the sum of $1,000. He has now in his possession Quashma's deed and sig- nature.
He erected a saw-mill in 1837, and about 1838 com- pleted a grist-mill, the only one for some years in both Lake and Porter Counties. It was thronged with cus- tomers.
Living at first on the east side of the river, in a few years he erected more substantial buildings on the west side ; his sons grew up and settled around him, the old- est now owning the mill, the second one a store, a third one farming, and a son-in-law the resident physician ; a number of grand-children now nearly grown in their various homes ; himself possessing ample means ; he and the wife of his youth, who is a cousin of Mrs. Sarah B. Judson, and a noble New England woman, are now spending the evening of their days amid as much tran- quility and happiness as one could well ask for in our earthly lot.
They have seen and experienced the changes of these past seven and thirty years, have been faithful toilers, and may now fittingly rest and enjoy.
JOHN HACK
Was the pioneer of the Germans, so many of whom from the densely populated districts of Prussia, from Hano-
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ver, Wurtemburg, and the late small principalities which now are united in the German Empire, have opened farms in the woodlands and have made their homes on our prairies.
Tall and dignified in person, patriarchal in manner, clear and keen in intellect, he was well fitted to be a leader and pioneer. He settled with quite a large fam- ily, in 1837, on the western part of Prairie West. There was then an abundance of room around them. In the summer evenings the family would gather around an out- of-doors fire, the smoke of which would keep off the musquitoes, and sing the songs of their native Rhine region, presenting a scene at once picturesque and im- pressive. Having shared their hospitalities one night in the summer of 1838, I had a fine opportunity to hear these beautiful evening songs of " the father-land." This family knew the privations of pioneer life. In common with others they shared the experiences of going to mill. One member of the family, M. Hack, was gone with horses to Gossett's mill, in Porter County, nine days. Other families soon settled near, and in a short time a chapel was erected, was consecrated, and regular relig- ious services were held.
J. Hack was born in 1787, in one of those Rhine pro- vinces that passed from the possession of France into the control of Prussia. He had enlarged views of govern- ment, and looked closely into the genius of our institu- tions. He lived to see a great change in Prairie West and over this whole region, and died in 1856.
Two of his sons became residents in Crown Point. The one, M. Hack, who kept the hotel, died a few years
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ago ; the other, J. Hack, now carries on the blacksmith and wagon shops. He is now the oldest resident Ger- man, not in age, but in citizenship, in the county
H. SASSE, SEN.
In the summer or fall of 1838, Henry Sasse, Sen., the pioneer of the Lutheran Germans, coming from Michi- gan with a small family, bought the Cox claim at Cedar Lake, also a Chase claim. He came with some means, and like him who has just been mentioned, he was a man of more than ordinary intelligence and abilities. After improving his farm he sold to the Rasgen family and purchased a farm over West Creek, where he has ever since resided.
He has made three visits to his native region, the ancient kingdom of Hanover, crossing the Atlantic seven times.
He is now advanced in life, being some seventy years of age, and is well off in regard to property. Death has many times visited his household and he is left almost alone. His oldest son, Henry Sasse, Jun., has lived for many years on what was known as the Farlow farm, on the west side of Cedar Lake. He is a prosperous farmer, in the prime of life, and one of our truly intelligent teachers.
H. VON HOLLEN.
In the same year of 1838, and at about the same time, H. Von Hollen also came to Cedar Lake. He obtained the Taylor and Chase claim, about which an arbitration had formerly been held, and settled one-half mile north of H. Sasse. He was then a young housekeeper, and brought with him but little means. Being also intelli-
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gent and enterprising, he began to accumulate property. Like a number of others, he went into Illinois and worked on the canal for a short time. He bought the noted cranberry marsh not far from his claim. This proved to be an excellent investment. Industrious and economical he soon accumulated quite rapidly, and is now in the possession of ample means. He and his wife are still residing on the place where they first settled.
LEWIS HERLITZ,
The third Lutheran German, soon arrived and bought the Nordyke claim. He was a native of Pyrmont, a part of the principality of Waldeck, and was noted for his urbanity of manners. He built a nice residence on his woodland place, near the head of Cedar Lake, his sons and daughters grew up around him, and in September, 1869, being about sixty-four years of age, he died. Both L. Herlitz and H. Sasse were more advanced in life when they first settled than was H. Von Hollen, judging from the appearance. They were all probably born about 1802 or 1804.
JOSEPH SCHMAL,
One of the four Germans who settled on Prairie West in 1838 died many years ago.
JOSEPH SCHMAL,
One of his sons, is now a resident farmer at Brunswick.
ADAM SCHMAL,
Another son, farming on Prairie West for several years, having been elected County Treasurer, removed to Crown Point in 1866. He held the office for two terms, and still resides in town, holding for one year the office of Town Trustee.
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SKETCHES OF EARLY SETTLERS.
WELLINGTON A. CLARK.
Among the enterprising young men attracted by the wild lands of the West was W. A. Clark, a native of On- tario County, New York, a clerk in a wholesale grocery store at Albany. His brother, S. D. Clark, was doing business in Ohio, and was a thriving merchant, possess- ing considerable capital. The Albany clerk made a visit to his merchant brother in 1838, and through him obtained a position as Supercargo on a schooner sent from Cleveland, Ohio, to Chicago, around the lakes. Few vessels at that time made regular lake trips. Dis- posing of his cargo at Chicago, W. A. Clark, then about twenty-three years of age, visited our county and ar- ranged with Adin Sanger, a relative, to hold for him a claim. He returned to his brother in Ohio and reported his sales at Chicago. In the spring of 1839, before the land sale at La Porte, Sanford D. Clark came out on horseback, and found some of our settlers about starting for the land sale. He furnished Adin Sanger with money to enter for W. A. Clark three hundred and eighty- four acres, which was more than a squatter could preëmpt. He also, having a good supply of funds, loaned to J. H. Sanger, to E. Cleveland, and to A. Mc- Donald, money for entering their claims ; and thus saved them from the necessity of borrowing, as so many set- tlers did, at La Porte.
In the summer or fall of 1839 A. Sanger died, and W. A. Clark came out from Ohio with a buggy and com- menced, in the fall of 1839, improving his West Creek farm. He was then beginning life for himself, with health, industry, perseverence, and energy, for his capi-
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tal. Having ended his clerkship he begun to be æ farmer.
A family from Michigan City, who had been on a claim near Deep River in 1835 or 1836, but who had returned to the civilization and privileges of that city, settled northwest of Cedar Lake on the Green place, in 1842. With this family, among the members of which were two young ladies who had just entered womanhood, W. A. Clark became acquainted. In December, 1843, he married one of these sisters, Miss Mary C. Hackley. The marriage ceremony was performed by Judge Wil- kinson, who, uniting both pleasure and profit with busi- ness, took his trusty rifle along and on the way, and near the home of the bride, killed a fine deer. The Judge: was a true pioneer.
In about 1846 W. A. Clark removed to Crown Point .. He was now acting as an agent for Bragg in disposing of patent medicine, and soon became agent for Ayer, in the same line, and traveled over the State and made money. At Crown Point he built a good dwelling-house ; returned to his farm and built an excellent farm-house ; spent again a few years, including 1864 and 1865, at Crown Point; and once more returned to the West Creek home .. In 1867 he erected and started the first cheese factory in: the county ; kept, some of the time, two hundred cows ; became owner of a thousand acres north of Crown Point" and made improvements at the home place. In 1869 or 1870 he disposed of the thousand acres near Crown Point and now holds his West Creek lands, in amount: thirteen hundred and twenty acres. Involved in business year by year, he has made money, and is now worth some
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$50,000, being among the wealthiest of the citizens of the county. But few families hold property representing more than that amount. And this is the result of thirty- four years toil in farming, in other business, in dairying, and includes the rise in value of land. Such a result ought to satisfy a settler in the West. It is true, men in commercial life, and in speculations in the meantime, may have made their millions, and others have lost as much, and more rapidly. "Let the golden stream be quick and violent," said Ortugul; but when he looked again the mountain torrent was dry. Broad acres of rich lands are safer possessions than ships on the ocean with costly cargoes, or deposits in banks, or goods on the shelves, or " stocks " in the market.
W. A. Clark has two sons and one daughter. At his home his friends find a cordial welcome and an abund- ance of the comforts of life. As he is yet apparently in the prime of life, although some fifty-seven years of age, and so well known in the county, I need not mention his excellent traits of disposition nor analyze and record the qualities which have contributed so largely to his success. It is sufficient to say that his early capital, although well used, has not become exhausted. A business talent has doubtless controlled. Men, to quite an extent, can be- come what they will, if they pay the price.
D. R. MERRIS
First settled near the Lone Tree north of Plum Grove, in 1838, after traveling seventeen days with a team of oxen from Ohio.
He suffered severely with the rheumatism. For some five months scarcely slept. An Indian calling in one
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day, in broken English and by signs, inquired about his sufferings and prescribed a remedy. It was tried and proved very successful.
In 1840 he bought at Pleasant Grove; raised a hewed log house in 1841. A frame house was erected in this settlement in 1840 by A. Clark, and a frame barn by John S. Evans in about 1843. D. R. Merris was by trade a carpenter. He built the Methodist Church in the Grove in 1851 ; cost, $500.
A few years ago he sold his property in the Grove and removed to a farm on the old Indian-Town limits, a short distance south of Hebron, where he still resides, pleas- antly situated, with abundant home comforts around him.
EPHRAIM CLEVELAND
Has been named among the early settlers at Pleasant Grove. He was one of the substantial citizens. He was Justice of the Peace, and Methodist Class Leader at the Grove for several years before his death. He died July 13, 1845, while yet in the midst of an active and useful life.
His son, T. Cleveland, is now a lawyer at Crown Point, and also proprietor and editor of the Crown Point Her- ald.
JUDGE R. WILKINSON.
As a member of that first party that came from the Wabash region and selected claims in 1834, R. Wilkin- son's name and date of settlement in 1835 have been already given, and some of his experiences will be found recorded among the incidents. But little therefore need be mentioned here. In 1837, at the first August election,
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he was elected first Probate Judge in Lake county. This office he held for several years. In about 1849 he removed with his family to Missouri. One son, John B. Wilkinson, returned at the time of the civil war, and has since then resided in Lowell. He is in the service of the United States as mail-carrier between Lowell and Crown Point.
RUFUS HILL
Became a resident in Pleasant Grove about the year 1839. He has one of the largest families in the county. Six sons are living who are men, Welcome, William, John, Charles, Martin, and Richard Hill, and several younger ones. He has had six daughters, not counting any among his young children. He is now about eighty years of age, attends to his affairs, and seems to be quite a hale and active man.
HENRY WELLS,
A native of Massachusetts, has been named as entering this county with Luman A. Fowler, on the day after Solon Robinson first pitched his tent on this soil. Sheriff of the county by commission at its organization, he served out the term of L. A. Fowler, the first elected Sheriff, and also the term of J. V. Johns, the second elected Sheriff, and was then himself elected and held the office eight years. He was appointed to the same office to complete the term of R. T. Tozier, who resigned. He was also elected County Treasurer and filled that office eight years. He was the third Swamp Land Commis- sioner. Probably no man in the county has passed more years here in official life.
For the past few years he has been somewhat feeble
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and has retired from public and active life. He still retains the use of his mental faculties and is about seventy- two years of age. The best authority which I can obtain fixes his age as above, although it has been placed at eighty-two.
A large number of the early settlers were born about the year 1800. Very few much before that year.
Four sisters of H. Wells have resided among us, Mrs. R. Eddy, Mrs. Olive Eddy, Mrs. L. Gillingham, and Mrs. Sanford. The last one named is still living in Crown Point. His daughters are Mrs. A. Clark, Mrs. John Lu- ther, and Mrs. S. R. Pratt. His two sons, R. H. and Homer Wells are now dealers in agricultural implements in Crown Point.
CAPT. JOSEPH P. SMITH.
Coming from the City of New York in 1836, being then about thirty years of age, J. P. Smith found a place for the exercise of his qualifications and tastes, even among the squatters. He and J. V. Johns, who came from the City of Philadelphia, perhaps in the same year, or earlier, have the credit of having possessed the best counting-house education of any who have ever settled in our county.
He held for many years the office of County Clerk. He also opened a store and did business a number of years. Among his clerks were some of our present promi- nent business men, Wm. Krimbill, H. S. Holton, and Alfred Fry. He commenced farming on the east side of School Grove and built the house now owned by J. Fisher, living on the farm some eleven years. His love for military drill and his Mexican campaign have been
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mentioned. For a New York City military captain and an officer in the army, his death was a singular and sad one. In September, 186 r, he went to the western fron- tier and entered again upon a new settler's life on the Platte River. February 5, 1872, he was in the woods chopping with two boys and a hired man, when the In- dians came upon them and shot them all dead with arrows. These were the first victims in the Indian mas- sacres of 1862. Thus he who had trained men for dress parade and for civilized warfare, who had been exposed to the dangers of strife in Mexico, fell on his country's soil, while engaged in peaceful labor, like pioneer settlers one hundred years ago, by the noiseless weapons of American savages.
RUSSELL EDDY
Was born in Pittstown, Rensselaer County, New York, April 23, 1787. He was the son of Gen. Gilbert Eddy, who was in command of a part of the New York troops in the war of 1812, and was himself a paymaster at that time in the army. He was afterward a merchant in Troy, married Miss Ruth Ann Wells, of Massachusetts, removed to Michigan City in 1836, and in 1837 became a resident at Crown Point.
His two daughters, Eliza and Ruth Ann, married and died young. The former left a daughter, Juliet Town- send, who spent some time here on a visit during her girlhood, and who now resides with her husband in Wash- ington City. His only son, Russell A. Eddy, is now a resident in Crown Point. His wife died in 1859. In 1861 he married Miss Abby M. Kimball, of New Jersey. He died on Sunday, July 1, 1871, being 84 years of age.
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The obituary notice in the Register closes with these words : "Thus another of the old settlers of Lake County has passed away. His life work has ended. He has gone where earthly distinctions are nothing. Of him. as of others, we may now say :
' No further seek his merits to disclose, Or draw his frailties from their dread abode: There they alike in trembling hope repose, The bosom of his Father and his God.'"
RICHARD FANSHER.
A member of the first exploring party who selected claims in 1834, as already recorded ; losing a bundle of clothing, which the Indians found, and which they de- clined to restore, and, after meeting them in the West Creek woods, obtaining the value from them by selling them well watered whisky for furs; losing his claim after- ward by an Indian float being laid on Section 17, and no opportunity offering to make its value out of Indian trap- per or Indian trader; R. Fansher lived for a season on his first claim on the bank of the little lake which bears his name, and has since 1835 remained a citizen near or within the town of Crown Point.
In those early days, before temperance societies had reached the outskirts of civilization, a large portion of the first squatters thought it needful to have with them, for cases of emergency, a little whisky, or some other form of fire-water. On the east side of Cedar Lake, the families being engaged in fishing and mill-building, and being in the water considerable, it was thought needful to use some stimulating drink, and the more thoughtful
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descendants of those families are satisfied that too much was often used. At many of the trading points, as else- where stated, whisky, perhaps well diluted, was sold to the Indians for cranberries and fur. Some years after- wards, when the Lake County Temperance Society was organized, and prominent men of the county were mem- bers, a committee, it is said, was appointed to call on a certain dealer, now a prominent and well known citizen, whose name need not be recorded, and requested him to discontinue the traffic. "Oh," said he, "we are coming to the "cold water rapidly. What they drink now is
three-quarters water." That such a traffic was lucrative will not be questioned. I return from this digression into which the mention of the Indian incident has led.
R. Fansher is now about 73 years of age. He is quite active and vigorous, enjoying a good degree of health, doing considerable work in gardening. His son died in childhood. Three of his daughters, Mrs. Nicholson, Mrs. S. B. Clark, and Mrs. Clinghan, reside in Crown Point.
JUDGE WM. CLARK.
Judge Clark has been named as one of the earliest set- tlers at Crown Point, and in these records quite a full view has been given of the part he took in our first years of toil and privations. It is only needful to add here, that he was elected Associate Judge in 1837, which office he held for several years, that he spent one year between March, 1840, and March, 1841, at South East Grove, and then settled two miles east of town, where he spent the remainder of his life. He was a man of strong constitu- tion and good mental powers. He lived to be 81 years of age. During the last year of his life he became feeble. He died July 6, 1869.
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W. A. W. AND J. W. HOLTON
Were associated intimately with S. Robinson and Judge Clark in the settlements of 1835. Younger men by sev- eral years, one of them having a wife and young child, the other one not married, they have passed through the changes of these seven and thirty years and are not yet old. They are both now residing on farms about six miles north-east of Crown Point. W. A. W. Holton was the first Recorder of the county. He removed to Mis- souri and spent a few years, but again returned to Lake County. He is a man of much intelligence, and the fam- ily are connected with learned and cultivated men. J. W. Holton possesses quite fully some of the Holton eccentricities. One of these is, to wear a hat as little as possible. He has been a continuous resident since 1835. His aged mother resides with him. His family genealogy will be elsewhere given.
J. S. HOLTON,
A member of a different family, came to this county in 1844. Although not an early settler, as a business man, a merchant, and an office-holder, he has been for many years a prominent man in the county. He is one of the most wealthy citizens of Crown Point, and although now not in active business is yet in the prime of life.
PELEG S. MASON.
Like W. N. Sykes, Peleg S. Mason never married. Unlike him he led an almost hermit-like life. In his younger days he had passed through many adventures, had been among the islands of the South Sea, had caught seals, had spent years of life in wandering. Reaching this county, perhaps as early as 1835 or 1836, he was a
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candidate for Probate Judge, at the election in 1837. He was chosen as Register of Claims to succeed Solon Robinson, and held the office until the registering of claims ceased. He was in some respects eccentric. He was then in middle age, and it may be reasonably sup- posed had good cause for being the lone and sad-hearted man that he seemed. He was owner of some land in Georgia, and made trips on foot, across Kentucky and Tennessee, to look after his interest there. A trip occu- pied some six weeks. His residence was near the Outlet and not far from the present bridge. He often visited at Lewis Warriner's, at the post office. One winter, about 1847, he went over daily, as usual, to read the news. The weather was cold. One day he failed to come. The next day he failed, and L. Warriner went over to his house to see if anything had happened to the lone occu- pant. He found him out of fuel and down in his cellar, suffering with the cold, and trying in vain to find warmth. L. Warriner conveyed him to his own home, and gave him care and comfort, but in some two days he died. Thus a lonely man perished, one of whose inner life few knew anything.
.
Drawing near one morning, rather early, to a neigh- bor's dwelling, he heard the voice of singing and then the morning prayer, and it affected him deeply, recalling memories of a childhood and youth when he was neither care-worn nor lone.
He wrote once a touching reply to an invitation from the Cedar Lake Belles-Lettres to deliver an address.
The mystery of his life I am unable to solve, although aware of one its later dark passages, but I have recorded
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as one of the names that ought not to be forgotten in our history, the name of our last Register of Claims, Peleg S. Mason.
WM. ROCKWELL,
In October, 1837, settled on Prairie West. He was elected County Commissioner about 1840, and held the office a number of years. He was a faithful officer. He died in 1853 or 1854. His two sons, W. B. and T. Rock- well, are well known citizens at Crown Point.
RICHARD CHURCH
Settled on the same prairie, and near the same place, still earlier in 1837. His claim was made in 1836 and, on the authority of the Claim Register, the family settlement has been placed in 1836. But other evidence is in favor of 1837. R. Church was the father of seven sons, Dar- ling, Austin, Alonzo, John, Charles, Munson, and Eli; and of four daughters. Most of these were men and women in 1837. A son-in-law, Leonard Cutler, made a claim also in this same neighborhood, and broke up that season one hundred acres of prairie, the largest breaking then in the county. The work was done by G. Parkin- son, of South East Grove. The Church and Cutler fam- ilies were among the constituent members of the Cedar Lake Church. Richard Church died many years ago.
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