Pictorial and biographical memoirs of Elkhart and St. Joseph counties, Indiana, together with biographies of many prominent men of northern Indiana and of the whole state, both living and dead, Part 106

Author:
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago, Goodspeed Brothers
Number of Pages: 786

USA > Indiana > Elkhart County > Pictorial and biographical memoirs of Elkhart and St. Joseph counties, Indiana, together with biographies of many prominent men of northern Indiana and of the whole state, both living and dead > Part 106
USA > Indiana > St Joseph County > Pictorial and biographical memoirs of Elkhart and St. Joseph counties, Indiana, together with biographies of many prominent men of northern Indiana and of the whole state, both living and dead > Part 106

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throughout his life took the greatest interest in church work. His sons, James and John, were preachers in that church. Henry Borough, his son and the father of Dr. Johu Borough, was born at Martinsburg. Va., January 2, 1821, received a common- school education, and was reared to the calling of a farmer. He was but seven years of age when taken by his parents to Ohio, and in Wyandot county of that State he met, and afterward married, Sarah, daughter of William Critz, their union being celebrated about 1841. William Critz was of German stock, born in Pennsylvania, but became a pioneer of Stark, and also of Wyandot, counties, Ohio. He was in Stark county during the Indian troubles, and from that State enlisted in the War of 1812, serving on the lake frontier, and was in a number of eugagements. He moved to the wilderness of Wyandot county to get more land, and secured a 160-acre tract for himself and 120 acres for each of his eight children: Abraham, Henry, Samuel, Catherine, Lydia, Jonas, Sarah and George. Mr. Critz wae a substantial farmer and lived to the age of eighty-six years, dying in Sandusky county at the home of his daughter Catherine. He was a member of the Evangelical Church, and had the respect of all who knew him for his integrity of character. After his mar- riage Mr. Borough took up his residence on a farm in Wyandot county, where he remained until 1866, in the meantime clearing up a good farm of 120 acres. He came to St. Joseph county, Ind., at the above-mentioned date, settling on a farm in Portage township three miles southwest of South Bend, becoming the owner of a fine farm of 184 acres. In 1891 he moved to South Bend, where he bought himself a good home. To Mr. and Mrs. Borough were born a family of ten children, who lived to grow up: William, John, Regina, Carrie, Victor E., Mattie, George W., Lew, Clara (who died a married woman), and Mary C. (who also died after her mar- riage). In politics Mr. Borough was always a stanch Republican, and during the Civil war was an ardent Union man, two of his sons, William and John, being in the United States Signal Corps, and both with Sherman on his march to the sea. Mr. Borough and his wife are members of the Evangelical Church. Dr. John Bor- ough, son of this worthy couple, was born March 17, 1843, in Wyandot county, Ohio, and there made his home until he was twenty-one years of age, receiving the advantages of the common schools, a select school at Findlay, Ohio, and the North- ern Indiana College at South Bend, Ind. During his vacations, and for about seven years, he followed the occupation of teaching, and also clerked in a drug store in South Bend for about a year and a half, after which he began the study of medicine under a preceptor, Dr. Partridge, of South Bend. In 1874 he graduated from the Homeopathic Hospital College of Cleveland, Ohio, and soon after began practicing his profession with his former preceptor at South Bend, with whom he remained as- sociated a few months. He then established himself at Mishawaka, where he has since been an exceptionally successful practioner of the "healing art." Dr. Bor- ough is a patrou of the leading medical periodicals, has a well stocked medical li- brary, and is one of the leading physicians of the county, deservedly high in the estimation of the public. In 1876 he was married to Edith H. Close, who left him a widower in 1886. For the past six years he has taken an active interest in Masonry and has taken all the degrees except the thirty-third. He is a member of Misha- waka Lodge, No. 130, is A. M. of Mishawaka Chapter, No. 83, is senior warden of the Blue Lodge, master of Mishawaka Council, No. 19, and past eminent com- mander of the South Bend Commandery, No. 13, K. T. He is also an Odd Fellow, and a member of Mentor Lodge, No. 203. Politically he has always been an active Republican. The Doctor has made his way in life by his own exertions, and is re- spected alike for his integrity of character and professional ability. On March 17, 1864, he enlisted at Columbus, Ohio, io the signal corps, and served until the close of the war. He was first in the camp of instruction nt Washington, D. C., and from there weut to Rome, Ga., joining Sherman's army, being a participant in the siege of Kenesaw Mountain and Atlanta, Ga., and marched with Sherman to the sea. He wound up his military career with the Grand Review at Washington, D. C., after which he returned home and to the peaceful pursuits of civil life.

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CHARLES H. KENDRICK is a public-spirited citizen, in harmony with advanced ideas, intelligent progress and the best methods of promoting education, improve- ments and good of his country generally. He was born in Nashna, N. H., March 24, 1823, of English ancestry, who came to this country and took up their abode in New England. His father was a native of Amherst, N. H, and in early life entered a store in Boston, where he remained several years, from which place he removed to the village of Nashua, N. H., which was then a thriving cotton mano- facturing place on the Massachusetts border, where he became established in the business of a country merchant. Having received a common-school education, supplemented by an academic course, Charles H. Kendrick entered his father's store, where he remained until March, 1843, when he went to the city of New York and engaged for a time iu mercantile pursuits; then returned to his native place and his father's store. In 1847, having received the offer of a position by Jndge Charles F. Gove, then superintendent of the Nashua & Lowell Railroad, he accepted the same, acting in the capacity of clerk in the freight and passenger departments, assistant conductor, etc. In March, 1852, Gen. George Stark, treasurer of the road, was offered and accepted the position of superintendent of the Hudson River Railroad, which had just been completed between New York City and Albany, and Mr. Ken- drick accompanied him to his new field of labor. He was placed in charge of the passenger department of the road, 150 miles in length, under the presidency of the late Gov. E. D. Morgan. This road, like many othere in the early days of railroad- ing, had its many vicissitudes and changes, and for many years was unremunerative to its stockholders. Located on the east bank of the Hudson River, it was subject to competition by large passenger steamers and other river craft, aided by the power- ful influence of the New York Central Railroad, then its only western and northern connection. Following the presidency and able management of the Hon. Sam Sloan, now and for many years past, the president and manager of the Delaware, Lacks- wanna & Western Railroad, with its extensive coal and railroad traffic, came the presidency of Commodore Vanderbilt, succeeded by his son, William H., and Chaun- cey M. Depew, under whose skillful management and the changed condition of things incident upon the termination of the war and new and extensive ramifications of the railroad systems of the country, etc., the Hudson River Railroad soon became prosperous and in November, 1869, a part of the "New York Central & Hudson River Railroad" system. The subject of this sketch was continued at the head of the passenger and ticket department of the new combination and so continued until the "centennial year," when he became auditor of passenger accounts of the road, and upon the absorption of the West Shore Railroad into the Central & Hudson River system, had charge of the passenger accounts of that road also. July 1, 1888, after a continuous railroad service of forty-one years Mr. Kendrick resigned his position and for one year resided in Dakota. In August, 1889, he became a resident of Elk- hart, Ind., his present home. During the many years of railroad service, continued during the early period of railroad history of the United States, Mr. Kendrick has witnessed many changes occurring from time to time, and the rapid development of the growth of our railroad system has, indeed, been marvelous. At the commence- ment of his railroad career there were practically no railroads in New England, and but few in other parts of the country. It is within his recollection that the first railroad leading out of Boston was constructed, and well he remembers his first trip to Boston over the Boston & Lowell Railroad, the journey to Lowell being made by stage from Nashua. The train consisted of compartment cars of English style, with seats transversely arranged and upholstered with drab broadcloth, and with doors at the sides. The brakemen were located on the tops of the cars. The cars were provided with chains and buffers instead of the present devices of Miller plat- forms and couplers for connecting them. Granite sleepers were used in the con- struction of the track, making it not only substantial but rigid and unyielding. and they soon gave way to the wooden ties, or sleepers, as they were then called. Pas-

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senger conductors, in those days, were largely selected from stage drivers of routes throughout the country that had been displaced by the new order of things. Palace sleeping cars and other improvements of great importance to the safety and comfort of travelers, vestibule trains, etc., have supplanted old equipment. Trains are run with much greater speed, and it leads one to wonder if the next, half century will possibly develop equally great improvements. Mr. Kendrick was married in 1849 to Miss Susan M. Newell, a native of the State of New York, also of English ancestry, and by her he has two sons: Charles F. and Edmund N.

CHRISTIAN HELMINOER. This citizen is one of the prominent farmers and an inhabitant of Union township, Elkhart Co., Ind. Like many of the representative citizens of the county he is a native of the Buckeye State, born in Shelby county, January 6, 1840, and was the third child born to Jacob and Catherine (Zarn) Hel- minger. Jacob Helminger was born in Germany, and there remained until twenty years of age, when he decided that he could better his condition by a residence in the United States. He crossed the ocean to this conntry, settled in Shelby county, Ohio, and was there married to Miss Zarn, who died in 1842. Afterward the father married Miss Elizabeth Lewis, and four children were born to them: Michael, Louis, Sophia and Elizabeth; all living. The father followed the occupation of a farmer, and in connection was also engaged as a carpenter. By his first wife he was the father of three children: Jacob, George (died young), and our subject. In 1851, when the original of this notice was about eleven years of age, the father too passed to that bourne from whence no traveler returns, and as a consequence Christian Helminger remembers very little of his parents. After the death of the father the children were scattered, and Christian, who was then but eleven years of age, was thrown on his own resources. Even at that early age he showed remarkable talent for taking care of himself, and after working on a farm for some time began car- pentering. He grew to manhood in Shelby county, and in 1878 came to Indiana and settled at New Paris, in Elkhart county, where he worked as carpenter and con- tractor, putting up a number of houses and barns in that town and through the county. In 1884 he began as an agriculturist, after having made a success of his trade for many years, and is now managing a farm of 160 acres owned by his wife and her sister. He selected his companion in life in the person of Miss Elizabeth Stump, daughter of Samuel Stump. and their nuptials were solemnized in 1885. Mr. Stump and wife were natives of Canada, but at an early day came to Elkbart county, where they were married. Seven children were born to them, as follows: Mary, born in Elkhart county, June 29. 1840, became the wife of John Weldy, of Kosciusko county; Sarab, born April 14, 1842, died June 13, 1882; George, born December 29, 1844, died March 29, 1847; Magdalene, born February 7, 1847, is single; Elizabeth, born February 10, 1849, is the wife of Mr. Helminger; Samuel, born June 9, 1851, died November 9, 1873. and Anna, born December 5, 1855, is still living. Mrs. Helminger's mother was formerly a Stump, a daughter of Solomon Stump, and the granddaughter of Abraham Stump. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Stump settled in Union township and took up good land, on which they passed the remainder of their days, both dying in the year 1880, the father on February 5, when sixty-three years of age, and the mother just nine days later, when seventy years of age. They were pioneers of the county, and worked hard to get a comfort- able home. Honorable and upright in every walk of life they were highly respected by all, and were classed among the best citizens. They left 240 acres of land to their children, and Elizabeth, Magdalene and Anna are living on the quarter section left them. Mary, Mrs. Weldy, owns eighty aeres and the old home. Mr. Hel- minger is engaged in general farming and stockraising, and has made considerable improvement on the place. In his political belief he is a Republican, and is con- siderably interested in the political affairs of the country. He takes an active inter- est in schools and churches, and all other worthy movements.

MARTIN LONO. The Long family is of German descent, the grandfather of our

Hon. ISAAC P. GRAY.

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subject, with his family, emigrating from Wurtemberg, Germany, and settling in Berks county, Penn. George Long, the father of our subject, was reared in that county, and later settled in Preble county, Ohio, were he followed the trade of wagon maker. He married Miss Catherine Gloss and the following children were born to them: Samuel, Fred, Martin, Margaret, Catherine, Sarah and Rachel. When an old man Mr. Long came to Indiana with his son Martin and died in the Hoosier State when seventy years of age. He was an honest, industrious man and a worthy and exemplary member of the Lutheran Church. He was a good singer and often led the singing in church. Martin Long, the original of this notice, was born in Preble County, Ohio, December 6, 1818, ou the banks of a creek near an old mill in which his father ground corn for the soldiers of the War of 1812. He had but little chance to get an education in the old pioneer schools, but learned to read and write. He was taught all the duties of farm life at an early age and when but a child worked for farmers at a shilling a day. In February, 1834, young Long arrived in Benton township, Elkhart Co., Ind., where his elder brother, Jobn, had resided for two years. The latter had entered eighty acres of land and on this our subject now resides. John walked from Preble county, Ohio, to this county, a distance of 150 miles, in six days, over very bad rosds, and kept up with a man driving a pair of horses. The severe labor of this trip and the hardships incident to pioneer life had their effect on this enterprising young man. After he had entered eighty acres of land he walked to Fort Wayne one day and back the next, was taken ill and died at the house of Michael Price, one of the original pioneers of this township. His land then fell to his father and the two youngest sons, Martin and Fred, who came out together in 1834, bringing their father, then an aged man, and settling on this farm. They came with a yoke of oxen and an old horse in the lead, were weeks on the way, and had a very tedious journey. They lived in a small log house, that the neigh- bors had built in the snow that spring, and subsisted on corn meal and game. Be- tween them they had $2, and this they spent for a shovel and a bushel of corn, which they obtained from Samnel Stutzman and which kept them from starving. The boys worked bravely to clear their place, and as game was very abundant, deer, turkeys, squirrels, etc., their principal food was corn meal and squirrel. This they lived on for many months. By the next year these wide-awake young men had partly cleared np four acres and put in a crop of corn. As they had left standing all the trees over eighteen inches in diameter, they had but a small crop, principally fodder. The first winter the cattle were wintered on wild nettles, on which they seemed to thrive when it was green, but when this was dry in the winter they got poor. In this way these boys got a start. Fred was two years younger than our subject and but fourteen years of age. He remained with his brother until grown and finally settled on forty acres of his own land. Later he settled near Oswego, on eighty acres of land, and there he died when sixty years of age, leav- ing a wife and two children, John and Ada. After residing for five years on the farm that he and his brother had made such great efforts to clear, and after clearing about six acres, our subject was married September 20, 1841, to Miss Lydia Zearfass, who was born July 27, 1823, and who was the daughter of John and Catherine (Conrad) Zearfass, natives of Northumberland county, Penn. Lydia came to this county with the family of John Trego, who settled northeast of Goshen. Mr. and Mrs. Long settled in an old log cabin in the woods, but as the years passed along and their hard labor and industry began to bear fruit, they erected a barn and a good frame house in 1858. They added to the original tract of land until now this worthy couple own 456 acres. Mr. Long worked very hard, saved all his money, and made nearly all the implements that he nsed. He learned grafting, and as it was profitable in early days, he followed it for forty years. He has also made shoes and worked at any- thing that would bring him in an honest dollar. His wife was a helpmate indeed, frugal and industrious, and often worked far into the night to assist in making a home. Eight children were born to this most estimable couple and all lived to

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mature years: John, born January 26, 1842, and died in the army; Catherine, born April 3, 1844; Amos, born March 20, 1846; Frederick, born March 17, 1850, and died when & young man; Sarah A., born November 23, 1851; Nathaniel, born April 15, 1858; James A., born December 5, 1862; and Mary L., born December 5, 1864. Both Mr. and Mrs. Long are members of the Lutheran Church and he is a Repub- lican in politics. During the war he was a strong Union man and during the enlistment of the soldiers he played his fife in all the neighboring towns. His son, John was in several skirmishes and was taken ill and died. His body was brought home and interred in the Solomon's Creek Cemetery. Mr. Long is now a man seventy- four years of age and is a respected pioneer citizen. His life has been a struggle from his youth up, but he has surmounted all difficulties and can pass the remainder of his days in comfort. He and his brother were the youngest pioneers in the county and their perseverance and industry were remarkable. Mr. Long has wit- nessed many changes in the country in the last half century and has seen the wilderness transformed into the fertile and productive tracts of land. He has given all his children a start in life and on equalization will leave them each $3,500. Catherine married John Crisson, & farmer of Kosciusko county, and they have seven children; Amos married May Mullin (deceased), and to them were born six children (he is a farmer of Kosciusko county); Sarah A. married John Mullin, & farmer of Kosciusko county, and they have four children; Nathaniel married Mahala Hapner, and is engaged in agricultural pursuits in Benton township, this county; James A. was married March 13, 1887, to Miss Saloma A. Juday, daughter of John S. Juday (see sketch; they reside on a farm in Benton township); Mary D. married Milo Ott, & farmer of Kosciusko county, and they have one child. Mr. Long made the first ax handles and ox yokes for sale in the county, and sold them st Benton. People would come from some distance to have him make these handles and he would often work at them during the evenings. Jamea A. Long, son of our subject, was born on the old homestead and was fairly educated in the common schools. He married Miss Juday, a member of the old Jnday family, when twenty-four years of age, and is now residing on the home place. He is a practical farmer, an industrious, thoroughgoing young man, and is respected by all. In politics he affiliates with the Republican party.

DAVID P. WEAVER. Another of the early pioneera of Elkhart county, Ind., Mr. Weaver has won the respect and esteem of all for his many excellent traits of char- acter and for his upright, honorable career. His parents, Peter and Susan (Rahrer) Wesver, were natives of Pennsylvania and Maryland respectively, the former born in Lancaster county, April 27, 1807, and the latter on March 27, 1815. Our subject's paternal grandparents, Peter and Magdalene (Swoveland) Weaver, were of German origin, and his maternal grandfather, Jacob Rahrer, was one of the early settlers of the Buckeye State. Peter Weaver, Jr., was but seven years of age when the family moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio, and in that State he made his home until 18 -- , when he emigrated to Elkhart county, Ind. He was married in Ohio to Miss Rahrer, who was but a small child when her parents moved from Maryland to Holmes county, Ohio, where her father passed the remainder of his days. She was one of seven children. Mr. and Mrs. Weaver settled on a farm in Union township, Elkhart county, and there Mr. Weaver died in 1887, when eighty years of age. Mrs. Weaver is still living in Union township and is eighty years of age. Eight of the twelve children born to this worthy couple are still living: Martin, a farmer in Uniou township; Jacob, a resident of Clinton township, this county; David P., residing in Union township, this county; Benjamin, in Marshall county; Peter, in this county; Christian, Union township; Eva, Mrs. Aaron Mishler, of Clinton town- ship; and Elizabeth, wife of William Mishler of Union township. Those deceased are Magdalene, Rebecca, Samuel and Lerry. The father of these children bought a farm of 160 acres in Elkhart county in 1854, improved it in every way, and became a substantial citizen. He was an upright man and a worthy member of

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the Lutheran Church. In politics he was a Democrat. He was devoted to his home and family and reared his children to be honest and upright men and women. They are all doing well. David P. Weaver was born in Holmes county, Ohio, October 23, 1841, and was a lad of thirteen years when the family came to Indiana. They made the journey across the country with wagon and were two weeks on the way. They settled on a farm, and David's youthful days were passed in hard labor on the farm, so that he secured but a limited education. When twenty-one years of age he left the parental roof and worked at the carpenter'a trade for nine years. In 1863 he married Miss Sarah Swoveland, who was born in Holmes county, Ohio, February 27, 1838, and who was the daughter of Michael and Elizabeth (Wartz) Swoveland, natives of Pennsylvania and pioneer settlers of Ohio. Later Mr. and Mrs. Swoveland moved to Union township, Elkhart county, and there both passed the remainder of their days. They were the parents of twelve children, only four now living: Andrew, Sarah, John and Jacob. Those deceased were named Anthony, Lena, Eva, George, Lydia, Michael, Elizabeth and Louis. After his marriage Mr. Weaver worked at bis trade about two years and then engaged in farming on his present property. Hia marriage has resulted in the birth of nine children, as follows: Milo, born January 14, 1864; Rosa, born August 23, 1865, married William Conrad; Lavina, wife of Solomon Rummel, born January 14, 1867; Adaline, born October 14, 1868, married Milton Rummel, and is the mother of two children, Sadie and Mervie; Henry, born August 10, 1870, died nineteen days later; Susan, born August 10, 1871, died in the following month; Samuel, born in 1873, is at home; Elizabeth, born October 14, 1875; and John, born October 1, 1877. Mrs. Weaver is a member of the German Baptist Church. Mr. Weaver is a public- spirited man and takes an active interest in all good work. He has held a number of offices of trust in the township, among them that of school director and supervisor, and is well informed in politics and the affairs of the county. His fine farm of 106 acres has been improved in every way and he is one of the foremost farmers and stockraisers of his township.

ABRAHAM HAPNER. No better citizens have come to Elkhart connty than those who emigrated from the green isle of Erin and who brought as their inheritance from Irish ancestors the traits of character and life which has ever distinguished them. The Hapner family is of Irish origin and the first branch of the family to find root upon American soil, was the great-great-grandfather of our subject who crossed the ocean from that country to this at a very early period. The grandfather of our subject, Abraham Hapner, was born in Virginia, but at an early date ventured into the wilds of Ohio, settled in Preble county, and was one of the first settlers. He married Miss Sallie Ott, sister of Michael Ott, who then lived in Preble county, and the following children were born to this union: Jacob, John, Joseph, Jesse, Frances, Abraham. Susannab, Frederick, Eli and Andrew. Mr. Hapner cleared ap a good farm of 160 acres in Preble county, on Twin Creek, and there passed the remainder of his days, dying when some sixty years of age, shortly after a visit made to his son Joseph, of this county. The latter, who is the father of our sub- ject, was born on his father's farm in Preble county, Ohio, and received the limited education usual in those days. His early life was passed on the farm, and after reaching mature years he was married to Miss Elizabeth Rookstoot, of German descent, who bore him an old-fashioned family of fourteen children, all but one of whom grew to manhood and womanhood, viz .: Levi, Delilah, Sarah, Abraham, Matilda, Susannah, Franklin, Nelson, George, Hamilton, Joseph, Elizabeth (died when three years of age), Ira and Thomas. In October, 1832, Mr. Hapuer came with his wife and two eldest children, to Elkhart county, Ind., and settled on eighty acres of land he had entered from the Government, in Benton town- ship. He cleared from six to eight acres of this during the winter, put in & crop in the spring, but later sold it and entered 120 acres in Section 18, Benton township, now occupied by Ira Hapner and known as the old Hapner home-

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Pictorial and biographical memoirs of Elkhart and St. Joseph counties, Indiana, together with biographies of many prominent men of northern Indiana and of the whole state, both living and dead, Part 106

Author: Publication date: 1893 Publisher: Chicago, Goodspeed Brothers Number of Pages: 786

Author:
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago, Goodspeed Brothers
Number of Pages: 786