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 30

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 30
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 30

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MEMOIRS OF INDIANA.

Miami county, Ohio, and spent three years working at the carpenter's trade in the vi- cinity of Troy. Upon returning to St. Joseph county he followed carpentering for about twenty-five years, and many of the fine residences and barns of the surrounding country attest his taste and skill as a mechanic. He was married in September, 1849, to Lydia A. Good, born October 22, 1821, a daughter of Samuel and Hester (Russell) Good. After the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Miller they resided in South Bend for two years and then settled on a farm in German township which consisted of 160 acres of land, which Mr. Miller brought under a high state of cultivation and made some valuable improvements thereon. Retiring from active business pursuita, he dis- posed of his property in 1878 and located in South Bend, where he still resides and where he owns valuable residence property. While a resident of German township he discharged the duties of township assessor for fourteen years, and also held the of- fice of trustee and other positions of honor. In 1846 Mr. Miller became a member of the I. O. O. F., and has represented his camp at the Grand Lodge on three differ- ent occasions. . He has also held all the official positions in the subordinate lodge and camp. He is a member of the Rebecca degree. He belongs to the Universal- ist Church and in politics is a Republican, having voted that ticket ever since the organization of the party, having previously been a Whig. Mr. and Mrs. Miller are the parents of seven children: Paulina, Alice and Clara (twins), Martha, William G., Mary and Hester. Three of these children died in childhood of diphtheria, and the rest grew to maturity but have since died.

ABRAHAM SCHROCK is descended from one of the old and historic colonial families of America, the founders of which were two brothers who left their native land of Germany to seek a home on a foreign shore. They were members of the Amish Mennonite Church, which sect was strongly opposed to war in every form, and to escape military service they, in company with another brother, set out on foot for Russia, but the third brother becoming footsore, was obliged to remain on the shore of the Black Sea while the other brothers took passage on a vessel for America and in due time reached the shores of Canada. Later they took up their abode in Penn- sylvania where William Penn had established an asylum for the oppressed religious sects of the world. They married and reared families. The great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, Casper Schrock, was a farmer of the " Keystone State" and was the follower of the religion of his fathers. John Schrock, his son, tilled the soil at a place called "The Glades" in Somerset county and there brought up a family of six children: Peter, Daniel, Michael, Joseph, Rosina and Kate. He was a substantial farmer and lived to be an old man. His son Peter was also a product of Somerset county, Penn., his birth occurring on his parents' farm in 1801. He fol- lowed in his father's footsteps as to his occupation, and while still single, at the age of twenty-three years, he removed to Wayne county, Ohio, and settled on 160 acres of land which his father, with his usual foresight, had entered for him. He cleared this land from timber, improved it very much in the way of fences, buildings, etc., dur- ing the eighteen years that he remained on it, and by his own untiring efforts made it a very valuable piece of property. A short time after settling in that locality he was mar- ried to Fannie, daughter of Jacob Plank, a miller by occupation, and in 1842 they removed to Elkhart county, Ind., and were worthy agriculturists of Middlebury township until the father's death in 1884. His character was above reproach and he was a man who won respect from all with whom he came in contact. He was of a very religious nature and for many years was a deacon in the Amish Church. His wife bore him twelve children, whose names are as follows: John, Jacob, Abraham, Cornelius, Joseph, David, Peter, Mary, Rachel, Martha and two infants that died. The mother of these children, a most estimable and intelligent old lady, has at- tained to the advanced age of eighty-seven years. Abraham Schrock, the subject of this sketch, first saw the light of day on his father's farm in Wayne county, Ohio, August 10, 1828, and in his youth was given educational advantages, which his dis- criminating judgment led him to improve. When a mere boy he began life for

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himself as an assistant teacher, and this calling he followed with the best of success for over three years. During this time he had been gaining a thorough knowledge of the intricacies of farming and also of the carpenter and joiner's trade so that when he began his independent career, he was better fitted than the average farmer's boy to make his own way in the world. He came to Indiana with his parents when fourteen years of age and was married in La Grange county, November 8, 1849, to Polly Miller, who was born June 20, 1833, to Joseph and Elizabeth (Zoder) Miller, the former of whom was born in Somerset county, Penn., in 1808, was a farmer by occupation and was a member of the old Amish Church. He and his wife became the parents of five children: Lydia, Polly, Rachel, Daniel and Joseph. Mr. Miller became a resident of La Grange county, in 1851, and in time hecame the owner of 340 acres of land. In addition to discharging these duties he was an active minister of his church, organized many new congregations and was a power for good. After his marriage Mr. Schrock settled on Section 16, Middlebury township, on 107 acres of land and with the aid of his faithful and industrious wife he has in- creased it to 187 acres. Ten children have been born to them: John, born Sep- tember 20, 1850, was married to Lucy Snellsboyer, is a farmer of Kansas and is the father of three children; Fannie, born January 16, 1853, married Samnel Balyeat, a farmer of Kansas and has six children; Libbie, born September 20, 1854, became the wife of Jacob Garver, a farmer of Clinton township, and died in her twenty- eighth year, after having become the mother of two children; Mary, horn May 24, 1857, became the wife of John Nusbaum, a lawyer, and died in her thirty-third year; Joseph, born May 4, 1860, married Jennie Carmine, is a farmer but was formerly in a furniture store in Goshen and is the father of two children; Abraham, born June 8, 1862, died October 6, 1863; Rachel, born January 9, 1864, married Henry Alshouse, a farmer, and has three children; Emma, born February 14, 1869, mar- ried Henry Pfeffer, a farmer, and has one child; Edson, born August 17, 1871, and Franklin born October 10, 1873. Mr. and Mrs. Schrock are members of the Amish Church and being industrious, honest, public-spirited and law-abiding they are valuable residents of the community in which they reside and are considered the best of neighbors. They have reared their children to believe in Christianity, have given them good common-school educations and have handed down to them their own numerous virtues and an untarnished name.

YOST SCHROCK is one of the old settlers of Middlebury township and possesses all the characteristics of the native Hollander from which race of people he is descended, although he was born in Wayne county, Ohio., March 28, 1827. His grandfather, Jasper Schrock, came to America from the old country and settled in Somerset county, Penn., where he successfully tilled the soil, and was eventually married to Miss Catherine Stonky. This union resulted in the birth of nine children: Michael, Abraham, Jacob, John, Christian, Henry, Catherine, Peter and Joseph. Jasper Schrock was a member of the Amish Church and died in Somerset county. His son Peter was born in that county, and there was initiated into the mysteries of farming. When a young man he removed to Holmes county, Ohio, and was there married to Sarah, daughter of Yost Miller, who was a pioneer settler of that county and a substantial farmer. In time a family of eight children gathered about their hearthstone: Catherine, Elizabeth, Susannah, Yost, Elias, Benjamin, Sarah and Mary. Soon after his marriage Mr. Schrock removed to Wayne county, Ohio, at which time the region was very sparsely settled. He had a neighbor, Samuel Lants, who hauled forty bushels of wheat to Worcester, selling it for two shillings per bushel, receiving as payment one barrel of salt. Although he and his family suf- ered many hardships, which always attend the life of the pioneer, they enjoyed good health, made the best of their lot, were industrious and in time a good home was developed from the wilderness, containing of 123 acres. Mr. Schrock was an earnest Christian and for many years was a minister of the Amish Church. He died on his farm at the age of fifty-one years, his death being much regretted by those

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who knew him. His son Yost was brought up as he, himself, had been and obtained a thorough knowledge of agriculture and a fair common-school education. In those early days the farmers tramped ont the wheat on the barn floor with horses, and the task usually assigned to young Yost was to ride the lead horse at this work. This slow process occupied weeks of the fall and winter. In October, 1848, at the age of twenty-one, he was married to Magdalena, daughter of Christian and Eliza- beth (Kurtz) Plank, the former of whom was one of the first settiers of Wayne county, Ohio. After his marriage Mr. Schrock resided on the old homestead for three years and here his two eldest children were born. The names of his off- spring are: Christian, Isaac, Elizabeth, Elias, Emeline, Mary J., Sarah A., Nancy E., William and Clara A. In 1851 Mr. Schrock and his family moved to Indiana and settled in Middlebury township, Elkhart connty, the following spring taking up his residence on his present farm. The improvements on this place have been made by himself, consisting of a tasteful and comfortable residence, good barns and out-buildings, excellent fences, etc., and the farm presents a beautiful and thrifty appearance. His land, consisting of 160 acres, has all been cleared by his own efforts, with the exception of three acres. He has always been kind and considerate in his family, and has assisted his children to a good start in life, dividing about $10,000 among them. He and his wife are members of the Dunkard Church and politically he is a Republican. He has always taken an active interest in the promotion of good schools and roads, and has been a member of the board of education of his township. His children are established in life as follows: Christian married Susannah Hostetler, by whom he has two children and is a minister of the Dunkard Church; Isaac is a farmer of Middlebury township, is married to Mariah Burns and has three children; Elizabeth married Joseph Troyer, a carpenter of Goshen, by whom she has four children; Elias married Annie Hoover, is a farmer of this town- ship and has two children; Emeline married Levi Weaver, a farmer of this town- ship and has five children; Mary J. married Amos Gripe, a farmer of this section, and hasseven children (three pairs of twins); Nancy E. married Frank Priser, a farmer of the township, and has one child; William married Lula Van Dorsen, and is at present residing on the home farm. He is a school teacher by profession but at present is attending a Normal College, of Springfield, Ohio; Clara married John Zimmerman, a farmer, and has one child. It will thus be seen that Mr. Schrock is the grandfather of twenty-five children. All the members of the family are repu- table citizens and are an honor to the parents who reared them to nseful manhood and womanhood.

JACOB RITTER, of South Bend, Ind., and one of the pioneers of St. Joseph county, is a Montgomery county, Ohioan, born abont three miles west of Dayton, on the 1st of January, 1806, a son of John and Barbara (Garber) Ritter. John Ritter was born in North Carolina in April, 1777, and there grew to manhood. When a young man he learned the cooper's trade and for some time made that his chief occupation. He afterward resided near Nashville, Tenn., for a short time and later was a resident of Kentucky. As he was married in Montgomery, Ohio, in 1805, he was probably a settler of that locality about the year 1803. At the time he crossed the Ohio River at Cincinnati on his way to Ohio, there was only a block house and a few cabins where that city now stands, the principal in- habitants at that point being soldiers. His wife was born in Virginia, a daughter of John and Barbara Garber. About the year 1818 the Ritter family removed to Wayne county, Ind., being among the pioneers of that county, where Mr. Ritter became the owner of 160 acres of land. Here Mr. Ritter lived for several years. He afterward disposed of his property there and settled in St. Joseph county, a portion of his land being in Portage and a portion in German township. He after- ward settled on the Michigan road in German township, where he lived until his death in February, 1867. His wife survived him several years, her death occurring at the home of her daughter in Floyd county, Iowa, at the advanced age of one

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hundred and two years. Mr. and Mrs. Ritter were the parents of the following children: Jacob, Michael, John, Benjamin, David, Samuel, Martin, Ssrsh and Susan, all of whom sre living but John, who served three years as cavalryman in the late war under Gen. Custer. Jacob Ritter, whose name is st the head of this sketch, was about twelve years of age when his parents settled in Wayne county, and there and in his native county he succeeded in obtaining a practical education in the common schools, which were held in the old-time log cabin. He was reared on a farm, and has always devoted his attention to that occupation. In Wayne county he united his fortunes with those of Elizabeth Miller October 26, 1826, her birth having occurred in Montgomery county, Ohio, June 5, 1809, she being a daughter of David and Ssrah (Hardman) Miller, who also became pioneers of St. Joseph county, Ind. In the spring of 1830 Mr. Ritter came to this county also, and found himself in Portage Prairie on April 5 of that year, and located on a farm of eighty acres in Section 32, which he had previously selected in the fall of 1829, at which time he also became the owner of eighty acres of timber land. A number of other families came at the same time, and that year they all raised quite good crops of corn. Several of these settlers combined work and in 1830 seeded about 200 acres to corn, which Mr. Ritter says became the finest crop of sod corn he has ever seen produced in any country. That year they also rsised some magnificent melons and turnips, but he refuses to disclose their ex- act size and weight for fear people of the present day would be inclined to doubt his veracity. He erected & log cabin on his property in German town- ship, Section 29, in the fall of 1831, where he lived for many years, and which he still owns. In 1866 he retired from active labor and purchased property in South Bend, where he is now residing. He also owns 342 acres of land, and is nicely situated to enjoy life. He and his worthy wife became the parents of a good old-fashioned family of fourteen children: Lucinda (deceased), Barbara, Sarah A. (decessed), Amanda E., Martha E., Aaron M., William H. H., David M., John N., Benjamin F., Theodore (deceased), Lorinda and Clarinda (twins) and Elizabeth M. Of these children, Amanda E., Martha E., William H. H. snd Elizabeth M. are residents of this county; Barbara, now wife of Joseph Hard- man, is living at Prairie City, Grant Co., Ore .; Aaron M. and David M. are farm- ers near Springfield, Mo .; John N. is engaged in the practice of law and in bank- ing st Columbus, Kan .; Benjamin F., a farmer and dealer in agricultural imple- ments, resides in Castleton, Cass Co., N. D. Lorinda, wife of Q. A. Balls, lives near St. Edward, Boone Co., Neb., and Clarinda, who married J. F. Buchtel, is liv- ing in Kansas City, Mo. Two sons, William H. H. and David, served three years dur- ing the war in the twenty-first Indiana Battery, under command of Capt. Andrews. Mrs. Ritter died February 20, 1867, and in 1872 Mr. Ritter took for his second wife Ellen Lentz, born February 26, 1831, in Pennsylvania, daughter of Christopher and Han- nah (Davis) Lentz, who were of Scotch descent. Christopher Lentz was a soldier in the War of 1812, and for many years was a resident of German township, where he lived until his desth, which occurred Angust 14, 1838. His widow survived him antil October 27, 1869. Mr. Ritter is a member of the I. O. O. F., having joined that order about the year 1850. He has always been a great reader, and possesses a well-stored mind. He rather favors the Universalist doctrine in his religious views, and in politics has always been an ardent Democrat. His record as an honorable man of affairs has remained untarnished, and as a citizen he has always been public spirited and law abiding.

GEORGE WITTER has been a resident of St. Joseph county, Ind., for many years, in fact, was one of the very earliest settlers of the region, but was born in Union county, Ind., October 23, 1817, to John and Anna (Mayer) Witter, the former of whom was born October 23, 1782, in Lancaster county, Penn. Christopher Witter, the father of John, was born July 5, 1756. It is thought that the parents of Christopher came from Germany. Christopher was a farmer by occupation and was

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resred in his native State, where he resided the greater part of his life. His wife, Mary, was born March 9, 1763, and bore her husband nine children. She died in Pennsylvania many years since. Mr. Witter died in Union county, Ind., about the year 1822. John Witter grew to mature years in the State of his birth and devoted his time to farming. He was married May 25, 1803, to Anna Mayer, born March 5, 1783, in Pennsylvania, daughter of John Mayer. Shortly after their marriage they became residents of Union county, Ind., where Mr. Witter entered 160 acres of land which was covered with a heavy growth of timber. He cleared & small space, erected & log cabin and there the family lived for several years. Here Mrs. Witter died, November 15, 1832, leaving the following children: Samuel, Elizabeth, Catherine, John, Sarah, Jacob, George, Abraham, Mary, Anna and Susan. In May, 1833, Mr. Witter and children removed to this county and settled in German township, on the west side of Portage Prairie, having previously entered 160 acres of land there. Shortly after coming to German township he entered eighty acres for $100 and later secured forty acres of timber land for $50. The work of the pioneer was again gone through in erecting buildings and improving wild land, but Mr. Witter's former experience was of great benefit to him and he made rapid headway in his improvements. This farm continued to be his home until his death, May 23, 1864. The eldest son, Samuel, had married in Union county, Ind., and in 1830 settled in Cass county, Mich., but a few years later became a farmer of German township, St. Joseph county, Ind., where he lived many years, his death occurring in South Bend. George Witter, the immediate subject of this sketch, was reared in his native county until sixteen years of age, during which time he secured a practical education in the subscription schools then in vogue, and for two winter terms attended the district schools of German township. He assisted in the tedious and laborious task of improving the home farm, and to this end split rails, grubbed and followed the plow. Under these conditions he attained manhood, and, during his long residence here, has seen almost the entire development of the county, and witnessed its transformation from an almost unbroken wilderness into a thickly populated region, dotted with magnificent and highly cul- tivated farms. On the 16th of February, 1840, he was married to Sarah Miller, a native of Wayne county, Ind., born November 1, 1822, a daughter of David and Sarah (Hardman) Miller. After their marriage they settled on a farm which Mr. Witter had purchased, consisting of eighty acres in the northern part of Section 30. Here he lived for twenty years. In 1860 he traded thie land for a farm in Warren township, where he lived thirty-six years. In 1886 he located on the farm on which he is residing at the present time, consisting of seventy-four acres. He still owns 195 acres in Warren township. Since the organization of the Republican party he has always voted that ticket, and previous to that time was a Whig. He has held various township offices, in all of which he has discharged his duties in an intelligent and capable manner. Mr. and Mrs. Witter are the parents of twelve children: Aaron, Albert, Martin, George I., Harrison, Adaline, Lucinda, Caroline, living. and the following who are deceased: Elizabeth A., Mary E., Phoebe J. and John W. Mr. and Mrs. Witter are members in good standing of the German Baptist Church, in which they have kept the faith for many years. They have brought up their chil- dren to be an honor to them and in the good graces of their acquaintances hold a prominent place, as they fully deserve to do.

JONATHAN BALYEAT. The agricultural part of any community is the bone and sinew from which come the strength and vigor necessary to carry on the affairs of manufacture, commerce and the State. When the farming people are composed of men and women of courage, enterprise, intelligence and integrity, prosperity will attend all departments of activity and this is pre-eminently the case in Elk- hart county, Ind., and among those who hold high rank as a tiller of the soil is Mr. Balyeat, who springs from a good old colonial family of Pennsylvania. The family tree took root on American soil when a number of brothers came from

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the river Rhone in France and settled in "Penn'a Woodland." They were young men, were married in the land of their adoption and three of the brothers settled in Philadelphia where they engaged in the foundry business, and the other brother became a farmer. From these three brothers descended all the Balyeats in the United States, who are now scattered throughout the length and breadth of the land, and among their numbers may be found prosperous farmers, business men and members of the learned professions. The Balyeata have been patriots and soldiers in all the American wars. George Balyeat, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born in Pennsylvania, was a farmer of Schuylkill county in the Mauch Chunk Valley. He was the father of twelve children: Stephen, Leonard, George, Henry, Daniel, Eve, Jonas, Jacob, David and Joseph, besides two whose names can not be recalled. They all lived to a ripe old age and reared families, the death of Stephen occurring at the age of ninety-four years. George Balyeat died on his farm in Pennsylvania, an aged and respected man. Jonas, his son, waa born on the old homestead in Schuylkill county, Penn., July 25, 1798, and, for his day, received a fair German education, and afterward became a German school teacher in the State of his birth. The Balyeats had, for generationa, inter-married with the Ger- mans of Pennsylvania, and in this way lost all knowledge of the French language, and the spelling of their name also became corrupted from the French name Balliet, to Balyeat and other forms. When a young man of twenty, Jonaa Balyeat went to Westmoreland county, Penn., to collect a note of $300 which his father gave him, and thinking he could find the party, he proceeded on foot through the wilderness to western Pennsylvania, but did not succeed in finding his man. He found a wife, however, in the person of Miss Catherine Hum, their marriage being celebrated in Westmoreland county. Their marriage resulted in the birth of a very large family of eighteen children, fifteen of whom reached honorable manhood and womanhood: David, Jacob, Abraham, Jonathan, Sarah, Aaron, Eliza, Phoebe, Moses, Joshua, Benjamin, Emanuel, Renben, Mary and Marquis. After residing one year in West- moreland county, Jonas Balyeat (in 1820) moved to Richland county, Ohio, where he settled in the wilderness, cleared up a farm, reared his family and passed the re- mainder of his days. He and his wife were devout members of the Baptist Church, and he assisted in founding the Baptist Church in Richland county, in which he was deacon for fifty-eight years, and gave liberally of his means in its aupport. He was principally noted for his religious character and honorable course in life, and by his own efforts became the owner of 300 acres of land, which comprised the homestead, as well as a large amount of wild land in Van Wert county, Ohio, on which a number of his children have since settled and are now living. He assisted his children to a start in life, and upon his death left an estate to be divided among them and the heritage of an untarnished name. The latter years of hia life were spent in retirement from the active work in the town of Van Wert, Ohio, where he died in the eighty-eighth year of his age, universally lamented. Throughout life he was a stanch Republican in his political views, was a strong Abolitionist during the war and was a stanch supporter of the Union cause, four of his song and one grandson serving in the Federal army. Abraham waa a lieutenant in the 100 days' service, and was stationed in Maryland at Point Lookout; Benjamin was an orderly sergeant in the same service and died of sickness contracted while discharging his duties; Reuben M. was an orderly sergeant, also stationed at Columbus on guard duty, and Marquis L. was in Battery D, Ohio Light Artillery, served two years and was in several battles, among which was the Wilderness. Following this battle he was taken sick from exposure, after which he was made hospital steward. Jonathan Balyeat, the son of Jonas and the subject of this notice, was born on his father's farm in Richland, Ohio, February 22, 1824; was reared a farmer, and for the times in which he lived, received a good common-school education. On June 26, 1845, he was united in marriage to Margaret, the daughter of John and Catherine (Lewis) Gates, the former of whom was a son of John Gates, who was of English descent

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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 30

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

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