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 31

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 31
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 31

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A. M. Bissell

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MEMOIRS OF INDIANA.

and came of old colonial stock, the family having resided in the vicinity of Tren- ton, N. J., for generations. At the age of sixteen years he became a soldier in the Revolutionary war, after which he was married to Margaret Marion, a native of Germany, who came with her parents to America at the age of four years. John Gates was a farmer and after a time moved with his family to Ohio, of which State they were among the pioneers. He reared a family of twelve children and lived to the extreme old age of ninety-nine years, his wife attaining the very advanced age of one hundred and one years. John Gates, Jr., the father of Mrs. Balyest, was born in Sussex, N. J .; was there married and by his wife became the father of seven children: Martin, Elizabeth, Margaret, Samuel, Jacob, Fannie and Huldah. Mr. Gates was a substantial farmer of Richland county, Ohio, and here he passed all his days and died at the age of sixty-five years. He was a man of strict integrity of character, was sheriff of his county and held other responsible positions also. After his marriage Jonathan Balyeat settled on some wild land in Van Wert county, Ohio, in 1846; cleared his land from timber and made a good farm of 120 acres. He did a vast amount of hard work during the nineteen years that he resided on that farm, but the farm became very valuable ere he sold it. There all his children were born: Elizabeth A., John W., Catherine J., Ansavilla, Marion A., (who died at the age of twenty-seven years), Walter R., Edmund A. and Frank E. John W. was a soldier in an Ohio regiment during the Civil war; served in the 120 days' serv- ice and did guard duty at Point Lookout, Md. In 1865 Mr. Balyeat settled on his present farm, which has been his home ever since. He and his wife are members of the Baptist Church, in which he has filled the office of treasurer. His good judgment is respected by the people, and he has filled the office of justice of the pesce for four years, and has adjusted the difficulties of his neighbors with im- partiality and intelligence. The principles of the Republican party are the ones which most fully recommend themselves to his judgment as worthy of his sanction, and his general information is extensive and enlightened. His son, John W., who is a farmer of Iona county, Mich., married Miss Sarah Cramer, by whom he has two children. Catherine J. married John S. Scott, a lumberman of Goshen, and is the mother of one child. Ansavilla married William Myers, a farmer of the township and has one child. Walter R. is a prominent young business man of Nappanee and was born in 1865; after spending many years in clerking in Elkhart. and Goshen, he went to Nappanee where he opened a grocery store, and has since been prominently identified with the mercantile interests of the place; since 1892 he has been associated in business with his brother-in-law, L. Kohler, and the firm is known as Balyest & Kohler; in 1887 he was married to Ella Snaveley, a daughter of E. and Elizabeth Snaveley, of Millersburgh. Edmund A. received a liberal education at Hillsdale, Mich., and in medicine in Chicago, and is now a practicing physician of Kalamazoo, Mich; he married Mary Walton. Frank E. married Mary Hasie, by whom he has one child, and is a druggist of Arkan- sas City, Kan. Elizabeth is at home with her parents.

CASSIUS CALDWELL first saw the light of day in the town of Burlington, Chit- tenden Co., Vt., February 10, 1817, son of Matthew and Dolly (Knight) Caldwell, the former of whom was a native of the " Granite State." His mother, whose maiden name was Hannah Humphries, was of Irish descent and attained the advanced age of eighty-three years; her death occurring in Vermont about the year 1835. Matthew was reared in his native State, but upon reaching manhood went with his family to New Hampshire, where he met and married Miss Knight about the year 1815. She was born on Grand Island, Lake Champlain; her father being a Meth- odist minister. The Knight family was of English descent. After the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell, they made Burlington, Vt., their home for a number of years, Mr. Caldwell being engaged in the mannfacture of brick. In the fall of 1836, the family emigrated to Indiana, arriving in South Bend on October 31, 1836; settling about three miles sonthwest of the town. Mr. Caldwell had made &

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trip through this part of the country in 1834, and after the arrival of the family they spent the winter of 1836 at the home of relatives. The following spring Mr. Caldwell leased some land and began the manufacture of brick, which occupation he continued to follow for two years. He then moved to South Bend and continued making brick for several years, then gave up the business to purchase & farm in German township, where his son Cassius now resides, and where he resided until his death. His wife survived him several years, having borne him nine children: Abigail, Cassius, James, John, Laura, Maleta A., Cornelia E., Melville and Wesley. All these children are deceased except Maleta A. (Roe), of South Bend, and Cassius. The Istter was reared in his native State and there received & fair educa- tion in the district schools. He also attended De Pauw University at Greencastle, Ind., one term after coming to South Bend, which institution at that time was known as Asbury University. Mr. Caldwell was about nineteen years of age when his parents came to South Bend, and upon his father's removal to the farm in Ger. man township, he took charge of the brick yard at South Bend, which business oc- copied his attention until 1848. In the fall of this year he decided to seek his fortune in the newly discovered gold fields of California, and had nearly completed arrangements for the trip via New York and the Isthmus, or " round the Horn," when acquaintances in South Bend made arrangements to go across the plains, and Mr. Caldwell abandoned his original idea and joined & company of thirty-one members which left South Bend, February 20, 1849, with ox teams. Schuyler

Colfax, who was & young man at that time, made a farewell speech to the departing gold-seekers from the second story of what was known as the old Washington Build- ing. The trip to the Missouri River was attended with many drawbacks and de- lays, owing to bad roads, etc., as it was May 11, when they crossed the "Big Muddy." From that time on the party made very good time considering their mode of travel, and arrived in the gold section of California September 5, 1849. Mr. Caldwell's trip to that section was successful in so far as his expenses and time were concerned, and upon returning home he brought with him some money which he had earned. His return to the States was by way of the Isthmus. He located in South Bend, where he made his home until 18-, when he settled on the farm in German township, where he is at present residing, although he still retaina his South Bend property. At the time the town was organized as a city, he was elected street commissioner, in which capacity he served six years, and also served as assessor of South Bend one year. Mr. Caldwell was married, January 29, 1857, to Miss Rachel West, who was born October 17, 1830, in Pennsylvania; & daughter of Abraham and Anna (Ross) West, the former of whom served seven years in the Revolutionary war. Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell are the parents of three children: Charles W., John E. and Matthew S. Mr. Caldwell is the owner of ninety-six acres of land, nearly all of which is in a fine state of cultivation, situated on the banks of the St. Joseph River. Mr. Caldwell and family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and politically he is a Republican. His life, with the exception of his trip to Cali- fornia, has been rather uneventful, but he has always shown those qualities which mark the useful, progressive and law-abiding citizen, and has many warm friends wherever he is known.

JEREMIAH TROYER is a practical farmer and substantial citizen of Elkhart county, Ind., has real estate embracing 233 broad acres, the result of persevering and hon- orable toil. He is descended from "Swisslanders" who settled in Pennsylvania during & very early period of this country's existence, and in their religious proclivities were Amish Mennonites, for which resson they had to fly from their native land and seek an asylum in the wilds of the New World. They were followers of Simon Meno and a religious teacher by the name of Amon; were peaceful, law-abiding citizens, and their descendants, who are scattered all over the United States, sre industrious, thrifty and upright farmers. John Troyer, the grandfather of Jere- mish Troyer, was born in Somerset county, Penn., but he became one of the early

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settlers of Holmes county, Ohio, was one of the first Amish Mennonites to settle there and was an honorable, hard-working farmer until his death. He waa married to Madalena Miller who bore him six children: Samuel, Michael, Abraham, John, Mary and Sarah. The eldest of these children, Samuel, was born and brought up on his father's farm in Somerset county, Penn., and in his youth learned to read and write German. He was twelve years of age when he settled with his parents on their pioneer farm in Holmes county, Ohio, and was but fourteen years of age when the head of the house was called from life. He then began making his home with an uncle, Mr. Miller, and being not unfamiliar with the hardships and struggles of pioneer life on a farm, he early imbibed the ideas of independence and industry which are essen- tial to a successful career in any calling. Born on a farm, he involuntarily grew up with a better knowledge of agricultural affairs than one who was not reared to the life, and at an early period he was made to feel that he was equally responsible for harmony, justice and equity in governmental affairs as in social relations. He received the rudiments of his education in the district schools in Holmee county, and when manhood was reached he led to the altar Miss Madalena Hostetter, after which he at once settled on a farm, and set energetically to work to accumulate a compe- teney for himself and increasing family. His wife died in Holmes county after hav- ing become the mother of seven children: Madalena (who died after attaining womanhood), Jeremiah, Lydia, Sarah. Samuel, Barbara and Annie. Mr. Troyer's second marriage was celebrated in Fairfield county, Ohio, Miss Esther Stutzman becoming his wife and in process of time the mother of his four children: John, Adam, Jonathan and Daniel. About 1836 Mr. Troyer removed with his family to Indiana and settled on the west line of Elkhart county, which was then a wilderness abounding in game, such as deer, wild turkey, wolves, etc. Ont of the heavy tim- ber of that section Mr. Troyer carved a home for himself and family, but at the end of three years was left a widower for the second time. Later he returned to Holmes county, Ohio, where he took for himself a third wife in the person of Mrs. Sarah (Schrock) Yoder, the widow of Abram Yoder, and their union resulted in the birth of eight children: Yost, Simon, Moses, Joel, Susan, Benjamin, Eli and Eliza- beth. Thus Mr. Troyer was the father of nineteen children, a family like the patri- archs of old. Mr. Troyer eventually became a resident of Miami county, Ind., on a farm in which section he passed the remainder of his life, dying at the age of seventy-three years. He was a man of many sterling traits of character and his career was characterized by geniality and large-heartedness as well as the most unswerving honor. Jeremiah Troyer, son of Samuel, and the subject of this sketch, was born on his father's farm in Holmes county, Ohio, and although he received but little education he can read and write German. His early days were devoted to the farm and to carpentering and since his seventeenth year he has been a resident of the " Hoosier State." When he had attained his majority he returned to Holmes county and was married there on February 4, 1851, to Mary, daughter of Joseph C. and Mary (Hostetter) Troyer, after which he returned to Indiana and purchased land in Miami county. In 1874 he removed to La Grange county, but since 1887 he has been a resident of his present farm, which is one of the best and most fertile in the county. His property has been obtained by the sweat of his brow and he has the satisfaction of knowing that it has not been obtained at the expense of others. A good old-fashioned family of fourteen children were born to himself and wife: Cor- nelius, Lydia, Mary, Sarah, Samuel, Susan, Barbara, Polly (who died after reach- ing womanhood), Jeremiah, Abraham (died in infancy), John, Elizabeth, Moses and David. Mr. Troyer, like his father before him, has always been an earnest Chris- tian, and by precept and example has reared his family to honorable manhood and womanhood, in which labor of love he was ably seconded by his worthy wife. She was born in Holmes county, Ohio, November 29, 1832, and died April 26, 1890. The Troyers have always been noted for their excellent characters and as law-abid- ing and public-spirited citizens.

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JACOB H. CHIRHART, deceased. In recounting the forces that have combined to make Elkhart county, Ind., what it is, more than & passing reference must be made to the life and labors of Jacob H. Chirhart, of whom it may be truthfully ssid that no one has done more to lay the foundation of the county's prosperity deep, and to build upon them surely and well. Mr. Chirhart was by birth a member of that valiant army of "Ohio men " who have had so potent an influence upon the country, his birth occurring at Canton on December 19, 1836, the son of Apollinaris and Mary (Meyer) Chirhart, the former of whom died at Canton when Jacob was about six months old. In 1845 the latter removed to St. Joseph county with his mother and settled in Harris township, but in 1865 took up his residence in Clay township, where agriculture received the greater part of his attention until his death, which occurred February 11, 1885. While a resident of Clay township he held the posi- tion of supervisor, and in everything to which he devoted his attention he was eminently successful, being especially so as a tiller of the soil, for prior to his death he had become the owner of 300 acres of land, the estate at present consisting of about 200 acres. On January 10, 1865, Mr. Chirhart won for his wife Miss Mary M. Talley, their union taking place st Notre Dame. She was born on August 22, , in Hartford, Conn., to Alfred M. and Mary (Taylor) Talley, the former of whom was born in Augusta, Ga., February 19, 1806. When & lad he went to Charleston, S. C., and learned the printer's trade, which he followed many years. He was married in Hartford, Conn., January 15, 1832, to Mary Taylor, daughter of Solomon and Mary (Hawthorne) Taylor. In the early part of 1835 Mr. Talley removed to Chicago and purchased 106 acres of land near Evanston, for which he paid $1.50 per acre. He purchased this land with the intention of farming it and erected thereon a house, but shortly afterward entered the employ of John Went- worth, as foreman of the Chicago Democrat, at 45 La Salle street, and did an extensive business for several years. Joe Forest, who is still living in Chicago, was one of the editors. When the war came on the business was closed out. Mr. Tal- ley had previously purchased 240 acres in Clay township, St. Joseph county, Ind., in the name of his children, and erected the handsome brick residence which adorns the property at the present time. At the time the Daily Democrat was discon- tinued Mr. Talley removed to his farm in this section, s short distance north of Notre Dame, and there conducted the publication of the Ave Maria at the college for about five years, he being its first practical manager. It was printed by hand press. He contributed much to the foundation and successful continuance of the magazine, which is now circulated extensively throughout the world. During the residence of Mr. Talley in Chicago he was one of the charter members of the Typo- graphical Union and its first president. After continuing the magazine for about five years his health failed him and he retired from business pursuits and until his death, on November 28, 1870, he resided on his farm. His wife died in Chicago on August 31, 1852. After the death of Mr. Talley, whose loss was greatly deplored by all who knew him, Mr. Chirhart purchased the estate, and on this same farm Mrs. Chirhart is still living. She bore her husband the following children: Mary M., Henry A., Edward S., Celia J., Anna C. and Joseph M. Mary M. is the wife of George McCreary, and resides in South Bend; Henry A. married Miss Grace Pearce, and resides in Chicago; Edward S. is at home and has charge of the farm, and the other children also reside with their mother. Mr. Chirhart took a deeper interest in matters of a higher character than mere material things, and not only won an enviable reputation for public spirit, as shown in his various labors for the material and moral advancement of the county, but he was also admired and respected for personal and social qualities of the highest order. Mrs. Chirhart and family are members of the Catholic Church.

JOSEPH J. STUTZMAN. The remote ancestors of this gentleman were among the earliest inhabitants of Pennsylvania, coming to this country from Germany. Chris- tian Stutzman, the grandfather of Joseph J., was born in Somerset county, Penn.,

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was a farmer by occupation, and was a member of the Amish Mennonite Church. Jacob, Christian, Abraham and Elizabeth were his children, the first mentioned of whom was born on his father's farm. Although his advantages were not of the best for obtaining sn education, he possessed a desire to learn, and in time could read and write both German and English. He was married to Fannie, daughter of David L. Lehman, s Pennsylvania farmer, to which union the following children were born: Samuel, Joseph, Moses, Jacob, Elizabeth, Barbara, Magdalena and Harmon. In 1867, while in his declining years, he moved from his old home in Pennsylvania, where the early part of his life had been passed, and took up his ahode in Elkhart county, Ind., where he was called from life in 1873. Like the majority of Germans he was industrious and hard working, as well as strictly honorable, and the lesson which his life tanght was that success in life is the reward of honest effort, industry and sobriety. He was no idler or trifler, but an earnest, conscientious and persistent toiler, who deserved all the success which he achieved. His fine farm of 400 acres in Pennsylvania was very valuable, the proceeds from which aided his heirs very materially in gaining a foothold on the ladder of success. Joseph J. Stutzman was born on this farm December 22, 1839, his early education being only such as the common schools afforded; but during his walk through life he has acquired a thor- ough education in the great school of experience. He was married to the daughter of David C. and Susan (Miller) Yoder, Rachel Yoder, and a family of eight chil- dren gsthered about their hearthstone in the course of time: Daniel, Susan, Fannie, Jeremiah, Levi, Joseph, David and Edward, the two eldest of whom were born in Pennsylvania. Although Mr. Stutzman owned a fine farm of 300 acres in Pennsyl- vania, he thought to better his financial condition by removing westward, and the year 1866 is the date of his arrival in Indiana. He first purchased 160 acres of land, and by the exercise of all his energy, enterprise and judgment he has become the owner of 360 acres, and with the improvements that have been made upon it, constitutes one of the most valuable tracts of real estate in the county. Mr. Stutz- man has been a deacon in the Mennonite Church for twelve years, and is in every sense of the word a true Christian gentleman. His children have been given good educational advantages, and on various occasions he has served in the capacity of school director. As a citizen his good name is above reproach, and he can be truly said to be that noblest work of God-an honest man. His career has been useful in the best sense of the term, and although he has never been ambitious to fill public office he has pursued the "even tenor of his way," and the result of his undivided attention is his comfortable and well-kept home. His father-in-law, David C. Yoder, came of Amish Mennonite stock, and was born in Somerset county, Penn. After attaining manhood and receiving a common-school education he was married to Susan Miller, who bore him twelve children: Polly, Rachel, Valentine, Catherine, Levi, David, Jacob, Susan, Jeremiah, Tobias, Annie and Samuel. Mr. Yoder owned & fine farm of 200 acree in Pennsylvania, but became a resident of Indiana in 1869. He was a highly respected citizen, and his death at the age of seventy years was universally regretted.

LEWIS GOOLEY, deceased. When a citizen of worth and character has departed from this life, it is meet that those who survive him should keep in mind his life work, and should hold up to the knowledge and emulation of the young his virtnes and the characteristics which distinguished him and made him worthy the esteem of his neighbors. Therefore, the name of Lewis Gooley is presented to the readers of this volume as a public-spirited citizen and an agriculturist of sound judgment. He was born in France, August 15, 1813, a son of Dewalt and Barbara Gooley, and when fifteen years of age came with them to America and settled on a farm in Stark county, Ohio, where the father and mother spent the remainder of their days. Lewis grew to manhood in Stark connty, and about the year 1845 came to St. Joseph county and took up his residence on a sixty-acre tract of land in Clay township, but by good management he afterward added to the same until he became the owner of

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about 200 acres before his death. He was married, April 14, 1845, to Sarah Shilling, who was born March 14, 1823, near Oil City, Penn., a daughter of Fred- erick and Mary (Rees) Shilling, natives of Switzerland, who came to America when young and settled in Pennsylvania, where they made their home until their respective deaths. After the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Gooley, they came to St. Joseph county and settled on the farm which Mrs. Gooley still occupies. There Mr. Gooley was called from life on March 26, 1887. He was always noted for his industry, was a good business manager and acquired a considerable amount of property, leaving to his family a comfortable competency at the time of his death. A family of ten chil- dren were born to Mr. Gooley and his wife, the following only of whom are living: Jacob, Lewis, at home, and David. The seven children who are dead were taken away by that dread disease-quick consumption-deeply mourned by the remainder of the family. Mrs. Gooley has suffered greatly in thus losing her husband and children, but ia devoting herself to the remainder of her family and to her many friends.

GEORGE W. SHOWALTER. As a pioneer, Mr. Showalter has left his impress upon Elkhart county, Ind., and to no one who has any knowledge of the history of that section, is his name an unfamiliar one. For more than forty years he has resided on his present farm, and during this time he has been a leading spirit in promoting the material growth and prosperity, as well as building up the religious, educational and benevolent institutions of his locality. He comes of sturdy Ger- man anceatry, for, according to tradition, four of his name came from that country to America and settled in Pennsylvania, and for many years his grandfather was a suc- cessful farmer in the vicinity of Schuylkill. His sons bore the good old Scriptural names of Jacob, John and David, the latter of whom became the father of the anb- ject of this sketch. He was reared on his native soil of Pennaylvania and became a soldier in the War of 1812, during which time his health became permanently injured. He was married to Agnes Linville and to them was horn a family of the good old-fashioned order, consisting of twelve members: Benjamin, Matthias, John, David, George, William, Lewis, Melvina, Ann, Catherine, Margaret and Sarah. After residing for some time near the old homestead in Pennsylvania, Mr. Showal- ter removed to Rockingham county, Va., and became the owner of two good farms at Cross Keys, near the head of the Shenandoah River. His efforts to aecnre a competency for his family were crowned with success, and his two farms of 101 and 250 acres, respectively, were conducted in a manner which could not fail to result satisfactorily. He lived to he seventy-five years of age, dying in the faith of the Mennonite Church, in which he had " kept the faith " for many years. His wife was a Methodist. George W. Showalter was born on his father's farm in Virginia, March 11, 1825, and throughout his youth and early manhood he helped to till and make other improvements on the farm, and a common-school education represented the sum total of his accomplishments when he hegan life for himself. All old-time farmers considered themselves entitled to the services of their sons up to the time they reached the age of twenty-one, and Mr. Showalter'a experience was no excep- tion to the rule. In addition to becoming familiar with the principles of agricult- ure, he learned the cooper'a and carpenter's tradea, and to these occupations he gave his time and attention. In 1851 he left the shelter of the parental roof and set out for the then wilds of Indiana and so pleased was he with the promises offered to the agriculturist that he purchased the fine estate on which he is now residing. Time has shown the wisdom of this investment, for his land has always produced good crops and has yielded a comfortable competency. After making the purchase of his land he returned to his home in Virginia and married Margaret, daughter of William and Margaret (Altaffer) Saufley, their union taking place January 10, 1854, and with his young bride returned to his Indiana possessions, which consisted of 137 acres of land, and which they reached in March, 1855. In time the following children were born to their union: William R., Mary, Maggie, Libbie, Edson and Franklin. Edson was born September 6, 1860; was reared on his father's

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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 31

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

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