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 36

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 36
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 36

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DR. FRANKLIN L. PUTT is an old soldier and for many years past has been a suc- cessful practicing physician, for his genial personality and a kindly sympathy with those who come to him as invalids, brought him a clientele perhaps even larger than would have been attracted by his recognized ability and the success which attended his efforts. He belonged to that class of physicians who recognized the fact that there was something more than a barren ideality in "ministering to a mind dis- eased," or in other words that the mental condition of the patient had in many cases much to do with his physical condition, and always endeavored to leave his patients in a happy and hopeful frame of mind where the nature of the disease ren- dered this possible. The Doctor comes of Dutch stock, for his grandfather, George Putt, fled from Holland to avoid serving in the Schleswig-Holstein war, to which he was opposed on account of religious principles. He was a member of a large family of children and was one of thirteen brothers, one of whom was a general in the above mentioned war and one a prominent surgeon. The remaining brothers all fled to America and experienced many difficulties in effecting their escape and in

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reaching this country. George Putt settled near Philadelphia, where he married s lady with whom he had become acquainted on the voyage to this country. Later he took up his residence in Coshocton county, Ohio, which, at that time was an almost total wilderness, and here he cleared a good farm, lived to be eighty years of age, and reared a family of eight children: George, Frank, Daniel, Harmon, Philip, Lewis, Elizabeth, Hannah and one daughter that died unmarried. Lewis, son of George and father of the immediate subject of this sketch, was born in Coshocton county, Ohio, but received no education in those early days, as there were no schools, but learned to read and write both English and German. He married a Miss Heluick, who bore him two children, one of whom died young, and Benjamin who lived to marry and rear a family and finally died in New Orleans. After the death of the mother of these children, Lewis Pntt took for his second wife Susannah Bnz- zard, who bore him eight children: Lewis, Daniel, Margaret, John, Joseph, Frank- lin L., Sarah, Levi, all of whom are living except Lewis. Mr. Putt settled on a farm in Portage county, Ohio, where he died at the age of thirty-eight years from the effects of an accident. He was a substantial farmer, a good citizen and a drum major in the old militis. Dr. Franklin L. Pott is a product of Portage county, Ohio, where he was born on January 16, 1844, and where he obtained a practical education in the common schools. When he was abont four and a half years of age his father died and he was reared by Mrs. Joseph Reynolds, a widow, and by her daughter, Mrs. Luther Stohl, with whom he lived for a number of years and with whom he made his home after he had attained the age of six and a half years, both these ladies being to him as parents. When President Lincoln made his first call for 75,000 men to serve three years, young Putt, then but sixteen and a half years of age, gallantly responded and on July 12, 1861, his name could be found on the rolla of Company A, Second Regiment Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, at Akron, Ohio, and as he was not of the required height to serve as a soldier, he raised his heels in his boots and thus added two additional inches to his height. Notwithstanding these precautions he was still under the required height and was declined aa a soldier, after which he was obliged to serve as & bugler and was mustered in on August 16, 1861, at Cleveland, Ohio, where he remained for drill until the following December. His first active duty was at Kansas City, Mo., and in the surrounding country, fighting the guerrillas, and in this severe and dangerous warfare he served for one year, during which time he participated in many severe combats in Missouri with the famous guerrilla leader, Gnantrell, among whose men were the Younger and James boys. He was in the battles of Pea Ridge and Cow Skin Prairie, and during the time the James boys acted as scouts for the Union army at the beginning of the war, young Putt became well acquainted with them and saw them frequently. He also became acquainted with the famous Younger brothers in the same way. His first revolver practice was with the James boys and from them he learned to shoot from the saddle, at which they were very expert, and one of their favorite pas- timea was to circle round a tree and girdle it with bullets. The Doctor also met the famous Indian fighter, Wild Bill, and after the war met him again at Spring- field, Mo. In February he returned to Camp Chase, Ohio, at which place he was in the hospital for some time sick with typhoid fever. Upon recovering from this severe illness he was taken with the dread small-pox, during the progress of which he was in the hospital at Franklin county, Ohio, bnt upon convalescing he found that his eyesight had been impaired to a given extent. To prove the saying that "Misfortunes never come singly," he was next taken with typhoid pneumonia, which laid him on s sick bed for six weeks. On May 28, 1863, he was honorably diacharged on account of disability and remained at home until the 13th of October following when, having fully regained his usual health he re-enlisted in hie old regiment as chief bugler, and rejoined them about sixteen miles northeast of Knoxville, Tenn., and the next morning participated in the battle of Rutledge. After this he was in a number of skirmishes, and after a short time the regiment

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veteranized and was given furlough for thirty days, and young Putt returned to his home. When the regiment re-entered the service it was assigned to the Army of the Potomac and while serving with this command, his horse unfortunately fell with him, injuring his head and right shoulder and disabling him for fifteen days. Following this he was in the battles of the Wilderness and Petersburg, in the Wilson raid and was wounded at Stone Creek Bridge in the head by a musket ball, which made a furrow along the top of his head, carrying away a piece of the skull. He was unconscious for four hours, and this wound has ever since given him serious trouble. He was next in the Shenandoah Valley in the battles of Winchester, Cedar Creek, Wainsborough, Bridgewater and Kernnestown; after this his regiment returned to Petersburg with Gen. Sheridan; during this time he was on scouting duty. He was detailed for this work by Col. George Purington and was frequently sent within the rebel lines and several times visited Early's headquarters. He fol- lowed this dangerous, yet most necessary work until the close of the war, being with Custer in several raids; was present at Appomattox when Gen. Lee surrendered and took part in the Grand Review at Washington, D. C. After the war he was on duty at Springfield, Mo., and was mustered out of the United States service at St. Lonis and honorably discharged at Columbus, Ohio, September 25, 1865. During his notable and useful career as a soldier he was in nearly all the battles of the Army of the Potomac, was in Wilson's famous raid and was under Gen. Custer when he took charge of the Third Division. By the explosion of a shell at Harper's Ferry, his clothing was nearly torn from his body and he was rendered deaf in his right ear. No braver or more devoted soldier served during the great Civil war than Dr. Putt, and, although his career in the army was marked by numerous hardships, owing to sickness and wounds, he fearlessly and unhesitatingly discharged every duty, was true to every trust and after hostilities had ceased returned to his home with the consciousness of having lent valuable aid in preserving the Union. For one year after his return from the war he attended school at Greensburg, Ohio, after which he began reading medicine at Roweville under a relative, Dr. W. H. Putt, and from 1867 to 1868 he attended a course of medical lectures at Ann Arbor, Mich., then bought out Dr. Putt, of Roweville, and practiced his profession in that place one year. He then entered the college of Medicine and Surgery at Cincinnati, and after graduating in 1869, he came to Millersburg, Elkhart Co., Ind., where he was in the active practice of his profession until March 10, 1870. From that time until 1890, he continued to cure the ills to which man is heir in Middlebury, but owing to ill health, which in a great measure resulted from his service in the army, he was compelled to retire from the active practice of his profession, and in 1888 and 1889 he lectured on microscopic histology in the college of Medicine and Surgery at Cincinnati, his being the first course of lectures on that subject ever delivered in the institution, and was therefore an honorable distinction. Dr. Putt has been a wide reader and is the possessor of one of the largest medical libraries in the county. He was married August 4, 1867, to Rachel, daughter of Peter and Hester Wise, and to their union a daughter has been born named Masy. The Doctor be- longs to the civic society of the A. F. and A. M. Lodge, No. 570, of Middlebury, and he is now acting as its secretary. He is a Democrat, he and his wife are mem- bers of the Lutheran Church, and he has always been a scholarly man of scientific tastes.

HENRY H. FICKENSCHER. A large class of the farmers of Clay township led such modest and quiet lives as to be seldom heard of outside of their own township. They are doing fine work in their own community, but do not care to mingle in the more public matters of political life, and devote all their time and energies to the cultivat- ion of their farms and the development of the resources of their vicinity. Such men deserve more mention than they ordinarily receive, and it is a pleasure to here pre- sent one of them in the person of Henry H. Fickenscher, who was born in the town- ship in which he now resides February 29, 1859, his parents being John and Caro-

HCMMichael

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line (Fox) Fickenscher, natives of Germany. The father learned the miller's trade in his native land and followed that business until coming to America about the year 1853, after which he at once engaged in farming in Clay township of this county. Here he met aud married Miss Fox, whose parents, George and Anna Fox, were native Germans, and settled on a farm near Lakeville, this county. John Ficken- scher lived in Clay township for several years, of which he was one of the most sub- stantial of the German residents, and became the owner of 160 acres of fertile farm- ing land. He did military duty in his native land in accordance with the laws of that country. His death occurred on the old homestead, October 3, 1882, his wife's death having taken place a year earlier. They were the parents of four children: Ludwig S. Henry H., Edward D. and George. The mother of these children had been previously married to a Mr. Glassaner, by whom she had one child, Charles. Henry H. Fickenscher was reared on the homestead in Clay township, and like the average farmer's boy, obtained a practical education in the district schools in the vicinity of his home. He became thoroughly familiar with the details of agriculture during his youthful days, and many a day was spent in hard labor on the farm. Upon starting out in life for himself it was but natural that he should become a farmer, and after the death of his worthy parents he purchased eighty acres of the old home- stead and on this place still makes his home. A brother purchased the balance, consisting of eighty acres, but Mŕ. Fickenscher has charge of and farms the entire place, and on account of his careful management the income from the same is ample. Fifteen of his eighty acres is timber land. He was married on June 10, 1883, to Sophia Kuntaman, who was born in January, 1862, in Penn township, this county, her father and mother being Wolf and Sophia (Schafer) Kuntsman, native Germane, but now useful and worthy residents of St. Joseph county. Mr. and Mrs. Ficken- scher are the parents of two children: Lillie E., born September 5, 1884, and Hilda S., born April 4, 1892. The principles of the Democratic party have always com- mended themselves to his judgment, and he eupports them whenever called upon to do so, like the consistent and straightforward man that he is.

JOHN J. JOHNSON is one of those men who faithfully served his country during the troublous times of war and is uow a prominent, law-abiding, public-spirited and patriotic citizen. He is a product of the Buckeye State, his birth occurring in Marion county on the 1st of December, 1844, on a farm which was owned by hie father, who came of a prominent English family who settled in America in the lat- ter part of the seventeenth century, within about twenty miles of Baltimore, Md. McMurray Johnson, the grandfather of John J., removed from Maryland to Marion county, Ohio, where he reared his three children : John M., Jonathan and Eliza. He cleared and improved a good farm about twelve miles west of Marion and there his declining years were spent. He was in good circumstances, owning about 240 acres of land, and was a thrifty and practical farmer. The township in which he lived was named Montgomery from the town he came from in Maryland, and his home was but eight miles from the spot where the brave Col. Crawford was burned at the stake by the Indians. Mr. Johnson was an old-time pioneer to whom the West is largely indebted for the prosperity which it now enjoys, and after a well-spent life he died February 11, 1859. at the age of seventy-eight years. John M. Johnson, his son, was born on the old homestead in Maryland, October 16, 1802, and when a young man he removed to Ohio with his father, where he assisted him in clearing his woodland farm. He was given common-school advantages and was married in Marion county, Ohio, to Eliza, daughter of William and Sarah (Doty) Odel, the former of whom was one of the first settlers of that county and came of English stock that for generations had tilled the soil. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Johnson resulted in the birth of six children that lived to grow to maturity: Thomas, George, John, Perry, Sarah and Nancy. Mr. Johnson remained on a farm in Marion county, Ohio, until 1845, then moved to La Grange county, Ind., settled on a tract of wild land where he resided until his death, May 28, 1850, when forty-eight years.

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of age. He accumulated a considerable amount of worldly goods, was a substantial farmer and an upright citizen. He had three sons in the Rebellion: George, who be- came a member of Company C, One Hundredth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer In- fantry, served five months and died at Grand Junction, Tenn., of typhoid fever, February 4, 1863; Perry was in the Twelfth Indiana Cavalry, and John J., the sub- ject of this sketch. The latter was but an infant when his parents came to Indiana and in the district schools of La Grange county his scholastic education was acquired. When Abraham Lincoln issued his second call for 300,000 men, Mr. Johnson promptly responded to the call and when only seventeen years of age, August 2, 1862, enlisted in Company G, Eighty-eighth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, 89 a private. His regiment was organized at Fort Wayne and mustered into the service of the United States at Indianapolis, August 29, 1862, and he soon found himself at Camp Yates, Ky. He was in the battle of Perryville, October 8, 1862; Stone River, December 30-31, 1862, and January 1-2, 1863; Elk River, Tal- lahassee, Ringgold, Grayville, White Oak Ridge, Tunnel Hill, Buzzard's Roost, Resaca, Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek, Eutaw Creek, Jonesboro, Atlanta in the pursuit of Hood and in that greatest march in history-Sherman's march to the sea, after which he took part in the engagements at Savannah, Averys- boro, Bentonville and Raleigh. He was present at the Grand Review in Washing- ton, D. C., May 24, 1865. In all the toilsome marches made by his regiment he only rode four miles. He possessed a good constitution and bore the hardships and privations of war well. He was mustered out at Washington, June 7, 1865, and was honorably discharged at Indianapolis June 18, 1865, and ten days later returned to his home and prepared to resume his unfinished education. He attended the La Grange Collegiate Institute for five years, from which he graduated in 1870, after which he became a pedagogue, an occupation which he followed in Indi- ana, Michigan, Illinois and Iowa in the common and graded schools, for sixteen years. On the 1st of June, 1871, he married Carrie, daughter of Joseph R. and Maria B. (Barrett) Ludwig, the former of whom was born in Berks, Penn., February 4, 1825, a German by descent and a miller by trade, which occupation he followed after his removal to Michigan in 1860. In 1863 he went to Van Buren, Ind., and in 1875 came to Middlebury and purchased the Middlebury Mill, which he operated until his death, June 5, 1892. His marriage with Miss Barrett took place November I, 1849, and resulted in the birth of two children: Harry B. and Carrie. Mr. Ludwig was an industrious man of high character, well educated and took an especial interest in theology. He was a deep thinker. an able reasoner, and he and his wife were members of the Lutheran Church, in which he was an elder for many years. Mrs. Ludwig came of Puritan stock of New England. Her grandfather, Nathan Barrett, and his son Alva C., settled in Northumberland county, Penn., where the former became a prominent and wealthy citizen, was a State representative, held many county offices and was for a long time justice of the peace. After his marriage Mr. Johnson taught school and also farmed, but later, in addition to teaching, followed milling at White Hall, III. In 1881 he came to Middlebury and worked in the mill with Mr. Ludwig. He and his wife are members of the Lutheran Church, in which he has been both elder and deacon. He is a stanch Republican and is one of the charter members of Post 192, O. & M. Foster Lodge, G. A. R., of Middlebury, and was its commander three successive years. He has always taken much interest in educational matters and has been secretary of the Middlebury school board for the past three years. He is a member of the Chosen Friends, of which he has been secretary aix years and is Deputy Grand Counselor of the State. He owns a nice residence in Middlebury, is a responsible citizen and stands deservedly high in the estimation of his fellows. He is the father of two children: Guy, born June 14, 1873, and May, born March 15, 1882. He did not hesitate to risk his life for his country and during his service was slightly wounded on three different occasions. At one time a bullet passed

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directly through his rubber blanket, which was folded snugly, so that the ball made twenty-three holes in it and one through his blouse. He lost no time, was never in the hospital and was always ready to report for dnty. His record was a very honorable one and one of which his children have every reason to be proud.

CHRISTIAN STUTZ. In the midst of the failuree and disasters of life, it is a real pleasure to review the career of a man whose efforts have been crowned with suc- cess, and whose life has been honorable in every particular, as has Christian Stutz. He is now one of the foremost merchants of Middlebury, and has been an active business man of the town since 1854, at which time Middlebnry was a small hamlet. He was born in Lorraine, France, March 7, 1826, it being now a portion of Germany, a son of Jacob and Ann (Stiner) Stutz, the former of whom tilled the soil for a living until his death, which occurred at the untimely age of thirty-one years, at which time he was an earnest member of the Lutheran Church. Daniel Steiner, the maternal grandfather, was a soldier in the French army, and served under the great Napoleon in the celebrated Rnasian campaign, and was in the dis- astrons retreat from Moscow. After the death of Jacob Stutz his widow came to America and was here married to Peter Amstutz, and by him she became the mother of one child, whom she named Catherine. Christian Stutz, who was the only scion of his father's house, was brought by his mother and his maternal uncle to America in 1827, and after his mother's second marriage resided with his relatives. From that time on he was reared by his uncles, Daniel, Christian and Peter, and with some property which his mother left him and through the kindness of his uncles, he was given a practical common and high-school education at Wadsworth, Canton and Wooster. His instructors were fortunately able and experienced, and among the most competent were Archibald and John McGregor, the latter of whom ran for gov- ernor of the State of Ohio at one time. Christian Stntz learned the details of farm- ing in his youth, but when he left Ohio he turned his attention to clerking at Bristol, Ind., for Samuel B. Romaine, with whom he remained six months. Following this he did farm work in La Grange county, Ind., for four years, after which he came to Middlebury and in March, 1854, he opened a mercantile establishment of his own, which he has conducted with a steadily increasing business up to the present time. When at Bristol he married Ann, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Harmon) Walker, the former of whom came from England and followed blacksmithing and farming. The Harmons were also from England. To Mr. and Mrs. Stutz four chil- dren have been born, all of whom lived to mature years: Eugene E., Milton A., Alice and Emma. Mr. Stutz began business in a small way and with a small capital, but by strict attention to his affairs, integrity and prompt dealing, he gradnally built up a business of large proportions. Since 1880 his son. Milton A., has been in the business with him, and the name of the firm is C. Stntz & Son. They deal in cloth- ing, dry goods, boots and shoes, notions and groceries, in fact, everything contained in a general store. They carry one of the largest stocks in the county and the largest in Middlebury, or any country town, and have an excellent reputation as accommodating merchants and honorable dealers. Mr. Stutz has always attended strictly to his business, and has never meddled with affairs that did not concern him. He is a Democrat politically, but has never been an aspirant for office. In 1885 he erected a substantial brick store, and this year, 1892, erected a similar establishment adjoining, which will double the capacity of the establishment. His daughter Emma was married to Thomas Daily, a clerk in the First National Bank of Goshen. Milton A. married Alice C. Mather, by whom he has four children. Eugene E. is a member of the firm of Stutz & Walker, buggy manufacturers, of Goshen. Milton A. was born January 25, 1858, in Middlebury, received a practical education in the com- mon schools, and is a well-informed, intelligent and popular man of affairs. His wife is a daughter of Jonathan S. and Fannie (Defus) Mather, and her union with Mr. Stntz has resulted in the birth of the following children: Fannie A., Clara A., Mamie E. and Laura W. Socially Mr. Stutz ie a member of the K. of P., and

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politically he is a Republican. He possesses the confidence of the people, and has been treasurer of the town of Middlebury for seven years. He is a pushing young merchant, and the stock of goods which he and his father carry is valued at $16,000.

J. W. SLEAR, the well-known harness manufacturer and dealer in carriages and horse goods, in Elkhart, Ind., is at the head of the well-knowu firm of J. W. Slear & Son, their place of business being located at 420 South Main street, in one of the finest business blocks in the city. The firm has become widely known for the excellence of the goods sent out from their establishment, and has established a reputation which has secured a large and constantly increasing trade, which is most successfully main- tained. The enormous increase in the demand for carriages and wagons of all grades has led Mr. Slear and his son to engage in this branch of business also, and they keep a complete and select line of goods which they sell at very reasonable rates, and have created, especially among the farmers of the surrounding country, a popularity that may almost be termed personal friendships. He was born in Union county, Penn., in January, 1844, to Elias and Susanna (Colar) Slear, who were of German descent and also natives of the Keystone State. The paternal grandfather, William Slear, was a soldier in the War of 1812, and was an early settler of the State of Pennsylvania, where he followed the occupation of a tanner. Peter Colar, the mother's father, was a blacksmith by trade, and was a man of intelligence and energy. In 1864 Elias Slear removed to Ludington, Mich., where he resided until his death in 1884, having been quite prominent in military tactics and a cap- tain in the Pennsylvania State militia. He and his wife became the parents of eight children: Mrs. Harmon, of Ludington, Mich .; Kate, of Ludington, Mich .; Jane, of Brown county, Kan .; and John W., who is the youngest of these children who are the living members of the family. John W. Slear was reared on a farm, ed- ucated in the public schools, and in 1861, when only sixteen years of age, his name could be foundon the rolls of Company D, Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania Infantry, with which he served until the war closed. He held the rank of second sergeant and was in the battles of Gettysburg, Fredericksburg and Antietam, besides numerous other engagements of less importance. He was a useful and faithful soldier, was always found at his post of duty, and owing to his rugged constitution was not sick a day during his long term of service. He was not wounded, and upon being mustered out at Hagerstown, Md., he returned home in fair health, to once more take upon himself the duties of civil life. Six weeks later he started west, and for one year was a resident of Bellevue, Ohio, but since 1866 he has been a resident of Elkhart, Ind., which at that time had about 1,000 inhabitants. He estab- lished himself in business in a store room located where the Masonic Block now stands, but fire destroyed this establishment and left him, stranded on a financial shoal. Pluck and energy stood by him however, and in a short time he was again out of deep water and floating on a prosperous sea. Although twenty-six years of his life were spent in the service of others as a journeyman, they were well spent, and in laboring for others he learned the value of punctuality, faithfulness and industry and these attributes have been of great nse to him since he engaged in business for himself in 1891. His place of business is located at 420 South Main street, in one of the finest blocks in the city, and although it has been in operation only a short time it will compare favorably with any similar establishment in this part of the State, and ably demonstrates what can be acomplished when a man possesses deter- mination and good business qualifications, as Mr. Slear most certainly does. As a harness-maker Mr. Slear has long had a reputation of his own, and farmers espe- cially come unusual distances to purchase goods from him and to have him oversee their repairing, while his city patronage is not surpassed by any concern. It is a well-known fact that his goods are always reliable and his prices reasonable. The firm of Slear & Son carry an immense stock of light and heavy harness, ranging from the article used by a truckman to that desired by a gentleman who owns fancy

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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 36

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

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