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 37

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 37
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 37

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horses and drives for pleasure only. They also carry a full line of carriages, road carts, wagons and vehicles of all descriptions, turf goods, whips, winter supplies, trunks, valises, bags, telescopes, gloves and mittens in endless supply, in fact every- thing that is kept in & first-class store. The stock is finely arranged in apartments and is so advantageously disposed of about their handsome and commodious store room and in the large show windows, that it is the observed of all observers. A force · of harness makers and expert repairers is constantly kept busy, and make it a point to turn out work with neatness and dispatch. Mr. Slesr's son, Ed A. Slear, be- came a member of the firm in May, 1892, and by his energy and pleasant and accommodating ways has contributed very considerably to the growth of the business they now enjoy. He is a capable and energetic young man, and for several years was an operator on the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway, where he was highly esteemed for his efficiency and trustworthiness. He is an able assistant to his father, and together they can not fail short of marked success, if hard work and business insight can accomplish anything. Mr. Slear is very popular throughont the county and has served four years as constable, four years as city councilman and has been suggested as a candidate for mayor, but respectfully declined the honor. Any ordinary city office he is capable of filling, but prefers to devote his time and energies to his business affairs. He is a member of the K. of P. and having been & gallant soldier in the Union army, is now an enthusiastic member of the G. A. R. posts of the city, and in addition is a member of the civic society of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Politically he is a Democrat and has supported the men and measures of that party. The maiden name of his wife was Lou Smith, by whom he became the father of two children; Charles and Ed- ward, the former, as well as the latter, having been employed on the Lake Shore Railroad. Mr. Slear's second wife was Miss Lon Walter, by whom he has three children: Nora, Walter and Pearl. Mr. Slear owns & handsome residence in Riverside as well as considerable other valuable property, and he and his wife are worthy members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

EDSON FOSTER. Although Elkhart county, Ind., is well known for the energy, enterprise and push of its merchants, Edson Foster stands in the van in this enterprise, has shown much wisdom in the conduct of mercantile affairs, and through honorable efforts has built up a paying patronage and an enviable reputa- tion. He is of Scotch-Irish descent and his remote ancestors were among the early settlers of New England. Hesekiah Foster, his grandfather, was & native of New Hampshire and took part in the American Revolution. He married and reared a family, and both he and his wife lived to an advanced age, his family being especially noted for longevity. William E. Foster, his son, was born in 1797 on a New Hampshire farm, and after receiving a common-school education, he left his native State to remove to Vermont, where he was married to Lucinda Walker, by whom he became the father of four children: Jane, Emily, Mary and Edson. After farming in Vermont until 1829 he removed with his family to Orleans county, N. Y., where he purchased a farm on which he resided for seven years, coming to Middlebury, Ind., in 1836, and until his death resided four miles south of the town. His dissolution took place in the spring of 1837 at the age of forty years, at which time he was the owner of 240 acres of land. He was quiet and unpretentious in his manners, but possessed decidedly independent views and in politics was an old line Whig, and in religion was a Universalist in belief. Edson Foster was born at Tunbridge, Vt., August 29, 1821, was brought up on a farm, received the advantages of the common schools, and at the age of fifteen years came to Elkhart county, Ind., with his father, traveling by team and lake vessels. He well remembers the Pottawattomie Indians who were removed from northern Indiana, the year following their arrival. In 1845 Edson Foster married May H., daughter of James J. and Dolly (Hoffman) White, and to them one child was born, a daughter, who lived to grow to maturity: Mary J. After his marriage Mr.

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Foster remained for a short time on the home farm, and, having been a teacher prior to his marriage, he continued to follow this occupation in Elkhart county for about ten years thereafter, and became well known as a thorough and practical educator and a good disciplinarian. After following the calling of a clerk for four years he embarked on the mercantile sea in Middlebury, and has followed the calling uninterruptedly and with financial success since 1852, but at the same time has looked after his farming interests also. He has from time to time added to his land until he is now the owner of about seven hundred acres, and is considered a practical and experienced farmer. He is an independent thinker, and throughout a long business career he has shown keen commercial characteristics, and has a reputation that is untarnished. He is a quiet man of broad and liberal views on all subjects of importance, is widely known throughout his section of the county, and his experience as a man of affairs has given him much insight into human nature and little sympathy with pretentions show. He has supported Republican principles for many years and gives liberally of hia means in support of enterprises that commend themselves to his excellent judgment. His wife was born in New Jersey and is a woman of much intelligence and excellent opinions. Their daughter, Mary J., married Albert J. Hickox, a man of liberal education and fine business ability, and a resident of San Francisco, Cal., where he was reared. He was a member of the Pacific Mining Stock Exchange of San Francisco, and died there July 1, 1883. After the Sand-lot riots occurred, he, in connection with D. O. Mills and other capitalists, went to New York City and formed the Petroleum and Mining Stock Exchange, with offices in Philadelphia and New York. His son, Edson, is now attending the Military Academy of Upper Alton, Ill., and is a young man of intelligence and much promise. Mrs. Hickox has resided in South Bend with her parents since his decease.

JOHN V. ZEITLER is a Bavarian by birth, for in that country he first saw the light of day, May 2, 1835, but he has been a resident of this country since 1847, and has become thoroughly Americanized. His parents, Henry and Catherine (Klughart) Zeitler, were born in Germany, the former in 1802, and throughout life his atten- tion was devoted to farming. He was married to Catherine Klnghart, who in due course of time presented him with five children: Margaret, Catherine, Elizabeth, John V., and Andrew, whose death occurred in Alabama, at which time he was in the mercantile business and the owner of 3,000 acres of land. The father of these children died in Germany in 1842, and his widow subsequently married John M. Meyers, a native of that country, and in 1847 the family came to America, going by water to Chicago and up the St. Joseph River on a flat-boat, the journey up that river occupying one week. As it was during the month of August and the river was low, a great deal of time and hard work was necessary in getting their boat over the sand bars, etc. They were among the first Germans to come direct to South Bend, and soon after they settled on a farm six miles south of the town in the vicinity of Bremen, Ind. A year later they took up their residence in Clay township on the farm which is now owned and occupied by John V. Zeitler. The land was par- tially improved, a log cabin bad been built on the place, into which they moved, and a little clearing had been done. Both Mr. and Mrs. Meyers died in South Bend. John V. Zeitler came to this country with his mother and step-father, and in 1872 purchased the homestead in Clay township, and his parents moved to South Bend. During his early years Mr. Zeitler spent many days in hard labor on the home farm, but in 1865 went to South Bend, and in company with his step-father and J. C. Knoblock, purchased the St. Joseph Flour Mill, the management of which was placed in the hands of Mr. Zeitler, which position he acceptably filled for six years. He then sold his interest in this mill, returned to Clay township and purchased the old homestead for $10,000. At that time there were few improvements on the place, and the present fine buildings and the convenient and comfortable surroundings represent the industry and thrift of years. The farm, which contains 160 acres, is

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exceptionally fertile, and is conveniently located one mile north of the city limits of South Bend, which makes it especially valuable. He owns 135 acres in another part of the same township, the result of his intelligent management, and every enterprise to which he has devoted his attention has been a successful one. Since he has been a resident of Clay township he has held the offices of trustee and assessor, but as a rule has not been an aspirant for office, his business enterprises occupying the most of his attention. He began the battle of life without means, and can well recall the time when he worked for 50 cents a day, and $6 and $10 per month. At the present time he is one of the heaviest tax payers in the township. He was married May 9, 1867, to Miss Lotta Kleindinst, a native of Germany, by whom he has two children: Charles and Edward. Mr. Zeitler is a worthy member of the A. F. & A. M., and politically supports Democratic principles.

WILLIAM H. ALLEY. Tradition says that the founder of the Alley family in America, came from England with the Pilgrims in the famous ship, the "Mayflower," and settled in New England in the Green Mountain State, where W. H. Alley, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born and received a common-school education. During his early manhood he learned the trade of a tailor, and traveled throughout the country, making buckskin suits for the people, which won for him the cognomen of the "buckskin tailor." He was married twice, and by his first wife became the father of several children who eventually settled in the blue grass regions of Kentucky. Their mother died in Vermont. Mr. Alley finally removed from his native State to Washington county, Penn., at which time countless numbers of deer roamed through the forests, and every farmer and hunter was well supplied with buckskin, which was made into suits by Mr. Alley, who went from house to house for that purpose, which was the general custom in those days. He was mar- ried in Pennsylvania to Mrs. Susan J. Eastep, a widow, and their marriage resulted in the birth of seven children: James, Henry, John, Ebby, Margaret, Betsy and Dorcas. The father of these children died at Finleyville, Penn., when in his sixty-eighth year, and up to the day of his death was very strong, muscular and active. The day prior to his death he walked sixty-five miles, and while over- heated drank copiously of cold water, which was the immediate cause of his death. He was very supple, and could spring over two horses, taking a few steps and jumping from the ground. He was a man of sterling integrity, was sober, indus- trions, and he and his wife were worthy members of the Baptist Church. His son John, the father of the immediate subject of this memoir, was born in Washington county, Penn., and after receiving a good practical education in the common schools, began teaching the young idea, and followed this occupation with success in the vicinity of his home in Washington county, Penn., for thirty-two years. In con- nection with this occupation he followed the calling of a carpenter during the sum- mer seasons, these occupations bringing him in a comfortable competency. Jane, the daughter of William Henry and Elizabeth (Livingston) Armstrong, became his wife, the Armstrongs being of Scotch-Irish and the Livingstons of Irish lineage. Six children eventually gathered around their board, whom they named as follows: William H., James, Elizabeth, Margaret, Beulah and Susan M. Mr. Alley was an intelligent and capable man of business, and while he did not hold office, he attended to the township business for others for many years, and in other ways identified himself with the welfare of his section. Politically, he was an old line Whig, the principles of which he espoused up to the time of his death, which occurred at about the age of seventy years. He was at all times temperate and prudent, honorable in his dealings, and during his long career as a pedagogue, taught two generations of pupils what knowledge they obtained of the "world of books." He was orderly sergeant in the old-time militia, and was present with the troops when they were called out at the first execution in Washington county, Penn. The circumstances of the case were that a runaway slave from Virginia had come into the county in his efforts to escape, and was followed by his master who captured him and took

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him away. The master was found dead and the slave was recaptured and hung. It was believed that he was innocent, that another negro with whom he was asso- cisting at the time did the shooting, for he was considered a desperate character. William H. Alley, his son, and the subject of this sketch, was born on October 15, 1830, received the common education of his day, but has since increased his knowl- edge by reading good literature and posting himself on the current topics of the day by means of the newspapers. He learned the trade of a shoemaker in bis native county, which occupation he followed for about twenty-two years, principally in the towns of Cannonsburg, Washington and Brownsville. In Millersburg, Holmes county, Ohio, he was married to Miss Letitia Haggerty, daughter of John and Mary (Donaldson) Haggerty, the former of whom was of Irish descent and a native of Washington county, Penn. He and his wife became the parents of six children: Mary J., Ellen, Sarah A., Elizabeth, Matilda and William. Mr. Haggerty was considered an expert stone mason and brick layer in Cannonsburg, Penn., and at the age of seventy years died in Noblestown, of that State. He and his wife were members of the Methodist Church, in which he was s class leader and church trustee. He was well respected, well educated and capable. The Donaldsons were of Scotch origin, and the grandfather of Mrs. Alley was a wagon maker, was well- to-do, and left considerable property to his children. His brother in Scotland left a large estate which is unclaimed by his American heirs. To Mr. and Mrs. Alley three children have been born, the birthplace of all being Cannonsburg, Penn. : James, born July 12, 1858; Harry H., born April 8, 1862; and Mary J., born March 27, 1863. Mr. Alley was a member of an old militia company and also of the Brownsville Blues, which were State troops. He was called out with his company in 1862 and assisted in guarding the Williamsburg Pike at Hagerstown, and Was on the battlefield of Antietam after the battle and before the dead were buried, and describes the scene as frightful. He was mustered into the United States service at Harrisburg, Penn., and was mustered out at the same place, having prior to that time endeavored to enlist on two different occasions, but was rejected on account of disability. He was made a Mason at Cannonsburg, and held the office of senior warden, and has since discharged the duties of treasurer of his lodge at Middle- bury. In 1865 he came to Middlebury with his family, where he has since followed his business of shoemaking. For a long time he did an extensive and pushing business, employed two men, and did a great deal of fine custom work, for he is & very skillful workman and does first-class sewed work. He has always been an industrious and economical man, and through these means has accumulated a com- petency, and is now in easy circumstances. He gave all his children good educa- tions in the graded schools of Middlebury, and his daughter, Mary J., has attended the normal school at Goshen and Valparaiso, Ind., and for seven years has been a successful tescher of Middlebury, five years of which time she has been in the grammar department. The son, James, married Sarah Barnes, by whom he has two children, is a house painter by trade, and resides at Mooresville, Mo .; Harry H. is a painter and grainer at Westville, Ind. Mr. and Mrs. Alley are mem- bers of the Lutheran Church, and politically he was a Douglas Democrat and voted that ticket for years, but is now a strong Prohibitionist, and stands high as an hon- orable man who has all his life pursued a course of integrity. During the Civil war he was deputized by Recruiting Officer McDaniels to take five men from Cannonsburg to Harrisburg and deliver them to the commander of the post of that city. He was well received and took dinner with the officer of the day. It was at this time that he made an ineffectual attempt to enlist in the Union service, but permitted one of his apprentices, William Donaldson, who still had two years to serve, to enlist. He took an active part in the battles of Antietam, Gettysburg and Fredericksburg, and was an excellent soldier.

CHRISTIAN BUCHER. The very fine farm owned by the subject of this sketch comprises 160 acres, is cultivated in a very intelligent and profitable manner, and

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is situated in a desirable portion of Clay township. Mr. Bucher is a native of Switzerland, where he was born February 2, 1820, a son of Ulrich and Margaret (Platter) Bucher, also of that country, the father's birth occurring August 15, 1784. His early days were very monotonous, and were marked by hard and continnous labor. He did military service upon attaining a proper age, according to the laws of his conntry, but in 1833 left Switzerland for America, bringing his family with him. He settled on a farm in Stark county, Ohio, where he spent a number of years, then came to St. Joseph county, purchasing a farm in Clay township, of which his son Christian is now a resident. On this farm he spent the remainder of his days, paying the last debt of nature October 24, 1858, his wife's death having occurred & number of years earlier in Ohio. To him and his wife a family of seven children were granted, three of whom are living at the present time. The subject of this sketch was thirteen years of age when America became his home and during his long residence in the United States he has become thoroughly Americanized and is a most loyal subject of Uncle Sam. During the nine years that he resided in Stark county, Ohio, he attended the district schools, bot as the advantages were very poor, his education was but limited. He carried a Bible to school, it being the only book available, and from it learned what knowledge he could of reading. In the spring of 1842 he came to St. Joseph connty and the first year was spent on the farm of John Metzger, on Harris Prairie, his services throughout the year amounting to $9 per month. At that time his capital consisted of a good constitution and 8 couple of suits of home-made clothes. For ten years he worked by the month and by indefatigable industry and perseverance, and the most rigid economy, he was enabled to purchase 80 acres of land in Clay township and begin farming for him- self. He has since added to his real estate until he now owns 160 acres, which makes him one of the most fertile of farms, owing to the careful manner in which every detail is looked after. On November 8, 1849, Mr. Bucher took unto himself 8 wife in the person of Miss Mary Smith, who was born in Stark county, Ohio, March 15, 1832, a danghter of George and Catherine (Kiefer) Smith, both of whom were born in Germany and came to America with their parents, their marriage occurring at Canton, Ohio, in December, 1829. Mr. Smith was one of the pioneers of St. Joseph county, Ind., taking up his residence in Harris township on the county line between Elkhart and St. Joseph counties in the spring of 1835, where he and his wife eventually passed from life. Three years after the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Bucher they settled on the farm in Clay township where they now reside. Six chil- dren have been born of their union: Lydia, George, David, Edna, Eddie and Elvs. Mr. and Mrs. Bucher are members of the Evangelical Church, of which they are active and liberal supporters, and he is a supporter of Republican principles.

WILLIAM MCCOMBS has long since passed to that bourne whence no traveler returns, but he left his impress on the section in which he resided and his memory will Jong be treaanred by those who knew and respected him in life. He was born near Worcester, Ohio, January 31, 1818, a son of Lambert and Hannah (Hague) McCombs, natives of Pennsylvania, who were among the early settlers of St. Joseph county. coming here in July, 1829, and braving the dangers and privations of pioneer life in order to establish a comfortable home for himself and family. He first settled in Clay township near the present site of Sider's Mill, and there the family passed the winter of 1829-30. The following spring they removed to the west side of Portage Prairie in German township, in which year the land came into market, and Mr. McComb porchased a farm in Section 26, which he settled in the spring of the following year. The land was wild and unimproved and the Indian population many times exceeded that of the white, but, Mr. McComb was of 8 hopeful disposition and knew that time would remedy that state of affairs, so set energetically to work to improve his farm. A log cabin was erected on the place and there he made his home until circumstances permitted the erection of a better residence. After making many improvements Mr. McComb sold the property and

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settled one mile west on a farm on Portage Prairie. About the year 1848 he disposed of this property also, and in the fall of that year started for California. The family spent that winter in Missouri and the following spring resumed their journey westward. From that time until his death Mr. McCombs made California his home, and there his wife also passed from life at the advanced age of ninety-nine years. William McCombs, the subject of this sketch was a lad of about eleven years when his parents came to St. Joseph county, and in this section he was reared to the inde- pendent and healthful life of the farmer. On September 12, 1839, he was married to Miss Eva Cripe, who was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, March 2, 1816, a daughter of John and Eva (Roof) Cripe. After their marriage they immediately located in Clay township, which has been the home of the family ever since and where they reared a family of nine children to honorable and independent manhood and womanhood. They christened their children as follows: Elizabeth, John, Lam- bert, Maria, Samuel G., Eva E., Hannah L., Sarah A. and William F. The father of these children was called from life in December, 1885, at which time he was a worthy member of the German Baptist Church, and one of its most substantial sup- porters. He was a very generous father, a kind and loving husband, and left his- family well provided for. His widow is the owner of 247 acres of valuable land and resides in & commodions and comfortable residence. Eva E., Hannah L. and Sarah A. make their home with their mother. Mrs. McCombs rents her farm, and although her hair is white with the snows of many winters, she is still wide awake, energetic and active and transacts her business affairs in an intelligent and praise- worthy manner. She is one of the oldest settlers of St. Joseph county now living, for she came to this section with her parents in the fall of 1830. She has long been a worthy member of the German Baptist Church, and being kind hearted, charitable and generous, she has numerous friends.

W. F. WEST is a business man of Middlebury, Ind., who has become well known for the honorable manner in which he has conducted his affairs, as well as for his shrewdness and sagacity as a financier. His father, Fletcher L. West, was of Eng- lish and Scotch lineage, but was a native of the Old Dominion, where he first saw the light of day on January 8, 1833. In his youth he received but three months' schooling, but managed to learn to read and write, and when almost totally unfitted to fight the battle of life for himself, he, at the early age of fourteen years, left home to make his own way in the world. In childhood he was taken by his mother to Buchanan, Mich., but upon starting out to fight the battle of life for himself he came to Elkhart county, Ind., and here learned the trade of a cooper, at which he worked in Elkhart and Carson, principally, for a number of years, conducting a stave factory and cooper shop combined for three years thereafter at Adamsville, Mich. In 1878 he settled down to farming in Jefferson township, Elkhart county, where he is at present residing, and where he has many warm friends. His marriage with Miss Maria Williams was consummated in 1842, she being a daughter of Henry and Rebecca Williams. Mr. West has become the owner of a nicely improved and exceptionally well cultivated farm of eighty acres. Politically he has always sup- ported the platform of the Democrat party, and he and his wife have long been earnest members of the United Brethren Church. Although Mr. West is now in comfortable circumstances, he has traveled a rough road to gain a competency, and what he is now enjoying he has the satisfaction of knowing has been earned throngh his own efforts. His children are named as follows: William F., Otis C., George C. and Zilda A. The eldest member of this family, William F. West, was born at Carson, Ind., July 28, 1859, received a common-school education and learned the cooper business of his father. After working in Goshen two years he, in 1886, opened a cooper shop in Middlebury and employed four men the year round, a con- siderable portion of the time employing eight men, during which time he turned out a good deal of cooper's ware. In 1890, 12,000 flour barrels and 2,500 butter tubs were made. On April 12, 1883, he married Mrs. Jennie Cornell, a widow, and

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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 37

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

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