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 40

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 40
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 40

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one that died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been members of the Methodist Episcopal Church for many years, but at present are not connected as members of any society. Mr. Smith has always voted the Republican ticket, and has ever inter- ested himself in the affairs of his section and is a wide-awake and public-spirited man.

ORAMEL O. PRESCOTT. One of the most ancient and honorable of American families of old Colonial times were the Prescotts, whose genealogical history was written by the venerable Dr. Willism Prescott, of Concord, N. H., and discloses the characteristics of one of the most remarkable families of this country. Springing directly from English stock, they were pioneers in the dreary forests of New Eng- land, the founders of new settlements and towns, fought in the numerous Indian wars of early times, freemen of the ancient boroughs, and church and town officials. At a later period they were among the most fearless advocates for liberty, and numbered many officers and soldiers in the struggle for American Independence, among whom was Col. William Prescott, who commanded the American forces at the battle of Bunker Hill. Since the Revolution they have been prominent soldiers in the War of 1812, the Mexican war, and the great Civil war of this country. The Prescotts sent nearly two hundred and fifty of their gallant sons to do battle for the Union, many of whom held important. official positions. In science, literature and art the name is highly honored, and William H. Prescott, the distinguished American historian, was a grandson of the hero of Bunker Hill, but needs no eulogy in this volume. Suffice it to say that they are historical monuments clothed in the purest English and the most graceful figures of speech. The family has been noted for generations, not only for the distinguished ability of some of its sons, but for the sturdy worth and sterling characteristics which go to make up our best citizens and law-abiding and indus- trious men.

The name Prescott is of Saxon origin, and is formed by the contraction of two Saxon words, priest and cottage, therefore signifying priest-cottage, or priest's house. The name has long been known in England, and was given to a street in the ancient city of London. Prescott is also the name of a market town in Lancaster county, England, which was the ancient seat of the Prescott family. Orders of knighthood were conferred upon some branches of the family, and they were among the nobility of that country. A metallic coat of mail and armor, such as were worn by ancient knights, were brought to this country by the emigrant, Johu Prescott. There is also preserved by the descendants in this country a family coat of arms, which was conferred upon one of the remote ancestors for his bravery, courage and successful enterprise as a man and a military officer. This coat of arms had an ancient origin, and was owned both by the Prescotts, of Theo- bald's Park, Hartfordshire, Barts .; snd by those ancient families of Lancashire and Yorkshire. The first mention of the name of Prescott is in "Thomas Rymer's Foldera," wherein a conformation of a grant made concerning aqueducts of the city of London by H. de Patershall, treasurer to the king, is addressed to Walter Prescott, vice chancellor, and others (named).

The direct lineage of the Prescotts who came to America is traced back to the time of Queen Elizabeth. James Prescott, who was descended from the ancient family of Prescott, England, was s gentleman of Standish, Lancashire. He was required, by an order of Queen Elizabeth, dated August, 1564, to keep in readiness, horsemen and srms. He married a daughter of Roger Standish, of Standish, England, and sister to Ralph Standish. From this marriage descended both John Prescott, who landed at Boston in 1640, and James Prescott, who settled in Hamp- ton, N. H., in 1665. John Prescott sold his lands in Shevington, parish of Standish, in Lancashire, to Richard Prescott, of Wigan, and removed into Yorkshire, and resided for some time in Lowerby, in the parish of Halifax, where several of his children were born. From conscientious motives and to avoid persecution, he

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left his native land of Yorkshire to seek an asylum in the wilderness of America. He first landed at Barbadoes in 1638, where he became an owner of lands, but in 1640 he came to New England, and after landing at Boston, he almost immediately settled at Watertown, where he had large grants of land allotted him. In 1643 he associated himself with Thomas King and others, for the purpose of purchasing of Sholan, the Indian Sachem of the Nashaway tribe of Indians, & tract of land for the settlement which was to be ten miles in length and eight in breadth. This purchase being completed, John Prescott, who was a stalwart blacksmith, pro- ceeded to vigorously pursue the interests of the plantation till his exertions were crowned with success. He was the first settler of Nashaway, now Lancaster, Mass., and was in every respect a gentleman and an influential member of the original Puritan stock of New England. Like most of the early emigrants of that section, he left his native home to escape the relentless persecutions with which the Puritans and Nonconformists were harassed. He was a man of marked character, devoting his time to mechanical and agricultural pursuits. At a very early day he became a leading spirit and a prominent and influential man, as very many of his descend- ants have been in each and every subsequent generation.

He was a man of strict integrity, great energy and perseverance, and took an active part in all measures calculated to improve and enhance the interests of the town of Lancaster, Mass. He took the oath of fidelity in 1652, and was admitted a freeman in 1669. By occupation he was not only an agriculturist, but was also 8 blacksmith and millwright. In November, 1653, he received a grant of land from the Indians on condition that he would build a "corn mill," which he did, at the same time erecting & saw-mill. John Prescott and family were conspicuously identified in the defense of Lancaster against the Indians. He was a strong, athletic man of stern countenance, and when he had any difficulty with the Indians would clothe himself with his coat-of-mail, helmet, cuirass and gorget, which gave him a fierce and formidable appearance, and greatly astonished the Indians when they found that they could make no impression upon him with their tomahawks. This John Prescott was the ancestor of a distinguished branch of the Prescott family in America, and a second cousin of James Prescott, the original American ancestor of the subject of this sketch. Among the distinguished descendants of John Prescott, was Col. William Prescott, the commander of the American forces at the battle of Bunker Hill. also the eminent historian, William H. Prescott.

James Prescott, the original emigrant to America, the remote ancestor of this branch of the family, and the second cousin of John Prescott, of Lancashire, came from Dryby, in the county of Lincolnshire, England, in 1665, and settled in Hampton, N. H., which then, and for some time after, was comprised within the old county of Norfolk, Mass. Mr. Prescott opened & farm (on which he resided until he moved to Kingston, in 1725), in that part of Hampton which, since 1712 has constituted the town of Hampton Falls. This town is situated some one and a half, or two miles, north of Hampton Falls Academy, on the high road to Exeter, of late years owned and occupied by the late Wells Healy, Esq., and is a fine desirable farm.

Mr. Prescott was a member of the Congregational Church, as he was admitted a freeman in 1678, none but members of the church being eligible to that important and earnestly sought position. He was transferred to the church at Hampton Falls soon after its incorporation as a town in 1712, and thence he was transferred to the church at Kingston, on September 29, 1725. In 1768 he married Mary, daughter of Nathaniel and Grace Boulter, her birth occurring at Exeter, May 16, 1645. The Boulters were of English origin. James Prescott, was a man of integrity and influence, possessing good sense, a sound and discriminating mind, and one whose judgment was much sought for, and in whose opinion the people placed the utmost confidence and reliance. In 1692 James Prescott is mentioned as a creditor of His Majesty's province.

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In 1694 the town of Kingston was granted, by Lieut. Gov. Usher, to James Prescott, Ebeneezer Webster and others, who became extensive land holders and influential proprietors. December 19, 1700, James Prescott was moderator of the meeting of the proprietors of Kingston, at which meeting James Prescott and Ebeneezer Webster were chosen a committee to run the line between Kingston and Hampton, in conjunction with a like committee from the latter town. At the same meeting it was voted to grant to James Prescott, Thomas Philbrick and Jonathan Sanborn, each 200 acres of land in the westerly part of the town of Kingston. On July 18, 1701, James Prescott was again chosen moderator of the proprietors' meeting, when the house, or near meadow was granted to him. Besides the above, the proprietors of Kingston voted him tracts of land in 1705, 1710, 1715, 1719, 1720 and in 1721. In 1708 the Commons of Hampton voted to give to James Prescott ten acres of land where his house then stood, John Sanborn dissenting. On April 10, 1711, they voted him four acres of land for £2.

James Prescott was a prominent public man, and his name appears signed to numerous petitions. He removed from Hampton Falls to Kingston in 1725, and here he died November 25, 1728, at about eighty-five years of age. The record of his death on the books at Kingston, reads thus: "James Prescott, an aged father, died." His wife Mary, died at Kingston, October 4, 1735, aged over seventy- eight years.

James Prescott, Jr., son of the above and the sixth generation from the subject of this sketch, was born September 1, 1671, and was married March 1, 1695, to Maria Marston, daughter of William Marston, Jr. and Rebecca Page, daughter of Robert and Lucy Page. who were among the first settlers of Hampton. She was born May 16, 1672, and both became church members October 10, 1697. After the death of his wife Maria, Mr. Prescott was married June 17, 1746, to Widow Abigail Sanborn, the daughter of Edward Gore, one of the first settlers of Hampton. Prior to this marriage she had been married twice, first in 1690, to Deacon Phile- mon Dalton, and after his death to Deacon Benjamin Sanborn, in 1724, whose third wife she was. James Prescott, Jr., was a farmer, and resided near his father on the opposite side of the road leading from Hampton Falls to Exeter. He was styled sergeant, for by the Hampton records he was made one of the constables in 1707. He was at Port Royal six months in 1701, and was a deacon in his church.

Samuel Prescott, his son, was born March 14, 1697, and December 17, 1777, married Mary, the daughter of Joseph and Mary (Gore) Sanborn, the former a son of John Sanborn, Sr., and the latter the daughter of Edward Gore, Sr. Mary Prescott was born July 28, 1697, and July 13, 1740, she and her husband became members of the church. In 1746 Mr. Prescott, with Hon. Meshach Weare, was appointed an appraiser of the estate of Capt. Jonathan Prescott, who was in the expedition under Sir William Pepperell against Louisburg on the Island of Cape Breton, the stronghold of the French in America, when that fortress was captured, and in Louisburg died of typhus fever in January, 1746. Samuel and his wife became the parents of five sons. He served several years as a selectman, town clerk and in other capacities, and resided, as a farmer, at Hampton Falls, where be died of fever June 12, 1759, at the age of sixty-two years and three months. At one time he acted as one of a scouting party along the frontier. His will was approved June 26, 1759.

Jeremiah Prescott, his son, was born September 29, 1710, baptized November 22. 1724, and was firet married January 15, 1741, to Mary Hayes He settled as a farmer at Epping, and was extensively known as Sergeant Prescott. In April. 1755, he composed one of the company commanded by Capt. Nathaniel Folsom. of Exeter, and in the regiment commanded by Capt. Joseph Blanchard, of Dunstable (now Nashua, N. H.), which was sent on an expedition against the French forts Du Quesne, Niagara and West Point. In May, 1756, he again engaged in an expedition against Crown Point in the company commanded by Capt. Nathaniel

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Doe and in the regiment commanded by Col. Nathaniel Meserve. He signed the Association Test in 1776. After the death of his first wife he was married February 10, 1780, to Mary, the widow of Lemuel Towle, and a daughter of Gideon Shaw.

William Prescott, son of Samuel, was born about 1746, and was married to Mary Dearborn. daughter of Henry and Margaret (Sherburne) Dearborn, of North Hampton, N. H., where she was born between 1740 and 1750. William Prescott settled as a farmer in Vershire, Vt., and in 1815 died at the age of sixty-nine years. He was the father of three sons and three daughters: Mary, Sarah, Elisha, Mercy, Jeremiah and Sherburne. Mr. Prescott was a soldier in the Revolution, and was a substantial farmer and a highly respected citizen.

His son Jeremiah was born August 16, 1781, and received the limited education of his day, the principal part of his education being self acquired. He learned to write a good hand, aleo to successfully keep accounts and became a well-informed man. He was but seven years of age when he went with his father from Sanborn- ton, N. H., to Vershire, Vt., where he grew to manhood. He assisted his father to clear up his farm, and in Vershire was married to Betsy Pomeroy, whose parents were Elisha and Sarah (Stratton) Pomeroy. After his marriage Jeremiah Prescott settled in Vershire, where he bought a grist-mill, which he operated for many years in connection with farming. He was a very zealone member of the Congregational Church, and lived to the age of fifty-three years, dying in 1834. Like his ancestors, he was a man of honorable and upright character, whose word was as good as his bond. His union resulted in the birth of. seven children: Elmina, born March 2, 1809, and died February 7, 1823; Lewis, born October 28, 1811, was married March 15, 1842, to Lucinda Derby, who was born October 3, 1818, and resided in Vershire, Vt., until his death in 1869, at the age of fifty-eight years; Elisha P., born June 7, 1814, married July 9 1839, Mary Davie, who was born November 9, 1812, and resided at West Fairlee, Vt .; Lyman, born January 31, 1817, married March 27, 1842, Mary Jewett, and resides in Waterbury, Vt .; Rev. Chester M., born June 19, 1821, married Lucy Baldwin, in March, 1844, who was born July 25, 1821, now resides in Lake View, Penn., and ie a minister of the Free Will Baptist Church; Oramel O .; and Asaph S., a resident of Middlebury, Ind. Elisha H. Pomeroy, the maternal grandfather of these children, was a carpenter and a substantial farmer of Vershire, Vt., and lived to the patriarchal age of nintey years, dying in 1855. He was the father of nine children: Betsy, Sophia, Phila, Anna, Asaph, Stratton, Lydia, Sarah and Electa.

Oramel Prescott, son of Jeremiah, is of the twelfth generatiou from James Prescott, of England, of Queen Elizabeth's time. He was born in Vershire, Vt., on his father's farm, January 12, 1824, received a good common-school education, and attended the old academies of his native State, which were excellent institutions for obtaining a good practical education. He learned the trade of a jeweler and watchmaker, and at the age of nineteen began traveling in the line of his business, and for a period of ten years traveled throughout the Eastern and Western States.

: In 1847, while yet a single man, he visited Middlebury, Ind., where he spent one winter, after which he made trips throughout Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri. In 1849 he went to Vermont, and in 1851 returned and settled at Middlebury on land which he had purchased in 1849, and which he still owns. During his travels, by frugality and industry, he saved enough money to give him a start in life, and in 1851 he engaged in the jewelry and watchmaker's business in Middlebury, which he continued until 1857, when he and a brother, Asaph S., formed a partnership in the general hardware business, under the firm name of O. O. & A. S. Prescott, which business prospered, and in 1880 they retired from the active duties of life, having become widely known as honorable business men. Mr. Prescott ie a man of independent views, and although for many years in sympathy with the Republican party, he has lately become a Prohibitionist, for he realizes the wickedness of the whisky traffic. In 1892 he was candidate in the Prohibition party for senator,

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receiving 332 votes in his own county. In 1851 Mr. Prescott married Eliza A. Bickford, daughter of John and Abigail (Martin) Bickford, the former of whom was of English descent, a member of an old colonial family. He was a farmer, a soldier in the War of 1812, and in 1852 became a settler of Middlebury, Ind. He and his wife were the parents of five children: Laura, Eliza, Levinia, Flavella and Norris. Mrs. Prescott died November 8, 1888, having borne her husband six children, one living, Leona. an intelligent and refined young lady. Mr. Prescott's second marriage was to Mrs. Jane Abel, a daughter of Asa S. Carr, who was of English descent, born November 23, 1799, in New York, in which State he was married to Sarah Osterhout, of Pennsylvania Dutch stock, their union resulting in the birth of eight children, four of whom lived to grow up: Rice W., who died when eighteen years of age; Julius, Jane, and Mariah. Mr. Carr was for many years a farmer of Tompkins county, N. Y., but he finally moved to Orleans county, N. Y., and about 1849 came to Middlebury, Ind., where he erected and operated a carding-mill until his death, September 9, 1847, having for many years prior to that time been a member of the Baptist Church, of which his wife, who died October 9, 1858, was also a member. Mrs. Prescott was born in Tompkins county, N. Y., October 6, 1828, and when a young lady of seventeen came with her parents to Middlebury, and here has since resided, being an earnest member of the Baptist Church. William Abel, a farmer and carpenter, who was born in New York, De- cember 15, 1810, and was among the first settlers of Middlebury, Ind., was her first cousin. He was the father of one child who died at the age of ten years, and at the age of seventy-one years he, himself, was called from life. Mr. Prescott has been an honored citizen of Middlebury for many years, and was township trustee and clerk before the town of Middlebury was organized, and has since been trustee of the town. He has always been a friend of education, has taken an active interest in the good of the schools of his section, and as & financier has prospered. He has 300 acres of land, an elegant residence in Middlebury, and is otherwise well supplied with worldly goods. He is a well-informed man of broad and liberal views, and is an intelligent and extensive reader. In every respect he has been an honor to himself and to his illustrious ancestry.

C. W. GREEN, treasurer of the Old People's Mutual Benefit Society of Elkhart, Ind. The pursuits of life are as varied as are the tastes and capacities of men, and it is an interesting and useful study to observe the degrees of their assimilation. A narrative of success in life affords a lesson from which others can profit. In Lake county, Ill., there was born in 1844 a son to Isaiah and Mary (Gage) Green, and there he grew up, a sturdy yonth, and remained until seventeen years of sge. His father and mother were born in New Hampshire and Vermont, respectively, their progenitors having participated in the early wars of this country with Great Britain. In 1832 Isaiah Green removed to Illinois and located in what is now Lake county, from which section he was compelled to go to Chicago to mill, drive a four-horse team, and would then often get stuck in the mud. In 1861 he removed to Elkhart. in which city he was called from life in December 1864, his widow still surviving him in her eighty-ninth year. She is still in the enjoyment of fair health, is quite active, and can get sround quite well without assistance. She bore her husband three sons and two daughters, of whom one son and one daughter are living: Mrs. J. W. Ellis, and C. W., the subject of this biography. The early education of the latter was received in the district schools near his home, and he assisted his father on the farm in Illinois until their removal to Elkhart in 1861. In February, 1862, he ran away from home and enlisted in the Forty-fonrth Indiana Infantry, the fort- unes of which he followed until the war closed by the surrender of Gen. Lee. He was captured at the battle of Chickamauga, and for six long months was confined in Libby Prison, after which he was taken to Macon, Ga., thence to Charleston, where he and his fellow prisoners were under fire for about six weeks. He was next removed to Columbus, then to Goldsboro, N. C., at which place he was paroled

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after seventeen months of prison life. The hardships he suffered during this time can not be told, and the terrible scenes he witnessed will ever remain a blot upon the South. After being paroled he went to Camp Chase, thence to Chattanooga, Tenn., where he reported to his regiment and was mustered out of the service. He was in the engagements at Shiloh, Stone River and Chickamanga, besides a number of other pitched battles, but of less note than those mentioned. He returned to Elkhart and engaged in the grocery business, continning for eighteen months, when he sold out and entered the employ of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Rail- road Company, with which he was connected for about twenty-two years. He spent five years as ticket agent at Elkhart, and seventeen years as freight agent, and in each of these capacities he showed himself courteous, obliging and efficient. He resigned his position with this company in March, 1888, to accept his present one with the Mutual Benefit Association, and in this capacity has shown himself to be the right man in the right place. He is a stockholder in the Electric Light & Street Railway & Indiana Buggy Company, besides several minor institutions. He is a stockholder in the St. Joe Valley Bank, was a member of the council when Elkhart was organized as a city, and filled the same position six years later. He is con- sidered one of the leading business men of the city, and as a member of the Masonic fraternity he has attained to the thirty-second degree. In 1867 he was married to Miss Rachel L. Hudson. who died in 1887.

JACOB EATON, president of the board of county commissioners of St. Joseph county, Ind., was born in Frederick connty, Md., May 1, 1819, son of Isaac and Margaret (Metzger) Eston, the former of whom was born in Loudoun county, Va., January 24, 1775. He was an only son, whose father was an English soldier in the Revolutionary war. When a lad he removed to Montgomery county, Md., where he was resred and apprenticed to the blacksmith's trade, & business, which after learning, he followed for many years. During the War of 1812 he was & vol- unteer under Gen. Mason, and witnessed the burning of the bridge at the capital. His duties were chiefly confined to protecting Baltimore. About the year 1798 he was married in Frederick county, Md., near where the battle of Antietam was fought, to Margaret Metzger, born November 15, 1781, daughter of Valentine Metzger, & German by birth. To Mr. and Mrs. Eaton eight children were born: Amelis, Snsanna, William and Abraham, deceased, and Samuel, John, Mary and Jacob liv- ing. In the fall of 1830 the family emigrated to Montgomery county, Ohio, where they remained one year, then came on to St. Joseph county, Ind., and settled on the land now devoted to St. Mary's Academy in Clay township, which at that time was known as German township. His means were limited at the time of his location here and he took a large lease on a farm, on which he lived for five years, during which time he saved enough money to enter eighty acres of land in Section 17, Clay township, which was entirely covered with oak and hickory timber and in & very wild state. He cleared s small portion and erected thereon a log cabin 18x20 feet, one and one-half stories high, which at that time was considered a very commodious and comfortable dwelling. Here he lived for nearly twenty-five years, clearing and improving his farm in various ways. By appointment he was one of the commis- sioners who located the county seats of Koscinsko and Steuben counties and assisted in the surveying of the State road from Detroit to Chicago. He was a very useful early pioneer, was a considerate and accommodating neighbor and a law-abiding and public-spirited citizen. His death occurred at the home of his son Jacob on Christ- mas day, 1869. His wife died April 23, 1863. Their son Abraham was accident- ally killed, when young, while loading & flint-lock gun. William, his brother, was also accidentally killed in La Porte county by the falling of a timber while he was erecting a building. Jacob Eaton, the immediate subject of this sketch, was reared in his native county, and although but thirteen years of age at the time his parents came west, the most of his education was obtained in Maryland. After coming to Indiana he never attended a free school, the subscription plan being in vogue here

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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 40

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

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