The pictorial history of Fort Wayne, Indiana : a review of two centuries of occupation of the region about the head of the Maumee River, Vol. II, Part 12

Author: Griswold, B. J. (Bert Joseph), 1873-1927; Taylor, Samuel R., Mrs
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Chicago : Robert O. Law Co.
Number of Pages: 792


USA > Indiana > Allen County > Fort Wayne > The pictorial history of Fort Wayne, Indiana : a review of two centuries of occupation of the region about the head of the Maumee River, Vol. II > Part 12


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Eugene H. Briggs, who exereises important functions in the position of executive assistant in the offices of the great manufacturing estab- lishment of S. F. Bowser & Company, one of the leading industrial concerns of Fort Wayne, is a scion of stanch old colonial stock in New England, on both the paternal and distaff sides. He was born in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, on July 15, 1874, and is a son of Rev. Lewis L. and Mary T. (Howarth) Briggs, the former a native of Providence, Rhode Island, and the latter of Dover, New Hampshire. The father, a man


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of high intellectual attainments and much oratorical ability, served many years as a clergyman of the Universalist church, his death having occurred in 1893, and his widow survived him by a score of years, she having been summoned to eternal rest in 1913. Of the three children Irene C. is the wife of Thomas G. Rees, of Boston, Massachusetts; Lewis H. died in infancy, and the subject of this review is the youngest of the number. Eugene H. Briggs attended the public schools at Lynn, Massachusetts, and he initiated his business career by assuming a clerical position in a banking institution in the city of Boston, in 1895. He continued his association with banking enterprises until 1910, and in the meanwhile his ability and effective service gained to him consecutive promotion. In the year last mentioned he became factory salesman in New England for the important firm of S. F. Bowser & Company, and in 1913 he came to Fort Wayne, where he now holds the responsible post of executive assistant in the offices of this important concern. Mr. Briggs is found aligned as a loyal advocate of the cause of the Republican party, and at Wakefield, Massachusetts, he still maintains affiliations with Golden Rule Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. On October 1, 1900, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Briggs to Miss May Katherine Wyman, who likewise was born in the city of Boston, and they have two children-Lewis L. and Norma H.


Stillman B. Brokaw has held since the autumn of 1916 a position with the municipal waterworks department of Fort Wayne and takes loyal interest in all things pertaining to the welfare and advancement of his native city. He was born in Fort Wayne and is one of the three surviving children of the late Samuel L. Brokaw, who was born at Galena, Ohio, April 20, 1840, and died in Fort Wayne on April 28, 1907. As a young man Samuel L. Brokaw served as a member of Company K, One Hundred and Eighth Ohio Infantry, with which he served four years, or virtually during the entire period of the great civil conflict through which the integrity of the Union was preserved. He was dis- charged shortly before the close of the war, as the result of physical disability, and his record was that of a loyal and valiant young soldier of the Union. In 1867 he established his home in Fort Wayne, where he passed the remainder of his life. He was engaged in railroad work during the major portion of the long intervening years and the last ten years of his life were marked by his efficient service as county health officer, in which position he made an admirable record. His widow still resides in Fort Wayne, and with her remain her two daughters, Estella O. and Irene Sinex Brokaw, who, with Stillman B., subject of this review, are the only survivors in a family of nine children. Stillman B. Brokaw was educated in the public schools of Fort Wayne and while yet in his 'teens entered the employ of Albert Tomkinson, who was here engaged in the plumbing business. His work in this connection was so well per- formed that he won advancement and eventually became an indispen- sable factor in the business, with which he continued to be associated until he assumed his present municipal position. On May 18, 1910, Mr. Brokaw married Miss Mary E. Tomkinson, a daughter of his employer, Albert Tomkinson, and the one child of this union is Herbert James Brokaw. Mr. Brokaw is a Republican in his political allegiance and is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity. The attractive family home is at 411 Kinnaird Avenue.


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Frank I. Brown is a recognized authority in connection with the grades and valuations of lumber and holds the responsible position of lumber agent for all lines of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company of the divisions and branches west of the city of Pittsburgh. He has maintained his home in Fort Wayne for nearly forty years and is one of the well- known and representative citizens of the Allen county metropolis. Mr. Brown was born at South Orange, New Jersey, on June 20, 1856, and is a son of John S. and Adelaide (Freeman) Brown, of whose seven children he is the youngest. The parents were born and reared in New Jersey, with whose history the family names have been identified for many gen- erations, and the father was one of the successful farmers of that state, within whose borders he and his wife continued to reside until their deaths. Frank I. Brown received the advantages of the public schools of New Jersey and also those of the Newark Military Academy, in the metropolis of his native state. As a youth he was concerned with mer- cantile business in Newark, and in 1880, as a young man of twenty-four years, he came to Fort Wayne and entered the employ of the firm of Hoffman Brothers, for whom he acted as lumber inspector. With this concern he continued his effective services nearly seven years, and he then accepted a position as lumber agent for the Pittsburgh, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, commonly known as the Nickel Plate. With this company he continued his association in this capacity for twelve years and in January, 1900, he severed this connection to assume his present and similar office in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. His official duties cause him to travel extensively, and he is familiar with lumber resources and conditions in the various sections of the Union. Though never a seeker of public office of any kind, Mr. Brown is aligned as a loyal supporter of the cause of the Republican party, and in his home county he is an active and appreciative member of the Fort Wayne Country Club. He is also vice-president of the United States Field Trial Club, of Grand Junction, Tennessee, and is well known as a breeder of English setters. Mr. Brown frequently is called to officiate as judge at the Grand Circuit Field trials. On January 15, 1896, was solemnized his marriage to Miss Anna Bond, of Fort Wayne, no children having been born of their union.


Martin C. Bruick .- The Bruick family, represented in St. Joseph township by Martin C., of this review, had its establishment in America in the year 1834, when his parents-Morris Bruick and Martha Cue- aged nine and seven years, respectively, came with their parents and settled in Adams township. There the young people were reared in the wilderness and, growing up as neighbors and lifelong acquaintances, their marriage followed quite as a matter of course. They settled in the community where they had been reared, became worthy contributors to the industrial life of the township, and were the parents of a family of eight children. They were John, Adam, Anna, Elizabeth, Martin, Henry, William and Jacob, all living at the present writing. The parents are now deceased-his passing being in the year 1887 and hers in 1892. Martin Bruick had a common school training in Adams township and early turned his attention to farming, in which he has since been occupied successfully. He is the owner of one hundred and fifty-four acres in St. Joseph township, on which he may be said to have made all the improvements. He married, in 1892, Sophia Goeglein, daughter of George Goeglein, concerning whom more extended mention will be found on


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other pages of this work. Seven children have come to Mr. and Mrs. Bruick-Hulda, Luella, Arthur, Amiel, George, Arnold and Carl. The family have membership in the German Lutheran church, and Mr. Bruick is a Democrat in politics.


George H. Buck has been engaged in the fish business in Fort Wayne since 1890 and has built up through effective service a substantial and representative trade, his well-equipped establishment being situated at 720 Harrison street. Mr. Buck was born in the city of Indianapolis, Indiana, July 29, 1861, a son of Charles W. and Louisa (Durfee) Buck, natives of the state of New York and both now deceased, the father having been a railroad man during the greater part of his active life and he and his wife having been residents of Fort Wayne at the time of their death. Of their children the eldest is Lucy, who is the wife of Cyrus Crabbs, of Indianapolis, and the subject of this review was the second in order of birth; Mary is the wife of James Doudrick, of Kansas City, Missouri; Ada is the wife of Frank Cornish, a contractor in Fort Wayne; Edward is a locomotive engineer and now resides in the state of California. He whose name initiates this paragraph acquired his youthful education in the public schools of Indianapolis and Fort Wayne and thereafter was identified with railway service until he estab- lished his present business enterprise, in the conducting of which he has shown the care, discrimination and progressiveness that invariably make for success worthy of the name. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in the time-honored Masonic fraternity he has received the thirty-second degree of the Ancient Accept- ed Scottish Rite, besides having completed the circuit of the York Rite, in which his maximum affiliation is with Fort Wayne Commandery of Knights Templars. He is identified also with the Mystic Shrine and the Knights of the Maccabees, and is an active and popular member of the Fort Wayne Commercial Club. The maiden name of the first wife of Mr. Buck was Ella J. Baughman, and she is survived by two daughters-Grace, who is the wife of John Hengstler, of Fort Wayne, and Maude, who is the wife of Walter Kruse, of this city. The second marriage of Mr. Buck was solemnized in 1901, when Miss S. Ellen Uran became his wife. She was born in Michigan and is a daughter of John and Ola (Hayes) Uran. Mr. and Mrs. Buck have one son, George H., Jr.


Ernest F. Bueker, who has been one of the energetic and successful representatives of farm industry in Aboite township, came from Ger- many to America in 1870, when a youth of about sixteen years, and estab- lished his home in Fort Wayne within a short time after his arrival in the United States. In character and ambition he proved himself well equipped for the achieving of success through personal endeavor and for the long period of twenty-two years was engaged in the work of his trade, that of plasterer. Through this medium he gained the financial resources that eventually enabled him to purchase his present farm of eighty acres, where he has erected good buildings and made such other improvements as denote significantly the spirit of thrift and enterprise. As an agriculturist and stock-grower Mr. Bueker won substantial success and still owns his valuable farm property, though he is now living virtually retired in Fort Wayne, where he has a pleasant home at 1923 Hanna street. Loyal to and appreciative of American institutions, Mr. Bueker gives stalwart allegiance to the cause of the Republican party and takes lively interest in public affairs of a local order. He is affili-


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ated with the Masonic fraternity and also with the St. John's Reformed church in Fort Wayne, as was also his wife, who died May 24, 1917. Mr. Bueker was born in Westphalia, Germany, on May 15, 1854, a son of Frederick and Sophia (Buller) Bueker, who came to the United States, in 1871, and settled in Fort Wayne, their son Ernest, of this review, having preceded them to this city by about one year. Here the father engaged in the work of his trade, that of cooper, and here his death occurred in 1886, his devoted wife having been summoned to the life eternal, in 1882, and both having been zealous communicants of the Reformed church. Of their children the eldest is Frederick, who is a retired farmer living in Fort Wayne; Frederica is the wife of Christian Tschannen, a farmer in Aboite township; Caroline and Lottie are deceased; Lizetta is the widow of Henry Hilgeman, deceased; Ernest F., of this sketch, was the next in order of birth ; and Henry is deceased. Ernest F. Bueker acquired his early education in the excellent schools of his native land and was an ambitious and self-reliant young man when he severed the ties that bound him to the fatherland and came to the United States, due record having already been given concerning his career since that period. October 3, 1878, recorded his marriage to Miss Lizetta Hildebrand, who was born in Fort Wayne, January 15, 1857, a daughter of William and Marie (Hencheon) Hildebrand, both now deceased. Mr. Hildebrand was for a number of years identified with various lines of business enterprise in the city of Indianapolis and finally removed to Fort Wayne, where he and his wife passed the remainder of their lives. In conclusion is given brief record concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Bueker: Minnie is the wife of Charles Stillhorn, of Fort Wayne, and they have two children-Irma and Elmer. Carl, who likewise resides in Fort Wayne, married Miss Minnie Goette, and they have four children-Mildred, Minerva, Nellie and Melba. Edwin resides in Fort Wayne, the maiden name of his wife was Jenette Presler and they have two children-Freda and Kathryn. William, who has charge of the old home farm in Aboite township, wedded Miss Ella Nicholson, and they have one son, William Aaron. Ernest is engaged in farming in Whitley county. Freda is employed as a skilled stenog- rapher in the offices of the S. F. Bowser Company, Fort Wayne, and remains at the parental home. Bertha also makes her home with her father. Matilda is the wife of Edwin Beard, of St. Joseph township.


Frederick J. Bueker is one of the representative farmers of the younger generation in his native township of Washington, and his homestead, comprising one hundred and ten acres, has been by him greatly improved since it came into his possession, so that it is consistently to be designated as one of the model farms of Washington township. He was born in this township March 19, 1879, a son of Frederick W. and Frederica (Oslag) Bueker, both of whom were born in Prussia and were young folk at the time when they came to the United States. The first husband of Mrs. Bueker was William Kolmartin and they became the parents of three children-Willian, Sophia and Henry J .- of whom only the last mentioned is living, he being one of the successful farmers of Washington township. Mr. Kolmartin died, in 1876, and on February 7, 1877, his widow became the wife of Frederick W. Bueker, the subject of this review being the eldest of the three children of this union; Edward resides on the old homestead farm of his father, and Mrs. Eliza Most is now a resident of the city of Buffalo,


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New York. Frederick W. Bueker became one of the substantial ex- ponents of agricultural industry in Washington township and upon his retirement from active labors removed to the city of Fort Wayne, where he and his wife still maintain their home. He whose name initiates this article gained his early education in the public and the Lutheran pa- rochial schools of his native township and as a lad of thirteen years began to render effective aid in the work of the home farm, with the manage- ment of which he continued to be associated until he initiated his inde- pendent activities as an agriculturist and stock-grower. He purchased his present farm in 1910 and has brought the same under a high state of cultivation, the place being devoted to well ordered agriculture of diversi- fied order. Mr. Bueker erected on his farm the present commodious and attractive residence and also the barn and other farm buildings of minor order. ndustry and progressiveness have brought to him merited pros- perity and he is one of the substantial and popular citizens of his native township, his political allegiance being given to th eRepublican party and both he and his wife being active communicants of St. John's Re- formed Lutheran church in the city of Fort Wayne, from which their home is about three miles distant, on rural mail route No. 1. On June 27, 1909, Mr. Bueker wedded Miss Sophia Ungerer, who was born and reared in this county, a daughter of George and Magdalena (Hammerbacher) Ungerer, both natives of Bavaria, Germany, their marriage having been solemnized in Allen county about the year 1870. The father is now living retir din Fort Wayne, where he was for a number of years suc- cessfully engaged in the contracting business, and his devoted wife passed to the life eternal, March 28, 1912. Mr. and Mrs. Bueker have four chil- dren-Carl, Florence, Doris and John.


John Buell has been a resident of Allen county since he was twenty- seven years of age, is now one of the progressive and representative farmers of Aboite township, and his success as one of the world's pro- ductive workers has been of unequivocal and meritorious order. He is a citizen who can claim the historic Old Dominion state as the place of his nativity, and he is a scion of one of its old and honored families. Mr. Buell was born on a farm in Rockingham county, Virginia, July 22, 1857, and is a son of William C. and Hannah (Canup) Buell, both of whom passed their entire lives in Virginia, where the father was a rep- resentative of agricultural industry during his entire active career. He was long known as one of the most active and influential advocates of the cause of the Republican party in his county and he served two terms as deputy sheriff of Rockingham county. Of his children the eldest was Milton, who served as a soldier in the Civil War, at the age of eighteen years, and who supposedly sacrificed his life in battle, as the other mem- bers of the family lost all trace of him within a short time after he had gone to the front; the second child died in infancy and the third was John, subject of this review; Maria became the wife of John Fleming and continued to reside in Virginia until her death; Miss Catherine still maintains her home in Virginia, as does also William, who is a prosperous farmer in Rockingham county; and Sarah Jane likewise remains in the old home state and county. John Buell passed his boyhood days under the turbulent conditions that prevailed in Virginia during the period of and subsequently to the Civil War, and his early education was gained mainly in the old-time subscription schools of his native commonwealth. He continued to assist his father in the operations of the home farm


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until he had attained to the age of twenty-three years, when he came to the north. He first went to Ohio, where he was employed one year. He was twenty-seven years old when he came to Fort Wayne, Indiana, and here he obtained employment as a locomotive fireman on the Pennsyl- vania Railroad. He was thus engaged three years, and later was em- ployed by the month at farm work. For one year he worked in a meat market in Fort Wayne, a similar period was given to service as motorman on the street-car lines of the city, and he next worked a year in a black- smith shop. After his marriage he rented from his father-in-law a farm and continued his operations under these conditions for twelve years. He then purchased forty-six acres in Aboite township, and to the same he has since added until he now has a fine farm of one hundred and sixty- one acres, the same being devoted to well-ordered agriculture and the raising of good livestock. Mr. Buell erected the present modern and attractive house on his homestead, has provided other excellent farm buildings, and is known as one of the vigorous and progressive exponents of farm enterprise in Aboite township. Taking loyal interest in com- munity affairs, he has had no desire for public office, but he is found aligned as a staunch supporter of the cause of the Republican party. On the 4th of March, 1891, Mr. Buell wedded Miss Ida F. Clark, who was born and reared in this county and who is a daughter of Enoch and Anna (Shippey) Clark, both of whom are now deceased. Mr. Clark came from Maryland to Allen county and became one of the successful farmers and stock-growers of this section of the state, besides having given much effective service as a veterinary surgeon. Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Buell the eldest is Chauncey, who is a skilled mechanic and is employed as such in Fort Wayne; Grace holds a position in a hospital in Fort Wayne; Paul is, in 1917, attending business college in that city; the fourth child, a son, died in infancy; and Oliver is the youngest member of the home circle.


Henry F. Busching .- One of the substantial and prospering farmers of St. Joseph township is Henry F. Busching, who has been devoted to the development of one of the attractive farms of the community in the past years. He is of German birth and parentage, born in Germany on October 4, 1857, son of Karl and Sophia Busching, who lived and died in their native land. They had five children-Mary, Karl, Henry F., Sophia and Minnie. Henry Busching had his education in his native community and came to America in 1881, locating first in Fort Wayne, where he found work on a farm in that vicinity. He later secured em- ployment in the Bass Foundry & Machine Shop was there employed in various capacities until 1882, when he located in St. Joseph township, purchasing fifty acres of farm land and applying himself to its develop- ment. This acreage he has since increased by the purchase of another fifty-acre tract, and his farm of one hundred acres is partly improved and on the way to further development. Industry and ambition are salient qualities of his nature and success is bound to be his portion. Indeed, he is already classed with the successful men of the community, and rightly so, in view of his accomplishments from the humble begin- nings that were his. Mr. Busching was married, in June, 1882, to Mary Blume, daughter of Henry and Minnie Blume, carly settlers in Allen county and highly esteemed among its citizenry. Seven children have been born to the Buschings-Addie, Emma, Mary, Fred, Henry, Herman, and William. Mary died in July, 1914, and the wife and mother passed


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away on May 5, 1907. The family are Lutherans and members of that church, and take an active part in its activities, as well as in the social affairs of the community. Mr. Busching is independent in politics and an excellent citizen without being active in the politics of his community.


James F. Butt .- One of the foremost men of Maumee township, Allen county, Indiana, is James Butt, born in Erie township, Miami county, on March 25, 1860, on the old Wabash & Erie canal. He is the son of William and Elizabeth (Lesher) Butt and the grandson of William Butt, a pioneer to Allen county from Ohio in 1832. The record of the migrations of the Butt family from 1832 up to 1875 accounts for numerous changes in residence, and a brief recounting of those moves would read something as follows : Came from Pickaway county, Ohio, in 1832; settled in St. Joseph township, Allen county, Indiana, where they farmed until 1846, and then went to Miami county, Indiana, where the son Wil- liam, father of the subject, remained until 1863, returning in that year to Allen county and settling on a farm in the vicinity of New Haven, where he was engaged in farming until the fall of 1865. He then moved back to Miami county and remained there until 1867. In the spring of that year he came to Allen county once more and there farmed until the death of his wife in February, 1869. In the next year he remarried and took up his residence in Miami county, remained there to 1875, operating a newly acquired farm, and in that year moved to the old home farm in Miami county, where he passed the rest of his days, death claim- ing him there on March 31, 1907. He was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, on May 10, 1829, and his life was that of a successful and energetic farmer. There were three children of his first marriage: James F., of this review, Ida and Dora. His second wife was the mother of two daughters-Effie and Rose. Mr. Butt was a prominent man in his community always, and wherever he went found his place in the public life of the town and township, and filled numerous public offices during his life time. James F. Butt had the average amount of schooling that is the lot of the country boy, and when he was sixteen he began active farm life on the farm home. He remained on the home place until he was twenty-one, gathering an experience and training that guaranteed him individual success in his own independent career. He came of age in March, 1881, and in June, 1882, bought from his father the home farm of 131 acres in Maumee township, which place has formed the nucleus of his present farm of 491 acres. It is worthy of mention that this 131 acres was deeded by the government to William Butt, grand- father of the subject, in 1832, and has been in the family possession ever since. William Butt, the original owner, did much improvement work on the place, and was himself one of the foremost men of his day in that district. He was one of the charter subscribers to the Fort Wayne Sentinel, a daily newspaper established in 1833, and the first paper that came from the press came into his possession and was cherished by him during his lifetime. The present owner of the old Butt farm is recog- nized as one of the leading stockmen of Allen county, and he is widely known for the Duroc-Jersey hogs he raises on his place each year, from six to eight hundred head being the yearly product of the place. It is stated on authority that he has sold more hogs yearly than any other man in Indiana, with a similar acreage as a basis of operations. In 1915 he fed 14,000 bushels of corn to that year's hogs. Mr. Butt was married on January 18, 1883, to Miss Lucretia Johnson, the daughter of Edward




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