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 89
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William F. Young .- Among the successful young farming men of St. Joseph township is William F. Young, born in the community he now lives in on October 11, 1871. He is a son of Henry and Louisa (Schaffer) Young, the father a native of Brown county, Ohio, who came to Allen county, Indiana, with his parents at the early age of three years. They lived in Cedar creek township for about ten years, then moved to St. Joseph township, where Henry Young spent the remainder of his life
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engaged in farming. He married Louisa Schaffer, in 1862, and ten ehil- dren were born to them. The fourth born, William, is the subject of this brief family review. The others are Henry, Marie, Christine, Louise, Anna, Cyrus, Clara, Frederick and Louise. The fifth child, named Louise died young, and the youngest child was named for her. Frederick also is deceased. The father died on July 11, 1905, and the mother has her home in Fort Waynt at the present writing. William F. Young had his education in St. Joseph township, and in his teens entered the employ of the firm of Vebing & Company in Fort Wayne, with which he continued for a period of eight years. He then returned to the old home and turned his attention to farming. He has since added to the original aereage of the home place so that he now owns and operates 100 acres of the finest land in the township. His father, a progressive and prosperous farmer, made many improvements on the place, and the son is ably carrying on the work then begun. On August 22, 1895, Mr. Young married Miss Henrietta Kanmeyer, daughter of Frederick and Caroline (Bohde) Kanmeyer, both natives of Germany, who came to America at the respec- tive ages of three and seven years, settling with their parents in Wash- ington and St. Joseph townships in Allen county. Their parents were among the esteemed and honored citizens of the county for many years. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Young. They are named Werner, Lucile, Raymond and Iola. Mr. and Mrs. Young are members of the German Lutheran church and he is a Democrat in politics.
John S. Youse takes his place among the leading men of his com- munity, not alone by reason of his material success, but because of his natural qualities of heart and mind, manifested in his every-day life. A successful farmer, he has stepped out of the usual trend of farm life and assisted in organizing the Hoagland State Bank, of which he is now serving as president. Mr. Youse was born in Allen county on December 18, 1855, son of Christian and Sarah (Adair) Youse. The father was born in Germany and came to America as a child three years old, settling with his parents on a farm in Allen county. Sarah Adair, mother of the subjeet. was born in Pennsylvania and came to Allen county as a young girl. Here she met and married Christian Youse. Her father came to Indiana in the hope of bettering his condition, and his first home in Allen county was one of the rude log cabins with clap-board roof and puncheon floor that the early pioneers were accustomed to building, and for several years his family made this shelter its home. Ten children were born to Christian and Sarah Youse, eight of them living at this writing. John Youse had a rather limited education in the schools of Allen county and was still very young when he turned his attention to farming on his own lookout. The first farm he bought was the one on which he now lives. It is located in Madison township and is a fine place of 310 acres, with every improvement and altogether a highly productive place. He married Sarah A. Gresley, in 1883, and they have lived happily on their farm home from then down to the present time. She is the daughter of John and Sarah (Bonenvito) Gresley, both natives of Pennsylvania, who came to Allen county in their early married life and, settling on a farm in Marion town- ship, spent the remainder of their days there. Four children were born to John and Sarah Youse, briefly mentioned as follows: Amos D .: Lewis O., a teacher in Pontiac, Illinois ; Dwight L., also a teacher, and Willard, living at home with his parents. Mr. and Mrs. Youse are members of the Lutheran church.
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Walter G. Zahrt .- Among the men whose co-operative efforts down through the years have raised the manufacturing enterprise of S. F. Bowser & Company to a lofty place among the commercial industries of the middle west, is Walter G. Zahrt, treasurer and assistant general manager of this great concern. Mr. Zahrt was born, January 10, 1870, in LaPorte, Indiana, son of Henry and Katherine (Hering) Zahrt, both natives of Germany. The father conducted a hotel at LaPorte for many years. Following his attendance at the public schools at LaPorte, Walter G. Zahrt entered upon a business course of study in a commercial college, and there, by close application and a realization of the opportunities of the time, gained the foundation for his further successful career in the business world. In 1888 he went to Chicago and entered the employ of the Tiffany Refrigerator Car Company as a stenographer and secretary to the manager. After four years of service here he took a position as clerk of the Northern Indiana Hospital for the Insane at Logansport, Indiana, and, in 1892, succeeded Charles A. Dunkelberg as clerk and secretary to the superintendent. By successive steps he advanced to the position of steward, which is essentially that of business manager, involving the duties of secretary to the board of trustees and manager of the financial affairs of the institution. Incidentally, a clear view of the situation may be gained from the statement that the positions attained by Mr. Zahrt during his connection with the Northern Hospital were not gained through political appointment-indeed, the practice of selecting the right man for the right place in all departments of the institution has given the Logansport hospital the reputation of being one of the best institutions of its kind in America. Mr. Zahrt's worth to the institution is shown by the fact that for three years after his removal to Fort Wayne he was retained as a member of the board of trustees on the appointment of Governor Frank Hanly, but at the close of this period he was obliged to decline a re-appointment because of the pressure of new duties at home. Following twelve years of service at Logansport, Mr. Zahrt, in 1904, came to Fort Wayne to accept the position of sales manager with S. F. Bowser & Company, manufacturers of oil handling equipment, and one of the most widely known manufacturing concerns in America. Since then Mr. Zahrt has advanced through many positions of responsibility, all connected with the sales department of the enterprise. As office manager, general sales manager, and as assistant general manager and treasurer, which latter position he now holds, he has contributed con- stantly and intelligently to the success of the enterprise which has caused the name of Fort Wayne to be known in the farthest corners of the civilized world. In 1896 Mr. Zahrt was united in marriage with Rebecca Alice Shedron, of Camden, Indiana. To Mr. and Mrs. Zahrt have been born four children-Esther, Joseph, Walter and Robert. Mr. Zahrt is a member of the Wayne Street Methodist Episcopal church. In masonry, he is a Scottish Rite member of the thirty-second degree and a member of the Shrine. He is active in the work of the Commercial club and the Quest club.
Ernest Zelt is the owner of one of the well improved farms of Adams township, and is giving his attention principally to dairy farming, in connection with which he consigns his milk products to the village of New Haven, which is his postoffice address. Mr. Zelt was born at Arcadia, Hamilton county, Indiana, August 7, 1870, and is a son of Jacob and Sophia (Gallmeir) Zelt; the former was born in the state of New York,
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of German ancestry, and the latter in Germany. After their marriage the parents established their home in Hamilton county, and there they continued their residence until they came to Allen county and located on their present homestead farm of eighty acres, in Adams township, the father having so ordered his activities as to gain prestige as one of the substantial exponents of agricultural industry in this county. Of the eight children the subject of this sketeh was the fourth in order of birth and all of the others are living except Herman, the seventh child, who died in November, 1916. The names of the other children are here noted : Theodore, John, Edward, William, Frederiek, and Mary. Ernest Zelt received his early education in the Lutheran parochial school in Adams township, after which he attended the public schools two years. He con- tinued to be associated with his father in the work of the home farm until his marriage, in 1897, when he located on his present farm, where he has shown much enterprise and progressiveness as an agriculturist and specially as a dairy farmer. In politics he is not constrained by strict partisan lines but gives his support to the candidates and measures meet- ing the approval of his judgment. He and his wife are active communi- cants of the Lutheran church, in Adams township. On April 29, 1897, Mr. Zelt wedded Miss Caroline Linker, who was born and reared in Adams township, where her parents, Henry and Caroline (Yergen) Linker, still reside, one of their ten children having died in infancy and the names of the others being here noted : Anna, Henry, Caroline, Louis, Dora, Elizabeth, Mary, Minnie and Frederick. Mr. and Mrs. Zelt have eight children, namely : Amandus, Paul, Walter, Carl, Ervin, Ernest, Jr., Lida and Alfred.
John Zelt is another of the native sons of Indiana who has become prominently and successfully identified with the business interests of the City of Fort Wayne, where he is now one of the interested principals of the A. C. Muntzinger Furniture Company, which conduets a substantial and prosperous business, as one of the leading concerns of this order in the city. Mr. Zelt was born in Hamilton county, Indiana, on August 4, 1865, and his parents are now venerable pioneer citizens of Allen county, where the father was for many years one of the active and substantial farmers of Adams township, he and his wife still continuing their resid- ence in that township. He whose name introduces this article is a son of Jacob and Sophia (Gallmeyer) Zelt, the former of whom was born in the state of New York, January 22, 1837, of German parentage, and the latter was born in Rosenhagen, Germany, December 4, 1842. This sterl- ing couple became the parents of seven sons and one daughter, eoneern- ing whom brief record is here entered : Theodore is a successful farmer in Adams township; John, of this review, was the next in order of birth ; Edward resides in Fort Wayne; Ernest is a representative of agricultural enterprise in Adams township, as is also William; Herman is deceased and is survived by his wife and one daughter, Irene, who still reside in this county ; Fred is identified with farming in Adams township; and Mary is the wife of George Dudenhoeffer, of Fort Wayne. John Zelt gained his early education in the Lutheran parochial schools in Adams township, where his parents established their home on a farm when he was a child, and later he attended the public sehools for two years. There- after he continued to be associated with the work and management of the home farm until 1890, when he removed to Fort Wayne and here be- came a salesman for the Brudi Brothers flour mills at Bloomingdale. One
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year later he formed a partnership with his brother Edward and engaged in the retail grocery business. Two and one-half years later he purchased his brother's interest and for the ensuing thirteen years individually con- ducted a substantial and prosperous grocery store, after having erected for the purpose a substantial building at the corner of Gay street and Creighton avenue. He finally sold his grocery business and, in 1905, be- came a salesman for the D. N. Foster Furniture Company, with which he continued his connection in this capacity until July 1, 1916. In the meanwhile he had gained a thorough knowledge of furniture values and other details of the business, and on the tenth of the same month pur- chased an interest in the well established business of the A. C. Muntzing- er Furniture Company, to the affairs of which he is now giving his char- acteristically effective attention. Mr. Zelt is aligned as a staunch sup- porter of the cause of the Republican party, and he was reared in the faith of the Lutheran church, of which both he and his wife are active communicants. In a fraternal way he is affiliated with the B. U. V. April 19, 1888, recorded the marriage of Mr. Zelt to Miss Minnie Rodenbeck, who was born in Adams township, this county, a daughter of Deitrick and Christina (Selter) Rodenbeck, both of whom were born in Germany and still reside in Adams township. It is pleasing to note that the par- ents of both Mr. and Mrs. Zelt have celebrated their golden wedding an- niversaries and that all are old and honored citizens of Allen county. Mr. and Mrs. Zelt have three children-Winona, Elmer and Irma.
Fred E. Zollars had the very good fortune to receive his professional training at the hands of his father, who was one of the foremost lawyers of his time in Fort Wayne, and succeeded his father as counsel for the Pennsylvania lines in Indiana, the G. R. & I. and the Wabash and Van- dalia railroad companies. Mr. Zollars, like his father, is known as a specialist in corporation law and stands high in the legal fraternity of the state. Born in Fort Wayne, February 7, 1869, Fred E. Zollars is one of three children born to his parents, Allen and Minnie (Ewing) Zollars. All three are living at this writing. Judge Allen Zollars was born in Licking county, Ohio, and died in Fort Wayne, in 1909, after having conducted a law practice in that city for forty-one years. The mother, also an Ohioan, was born in Lancaster, Fairfield county, and she died in Fort Wayne. Mr. Zollars had his early schooling in the public schools of Fort Wayne and Miami University furnished his college training. He entered his father's law office and there read law under the careful sup- ervision of his parents, his admission to the bar following, in 1898. He joined his father in practice and they continued together until the death of the elder Zollars, when the son succeeded to the business of the firm as stated in a preceding paragraph. Mr. Zollars has identified himself with various enterprises in Fort Wayne and is connected prominently with the Federal Security Investment Company as a director of the concern. In politics he is a Democrat and fraternally is identified by his member- ship in the Masonic order, in which he has taken practically all degrees, the Elks and the Moose. He is also a member of the Country Club, the Rotary Club and the Press Club of Indianapolis. As a member of the Fort Wayne Commercial Club he has done good work in the best inter- ests of the city and has helped to make that body one of the representa- tive organizations of the community. On August 17, 1898, Mr. Zollars was married to Miss Gertrude Lindsay, who was born in Allen county, daughter of Charles and Angeline (Yahne) Lindsey.
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Dennis C. Zook .- Fort Wayne has in Dennis C. Zook one of her sub- stantial and dependable citizens, and the Pennsylvania system recognizes him as master carpenter of its bridge building forces between Pittsburg and Chicago. He has served the Pennsylvania from his youth on, and the road has no more faithful or dependable employee than he has proved himself to be. Mr. Zook was born on March 14, 1852, in Wyandotte county, Ohio, son of Daniel and Nancy (Steele) Zook, both natives of Pennsylvania. Daniel Zook was a farmer. He died, in 1852, when Dennis was two years old and the mother found herself with the burden of the support of their six children on her shoulders. Three of the six are living today, but the mother has gone to her reward. She kept the farm home and worked it as best she could, and the boy Dennis stayed there with her up to the age of eighteen years. He thought it time then to strike out into the world, and going to Nevada, Ohio, joined his brother who was there conducting a carpenter business. The young man applied him- self to the task of learning the carpenter's trade, and after a time went to Upper Sandusky, there entering the employ of the Pennsylvania Lines, with which road he has been employed ever since. He advanced from one post to another until he finally was placed in charge of the carpenter work of the road between Chicago and Pittsburg, as has been stated above. Mr. Zook was married, in 1877, to Florence Turney, daughter of Dr. Joseph and Louisa (Welsh) Turney, both of them now dead. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Zook are five in number and are here briefly men- tioned as follows: Edith May was a teacher in the Fort Wayne public schools for ten years, and is now the wife of Frank A. Taylor, of Cum- berland, Maryland, master carpenter for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company. Benjamin C. is located in Plymouth, Indiana, and is connected with the Pennsylvania road. Gertrude A. is a teacher employed in the Fort Wayne schools. Clarence L. is a civil engineer in the service of the McLain Fire Brick Company of Pittsburgh. Roscoe H. is an archi- tect and is located in Chicago. All have had excellent educational ad- vantages and are well established in life. Mr. Zook is a stockholder in one of the leading banks in the city and owns some real estate as well. He is a Republican and with his wife is a member of the Simpson Methodist Episcopal church. He is a Mason of high degree, and was at one time Master of the Chapter at Valparaiso, and was High Priest of the Royal Arch.
Joseph F. Zurbuch has proved himself strong, positive and efficient in connection with the directing of business enterprise of broad scope and importance and was the founder of the now extensive wholesale and retail coal business conducted in the city of Fort Wayne under the title of the Zurbuch-Baker Coal Company, with headquarters at 813 Taylor street, where he initiated business in 1905, with William A. Rinehart as his coadjutor. This alliance continued until July, 1910, and Mr. Zurbuch purchased his partner's interest, and thereafter he continued the enter- prise in an individual way until August 1, 1914, when, to make better provision for the constantly expanding trade, he admitted Joseph J. Baker to partnership and the present title of Zurbueh-Baker Coal Com- pany was adopted. The concern has ample storage facilities and the best of provisions for the handling of coal with expedition, as is demanded by the large volume of business transacted in both wholesale and retail de- partments. The company handles the various types and grades of coal that effectively meet the requirements of its trade and is one of the rep-
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resentative and substantial business concerns of Fort Wayne. Joseph F. Zurbuch was born in Mercer county, Ohio, on the 11th of April, 1861, and was nine years of age at the time of the family removal to Lawrence county, Tennesee, where he was afforded the advantages of the public schools of Lawrenceburg, the county seat, and where he continued to assist in the work of his father's farm until he had attained to the age of seventeen years. He then served a thorough apprenticeship to the black- smith's trade, at New Haven, Allen county, Indiana, of which county he became a resident when he was about seventeen years of age. In 1882 he engaged in the work of his trade in the city of Fort Wayne, and with this sturdy line of enterprise he continued his association until he en- gaged in the coal business, in 1905, as already noted in this context. Mr. Zurbuch is an ardent supporter of the cause of the Democratic party and has been influential in public affairs of a local order. In 1898 he was elected representative of the Fifth ward in the city council of Fort Wayne, and during his five years' incumbency of this office his course was marked by earnest and effective service in furthering the civic and material advancement and prosperity of the metropolis of Allen county. He is affiliated with the Knights of Columbus and the Fraternal Order of Eagles, and both he and his wife are communicants of St. Mary's Catholic church. On the 18th of November, 1884, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Zurbuch to Miss Christina Rinehart, daughter of John Rinehart, a sterling citizen of Fort Wayne, and the one child of this union is Edward, who was born August 27, 1902.
JUN 1 8 1934
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