USA > Indiana > Allen County > Fort Wayne > Valley of the upper Maumee River, with historical account of Allen County and the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Volume I > Part 27
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the former, and the encampment in the latter. He has the honor of being the first noble grand of New Haven lodge, No. 253, I. O. O. F. In politics, he cast his first presidential vote for William Henry Harrison, and since 1856 he has ardently supported the republican party. He has been honored with various township and municipal offices, and for a period of eleven years he was postmaster at New Haven.
Orrin D. Rogers, the fifth son of John Rogers, was born in Preble county, Ohio, April 2, 1824. He was but seventeen months old when his parents settled in Adams township. The school-house in which he received his first lessons was the old-fashioned cabin with greased paper for window lights, and slab floor. In early manhood he attended a select school in Fort Wayne nine months, and there received the greater part of his education. At the age of twenty-three he taught a term of school in Adams township, and subsequently taught two terms in Whitley county, and one in Jefferson township. April 22, 1851, he was married to Clarinda Rowe, who was born at Portage, N. Y., March 16, 1833, daughter of Sebastian H. and Louisa (Cary) Rowe. After his mar- riage Mr. Rogers learned the carpenter trade, which he has followed at times ever since. Gaining considerable acquaintance with law, he has acted as collecting agent, justice of the peace and notary public. He has served as justice of the peace about fourteen years. In politics he is a republican. Mr. Rogers served as first lieutenant.of Company G, One Hundred and Fifty-second volunteer infantry, six months, begin- ning February 22, 1865. The date of his commission as first lieutenant was March 13, 1865. He was mustered out at Charleston, W. Va., on the 30th day of August following. He and wife have had five children: Eva A., Ella L., Clara D., Fitz Glen and a daughter that died unnamed. Ella L. is also dead. Mr. Rogers is a member of the G. A. R., being a post commander of Jesse Adams post, No. 493.
Col. Joseph W. Whitaker was born in Dearborn county, Ind., Janu- ary 10, 1821. His parents, Daniel and Catharine (Shuman) Whitaker, were respectively natives of Pennsylvania and Virginia, the former chiefly of Scotch-Irish, and the latter of German, descent. The father was born about 1790, and served in the war of 1812, soon after the close . of which he was married to Catharine Shuman, who was about two years his junior. For a short time afterward they resided in Hamilton county, Ohio, but in about 1817 they removed to Dearborn county, Ind. In 1835 the father came to Allen county and entered a tract of unim- proved land in Marion township, about ten miles southeast of Fort Wayne, on the old Wayne trace. Col. Whitaker came to this land in 1836, and during about ten months was employed in improving it. In the fall he returned to Dearborn county, and in September, 1837, the entire family came and settled upon the homestead mentioned above, where the father and mother spent the rest of their lives, the former dying January 12, 1849, and the latter in April, 1874. In December, 1837, Col. Whitaker went to Fort Wayne and began an apprenticeship at the blacksmith trade, of four years with John Fairfield, by which
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time he had the trade well learned. For two or three years following this he worked in different places as a journeyman. March 5, 1846, he was married near Decatur, Ind., to Miss Susan De Vese, who was born in Milton township, Wayne co., Ohio, November 9, 1827, the daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Shafer) De Vese, both natives of Bucks county, Penn. They were married in their native county, and about two years later removed to Wayne county, Ohio. In November, 1836, they located in Adams county, where the mother died in March, 1863, and the father in August, 1866. In March, 1849, Mr. Whitaker left home for California, whither he arrived about 100 days later, having gone across the plains. He was engaged at mining until the fall of 1853, when he returned home by way of Panama and New York, arriving in Fort Wayne in December. He followed his trade at Fort Wayne until 1859, when he removed to New Haven. In September, 1861, he entered the service of the Union as captain of Company D, Thirtieth Indiana regiment. He served in that capacity three years, and was mustered out at Indianapolis, September 29, 1864. He commanded his company at Shiloh, Stone River, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, the Atlanta campaign and battle of Jonesboro. In February, 1865, he re-entered the service as a recruit- ing officer and was mustered as lieutenant-colonel of the One Hundred and Fifty-second Indiana volunteer regiment at Indianapolis in the fol- lowing month. He served in that capacity in the army of the Potomac until August 30, 1865, when he received his discharge at Charleston, W. Va. He was afterward mustered out at Indianapolis. Returning to his home in New Haven, he engaged in mercantile pursuits. In 1875 he was appointed postmaster and served as such ten years. Since 1885 he has been enjoying a comfortable and happy retired life. Col. Whit- aker has had two children: Eugene Becklerd, born August 28, 1848, now a resident of New Haven, holding a responsible position with the New York, Chicago & St. Louis railway, and Joseph Spafford, born April 23, 1849, died March 15, 1852. Joseph was born after his father left for California and died before he returned. Mr. Whitaker is a Mason and Odd Fellow and a comrade of the Grand Army of the Republic. In politics he was formerly a whig, but since 1856, has been an ardent republican. Col. Whitaker is a man of more than ordinary ability and intelligence, and in military and civil life he has proven to be true and capable. He and wife have resided in the Maumee valley for more than half a century, and they are very highly esteemed.
The Brudi brothers, prominent in the annals of Adams township, are sons of John George and Anna Barbara ( Handi) Brudi, who were married in Germany, their native land. Several years after their marriage, their union having been blessed meanwhile with six sons and two daughters, the parents decided to emigrate to America. The father came over in 1845, and bought a farm in Jefferson township, two miles southeast of New Haven. In the following year his wife and children came to their new home, all but the youngest child, who died on the ocean. The mother passed away in 1855, and a year or so later the father returned
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to Germany. He made a visit here afterward, and died in Germany, August 13, 1868. Their sons, Carl L., Gottlieb and Joseph are men- tioned below.
Carl L. Brudi was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, February 5, 1831. For a few years after coming to this country, he remained at the home of his parents, working on the farm. In 1855 he was married to Mrs. Barbara Frauenfalder, and with her he settled on a farm in section 13, Adams township, where her death occurred about six months after the marriage. She was a native of Switzerland, where she was first married, her husband dying before she came to America. April II, 1858, Mr. Brudi was married to Miss Mary M. Redenbaugh, who was born in Williams county, Ohio, February 21, 1839, daughter of Philip and Mary (Fischer) Redenbaugh, natives of Germany. In 1863, Mr. Brudi removed from his farm to New Haven, where for a year and a half he was engaged in a lumber and shingle business. He then returned to the farm which he has since occupied, giving his whole attention to agriculture. His farm of 190 acres, of first-class land, is well improved. Mr. Brudi and his present wife have had ten children: Sophia A., William F., John George, Emma T., Henry E., Carl Louis, August C., Gottlieb A., Mary A. and Philip C., all of whom are living except Sophia and Philip. William F. formerly worked for Henry W. Bond, of Fort Wayne, and afterward purchased a flour trade from Mr. Bond, and is now doing a successful business. George is in Mr. Bond's employ as foreman. Henry is a baker at Markle, Huntington county. Parents and children are members of the German Lutheran church. In politics Mr. Brudi is a democrat. He is progressive, prosperous and influential.
Gottlieb Brudi was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, June 14, 1833. He was married October 8, 1854, to Sophia Nester, a native of New Albany, Ind., born August 22, 1839, daughter of Christian and Sarah (Webber) Nester, natives of Germany. Immediately after his mar- riage Mr. Brudi located on a farm one mile west of New Haven, which he has owned ever since, and has occupied with the exception of four years from the fall of 1866, to January, 1871, when he resided at Fort Wayne, engaged in the grocery business. Aside from this his undivided attention has been given to farming, at which he has been successful. His farm, which is very desirably located, contains eighty acres of first- class land. He has recently provided it with a fish pond well stocked with German carp. He also owns a livery barn, business property and residence in Fort Wayne. He and wife have had nine children: Lizzie, Gottlieb (deceased), Sophia, Anna, Carrie, Amelia, Louis, Bertha and Martha. Mr. and Mrs. Brudi and family are members of the St. John's German Lutheran church, at Fort Wayne. In politics, Mr. Brudi is a democrat. He is a wide-awake and successful farmer, honorable and upright.
Joseph Brudi, a prominent miller and lumber dealer of New Haven, was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, February 11, 1837. He was mar-
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ried in Jefferson township to Mary M. Wagner, in October, 1862. She was born in Germany and came with her parents to America in the same year in which the Brudi family came. In 1863 Mr. and Mrs. Brudi removed from Jefferson township to New Haven. In the fall of 1864 he enlisted in Company F, One Hundred and Forty-second In- diana volunteer infantry, with which he served until the close of the war. His service consisted chiefly of guard duty in the vicinity of Nashville, Tenn. He was mustered out at Nashville in the latter part of July, 1865, and was honorably discharged at Indianapolis soon after- ward. Mr. Brudi returned to New Haven and resumed the shingle and lumber business in which he had become engaged on locating there in 1863. He has dealt in lumber ever since, and kept up the manufacture of shingles until about 1885. Since 1877 he has also been one of the proprietors of the Maumee Valley flouring mills. In the milling and lumbering business he is the partner of Gustav Gothe, the former busi- ness being conducted under the name of J. Brudi & Co., and the latter under the name of G. Gothe & Co. They have been partners in busi- ness for twenty-six years. The marriage of Mr. Brudi resulted in the birth of eleven children: Anna, Johanna, Clara (deceased), Ottilie, Joseph (deceased), Frederick, Carl (deceased), Martha, Josephine, Al- bert and Joseph. The wife of Mr. Brudi died December 23, 1879. Mr. Brudi is a member of the German Lutheran church. In politics he is a democrat. He has served two terms as a member of the town board and is at present a member of the school board.
Gustav Gothe, the well-known manufacturer of New Haven, was born in Fuerstenthum Schwarzburg, Sondershausen, Germany, March 7, 1819. He is the son of Frederick Gothe, who died when Gustav was nineteen years of age. His mother died about a year later. At twenty- one years of age he took a situation in a hotel in Rodolstadt, Germany, and held it seven years. For four years after this he was employed in a hotel in Weimar, Germany. May 7, 1854, he embarked at Liverpool, and landed at New York on the 9th of June following. He immediately left for Tiffin, Ohio, where he remained two years, working upon a farm in that vicinity a short time, but mainly engaged as a contractor, in grading two miles of the Tiffin railroad, now a part of the Nickle- plate line. Subsequently, he came to New Haven, arriving October 18, 1856. Here he took a contract of grading two miles of the Tiffin road, through New Haven, but after one-half mile of it was finished the com- pany collapsed and the enterprise was abandoned. In 1858 he started a shingle factory in New Haven, and in 1859 took as a partner his brother-in-law, Carl Brudi, and in addition to the manufacture of shin- gles, the firm, which had taken the name of G. Gothe & Co., engaged in the lumber business. Carl Brudi was superseded by his brother Joseph Brudi, about two years later, and the firm composed of G. Gothe and Joseph Brudi, has existed ever since under the name of G. Gothe & Co. Mr. Gothe and Mr. Brudi bought the Maumee Valley Flouring Mills, at New Haven, in 1875. The property, which had been
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severely wrecked by an explosion about four years before, was rebuilt by them, and they have ever since owned and operated it under the name of J. Brudi & Co. Mr. Gothe was married December 21, 1858, to Miss Mary Brudi, sister of his business partner, who is also a native of Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Gothe are members of the German Lutheran church. In politics, Mr. Gothe is a staunch democrat. He has served seven years as a member of the town board, and five years as treasurer. Mr. Gothe gives his entire attention to the superintendence of the Maumee Valley Mills, which under his supervision, has gained an envia- ble reputation. It was provided with the new roller process about four years ago. Mr. Gothe is much devoted to church work, and for as much as fifteen years he has served in a official capacity. He is one of New Haven's worthiest citizens.
Herman Schnelker, who resides near New Haven, was born in Germany, August 13, 1831, the son of Herman H. and Catharine (Tobben) Schnelker. He was reared to the age of nineteen in his native country, attending school between the ages of six and fifteen; at the latter age he was apprenticed as a shoemaker and served four years. In 1850 he accompanied his father, mother, one brother and one sister to America, to join two brothers who hadcome to this country the year before. One of them, however, was dead when his parents arrived, having died September 8, 1849, nine weeks after his arrival at Fort Wayne. The family landed at New Orleans on Novem- ber 24, 1850, after having been about eight weeks on the sea. They embarked on a Mississippi river steamer, and set out up the river. When about three days out from New Orleans the mother sickened with the cholera and two days later, when the vessel neared Vicksburg, she died. The remainder of the family continued their journey to Fort Wayne, arriving on December 21. Herman remained in Fort Wayne three years, working at the shoemaker's trade. In 1853 he removed to New Haven, near where, with the exception of two years, he has resided since. During the first year and a half of his residence there he con- ducted a boot and shoe shop. In 1855 he returned to Fort Wayne, and for two years, was engaged in the manufacture of soap and candles. In 1857, he became the partner of his brother, Bernard Schnelker, and his brother-in-law, Nicholas Schuckman, in mercantile pursuits at New Haven. The firm conducted a general store until 1867, and did a successful business. In 1867, Mr. Schnelker associated himself with Col. C. E. Briant, of Huntington, and George W. Hall, now deceased, in the manufacture of stoves, with factories at New Haven, and Delphos, Ohio. The firm, under the name of Schnelker, Hall & Co., did a profitable business three years. In 1870 Mr. Schnelker purchased the interests of Briant and Hall in the factory at New Haven, and sold to the latter his interest at Delphos. Soon afterward Mr. Schnelker entered into partnership with Bernard Schnelker, John Begue, John Beugnot and Anthony Beugnot in the manufacture of stoves, and the firm, under the name of Schnelker, Beugnot & Co., operated three
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factories at New Haven and one at Fort Wayne until 1874. In the meantime his brother, Bernard Schnelker, died in 1871. In 1874, one of the factories at New Haven was sold to John Begue. From 1874 to 1878, Mr. Schnelker and the Messrs. Beugnot, together with Bernard Schnelker's heirs, operated the two remaining factories at New Haven and the one at Fort Wayne. In 1878 Mr. Schnelker and the heirs purchased the interest of the Beugnots at New Haven, and sold to the Beugnots their interest at Fort Wayne. Herman Schnelker continued the business under the name of H. Schnelker & Co., until 1880, when he sold to his brother Bernard Schnelker's widow and her son, H. F. Schnelker, by whom it is now conducted under the name of H. F. Schnelker & Co. In 1880, Herman Schnelker removed to a farm, where his attention has since been given to agriculture. His farm con- tains 167 acres and occupies an eminence a quarter of a mile south of New Haven, with which it is connected by a gravel walk. It is splendidly improved with brick residence and good barn, and is al- together a beautiful country home. Mr. Schnelker was married in 1854, and has living eight children: Louise, Bernard H., Mary E., Edward, William, Agnes, Herman and Albin. Mr. and Mrs. Schnelker are members of the Roman Catholic church. He is a member of the St John's Benevolent and St Joseph's School societies, and in politics he is a staunch democrat. He served as trustee of Adams township two terms and made a good officer. He is one of the county's best men.
Henry F. Schnelker, a prominent stave manufacturer of New Haven, was born at that place July 7, 1854. His parents, Bernard and Mary G. (Lupken) Schnelker, natives of Germany, came to America before marriage, with their families, the Schnelker family coming in 1844 and the Lupken family in 1847. Bernard first located in Cincinnati where he worked at his trade, that of a blacksmith. About a year later he removed to Fort Wayne, where he was married to Miss Lupken, in about 1852. Soon afterward they removed to New Haven, where the father's death occurred January 29, 1871, and where the mother now resides. Henry F. was reared to manhood in New Haven, where he received his earliest education. He afterward attended the Christian Brothers' school, at Fort Wayne, about two years, and still later Notre Dame university, near South Bend, Ind., three years. Returning home 'he took charge of the interest of his father, then deceased, in the Indiana Stave company, at New Haven and Fort Wayne. Upon the dissolution of the company in 1876, Henry F., with his mother and uncle, Herman Schnelker, purchased the factory at New Haven, and it was conducted under the name of H. Schnelker & Co. two years. In 1878 he and his mother purchased the interest of his uncle, and they still own and operate the factory under the name of H. F. Schnelker & Co. In connection with the stave business, for two years, from 1876 to 1878, Mr. Schnelker was also engaged in merchandise, as the partner in a general store, of F. H. Bueter. In 1879 Mr. Schnelker's stave factory was destroyed by fire. In the following year he rebuilt at New Haven,
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and erected another factory at Payne, Ohio, which he still owns and operates. For the past ten years he has also attended to the manage- ment of farms in the vicinity of New Haven, owning three farms, two of 160 acres each and one of 240 acres. His mother is his partner in both the factory and farming properties. Mr. Schnelker was married June 25, 1878, to Allie J. Allen, a native of Ohio, daughter of John G. and Mary C. Allen, the former of whom was killed in the battle of Shiloh. They have three children: Bernadette C., Irene H. and Norbet B. Mr. and Mrs. Schnelker are members of the Roman Catholic church. He is a member of the Catholic Knights and the Knights of St. Charles. He is a democrat in politics. For the past nine years he has been a member of the board of school trustees in New Haven.
John B. Beugnot, of New Haven, was born in Haute-Saone, France, April 19, 1833. He is the son of Francis and Collet (Perregot) Beugnot, with whom he came to America in March, 1843. The family came to Massillon, Ohio, in the latter part of April, and resided in Stark county, Ohio, five years, after which they located on a farm in Jefferson township, where the father died in 1858. The mother's death occurred at New Haven in March, 1870. While in Jefferson township, Mr. Beugnot learned the cooper's trade, beginning it at the age of nineteen, and serving his apprenticeship with John Begue, his brother-in-law. In 1854, he removed with the family of Mr. Begue to New Haven, and was employed for forty-eight days at grading the Wabash railway. After this, for eight years, he acted as foreman in Mr. Begue's cooper shop. In 1862, he entered into partnership with Mr. Begue in both cooperage and stave manufacture, Mr. Begue having established the latter in 1859. Anthony, a brother of Mr. Beugnot, also took an interest in 1862, and from that year until 1870 it was conducted by them under the name of J. Begue & Co. In 1870, they took in as partners, Bernard and Herman Schnelker, and the firm, under the name of Schnelker, Beugnot & Co., did an extensive business until 1878, operating three stave factories and two cooper shops in New Haven, and one cooper shop and one stave factory in Fort Wayne. In 1878, the firm dissolved, the two Messrs. Schnelker retaining the interests at New Haven and the two Messrs. Beugnot retaining those in Fort Wayne. In 1878, the latter removed the stave factory from Fort Wayne to Cecil, Ohio, where the firm has done an extensive stave and heading business ever since. The firm name until 1881 was J. B. Beugnot & Bro. Since then it has been J. B. Beugnot, Brother & Co., Mr. J. A. Schaab having had an interest since that year. For the past six years the firm has also operated in saw-milling in the vicinity of Cecil, and also owns a very large farm near that place, 200 acres of which are in cultivation. Mr. Beugnot was married November 27, 1856, to Miss Pelagie Girardot, a native of France, born September 25, 1835 to Joseph and Rene (Jacoutot) Girardot, with whom she came to America when she was eighteen years of age. Her father and mother were the parents of eleven chil- dren. They settled in Jefferson township, and moved to New Haven in
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1866. The father died there May 19, 1884; the mother is still living, aged eighty-two, and makes her home with Mrs. Beugnot. Mr. and Mrs. Beugnot are members of the Roman Catholic church. Mr. Beugnot is à member of the St. John's Benevolent society, and in politics he is a dem- ocrat. He has served three years on the town board in New Haven, and two years as treasurer of the town. He has a beautiful home in New Haven, which is provided with all that is needed to make life pleasant. Mr. Beugnot ranks among the county's leading citizens, and as far as he is known, his reputation for honesty and uprightness is spotless.
Hon. Lycurgus S. Null, a scholarly physician of New Haven, and ex-state senator and representative, was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, August 24, 1839. His parents, Jesse and Lydia (Sampsel) Null, were respectively natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio. The paternal and maternal ancestors of Dr. Null came from Holland, the former settling near Gettysburg, Penn., and the latter in Maryland. When the doctor was but four years old his father died. He was reared to early man- hood on a farm in his native county, and received a good knowledge of the ordinary branches of learning; later in youth he taught two terms of school. At the age of twenty he began the study of medicine with an uncle, Dr. Isaac Sampsell, in Morrow county, Ohio, and continued with him a year and a half. In 1862, at the Eclectic Medical Institute of Cincinnati, he attended one course of lectures. Early in 1863, he began the practice of his profession in Noble county, Ind., and in October he came to New Haven where he has since resided, and has been, except a few brief interruptions, in active practice. In October, 1864, he enlisted in Company F, One Hundred and Forty-second Indiana volun- teer infantry. May 2, 1865, he was commissioned a second lieutenant, and was mustered out as such July 14, 1865, at Nashville, Tenn. Return- ing home he resumed his practice, and during the winter of 1865-6 he took another course of lectures in the Eclectic Medical Institute of Cin- cinnati, graduating in the latter year. He has since also taken two courses of lectures in the Miami Medical College of Cincinnati. Dr. Null was married April 11, 1876, to Susan, daughter of Levi and Mary Hartzell, and they have six children: Claude A. and Maude A. (twins), Winona, Ralph W., Jesse L. and Mary Edna, of whom Claude A. and Jesse L. are deceased. Dr. Null is an Odd Fellow, a thirty-second degree Mason and a Knight Templar. He takes an active part in poli- tics as a democrat, and in the fall of 1880 he was elected a member of the lower branch of the state legislature, and served one term. In the fall of 1882 he was elected state senator for four years. He made a dil- igent and faithful officer, and discharged his duties in a creditable man- ner. Dr. Null is one of the able and successful physicians of the county, and as a citizen ranks among the best.
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