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 47
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SCIPIO TOWNSHIP.
This, the smallest township of the county, and most remote from Fort Wayne, received its first settlers in 1836, when Platte Squiers and Jehial Parks purchased their lands and reared their log cabins. The former was a leader in the community, and at the first election after the forma- tion of the township, in 1843, he was chosen justice, a position he held for twenty years. The first birth was in his family, of Lafayette D. Squiers, in 1839, and the first death was the tragic one of Laura Squiers, in April 1840. She was playing about the fire where her parents were boiling sugar, her clothing caught in the blaze and she was burned to death. Parks was a man of great strength of muscle and character, and was highly esteemed. The first religious meeting in the township was held in 1840 at his house by Benjamin Dorsey, and he donated the ground in 1842, for the pioneer burying ground. In 1837 Lucius and Nathan Palmer settled, and they subsequently removed after clearing farms. By Nancy Palmer the first school was taught in 1842. George and Robert Dorsey and Philip Shell came in March, 1838, and became valuable assistants in the campaign of civilization. William Bice and Samuel Wentworth also came in this year, and about 1840 Wentworth's brothers, John and Henry, who had stopped at the Maumee, came on to this settlement. In the latter year Adam Burrier made his settlement. This township, owing to its remoteness from the center of activity, was quite backward in development and the settlers above named had all the hardships and privations of those who settled much earlier in the more central townships. The first road was the Hicksville road, and no postoffice was established within the township until 1862, when John Murphy was appointed postmaster. Two years later the office was removed to Springfield township.
Platte Squiers, above referred to, was a native of Vermont. He was married to Aurilla Goodspeed of the same state, and they removed to Ohio and there remained about one year. Early in the thirties they removed to Allen county and became the first white settlers in Scipio township. He bought a quarter section and cleared over 200 acres of wild land. He settled in the woods with no neighbors nor roads, and when he first went to Fort Wayne to get corn ground, he took his ax and cut his road, taking just one week for the trip. He served as jus- tice of the peace of his township about twenty-four years, and several years as one of the board of trustees. He and wife were devoted and conscientious members of the Christian church; he for over twenty years. Mr. Squiers owned and cleared various tracts of land and must have owned as much as 1,200 or 1,500 acres of land during his lifetime. He was one of the leading citizens and won the respect of all who knew him. He was friendly to churches and schools and a leader in many laudable enterprises. He died at the age of seventy years, deeply mourned by the community. His son, Lafayette D. Squiers, now one
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of the leading citizens, was born in Scipio township, August 21, 1839. He received a common school education. In 1867 he was married to Rhoda A. Foot, born in 1846, and they have seven children : John, Lincoln, Catherine, Ora, Ada, Archie and Phœbe. He and wife are members of the German Baptist church, and politically he has always been a staunch democrat. He owns 116 acres of good land which he has cleared himself and provided with good buildings.
The Dorsey family, prominent in the history of Scipio township, is one of the most worthy in the county. The ancestry has been traced and brought down to recent date by Mrs. Robert Dorsey, and the gene- alogy published in 1887. As far back as 1730, in England, whence the family came to this country, William Dorsey married Sarah Wilson, and one of their children, Benjamin Dorsey, was born in England, in June, 1786. He grew up in his native land, and learned the trade of wagon-maker, and also being of a deeply religious nature, became a local preacher in the Methodist church. He was married to Jane, daugh- ter of Robert and Polly Jefferson, born in 1791, and ten children were born to them during their residence at Elloughton, Yorkshire, as follows: William, born July 21, 1814; George, October 11, 1815; Sarah Ann, August 2, 1817; Robert, March 1, 1820; John, March 8, 1822; Thomas, September 5, 1824; Mary Ann, July 3, 1826; Christopher and a twin brother, in 1828; Jonathan, May 13, 1830. Sarah A. and the twins died in England; Mary Ann Boulton died in Scipio township, August 16, 1868; William, who became a resident of LaGrange county, died there August 9, 1872; John died in Scipio, March 9, 1881, and Thomas died in Scipio, April 11, 1885. Benjamin Dorsey and family came to Amer- ica in 1830, and his wife and the seven surviving children followed him in June, 1831. They first settled in Milan, Erie county, Ohio. Thence the sons, George and Robert, came to Scipio township, March 16, 1838, and the father followed them in 1842. William Andrew Dorsey, a brother of Benjamin, came to this country in 1842 with his family, and settled in Scipio township in 1845. Benjamin Dorsey passed away at his pioneer home, September 7, 1865. Jane Dorsey died before the removal to this state, December 23, 1844. George Dorsey, the oldest surviving member of the family, was married February 24, 1842, to Elizabeth Boulton, who was born February 12, 1819, in Minty, Glouces- tershire, England. To them were born the following children: Jane E., August 14, 1843, married R. M. Simmons; Sarah A., July 29, 1847, married McL. McCurdy; Pluma, July 27, 1849, died May 26, 1874; Joseph J., November 30, 1851; Louisa H., October 24, 1851, married H. L. Beach, died December 19, 1882. Robert Dorsey, the second of the surviving children of Benjamin, has always been a farmer by occu- pation, and shared in the pioneer work of opening the lands of this township. When he came here there were no roads and he helped in the construction of all of them. He first purchased forty acres of wild land, and cleared about eighty acres more, where he built his log cabin. He traded this for eighty acres, and soon sold out and bought the eighty
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upon which he now lives, then covered densely with forest. His capital at the outset was $45, but now he is one of the wealthy men of the county and owns 329 acres of productive land, thoroughly improved. He has always been friendly to church and school and helped build the first church, a hewn-log cabin, on his farm, and also assisted in building the first school-house, a log building, 14x16, and just high enough for a man to stand inside. To the first forty acres he owned he gave the name of Opossom Knobs, a title that still clings to it. June 3, 1846, he was married to Margaret R. Moore, daughter of Priam and Lois (Calkins) Moore. She was born March 21, 1827, in Ellisburg, Jefferson county, N. Y. Their children are: Rhoda R., born September 3, 1848, married David Nelson; Lois Lovica, October 24, 1850, died June 20, 1862; Martha Ann, September 30, 1853, married to William W. Driver; Elizabeth M., April 8, 1860; Benjamin P., November 19, 1863, married to Hulda J. Williams.
John B. Foote (deceased), one of the early settlers of Springfield town- ship, was the first white child born in Sidney, Ohio. He was born De- cember 5, 1818, to Harvey B. and Eliza A. (Mantona) Foote. He received a good education and became one of the pioneer teachers in the country schools of Indiana. On March 5, 1839, he was married to Catherine Zeimmer, born January 20, 1821, by whom he had eleven children, nine living : Harvey B., Abraham Z., Rhoda A., Maria E., John B., William McL., Joseph G., Mary A., and Oliver M. He and wife were members of the German Baptist church. In 1848, he removed to Indiana, and settled on 160 acres of wild land, where he remained until his death, April 29, 1877. His wife, who survives him, is now in her sixty-eighth vear. Her first experiences in Allen county were of the toil of pioneer life. There were no roads and it required three days to make the trip to Fort Wayne and return. Before coming to Allen county, they had lost all their property by fire and were compelled to begin anew. He became a leading citizen and owned 160 acres of land, of which he cleared 100 acres. Harvey B. Foote, son of the above, was born in Darke county, Ohio, May 25, 1840. He received a common school edu- cation, such as could be obtained in his day. In 1866 he was united in marriage with Sarah A., daughter of William and Elizabeth (Mulnick) Bailey, who were early settlers of Allen county, Ohio, by whom he had three children: Mathew F., born February 14, 1870; Delma, November 25, 1877, and Harry B., March 27, 1888. The mother was born April 5, 1848. She and her husband are members of the German Baptist church. In 1864 he enlisted in Company F, One Hundred and Fortieth Indiana volunteer regiment, under Capt. Swann, and served until the close of the war, being discharged at Indianapolis in 1865. He has a farm of ninety-five acres in Scipio township which he bought when it was in timber in 1860. He is now one of the leading citizens of the township, and is respected by all.
Thomas Allen, an early settler of Scipio township, was born in Trum- bull county, Ohio, December 6, 1830, son of Joseph and Mary (Jackson
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Allen. He remained until ten years of age in his native county, and then came with his parents to Allen county, Ind., and settled in the woods in Scipio township, where he grew to manhood. He received his education in the pioneer log school-house, going two and one-half miles through a trackless forest. In 1858, he married Elmira Babb, born in 1840, and they have two children: Alfred and Arthur. He served as assessor of his township one term. In 1850, he bought and settled on the fifty acres where he now lives, and to this he has added until he now owns 222 acres of valuable land. When he first bought his land it was covered with a dense growth of timber, which his inde- fatigable efforts have converted into fertile fields.
Martin Waters, a leading farmer of Scipio township, was born in Crawford county, Ohio, January 23, 1837, son of Samuel and Margaret (Burwell) Waters. He came to Indiana with his parents in 1851 and settled in DeKalb county, where his father bought a farm of eighty acres of wild land and here Martin grew to manhood. Being the old- est of the family his experience in this state at that time was clearing, chopping, making rails and other work known to a pioneer's life. He received a common school education such as could be obtained in the old log school-house, walking from a mile to two miles. In 1861 he married Mary Ann Shutt, born October 28, 1841, by whom he had four children: Isaac S., Harriet E., John V. and Mertie R. He began life without a dollar but by hard work and good management he has done well. He now owns sixty-five acres of good land, which he bought in its natural state. He and wife are members of the United Brethren church.
William Beninghoff, an early settler, is a native of Pennsylvania, born in Schuylkill county, April 8, 1825, son of George and Elizabeth (Daubespeck) Beninghoff. When twelve years of age he removed with his parents to Ashland county, Ohio. In 1846 he began an ap- prenticeship as carriage-maker and followed his trade until by close economy he saved $600, with which he bought eighty acres of land in Noble county. He sold this farm two years later and bought eighty acres of wood-land; clearing this, he amassed more property, and now owns 220 and 115 acres in DeKalb county, and a ten-acre residence place within one mile of Hicksville. In September, 1851, he married Ann, daughter of John and Catharine (Bowmaster) Martin, who was born April 10, 1835. They have had four children, of whom George and John are living. Mr. Beninghoff is a member of the Lutheran church. His companion through life has been a true wife, sharing his hardships and his joys, and often went with him through the work in the fields, doing the work of a pioneer's wife.
Francis A. Johnson, a prominent citizen of Scipio township, was born in St. Lawrence county, N. Y., April 3, 1833, son of Ebenezer and Betsy (Ryan) Johnson. At ten years of age he removed with his par- ents to Ohio, where he remained from 1844 to 1856, when he came to Indiana and settled in DeKalb county. In 1865 he removed to Allen
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county, and settled on the farm where he now lives. In 1855 he was married to Margaret J. Hammond, born in 1834, and they have had nine children of whom seven are living: Nancy A., Emma J., John F., Myron A., Charles W., Tryphena M. and Sarah E. He is a member of the Masonic order, and of Stopher post, No. 75, G. A. R. In 1861 he left his wife and two little babes at home, and enlisted in Company F, Forty-fourth volunteer regiment, under Capt. Merrill. At the battle of Stone River he was struck on the hip by a piece of shell, which so dis- abled him that he had little use of his leg for about six years; for this he now draws the small pension of $10. His grandfather was a soldier in the revolutionary war, and his father a soldier in the war of 1812. Mr. Johnson began the battle of life without a dollar but by hard work has done well. He first bought forty acres of new land in DeKalb county, and then came to Allen county, and bought 120 acres of land, " without a stick amiss," in Scipio township, eighty-eight acres of which he now has under a good state of cultivation.
George W. Warner, one of the thorough-going farmers of Scipio township, is a native of Lincoln county, Ohio, born January 14, 1839, son of Dennis and Rachel (Miller) Warner. The father was of Dutch, and the mother of Pennsylvania Dutch, descent. In 1864 George W. emigrated to the gold fields of Montana and Idaho, but finding gold as hard to accumulate there as here, after one year's stay, returned to his native state, landing February 15, 1865, and then came immediately to Indiana and settled in Scipio township and bought eighty acres for $3,000, on which he lived about two years before marriage. June, 1867, he married Mary Allen, and they have two children: Howard and Flor- ence. The mother was born in 1849. When he first began in Indiana he just had $1,300 to make a partial payment on his land, since then he has paid out for his land $17,400, and now owns 330 acres as hand- somely improved as any in Allen county, and a two-story brick dwelling which cost him over $3,000. His farm is ditched and tiled, and alto- gether, his improvements show that he is one of the leading farmers of the county.
John R. Knapp, a prominent farmer of Scipio township, was born in Luzerne county, Penn., May 9, 1839, son of Walter and Elizabeth (Reed) Knapp. The father was a native of Pennsylvania, the mother of New York. At eighteen years of age he left his home and settled in Ohio, arriving there with $1.50 in money. His parents being poor people he was compelled to make his own way in the world when quite young. March 3, 1861, he was united in marriage with Olive Maxwell, by whom he had one child, Melinda, wife of Coe M. Smith. This wife was born April 21, 1844, and died January 7, 1865. In 1866 he was married to Thalia Boullon, born August 28, 1846, and they had nine children, of whom eight are now living: Joseph W., Walter R., Sarah E., Abbie S., John M., Frederick A., Ida M. and Thomas M. February 9, 1865, he enlisted in Company G, One Hundred and Ninety-first regiment Ohio volunteers, under Capt. Kinney, and served to the close of the war,
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receiving an honorable discharge at Winchester, Ohio, in 1865. Mr. Knapp began to support himself at an early age, his parents being poor, and his success in life is greatly to his credit. In 1865 he bought and settled on the eighty acres where he now lives, which was at that time densely timbered, which he has cleared and converted into a beautiful farm. He now owns 120 acres of good land in Scipio township, and is comfortably situated, having commodious and substantial buildings.
MAUMEE TOWNSHIP.
A convenient landing place on the river, known as Bull Rapids, because, tradition says, some hunter slew here a buffalo bull, was the site of the first settlement. Gregory Jackson came here in 1833 and built a large log house, which he used as a tavern for the accommoda- tion of those who came up the Maumee, and landed here to look at land in the vicinity. A collection of houses grew up, and as the chief attrac- tion was a groggery, the place became famous for rough life and law- lessness. In 1836, James Shirley, who owned a large tract of land here, laid out town lots and gave the plat the name of Indiana City, but that name did not become acclimated, his town was not settled, and Bull Rapids is still the name by which the locality is known. In 1834 one Barnes settled near the state line, and in the same year William John- son and Lloyd Lemart settled near the center of the township. Ulrich Saylor, sr., settled on Knagg's reserve in the fall of 1835, and later moved to the state line building, a house which occupied space in both states. Subsequently he made his home upon the canal, near a lock which became known as Saylor's lock. This pioneer planted the first orchard, the first marriage was of his son Matthias to Ann Maneary, the first death was of his son John D., in 1836, and the old gentleman was the first postmaster, keeping it at his store, which he had estab- lished in 1853. Ulrich Saylor, jr., came with his parents in 1835, also Solomon Swisher, a son-in-law. In 1836, John Ashley and his son George, were here, and the father contemplated building a dam across the Maumee, and even began the erection of a mill, but aban- doned the scheme. In April, of this year, the first election was held at the house of George Platter, and Lloyd Lemart was elected a justice, and Jabez Philips, constable. Among the other early settlers of this town- ship were James Johnson, Charles Harding, Benjamin Johnson, Flint, Crapeau, Washington Corpse, J. N. Sweet and James Shirley.
In September, 1839, Andrew Dykes laid out in section 14, an ample town plat of forty blocks, which he named Geneva, but no trace of it now remains. Another "paper" town which the canal was expected to foster, was "Bengal," laid out by Joseph Sinclair and Thomas Tiger. Mention of these now serves only to illustrate the enterprise of bygone days. Woodburn, a station on the Wabash railway, was platted by J. K. Edgerton and Joseph Smith, proprietors, September, 1865. To the northwest of Woodburn, on the Maumee, in January, 1871, E. D. Ashley
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had a tract of land platted as Edwardsburg, and it is the seat of a postoffice.
Ambrose Ashton, who is of German origin, was born December 15, 1822, in Brown county, Ohio. The father, Zachariah, a native of Pennsylvania, was born in 1799, and when a child, moved with his parents to Marietta, Ohio, where he remained about two years, after which they located in Brown county, Ohio, near Fayetteville. In 1840, he married Rebecca Sly and removed to Allen county, settling on a farm at Maysville, where he lived until 1851, when he removed to Paulding county, Ohio, and remained until his death, February, 1863. His wife was born in 1800 in Clermont county, Ohio, and died in Maysville, in 1851. Ambrose, the second of their five children, was educated in the schools of Warren county, Ohio, coming to Maysville with his parents; he remained there until 1848, when he moved to the banks of the Maumee river in Milan township, and one year later moved on a farm in Maumee township, now owned by M. B. Price. Mr. Ashton when he first went to school, was compelled to walk two miles through the woods to a log school- house with puncheon floor, stick chimney and greased paper windows. In those days their clothes were all home-made. He earned his first pair of boots at fourteen years of age, by working out for the money. Before that, he had shoes made by his father. His father would go to the tan- nery and get a side of leather and make shoes for the family. Near Maysville, there remains on the old farm, an orchard which was set out by Mr. Ashton. In 1846, he removed to Fort Wayne and worked in the mill of Judge Hanna & Bird, nearly one year. Returning to Spring- field township, he bought forty acres of wild land of his father, which he traded in I851, for 107 acres, where he now lives. He now owns in all, 300 acres of choice land in one of the finest locations in the township. He also deals quite extensively in stock. In 1844 he was wedded to Hul- dah, daughter of William Shields. December 29, 1863, he wedded Mary A., daughter of Henry and Matilda Cummins, and they have five chil- dren: George F., Nellie A., Joseph, Lillie D. and Mark. In 1860 he was elected as trustee of his township and served one year. He is at present justice of the peace, and is a member of the Masonic order.
Moses B. Price, one of the prosperous farmers .of Maumee town- ship, is a native of Pennsylvania, born April 25, 1838, son of John and Susan (Oliver) Price. They came to Indiana and settled in Allen county, where they soon after died, leaving their son an orphan at the age of ten or twelve years. He worked his way on a canal boat to Cincinnati, Ohio, and from there to Kentucky, and after two years went to Lebanon, Ohio, where he worked as a farm hand about four years. Then returning to Indiana he settled in Allen county, where he has since resided. On January 14, 1859, he was united in marriage with Mary E., daughter of Elisha and Phebe D. (Davis) James. This union was blessed with two children: Charles, born 1861, died 1864; Gabriel, born 1863, died in infancy. The mother was born October 18, 1837. She is a member of the Christian church. He is a member of the
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Masonic lodge at Harlan. He began in this country without a dollar but now owns 108 acres well improved with good buildings and well watered with natural fountains. When he first purchased this land it was covered with a dense forest. He is now prepared to enjoy the fruits of a life of labor and spend his declining years amid the comforts of a pleasant home.
Henry Schepelmann, a worthy citizen of Maumee township, is a native of Hanover, Germany, born in 1853. He is one of a family of five children, of Henry and Johanna Schepelmann. The father was born in 1823 in Hanover, and was by occupation a miller and farmer; he is still living in his native country. The mother was born in 1833 in Hanover, Germany, and died in 1871. Henry was educated in the Lutheran schools of Hanover, Germany, and in 1883 emigrated to the United States and located in Maumee township. He is the owner of 244 acres of rich farming and grazing land, with good buildings. In 1880 he was wedded to Miss Augusta, daughter of Henry and Sophia Deister. She is a native of Hanover, Germany, born in 1857. By this union there are five children: Henry, Willie, Otto, Minnie and Christian. Mr. Schepelmann is a member of the Masonic order at Harlan, and his wife is a member of the Lutheran church. Mr. Schepelmann is a farmer, and brick and tile manufacturer, and is prominent in local affairs.
In the spring of 1822 Robert Shirley, sr., and family moved from near Chillicothe, Ohio, to Fort Defiance. The family included the mother, Mrs. Rachel Shirley, and the children, James, Elias, Robert, Ruth, Mary, Nancy and John G. From Fort Jennings to Fort Defiance they saw no white people, and followed the Indian trail along the river Auglaize. The fort at Defiance, built by Gen. Winchester, was then standing, in a good state of preservation, in charge of William Preston, the only other inhabitant of Defiance. Four French families lived in cabins on the Maumee above the point, and three American families on the Auglaize near by. Six miles below lived the families of John Per- kins, Montgomery Evans and Mr. Hively. Two trading houses were kept on either side of the Maumee. Here the Ottawa, commonly called Tawah Indians, brought their skins of the otter, beaver, raccoon, bear, muskrat, mink, fox, wild-cat and deer, and beeswax, ginseng, cranber- ries and gooseberries. No person then lived between Forts Wayne and Defiance, but all the travel from Detroit to Fort Wayne and Chicago passed along the Maumee. Mail was carried by Forts Wayne and Defiance from Piqua to Fort Meigs (Maumee City). When the Shir- leys settled at Defiance, Capt. James Riley had not begun the sur- vey of land. Shane, the famous pioneer, was then about fifty years old, and living at Shane's prairie, on the St. Mary's river. Flour and salt were obtained from Swan Creek (Toledo), hauled to the Rapids and brought thence on pirogues. In 1827, through the influence of Nathan Shirley, Elias Pattee, of a family familiar in church history in the Maumee valley, organized the first church at Defiance. James Shirley, who was born in Virginia in 1797, was a man of remarkable shrewdness
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