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 II > Part 48
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The Thirty-second regiment, or First German, contained a small number of Allen county men, among them John M. Josse, surgeon; John Orff, musician; members of the band, and members of Companies A and C. Allen county contributed some men also to the Thirty-third, Thirty-fourth, Thirty-fifth, Thirty-eighth, Fortieth and Forty-second regiments.
The Forty-fourth was the second regiment organized at Fort Wayne, and was mustered in November 22, IS61. It had on its rolls 260 men from this county. It did conspicuous service at Forts Henry and Don- elson, Perryville, Stone River and Chickamauga, and remained at Chattanooga until September, 1865. It lost 350, killed and wounded. Its colonel was Hugh B. Reed at the organization; adjutant, Charles Case. At Fort Wayne were raised Companies C and D, of the First, of which Philip Grund was second lieutenant and afterward lieutenant- colonel of the regiment. Franklin D. Cosgrove was the first captain of the latter company, and lieutenant, Charles H. Wayne. David K. Stopher became a lieutenant and George Shell and George W. Squeirs became captains. The Seventy-fourth regiment was the next organized at Camp Allen, was mustered in August 21, 1862, and " marched to the sea." Company C was raised in the county, and of it, Carl C. Kingsbury, Joel F. Kinney and F. T. Beck, were successively captain, William H. Anderson, Ananias Davis, George A. Craw and Calvin Anderson, lieu- tenants. The Eighty-eighth regiment was organized at Fort Wayne, and mustered in August 29,' 1862, with 344 men and officers from Allen county. It fought gallantly through the campaign of the army of the Cumberland and with Sherman through Georgia. At the organization, George Humphrey was colonel; Cyrus F. Briant, lieutenant-colonel, afterward colonel; adjutants, H. B. Dubarry and Allen H. Dougall. Charles S. True was captain of Company B. Company C, organized in the county, was first commanded by Nelson P. Guffy, afterward by Philip W. Silver. Company D, organized in the county, had for its first captain, Cyrus F. Briant, afterward Scott Swann; lieutenants, J. D. Stopher, Isaac Bateman, I. A. Slater and Milton Thompson. Com- pany E, also organized in the county, was first officered by C. B. Oak- ley, captain; Richard Williams and John G. Goheen, lieutenants. Augus-
.
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VALLEY OF THE UPPER MAUMEE.
tus Brown was afterward captain and Jerry Heffelfinger, lieutenant. Company F, also organized here, had for its first captain Isaac H. Lefevre, who was succeeded by Lieut. Ferd F. Boltz. The last regi- ment organized at Fort Wayne in 1862, was the One Hundredth, mus- tered in September roth, under Col. Sanford J. Stoughton, containing a comparatively small number of Allen county men.
Other regiments organized early in the war, in which Allen county citizens were enrolled, were: Forty-seventh, under Col. J. R. Slack; the Fifty-fifth, three months' service, to which Allen county con- tributed Company E, under Capt. Charles Emery; the Fifty-ninth, which received recruits from the county; the Seventy-fifth, which con- tained forty-five men from Allen county, in Company H, commanded by William McGinnis; the Eighty-ninth, in which several citizens of this county enlisted; the Ninetieth or Fifth cavalry, which was engaged in the pursuit of Morgan, and contained one company from Allen county, under Capt. Harry A. Whitmam; the Ninety-first, which contained two com- panies of one-year men enlisted in Allen county in 1864, Company H, under Capt. Charles Emery, and Company K, under Capt. Joseph H. Keever. Toeach of various other early regiments, the county contributed one or more men. To the One Hundred and Twenty-fourth and One Hundred and Fifty-second regiments, organized in 1864, the companies that were raised for the Ninety-first were partly transferred, and there were also a considerable number of men raised in the county for the One Hundred and Twenty-sixth, One Hundred and Twenty-seventh and One Hundred and Twenty-eighth. The One Hundred and Twenty-ninth regiment, partially organized at Kendallville, contained 109 men from Allen county. The organization was completed at Michigan City, with Charles Case as colonel, and Charles A. Zollinger as lieutenant colonel. This regiment, and the One Hundred and Twenty-fourth fought together through the Atlanta'campaign, at Franklin and Nashville, and in North Carolina. Company B contained most of the men from this county, and was first commanded by C. A. Zollinger, then by James Harper. The Thirteenth cavalry contained nine men from the county, and the One Hundred and Thirty-seventh and Thirty-ninth regiments, a larger num- ber. The two last named were organized for one hundred days' ser- vice, and of the first of the two, Company E, under Captain James Sewell, had forty-five men from the county. The latter named one- hundred-day regiment was commanded by Col. John Humphrey, Adj. Chauncey B. Oakley, and Company H had eithty-five men from the county, G. W. Bell being first lieutenant. The One Hundred and For- ty-second regiment was mustered in at Camp Allen, November 3, 1864, under Col. John M. Comparet, Lieut. Col. C. B. Oakley, and had about 350 men from the county. The regiment experienced war at the fam- ous siege of Nashville. The Allen county men were mainly in Com- pany C, under Capt. Christopher Hettler, Company E, under Capt. David Howell, and Company F, under Capt. Alonzo Bigelow, succeeded by Robert W. Swann. The One Hundred and Fifty-second regiment
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ORGANIZATION OF ALLEN COUNTY.
395
contained 200 men from Allen county, and was one of those organized in 1865, for garrison duty, Joseph W. Whitaker was lieutenant colonel, and Companies C, G and H contained the most of the county's citizens, the two latter being commanded respectively by William A. Kelsey and Marshall W. Wines. The One Hundred and Fifty-fifth, organized about the same time for the same duty, contained eighty men from the county, in Company D, under Capt. Joseph M. Silver.
The artillery branch of the service was contributed to by Allen county, and the batteries in which the patriotic sons of the county did service saw bloody work in all the great battles of the west. The Fifth, mustered in November 22, 1861, had on its muster rolls twenty-six men from Allen county, and served four years, at the end of that time fifteen men becoming veterans in the Seventh battery. The Eleventh was re- cruited almost entirely at Fort Wayne, and contained 222 men from the county. It was mustered in December 17, 1861, with Arnold Suter- meister as captain, and served three years, some of the men at the end of that time veteranizing in the Seventh and Eighteenth batteries. At Chickamauga the battery lost one-fourth its number. The Twenty-third battery, mustered in November 8, 1862, contained sixty-one men from. this county, under Capt. James H. Myers. It served in the Atlanta campaign, at Nashville, and in North Carolina, principally.
The following sums were raised for bounty and relief in Allen county :
Wayne
Bounty. $75,000
Relief. $17,550
Washington
6,750
1,875
Springfield
7,960
1,192
Perry
7,300
1,500
Madison
5,950
1,500
Monroe .
5,000
1,250
Marion
7,500
1,500
Maumee
220
50
Milan
5,980
1,300
Lake .
6,980
1,400
Jefferson
7,500
1,500 ยท
Eel River
8,000
1,800
Cedar Creek
10,000
1,500
Adams
10,500
2,000
Aboit
6,882
1,500
Pleasant
8,660
1,500
Scipio
1,400
I60
Lafayette
5,000
1,450
Jackson
250
100
Fort Wayne
13,750
...
$550,145
$73,853
Miscellaneous
2,000
.
Total
. ...
$625,998.72
a
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1
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VALLEY OF THE UPPER MAUMEE.
George W. Loag, D. D. S., clerk of the circuit court of Allen county and a representative and public-spirited citizen of Indiana, is a native of Philadelphia, Penn. His childhood from five to sixteen years of age, was spent upon a farm with his parents, and his education was received at Philadelphia and at Allen seminary, in Chester county. In October, he began the study of the profession to which he has largely devoted his life, dental surgery, at Philadelphia, in the office of McKowen and Haines, with whom he remained four years. Going then to eastern Maryland, he followed his profession there until the fall of 1862, when he located in Chicago. In the spring of 1863 he came to Fort Wayne, and here has since resided, practicing with marked success his profes- sion. He is one of the oldest dentists in the city, and is widely known. He has always taken an active interest in politics, and devoted much of his time and means to the welfare of the democratic party, to which he belongs. In 1886 he was nominated by that party for clerk of the cir- cuit court, and was elected by a majority of 1,611, to a term which ex- pires November 16, 1890. He has proven to be an efficient officer, and his career in office has added to his notable popularity. In 1888 he was elected a member of the democratic state central committee for the twelfth district, and was a delegate to the state convention. Dr. Loag is a Mason of the thirty-second degree, a Knight Templar, and a mem- ber of the I. O. O.F. Since February, 1887, he has been one of the stock- holders and directors of the Indianapolis Sentinel. He is a lover of thoroughbred animals, and has some fine horses and dogs. He was born October 6, 1839, the seventh of ten children, of William Ross and Eliza (Strong) Loag, natives of Pennsylvania. The father was born in 1802, and died in Philadelphia, March 16, 1883. The mother was born in 1804, and died April 23, 1884. Dr. Loag was married in 1868 to Anna R. Henderson, who was born in this city in 1843.
Daniel W. Souder, acting clerk of the superior court, is a native of Pennsylvania. His parents were natives of Perry county Penn., the father, George Souder, having been born in 1817, and the mother, Mary (Wentz) Souder, in 1818. The father was a farmer, and first followed that occupation in Perry county, where Daniel W., the oldest of his five children, was born June 14, 1848. In 1849 the family removed to Richland county, Ohio, where the father is still living, the mother having died at the Ohio home in 1886. Daniel W. Souder was raised on the farm, and after receiving a common school education applied himself to the carpenter's trade, which was his occupation in Ohio until 1872, when he came to Fort Wayne, and found employment in the car shops of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago company. He remained there until 1874, and was then for a year in the employment of the Fort Wayne organ factory. Resuming his place in the car shops he worked there until 1876, then going uponthe road as brakeman, which occupation was terminated October 10th, by an accident which caused the loss of both his feet. Two years later he entered the auditor's office, served there until April, 1879, was then clerk of the criminal court until its abolition
397
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ORGANIZATION OF ALLEN COUNTY.
in 1884, and since then he has held the office of acting clerk of the superior court. Mr. Souder is a democrat in politics, and in 1886 was a candidate for clerk of the circuit court. He is a deserving and popular citizen, and is highly respected. He was married in October, 1870, to Hannah C. Fireoved, who was born in Richland county, Ohio, March 6, 1849, and they have four children: Willis H., Mary E., Estella C., and Anna A. He and wife are prominent members of the Reform church. He was made a Mason in 1873, and for ten years has been secretary of Summit City lodge, No. 170.
John B. Niezer, county auditor, and one of the leading citizens of Allen county, is a native of Milan township. His parents, Bernard H. and Christina Niezer, are natives of Germany, the father born in 1809, and the mother in 1816. In 1843 they emigrated and settled in Allen county, where the father was engaged in farming until his death in 1854. John B., the fourth of seven children, was born July 21,. 1846. All of the children are living except Henry, who died at Louisville, Ky., while in the service of the Union, in 1863. At seven years of age John B. Niezer came to Fort Wayne with his parents, and here received his education. At fourteen years of age he began an apprenticeship as a tinner, and worked at that trade seven years, leaving it in 1865, to go to Monroeville, to establish a hardware store, a business in which he has ever since been engaged, with considerable success. His political and official career has been a prominent and honorable one. He was first called upon to serve the community as trustee of Monroeville, a position he held for three years. 'In 1880 he was elected trustee of Monroe township, and re-elected in 1882, and for seven years he served as treas- urer of the Monroeville school board. All these official positions were in some degree a preparation for the important office he now fills so satis- factorily. For this he was nominated by the democratic party in Sep- tember, 1886, from six candidates, and was elected by a majority of 1,620. Mr. Niezer was married in 1869, to Sarah T. Eyanson, who was born in Philadelphia in 1846, and they have six children: John T., Maurice L., Charles L., Louisa H., George B. and Marguerite C.
Isaac Mowrer, treasurer of Allen county, was born in Wayne county, Ohio, May 16, 1840. His father, John Mowrer, was born in Chester county, Penn., in 1810, and now resides in Wayne county, whither he emigrated with his father in 1830, and became one of the early settlers. The grandfather died in 1864 at the age of seventy-one years. John Mowrer married Sevilla Steel, who was born in Berks county, Penn., in IS12, and came to Wayne county in 1816, and they had eleven children, nine of whom are living, Isaac being the third born. His early life was passed on the Wayne county farm, in Ohio, where he received a com- mon school education. Starting out for himself in 1863, he engaged in farming in his native county until 1869, when he came to Allen county, and settled on the southeast quarter of section fourteen in St. Joseph township. Of this 160 acres only twenty were then cleared, and his first years in this county were spent in making a farm out of this wood-
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VALLEY OF THE UPPER MAUMEE.
land. He now has a valuable farm of 180 acres, well improved. Tak- ing a leading part in politics, he received in 1886, the democratic nom- ination for treasurer, and was elected by a majority of 1, 191, and in 1888 was re-elected by a majority of 3,990 votes. He is one of the popular men of the county, and has made one of Allen county's best treasurers. Mr. Mowrer was married September 30, 1862, to Elizabeth Lightfoot, who was born in Wayne county, Ohio, in 1842, and they have had three children, two of whom are living: John W., who now resides in Burt county, Neb., and Mary V. He and wife are members of the Metho- dist church, and he is affiliated with the Masons, the I. O. O. F. and K. of P.
George H. Viberg, sheriff of Allen county, was born in Huntington county, Ind., July 8, 1848. He is the son of Conrad H. Viberg, a pio- neer of Ohio and Indiana. The latter was born near Hanover, Ger- many, March 6, 1809, son of Conrad and Caroline Viberg, and came to this country in 1834. He settled in Fairfield county, Ohio, and there was married to Angeline Abright, March 6, 1835. She was also a German by birth who had emigrated in 1834. Five years later they removed to Williams county, Ohio, and began to clear a farm of eighty acres, but sought employment on the Wabash & Erie canal, and became a foreman under Col. Lemuel Jones. After the completion of the canal, he removed to Huntington county, Ind., and purchased the " Roanoke farm " of Col. Jones. Subsequently, he removed to Cedar Creek town- ship, Allen county, where she died. He and wife had nine children: Lucinda, Harmon B., Sophia, Mary, Russellas L., Eliza, Lemuel A., George H. and Sarah J. Mr. and Mrs. Viberg were both prominent members of the Lutheran church, and he is a democrat in politics. Their son, George H., was raised on the farm and received a common school education. His residence in Allen county began with the re- moval of his parents here in April, 1855. He then was engaged in farming in Cedar Creek township until he was appointed sheriff of Allen county in 1887, to fill a vacancy. In November, 1888, he was elected to the same office by the decisive majority of 4,286. He has demonstrated his capability for the office and fidelity to the public trust. Sheriff Viberg was married in 1871, to Mary Shambaugh, a native of Ohio, and they have two children, Russellas and Daisy C. Mr. Viberg is a prominent worker in the democratic party, and is a member of the Masonic order and Knights of Pythias.
John M. Taylor, ex-treasurer of Allen county, was born near Cleve- land, in the Western Reserve, in 1831. His father, Abraham Taylor, of English descent, married Roxy Ann Lane, of Scotch-Irish descent, and they moved with their families to Indiana in 1836, and settled in Eel River township, where Mr. Taylor now lives. Here he grew to man- hood and received a good common school education for those days, and being of studious and reflective habits of mind, became in later life well informed, and the general adviser of the township in legal and other subjects. After he had become sufficiently educated, he becan teaching
399
ORGANIZATION OF ALLEN COUNTY.
in 1849, and until 1868 taught almost every winter. In 1854 he was married to Mary J. Bennett, and they had three children: Judson M., George A. and Carrie A. Mrs. Taylor was a consistent and devoted member of the Missionary Baptist church. Mr. Taylor served as clerk of the board of trustees of his township a number of years, and then as sole trustee about twelve years continuously. In 1878 his eminent qual- ifications were recognized by election as treasurer of Allen county. He was re-elected in 1880, serving with credit in this capacity four years. He is a member of the Masonic order. Mr. Taylor is one of the notable self-made men of our times, a worthy product of the era of industry and privation in which his family was prominent. The lessons then learned have made him a very successful man. He is now engaged in agricul- ture, being an extensive land owner in Eel River township, holding 560 fertile and valuable acres, and his farm is thoroughly improved.
Charles A. Munson, former sheriff of Allen county, was born in Fort Wayne, March 27, 1843. His father, James P. Munson, was born in Wolcottville, Conn., March 1I, 1816, and in 1840 came to Fort Wayne and engaged in the mercantile business, in which he continued until 1848, when, his health failing him, he went east, and soon after- ward died, in Bristol, Conn. His wife was born in the county of Ty- rone, Ireland, July 1, 1813. When six years of age she came to America with her parents, and for many years resided in western New York, afterward removing to Hamilton, Ohio. At this place, in 1830, she was married to J. P. Munson. After the death of Mr. Munson, in 1849, she was married to Henry Cooper, of Fort Wayne by whom she had one child, William P. Cooper. Henry Cooper died March 26, I853. Mr. Munson's mother was again left with her little family to be sup- ported by her needle. Young Munson's opportunities for obtaining an education were limited, as necessity made busy his youthful years. For a short time he was employed as a messenger in the telegraph office, afterward as a clerk in Hamilton's boot and shoe store, and at Kurtz's and Heller's grocery and provision stores. During two or three winters, failing to find other employment, he sawed and split wood for the mer- chants and other citizens of Fort Wayne. His industry attracted the attention of George L. Little, of the commission firm of Little & McCulloch, and by them he was engaged to purchase grain, pork, etc. Desirous of taking part in the war, he relinquished his position, and August 13, 1862, enlisted in the United States navy, under Capt. Robert Getty, at Cincinnati, Ohio. He was soon passed from the grade of a " landsman " to that of an " able-bodied " seaman. In December, 1862, he was ordered to the iron clad "Chillicothe," then defending Louisville, Ky., from an expected attack of the rebel Gen. Bragg. Shortly afterward, his vessel was ordered to Vicksburg, and here for a time he served on the United States steamer " Red Rover." He passed rapidly through the petty grades, and after a thorough examination by Capt. K. Randolph Breeze, upon the recommendation of Capt. St. Clair, of the " Chillicothe," and Capt. Wells, of the " Red Rover," he was
400
VALLEY OF THE UPPER MAUMEE.
. on his twentieth birthday commissioned master mate, and made third officer in command of his vessel. After the fall of Vicksburg, and the opening of the Mississippi river, Munson gave up his commission and returned home. In the latter part of 1863, he went to Stevenson, Ala., and was employed by Capt. P. P. Baily and Nellis Borden, sutlers in the army of the Cumberland. Returning to Fort Wayne, after the close of the war, he engaged in the retail grocery business until 1868, at which time he was employed by Huestis & Hamilton, wholesale grocers, as a " commercial tourist." He was engaged in this capacity for eight years. At the expiration of four years, he was admitted as a partner into the firm. His yearly sales exceeded $200,000, which were confined to a portion of the states of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. In 1875 he was elected alderman on the democratic ticket; was chairman of the com- mittee on finance and public printing. At the democratic convention in June, 1876, he obtained the nomination for sheriff, on the ninth ballot, over eight opponents. He was elected and in 1878 he was again elected by a majority of 4,370 over his highest competitor; this was 593 votes over the state ticket, and the largest majority ever given a sheriff in Indiana. In 1886 Mr. Munson was honored by the democratic nomination for auditor of the state of Indiana, but with the rest of the ticket suffered defeat by a small majority. In 1888 he was renominated, but his zealous work for the success of his party again proved unavail- ing. These nominations, however, attested his remarkable popularity. throughout the state. Mr. Munson is of a genial nature, frank and out- spoken. As sheriff he was indefatigable, courageous and discreet. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, Odd Fellows and encampment. Mr. Munson is now a member of the firm of Lillie & Munson, manu- facturers of Huntington white lime.
Franklin D. Cosgrove, jr., is a native of the Upper Maumee valley, born at Maysville, Allen county, Ind., November 23, 1851. In early manhood he took a position in the drug store of his father, Dr. Franklin K. Cosgrove, a veteran physician at Maysville. He also assisted his father in the duties of postmaster. September 16, 1873, he was mar- ried at Niles, Mich., to Ella V. A., daughter of Delos and Eliza W. Cox. She was born in Berrien county, Mich., April 19, 1852. Mr. Cos- grove was appointed deputy sheriff of Allen county, by Sheriff J. D. Hance, in November, 1874, and in the following February he removed from Maysville to Fort Wayne. He served under Sheriff Hance until the death of the latter in May, 1875, then under his successor, P. J. Wise, nine months, and under Sheriff Charles A. Munson, four years. At the expiration of the term of the latter, Mr. Cosgrove succeeded to the office, having been elected in 1880, at the age of twenty-eight years, by a majority of nearly 2,000. He served one term very acceptably, and then, in August, 1882, engaged in the livery business, in which he remained until October, 1888, when he became one of the proprietors of the pump and wind-mill establishment on Harrison street. Mr. Cos- grove has had four children: Edna, Franklin D., DeWitt W. and Anna,
Milion M. Thompson
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ORGANIZATION OF ALLEN COUNTY.
the first of whom died in infancy. He is a Mason of the thirty-second degree, a member of the I. O. O. F. lodge and encampment, and of the K. of P.
Milton M. Thompson, recorder of Allen county, comes of a family that were pioneers of Portage county, Ohio. There his father, Milo Thompson, was born February 4, 1818, and died January 9, 1872, and his mother, whose maiden name was Esther F. McKelvey, was born in the same county in 1820, and died in 1854. Milton M., the second of their six children, was born December 28, 1840. He was raised on the farm, and attended the country schools there until 1852, when he came to Allen county. Before he reached his majority the rebellion caused the call to arms by President Lincoln, and one of the first to respond was Mr. Thompson, who enlisted April 12, 1861, in Company F, Twelfth Indiana volunteers. He served in this regiment one year, and August 6, 1862, re-enlisted in Company D, of the Eighty-eighth regiment, in which he served until the close of the war, being mustered out October 17, 1865, as first sergeant. He fought gallantly with his regiment, and at the battle of Bentonville, N. C., after the rebellion was nearly crushed out, lost a leg, seriously crippling him for life. On his return to Allen county, he engaged in the tin and hardware business at New Haven, and on February 1, 1867, was appointed postmaster at that place, a position he held for nine years. In 1877 he resumed his early occupation of farming and continued at that until 1888. In politics he is a democrat, and in 1886 he was elected county recorder on the ticket of that party. This office he has filled with ability, and his unfailing courtesy has made him many friends. In the spring of 1888 he removed to Fort Wayne. He is a member of the I. O. O. F. and of the G. A. R. He was married June 7, 1874, to Lucy M. Bacon, who was born in this county in 1850.
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