Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

Josiah Cottell was born in Burlington, N. J., Aug. 22, 1814, a son of John and Sarah (Grant) Cottell. When he was fifteen years of age his parents moved to Columbiana County, Ohio, and there he grew to manhood. He was reared a farmer, but after reaching his majority learned the carpenter's trade and worked at it fifteen years. In 1852 he came to De Kalb County, Ind., and bought a tract of wild land in Keyser Township, which he cleared and improved, and which is now transformed into one of the best farms on the county. He passed through all the hardships and privations of pioneer life, and surmounting every difficulty, has gained the top of the ladder of prosperity. His farm contains 160 acres of land, his farm buildings are commodious, and his residence one of the best in the township. He has by his uprightness and success gained the confidence of the people, and has been chosen to transact the business of the township in several of its offices. Mr. Cottell was married in 1837 to Jane Chance, by whom he had one child, Sarah Jane (deceased). His wife died in 1839, and in 1842 he married Mary Teeters, of Stark County, Ohio. To them were born five children---John, James, Elizabeth, Winfield H. and George. The eldest and youngest only are living. Mrs. Cottell died in 1853, and in 1855 Mr. Cottell married Mrs. Annie Houser. They have three children---Theodore, Mary and Jonathan. Mrs. Cottell has two children by her former marriage---John Henry and David. Politically Mr. Cottell is a Democrat.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

John A. Cowan, M.D., was born in Decatur, Adams Co., Ind., March 1, 1843, a son of Israel R. and Eliza A. Cowan. He remained with his parents till 1862, receiving a high school education. In August, 1862, he enlisted in Company H, Eighty-ninth Indiana Infantry, and served till the close of the war; was discharged at Mobile, Ala., Aug. 19, 1865. He participated in thirty-seven battles; was slightly wounded twice, and was taken prisoner three times. He escaped from his captors twice and was exchanged once. After his discharge he returned home and taught during the winter, working on the farm the rest of the year. In the meantime he commenced the study of medicine under the tutelage of Dr. T.T. Dorwin, of Decatur. In the winter of 1868-'69, he attended lectures at Rush Medical College, Chicago, Ill.; subsequently attended Detroit Medical College, from which he graduated June 9, 1869. In February, 1870, he located in Auburn and succeeded in building up a large practice. He was married Sept. 9, 1869, to Lydia A. Teeple, of Decatur. To them were born two children---Jennie and Annis. Mr. Cowan was a member of the De Kalb Lodge, No. 214, F. & A.M., and Delong Post, No. 67 G.A.R., of Auburn. He died June 18, 1885, of disease contracted while in the service of his country.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

Andrew F. Cox was born in Wayne County, Ohio, Nov. 5, 1833, the fifth of nine children of Jacob and Jane (Denman) Cox, natives of Pennsylvania, his father of German and his mother of Scotch descent. Jacob Cox died March 15, 1885. His golden wedding was celebrated Dec. 5, 1874, and the following April his wife died. Our subject remained with his father till manhood. In 1854 he came to Indiana and taught school in Miami County, one winter; then returned home, and after a brief stay came to De Kalb County, and March 18, 1856, was married to B.A. Helwig, daughter of Jacob and Sarah (Garsnage) Helwig. The first year after their marriage they lived in Noble County, Ind., then moved to Steuben County, and bought twenty acres of unimproved land, which he improved, and subsequently sold and bought fifty acres in the same township where he lived till March 28, 1882, when he came to De Kalb County, and bought eighty acres of improved land in Richland Township. Mr. and Mrs. Cox have a family of three children---Sarah L, Belle O., and George Elmer. Mr. Cox is a member of the Baptist, and his wife of the Evangelical Lutheran church. In politics he affiliates with the Democratic party.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

Ervin A. Crain, farmer and stock-raiser, section 11, Franklin Township, is the youngest of six children of Ervin J. and Nancy (Gaylord) Crain, and a grandson of Charles Crain and Eleazer Gaylord. Charles Crain was a native of Middlebury, Vt. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and after his return home, in 1816, emigrated to Chautauqua County, N.Y., and thence in 1834, to Painesville, Ohio, and to De Kalb County, Ind., in 1836, settling on section 8, Franklin Township, where he died in March, 1866. Ervin J. Crain was born in Middlebury, Vt., Jan 29, 1815, and remained with his father till manhood, coming with him to De Kalb County, He was married to Nancy Gaylord April 5, 1840, and to them were born six children, four of whom are living---Melissa L., Leander T., Horace Greeley and Ervin A. A daughter, Phidelia J., died at the age of thirty-two years. She was the wife of B.C. Lemon, and left two children, Lucinda and Luther K. A son, Luther K., went West when eighteen years of age, and was employed in the mail service, and subsequently by Powell & Newbern, freighter across the plains. He has not been heard from for sixteen years, his family being unable to find a trace of him. Ervin J. Crain was killed by a pet bull Oct. 28, 1874. Ervin A. Crain was born in Franklin Township on the old homestead Dec. 6, 1852. He received a good education, completing it at the Hamilton select school. He was married April 5, 1872, to Delana Dirrim, a native of Franklin Township, born Jan. 10, 1852, a daughter of James Dirrim. They have three children---Eva, Luther J., and Delana. Mr. Crain owns eighty-eight acres of valuable land, all well improved, and is making a specialty of stock-raising.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

Leander T. Crain, section 1, Franklin Township, is a native of this township, born May 29, 1845, a son of Ervin J., a native of Vermont, and an early settler of De Kalb County. He was reared on a farm, and received a common-school education, remaining with his parents till the breaking out of the Rebellion. In 1863 he enlisted in company A, One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Indiana Infantry, and participated in the battles of Resaca, Buzzard's Roost, Rocky Face, Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta campaign, Jonesboro, Franklin, Nashville, Fort Anderson, Fort Fisher, Wise's Forks, and others. Since his return he has devoted his attention to agriculture and now has a good farm, well improve. In 1870 he went to the Rocky Mountains, visiting Montana, Idaho and Washington Territory, but spent most of his time in Montana. He visited the Geysers of Yellow Stone Valley, and there saw the Devil's Mush Pot, a large oval depression in the ground about eight or ten feet deep, at the bottom of which is quantity of boiling sulphur; also visited the hot springs, and saw parties catching fish in Gardner's River, and without removing the fish from the line or changing their seats, swing them into the boiling water and cook them. He returned to De Kalb County in December 1875. March 22, 1876, he married Mary A. Fee, a native of Steuben County, Ind., born May 10, 1848, daughter of John Fee, a pioneer of Steuben County. They have had three children---Charles (deceased), Ervin J. and James. Mr. Crain is a member of the Odd Fellows' order and the Grand Army of the Republic.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

Charles H. Crane, grocer, Butler, Ind., was born in Seneca County, N.Y., Nov. 17, 1846, a son of John G. Crane, who moved to Carlton, Mich., in 1868. He was reared in his native county, and received a good education, completing it at the Onondaga Academy, near Syracuse, N.Y. He taught school three years in New York, and in 1859 came West as far as Michigan, and engaged in the hide and leather business in Ypsilanti till 1875, when he went to Toledo, Ohio, and was employed as a traveling salesman for a wholesale grocery till 1877. In January, 1877, he came to Butler and formed a partnership in the grocery business with James Fisher. Eleven months later he bought Mr. Fisher's interest and conducted the business alone a year and a half. Then for three years was in partnership with W.E. Crane, in the F.W. Oberlin building on Broadway. In the meantime they built the store now occupied by Lingenfelter, to whom they sold it in June, 1880, and the same year built the store he now occupies on Oak street, moving into it in December. This store is the largest and most convenient of the kind in Butler. The cellar is a rear basement, under the crockery and glassware departments, each of which is entered from the main room, and in full view of the front entrance. Mr. Crane keeps a large supply of everything in his line, consisting of groceries, provisions, crockery, glassware, etc., and is able to compete with any firm in the place. His annual sales amount to $15,000, with a constantly increasing trade. He was married October, 1871, to Emma, daughter of Alexander Wallace. They have three children---Austin, Mary and Carrie. Mr. Crane is a member of the Masonic fraternity.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

Mathew Crooks, one of the pioneers of De Kalb County, Ind., was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, April 10, 1816, a son of William and Jane (Nixon) Crooks; his father a native of Pennsylvania, and his mother of Maryland. When he was sixteen years old his father died, leaving the care of eleven children to the mother. In 1833 he came to De Kalb County, but remained only a short time, returning to Trumbull County in the spring of 1834. In 1836 he came again to De Kalb County and worked by the day for farmers and on the canal several years. In 1850 he bought the farm in Union Township where he has since lived. He owns eighty acres of good land, valued at $75 an acre. He was married in July, 1844, to Nancy Bryan, a native of Lancaster County, Ohio. To them were born twelve children, seven of whom are living---Marinda, Sheldon, Almond, Barbara, Amanda, George and Alice. Mrs. Crooks died April 20, 1884. Politically, Mr. Crooks was orginially a Whig, casting his first Presidential vote for Harrison, but later has affiliated with the Republican party. When he first came to the county it was covered with timber and infested with wild animals. He was a noted hunter, and was often hired by the settlers to hunt for them, as their only meat was game. He relates many interesting anecdote of his adventures in the early settlement of the county, incidents of thrilling interest, especially to all lovers of the hunt, as he has had many hair-breadth escapes from death by wild animals.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

R.N. Crooks, farmer and stock-raiser, Union township, was born in Trumbull County, Ohio, near Warren, Dec. 9, 1830, a son of William and Jane (Norris) Crooks, and grandson of Henry Crooks, a native of Scotland, who emigrated to America in and early day. William Crooks was one of the first settlers of Trumbull, County, and was married there to Jane Norris, and early settler of the county, of Irish descent. Eleven of their thirteen children grew to maturity. Mr. Crooks, Sr., was a very energetic man and an active worker in the interest of the county. He was a very large man, he and two brothers being known as the “great race.” When our subject was two years of age his father died, and the next year he went with his mother to Cuyahoga County, Ohio, and was here reared and educated, and there his mother died in July, 1850. He was married in 1850 to Melvina Reynolds, who only lived three months and two days after her marriage. In November, 1852, he married Mary Ann Burdick, Of the sixteen children born to them thirteen are living---Martha L., wife of Christopher Newcomer; Linna, wife of B.F. Frets; Hattie M., wife of George Crowel; Lucy H., Mary Rebecca, Eudora, Laura, Robert W., Frederick E., Victor H., Burton B., Clyde E. and James. Mr. Crooks came to De Kalb County in July, 1859, and purchased a farm on section 11, Union Township. He owns a fine farm of 120 acres, valued at $75 an acre. In politics Mr. Crooks was originally a Republican, but later has affiliated with the Greenback party. He has held the office of Township Trustee six years, and was also elected Sheriff on the Greenback ticket. He is a member of Waterloo Lodge, No. 307, F. & A.M., and has passed all the chairs in the Odd Fellows’ order; is also a member of the Knights of Honor.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

Robertson Culbertson, one of the prominent citizens of Concord Township, was born in Coshocton County, Ohio, April 6, 1815, a son of Robert and Mary (Pepples) Culbertson, native of Pennsylvania; his father of Westmoreland County, of Scotch descent, and his mother of Adams County, of Irish descent. In 1810 his parents moved to Coshocton County, Ohio, where the father died six weeks before the birth of our subject. Four years later the mother married John Henderson. When eight years of age he went to live with his grandfather Culbertson in Wayne County, and remained with him till nineteen years of age. He then began to work for farmers by the month, and in 1838 came to De Kalb County, Ind., and entered 120 acres of land in Concord Township. Returning to Ohio he remained five years and then moved his family to the new home, which he has since cleared and improved, and now has one of the best farms in the township. He was married Nov. 10, 1836 to Margaret Robinson, daughter of Hugh Robinson, and to them were born seven children, but three of whom are living. One son, Joseph, enlisted Sept. 5, 1861, in the first company that left De Kalb County for the defense of the Union, and was killed at the battle of Shiloh, April 7, 1862, aged twenty-one years. A daughter, Mary J., was the wife of John C. Owens, and died at the age of thirty years, leaving a family of children. Mrs. Culbertson died June 24, 1874, aged fifty-five years and twenty days. August 28, 1883, Mr. Culbertson married________ Brown, widow of Samuel Brown, by whom she has three children---Calvin H., Willis B., and Herman L. In 1855 Mr. Culbertson was elected as Assessor and Land appraiser serve years. In politics he is a Republican. He and his wife are members of the Protestant Methodist church.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

Jacob Cupp, farmer, section 35, Keyser Township, was born in Somerset County, Pa., Jan. 19, 1808, a son of Frederick and Mary (Sholtz) Cup, of English and German descent. He remained in his native county with his parents till twenty years of age, when he went to Stark County Ohio, where he worked by the day and month eight years. He than bought a farm and followed agricultural pursuits till 1842, when he came to Indiana and settled in De Kalb County, where he has a good home, and now in the seventy-eight year of his age can look back on a life of industry and honesty, and can enjoy the fruits of a well-spent life. Mr. Cupp was married Nov. 26, 1835, to Elizabeth Hoover, a native of Stark County, Ohio, who died in 1843, leaving three children---Mathias, Ethalinda (now Mrs. W. Teeters), and Hiram. In 1860 Mr. Cupp married Mrs. Barbara Smith. They have one child---Levi H. Politically, Mr. Cupp is a Democrat.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

Captain E.B. Cutter is a native of North Hadley, Hampshire Co., Mass., born Oct. 12, 1831, a son of Elam and Mary (Gaylord) Cutter. His great-grandfather, Jairus Cutter, came to America with the pilgrims in the Mayflower. His great-grandmother, Susan Bowman, was living in Charlestown at the time of the battle of Bunker Hill, and carried water to the gunners. She died in Boston at the age of 100 year, two months and five days. His Grandfather Cutter was a soldier in the Revolution, and his father in the war of 1812. Our subject was reared in his native county, and when sixteen years of age began to learn the carpenter and joiner's trade of his father. In the spring of 1851 he went to Walworth County, Wis., and raised the first crop of tobacco in that State for a man named Isaiah Hibbard. In 1852 he went to Texas, where he helped to build the first steam saw and grist mill in Bonham, Fannin County, He then built a cotton-gin and mill in Grayson County, and in 1853 went to Santa Fa, New Mexico, for his health, but soon after returned home. In the spring of 1856 he came to Indiana and spent a year in Steuben County, and there met Miss Eliza Vinton, to whom he was married May 19, 1856. May 3, 1857, he moved to Waterloo, where he followed millwrighting and house building till Aug. 6, 1862, when he enlisted in Company A, eighty-eighth Indiana Infantry, as a private. At his first battled, Perryville, he was promoted to Orderly Sergeant; at Stone Rive, to Sergeant, and soon after to Second Lieutenant. He participated in the battles of Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain and Mission Ridge, and in December, 1863, was commissioned Captain for his bravery, having previously risen to the rake of First Lieutenant. He was subsequently in the Atlanta campaign and in all the engagements of the Fourteenth Army Corps, comprising Dalton, Resaca, Pumpkin Vine, New Hope Church, Kenesaw Mountain, Marietta, Chattahoochee River, Peach Tree Creek and siege of Atlanta. After the battle of Atlanta he was given a leave of absence, and subsequently was on detached service under General Thomas, and engaged in the battle of Nashville and pursuit after Hood. He was then stationed at Whitesides a short time; soon after joined his former command at Goldsboro, and with it participated in the battle at Raleigh where his command captured a rebel flag, a part of which is still in his possession. At the time of Sherman's and Johnston's armistice and Lincoln's assassination he was at Martha's Vineyard, N.C., and marched from there with his command to Washington. He participated in the grand review at Washington where he was mustered out, and June 16, 1865, was discharged at Indianapolis. He then returned to Waterloo where he has since resided. He has followed the millwright's trade, and has built mills in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Florida. He helped to erect the first grist-mill in Waterloo, De Kalb Co. To Captain Cutter and wife have been born six children---Carrie, Faney, Charles, George, Frederick and Earl. He is a member of Waterloo City Lodge, No. 307, F. & A.M., and Wm. Hacker Chapter, No. 63, R.A.M. In Politics he is a Republican and has twice been nominated by his party as candidate for Sheriff.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

Isaac D. Daily, blacksmith, Butler, Ind., was born in Franklin Township, Summit Co., Ohio, Feb. 9, 1842, a son of Anthony Dailey, who was a native of Pennsylvania. He was reared on a farm, receiving a good education, completing it at Greensburg College, Ohio. He enlisted in the war of the Rebellion in Company B, One Hundred and Seventy-seventh Ohio Infantry, and served one year, participating in the battles of Murfreesboro, Fort Anderson, Wilmington and others. In the fall of 1865 he came to Butler, and the next spring opened a grocery and provision store, which he conducted nine months, when he established his present place of business. He does general blacksmithing and repairing, and has a good patronage. May 26, 1867, he was married to Almira Noel, a native of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, daughter of Nicholas Noel, now of Wilmington Township. To them have been born four children: but three are living---Minnie Agnoss, Leota E. and Bertha E. One daughter, Ida L., died in the fifth year of her age. Mr. Dailey belongs to the Meade Post, No. 44, G.A.R. and is a faithful member, always at his post performing his duty as Quartermaster, and never lacking in any business that is beneficial to the post.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

Thomas D. Daily was born in Ontario County, N.Y., Oct. 25, 1818, a son of William and Elizabeth (Dillingham) Daily, the former a native of Vermont and of Irish descent, and the latter a native of Massachusetts and of Welsh origin. In the fall of 1827, our subject with his father's family removed to Oakland County, Mich., where he was reared on a frontier farm receiving a limited education in the early schools of that county. When he was sixteen years old he purchased his time of his father and began working for himself. In the spring of 1841 he came to De Kalb County, Ind., and purchased eighty acres of wild land, which his brother had previously entered. He cleared ten acres during the summer, and then returned to his home in Michigan, where, Oct. 25, 1825, he was married to Miss Susan Knapp, a daughter of Henry and Esther (Moses) Knapp. She was born in Livingston County, N.Y., and came with her parents to Michigan when ten years of age. After his marriage our subject removed to his new home in De Kalb County, where they passed through all the hardships and privations of a pioneer life, but by close attention to his pursuits, and through their good management he has accumulated a good property. He has one son---William H., who married Mary L. McDonald, and now resides on the old homestead. In 1882 Mr. Daily and his wife removed to the village of Corunna, where they are enjoying the accumulation of many years of hard toil. Politically Mr. Daily is a Republican.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

Wilson S. Dancer, son of John G. and Margaret Dancer, was born in Ashland County, Ohio, Oct. 9, 1842. In 1848 his parents came to De Kalb County, and kept the old Parsons Hotel in Auburn the first year; then bought 240 acres of heavily timbered land in Jackson Township, on section 20. His father was born in Washington County, Pa., April 26, 1802, and his wife, Margaret Boyce, in New York, April 12, of the same year. They were married in Ohio, July 10, 1823. Mr. Dancer was a man of strict integrity, highly intellectual and a prominent citizen of the county. His wife died April 29, 1869, and he July 20, 1873. They had a family of nine children---Elizabeth married John Duncan, who died in Ohio, and is now the widow of William Essig; John, a physician of Lagrange County, Ind.; William, a physician, who came to Indiana in 1846 and practiced in Auburn till his death; Elias went to Vermillion County, Ill., and there married, and enlisted in Company I, One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Illinois Infantry, and died in 1863. Mary, wife of George Moore, of Big Rapids, Mich.; Sarah Ann, wife of Theodore Shepard, of Lagrange, Ind.; Elijah died in Ohio, Jan. 9, 1848, aged twenty-two years; Wilson S.; James died in 1850. Wilson S. Dancer was six years of age when his parents came to De Kalb County, in his recollections of early advantages he says he was nine years of age when he was first enabled to attend school, which was taught by Samuel Cornell. He made the best of his limited opportunities and obtained a good business education. He was married Jan. 1, 1865, to Nora A., daughter of Thomas and Ellen Rowley. She died July 1, 1878, leaving six children---John, James, Jessie, Charles R. Virdie, and infant Harry D., who died the 24th of the same month. All save James are living with their father. March 11, 1880, Mr. Dancer married Mary E. Cool, who was born Aug. 18, 1855, a daughter of John and Sarah Cool. Mr. Dancer is one of the most honored citizens of Jackson Township. In politics he is a Democrat, and has been elected by his party to several positions of trust. He owns 115 acres of land on section 20, which is part of his father's homestead.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

Orris Danks, dealer in boots and shoes, Waterloo, Ind., was born in Onondaga County, N.Y., July 16, 1825, a son of Benoni and Phoebe (Earle) Danks, native of New York. His grandfather, Robert Earle, was a soldier in the war of the Revolution, and subsequently a very prominent man of his town. Our subject was reared on a farm, but received a good education for an early day. In 1836 he left his native home and started for the West to buy a home, and liking the looks of the country in De Kalb County, Ind., bought a tract of land on section 13, Smithfield Township, on which he lived two years, clearing the land of timber and preparing it for cultivation. In 1838, he returned to New York where, in 1840, he was married to Euseba, daughter of William Brown. In the fall of 1841 he moved to De Kalb County and settled on his land, in a little log cabin 16x20 feet in dimensions. The young couple were poor in purse, but rich in ambition and perseverance, and with a determination to make a home for themselves and their family, laughed at all difficulties and obstacles, and bravely endured privation that they might gain the end for which they toiled. After sharing his cares and participating in his joys eleven years, the young wife died in 1851, leaving two children---Charles O., who enlisted in the fall of 1861 in the Forty-fourth Indiana Infantry, and died at Battle Creek, Tenn., in August, 1862, and Ella, now the wife of Frederick Waterman, of De Kalb County. In the spring of 1862 Mr. Danks moved his family to Waterloo and formed a partnership in the hardware business under the firm name of St. Clair & Co. In 1870 he sold his interest and engaged in the grocery and boot and shoe business, but in 1874 disposed of his stock of groceries and has since devoted his attention to the boot and shoe trade. He was married in 1852 to Miss Estella Booge, who died in 1863, leaving one child---Emma, now the wife of Wm. H. Leas, attorney of Waterloo. In 1864 Mr. Danks married Sarah A. Jones. He has been a prominent man in the township, and has served in many official positions.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

A. Byron Darby, M.D., is a native of Fulton County, Ohio, born Nov. 18, 1839, a son of Samuel Bryant and Sepharna (Guilford) Darby, his father a native of Vermont and his mother of Massachusetts. His parent were married in Allegany County, State of New York in 1826, and in 1836 emigrated to what was then Henry, now Fulton County, Ohio, with two yoke of oxen and lumber wagon (one of the yokes then used is still in the possession of the Doctor). Being among the first setters of the county, Samuel B. Darby helped organize the first township in the county; kept the first postoffice; taught the first school and opened the first store which he carried on for several years. In early life he was a Democrat, but after its organization affiliated with the Republican party, and was a member of the Convention which nominated J.C. Fremont, and also Abraham Lincoln to the Presidency. Samuel Bryant Darby died July 15, 1884, aged seventy-seven years of age. Sepharna Darby is yet living, aged seventy-four years. They had a family of nine children, four of whom are living. A. Byron Darby attended Alfred College in Allegany County, N.Y., and subsequently Oberlin College, Ohio, where he paid his school expenses by teaching and working hours not required for study. Having early in life had the desire to study medicine, in 1862 and 1863 after reading the necessary text books, he attended the Eclectic Medical College at Cincinnati, Ohio, from which he graduated in the spring of the latter year. After his graduation he located in Flint, Ind., and practiced in partnership with Dr. H.L. Smith a year, when Dr. Smith moved from the place and left him the only physician there. He built up a large practice, but his health becoming impaired, in 1864 he moved to Waterloo, De Kalb County, Ind., and has met with equally as good success here as in his former location. He is a member of the State Medical Society, the Northeastern Indiana Medical Association and the De Kalb County Medical Society, and enjoys the confidence and esteem of his colleagues in the professions as well as the families who employ him. He has been Secretary of the Board of Health of Waterloo since the organization of the Board. Being of a genial, but dignified and calm presence, he inspires the confidence of his patients, and his sympathetic and kindly nature wins for him their love and esteem. Dr. Darby was married April 8, 1864, to Linda M. Huyck, youngest daughter of John T. and Lucinda (Basil) Huyck, the former of whom was born in the State of New York and the latter in the State of Vermont. Dr. A. Byron and Mrs. Darby have three children---Hadsell Byron, born June 3, 1865; Frank Wm., born Feb. 11, 1868, and their daughter Verna, born Nov. 6, 1878. The doctor and his wife are members of the Church of Christ and workers in the Sunday-school. He is a member of Waterloo Lodge, No. 307, F. & A.M., also No. 1,436, K. of H. He is a strong supporter of the temperance cause, and lends his influence at every opportunity in his practice to encourage men to be temperate, that they may not only preserve their health, but their character also.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

John Davis, deceased, was born in Onondago County, N.Y., April 13, 1813, the son of Solomon and Margaret (Baily) Davis, native of Holland. When he was eighteen years of age his parents moved to Ohio and settled in Huron County. There he learned the trade of a carpenter and married Miss Jane Messner, a native of Dauphin County, Ohio, and in 1847 came to De Kalb County, Ind., and settled on a farm two miles north of Auburn, which he cultivated and on which he put good improvements. He was a prominent man of his township and served as Justice of the Peace two terms; also served his township as Trustee. He was widely known and universally respected. He was a member of Auburn Lodge, No. 221, I.O.O.F. He died June 16, 1882. His widow lives on the homestead. She was born Dec. 31, 1820. She is the mother of five children; two are living---Margaret, wife of E.D. Raub, and Eda, wife of C.D. Reed. Ida, Jay and Ado are deceased.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

A.H. Deitz, farmer and stock-raiser, Fairfield Township, is a native of Holmes county, Ohio, born Feb. 27, 1829. His father, Henry E. Deitz, was a native of Pennsylvania. His first wife, the mother of our subject, Elizabeth Coverlase, died, leaving six children, five of whom are living. He afterward married Barbara Weaver, and to them were born five children four of whom are living. Henry Deitz accompanied his parents to Tuscarawas County, Ohio, when a child, and was there reared and married, remaining there and in Holmes County till the fall of 1853, when he came to De Kalb County, Ind., and settled on sections 10 and 15, Fairfield Township, where he died in May, 1870. He was a successful farmer and accumulated a good property. He was a member of the German Reformed church, and in politics a Democrat. A.H. Dietz was reared a farmer, residing with his father till manhood. In 1851 he moved to Allen County, Ohio, and in the spring of 1854 to De Kalb County, Ind., and bought the farm where he now lives. The land was mostly uncultivated when he settled on it, but he has cleared it of timber and improved it, and now has one of the finest farms in the township. In 1870 he built a large barn, which is the finest in the township, and in 1879 built his fine brick residence, with all modern improvement. He was married Sept. 5, 1850, to Maria Long, a native of Ohio, daughter of John and Esther Long. To them have been born nine children, eight of whom are living---Elizabeth, Sarah, Sophia, Louise, William, Susan, Oliver P., and Elmer. Edward is deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Deitz are members of the German Reformed church. Politically he is a Democrat.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

Moses Deitz, farmer and stock-raiser, is a native of Holmes County, Ohio, born Aug. 28, 1835, the fourth son of Henry E. Deitz. He was reared on a farm in his native county, and in the spring of 1853 came with his father to De Kalb County, Ind., and settled in Fairfield Township. He assisted his father in clearing and improving his farm, remaining with him till his marriage, March 2, 1862, to Miss Elizabeth Boyer, a daughter of Michael Boyer, one of the early settlers of the county. After his marriage he bought eighty acres of land on section 3, Fairfield Township, where he lived till 1875, when he sold his farm and bought a part of his father’s old homestead. He owns fifty acres of choice land, under a fine state of cultivation, and his residence and farm buildings are comfortable and commodious. To him and his wife have been born two children; both died in infancy. They are members of the German Reformed church. In politics he affiliates with the Democratic party.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

William Demaranville, farmer and stock-raiser, section 35, Wilmington Township, was born in Freetown, Bristol Co., Mass, Aug. 13, 1838, a son of James Demaranville. In 1847 his parents moved to Tompkins County, N.Y., and as soon as large enough he began to chop in the pineries, working by the month till the breaking out of the Rebellion, when he enlisted in Company A, Thirty-second New York Infantry, and served two years, participating in several hard-fought battles, among them West Point, Malvern Hill, White Oak Swamp, and Chancellorsville. He was married March 25, 1865, to Sarah Cramer, daughter of Abram Cramer. To them have been born two children, but one of whom is living---George, born Aug. 30, 1874. Mr. Demaranville moved to Indiana in December,1865, and in 1868 entered his present farm. He has engaged extensively in the dairy business, milking eighteen cows, and also makes a specialty of sheep growing, having a fine flock of over 200 sheep. In politics he is a Republican. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. Mrs. Demaranville’s brother, Oliver Cramer, was a soldier in the late war, a member of the Company F, One Hundred and Ninth New York Infantry, and was taken prisoner at the battle of the Wilderness and confined in Andersonville Prison. He contracted sciatic rheumatism and scurvy while a prisoner, and died from its effect, culminating in consumption, September , 1880.. His wife has the last ration issued to him.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

Abel Depew, deceased, was born in Marion county, Ohio, Dec. 16, 1817. He was reared a farmer, receiving a practical education in the district schools. In 1836 he left home and took a prospecting tour in the Southern and Western States. In 1846 he settled on a farm in Noble County, Ind., remaining there till 1851 when he moved to De Kalb County, and bought the farm in Keyser Township which has long been known as the Depew homestead. He was married Feb. 27, 1841, to Catherine Gifford, a native of Athens County, Ohio, who moved with her parents, Alexander and Isabel (Cain) Gifford, to Noble County, Ind., when she was nine years old. To them were born twelve children; ten are living---William Henry, Mary, Hannah, Lucy E., Catherine J., Minerva, Alice A., Margaret J., Almon O. and George F. Melissa and Phoebe are deceased. Mr. Depew died Oct. 29, 1871.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

Jacob Dermott, farmer and stock-raiser, Concord Township, was born in Schuylkill County, Pa., May 16, 1824, a son of Peter and Hannah (Williams) Dermott. His father, a native of Ireland, came to the United States when a young man, and the latter a native of one of the Southern States of Welsh descent. When he was fifteen years of age his parents moved to Ohio, and settled in Paulding County. Two years later he went to Ft. Wayne, and for six years was engaged in the manufacture of chairs. In 1847 he bought eighty acres of unimproved land in Allen County, which he subsequently sold, and bought 160 acres of partially improved land in Concord Township, DeKalb County, which he exchanged about five years later for the farm where he now lives, which contains 120 acres of valuable land all under cultivation, and has since engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was married Oct. 23, 1845, to Phoebe Coburn, daughter of Asher Coburn, one of the first settlers of DeKalb County. They have had five children, four of whom are living---Asher M., John E., Olive C., and J.M. Their eldest son, Charles M., is deceased. Mrs. Dermott is a member of the Disciples church. In politics Mr. Dermott is a Democrat.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

Ezra Dickenson, a retired farmer of Auburn, was born in Sharon, Litchfield Co., Conn., Aug, 26, 1798. He was reared a farmer, living with his parents till his majority. In 1819 he went to Ohio and located in Johnson Township, Trumbull County, where he bought a tract of wild land which he cleared and cultivated, residing there till 1836, when he came to Indiana and entered 120 acres of Government land in Concord Township, De Kalb County. In 1842, having three children who were mutes, he sold his farm in Concord Township and bought one near Hicksville Ohio, that his children might have the advantage of the deaf and dumb asylum. In 1852 he sold his farm, and returned to De Kalb County and bought a farm in Wilmington Township where he lived till 1880, when, feeling the infirmities of old age creeping on, he sold his farm and bought a residence in Auburn that he might spend the rest of his life in a more quiet manner. When he came to Indiana, De Kalb County was a dense wilderness. Indians were plenty, but white people scarce. There were no roads, and oxen were the only teams used. He was one of the first Petit Jurymen of the first Circuit Court of De Kalb County. The first court was held in a log house on the site of the present court-house in Auburn, the jail was a loft over the court-room, which was entered through a hole in the floor, and the ladder taken away to prevent the escape of prisoners. The nearest markets were Fort Wayne and Hicksville. While living in Wilmington Township, Mr. Dickenson served four years as Justice of the Peace. In 1861 when, in his sixty-third year, he enlisted in Company F, Forty-fourth Indiana Infantry, barely passing the examination of the mustering officer, who took him to be about forty-five. April 3, 1862, he was discharged for disability. He is living with his fifth wife who was Mrs. Rebecca (Waldron) Sibert, to whom he was married April 22, 1882. He is the father of twelve children, eight of whom are living. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and his wife of the Lutheran church. He is a member of DeLong Post, No. 67, G.A.R. He has affiliated with the Republican party since its organization.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

D.D. Diehl, of Butler, Ind., was born in Summit County, Ohio, Jan. 25, 1843, son of Isaac Diehl, who moved to De Kalb County, Ind., in April, 1843, and settled in Stafford Township. He remained on the farm with his parents until 1861, when he enlisted in Company F, Forty-fourth Indiana Infantry, and in March, 1862, was sent home on account of ill health. After his recovery in August, 1862, he re-enlisted in Company H, Eighty-eighth Indiana Infantry, under Captain, and afterward General Blair, and participated in the battles of Perryville, Stone River, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, Resaca, Peach Tree Creek, Kenesaw Mountain, Chattahoochee River, in all the battles in front and around Atlanta, in the decisive charge of Jonesboro, which caused the fall of Atlanta, and marched with Sherman to the sea and through the Carolinas, and was in the last and bloody battle of Bentonville, N.C., where the first division of the Fourteenth Army Corp, under command of Jeff. C. Davis, Major-General commanding, did such gallant and noble fighting, his regiment being the first to open the fight, being put on the skrimish line very early in the morning. He was taken prisoner at Stone River, Jan. 2, 1862, and exchanged soon after. He had his full share of suffering, and contracted disease that will always remain in his system. He was married May, 26, 1867, to Salina S. Walters, daughter of Peter Walters. They have had four children; but three are living---George C., Minnie M. and Lena A., the youngest now being twelve years old. He came to Butler in 1866, and the fall of 1867 moved to Tiskilwa, Ill., and remained two years; returning to Butler he has made this his home ever since. He was in the agricultural implement business three years, and the book and stationery business with Jones Brother, Chicago, Ill., two years. He is a tin and copper smith by trade and is foreman of the shop of Beadle & McCurdy, of Butler, Ind. He is member of Meade Post, No. 44, Department of Indiana, G.A.R. and is Commander of the post.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

Isaac Diehl, farmer and stock-raiser, section 7, Stafford Township, was born in Adams County, Pa., Nov. 25, 1812, a son of Jacob Diehl, a tanner and farmer. His father died when he was eleven years of age, and he was early thrown on his own resources. He learned the cooper’s trade when a young man, and followed it three years. He came to De Kalb County, Ind., in June, 1843, and settled where he now lives, entering eighty acres of land from the Government. He cleared away enough of the timber to build a log cabin, and then went to work to make a farm out of a tract of heavily timbered land, working at his trade in the fall and winter months. He was in limited circumstances when he came to the county, but he has by industry and good management accumulated a competency for his old age, owning 160 acres of finely cultivated land. He was married in October, 1835, to Susannah Daily, and to them have been born eleven children, seven of whom are living---Eliza, Ephraim, Daniel D., William, Eunice, Leander J., and Isaac M., all married but Ephraim. Mr. Diehl and his wife are members of the Evangelical Association.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

William H. Dills, attorney at law, Auburn, Ind., was born in Dearborn County, Ind., March 15, 1834, a son of Jacob and Tena (Dawson) Dills. In 1844 his parents moved to De Kalb county and settled in Spencerville, where he grew to manhood. He was educated in the public schools and a select school in Fort Wayne. When nineteen years of age was employed as civil engineer by the Pittsburg, Fort. Wayne & Chicago Railroad, working in this capacity about a year when, in 1854, he began the study of law under the preceptorship of his uncle, Judge R. J. Dawson, of Spencerville, and in 1855 and 1856 attended the law school at Greencastle, Ind., and after his graduation was admitted to the bar. In October, 1856, he was elected Prosecutor of the Common Pleas District composed of De Kalb and Steuben counties, and the same year located in Auburn where he has since pursued his practice. During his residence in Auburn he has held various official positions, among others Towns Clerk, and attorney for the town and county. He has been identified in the movements to secure the various railroads through Auburn, and at times has been connected with the local press, editorially and otherwise. He has always been identified with the Democratic party, and has taken an active part in politics, as speaker and writer, in both county and State. In 1882 he was a candidate for Circuit Judge, but was defeated by a small majority. In 1884 he was elected one of the Democratic electors, and took an active part in the campaign. He has the distinction of being the only man from De Kalb County that ever voted directly for the President and Vice-President of the United States, and also of receiving the largest number of votes from the people, of any resident in his Congressional District, viz.: 244, 992. He has been Secretary of the De Kalb County Pioneer Association since its organization in 1876. He has been twice married. His first wife was Miss Emily A. Ralston, of Auburn, by whom he has two children---Frank and Kittie. May 30, 1879, he married his second wife, Mrs. Julia May (Miner) Brandon.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

John Dirrim, farmer, section 11, Franklin Township, was born in Chenango County, N.Y., Aug. 11, 1809, a son of Richard Dirrim, a native of Delaware, and a pioneer of Chenango County. After the war of 1812, in which he was a soldier, in September,1815, Richard Dirrim moved his family to Stark County, Ohio, and settled in Brown Township, where our subject was reared and educated. In May, 1845, he moved to De Kalb County, Ind., and settled where he now lives, on what was then a tract of heavily timbered land. He was married Jan. 20, 1831, to Sarah Harkless, daughter of William Harkless. To them were born two children, but one of whom is living---William, who married Mary A. Barker, and has four children---Hannah R., Viona, Florence and Maurice. Mrs. Dirrim died in November,1834, and April 15, 1835, Mr. Dirrim married Hannah Gillespie. Of their eleven children, nine are living---Sarah, Hugh W., Leonard, Richard, Margaret, Isaac, Delana, Milton and Elizabeth A. James G. died while in the service of his country in the war of the Rebellion. Sarah married Fred D. Oberlin. Hugh married Catherine Spease, and has six children---Orlando, Lincoln, Clarence, Jordan, Nettie and Emma. Leonard married Mary Gowdy, and has nine children---Frederick, William, Mina, Etta, Samuel, Anna, Sarah, George and Delana. Richard married Alice Wilkins, and has five children---Eugene, May, James, Pearl and an infant daughter. Margaret married M.M. Barker and has five children---Clara, Delana, Isaac, Charles and Chester. Isaac married Angeline Wagoner and has two children---Phoebe and Mary. Delana married Irvin Crane and has three children---Luther, Eva and Delana. Milton married Minnie Turner and has two children---James and May. Mr. Dirrim owns 100 acres of land in the homestead, which is now under the supervision of his son Milton.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

William H. Dirrim, section 11, Franklin Township, was born in Carroll County, Ohio, July 8, 1820, a son of Richard Dirrim, a native of Delaware, who died in this county in 1875, aged ninety and a half years. At the time of his death his descendants numbered 142. In 1833 the family moved to Wayne County, Ohio, and in 1844 our subject came to De Kalb County, and the following fall settled on the farm where he now lives. He bought 160 acres of wild land, 100 acres of which he improved. He now owns 146 acres, and his residence and farm buildings are convenient and comfortable. Mr. Dirrim was married Sept. 12, 1839, to Christiana Haughey, a native of Jefferson County, Ohio, daughter of Robert Haughey. They have had a family of nine children, seven of whom are living---Hannah J., Robert R., William S., Mary E., Christiana, Caroline and Timothy H. Hannah married Isaac Firestone, of Williams County, Ohio, and has seven children---Christiana, Dora, William, Sheridan, Timothy, Mary and Cora. Robert R. married Amanda Firestone; Mary married William Gowdy, of Steuben County, Ind., and has six children---Marion F., Francis, Charles, Mary, Robert and Fannie. Caroline married George E. Hammond, and has two children---Timothy and Roy. Mr. Dirrim has served his township as Trustee one term and as Assessor two years. He and his wife and four of their children are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Hamilton.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

Peter Ditmars, son of John A. and Eliza Ditmars, was born in Wayne County, Ohio, Aug. 31, 1834, and was in his nineteenth year when his parents moved to De Kalb County, He remained at home assisting his father on the farm till after the breaking out of the Rebellion. Jan. 25, 1865, he enlisted in Company D, Fifty-ninth Indiana Infantry as a recruit, and served till the mustering out of the regiment in July, 1865. He returned home and remained with his parents till his marriage, Jan. 6, 1870, to Lois Grace West, a native of Onondaga County, N.Y., born Aug. 6, 1840, a daughter of Joseph and Joanna West, who settled in Butler Township, De Kalb County, Ind., in 1844. Both are now deceased. Mr. Ditmars’ home is on section 6 near the railroad junction, and is noticeable for its fine location and beautiful buildings. His farm contains eighty acres of valuable land. To Mr. and Mrs. Ditmars have been born four children, but two of whom are living---Jessie May and Amy Grace. The eldest, Ida Ivern, died in her third year, and the second, William D., aged fifteen months. Mr. Ditmars is a Republican in politics. He stands high in the estimation of his fellow townsmen and is a representative citizen.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

George W. Draggoo, farmer and stock-raiser, Concord Township, is a native of Richland (now Ashland) County, Ohio, born March 22, 1826, the youngest of twelve children of Frederick and Martha (Angel) Draggoo. His father died when he was twelve yeas of age and he remained with his mother till manhood, receiving a common school education. His mother died when he was twenty-one years of age, and the following fall, 1847, he came to De Kalb County, Ind., and bought the land which is now his valuable farm. To his first purchase he has added till he now owns 155 acres, all under cultivation, and his residence and farm buildings are pleasant and are built with all the modern conveniences. Mr. Draggoo has accumulated his property by hard work and frugality. He has been an influential man in the township, and in 1860 was elected Magistrate and served eight years. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and one of the most esteemed of the brotherhood. In politics he is a Democrat. He was married April 26, 1849, to Samantha Blair, daughter of John and Margaret (Douglas) Blair, one of the first families in De Kalb County. They have two children---Alice A. and Franklin B. Mrs. Draggoo is a member of the Presbyterian church.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

James Dragoo, a pioneer of De Kalb County, Ind., was born near Hayesville, Ohio, Aug. 5, 1817. He was the sixth of nine sons of Frederick and Martha (Angel) Dragoo. He came to De Kalb County in 1837 and entered land in Jackson and Concord Townships. Then returned to Ohio and remained till 1841, engaged in farming. In 1841 he moved to De Kalb County and settled in Concord Township where he improved a farm of 125 acres, on which he lived till 1874 when he rented his farm and moved to Auburn. While living in Concord Township he served as Justice of the Peace nine years. He has been variously engaged in various branches of business since coming to De Kalb County. At one time he was associated with John P. Widney in the mercantile business. At another he bought hogs and cattle and shipped to the Eastern markets, and in an early day he bought cattle and horses which he drove to markets in Illinois and Wisconsin. He has been twice married. First, in Auburn, 1838, he married Zerniah Johnson, who died in Concord Township in March, 1873. In September, 1874, he married Mrs. Hannah Ferrell, of Newcastle, Pa. They have one son---Harry D. A son, Terry, died March 4, 1877, and a daughter, Clarissa, died July 11, 1880. Mr. Dragoo has three adopted daughters-Sarah H., now wife of E. Bruke, of Monroe County, Ohio; Harriet, wife of H.P. Culbertson, of Auburn, and Charlotte, wife of Jeremiah Davis, of Jackson Township.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

Amos Draper is a native of Otsego County, N. Y., born April 5, 1804, a son of Bethuel and Polly (Vaughn) Draper, his father a native of Massachusetts, son of Joshua Draper, of English descent, and his mother a native of New York, of Holland descent. When he was ten years of age his father died, leaving his mother, with six small children, in limited circumstances. The children were scattered, and our subject found a home in the family of Stockwell in the city of Troy, where he lived three years, when his mother, having married again, he lived with her a short time. When he was twenty-two years of age he began teaching, his first school being near Hardwick. He then taught several years in his native county. In 1840 he moved to Huron County, Ohio, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits till 1873, when he moved to De Kalb County, Ind., and bought eighty acres of land in Concord Township, all under cultivation. He is a self-made man, having made his property solely by his own industry and frugal habits, accompanied by his integrity and good business ability. He was married Jan. 22, 1837, to Sally Ann Doan, a native of the State of New York. To them were born five children, but three of whom are living---Horace, William, and Miranda. Emily and Harriet are deceased. Mrs. Draper, born May 10, 1818, died Nov. 12, 1879, aged sixty-one years, six months, and two days. In politics he is a Republican.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

George H. Duncan, a prominent farmer of De Kalb County, settled on section 16, Smithfield Township, in 1858. He was born in Washington County, Pa., in 1827. His parents moved to Ashland County, Ohio, about 1838, and there he grew to manhood and was educated. In the fall of 1849 he began teaching school in Holmes County, Ohio, and subsequently taught twenty-six terms, his schools being in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. His first school in De Kalb County was in the Bell District in the winter of 1853-'4. He was very successful, and for several years was one of the most prominent teachers of De Kalb County. Since 1862 he has devoted his attention exclusively to farming. He was married first to Mary Chapman, a native of Ashland County, Ohio, who died in 1862, leaving one daughter Mina, now the wife of Wm. F. Till. In 1863 he married Jane Chapman, a sister of his first wife. They have three children---Clementina, Benjamin F. and George B. Mr. Duncan has served six years, 1874-’80, as Commissioner of De Kalb County, He is one of the representative men of the county, having been prominently identified with her interests since his first settlement in 1853. His father, George J. Duncan, was born in Washington County, Pa., Jan. 21, 1803, and was married in March , 1825, to Mary Baxter, also a native of Washington County. He moved to Ashland County, Ohio, in 1836, when that country was new, and in 1853 moved to De Kalb County, Ind., and settled on section 10, Smithfield Township, where he died Jan. 8, 1870. His wife died Dec. 10, 1877. They had a family of eight sons and four daughters, all of whom lived till maturity. Seven sons and two daughters are still living, all save one son in De Kalb County. William B. resides in Kansas.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

Robert T. Duncan, son of George J. Duncan, was born in Holmes County, Ohio, in 1848. He came with his parents to De Kalb County, and remained with them till their death. Since his father’s death in 1870 he has lived on the old homestead, a sister Margaret Duncan, also making her home with him. He has been twice married. His first wife, Florence Wilson, came to De Kalb County from Ohio with her mother, Mrs. Mary Jane Wilson, her father having died in Ohio. Mrs. Duncan died Jan. 4, 1878, leaving one son---Andrew W. Mr. Duncan subsequently married Sarah Ann Freed, daughter of Peter Freed, of Smithfield Township.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

George H. Dunn, the only son of George and Sarah A. (Miller) Dunn, was born in De Kalb County, Ind., May 21, 1861. His father was a native of De Kalb County and his mother of Ohio. His father died before his birth and his mother found a home with Joseph Gardner, by who he was reared and educated. He obtained a good common-school education, and was early taught the rules of agriculture, which enabled him as he grew older to become successful in that branch of business. He has always made Mr. Gardner's house his home, and now has charge of and superintends his farm. He has made a specialty of stock-raising, and has some of the finest grades of cattle and sheep in the county. He is an energetic and industrious young man, and is one of the progressive and enterprising young farmers of Union Township. He was married Feb. 12, 1885, to Almettie, daughter of Gilbert Showers, of this county. He and his wife are members of the United Brethren church, and he has been Superintendent of the Sunday-school. He is a Republican in politics, and an active worker in the ranks.

Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
History of De Kalb County, Indiana.
Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.