DANIEL SMELTZER is one of the most prominent young men of Elkhart county, Ind., and although he may be said to be self-educated, he is far above the average in business and executive ability, and is among the leading literary men of Elkhart county. He was reared in the woods of this section, and there for many years spent both his summers and winters hard at work in tilling the soil, his advantages for obtaining an education being exceedingly limited. Notwithstanding this rude rearing he was made of the right kind of metal, and this was bound to show itself in time. As soon as opportunity offered he began working for his board and attending school, for he had a natural inclination for books and had the intelligence to see that a good education would be of great benefit to him in a business way, and for some time was an attendant at Wakarusa, where he made rapid progress in his studies and laid the foundation of his present extended and comprehensive knowledge of books. Through his own efforts he advanced step by step until he attained to the position of cashier of the Exchange Bank of Wakarusa, which position he has filled with great credit to himself for the past few years. Mr. Smeltzer was born in Olive township, Elkhart Co., Ind., November 28, 1857, to John Smeltzer, an early pioneer of this section whose sketch appears in this work. He was one of a large family of children, and as his father's financial circumstances were none of the best, he had to work early and late to keep the wolf from the door, and at a very early age began the battle of life as a follower of the plow and in doing odd jobs around the farm. After becoming sufficiently well posted he began teaching school in the country, and later at Wakarusa, and for six years filled that position very creditably --one year in the primary department, one year in the intermediate department, and four years as principal. In addition to discharging his responsible position of cashier of the Exchange Bank, he has for twelve years filled the position of justice of the peace, and has impartially adjusted the difficulties of his neighbors. After becoming a pedagogue he attended the normal schools that were held in Goshen, and by putting his heart in his work and by earnest self-application, he became one of the leading teachers of the county, and his services were in demand throughout the county. He is agreeable and courteous in his demeanor, and his kind heart and willingness to oblige those with whom he has business or social relations has been the means of winning for him numerous friends. He has always been a warm supporter of Republican principles, and being public spirited he has endeavored to promote the welfare of his section at all times, and among its worthy citizens is considered one of its most desirable acquisitions. Naturally the cause of education has found in him a stanch supporter, and at three different times he conducted a normal school in Wakarusa, but soon gave it up for other work. He is a member of the Christian Church, in which his wife also enjoys membership. On January 26, 1879, he led to the altar Miss Ida M. Lammond, a native of Ohio, who was born May 25, 1862, to Courtland and Nancy (Grove) Lammond, which family came to this section from Ohio at an early day and settled in Wakarusa, where they resided until 1887, when they moved to Michigan. This family consisted of two daughters and four sons, of whom Mrs. Smeltzer is the youngest daughter. She has borne her husband four children as follows: Olive A., born April 5, 1883; Birch B., born October 1, 1885; Hazel C., born July 24, 1888, and Forest D., born August 21, 1892. Mr. Smeltzer and his wife are well known and much respected in Wakarusa.

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A. S. SENSENICH, M.D. There is probably not a physician in Elkhart county, Ind., who is known as widely or who enjoys the practice that is given to the subject of this sketch; and that he deserves the good fortune that has attended his efforts is indisputable, for he is not only honest. reliable and intelligent, but is sympathetic yet cheerful in the sick room and possesses the happy faculty of winning the confidence and liking of his patients, which has much to do with their restoration to health. He has had an office at Wakarusa for the past twelve years, and throughout that section and, in fact, throughout the county he is considered an authority in medical lore, and is highly regarded by the medical fraternity. He was born in Lancaster county, Penn., August 3, 1849, to Levi and Mary (Stauffer) Sensenich, the former of whom was also born in Pennsylvania on the old homestead there that has been in possession of the family for many generations. His parents, Francis and Elizabeth (Weaver) Sensenich, were early pioneers of the State, and lived and died on the old family homestead in East Earl township, Lancaster county. Upon reaching manhood, Levi Sensenich took unto himself a wife in the person of Mary Stauffer, whose parents, Jacob and Elizabeth (Martin) Stauffer were also early settlers of that region. Mr. and Mrs. Sensenich lived on the old homestead on which the former's parents had settled, and there he paid the last debt of nature in 1862, leaving his widow with a family of five children to care for. The father was a prominent man in his section of the country, and took an active part in political matters, being first an enthusiastic Whig and later a Republican. A life-long member of the Mennonite Church, he took an important part in church matters, and was in every respect an excellent and public-spirited citizen. Shortly after his death his widow and the subject of this sketch, who was then a lad of sixteen years, emigrated to Elkhart county, Ind., the other members of the family being John, who died in childhood; Susan, who is the wife of Daniel High, of Olive township; Fianna, who also died young, and Benjamin F. Upon the removal of Mrs. Sensenich to this section she purchased a farm in Olive township, and on this farm the Doctor gave his mother valuable aid and such time as could be spared from his labors was spent in attending the district schools, where he was considered exceptionally well advanced in his studies. His kindly nature instinctively turned to the broad field of medicine for his life work, and in 1878 he began his medical studies in the office of Dr. H. T. Mangemy, now of South Bend, but then of Wakarusa. In 1879 he entered Rush Medical College of Chicago, from which he graduated in 1881, and after returning home at once formed a partnership with his former preceptor, who was a prominent physician. At the end of a few years Dr. Sensenich succeeded his partner and took upon his shoulders the entire charge of the sick throughout his section, and was soon patronized so liberally that his time was occupied with the duties of his calling almost day and night. He is a member of the State Medical Association and the Elkhart County Medical Society, in each of which he is highly honored and is considered an acquisition. He makes it the object and aim of his life to keep in touch with everything connected with his profession, is thoroughly up with the times in the practice of his noble and useful calling, and his name has become a familiar household word in the region in which he resides. Politically he is Republican, and has always manifested much interest in the success of his party, and has also manifested much interest in the prosperity of Wakarusa, being exceptionally public spirited. In 1868 Martha Brubaker became his wife, she being a daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Nusbaum) Brubaker, the former of whom was a native of Pennsylvania and the latter an Ohioan. They were married in Ashland county, Ohio, and were among the first to settle within the limits of Elkhart county, Ind. Mr. Brubaker was first a farmer of Harrison township, but later followed the same occupation in Olive township and eventually became a leading dry goods merchant of Wakarusa, in which town he passed from life in 1880. His widow is still living in this county. Their union resulted in the birth of the following children: Abraham, who is a banker of Warsaw, Ind.; John, a lawyer of the same place; Martha, wife of Dr. Sensenich; Mary, wife of George Kilmer, of Mentone, Ind., and Anna, who is the wife of George Mountjoy, of Elkhart, Ind. Mrs. Sensenich was born in 1849, and at the time of her parents' settlement in the county she was a small girl. The Doctor and his wife have a handsome home in Wakarusa, and are highly regarded in the social circles of that place. Three of their children are living and two are dead. Ida E. is the wife of William Clay, a prominent young druggist of Wakarusa; Roscoe L. is at school, and Oma F. is with her parents. Bertha M. died at the age of eleven years, and Agnes V. when two years of age.

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VALENTINE BERKEY. Among those who have engaged in other occupations outside the chosen channels of agricultural life is Mr. Berkey, who, no doubt, inherits his thrift, energy and perseverance from his German ancestors. In tracing the genealogy of this family, we find that the immediate progenitor of the family came from Germany and settled in Pennsylvania at a very early date. The grandfather of our subject, Peter Berkey, was born in Somerset county, Penn., and was a miller, a manufacturer and a lumber merchant. He married a Miss Fyock, and nine children were born to them: Daniel, Peter, Joseph, Christian, Elizabeth, Polly, Rachel, Catherine and Sally. Mr. Berkey passed all his days in his native county and died there when eighty years of age. He was a Seven Day Baptist in his religious belief, and a man of good character. He was held high in the estimation of all, was justice of the peace for many years, and his opinion and views were sought on nearly all subjects. In politics he was at one time an old line Whig, but he subsequently espoused the principles of the Republican party. His son, Daniel Berkey, father of subject, was also a native of Somerset county, Penn., born in the year 1808, and received the common-school education of his day. He cleared up a farm in his native county, and was there married to Miss Frances, daughter of Jacob Huffman. Five living children were born to this marriage: David, Andrew, Valentine, Peter D. and Mary, all born in Somerset county. Owing to his good management and industry, Mr. Berkey accumulated a handsome property and became the owner of about 1,000 acres of land. He was an extensive farmer and made his home in his native county until past middle age. Then, as some of his children, Valentine, Peter D., Andrew and Mary, had settled in Elkhart county, Ind., he sold his land in Pennsylvania and between 1865 and 1870 located in Harrison township, this county. He still resides in this county and is now eighty-one years of age. His long life has been spent in usefulness, and although the winters of time have touched him with their frost, he still enjoys comparatively good health. A member of the German Baptist Church, he takes an active interest in all good work and has contributed liberally to his church. In politics he supports the Republican party and advocates its principles and policy. His character is above reproach, he has ever been industrious and energetic, and no man in the county is more highly esteemed. Like his father and grandfather, our subject, Valentine Berkey, was born in Somerset county, Penn., and his natal day is May 23, 1833. In the common schools of his day he received a fair education and he was early trained to the duties of farm life. In November, 1854, when in his twenty-second year, he came to Elkhart county, Ind., and made a settlement in Goshen. For some time he worked by the day in clearing land, and on the 23d of April, 1857, he was married to Miss Hettie Miller, daughter of Jonas and Barbara (Hay) Miller. Mr. Miller was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, but is a descendant of a prominent Pennsylvania family. To his marriage were born two children, Henry and Hettie. In 1836 Mr. Miller moved to South Bend, Ind., and there followed the mason and bricklayer's trade for some time. He died five years later when still a comparatively young man. He was a member of the German Baptist Church and was an honorable, worthy citizen. In 1857 Mr. Berkey settled on eighty acres of land in Harrison township, cleared it of the heavy timber covering it, and as the years passed by added to the original tract until he became the owner of 160 acres. This was a fine farm and he remained on it until 1880, when he bought his present farm of __ acres. Upon this he has erected a tasty, rural residence and his outbuildings and other improvements are of first class order. Besides his farming industry, Mr. Berkey is engaged in the lumber business with his brother, Peter, and is doing an extensive business, buying all his lumber in this county. He is now in prosperous circumstances and is one of the substantial men of the county. Besides the Goshen property, Mr. Berkey owns town property in Medicine Lodge, Kan., also town property in Crisfield and Hazelton, Kan. He is a gratifying example of the self-made men of Elkhart county, and his reputation as an honorable, upright citizen can not be surpassed. His marriage resulted in the birth of seven children, as follows: Monroe J., Austin D., Ida A., Ira L., Ella M., Nettie A. and Floyd V. A Republican in his political views, Mr. Berkey held the office of trustee of Harrison township for eight years, discharging the duties incumbent on this office in a very satisfactory manner. He is public spirited and takes an active interest in having good roads and schools. He was a member of the school board for eight years and road supervisor several terms. His children have all been well educated. Ella M., graduated at the graded school of Goshen, and Monroe J. attended commercial college at Pierce, Ohio, and is now bookkeeper in the hardware store of Ort, Berkey & Co., of Goshen; Ida A., married O. S. Compton, who is engaged in the implement business in Goshen, and they have two children; Austin D. married Miss Lorna Cripe, and is engaged in farming on the home place; they have two children; Monroe J. married Miss Matilda Baer, and is bookkeeper in Goshen. The remainder of the children are at home.

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DANIEL W. BERKEY is a son of Andrew Berkey, who is one of the leading old time farmers of Elkhart county; for the past forty years he has tilled the soil in Harrison township. He owes his nativity to Somerset county, Penn., where he was born May 19, 1831, the second child born to Daniel and Fannie (Huffman) Berkey, and on the old home farm which his parents owned in Somerset county, he received his rearing and a practical knowledge of the work, at which he afterward became so successful. He not only inherited sterling qualities from his worthy parents, but was reared to habits of industry and economy, which made his influence felt in the different localities in which his lot was cast in later years. He gained an education, of the old-fashioned kind, in the district school near his boyhood's home and remained with his parents until he was legally responsible for his own conduct, at which time he started to do for himself, and the first year worked for his father on the farm, and in the winter chopped wood and worked for various parties. In 1853 he was married to Miss Rachel Wertz, a daughter of John and Susan (Berkey) Wertz. She was born in Somerset county, Penn., June 17, 1830, of which section her parents, who were of German descent, were also natives and where the mother is still living at the age of eighty-five years. Her husband died some time ago. Rachel was one of their eleven children: Caroline, Rachel, Susan, Elizabeth, Catherine, Lucinda, Mary A., William, David, Jacob and Peter. The most of these children are living in Pennsylvania, one in California and the other in Indiana. Soon after his marriage Mr. Berkey emigrated to Indiana and settled in Harrison township on the farm now owned by John Musser, located on Section 10, but prior to locating here had resided from April to November, 1855, in Fulton county, Ohio. He first purchased 120 acres of land and started to improve it, making earnest endeavors to clear it from the heavy timber which covered it. After a great deal of hard labor he succeeded in accomplishing this, and in addition to his first purchase bought forty acres more of timber land. He is now residing in a fine brick farm house, has a large bank barn, other substantial farm buildings, good fences, in fact, everything about his place shows the thrifty and practical farmer. Mr. Berkey lived on this farm from the spring of 1856 to 1884, then purchased a small farm of thirty-six acres in Section 3 and is now living a retired life. He sold his old home in 1887 to John Masser. He has always been interested in political affairs and has ever cast his vote for the Republican party, the principles of which he espouses at all times. He is very public spirited and has proven a useful citizen of the county. In early days he was something of a hunter and shot numerous deer, turkeys and thou¬sands of squirrels. He was considered a fine shot and on one of his hunting expeditions in Ohio he shot twenty-one squirrels in less than two hours. He still enjoys this sport, and in addition is a worthy disciple of Isaak Walton. He is a member of the German Baptist Church, in which he has kept the faith for about thirty-five years. He has been interested in county and township improvement, and for a number of years held the office of township supervisor. He lost his first wife July 12, 1883, at the old home, she having been a life-long member of the German Baptist Church, and was deeply interested in all Christian work. She became the mother of seven children, one of whom died in infancy. Their names are as follows: Elizabeth, who was born October 5, 1853, is now the wife of Mason Barringer and resides on a farm in Wayne county, Ill.; Daniel W., who is a farmer of Harrison township was born on August 5, 1856; Mary A. was born May 10, 1855, and died in September of that year; Melinda was born June 7, 1858, and is living in Arkansas City, Kan., the wife of David L. Means, by whom she has three living children: Wilna, Mary E. and Orval, and two deceased, Frankie and Ray; Albert was born May 7, 1861, and is engaged in the manufacture of buggies and wagons in Goshen, is a man of family and is married to Nora Murray; Hiram who was born April 5, 1863, is married to Miss Sadie Compton and lives in Goshen; and Allen who was born March 30, 1865, is living at Grand Rapids, Mich., and is unmarried. Mr. Berkey married his present wife, Mrs. Nancy Shively, the widow of Henry Shively, on November 28, 1883. She was born in Carroll county, Ind., August 9, 1839, a daughter of Louis and Catherine (Lesh) Hoff, the former of whom was born in Ohio, a son of John and Nancy (Barr) Huff, who were early pioneers of that State from Pennsylvania. The Huffs are of German extraction. Louis Huff, with his parents, became a resident of Carroll county, Ind., at a very early day and was there called from life. His widow survives him and still resides in Carroll county, being now eighty-one years of age. Their union resulted in the birth of the following children: Abigail, Hannah, Nancy, Joseph, Gabriel, Catherine, Julia A. and Louis. Mrs. Berkey was reared in Carroll county, and there made her home until her removal to this county as Mrs. Berkey. She was left a widow May 10, 1880, having become the mother of seven children: Louis D., born March 1, 1859; Elias F., born August 4, 1860; Mary A., born June 6, 1862; Lydia C., born April 17, 1863; Aaron G., born March 13, 1865; Moses E., born March 18, 1867; and Lavinia M., born March 28, 1869. Mrs. Berkey is a member of the German Baptist Church and is an earnest Christian and has proven herself a kind and considerate wife and mother. She and her husband are ranked among the substantial people of the county and have many warm and devoted friends. Mr. Berkey is a Republican in politics. Daniel W. Berkey was born on the farm belonging to his father, Andrew Berkey, in the northern part of Harrison township, being one of his seven children. He first saw the light of day on August 5, 1856, and attended the district schools in the vicinity of his home, where he obtained a practical knowledge of the common branches. At the age of twenty-one years he left the shelter of the paternal roof and began cutting down timber in the neighborhood. Being naturally energetic, wide-awake and thrifty, he made a success of all his undertakings. On November 3, 1878, he decided to enter the married state, and on November 3, 1878, his union with Miss Christina Sherman took place, she being a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Chipp) Sherman, the former of whom was a native German and after coming to this country settled first in Ohio, and in 1865 in Indiana and until his death in 1883 resided on a farm in Harrison township. Later his widow became the wife of Samuel Groff, of Harrison township. She bore Mr. Sherman eight children, one of whom died young. Those living are: Henry, Christena, John, Mary, Martha, Lizzie and Catherine. Mrs. Berkey was born in Ohio November 19, 1857, and was about nine years of age when her parents moved to Elkhart county. After their marriage Daniel W. Berkey settled on a farm, and since that time has devoted his attention to tilling the soil. He first became the owner of land in 1880, but later sold it and in 1885 bought the farm on which he is now residing. He now has 103 acres of land, all in one tract, which, at the time of his purchase, was partly improved. As a farmer he has been decidedly successful, and has become one of the most prominent men of Harrison township. In politics he is a Republican, takes a deep interest in the affairs of his section, and for some time past has held the office of justice of the peace of Harrison township. He is in every respect public spirited. He and his wife are the parents of six children: Sadie V., born September 10, 1879; John C., born March 7, 1881; Bertha M., born November 15, 1883; Lizzie, born November 14, 1885, died when about two months old; Elva M., born April _, 1887, and Ora A. born August 18, 1890. Mr. Berkey and his wife hold an enviable position in the section in which they reside, have a comfortable and hospitable home and have numerous warm friends.

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PETER D. BERKEY. Among the reliable and substantial farmers of Elkhart county, Ind., may be mentioned Peter D. Berkey, who has done a great deal to bring the county to its present admirable state of cultivation for he was reared to the calling of a farmer, and this occupation has received his attention to a greater or less extent up to the present time. He was born in Somerset county, Penn., July 22, 1844, his parents being Daniel P. and Fanny (Huffman) Berkey, both of whom were also natives of Somerset county, where they were reared, educated, married, and resided until 1866, when they took up their residence in Elkhart county, Ind., settling in Harrison township, where they resided many years, becoming well known and highly respected for their honorable walk through life and their correct mode of living. The mother is deceased, but the father is now a resident of Concord township, having been for many years engaged in tilling the soil at which he made an excellent record for himself as a thorough, practical and energetic agriculturist. For years he has been retired from the active duties of life and is enjoying a serene old age and a competency amply sufficient for his wants and which has been obtained by honest and unceasing efforts in earlier years. The Republican party has always received his hearty support and he has long been a worthy member of the Dunkard Church. Peter D. Berkey spent his youth in the country where his time and strength were devoted to assisting his father on the farm, and he received such education in the common schools as was thought necessary to fit him for a successful career in the ordinary walks of life. When starting out to make his own way in the world it was perhaps but natural that he should choose farming as a means of earning a livelihood, and to this occupation much of his time has been devoted and has proven successful. In addition to this occupation he has given considerable attention to logging, selling where he could do the best for himself financially. He has pursued a successful agricultural implement business, and throughout his career he has been a model of business rectitude, a man of practical ideas and of marked executive ability. He is the owner of a good farm of ninety acres which, though small, is carefully looked after and yields a larger annual income than many more extensive and more pretentious places. This place is well stocked. He was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Berkey, in 1867, she being a native of Somerset county, Penn., and to their union six children have been born: Idalla, Warren, Julia, Morris, Foster and Allie. As a stanch member of the Republican party, Mr. Berkey has held the office of township trustee for nine years. He is one of those men who has the happy faculty of making warm friends of all those with whom he associates, and his kindliness of character is manifest at all times. He is eminently a man of peace, and the charity and kindliness of his nature are strongly evidenced in his conceding to others the value of their opinions, though they may conflict with those he entertains. He is a worthy and representative citizen, progressive in his ideas and tendencies, and has done much to improve the schools and roads in Harrison township, where he resides. He is not only hospitable himself, but his wife also possesses that worthy attribute and his home is a favorite resort of the elite of his neighborhood.

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LEWIS BERKEY. The social, political and business history of this section is filled with the deeds and doings of self-made men, and no man in Elkhart county, Ind., is more deserving the appellation than Mr. Berkey, for he marked out his own career in youth and has steadily followed it up to the present, his prosperity being attributable to his earnest and persistent endeavor as well as to the fact that he always consistently tried to do as he would be done by. He is the owner of a well-improved farm of ninety acres, and the admirable manner in which every nook and cranny of it is kept and the fine state of cultivation in which it now is, has been brought about by the individual efforts of Mr. Berkey, and the result has been as satisfactory as though his farm was a much larger one. He was born in Somerset county, Penn., May 25, 1839, a son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Poorman) Berkey, the natal State of the former being Pennsylvania and that of the latter Ohio. The Berkeys originally came from Germany, and were early settlers of the Keystone State where, from the very first, they were connected with the agricultural interests. This occupation received the attention of Daniel Berkey throughout life and he was following it at the time of his death, which occurred in Pennsylvania. His widow survives him, is eighty-seven years of age, and is a resident of Elkhart county, Ind. When the strained relations between the North and South culminated in civil war in 1861, the services of all able-bodied men was very much desired, and Mr. Berkey stood nine drafts during that period. His early education was acquired in the State of his birth, and there he always learned the details or farming, which honorable, healthful and independent calling has always received his attention. Since 1864 he bas been a resident of Elkhart county, Ind., and for over twenty years be has been a resident of his present place, and bas made nearly all the improvements thereon. He was for three years engaged in the implement business in Goshen, but preferred to devote his attention to other pursuits, and has since found his early occupation of farming a very congenial and remunerative calling. He was married in 1861 to Miss Mary Berkey, by whom he has two children, Allie and Lizzie. Mr. Berkey is careful, prudent and economical, and no man in the county stands higher for honor and integrity. He was one of thirteen children born to his parents, nine of whom are living: Elijah, of Pennsylvania; Josiah, of Elkhart county, Ind.; Eliza; Barbara; Hannah; Christian; Catherine; Lewis and Polly. Lewis taught several terms of school in his youthful days while a resident of Pennsylvania.

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JACOB S. SIMON. John Adam Simon, the great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was the second son of a German family of rank and wealth. He left home on account of a difficulty with his elder brother (and heir), came to America about the year 1735, landing at Baltimore; he remained in Maryland a few years, married Mary Elizabeth Diehl, moved to or near Shippensburg, Penn., where the grandfather of J. S. Simon first saw the light of day in 1751, and named John Andrew. At the age of twelve, or in 1763, the Indians captured him in the sugar camp where he was gathering sap. The rest of the family escaped to a fort near by. Michael, his older brother, made his escape from the camp on a horse. The horse died after reaching the fort from severe gunshot wounds; Michael was not hurt. The house was burnt by the Indians, together with all papers and records of John Adam, who afterward, through the death of his older brother without issue, became the heir to the lands and titles of the family, but the loss of his papers and attachment to his adopted country induced him to forego wealth and ease, and he never made any attempt to prove his identity. He died at the age of ninety-two. The lad, Andrew, with other captives, was taken through the wilderness, across the mountains and down the Ohio River to an Indian town at or near where Chillicothe (Ohio) now stands. He was adopted by an Indian mother, whose son was slain during the raid. She was very kind to him, and he being a bright, active lad, she soon became much attached to him. He had the care of a cow that she owned. This probably saved his life, as in time of scarcity of food he would steal out at night, milk the cow and drink the milk, and thus assuage the pangs of hunger. His foster mother would often take food from her own children and give it to him, saying that he could not stand hardships as they could. His captivity lasted seven months. He was released with 274 other whites under a treaty or threat to burn all their towns if they did not give up their white captives. His Indian mother shed bitter tears of parting. John Andrew Simon returned to his father's home, and was married to Elizabeth Goeckler about 1775, living east of the mountains until 1784, when he moved to Washington county, Penn., with two pack horses. He took his wife and four children, together with their effects, across the mountains to his new home; the journey lasted nine days, raining almost every day. Andrew Simon was a sturdy old Pennsylvania pioneer and erected one of the first grist-mills in Washington county, that State. It was run by horse power. He was a man of honorable character and well respected. The children born to this marriage were ten in number those remembered being: Jacob, George, Andrew, Peter, Adam, Elizabeth, Barbara and Susan. John Andrew died at the age of ninety. The fourth son, Peter Simon, father of our subject, first saw the light of day on his father's farm in Washington county, Penn., in 1796, and received a common education in both the English and German languages. He became a. school teacher, but was also engaged in tilling the soil. He selected his wife in the person of Miss Catherine, daughter of Andrew and Catherine Dager, and to them were born nine children who lived to mature years: Susan, Daniel, Rebecca, Catherine, Jacob, Leah, Henry, Annie and Solomon (who died in the Civil War, Fifth Indiana Battery). After his marriage our subject moved to Columbiana county, Ohio, where his father owned land, and settled on ninety-nine acres. By industry he added to this forty acres and cleared his farm of the heavy timber with which it was covered. He was a pioneer of that county, and made his home there until 1852. Previous to that he had entered 480 acres of land in Noble county, Ind., and he moved on this farm in the last mentioned year. With the assistance of his sons he cleared up a fine farm and was known as one of the substantial, worthy citizens of the community. Both he and wife were members of the Lutheran Church and he held the office of deacon for many years. He was very religious and assisted in building churches, etc., and contributed liberally to the Lutheran church. In politics he was originally an old line Whig, but later he affiliated with the Republican party. He died from the effects of a fall in Noble county, Ind., when sixty-seven years of age. Being a substantial farmer he gave each of his seven children who grew to mature years ninety-six acres of land. He was a man of whom any community might be proud. He had two brothers, Jacob and George, in the War of 1812. His son, Jacob S. Simon, subject of this sketch, was born December 21, 1832, in Columbiana county, Ohio, near New Lisbon, on his father's farm. Owing to the amount of labor required to clear the home place, young Simon was obliged to work at an early age. He received a common-school education. On March 9, 1857, when twenty-four years of age, he married Miss Caroline Amos, daughter of Andrew and Catherine (Mottinger) Amos. Mr. Amos was born in A1sace, Loraine, and was twenty-one years of age when he came to America. This was in 1832 and he followed the trade of wagon-maker at New Lisbon, Ohio, for a few years. After marriage he moved to Franklin Square, the same county, and there resided until 1852, when he entered Noble county, Ind. He became the owner of a good farm of eighty acres, where his widow, now eighty-two, resides, and there his children, six in number, were reared principally. They were named as follows: Sarah, Caroline, Wesley, Andrew, Melissa and Levina. Mr. and Mrs. Amos were members of the Lutheran Church, and he held the office of elder. Both were classed among the best citizens of the county, and were prominent in all good work. On the ninety-six acres of land in Noble county, Ind., which his father had given him, our subject settled soon after his marriage. After partly clearing this and residing on it for three years he then moved with his father (who died in about one year), then sold his own and bought part of the old homestead, where he continued to live until 1865, at which date he came to Elkhart county and settled on his present farm which then consisted of eighty acres of partly cleared land. By industry and perseverance he has added to the original tract until he owns 133 acres of good land, two miles from the court-house in Goshen, and has made excellent improvements in the way of residence, out-buildings, etc. He and wife are members and regular attendants of the English Lutheran Church of Goshen. When twenty-one years of age Mr. Simon was elected clerk of Swan township, Noble Co., Ind., and held that position in a creditable and satisfactory manner for five years. In politics he advocates the principles of the Republican party. He and Mrs. Simon are the parents of seven children as follows: Annie E., Jennie B., Cora M., Samuel C., Lillian E., Charles F. and Frank E. Mr. Simon is a friend of education. His children are all well educated, having attended the common schools of the township and the graded ones of Goshen. Mr. Simon is a stanch friend of temperance, and an honored citizen. The Simon family is one of the honored ones of Elkhart county, and all its members are intelligent people and worthy descendants of old colonial stock. During the Simon reunion at Laotto, Ind., a few years ago, there were present 400 of the Simon name and 200 blood relatives. Mr. Simon's daughter, Annie E., married John Clark, a farmer of Elkhart county, and they have five children. Jennie B. married Frank Smily, a farmer of Elkhart county, and they have three children. Cora M. married Samuel Smoker, a farmer of this township, and three children have blessed them. Samuel is in the West, and the remainder of the children are at home. Many of the Simon family have lived to a good age, the Michael of the first family died at ninety-eight, and many of the older ones at eighty and ninety.

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JOHN W. MITCHELL. The family of which the subject of this sketch is a representative, is one well known to the people of Elkhart county, for one or more of its members have been identified with its agricultural interests since 1850. In that year the parents of Mr. Mitchell, James G. and Rebecca A. (Frizzell) Mitchell, came to Elkhart county, settled in Jefferson township, and there resided many years. About 1880 they removed to Bristol and there the father's death occurred on July 11, 1888. The mother is still living and finds a comfortable home with her son John W. She was a native of the Buckeye State and the father of Maryland. Our subject was born in Licking county, Ohio, October 18, 1839, and came with his parents to this county where he finished his growth and education. He assisted his father in cultivating the soil and continued under the parental roof until November 19, 1865, when Miss Catherine B. Bartmess became his wife. She was born November 10, 1842, and the daughter of Joseph and Catherine (Stutsman) Bartmess, the former a native of Maryland and the latter of Elkhart county, Ind. Both are now deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell have been born these children: Laura B., Hattie E., Charles L. (deceased) and William F. Laura B. Mitchell married H. W. Kantz, a young lawyer who is practicing in Bristol; Hattie E. Mitchell married W. A. Kantz, who is conducting a butcher shop in Bristol. Mr. Mitchell owns 140 acres of good, productive land in this township and is the owner of 160 acres in Alabama. He is a wide awake, thoroughgoing farmer and stockraiser, making standard bred horses a specialty, and his agricultural interests are conducted in a very successful manner. He has a comfortable and pleasant rural home and has every thing to make it attractive and pleasant. He and Mrs. Mitchell are members of the Limited Brethren Church, and in politics he is a strong supporter of Republican principles. He served the Union faithfully in the Rebellion, enlisting September 11, 1861, in Company K, Thirtieth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was in service three years, being discharged at Indianapolis, September 24,1864, at the expiration of time. He participated in the battles of Green River, Dalton, Ga., besides numerous severe skirmishes. He was on duty at the barracks at Louisville, Ky., for about a year during his time of service.

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WILLIAM W. WILSON. Among the active enterprises of the town of Bristol the livery business occupies, necessarily, an important place, and Mr. Wilson is actively engaged in this industry. In connection he also deals in buggies and carriages, and is one of the representative business men of the place. He was born in Chautauqua county, N. Y., March 25, 1834, and is a son of Ashley and Lorinda (Graves) Wilson, the former a native of Whitehall, N. Y., born 1800, and the latter born in Cayuga county, N. Y. Ashley Wilson emigrated to La Porte county, Ind., in 1844, made his home there until 1856, and then went to Illinois, where he made his home for two years. From there he went to Michigan, and about the year 1861 came to Indiana, settling in Bristol, where his death occurred in 1872. His wife had passed away in La Porte county, Ind., in 1856. This estimable couple were the parents of the following children: Lyman (died in 1853), Ashley. Griffin, Lucius, William W., Mary J., Sarah A., Emma and Irene. William W. Wilson was about ten years of age when he went with his parents to La Porte county, Ind. He received but a limited education on account of the scarcity of schools, and most of his time in youth was spent in assisting his father to improve and develop the different farms on which be resided. At an early age he learned the trade of bricklayer, became very proficient, and later followed contracting and building for thirty years. He was very successful in this, and amassed a comfortable competence. On August 11, 1862, he enlisted at La Porte, Ind., in Company E, Fourth Indiana Cavalry and served three years, being mustered out at the expiration of the war at Macon, Ga., June 29, 1865. He participated in the battles of Chickamauga, Bridgeport, Waldon's Ridge, Mouse Creek, David Ridge, Kenesaw, Nashville, Franklin and several others. He was in fourteen hard-fought battles during one month, and was wounded twice during service, both times in the left leg below the knee. Mr. Wilson chose his life companion in Miss Mary Mitchell, who died in March. 1863, leaving two children: Charles C. and Coda P. Mr. Wilson's second marriage was to Miss Mary Curtis, and one child was the result of this union, Harry C. In his political views Mr. Wilson affiliates with the Republican party. As a business man Mr. Wilson has met with well deserved success, and has gained an enviable reputation for business integrity and promptness.

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A. L. HUDSON, druggist at 519 East Jefferson St., South Bend, Ind. The advancement and progress of a city displays itself nowhere more readily than in the elegance of its drug stores; and the establishment of which Mr. Hudson is the fortunate proprietor, is one of the most elegant and completely fitted up of any in the city. Mr. Hudson is a product of Dexter. Mich., where he was born December 28, 1850, to Charles and Elizabeth (Phillips) Hudson, natives of Lockport, N. Y. Charles Hudson became a resident of Michigan when a boy and in that State grew to manhood and married. He was a speculator, and being a man of exceptionally good judgment he accumulated a great deal of property, owning at the time of his death, which occurred in Marshall county Ind., in 1855, 1,400 acres of land in the Hoosier State. He was cut down by the hand of death while in the very zenith of his career of prosperity - being only thirty-four years of age. His widow survived him until 1890, when she, too, passed away. She bore her husband five children: Amelia, wife of William Alleman, who is president of the Argus (Indiana) National Bank; Alonzo L.; Charles; Lewis P.; and Louise, who died in Denver, Colo., of consumption. A. L. Hudson was but five years of age when his father died and he remained with his mother until he attained his majority. He obtained his early education in the public schools, and from early boyhood the calling of the druggist had a fascination for him, and this he determined should be his life work. In order to better prepare himself for this profession he entered Eastman Business College of Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and upon graduating from the same he entered a college of pharmacy at Chicago, which institution presented him with a diploma in 1871. He soon after purchased a half interest in a drug store at Argus, Ind., but two years later sold out and went to Lincoln, Ind., where he followed a like occupation for four years. In the fall of 1882 he came to South Bend, at once opened a finely stocked drug store to the public and has conducted a safe and very remunerative business ever since. The whole interior appointments of this establishment reflects the greatest possible credit upon the good taste of the proprietor, and a full and pure line of drugs and chemicals are constantly kept in stock, as well as a great variety of toilet articles, perfumes, soaps, sickroom-supplies, surgical appliances, fancy goods, cigars, and, in fact, everything that is to be found in a drug store of high order. Miss Narcissa Booker became his wife in 1872, and to them two children were born: Nellie L. and Edwin A. His second union was celebrated in 1881 and has resulted in the birth of one child, Claude E. His wife was formerly Miss Emma Hartpence.

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DR. WARREN H. THOMAS, one of the prominent physicians of northern Indiana, a representative of one of the oldest and best known families of Elkhart county as well as one of its leading citizens, was born at Goshen, Ind., April 28, 1841. The history of the Thomas family is inseparably connected with the early history of Elkhart county, and is given in full in the biography of the Doctor's brother. William A. Thomas, who is now residing in Goshen. Dr. Thomas received his early scholastic training in the public schools of his native town, and later he attended the Dickinson Institute at Romeo, Mich. Having decided upon the practice of medicine as his vocation in life, he became a student of Dr. W. A. Whippy, at Goshen. For a time he was engaged in the practice of his profession at Monticello, this State, but the greater part of his career as a physician, has been passed in Elkhart, Ind., where he is best known. Besides being a graduate of the Hahnemann Medical College of Chicago, Ill., Dr. Thomas has never ceased being a student of pathology. It is his aim to keep abreast of his profession, and that he has done this, his large and select practice is evidence of the most pronounced character. Aside from this, the Doctor is an extended reader of current literature. He has held high positions among the Masons, is a Knight Templar, was once president of the Indiana Institute of Homeopathy, has filled every office in the Board of Education, and is now serving his second term. He was for several years president of the Elkhart Lecture Association, and was a member of the committee of that association for several years beside. He is one of the board of managers of the Century Club, one of the most noteworthy institutions of the city, and has always been among the men whose energy, enterprise and public spirit are foremost in public undertakings. To his marriage, solemnized January 2, 1867, with Miss Emma Hill, a daughter of Daniel Hill, of Elkhart, two children have been born: Royal and George A. The first named is dead; the latter is a graduate of pharmacy, and is one of the principal druggists of Elkhart.

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ANDREW J. MENGES. Agricultural pursuits have formed the chief occupation of this gentleman, and the wide awake manner in which he has taken advantage of every method and idea tending to the enhanced value of his property, has had considerable to do with his success in life. Born in Union (now Snyder) county, Penn., September 5, 1846, he is a son of Elias R. and Henrietta (Zeigler) Menges. Elias R.Menges was born near Freeburg, Union Co., Penn., June 16, 1816, and his parents, John Jacob and Catherine (Roush) Menges, were natives of the Keystone State also, the father born in Lebanon and the mother in Northumberland (afterward Union, now Snyder) county. When seventy-two years of age, John Jacob Menges died on the farm where he had resided since 1822, and there his wife passed away when in her seventy-ninth year. Elias R. was reared on this farm, and was educated in the old fashioned subscription schools of that day, principally in the German language. In 1843 he was largely instrumental in having the common school system adopted in his township, and always manifested much interest in educational matters. He was secretary of the school board for six years, and held other positions. In 1843 he was commissioned by the governor of Pennsylvania as adjutant of the First Battalion, First Division, of State militia, in which capacity he served for seven years. In the fall of 1855 he was elected associate judge of the Common Pleas Court, served two terms, and was one of the prominent men of his section. Previous to this, on June 16, 1842, he married Miss Henrietta Zeigler, and six children were the fruits of this union: Mary C., Andrew J., John J., Amelia M., Martin L. and Anna M. Mr. Menges sold the farm on which he had been reared, and in 1864 emigrated to Indiana, locating on Section 28, Washington township, Elkhart county, on March 27 of that year. He first purchased sixty-seven acres of land, but in the spring of 1865 he purchased 157 additional acres, the main part of which was in the same section, on the Bristol and Elkhart roads. He was a liberal and upright citizen, and one whose career was above reproach. His death occurred on May 29, 1892, but his widow survives him and resides on the old homestead. Andrew J. Menges was seventeen years of age when he came with his parents to Elkhart county. On February 13, 1873, he was married to Miss Sarah Heintzleman, a native of Snyder county, Penn., born February 15, 1845, and the daughter of David and Catherine (Myer) Heintzleman, natives of Pennsylvania. Both parents died when Sarah was an infant. To Mr. and Mrs. Menges were born the following children: Rhinehold E., born January 12, 1874; Lotta M., born January 28, 1877; Eva J., born September 6, 1879; Clement A., born November 23, 1881; Howard H., born October 12, 1884; Mary C., born November 14, 1887; and Edna Mabel, born January 10, 1890. Mr. Menges owns 1041 acres of land, most of which is improved, and is engaged principally in raising wheat and grass. However, he gives considerable attention to the raising of sheep, and is doing well in this industry. He has a pleasant, rural home, good out-buildings, etc., and is prosperous and contented. Socially he is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and politically he is a Democrat.

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GEORGE ROSS NICHOLSON. Among the very earliest settlers of Elkhart county are the Nicholsons, the pioneer of this family being James Nicholson, a farmer, who emigrated from Champaign county, Ohio, to Indiana in 1828, and brought with him his wife and six children, as follows: David T., William, Mary A., Sophronia, Sarah J. and Elizabeth. He left behind two sons, Vance and George, who followed them in 1829. Mr. Nicholson settled on the farm now owned by William Palm, and a part of this is now within the corporate limits of Bristol. The country at that time was an almost unbroken forest, Indians were more plentiful than whites, and wild animals were far more plentiful than those of a domestic order. Mr. Nicholson erected a log cabin, in which he moved his few household goods, and thus equipped began clearing, grubbing, planting, hoeing and pursuing the usual occupations of the pioneer settlers. Here the children were reared, the boys to clear and grub and help the father, the girls to spin and weave and assist the mother in her household duties. At first schools and churches were unknown, but with the advent. of other pioneers, little communities or settlements would be established and then the log school-house, puncheon floors and benches, greased paper for window lights and the master with his never-to-be-forgotten rod, made their appearance. The three "R's" were sufficient then for graduation. The primitive log church, with the circuit rider, came about this time. Before this both school and church meetings were held in the houses of these pioneers, who deemed education was enlightenment and church-going a necessary means for salvation. All these scenes have long since faded from view, and rarely is seen the actor who took a part in the drama of those times. James Nicholson lived but a few years after coming to this county, but those of the old settlers yet living recall him. His descendants are numerous, however, and the name is not only common in Elkhart county, but in many other localities of the Union. One of his sons, George Nicholson, married for his first wife Mary Bassett, who bore him two children: Mary J. and Sarah A. After her death he married Eliza J. Chess, who bore him eight children: Lydia E., Sophronia I., Finley C., Rose A., Olive A., Ross G., Emma A. and Eva E. The occupation of the family, generally speaking, has been farming. George Nicholson was no exception to this rule. During the Sauk Indian war he raised a company and got as far as Chicago when the trouble ceased and the company returned and disbanded. There was nothing eventful in his life, but that he was a hard-working, industrious, honest and law-abiding citizen was known to all. Both he and wife held membership in the Baptist Church. He died on June 5, 1862, followed by his widow April 15, 1876. Of the two children born to his first marriage both are living and married. Of the eight born to the second union two, Lydia and Olive, are deceased. Finley C. Nicholson was born on the home place near Bristol, September 6, 1844, and was reared there to manhood, receiving only a common-school education. He continued on the home place until twenty-seven years of age, when he began clerking in Bristol. From the means he had acquired on the farm, and after he had schooled himself in merchandising, he became the Co. of Cass & Co., general merchants at Bristol. After about seven years Mr. Nicholson sold his interest to his partner, and formed a partnership with his cousin, Robert Chess, in a similar enterprise. This partnership continued five years and since that time Mr. Nicholson has been engaged in merchandising at Bristol alone. He has been reasonably successful in life and is considered one of the well-to-do men of the place. Perhaps there is no man better known at Bristol than he, because of the active interest he takes in furthering the town's interest. In this respect he is untiring. He has contributed from his means, so far as able, in the support of churches, schools, the upbuilding of the place and all laudable public enterprises. The chief event of his life occurred June 6, 1877, at which time Miss Emma Richards, of Akron, Ohio, became his wife. Five children have been born to this union: Charles R., Earl Y., Tutu O., George William and Rose. Mr. Nicholson and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Nicholson has been a Democrat in politics, but is strongly settled in his views as regards the temperance question, being practically a Prohibitionist. He was, perhaps, the first Democrat ever elected to the office of trustee of Washington township, and under President Cleveland's administration was the postmaster at Bristol. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity. George Ross Nicholson, subject of his sketch, was born on the homestead January 4, 1852, and was nine years of age when his father died. His brother, Finley C. Nicholson, being the eldest child, took charge of the farm, and our subject remained on the same until April, 1880, when he purchased the meat market in Bristol owned by Y. J. Virgil. Since that time he has carried on the business successfully, and although during a portion of the time he has had partners, for the most part he has been alone. He was married in Jefferson township, this county, April 30, 1885, to Miss Anna Hanan, who was born May 28, 1864, and who was the daughter of John B. and Mary A. (Rychen) Hanan. John B. Hanan was born in Prussia, Germany, August 2, 1817, and his parents, John and Lucy Hanan, were natives of the Fatherland, where they passed their entire lives. They were well-to-do and very respectable people. John B. Hanan sailed for America August 2, 1846, and settled in Blecker, Fulton Co. N. Y. His wife was born October 23, 1831, and came to America with her parents when an infant. They settled at Blecker, Fulton Co., N. Y., and there Mrs. Nicholson's girlhood days were passed. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hanan: John H., born March 24, 1850, married Miss May E. Brown, of Attica, N. Y., and has been traveling salesman for more than twenty years; Kate, born July 17, 1852, in New York, married Lewis Immell; Josephine, born December 13, 1854, married Henry G. Juilliard, of New Paris, Ind.; and Libbie, born October 30, 1860, married Ross B. Free, and resides in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In March, 1863, Mr. and Mrs. Hanan emigrated to Indiana and settled in Jefferson township, Elkhart county, where they resided until the death of Mr. Hanan, August __, 1891. He was a great sufferer during the two years prior to his death. While a resident of Jefferson township Mr. Hanan's principal attention was given to the culture of fruit. After his death his widow found a comfortable home with her daughter, Mrs. G. Ross Nicholson, until her death, which occurred on December 23, 1891. She was a noble woman. a most affectionate wife and mother and a very devout Christian. She and her husband were members of the German Baptist Church. To Mr. and Mrs. Nicholson were given three interesting children: Berta C., born September 15, 1886; Finley B., born August 15, 1888; and Herbert B., born October 30. 1890. Mr. Nicholson is a successful business man, and in addition to his meat market is engaged in various other enterprises, purchasing wool and buying and shipping stock, besides carrying on a wholesale trade in meat at Elkhart. Aside from his residence and business property in Bristol, he has a farm of eighty acres in Jefferson township, forty acres of which are devoted to fruit culture and the balance in timber land. In his political views Mr. Nicholson is a strong Prohibitionist. Mrs. Nicholson is a member of the Methodist Church, and both are highly esteemed citizens.

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ISAAC S. GOOD is a son of Christian and Sarah (Shrock) Good, who were early pioneers of Elkhart county, Ind., but who are now both dead. The first members of this family to locate in America were Jacob and Christian Good, who came from Germany in 1737, and settled on Muddy Creek, Brecknock township, in Lancaster county, Penn., where Jacob became the owner of 600 acres of land, which his two sons, Peter and Jacob, assisted him in tilling, to each of whom he gave 300 acres. Peter became the father of six children and moved to Cumberland county, and Jacob became the father of eleven children, six by his first wife and five by a second. With his last wife he moved to Virginia, and one of his sons, Abram, was an elder, and Daniel became a preacher of the Mennonite Church. The other pioneer settler son, Christian, purchased a tract of land one- half mile east of his brother Jacob, and built a grist-mill on Muddy Creek, which was the first of the kind erected in that part of the country. He became the father of seventeen children, six sons and eleven daughters, and one of his sons, Christian, became the father of one son and six daughters. This son's name was Christian, and he was married twice, his first wife bearing him two sons and one daughter: David, Daniel and Elizabeth, and his second wife three: Joseph, Esther and Susanna. David, the eldest of his children, married and reared four sons: Isaac, Christian, Martin and John. Daniel and Elizabeth died unmarried; Joseph died, leaving one child, who also died later; Esther married Rev. Samuel Good, and had five children: John, Christian, Maria, Barbara and Catherina; and Susanna, who married Gideon Weaver and became the mother of six children: Aaron, Christian, David, Daniel, Martin and Nancy. David Good was the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, and his eldest son, Isaac, became the father of eleven children: M___, Rudolph, David, John, Isaac, Susan, Veronica, Elizabeth, Hannah, Anna and Mary. Christian, the second child of David, had four sons and two daughters by his first wife, and one son by his second wife: Gideon, Isaac S., David, Eli, Martin, Anna and Susan. Gideon, Anna, David and Martin died in infancy. Martin, the third child of David Good, had four sons and five daughters by his first wife, and a daughter by his second wife: Daniel, Joseph, Aaron, Eliab, Mary, Lucy, Leah, Fannie, Elizabeth and Ida. John, the youngest son of David, also has ten children: Ezra, Amos, Isaiah, Solomon, Daniel, David, John (who died young), Lydia, Leah and Mary. Christian Good, the second child of David, was born in Canada, October 5, 1834, and died February 15, 1887, aged fifty-two years four months and ten days. His mother was Susanna Bowman, and with her and his father he came to Elkhart county, Ind., in 1855, and resided on a farm in Harrison township until the death of the father, David, in 1865, aged fifty-four. He was a member of the Mennonite Church, and was a good, upright and law-abiding citizen. His wife died at the home of her son, Christian (where Isaac S. Good is now living), in 1884, aged eighty-four, having been an earnest Christian throughout life. Christian was married in Canada to Miss Sarah Shrock, February 8, 1857, a daughter of Eli and Magdalena Shrock, the former of whom died in Canada and the latter at the home of her daughter, Mary Berkey, in St. Joseph county. Mrs. Good was born. in Canada, April 3, 1837, and was called from life September 25, 1866, at the untimely age of twenty-nine years, five months and twenty-two days. She came to this county with her husband, married in Canada, and became the mother of six children, three of whom are living: Susanna, wife of Jacob Searer, of Olive township, was born January 4, 1860; Isaac S.; and Eli, who is living in Kent county, Mich., engaged in teaching school, was born September 22, 1866. Christian and Sarah Good made their home on the farm where David Good first settled, and there they succeeded in accumulating a considerable amount of worldly goods. Mr. Good was a minister of the River Brethren Church, and in every respect was an estimable citizen. He took for his second wife Mary (Stauffer) Sensenich, widow, born February 17,1828, married August 11, 1867, and who is the mother of Dr. Sensenich, of Wakarusa, with whom she is now living. Isaac S. Good was born February 19, 1862, obtained his education in the district schools, was reared to a farm life, and in 1888 took charge of the home farm. December 23, 1883, he was married to Fannie Musser, daughter of Joseph Musser. She was born September 13, 1866. Mr. Good has successfully followed farming and carpentering, and is the owner of a good farm, which he tills with judgment and in a successful manner. Mr. Good is public spirited, has been a Republican in politics, and he and his wife are members of the Mennonite Church. They have two children: Elsie Ursula, born July 25, 1886, and Christian Millo, born June 6, 1890.

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JOHN N. JUDAY is not only a veteran of the Civil war, but is also a member of one of the pioneer families of Elkhart county, Ind. (See history of the Juday family in the sketch of John S. Juday.) John Juday, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Greenbrier, Va., was a Republican in politics and during the long-continued and bloody strife between the North and South his sympathies were strongly with the Union, in which struggle two of his sons participated: John N. and Adam, who participated in many battles, the latter being twice wounded and was at one time taken prisoner in Virginia. He was killed at the battle of the Wilderness. John N. Juday was born on his father's farm in Benton township, this county, March 31, 1840, received a limited common school education, but when quite young was well posted in the details of farming. His patriotism caused him, on the 2d of January, 1862, to enlist at Goshen, Ind., in Company G, Forty-eighth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, with which he served about three years and seven months. He was in the engagements at Iuka, Corinth, Vicksburg, Jackson, Champion's Hill, Mission Ridge, also a sharp skirmish between Vicksburg and Jackson, Columbia, S. C., Bentonville, and various skirmishes throughout the South. He was neither wounded nor taken prisoner, but was sick in the hospital at Vicksburg for three months, and at Farmington one month. He was a useful soldier, served his country faithfully, faced rebel bullets on many a hard-fought battlefield, and was honorably discharged at Huntsville, Ala., by reason of re-enlisting as a veteran volunteer, which he did on the same day and in the same company and regiment, and was again honorably discharged July 15, 1885, at Louisville, Ky., after the war had closed. He at once returned home and took upon his shoulders the duties of farming, which he has discharged in a very satisfactory manner. He was married on the 1st of March, 1866, to Miss Amy Darr, at the residence of the bride's parents in Benton township. The father, Peter Darr, was of Dutch descent, a native of Maryland, from which State he removed to Preble county, Ohio, when a young man, and was there united in marriage to Miss Sarah Ott, by whom he became the father of twelve children: John, Eliza, Jesse, Elizabeth, Milton, Mary, George, Amy, Thomas, Daniel, William and Sarah. Mr. Darr was one of the first settlers of Benton township, cleared a good farm from the woods and became a respected and law-abiding citizen. He lived to the age of seventy-one years, and he and his wife were members of the United Brethren Church. He was a strong supporter of the Union cause during the Civil war and always cast his vote for Republican nominees. One of his sons served in an Indiana regiment during the war, but during his service died in a hospital at Nashville, Tenn. After his marriage John N. Juday tilled a farm in Benton township for three years, after which he spent the same length of time in Noble county, Ind., at the end of which time he moved to Marshall county, Ind., and purchased eighty acres of heavily wooded timber land, which by dint of hard work he cleared and which he sold in 1882. He then sold his farm and bought land in Section 29, Benton township, on which he made his home until the winter of 1892, when he became the owner of his present farm, consisting of eighty acres. To himself and wife four children have been born: Mary (who died at the age of twenty-one years), Amanda, Logan E. and Sarah J. Mr. and Mrs. Juday have been united with the United Brethren Church for many years, and in politics he is a stanch Republican. The public-school system finds in him a warm supporter and has always given his children as good advantages as it was in his power to do. He has reared his children to honorable maturity and his record as a citizen and a soldier has ever been of the best. His daughter, Mary A., married Robert Reppey and died at the age of twenty-one years, leaving a child; Amanda S. married Willis Blue, a farmer of Benton township, and has two children; Logan E., was married to Miss Edith Rookstool, October 29, 1892; Sarah J. is at home. Mr. Juday is a member of the G. A. R. Lake View Post, 246, of Syracuse, Ind.

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JOSEPH UMMEL, who was called from life April 18, 1883, was one of the early pioneers of this section, having come here in 1854 and settling on the farm on which his widow is now residing in Harrison township. He was born in Lebanon county, Penn., November 1, 1812, a son of John and Magdalene (Nafzer) Ummel, who were also native Pennsylvanians of Swiss descent. Joseph first removed from his native State to Ohio with his parents, and in that State the father was called from life, the mother's death occurring after her removal to Elkhart county, Ind., at the age of seventy-eight years. She bore her husband seven children, of whom Joseph was the only son, the sisters being Lydia, wife of William ___; Elizabeth, wife of Emanuel Nicewinter; Mary, wife of Henry Delcamp, a resident of Elkhart county, Ind.; Anna, the wife of Martin Musser, and two infant daughters. Joseph Ummel was unmarried upon his arrival in Elkhart county. He at once purchased 350 acres of land, a portion of which was improved, and he at once set himself to work to clear it and get it in good condition for farming. His efforts were rewarded, and at the time of his death he left an estate valued at $25,000, the result of honest toil and persistent endeavor. He was for many years an active member and supporter of the Mennonite Church, was a Republican politically, and to all intents and purposes he was public-spirited and law-abiding, in fact was a model citizen. He was united in marriage to Miss Susanna Coughman, who was born in Dayton, Ohio, March 13, 1829, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Brumbaugh) Coughman with whom she came to Elkhart county, Ind., in 1836, and settled in Harrison township, where she afterward met and married Mr. Ummel. Her father and mother both died in that township, of which they had been valuable pioneer settlers. Their family consisted of seven children: W illiam, Susanna, Christina, Mary, Eve, Sarah and Katie; Mary deceased in youth; Christina is the wife of Joseph Culp; Eve is Mrs. Israel Immel; Sarah, wife of Elias G__ deceased; and Katie, wife of Abraham Ault also deceased. Mrs. Ummel has been a resident of Harrison township since a child, and she is now residing on the farm which she assisted her husband in improving. She is sixty-three years of age, has long been connected with the Mennonite Church, and is a woman whose worth is acknowledged by all who know her. She is the mother of three children: John, born November 24, 1862, is unmarried, is the owner of eighty acres, is a public-spirited citizen and is a Republican politically. He is engaged in raising fruit and vegetables, which is a new enterprise in this section of the country, and has proven a success. This departure has proven him to be a young man of enterprising and original views, and he deserves the prosperity which has attended his efforts. The next child born to Mr. and Mrs. Ummel is Mary E., who was born October 26, 1864, and is the wife of Noah F. Simmons, and the youngest member of the family is Delilah, who was born April 21, 1869, who had fitted herself for a teacher, but on her father's death she remained at home with her mother. John Ummel, the son of Joseph Ummel, was brought up to the life of a farmer, and his education was acquired in the district schools near his home, which he afterward completed in a business college. For some time he was in the planing-mill business in Elkhart with E. B. Culp, in which business he proved proficient, and in every enterprise to which he has devoted his attention he has met with success. He takes an honest pride in the good old ancestry from which he sprung, which he traces back to the revolutionary times of this country.

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UNCLE NATHANIEL NEWELL. Over eighty years have passed over the head of the venerable man who is the subject of this sketch, leaving their impress in the whitening hair and lined features, but while the outward garments of the soul show the wear and tear of years the man himself is richer and nobler and grander for the experience that each successive decade has brought him. He is one of the old set¬tlers of Elkhart county, and has a comfortable and attractive home within its borders. Honorable and upright in every walk of life, his long career has been without a blemish or blot to mar its whiteness. Mr. Newell was born in Chittenden county, near the town of Charlotte, Vt., January 2, 1809, and is of English origin. The resourcefulness of the native New Englander is proverbial. Set him down where you will and if he does not begin bettering his condition without any unnecessary delay he will be doing violence to the history and traditions of his people and will be no more worthy to be called a son of New England. Certain it is that no portion of the United States has ever sent into the vast agricultural regions and the great commercial centers of the West men whose industrial training seemed to be so thorough and complete as that of the men who had the good fortune to be born in New England or to be descended from New England stock. Certain it is, also, that however humble their station in life they had a knowledge and comprehension of the science of economics peculiar to themselves. They knew the value of money and were masters of the art of multiplying their dollars. They knew how to be frugal without being miserly and could be hospitable and generous without being wasteful and extravagant. To this class of pioneers Mr. Newell belongs. His parents, Abel and Polly (Hollerbert) Newell were natives of Connecticut and their ancestors early settlers of the New England States. The father of our subject was a farmer by occupation and a soldier in the War of 1812. He died in Vermont. He met with success in his calling and was a man universally respected. To his marriage were born four sons and five daughters, Nathaniel Newell being third in order of birth. From an early age he was trained to the arduous duties of the farm in Vermont, and as a consequence his scholastic training received very little attention. During the winter season he was obliged to draw logs and while still quite young had to drive four yoke of oxen hitched to a sled. He would start out early in the morning and be gone until 9 or 10 o'clock at night. Making up his mind to enter Government land, young Newell married Miss Lucinda Johnson, a relative of Col. R. M. Johnson, and in 1835 he loaded all his effects into a wagon and started toward the setting sun. He got as far as Maumee Swamp, when he got stuck and called on an old lady living in the neighborhood for help. He hitched four yoke of oxen to the wagon and after five days crossed the swamp, a distance of thirty miles. He came on to Adamsville, Mich., stopped for a short time, and then came down to what is now Osolo township, Elkhart county, where he bought 100 acres of land adjoining his present place. Eight acres of this were improved and a comfortable one-room log house was on this place. Into this he brought his young wife and immediately entered upon his career - as a pioneer. However, he did not live here very long before misfortune overtook him, death claiming his young and beautiful wife. He was the father of two children by this union, one now living, George. This left Uncle Nat alone, but he went to work with a strong mind and ready hands to provide for the little family left to care for. At that time there were but five white families in the township, but the Indians were to be found in numbers, and they often supplied our subject with venison, etc., and often worked for him. His nearest post office was Adamsville, but shortly after settling here A. O. Bugby opened a post office in the township. Mr. Newell soon bought another quarter-section of land, for which he paid $8 per acre, with no improvements. He is now the owner of 700 acres of land, 500 acres without a stump, and although he went into debt for his land he has long since paid that off and is to-day one of the most independent fanners of his section. He was married the second time in 18__ to Miss Mary Ales, by whom he has one child living, Matt. Although well along in years, time has dealt leniently with Uncle Nat, and although eighty-two years of age he is still able to do a good day's work. His son. George Newell, a prominent farmer of Section 21, was born on the home place, in Osolo township, Elkhart county, May 12, 18__, is the only one living of the children of his father's first marriage. He was reared on the farm and assisted his father in clearing and developing the home place. He was educated in the district schools, the school-house being a little log cabin with the rude furniture of that day, and in this he received instruction for about two months each year, when some difficulty, would break up the school. He remembers when there were no cook stoves and when all the cooking was done in an oven on the fireplace. All the plowing was done by oxen, and when eleven years of age he was placed between the handles of the old wooden plow, with ten yoke of oxen to control. He remained with his father until twenty-three years of age, and when the war broke out he enlisted in the Second Indiana Cavalry, Company M, under Capt. J. A. S. Mitchell, of Goshen. He started from home on horseback and went to Indianapolis, Ind., where he was mustered in and rode on South. His first engagement was the bloody battle of Shiloh. Afterward he was in the battle of Pea Ridge, and at Murfreesboro he was captured and paroled. He was wounded at Hartsville, Tenn., by a minie-ball, and also had his horse shot from under him in this battle. He would not go to the hospital, but marched on foot thirty -two miles, partly through swamps, and was fed by the colored people. On reaching Murfreesboro the whole regiment was captured but soon paroled. Mr. Newell was then detailed in the quartermaster's department and served in the same until the close of the war. Then, after three years' service, he came home and resumed farming, which he has continued up to the present time. He owns three farms, consisting of eighty acres each, all of which is under cultivation. Mr. Newell has never sought office of any kind, but attends strictly to business. He has a herd of twenty head of fine Jersey cows and runs what is known as the Cream Dairy Farm. He selected his wife in the person of Miss Sarah A. Compton, a native of this county, and their nuptials were celebrated in 1864. Two children were born to this union, viz., Minnie and Nattie. Mr. Newell is one of the prominent farmers of the county and is quite wealthy.

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1893
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LUTHER MCCOY was one of the successful farmers of Elkhart county, Ind., but was born in the southern part of Maine on March 11, 1822, being a son of David and Rebecca (Hartline) McCoy, the former of whom was born in Scotland and at an early day left the land of "thistles and oatmeal" to seek his fortnne in the New World, and took up his residence in the Pine Tree State, where he reared a family of thirteen children: John, Margaret, James, Mary, William, Sarah, David, Samuel, Oliver, Luther, Benjamin, Daniel and an infant. All these children are dead but Luther and Daniel, the latter being a resident of Peoria county, Ill. The family moved back to Scotland when Luther was only a year old, but remained there only a short time when they again came to the United States and this time settled in Pennsylvania and later in Ohio. They resided in Hamilton county, of the latter State until 1861 or 1862, when Tazewell county, Ill., became their home, and there the father and mother were called from life, both being over one hundred years of age at the time of their deaths. They were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and being of industrious and prudent habits, they acquired a good property. Luther McCoy was reared principally in Ohio on a farm, but received a limited education, and remained at home until he was about twenty-three years of age. He then went to California to prospect for gold, taking the overland route to that section, and remained there for about one year and upon his return to the East he stopped in Iowa where he worked on a farm for some time. Succeeding this he went to Knox county, Ill., where he farmed for several years. Following this he went to northern Iowa, where he continued to till the soil until 1859, then came to Indiana. Some time later he started to Illinois, but upon reaching Elkhart county, this State he decided to settle on a tract of land which he owned here, residing for some time in Locke township. He later bought a farm in Harrison township and has, for the past twenty-seven years, tilled it successfully. His acreage now amounts to 119, all of which is well tilled and shows that a man of thrift has the management of affairs. It was but little improved at the time of his purchase, but through his energy is now as good as any in the county. He is engaged in general farming and gives considerable attention to stock raising. A Republican in politics, he takes an active interest in such matters and has held a number of township offices. He was married in Illinois in 1854 to Miss Sarah Allen, who was born in Michigan, August 13, 1840, a daughter of James and Mary (Howard) Allen, both of whom were York State people and were early settlers of the State of Michigan, and afterward of Illinois. They were the parents of three children: Orange, who died at the age of eight years; Sarah and Marrilla. The father of these children died in Lake county, Ind., but the mother is still residing at Saline, Mich., at the advanced age of eighty years. To Luther McCoy and his wife seven children were born, all of whom are living but one: William was born December 26, 1858, resides in Elkhart, and he and his wife are the parents of three daughters - Elsie, Elva and Ethel; Ira was born in Illinois, November 15, 1859, is a man of family, having two children Clyde and Ira D., and is living in Elkhart; James M. was born February 22,1863, and died at the age of twelve years; Charles was born January 16, 1870, and resides at home; Pearl was born April 27, 1874; Viola was born November 13, 1876; Mary was born April 15, 1880. Mrs. McCoy's maternal grandparents were John and Mary (Haraway) Howard and her paternal grandparents James and Rhoda (Martin) Allen. Mr. McCoy and his family are among the prominent people of Harrison township, and being active in furthering good causes, are deservedly popular and have many friends.

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EDWIN H. STEVENS of Elkhart county, Ind., springs from an old colonial family that took root on American soil during the early history of this country. The family came from England and became prominent in the New England States, many members of the family, to-day, being prominent in the various walks and professions of life. In this branch of the family there is a tradition that four brothers founded the family in America and that two of them were soldiers in the American Revolution, one of whom was taken prisoner, and while being conveyed to England died and was buried at sea. The other brothers settled in Connecticut and from one of them Benjamin Stevens, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, is descended. He was born in the Nutmeg State, there tilled the soil, but eventually moved to Bradford county, Penn., of which section he was one of the pioneer settlers. His children were named as follows: Ebenezer, Joel, Benjamin, Zera, Charles, Olive, Lydia, Thersa, Nancy and Thankful. He was a substantial and enterprising citizen and in middle life died in Bradford county, Penn. Ebenezer Stevens, his son and the father of the gentleman whose name stands at the head of this sketch, was born in Salisbury, Conn., October 31, 1792, and for a business learned the manufacture of cloth. In early manhood he went to Bradford county, Penn., with his parents, where he was united in marriage to Miss Dolly Strope, of Dutch stock, whose remote ancestors settled in the Mohawk Valley, N. Y., where they acquired considerable property and later removed to the Susquehannah Valley, Penn. To Mr. and Mrs. Stevens were born six children: Celinda, Edwin H., Lucinda M., William Wallace, Lydia and George. After his marriage Mr. Stevens resided on a farm in Bradford county, Penn., for some years, then purchased a mill and manufactured cloth in Tioga county, N. Y., for a number of years, then sold his property and bought a farm in the same neighborhood near Owego, N. Y., where he became a charter member of the Owego Baptist Church. He took a very active interest in religious matters, was a devout Christian and assisted liberally with his means to support his church. When his family were all grown he disposed of his property there and removed to Kansas, where he built a house near the Neosho River with the intention of making a settlement, but being a strong advocate of the anti-slavery cause and one of the original abolitionists, he was obliged to leave that section on account of the troubles there, and soon after "pitched his tent" in Indiana, his residence from that time (1857) until his death being in Elkhart county. He built him a substantial residence, in which he passed many useful years of his life and in which he died January 31, 1880, at the advanced age of eighty-seven years. Dolly, his widow, died February 23, 1892, at the advanced age of ninety-three years. He was a man of great integrity of character, upright and honorable in every particular and commanded respect from all classes. In his younger days he was a man of great energy and was very industrious. One of his sons, George W., was a soldier in the Fifth Kansas Cavalry, was in several battles, was taken with lung fever at Helena, Ark., and died at Kansas City in 1865 from the effects of this illness. He held the rank of first lieutenant in his company, and was about to be promoted to a captaincy when his last illness overtook him. He was a gallant soldier, and although he did not fall on any battlefield, he none the less died for his country. Ebenezer Stevens was a man of strong religious convictions. His was one of those sterling characters, the memory of which his descendants will always delight to honor. Edwin H. Stevens, the subject of this sketch, was born February 12, 1822, in Bradford county, Penn., and when young went with his parents to Tioga county, N. Y., where he received a limited education in the common schools, but was afterward fortunate enough to attend the Owego Academy, a State institution, at which time one of his schoolmates was Thomas C. Platt, now ex-Senator Platt of New York. After finishing his education Mr. Stevens made a tour of inspection through the West, visiting different points in Wisconsin, the city of Chicago and other places, and returned home the same year. In 1851 he engaged in the mercantile business at Ashland, Ohio, but the following year embarked in the same occupation in Goshen, Ind. On March 10, 1853, he led to the altar Miss Mary C. Violett, who was born April 9, 1831, in Elkhart county, a daughter of Major Violett, one of the prominent and honored citizens of this section. (See sketch of the Violett family.) Mr. Stevens remained in Goshen for about two years after his marriage and in 1854 settled on a farm a short distance northwest of the town. This farm he cleared and greatly improved, planting orchards and erecting substantial buildings. At the end of ten years he returned, and having, by industry and economy accumulated a substantial property, he interested himself in financial matters in the way of loaning money and doing a general brokerage business. In 1869 he again turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, purchasing a fine tract of land three miles northeast of Goshen, consisting of 320 acres on which he remained until he retired from active work in 1891. He now resides in his pleasant and commodious residence in the city of Goshen, but still takes a vigorous interest in business matters. His family circle was made complete by the birth of five children: Charles, Jesse F., Emma V., Mattie E. and Morton E. Both Mr. and Mrs. Stevens are members of the Baptist Church of Goshen and Mr. Stevens is now church trustee. Politically he is a firm Republican and was one of the original anti-slavery men of New York State and had the honor of casting his first vote for that stanch anti-slavery candidate, James G. Birney. During the war he was warmly patriotic and enlisted in the first company that Elkhart ever raised. This company reported to the governor at Indianapolis and went into camp at Camp Morton. There being a surplus of men, his company was not received and was shortly afterward disbanded. Mr. Stevens is a man in whom the people of Elkhart county have the utmost confidence, and for whom they have unbounded respect, and the interests of which he represented in the State Legislature in 1878-9. He is one of the well-known men of Goshen, his integrity is unimpeachable and stands very high as an honored citizen. He is a man of active and intelligent mind and has always taken an active interest in public affairs, and has given efficient aid to the cause he believed to be right and has always worked for the good of his country and section. He keeps himself well informed on all matters of importance and is a man of wide experience and general information, which he has acquired by extensive reading and by his experience of eight years when a young man in New York State as a school teacher and a superintendent of schools. Although a man of liberal means and frequently solicited to do so, he has taken no interest in holding public office, preferring the quiet and peace of his home life to the strife and turmoil of politics. His daughter, Jessie F., married R. M. Woodford, cashier of the Peoples' Home Savings Bank of San Francisco, Ca1., by whom she has one child, Donna L.; Emma V. married B. N. Cornell, a grocer of Goshen, by whom she has one daughter, Mary L.; Mattie E. married Frank L. Woodford, of Kansas City, in the Pacific & United States Express office, and has two children, Edwin and Frank; and Morton E. was graduated from the law department of the State University at Ann Arbor, Mich., in 1889, was admitted to the bar in Michigan and settled at Trinidad, Colo. He is a young man of brilliant attainments, capable, ambitious, energetic and is a successful and rising young lawyer. He is the present attorney at Trinidad for the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Company.

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CHARLES O. WOOD. Although a native of Michigan, born in Detroit, December 5, 1845, all Mr. W cod's recollections are of Elkhart county, for he was but eighteen months old when his parents came to this county. Here he was reared and here he has spent the principal part of his days. All his interests are centered in this county and he understands, as it were, by instinct, the needs, social and industrial, of this vicinity and has a thorough knowledge of its resources. His parents, Orlando L. and Elizabeth (Hicks) Wood, were natives respectively of Canada and Genesee county, N. Y., and were married in Detroit, Mich., whither their parents had moved. Orlando L. Wood was a captain on a lake steamer for eight years for the American Fur Company. He first went on the water as a sailor when a boy and, when twenty-two years of age he was in command of a vessel. After following the sea for fourteen years, and after being in many storms, wrecks, etc., in 1847 he came to Elkhart county, Ind., and located on the farm now owned by Charles O., our subject. He first purchased 160 acres of wild land, worked on this during the winter months, making many improvements, and during the summer season he returned to the sea. His farm was covered with timber, principally oak, and he erected a little log cabin in which he lived until he could build a better one. He subsequently left the lakes and settled permanently on his farm. During the war he was township trustee and also held other local positions. He soon made many fine improvements on his place, and here his death occurred in 1888; his widow is still living. They were the parents of two children, a son and a daughter, the latter, Anna, dying December 4, 1891. Charles O. Wood, the son, passed his boyhood and youth on the farm in Elkhart county and received his education in the schools of the same. He has always made his home on his father's farm and has witnessed the marvelous growth and rapid settlement of this county. He is now the owner of 154 acres joining the corporation of Elkhart, having sold seventy acres to the Elkhart Driving Association, which is located just west of his residence. He has one of the best improved and most productive farms in Osolo township. The soil is a sandy loam, very productive, and he raises all kinds of grain. He is also actively engaged in stockraising and has some fine animals. Progressive and enterprising, he is one of the representative agriculturists of the county and keeps his farm in excellent condition. The marriage of Mr. Wood with Miss Amanda Young, a native of Canada, took place in 1878, and two children have blessed their home: Jesse and Herbert.

“Pictorial and Biographical Memoirs of Elkhart and St. Joseph Counties, Indiana
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1893
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Deb Murray