Allen County, Indiana - The whole text, 1889 (part 15 of 17)

John Driver, one of the earliest settlers of Allen county, was born in Pennsylvania in 17S3, of Enghsh descent. He was married in Ohio to Elizabeth Travis, who was born in Kentucky in 1790, and they had the following children : Jane, Samuel, Diana, Eliza, Caroline, David and Charles (twins), Lucinda, George Jl. and William. John Driver was a gallant soldier in the war of 181 2, and for his service in that struggle received a warrant to land in this county. He came to this county soon after the war and settled in Adams township, and lived in the county until 1S65, when he was called awa}^ in death. He was in pohtics a staunch republican, as are all his descendants. He was among the early fur traders of Allen county, and was a silversmith by trade and did much work for the Indians. He was a hard}' pioneer whose history is of more than usual interest. Besides his own military services, he sent four sons to the war of the rebellion, one of whom was killed at Camp Nevin, Ky. John Driver was a kind father and good citizen, and lived a long and useful life. His son, David D. Driver, was born in Miami county, Ind., February 10, 1830. He has devoted his hfeto farming, in which he has been successful. He was married in 1852, to Elizabeth Jones, who was born in Hancock count}', Ohio. They have the following children: Oscar, Lewis, Florence, John, Ulysses and Orpha. October 14, 1864, Mr. Driver enlisted as a private in Company F, One Hundred and Forty-second Indiana volunteer infantry. He served at Nashville, Tenn., where he was discharged July 14, 1865. He is a representative citizen, enterprising and respected.

Jonathan L. Robinson, a merchant at Hoagland, was born in Madison township, Allen countv, August 12, 1855. His father, Joseph Lewis Robinson, was born in Carroll county, Ohio. He came to this county in 1838, and settled in Madison township, where he farmed until 1881, when he went into mercantile pursuits at Hoagland. His death occurred in October, 18S4. He was a prominent old settler, enjoyed the esteem of a wide acquaintance; was a zealous member of the Methodist Episcopal Church; and a Master Mason. The mother, whose maiden name was Catherine Roudebush, survives, and is now a resident of Hoagland, and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Of their seven children, five survive. Jonathan L. was reared on a farm and received a common school education. He was married in 1885, to Eddie M., daughter of Joseph and Caroline (Frick) Smith. She was born in Mercer county, Ohio, and is the mother of three children, one deceased. Mr. Robinson went into' business in Hoagland in the fall of 1884, and carries on a prosperous trade in general merchandise.

Philip J. Neff was born March 27, 1845, on section 20, Madison township. His father, John P. Neff, a native of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, born October 13, 1813, came to America in 1834 ''^"'^ settled on the home farm of 220 acres. He was truly a pioneer. He died February 27, 1887. The mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Keizer.

She was born in Germany, July 29, 180S, came to America, July i, 1S38, and died November 22, 1S81, on the home farm. Her parents were natives of German}-; the father born June 15, 1780, the mother August 8, 1778. They died very nearly at the same time,»the mother September 6, and the father September 8, 1846. The father was a vineyard man. He started to America Julj- 29, 1840, and landed in New York, September 25, being thirty-fi\«; days on the ocean. He came by canal to Toledo, then by wagon to Fort Wayne. He purchased a farm of eighty acres, six miles southeast of Fort Wayne. The names of the mother's five sisters are: Catherine, Barbara, Elizabeth, Christina and Sibylla. PhiHp J. Neff is a farmer by occupation and a successful one, as his surroundings abundantly 'testify. He is one of three heirs to the 220-acre farm upon which he resides. A substantial new barn occupies the place of the one destroyed by fire May 21, 1887, at a loss of $4,000. Mr. Neff served the pubHc as constable for nine years, and trustee for. two years. He has never married. He is a member of the German Lutheran church.

S. H. Crozier was born in Peny count}-, Penn., Jul}' 27, 1827. His parents, Samuel I. and Mary Ann (Loehr) Crozier, were natives of Pennsylvania. He was of Irish, and she of German, origin. They were married in Pennsylvania and unto them were born the following children: Joseph, Hannah, Mary, Margaret, James, S. Henry, Frederick, Ameha, Robert and Linsey. The parents came to Allen county in 1844, and settled in Marion township in the woods. In 1855 Mrs. Ci-ozier died, and subsequently Mr. Crozier made a few changes of his place of abode, in 1867 making his home with his son S. H., with whom he remained till 1872, when he died. He was a blacksmith by trade. He was first a democrat in politics, later a whig, and died a republican. S. H. Crozier was reared and educated in the country. In 1853 he was married to Mary Jane, daughter of Jedediah and Jane Lewis (Grant) Halladay, natives of New York, he of Scotch-Irish, and she of French- Welsh, descent. Their children are : Hannah B., John Grant, ElHnor B., Mary Jane and Vincent G. Mr. and Mrs. Halladay came to Allen county in 1834, ^n^ ^''^t settled near Fort Wayne. She died in 1836, and he in 1846, in Wisconsin. He was a trapper and fur dealer. Our subject's wife was born in Dearborn county, Ind., June 3, 1832. Mr. and Mrs. Crozier's marriage has resulted in the birth of the following children: Alice (deceased), Stephen A., Florence A. (deceased), Viola M. (deceased), Martha A., James E., Mary Jane and Henry A., (deceased). Mr. and Mrs. Crozier first made their home in Madison township in 1858. His life has been devoted to farming. He and wife are members of the Protestant Methodist church. In 1864 he enlisted in Company F, One Hundred and Forty-second Indiana volunteer infantry, and was mustered out in July of 1S65.

Frederick W. Franke was born in the kingdom of Prussia, December 6, 1841. His parents; Henry and Mary (Berg) Franke, were born in Prussia, the father in 181 1, and the niother in 181 7. They were married in Germany, and in May, 1S45, set sail from Bremen, and in Jul}' landed at New York. In August they reached Fort Wayne and within two weeks settled in Madison township, section 20, purchasing forty acres of land and constructing a log cabin. The father died December 24, 1879. He was a member of the German Lutheran church; was industrious, honest and enterprising and by hard toil at the time of death owned 300 acres of land. His wife survives on the old homestead. She is a member of the German Lutheran church and is highly respected. To them were born: Frederick William, Frederick, Wilhelmina (deceased), Mary, Henry, Johanna, Charles, August and Herman. Frederick William was born in Germany but was brought to America when a child. In early life he learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed for ten years. The rest of his life has been spent in farming, in which he has been successful. In 1873 he was married to Karoline, daughter of Christian and Wilhelmina Meyer, natives of Germany, and early settlers of Allen count}-. Mrs. Franke was born in Madison township, December 10, 1S50. The children of this marriage are: Wilhelmina, Mary, Frederick, Eliza, William and Karoline. Mr. and Mrs. Franke are members of the German Lutheran church. He is one of the leading citizens of Madison township and enjoys the high esteem of his fellow townsmen, who elected him trustee in 1S88.

Eli Todd, an old and respected citizen of Madison township, was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, October i, 1827, son of John Todd, a native of Maryland, of English descent, who married Mary Patterson, a lady of Scotch descent. In an early day they settled in Fairfield county, Ohio. Unto their marriage the following children were born : William (deceased), Rachel, Mary (deceased), John, Nancy (deceased), Eli, Elizabeth (deceased), Eliza (deceased), Thomas, Asbury and Sarah. In 1859, 'it the age of sixty-three years, the father died at his home in Hancock county, Ohio, where his wife died in 1861, at the age of sixty years. Eli Todd spent his early life mainly in Franklin county, Ohio. In the fall of 1848, he came to Allen county, and purchased for $270 a tract of eight}' acres in Marion township. He was married May i, 185 1, to Mary Harrod, who was born in Knox county, Ohio, January 28, 1834. She came to this county in the fall of 1849, ^^^^^ her parents, William and Rhoda (Pipes) Harrod, who settled in Marion township. Thirteen children have been born to this marriage, of whom eight are living: WiUiam J., Clara L., Mills H., PhiUip E., Delilah May, Anna, Lucy and Laura J. Mr. Todd, in 1852, located in Van Wert county, Ohio, but in 1S63 returned and settled in Madison township. His life has been devoted to farming and stock-raising, together with trading in live-stock. He has won a comfortable home and a respected station in life. He and wife are members of the Methodist Protestant church. He is a prominent republican, being one of the first in that party. He has held the offices of assessor and justice of the peace, and is a leading citizen. Since 1858 he has been a member of the I. O. O. F., now of Flat Rock lodge, No. 444, of Maples.

William H. Bauserman, of Madison township, was born in Portage county, Ohio, Februar}" 15, 1847, son of Henry and Leah (Swarts) Bauserman. The father was born in Shenandoah county, Va., in 1817, son of Jacob Bauserman, a native of Virginia, of German descent. The/nother was born in Penns3'lvania, daughter of George Swarts, of German descent. To the marriage of Henry and Leah Bauserman were born the following children: Benjamin F. (deceased), Sarah (deceased), William H., Mary L., George, Ida E. (deceased), Nancy J. (deceased), and Flora H. (deceased). In the fall of 1S50 the parents removed to Allen county, and settled in Monroe township, where the}' still reside. The}' are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and enjoy a high social standing. Their son, William H., remained under the parental roof until twenty-five years old, and March 28, 1872, was married to Hettie, daughter of Charles and Elizabeth (Klopfenstein) Noyer. Mrs. Bauserman was born in Merrill county, Ohio, January 10, 1S54. '^^ her marriage have been born the following children : lola G., Iron R., Irene (deceased), Bertha, William, George, James, Cleveland and Ethel. Soon after marriage Mr. Bauserman settled down in Monroevilie, and was for twelve years engaged in the saw-mill business. For the last four years he has devoted his time to farming. In 1880 he settled in Madison township, where he has since resided. He and wife are members of the Evangelical Lutheran church. For five years he has creditably filled the office of justice of the peace. He has a well improved farm of thirty acres.

Frederick Grodrian was born in Brunswick, Germany, December 7, 1807. At the age of three years he became an orphan, and was made the ward of a paternal uncle, who fostered him to manhood. He was taught the shoemaker's trade, and at the age of nineteen years became a journeyman. At twenty-one he became a soldier in the German army, and remained the full term required by law. On returning to his birth-place he was, July 5, 1835, married to Wilhelmina Herri, a native of Brunswick, born August 8, 181 2. They had six children: Frederick (deceased), Charles, August W., Wilhelmina, William and Frederika (deceased). Soon after marriage the parents located in Ottenstein, Germany, and there lived till 1854, ^vhen they emigrated, landing at New York, June 22; coming to Fort Wayne, they settled at Maples. Here the father resumed work at his trade, but in 1856 he purchased a tract of land in Madison township on which he thereafter resided. He died February 13, 1S63, and his wife survived until July 7, 1869. They were members of the German Lutheran church, and universally respected.

Charles Grodrian, son of the above, was born in Germany, February i, 1839. He was reared and educated on the farm, and has devoted his life to farming and stock-raising. April 7, 1S63, he married Henrietta, daughter of Frederick and Sophia Gable, natives of Prussia, who emigrated with their family to America in 1846. She was born in Prussia, January 28, 1S44. Mr. and Mrs. Grodrian have the followino- children: Wilhehnina, Caroline (deceased), Charles, Nettie, Fred, Frank, Daniel, Herman (deceased), and Clara. Mr. Grodrian is a prosperous farmer and he and wife are members of the German Lutheran church.

August W. Grodrian, a prominent farmer and stock-raiser of Madison township, was born in Brunswick, Germany, December 20, 1S41, son of Frederick Grodrian above mentioned. August was reared and educated on the farm. Soon after reaching his majority he was married to Mary Maples, who lived but a short time as his companion. April 18, 1867, he wedded Rachel, daughter of Robert and Mary (Gowen) Mooney, early settlers of Allen county. Mrs. Grodrian was born in Jackson township, September 9, 1849. To them have been born: William, Lewis, Mary, Clara, Charles, Eddie, August, George and John. Mr. Grodrian is a representative citizen, and cultivates a well-improved farm of 160 acres. He and wife are members of the Methodist Protestant church.

William Grodrian was born in Brunswick, German}-, April 2, 1848, son of Frederick Grodrian above mentioned. He remained at the parental home till 1863, at which date he secured a position with the Pennsylvania railway company, in whose employ he remained for eight years thereafter. June 16, 1870, he was united in marriage with Mary, daughter of Henry and Mary (Berg) Franke, early settlers of Allen county. She was born in Madison township, January- 10, 1847. To this union have been born the following children: Marj-, Emma, Karoline, Henry, WiUiam, Martin, Bertha and Amanda. Soon after marriage Mr. Grodrian settled on his present homestead in Madison township, and has since followed farming for an occupation. He is an industrious and progressive man. He and wife are members of the German Lutheran church .

Martin E. Argo, a prominent citizen of Allen county, was born at West Middleburg, Logan Co., Ohio, February 16, 1837. His parents, John and Sarah (McDonald) Argo, were natives of Washington county, Penn. John Argo was the son of Smith Argo, a native of Alsace, then in the French territor}-, who immigrated to Pennsylvania in an earl}- day, and there married Catherine Pfeiffer, a native of Alsace. They had four sons and five daughters. John Argo and wife removed in 1834 from Washington county, Penn., to Logan county, Ohio, and in February, 1855, they came to Monroeville, which was their residence until their deaths, he passing away in 1S62, she in 1S63. To them were born four sons and four daughters. Martin E. Argo was reared on a farm, and after coming to this county in October, 1855, he attended the Methodist college and received a liberal education, which enabled him to teach several terms of school in the county. Subsequently, he engaged in the manufacture of oil barrel cooperage at Monroeville, for the Pittsburgh market, at which he was occupied for eleven years. In October, 1878, Mr. Argo was elected auditor of Allen county, a responsible position which he filled with credit until 1883. Previous to his election, in 1865, he had removed to a farm within ^Madison township, and on his return from Fort Wayne this again became, and is now, his residence. Mr. Argo is a sturdy democrat in pohtics: in church hfe he is a member of the Christian body, to which he has belonged for thirt^'-five j'ears. He was the first master Mason of his township, and is a ro3'al arch Mason and Knight Templar. Previous to his election as auditor he held the office of township trustee for several terms, and in all the positions he has occupied he has won the confidence and admiration of his fellow men. Mr. Argo was married November 28, 1861, to Amanda E., daughter of Hon. Joseph R. Tidball, of Carroll count}-, Ohio, and they had one daughter, iVdella, since deceased. This wife died November 22, 1865, and he was married April 16, 186S, to Marietta, daughter of Hon. Nelson McLain, who is mentioned in the account of the settlement of Marion township. B}- this marriage Mr. Argo has three children: Zuella, Marietta and Martin Nelson.

George Brouwer, sr., was born in Olsefriesland, Germany, March 2, 181 1, and was reared and educated in a German village. His father was a school teacher by profession. In early life George left his native country and landed at New York, and about 1838, came to Allen count}', where he has since resided. In 1840 he was married to Phcebe Fry, who was born in Germany in 1823, and came to this country with her parents about 1839. The}' have had the following children: Mary (deceased), George, Jacob (deceased), Martin, Henry, Mary, Lizzie, and Wilhelmina (deceased). Mr. Brouwer and wife now reside in Madison township, where they have lived since 1856. He has followed farming for an occupation, and his life has been characterized by hard trials and perseverance. For over fifty years he has resided in Allen county, and has been identified with the growth and development of the country. He and wife are members of the German Lutheran church. By industry he came to own 440 acres of land, 200 of which he still holds. George, the oldest living child, was born in Marion township, June 21, 1843, and was raised on the farm. He remained with his parents till December 6, 1867, when he was married to Emma Mcintosh, and settled down as a farmer. Mrs. Brouwer was born in Philadelphia, Penn., November 5, 1847, daughter of Benjamin Mcintosh, an early settler of Allen county. Mr. and Mrs. Brouwer's children are: Anna Phoebe (a school teacher and graduate of the Fort Wayne high school), Mary Elizabeth, Alexander Henry and Sarah. Mr. Brouwer and wife are members of the Protestant Methodist church; their daughter Annie is a member of the same church, and as a teacher is regarded as very able.

Fred L. Gable (Gobel) was born in Prussia, January 8, 1S46. His parents, Frederick and Sophia (Koenbau) Gable, were natives of Prussia, and there they were married. They had the following children: Sophia (deceased), Jacob, Harriet, Frederick L., Caroline and Daniel. In 1846 the family emigrated to America and first settled at Philadelphia, where they remained till 1859, when they settled in Madison town- ship and took up farming for a livelihood. Two years later the parents in Jefferson township, where they remained till their deaths occurred. The mother died June 28, 18S6, aged seventy -two years, and the father June 28, 1887, aged seventy-three years. They are buried in St. John's cemeters', Madison township. Fred L., the fourth of their children, has devoted his life to farming, in which he has been successful. He began with no capital, but has prospered and now owns a well improved farm of eighty acres in Madison township, where he resides. In 1870 he married Annie, daughter of Robert and Mary Mooney, earl\- settlers of Allen county. She was born in Jackson township, March 15, 1848. The}' have the following children: Jacob H., Frederick D., Bertha M., Alice L. (deceased), Frank A. and Mary S. Mr. and Mrs. Gable are members of the Protestant Methodist church. He is an enterprising citizen, and enjoys the esteem of his fellow townsmen.

Joseph Somers, of Madison, is the son of Andrew Somers, who emigrated to Allen county from Page count}', Va., in 1840. He was a native of Virginia, of German descent. Andrew Somers was married in 1845 to Rebecca Lipes, who came from \'irginia in 1834, "^"^ settled in Marion township. Their union was blessed with six boys and one girl, two of whom are living : Joseph and Julia. Mrs. Rebecca Somers died in 1858. and Mr. Somers married Maria McKissick in 1S60, who died in March, 1879. About two years after he married Rhoda Smith. Soon after his marriage, Mr. Somers was taken sick, and after an illness of about a month, died on the 7th of February, 1881. His last wife is still living, and is now a resident of Ohio. Julia, sister of Joseph, married J. W. Surfus, in April, 1871, and resides in Whitley count}'. Joseph Somers was born December 3, 1S4S, in Marion township. At the age of eighteen he began teaching school and continued for nine years. He was married to Addie Frances Small, April 15, 1871, and they settled at Middletown. Mr. Somers entered the mercantile business in the spring of 1883, at Hoagland, and conducted a successful business for nearly three years. He then moved on a farm near the village, where he now resides. Mr. and Mrs. Somers have one child: Herbert Lee, born January 25, 1874. In politics, Mr. Somers is a republican, and has been the candidate of his party for the office of trustee. He owns a valuable farm in Madison township of ninety-seven and one-half acres, on what is known as the Wayne trace. Mrs. Somers is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church of Hoagland.

Samuel Hauk, of Madison township, is one of the children of Philip Hauk, who was born in Lancaster county, Penn. After the death of the father of the latter, the widow and children removed to Ohio, where PhiHp was married to Elizabeth Mock in Stark county, about 1830. While living near Massillon they raised a family of three daughters and two sons; one child was born in Indiana. Philip was a cooper by trade, and was so occupied in Ohio until 1852, when he went to Allen county, settling on a farm in Madison township. He died December 19, 1887, at the age of sevent3'-five j-ears. Of his children, Rachel died in Ohio; Fanny, who married Peter Gresley; Sarah, who married S. B. Scott, and Elisha, live in Madison township; Mar}- Elizabeth is deceased. Samuel Hauk was married December 15, 1874, to Delia B., daughter of John M. Smith, of Madison township. They have had six children, of whom the first died. There are living: Amos E., Lewis J., Charles, Roily, and an infant son. Mr, Hauk lives upon the farm which his father settled upon when coming from Ohio, one mile from the old Wayne trace. This tract the father purchased from the government. Mr. Hauk is a republican in politics, and has been honored by the nomination for township trustee, and made a creditable race against the adverse majority. He, like his father, is a member of the Lutheran church, and is in all respects a worthy citizen, honored and respected by the communit}'.

Charles Houser was born October 24, 1843, the son of Lewis and Theresa (Berich) Houser. They were of German descent, and emigrated to America near the year 1S35, first settling in Detroit, Mich., where they resided but for a short time, then removing to Fort Wayne near the year 1840. He was a farmer b}- occupation, and purchased a farm near Fort Wayne, which he afterward sold and purchased another in Madison township. Subsequently he removed to Wayne township, where he engaged in the dairy business and continued the same until his death, which occurred there August 31, 1S63. There are in the famity five children: Elizabeth, Henr}', Caroline, Joseph and Charles, all of whom are living. Charles, the 3'oungest, spent the earlier part of his life with his father, but at eighteen 3'ears of age he began working for N. G. Olds & Sons, of Fort Wa^'ne, in the wheel works, and for twentyone jrears, lacking one month, remained with that firm. For twelve years he was foreman of the finishing department. Afterward he engaged in the manufacture of wagon material. He has for the past five years engaged in the business named, in the village of Hoagland, with his brother Joseph as a partner. Charles Houser was married in 1864 to Nancy Augusta, daughter of George Washington and Laura Elizabeth (Strong) Babcock. The father of this famil\- was born in Ohio, May 9, 1823, and both his grandfathers, George Babcock and Luther Reeves, were passengers on the Ma3-flower. One of them, George Babcock, settled m Connecticut, and during the revolutionary- war served until its close, when he took command of a whale ship and was killed off the coast of Newfoundland. The other, Luther Reeves, served on the staff of George Washington during the war, and at its close removed with about fift3' others to Ohio, but subsequentl3' removed to DeKalb count3', Ind., when the count3' was new. He was one of the first white people to settle there. There was in the famih* of which Mrs. Houser's father was a member, nine children. The oldest of the faniil3^ and the father of Mrs. Houser, removed to De Kalb count}- Ind., in 1832. Here he spent the earlier part of his life, his father's death leaving him with the responsibilit3' of providing for the family. They resided in that count}' until November, 1S39, when they removed to Fort Wayne, where the mother died. Mr. Babcock was married in 1846 in Hicksville, Ohio. He first settled in DeKalb county, where one child was born. They subsequently removed to Fort Wayne, where he followed the occupation of a carpenter. There were born to them whil* in Fort Wayne, one child which died with the cholera. He afterward moved back to DeKalb county, and engaged in the mercantile business. To them were born these children ; Nancy Augusta, Harriet, Stephen Sylvester, William Henr\', Augustus Sheldon; all but William and Harriet are living. Mrs. Babcock died near the year 1872. The father is at present living in Lima, Ohio, at the age of sixty-six years. After a successful business career he lost nearl}- all his propert}- through the failure of banks with which he did business. To Mr. and Mrs. Houser were born four children: an infant daughter (deceased), Laura Alice, George Lewis (deceased), and Leola Franceska. Laura Alice was married to James Votrie, by whom she has one child: Jessie Lawrence. Leola Franceska was married to Warren Smitley, and they have one child: Irma Lisle. Mr. and Mrs. Houser are members of the Catholic church St. Rose of Lima. Mr. Houser has been a very successful business man and has made for himself a comfortable and commodious home. He is a democrat in politics and a worthy and respected citizen of the count}-.

The rich land within the present limits of Marion township was reached easily in the earliest days, by coming down the St. Mary's river, or by the Wayne trace, and later the Winchester road was the route of those who came " from Willshire down." The first genuine settler was Philo Whitcomb, who occupied forty acres in 1830. Previous to this time a Mr. Douglas rented land owned by Hugh Barnett, of Fort Wayne, and occupied it during 1825. He was succeeded as a tenant by Elisha Harris, who for his shrewdness was known as " Yankee " Harris. He is remembered as the planter of the first orchard in 1S30. Mr. Whitcomb proved to be an invaluable citizen, energetic and industrious, and was a leader in his day. - He was the first postmaster at Root postoflice, established in 1831, and built the first frame house in 1839. He died in 1842. Heretofore the only road was the trace cut by Gen. Wayne, but in 1830 the Piqua state road was surveyed by Benjamin Lytle, and made in the primitive waj-, the trees being permitted to lie on either side, to dam up the water which fell, and as the region was marshy, the line of the road was mainly used as a guide through the adjacent dryer ground until it was improved in 1850. On this road, in section 5, Mrs. Mezena Merriman settled with her family in 1830, her husband having died at the Adams county settlement. With the help of her sons she succeeded as well as the sturdier pioneers. In 1833 several new-comers arrived. One, Jesse Heaton, sr., a native of Connecticut, had served in the war of 1812, and had come to Dearborn county in iSiS. He lived for man}^ j-ears on section 27. Henrj- Snider, who settled on the west side of the St. Mary's, was known as " Hunting Henry," but in spite of tliat cognomen, was an industrious and enterprising man. Michael Spitler, from Preble countj% Ohio, settled on section 35, but died in 1S34, from exposure while hunting deer. Samuel and Moses Beckner and George Hopple were other 1833 settlers, but were not permanent In 1S34 Jared Morton, of Virginia, entered land, and added to his possessions until he had 217 acres of bottom land on the St. Mar3''s, but he died in 1S36, leaving a wife and son George A., whose children own the old farm. Thomas Thompson, an Englishman, came from near Baltimore, about 1S34, '^"'^ entered 100 acres near the Piqua road. The next j-ear he rode horse-back to Piqua, and married Elizabeth Speiser, who returned with him b}- the same conveyance. His father and four others of the children of the latter were in this settlement, and the descendants of that family are now prominent citizens.

August 4, 1S34, John Herber and wife Margaret and famih', settled near the Nine Mile house, having just come from German}-. He died in 1867 and his wife in 1876, and onl}^ one child survives, John Herber, who was born in Hesse, Germany, in 1820. At the same time came John Hake, hereafter noticed, and the Iqui- Sorg brothers, and all made a settlement in the neighborhood now known as Hessen Cassel and its vicinity. A later settler here was John Felger, in 1836. Christopher Lipes and family came in 1834. ^"^'S son, D. D., after living in the township over half a century-, now resides in Fort Waj'ne. In 1S36, Aden Brunson, who was a tenant in Wayne township from 1833 to 1836, came here, and began the clearing of a fine farm of 132 acres. In 1S36 there settled Nelson McLain, a native of Muskingum county, Ohio. Pie assisted in organizing the township, and was a member of the board at the first election, when only nine votes were polled in the township. He followed surveying for several years, and was for seven years postmaster at Middletown. In 1840 he was elected justice of the peace, and in 184S was appointed county commissioner. On the resignation of George Johnston he was appointed probate judge by the governor, and to this position was elected in 1850. In -1855 he was appointed swamp land commissioner, and in 1859 he served as a member of the state house of representatives. In the fall of 1838, Joseph Small, of Maine, who had been a sailor for fifteen years, then a pioneer near Cincinnati and Cleveland, settled here and became one of the well-to-do people. After 1836 the settlement was more rapid. Jacob Fr}^ and famil}- came in 1839. Notable among those who came prior to 1840 were Henr}- Drage, Joseph C. Wells, Isaac Harrod, Joseph Hall, William Ward, and Daniel Whitaker. George Doctor, now a leading farmer, settled in 1840. Soon after the arrival of the Thompson family, the father died, the first loss by death in the settlement, and this was soon followed by the decease of Martha Thompson and Jane Merriman. Old settlers remember, however, that there had been a death within the township previous to this. In the winter of 1827, William McConnaughey, who had been working at Fort Wa3'ne, undertook to go to Ohio on foot. On the next day the Indians brought in word that a man was frozen to death on the road, and the crowd that went out found McConnaughey's bod}- stiff in death. Fie was buried in the northwest part of section 35. In 1843 the first marriage among the settlers occurred, Elizabeth, the daughter of Philo Whitcomb, to William Cain. On the Piqua road in 1832, there was established a store in a log building south of the site of Hessen Cassel, by Hiram Moonej'. In 1839 Miller & King opened a store at the site of the Nine Mile house, and prospered. Thej^ also conducted the primitive tavern which had been estabhshed by John Karn in 1S37. This was subsequently sold to John Trentman, who rented to John Holmes, and the latter built the Nine Mile house in 1850, which is still open to the public. Root postoflice was established in 1831, and Philo Whitcomb distributed the mail for four j-ears, when he was succeeded by Judge McLain. The office appertained to the residence of the postmaster until removed to Middletown b}- Hiram Barber. The stage coach first made its appearance in 1851. In 1840, a saw-mill, to which was added buhrs for grinding grain, was built b}- John Depler, at the site of Williamsport. It was subsequently purchasecl by Charles M,uldoon,who built a good grist-mill and conducted it until 1868 or 1869, when it was burned down, and was succeeded by a mill on the other side of the river, built by Morris Cody. For four years the dam has been out and the mill unused. In the j-ear that milling begun here, the citizens cut a road from the mill to the Ohio line, through Massillon. Before the railroad era there was as much expected in the way of development of towns, from the opening of plank roads, as is now anticipated as a result of the laying of the iron railway. In 1S50 it was decided to make the Piqua road a plank road and a stage route, and a saw-mill was put up on the land of Louis Lopshire for the manufacture of the needed lumber. He at once prepared for the founding of a town here, and in April, 1S51, the town of Middletown was duly platted. WiUiam Moody opened a grocery and Benoni McLain a dry goods store, and all the traders and mechanics necessary to a town appeared, but in a few years the railroad came and passed by Middletown, and onl}- a few cabins remain as relics. Its nearest successor is Williamsport, laid out in 1874, on section 29, b}" William Essig, the proprietor of the site. It is a quiet village, picturesquely situated on the St. Mary's river. Near by a saw-mill is conducted by James Garden, and two general stores are in operation, owned by John Brown and P>'Irs. McCormick. Many j^ears ago a plat was made of a town that was expected to flourish under the name of Jericho, in this township. The projectors were Benjamin Nickerson and David Hoover. The village never developed.

In 1837, Mrs. Parker taught the first school in the township, in a log cabin, on the land later occupied b}- John Small's brick 3-ard. She had

In the winter of 1840, Judge McLain converted the front room of his house into a school-room, and about a dozen scholars came to him for instruction. His school, too, was of a superior order, and like its predecessor, was a subscription school.

The first school-house was erected in the fall of 1S41, near the present site of Middletown. Nelson Parker was emploj'ed as teacher, and the school was kept up b}- private subscription during four winter seasons.

In 1845, a hewn-log school-house was erected on the farm of Judge McLain, and was the initiatory step in the system of free schools. For its maintenance, the trustees appropriated the congressional funds belonging to the township, and the residents contributed a sufficient amount tomake up all deficiencies. The first teacher was William W. Smith, who received $25 for three months' service. The school had pupils from all over the township, and was held in a log cabin erected by private subscription, on the Piqua road opposite the old Wells house. His father, Thomas Smith, came to Indiana in 1837. The first district school-house was erected in 1853, under the supervision of Judge Vaughn, then trustee of the township.

John Hake (deceased), was one of the pioneers of the upper Maumee valle}', and his historj' is typical of those of the noble forerunners of the present civilization. Born in Prussia in 1807, he emigrated in 1832, and after reaching New York worked in a sugar factory for four years. He then removed to Fort Waj-ne and began working on the canal. He purchased the land upon which his widow now resides in 1834, and then visited his two brothers at New Orleans, returning soon afterward to clear his farm. He was married in 1837 to Gertrude Neireiter. Her parents, George and Elizabeth Neireiter, had a family of six children. The}- emigrated to America in April, 1834, '^n<^ from Detroit came to Fort Wayne with teams, arrriving July 18, 1834, ^"^ settled in Marion township. They came in company with the Sorgs and Harbers. . They are both now deceased, and the children Hving are: Gertrude, Caspar^ Henry, John, John Allen and Hartman. Mr. and Mrs. Hake began house-keeping in a rude log cabin chinked with clay, at a place so remote from water that the mother frequently had to carrj' it from the Small farm, three mile's awa}-, through the dense woods, finding her path by a blaze. Their toil and hardship was of a degree difficult to comprehend at this daj^, but they were rewarded by the development of one of the finest farms of the township, and they were blessed with twelve children. Nine of these are Hving: John, Peter, Catherine, Frank, Jacob, Mary, Henrj', George, Gertrude, and are married and live in the township excepftwo, who residein~TTlinois. Mr. Hake lived to see his family in comfortable circumstances, and died May 7, 1888, after an illness of four months. He was a member of the Catholic church, and a worthy and respected citizen. His widow survives, strong and healthy at the age of seventy-one years.

Henry Hake, son of the above, resides upon the homestead, his mother making her home with him, in the- commodious brick dwelhng which was erected in 1874, at a cost of $3,000. He was born in 1854, and was married in June, i88i,to Gertrude Kleber, whose parents were residents of Marion township. They have four children, John Joseph, Mary K., George Otto, and Mary Clara. He owns a valuable farm of 120 acres, and is one of the leading citizens of the township. He and wife are members of St. Joseph Catholic church.

Jacob Hake, son of the pioneers, was born December, 1850. He lived with his parents until about twenty-three years of age, when he began a three years' apprenticeship at the carpenter's trade. Since then he has devoted himself to agriculture. He was married November 9, 1S76, to Catherine Kallmeyer, whose parents were of iVllen county, formerly of Adams county. They have six children, John Thomas, Catherine Mary, Reglna, Clemens Romanius, Henrj- Barney, George Edward and Clara Gertrude. Mr. Hake owns a valuable farm of 120 acres adjacent to the old Wayne trace. He and wife are members of St. Joseph Catholic church.

George Hake, the youngest son of John and Gertrude, was born April 21, 1S59. After working with his parents until his twenty-fifth year he was given by them the farm of 120 acres now owned by him, forty of which is under cultivation. He was married in November, 1884, to Elizabeth Wyss, of this township, and they have a comfortable home place, with commodious frame residence and a large bank barn. The\f have adopted a daughter. Mr. and Mrs. -Hake are members of St. Joseph Catholic church.

Charles W. Berning, a prominent farmer of Marion township, was born in that township, November 30, 1850. He is the son of those worthy pioneers, Henr}' Christoph and Wilhelmina (Strangeman) Berning. They were married in German}', their native land, and farmed there until they immigrated. The parents, with the oldest child, Henr}-, the only one born in Germany, started for America May 3, 1837,- and after a perilous voyage of eleven weeks, landed. Proceeding to Toledo he secured a pirogue, and loading into it the goods and the women of the party, the men walked along the shore, while the owners of the craft poled it up the Maumee to Fort Wayne. On September 15, they settled on the feeder dam on the St. Joseph. Renting a farm, he lived there four j-ears, and then left on account of the unhealthiness of the place, and bought 120 acres in Marion township, upon which ten acres were partially cleared and a log cabin erected. He cleared about ninety acres, and on this farm raised a family of nine children, of whom there are now living: Henr\% Lisetta, Ferdinand, Charles W. and Wilhelmina. Henry and Ferdinand are residents of Adams county; Lisetta is the wife of Ferdinand Ma3-land, of Seward, Neb., and Wilhelmina resides with Charles W. The father died in 18S2, and the mother in 1870. Upon the' death of his father Charles W. came into possession of the farm, and he now Hves in the handsome brick residence which was erected in

1877, at a cost of $2,500. He was married in 1S80 to Sophia Schoppman, and they have four children: Louise, Ottilia, Charles D. and Frederick. Mr. Berning and family are members of St. John's Lutheran church in Adams county.

The history' of the Harrod family in America dates back as far as tlie middle of the 17th century. Five brothers then emigrated from England, and settled in North and South Carolina. From this original stock has grown a family that is now represented in nearl}^ every state and territor}-. Little is known of these five brothers, but their descendants became famous as associates of Daniel Boone in the settlement of Kentucky. James and Thomas having come from North Carolina, in 1774, began the first permanent settlement, and the first log house in Kentucky was built by James Harrod. His brother Thomas was killed b}^ the Indians while plowing in his fields. James, as was his usual custom, started on a hunting expedition in the fall of the year, and being never heard of afterward it is supposed suffered the fate of his brother. Samuel, a brother of these, was a soldier in General Wayne's expedition against the Indians at Kekionga. His hatred for the red men knew no limit, as two of his brothers had fallen victims to their merciless cruelt)-. At one time being sent out as a scout in company with an orderly to find the exact location of the Indians, after traveling some distance in the direction of what is known as the Penn house, he discovered an Indian seated on a log; drawing aim, Samuel told the orderly that he had come 500 miles to shoot one Indian and that his opportunity had come. The orderly remonstrated, but to no purpose; the shot was fired and the Indian rolled off the log a corpse. To their dismay the whole camp began pursuit, and then began a race for hfe, but the two men succeeded in reaching the fort in safety. Samuel was brought before General Waj^ne, but his narration of his natural feelings toward the savages mitigated his punishment to the receipt of a canteen of whisky. Levi Harrod, another brother, left North Carolina about the beginning of the revolutionary war and settled in Penns\dvania. He the grandfather of the family of Harrods of Allen count}-. There -were in his family six sons: Michael, John, Levi, William, Samuel, James, all of whom raised large families and were very successful in life. William, the only one of this famil}' who came. to Indiana, was a soldier in the war of 1812, and a farmer by occupation. He was born in count}^ Penn., but removed with his father's family to Ohio in 1S09, and remained there forty years. He was married while m Pennsylvania, to Rhoda Pipes, bv whom he had seven sons and seven -daughters, ten of whom are living: Delilah, Ehnor, Isaac, Eli, Rachel, EHzabeth, Melinda, William, Joseph, Morgan, ' Mills, John, Mary, Eunice. Delilah, now about eighty-one years old, is the widow of John Le Fevre, of Knox county, Ohio, by whom she had seven children. Ehnor is the widow of Isaac Dillon, of Knox county, Ohio. Isaac Harrod, the oldest son of the family, was married in Ohio, to Susan Todd, and came to Indiana in 1S38, and settled in section 24, Marion township, in the forest. He was a typical pioneer, hardy, industrious, and a great hunter, having killed more deer than any other man in the township. He had eight daughters, of whom three survive, Rhoda, Emily and Eunice. He died April 29, 1886. Eli Harrod settled on section 27, about 1844. He bought 40 acres of land and laid it out in town lots, founding what was once the flourishing village of Middletown, only a remnant of which remains. He was married to Lucinda Harrod, of Hamilton county, Ohio, and had fourteen children, ten of whom are living. Rachel di ed in infanc}', Elizabeth died at the age of twenty-two years. Melinda was married to Benjamin Sweet, of Licking count}-, Ohio, removed to Marion township, and has had six children: William, Charles, Martha, Warren, Winfield Scott, Louisa. William and Charles enlisted at the breaking out of the rebellion, in the Eighty-eighth Indiana regiment. Charles served until the close of the war and was wounded. William was discharged on account of disabilities. Warren is a merchant of Fort Wa3'ne ; Winfield Scott is a manufacturer of brick and tile at Monroeville ; Louisa died in youth ; Martha is married to E. C. Smitley. William died at about eighteen years of age. Joseph Harrod came 10 Allen count}' in 1850. He was married in Knox county to Anna Ulery. Morgan Harrod came to Indiana when about eighteen years of age, in 1844. Here the people of his township elected him to the office of assessor which he held for si.x years, after which he was clerk for three years. In 1S63 he was elected trustee and served twelve consecutive years. He was married to Belinda, daughter of Cornelius, and Elizabeth Beam, and they have eleven children. Theron was married to Nellie Gardner, and resides in Michigan. Marion studied at the Methodist Episcopal college and the conservatory of music, and is engaged in musical merchandise. Charit}-, a teacher, married Paul Hooper, of Decatur, Ind. Clay was a student of the Methodist Episcopal college, graduated in penmanship from the normal school at Valparaiso, and is engaged in teaching. Mills was married to Mary Lipes, and resides at Williamsport; John studied at the Methodist Episcopal college, is a graduate of the Eclectic Medical college of Cincinnati, and is practicing at Payne, Ohio; Morse was married to Jessie Lipes, and resides in Marion township; Sherman, Clark, Delilah E., and Dessie B., are at home with their parents; all but the last' have been students at the Methodist Episcopal college. Mills Harrod graduated at the college at Mt. Vernon, Ohio, and was given a professorship there some time; after about twelve years as a teacher, he entered the ministr}- of the Christian church and was for a number *of years engaged in pastoral work. He is now the business manager of the publishing house of his church, located at Dayton, Ohio. He has had four children, two of whom are dead. He was in the service during the rebellion, with the rank of lieutenant. John Harrod removed m 1849, to Marion township. At the breaking out of the rebellion he enlisted in Compan}' E, Thirtieth Indiana regiment, and served with the armv of the Cumberland at the battles of Murfrees- boro, Franklin, Nashville, Chattanooga and for 100 days was on the skirmish line between Chattanooga and Atlanta. He served four years and three months without a scar, but during Sheridan's expedition in Texas he was taken with rheumatism and six months after he returned home he died. Mary came to this county in 1849, and subsequent!}- married Eli Todd, of Madison township. Eunice is a resident of Ohio. No family living at present in Allen county can trace its American ancestrj' further than the Smalls of Marion township. They are among the descendants of five brothers, Joseph, Joshua, Purington, John, sr., and Taylor, who were passengers on the Mayflower, which landed at Plvmouth Rock, November 9, 1620. Joseph Small, jr., the ancestor of the Smalls of Allen county, was the first child born in Old Borden, in 1778. He became a sailor, and followed the seas for thirteen j-ears. He and wife were natives of Maine, and remained there until 1817, when they determined to emigrate to a point four miles above Cincinnati. With seven children - Louis, Maria, Mary, Delilah, Catharine, Emeline and Joseph, they traveled by team until they arrived at the river, and there embarked in a boat of their own construction. After about four 3-ears they moved to Cleveland, and Joseph Small purchased a farm in the western reserve. He was for a number of years engaged in surveying the government lands in that part of the state, and was occupied in making brick and such articles as could not be purchased at the supply stores. In 1838, with his family, he cut his way through to Allen countv, and settled on section 23. Mr. Small, with the help of his sons, helped to cut the first roads in the township. The wife of this pioneer was Margaret Duncan, whose father was a Scotchman. He was pressed into the British service soon after emigrating to this country, but deserted and went to the mountains of Maine, where he was married and lived and died. Mr. and Mrs. Small raised a famih" of thirteen children, all but two of whom lived to maturity. Louis, the oldest of the family, died about 1840, leaving a large family, some of whom are living in Michigan and some in Iowa. Maria was married to Lorenzo Holly, and the}- died in Michigan. Mary Small was married to Riley Hance. She spent her last years at Hoagland, and died in 1886. Fideha first married Silas Terry, then William Coverdale, and lived and died in Indiana. Catharine Small married Miles Banker, and lived for some time in New Haven. Joseph Small died at the age of twenty-five. Robert Small, one of the oldest settlers of Marion township, was born June 25, 1819, near Cincinnati. He was married Octob»r 2, 1841, to Almira Whitcomb, a second cousin of Gov. Whitcomb. Her parents were natives of Greene county, N. Y. They had eleven children, as follows: Elizabeth Whitcomb, born in 181 7, was the first bride in the township, in 1843. Her husband, William Cain, died from injuries received from a team he was driving. She is still Hving^in Denver, Col., at seventy-one years of age. Lucinda Whitcomb was married to John Small. Lewis Whitcomb was married in 1S44 to Margaret Ann Meach, and had four children. Orin Whitcomb married

Fidelia Hance, both of whom are dead. Jane Whitcomb is hving in Michigan, the widow of Joseph Roe. Hiram Whitcomb mamed Maria Hance, and resides in Wayne county, Mich. Harriet W,hitcomb married Jacob Mercer. Martha Whitcomb was married to Benjamin Emerick, and resides in Nebraska. Edward Whitcomb was married to Margaret O'Harra, and is now dead. Almira married Robert Small. Martha Jane married Emory Brown, and had five children: Hiram, Charley, Emma, Warren and Eva, before she died February 13, 1870. Maria, Robert, jr., Albert and Harriet Small died in infancy. Mary A. Small, born March 15, 1S50, was married to John M. Brown, March 14, 1865, and has four children. Mr. Brown is the leading merchant of WiUiamsport. Nellie Small, born April 10, 1852, was married to Calvin Lipes August 9, 1873, and has two children, Robert B. and Elsie Idella, who reside in Fort Wayne; John E. Small, of Fort Wayne, born October 28, 1854, was married to Clara Lipes June 12, 1879, and has three girls: Bessie, Innis, Lida Bell. D. L. Small, born January 7, 1857, was married to Nettie McCague December 3, 1881, and has one child living, Grace. He is at present living at Hoagland, and is engaged in the brick and tile business. Lucinda E. Small was born September 25, 1S60, and was married February 15, 1880, to David M. Fonner, who was born on the 26th of February, 1858. His parents, natives of Pennsjdvania, were residents of Adams county, but in 1S61 settled in Marion township, where the mother still resides, the father having died June 21, 1888. After marriage Mr. Founer removed to Adams count}', near Pleasant Mills, where he bought forty acres of land, and cleared a portion. About two years and a half later, he. removed to Hoagland, and then to his present place of residence in Marion township. Franklin Small was born July 24, 1865; married March 19, 1S88, to Ella Reed. Marion F. Small was born November 11, 1858, the third son of Robert and Almira; at twenty-two years of age, he engaged in the brick business, having learned the trade with his father, near Decatur. He removed to Hoagland, February 14, 1884, and went into business with Thomas Devilbiss, with a general stock of the value of $3,000. Three months later Devilbiss sold to Joseph Somers, who remained a partner about three years, and then sold to Ed. Merriam. March 17, 1888, Mr. Small disposed of his interest, to Mr. Merriam, then opened a store at Allegan, Mich. A year afterward he took charge of his father's farm, where he still resides. Mr. Small was married March 10, 1884, to Emma B., daughter of Lewis Robinson, and they have two children: Blanche M. and L-ma M. Mr. Small held the office of postmaster at Hoagland, while in business at that place. George Small, the youngest of Joseph Small's family, was born in 1828. He went to Illinois, afterward to Colorado, then to California, and is now a resident of Nevada. He was married to Julia Beam, and the}' had five children.

Fred Beckman, of Marion township, was born in the city of Fort Wayne, July 14, 1840. His parents, Henry W. and Caroline Beckman, were natives of Bremen, Germany, and in 1838 became pioneers in Allen count}-. Thev first settled in Fort Wayne, and remained four ^-ears, during which time the father helped to build the old bank. They then removed to Adams county, but eight j-ears later, returned to Allen count}- and settled in Marion township, where the father died March 28, 1884, his companion having died eighteen or twjinty years before. To them were born six children: Lewis,Fred, Jane, August, Lewis, Francis N. and John, of whom three are living: Fred, Francis N. and Jane. The latter is a resident of Fort Wayne. Fred Beckman began work for himself at twenty years of age, on the farm now owned by him. Soon afterward, he enlisted in the Ninety-first Indiana regiment, and served until the close of the war, in the company of Capt. Joseph Keiffer. At the close of the war, he returned to his farm. He was married October 28, 1868, to Catharine Hake, and they have eight children: Maggie, Louisa, Catharine, .Amelia, William, Christian, John, and Benjamin, all of whom are living^ Mr". Beckman has succeeded in developing one of the finest farms of Marion township. In the fall of 186S, he erected on his farm a frame dwelling which he now- occupies. He and family are members of the St. Joseph Catholic church. He has been successful in business, and is a respected citizen. His wife is a daughter of one of the oldest families in Marion township, John and Gertrude Hake. The father is dead, but the mother is living, at the age of seventy-one years. The eldest child of Mr. Beckman was married to John Wyss in June, 1886, and has one child living: Clara. They are residents of Marion township. ^

Nicholas F. Beckman, son of John Beckman, was born December 14, 1850, on the farm which his father purchased on coming to the township, and which he, at the latter's death, came into possession of. His handsome improvements reveal his skill as a carpenter as well as his success in agriculture. He was married May 19, 1885, to Maggie, daughter of Rudolph and Mar}- Hoffman, of Madison township. She was one of a family of ten children, eight of whom are living: Catharine, Mary, Maggie, Caroline, Rosa, George, Simon and Regina. To Mr. and Mrs. Beckman have been born two children : Rudolph F. and William Francis. Mr. Beckman has his farm under a fine state of cultivation, and is, as is evidenced by his crops, a practical farmer. He, like his father, is a staunch democrat; socially he is worthy and respected by all. Successful and enterprising, he has surrounded himself with all the comforts of farm life. He and family are members of the St. Joseph Catholic church at Hesse Cassel. John Beckman was a resident of the township until his marriage with Ellen Herber in 18S2, when he removed to Wells count}-, where he died in the fall of 1S85. He left a wife and two children, now residing here.

Philip Snider, of Marion, was born in Botetourt county, Va., August 18, 1 818. He is the son of PhiHp and Nancy (Dolman) Snider, natives of Pennsylvania, who removed to James River, Va., when Philip, jr., was six years old. The father, a farmer by occupation, died Virginia, during the civil war, at about eighty years of age. In his family were eight children : Barbara, Henr}-, Tina, x\nn, Philip, Sarah, Solomon and Mary, seven of whom removed to Indiana and all but two came to Allen county. Philip Snider came about 1848, alone and without an};- conveyance, and spent two weeks and a half in making the journey. After about four 3'ears he returned on foot, purchased a team and brought back his two sisters. He purchased a farm of 240 acres in section 32, Marion township, at $2.75 per acre, and has added to this until he now owns 390 acres of land valued at $60 per acre. Mr. Snider was married in 1852 to Elizabeth, daughter of John and Delilah Snider, who emigrated in 1853, when Mrs. Snider was three years old, and settled in Marion township. The father was postmaster at Poughkeepsie, afterward Poe postoffice. He raised a famih- of eleven children: Mary Jane, Rachel, Evan, William Henry, Marinda, Elizabeth, John Wesley, Emily, Philena, Carlisle and David. Of this famil}' John Wesle}- is a resident of Mexico; Carlisle, of Frontier county, N. C. The latter enhsted in 1861 in the One Hundredth and Thirty-tifth regiment, as a musician, but at Lookout Mountain exchanged his instrument for a musket and was one of the first to reach the summit. Marv Jane became the wife of Judge Nelson McLain. To Mr. and Mrs. Snider have been born six children: Delilah, Mary Kansas, Preston H., Sarah Emily, Minnie and Charley Boyd. Delilah married John Fonner and has one child, Zulu Maud. Mary Kansas was married to Marion Smith and has two children : Stella May and Clements. Preston H. married Tilla Felger and the}' have one child, Frank Boyd. He is conducting his father's farm. All the children but the youngest have studied at Fort Wayne college, and have received a good business education. Minnie graduated in 1888. Mr. Snider was trustee of the township when there were but three schools, Williamsport, Middletown, and what was called the Center school. He and wife and famil}-, with one exception, are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Williamsport, which was organized at a very early day, and met for a number of years at the home of Mrs. Snider's father.

Jacob Mercer, of Marion township, was born September 16, t8i8, in Cumberland county, Penn. His grandfather was a German who emigrated to America in colonial times. Michael Mercer, the father of Jacob, was a soldier of the revolution. He also sei-ved under Gen. Waj'ne, on his expedition against the Indians of the Maumee Valley. He helped clear the ground on which old Fort Waj'ne was built and helped in its construction. He was engaged in all the battles with the Indians, on that expedition, and served until the close of that war. When on picket duty one night he saw what appeared to be a large black bear, but its grunt was somewhat peculiar, and he leveled his musket and fired. The thing rolled over dead, and upon examination it was found that the bear skin enveloped an armed Indian. After the war closed, Mr. Mercer returned to Pennsylvania, but soon removed to Columbiana county, Ohio, where he had received 160 acres of land from the government, for services rendered in the revolutionary and Indian wars. He was married while in Pennsylvania, to Susannah Bachte, by whom he had three children in Pennsylvania and eight in Ohio. The only survivor of this family so far as is known, is Jacob Mercer. When the latter was about eleven years old his father died, leaving the family in comfortable circumstances. About 1850 the mother and children removed to the Indian reserve in Pleasant township. She died about 1864, at ninetyfour years of age. Jacob Mercer began to support himself at the age of eleven, and when thirteen years old he started for Missouri on foot, to visit a sister in that state, whom he succeeded in finding without much trouble which, considering liis age and the condition of the country, was well-nigh miraculous. He learned the trade of "head-sawing" while in Ohio, and followed this occupation in Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, and Indiana. Coming to Indiana in 1850 he worked with Edsall, of Fort Wayne, and afterward in the mill of Samuel Hanna, Middletown, where was got out material for the construction of the old plank road, known as the Piqua road. In 1851 he was married to Harriet Whitcomb, whose parents lived in Allen count}^ and he then removed to Ohio, and purchased eighty acres of land, in Hancock county. Two and a half j-ears later, he returned and purchased eight}' acres of land in Marion township, and has since bought eighty acres in Madison township, and twenty acres in Marion township. Mr. Mercer fully realized the amount of toil necessary to make this country a pleasant home, for he had traveled through it long before he came here to live. He has been highly successful as a farmer, as shown by his well tilled fields and his horses and other high grade stock, and is one of the leading citizens. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church at Middletown. Mr. and Mrs. Mercer have three children: Robert, Eliza Jane, and Rebecca. Robert residing in Madison township, is married to Nanc}^ McKeeman, and the}' have three children: John, Frank and May. Eliza Jane is married to William H., son of William Van Horn, of Madison township. They have three children: Carrie May, Cora Rebecca and Jacob William. Rebecca is married to Michael Flaugh, and they have a daughter, Nora Viola.

O. E. Jamison. - The paternal grandfather of the Jamisons of Allen county, was David Jamison, born June 16, 1769, who was married to Ann, daughter of James Springer. James was the son of Carl, the son of Christopher, who came from Sweden in the colonial days and purchased in the region now Delaware, a large tract of land and leased it to others for ninety-nine years. Being a nobleman he returned to Sweden, and left the settlement and the development of the country to those less fortunate than himself. During the lapse of time the land was bought up by innocent purchasers and improved until its value is at present estimated by the millions. It comprises the city of Wilmington and all the region in that vicinity. The task of tracing the title back to Christopher Springer is next to impossible, as the lease or the record of it can not at present be found, though there is little if any doubt that the vast estate legally belongs to the heirs of Christopher Springer, of whom the fam- ily of Jamisons are the direct descendants. To David Jamison were born eight children: Mar}-, Jane, John, Elizabeth, Richard, Ann, Samuel and Rebecca. To Richard, the father of O. E. Jamison, there were born eight children: John R., Anna, Moisella, Rebecca, O. E., Richard, H. G. and Clark. There were in O. E. Jamison's family eleven children, six boys and five girls: Thomas, Samuel, A. B., J. M., L. Bell, Curtis C, Artie M., Everll M., Frank Etta, Elmer E. and Montie W. F. Two of the daughters were for a number of years teachers in the public schools. Thomas Jamison, the eldest of the family, is a farmer of Benton count}-, Ind., and Samuel is a farmer of Newton count}-. A. B. Jamison entered the Fort Wayne College of Medicine in 1878, and two years later graduated with honors. He began the practice of medicine in Portland, Jay county, and one year later removed to Decatur where he continued to practice for two years. He then began traveling as a specialist in liver and kindred diseases, and two years ' afterward went to New York, where he continues his practice as a specialist. J. M. Jamison studied law with L. M. Ninde, of Fort Wayne, and entered the law department at Ann Arbor, where he was graduated. He began the practice of law in Streator, 111., and one }-ear later was sent as a representative of the Springer heirs, to Europe, where he remained for two years. He afterward located at Grand Rapids, Mich., where he edited the Progressive Age, in connection with his law practice. Resigning his position on that journal, he has since devoted his time to the practice of law. Curtis Jamison is a farmer by occupation, upon his father's farm. Elmer E., was a number of years one of Allen county's efficient teachers, but became a merchant at Hoagland, in the spring of 1889, and is conducting a successful business in drugs and groceries. Two of the daughters, Artie M. and Montie W. F., having graduated at the Fort Wayne College of Medicine, began the practice in one of the hospitals of New York, where they still remain. Frank Etta is a graduate of the Mansfield, Ohio, high-school. Mr. Jamison has bestowed upon his children a legacy which will ever remain with them, a liberal education, and all are proving themselves worthy of it. Mr. Jamison came to Allen county, from Fayette county, Penn., and he settled on section 11, Marion township, having purchased 240 acres of land. He has now a farm of 320 acres of very valuable land, and is a successful business man, and a worthy and respected citizen.

John Gresley, of Marion, son of Peter and Barbara Gresley, was born February 18, 1824, in York county, Penn. The grandparents of Mr. Gresley were natives of Germany, who settled in Pennsylvania. Their son Peter settled in Wayne county, Ohio, in 1S3S, and subsequently removed to Marion township in 1S52, bringing his wife and one daughter. He had twelve children : Henry, Peter, Elizabeth, Catharine, Jacob, Sarah, John, Daniel, Susan, Leah, John and Barbara, six of whom are living: Peter in Huntington county; Sarah and Daniel in Michigan; Susan in Marshall county; Elizabeth in VanWert county. John Gresley came in 1852 and purchased 160 acres of land in Marion township for $500. Returning to Ohio he spent two years, and then brought his wife and four children. He was married November 14, 1S44, to Sarah i\nn Bone wits, one of a family of twelve children, of parents who settled in this township and have succeeded. Mr. and Mrs. Gresley have had eleven children, of whom Margaret, Amelia, Elizabeth, Solomon, and Lewis Wilson are dead. Solomon married Margaret Jane Enghsh, and had two children: Sarah Bell and John Lero}'. He died December 20, 1S78. Peter Miles enlisted when about eighteen 3'ears old, 1S64, and served until the close of the war. He married Mary C. Mock and has two children: Emma May and John Franklin. He resides in Kansas. Ann Maria married George Adair, of Hoagland, and has three children: Ida Delia, Aminda and CeciHa. Mary Ann married Francis Hake, and has two living children : Noah Leander, Financis and John Clifford. John Esli married Mary Elizabeth Neireter, and had two children: Lulu Amelia and Nathan Casper. The mother died in 18S9. Lincoln Grant married Sarah C. Hanley and resides in Michigan. Sarah Almira married John Youse, and has three children: Amos, Lewis and Dwight. Noah is conducting the business of the farm. Mr. Gresley occupied the log house he first built, from 1852 to 1865, when he built a more commodious dwelling. He built the first frame barn in Marion township, in 1S56. He has a fine farm of 160 acres, and keeps the best breeds of stock. He has by his sociabilitj- and honesty, won a large circle of friends.

Early in the century Jacob Smitley, of Loudon count}-, Va., a worthy young man of Swiss parentage, with the pluck characteristic of that sturdy people, determined to seek a home in the new northwest. He had iDeen married in 1S06, to Catharine Youkin, whose ancestors had emigrated to America from Hesse-Cassel, perhaps in the earlv part of the eighteenth centur}'. In 1817, with his wife and three children, he journeyed a long distance over primitive roads in search of a new home. All of their goods were stored in a four-horse wagon. The husband drove the team and cared for the two older children, while the wife walked the entire distance and carried her babe in her arms. Reaching the site of Adamsville, Ohio, they remained there four j-ears and then settled on an eighty-acre farm two and a half miles south of Chandlersville. There Jacob Smitley died in August, 1868, at the age of eighty-nine years. This venerable age is surpassed by his widow who was born in Bucks county, Penn., December 4, 1787, and is still living, at the homestead. Eleven children were born to the good couple. The eldest, Elizabeth, eighty years of age, is the companion of her mother. Jonathan, Eli, Sarah, Melissa, and another, are dead. Anamiah, now Mrs. Greenfield, resides at Boscobel, Wis., and Elizabeth, Enos, Horace and Selena reside at the old home. Mrs. Aurelia Cassie Jones, the j-oungest, is fifty-two years old, and resides at Zanesville, Ohio. Jonathan Smitley, the oldest son, was married in 1836 to Ann Smith, daughter of Edward Smith, a native of England, and Jane Shaffer, of French descent. Mr. and Mrs. Smith had eleven children : Jonathan, Thomas, Rebecca, Eliza- beth, Martin, Catharine, Ann, Nathan, Eliza and George. The famil}- removed from ^'irginia to Zanesville, Ohio, in a one-horse cart, accompanied by a number of horses. In the fall of 1852 Jonathan Smitley and family emigrated to Allen count}-, and settled in Marion township, in the forest. He purchased no acres of land, sevent}- acres of which he converted into line farming land. In this farm home ten children were born, of whom eight are living: Enos, George E., Horace, Warren, Sarah, Lois, Melissa and Mar}-. Enos C. Smitley, the oldest son, was born at Muskingum, Ohio, April 19, 1S37. At twenty-one years of age he began the carpenter trade, and served an apprenticeship of five years with William Stirk and George Holmes, after which he engaged in contracting and building. He was married July 4, i860, to Rebecca, daughter of John and Lucinda Small of Marion township. In the winter of 1S63, Mrs. Smitley died, leaving two children, who then found a home with their grandmother. One of the children died, but Homer B. survives. On the 3d of September, 1S65, Mr. Smitley married Martha J. Sweet, by whom he has had six children, of whom are living: Viola M., Mabel, Cassius, Earl and Paul. Homer B. was educated at the Ft. Wayne college, and the normal school at Valparaiso, and is one of Allen county's most efficient teachers. He was married in June, 1S87, to Mary, daughter of Jesse Heaton, of Marion township, and they have two children: Garnet and an infant daughter. Viola M. was married in April, 1S89, to WilHam H. Reed, an attorney of Decatur, Ind. Mr. Enos Smitley is a highly respected citizen, and has a profitable business with his brother Warren as a partner. He and wife have been faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal church fur twenty years. George E. Smitley, second son of Jonathan, was born August 23, 1838, in Muskingum count}-, Ohio, and at fourteen years of age removed to Allen county, with his father. He was married in October, i860, to Sarah Ann Johnson, of Adams count}-, sister of Mr. George Morton, of Allen county. Three children were born to them; Eliza Jane, Charles A.; Emma Llewellyn, and the mother died February 5, 1886, after long suffering with heart trouble. She was a faithful and devoat member of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which Mr. Smitley is a member at Middletown. Adjacent to that village, Mr. Smitley has a good farm of fifty-three acres, and throughout the township he has many warm friends and is esteemed by all. Warren N. Smitley, son of Jonathan, was born October 5, 1859, °" '-'''^ homestead in Marion township. He worked on his father's farm until twenty-two years of age, and then began the carpenter's trade with his brother Enos, of whom he became a partner five years later. He was married September 16, 1886, to Leolo Houser, and they have a daughter Irma. They reside at Hoagland. Mr. Smitley is a good mechanic and a worthy and respected citizen. Like all those mentioned he is a republican.

Harvey K. Turner, of Marion, was born April 14, 1S35, son of William W. Turner. His grandparents were natives of England, who immigrated near the year 1796, and settled in Madison county, N. Y., where they raised a 'family of four children, and passed the remainder of their lives. William W., their oldest son, was the tirst white child born in that county. He was married while living in New York, to Welthie Caswell, in the year 1S20. After living near Cazenovia some time they removed to Ohio, in 1832, and located in what is now Lake county, where he purchased a farm which was partly improved. There were born to them in New York four children : Clarissa, Mary Ann, John and Harriet, and in Ohio three: WilHam H., Harvey K. and Sarah, all of whom are living. In 1852 Mr. Turner removed to Indiana, and settled in Marion township with all his family, save his wife who died in 184S. He purchased 200 acres of land on the St. Mary's river, of which onlj" about seventy-five acres was cleared. Out of this timber tract, he, with the help of his sons, developed one of the finest farms of the countv. Here he died in February, 1S79, at the age of seventj'-nine j'ears. William H. Turner, son of the above, became a student in the Methodist Episcopal college of Fort Wayne, and graduated with honor in 1883, after which he entered the law school at Ann Arbor and graduated in 1888. After a short practice in Fort Wayne he located at Detroit, Mich., where he is at present. Harriet M. was married to Cyrus E. Miller, a merchant of Fort Wayne, and thej' have one child, Harvey K. Harvey K. Turner, the youngest son of William W., was married in early manhood to Harriet Essig, by whom he had the following children: Mary, died at the age of four j^ears; Hannah E., who married P. S. Shook, and has one child, Candice; Welthie Jane, who married M. C. Comer, and has two children; Clarence W. and Laura. The mother of these children died in Ma_v, 1867, just ten years after her marriage. Mr. Turner was married the second time in September, 1869, to Jane Harris. Mr. Turner's official life began as earh' as 1865, when he was elected assessor, in which capacity he served four j-ears. He was elected justice of the peace in 1870, but resigned in 1872, the people of the count}- electing hmi county commissioner, an office he assumed in 1873. In 1876 he was re-elected, and served with honor until 1879. With enterprising spirit he has been interested in the fair asso- - ciation since its organization, first as director and afterward as president. He is a member the Masonic fraternit}-. Fort Wayne chapter. No. 19, and Fort Wajme commandery. No. 4, and has attamed the highest office of the order in the Olive branch lodge. Mr. Turner came in possession of the farm formerly owned by his father in 1855, and to this he has added until he owns 320 acres, upon which he has erected good buildings. In 1888 he built one of the most handsome farm houses in the township, at a cost of about $2,200.

H. F. Christian Miller, of Marion township, was born in Hanover, February i, 1841. He was the son of John and Mattie Miller, who emigrated to America in 1854, and settled in Allen county, Marion township, on section 11, having bought 100 acres of Judge Colman. Here he died a short time after his settlement, leaving four children : H. F. Christian, J. H. Harmon, Anna Maria and Anna Gesche, all of whom are living. Christian Miller left the parental abode in 1S62 and clerked in a store for some time, then entering the lumber business, at which he was for some time engaged. He afterward began farming, his present occupation. August 16, 1SS4, he was married to Louisa Wedeking, and they have three children : Christian H. F., Louise C. S. C. and Annie Marie. Mr. Miller was emploj'ed during his commercial career in New York, Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, and became known as a very successful business man. He has his home upon a farm of seventy-five acres, handsomely improved. He is a democrat in politics. He and family are members of the Evangelical Lutheran church.

This region is traversed by both the St. Mary's and Little Wabash, and rivulets rising from springs close at hand, flow according as is the accidental arrangement of knoll and ravine, either to the sunny sands of the Mississippi delta or toward the icy shores of Labrador. Pleasant township was first settled in 1832, or about that year, by a Mr. Cooper and family, who made their home on the Godfrey trace or Bluffton road, at a place called "Green Camp," a favorite spot with Indians and emigrants, on account of a refreshing spring in that vicinity. Some years prior to this settlement the Bluffton road and the older Indianapolis road had been surveyed through the township. In 1832, Homey Robinson, who had settled with his father, Thomas Robinson, in Wayne township in 1826, came to Pleasant township, and afterward became prominent in its histor}'. The first white child born in this vicinity was his son Warren, in November, 1834, and the first death was of his sister, Mrs. Mary Bay, who died in 1841. The first saw-mill was built by him, on the bank of Lost creek, from which it obtained the power, and for man}' years he operated it successfully, supplj'ing lumber for many buildings in the cit}-. Lumber was hauled from here as far as the Salamonie river in Huntington county. At the home of this same pioneer, the first religious meeting was held by Rev. Ball, in 1834. In 1834 came Edward Kennark, a native of Ireland, who entered land in sections 4 and 10, aided in the building of the Wabash railway, and died in 1872; eight of his sixteen children survi^'e. William Bradbury also came in 1S34, and he and Kennark put up the first hewn-log houses. William Watson settled in the spring, but did not remain many years; John Whetton made a permanent settlement in this year. In 1841 Andrew Miller and his sons Christian, Joseph, John and Andrew, of Alsace, were the hrst settlers on the Indian reserves, and the family is now prominent. Thomas Greer and family settled in 1842. He was one of the fourteen settlers who organized the township and held the first election at the home of Abraham Lutz. These voters were, besides Greer and Lutz, David Hill, Samuel Fogwell, Jacob Kinwell, John Nicodemus, Thomas Bradbury, Edward Kennark, Cooper, Enos Mooney, Benjamin Swett, Hugh

O'Hara, John Whetton and Homey Robinson. Jacob Smith, one of the oldest hving settlers, born in Pennsylvania in 1814, came here in 1847 and became the first township trustee under the present sj-stem. After 1S34 the fertile and inviting land received manj' occupants, and among the earliest of this period may be named Christian Miller, Nicholas Herber, Jacob Smith, George Woods, Andrew Orrin, John Orrin, Ethelbert Sutton, Alexander Stonebrook, Cornelius Ferrell, Henry Castile, Asa Linscott, Noah Linscott, William Henrj^, George Mercer, Henry Mercer, Nicholas Rice, Thomas Swank, Zaccheus Clark, Nathan Parker, Washington Parker, Wellington Parker, Thomas Parker, Henry Hall, Carroll Taylor and Jacob Kimmel. In October, 1869, Andrew j. Taylor divided a portion of his lands into town lots, and the name of Sheldon was given to the place, which is a station on the Fort Wayne, Muncie & Cincinnati railroad. In October of the year named, Mr. Taylor established his carriage factory', and adopted the plan of making all sales at auction. His enterprise prospered, and the establishment soon became a prosperous and considerable one. He also, beginning in 1871, conducted a saw-mill, to which he gave his personal attention until he suffered the loss of his left hand in that business. In 1871 an addition to the town was platted by John N. Mowey and Willard S. Hickox. The population at the last census was 166.

Warren Robinson, a native resident of Pleasant township, was born November 30, 1834. His father, Horney Robinson, one of the pioneers of Allen count}-, was born in Fayette county, Ohio, June 22, 1806, the son of Thomas Robinson, a native of Ohio, whose father was one of the pioneers of that state, and a soldier of the war of 181 2. Home}' Robinson came to Allen county as early as 1826, when the county was a wilderness and Fort Wayne only a fort and Indian trading post. He first settled in Wayne township, where he entered sixty acres of land, and lived until about 1832, when he entered about 126 acres then in Aboit, but since attached to Pleasant township, where he resided the rest of his life. He was one of the best known early citizens, and was a successful farmer. He was married in about 1829 to Catherine Freshour, a native o£ Pennsylvania, born about 1816, the daughter of George Freshour, a native of Pennsylvania, and a pioneer of Allen county. The parents were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Home}' Robinson being one of the pioneer Methodists of Allen county. He was instrumental in laying the foundation for the growth of the church in the county. Plis home was the stopping place for all itinerant preachers and his hospitality was unbounded. The mother died February 27, 1864, and the father on July 22, 1887. To them thirteen children were born, only live of whom survive: Sarah J., wife of Milton F. Ward, of near Topeka, Kan.; Warren; William, a farmer of Lafayette township; Frank, a Methodist minister, now farming in Huntington county; Samantha, wife of Dr. Moffett, of Lafayette, Ind. Warren Robinson attended the country schools and finished his education in the Methodist Episcopal college at Fort Wayne. After teaching school about six years, he turned his attention about 1861, to stock buying and farming, in which he has met with success. He was married in October, 1865, to Sarah J. Fields, who was born in Wells county, Ind., in 1845, daughter of Morgan Fields, a pioneer of that county. She was a member of the Evangelical Lutheran church; she died in December, 1872, leaving two sons, one deceased. Frank S., born November 27, 1869, lives with his father. Mr. Robinson was married in February, 1877, to Martha J. Wilson, born in Huntington county in 1853. They have one daughter, Ressie. Mr. Robinson has met with success as the result of his industr}^ and enterprise, and has 200 acres of land, 115 of which are of the old homestead. On an eighty-five-acre tract on the line between Pleasant and Wayne townships, he has a good frame residence and one of the largest barns in the township. In poHtics he is a republican. He is thrift}', energetic and enterprising, and is respected and esteemed by his fellow citizens.

James Cunnison, a well-known farmer of Pleasant township, was born December 17, 1840, in Waj'ne township, the son of Robert Cunnison, who was born at Dundee, Scotland, in 1799, '^^'^ coming to America, and to Allen county in 1S33, settled in Waj-ne township. He was one of the pioneers of the township, coming here when Fort Wayne was an Indian village, and the countr}' was little more than a wilderness. His death occurred in 1843. His wife, Margaret Ramsey, was born in Scotland, June 22, 1799. There they were married and their first child, Isabelle, was born on the ocean. She died at the age of four years, and was buried in a graveyard on the site of Brinsley's feed yard in Fort Wayne. The mother is still living, and is the widow of John Whetton, sr., who died in February, 1861. Robert and Margaret Cunnison had three children; Isabelle (deceased), Robert, who was born in 1835, and was killed on July 8, 1880, in a well, leaving a widow and six children, the youngest of whom, now deceased, was born while the father's funeral was in progress; and James. The latter was three years of age when his mother married John Whetton, and removed to Pleasant township, to the farm now owned by himself. He was married in Januar}-, 1866, to Mary, daughter of William Dalman. He was born in Derbyshire, England, June 24, 1815, and came to Allen county in 1832. His wife was Rebecca Osborn, who was born in Ohio. Mr. Cunnison has five children: Alex, born June 25, 1867; Margaret Isabelle, wife of Levi E. Koons, of Marion, born March 13, 1S70; Will, born August 5, 1871; Frank, born September 18, 1S76, and James, born November 30, 1882. Mr. Cunnison has always been an active and prominent citizen of his township. He has met with success in life, and has acquired a competenc}'. His farm is one of the finest in his vicinit}', embracing 226}< acres. He also owns two lots and three dwellings on Smith street in Fort Wayne. The old family residence was destroyed by fire in May 27, 18S6, and he at once erected a handsome two-story brick on the site of the old home. He also has a good barn and other buildings.

Jacob H. Kimmel, a prominent farmer of Pleasant township, was born on his present farm, nine miles southwest of Fort Wa^-ne, March 25, 1843. His father, Jacob Kimmel, a pioneer of the township, was a native of York county, Penn. He came to Allen county in the fall of 1 841, and purchasing 126 acres in Pleasant township, there followed farming the rest of his life. His wife, Jane Newhouse, was born in Virginia in 1807, and died January 27, 1869. The father died September 21, 1873, aged seventy-six years and seven months. They had nine children, eight of whom are living. Five reside in Allen county, one in Wells county, one in Washington Territory and one in Kansas. Jacob Kimmel, the father, was a thrifty and honest man, well-known and well liked, and during his life met with success, accumulating considerable means, he owning 386 acres of land, which he divided among his children as they became of age. He was a member of the Lutheran church, and in politics was a republican. His son, Jacob, is the youngest of the children. He secured a good, practical education and remained on the home farm, taking care of his father in his old age. At his death he became owner of the farm of 126 acres, which he has since increased to 215 acres. In 1876 he erected a large square-roof stable, which is an ornament to the farm, and in July, 1881, built his two-story brick residence, at a cost of $2,300, one of the finest in the township. In 1883 he erected a large barn, which was destroyed by lightning, May 12, 1886, and in 1887 he erected another large barn. His farm, with its improvements, is one of the finest in the township. Mr. Kimmel was married in August, 1869, to Ellen Buskirk, who \vas born in Allen count}-, in 1849, daughter of Daniel Buskirk, an early settler. She died in October, 1870, and he was married in Maj-, 1874, to Louisa Fischer, of Fort Wayne, who was born in New York city, in y 1849, daughter of Anthony Fischer, a citizen of Fort Waj^ne. Their Ki^children are: Eda, born in 1875, and Thomas H., born in 1883. Mrs. Kimmel is a member of the Lutheran church at Five Points. Mr. Kimmel is a republican in politics and he is a member of Summit Citylodge, F. & A. M.

William Dalman, one of Pleasant township's leading men, was born in the township, March 25, 1847. His father Edwin Dalman, was born in England, December 20, 1819, son of John and Hannah Dalman, who in 1833, with part of their family of ten children, emigrated to America, and arrived at Fort Wayne in June. They settled in southern Wayne township, on the Little river, and their home was then the only one between the Indian reservation and the Wabash river. They constructed a rude log cabin and began clearing away the forests, and farming, which was the occupation of John Dalman until his death sixteen 3'ears later. He left five children in this country : William, Thomas, Edwin, Frederick and Salina. Edwin a prominent man in his time, was married in 1842 to Mary, daughter of John and Jane McNair, natives of Ireland, who settled in Allen county in 1837. Edwin Dalman died in January, 1864, but his widow is still living at Fort Wayne. To this marriage four sons were born: John, Thomas, William and Charles. John is now a citizen of Pleasant township, of which he has served as trustee nine years, and he has held the position of county treasurer two terms. William Dalman is a farmer by occupation, and was born and reared on the farm and received his education in the pioneer log schoolhouse. In 1870 he was married to Isabel, daughter of William and Susan (Simpson) Beck, early settlers of the county. She was born in this county in November, 1S49. To this marriage eight children were born, of whom three are hving, Effie, Charles and Naomi. Mr. Dalman started out in life for himself soon after marriage, and settled on the farm in Pleasant township which he has since occupied. He has a fine farm of eighty-six acres and as a farmer is practical and successful. In politics he is a strong democrat. He was elected trustee of his township in 1886, and is now serving his second term to the entire satisfaction of the people. On his second election he for the first time in the history of the township, had no opposition. He and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

William S. Robison, one of the early residents of Pleasant township, is of a family distinguished among the pioneers. His grandfather, of Scotch descent, was born upon the ocean coming to America. He married Elizabeth Spudy, also of Scotch origin. Their son, James Robison, was born in MifHin county, Penn., in 1792. In earlj' manhood he learned the carpenter's trade, and while a resident of Mifflin county, married Rebecca Jacobs, who was of English and Irish descent. In 1S32 he went to farming in Pennsylvania, and two years later emigrated to Ohio, where he remained until 1866, when he became a resident of Allen county. His wife died in 1S72, and he passed away in 1875. They were zealous members of the Presbyterian church. Their children are as follows: Mary (deceased), John A. .(deceased), Samuel E., William S., EHzabeth (deceased), Sarah, Catherine, James S., David A., George W., Thomas Calvin, FrankHn (deceased), Hiram (deceased), Anna E., (deceased). Wilham S. Robison was born in Mifflin count}', Penn., December 4, 1821, was reared on the farm, and received a fair common school education. In 1845 he came to Allen county, and settled in Pleasant township, where he has since resided. On first s.;ttling, he secured from Hon. F. P. Randall a license to teach and taught thereafter fifteen quarters, teaching and farming alternately. Subsequently, he suspended teaching and since his entire time has been devoted to farming. In the fall of 1846 he wedded Nancv, daughter of Jacob Kimmel, an early settler of this county. The marriage resulted in the birth of the following children: James B., Desdemona J., Harriet E., Theodosia R., Mary E. (deceased), William M. C, Jacob C. and Viola. Their mother, who was born in Starke county, Ohio, in 182S, died in February, 1S64. In 1865 Mr. Robison married Mrs. Harriet Robbnei Greenameyer, who was born in Columbiana count}', Ohio, in 182S. Mr»

Robison as a farmer has achieved perhaps more than ordinary success. In pohtics he has ever been an active democrat. He and wife during their lives were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. James B. Robison, eldest son of the above, was born March 3, 1848, in Pleasant townhip. He was reared on a farm and received his education in the country schools. At twent3'-two years of age he married and settled down in life as a renter on a farm. May 5, 1S70, he wedded Mercy Rice, daughter of Jesse and Mary (Chalker) Rice. Mrs. Robison was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, April 23, 1851. They have one child, Eva. Mr. Robison has devoted his life to farming and stock raising. After his marriage he remained a renter for four years, and then he purchased a tract of land, and by energjr and perseverance has come into possession of a well improved farm of ninety-two 'acres. In pohtics he is a democrat. He was elected township trustee, in Pleasant township, in 18S2, and was re-elected in 1SS4. He and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. As a citizen Mr. Robison is progressive, and as a farmer he is a representative one. He has been a warm friend to schools, churches and public improvements.