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Source: Clarkson W. Weesner,
History of Wabash County Indiana (1914), Vol. II, pp.
843-845.
JOHN SIMONTON.
Prominent among the families of Wabash county who have
contributed materially to their section's welfare in
various ways, is that bearing the name of Simonton,
which has been represented here for eighty years. From
the time of the sturdy pioneer who founded the family
here to the present, the men who have borne this name
have shown their general worth and good citizenship,
honorable in business and loyal in friendships.
John Simonton, the progenitor of the family, was one
of the real pioneers of Chester township. He was born
January 18, 1813, in Preble county, Ohio, a son of John
Simonton, Sr., who came to Wabash county with his family
in 1835 from Ohio, journeying by teams from Ohio. They
camped over night on the present site of North
Manchester and finally settled on the old Simonton farm,
October 1st of that year. The family first located one
mile west and one-half mile north of the present
homestead, to which they came in 1836. He belonged to
that sturdy, self-reliant class to whose courage,
determination and perseverance the county is indebted
for its early development and subsequent growth, became
a man of substance for his day, and gained and retained
the respect and esteem of the people of his locality. He
and his wife were the parents of three sons: Jake, who
died at the age of eighty-four years; John, Jr.; and
David, who passed away at the age of eighty-two years.
John Simonton, Jr., was twenty-two years of age when
he accompanied the family to Wabash county. He had
received a public school education in Ohio and had been
trained to agricultural pursuits, in which he was
engaged in his youth. At the time of his father's death
he received his share of the old quarter section of
land, to which he subsequently added forty acres by
entry, and then purchased forty acres, later eighty
acres, still later ten acres, and finally twenty acres,
although he subsequently disposed of the two smaller
tracts by sale. At that time the nearest mills were
located in Elkhart county, and three days were required
in making the trip from Mr. Simonton's home community,
but finally he and a Mr. Abbott induced an Indian guide
to show them a short cut through the woods, and they cut
a path through north, and this was converted into a
road. Even at this early day he was interested in road
building and throughout his career he continued to
promote the building and maintenance of public highways.
While general farming and stock raising operations
occupied the greater part of his attention, he also
engaged in various other pursuits, and in each of his
ventures met with well-merited success because of his
excellent ability, his unswerving integrity and the
close personal attention that he gave to details. At a
very early period he was engaged in a general mercantile
business at Liberty Mills, in partnership with his
brothers, and he was also for a number of years employed
as a brick mason, being a skilled mechanic in that line.
From the time that he erected the first residence and
barn on his land he contributed to the upbuilding of his
section. In politics a stanch republican, he took a
great interest in the success of his party, served
efficiently in the capacities of township assessor and
supervisor, and at all times was thoroughly informed as
to the vital issues of the day. When he died, June 3,
1895, his county lost one of its most active and
energetic citizens. On September 13, 1835, Mr. Simonton
was married to Miss Martha Calhoun, who was born
December 22, 1817, daughter of Robert Calhoun, and she
died March 21, 1885. They were the parents of eleven
children, as follows: David, whose death occurred in
1913; Sarah Ann, who became the wife of martin Huffman;
Harriet, who married the late George Rittenhouse; Lavina,
who became the wife of William Killer; Jacob H., who
passed away in 1906; Mary Jane, deceased, who was the
wife of John Cuppey; Mahala, deceased, who was the wife
of Ben Nordyke; John C., who is a resident of Nebraska;
Robert W., who is deceased; and Perry and Charley, who
remain on the old home place.
Perry Simonton was born May 4, 1860, and Charley,
September 6, 1862, both on the place they now occupy, a
tract of eighty acres which they bought from the heirs.
They are enterprising agriculturists who are making a
success of their operations by the use of modern
intelligent methods, and their property has been brought
to a high state of cultivation. They have the best of
improvements and buildings, and the present residence
was erected after the old home had been destroyed by
fire. Both have taken a great deal of interest in public
affairs, being republicans of the stand-pat variety, and
during recent campaigns have organized a fife and drum
corps with which they have played all over the county in
the interests of the Grand Old Party. They have a wide
acquaintance throughout this section, are known as good
and reliable citizens, and their friends are legion.
Source: News-Journal, February
1, 1940
PIONEER REMINISCENCES
By Harry L. Leffel
The first couple
married in Chester township was George Hapner and
Elizabeth Simonton. Their license was issued by Col.
William Steele, first county clerk at Wabash December
26, 1835, and they were married by William Caldwell,
justice of the peace, January 2, 1836. Their marriage
occurred only a few months after Miss Simonton's father,
John Simonton, Sr., and a group of relatives had come to
Chester township from Preble County, Ohio. It is not
known definitely, but it is believed Hapner was a member
of this party, and that he and Elizabeth knew each other
in Ohio. The name of Hapner does not appear in the early
records about Wabash and Lagro, and there were only a
few other settlers in Chester township. Richard Helvey
and James Abbott, Sr., had settled in 1834, and it is
probable Peter Ogan had built his cabin some time in
1834 on the banks of Eel River. Simonton and his party
arrived here October 1, 1835. They came overland, using
wagons and bringing all their possessions with them. In
this party were, Jacob Simonton and his family, oldest
son of John, Sr., David Simonton, also married, and
John, Jr., and his wife. Robert Johnson Calhoun, father
of young John's wife, and his family were also in the
party. They spent the first night on the south side of
Eel River, probably where Riverside is now located, and
the next day started "up the river" to the 160 acre farm
the elder John Ogan had entered at the Fort Wayne land
office two years earlier. The date of this entry was
October 14, 1833, the fifth entry of Chester township
land. Whether Ogan saw this land before he entered it,
or whether he actually went to Fort Wayne from Ohio to
make the transaction is not known. This land is the
southwest quarter of Section 26, Township 30, Range 7
East, and the Pleasant Grove church, or "Lower Union",
as it was first known, is located on it. Later Frederick
Naber became the owner, and it is now known as the Peden
farm.
Elizabeth came near being cheated out of the honor of
being the first bride. Her brother, John and Miss Martha
Calhoun decided to get married before they left their
Ohio home. Their marriage occurred September 13, 1835,
and from that date something is known of the time it
took to make the trip from Ohio to Chester township. The
Calhouns and Simontons must have been near neighbors in
Ohio, for Jacob had married Leah Calhoun and David had
married Rachael Calhoun, sisters of John's wife. The
mother of those four Simonton children had died in Ohio.
The father had married again, and it was the second
wife, known only as Elizabeth, who came to Indiana with
him. She was the mother of Eliza Simonton, mother of
Frank VanCamp formerly of North Manchester but now
living at Indianapolis. Mr. Van Camp is now 87 years old
and was a well known brick mason in North Manchester,
doing his last work here when the Central school
building was built in the early twenties.
The younger Simontons were not long in acquiring land of
their own. Jacob entered 120 acres of the quarter east
of his father's, October 10, 1835. That was only the
beginning. march 8, 1836 he obtained 83.80 acres in the
extreme east part of the township south of Road 14, and
on March 16, 80 acres in section 36, range 8. march 8 he
also entered 80 acres in section 6, Lagro township, and
November 10, 1836, he obtained the northwest quarter of
section 11, township 29, range 7 east, which is located
southeast of North Manchester.
John Jr., entered 40 acres in the southwest quarter of
the section north of the Clevenger corner where Guy
Sells now lives. That continued as the family home,
passing to two sons, Perry, now deceased, and Charley,
who lives on Riverside. The latter sold the farm several
years ago. John also bought 40 acres to the south, and
entered an 80 acre tract extending east from the
Clevenger corner, part of which is now owned by S.W.
Clevenger. He also acquired smaller tracts.
David did not get his land until later. He entered 40
acres remaining of the quarter first entered by Jacob.
That was November 28, 1837. The elder Simonton, who was
a man of middle age when he came to Chester township,
did not obtain more than the original 160 acres. Johnson
Calhoun, as he signed his name on the entry records, or
Robert, as he was known by the early historians,
obtained 80 acres directly east of his son-in-law, John,
and that became his family home.
The three Simonton brothers were early merchants in
Liberty Mills, but continued to live on their farms and
were essentially farmers. John Jr., was probably the
first to carry mail regularly between Lagro and Liberty
Mills. He followed a trail out of Lagro past the
Catholic cemetery, and straight north to the plank road
that John Comstock built from Liberty Mills to
Huntington. that route still is known as the Mail Trace
Road. It is said John made the trip afoot and was a day
going to Lagro and a day returning. One account says the
county commissioners appointed John to view and
establish a road between Lagro and Liberty Mills, and
that he reported on the Mail Trace route. At any rate
the road was cleared of brush in 1838 and 1839 by the
energy of the Simontons, the Abbotts, John Comstock and
others at the north end and by Lagro people at the
south. It was not entirely cleared of big trees until
1844.
Tradition also has it that the elder Simonton and the
three boys, together with James Abbott and his son,
George, were the first to make a trip with an oxen wagon
from Liberty Mills to the Turkey Creek prairie country
in Kosciusko county and to the Wolf Lake mill in Elkhart
county, then the nearest place where flour was milled,
and seed wheat and other grain was available. It took
them several days to make the trip, for part of the way
they had to clear brush and logs from the trail.
Who does not remember a few years ago when Simonton
Creek went on a rampage and washed out two bridges, one
east of the Pleasant Grove Church and the other to the
north? That creek took its name from the Simonton
family, through whose land it flowed. The stream, placid
most of the time, becomes a torrent in time of high
water, and in the early days was regarded as dangerous
because of its swift current. it flows into Eel river
west of the Pleasant Grove Church.
Just inside the gate at the Pleasant Grove cemetery lies
the body of little Mary Simonton, the first person
buried in the cemetery, and one of the first in the
township. Life in the wilderness was too much for her.
She was the daughter of Jacob and Leah Simonton and was
born October 2, 1832, just three years before the family
came to Indiana. What caused her death? Members of the
family do not remember, nor does history relate, but
death came to her July 4, 1839 There were no cemeteries
then, and so a spot was selected on the extreme
southwest part of her grandfather's farm. It was a
beautiful spot, the land level and well drained, and no
doubt at that time covered by primeval forest. There,
just north of where the east and west road should be,
and just east of the north and south road, little Mary
Simonton was buried. Charley Simonton remembers his
father telling that brush and logs were placed over the
grave, and a palisade fence built around it to keep the
wolves from digging up the body. There 22 years later,
the mother joined the daughter in death, and one
tombstone marks both graves. One inscription, "Leah
Simonton, born October 29, 1812, died October 2, 1851."
just 29 [sic: 19] years to the day after the birth
of the daughter. The other inscription, "Mary Simonton,
born October 2, 1832, died July 4, 1839."
There was probably no thought then of starting a
cemetery. But a few years later a child of Joshua
Simpson died. Simpson owned the farm on the south side
of the Simonton farm with only the road between them.
The Simpson child was buried on the northwest corner of
the Simpson farm, only about a rod or two south of Mary
Simonton's grave. thus was the cemetery started. There
was no road then. Some old timers say the road or trail
swerved to the south around the graves for a time. There
were more burials and when the road was established it
jogged north three or four rods, then east about fifteen
or twenty rods, and then south to the section line
again.
Simonton set aside a half acre of ground for cemetery
purposes, and also a site for a church. Simpson
similarly donated part of his land, and the width of the
road added to the amount in the original cemetery site.
Still later land to the south was donated or purchased.
Those early pioneers were religious and desirous of
educating their children. In 1844 Elder Joseph Roberts
organized a class of the Christian faith at the home of
Isaac Robbins, who had entered the land north of the
Simonton farm. Soon the congregation wanted a meeting
place, and April 10, 1847, the half acre for the
cemetery and an acre for the church site was deeded to
the Wabash county commissioners to be used for cemetery
and church purposes. and thus did John Simonton, Sr.,
set aside the land, where the grand child was buried, as
a cemetery. Simonton stipulated that the people of any
denomination should have the use of the church for the
purpose of holding funerals. This condition was accepted
and a log building built that was used as a school house
during the week time and as a church on Sunday. A frame
church was built in about 1858, and about fifty years
ago the present church was built. The cemetery was
deeded to the Wabash county commissioners, and when the
Pleasant Grove Cemetery association was formed a number
of years ago, was deeded to this association.
The name of John is common in the Simonton family. Five
generations had members named John. The father of John
Simonton, Sr., was named John. Then there was John, Jr.,
mentioned in this sketch, and he named one of his sons,
John, who in turn had a son named John. John Simonton,
Jr., father of Charley, is the John mentioned in the
remainder of this sketch. John, Sr., died august 30,
1852, at the age of 71 years, 11 months and 15 days. His
wife, Elizabeth, died May 8, 1851, at the age of 57.
Both are buried on the lot north of their granddaughter
and a daughter-in-law. Jacob later remarried and moved
to Iowa where he became a circuit court judge, and
gained a state wide reputation for fairness and keen
judgment in trials. David and his family also moved to
Iowa. Elizabeth and her husband moved to near Kalamazoo,
where she died about sixty years ago, and where her
descendants now live.
John, Jr., led an active life. In addition to his
activities mentioned above, he at one time was township
assessor. His outspoken opinion was the only thing that
kept him from being one of the jurors that convicted
John Hubbard of the murder of the French family. Hubbard
was the only murderer ever hanged in Wabash county, but
that is another story. The judge questioned Simonton as
to whether he had any opinion about Hubbards' guilt. It
is said Simonton replied that he had formed an opinion.
Asked as to this opinion Simonton said in the blunt
language of the day: "He ought to be stretched up by a
rope and left there until the little ducks pick his toes
to pieces." Possibly the judge was of the same opinion,
but of course it disqualified John as a juror.
John and Martha Simonton were the parents of eleven
children. They were David, Sarah Ann, wife of Martin
Huffman, Harriet Rittenhouse, Lavina, wife of William
Keller, Jacob H., Mary Jane, wife of John Cuppy, Mahala,
wife of Ben Nordyke, John C., who died a few years ago
in Nebraska, Robert, Perry, who also died a few years
ago, and Charles, or Charley as he is familiarly known.
Perry was born May 4, 1860, and Charley September 6,
1862. Both were thus children of the civil war period.
After the war patriotic gatherings were quite the thing,
while political meetings were scenes of wildest
enthusiasm. Charley and Perry were literally born with
drum sticks in their hands, and for many years they were
part of a drum and bugle corps, that was used for many
patriotic occasions. Both Charley and Perry were dwarfs
in stature, and they created much attention as they
marched along with their snare drums. Charles Felter,
S.W. Clevenger, William Feagler, John Cox, W.E.
Billings, W.H. Ballenger, Charles Thompson and others
were members of this drum corps at one time or another.
Today Charles Simonton is the last member of his
generation, and possibly one of the few in Wabash county
whose parents were among the early settlers.
Source: NMHS Newsletter May 2002
[Note: Information in the following article, although
not attributable, was apparently taken from above
article written by Leffel.]
The
Simonton Family
John Simonton, Sr. and a
group of relatives came to Chester township from
Preble County, Ohio at a time when there were
only a few other settlers here Richard Helvey
and James Abbott, Sr. had settled in 1834 and
Peter Ogan probably had built his cabin some
time in 1834 on the banks of the Eel. The
Simonton party arrived here October l, 1835.
They came overland with wagons and brought their
possessions. Early records tell of at least
these persons in the group and there may have
been others: John, Sr. whose wife, known only as
Elizabeth was not the mother of his grown
children who had died in Ohio; Jacob, his oldest
son and family; David and John Jr. both married;
and daughter Elizabeth. Robert Johnson Calhoun
father of young John's wife and his family were
also in the party. They may have been neighbors
of the Simontons since two of their daughters
were married to Simonton sons.
The group spent the first
night on the south side of Eel River probably
near Riverside and next day continued up river
to the 160-acre farm the elder John Simonton had
entered at the Ft. Wayne Land office two years
earlier on October 14, 1833. This was the fifth
entry in Chester township and may been entered
from Ohio, sight unseen. It is the southwest
quarter of Section 26, township 30, Range 7
East. later known as the Peden farm.
Young Elizabeth and George
Hapner soon married the first couple married in
Chester township. Their license was issued by
the first county clerk at Wabash December 20,
1835 and they were married by William Caldwell,
justice of the peace, January 2, 1836. Each of
the younger Simonton men obtained several plots
of land in the area east of Manchester.. and
around Clevengers Corner, though some was in
Lagro township The Elder Simonton was a man of
middle age when he came to Chester township and
was content with his original l60 acres. Johnson
Calhoun., known as Robert obtained 80 acres east
of his son-in-law, John.
The three Simonton brothers
became early merchants in Liberty Mill, but were
essentially farmers and continued to live on
their land.
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John, Jr. was probably the
first to carry mail regularly between Lagro and
Liberty Mills. He followed a trail out of Lagro
past the Catholic cemetery and straight north to
the plank road that John Comstock built from
Liberty Mills to Huntington, a route long known
as the Mail Trace Road. It is said John made the
trip by foot and was a day going to Lagro and a
day returning. One account says the county
commissioners appointed John to view and
establish a road between Lagro and Liberty Mills
and that he reported on the Mail Trace route. At
least, the road was cleared of brush in 1838
with the energy of the Simontons, the Abbotts,
John Comstock and others and the Lagro people in
their area. Not all the big trees were cleared
until 1844.
According to tradition the
four Simonton men and James and George Abbott
were the first to make a trip with a wagon and
oxen from Liberty Mills to the Turkey Creek
prairie country in Kosciusko county and to the
Wolf Lake mill in Elkhart county, then the
nearest place where flour was milled and seed
wheat and other grain was available. It took
them several days to make the trip. Part of the
way had to have brush and logs cleared from the
trail.
The first death in the family
was the daughter of Jacob and Leah Simonton born
October 2, 1832 in Ohio who died July 4, 1839.
There was no cemetery so a spot was selected on
the southwest corner of her grandfather's farm.
It was just north of where the east-west road
should be and just east of the north-south road.
A few years later a child of Joshua Simpson, who
lived just south of the Simontons, died and was
buried on the northwest corner of the Simpson
farm just a rod or two south of Mary Simonton's
grave. So a cemetery was started. There was no
road then. There were more burials through the
years and when the road was established it
jogged north three or four rods, then east about
fifteen or twenty rods and then south to the
section line again.
Simonton set aside a half
acre of ground for cemetery purposes and also a
site for a church. Simpson similarly donated a
piece of his land and the width of the road
added to the amount in the original cemetery
site. Still later land to the south was donated
or purchased. Simonton stipulated that the
people of any denomination should have the use
of the church for the purpose of holding
funerals. This
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Page Four
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condition was accepted and a
log building built that was used as a school
house during the week and as a church on Sunday.
In 1844 Elder Joseph Roberts organized a class
of the Christian faith at the home of Isaac
Robbins, who had entered the land north of the
Simonton farm. The congregation wanted a meeting
place. On April 10, 1847 the half acre for the
cemetery and an acre for the church was deeded
to the Wabash county Commissioners for the
church and cemetery.
A frame church was built in
about 1858 and about fifty years later the more
recent church was built. When the Pleasant Grove
Cemetery association was formed in the 1930s,
the cemetery was deeded to this association. It
is still under their ownership. Many Simontons
rest in the Cemetery. Leah Simonton, born
October 29, 1812 and died October 2, 1851 just
29 years to the day after the birth of her
daughter Mary, and they lie together.
John, Sr. died August 30,
1852, at the age of almost 72. His wife,
Elizabeth, died May 8, 1851 at the age of 57.
Both are buried on the lot north of their
granddaughter and daughter-in-law. Jacob later
remarried and moved to Iowa where he became a
circuit court judge and gained a state wide
reputation for fairness and keen judgment.
David and his family also moved to Iowa.
Elizabeth and her husband moved to near
Kalamazoo, John, Jr. led an active life. He at
one time was township assessor. His outspoken
opinion was the only thing that kept him from
being one of the jurors that convicted John
Hubband of the murder of the French family in
that famous trial. The judge questioned Simonton
as to whether he had any opinion about Hubbards'
guilt. He replied that he had and when asked his
opinion he said, "He ought to be stretched up by
a rope and left there until the little ducks
pick his toes to pieces." The judge may have had
the same opinion but it disqualified John as a
juror.
John and Martha Simonton were
the parents of eleven children. They were David,
Sarah Ann, wife of Martin Huffman, Harriet
Rittenhouse, Lavina, wife of William Keller,
Jacob, Mary Jane, wife of John Cuppy, Mahala,
wife of Ben Nordyke, John C. who died in
Nebraska, Robert, Perry and Charles or Charley..
Both Charley and Perry were dwarfs and created
considerable attention. Perry was born
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Page Five
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May 4, 1860 and Charley
September 6, 1862. As children of the Civil War
period, they were involved in many patriotic
gatherings and political meetings. For many
years they were part of a drum and bugle corps
and Charley and Perry, marching along with their
snare drums were a special sight. Others who
were members of the drum corps at one time or
another included Charles Felter, S. W.
Clevenger, William Feagler, John Cox, W. S.
Billings, W. H. Ballenger and Charles Thompson.
Charley Simonton survived as
the last of his generation and one of the last
children of the early settlers. If you look
carefully at a map of Chester township you may
note Simonton Creek which took its name from the
owners of the land through which it flowed. This
was a normally placid stream which flowed into
the Eel River west of the Pleasant Grove church
just north east of North Manchester. But in
early days it was especially feared because of
the swift current. On one occasion it went on a
rampage and washed out two bridges. So we don't
need to look far to find reminders of the
Simonton family - especially a cemetery and a
creek - even if other memories fade.
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Source: North Manchester
Journal, November 19, 1896
John C. Simonton, a young farmer east of town, will move
to Nebraska in a few days, settling on a farm near
Purdum, Blaine county. He expects to homestead a piece
of government land and make a future home for himself.
John is a hardworking and industrious man and the
JOURNAL has confidence that he will make a success of
life wherever he may locate.
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