LaGrange County Records of 
Old Settler's Meetings
From the LaGrange Standard
June 1898

These records of the Old Settlers' Meetings come from the  local newspaper of the time the LaGrange Standard. Barbara Henderson, after transcribing all that could be read of the handwritten record, was kind enough to go looking for more of their meetings and found them published in the newspaper.

OLD SETTLERS' MEETING
-----

A Pleasant Time

     The Old Settlers' fifteenth annual meeting, last Thursday, was a very pleasant time for all present. Though the attendance was good, there were not quite as many in attendance as on some former meetings, and there was a notable absence of many of the leading characters of former occasions.

     The chairman, Richard L. Newman, called the meeting to order at 1 o'clock p. m. and 
announced the first order of business to be election of officers, whereupon Mr. Newman was re-elected chairman by acclamation, and in like manner William Prentiss re-elected vice chairman 
and Samuel Shepardson secretary. After prayer by Rev. J. P. Jones, townships reported vice presidents for each as follows:

     The vice presidents were called for reports of deaths of old settlers in their townships, but only two reporting, Dr. Rerick was called for a list he had prepared of all the deaths in the county since June, 1897, of citizens of 40 or more years residence in the county, which was read and appears below.
 
 

16. Valentine Groh, Johnson township, age 63, residence in county 40 years.

22.  Mrs. Precilla S. Long, Lima, age 44, residence 41 years.

19.  Miss Louisa Edgcomb, Lima, age 75, residence 43 years.

29.  Mrs. Margaret Fleming, Lima, age 82, residence 60 years.

JULY

5.  Daniel Long, Wolcottville, age 69.

15.  Mrs. Hannah Henry, widow of Francis Henry, Wolcottville, age 75.

16.  Mrs. Isaac Richards, Bloomfield township, age 57, residence 57 years.

AUGUST

2.  John Kitchen, Clearspring, age 76, residence 60 years.

13.  Wm. Healey, Johnson, age 69, residence 46 years.

23.  W. Maxwell, Bloomfield, age 65, residence 47 years.

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

19.  Peter Moulter, Clearspring, age 62, residence 52 years.

20.  David Leighton, Lima, age 71, residence 61 years.

NOVEMBER

13.  Elias Butt, LaGrange, age 57, residence 57 years.

9.  Amy C. Harding, LaGrange, age 93, residence 63 years.

26.  Samuel Beatty, Clearspring, age 84, residence 55 years.

DECEMBER

2. James C. Helper, Ontario, age 80, residence 57 years.

9.  Mrs. Elizabeth Taylor Hague, age 72, residence 45 years.

1.  Mrs. Sarah Herbert, LaGrange, age 78, residence 59 years.

16.  Peter Beisel, Lima, age 83, residence 60 years.

30.  Mrs. Susan E. Hoagland, Bloomfield, age 80, residence 61 years.

2. Mrs. Ursala Coldren, Johnson, age 79, residence 40 years.

27.  Mrs. Rebecca R. Ford, LaGrange, age 86, residence 41 years.

19.  Sarah G. Hern, LaGrange, age 81, residence 63 years.

18.  Warren S. Beatty, Clearspring, age 41, residence 41 years.

FEBRUARY

19. George W. Sears, Bloomfield, age 64, residence 56 years.

16. Ira Barrows, LaGrange, age 92, residence 50 years.

14.  Mrs. Catharine Scott, age 81, residence 61 years.

11. Hiram Carnahan, Clay, age 55, residence 55 years.

5.  Charles Cochran, Milford, age 76, residence 61 years.

28.  Joseph Nelson, LaGrange, age 95, residence 60 years.

MARCH

26.  Mrs. Sarah A. Rawles, Lima, age 68, residence 53 years.

APRIL

2.  Rev. Caleb H. Blanchard, Wolcottville, age 80, residence 63 years.

19.  Miles R. McClaskey, LaGrange, age 46, residence 46 years.

29.  Mrs. Elizabeth Keightly, Van Buren, age 81, residence 62 years.

29.  Henry Clay McManus, Lima, age 68, residence 41 years.

MAY
17.  Mrs. Clementine S. Marks, age 58, residence 58 years.

     An hour or so was then spent in short speeches led off by the chairman who described the condition of the northern part of the county in 1833, the year he came here. He had with him a list of all the heads of families in and around Mongoquinong Prairie, at Lima, that year, not one of whom is now living. This is the list. William Thrall, John Lock, Thomas Lock, Robert Hamilton, ----- Fowler, William Gardner, Jonathan Gardner, James Thurston, Lester Wallace, ----- Dickenson, ------- Likes, three families, Dimmie Harding, Micarjah Harding and father, Jesse Harding, Jesse Harding, Daniel Horning, ------- Leverages, three families, ----- Ordahs, two families, Abraham Cole, ----- Eagleton, Otis and Datis Newton and their father, Dr. J. T. Hobbs, ----- Jewett, George Crawford, Lemuel Fobes, Jonathan Woodruff, Hiram Mashon, Henry Sherman, John Kromer, Isa Rice, James Drucar, Dr. ----- Smith, ----- Billairs, Calvin Chase, Frederick Hamilton, Samuel Parker, Christopher Corey, Samuel Corey.

     The other short talks were made by Dr. J. H. Rerick, William Corey, Dr. Abner Lewis, now of Iowa, Levi Bloss of Sturgis, Samuel Parham, Jacob Gage, J. P. Jones, David Lower, William Prentiss, A. Lampman.

     The Standard commenced in 1887 to make a record of all present at the old settlers' meetings who had been residentts of this county FIFTY years or more. In looking over the first list eleven years ago, we can note of our own knowledge the departure nealy one-half of the ninety names then taken. We can never at their meetings get all the names we should, but succeed in getting probably 90 percent present. The following list of names and dates residence began, we caught at this meeting.

1831- Daniel Miller, now at Sturgis
1832- Jacob Gage, Mrs. Harrison Deal, L. D. Ingraham, Wm. Corey, now Sturgis, Phineas 
          Huntsman.
1833- R. L. Newman (GGGrandfather of Cindy Newman Bowser), Mrs. Lucretia Vankirk.
1834- Mrs. Eliza Klingaman, William Olney, Mrs. Daniel Miller, now of Sturgis, Mrs. Patience 
          Thompson, L. B. Bloss, now of Sturgis, Mrs. Lavina Hall, Mrs. Mary J. Peck, now of 
          Sturgis, Mrs. Mary E. Sheldon.
1835- Mrs. Jane Maxwell, Milton Todd, Harrison Duers, Lorin Atwater, Wm. Prentiss, Mrs. Lydia 
          A. Sperow, Abraham Eiman, Louisa Dickenson, A. Davidson.
1836- Rebecca Browning, Mrs. Harriet L. Butts, Mrs. Sarah Truesdale, A. S. Kilbury, Horace 
          Rogers, Mrs. A. Lampman, Mrs. Ann Cain, James Craig, Mrs. Serena Smith, John Thorp, 
          Wm. Doolittle.
1837- Mrs. C. H. Hulbert, Mrs. Jane Newell, Mrs. Warren Lovell, J. B. Rowe.
1838- W. Rawles, Mrs. Samuel Spero, Mrs. Nancy Stacy, L. W. Vandevanter.
1839- Samuel Shepardson, Roswell Dewater (relative of Jim Dewater) , Edward Millis.
1840- Daniel Harding.
1841- Mrs. Albert Preston.
1842- Mrs. Hannah Painter, John Burinell, Mrs. A. B. Parham, C. B. Holmes, Mrs. Phoebe 
          Dewater (relative of Jim Dewater).
1843- J. W. Braden, Luther Gould, F. Hubbard, Mrs. Delia Wilton, E. M. Keasey, James H. 
          Sturgis, Hedley Deal.
1844- O. I. Gardner, Wm. Culver, L. O. Debow, L. W. Hall, Mrs. L. O. Bullock, Mrs. Wm. 
          Spearow, Rosain Newman, Mrs. George Hall, Robert McClaskey, Julia McClaskey, Charles 
          Smith, John P. Jones, Jonas Kauffman, Wm. J. Snyder, Mrs. Wm. J. Snyder, A. Lampman.
1845- Samuel Sperow, Sol Spearow, George Hoak, Mrs. Jacob Shuman, Louise M. Baker.
1846- Jerry Outcalt, Matthew McCoy, Aaron Martin, Mrs. Mary Lovedy, Mrs. Charles Smith, 
          Mrs. O. I. Gardner, Jason Newell, W. C. Strang, John A. Draggoo, Wm. Spearow.
1847- Henry Klingaman, H. G. Schermerhorn, A. H. Price.
1848- James Green, Robert Kent, L. W. Grate, Senator Smith, J. W. Mills.