RANDOLPH COUNTY, INDIANA
BIOGRAPHIES
Mr. Beach comes of Welsh ancestry, his people having long been residents of America, and he was born in Randolph county, Indiana, December 18, 1841, son of Milton and Mary (Chandler) Beach. Milton Beach was a native of Pickaway county, Ohio, and died in Olmsted county, Minnesota, at the age of seventy four years, he having come to this state about 1863 or '4. His wife, whose birthplace was in Washington county, Ohio, also died in Olmsted county, Minnesota, her age at death being about fifty four years. They were the parents of eight children, six of whom are yet living and are occupying honored and useful positions in life. The paternal grandparents of our subject were Timothy and Sarah (Sprague) Beach, the former a native of Rhode Island. Grandfather Beach died in Scotland county, Missouri, at the ripe old age of eighty six years; his wife passed away in Macon county, Illinois, at the age of fifty eight. He was a veteran of the war of 1812. Reverting to the maternal grandparents of Nathan Beach, we find that they were Hiram and Sarah (Humiston) Chandler, who doubtless were among the earliest settlers of the Buckeye state. Grandfather Chandler died in Randolph county, Indiana, near the age of sixty years, and Grandmother Chandler attained the ripe old age of eighty eight years, her death having occurred in Minnesota.
Coming down to the direct subject of this biograhical notice, Nathan Beach, we record that he was reared on a farm, and educated at the district schools and in a select school in Salem, Indiana. He remained at home until twenty years of age, and August 9, 1862, before he reached his majority, he enlisted as a member of Company F, Sixty ninth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, under Captain Lew K. Harris, the fortunes of which command he shared until he was honorably discharged at St. Louis, June 27, 1865. He was at the battle of Richmond, Kentucky, nineteen days after he enlisted. Chickasaw Bluffs was his next battle, followed by Arkansas Post and Port Gibson. At this last named place, May 1, 1863, he was shot in the left shoulder, and was laid up practically until the close of the war. After three or four weeks spent in Milliken's Bend Hospital in Louisiana, he went to Benton Barracks Hospital at St. Louis, where he remained until convalescent. There he was transferred to the Veterans' Reserve Corps and remained in St. Louis until he was honorably discharged at the close of hostilities. He has been a sufferer ever since from his army wounds.
The war over, Mr. Beach came direct to Minnesota and settled first in Marion, Minnesota, with his parents, making that his home and carrying on farming operations on a tract of one hundred acres of wild land he bought. In 1871 he exchanged this farm for a stock of goods in Marion, where he was engaged in business for two years and a half. At the end of that time he and his partner divided the stock, and he removed his share to St. Charles, Minnesota, and entered into partnership with his brother in law, dealing in groceries, boots, shoes, and crockery. In 1878 they divided their stock, Mr. Beach bringing a part of the goods to Tracy, Minnesota, and for three or four years longer the business was conducted in partnership at both places. After that he disposed of his interest in the St. Charles store and became sole propietor of the establishment here, and has ever since continued his business, carrying a large stock of groceries, hardware, and lumber. His every venture and enterprise seemed a fortunate one. He has prospered from year to year, and has accumulated a large property. Besides his valuable property in Tracy, his business house and home, he owns a fine country seat and summer cottage at Lake Shetek, and has eighty acres of fine farming land.
Mr. Beach was married January 1, 1867, in Marion, Minnesota, to Miss Elizabeth Robertson, a native of Sullivan county, New York, and by her has had two children, Mary E. and Jessie A. The former is married and settled in life, and the latter is a member of the home circle. Mrs. Beach is a daughter of Eli and Eliza L. (Young) Robertson, early settlers of Minnesota, he being now deceased and she a resident of Tracy.
Not only in business circles, but also in those political and fraternal Mr. Beach is prominent and active. He is a stanch Republican, voted first for Mr. Lincoln's second term, and has always maintained his allegiance to this party. He has alway been active in the conventions and caucuses of his party, and has filled some local offices, but has never been an office seeker nor has he cared for official preferment. He is a member of Joe Hooker Post, No. 15, G. A. R., of Tracy, of which he served as commander in 1894. His prominence in Grand Army circles is equaled by his wife's popularity in those of the W. R. C. Indeed, Mrs. Beach is one of the most enthusiastic and efficient corps workers in the state of Minnesota. For the year 1895 she filled the office of department inspector of the state, and while serving as such showed marked executive ability, and by her charming manner and winning ways made hosts of friends.
Mr. Beach and his family attend worship at the Methodist Episcopal church.
[Source: Memorial Record of SW Minnesota, published 1897 - Submitted by Gary Boomgaarden]
DODDS, Mrs. Susanna Way, physician, born in a log
cabin in Randolph county, near Richmond, Ind., 10th November, 1830 Her
father was a lineal descendant of Henry Way, a Puritan, who emigrated
from England to this country in 1630. Both father and mother were
members of the Society of Friends. Their ancestors, who went west from
Guilford, N. C., were originally from Nantucket. Susanna was the eldest
of thirteen children. The father was in moderate circumstances and
could give them only a common-school education. The eldest daughter was
ambitious, and early set her heart on going to college. To her great
grief, she soon found that, with the exception of Oberlin, there was
not a college in the land that would admit women. There were only
ladies' seminaries. She therefore decided to go to Oxford Female
Institute, which was then conducted by Rev. J. W. Scott, the
father-in-law of President Benjamin Harrison. To do this, Miss Way
began teaching in the common schools at a salary of eight dollars a
month, and boarded herself. She was then seventeen years of age. By
rigid economy she saved a small sum of money, and in her twenty-third
year received her diploma from Dr. Scott's seminary. The much-coveted
college course was not given up. The university in Ann Arbor was
founded, and its doors were afterwards thrown open to women. Antioch,
with Horace Mann at its head admitted women and in the spring of 1856
Miss Way entered the preparatory department of that college. Again her
plans were frustrated. Sickness in her father's family called her home
and also prevented her from earning money. The following year she
became the wife of Andrew Dodds, a young Scotchman, whose liberal views
were in harmony with her own. They made their home in Yellow Springs,
Ohio, and Mrs. Dodds renewed her studies in Antioch, where she
afterward graduated. She also completed a medical course, in 1864, in
the New York Hygeio-Therapeutic College. Her husband at that time
enlisted in the Federal army, and by exposure in the mountains of
Virginia contracted a fatal disease. A short time before his death the
family moved to St. Louis, Mo., and in 1870 Dr. Dodds began to practice
in that city. She was joined by her husband's sister, Dr. Mary Dodds,
with whom she is still associated. As physicians they have done much
for the physical redemption of women. Dr. Susanna Way Dodds is dean of
the St. Louis Hygienic College of Physicians and Surgeons, and also a
member of its faculty. She has written and published a work on
dietetics, entitled "Health in the Household," and has contributed to a
number of health journals and other papers.
(American Women, Frances Elizabeth Willard, Mary Ashton Rice Livermore,
Volume 1 Copyright 1897. Transcribed by Marla Snow.)
SOLOMON R. GREEN; Solomon R.
Green, a member of one of the pioneer families of Atchison county and a
well known farmer of this county, is a native of Randolph county,
Indiana, and was born October 15, 1840. He was a son of James and
Amelia (Vernard) Green. William Vernard, the maternal grandfather, was
a native of Ohio and served in the war of the Revolution. He was a
farmer by occupation, continuing at this until his death, which
occurred at an advanced age at his home in Indiana. He was a prominent
man and filled several offices with dignity and credit. He had two
children— Amelia, the mother of our subject; and Mariah, who married J.
Wade.
James Green, the father of our subject, married when comparatively
young and settled in Randolph county, Indiana, where he began farming.
In 1841 he started west and spent the following winter in Illinois. In
1842 he reached Atchison county, Missouri, where he exchanged his ox
team and wagon for a claim of one hundred and sixty acres. There were
no improvements on the claim save a rude log cabin, but after settling
on the place he began farming. Having considerable money in Indiana,
which he received for his farm, that he had sold, and wishing to obtain
the money, he accordingly set out on foot to reach his old home. At
that time there was no other way of returning to Indiana save by boat,
and after making the trip he bought another farm, which he improved and
then sold. He always retained the original homestead, and it was there
he passed his last days, where he was honored and respected by all. He
had undergone all the hardships of pioneer life, and was at all times a
faithful and willing worker. Up to the time he had settled in Missouri
he had been of the Quaker faith; but at one of the meetings of the
Cumberland Presbyterian church held in his home he was converted to
their faith, and continued a member of that church to the end of his
days. His death occurred in 1879, and his wife died in 1865. Their
children were: Nancy A.; William, who served in Price's army for a
short time; Solomon R., the subject of this sketch; and Martin, who
also served in Price's army, but as soon as he was able went to Kansas,
where he entered the federal service, and finally was killed in battle;
and Sarah, now Mrs. Combs.
Solomon R. Green, the subject of this sketch, remained with his parents
until grown, and he, too, saw much privation and many hardships during
those early days. He was very fond of hunting, and tells many
interesting stories of his experiences with the gun. In 1867 he located
where he now lives and where he had bought an eighty acre tract of
land, and began his struggles in life in earnest. He has been very
successful, and it has only been through hard J work and perseverance
that he has succeeded. On settling in this locality there were but
three neighbors, and nothing but a vast prairie for miles around. The
grass was good for grazing, and Mr. Green took up j stock raising in
connection with farming. He has gradually added more to his pos- I
sessions each year, and is at present the owner of several hundred
acres of land, besides his homestead. He is a Democrat in politics,
though he has never aspired to political preferment.
Mr. Green married Nancy M. Wright, who was born in Iowa, a daughter of
Robert and Jane W right. Robert Wright was originally from
Pennsylvania, but for many years lived in Fremont county, Iowa. In 1850
he "took the gold fever and went to California, where he engaged m
mining. He was in possession of a very valuable claim, but was obliged
to leave, on receiving word that his wife was at the point of death. He
returned in 1850 and never went again to California. He carried on
farming until his death, which occurred in 1890. His wife died in 1885.
He left a large estate. He and his wife were the parents of the
following children: John, of Colorado; George, of California; Mrs. Ehna
Bascoe; J Emily; Nancy, the wife of our subject; Ida; Yada; and Robert,
of Nebraska.
Mr. and Mrs. Wright have been blessed with nine children, whose names
are: Ida, who married J. Pearce; Martin; Jane, the wife of E. Proud;
Randolph, a school | teacher; Arthur; George; Ethel; Dora, the wife of
B. F. Sharp; and Solomon. The family are members of the Cumberland
Presbyterian church. Two of the sons are I members of the Masonic
fraternity.
Source: A History of the Pioneer Families of Missouri: with
numerous sketches ... By William Smith Bryan publ. 1876 Transcribed by
Andrea Stawski Pack
COMMONS, Samuel A.,
secretary and treasurer Du Brie Motor Co.; born,
Union City, Ind., (Randolph Co) Oct. 21, 1865; son of John and Clarissa
(Rogers) Commons; married at Oberlin, O., Nov. 5, 1890, Florence
Millen. In newspaper work at Ishpeming, Mich., until 1893, in office of
secretary of state, Lansing, 1893-6; clerk of Board of State Auditors,
1896-1904. Came to Detroit from Lansing, Mich., Feb., 1904, and since
1905 has been secretary and treasurer of The Du Brie Motor Co.,
manufacturers of marine engines. Member Masonic order. Office: 436
Guoin St. Residence: 139 Josephine St.
Submitted by Christine Walters Source: "The Book of Detroiters by
Albert Nelson Marquis 1908"