Lake-La Porte County IN Archives Biographies.....Michael, Edwin 1840 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/in/infiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com December 21, 2006, 10:38 pm Author: T. H. Ball (1904) EDWIN MICHAEL. Edwin Michael is one of the native born citizens of Lake county and one who has an honored place in the county as an upright man and citizen. He is one of the oldest of those still living who were born in this county of Lake. He was born September 17, 1840, being the older of the only two living children of John J. and Wealthy Ann (Green) Michael, his brother being William H. Michael, who is a prosperous farmer in this county and a raiser of blooded Durham cattle, and whose personal history will be found on other pages of this work. His father was a native of New York state, was born March 22, 1811, and died about 1898. He was a carpenter and joiner by trade, and in the after years of his career followed farming. He was reared to the age of twenty-eight in New York state, receiving his education in the old-fashioned public schools of that early epoch. About 1839 he came to Lake county, Indiana, having been married to Miss Green in the state of Michigan. He was a poor man when he came to this county, and his first purchase of real estate was one hundred and sixty acres of state land, at a cost of about a dollar and a half an acre. His first habitation was a litle [sic] log cabin, in which his son Edwin and the other children were born. He added to his land until his estate at one time comprised three hundred acres of choice land. He was in politics an old-line Whig, merging later into a Republican, the cardinal tenets of which party he advocated all his life. He and his wife were Baptists. His wife, who was a native of Michigan, died at the age of about twenty-six years, when her son Edwin was about six years old. Mr. Edwin Michael was reared in Lake county, with the exception of four years spent in Westville, La Porte county. He received a good common school education and had the benefit of attendance at the well-known Westville high school. He also took the literary course at the old University of Chicago, when that institution was located on Cottage Grove avenue. He taught school for two years in Haskell station in LaPorte county, and for two years in Lake county. He is a man of more than ordinary intellectual attainments, and as a farmer and as a business man has been noted for his progressive ideas and energetic activity. When this country was in the throes of war and civil strife he bravely offered his services, and his life if need be, to the Union and the honor of the old flag. He enlisted at Lowell, August 12, 1862, in Company A, Ninety-ninth Indiana Infantry, and his regiment rendezvoused at South Bend. The first captain was Daniel F. Sawyer, but before the company returned from the front there were three other captains, namely, K. M. Burn-ham, R. H. Wells and Alfred H. Heath. His regiment was assigned to the western department under General Sherman, and he was with this intrepid commander on his most memorable campaign. He participated at the siege and capture of Vicksburg, was at the battles of Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga and Missionary Ridge, being in the charge up the east end of Missionary Ridge. Then he was under fire for one hundred continuous days during the Atlanta campaign. At the battle of Resaca he was in the hottest fight of his career, one of his comrades being shot down at his side and he himself narrowly escaping the storm of death. He was on the skirmish line at the fierce engagement at Dallas. He made the famous march to the sea across the state of Georgia, in which Sherman's men cut a swath sixty miles wide. From the sea he was on the long march up through the Carolinas on to Washington city. Two dates in his soldier's life he will never forget—the surrender of Lee and the assassination of Lincoln. He was at Raleigh, North Carolina, when the glad intelligence of the former reached the tired army, bringing joy and hope of home and friends to the poor soldiers. And five days later the death of the martyr president cast a gloom over the entire army previously so happy. On reaching Washington he participated in the grand review of Sherman's battle-scarred and tattered veterans, and on June 5, 1865, ne received his honorable discharge, after having served his country faithfully for three years. He then went home and donned the peaceful garb of a civilian, to participate for the rest of his life in the work and public activity of his home community. Mr. Michael married, January 1, 1866, Miss Thirza H. Dyer, and five children, a son and four daughters, have graced this union: Margaret A. is the wife of H. D. Gerrish, who is engaged in mining in Bay Horse, Idaho, and they have one child, Karlton. Earl J., who is a general merchant and dealer in mining supplies in the same locality of Idaho, married Miss Roles and has one daughter. Miss Ida L., who was educated in the common schools and at the Valparaiso Normal, has been a successful teacher in the city schools of Hammond for the past three .years, and also taught four years in her home township. Miss Julia M., who was educated in the Hammond high school and at Valparaiso, is at home with her father; is a teacher in her home township, and taught for two years in Idaho. Miss Edna R. was educated in the Hammond high school and is a teacher in Bay Horse, Idaho. Mr. Michael may well feel a large degree of pride in his children's enviable record in the field of active life. Mrs. Michael was born in Wheaton, Illinois, February 4, 1844, and for some time was a successful teacher in that state. She is now an invalid. Mr. Michael was old enough to cast a vote for Lincoln's second election, but was not permitted to vote because of being in the ranks. However, he has actively supported every candidate of the Grand Old Party ever since. He was elected in 1888 to the office of trustee of his township, this being the most onerous public office in the county. During his incumbency he supervised the erection of three schoolhouses and had to look after the welfare of twelve schools. He is a man well fitted by intelligence, experience and personal integrity to fill any office his fellow-citizens may give him, and he is public-spirited and thoroughly interested in everything pertaining to the growth and advancement of the county. His farm comprises one hundred and seventy-four acres of fine land all in West Creek township, and in the summer of 1903 he erected one of the most beautiful and modern residences in the township. Fraternally Mr. Michael is a member of Burnham Post No. 276, G. A. R., he being past commander. There are about sixty-five active members of the post at this writing, which is a large body considering the fact that the Grand Army is the only organization which never increases in number. Additional Comments: Extracted from: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF Genealogy and Biography OF LAKE COUNTY, INDIANA, WITH A COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY 1834—1904 A Record of the Achievements of Its People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Founding of a Nation. REV. T. H. BALL OF CROWN POINT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ILLUSTRATED CHICAGO NEW YORK THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY 1904 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/in/lake/bios/michael512gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/infiles/ File size: 7.6 Kb