John E. Small, BiographyPorter County biographical sketches . . . .
Transcribed biography of John E. Small
JOHN E. SMALL, deceased, was for forty years a respected citizen of Porter county, Indiana. As such, the following facts as to his life and family are of specific interest in this work, devoted, as it is, to a portrayal of the leading men and women of this locality.
John E. Small was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, July 17, 1829, son of Richard and Mary Small, and the eldest of a family of thirteen children, three of whom -- William P., Findlay and Simon -- were soldiers in the Civil war and fought valiantly for the preservation of the Union.
In his native state John E. Small learned the trade of miller, and was connected with the rolling mills in Pennsylvania in his early life. He remained there until 1865, when he came west to Indiana and settled in Porter county, which has since been the family home. Soon after his arrival here he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, to which he subsequently added until he owned two hundred and sixty acres. This tract of land he improved and developed into a fine farm, having good buildings and a general air of thrift and prosperity. And here he lived for four decades, and died March 1, 1905, at the ripe age of seventy-six years.
On April 24, 1851, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, John E. Small and Miss Mary Jane Riley were united in marriage, and as the years came and went sons and daughters to the number of nine were given to them. Of this number, one, Anna, died in infancy. Of the others, we record that Mary became the wife of George Baker; Elizabeth, who married John Chrissman, of Deep River, Indiana, has five children, Lottie, John, Mary J., Ethel and Thomas; Kate, wife of Edward Wood, of Lowell, Indiana, has three sons, Linton, Burt and Harry; Indiana is the wife of George H. Fuller, a contractor of Chicago Heights; Richard, who married Carrie Hackston, has seven children, George, Marcine, Harry, John, Isaac, Ray and Grace; Isaac, who married Mary Small, is deceased; John, who married Anna Marquart, has four daughters, Ina, Gretchen, Edith and Mary; Simon, who married Anna Fox, has four children, Tryphosa, Dolphus, John and Martha.
Mrs. Mary Jane Small was born in Armaugh, Ireland, daughter of Isaac and Joanna Riley, and when five years old came with them to America, their settlement being at Pittsburg, where she was reared and married. Mr. Riley's location was on the site where now stands the Pittsburgh Union depot, and for years he was employed in the rolling mills of that city. He and his wife had two daughters, Eliza and Mary Jane. Eliza became the wife of Mathew McBride. Mrs. Small still occupies the old homestead, where she is well known for her genial hospitality and neighborly kindness. One of the pets of her household is Don, a beautiful California parrot, whose companionship is a source of pleasure to her. Don greets her callers and friends and bids them good-by as though he fully realized the responsibility of his position as a courteous member of the household.
Mrs. Small is a worthy member of the Methodist Episcopal church, as also was Mr. Small. Politically he was a Republican, staunch in the support of the party, and fraternally he was a Knight Templar. For many years he was an enthusiastic Mason, and perhaps no member of the order ever attended more conclaves than he.
Source: Lewis Publishing Company. 1912. History of Porter County, Indiana: A Narrative Account of its Historical Progress, its People and its Principal Interests. Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Company. 881 p.
Page(s) in Source: 735-736
This biography has been transcribed exactly as it was originally published in the source. Please note that we do not provide photocopies or digital scans of biographies appearing on this website.
Biography transcribed by Steven R. Shook