Ruel Starr, BiographyPorter County biographical sketches . . . .
Transcribed biography of Ruel Starr
RUEL STARR, deceased, one of the pioneers of Porter County, was born in Oneida County, N. Y., December 22, 1804, and was a son of Noah and Alfleda (Fuller) Starr, the former being a soldier in the war of 1812, and in command of a company at Buffalo that crossed the Niagara River from Black Rock, and participated in the battle of Queenstown, October 13, 1812. Ruel Starr, in 1830, went to Kalamazoo, Mich., and in Comstock, of that State, December 29, 1830, married Phebe E., daughter of Caleb and Phebe (Brownell) Eldred, who was born in Otsego County, N. Y., January 18, 1812. This couple, in May, 1834, moved to Washington Township, Porter Co., Ind., where they built a cabin and engaged in pioneer pursuits. They partook of all the hardships of life in a new country, and in the spring of 1859 moved to Valparaiso, where Mr. Starr died April 19, 1875. His widow yet survives him and resides in Valparaiso with her only living child, Mrs. Kittie L. McGill, who was born May 3, 1849, and was married May 18, 1869, to James McGill. There were born to Mr. and Mrs. Starr a family of six children altogether, but the five following named died: Noah W. Octavius E., Augustus A., Caleb E. and Phebe E. Of the death of Mr. Starr, the following is a sample of what the county papers said of him: "He was one of the oldest and most prominent citizens of Porter County. He was very active in everything pertaining to the welfare of his country and he did much toward building up the county to its present proportions. In every sense of the word he was a self-made man, coming to the county poor, and by industry and economy accumulating a competence. He was a Democrat in politics, but not by any means a politician, although he was often called upon and did fill both township and county offices. His death was sincerely mourned and regretted by a large concourse of friends who followed his remains to their last resting place - the grave- but by none more than his family. He was interred in the city cemetery."
Source: Goodspeed, Weston A., and Charles Blanchard. 1882. Counties of Porter and Lake, Indiana: Historical and Biographical, Illustrated. Chicago, Illinois: F. A. Battey & Company. 771 p.
Page(s) in Source: 272
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