Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2014 All Rights Reserved USGenNet Data Repository Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ =========================================================================== Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== A Standard History of Starke County, Indiana McCormick, Joseph N. - 1915 [230-232] CHARLES LARAMORE. Two of the oldest families identified with StarkeCounty are the LARAMORES and the HUMPHREYS. They were people of more than ordinary consequence — farmers, merchants, loyal citizens and upholders of the best in social life. CHARLES LARAMORE, who came as a child at the time of pioneer settlement, has prospered as a farmer, served a number of years as postmaster of Knox and in other offices, and none better deserve the commen- dation of the written record inlocal history. His ancestry is Scotch-Irish. Little is known of the earlier generations of the family in this country. GEORGE LARAMORE, father of Charles, is thought to have descended from one of three brothers who emigrated from England about the time of the Revolution, locating in three different sections of the colonies. The ancestor of this branch became a Virginian. The grandparents were THOMAS and MARY (WHITTLEBURY) LARAMORE. They were probably married in Virginia, but early in life moved to Muskingum County, Ohio, and THOMAS died there in early life. His widow married MATTHEW HUMPHREYS, and some years later, in 1830, when her son GEORGE LARAMORE, who was born January 16, 1822, was eight years of age, Mr. and Mrs. HUMPHREYS moved out to Tippecanoe County, Indiana, settling in the midst of the wilderness on the borders of Grand Prairie, about twelve miles from the City of Lafayette. There MATTHEW HUMPHREYS laid the foundation for a home and improved his land, and continued to reside in that section until 1851, when they left their log cabin home and moved into Starke County, locating at Knox. MATTHEW HUMPHREYS built the fourth home and the first frame house in that new village. At that time Starke County was merely an uninhabited wilderness, and MATTHEW HUMPHREYS became one of the first merchants and also bought a large tract of land within the county. The stock for his general store was all hauled from Laporte, by ox teams and wagons, and he continued for a number of years in business at the county seat. He died in 1856, and his widow twelve years later. She was born in 1808, while Mr. HUMPHREYS was brn in 1800. They were members of the United Brethren Church, which was about the only religious society in this part of Starke County in the early days. Both MATTHEW HUMPHREYS and wife are buried in the HUMPHREYS private burying ground within the Town of Knox. GEORGE LARAMORE, father of CHARLES, was the only child of his mother by her first marriage. He grew up in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, and there married SARAH HATTER. After the birth of their daughter MARY A. they moved to Carroll County, Indiana, where CHARLES and ANDREW J. were born. CHARLES LARAMORE was born in Carroll County, Indiana, January 5, 1847. He was four years of age when the family removed by wagons and teams to Starke County. It required four days of travel along the winding and difficult roads to reach their new home. The high ridges which they were compelled to foUow in order to avoid the marshes were usually sandy, and slow progress was a necessity. MATTHEW HUMPHREYS had preceded GEORGE LARAMORE to Starke County, arriving there in February, 1851, while MR. LARAMORE came in March of the same year. GEORGE LARAMORE acquired government land, the southwest quarter of Section 3 in Center Township, erected a log cabin, and thus began to improve a home as one of the pioneers. Although his place was only three miles northwest of the present City of Knox, he had for several years no near neighbors. In that vicinity he spent the rest of his life, had improved most of his land, erected a good frame house and died there in July, 1878. He was then past fifty-six years of age. In the early days he was a strong whig, had voted for HENRY CLAY, and after the formation of the republican party cast a ballot for JOHN C. FREMONT, its first candidate for the presidency, in 1856. He also voted for ABRAHAM LINCOLN, and was a strong abolitionist in belief and practice. He also had a great admiration for WILLIAM H. HARRISON, the whig President. GEORGE LARAMORE was a man of much public spirit in his community, possessed decision of character and was more than ordinarily influential. His wife died in June, 1887, at the old home, in the improvement of which she had assisted. She was a daughter of ANDREW and ELIZABETH (CHARLES) HATTER. The for- mer was of Pennsylvania Dutch stock and the latter the daughter of a Revolutionary soldier, who came over from France with LaFayette to assist the American colonists in gaining their freedom from England. ANDREW HATTER and wife were married in Pennsylvania, moved to Ohio, and in 1851 accompanied GEORGE LARAMORE on his removal to Starke County, Indiana, where their last years were spent with their daughter, MRS. LARAMORE. MRS. HATTER died in the fall of 1851, and her husband some years later. They were members of the German Lutheran Church, and ANDREW HATTER was a strong JACKSON democrat. GEORGE LARAMORE and wife became the parents of nine children, three sons and six daughters, all of whom grew to maturity. Five of them are still living and all have their homes in Indiana. Repre- sentative CHARLES LARAMORE was reared to manhood in Starke County, and early in life qualified for educational work and followed teaching for several years. He has since been an active farmer and stock raiser and dealer, and still owns a fine farm in Center Township. In 1900 MR. LARAMORE left his farm and moved to Knox, his farm having since been operated by his son. In February, 1900, MR. LARAMORE was appointed postmaster at Knox, and served through the MCKINLEY and ROOSEVELT administrations, altogether for three terms — twelve years and five months. MR. LARAMORE is now a member of the town board, having been elected on the republican ticket, and has given much public spirited service to his community. MR. LARAMORE was married in Starke County to MARY C. EMIGH, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1850 and died at her home in Knox May 13, 1906. She came to Starke County when fifteen years of age with her parents, CHRISTIAN and MARY (PAID) EMIGH, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania, were married there, and after settling in Starke County lived on a farm in Washington Township, where her father died when past seventy years of age, and her mother died at Knox when more than ninety-two years old. Her father was a whig in politics. Mr. and Mrs. LARAMORE are the parents of the following children : GEORGE DEVIR, who is now cashier of the Farmers and Merchants Bank at Hanna, Indiana, married ELLA DAVIS, and has children, CHARLES DAVIS, DORIS, LUCILE and JOHN. DOLPHA OSWELL died at the age of nineteen, after having finished his education in the public schools. LELIA AGNES since 1905 has served as assistant postmaster at Knox. She was in that office under her father and holds the same position under the present postmaster, WILLIS P. McCormick. She graduated from the State Normal School at Terre Haute in 1901, also from the C. L. S. C. with the class of 1910, and has done some extension work in Chicago University. She has been a teacher, both in Starke and Henry counties and the Indianapolis public schools, and has taken a very prominent part in church and social affairs. She is guardian of "Kankakee Camp" of the Camp Fire Girls and for several years has been secretary of the Starke County Society for the Study aud Prevention of Tuberculosis. CHARLES ERNEST, the fourth child of CHARLES LARAMORE, grew up on a farm and has been identified with that industry all his active career, being now manager of the old homestead. He married MARTHA CHIDESTER of Starke County, and their children are ESTHER, FRANK, CHESTER and MONROE. FLORIAN EUGENE is a graduate of Purdue University in the mechanical engineering department, and is now employed in his professional capacity by a heating and ventilating concern at Montreal, Canada. He is unmarried. HERBERT KENNETH, the youngest child, still living at home, is a member of the senior class in Purdue University, and specializing in the department of entomology and horticulture, and is deputy field man under M. M. HIGH, who is Government entomologist for Northern Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. LARAMORE and family are members of the Methodist Church. MR. LARAMORE affiliates with Knox Lodge No. 639, P. & A. M., is past chancellor of Lodge No. 296, Knights of Pythias, and is past commander of William Landon Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, No. 290. His membership in the Grand Army is the result of service during the Civil war. Though a very young man at the beginning of the struggle, towards its close he enlisted in Company H of the One Hundred and Fifty-first Regiment of Indiana Infantry, and was out for eight months, being largely employed in guard duty during the last year of the war. ===========================================================================