Biography of Levi Brandaberry, pages 400/401/402.  History of DeKalb County, 
Indiana; B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc., Indianapolis, 1914.

Levi Brandaberry

	It is signally consistent that in this compilation be entered a memoir 
of so worthy and honored a citizen as was Levi Brandaberry, who was for 
many years a resident of the county and who here attained independence 
through his honest and well directed efforts in connection with the great 
basic art of agriculture, while he stood forth as one of the representative 
citizens of his township.
	Levi Brandaberry, whose untimely death on October 20, 1899, caused 
universal expressions of regret and sorrow throughout Smithfield township, 
was born in Stark county, Ohio, on June 2, 1844, and was the son of 
Benjamin and Elizabeth (Frick) Brandaberry. He was one six  children, the 
others being Isabell, Cyrus, Caroline, Sarah and Hannah. When the subject 
was but a boy the family moved to DeKalb county, Indiana, locating in 
Smithfield township, where the father bought a farm in the southern part of 
that locality, where the parents made their permanent home and died.  On 
that farm Levi Brandberry was reared to manhood and after his marriage in 
1870 he lived for two yeas on the paternal farmstead, at the end of which 
time he bought a farm in the southwest part of Smithfield township, 
comprising one hundred and one acres of land, and to this he gave his 
undivided attention during the remainder of his life.  Practical and 
progressive in his ideas, energetic and persistent in his methods, it was 
not strange that success crowned his efforts, for in him were combined 
those qualities of character which insure success in any undertaking.  He 
made many splendid permanent improvements on his farm, including a large 
brick house, a commodious and well arranged barn and many other features, 
which gave the place a splendid reputation as one of the up-to-date and 
modern farms of Smithfield township. Mr. Brandaberry gave his personal 
attention to every detail of his work, and knew no such word as idleness.  
His death was caused by, being caught in the corn shredder, from which he 
received injuries that resulted in his death four days later.  A careful 
and prudent business man, he had his affairs in good shape so that, 
although his death was untimely, his widow found his affairs in good 
condition and has been enabled to carry on the farm work through tenants 
with good success.  She is now marking her home in Waterloo.  Mr. 
Brandaberry was an earnest member of the Knights of Pythias, in the 
workings of which he took an interested part.  Because of his high 
character, business success and his genial nature, he had won and retained 
a host of warm friends throughout the community where he lived, and his 
death was considered a distinct loss to the community, which had been 
honored by his citizenship for so many years.
	On October 9, 1870, Levi Brandaberry was united in marriage with 
Margaret Hamman, who was born in DeKalb county, Indiana, but went with her 
parents to Kosciusko county, this state.  Her father died when she was but 
five years old, and her mother, upon whom was thrown the burden of rearing 
five small children, felt unable to properly care for them and consequently 
Margaret was placed with a family by the name of Chambers, by whom she was 
taken to Illinois, where they made a home.  They died there and she was 
taken into the home of James Adams at the age of eight years, with whom 
she remained until seventeen years old.  By these people she was not given 
proper consideration, being treated badly in many respects, being compelled 
to work hard and being clothed scantily and denied the opportunities of a 
proper education. In the meantime her brother, who was desirous of 
ascertaining her whereabouts, had written postal cards to every postmaster 
in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, asking for information as to her whereabouts.  
The postmaster were she was then living recognized the description of her 
and gave her the card, to which she wrote a reply, and she was then 
informed that her relatives had about concluded that she was dead and 
wished to see her again.  This she told the people with whom she lived, 
who grudgingly gave her some clothes to travel in.  When she arrived in 
the locality where her relatives were, she was waiting at the railroad 
station and saw two women, evidently a mother and daughter, eyeing her 
closely and whispering to each other.  Finally one of them approached her 
and asked her name, which on learning, they told her they were her cousin 
and aunt.  However, she did not know them and even her mother seemed to 
her like a stranger.  She felt strangely alone in the world, for fate had 
cheated her of a child’s natural heritage, a mother’s love, during the 
formative period of her life.  She did not remain long at the home, but 
secured a place and worked out in the neighborhood until her marriage to 
Mr. Brandaberry, who was prosperous and provided well for her, eventually 
leaving her a good farm and a comfortable home.  He was in the truest sense 
of the word a helpmate to her husband, contributing by her encouraging 
words and sound advice to his business prosperity and in the community 
where so many of her years have been spent, she is held in the highest 
esteem by all who know her.  No children were born to Mr. and Mrs. 
Brandabery but they adopted a girl, Jennie Fee, the daughter of John and 
Sarah (Johns) Fee, she now being the wife of W.B. Williams of King county, 
Washington. During the thirteen years which have elapsed since Mr. 
Brandaberry’s death, Mrs. Brandaberry had had only two tenants on her 
farm, and has had very satisfactory business relations with them.  She is 
a shrewd, keen and sagacious business woman, handling the affairs with 
prudence and sound judgement, and because of her kindly qualities of head 
and heart she has a large circle of warm and loyal friends.

Submitted by:
Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
Agoodwin@ctlnet.com