Biography of Orin Brandon, pages 379/380/381/382.  History of DeKalb County, 
Indiana; B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc., Indianapolis, 1914.

Orin Brandon


	Among the citizens of DeKalb county who are widely and favorably known 
is Orin Brandon, one of Auburn’s useful and highly esteemed men.  His life 
has become a part of the history of the community in which he has made his 
home for many years, and his long and honorable business career has brought 
him before the public in such a way as to gain the esteem and confidence of 
his fellow-men and a well deserved reputation among his contemporaries. 
Keen perception, tireless energy and honesty of purpose, combined with 
mature judgment and every-day common sense, have ever been among his most 
prominent characteristics, and while laboring for individual success and 
for the material interests of the community he has also been instrumental 
in promoting the moral welfare of those with whom he has mingled.
	Orin Brandon was born about two miles west of Auburn, Indiana, on 
January 11, 1866, and is the son of Isaac and Barbara (Kutzner) Brandon.  
Both parents were natives of Stark county, Ohio, having been born a short 
distance west of Canton. Isaac Brandon, who was born on May 12, 1836, was 
reared on a farm and in the city of Canton.  His parents were John and Mary 
(Beard) Brandon, the father having been a successful farmer of that 
community and also having served efficiently as sheriff of Stark county. 
He was a native of Pennsylvania.  In June, 1949, John Brandon brought his 
family to DeKalb county, Indiana, and settled on what is now known as the 
Brandon farm, adjoining Auburn on the west.  With the exception of about 
six months, during which Isaac Brandon was clerking in Auburn, the latter 
lived with his parents until 1862, assisting his father with the farm work.  
After his marriage in the year mentioned, he moved to a farm, which he had 
purchased in Richland township and live there until 1873, when he moved 
back to the old homestead.  In the fall of 1874 he and his brother, Silas 
J., went to Nebraska with the intention of buying land and locating there, 
but in their absence their father was taken seriously sick and upon Isaac’s 
return home, he settled permanently at the old farm.  Mr. Brandon showed 
himself a good manager, a practical farmer and a successful business man.  
Although he never aspired to official honors, he always took a deep and 
active interest in public affairs, giving his support to the right men for 
the office sought.  While a resident of Richland township he was elected 
justice of the peace, but did not qualify for the office.  On March 20, 
1852, he was married to Barbara A. Kutzner, the daughter of Isaac Kutzner, 
a native of Canton, Ohio. To this union were born the following children: 
Alva, Ira, Orin, Asa, Ulla, Myron and Artie.  Isaac Brandon was the owner 
of one hundred and thirty acres of land, to which he gave his attention, 
and though advanced in years, he was numbered among the enterprising and 
progressive men of his locality.  His death occurred on Monday, May 25, 
1913, at his old home near Auburn.
	Orin Brandon was reared to maturity on the home farm, and at the age 
of seventeen years he started out in life for himself, going to Texas and 
Indian Territory, where he found employment on a railroad.  A year later 
he went to Jackson, Michigan, where he entered the employ of the Lake
Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad, but quit that employment because he 
did not find it sufficiently remunerative.  Returning then to Auburn he 
took up the carpenter’s trade, at which he worked until 1893, when he and 
Perry J. Long began taking building contracts.  They were engaged together 
in this line of work about eight years and built some of the best buildings 
in Auburn, including some of the larger store buildings in the business 
section of the city.  In March, 1903, Mr. Brandon gave up the contracting 
business, when he and O. G. Huff, of South Bend, Indiana, bought the lumber 
yard formerly owned by the A. Lewis Lumber Company.  Mr. Huff continued 
his residence in South Bend, and traveled a great deal, leaving the actual 
management of the business to Mr. Brandon, who gave to it his personal 
attention, and to whose effective efforts was due the large trade, which 
they enjoyed in this line.  In March, 1913, the Huff interests were 
purchased by Frank W. Olinger, of Auburn, who continues to be the business 
associate of Mr. Brandon.  The latter gives practically his entire time to 
the lumber business, although he is also connected with the Auburn Building 
and Loan Association. He carries a large and complete line of both building 
and dimension stock, and side lines required in the building trade, so that 
he is able to accommodate any call upon him in his line.
	In the local life of the community Mr. Brandon has taken a deep and 
abiding interest and for about eight years was an efficient member of the 
city council.  While he was in office the contract was let for the first 
paved streets in Auburn, and the sewer system was contracted for just 
before he entered office.  Fraternally Mr. Brandon is a member of the 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he takes a deep interest, and 
he and his family belong the to the Methodist Episcopal church, he being a 
trustee of the local organization.
	On April 9, 1891, Mr. Brandon married Winnie Raut, daughter of 
Frederick and Mary (Ashelman) Raut.  She was born and reared in Auburn, 
and in her veins runs stanch old German blood, her father having been a 
native of the Fatherland, and her mother, though of Swiss parentage, was 
born about a half-mile east of Auburn. Frederick Raut came here when a 
young man and married Mary Ashelman. He followed the vocations of harness 
making and shoe making in the early days, and was also a successful and 
popular preacher in the German Methodist church.  Mary Ashelman was the 
daughter of John J. Ashelman an old setter, who followed framing east of 
Auburn, where Mrs. Brandon’s mother was reared.  Her father died here 
about 1880, and the mother still lives in Auburn.,
	John U. Ashelman, paternal grandfather of Mrs. Brandon, was born at 
Basle, Switzerland, in 1792, was reared in that city and there engaged in 
the milk business.  He married Mary Everhart in Basle, and within a year 
afterward he came to America, arriving here in 1832 and locating in Wayne 
county, Ohio, where they lived for about ten years. He bought a farm of 
eighty acres there and gave his attention to it cultivation.  In 1836 he 
came to Auburn, DeKalb county, Indiana, there being then but three houses 
in Auburn.  He entered land upon his arrival here, and while building his 
first home, he lodged with some friendly Indians.  His entire possessions 
of real estate here amounted to about six hundred and forty acres of land 
located at the east edge of Auburn, part of which being now comprised 
within the city limits.  He also entered a tract of land near the city of 
Fort Wayne, this state.  He contracted to have some of the land cleared, 
and returned to his home in Ohio, where he lived until 1842, then came 
here and spent the balance of his life on his own place.  His death 
occurred in 1856.  His widow survived him several years, dying in 1864.  
At the time of his death, Mr. Ashelman owned nine hundred and twenty acres 
of land and was considered quite well-to-do for that day.  They were the 
parents of three sons and six daughters, namely: Mr. Elizabeth Carmer, 
Moses, Mrs. Barbara Eckhart and William are deceased.  Those living are 
Mrs. Mary Raut, Mrs. Regina Weaver, Mrs. Annie Walker, Christopher, and 
Mrs. Rosa Saxton.   John U. Ashelman was in many respects one of the 
remarkable men of his day and generation.  He was not only a pioneer, but 
took a prominent leading part in the development and upbuilding of the 
early community, and none of the men who made the early history of this 
locality is entitled to greater credit for its development that he.  
Energy, hospitality and absolute integrity were his leading characteristics 
and his long life was a blessing to the community.
	To Mr. and Mrs. Bandon have been born four children, three of whom 
are living: Russell, who died at the age of eleven years; Charles A., 
Annie L., and Mary Elizabeth.  By a straightfoward and commendable course, 
Mr. Barndon has made his way to a respectable position in the business 
world, winning the hearty admiration of the people of his city and earning 
a reputation as a very careful and progressive man of affairs, and a 
broad-minded, upright and charitable citizen, whom the public has not been 
slow to recognize and appreciate.

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