Biography of Melvin Swartz, pages 650/651/652.  History of 
DeKalb County, Indiana; B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc., 
Indianapolis, 1914.



Among the enterprising and progressive citizens of DeKalb 
county none stands higher in the esteem of his fellow 
citizens than the gentleman whose name forms the captions 
of this sketch. He has long been actively engaged in 
agricultural pursuits in this county and the years of his 
residence here have but served to strengthen the feeling of 
admiration on the part of his fellow men owing to the 
honorable life he has led and the success he has attained. 
Melvin Swartz, on of the enterprising farmers and public-
spirited citizens of Grant township, DeKalb county, was 
born on February 10, 1875, on the farm where he now lives, 
about a mile southwest of Waterloo. He is the son of 
William and Elizabeth (Welch) Swartz. William Swartz was 
born in Wayne county, Ohio, on March 11, 1830, and died at 
the home of the subject of this sketch on January 25, 1911; 
his wife, Elizabeth (Welch) Swartz, died on October 5, 
1910. William Swartz came to Indiana in 1848 with his 
parents and settled on the farm south of Waterloo, where he 
resided until about ten years prior to his death when he 
removed to Waterloo. He was one of the pioneers of this 
community and expended his strength in clearing the heavy 
forest and preparing his land for cultivation. In 1853 he 
returned to Wayne county, Ohio, and brought back with him 
Elizabeth Welch, to whom he was married on November 6th of 
that year, and here they courageously entered upon the 
struggles of life in which, by their united efforts, they 
attained to an eminent success.  To him and his wife were 
born ten children, namely: Adeline, who lives in Nova, 
Ashland county, Ohio, and is the widow of Josiah Kosht; 
Angela is the wife of Nelson Shook, of Kendallville, 
Indiana; Ida died at the age of four years; Izora, who was 
the wife of Samuel Baker,  died at the age of twenty-four 
year; Clement died at the age of two years; Tarring is 
engaged in the meat business at Auburn, Indiana; Emmett 
died at the age of eleven months; Lulu is the wife of 
William Batdorf, who is engaged in the meat business at 
Auburn with her brother, Tarring Swartz; The subject of 
this sketch was next in order of birth; Jennie, who was the 
wife of William Fletcher, died at Waterloo in October, 
1909.  Melvin Swartz was reared on the paternal farmstead 
until nineteen years of age, receiving he education in the 
district schools of the community. In 1893 he came to 
Waterloo, and, with his brother, Tarring, engaged in the 
butchering business, to which he devoted his efforts for 
six years. He then sold his interest and returned to the 
home farm, to the cultivation of which he has devoted his 
attention continuously since.  In 1900, after selling out 
to his brother, he bought sixty-one acres of land adjoining 
the home place on the east, and in January, 1906, he bought 
the eighty acres of the home place, where he now resides. 
He is methodical and progressive in his ides relating to 
agriculture, hesitating not to adopt new methods when their 
feasibility has been demonstrated by experience to the 
better than old methods. Inconsequence of his attitude 
along this line, his operation of the farm has been 
characterized by means and methods which have enabled him 
to attain a maximum of returns at a minimum of effort and 
expense. On April 25, 1895, Mr. Swartz married Catherine 
Becker, the daughter of Frederick and Katherine (Hoffman) 
Becker. Frederick Becker was born in September, 1825, in 
Nassau, Germany. In August, 1854, he married Katherine 
Hoffman, also a native of Nassau and born in the same house 
as was Mr. Becker. In September following their marriage 
the newly wedded couple and Mrs. Becker's brother, 
Frederick Hoffman, came to America, locating first a 
Mansfield, Ohio. They remained ten years longer at a little 
town south of Mansfield, where Mr. Becker followed 
blacksmithing.  In 1864 he moved to Indiana, locating on a 
farm one and on-half mile east of Corunna, but later he 
bought fifty acres, on which he made his permanent home an 
spent the remainder of his life,  His death occurring on 
August 28, 1894, in the sixty-ninth year of his age. In 
addition to this farming operations he also conducted a 
blacksmith shop, which was a great convenience to his 
neighbors and farmers. Religiously, he was a member of the 
German Reformed church and took a prominent part in the 
religious and civic life of the community.  To him and his 
wife were born ten children, all of whom grew to maturity, 
namely: John, who lives on a farm near Corunna; George, of 
Montpelier, Ohio; Frederick, who lives near Corunna; Mary 
is the widow of Amos Seibert and lives near Concord; Emma 
is the wife of Ulysses M. Swaysgood, of Garrett, Indiana;   
Nettie is the wife of Ed Kenyon, of Fort Wayne; Herman died 
on April 24, 1891, aged twenty-one years, six months and 
nine days; Peter lives in Waterloo, where he is agent for 
the electric interurban line;  Catherine is the wife of 
Melvin Swartz, who lives one mile south of Waterloo; Minnie 
is the wife of Herman Riley, of Elkhart, Indiana. The 
father of these children was a good citizen, and 
industrious worker and an affectionate father and faithful 
husband.  His wife, who celebrated her seventy-eighth 
birthday anniversary in November, 1913, has resided most of 
the time since her husband's death at Waterloo, where she 
has built a comfortable and attractive residence on North 
Wayne street.  She is quiet, home-loving woman, whose 
greatest worldly interest is in her children and their 
welfare. She holds fast to the religious faith which she 
professed many years ago, one of her chief companions being 
an old and well-worn German Bible.  Mr. and Mrs. Swartz are 
members of the United Brethren church, in which they take 
an active part. He is president of the board of trustees. 
He was a member of the building committee, which erected 
the present fine edifice, costing fifteen thousand dollars, 
and which is an ornament and credit to the community. Mr. 
Swartz is a whole-souled, genial and companionable man, up-
to-date and progressive in his ideas, and because of his 
sterling qualities of character and the success which he 
has attained, he is deserving of the enviable position 
which he holds in the esteem of all who know him. 

Submitted by:

Arlene Goodwin

Auburn, Indiana

Agoodwin@ctlnet.com