Biography of Frank Yarde, pages 842/843/844.  History of 
DeKalb County, Indiana; B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc., 
Indianapolis, 1914.



In nearly every community are individuals who by innate 
ability and sheer force of character rise above their 
fellows and win for themselves conspicuous places in public 
esteem. While Frank Yarde, a progressive farmer in Keyser 
township, DeKalb county, does not court such a distinction, 
yet it is evident that he has won a larger amount of success 
than the average farmer and that its has been done by his 
own unaided efforts since it has never been his nature to 
depend on anyone.  During the long period of his residence 
in this vicinity his life has been closely interwoven with 
its material growth and development, while his career as a 
man of affairs has been synonymous with all that is upright 
and honorable in citizenship. Frank Yarde was born on 
January 11, 1861, in Richland township, DeKalb county, 
Indiana, and is the son of John and Lydia Ann (House) Yarde. 
The family is descended from good old English stock, the 
subject’s paternal grandfather, John Yarde, having been born 
in Devonshire, England, on March 12, 1812. His parents died 
when he was a child, and he was reared by his mother’s 
sister and given a collegiate education. When seventeen 
years of age he began teaching school and followed that 
vocation for thirty-five years. He married Mary Symonds, 
also a native of Devonshire, and to them were born twelve 
children, eleven daughters and a son. In August, 1852, Mr. 
Yarde brought his family to the United States, locating 
first in Summit county, Ohio, where they remained a month, 
and then came to DeKalb county, and here bought fifty acres 
of unimproved land, where he purposed making his permanent 
home. After paying for this land he had about seventy-five 
dollars left, and, having use of but one hand, the burden of 
the work of clearing and improving this land fell to his 
son, John, junior, then a lad of about sixteen years. The 
latter was born in Devonshire, England, on November 17, 
1836, and received a good education in the public schools, 
making rapid advancement so that before he was sixteen years 
of age he had taught school for thirteen months.  He 
accompanied his parents an assisted materially in the 
improvement of the DeKalb county farm. On October 10, 1858, 
John Yarde, junior, was married to Lydia Ann Houser, who was 
born in Wayne county, Ohio, on July 12, 1840, a daughter of 
David and Rebecca Houser, and to this union were born six 
children: Martha, Frank, David, Nettie, Henry and Bertha. 
Martha became the wife of William Imler, and lives in Butler 
township, where he is a successful farmer. They are the 
parents of three children. Frank, the immediate subject of 
this sketch, is next in order of birth, David is represented 
in a personal sketch elsewhere in this book. Nettie married 
George Kelham, a farmer near Swan, DeKalb county, Indiana, 
and they have three children. Henry is also represented 
individually elsewhere in this volume.  Bertha became the 
wife of  Ira Grogg, a farmer living in Butler township, this 
county, and they are the parents of three children living 
and one deceased.  Frank Yarde was reared under the paternal 
roof, and received his educational training in the schools 
of the locality. As early as possible he gave a hand to the 
operation of the home farm, assisting his father until his 
marriage, when, in the spring of 1887,  he moved to his 
present location, which he rented from his father until the 
latter’s death in 1900, when the subject purchased the farm 
and has since given his undivided attention to it. The tract 
contains one hundred and sixty acres of land, and added to 
which Mr. Yarde, in 1893, had bought an eighty-acre tract 
known as the old Leeson farm. He has added to this until he 
is now the owner of four hundred and sixty acres of as good 
land as could be found in the township. It is well drained, 
fenced, and the residence, barn and other outbuildings are 
all of a substantial character, so that the place presents a 
pleasing aspect to the passer-by. He is owner of three 
hundred and sixty acres of land in the homestead place lying 
close to Garrett, the other hundred acres lying west of 
Garrett. About twenty-five acres of his land is timber and 
is considered a very valuable tract. Progressive and 
enterprising in his methods, Mr. Yard has, by dint of the 
most persistent industry and careful attention to details 
achieved a noteworthy success in his vocation, and today is 
numbered among the leading agriculturalists of Keyser 
township.  On September 22, 1886, Mr. Yarde was married to 
Alice Smith, daughter of James L. and Amanda (Sherrick) 
Smith, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of 
Clark county, Ohio. James L. Smith was born on July 13, 
1837, the son of Joseph and Annie (Guist) Smith, also a 
native girl of the Keystone state, the father of English and 
the mother of Scotch descent, his paternal ancestors coming 
to America with William Penn. In 1839 the parents moved to 
Columbiana county, Ohio, and when sixteen years of age he 
went to Stark county, that state, serving three years as a 
journeyman until attaining his majority, when he engaged in 
business for himself,  and in 1865 he moved to DeKalb 
county, Indiana, buying one hundred acres of land in Keyser 
township, a part of which is now the town site of Garrett. 
He rented his farm and worked at his trade until 1875, when 
he sold out an bought the farm, one hundred acres of which 
is in that township, where he afterwards resided. He married 
on October, 4, 1858, Amanda, the daughter of Samuel and Leah 
(Baker) Shirk, and to them were born nine children: Samuel, 
Isaiah J., Elmer,  Harrison H., Alice E., Reuben, Ida W., 
Ella and Minnie. The father’s death occurred in 1901 on the 
home place in that township. His first wife died in 1877, 
and in 1878 he was married to Priscilla Wyant, who was born 
in Champaign county, Ohio, in 1847, and to them were born 
six children: Arta May, Cora, James M., Francis, Effie and 
Jennie. To Mr. and Mrs. Yarde have been born four children: 
Jay, Roy, John and Ida, the last two being twins. 
Politically, Mr. Yarde has given his support to the  
Republican party, believing that the past record of this 
political organization entitled it to the support  of all 
thinking men, Religiously, he is a member of the Methodist 
Protestant church of Altona, a suburb of Garrett, being one 
of the trustees of that society and taking a strong interest 
in the welfare of the organization. In everything pertaining 
to the upbuilding of the community Mr. Yarde has been found 
loyal in his support and no worthy cause has appealed to him 
in vain. Genial and unassuming in his manner, he has earned 
and retains to a marked degree the respect and friendship of 
all whom know him.

Submitted by:

Arlene Goodwin

Auburn, Indiana

Agoodwin@ctlnet.com