The following article is taken from pages 357-361 of an old book called Hartline Story of Portage Prairie, written by Alma V. Hartline. It was found in a library archives in Berrien County, Michigan. The information provides a first hand account of what life was like for this family. Alan Stokes who entered the information online is the Grandson of Henry Ebersole (b. 1895) and the Great Great Grandson of Henry Ebersole (b. 1814) highlighted in this first person account of history.
THE HENRY EBERSOLE HOME
Henry Ebersole was born in 1814, one source says Cumberland Co., Penn. and another says York Co., Penn. Elizabeth (Housewerth) Ebersole was born in 1812 in Pennsylvania. She was a daughter of Old John Housewerth, several of whose members came to Portage Prairie. They were married in Pennsylvania and their daughter, Mary was born there in 1847. They must have started to Michigan in 1849 or 1850 and their son, David, was born in Ohio, on the way, in 1850.
The Ebersoles acquired thirteen acres of land south of Nigger Lake. The road to their land was a lane across the road from the J.E. Vite home on Curran Road. They lived there for several years. Ray Travis told me there was a foundation back there when he was a boy. When my Grandfather Vite built his house on the Chicago Road in 1855, he and his dog boarded with the Ebersoles for a year. He often told my father about those days. He had an old white horse and a light wagon and he drove back there every day.
Henry Ebersole bought 60 acres of land in the northeast quarter of Section 23. The north side of this land was the line between the Jewel site and that of Jenny Shaw. It extended south along the York Road for 120 rods. There was a house and barn on the south side of Bertrand and the Ebersole family lived there for some time.
As I said before, George G. Rough was living in the Old Morley Tavern in the early 1880's. During that time he sold the main part of the tavern to Henry Ebersole and it was moved to his land and located on the present William Newsome home site. They added an ell on the west side and it was a large house. I remember being there with my father when I was a little girl. They had a handsome fireplace in the front room. It was made of polished wood and they were very proud of it, but as far as I know, they never had it connected to a chimney. They had bought it hoping to put up a chimney, but it was only used for pictures and ornaments. My grandparents were great friends of the Ebersoles. Henry Vite's diary tells of visiting there and tells of "Mother" going to Betsy Ebersoles to a "Quilting".
Many stories are still told about Henry Ebersole. He loved his Lord and lived his religion with joy and gusto. His prayers were long and loud and he prayed at every meeting. They tell of Mr. Ebersole having a loud session of prayer back in the field north of his house. The fun loving Wells boys heard him and ran back to ask him if he was in trouble. They said they thought he might have gotten into a trap. He got up from his knees and said, "I was having a glorious session with my Lord, boys". We wonder why we see so little demonstration of faith today. Are we ashamed to let people know we are Christian?
Great revivals are held in our church at an early date and they are mentioned in Rev. Watson's book. They seem to have been very especially noted during the 1870s and 1880s and from this great enthusiasm it was decided to build our new church in 1887. Jack Rhoades told me he was standing in the aisle after the service ended one Sunday, and Henry Ebersole was in front of the church. Suddenly he shouted and came running down the aisle swinging his arms. Everyone ducked into the pews to let him go by and he ran the length of the aisle, then he shouted and leaped high in the air and completely cleared the steps as he went outside. My father told of Mr. Ebersole getting the "Power" and rolling up in the carpet in the southwest corner of the church. Henry wasn't the only one to get the "Power" and it didn't do the carpet a bit of good. Poor Sammy Spangle, the janitor, would come the next morning and tack it down for the next meeting. The ladies of the Missionary Society had managed to buy a carpet for the church, and they were a little disturbed by this.
The Ebersoles farmed all their usable land, but their acres had dwindled down to 30 by 1887. They tried other ways to make a living. One of their most successful ways was the making of brooms. While they lived on the south side of the road, they built a "broom" house. Hattie Burke told me it stood very close to the road, on a strong foundation with planks for siding. They bought a broom making machine and raised their own broom corn. They made brooms of excellent quality. Besides this, they took the agency for Malena Salve in this area. It was shipped from Pennsylvania and they sold it in small jars. It was a good medication for cuts and burns, chapped hands and for lung infection. I believe it is still on the market. David took the agency for a set of religious books and sold a few as time went on. David drove a horse and buggy, and sometimes carried all three of their products.
As the years went on, Henry and Elizabeth became old and ailing. This was a sad time for them and the people of the church would sometimes go over there to help care for them. The first sadness of the family came in 1888 when their daughter, Mary, died. She was 41 years old and had not married. She was buried in our Cemetery. Henry Ebersole died in 1891 and Elizabeth in 1893. They were buried with Mary. Rev. J.A. Frye preached Henry's funeral and Rev. Abraham Frye preached Elizabeth's. These two men were brothers of Rev. Noah Frye, who was married to my father's sister, Mary Vite.
David Ebersole lived alone in the big house for a time and then married Maggie Shook of Buchanan. She was a daughter of Joe Shook, a brother of Mose Shook of Curran Rd. They were married by Rev. W.H. Wagner, and Mrs. Wagner and a Miss Goodenough stood up with them.
David and Maggie had a son, Henry, born in 1895. Maggie had a daughter, Violet, and she attend the Kansas School. She attend one of the Kansas School reunions, and at that time she lived in northern Michigan.
David died in 1900 and left Maggie and her children alone and those were sad days for her. In those days there was no financial assistance for widows. My father was appointed guardian for both Maggie and young Henry. The Evangelical Church had an orphanage at Flat Rock, Ohio, for children of that denomination.
It was decided by the Judge of Probate and our church that Henry should be taken to Flat Rock. It was a sad time for Maggie, but she finally agreed. She and Henry walked to Buchanan and she had his picture taken. I have one of those nice pictures. Violet was sent to a School for Girls at Coldwater, Michigan.
As Henry's guardian, my father was delegated to take Henry to Flat Rock and my father decided to take me along. Henry and I were both five years old and it seems as if my father was pretty brave to take two small children on a trip like that. As I have said before, my father was always interested in his children having new experiences, and besides, it did not cost anything. Henry and I could ride the cars "for free".
We drove old Ben to South Bend early in the morning of December 30, 1900 and put him in a livery stable under the Colfax Bridge and then took the Pennsylvania Railroad to Toledo. We arrived in Flat Rock in the evening and a double carriage took us out to the Home. Both professor Messersmidt and his wife were there to meet us. Their Christmas tree was still standing and at a service in the evening they gave me a tinse angel. We were there all night and in the morning my father combed my hair. After breakfast one of the older girls said she better comb my hair. I told her my father had combed it, but she said she better comb it anyway.
We left for home at noon. Henry had been very brave in leaving his mother and on the way down there, but when he saw us getting ready to leave, he broke down and cried bitterly. My father said I should kiss him and I did. Afterwards, my father said I was crying, too. I cannot remember that, but I do remember I was surprised to see tears on my father's face. We turned away and left a sad little boy.
The train got into South Bend and it was cold. We rode on a bus to get down town. My father left me with a colored man at the street level when he went down to get old Ben. He told the man to get me into the buggy the best he could, when he came up with the buggy. My father was sawing on the lines coming up the grade, but Ben wasn't slowing a bit. Somehow the colored man got me over the buggy wheel onto the seat, and we whirled out onto Michigan Street. That horse could travel. I still remember seeing the sparks flying from his iron horseshoes, from the bricks on Navarre Street. Old Ben was headed for home on a cold winter night.
Maggie stayed with my mother while we were gone, and they were up waiting for us. Before I went in, my father said, "Don't tell Maggie he cried". The first thing she said was, "Did Henry cry"? I looked her squarely in the eye and told my first lie, and said, "no". She looked quite crest fallen.
In 1958, I wrote to the Flat Rock Orphanage and asked how long Henry stayed there. They wrote me a nice letter saying he remained there for seven years and then had been taken into the home of Charles Koebee, near Chelsea, Michigan, where he lived until he was twenty-one years old. My parents were at Manchester, Michigan in about 1916 and Henry Ebersole came there with some boys. After he grew up he worked at the Ford Plant and lived in Detroit. He married and brought his wife to visit my parents in about 1935.
Maggie lived alone for a time on the small farm that had been left to her for her lifetime. And then to everyones surprise, she got married. As she told it to my father, a man came walking by her house one day and stopped for a drink of water. This was George Radley and a few days later he stopped for another drink. Very little was known about the Radley family. He was a widower and had lived in Niles. Maggie told my father she wanted to get married and he asked the Judge of the Probate to release him from his guardianship. They were married on April 12, 1901 by Rev. Wm. J. Douglas of Buchanan. Somehow they got along. George worked by the day for the farmers sometimes, and Maggie picked berries and did other work. I believe they were happy years for both of them.
Maggie died in 1916 and is buried on the Ebersole lot with her husband David, his sister and his parents. Geo. Radley had a marker put on her grave with the words "Maggie, wife of George Radley, Born 1870, Died 1916". When he was questioned about this he said, "She was my wife the longest". There is a picture in the Buchanan library in the Jesse East Collection of a reunion at the Joe Shook home and it shows George and Maggie Radley.
Henry Ebersole came to see my father after his mother's funeral, and as he was of age, he made arrangements to sell his land. My father bought it and owned it until he sold it to Arthur Newsome. The old house was torn down and a modern house was built by the Newsome family. I have a picture of the house taken after they started to demolish it. William Newsome told me they discovered one side of the basement was several inches longer than the other. Ike Wells told him two masons had built that basement. One was a tall man and the other was short. In the old days the masons often "stepped off" measurements for basement walls. The men's steps were not equal in length.
Arthur Newsome died in 1939 and Mrs. Rebecca Newsome, who was Amanda Bachman's aunt, died in 1959.
DESCENDENTS OF ARTHUR AND REBECCA NEWSOME
Mildred Newsome- Married
William Newsome - Married Mrs. Goldie Andrews
Elsie Newsome - Married Otto Siewert
Bernice Newsome- Married Lyle Korn
