I am not sure if I published these articles before on this site. They are about the Jacob
Arick family who lived in Jackson Twp. and he had an uncle Peter ERICK who also lived in
Jackson Twp. Their name was originaly IHRIG and was changed to Erick/Arick. Some of the
first born children kept Erick and others Arick The family story says there were bad
feelings with 2 brothers and the one changed his name to Arick. The family came from
Germany in 1773 and 2 brothers stayed in PA and others moved to OH and Peter and Jacob
moved to IN. I would love to find any living relatives of my family. I am an Arick and
Jacob is my 2nd great-grandfather.
This is part of an Arick history by Marilee Miller Kemperman "Jacob and Elizabeth
Arick with their four small daughters and William J. Arick (our ancestor) then an infant,
traveled down the Erie Canal in 1845 and settled in Jackson Township, Huntington County of
Indiana. Three more sons were born, the third, died when only a few months of age. Elias
was born 1 March 1850, and was laid to rest on a hill North of the Arick log cabin home.
Later this ground was dedicated as the "Arick Cemetery". Life in early days were
hard, Jacob and Elizabeth had 3 infant children that died. Jacob was a combination of
farmer, carpenter and funeral director, who made his own coffins. They were made of lumber
and lined with homespun. A coffin, is a shaped box, wide at the shoulders and tapers
toward the feet. When notified of a death, Jacob went to the home and measured the
deceased. Often working all night long to complete the custom made coffin. The Arick
family moved from their log cabin in !
1859 into a frame house across the lane. Elizabeth died 8 November 1893 and was interred
in the family cemetery near her infant children. Jacob lived a year longer, died 10
December 1894, and was laid beside his wife of 57 years." The cemetery is on the
corner of County Line Road and 700.
The article about Mary Galey Arick states that the land was owned by Jud Hyser. It says in
part "In subsequent years the land was acquired by Jacob Arick, one of the early
settlers in Jackson Township, part of whose estate fell to his son Silas Leonard Arick,
his share taking in the Jud Hyser place."
From the Roanoke Review, Roanoke, Indiana Friday Sept 4, 1936
History of the Jacob and Elizabeth Arick Family
The following history of the Arick families was read at the Arick Family Reunion which was
held at Sweeney Park in Fort Wayne on Sunday, Aug. 16, by Mrs Viola Best a
great-granddaughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Arick. Jacob and Elizabeth Arick were the
parents of Mrs. P. B. Settlemyer of Roanoke. In a humble home in Pennsylvania in 1816
Jacob Arick was born December 28. The following year 1817 over in Stark County, Ohio
Elizabeth Tracy was born October 8. This stalwart young man and dark haired madden were
married January 22, 1836 in Stark (error Wayne) County, Ohio, last one hundred years ago
last January. To them the following children were born: Catherine the oldest was born Nov.
1, 1836. She was married to Jacob Rathon (sic Rathfon) with six step-children. Jane, Ann,
Elizabeth, Jim, Dave, and Frank. Sarah Jane was born next on Feb. 3, 1838. She was Married
to Sam Smith. To them were born 3 children, Elizabeth, Ed. and Will. Margaret was born
Oct. 8, 1839, she was married t!
o John S. Settelmyre. To them were born Jim and Elmer. Elizabeth Ann was next, born Mar.
23, 1841. She was married to Andrew Middaugh with two step-children. Alma and Benton. To
them were born Catherine Ann, Sidney, Mary Elizabeth, Jacob, Amanda and Ephne. James was
born next, April 6, 1843. He only lived a few months. William was born March 31, 1844. He
married Sarah Wallark (sic Wallick) To them were born three children, Lissie, George, and
Will. After the death of William, Sarah married James Maddox (sic Maddux) and to them were
born Henry, Raymond, Minnie and Roscoe. In 1845 Mr. and Mrs. Arick and family left their
home in Ohio and came westward down the Erie canal to Jackson Township, Huntington Co.
Here they settled on the farm now owned by Guy Brindle. In this new country, Mr. Arick
acted as farmer, carpenter, undertaker and coffin maker. He made his own coffins out of
pine boards and lined them with home spun. John was the first child born to them in
Indiana on Marc!
h 10, 1846. He married Sarah Ann Wilson. To them Zora was born. His se
cond marriage was to Mary Catherine Hill and to them were born Charley, Earnest, Jacob,
John, Silas and Ola. Next came Silas, born March 6, 1848. He went to Ohio and there
married Mary Arick (nee Galey). Elias was born March 1, 1850. He only lived a few months.
As death struck the family a hill north of the home was dedicated as the family burying
ground. Today this little cemetery stands just off of the Allen-Huntington Co. line.
Little Elias was the first one buried here. Samantha was born Oct. 23, 1851. She was
married to Sam Caley and to them were born Rinde, Preston, and Jake. Alfred was born Dec.
20, 1853. He married Amanda Smith and to them were born Allie, Will and Cliff. His Second
marriage was to Elizabeth Hill and to them were born Edna and Elizabeth. Eanes (sic Enos)
who died in infancy was born Nov. 15, 1855. Mary Anne was born Jan. 11, 1857. She was
married to Sidney Middaugh with two step-children. Ira and Cora. To them were born Elva,
Charley, Ruby, Lawrence !
and Earnest. In 1859 they moved from the log cabin to a frame house across the driveway.
Here Nancy Marinda was born March 21, 1859. She married Preston Settlemyre and to them
were born Charles, Tillie and Melissa. Silvester was born May 9, 1861. He died in
childhood. After 57 years of married life death separated this husband and wife Elizabeth
Arick died Nov. 8, 1893 and December 10, 1894 Jacob Arick died. "May they rest in
peace" In 1917 the descendants of Jacob and Elizabeth Arick organized a family
reunion in memory of them. Written by their great-granddaughter Viola Best.
Newspaper article August 18, 1974 in the book Cemeteries of Huntington Co. IN.
INFANT FIRST TO BE BURIED IN NOW DORMANT FAMILY CEMETERY BY DORIS N. CHAMBERS
A tiny hilltop dormant family cemetery known as the Arick Cemetery is located on the
Allen-Huntington County Line Road at 700 N. This is one of four graveyards of the township
receiving twice-a-year mowing by the Roanoke Jaycees. Care of these dormant cemeteries is
a legal responibility of the township trustee, presently, John A. Smith. The first burial
in this graveyard was Elias Arick, born March 1, 1850 to Jacob and Elizabeth Arick. He
lived only a few months and was buried on this hill north of the family's log cabin
home. Later the ground was dedicated by the Aricks as a family cemetery. Jacob Arick was
born in Pennsylvania on Dec. 28, 1816. He was united in marriage on Jan. 22, 1836 in Stark
(error Wayne) County, Ohio to Miss Elizabeth Tracy. Elizabeth, a native of Stark County,
was born on Oct. 8, 1818. According to family history supplied us by Mrs. Mary Blair,
Huntington, Jacob and Elizabeth decided to move westward into new territory. With their
four small daughter!
s and infant son they traveled down the Eric Canal in 1845 and stopped in Jackson
Township of Huntington County, Ind. Here they settled on a farm now owned by Dale Lahr.
Three more sons were added to the family. But the third, whos burial was the first in
Arick Cemetery, lived only a few months. The family later experienced the death of another
infant born Nov. 15, 1855. This made a total of three, infant deaths for the Arick family
for the first, James who was born in Ohio on April 6, 1843, lived only a short time. Life
these early days of our country was very hard and many children died quite young. Parents,
especially the mothers, often died in the early years of life. Jacob Arick was quite
versatile in ways of providing for his large family. He was a combination of farmer,
carpenter, and funeral director, who made his own coffins. They were of lumber and lined
with homespun. Although serving the same purpose, a coffin differs from a casket in that
it is a shaped box, wi!
de at the shoulder and tapers toward the feet. When notified of a deat
h, Jacob went to the home and measured the deceased. Returning home he often worked all
night long to complete the coffin which was custom-made. It was Jacob Arick who made the
coffin of walnut wood and hand-rubbed it for Peter Hosler, a sick, returning Civil War POW
who died when within a few miles of home. He was buried in the France Cemetery on the Old
Fort Wayne Road. The Arick family moved from their log cabin in 1859 into a frame house
across the lane. Elizabeth died Nov. 8, 1893 and was interred in the family cemetery near
her infant children. Jacob, who lived a year longer died on Dec. 10 and was buried beside
his wife of 57 years.
Marianne Senecal
marianne666(a)earthlink.net
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