Why did my family end up in Tippecanoe County?
By guest blogger Van Sherry
Wondering why my family ended up in Tippecanoe County prompted me to begin some genealogy research. After many years, I solved the mystery surrounding my Great Great Grandfather Isaac Hursh, a Lutheran Minister. He came to East Germantown, IN from Ohio in 1859. He served the Zion Lutheran Church there as well as St Jacob’s a few miles away and another in Milltown, IN. His circuit later got him as far North as Mullberry. He was called to the Lutheran Church in Colburn in 1869 serving there, at Pettit and one on the East County line road. The churches in Colburn and Pettit are long gone and the third is now used by the Oxford Baptist Church and Cemetery. He later was called to Olney Il. When he passed away, he was buried at his favorite parish in East Germantown.
My Great Great Grandfather Jacob Sherry attended the St Jacob’s Lutheran Church. It seems that Jacob had a son names Moses Benton Sherry and Isaac had a daughter names Maria Suzannah Catherine Hursh. Isaac was called to Colburn and Moses could not handle the separation. He came to Colburn and married Maria the day after Christmas in 1869. He and Maria returned to Henry County for a short time and eventually came back to the Colburn area to farm ground owned by her brother Joseph P. M. “Lank” Hursh.
Moses died in 1881 but not before he had a son Oscar Ambrose Sherry – my grandfather. Oscar married Clara Belle Hickok and they had six children that survived childhood. My father, Carl Louis Sherry, and his siblings graduated from Monitor. Most of my cousins graduated from either Monitor or Dayton. I, my two brothers and my sister all graduated from Jeff. The three boys went on to graduate from Purdue. My brother Pete taught history at East Tipp for 40 years. It was Pete who recruited me to volunteer with TCHA. Pete and I are currently working in the photo archives. We both agree that we would almost be willing to pay for the privilege of working for TCHA.
The Hickok story is for another time.
Want to learn more about early churches in Tippecanoe County? Visit the Tippecanoe County Area Genealogical Society’s website: http://sites.rootsweb.com/~intcags/Churches_of_TC_IN_.htm
For historic maps of Indiana: Check out Indiana University’s Union List of Sanborn Maps online.
