Samuel  P.  Stroup


          The family of this name origiated in Holland, the emigrant founder being  George Stroup, who came over during the latter part of the eighteenth century.  Locating first in Pennsylvania, he and his family came about 1827 to Montgomery county Ohio.  His son, Reuben, who was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, came west with his parents and remainedin Ohio about fifteen years.  He married  Mary Ann Hahn, a native of Shenandoah county, Virginia, and daughter of  Samuel and  Margaret Catherine (Stover) Hahn, a family of some distinction.  Mrs. Hahn's father was  Captain Joseph Stover, who earned his rank as a Virginia soldier in the Revolutionary war.  John Hahn, father of Samuel, also enlisted from Virginia in a patriot regiment.  Until recent years Captain Stover's military cap, which he wore in the Revolutionary army, was a prized relic in the Stroup family.  The Hahns came to Preble county, Ohio, adjoining Montgomery county, about 1825, and their daughter, Mary Ann, was a young girl in the family at that time, her marriage occurring in 1841.  Reuben Stroup and his wife came to Shelby county in 1842 and settled on eighty acres of land purchased from the government in Liberty township.  It was situated on the Michigan road, at that time the great thoroughfare between the East and the West, Conn's creek flowing through the place and affording an abundance of water for the stock.  To Reuben and May Ann (Hahn) Stroup six children were born, and all except Lucinda, who died when six years old, are still living.  Their names are:  David P.,  George A.,  W. L.,  Margaret C.  and  Samuel.  The father died August 29, 1852, in Preble county, Ohio, and in 1860 his widow married  Daniel Cotterman, an old school mate, by whom she had one son,  Elmer C.  After marriage they removed to Wayne county, remained there until 1870, and then returned to the old Shelby county home.  Daniel Cotterman died August 29, 1877, and his wife on November 6, 1906.
          Samuel P. Stroup  was born on the Liberty township farm, in Shelby county, Indiana, November 12, 1846.  He remained with his mother on the farm until 1872, when he branched out for himself as a farmer for two years. at the endo fo which time he located at Waldron and engaged in the saw and planing mill business.  He and his step-father bought the plant and conducted it together until Mr. Cotterman's death.  Mr. Stroup bought his partner's interest and continued the business until September 24, 1879, when the mill was destroyed by fire with a loss of ten thousand dollars, and no insurance.  By the 25th of December in the same year the mill had been rebuilt and was again cutting lumber.  In 1893 he bought two saw mills in southern Missouri, one in Cape Girardeau and the other in Stoddard county, his partner in the venture being  Thomas Hoskins.  The panic of that year caught them with a large stock of lumber and the falling offin demand caused a loss of eleven thousand dollars to Mr. Stroup.  Closing up his business there he returned to Waldron and engaged in cutting timber.  In 1902 he dismantled the mill at Waldron and built a planing mill at Danville, Illinois, starting a lumber yard at that point, with an investment of twenty-four thousand dollars.  Fire destroyed this plant on the night of July 3, 1903, but insurance and salvage reduced the loss to sixteen thousand dollars.  With his farm and real estate in Shelby county still intact he purchased the interest of the junior partner in the Pennell & Kumper lumber yard, and has continued to conduct this Shelbyville plant.  In December, 1908, he bought out his partner and since has been sole proprietor.  In 1909 he built sheds and yards on his own ground at 129 East Broadway, and moved his lumber yard to that point.
          On January 5, 1872, Mr. Stroup married  Elizabeth C., daughter of  Daniel Cotterman, his step-father.  The youngest of their four children died in early infancy, but  Charles R.,  Minnie M.  and  Stella E.  survive.  Charles resides in Kokomo, and owns a half interest in a lumber years and planing mill.  He is married and has one child, Elizabeth C.  Minnie is the wife of  Alfred M. Glossbrenner, half owner in Levy Brother's Printing Company, Indianapolis; their children are  Daniel I.,  Albert Reuben  and  George L.  Stella E. married  Frank Lansingkamp, a coppersmith, resident of Indianapolis, and they have one child, Frank S.  Mr. Stroup's first wife died March 27, 1886, and on October 2, 1888, he married  Margaret, daughter of  John DePrez.  In 1900 he and his wife built a residence at the corer of Washington and Tompkins streets in Shelbyville, where he has since resided.  Mr. Stroup has for years been quite prominent in fraternal circles.  In1889-'90 he was grand patriarch of the Indiana Odd Fellows, in 1892 represented the Sovereign Grand Lodge at Portland, Oregon, and in 1893 at Milwaukee.  In 1896 he was elected grand camp trustee, and has been re-elected at every election since.  His name appears on the copper plate at the entrance of the grand lodge building, Indianapolis, as one of the trustees that had charge of the erection of that imposing structure.  Mr. Stroup is also a Mason of prominence, being a member of Baldwin Commandery No. 2, Knights Templar, also of  Murat Temple, Mystic Shrine, having reached the thirty-second degree in Masonry.  His other connections are with the Elks lodge at Shelbyville and the lumbermen's organization, the Hoo Hoos.
Chadwick's History of Shelby County, Indiana, by Edward H. Chadwick, B.A., assisted by well known local talent, B.F. Bowen & Co, Publishers: Indianapolis, IN, 1909, Page 841.
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming

Notes from Ethel Beard Simmons:
The history of  Samuel P. Stroup doesn't mention that the first wife of  Daniel Cotterman  was  Catherine Kesling, daughter of  Henry Kesling  of Preble Co.  Catherine died in Preble Co.  Daniel Cotterman and family then moved to Indiana.  Henry Kesling was the son of  Teter Kesling, Revolutionary War Vet who moved to Warren Co., Ohio from Rockingham Co., Virginia.  Teter is buried near his home in Warren Co.  Henry Kesling is buried near his home in Preble Co.  A large history of the Kesling family has been done and in part goes back to about 1550 in Europe.
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