O. C. Brockway

    O. C. Brockway was born in Elk County, Pennsylvania, May 25, 1831. He received only limited schooling and worked on a farm until 1854, the migrated to Kankakee County, Illinois and purchased a farm. The same year, he visited Iowa, and again in 1855, his last visit resulting in his marriage with Miss Elizabeth Brandenburg, daughter of Nathaniel Brandenburg, who became a resident of Iowa in 1838.

    Mr. Brockway farmed, taught school, and for two years kept store in Kankakee County, until 1876, when he removed to Fowler, Indiana, which has since been his home, although, for about two years he was engaged in merchandising at Atkinson. His present stock is worth about $8,000, and he is doing a prosperous business. Mr. Brockway is a Republican, and is the present Trustee of Center Township, having been elected in 1882. For five terms he was an officer of the Illinois State Grand Lodge, I. O. O. F., serving two terms as G. W. Treasurer. He and wife are members of the Baptist Church. They have seven children -Ella, Mrs. George Mellish; Luna, Mrs. C. J. Hempstead; Myrtle, Mrs. C. S. Cran; Laura, Clara, Clarence and Oscar.

    Mr. Brockway is is one of eight living children in a family of eleven born to Chauncey and Rhoda (Nichols) Brockway, natives of New York, and of English and Irish decent respectively. Chauncey Brockway was born in 1797, joined the Baptist Church when eleven years old, and is still living in Kankakee County with her husband. They have enjoyed a felicitous married life together of sixty-seven years.

Source: Counties of Warren, Benton, Jasper and Newton, Indiana. Historical and Biographical. F.A. Battey & Co., 1883.