were Samuel Stemply, Thomas Stemply and wife, Hettie (Dugan), and the present owner Lester Stemply and wife Lenore (Hulls).
Going Northwest from the Stemply farm about 3/4 mile, is a two story white house that was built for Matt Sinclair and his wife Lizzie ( ) by a good carpenter Thomas Drake of Newton Stewart. Matt once said “I believe the house could be blown down the hill and still retain its shape like a box.” Truly it is to this day in good condition although the farm is in ruins. This farm is presently owned by a retired man from the Singer Company in South Bend named Fordraci. Here for a long time lived Lillian Sinclair (the daughter of Matt) and her husband, Arley Parks. Here were born Loral, J.B. and Mildred. This family later moved to Needham.
About a 1/2 mile East of the Sinclair farm is the site of old buildings. This was the home of the Melton family. Here lived Clarence, Kieper, and Mona. Kieper lost his life in WW 1 and is buried in the Sinclair Cemetery.
Going North from the big white house on the hill or the Matt Sinclair home we come to two homes, one on the right and one on the left. They were those of a father and son. On the left is that of the father James Smith and his wife, Nannie (Young). This house is built of logs and is much the same as it was when it was the home of the pioneer families. It is near the Sinclair Cemetery and Mr. Smith liked to scare his hired hands by telling them that ghosts often appeared. James Smith was once the owner of the Carroll - Linthicum home across the valley. He kept many fine
horses in the log barn. North of the house since destroyed By fire. Just South of this home was a valley through which a spring branch ran and crossed the road. At the foot of a large elm tree, someone either Ben Carroll or Jim Smith had built a large horse watering trough some 20 ft. long. Farmers could drive in from the road and water their horses there without unhitching them. I’m sure many sweating horses appreciated this place on hot summer days. Some farmers would not water here for they said there was danger of their horses catching distemper, a desease prevalent among horses in that day. The home is now that of Esther Smith, the wife of James Smith, the grandson of James Smith, Sr.
On the right of the road is the home built by Everett Smith and his wife Eleanor (Russell). In my boyhood days this farm with its large barns, horse pens containing two acres and fenced with large rails ten feet high., large hay fields, and cribs and granaries. Here were kept large black and bay stallions for breeding work or draft horses. Also there were jacks and jennies for keeping a supply of mules for the neighboring farmers. Throughout the summer trees and posts along the country roads were covered with posters advertising these for breeding. There was always a beautiful picture of a horse or jackass in large black print was his pedigree breeding agreements. The name Everett Smith appeared on many of these. This was a large stock farm. He hired many farm hands. Among them were Omar Byers, Jesse Montgomery, Sam Sillings, Dave Sillings and others. Omerie, the wife of Arthur Gottfried and the daughter of Everett, now resides on this farm with