Board: Message Boards > Localities > North America > United States > States > Indiana > Counties > Wells URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.indiana.counties.wells/4593/mb.as hx Subject: Biography of Capt. E. E. Derr Author: WellsVolunteer Date: Thursday, April 10, 2008 Classification: Biography Surnames: DERR, WOODWARD
Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana, 1903. pp. 460-461. CAPT. E. E. DERR. Capt. E. E. Derr, of Ossian, is the son of H. B. and Clarinda Derr and was born in Wabash county, Indiana, September 30, 1866. The Derr family formerly lived in Pennsylvania, and are natives of that state. Years ago they migrated to Ohio and later to Indiana. They lived for a time in Wabash and Allen counties, eventually taking up their permanent residence in Wells county, though the greater part of the first six years of Capt. Derr's life was spent in Allen county. About the year 1872 the family moved to Wells county, locating at Ossian. Here he attended school, acquiring an education that has been most useful to him in his career of usefulness. Having passed through the high school with well earned honors, he took up the profession of teaching and, although quite successful his experience was such as to make the vocation distasteful to him for many reasons, not the least of which was the meager compensation granted for the enormous amount of work required For eight years he worked in Nimmon's factory, becoming skillful in the work required of him and popular with his employers and his fellow workmen. Meanwhile he had acquired a knowledge of the barber's trade, and on June 5, 1886, he opened a barber shop at Ossian. In March, 1897, the individual who would predict that this country, in little more than a year, would be involved in war with one of the leading European powers, was liable to be brought before a commission of lunacy to have his sanity inquired into, and yet it must have been something in the nature of a prophecy that induced E. E. Derr, at that time, to organize a military company from among the young men of the town and surrounding country. He was made captain of the company, and when not actively engaged in the duties of his shop, devoted himself to the study of military tactics. The result was that, in February, 1898, when the battle ship "Maine" was treacherously destroyed in the harbor of Havana, and when the country from one extremity to the other was clamoring for war, Captain Derr, so far as drill and military discipline were concerned, had his company of vigorous, athletic youths on prime war footing. Most of the members of this company enlisted and were mustered into the United States service, May 12, 1898, as Company F, One Hundred and Sixtieth Indiana Regiment. As might have been expected, it proved to be one of the best behaved, best drilled, and most efficient companies of volunteers that entered the service during the Spanish-American war. After a sojourn of some time in the South, the regiment was transferred to Cuba, where it did valiant service until the close of the war. It was mustered out at Savannah, Georgia, April 25, 1899. Returning to his home in Ossian, Captain Derr engaged for a time in the livery business at Warren, Indiana. Finding that calling not wholly to his taste, he embraced an opportunity of selling out and, returning to Ossian, resumed his old business of barber, in which calling he is now engaged and meeting with that degree of prosperity which his abilities, judgment and genial dispositon so well deserve. In 1890 Captain Derr was united in marriage to Miss Allie Woodward, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. Woodward, and they are the parents of two sons, Dale and Russell, aged nine and six years respectively. Politically Captain Derr is a Republican, and on a number of occasions has been selected as a delegate to various county and state conventions. He has served two full terms as clerk and treasurer of his township. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Ossian Lodge No. 297, and of the Scottish Rite Masons at Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is also a Knight of Pythias and a Knight of the Maccabees.
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