The Laidlaws: the Scot who walked to Indiana — two books, two journeys

1812 – 1907

John Laidlaw (Chapman, p. 822): born at "Blainsley," Scotland, 5 January 1812, son of John and Susan Laidlaw; the family went to St. Lawrence County, New York, in 1818; he came to this county in 1836, worked his first winter for the St. Joseph Iron Company, arrived with $175, married Sally Shaw in 1837 — 13 children, 10 living — and owned 610 acres besides town property, residing in Mishawaka. Howard's version (vol. 2, pp. 927–928, in his son Edwin's sketch) differs on nearly every figure: at 21 John "left that state and made the journey on foot to Indiana," first located in Mishawaka building the race on the river's north side, "in 1834 he entered eighty acres of land from the government in Penn township" (with 160 later in Madison Township), burned timber for charcoal to melt marsh iron ore, accumulated 580 acres from $50 of capital, married Sarah Shaw — 12 children — and died at 74. The 1875 atlas's own Laidlaw biography sides with Chapman on both contested points — came 1836, a quarter section, married Sally Shaw, daughter of Benjamin Shaw of Kosciusko County, thirteen children — and both versions stand in this section unharmonized, the atlas's agreement noted.

The sons: Alexander Laidlaw (Chapman, p. 822), born in this township 15 April 1846, married Elizabeth Burrus (10 March 1868, daughter of George Burrus of Elkhart), farmed section 29 on 110 acres; the directory lists him at his birth year, "settled 1846," a native's entry. Edwin C. Laidlaw (Howard, vol. 2, pp. 927–928), born 17 April 1844: district schools, Northern Indiana College, Eastman's Business College in New York; divided his land among his children and kept 150 acres; a thoroughbred-stock dealer for thirty years who "operated one of the first steam threshers in St. Joseph county"; a stockholder in the Mishawaka Trust & Savings Bank; served one term in the legislature and resigned for sickness; and — stated here at pointer size, his war standing in the Wars file's records — enlisted in 1864 in Company H, 138th Indiana, served to the close of the war, and was injured on guard duty by a falling trestle, as Howard prints it. He married Henrietta Pulling (25 February 1876), "daughter of Cyrus K. Pulling, 'one of the earliest pioneers'" — and the Pulling name carries this section's flag: Chapman's Penn farmer of section 8 is Charles K. Pulling (b. Monmouth County, New Jersey, 15 May 1811; came 1853; 235 acres; sons George and John soldiers in the late war, per the Wars file), while Howard's pioneer is Cyrus K. Pulling. Charles and Cyrus are not merged; whether the books name one man twice wrong or two men is unsettled on the record read. Archa Mason, who married John Laidlaw's daughter Ella in 1874, stands in the settler roll below.

Sources:

1. Chapman, p. 822 (John and Alexander Laidlaw), p. 834 (Charles K. Pulling); Howard, vol. 2, pp. 927–928 (Edwin C. Laidlaw); 1875 Atlas, Laidlaw biography and directory.