Shelby  County,  Indiana
Biographies

Laura  Dake  Mann

          As a daughter of one of the first settlers of Moral township, Shelby county, Indiana,  Mrs. Laura Mann,  at present a resident of New Palestine, Hancock county, Indiana, ranks as a member of one of the leading families of early Indiana.  She was born in Moral township, Shelby county, on December 12, 1862, and is a daughter of  Benjamin Dake.  (See his sketch on another page of this book.).  She was married September 17, 1884, to  Alfred H. Copeland,  who was born at Pleasant View, Moral township.  He was a son of  Lewis and Eliza (Means) Copeland.  The elder Copeland was an early settler of the township and was widely known throughout that county.
          Mrs. Eliza Copeland was a daughter of an old pioneer,  Alexander Means,  whose wife was  Elizabeth Edwards.  They were natives or Rockingham county, New York, and of virile Yankee stock.  They were among the first settlers of Pleasant View, Shelby county, Indiana.
          One child was born to Alfred H. and Laura Copeland:  Ebert Clarence Copeland, who married  Bessie Smith,  daughter of  Austin C. Smith,  whose sketch appears on another page of this work.  They had two children:  Thelma Marie  and  Alfred Austin, and live in Moral township.  Alfred Copeland was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.  He died in 1890 and was buried in old Dake cemetery.
          In 1892 Mrs. Laura Copeland married  Richard Mann,  who was known as a progressive farmer and auctioneer of Moral township.  His death occurred on May 12, 1901, and his remains were buried in Pleasant View cemetery.  He was a member of the East Union Baptist church and a strong Republican in political faith.  There were two children born to Mr. And Mrs. Richard Mann:  Alta F.  and  Glenn Caleb, who still live with their mother.  Mrs. Mann is noted as a Christian woman, kindly and neighborly, and with a large following of friends in the community in which she lives.  Her husband was well known and could claim hosts of friends in Shelby county.
From  History of Shelby County, Indiana  written by Edward H. Chadwick, B.A., first published in 1909
Submitted by Rexanna Gonser
NOTE:  Alexander Means and Elizabeth Edwards were from Rockingham County, NC, not NY. - RG

Biography Index       Main Page

For current email addresses of researchers listed above, use the Surname Index