Christmas Candle-Light Tour of Historic Homes - People Engaged in ...

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The T. Foster Martin House
Home of Thomas & Robin Coe
1528 Michigan Avenue -- Built in 1902
Decorated by: Tom & Robin
Dr. Frederick Rench purchased the property at 1528 Michigan Avenue in
November of 1901 for $300. Construction was at least started that year, but was probably
finished in 1902. Dr. Rench lived in the home with his wife, Estella. He was a dentist, with
his office in the Odd Fellows Building downtown.
In 1904, Dr. Rench sold the home to Frank J. Pitner, a cashier at the First National
Bank, for $3000. After selling the house, the Renches moved to Ohio. (It is believed that
the Renches wanted to “move on” quickly, and Pitner helped them out by purchasing the
house on speculation.) Pitner quickly resold the house later in 1904 to Mr. Hilary Early.
As Early’s primary occupation was as a real estate agent/developer, as with Pitner, he is not
believed to have occupied the house (based on city directory and U.S. census records that
show him living elsewhere).
The estate of Hilary Early sold the property to Mrs. Ada Frederickson for $3800,
in 1911. Mrs. Frederickson was the widow of Charles Frederickson, who died in 1904.
She lived in the home with her daughter, Aldyth, a kindergarten teacher.
Ada Frederickson died in 1915. Aldyth married T. Foster Martin in February
1917. Martin moved into the house with his new wife, and they lived there together for 55
years. The Martins had three daughters, Ada, Ruth, and Jean. T. Foster Martin is shown in
the 1917 city directory as a teller at the First National Bank. He was the son of William A.
Martin.
in Center Township (the John Hoover family), David and Sarah chose to purchase the
northwest quarter of Section 14 in Township 37 North, Range 3 West, containing 159 acres.
This property was in close proximity to the Hoovers. (It is suspected that Sarah’s father,
Frederick, and John Hoover might have been brothers. John Hoover’s two sons, Isaac and
John D., married two sisters, Leah and Susan H. Hoover, respectively, who were also their
first cousins. It is known that Leah and Susan were not Sarah’s sisters, but they may have
been cousins as well, and their father a brother to Frederick and John.)
The property was formally deeded over to the Wynkoops on 09 June 1854, from
the “Haases heirs” for $1000, although additional consideration had also been paid over the
prior 15 months, in the total amount of roughly $2000, to the Harding family, landholders
who had a previous agreement to purchase the property “on time” from the Haases.
In-depth research does not pinpoint the exact date the brick house was built,
but the date circa 1858 has been assigned.
The growth of the family likely called for a
larger house, and a second mortgage, secured
from John Hoover in 1858, would appear
to establish that date as the best possible
“guesstimate.” The Wynkoop children
born in La Porte County were John Hoover
Wynkoop in 1854, Sarah Elizabeth in 1856,
Albert Llewellyn in 1858, David McClure
in1859, and William Lincoln in 1862.
According to the 1862 plat map of
La Porte County, there were three structures,
plus a school house, on the property at that
This excerpt from the 1862 La Porte County Plat
Book shows the Wynkoop Farm, Center Twp., with its
3 buildings, on the western side, along the road. (The
Merchant School is indicated w/ the initials “S.H.”)
Hampton Inn.) One of the other structures
was an original log cabin (probably dating
back to the 1830’s). Another was a frame
house. And the last was the newest, a brick
house (and our tour site).
By the time of the printing of the
1874 plat, there is only one structure…
presumably the brick house…indicated
(although a mortgage record indicates that, a
frame house was still on the property as well
as barns).
Family information records that
David Wynkoop was “engaged in the brick
business and in planting.” Isaac Hoover, in
partnership with his brother John D., was in
the brick manufacturing business. A La Porte
County 1904 history reports that when Isaac
Hoover arrived here in 1846, “there was not
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time. The school house would have been
the Merchant School, recorded as having
been built in 1862. (A “rebuilt” version of
the school--no longer in use--still exists just
north of the Toll Road, at the entrance to the
This excerpt from the 1874 La Porte County Plat
Book shows only one structure remaining (our tour
house) on the Wynkoop (now Taylor) farm.