Copyright © 2023 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
Perry was the eighth of twelve children born to Henry H. Landis (1809-1893) and Catherine Johnston Landis (1817-1902). He was the third Landis brother to fight for the Union.
In 1860, the following children were living at the Landis farm in Steady Run Township, Iowa: David (21 yrs.), Jacob (19 yrs.), Joseph (16 yrs.), Perry (12 yrs.), James H. (8 yrs.), Edgar (6 yrs.), Franklin (3 yrs.) and Charles (2 yrs.). Their eldest daughter, Mary, and son, John lived in nearby Martinsburg.
Martinsburg was less than two miles south of Steady Run Township, Iowa.
Between 1860 and 1863, three of the Landis children passed away.
On Dec. 18, 1860, 9-yrs.-old son, James Henry Landis, and was buried in Martinsburg Cemetery.
The gravestone of James H. Landis in Martinsburg Cemetery.
On Jan. 1, 1861, their 29-yrs.-old daughter, Mary Ann Landis Marshall, also died. She was buried near her brother in Martinsburg Cemetery.
Gravestone of Mary Landis Marshall in Martinsburg Cemetery.
Then came the Civil War, with four of the Landis sons enlisting in the Union Army. On Jan. 8, 1863, both John and David Landis were severely injured in battle, with 23-yrs.-old David passing away that December.
Gravestone of David Landis in Martinsburg Cemetery.
War and death loomed over the Landis’ Iowa home.
Five of the eight Landis sons were old enough to fight in the Civil War. Only Edgar, Frank, and Charles were too young to fight.
John, David, Jacob and Perry Landis all enlisted in the Union Army. John Landis was the first to enlist, rapidly rising through the ranks for his heroic actions. He must have been a tough act to follow; a courageous risk-taker who made the headlines for his bravery. By 1863, both John and his younger brother David were in the same regiment and severely wounded in Springfield, Missouri.
The same year that John and David mustered out of the Iowa Infantry, Jacob and Perry mustered into the Ohio Infantry and Indiana Infantry, respectively. Only Joseph managed to avoid combat. Although he registered for military service alongside David and Jacob in Steady Run, Iowa, he did not serve. I have yet to locate any records verifying that he enlisted at all.
Here is what I have been able to track down for each of the four Landis brothers who fought in the Civil War.
18th Regiment, Iowa Infantry
John Landis
John Landis was 27 yrs. old when he enlisted on June 13, 1861. He joined Co. I, 1st Iowa Calvary, and was promoted to first battalion quartermaster by October 8, 1861. John became a Captain in Co. D, 18th Iowa Infantry, on June 6, 1862. He was promoted after capturing the Rebel flag during the Battle of Blackwater in Missouri. I was shocked to find one of his descendants post a picture of the flag he captured online.
Rebel flag captured by Quartermaster John Landis at the Battle of Blackwater in Dec. 1861. Photograph by Lester Letson and posted at findagrave.com on July 6, 2012.
On Jan. 8, 1863, John was severely wounded during battle in Springfield, Missouri. His bravery was described in the Daily Ohio Statesman on Feb 24, 1863 (page 1):
“An Incident of the Battle of Springfield.
I must close third letter with an incident of the battle of Springfield, which deserves accord. Captains Landis, Van Meter, and Blue of the 18th Iowa, were all with that unfortunate brass cannon, which then fell into the hands of rebels. All three were shot. Two have since died, but Capt. Landis happily survives. It is said that Captain Landis stood by the gun, deserted by all else, when rebels took possession, determined never to surrender. Major Bowman, of the Confederate army, approached at the head of his men. Touched with a sense of the man’s chivalry, he cried: ‘Surrender!’
‘Never!’ said Captain Landis. ‘I was here first. Never!’
The Major seized a rifle and fired, carrying away the Captain’s shoulder strap. The Captain returned the compliment and wounded Major Bowman so severely that he has since died. Captain Landis himself fell at the next fire, and the dying Major sent him this message, as he lay dying upon his bed: ‘Tell Captain Landis,’ said he, ‘that I am gratified to have fallen by the hand of so brave a man.’ It seems that the age of chivalry is not yet passed. –Springfield (Mo.) Cor. St. Louis Republican.”
John mustered out on Feb 28, 1863, in St. Louis, Missouri; resigning, and listing his residence as Martinsburg, Iowa. After the war, John moved west, spending the remainder of his life in Colorado, California, Oregon and Washington State. He returned to life on a farm. Despite living so far away from his family, John named his three sons after the brothers he left behind:
Perry John Landis
John Albert Landis
Joseph Franklin Landis
I have located only one newspaper article that mentioned John’s return to the Midwest. On March 16, 1882, the Fairfield Tribune announced, John Landis, a citizen of Fairfield twenty years ago, was in the city this week” (page 3).
John passed away in 1915, and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Tacoma, Washington. His obituary was published in the Tacoma Daily Ledger on April 28, 1915 (page 5):
“John A. Landis, age 80, died Monday night at a local hospital. He was a veteran of the Civil War and was severely wounded at Springfield, Mo. Mr. Landis enlisted June 13, 1861, in Company I, 1st Iowa Calvary, and was promoted to first battalion quartermaster October 7, 1861. He was appointed captain of Company D, 18th Iowa Infantry, June 6, 1862. He resigned February 28, 1863, after being wounded. Mr. Landis had lived at Puyallup a year, coming from Olympia and Orting. He was a member of Tacoma Post of Olympia. Custer post of Tacoma will have charge of the funeral, the date which will be announced later. Besides his widow, he is survived by two sons, Joseph and Perry Landis. The body is at the C. C. Mellinger company’s.”
18th Regiment, Iowa Infantry
David Landis
David Landis was the second to fight, joining the Union Army two years after John. He was living in Martinsburg, Iowa, when he enlisted on Aug. 15, 1862. Martinsburg is the same town where his sister Mary passed away in 1860. At 24 yrs. old, he mustered in as a Private in Co. D, 18th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, on August 23, 1862. This was the same regiment where John served as a Capt. of the first Cavalry. The 18th Regiment arrived in Springfield, Missouri, on September 13, 1862. He participated in the Defense of Springfield from and was wounded in battle on Jan. 8, 1863, and included in the list “Iowa Soldiers Killed and Wounded at the Battle of Springfield, Missouri, Jan. 8th,” On Jan. 30, 1863, the Muscatine Weekly News announced, “David Landis, D, 18th – right hip and leg, slight” (page 2). He never recovered from the injuries and passed away on Dec. 20, 1863.
Both John and his younger brother David Landis were listed in the “Army Correspondence” section of the Burlington Daily Hawk Eye Gazette on Jan. 22, 1863 (page 2). In the section entitled “Camp of the 18th Iowa, Fort No. 1, Springfield, Missouri, Jan. 10th, 1863,” a detailed account of the battle was included, along with a listing of those killed or wounded with each of the companies. The article reported,
“Company D.- Killed, none. Capt. John A. Landis, wounded in the calf of the leg, severely; private David Landis, calf of the leg and thigh, severely.”
Although John mustered out on Feb. 28, David was not mustered out until May 8, with “wounds” being the reason for his release. David returned home to Martinsburg, but never fully recovered and died from complications on Dec. 20, 1863. He was buried in the same Martinsburg Cemetery as his older sister Mary.
Joseph Landis did not serve in the Iowa Infantry but was twice listed in Iowa records as a person subject to military duty in Steady Run Township; once in 1863 at the age of 18 yrs. old (Jackson County), and once in 1864 at the age of 19 yrs. old in (Keokuk County). If any new information comes to light, I will update this post.
131st Ohio Infantry
Jacob H. Landis
Jacob H. Landis was listed in Ohio’s Third Congressional District Civil War Draft Registration Record on July 11, 1863, This district included the counties of Montgomery, Preble, Butler, and Warren. At 21 yrs. old, Jacob his occupation as a carpenter in Randolph. He entered military service on May 2, 1864, mustering in as a Private with Company K, 131st Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. This regiment was organized at Camp Chase on May 14, 1864, with the intent to serve for 100 days. They were immediately sent to Baltimore, Maryland, where they were assigned to garrison duty at Forts McHenry, Fort Marshall, and Fort Federal Hill. The regiment remained at the forts until August 19, when the soldiers were sent back to Columbus, Ohio, arriving on Aug. 21, 1864. Landis mustered out on Aug. 25, 1864, at Camp Chase.
116th Regiment, Indiana Infantry
Perry Landis
Perry Landis enlisted in the Indiana Infantry at Lafayette and was mustered in on August 12, 1863. For geographical context, Lafayette is located approximately halfway in between Chicago and Indianapolis. Landis mustered out a second time out on March 1, 1864. Landis served as a private in Co. F of the 116th Regiment, Indiana Infantry. Perry when he served as a private in Co. F, 116th Regiment, Indiana Infantry. This places him in Lafayette, Indiana, by the spring of 1863. After the war, Perry returned to the Fairfield area of Iowa, soon settling in Ottumwa, a town 25 miles west of Fairfield. In 1867, he purchased property there. The sale was reported in the Ottumwa Semi-Weekly Courier on Nov. 28, 1867 (page 3). For $1500, Landis purchased “pts w se sec 29, tp 72, r 13” from T. Devin.” On Sept. 24, 1868, The Ottumwa Courier listed Perry Landis in the “Register of Voters of Center Township, Wapello County, Iowa, for 1868” (page 3).
Buying land did not necessarily mean that Perry was ready to settle down. He soon ventured east to briefly worked as a news agent in Ohio. He was listed in the 1868 Cincinnati Directory, rooming as 137 Race.
Perry Landis listed in the 1868 Cincinnati Directory.
Perry was also was listed in the unclaimed letter section of the Cincinnati Commercial on April 5 and April 12, 1868. By 1869, he was living with his parents in Connersville, Indiana.
Like Perry, Jacob also returned to Iowa after the war. In Fairfield he opened a watch and clock repair shop at the northeast corner of Park. By 1866, he began placed a series of advertisements in the Fairfield Ledger for his new business. On October 25, 1866, his ad announced:
“Have you got a watch or clock that won’t keep time? If you have, take it to Jacob Landis, North-east corner of the Park, and for a reasonable compensation, he will put it in first0rate working order. If you wish to have a piece of gold or silver manufactures into a particular pattern, he can accommodate you Call and try him. See card” (Fairfield Ledger, page 5).
Like his brothers, “Jake” continued to travel throughout the region; his comings and goings noted in local papers. On Feb. 27, 1868, the “Fairfield Ledger” reported, “Back Again. – Jake Landis is a sensible fellow and good workman. He is a good fellow, because he likes Fairfield better than any other place, he has seen during the last six months. And he is a good workman, because he can clean a watch as well as any man who has tried in our city for years – He has hung out his sign at his old stand in F. M. Stewart’s store and will repair clocks, watches, jewelry, &c., in the best manner and on the lowest terms. See his card” (page 6).
Advertisement placed by Jacob Landis in the “Fairfield Ledger” on June 25, 1868.
In addition to running his shop in Fairfield, he also invested in a new product – the ready binder.
On June 4, 1868, the Fairfield Ledger announced, “A Ready Binder. – The Covert File and Binder, patented by Landis & Co., of St. Louis, is just the thing for persons who wish to preserve their pamphlets and papers. Any person can readily bind his own books and preserve them in good style. J. Landis, of our town, has the agency for Iowa, and will sell county and individual rights on the most favorable terms. Covers for Godey, Peterson, Harper, sheet music, and the weekly papers, sold at reasonable process. Every family that takes a magazine ought to have one of more of these binders. Persons desiring rights should address J. Landis, Fairfield, Iowa” (page 6).
I have yet to locate any information about the firm “Landis & Co.” in St. Louis. The ready binder, however, was short-lived. Jake continued to place ads for his repair business in the Fairfield Ledger (June 25, 1868, p. 6).
Despite Perry owning property in Ottumwa, Iowa, and Jacob managing his repair shop in Fairfield, Iowa, both relocated to Indiana in 1869. They were following their parents and helping out at the new farm. In 1868 Henry, Catherine and their younger children moved east, purchasing a vineyard just south of Connersville, Fayette County, Indiana.
Map showing the location of Connersville, Indiana, in relation to Indianapolis, Indiana, and Cincinnati, Ohio.
Their return east was likely instigated by Henry’s 88-yrs.-old mother. Perry and Jacob moved to Connersville where they again worked for their father on his farm. The only difference was that Henry now raised grapes. I was fascinated to learn that this region of Indiana is considered the “birthplace of the American wine industry. The first successful winery was founded by a Swiss immigrant around 1806. Here is a link for more information about the history of Indiana Wine Trail: https://www.indianawinetrail.com/history
On April 8, 1868, Henry Landis began placing advertisements in the Connersville Weekly Times (page 2):
Attention.
I offer for sale, 1,500 Concord, Hartford, Prolifie, and Delaware Grape vines, one year old, in fine thrifty condition. Apply at the farm formerly owned by Job Stout, two and a half miles south of Connersville. By that winter, Henry Landis divested himself of all property in Fairfield. On Dec. 16, 1868, the Weekly Ledger announced the following real estate transfer: “N. MENDENHALL from H. H. LANDIS and wife, lot 2, block 15, old plat of Fairfield. deed dated August 14, 1868. 1,300 00.”
I was only familiar with the common Concord grape as I read the advertisement.
The common Concord grape.
In case you are wondering, the Hartford grape variety is an American red grape, also known as Framingham grapes. The Delaware grape is hybrid popularized in Delaware City, Ohio, also an American red grape. I have yet to identify the “Prolifie” grape and have begun to wonder if it was a misprint.
Henry’s new vineyard brought him very close to his aging mother and sisters. Henry’s mother, Elizabeth Landis Moss was then living with her daughter Elizabeth McWhorter in Blooming Grove, just 13 miles south of Connersville. As Landis’ new vineyard was on the southside of Connersville, this distance was even shorter that.
Map showing the relatively short distance between Connersville and Blooming Grove, Indiana. Nearby Liberty (top right corner of map) was where Joseph Landis lived and worked.
The 1860 U. S. Federal Census had listed 82-yrs.-old Elizabeth Moss living with her 73-yrs.-old husband, John Moss, on a farm in Blooming Grove, valued at $6,120. When John passed away on Oct. 22, 1862, Elizabeth Moss went to live with her widowed daughter, Elizabeth McWhorter. The 1870 US Census listed Moss as still part of the McWhorter household in Blooming Grove. At the time, Moss was 91 yrs. old and living with the one child who truly understood her past struggles. Both mother and daughter had outlived two husbands. Elizabeth Moss had been widowed while pregnant with David Landis’ fourth child in 1814. For the next four years she struggled as a single parent, raising her four small children. In 1818, she married John Moss; a union that resulted in the birth of their only child, Phebe Moss.
Elizabeth McWhorter was also married twice and widowed as a young woman. She first married Thomas Ellis, and the two celebrated the birth of five children. After his passing, she married Samuel H. McWhorter. Their union also resulted in the birth of a single child, Perry L. McWhorter. Both women lived to be 92 yrs. old, with Elizabeth Moss passing in 1871 and her daughter following in 1906. Each was an amazingly strong and independent woman. In fact, I was surprised to discover that at the age of 91-yrs.-old, Elizabeth Moss purchased a property in Connersville. On Sept. 22, 1869, the Connersville Examiner announced the following real estate transaction: “Lemuel R. Webb to Elizabeth Moss, nw qr of sec 31, town 15, range 13, $1,000” (page 3). For context, $1,000 in 1869 has the equivalent purchasing power as $22,306.10 in 2023. Keep in mind that the Moss family farm had been valued at $6120 in 1860 (the equivalent purchasing power of $223,684.53 in 2023). Unless everything was lost at the time of her husband’s passing or during the Civil War, Elizabeth Moss likely left a large estate for her children and grandchildren.
Portrait of Elizabeth McWhoterlate in life.
The passing of Elizabeth Moss on June 21, 1871, sparked another relocation Landis family members. Her burial at Sims-Brier Cemetery in Old Bath, Franklin County, signaled the end of an era for her kin. Her descendants began to look toward their own futures, released from the caretaking ties that bind. Henry H. Landis left farming entirely and moved work as a merchant in Rushville, following in the footsteps of his sons.
It certainly made sense, as he was now in his 60s. Working the land becomes an insurmountable task unless you have a young and fit labor pool. Such was not the case for Henry Landis by the early 1870s. It became increasingly apparent that his sons were not going to work the family farm.
Joseph was a prime example. Although Jacob and Perry returned to help sell produce at the family vineyard in 1869, Joseph continued to work as a jeweler in nearby Liberty, Indiana. Keep in in mind that David Landis (their paternal grandfather) was laid to rest in Liberty in 1814. The family had deep ties to the area for several decades at this point.
On March 9, 1869, Joe placed an advertisement in the Liberty Herald announcing:
“Joseph Landis,
Watchmaker and Jeweler, Liberty, Ind. Special attention given to repairing watches, clocks, and jewelry of all kinds. Will be found at Sam Sterling’s Grocery Store. Work warranted for one year” (page 2).
Joseph eventually moved his business to the northeast corner of Main and Union Streets in Liberty. He became extremely well known and respected as a merchant in the area and remained there for almost two decades.
Advertisement placed in the “Liberty Herald” on March 19, 1869.
Advertisement placed in the “Liberty Herald” on May 20, 1875.
In 1869, Joseph Landis made frequent travels from Liberty to Connersville, visiting his grandmother, parents, and siblings. On Sept. 1, 1869, the Connersville Examiner announced, “Jo. Landis, Esq., formerly of your lovely city, is here enjoying life, repairs, watches, sells jewelry, and occasionally drives fine horses, and has setting by his side in his fine buggy as dear a creature as ever wore charms.
Love is a passion by no rule confined,
The great first mover of Joseph’s mind.
I believe Jo will marry, if the girl will, and
They’ll both be well mated in life.
She’ll have a good man for a husband
And he’ll have a charming wife.
Joe married a local Liberty girl two years later. He and Prudence Mae Hughes were united in marriage on Oct. 19, 1871. He remained in the area for quite some time, frequently making the news for the next two decades. For example, on Oct. 30, 1872, the Liberty Herald reported, “It was a nice job of white washing which Jos. Landis did the other day with his little brush” (page 3). On Sept. 23, 1874, the Liberty Herald reported, “Joe. Landis has been having his storeroom very much repaired and is now re-established in it, and has brought on a new stock of choice jewelry. Persons desiring to purchase jewelry are respectfully requested to give him a call” (page 3).
All the while, Joseph continued to gain business savvy and leadership skills. These became a great asset once he began working for his brother at Sosman & Landis. On July 22, 1875, the Liberty Herald reported, “The street drains have been cleaned in some places the past week, and this has added very much to the appearance and good drainage of the town. Joe. Landis was prime mover and worker in the improvement. His incentive may have been the anticipated arrival of his first child. In 1875, Joseph and Prudence celebrated the birth Kathryn E. Landis. This was the same year that he helped sell his father’s vineyard in Connersville.
On Sept. 30, 1875, the Liberty Herald published the following announcement:
“Farm for Sale.
The finest Fruit Farm in Fayette county, at a bargain. 3,000 Grape Vines; other fruit in proportion; Hedge Fence around the entire farm. Every foot tillable land, second bottom. Offered at a great bargain. Address JOE. LANDIS, Liberty, Ind.” (page 3).
Joe continued to gain ground as a successful merchant in Liberty. On Feb. 20, 1889, the Connersville Examiner reported, “Joe Landis, leading jeweler of Liberty, was over yesterday afternoon, making inquiries about our gymnasium. Some time ago Liberty boasted a gymnasium, but like many other places, it was allowed to go down, and now they want to dispose of the paraphernalia, hence Mr. Landis’ visit to our city” (page 3). It was not until the 1890s that he sold everything in Indiana and moved to Chicago to help his brother Perry. His move says a lot about the Landis family, as well as the scenic studio industry that he was investing in. When Joseph moved to Chicago, he worked at the firm as an electrical engineer, later establishing and managing the American Reflector & Lighting Co., established by the Landis brothers and Joe Sosman.
After his grandmother’s passing, Jacob Landis returned to Iowa and married Fannie E. Russell, a local Ottumwa girl. Their marriage was announced on Oct. 9, 1873, in the Ottumwa Semi-Weekly Courier (page 3):
“LANDIS-RUSSELL – At Samuel Harper’s residence, in this city, today, by the Rev. H. B. Knight. Mr. Jacob Landis, of Connersville, Ind., to Miss Fannie Russell, of Ottumwa.” He continued in the jewelry trade, eventually moving west and settling in California.
As for Perry…
Despite relocating to Connersville and working for his father in 1869, he also embarked on a new business endeavor with a gentleman named Samuel M. Zent (1834-1897). Zent was a tinsmith in nearby Roanoke who invented a machine that dehydrated fruits and vegetables. At the time, it was referred to as a Drying Stove or Dry house. The partnership of Landis & Zent marks the beginning of Perry’s career as a sales. As a salesman, Landis traveled throughout the region, selling both his father’s fruit and Zent’s Dryhouse. On May 26, 1869, The Indiana Weekly Herald of Huntington reported. “Messrs. Landis & Zent are this year engaged in the manufacture of a very useful contrivance for drying fruit and baking. It consists of a large sheet iron box, with a small heating stove at the bottom. The box, or upper part, is filled by sliding shelves so made that the heat from the stove can pass through the various shelves and fill the box. Arrangements are made so as to regulate the amount of heat. This Dryhouse has been thoroughly tested and is found to work admirably in drying fruit and as an outdoor bake oven. No farmer who has much fruit to preserve, should be without one” (page 3). Zent patented his invention in Indiana that fall. On Oct. 21, 1869, the Fort Wayne Daily Gazette published a list of U. S. patents issued to Citizens of Indiana for the week ending Oct. 12, 1869, including “No. 95,726 – Baking and Drying Stove; F. S. Reefy and S. M. Zent, Roanoke” (page 4). Perry continued to travel that fall and was listed in the gentleman’s list of unclaimed letters in the Terre Haute Weekly Express on Nov. 10, 1869, page 8.
Portrait of Samuel M. Zent.
Landis possibly met Zent during the Civil War. Zent was a Colonel in the Thirteenth Indiana Volunteers. Landis was with the 131st Regiment, Indiana Infantry. I was surprised to find an article Zent published in an Indiana newspaper. On Oct. 16, 1861, The Indiana Herald reported, “We have one man who is worth his weight in pure gold. He has run more risks in scouting and done more hard service than any four men in the Company, and that too without murmur. He is always pleasant and cheerful, kind to the sick, and always performing some generous act for those in need. His name is Samuel Zent. He is just the man for the service, and deserves promotion” (page 2). Years later, Zent’s obituary announced, “Samuel Zent died very suddenly at Roanoke, Huntington county, a day or two ago. Previous to the war he was a resident of Warsaw, and engaged in the tinning business here When war broke out, he enlisted at an early day and finally became the colonel of the regiment known as the ‘Fighting Thirteenth,’ and remaining such until the close of the war. In the younger days of both, he was a warm and personal friend and chum of the editor of this paper. He was a brave and gallant solider and enjoyed a reputation as such throughout the Army of the Potomoc.” On. Nov. 27. 1869, the Fort Wayne Gazette announced in “News from Neighboring Towns, Roanoke” that “Sam Zent has gone on a pleasure trip to the west” (page 4). Many veterans, including the Landis brothers, ventured west in the years that followed the war.
Perry continued to sporadically work at his father’s vineyard, especially during the planting and harvest season. On September 21, 1870, The Connersville Examiner listed Perry Landis in the “Fruits” section as selling the “best and greatest variety of grapes.” That fall, Perry entered some of their produce in the Fayette County Fair. In the “Fruits” section of the article “Premiums Awarded at the Fayette County Fair,” Perry Landis was recognized for “best and greatest variety of grapes” (page 1).
The 1870 U. S. Federal Census listed that the Landis household in Connersville as including Henry Landis (63 yrs.), Catharine Landis (52 yrs.), Jacob Landis (28 yrs.), Perry Landis (21 yrs.), Edward Landis (17 yrs.), Francis Landis (14 yrs.), Charles Landis (11 yrs.), and Hetta Morrison (13 yrs.). Again, during this time Joseph Landis was living in Liberty, Union County, Indiana, and John Landis was living out west.
The family vineyard was soon known as H. H. Landis & Son, grape and small fruit growers. I have no idea who was the “son,” but there were five sons working the land. Local newspapers repeatedly carried Landis’ advertisements for grape vines sales. On September 21, 1870, the Connersville Times announced:
“Grape Vines! Grape Vines! – TenThousand Concord Grape Vines for sale at a reasonable rates.
H. H. Landis,
(P. O. Box 132) Connersville, Ind. (page 3).”
Advertisement placed by Henry H. Landis in the “Connersville Times” on Sept. 21, 1870.
The Connersville Examiner also carried the same advertisements throughout October 1870, including Oct. 12, 1870 (page 3).
On September 28, 1870, the Connersville Times reported, (page 3):
“Grapes! Grapes! Grapes!
Ten thousand pounds of choice Concord grapes for sale! Also, ten thousand vines of the above-named variety, for sale at reasonable rates. All offers left at the P. O. Box will receive prompt attention. Vines will be delivered either in Fall or Spring. Address all orders to
H. H. Landis
P. O. Box 103 Connersville, Ind.”
These advertisements continued until the following spring. On March 29, 1871, the Connersville Times announced:
“Grape Vines! Grape Vines!
All persons wanting grape vines of the leading varieties such as Concord, Prolifie, Delaware, Ives, Clinton, Iona, Martha, Salem, and others, should bear in mind that we have a splendid stock of the above and other varieties, which we are selling reasonable and warranting, also a fine lot of Raspberry plants, including Doolittle, Black Cap, Davison, Thornless and Mammoth cluster. Our day of delivering in Connersville is April 10th. Remember the day and leave orders at Pratts’.
Two hundred bottles of Concord grape wine for sale.
H. H. Landis & Son grape and small fruit growers, Connersville, Ind.
P. O. Box 132.
Vineyard two miles south of Connersville” (page 3).
By the summer of 1871, however, Perry Landis was selling grapes under his own name. On Aug. 18, 1871, the New Castle Courier of New Castle, Indiana (page 5) listed:
“Perry Landis.
1st Variety grapes, 2 00”
Perry Landis’ listing in the “New Castle Courier” on May 25, 1871.
Perry also purchased property in Indianapolis, Indiana, suggesting a definitive break from the family business. On June 21, 1871, the Indianapolis News reported the following real estate transfer: “Sarah A Hall and husband to Perry Landis, lot 38, 2d Brookside sub, $1250” (page 4). Despite the purchase, Perry soon left the region, heading west to Colorado. In short, he followed his older brother John.
To be continued…
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