NOTE: this online version of YNL44 is broken up into sections, because of the large number of photos used to illustrate some of the stories. Navigation buttons are provided.

The late Fred L. Yoder was a dedicated student of genealogy. His adopted LDS faith further encouraged a natural interest and he collected a variety of information and photos about his family. Thanks to his widow Dorothy and family friend Harold J. Yoder, we are able to share with our readers some interesting photos from a family with a multiple Yoder ancestry. I would also like to thank Tara A. DePuy of the Nappanee Public Library for adding some local history. Fred was the son of "double Yoders", Rudolph Yoder and Sarah Yoder.  Rudolph, in turn was the son of Yost I. Yoder (1849-1933) (YR125382)  and Mattie Stahley,  and Sarah was the daughter of  Jonas B. Yoder (1843-1927)(YR251141) and Catherine Campbell. The photo which relates to the earliest generation of this line is the one above, which shows the homestead of Yost's father Israel Yoder (1817 Ohio-1886) who married in 1845 Veronica Yoder (1823-1905) (YR23b21).  By the birth of son Yost they were living in Newberry Twp., LaGrange County, In.  By 1860, they had returned to Ohio where they settled near Smithville. The homestead they built stood for over 100 years, until being destroyed by the "Palm Sunday Tornado" which came through northern Indiana on April 11, 1965.

Israel Yoder Homestead, est. 1849, Newberry Twp, LaGrange Co., In.

Yost I. and Mattie Yoder	The Yost Yoder Family
In 1880, Yost I. Yoder and his wife lived in Elkhart County, Indiana, with three children. By 1900 they and their 7 younger children lived in Jefferson Twp., Kosciusko County, Indiana.  By 1920, they live in Nappanee, Elkhart County, with son Jonas M. in the household. Sarah Yoder's father Jonas B. Yoder, was born in Mifflin Co., Pa. in 1843. He was the son of Daniel C ("Gypsy Dan") Yoder. By 1869 he was in Wayne County, Oh. and lived there until his death.
Jonas B Yoder (YR251441), German Baptist, as a young and old man sometime after the death of his wife in 1919 & with his later residence in Green Twp., Wayne County, Ohio.
Yost  and Mattie were Mennonites and their children were: Israel (5/24/1874-3/24/1875); Fanny (1/10/1876 LI-12/21/1899) m Aaron W Hartman; Christian (7/24/1877-7/18/1964); Elizabeth (4/17/1879-........ ) Amos S Hershberger;  Moses I (12/10/1880-12/30/1969); Levi S (5/2/1882-12/18/1908); Rudolph O (11/20/1884-1/7/1969) (father of Fred L.) ; Mahala (10/13/1887 -........ ) m Aaron S Gerig; Jonas M (7/22/1889-3/1/1974); and Angeline Minnie (9/24/1892-........ ) m John McNaughton.

Several of the sons of Yost and Mattie Yoder established businesses in Nappanee.  Research by Tara DePuy indicated that the Yoder Brothers Garage was established in 1910. It was the first garage in town. A newspaper article at the time showed the owners to be Israel's sons Christian I. and Moses I. Yoder. A photo on file at the library lists Moses and Jonas as the owners.  The oldest city directory at the library was published in 1918. It shows M.I. Yoder as owning the garage and Jonas M. listed as mechanic. They are listed under the section labeled "Bicycles and Motorcycles". In the directories from the 1920s, Yoder Brothers is shown as a "Bicycle Shop", two doors down from "Rapp Brother's Garage". Ms.DePuy indicates: "I found Mose Yoder's obituary His obituary did not mention that he owned a garage, but did mention that he owned a bicycle shop. There is also a photograph here at the library that is labeled as the interior of Jonas Yoder's bicycle shop, and it is dated 1915.  It appears that the Yoder brothers probably sold the automobile garage sometime before 1918 (when the directory was printed) and maybe before 1915 if the date of the photograph is correct. "
"The information about the bus and taxi service was a little clearer. Mose Yoder purchased the bus line from William Martin of Milford in 1924. According to the November 8th 1945 issue of the Nappanee Advance News, The Peoples Rapid Transit Corporation of Kalamazoo, Michigan bought the bus line from Yoder effective November 1, (although later newspaper articles report 1946 as the year he sold it). Either way, Helen Yoder, daughter of Mose Yoder, continued the taxi part of the business after her father sold the bus line. She did not retire until 1989, when she was eighty  years old. (Before the bus line sold the phone directory lists the company as Yoder Bus & Cab Company, and after the bus line sold it was listed simply as Yoder cab Company)."

Yoder Garage 1910- Corner of N. Main and Walnut	Yoder Bus Station 1927	Christ Yoder Driving a Car
1916 Parade	A Reo Car	Young Blade drivers- Rudolph (Rudy) Yoder in front center
Yoder Garage- Being Constructed	Interior Jonas Yoder Bike Shop 1915
Construction of Yoder Garage	After the Sale of the Garage	Rachel I. Yoder (YR125383) (Sister of Yost I) front right b 12/3/1851 LI m 11/8/1887 Adam K Kurtz  (left). (Submitted by John Snyder)
Unknown - This Photo is labeled "Grandpa Christian Yoder 1895" Does anyone recognize this fellow? Fred didn't have a "Grandpa Christian".