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Note: Louis Arthur De Voto immigrated from Genoa, Italy to the United States with his parents in his first year. There is no record of the family at any port of entry in the United States, so it is to be assumed they either landed in Canada or South America. The family settled in Chicago.
As a young man, Louis, a stone cutter in the quarries around Chicago, left he Chicago area to go to upper Michigan to work in stone quarries there. There he met and married Jane Magnant. He worked for William Wolf (Chicago and Indiana Brown Stone Company), and on Feb. 18, 1888, moved his family to Mansfield, Indiana, whjere he opened a quarry. This quarry employed 400 men and furnished the stone for Union Station in Indianapolis. After this quarry was operating smoothly, Louis was to have moved to Tennessee to open another quarry, but in the meantime, Mr. Wolf died, and all the quarries were closed.
Louis the entered into the bridge building business with the Van Fossen Brothers and helped to build churches and other buildings in the area. (The Union Chapel of the United Methodist Church inMorton on SR 36 between Bellmore and Bainbridge is one he helped to build.)
From a letter by Harry DeVoto to the Indiana Historical Bureau, dated 10-16-1979 and in the possession of Michelle DeAngelo:
For many years my family nurtured the stroy that my grandfather was a sculpter who immigrated from Italy in the mid 1800's. The story holds that he was the sculpter who did one of the pieces on the Civil War memorial located on Memorial Circle in Indianapolis. The particular piece is the farmer father and mother resting on their plow just recognizing the return of their soldier-son. It is one of four pieces at the base of the column.
Is it possible that thee are records of some kind that might confirm this case that your office may know as well as how I may gain access thereto?
When I was twelve years old, I saw teh memorial but have little recall for the experience that would be more helpful that what I've already given here.
My grandparents resided in Jackson Township in 1900 according to census data. During my visit, grandfatehr had died but my grandmother was living in Mansfield, Ind. Are those places one and the same?
Your aid in this matter would be most appreciated and earnestly sought.
Yours truly,
Harry DeVoto
From a letter in the possession of Michelle DeAngelo:
State of Indiana Library, C. Rach Ewick, Director
October 29, 1979
Harry J DeVoto
740 Beaver Lane
Discovery Bay, CA 94514
Dear Mr. DeVoto:
Your letter has been referred to the State Libary by the Indiana Historical Bureau. We have found no references to Louis DeVoto, scupltor, or his connection with the Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Indianopolis. According to our sources, the two groups "The Dying Soldier" and "The Return Home", which are just above the cascade, were designed and carved by Rudolph Schwarz, wo also did much of the other sculpture on the Monument. Other sculptors also worked on pieces for the Monument, and there seems to be uncertainty as to just how much of the desinging or execution was done by Scharwz. Unfortunately we do not have printed reports of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument Commission for the period when most of the statuary was being prepared, and records in the Archives Division are not easily assessible. We did not find a reference to the name of Louis DeVoto in the sources we checked. He may have worked on the piece in a subsidiary role, but we do not believe he was the princple sculptor.
Mansfield, Indiana is in Jackson Township, Parke County. We checked the Parke County histories, which are not well indexed, but found no reference to the DeVoto surnname.
I am sorry that we cannot give you more information. Very truly yours,
Miss martha E. Wright
References Librarian
Indiana Division.
Mr. Harry J. DeVoto
R.R. #33
Rockville, Indiana
Dear Mr. DeVoto:
Our records indicated that your mother, Jane Magnant DeVoto, was living in 1953. If she is still living, it would be appreciated if you would complete the attached Data Sheet giving us complete information on her as to date of birth, names, ages, and addresses of living children, etc. It appears that your mother lived away from the L'Anse reservation in Michigan, and we have very little information on her in our files.
Your mother's allotment on the L'Anse reservation, N1/2SE1/4 sec 25, T. 51 N., R 32 W., MM, Michigan, containing 80 acres is still restricted. Under present regulations, Indian allottees are being allowed to sell their allotments, and we thought you might want to give this information to your mother in case she is interested in disposing of her allotment. Any sale would be under Government supervision, after the land has been appraised by this office. The highest bid over and above the appraised value would be accepted.
Sincerely yours,
(signed) E. J. Riley, Administrative Officer.
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