As he earnestly applied himself to make a better life for himself and his family, his farm grew.  Over time, he was able to purchase more and more land, produce more crops, increase their livestock holdings and generally, increase their standard of living.

             In 1880, just 4 years before his death, we get a clear picture of what his farm must have been like through 2 different sources.   He paid to have a picture of his farm put in the Elkhart County atlas that was being published at the time and so we have a visual image.   But he also answered the door when the census taker from the federal government came asking him about his farm and holdings.

             John said that he owned 165 acres of land and that his farm was worth about $8500.  He owned 7 horses, 9 other cattle and 28 pigs.  He owned 92 sheep and his farm produced 368 pounds of wool from those sheep.  He owned 6 cows and produced 700 pounds of butter from them.  He harvested 500 bushels of wheat, 1320 bushels of corn, 80 bushels of potatoes and 15 tons of hay.  He also had a thriving orchard, with apples and peaches.

         He must have been fairly well off.    In the 1870 and 1880 censuses, his real estate value is pretty much the highest of his neighbors.  Also, when Chapman & Co. were in the process of publishing an Elkhart County history, John published a write up on his family and  had his picture published.    Something that is pretty rare, is that John also paid to have a picture of his farm published in the 1874 county atlas.

John died on 16 June 1882 at his home in York Township, Elkhart County, Indiana of a heart attack.   Harriet died in 1897, probably at their home in York Township.  John, Harriet, David, Edward, Hannah & Mary are all buried in the Oak Ridge Cemetery in Bristol, Elkhart County, Indiana.