Six Elkharts

About the Book

Have you ever wondered if there are other cities or towns with the same name as your hometown?  That question intrigued the author after he read an article about a professor that lived in Buffalo, New York, and every summer he would load up his VW and travel to one of the other seventeen Buffalos in the United States.  After investigating and finding out there are six Elkharts, the author and his wife set out on their own adventure to discover where these Elkharts were, where they each got their name, and if they are mysteriously connected to each other in some way.  Traveling to each Elkhart, he found that this is beautiful country and there are some really great people in the other Elkharts.  He also learned about his own hometown, which he knew very little about.  He knows that this book is a must read for anyone living in a town named Elkhart, but maybe there is a greater audience of people who love to travel and are curious about a tale of human interest.  He found out something very interesting in travels: all the Elkharts had a written history, except one, Elkhart, Texas; and the inhabitants the other Elkharts were surprised to hear that there even was an Elkhart, Texas.  However, Elkhart, Texas, has an abundance of history of the Parker family that settled in Texas and gave it the name Elkhart.  As the reader, you will come to learn the common thread that runs through the history of all the Elkharts.  Come along to the heartland of this great nation and visit with the author to the Six Elkharts.             

About the Author

Daniel Roll is a graduate of Indiana University South Bend; however, he acquired his college degree the hard way going to classes in evenings and weekends while working as a journeyman electrician, first in construction and then with the Bayer Corporation.  After twelve grueling years he walked across the stage to receive his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration.  Roll also served in the United States Air Force as a radar repairman from 1964 to 1968.  The author loves to read, write, and play board games and regularly challenges his wife, Sally Anne, to a rousing game of Scrabble.  However, his first love, even from his youth, is his love for travel and to see other places.  He calls it his “wander lust.”  His dream is to maybe someday catch a ride on a tramp freighter and sail around the world, stopping off in Australia and taking the train from Perth to Sydney.  The youngest of ten children, his father was a baker and his mother a self-proclaimed amateur writer and waitress; he lives in Elkhart, Indiana with his wife Sally and together they have six children and fifteen grandchildren.