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3 1833 01704 0210
blografhical memoirs of
Greene Coumty, Ihd,
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
GREENE COUNTY, IND.
WITH REMINISCENCES OF PIONEER DAYS
ILLUSTRATED
INDIANAPOLIS. INDIANA
1908
B. F. BOWEN & CO.
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1242271
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HON. JACOB P. McINTOSH.
The subject of this biographical review, a repre-
sentative of one of the early pioneer families of Greene
county, was bom in Marion county, Indiana, November
17, 1835, ^"d he is a son of William J. and Sarah (Neg-
ley) Mcintosh. (The sketch of his father appears more
fully on another page of this work.)
Jacob Mcintosh became a resident of Greene county
at the age of two years, when he was brought here by the
removal of his parents from Marion county. Being
reared on a farm, his early life was devoted to agricul-
tural pursuits and in attending the pioneer schools of his
day. Like other youths of the early times, his educa-
tional opportunities were limited, principally to the most
elementaiy branches of learning, and this at considerable
sacrifice. His means being limited, he was unable to
avail himself of the advantages of higher education until
later in life, though he was always a student, and read
everything calculated to broaden the sphere of his intel-
lect. He has been twice married, first in 1857 to Nancy
Kelley, who died March 20, 1872. She was the mother
of six children, three of whom survive; three died in in-
fancy or early childhood. The living members of this
family are Martin F., Mary Hannah and Nathaniel
Greene. Mr. Mcintosh was married the second time on
the 26th day of June, 1873. His present wife was Nancy
Ann Crawford, daughter of William B. and Elizabeth
(Brooks) Crawford, natives of Ohio. Her father was a
soldier during the Civil war and served as a member of
Company I of the One Hundred and Forty-sixth Indiana
55
866 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Infantry, Volunteers. He died in 1900. His widow is a
resident of Greene county. There are ten living children
of this union, of whom Daisy, wife of Walter G. Hudson,
a printer at Bloomfield, is the eldest. Miss Nora is a pop-
ular and successful teacher, having been engaged in that
laudable work for a numljer of years. William resides
upon and operates the parental farm near Worthington.
He is married and has one child. Bessie M. is the wife
of S. O. Gallup, of Indianapolis. O. G. is at home. Dan-
iel C. is a graduate of the Worthington high school and
is also a graduate in phamiacy. He is a student in third
year's work in the State University. Lalla R. and Fran-
ces Maude, both graduates of the Worthington high
school, are still under the parental roof, though the last
named is now a student at the State Normal School.
Lyman T. and Moore C. complete the family circle. They
are students in the Worthington high school. The two
sons and daughter mentioned as the issue of the subject's
first marriage are prominent in business and social rela-
tions, the sons being merchants and the daughter, now
Mrs. A. J. Peck, resides in Topeka, Kansas. Early in
life the subject of this sketch chose the medical profes-
sion as his life work, and after attending the Eclectic
College of Medicine at Cincinnati he began practice, and
continued that profession for about twenty years, then
for ten years only part of the time in connection with
superintending his large and varied farming interests
throughout his active business years. He owned and
operated a farm of six hundred and twenty-five acres,
upon which his family lived until 1900, and gave special
prominence to the growing and marketing of domestic
stock. Since the date above written he has retired to a
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. OO/
less pretentious farm of fifty-nine acres adjoining W'orth-
ington, but has relaxed none of his interest in general
fanning and stock growing.
Dr. Mcintosh recites with much interest and enthusi-
asmi the story of pioneer life in the wilderness of Greene .
county when he was a boy. He says that his mother,
whose memoiy he reveres, was, in combination with all
womanly virtues of her day, an expert at the wheel and
loom, and that for many years she spun the flax and wool-
yarn, and wove the cloth with which to clothe the family,
taking the fomier from the matured stalk and the latter
from the sheep's back. Nothing was then known of the
wonderful machinery which has revolutionized^ manufac-
turing in all lines of human industiy. The application of
steam power was then in the experimental stage, while
electricity as a motive power was then not dreamed of
by the most advanced scientists.
The ancestral history of Dr. ilclntosh is traceable
in this section of Indiana, and mostly in Greene county,
to the year 1821, when the founders of the family came
from Kentucky. But as this feature of the family life is
brought out more fully in the sketch of his father, \\'il-
liam Jefferson Mcintosh, the interested reader is referred
to that article for further information.
Dr. J. P. Mcintosh has been pre-eminently a bus_\-
and useful man. His life has been spent in an effort to
render good to his fellow men, and in whatever sphere
his labors were directed, he has discharged his duties con-
scientiously and well. He has been an ardent supporter
of the principles of Democracy, and has been zealous in
the furtherance of party interests, whether as a standard-
bearer seeking support for political honors or as a pri-
CAL MEMOIRS
vate citizen seeking the general welfare of his chosen
party. In political affairs he has always been prominent
and influential. In 1874 and again in 1876 he was the
nominee of his party for legislative honors, going down
with the defeat of his party. In 1880, however, he was
more successful and was elected as joint representative
from the counties of Greene. Knox and Sullivan. His
administration of the affairs pertaining to this exalted
position no doubt led to his selection as state senator in
1882 for Daviess and Greene counties, though Greene
county was then considered almost hopelessly Republican.
But the personal popularity and careful, systematic work
of Dr. Mcintosh carried it for the Democratic candidate
by the narrow margin of eleven votes, and for the district
one hundred and seventy-one. While in the legislature
Mr. Mcintosh was the author of a number of wholesome
and popular laws which remain on the statute books as
a monument to his memory, and as a convincing- proof of
his sterling good judgment.
In the affairs of private life the doctor has been suc-
cessful beyond the average attainments of men. He was
a partner in a profitable mercantile business for many
years, and his professional life was proverbially a suc-
cess, especially in the correct diagnosis and treatment of
disease. He was a justice of the peace for four years,
and has always taken an active interest in local affairs
of whatever nature. He is an affable and ag-reeable gen-
tleman, universally esteemed, and favorably known to
almost eveiy family in Greene county. The record of
such a life is a stimulus to the rising generation, whose
desires and ambitions are largely influenced by the
achievements of others.
1^
'yr-i^:^.
Residence of lion. J. P. Mcintosh.
GREENE COUNTY,
A. F. WILSON.
Prominent among- the active business men of Greene
county is the name of A. F. Wilson, who was born at
Ladoga, November 28, 1861. His parents, P. H. and
Arthuria (Dixon) Wilson, were both natives of Indiana.
Mr. Wilson's paternal grandfather, was a Virginia
farmer, and on leaving that state came to Kentucky,
from whence he removed to Indiana, where he lived out
the remainder of his days. Grandfather Dixon was a
merchant tailor by trade. His three sons were all sol-
diers of the Civil war.
Our subject's father was reared in Indiana, receiv-
ing his early education in her public schools. He later
graduated from the Louisville Medical College, and prac-
ticed medicine at Ladoga for several years. He then re-
moved to Worthington and took up dentistn,', continu-
ing in that profession until his death, March 4, 1890.
The family consisted of six children, enumerated here in
order of birth: India, now deceased; A. F., our sub-
ject; Frank, now a successful business man of Salt Lake
City; Ida. wife of W. E. Mason, now of Mississippi:
Martha, unmarried : Charles, carpenter at Danville.
Illinois.
Our subject has had a wide business experience. He
was educated in the W'orthington public schools, and
after reaching maturity began railroading, following this
for seven years. He then became deputy postmaster, fol-
lowing this by engaging in the liver\' and groceiy busi-
ness. He then served one tenn as postmaster, after
which he engaged in managing a meat market. Next he
assumed the control of the Commercial Hotel, later han-
870 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
dling patent rights, after whicli he dealt largely in live
stock. Following this he purchased the Williams House,
which he still owns, but whose management is leased to
other parties. He is at present engaged in handling a
patent wire stretcher, patented May 22, 1906.
;Mr. \\'ilson was married on Januaiy 25, 1890, to
Lille Griffith, who was born at Worthington, being the
daughter of George and Jane Griffith, both highly re-
spected residents of the town. Two children have graced
this union, viz. : Lee, born in 1895, and Guy, born in
1S07. ^frs. Wilson is a member of the Christian church
and is an admirable mother and companion.
Mr. Wilson has been equally alive to his social obli-
gations and has taken an active interest in many of the
fraternal organizations of the community. He gives his
hearty support to the Elks, Red Men, Knights of Pythias
and Modern Woodmen.
Politically he is a Democrat, but has demonstrated
that public service can be easily coupled with straight-
forawrd business methods, having, as mentioned before,
sen-ed a^ piistmaster for one term, and also for three
FRED ROSCOE CRO^IWELL.
One often hears nowadays the remark that this is
the age of young men, and it would seem to the most
casual observer that a great portion of the world's work
recjuiring prompt decision and quick judgment combined
with the energy and staying! qualities necessary to insure
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 8/1
tained in the following- record of the young man whose
success, is carried on by those young in years, conse-
quently, we are not suprised at the splendid showing con-
name appears above ; for although Fred R. Cromwell has
scarcely passed the quarter centun- mark, he has shown
by his vigilant energy and untiring zeal that he possesses
a nature that will undoubtedly crown his age with splen-
did achievement. Relying entirely on his own resources,
this young man has so well perfomied every task that has
been assigned him that he now holds the responsible posi-
tion of chief of the fire department at Linton, Indiana,
a position that is usually tendered to the experienced
veteran. However, that city feels that it can safely trust
its property to the protection of this young man.
Mr. Cromwell was bom in Clay county, Indiana.
June 13, 1882, the son of Albert and Emma (Fields)
Cromwell, the fomier a native of Clay county, while the
mother was born and reared in Ohio. The latter was
called from her earthly labors in Colorado, whither she
had gone in an effort to recover her failing- health. The
subject's father is a successful farmer in Clay county.
He has a family of five living sons. Fred R., the subject
of this sketch, is the eldest; Charles is a fanner in Clay
county; Albert, Jr., is employed in a hotel at Terre
Haute; George is a farmer in Clay county; Rue has
remained at home working- on the parental place ; Guy and
Fay died in childhood. The habits of industiy which the
father instilled in his home from early life have remained
as dominating factors and they are all known as men of
thrift and energ}^
Fred R. Cromwell was raised on his father's farm
and there learned much of the management of agricultural
8/2 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
land, while not in school, which he attended during the
winter months until 1900, when he came to Linton and
was employed in connection with the racing stock of Dr.
Sherwood and others, having learned to successfully
handle horses while on the old homestead. He was then
in the employ of the Terre Haute Brewing Company for
more than a year. In 1907 he was elected driver in the
fire department, and appointed chief of the department
in this city April i. 1908. Three men are embraced in
the payrolls of this department, which is made up from
volunteers, picked up as occasion demands. These are
entitled to pay for their services, although claims are
seldom filed, the fire fighters being willing to contribute
their services to their city when it is in need of them.
The equipment of this department embraces a hose wagon
and two chemical tanks, an abundance of hose, ladders,
etc. This department has attained great efficiency in the
matter of getting out when an alarm is given. The
employs can take the horses from the stalls, hitch them to
the apparatus and be on the street in twenty seconds.
The subject was married January 24, 1908, to Ora
Robison, daughter of James and Fanny Robison. of Lin-
ton. Mr. Cromwell is a member of the International
Brotherhood of Teamsters. Politically Mr. Cromwell is
a Republican, but does not take a great deal of interest in
politics.
ELI STALCUP.
This subject, who is one of the most industrious
:ners and stock raisers in the vicinity of \\'orthington.
^M Jt^^f^ ^>^^j^ c^ ^';J
/
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. o73
Greene county, Indiana, never had the roaming dispo-
sition that characterized so many of the young men with
whom he was reared, and he has preferred to test the ad-
vantages of his home county rather than risk his fortune
elsewhere, having been born at Bloomfield, January 4,
1829, and he is now Hving one mile north of W'orthing-
ton on a fine farm.
Mr. Stalcup's father was Stephen Stalcup and his
mother's maiden name was Mary Underwood. Grand-
father Eli Stalcup, a native of Tennessee, came to
Indiana long before our subject was bom, settling in
Greene county on a fann, where he spent the remainder of
his life. Stephen Stalcup was brought to Indiana when a
young man, where he soon began farming and trading.
having received his early education in Tennessee. Pur-
chasing a good farm in Greene county he remained here
during the rest of his life, rearing ten children, all grown
to maturity, the subject of this sketch being the third in
the order of birth. He attended subscription schools dur-
ing a part of several years, but his father was in close
circumstances and it was necessarj' for his son to help
on the place when there was work to be done. The
country school houses in those days were of the most
primitive sort, being built of logs with puncheon seats
and greased paper for window panes.
Eli was always called upon to take the lead in all kinds
of heavy work about the place owing to his unusual phys-
ical strength, so he did the major part of the work in
clearing the heavily timbered land where his father set-
tled and with whom he remained until maturity, then he
went to work as a fann hand, for which he received
8/4 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
only seven dollars per month, bnt which he continued
working' at for a period of five years, during a part of
which time he was employed on a shingle machine, being
associated with his brother, Wesley. Then he bought a
house and lot in Worthington, where he lived for several
}-ears, renting land and tilling it, in that neighborhood.
In about three years he traded his town property in part
payment on a farm, on which he has since lived. This
farm at first consisted of eighty acres in the forest, upon
which w-as a small log cabin, in which the subject lived
for a short time, then building a log house, in which he
lived for ten years, which he regards as the happiest days
of his life. He cleared most of the land himself, hiring a
few hands to assist. He has added to his original piece
of ground until he now owns over four hundred acres,
seventy-six acres of which are in the Eel River bottoms,
which is fertilized by ovei-flow, but the overflows are not
of a nature to be of serious injury to the land or the
crops on it, for it produces immense crops of com. He
raises corn crops on his upland fields, usually follows
them by crops of oats and clo\-er, but he uses no commer-
cial fertilizers, being able to keep his land in g'ood pro-
ductive condition by other methods.
Mr. Stalcup feeds nearly all the com the place pro-
duces to hogs and cattle, which he turns on the pastures
in summer. He handles Poland China hogs exclusively,
and he has the largest drove of sheep in the vicinity of
Worthington. His farm is fenced mostly with woven
and barbed wire. His house is commodious, convenient
and in good repair, and his outbuildings are well kept.
Eli Stalcup was married the first time in 1853 to Mar-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 8/5
garet J. Brookbank, of Sullivan county, Indiana, and six
children were born to this union, all of whom died young,
except Sarah Ellen, who is the wife of Levi Swango,
now living on a fami in Greene county. They have
seven children, six of whom are living. Mr. Stalcup's
first wife died August i8. 1868, and he was again mar-
ried May 16, 1869. to Clara Terhune, a native of Ohio,
but who was reared in Greene county, Indiana. Four
children were bom to this union, namely: Nettie, the
wife of Grant Fulk, living in Greene county, to whom
four children have been born; Hany E., who is married
and has two children, lives on the home place, working
with his father; Lena May is single and lives at home;
Elza B., is living at I'wome working with his brother on
the fann.
The subject of this sketch enlisted in Company A, One
Hundred and Fifteenth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer In-
fantry, in 1863. and sei-ved eight months, having been in
Rosecrans' army. He enlisted for six months, but served
two months over time, having been at Cumberland Gap
whai his time expired. His two cousins, Stephen and
Calvin Stalcup, were also soldiers.
EH Stalcup's wife has been twice married, first to
James E. Terhune. who was a soldier in the Thirty-first
Indiana Volunteer Infantry, having served with this regi-
ment for four years, being in all the battles in which the
regiment was engaged. He died one year after his mar-
riage from a disease contracted in the line of duty as a
soldier.
Both the subject and his wife were members of the
Protestant Methodist church.
876 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Mr. Stalcup is a loyal Republican, but he always
desires the best men in any public office, not caring to
support "political rings" of questionable standing. He
was constable for two terms and has been supervisor, but
was never a candidate for important public offices.
The subject is a plain, honest citizen, who has won
his success by hard work and habits of industry in what-
ever he imdertook, and the record of his family is one
that cannot be questioned.
DR. GEORGE B. GRx\Y.
The subject of this sketch has not yet entered the
realm of the aged, but his experiences are ripening to
a full development, and he is now at the zenith of his
powers. Dr. George B. Gray was born July 16, 1863, al
Solsberry, Greene county. He is the son of William and
Anna (Henderson) Gray, the former a native of Craw-
ford county, Pennsylvania, and the latter a native
Morgan county, Ohio.
William Gray was educated in his nati\"e state
the best schools that the country afforded at that time.
He came to Ohio when fiftea: years old and settled ii
Morgan county, where he remained until 1864, wher
he engaged in farming and stock raising, which pursui
he continued through life. He married when nineteen
years old. • Air. Gray moved to Greene county, near Sols-
berr}', in 1864, buying a farm which he continued to con-
duct until 1S80. when he UKived to Worthington. where
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. Oj/
lie remained ten years, then moving to Bloomington.
where he is still living. He has been retired for some
time. His wife died in 1873, having given birth to
eleven children, of whom the subject nf this sketch is the
youngest.
Dr. Gray was educated in the public schools in his
native community and in the State University at Bloom-
ington, Indiana. He worked on his father's farm until
he entered the university. He commenced reading med-
icine under the direction of his brother, Dr. O. F. Gray,
of Spencer. Indiana, which he continued for one year,
when he entered the Medical College of Indiana at In-
dianapolis, from which he graduated in 1884, receiving
the degree of Doctor of Medicine. He began practic-
ing medicine at Paragon, Indiana, where he remained
for one year; he then came to Worthington, in which
city he has been engaged in the practice of his profes-
sion and in the drug business for a period of twenty-two
years. Dr. Gray also graduated at Bellevue in 1889.
taking the degree of Doctor of Medicine, and he took
a post-graduate course in Chicago in 1907.
Dr. Gray was married December 26, 1890, to Myrtle
Young, of Worthington, Indiana. She is the daughter
of Joseph and Ella Moses. There has been no issue
from this union. The subject has an adopted daughter.
Beulah, who is eight years old ( 1908).
The subject is a Republican. He was coroner of
Greene county for two terms, or four years, and he has
been secretary of the board of health in Worthington
during the greater part of his residence in that city. He
is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
and also of the Red Men.
870 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
BENJAMIN BACH.
The subject of this biographical review is a native
of Frauenburg. Kurland, Russia, born on the 12th of
October, 1876. He remained in his native country until
twenty years old, being educated in Russia and at Ber-
lin. Germany. In 1896 he embarked for the "new
world," and located in Louisville, Kentucky, during the
first five years of his sojourn in America. The succeed-
ing two years were spent in Chicago, in both cases being
engaged in the mercantile business. Others of the family
followed until there are four of his brothers conducting a
large mercantile house in Chicago, and three of his sis-
ters reside in that city. The parents, Meyer and Zesne
(Zesner) Bach, are also residents of Chicago. The fa-
ther is a retired merchant. These members of the family
came to this country from Berlin, Germany, in 1905.
The eldest brother and eldest sister are residents of Ber-
lin, while the parents and eight sons and daughters are
in America.
Ben Bach came to Linton, Indiana, in 1903, and
here established one of the leading clothing stores in the
city. He has a large and carefully selected stock of
clothing, gents' furnishing goods, shoes, trunks, suit-
cases, etc., combined with jewelry appropriate to men's
wear. Though a comparatively recent acquisition to the
business circles of Linton, the house is well and favorably
known throughout a large area of country. Ben's motto
has been "A square deal to all." and this policy has given
him a prestige in business second to none in the city.
O.nspicuous in the affairs of this popular house is Charles
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 879
B. Bach, a younger brother, who is manager of the busi-
ness, and a most pleasant and accommodating young'
man. He was born in the same province as the elder
brother, received a good education in his native land,
and in the Business University in Chicago. Previous to
leaving the continent of Europe he traveled extensively,
thus familiarizing himself with the conditions and cus-
toms of that land, and finally went on a prospecting
tour into South Africa. He came to Linton, in his pres-
ent capacity, in 1904. He is a Royal Arch Mason, an
Odd Fellow and a member of the Encampment of the
last named fraternity.
Benjamin Bach, the subject of this article, was mar-
ried in Louisville, Kentucky, May 29, 1898, the lady of
his choice being Pauline Lurie, a native of Schaulen, Rus-
sia. Her parents lived and died in their native land.
Three children have been born to this union, the eldest
of whom is Helen T., a little miss of six years; Ephraim
Leo is three years old and Cecilia, an infant of one vear
in 1908.
Mr. Bach is prominently identified with a number
of fraternal lodges and societies, the most important of
which are: Linton Lodge, No. 560, Free and Accepted
Masons; Linton Chapter, No. 132, Royal Arch Masons;
Unity Lodge, No. 637, Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, and the Encampment connected therewith ; Linton
Camp, No. 100, Woodmen of the World, and the Knights
of Pythias fraternity. The brothers are Republicans in
political views, though not aggressive in politics. They
adhere to the religious faith of their ancestors, being be-
lievers in the doctrines and active members of the Jew-
ish church.
88o BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
JAMES JEFFERSON LANGTON.
Greene county is characterized by her fuU share of
the honored and faithful element who have done so much
for the development and upbuilding of Indiana and the
establishment of the institutions of civilization in this
fertile and well favored section. In this work are com-
prised many biographical sketches of this class of cit'i-
zens, and it is not too carl\ Im i-ecMrd in print the prin-
cipal items in the lives <>i Uk>c honest people, giving
honor to whom honor is due. Among these honored and
sturdy pioneers the subject of this review is properly
installed, his life having been worthy of commendation
and admiration, as a host nf penple in this county who
knew him well can testify.
Mr. Langton was born in W'ooster, Ohio, April
30, 1837, but spent most of his life in Indiana. He is
the son of David and Mary (Black) Langton, natives of
Pennsylvania, who moved to Wooster. \\'ayne county.
Ohio, early in life. Later moving to the Hoosier state,
David Langton enlisted his services in the defense of the
Union at Logansport, but before he could see active
service at the front fell sick and was discharged for dis-
ability, thus being deprived of his desire to render service
to his country. He and his wife were the parents of
three' children, namely: James J., the subject of this
sketch; Martha, the wife of James Denney, of Scotland,
Indiana; Bruce, who gave his life for his country, hav-
ing been killed in battle during the Civil war. David
Langton passed away at his home in Logansport in De-
cember. 1865. Mrs. Langton's death occurred in her
native ciimmunitv — ^^'ooster, Wavne countv. Ohio.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. OOl
James Jefferson Langton received what education lie
could from the rural schools. He was left motherless
when a small boy and later lived with his aunt. Jane Rus-
sell, with whom he remained until the feeling that his
country needed his services in her dark days of trial,
consequently he enlisted in Company K. One Hundred
and Seventeenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, on August
I, 1863, and elficiently served as a teamster until he was
honorably discharged Februar}^ 27, 1864, not having
taken part in any battle, somewhat to his regret, but he
felt that his work was just as essential as that of the man
behind the gun. and. indeed, he should receive the same
honor. After the war Mr. Langton settled on a farm
near Scotland, Greene county, Indiana, later buying forty
acres of land in Daviess county, this state, and while he
never farmed on an extensive scale, he did in a most
praiseworthy manner what tasks he found to do and
was reasonably successful throughout his life. On Feb-
ruary 14, 1866, he was united in marriage with Rachel
M. Garrett, daughter of Andrew and Jane (Walker)
Garrett, natives of Pennsylvania, who came to Ohio with
their parents, marn'ing in the last named state, and
where, in Athens county, the wife of our subject was
born. Mr. Garrett was a cooper by trade, which he plied
in Marion county, Ohio, until the spring of 1864, when
he moved with his family to Taylor township, Greene
county, Indiana, where he continued his trade. He was a
stanch Republican, and both Mr. and Mrs. Garrett were
members of the United Presbviierian church. They
raised the following- children : Nancy, who married An-
56
882 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
drew Brown, both deceased; Margaret, who married
James Wahace, both deceased; Mary Ann, who became
the wife of William Baird, is dead, as is also her hus-
band; Rachel M. is the wife of the subject ; John ^Y., who
makes his home with Mrs. Langton, and has been en-
gaged as a fanner and nurseryman, married Martha
Hand, of Ohio, after which they came to Greaie county,
Indiana, where she died. He was a gallant soldier in
the Federal ranks in the sixties, after which he made
his home in Martin county and in Scotland, this state.
John W. has the following children : Man,' A., William,
Frank, Calvin, Minnie and Allie. Jemima Garrett was
first married to Bamey Rienhart. Her second husband
was ^^'illiam Jackson and her third marriage was to F.
Hall. She is now living in Boulder. Colorado. Mr. Gar-
rett passed away in Martin county, Indiana, in 1868.
Mrs. Garrett was called to her reward from Ohio.
After 1866 James J. Langton and wife lived three
miles west of Scotland, Indiana, for a period of seven
years, and then moved to Scotland in 1873. where he
engaged in the broom making business until his death,
which occurred Januaiy 27, 1907, after having made a
coinfortable home for his family and gained the honor
that all such well ordered lives should receive. Mrs.
Langton lives at Scotland.
Mr. and Mrs. Langton' had but one child, Bruce F.,
now a well known merchant in Bloomfield, this county,
being a dealer in dry goods and gents' furnishings. He
was born November 6, 1871, and educated in the com-
mon schools, also took two courses in normal work, and
taught music for se\'en years with marked success. He
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 003
subsequently engaged in business in Scotland, and later
lived in Indianapolis for eighteen months, where he
clerked for William H. Block & Company, and where he
increased his knowledge of this line of business. In 1903
he purchased an interest in the business of F. R. Van
Meter, and under the firm style of Van Meter & Lang^on
conducted a successful business for two years, when the
junior member of the firm retired, but only for a month,
when he opened up with an entirely new stock, and has
since conducted a thriving business entirely on his own
account, showing that he has pronounced innate busi-
ness traits that make for success in the business world.
In 1894 he chose a life partner, Anna B. Ingles, and one
bright and interesting- child, Marian Lillian, has blessed
their home as a result of this union. Bruce Langton is
a Inyal Republican and he and his estimable wife are
members of the United Presbyterian church.
CHRISTIAN DANIELSOX.
The present efficient superintendent of schools in
Greene county was bom in Denmark, November 16, 1853,
the son of Johan and Anna (Lillianskjosld) Danielson.
The father of our subject was attorney general of Schle-
wig and died in 1873. His wife, mother of our subject,
died in 1859. They were both earnest, consecrated Chris-
tians, members of the Lutheran church. Two children
were bom to them — Christian, the subject of this sketch,
and Secelia, wife of a Mr. Lever, now living in Copen-
hagen, Denmark.
884 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Our subject graduated with lienors from the Uni-
A-ersity of Copenliagen, Denmark, in 1873. Though only
twenty years of age when he graduated, yet, as is the
custom in Denmark, he had devoted himself closely to his
student life, resulting in an education of the highest type.
He immigrated to America in 1874, landing first in
New York, but afterwards settling in Baltimore, Mary-
land. Here he labored at anything he could get to do,
and business was at a low tide on account of the severe
panic of 1873. He remained here about two years, when
he went td T.\nch1iurg. Virginia. Being full of energy
and grit, he willingly turned his attention to anything
that would give him honest employmait, so he engaged
as a fann hand, other kinds of labor being scarce. In
this capacity he labored for about seven years before a
change came. Besides the hard times, he encountered
the difficulty of learning a new language, which to one
whose mother tongue is not English is no easy task.
Continuing his labors on the fann, he came to Indiana in
1878. and to Greene county in 1881. working on a fann
in Highland township for two years. His first and
only change was to teaching", and in this, like even- other
work to which he applied his head and hand, success
came to him in an eminent degree. For four years he
taught in Marco, and Bloomfield, seeing his ability and
success in this rising young man, sought his sen-ice in
their public schools. He was made principal of their
high school, in which capacity he continued for seven
years. He then went to Owaisburg. having been elected
to the superintendency, which he held for three years ;
thence to Switz City, where he served in the same capac-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 005
ity for seven years. In Jnne, 1907, he was elected to the
office of county superintendent, which office he now holds,
and is praised by all for his efficiency and aiergy in try-
ing to raise still higher the already high standard of
Greene county schools.
While in Bloomfield he was married to Susan Ful-
ler, daughter of David and Elizabeth Fuller. She was
bom in Smith township and her parents are now both
dead. Her father was an early settler of the county and
at the time of his death owned a large fann.
To Mr. and Mrs. Danielson were born three chil-
dren — Olaf Hogarth, born at Bloomfield, July 30, 1890;
Rolf Segurd, bom at Owensburg, June 13, 1896, and
Harrold Fuller, bom at Solsberr}\ June 16, 1898.
The family seems to be true to their early training.
Mr. Danielson is a member of the Lutheran church, while
his wife continues trae to the Baptist faith. He is a
member of the Masonic order, and a Republican in poli-
tics. His first vote was for Hayes and Wheeler.
The success attained by our subject is a lesson to
all — an illustration of what can be done when determina-
tion and grit get behind a pui-pose in life to push it
along. Other honors are yet in store for him. He has
won for hiiriself the confidence and high esteem of the
people of the entire county.
WILLLVM L. HERRIXGTOX.
William L. Herrington is among the few who find
their native community good enough to spend their lives
886 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
in, so he has i-emained in Richland township, Greene
county, since his birth, November 7, i860. After receiv-
ing a common school education and living at home until
he was twenty-two years old, he located two and one-
half miles northwest of Bloomfield, Indiana, where he
farmed for seventeen years. In 1901 he was appointed
superintendent of the Greene county poor asylum, and is
now serving his fourth term. He is generally popular
in his native count}', being an active worker in the Dem-
ocratic party, a Presbyterian and a member of the Order
of Red Men, Lodge No. 230, of Bloomfield. It is said
by many that no other man has filled the office he now
holds so well as he.
The subject was married on ^larch 18, 1844. to
Camma \A'orkman, of Highland township. They have
no children. His wife is the daughter of Henry and Sa-
rah (Buckner) Workman, of Highland township, Greene
county. Mr. Workman married the second time, choos-
ing for a wife ]\Iahela Buckner. who is still living in
Bloomfield. He was a farmer. Both he and his first
wife are now deceased.
Lewis Herrington, father of the subject, lived in
Monroe county, Indiana, and married Caroline Miller, of
near Dayton, Ohio. He had little chance to go to .school
and at the age of fourteen years went to live with George
Bradford, where he remained for nine years, after which
he took up fanning in Richland township, Greene county.
Later he went to Illinois, but returned to his old com-
munity in Greene county, Indiana, where he continued
fanning. He was a Democrat and a Presbyterian. He
died about 1887 and his wife died in 1895. They are
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 887
svirvived by four children — the subject of this sketch,
Samuel H., a farmer in Fountain county, Indiana, who
married Martha Bailes ; Thomas N., now in Los Angeles,
California, formerly of Colorado and Kansas. He is an
express miessenger and married Prudence Thompson.
Pearl is the wife of Harry Doyle, of Richland township,
Greene county.
James Herrington was the subject's grandfather.
He was a native of Kentucky and married Sarah Under-
wood, of Lawrence county, Indiana. He came to the
latter state and settled in Greene county, where he man-
aged a farin for many years. He married a second wife,
Elizabeth Scott, and they moved to Clark county, Illi-
nois, where they both died. James Herrington had six
children, three by each wife. They are Lewis, John,
Perry, George, James and Maty.
John Miller was the subject's maternal grandfather,
a native of Philadelphia. He married Elnora Imboden
and they went to Ohio, settling near Dayton. Later they
came to Richland township, Greene county, Indiana, and
secured two hundred and forty acres of land, where they
lived for eleven years. He was a farmer and black-
smith. He retired in 1890 and moved to Bloomfield, In-
diana, where he died in 1902. His second wife was Eliz-
abeth Barton, of South Carolina. She died in 1904 in
Wortliington. He had nine children, all by his first wife.
They were: Mariah, living near Tulip, Indiana; Cath-
erine, living in Highland township; Elizabeth, living in
Bloomfield; Leah lives in Bloomington ; Caroline, mother
of the subject; Mar>^ lives in Bloomfield: Henr\' lives
near Tulip; John, deceased; David.
888 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
WILLIAM L. SLINKARD.
Men of general excellence in eveiy station of life —
men of industry, of integrity, of high principle, of ster-
ling honesty of purpose — desen^e and command the spon-
taneous homage of their fellow men.
Notably conspicuous among the learned and distin-
guished men of Greene county is William L. Slinkard, of
Bloomfield, a lawyer of repute, whose brilliant success has
given him a state reputation. Gifted with talents beyond
the measure of that given to the average individual, he has
acquitted himself with exceptional honor as an advocate
before judge and jury, and in those other spheres of duty
and usefulness which the highest citizenship entails he has
gained for himself the confidence and esteem of all who
know him. Possessing a strong individuality, unimpaired
vigor, discreet judgment and generous impulses, qualities
that lead to positions of honor and trust — he has dis-
charged the important public and private trusts that have
come to him with marked devotion and absolute fidelity.
Coming from a long line of honorable ancestry,
whose early training inculcated a strict devotion to life's
plain and simple virtues, he has struggled from humble
surroundings to a commanding place in tlie world of af-
fairs, and by his own achievements lias gained a compe-
tency before reaching the meridian of life.
William L. Slinkard is a native of Cass township,
Greene county, Indiana, where he was boni February ig,
1864. He is a son of Nathan V. and Sarah E. Slinkard.
an appropriate sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this
volume. He was reared and worked on the farm, spend-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 889
ing his boyhood amid the environments of rural Hfe. He
attended the village schools, completing the entire course,
and later attended the normal school at Bloomfield, after
which he taught school for several years. He then took
up the study of law, reading with Rose & Short, of Bloom-
field, and attended law school at the University of Vir-
ginia. When twenty-one years old he was admitted to
the Bloomfield bar, and has ever since been one of its lead-
ing members. He was appointed deputy prosecuting at-
torney for the fourteenth judicial circuit in 1886 and his
diligence in prosecuting offenders gained for him his
party's nomination for prosecuting attorney in 1890. He
was duly elected and re-elected in 1892. His administra-
tion of this office and his zealous regard for the public
morals gained for him a wide reputation as an able and
fearless lawyer, and when he retired from office he easily
secured a clientele second to none in the county. Mr.
Slinkard is a Democrat of the progressive type, and sensed
as presidential elector in 1896. He was his party's nomi-
nee in 1906 for joint state senator from Monroe, Owen
and Greene counties, and reduced the Republican majority
from twelve hundred to seven hundred. JL/w ^1,^)2^1
William L. Slinkard was married on June 2, 1897,
to Pearl Cravens, daughter of Dr. Samuel C. and Mary L.
Cravens. She was born and raised in Bloomfield, is a
graduate of the Bloomfield high school, and is a social
favorite in the best circles of society. Born to this union
are three daughters, Esther, Ruth and Xaomi, all living,
and one son dead, William Cravens Slinkard.
Fraternally Mr. Slinkard is a member of the Masons.
Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows, Red Men and Encamp-
890 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
meat, and Elks, having been through all the chairs except
those of the Masons and Elks. He is a member of the
Lutheran and his wife of the Presbyterian church.
EMERY F. HAXTOX.
Emery F. Haxton was Ixirn in Owen county, Indi-
ana, in 1859. and was educated in the public schools of
that county, working on his father's fami until 1892,
when he came to Worthington. Indiana, and entered the
hardware business, which he worked at for over two years.
He was then in the drug business and later a traveling
salesman. He later entered the hotel business and has
been proprietor C)f the ^^'illiams House in Worthington
since April 9, 1907. He was married in Januaiy, 1882,^
to Mary McClarren, a native of Greene county, and the
daughter of John F. and Elizabeth (Williams) McClar-
ren. They have one child, Estill R., who is a merchant
in Jasonville, Indiana. E. F. Haxton is a Republican
and was township trustee for six years. He is an Odd
Fellow, having filled all the chairs in the local lodge, and
is a member of the grand lodge and grand encampment.
Airs. Haxton is a member of the Presbyterian church.
Alexander C. Haxton was the father of the subject,
a native of Ohio, who married Mary Harstine, a native
of Pennsylvania. They had four children, namely: E.
F., subject of this sketch : Laura, wife of Albert Daller,
of Indianapolis: Harx-ey D.. now a real estate and in-
surance dealer in \\'orthington, Indiana: Catherine, wife
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 89I
of Merton C. Bentley, of Chicago. A. C. Haxton was
a soldier in the Civil war, having enlisted in 1861 in
Company F, Ninety-seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantr}'.
He was in many of the hardest-fought aigagemaits of
the war — Gettysburg, Shiloh, Missionarv' Ridge and Look-
out Mountain. He was badly wounded at the last named
battle and was never again able to go to the front, but
was on detached duty at Indianapolis. He was mustered
out in March, 1865, and is now living in Indianapolis,
an invalid, being absolutely helpless from the effects of
his wounds. However, he does not regret his ser\-ice to
his countn-.
The grandfather of the subject, Richard G. Haxton,
was of Irish descent. He came to Ohio and later to
Owen county, Indiana. In 1842 he entered land there,
where he farmed the remainder of his life, and died in
1890. The subject's grandfather Harstine was a native
of Pennsylvania, who moved to Owen county, Indiana,
about 1840, where he spent his life and died in 1877.
The subject has always been regarded as an honest,
upright and industrious citizen.
\\ILLIA:M ALEXANDER TERRY.
Some ver\- interesting historical facts are brought
to light by taking a glimpse into the ancestral records
of William A. Terrj-, one of Worthington's representa-
tive citizens. He was bom in Muhlenberg countv', Ken-
tucky, being the son of George W. and Nancy A. (Shel-
892 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
ton) Tern,'. His father was born in Virginia, having
come to Kentuci<y with his parents wlien fourteen years
of age.
\\'iUiani's great-grandfather. Miles Terr}', was prac-
tically one of the colonial settlers, locating first in Con-
necticut, coming later to Virginia, and there ended his
days. His nephew, Eli Teriy, and his son were the old
original clock makers of the time. He took part in the
Revolutionary' war, and was with Washingotn at the sur-
render at Yorktown, where he was wounded, from the ef-
fects of which he aftenvard died. The following alludes to
George Terry-, grandfather of the subject. It was at his
home church that the association of the Baptist church
met when that denomination became divided, and it was
there that Alexander Campbell withdrew from the asso-
ciation. In his home were drawn up the resolutions de-
nouncing the church doctrine of Alexander Campbell.
William's grandfather, Thomas Teriy. born in 1791,
was a soldier in the War of 18 12. Out of a family of nine
children, four are still living, in 1908, the oldest of whom
is Rev. George W. Terrj-, father of our subject. Another,
one of the four. Azel M., was a soldier in the Civil war.
and was a member of the Eleventh Kentucky Infantry.
His home is still in that state. Thomas G., another of the
family, was also a member of the Kentucky regiment of
mounted infantiy. and here contracted a disease from
which he died.
The Rev. George W. Terry has had a most com-
mendable career as a minister, being ordained in 1857,
and is a graduate of the old Baptist University at Chi-
cago. In July, KJO/. he preached his fiftieth anniversary
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 8y3
sermon, and is still filling his pulpit, at the age of eighty-
three. He too. was a soldier in the Civil war, having en-
listed in 1862, in the Ninty-seventh Indiana Infantry and
later became regimental chaplain. He participated in the
battles of Missionary Ridge, Jackson, Mississippi ; Re-
saca, Chickasaw Mountain, Atlanta, Savannah, Benton-
ville and others. He was mustered out in July, 1865. He
has preached over eleven thousand sermons and has bap-
tized about fourteen hundred persons. In his younger
days he practiced law, having been licensed as an attorney
while in Kentucky, in 1854.
On the maternal side we find also some interesting
records. Grandfather John Shelton came from North
Carolina and settled finally in Kentucky. He followed
farming and owned some slaves. He gained a wide
reputation as a hunter, and took active part in many In-
dian wars. While at Point Commerce, he was sent with
his command to re-inforce General Harrison at Tippe-
canoe.
William, our subject, was educated in the public
schools of Monroe county, and remained upon the home
farm until twenty-four years of age. He then rented a
farm for himself, continuing thereon for ten years, after
which he purchased a fami of eighty acres, operating it in
connection with a sawmill. In 1894 he disposed of these
and removed to Worthington. He then bought some coal
land and for three years gave this his attention. Upon
disposing of this, he went into the marble business, and
was joined later by his brother. The firm is now enjoy-
ing a very satisfactorj^ volume of business.
On March 4, 1877. Mr. Terry was united in matri-
894 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
mony with Mary Teague, who was born in Morgan coun-
ty, Indiana, and is the daughter of Solomon and Melinda
(Duckworth) Teague. At the time of her marriage to
Mr. Teague, the latter was the widow of John Dittemon.
Our subject and wife have the following children:
Estella, wife of Scott Dodson; Mamie, born in 1884 and
wife of Marion Mast. Miner, twin brother to Mamie,
died in infancy; Lennie, bom in 1887, is the wife of
Henry Goens, and is the mother of two children.
Mr. and Mrs. Terry are members of the Baptist
church, of which Mr. Teri-y is both deacon and trustee.
He has also been a teacher and superintendent of the Sun-
day school for many years. He is an active worker in the
orders of Knights of Pythias and the Modem Woodmen,
in both of which he has held important offices. He is
a Republican, and Mr. Terry has demonstrated his pa-
triotism by an upright career and loyalty to the principles
of brotherhood in his daily contact with men.
DAVID SANDERS FAULK.
Among the representative men of Greene county who
have added character and stability to the community and
contributed largely of means and influence to its material
advancement, the name of David S. Faulk is desennng of
especial mention. Broad minded and liberal in his views
of men and things, he has made his presence felt for
good, and now after a long and useful career he can look
back over his past life and find little therein to contrast
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 8q5
and much to commend. Mr. Faulk's ancestors were
among the early pioneers of North Carolina, in which
state his grandparents on both sides of the family were
bom. Grandfather Faulk spent his entire life in his na-
tive commonwealth and died there many years ago.
Charles Faulk, the subject's father, also a Carolinian by
birth and a farmer by occupation, married Mary Fiscus,
whose parents moved to Indiana as early as 1826 and
settled in Owen county on a quarter section of land which
Mr. Fiscus purchased from the government. In due time
this land was cleared and improved, and on it Mr. and
Mrs. Fiscus made their home until their deaths which
occurred in the years 1872 and 1873, respectively.
Charles Faulk spent the greater part of his life in
Owen county, where he owned a fann of one hundred
and twenty-six acres, which he cultivated until called to
the other world in the year 1848. He and his good wife,
zealous members of the Methodist Episcopal church, did
much to introduce religion into the community the}'
assisted in founding, and are remembered as a most excel-
lent and God-fearing couple, many of whose virtues have
been reproduced in their descendants.
David S. Faulk is a native of Indiana and dates his
birth from August 20, 1840, having first seen the light of
day on the family homestead in Owen county. He at- '
tended the schools of his neighborhood as opportunities
peniiitted, but when a mere youth, was obliged to assume
the responsibility of the farm's management by reason of
the death of his father and to this he devoted his attention
until his mother's second marriage, when, at the age of
seventeen he began working for himself as a farmhand.
896 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Two years later he purchased his first real estate, consist-
ing of twenty acres, on which he erected a staall house
and commenced improving, until, in due time, he had the
entire area, reduced to cultivation and here he lived until
responding to the President's call for volunteers to assist
in putting down the rebellion, enlisting Augaist 13, 1862,
in Company F, Ninty-seventh Indiana Infantry, with
which he sen-ed until mustered out June 9, 1865, and dur-
ing the time experiaiced in full measure, the vicissitudes
and horrors of warfare, taking part in a number of noted
battles in Tennessee. Georgia, Mississippi and other
states, including the engagements at Jackson, Knoxville
and Missionaiy Ridge and various other actions of the
Atlanta campaign, among which were Resaca, Dalton,
New Hope Church and Kenesaw Mountain, where he
became physically disabled, resulting from vaccination
which necessitated hospital treatment of a number of
weeks" duration. When sufficiently recovered to rejoin
his command he again saw active duty at the battle of
Griswoldville. Georgia, where he was twice wounded, and
also participated in the engagement of Savannah, Geor-
gia, in the reduction of Columbia, South Carolina. After
being mustered out of service on the date above indicated,
Mr. Faulk returned to Owen county. Indiana, and re-
sumed the pursuit of agriculture, but, within a short time
sold his little farni and during the following nine years
tilled the soil as a renter. He then purchased five town lots
in Forsyth. Illinois, and ten acres of land nearby, also a
fami of one hundred and forty-nine acres in Greene coun-
ty, to which he subsequently added forty acres and moved
to this place where he continued to reside until 1894. when
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 897
he disposed of the place and bought a sixty acre tract
which he improved and erected good buildings, making it
his home until retiring to Worthington three years later.
Since 1897 he has not actively been engaged in business
of any kind, having a sufficiency of the world's goods
to insure ease and comfort for the remainder of his days.
Surrounded by this evidence of his industry' and thrift
and in the midst of a host of friends, he is spending his
time in the enjoyment of that peace and content which
ha\e come to crown a long and strenuous career, and
standing high in the esteem of the public and making his
influence felt in behalf of all that tends to its advance-
ment, he may truly Idc regarded as one of the leading and
enterprising men of the cnmmunit}' which he h<in(3rs with
his residence.
Mr. Faulk was first married in 1859, to Malona
Pearce. After her death he chose a second companion
and helpmate in the person of Margaret Stanley, daugh-
ter of John and ]\Iarv' (Ball) Stanley, who has presided
()\'er his home from that time to the present, and contrib-
uted not a little to his success in life. Two children were
born to the fomier union, the second being without issue.
Mr. Faulk is a Republican in politics, a member of
the Grand Army of the Republic and for many years has
been a leading and influential communicant of the Baptist
church. He has ever manifested a lively interest in be-
half of all lines of good work under the auspices of the
Baptist denomination,. contributing liberally to its educa-
tional and benevolent institutions, the endowment of
Franklin College especially profiting by his benefactions,
and to him more than to any one man is due the erection
57
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
of the house of worship known as Mt. Vemon churcli,
near his farm liome, having- personally gotten out all the
timber for the building, besides raising- the greater part
of the funds necessarv to its construction.
JAMES M. McDowell.
James M. McDowell, hotel proprietor of Linton,
Lidiana, was bom July ii, 1843, 'it Spring-v-ille, Law-
rence county, and after attending school there for a
number of years engaged in teaching in the public
schools of his native county for three years. He was
elected sheriff of that county in 1883 and sensed two
years. Li 1885 he purchased a stock of hardware,
also a hotel at Owensburg, and conducted these for a
period of fifteen years. He left his property there and
went to Oolitic, Indiana, later selling his holdings at
Owensburg and operated a hardware business together
with a hotel at Oolitic, and was postmaster of the place
for three years, beginning in 1902, but he resigned the
office in 1905, sold his business interests and purchased
the Remington hotel, which he now conducts. He sei-ved
as justice of the peace and notarv^ public in Lawrence
county, and as census enumerator in 1880. He is a
Republican, and has been a member of the Christian
church for more than forty years. He married Ellen
Armsti'ong on March i, 1874. She was the daughter of
Ari Armstrong, of Perry township, Lawrence county.
Seven children have been bom to this union as follows :
Edith, deceased : Winnie, deceased ; Gail, wife of Homer
Thrasher, of Bloomington ; Lena, Nellie, Ai-i C. and Paul,
all living at home. All are graduates from the common
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 899
schools except Paul, wlio is now in the eighth grade work.
Ari is a civil aigineer in the employ of the Illinois Central
Railroad Company. Nellie attended Valparaiso Normal
College. She and Lena also attended the Danville, Illi-
nois, nonnal school, where they took the teacher's course.
The subject was a charter member of the Hardins-
burg Lodge, No. 23, Knights of Pythias, organized in
Februaiy, 1872. He has since transferred his member-
ship to the Bloomfield, Acolade Lodge, No. 63. He is
also a member of the Odd Fellows Lodge, No. 545, at
Owensburg, having joined it in 1885.
The subject is the son of John and Ann ( Owen)
McDowell, the fomier was born in North Carolina, in
1809, and the latter in the same state, in 181 1. They
married in Lawrence county, where they spent their lives.
They had nine children, namely : Sallie, Elizabeth, Mary,
William H., James M., Milton P., Nancy A., Jennie and
Lucinda. The parents of the subject both died in Monroe
county, Indiana, in their seventieth year. William H.
McDowell, the subject's brother, was a private in Com-
pany H, Third Regimait, Indiana Volunteer Infantry.
Milton B., a brother, was also a soldier in the Civil war.
Both saw hard service. The former was wounded at
Pittsburg Landing. The latter was wounded at Raleigh.
North Carolina. Both are still living. William is a phy-
sician in Tola, Kansas.
WARREN CLYDE TINSTMAN.
Among the progressive young business men of Lin-
ton. Indiana, is Warren C. Tinstman, who was born in
900 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Butler. Dekalb county, this state, January 19, 1880. He at-
tended school at Butler, graduating from the high school
there when fifteen years of age. He was engaged in the
laundry business for many years, beginning as an em-
ploye in his home town. He purchased a laundiy plant
at Garrett, Indiana, which he operated for one year.
Then he sold out and leased a plant at Bloomfield, for
eight months, pending negotiation to purchase his present
business. This was culminated in August, 1903, when he
purchased a half interest in a laundry and continued in
a partnership business for two years, when he bought the
entire plant, which has a capacity of doing about three
hundred dollars' worth of business each week. He em-
ployes an average of nine people. It is equipped with
modern machineiy and appliances and is perhaps the bus-
iest place in Linton. It turns out first class work and
Mr. Tinstman enjoys a very liberal home patronage.
The subject was married September 17, 1903, to
Lillian R. Roberts, daughter of Charles H. and Catharine
Roberts, of Fair Play township, Greene county. Mrs.
Tinstman was born on a farm where her parents now live.
They have a fine farm and are among the prosperous
families of the community.
The subject is the son of John W. and Sarah ( Gun-
senhauser) Tinstman, the former being born in 1858, in
Elkhart county, Indiana, and the latter in Dekalb county.
John W. is a contractor and builder. He is now promot-
ing a patent right business. He is the patentee of the
Tinstman Concrete Block Machine, and he has discontin-
ued contracting to deA'ote his attention to the sale of his
patent machine. He is living at Butler. Indiana. He had
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. QOI
two sons, of which the subject is the eldest. John Henry,
the other son, is a locomotive engineer, employed on the
Pennsylvania Railroad. He is unmarried and lives at
Carnegie, Pennsylvania. The father of the subject has
been very successful in his business career. Both he and
his wife are descended from Gemian ancestors, who first
settled in Pennsylvania. John Jacob Gunsenhauser. the
subject's grandfather, was a tailor in New York City.
He later came to Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana, dying
in Dekalb county.
The subject is a Republican, a member of the ElkS'
and also Uniform Rank Knights of Pythias. He is also
a member of tiie Fraternal Order of Eagles.
LEWIS R. HALL.
Among the highly respected citizens of Lyons,
Greene county, Indiana, none stand higher in popular
regard than does the subject of this brief sketch, which
should have a tendency to inspire the ambitious, though
poor, young man, who chances to read it, for this biog-
raphy has to do with a man who was handicapped in his
boyhood, but who did not permit poverty to down him.
On the contrary, he believed with Shakespeare that "sweet
are the uses of adversity ; though, like the toad, ugly and
venomous, yet wears a precious jewel in their head," and,
having this conception of his early lack of opportunities,
Mr. Hall set out on life's pathway with fortitude and
his efforts have been crowned with abundant success.
g02 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
The subject was born in Bloomfield. Indiana, in
1 86 1, the son of Albert and Jennie (Fox) Hall, the father
of the latter having come to Bloomfield as a pioneer from
North Carolina. He was always identified with the mer-
cantile business. Grandfather Fox was a Revolutionary
soldier. The father of the subject came from North Car-
olina when a j'oung man and settled in Bloomfield,
where he followed his profession as tailor, dying- there in
the early sixties, when only middle aged, his wife having
preceded him by several years, leaving two children, a
daughter and Lewis R., the subject of this sketch.
Mr. Hall attended the public schools for a short time
in Bloomfield, and later came to Lyons when but a boy
with no one to care for him or to assist him in any way,
but the fact that he was thus early in life thrown upon
his own resources, dev-eloped in him that independence
of nature and self-reliance that have made for success,
without which no one succeeds to any marked degree. He
attended school in Lyons for a short time, but he was
compelled to work at whatever odd jobs could be
picked up, and for several years he hired out as a farm
hand. By habits of economy he was able to save enough
to take part in a company organized to mine coal, and
known as the Island Valley Coal Company, with head-
quarters at Linton, which continued for many years until
sold to the tiiist. Our subject was veiy successful in this
venture. He then identified himself with another com-
pany with offices at Terre Haute, known as the Sugar
Valley Coal Company, in which he still owns an interest,
but does not give his personal sen-ices to the work. This
company is incorporated and doing an extensive business.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 903
In September, 1905, Mr. Hall bought a hardware store
in Lyons, in partnership with J. W. Sappinfield, under
the timi name of Sappinfield & Hall. They gradually
built up a trade sufficient to greatly increase their original
stock until now it is doubled. They maintain a high
grade store, carrying a general line of hardware and fann-
ing implements of all kinds. Their business is at present
very large; in fact, it would compare vei-y favorably with
similar lines of business in larger cities. The trade of this
well established firm is not confined to the community
in which their store is located, but it extends to remote
parts of the county.
Mr. Hall was married in 1884 to Sallie E. Brinson.
daughter of Zebulon Brinson. She is a native of Greene
county, her ancestors having come to this state from Ken-
tucky. One child has been bom to this union, Lillie
Viola, the date of her birth being 1888. She is married
and the mother of one child. She and her mother are
both members of the Methodist church.
James Hall, an uncle of the subject, was a soldier
in the Mexican war and also in the Civil war, later serving
as a regular for five years. He is now deceased.
Fraternally the subject of this sketch is identified
with the Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, having filled all the chairs in the local lodge of the
latter. He is a Democrat, but does not have the time
nor the inclination to take very active part in politics.
However, Mr. Hall can always be depended upon to be on
the right side of all questions pertaining to the general
public good and the moral uplift of his community.
904 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
JAMES D. ENGLISH. D. D. S.
The professional men of Worthington have done
much to promote the best interests of the city, and among
those who are well known and have been closely identified
with the city's growth, is Dr. James D. English, who
was bom in Sullivan county, Indiana, March 16, 1858.
His father. Jarred P. English, was a native of Ohio, hav-
ing been bom there December 4. 1825. James' great-
grandfather came from Ireland in 1795. settled in Dela-
ware and later removed to near Redstone, Pennsylvania.
His wife, about whose name subject is not certain, but is
either Anna McCollister or Anna (Collins) English, was
the mother of six children, viz. : James, John, Patrick.
Thomas, Katie and Polly. Thomas, our subject's grand-
father, was the father of six children: Mary. Harriet.
Jarred P.. Nancy, Thomas, William, and John. He had
one child, Samuel I., by a second wife.
James' mother, Mary A. (Lyons) English, was born
in Ohio February li, 1829. and died November i. 1871.
Her grandfather, Hugh Lyons, was bom in County
Down. Ireland, in 1756. and died in Ohio in 1836. Her
grandmother, whose maiden name was Arabella Arburth-
not. was also bom in County Down. Ireland. She died
in Belmont county, Ohio, in 1808, at the age of forty-
six years. Mrs. English's father was bom in Belmont
county, Ohio, in 1800, and died in Sullivan county. In-
diana, in 1876. He was a blacksmith and edge toni
maker, being a skilled workman and a most pious Chris-
tian gentleman, having been an elder in the Presbyterian
church for over fifty years. At the time of his death he
JM^^/-
■JU
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 9O5
held the distinguished record of being the oldest Free
Mason in point of membership in Sulhvan county.
Jarred P. English, our subject's father, was an or-
derly sergeant in the Thirteenth Regiment of the Indiana
Light Artillery^, having enlisted in 1862 and was mus-
tered out in the fall of 1864. This regiment had a most
noted record, and was engaged in some of the most bit-
ter and hard-foughts conflicts of the war. To follow this
company through its many vicissitudes would consume
more space than this limited biography can afford, but
reference to any standard chronicle of the Civil war will
enable the reader to form an estimate of what the com-
pany endured. Just as a suggestion we make reference
here to Chickamauga. where the losses to both sides in
killed, wounded and missing reached almost 40,000 men.
Other conflicts in the list are Chancellorsville, Missionar\-
Ridge, Lookout Mountain, Perr\-ville, and many others.
But in addition to active sen-ice on the field of battle Mr.
English endured many hardships as a prisoner of war,
coming out at the close of the ser\'ice much weakened in
body, but strong in patriotic spirit. After the war he fol-
lowed the trade of blacksmith and also that of leaker, anrl
died October 20. 1897.
James was educated in the public schools of Greene
county and worked with his father in the bakerv', thus
learning the trade, and then followed the business for
several years. Having come to Worthington in 1865
with his parents, being then only six years of age, he
later took up dentistry, beginning the practice with Dr.
P. H. Wilson in 1876. Following this he formed a part-
nership with W. H. Welch and finally, in 1880, he ai-
906 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
g'aged in business for himself, having a most gratifying
patronage.
Mr. Enghsh is a Repubhcan, but has taken a stand
at all times for fair and honorable discharge of public
obligations. He has been chosen a member of the town
board and has also served his townsmen on the school
lioard, one tenn each. He lends his support to the Pres-
byterian church, having sei-yed as deacon and as teacher
in the Sunday school. Not only in church life has Mr.
English been prominent, but he is a familiar figure in
the lodge halls of the city. Among- his affiliations are
the Odd Fellows, Masons, Modern Woodmen and East-
ern Star, in most of which he has filled important offices.
In the laying out and platting one of the additions to the
city Mr. English has also had a part, as well as in per-
fecting an addition to the cemeteiy. .
On December 26, 1879. Mr. English was joined in
matrimony to Dorcas A. Cantwell, of Worthington,
daughter of James F. and Margaret (Harper) Cantwell,
both natives of this county. Three children have graced
this union: Raymond A., born Alay 6, 1881, is practic-
ing dentistry at Clay City: Jessie A., bom October i^,
1883. is the wife of Fred M. Dyer: Mamie, born in 1887.
is a student in the Indianapolis Conservatory- of Music
and is now acting as assistant instructor in elocution. The
subject owns a beautiful home and spent eleven years in
the drug business with J. T. Cooper as partner, under the
fimi name of Cooper & English. He was one of the orig-
inators of the local telephone exchange and has been
prominent in all local industries.
:\Irs. English's father, James F. Cantwell, was a sol-
dier in the Civil war and senxd three years in the Eighti-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 90/
eth Indiana Volunteer Infantiy and was a non-commis-
sioned officer, acting as captain for nearly two years, and
he now resides at Gambia with his daughter, Mrs. Mag-
gie Beach. He was a farmer in early life and later en-
gaged in the manufacture of brick. Since the deatli of
his wife in Febnian', 1908, he. has resided with his
daughter. He is a Republican, a Presbyterian, and be-
longs to the Masonic fraternity and the Grand Anny of
the Republic, and was one of General \Vilder"s brigade.
CHARLES E. COMBS.
Charles E. Combs, a real estate and insurance
dealer and one of the representative business men
and public-spirited citizens of Greene county, is de-
scended from sterling pioneer ancestiy and traces
both branches of his family to a period when the
savages still roamed ' over Indiana soil, and the
few cabins of the settlers were as niches in the dense pri-
meval forests. William Combs, the subject's grand-
father, a native of North Carolina, married in that state,
Asanath Ellis, and in 1830 migrated to Rush county,
Indiana, settling on land about six miles from Rushville,
where he remained until removing to Hancock county
four years later. Subsequently, about 1838. he changed
his residence to Greene county, and purchasing a tract of
government land in Taylor to-wnship, in due time devel-
oped a good farm and became a man of considerable local
prominence. Mr. Combs made the long journey from
908 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
North Carolina to his new home in the forests of Indiana,
by team, cutting no small part of the way through the
wilderness, camping out at night and meeting with many
stirring adventures en route, to say nothing of the nu-
merous hardships experienced. He was an industrious
man, a pious member of the Baptist church and an ar-
dent Whig, although coming to the state where no black
man was held in servitude. He reared a family of eight
children and died in 1869. The names of his children
were as follows: Joel E., deceased; Jabez J., Adoniram
P., Martha K., Marj- Ann, deceased; Eli S.. William H.,
and Margaret, who died in infancy.
William H. Combs, the youngest living member of
the above family, and father of the subject of this review,
was born June J5. 1840, on the homestead in Taylor
township, and grew to manhood, a tiller of the soil, which
honorable vocation, he has since followed. He married in
1869, to Isabella Faucett, whose birth occured in the
above township in 1847, being the daughter of George
and Elizabeth Stone Faucett, the father born in Orange
county, Indiana, where his family settled many years ago,
moving to this state from Kentucky. The family of
George and Elizabeth Faucett consisted of ten children,
the majority of whom grew to maturity and became well
settled in life. Mr. Faucett died of measles while in the
army, having been a member of the Fifty-ninth Indiana
Infantr}-, his widow departing this life in Kansas, in
1907, at the advanced age of eighty-three years.
William H. and Issabella Combs have had ten chil-
dren as follows: Charles E., whose name introduces this
sketch: Minnie, wife of Joseph Crabb : James E. ; Mar-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 9O9
garet, died in infancy; Charlotte F., now Mrs. John De\-il-
biss; EmiTia E., who married Alfred Isenogle; Marj^ A.
wife of Alonzo Carroll; Carrie E., John T.. and \\'illiam
H., the last named dying in infancy.
William H. Combs is a practical farmer and a most
e.xcellent and praiseworthy citizen. He served two years
in the Civil war, in Company H. Eighty-first Indiana
Infantr\', and was discharged on account of disability
before the expiration of his period of enlistment. He is
a Republican in politics, and a consistent member of the
Christian church, to which his wife and several of his
children belong.
Charles E. Combs, our subject, was born on the fam-
ily homestead in Taylor township. June 25, 1870, and
grew to maturity familiar with the rugged duties of the
fami, attending at intervals the district schools of the
neighborhood. After finishing the common school course
he took a business course in the Indiana Business Univer-
sity, at Indianapolis, in addition to which he also attended
several normals, thus fitting himself for teaching, a pro-
fession he followed for about four years with gratifying
success. The inducements of the educational work, how-
ever, not being in keeping with his ideas of what a per-
manent calling should be, he discontinued it at the expira-
tion of the period indicated, and in 1894 removed to
Bloomfield, where he sen-ed four years as deputy county
auditor under H. L. Doney, following which he engaged
in the real estate and insurance business, his real estate
interests in Greene and neighboring counties, taking a
wide range, and he has made as many deals and as many
sales as any other agency in the citv of Bloomfield. to
giO BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
sa_y nothing of his large and steadily growing patronage
in the field of insurance.
In the year 1892 Mr. Combs was happily married
to Isadore D. Edington, the accomplished daughter of
William W. and Harriet R. (Hays) Edington (a sketch
of whose family history will be found elsewhere in this
work). Mrs. Combs was bom in Jackson township,
Greene county, and enjoyed the advantages of a liberal
education, and she possesses those admirable qualities of
character which have made her a favorite in the best
social circles of the city in which she lives, giving her
encouragement and active support to the club movements
there, being a member of the Twentieth Century club,
which has proven an influential agency both socially and
educationally. She is also identified with the Daughters of
Rebekah, takes an active part in the deliberations of the
organization and for some time past has been recognized
as one of its most influential leaders.
Mr. and Mrs. Combs are the paretits of two chil-
dren — Earl a student in the Bloomfield schools, and Eli
D., dying in infancy.
In his political views Mr. Combs is a Republican,
but not a partisan, and at the present time is sei-\'ing as
the efiicient president of the town board of Bloomfield.
Fraternally he belongs to the Modem Woodmen of
America.
WILLIAM WALLACE TEMPLETON.
The subject of this review is one of the representa-
; men of Greene county, and enjoys the g-eneral respect
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 'JH
that comes to those wlio hve clean hves and use their
abihties for the bettemient of humanity. Wilham W.
Templeton is a native of Greene county, Ohio, where his
birth occurred July 28, 1837, being the son of \^'illiam
and Ruth (Booth) Templeton, both born in Pennsylvania.
The father, a soldier in the war of 1812, and a man of
sterling worth, was the son of an Irish emigrant who
came to America in 1764, and sen-ed with creditable
record in the struggle for Independence, subsequently,
settling in Pennsylvania. He married Joan Wallace, an
aunt of Hon. David Wallace, at one time governor
of Indiana, and father of General Lew \\'allace, the distin-
guished soldier, diplomat and author.
William W. was reared on a farm, and continued
that kind of life until reaching maturity, and then,
in addition to agricultural pursuits, devoted much time to
cutting cord-wood, remaining in his native state until
1859, when, with a number of youths as daring as him-
self, he went to Pike's Peak in quest of fortune and
adventure. Returning' from the West he resumed his
fomier occupation and was thus engaged until the
national horizon became overcast with the ominous
clouds of rebellion, at the breaking out of which he re-
sponded to his country's call by enlisting in 1861, in
Company C, Twenty-first Indiana Infantry, subsequently,
the First Heavy Artillery, with which he shared the for-
tunes and vicissitudes of war in a number of campaigns
and battles, including, among others, the actions of Baton
Rouge and Port Hudson, Louisiana, Spanish Fort, and
Mobile, Alabama. Being promoted to first sergeant
shortly after entering the sen-ice, he later rose to the
912 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
ranks of second and first lieutenant, the fomier in April,
1864, the latter in March of the year following. After
a military career covering a period of four and one-half
years, he was mustered out of sen-ice at Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, January 10, 1866, and eleven days later re-
ceived an honorable discharge at Indianapolis, Indiana,
after which he engaged in the manufacture of lumber in
Greene county, purchasing a well equipped mill which he
operated with encouraging success during the thirty-five
years ensuing. While thus engaged he met with several
reverses in fortune, not the least of which were the two
fires in which his mill was completely destroyed, entailing
severe losses from which he did not immediately rally.
Later he operated lumber mills for other parties for a
period of five years, at the expiration of which time he
discontinued active pursuits and has since been living in
retirement in Bloomfield, where he owns a comfortable
and commodious home, and enjoys the respect and confi-
dence of the large circle of friends and acquaintances with
whom he mingles.
Mr. Templeton has ever manifested a lively interest
in the afifairs of his city and county, gives encouragement
and support to all measures for the public good, and
wields a wholesome influence in behalf of every enterprise
calculated to promote the moral welfare of the commu-
nity. Religiously he is an active and consistent member
of the Christian church, of Bloomfield, in which he is dea-
con, and for a number of years has been identified with
the Masonic fraternity, the sublime principles and precepts
of which he exemplifies in his relations with his fellow
men. ]Mr. Templeton has held no puljlic ofiice but has al-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 913
ways kept in close touch with pubHc afifairs, being a Re-
pubhcan in his poHtical affiliations, but in no sense of the
temi a partisan or seeker after official preferment.
The domestic life of Mr. Templeton dates from
1867, on May 22d, of which year he was united in the
bonds of matrimony to Loretta Rosecrans, daughter of
Oliver and Mary J. (Kirk) Rosecrans, the father a native
of Ohio and a nephew of General W. S. Rosecrans, one
of the distinguished Federal leaders in the Civil war. Mr.
and Mrs. Templeton are the parents of eleven children,
whose names are as follows: Elmer, who died in 1898;
Samuel Wallace, superintendent of mines, at Joplin,
Missouri; Mary E., a member of the home circle; Sarah
Bell, deceased; Zella May, deceased; F. M. D., deceased;
Ellen, wife of Thomas Talbott, of Joplin, Missouri;
Flora M., now Mrs. William Talbott, of the same place;
Grace R., bookkeeper in the Bloomfield State Bank;
Bessie L.. who lives with her parents; and Wilhemina.
student in the schools of Bloomfield. Mr. Templeton's
oldest son, whose death is noted above, was a popular
young man of exceptional ability, high moral worth,
and at the time of his decease held a responsible position
with the Denver State Savings Bank, Denver, Colorado.
The managers of that institution reposed in him the ut-
most confidence. The career of Samuel Wallace, the
second son, presents a series of continued successes, such
as few in a much longer life seldom attain. His position
as superintendent of the mines is one great responsibility,
but he discharged the duties of the trust in an eminentlv
satisfactory manner, and occupies a high standing among
the enterprising men of his adopted city.
914 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
JOHN DAVIDSON.
The biographical annals of Greene county, Indiana,
would be incomplete were there failure to make specific
mention of Mr. Davidson, who has long been prominently
identified with the industrial, material and civic progress
of this section, having been concerned in various enter-
prises and having ever stood for loyal and public spirited
citizenship.
A glance at Mr. Davidson's ancestry will be neces-
saiy in order to get an idea of where his own sterling
qualities came from. His grandfather, George David-
son, was a native of Kentucky, having spent his early
life there on a farm, being contemporary with Daniel
Boone, but he finally came to Sullivan county. Indiana,
in 1825. in the earliest days of white settlements, where
he entered wild land and soon had a good farm. The
first log house he built was the one in which the subject
and father of our subject were born. George Davidson
and wife lived and died on this farm, rearing nine chil-
dren, two of them, George and John, having been sol-
diers in the Union army. Grandfather Davidson died in
1839, at the age of forty-five. His widow sui^vived him
many years. The subject's great-graiidmother David-
son was in the fort at Boonesborough, Kentucky, when
the Calloway girls were stolen by the Indians, the chron-
icle of which has been well known for a centur\-, but a
brief statement of the stoiy will not be amiss here. It
will be remembered that Daniel Boone was in charge of
this fort when the three beautiful Calloway girls were
wooed by young men of that vicinity, but their parents
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 915
objected to the young men becoming- husbands of their
daughters. However, when the Indians surprised the girls
while rowing on the river near by, and carried them away
as captives, the parents of the girls told the young suitors
that their consent to the triple marriage would be given
if the boys would recapture the girls. This was accom-
plished after an exciting chase and the marriages were
duly solemized. William Davidson, an uncle of the subject,
was one of the heroic characters that braved the perils
of crossing .the plains to California in 1852, having made
the trip on horseback, driving three hundred head of milch
cows across a country where there were no roads for hun-
dreds of miles and where hostile Indians harrassed the
party of travelers.
The subject's father. Dudley Davidson, spent his early
life in Sullivan county, his schooling being very limited.
He worked on the home place, which consisted of one hun-
dred acres, until maturity. Being the youngest son he
purchased the interest of the other heirs to the place and
operated it until 1872, when he went into the distilling
business, which proved to be an unfortunate venture from
a financial standpoint. He then came to Greene county,
Indiana, in 1874, and rented land, also engaged in carpen-
ter work. He is still living there at the age of seventy-
one (in 1908), and his wife, who was Elizabeth Hauck,
is sixty-six. She was fomierly a Presbyterian, but she
was one of the principal organizers of the Methodist
church in the vicinity of Lyons, in 1878, which has grown
into a strong organization, in which her husband was
trustee for a number of years. GrandfatherHauck was
a native of Germany, who settled in Buffalo, New York,
9l6 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
later coming to Columbus, Indiana, where biitli he and
his wife died of cholera in 1850. leaving three children.
John Davidson, the subject of this sketch, came with
his parents to Greene county, Indiana, in 1874, having at-
tended public school in Sullivan county, he continued
his school work in Greene county for a short time,
remaining with his father and assisting him in farming
until he entered the Bloomfield Normal, from which he
graduated, and, after which, he successfully taught school
for six years in this county. In 1886 he saw an excellent
opening in the undertaking business which he entered,
having had some fomier experience in this line, and which
he worked at exclusively until 1896, when he added a
furniture business, at which he is still engaged. It is the
only business of this character in Lyons. Something of
the able manner in which our subject has conducted
this business will be shown by obsei'ving the rapid growth
of his business. When he first started as an undertaker,
he had one room of his dwelling set apart for an office :
now he owns a large two-stor\^ brick building in which
his stock is located. His enterprise and ability are further
shown by the fact that he was the organizer of the Lyons
Co-operative Telephone Company, of which he is now
president and manager.
Mr. Davidson was married in 1886 to Etfie Aikman.
daughter of Archibald and Maiy (Plummer) Aikman,
a native of Daviess county, her grandfather, Hugh Aik-
man, having been the first white male child born in Daviess
county, Indiana. Seven children have been born to the
suljject and wife as follows: Earl, a telegraph operator;
Lloyd, who is in the undertaking business with his father;
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. gi?
Edna, who is living- at home and attending school ; Roxie
is attending- school, both she and Edna devoting part of
their time to the duties of the telephone ofifice; Ada, Lessie
and Harriett are still living at home. Both Mr. and Mrs.
Davidson are members of the Methodist church, the for-
mer having been trustee of the same for many years and
is now superintendent of the Sunday school. Five of
his children are members of the same church. He is also
treasurer, and was delegate to the church conference.
Mr. Davidson is a strong and popular lodge man, being
a Mason, a member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, Modern Woodmen of America, Knights of
P>thias, Encampment of Rebekahs and Ben-Hur. He has
filled the chairs of all these lodges except the Masons, and
is now in one of the principal chairs of that society. He
was a representative to the grand lodge of Odd Fellows
and a delegate to the state meeting; of the Modem Wood-
men, treasurer of the Odd Fellows and scribe of the En-
campment. Politically he is a Democrat, and was the
candidate of his party for county auditor. He was
defeated with his party, although the county went seven
hundred rnajority, he reduced the vote to three hundred
majority. He has been president of the town board ever
since Lyons was incorporated, eight years ago. The
town is in good financial condition, not owing a cent, due
ver\^ largely to Mr. Davidson's splendid executive ability.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN CHAMBERS. M. D.
He whose name heads this sketch enjoys the distinc-
tion of being one of the leading- physicians of this part
9l8 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
of the country, having- one of the largest surgical prac-
tices in the vicinity of Lyons, Greene county, Indiana.
To natural abilities of a high order he unites a careful
preparation and a genial and sympathetic temperament,
which go far to lighten the efforts of the successful phy-
sician. Dr. Chambers is a descendent of the sterling stock
from the land of the "blue bells and heather," the land of
Robert Bruce and Walter Scott, and a study of the innate
traits of this man will show that he has inherited much
of those rare qualities that make for success in as trying
a profession as that which our subject has chosen ; for his
grandfather Chambers was born in Scotland and
broug-ht by his parents to America when seventeen years
old. He felt the call of the sea and always had a tendency
to lead the life of a sailor, leaving home several times
without first gaining the consent of his parents, and
engaging with various ship crews. Later in life he located
in Knox county, Indiana, becoming a farmer, buying land
and establi.shing a mill, bought and trafficked in produce
on flat boats to New Orleans, being a general trader, and
he also owned a store. He died in 1850, at the age of
ninety-one, leaving four sons and two daughters, the for-
mer, all famiers in Knox county, some of them still own-
ing the old Chambers farm. Both Grandfather Chambers
and his wife were ardent workers in the Baptist church.
The subject's maternal grandfather, Mr. Bower, came
from Germany and settled in Kentucky, where he entered
government land.
Eli Chambers, the father of the subject, who was a
native of Knox county, this state, died August 15. 1885,
at the age of seventy-one years. He married Sarah
GREENE COUNTYj INDIANA. 919
Bower, who died in February, 1903, at the age of eighty
years. To them were bom five sons and three daughters;
all the sons are living, but the daughters are all deceased.
John L., the oldest son, was a soldier in the Union army,
in the Fifty-first Volunteer Infantry of Indiana, having
served under Sherman and was in all the great battles
fought by his regiment. He came near losing his eye-
sight as the result of hardships of the sen'ice. He is still
living in 1908.
Dr. Benjamin F. Chambers, our subject, was born in
Knax count}-, Indiana, in 1868, and received his early
education in the common schools there, working on a farm
until he was twenty-eight years old. In the winter time
he attended the Central school, at Danville Indiana, from
which he graduated in 1893, after which he ably taught
school for four years and attended a medical college,
graduating from the College of Physicians and Surgeons,
in Indianapolis, in 1897, taking the degree of Doctor of
Medicine. After practicing for three years he took a
post-graduate course at the Chicago Post Graduate School.
He first located at Westphalia, where he built up a good
practice, which he enjoyed for six years, when he came to
Lyons, where he has been practicing with pronounced suc-
cess e\'er since. The fact that he has been president of
the Knox County Medical Society is enough to show
with what high regard he is held among members of his
profession. He has been surgeon for the Vincennes
branch of the Vandalia road.
Dr. Chambers was married September 5, 1896,
to Nellie Virtue, of Noblesville. Indiana, the daughter
of Hein-y and Angelina (Stevens) Virtue, both natives
920 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
of Hamilton county, this state, and Quakers in their
religious belief. The father is living in 1908, having
sundved his wife. Mr. Virtue is superintendent of In-
dian schools in Idaho, and teaches agriculture.
Two children have been born to Dr. Chambers and
wife, namely : Laurel Lee, whose date of birth was No-
vember 5, 1901, and Glen Galen, who was born Novem-
ber 25, 1904. The Doctor is a Mason, a member of the
Lidependent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias,
Modem Woodmen and Ben-Hur lodges, in all of which he
has taken a great deal of interest. Politically he is a
Republican, and he and his wife are affiliated with the
Methodist church.
Dr. Chambers devotes practically his undivided time
to his professional work, his popularity having increased
to such an extent that he has time to do little else than look
after his practice. However, he is vice-president of the
Bank of Lyons and has considerable business interests. He
is held in highest esteem by all who known him.
HENRY WILLL\MS.
Clearly defined purpose and consecutive effort in the
affairs of life seldom fail in attaining a due measure of
success. In following the career of one who has achieved
success and high standing among his fellow men there
came into view the intrinsic individuality which makes
such accomplishment possible. The greater qualities that
have made Hemy Williams one of the prominent and
.1/;?. AND MRS. HENRY UlLLIAMS.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 921
successful men of Greene county have also won for him
the esteem and confidence of his fellow citizens, for his
career has been characterized by well directed energy,
strong determination and honorable methods.
Mr. Williams is a native of Putnam county, Indiana,
and a descendant of two old and eminently respectable
families that figured in the early historj- of Maryland,
Virginia and Kentucky, his paternal ancestors coming
from the former states and his mother's people from the
latter. His grandfather Williams, a native of Maryland,
migrated in quite an early day from Virginia, then moved
to Kentucky, and after a residence of some years in the
latter state moved his family to Montgomery county,
Ohio, where he followed his chosen calling of fanning un-
til becoming a resident of Putnam county, Indiana, over
eighty years ago. He entered land in that county, cleared
and improved a good farm, and raised a large family, rep-
resentatives of which are now scattered over the various
parts of Indiana and other central and western states.
Robert Williams, the subject's father, was born in^ Ken-
tucky and there married Angeline Hutchison, a native of
that commonwealth. He came to Putnam county, In-
diana, when that part of the state was new and took an
active part in the development of the locality in which
he settled. He also reared a large family, and, after
perfonning well his part in life, was gathered with his
good wife to his fathers, lx)th having been long- sleeping
the sleep of the just.
Henry Williams, whose name introduces this article,
was born August 24, 1832, in Putnam county, Indiana,
and grew to mature years on the family homestead, re-
9-22 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
maining- with liis father until reaching maturity, mean-
time, in such subscription schools as the country afforded.
he received the rudiments of an education, subseciuently
adding to his knowledge of books, attending at intervals
the free schools which were introduced into the state
during his boyhood. After attaining his majority he la-
bored as a farm hand for several years and then as a
renter until the breaking out of the War of the Rebellion,
when he exchanged the implements of husbandry for
those of war, enlisting in October, 1861, in Company D,
Fiftieth Indiana Infantry, with which he served until the
consolidation of the Fiftieth and Fifty-second, with which
he remained until the close of the struggle. Mr. Wil-
liams' military experience was strenuous in all the term
implies, and throughout the four long years he was at the
front his conduct was ever that of a brave and gallant
soldier who shirked no duty or danger. Among the bat-
tles in which his command took part were Mimfordville.
Kentucky, Parker's Cross Roads, Tennessee, the various
engagements in Steel's campaign in Arkansas, including
thirty-one days of continuous fighting, in one of which,
the action at Jenkin's Ferry, he was severely wounded
and left on the field, where he fell into the hands of the
enemy, remaining a prisoner from that time until re-
leased at the close of the war.
After his discharge Mr. ^^'illiams resumed the pur-
suits of civil life and for a period of nine years sen'ed
on the police force of Indianapolis, at the end of which
time he engaged in butchering in that city, following the
same for a limited period. Disposing of his interests in
the capital city, he came to ^^'orthington and built the
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 9~3
\\'illiams House, of which he was proprietor during tlie
twenty years following, and which, under his excellent
management, became widely and favorably known as one
of the best and most popular hostelries in the south cen-
tral part of the state. Mr. Williams spared no pains nor
e.xpense to make his house meet the most critical demands
of the traveling public, proved an ideal host, and during
the years spent in ministering to the needs and comforts
of his numerous guests there were few places in Indiana
where the name of "Uncle Henry" was not known and
respected. The Williams Hou.se, which represents an
investment of twenty-five thousand dollars in Worthing-
ton, in addition to which he contributed largely to the
advancement of the town in various other ways, besides
taking an active interest in behalf of all measures and en-
terprises for the public good. A few years ago he dis-
posed of all his real estate except his residence, one of the
most beautiful and attractive niral homes in Indiana,
and now is living a life of honorable retirement. By dili-
gent attention to his business affairs and good manage-
ment he succeeded in amassing a handsome competency
and is now one of the substantial and well-to-do men of
Greene county, with ample means to insure an easy and
prosperous future. Although past his seventy-sixth year,
he is still hale and hearty, remarkably well preserved for
one of his age and possesses much more vitality than
many whose span of life has not yet touched the half
century mark. Being genial, he is a favorite in social
gatherings, and in view of the universal esteem in which
he is held it is safe to say that the town of Worthington
has never known a more popular or praiseworthy citizen.
924 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
On July II, 1852, in Macksville, Indiana, was sol-
emnized the marriage of Mr. Williams and Mary E.
Raper, daughter of Jesse and Sarah E. ( Downey) Raper,
the union resulting in the birth of six children, namely :
Sarah E., deceased; Thomas, born December 4, 1856, a
traveling salesman, living at Worthington ; the third in
order of birth died in infancy; Ida, born in 1861, also
died in early childhood; Lena Alice, deceased, and one
that died before being named.
Mr. and Mrs. Williams have lived to see their de-
scendants to their fourth generation, having one great-
grandchild who was bom in the year 1908.
In matters religious Mr. Williams subscribes to the
plain, simple teaching of the Christian church, with which
he has been identified for many years. His wife is also
active in all lines of good work under the auspices of the
local congregation to which she belongs. Mr. Williams
is a Mason and for over thirty years has been a member
of the Pythian Brotherhood, having united with the In-
dianapolis lodge in 1856, the largest organization of the
kind in Indiana. He is also identified with the Grand
Army of the Republic, belonging to Post No. 91 at
Worthington, which he has served as commander and in
various other ofiicial capacities. In politics he is a pro-
nounced Republican, but not a partisan in the ordinary
meaning of the temi, nor has he ever aspired to leader-
ship in the party or public position at the hands of his
fellow citizens.
Mrs. Williams owns five acres of land just at the
edge of Worthington and their home is a beautiful place.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 925
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WINTERS.
Agriculture has been an honored vocation from the
earliest ages and as a usual thing, men of honorable and
humane impulses, as well as those of energy and thrift,
have been patrons of husbandly. The free outdoor Hfe
of the farm has a decided tendency to foster and develop
that independence of mind and self-reliance which charact-
erize true manhood.
Benjamin F. Winters, living near Lyons, is a fanner
and a son of a farmer. He was born in Owen county, this
state, October 8, 1848. A history of his ancestors will
show their sterling worth, and will give an explanation
of where the subject got his nobler qualities of mind and
heart. Grandfather Obediah Winters was born near
Buffalo, New York, having been brought to Ohio and
later to Indiana by his parents in a very early day, settling
in Owen county, later moving to Greene county, where the
subject's father, \\'illiam C. \\'inters, was bom, one of
a family of fourteen children, but one of whom is now
living in 1908. The subject's maternal grandfather,
Willis Barton, also had fourteen children, only two of
whom are now living, one Leonard Barton is nearly
ninety years old; the other living child is the subject's
mother, Mrs. Anna (Barton) Winters, who is eighty-one
years old. She is a native of Randolph county, North
Carolina, and was brought to Indiana by her parents
when nine years old. Like all old pioneer women, she
knew the art of weaving flax into clothing, carding wool
and other similar work. John, Amos, Obediah and Isaiah
^^'inters were all soldiers in the L^nion armv. having en-
926 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
listed from Owen county, Indiana. They all died of
disease, with the exception of Amos, while in the line of
duty. Absalom, Leonard and Nathan Barton were also sol-
diers, having enlisted from Greene county. Indiana. The
last named died while in service.
William C. Winters, father of the subject, was born
in Greene county, and raised in Owen county, Indiana,
where he attended the primitive schools and worked on
his father's farm until attaining his maturity, when he
went to farming for himself in Clay county, and later
settled in Greene county. He was a consistent member
of the Christian church and a Democrat, having been
assessor for a number of years, and county commissioner
for one term. He died when fifty-three years old, leaving
three sons.
Benjamin F. ^^'inters. our subject, spent his early
youth, like many another young man, attending the pub-
lic schools and working on his father's farm until he
was twenty-two years old, when he went to farming on a
forty acre piece of wild land, heavily timbered. It was
soon improved through the efforts of Mr. Winters, and
his untiring activity has enabled him to purchase other
land until he now has a splendid fami of one hundred
and sixty acres of good ridge land, which he keeps in
highly productive condition by rotation of crops, skillfully
managed, and by raising clover. He is making" an effort
to get all his land in good grasses. Most of this farm
is well enclosed by wire fencing. In addition to his
farming, Mr. Winters finds time to successfully operate
the elevator at Lyons, which he owns, dealing e.xtensively
in grain.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. Q-JJ
The subject was married three times, first to Sarah
CaroHne Vanduser, who had two children. He married
his present wife June ig, 1896. She was Florence Frye,
daughter of Henrv* and Margaret (Layman) Frye. Three
children have been bom to this union, namely: Benjamin
F., Sussie Anna, and Charles Verlon. Mrs. Winters'
father, Henry Frye, came to this countiy from France,
when a yaung man, first settling in Missouri, later com-
ing to Greene county. Indiana, where he followed the
blacksmith's trade.
Mr. Winters is a Democrat in his political belief, but
he is an independent voter, always preferring to be
counted on the right side and supporting the best man.
He is regarded as being a man of strict honesty and so-
briety and is held in the highest regard by all his neigh-
bors.
CHARLES CARTMELL KIRK,
Among the well known and highly respected citizens
of Greene county none stand higher in popular regard
than does the subject of this sketch, who. for over a
quarter of a century has faithfully labored along his line
of industry, setting a worthy example for persistency and
honesty. Mr. Kirk is a native of Mason county, Ken-
tucky, where he was born July 25, 1857, a son of Benedict
and Hannah (Williams) Kirk. Grandfather George Kirk
wsls reared in Maryland, having migrated to Kentucky in
1809, remaining there until his death, leaving a widow and
six children, who came to Rush county, Indiana, after
George Kirk's death, the widow dying in about 1862.
928 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Benedict Kirk, father of the subject, was born May 21.
1808, and brought to Kentuck}- when one year old. He
spent his boyhood days in that state bitt did not have very
good advantages of early schoohng. However, by self-
study and close application, he became well read and was
a fluent and interesting conversationalist. When he
became a man he traded in produce on flat toats, and was
engaged in buying and selling slaves; but the last years
of his life were spent on a farm. He was a member of
the Christian church and a loyal union man, an aboli-
tionist and a strong Republican, and he was generally
regarded as a man of high moral principles. He died in
1887, at the age of seventy-nine years. His widow sur-
vived him until 1896, when she died at the age of sixty-
nine years.
Charles C. Kirk, our subject, spent his early life in
Kentuck}-, where he attended subscription schools for
about five months each year; but he is an educated man.
having studied all his life and been a close observer, g;iin-
ing knowledge first handed from those with whom he
comes in contact. As a boy he worked on a farm and
quarried stone, cut cord-wood and did manual work in
general until he was about thirty years old. After the
death of his father he went to McLean county, Illinois,
where he rented a farm and worked it continuously f~r
five years. Then he moved to White county, Indiana,
and purchased eighty acres, which he improved until it
was in most excellent condition, having successfully
worked it for nine years. He then came to Greene coun-
ty, and in March 1902, bought two hundred acres of
improved land which he worked for two years and then
traded it for an elevator at Sandborn, Knox countv, which
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 929
he successfully managed for four years. Then Mr. Kirk
came to Lyons, Indiana, as cashier of the Bank of Lyons,
where he has since remained. After selling the elevator
he purchased two hundred and twenty acres adjoining the
town of Bicknell, Knox county, which he still owns, rent-
ing it out. This is a high class, level fann and highly im-
proved, well fenced with wire. About half of the land is
kept in clover and the crops rotated under Mr. Kirk's di-
rection, all clover, grass and straw being turned under,
which keeps the soil in fine condition, constantly improv-
ing it. Mr. Kirk has a large share in the bank of Lyons,
also a fine residence in town. Both he and his wife are
members of the Methodist church in which he has been a
trustee. He is a Republican of high grade and takes
an active part in all elections, being a public spirited
man and desiring to see fair play upon all occasions.
Mr. Kirk was married in McLean county, Illinois,
to Stella Chase, the daughter of Jacob and Eleanor
( Blasdel) Chase. They are the proud parents of the fol-
lowing children : Euphrasia, who is attending high
school ; Chase died in childhood ; Earl is attending school ;
Lloyd is also in school ; Alma is a student ; Ruth. Mar}-
and Mildred are little girls ( 1908). These children are
all bright and promising and the pride of their parents,
making their home a place of cheer and sunshine. The
Kirk family is regarded as among the veiy best in Greene
county.
PROFESSOR VASSALL E. DILLARD.
Music is one of the highest of the fine arts, and to
be a recognized master of this branch of the aesthetics
59
930 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
is to be among the few "favored by the g-ods." as a Ro-
man would have said. The subject of this sketch evi-
dently possesses this rare gift to a high degree, as a
perusal of the following paragraphs, which touch briefly
on his career, will show. Coming from a musical fam-
ily. Professor Dillard could not well be anything but a
musician, being at present not only a teacher of the vio-
lin and other instruments and director of the Citizens'
Band at Linton, Indiana, but he is looked to for prac-
tically all the music furnished to that populous commu-
nity. He was bom March 14, 1878, in Washington, In-
diana, the only child of John W. and Miranda E. (Wed-
dell) Dillard, the former a native of Kentucky and the
latter of Indiana. The father, who has been a dealer in
marble and granite work almost all of his life, is now
retired, he and his wife living in Washington, this state.
The mother of the subject being an accomplished
musician. Professor Dillard's early studies in this fasci-
nating branch were encouraged and brought into prom-
inence under her tuition and his early educational advan-
tages were most excellent, having attended the Wash-
ington schools and the College of Music in Cincinnati,
where he studied under such noted masters as Marriem
and Terrendella, under whom he made a brilliant record.
Since completing his studies he has been a member of
the C. Z. Bronson Concert Band of the Great Wallace
Shows. Then for two and one-half years he was in-
structor and bandmaster of the Dana Band, of Lima,
Ohio. Giving up his work there he came to Linton, this
county, and after a year's rest at home took charge of
the Citizens' Rand of twenty pieces, then known as the
GREEXE COUNTY^ INDIANA. 931
Archibald Band. Professor Dillard was the originator
of a system of weekly concerts which have become a fea-
ture of great interest to the music-loving public. He
also has charge of the opera house orchestra of eight
pieces.
Professor Vassall E. Dillard was happily «iarried
to Georgia Estella Talbott on November 14, 1906. She
is the daughter of A. G. and Rachel Pauline (Nation)
Talbott. natives of Bowling Green and Patricksburg, In-
diana, respectively. The former is a barber in Linton
and the two families occupy the same home there. The
Talbott family consists of three sons and two daughters,
namely: Lulu, wife of Robert Clements, a coal operator
of Linton ; Howard is in the United States regular anny ;
Georgia E., wife of the subject; Edward O. and Herbert
E. are lx)th living at home.
A son, Byron Amadeus. was born to Professor and
Mrs. Dillard May 24, 1907. Fraternally the subject is
a member of the Modern W'oodmen of the \\'orld. He
is independent in politics. Mrs. Dillard is a member of
the Christian church.
Everybody in Linton and vicinity knows Professor
Dillard, either personally or by reputation, and he is
honored and respected by all, not only for his professional
work but also for his upright life.
GEORGE B. McCLELLEN EASTON.
The subject, who is one of the most prominent busi-
ness men of Linton, was born February 24. 1864, at
932 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Stinesville, Monroe county. Indiana, of English and
Irish lineage, being the son of ^^'i^iam G. and Virginia
(^^'ilhams) Easton, natives of Virginia and Kentucky,
respectively. Mr. Easton being born during the stirring
time of the Civil war, was named in honor of the beloved
commander of the Anny of the Potomac and presidential
candidate in 1864. William Easton was left an orphan
in early youth, conseciuentlv he knew but little of liis
parents or ancestors except that he was a cousin of ]\Irs.
William- H. English, among" the best known pioneers of
Indianapolis. He was a shoemaker and proprietor of a
hotel in Stinesville during- the major part of his life, and
died at the age of sixty-eight years. sur\-ived by a widow,
who still lives there.
George B. Easton was married June 29, 1884, to
Margaret Elizabeth McCown, daughter of Elijah and
Nancy (Williams) McCown, and she was born near
Stinesville. Her father, who is still living, was born in
1818. Mr. Easton's family consists of the following chil-
dren : Jean I., bookkeeper and assistant cashier at the
First National Bank of Linton ; Nancy D., assistant in a
store: Jennie B., Cecil M., Margaret E.. ]\Iarie and
Mar\-. in school, except the last named.
Mr. Easton received his education at Stinesville and
early in life launched in business there as a merchant,
also conducting the old home hotel. He moved from
Stinesville in 1896 to Spencer. Owen county, where he
was engaged in the mercantile business for a period of
three years. He then went to Bloomfield, where he was
in the same business for an eciual number of years, and
came to Linton in 1900, where he was in partnership
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 933
with his brother, W. P. Easton & Company, for five
years. He was also in the real estate business, which
was combined with a general merchandise business. He
assisted in opening up a large coal field west of Linton.
Soon after this enterprise was started he disposed of his
store and soon afterward opened a grocery and provi-
sion market at his present location, 359 A street. Southeast
where he carries a full line of groceries, fresh and canned
meats, notions, etc.
The subject of this sketch is a Mason, being a mem-
ber of Spencer Lodge, No. 95. He is also an Ancient
Odd Fellow and was the -first noble grand of Oolitic
Lodge, No. 682, at Stinesville, of which he was a char-
ter member. Four of the first members built the lodge
mom, the first story of which was occupied by Mr. Eas-
ton, who conducted a hardware business in it. The
building was destroyed by fire and the loss to the stock
of goods was four thousand dollars.
Mr. Easton is a Democrat and he has always been
a public-spirited man. but has been too busy to devote
much time to politics. However, he was postmaster at
Stinesville until he resigned when he moved from that
place. Success has always attended his business career
and he now owns a handsome home and a substantial
store building, both built of concrete blocks. He is a
member of the First Presbyterian church and is regarded
as one of Linton's most progressive citizens.
ERNEST K. CASWELL.
Ernest K. Caswell, who is engaged in the insurance,
real estate and loan business at Linton, is a native of On-
934 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
tario, Canada, bnrn in the county of Minton, September
9, 1S78. He is of Scotch-Irish extraction, his mother's
people coming- to Canada many years ago from Scotland,
while his grandfather was a native of Ireland. Both
branches of the family settled in Canada. The subject's
ancestors, both paternal and maternal, were long noted
for physical vigor and longevity, several of the two fam-
ilies nearing the centuiy mark in age, while one member
reached the remarkable age of one hundred and thirteen
years.
Rev. Alexander K. Caswell, the subject's father,
was a prominent Presbyterian clerg)man in Canada for
a number of years, but is now on the retired list, spending
the evening of his life in California. Fannie Baird, who
became the wife of Alexander K. Caswell, and, like him,
a native of Ontario, died in the year 1897. the mother
of six sons and two daughters, Ernest K. being the only
representative of the family in Indiana. The others —
Bessie, Andrew Baird, Arthur M. L., Clarence A., Gor-
don S., Nellie M. and Francis — live in different states of
the Union, the majority of them attending school.
Ernest K. Caswell, our worthy subject, at an
early day accompanied his parents to Iowa, where
he spent his childhood and youth, entering the public
schools of Cherokee, that state, and in due time finishing
a high school course at the same place. Subsequently he
received a business education in a commercial college at
Stomi Lake, Iowa, and having decided to devote his life
to the medical profession he took a two years' course in
Brown's College, Philadelphia, later finishing his pro-
fessional training by a full course in the S. S. Still Col-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 035
lege of Osteopathy in the city of Des Moines, where he
was graduated in 1903. Immediately after receiving his
degree Dr. Caswell located at Linton, Indiana, but after
a year's practice he discontinued professional life and
took up business pursuits, giving his attention to insur-
ance, real estate and loans, in which he soon built up an
extensive and verj' lucrative patronage. At the present
time he is a leader in the lines of business he represents,
handling as much real estate perhaps as any man in the
county, and in addition thereto is local and district agent
for a number of the largest insurance companies in the
United States, including, among others, the Equitable
Life Insurance Company of New York, the United States
Fidelity and Guarantee Company of Baltimore, besides
holding the position of secretan,' of the Home Loan and
Savings Association, a local enterprise of large and grow-
ing interest. Mr. Caswell is a thorough business man of
progressive ideas, whose practical experience has made
him familiar with eveiy phase of the various interests
with which he is identified, and whose continued success
has won for him a conspicuous place among the enterpris-
ing, public-spirited men of the thriving city in which he
resides.
Although a young man, Mr. Caswell's life has been
one of activity and strenuous endeavor. He has traveled
extensively over Canada and the United States, visiting
the leading cities and places of interest in both countries,
and coming in contact with all classes and conditions of
people, this experience tending to broaden and strengthen
his mind. He has always been a close observer as well
as careful student, and he is thoroughly informed on
936 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
many subjects. In fraternal and secret benevolent work
he is an Odd Fellow, belonging- to Unity Lodge. No. 637,
at Linton, and in religion he holds membership in the
Presbyterian church.
Mr. Caswell and May Stull were married on June
14, 1905. They have two daughters, Catherine Francis
and an infant.
JOHN MILTON HARRAH, M. D.
In the planning and conduct of public affairs the
leaders are supposed to inspire confidence in their ability
to promote the best interests of society. This confidence
can only be obtained by association with constituency on
the highest moral plane. When obtained on such grounds
success comes to the one who proposes to help and aid
in the development of the best side of human life. Dr.
John M. Harrah always extended the helping hand to-
ward the friend who needed counsel and advice, doing it
in the spirit of humanity and kindness, thus wending his
way into the love and esteem of his fellow men. He was
born in Stockton township, Greene county, January 24,
1837. His parents were William and -Mary J. Harrah,
natives of Kentucky, the fonner coming from Mont-
gomeiT county, while the latter was born in Fleming
county.
William Harrah was the son of John Harrah, who
came from Greenbrier county. West Virginia, into Ken-
tucky in an early day, and in 1821 migrated to Greene
county, Indiana, settling in \\'right township and later
^^p^' ^ .^^^^k,.-^
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 937
moved into Stockton township, where he ended his days
at the end of seventy years. He was one of the early
tillers of the soil, driving out the wildness from before
the onward march of civilization and culture. John Har-
rah's wife was Margaret Harrah, and came from the
same community in West Virginia, and was his compan-
ion in those pioneer days. She died at the age of sev-
enty-five, but being several years younger, time length-
ened out to her until 1871. They had nine children —
\\'illiam, James, Robert, John, Daniel, Mary Jane, Sarah
S., Eliza and Rebecca. None of them are now living.
The paraits were members of the Presbyterian church.
His son William, the father of our subject, was
bom in 1815, and was only si.x years of age when the
family moved to Indiana. He grew up to manhood on
his father's farm and learned the trade of a tanner, fol-
lowing it for several years. Death came to him early in
life, the summons reaching him in 1842, when he was
but twenty-seven years of age. In a few years his wife
married again and she lived until 1893. They had three
children — Dr. John M., Daniel L., who died in 1877. and
William, who died when only sixteen years of age. W'il-
liam and wife were both members of the Christian church.
Her second marriage was to Frederick Himebrook, and
the result of this union was six children — Rebecca, Jo-
seph W.. Stephen, Mary, deceased; Marshall and Ella.
Our subject was reared on a farm in Stockton town-
ship, and he obtained his education as best he could, as
pioneer methods were still in use during his youthful
days ; but he was an inveterate reader, and did much to
educate himself. In 1838 he read medicine with Dr.
938 ■ BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Abraham J. Aliller a.nd first practiced at Jasonville in
i860; then he went to practicing in Warren county, lUi-
nois, where he remained until 1862, when he enhsted in
the Union army. In 1865 he graduated from the Rush
Medical College in Chicago, and aftenvards practiced
for a while in Henderson county, Illinois, and in 1868
he returned to Greene county, Indiana. He first located
in Linton and afterwards in Bloomfield, where he prac-
ticed for three years. He then went to Solsl^erry and
remained at this place twelve years. After short stays
at Switz City and Bloomfield again, he finally came to
his present farm in Fair Play township, where he has
made his home since 1889.
In 1855 he married Mary Owen, dau-liui' i>\ John
S. and Sarah (Daugherty) Owen. J^ihn .'^. was .me of
the early settlers in Greene county, and also one of the
first county treasurers. His wife died in 1887. They
had nine children : Eva, who married Frank Glover, is
now a widow: Julia, wife of Benton Glover; Norma,
wife of Wesley Anderson, now living in Spencer; Min-
nie, who died in childhood ; Frederick, who also died in
infancy; Lillie, wife of Ziba Fitzpatrick, now living in
Bloomfield ; Maiy. principal of the high school in Browns-
town, Indiana. She is a graduate of the State Normal
at Terre Haute, also a graduate of the State University
at Bloomington. They had two other children, who died
in infancy.
The second marriage of our subject was with Mrs.
Mary Klinger (nee Motz), bom in Monroe county and
daughter of Samuel, and Sarah (Harvey) Motz. He
came to Greene county in an early day and built the first
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 939
house in the town of Worthington, and for several years
he ran a tanyard. He died in 1893, his wife preceding
him in 1872. He was also a Methodist Protestant min-
ister for a number of years. To them were born nine
childrai: William H., Ananias \Y.. Pemielia, Sarah.
Mary, wife of the subject; Delia, and three died young.
He was always an active man in public affairs. Dr.
Harrah also took an active part in all the public ques-
tions of the day, and, being an ardent Republican, it was
natural for him to be forced to the front as a candidate
for public offices several times. But he was defeated
both for sheriff' and for clerk. He is an active member
of the Greene County Medical Association, and also a
member of the pension board, receiving the appointment
from President McKinley. Mrs. Harrah is a member of
the Methodist Protestant church.
I'he war record of Dr. Harrah is l)rict, not from
choice, but failing health compelled his relief, and he was
sent home. He enlisted in Company B, Ninety-first Illi-
nois Volunteer Infantiy, and went to the front, but only
remained there about eight months, and most of that time
in the hospital. He is a member of the Grand Amiy of
the Republic.
ELMER S. BENJA:\IIN.
The subject, who is a prominent dealer in general
merchandise in Linton, was born in Owen county, this
state, August 9, 1862, where he grew to manhood and
was educated, having begiui teaching there in 1880 and
940 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
continuing for three temis in his native county. Tiien he
went to Bloonilield in 1883 and taught in the pui>Hc
schools of that city for five consecutive years. In Au-
gust, 1888, he moved to Dugger, Sullivan county, and
entered the employ of the Dugger & Neal Company in
the capacity of bookkeeper, remaining with this firm for
eight years. In 1896 he moved to Linton and was book-
keeper for Dugger & Neal, doing business there as the
Summit Coal Company, in which capacity he remained
for six years. He resigned that position to accept that
of assistant cashier in the Linton Bank, which he held
for two years. In 1904 he purchased a stock of mer-
chandise and engaged in his present business, having at
all times a "large and carefully selected stock of general
merchandise. He requires the sen-ices of six employes
to assist in conducting his store, handling a full line of
dn- goods, shoes, hats, ladies' cloaks, groceries and pro-
visions.
The subject was married October 14, 18S5, at
Bloomfield, to Ella Fitzpatrick, daughter of Henry and
Mary A. Fitzpatrick. of that city. Her father died in
1882. Her mother is living in the subject's family.
Seven children have been born to this union, namely :
Lava, Mary. Blanche, Glen and Donald, living at home ;
two children, Mildred and Roy, died in infancy.
The subject and wife are members of the Christian
church. The former is a Democrat in his political be-
liefs, and lie served for some time as an influential mem-
ber of the Linton city council. He is a member of the
Knights of Pythias, Linton lodge, having joined sev-
eral years ago at Bloomfield.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 941
The father of the subject, David J. Benjamin, was
a native of Coshocton county, Ohio, where he was bom
in Februaiy. 1840, and tiie subject's mother, whose
maiden name was Mary E. Vaughan, was bom in Owen
county, Indiana, where they are both living- at Middle-
ton, the father being a retired farmer.
The subject of this sketch began life poor, but he
has always been a hard worker and self-dependent, and
has achieved success in whatever he has attempted. After
leavings the common schools he educated himself, and
has since looked to no one for aid, always being reason-
al)ly prosperous, and he is well liked by all who
known Jiim.
LIXTON BOTTLING WORKS.
One of the busiest places in the thriving city of
Linton, Indiana, is the Linton Bottling Works, operated
l)y the Harting brothers — Fred, William and Otto — all
s]ilendid types of the modern business man, and all na-
tives of Westphalia, Germany, having come to America
with their parents in 1882, first locating at Edwardsport,
Km IX count}-, Indiana, but in the fall of 1887 they moved
to Linton, where they have resided to the present time.
The father of these boys was Frederick Harting,
who was a miner. His sons also engaged in work about
tlie mines in their early manhood days. The father died
as the result of injuries received in a mine January 2,
1888. His wife died June 6, 1897. They reared a fam-
ily of three sons and three daughters, the latter being
942 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Louisa, Liesette and Emma. The eldest sister lives in
Indianapolis. Liesette keeps house for her unmarried
brother. William. Emma is the wife of Alfred Froeschke,
of Linton.
Fred Hartiiig, the eldest of the family, married Ber-
tha Reimers in 1894, who died a year later. He married
a second time, his last wife being Bertha Pohlmeier. a
native of Westphalia. Knox county, Indiana. Their
wedding occurred October 24, 1897. Four children have
been born to this union, namely: Paul. Esther. Gertrude
and Hedwig, all living.
Otto Harting was married ()ctiihi.M- 13. 1904, to
Belle Reed, a daughter of Daniel Reed, of Linton, They
have no children.
The Linton Bottling Works was established by Fred
Harting and Fred E. Strietelmeyer in 1895, and was op-
erated under their management for a period of t\vel\e
years, when \\'illiam and Otto purchased the interest of
Mr. Strietelmeyer.
They manufacture all kinds of soft drinks and car-
bonated beverages, and they have built up a prosperous
business. Their plant is equipped with modern machin-
ery and all up-to-date appliances for turning out first-
class products of that line. They operate four wagons,
delivering to Linton customers, railroad stations and to
nearby towns.
The Harting brothers are well and favorablv known
to all residents of Linton, especially to the business world,
having always been upright in their dealing with their
fellow men.
GREEXE COUNTY, INDIANA. 943
JOHN NAXTZ GASTINEAU.
The subject, who is a retired farmer, now making
his home in Linton, was bom in Shelby county, Ilhnois.
December 9, 1857, and received a common school ed-
ucation in Benton county, Arkansas, partly at Pea
Ridge, three years of his early bojdiood days having been
spent away from home in that state.
The subject was married in Stockton township.
Greene county, December 11. 1879, to Marv Klink.
daughter of John and Martha (Ramacher) Klink. Both
parents of the wife of the subject were natives of Ger-
many, who came to the United States early in life and
married in Greene county, Indiana, where they spent
their youth. John Klink was a cooper and worked in
Terre Haute for some time after his marriage, remaining
in that city until January 31, 1856. There were six chil-
dren in the Klink family, four of whom are living. They
are: Mrs. Gastineau, the subject's wife, who was the
eldest; Frederick, deceased; Elizabeth, the wife of Wil-
liam Heitman, Sr., living in Linton; John, deceased; an-
other child was also named John, who is living on a fami
in Stockton township, Greene county ; Henry is a hard-
ware merchant in Linton.
John X. Gastineau had always been a farmer until
he retired in 1893, ^"fl ^^ sti'l owns eighty acres in Grant
township. On November 21, 1906, he met with a serious
accident by coming in contact with a "live" electric wire,
which came very near causing his death. One side has
remained partially paralyzed from the effects of the
shock, and he lost a finger from his right hand.
Mr. Gastineau is the son of Adam and Elizabeth
944 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
( Nantz) Gastineau. both deceased, the former having
died near Linton and the latter in Shelb}- Cdunty, Illi-
nnis, on the old homestead. The subject's father was a
s:)l<her in the Civil war, having enlisted from Illinois,
and died of smallpox while at home on a furlough. The
subject is the only stirvivor of a family of five children.
Dorcas Jane, the subject's sister, married twice. She
was the wife of Laban Greene when she died in Missouri.
\\'illiam, die subject's brother, died in childhood; John
N., our subject, James also died in childhood; Andrew J.,
a fanner, died September 17, 1894, leaving a wife and
three children, who still live on the farni he owned in
Grant township. The living children are John Francis
and Ella, the wife of Claude Long. The widow left by
the death nf Andrew Gastineau has remarried, now be-
ing the wife of Xeil Roach.
The subject of this sketch came to Stockton, Greene
county, in 1866. His grandparents, the family of James
Gastineau, lived there in pioneer days and the father of
the subject was visiting his parents when he died. The
family came to Indiana from Kentucky in a very early
day. The Gastineau family is of French extraction.
John X. Gastineau is a stanch Republican, but he
never held public office, and has no lodge connections.
However, he is popular among a large circle of friends
and acquaintances, as is also his family. Mrs. Gastineau
is a member of the German Reformed church.
HARRISON DAVID HUNT.
The subject, who is a leading merchant and one of
the most substantial citizais of Linton, Indiana, was born
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 945
in Lewis, Vigo county, tiiis state, December 5, 1849, and
he was educated in the pubHc schools of Owen county.
He operated the home place for ten years and was a suc-
cessful farmer, but he launched in the mercantile business
and has spent the greater part of his life in it, the past
eighteen years in Linton, during which time he assisted
in the wonderful development of this city, having known
the place all his life and always having faith in its fu-
ture. He carries a large stock of general merchandise,
employing four salesmen.
Mr. Hunt was married on Februan- 15, 1880, to
Rachael E. Dixon, daughter of Daniel and Marv- J.
Dixon, of Fair Play township, Greene county, and to this
happy union the following children have been born :
Harry D., a partner in his father's business, who mar-
ried Pearl Price, daughter of C. A. and Ida Price; Es-
sie May is the wife of Oliver W. Underwood, bookkeeper
for the Linton Gas Company: two children died in in-
fancy, and Clififord died when four years old. Mr. Hunt
is a Republican, and he was constable and justice of the
peace many years ago. He was also census enumerator
in 1880. He is a member of Lodge No. 560, Free and
Accepted Masons, and LTnity Lodge, Xo. 637, Odd Fel-
lows, being past noble grand in the latter. He is a mem-
ber of the Eagle Encampment, No. 222, being past chief
patriarch. He and his family are members of the Chris-
tian church.
The Hunt family is descaided from Irish ancestors,
who first settled in the eastern states. The Ingersoll fam-
ily, the subject's mother's people, came from England and
settled in Massachusetts. His father was Nathan D.
60
946 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Hunt, who was born in Cosliocton ct)unty. Oliio, and his
wife, Mary Ingersoll, was bom in Stockton township,
Greene county. The family Hved in Sulhvan, Owen and
Greene counties. The subject's father was a physician,
but the latter part of his life was spent in the mercantile
business at Middleton and Stockton, Owen county. Al-
though he died early, at the age of thirty-seven years,
then living on a farm in Owen county, he was very suc-
cessful in w^hatever he undertook. His wife never re-
married. She died in Linton at the age of seventy-four
years. They had a family of seven children, of whom
four are now living, namely: Harrison D., subject;
Horatio, living in Linton : Mrs. Hannah E. Newman,
widow, living in Linton, employed at the postoffice;
Phoebe E., unmarried, living at Terre Haute, Lidiana,
manager of a boarding house at the college : two children
died in childhood and one later in youth.
JOSEPH EDGAR BEASLEY.
Joseph Edgar, Beasley was born in Linton, Indiana,
April 26, 1876, and, believing that better business op-
portunities existed at his own door than elsewhere, re-
mained in his native town. He attended the common
schools in Stockton township, Greene county; also the
normal school at Danville, Indiana, where he prepared
himself for a teacher and successfully followed this pro-
fession for five temis, then took a law course in the Uni-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 947
versity of Indiana and was admitted to the bar in 1900.
and practiced law for two years, but on account of fail-
ing health gave up regular practice and spent two years
in outside work, after which he went into the real estate
business, in which he is now engaged. He was married
in August, 1898, to Mina J. Crabtree, daughter of Isaac
and Sarah Crabtree, of Linton. One daughter was born
to this union, Theodocia Theresa, who is now (1908)
eight years old. Mrs. Beasley was born and reared on a
farm in Wright township, Greene county. Her father
is deceased ; her mother is a resident of Linton. The sub-
ject and wife are members of the Baptist church. He is
a Democrat in political belief and sen-ed two creditable
years as city attorney of Linton.
Isaac Beasley, the father of the subject, was born in
Lawrence county, Indiana, October 30, 1846, and mar-
ried Elizabeth Clayton, a native of Greene county. They
have spent the major part of their lives in the last named
county. Mr. Beasley has been a successful farmer, hav-
ing spent most of his life on a farm, now owning one
hundred and sixty acres of good land and has a beauti-
ful country home. Six sons and six daughters have been
born to this union, all living but one. They are : Linus
\\'., Jennie, ^Villiam, deceased: Martha, Joseph E., sub-
ject; Isom, Sarah, Virgie, Nora, Chloe. Isaac, Jr., and
Milton. The paternal ancestors of Isaac Beasley were
of English and German Extraction. Some of them lived
in North Carolina. They were engaged mostly in agri-
cultural pursuits. Alexander Beasley, grandfather of
the subject, was one of the first pioneers of western
Greene county, Indiana. He was an active churchman.
948 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
a Alissiimarv Baptist, helping organize and establish a
church of this denomination on one corner of the Beasley
homestead, which has been perpetuated to the present
time. He and his wife are buried in the cemeteiy near
the church. His maternal grandfather, Linus Clayton,
came to America from England and was one of the earli-
est settlers, of whom there are many descendants living
in Greene Cdunty, Indiana. The parents of the subject
and their family and most of the connection are mem-
bers of the Baptist church and people of the highest
integrity.
CHARLES ARRY PRICE.
This sketch tells briefly of the well known li\-eryman
of Linton, Greene county, who has preferred to spend
most of his life in the town where he was born Septem-
ber 7, 1859. believing that better opportunities were at
home than elsewhere, and success has attended his efforts
in his chosen field. He received a good education at
Terre Haute, and began farming after he left school, con-
tinuing farming and dairying for several years ; then he
was in the grocery and meat business in Terre Haute for
a number of years. He also farmed in Illinois for a pe-
riod of two years. Returning to Linton in February,
1900, he engaged in the meat business, later adding a
stock of groceries, which he continued until 1907, when
he engaged in the livery- business, now having the largest
livery stock in Linton, operating the "bus" lines to the
railroad stations and doing a general livery business.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 949
Mr. Price is a Republican, a Mason, a member of
the Odd Fellows, Encampment and Canton of Uniform
Rank, a member of the Modern Woodmen of America,
Ben-Hur; also a member of the Retail Butchers' Asso-
ciation of Terre Haute, taking- a lively interest in all of
these.
The subject married Ida L. Henry on August 20,
188 1, the daughter of James and Laura H. Henrj', of
Terre Haute. Mrs. Price was bom, reared and married
in the same house. They are the parents of three chil-
dren, namely : Pearl May is the wife of Harry Hunt,
a merchant in Linton ; Arthur H. is employed in the elec-
tric light plant at Linton ; Hazel A. is living at home.
The subject is the son of Wesley H. and Miranda
(Harvey) Price, the former a native of Greene county,
and the latter a native of Sullivan county. The fonner
moved from Linton, his early home, to a four hundred-
acre farm near Terre Haute, which he operated very suc-
cessfully. The following children were born to this
union: Josiah, a farmer, living in Te.xas; William E.,
in the livery business at Terre Haute; Fenlon, a mer-
chant at Paris, Illinois ; James, proprietor of a meat mar-
ket at Clinton, Indiana ; Wilbush and Lovell both died in
childhood ; Sarah is the wife of George W. Yeoman, liv-
ing in Linton; Mattie is the wife of Chauncy Strong,
living- in Terre Haute; Elizabeth is the wife of Silas
Royer, living in California; Charles A., the subject of
this sketch.
The subject's father died in Terre Haute in Janu-
ary, 1888, and his mother is living in Linton in 1908.
The Price family is one of the oldest and best established
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
in Greene county, and lias always borne an enviable
reputation.
JESSE F. WEISMAX.
Jesse F. ^^'eisman, attorney-at-la\v. Linton, and one
of the rising members of the Greene county bar, was born
May 15, 1881. in Anderson. Indiana, the son of Rev.
David M. and Melinda Weisman, natives of Ohio and
Indiana, respectively. David M. Weisman, a scholarly
and successful minister of the Lutheran church, spent
the greater part of his life in the state of his birth, and
died at Oxford on the 14th day of July, 1902. His wife,
whose maiden name was Melinda Saunders, departed this
life at Anderson. Indiana. January 30, 1894. In addi-
tion to his general ministerial labors, which took quite a
wide range and included some of the best churches of the
Lutheran faith in Ohio and Indiana, Rev. Weisman also
served as chaplain of the penitentiary in the former state,
holding the position during the Civil war period. As
the name indicates, the Weisman family is of German
origin, the Saunders being of English descent.
The early educational privileges of Jesse F. ^^'eis-
man were such as the public schools of Anderson af-
forded, in no sense meager. At a later period he finished
a high school course at Oxford. Ohio, and feeling that
deeper draughts from the fountain of knowledge were
essential to success in the professional life which he had
in view, he subsequently entered Miami University, from
which he was graduated with a brilliant record on June
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 951
15, 1902, receiving- the highest honors of his class. Irur
pressed with a strong desire to enter the legal profession,
he embraced ever\' opportunity to cultivate those faculties
deemed requisite to successful practice in the future,
hence, while yet a mere youth, he manifested great fond-
ness for study and painstaking research, also a decided
liking for forensic disputation in the usages incident
thereto, he early acquired considerable skill. His specific
preparation for his life work, however, was made in the
Cincinnati Law School, which he attended until com-
pleting the prescribed course in 1905, and in which he
took high rank as a student, winning the honors of his
class. Shortly after his graduation from the above in-
stitution on May 20th of the year indicated, Mr. W'eis-
man passed the final test of professional efficiency by tak-
ing the state examination, which Ohio requires of law
students and without which no one is pennitted to prac-
tice in that commonwealth. Passing through this or-
deal, which was successfully accomplished after three
days of arduous effort, in June, 1905, he located at Lin-
ton, Lidiana, on July 3d following, and engaged in the
practice of his profession, his career from that date to
the present time presenting a series of successes such as
few lawyers of much experience achieve.
Mr. Weisman's scholarly attainments and habits of
industry, with other qualities which guarantee ultimate
promotion, have tended greatly to enlarge the area of his
professional career, and he has a large and lucrative
business. As evidence of the confidence reposed in him
by the public he was elected in May, 1906, city attorney
of Linton, the duties of which position he discharged in
952 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
a manner satisfactorj^ to all concerned, filling the office
with ability and dignity, looking carefully after the in-
terests of municipality and proving loyal to every trust.
Mr. Weisman's profession, as well as the interest he
has ever manifested in public affairs, ven,- naturally led
him into politics, a field in which his talents shine with
peculiar luster. He is now one of the trusted Democratic
leaders of Greene county under efficient service to his
party both as an adviser in the councils and untiring
worker with the rank and file. He is an enthusiastic
mernber of several secret fraternal organizations, notably
the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, Knights of
Pythias, Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the INIod-
em Woodmen of the World, in all of which his influ-
ence has been strong and salutary.
Mr. Weisman has been married since the 22d day
of December, 1906. his wife, formerly Bertha A. Riddle,
daughter of Jonathan and Amanda (Cannichael) Rid-
dle, being a native of Greene county and a lady of many
admirable qualities, who is popular in the best society
circles of the city in which she resides. The subject is
the only sur\aving son of his parents. He has two sis-
ters, Mrs. Joseph Dettmer, of Anderson, Indiana, and
Mrs. Oscar B. Phillipy. who also lives in that city.
FRANCIS McDERMONT.
Francis McDermont represents that sturdy, indus-
ais and honest people known as Scotch-Irish, who have
MR. AND MRS. FRANCIS M'DERMOTT.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 953
made a success in the United States, the land of their
adoption, and are loyal to it. The subject of this sketch is a
native of County Antrim, Ireland, having been bom there
September 6, 1837, the son of John and Jane (McEl-
derry) McDermont. His grandfather, John McDer-
mont, a road contractor, lived and died at the age of
eighty years in Ireland, leaving five children. Clark Mc-
Dermont, an uncle of the subject, came to America when
a young man and became a physician, sending as a sur-
geon in the United States army during the Civil war.
He was at the battle of Bull's Run, Richmond and others.
He died at Dayton, Ohio, and was surgeon in charge of
the National Soldiers' Home.
The father of the subject came to America in 1850
and settled in Pennsylvania on a farm, where he re-
mained until he moved in 1856 to Indiana and purchased
a fann in Monroe county, where he remained until he
died at the age of sixty years. His wife lived to be sixty-
three years old. There were six children bom to this
union, only three of whom are now living. The subject
of this sketch is the second child in order of birth. Clark,
a brother, was a soldier in the Civil war, having "enlisted
from Indiana in the Eighty-second Volunteer Infantry.
He was killed at the battle of Chickamauga. William
J., another brother, was a member of the same company
and regiment and was mortally wounded in the same
battle, dying soon afterwards. Alexander, also a mem-
ber of the same company and regiment, served through
the war and was honorably discharged and returned home
with the remains of his dead brothers. He afterward re-
enlisted in the One Hundred and Forty-fifth Regiment.
954 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Indiana Volunteer Infantn,-. in which he served until the
close of the war. He is still living at Long Beach. Cal-
ifornia.
Francis ]\IcDemiont, the subject of this sketch, was
also a soldier in the Civil war, serving only a short term
of enlistment. His sister's husband, Anthony R. Ravens-
croft, w^as a captain in the Twenty-second Regiment, In-
diana Volunteer Infantry, and was honorably discharged.
He died at Fort Madison, Iowa.
The subject was twelve years old when he came to
this countiy. and his early schooling was obtained prin-
cipally in Ireland. He attended school in America for
only three months. He worked in Pennsylvania for four
years after he first came to that state as a fann hand. He
still hired out as a farm hand after he came to Indiana
for about five years. Then he reiiteil a farm for two
years, then buying the place where he has since lived,
which consisted of forty acres at that time. Only a part
of the land was cleared, and it had but a small house on
it, but the subject cleared the balance of the fann and
erected a modern frame residence, also a good barn and
convenient outbuildings. Since then he has added to his
fann until he now has five hundred acres of well improved
land, a portion of which lies in the bottom along a creek,
which is veiy rich soil. When the season is not too rainy
this land produces large crops. A part of the upland is
prairie and some of it has small timber on it. but it is
all level.
The subject engages in general fanning, formerly
raising and feeding a great deal of stock. He has now
put a large part of his place in pasture and meadow. He
has been twice married, first to Eliza ^\'ard on Febmar}'
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 955
13, 1862. She was a native of Monroe county, Indiana.
Four children were born to this union, as follows : Jo-
seph, who lives at Jasonville, Indiana. He is married and
has one daughter, Myrtle: Anna L., deceased, was the sec-
ond child of the subject. She was the wife of Henry
Green and left three children, William, Ward and Mc-
Henry; Clark is living in California; Jane, the youngest
child, is the wife of Samuel N. Fuller. They have two
sons, Fred and Lloyd. Mrs. McDermont died February
16, 1874. The subject was again married June 17, 1875,
to Nancy Elgan, of Greene county. Indiana, daughter of
Rice and Marjr (Ellingsworth) Elgan. Two children
have been bom to this union, John R., deceased; Benja-
min H. is married and living on his father's fann. He
has three children. Ralph, Francis and Loraine.
The subject and wife are members of the Patrons
of Husbandry, the former having filled all the chairs.
He is an elder in the Presbyterian church, of which both
he and his wife are members. He is a Republican in po-
litical belief, and has been township trustee: also county
councilman.
Mr. McDemiont and his family are highly respected
in their neighborhood and have a large circle of friends
and acquaintances.
GILBERT H. HENDREX,
The record of a busy life is usually replete with in-
terest, especially if proper motives have animated the
956 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
actor and success and advancement attended his efforts.
Such has been the life of the gentleman whose career is
briefly outlined in the paragraphs that follow, whose
name has been identified with divers vocations and en-
terprises, and who, after years of strenuous endeavor, is
now engaged in one of the most responsible and exacting
of the learned professions with encouraging prospects of
continuous advancement as the years go by. Gilbert H.
Hendren, Jr., is the oldest of a family of eleven chil-
dren, six sons and five daughters, whose parents, Gil-
bert H. and Anna M. Hendren, are noted at some
length elsewhere in this volume. The names of the sub-
ject's brothers and sisters are as follows: Alice J., wife
of George W. Cantwell; Seaborn D., O. Hemian, Wil-
liam F., Curtis C., Man.- M.. Edith. Anna C., Robert D.
and Marjorie, all living, the five older members of the
family making their own way in the world and doing well
in their respective vocations, the others pursuing their
studies in the public schools.
Gilbert H. Hendren, Jr., is a native of Greene county,
Indiana, and dates his birth from the 8th day of April.
1882. He was educated in the public schools, which he
attended until graduating from the high school at Bloom-
field, after which he began the study of law in the office
of Sevmour Riddle, of Vinita, Indian Territory', later
continuing his legal researches at Linton with John A.
Riddle. He was for a while a student in abstractitng un-
der Marion J. Timmons, of Bloomfield, subsequently
became manager of one of Tom Taggart's hotels at
French Lick, and he was also employed for some time
in the Grand Hotel, Indianapolis, besides a similar posi-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 95/
tion in the Denison House of that city. In addition to
tlie above, his name appears connected from time to time
with other positions and vocations, notably the mercantile
business at Bloomfield, where he conducted a grocery
and notion store, the position of deputy sheriff of Greene
county under A. F. Wilson, and for a period of some
eighteen months he was manager of an oil company in
the Indian Territor)-, during which time he was also en-
gaged in leasing Indian lands, and for a while served as
territorial secretary' of the Federal Union Surety Com-
pany, operating in the territory'.
Mr. Hendren is a pronounced Democrat in his po-
litical views and an active worker for his party. He
was employed by the Democratic state committee in 1904
as secretary of the speakers' bureau, in which capacity
he was untiring in his efforts to disseminate the prin-
ciples of Democracy throughout the various counties, se-
curing the services of well known speakers and sending
them where their labors would prove most effective.
A\'hile in the Indian Territon- he began the practice of
law, but his admission to the bar dates from the year
1907, since which time he has followed his profession
in Greene county, being associated with John A. Riddle,
of Linton, his fomier preceptor, under the firm name of
Riddle & Hendren, and doing a large and satisfactorv'
business.
IMr. Hendren has traveled extensively and in his
dift'erent lines of endeavor has mingled much with men,
this contact with the world tending to broaden his views,
enlarge the area of his knowledge and give him a prac-
tical business training- which he has found very valua-
958 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
ble in fitting- him for the profession to which liis energies
are now being" devoted. He has a fine legal mind, cul-
tivated by careful study and strengthened by close and
intelligent observation, which has enabled him to achieve
success in his chosen calling sooner than the majority of
attorneys of his limited legal experience, and the espe-
cial attention which he gives to the interests of miners
has gained him a large clientele among that class of work-
men in addition to the general practice of his firm.
Mr. Hendren, on April 26. 1902, united in marriage
with Effie E., daughter of David and Catherine Rollison,
of Fair Play township, Greene county, the union being
without issue. Fraternally he holds membership with
several secret benevolent societies, among which are the
Free and .\ccepted Masons, Order of the Eastern Star,
Benev(_)lein Protective Order of Elks, Loyal Americans
and tlie Independent Order of Odd Fellows, including
the Rebekah degree, and Knights of Pythias, in all of
which he wields a strong, active and potential influence,
besides being honored from time to time with important
official positions. Mr. Hendren is a member of the Pres-
byterian church. Mrs. Hendren is a member of the Chris-
tian church, and they manifest an abiding interest in all
lines of benevolent work under the auspices of the local
congregation to which they belong, contributing liberally
of their means to the support of the Gospel at home and
abroad, and making their lives hannonize with the faith
they profess, demonstrating the beauty and value of reli-
gion when applied to practical affairs of everxday ex-
perience.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 959
EDGAR HOLMES SHERWOOD.
The subject is one of Linton, Indiana's, most promi-
nent young business men, who seeing the future possibiH-
ties and inevitable growth of his native town, for he was
bom in Linton, on December 7, 1872, preferred to spend
his hfe there rather than take chances elsewhere, and fol-
lowing his early convictions, he has been successful in
his business career.
After attending the public schools for some time,
he worked in the mines in that vicinity for eight years,
finally being badly injured in an accident in a mine, which
caused permanent disability, having then been in the em-
ploy of the Inland Coal Company which retained his ser-
vices as bookkeeper after he recovered sufficiently to work
again, which position he held for three years. He was
elected recorder of Greene county, Indiana, in 1902, .ind
faithfully served the public in this capacity for four years,
living at Bloomfield during his term in office. Return-
ing to Linton, January i. 1908. he established himself
in the real estate, loan and insurance business, in which
he is achieving success.
Mr. Sherwood is a staunch Republican and he is
not only popular with his party, but many Democrats sup-
ported him when he made the race for county recorder.
He was the only Republican candidate on the ticket to
be elected, his plurality being three hundred and eighty-
five votes. The highest Democratic majority was two
hundred and forty-one votes. There was a tie in the vote
for sheriff. This will serve to show the subject's popular-
ity in his own county.
960 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Mr. Slierwood was married December 6, 1903. to
Bessie ]\Iay Sheehy, daughter of Joliii and Margaret E.
Sheehy, natives of Mansfield, Ohio. Mr. Sherwood's
father was Benjamin S. Sherwood, who was born in
Washington county, Indiana, in 1827. He married
Sarah E. Hohnes. who was born in that county in the
same year. They spent their youth there and were mar-
ried at their old home. Mr. Sherwood, who was a shoe-
maker, came to Linton in 1854, and was proprietor of
the well known Sherwood hotel for a period of twenty-
seven years. They were the parents of eight children,
five of whom are living, namely: \\'illiam H.. who has
spent his life in teaching music and selling musical instru-
ments in Linton; Hugh M. is a hardware merchant in
Linton : Daniel A., an attorney, died at the age of twenty-
seven years: Betty J. is the wife of Richard Hardesty,
who lives at Sullivan. Indiana ; James B. is a coal opera-
tor and general merchant at Linton ; Edgar H. is the
youngest of the family ; Johnie and Mollie died in infancy.
Benjamin Sherwood died January 23. 1889, and his wife
died April 7, 1898. Daniel Sherwood, grandfather of the
subject, came to Linton in the early forties. The subject is
a member of the Methodist Episcopal church ; also a mem-
ber of the Metropolitan Lodge, No. 193, Knights of
Pythias. He belongs to the Benevolent Protective
Order of Elks. No. 866, both of Linton.
OSCAR FITZPATRICK.
Ex-postmaster of Linton, and one of the enterprising
young men of Greene county, Indiana, born at the vil-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 961
lage of Hobbieville, on the 14th day of February, 1871,
being the son of Henry and Mary (OHphant) Fitzpatrick.
Henn' Fitzpatrick, who died in 1883, when the subject
was twelve years of age, was a prominent citizen of this
county, a representative fanner, and in connection with
agriculture, dealt extensively in grain. He was also a
soldier in the Civil war, serving in Company B, Eight-
eenth Indiana Infantry, until physical disability neces-
sitated his discharge before the expiration of his term of
enlistment. His widow, who is still living, belongs to one
of the old and prominent families of Greene county and
stands high in the esteem of a very large circle of friends.
The educational discipline of Oscar Fitzpatrick was
acquired in the schools of Bloomfield, and until attaining
his majority he lived on the home farm and assisted in
the cultivation of the same. In 1892, he came to Linton
and opened a restaurant, which he conducted about
eighteen months and then accepted a position with Dixon
& Strong, dealers in grain and feed, remaining in the
employ of this firm until appointed postmaster of Linton,
on February 23, 1903.
Mr. Fitzpatrick served as postmaster from the above
date until March 17, 1907, a little over four years, and
discharged his official functions in an eminently satis-
factory^ manner, proving a very capable and judicious
public servant, whose relations with the people were al-
ways agreeable, and such as to gain for him many wann
personal friends and the confidence of the populace. Hav-
ing always lived within the confines of his native county,
it is a satisfaction to know that his life is an open book
in which his fellow men have found no marred pages, but
on the contrary, much there in to be commended.
962 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Mr. Fitzpatrick votes the Republican ticket and is
Hii ardent supporter of the principles of his party. \\'ith
exception of postmaster, he has held no office nor sought
public prefenuent. He belongs to the Odd Fellows fra-
ternity, the benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the
Modern Woodmen of America; also holds a member-
ship with the Retail Clerks' International Association and
has been honored with official trusts in the two organiza-
tions last named.
The married life of Mr. Fitzpatrick began in 1891,
on April 26th, of which year Ossie Edwards, daughter
of John and (Tilly) Edwards, became his wife and help-
mate, the following children having been bom to the union.
Heniy Dexter, Dessie Marie, Lawson Craig and Paul, the
last named deceased. Mrs. Fitzpatrick belongs to one of
Greene county's old pioneer families : her grandfather,
John Tillie, settling in the an early day near the village
of Solsberry, where he developed a fami and lived to a
great age, having passed the centur\- mark by some years
when summoned to the spirit land.
The Fitzpatrick name has long been identified with
the history of the county, throughout which it is widely
known and universally esteemed, the different members
of the family belonging to that eminently respectable and
law-abiding class of people, who in a quick way. do so
much for the material development of the community and
the moral uplift of the populace. Mr. and Mrs. Fitzpatrick
belong to the Christian church, in Linton. They are not
merely nominal Christians, but have always sliowed their
faith by their works.
GREENE COUNTYj INDIANA. 963
ISAIAH MARIOX PHILLIPS.
The subject, who is among the well known Civil war
veterans of Linton, Indiana, was bom in Sullivan county,
this state, January 22. 1846. Although he was quite a
young man when the war between the states broke out.
he ailisted as a private in Company I, Seventy-first In-
diana Volunteer Infantry, June 8, 1863. and two months
later this organization became the Sixth Indiana Calvalry,
with which he sen-ed over two }-ears. The regiment lost
heavily in many battles, especially that of Richmond.
Kentucky, and it participated in the. memorable Morgan
raid. The subject was with General Sherman in the At-
lanta campaign. His regiment was in General Stone-
man's divison and participated in the Macon raid, travel-
ing almost constantly for eight days and nights and fight-
ing three battles. He was one of the troops surrounded,
but he was one of fourteen hundred who escaped out of
two thousand five hundred, the former refusing to obey
the order to surrender. By reason of his disabilities he
now receives a liberal pension. He is a member of the
Grand Army of the Republic and is also a Mason.
The subject attended school after the war and taught
for fifteen years in Sullivan, Vigo and Vemiilion coun-
ties. He also followed fanning during this period, con-
tinuing the latter until he sold out in 190 1. He has not
been able to do much work for the past ten years on ac-
count of disabilities arising from his career in the army.
He came to Linton and purchased a residence in 1901.
He remodeled the house which is now known as the Era
Hotel, kept by himself and family, and which is known
964 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
to tlie traveling- public to be a well managed ami com-
fortable hosteli"y.
The subject was married to Margaret Emeline Cur-
rey on August 2, 1877. She was the daughter of Franklin
and Susanna M. (Magill) Currey, natives of Greeneville.
Tennessee. The Magill family was represented in the
Confederate army and the parents of the subject's wife
also had relatives who took active part in the cause of the
South. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips had nine children, seven
sons and two daughters. The following are the living:
Oscar, Arthur, Clara, Paul, TliDmas, Emma, Flynn and
John.
The subject is the son of Joshua Phillips, who was
born in Kentucky, in 1805. He married Sarah McCarty,
wild was born in Tennessee, in 1806. They were married
in Snlli\an county, Indiana, and had the following chil-
dren : -M.iix (idnliin, (if Champaign, Illinois; Johannah,
who died in Orange county, Indiana, in 1854; Thomas,
who died in 185 1 ; Emily Mahan, who died December 22,
i8go; Ann Currans, who is the widow of a soldier; John
L, a physician at Westphalia, Indiana ; Joshua, who died
Januaiy 31, 1908, at; Terre Haute; Lizzie, twin sister of
Isaiah, died April 28, 1900. The father of the subject
was a farmer in Sullivan county, where he died April 6,
1846. His wife died November 20, 1872.
The Phillips family came from Wales and was estab-
lished in the eastern colonies before the Revolutionary
war. The subject's great-grandfather was killed in that
war. His son, Thomas Phillips, lost his right arm as
the result of a wound received at St, Claire's defeat in
Ohio. The subject's brothers. Perry and Dr. John L.,
were soldiers in the Civil war.
GREENE COUNTY^ INDIANA. 965
The subject is a member of the Presbyterian church.
He is a Repubhcan. but has never held office.
HENRY CLAY MORGAN.
Hairy C. ^Morgan, admittedly the most extensive
stock dealer in the state of Indiana, is one of Greene
county's native sons and has ever manifested a pardonable
pride in the beautiful locality where on the 14th day of
August, 1852, he first saw the light of day. In his veins
flows the blood of a long line of New England ancestry,
also of antecedents that were among the early substantial
yeomanry of the good state of Ohio. His father, George
C. Morgan, was bom in Connecticut, but in early life
left his native state to engage in business for himself as a
peddler of clocks, in the prosecution of which he traveled
e.xtensively over the southern and western states, meet-
ing with encouraging success in the undertaking and later
with true Yankee foresight, judiciously invested-his earn-
ings in southern Indiana real estate, locating in Greene
county, in 1854. Maiy Alkire, who became the wife of
George C. Morgan, was born and reared in Ohio, in which
state her marriage also occurred. It was shortly after
taking to himself a wife that Mr. Morgan come to this
county, as stated above, and settling in Washington town-
ship, purchased a large tract of land and engaged exten-
sively in fanning and stock raising, giving special atten-
tion to the latter, and in the course of a few years, became
not only the leading- stock man in the county, but one of
966 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
the largest in the state, having been among the first in
southern Inchana to buy on an extensive scale for the
eastern markets. By close attention to his business inter-
ests, he added greatly to his holdings and in time became
quite wealthy, owning in addition to real estate and other
property elsewhere, a stock farm of two thousand acres
in Greene county, every square foot of which was acquired
through his persevering industry and successful manage-
ment.
George C. and Alary Morgan reared a family of five
children, the suliject of this review being the second in
order of birth.
The life of Henry C. Morgan has been devoid of
anything strikingly interesting or tragic, having been
spent in peaceful pursuit of the honorable calling to
which his attaition is still devoted, and in which his suc-
cess has been so phenomenally signal. He was reared amid
the environments of the home farm, where he early be-
came familiar with life's practical duties, and in the
schools of the neighborhood laid a foundation of an
education, which, supplemented and enlarged by intelli-
gent observation and multiform business dealings, has
made him one of the widely informed men of his com-
munity.
A natural trader, he has made many large deals, and
in pursuit of his business enterprises, has traveled exten-
sively, besides having direct communication with all sec-
tions of the country in which the live stock interests have
assumed respectable proportions. For sometime past he
has been associated with his brother, John L., which
partnership is known throughout the length and breadth
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 967
of the land, and which handles more live stock than any
other dealer or firm in Indiana. They buy and ship to all
the leading markets of this country, hundreds of car-
loads, nearly every month, besides making large shipments
at intervals, to foreign ports, among which the name of
the firm in extensively known and highly rated.
Mr. Morgan's ability and wide experience gives him
precedence in business circles. Nevertheless, his deal-
ings have been characterized by a strict sense of
honor, while his reputation has always withstood the
most critical test.
Mr. Morgan has ammassed an ample competency and
is regarded as one of the solid and substantial men of
his section of the state, owning, in addition to a large
amount of personal property, a valuable stock farm in
Greene county, consisting of three thousand acres, con-
servatively valued at ninety dollars per acre, though real-
ly worth considerably more than this figure. Although a
business man in all the term implies, he is also public-
spirited, ever manifesting a lively interest in the wel-
fare of his county and state and discharging the duties of
citizenship as becomes a man of his broad mind and
liberal ideas.
He is a Democrat, and he and his wife are memljers
of the Methodist Episcopal cliurch.
Mr. Morgan was married in the year 1874, to Mary
Baker, of Greene county, who has borne him ten children,
six of whom are living, namely : Frederick, of Vincennes,
Indiana ; Frank, George, Blanche, Phoebe and Bessie, all
but Frederick at home. Those dead are Charles O., died
aged thirty-two years: Edward died when twenty-two
years old; Jesse and Grace died when young.
9d8 biographical memoirs
Mrs. Morgan, a daughter of one of the representative
citizens of Greene county, is a lady of gracious person-
ahty and popular in the large circle of friends with whom
she mingles. Mr. Morgan's preliminary education was
received in the public schools, after| which he spent some
time in Notre Dame University, at South Bend, where
he obtained a knowledge of the more advanced branches
of learning, together with the personal culture for which
that institution is noted.
ALFRED RYORS BUNGER.
In gi\'ing the life record in part of the subject of
this sketch, no attempt shall be made to give extravagant
praise, but simply to note a few of the more important
events in the career of one who has at all times and all
circumstances endeavored to do his full part in all lines
of activity in which he has been a participant. His has
been a true, useful and honorable life — a life charterized
by perseverance, energy, broad charity and well defined
purpose, and he has justly won the unstinted esteem of
his neighbors and friends l)y thus always "keeping the
even tenor of his way."
Alfred Ryors Bunger resides on and cultivates a fine
farm in section i8. Smith township, Greene county, but
Monroe is the county of his birth, which occurred January
24. 1847, the son of Joseph and Magdalene (Walker)
Bunger, the father of the former having been a native of
Germany, wlio settled in A'irginia in an early day, later
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 969
moving- to Kentucky, where he farnied for six years, when .
he moved to Monroe county, Indiana, in 1824, entering
land on which he spent the remainder of his hfe, having
married a Miss House. He died March 8. 1850. His
wife died September 21, 1834. The early life of the
father of the subject was spent in Virginia, and in Ken-
tucky, on a farm until his father, Jacob Bunger, moved
to Indianapolis, returning- to Virginia he became stage
driver from Lewisburg to White Sulphur Springs, later
coming to Indiana in about 1833, where he took up farm-
ing in Monroe county, remaining- there until 1848, when
he traded his first farm for another in the same neigh-
borhood, on which he spent the rest of his life, leaving the
farm as an estate which is now owned partly by William
M. Bunger, a brother of the subject of this sketch, and
James W. Bunger. a nephew of the subject.
The father of the subject was married to Magdalene
(Harvey) Walker March 20, 1834. Both he and his wife
were eamest church members, he being an elder. Joseph
Bunger died when almost eig-hty-six years old, January
27, 1896, and his faithful life companion passed away at
the age of seventy-three years, February 25. 1880. Nine
children were bom to them, four of whom are now living.
Michael E., a brother of the subject, was a soldier in
the Civil war, having enlisted in Company F, Eighty-
Second Indiana Volunteer Infantry, serving from 1862
to the close of the war, having been mustered in as a
sergeant, but when he was discharged he ranked as first
lieutenant and adjutant of the regiment. John W., another
brother, was a member of Company D,' Fiftieth Regiment,
of this state, having enlisted in Septem1>er, 1861, and was
970 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
. discharged on account of illness contracted while in line
of duty before his tenn of enlistment expired. Joseph T.
now resides at Midland, Indiana.
The early life of Alfred Bunger, our subject, was
spent in Monroe county, on his father's farm, and attend-
ing the public schools in which he applied himself most
assiduously, and later entered the State University
for two years. He tau.ght three terms of school
in Greene county, and also tauglit subscription
and public schools in Arkansas, where he spent
a year anil six months, being successful in all
his school teaching. After returning home, he
came to Greene county, in the spring of 1869, settling
on the place where he now resides, his father having pur-
chased this farm just previous. In 1871 he purchased
in part, the fami jointly with his brother, Joseph T., and
later \\'illiam Muir, father of Mrs. Bunger, purchased
the interest of Joseph T., and gave the same to his
daughter, and thus our subject and wife became the sole
owners of this one hundred and sixty acre tract, a part
of which had been given to them by Joseph Bunger, and
to which tiiey have added forty-one acres. The land is
mostly prairie, other parts being cleared, it is all now
under cultivation but about thirty acres. An excellent
system of tile drainage is being installed, which the owner
hopes will render clover growing- more satisfactoiw ; as it
is, the farm will now produce crops of all kinds equal to
the time when Mr. Bunger assumed management of it.
which fact certainly speaks well of his ability as an agri-
culturist, in fact, he has spared no pains to place the fann
in a high state of efficiency. Corn is bought and fed on
GREEXE COUNTY, INDIANA. 9/1
the place, together with what the farm produces, to cattle
and hogs which he prepares for market. He is a breeder
of Polled -Durham cattle and Jersey Red hogs, sound
judgment always being exercised by the subject in the
handling of stock of all kinds, as well as in the manage-
ment of his fami.
Mr. Bunger was married to Sarah Muir, :\Iay
8, 1873. the daughter of William and Man- A. (Wannan)
Muir, the father a native of Ayershire. Scotland, where
he was born in 1818, and came to America when eighteen
years old, settling in Indianapolis, when, in 1845, he
married Mary A. Wannan, a native of Bartholomew
county, Indiana, but her family settled in Indianapolis
when she was eleven years old. He was a weaver of great
skill, and an extraordinary fine coverlet woven by him in
1853 is in possession of the family, said to be a rare
piece of workmanship in both design and color, by all
who have seen it. But he finally gave up his trade and en-
gaged in market gardening on ground that is now within
the corporate limits of Indianapolis. Moving to Clay
county in 1864, he remained there on a farm until his
death, June 22. 1888, at the age of seventy years, leav-
ing a widow and three children, the mother sun'iving
only a few months.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. .\lfred Bunger has been
made happy by the birth of six children as follows:
Viola May, the wife of James E. Stahl, a farmer of
Greene county, who has two children, Frances E. and
Alfred L. : Joseph Leroy is in the United States mail
sen-ice. living in Terre Haute, married and the father of
t%-o children, Paul R. and Alfred R. : WMlliam Ervin,
972 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
who is married and engaged in the real estate business in
Terre Haute: Alfred Theodore, who died at the age of
sixteen years in 1897; Mary Clarenda, who is single and
living at home, now (1908) a student at Brown's Busi-
ness College, Terre Haute; Estella died in infancy. The
children of the subject and wife as they grew up took
their place as Sabbath school workers, in fact, this is a
characteristic of the family.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Bunger are active members of the
Presbyterian church, the former having been an elder for
thirtA'-two years, and both diligent workers for many
years in the Sunday school, although the church of their
membership was four and one-half miles from their
home. In politics Mr. Bunger is independent. He was
trustee of his township for one term. Xo people are
better known or more highl\- respected in the community
than the Bunger familv.
HON. CAMDEN C. RILEY.
The subject, who is mayor of Linton and a member
of the Greene count}- bar, is a native of ■Montgomery
county, Ohio, where his birth occured on the 17th day
of March, 1873. His father, Wilson Riley, also a native
of the Buckeye state, was born in Montgomeiy county,
in 1834, and in the year 1854 was there married to Mary
Frantz, of Pennsylvania, who first saw the light of day
in 1832. \^'ilson Riley, a fanner by occupation, and an
e.xemplary citizen, died near the place of his birth in tl«e
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 973
month of March, 1881, his wife sun'iving him until 1906,
when she too was called from earthly scenes; a coinci-
dence of some interest is that the same minister who
officiated at the burial of the husband, perfonned the last
sad office for the wife when her remains were consigned to
the dust, twenty-tive years later. The subject and a
brother. Milton C. Riley, are the only members of the
family in Indiana, the others never having left their native
state.
After stud}-ing in the district schools, Camden C.
Riley completed a high school course in Union county.
Ohio, and during the three years following taught school
in Montgomen,- county, spending two or three years in
charge of the home school, where he pursued his studies
when a boy. Later he took a course in bookkeeping and
stenography in the Miami Commercial College, Dayton.
Ohio, and in April, 1898, came to Linton, Lidiana, to ac-
cept the position of bookkeeper and stenographer with
the Linton Coal Mining Company, which place he held
one and a half years with great credit to himself and to
the satisfaction of his employers. Subsequently he filled
similar positions with different companies and firms in
Linton and elsewhere, and while thus engaged, took up the
study of law. which he pursued until his admission to the
bar shortly after which he was appointed deputy prosecut-
ing attorney, this being his first introduction to the prac-
tice of the legal profession. Mr. Riley has been keenly in-
terested in political matters ever since boyhood, and on
coming to Linton he at once became an active worker in
the Republican part}^ of which he has been an ardent sup-
porter from the time of casting his first ballot. In recogni-
974 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
tion of valuable sen-ices rendered the party, as well as by
reasons of his peculiar fitness for the position, he was
elected in 1905, mayor of Linton, the duties of which office
he has since discharged, being now (1908) on the third
year of his term of four years. As chief executive of the
city, he has conducted himself in a becoming manner that
has won the confidence and esteem of the people of his
jurisdiction, being able and prompt in the discharge of
his official functions and bringing a dignity to the position
that proves him to be the right man in the right place.
Mr. Riley was married in 1897, to Nellie, daughter
of Barney and Lettie (Simons) Baker, of Dayton, Ohio.
His widow is living and spends, her time in the home of
her children. Mr. and Mrs. Riley are the parents of three
interesting children, one son and two daughters, whose
names are Granville, Carrie and Mary. In his fraternal
relations the subject is a member of the ancient and
honorable Oi'der of Masoniy and aims to measure his life
according to the high standard of excellence as laid down
in the beautiful and sublime principles and precepts of this
time honored brotherhood. He is also identified with the
Modern Woodmen of the World. Mr. Riley is a young
man of excellent parts and well defined purposes, and be-
ing in the prime of mental and physical powers, doubtless,
has before him a promising future. He possesses the
faculty of winning and retaining many warm personal
friendships and the high regard in which he is held in the
city of his adoption, and the honorable post which he has
been called to fill indicate on his part a determination to
discharge his every duty and obligation as becomes a
good man and worthy citizen.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 9/5
HON. OSCAR E. BLAXD.
The subject of this biograph)-, a worthy pnjcluct of
Greene county, was bom on the parental fann in Rich-
land township, November 21, 1877. Senator Bland is the
youngest of three sons bom to Joseph and Arminda
(Shipman) Bland, both natives of Greene county. Joseph
Bland was bom October 8, 1846, and his wife's birth
occurred on the 21st of February, of the same year. They
spent their productive years on the farm, which they still
own in Richland township, but at present are living retired
in Linton, enjoying a well-earned respite from active
labors. Both the Bland and Shipman families, as here
represented, came to Indiana from North Carolina, where
their Welsh ancestors first located on American soil. The
paternal grandfather of the subject of this sketch. Robert
Bland, was a Union soldier during the Civil war. and
died a few years after his discharge, presumably from
the effects of disease contracted in the army. Richard
Shipman, the matemal grandfather, was also a soldier
for the presei-vation of the Union, but did not long survive
the close of the war.
Oscar E. Bland, whose name heads this article, was
reared to fami life, dividing his youthful days between
working on the farm and attending the district schools.
When he had outgrown the latter, he took a course in the
Linton high school, supplementing this with a course at
Valparaiso University, and finished his classical work at
Lidiana University. He also took a law course in the
same institution, and was admitted to the bar, and began
practice in Linton in 1901. After six years of successful
976 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
practice alone, in order to accommodate the increasing-
patronage of the office, and also because of his elevation
to the saiatorship, he fomied a partnership with Henry
Moore, Esq., of Bloomfield, under the firm title of Moore
& Bland, and offices are conducted both at the county-
seat and in Linton. The Bloomfield office is conducted
by Mr. Moore, and that at Linton, by Mr. Bland and his
associate, R. H. Neeley. Esq. Mr. Bland is a successful
and thoroughly capable lawyer and has established a large
and lucrative practice. He is not only well-versed in the
intracies of his profession, but he is one of the most tal-
ented and versatile lawyers in the count)-, both in office
counsel and before the bar. He has few peers as a cam-
paign orator, and his services are in demand on all occa-
sions of educational politics. He was a stalwart Repub-
lican, thoroughly in touch with the administration at
Washington, and a zealous supporter of President Roose-
velt's attitude on questions of public policy.
Mr. Bland was elected to the state senate in 1906,
and represents the counties of Greene, Monroe and Owen.
He was tlie champion of the two-cent railroad fare bill,
which he introduced in the senate, and this, and a few
minor measures, was the key-note of his campaign. He
also introduced the miners' wash-house bill and cham-
pioned it to a final issue.
Mr. Bland was married June 18, 1902, to Josephine,
daughter of Dr. Jesse and Mary Hanna, of Linton. The
family are prominent in the social affairs of Linton, and
widely and favorably known throughout the county, and
senatorial district. They have one daughter, Helen, aged
five years, in 1908.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 977
Mr. Bland is a young an of bright prospects for
future prominence and usefulness. Few men at the age of
thirty have attained to the degree of public esteem and
confidence accorded to Oscar Bland. At the threshhold
of vig'orous young manhood, the possibility for future
development is not merely conjectural.
He is an ardent participant in athletic sports, and
enjoys the solitude of the wilderness in the hunting sea-
on, usually making a trip, annually, to the Rockies or else-
where, in the search for "big game." Recently on his
return from one of these excursions he brought with him
two fine elk heads, which he presented to the local lodge.
Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. In consideration
of this very appropriate gift, and also as a means of
showing appreciation of the generous donor, the society
voted him an honoraiy life membership. He is a member
of the Woodmen of the World, and Sigma Nu Greek
letter fratemitv.
FRANK SPELBRING.
Frank Spelbring, city clerk of Linton, and
manager of tlie Greene county Loan Company,
is a native of Owen county, Indiana, and one
of a family of eight children born to John H.
and Katherine A. Spelbring, the father of German
birth, the mother a native of Pennsylvania. John H.
Spelbring, who was bom in 1824, in Germany, came to
America when young and in 1836 became a resident of
Owen county, this state, where he followed agriculture
62
978 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
for a livehood, until age necessitated his retirement irom
life's active duties, when he laid aside the implements of
husbandry and spent the remainder of his days amid the
quiet scenes of home, dying in July, 1906. He was a
quiet, unassuming man, successful in his chosen vocation,
having accumulated a sufficiency of this world's goods
to place him in independent circumstances and as a neigh-
bor and citizen, he stood high in the community and
enjoyed the friendship and confidence of all who knew
him. The family of John H. and Katherine A. Spel-
bring consisted of eight children, namely : Jacob died
from disease contracted in the army; Katherine, widow
of John Altemiller, of Terre Haute; Mrs. Elizabeth
Sendmeyer. of Clay county; Dr. Benjamin F., a physi-
cian and surgeon of Sahne City, Indiana ; Henry, a resi-
dent of Clay county and a farmer by occupation ; Samuel,
a fanner and banker of Westfield, Illinois; Malinda.
deceased, and Frank, whose name introduces tliis article.
Frank Spelbring was born on the 22(1 day
of Februaiy, 1857, and spent his early life at the home
farm in Owen county, where in due time he learned by
practical experience, the full meaning of hard work, and
it was there also that he developed the habits of industry
which have stood him so well in subsequent life. His
preliminar)^ training in the common schools was after-
wards supplemented by a course in the Northern Indiana
Nonnal University, at Valparaiso, after which he taught
several terms of school and earned a creditable record
as a capable and painstaking instructor.
Discontinuing educational work. ;\[r, Spelbring ac-
cepted the position of clerk in a mercantile establishment.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 979
and until 1908 this has been liis principal vocation, hav-
ing clerked and sold goods for about twenty years in the
counties of Greene and Clay, becoming a citizen of the
fonner in 1888. Since that year he has made his home
in Linton, and during the interim between then and
now his name has been prominently identified with the
advancement of the town along material lines, having
always been public spirited and doing all in his power
to advance the interests of his city.
During 1907-1908 Mr. Spelbring has had charge
of the Greene County Loan Company's office, in Linton,
in the management of which he has greatly enlarged the
area of the concern's operations and added not a little
to its permanence and popularity. In municipal matters,
he has also been active and influential, being a member of
the city council and the city school board, and in 1903
he was elected city clerk, which office he still holds, having
jjeen re-elected in 1903. and the duties of which he dis-
charges in the able and businesslike manner characteristic
of the man.
A Democrat in politics, he is a force in his party
and makes his influence felt not only in local affairs,
but in district, state and national politics as well, always
taking an active interest in campaigns, attending many
conventions. He belongs to the Pythian Order and the
Modem Woodmen of America, and his religious affilia-
tions are with the Presbyterian church, being in 1908,
a member of the building committee, having in charge
the construction of the beautiful temple of worship for the
use of the First Presbyterian church of Linton.
Mr. Spelbring was married in the month of August,
980 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
1878. to Miss Rose E. Moore, daughter of C. B.
]\Ioore, of Clay county, a union blessed with three chil-
dren : Herbert V.; died in infancy: Stella M.. wife of
Charles G. Allen, of Linton ; and Clara, who is single
and a member of the home circle. Mrs. Spelbring died
in May, 1889, and on August 27th, of the year 1890, Mr.
Spelbring was united in marriage to his present wife, who
bore the maiden name of Arabell Buzzard. Mrs. Spel-
bring is the daughter of \\'illiam Buzzard, and has borne
her husband four ofifspring-, whose names are : Fern,
Rutli, W, Henry and Esther, all living.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HOLSCHER.
The subject was fomierly a member of the linn
Holscher & Harris, shoe merchants, of Linton, Indiana,
and he was bom in Stockton township, Greene county,
December 20, 1879. the son of Henr\- and Anna Mar\'
(Eichin) Holscher. The father of the subject was born
in Lockport, Indiana, in 1838, and his mother, who was
bom in Baden, Germany, in 1-849, came to this country
with her parents in 1855. Her father, John Eichin, was
a minister of the German Reformed church and was
engaged in his ministerial labors in Greene county, in the
early days. He later moved to Illinois and died at Olney,
in 1885. The father of the subject is also descended from
German ancestors. His parents, John and Adelheit Hol-
scher, came to Greene county, Indiana, from Germany,
in the early twenties and located on a farm in Stockton
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 90I
township, in 1849. The mother of the subject, and her
unmarried son. Wihiam E. Holscher, still own and live
upon this land. The subject's parents reared the fol-
low^ing children: Emily, John H., Henn- M.. \Mlliam
E., Benjamin F., our subject: Lydia E. All are mar-
ried, except William E., and all live in Linton. The
brothers are all miners.
The subject of the sketch was educated in the public
schools, graduating from the township schools in 1893,
and he attended the high school in Linton for two years :
also spent nearly two years in the State University. He
began teaching in 1896 and successfully followed that
profession for six years, having been employed all this
time in his native township. He became a partner in a
shoe store under the firm name of Hedrick & Holscher,
in 1901. and the following- year purchased his partner's
interest and managed the business himself until 1904,
when Joseph A. Harris became the junior partner. They
dealt exclusively in shoes and "foot-wear," and had a
large and carefully selected stock at 189 North Main
street, until May. 1908. when a fire damaged the stock
and later the firm closed out the business.
Mr. Holscher was married December 25, 1900, to
Hattie L. Heltman, daughter of Philip and Laura Helt-
man. of Olney, Illinois, where she was born, reared and
educated. Her father was one of the pioneers of that
locality, a large land owner and an extensive stock dealer.
Mr. and Mrs. Holscher have two sons. Donald Car-
lyle, who was born in Januaiy, 1902 : and Harry, who
was born in February, 1907.
The subject is a member of Linton Lodge. No, 866,
gii2 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He was a member
of the German Refonned church, with which he atifiliated
wheii lie was only thirteen years old. and continued his
membership in it until he was married, when he with-
drew and joined with his wife as members of the First
Methodist church, and is now a teacher in the Sunday
school of that church. Mr. Holscher is a Democrat, and
he was elected a member of the city council of Linton,
from an unexpired term in 1904. In the fall of the same
year he was elected councilman-at-large, entering upon
the duties of the office in Januar\', 1906. for a four years'
temi. He is, in igo8, the able president of the city finance
board and an active member of the various committees.
He is regarded as one of Linton's most industrious and
trustworthy citizens.
HENRY STEELMAX.
This capable and highly resjjected business man of
Linton. Indiana, was born in Springfield. Ohio. Novem-
ber 8. 1858. but moved to Gibson county early in life and
attended the public schools there, working on a farm
between terms. He fanned successfully until he was
thirty-five years old. In 1893 'le entered a drug store to
leam the business, and got along so well in his new field
of endeavor that he soon opened a store of his own in
Patoka, this state. Removing his stock to Linton in 1906,
he now owns and operates the well known Owl drag store
there, carrying a full line of drugs, patent medicines, toi-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. Q83
let articles, paints, oils, etc., enjoying a splendid trade
with the city and surrounding- country.
Politically he is a Republican, a member of the
Methodist Episcopal church, and a member of Columbia
Lodge, No. 450, Masonic fraternity, at Patoka, Indiana.
He is also a member of the Modern Woodmen of Amer-
ica, local lodge at Linton.
Henry Steelman was married November 8. 1882. to
Alice Phillips, daughter of Rhoda (Highley) Phillips,
of Gibson county, Indiana. To this union one bright son
was bom, who, in 1908, is a student of phamiacy in
Philadelphia College.
The subject's first wife was called from her earthly
labors early in life and he re-married November 6, 1890.
His second wife was Fannie J. McFetridge, of Gibson
county, Indiana, a daughter of John O. McFetridge, a
well known farmer. Two children were bom to this
union, namely; Eunice, a high school student in Linton,
Indiana; Henry, living at home and attending public
schools; both giving every promise of bright futures.
John Wesley Steelman, the father of the subject.
was a native of Pennsylvania, where he spent his youth
and married Elizabeth Hinckle, who was also a native of
that state. He was a farmer, near Springfield, Ohio, until
he moved to Gibson county, Indiana, in 1863. The fol-
lowing children were born to this union : John W., Mark
Henr\', Rebecca, Catharine, Dora, Phoebe, Mary, Charles,
William and Amanda all died in early life, Charles and
Amanda in childhood, the others were grown and
married.
The subject is an inlluential and much respected man,
owing- to his honesty and industry.
984 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
STEPHEN ELLIS.
There is no calling, however humble, in which en-
terprise and industry, coupled with a well directed pur-
pose, will not be productive of some measure of success,
and in the pursuit of agriculture the qualities mentioned
are especially essential. Among the fanners of Greene
county who have attained to a definite degree of success
in their line is Stephen Ellis, whose fann is located in
section 19, Smith township, nine miles west of \\^orth-
ington. He was born June 20. 1842, near Linton, being
the son of William and Martha (Robinson) Ellis, the lat-
ter a daughter of Stephen Robinson. His grandfather,
Robert Ellis, was bom in Ireland, immigrating to Amer-
ica in his early youth, and at the age of sixteen years en-
listed in the Revolutionary' cause, serving four years in
a Georgia regiment, after which he moved to Tennessee,
ultimately coming to Greene county, Indiana, where he
farmed and died at the age of ninety-six j^ears, leaving
four sons and one daughter. The subject's grandfather.
Stephen Robinson, a native of Tennessee, did not come
ta Greene county. The subject's father came to Monroe
county, Indiana, from Tennessee, and in 1837 entered
four hundred acres of land in Greene county, where he
made his home the balance of his life, dying at the age
of seventy-six. His wife lived to be sixty-two years old.
They were Baptists and the parents of nineteen children,
thirteen of whom were living at the time of the mother's
death and eight are living in 1908.
Stephen Ellis remained at home until his patriotism
proAipted him to sever home ties and offer his sen-ices
Q^^^l^. glL.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 985
to his country, which was threatened with disraption,
and in 1864 he enhsted in Company A, Fifty-ninth In-
diana Volunteer Infantrj^ and was in Shennan's army
until the close of the war, performing gallant service and
never flinching from his duty. His brother Robert, who
enlisted at the same time, sei-ved through the remainder
of the war, after which they both returned home and ,
the fomier resumed farming, which he has always fol-
lowed, at present carrying on a general fanning and
stock raising on his estate, consisting of one hundred
acres, producing especially good corn, which is fed to
hogs and cattle. Cornmercial fertilizej's are used and in
other skillful ways the land is kept in first-class condi-
tion. It has a natural drainage, being rolling for the
most part, and all the fields are well fenced with wire,
principally; in short, this farm is a piece of property
which any one might be proud to own.
Mr. Ellis was married in 1861 to Nancy Clark,
daughter of Stephen and Rebecca (Ellingsworth) Clark,
the fonner a native of Washington county and the lat-
ter of Greene county, Indiana. Three children were bom
to the subject and wife, namely: Mary, the wife of Tyra
W. Bray, who has three children; George \\'., who lives
in Terre Haute, and is the father of four childrai ; Na-
than died in childhood. The subject's first wife died
in 1866. In June, 1867. he married his second wife, ]\Ia-
tilda Butler, who was bom in Indiana, the daughter of
Edward and Nancy (Holt) Butler, natives of Tennessee.
There was no issue to this marriage and Mrs. Ellis died
in 1878. The subject was again married in 1880 to Ettie
Van Slyke, daughter of Peter C. and Sarah Jane ( Boyd)
986 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Van Slyke, natives of Greene count)'. Four children
were bom to this last union, namely : Jennie, wife of Ed-
ward Robinson and the mother of two children, Laura
Belle and Joseph Paul; Joel C, who married Violet
Henr\- and lives in Denver, Colorado : Van and Ruth are
living at home. Mr. Ellis has nine grandchildren and
seven great-grandchildren in 1908. He is a strong Dem-
ocrat in his political belief. He was fomierly a member
of the Baptist church, but when he moved from his earlier
home he failed to take his church letter to his new place
of residence. His wife is a member of the Baptist church
as was also his fi;;st wife. Mr. Ellis is regarded as a
plain, honest, sober and industrious citizen, who is hon-
ored and respected by all who know him, and his wife
and entire family stand well in the neighborhood where
they reside.
RICHARD THOMPSOX JOHNSON.
This well known stock raiser and farmer, of Stock-
ton township, Greene county, was born near Carlisle, Sul-
livan county, this state, October 28, 1847, the son of Sam-
uel Johnson, wlio was a noted stock raiser and breeder
during the Civil war, having remainetl in the county
where he was bom, being the son of Peter Johnson, an
honored veteran of the War of 1812, and, like him, a
man of many sterling traits, Peter Johnson was also a
participant in the bloody Indian wars. The mother of
Richard T. Jnlmson, our subject, was in her girlhood,
Amanda Reed, daughter of James Reed, a pioneer mill
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 987
man, who lived near Pleasantville. Sullivan county. Four
children were bom to her union with Samuel Johnson.
After her death Mr. Johnson married Ellen Shake,
daughter of Christopher Shake. After a well spent and
active life, Samuel Johnson died at his home in Sullivan
county, in 1886.
Our subject was united in marriage in 1870 to Sa-
. rah J. Lisman. daughter of Perry Lisman. a well known
citizen of Sullivan county, and as a result of this union
the subject became the proud father of two interesting
children. Reed and Perrv'. His first wife was called
from her earthly labors in 1879 and Mr. Johnson was
remarried in 1882 to Frances Lambeth, daughter of
Rankin Lambeth, a native of North Carolina. The chil-
dren of this last union are : Floyd. Amanda. Grace. Ray
and Vemor. all veiy promising children. Although Mr.
Johnson is not a very elderly man, there is a difference in
the ages of his oldest and youngest boys of thirty-two
years.
The subject remained with his father on his Sulli-
van county fann. assisting with the work about the place,
until he was first married on the date above giveai. and
there learning the fundamental principles of agriculture,
he has since developed them to their fullest extent, mak-
ing farming a sticcess in ever\' particular and bringing
his farm up to an equal basis of any in the community
where he resides. He has long been known as one of the
most extensive wheat growers in southern Lidiana, hav-
ing raised mauy crops that yielded two thousand and five
hundred bushels. Mr. Johnson seems to possess greater
skill in the successful planting and handling of wheat
9o<5 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
crops than most farmers of his locahty. Besides, he
makes a pronounced success of liis other crops and stock
raising, which forms no inconsiderable part of his in-
come, which has increased from year to year owing to
his efficient management.
The subject came to Greene county in Februan-,
1896, and purchased the Ora Price farm of seventy-five
acres two and one-half miles west of Linton. He has,
since his first arrival there, been regarded as one of the
community's most accomplished and trustworthy citi-
zens, and at once gained the respect and confidence of all
his neighbors and acquaintances.
In politics he is a Republican, but he has never
sought an office. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are members
of the Methodist Episcopal church.
DANIEL H. FIELDS.
The subject was born in Greene county in the early
pioneer epoch, one mile east of the present city of Lin-
ton, Januaiy 3, 1835, and is the oldest native-
born resident of Stockton township, being one of the
oldest in Greene county, and who has been prominently
identified with the industrial, material and civic progress
of this section, having ever stood for loyal and public-
spirited citizenship. In November, 1854, he entered the
land where he now lives, a little more than three miles
southeast of Linton, having gone to housekeeping that
year, settling in the woods, which were so tliick. he says.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 909
he could see only one way, and that was straight up.
Now it is so thickly settled that the neighbors can't raise
chickens. In fact, this section was practically an un-
broken forest, where Indians and wild animals were still
plentiful and when the homes of the pioneers were cabins
of the more primitive type. "Uncle" Daniel Fields, as
he was familiarly called, harks back in memory to 1843,
when there were but three houses in Linton, and he tells
many thrilling reminiscences of those pioneer days, re-
calling how the wilderness thereabout was filled with wild
turkey, deer, bear and wolves, many of them falling vic-
tims to his long, quaint rifle. He has been a factor in
bringing about the transformation which has made this
one of the leading counties in the state, with its highly
cultivated farms, thriving towns and villages, its schools
houses, churches and all other evidences of progress and
culture.
The father of the subject was Stephen Fields, a
Keiituckian. who came to Greene county, Indiana, when
a young man and, being a Christian preacher, did more
than his share of the work in uplifting the moral and re-
ligious element of the c®unty, having worked among the
people there untiringly, administering to their wants in
whatever way he found them in need of help. The maiden
name of the mother of the subject was Margaret Har-
rah, daughter of Daniel Harrah, who settled in Greene
county when it was in its very first stages of develop-
ment, the wilderness still being in evidence on ever}' hand.
Daniel, our subject, was the eldest of a family of nine
children. The names of the others are: William, Re-
becca, Thomas, James, all deceased; Mary, Ella and
990 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Cliarles — just three — living; two other children died in
early life. Steplien Fields' death occurred in 1880 near
Edwardsport, Indiana, in which town they lived ten years.
He was preceded to the silent land by his wife in 1876.
Daniel Fields lived with his father until he was
twenty years old. receiving such schooling as those pio-
neer times afforded. He was united in marriage with
Emily J. Gastineau, of Stockton township, on October
19, 1854. In November of that year he entered eighty
acres of government land, on which he has since resided,
having long enjoyed a comfortable home there and ha-\'-
ing made a splendid fann as a result nf his hard labnr.
To this union six children have been bom, as follows :
Francis, a fanner, living in Stockton township; Myra,
deceased ; Ida, wife of Thomas Bloomer, living at Lyons ;
Emma, wife of John Peters, living in Stockton township;
Oliver, deceased ; Elmer, living in Stockton tmvnship.
The subject's first wife was called to her reward Januarj'
26, 1886, and he was again married in October of that
year to Nancy Wakefield, a sister of his former wife,
and widow of William L. Wakefield, of Grant township.
She is now living at the age of seventy in 1908.
"Uncle" Daniel was one of those loyal sons who
could not quell his patriotic ardor when his country was
in need of help during those troublous days of the sixties,
and, severing home ties for a soldier life, which he be-
lieved to be his higher duty, marched away to defend the
stars and stripes, being a member of the Fourteenth In-
diana Volunteer Infantiy, in which he enlisted in Au-
gust, 1862, and fought gallantly in that bloodiest of all
battles of the great war — Antietam — where he was struck
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 991
by a shell during one of the hottest moments of that grear
conflict and slightly wounded. After participating in fur-
ther work in which his regiment was called to perform, he
was honorably discharged at Buffalo, New York, in 1865.
"Uncle" Daniel and his aged companion are highly
honored and regarded with the utmost consideration and
courtesy by the entire community which they have so long
enriched with their presence.
THOMAS J. SHIELDS.
One of the well improved and attractive farms of
St(.)ckton township, Greene county, is that owned and
conducted by the subject of this sketch, who has long
been identified with industrial affairs in this part of the
state, having been bom in this township and on the place
where he has spent his entire life April 7. i860. His
father, David Shields, was a native of I^awrence county,
who came to Greene county in 1853, settling on the fann
a part of which the subject owns at present. David
Shields died in 1894 after a busy and highly upright ca-
reer, winning friends wherever he went and never los-
ing them. The maiden name of the mother of the sub-
ject was Ellen Box, a native of Lawrence county, now
an elderly lady of beautiful attributes, who makes her
home with her two grandchildren in Linton. David
Shields and wife were the parents of eig'ht children, four
of whom are living in 1908 — Arista, Thomas J-. John B.
and Ida May, wife of John R. Chapman.
99- BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Thomas J. Shields, our subject, spent his boyhood
days on his father's fami, attending the common schools
in that vicinity until he reached manhood, and gaining
a knowledge of agriculture and stock raising from the
careful methods employed by his father in these lines.
Our subject was united in marriage in 1884 to Anna
Lisman. of Stockton township, and this union has proved
a happy and fortunate one, resulting in the birth of the
following bright children : Dova, Frank, David and Ha-
zel. The second child born to them died in infancy.
Air. Shields has been deputy assessor for four years,
filling, this office in a most satisfactory manner. This of-
fice in Stockton township is far more important than in
the average township, owing to the fact that many large
coal mines are situated here. Mr. Shields increased the
assessment of many of the large coal companies, and
has been vigorous and outspoken in his determination
that these corporations shall be made to bear their just
proportion of taxation. The county carried the fight be-
fore the state tax commission and won. The splendid
administration of this office has earned for him the ap-
proval of the people in general and he is recognized as an
authority in matters pertaining to taxation.
Mr. Shields resides on his farm, which lies three and
one-half miles northwest of Linton. He has one hun-
dred acres of well improved land, richly underlaid with
deposits of coal, which will undoubtedly be worked to its
fullest possibility in the future. Although considerable
time is devoted to his official duties, Mr. Shields spends
all the time necessar>^ in keeping his fann up to the
standard of the good fanns in that localitv, being re-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 993
garded as one of the most progressive men in the town-
ship. Fraternally our subject is a member of the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge at Linton. In poli-
tics he is a Republican. Mrs. Shields is a member of the
Methodist Episcopal church.'
ALEXANDER BEASLEY.
The subject of this sketch has well earned the honor
to be addressed as one of the progressive, public-spirited
men of Greene county, since from the beginning of his
career he has been actively engaged in promoting impor-
tant enterprises, besides laboring for the welfare of his
community in other lines of endeavor, the meantime se-
curing for himself the comforts of life and home and an
ample competence for his declining years.
Mr. Beasley is a native of the county where he has
elected to remain, making it the field of his life work, hav-
ing been bom in Stockton township, June 2, 1854. a son
of Alexander Beasley, a hardy Tennesseean who came to
Indiana when a young man, first casting his fortune
with the Hoosiers in Lawrence county, then removing to
Stockton township, Greene county. The elder Beasley
was a prosperous farmer, which occupation he indus-
triously pursued up to the time of his death in 1890.
The mother of our subject was Frances (Nimrod) Beas-
ley, a native of North Carolina. Although twelve chil-
dren, an equal number of boys and girls constituted the
Beasley family, ten of whom are now living, in 1908, these
63
994 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
children received the best liome training- and careful
discipline possible, their home environment having always
bear wholesome and uplifting-, which fact has largely at-
tributed to the praiseworthy moulding of their subse-
quent characters. The subject's devoted and estimable
mother was called from her earthly labors in Stockton
township, in 1884. The Beasley family is regarded as
constituting one of the most substantial and best known
in Greene county, and it forms a conspicuous part in the
history of the various communities.
The subject of this sketch was united in marriage
with Rebecca Moss, the refined and accomplished daugh-
ter of William G. Moss, of Stockton township, the wed-
ding occurring August 14, 1873. Two children born
to this union, after cheering the home circle for a brief
time, were taken from it by the hand of death early in
life.
The boyhood life of our subject was not, generically
considered, unlike in the main, from that of other young
men of his community, for he attended the neighborhood
schools and worked about his father's fami as necessity
demanded, ever evincing a willing-ness to perfomi
his share of the tasks assigned to him, but he was a good
student and an industrious and promising boy from the
start, and took up active farm work early in life and for
a period of thirty happy and eminently successful years
lived on the same fan-n in Stockton township. His farm
was always a model in point of systematic management
and up-to-date improvement, and much fine stock of va-
rious kinds was to be found in its fields.
In 1002 Mr. Beaslev moved to Linton where he
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 995
soon became one of the leading business men, having
trafficked in real estate principally, but after four success-
ful years the love of the rural life called him back to
its free and independait domains and he moved to the
beautiful suburban home which he now occupies and
which is one of the most pleasantly situated and most
admirably kept of any like residence in the county. It
stands just east of the city beside a natural and inost
attractive park, known as "Beasley's Park," which is
frequently used by the public, in fact the city uses it for
all its- large public events. He is also the owner of many
substantial business houses and much residence property
in Linton, which places him among the prosperous and
influential citizens of that community, where he is ad-
mired and respected by all for his integrity and well
ordered life.
AUGUST KRAMER.
It is not only a pleasure but profitable as well to
study the life historj' of such a worthy gentleman as he
whose name foiTiis the heading of this review, for in it
we find evidaice of traits of character that cannot help
but make for success in the life of any one who directs
his efforts, as he has done, along proper paths with persist-
ency and untiring zeal, toward a worthy goal, and hav-
ing his concomitant upright principles, which as we shall
see, have resulted in ultimate triumph.
August Kramer, while a member of that large class
of foreign citizens who have benefited Greene countv bv
996 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
tlieir residence, stands in a comparatively small circle of
those who ha^•e emigrated from his native country — Per-
sia, where he was born September 15, 1832. the son of
\\"illiam Kramer, who migrated to America in 1838.
accompanied by a sister. He was a poor man and selected
a home and a few years later his family joined him. The
mother of the subject was Minnie (Gershmier) Kramer,
who settled in Stockton township where they farmed and
died, the father having passed away in 1854, at the age
of fifty-two years, buried in the family cemetery near
the subject's home, as there was no other cemetery then,
and where the widowed mother some years later was laid
to rest, dying at the age of eighty-two years.
In 1857 our subject was united in marriage with
Ellen W'essel, who came to this country from Hanover,
Gemiany, with her mother and two brothers, now de-
ceased. The following children have been bom to this
union : Will, a prosperous farmer in Stockton township,
who is married and has a family of seven children ; Fred,
who is also a Stockton township fanner; John, a carpen-
ter, residing at Linton ; Minnie, wife of Carl Beggerman,
residing near Sandborn, Indiana : Herman, Henry and
Gerhart are all living at home with their father.
^Ir. Kramer's indomitable courage is shown from
the fact that he worked in his native land when a boy,
for only five dollars a year and clothes. When he landed
in Greene county he was displeased with the county and
it was only his poverty which caused him to remain, as he
did not have a cent. He now owns one hundred and
eighty acres and has a comfortable home.
He has won a competenc}' fur himself and famil}- and
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 997
enjoys the honor and esteem of all who know him, being
a consistent member of the German Refomied church,
with which the members of his household are also
identified.
PETER STOCKRAHAI.
One of the best known and most highly esteemed
German-American citizens of Stockton township and one
of the most upright of its residents is the gentleman to
a review of whose life we briefly call the attention of the
reader, Peter Stockrahm, who can point with pride to the
fact that he was bom near the far famed "castled Rhine
river." in Germany, October i6. 1851, having migrated
two years later with his father to the land of stars and
stripes, to which he has ever been loyal and which he loves
equally as well as his fatherland. His parents were Wil-
liam and Catherine (Smith) Stockrahm, who also had
two other sons and five daughters whom they brought to
America. The brothers and sisters of the subject are
John, a farmer in Wright fownship; Malinda, wife of
Robert Ellis, of Wright township; Elizabeth, who was
the wife of John Booker, of Stockton township, is de-
ceased; Catherine in the widow of John Wees; William
is a prosperous fanner of Stockton township: Christiana
Ann is the wife of Alexander Pope; Sophia is the wife of
Joseph Rector.
On August 9, 1889, the .subject's father and mother
' celebrated their golden wedding, the fiftieth anniversary
of their marriage, at which memorable social event in the
lives of this family all their children were present.
99° BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Air. Stijckrahm lived with his father until he was
thirt}--ti\e years old working- on the home place and en-
joying the association of home, which usually character-
izes our worthy foreign element, and which is indeed a
commendable trait. The subject was united in marriage
with ]\Iiner\-a Kendall on October i6, 1887. the daughter
of Henry and Mary Kendall, a progressive fanner of
Stockton township. The subsecjuent married life of this
couple has been sing^ularly happy and has resulted in the
accomplishment of praiseworthy tasks which the subject
could not have achieved alone and unaided. The follow-
ing children constitute their family : Pansy Ethel. Lillian
May. wife of Hodson Moss, of Stockton township; Mina
Pearl. Lula Patsy, Mary Catherine, Lola Flo, Etta Altha,
Hazel Helaia, Henry and William, twins, died in infancy.
Mr. and Mrs. Stnckrahm reside about three miles north
of Linton on a well impnn'ed farm. They have a com-
fortable home, their residence being cozy and nicely fur-
nished, surrounded by all the out buildings necessary to
the successful carrying on of fanning pursuits, and but
few fanns in the county are any better managed than
that of the subject, who 'devotes almost his undivided
attention to its care.
Fraternally Mr. Stockrahm is a Mason and he and
his good wife affiliate with the Baptist church.
JAMES A. BEDWELL.
Among those men who by their industry and business
activity have advanced the prosperity and wealth of south-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 999
em Indiana, the subject of this sketch is prominent. A
man of forceful individuality and marked acumen, he has
had the foresight to take advantage of opportunities
which presented themselves and has successfully con-
ducted a well regulated farm.
James A. Bedwell, ex-trustee of Stockton township,
Greene county, is a native of Sullivan county, this state,
where he was born October 9, 1855. His father, Elisha
Bedwell, was also a native of that county, whose parents
came from Virginia in the pioneer days, being among the
sturdy people who braved the vicissitudes of the pri-
meval forests in the Hoosier state when it was in its in-
fancy. The mother of the subject was, in her maiden-
hood, Rebecca Jane Corothers, also a native of Sullivan
county. Both father and mother passed to their reward
long ago.
The subject is one of ten children, eight of whom
are living, and all leading well ordered lives, following
out the precepts set them by their worthy parents.
Mr. Bedwell was united in marriage to Martha Pad-
gett, Februaiy 15, 1874. She is the daughter of Henrj'
Padgett, a highly respected citizen of Greene county
where the subject's wife was tern and reared, and where
she received a fairly good common school education, as
did also her husband whose schooling was received in
Sullivan county. No children have been to the subject
and wife.
Mr. Bedwell came to Greene county in March. 1874,
locating on his present farm of two hundred and thirty-
one acres, four and one-half miles southwest of Linton,
and he has since that time been regarded as a leading
lOOO BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
farmer and substantial citizen, having improved his farm
up to the standard of those in this thriving community
and showing by the careful way in which he has managed
its* affairs that he is abreast of the times in the matter of
agricultural pursuits.
In 1900 Mr. Bedwell was elected by the Democratic
party, to which he has always been loyal, as trustee of
Stockton township, and he has made a most efficient and
praiseworthy ofificial.
The subject and his wife are held in high esteem by
all their neighbors and friends in Greene county and
elsewhere. Mrs. Bedwell is a member ot the Methodist
Episcopal church.
JOHN B. MORGAN.
The career of the subject of this sketch indicates the
clear-cut, sane and distinct character, and reviewing the
same from an unbiased and unprejudiced standpoint, inter-
pretation follows fact in a straight line of derivation. In
this work it is consistent that such a review be entered and
that without the adulation which is sometimes intrinsical-
ly distasteful to the man as he stands among his fellows.
The city of Linton naturally takes pride in the work per-
formed by Mr. Morgan, who has stamped the impress of
definite accomplishment on the public mind, and, through
the medium of one of the best local papers in the state,
has done much to arouse interest in the material ad-
vancement of the community, to say nnthing of liis in-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. lOOI
fluence in shaping the pohcies of the party of which his
journal is a recognized exponent.
John B. Morgan, editor and proprietor of the Lin-
ton Weekly Record, is a native of Greene county. In-
diana, the young-er of two children whose parents,
Thomas C. and Melissa (McGinnis) Morgan, were both
born in Clay county, this state, in the year 1848. Thomas
C. Morgan came to Greene county in 1875 and settled
near the heart of what is locally known as "Bee Hunters'
Marsh." in Stockton township, purchasing a portion of
this swamp land, and, erecting his residence on a small
hill nearly surrounded by water, at once addressed him-
self to the task of draining and redeeming his possession.
By persevering industry he succeeded in finally accom-
plishing this undertaking, and where erstwhile was only
a dense, marshy waste is now to be seen one of the finest
and most productive farms in the township, the soil being
of great depth and fertility and producing abundantly all
crops grown in this part of the state.
On this farm, June 18, 1882, occurred the birth of
the subject of this review, and amid its environments he
spent the years of his childhood and youth, assisting his
father in the fields when old enough to be of seiwice, and
at intervals prosecuting his studies in the district school
hard by. His sister, who was his playmate in youth and
who shared with him the various experiences of rural
life, grew to young womanhood in due time and left the
parental roof for a home of her own, becoming the wife
of Alf M. Beasley, a well known attorney of Linton, a
sketch of whom appears elsewhere in these pages. The
mother, a most estimable lady of beautiful character, de-
I002 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
parted this life on the first day of October. i8q6. The
father, one of the substantial citizens of Stockton town-
ship, is still the occupant of the farm he redeemed under
such adverse conditions. Although a mere youth at the
breaking out of the Civil war, he was early fired with
a patriotic fervor to enter the army and do battle for his
country, which desire he was finally enabled to gratify.
When only fifteen years of age he enlisted in Company K,
One Hundred and Thirty-third Indiana Volunteer Infan-
tiy, with which he ser\'ed until the close of the war. and
later joined the Xineteemli i\ iii-:!-; Regiment, with which,
during the late sixties, lu- \\:i- enL;.i^i.-il in numerous opera-
tions against the Indiana in Kansas. New ^Mexico and
other parts of the west. At one time he was a wag"on
master and conducted wagon trains from Leavenworth to
Santa Fe. several years before the advent of railroads,
his western experience both as Indian fighter and freight-
er being replete with many interesting and some tragic in-
cidents.
That young Morgan took advantage of both time
and opportunity to add to his mental discipline is indi-
cated by the fact of his having finished the common school
course and received a certificate of graduation at the early
age of fourteen, following which he spent three and
a half years in the Linton high school, the training thus
received being afterward supplemented by a Inisiness
course in the Indianapolis Commercial College, where, in
igoo, he was graduated with honors of his class. \\'hile
attending the latter institution he was obliged to pay his
own way as best he could. The limited capital in his
possession being soon exhausted, he afterward had re-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IOO3
course to waiting on tables in restaurants and doing any
other honorable labor he could find, but he never became
discouraged, however forbidding- the outlook, as is indi-
cated by the successful manner in which he finished his
course.
Air. Alorgan also attended .several normal terms, and,
receiving a teacher's license, devoted about five years to
educational work, four of which as principal of the Island
City school, and during the sessions of 1903 he pursued
the higher branches of learning in the Indiana State Uni-
versity. On the establishment of the rural mail delivery
system he saw an opportunity to make some money han-
dling private mail boxes, and, devoting his vacations to
this enterprise, disposed of over five thousand in the
counties of Greene, Clay and Sullivan during the years
of 1905, '06 and "07, realizing a handsome profit on his
time and labor. While thus engaged he was also special
lairal free delivery agent for the Indianapolis News,
and in addition to this paper he handled several other
dailies, taking over three thousand orders in his territory,
besides acting as circulating manager in Clay City for the
Brazil Democrat and in the county of Sullivan for the
Sulli\an Union, meeting with like success in increasing •
their patronage.
In May, 1907, Mr. Morgan purchased the Linton
Record, a weekly Republican organ established in 1896,
which he has since enlarged and otherwise improved, in-
creasing the circulation from less than seven hundred to
considerably in excess of three thousand, also securing
liberal advertising patronage, and in many other respects
adding to the value of the property and making the paper
1004 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
one of the best local sheets in the country. Mr. Morgan
has a well-ecjuipped office, in which all kinds of commer-
cial and job work are done with neatness and dispatch,
and being- an enterprising business man of progressive
ideas, it is but reasonable to predict for him a continuance
of the success which, thus far has signalized his career
and to anticipate for his paper a still larger growth in
public favor than it now enjoys.
Mechanically the Record is a model of typographical
art and editorially it compai-es favorably with the best
local papers of southern Indiana, being clean cut and fear-
less in discussing the issues of the day, loyally true to the
Republican principles and as a family paper filled with
the lastest happenings at home and abroad and replete
with interesting matter for the general reader, its period-
ical visits are always welcome at the households of nu-
merous patrons. Through the medium of his paper iNIr.
Morgan has done much to advance the interests of his
city and county, and on all laudable enterprises and
worthy reforms its voice is heard in no uncertain sound,
being ever on the side of right and an earnest advocate
of every influence that makes for the social and moral
welfare of the community. Since his twenty-first year
Mr. Morgan has been a zealous member of the Masonic
fraternit}' and is also identified with the Indq^endent Or-
der of Odd Fellows, in which he holds high rank in both
subordinate lodge and encampment. He is an influential
member of the Modem Woodmen of America and the
Modern Woodmen of the World, having been honored
with important official positions in both organizations, and
in religion he subscribes to the Methodist Episcopal creed.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IOO5
of which church his motlier was a faithful and consistent
member. Mr. Morgan has never assumed the duties and
responsibilities of married life, and supports his state of
single blessedness with a grace and dignity tliat have won
many wami friends and made him a general favorite in
the best society circles of the city in which he resides.
GEORGE WASHIXGTOX BROOKSHIRE.
Our enterprising subject first saw the light of day
April 25. 1868, in the county where he has always re-
sided. George \V. Brookshire, his father, was a native of
the Hoosier state, who passed from his earthly labors
three months before our subject was born. The mother
of Mr. Brookshire was, before her marriage, Mar\' Ann
Rigel, who was born in Ohio, and who now lives on her
fann in Grant township, three miles north of Lyons.
Both she and her husband spared no pains in raising their
children in the paths of duty and rectitude from which
they have not departed in their later years, which fact
g-jves the mother great satisfaction and cheer in her de-
clining age.
The subject of this sketch was united in marriag-e in
1893 '^'^'ith Rosetta ^^'inters, daughter of Quince B. and
Elizabeth ^Vinters, a well known citizen of Stockton
township. Constituting Mr. Brookshire's family are the
following children : Francis P., Edith M.. Walter L..
Dorris M.
The subject has devoted his life work to fanning
I006 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
with evident success, having always been a hard worker
and a good manager. He came to Stockton township
about 1893, when he purchased a farm of eighty acres
which he sold and bought a like farm near Switz City,
sold out and came to the fami which he now owns, located
two miles east of Linton and which is equal to any in his
neighborhood in point of improvements and the pro-
ductiveness of its soil, the owner having been a close ob-
server of the best methods employed by the other agricul-
turalists of his township, and adopting their plans so far
as consistent with his own ideas in bringing his place up
to a high standard of efficiency. Considerable atten-
tion is devoted by our subject to the care and raising of
stock which forms year to year no small part of his in-
come. His barn was destroyed by fire in 1907 and he
rebuilt the same year.
Mr. Brookshire is regarded by all who kmiw him
as an honest, industrious fanner, a substantial citizen and
a kindly neighbor. Both he and his wife are members
of the Baptist church and are known among the best
members of the local congregation.
LUCIAN GILLETT.
One of the most straightforward, energetic and
successful ag'riculturists of Stockton township is the sub-
ject, who is thoroug-hly interested in whatever tends to
promote the welfare of the community, and he has long
been one of the honored citizens nf Greene county, having
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. lOO/
been bom in Jefferson county, Indiana, July 8, 1855.
His father was William A. Gillett and his mother was
Lucy Virginia Comstock before she was married, also a
native of Virginia. William Gillett came to Greene
county in i860. He was a plasterer b\- trade, also ga\'e
some attention to fanning, having successfully followed
both until his death, which occurred in Fair Play town-
ship, Februaiy 12, 1876. He was known as a man of
sterling worth and endeavored to lead a reproachless
life.
The subject of this sketch is the oldest of the chil-
dren. The brothers and sisters are, Mrs. Francis N.
Shilkett, Mrs. Lucella E. Bough, Ulysses G., George R..
John C., William H.. Fred — the last three deceased. Lu-
cian lived on his father's farm assisting in the work on
the place until he was twenty-two years old, attending the
common schools in he meantime, receiving a fairly good
foundation for an education ; then he moved on the Shil-
kett farm near Switz City, where he remained for two
years, leaving there to take up his residence on the McCon-
nell farm, northwest of Switz City, where he also re-
mained two years when he bought a fann in Smith town-
ship, northwest of Worthington. He spent four success-
ful years on this farm ; then he became a citizen of Stock-
ton township, purchasing- in 1888, the farm of eighty-
three and one-half acres which is now his home and which
he has by careful thought and hard work brought up to a
high standard of efficiency, making it productive and at-
tractive and causing it to yield a comfortable living.
Mr. Gillett was united in marriage to Mary J. Gil-
breath in February 10, 1878. She is the only daughter
I005 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
of Da\-id Gilbreath, a highly respected citizen of Stock-
ton township. This union has been blessed with five chil-
dren, namely : Anna M., wife of David Rogers, residing
in Martin county, Indiana; William, David, Clarence,
Charles and Fred. David, the eldest son is now engaged
in farming in the new state of Oklahoma. Clarence is
in Robinson, Illinois, in the concrete business. The two
younger boys. Charles and Fred, remain at home on the
farm.
Mr. Gillett is a well informed man. having been a
general reader and close observer, and he takes a heart
interest in all things pertaining to the public welfare.
Something of his splendid business and executive ability
is shown by the fact that he has been selected to perfomi
the duties of treasurer for the Fanners' Mutual Insur-
ance Company. Fraternally he is a member of the
Modem Woodmen of America. Camp X;). 4704, and he
and his estimable wife are members of the Baptist church.
WILLIAAI STRIETEL^IEIER.
The United States can boast of no better or law-
abiding class of citizens than the great number of Ger-
mans who have found homes within her borders, none
more willing to stand by the flag in times of national
peril than they, and none readier to support her institu-
tions for the public weal, and among this large and high-
ly respected class is the subject of this brief sketch, who
was born in Germany. September 5, 1843. in which
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IOO9
countiT he spent his childhood in the usual manner of
assisting his parents in whatever fell to his share of the
work about the home and attending- the schools in his
locality. He felt early in life that larger opportunities
lay across the Atlantic in the "land of the free and the
home of the brave" for him, and actuated by this belief,
he was induced to set sail for America in 1863. After
landing in New York he concluded the interior was
better suited to his taste and he came to Cincinnati, Ohio,
where he engaged as a chair maker, having learned some-
thing of this trade before leaving his native land ; but in
a few years he heard of the opportunities in agriculture
that Greene county, Indiana, offered, and he consequently
g-ave up his work in that city and came to Stockton town-
ship, settling on a farm of fifty-nine acres where he has
since resided, having transfonned a practically rough
piece of land during that time into a farm, and now
owns seventy-nine acres which compare favorably with
any in his neig^hborhood.
The subject's father was Henry Strietelmeier, a
native of Gennany. The subject's mother passed away
when he was young, and of the five children bom to his
father and mother all are now deceased with the excep-
tion of the subject of this sketch.
Our subject was united in marriage in 1882 to
Fredericka Hildedeck, also a native of the fatherland
across the sea, and their marriage was one of those roman-
tic kind that never fails to bring subsequent happiness.
The contracting parties had known each other in their na-
tive land from childhood, and vowing there that the fates
should not thwart their life paths, causing them to diverge
64
into separate ways, the prospective groom came to Amer-
ica to get a start in the business world, here to be joined
by his bride-to-be, who later sailed from her native shores
for the purpose of meeting the subject in this country,
where the marriage was solemized. As a result of this
fortunate union the following children have been bom,
whose ages in 1908 are here given: Henry W'.. twenty-
five: William H., twenty-three: Sophia, twenty-two:
Minnie, nineteen ; Lena, seventeen ; Bertha, fifteen.
Mr. and Mrs. Strietelmeier are consistent members
of the Gemian Reformed church at Linton, being gener-
ally regarded by the congregation as among its most
worthv members.
WILLL\M BOVENSCHEN.
A typical specimen of the splendid German-Ameri-
can citizens whose sturdy manhood, thrift and industry
have wrought so much for our country's good, and who
have ever been among our best class of foreigners, loyal
and energetic, is the gentleman whose name forms the
caption of this brief sketch.
William Bovenschen belongs to the second genera-
tion of Gemians in this countiy, having been bom in
Wright township, Greene county. May 2j, 1866. and
spending his busy and useful life ever since within her
borders, maintaining that the opportunities offered there
for an honest and comfortable living could not be sur-
passed, not only in this state, but nowhere else in the
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. lOI I
Union. He is the son of Didrick and Margaret ( Smith)
Bovenschen, who emigrated to America from the father-
land in early life, married and settled in Wright town-
ship, Greene county, Indiana, where they were soon assim-
ilated with the population they found there and builded
a comfortable home. They had twelve children born :
three sons and two daughters now living. The advan-
tages and pleasures of his parental home were such that
our subject did not care to severe his connection with
it until he was twenty-five years old. at which ag^e he went
out to battle life alone and with what success he accom-
plished the feat is attested to by the present prosperity
which he enjoys and which he has achieved all by his un-
aided eflfoits, having been compelled to rely upon his own
decisions for guidance, and his innate ability as an agri-
culturist, which vocation he has always preferred to fol-
low, scans to have been on a par with tliat of any other
citizen of his community.
The subject has lived for the past si.xteen years on
his present well kept farm of eighty acres, pleasantly
situated two miles northeast of Linton, and only a glance
over this place will show that these years have not been
given to idleness and inertness, for much careful work
has evidently been done here by Mr. Bovenschen, so that
his fami is now quite attractive in every respect, and his
residence equal to others in the neighborhood.
On March 26, 1891, our subject was happily mar-
ried to Sena Heitman, daughter of Henry Heitman, a
worthy family living in Stockton township, not far
from the subject's place of residence. The following
children have been born to this union whose ages in 1908
IOI2 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
are : Anna, sixteen : Grace, thirteen : Helen, eleven : Tres-
sie. eight; Bemice, six; Ruth, four; \\'ayne, an infant.
Mr. Bovenschen has the interest of his community
and county at heart, is a Democrat in politics, being wil-
ling to give a part of his time to the duties of the advisory
board of Stockton township, of which he is a member.
Mr. and Mrs. Bovenschen are members of the Ger-
man Reformed church.
GEORGE HUBBARD SHARR
The subject of this brief biography is an example of
what a man can ultimately do in the world of industry
if he has the right conception of life coupled with a deter-
mined nature, although his early environments were some-
what nonconducive to enterprises of great magnitude,
for Mr. Shai-p was bom of poor parents in a little log-
cabin in Grant township, Greene county, and he is now
the owner of a rich farm of sixty-six acres and a com-
fortable and nicely furnished home. The date of his
birth occurred on September 26, 1861, his father. Joseph
R. Sharp, having been a native of Monroe county, In-
diana, who came to Greene county in the early forties and
engaged in fahning with reasonable success all his life.
The mother of the subject was Amanda (Rader) Sharp,
also a native of Monroe county, and like her husband,
a type of the sturdy and strictly honest pioneer element.
George H.. our subject, is one of a family of nine children,
and his father was als(T a member of a family of nine chil-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IOI3
dren. Eight of the children bom to Joseph and Amanda
Sharp are still living-. They are, Marv- J., the wife of
Joseph Moyer, residing in Clay county; David O. is a
resident of the Sun Flower state (Kansas), where he has
successfully engaged in business for twenty-two years ;
Belle, the third child in the order of birth, is deceased ;
Eva is the widow of Samuel Simons; Mattie is the wife
of Cass Terhune, of Grant township; Louise is the wife
of Theodore Riley, also of Grant township; Joseph E.
and William H. reside witii their mother who still lives
on the old home. Joseph R. Sharp, the father, passed
away in 1900 after a useful and successful life, conscious
of the fast that he had done all that could be done to
train his children in the way they should go and to give
them a start in life.
George H. Sharp, our subject, after spending- his
boyhood days working on the old homestead until he was
twenty-six years old and attending- the rural schools,
married October 24, 1887, Jane Nolting, daughter of
Charles and Minnie Nolting. She was born and reared
in Stockton township. The home of the subject and wife
has been made brighter by the birth of the following chil-
dren : Minnie Amanda, who in 1908, is eighteen years
old; Claudie Ethel is sixteen; Joseph Earl is fourteen;
William Lester and Lillie Lessie. twins, are eleven years
old.
Mr. Sharp mn\'ed on his present farm, located about
two miles northeast of Linton, immediately after his
marriage, twenty years ago, and has since resided there.
This fami consists of sixty-six acres of land that has
been growing richer from year to year, and in 1905
erected a comfortable dwelling which is the best in the
neighborhood, through the skillful management of the
owner who is familiar with all the details of fertilizing
his fields by the proper rotation of crops and other
methods known and employed by the best agriculturists.
He not only makes a comfortable living off this farm, but
is able to lay up a competency all the while to insure a life
of rest and freedom from anxiety in his old days. Mr.
Shaqj enjoys the reputation oi being scrupulously honest
in all his dealings.
Mr. and Mrs. Sharp are members of the Methodist
Episcopal church in which Mr. Sharp is an official. Po-
litically he is a Republican.
REV. ALEX.WDER R. EV.ANS.
One of the most useful' men in Greene county is the
Rev. Alexander R. Evans, pastor of the First Presby-
terian church at Linton, who is a native of Scotland, hav-
ing beai bom in Renfrewshire county May i, 1878. His
parents were Arthur Benjamin and Edith Evans, of
Celtic origin. They died when the subject was five years
old and he was soon afterward brought to Ontario, Can-
ada, by his elder brother, Arthur Benjamin, where he
grew to manliood, taking the high school course in Ome-
mee, Canada. He eiitered Queen's University at King-
ston City, Ontario, in 1900, and in 1904 completed a full
four years' course. In that year he went to Louisville, Ken-
tuckv. and entered the Louisville Theological Seminary.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IOI5
where he spent two years. Wliile in college he supplied
a congregation at Elizabeth, Indiana, spending one year
in that work. He was called to the pastorate of the First
Presbyterian church at Linton in March, 1907, in which
capacity he is now serving ( 1908). This congregation
embraces one hundred and eight communicants. A hand-
some church edifice is in course of constrviction, to be
occupied the latter part of 1908, and to cost twenty-two
thousand dollars. The present pastor was ven,- active
in making the new structure a possibility. The Sunday
school of this church has an enrollment of over one hun-
dred members. It has a violin class of twenty-two pieces,
composed of both boys and girls, which adds to the in-
terest of both the church sei-vices and the Sunday school.
The youngest member of the class is a lad of but eight
years. However, he reads music readily. Professor V.
E. Dillard is the instructor of the class, which is under
the general management of the pastor.
Another interesting and helpful dqjartment of the
church work under Rev. Mr. Evans' supervision is the
Boys' Brigade, in full uniform, consisting of sixty mem-
bers, each fourteen years old or under. This organiza-
tion was established looking to the development both of
the physical and moral nature of the youth of the church,
as well as the spiritual side of the members. The boys
who have affiliated with this society are supplied with
equipment and are drilled in military tactics. This
proves to be a very interesting as well as popular feature
of the church work and the young toys are all enthu-
siastic over it. The musical class is also a feature of
ioi6
BIOGRAPHICAL ]
very great interest and helpfulness. Coupled with this
are the Advisory Ladies' Aid Society, the Missionary So-
ciety, and others of a similar nature.
Rev. Mr. Evans' church is regarded as one of the
most modem and most systematically conducted in
Greene county, and the young pastor is fast winning the
love and respect of the entire community.
A\'ILLTAM R. CRAVENS. ^L D.
Among the physicians and surgeons of Greene county
who have achieved success in their profession and attained
to more than local distinction is Dr. William R. Cravens,
of Bloomfield, a man widely and favorably known not
only for his efficiaicy as a healer, but for his many ad-
mirable traits of character and sterling qualities of citi-
zenship as well. Dr. Cravens is a native of Greene coun-
ty, and the oldest of a family of four children born to
Samuel C. and Mary L. (Routt) Cravens, the fonner for
many years one of the representative medical men of
southern Indiana, but now deceased, the latter still a resi-
dent of Bloomfield. (See sketch of S. C. Cravens.)
The subject's birth occurred in Bloomfield on No-
vember 25, 1868, and he spent his childhood and youth in
his native city, entering at the proper time the public
schools, where he pursued his studies until being gradu-
ated from the local high school in the spring of 1885.
The training thus received was afterward supplemented
by a full course in the Indiana State University, from
'a^i^p^<.^yl^
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. lOI/
which he was graduated with the class of 1890 and sub-
sequently he took up the study of medicine, becoming a
student in the Kentucky School of Medicine, Louisville.
Kentucky, where he prosecuted his researches until re-
ceiving the degree of Doctor of Medicine in the year
1892. Actuated by a laudable desire to add further to
his professional discipline, he was afterward graduated
from the Central College of Physicians and Surgeons, in
Indianapolis, receiving his degree from that institution in
1896, and still later in 1906, completed a post-graduate
course in the Polyclinic Medical College and Hospital,
New York City, thus thoroughly fitting himself for the
arduous calling to which his energies are being devoted.
Meanwhile Dr. Cravens entered upon the practice of
his chosen profession in Bloomfield, and in due time
forged to the front among the successful physicians and
surgeons of the city, as was indicated in the rapid growth
of his professional business. It was while thus en-
gaged that he acquired the additional standing and ef-
ficiency by the special courses referred to, and in addi-
tion to his training in the school he has ever been a close
student and tireless investigator, keeping abreast of the
times in all the late researches and discoveries in medical
science and in close touch with ever}' phase of current
professional thought. As a physician he ranks with the
most learned men of his profession in Greene county, and
his skill as a surgeon has been no less marked, as the
number and nature of the various operations which he
has perfonned will sufficiently attest. The doctor's
trained perceptive faculties enable him readily to apply
his knowledge obtained from books to the particular cases
IOl8 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
in iiand. and as a result he has ahxady a large and lucra-
ti\-e practice, which is steadily growing in magnitude and
importance. His success iinancially has kept pace with
his professional advancement and he is now comfortably
situated as concerns material wealth, being the recipient
of a liberal income and the possessor of means which place
him amcjng the well-to-do men of his city and county.
Dr. Cravens holds membership with the Greene Coun-
ty Medical Society, the Indiana State Medical Society,
the American Medical Association, the Illinois Central
Railroad Surgeons' Association, and in addition to these
organizations he is also local surgeon for the Cincinnati,
Indianapolis & Louisville Railroad Company and the In-
dianapolis Southern Railroad, besides being the medical
examiner for several of the leading life insurance com-
panies doing business in Bloomfield and the contiguous
territon,'. His fraternal relations are represented by the
Phi Delta Theta Greek Society, the Benevolent and Pro-
tective Order of Elks. Knights of Pythias and the ]\Iod-
em Woodmen, and in politics he wields strong influence
for the Democratic party, but never permits political mat-
ters to interfere with his professional duties.
On. December 6, 1893, Dr. Cravens was united in
marriage with Belle Danks, of Patoka, Indiana, daughter
of the Rev. T. C. Danks. a well-known Methodist divine,
at one time pastor of the church in Bloomfield. Dr. and
Mrs. Cravens have one child, a daughter by the name of
Mary Helen, whose birth occurred on April 26th of the
year 1897.
Dr. Cravens possesses a fine personal presence and
pleasing address, is an affable gentleman who.se friend-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IOI9
ships and popularity are only bounded by the limits of his
acquaintance. Genial and pleasant in manner, with many
estimable qualities of mind and heart, he has made his
influence felt in social as well as professional circles, and
few men of the city in which he resides have more strong-
ly stamped their individuality upon the community. Pub-
lic-spirited in the full seijse of the tenn. he lends his aid
and influence to whatever tends to the betterment of his
fellow men, and all worthy enterprises and local industries
have found in him a friend an patron.
WILL H. SHERWOOD.
The artistic temperament took possession of Will H.
Sherwood early in life, and that rare quality, which the
ancients believed was given only to those favored by the
gods, has been the dominating factor in his life ever since,
causing him not only to devote hours to music for pleas-
ure's sake, but to turn it into more practical use, and he
is at present a dealer in musical instruments in Linton.
Lidiana.
Mr. Sherwood came from, a family that was music-
ally inclined. However, his ancestors, of course, did not
have the opportunity to develop the taste for music that
he has had, owing to the early days in which they lived
in this state. He was bom May 29, 1850, in Washing-
ton county, Indiana, being the eldest of a large family of
children bom to Benjamin S. and Sarah A. E. (Holmes)
Sherwood, both natives of \\'ashington countv, Indiana.
I020 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
the fomier having been bom in 1827. To this union
were born the following- children: Will H.. Daniel A..
Hugh M., Bettie J., Johnny A., Mary D., James B., Ed-
ward H., Daniel; Mary and John are deceased. Daniel
was a lawyer, located at Petersburg, Indiana, who died
on the threshold of young manhood, with an apparently
bright future, having been a talented scholar and a young
man of exemplaiy character. Mar}^ and Johnnie died in
childhood. The parental family of the subject came to
Linton in November, 1857, and built a log house about
a mile east of the town. This was among the first im-
provements in that vicinity. Benjamin S. Sherwood was
the first shoemaker in that locality. He followed this
trade until 1864, when he moved to Linton and engaged
in the mercantile business. He was also postmaster there
for several years. He later conducted the hotel that
stands on the corner of A, Northwest, and Vincennes
streets, where a hardware store now stands. He dis-
posed of his hotel in 1886 and built a residence on the
comer of Vincennes and B street. Northwest, where he
spent the remaining days of his life, dying there in 1888.
He was sun-ived by his widow until April 7, 1898.
Will H. Sherwood grew to man's estate in Linton,
Lidiana, where he attended the public schools and worked
a great deal at famiing and hauling goods for his fa-
ther, working about the store and the hotel. From early
life he evinced a talent for music. He is self-educated
and has become veiy proficient on all kinds of musical in-
struments. He both plays and writes music, and he has
been a ver\' proficient teacher of the organ, all kinds of
hand instruments, as well as a teacher of vocal music,
GREENE COUNTYj INDIANA. I02I
and he has been engaged in selhng musical instruments
all his mature years. He was for many years leader of
the band at Linton, and served as the chorister in the
churches also for many years. He takes a great interest
both in church and Sunday school work.
The subject was married March 12, 1873, to Clara
E. Story, daughter of James and Serelda Story, an early
pioneer family in Stockton township, Greene county. The
subject and wife lived for a time on the farm originally
owned by Rev. Martin Hale, paternal grandfather of
Mrs. Sherwood.
Mr. and Mrs. Shei-wood have had seven children
bom to them. The eldest is Lomie I., who is married and
living at Terre Haute. He is a bookkeeper for the Van-
dalia Coal Company. He served for three years in the
Twentieth United States Infantry Band in the Philippine
Islands. Fanny, the subject's second child, is tlie wife
of George Dye, a miner in Linton. Lexie G. is in high
school at Linton. These are the living children of the
subject. They all inherited their father's talent for music
and are e.xcellent musicians. Dona Ivy and Ollie Marie
both died in infancy; two twin daughters died unnamed.
The subject has been a life-long Republican, and he is
a member of the Masonic fraternity. His wife is also
interested in lodge work. They have three grandchil-
dren — Corinne M. Sherwood and Edith and Morris Dye.
The Sherwood family has always been well known
in the annals of Greene county's history-, and the subject
and his family are sustaining the traditions of their an-
cestors with care, and as a result of their consistent lives
they number their friends by the scores.
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
ANDREW J. MYERS.
One of the business men of Linton who was attracted
to that rapidly growing- Httle city by its excellent advan-
tages early in its boom days was Andrew J. Myers, who
has made a. success in business there and who was bom
near Salem. \\'ashington county, Indiana, Februai'y 27,
1867, the son of David B. and Mary Ann ( Proe) Myers,
both natives of Washington county. The former en-
gaged in agricultural pursuits and spent the major part
of his life in \\'ashington and Daviess counties. Both
of the subject's parents died in 1887, his' mother on Jan-
uaiy 27th and his father May 17th. They were both
in their fifty-fourth year. They had a family of eight
children, all of whom were sons, four of whom are liv-
ing. The two eldest, W'illiam and Milton, died in child-
hood ; Cornelius died in 1906, having been choked to
death at the age of fifty years. He left a family of eight
children. Solomon died in Xew XMiatcom, Washington,
where he was proprietor of a hotel. He i^ survived b)- a
widow, but no children were boni to them. John S. is
the proprietor of the cafe at the New Linton Hotel. Mar-
cus L. is the owner of a barber business in Tuscola, Illi-
nois. Andrew J., the subject of this sketch. Jack is a
barber employed in business at Linton with the subject.
He is married and has two sons.
The subject has been in Linton since December,
1887, and has beai engaged in the barber business since
1883, having learned his trade in Daviess county^ Indi-
ana. He has a finely equipped shop, operating four
chairs, and he is generally conceded to stand at the head
of the barber business in Linton.
GREENE COUNTY. INDIANA. IO23
The subject was married November 2^. 1889. to
Lennie Cravens, a daughter of John L. Cravens, o£ Lin-
ton. Guy. a son, was born to this union, wlio is now Hv-
ing- in Linton, being a grown young" man. Ij^ren was
bum to tlie subject's second marriage. The subject and
wife are members of the Christian church. PoHtically
he is a Democrat and an influential local politician. He
was the choice of his party for the office of trustee of
Stockton township. He belongs to the following social
and beneficent societies : Knights of Pythias. Independ-
ent Order of Odd Fellows and the Woodmen of the
World. He has been clerk of the local organization of
the last named lodge since its organization five years
ago. He also belongs to the Woodmen Circle, an in-
surance organization in connection with the Woodmen
of the World.
Mr. Myers has been veiy successful in his business
and he owns the building in which his shop is located ;
also a good residence. The shop is located at 7,2 South
Main street, in a brick building specially fitted up for his
business, with bath services; also a laundry agency run
in connection with the shop. Mr. Myers is well known
about town and he has a host of friends in Linton and
vicinitv.
CHARLES F. HEIM.
The people who redeemed Greene county from the
wilderness were hardy sons of the soil who hesitated at
no difficulty and for whom hardships had little to appall,
I024 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
and tlieir efficient efforts have been fully appreciated by
those who came at a later period and builded on the f(iun-
dation which they laid so broad and deep. Among; the
latter class is the prominent fanner and merchant by
whose name this article is introduced.
Charles F. Heim is a native of Erie, P«in.sylvania,
where he was bom August 19. 1858. His parents, Wil-
liam C. and Louisa (Heyer) Heim, were of sterling Ger-
man stock and possessed of all those admirable traits of
character which have made these people forerunners in
many of the most important lines of the world's activities.
They both came to America from Gennany about 1852
and married in Pennsylvania, coming to Indiana about
1864. The father of the subject was one of that loyal
class of foreigners wdio espoused the cause of the Union
and fought as gallantly for the stars and stripes as they
would have foug'ht under the banners of their own fa-
therland. He was a sergeant in Company A, Seventh
Regiment, New York Volunteer Infanti-y. He died in
a hospital in Philadelphia before hostilities ceased. Mrs.
Heim then married M. E. Philip. The subject was left
a small boy by his parents and he was reared by his step-
father, Mr. Philip. In 1880 he came from Brown county
to Greene county, Indiana, settling at Marco. The fol-
lowing April he opened up a little restaurant, which
gradually grew in importance under his skillful man-
agement until it became a large establishment. Mr. Heim
had only three hundred dollars to invest when he first
started in business in Marco. Now his splendid stock of
goods is valued at four thousand dollars. He made all
this unaided, besides getting possession of a very fine
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I0.15
fami of one hundred and eighty acres adjoining Marco,
for which he has refused one hundred dollars per acre.
It is well improved and well managed and is a veiy desir-
able piece of property. He is a breeder of Berkshire
swine and White Plymouth Rock chickens. No man of
small business capacity could have accomplished what
Mr. Heim has, starting from the small beginning which
he was compelled to do. He successfully manages his
farm in connection with his store.
Our subject was married in 1882 to Belle Harvey,
who was born in Morgan county, August i, 1865. They
have three sons, all living. They are Charles, Ray and
Claude. Charles F. Heim & Son is the fimi name of the
business which Mr. Heim and his eldest son conduct in
Marco. The subject is a Republican, but he has never
taken an active part in politics. Fraternally Mr. Heim
is a member of the Lyons Masonic Lodge, No. 634, and
Linton Chapter, No. 132, Indianapolis Consistory, hav-
ing reached the thirty-second degree in his work in Ma-
sonry. He is also a member of Knights of Pythias Lodge,
No. 312, at Marco. Mr. Heim is regarded as a man of
sound judgment and he is highly respected for his hon-
esty and industry by all who know him.
JOHN WESLEY RISHER.
(By G. W. F.)
The subject of this biographical review seems to the
riter to be a near relative whom he had lost in the evo-
lutions of time and considered as dead many long years
ago. They were schoolmates in childhood, attending the
same "pioneer" school in northwestern Pennsylvania for
a period of five years, or from 1854 to 1858, when they
were separated, and have never heard of each other, by
tradition or otherwise, until they met in Linton, Indiana,
exactly fifty years from the day of separation. Each had
served through the war for the preservation of the Union
and escaped serious bodily injury; and though widely sep-
arated, their lives have been similar in many respects.
John Risher, or "Rasher," as the broad dialect of the lo-
cality put it in the days of our childhood, was the "chosen
friend" of the homeles boy who came into the neighbor-
hood to attend school, and who requited sucb friendship.
in part, by sharing with "John" his big red apples, then
a real luxury, even in Pennsylvania. Fifty years ! The
period of "history-making" in the United States and the
world. We are proud to know- that we have bome a
small part, John, in bringing about the grand achieve-
ments of our countn' during the last half century, and of
none of these have we any greater reason to be proud
than the part we bure in the peipetuation of "one country
and one flag."
A retrospecti\e view of the past brings to mind the '
crude instruments which the people of our childhood days
were obliged to use in eveiy line of human endeavor. The
slab benches in the old school house were comfortable,
because we knew no other ; grandfather's scythe and cra-
dle were far ahead of his father's sickle, which was de-
signed to do the same work, and han^esting was an easy
thing ( ?) after the cradle superseded the grain sickle.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. lOiJ
though the latter was still in use in "our day." We
knew that electricity sometimes killed people and burned
property, but we knew of no other uses to which it could
be "put" or that it could be "manufactured" to supply all
demands. Steam as a motive power was in its infancy,
and we looked with awe and fear upon the first railroad
train which came within our narrow horizon. All the
means of "rapid" transportation known to us was by way
of the Erie canal, whose boats, propelled by mule power,
passed through \\"est Middlesex at the rate of three or
four miles an hour. Doubtless the sight of a bicycle,
automobile, flying machine or "merry widow" hat .would
have driven all the natives to the woods. The telephone,
electric cars, natural gas as a universal fuel in our im-
mediate neighborhood (as now) would have driven them
entirely "through the woods." We will not predict what
the result would have beai could they have seen a petro-
leum lamp, or had an opportunity of reading their month-
ly newspaper by the aid of an electric light. But. John,
it is impossible to enumerate all the inventions and dis-
coveries which have enriched the world and benefited
mankind within the space of fifty years, or to portray the
utter wretchedness and incapacity of the present genera-
tion if deprived of them.
This personal introduction may be permissable in the
light of the truth that there are hundreds of people now
living in Greene county whose early experiences were
similar to our own. If they have all kept pace with the
rapid march of human events they are well qualified to
entertain their children's children with the recital of pio-
neer experiences, always interesting- and instructive to
the young.
I028 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
The subject of this sketch was born iu Armstrong-
county, Pennsylvania, on tlie 4th day of May, 1844. His
parents were David and Maria Ann (Cowan) Risher,
both natives of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. The
father was born in 1820 and the mother in 1824. David
Risher spent his early life — i. e., from his sixteenth year
until 1843 — '1^ boating on the canal between Philadelphia
and Baltimore. He was married July 3, 1843, in Arm-
strong county, and about two years later the family resi-
dence was established at "Risher's Coal Bank," in Mercer
county, Pennsylvania. For some time after the year
1843 father Risher was engaged at the blacksmith's trade,
being an excellent workman in his line. In later life he
was engaged in blacksmithing, and with his brother,
J'^'hn Risher. in various aiterprises as coal operators and
trans])(irtcrs. The firm of Schaeffer, Risher & Company,
nnncr.s. and a linn under the same tile and composed of
the same men operated a mine and transportation busi-
ness at Xewberg, Warrick county, Indiana. Thev- were
handsomely equipped for their business, and were pros-
perous for a time, but rival miners nearer the market, to-
gether with the destruction of a valuable steamer, which
cost them twenty-seven thousand dollars, drove them out
of. business. The boilers of this vessel blew up and a
total loss of boat and equipment was the result. The
mother of the subject of this sketch died near Middlesex,
Mercer county, Pennsylvania, January 25, 1869. Fa-
ther survived her nearly twenty years, and died at What
Cheer, Iowa, July 24, 1888. These were the parents of
seven sons and two daughters, all of whom are now liv-
ing. The eldest of the family is John Wesley, the sub-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO29
ject of this article; James Cowan, the second born, is a
resident of Nevada, Missouri; George Prosser is a farm-
er near Linnville, Jasper county, Iowa; Silas C. is su-
perintendent of the Vandalia mines at Terre Haute, In-
diana ; Winfield Scott is foreman in a mine, of which his
brother is superintendent, and lives in Linton ; Mar\- Jane
is the widow of Frank O'Brien, and lives at Oxford, Ne-
braska; Alonzo Henderson is in the cold storage and meat
business at Mystic, Iowa; Elriier Ellsworth is a coal op-
erator at Boone, Iowa, and Lavona Caroline is the widow
of Albert Bartmess, and lives in Omaha, Nebraska.
John W. Risher began his independent career as a
coal miner and has followed mining, either as an owner
and operator, superintendent for others, or in the ca-
pacity of a miner, all his life with the exception of two
years in the mercantile business at Brazil, Indiana. In
this venture he was doing a good business, and had
accumulated considerable property. A prolonged min-
ers' strike necessitated his selling goods on credit, and
soon the strikers had his goods and he had their worth-
less accounts, very few of which were ever paid, even
in part. He lost heavily through this effort to bene-
fit his fellow man, and retired from business. He
has operated mines of various capacities and values in
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Iowa, being
at times in affluent circumstances, and ag-ain clear down •
to the foot of the financial ladder. Few men have had
a wider experience in all phases of coal production, than
John Risher. He left his native state in 1866, and after
two years' absence returned to Middlesex and was su-
perintendent of his uncle's mine. Later he was persuaded
1030 BIOGRArHICAL MEMOIRS
to go to Athens county, Ohio, and assume a similar posi-
tion there. From Ohio he came to Brazil, Indiana, as
previously mentioned, thence to Iowa, and again to In-
diana, being in business for a time at Clinton. He then
fonned a partnership with David ^Murray as miners and
shippers of coal. The story of his experiences there ( at
Terre Haute) sounds like he may have been made the
victim of a "salted mine," had he been producing gold
instead of coal. At all events, the mine proved worth-
less, after investing heavily in equipment and attaining
fairly good results for a time. He came to Linton in the
spring of 1897, and has been a resident of this city since.
Mr. Risher was a member of Company A. Fifty-
eighth Pennsylvania Militia, for ninety days during the
year 1862, this organization being later merged into the
Sixth Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, and he was assigned
to Company I. With this organization he served until
the close of the war, being discharged June 15, 1865, at
Fort Ethan Allen, Virginia. The services were largely
confined to the defense of Washington during the more
aggressive movements at the front. He is a pensioner
by reason of disability incurred in the army.
The subject of this article was married January 2^.
1872, at Sharon, Pennsylvania, the lady of his choice
being Leah Martin, a native of Tnmibull county, Ohio,
and a daughter of Henry and Marv- Martin, who later
were residents of Sharon, Pennsylvania.
This happy and most congenial union has been
blessed with four childrai, the eldest of whom. Pearl
Genoa, born December 21, 1872, died at What Cheer,
Iowa, September 12, 1886; Silas Vesuvius is superintend-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO3I
ent of the Vandalia mines at Brazil, Indiana. He wedded
Catherine Fuller and their little son. Charles Wesley, is
the only grandchild of Mr. and Mrs. Risher. It is
scarcely necessary to add that "little Charlie" has only to
command and the world is his if within the power of the
Risher family to gratify his wishes. Mary Idella is the
wife of J. Walter Baird. a practicing attorney at Muncie,
Indiana. The youngest of the family is John Austin, a
young man of seventeen, now wrestling with the intri-
cate "machinery" of the Linton high school. Incidentally
he is serving an apprenticeship at tha printer's trade, his
leisure hours and holidays being spent under the tuition
of Ben Morgan, of the Linton Record.
Comrade Risher has always taken great interest in
the welfare of his late comrades in arms, and is a very
zealous worker and the principal officer in Lieutenant
Yakey Post, No. 192, Grand Anny of the Republic. He
is now sen-ing the fifth tenn as commander of this post.
His estimable wife is also an active member of the Wo-
man's Relief Corps in connection with the same post.
They are also both members of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows and Free and Accepted Masons fraternities,
the lady, of course, being restricted to the Order of the
Eastern Star and Daughters of Rebekah. of which the
husband is a member. Being united in the temporal af-
fairs of life, it is but natural that this unity of sentiment
should extend to the spiritual side of their sojourn to-
gether, hence the religious home of the family is the
Methodist Episcopal church.
In closing this rather lengthy sketch we trust that
neither the parties directly concerned nor the disinterested
1032 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
reader will consider the writer presumptuous in making
personal references to himself and the subject of the
sketch, for he has no other means of impressing upon
his childhood companion and his worthy family the great
pleasure which he feels in again being, evai temporarily,
in touch with him. To know that he is alive and well,
the head of a happy, loving family, congenialK- mated
and reasonably prosperous, is joy inexpressible.
SOLOMON PRYOR DIXSON.
The worthy and influential gentleman whose name
appears above was born in Greene county, Februan,' 26,
185 1, the son of John H. and Elizabeth (Stalcup) Dixson,
and received his early education in the public schools of
this county, working on his father's fami until he was
twenty-three years old, when he bought a small farm,
the old homestead of his Grandfather Stalcup, which he
operated for two years and sold, later moving to Iowa,
where he rented a faiTn for one year, then in 1877 he
moved to Kansas and bought four hundred acres of land,
partly improved. Remaining on this farm for a period
of twenty-four years, he sold out and moved back to
Greene county, Indiana, having inherited and purchased
two hundred acres of bottom land on the White river,
and he also bought three hundred and twenty acres of
hill land, all of which was improved. In about three
years he sold the later fann and bought one hundred
acres, where he has since resided, still owning the bottom
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO33
land. The new farm is prairie land, well improved, and
upon it has been built a comfortable residence and con-
venient out-buildings ; most of the fencing being of woven
and barbed wire. He carries on a general farming busi-
ness, feeds hogs and cattle and sells small grains, renting
the major part of the tillable land out. He raises com
for the most part, however he grows large crops of wheat
and oats. His is one of Greene county's model fanns.
Mr. Dixson was married October 6, 1874, to Sarah
Jane Owen, daughter of Armstead and Lucinda (Danely)
Owen, both natives of Indiana. Grandfather Owen was
a native of North Carolina, who came to Greene county,
Indiana, and entered land. John Hunter Owen, grand-
father of the wife of the subject, was the son of John
Thomas Owen, who came to America from England
with the army of General Cornwallis and surrendered at
Yorktown. He was born in 1784 and died in 1834. The
fomier, J. H. Owen, settled in Greene county, Indiana.
Mrs. Dixson's father, Armstead Owen, was the youngest
son. He was bom Januaiy 16, 1825, and died January
29, 1870. He inherited a part of the old homestead
which was entered from the government by Mrs. Dixson's
grandfather, John Hunter Owen. Mrs. Dixson and the
other two children were born on this farm. She attended
the public schools in the winter and the subscription
schools in the summer, later attending the graded schools
in Bloomfield; also went to school at Franklin, Indiana.
She was the oldest in her father's family. ^laiy E. Owen,
the wife of J. A. Wood, is living in New Mexico. She
attended DePauw University at Greencastle, Indiana. She
has two children, Owen L., a draughtsman in the employ
1034 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
of the government at Raio, Nevada, is a graduate of the
Rose Polytechnic School at Terre Haute. Her sec-
ond child, Laura W., is now (1908) in college at Ottawa,
Kansas. Hugh A. Owen, brother of the subject's wife,
graduated in the class of 1908 in Chicago University.
He has one son, George B., who was born in 1905. Two
children have been born to the subject and wife — Clay-
ton C. died in infancy, Mary^ M., who was born in 1880,
living at home. Mrs. Dixsnn's people were Baptists, but
she has joined her husband in the Christian church.
Solomon P. Dixson is a Republican. His daughter at-
tended Butler University and is active in Sunday school
work in the Christian church, being a teacher and doing
excellent work widi her students.
The family of Solomon and Sarah Dixsun, grand-
parents of the subject of this sketch, lived in Virginia and
consisted of seven sons and three daughters, namely :
Samuel, who came to Indiana and died in Greene county.
August 30, 1820. aged fifty-three years: Solomon was
bom in 1771 and died in 1824. Both he and Samuel re-
mained unmarried. Joseph died at his residence in
Greene county. He was married in Georgia to Mary
Hurd, an aunt of Jemima Dixson. of Roseville, Illinois.
The fonner died in Indiana. Henn,- married in Georgia.
His wife was a step-sister of Mar\- Hurd. He died in
Tennessee. Eli was bom in Virginia, near the Blue
Ridge mountains in 1769, and came to Indiana in 1806.
Stephen, the seventh son of Solomon and Sarah Dixson,
was killed by Indians during the war of 181 2, -while
boarding with a family near Kirk's Prairie, Indiana. The
man of the house and Stephen were away from home
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO35
when the Indians came and touk the family, three Indians
staying behind to wait for the men. Stephen came home
first and the Indians came from their hiding place and
killed him, hanging his body near the door where the
owner of the home found it when he rturned. The
daughters of Solomon and Sarah Dixson were Ruth,
Sarah and Elizabeth.
Eli Dixson was born in 1769 in \'irginia. near the
Blue Ridge mountains, and he emigrated to Georgia
where the city of Augusta now stands. He was married
to Rebecca Hart in 1799 and moved to Preble county,
Ohio, in 1806. settling' in Dixson's township, where he
remained for twelve years, during which time he cleared
a farm and e.xercised a great influence in settling the
neighborhood. He moved to Smith township, Greene
county, Indiana, where he bought a farm and improved,
it. He was noted for his liberality and benevolence in
helping all who were in need. He ser\-ed two terms in
the state legislature from Greene, Putnam and Owen
counties, and his successful life closed March 9, 1836.
Rebecca, the wife of Eli Dixson, w^as the daughter
of Isaac and Hester Hart, born near Augusta, Georgia,
September 2, 1779, and died October i, 1852. She had
four brothers, William, Isaac, Thomas and Phineas. She
also had two half-brothers, Amos and Jerry. She had a
half-sister, who married a Mr. Jones. William died in
Georgia. Isaac and Thomas died in Preble county, Ohio.
Phineas died in Peoria county, Illinois. Her mother,
half-brother and sister emigrated to Michigan in an early
day. Eli and Rebecca (Hart) Dixson's family consisted
of eight sons and three daughters, namely : Samuel,
1036 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Sarah, Solomon, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Eli, Stephen, Phin-
eas, William and Prior. Samuel was born in 1800 and
died in 1844. Sarah was bom in 1801 and died in 1839.
Solomon was bom in 1803 and died in 185 1. Elizabeth
lived three years. Rebecca was bom in 1807 and died
in 1834. Eli was bom in 1811 and died in 1857. Stephen
was bom in 1817 and died in 1879. John was born in
181 6 and died in 1890. William was bom in 1822 and
died in 1870. Prior died when twenty-seven years old.
Ancestors of the subject's mother, the Stalcups,
came to Indiana in an early day and have been prominent
factors in the history of the southern part of the state
ever since. They were natives of Tennessee, who came
to Greene county, Indiana, and entered government land,
where they raised cotton and flax on the ground where
the city of Worthington now stands. One of the Stal-
cup women lived to be one hundred and fifteen years old.
All the Stalcup family are very long-lived people.
Thus it will be seen by this review that our subject
is a member of an unusually, meritorious family, and that
he is well worthy to bear the honored name of his
ancestors.
AIRS. :\IARY E. BREWER.
:Mrs. Alary E. Brewer, widow of John \\'. Brewer,'
was born in Sullivan c<nmty, Indiana, August 25, 1842,
the daughter of James M. and IMargaret A. (Hinkle)
Enochs. The latter was a native of Kentucky, who was
brought to Greene county by her parents when six months
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO37
old. Tlie former was a native of North Carolina, who
was nine years old when he was brotight to Kentucky by
his parents, who later moved to Sullivan county, Indiana,
livings there the remainder of their lives, having been con-
sistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr.
Enochs' earthly career ended April 14, 1894. having- sur-
vived his wife seven years.
Mrs. Brewer, our subject, was reared on a farm and
attended the common schools, securing a fairly generous
education. She was united in marriage October 27, 1885,
to John W. Brewer, and they immediately moved on a
splendid fami in Stafford township, on which our sub-
ject still resides and which has been so skillfully man-
aged that it has always been very productive. It con-
sists of one hundred and two acres. She rents the land
but keeps some good stock. Mr. and Mrs. Brewer never
had any children. September 7, 1895. Mr. Brewer's
spirit passed into the "silent land" after a busy and hon-
orable career. He was a member of the Baptist church,
in which he always took a delight, and his political in-
clinations were always with the Democrats. However,
he was not an active worker in his party. Our subject
was Mr. Brewer's second wife. He raised one daughter,
Martha A., by his first wife. This child is now the wife
of Charles B. Heim, of Marco, Indiana.
Mrs. Brewer is a member of the Methodist Episco-
pal church, her membership being at Stafford chapel. She
is regarded as a lady of estimable traits, having a kind
and generous disposition, according to her neighbors,
and she is much liked and highly respected by all who
know her.
1038 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
HEXRY GARRETT BREDEWEG.
This honored and stalwart German-American came
direct from the fatherland, where he was bom at Han-
over, Gemiany, October 24, 1843, being one of nine chil-
dren Ixirn to Herman and Elizabeth (Angelbeck) Brede-
weg-. The father was a highly skilled and industrious
carpenter and builder of more than local repute. The
other children of this worthy family were: Elizabeth.
Mary and Annie, living, and Herman, Fritz. Minnie,
\\'illiam and another son, also name<l William, all de-
ceased.
Henry G. Bredeweg left Gemiany for Holland in
the early sixties, where he engaged in the mercantile busi-
ness for two years, after which he returned to Germany
and was ilrafted for military service, and elected to come
to America, where he believed greater opportunities
awaited him, landing in New York on the day that our
martyred President, Abraham Lincoln, was assassinated.
He came to Stockton township, Greene county, and has
since lived continuously, with the exception of a short
time spent in a neighboring state, in the community
wherein he first settled, having not only been eminently
successful in his vocation, but at the same time establish-
ing a reputation among the citizens of Greene county for
sturdy industry and honesty. He first sought and found
work as a farm hand, working for Dr. Sherwood for one
year. Then he went to Illinois and worked for two years,
l)ut still claiming Stockton township as his hom^, where
he returned and, having been frugal and prosperous, pur-
chased a fnrty-acre fami about two and one-half miles
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO39
north of Linton. By industiT and close application to
business he has since been able to add to this original
farm, until he now has a fine place of one hundred and
forty-six acres. His land is all well improved and on it
he has erected a splendid and comfortable residence. As
a careful and industrious farmer he is not surpassed in
Greene county, having well understood from the first the
nature of our soils and what grains were best adapted
for them and how best to rotate crops.
Our subject was married in 1872 to Elizabeth Hase-
man, of Stockton township, the daughter of Detrick
Haseman. Five chidlren have been born to this union,
all living in this township and all favorably known for
their honesty and industiT. The children of the subject
and wife are: John, Lizzie. William, Herbert and Her-
man. The subject and his good wife worship at the
German Refomied church. Mr. Bredeweg hasi never re-
turned to the land of his birth, being contented to spend
his declining years in the shade of his own "vine and fig-
tree" in the land of his adoption, where he can honestly
enjoy the respite from a life of hard endeavor and the
well earned fruits of his earlv toils.
DAVID O. SQUIRE.
By his own unaided efforts the gentleman wlmse rec-
ord we now examine has worked his way from a modest
beginning to a position of prosperty and influence, and
the systematic and honest methods he has em])loyed have
1040 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
won liini the unbounded confidence of his fehow citizens
in Stali'ord township, Greene county, Indiana, and. hav-
ing such a splendid start at such an early age, the future
of his career is most flattering. David O. Squire first
saw the light of day August i, 1870, in Wright town-
ship, this county, being the son of Nathan and Sarah C.
(Bonhani) Squire, the former a native of Columbus,
Ohio, but who has been in Greene county, Indiana, since
1859, now living in Stafford township, where he is known
as an active worker in politics.
In 1878 our subject came with his parents to Staf-
ford township, and has remained here since that time, re-
ceiving a common school education and starting on his
business career early in life, in which he has always pros-
pered. He now has a fine farm of one hundred and sixty
acres, partly in Stafford and partly in Washington town-
ships, and he also owns and operates a saw-mill and an
up-to-date threshing outfit. Although these require a
great deal of his time, he devotes all the attention possi-
ble to his fami, which is well improved and successfully
managed in every respect, and is worth one hundred dol-
lars per acre. He also owns an interest in five hundred
acres of land in Morgan county, which is heavily tim-
bered.
Mr. Squire has had a vast experience in the timber
business and he has made most of his property by buy-
ing and sawing timber. He has a beautiful residence of
ten, rooms, thoroughly up-to-date and beautiful sur-
roundings.
The subject's wife was Sarah E. Haywood, a wo-
man of splendid traits, who has borne him four promising
children, namelv; Nathan E., Walter, Myrtle and Pearl.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO4I
Mr. Squire is a Republican in political belief and he
formerly took an active part in local politics and became
quite popular with his fellow voters in the Republican
party, having been nominated and elected county com-
missioner in 1903. After ser\'ing very successfully one
term he refused a second nomination, which his party
was anxious to have him accept. He also refused the
nomination for county treasurer.
Mr. Squire stands in the front rank of Greene coun-
ty's honorable and industrious citizens, and he has won
the highest respect from all his acquaintances owing to
his well ordered life.
\MLLIAM L. PARKS.
The family to which the subject of this sketch be-
longS' is widely known throughout Greene county, where
it has been represented for many years and the reputa-
tions of its various members for honorable manhood and
womanhood and sterling citizenship is second to that of
no other family in this part of the state. C. M. D. Parks,
the subject's father, was bom in Coshocton county, Ohio,
in 1830. married there when a young man Mary E. Rich-
creek, whose birth occurred in 1830 in Virginia, and in
1856 moved to Greene county, Indiana, locating on a
farm in Wright township, where he still lives, Mrs. Parks
having died in March of the year 1905. All of the eight
children bom to this couple are living, their names be-
66
1042 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
ing as follows: Almeda J., wife of William Daugherty,
of Wright township: Mrs. Hannah C. Ricketts lives in
that township also, as does Mrs. Miranda E. Moss; James
P., the fourth in order of birth, resides at Evansville, In-
diana : William L. is the fifth of the family, after whom
Climes Charles P., a painter of Wright township; Mary
P., \vhi> married Henry Houghten, and Lewis A., an em-
ploye of the Atlas mine, in which he holds the position
of checkman. C. M. D. Parks was a member of the In-
diana militia during the Civil war and sei^ved in various
capacities throughout the state under the direction of
Governor Morton. He has long been one of the repre-
sentative agriculturists of the township of Wright and is
now living in honorable retirement, being the possessor
of a sufficiency of this world's goods to make him in-
dependent.
William L. Parks first saw the light of day on the
family homestead July 29, 1863, and grew to mature years
familiar with all the details of farm life. His educational
discipline embraced the common school branches, and he
began his independent career as a fanner, to which hon-
orable calling he devoted his attention for about twenty
years, in the meantime becoming Cjuite skilled as a cabinet
maker,, his father having carried on that line of mechan-
ical work for some years at the home place. In the year
1882 Mr. Parks established himself in carriage build-
ing and repairing at Linton and has continued the same
to the present time, being now the proprietor of a large
and thoroughly equipped establishment, in which all kinds
of work in his line is done with neatness and dispatch,
confining himself to the carriage industiy in its every
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO43
detail. His business lias grown steadily in volume and
the high reputation of the vehicles which he turns out,
together with the superior order of workmanship in all
that he does, has given him wide publicity, and to meet
the constantly increasing demands on his establishment he
keeps employed quite a number of mechanics selected with
especial reference to efficiency and skill. He has achieved
merited success in the industry- which he has built up,
and in addition to his large place of business owns a beau-
tiful home adjoining and is well situated to enjoy the lib-
eral income of which he is the recipient.
Mr. Parks! is unswei-ving in all his allegiance to the
Republican party, and while active and even aggressive
in upholding its principles, numbers his friends by the
score, irrespective of political ties, as his election to the
office of township trustee in 1904 in a township normally
Democratic by nearly five hundred majority abundantly
attests, being the only Republican ever elected to that
office in the township of Stockton. Few men in the
county enjoy as large a measure of personal popularity
and none stands any higher than he in the confidence and
esteem of the public. His voice and influence have ever
been in favor of progress and improvement, and for
many years his name has been closely associated with the
measures and movements having for their object the wel-
fare of his fellow men.
In the year 1890 occurred the marriage of Mr. Parks
and Lorena J. Dowell, daughter of James Lewis Dowel!,
of Grant township, Greene county. Mrs. Parks' birth-
place was in Monroe county, of which part of the state
her family were early pioneers. Mr. and Mrs. Parks
1044 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
have five children, namely: Roy D., Wayne, Madalene,
Bob D. and Mary. The three eldest are pupils in the
city schools. In their religions faith the subject and
wife liold to the Methodist creed, being respected mem-
bers of the church in Linton and active in the various
lines of good work under the auspices of the same.
Mrs. Parks' people came originally from North Car-
olina and, as already indicated, were among the pioneer
settlers of Monroe count)', where the name Dowell has
been wideh- and favorably known for many years. Tliey
have long been noted for physical vigor and longevity,
the majority of the family having lived to ripe old age,
an aunt of Mrs. Parks, now living, having reached the
remarkable age of ninety-eight years and is in full pos-
session of nearly all of her faculties, physical and mental.
The father of Mrs. Parks died in this county some years
agii. her nidther at the present time l.)eing a resident of
Linton.
JOSEPH LEONARD.
The subject was bom in Fayette county. North Car-
olina, July 21, 1818, and died near Owensb-urg, Greene
county, Indiana, July 8, 1907, living nearly eighty-nine
years. His long life was one of mingled joys and sor-
rows, but useful and successful, so that he has left his
family a heritage of which they can justly be proud. He
was one of the pioneers of Greene county, having come
there in 1839 when he entered government land, which
he turned into a desirable farm and built a good home.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO45
ill which he lived during the remainder of his Hfe. When
he came to Indiana he walked all the way from his native
state and carried all his personal effects, and, in fact, all
the property he had, done up in a bandana handkerchief,
having followed a wagon across the mountains and as far
as what is now Indianapolis, where he left his friend and
came alone from there to the place where he desired to
locate, having made the trip to Spring\'ille, Indiana, in a
single day.
He was married August 27, 1840, to Sophronia
Lyons, who died March 30, 1888. Seven children were
born to this union, as follows: Leander P., Nancy A.,
Kate. Richard J., a physician of St. Louis, Missouri ;
Thomas J. lived on the old homestead and died in early
life.
The subject and wife united with the Baptist church
at Springville, Indiana, and were baptized by Elder
Thomas N. Robinson, shortly afterward transferring
their membership to Owensburg, and always lived conse-
crated Christian lives. Mr. Leonard attributed his long
life and robust health to the regularity of his habits. He
was prompt and honest in all his dealings with his friends
and neighbors. He was a staunch Republican in politics
and voted at eveiy presidential election since 1840. He
was a great admirer of Lincoln, Grant and McKinley;
also Roosevelt. Being a great reader, he was always
better posted on the afifairs of the countrv' in general than
most men, and he kept especially close to the actions of
President Roosevelt, keeping in sympathy with all the
important acts of his remarkable administration. \\'hen
Mr. Leonard died it was said of him that he left many
friends, but no enemies.
1046 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
MOSES RITTER.
Prominent among the pioneer settlers of southern
Indiana was Moses Ritter, deceased, whose hfe became
closely identified with the advance of the industrial in-
terests of the country. He was born in North Carolina
on September 2, 1797, being the son of James Ritter, a
farmer and a preacher of the Baptist faith, who ended
his days in that state, ^^'ha•l Moses was about twenty-
two years of age he joined the tide of emigration to the
West and North, coming across the mountains into Ken-
tucky and thence northward into Indiana. He arrived at
Salem and became engaged as a mechanic and caq^enter.
After some time he came to Newberry, Greene county,
and there started the first dry-goods store that did busi-
ness in the town. Coming later (in 1850) to Bloomfield,
he set on foot a plant for the manufacture of wagons
and cabinet goods. After conducting this for a time he
entered again into the dr}'-goods business, coupling with
it the handling of general merchandise. His was a busy
life, for he let no time pass by unimproved. He kept
his hands busy as well as his mind, and was enabled to
see his business ventures attain to material success.
In the course of time, however, his general health be-
gan to be impaired, and it soon became evident that he
would have to relax from active work.- and he accord-
ingly retired. He passed to his well-deserved rest in
1871.
In 18 19 Mr. Ritter was united in marriage to .-\c!i-
sah O'Neal, at Salem, Indiana. She was the daughter
of John and Hepsibah CGilbert) O'Neal, Quakers of the
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO47
purest type, whose home had been in the South, where
they owned a large plantation. On account of slavery
they left the South in 1818 and came to Salem, Indiana.
Later they made their home at Newberry, practically
founding- that place. Here Mr. O'Neal carried on farm-
ing and spent the remainder of his days in that vicinity.
He was a public-spirited man, and his devout tempera-
ment made a lasting impression on the life of the com-
munity.
Mrs. Ritter sunaved her husband until March 6,
1873. In their later years the Ritters affiliated with the
Methodist church. They were the parents of five chil-
dren — Mary Ann, who was married to William Mason,
died in the year of her marriage, 1843 ! Hepsibah, bom
Januaiy 12. 1825. is still living at an advanced age in
Bloomfield. She was married on March 7, i860, to
George Grismore, a farmer, who died February 14, 1867.
Her only son, Bel ton D., died on December 6, 1900; Wil-
liam D., bom April 7, 1827, a farmer and historical writer
of known ability in Richland township ; Eliza Ellen, bom
October 28, 1831, is now living at Bloomfield, having
married William W. Gainey in April, 1855: Emma R..
bom May 24, 1835, now lives in Bloomfield. On June
25, 1861, she was married to Henry C. Hill, whose biog-
raphy is in this history.
Moses Ritter became a member of the Whig party
upon its organization, and later joined the Republican
ranks. His life was not all for self, however. He ser\-ed
at one time as county treasurer, and was for many years
the justice of the peace. He was a strong temperance ad-
vocate, and an enthusiastic adherent of the Federal
1048 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Union. While he stood firmly and solidly for such poli-
cies as he felt were just and right, yet he avoided being:
a narrow and uncompromising enthusiast. He felt that
justice is bound to oome to those who desen^e it, and in
this belief he went calmly forth in the conscientious dis-
charge of his regular duties.
HON. GILBERT H. HENDREN.
Gilbert H. Hendren, journalist, political leader, ed-
itor and publisher of The Bloomfield Democrat, is a na-
tive of Franklin county, Ohio, and the only child of
Lewis C. and Joanna (Dorsey) Hendren. the former born
in 1832 in Delaware county, that state, the latter in the
town of Dresden in the year 1833. Hiram Hendren, the
subject's grandfather, was a man of more than local
repute in the early histoiy of Ohio, having represented
the Columbus district in the state legislature and served
as chairman of the committee on public buildings, besides
taking an influential part in the general deliberations of
that body. The great-grandfathers on both sides of the
family were Revolutionary soldiers, and a large number
of their descendants and relatives served in the Civil war.
some in the L^nion army, while others espoused the
cause of the Confederacy.
Gilbert H. Hendren was bom March 29, 1857, in
the town of Canal Winchester, Ohio, and inherits many
of the traits and characteristics for which his Scotch-
L-ish and English ancestry were distinguished. After
finishing the studies constituting the common school
HON. GILBERT H. HENDREN.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO49
course he obtained a knowledge of the higher branches
of learning in a normal school training and later entered
the Law School at Indianapolis to fit himself for the
legal profession. He had previously taught several terms
of school, besides learning telegraphy, which he followed
for some time, and he also had a business experience in
the mercantile line prior to 1887. Since 1893 Mr. "Hen-
dren has loaned insurance companies" money upon im-
proved famis in Greene county in the aggregate of more
than two million dollars and never had a foreclosure and
never lost a dollar for any company. At this time he
makes almost eighty-five per cent, of all the farm mort-
gage loans in the county. Mr. Hendren has been called
to various positions of honor and trust, having sen-ed as
deputy clerk, Greene county circuit court, three terms as
chairman of the Democratic county central committee,
two terms as chaimian of the second congressional dis-
trict, chairman of speakers' bureau of the state in 1906,
and first ^■ice-chairman of the state central committee and
chairman of the speakers' bureau of the state during the
great Br^-an presidential campaign of 1908, giving to
the Democratic party the greatest stumping and educa-
tional campaign in the histoiy of the state, without
parallel, perhaps, in party annals.
From the foregoing record it is easily perceived that
Mr. Hendren is not only an able and judicious cam-
paigner, but a recognized political leader of rare force and
discretion, whose influence has been felt in party man-
agement as well as in the making of platfomis and fomi-
ulating policies. In the state of Indiana Mr. Biyan has
no closer political or warmer personal friend, the dis-
tinguished Nebraskan reposing the utmost confidence in
I050 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
the wisdom and sagacity of the Blooinfield editor, to
whom he is largely indebted for much of his strength and
popularity in the Hoosier state.
As editor of The Bloomfield Democrat, usually
known as "The Democratic Commoner of Indiana," Mr.
Hendren has been a tower of strength to the cause of
Democracy, his editorials being clear, logical and trench-
ant, always carrying weight and inspiring respect, and it
is doubtful if there is another party organ in the state
that has gained more publicity or exercised greater
influence in political circles. In discussing the questions
and issues of the day, The Democrat takes no half-way
ground and makes no compromise. Being Democratic
in all the term implies, it seeks to become a true expo-
nent of the principles and policies of the party, and that
it has realized its ideal in this respect is amply proven by
the high esteem in which the paper is held and the com-
manding influence it has long exerted. Mr. Hendren has
made his paper the reflex of current thought not only po-
litically, but upon all matters of public concern. It is
a clean, well edited family paper, in which all legitimate
news, both local and general, finds publicity, and with a
liberal advertising patronage and a steadily growing list
of subscribers, it bids fair to continue in the future what
it has been in the past — an influence for good in direct-
ing its readers to noble aims and high ideals.
Mr. Hendren has been identified with the Independ-
ent Order of Odd Fellows for a quarter of a century and
is active in the deliberations of the Bloomfield lodge, with
which he holds membership. He also belongs to the In-
diana Democrat club of Indianapolis, manifests a lively
interest in behalf of the same, and his counsel and advice
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO5I
are listened to with respect by his fehow associates,
among- whom his popularity is unbounded.
On April 13, 1881, Mr. Hendren was united in
marriage with Anna M. Hadley, daug-hter of Jeremiah
and Eliza E. (McCracken) Hadley, of Mooresville, In-
diana, the following being the names of the children born
to the union: Gilbert H., Jr., an attorney practicing his
profession at Linton ; Alice J., wife of George W. Cant-
well, of Bloomfield: Seaboni D. is a clerk with the
American Express Company, Indianapolis: O. Herman,
advertiser, circulator and manager, Bloomfield Demo-
crat; William P., bookkeeper and stenographer in the
same office; Curtis C, Mary M. and Edith, high school
pupils in the fourth, second and first years, respectively;
Charity, Robert D. and Marjorie Faith, who are pursuing
their studies in the lower grades.
REV. JOHN \\'. BUCK.
Xo man in Greene county is more widely known
than the reverendi gentleman whose name appears above,
and few in the course of a long and strenuous life have
accomplished so much good for their fellow men or so
indelibly impressed their individuality upon the public.
Rev. John Buck, of Linton, for fifty-two years a distin-
guished minister of the Methodist Episcopal church and a
citizen of the highest American type, is a native of In-
diana, boni at Terre Haute, in the county of Vigo, on
July I ith of the year 1837. His antecedents came to the
United States from England, in whicli country his fa-
1052 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
ther. William Buck, was horn in February. 1808, being
the son of Jolin Buck, of Leicestersliire. John and Wil-
liam Buck left their native land about 18 16 to find a home
in the new world, the latter being eight years of age when
the family settled in New Jersey. William Buck, Sr., fa-
ther of John, died in England at the almost unprecedent-
ed age of one hundred and seven years, the son dying in
this countiy when sixty-four years old.
William Buck, the younger, was reared in Xew Jer-
sey and married in that state in 1830 Pharzina Ruckman,
who was bom May 9, 1809. her parents belonging to an
old Jersey family that came originally from Ireland.
About the year 1834 William Buck moved his fam-
ily to Indiana and for eleven years thereafter lived at
Terre Haute, between which place and Chicago he
freighted goods in an early day, driving overland and ex-
periencing many vicissitudes as a teamster. Later ( 1845)
he changed his abode to Greene county, where in due
time he became a successful fanner and influential man
of aiifairs, his home place consisting of three hundred
acres in the western part nf Stockton township, being
long- considered one of the best improved and most val-
uable famis in the county. Like a number of his ances-
tors, he, too, lived to a green old age. dying in 1901 after
rounding out his ninety-third year, his faithful wife and
companion preceding him to the grave in the year 1890.
This worthy couple had nine children, namely : Esther
Ann, Sarah Elizabeth, Maiy, John \\'., Stephen R..
James. Isaac. Susan P. and Mary Ellen, of whom Sarah,
John W., Susan and Maiy are living.
After a preliminary discipline in the common schools
John ^^^ Buck entered Asbury (now DePauw) Univer-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO53
sity, at Greencastle, where he received a hberal educa-
tion with tlie object in view of devoting his hfe to the
noble work of the Christian ministn'. He was reared un-
der excehent home influences and, with a decided!}^ reh-
gious environment, it was not long until his life received
the impetus which in due time led him to the sphere of
usefulness in which his talents have been exercised to
such good advantage and in which he has achieved so
many beneficent results for humanity. Mr. Buck began
the active work of the ministiy in 1857, receiving at the
age of twenty a quarterly conference license and being
assigned a circuit of which Linton was the largest and
most important point. He continued the itinerarj' dur-
ing the next fifteen years, and while thus engaged min-
istered to various circuits of central and southwestern In-
diana, his labors being ver>' acceptable and fruitful of
good results. Under his able preaching and efficient
management the cause of Methodism in his various ju-
risdictions was greatly strengthened, new congregations
were organized, and through his influence many souls
were won to the higher life. At the expiration of the pe-
riod mentioned Mr. Buck retired from the itinerary field
to take charge of local congregations, and for the last
thirty-one years he has devoted his attention to this class
of work, serving during the interim a number of strong
churches in different parts of the countrj- and building up
the cause among various weak' congregations, besides es-
tablishing churches and classes in communities destitute
of religious influences. He collected the funds and built
seventeen church edifices, and all were paid for before
the dav of dedication. Nearly six thousand members
I054 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
were added to the church under his preaching. In all
he has rounded out fifty-two years in his sacred calling,
the amount of good accomplished through his efforts be-
ing incalculable and only to be made known when the
"books are finally opened" and every man rewarded ac-
cording to his deserts. In addition to his ministerial
duties, Mr. Buck at one period of his life taught several
tenrijs of school, devoting portions of five continuous
_years to educatiDnal work, and during the early part of
his ministry he li\-ed on and managed a farm. On re-
tiring from regular ministerial labor he moved to his
farm in Greene county and lived on the same until 1893,
since which time he has been a resident of Linton, where
he owns a comfortable home, in which he proposes to
pass the closing years of a well spent life.
On the breaking out of the war between the states
Mr. Buck was among the first men of Greene county to
tender his ser\'ices to the government, enlisting July 13,
1861. in Company D, Twenty-first Indiana Infantry, with
which he served until October 13th of the following year,
in the meantime taking part in a number of battles, in-
cluding the action at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he
received the injuries which necessitated his retirement
from the anny at the time indicated.
Like all public-spirited and enterprising men. ]\Ir.
Buck takes an abiding interest in politics, and for a num-
ber of years he was earnest in hisi support of the Repub-
lican party. While still a Republican as far as the basic
principles of the party is concerned, of recent years he
has inclined somewhat toward Prohibition, believing the
liquor traftic to be the crying curse of the times, an ulcer-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO55
ous plague spot on the body politic, to be gotten rid of
only by the most drastic measures, which means the ab-
solute prohibition of the manufacture and sale of all kinds
of intoxicants. In 1903 he was appointed to the office
of justice of the peace and has discharged the duties of
the position ever since, his court being one of the most
popular of the kind in the county, but few of his deci-
sions suffering re\'ersal at the hands of higher tribunals.
He is an active worker in the Masonic Brotherhood and
the Independent Order of Good Templars, and for sev-
eral years he has held the position of chaplain in Lieuten-
ant Yakey Post, No. 19, Grand Anny of the Republic,
at Linton.
Mr. Buck's domestic life dates from i860, on June
loth of which year was solemnized the ceremony which
united him and Mary Lay in the bonds of holy wedlock.
Mrs. Buck is a native of Grant county, Indiana, where
her parents, John W. and Clarissa (Bradfield) Lay, re-
sided for many years. Mr. and Mrs. Buck are the par-
ents of six children, whose names are as follows : Mag-
gie J., Dollie A., Triphena T., Clarissa P., Mollie F. and
Ada P., four of whom are living, to-wit: Mrs. Maggie
Brown, of Indianapolis: Triphena: Clarissa, wife of E.
L. Twing, an attorney of Toledo, Ohio, and Ada, now
Mrs. Oliver E. Glenn, of Little Rock, Arkansas. Nine
grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, Edgar B.
Allen and his sister Ada, have been members of Mr.
Buck's family since the death of their mother, Mollie F.
Allen, who departed this life February 17, 1903, their
ages being fifteen and thirteen years, respectively.
In many respects Mr. Buck has been and is still a
1056 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
remarkable man. Notwithstanding his long and stren-
uous life, filled to repletion with good to his fellow men,
he is remarkably well preserved and full of vigor, car-
rying the weight of his seventy-one years with the ease
and equanimity of one of half his age. Indeed, he is
one of the youngest old men to be met with in any part
of the Hoosier state, retaining the full possession of his
faculties, physical and mental, keeping in close touch with
the times and familiar with the leading questions of the
day, besides mingling with the young people of the city,
taking part in their pastimes and sports and sympathiz-
ing with them in their troubles, fancied or real. Al-
though active all of his life and a diligent worker in his
various spheres of endeavor, he has also been a lover of
innocent amusements and a willing participant in the
same, which fact accounts for much of his popularity
among the people with whom he mingles. As an evi-
dence of his faith in himself and belief that his labors
are by no means ended, Mr. Buck, on the 3d day of
March. 1908, was admitted to the Greene county bar,
being the oldest man ever admitted to the practice of law
in the county, and it is doubtful if in the entire state
there can be found a parallel instance. That he may be
successful in the legal profession is the earnest desire of
his numerous friends and acquaintances, and that he will
be few doubt.
HON. DANIEL W. McINTOSH.
The subject of this article, one of the prominent and
well known law}-ers of Greene county. Indiana, was bom
GREEXE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO57
on a farm not many miles distant from his present home,
and has been a resident of this county all his life, his
birth occurring on the 15th of July, 1869, he being a son
of John and Sarah (Crum) ]\IcIntosh. The father is de-
scended from the same family as William J. Mcintosh,
whose sketch appears in this volume. The father of the
subject and his four living sons were all born in High-
land township, the former on the loth of Februar\-, 1834.
He was a successful farmer, and never engaged in any
other business pursuit. He was a soldier during the Civil
war, as were three of his brothers — Thomas, Perrv- C.
and William — the first and last named having lost their
lives in the service, or as a result of it.
The paternal grandfather of the subject of this
sketch was Joseph Mcintosh, a native of Bath county,
Kentucky, who came to Indiana in 1821 in company with
his father's family, and located near Old Point Com-
merce, on the east side of White river near the mouth of
Eel river. The tradition is silent as to the number of
souls who made this hazardous voyage, but it is under-
stood that the father, mother and several sons embarked
in a "pirogue" on the Licking river in Kaitucky, floated
down that river to the Ohio, thence down that stream to
the mouth of the Wabash, up the latter by "poling," and
continued on up the White river to their destination, as
designated above. Grandfather's wife was a Miss Todd,
a cousin of Abraham Lincoln's wife. She was of Ger-
man and Scotch lineage, and the Mclntoshes are pure
Scotch. The family in America are no doubt of the same
lineage as General Mcintosh, of Revolutionary fame. He
was later a congressman from Georgia. It is a deplor-
67
1058 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
able fact that, until within recent years, no effort has been
made to preserve or verify American genealogy, and the
best informed people are as ignorant of their ancestry as
are the uneducated.
In later life John Mcintosh, the subject's fat'her, pur-
chased his old parental homestead in Highland township,
and he died in Beech Creek township on the 19th of April,
1900. His wife, Sarah Crum, was bom in Franklin
township, Owen county, Indiana, March 3, 1835. and
died the same month and day as her husband, just twenty-
seven years previously.
These were the parents of five children, one of whom
died in infancy, and the others are all living. The eldest
of the family is Perry A., a farmer and builder, now liv-
ing at Worthington, this county: John W. is a veterinan'
surgeon in practice at A^ilas, Owen county; Samuel X.,
twin brother of Daniel A\'., is a merchant and postmaster
at Vilas. He was a teacher for a number of years in
young manhood. A noticeable characteristic in his fam-
ily is the fact that none of the four brothers weighs less
than two hundred pounds, and one weighs two hundred
and sixty. All except Daniel are over six feet in height,
and he is five feet eleven and one-half inches. The fam-
ily are proverbially Democrats in political preferences,
and were Missionary Baptists from time immemorial.
The subject of this article sustains his religious affiliations
with New Hope church, the religious home of his par-
ents, in Franklin township, Owen county. He was edu-
cated in the common schools of his native county and at
normal schools, where he prepared for teaching. Like
many other young men, he made the teaching profession
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO59
a Stepping stone to other professional attainments. He
was employed as a teacher for several years, during which
time he prosecuted the preliminary studies in law under
the tuition of Hon. Cyms E. Davis, of Bloomfield. This
preliminary work gave him a credit of eighteen months
at the Indiana Law School, Indianapolis, where he re-
mained one-half year, though he was in practice following
this two and one-half years before entering Indianapolis
College of Law. Completing his college course he was
admitted to the bar in 1895. and located in Linton for the
practice of law on the 12th of August, 1899. In October
following that date he was appointed deputy prosecuting
attorney of Greene county, and sei-ved two years and two
months in that capacity, whai the term of his principal
expired. During this period of two years in the prose-
cutor's office Linton became a city, and Mr. Mcintosh
was elected city attorney and assisted in organizing the
city government under the new regime, holding both of-
fices. He was re-elected city attorney, but by reason of
a temporary breakdown in health he was obliged to re-
sign the honors thus conferred. He was out of practice
about a year and a half, during which time he returned
to college, and was graduated in June. 1903. Returning
to practice, he was again elected city attorney, and served
in all five years in that office.
Mr. Mcintosh was married September 19, 1906.
when Nellie J. Matthews became his wife. She is a
daughter of John P. and Sarah Matthews, of Hanover
township, Jefferson county. Indiana. She is a lady of
education and refinement, and was a teacher in her na-
tive county for several years. For three years previous
lOOO BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
to her marriage she was employed as a teacher in the city
schools of Linton, and hei^e is where her acquaintance
was formed, ilrs. Mcintosh was educated at the Val-
paraiso Nonnal School.
A little mite of humanity came to bless this happy
union on the 30th day of October, 1907, and little Sarah
Xellie has become a permanent fixture in the domestic
circle. To her is entrusted the perpetuation of the ma-
ternal names of two generations and three families. Mrs.
^Iclntosh is a member of the United Presbyterian church
and of various social and literary societies. The family
sustains high social relations in the city of their adop-
tion, and Mr. Mcintosh has attained high standing in his
profession. He is a genial and pleasant gentleman, a fimi
Ijeliever in the future of Linton, and public-spirited
enough to assist in every way possible in bringing about
the future greatness of his native county. Of the frater-
nal societies he is an Odd Fellow, holding his member-
ship in Newark Lodge, No. 467, his old home of boy-
hood davs.
WILLIA^I COLEMAN.
William Coleman, the present ellicient chief of po-
lice of Linton, was appointed to the force in 1906, and
has served as chief since that time. Mr. Coleman is fre-
quently highly spoken of in connection with his office,
and the present peaceful condition of the city is largely
due to his untiring watchfulness. He came to this place
from W'orthington. Indiana, where he held a similar po-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I061
sition for seven years. He achieved marked success in a
business capacity as a butcher, working for more than
twenty years at that trade, which he learned in his native
town, BowHng Greene, Clay county, Indiana, in which
village he first saw the light of day August 7, i860. Con-
cerning his ancestry the first known seems to have come
from Germany. His father and mother lived for many
years in Miami county, Indiana. His father died many
years ago in his fifty-sixth year in the house in which
the subject was bom. The mother now lives with a sis-
ter, Mrs. Ederly, at Brazil, Indiana. Another sister.
Mrs. Mary Stewart, also lives in the same town. Mr.
Coleman is the only son and the oldest member of the
family. He was united in marriage in 1882 to Susie
Marley. of Clay City. The result of this union was three
children, all boys; Hariy, the oldest, died at the age of
sixteen, in 1898. Onnlle and \\'illie live at home and
both have lucrative positions with the Linton's Supply
Company as meat cutters, as well as being trusted with
much other of the company's business. They are two
exemplary sons, tnist worthy, having never given their
parents a moments' worry or uneasiness. A person of
Mr. Coleman's ambition and energy would soon attract
the attention of the fraternal world, and so the Independ-
ent Order of Odd Fellows soon appealed to him and
he first united with the order at Worthington. No. 137.
transferring his membership to Unity Lodge, Linton, on
his removal to the latter place, where he soon found room
to use his fraternal powers, and his fellow members soon
found a place for his name on their official roster. He is
now past grand master and representative of the Grand
IOD2 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Lodge of Indiana from his home lodge. He is also a
member of the Modem Woodmen of America.
Mr. Colemaiii is yet in the prime of life, untiring in
his efforts, and retains the confidence of his fellow towns-
men, so that the future of his life is full of hope that
greatcT achiexements are in store for him.
LEAVIS WILLIAM WARNER.
Lewis ^^■illiam Warner, the subject of this biog-
raphy, has played well his part as a citizen, his course
having been characterized by industry, 'a progressive
spirit and good managemait, also by that broad-minded
])olic>' whicli takes cognizance of the general as well as
the individual welfare. Such are the men who are emi-
nently entitled to representation in a publication of this
nature, and it is with pleasure that we incorporate a re-
view.of the life history of the honorable gentleman whose
name initiates this paragraph.
Lewis W. W'arner was born in \\'right township.
Greene county, December 13, 1869, the son of John F.
Warner, a high-class citizen of Germany, who came to
America when a young man, settling on a farm in
Wright township, Greene county. The subject's mother
was Christinia G. Miller, in her maidenhood a daughter
of Daniel Miller. She is a native of Germany, where
she was born August 28, 1843, and represents that
nobler and sturdier class of citizens from; alien lands
who have d(^ne so much to uplift the industrial, civic
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I063
and social atmosphere of America. The children of this
union besides the subject of this sketch are Saloma, liv-
ing in Chicago; John, living- in Clay City, Indiana;
George F., living in Chicago; Mary, the wife of Ted
Salanaki, of Chicago; Christinia, wife of John Hinds, of
Clay City. Three children died in early life.
John F. Warner first saw the light in Gennany,
September 8, 1839, and was brought to America early
in life and lived on a farm in Wright township, Greaie
county, Indiana, for some time, later moving to Middle-
buiy. Clay county, where he was engaged in the retail
meat business for about three years, making a good liv-
ing out of this venture, but, believing that better oppor-
tunities were to be found at Clay City, he moved there-
to and lived until his death in 1887, leaving behind him
a clean record and a good name.
The mother of our subject is making her home
with her daughter at Clay City.
Lewis ^\'. Warner, our subject, lived on his father's
homestead until the death of the latter, when he mar-
ried Mary A. Sleigle, daughter of Lewis' Sleigle, of Clay
City, a native of Germany, the wedding ceremony hav-
ing been solemnized October ig, 1887. One child born
to this union died in infancy.
Mr. Warner came to Linton about 1901, having
been in the employ of J. E. \\'esson in the meat busi-
ness, where he remained for three years. He then went
into the meat business for himself on West Vincennes
street, later removing to North A street, then back to
West Vincennes street, and in May, 1908, located at
84 North Main street, his present place of business. He
1064 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
has one of the finest equipped meat markets in the state,
few better or more up-to-date. It represents an invest-
ment of fourteen thousand dollars, being a model in every
respect, and was built and arranged under the direction
iif the subject, who has certainly mastered every detail
of his line of business, not only knowing all the "ins"
and "outs" of buying and selling, keeping a fresh stock
of meats constantly on hand, etc., but he also knows how
to secure the best trade of the city and surrounding com-
munity and how to retain it. Since coming to Linton he
has won recognition as a progressive and substantial
business man as well as a splendid and highly esteemed
citizen.
Hox. willia:\i g. moss.
•No history ijf Greene county would be complete if
it did not contain a biographical sketch of the late Hon.
William G. Moss, who was one of the conspicuous citi-
zens of Greene county during his long and useful life.
Mr. Moss was bom in Washington county, Indiana, No-
vember 19, 1822, and was the fourdi .son in a family of
fourteen children born to Aquilla and Sarah ( Harrah.)
Moss, the former a native of Virginia and the latter of
Kentucky. While the subject of this sketch was but five
years old his parents moved to Greene county (1822),
and settled on the "Nine-mile prairie," on the farm now
belonging to James H. Humphreys. At that time there
was but one other house in Greene county, west of White
ri\-er. In this backwoods pioneer cnuntn- as it was at
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO65
that time William G. Moss grew to manhood amid the
primeval forests. Owing to this fact his schooling was
limited to a three months' term each year for only a few
years. He had to walk three miles through the snows
to an old-fashioned log school house, wanned with a fire-
place, stick and mud chimney, puncheon benches for seats,
greased paper for windows, books to correspond and
teachers no better. The big boys of the school had to cut
the wood to keep up the fires to keep the house warm.
Notwithstanding these great disadvantages and limited
education, Mr. Moss, by gi-eat force of natural ability,
rose to be one of the leading and most prominent citi-
zens of Greene county. He was noted from one end of
the county to the other for his ready wit and great hu-
mor. Had he have had the advantages of education he
would have been the equal to Mark Twain as a humorist.
In 1 84 1 he was married to Jeannette. the daughter
of Joseph and Mar}- (McBride) Rector, who were na-
tives, respectively, of Virginia and North Carolina, and
came to Greene county in 1841. To this union ten chil-
dren were bom, as follows: Joseph, Sarah M. (now
Mrs. T. A. Turner), Nathaniel (deceased), Stephen. Bar-
ney S., Rebecca A. (now Mrs. Alex Beasley). Andrew
M. (decea.sed), Charles ^I. (deceased). i\Iary E. (now
Mrs. Josh Neal). and Julia R. (now Airs. George Hum-
phreys).
Mr. Moss died January 30, 1899, and his wife fol-
lowed him to the spirit land Avtgust 7, 1901.
In politics Mr. Moss was a Democrat and was hon-
ored by his party by being elected sheriff of Greaie
county in 1856, re-elected in 1858, elected to represent
1066 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Greene county in the legislature in i860, and in 1864
was re-elected sheriff of Greene county for the third
time, heing the only man who ever filled this office three
terms.
Mr. and Airs. :\'[oss were both members of the Bap-
tist church, and Mr. Moss was a member of the Blue
Lodge in iNIasonry. During his lifetime he was known
perhaps to more men in Greene county than any other
citizen. He was universally loved, respected and hon-
ored by all who knew him. His sterling, honest, strict
integrity and genial, jovial disposition, high character as
a man. a neighbor, a citizen and an official endeared him
to the hearts of his fellow citizens in stich a way that his
memory will last as long as they live.
JOSHUA BENT(3X CURTIS.
G instituting- the elements of good citizenship are
three cardinal virtues — industry, integrity and morality.
U'ithout tliese plain and simple virtues no man can justly
claim distinction as a good citizen.
The subject of this brief review is Joshua B. Curtis,
of Linton, whose character is typical of the virtues here
designated. Coming from that great army of toilers who
represent the brain and sinew of the land, and who, after
all, constitute the creative capacity and the true man-
liness and worth of a community, he stands today, by
dint of his own endeavor, a man of honor and ability
among his fellow townspeople.
GREEXE COUNTY, INDIANA. I0O7
j\Ir. Curtis was born in Spencer. Owen cuunty, In-
diana, April 5, 1864. His father, Samuel W. Curtis,
also a natix'e of Owen county, was a lawyer. His mother
was Geralda (Campbell) Curtis, a native of Missouri.
Of seven children born to this union four survive, being
besides the subject. \\'esley, Jennie and Emma, all of
whom reside at Brazil, Indiana, where the mother also
resides, the father having died there in 18S9.
Joshua B. Curtis attended the common schools when
a lad and made his home with his father- at Brazil until
he came to Linton about twenty years ago. He was
employed 1)}- \'arious coal companies in the capacity of
an expert blacksmith and machinist, until he established
his present business of blacksmithing and general re-
pairing. He is located on A street, southwest, where
he has a large and well equipped shop, employing several
helpers. As a skilled and competent workmen he stands
second to none in his class, and he enjoys a large and
lucrative trade.
Mr. Curtis was married in 1898 to Maggie Kieth,
of Linton, and is the father of two interesting children,
Leonard, aged nine, and Samuel, aged four.
His fraternal associations are uniform rank and en-
dowment rank of the Knights of Pythias, and the In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows. He affiliates with
the Baptist church.
CHARLES FRANKLIN GOOD.
The fanner who now succeeds possesses much scien-
tific knowledge concerning the best methods of producing
I068 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
crops, the needs of different cereals and of the elements
which should be found in the soil. Rotation of crops
is practiced and in carrying on the work today improved
farm machinery is used which a few decades ago \vas
totally unknown. Mr. Good is a representative of the
modem agricultural class of Greene county and, in all
that he does or participates in he illustrates the broad
and practical life of the farmer. Although he is yet a
very young mau he has shown a marked ability in man-
aging a farm, -and unless something unforeseen inter-
feres he will be one of the leading agriculturists of the
county in course of a score of years.
Charles F. Good was bom in Staft'ord township,
Greene county, Indiana, November 13, 1878, his worthy
parents being Jacob and Mary (Ramsey) Good, whose
home was blessed with six children, four of whom sur-
vived infancy. They are Charles F., our subject; Wil-
liam H., a farmer, of Stafford township ; Clara E., wife
of Oliver Williams, of Stafford township; and Maggie,
wife of Daniel Page, of Linton.
The subject spent his boyhood days attending the
common schools in his native community, having ap-
plied himself as best he could, and gained a fairly good
practical education, as any one would soon judge from
a conversation with him. In the fall of 1900 Mr. Good
was happily married to Sarah J. Moore, daughter of
Jesse G. and Sarah J. Moore, who was born and reared
in Sullivan county. Indiana, where she, also, received a
serviceable common school education. Two bright chil-
dren have been born to this union. \'irgil and Pearl.
The subject took up farming in Sullivan county.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I069
which he successfully followed for a period of three
years, but, desiring to return to his native township, and
believing- that better opportunities existed there than in
Sullivan county, he returned to his native township and
bought sixty acres of excellent land, where he now lives
and successfully farms, raising a diversity of crops and
fine stock of all kinds, especially Poland China hogs,
black Polled Angus cattle and other good breeds, as his
judgment directs. He mined coal one year, then re-
mained on his farm.
Mr. Good has traveled considerably, and, being a
man who observes things, has reaped great good from
this source. Both he and his wife are much liked by
their neighbors and are highly respected by all who know
them. ]\Irs. Good is a member of the Christian church.
GEORGE W. WELLS.
George W. Wells, attorney and counselor at law,
Linton, is a native of Jackson county, Indiana, and one of
five children whose parents were John R. and Jane Wells,
both born in Indiana, the father in Washington county,
the mother in the county of Jackson. These parents were
married in Brownstown, Indiana, in 1874, and lived on a
farm in Jackson county until the father's death, wliich
occurred on July 2, 1901, at the age of fifty-four years.
He was the leading agriculturist in the neighborhood in
which he resided, owned one of the best and most high-
ly improved farms in the county and achieved signal sue-
lO/O BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
cess in the calling' to which his life and energies had
been devoted. He was also a man of irreproachable
character, known and greatly respected, and his death
was felt as a personal loss in the community where he
was so highly esteemed. Mrs. Wells, whose birth oc-
curred in the year 1848, and bore the maiden name of
.Jane Paris, sui-vives her husband and is living at this
time on the home farm with her children. The family
of John R. and Jane Wells consisted of two sons and
three daughters, the oldest of whom, William, aged
twenty-nine, is a fanner, having charge of the home
place and looking after his mother's interests ; George
\\\, of this review, is the second in order of birth, after
whom comes Ivy, a stenographer, in the city of In-
dianapolis : Laura, and Vina, the younger members of
the circle are still with their mother.
The Wells family is of German orig-in and was
first represented in America by immigrants, who settled
in Pennsylvania at a very early period. The subject's
grandfather, was bom in that state and lived there until
about 1835, when he migrated westward to Washing-
ton county, Indiana, where he met the lady who became
his wife, removing- shortly after his marriage, to Jackson
county, which continued to be his home to the end of
his days.
William Paris, the father of ?ilrs. John R. \\'ells.
was one of the pioneers of Clay county. Indiana, sub-
sequently becoming a resident of Jackson county, where
the closing j^ears of his life were spent. His wife was Lu-
cinda Ayers, also a member of a pioneer family of Irish
extraction. This worthy couple died in the county of
Jackson and have long slept the sleep of the just in the
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO7I
old country' cemetery, where lie the remains of many of
their erstwhile neighbors and friaids.
George \\'. Wells first saw the light of day in
Seymour, Indiana. ]May 12, 1881, and spent his child-
hood and youth in his native county, entering the pub-
lic schools, where he received his preliminary educa-
tional training. Later he attended the Central Normal
School at Danville, where he took the teacher's course,
following which he taught two terms of school, and then
discontinued educational work to devote his attention to
the legal profession. Mr. Wells began the study of law-
while engaged in teaching, subsequently continued the
same in the law department of the Marion Normal Col-
lege, and in 1903 was admitted to the bars of Jackson
and Grant counties, entering upon the active practice of
his profession on that year in the town of Seymour.
During the ensuing three years he practiced in the courts
of Jackson and adjacait counties, with steadily increas-
ing popularity, built up quite a lucrative legal business
and achieved marked success as a safe and reliable coun-
selor and judicious practitioner.
At the expiration of the time indicated Mr. \VelIs
disposed of his interests at Seymour and sought a more
inviting field for the exercise of his legal talents in Greene
county, where since 1906 he has followed his profession
with signal success, being now recognized as one of the
leading members of the bar, with a reputation far be-
yond the limits of his usual field of practice.
On coming to this county he located at Linton and
formed a partnership with \\"illiam R. Collins, a well-
known attorney of the place, the fimi thus constituted
l.)eing- still in existence and widely known, in legal circles.
IOJ2 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
throughout the southern counties of Indiana. Tlieir
practice, which is general, takes quite a wide range, and
the firm is retained on one side or the other of nearly
every important case in the county of Greene, the high
standing of the subject as a forcible and brilliant advo-
cate making his sen'ices especially desirable in jury trials.
\\"hile versed in the basic principles of the law, and
familiar with the profession in all its bearings, it is
doubtless his ability in public address that has given
Mr. Wells much of the prestige he now enjoys. He
possesses in a marked degree the force, magnitude and
brilliancy of the finished orator, qualities which seldom
fail to influence juries, convince courts and sway popular
assemblages. His power as a master of assemblages has
made him popular as a political speaker, and his serv-
ices to be much sought after during campaigns.
]\Ir. Wells occupies a prominent place in social cir-
cles. \\'hile ever ready to hearken to his party's call
and give to it the best services at his command, he has
never sought official recognition nor aspired to any kind
of ptiblic honors.
Fraternally he is a member of Lodge No. 560, Free
and Accepted Masons and the Woodmen of the World,
and religiously subscribes to the creed of the United
Brethren church, with which demonination his parents
were also identified.
CHARLES G. SHAW.
Charles Gilbert Shaw, a prominent citizen of Lin-
, was born at Cloverdale, Putnam county, Indiana,
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO73
January 15, 1881. He received a good education, hav-
ing attended the Cloverdale pubhc schools, Ladoga high
school, Wabash College, also a business college at Craw-
fordsville, Indiana, from which institution he graduated,
having made commendable records in all these schools.
He is also a graduate of the Southern School of Photog-
raph}' at ^IcMinnville, Tennessee. He was an able in-
structor in the last named school for two years, after
which he attended the art department of Vanderbilt Uni-
versity, Nashville, Tennessee, for one year.
Mr. Shaw came to Linton, Indiana, in January, 1906,
and purchased his present business, the leading photo-
graph gallen* in that city, and he is generally con-
ceded to stand at the head of his profession in Greene
county. He was happily married November 29, 1906, to
Coralie Graham Maze, daughter of D. R. and Nancy
(St. Clair) Maze, well-known people of Greencastle, In-
diana. Mr. Shaw is a Republican and a member of
the Christian church, also a member of the Odd Fellows,
and was past grand of Cecelia Lodge, No. 166, at
Bloomington, Indiana, in which he has always taken
much interest.
The father of the subject was Daniel F. Shaw, who
was born in Cloverdale, Indiana. December 4, 1858; and
his mother was Frances Utterback, who was bom in the
same town on December 13, i860. They were married
in their native town in 1878. Mr. Shaw was a farmer
at Cloverdale. He is now engaged as engineer at an
automobile works. Five children were born to them as
follows : Charles Gilbert, Lyman Edgar, Maiw Helen,
Daniel F., Jr. One child died in infancy.
68
I074 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
The ancestors of the subject were of Welsh and
Gennan extraction, who first settled in Ohio, later com-
ing- to Putnam county, Indiana, in the pioneer days. His
great-grandfather Shaw secured government land. The
family is well established and highly respected as far
back as it can be traced.
DAVID DUDLEY TERHUNE.
David Dudley Terhune, who is secretary- and treas-
urer of the Linton Trust Company, and one of the en-
terprising business men of the city, was born August 29,
1879, in Boone county, Indiana, the son of Thomas J.
and May (Kneisell) Terhune, the former a native of
Greene county and at the present time a praticing
attorney at Lebanon, Indiana, the latter also of Indiana
birth.
Thomas J. Terhune, son of David and Sarah
(Nealis) Terhune, was born near Linton, in the year
1848, and for the last twelve years has been one of the
leading lawyers of Boone county. (For an account of
the Terhune genealogy the reader is respectfully re-
ferred to the biography of D. J. Terhune, which appears
elsewhere in this volume.) The family of T. J. Ter-
hune and his wife. May (Kneisell) Terhune, consists of
three children, of whom David Dudley was the first born,
the others being" Mrs. Catherine \\'itt, of Thomtown,
Indiana, and Thomas, who is still with his parents.
David Dudlev Terhune was reared in his native
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO75
town of Lebanon, received his early educational discipline
in the schools of the same, and after finishing the high
school course, became a student at Wabash College,
where he prosecuted his studies until entering the Uni-
versity of New York some years later. In the latter in-
stitution he made substantial progress in the more ad-
vanced branches of learning, and, retiring therefrom
with a mind disciplined by critical study, and well forti-
fied for the course of life he had in view, he embarked
on the business career to which his energies have since
been devoted. After engaging in various lines of en-
terprise and filling positions of honor and trust, he be-
came identified with the Linton Trust Company, of
which he was one of the incorporators, and which since
its organization in 1905 he has served in the two-fold
capacity of secretary and treasurer, displaying a high
order of business talent in his dual office and gaining
the unbounded confidence of his associates and of the
public. The Linton Trust Company, established in the
year indicated above, has freely realized the high ex-
pectations of its founders and is now one of the most
successful and popular institutions of the kind in the
states. It is capitalized at twenty-five thousand dollars,
and under the efficient management of safe and con-
servative business men, it has steadily gained the favor
of the public and bids fair to grow to still larger pro-
portions as the years go by. The official board at the
present time is composed of the following well-known
and enterprising business men: W. A. Craig, president;
D. J. Terhvme, vice president: secretary- and treasurer.
D. D. Terhune; assistant secretarv. O. J. iMitchell : L. I\I.
1076 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Price, \\'. \'. ^lotlett, Joe Moss and E. L. Wolford.
witli the officers, constituting the directorate.
In addition to his connection with the foregoing in-
stitution Mr. Terhune is identified with several other
business interests, being secretary and treasurer of the
Linton Milling Company, assistant secretar\^ and treas-
urer of the Linton Water Company, treasurer of the
Home Loan and Savings Association and president of
the Public Library Board, besides being associated with
his uncle, D. J. Terhune, in developing mineral lands
in \;inMU^ pan- .f Imliana and other states, the style
(It the rmii Ik-iu- TLThune & Terhune. Air. Terhune's
steady rise in the business world and the number of im-
portant and far-reaching interests with which he is con-
nected indicate far more than ordinary powers of mind
and judgment, and, although a young- man in years, his
experience has taken a vei-y wide range, and there are
few who have achieved as great results in a much longer
life. Socially he occupies a prominent place in the com-
munity and in matters making for the good of his fel-
low men find him an earnest advocate and liberal patron.
His fraternal relations are represented by the Alasonic
brotherhood and the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks, and while in college he became a member of the
Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity, with which he is still
identified.
The domestic life of ]\Ir. Terhune dates from 1906,
on September 4th of which year he was united in the
bonds of wedlock with Jeanne Petit, daughter of Fred-
erick and Adele Petit, of New York City, who has pre-
sente<l him with one son, David Dudley Terhune Jr.,
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO77
whose birth occurred Febiaiary 4, 1907. Mr. and Mrs.
Terhune have a beautiful and commodious home in Lin-
ton and are highly esteemed by the large circle of friends
and acquaintances with whom they associate. They sub-
scribe to the Methodist creed and take an active interest
in the church at Linton, to which they belong. In politics
Mr. Terhune pledges allegiance to no particular party,
being independent in thought and action and casting his
ballot for such candidates as are qualified for the posi-
tions to which they aspire, and who merit the support
thev seek.
JOHN BENJAMIN SMITH.
No matter how much natural talent one may have
it takes close application and persistent effort to suc-
ceed along any given line. To be an expert steam, gas
or electric engineer is to be both talented and industrious,
consequently the subject, of this sketch must rank with
this class, for there is said to be no better stationary
engineer in Greene county than he. ^Ir. Smith is a
native of this county, having been born in Taylor town-
ship, Februarj' 11, 1864, the son of James T. and Mi-
nerva (Corbin) Smith, both natives of Martin county.
Indiana. The father was a farmer all his life, his death
occurring in 1898. The subject's mother lives among her
children, principally with the subject. She is the mother
of the following children : Nettie, the wife of Frank
Reynolds, of Terre Haute : Annie and Emma, twins, the
fomier now Mrs. Swain and the latter Mrs. Allen, both
1078 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
of W^est Brownsville. Washington county, Pennsyl-
vania ; Clara, now Mrs. Neely, of Terre Haute : Willard.
a huckster at Bloomfield; Minnie, the wife of Samuel
Baker, a druggist, at Bloomfield. The first two children
born to Mr. and Mrs. James T. Smith died in infancy.
The subject was educated in the public schools of
Richland township, where the family moved in his early
youth. Always manifesting a "bait" for engineering,
he took up his work early in life, and was employed as
engineer in a flouring mill for four years, later going to
Linton, Indiana, where he worked in the mines for a
time, and he has been hoisting engineer there for the
past fourteen years, having been in the employ of the
Summit Coal Company, the Island Coal Company, the
Victoria Coal Company and the United Fourth Vein
Coal Company, where he is now employed.
Mr. Smith was united in marriage with Etta Fitz-
patrick, a daughter of Henry and Mary Fitzpatrick, en
October 3, 1885. (A hist.iry of the Fitzpatrick family
in to be found under the caption "Oscar Fitzpatrick," in
this work.) Two children have beai bom to the subject
and wife: Earl F., a student in the Linton high school,
and Mary, a student in the State University of Indiana,
in which she is taking a general college course. ]\Iiss
MaiT is a musician of more than local celebrity.
Fraternally Mr. Smith is a member of the Knights
of Pythias and the unifomi rank of the same order ; also
a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and
the Modem Woodmen of America. He is a good Demo-
crat and the family belongs to the Christian church. Mr.
and Mrs. Smith are highly respected by all who know
them and their children are promising and popular.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO79
WILLIARD HAROLD WARNER.
W'illiard Harold Warner, the gentleman to a brief
review of whose life and characteristics the reader's at-
tention is herewith directed, is among the representa-
tive citizens of Linton and he has by his enterprise and
progressive methods contributed in a material way to the
advancement of this locality, and during the course of
an honorable career has been fairly successful in his work
as a skilled mechanic and is thus well desen'ing of men-
tion in this volume.
^Villiard H. Warner was born in Jackson county, Li-
diana, October 25, 1867, and lived there until he was
twelve years of age, when he went to work on a farm
near Elizabethtown, being a youth of unusual grit and
"sticktoitiveness" and thrown on his own resources early
in life, and he naturally developed those qualities of forti-
tude and persistency that make for success when rightly
applied. His mother, who was kown in maidenhood as
Ursula Nicholson, died when our subject was fifteen
years old.
Mr. \\'arner worked at farming in Bartholomew
ciiunt\- until he was twenty- four years old. He then
accepted a position in Lidianapolis as a tin can maker,
at which he made a success from the first, having re-
mained in one shop for a period of eight years. He came
to Linton in 1900 first finding employment with the Lin-
ton Bottling Works, and in 1903 he established an ice
cream factory in this city which has ever since been a
profitable and substantial business, having been built up
on honesty and industry, thereby gaining the prestige de-
I0»0 BIOGRAP]IICAL MEMOIRS
sired in the business world. It is the only institution of
its kind in Linton and receives a liberal patronage both
from the citizens there and surrounding country. This
enterprise caters exclusively to the wholesale trade, find-
ing an outlet for its products in all the towns tributary
to Linton.
Mr. W'anier was liappily married in 1897 ^o Anna
Strietelmeier, daughter of Frederick E. Strietelmeier, Sr.
She was bom in Stocktnn township and has lived there
practically all her life.
Four children have added liaiipincs'- t^ the home
of Mr. and Mrs. Warner, namely: Mary F.. born
March i, 1900; Laurence G., born March 22, 1902;
George Norman, born July 23, 1905 : Harold Fred, the
first born, died July 10, 1899, age ten nmnths and four-
teen days.
Mr. ^^'arner is among th;it cla,-> -t deserving citi-
zens who have worked their own success, receiving aid
from no ulterior sources, having worked hard since a lad
of eight years. He is truly a self-made man in the real
and best sense of that oft abused term. He a li)yal
member of the Presbyterian chiuxh and is among Lin-
ton's honored and upright citizens.
NATHAN G. DIXOX.
Occupying a conspicuous place among the repre-
sentative business men of the thriving city of T^inton is
X^athan G. Dixon, whose important commercial interests
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. lOSI
and successful business career stamp him as a man of
more than ordinary executive and managerial ability.
Mr. Dixon is a citizen of Greene county by birth,
being born in Fair Play township, November 13. 1857.
His father was Daniel Dixon, a. native of old Kentucky,
and a prosperous farmer and lumber manufacturer. His
mother was Mary J. (Walker) Dixon, also a native of
the Blue Grass state. The elder Dixon came to Greene
county about the year 1842, when the county was sparse-
ly settled and wholly undeveloped. He located on a
farm in Fair Play township, south of Worthington, where
he continued to reside until his death in 1872. The
mother passed to her reward fifteen years later, her
demise being at the old homestead. This union was pro-
ductive of sixteen children, eleven of whom are num-
bered among the dead. Those remaining, besides the
subject of our sketch, are: Anna, wife of H. D. Hunt,
Linton; Charley Dixon, Linton; Mattie L.. widow of
George Geckler; Bessie, wife of Harry Hunt, Linton.
Nathan spent his boyhood on the parental farm,
attending the common schools until a lad of fifteen, when
his father's death forced him to abandon further educa-
tional advantages. His first business venture was en-
tering the mercantile business, at Dugger. Indiana, in
1882. This business he successfully conducted there
until 1892, when he came to Linton, continuing the mer-
cantile business until tlie year 1904. In the meantime,
lie had established a successful grain and feed business,
wliicli he still conducts, devoting a portion of his time to
this when his other and larger interests permit.
Mr. Dixon is a director of the First National Bank
10B2 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
of Linton, of which institution he is one of the largest
stockholders. He is president of the Bicknell Lumber
Company, of Bicknell, Indiana, which does an extensive
wholesale and retail lumber business. He is also presi-
dent of the Dixon-Miller Compan)-, of Midland, Greene
county, a corporation doing a general mercantile busi- .
ness. Besides these important connections, Mr. Dixon is^
treasurer of the Linton Investment Company, secretaiy
of the Linton Improvement Company and resident man-
ager of the Southern Indiana Building- and Loan Asso-
ciation. He is also interested in extensive timber land in
the South, besides having numerous other business inter-
ests throughout Greene county.
Ml". Dixon's marriage occurred in 1884, Dollie
Abrell, becoming his wife. She was a daughter of R.
T. Abrell, former sheriff of Owen county, Indiana, who
moved to Fair Play township, Greene county, in the year
1880. Three children resulted from this union, only one
of them now living, Reid. age fifteen years.
The palatial home of the Dixons is on North Main
street and is one of the finest in the county, being built
exclusively of Bedford stone. Mr. Dixon's fraternal re-
lations are the Elks and the Masons, and politically he
is an unswening Democrat.
ROBERT REID KEYS. D. D. S.
The doctor or dentist who would succeed at his
profession must possess many qualities not to be gained
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO83
from text and medical books. In analyzing the career
of the successful practitioner of the healing art it will
be invariably found to be true that a broad-minded
sympathy with the suffering and an honest, earnest de-
sire to aid his afflicted fellow men have gone hand in
hand with skill and able judgment. The gentleman to
whom this brief tribute is given fortunately embodies
these necessary qualifications in a marked degxee. and by
energy and application to his professional duties is build-
ing up an enviable reputation and drawing to himself a
large and remunerative practice.
Dr. R. R. Keys, who is in active practice at Lin-
ton, is one of the leading professional men of Greene
county, having achieved a brilliant reputation while yet
a young- man, for he was born in 1863 in Gallatin coun-
ty, Kentucky, the son of William and Elizabeth (Mc-
Cawley) Keys, the former a native of Ohio and the lat-
ter of Pennsylvania. William Keys was an expert ma-
chinist who moved to the Blue Grass state when the
subject of this sketch was bom, and in 1870 he moved
with his family to Jefferson county. Indiana, settling on
a fami, which he successfully maintained up. to the time
of his death in 1899. His faithful life companion fol-
lowed him in 1907. Nine children were born to the
subject's parents, si.x of whom are living in 1908.
The subject of the sketch remained at the old home-
stead, assisting with the necessary work about the place
and attending the common schools until he reached young
manhood. He first decided to make teaching his life
work, and taught school in an eminently satisfactory-
manner for seven years in Jefferson county, gaining a
1084 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
reputation as a high-minded and painstaking pedagogue.
But he had long entertained a desire to become a doc-
tor of dentistrj', and with this end in view he entered
the Louisville College of Dentistry in 1891, from which
he was graduated in the front rank of a large body of
'-tiKlcnt^ witli high honors in 1893, taking the degree of
l)Mci(ir Mt Dentistry, after which he immediately began
the practice of his profession, locating in Walton, Ken-
tucky, where he secured a fine start and remained until
1905, when inducements in the thriving city of Linton,
Indiana, lured him to this place, where he has since made
his home and gained a large patronage both from tlie city
and surrounding countiy.
The doctor was united in marriage in 1897 ^o
]\Iargaret Linderman, daughter of William Linderman,
a well-known and substantial citizen of Linton. Their
union has been blessed with two children, Marian
Esther and Helen Gertrude.
Dr. Keys is regarded as standing at the very sum-
mit of his profession and his ofHce on Main street is
equipped with every necessary accessory for the success-
ful practice of modern dentistry. While he does not
find time to take an active part in local politics the doc-
tor is nevertheless greatly interested in eveiy movement^
that pertains to the welfare of the city of Linton. Some-
thing- of his high character and standing with the re-
ligious element of that place is realized when we leani
that he holds the responsible position of trustee of the
Presbyterian church and is a zealous worker in church
circles.
Fratemallv Dr. Kevs is affiliated with the Masons
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO85
and the Modern Woodmen and he is regarded as a
learned and studious gentleman, having a large private
libraiy, consisting of the best books on the market, those
best suited to aid him in his professional duties as well
as those gathered from the best sources in the book world
for the gratification of his esthetic tastes.
SAMUEL ALEXANDER :\IAX\\"E1 L.
Many years have elapsed since Samuel A. Maxwell
came to Greene county. This district was then wild,
much of its land unclaimed and its resources undeveloped.
True many courageous frontiersmen had some two
decades before dared to locate within its borders, but
the work of progress and improvement remained for
the future. In the years that have passed since the
parents of the subject brought him to this county a great
transformation has been wrought, and in this he has
held a conspicuous place, bearing his full share of the
work in developing the county until he is now one of the
enterprising farmers of this locality. Mr. Maxwell is a
native of the Tar Heel state (North Carolina) where
he was bom Januar}- 5, 1840, the son of James and
Nancy Jane (Delay) Maxwell, both natives of that state,
where they were married, coming to Lidiana in 1844,
settling in Greene county, where the mother died ALiy
12. 1858. Li 1865 the father moved to Missouri, where
he lived until his death in 1879, having survived his
wife, since 1858. They were members of the Baptist
I080 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
chui'cli. Six cliildren were born to them, four of whom
are living in igo8. Only one, Samuel A., our subject,
lives in Greene county, where he assisted his father clear
the land on which he settled, attending subscription and
public schools as opportunity aflforded, until he could
read and write and was enabled to transact all ordinar\-
business.
Mr. Ma.xwell was united in marriage with Phoebe
A. Purcell January 5, i860. She was born in Hadden
township, Sullivan county, Indiana. April 28. 1843, t^^^
daughter of Washington Purcell. born in that county
June 13. 1 82 1. Her mother's name was Charlotte Mor-
ris, who was born and raised in Stafford township,
Greene county. Her father come from Virginia, her
mother from Ohio. The Purcells came from Ireland.
Mrs. Maxwell recei\-ed a common school education.
Four children were born to this union, three surviving
infancy. Florence I., who was born October 14, 1861, is
the wife of John O. Hungate, of Sandbom, Indiana;
Christie A., who was bom December 25, 1862, now Mrs.
Samuel M. Culbertson, living in Linton, Indiana; Char-
lotte Alice, who was bom December 25, 1867, is a grad-
uate of the common schools and taught school for some
time. She is now the wife of John T. Smith and lives in
Indianapolis.
Mr. Maxwell, by his thrift and sound business prin-
ciples, has become the owner of a fine landed estate in
Stafford township, consisting of two hundred acres,
worth at least sixty dollars per acre. It is well improved
and in a high state of cultivation, no pains having been
spared by the owner to make it rank with the best fanns
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I087
in the township. Mrs. Maxwell's father entered forty
acres of this fami from the government. She remem-
bers vev}' vividly the wolves, panthers and other wild
animals that infested it at that time, as she lived on the
prairie and participated in the work of growing flax.
spinning the same into thread and weaving into cloth.
She well remembers her first calico dress, as all her
clothing was made at home until she was ten years old.
Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell are members of the Metho-
dist Episcopal church, Stafford Chapel, the fomier hav-
ing sei"ved as class leader and superintendent of the
Sunday school. He is a Democrat, but takes no active
part in political affairs as a rule, although he was assessor
of Stafford township for five years. Fraternally our
subject is a member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, at Pleasantville, Indiana, of which he has been
a member since 1874, ha\ing represented this lodge at
the grand lodge.
Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell have justly earned the high
esteem of their neighbors and triends, by virtue of their
uprightness and kindness displayed to eveiy one alike.
JOSEPH IRWIN BREWER.
Among the prominent citizens of Greene county
who are well known because of the part they have taken
in private, public and business life is the gentleman whose
name appears at the head of this sketch and who is the
son of Lorenzo Dow and Matilda (Goodman) Brewer,
lObb BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
ha\ing been born January 19, i860. Tlie Brewer family
came from Virginia, the subject's father having been
thirteen years old, having been born in 1816. v^fhen his
father settled in Stafford township, where Lorenzo
Brewer spent his life. He was a justice of the peace for
sixteen years and was a minister of the Baptist church,
having been ordained at Bethel, but he devoted most of
his life to farming. However, he did a great deal of
preaching. He became a very properous man, owning
two hundred and forty acres of land, and he also had
(me thousand and live hundred dollars at the time of his
death, whicli nccurred in 1891, when he had reached the
age of seventy-live years. His wife was bom in 1818.
Seven children were born to this union, five of whom
are living. Joseph I. Brewer, the subject of this sketch,
worked on his father's farm during the summer months
and attended the countiy schools in the winter time, dur-
ing his boyhood, taking a delight in ministering to the
wants of his aged parents. In 188 1 he was united in mar-
riage with Jennie E. Trinkle, whose parents, William F.
and Jemima (Good) Trinkle, were old settlers of Greene
county. Like her husband, she received a good com-
mon school education. The following children of the
subject and wife are all living in 1908: Rosa M., age
twenty-five; Emma E., who is twenty-three, is a graduate
of the high school in Knox county and is a student in the
State Normal in 1908; Gilbert W., who is twenty-one
years old, is a graduate of the common schools; Nellie
]\I., who is nineteen years old, is a graduate of the com-
mon schools; Hallie J. is thirteen years old and Cora
E. is nine years of ag"e.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I089
Mr. Brewer has mucli valuable land, having a farm
of three hundred and twenty-five acres in Greene coun-
ty and one in Knox county consisting of one hundred
and twenty-five acres, the total value of both being twen-
ty-five thousand dollars. About fifty acres of this valu-
able landed estate was inherited by the subject, the bal-
ance he has made himself, which fact shows that he is
not only a man of unusual business ability, but also a
man of great industry. In connection with looking after
the agricultural end of his farms, Mr. Brewer handles a
great deal of stock, sometimes shipping to market and
often selling to local buyers, and in the handling of
stock he shows that rare judgment which he has always
exercised in his other business. He is a Democrat and
a trustee in the Baptist church at Bethel.
Mr. Brewer has always maintained a reputation for
square dealing and upright business principles, and as a
result he has the unqualified respect of all those living
in his community.
BERLIN STAFFORD.
Berlin Stafford, the subject of this review, is a
gentleman of high standing, to whom has not been denied
a fair measure of success. He is distinctively one of the
representative citizens of Stafford township, Greene coun-
ty, Indiana, and has long been recognized as a factor of
importance in connection with the agricultural interests
of the county, having been closely connected with the
69
1090 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
material growth and prosperity throughout his long life,
for he was born here December 15, 1835, the son of Ben-
jamin and Martha (Ball) Stafford, the fomier having
been nine years old when he was brought to this county
from Kentucky by Benjamin Stafford, grandfather of the
subject, in 18 18, and after whom Stafford township was
named. Isaiah Ball, the subject's maternal grandfather,
sei-ved his country as a private in the War of 181 2 and
died in the army, in which he enlisted from one of the
southern states.
Desiring to foster the traditions of his ancestors,
who were renowned for their patriotic impulses, and not
being able to overcome the patriotic ardor that he natural-
ly felt when the dark clouds of rebellion threatened the
Union, our subject enlisted in Company C, Twenty-first
Regiment Volunteer Infantry, in July, 1861, sei-ving with
honor in this company for fifteen months and nine days.
After he was mustered out he came home in 1864, but
was drafted in the Ninth Indiana Volunteer Regiment,
in which he served until the close of the war. He now
receives a pension of fifteen dollars per month.
Mr. Stafford was united in marriage in 1866 to
Sarah F. Brewer, daughter of Aaron Brewer, an old
settler in Green county, who came here from Virginia.
Four children have been bom to the subject and wife
as follows: Martha A., wife of Charles Brewer, has
three children, Orpha, Ina and Maud ; Robert Lee, a car-
penter by trade, who lives in Stafford township : Emniett
is a farmer living in Illinois; Lillie J. is the wife of Joe
Harris, who lives in Illinois.
The subject's wife was called to her eternal reward
on May 3, 1Q04, after a serene and devoted life.
GREEiNE COUNTY, INDIANA. lOQI
Mr. Stafford lias a farm of sixty acres whicli has
been so carefully and skillfully managed that its soil is
just as rich as it ever was, producing all kinds of grains
and grasses. The subject has also shown that he under-
stands the successful handling of stock, and now, in
the golden evening of his life, he is enjoying the fruits
of his early toil, spending his days in peace, comfort and
plenty, being the recipient of the kindly regard of the
great acquaintance which he can claim, being honored
for his honest and upright life, which he has been con-
tented to spend on his native hills.
JOHNSON HILL.
Johnson Hill is by profession a teacher, but has
devoted his later life to agricultural pursuits, having
early become familiar with the details of farm labor, and
in the public schools, which he attended as opportunities
afforded during his minority, later attending the Indiana
State University for two years, he has received an educa-
tion which has not only enabled him to transact success-
fully the duties of an active and progressive life, but
also to gain popularity as an instructor to the younger
generations, having taught seven years, part of the time
in Freelandsville, so that his life has been a twofold suc-
cess. Johnson Hill first saw the light of day on March 2,
1845, i" Stafford township, Greene county, where he has
always preferred to reside. He is the son of John and
Jane (Johnson) Hill, the former having been born in
1092 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Mainland in 1788. He moved near Bloomfield in 1822,
settling in the woods in Richland township, and he built
the first jail in Greene county. He served as treasurer of
Greene county in the early forties and was township
trustee. He was a Whig and later a Republican and a
Baptist. He moved to Stafford township in 1832. where
he fanned, becoming comfortably situated, and lived until
•1870, dying at the age of eighty-two. He had been
three times married. The mother of the subject came
to Indiana in 181 1 and settled near Carlisle, Sullivan
county, where she married the subject's father. She is
now deceased. Seven children were bom to this union,
four of whom are living, namely: Peter, Abraham L.,
of California; John W., and Johnson, our subject. ]\Ir.
Hill's great-grandfather, Johnson, was a captain in the
Rexolutionary Army and the grandfather, Peter Johnson,
fought in the ^^'ar of 1812. The Johnsons were from
Virginia and the Hills were of Scotch-Irish descent.
In 1876 our subject married Margaret A. Ander-
son, who was called to her reward four years later. Two
children were born of this union, one sun-iving infancy,
Hallie, who is now the wife of Charles A. Richardson,
living in Indianapolis. She attended high school and
business college.
Mr. Hill's second marriage was with Emma Louder-
milk, a native of Sullivan county, Indiana. Three chil-
dren, two girls and one boy, have been bom to this union ;
Jennie E., the wife of Oscar L. Lind. living in Stafford
township. The other children are IMabel, who was nine-
teen years old in 1908, and John C, who is sixteen. All
are graduates of the Sandborn high school.
GREEXE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO93
'Sir. Hill lives on the old homestead, which consists
of one hundred and twenty acres of rich and well im-
proved land, which, from year to year yields bounteous
harvests as the result of the owner's skill in managing the
crops and keeping the soil from becoming thin. He also
devotes considerable time to stock i-aising and evinces ex-
cellent judgment in this line. He is a member of the
Baptist church at Bethel, a deacon and trustee of the
same and has served faithfully as Sunday school super-
intendent. Politically our subject is a stanch Republican
and takes a great interest in local politics and public af-
fairs, always ready to lend a hand in ameliorating the
conditions of his county. He is a notary public, having
served in this capacity since Thomas A. Hendricks was
governor. Mr. and Mrs. Hill are spoken of with the
greatest respect and admiration by all their neighbors.
WILLIAM HEXRY GOOD.
It is nil mere assumption that energy and consecu-
tive application will eventuate in success in nearly every
instance, and proof is afforded in the case of William
Good, who is one of the prosperous farmers of Stafford
township. Greene county, Indiana, where his well im-
pro\'ed fami received his careful attention from year to
year. Mr. Good is th&son of Jacob and Mary J. (Ram-
sey) Good, was born in the township where he now
resides and where he has always preferred to live,
January 2;^. 1865. The father of our subject, Jacob
I094 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Good, was bom in \"irginia about 1824. and was brought
by liis parents to Indiana when he was nine years old,
settHng in Stafford township. Greene county, where he
spent his Hfe. George Good, the grandfather of the
subject, entered land in this township and also spent his
life here.
To Jacob Good and wife the following children were
born: William H.. the subject of this sketch: Maggie
X.. wife of Dan Page, who lives in Linton, this county;
Clara E., the wife of Oliver \\'illiains, who lives in Staf-
ford township: Charles F., who lives in Stafford town-
ship.
\Villiam H. lived on his father's farm, attending
school during his boyhood days, receiving a fairly good
education. On March 27, 1884, he Avas united in mar-
riage to Laura A. Brewer, daughter of Lewis and Nancy
J. (Dauthit) Brewer. The father of Mrs. Good came
to this county in 1829 when six years old and lead a
successful life, dying January 16. 1892. The wife of
the subject was born May 21, 1864. She applied herself
well to her text-books and received a good common school
education. Five children have been born to this union,
four surviving infancy. They are. Flora, Cora. Lewis,
and May. Lewis is a graduate of the common schools.
He has taught several schools in a most satisfacton,'
manner. He has attended the Marion Normal School.
The subject and wife are both members of the
L'nited Brethren church, the libeeal wing of the branch.
The subject is an active worker in the Democratic party
and was at one time the candidate for township assessor.
Although the subject's farm is not yeiy large, it
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. IOg5
is very productive and well improved and is a splendid
place to live, being well kept and attractively located.
The subject is a splendid judge of stock and likes good
horses. Both he and his wife are regarded as among
the best people in their community, being honest and
hard workers.
WILLIA^I HEITMAX. Jr.
\\'illiam Heitman, Jr., another repesentative farmer
and industrious citizen of Stockton township, who is a
scion of the hardy sons of the German Empire, is the
genial gentleman whose life history we herewith append
in brief, to show that his life has been one eminently
worthy of representation in this volume along with those
of representative and highest citizenship of Greene coun-
ty. Mr. Heitman was bom October 4, 1869, the son of
Henr}' Heitman, a pioneer and highly respected citizen
of this county, who was also a native of Stockton town-
ship, having been bom there when this countrv' was
scarcely more than a wildemess, and who ranks with
those worthy characters who subdued the wilderness and
the savage and blazed the way for succeeding genera-
tions to bless the earth. The mother of our subject was,
prior to her marriage, Anna Raymaker, whose birth
occurred on Geniian soil, not having become a resident
of the land of Stars and Stripes until she was nine years
old. The other children born to Henry and Anna Heit-
man were, Henry, Sena, wife of William Bovenschen, a
fanner, living in Stockton township: Mar\-. wife of
Isaac Bunch, living at Linton.
1096
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
William Heitman, Jr.. was married in April. 1896.
to Helena Berns, daughter of Jacob Bems, a Stockton
township faiTner. To this union have been bom the fol-
lowing children, all of whom are interesting and promis-
ing: Ethel, Mabel and Clarence.
The well improved farm of our subject contains
about one hundred acres, lies two miles south of Linton
in an excellent farming community, and only a cursory
glance will show that it ranks with the other fanus in
that vicinity in point of improvements, cleanliness and
productiveness, owing to the fact that the subject has
directed his undivided attention to its fields for a num-
ber of years, in a manner that could not but elicit praise-
worthy results, excellent crops being reaped from it
yearly in proper rotation, leaving the soil not thin and
in time valueless, but strengthened and enriched owing
to the skill with which it is tilled. Mr. Heitman also de-
votes some time to handling stock, which forms iki small
part of his annual income.
Mr. Heitman and wife are members of the Gennan
Refomied church, in which they take considerable in-
terest and attend as regularly as possible. They are re-
garded as plain, honest and progressive farm people,
against whom no one can attach any blame or adverse
criticism in their dailv walk.
JAMES E. TALBOTT.
? medical profession has an able and worthy rep-
\-e in Linton in the person of the subject. Dr.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. lOQJ
James E. Talbott, whose career lias Ijeeii characterized l^y
the success and continuous advancement that invariably
attend the master of his calling. As a physician he has
won distinction through his devotion to this great profes-
sion and as a citizen he commands a high degree of confi-
fidence and esteem in no respect secondary to his pro-
fessional status. Dr. Talbott is a native of Indiana and
a son of James and Margaret (Gibbons) Talbott. both
born in Kentucky. These parents located in Putnam
county some time prior to the birth of the subject, which
occurred March 17. 1848. and five days after the latter
event the mother died, thus depriving the child of a lo\--
ing care and tender, guidance which no other earthly
agency can supply. When but two years old he was
further bereaved by the death of his father, after which
he became an inmate of the home of Frank Talbert. with
whom he remained during the ensuing six years, at the
expiration of which time he went to live with his brother-
in-law. Harrison Ferguson, at Bloomfield. Still later the
lad found a home with another brother-in-law, \\illiam
P. Stropes, and in this way he grew to young manhood
without parental influence and a stranger to the loving
ministrations and beautiful amenities of life which are
unknown outside the home, where a mother's and father's
li>ve abound. The doctor has one brother and three sis-
ters, viz. : Sarah E., wife of ^V. P. Stropes. and Mary C.
widow of Harrison Ferguson, who died in the army.
The brother, Nathaniel A., died from the effects of mili-
tary sen-ice. and Lutitia. deceased, and a half-brother.
Daniel M. Talbott. now a resident of Earl Park, Indiana.
Dr. Talbott was a mere lad when taken bv his rela-
1098 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
tives in Blnomfield. and spent his early life in that city,
entering at the proper age the public schools of the same,
in which he laid the foundation of the solid mental train-
ing he subsequently received. Actuated by a laudable
ambition to increase his scholastic knowledge so as to fit
himself for efficiency in the profession he decided to make
his life work, he afterward became a student of Hanover
College, attending" for one year that institution. He
dien took up the study of medicine at Bloomfield under
the tutorship of Dr. J. W. Gray, under whose able in-
struction he prosecuted his researches for a period of
three years, making substantial progress the mieanwhile.
In 1870 he entered the Ohio Medical College at Cin-
cinnati, and, after attending one course of lectures, re-
turned to Greene county and began the practice of medi-
cine at Marco, where he remained until the fall of 1874,
when, feeling the need of a more thorough professional
jireparatinn. he resumed his studies in the above insti-
tution and pursued the same until finishing the prescribed
Cdurse. graduating with the degree of Doctor of Medicine
the following year.
Returning to Marco. Dr. Talbott entered with re-
newed zeal into the practice, and in due time built quite
an extensive and lucrative professional business, earning
an honorable reputation as a capable physician, attaining
worthy prestige among the disciples of the healing art in
Greene county, besides gaining a warm place in the af-
fections of the large number of patients whose sufferings
he alleviated and whose ills and ailments he healed. With
the \iew of enlarging his s])here of activity in a wider
and more favorable field, the doctor in i8i-)4 moved to
GREENE COUNTYj INDIANA. IO99
Linton, where he lias since remained, liis professional
business since that time fully meeting his expectations
and giving him additional repute among the representa-
tives of his profession in this part of the. state. He has
labored zealously and effectively and not only gained
precedence as one of the leading professional men of the
cit}' in which he practices, but in the domain of citizen-
ship his standing- is second to that of none of his fellow-
men, occupying as he does, a conspicuous place in the
public gaze, and discharging every duty that devolves
upon him with commendable fidelity. He is a Demo-
crat in politics, sensed on the local board of pension e.x-
aminers during the second administration of President
Cleveland, and as a member of the city council has been
instrumental in bringing about much important munici-
pal legislation, besides in various ways taking an active
interest in furthering the city's development.
Dr. Talbott is a Mason of high standing and influ-
ence and is also a leading member of the Pythian lodge
of Linton. In religious faith he holds to the Methodist
creed, and. with his wife, is identified with the church in
Linton and an active participant in the work of the con-
gregation.
Dr. Talbott was married on the 12th of August.
1875. to Ann E. Adamson of Marco. Lidiana. daughter
of George and Mary (Hunter) Adamson. and is the
father of five living children, namely: William B.. mar-
ried and residing in Linton; Edwin R., also a married
man and by trade a plumber: George M.. who has a
family, is an engineer employed by the Linton Water
Works Company : John E. is a medical student at the In-
IIOO BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
diana University, and James E., who is purs
studies in the schools of Linton. Myrtle, the onl
ter. died in infancy.
JOSEPH WIXGLER.
Joseph \\ ingler was born in A\'ashing"ton county.
Indiana, December 25, 1839. He is the son of John and
Nancy (Miller) \Ving-ler, both natives of North Carolina.
John was the son of Francis, Wingler, a native of North
Carolina, wh() came to Washington county, Indiana,
early in the nineteenth century and took up government
land, which he converted into a farm. Nancy Miller
was the daughter of Frederick Miller, also of North
Carolina, who came to Greene county early in the last
centuiw. where he lived, farmed and died. John was
a farmer. He and his wife, who were both members of
the Church of Christ, had thirteen children, as follows :
Samuel, Franklin, William, Elizabeth, all deceased; Jo-
seph, the subject of this sketch : John, living in Illi-
nois ; Francis, living in Washington county, Indiana, and
Delitha, also living- there; Nancy Jane, deceased: Jacob
living in Washington county: Isaac, deceased: Eli. living
in ^^'ashington -county, and Sarah, deceased.
The subject of this sketch was raised on his father's
farm and received what education he could in the com-
mon schools. He remained at home until he enlisted
March 6, 1862, in Company I. Sixtieth Indiana \''()lun-
teer Infantry. He was sent from Davis. Indiana, where
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. HOI
lie enlisted, to Indianapolis, where he guarded prisoners.
He then went into Kentucky and Virginia, participating
in the battle of Murfreesboroug-h, Kentucky, where he
was taken prisoner, but was paroled and later exchanged,
returning to Kentucky. He was in the siege of Vicks-
burg ; then was sent to Arkansas Post on the White river,
where the}- captured a fort with about five thousand
prisoners. The subject was then taken sick and was
sent to a hospital, where he remained until discharged
from sen-ice in May, 1863, at St. Louis, Missouri. His
disability resulting from lung disease resulted in his dis-
charge. He returned home and did but little work for
two years, then he went to fanning in Washington coun-
ty. Indiana. He came to Greene county, Indiana, in
1864 and settled in Washington township on the farm
he now owns. He has one hundred and twenty-seven
acres, which was covered with timber when he purchased
it. He drained and cleared it and now has a well im-
proved fann.
Mr. \^'ingler married Celia Ann Xewsom in 1867.
She was bom in Jefferson township, Greene county, and
was the daughter of Jacob and Delitha (Miller) New-
som, both natives of North Carolina. They came to
Greene county when small and married there. They
farmed there and spent the rest of their lives on the
place where they first settled, always being regarded as
good Christians. The Newsom family consisted of
twelve children, namely : Joseph, who lives in Nebraska ;
Caroline, deceased ; Celia, wife of the subject ; James,
Sarah and Thomas, all deceased; Jane, living in Ne-
braska; Isaac, deceased; John, living in Missouri; Mary,
deceased ; the two youngest dynig unnamed.
II02 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Joseph Wingler and wife had eight children. They
were : James, who died in childhood ; Joseph and John,
who also died early in life; Maiy first married James
Fuel and they had three children, Ernest, Joseph, Lola.
All these grandchildren make their home with the sub-
ject of this sketch. Mary married the second time, her
last husband being Simmie Marlow. She makes her
home with her father, Mr. Wingler. Nancy was the
fifth child of the subject. She died in childhood. Lessie
and Maude are also deceased. The latter was the wife
of Jonathan Hinman. She left one child, Lona, who
lives with her grandparents. Jacob Eli, the youngest of
the subject's children, is deceased.
The subject is an independent voter. He and his
wife are members of the Church of Christ. The fomier
is a deacon in the church at Mt. Zion. Mr. Wingler is
engaged in general farming and he raises a good line of
stock, all that the farm will support.
MARION A. THOMAS.
The family of which Marion A. Thomas is a rep-
resentative came to Indiana from Pennsylvania and
settled originally in Daviess county, where the subject's
grandfather engaged in carpentry and the construction of
mills. This ancestor, who was of Welsh descent, was
born in Pennsylvania in the year 1802, migrated west-
ward in 1835. and after a residence of some years in
Daviess county, changed his abode to the county of
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I IO3
Greene, where his death occurred on January i, 1879.
In his native state he did a thriving business as a ship
carpenter and millwright, and after becoming a resident
of Indiana, followed the latter trade in connection with
building and also devoted some attention to agriculture.
He also constructed flat boats in an early day to carry
produce to New Orleans and intermediate points on the
Mississippi river and earned wide repute as a skillful
mechanic. Hs wife, who was Elizabeth Lillie. was born
December 19, 181 1, near where her parents were very
early settlers. They, with other pioneers, were frequently
obliged to take refuge in a block house to escape massacre
by the Indians, and e.xperienced all the vicissitudes com-
mon to the perilous times in which they lived. Of the
five children of this estimable couple, John Thomas,
whose birth occurred on the 24th of March, 1845, was
the fourth in number. When a young man, John Thomas
taught school for some years and later engaged in agri-
cultural pursuits near Newberr\% Greene county, where
he married and reared a family. The maiden name of
his wife was Martha J. Benham. She was born May 3,
1852, the daughter of Israel and Amanda Benham, early
settlers of Greene county, and departed this life, Septem-
ber 20, 1892.
Marion A. Thomas, son of John and Alartha
Thomas, is a native of Greene county, born on the family
homestead near Newberry July 17, 1873. He was reared
to fann labor, and after completing the common school
course entered the Northern Indiana Normal University
at Valparaiso, from the commercial department of which
he was graduated in due time with a creditable record.
I 104 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
'Sir. Thomas engaged in merchandising at Xewberry and
cijntinued that line of trade until 1906. when he disposed
of his stock the better to make the race for county re-
corder, for which office he was nominated that year by
the Democratic party.
Since the above date, ^Nlr. Thomas has devoted his
attention to the insurance and real estate business at
Jasonville, in connection with which he also transacts
the duties of town treasurer, moving to the latter place
in 1 90 1. He has been a leader of the local Democracy
for some years. He has filled all the offices in the
Pythian lodge, to which he belongs, and as a zealous and
consistent Methodist is active in the various lines of
church work and an influential member of the congre-
gation worshiping at Jasonville.
Mr. Thomas, on April 29, 1899, was united in the
bunds of wedlock to Pearl Brown (see sketch of Captain
Bruwn). who has presented him with two childrai,
Charles M. and Pearl, the fomier born ]\Iay 19, 1902,
the latter on the 12th of May, 1906. Mrs. Thomas is
a member of the Christian church.
ALFRED M. BEASLEY.
Alfred \l. Beasley. attorney at law and one of the
leading members of the Greene county bar, is a native
of Martin county, Indiana, and a descendant of Scotch-
Irish ancestors, who came to this countn,^ from. England
in colonial times and settled in Vriginia. On the ma-
GREENE COUNTY^ INDIANA. I IO5
ternal side he is of English extraction, antecedents of
his mother's family having been among the early pioneers
of North Carolina. Aaron Beasley, subject's father, was
bom March i, 1831, in Lawrence county, Indiana, and
married in the year 1852. Rebecca Barnes, whose birth
occurred on the 15th day of May, 1832, in the county
of Martin. Having devoted the greater part of his life
to agricultural pursuits and meeting with success in his
chosen calling. Aaron Beasley is now living in retire-
ment at Linton, though still owning the homestead in
Martin county on which he so long resided. He was a
loyal L'nion man during the rebellion, an ardent support-
er of President Lincoln, and sen-ed during the entire
period of the war as recruiting officer of Martin county.
Physically incapacitated for militarj' duty, he rendered
valuable sei"vice to the state and nation by inducing
others to enter the army, having sent many men to the
front during his incumbency as recruiting officer. Mrs.
Beasley died in 1889, the mother of ten children, Alfred
M. being- the youngest of the number. Winnie, Nancy
J. and Mahala E. died in infancy. James died at the
age of thirty-five. John L. is a large farmer and stock-
raiser of Martin county and trustee of the township in
which he lives. Rebecca is the wife of Lewis Kail, of
Lidian Springs, and Aaron Grant, lives in Linton. Wil-
liam T. is a farmer of Daviess county, this state, and
George, of Linton, is one of the well-known and pros-
perous business men of Greene county.
Alfred M. Beasley was born at Burns City. Martin
county, on the iSth day of April, 1875. After finish-
ing the common school branches he entered the State
70
II06 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Normal School at Terre Haute, with the object in view
of fitting- himself for teaching, which profession he fol-
lowed with marked success for a period of seven years.
Not caring to devote his life to educational work, he dis-
continued it at the expiration of the time indicated, but
meanwhile, actuated by a laudable ambition to increase
his scholastic knowledge, he spent three years in the
State University, and by this splendid mental discipline,
laid broad and deep the foundation for his future career
in one of the most responsible and exacting of the
learned professions. Having decided to make law his
life work, he began the study of the same at Bloomfield
in the office of Cavins and Henderson, and later entered
the law department of the State University, in order that
he might prepare himself for the practice of law, where
he prosecuted his studies and researches until his admis-
sion to the Greene county bar in 1904, since which time
he has practiced at Linton, where he has a large and
lucrative legal business.
Mr. Beasley entered the law with a mind well forti-
fied by mental and professional training, and from the
beginning his practice has grown steadily in volume and
importance until he now occupies a commanding place
among the younger members of a bar long noted for
the high order of its legal talent. He is well versed in
the principles of jurisprudence, familiar with the methods
of practice, and, by reason of his familiarity with the
law, has become a safe and reliable counselor, whose ad-
vice and opinions are seldom, if ever, at fault, and whose
painstaking industrs^ and success in prosecuting or de-
fending causes have gained him an honorable reputation
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 107
and quite an- extensive clientele. At one period he
weilded an intluence in the field of journalism, having for
three years edited the Linton Record, during which time
the paper became ver>' popular and earned for him
creditable repute as a clear, logical writer of vigorous
.English, to say nothing of his facile pen and elegant dic-
tion in treating of the more sentimental subjects.
In politics Mr. Beasley is strongly Republican. In
1900 he was nominated for the legislature, but went
down in defeat with the rest of the ticket, the county
being at that time Democratic by a very large majority.
In secret fraternal and benevolent circles he has long been
quite prominent, especially in Odd Fellowship, being a
leader in the local lodge to which he belongs, besides
holding the high office of grand herald of the Grand
Lodge of Indiana. He has also been prominent in the
encampment. Rebecca lodge and Court of Honor, hav-
ing filled the principal chairs in each and contributed
largely to their growth and success. He holds member-
ship in the Improved Order of Red Men, the Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks and the Fraternal Order of
Eagles, in all of which he has been honored with high
official stations.
Mr. Beasley is a married man and the father of
two living children, who answer to the names of Kern G.
and Ray M. Mrs. Beasley was formerly Miss Anna
Gertrude Morgan, daughter of Thomas and Melissa
Morgan, of Stockton township, the ceremony by which
her name was changed to the one she now bears having
been solemnized on August 31st of the year 1901, and
useless to add that the subsequent life of this couple has
been happy and iiamionious.
II05 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
JA^IES ^lADISOX HLAIPHREYS.
James Madison Humphreys, funeral director and
dealer in furniture, is a native of Greene county, bom on
Lot 3, of the orig-inal plat of Linton. ]\Iarch 6. 1859.
His father, Madison Humphreys, also liom in Greene
county, belonged to one of the earliest pioneer families
of this part of the state and the name has been intimately
associated with the county from the beginning of its his-
tory\ Madison Humphreys was a farmer by occupation,
an honest, hard-working man, and most exemplan* neigh-
bor and citizen. By industry and thrift he accumulated a
handsome competence, including valuable land, some of
which is still in possession of his family. In his young
manhood he married Elizabeth Lund, who was bom in
England, but came to this countn- with her parents in
childhood and spent the remainder of her life in Greene
county. Indiana, dying at the age of sixty- four, in 1897.
Mr. Humphreys departed this life December, 1858, about
three months prior to the birtli of the subject of this
sketch. Mr. and Mrs. Humphreys were the parents of
three children that grew to maturity, the oldest of whom,
a son. by the name of Richard, died shortly after attain-
ing his majority. Clara E.. widow of John Middleton.
lives in Terre Haute. Several children died in infancy,
of whom Stephen Hale received a name.
James M. Humphreys received a coinmon school
education, and. when old enough to begin life for him-
self, turned his hands to any kind of honorable labor he
could find to do. In this way he spent the time until his
twenty-first year, when he entered the Clark and Sullivan
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 109
School of Embalming at Indianapolis to fit himself for
the undertaking business, to which he had already de-
voted considerable attention. In due time (1895) he '^^'^^
graduated from that institution, after which he resumed
control of the business he had established five years pre-
\-ious to that date, and which he has since conducted with
success and financial profit, being at this time proprietor
of the largest and most complete furniture and under-
taking establishment in the city. Mr. Humphreys carries
a full stock of the latest and most approved styles of
furniture, also a complete line of caskets and other goods
pertaining to sepulture, and, being an accomplished un-
dertaker, familiar with every detail of the profession,
his patronage has grown steadily in volume and import-
ance until he now easily stands at the head of both lines
of business in the city of Linton. Mr. Humphreys is
a Democrat, but has never held oifice nor sought public
honors of any kind. Like the majority of wide-awake
enterprising men, he manifests a lively interest in frater-
nal matters, being an active and esteemed member of the
Masonic. Elks and Odd Fellows orders, and also belongs
to the insurance organization known as the ^^'oodmen
of the World, and in religion is identified with the
Methodist Episcopal church.
On August 29, 1878, was solemnized the ceremony
by which Mr. Humphreys and Ida B. Listman were made
husband and wife. Mrs. Humphreys is a native of
Stockton township, Greene county, the daughter of
Francis A. and Caroline Listman, and has borne her
husband five children, the oldest of whom, a son, by the
name of Elmer, dying when only six months old. Ira
mo BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
O., the second son, is associated with his fatlier in husi-
ness. He is married and the father of one child. Homer
L.. the third in order of birth, employed in the store, is
also a man of family, consisting of a wife and daughter.
Oscar is his father's assistant, and Mary, the youngest
of the number, is pursuing her studies in the Linton
schools.
Mr. Humphreys was chief of the first fire department
and served fourteen years in the volunteer company and
about three years after the city took up the work as paid
department and is the only one now living of the first
lirigade.
RICHARD P. IRWIN.
Richard P. Irwin is one of the enterprising merchants
of Jasonville. Although a Buckeye by birth, he became a
Hoosier by adoption, having been born in Butler coun-
ty, Ohio, on July 29, 1850, the son of Robert and Jane
(Demoret) Irwin, the fomier being a native of Penn-
sylvania and the latter of Ohio. Robert Irwin was the
only child of the family, and came to Ohio in an early
day, and there finished his days. Mr. Demoret, the ma-
ternal grandfather of our subject, was a Frenchman and
was born in 1760. He came to America during the early
days of our national history, and is reported to have ar-
rived on the same vessel with Lafayette. He was fired
with the same patriotic spirit that pervaded the hearts
of the liberty-loving French, and enlisted under the
American banner during the remainder of the Revolu-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. HI I
tionaiy war. After ths struggle was over he continued
his trade as a cooper and ultimately made his way to
Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1815 he removed to Butler county,
Ohio, and there rounded out his days, passing to rest in
18.20. There were thirteen children bom into the family,
nine of whom reached maturity.
Robert Irwin, father of our subject, was reared to
manhood in the state of Pennsylvania and came to But-
ler county, Ohio, after attaining his majority. He also
followed the cooper's trade and continued in that work
until the end of his days, which occurred at the age of
fifty-two, in the community to which he had come.
Eleven children were bom into this family, eight of whom
attained their majority.
Richard attended a normal course in Ohio, in addi-
tion to the regular instruction afforded by the local
schools of Ohio and Indiana. He was deeply interested
in the question of education and devoted twenty years of
his life to the work of teaching. In this he showed a
fine spirit for professional advancement and took an ad-
\anced stand on questions pertaining to educational work.
In 1 89 1 he decided to enter mercantile life and
tumed his attention to that line. He came to Jasonville
and opened up a drug store, which he continued to con-
duct for three years. He was the justice of the peace
and postmaster and engaged in general merchandise to
the present time.
One of Mr. Irwin's brothers, Joseph, was a member
of an Indiana regiment during the Civil war, and did
valiant ser\'ice in the cause of Old Glory.
In 1894 Richard Irwin was joined in marriage to
1 1 12 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Sarali Giljson, a most estimable lady, bom in Ohio, and
tlic ilaughter of Lewis and Louisa (Trego) Gibson.
They were industrious and energetic, coupling this with
a wholesome Christian spirit which made them most de-
sirable neighbors.
Mr. and Mrs. Irwin are active members of the
Methodist Episcopal church, contributing liberally both
(if their time and means to the progress of the church
work in the community. In addition to this Mr. Irwin
has been an interested worker in the local lodg-es. He
is a member of the Masonic fraternity, being past master,
also a member of the Red Men and the Tribe of Ben
Hur. He is a Denmcrat in politics and in addition to
the officer nunii-ined ahnve he has .served as town clerk.
\VILL.\RD JON.\S HASTINGS.
W'illard Jonas Hastings, the subject of this biog-
ra]ili\. Ill it I inly had the enterprise to take hold of op-
|)i'rtuimR's a^ the)- arose, but had the energy to _ push
them forw ard to a successful issue. He is a Greene coun-
ty citizen, having been bom near Bloomfield August 21,
1869. His parents, James M. and Margaret (Slinkard)
Hastings, were also Hoosier bom and his paternal grand-
father. William Hastings, was an early settler in Daviess
county, Indiana, having taken up a tract of government
land, w'hich he brought under cultivation and to which
he subsequently made additions, accumulating in time a
substantial fnoting as a farmer. Eight children were
GREENE COUNTY^ INDIANA. 11^3
Mr. Hastings's maternal grandfather, Air. Slinkard,
was a merchant who carried on business both at New-
berry and at Vincennes. He was of an energetic tem-
perament and succeeded in estabhshing a thrifty vohtme
of trade. He and his wife were esteemed memliers of
the Lutheran church.
Mr. Hastings, our subject, received his early educa-
tion in the county public schools, and showed industry
and power of application even as a boy in school. His
studious temperament led him later to take up more ad-
vanced work, and he attended for several terms the Cen-
tral Normal College at Danville.
After spending about four years at farming on his
own responsibility, he laid plans for entering mercantile
life. For two years he operated a general store at Elli-
son, meeting with gratifying success. This was followed
by a change to Jasonville. where he was engaged in a
like occupation for two years longer. Seeing favorable
opportunity for a change, he became engaged for the
next three years in the real estate business, after which
he established the repsent hardware concern. In this
he has also met with signal success. He maintains an
excellent class of stock, and stands high in business
circles as a man of good judgment and keen dis-
crimination.
In 1897 Mr. Hastings was joined in marriage to
Lizzie Gheen, daughter of John H. and Mary (Tliom)
Glieen, and this event has been followed by a most pleas-
ant and happy home life. Four children have graced
this union, two of whom are deceased. The sur\'iving
ones are Aulta, the first born, and Maiy Margaret, one
of twins.
1 1 14 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Mr. and Airs. Hastings are fully alive to their obli-
gatiims, ndt only as parents and neighbors, but as mem-
bers of society as well. They afifiliate with the Christian
denomination and are ready and willing supporters of
the religious duties devolving upon the community.
Furthermore. Mr. Hastings has found time in the
midst of his busy career to join in the fraternal life of
the neighborhood, having affiliated himself with the
Masons and also the Elks. In both of these orders he
is regarded as a valuable exponent of the tenets of the
urder, being ready at all times to discharge his full
iil)ligati(ins as oppurtunity arises.
.Although a Republican, he has never made any ef-
fort at political prominence, but always takes a firm
stand for honest and straightforward management in
public affairs.
THOMAS IRWIX PADGETT, M. D.
Paternally Dr. Padgett is of Scotch extraction, his
mother's family being of English descent. His grand-
father, Benedict Padgett, came to this countr}' from
Scotland when a lad of twelve, and, after spending some
time in Mandand, moved with his parents to Pennsyl-
vania, thence to Ohio, and still later, to Greene county,
Indiana, where he spent the remainder of his life, dying
at the age of seventy-six years. He was a tailor by
trade, a zealous Presbj-terian in his religious faith and is
remembered as a man of many sturdy qualities, whos.e
influence was ever on the side of morality and correct
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. , 1 1 15
living and whose death was deeply lamented by all
who knew him.
George David Padgett, father of the doctor, was
the oldest of a family of seven children, and by occupa-
tion a tiller of the soil, in addition which he also spent
some years as a teacher in the public schools. He came
to Indiana when a young' man, bought a farm in Greene
county, on which he spent the remainder of his days, de-
parting this life at the age of fifty-six. His wife, Lydia
Irwin, a native of Ohio and a descendant of one of the
early English immigrants to that state, bore him seven
children, of whom the doctor is the third in order of
birth. Dr. Thomas I. Padgett is a native of Greene
county, Indiana, and dates his birth from September
1 6th of the year of 1862. He was reared to the honor-
able pursuit of agriculture and received his preliminary
mental discipline in the public schools, subsequently com-
pleting a high school course, and after his graduation
devoted four years to farm labor. Having decided to
make the medical profession his life work, he entered,
at the expiration of the time indicated, the Hospital
Medical College, Louisville, Kentucky, from which he was
graduated June 18, 1889, into the degree of Doctor of
Medicine, and immediately thereafter located at Pleasant-
ville, Sullivan county, where he practiced his profession
with encouraging success during the eight years ensuing,
when he sought a larger and more inviting field in the
city of Terre Haute.
The doctor remained at the latter place from 1897
to 1901, when he removed to JasonviHe, where he has
since practiced with success and financial profit, and, as
IIlO BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
previously stated, he is now recognized as one of the
most progressive physicians and surgeons in his section
of the state, besides attaining enviable standing as a pub-
lic spirited citizen. In the year 1882 Dr. Padgett was
united in marriage with Nellie Gilmore, of Sullivan coui:-
ty, Indiana, daughter of Reuben and Caroline (Thixton)
Gilmore, who died in 1897, leaving two children, Alta,
bom in 1884, wife of John E. Young, and George David,
whose birth occurred in 1887. The doctor's second mar-
riage was solemnized in 1899 with Mrs. Eva E. Wright
(nee Young), who was born in 1872 in Vigo county,
the union being without issue.
In politics Dr. Padgett is a Democrat, but not an
ardent politician, devoting so much time to his profes-
sion that he has little leisure for public matters. He is
identified with the Masonic, Independent Order of Odd
P""elli:>ws and Knights of Pythias fraternities, and in re-
ligion the Baptist church holds his creed.
^^'1LLIAAI HEXRY HIXON. M. D.
Few medical men of Greene county have achieved
the distinctive success in their profession or risen to the
conspicuous place in public esteem as the well known and
popular physician and surgeon whose name introduces
this sketch. Dr. William Henry Hixon. a native of
Owen county, Indiana, and for many years one of the
leading men of his calling in the county of Greene, is
descended fmm Scotch-Irish ancestry, and traces his
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. HI/
genealogy back to an early period in the history of
Pennsylvania, from which state his paternal grandfather
moved to Ohio in pioneer times, thence, about 1850, to
Owen county, Indiana, when he entered land, improved
a farm and spen-t the remainder of his days. Of the
familv of eight children left by this ancestor, the last
member, a daughter, died in June. 1908, at the advanced
age of eighty-seven years. George Reed, of Delaware,
one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence,
was an uncle of the paternal grandmother of Dr. Hixon.
William Hixon. the doctor's father, was the third
of the above family in order of birth. He was a farmer
by occupation, spent the greater part of his life in Owen
county and then died at the age of sixty-two years. His
wife, who bore the maiden name of Lydia Isennoggle,
lived to be eighty-two years old and was the mother of
four children, namely: Thomas :\I., Jnhn \\'., William
Henry, of this review, and :\Iary B., now Mrs. William
M. Mellick. of Owen county. William and Lydia Hixon
were a pious. God-fearing couple, active workers in the
Methodist church and much given to good works.
.\mnng the poiir and needy of their neighborhood they
lived full lives, reared their children to honorable man-
h()od and womanhood, and left to their descendants
names and characters above reproach.
Dr. William H. Hixon was born December 21,
1853. spent his early life under the parental roof in
Owen county and received his education in the public
schools. When a young man he turned his attention to
carpentry, which he followed for a period of ten years
and then took up the study of medicine, which he prose-
IIIO BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
cuted under the direction of a competent perceptor dur-
ing tlie three years following. Actuated by a laudable
desire to add to his professional knowledge, he subse-
quently entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons
at Indianapolis, and, after a course at that institution,
located at Vandalia, Owen county, where, in due time,
he built up quite a lucrative practice. At the expiration
of two years the doctor left that place and opened an
office at Catterac, but after a year there moved to Adel,
where he remained three years in the enjoyment of a
very satisfactory professional business, changing his
residence, at the end of the time indicated, to Xewark.
After spending four years at the latter point, Dr.
Hixon located at the town of Farmers, where, during
a period of eighteen consecutive years, he built up an ex-
tensive practice and won enviable standing in the line of
his calling, forging to the front among the representative
professional men of his part of the state and gaining much
more than local repute as a skillful ph3rsician and surgeon.
From Fanners he removed to Jasonville, where he has
followed his chosen calling for four years with the suc-
cess that has marked his career since the beginning, and
where he not only holds an influential place among his
professional brethren, but stands high socially and kee'ps
in close touch with all enterprises and movements which
tend to benefit the public and advance the interests of his
fellow men.
Dr. Hixon has been twice married, the first time on
February 20. 1876, to Rosetta Huey. daughter of Xathan
Huey. of Owen county, who bore him the following chil-
dren : ]Mabel. Viom September 7. 1877, died on the 13th
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. lUQ
day of the same month; Thornton, born January i8,
1888, died, on the 3d of the month following; Daisy D.,
born September 19, 1881 ; Mary J., born May 18, 1884,
and Eva May, whose birth occurred December 2, 1886.
After the death of the mother of these children the doctor
altered the marriage relation with Laureeta McClarren.
of Greene county, the ceremony taking place in June,
1895, the union being blessed with three offspring — Wil-
liam J. B., born August 28, 1896, now deceased; Marga-
ret, July 25, 1897, and Dewey, who first saw the light of
day on August 3, 1898. The doctor's first wife was a
member of the Christian church, his present companion
being a Methodist and a zealous worker in the local con-
gregation with which she is identified. Fraternally Dr.
Hixon is a Mason and a member of the Knights of
Pjlhias, Independent Order of Red Men, the Modern
\\'oodnien and Knights and Ladies of Honor.
Dr. Dixon owns business and residence property in
Jasonville and is consequently interested in all that pro-
motes its welfare. In politics he is a Democrat, and while
in Owen county he held the office of coroner four years
and justice of the peace nine years, and is at present sec-
retary of the board of health of Jasonville.
JOHN ANDY POE.
Prominent among the families of Greene county is
the one taken up in this review, the subject having been
born in this county on September 9, 1861. He is the son
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
of John and Emaline (Humplirey) Poe. both natives of
Greene county. Mr. Poe's paternal grandfather, John B.
Poe, emigrated to Indiana from Virginia in an early day,
settling in Greene county. He took up unimproved land
and in time transfomied it into a well improved and pro-
ductive farm. He made several trades,' but remained in
the county, passing to his reward while still living in
Wright township, having attained the remarkable age of
almost one hundred years. He was a devoted worker in
the Baptist church, in which he was a trustee for several
years. He was the father of six children.
Our subject's maternal grandfather, Andy Hum-
phrey, was bom in Putnam county, Indiana, and after
reaching manhood began life as a blacksmith. He was
made justice of the peace in his district and later was
sent from Greene county to the state legislature. Here
he sen'ed continuously for fourteen terras. When not
on duty at the state capital he continued the management
of his farm. He served out the unexpired term of "Blue
Jeans" Williams, and during his last term was joint sen-
ator from Sullivan and Greene counties. He then removed
to Linton, Indiana, and there ended his days at the age
of eighty-three years. He was a devout member of the
Baptist church and has left to his children the heritage of
a clean and well spent career.
Our subject's father received his early education in
the public schools of Greene county. He made fanning
his life work and died at the age of sixty-three, being sur-
vived to the present time by his companion in life, who
is now living at Linton at the age of sixty-four.
John A. Poe, our subject, was also educated in the
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. H^I
county scliools. He remained at home until reaching- his
majority. He later went to Kansas, but returned to
Greene county, after a short absence. He has come into
possession of a valuable farm, but after removing to Ja-
sonville engaged in the feed business in connection with
the handling of real estate.
In June of the year 1884 Mr. Poe was married to
Eliza Ellen Elwood, who was born in Iowa September 27,
1859. She was the daughter of John and Eliza Elwood.
]Mr. and Mrs. Poe have become the parents of eight chil-
dren, here enumerated in order of birth : Cleo, bom in
1887, is the wife of Albert Cole, and is the mother of one
child; Otto was born in 1889; Leon was bom in 1892:
Don, 1894; French, 1896; Rex, 1901 ; Kennett, 1903 ; and
Lloyd, 1905.
Mr. and Mrs. Poe have not only proven themselves
to be admirable parents, training their children to strive
for high ideals in character and achievement, but have en-
deavored to set an example of Christian piety before all
with whom they come in contact. They are devoted mem-
bers of the Baptist church, and have been of great service
in promoting- interest and efficiency in Sunday school
work.
Mr. Poe has been for many j'ears an exemplary Odd
Fellow, having passed through all of the chairs, and is
now sei-ving as treasurer for the local lodge. He has
won the confidence of friends by his love for fair dealing,
and has served as supei-visor, as men-iber of the township
advisor}' board and as president of the town board. In
all of these activities he has measured up fully to the ex-
pectations of neighbors and friends.
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
JOHN B. ^^'ORKMAN.
One of the solid and substantial citizens of Lyons,
Greene county, is he whose name appears above, and he is
eminently worthy of a place in this volume, having spent
all of his well regulated life in this county, where he was
bom November 25, 1852, the son of John and Lucy
(Shields) Workman, and the grandson of Josiah Shields,
a Virginian, who came to Indiana, where he fanned until
his death, dying at a very old age, having been preceded
by his wife, to whom seven children were born.
John and Pleasant Shields and Henry Sampson and
Isaac Workman, uncles of the subject, were soldiers in the
Union army, having enlisted from Indiana. John Work-
man, the father of the subject, was born in Greene county,
Indiana, and received his early education there in the
common schools. He spent his life on a farm near where
he was raised. He was a member of the Cumberland
Presbyterian church and a Republican. He was survived
In- eight children, only three of whom are living in 1908.
John B. Workman was born and raised in the county,
attending the public schools when a boy and applying him-
self to the best advantage possible. Early in life he went
to farming, which life he successfully followed until four
years ago, when he sold his well improved farm and
bought property at Lyons, where he now resides, a highly
respected citizen. Mr. Workman was married in 1874 to
Mar\- Calvert, who was born July 25. 1855, daughter of
Nimrod and Sarah (Wheeler) Calvert, natives of Ken-
tucky, who came to Indiana sixty years ago. settling on a
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 1 23
farm in Greene county, where they spent the remaining
years of their Hves, he dying at the age of sixty-two years,
she dying a few years later at the age of seventy-two.
They were Baptists and raised five children.
Five children have been born to the subject, John B.
Workman, and wife, as follows : Edward, who is mar-
ried and living in Greene county; Curtis, a blacksmith,
married and living in Greene county ; Ella, the wife of El-
mer Shilkeet, a farmer in the same county; Lustie is also
living in this county, the wife of Emest Spear; Fannie
R. is the wife of Henr>' Rollison, also a fanner living in
Greaie county, Indiana.
Fraternally Mr. Workman is a member of the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a Republican in po-
litical belief, and while he does not aspire to positions of
honor or emolument at the hands of his fellow voters, he
keeps well versed in political movements and always sides
with the right, not only in reference to political subjects,
but all questions. Both he and his wife are members of
the Christian church.
The subject has always been a painstaking, business-
like and industrious man, as his neighbors where he
fanned so successfully for upwards of a half century can
testify, and his sober and honorable everyday life has
won for him the lasting esteem of the entire community.
His children, without exception, have tried to maintain
the high standard of living which he set. and the \\'ork-
man family is given the respect by e\-ery one which it
justly deserves.
1 124 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
JOHN FREELAND STAFFORD.
Among the representative farmers of Greene county,
Indiana, is the subject of this review, who is the owner of
a fine landed estate and canning on the various depart-
ments of liis enterprise with that discretion and energy
which are sure to find their natural sequel in definite suc-
cess. To such men as Mr. Stafford we turn with par-
ticular satisfaction as offering in their life histories justi-
fication for works of this character. John F. Stafford is
a native of the county in which he now resides, having
been born May 5. 1S52. His parents, Presley and Sarah
(Moweiw) Stafford, were of English lineage, grandfa-
ther Jesse Stafford having come from England and set-
tled in Kentucky, later coming to Indiana in an early day.
Presley Stafford was raised in Indiana, having worked
on a farm in Washington township, Greene county. He
was bom July 11, 1811, and died I'^ehruary 22. 1S62, his
widow surviving him two years.
The subject of this sketch reccned his early educali- ai
in the public schools of his ccniniunit}-. where he applied
himself in a manner that caused him to outstrip many of
his companions and fellow students. He points with in-
terest to the old log school house which he attended in his
boyhood days, which is now standing on his farm, being-
used as a cow barn. The subject was sent to great-uncle
after his father's death, where he remained until he was
twenty-one, working on a farm and in a saw-mill. After
working for three years as a farm and mill hand he went
on the old homestead, having inherited a part of it and
purchased an additional part fonn his brother. 'Sir. Staf-
GREENE COUNTYj INDIANA. II25
ford still owns this farm, in which there was originally
two hundred and forty acres. He has added to it until he
now owns a very valuable farm, consisting of three hun-
dred and eighty acres. It was originally timbered, but he
has cleared the major portion of it. and carries on general
farming" and stock raising, being particularly sound in his
judgment of good horses and cattle. He also successfully
handles hogs and sheq>, preferring Poland-China hogs.
He prepares his cattle for feeders and usually feeds all the
com the place produces. Mr. Stafford's excellent knowl-
edge of the rotation of crops has resulted in the soil on his
place becoming strengthened as the years go by instead of
depleted and growing thin. It is more productive gener-
ally at present than when he first directed his attention to
it thirty years ago when it came into his possession. He
rotates his crops as he sees the soil requires, using clover
principally to fertilize it instead of commercial fertilizers.
A part of his land is leased on a five years' cash rent, the
balance being used by Mr. Stafford and his son. They
deal extensively in mules, handling large numbers from
time to time.
Mr. Stafford was married on November 4, 1880, to
Allie Shake, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Jarrell)
Shake, both natives of Indiana, their ancestors having
come from Kentucky and settled in the forest in Sullivan
county. Mrs. Stafford's father died when eighty-three
years old ; her mother is still living at eighty-four. The
wife of the subject was bom May 22. 1858, in. Sullivan
county, where she attended the common schools. The
subject has one son, Roscoe Murphy, who was born on
January 14, 1883. He was married April 16, 1902, to
1 126
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Grace Florence Hatfield, and they have one daughter.
Fern Lucile, born June 19, 1905. He is farming on the
old homestead.
Mr. and Mrs. Stafford are members of the Methodist
Episcopal church. In national affairs the former is a
Democrat, but he is an independent voter, always casting
his ballot for the best candidates according to his judg-
ment, which, owing to his careful study of the trend of
events, is usually singularly sound, as it is in his business
affairs. Mr. Stafford enjoys the unstinted esteem of a
wide circle of admiring friends, and he is regarded as
one of the leading citizens in his township.
PETER WHEELER.
In considering the men of wide experience in busi-
ness life we find an interesting example in the character
of our subject, who was bom in Jackson county, Indiana,
February 17, 1865, the son of Jacob and Anna (Callahan)
Wheeler, both natives of this state. Jacob Wheeler fol-
lowed the occupation of farming throughout his days and
was among the most progressive men in his community.
He died when about fifty years of age and is survived by
his wife, Anna, who has acquired the age, at this writing,
of seventy-four years. She is a devout member of the
United Brethren church, and has impressed her personal-
ity upon all who have been fortunate enough to become
closely associated with her. She became the naother of
these children : Tern\ now deceased, was the father of
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 12/
two children; Rushia has also departed this life, leaving
two children ; Frank was likewise gathered to rest, leav-
ing three children, and Robert is deceased.
Peter received his early education in the district
schools of Owen township, Jackson county, making the
most of the opportunities that ofifered themselves. He
applied himself diligently to whatever he undertook, and
in this way formed habits that have been a valuable asset
in his subsequent career. He remained at work on the
farm until nineteen years of age, at which time he went to
Missouri, where he became employed at farm work during
the summer and in winter he engaged in coal mining. In
. the latter work he took considerable interest, and this has
continued to occupy some of his time since. After six
years of life in Missouri he returned to Indiana and be-
came interested in the drug business, and followed it for
several years. Some attention has been given by him also
to bridge construction on railroad work. He has readily
adapted himself to the varied pursuits that have come
within the range of his opportunities, but he finally gave
his attention exclusively to blacksmithing. and has con-
tinued to follow that trade.
Mr. \\'heeler's first marriage took place in 1885, to
Caroline Cairteron, of Nodaway county, Missouri, and to
this union was born one son, William Roy, still living.
Mrs. Wheeler was called hence on August 11, 1886, end-
ing thus a life full of promise for domestic and maternal
usefulness. In March, 1892, Mr. Wheeler was united to
Charlotte Womack, who was born in Johnson county. In-
diana, in 1865. She was the daughter of John and Mar-
garet (Prater) Womack. She has won for herself a host
of friaids and is a member of the Christian church.
1 128 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Mr. Wheeler has managed to find time aside from
his busy career to participate in the social life around him,
and has been especially interested in the work of frater-
nal organizations. He has taken an active part in promot-
ing the growth of several societies and has held many im-
portant offices of trust in these organizations. He has
been treasurer for the Masonic fraternity for some time
and has discharged his duties with skill and exactness.
In the Knights of Pythias he has been chancellor com-
mander and trustee, and in that capacity has succeeded in
spreading materially the popularity of the order, stimulat-
ing its growth appreciably. He has sen-ed for several
years also as treasurer for the miners' union, of which
society he is an active member. As a member '>f the
board of town trustees Mr. Wheeler has given valuable
service to the public, being found at all times punctual and
conscientious in the discharg-e of hi*; duties. It is need-
less to say that his work is higlily apiircciatcd by neigh-
bors and friends.
JOHN CALLAHAN.
There is both lesson and inspiration offered in a con-
sideration of this well known and highly honored citizen
of Lyons, for he has overcome many obstacles in his ca-
reer and won success where hearts less courageous would
have cpiailed and gone down to defeat. He has worked
out his own fortunes and g-ained a position of solidity and
no little precedence in the business world, while his in-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. II29
tegrity of character has brought him into the fa\'orable
regard and unquahfied confidence of all with whi mi he has
come in contact.
John Callahan, who is a native of Daviess county,
Indiana, bom November 14, 1848, is a scion of the sturdy
citizenship of the Emerald Isle, where his paternal grand-
parents lived and died and where his father was born.
His maternal grandfather Heni^y was born in Germany
and settled in Greene county, Indiana, about seventy years
ago, and lived on a fami until his death in 1854. Both
he and his wife were German Lutherans. She lived until
1864, she being blind for several years prior to her death.
They had five children, all now deceased.
John Callahan, the subject of this sketch, attended
school until he was thirteen years old, when he began
caring for himself, working at whatever he could find to
do. He worked out as a farm hand until he was thirty-
four years old, but by habits of economy he saved enough
money during those years to begin business on his own ac-
cord, which he did by opening a grocery store and res-
taurant in Newberry, Indiana, which he conducted for
sixteen months and was obliged to give it up on account
of a physical ailment which made it difficult for him to
stand on his feet. He then went to Indianapolis and took
treatment at the Surgical Institute, where he was greatly
benefited so much that he returned to clerking, which
he followed for eighteen months. Then he moved to Ef-
fingham, Illinois, and engaged in the peddling business on
a wagon, later returning to Lyons and engaging in the
general merchandise business on his own account for three
vears, which he made a success. After conductin.g the
1 130 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Lyons Hotel for a year he and Frank Reed established a
saw-mill and brick yard. He later bought a hardware
and implement store in that town, which he conducted for
about sixteai months, later trading his store for a farm,
which he superintended for five years in a most successful
manner, when he sold it, but he continued farming until
1903. His wife and two stepdaughters own two farms,
which ]\Ir. Callahan superintends, at the same time han-
dling a general line of insurance.
The subject was three times married, first in 1872 to
Talitha C. Hawkins, a native of Greene county, Indiana.
One child was born to this union, which died in infancy.
His first wife survived only one year after her marriage.
In 1880 Mr. Callahan was married a second time. Mrs.
Mary Benham (nee Clogston) being the name of this wo-
man, who had one child by her first husband. One child
was born of this second union, which died in infancy.
The subject's second wife died in 188 1. He was again
married in 1886, his third wife being Mrs. Talitha J. Bo-
gard (nee Skomp), a native of Greene county. She had
four children, two daughters still living. Three children
were bom to the subject by his third wife, namely : W'es-
sie L., who makes his home with his father; Charles, who
died in childhood ; Annie, who lives at home and attends
school. The two daughters of Mrs. Callahan are mar-
ried, one of them, Mrs. Sadie Criss, living in Lyons ; the
other daughter is married to Lon O'Haver, and lives in
Indianapolis.
The subject and wife are both members of the Meth-
odist church. Mr Callahan is a Deniucrat and a pul)lic-
spirited man, altlinugli he does not find time to take an
GREENE COUN
active part in politics. He numbers liis acquaintances a
friends by the score, but his energies are an unkno'
quantity, mathematically speaking.
MELVIX GRAY EDINGTON.
The record of the subject is that of a man who. by
his unaided efforts, has worked his way from a modest be-
ginning to a position of influence and comparative afflu-
ence in his comanunity. His life has been one of unceas-
ing industry and perseverance, and the systematic and
honorable methods which he has followed have won him
the unbounded confidence. of his fellow citizens of Greene
county. Mr. Edington, who conducts a real estate busi-
ness and operates a lumber yard in Lyons, where all his
property is located, was born August 13, 1869, in the
county where he now resides. His father was Francis M.
Eding-ton. who married Docia Miller, both natives of this
county. Grandfather Edington, who was a native of
Ohio, moved to Indiana and spent his life on a farm, rear-
ing seven children. The elder brother, Francis M. Ed-
ington. killed himself accidentally by throwing stones at
a squirrel in a tree. Grandmother Edington lived to be
eighty-five years old, having died in 1906. Grandfather
Miller came from Kentucky to Greene county and was
one of the eariy farmers there. He also had seven chil-
dren. He was a soldier in the Union army and fought in
defense of his country until he died of disease before the
war closed. Grandmother Miller lived to be eighty-six
1 132 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
years old, dying in this county in 1900. llie father of
' our subject was born in 1849 and spent his early life in
working on a farm which he was compelled to care for,
his father dying early. But after he reached matui^ity he
bought a farm of his own. He later sold this and in 1900
purchased another, which he still owns and lives on.
M. G. Edington's early life was not unlike that of
thousands of other boys in Indiana at that time. He spent
it in attending the public schools during the winter months
and working on his father's farm during the summer
months, but his ambition led him to greater efforts than
the majority of his schoolmates showed, so he applied him-
self more assiduously, and also attended the county nor-
mals and prepared himself for a teacher, which profession
he followed for many years with great success. He then
went into the real estate business, locating in Lyons, be-
ing successful in this from the first. But his native busi-
ness ability is capable of looking after many things at one
time, so he later added the lumber business to his enter-
prises and has been reasonably successful in this.
Mr. Edington was happily married in 1888 to Stella
Meredith, the daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Meredith,
the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Missouri.
Jacob Meredith was a soldier in the Civil war. He died in
i8g8. His widow is still living. Six children have been
born to the subject of this sketch and his wife, as follows:
Cledie Ann, now (1908) attending high school; Jacob F.,
also in high school; Harly N., wdio is a graduate of the
common schools; the fourth and fifth children both diefl
in infancy; Man- is living at home and attending the ]nib-
lic schools.
GREENE COUNTYj INDIANA. I 1 33
Mr. Edington takes a great interest in lodge \vorl<
and lias a wide acquaintance through their mediums, being
a member of the Masonic fraternity, the Woodmen and
the Knights of Pythias, having filled all the chairs in the
last named lodge. He is a Democrat, but has never as-
pired to office. However, he takes a lively interest in the
welfare of his party. He is a member of the Christian
church and Mrs. Edington is a member of the Baptist
church. The three older of their children are members
of the [Methodist Episcopal church at Lyons. Indiana.
CHARLES HENRY ROBERTS.
Among the many \'olunteer patriots of the grand old
state of Indiana, we find the name of our subject, Charles
■ H. Roberts, of Fair Play township, who was born near
Ithaca, New York, August 5, 1839. His parents, Edward
J. and Ann (Bartholomew) Roberts, were both natives of
Pennsylvania. Edward J. Roberts was a physician, prac-
ticing successfully both in Pennsylvania and Ohio, who
came to Greene county, Indiana, in i860, settling in High-
land township, where he practiced his profession until his
death. His companion, who departed this life in 1904.
bore him eleven children, enumerated here in the order of
birth : Josiah, now farming in South Dakota ; Petrican
died at Knoxville, Tennessee, and was a soldier in the
Ninety-seventh Indiana Regiment; Charles H., our sub-
ject ; Caroline, now living in the east ; Cordelia, deceased ;
Agnes, wife of William Farmer, a Christian Science prac-
1 134 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
titioner at Bloomington. Indiana : George Clark, a carpen-
ter, living at present at Terre Haute ; Edward, deceased ;
Josephine and Celesta were twins, the latter deceased ; Va-
lar>', wife of Heniy Kindred, now living at Worthington.
Charles received a common school education and be-
gan working out by the day or month veiy early in life,
keeping this up until twenty-one years of age, turning
over all his earnings to his father. In 1863 he enlisted
in Company I. of the One Hundred and Twentieth In-
diana Volunteer Infantry, remaining in that company for
about two months, after which he became cpiartermaster
sergeant, continuing in that capacity until 1866. His reg-
iment joined Shemian's anny in Tennessee, and was un-
der fire for one hundred and seventeen days. They partic-
ipated in various important battles, and were finally mus-
tered out at Raleigh, North Carolina.
Upon returning to Greene county after the close of
the war Mr. Roberts purchased the tract of land which
forms his present homestead. At the time there were no
improvements whatever, nor was any of the land cleared,
but by dint of hard and persevering effort Mr. Roberts
succeeded in transfomiing the wilderness into a productive
and well improved farm.
In 1867 Mr. Roberts was united in matrimony to
Catherine Sheehy. who was boni April 10. 1839. in Rich-
land county, Ohio, and was the daughter of Edward and
Mary (Stout) Sheehy, the former being a native of Ire-
land and the latter of New Jersey. Eleven children were
born into this family, consisting of : John, now deceased ;
James, living in Ohio; Margaret, deceased: Catherine,
wife of our subject : William, a soldier in the Sixty-fourth
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 135
Ohio Regiment, having met his death at Knoxville, Ten-
nessee; JuHa, wife of Jesse Rector, now hving at Linton,
Indiana ; Hiram, a farmer in Ohio ; Simon, hving in Fair
Play township; Mar>' E. and Edward, deceased; the last
child (unnamed) died in infancy.
Mr. and Mrs. Roberts have become the parents of
four children, the first two of whom died when still
young. Lovezilla and Lillian R. are both married, the
latter being the wife of Warren Tinstman, of Linton, and
the former married John Ritter, now living at Indianap-
olis. They have two sons, Roland and Charles Gray.
Mrs. Roberts is a member of the Roman Catholic
church and has proved to be a mother most worthy of
rearing such a praiseworthy family.
Mr. Roberts is a Republican and has given his town-
ship most acceptable sei-vice as trustee. His interest in
the political affairs of the community has been attended
at all times with the desire to improve and raise hig-her the
standard of public service. His industrious habits and
uniform integrity have won for him the respect and es-
teem of neighbors and friends.
^^'ILLIAM HUNTER.
Special honor attaches to that individual who, un-
aided and alone, begins the ascent of life's rugged path-
way and removes the many obstacles that lie in his road
to the goal of success and by the force of his own individ-
uality forges to the front, winning for himself the esteem
1136 'BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
of his fellow men. Such is in brief the record of the pop-
ular citizen of Greene county to a brief synopsis of whose
life and character the following paragraphs are devoted.
William Hunter ranks in the best class of our great
foreign population, that worthy class which we are glad
to welcome, knowing that their labors here in the United
States will benefit us as well as them. He was born in
Yorkshire. England, July 14, 1844, the son of John and
Elizabeth ( Wardell) Hunter, who moved to Ohio in 1853.
John Hunter was a stonemason and a bricklayer of more
than ordinary skill. He moved to Stafford township,
Greene county, Indiana, in Februan'. 1861, where he con-
tinued to work at his trade until' 1883, when he died in
Marco. He and his wife were the parents of eight chil-
dren, all of whom are in America except John, the eldest
son, who never came to America and still resides in his
native place. Francis and William, our subject, became
sole proprietors of the mill in 1883. It was built by them
and their father, and formerly operated under the firm
name of Hunter & Sons, the sons assuming full control
at their father's death. They do a general milling busi-
ness, cutting each year many thousand feet of lumber,
also custom milling, grinding feed, flour, etc., and they
ha\-e made a great success in this business, as will be seen
when we note the fact that when the Hunters came to
Marco they were practically without funds, but being mai
of sound judgment and untiring industry they soon built
up a good trade, and each of the sons mentioned above
are now worth at least thirty thousand dollars. They are
both men of families.
William Hunter was married in October, 1880, to
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. II 37
Mrs. Druzilla Stafford, wliose maiden name was Jeimson.
She was bom in Ohio and came to Indiana with lier par-
ents in 1864. To this nnion one bright and promising
boy was bom on May 6, 1881. He is now living on a
farm in Stafford township, which he conducts success-
fully. He married Myrtle Hudson.
The subject of this sketch was elected trustee of Staf-
ford township in 1900, having been nominated by the
Democrats by thirty votes. He carried the township by
seventy-four votes. Something of Mr. Hunter's excellent
executive and financial ability was shown in the succes.s-
ful manner in which he handled the duties of this impor-
tant office. The township was in debt when he began his
official duties, tuition being short. When he turned it
over to his successor, Jacob R. Garrett, the sum of six
thousand dollars was left in the treasuiy. During his
term of office he builftwo new school houses and left two
thousand eight hundred dollars in the special school fund
and never raised the levy. Calvin Smith, William Fi->'
and Presley Stafford were on the advisory board. Mr.
Hunter was one of the most efficient and popular officials
the township ever produced.
Fraternally our subject is a member of Masonic
Lodge, No. 166, at Newberr)% Indiana, having joined this
organization in 1865. He has always been one of its most
active and influential members.
Mr. Hunter is a man of wide experience and is one
of the most highly respected citizens of Marco, being ad-
mired by every one for his honesty and uprightness and
sound business principles.
Francis Hunter was bom April 14, 1842. He came
72
II30 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
to the United States with the family and to Indiana in
1857, and since 1875 has been associated with his brother
in the milhng business. He was first married in 1863 to
Sophia Higinbottom. She died in 1877, leaving two chil-
dren — George died in 1877, aged eight years: Anna, wife
of Franklin P. Alcar, of Linton. He was married a sec-
ond time in 1883 to Phoebe Baker. They are members
of the Methodist Episcopal church.
JOSEPH CULLEX.
Joseph Cullen, a prosperous farmer <it Washington
township. Greene county, Indiana, was lijrn in Washing-
ton county, Ohio. June 14, 1842. He was thirteen years
old when he was brought to Greene county, Indiana, by
his parents. He had attended the common schools before
he left Ohio, and he continued to go to school for a short
time after coming to Indiana. He remained at home un-
til he went to war, after which he went to Kansas, where
he worked at dififerent things, being in that state less than
a year. He returned to Washington township, Greene
county, where he went to farming and where he has since
resided. He has altogetlier one hundred and forty-nine
acres of good land.
On December 10, 1861, the subject enlisted in Cnni-
pany D, Fifty-ninth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infan-
try. He took part in all the engagements in which tlie
regiment was involved. He was discharg-ed in April,
1865, having sen-ed four months overtime.
GREENE COUNTYj INDIANA. I I 39
Mr. Cullen was married in March, 1868, to Martha
Gossner, who was born in Coshocton county, Ohio. She
is the daughter of Joseph and EHzabeth (Wolford) Goss-
ner, the former a native of Philadelphia and the latter a
native of Ohio. They came to Washington township,
Greene county, in an early day. The father of the wife
of the subject died in Kansas and his widow died in
Greene county, September 4, 1876. They had three chil-
dren — Margaret, who is deceased, as is also Harriett :
Martha, the third child, is the wife of the subject.
Joseph Cullen and wife have the following children :
William, who was born in Missouri. He married Pearl
Johnson, to whom two children have been bom. Libbie,
the subject's second child, is the wife of Oliver Brewer.
They have two children, William, who is deceased, and
Tressie A., who is living with the subject. Libbie married
the second time, her last husband being Dow Birch. Two
children were bom to this union, Mattie and Margaret.
The last named is deceased. John, the subject's third
child, is deceased. Mary, the fourth child, is the wife of
Joseph White, a farmer, living in Washington township,
Greene county. They have four children, Joseph, Harry,
Ivan and Hennan.
Mr. Cullen usually votes the Republican ticket, but
sometimes he votes independently. He is the son of
James and Sarah (Williams) Cullen. natives of Delaware
and Virginia, respectively.
James is the son of Thomas Cullen, a native of Scot-
land, who came to this country and settled in Delaware,
where he died. The mother of James Cullen came to Ohio
when he was three years old. James was raised there and
II40 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
came to Greene county in 1855. settling in Washington
township, liaving bought new land there. He fanned on
this until his death in 1867. He was an independent voter.
Sarah Williams was a daughter of Joseph Williams, a
native of Virginia, and one of the early settlers of Wash-
ington county, Ohio. He died there. The mother of the
subject was a member of the Christian church. The sub-
ject's parents had ten children, as follows : William and
Eliza, twins, are both dead ; Thomas is living in 'Knox
county, Indiana, on a farm; Joseph is the subject of this
sketch; Emily is deceased ; Ella, deceased, and Sarah. The
last named was the wife of Henry Rusher. James, the
eig'hth child of the subject's parents, died in Kansas; Cor-
delia is also dead : John is living in Kansas.
REV. JOHN C. WARIXXER.
This esteemed minister and representative citizen of
Linton is a native of Pulaski county, Kentucky, where his
birth occurred on the 26th of January, 1839. His father,
Iverson L. Warinner, was born at Creelsburg, Virginia,
in 18 II, and his mother, Margaret D. Vaught, also a na-
tive of that state, was boni in 1818 in the city of Rich-
mond. Their parents were married in Somerset. Ken-
tucky, where they made their home until November, 1856,
when they moved to Marshall county, Indiana, where Mr.
Warinner died at the age of sixty-five years, his widow
subsequently changing her residence to Greene county,
where she died in 1900, in her eighty-fifth year. The
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. II4I
following sons and daughters constituted the family
of this couple, of whom but two survive, i\Irs. ]Mary E.
Sylvester, of Newberry, Greene county, and John C. of
this review. Nancy died in 1848, Harriet E. in 1890,
Amanda Frances in 1857 and William F. in 1870.
The subject's grandfather was James Warinner. a
native of England, as was also his wife, whose maiden
name was Elizabeth Johns. He was a minister of the
Baptist faith, as were two of his brothers, Jacob and Iver-
son, all three of whom devoted their lives to the preaching
of the Gospel. Henry Vaught, the subject's maternal
grandfather, was born in North Carolina, of German par-
entage, and in early life went to Virginia, where he mar-
ried Mary Wampler. who was also of North Carolina
birth. He was a man of patriotic impulses and soldierly
qualities, serving with an honorable record during the
War of 18 1 2 and in the war with Mexico. The Johns
family as represented by the subject's grandmother inher-
ited an immense fortune in England, but, like so many
similar cases, the descendants have received no part of the
much desired wealth.
The early life of John C. Warinner was spent in his
native county and state, where he received a good educa-
tion in private schools and under tutors. In young man-
hood he learned the trade of carriage and wagon making
and followed the same for a number of years, becoming
a very efficient workman. He experienced conversion in
1854. and feeling his duty to lie in the direction of the
ministry he soon began fitting himself for that holy call-
ing, and in due time entered upon the active work of the
same as an evangelist, in which capacity he traveled ex-
1 142 BIOGRx^PHICAL MEMOIRS
tensively, practicing witli great acceptance at many differ-
ent points.
Rev. W'arinner devoted about twenty-tive years to
ministerial wurk as a settled pastor, during which time he
had charge of churches in Kentucky, Indiana and other
states, his labors proving very successful in the strength-
ening of weak congregations, establishing churches in lo-
calities of religious influences and in the conversion of
many hundreds of souls to God. At the expiration of the
above period he engaged in evangelistic work, to which
he devoted some six or seven years, and in 1872 resumed
his labors as a local minister, to which he has since given
his time and energies, having been regularly ordained in
1875. During the thirty-five years in which he has been
actively engaged in the duties of his sacred office.
In politics Rev. A\'arinner holds the principles of
the Prohibition ])arty. He is a member of the Greene
county bar, and served as deputy prosecuting attorney
for one year, and at the present time is justice of the peace
at Linton, which position he fills very acceptably, as the
amount of business brought to his court attests. Frater-
nally he belongs to Newberry Lodge, No. 166, Free and
Accepted Masons, in which he holds the office of senior
warden. He is also identified with the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, the Improved Order of Red Men and the
Temple of Honor, besides being an influential factor in the
Grand Army of the Republic post at Linton, having
served about one year in the late Civil war in Company
G,' Thirty-first Indiana Infantry, his discharge from the
service at the end of that time being on account of failing
health caused Ijy a severe attack of measles..
GREENE' COUNTY, INDIANA. I I43
In July, 1863, Mr. Warinner and Eliza Butcher,
daughter of David and Sallie (Flora) Butcher, of Mon-
roe county, Indiana, were made husband and wife, the
following children having been bom to this union, name-
ly: Mary Elizabeth, now Mrs. Louis Trisler, of Bloom-
ington, and William Henry, who died when ele\-en years
old; Laura Alice, wife of James Denny, a farmer of
Greene county; Ida M., who married John Moore, a farm-
er residing near the city of Bloomington ; Elma L., now
Mrs. Brinson, of Monroe county; James R., also a resi-
dent of the county of Monroe ; Ella lives in Switz City, and
Willis Wayne, a youth of thirteen in 1908, still under the
parental roof. Those deceased are William Henry, Eliza
Belle and two infant daughters, who died unnamed. The
wife and modier departed this life in 1869, and in 187 1
Mr. Warinner entered the marriage relation with Melcina
Cruse, of Knoxville, Tennessee, who, after a happy
wedded experience of a few years, was called from earth,
dying in 1876, after bearing her husband two children,
both of whom died in infancy. Later Rev. Warinner
married Mary E. Chambers. She died .\pril 25. 1902.
WILLIAM J. HAMILTON.
The subject's father was a native of Illinois, where
his birth occurred in the year 1840. Mrs. Hamilton, who
bore the maiden name of Margaret Pickerin, was also
born in that state, and their marriage took place in Sa-
line county, where they continued to reside until the end
1 144 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
of their days. The HamiUons are of Scotch descent. Re-
mote ancestors of the subject came to America in an early
day and settled originally in the South, thence scattered
over various parts of the country until representatives of
the family are now to be met in a number of the southern
and central northern states. ^A'illiam T. Hamilton fol-
lowed mechanical pursuits for a livelihood and was killed
some years ag"0 in a railway accident. His first wife, by
whom he had three children, died in March, 1878, at the
age of thirty-five. The oldest of those children is \\'illiam
J., of this review, after whom comes Mary F., wife of
Robert Bruce, of Aakansas. The youngest of the number,
Edgar, formerly _a jeweler of Linton, died in this city on
July I, 1901. There were also three children by the sec-
ond marriage.
William J. Hamilton is a native ..f Illinois, bom in
the county of Saline, December t,o. 1861. Reared to agri-
cultural pursuits, he early fonned habits of industiy and
thrift, which, with well learned lessons of self-reliance,
gave to his life, while yet in the formation period, the
proper bent, that as the years went by led to the develop-
ment of a well rounded character and the laying of plans
for his future course of action. His educational training
embraced about the usual attendance at the public schools,
and as soon as old enough tO' be of sennce his labors were .
utilized on the farm. Later he worked for a period of
eight years mining coal, meantime moving to Greene
county, Indiana, of which he has since been an honored
resident. In 1888 Mr. Hamilton effected a co-partnership
in the drug business with William Ferrell. opening a store
in Linton, which they conducted together about three or
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I US
four years, when the subject purchased his partner's in-
terest and has since conducted the estabHshment alone.
From a modest beginning he has gradually enlarged the
scope and volume of the business until he has the largest
and most complete establishment of the kind in the city,
carrying full lines of drugs, patent medicines, sundries
and other kinds of goods which druggists usually handle,
to which he has also added a jewelry department, where,
in connection with the retail trade, all kinds of repairing
and refining are done by skillful artisans employed for the
purpose. I\Ir. Hamilton is an accomplished phannacist,
careful in the compounding of medicines and filling pre-
scriptions, and his long experience in the business has
made him thoroughly familiar with every detail of the
drug trade.
In addition to his private interests Mr. Hamilton is
identified with various other enterprises, having been one
of the leading spirits in establishing the Linton State
Bank, which was organized in 1903, with a capital of
twenty-five thousand dollars. On September 4, 1904, it
was reorganized as the First National Bank of Linton and
the capital increased to fifty thousand dollars. Mr. Ham-
ilton being elected president, which responsible position
he still holds and the duties of which he has discharged
with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of the stock-
holders, depositors and all who transact business with the
institution. He is also a stockholder and director in the
Linton Rolling Mills, besides owning valuable property
interests in both city and country, including a fine fami
of one hundred and sixty acres in Stockton township, a
beautiful modem residence in Linton and considerable
II4''> BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
other real estate, wliich is growing in value with each suc-
ceeding year. He has been more than ordinarily success-
ful in the accumulation of material wealth, being one of
the financially solid men of Linton, and to his credit be it
said that the handsome competence now in his possession
and the liberal income of which he is the recipient are the
result of his well directed efforts, being in the full sense
of the term a self-made man and the architect of his (iwn
fortune.
Mr. Hamilton is a Republican, and keeps fully posted
on the leading public and political questions of the day,
on all of which he has broad views and well defined opin-
ions. At one time he was his party's candidate for the
legislature, and though making a gallant fight, failed by
the insignificant majority of only two votes in fa\'or of
his opponent. Not satisfied with this result, the matter
was carried to the house of representatives, where, after
a careful examination of the returns and a searching in-
quii-y into the manner in which the election was conducted,
he was seated about the middle of the term and sensed
with a creditable record as a lawmaker from 1902 to 1904.
inclusive, was placed on several important committees and
took an active and influential part in the general delibera-
tions of the house. As a member of the city council he
has been instrumental in bringing about much important
municipal legislation and he has also sen'ed on the local
school board, besides filling various other positions of
honor and trust. He is a Royal Arch Mason and a mem-
ber of the Order of Elks, in both of which he has been an
active worker, sen'ing each at different times in official
capacities.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 147
Mr. Hamilton has been twice married, the first time
in 1889 to Laura Turner, daughter of Thomas and Sarah
M. Turner, of Linton, who died January 9. 1892, leaving
one child, a son by the name of \\'ayne, who is now in the
tliird year of the city high school. Mr. Hamilton mar-
ried his present wife, Emma Hatfield, daughter of Ale
and Christian Hatfield, of Bedford, who are engaged in
the hotel business there, in the month of July, 1897, two
children resulting from the union, Mary H. and Mildred,
both bright and promising misses in whom are centered
many fond hopes for the future.
Mr. Hamilton is essentially a man of afifairs, and it
is to his clear brain, well balanced judgment and sound
business ability that many important interests of Greene
county are indebted for their success.
HOX. JOHN A. RIDDLE.
To the subject of this review we may refer with pro-
priety and satisfaction as being one of the able and repre-
sentative members of the legal profession in Greene
county, and that he is a native son of this part of the
Hoosier state lends something to the significance of the
prestige which he has here attained. John A. Riddle was
bom September 16, 1872, near Cincinnati, Greene county,
the son of Jonathan and Amanda E. (Carmichael) Riddle,
natives, respectively, of North Carolina and Indiana.
These parents reared a family of the following children :
Daniel V.. Jasper, Sarah J., wife of R. B. Yerian; Sey-
1 148 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
moui-, John A. IMilford, Oscar. Mrs. Ida E. :klitchell and
Bertha, who married J. F. Weisman, all living and doing
well in their respective place of residence. John W. Car-
michael, father of Mrs. Riddle, sei-ved in the Civil war
as captain in the Thirty-first Indiana Infantrv", and three
of Mrs. Riddle's brothers also took part in that struggle,
viz. : Andrew J., William and Stephen Riddle, all of whom
did noble sen-ice in defending their country's flag and
earned honorable reputations as brave and gallant soldiers.
The early educational training of John A. Riddle was
acquired in the public schools, followed by a full course
in the high school in Bloomfield, and later he pursued the
more advanced branches of learning in the State Uni-
versity, where he made substantial progress and earned an
honorable reputation as a student. In his choice of pro-
fessions he decided upon the law, and in due time began
the study of the same under competent instruction, and
after acquiring a knowledge of the fundamental principles
of jurisprudence was duly admitted to the bar and com-
menced practicing at Bloomfield and remained there four
years; then at Linton in 1901. where he soon worked into
a lucrative legal business and won a conspicuous place
among the rising attorneys of Greene county. From 1898
to 1900 he served as deputy prosecuting attorney under
the Hon. Charles D. Hunt, and so efficiently did he dis-
charge the duties of the position that in the latter year he
was nominated and elected prosecutor of the judicial dis-
trict by the largest majorit}"^ ever given a candidate for
prosecuting attorney in this district, filling the office one
term. As prosecutor Mr. Riddle gained credit for him-
self by ably and judiciously attending the duties devolv-
GREEXE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1149
ing upon him, and during his incumbency his name be-
came a terror to lawbreakers and wrongdoers within
his jurisdiction. Untiring in his efforts to subsen-e
one of the highest interests of the people, he brought
many offenders to the bar of justice and secured their
conviction, sending quite a number to the state prison.
Among the more noted criminal cases with which his
name is connected and which occurred while he was
deputy under Mr. Hunt was one for murder, in which he
did a skillful bit of detective work by unearthing all the
facts of the case and bringing the guilty party to answer
for his heinous crime.
This record of this noted case appears in No. 155 of
the reports of the Indiana supreme court, under the title
of "The Newark Murder Case." Mr. Riddle not only
instituted proceedings which resulted in the discovery of
the crime, the victim having been thrown in an old cis-
tern nine years before, and after this lapse of time Mr.
Riddle apprehended the woman's husband, one William
Wagoner, as the murderer and demonstrating his guilt
by such indisputable proof as to secure his conviction and
a sentence of life imprisonment in the penitentiaiy. An-
other matter which will always redound to his credit and
give his name an honored place among the high-minded
public servants of Indiana was the securing of indictments
against some thirty odd individuals for selling their votes,
all of whom were convicted and disfranchised for a tenn
of years, over twjenty of the number suffering a most
severe penalty. This signal victory for the purity and
individuality of the ballot, the like of which was never
before or since attempted in Greene county, speaks vol-
1150 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
limes for the fearlessness of this earnest pubhc ser\-ant,
who in the discharge of his sworn duty knew no fear
or favor, but made every other consideration sul)servient
to the strict enforcement of tlie law.
Mr. Riddle's ability and painstaking efforts as a
prosecutor led to his nomination in 1906 for the office of
judge of the circuit court. Ixit the Democratic party be-
ing in a hopeless minority that year he sufifered defeat
with the rest of the ticket, although making a gallant fight
and carrj'ing more than the normal party strength. Since
the expiration of his official term he has devoted his at-
tention exclusively to the practice of his profession, and
he now commands an extensive and very lucrative legal
business, not only in his own county, but also he has a
large clientele in the counties of Martin, Lawrence, Mon-
roe. Owen, Morgan, Clay, Sullivan, Vigo and Marion,
his standing as an able lawyer and successful practitioner
giving him almost a state reputation.
Mr. Riddle is public-spirited in all the term implies,
and in addition to his large legal business and the interest
he has ever taken in political affairs, he is also actively
and prominently identified with secret fraternal work, be-
longing to and taking an active part in the deliberations
of a number of orders, among which is the Free and Ac-
cepted Masons, including the Royal Arch Mason degree,
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, in which
he served as first exalted ruler of Lodge Xo. 866, and
one temi as district deputy grand exJilted ruler for the
southern Lidiana district, the Independent Order of Red
Men, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, including the Court
of Honor, the Knights of Pythias. Ancient Order of
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. II5I
United Workmen, Ancient Order of United ^Mechanics,
Modem Woodmen of the W'orld and the Modern Wood-
. men of America, in all of which he has been elevated to
positions of honor and trust. x\lthough not identified
with any church organization, he is a believer in religion
and has profound respect for the wholesome influence it
exerts as a great moral and spiritual agency for the ele-
vation of man and betterment of society, hence he encour-
ages all enterprises under this head and contributes to
their support.
Mr. Riddle was married on the iSth day of June,
1902, to Effie J. Hornbeck, daughter of F. M. and S. E.
Hombeck, of Greene county, Indiana, the union result-
ing in the birth of a daughter named Wilma Eveline and
a son who answers to the name of Maurice JefYerson
Riddle. Mr. Riddle is the owner of real estate in Bloom-
field and is interested in the production of oil in the south-
west, though he devotes his entire time to his profession.
JAMES B. SHERWOOD.
The family of which the subject of this sketch is an
honorable representative is traceable to North Carolina,
where certain of the Sherwoods were known to have been
living as long ago as the colonial period, but of the time
of their arrival in this country and the facts concerning
the early history of the family little specific data is ob-
tainable. The name appears in connection with the
pioneer settlement of southwestern Indiana and since the
1152 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
fifties it has been familiar in Greene county with the
growtli and development of which the family has been
actively and prominently identified. The Sherwoods have
not only been among the leading agriculturists of this
part of the state, but have also been represented in busi-
ness and industrial circles and the learned professions, and
in whatever capacity found they have honored their call-
ing and reached a high standard of citizenship in their
respective places of residence.
Benjamin S. Sherwood was born in 1827 in W'ash-
ington county, Indiana, and there grew to maturity, mar-
rying in early manhood, Sarah H. Holmes, also a native
of the county of Washington, where her birth occurred in
the year 1828. In 1852 this couple moved to Greene
county and took up their abode in Linton, of which place
Mr. Sherwood was an early merchant, and he also served
eight years as postmaster. He was among the substan-
tial citizens who helped make Linton a progressive,
law abiding place, doing much to promote the town's ad-
vantages and induce a good class of people to become
permanent residents. After a useful life of sixty-two
years' duration he was called from the scenes of his earth-
ly struggles and triumphs, dying at Linton in the month of
Febmar}-, 1889. his wife sui-viving him. Later she,
too, passed to immortality. They had a family of six
children, whose names are as follows : William H.,
Daniel A., Hugh M. and Mrs. Bettie J. Hardesty; James
B. and Edgar H., all living but Daniel A., who died in
1879. With the exception of Mrs. Hardesty, who lives
at Sullivan, Indiana, the suiwiving members of the family
reside at Linton and are doing well in their respective
callings.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. II 53
James B. Sherwood, whose birth occurred in Greene
county the 29th day of June, 1866, was reared to useful
pursuits, and after receiving a good practical education
began life for himself as a, coal miner, which he continued
five years with fairly profitable results. Subsequenth- he
spent seven years as a clerk, and still later was largely
instrumental in establishing what is known as the L. T.
Dickason Coal Company, having induced Col. L. T. Dick-
ason, of Chicago, to purchase a large body of coal lands
near Linton. This company afterward was merged with
the United Fourth Vein Coal Company. Later on he
bought the land and interested Colonel Dickason in the
purchase of the coal lands, which resulted in the organ-
ization and development of the Little Giant Coal Com-
pany. In 1903 he organized and was president and man-
ager of the North Linton Coal Company for two and one-
half years until its merger with the United Fourth Vein
Coal Company. He is at the present time a director and
secretai-y of the latter company.
During the past ten years Mr. Sherwood has been
identified with the commercial interests of Linton and is
also engaged in the same line of trade at the town of Cass,
in Sullivan county, conducting a large general mercantile
establishment at the former place, which is extremely
patronized and doing a very profitable business at the lat-
ter point, where he employs four clerks to meet the de-
mands of his patrons. His life has been one of great
activity, and that success has rewarded his efforts is indi-
cated by the prominent position in business circles to
which he has risen.
Public-spirited and keenly interested in whatever
73
1154 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
tends to benefit liis town and county, Mr. Sherwood lias
never had any ambition to rise above his fellow men in the
matter of official honors, being content to be known simply
■ as a business man and to wear.no other title than that of
citizens. Politically he is a Republican, but by no means an
active politician, and religiously the Baptist church holds
his creed. His fraternal relations are represented by the
Masonic order, of which he has been a member for a
number of years, and the Benevolent and Protective Or-
der of Elks, in which he is an active and influential
worker.
June 1 6. 1889, was the date on which occurred the
marriage of James B. Sherwood and Minnie Gibson,
daughter of the Rev. William M. and Margaret Gibson,
of Linton, the family at this time consisting of six chil-
dren, namely: Bert, Stanley, George, Walsh, James, Jr.,
and Helen, all at home, the oldest son being a student at
Moores Hill College.
JOHN MORGAN LO^^"RY.
A most interesting addition to the character and
variety of the American people was made by the incom-
ing of those settlers termed the Scotch-Irish. These
sturdy emigrants, after ranging southward from Pennsyl-
vania along the longitudinal valleys of the Appalachian
highlands, ultimately made their way over the mountains
into the promising regions of Kentucky and Tennessee.
Here they found opportunity for home making, and to-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 155
day their descendants, among whom is our subject, can
be traced by the thousands as they have gradually drifted
into the neighboring territory'.
Some time prior to the Revolution John Lowry came
to Virginia from Ireland. Originally he came from Scot-
land. He took part in the Revolution and was wounded
at the battle of Camden. Having his leg shot ofif by a
cannon ball, he lay on the field for three days before aid
came. During'this time he lived from the haversacks and
canteens of dead comrades. There were three children,
two sons and one daughter, John, the eldest ; William Al-
exander, second, and Betsy, the daughter. Both boys en-
listed in the War of 1812. William A. was only sixteen,
and entered the army as a fife major. Ever afterward
he was known as Major Lowr\'.
After the war he married Lavina Seigler. Shorty
after they moved to Bledsoe county, Tennessee, and were
engaged in farming. Afterward they moved to Warren
county, near McMinnville. Tennessee. He was still a
farmer and owned slaves. \\'hile here he was major of
the militia and served one term in the state legislature.
During the Civil war he was a Union man, although
he was not in the service himself. He caused a number
of Confederate prisoners to take the oath of allegiance.
He was an active member of the Christian church.
He died of heart failure in 1877. They had nine children,
seven boys and two girls, Phillip, Francis, John, William
Alexander, Newton, Effie, Jasper, VanBuren and Polk.
William A. was bom in Warren county, Tennessee,
in 1822 and was educated at Irvin College. In 1846 he
was married to Julia Ann Maria Morgan, of White coun-
1 156 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
ty. who was a daug'hter of James H. and Mary Morgan,
who were of Irish descent. James H. Morgan was a di-
rect descendant of General Daniel ^I'lorgan, of tlie Revolu-
tion, also a relative of Gen. John H. Morgan, of the Civil
war. Both were members of the Christian church.
James H. Morgan died in 1861. In 1865 Mrs. Morgan
was married to W. D. Cams, a prominent minister of the
Christian church and one of the foremost educator^ of
middle Tennessee, having occupied the chair at Burritt
College, at Spencer; Milton College, at Fayettsville: ^lan-
chester College, at Manchester, and back t(.) Burritt Col-
lege, where he died in 1879.
William A. studied medicine under Dr. Jesse Barns,
a noted physician of Sparta, practiced medicine until early
in 1862, when he enlisted in the Confederate sen-ice un-
der General Bushrod Johnson. Shortly after his enlist-
ment he was made hospital steward, which place he held
until he was captured by the Federals and placed in Rock
Island Prist m, where he remained fourteen months.
He was actively engaged in the battles of Cliicka-
mauga. Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain. Dur-
ing the battle of Missionary Ridge he had charg'e of the
infirmary corps. On the 4th day of Febiaiary, 1865, he
took the oath of allegiance and returned home.
On account of the guerrilla warfare which was being
carried on in that part of the state, which made it very
uncomfortable for those who had taken the oath, he was
forced to move to Trousdale county. Here General Dib-
rell's men had been disbanded, which made conditions dif-
ferent. By this time he had sacrificed everything he pos-
sessed for the lost cause.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 157
In 1871 he moved to Grundy county and engaged
in farming. He was a member of the Christian church.
He died in 1879.
They were the parents of fourteen children: three
died quite young. Those who lived were Sidney Lisane-
ly. Amanda. James. Harvey. Alexander G., Jennie. Alice
Eva, Josephine. Virginia, Willie and Mattie.
On the maternal side Nathan Fults. grandfather of
our subject, was also a native of Tennessee. He occupied
himself at farming, and in the ante-bellum days was a
slave owner. He and his wife were members of the
Methodist denomination and took an active part in church
work. He acquired the age of seventy-six years and was
the father of seven children, three sons and four
daughters.
Sidney Lowry, father of our subject, was born Janu-
ary 29, 1853, 3-nd received his early education in the pub-
lic schools of Tennessee and at home. In early life he
followed farming, but later, in 1886, turned his attention
to mining, and has risen to the position of mine foreman.
He is now located at Tracy City, Tennessee, and is still
energetic and active. In 1874 he was married to Nannie
J. Fults. He takes a deep interest in religious work, be-
ing a member of the Christian church. He is an earnest
worker in the Sunday school, doing much to popularize
that phase of the church life. He became the father of
nine children, of whom the following survive: John M.,
our subject; Hugh A., of Jackson, Tennessee; Mark, at
Tracy City with his father, and Bruce, also at home.
John M. Lowry, our subject, who was born in Ten-
nessee September 13, 1875, received such early education
I ISO BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
as tlie local schools afforded, and later graduated from
the Pleasant Hill Academy, at Pleasant Hill, Tennessee.
Being interested in the subject of electricity he began to
devote his studies to that subject and found it so inter-
esting that he has since devoted his studies to that field.
After some experience in his native community he came
to Indiana, taking up his studies at Rose Polytechnic.
Upon coming to Jasonville he took charge of all the elec-
trical machinery for the leading mining company there,
and has since filled that position.
On December 2.2, 1902, Mr. Lowry was joined in
marriage to Mattie A. Simpson, also a native of Tennes-
see, and this union has resulted in the birth of two chil-
dren, Raymond, born September 17, 1903, and Harold,
born January 28, 1905. Mr, and Mrs. Lowry are mem-
bers of the Christian church and give the work their
hearty support and co-operation. Mr. Lowry is a Demo-
crat, but does not give much time to politics, although he
has consented to serve his fellow citizens in the capacity
of councilman. Li all of his associations he makes pleas-
ant and permanent friendships, and commands the high-
est confidence in his business integrity.
ROBERT THOMAS McKEE.
It is with a feeling of satisfaction that the writer es-
says the task of touching upon the details of such a record
as has been that of the honored subject whose life now
comes under this review, for as a result of virtuous liv-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 159
ing- his example has been for good and his influence up-
hfting.
Robert T. McKee is a native of Scott county, Ken-
tucky, where he was bom August 30. 1834, the son of
Joseph H. and Lucinda' (Bartlett) McKee, the grand-
father of the former having been a native of Scotland,
who settled in Kentucky, where Robert McKee, the grand-
father of the subject, w^as bom and spent his life. There
were five children in Grandfather McKee's family, the
subject's father being- fourth in the order of birth. Grand-
mother McKee was a Todd before her marriage, of the
same family tree as the wife of Abraham Lincoln. The
father of the subject spent his early life in Kentucky,
where he was bom in 1805. He came to Indiana in 1839,
settling in Owen county. He was a millwright, having
spent seven years as an apprentice, and following this
trade all his life, being considered one of the best me-
chanics in the state. He worked for seventy-five cents a
day and furnished his own tools. He raised nine children,
eight of whom were boys. He was an active member of
the church of Christ, as was also his wife. The fonner
was an elder at the time of his death in 1875. He had
been justice of the peace for twenty years and was re-
garded as a man without a blemish on his character. His
wife was a woman of the best type and possessed more
than ordinary industr}', having manufactured the cloth
from wool and flax for the clothing of her entire family
for many years. She was born in 181 1 and died in 1876.
Robert T. McKee, the subject, had but little school-
ing. He was compelled to assist in supporting the family,
working with his father until he was twenty years old.
Il6o BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
when lie «as married to Margaret Mclndoo. to wliicli
union six children were born, all now deceased. His wife
died November 28, 1870. Two 3'ears later the subject
married Mrs. Elizabeth Thompson (nee Birdsell). One
child, who is now deceased, was bom to this union. This
wife lived until December 13, 1874. In July, 1875, Mr.
McKee married his third and last wife, who was Mrs.
Martha \A'ag'g"oner. Four children were born to this
union, the second dying in infancy. Rhoda, the first child,
is the wife of Walter G. Burchan; James G. is married
and has one child: Maggie D. is the wife of Samuel Jef-
fers. All of these children are active Christians.
Mr. McKco CMiiininiced life without means ami had
a hard strug-g1e i^ -et a ^tart and care for a family, but
his industry and persistency, coupled with sound judg-
ment and honesty of purpose, soon began to bring tangible
results, as such principles always will when properly ap-
plied, and the subject was able to begin farming on a
large scale after following the life of a mechanic f(_)r a
few years. He farmed for six years and was becoming
well established when he heard his country's call for loyal
citizens to assist in saving the Union, and, with no regrets,
Mr. McKee severed home ties, left his plow and shoul-
dered a musket, enlisting in 1861 in Company B, Thirty-
first Indiana Volunteer Infantry, subsequently taking part
in the engagements of this regiment at the front, ha\-ing
fought at Shiloh, Corinth, Chickamauga and many
others of minor importance. He was twice wounded,
once severely, in the battle of Chickamauga, where he
was captured and held for twelve days, when he was
jjaroled and sent !■) the hiis])ital. later rctinaiing to his
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. HOI
command, with whicli he remained until September 15,
1864. He never missed a roll call without permission,
was never arrested or placed in the guard house during
his sen-ice. Six of Mr. McKee's brothers were also gal-
' lant soldiers in the Union Amiy and the husband of his
sister, Orin J. Tally, was the first member of the
regiment lost, he dying at Henderson, Kentucky. James
W., our subject's oldest brother, was captured and thrown
in prison at Andersonville, where he was kept for one
year, being so reduced by starvation that he died in Golds-
borough, North Carolina. His brother, Alexander C,
was also in the Andersonville prison for a year. Albert
B. McKee, the subject's brother, was wounded in the arm.
which caused it to remain stiff.
Robert T. McKee has been prosperous since the war,
now owning three hundred and sixty acres of as good
land as is to be found in Greene county, all under a high
state of improvement. Nineteen acres of this is within
the corporate limits of Lyons, on which the subject has
a comfortable residence in which he lives. This land is
all in the hands of his family, being managed and worked
b}' them. However, Mr. McKee superintends the work
as much as possible, for his ability as an agriculturist is
perhaps unaqualed by any man in the county, despite his
advanced age.
The subject has had a remarkable record in that he
never swore an oath in his life, never attended a dance or
party and never played a game of cards or gambled in any
way. He is grateful for this fact now in his old age, and
also thankful that he has been prosperous enough that his
last years will not be spent in want. He joined the church
Il62 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
of Christ when nineteen years old and has been an active
worker ever since in this churcli. Pohticahy lie is a Re-
pubHcan and always stands -for clean politics and he is
admired for his honest, clean and sober private and busi-
ness life.
WILLIAM F. WOLFORD.
No citizen of Linton, Indiana, in recent years left so
indelible an imprint of his sterling worth and strong per-
sonality on the minds and hearts of his friends and ac-
quaintances as did the subject of this life record, who,
through many years of toil and endeavor, showed how
honesty of purpose and the following of the old "golden
rule" in eveiy avenue of life would gain success in busi-
ness, genuine respect in social life and a high place in
the moral and religious world.
William F. Wolford, son of John W. and :\Iartha E.
Wolford, was born near Linton, Greene county, Septem-
ber i8, 1867, and he was stmimoned to close his earthly
career by the Shepherd "who giveth his beloved sleep" on
November 17, 1906, at the age of thirty-nine years. He
was the third son in the order of birth, and he spent his
early life on the old homestead, assisting his father in the
farm work and availing himself of every opportunity to
develop himself mentally until 1886, when he left his par-
ental roof and entered a store in Linton, clerking for his
father and brothers. So readily did he take to the mer-
cantil business that he became a member of the firm of
Wolford & Sons in 1889. and ever after this to the close
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. II03
of his life he was fuhy identified with them in all tlieir
aflfairs, finally becoming- manager of this immense busi-
ness concern, and as such he was painstaking and untiring
in seeing that those having business dealings with the
firm were treated with the utmost fairness and uniform
kindness, and his careful and minute knowledge of the
business which he had in hand caused it to grow from
year to year in importance and influence.
The subject was joined in marriage to Cynthia J.
Olgus, October 20, 1889, to which happy union three
bright children were born, filling their home with addi-
tional sunshine. They are Thaddeus, Clifton and Charles
L.
Mr. W'olford was converted to the Christian religion
in 1886 and was baptized into the fellowship of Olive
Branch Baptist church by the Rev. Buchanon August 15,
1889. and by letter became a constituent member of the
First Baptist church of Linton. From the first he threw
his energy into the work of the church, sharing in its joys
and sorrows, and bearing a very large share of its
burdens.
In his social life Mr. ^^'olford was just as popular
as in business. He was always pleasant, entertaining and
equally courteous to all classes of people. While his busi-
ness occupied the major part of his time he always found
a few moments to devote to- social life. In secret circles
he was a member of the Metropolitan Lodge. Knights of
Pythias, of which he was a leading and influential mem-
ber. Of this order he had held several offices, and at the
time of his death was first lieutenant of the uniform rank.
Though a young man in years Mr. Wolford had en-
1 164 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
cleared himself to all with whom he came in contact by
his genial and unwavering good nature, which mani-
fested itself in every act of his life. A Christian by choice,
yet he numbered among his friends skeptics of the most
ultra views ; and he held their respect by his upright and
manly walk before all mankind. He bent no humble knee
that wealth might follow fawning. The poor and humble
found in him a friend and well-wisher. The life of Mr.
Wolford furnishes a striking example to other young men
just entering on a business career, and if they follow up
his ideals success cannot help but crown their efforts, for
in the short years allotted to him he measured up to the
standard, leaving behind liim the richest heritage <if which
any man is capable — a g()0(l name.
WILLIAM OLGUS.
This well-known, highly esteemed and useful citizen
of Greene county, who has some time since "joined the
choir invisible of the immortal dead," was the father of
Mrs. William F. Wolford, of Linton, Indiana, and he
was universally regarded among his numerous friends
and acquaintances as a man of many admirable attributes.
His earthly career was closed on June 20, 1890, at the
residence of John W. W'olford, after a long illness. Mr.
Olgus was in his sixty-second year, and was a native of
Prussia, from which country he emigrated with his par-
ents in 1844. His father settled on a farm that for
forty-seven years was the home of the deceased, dur-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 105
ing which thne he buih up the place to a high state of
cuhivation and general improvement, at the same time
making his influence felt for good morals, clean politics
and sound civic life throughout his community.
William Olgus was one of the many well-to-do Ger-
man-American families, who. by patient industry, frugal
habits and honest dealings, had acted well his part in
life's strenuous battle. After his death one who knew him
well paid this splendid tribute to his memor\- : "Not a
dishonest dollar ever passed through his hands."
The subject was raised by Catholic parents, but he
never affiliated with that church, often attending seiwices
at Protestant churches, contributing to their support. He
was a peaceful, quiet and truthful citizen, who never had
a law suit nor a personal difficulty with his neighbors,
and it is doubtful is he ever had an enemv-.
JOHN STAFFORD TAYLOR.
Among tlie representative farmers of Greene county
is the subject of this review, who is the owner of eighty-
five acres of good land and is carrying on the various de-
partments of his enterprise with that discretion and en-
evgy which always insure success. Mr. Taylor was bom
in Fleming county, Kentucky, February 21, 1838, the
son of Richard Oglesby Taylor. Grandfather Taylor
came to America from England and settled in Virginia,
where he farmed until the War of 1812, when he enlisted
and was killed in battle. He was of a family of four boys
and three girls, one brother having come to America.
IIOO BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Richard Taylor, father of the subject, was born in Appo-
mattox county, Virginia. Having been bound out to an
uncle in early life he never attended school a day. Re-
maining on his uncle's farm and working with the slaves
until he was nineteen years old, he ran away and went
to Kentucky, where he learned the miller's trade, in time
becoming an expert miller, having no superior in the Ohio
valley, working in one mill for thirty-two years. He came
to Greene county, Indiana, in 1859, buying a farm of two
hundred and eighty acres, all timbered, which he cleared,
improved and made a fann on which he lived during the
remaining days of his life, having died there July 28,
1885, at the age of seventy-four years. He married
Louise \A'illiams. whn was a Dunkard in religious faith.
He was a l-'ree Alasun and a member of the Christian
church. ]-j'glit cliililren were born to them, fi\'e of wlnim
are living in i<;oS.
John S. Taylor, uur subject, attended subscription
.schools in Kentucky until he was sixteen years old and
was raised to work in the flouring mills, having begun
when he left school and worked continuously in various
mills until he was twenty-four, when he left his work and
offered his sen^ices in defense of the Union, having enlist-
ed in Company H, Sixteenth Kentucky Infantry, in 1861,
serving seventeen months as a soldier in his native state.
At the time President Lincoln issued his amnesty proc-
lamation five hundred members of this regiment, includ-
ing the subject, laid down their amis and never returned
to service. After this the subject worked at various kinds
of employment in western states and in Arkansas, then
he returned to Greene county, Indiana, and settled on
a fami, a part of his father's old place, in Wright town-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 16/
ship, where he has since resided, the farm consisting of
eighty-six acres, all but six being under the plow.
Mr. Taylor was married December 26, 1867, to
Sarah E. Reel, daughter of Moses and Lucinda (Gihnore)
Reel, the fonner of North Carolina and the latter of Vir-
ginia, the father having been five years old when he was
brought to Indiana, his parents settling in Knox county,
where he farmed and operated a saw-mill when he reached
manhood. He was a soldier in the Black Hawk war.
George Reel, uncle of the subject, was a soldier in the
War of 181 2. The Taylor family has always adhered
to the Presbyterian faith. Six children have been born
to the subject and wife as follows: Moses W., born Au-
gust 18, 1869, is single: Elmer, born April 18, 1871,
who has a wife and eight children, is living on part of -
his father's fann; Louise E., who was born September
7, 1872, is the wife of Benjamin Lund and has four chil-
dren ; Harriett, who was bom July 17, 1875-, is the widow
of Charles A. Bledsoe, and the mother of four boys:
James Franklin, who was born April 29. 1877, is married
and living in Bloomington, attending the State L'ni-
versity; Cooper, who was bom !\Larch 6, 1879, is married
and living at Jasonville.
Mr. Taylor is a Missionary Baptist and his wife is
a Presbyterian. He is an independent voter, and always
casts his ballot for the best man, being public-spirited and
desirous of witnessing the triumph of the right in political
and all other questions. He takes an active part in church
work, having been superintendent of the Sunday school
at his home church for seventeen years. He was super-
intendent of the first Sunday school in Wright township,
which continued for one vear.
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
HIRAM TURVEY.
In an anah'sis of the character of this well-known
citizen of Linton we find the qualities of upright man-
hood — loyalty in citizenship, reliability in business and
conscientiousness in the discharge of the duties of private
and public life — and these are so combined as to make his
a strong personality, commanding respect and confidence.
Mr. Turvey has been a resident of this city from its in-
fancy, having come here when only a few houses stood on
the site of a now bustling population of over ten thou-
sand people, and which in a few decades promises to be-
come one of the most important cities of the state. The
subject has been identified with its growth, which has
. been phenomenal, having from the first had that innate
foresight to see the future possibilities of the place, and
having confined his energies to this locality, it has bene-
fited him and he has undoubtedly been of great benefit
to its upbuilding. It is with more than ordinary interest
that we read of this man, who, with only fifty cents in
his pocket, and no other worldW wealth, came to this
town, and, after two decades of endeavor, has become
one of the most prominent and successful business men
there, being at present an extensive property owner and
the dominating spirit in several large enterprises.
Mr. Tur\-ey was bom in \\'ood county. West Vir-
ginia, Februaiy 21, 1849, the son of George and Adeline
(Leashure) Turvey. The former and his brother, Mor-
dica, and one brother of the subject were all members of
Company E, Eleventh West Virginia Volunteers, and
sen-ed thn mahout the war as defenders of the Union.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. II69
The father of the subject died in Jackson county. Ohio,
where he settled after the war. as a result of a wound re-
ceived in the battle of New Creek, West Virginia, while
sen-ing under General Phil Sheridan in the Shenandoah
Valley campaign. The mother of the subject also passed
away in Jackson county, Ohio. They were the parents of
three sons and four daug-hters. five of whom are now liv-
ing. They are Harrison A., living on a farm in Jackson ,
county, Ohio; Hiram, our subject,; Emily F., deceased,
who was Mrs. Barnard and lived in Jackson county, Ohio ;
Martha J., now Mrs. Crighton, of Plain City, Ohio;
Perry, a fanner near Springfield, Ohio; Anna E., now
Mrs. Staggs, of Columbus, Ohio; Mary Alice Davis,
deceased, late of Madison Mills, Ohio.
Hiram Turvey, the subject, was educated in the pay
schools of West Virginia up to his sixteenth year, when
he accompanied his paternal family to Jackson county,
Ohio, where he completed his minority on a farm. Then
he came to Linton, Indiana, in 1887 and was engaged
in mining, which profession he learned in Ohio. He fol-
lowed this work for about twelve years, when he joined
a corporation and purchased eight hundred acres of coal
lands, operating three mines as the Island Valley Coal
Mining Company, of which Mr. Turvey was a director.
This company was dissolved in 1904 and the subject be-
came identified with the Sugar Valley Coal Company, of
West Terre Haute, with which he is now connected as a
stockholder and director. He is president of the Linton
Ice and Cold Storage Company, of which he was one of
the organizers, and which is capitalized at forty thou-
sand dollars. Mr. Turvey is the owner of five substan-
tial residences, which bring him in a good rental.
74
II/O BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
The subject was married in September. 1867, to Har-
riett L. Harper, a native of Jackson county, Ohio, daugh-
ter of C. N. and Jamia Harper, of Jackson county, Ohio,
both deceased. She has proved a faithful helpmeet, and
to her encouragement Mr. Turvey owes much of his splen-
did achievement. They have no children. Both are mem-
bers of the Baptist church. Mr. Turvey has always been
a stanch Republican. He was secretaiy and treasurer
of the town of Linton before it was incorporated as a
city. He has been a member of the Knights of Pythias
for the past nineteen years, and was also a member of the
Sons of Veterans in Ohio, but is now not affiliated with
the latter organization.
FRANK A. GAGEBY.
This well-known business man of Linton was born
at Bloomington, Illinois, March 12, 1865, the son of
James and Huldah (Horine) Gageby, natives of Greens-
burg, Indiana, and Bloomington, Illinois, respectively.
James Gageby was a building contractor, which profes-
sion he became well infomied in and made a success in
every particiilar. having erected many large buildings in
cities and numerous fine residences all over the countiy.
He died at Greensburg, Indiana, in 1886, age fifty-nine
years. The subject's mother, who was a woman of fine
traits, died at Bloomington, Illinois, in 1868. Three
sons were born to them, of whom George is the oldest.
He is a farmer at Greensburg, Indiana. Frank A., the
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. HJl
subject of this sketch, was the second son of James Gage-
by, and Wood was the youngest child. He is in the dain-
business at Greensburg, Indiana.
The Gageby family moved from Bloomington, Illi-
nois, to Greensburg, Indiana, in 1868, the mother of the
subject having died prior to this removal. The subject
of this sketch lived on a farm at Greensburg until he was
twenty years old. He was educated in the public schools
there, later taking a four years' course in Alleghany Col-
lege, at Meadville, Pennsylvania, graduating from that
institution in the spring of 1890 in the scientific and en-
gineering department. He took up civil engineering as
a private study, and he has since devoted his life prin-
cipally to that work. He has been employed in railroad
engineering, mine work, city engineering and other simi-
lar lines of work.
In the spring of 1908 he was nominated on the Re-
publican ticket for the office of county surveyor of
Greene county. His nomination was generally regarded
as a fortunate one, for he stands high in his profession.
He came to Linton in the capacity of engineer of the
Island Coal Company in 1894, and he has been a resident
of that town ever since. He was engaged in sewer build
ing in Martinsville, Indiana, for one year. He is at
present (1908) chief engineer of the sanitary sewer sys-
tem now building in Linton.
Mr. Gageby was married in October, 1894, to Dora
Hatfield (nee Mrs. Osborn). She is the daughter of Ale
Hatfield, a hotel proprietor in Bedford, Indiana. The
subject and wife have one living child, ^^'o(:)d. who is
twelve years old (1908).
1172 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
The subject is a meml^er of the Benevolent and P'"o-
tective Order of Elks and he has attained the thirty-sec-
ond degree in Masoniy- Both he and his wife are mem-
bers of the ^Methodist church in Linton.
HEXRY GASTIXEAU.
This well-known citizen and business man of Linton
was bum in Stockton township, Greene comity, Deceni-
l;)er 4, 1S70. He is a son of Levi and Rachel ( Hatfield)
Gastineau, both natives of this county. The former was
a pioneer fanner, having spent all his mature years on
a fann. He found farm work a pleasure, and, being- in-
dustriiius. made the work a success. He died at the age
of fifty }ears and his wife at the age of fifty-nine years.
They had a family of thirteen children, of whom nine
are living. They are Marion, Ann \\'est, James, Martha
Rose, Bettie Haseman, Patience, P. E.. Grant and Henry.
James is a plumber living in Alhambra. California. P. E.
is a passenger conductor li\-ing in Indianapolis. At pres-
ent he is connected with the Indianapolis & Vincennes
Railroad Company. Grant is a farmer near Palestine.
Illinois.
Henry Gastineau, the subject of this sketch, was
reared on the old home place, and farmed until he was
twenty-four years old. He was educated in the public
schools in Stockton, township, near Linton, to which city
he moved in 1S94. He has been engaged in the mer-
cantile and real estate business since that time. He was in
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 173
the general merchandise business for two years, since
which time he has devoted his energies to buying, selhng
and building in all kinds of real estate. He built the Gas-
tineau block on W^est Vincennes street in 1904. It is one
of the handsomest blocks in the city, the building cost-
■ ing about twenty-fi\-e thousand dollars. He owns a two-
story stone-front building on North Main street and two
residences. In 1900 he took a six-months' trip to the
Pacific coast and California to visit his brother. James,
and through the south.
The subject was married in 1897 to Sarah McKeag.
a native of Greene county. She lived but two years after
her marriage. The subject married his present wife. Net-
tie A. Jeffers, in 1902. She was reared near Riley, In-
diana. Two daughters have been born to this union, Hen-
rietta, born May 17, 1904, and Opal, born June 2. 1907.
Mr. Gastineau is a member of the, Woodmen of the
World and of the Knights of Pythias and Knig'hts and
Ladies of Honor. His political views are always with
the Republicans, but he has never held office. He is a
member of the Baptist church and his wife belongs to
the Methodist church. The Gastineau family are mostly
members of the Christian church. They are of French
antecedents. The Hatfield family as represented by the
mother of the subject were among the pioneers of Greene
county, Indiana, having come here from Tennessee.
Mr. Gastineau is regarded as one of Linton's best
business men, and he stands high, not only in the busi-
ness world, but in all circles of that city, owing to his
honorable business methods, his courteous manners and
his upright principles.
1174 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
WILLIAM FLETCHER CORNELIUS.
\\'illiam F. Cornelius, the subject, was born in Louis-
ville. Kentucky, July 30, 1844. He was educated at Cory-
den Academ}' in the common branches and later took a
business course in the Louisville Business College. Soon
after he left school he enlisted in Company K, Eighty-
first Indiana Volunteer Infantn-, in 1863, and sen-ed
until the close of the war, being mostly on detached
service, in which capacity he was sent to Greene coun-
ty, Indiana. He was deputy postmaster for two years
and postmaster for fifteen years following that. He
took up a permanent residence in Linton in Septeml.ier,
1869, and has been there continuously up to the present
time. He established a groceiy and provision store in
1874, operating his commercial business in connection
with the postofiice. He was engaged in general macadam-
izing for six years. His place of business was burned
out in 1885, causing a loss of seven thousand dollars.
Since then he has been engaged in the real estate and in-
surance business. He had begim this business before his
misfortune and has been thirty-four years in all in this
work. He has a good list of old-line insurance companies :
The subject was married April 8, 1874. to Alice V.
Osborn, daughter of David L. and Annie E. (Buck) Os-
born. The subject and wife had the following children :
Maudie, who died when eighteen months old; Myrtle,
wife of William Smitherman, an electrician, in Chicago;
Ann, wife of John T. Bennett, an engineer, located in
Shelburn, Indiana; David W. is a young man of excep-
tionally high literary attainments, who graduated in the
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 175
Linton high scliool before he was sixteen \ears old and
from De Pauw University before he was twenty-one.
He then became assistant instructor in physics and civil
engineering at Purdue University and is now in the Uni-
versity of Cahfornia.
The subject is the son of W'ilham H. and Sarah A.
(Robbins) Cornehus, the former a native of Kentucky and
the latter a native of Massachusetts. They were of Eng-
lish and Scotch descent. The Robbins family trace their
ancestors to a family of this name who came to America
with the Pilgrims in the Mayflower. The subject's moth-
er was a teacher. After coming to Ohio she married
William H. Cornelius at Georgetown in 1837. The fatni-
ly lived at Corydon, Indiana, on the route of the Morgan
raid during the Civil war, and their house was raided by
them. A considerable battle was fought there and ninety-
six of Morgan's men were killed. The subject assisted
in burying them. William Cornelius was a minister in the
Methodist Episcopal church who was transferred from
the Kentucky to the Indiana conference in 1849. He
was bom 181 7 and died in 1874. His wife was bom in
1 82 1 and died in 1865.
The subject is a member of the Methodist Episcopal
church, in which he takes an active part. He has held
numerous offices in the church. He is a member of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being one of the
charter members of the Linton (Indiana) Lodge. His
father was a thirty-third degree Mason. He is a Repub-
lican and a recognized pension attomey. He owns two
hundred and forty acres of famiing land in Grant town-
ship. Greene county, Both he and his wife are stockhold-
1176 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
ers in the First National Bank in Linton. He has always
been successful in his business ventures and is highly re-
spected in the town where he now lives.
LEALDAS S. FORBES.
Lealdas S. Forbes holds in a most creditable man-
ner the responsible position of bookkeeper and paymaster
for the Summit Coal and Mining Company, with offices in
Linton. He was bdrn at Moores Hill, Dearborn county,
Lidiana, Januaiy 15, 1858. the son the the Rev. Lealdas
Forbes, who was a pioneer minister of considerable note
in the Methodist church in Indiana, his first work in this
state including twentj'-seven appointments, among which
was Bloomfield, Spencer and \\^oi-thington. He was a
self-educated man, working his way through college later
in life. He became principal of the Ladies' Seminary at
Bloomfield, under the jurisdiction of the Methodist con-
ference of Lidiana. the old buildings being subsequently
used for the village high school. He also owned a farm
near Mineral City, where most of his family were reared.
He was engaged in active work in the Lidiana conference
for fifty-four years, during which time he became one of
the most noted ministers in the state. He was three times
married and had two children by each marriage, a son
and a daughter. The subject of this sketch is the
youngest living child, the other survivors being Mrs.
Louisa Farro, of Tracey. Minnesota ; Mrs. Libbie A. Fel-
lows, of Los Angeles. California, one from each union.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 11/7
The subject's father died at Le Roy. Illinois. May 23,
1896. and his last wife died in Bloomfield in 1902. The
latter's maiden name was Rachael Fisher, whose record
harks back to Revolutionaiy stock, her grandfather, Ma-
thias Fisher, being one of the patriots captured by the
Indians at the mouth of Laughrie creek and sold to the
French and held prisoners on the Island of Montreal until
they effected their escape. The Fisher family were all
liberally educated and were teachers. They were of
Scotch ancestry.
Lealdas Forbes, our subject, was educated in the pub-
lic schools, at the State University and De Pauw Uni-
versity, in each of which he made splen.did records for
scholarship, graduating from the last named in the law
department in 1885, after which he practiced law at
Bloomfield for three years with marked success, being
deputy^ prosecuting attorney for two years. Then he went
to Marshall, Minnesota, where he practiced for two years,
when his father's health failed, causing our subject to re-
turn home and take charge of the fann, wliich he suc-
cessfully managed until 1896. He was in the employ of
the McCormick Han'esting Machine Company for two
years. He was deputy county auditor from 1898 to 1902,
since which time he has occupied his present position, hav-
ing moved from Bloomfield to Linton in May, 1903: In
all this work he showed a marked executive ability.
Mr. Forbes married August 14. 1885. Ella Lowder,
the accomplished daughter of Dr. and Mrs. H. R. Low-
der, of Bloomfield. Mr. and Mrs. Forbes have five liv-
ing children and one deceased. They are Elsie, Julia.
May, Herbert, Rowena and Mildred, all living at home.
1 178 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
The first two named are graduates of the Linton high
school and Elsie is a student (1908) in the State Uni-
versity. Lealda died at the age of one year. Herbert L.
is in his junior year at the high school.
Fraternally Mr. Forbes is a charter member of the
Acolade Lodge, No. 63, Knights of Pythias, at Bloom-
field, where he still holds his membership. He is also a
member of the Uniform Rank, No. 93, of Linton, and
is a charter member of the Benevolent and Protective Or-
der of Elks. Lodge No. 866. at Linton. He belongs to
the Woodmen of the World. He has been chancellor
commander and representative to the grand lodge of the
Knights of Pythias, being a member of the encampment
rank. \h-. Furl.ies. wife and eldest daughter are members
of the ?\Ieth(idist cliurch. Politically the subject has al-
ways been a Republican, following in the footsteps of his
father, who was one of the organizers of that party, and
who supported John C. Fremont for the presidency in
1856.
Mr. Forbes is generally popular wherever he goes,
and is held in high esteem by every one who knows him.
butli in liusiness and prixate life.
CLINTON DUDLEY HIXSON.
The two most strongly marked characteristics of
both the east and the west are combined in the residents
of the section of the country' of which this volume treats.
The enthusiastic enterprise which overleaps all obstacles
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 11/9
and makes possible almost any undertaking in the com-
paratively new and vigorous western states is here, tem-
pered by the stable and more conserv^ative policy that we
have borrowed from our eastern neighbors, and the com-
bination is one of peculiar and unusual force and power.
This happy combination of characteristics is possessed by
the subject of this review.
Clinton Dudley Hixon was born in the Buckeye state,
January 25, 1856, the son of Benjamin and Elizabeth
(Myers) Hixson, the fomier also an Ohioan by birth,
claiming Fayette county as the spot of his nativity, which
is one of the richest and best counties of the state, and.
useless to say, Benjamin Hixson was a prosperous
farmer in that favored section. However,' being allured
by the greater inducements of Greene county, Indiana, he
moved from his native heath to the site of the present
thriving city of Linton when it was but a dot on the
map. Here he purchased a large farm which is now a
leading portion of the residence section of the city — East
A street. The subject of this sketch still lives on a lot of
the original farm, now peopled with fashionable resi-
dences. Benjamin Hixson lived on the old homestead
until his death in March, 1869, at the early age of forty-
three years. The mother of "Dudley," as he is familiarly
called by his friends, was of German parentage, and she
passed away in 1905, at the age of seventy-nine years,
after a consecrated Christian life. Four sons were born
to Benjamin and Elizabeth Hixson, namely : John and
William, deceased ; Lucian, a resident of Linton, and Clin-
ton Dudley, our subject.
Mr. Hixson, who was reared on a farm, naturally
I ISO BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
tiHik til agricultural pursuits and farmed successfully all
his life up t(j 1907, since which time he has been asso-
ciated with his sons in the hardware business in Linton,
in which he has been successful, a substantial trade hav-
ing been built up with the city and surrounding country
by his sons several years previous.
The subject was united in the bonds of matrimony to
Amanda Craig in April, 1883. She is the daughter of
Thomas Craig, at that time a well-known citizen of
Greene county. Two children have been bom to this
union : Lee. age twenty-two. in 1908, who married Jo-
sephine Jewel, of \\'orthington, is father of one child and
lives in Linton; Otto, the second son of the subject, is
eighteen years' old and has resided in Linton for some
time. Both boys are very promising business people, hav-
ing shown from the first that tliev pl.^^c^-c.I the necessary
prerequisites to succeed in the Wi'rM i-i strenu(jus en-
deavor and keen competition.
The subject delights to tell of the days when his
father lived on the farm consisting of two hundred and
.seven acres, when the surmunding country in the vicinity
of Linton was covered with dense wmuls. That was
when the vast underlying coal deposits were unknown.
The roads were so bad in those days that Mr. Hixson
kept two oxen yoked all the time for the purpose of pull-
ing teams out of the mud on A street.
Our subject is highly honored in the congregation of
the Methodist Episcopal church, being a trustee of the
same, perfomiing these duties methodically as he does his
private business afifairs. He is a member of the Knights
of Pvthias and i-^ regarded .as a stalwart Democrat and is
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. nSl
proud of it, for he is the only Hixson of his family name
that is a supporter of this party. No citizen of Linton or
the community where he resided before moving to the city
stands in higher regard and popular approval than the
subject of this sketch.
EDWARD BERNS.
Among the well-known business men of Linton is
he whose career is here set forth, a gentleman of
social standing and sterling worth, whose connection with
leading financial institutions of the city indicates ability
of a high order and faithfulness in the discharge of im-
portant official functions. The Bems family is of Gennan
origin, as is also the Linderman's, the subject's antece-
dents on the maternal side. Peter Berns, Edward's
grandfather, a native of the Rhine, immigrated to tliis
country many years ago, and in due time moved westward
to Indiana, locating in Greene county when the countiy
was a wilderness, securing a tract of wild land, which in
the course of a few years he improved and converted into
a good home. He was a typical pioneer of the early day,
strong, daring and of great industry and thrift. He lived
long enough to see the wilderness give place to thickly
settled and prosperous communities, bore his share in
bringing about the latter condition, and after a long and
active life on the farm, retired to Linton, where he passed
the remainder of his days. William Lindemian, who
was also a native of the Rhine country in Germanv, came
IIo2 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
to Indiana about the time of INIr. Bems's arrival and lo-
cated on land adjoining the latter's farm. He. too, be-
came a successful tiller of the soil and highly respected
citizen, and died after rearing a family and seeing his
children well settled in life. Both of these families were
more than ordinarily prosperous, Mr. Berns having ac-
cumulated a handsome fortune, consisting largely of real
estate in various parts of the country, which increased
greatly in value with the settlement and development of
the county.
John Bems, son of the above mentioned Peter Berns,
was bom in Stockton township, where he still lives. Like
his antecedents for several generations, he. ton, has de-
voted his time and energ-ies to the ancient and honorable
vocation of husbandry, with the result that he is now one
of the enterprising farmers and substantial citizens of the
township in which he resides. When he grew to manhood
he married Catherine Lindennan. daughter of his father's
old friend and neighbor, and in due time became the head
of a family of seven children, five sons and two daugh-
ters, namely: Edward, of this review; Ernest J., Charles
H., Mamie E., John I., Ethel and William, all living ex-
cept Ethel, who departed this life when nine years of age;
the six surviving children still live in their native town-
ship of Stockton and thus far none have taken upon them-
seh-es the duties and responsibilities of the marriage re-
lation.
Edward Berns was bom October 28, 1880, and spent
his childhood and youth on the family homestead, where
he early acquired the habits of industr\% thrift and fru-
gality which make for successful manhood, and developed
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 1 03
the correct habits and the spirit of self-rehance which
proved such potent factors in shaping liis future course
of life. In the pubhc schools which he attended at in-
tervals during his minority he laid a foundation for the
more thorough mental discipline which he subsequently
received in the Indiana State University, and on leaving
that institution he devoted a part of three years to teach-
ing, assisting with the work of the farm in the meantime.
In 1902 Mr. Berns accepted a clerical position in the
Linton Bank, with which institution he has since been
identified, meanwhile, by successive advancements, reach-
ing the important and responsible place he now so accepta-
bly fills. He enjoys in full the confidence of his superiors,
discharges his duties with credit to himself and to the
satisfaction of all concerned, being familiar with the
various details of banking and well informed on financial
matters, proving an accomplished accountant and an all-
around business man of progressive ideas, whose future
prospects are in everj- respect encouraging.
Mr. Bems is a Democrat in politics, and as such has
rendered efficient service to his party. In 1903 he was
appointed city treasurer of Linton, to fill a vacancy, and
so capably did he discharge the duties of the position that
at the expiration of the term he' was elected to the office
and now holds the same, his present term expiring Janu-
ary I, 1910.
He is influential in secret benevolent work, holding
membership with the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks and Knights of Pythias, including the uniform
rank of the order, being at this time esteemed leading
knight in the former societv.
IIo4 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
MRS. CATHERINE BALLARD.
Isaac Stalcup. the grandfather of the subject of this
sketch, was l)orn in North Carohna. so also was her fa-
ther. James Stalcup, the latter being- born August 22,
1786. They moved from North Carolina to Tennessee,
and from Tennessee to Indiana. Isaac Stalcup moved to
the locality now known as Greene county in the year 181 7,
and located on section 26, township 8 north, range 4
west. This was before Greene county was organized,
and the territory now embraced in Greene county was then
a part of Daviess county, and a few years before had been
a part of Knox county.
James Stalcup was married to Margaret ]\[arHn, a
native of Ireland, in 181 2, while they resided in Tennes-
see. He came to Indiana in 1818 and settled on the hill
just east of where Worthington now stands, and estab-
lished the first blacksmith shop in that locality. Soon
after this a large number of Stalcups came to Greene
county. Indiana, and some of them settled in what is now
known as Stafford, Washington and Highland townships.
No one family in the county could count as many members
and none stood higher as good citizens.
James Stalcup had the reputation of making the best
axes and plows of any man in the county. He also built
the first brick house in the county. His home was noted
far and near for its hospitality and for the genial com-
panionship of the husband and wife and their children.
It has been said by persons well acquainted with him
that George Stalcup. the oldest son of James Stalcup.
•if he had been thoroughly educated, would have been the
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I185
peer of George Dunn, who was the most eminent orator
and lawyer in western Indiana at that time.
. Catharine was the second child and was born in Sum-
ner county, Tennessee, January 26, 1816, and moved with
hei-" parents to Indiana when she was two years old, and
passed through all the vicissitudes and hardships of early
pioneer life, thus fitting her for the great battle of life
with which she was afterward confronted. Her oppor-
tunities for education were veiy limited, as there were
few schools in that locality in her girlhood days, but her
strong intellect, her determined courage and force of
character made up to a great extent for her lack of high
school education.
On the 26th day of March, 1835. she was married
to John Jones, who was born in Newberry, South Caro-
lina, on May 9, 1810. To this marriage was bom two
children: Eliza A., the oldest, died in infancy; the sec-
ond child was Margaret J. This daughter was sent to
the common school of the neighborhood and the high
school at W'orthington, and while yet a young girl grad-
uated at Worthing-ton College in Ohio in 1858, being the
first girl from Greene county who graduated in a college.
The next year this daughter was married to C. C. Howe,
of Worthnigton. Indiana, a most estimable citizen.
Mr. Jones died December 8, 1838. On the 22d day
of December. 1840. Mrs. Jones was married to Benjamin
C. Ballard, a son of Colonel James Ballard, of Shelby
county, Kentucky. The Ballard family in Kentucky have
been very prominent in many departments of life, and a
history of that family is to be found in a sketch of John
75
Hob BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
J. Ballard, published in this histoi"}'. To this marriage
were bom two children, John J. Ballard and Ellen Bal-
lard. Mr. Ballard died October 4, 1844. and Mrs. Bal-
lard never after entered into the marriage relation. True
to her great appreciation of education, she caused these
two children to receive a good education, and each took
first-class positions in life. Ellen was married to D. H.
Wylie, of one of the best families in Kentucky.
On becoming a widow the last time she had, in ad-
dition til her tliree children, five step-children, the children
of Mr. Ballard !>}■ a former marriage, to take care of,
support and educate. She discharged her duty in this
line as well as in every way in her long and useful life.
In addition to these eight children under her care,
she took charge of a large number of orphan children, not
related to her, from time to time. At times she would
have as many as four orphan children at her home, and
seldom withuil mie nr more. So many orphan children
were taken care nf in her family that her home was often
called the "Orphans' Home." Many of these orphan
children who, now occupy positions of honor and trust
in many portions of our country, hold her in loving re-
membrance on account of her disinterested and loving
care at a time in life when they had no other person to
care for them. During all this struggle in life, by strong
force of character, indomitable courage and extraordi-
nary business capacity, she was enabled to accumulate a
large amount of property for the time and country in
which she lived. As she approached the sunset of life she
had ample income from her valuable lands to fully enjoy
that g-rand hospitality and noble charity which seemed to
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA.
1 187
be her delight during all her life. She seemed to fully
realize that "it is more blessed to give than to receive."
She w^as eminently an heroic character, in every way
worthy of emulation. Her main desire in life seemed to
be to do good to humanity, and especially to life up and
better the condition of the vmfortunate poor and needy.
She did not attach herself "to any church early in life, but
was an earnest, faithful member of the Christian church
for more than twenty years before she passed over to the
other shore, which was on December 27, 1896.
Her life was a noble inspiration to good deeds.
"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with
firmness in the right," she came up to the standard of the
Master when He said "Inasmuch as ye have dc^ne it unto
the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS HOWE.
The subject is the son of Anion Price Howe and
Caroline (Thatcher) Howe ; was born on a farm in Nicho-
las county, Kentucky, near the town of Carlisle, October
2, 1833. His parents moved to Indiana in 1835 and set-
tled on a farm about three miles south of Spencer. In
about three years afterward they removed to Spencer,
where they lived about twelve years, keeping a hotel.
Here he received such instruction as the town of
Spencer afforded at that time, which consisted of a few
months' schooling in each year by itinerant schoolmasters,
until he was about fifteen years of age. This was all the
I loo BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
education he received aside from the instruction given him
at the fireside at home. Here his father, who was a de-
voted disciple of Lindley Murray, whom he considered
the father of EngHsh grammar, drilled him carefully in
the use of the "mother tongue," and his mother helped
him in his g'eography lessons, so that in these two
branches of learning he stood first in his classes at school.
He made good use of the opportunities which he had. as
was plainly evident in later life.
He early displayed a talent for music, both \-ocal and
instrumental, receiving his instructinn in the fnrmer by
attending the old-fashinned singing sclnols, and was
mainly self-taught in the latter, his fa^'orite instrument
being the violin. His first efforts at playing were on a
"fiddle" made from a gourd, which he bought for a trifle
from the manufacturer, a boy abnut his own age. His
niDther, who was brought up in the strict Methodist faith
of the olden times, thought it was wicked for any one
to play the fiddle, but reconciled herself to the thought
that while she could hear her boy in the adjoining room
practicing- on his instrtiment, he was not out somewhere
in forbidden paths. A guest at one time remarked to his
father, "It is a shame for a boy with the talent that he
has not to mave a better instrument." The result was
that the gourd fiddle was soon laid aside for a cheap
violin. Those of his friends who sun-ive him will re-
member that his love for music developed into skillful
playing and continued with him during his life.
At about the age of fifteen he went to Bloomington
to act as salesman in the dry goods store of an uncle. He
remained here fur se\eral vears. He was afterward em-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. II89
ployed in different places, and finally went to Worthing-
ton. Here he met Margaret Jones, to whom he was mar-
ried September i. 1859. Mrs. Howe is still living at
Worthington in the home where they spent the few years
of their married life.
Here he engaged in the sale of drugs and continued
in this for a number of years. Failing in health and
physical strength, he finally decided to take an outing,
and went to southern Kentucky for a visit with Mrs.
Howe's sister and her family. Within a few miles of his
destination, Princeton, the train was wrecked and he was
thrown from the car and so seriously injured as to live
only a week afterward, his death occurring October 16,
All who knew him will remember him as a good
business man, a man of integrity, possessing all the quali-
ties that go to make up a noble character. He was or-
derly and methodical in business and retained these char-
acteristics to the veiy last days of his life. He was at
the time he was so suddenly called away the superintend-
ent of the Sunday school of the Christian church in
Worthington. He felt that he could not leave this life
without sending them a message, stating that, as his days
of usefulness were ended, he wished to tender his resigna-
tion as Sunday school superintendent. "How much like
Lum, that was," a friend who loved him said. He was
"Lvmi" to all his most intimate associates.
He was a consecrated Christian, a devoted husband
and father, a dutiful and loving son, one of the kindest
of brothers, a useful and honored citizen, a good man in
every respect.
IIQO BIOGRAPHICx\L MEMOIRS ■
CAPTAIN WILLIAM! BOUGH.
A veteran of botli the Mexican and Civil wars, no
man in Greene county was more widely known or more
highly esteemed than the one whose biographical mem-
oirs we shall here attempt to give, viz., Captain William
Bough, who was born on November 14. 1822, in Bath
county. Kentucky, the son of Frederick and Rebecca
(Sexton) Bough, the former a native of Virginia, and
the latter of Alabama. When William was four years
old his parents came to Indiana and took up land in
Greene county. In . connection with farming Frederick
Bough engaged iri hauling freight from Louisville, Ken-
tucky, to Bloomfield, Indiana. In so doing he not only
made a substantial living, but gained also a wide circle
of friends and accjuaintances. becoming genei-ally known
throughout that section of the state. He was a \\'hig
when that party existed, and later joined the ranks of
the Republicans. He and his wife were devoted members
of the Baptist church.
They were the parents of eleven children, iive of
whom still survive. They are \\'illiam. our subject : Han-
nah, wife of William Donaldson, of Shelbyville, Illinois;
Sarah J^ne, now living in Kansas ; Joseph, now residing
in Oklahoma, and Taylor, a fanner in Greene county.
A\'illiam had but meager educational advantages, but
made practical use of what schooling he was enabled to
acquire. When still a boy he assisted his father by driv-
ing freight teams, continuing in that work until 1846. at
which time the Mexican war was precipitated. He en-
listed as a private in Company E of the Indiana Mexican
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. HQI
recruits, and was sent to the front, where he met with
many hardships, close contests, and the iminent dangers
incident to warfare. He participated in the battles of
Monterey. Mexico City, Buena Vista, etc. At the last
mentioned conflict he received what was feared would be
a mortal wound. A bullet entered his right shoulder
and passed entirely through the body. He survived the
shock, but was crippled badly from then on. He was dis-
charged from the service on Februaiy 25, 1847, ^^^^ fo^"
the next three years was almost a total physical wreck.
After recovering sufficiently to enable him to do so he
began farming, and in conjunction with this worked on
flatboats that were plying the rivers in carrying on freig'ht
traffic.
One would think that his experiences in the Mexican
war would have been sufficient for him, but his patriotism
was only kindled into a stronger flame thereby. In July,
1861, he organized Company C of the Twenty-first In-
diana Infantry, and became its captain. They were sent
to Baltimore, Maryland, and there organized into a bri-
gade, after which they were sent to Fortress Monroe.
After a short stay at this point they were transferred to
New Orleans, and here Captain Bough worked success-
fully with General Butler. He was a skillful scout,, and
frequently led scouting parties, managing to cause con-
siderable embarrassment to the enemy through his skill
and alertness. He had his headquarters at New Orleans
until the close of the war, and continued with the amiy
department of the Gulf until he received his discharge on
January 12, 1866. He had participated in twenty hard-
fought conflicts, besides a host of skinnishes. He sus-
1 192 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
tained many severe wounds, and at one time was almost
annihilated by the premature discharge of a cannon.
One of his exploits reflecting credit upon his ability
as a leader was the capture of the steamer "Fox." This
was done with only twelve men, resulting not only in
gaining the vessel, but in taking possession of fifty pris-
oners, several guns and a large quantity of ammunition.
Upon returning to Greene county, at the close of the
war, he became re-engaged in farming, helping also in
railroad construction and other work of a similar char-
acter.
Captain Bmigli was married three times, first to
Mai-y Ann Huffman, next to Susan Ramply, and later to
Nancy J. Turley, all of whom were residents of Greene
county. Nancy Turley was the daughter of Joseph and
Elizabeth Hatfield, early emigrants to Indiana. Joseph
Hatfield was a famous hunter and trapper, having gained
a reputation far and wide for skill in this capacity.
Captain Bough had no children. He was a member
of the Grand Army of tlie Republic, Post No. 326, of
Bloomfield, and was a liberal supporter of the Christian
church, doing in his closing years, all that he could to
promote the civil and religious welfare of the community
and the many words from friends and neig'hbors are but
tokens of recognition of his worth as a patriot and citizen.
After a successful and useful life Mr. Bough was
calle<l from his earthly labors May 29, 1908.
HENRY T. NEAL.
The spirit of a pure, noble and earnest life burned
the mortal tenement of tlie late Henry T. Neal, tlian
GREEXE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 193
whom no citizen of Greene county attained to higher dis-
tinction in connection with the material development of
this favored section of the state, while none wielded a
wider or more beneficent influence in connection with the
promotion of important industries and far-reaching pub-
lic utilities which tend so greatly to material development
and progress. His was indeed a full and complete life,
one of vigor and inflexible integrity. During the course
of an honored career he accomplished much for the gen-
eral good and was not denied a due individual reward in
the matter of temporal success and affluence. A man of
rugged strength of character, of fine moral fiber, and one
who realized a full measure of useful achievement, his
name is deeply graven on the pages of Greene county his-
tory, particularly applying to the community in which he
lived and acted his part, so that such a publication as the
one in hand must needs enter a tribute of honor and ap-
plication to his memory if any measure of consistency and
symmetry' is to be claimed for the same. Such a character
as his leaves behind a name revered and honored by all
who have come in touch with the spirit that was its in-
spiration, hence the name of him about whom the biog-
rapher essays to write in this connection is one of which
all speak with respect and pride.
• Henry T. Neal. son of Mahlon and Mary Ann Xeal.
was bom near Jasonville. Indiana, on tlie fiftli day of
December. i8_i._!.. The father, a native of Ohio and an
early pioneer to Greene county, entered the land on which
the family home was established, and in due time became
one of the entei^prising men and representative citizens
of the community in which he resided. He achieved
1 194 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
marked success as a farmer, was engaged for some years
in the manufacture of flour, and to him belongs the dis-
tinction of founding and conducting, for a considerable
period, one of the earliest mercantile establishments in
the village of Jasonville.
Mahlon Neal was twice married, and by his first
wife, Mary Ann Love, had eleven children, whose names
are as follows: Henry T.. James. Albert. Mahlon, Caleb.
John, Alonzo, Mary Ann, Barbara. Lillie and Ellen. The
second wife, whose maiden name was Nancy J. Shephard,
bore him three offspring: Florence. Ella and one that
(lied in infancy. This stanch pioneer and successful man
of affairs died in 1899, his wife in July of the year 1877.
Henry T. Neal was reared on the family homestead,
and by reason of being the oldest son, early became ac-
customed to persevering toil and contributed his full share
to the cultivation of the farm. In the district schools he
enjoyed the best educational advantages the country at
that time afforded, and as he grew older assisted his
father in reclaiming the wild land which constituted the
homestead, and in due time attained to robust manhood,
well qualified to perfonn the various rugged duties that
fell to his lot. He remained at home engaged in tilling
the soil, harvesting the crops and attending to the mani-
fold labors devolving upon him, until the political skies
became o\-ercast with the ominous clouds of civil war,
when he laid aside the implements of husbandry and re-
sponded to the call for volunteers by enlisting in Com-
pany K, Eighty-fifth Indiana Infantry, and accompanied
his command to the front in the early part of 1862. Mr.
Neal participated in all the battles in which his regiment
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 195
was engaged, and within a few months after entering the
service was promoted to the rank of first sergeant, which
position lie held until honorably discharged at Washing-
ton. D. C. on the 12th day of June. 1865. He shared
with his comrades the fortunes and vicissitudes of war on
many long marches through arduous campaigns and a
number of bloody battles, and with the exception of spend-
ing several months in Libby prison, came through the
tr\-ing ordeal unscathed, earning an honorable reputation
as a brave and gallant soldier.
The year following his return from the army Mr.
Neal devoted to agricultural pursuits, but during that time
he began to develop ideas of life aside from that of mere-
ly tilling the soil. Accordingly, at the expiration of the
period indicated, he became associated with his father and
brother in the mercantile business, the firm thus constituted
establishing a general store at Jasonville, which proved
successful from the beginning, and which, under the joint
management of these partners, soon became one of the
leading enterprises of the kind in Greene county. The es-
tablishment continued under the original management
until 1871. at which time the firm purchased a large mill
and engaged c^uite extensively in the manufacture of flour,
this line of business also proving satisfactory and giving
the name of the subject publicity throughout the country.
His prominence in business circles brought him to the
favorable notice of the Republican party in Greene coun-
ty as an available candidate for the office of treasurer,
and in the fall of 1879 he was elected to that position and
held the office to the satisfaction of all concerned, two
terms, having been chosen his own successor in the year
1196 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
At the close of his official term Mr. Neal engaged
in the mining husiness at the town of Dugger, and about
the same time became a partner in a general store at that
place with Francis M. Dugger. A little later he became
interested in the coal business at Linton, though still re-
taining his connection with the merchandising, his ability
to manage successfully several large and important enter-
prises at the same time demonstrating sound judgment,
wise discretion and business ability of a high order.
In 1867 Mr. Neal entered the marriage relation with
Sarah E. Wooley, daughter of Zachariah and Bumetta
(Burnett) Wooley, both parents natives of Kentucky and
among the early pioneers of Johnson county. Indiana,
with the development of which section of the state both
branches of the family were actively identified. Soon
after moving to Indiana Mr. Wooley died, leaving a fami-
ly of six children with the mother, to care for themselves
as best they could. The names of these children were:
Mary J., deceased; Nancy Frances, Sarah Elizabeth, John
Henr}% Robert Harrison, deceased, and Joseph R.. the
survivors growing in due time to honorable manhond
and womanhood, and filling with credit their respective
stations in life. Mrs. Wooley subsecjuently became the
wife of James Buckalew, a prominent farmer, of Clay
county, who died in the year 1887, leaving her a sec-
ond time widowed.
Mr. and Mrs. Neal had two children, the older of
whom, Elmer Elsworth. married Stella McCloud and re-
sides in Bloomfield. being the father of four ofifspring.
Ella, the second in order of birth, is the wife of Cyrus
L. Slinkard, of Bloomfield, and the mother of nne child,
a son, bv the name of Lee Neal Slinkard.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 197
In the year 1878 Mr. Neal transferrecl his residence
to Bloonafield, which city he made his home until called
from the scenes of his earthly trials and successes, on No-
vember 12, 1897, his father following him to the silent
land two years later to a day. As already indicated, Mr.
Neal was one of the most enterprising and successful busi-
ness men of Greene county, as well as one of the most
praiseworthy and public-spirited citizens. He adorned
every station in life to which he was called, discharged
worthily the duties of high and important trusts, and made
his influence felt for good among all with whom he came
into contact. A member of the ancient and honorable or-
der of Masonry, he squared his life according to its prin-
ciples and precepts, was popular in every circle in which
he moved, and as a natural leader of men had much to do
in moulding thought and shaping opinion in the com-
munity of his residence. His personal as well as his
public life was pure, having never contracted any of the
vicious and unseemly habits which pollute the body and
degrade the soul, having been a total abstainer, not only
in the matter of intoxicants, but was never known to be-
come addicted to the use of tobacco in any of its forms.
Notably one of the leading men of his day and generation
in the county of Greene, his influence will long be felt and
the memory of his deeds and achievements constitute a
monument far more enduring than bronze or stone.
Mrs. Neal proved a fit companion for her husband,
and not a little of his success was directly attributed to
her wise counsel and judicious assistance. She minis-
tered to his wants, alleviated his sufferings and through-
out their long and mutually happy wedded experience
119° BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
nobly bore her share of the domestic burdens and made
bright tlie liome circle. She now lives to cheer the lives
of a host of friends and neighbors and enjoys great per-
sonal popularity in the best social circles of the city hon-
ored bv her residence.
ANDREW AXDERSOX.
On August 27, 1905. sorrow settled over one of the
residences of South \\"ashingtnn street, Bloomtield, on
account of the decease "\ "iie nf the city's most highly
respected citizens, Amhcw Aiiikr>Mn,
This gentleman, of stanch Scotch-Irish fiber, was
born in Greene county, Indiana, on May 5, 18J5, and was
the son of George and Ann (Kethcart) Anderson. Scotch-
Irish emigrants to this country, who made their way to
Greene county through the usual route of travel common
to that class of liberty-loving settlers. They arrived in
1818, before Indiana had been clothed with the powers
of statehood, and took up two hundred and forty acres of
congressional land, which still remains under the family
control, in the person of the wife of the deceased.
Seven children were born into this family, consist-
ing of Jane, widow of James Elder.- and now living in
Iowa ; George, father of our subject, deceased : ^lary Ann.
widow of Samuel Elder, also of Iowa ; James, deceased :
Lavina. deceased, became the wife of Ellswick Ledger-
wood, of Oklahoma : John, deceased, was a soldier in the
Union Army during the Rebelliiin. The members of this
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 199
family were adherents to the old-style Presbyterian faith.
Andrew was reared on the home farm, receiving his
education in the primitive form offered in that early day.
the details of which it is unnecessary to elaborate upon
here. He remained upon the home place, which he ulti-
mately inherited, until 1902, and then removed to his
residence in Bloomheld, where he finished his days in well
deserved retirement.
On November 3. 1868. he was married to Alary Ann
Ouillen, a native of Greene county, and daughter of Jesse
and Sallie (Huffman) Ouillen, the former being a native
of Kentucky, and the latter of Indiana. The Ouillen
family constituted one of the pioneer families of the
countv and ranked among the leading citizens of the
community. The children consisted of Man,- Ann, widow
of our subject; William, whose present home is in Knox
county, this state ; Sarah, deceased wife of Lysander
Hayes; Susan, deceased wife of John Geddes: Richard,
Jesse and Emily, all deceased, and Francis, who is fol-
lowing farming in Missouri.
Mr. and Mrs. Anderson devoted themselves A-igor-
onsly to the development of their fann, and took a keen
interest in facing the problems encountered in the progress
of the work. They not only proved excellent managers,
but gathered about them that most delightful of adorn-
ments of the home, viz., a family of happy children.
These were five in number, made up of Melissa J., the
wife of James Bailey, a farmer, of Cass township, Greene
county, who in turn are the parents of four hearty chil-
dren, Everett. Lelia. Lola and Merle. Following Melissa
was James, who is making his home at present with his
I200 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
mother. The third child met witli an untimely death,
which proved a most severe blow to his parents and cast
a shadow of gloom over the family which time could not
entirely efface. At the age of sixteen years, while bathing
with a number of companions in White river, he fell a
victim to the deeper waters and life was extinguished
ere rescue could be made. The next daughter, Georgia,
became the wife of Peter A. Hassler, a farmer, of Taylor
township, and she is the mother of five children, viz.,
Mary, Earl, Grace, Jasper and Guy. The fifth of the
faniilv was Grace, who is the wife of Langdon Lester,
also a farmer, of Taylor township.
;\Ir. Anderson was not only a pious gentleman, but
affiliated with the Methodist church, as does also his
widow, and they both contributed liberally of their time
and means to its support. He also served as trustee of
Taylor township, and in many ways won the confidence
and esteem of all of his friends and acquaintances.
IVIL ORA PRICE.
The grandfather of tlie sul^ject of this review was
Aquilla Price, a Kentuckian by birth, a pioneer of Greene
county. Indiana, and distinctively a man of influence and
high standing in the community which he assisted in
founding. His ancestors were English. Several ante-
cedents of the family came to America at quite an early
period, and in due time they or their descendants joined
the tide of emigration westward over the mountains to
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I20I
the new and undeveloped land of promise, as Kentucky
was then called, where they secured homes, reared fami-
lies and bore their respective parts in the affairs of life.
Among the children of Aquilla Price was a son by the
name of Levi M., whose birth occurred in Greene county.
Indiana, in the year 1836, and who has been proud to
call this section of the Hoosier state his home from that
date to the present time. In his young manhood Levi
Price married IMargaret Hail, daughter of the Rev.
Martin and Pheobe (Hickle) Hail, the father a popular
minister of the Methodist Episcopal church during the
pioneer period in Greene county and a leader in religious
affairs wherever his labors called him. He spent his de-
clining years in Linton, where his death occurred at the
advanced age of eighty-nine years, his faithful wife hav-
ing also neared the centur}' mark when summoned to the
unseen world. Levi Price became one of the prominent
farmers and stock raisers of Greene* county, and after
accumulating a handsome competency, retired from active
life to enjoy the fruits of his labor and thrift. On the
27th day of October, 1907, he and his good wife cele-
brated the fiftieth anniversary of their marriage, on which
occasion there assembled at their home in Linton, two
hundred and fifty-five guests to wish the worthy couple
many returns of the memorable day and to rejoice with
them in view of the many signal blessings by which their
pathway had been beset. Since retiring from active life
Mr. and Mrs. Price have spent the winter seasons on the
south Atlantic coast and the rest of the year among the
more familiar scenes of their home country, where many
relatives and friends seem to vie with each other in do-
76
I202 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
ing tliem honor. Mrs. Price is a native of Clay county,
Indiana, and the same ag'e as her husband, having- been
born in tlie year 1836. Of their family of seven children
the subject is the oldest living- son, there being, besides
him, three sisters, namely : Hattie, wife of Dr. E. T.
Sherwood ; Mrs. Jennie Schloot, and Mrs. C. T. Sher-
wood, all residents of Linton. The deceased members of
the family were Mrs. Cassie Wills, of Linton, who died
in young womanhood, and two sons : Elliot and Arling-
ton, who departed this life in childhood.
Ivil Ora Price wasi bom June 29, 1866, in Stockton
township, spent his early life on the home farm there and
received his preliminarv- education in the public schools,
subsequently pursuing the higher branches of learning in
Merom College. Manifesting a strong predilection for
agriculture, he decided to make that honorable calling his
life work. Accordingly, when a young man, he began
tilling a part of the home place and later became asso-
ciated with his father in fanning and stock raising, his
efforts in both respects being crowned with signal suc-
cess. Li the course of time he became interested in other
enterprises, notably among which was the constraction of
gravel roads in various parts of Indiana and he has also
devoted considerable attention to the livery business, own-
ing at the present time a finely equipped bam in Linton,
which, during the last twenty-two years, he has person-
ally managed. The latter establishment is up-to-date in
every respect and the largest of the kind in the city, be-
ing fully equipped with modem vehicles, the best the mar-
ket affords, while in number and condition, his roadsters
and other animals lack nothing to be desired.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I2O3
Mr. Price is a wideawake business man of progres-
sive ideas, fully abreast of the times, and every enterprise
to which he has directed his attention has prospered.
Financially he occupies a prominent place among the solid
men of Linton, and in the matter of public improvements
his voice and influence have ever tended to their promo-
tion. He is a Republican in politics, but not a politician,
nor has he e\'er aspired to office, although well fitted by
nature and training for any position within the power of
his fellow citizens to bestow. He belongs to Linton
Lodge, Xo. 560, Free and Accepted Masons, is a charter
member of Metropolitan Lodge, Knights of Pythias,
which was organized in 1887, and also took an active
part in establishing Linton Lodge, No. 866, Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks, to which he has since be-
longed, and in which he has been honored with various
positions of trust.
On February 19, 1889, Mr. Price and Ada Aikman
were united in the bonds of wedlock, Mrs. Price being a
daughter of Archibald and Elizabeth (Plummer) Aikman,
of Lyons, Indiana. Mr. and Airs. Price are the parents
of three children: Merlin, a youth of seventeen, now
pursuing his studies in Kenilworth College, near the city
of Chicago: Stanley, aged eleven, and Edith, eight years
of age. the last two being pupils in the Linton public
schools ( 1908).
PROF. JOSEPH HENRY HASEMAN.
Prof. Jijseph Henry Haseman. the subject of thi
re\-iew, takes high rank among the leading educators o
Greene county and lias achieved much more than local
distinction in the line of work to which his talents and
energies have been faithfully devoted.
The family of which Professor Haseman is a worthy
representative is widely known throughout Greene county,
and has long been distinguished' in educational circles,
and for its efforts in behalf of schools, also for activity
along other lines calculated to improve the community in-
tellectually and morally. John D. Haseman, Sr.. the
professor's father, is a native of Greene county and is still
living on the fann one mile north of Linton, which was
purchased from the government by members of the fami-
ly in quite an early day.
Elizabeth Shultz, \vh..^c birth nccurred near Linton
in 1S53 and' wlm became the wife nf J(]lin D. Haseman.
is alsn livm- and ]va< hMnu' her lui^band the following
children, namely: J-'seph 11.. ,,t this review: William P.,
Charles, John D., Jr., Leonard, Oscar, M. Gertrude, Ber-
tha A. and Arthur, all of whom are in some way inter-
ested in educational work, or attending school, several
holding important positions in this and other states. \\\\-
liam P. Haseman. Ph. D., is assistant professor in the
Lidiana State University; Charles, an assistant professor
in the same institution, has also taken the Ph. D. degree.
John D. Haseman, A. M., is located at Brazil, South
America, in the interest of the Carnegie Listitute : Leon-
ard Haseman, A. M., holds the position of assistant in-
structor in the L'niversity of Missouri ; Oscar and Ger-
trude are students in the Lidiana University, in the junior
and sophomore classes, respectively, while Bertha and
Arthur are pursuing their studies in the public schools
in 1908.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I205
Prof. Joseph H. Haseman was born in Greene coun-
ty, August 27, 1876, and spent his childhood and youth on
the family homestead near Linton, receiving his prelimi-
nary education meanwhile in the public schools of the city,
adhering- to his inclination for higher intellectual train-
ing subsequently he became a student in the Indiana State
University and while attending that institution devoted
his vacations to teaching, earning an honorable reputation
as a capable and popular instructor. In 1905 he was gradu-
ated from the university with the degree of Master of Aits
and immediately thereafter accepted the superintendency
of the Linton public schools, which position he now holds
and the duties of which he has discharged in an emi-
nently satisfactory manner, as the continuous progress
of the schools under his able management abundantly at-
test. The position is one of great responsibility, the city
containing four large schools buildings, thoroughly
equipped, in which the services of thirty-two teachers are
required, the term lasting nine months of the year having
been raised from eight and one-half months since Profes-
sor Haseman took charge of the work. Lender his ef-
ficient supen'ision there has been commendable progress
in the educational system of Linton, and it is conceded
by visiting superintendents and others that the schools of
the city at this time stand among the very best in the state.
Through his instrumentality a number of improvements
tending to lessen the work of the teachers and benefit the
pupils have been adopted, a high grade of professional ef-
ficiency characterizes the entire teaching force and no ef-
forts are being spared to keep the schools in touch with
the lastest and most improved methods of educational
work.
1206 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Tlie liig'li character Professor Haseman lias achieved
as an educator lias made him widely and favorably known
throughout the state, both as a teacher and manager of
schools, and in view of his untiring energy and marked
successs it is safe to assume that there are few, if any,
more popular superintendents in Indiana. He is in the
prime of vigorous manhood, possesses genial manners and
superior scholarship and his practical experience in educa-
tional work from country schools to city superintendency
bespeak for him a future of distinguished efficiency in
his chosen field of endeavor.
Professor Haseman is a Democrat in politics, and
while ever interested and thoroughly informed on the
leading questions and issues before the people, he is not
a politician nor an aspirant for public honors. He holds
membership with Lodge No. 637, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, aad Unity Eagle Encampment, No. 222.
CYRL'S L. SLIXKARD.
Prominent among the enterprising business men of
Bloomfield is Cyrus L. Slinkard. whose connection with
one of the largest industrial aggregations in this part of
the state has brought him into wide publicity and given
him a reputation in business circles second to few of his
contemporaries. Mr. Slinkard is a native of Greene coun-
ty, Indiana, and the son of John F. and Caroline (Wil-
liamson) Slinkard. He was born October 2-. 1881. in
Blnomfield. received a practical education in the city
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 20/
schools and at the age of seventeen prepared himself for
business life by taking- a full course in the Vories Commer-
cial Colleg-e, Indianapolis, immediately after which he
accepted the position of bookkeeper with a large hard-
ware firm of that city. Severing his connection with this
house at the end of one and a half years, he came to
Bloomfield, where during the ensuing two years he held
various clerical positions, and at the expiration of that
period entered the employ of the Summit Coal and Min-
ing Company, with which he is still identified, represent-
ing the company as traveling salesman with the states of
Indiana, Illinois and Michigan as his territory'. He is
also interested in the company as stockholder and since
accepting the responsible position he now holds has done
much to advertise the name and fame of his firm and give
it a reputation among the leading enterprises of the kind
in the country. Mr. Slinkard is a wide-awake, enterprising
business man of progressive ideas, practical in his views,
and not only takes advantage of opportunities which tend
to his advantage, but in the absence of such opportunities
possesses the ability and tact to create them. His wide ex-
perience on the road and his intercourse with the lead-
ing business men tliroughout the countr\- have tended to
broaden his vision and give him large views of life
and its responsibilities, consequently there is nothing nar-
row or illiberal in his nature, but on the contrary his re-
lations with the world have enabled him to take advanced
grounds on all matters of a business or social character
and to award to everj' man. however humble, the credit
which is manifestly his due.
Mr. Slinkard was married Xovember i8. 1903. to
I208 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Ella Neal, tlaughter of Henry T. Neal. Mrs. Slinkard
was horn at Jason ville, Indiana, on the 30th of March.
1878, and has presented her husband with one child, Lee,
whose birth occurred in Bloomfield February 8, 1906.
In addition to his interests in the Summit Coal and
Miningi Company Mr. Slinkard is also a director and
stockholder in the Bloomfield State Bank, and has de-
voted considerable attention to the affairs of this de-
servedly popular institution. He is public-spirited to the
extent of encouraging all laudable enterprises which make
for the material -advancement of the city of his residence,
manifests a lively regard for the moral improvement of
his fellow men and discharges the duties of citizenship as
becomes a true American of the period in which he lives.
In politics he supports the principles and candidates of
the Democratic party and in religion belongs to the Luth-
eran church.
Mr. and Mrs. Slinkard occupy a beautiful and com-
modious modem home in South Seminary street, which
he erected in 1007 and which is conceded t(T be one of
tlie niMst ]ili.a'-am and attracti\-e private residences in the
CHARLES OLGUS.
Endowed with those admirable qualities of charac-
ter requitie to a successful and well-balanced life, Charles
Olgus, of Linton, ranks among the progressive and in-
fluential young business men of his city.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I209
firm of J. W. Wolford & Company for the past eighteen
years, and for the past ten years has been a member of
the firm. His affable personaHty, his painstaking care
and conscientious regard for the comfort and welfare of
his customers has enabled him to hold the friendship and
trade of his large circle of acquaintances.
Mr. Olgus was born in Grant township, Greene coun-
ty, Indiana, September lo. 1871, being the only son of
William and Lucinda (Reigle) Olgus, the former being
a native of Hanover, Germany, where he was born in the
year 1824, and the latter a native of the state of Penn-
sylvania, being born March 4, 1830. The mother died
. on February- 18, 1884, and the father June 20, 1890.
The mother had been previously married to Mr. Funk,
who died November 3, 1853. William Olgus migrated to
America when a young man, settling on a farm in Grant
township, where he lived all his life, following the occu-
pation/ of a tiller of the soil.
The children of this marriage, which was solemnized
October 4. 1855, numbered seven, named as follows:
Mary, born Octoljer 26, 1856, deceased: Rosetta, born
April 5, i860, wife of Peter Shaw, of Brazil: Esther,
born December 11, 1861, wife of I. M. ^^'ines, Midland. "
Indiana; William H., bom September 18, 1864, deceased;
Margaret, born November 30, 1866, wife of James Wake-
field, Stockton township: Cynthia, born June 17, 1869,
widow of Will ^^'olford. and Charles, the subject of this
review.
Charles Olgus attended the city schools of Linton
and entered the mercantile house of J. W. Wolford &
Company, at an early age, working himself up from a
clerkship to one of the proprietors of the business.
I2I0 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Mr. Olgus was married February 19. 1902. to Jennie
Rector, an estimable young lady, of Linton. Airs. Ol-
gus departed this life March 6, 1906. Two children
(twin.s) survive. These were born Februaiy 28, 1906,
and are named Charles Bishop and Jesse Loran.
Mr. Olgus is one of the most progressive as well as
one of the most popular young business men of Linton.
He is a member of the Elks and prominent in the best
social circles of the citv.
W ILLTAM LEHMAX.
A high-minded citizen and substantial business man
of Linton is the subject. William Lehman, dealer and
manufacturer of lumber. Long prominently identified
with the growth of the "city from an obscure village to
its present size and importance, he is a man who com-
mands the undivided respect of the entire community.
Straightforward in his business methods, benevolent in
his daily associations and courageous in all matters af-
fecting public welfare, he is man universally admired
and esteemed by his fellow men. Mr. Lehman was bom
in Wayne county, Ohio, November 2, 1847, the son of
Henry and Elizabeth (Devin) Lehman, natives of Penn-
sylvania, and both of German ancestrv-. He is one of
seven children, five of whom are living. The children
were as follows : Maria Flannigan, deceased ; Catherina,
making her home with Walter Warren, near Bloomfield ;
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 121 1
Jane, widow of Mr. Viquesuey, of Spencer, Indiana, and
Simon Lehman, a substantial citizen of Bloomfield :
Henry Lehman, killed at the famous battle of Stone
River, during the Civil war, and Peter Lehman, a pros-
perous citizen of Owensburg, Indiana.
Henry Lehman came to Greene county about 1853
and located on a farm north of Bloomfield. He fol-
lowed agricultural ptirsuits all his life. He died about
1880, at the age of seventy-five. The mother died about
fi\-e years ago at the home of Mrs. Flannigan, at Bloom-
field, at the advanced age of ninety-three. The longevity
of this good couple is a silent testimonial to the purity of
their lives and their exemplaiw mode of living.
\\'illiam Lehman, the subject of this review, worked
with his father until twenty years of age, and then as-
sisted his brother Simon in the cabinet business at Bloom-
field. He was married in 1870 to Mary Hartzell, daugh-
ter of George Hartzell, a well-known citizen of Bloom-
field. The names of this interesting family are as fol-
lows: Stella v., the second in order of birth: Wil-
lie, deceased ; Charley. Lloyd, Grace, Nellie, the wife
of Roy Baker, of Indianapolis; Ray, Roy and Earl. Mr.
Lehman removed to Jasonville, Indiana, after marriage
and engaged in the cabinet making business, but remained
only a short time, going back to Bloomfield and resum-
ing work with his brother Simon, where he remained
for five or six years. Mr. Lehman came to Linton about
1879. His first business enterprise was to again go into
the cabinet making business. He gradually went to con-
tracting and from this he went into the lumber business.
He has been in the lumber business here for over twenty
1212 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
years, and is perhaps the leading himber merchant of
the county. He sold the first piece of lumber ever sold
in Linton. His establishment is situated near the Illi-
nois Central Depot, and occupies an entire block. The
plant is equipped with the most improved machinery and
does an extensive business.
Mr. Lehman is an- enthusiastic Republican, and was
liis party's nominee for township trustee a few years ago,
but went down in defejit with the rest of the ticket, though
making an exceptional fight against great odds.
Mr. and Mrs. Lehman are members of the Methodist
Episcopal church. Mr. Lehman is a member of the In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of
Pythias.
MRS. AXXA B. RAY.
Mrs. .Anna B. Ray, the subject of this article, is the
widow of the late Daniel W. Ray, who was born in Shelby
county. Indiana, August 5, 1846. He was a son of Jesse
and Martha (Allison) Ray, who were among the early pio-
neers of Shelby county. Daniel W. Ray received a thor-
oug"h educational training in the schools of his native
county and studied law for some time, but afterward
abandoned the legal profession as a life work and took
up the study of telegraphy and railroading. In the lat-
ter profession he was phenomenally successful. On the
9th of September, 1870, he took charge of the railroad
business at Marco. Greene county, "and discharged the
duties of that responsible office for twenty consecutive
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I2I3
years without the loss of a clay, a record unsurpassed by
any. During this period he was also in the mercantile
business for about one year, in company with Isaac
Weaver. In 1888. on the extension of the Indianapolis
& Vincennes branch of the Pennsylvania system to Bush- .
rod, Mr. Ray was made the agent and general overseer
at that junction point. There he died on the 6th of
June, 1890. The untimely death of this prominent and
useful citizen was greatly deplored throughout a very
large circle of friends and relatives. '"Dan" Ray was
well and favorably known to nearly every employe on
the railroad system with which he was connected, and
they showed their appreciation of his worth by attending
his funeral in a body and contributing beautiful and ap-
propriate floral offerings, by published articles in the
public press, commendatoiy of his life and character and
by kindly offices to the bereaved family. Mr. Ray was
prominently connected with the Independent Oi'der of
Odd Fellows, both the subordinate and encampment
branches, and his home lodge at Lyons served as a per-
sonal escort, while large delegations were present from
other lodges and encampments thi-oughout the surround-
ing country, thus forming the largest funeral procession
ever convened in the town of Marco. He was a man of
very strong domestic ties, and the happiness and com-
fcjrt of his family were his first considerations. Having
nursed his little son, lovingly spoken of as "brother,"
through a severe attack of typhoid fever, the anxiety at-
tendant upon the severe vigils of the sick room left the
family prostrated from broken rest and constant labors,
Mr. Ray never fully recovered his health, but soon suc-
cumbed to the ravages of disease.
1214 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Anna B. Ray. whose name heads tliis sketcli, was
born in Bloomfield, Greene county, Indiana, and spent
her early life and girlhood days in her native town. She
was educated in the excellent public schools of Bloomfield.
Her parents, William H. and Mary C. (Talbott) Fer-
guson, represent two of the early pioneer families in
Greene county. Her father enlisted as a <nember of
Company E, Ninety-seventh Indiana Infantiy, under
Capt. J. T. Oliphant, now of Bloomfield (see his sketch
herein), and .sensed until called to another life. He died
on the 26th of January, 1864, and was buried at La-
Grange, Tennessee. His wife has borne his name and
cherished his memory from that far away day to the pres-
ent, and has been a member of the family of her daugh-
ter, Mrs. Anna Ray, during all the intervening years.
She is a lady remarkably well preser\'ed — a ray of sun-
light in the home which connects with loving remem-
brances of the distant past.
Mrs. Ferguson is a sister of Dr. James T. Talbott,
of Linton, to whose personal sketch the interested reader
is referred for more complete ancestral history. Mrs.
Ray is the only sui-vivor of a family of four children bom
to Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson, the eldest of whom* was Mag-
gie, who married James Stalcup, of Bloomfield, and died
within three years after her marriage, July 6, 1876; Mil-
ton E., lived to the years of maturity and died in Idaho
in 1S86, and Harry, the youngest of the family, died as
the result of an accident in his mother's amis November
15, 1868. Anna B., now Mrs. Ray. was the second born.
She was married to Daniel W. Ray on the 26th of Janu-
ary. 1874. and this happy union was blessed with five
GREEXE COUNTYj INDIANA. I2I5
children, of whom but two are now Hving. ]Minnie B.
died at the age of four years and Lulu died in early in-
fancy; Jesse O., the only son, and known to the family
only as "Brother."' married Lillie Haverly, of Clay City,
Indiana. They have three children, Mary M., Kenneth
and Daniel W. Pearl Ray became the wife of John
Wicker. They are residing, temporarily, in Oklahoma.
A son and a daughter have been born to this union, viz. :
Helen Ray and John Lloyd. The fifth and youngest
child of Mrs. Ray was Edgar Milton, who was an in-
valid all his life and died at the age of seventeen years.
The care of this beloved and unfortunate child was a
source of greatly multiplied domestic labors for ]\Irs. Ray,
though she bore it all in that spirit of "mother love" and
Christian fortitude so characteristic of devoted mother-
hood throughout the world. She refers to her family
with great pride and says that the proudest thoughts in
her varied life work is the solace of knowing that she
has been a good mother. Her sun-iving children fully
appreciate this fact and perfect peace and domestic har-
mony, crowned with the higher and nobler sentiment of
filial love, are the jewels which they are daily reaping.
Mrs. Ray has managed her own business affairs
during all the years of her widowhood and has been
successful beyond the average. She is the owner of
valuable property in Linton, which is largely the result of
her own business capabilities. For several years she
owned and operated the Remington Hotel, from which
business she realized handsome profits, and when she sold
it to retire to more private life, she received a veiy hand-
some advance above the original cost. She owns a fine
home on A street, northwest, where she and her mother
1210 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
now live, besides some unimproved city property. But
this has not been acquired through great self-denials, for
she is open-hearted and generous with the poor, and is
a willing and liberal supporter of the Methodist Episcopal
church, which has been her religious home since child-
hood. She is a devout Christian, as is also her mother,
the latter being a Presbyterian in religious faith. They
stand veiy high in the social functions of Linton and
Bloomfield, and count among their personal friends the
leading people of the entire communities in which their
lives have been spent.
HARVEY O. PEARCE.
Han'ey O. Pearce, the subject, who is a successful
contractor and builder of Linton, is a native of Warren
county, Lidiana, having been bom there September 3,
1852, the son of Andrew and Eleanor (Woods) Pearce,
both natives of Virginia, but the former, who was bom
in 1794, was reared at Urbana, Ohio, where he followed
farming. His father, William Pearce, grandfather of the
subject, owned the land upon which the city of Urbana
now stands. The subject's father was a captain in the
War of 18 1 2. He raised a company and offered his serv-
ives in the Civil war, but was rejected on account of his
advanced age. Andrew Pearce drove cattle from Chilli-
cothe, Ohio, to Chicago to market when the latter city
was a small town, known as Ft. Dearbom. He later
owned a small farm in Fountain county. Lidiana, from
GREEXE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 -' 1 /
\viiich he hauled wheat and other products to Chicago.
Later lie sold this fami and bought another in Warren
county, Indiana, where he lived until his death in 1880.
The mother of the subject died in 1865, at the age of
fifty-two years.
Harvey O. Pearce lias four brothers and three sisters
living and five brothers and three sisters dead. His par-
ents were both twice married. Thomas W. was the only
full brother the subject had. He died when twenty-
seven years old in Warren county, Indiana, leaving a
widow and four children. Two of the children are liv-
ing with their mother in Indianapolis. The subject was
educated in Warren county, Indiana. He worked on a
farm and at the carpenter's trade until 1875, when he be-
gan a regular apprenticeship of two years, since which
time he has followed carpenti7 and contracting exclusive-
ly. He has had large contracts in Illinois and various
contracts throughout Indiana. For twenty years he has
done nothing but contracting in triple building and mine
equipment. This includes the erection of the buildings as
well as the installation of the machinery.
The subject was married September 8, 1874, in \Var-
ren county, Indiana, to Florence Morris, whose parents
were Joseph and Isabel (Hagar) Morris, natives of
Ohio and Pennsylvania, respectively. Mr. Morris died
in 1861. His widow survived until 1890. Mr. and Mrs.
Harvey O. Pearce have but one living child, Alta, now
the wife of Clarence Rardin, who is employed in the
Brazil, Indiana, postoffice. They have one child, Flor-
ence, who is two years old. The following children bom
to the subject and wife are deceased : Thomas T., Oliver
I2l8
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
A. and an unnamed infant. Both Tliomas and Oliver died
in infancy.
Although raised a Republican the subject is a Demo-
crat in political belief. He has been a member of the Ala-
sonic fraternity since he was twenty-one years old, hav-
ing been initiated into Rainsville Lodge, No. 315, in War-
ren county. He now holds a membership in the Brazil,
(Indiana) Lodge, No. 264, Free and Accepted Masons.
He has held various lodge offices. He is also a member
of Linton Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, and a member of
Linton (Indiana) Lodge, No. 866, Benevolent and Pro-
tective Order of Elks.
The Pearce family moved to Linton, Indiana, in June,
1900. They own a pleasant home at 60 G street, north-
east. Mr. Pearce has always been fairly successful in his
business career. His wife is a member of the Methodist
church and of the ladies' societies connected therewith, in
which she takes much interest.
ALVIN EMMETT GREENE.
As one reviews the historv- of Greene county and
seeks to determine who were prominent in its early de-
velopment, also seeks to know the worthy citizens who in
a later generation carried on the work so magnificently
begim by their forefathers to a more glorious issue, he
will find that the subject of this sketch has long been iden-
tified with the progress and advancement of this favored
section of the Hoosier state, where he has maintained his
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I219
home for nearly a half century and where he has attained
g'ratifying success in connection with the development of
its resources, being one of the representative farmers and
stock raisers in Stockton township, and having one of the
most productive landed estates in this part of the common-
wealth.
Alvin E. Greene was bom four miles south of Bloom-
ington, Monroe, county, December 7, 1866. His father,
Monroe Greene, was also a native of that county. His
mother was Margaret Jane Houston in her maidenhood,
a native of Illinois. The subject of our sketch is the old-
est of four children, the others being Faun D.. the wife
of Curtis E. Claywell, of Linton; Zoe E., the wife of
Emery Shepherd, of Linton; Otha E., lives at Harris-
burg, Illinois. The lamented mother of this family of
children was called from her earthly labors Januan,- 20,
1902. The father now resides with the subject.
Alvin E. Greene was united in marriage in 1889 to
Sarah E. Evans, daughter of Nixon Evans, one of the
oldest and best known citizens of Clark county. Illinois.
The children of this marriage are Eva E., Flo and Faun,
twins, the latter deceased ; Julia, deceased ; Manford and
Charlotte.
The subject lived with his father, assisting him in his
life work and attending the home schools until he was
twenty-two years old. He has been a citizen of Stockton
township for a period of sixteen years, where he has been
identified with the industrial development of the com-
munity and gained a solid reputation for honesty and
sobriety.
In 1904 I\Ir. Greene was elected assessor of Stockton
1220 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
township, having shown by his pubhc-spirited disposition
and business abihty also his loyalty to his party that he
was the right man for such a responsible position of pub-
lic trust, and he has shown by the able manner in which
he has handled the affairs of the same that the public was
not mistaken in its decision and faith in Mr. Greene.
He is still (in 1908) holding this office, which is a veiy
important (ine in Stockton township, owing to the fact
that immense ciial properties are located here, seventeen
of the largest coal mines of the county being within the
limits of Stockton township, and the corporations con-
trolling these mines always make a determined effort to
secure a low assessment of their properties , but Mr.
Greene cannot be biased or influenced from his decisions
when he believes he is right,. and he has instituted many
reforms in his office. Taking his oath of office as his
platform, he took a rigorous stand in favor of a just and
equal appraisement alike for rich and poor. He reas-
sessed the corporations, raising them to a figure nearer
the valuation of the properties than had ever been assessed
before.
Mr. Greene is popular with the citizens of Stockton
township, officially, socially and industrially, and no more
upright man is to be found within the borders of the
township.
JAMES HEXRY PERS(3XS.
On July 18, 1858, there was born in Jackson county,
Ohio, the subject of this l^iography, a man whose sul>
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1221
sequent life has been of singular service to his countr}'-
men. He was the son of William A. and Mary (Squires)
Persons, the former a native of Steuben county, New
York, and the latter of Jackson county. Ohio. William
was the second of a family of six children, the other five
being Levi, dead : Hulda, Nathaniel, dead : Harriet, dead :
and the sixth child is also deceased.
\\'illiam A. Persons, father of our subject, is now a
man of strong mental equipment and energetic tempera-
ment. He taught school for fifty-two winters, missing
during that time only one term, and that was owing to
his absence in the army. He not only has this enviable rec-
ord to his credit, but in addition to this he had the pleas-
ure of teaching his last term in the same school in which
he taught when he began his work over a half centur}'
before. He is still living (in 1908) and is in excellent
health. He has been a most loyal Christian gentleman,
affiliating with the Methodist faith, and has taken an
active interest in the progress of education. Although a
Republican he has never sought public office. ]\[rs. Per-
sons, his companion in life, has attained the age of sev-
enty-two 3rears and is a woman possessing a beautiful
Christian character.
James received his education in the public schools of
Ohio and remained on his father's farm until 1886, at
which time he removed to Greene county. He became en-
gaged in coal mining, operating- at Linton, Lidiana, and
continued at this for nine years, with the exception of one
year, during which he was in Michigan. He was a man
of considerable executive ability and one that inspired
confidence in those who knew him best. Although not
1222 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
a political aspirant, his colleagues recognized in him a
valuable leader, and in 1894 he was prevailed upon to
make the race for recorder of Greene county, to which
office he was easily elected. He thereupon removed to
Bloomfield in order to better discharge his official duties.
He performed the functions of his office in a straight for-
w^ard and business-like manner, and at the end of his first
term was re-elected, serving a total period of eight years
and two months. He made a clean record and set a high
standard for official integrity. Since the close of his pub-
lic career he has returned to his mining interests, to
which he is giving his attention at the present time.
On October 29, 1887, Mr. Persons was married to
Florence E. Stover, who was born in Vermilion county,
Illinois, but reared to womanhood in Sullivan county,
Indiana. She was the daughter of Benjamin F. and
Fidelia (Hawkins) Stover. The former was a soldier in
the Civil war.
Mr. and Mrs. Persons are the parents of one daugh-
ter, who was bom in April, 1889. She is the wife of
Grover C. Rader. Mr. Persons is a member of the Ma-
sonic fraternity, the Knights of Pythias and the Modem
Woodmen, in all of which he takes an active interest and
lends them his hearty support. He and his wife are peo-
ple of irreproachable characters and are substantial cham-
pions of Christian work, affiliating with the Methodist
Episcopal denomination.
LEWIS EINSLEY LETSIXGER.
The subject of this sketch is descended from English
and Scotch ancestiy and has inherited many of the ster-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1223
ling qualities for which those nationalities have always
been distinguished. His father, Lewis P. Letsinger, a
native of Tennessee, moved to Owen county, Indiana, in
1843, and a little later changed his place of abode to the
county of Greene, where he entered land, improved a
farm and spent the rest of his life, dying in 1878 at the
age of sixty-eight years. Margaret Thornton, who be-
came the wife of Lewis P. Letsinger, was the daughter
of a Scotch immigrant who came to the United States in
an early day and settled in Tennessee. She bore her hus-
band thirteen children and lived to a ripe old age, de-
parting this life in December, 1906, in her ninety-seventh
year. This estimable couple were highly esteemed in the
community of their residence, and as members of the
Methodist Episcopal church took an active interest in dis-
seminating religion and morality among their neighbors
and friends, having been especially zealous in the work
of the Sunday school and teachers of more than ordinary
ability, Mr. Letsinger ser\ang as class leader many years
and was counted one of the leading members. Of their
children the following grew to mature years and acted
well their respective parts in life: John Calvin, a soldier
in the Eighty-fifth Indiana Infantry during the Civil war,
was wounded while in the serv-ice, now residing at Mid-
dletown, Indiana; William M., a member of the Four-
teenth Indiana Infantry, also. wounded in battle, is de-
ceased ; Phillip J. served in the Fourteenth Indiana Regi-
ment and was killed in the battle of Antietam. James B.
entered the army in the Thirty-first Indiana and fell near
Atlanta, Georgia, while defending the flag of his countr)^
Alexander, also a member of the Thirty-first, died
1224 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
while in the service, and the subject of this review, whose
mihtan,' career will receive notice further on. It is doubt-
ful if the state of Indiana affords a similar instance of a
family noted for patriotism and gallant sen-ice in defense
of the Nation's honor. Six brothers who nobly responded
to the country's call for assistance during the dark days
of the Rebellion and who freely gave their all that treason
mig-ht be crushed, three of them sacrificing their ven-
lives upon the altar of duty, is a record that finds few
parallels in the annals of warfare.
Lewis E. Letsinger was born in Greene county, In-
diana. April 26, 1844. '^"fl spent his early life on the
home famn. where he learned the lessons of industry and
thrift which formed the bans of his subsequent career as
an intelligent, broad-minded man and typical American
citizen. His educational advantages were limited to the
subscription and public schools of the neighborhood in
which he spent his youthful years, and until the age of
eighteen years he assisted in carrying on the farm work
and contributed to the support of the family. Actuated
by a patriotic impulse, which at that time appeared to
animate the young men throughout the north, Mr. Let-
singer on August 12, 1862. enlisted in Company K,
Eighty-fifth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and at once pro-
ceeded to the front, where he bore his full share in the
arduous dut}- of campaign and battle, taking part in the
engagement at Thompson Station, Tennessee, and the
months of continuous fig^hting in Georgia under General
Sherman, when that redoubtable leader was ojjerating
ag'ainst Atlanta. He was with his command at Peach
Tree Creek, Dallas, Resaca. Kenesaw Mountain and cither
actions, and after the fall of the above stronghold took
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1225
part in the celebrated march to the seii and later to Rich-
mond, Virginia, thence to Washington, D. C, where he
took part in the grand review, and was mustered out
June 28, 1865, with the rank of sergeant.
Returning to Indiana at the close of the war, ^Ir.
Letsinger fanned the home place one season and then
purchased land of his own which he at once proceeded to
improve by erecting buildings and clearing the ground.
In due time he developed a good farm, which was his
home for a period of nine years, at the expiration of
which period he sold the place and removed to the family
homestead, where he has since prospered, being the owner
of the place at the present time. In connection with
ag'ricultural pursuits he is largely interested iii the coal
business, there being a very productive mine on the farm,
operated by the Letsinger Coal Company. He also con-
ducts a general mercantile business, which adds very ma-
terially to his income, giving to this and his other in-
terests the personal attention which has made all of his
enteqjrises succeed.
Mr. Letsinger is a man of intelligence and wide ex-
perience and believes in progress and improvement in all
the terms imply. He keeps pace with the times in all mat-
ters of public import, is well informed on the leading
que.stions before the people, and as a Republican wields a
strong influence for the party in the township of his resi-
dence. \\'ith the single exception of township assessor,
he has held no public or political office, having little
taste in this direction, preferring to devote his entire at-
tention to his business interests and to be known by the
simple title of citizen. He is a Mason of high standing,
takes an active part in the deliberations of the local lodge
1226 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
to which he belongs, and exempHfies the beautiful and
sublime principle of the order in all of his relations with
his fellow men.
Mr. Letsinger was married in 1866 to Harriett Price,
of Owen county, Indiana, and is the father of ten chil-
dren : Eva, bom January' 29, 1867, is the wife of James
Letsinger; Asbury B., born FebruaiT 19. 1870, is a man
of family, living in Jasonville; Belle, born November 18,
i87i„died October 11, 1872 ; Ella,now Mrs. Oscar Daugh-
erty, was born January 4, 1874; Green P., born October
29. 1875; Lewis C. was born July 21, 1877: Mary D.,
wife of A. Elsworth, was born January 16, 1879; Mila,
born November 19, 1880, is the wife of William Leach;
Philip Ray, born June 27, 1882, and Robert A., bom
May II, 1885. The mother of these children departed
this life in 1899.
'Sir. Letsinger is an esteemed member of the ]\Ietho-
dist Episcopal church, in which he has long been an in-
fluential worker, also a tiiisted and honored official, hold-
ing at the time the positions of steward, trustee and super-
intendent of the Sunday school. His wife also was identi-
iied with the same religious body and her daily life and
conversation were ever in accordance with the pure teach-
ings of the church. January 6, 1902, Mr. Letsinger mar-
ried Mrs. Letetia Neal (nee Warricks), of Paso Robles,
Califomia. She is a native of Pennsylvania and moved
to Greene countv.
LOREN A. HYDE, M. D.
The subject of this review not only takes high rank
)ng the leading physicians and surgeons of Greene
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 122/
cuunt}-, but stands equally well as a citizen, being keenly
interested in whatever tends to promote the material ad-
vancement of the city in which he resides, and making his
influence felt in behalf of those measures and enterprises
having for their object the intellectual and moral eleva-
tion of his fellow men. Dr. Loren A. Hyde is an honor-
able representative of one of the oldest pioneer families
of Switzerland county, Indiana, where his great-grand-
father, Amasa Hyde, a New Englander by birth, located
when that part of the Hoosier state was a wilderness,
into which but few hardy explorers had dared to pene-
trate. The family is English and the name first appears
in connection with certain stirring events that transpired
during the Cromwelian period, shortly after which it was
transferred to America and seems to have taken root in
the New England states, where descendants of the orig-
inal immigrants are still to be found. The doctor's grand-
father was Samuel B. Hyde, who spent his life in Swit-
zerland county, and it was there also that his father, the
Rev. Marshall Bennett Hyde, was bom, and who, in due
time, became one of the learned and influential Methodist
divines of Indiana, being at this time presiding elder of
the Seymour district, with headquarters in the city of
that name.
Susan P. Wycoff, also born and reared in the county
of Switzerland, is the doctor's mother. By her marriage
with the Rev. Mr. Hyde she had six children, four sons
and two daughters, namely: Loren A., whose name in-
troduces this sketch; R. Scott, pastor of Hanscom Park
Methodist Episcopal church, Omaha. Nebraska ; the Rev.
Preston S., a minister of the Methodist church, at the
122b BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
present time principal of the Philander Smith Colleg-e, at
A'iani Tal, India, where he has spent seven years in mis-
sionary educational work; Edna Blanche, now the wife
of Thomas Staver, of Indianapolis; Gertrude is with her
parents, attending; school, and Will Cumback died in
childhood.
Dr. Loren A. Hyde was horn :\Iarch 26. 1870, at
East Enterprise, Switzerland county, and received his
early mental discipline in the schools of his native place.
Subsequently he finished his literary education in Moore's
Hill College, and after a preliminary course of reading
entered the Aledical College of Indiana, from which he
was graduated in 1897, and while a student he was un-
der the watchful care of Dr. L. H. Dunning, of Indian-
apolis, as i)receptor, immediately thereafter beginning to
|)r;ictice his ])rofession in Indianapolis, where he continued
until ii)(i_'. In the latter year he left the capital city and
came to Linton, where he formed a partnership with Dr.
B. A. Rose, the oldest physician in the place, and since
the above date he has built up a very satisfactory and
lucrative practice, devoting special attention to diseases
of the eye, ear and throat, for treatment of which he fitted
himself by long and critical study and research under the
direction of some of the most eminent specialists of the
day. While successful in the general practice he has been
eminently so in the special lines, his seiwices being in great
demand by sufferers from the ailments mentioned, and
ere long he will doubtless devote his entire attention to
the branches of the profession for which he has made
such careful and painstaking preparation. Dr. Hyde is
a very busy man and the amount of good he has already
accomplished for suffering humanity is incalculable.
GREENE COUNTV. IXDIAXA. I229
He is no longer under the necessity of attending to
the wide range of practice which his firm has built up,
but confines his attention very largely to office work,
whither numerous patients afflicted in the manner indi-
cated are wont to come for special treatment. The doctor
has a clear field in his special lines, and his success
heretofore bespeaks for him a future of great promise
and usefulness.
Dr. Hyde is a Mason of high standing, belonging to
the blue lodge and chapter at Linton, the Royal Arch ■Ma-
sons and the Council of Royal and Select Masters in In-
dianapolis, being high priest in the chapter with which
he holds membership. He is also identified with the
Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks : also the Greene County Medical Society,
of which he sen-ed as president in 1906 ; the State Medical
Association, and the American Medical Association, and
in religion was reared a Methodist, holding at this time
the office of treasurer in the church at Linton.
On Alarch 12, 1S90, was solemnized the marriage
of Dr. Hyde and Maim Heizer, of Indianapolis, daugh-
ter of C. C. and Nancy Heizer. Mrs. Hyde was born,
reared and educated in the above city and her parents still
reside there. She is one of a family of four daughters,
whose names are as follows: Eva B.. Mrs. Sarah E.,
Jackson and Nettie, wife of Austin Mendenhall. Eva,
the only unmarried one, being principal of the Deaf and
Dumb Institute at Indianapolis, which position she has
held for the last twenty years.
Dr. and !Mrs. Hyde have one son, Cecil \\'ill Hyde,
aged si.xteen, and a student in the Linton high school.
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
JAMES T. ROACH.
The subject of this sketch is a native of Sulhvan
county, Indiana, and the eldest of three sons who con-
stituted the family of William O. and Mary Roach, the
father bom September i, 1843, at Bruceville, Knox coun-
ty, and the mother in the county of Sullivan, September
28th of the year 1845, her name prior to her marriage
having been Mary Brodie. William C. Roach, a mechanic
by occupation and a man of many sterling qualities, de-
parted this life in 1901, at Linton, in which city his widow
still resides. Their second son, William C. Roach, a
farmer, and representative citizen, of Sullivan county,
is a man of family, having a wife and two children; Em-
mons, the youngest son, is unmarried and lives with his
mother in Linton, being by occupation a bricklayer.
The subject's father and grandfather served in the
late Civil war, the former in Company D, Thirty-first In-
diana Infantry, the latter as captain in the Forty-third
Regiment, both seeing much active service and earning
honorable mention for meritorious conduct on the field
of battle. The father, who was promoted to sergeant of
his company, was several times wounded and finally died
from the effects of an injury received by the explosion of
a shell, having been paralyzed several years prior to his
death. Grandfather Roach served with distinction to the
end of the war, and later moved to Anderson county,
Kansas, where he became prominent in local politics, rep-
resenting that county in the legislature at the time of his
death.
James T. Roach, whose birth occurred on the 3d
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 2.3 1
day of July, 1867, was reared in his native county and
received a practical education in the schools of the same.
While still a mere youth he worked with his father, who
was a bricklayer, and in due time mastered that trade and
became a very rapid and efficient mechanic. On attain-
ing- his majority he engaged in brick masonr\' upon his
own responsibility, later contracted for work at various
places, and in 1897 came to Linton, where during the
ensuing years he followed his trade very extensi\'e]y,
erecting in that time a number of the city's most preten-
tious business blocks, and public buildings, to say nothing
of the large amount of work done in the construction of
less imposing structures and edifices. During the twenty
years which he devoted to his chosen calling he not only
achieved success and reputation as a first-class workman
and master builder, but by industry and prudent manage-
ment accumulated a handsome property and placed him-
self in independent circumstances. Owing to an accident
by which he was permanently disabled Mr. Roach, in
1901, was obliged to discontinue his operations as a me-
chanic and retired from business, since which time he has
lived amid the quiet of his home and city, in the enjoy-
ment of the fruits of his swell-directed labors. He has
always taken an active interest in public and political af-
fairs, and in 1906 was elected, on the Republican ticket,
county commissioner for a term of three years, the duties
of which responsible trust he has discharged ably and
conscientiously, with an eye solely to the public good. He
is one of the Republican leaders in Greene county, influ-
ential in the counsels of his party and an active participant
in the deliberations of conventions and other assemblages,
1232 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
and to him as much as to any one man is due the suc-
cess of the ticket in not a few hotly-contested campaigns.
He is treasurer of Lodge No. 560. Ancient Free and Ac-
cepted Masons, at Linton, and a leading member of the
local lodge of Odd Fellows, in which he holds the title
of past grand and past capital potentate in the encamp-
ment. His religious faith is represented by the Methodist
Episcopal creed, to which his wife and family also belong.
April 22, 1892, Mr. Roach and Miss Ella Woodward
were united in the bonds of holy wedlock, the marriage
resulting in the birth of one child, Raleigh O. Roach, who
first saw the light of day on October 19, 1893. Mrs.
Roach's family were among the old and highly esteemed
settlers of Sullivan county. Her father, George Wood-
ward, a soldier in the Civil war and a most excellent and
enterprising citizen, died in the year 1892, as did also
his wife, the two deaths occurring within ten days of
each other. George and Julia \Voodward reared a fami-
ly of three daughters, Lettie, wife of Charles Beck, of
Sullivan county : Rosa, deceased, was the wife of William
Goodman : and INIrs. Roach.
FRANKLIN RAMSEY.
One of the leading farmers and stock raisers of
Greene county and holding distinctive prestige as an in-
telligent and enterprising man of afifairs. is Franklin Ram-
sey, the subject, who is the son of Samuel and Margaret
(Orr) Ramsey, natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio, re-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I233
spectively. Paternally he is descended from an old and
eminently respectable family of the former state, and his
maternal ancestors were among- the early settlers of Co-
lumbiana county, Ohio, where his birth occurred January
26, 1839, having first seen the light of day in the town of
Lisbon. Mr. Ramsey was reared to agricultural pursuits
in his native county and early learned to appreciate the
dignity of honest toil. During the winter seasons of his
youth he attended the district schools, devoting the re-
mainder of the year to labor in the fields. After re-
maining at home until old enough to begin the struggle
of life upon his own responsibility he turned his atten-
tion to any kind of honorable effort that he found profit-
able, and thus in various ways was he employed until the
breaking out of the Civil war, when he enlisted July 6,
1 86 1, in Company C, Twenty-first Indiana Infantry, later
in the First Heavy Artillei-y. with which he saw much act-
ive service during his military experience of five years,
participating in a number of sanguinary engagements,
notably among which were the siege of Port Hudson and
the actions at New Orleans. Baton Rouge, Spanish Fort
and the capture of Mobile. \\"hile at the front he ever
bore himself as a brave and gallant soldier, was strict in
the discharge of every duty and never shirked a responsi-
bility, however arduous. He entered the army as a pri-
vate, but subsequently was promoted sergeant of his com-
pany, and at the expiration of his period of service, Jan-
uary ID, 1866. was discharged with an honorable record,
of which he feels deservedly proud.
Mr. Ramsey became a resident of Indiana in 1854,
and since that year has been identified with the material
78
1234 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
interests of the county of Greene. Returning from the
amiy he engaged in agricultural pursuits on rented land
for a period of four years, and during the three years en-
suing devoted his attention to the lumber business, in
which his success was encouraging. At the expiration of
that time he began dealing in grain, and was thus en-
gaged for six years, when he again resumed farming, pur-
chasing' and improving a fine place, which now embraces
an area of six hundred acres. He gave this his personal
attention until retiring from active life in 1886, and
changing his residence to Bloomfield. As an agriculturist
Mr. Ramsey ranks with the most enterprising and pro-
gressive in Greene county, and his splendid farm, with its
commodious buildings and other substantial improve-
ments, has long been recognized as one of the most beau-
tiful and desirable rural homes of the township in which
it is situated. In addition to tilling the soil he raises con-
siderable stock. His success in this important branch of
farming yields no small share of the handsome income
which has placed him in independent circumstances. His
home in Bloomfield is also' a finely situated dwelling, well
supplied with modern improvements, and being sur-
rounded by all the comforts and conveniences which
ample means can suggest, his present mode of life leaves
little or nothing to be desired.
Mr. Ramsey is a Democrat in politics and for many
years has been an active and influential participant in pub-
lic and political affairs. In recognition of important serv-
ices rendered his party he was three times elected to the
office of township trustee and later sen-ed two tenns as
clerk of the Greene ci unity circuit court, in liotli of which
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I235
capacities he discharged the duties incumbent upon him
in a manner highly satisfactory tO' ah concerned and made
a creditable record as an able, painstaking and obliging
official.
In September. 1880, Mr. Ramsey entered the mar-
riage relation with Mrs. Eliza J. West (nee Denny), a
native of Pennsylvania, widow of the late Thomas West,
who has borne him two children, Frank and Dollie. The
former was bom February 20, 1882, received a good edu-
cation in the schools of Greene county, and at this time
is one of the leading farmers of the township in which he
resides. He married Miss Bertie Combs, also of the coun-
ty of Greene, and is the father of two sons, who answer
to the names of Luther and Franklin. Dollie Ramsey is
now the wife of Lester Mansfield, of Greene county, to
whom she was married on November 13, 1905.
JOHN LYMAN MORGAN.
The gentleman whose name introduces this sketch
is a widely known farmer and stock raiser, and the son of
George C. and Lydia (Gannon) Morgan and half-brother
to Henry C. Morgan, whose biography appears elsewhere
in these pages. He is a native of Greene county, Lidiana.
and dates his birth from February 23, 1863. He was
reared under excellent home influences, enjoyed the ad-
vantages of a common school education in his youth, and
later became a student of Notre Dame University, from
which he was graduated with the degree of Master of
Arts, class of 188 1.
1236 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
After completing- his university course Mr. Morgan
became associated with liis father in buying and shipping
Hve stock, to which business he has since devoted his
attention, and in which his success has been truly remark-
able, as is indicated by the magnitude to which his opera-
tions have grown and his wide publicity in business circles
throughout the entire United States and Canada. Mr.
Morgan has literally grown up with the live stock busi-
ness, and in all matters pertaining thereto his judgment
is practically unerring and his experience such as to make
him an authorit}'. He has long been considered one of
the shrewdest judges of cattle and hogs in the state, and
in the leading markets of this country his name is as well
known and as highly esteemed as that of any other dealer,
in addition to which he has also established an honorable
reputatidii as an enterprising and far-seeing business man
in several foreign cnuntries, to which he makes large ship-
ments from time to time. A man of broad mind, pro-
gressive ideas, with a penchant for large undertakings,
he has made his influence felt among the leaders of his
calling in all the great commercial centers of the Union,
and today in the cities of New York, Buffalo, Chicago,
etc., there is no man whose judgment in the matter of
live stock commands greater respect or whose opinion
carries more weight.
In addition to his large and steadily growing busi-
ness in live stock Mr. Morgan is also interested quite ex-
tensively in real estate, owning valuable farming and
grazing lands in Indiana and other states, the subject's
holdings in Greene county alone amounting- to two thou-
sand four hundred acres, valued at one hundred
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 12:57
dollars per acre. He is a stockholder and director
in the First National Bank at Linton. While it
is true that Mr. Morgan, on starting in life, received
material assistance from his father, it was not until the
latter had fully satisfied himself as to the young man's
ability and judgment to manage his own affairs success-
fully that there was turned over to him the section of
land which constituted the basis of his fortune, and to
which he has since added until, as already indicated, he
now owns four times that amount. His plans have ever
been carefully formed, and in cariying them into effect
he has seldom if ever failed, and only in very rare in-
stances has his judgment been at fault. His ability to
foresee the outcome of present arrangements and action
is remarkable. While his financial success has been com-
mensurate with the energy- and enterprise with which he
has prosecuted his business affairs, his reputation for fair
dealing in all his relations with his fellow men has ever
been such as to gain for him unbounded esteem and honor.
A Democrat in his political views and interested in
good government, he is not a partisan, much less an of-
fice seeker, preferring to devote his time to his business
affairs, and to be known by the simple title of citizen. He
has traveled quite extensively ov'er all parts of the United
States, meeting all classes and conditions of people. This
■ practical experience, with his fine scholastic training,
tending to broaden his mind and give him enlarged con-
ceptions of life and duty and to make him an all-around
well informed man.
Mr. Morgan in the year 1892 entered the marriag'e
relation with Anna Hayes, who was l)rirn in \\'ashing-
1238 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
ton, Indiana, and educated in the schools of that city
and in St. Rose Academy at Vincennes, having been grad-
uated from the latter institution in 1884. She has borne
her husband the- following children: Ilene, aged thirteen
years, Mildred, eleven years old, and John H., who bears
his four years with becoming grace and dignity. At this
time Mrs. Morgan is residing temporarily in Indianapo-
lis in order to give her children the advantages of the
schools of that city.
Mr. Morgan is a gentleman of pleasing presence, and
companionable to those with whom he has business rela-
tions. He is essentially a busy man, but not to the extent
of losing sight of social amenities or becoming narrow,
being popular with a large circle of friends in his own
and adjoining counties and a true gentleman in all the
term implies.
COL. ADEN G. CAVINS.
Perhaps no man who has ever lived in Greene county
was more highly esteemed while living or more sincerely
mourned in death than Col. Aden G. Cavins, who was
in deed and truth Greene county's "grand old man." Uni-
versally admired by men in all walks of life, he was a
splendid type of a gentleman. His was a spirit dominated
by the highest ideals of service and sacrifice, an illustrious
example of temperate living, unflinching honesty and ab-
solute fidelity to every obligation of citizenship. Rich in
his wealth of knowledge and ripe with the experience of
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1239
years, he seemed an essential personality to his com-
munity.
Colonel Cavins was born in Lawrence county, In-
diana, October 24, 1827, the son of Samuel R. Cavins, a
sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume. He
grew to boyhood on a farm and secured only a limited
education in the common schools of his locality. In later
years he entered Asbury, now, De Pauw University,
where he took a three years' course. He then entered the
University of Indiana at Bloomington, where he gradu-
ated from the law department in 1849. He practiced law
in Bloomfield, Indiana, until 1858, when he went to Ne-
braska City, Nebraska, where he practiced law and was
elected to the leg-islature. At the outbreak of the Civil
war he returned to Bloomfield, and after recruiting a
company for the Fifty-ninth Regiment, Indiana Volun-
teer Infantry, he was commissioned captain of Company
E in November, 1861. He went to the front and re-
mained until the war ended, passing through some of
the most hotly contested battles and hardest campaigns.
He was with General Pope on his expedition to New Ma-
drid, Missouri, in 1862, and after Island No. 2 was
evacuated he went with his regiment to Pittsburg Land-
ing. He took part in the siege of Corinth. For his dis-
tinguished sen-ice in 1862 Governor Morton commis-
sioned him major of the Ninety-seventh Regiment, In-
diana Volunteer Infantry, and in December of the same
year he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel
of his regiment. He took part in the siege of Vicksburg.
At Jackson, Mississippi, his horse was killed by a cannon
ball. He participated in the battles of Missionary Ridge.
I240 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
From there he went to the rehef of Biirnsides at Knox-
ville. Later he took part in the bloody engagements at
Resaca, Dallas and New Hope chmxh. In June. 1S64.
his regiment had the honor of capturing seven hundred
Confederates, including a large part of the Thirty-first
Alabama Regiment, with its field and staff officers. At
Kenesaw Mountain he led his regiment and at Atlanta
his command captured the Fifth Tennessee Regiment,
which had killed General AlcPherson. Later he was
present when many hard-fought engagements occurred,
and remained in command of the Ninety-seventh Regi-
ment from Goldsborough until he arrived at Washington
City at the close of the war, where he was mustered out
with the rank of colonel.
After the war he resumed the practice of law with
his brother, Col. E. H. C. Cavins, at Bloomfield, and was
eminently sticcessful. Several years later he retired and
led a quiet life with the companionship of his books and
the society of his friends. He was a staunch Republican
and in 1880 was the ])residential elector for the second
congressional district and in 1892 was his party's can-
didate for appellate judge. He was a loyal member of the
Masonic fraternity and a regailar attendant at all its
meetings.
Colonel Cavins was twice married. His first wife
was Julia Taylor, whom he married in 1851. She died
in 1854. Two sons were born to this union — Charles, de-
ceased, and Edward, who is living. Later he married Ma-
tilda Livingston, who bore him eight children, namely:
A\'illiam L., Frank, J^Irs. Margaret . E. Henderson, of
Bloomfield. Indiana : :Mrs. Lelia N. Baughman, of Evans-
GREENE COUNTYj INDIANA. I24I
ville, Indiana, and Mrs. Josephine D. Torr. of Greencas-
tle, Indiana, and Hugh L., Alden L. and Lee, deceased.
As a lawyer Colonel Cavins was second to none in
southern Indiana, and his high precepts of duty have kept
many men out of costly litigation. He was the peer of
any advocate at the local bar. As a soldier his militant
spirit was at its best, and his renown was such as to com-
mand recognition from men high in the ranks during the
war. As a citizen he was straightfonvard in all his meth-
ods, courageous in his public expressions and benevolent
in his daily associations. As a neighbor he was kindly,
considerate and generous.
Colonel Cavins was broad and intellectual and pos-
sessed a wonderful memory. He especially liked to recite
the stirring events of the world's wars. He was a close
student of history and standard literature and seemed
never to forget anything after he had carefully read it.
He was a brilliant conversationalist.
He was a man that all could unite in honoring and
in whose death all felt a common sorrow — not because he
was all things to all men, but because he was always a
plain, sincere, honest man.
XATHAX \'. SLIXKARD.
X'athan V. Slinkard was born in Cass township.
Greene county, Indiana, one mile southeast of Newberry,
March 28, 1837. He is the son' of Henry and Margaret
Ann (Stomis) Slinkard, the former a native of Xorth
1242 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Carolina and the latter a native of Ohio. Henry was the
son of John Slinkard. a native of Germany, who first set-
tled in North Carolina after coming to America. He
came in a ver\- early day to Kentucky and then to Indiana,
settling in Greene county, being a pioneer there, where
he lived on a fann until his death. Henry, the father of
the subject, was ten years old when John Slinkard. the
subject's grandfather, brought him to Greene county. Cass
township, where he worked as a farmer and later pro-
prietor of a mill on Slinkard creek, later called First
creek, and he lived there until his death. His wife was
the daughter of John Storms, a native of Ohio, but came
to Indiana in ])iiiiieLT days, locating on a fami. ]\Ir. and
Mrs. Henry Slinkard were the parents of the folldw-
ing children: Moses and John S.. both deceased: Na-
than, the subject of this sketch; Mary Ann. deceased;
Joan, widow of Sanford Webster; Frederick, living in
Linton. Indiana : William, living in Cass township.
Greene county, Indiana, on a farm; Alexander, who li\-es
near Bedford. Indiana: Martha, deceased: Amanda, the
wife of John Chandler; Margaret Catherine, deceased.
Henrv Slinkard was a Democrat. He and his wife were
members of the Lutheran church.
Nathan V. Slinkard has spent his entire life in Cass
township. Greene county, Indiana. He was raised on a
farm and got a meager education in the old-fashioned sub-
scription schools. He remained at home until he was
twenty-one years old. He learned the miller's trade, and
was also a good mechanic. He also learned the carpen-
ter's trade and the bricklayer's and stonemason's trade.
He farms and still works some at all of these. He has
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1243
l)een living in the town of Xe\vl>ern-, Indiana, for forty-
three years.
The subject was married April 14, 1863, to Sarah
Edwards, who was bom in Knox county, Indiana, No-
vember 14, 1840. She was the daughter of Hugh Cam-
eron Edwards and Nancy (Ward) Edwards, both natives
of Daviess county. Hugh Edwards was a farmer, who
spent most of his life in Knox county, where he died.
They were the parents of eight children, namely : Wil-
liam, who died in the army; Sarah, wife of the subject
of this sketch ; Harrison and Joshua, both deceased, hav-
ing died in childhood: Eliza, the wife of a Mr. Fi-y;
Thornton and Mary, both deceased : Lemuel, who is living
in Monroe City, Knox county, Indiana. He is a school
teacher. Hugh Edwards was a Republican. He and his
wife were both Presbyterians.
The subject and wife are the parents of six children,
as follows: William L., an attorney of Bloomfield, In-
diana ; Theodore, also an attorney in Bloomfield : Marga-
ret is the wife of Finley Spooner, living in Bloomfield :
Charlie is a farmer living in Washington township,
Greene county, Indiana: Steven is living at home: Ethel
was the wife of Charles Armstrong. She is now deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. N. V. Slinkard lived for some time in Da-
viess county, Indiana, after their marriage. He is a Dem-
ocrat, and has been supervisor of his county and is now on
the advisory board. He is a member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows. He has been through the chairs
and is a member of the grand lodge. Both he and his wife
are members of the Lutheran church and they are highly
respected by e\er\-body in Newberry.
1244 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
JOHN I. ^IILA^I.
In the death of John I. ]\Iilam. for a number of years
one of the pubhc-spirited and representative citizens of
Bloomfield, the county of Greene lost a man who promised
to worthily fill important trusts. H'e was honored
by his fellow men and his career, though comparatively
brief, conferred credit and dignity upon the community
and his influence had much to do in molding the senti-
ment of the political party with which he affiliated and
led it to ^-ictor^' in a number of hotly contested campaigns.
He was essentially a man of the people, a true American
of the period in which he lived and possessing the esteem
and confidence of his fellow citizens. It is but just to
state that on the roster of Greene county's men of ability
and sterling worth his name shines with peculiar luster.
The family of which John I. Milam was an honor-
able representative has been known in Greene county since
the pioneer period, his father having moved here from
Virginia in an early day and settled in what is now Rich-
land township, where he purchased land, cleared a farm,
and in connection with the pursuit of agriculture also
operated a cooper shop. He was a man of influence in
his community, a leader in all worthy enterprises for its
material advancement, and is remembered as a most e.xcel-
lent and praiseworthy citizen, who did much for the moral
improvement of those with whom he mingled. His wife,
before marriage was Margaret Routt, also belonged to
one of the old and highly esteemed families of Greene
county, and was a lady of beautiful character and many
virtues, whose life was a blessing to her relatives and
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I245
friends and a benediction to all with whom she came in
contact. This excellent couple passed to their reward
some years ago and left as a priceless heritage to their
posterity the memor\- of names and deeds which time can
neither obliterate nor dim.
John I. Milam was born April 21. 1834. and spent
his early life on the family homestead, receiving the best
education which the schools of the time could impart. He
devoted especial attention to penmanship and in due time
became one of the most skillful and artistic penmen in
this part of the state, his chipography as it appears on the
county records having, almost the smoothness and fault-
less symmetrv- of the finest copper plate. His father dying
when John was cjuite young, his mother subsequently be-
came the wife of Hugh L. Livingston, a law-yer of Bloom-
field, who proved a father indeed to the lad and spared
no effort to rear him to a life of honor and usefulness.
Later he entered the service of Samuel R. Cavins. and
while still a youth he was given a position in the clerk's
office by that gentleman, and practically spent the remain-
der of his life in the same, serving a number of years as
deputy and later was elected clerk, the duties of which
office he discharg-ed with credit to himself and to the sat-
isfaction of the public until his death, which occurred
while serving his second term. Mr. Milam was a Demo-
crat of the most pronounced type .and it is doubtful if his
party in Greene county has ever enjoyed the seiwices of
a more adroit or successful leader. He was a natural
politician, judicious in counsel, shrewd in planning cam-
paigns, skillful in conducting the same and to him more
than any other man w'as the local Democracy indebted for
1246 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
its strength and success during the years of his leader-
ship. W'itli all his ability as a politician he was eminently
honorable in his methods, never resorted to the undigni-
fied and questionable practices of the professional parti-
san, but on the contrary- so conducted the affairs of his
party as to gain not only the confidence of his political as-
sociates, but the esteem and good will of those holding
views directly the opposite of his own.
On December 26, 1854. Mr. Milam was united in
the bonds of wedlock with Miss Julia Ferguson, who was
bom near Shelbyville. Kentucky, the daughter of William
and Susan (Graves) Ferguson, of that state, but early set-
tlers of Greene county, Indiana. Mr. Ferguson moved
his family to this county when Mrs. Milam was a small
child and located in Highland township, where in due
time he became a progressive fanner and leading citizen
and where he spent the remaining years of his life. Him-
self and wife were consistent members of the Presbyte-
rian church and leaders in all laudable movements for the
bettennent of their friends and neighbors, among whom
thev were held in high esteem and regard. They were
the parents of eight children, as follows: William H..
Eliza, Andres, Benjamin. America, Esther J-. Mary and
Julia A., the majority of whom grew to years of ma-
turity and became well settled in life and highly respected
in their several places of residence.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. }ililam was blessed
with four children, namely: John, ^Nlack. Alitton and
Nettie, wife of Dr. M. Beaty. all deceased but the last
named, who lives in Cincinnati, where her husband is a
practicing- physician.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I24.7
Measured by the true standard of excellence, Air.
Milam may be considered a man of noble aims and high
ideals, whose life was filled to repletion with activity and
usefulness, and who ever tried to do the right as he saw
and understood it. He wielded an influence for good in
the community and proved worthy of the high trust re-
posed in him by his fellow men, and as a neighbor and
citizen none stood higher in the esteem of the public.
On the 23d day of July, 1865, in his thirty-second
year, when life seemed full of hope and promise, the final
dissolution came, which soon or late must come to all,
and his untimely death was felt as a personal bereavement
in the city where his life had been so signally accom-
plished. To those who knew him no words of eulogy are
needed, for his life was an open book, inviting the closest
scratiny, and there were few if any blots on its fair pages.
Of honest worth and unostentatious character, his name
merits an enduring place on the roll of Greene county's
representative men, while his memon- is destined long to
be cherished in the hearts of his friends and fellow
citizens.
Three years after the death of Air. Milam. Airs. Mi-
lam became the wife of John J. Hardy, July 14. 1868, a
well known and highly respected resident of Bedford, to
a brief review of whose life the remainder of this sketch
is devoted. Mr. Hardy was a native of Virginia, but
came to Indiana in his youth and g-re\v to maturity in
Lawrence county. He early learned blacksmithing. and,
acquiring great skill as a workman, was not long in build-
ing up a lucrative patronage in Bedford, where he con-
ducted a very successful establishment until physical dis-
1248 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
ability rendered imperative a less strenuous mode of life,
when he disposed of his shop and engaged in the livery
business.
Mr. Hardy was one of the brave young men of the
North who so nobly responded to the countiy's call for
defenders when the gallant ship of state was wrecked on
the rugged rocks of treason and disunion, enlisting in
Companv G. Fourth Indiana Cavalry, with which he
sen-ed until the expiration of the time for which he vol-
unteered, when he i-e-enlisted in Company A, Fifteenth
Indiana Infantry, remaining with the latter command un-
til the close of the war. He entered the army as a private,
but for gallant and meritorious conduct was promoted
successively until reaching the position of major of his
regiment, although the commission for the office did not
arrive until after his discharge at the cessation of hos-
tilities.
Few soldiers had as varied or thrilling experience as
Mr. Hardy, and not one in a thousand ever went through
as many dangerous situations as he and lived to tell the
story. He took part in all the battles in which his regi-
ment was engaged, received several wounds in' as many
actions and after one battle five bullets were extracted
from his body, in addition to which his jawbone was
broken by a flying missile and one ball that entered his
shoulder finally made its way under the arm on the oppo-
site side of the body. He was fairly riddled with shot
and otherwise bruised, and the mystery of it all is that he
ever lived through the deadly ordeal and reached his
home. It was by reason of the effects of these injuries
that he changed his business, as above stated, and cnntin-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 249
ued to suffer from his wounds as long as he hved, but
being a soldier, true and tried, and a patriot who made
everything- subordinate to his love of country, he was
never known tO' repine, but, on the contrary, was proud of
the scars received in defense of the flag, for whose honor
he gave a full measure of heroic service.
In politics he was stanchly and uncompromisingly
Republican, and for a number of years was an active and
influential member of the Grand Anny post at Bloom-
field. He discharged the duties of citizenship in the quiet,
unostentatious manner becoming a trae American, did
much to promote the business interests of his city and in
a marked degree enjoyed the confidence and friendship of
his fellow men. To the best of his ability he lived up to
his highest ideals of duty, and in his death the community
lost a valuable citizen, the wife a devoted husband and
the nation one of its brave and patriotic defenders.
\MLLIAM S. DAVIS.
A striking illustration of what may be accomplished
by industrious effort and persistent application is found
in the character of our subject, who is one of the most
successful farmers and stock breeders of Greene county.
Mr. Davis was born in North Carolina on October 13,
1855, being the son of John W. and Mary (Walker) Da-
vis, both natives of that state. The Davis family are of
Scotch extraction, the ancestors having come to America
during the time that such large numbers of Scotch and
79
1250 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Irish people were leaving the foreign fields for homes in
the new world. The paternal grandfather of Lemuel
Davis followed farming and blacksmithing, and ended his
days in North Carolina. He was an ardent lover of the
American Union and enlisted from North Carolina in the
army during the Mexican war, in which struggle he took
an active part, doing most valiant and effective service.
In 1866, when our subject was eleven years old, his
father removed to Rush county, Indiana, and worked out
as a fann hand. After that he began farming on his own
responsibility, and for several years we find him making
frequent changes by way of purchasing or renting fann
property. At this time he made several trips with his
family to Missouri and Kansas, engaging there in fann-
ing, sometimes making purchases and at other times rent-
ing farm land. William received considerable experience
in these ventures and profited greatly by what he could
observe in making bargains and in executing transactions.
John W. Davis was living in Greene county at the time of
his death on June 11. 1898. He left seven children, his
wife having departed this life several years previous.
During the Civil war he joined the Confederate army anrl
was first lietitenant in his company. He was a great help
in the smithing department, and did considerable manu-
facturing of stirrups for the soldiery. After two years,
however, he lost sympathy with the southern amiy, join-
ing himself to the Union troops, and continuing there-
with until the war's close.
William received but a meager education, but ac-
quired the faculty of keen obsei-vation and a tendency to
experiment and investigate matters fiir himself. After
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 25 1
reaching maturity he became engaged in farming, and
during the years following this humble beginning he has
made substantial additions to his original tract, until he
has gained possession of two hundred and eight acres.
He has made a close study of the science of agriculture
and has been enabled so to apply his knowledge of crops
and their needs that he has greatly increased his annual
yield from year to year. In doing this he has demon-
strated to others the value of scientific knowledge when
comes to farming and has proved that soils can be so
treated as to give forth a greater yield without exhaustior
than was at one time deemed possible.
In connection with the above Mr. Davis has had most
conspicuous success in raising fine breeds of hogs, cattl(
and poultry. He holds sales at frequent intervals, a
which time he often disposes of sufficient numbers to
make his receipts quite large. His droves of Poland-
China hogs are splendid examples of care and interest in
their growth, and are the wonder of all who visit the
fann. They are known far and wide as being among the
best of their kind to be found in this country. The Short-
horn cattle, too, marvels of excellence, are the most at-
tractive features about the farm. Most of his stock is
registered, and Mr. Davis takes great pride in keeping his
animals in the best of condition and never lacks for a mar-
ket when desiring to sell.
On November 24, 1894, Mr. Davis was joined in
wedlock to Nancy A. Slinkard, daughter of Moses and
Sarah (Smelser) Slinkard. Mrs. Davis is a member of
the United Brethren church, and they are held in high
esteem by their neighbors and friends. Their famih- con-
1252 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
sists of six children: The eldest died unnamed: Winnie
died in 1899. aged seventeen months and twenty-six days;
Charles D., born in Augftist, 1899; William Henry, born
October 13, 1901 ; Russell A., bom January 9, 1904;
Florence, the youngest, was born December 31, 1906.
Both parents and children take great pride in the
wholesome atmosphere of the home, making it one of the
most delightful places for their many visitors and friends.
GUY H. HUMPHREYS.
Success is not necessarily a matter of genius, as held
by many, but rather the outcome of clear judgment, per-
sistency and rightly applied effort. The successful man
is he who plans his own advancement and accomplishes
it in spite of opposition. Difificulties and obstacles will
always disappear before determination and unfaltering
energy, and. while the road to prosperity does not always
seem plain, there can ever be found a . path leading to
the goal of one's hopes. Among those worthy sons of
Greene county who had ambitions to excel in the battle
of life is the subject of this sketch, who, although he had
influential ancestors and enjoyed early advantages that
many youths do not have, has gained his present prestige
at the bar very largely through his own efforts and
gained wide recognition in his chosen profession while
yet a young man, by sheer force of his individuality.
Gu}- H. Humphreys was born in Linton January 15,
1878. the son of James H. Humphreys, cashier of the
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I253
Linton Bank. His mother was Mattie (Jackson)
Humpiireys, wlio died wlien our subject was one year
old. His paternal grandfather. Honorable Andrew
Humphreys, was one of Greene county's most distin-
guished citizens for a half century (a sketch of whose
life is found elsewhere in this volume). The subject's
maternal grandfather was Dr. Evan A. Jackson, a native
of Kentucky, who was an early settler in Greene county.
Guy H. Humphreys received a liberal mental train-
ing, having attended the public schools in Linton, later
teaching school there for a period' of three years, a part
of this time being devoted to teaching in Stockton town-
ship. He was principal one year in the common school
department of the Indiana Boys' School at Plainfield.
He was eminently successful in his educational work and
many who had occasion to know of his work in this line
regretted the fact that he gave up teaching to launch in
the journalistic field in which, however, he was equally
successful, having been city editopof the Linton Daily Call
from 1902 to 1903. Later he was clerk in the Linton
Bank for four years, showing his natural business tact
in a very plausible manner while thus engaged, and he
was called upon to serve his city from time to time as
town clerk and town treasurer, later as city clerk and city
treasurer. These positions came by appointment. In
April, 1907, Mr. Humphreys was appointed by Governor
Hanly a member of the board of control of the Indiana
Boys' School at Plainfield in recognition of his faithful
public sen'ice and the excellent record he had made. He
still ably manages his part of this work in igo8.
Mr. Humphreys entered the Indiana State Univer-
1254 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
sity in 1904. where he made a brilhant record, complet-
ing a three years' course in the law department in two
years, graduating with honor in 1906, taking the degree
■of Bachelor of Law. He came to Bloomfield in 1906 and
took up the practice of law, making a success from the
first and soon becoming popular in that vicinity.
Our subject was happily married. February 10.
1903. to Carrie Elrod. of Bloomfield, a lady of a promi-
nent family and possessing many admirable traits. She
was private secretary^ to the superintendent of the Indiana
Boys' School, and later assistant secretary of the presi-
dent of the State University.
Mr. and Mrs. Humphrey's are well kno\vn in the
community where they reside for their hospitality, g'en-
iality and well ordered lives, making and retaining scores
of friends and enjoying the undivided esteem of all who
know them. Owing to the splendid start Mr. Hum-
phreys has so early in life the future to him is an un-
usually priimi-^ing nne and will (limbtless be crowned
with eminent success.
HARVEY DILLON HAXTON.
The present age is essentially utilitarian and in
nearly every avenue of life the man of practical ideas is
in evidence. Such a man is the well known gentleman
whose name introduces this review and as such he has
made his influence felt in different lines of enterprise and
gained high standing among his fellow citizens of Worth-
ington and the county of Greene. The Haxton family
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I255
had its origin in Ireland, from which country' the sub-
ject's grandfather, Richard Haxton, came to America
many years ago and settled in Pennsylvania, thence mi-
grated to Indiana in pioneer times and entered land in
Owen county, which he cleared and improved and on
which he lived until his death in 1885 at an advanced
age. The inaiden name of the wife of this worthy an-
cestor was Sabina Grim, a native of Ohio and a fit com-
panion and helpmeet to her husband during the strenuous
and trying period in which they were car\-ing a home
from the wilderness and rearing their family. Both were
stanch Presbyterians of the type of which martyrs are
made, and like others of their class they subordinated
every other consideration subordinate to loyalty to their
church and the principles of a rigid faith constituted the
rule of life to which they closely adhered.
Alexander C. Haxton, father of the subject, was a
native of Ohio, in which state his wife, who bore tlie
maiden name of ]\Iarv Harstine. was also bom. These
parents spent the greater part of their lives in Owen
county, Indiana, where they reared a family and fol-
lowed the pursuit of agriculture for a livelihood. Alex-
ander Haxton enlisted in 1862 in Company F, Ninety-
sevaith Indiana Infantn,-, with which he served until
disabled by a wound near the base of the brain, which
incapacitated him for further duty and from the effects
of which he has been a sufferer ever since, being at this
time an invalid and unable to attend to his business af-
fairs. Among the battles in which he participated were
the siege and fall of Vicksburg, Missionary Ridge. Re-
saca and the hundred days of continuous fighting at At-
1250 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
lanta, near which place he received the injury mentiDned
ab.-.ve.
H. D. Haxton was born on December 25, 1865, on
the liomestead in Owen county, and there, while still a
youth, learned the lessons of industry which lead to suc-
cess and the dignity of honest toil to which he owes his
rise in life and present high standing as an enterprising
man of affairs. Owing to weakness of vision he was
obliged to discontinue his studies at a comparatively early
age, but despite this defect he has always been a careful
and intelligent observer, and by keeping in close touch
with the trend of current thought has become widely
informed on the leading questions and issues of the times
and is now not only a well posted man, but in no small
degree a moulder of opinion among his fellow citizens.
Selecting agriculture for his life work he assisted in the
cultivation of the home farm for a number of years and
in 1898 purchased a fine place of one hundred acres, ad-
joining the city of Worthington, which he still owns and
manages. In addition to this he also looks after a farm
of two hundred and forty acres, in Greene county, which
is owned by his father, and as a fanner ranks with the
most enterprising and successful in the county of his
residence, as it attested by the ample competence which
has rewarded his labors and management.
In 1905, Mr. Haxton became associated with W. H.
\\'adsworth in the insurance business, to which his atten-
tion has since been largely devoted. In this as in his
agricultural interests his success has been encouraging,
and in the matter of farm property the business has grown
to large proportions, being at this time more extensive
perhaps than that of any other agent or firm in the county.
GREENE COUXTV, INDIANA. 125/
Mr. Haxton is independent in politics and in 1896
was the Fusion candidate for the office of county treas-
urer, but with the rest of his ticket went down in defeat
before the formidable strength of opposing parties, al-
though running far ahead of his associate candidates.
Fraternally he belongs to the Modern \Yoodmen of
America and in religion the Methodist Episcopal church
represents his creed, of which his wife is also a member.
His marriage was solemnized on April 29th, of the year
1890, with Bertha Schmidt, of Indianapolis, where her
birth occurred. December i. 1866, being the daughter
of Ludwig and Pauline Schmidt. ]\Ir. and ^Irs. Hax-
ton have no children. They own a comfortable modern
home in Worthington. which is per\'aded by a spirit of
generous hospitality, and among their many friends and
acquaintances they are held in high esteem.
SA^IUEL F. HAYS.
One of the men whose energies have been directed
toward the advancement of Greene county's best inter-
ests, is the subject of the present sketch, who was born
in this county, being the son of Marcus and Marj- (Leon-
ard) Hays. The foi-mer was a native of Virginia, while
the latter was born in Indiana. Mr. Hays' paternal an-
cestors were of Scotch-Irish extraction and had their
home in Virginia. The Leonards were of English de-
scent and came from New Jersey. Mr. Leonard settled
in Owen county and followed farming and carpentry.
Marcus Hays, father of the subject, attended the
1258 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
seminary at Parkersburg, \\'est Virginia, and also at
Marietta College, Marietta, Ohio. Here he was asso-
ciated with Nicholas Longworth, grandfather of the
present statesman. Later he came to Owen county, In-
diana, and in 1849 moved to his fanii near Worthington,
continuing there until his death, July 25, 1900. His
first marriage occurred on May 20, 1850, to Mary Leon-
ard, who died March 2, 1874. She bore him eight chil-
dren, as follows: Byron, born December 29, 1852. died
January 17, 1875; Benjamin F., bom March 15, 1855,
is now living in this county, having married Josephine
Hays April 9, 1884, and has one son, Harvey McDonald ;
Joseph F. was bom July 19, 1857, and died October 21,
1876; Lida, born January 13, i860, became the wife of
N. C. Houstan October 5, 1881, a commission merchant
of Omaha, Nebraska, and she died July 9, 1888, having
been the mother of one daughter, Josephine, who is also
deceased: Dora L.. bom June 12. 1862, departed this life
Au,l;"ii^i 14. iNf)4: .mr subject was the next in order of
birth: Alaicu- \va- li^m September 14. 1869, and is now
fanning in Greene county, having married Evangeline
Sanders, October 25, 1893, and became the father of one
son, Marcus: Flora was born October 25, 1872, and died
July 18, 1873. Our subject was married a second time.
September 16. 1875: this time to Anna P. McCord. of
Bloomington.
Marcus A., father of our subject, was first a Whig
and then a Republican in politics, taking- an active in-
terest in public matters and having served his t(iwnship
as trustee. He was enrolled during the Civil war. Init
although physically disabled to enter service himself, he
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1^59
showed his loyalty by hiring a substitute, also contrib-
uted toward a fund to prevent further drafts for men in
his township. For more than forty years he has been
an active member and liberal supporter of the Methodist
Episcopal church. Marcus and M&ry (Leonard) Hays
and all their deceased children are buried in the cemetery
at the old homestead, which is now owned by Marcus,
the young-est son.
Samuel F. Hays, our subject, attended the Worth-
ington high school, also DePauw University. He has
devoted most of his attention to fanning, having made
this a matter of scientific investigation as a result has
been able to add much valuable infonnation to the sub-
ject. He has made a close study of soils and the needs
of crops and has frequently succeeded in doubling the
yield, believing in the rotation of crops and the merits of
judicious fertilizing. In addition to this Mr. Hays has
always given considerable attention to stock raising, and
here, too, he has worked along rational and progressive
lines, having set aside considerable portions of his large
farm for pasturage purposes, having considerable stock
on hand throughout the year and dealing quite exten-
sively in live stock.
Since 1896 our subject has been engaged in building
bridges and gravel roads in Greene county, having done
practically all the street work since that time in Worth-
ington.
On May 14. 1889, Mr. Hays was united in marriage
with Jennie Ingersoll, daughter of William and I\Iarga-
ret Ingersoll, both natives of this county. Three children
have been bom into this family, namely: Joseph I.,
bom July 22, 1890; Lloyd Perkin, torn Januan,- 14,
I26o BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
1893, and Marguerite, born August 11, 1895. Grief has
come to the family, however, in the death of the mother,
December 18, 1904. Slie was a devoted member of the
Methodist church and was held in high esteem by her
many friends and acquaintances.
Mr. Hays is a Republican in politics and has a con-
siderable influence on the side of a clean administration
of public affairs. His home, which is among the best in
the county, is a place where the most congenial atmos-
phere welcomes the many visitors and friends.
BENJAMIN CARRELL.
Benjamin Carrell was born March 31, 1843, in
Greene county, Indiana, and died there August 30, 1905.
After receiving a limited schooling and living at home
until he was eighteen years old. he enlisted, in 1861, in
Company C. Forty-third Regiment. Indiana Volunteer
Infantrs', and went through the war as a private. He
was captured at Helena, Arkansas, and spent nearly a
year in prison at Tyler. Texas. After the war he re-
turned home and was sick for a long time, having con-
tracted sore eyes while in the army, which caused the loss
of sig'ht in one of them after the war. He always worked
at fanning and left one hundred and seventeen acres of
good land in Richland township to his family. He was
supen-isor and manager of gravel roads in his native
township. He was a Repul)lican and a member of the
Grand Army of the Repul)lic. He married Catherine
GREEXE COUNTY, IXDIAXA. I261
Flatter. Februaiy 8, 1866, the daughter of ^Michael and
Rachel ( ^Manning) Flatter, both natives of Mandand,
who came to Greene county, Indiana, in 1830, and set-
tled in Richland township, where he worked a farm and
where both he and his wife died. They had eleven chil-
dren, namely: Jesse, Jackson. Richard. Eliza. Emily, in-
fant. Julia, Van Buren, Amanda. Catherine. Loretta ; all
except one grew to maturity.
Bnejamin Carrell and wife had thirteen children.
namely: Henry, who died young: Ida S.. who married
Wilson Smith, of Bloomfield; John, who died in in-
fancy; infant; Alma, who married Rollie Burcham. a
farmer in Taylor township : Alice, who died when two
years old: Etta May. who died in infancy; Alonzo. a
farmer in Richland township, who married Mary Combs ;
Franklin died in childhood : Francis Marion, at home ;
Fred, Nellie and Ethel, all live at home, and an infant.
Mrs. Carrell and the children live on the old homestead.
James Carrell. the father of the subject of this
sketch, who was born April 17. 181 5. and died October
23, 1865, was a native of Orange county, Indiana. He
married Feniette McCoy, of Greene county, in February.
1834. They came to Daviess county. Indiana, when that
county was ven' sparsely settled, where they both died.
The names of their children follow : John B.. who mar-
ried Amanda Flatter, who is deceased ; his widow is liv-
ing at Mineral City, Indiana ; Mary, who married Solo-
mon Stone, both now deceased; Martha, who married
Nathaniel Ruth, and resides at Mineral City : Mar\' mar-
ried Solomon Stone, and both are dead : Benjamin, sub-
ject of this sketch: Sarah, wife of John Shatzer, of
1262 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Bloomfield; Nancy, deceased; Jane, who married Riley
Reynolds, is now deceased; Orlenia, widow of Benton
O'Neill, who lives in Bloomfield; ^^'illiam, a farmer, who
lives in Richland township; Henry, deceased.
KINSEY CULLISON.
Kinsey Cullison, of Richland township, who has
spent the major part of his life in Greene county as
farmer and proprietor of flour and sawmills, is a native
of Ohio, being born in Coshocton county, August 18,
1829. What little schooling he has was gained before
he was nine years old in a nu^al school. It was at this
early age that he went to live with Ephraim Cullison, with
whom he remained two years. Then he lived for three
years with N. Price, and in February, 1850, came to
Indiana and worked for Harvey Doney and others,
finally obtaining possession of land in Center township,
Greene county, clearing one hundred acres himself and
living in Center township until 1894, when he moved to
Mineral City and bought eighty-six acres, where he
fanned and operated a store, later managing a grist mill
and sawmills. He was a constable and held other public
offices. He has always been a Republican and a member
of the Methodist church for fifty years. He enlisted in
August, 1862, in Company E, Ninety-seventh Indiana
Volunteer Infantry, and was sent to Louisville, Memphis
and Vicksburg, taking part in the battles of Murfrees-
Iv.n. and Riclnnond. He was badlv hurt bv a mule fall-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I263
ing on him while performing duties of wagoner and
was discharged May, 1865. He is a member of the Grand
Army of the Repubhc.
Mr. Culhson first married. September 19. 1853,
Nancy McCord, daughter of Abner and ]Man- (Rigee)
McCord, both natives of Kentucky, who came to Greene
county, Indiana, in 181 7, setthng in Center township.
The subject's first wife died in June, 1861. He married
Penelope Riddle, who lived near his old home. She
was a daughter of Bailey Riddle, a native of
Kentucky, who came to that section of Indiana
in 1 82 1, later moving to Missouri. where he
died. The subject's second wife died in January,
1877, and he married Naomi Cullison on March i,
1881, a daughter of Isaac and Mary (Street) Cullison,
natives of Coshocton county, Ohio, who came to Indiana
in 1849. He was a miller and was connected with the
mills there for twenty-one years. Mr. Cullison's third
wife died in August, 1906. He had four children by his
first wife: Sarah E.. who married John Mevrideth, liv-
ing in Caldwell county, Kansas ; Abner, deceased : John,
who married Lucy Edwards, also lives in Caldwell
county, Kansas ; Josephine, who married Aaron Shafer,
of Center township. Mr. Cullison had five children by
his second wife: Paris, a farmer, living in Caldwell
county, Kansas; Asbui^y, deceased; Phoebe Ann, mar-
ried Samuel Pollard, who lives in Caldwell county, Mis-
souri ; Emma, deceased, who married Andrew Hardetz ;
Willie, a farmer in Richland township, who married
Nora Johns. The subject had one child by his third
wife, Guy. who is living at Monroe City. Indiana.
1264 BIOGRAPHICAL ilEMOIRS
Closes Cullison, the father of the subject, married
]\Iary Wantland. They were both natives of Maryland,
but were married in Ohio. He was a shoemaker. He
was a Democrat and a member of the Baptist church.
His wife was a member of the Methodist church. They
were the parents of the following children : Margaret,
deceased, who married Samuel Meredith ; Hyatt, de-
ceased, who married James Cullison ; Elizabeth, deceased,
who married John Burch ; Priscilla, deceased, who mar-
ried Ray Hall ; Mray, widow of Alexander McCol-
lough, living in Sullivan, Indiana; Kinsey, the subject
of this sketch; James W., living in Oregon; he is a
teacher and farmer; Susan, deceased, who married
Samuel Gozzany; Rachel, deceased.
SAMUEL FOSTER.
Samuel Foster was born in Coshocton county, Ohio,
July 15. 1836. and attended school there for a few years.
He enlisted. July 6, 1861, in Company C, Twenty-first
Regiment, Indiana Heavy Artillery, at Bloomfield, In-
diana, and was sent to Indianapolis, later to Baltimore,
Maryland. Then to Ship Island, Mississippi, and was
on the expendition to New Orleans. He was in the siege
of Port Hudson and Baton Rougx, and also in the siege
of Spanish Fort, Alabama. He was doing garrison duty
until July, 1866, having served nearly five years as a
private, sergeant and orderly, also second lieutenant. He
was shot in the hand while in the swamps of Louisiana
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I265
and came near bleeding to death. He also contracted a
chronic disease there. He started with seventy men for
New Orleans: on the si.xty-mile trip they captured the
steamer "Fox" and brought it to that city. He married
Mar)- J. Hatfield, a native of Taylor township, Greene
county, on January 7, 1866. They had the following
children: Joseph E., deceased; Clarence A., who mar-
ried Emma Ouiller on August 16, 1895; they have two
children, Raymond and Mary; he has always farmed on
the old place; Leonidas C, who was a railroader for
several years, now living at home; he married Stella
Emer>' ; they had the following children : Inez, Sylvia,
Cecil, deceased; Clarence, Carrie, who is the wife of
Carl Wantland, of Bloomfield, Indiana. They have two
children : Chester and Bernard.
Samuel Foster located in Taylor township at the
close of the w^ar, where he now lives on a farm of one
hundred and sixty acres, one hundred acres of which he
cleared himself. He does a general farming business and
raises considerable stock. He is the son of Noah Foster,
a native of Coshocton, Ohio, who married Sarah Ram-
pley, a native of Maryland. He farmed in Ohio for
some time and moved to Taylor township, Greene county,
Indiana, in 1839, where he farmed on a one hundred and
sixty acre tract. To this union were bom the following
children : Ethelinda. deceased ; Samuel, the subject of
this sketch ; James, living in Washington township ;
Mary, Nancy, Elizabeth and Martha, all deceased ;
Emma, living in Monroe county, Indiana. He was a
Republican. Both he and his wife were methodists. He
died in 18S3 and his wife died in 1886.
I20b BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
MASON FAUCETT.
Mason Faucett, of Taylor Township, was born
there September 2, 1844, and he has spent most of his
life there. He attended school for a short time when a
boy and lived with his parents. He married, in 1866,
Sarah Haywood, of his own community. She was the
daughter of Charles and June Haywood, natives of Ten-
nessee, who first went to Pennsylvania, later coming to
Greene county, Indiana. Mason Faucett had five chil-
dren, namely : Emma, who married Peter Fn,'. of Tay-
lor township; they have two children, Letha and Neva;
Ettie, the wife of Willard Creighton, of Bloomfield;
they have two children, Vernon and Grace; Ma^^^ the'
wife of Ernest Catron, of Taylor township; they have
one child, Lois ; Alvin, who lives at home.
Mr. Faucett enlisted July, 1862, in Companv A.
One Hundred and Fifteenth Indiana Volunteer Infantiy,
and served in Tennessee and Kentucky, being in several
minor engagements. He enlisted a second time on Feb-
ruary 2, 1864, in Company G, One Hundred and Forty-
ninth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantr}-, and served
in Alabama and Tennessee, being in a number of small
engagements. He was discharged in September, 1865.
Since the war lie has lived two years in Stafford township
and five years in Richland township, this county, having
lived in Taylor township, his native county, for the past
thirty years. He has a farm of one hundred and twenty-
seven acres on which he raises all kinds of grains and
many kinds of stock. He is a Republican and a member
of the Christian church.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 26/
Mason Faucett is tlie son of James and Willie
(Mason) Faucett, both natives of North Carolina. James
came with his father, Eli Mason, to Greene county, In-
diana, in 1818. The latter secured two hundred acres
of land. He cleared the land, which he continued to work
until he contracted the smallpox and went blind. He was
twice married, having four children by his first wife and
two by his second. John Mason, the subject's grand-
father, was a native of North Carolina, who brought his
wife to Greene county, Indiana, in 1818 and settled in
Richland township, where they died, leaving three sons
and three daughters. James Faucett was a farmer and
spent his life with his parents working the old homestead.
He was a Republican and a member of the Christian
church. They had nine children, namely: Lizzie, de-
ceased; Harriet, living in Strafford township; Mason,
the subject of this sketch; Eli, living in Richland town-
ship ; Eliza, living in Bloomfield ; Jane, living in Taylor
township ; Abraham, living at Flat Rock, Illinois ; Mar-
tha, living in Hammond county, Kansas; Ida, living in
Bloomfield. James Faucett died in 1888. and his wife
died in 1891.
E. BYRD SQUIRE.
Holding distinctive prestige among the representa-
tive business men of Greene county is the popular gentle-
man whose name appears above. Belonging to the
younger generation of merchants he has already won the
esteem and confidence of all who know him. not alone
1268 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
by reason of ability displayed in his chosen calling, but
also bv his candid mien, g-enerous heart and freedom from
deceit. His father. William B. Squire, was a physician
of high standing and wide repute, who practiced his pro-
fession at ^\'orthington for a number of years and was
long recognized as a man of eminent attainment in the
noble calling to which his energies were devoted.
Dr. William B. Squire was born in Coshocton
county, Ohio, January 30. 1830, a son of Samuel and
Jane (Stilwell) Squire, natives, respectively, of Vemiont
and West Virginia. Both sides of the family are of
English extraction, their descent in America dating pre-
vious to the Revolutionary war. The Stilwells first set-
tled on Staten Island and Squires in Vemiont. represen-
tatives of each family having served in the early Indian
wars; also in both wars with Great Britain. In 1831,
Bradley Squire removed with his family from Vermont
to Coshocton county, Ohio, where he engaged in agri-
cultural pursuits and passed the remainder of his days.
This man was the father of Samuel Squire and grand-
father of Dr. W. B. Squire. Samuel Squire devoted his
life to the tilling of the soil and was a man of intelligence
and wide influence in the community of his residence. He
was the father of four sons and four daughters, among
the fomier being Dr. William B. Squire, who grew to
maturity nn the home farm, and received his early educa-
ti(in in the public schools. At the age of eighteen he be-
gan his career as a public instructor, and while thus en-
gaged took up the study of medicine, which he prose-
cuted under competent precq:>tors until entering the Cin-
cinnati School of Medicine, from which he was grad-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I269
ualed in 1856. In the meantime (1855) he came to
Greene county, Indiana, and located where Jasonvihe
now stands, which town he laid out and named in honor
of Jason Rodgers, a merchant and well known citizen of
the place. In July, 1861, he helped recruit what after-
wards became Company F, Thirty-first Indiana Infantry,
but after serving about seven months he was compelled
to resign his commission on account of ill health. Sub-
sequently (1863) he re-enlisted and was -made surgeon
of the Fourteenth Regiment, which position he held until
the close of the war. He had moved to W'orthington in
1862 and on his return from the army resumed the prac-
tice of medicine in that town, which to a greater or less
extent he continued, receiving a reputation much more
than local. In 1871 he embarked in the drug trade and
in addition opened a dry goods in 1878, being quite suc-
cessful in both branches of business.
Dr. Squire and Rebecca Thrasher were married in
1852 and four children blessed the union.- namely:
Azubia J., Samuel F., E. Byrd and Ida May. The mother,
a native of Clark county, Ohio, died in 1871. In 1872
the doctor chose a second wife in the person of ]\Irs.
Hattie A. Walker, who bore him one child, a daughter
by the name of Ethel L.
Dr. Squire was originally a Whig, but when that
old party fulfilled its mission and passed out of exist-
ence he became a Republican and from the birth of the
latter party he was one of its ardent supporters. While
zealous in the advocacy of his principles and familiar with
the leading issues and public questions of the time, he
never aspired to political prominence, preferring to con-
1270 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
fine his entire time and attention to professional and busi-
ness matters. Dr. Squire died in 1905.
E. Byrd Squire, son of Dr. W. B. and Rebecca
(Thrasher) Squire, was born in Jasonville, Greene
county, Indiana, and spent his childhood and youth
under the parental roof, attending meanwhile the public
schools of his native place. Subsequently at the age of
eighteen he was graduated from the Worthington high
school and immediately thereafter associated with his
brother in the grocery business at the place, the firm
thus constituted lasting- but a short time. He next en-
tered into partnership with his father in the same line of
business and continued witht him during the eleven years
ensuing', at the expiration of which time he purchased the
entire interest and became sole proprietor of the estab-
lishment. Meeting with encouraging success, Mr.
Squire, in 1898, added a full line of clothing and a boot
and shoe department to his store, and from this date to
the present the business has grown steadily in volume
and importance, being at this time the largest and most
complete mercantile house in the city. In the manage-
ment of his large and constantly increasing interest Mr.
Squire has displayed rare business qualities and judgment
of a high order, while no small share of his success is
directly attributable to pleasant relations he has ever
maintained with the public by studying its wants and
sparing no pains to supply the same.
Mr. Squire is a Republican in politics and as such
wields a strong influence for his party in local matters
and general issues, having twice' sen-ed the town in the
responsible position of treasurer and one term in the
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 27 1
common council. Like the majority of the intelHgent and
enterprising men he is identified with Masonic fraternity
and also belongs to the fraternity of Odd Fellows, hav-
ing filled all the chairs in the local lodge of the latter
organization, besides taking an active and influential part
in its more general deliberation.
Mr. Squire, on May 5, 1881, was united in mar-
riage with Estella Jones, of Bloomfield. who has borne
him two children : Josephine, a student of the Worth-
ington high school, in 1908, and one that died in in-
fancy.
CLYDE S. MOSS.
The great profession of journalism — a profession
long noted for its talented and energetic men — has an
ardent and enthusiastic worker in Clyde S. Moss, city
editor of the Linton Daily Call. Mr. Moss is recognized
as one of the progressive young business men of Linton,
and as the moving spirit of this enterprising daily he
keeps in close touch with the best interests of his home
city. Following in the footsteps of his father, W. M.
Moss, the pioneer newspaper man of southern Lidiana
(a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume),
he took up newspaper work at an early age and by his
own clever ability has rapidly forged to the front. He
has assumed the initiative in establishing many new and
exclusive features in the local newspaper field and by his
tact, energy and ability has given The Call a place among
the brightest and best daily newspapers of the state.
1272 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Clyde S. Moss was bom at Bloomfield. Indiana.
August 8, 1882, the second son of William M. and Callie
(Sccrtt) Moss. He was educated in the high schools of
Bloomfield. graduating with the class of 1902. He was
appointed a cadet at Annapolis Naval Academy imme-
diately after his graduation from high school, but relin-
quished the appointment after six months' sen-ice. to
take up newspaper work, for which he early exhibited
special talent. Mr. Moss was managing editor of The
Clarksville (Tennessee) Daily Journal (1903), where
' he did efficient and creditable work. He came to Linton
with his father in 1904 and since then has been city
editor of The Call, with the exception of several months
on the reportorial stafif of The Terre Haute Tribune. His
work in Terre Haute attracted attention over the state
and he has declined numerous flattering offers to go to
other fields, but elects to remain in Linton, as his faith
in the destiny of the "Pittsburg of the West" is unshak-
able. Mr. Moss has done much special work for The
Chicago American and other metropolitan dailies and
his work has always received the highest praise.
Fraternally Mr. Moss affiliates with the iNIasons.
Elks, Odd Fellows and ^Voodmen of the \\"orld. and
socially he is one of the best known and best liked men
in Linton.
\MLLL\AI W. EDIXGTOX.
The popular and well known sheriff' of Greene
nty. was born in Coshocton count}-. Ohio. October 22.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 273
1855. He is a son of Thomas and Ursula (Moore) Ed-
ington, natives of Coshocton county, Ohio, where they
were married, and where their early lives were spent.
The family arrived in Greene county, Indiana, on the 13th
of April, 1856. and located on a farm in Jackson town-
ship, and there the parents remained until called to an-
other life. The father, Thomas Edington, was born in
July, 1833, and devoted his early manhood years to the
profession of teaching, both in Ohio, and for some years
after locating in this state. He was also a successful
farmer and wood-working mechanic. He built a mill
on his farm and operated that, with the aid of his sons,
this being one of the first mills in the region. He was
a son of Robert Edington, who was a soldier in the War
of 1812. Three of father's brothers. Captain Elijah.
Aquilla and Edmund, were soldiers in the Civil war.
Thomas Edington died on his farm in Jackson township,
January 13, 1873, ^""i 'lis wife died at Koleen, in the
same township, September 27, 1907. These were the
parents of eight children, of whom six are now living.
The names in order of birth are as follows: Lei'oy \\'.,
a farmer in' Wright township; Purliette, who became
the wife of Xorville Melton, deceased; she is now the
wife of John McLaughlin, of Koleen; William W., the
subject of this sketch, was the next in order of birth;
Alargaret Alice married William H. Mansfield, a mer-
chant at Koleen, but residing in Bloomfield (see personal
sketch in this v(jlunie) ; Elijah W. is deputy sheriff of
Greene county and a well-to-do farmer in Jackson town-
ship; Thomas Leonard is a prosperous farmer in Taylor
township, and Samuel Aquilla and Alvadore died in
infancv.
1274 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
The subject of this sketch was educated in the
public schools of Jackson township and was married and
settled on a farm of his own at the age of eighteen. He
followed farming and stock raising during most of his
mature years, giving special attention to the buying
and shipping of stock for some eighteen years. He has
also been interested in the milling business, only dispos-
ing of that interest when elected to the office of sheriff
in 1904. Mr. Edington owns a valuable farm of one
hundred and nineteen acres adjoining the town of Bloom-
' field, also two buildings and some unimproved lots in
Switz City. His farm is well stocked with horses, hogs
and cattle, and is a valuable accessory to the monetary
interests of its progressive owner.
Mr. Edington was married February 6. 1872. to
Miss Harriet Rebecca, daughter of ^Valter and Mary
(Emery) Hayes, of Jackson township. To this uniLin
five children were bom, but two of whom are now living:
Icadore D., wife of Charles E. Combs (see sketch) ; Pur-
liette, who died in infancy ; loma Dale, who died in
young womanhood. June 26. 1905, a successful teacher
and a young lady of bright promise: W'alteV Lee, seven-
teen, is attending school, and Alice, who died at the age
of three and a half years. The family are members
of the Christian church at Switz City. Mr. Edington
sensed as assessor of Jackson township for ten years,
being first elected in 1884. He was elected sheriff as a
Republican, in 1904. and re-elected in 1906. receiving in
each case a very large and complimentary^ vote. Of the
fraternal societies he is a member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows and of the Improved Order of
Red Alen.
GREENE COUNTY. INDIANA. I275
CLAUDE S. MOSS.
Typical of the spirit of Linton — a spirit of youth,
progress and industry' — essential in the success of com-
munities as well as individuals, is the character of the
subject of our sketch, Claude S. Moss, circulation man-
ag'er of The Linton Daily Call.
Endowed with unmistakable talents and fortified
with an experience in various lines, he has the happy
faculty of succeeding in every pursuit that enlists his
energies. As circulation manager of The Call, he has
built up a circulation for that splendid daily that is not
eclipsed by any paper in any city of similar importance
in the state.
Claude S. Moss was born at Riley, Lidiana. October
12, 1880, the oldest son of William M. and Callie (Scott)
Moss. He was educated in the public schools of Bloom-
field, where his father moved in the early eighties, and at
the L^niversity of Notre Dame. He was engaged in the
mercantile business at Bloomfield for a few years, and
later accepted a position as credit manager with the New
Home Sewing Machine Company at Chicago. He re-
mained in this responsible position for three years, 1900-
1903, and resigned to accept a position as traveling sales-
man for another Chicago firm. As a commercial sales-
man he was eminently successful, standing close to the
top in his record of sales among the salesman in his line
in the Luiited States. He followed this vocation for
three years, resigning to come to Linton and assume
the management of the circulation department of The
Call.
1276 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Mr. Moss was marriecl June 12. 1903. to Bertie Mc-
Grath, daughter of Patrick McGrath, of Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, who has borne him one son. AUon Marshall
Moss, born November 18, 1906.
Mr. Moss is an Elk, Knight of Pythias, and a mem-
ber of the \\'oodmen of the World, and is one of the
most popular young business men of Lint(jn.
\\ILLIAAI H. DECKARD.
Among those who ha\-e been prominently concerned
ill the ushering in nt new areas of industrial activity in
(ireene county stands William H. Deckard, ex-county
auditor and now one of the leading business men of the
county, where he has been a potent factor in the political,
civil and moral advancement of her citizens for more than
a quarter of a century. His extensive interests place him
among the leaders in industrial circles in this section of
Indiana, and he has achieved that success which is the
logical result of enterprise, systematic effort, resolute pur-
pose and straightforward methods. There are no other
qualities absolutely essential to development, and upon
the ladder of his own building he has climbed to promi-
nence and prosperity, while in the community with whose
interests he is so closely and conspicuously identified he
is held in the highest esteem and confidence by members
of all political parties, since his integrity and honesty of
purpose are questioned by none.
Mr. Deckard is the son of John and }*Iahalia | Butch-
er) Deckard, having been bom in Sullivan county, In-
diana, April 21, 1856. He attended the common schools
there and applied himself in a most assiduous manner.
which resulted in a good education, considering- the ad-
vantages of those days. Having been reared on a farm,
he naturally learned agriculture and began his life as a
fanner, locating on eighty acres near Lyons, Greene
count3^ where he was so successful that he was later able
to add two hundred' and fifteen acres. His present fami
near Lyons, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres
of well improved land, equal to any in the county, is
worth nnc hundred and forty dollars per acre. Li all he
owns twii liundred and twelve acres in Greene county,
fift3--two acres of which lies just north of the corporation
line of Bloomfield, which is a fine location for a home ad-
jacent to this beautiful and thriving city. He still owns
fi^•e hundred acres of land in Hartley county, Texas. In
connection with farming he has taken up the real estate,
insurance and loan business under the firm name of Deck-
ard & Endres, besides being interested in the chair works
of Bloomfield and a stockholder in the Bloomfield State
Bank. The subject is also interested in the oil business
in Oklahoma, being identified with the American Oil
and Gas Company. In all his business affairs he has
shown rare executive ability and foresight, seldom mak-
ing a mistake in any venture. He lias made most of his
property by trading in farm lands and carrying on a gen-
eral farming and stock raising business.
The subject was happily married in 1877 to Eliza
Pitcher, a native of Shelby county, Indiana. Eight chil-
dren — Lex v., Olive, Florence, Oscar W., Estella Mav,
12/0 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Elnora, Bert, Gertrude and Lucile — liave been Ijorn to
this union. Lex V. Deckard, the subject's son, gradu-
ated from the law department of the University of In-
diana in June, 190S; Ohve Florence is living at home;
Estella May and Elnora are both deceased ; Bert, Ger-
trude and Lucile are students in the Bloomfield schools.
Mrs. Deckard is a member of the Methodist church. Fra-
ternally Mr. Deckard is a charter member of the Ma-
sonic lodge at Lyons. He is also a charter member of
the Royal Arch Masons at Bloomfield, and a charter
member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at
Lyons. He is also a charter member of the Modem
\\'oodmen at the same place, and of the Protective Or-
der of Elks, Lodge No. 866. at Linton. He takes a
great interest in lodge work and his daily life would in-
dicate that he is endeavoring to carr\- out their good
precepts.
Mr. Deckard is a loyal Democrat and takes an ac- .
tive part in political affairs. He was mentioned and
elected tiaistee of Grant township, Greene county, in
1888, carr\-ing a Republican township by forty-five votes,
which had previously gone Republican by thirty-five
votes. He served in this capacity for seven years and
four months. He was nominated for auditor of Greene
county by his Democratic friends in 1896 and was de-
feated by H. L. Doney by one hundred and thirty-one
votes. The county was six hundred Republican. In
1900 he was again nominated for the same place and was
elected against Dr. P. M. Cook by two hundred and forty
votes, the county still being six hundred Republican. He
was renominated in 1904 and was defeated by twn bun-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 12/9
dred and thirty votes, the largest vote on the RepubHcan
county ticket being one thousand and one hundred. This
shows Mr. Deckard's great popularity in Greene county
among both parties. In the last election not one
Democrat was elected. Not even a supennsor.
In Grant township, the home of the subject, he
carried far more than the strength of his party, and
he carried Beech Creek township, one of the strong-
est Republican townships, by forty-five \'otes when
that township was one hundred and forty Republican, he
being the only Democrat who ever carried the township.
Everybody says he did ample justice in handling the au-
ditor's office, all parties being well pleased with his work.
In his official capacity all the people with whom he came
in contact received the same courteous treatment, regard-
less of political affiliations.
In all his political career I\Ir. Deckard has never
asked for a single nomination to any office, all nomina-
tions having been given by acclamation or unaninious
consent. He is now out of politics only for his friends,
feeling grateful to his many friends in the opposite party.
Mr. Deckard's career, both in public and in business, has
always been unassailable, even by his most pronounced
opponents, his conscientiousness, high integrity and abil-
ity being highly respected by all who know him.
PHILIP J. HARRAH.
It has been often questioned whether the times make
useful and distinguished men or such men make the times.
I28o BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Certain it is tliat during the closing years of the last
century and tlie opening of the one now so bright with
promise there has been a marked development of practical
science and skill, and wonderful advancement in the va-
rious lines of inventive industry and mechanical ingenu-
ity. Every year has increased this development. The
demand for men who can concentrate their minds or tum
their hands for the purpose of bringing about desired re-
sults has been unparalleled in the history of the human
race. The supply has been as wonderful as the demand,
for on every hand, in evei^y sphere of activity, the keen,
shrewd and closely obser\nng, far-seeing men of prac-
tical ideas and inventive skill is in evidence. The times
have called for the men. and the men have met and hur-
ried forward the times.
It is one of these well rounded men of affairs and
captains of industr}' that the chronicler essays to write in
this connection, a man whose mechanical genius was man-
ifest at an early age, and who, by following the bent of
his inclination, has given to the world a number of valu-
able inventions and practical improvements and won for
himself a desen^edly conspicuous place in the industrial
circles of his own city, besides gaining much more than
local repute among the leading manufacturers i)f his
state.
Philip Harrah, whose name has long been identi-
fied with the iDusiness interests of Blooimfield. and the in-
dustrial development of the city, is a native of Putnam
countv, Indiana, where his birth occurred on September
25. 1864. His father. Henry Beard, was of German de-
scent of the best type and a man of great integrity, he
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I281
dying when Philip was but three years old. The lad
was adopted by Captain James B. Harrah, from whom
he takes his present name. The subject's mother, prior
to her marriage, was Sarah Hood. She later married
Lemuel Laughead, of St. Mar>'s, Indiana, now deceased.
She now resides at Terre Haute. The Hoods are of Eng-
lish origin and lineal descendants uf the distinguished
Bimiingham family of England, from which the city of
Birminghami derives its name. The first representatives
in America settled in one of the southern colonies a num-
ber of years prior to the War of the Revolution, and at
the breaking out of that struggle several of the name
entered the American army and rendered conspicuous and
distinguished sennce until independence was achieved.
The branch of the family to which Mr. Harrah's ances-
tors belonged figured pi'ominently in the early settlement
and development of Tennessee, from which state the im-
mediate antecedents subsequently migrated to Indiana
and were long and widely known and esteemed residents
of the county of Putnam.
Philip Harrah found a good home and pleasant sur-
roundings with his foster parents, who ministered to his
comfort and looked after his interests with the same care
and attention they would have bestowed upon a son of
their own. In his youth his time was divided between
farm labor and the district schools, first in Putnam county
where he spent the early years of his life and later in the
county of Greene, to which the Harrah family removed
in 1876. Not being entirely satisfied with the pursuit of
agriculture he early decided to adopt some vocation more
in harmonv with his tastes and tendencies, accordingly
1262 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
while still young he began giving expression to his
natural inventive talent by making a number of mechan-
ical contrivances which proved of value.
Following his inclinations young Harrah perse-
vered at his labors and in due time invented and placed
upon the market several mechanical devices for which
there was soon a wide demand by the local and general
trade.
These and other examples of mechanism which ap-
peared from time to time established his reputation as
an inventor and in due time the financial reward which
comes to the true g^enius enabled him to embark more
extensively in his special field of endeavor, and take a
commanding place in the industrial development of the
city in which he resided.
The Universal Repair Machine is among the best
known of his inventions for which he obtained patents,
and such was its favorable reception that in 1895 he
organized a company for its manufacture. This com-
pany, composed of Mr. Harrah and Mr. Oscar Shry^er,
was the first organization of the kind in Bloomfield, and
its completion marks the beginning of the city's industrial
history. From the day operations commenced the suc-
cess of the enterprise was assured, and the business has
since grown to such magnitude that their machinen,- and
devices are marketed throughout this and many foreign
countries. The crowning result of Mr. Harrah's in-
ventive genius is the justly celebrated Galvanized Tubu-
lar Fence Post, on which he studied and labored for a
number of years. Being convinced that metal furnished
the only proper material, and confronted by the unwel-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1203
come fact that there was no machinen- by which to man-
ufacture the posts, the idea of hand work being at once
abandoned on account of the heavy expense that would
necessarily be involved, Mr. Harrah, after years of ex-
perimenting, finally perfected the first and only practical
automatic machine that will produce a perfect fence post
with great rapidity. Without entering into further par-
ticulars concerning this signal achievement suffice it to
state that on September 15, 1905, the American Post
Company incorporated under the laws of Indiana for the
purpose of manufacturing steel fence posts and machinery
under the Harrah patents, Mr. Harrah being elected pres-
ident of the enterprise in addition to which office he also
devotes much time to the operation of the plant.
Mr. Harrah's va-rious enterprises have tended greatly
to the building up of Bloomfield and giving it publicity as
an important manufacturing center, and he stands today
among the prominent and influential men of the city, as
well as a captain of industry, l^eing interested in all that
makes for the good of the community and the welfare of
his fellow men. He sen-ed for six years as a member of
the city board of trustees, during which time the present
splendid electric light and water works systems were es-
tablished, also a number of other material improvements,
in addition to which he was instrumental in bringing
about much important legislation and always took an
active interest in all measures and movements for the gen-
eral good of the municipality.
On October 18, 1888, at the age of twenty-four, Mr.
Harrah was married to Martha J. Flater, daughter of
Nicodemus and Maria J. Flater. of Richland township.
1284 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Greene county, an intelligent and retined latly ijf varied
accomplishments, whose amiable qualities have made her
popular in the city of her residence and whose many
kindly acts of charity and benevolence have endeared her
to a large number of the less fortunate of her kind. Mr.
and ]\Irs. Harrah, with their two daughters. Nota and
Ruby, and son Chester, constitute a most agreeable and
delightful domestic circle, as all testify who at any time
have enjoyed the generous hospitality with which their
home abounds. Nota. the oldest of these children, was
born July i, 1889, the second, Ruby, October 30, 1890,
and the youngest first saw the light of day on September
26, 1894.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Harrah were teachers in the
schools of Greene county in their earlier life. Mrs. Har-
rah was one of the organizers of the Bloomfield Public
Library and served two years as one of the directors;
also a member of the board of childrens' guardians by
appointment of the judge of the court in 1907; also a
member of the Argonaut Literary Club and a social club
of the city. Mr. Harrah was one of the promoters
of the Business Men's Social Club, of which he is a
member of the house committee.
Mr. Harrah mingles much with his fellow citizens
and is essentially a man of the people with their welfare
and best interests ever at heart. He is a member of the
Masonic lodg^e and Order of Knights of Pythias. He is
also a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order
of Elks and the Modern Woodmen, a Republican in
politics and in religion subscribes to the Cumberland
Presbvterian faith, of which church his wife, too. is ;i
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 285
faithful and consistent communicant. A typical repre-
sentative of the progressive American spirit of the day,
an honor to his county and state and a credit to the nation
under whose institutions he has achieved such marked
and signal results. Mr. Harrah's life forcibly illustrates
what can be accomplished by a young man who makes
the most of his opportunities by improving the talents
with which he has been blessed and who, never satisfied
with the mere doing, sets his mind high and ever follow-
ing noble aims and lofty ideals, makes the experiences
of yesterday the ladder of today, by which he finally sur-
mounts all difficulties and obstacles until the success for
which he struggled is ultimately reached and he takes pos-
session of his own. In the best sense of the term he is a
self-made man. His labors have been greatly appreciated
and as an inventor, manufacturer and broad-minded, pro-
gressive man of affairs he stands today with few peers in
the especial field to which his talents and skill ha\-e been
devoted.
JOSEPH SIROCK HURT.
Among the enterprising business men of Linton, In-
diana, who, while advancing their own interests, have,
at the same time accomplished much for the development
and improvement of the community in which they reside,
mention should be made of Joseph S. Hurt, a well known
merchant, wIkt was born in Cumberland county, Ken-
tucky, near Berksville, February 7, 1848, the son of
1286 BIOGRAnilCAL MEMOIRS
Thomas and Martha (Burnett) Hurt, who removed from
that county to Pike county, Indiana, in 1861, and re-
mained there on a fami during the remaining years of
their lives, ]\Ir. Hurt having died November 10. 1903.
The subject's mother passed away about ten years
previous. They raised a family consisting of the follow-
ing sons and daughters : Joseph S. ; Alfred is a. prosperous
farmer of Pike county; Viola is the wife of George Mur-
ray, an engineer in Pike cnunty : Almarine, a farmer liv-
ing in Missouri ; Annie, now Mrs. Barnett, living in Pike
county; the next three children died in infancy or child-
hood; William, who was a fanner in Pike county, died
in 1907. The father of the subject was a soldier in the
One Hundred and Forty-third Indiana Volunteer Regi-
The subject was educated in his native county and
also in Pike county, Indiana, receiving a fairly good com-
mon school education. He began farming early in life,
which he successfully followed for a period of twenty
years during his young manhood days in Pike county.
Then he launched in the mercantile business, which he has
ever since made a success, having first established a coun-
tiy store near Arthur, Indiana, which he conducted for
two years. Coming from there to Linton in 1899. he
engaged in teaming during the seven years following,
handling coal, principally. Then he bought a restaurant
but was burned out. Later he built a residence and store
building at 309 Third street. Northeast, where he has
since carried a full line of groceries, provisions, meat and
dairv- products. He has shown by the growth of his
business and the steady increase of his patronage that
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 287
he has mastered the details of tliis business, and his honest
principles enables him to quickly gain the confidence and
good will of his customers.
Mr. Hurt was united in marriage to Hattie Davis,
on Januar}^ 28, 1868. Eight children have been born to
this union, two of whom are deceased : They are : The-
ophilus, a teamster in Linton ; Estella, wife of Cornelius
Cooksey, of Linton : Clarence, a partner with his father ;
Pearlie Kehoe, lives in Linton ; Dennis is a miner living
in the same town ; Lovey Pursuit lives at home.
Mr. and Mrs. Hurt are members of the general Bap-
tist church. In political views Mr. Hurt has been a life-
long Republican, and while he has usually been too busy to
devote much time to local politics, he is a public spirited
man and is always ready to do what he can toward help-
ing forward any worthy cause looking to the bettemient
of his county. He has held the office of road super\'isor
with credit and was elected to the city council of Linton
in 1905, from the first ward, being the only Republican
in the council. He is a member of the committee on print-
ing, and the street committee, and he is said to be one of
the most active and vigilant workers for the city's good
in the council. Fraternally Mr. Hurt is a member of the
Masonic lodge. He is also an active worker in the Linton
Merchants' Association, being known as a man who stands
for his own city first and who wastes no opportunity to
promote the interests of the place in which he resides, and
has his business. Mr. Hurt has the esteem of all who
know him. and that includes, among a great number of
outsiders, nearly eveiy one in Linton.
I2e5 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
PETER M. COOK, M. D.
When distinguished professional ability, valuable
public sei-vices, unblemished political integrity and a pri-
vate life above reproach contribute to adorn the character
of an individual and make his presence an honor to the
community and an influence for substantial good among
his fellowmen, then it is proper to set prominently
forth as an example to those who would attain credit for
themselves and make their achievements a blessing to the
world. The subject of this review ven' properly comes
under this category and it is with due regard to his high
standing in one of the most responsible and exacting
of callings and to his sterling worth as a trusted public
sei-\'ant and enterprising" citizen, that the writer essays
in this connection the task of placing before the reader
the leading facts in a career that has made him a well
known and widely respected man in the county of which
he is a resident. Dr. Peter M. Cook, whose enviable po-
sition in medical circles is cheerfully conceded not only
by his professional brethren but by the public at large,
has gained a reputation which comes only through abil-
ity and skill, and as the legitimate reward of persevering
effort. Progressive in the broadest sense of the term, he
has ever kept abreast of the times in all matters relating
to his noble calling and his advanced methods have
brought him not only eminent professional success, but
liberal financial remuneration as well. In addition to his
career as a physician and surgeon, he has also figured as
one of the influential public leaders of his county and is
now sen-ing the people in a responsible official capacity
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1269
to which he was elected in the year 1906, and the duties
of which he has discharged in sucli a manner as to give
additional luster to a reputation in which his fellow- citi-
zens, irrespective of party affiliation, have long mani-
fested a pardonable pride.
Dr. Cook is a native of Guernsey county, Ohio,
where his birth occurred on the i/th day of April. 1847.
His father, Thomas R. Cook, a Pennsylvanian by birth.
went to Ohio in early life and from thence removed, in
1858, to Greene county, Indiana, settling at the village
of Solsberry, where he spent the remainder of his days.
dying on April 22d of the year 1904. Thomas R. Cook
served with distinction in the late Civil war as a member
of the Ninety-seventh Indiana Infantry, in which, for
meritorious conduct, he rose by a series of promotions to
the command of his regiment, having been discharged at
the cessation of hostilities with the rank of colonel. He
was distinctively a man of affairs, influential in advanc-
ing the material interests of the community in which he
resided and left to his descendants the reputation of an
honorable name and in everj^ respect a praiseworthy life.
Harriett Gibbens, who became the wife of Thomas R.
Cook, was born and reared in Ohio, her marriage having
been solemnized in the county of Guernsey. Like her
husband, she, too, was esteemed by a large circle of
friends and acquaintances for her many admirable traits
and is remembered for her beautiful character and for the
wholesome moral influence she exerted among all with
whom she mingled. The family of this estimable couple
consisted of nine children : Elizabeth C, now Mrs. John
Mullen, of Nebraska ; the subject of this sketch being the
1290 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
second of the number. The names of the others in order
of birth are as follows: Charles Henry, deceased; Ed-
ward S., of Bloomington, this state; Eva, who married
C. H. Keys and at the present time lives in Colorado
City, Colorado; William F., a resident of Solsberry,
Greene county ; John Thomas, also a resident of the
county of Greene; Benjamin Butler, of Columbus, In-
diana, and Birdie, now Mrs. Robert Law, of Logans-
port, Lidiana.
Dr. Peter M. Cook was about ten years (_>kl when his
parents moved to Indiana and from 1857 to the present
time, a period of fifty-one years, his life has been very
closely identified with the histoi-y and development of
Greene count}-. In the public schools he laid the foun-
dation of the mental training which subsequently enabled
him to enter upon the career of his choice, the profession
of medicine for which he early manifested a decided pref-
erence and to the preparation for which he devoted all
the energies of a studious and enthusiastic youthful na-
ture. After proper preliminary instruction under the di-
rection of a well-known local physician, he entered, in
1878, the Miami Medical College at Cincinnati, where
he prosecuted his studies until completing the prescribed
course in 1883, at which time he was graduated with an
honorable record, standing among the most proficient in
the class of that year.
Soon after receiving his degree Dr. Cook opened
an office in the village of Stanford, Monroe county,
where, during the ensuing two years, he successfully sur-
mounted the difficulties which usually beset the ydung
physician and 1)uilt up a fairly lucrative practice. At the
GREEXE COUNTY. INDIAXA. I29I
expiration of the time indicated, however, he removed to
the wider and more promising field at Solsberry, where
he followed his chosen calling with marked success until
the year 1906. Equally proficient in medicine and sur-
gery, his success in many critical cases and delicate opera-
tions early brought him prominently to the notice of the
puljlic, with the result that in addition to his local prac-
tice which included an extensive range, he was frequently
called to distant places to treat serious cases.
Aside from the claims of his profession Dr. Cook
has ever manifested a lively interest in public affairs;
as a citizen has kept in touch with the great issues of the
day. In the course of time his influence in the Republican
party was such as to make him a leader in that part of
the country in which he lives. In recognition of valuable
services rendered the party, as well as by reason of his
fitness for the position, he was nominated, in 1906. for
the office of county auditor and after an animated cam-
paign defeated his competitor by a handsome majority.
The duties of this office he has since discharged in an able
and praiseworthy manner, satisfactory to the public. His
official career has been a very creditable one, and since
entering upon the important trust confided to him, he
has made everv- other consideration subordinate to his
duty to the public and spared no pains in proving him-
self worthy the confidence of the people.
The domestic chapter in the history of Dr. Cook's
career has been one of almost ideal character, and much
of his courage, inspiration and confidence have been sup-
plied by the helpful presence of the wife and companion
who, for over a third of a centuiy, has been the presiding
1292 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
spirit of his home and to whose judicious counsel and
hearty co-operation not a Httle of his success is due. Mrs.
Cook, who formerly bore the name of Mary Jane Gaston,
and to whom he was united in the bontls of wedlock in
1874. is the daughter of James ]\I. Gaston, of Beech
Creek township, a representative of one of the earliest
pioneer families of that part of Greene county. Mr.
Gaston was for many years a man of considerable local
prominence, who held the office of township trustee a
number of terms and the family has been prominent in
the affairs of the above township from the original settle-
ment of the country to the present time. Dr. and Mrs.
Cook are the parents of three children, the oldest of
whom, a daughter by the name of Maude, married Hugh
S. Bullock, of Greene county, and resides in the village
of Solsberry; Thomas Roy Cook, M. D., the second in
the order of birth, is a practicing physician of Bowling
Greene, Indiana, and a man widely and favorably known
in his profession ; Eva, the youngest of the family, is the
wife of Clyde O. Yoho, the present clerk of the Greene
county circuit court.
Dr. Cook is actively identified with secret fraternal
work and has risen to hig-h stations in the different or-
ganizations to which he belongs, being a Royal Arch
Mason and an influential member of the Pythian and
Odd Fellows Orders, in each of which he has held im-
portant olTicial positions.
THE SHERWOOD FA^HLY.
Biography more than any other histor}- commands
the most interested attention for the olwious reason that
GREENE COUNTY. INDIANA. 1 293
it records our invn witli the experiences of others, who,
in times past, traveled hfe's rugged pathway as our com-
panions, acquaintances and friends. The recital of facts
and incidents which connect the past with the present
never fails to bring in its train a thrill of interest and
satisfaction and — it is with this object in view that the
chronicler in this connection essays the task of placing on
record a brief history of a family that has figured actively
in the early annals of Indiana, first in the county of
Washington, where several of its representatives origin-
ally settled, and later in Greene county, with the growth
and development of which many of the name were pmni-
inently identified and where a number of descendants are
still to be found among the leading citizens of their re-
spective communities. As indicated by the name, the
Sherwood family is of English origin, but just when the
founder of the American branch came to this country is
not known, though it is supposed to have been a number
of years prior to the War of Independence. In the early
annals of Guilford county. North Carolina, the name of
this family appears, and it was there, some time in the
latter half of the eighteenth century, that Hugh Sher-
wood, the ancestor of the Indiana Sherwoods, was born
and reared. By occupation he was a tiller of the soil
and from the most reliable accounts, a most estimable and
praisworthy citizen, having belonged to that large and
eminently respectable class of yeomanry, who, by cor-
rect lives and in a quiet, unobtrusive way, exercise a
wholesome influence among their fellows and furnish
moral fiber to the communities honored by their resi-
dence. In his young manhood Hugh Sherwood married
1294 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Rebecca Fields, also a nati\-e of Guilford county and in
due time became the father of six sons: B., Charles,
Daniel, Thomas, Hugh and Jeremiah, all bom in North
Carolina, where the family continued to reside until
migrating, early in the year 1800, to Washington county.
Indiana.
Upon his removal to this state Hugh Sherwood re-
sumed the pursuit of agriculture and in the course of
time became one of the enterprising farmers of his com-
munity, which honorable vocation his sons also adopted,
and, like him, they. too. rose to positions of respectability
and influence in their several places of abode, Mr. Sher-
wood and his faithful wife were pious and devoted mem-
bers of the Methodist church and thrc.iughout long and
varied lives always made their daily walk and coinersa-
tion harmonize with the faith to which they subscribetl
and to which they were ever loyal and true. Although
born in a strongly Democratic state and from his youth
surrounded by ultra-Democratic influences, he early es-
poused views directly opposite to those of that party, and
from the time of casting his first ballot until his death
was an uncompromising Whig and fearless defender of
the principles to which he yielded allegiance. Hugh and
Rebecca Sherwood have long been sleeping the sleep of the
just, both having died some time in the forties and their
bodies rest side by side in the old family cemetery in
Washington county, near which they originally settled.
Daniel Sherwood, third son of the above couple, was
born in Guilford county, North Carolina, in 1797, and
was but a boy whai the family moved to Indiana. He
was reared to agricultural pursuits (^n the familv home-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 295
stead, a portion of which he helped clear and improve and
shortly after attaining his majority fonned a matrimo-
nial alliance with Delilah Copeland, and engaged in farm-
ing upon his own responsibility in connection with which
he also operated for some years a mill for the manufac-
ture of both flour and lumber. In due time his family
was increased by the arrival of six children, namely:
Thomas, Esther, who married Henry String; William
F., Benjamin, James and Rebecca, all of whom spent their
childhood and youth in the county of Washington, and
there remained until 1852, when Mr. Sherwood changed
his place of abode to Greene county, where he purchased
a farm on which his death occurred the following year.
His widow, who sui-vived him some years, departed this
life at Goshen, where she was making her home with
her youngest child, Mrs. Rebecca Kloppenstein, wife of
Joseph Kloppenstein, of that city. Like his father, Daniel
Sherwood was a Whig in the full meaning of the term
and though never an office-seeker or aspirant for public
honors, kept in close touch with the questions of the day
and had the courage of his convictions on political issues.
In religion the Cumberland Presbyterian church held his
creed, of which body himself and wife were for a number
of years devoted and consistent members.
The children of Daniel and Delilah Sherwood be-
came useful men and women and rose to positions of re-
spectability and honor in their several places of resi-
dence. James S., the fifth in order of birth, attaining a
prominence such as to justify much more than a passing
notice in this brief family sketch. Born March 14, 1834.
he spent his early life on the home fann in Washington
1296 BIOGRAPHICAL MEilOIRS
county and at the age of seventeen came to the county
of Greene, where his brother \\'ilham had previously lo-
cated, making the journey on foot and alone and ex-
periencing not a few inconveniences and hardships on
the way, arriving at his destination in the fall of the
year 1851. He became an inmate of his brother's home,
with whom he continued ot reside during the fifteen
years ensuing, at the expiration of which time he set up
a domestic establishment of his own, the presiding spirit
of which was a young lady by the name of Nancy Brad-
field, to whom he was united in the bonds of wedlock on
the 13th day of February, 1868. Mrs. Sherwood was
bom and reared in Ohio, from which state her father,
William Bradfield, moved to Greene county, Indiana, the
year preceding her marriage, locating in Stockton town-
ship, where he became a successful farmer and praise-
worthy citizen. After taking to himself a companion and
helpmeet, Mr. Sherwood established a home in the town-
ship of Stockton, where, during the intervening years,
he has been engaged in the time-honored vocation of agri-
culture, devoting his attention to general farming and
meeting with success in his chosen field of endeavor.
After a mutually happy wedded experience of forty years'
duration his faithful wife was called to her reward, de-
parting this life June 10, 1907, leaving, besides her hus-
band, these children to mourn her loss: Sallie, William,
Mary. Charles and Jessie.
In many respects "Uncle Jim," as he is 'familiarly
called, is a imique character, whose friends include eveiy
man, woman and child of his acquaintance, and the
bounds of whose popularity are the circumscribed limits
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1-97
beyond which he is unknown. While stiU a mere lad he
manifested decided musical talent, which, developing with
the passing years, in due time made him one of the ablest
musicians in the country, his skill as a violinist being un-
equalled by that of any other performer on that instru-
ment in this part of the state. By reason of his fondness
for this favorite instrument and readiness at all times to
entertain his friends with free concerts, he came in time
to be known as "Fiddling Jim," a title which, with be-
coming modesty, he still wears, and by which, in all
probability, he will continue to be distinguished until par-
alyzed by the icy touch that puts an end to all earthly
skill, his fingers will close to wield the bow and the tones
of his beloved instrument become only a memorv'. In his
younger days his services as a musician were in frequent
demand at the country dances and frolics for miles
around, and many a sedate deacon of the present day
and his goodly dame of three score and ten, if pressed
closely in the matter, will modestly admit that with others
equally as culpable, they learned to trip the "light fan-
tastic" to the inspiring tune of "The Arkansas Traveler,"
"Lightning Joy" or "Money Musk." as "Uncle Jim,"
with magic touch and tireless arm, kept the merr>' dancers
racing over the rough puncheon floor in the good old
walk-talk-ginger-blue style of the hoe-down that filled
with joy their innocent hearts and their legs with sore-
ness and pain. By this it must not be understood that he
was merely a player of backwoods tunes and ragtime
music, for such was not the case, but being skilled in all
the uses of the instrument from the simple, uncouth strain
to the productions of the masters, he could suit his play-
1290 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
ing to any occasion and was equally appreciated wherever
his sen-ices were required. Although seventy-four years
of age he still handles the bow with all the grace and
celerity of the days of his prime and only recently he
gave an exhibition of his skill by playing many of the
old familiar tunes for a company of his friends, all of
whom pronounced the music as inspiring and full of life
as in the long ago ere time had silvered his head with
sifted sand or caused a quaver in the magic touch of his
erstwhile string and dextrous ami.
Mr. Sherwood is not only a master of the violin, but
plays almost equally as well a number of other instru-
ments, both wind and stringed, and in 186 1 he utilized
his skill on the former kind by enlisting as a musician
in the Twenty-first Indiana Infantry, taking the part of
solo-alto in the regimental band and serving as such for
a period of fourteen months. At the expiration of that
time he returned home, but soon re-entered the service by
joining the band of the Twenty-fourth Indiana Volun-
teers, with which he remained until detached from the
sen'ice at Galveston, Texas, in November, 1865. \Miile
at the front he experienced considerable service aside
from his regular duty as musician, frequently assisting
in the removal of the wounded from the field during the
progress of battle and it was while thus engaged that he
received a painful wound which rendered him unfit for
further active duty and led to his discharge at the date
mentioned above. He was also employed at intei^vals in
the larger cities to play for theaters, concerts and other
public functions and in this way added very materially
to the pay received from the government, besides mak-
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I299
ing many wami friends and earning well deserved popu-
larity among his comrades and others with whom he
mingled.
In point of continuous residence Mr. Sherwood is
one of the older settlers of Greene county, having made
this part of the state his place of abode since 1851, a
period of fifty-seven years — 1908. He recalls the time
when the site of the present thriving city of Linton was
nothing Ijut a backwoods hamlet and remembers ha\'ing
shot and killed a deer in a small meadow which is now
in the veiy heart of the town. He has not only seen the
countiy grow to its presait prosperous condition, but to
the extent of his ability has contributed to the many '
changes that have taken place and been an actor in a
number of entei^prises that have made for the material
advancement of the community and the general good of
his fellow men. Believing in getting out of life all the
pleasure and satisfaction in it, he has ever been an op-
timist and by habit of always looking on the bright side
and endeavoring to make others happy, he refuses to
grow old, being in his seventy-fifth year, as vigorous
physically and mentally as many men of not much more
than half his age. His life has been one of activity and
usefulness and the many neighbors and acquaintances,
who are proud to be numbered among his friends, unite
in the wish that his days may yet be many.
^^"illiam F. Sherwood, second son and third child of
Daniel and Delilah Shei'wood, was born April 24, 1824,
in Washington county, Indiana, and there grew to ma-
turity- amid the stirring duties of farm life, attending at
inten'als in the meantime such schools as the country af-
1300 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
forded. Although reared to agrictdtural pursuits, he did
not find the vocation to his taste. Accordingly, at the age
of twenty-two he entered the office of Dr. Charles Pear-
son, of Lavonia, and began the study of medicine, con-
tinuing under the direction of his preceptor two years,
at the end of which time he opened an ofiice at Linton
and engaged in the practice of his profession. Dr. Sher-
wood located in this city in the year 1848, and from that
time to 1873 devoted himself actively to the duties of his
chosen calling, meeting with a large measure of success
and achieving wide distinction as a skillful physician and
surgeon. He belonged to the regular school of medicine
and by diligent study kept in touch with the trend of pro-
fessional thought, his services being frequently in demand
at places remote from the field to which his practice was
chiefly confined. His wife, whom he married in young
manhood, was Catherine Ingersoll, whose birth oc-
curred in Greene county, Indiana, in 1832. being the
daughter of Peter and Triphena (Wines) Ingersoll, who
were early settlers of the county and among its most
highly esteemed residents. Dr. and ]\Irs. Sherw'ood be-
came the parents of se\-en children, wliose names were
as follows: Charles Edward, of Linton; Benjamin M.,
a practicing physician of the same city: Dr. Elmer T.,
one of the leading physicians and surgeons of Greene
county, whose sketch appears in this work; John \\'.. a
musician in the United States militar\- service, now sta-
tioned in the Philippine Islands; Harrison I., a resident
of Linton and a well known physician and surgeon ; Wil-
liam, who died at the age of four years, and Triphena.
wife of J. B. Terhune. one of the leading commission
merchants of Indianapolis.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I3OI
Dr. William F. Shenvood died March i6, 1873, in
the prime of his life and usefulness, being only forty-nine
years of age when called from the scene of his labors and
triumphs. Mrs. Sherwood, a true wife and helpmeet and
affectionate mother and most estimable lady of beautiful
character, departed this life in the month of March, 1907.
Dr. Sherwood entered the eighty-acre tract of land on
which the South Linton mine is located and also owned,
by purchase, the quarter section on which the Bon Ton
mine was developed, besides having other holdings in the
vicinity, among his possessions at different times being
the land now occupied by the north half of Linton and a
large tract near the town of RLarco, in Stafford township,
in all about seven hundred acres, much of which has in-
creased greatly in value, especially the mineral lands,
from which the owners have realized handsome fortunes.
Li 1881 the tract on which North Linton stands was sold
for less than thirty dollars per acre, the lots there at the
present time commanding as much as two hundred dol-
lars a front foot, other of his estate having been dis-
posed of at equally low figures. The doctor was public-
spii-ited and took an active interest in the growth of Lin-
ton and frequently predicted that the town would event-
ually become an important business and industrial center
as well as the seat of a thriving populace. He did all in
his power to advance the interests of his fellow men and
as a Republican wielded a strong influence in the political
affairs of the county, but never desired to figure as a
partisan or office-seeker. He seems to have foreseen with
remarkable accuracy the future development of the vast
mineral wealth in the Linton district, and for a number
1302 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
of years was untiring in his efforts to secure railway
facilities, so as to make possible the opening and operating
of the mines which his judgment told him would some
day do more for the town and county than any other en-
terprise, but unfortunately his death occurred just as
many of his predictions were on the point of being ful-
filled.
Personally, Dr. Sherwood was a companionable
man who made friends wherever his professional or busi-
ness engagements took him and no man stood higher in
the esteem of the community or did more to render him-
self worthy of esteem. He was of commanding presence
and dignified demeanor, medium height, somewhat portly
and impressing all with whom he came in contact as a
strong personality and natural leader of men. Full of
animal life and in the best of health, he loved the outdoor _
sports, where he could come into contact with nature,
being a true sportsman and finding his favorite recreation
in the chase, having ridden with other fox hunters over
the greater part of Greene and Sullivan counties in the
pursuit of this exhilarating pastime. In early life ]Mrs.
Sherwood was a Presbyterian, but later she united with
the Methodist church and continued a consistent member
of the same until her death. The doctor contributed lib-
erally to all lines of charitable and benevolent work, never
withholding from the deserving poor, or closing his heart
or purse to the cry of affliction or distress. He was in-
deed a manly man, whose life was filled to repletion with
good to his fellows and the memory of his many kindly
deeds, together with a character and name to which time
has only given additional luster, will ever be cherished
by his descendants as a priceless heritage.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA.
WILLIAM ROUTT.
The first half of the nineteenth century was charac-
terized by the immigration of the sterhng element which
made the great commonwealth of Indiana what it is.
These pioneers were sturdy, heroic, upright, sincere folk,
such as constitute the intrinsic strength of a state and
give solidity to its institutions. It is hardly possible that
in the future another such period can occur, or, indeed,
any period in which such a solid phalanx of strong-
minded, determined men and self-sacrificing women will
take possession of a new country, develop its resources
and lay broad and deep the foundation of an advanced
and permanent state of civilization. Too careful or too
frequent references cannot be made in the pages of his-
tory concerning those who have thus figured as founders
and builders of a commonwealth, and equal credit is also
due to the sturdy sons and daughters who. bom and
reared amid the stirring experiences of those heroic
times, nobly assumed the burdens so borne by their prede-
cessors and with patience and fortitude such as the world
has seldom seen excelled, carried on the good work until
what was under so many difliculties begun, was in due
time most earnestly and triumphantly completed.
Among the sturdy pioneers to penetrate the wilder-
ness of Indiana while the feet of the red men still pressed
the soil, was John L. Routt, who, with his wife Mary
(nee Keys) left his Kentucky home early in the last cen-
turv' and made his way through the forest to Washington
county, Indiana, where, finding a location to his taste, he
settled and opened a house for the accommodation of the
1304 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
traveling public. He was a man of strong character and
sterling worth and in addition to keeping one of the first
hotels in the county was in due time elected to the im-
portant and responsible office of sheriff, the duties of
which he discharged in an eminently satisfactory manner
until his untimely death, which was caused by the explo-
sion of a barrel of whisky in a distillery which he had
just entered for the purpose of sen-ing summons on cer-
tain witnesses there employed.
The influence exerted by this stanch pinneer, fear-
less official and high-minded citizen was second to that
of none of his compeers, and his memory is still revered
in the community which he assisted to found, and for
the material advancemait and moral good of which he
did so inuch. He was public-spirited in the true sense of
the tenn, took an active interest in the political affairs of
Washington county and was long one of the trusted lead-
ers of the Whig party in that part of the state. He was
one of the founders and elder of the Presbyterian church,
also largely instrumental in establishing other churches
in the new country and to his efforts, especially, several
Presbyterian organizations still in existence are indebted
for their origin and the material support that during the
early days made possible their continuance.
John L. and Mai-y Routt reared a family of six chil-
dren, among whom was a son by the name of William
Keys Routt, whose name furnishes the caption of this
article and whose birth occurred at Patoka, Gibson
county, Indiana, on May ly . of the year 1810. He was
reared amid the stem experiences peculiar to the jjioneer
period in the c<iunties of Gibson and Daviess, and during
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 3O5
the summer months devoted his time to siicli employments
as were then common on the farm, the winter seasons
being spent in the subscription schools, which he attended
at intervals until his nineteenth year. To those early
years under the tutelage of parents whose high ambition
was to engraft upon the ininds of their children such prin-
ciples as would insure lives of honor and usefulness, Mr.
Routt was indebted for the integrity of character and
honorable ambition that pre-eminently distinguished him
as a citizen in all the walks of life. He early formulated
plans for his future and by making the most of his op-
portunities became a well infonned young man. whose
moral training always kept pace with his mental develop-
ment. ^^'hen but nineteen years of age he started out to
make his own fortune by purchasing a carding machine,
which he located at Bloomfield and which he operated
with encouraging success for a number of years, in the
meantime starting a general store in connection with this
enterprise. Finding that he could not profitably com-
pete with the more improved methods of carding- wool
in the largest cities, he finally closed his establishment to
devote his entire attention to merchanising, which branch
of business he conducted with inarked success for a period
of thirty years, or until the state of -his health obliged
him to dispose of his stock and seek a less trying mode
of life.
Disposing of his mercantile establishment in 1879
Mr. Routt spent the ensuing five years in efforts to re-
gain his fonner robust health, but the seeds of disease
being freely implanted rendered unavailing all that med-
ical skill and kind attention could do. On the 27th day
1306 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
of February, 1884, the life of this noble man, and useful,
hig-h-minded citizen went out amid the sorrowing of an
entire community in which for so many years his influ-
ence was felt for good, and throughout which, esteemed
Ijy many as a close personal friend and by all as a liberal
benefactor.
Mr. Routt was married, January 2y. 1848, to Esther
J. Ferguson, who was born September 15, 1824, in Shel-
byville, Kentucky, the daughter of William and Susan
(Graves) Ferguson. The father of Mrs. Routt was for
many years a successful farmer in southern Indiana in
connection with which he also did quite an extensive trade
in boating grain, pork, etc., on White and other rivers,
shipping to New Orleans and intermediate points. It
was while thus engaged that he fell victim to the cholera
plague, dying at the town of Peola, on the Ohio river,
after a brief but virulent attack of the dreaded disease,
Mrs. Routt being about ten years old at the time of his
demise. Mr. Ferguson was a man of considerable local
prominence, and much more than ordinarily successful
in the matter of worldly wealth, having accumulated a
handsome estate, besides becoming one of the Whig- lead-
ers of the county in which he lived. He and his good
wife were pious and consistent members of the Baptist
church and spared no pains to implant the principles of
religion and morality in the minds of their children, all
of whom profited by the wholesome instruction they re-
ceived.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Routt was blessed
with four children, the oldest of whom, Mary,, is the
widow of the late Dr. S. C. Cravens, of Bloomfield, and
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I307
the mother of Dr. \\"illiam R. Cravens, one of the lead-
ing physicians and surgeons of Greene county, wliose
sketch appears elsewhere in these pages. Fannie, the
second daughter, married James S. Clark and at the
present time lives in Louisville, Kentucky; George \V..
and Lulu, the two younger, being deceased.
In his political faith Mr. Routt was a Republican,
and while ever interested in the leading issues of the times
he never sought office or public honors, though amply
qualified by nature and experience to fill any position
within the gift of his fellow men. He held for some
time the ofiice of county commissioner, besides positions
of minor importance, but his tastes and inclination always
led him to the more quiet walks of life, where he found
his chief source of delight as well as his greatest sphere of
usefulness. \\'hen young he became identified with the
Presbyterian church and his life was ever in harmony
with the faith he professed, being- true to the high ideal
as laid down in the Holy Scriptures and exemplified in
all of his relations with his fellow men. In matters of
business he was eminently successful, though exceedingly
prudent, and all of his dealings were characterized by the
strict adherence to honor and integrity that mark the
man who scorns to commit the smallest indiscretion and
who always endeavors to keep his good name above re-
proach. In the accumulation of the handsome estate
which he left, consisting of three fanns containing four
hundred and sixty acres and a beautiful home of twelve
acres in the suburbs of Bloomfield, he was ably assisted
by his good wife, who ever proved a true helpmeet, no
small part of the comfortable competence attributable to
1308 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
her judicious counsel, well balanced judgment and hearty
co-operation in all the laudable undertakings in which his
success was so signal and pronounced. For many years
he was an active and influential member of the Masonic
fraternit}-, having been one of the most regular attend-
ants of the lodge to which he belonged and sincerely de-
voted to the beautiful and sublime principles of the order,
which he held secondary only to his church relations. He
was honored from time to time with official positions in
the Bloomfield lodge, directed its affairs ably and satis-
factorily and his death left a vacancy among the brother-
hood in this city which is still considered in the nature
of a personal loss. To epitomize the life and character
of Mr.- Routt wthin the limits assigned to a work of the
character of this volume is impossible. The stalwart
proportions of his living presence were realized in the
void made by his lamented death. But less than most
men intellectually and morally his ecjual does he need
the voice of eulogy or fulsome panegyric for his works
do follow him. He was an honored citizen of Bloomfield
and Greene county, doing much in a quiet way to con-
sen-e their respective interests, and among his fellow
men no one has been more intrinsically esteemed or hon-
ored. He held a prominent place in both public and pri-
vate life and probably the community had never been
called upon to mourn a more respected, highly-regarded
citizen. A devoted husband, a loving father, a public-
spirited, patriotic man of affairs, keen and sagacious in
business, he is eminently entitled to especial mention
among the representative citizens of his day and genera-
tion, and in his death there was removed one. who, in a
GREENE COLXTV, INDIANA. I3O9
large measure, liad honored his race and who will long
be remembered for the good accomplished dirough his
efforts.
Since the death of her husband Mrs. Routt has re-
sided in Bloomfield, where, in a beautiful cottage, sur-
rounded by evervlhing that can minister to her ease and
comfort, in the midst of warm-hearted friends who are
devoted to her interests and who seem to vie with eacli
other in doing her honor, she is calmly passing the even-
ing of a long and well-spent life in a retrospect of which
there is little or nothing to regret, and the future of which
is bright and promising, with an undying hope. \\'ith
her sweet face and crown of silvery hair, her beautiful
character and many amiable qualities of mind and heart,
she fomis a pleasing picture of happy, contented old age.
which her many friends hope may long continue to bless
and make better all with whom she comes in contact.
JOHN willia:\i XEWSOM.
To such men as Mr. Newsom we turn with particu-
lar satisfaction as offering in their life histories justifica-
tion foi" works of this nature. Not that their lives have
been such as to gain them wide reputation or the admir-
ing plaudits of men, but that they have been true to
■ evei-y relation of life, have shown such attributes of char-
acter as aititle them to the regard of all. and have been
useful in their sphere of action.
John \^^ Newsom was born at Point Co:
I3IO BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Greene county, Indiana. August 2^. 185 1. the son of
Andrew J. and Amy (Clark) Newsom, natives of North
Carolina, Grandfather James Byron Newsom having
moved from that state to this about 1831, when the sub-
ject's father, Andrew J., was about seven years old, set-
tling in Greene county. Here he engaged in farming,
rearing thirteen children, he and his wife, Celia, both
dying here. James Byron Newsom was of Scotch descent.
Grandfather Thomas Clark was also from North Caro-
lina and settled in Greene county, Indiana, where he
entered government land on which he spent the remainder
of his life, dying at the age of sevaity-three. having been
sun-ived a few years by his widow. Ira and Thomas
Clark and Alvis Newsom, uncles of the subject, were
soldiers in the Union army — Ira in the Thirteenth In-
diana Battery, Thomas in the Fifty-ninth Regiment and
Alvis in the Ninety-seventh Regiment. Indiana Volunteer
Infantr}', having all been honorabl}^ discharged.
The subject's father, Andrew J. Newsom attended
school only three months and did not leam to read and
write until after he married, when, however, he became
an expert in figures. After spending his youth on his
father's faiTO in Greene county, he bought a mill which
he conducted until he purchased a farm in his native
county and carried on general famiing and stock raising,
at one time being a large land owner, but met with finan-
cial reverses in 1873. handling pork. He died in 1S84
at the age of sixty years, his widow dying several years
later at the age of seventy-four years. They were both
church members and they raised eight children, six of
whom are now living.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I3II
John W. Newsom, the subject of this sketch, worked
on the old home place and attended school until 1872,
when he purchased a farm in his native county, which
he successfully managed until he purchased his present
fine farm in 1879. It was all timbered land at that time
and consisted of four hundred acres, three hundred of
which he has cleared and put in cultivation, the land now
producing more per acre than when he first cleared it, as
a result of his skillful management. The subject's prin-
cipal work is in raising stock cattle and preparing hogs
for the market. He fomierly fed cattle, but now sells
them ofif the grass, feeding all the corn he raises to his
hogs, most of the fami being now in blue grass. At one
time the subject owned seven hundred acres of land, but
he disposed of three hundred acres some time ago. He
has always shown rare judgment in agriculture antl
stock raising, but being particularly fortunate in handling
cattle and hogs.
Mr. Newsom was united in marriage to Josephine
Reynolds in 1875, his wife being the daughter of Isom
and' Margaret Repiolds, her father having been a native
of North Carolina and her mother of Kentucky. They
came to Owen county, Indiana, where they farmed and
spent their lives and where the subject's wife was born.
Seven children have been born to the subject and
wife, as follows : Buera Blanche died at the age of
twenty-two years ; Everett E. is married and living on a
farm of his own in Greene county ; Stella B. is the wife
of Lewis Moore, of Greene county, and the mother of
two children ; John O. is married and living in Chicago,
where he is employed as salesman, and he has one child :
I3I2 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
Elexis Wayne is doing clerical work in Indianapolis ;
Reed McKinley is living at home and working on his
fadiers farm; Elsie L. is the wife of Otis Turley and
lives in Linton.
Mr. Newsom is a Republican in his political beliefs
and is widely and favorably known throughout the
county, enjoying the esteem and respect of a' great circle
of friends.
LEVI MOSS PRICE.
This venerable and honorable citizen of Greene
county well deserves definite recognition in a work of the
province assigned to the one in hand. The history of the
count}- and his biography are \-ery much one and the same
thing and for much of its growth and prosperity it is in-
debted to him. He has been one of its enterprising labor-
ers and wise counselors. A western man in the broad
sense of the term he has realized the needs of the people
and with clear brain and strong hand has supplied the
demand generously and unsparingh-. Few men of the
county are as widely and favorably known, none stand
higher in the esteem of his acquaintances; for to him
is accorded unqualified confidence and regard in the local-
ity which has so long been honored by his citizenship.
Levi M. Price is one of the oldest of Greene county's
native sons, over seventy-two years having elapsed since
he first saw the light of day in the humble cabin home
which his father established in the wilderness of what is
now Stockton township. His parents. Aquilla and Hul-
(lali ( Wright) Price, natives, respectively, of Kentucky
and Tennessee, were among the first settlers to locate
within the present bounds of Greene county, and Levi M..
whose birth occurred on April i6th of the year 1836. was
reared amid the rug^ged duties and stern vicissitudes of a
comparatively new and unde\eloped country. He is the
eighth in a family of nine children, the majority of whom
grew to maturity, their names being as follows : Josiah,
Eusebia. Wesley, John, Cornelius, Fenlon, Benjamin and
Sarah. The Prices ha\-e l)een representative in the west-
em part of Greene county for more than three quarters
of a centur\% but at the present time (1908) Levi M.
and his brother Benjamin are the only sunavors of the
once large and happy circle that gathered around the
domestic hearthstone, the parents and all but two of the
deceased children being buried in the family cemetery at
Linton. Benjamin Price, who was bom in this county
seventy-four years ago, has been actively and prominently
identified with the varied interests of the community, be-
ing a man of high standing and wide influence, in whom
the characteristics of his family have been reproduced to
a marked degree.
The sons assisted their father in clearing up and
improving a large and valuable farm, wliich, in the course
of time, passed from their possession into the hands of
strangers, by whom it is now held. Young Levi con-
tributed his share to the removal of the forest growth and
the cultivation of the soil, and grew up to the full stature
of well developed manhood with a true conception of the
dignity of labor and while yet a mere boy began laying
his plans for the future. Such educational advantages as
83
I3I4 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
the county afforded were liis, but at the best they were
meager and limtied, being confined to a few months' at-
tendance each winter at the httle log school house, whose
floor was composed of puncheons and split planks, the
windows greased paper in lieu of glass, while a mam-
moth fire-place, which occupied the greater part of one
end of the building, afforded the means of making the in-
terior comifortable during the bitterly cold days of winter.
For some years after settling in the new country the
elder Price was obliged to haul wheat from Stockton
township to Louisville, Kentucky, a distance considerably
in excess of a hundred miles, where he obtained the mu-
nificent sum of thirty-seven cents per bushel and deemed
himself exceedingly fortunate if the price always reached
that figure. The nearest market for live stock was Vin-
cennes, forty miles away, and thither he and his sons
drove such cattle and hogs as he had for sale, content
with such prices as the buyers saw fit to offer. Ever\'-
body lived in the conventional log cabins of the period,
neighbors were few and far betweai, but the mutual de-
pendence of the settlers upon each other gave rise to a
community of interests which brought about a state of
friendship and good feeling never since exceeded. The
labor involved in making homes under such conditions
was not unequally divided between the sexes. While
men built the cabins, cleared away the forests, cultivated
the soil, han'ested the crops, etc., the good wife and
mother found her duties no less numerous and arduous.
In addition to the preparing and cooking of the food,
milking cows, making their own soap, etc., they washed,
picked and carded the wool, spun the thread and wo\-e
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I315
the coarse cloth of which much of their wearing apparel
was made; sometimes flax was intemiixed with the wool,
the combination making a strong and durable fabric
which stood the wear and tear of rough usage for man)'
years.
The youth of the subject of this review, passed
under such experiences as those referred to not only made
a deep and lasting impression upon his mind but had
much to do toward developing the spirit of self-reliance
and sturdy, manly independence by which his life has
ever been characterized. As already indicated, he grew
to manhood strong in body and detemiined in his pur-
poses to make the most of such opportunities as presented
themselves.
In due time he turned his attention to the ancient
and honorable vocation of agriculture, which he prose-
cuted with such energy and well directed judgment that
he finally became not only one of the leading farmers of
his township, but also took high rank as an enterprising
and influential citizen. When the dark cloud of war
overspread the national horizon his patriotic fei-vor was
aroused to responsive action, and in August, 1862, he
enlisted in Company E, Fifty-ninth Indiana Infantiy, in
which he served until the close of the rebellion, first in
the department of the Mississippi under General Grant
and subsequently under General Sherman in the Tennes-
see, Georgia and Carolina campaigns.
Mr. Price participated in all the campaigns and bat-
tles in which his command was aigaged, taking part in
the siege and reduction of Vicksburg, the numerous ac-
tions at and in the vicinitv of Atlanta, after which he ac-
I316 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
companied liis regiment mi the celeljrated march tn the
sea, thence up thmugh the Carohnas and Virginia tii the
national capital, where he to<:)k part in the grand review
which marked the terminus of the greatest struggle in
the annals of warfare.
Returning home at the expiration oi his term of
sen-ice Mr. Price resumed farming and stock raising,
and as already stated, soon forged to the fn«nt as one
of the leading agriculturists of Greene cuunt}-. which rep-
utation he has ex^er since sustained. At this time he
owns a beautiful estate of four hundred acres of highly
improA'ed land, the greater part underlaid with an inex-
haustible cjuantity of the finest coal to be found in the
Indiana fields, thus afi^ording a source of wealth prac-
tically incalculable. He resided on this farm until Octo-
ber, 1906, when he removed to a beautiful and commo-
dious modem home in Linton, since which time he has
managed his agricultural and live stock interests from
the latter place; he also operated a coal shaft on his
farm from wdiich were produced large quantities of the
high grade coal for which this section of the state is
noted, this aiterprise proving remarkably successful and
adding very much, materially, to the liberal income of
which he is the recipient, though about 1897 he leased
his mining property on royalty basis, since which time
the coal mined has paid approximately $200 per acre.
Of recent years his farm has been largely devoted to
grazing and in addition to the breeding and raising of
cattle he also buys and ships quite extensively, at this
time being one of the largest and most successful stock
men in this part of the state.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I317
Mr. Price, on October 27, 1857, was united in mar-
riage witli Margaret J. ?Iail, daughter of Martin and
Phoebe Hail, parents native of Virginia and Kentucky
respectively, and among the early pioneers of Greene
county, their arrival antedating by some years that of
the Price family. Mr. and Mrs. Hail had nine children,
of whom five are living at the present time, viz. : Char-
lotte, Lavica Ann, ]\Iargaret Jane, Nathan Talhntt and
Amiinda Maria, all married, three residing in Indiana,
one in Illinois and one in the state of Kansas.
Mr. and Mrs. Price have one son and three daugh-
ters living, and one daughter and two sons deceased.
Elizabeth M. and Arling-ton died at the age of three
years; Hattie Eusebia is the wife of Dr. E. T. Sherwood,
of Linton ; Jennie Lind married Peter Schlott, a resident
of Linton, as is also C. T. Sherwood, the present post-
master, whom Pearl, the next daughter, married : Cossia,
now deceased, was the wife of Walter Wills, of Linton,
and the son. I. O. Price, who is noticed at more length
elsewhere in these columns.
Mr. Price has always been a stanch and uncDui-
promising Republican, but has never held office nor
soug'ht public prefennent. He and his wife have been
life-long members of the Methodist Episcopal church, be-
ing deeply interested in all lines of religious and benevo-
lent work, under the auspices of the local organization
with which they are identified, and liberal contributors to
the support of the Gospel at home and abroad.
Mr. and Mrs. Price have made it their custom tn
spend the winters of the past eleven or twelve >-ears in
Florida enjoying a well-earned respite from the worries
I318 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
of home life and the vigors of northern winters. For
more than fifty years tliey have traveled the pathway of
life hand in hand in that congeniality of teinperament so
essential to happy married life.
Their splendid home in Linton is the mecca of
hospitality and congeniality. After a lifetime spent amid
the scenes of new country and its development, in close
contact with hard and vigorous labors, they are now en-
joying the fruits of their early industiy and frugality and
are rated among the wealthy people of the community.
They are the friends of humanity and everybody loves
them.
JOHN F. SLINKARD.
The spirit of modern business demands big men :
men who represent the highest instinct of business de-
velopment ; men whose shoulders have been broadened
b}- the weight of business responsibility : men whose
minds have been mellowed by business experience.
Among the many men in southern Indiana whose
executive talents and business sagacity have gained for
them distinction, stands John F. Slinkard, of Bloomiield,
long recognized as a leader in eveiy movement demand-
ing organization and individual initiative. A man of
broad intellectual attainments, indomitable energy and
the highest character, he is a man of commanding influ-
ence in his community. In every position of life he typi-
fies the highest citizenship. The success he has attained
is the result of wisely directed energy, prudent industry
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. I319
and conscientious endeavor. Progressive and public-spir-
ited in all matters pertaining- to the public welfare, he
takes an active interest in the advancement of his county,
and readily lends his time and influence to aid in the
material prosperity of his community.
Mr. Slinkard was bom in Cass township, Greene
county, Indiana, November i6, 1849, the son of Andrew
B. and Sarah (O'Neil) Slinkard, likewise natives of
Greene county. His grandparents on both sides were
natives of North and South Carolina, the maiden name
of his grandmother being Anna Chanler. Andrew B.
Slinkard, his father, was engaged in the mercantile busi-
ness at Newberry for a period of fifteen years, although
he spent the major part of his life on a fann. He was
twice married. John F. Slinkard was born of the first
union, as were two other children, of which the subject
of this sketch is one and A. P. Slinkard is another.
Mary A., the third child, is deceased. The farther
became well-to-do before his death, and is re-
membered as a good citizen and kindly neighbor. He
was active in church work, having been a member of
the Lutheran church. Both he and his wife died while
living on the fann.
John F. Slinkard was reared on the parental farm
and attended the common schools in his native commun-
ity. This education was supplemented with a course in a
commercial college at Vincennes, Indiana, from w'hich
institution he graduated in 1867. The next ten years
was spent in his father's store at Newberry, and here he
learned the rudiments of business. In the year 1878 he
was elected clerk of Greene countv on the Democratic
1320 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
ticket, and served a term of four years, performing his
official duties with sigmal ahihty and honor to liis con-
stituents. He declined a nomination for a second term
and returned to his fami in Cass township, where he
remained until March, 1900, when he removed to Bloom-
field and where he has since resided.
yiw Stinkard, in 1900. was one of the organizers
and directors of the Home Telephone Companv, of
which he became general manager. He was the moving
spirit of this company, and much of its success was due
to his sound judgment and tireless energy. In 1905 he
organized the Union Jack Company, a corporation en-
gaged in the manufacture and sale of a patented lifting
jack which has an international sale. Mr. Slinkard is
president of this company, which is on a strong financial
basis and does an extensive business.
^Ir. Slinkard was married to Caroline Williamson,
of Washington township, Greene county, Indiana, Jan-
uary I, 1873, who bore him six children, four of whom
are living. These are Oscar P. Slinkard, of Bloomfield.
general manager of the Home Telephone Company:
Harrv" K. Slinkard, of Linton, an electrician with great
experience and ability ; Cyrus L. Slinkard, of Bloomfield,
a coal operator, and Miss Nellie M. Slinkard, also of
Bloomfield. This wife died in September, 1879, 3"fl ^n
December 9, 1903 he was married to Anna Deist, a native
of Nashville, Brown county, Indiana, who is a graduate
of the State Normal School of Terre Haute, and for
some years before her marriage was a \ery successful and
well known teacher in the public schools at Elwood,
Indiana.
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 3^2 1
The subject's fraternal obligations are with the Elks
and his religious faith is cast with the Lutheran church,
of which he is a member. Mrs. Slinkard is a manber of
the Presb\1:erian church.
Mr. Slinkard is a progressive Democrat and his
advice is often sought in the councils of his party. He
is a loyal and enthusiastic worker, standing always for
the best in public life and an avowed enemy to duplicity
and dishonestv in all its forms.
JOHN A. TEMPLETON.
The stanch integrity and marked pragmatic ability
of the Scotch type are almost proverbial, and these at-
tributes are manifest in the character of this well known
and representative citizen of Greene county, where he
is numl)ered among the successful business men of Lin-
ton, in which section of the county he has long been a
superintendent of mines and an extensive property owner.
Mr. Templet on was born in the famous old district of
Ayershire, Scotland. June 28, i860, the son of Robert
and Mary (Alexander) Templeton, both natives of the
land of Bobbie Bums. The father was a miner who came
with his family to America in 1881, and after a three
months' stay returned to his native heath, leaving the
subject behind, who, in 1885, sent for his parents, and
they established their home at Cordonia, Clay county.
afterwards moving to Hamiony. where the subject's
father was killed in Watson's No. i shaft, February 10,
1322 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
1886. The mother returned to Scotland the same year
and joined her husband in the land of eternal rest on
December 10, 1899. They were the parents of nine chil-
dren, of whom the subject was the second in the order
of birth. One brother and one sister live in America,
Robert being- weighman at the mine in which the subject
is superintendent, and the sister, ]Mrs. Nesbitt, resides in
New York City. Three brothers and one sister are living
in the old country.
John A. Templeton applied himself assiduously to
his studies while attending school in his native country'
and received a veiy sennceable and practical education,
considering the time he was in school, having begun min-
ing when scarcely ten years old, which profession he has
made his life work, mastering all its details until he is
perhaps one of the best informed and thoroughly expe-
rienced mine superintendents in the county, spending- the
past twenty-six years in this line of work, having been in
his present position, superintendent of the Coal Bluff
Mining Company, for the past twelve years, which is cer-
tainly a criterion that he is a man of indispensable value
to that concern, his employers all this time having been
the J. Smith-Talley Company, of Terre Haute. As super-
intendent of his company's holdings, Mr. Templeton has
under his jurisdiction about five hundred men, whom he
handles with the greatest satisfaction to all concerned.
He has been very successful in his life work, now own-
ing considerable stock in the Templeton or Ferin mines.
He is also superintendent for the W^abash mine at West
Terre Haute ; also owns stock in the Linton Rolling Mill.
Ten years ago he built a large and handsome dwelling in
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA. 1 323
Linton, where he has resided for the past eighteen years.
He is a thoroughly practical, painstaking and honest busi-
ness man, having the sagacity to do the right thing at the
right time and wrench success out of apparent impossi-
bility.
Our subject was united in marriage with Siloam J.
Paina, daughter of Philip and Elizabeth Penna, and a
sister of P. P. Penna, secretary and treasurer of the Bitu-
minous Coal Operators' Association of Indiana. J\Irs.
Templeton was bom in Cornwall, England and came to
America with her parents in 1882. Mr. and Mrs. Tem-
pleton have a family of seven children, named as fol-
lows : Robert A., Charles N., Cecil Edwin, Mary^ Eliza-
beth, Ethel Lillian, Philip H. and Flora Isabel.
Fraternally Mr. Templeton is a member of the Lin-
ton lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. In
political views he is a pronounced Prohibitionist and has
always been a radical advocate of the principles of tem-
perance and sobriety. It is such characteristics as these
which he has manifested throughout his active business
career, social and home life that has won the esteem- and
admiration of all who have come to know Mr. Temple-
ton, and he and his family are among the most favorably
known citizens of Linton.
