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Crist, L, M, 1B37-1929.
jHiSTORY OF Boone County
Indiana
HISTORY
OF
BOONE COUNTY
INDIANA
With Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and
Genealogical Records of Old Families
BY
HON. L. M. CRIST
VOLUME II
ILLUSTRATED
A. W. BOWEN & COMPANY
Indianapolis, Indiana
DEDICATION
This work is respectfully dedicated to
THE PIONEERS
long since departed. May the memory of those who laid down their burdens
by the wayside ever be fragrant as the breath of summer
flowers, for their toils and sacrifices have made
Boone County a garden of
sunshine and delight.
14C8918
AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION.
To write a history is but to commit to words in type events as they have
transpired, and to be pure history, it must be colored as little as possible by
the views or personal opinions of the writers.
In presenting this history of Boone county, the author has attempted
in every instance, to refrain from the expression of his opinions and to
give the facts, indeed, it will be noticed, by the careful observer, that the same
incident is given, in some instances, in different language, in more than one
place, because coming from different sources of seemingly equal authority.
I make no claim to originality, but have, with great care and much labor,
sifted every possible particle of information, hoping from the mass to collect
the best and most important facts and events for preservation.
It has been impossible to publish all of the matter placed at my disposal ;
much has, no doubt, been omitted which should have been published, and
much, perhaps, has been published which the reader will consider super-
fluous. Much information, in the possession of those who should have been
glad to furnish it, has been omitted for lack of interest of those parties and
their failure to furnish me the facts, though often requested so to do.
The author desires to express his appreciation of the assistance of each
and every one that has aided in the work and especially the press of the
county. Strange N. Cragun and Ben F. McKey. Also the author desires
to pay tribute to the careful and faithful work of Messrs. Harden and Spahr,
who published a history of Boone county in 1887.
The earnest endeavor on my part to give a complete history of the county
to December i, 1914, will, I trust, be appreciated.
LEANDER M. CRIST.
Thorntown, Indiana.
PREFACE.
All life and achievement is evolution; present wisdom comes from past
experience, and present commercial prosperity has come only from past exer-
tion and suffering. The deeds and motives of the men who have gone before
have been instrumental in shaping the destinies of later communities and
states. The development of a new country was at once a task and a privi-
lege. It required great courage, sacrifice and privation. Compare the pres-
ent conditions of the people of Boone county, Indiana, with what they were
one hundred years ago. From a trackless wilderness and virgin land, it has
come to be a center of prosperity and civilization, with millions of wealth,
systems of railways, grand educational institutions, splendid industries and
immense agricultural and mineral productions. Can any thinking person be
insensible to the fascination of the study which discloses the aspirations and
efforts of the early pioneers who so strongly laid the foundation upon which
has been reared the magnificent prosperity of later days? To perpetuate the
story of these people and to trace and record the social, political and indus-
trial progress of the community from its first inception is the function of the
local historian. A sincere purpose to preserve facts and personal memoirs
that are desen-ing of perpetuation, and which unite the present to the past, is
the motive of the present publication. The work has been in the hands of
an able writer, who has, after much patient study and research, produced
here the most complete historical memoirs of Boone county ever offered to
the public. A specially valuable and interesting department is that devoted
to the sketches of representative citizens of this county whose records desen-e
preservation because of their worth, effort and accomplishment. The pub-
lishers desire to extend their thanks to the citizens of Boone county for the
uniform kindness with which they have regarded this undertaking and for
their many services rendered in the gaining of necessary information.
In placing the "History of Boone County, Indiana,"" before the citizens,
the publishers can conscientiously claim that they have carried out the plan
as outlined in the prospectus. Every biographical sketch in the work has
been submitted to the party interested, for correction, and therefore any
error of fact, if there be any, is solely due to the person for whom the sketch
was prepared. Confident that our efforts to please will fully meet the appro-
bation of the public, we are,
Respectfully,
" THE PUBLISHERS.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I — First Inhabitants — Dominion of European Nations — American
Control — Meaning of Names 25
CHAPTER IT— Mound Builders— Indian Occupancy— Territory Acquired by White
Man 37
CHAPTER III — Geology and Topography — General Features — Rivers — Lakes^
General Natural Features — Soil and Climate of Boone County 63
CHAPTER IV— Public Domain and Its Survey 75
CHAPTER V— Organization of the County— Official Acts Connected with Its Or-
ganization — Organization of Various Townships — Where They First Effected
Their Settlement — Early-day Mills — Early Roads — Pioneer Schools and
Churches — Customs and Manners of the First Who Established Homes 79
CHAPTER VI— Organization of Territory— Right of Occupation— Origin of the
Name. Hoosier 120
CHAPTER VII— Early Life— Early Recollections— Early Entertainment— Social
Gatherings, etc. 135
CHAPTER VIII— Military History of the County— Mexican Soldiers— Soldiers of
the Civil War from This County — Those Who Served in the Late Spanish-
American War 168
CHAPTER IX— Bench and Bar of Boone County— Lawyers, Past and Present-
Early Courts — Brief Sketches of Oldtime Attorneys 211
CHAPTER X — Agriculture — Agricultural Society — Agricultural Agent — Farmers'
Clubs — Drainage — Native Forest
CHAPTER XI — Educational Development of the County — Early Teachers — Con-
gressional Fund — Concentration of Schools — County Seminary 258
CHAPTER XII— Church History— First Churches— Churches of Today 323
CHAPTER XIII— Newspapers of the County 357
CHAPTER XIV — Medical Profession — Early Doctors — Their Experiences — Char-
acter of the Pioneer Physicians — Superstition, etc 365
CHAPTER XV— Banks and Banking 384
CHAPTER XVI— Cities and Towns of the County 391
CHAPTER XVII— County Buildings 431
CHAPTER XVIII— Politics of Boone County— Official Roster 442
CHAPTER XIX— Railroads— Traction Lines— Telegraph— Telephone 453
CHAPTER XX— Civic and Benevolent Societies 459
CHAPTER XXI— Boone County Cemeteries 502
CHAPTER XXII— Early Life and Early Settlement in Each Township 515
HISTORICAL INDEX.
A
Advance 400
Agriculture 225
Growth 226
Productions 226
School Work 242
Clubs 242
Farmers' Short Course 243
Agricultural Agent 235
Annual Report 236
Seed Corn Testing Week 237
Orchard Demonstration 238
Milk Testing 238
Alfalfa Tour 239
Field Demonstration 239
Contests 240
Agricultural Society 228
First Fair 229
Report 230
Al-Si 232
Anakims. The 35
Apotheosis of the Pioneer, An 515
Archway 503
Auditors 450
B
Banks and Banking 384
First Bank in County 385
Banks of Cities and Towns 386
State Bank of Advance 1038
Bench and Bar 211
Court Room of Early Days 211
Judicial Circuits 211
Bench and Bar —
History of Courts from Organiza-
tion to Present 212
Circuit Court 214
Early Judges 214
Early Attorneys 215
Twentieth Judicial Circuit 222
Bonsall, Mabel 500
Boone, Betty 164
Boone, Daniel 530
Boone's Oldest Male Resident 152
Boy Wanted 149
Boyd, Adaline (Burk) 512
Bravery of a Kentucky Girl ISO
Burckhalter, Marietta Mills 426
Business and Manufactures 531
Boss Manufacturing Co., The 1039
Dairy Cream Separator Co., The- 910
Poland-China Hogs, Dr. Tucker's-1042
Center Township 113-518
Location 113
County-seat 114
Early Settlement 115
Churches 115
Schools 116
Roads 117
Century Mark Passed 383
Cemeteries, Boone County 502
Churches 322
Methodist Episcopal Ministers,
Zionsville 324
HISTORICAL INDEX.
Cliui-clies-
Methodist Episcopal Ministers,
Lebanon and Whitestown 355
Methodist Episcopal, Lebanon 322
Christian or Disciples 324
Presbyterian 3-5
St. Joachim 327
First Baptist 328
First Christian 329
Seventh Day Adventist 331
United Brethren '■'''^'^
African Methodist Episcopal 332
Methodist Episcopal, Jamestown.. 333
Methodist Episcopal, Salem 335
Methodist Episcopal, Thorn-
town 335-49
Presbyterian 337
Missionary Society 323
Christian 347
Civil War 168
Causes Leading to it 168
Call for Volunteers 172
Knights of the Golden Circle 172
Organization of Companies 175
Facts About the Conflict 176
Clarkstown 400
Clinton Township 88-521
Location ^8
Early Settlement 89
Churches : ^^
Schools 90
ElizaviUe 91
Commissioners, County 446
Corn (White Man) 139
Coroners 452
Courthouse 431
Dedication 431
Hon. Chas. Fairbanks' Speech 436
Crawford Home, The 439
Dover —
Drainage
401
244
E
Eagle Township 108-522
Location ^^
Early Settlement 108
Early Ministers 109
Churches 11°
Schools 110
Eagle Village 108
Early Life in Boone County 134
Traveling in Early Days 135
First Roadways 136
Early Recollections 141-514
Talks of the Old Days 153
Interesting Things Relative to
Early Times 156
Education 258
Engleman, Joseph 61
Essay by W. H. Mills 1S9
Essay on Forestry 253
F
Fayette 401
Forest, Our Native 247
Oak 248
Tulip 249
Walnut 250
Elm 250
Linden 250
Beech 250
Flowery Trees 251
Tree as an Engineer 255
Plea for Trees 255
G
Gadsden 402
Geology and Topography 62
Period. Post-Tertiary 63
Wells 65
Coal 63
Gospel Temperance Meetings 480
Governor, Vote of 425
Growth of County in 84 Years 148
HISTORICAL INDEX.
H
Harrison Township 103-521
Location 103
Early Settlement 103
Roads ^ 104
Churches 104
Schools 105
Hazelrigg 402
History Unique, A 483
Hoath, Lydia M. 499
Hoosier, Origin of 129
Horse Breeders' Association 241
I
Indiana, Map of 72i
Indians 40
Indian Wars 58
Treaties 42
Reserves 50
Indian Village 51
Death of Tecumseh 53
Treaty of St. Mary's 55
Close of Reserve 56
Indian Controversy 57
Harmar's Expedition 59
Indian Lore 505
Indian's Plea for Prohibition, An 476
Infirmary, County 239
J
Jackson Township 100-522
Location 100
Early Settlement 100
Churches 101
Schools 102
Roads 102
Jail, Boone County 438
First 438
Second 438
Third 438
Present 438
Jamestown 402
Jefferson Township 98-520
Location 98
Early Settlement 98
Churches 98
Schools 99
Roads 99
Judson Baptist Association 349
L
Lebanon 396
Location 396
First Settlement 396
Present Condition 399
Libraries 440
List of Commissioned Officers, Civil
War 179
List of Non-commissioned Officers
and Privates, Civil War 181
M
Marion Township 84-520
Location 84
Early Settlement 84
Roads 86
Schools 86
Churches 86
Towns 87
Masters, M. D., Luella M 501
Matthews, Mattie 499
Mechanicsburg 404
Medical Profession 365
Pioneer Physicians 365-381
Fees 369
Pioneer Ideas and Beliefs 370
Sketches of Pioneer Physicians— 378
List of Early Physicians 382
List of Present Day Physicians 382
Memorial Day 173
MilledgeviUe 403
Mills, Col. Anson 413
Mills, James P 421
Mills, Sarah Kenworthy 421
HISTORICAL INDEX.
Miscellaneous 530
What They Say of Us 533
Then and Now 535
Faithful Ox, The 538
Tom and Dick 539
Autochthon, Story of 234
Mondamin (Indian) 138
Mound Builders 37
N
Names and Ages of Survivors of the
Civil War and Spanish-Ameri-
can War, living in Thorntown — 208
National Cemeteries 175
New Brunswick 405
Newley, Jesse (Millikan) 498
Newspapers 357
Lebanon, Newspapers of 357
Thorntown, Newspapers of 362
Zionsville, Newspaper of 362
Jamestown, Newspaper of 363
Whitestown, Newspaper of 364
Northfield 405
O
Organization of County 79
Location 83
Survey 1. 84
Organization of Territory 121
Organization of Various Townships. 83
Orphans' Home 439
Our Foremothers 523
Our Title to Indiana 41
Outlook for Boone County 543
P
Passing of Pisa, The 251
Perry Township 105-520
Location 105
Early Settlement 105
Churches 106
Schools 107
Roads 107
Pioneer Home of James P. Mills 42?
Politics 442
Prehistoric Works 36
Prosecuting Attorneys, Circuit
Court 451
Prosecuting Attorneys, Common
Pleas Court 451
Public Domain and Its Surveys 74
Canal Land 75
Michigan Road Lands 75
Swamp Lands 76
Seminary Lands 11
University Lands 77
College Fund Lands 11
School Lands 78
R
Recorders 450
Railroads 453
Indianapolis. Cincinnati & LaFay-
ette 453
Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville
(Monon Route) 453
Raiment 129
Report of County Supt. of Schools— 532
Representatives in Congress 445
Reunion, Thorntown Academy 303
Rosston 406
Royalton 406
S
Schools 258
Early School Houses 259
Teachers 260
Congressional Fund 273
Consolidation of Schools 276
County Schools 277
Concentration of Schools 281
County Seminary 283
Thorntown Academy 286
Schools, Lebanon 317
Presbyterian Academy 319
Secretary of State, Vote of 445
Sheriffs 450
HISTORICAL INDEX.
Skeleton, of Indian Chief 504
Slavery, Question of 130
Societies, Secret 458
Underground Railroad 132
Woman's Relief Corps 468
Temperance 472
Woman and the Church 482
Woman's Franchise 484
Woman's Christian Temperance
Union 485
Ananias Club 490
Spanish-American War 203
Names of Those That Enlisted 204
Roll of Honor 208
Story of 1830, A Real 509
Sugar Creek Township 94-519
Location 94
Early Settlement 94
Schools 96
Churches 97
Roads 97
Sunday Schools 493
County Conventions 495
Surface and Soil 80
Drainage 80
Drift, The 81
Areas of Different Soils 83
Surveyors 452
T
Telephones of Boone, The 455
Terhune 407
Thanksgiving Story 162
Threshing 148
Thorntovifn 407
Early Settlers 408
Schools 408
Committee Reports 409
Traction Lines 454
Lebanon-Thornton Traction Co.— 454
Terre Haute, Indianapolis & East-
ern Traction Co. 454
Treasurers 450
U
Union Township 111-520
Location 111
Early Settlement HI
Churches 111
Roads 112
W
Ward 428
Washington Township 91-522
Location 91
Early Settlement 91
Churches 92
Schools 92
Mechanicsburg 93
Roads 93
Whitestown 428
Location 428
Early Business Men 429
Worth Township 118-523
Location 118
Early Settlement 119
Schools 120
Churches 120
Z
Zionsville 429
Location 429
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX
A
Adair, D. W. 651
Adair, James W. 651
Adams, George E. 583
Adler, Phil 892
Adney, Roy W 585
Airhart, Dr. Joseph O. 832
Allen, George 648
Allen, Thomas F. 648
Armstrong, I. N. 901
Ashley, Robert T. 654
B
Ball, M. D., James R. 593
Barker, Isaac N. 851
Barker, Murray S. 850
Batterton, James W. 1030
Beard, Eliza A. 848
Beard, Jarrett S. 849
Bechtell, Jacob A. L..102S
Beck, Larkin 940
Belles, Isaac H. 916
Billingsly, Robert D. 660
Billingsly, Samuel 663
Booher, Benjamin 1006
Bowen, Samson 930
Bowers, Reiter Cragun 909
Bowman, Henry 721
Bowman, William H. 720
Brandenburg, William 987
Brendel, M. D., J. F. 630
Brosar, Walter H. 1040
Brown, Caleb O. 640
Brown, John S. 640
Brown, John T. 792
Brush, D. D. S., Forest G. 865
Brush, Henry C. 866
Brush, James 866
Burns, David M. 896
Burns, Andrew 896
C
Caldwell, Thomas V. 886
Callane, Richard 911
Callane, W. E. 911
Campbell, George W. 608
Campbell. Mark 611
Carter, Henry 765
Carter, Newton 764
Carter. Samuel R. 1044
Cason, Samuel L. 856
Chilson, Edna A. 1014
Clark, Andrew J. 606
Clark, David M. 606
Clouser, Martin L. 694
Cobb, Jacob S. 872
Cobb, William 618
Cobb, William F. 618
Colgrove, Riley 1015
Comley, George M. 771
Conrad, Ira E. 629
Conrad, Rufus 946
Conrad, William 629
Coombs, Ben F. 846
Coombs, George 846
Coons, M. D., Henry N 602
Coulson, George 830
Coulson, Jonathan E. 830
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX.
■Cowan, Hon. John M. 876
Cragun, Strange N. 907
Crist, George Weller 680
Crist, James Weller 680
Crist, Leander Mead 680
Crist, Mark B. 935
Crose, David 860
Crose. William B. 860
D
Daily, Americus C. 1018
Daily, Charles D. 1046
Darnell, William H. Hi
Darnell, William J. 723
Davenport, Milton S. 988
Davis, Edgar W. 743
Davis, Isaac T. 970
Davis, John H. 932
Davis, John W. 743
Denger, Charles H. 646
Denger, Peter 647
DeVol. William J. 840
Dodson, Vasco 734
Dodson, William H. 734
Dulan, John A. 931
Dulan, Thomas W. 931
Duvall, Jacob 810
Duvall, John A. 810
Dye, James M. 786
E
Ellis, Thomas 977
Ellis, William H. 977
Endres, Dominick A. 822
Everett, George A. 725
Everett, John 725
F
Farrow, Hon. John A. 705
Farrow, Thomas 705
Felker, Adam H. 782
Godfrey, Charles 798
Goldsberry, John J. 1054
Goldsberry, Thomas 1056
Halpin, Dennis 652
Hamilton, Gilbert H. 919
Hamilton, John 919
Harbaugh, Thomas G. 789
Harmon, James 787
Harris, Elwood T. 716
Harris, Mathew T. 716
Hart, James F. 779
Harting, George H. 690
Harting, Hiram B. 691
Harvey, M. D. 91Z
Hawkins, Benjamin F. 1041
Haworth, Samuel 880
Hazelrigg, Maj. H. G. 1047
Head, Manson 796
Head, S. C. 797
Heath, Samuel S. 1008
Hill, Joseph 697
Hill, William L. 696
Hinshaw, Frank 587
Hinshaw. T. H. 587
Howard, Charles C. 693
Howard, John 714
Howard, Richard W. 714
Holler, Andrew 759
Holler, James E. 758
Hollingsworth, Samuel 906
Hooton, Ashpbell P. W. 627
Hooton, John 628
Huber, Harvey W. 727
Huber. Valentine 727
Huckelberry, Irvin T. 747
Hussey, John S. 768
Hussey, William 768
Hutchinson, William H. 1034
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX.
I
Imel, Ralph W. 604
Isenhour, Bert 900
Isenhour, James 657
Isenhour, Jonathan 657
J
Jackson, Elisha 938
Jarrell, Nancy 1048
Jones, Benjamin 733-41
Jones, Thomas J. 741
K
Kern, Jacob 757
Kersey, James H. 752
Kibbey, James H 670
Klingler, Abraham L. 659
Klingler, Francis 659
Kohn, Daniel 766
L
LaFoUette, Harvey M. 729
LaFollette, Jesse 730
Lane, Emsley J. 666
Lane, Levi 1003
Lane, Samuel B. 748
Lane, William U. 666
Laughlin, Samuel H. 775
Laughlin, Vincent 776
Laughner, J. T. Frank 852
Lemon, William 745
Lemon, William N. 745
Lewis, Martin 1028
Longley, Rev. Abner H. 396-994
Loose, Frank E. 888
M
McDaniel, Harry 975
McDowell, Henry H. 836
McGee, John 732
McGee, M. D., Joseph A. 732
McKey, Ben F. 890
McRoberts, Benjamin B. 990
Maish, John W. 613
Maish, Joseph 614
Maple, Arthur 922
Miller, Jacob S. 668
Miller, John D. 668
Millikan, William W. 820
Mills, Anson 952
Mills, James P. 962
Mills. John M. 634
Mills, Sarah K. 962
Moore, James B. 739
Moore, John Stanley 806
Morrison, John W. 676
Morrow, Loring W. 835
N
Nelson. Dr. A. F. 1026
Nelson, Thomas J. 1027
Newby, Granville 738
Newby, Presley 738
Nicely, James M. 1032
O
Orear, Charles D. 942
Orear, Dr. John H. 942
Ottinger, Roy N. 891
P
Parr, Jesse A. 591
Parr. Jacob 112
Parr, Nelson J. 772
Parr, Judge Willett H 588
Perkins, Jacob 1024
Perrill. John 882
Perrill, Nathan A. 882
Retry. Frank 1021
Pugh, Ellas 788
R
Ralston, Hon. Samuel M. 573
Reagan, M. D., Jesse Stanley 707
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX.
Reed, David W. 711
Reed, John 711
Richey, James 843
Ridpath, John C. 1049
Riggins, Vallandingham 1036
Riley, James 689
Riley, Lewis C. 688
Ritchie, Andrew W. 800
Ritchie, Morris 800
Roberts, Clarence 808
Rodman. Capt. Carson P. 984
Rogers, Elza O. 581
Rose, Lewis 686
Rose, M. D., Madison Hall 685
Routh, John F. 638
S
Sanford, William J 1013
Scott, Charles W 1001
Scott, James M. 1003
Servies, Edgar M. 1016
Shapley, Thomas R. ^^^
Shapley, William 778
Sharp, Ira M. 616
Shaw, Albert M. 781
Shaw, C. W. 650
Shaw, John M. 650
Shaw, Nelson 781
Shumate, Capt. Felix 998
Silver, George W. 625
Silver, Samuel 656
Sims, Rev. C. N. 1051
Small, James M. 968
Smith. Aaron J. 595
Smith. Eli 596
Smock, James A. 928
Snodgrass, James 598
Snodgrass, Robert 598
Spencer, Alexander O. 698
Stall, Robert S. 763
Stark, Albert W. - 912
Stark, John P. 912
Stephenson, John 948
Stephenson, Samuel H. 950
Stoltz, George 978
Stoker, Benjamin L. 665
Stoker, Tyrie 665
Sumpter, Edward D. 760
Sumpter, Scott T. 760
Swope, Ebenezer H. 812
Swope, Joseph M. 812
T
Taylor, Charles A. 750
Titus, Samuel 728
Tucker, M. D., Jesse E. 802
U
Umberhine, M. D.. Charles D 791
W
Waddle, Isaac 637
Waddle, Montraville 636
Waltz, John 902
Waltz, Theodore C. 902
Welch, Charles F. 678
Whitely, Enoch 702
Whitely, William 702
Whittinghill. Robertson 870
Whittinghill. William E. 870
Williams, M. D., William H 1022
Wilson, George 927
Wilson, Joseph M. 926
Wilson, William H. 769
Witham, Flavius J. 826
Witham, William 827
Wood, Henry K. 625
Wood, William J 625
Worley, James M. 980
Worley, William F 980
Wright, Samuel 638
Wyant, Williard O 751
Y
Young, James H. 862
Young, John T. 862
r,i>y. s.\Arri:i> m
BIOGRAPHICAL
HON. SAMUEL M. RALSTON.
The rise of a man from farmer boy, ox driver, coal miner, country
■school teacher, to the highest office within the gift of the people of a sovereign
state, is an evidence of greatness — greatness of energy, of ability, of perse-
verance, of heart qualities and of character. Such is the life story of the
subject of this sketch.
Samuel Moffett Ralston, governor of Lidiana, was born on a farm
near New Cumberland, Tuscarawas county, Ohio, December i, 1857. His
father, John Ralston, was a native of Virginia, and his mother, Sarah Ralston,
nee Scott, was born in Pennsylvania. His great-grandfather, Andrew Rals-
ton, was born in Scotland February 25, 1753, and came to this country with
his parents when but a small boy. With the exception of Andrew and a
sister, the entire Ralston family was massacred by the Indians in Pennsyl-
vania. Grown to manhood, Andrew served for seven years in the Revolu-
tionary war as a member of the Pennsylvania Rifle Regiment and was taken
prisoner on Long Island August 27, 1776. When the war was over he mar-
ried Sophia Waltemeyer, of Irish descent, and moved to Ohio, where they
reared a family. Andrew Ralston lies buried by the side of his wife in
Beech Spring cemetery, Harrison county, Ohio.
Governor Ralston came to this state with his parents in the spring of
1865, when they moved to Owen county, Indiana, where his father purchased
and operated a large stock farm. In his early youth Mr. Ralston did not have
an opportunity to secure an education, but early in his young manhood he
realized that if he was to achieve the position in life that his ambitions
sought for that he must have an education, so he applied himself until he was
able to secure a license to teach school. For seven years he taught school
574 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
during the winter months and attended summer school during the summer.
During all this time a portion of his earnings went to the support of his
parents, his father having failed financially in the panic of 1873. He at-
tended the Northern Indiana School at ^^alparaiso and the Central Indiana
Normal School at Danville, Indiana, graduating from the latter institution
in the scientific course in August, 1884.
He studied law in the of^ce of Robinson & Fowler at Spencer, Indiana,
and was admitted to the bar January i, 1886, and located in Lebanon, In-
diana, in June of that year, for the practice of his profession. He is a lawyer
of distinction, having taken part in the trials of some of the most important
cases in the state. He has few equals as a cross-examiner of witnesses and
is especially strong in cases involving the rules of equity or the constitutional-
ity of statutes. In the prosecution of cases he is vigorous and is regarded by
many as one of the foremost defensi\-e criminal lawyers of the state.
He was nominated by his party for governor of Indiana in 1912, by
acclamation. He is the only governor of this state since Thomas A. Hen-
dricks to have been so honored by a political party. In the election of 1912
he carried eighty-three of the ninety -two counties and received a plurality of
one hundred and nine thousand two hundred and thirty-three.
He was president of the Lebanon school board, August i, 1908. to July
31. 191 1. He was also presidential elector in 1892-3. Other than the above,
he ne\er held public ofifice until he was inaugurated governor of Indiana on
the 13th day of January. 1913.
While attending normal school at Danville, Mr. Ralston made the ac-
quaintance of Miss Jennie Craven, of Hendricks county, Indiana, who was
also preparing to teach. Common interests and a strong" mutual attraction
brought them closer together and resulted in an early engagement. Mrs.
Ralston's many excellent qualities are obvious even to the superficial observer.
Her good sense and pronounced love of simplicity, her sincerity, and devotion
to principle make her the ardent supporter of all measures that contribute to
domestic happiness and social well-being. During the years that Mr. Ralston
studied law JMiss Craven taught at Bloomington and Elletsville. In 1889
they were married and at once began housekeeping at Lebanon, where their
home became known for its hospitality, amiability and cheer. The restful
harmony that prevailed there from the first was felt in the entire community.
The many fine qualities that endear Mr. Ralston to his clients, to his asso-
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 575
tiates, and the children are most strongly in evidence at home where Mrs.
Ralston spends in like measure the full force of her fine personality. As is
usual in such fortunate marriages, the superior mental and moral endow-
ments of the wife are a constant source of encouragement and inspiration to
the husband. He owes much to the good sense and genuineness of her nature
and above all to her high standard of masculine integrity and professional
probity. These quiet years of happy domestic life have fixed in each the
fundamental principles of sane, sound living. Their convictions on the
sacredness of home life, and the paramount necessity of preserving such
domestic ideals in high places make these two people the safest possible
guardians of the first home of the state.
Mr. and Mrs. Ralston have three children, Emmet Grattan, an electrical
engineer, having graduated from Purdue University : Julian Craven, a stu-
dent at Indiana University, and Ruth, a pupil in Shortridge High School at
Indianapolis.
Politically, Mr. Ralston has always been identified with the Democratic
party. His devotion to the party of his choice is based on the careful study
of Jeffersonian principles. Those who know him most intimately are unani-
mous in praise of his remarkable personality and declare that his sincerity
and wholesome love for mankind give him a power that places him high
above mere party consideration.
In proof of his political sagacity and sound judgment in the interpreta-
tion of the federal constitution it is both opportune and fitting to make some
note of a speech delivered by Mr. Ralston in June, 1900, when
presiding over the Democratic State convention. In that year and some years
previous much has been said in advocacy of congressional legislation for the
more eiifective control of trusts. Many Republican and a few Democratic
congressmen contended that Congress has no power to control the giant com-
binations without a constitutional amendment. In September or October of
1900 Philander C. Knox, then a member of President McKinley's cabinet,
made his great speech in support of the proposition that a constitutional
amendment is not necessary to enable Congress to deal successfully and effi-
ciently with the trust question. As before stated, Mr. Ralston spoke on the
same subject in June, 1900, some months before Mr. Knox. Capable judges
who heard Mr. Ralston on that occasion pronounced his keynote speech the
most forceful utterance his party had ever heard on a similar occasion, and
576 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
on the motion of the venerable David S. Gooding, of Greenfield, the conven-
tion did the unusual thing of extending to Air. Ralston a rising vote of thanks
for his masterly effort. This terse, positive statement illustrates the force of
his reasoning and the effectiveness of his judgment:
"Under the constitution given us by the fathers, this government has
the power to deal effectively with anything that makes against the general
welfare. If it has not this power, then it has not the power to live."
Always actively identified with the Democratic party, .Mr. Ralston on
several occasions has had conferred upon him nominations on his party
ticket. He was his party's candidate for joint senator for Boone, Clinton and
Montgomery counties in i8S8, but after a brilliant race went to defeat with
his party in a hopelessly Republican district. In 1896 he was nominated for
secretary of state, and again in 1898, but each time suffered defeat at the
polls, not by reason of personal unpopularity but because the fortunes of his
party were lost in the tide of popular disfavor. In each race he made a
splendid showing. In 1898 he led his ticket, carrying Boone county by over
five hundred votes — the largest plurality given there in years to any candidate
on any ticket.
When Mr. Ralston was a candidate for governor in 1908 and in 1912,
Boone county loyally stood back of him afnd enthusiastically supported him.
The first public gathering held in the new court house at Lebanon was
a non-partisan meeting held by the citizens of Boone county on January 3,
1912, in the interest of Mr. Ralston's candidacy for the nomination for gov-
ernor. This meeting, in size, enthusiasm and sentiment expressed, surpassed
anything of the kind in the history of the county, if not of the state. -A.11
Boone county participated in that demonstration. No finer tribute could have
been paid to the man and the citizen. Representatives from all ranks of
society were one in their spontaneous expressions of regard. Of his qualifi-
cations for the office all were assured. His learning and versatility were re-
peatedly emphasized, his moral qualities as warmly commended. But best
of all was the readv recognition of his kindness, of his broad charity and of
his magnanimity of judgment. It is these essentially human qualities that
have endeared him to his community.
More noteworthy, perhaps, than the meeting just described was the one
held by the women of Boone county. Regardless of political affiliations, the
women came from all parts of the county to give expression to their high
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 577
regard for Mr. Ralston. The large court room in the new court house could
not accommodate the audience and scores were unable to gain admittance.
The women enthusiastically praised him as a citizen and a neighbor and
\-oiced their faith in him as one able to measure up to their high standard of
manhood and citizenship.
Governor Ralston"s remarkable strength of body and mind, his quick
and sure insight into the intricacies of civic machinery, his readiness for
instant action have given him a wonderful mastery over the numerous details
of his office and made him a most excellent judge of state and economic
problems and singular courage and determination have marked his conduct
while in office. He is absolutely fearless in the execution of measures that
seem to him right and necessary. Xo selfish consideration can dissuade him
from a judgment that he pronounces sound, that calls for prompt and efficient
action.
During the session of the Legislature of 1913 a public utilities bill was
before that body. While the bill was in the Senate it was the subject of many
conferences and much delay was had in bringing the bill to a vote. It has
been subsequently revealed that it was the plan of those opposed to the pas-
sage of the bill to delay action upon it until such a date as it would be im-
possible to secure the passage of a desirable utility measure. One of the
means by which those opposed to the measure sought to throttle its passage
was a secret caucus. Fvclative to the desirability of throwing the public
utility measure out of caucus and putting it upon the Moor of the Senate for
open discussion, Governor Ralston gave out the following statement :
"I have been careful, since becoming Governor, to say and do nothing
that would give any one ground for thinking I was trying, as Governor, to
usurp the functions of the legislature, and I shall continue to pursue this course.
"1 cannot close my eyes to the fact, howe-\-er, that the legislature is Hear-
ing its constitutional time limit, and that many important bills are yet to be
acted upon. One of these is the public utilities bill.
"1 regret \ery much the seeming inability of the Senate to make proper
headwa_\' with this measure. I feel certain that the majority of the Demo-
cratic Senators favor the passage of the bill. Every Democratic Senator
witli whom I have spoken on the subject has assured me he was in favor of
a good utility law.
"In view of the fact, therefore, that the Senate is overwhelmingly
.578 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Democratic, and that no Democratic Senator has declared against a utility
law, and that all the minority members are giving out that they too are for
such legislation, / wish the Democratic Senators who stand for the right sort
of legislation on this subject would favor calling off the caucus on the Shiz-ely-
Spcnccr bill, so that the proposed amcnduicnts to it might be fought out in
the open on the floor of the Senate. The people are entitled to know where
the Democratic party stands on this measure and if this bill is to be amended
before its passage, so that it will be worthless as a law, or if it is to be killed,
the people. are entitled to know the influences that defeated the public will."
Needless to say he carried his point and secured the desired legislation.
Soon after the adjournment of the legislature he was confronted with
the llood situation — the most serious the state ever knew. He gave himself
up entirely to the relief work at the sacrifice of all personal comfort and de-
voted himself so untiringly to the task that he was forced to spend but an
inconsiderable sum of the state's money for the relief of the distressed.
Allusion has already been made to the Governor's unusual moral cour-
age He had ample opportunity to test it during the period of legislative
acti\ity. That he is a man possessed of real heroism, of such physical cour-
age as makes heroes on the battle field and martyrs if need be in the forum,
was strikingly illustrated during the great street-car strike in Indianapolis
in October and November, 1913. It was a situation in which ordinary men
would have failed in effort or shirked in duty, but Governor Ralston stood
his ground and proved his mettle to the admiration of all who with feeling
of intense anxiety and no little apprehension witnessed the scene. The strike
had with premeditation been called on the eve of the city election in the hope
of embarrassing the executive by the necessity of calling out the troops to
avert riot and insurrection. The Go\ernor had up to this time been unsuc-
cessful in effecting an adjustment between the striking employees and the
traction company. The Mayor insisted that the Governor call a special ses-
sion of the Legislature and secure the passage of a compulsory arbitration
law ; the merchants' association and business interests demanded that the
Governor call out the National Guard to establish order ; the Union men pro-
tested that such an act would precipitate riot and bloodshed such as had never
been seen there before. A state of riot and insurrection prevailed; the police
were utterly unable to cope with the situation and many threats were made
upon the life of the Governor. On the night of Nox'embcr 5th. the Governor
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 579
called out the entire National Guard. By morning many companies were on
their way to Indianapolis. The situation was tense when a meeting of the
strikers and their sympathizers was called on the State House lawn at noon
on No\'ember 6.
A crowd estimated as high as eight thousand gathered on the lawn at
the south door of the building to protest against the calling out of the troops.
They had been harangued by strike leaders. A cry was started for the
Governor to address them. Contrary to the solicitous advice of friends the
Governor appeared on the State House steps. An intense — yea, ominous —
silence had settled upon the crowd. The Go\'ernor deli\'ered a masterly
speech that not only allayed fear and apprehension but broke the backbone
of the strike. He spoke without preparation but with profound thoughtful-
ness, just as the seriousness of the situation prompted. In substance, Gov-
ernor Ralston spoke thus :
"I appreciate more than I have the ability to express your kind invita-
tion to have a word with you this afternoon on this serious occasion. I
said to the committee that called upon me this morning representing labor,
that I knew, from personal experience while making my living as a laborer,
what it was to be hungry and that having had that experience, my sympathy
went out to you. In making this reference to my experience, I am not beg-
ging the question. I did not beg when I was hungry and by the Eternal I
shall not beg now.
"A few days ago. on the Court House grounds in this city, there assembled
a large outdoor meeting of laboring people. This meeting was addressed
by lawyers and ministers of this city; and I cannot express my appreciation
of the resolutions passed by the laboring men there assembled to the effect
.that the law must be enforced and that peace must be maintained. In the
course 1 am pursuing I am supporting those resolutions, and it is a source of
great comfort and encouragement to me as your Governor when you say to
me by those resolutions that you propose to help me preserve life and property
in Indianapolis.
"I would have different conditions here if it were possible for me to do
so. I have not brought about present conditions, as you know, but I shall
endeavor to avoid a repetition of them. If my life is spared, I shall take a
stand at the next session of the legislature for an arbitration law that tmll
580 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
arbitrate. The orderly course of society must not be interfered with by
industrial controversies.
"But I am now confronted with conditions requiring immediate action.
On the 13th day of last January, and it may pro\e an unfortunate day for me,
I took a solemn oath to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, and
that oath I propose to respect. You would not have me do otherwise.
Withiiv. .he last five days, lives have been sacrificed and property destroyed in
our streets and it is not for me to debate who is at fault. I know that life
and property are not secure here and that I must do what I can to make them
secure everywhere in our State. The sacrifice of lives and property must
cease and whatever course is taken will be to that end, and I appeal to you to
uphold me — to uphold me in the enforcement of the law and the preservation
of order."
The men went away assured in their own hearts that they had a friend
in the Governor's chair ; that he knew their burdens and was willing to share
them with them. Capital knew that he was a man who could not be stam-
peded by the shouts and demands of a mob. With eighteen hundred guards-
men, at his command and with the exercise of keen personal judgment and
rare courage. Governor Ralston was able to control the situation. He re-
fused to put the troops into the streets to force the immediate operation of
cars, but demanded that the street-car company through him treat with the
strikers. His firmness won the day. His service as arbitrator was effective
and the city of Indianapolis returned to normal life.
Governor Ralston has an abiding faith in the destiny of our nation and
in its ability to overcome all difficulties to which it may be subjected. In
his address at Notre Dame University, May 30, 1914, he said:
"In searching for a standard by which to square our own lives, we should
not forget that some things have been accomplished and said in this country
that are beyond the power of man to improve upon. The establishment of
republican government — of liberty regulated by law — by our revolutionary
fathers and the result of the war between the States will ever be, I verily be-
lieve, the crest of civilization. There is nothing beyond these of worldly
achievement. When the Fathers brought forth this nation, they did it in
support of the affirmation that all men are created equal. Not equal of
course as determined by the tape line. Not equal in gray matter. But equal
in their right to feed themselves upon the bread earned with their own hands;
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 581
equal in their right to a fair opportunity to get on in the world unimpeded
by the greed of man through the perversion of the functions of government —
equal before the law. And it must be in harmony with this conception of
what is right between man and man that this government will overcome its
difficulties in the future, both internal and external."
Thus is presented a fair view of him who by the potent voice of the
people has been assigned to the chief magistracy of the State of Indiana.
Strong, efficient, and faithful, he guides with a master hand the affairs of
the State that has always been ready to do its share of the nation's work.
As the chief executive of the commonwealth he has risen to social eminence
without forgetting for a moment the humble home from which he came.
Neither power nor position has marred his innate good will towards all man-
kind. When future generations, through the perspective of time, shall look
back on the record of Samuel Moffett Ralston and weigh his work with the
standard of changed conditions, they will with one accord pay sweetest rev-
erence to him who loved his fellow-men.
ELZA O. ROGERS.
There is no member of the Boone county bar who occupies a higher
position in the estimation of the people than does Elza O. Rogers, who,
after four years of commendable work as mayor of the city of Lebanon,
is now retiring from that office with the lasting gratitude of the people.
During his many years of practice he has built up a very large clientele and
he occupies an envied position before the public in that he is regarded as an
exceedingly safe counsellor in all matters pertaining to legal questions. It
speaks well for any man who may have the confidence of the people to such
an extent that he is regarded as especially adapted to the settlement of estates
and matters of equity. Mr. Rogers holds this position. His services are
likewise in large demand where the drawing of intricate papers is involved;
in fact, as a lawyer, he is easily the peer of any of his professional brethren
throughout this section of the Hoosier commonwealth, and the honorable dis-
tinction already achieved at the bar is an earnest of the still wider sphere of
(38)
582 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
usefulness that he is destined to fill, and the higher honors to be achieved in
years to come, as he is only in the prime of manhood and a close observer
of the trend of the times and an intelligent student of the great questions and
issues upon which the thought of the best minds of the world are centered.
Mr. Rogers was born in Clinton township, Boone county, Indiana, Febru-
ary 16, 1877. He is a son of James R. and Mary I. (Waddel) Rogers. The
father was born in Hancock county, Indiana, but removed to Boone county
when young and established his future home, becoming a successful farmer
and highly respected citizen, and here he is still engaged in general agricul-
tural pursuits. The mother of our subject was born in Boone county and
here grew to womanhood and was educated in the common schools. She is
a representative of one of our pioneer families.
Elza O. Rogers was reared on the home farm and there assisted with
the general work when a boy, and he received his primary education in the
rural schools of his native township, later studied at the Marion Normal
school, at Marion, Indiana. He began life for himself as a teacher, which
profession he followed with much success for a period of eight years, all in
Clinton township but two terms in Center township. He was popular with
both pupils and patrons and his services were in great demand and he gave
every promise of becoming one of the county's leading educators; but be-
lieving that his true bent was in another direction, he took up the study of
law while still engaged in teaching, pursuing Blackstone and Kent under the
direction of Judge S. R. Artman, and later attended the law department of
the Marion Normal in 1901. In February, 1902, he began practicing his
profession in Lebanon in partnership with W. H. Parr, now Judge Parr,
their business association continuing with mutual benefit until Mr. Parr was
elected judge in 1908, whereupon Mr. Rogers formed a partnership with
ex-Judge B. S. Higgins, which has continued to the present time with ever-
increasing success, until this is now one of the busiest and best known legal
firms in this section of the state. Mr. Rogers practices in all the state and
federal courts, where he is known as a painstaking, persistent, scholarly and
courteous advocate and a forceful and eloquent pleader.
Politically, Mr. Rogers is a Republican and is one of the party leaders
in Boone county, having long made his influence felt for the good of the
same. He has for many years been, most of the time, a member of the Re-
publican County Executive Committee, and has been a frequent delegate to
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 583
state and district conventions. In the fall of 1904 he was elected city at-
torney of Lebanon, serving six years, or until January i, 1910. In the fall
of 1909 he was elected mayor of the city of Lebanon and took office January
I, 1910, serving four years, or until January 5, 1914. Thus for a continuous
period of ten years he has been one of the leading local public officials, and
all will acquiesce in the statement that during that decade he has done a
great deal that will be of permanent benefit to the county-seat and com-
munity, having discharged his duties in a manner that reflected much credit
upon himself and to the satisfaction of all classes, never failing in his efforts
to upbuild the city and enforce law and bring about a high state of moral
and wholesome citizenship. He is a member of the county and state bar
associations, and fraternally, he belongs to the Masonic Order, the Benevo-
lent and Protective Order of Elks and the Improved Order of Red Men.
He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church.
Mr. Rogers was married February 10, 1909, to Gertrude Avery, a lady
of many commendable attributes, a daughter of M. D. and Emma (Pollard)
Avery, both parents now deceased. Mr. Avery was a noted educator in
northern Indiana, and for some time was superintendent of schools at
Zionsville, and later professor of English in the State Normal School of
Minnesota. Late in life he retired from this vocation and turned his at-
tention to fruit farming in Minnesota. His death occurred in 1907. His
wife died at the birth of their daughter, Gertrude. One child was born to
Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, which died in infancy, unnamed.
Personally, Mr. Rogers is a gentleman of exemplary habits, genial, a
good mixer, broad-minded, plain and unassuming.
GEORGE E. ADAMS.
One of the men who has stamped the impress of his strong individuality
upon the minds of the people of the locality of which this volume treats in a
manner as to render him one of the conspictious characters of the community
is George E. Adams, who has had a somewhat varied career, engaging in
different lines of business with equal success, and he is now the efficient and
popular cashier of the Boone County State Bank at Lebanon. Faithfulness
584 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
to duty and a strict adherence to a fixed purpose, which always do more to
advance one's interests than wealth or advantageous circumstances, have
been dominating factors in his life, which has been replete with honor and
success worthily attained. He is a scion of one of the sterling pioneer famil-
ies of this county, and many of the strong characteristics of his progenitors
seem to have cropped out in him, and he has been most vigilant in keeping
unsullied the reputation of Adamses who have ever been noted for their un-
swerving honesty, their hospitality and their readiness to assist in the up-
building of their community in any way.
Mr. Adams was born on a farm in Center township, Boone county, June
15, 1868. He is a son of Andrew J. and Julia A. (Kiser) Adams, both par-
ents natives of Shelby county, Kentucky, where they grew to maturity, were
educated in the old-time rural schools and were married and there resided
until in 1855, when they removed to Johnson county, Indiana, remaining
there until in 1866, when they came to Boone county and established the
future home of the family on a farm in Center township, owning a good
farm and becoming highly esteemed citizens. The father died December 26,
1913, and the mother was called to her eternal rest on April 27, 1893.
George E. Adams was reared on the home farm, where he worked when
a boy, and he received his early education in the district schools, after which
he began farming for himself, which line of work he continued with very
gratifying results until 1906, when he purchased the tile factory and saw-
mill at Max, this county, and operated them successfully until at the Novem-
ber election of that year, when he was elected clerk of the county court, the
duties of which he assumed on January i. 1907, serving one term of four
years in a manner that won the hearty commendation of all concerned, his
term of office expiring January i, 191 1. He was one of the organizers of
the Boone County State Bank in 191 1 and on February i, 1913, he took a
position with the Boone County State Bank at Lebanon as cashier, which he
continues to fill in a manner that reflects much credit upon his ability, hon-
esty and industry, giving satisfaction to both the stockholders and patrons of
this sound and popular institution, in this, as in other positions, measuring
up to the full requirements in every respect. He is one of our must capable
business men.
Politically, Mr. Adams is a Democrat and is loyal in his support of the
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 585
party's principles. Fraternally, he is a member of the Masonic Order, the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America.
Mr. Adams was married December 9, 1903, to Cora M. Richardson, a
daughter of Jonathan and Sarah E. (Baker) Richardson, a highly respected
Boone county family. Here Mrs. Adams grew to womanhood and received
a good education.
One child has been born to our subject and wife, which died in infancy,
unnamed.
ROY W. ADNEY.
The men most influential in promoting the advancement of society and
in giving character to the times in which they live are two classes — the men
of study and the men of action. Whether we are more indebted for the im-
provement of the age to the one class or the other is a question of honest
difference of opinion; neither can be spared and both should be encouraged
to occupy their several spheres of labor and influence zealously and without
mutual distrust. In the following paragraphs are briefly outlined the lead-
ing facts and characteristics in the career of a gentleman who combines in
his makeup the elements of the scholar and the energy of the public-spirited
man of affairs. Devoting his energies to the law, Roy W. Adney, the effi-
cient and popular county attorney of Boone county, has made his influence
felt in a most potent manner in the locality of which this history treats, occu-
pying as he does a prominent place in his profession and standing high in the
esteem of all classes. All who come within range of his influence are profuse
in their praise of his admirable qualities, and the high regard in which he is
held, not only professionally but socially, indicates the possession of attributes
and characteristics that fully entitle him to the respect and consideration of
his fellowmen.
Mr. Adney was born October 29, 1879, in Lebanon, Indiana, and he is
a son of Isaac S. and Eva L. (Brown) Adney. The father was a native of
Lebanon, and the mother came from near Knoxville, Tennessee. The Adneys
came from Maryland to Indiana, first settling near Liberty, later removing
to Boone county. Isaac S. Adney was in his earlier life a farmer, but for
many years he has been engaged successfully in the milling business, main-
586 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
taining both a sawmill and grain mill, and although he is now past seventy
years of age is still active, hale and hearty. Politically, he is a Democrat
and he served one term as county commissioner. The mother of our subject
also survives.
Roy W. Adney's parents removed with him when he was a year old to a
farm near Lebanon and there he lived until he was thirteen years old, in the
meantime attending the district schools, and after moving back to Lebanon
he studied in the city schools and was graduated from the high school in
1899. He then took a course in Butler College, Irvington, a suburb of In-
dianapolis, remaining there three years, then entered the Indiana Law School,
where he made an excellent record and from which he was graduated in
1904. He was a member of the Delta Tau Delta Society, and while in Butler
College was business manager of The Butler Collegian, the college paper.
He was valedictorian of his class in the law school. Soon after his gradua-
tion he formed a partnership for the practice of his profession with ex- Judge
T. J. Terhune, of Lebanon, which continued with ever-increasing success
until January, 191 1, when Mr. Adney formed a partnership with John W.
Hornaday. This firm was dissolved January i, 19 14. Mr. Adney practices
in all the state and federal courts and has long enjoyed a large and lucrative
business. He believes in going into court thoroughly prepared, in devoting
his attention to the interests of his clients in an earnest and conscientious
manner and in keeping well abreast of the times in all that pertains to his
profession. As a speaker he is logical, convincing and often truly eloquent.
Mr. Adney is a member of the State Bar Association. Politically, he is
a Democrat and has been active in political and public matters for a number
of years. In 1909 Governor Thomas R. Marshall appointed him prosecuting
attorney of Boone county to fill a vacancy-, resulting from the death of Fred
Groves and he served two years in a highly acceptable manner. In January,
1909, he was appointed county attorney, which office he still holds, discharg-
ing its duties in a manner that reflects much credit upon himself and to the
satisfaction of all concerned. Fraternally, he is a member of the Bene\olent
and Protective Order of Elks.
Mr. Adney was married June 19, 1907, to Verna Richey, a daughter of
S. H. and Louise (Meade) Richey, of Uniontown, Pennsylvania. To our
subject and wife three children have been born, Louise, whose birth occurred
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 587
April 2, 1909; Richard, born March 29, 191 1 ; and Virginia, bom July 20,
1912.
Mr. Adney is a member of the Christian church and his wife holds
membership with the Episcopalians. They are both prominent in the best
social circles of Lebanon and are admired by their many friends for their cul-
ture, obliging and unselfish natures. Their cozy home is at 825 North West
street, and Mr. Adney's office is in the Farmers Bank building.
T. H. HINSHAW.
There is a great deal in being born under a good eye, one that watches
and guards off the error and folly that overtake so many young men. The
parents that are able to infuse into their children the spirit of the Spartans —
the spirit that can meet any fate and make the most of the world — will see
their children grow to years of maturity with excellent habits and splendid
principles and see them become exemplary citizens. T. H. Hinshaw, an
enterprising young liveryman of Zionsville, Boone county, was fortunate in
having intelligent, kind and enterprising parents, who took much pains in his
rearing. He was taught from the start the duties of life, not ordinary in-
struction, but the higher duties which all owe to each other and to society.
The result has been to give him broad ideas of life and its responsibilities and
to fit him for honorable citizenship.
Mr. Hinshaw was born on the home farm near Carmel, Indiana, January
10, 1883, and is a son of Frank and Anna (Henley) Hinshaw, who live on a
farm east of Zionsville, where they are well-known and regarded by all as
good citizens. They have seven children, five sons and two daughters. Our
subject was reared on the home farm where he did his full share of the work
when growing to manhood, and he received his education in the common
schools of his neighborhood. When twenty-two years old he married Ida
Ortwein, who was born in Boone county, where she was reared and educated.
To this union three children have been born, Mildred, Carleton and Anna.
Mr. Hinshaw came to Zionsville some time ago and is now proprietor of
a large livery, sale and feed barn, doing an extensive business which is con-
stantly growing. He is well-equipped with good horses and buggies and
5o6 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
always carries a good line of feed of all kinds, and his is one of the most
popular establishments of its kind in the county, partly because of his energy
and foresight and partly because of his honesty and courtesy in dealing with
the public. This has long been a livery and is well-known and popular with
the traveling public. Our subject has remodeled his barn and made numer-
ous improvements of late and everything is kept in proper place and in good
shape. He has new rigs and a standard make automobile. His barn is one
hundred by seventy-five feet, giving abundance of room for the accommoda-
tion of eighty horses at one time. His barn is centrally located, near the
depot.
Politically, Mr. Hinshaw is a Progressive. Fraternally, he belongs to
the Ivnights of Pythias, and he and his wife are members of the Christian
church.
JUDGE WILLETT H. PARR.
Standing out distinctly as one of the central figures of the judiciary of
the section of Indiana of which this history treats is the name of Judge
Willett H. Parr, of Lebanon. Prominent in legal circles and equally so in
public matters beyond the confines of his own jurisdiction, with a reputation
in one of the most exacting of professions that has won him a name for dis-
tinguished service second to that of none of his contemporaries, there is
today no more prominent or honored man in Boone county of which he is a
native and which he has always dignified with his citizenship. Achieving
success in the courts at an age when most young men are just entering upon
the formative period of their lives, wearing the judicial ermine with becom-
ing dignity and bringing to every case submitted to him a clearness of per-
ception and ready power of analysis characteristic of the learned jurist, his
name and work for years have been allied with the legal institutions, public
enterprises and political interests of northern Indiana in such a way as to
earn him recognition as one of the leading citizens in a community noted for
the high order of its talent. A high purpose and an unconquerable will,
vigorous mental powers and devotion to duty are some of the means by
which he has made himself eminently useful, and every ambitious youth who
fights the battle of life with the prospect of ultimate success may peruse with
HON. W. H. PARR
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. SQI
profit the biography herewith presented. For the judge has not only won
success in a chosen field of endeavor, but is popular, possessing to a marked
degree the characteristics that win and retain warm friendships. By his
kindness and courtesy he has won an abiding place in the esteem of his fellow
citizens and by his intelligence, energy and enterprising spirit has made his
influence felt among his acquaintances and associates, and as a result occu-
pies no small place in the favor of the public.
Judge Parr was born December 24, 1878 on a farm in Center township,
Boone county, four miles southwest of Lebanon. He is a son of Jesse A.
and Anna M. (Maggard) Parr, both natives of Johnson county, Indiana,
but they both came to Boone county when young and were married here.
The father was a minister in the Christian church, but in later years he
studied medicine and is now a practicing physician in Indianapolis. His
wife died when the future Judge was only three months of age, in the spring
of 1879, so the lad was reared on the farm of his grandfather, by his
grandfather and grandmother, remaining there until he was fifteen years old.
His grandmother died when he was ten years of age and his grandfather
when he was eighteen years of age. He then became a member of the house-
hold of his uncle, Asa A. Maggard, whom he assisted in the general work on
his farm meantime attending the district schools. During this period he
worked in a sawmill one summer, when he was fourteen years of age, walk-
ing two and one-half miles in the morning and back home in the evening.
After graduating from the country schools in 1895 he entered the summer
term in the Lebanon Normal, and in the fall of 1896, when seventeen years
old, he began teaching school, which vocation he followed five years, giving
satisfaction to all concerned. In the summer of 1897 he attended the State
Normal at Terre Haute and in the summer of 1898 studied at the Marion
Normal, thereby completing his literary education as far as schools were con-
cerned, but ambitious and industrious he remained a close student and be-
came a highly educated man. In the summer of 1898 he became a law
student in the office of A. J. Shelby of Lebanon and, making rapid progress,
was admitted to the bar of Boone county in April, 1900, and was subsequently
admitted to practice in all the state courts and the federal court. He opened
an office and began practicing in Lebanon, April 10, 1901, in partnership
with Alva D. Swope, under the firm name of Swope & Parr, which continued
only a few months, however, our subject then forming a partnership with
592
BOONE COUNTY,
E. O. Rogers, now mayor of Lebanon. This partnership continued from
February i, 1902 until Mr. Parr was elected Judge of the Circuit Court in
November, 1908, for a term of six years, which expired November 10, 1914,
when he was elected to succeed himself for another term. As an attorney
he had been successful from the first and built up an extensive and lucrative
practice, taking a position in the front ranks of the local attorneys. He is
a member of the Indiana State Bar Association.
Politically, Judge Parr is an uncompromising Democrat and has been
active and influential in local political affairs since attaining his majority.
In 1902 he was a candidate for the nomination of prosecuting attorney, and
after making a splendid race was defeated by but two votes in the conven-
tion. In 1904 he was nominated by acclamation for representative to the
legislature and while he led his ticket in Boone county, was defeated. He
has always been active in party organization, and has been a frequent dele-
gate to district and state conventions. He received the nomination for Cir-
cuit Judge in 1908 by acclamation and led his ticket in the following election,
his majority being three hundred and sixty-five, and he assumed the duties of
office November 10, 1908. As judge, Mr. Parr more than met the expecta-
tions of his friends and the public, and has so discharged his duties of office
as to receive the hearty approval and warm commendation of the bar, with-
out regard to party. He brought to the bench a dignity becoming the high
position, and in the line of duty, is industrious, careful and singularly pains-
taking, which, combined with his sterling honesty and fearlessness of pur-
pose, makes him one of the most popular and efficient men ever called to
preside over the courts of this circuit. It is but just to say and greatly to his
credit that no political prejudice, bias or zeal, was ever allowed to deflect
his mind from its honest convictions, and while discharging his official func-
tions, personal ties and friendships, as well as his own interests and opinions
were lost sight of in his conscientious efforts to render equal and enact justice
to those whose affairs were adjudicated in his court. His opinions and
decisions attest his eminent fitness for judicial positions, being always lucid,
unstrained and vigorous, his statements full and comprehensive, and his
analysis and interpretations of the law conspicuous and complete.
Fraternally, Judge Parr is a member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows and the Encampment, in fact, embracing all branches of Odd Fellow-
ship. He and his family are members of the Methodist church.
BOONE COUNTY. INDIANA. 593
The domestic life of Judge Parr began July i6, 1899, when he led to the
hymeneal altar a lady of culture and refinement, known in her maidenhood
as Carrie B. Billingsly, a daughter of Robert D. and Mary J. (Brenninger)
Billingsly, a prominent Boone county family, a complete sketch appearing
elsewhere in this work. Mr. Billingsly, who is still living, having been one
of our pioneers. His wife departed this life in 1896. Mrs. Parr grew to
womanhood in Boone county and received a good education in the local
schools. The union of the Judge and wife has been blessed by the birth of
three children, living, and two died in infancy, Virlie O. and the other
unnamed: the surviving are, Willett H., Jr., born March 18, 1903; Anna
Belle, born August i, 1908; and Ana A., born November 2, 1910.
The Judge is a man of high Christian character and he is active in
church and Sunday school work, a member of the official board and a teacher
of the men's Bible class.
1408948
JAMES R. BALL, M. D.
Few residents of Lebanon and Boone county have occupied as large a
place in the public eye as Dr. James R. Ball and no one has more worthily
discharged his manifold duties or shown himself more worthy of the high
esteem in which he is held. His life has been filled with activity and useful-
ness while his untiring energy and eminent ability have gained for him a
conspicuous and honorable place among the distinguished medical men of
his day and generation in this section of Indiana, which is noted for the high
order of its professional talent. In every sphere of endeavor in which he
has taken a part, socially, politically or professionally, his unpretending bear-
ing and strict integrity have elevated him in the confidence of his fellow-
citizens, and his influence, always potent and salutary, is destined to con-
tinue a marked factor for substantial good, long after he ceases from his
labors and retires from the busy scenes in which he has so long been a
prominent and effective actor.
Doctor Ball was born in Clinton county. Indiana, June 21, 1868. He is a
son of James E. and Jane Ann (Irwin) Ball, the former also a native of
Clinton county. The Ball family removed from the state of Pennsylvania
594 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
in pioneer days to Dearborn county, Indiana, and later came on to Clinton
county, in wliich the Irwins were also early settlers. Scott Irwin, maternal
grandfather of our subject, with several brothers, settled on the "twelve
mile prairie" when this country was wild and very little improved, and there
the grandfather developed a good farm and became a prominent citizen.
James E. Ball devoted the earlier years of his life to farming, later engaging
in business in Frankfort from 1881 until his death in 1905, during which
period of nearly a quarter of a century, he was one of the leading citizens of
that city. His widow still lives in Frankfort.
Doctor Ball spent his early boyhood on the farm, being thirteen years
of age when, in 1881. the family moved to Frankfort, where he attended the
public schools, having previously been a pupil in the district schools. He was
graduated from the Frankfort high school in 1886. During his vacation
periods he studied pharmacy and began clerking in a drug store. In the
autumn of 1888 he entered the Indiana Medical College at Indianapolis, from
which he was graduated in 1891, and in May of that year he began prac-
ticing his profession at Clarkshill, Tippecanoe county, where he remained
until January, 1892, when he came to Lebanon and has been here ever since,
having meantime built up a large and lucrative practice which extends all
over Boone county and has from the first ranked with the leaders of his pro-
fessional brethren. He has remained a close student, keeping fully abreast
of the times in all that pertains to his profession. He took a post-graduate
course in 1898 in the Chicago Polyclinic Institute. He is not only a general
practitioner but a surgeon of more than ordinary ability. He is surgeon for
the Terre Haute, Indianapolis & Eastern Traction Company. He is a mem-
ber of the Boone County Medical Society, the Indiana State Medical Society
and the American Medical Association. Fraternally, he belongs to the
Masons and the Knights of Pythias. Politically, he is a Republican, but has
never been very active in public matters, although deeply interested in what-
ever tends to the general good of Boone county. He and his family are mem-
bers of the Methodist Episcopal church, and he has been superintendent of
the Sunday school of the local congregation for the past sixteen years, a work
in which he takes a great deal of interest. He is a member of the official
board of the church and has long been active in church affairs, as is also
Mrs. Ball.
Doctor Ball was married September 3, 1891. to Eflfie D. Fisher, a daugh-
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 595
ter of Samuel P. and Mary E. (Smith) Fisher. The father is now retired,
lives in Frankfort, Indiana, where he was formerly a leading business man,
and for several years he served as clerk of Clinton county. His wife is de-
ceased. Mrs. Ball grew to womanhood in Frankfort and received a good
education in the local schools. She is a lady of refinement and is active in
the work of the Domestic Science Club, composed of the leading ladies of
Lebanon.
The union of the Doctor and wife has been blessed by the birth of two
sons, Clarence R., born July 28, 1893; ^"d Robert S., born July 22, 1899.
The elder son is now a student in DePauw University, and the younger son
is attending the Lebanon high school, each making excellent records.
Doctor Ball has been very successful in a material way and is one of the
substantial men of Lebanon. Some time ago he erected the modern and at-
tractive building bearing his name, which stands at the corner of Meridian
and South streets, Lebanon, one of the most convenient and best business
blocks in the city, and is also a popular office building, equipped throughout
in a thoroughly up-to-date manner. His commodious home is at 424 North
Meridian street, and, the family being prominent in the social life of the
community, here their many friends frequently gather, always finding a spirit
of genuine hospitality and good cheer prevailing.
AARON J. SMITH.
If there is one thing which distinguishes the American business man
from those of any other country it is the faculty with which any and all
occupations are readily taken up by him and made successful. In the older
countries it has long been customary for the son to follow the father's pur-
suits. "Follow your father, my son, and do as your father has done," was a
maxim which all sons were expected to adopt. It is in such countries as the
United States that full swing can be given to the energies of the individual.
A man may choose any business or profession he desires, and he is limited
only by competition. He must meet the skill of others and give as good ser-
vice as they or he will not get the positions or business. Such adaptation
to any work or business is well shown in the career of Aaron J. Smith, a
596 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
widely known and successful merchant of Lebanon. He has turned his hand
to many things and proved that farming was not the only occupation which
he could make successful. He is one of our most substantial and repre-
sentative native-born citizens, being the scion of a sterling pioneer family
of Boone county, members of which have figured more or less conspicuously
in the affairs of the same for three quarters of a century, and he has been
careful to keep untarnished the bright escutcheon of the honored family
name.
Mr. Smith was born on a farm in Perry township, Boone county, iXlarcn
8, 1856. He is a son of Eli and Patsey A. (Kemper) Smith. The father
was born in Kentucky in 1828, and was a son of Aaron J- and Fannie F.
Smith. The paternal grandfather of our subject was born about 1800 in
Kentucky where he spent his earlier years, migrating to Indiana in the early
thirties, and entered one hundred and sixty acres of land from the govern-
ment in Boone county, which he cleared and developed by hard work and
perseverance. He was thus one of the pioneers in this locality, and he endured
the usual hardships and privations incident to life in a new country. Here
he prospered, becoming a leading farmer, and his death occurred on his place
here in 1878. Politically, he was a Democrat, and in religious matters was
a member of the Baptist church. His wife was also born in Kentucky in the
year 1800. Her maiden name was Thomas. She died in Boone county in
1889 at the advanced age of eighty-nine years. Eli Smith was reared on
the old homestead and he received such educational advantages as the early-
day schools afforded. He devoted his life successfully to general farming
and stock raising, with the exception of two years when he served as county
treasurer, from 1882 to 1884. His record is as an open book, for he was
always known to be scrupulously honest, straightforward and unselfish in his
every-day life, was public-spirited, obliging and hospitable, and was well-
known throughout the county and admired by all classes. Politically, he was
a Democrat, and in religious matters a Baptist. His death occurred in June,
1894. His wife, Patsey Kemper, was born in Kentucky, in 1825, and was
a daughter of Joel and Elizabeth Kemper, natives of Kentucky, from which
state they came to Indiana in 1830 and located near Indianapolis, later re-
moving to Boone county, and here spent the rest of their lives on a farm.
The death of Mrs. Eli Smith occurred in 1905. Like her husband she was
greatly beloved by a wide circle of friends.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
597
Aaron J. Smith, of this sketch, was reared on the home farm where
he did his full share of the work when a boy, and he received his early edu-
cation in the common schools, which has later in life been greatly supple-
mented by actual contact with the business world and by extensive home
reading. He worked on the farm until he was sixteen years of age, then
learned the trade of tile and brick moulder and burner, at which he worked
until he was twenty-one years of age, becoming an expert and his services
were in great demand. Turning his attention to the mercantile world in
1876 he launched out in the drug business at Fayette, Indiana, and in 1877
began selling clothing and dry goods and was successful from the first as a
merchant. He was elected trustee of Perry township, Boone county in 1882
and served four years in a manner that reflected credit upon himself and to
the satisfaction of all concerned, having been re-elected. In 1886 he came
to Lebanon and clerked three years, then went back to Fayette where he
engaged in business three years. On June i, 1891, he opened his present
commodious and well kept clothing store in Lebanon, which is complete in
every detail, managed under a superb system and where a large and care-
fully selected stock is always carried. Through honesty and fair and court-
eous dealings he has built up his business to its present large proportions.
He draws a large number of customers from all over the county, his store
being a favorite gathering-place for farming folk when in the county-seat.
He has been very successful in a business way and is rated as one of the
county's most substantial and progressive men.
Mr. Smith was married to Emma Frazee, who was born August 30,
1857, in Boone county and here she was reared and educated. She is a
daughter of Aaron and Amanda Frazee. Six children have been born to our
subject and wife, namely: Charles, born January 18, 1881, is now in busi-
ness at Altos, Oklahoma; Alpha A., born January 14, 1885, died January 19,
1886; Carl, born December 14, 1887, is in business with his father; Basil,
bom November 9, 1898 is attending school; Guy, born September i, 1894, is
at home; David, born September 14, 1891, is engaged in the tailoring busi-
ness in Lebanon.
Politically, Mr. Smith is a Democrat and has long been deeply interested
and more or less active in public affairs. He is a member of the Baptist church,
and fraternally belongs to the Masonic Order, in which he has attained the
thirty-second degree, and is a Knight Templar ; he also belongs to the Knights
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
of Pythias, the Improved Order of Red Men, and the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows. He has long been prominent in fraternal circles, and his daily
life among his fellowmen would indicate that he attempts to carry the sublime
precepts of these orders into his every relation of life.
JAMES SNODGRASS.
The student interested in the history of Boone county does not have to
carry his investigations far into its annals before learning that James Snod-
grass has long been an active and leading representative and that his labors
have proven a potent force in making this a rich farming region. Through
several decades he has carried on diversified farming and stock raising,
gradually improving his land, and while he has prospered in this he has also
found ample opportunity to assist in the material development of the county,
and his co-operation has been of value for the general good. He is one of the
honored veterans of the Union army who, when the tocsin of war sounded
in the nation's greatest crisis, uncomplainingly went forth to defend with his
life, if need be, the honor of the old flag. His career in evers- respect has
been one of commendation and is well worth study and emulation.
Mr. Snodgrass was born January 24, 1835 in Hancock county, Indiana.
He is a son of Robert and Rebecca (Gregg) Snodgrass, natives of Ken-
tucky. The grandparents, John Snodgrass and wife, were natives of Vir-
ginia, from which state they removed to Hancock county, Indiana, as early
as 1812, four years before the state was admitted into the Union and when it
was still principally the home of red men. Here the elder Snodgrass entered
land from the government on which he established the future home of the
family. He was a man of courage and thrift and succeeded in the face of
the great obstacles encountered by every frontiersman. John and Fannie
(Spillman) Gregg, natives of Culpeper county, Virginia, came to Rush
county, Indiana about 18 14, and were thus also among the early pioneers
of this state. Mr. Gregg was a soldier in the war of 1812. He finally re-
moved to Hancock county, this state where he settled in woods and de-
veloped a farm. Here the parents of our subject were married and began
life on a farm, but Robert Snodgrass was also a flour miller, and he traded
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 60I
extensively in land, which he bought and sold. He and his wife spent the
latter parts of their lives in Clinton county. The father died August 5, 1876;
the mother died in November, 1879.
James Snodgrass, of this sketch, grew to manhood on the home farm,
and he attended the subscription schools in Boone county, later in Mechanics-
burg. He learned to read at Thorntown and after he reached man's estate
he attended writing school and learned to write.
He remained with his parents until the breaking out of the Civil war,
enlisting on August 22, 1861, in Company K, Tenth Indiana Volunteer
Infantry, and he served under General George H. Thomas in the army of
the Cumberland, in Kentucky, later in the Mississippi army. He saw much
hard service and proved to be an excellent soldier. Among the engagements
in which he participated were those of Mill Springs, Perryville, siege of
Corinth, Crab Orchard, Louisville, on the pursuit of Bragg, Tullahoma,
Pigeon Mountain, Chickamauga, Tunnel Hill, Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain.
At the battle of Chickamauga he was wounded below the right knee by a
rifle ball on September 19, 1863, which resulted in his spending two months
in a hospital in Nashville. Besides the above battles, he was in many skirm-
ishes while with the army in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Georgia.
After his recovery from the wound he rejoined his regiment with which he
remained until he was honorably discharged September 19, 1864, after which
he returned home, his parents then living in Clinton county. Soon thereafter
he began farming for himself on eighty acres which he had bought before
going to war. He prospered by close application and hard work and added
to his original holdings until he became owner of a valuable farm of two
hundred and thirty- four acres which he sold in 1903 and bought two hun-
dred and sixty acres of improved land in Marion township, later adding fifty
acres, then purchased another tract of forty acres in Adams township, Ham-
ilton county. He has improved from time to time his land which he has
for some time kept rented, but which he oversees. He has always kept a
good grade of live stock, and he has a splendid home, and now in his de-
clining years he is taking life easy, having every necessary comfort.
Mr. Snodgrass was married April 27, 1865, to Clarissa McCain, who
was born in Frankfort, Indiana, January 8, 1841. She is a daughter of
John and Elizabeth (Young) McCain, natives of Ohio, from which state
(39)
602 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
they came to Frankfort, Indiana, in a very early day, making the trip over-
land and he conducted the first general merchandise store in Frankfort at that
time.
The following children have been born to our subject and wife : William,
born April 28, 1866, who lives with our subject, operates the home farm, and
he formerly taught school twenty years; Ida May, born April 24, 1868, is the
wife of Thomas Sims, of Indianapolis, and they have three boys — J. Verne,
Max and James T. ; Mary J., born July 16, 1870, is the widow of Elijah M.
Walker, and she lives in Marion township and has five children — Ruth A.,
born August 18. 1896. Rena E.. born August 4, 1899. Clara C, born August
25, 1902, Jas. W. born May i, 1904, Ida Beatrice, born February 8, 1906;
Frederick, born March 21, 1873, died when three years old; John IMcCain,
born Julv 2, 1876, died in infancy; Fannie, born November 4. 1880, is the
wife of Anderson Jones, of Delaware county. Indiana. They have two chil-
dren — Dorothy May, born April 21, 1907, Alma L.. born February 7. 19 10.
Politically Mr. Snodgrass is a Democrat. He is a member of the
William Smith Post, Grand Army of the Republic, at Sheridan, Indiana.
Religiously he is a member of the Christian church, in which he served two
years as elder, and is an active member of the same, as also is his family.
HENRY N. COONS, M. D.
It is not always easy to discover and define the hidden forces that move
a life of ceaseless activity and large professional success; little more can be
done to note their manifestation in the career of the individual under con-
sideration. In view of this fact the life of the distinguished physician and
public-spirited man of afifairs whose name appears at the head of this article
affords a striking example of well-defined purpose with the ability to make
that purpose subserve not only his own ends but the good of his fellowmen as
well. Doctor Coons has long held distinctive prestige in a calling which re-
quires for its base, sound mentality and intellectual discipline of a high order,
supplemented by rigid professional training and thorough mastery of techni-
cle knowledge with the skill to apply the same, without which one cannot
hope to rise above mediocrity in ministering to human ills. In his chosen
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 603
field of endeavor Doctor Coons has achieved success such as few attain, and
his present eminent standing- among the leading medical men of this section
of Indiana is duly recognized and appreciated not only in his own city and
county, but also in adjoining counties.
Doctor Coons, whose name has for a period of thirty years been a house-
hold word to the people of Lebanon and Boone county, was born in Jackson
township and he has been content to spend his life in this community; the
date of his birth is September i8, 1853. He is a son of John and Elizabeth
(Beck) Coons, one of our worthy pioneer families. The father was born in
Bath county, Kentucky, and the mother was a native of Montgomery county,
Indiana, and here she grew to womanhood and received her education in the
old-time rural schools, as did also Mr. Coons in his native community in the
Blue Grass state, where he spent his boyhood, coming to Boone county, In-
diana, in 1848, at the age of twenty-two years, he having been born June 7,
1826. He married soon after coming here and established his home on a
farm in Jackson township, becoming in due course of time one of our best
general farmers and highly respected citizens. Since the autumn of 1892 he
has been living in Lebanon, retired. His wife was called to her eternal rest
February 14, 1912.
Doctor Coons was reared on the home farm and there he worked when
a boy, and attended the rural schools in his vicinity, later studied in the pre-
paratory school of Wabash College for two years, then entered Wabash
College at Crawfordsville, Indiana, from which he was graduated in the
class of 1880. After his graduation he began the study of medicine under
Dr. William Taylor and Dr. J. A. Utter, of Terre Haute, remaining under
their direction for several months, then entered Pulte Medical College at
Cincinnati, Ohio, but completed his medical course at Hahnemann ]\Iedical
College in Chicago in 1883. The same year he opened an office in Lebanon,
which he has maintained continuously until the present time and has en-
joyed an extensive and ever-growing practice, for three decades, ranking
among the foremost general practitioners in this section of the state. He has
remained a close student and has kept fully abreast of the times in medical
research, and has taken several short post-graduate courses in Chicago. He
has also devoted much attention to surgery and has been very successful in
that field. He is a member of the Indiana Institute of Homeopathy and the
American Institute of Homeopathy, also belongs to the Marion County
604 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Homeopathic Society. Fraternally, he is a member of the Knights of Pythias
and the Masonic Order, having attained the thirty-second degree in the
latter. He is also a Shriner and Knight Templar. Politically, the Doctor is
a Prohibitionist, in which he has long been active and foremost in all move-
ments calculated to advance the best interests of all the people. He and his
family are members of the Christian church, in which he is an elder and
active in church and Sunday school work. He is chief medical examiner for
the Lexington Life Insurance Company, also is examiner for various other
companies. His office is in the First National Bank building and his com-
modious home is at 404 East Pearl street.
Doctor Coons was married August 6, 1884, to Jessie Grubb, a daughter
of David and Evelyn (Daniels) Grubb, who lived in Shelby county, Indiana,
now both deceased. To the Doctor and wife three children were born,
namely: Mary, Fern and John, all at home at this writing. The son is a
senior in Wabash College and will study medicine; the eldest daughter is a
graduate of Washington College for Girls; she is an accomplished musician
and a teacher of music ; the second daughter was also graduated from Wash-
ington College, later graduating from the University of Michigan at Ann
Arbor, in the class of 1913, taking a literary course, specializing in French,
German, history and literature, and she intends to teach. These children are
all talented and promising.
RALPH W. IMEL.
The demand for scientific, trained men along agricultural lines shows
no signs of abating. Agricultural colleges are everywhere trying to meet
the demand being made upon them for graduates to manage large ranches,
to serve in various departments of the United States department of agricul-
ture as experimental station workers, and irrigation experts. Many men are
also being employed as county horticultural and farm advisors, and it is be-
lieved that this line of work will grow as fast as trained men are available.
There are also many calls for graduates in forestry by the government and by
lumbermen. Young men of Boone county who are choosing a life work
might do well to consider the opportunities in this line of work which is not
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 605
only pleasant, healthful and useful but remunerative. It is a field that is not
overcrowded, in this respect being at least different from many other pro-
fessions and trades.
Ralph W. Imel, the present able and popular agricultural agent of Boone
county, with office at Lebanon, is one of the young men of Indiana who was
wise in selecting a vocation, and, judging from his pronounced success so far
and the industry and zeal he has displayed the future holds much of promise
for him in this great arena of human endeavor.
Mr. Imel was born July 14, 1885, at Fairland, Shelby county, Indiana.
He is a son of Peter H. and Carrie (Mather) Imel. Peter H. Imel was
bom at Rock Lane, Johnson county, Indiana, January 7. 1839, and is a son
of George Imel, a pioneer of that section of the state, and there our subject's
father grew to manhood, received such educational advantages as the early
day schools afforded and he has devoted his life to farming in Indiana, with
the exception of a short time spent in the state of Illinois. He has been very
successful as a general agriculturist, and, having accumulated a competency,
is now living in retirement at Fairland, although he still oversees the work
on his fine eighty acre farm near that town. Politically, he is independent,
and in religious matters is a Baptist. He and Carrie Mather were married
January i, 1868. She is a native of England, born March 17. 1850, and is
a daughter of John and Anna ( Conon) Mather, who emigrated to the United
States in 1855, when their daughter was five years of age. The family located
in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she grew to womanhood and was educated.
Ralph W. Imel grew to manhood on the home farm near Fairland and
there learned the ins and outs of farming as known in those days, having an
able preceptor in his father. He soon saw that this was his true bent and he
sought to advance himself in the science of tilling the soil and has remained
a close student to the present time. He attended the common schools at Fair-
land and was graduated from the high school there in 1904, then taught
school very acceptably for three years, working on the farm during the sum-
mer months the meantime. In 1907 he entered Franklin College and the fol-
lowing year took up his studies in the agricultural department of Purdue
University, LaFayette, Indiana, where his advancement was rapid and from
which he was graduated in 191 1. He then went to Minnesota and took a
position as superintendent of the North Branch Agricultural High School,
where he remained two years, giving satisfaction to all concerned. In 19 13
6o6 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
he was appointed agricultural agent of Boone county, Indiana, consequently
returned here to begin his new duties, which he is now discharging in a man-
ner that reflects much credit upon his ability, fidelity and industry, and has
done much to encourage better farming in this locality.
Mr. Imel has remained unmarried. He is independent in politics, in
religious matters is a Baptist, and fraternally he belongs to the Masonic
Order and the Knights of Pythias. He is also a member of the Agathon
Fraternity of Purdue University. He is a young man of genial and court-
eous address and has made many friends since locating in Lebanon.
DAVID M. CLARK.
It is a well authenticated fact that success comes not as a caprice of
chance, but as the legitimate result of well-applied energy, unflagging deter-
mination and unswerving perseverance in a course of action once decided
upon by the individual. Only those who diligently seek the goddess Fortuna,
find her — she never was known to smile upon the idler or dreamer. David
M. Clark, the capable and popular county auditor of Boone count)', clearly
understood this fact early in life, so he did not seek any royal road to suc-
cess, but sought to direct his feet along the well-beaten paths of those who
had won in the battle of life along legitimate lines. He had their careers
in mind when casting about for a suitable arena of action, and in tracing his
life history it is plainly seen that the prosperity which Mr. Clark enjoys has
been won by commendable qualities, and it is also his personal worth which
has gained for him the good standing among his fellow citizens in Boone
county, in which he has long been widely known.
Mr. Clark was born March 23, 1867, in Lawrence county, Indiana. He
is a son of Andrew J. and Polly Ann (Kinser) Clark, both parents natives
of Lawrence county also, and there they grew to maturity, were educated in
the old-time rural schools and there married. The Clarks came from Vir-
ginia and settled in Lawrence county in an early day. \\'illiam Clark, great
grandfather of our subject, was one of the first settlers of Indiana and reared
his family in Lawrence county when settlers were few and far between. He
cleared and developed a large farm. His son. James, grandfather of our
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 607
subject, also spent his life farming there. Andrew J- Clark, father of our
subject, also engaged in farming in that locality and there he and his wife
still reside.
David M. Clark grew to manhood on the home farm and worked hard
when a boy in crop seasons, and during the winter months he attended the
district schools, but left school at the end of the eighth year. He has later
become a well-informed man through contact with the business world and
by wide home reading. He remained on the home farm until his marriage,
which occurred May 25, 1890, to Catherine Armbruster, a daughter of
William and Mary Ann (Aishear) Armbruster, a well-established family of
Monroe county, Indiana, where Mrs. Clark grew to womanhood and re-
ceived a good common school education.
To the union of our subject and wife two daughters and one son were
born, Dessie, who married Guy Lewis, a grocer of Jamestown, this county ;
Eiffel is at home; and Herschel L., is at home.
Mr. Clark began life for himself as a farmer in Lawrence county, con-
tinuing with gratifying results from year to year until Thanksgiving day,
1895, when he removed to Jackson township, Boone county, where he farmed
for five years, then, in 1900, moved to Jamestown and engaged in the hard-
ware business with George W. Shaw, under the firm name of Clark & Shaw,
which partnership still continues. They have one of the best known and best
equipped hardware stores in the county, carrying all kinds of hardware used
by the farmer and in fact everything, including farming implements of the
most improved designs, building materials, various makes of machinery and
a large and carefully selected stock at all seasons and, dealing honestly and
courteously with their hundreds of customers they draw trade from a wide
territory, which they hold without effort. Mr. Clark is also interested in
various other lines of business, and is one of the most enterprising, far-
sighted and capable of our present-day business men.
Politically, Mr. Clark is a loyal Democrat and has been active in local
party affairs for a number of years. He has served as a member of the
Democratic County Central Committee, and has been a frequent delegate to
county, district and state conventions. He is one of the leaders of his party
in Boone county and has done much for the success of Democracy in this
section of the state. In November, 1910, he was elected auditor of Boone
county, and took office January i, 1912, and is now serving a four years'
6o8 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
term in a manner that reflects much credit upon his fideUty and ability and
to the satisfaction of his constituents. He is the first auditor to occupy the
magnificent new court house. Fraternally, he is a member of the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows and the Encampment, also the Knights of
Pythias and the Improved Order of Red Men. He has filled all the chairs
in the first named lodge and has been a delegate to the Grand Lodge at
different times. He and his family are members of the Christian church at
Jamestown. Since taking office Mr. Clark and family have resided at 502
East Main street, Lebanon, which property he owns, and which is in one of
the most desirable residential sections of the city.
GEORGE WASHINGTON CAMPBELL.
Ceaselessly to and fro flies the deft shuttle which weaves the web of
human destiny, and into the vast mosaic fabric enter the individuality, the
eft'ort, the accomplishment of each man, be his station that most lowly or one
of majesty, pomp and power. Within the textile folds may be traced the line
of each individuality, be it the one that lends the beautiful sheen of honest
worth and useful endeavors, or one that, dark and zigzag, finds its way
through warp and woof, marring the composite beauty bj^ its blackened
threads, ever in evidence of the shadowed and unprolific life. Into the great
aggregate each individuality is merged, and yet the essence of each is never
lost, be the angle of its influence wide-spreading and grateful, or narrow and
baneful. In his efforts he who essa3's biographical memoirs finds much of
profit and much of alluring fascination when he would follow out, in even a
cursory way, the tracings of a life-history, seeking to find the keynote of each
respective personality. These efforts and their resulting transmission can-
not fail of value in an objective way, for in each case may the lesson of life
be conned, line after line, precept after precept. One could not contemplate
the life-record of the late George Washington Campbell, for many years one
of the leading business men and public-spirited citizens of Boone county,
Indiana without gaining therefrom many helpful hints and forming at the
same time a very high opinion of the man, for his various efforts in material
and civic affairs, extending over a period of many years, resulted in incal-
Xp lTJ)a^^,/M
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 6l I
culable good and stamped him as a gentleman of rare attributes of head and
heart, which alone would excite the admiration and reverence of all, especially
of the contemplative turn of mind, and his record might well be followed
by the youth hesitating at the parting of the ways.
Mr. Campbell, who was a prominent manufacturer of Lebanon, and for
years one of the best known men of affairs in northern Indiana, was born in
Clinton county, this state, March 9, 1845. He was a son of Mark and
Matilda (Goshorn) Campbell. The father was born August 11, 1800 in
Pennsylvania, and the mother was also a native of that state. There they
grew to maturity, received such educational advantages as the early-day rural
schools afforded, and there they married, emigrating to Clinton county, Indi-
ana in pioneer times, there developed a good farm by their industry, on which
they spent the rest of their lives, the father dying October i, 1870, after
passing his allotted three score and ten. The mother, whose birth occurred
July 6, 1805, died before passing the half century mark, on January 18. 1854.
The father subsequently married again. His family consisted of ten children
by his first wife, only two of whom are now living, namely : William, James,
Nicholas G., Robert, John B., Sarah J., Mart T. is living; George W., sub-
ject of this sketch ; Hannah A. was next in order ; and Millard F. the young-
est, is living.
George W. Campbell grew to manhood on the home farm in Clinton
county where he worked hard when he became of proper age, consequently
his early schooling was interrupted until he was sixteen years of age. But
he was ambitious and studied at home, becoming a splendid example of a
successfully self-educated and self-made man. For a time he taught school
near Mulberry, his native county. Later he turned his attention to the drug
business, and in order to properh' prepare himself he took a course in
chemistry in Cincinnati, Ohio. His first drug store was in Frankfort, Indi-
ana, where he got a good start, then came to Lebanon in 1875 where he con-
tinued the same line of endeavor with more gratifying results until he
launched into the lumber business, becoming the senior member of the well-
known firm of Campbell, Smith, Ritchie & Company, Lebanon's chief manu-
facturing industry, which has given employment and support to more than
one hundred families for many years. They maintained an extensive and
modernlv equipped plant, where various specialties, such as kitchen cabinets
were manufactured, which were of such superior workmanship and quality
OI2 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
that they ever found a very ready market over a vast territory, the company
also owning and operating large lumber yards. The great prestige and pro-
nounced success of the firm was due for the most part to the able management
and wise counsel, indomitable industry and rare business acumen of Mr.
Campbell. He was certainly deserving of a great deal of credit for what he
accomplished, having forced his way unaided from a humble beginning to a
position in the front ranks of the substantial, progressive and influential
men of affairs of this section of Indiana. He owned a beautiful modern
residence on South Meridian street.
Mr. Campbell was married May 14, 1873, to Alice Catherine Paige, who
was born May 22, 1847, ^^ Tippecanoe county. Indiana, and she spent her
earlier life in the city of LaFayette where she received an excellent education
in the Catholic schools, later attended school in Frankfort, Indiana, and for a
few years she engaged in teaching in Clinton county. She is a lady of cul-
ture and refinement and has long been popular with the best circles in
Lebanon. She is a daughter of Franklin K. and Martha (Barr) Paige, the
father a native of Vermont and the mother was born in Pennsylvania. They
were married November 13, 1842. Mr. Paige devoted part of his earlier life
to teaching, also farmed for awhile. He was regarded as one of the most
progressive and capable educators of his time. His family consisted of two
■ children. Albert Rush, who is now deceased : and ^Nlrs. Alice C. Campbell,
widow of our subject.
The union of Mr. and Mrs. Campbell was blessed by the birth of three
children, namely: Ethel, born July 15, 1874, was educated in the Lebanon
high school and DePauw L^niversity, and married Benjamin F. Coons, a
sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume: Ivan, born April 6, 1878,
died July 8th of the same year; Myrtle, born September 4, 1879. was edu-
cated in the high school in Lebanon, also recei\ed a musical education, and
is now the wife of Lester F. Jones.
Politically, Mr. Campbell was a strong Republican, and was for some
time active in public affairs. He at one time made the race for mavor of
Lebanon, but was defeated by a small majority. Religiously he was a faith-
ful member of the First Presbyterian church, of Lebanon, in which he was an
elder. He was prominent in fraternal circles, being a member of the follow-
ing orders: Lodge No. 45, Knights of Pythias, the Tribe of Ben Hur:
Boone Lodge, No. 9, Free and Accepted Masons; Lebanon Chapter Xo. 39,
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 613
Royal Arch Masons; Lebanon Commandery, No. 43, Knights Templars, of
which he had been treasurer during the last ten years of his life; he also be-
longed to the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine at Indi-
anapolis. He attained the thirty-second degree in Masonry.
The death of Mr. Campbell occurred suddenly on April 22, 1913, and
his demise was regarded as a distinct loss to the city and county so long hon-
ored by his residence. The Lebanon Patriot spoke of him, in part, as fol-
lows : "Mr. Campbell was one of the most highly respected citizens of
Lebanon, and his relationship with the people was that of a true man. He
was of the highest type of citizenship. His unostentatious manner won him
many friends, and it is a common expression that Lebanon is a better town
because he lived in it. Lebanon, perhaps, never had a citizen whose death
was more universally mourned."
The Lebanon Daily Reporter had this to say, among other things: "A
really good man has passed to the great beyond — one whom we were proud
to call by the sacred name of friend, has passed to his eternal reward. He
will be truly missed — not only in his home where he was so dearly beloved —
but outside where too, he had many friends. It was recently said of him by
one who knew him well, that never had he heard Mr. Campbell speak an evil
word of any one, nor use an ill word in his conversation. It was his happy
disposition to not only think well of every one but to speak well of them.
He has filled a large place in the community, but it has been unostentatiously
and quietly."
JOHN W. MAISH.
It is a pleasure to any one, whether farmer or not, to look over a well-
improved and finely-kept landed estate like that of John W. Maish, of Center
township, Boone county, for he is a man who believes in keeping fully abreast
of the times, in adopting, so far as practicable, the most approved twentieth
century methods in general farming and stock raising. As a result of his
careful system of husbandry he has about solved the question of scientific
farming as we all know and understand it today. He was formerly engaged
in merchandising, in which he was equally successful, for he has always
stood for progressiveness, not only in material things, but in political, educa-
6l4 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
tional and religious matters, and he has always been an advocate of right
living and honesty in public life as well as business, and while laboring for
his individual advancement he has never been found neglectful of his duties
to his neighbors and the general public.
Mr. Maish was born May 5, 1859, in Clinton county, Indiana. He is a
son of Joseph and Mary E. (Looney) Maish. The father was born in
Clinton county and the mother was a native of Rush county, Indiana. Joseph
Maish spent all his life in his native county and was a successful farmer and
large land owner, also owned considerable valuable property in Frankfort.
He was born November 21, 1827, and his death occurred Januarj' 10, 1867.
His wife was born September 29, 1832, and died November 29. 1897. These
parents had two sons who lived to maturity, namely: John W., of this re-
view, and David L., who died when twenty-one years of age, April 19, 1881 ;
Anna, Matilda J. and Joseph, Jr., all died in infancy. The mother married a
second time, her last husband being William C. Heaton, and to this union
one child was born, Martha E., now the wife of William B. Kramer, Jr., of
Frankfort.
John W. Maish was reared on the home farm, where he worked during
the summer months when he became of proper age and he received his edu-
cation in the district schools and the high school in Frankfort, from which
he was graduated, and later he attended the University of Michigan at Ann
Arbor. After leaving college he began life for himself in the mercantile
business at Frankfort, running a general department store, continuing for a
period of ten years, during which he built an extensive and lucrative trade,
always carrying a large and carefully selected stock and, dealing with uni-
form honesty and courtesy with his hundreds of customers, he secured their
confidence and good will. In the fall of 1890 he traded his stock of goods
and his two-story brick store building which he had built about 1887 to ac-
commodate his business for the farm he now owns in Center township, Boone
county, consisting of four hundred and twenty-two acres, and known as
the J. B. Holmes farm, to which he moved on Thanksgiving day of that
year and here he has been successfully engaged in general farming and stock
raising on an extensive scale, adding improvements from time to time until
he now has one of the finest, most productive and most desirable farms in the
county, which cost him but sixty dollars per acre but for which he is now
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 615
refusing two hundred dollars per acre. It is under a high state of cultivation,
raising large crops of corn and other grains annually, which he feeds to large
herds of cattle, hogs, sheep and other live stock, all good grades. He is an
excellent judge of stock, and no small part of his income is derived from
this source. He has an attractive residence and large and substantial out-
buildings, everything about his place denoting thrift, good management and
prosperity. This splendid farm is located on the Big Four Railway and the
direct township line to Indianapolis, the station of Holmes being only a step
from Mr. Maish's door. He has been very successful in a business way and
he is a stockholder in the First National Bank of Lebanon and has various
other business interests.
Mr. Maish was married January 25, 1886, to Mary E. Blinn, a daughter
of Adam and Catherine (Derrick) Blinn, for many years one of the lead-
ing families of Frankfort, the father having died July 23, 1901, but the
mother survives, having attained her eighty-fourth birthday October 21,
1913. Mrs. Maish grew up in her native county and received a good educa-
tion.
To Mr. and Mrs. Maish the following children have been born, namely :
Lela, born April 13, 1887, is at home; June, born June i, 1889, was next in
order, now Mrs. C. O. McMains, lives in Harrison township and has two
children, Mary Lavina, born November 27, 191 1, and Chester Orvil, born
April 15, 1913; Catherine, born February 4, 1891, is at home; Lucinda Ruth,
born June 3, 1893, married Charles Bradley of Lebanon; Mabel, born August
24, 1899, is at home; Emalyne, born September 12, 1903, is at home; Blinn
H., born March 10, 1905; Arthur E., born January 6, 1907, and Dorothy,
February 16, 1912, are the youngest of the living children; John W., Jr., born
May, 1897, died November 12, 1900, of diphtheria, and A. Blinn died in
infancy.
Politically, Mr. Maish is a Republican and while always interested in
public matters has never been an office seeker, preferring to give his atten-
tion to his large business interests and to his family of which he is very
fond, being happiest when by his own cheerful fireside. He has a good
library and is well posted on current questions as well as the world's best
literature. He has given his children every advantage, and there is an atmos-
phere of refinement about his home.
6l6 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
IRA M. SHARP.
One of the worthy native sons of Boone county who has stamped the
impress of his strong personality upon the minds of the people of the locality
of which this history treats in a manner as to render him one of the con-
spicuous characters of the county is Ira ]\I. Sharp, an attorne\' at law of the
first rank at the local bar. Faithfulness to duty and a strict adherence to a
fixed purpose, which always do more to adAance a man's interests than
wealth or advantageous circumstances, have been dominating factors in his
life, which has been replete with honor and success worthily attained, and
he has become an important factor in the affairs of his county and stands in
the foremost rank of the professional men of this section of the Hoosier
commonwealth. Few citizens of Boone county are better known, none oc-
cupy a more conspicuous place in the confidence of the public, and it is a com-
pliment worthily bestowed to class him with the representative men of this
generation in the county of his residence, having done much for the general
development of the same.
Mr. Sharp was born in a log cabin between Lebanon and Thorntown,
January 6, 1868, and he is a splendid example of a self-made man, having
by his own efforts fought his way to the front from a discouraging environ-
ment. He is a son of Solomon and Mary E. (Miller) Sharp, both natives
of Decatur county, Indiana, where they were reared and married, and where
they made their homes until 1866, when they removed to Boone county.
The father was a blacksmith by trade, also engaged in the sawmill business
for many years. His death occurred August 2, 1891, but his widow survives,
now making her home in Clarksburg, Decatur county. She was born Octo-
ber 25, 1836, and is therefore now well advanced in years. The date of her
husband's birth was February 29, 1S32.
Ira ^I. Sharp was about five years old when the family moved to
Thorntown, where he was reared and received his early education, complet-
ing the course of studies, except Latin, in the high school. He finished
school there at the age of sixteen. He had a disagreement with his teacher
and took his books home, and his father, without reproof, put the lad to
work in his blacksmith shop and he did all kinds of work, proving a willing
helper, continuing until the beginning of the next school year, when his
father gave him an opportunity to choose between continuing the trade of
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 617
blacksmith or going back to school. After several days' deliberation he
decided to pursue his studies and thus his whole career was changed. The
superintendent of the school permitted him to re-enter his class and also
gave him an opportunity to make up the time he lost the previous year. He
worked hard and made the two years' work in one, with a grade at the head
of his class. In 1881 his father met with an accident, being disabled to such
an extent that he could not continue his trade. Our subject, being the eldest
of six children, had to assist in the support of the family, so the last two
years he was in school he worked nights, mornings and Saturdays in a hard-
ware store to help support the family. After leaving school he clerked in the
hardware store in Thorntown, but deciding that teaching school was more to
his liking he secured a certificate and taught three years. Although he made
a success in this field of endeavor he decided that his true bent was in another
direction, so began reading law December 15, 1887, with P. H. Dutch, of
Thorntown, and was admitted to practice June 26, 1889.
Mr. Sharp was married August 20, 1891, to Elizabeth E. Cheek, a
daughter of Newton and Jane (Wooding) Cheek, both natives of North
Carolina; in fact, Mrs. Sharp was born at Saxapahaw, that state. The
Cheek family emigrated to Boone county, Indiana, soon after the close of
the Civil war. They were Quakers and were a peaceable people, but found it
difificult during the great war between the states in keeping out of the con-
flict. Mr. Cheek is now deceased, but his widow survives.
The union of our subject and wife has been blessed by the birth of one
daughter, Jennie Marie Sharp, now a student in DePauw University, where
she is making a brilliant record.
Mr. Sharp taught one year after his marriage, and all of his teaching
was after he was admitted to the bar. He began the practice of his pro-
fession in Greensburg, Decatur county, in April, 1892, and remained there
until November, 1893, when he came to Thorntown, Boone countv, where
he resided and practiced with ever-increasing success until January i, 19 12,
when he moved his office to Lebanon, but still maintains his home in Thorn-
town. He enjoys a large clientele and ranks with the leading members of
the Boone county bar, being known as a cautious, industrious and safe coun-
sellor and a strong pleader. He practices in all the state and federal courts
in Boone and adjoining counties.
Politically, Mr. Sharpe is a Republican and he has long been more or
6l8 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
less active in public matters and is one of the leaders in his party in this
section of the state; however, he has never been an ofiice-seeker, preferring
to devote his attention exclusively to his profession. Fraternally, he belongs
to the Knights of Pythias, and he and his family are members of the Meth-
odist Episcopal church.
WILLIAM F. COBB.
Another of the gallant veterans who went out to fight in defense of
'"the flag that has never touched the ground" in the days of its direst peril,
the early sixties, is William F. Cobb. What a splendid sight it is to see the
remnants of a once gigantic army, in their blue uniforms, marching past on
special occasions ; but they will all be beyond the Great Divide in a few more
years, and nothing will be left but a memory. That memory should be some-
thing more than a sound. Their deeds should be perpetuated in song and
story, in monument and perpetual commemoration, so that future generations
may draw inspiration from their patriotism and valor. Mr. Cobb, who has
devoted his life to carpentering and agricultural pursuits, is living quietly in
his pleasant home in Marion township, Boone county, the interests of which
he has long had at heart, and, according to those who know him well, has
proven to be a good citizen in every respect, and his friends are many
throughout the county.
Mr. Cobb was born in Harrison county, Ohio, December 8, 1838. He
is a son of William and Mar}' (Copeland) Cobb, both natives also of the
Buckeye state. The paternal grandparents, William Cobb, Sr., and his wife
were natives of England, from which country they emigrated to the United
States and were early settlers in Ohio. The maternal grandparents, Thomas
and Mary Copeland, were Pennsylvania Dutch in blood. William Cobb. Jr..
father of our subject, was born February 6, 1809. The mother was born
October 10, 1816. These parents were married March 24, 1836, in Harrison
county, Ohio. The father was a carpenter by trade, and in the fall of 1854
he brought his family overland to Boone county, Indiana, the trip requiring
fifteen days. They located at the village of Northfield where they remained
one year, renting a farm, the following spring removing to Marion township,
on two hundred and forty acres of timbered land, which they purchased.
WILLIAM F. COBB
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 623
The elder Cobb soon cleared a place for his house and built a rough log
cabin. With the help of his son, our subject, many acres of the place were
cleared and put under cultivation, and in due course of time they became
very comfortably situated. There the death of the mother occurred on
November 17, 1872, after which the father came to reside with our subject
until his death, which occurred October i, 1877, at the age of sixty-eight
years seven months and twenty-five days. He had been justice of the peace
for many years which office he held at time of death. His family consisted
of the following children: Capt. Thomas A., of Marion township, this
county, bom January 21, 1837; William F., of this sketch: Jacob S., of Leb-
anon, Indiana, born August 25, 1841 ; Nancy, born August 11, 1843 is the
widow of Thomas Evans, and is living in Lebanon; John, born October 6,
1845, was killed in Indianapolis by a railway train, left two children; Henry,
born April 25, 1852, was killed in Lebanon by a fall, left widow and one child;
James, born October 6, 1845, lives in Lebanon; Christina, born March 13,
1850, is the wife of Anthony Kincaid, of Lebanon; Mary L.., born January
13, 1855, died December 29, 1862; Dorothy, born March 2, 1861, is the wife
of Alfred Kincaid.
William F. Cobb, of this review, grew up on the home farm and attended
the rural schools. When eighteen years of age he started to learn the trade
of gunsmith with John Kincaid, in Boone county, and he continued until
completing the same, becoming a skilled workman, then came to Marion
township and started a gunsmith shop on his father's farm, and conducted
the same successfully until the commencement of the Civil war, when, in the
spring of 1861 he enlisted in Company A, Tenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry,
in which he served three years. He then was transferred to Company A,
Fifty-eighth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, as one of the principal musicians,
and as such he marched with Sherman to the sea. He was honorably dis-
charged and mustered out at Goldsboro, North Carolina, March 28, 1865,
after seeing considerable hard service, having always performed his duties
as a soldier faithfully and uncomplainingly.
After the war Mr. Cobb returned home and resumed work in his shop,
which he continued about six months, then began carpentering which he has
made his principal life work ever since, being known as one of the most ex-
pert workmen in the county.
(40)
624 BOONE COUNTY. INDIANA.
Mr. Cobb married, Jul}- 15, 1866, Amy G. Hileman, who was born in
Hamilton county, Ohio, March 6, 1847. She is a daughter of Joseph and
Hannah (Wilson) Hileman, an old family of the above named county.
After his marriage Mr. Cobb farmed his father's farm two years, then moved
to two and one-half acres which his father-in-law gave him, in section 21,
Marion township. After continuing the carpenter's trade about five years
he bought a sawmill, which he operated nine years, doing a good business,
theii sold out and resumed carpenter work. He has added to his ulace until
he now owns forty-three and three- fourths acres of good land, which he
has improved in an up-to-date manner, including an attractive residence and
outbuildings. No more beautiful lawn is to be found in the county. It is
covered with stately shade trees, shrubbery, flower beds, urns, and other
features, indicating that Mr. Cobb is something of a landscape gardner.
His place is known as "Linda Vista" (French, meaning beautiful view.)
On April 19, 1885, Mr. Cobb was appointed chief of all mechanical lines,
also of the fire department, in fact, had absolute charge of all repairing of
the Indiana Central Hospital for the Insane at Indianapolis. He discharged
his duties in an able and highly acceptable manner, until October i, 19 12,
when he resigned and returned to his beautiful home in Boone county where
he now lives, spending his declining years in quiet and surrounded by all the
comforts of life, living with his son-in-law. John M. Kiser, who has con-'
ducted the place since Mr. Cobb first went to Indianapolis, twenty-nine years
ago.
The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Cobb: Orilla Mav,
born April 15, 1867, wife of John M. Kiser. have two children. \'esta. born
May 8, 1892 and Vern, born May 13, 1896; Mary Ellen, born ^March 12,
1871, wife of Peter Christian, of Rosston, Boone county; they have one
child, Ethel G., born February 3, 1897. The wife and mother was called to
her eternal rest on March 7, 1899, on her fifty-second birthday. On Septem-
ber 30. 19 1 2, Mr. Cobb married Kate McCabe, who was born in Thrvm,
County Meath, Ireland, and she is a daughter of John and Mary (Clark)
McCabe, who emigrated to American when Mrs. Cobb was young and settled
in Crawfordsville, Indiana, where Mr. McCabe died in 1861. Mrs. Cobb
was the widow of James Cassidy. by whom she had one son, Charles Cassidv,
who is engaged in the garage business at Greencastle, Indiana. Mrs. Cobb
was chief cook in the Indiana Central Hospital for the Insane at Indianapolis
from i88q until she married our subject.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 625
Politically, Mr. Cobb has always been a Democrat. He served as trustee
of Marion township, also as assessor of the same, one term each, a number
■of years ago, giving satisfaction to his constituents. Fraternally, he is a
member of the Masonic Order, Lodge No. 526 at Rosston, Indiana, and the
Chapter at Lebanon : he belongs to Lodge No. 644, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows at Indianapolis, and has passed all the chairs in the same. He
is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He and his wife are in-
telligent, experienced, hospitable and charming people to meet.
WILLIAM J. WOOD.
One of the leading lawyers of the younger generation in the section
•of Indiana of which this history treats is William J. Wood, formerly prose-
cuting attorney of Boone county and who is enjoying an extensive practice
in Lebanon, who, since retiring from office has built up an extensive clientele,
being frequently retained in important cases in courts remote from his place
of residence. No one knows better than he the necessity of thorough prep-
aration for the trial of cases, and no one more industriously applies him-
self to meet the issues than he, though, being a true son of old Virginia, he is
naturally of an ardent temperament, yet is always master of himself in the
trial of cases and is rarely not at his best, being uniformly courteous and
deferential to the court, and kind and forbearing to his adversaries. As a
speaker he is direct, logical and forcible, and not infrequently truly eloquent.
Owing to the pronounced success he has achieved in his chosen vocation so
early in life, we predict for him a future replete with greater and higher
honors than he yet has known.
William J. Wood was born November 10, 1882, in Scott county, Vir-
ginia. He is a scion of a fine old Southern family, and a son of Henry K.
and Mary E. (Sutton) Wood, who spent their earlier years in Scott county,
Virginia, from which they removed to Boone county, Indiana, in April,
1900, locating on a farm in Center township, east of Lebanon, and there be-
came very comfortably established, but the elder Wood was destined not to
long enjoy his new home, for he met his death in the Lincoln hotel fire in
Chicago in December, 1902. The mother of our subject is now making her
home in Lebanon.
626 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
William J. Wood was reared on the farm. He received his early edu-
cation at Collingwood Academj-, Fugate's Hill, Virginia, and also in the
high school at Lebanon, Indiana, from which he was graduated in 1902,
after which he attended Purdue L'ni\ersity. l.ar'ayette, Indiana, for two
years. He then entered the law department of the University of Virginia,
where he made an excellent record and from which institution he was grad-
uated with the class of 1910. He had been admitted to the Boone county
bar in June, 1909. He at once made an impression on the people of this
county and before he received his diploma from the law school he was
nominated by the Democrats for prosecuting attorney of Boone county, and
was accordingly elected in November, 1910. He served a term of two
years, until January i, 19 13. in a manner that reflected much credit upon
himself and to the eminent satisfaction of his constituents, discharging his
every duty with a fidelity, courage and tact which stamped him as a youth of
no mean calibre and fortitude. He was the first prosecutor to occupy the
magnificent new court-house. He had charge of the first grand jury, con-
ducted the first case before the court and the first case before a jury in the
new building, and when he was elected enjoyed the distinction of being the
youngest prosecuting attorney in the state of Indiana, but he managed its
afifairs like a veteran of the bar and enforced law and order in the county
without prejudice or bias. Since retiring from office he has continued in the
practice of his profession alone, with offices near the court-house, over Mor-
gan's shoe store. He is building up a rapidly growing business, and has been
admitted to practice in all the state and federal courts, and is a member of
the county bar association. Fraternally, he belongs to Boone Lodge, No. 9.
Masonic Order, the Royal Arch Masons, Lebanon Commandery Knights
Templar and the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine,
Murat Temple, Indianapolis. He also belongs to Lebanon Lodge Xo. 635.
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and is esteemed lecturing knight,
and has been secretary of the lodge. He is prominent and acti\e in fraternal
circles.
Politically, Mr. Wood is a faithful Democrat and is active in the ranks.
He is secretary of the Democratic City Committee. Religiously, he is a mem-
ber of the Methodist Episcopal church. He has remained unmarried and
lives with his mother at 924 North Lebanon street. He finds time, although
very busy with his large practice, to superintend the valuable family farm
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 627
four and one-half miles east of Lebanon, which is a well-improved and pro-
ductive farm, on which stands a substantial set of buildings. Mr. Wood has
two sisters, Cora T., now the wife of W. Forest Duff, a farmer of Center
township, and T. Jane Wood, who is at home. She is a competent teacher of
art in the schools of Waynetown, Montgomery county, Indiana, and is a
young lady of talent.
The Wood family is of English ancestry, and the first emigrant of the
family came to Virginia, locating in the mountains, before the Revolutionary
war, in which struggle members of the family participated, and had many
thrilling experiences and conflicts with the Indians. The first land holdings
of the family in Scott and Washington counties, Virginia, still remain in
possession of the family, being handed down after the English fashion from
generation to generation. Our subject, his mother and sisters have made
hosts of friends since taking up their residence in Lebanon and are esteemed
for their Southern hospitality and culture.
ASHPBELL PARSON WILLARD HOOTON.
It is proper to judge of a man's life by the estimation in which he is
held by his fellow citizens. They see him at his work, in his family circle, in
church, hear his views on public questions, observe the operations of his code
of morals, witness how he conducts himself in all the relations of society and
■civilization and are therefore competent to judge of his merits and demerits.
After a long course of years of daily observation, it would be out of the
question for his neighbors not to know of his worth, for, as has been said,
"Actions speak louder than words." In this connection it is not too much to
say that the several members of the Hooton family have ever stood high in
the estimation of their neighbors and acquaintances, for their conduct has
been honorable in all the relations of life and their duty well performed
whether in private or public life, and they have ever been industrious, never
waiting for some one else to do what they should accomplish themselves.
These reflections have been especially noticeable in the career of Ashpbell
Parson Willard Hooton, formerly an agriculturist and merchant, but at this
writing the able and trustworthy recorder of Boone county, and a man active
in local public affairs.
026 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Mr. Hooton was born on a farm in Hendricks county, Indiana, January
I, 1859. He is a son of John and Matilda (Worrell) Hooton, both parents
also natives of Hendricks county, where they grew to maturity, were edu-
cated in the early-day schools and there were married and established their
home on a farm, which they made their home until 1872, when they re-
moved to a farm in Center township, Boone county, and here became very
comfortably established through their industry. The death of the father
occurred June 18, 1910, but his widow survives. Politically, John Hooton
was a Democrat and was active in public affairs, but never held office. He
was well thought of by all who knew him.
A. P. W. Hooton, of this sketch, was reared on the home farm, and he
recei\ed his education in the district schools, with one year in the high school
in Lebanon. He began life for himself by clerking in various stores in
Lebanon, continuing thus for a number of years, giving satisfaction to his
employers. Then he engaged in the grocery business in Lebanon, which he
continued for about four years, then served as deputy sheriff' under Sheriff
L T. Davis, after which he again followed clerking in a general mercliandise
store, where he remained for eleven years. In 1891 he again engaged in the
grocery Ijusiness, which he continued for five years, during which he enjoyed
an extensi\'e trade. Selling out he retired from active life for a time, then
resumed the grocery business, which he followed until 1901, when he sold
out and moved to his brother's farm in Center township and farmed success-
fully for seven years. In 1909 he returned to selling groceries, opening a
store in Lebanon, and there continued until 191 1. He was elected county
recorder in November, 1910, and assumed the duties of this office January i,
1911, and is now serving a four years' term in a manner that reflects credit
upon his ability and is winning the hearty approval of all concerned, irre-
spective of political alignment. He is an active Democrat. He ser\ed one
term as a member of the city council from the third ward, from 1904 to
1908, although this has long been a strong Republican ward. He has served
as a member of the Democratic County Committee frequently and has often
been a delegate to county, district and state conventions. He is one of the
leaders in his party in Boone county and wields an influence of no little im-
portance. Fraternally, he belongs to the Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks, and the Loyal Order of Moose.
Mr. Hooton was married October 10, 1883, to Effie M. Bridge, a
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 629
daughter of Albert R. and Elizabeth W. (Spencer) Bridge, a highly es-
teemed family of Burlington, Iowa, but formerly of Boone county, Indiana.
To our subject and wife the following children have been born : John A.
is married and is deputy county recorder; Ada M. married Clyde Stephens,
and they live in Florida; Harry R. is married and lives in Lebanon; Frank
B., Clarence, Ralph, Catherine and William are all at home. Mr. Hooton
and family are members of the Baptist church, and are faithful in their at-
tendance and support of the same.
IRA E. CONRAD.
That parents have a wonderful influence upon the minds and hearts of
their offspring cannot for a moment be gainsaid, hence the necessity of meas-
uring up to the high standard which both nature and the Creator require of
fatherhood and motherhood. In matter of birth Ira E. Conrad, one of the
leading business men and representative citizens of the town of Zionsville,
Boone county, has been fortunate, inheriting as he does the sterling char-
acteristics of his ancestors, and he has been most careful to make the most of
his innate ability and to keep untarnished the bright escutcheon of an honored
family name, which has stood for good citizenship and right living in this
section of the Hoosier state since the pioneer days.
Mr. Conrad was born in Hamilton county, Indiana, six miles northeast
of Zionsville, July lo, 1869. He is a son of William Conrad, also a native
of that county, and a grandson of Martin Conrad, who was born in North
Carolina, and was an early settler in Hamilton county, where he experienced
the usual hardships of frontiersmen in developing a farm from the wilder-
ness. We first hear of David Conrad of Pennsylvania, who finally moved to
North Carolina. He was a native of Germany, and he was the father of
Martin Conrad, mentioned above. William Conrad married Sarah Brown,
a native of Hamilton county, and a daughter of Joseph Brown, a well-known
citizen of that county in a past generation. The death of William Conrad
occurred in 1869 when our subject was an infant. The latter grew to man-
hood on the farm and received a common school education. He worked at
various things in order to get a start in life and early turned his attention to
630 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
merchandising, working in a general store several years, finally being ad-
mitted as partner in the firm of Mills & Cropper. They carried on a large
business until 19 13 when the firm dissolved, and John Mills took the dry
goods department and Miss Cropper and our subject took the furniture and
undertaking end of the business, which they have since been conducting most
successfully under the firm name of Cropper & Conrad, and are modernly
ecjuipped in every way and have a neat and well-furnished office and carry a
complete and well-selected stock of furniture. Honest, prompt and high-
grade service is their aim. They have a substantial and ample building and
use both the lower and upper floors. Their business is rapidly increasing.
Mr. Conrad was married in 1898 to Anna M. Cropper, who was reared
and educated in this community, and she is a daughter of E. S. Cropper and
wife, both parents being now deceased. Her father was a successful busi-
ness man in Zionsville for many years. His family consisted of the follow-
ing children : Ella, wife of John M. Mills, well-known merchant of Zions-
ville: Alice, deceased: Nettie, Mrs. Anna M. Conrad and Maggie Sparks;
Oliver died in 191 3.
Politically, Mr. Conrad is a Democrat and he has served as town trustee.
Fraternally, he is a member of the Masonic Order, and is treasurer of the
local lodge. He also belongs to the Knights of Pythias and the Improved
Order of Red Men. He is a member of the Christian church.
J. F. BRENDEL, M. D.
The name of Dr. J. E. Brendel, of Zionsville, Boone county will be held
in lasting honor as one of the ablest physicians and surgeons that ever gave
loyal service in behalf of sufifering humanity in this locality, for his life has
been characterized not only by the most adroit professional ability but also
by the most profound human sympathy which overleaped mere sentiment to
become an actuating motive, for when a youth he realized that there was no
honor not founded on genuine worth, that there was a vital purpose in life
and that the best and highest accomplishment must come from a well-trained
mind and an altruistic heart. Those who know him well are unstinted in
their praise of his superior ability and his genial and forceful individuality.
DR. J. F. BRENDEL
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 633
Older men in the profession here have often reHed upon his judgment and
younger ones have frequently sought his counsel, all admitting his eminence.
Dr. Brendel was born in Hamilton county, Indiana, August 9, 1853.
He is a son of Frederick Brendel, who was born in North Carolina, and was
a son of John Brendel, a native of Germany, from which country he emi-
grated to America in an early day and founded the home in the new world.
Frederick Brendel spent his earlier years in the old Tar state, and devoted
his life to farming for the most part, however, conducted a grocery store for
some years and also a general store, and was a successful man of affairs.
He married Elizabeth Jones, a nati\e of Kentucky and a daughter of Benja-
min Jones, a pioneer preacher and a widely-known man in his day, being one
of the picturesque circuit riders in this country. He was of Scotch-English
blood. The death of Frederick Brendel occurred in 1871, when past his
three score and ten, he having been born in 1800. His wife was bom in
1837 and her death occurred in 1856. Two children were born to them.
Dr. J. F., of -this sketch; and Dr. B. F., a prominent physician of Cass county,
Nebraska.
Dr. J. F. Brendel was reared in Hamilton county. He received his
early education in the common and high schools and by close home study.
In 1 88 1 he went to Cass county, Nebraska and studied medicine with his
brother. Dr. B. F. Brendel, and he began practicing medicine in 1883, ^"d
has thus been continuously in the practice for a period of thirty years. He
studied medicine in the Indiana Physio Medical College, from which he was
graduated in March, 1892. He also took a post-graduate course in this
institution in 1898. He established himself in the practice in Boone county
and he and his son enjoy a large and lucrative practice, maintaining an office
at Zionsville, being regarded among the leading general practitioners of the
•county.
Dr. J. F. Brendel was married January 20, 1878 to Mary Miller, who
was born in i860, in Indiana, and is a daughter of Louis O. Miller, also a
native of this state. She has proven to be a most faithful and helpful com-
panion, and has borne her husband three children, namely : Mattie, who
married Erna Harvey, cashier of the bank at Zionsville: G. Stultz, the second
child lives in Zionsville; and Dr. O. E.. the youngest child, who was gradu-
ated from the Indiana Physio Medical College at Indianapolis, May 9, 1907.
He is building up a large practice, and he and his father have a finely equipped
634 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
office, well-furnished and in a substantial building. The son married Helen
Tarlton. The elder doctor and family are members of the Christian church,
and fraternally he belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons and Modern Woodmen of America.
JOHN M. MILLS.
In touching upon the life history of John M. Mills, widely-known pioneer
business man of Zionsville, the writer aims to avoid fulsome encomium and
extravagant praise; yet he desires to hold up for consideration those facts
which have shown the distinction of a true, useful and honorable life — a life
characterized by perseverance, energy and well-defined purpose. To do this
will be but to reiterate the dictum pronounced upon him by those who have
known him so long and well, for ]\lr. Mills presents in his career an interest-
ing study of the manner in which adherence to principle and sturdy endeavor
may win worthy distinction in the common pursuits of life. Throughout an
active and interesting career, duty has ever been his motive of action, and use-
fulness to his fellowmen not by any means a secondary consideration.
John M. Mills was born in Hamilton county, Indiana, seven miles north-
east of Zionsville, January 2, 1850. He came with his father's family to
Zionsville when se\en years of age, began clerking in the store for his uncles,
T. and J. D. Swaim, when twelve years old, and has been engaged in selling
merchandise for more than fifty-three years, all of the time in Zionsville —
with the exception of about ten months in business at Northfield, Indiana.
He is a son of William J. Mills, an early settler in Hamilton county,
where he remained a few years, then came to Boone county, and was a soldier
in the Civil war. He was born in Granger county. Tennessee, on February
14, 1824. and was the son of Richard and Rebecca ( \\'orley) Mills, the eldest
of ten children born to them.
William J. Mills was married in 1847 to Martha Swaim. a daughter of
Jesse and Elizabeth Swaim. who came from North Carolina to this part of
Indiana, about the year 1834. He enlisted in the union army in i8()2, and
served eighteen months in Company K. Fifty-fourth Regiment Indiana
Volunteer Infantry. Later he enlisted as a member of Company B, One Hun-
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 635:
dred and Fiftieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served until the close of
the war.
His family consisted of three sons, John M., of this review; T. P., who
is present postmaster at Zionsville; William O., who is engaged in the real
estate business in Zionsville.
The mother of the above named children died at the age of sixty-five
years, and the father in his eightieth year.
John M. Mills grew up in his native community and received his educa-
tion in the common schools. When only twelve years old he began clerking
in a general store for his uncles ; he remained with them for about seven
years, then was with W. C. Vance at Northfield for ten months, then in part-
nership with his brother in a grocery at Zionsville for a few years, and then
after being connected with three other firms, he in 1879 entered the shoe and
furniture store of his father-in-law, E. S. Cropper. This business soon be-
came the firm of E. S. Cropper and Company, after a few years Cropper &
Mills, then upon the partial retirement of Mr. Cropper, Mills, Cropper &
Company. Following the death of E. S. Cropper in 1902, the corporation of
Mills-Cropper Company was formed, the stockholders being John M. Mills,
Ira E. Conrad and the heirs of Mr. Cropper. John M. Mills was elected
president and manager of this business, which position he held until the dis-
solution of the corporation in June, 191 3. When the corporation was closed
Mr. Mills purchased the stock of dry goods, shoes, clothing and furnishings,
and has the largest store in the southern part of the county, and a very ex-
tensive business is carried on, Mr. Mills taking an active part, being assisted
by his son, J. Clark Mills and Harry Pock, his son-in-law. They have a
well-arranged and attractive store, and carry a large and carefully selected
stock of up-to-date goods, and, dealing fairly and honestly and with uniform
courtesy with their hundreds of'customers, they have retained their old trade
and secured new trade. They carry a twenty thousand dollar stock. This
store would be a credit to cities much larger than Zionsville. Having been
in business here for a half century the elder Mills is one of the best-known
men in Boone county.
John M. Mills was married in 1876 to Maria E. Cropper, who was born
in Hamilton county, but was reared and educated in Zionsville. She is a
daughter of E. S. Cropper and wife. Our subject and wife have four chil-
dren living and three deceased, namely: J. Clark, mentioned above; Ruby,
636 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
wife of Harry Pock; Donald Keith is attending the University of Chicago;
Charles W. is a high school pupil ; Myron was killed by the cars when eight
years old ; Raymond died when sixteen years old : Nona died when seventeen
years old.
Politically, Mr. Mills is a Republican. He belongs to the Methodist
church, of which he is a trustee. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias
and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a gentleman of pleasing
address, kind, obliging, and his character is exemplary, according to those
who have known him here a half century.
MONTRAVILLE WADDLE.
Fifty years ago when the slaveholders' rebellion broke out in all its fury
at Fort Sumter and when it looked as if the Union, which we all now love so
well, would be dissolved, Montraville Waddle, a venerable and esteemed
citizen of Center township, Boone county, enlisted to do what he could in
saving the federation of states, being perfectly willing, notwithstanding the
grave dangers and certain hardships. It was a time when there could be
no temporizing and no halting — no half-way position — for all who were not
for the union were against it, and both sides hated the man who claimed to
be neutral because he had not the courage to go upon the field of battle and
had no principles to sustain. Mr. Waddle was alive to the gravity of the
national conflict, realizing that the struggle impending was something more
than a holiday undertaking and knew that it meant great sacrifices and the
shedding of much precious blood before the flag could again wave from
Maine to Florida and from the Atlantic to the Pacific seaboards; but he did
not hesitate, be it said to his everlasting credit. So for this and many other
reasons the name of Mr. Waddle should be included in this history, not the
least of the reasons being the fact that he is one of our oldest native-born
citizens and that much of his life has been spent within our borders, and he
has played no inconspicuous part in the general progress of the locality. He
has led a life so free from aught that is paltry or ignoble that its parallel is
not frequentl}- met with, and now that the twilight shadows of life are
enshrouding him he can look backward over a road well tra\ersed and for-
ward with no apprehension.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 637
Mr. Waddle was born in Boone county, Indiana, March 14, 1838, but
when he was two years old he was taken to Kentucky by his parents, Isaac
and Polly (Burns) Waddle, both natives of that state, and soon after reach-
ing "the land of the dark and bloody ground" the father died in 1840. He
had devoted his life to farming, mostly in Kentucky, from which state he
came to Boone county only a few years prior to the birth of our subject.
He had four children, namely; Martha is deceased; James, Montraville and
Mary are all living. The mother of these children died about 1885.
Montraville Waddle grew to the age of twelve years in Kentucky and
he received a limited education in the old-time schools there, for he was com-
pelled when a lad to assist in supporting his widowed mother and the rest of
the family. He remained in that state until 1850, when the family moved
back to Boone county, Indiana, and here he has continued to reside to the
present time, devoting his attention to general farming and stock raising.
In October, 1861, Mr. Waddle enlisted in Company A, Fifty-first Indiana
Volunteer Infantry, under Captain Russell, and he proved to be a gallant
soldier, seeing much hard service. He fought in the great battles of Stone
River, Franklin, Nashville and those of the memorable Atlanta campaign.
He was with the Army of the Cunil^erland, and was in the march to the sea
under Gen. William T. Sherman. He was shot through the thigh at the
battle of Nashville, after which he was compelled to lie on his back in the
hospital for three months. Nothing daunted, he re-enlisted in 1863 '" his
old compau}', and he was in the last battle of the war. He was honorably
discharged May 29, 1865.
After returning home Air. \\'addle worked out by the month for a year,
or until his marriage, then went to farming for himself. He has been very
successful and is owner of a finely improved and valuable farm of three
hundred acres in Boone county, all tillable but about fourteen acres. He has
a pleasant home, which he built himself. He has managed well, prospered
and is now living in retirement fron.i the actual work of the farm. Politi-
cally, he is a Progressive. He belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic,
and, religiously, is a member of the Baptist church.
Mr. Waddle was married September 19, 1867, to Sarah McDown, who
was born in Hendricks county, Indiana, June 23, 1842. She is a daughter
of Jacob and Sarah (Skenks) McDown, and she grew to womanhood in
her native locality and was educated in the rural schools. The McDown
638 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
family has been one of the most influential and best known in this section
of the state for several generations.
Eight children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Waddle, namely:
Elizabeth and Martha are both living; Edward, Fred and Bert are living:
the other three died in infancv.
JOHN F. ROUTH.
The specific history of the great Middle West was made by the pioneers ;
it was emblazoned on the forest trees by the strength of sturdy arms and a
gleaming ax. and written on the surface of the earth by the track of the
primitive plow. These were strong and true men who came to found the
empire of the West — these hardy settlers who built their rude domiciles,
grappled with the giants of the forest, and from the sylvan wilds evolved the
fertile and productive fields which have these many years been furrowed by
the plowshare. The red man, in his motley garb, stalked through the dim,
woody avenues, and the wild beasts disputed his dominion. The trackless wil-
derness was made to yield its tribute under the effective endeavors of the pio-
neer, and slowly but surely were laid the steadfast foundations upon which
has been built the magnificent superstructure of an opulent and enlightened
commonwealth. To establish a home amid such surroundings and to cope
with the many privations and hardships which were the inevitable con-
comitants, demanded an invincible courage and fortitude, strong hearts and
willing hands. All those were characteristics of the pioneers, whose names
and deeds should be held in perpetual reverence by those who enjoy the fruits
of their toil, as do we of this generation. The Routh family, of whom John
F., well-known retired farmer of Jefferson township. Boone county, is a
sturdy representative, was a sterling pioneer family of northern Indiana, and
indeed, our subject himself may be said to be a pioneeer. his early life being
spent in an early-day environment.
He was born in Montgomery county, Indiana, February 22, 1834. He is
a son of Edward D. and Asenath (Wright) Routh, the father born in Ohio
and the mother in Pennsylvania. The paternal grandparents were Jesse and
Nancy (Douglas) Routh, natives of North Carolina. Samuel Wright, the
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 639
maternal grandfather, was born in County Down, Ireland, from which
countrj' he emigrated to the United States when young. He was a mill-
wright by trade. He married a Miss Taylor. Edward D. Routh, mentioned
above, came to Montgomery county, Indiana, in 1827, and was joined there
the following year by his parents, and both these gentlemen entered land
from the government near what is now the town of Ladoga. The country
was all timbered, but these hardy frontiersmen were hard workers and cour-
ageous and minded not the hardships. They cleared and developed their
land and became well-known citizens in that locality. The parents of our
subject had married in Ohio. In 1840 they removed to Independence county,
Arkansas, where they lived three years, then moved to Cape Girardeau, Mis-
souri, and three years later came to New Ross, Montgomery county, Indiana,
where they remained until i860, when they removed to Jackson township,
Boone county, and lived at different places. Edward D. Routh was a physi-
cian, and enjoyed a wide practice wherever he established himself. While
making a call his horse ran away, throwing him out of the buggy, and he was
so badly injured that he died in 1872.
John F. Routh grew up amid those early environments and he received
the usual educational advantages of those times. He remained with his par-
ents until he was twenty-one years of age, and worked out at various things
until September 18, 1861. when he enlisted in Company B, Tenth Indiana
Volunteer Infantry, and was assigned to the Army of the Cumberland, and
was with the same in its operations in Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia,
taking part in many important battles and skirmishes, undergoing great hard-
ships, and during the service he was injured and was laid up for cjuite a while.
He proved to be a very faithful soldier, according to his commanding officers,
and was honorably discharged September 18, 1864, after a full three years'
service. He at once returned to Boone county, Indiana, and on November 2,
1864, married Eliza Hiestand, who was born in Jefferson township, this
county, November 13, 1843. She is a daughter of Manuel and Mary
(Shreve) Hiestand, natives of Ohio. She was reared in Boone county and
attended the early-day schools. About the time of his marriage our subject
bought a farm in Jefferson township, this count}', consisting of forty acres, to
which he later added, until he now has an excellent farm of one hundred and
forty acres, which he has brought up to a high state of improvement and
cultivation, erecting good buildings, etc. He has carried on successfully
640 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
general farming and raised horses, cattle and hogs. In 1908 he purchased,
four acres in the village of Dover, on which he erected a fine residence, to
which he moved, retiring from active farming, renting his land, and he and
his faithful life companion are spending their declining years in quiet and
comfort.
The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Routh : Jesse
A. died in infancy; George E. lives in Hendricks county; Grant F. lives in
Union township, Boone county; Manuel M. and Charles W. both live in
Jefferson township, where also resides Amanda J., the wife of Orley Stewart.
Politically, Mr. Routh is a Republican. He is the oldest member of the
local Christian church, which was organized at Dover about 1865, since which
time he has been an elder continuously and during all that long period has
been a pillar in the same, and, in fact, has been a leader in the upbuilding of
the communitv for a half centurv.
CALEB O. BROWN.
Within the past decade the farms of Indiana ha\e advanced from two
hundred to three hundred per cent, in selling value, and this in spite of the
fact that every year the opinion has been more or less current that the top
price had been reached, yet the tendency of the values continue steadily
upward. What applies to one county of our great commonwealth, relates
to the other divisions in this splendid corn belt as well as the changes that
have come in the period of time mentioned have had no little effect upon the
general tendency of farm values. The improvement of the country roads,
the use of the auto, the equipment of farm homes, with their efficient heating,
lighting and watering systems, the installation of power for operating pumps,
washing machines, separators, churns and sewing machines, to say nothing
of the larger power plants for shelling, grinding and cutting, have each con-
tributed to the convenience, independence and profit of the farm.
One of the most progressive farmers and enterprising citizens is Caleb
O. Brown, who was born in Montgomery county, Indiana, May 28, i860.
He is a son of John S. and Eliza A. (Osborn) Brown, the father a native of
Hancock county, and the mother a nati\e of Boone county, Indiana. The
CALEB O. BROWN
MRS. CALEB 0. BROWN
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 645
paternal grandparents, Lucius and Alsey Brown, were natives of New
Jersey and Indiana, respectively. The maternal grandparents, Caleb and
Dicy (Gohst) Osborn, were both natives of Virginia. The father of the
subject of this sketch was born in 1828, and the mother's birth occurred in
1832. The grandparents on both sides were very early settlers in Indiana.
Grandfather Brown came to Boone county from Hancock county. After
their marriage the parents of our subject settled in Montgomery county, just
over the line from Boone county. On January i, 1861, they sold out and
bought one hundred and sixty acres, our subject's present farm in Jefferson
township. Only a small clearing had been made on the place, and much of
the place was a swamp. The elder Brown started to clear and improve the
place, doing extensive ditching. He added forty acres later and here he made'
a success as a general farmer. His death occurred June i, 1890, his wife
having preceded him to the grave on December 2, 1886. The following
children were born to them : Josephine, who married W. D. Denny, of
Jefferson township; George E. died in Kansas in 1887; Caleb O., of this re-
view ; Dicy is the wife of Parson B. Chambers, of Indianapolis.
Caleb O. Brown grew up on the home farm and received his education
in the common schools. On September 5, 1885, he married Rebecca Todd,
who was born in Franklin county, Indiana, and is a daughter of Joseph and
Ann (Rockafeller) Todd, natives of New Jersey. To this union one child
was born. Hazel, now the wife of Harry Sumpter, of Jefferson township.
The wife and mother passed to her rest in the Silent Land in April, 1887. On
March 15, 1889, Mr. Brown married Clara B. Edwards, a native of Mont-
gomery county, born December 8, 1865, a daughter of David and Elizabeth
(Dice) Edwards. Two children were born by this marriage, Helen, born
April 26, 1890, and Ruby, born August 15, 1894, who married Charles E.
Johnson and lives on Mr. Brown's farm.
After his marriage, Mr. Brown moved to forty acres his father had
given him, and on which stood a log cabin. Here he lived, constantly im-
proving the place, until 1900. He had prospered by good management and
hard work, and had added to his original holdings until he had one hundred
and thirty acres. He bought out the heirs of the homestead in 1900. He
has remodeled the house and built barns and made other up-to-date improve-
ments. The home place consists of two hundred and twenty acres, and one-
(41)
646 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
half mile north lies his one hundred and forty acres, also well improved. He
has been very successful as a general farmer and stockman, carrying on both
on an extensive scale. He raises registered stock, horses, cattle and hogs
and owns and handles more registered Percheron horses than any one man
in the county. He has handled all the land himself most successfully, too,
and is regarded as one of the leading agriculturists of Boone county, and is
one of the financially strong men of Jefferson township. He organized the
Hazelrigg Telephone Company and made it a pronounced success, also helped
organize all the other local co-operative telephone companies in the county.
He was the first president of the former company and was a director in the
same many years. He is also a director in the Union Trust Company of Le-
banon. He is regarded by all who know him as a business man of exceptional
ability, sound of judgment and keen discernment, and honorable in all his
dealings with his fellowmen, so that he has ever enjoyed their confidence and
esteem.
Politically. Mr. Brown is a Republican, and has been active and in-
fluential in public affairs for many years. Fraternally, he is a member of
the Masonic Order, No. 113, and the Knights of Pythias, No. 124, both at
Thorntown : also under the former belongs to the Chapter, Council and Com-
mandery at Lebanon: and to the Scottish Rite and Mystic Shrine of In-
dianapolis. Personally, Mr. Brown is a genial, courteous and companionable
gentleman whom it is a pleasure to meet.
CHARLES H. DENGER.
The intense interest that is being awakened in agricultural development
and the expression of true friendship indicated by organized and individual
efforts of many good citizens, is one of the most encouraging signs of the
times, but the waste of effort through impractical methods and the lack of
co-ordination and co-operation is one of the regrettable things of the present
generation. The efficiency of every dollar now invested in promoting agricul-
ture can be increased a hundred-fold by a clearer understanding of the farmer
and his needs on the part of those who appreciate and direct the expenditure.
And it is fair to suggest to those who would teach us efficiency in any vocation
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 647
that they study it as well. One of the progressive farmers of Boone county
who was not only properly taught in the various phases of his vocation but
who, being of an inquisitive turn of mind, has diligently sought to find things
out for himself, also to aid others to better their condition along life's rugged
highway is Charles H. Denger, who owns a fine farm in Center township.
Mr. Denger was born June 4, 1849, i" Troy, New York. He is a son
of Peter and Mariar (Butts) Denger. The father was born in Germany,
October 17, 1821, and there he spent his childhood, emigrating to New York
when sixteen years of age, after receiving his early education in the Father-
land. Remaining in the East a number of years he came to Ottawa, Illinois,
in 1855, remaining there until 1893, when he removed to Pulaski county,
Indiana, where his death occurred in 1906, at the age of eighty-five years,
five months and sixteen days. He devoted his life successfully to general
farming. The mother of the subject of this sketch was also a native of
Germany, born there December 17, 1826, and her death occurred in 1887,
being sixty-one years, two months old. To Peter Denger and wife nine
children were born, seven of whom are still living, namely: Peter, Jr., is
deceased; Charles H., of this sketch; Elizabeth is deceased; Edward lives in
Medaryville, Indiana; Leffa lives in Medaryville, Indiana; Emma lives in
Armour, South Dakota; Daniel lives in Daws, Iowa; Albert lives in Iowa;
William lives in Cissna Park, Illinois.
Charles H. Denger was reared on the home farm, and he received his
education in the common schools in LaSalle county, Illinois, also attended
high school, after which he taught school one term. He then turned his
attention to farming, which he has since followed with much success. He
remained in Illinois until 1903, when he removed to Boone county, Indiana,
and located in Center township, where he now owns an excellent farm of
one hundred and forty acres, which is well improved and on which stand a
good home and numerous outbuildings. He also owns forty acres of valuable
land near Roswell, New Mexico, where he spent last winter. He is very
comfortably fixed owing to his thrift and industry, and is known as a good
citizen wherever he has resided. Mr. Denger lived in RoUa, Missouri, in the
year 1870, and in 1881 moved to Broken Bow, Custer county, Nebraska,
where he remained for nearly a year. Politically, he is a Democrat, and in
religious matters belongs to the Baptist church.
Mr. Denger was married June 29, 1882, to Charlotte J. Smith, who was
648 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
born in Washington, Illinois, October 2, i860. She was reared in her native
community and there received a good education. She is a daughter of Silas
and Sarah (George) Smith, a highly respected family of Washington. Silas
Smith died at the age of eighty-two years, and his wife. Mrs. Smith, is living
near Lebanon. Indiana, and is now eighty years old.
Twelve children, seven of whom are living, were born to Mr. and Mrs.
Denger, namely: Charles Arthur, born May 13, 1883, died March 23, 1907;
Addison, born July 3. 1884. is living; May, born November 9, 1886, died
January 31, 1908; Lottie C, born May 8, 1888, is living in Lebanon; Wilbur,
born March 10, i8go, died May 22, 1908; James, born July i, 1892, died
June 24, 1908; Frank, born February 6, 1894, died in August, 1910; Florence,
born March 4, 1896; Leslie, bom March 18, 1898: Walter, born April 11,
1899; Kenneth, born June 21, 1902; and Carl H., born October i. 1905, he
being the youngest child.
THOMAS F. ALLEN.
Boone county can boast of few more progressive and successful farmers
and stockmen than the well-known gentleman whose name furnishes the
caption of this review, Thomas F. Allen, now living in retirement in his
commodious home in Lebanon. He has long been considered both a leader in
agricultural affairs and stock shipping, and by his close application and
sound judgment has accumulated valuable property and a competenc}-. al-
though starting with nothing but willing hands and a laudable ambition to
succeed. As a citizen he is intelligent and enterprising, combining within
himself those sterling qualities of manhood that make not only a useful
member of society, but a leader in the affairs of his community. He has ever
had an honest determination of purpose and an obliging nature which has
impelled him to assist others on the highway of life while making plain the
prosperity for himself and family.
Mr. Allen was born August 7, 1855. in Putnam county. Indiana. He is
a son of George and Mary (Watson) Allen. The father was born in Ken-
tucky in 1822, and when five years of age his parents brought him to Indiana,
thus being among the earliest settlers in Putnam county, where the grand-
father of our subject developed a farm from the dense woods. He served
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 649
during the war of 1812 and was captured by the Indians during this war.
There George Allen grew to manhood and received a meager education in the
old-time country schools. He devoted his life to farming and stock raising
and died October 22, 1908. His wife was also a native of Kentucky, and she
died about fifty years ago, when our subject was a child. He is the youngest
of the family and the only one living out of five sons and one daughter,
namely: Mary C, William M., John, James and Samuel are all deceased;
Thomas F., of this review.
Thomas F. Allen grew to manhood on the home farm in Putnam county,
and the^ he learned the ins and outs of farming and handling live stock, and
he received a limited education in the public schools of his native community.
When a young man he began farming and buying stock, and he came to
Boone county in 1880 and worked out for seventy-five cents a day at farm
work and boarded himself, and later he began trading in horses and thereby
got a good start in life and has continued stock dealing ever since with a large
measure of success attending his efforts. He is now owner of two finely
improved and valuable farms in Washington township, one hundred and
eighty-two and one-half acres in all, well improved and all tillable. He keeps
his land rented and is living in retirement in a fine home on East Main street.
Lebanon.
Mr. Allen has been twice married, first, to Sarah Stewart, on August
25, 1875, '" Putnam county, where she was born and reared; her death oc-
curred July 17, 1886. To this union two children were born: Harry E. is
deceased, married in 1896 to Jessie Riley, native of Boone county. They had
two children, Pansy and Carl. They are now living in Denver, Colorado ;
Earle J. is engaged in the buying and shipping of horses at Roachdale, In-
diana. He was married on October 26, 1909, to Maude Thompson, a native
of Putnam county. On November 25, 1886, Mr. Allen married Louisa J.
Shulse, who was born in Boone county April 14, 1858. She is a daughter of
John M. and Mary J. (Bowers) Shulse, and she grew to womanhood in this
county and was educated in the public schools and the high school in Lebanon.
Her father was born in Kentucky, June i, 1830, and is still living on a farm
in Boone county, is well known and highly respected here. His wife was
born in Tippecanoe county, Indiana, in 1835, and her death occurred March
24, 1864. This second union of our subject has been without issue.
Politically, Mr. Allen is a Democrat ; fraternally, a member of the Knights
of Pythias in Lebanon, and he and his wife belong to the Christian church.
650 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
C. W. SHAW.
We rarely find two persons in every-day life who attribute their success
in their different spheres to similar qualities. Hard work and plodding in-
dustry paved the way for one, good judgment and a keen sense of values for
another, intuition and a well-balanced mind for the third. An admixture of
some of the qualities above named, emphasized by hard work, has been re-
sponsible for the success of C. W. Shaw, proprietor of a popular garage in
Lebanon, in his battle for the spoils of victory, these winning attributes hav-
ing descended from a hardy ancestry who played well their parts in the early
history of this locality, having done their share of the rough work necessary
to redeem the fertile land from the wild state in which the first settlers found
it, and it is to such as these that we of today are greatly indebted for the good
farms, the thriving towns, excellent schools and numerous churches to be
found in every community.
Mr. Shaw was born January 3, 1859. in Harrison township, Boone
county. He is a son of John M. and Mary G. (Robison) Shaw. The father
was born in Kentucky, where he spent his earlier years, but removed to
Boone county, Indiana, when a young man and here spent the rest of his
life engaged in general farming. Here he was married, and here he died in
1903. The mother of our subject was also a native of Kentucky, and she
came to this locality when young. Her death occurred in 1907. To these
parents three children were born, namely: Mrs. Mary I. Bennett. C. W., of
this sketch ; and Carrie, who is deceased.
C. W. Shaw grew to manhood on the home farm in Harrison township,
and he received a common school education. He began life for himself as a
farmer, and this has continued to be his chief life work. He owns one hun-
dred and thirty acres of finely improved and productive land in this county
and has a good home and keeps a splendid grade of live stock. Although he
oversees the general farm work on his place, he is residing in Lebanon, where
he went into the garage business in 1913, in partnership with Ward Brenton,
under firm name of Brenton & Shaw. They have a general repair shop and
storage for automobiles at 224-226 South Lebanon street. They are well
equipped for prompt and high-grade service, and have already built up a
large and rapidly-growing business.
Mr. Shaw was married September i-j, 1890, to Catherine Courtney.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 65 1
who was born in Boone county July 6, 1871. She is a daughter of Michael
and Johannah (Smith) Courtney, both natives of Ireland, from which coun-
try they emigrated to the United States when young and prior to their mar-
riage. Mrs. Shaw was called to her eternal rest on February 27, 191 1, leav-
ing four children, namely: Ruth, born September 6, 1891, married Ernest
Cook, and they live on our subject's farm; Jacob, born July 4, 1895; John
and Frank, twins, born February 6, 1897.
Politically, Mr. Shaw is a Progressive, and he has the reputation of being
a good citizen in every respect.
JAMES W. ADAIR.
One of the most progressive and painstaking agriculturists of Center
township, Boone county, is James W. Adair, a young man who is a worthy
representative of the great middle class of Anglo-Saxons from which the
true noblemen of our republic spring; for it is a fact patent to all contem-
plative minds that those who belong to the respectable middle class of society,
being early taught the necessity of relying upon themselves, depending upon
their own exertions, will be more apt to acquire that information and those
business habits which alone can fit them to discharge life's duties in a com-
mendable manner, and, indeed, it has long been a noticeable fact that our
great men in many walks of life in America spring from this class.
Mr. Adair was born August 27, 1881, in Champaign county, Illinois.
He is a son of D. W. and Ceryna (Norton) Adair, the father a native of the
Dominion of Canada, and the mother was born in Michigan. They each
moved to Illinois when young, the father leaving his native land in 1871 and
they were married in Illinois. They now live on a farm near Lebanon.
They are the parents of two children, Mrs. Bessie Redick and James W., of
this review.
James W. Adair grew to manhood on the home farm and there he
assisted with the general work when a boy, and he received his education in
the common schools in Champaign county, Illinois, and was graduated from
the high school in 1901, then attended the State Agricultural College at
Urbana for a while. He began life for himself as a farmer and this has con-
652 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
tinned to be his line of endeavor. He moved to Boone county, Indiana, in
1906 and began farming in Center township on the fine farm of his father,
which consists of two hundred and seventy-one acres, which is well-tilled, in
fact under a high state of improvement and cultivation, all tillable but a
small portion which is in timber. The mother of our subject also owns
seventy-one acres of good land. Mr. Adair is carrying on general farming
and stock raising on an extensive scale, handling draft horses and a general
breed of cows and hogs. He is a very careful and painstaking farmer and
his expenditure of labor and excellent management are annually rewarded
with large crops of all kinds and good returns for his live stock.
Politically, Mr. Adair is a Progressive. Fraternally, he belongs to the
Loyal Order of Moose, and he attends the ^Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Adair was married December 7, 1904. to Ethel Bocock, who was
born in Champaign county, Illinois, November 26, 1881. She is a daughter
of Solomon and Amy (Boots) Bocock. She grew to womanhood in her
native county and received a good education in the common and high schools,
studied music in which she is naturally talented and later .she taught music
successfully.
To our subject and wife the following children have been born, namely:
Bernice, born October i. 1905: Helen, born April 20, 1907; Howard, born
February 3, 1909; Lucille, born June 4, 1911 ; Mabel, born July 30, 1912;
Willard, born November 14, 1913.
DENNIS HALPIN.
One of the best remembered and most highly respected citizens of
Boone county in a past generation, who, after a successful and honorable
career, uncomplainingly began his journey to that mystic clime, Shakes-
peare's "undiscovered bourne from whence no traveler e'er returns," leaving
behind him a heritage of which his descendants may well be proud — an un-
tarnished name — was Dennis Halpin, a progressive lumberman and agricul-
turist, who played well his role in the local drama of civilization. He was
a man of industry and public-spiritedness, willing at all times to do his full
share in the work of development, never neglecting his larger duties to
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 653
humanity, being obliging and neighborly, kind and genial, which made him
popular with all classes and won the respect and good will of those with
whom he came into contact.
Mr. Halpin was born March 25, 1852, in Chicago, Illinois. He was a
son of John Halpin, who was a native of Ireland, where the mother of our
subject was also born. There they grew to maturity, were educated and
married and when young, emigrated to America, locating in Chicago when
it was a comparatively small city, and there all the living members of this
family still reside except the widow of the subject of this memoir. The
family of John Halpin consisted of five children, all now deceased.
Dennis Halpin grew to manhood in Chicago and there received a good
education in the common schools. He finally came to Indiana and engaged
successfully in the lumber business at New Ross and in Lebanon, building up
an extensive trade through his able management and foresight. He also
engaged successfully in general farming and became one of the substantial
and well-to-do men of Boone county, and left his widow a valuable estate.
Politically, he was a Democrat, but was never an office seeker. Fraternally,
he belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and he was a faithful
attendant at the Methodist Episcopal church, of which his widow is a member.
Dennis Halpin was married June i, 1879, to Mrs. Agnes (Jones) Egbert.
She was born in Pennsylvania, February 5, 1844, and is a daughter of Robert
and Mary (McConnell) Jones, both natives of Pennsylvania. Mr. Jones was
a successful business man. Mrs. Halpin received a good education. She
was first married to Isaac Egbert, Augxist 20, 1862. He was born in New
Jersey and when a boy he removed with his parents to Franklin county, Indi-
ana, where he married Agnes Jones, and they moved to Boone county in
1864, locating in Center township, and Mr. Egbert became a leading citizen
of this county, engaging extensively in general farming, stock raising, also
the lumber business. At the time of his death he owned forty acres of good
land and a sawmill. He died December 30, 1875, leaving a widow and four
sons, namely: George, born August 20, 1863; William H., born July 4,
1865: Austin M., born August 28, 1867; and Robert A., born June i, 1869.
JNIrs. Halpin is a woman of strong mentality and rare industry and is
well-liked wherever she is known. Her pleasant and tastily kept home is
well located two and one-half miles south of Lebanon, and she owns one of
the choice and well-improved farms of Center township, which consists of
654 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
two hundred and five acres, and together with her four sons the family owns
and operates successfully about six hundred acres of fine land.
The death of Dennis Halpin occurred August 31, 1912, and he will long
be remembered and deplored by a wide circle of warm friends.
ROBERT T. ASHLEY.
It is a good sign when a county like Boone can boast of so many of her
enterprising farmers, business and professional men who are native sons, for
it indicates that here are to be found all the opportunities necessary to insure
success in the material afifairs of life and that her native sons, unlike so many
from various sections, have found it to their advantage to remain at home.
They have been wise in doing this, for Nature has ofifered the husbandman
unusual advantages here and seldom fails to reward the honest worker with
gratifying results, and when the tillers of the soil are prosperous, all lines of
business flourish, consequently, not only the farmers have succeeded in Boone
county but also the merchants, millers, lumbermen, stock dealers, and many
others, and the county ranks well with the thriving sections of this or any
other state. One of the worthy native-born citizens of this county, formerly
a successful teacher, but for many years a progressive agriailturist is Robert
T. Ashley, of Lebanon.
Mr. Ashley was born March 27, 1861, on a farm near Jamestown, In-
diana. He is a son of A. J. and Lucretia' (Cassity) Ashley. The father was
a native of Kentucky, from which state he came to Indiana when a young
man, locating, after his marriage, in Boone county, and here he engaged in
farming until his death, in 1863. His wife was born also in Kentucky, and
has been deceased many years. He was a soldier in the Civil war. His
family consisted of four children, one being now deceased, namely : Will-
iam H. is the oldest; Josiah T. is deceased; Robert T., of this sketch; and
Jackson C. is the youngest.
Robert T. Ashley grew up on the farm and he received his early educa-
tion in the common schools, also spent a year in the State Normal at Terre
Haute, then taught school for a period of nine years, three years of that time
being spent in Hendricks county. He ga\e eminent satisfaction as an educa-
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 655.
tor, and his services were in great demand. In the fall of 1894 he came to
Boone county and taught in New Brunswick for one term, then gave his
whole attention to a farm of eighty-five acres in Harrison township, which
he bought. This he operated successfully until 1896, when he removed to
Lebanon, where he owns a cozy home at 330 North East street. He owns-
a farm of thirty-eight acres at the west edge of Lebanon, which he is still
managing.
Mr. Ashley was married March 3,. 1886, to Nettie F. Gillaspie, who was
born in Boone county, near Jamestown, January 8, 1867. She is a daughter
of Francis C. and Sarah A. (Shrout) Gillaspie, a highly respected family of
that vicinity, and there Mrs. Ashley grew to womanhood and received a
common school education.
Four children have been born to our subject and wife, namely : Bertha
B., born March 16, 1887, died February 5, 1905; Ruby V., born May 19,
1889, died August 31, 1890: Winnie May, born June 3, 1895; Jerald Wayne,
born March 2, 1896, both at home.
Politically, Mr. Ashley is a Democrat, and has been active in the ranks.
He was elected assessor of Boone county in 1906, and served four years in a
manner that was highly creditable to himself and to the eminent satisfaction
of all concerned. He was one of he organizers of the Farmers Co-operative-
Insurance Association of Boone County and served as secretary-treasurer for
twelve years. Fraternally, he belongs to the Knights of Pythias at Lebanon,
and in religious matters he and his wife are members of the Christian church.
Mr. Ashlev is a stockholder in the First National Bank of Lebanon.
GEORGE WASHINGTON SILVER.
Nearly eighty years have dissolved in the mists of the irrevocable past
since George Washington Silver, venerable pioneer, now living retired in
Worth township, Boone county, first saw the light of day. He has lived
through one of the most remarkable, and in many respects the most wonder-
ful, epoch in the world's history. There will never be another like it, for it
embraced the period when the strong-armed homeseekers from the eastern
states invaded the great Middle West (his parents being among the number).
656 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
and redeemed it from the wilds, bringing it up through various stages to the
present high state of civihzation. To all this he has been a most interested,
and by no means a passive, spectator, having sought to do his full share in the
work in the progress of the various communities which he has selected as his
place of abode. He talks most interestingly of the early days, when customs
and manners were different, men and women were different, everything, in
fact, unlike what our civilization is today. He and other old pioneers are of
the opinion that those were better, at least happier, times than now, and thts
is, in the main, true.
Mr. Silver was born in Marion county, Indiana, May 17, 1834. He
was a son of Samuel and Anna Eliza (Johnson) Silver, natives of New
Jersey, where they spent their earlier days and from which state they made
the long overland journey west, locating in Marion county, Indiana, about
1832, settling four miles from Indianapolis, having previously lived for a
time in Ohio. They were of German descent. They purchased one hundred
and sixty acres of land upon their arrival in the Hoosier state, for which
they paid nine hundred dollars. Boone county at that time was a veritable
swamp, with few inhabitants. The parents of our subject cleared and im-
proved their land and there spent the rest of their days.
George W. Silver grew up on the home farm in Marion county, where he
worked hard when a boy. He was compelled to work hard and therefore
had little opportunity to obtain an education. He remained at home until he
was twenty-one years of age, then went to Indianapolis, where he teamed,
later worked at farming, and he paid board until his marriage, on September
3, 1858, to Lucinda Eaton, who was born in Marion county, this state, Sep-
tember 3, 1838, and there grew to womanhood and received her education in
the rural schools. She is a daughter of Bluford and Nancy (Tipps) Eaton,
the father a native of Kentucky and the mother of Virginia.
After his marriage our subject rented land a few years, then he and his
brother-in-law, George W. Harlin, bought a general store at New Bethel,
Indiana, which they kept a year, then sold it, and Mr. Silver came to Boone
county and bought forty-five acres of land in Center township, later buying
and selling land until he owned one hundred and twenty acres, on which he
carried on general farming and stock raising successfully. Retiring from
active work, he rented his farm and moved to Lebanon, where he lived five
years, then returned to his farm, where he remained about two years, then.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 657
in 1905, bought thirty-seven and one-half acres in Worth township. He
rents his farm in Clinton township, and his son, A. B. Silver, looks after the
home farm, where he and his wife reside.
To Mr. and Mrs. George W. Silver the following children ha\'e been
born: Mary Etta died in infancy; Calvery died when nineteen years of age;
Arthur Bluford, of Worth township, who operates the home farm; Alva
died when fifteen years of age; Irene died at the age of thirteen years.
Politically, Mr. Silver is a Republican, and he and his good wife are
members of the Baptist church at Whitestown, of which he has been deacon
since 1878, and was a trustee and deacon in the church for fifteen years at
Elizaville. He has lived an upright and honorable life and has always borne
a good reputation.
JAMES ISENHOUR.
A large number of the early pioneers of Boone county have passed to
their reward and now rest from their labors, but here and there a scattered
few remain, honored heroes of a former day and generation, bent under time's
autograph indelibly stamped upon their brows, but still sturdy and independent
of spirit, as when in the long ago it was common for young men to cut loose
from their moorings of civilization and penetrate the woods and traverse the
trackless wildernesses in search of new homes and new destinies. Among
those who have borne an active part in the pioneer history of this locality is
the Isenhour family, of whom the well-known farmer of Worth township
whose name introduces this sketch is a member, whom to know is to honor
and respect. James Isenhour, a Hoosier by birth, has long been one of the
highly esteemed citizens of the vicinity of his residence and it is with pleasure
that the following brief outline of his life and achievements is accorded a
place in this volume which is devoted to a review of Boone county's repre-
sentative men. That he is one of such, no one who has known him since his
residence began in our midst, some sixty-six years ago, will deny.
Mr. Isenhour was born in Monroe county, Indiana, December 11, 1847.
He is a son of Jonathan and Margaret (Whisnand) Isenhour, the father a
native of North Carolina and the mother of Tennessee. Grandfather John
Isenhour was born in North Carolina, and Grandfather Isaac J. Whisnand
•658 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
was a native of Tennessee. They were both very early settlers in Monroe
county, Indiana, and in that county the parents of our subject were married
.and settled, removing from there in 1848 to Worth township. Boone county,
where they purchased a large tract of land, which they cleared and developed
into a fine farm, and here they spent the rest of their lives, the father dying
August 22, 1895 ; the mother died November 22, 1910. They reached ad-
vanced ages. Their children were : Rebecca, who married Jackson Laugh-
ner; Isaac J. died in 1909; John E. lives in Marion county; George died
in September, 1910: James, of this review; William died in 1908; Ellen is the
wife of John F. Day, of Lebanon.
James Isenhour grew to manhood on the home farm, where he worked
hard when a boy, and he received his education in the common schools. He
remained with his parents until his marriage, January 15, 1874, to Eliza
Markland, who was born in Marion county, Indiana, September 10, 1850.
She is a daughter of Jonathan and Mary (Stultz) Markland, both natives of
North Carolina. After his marriage our subject rented land in Worth town-
ship for over twenty years, then bought forty acres in the same township,
part of his land having been improved, and he placed all of it under good
improvement, and, as he prospered through close application and the exercise
of good judgment, he added to his original purchase until he became owner
of two hundred and fifteen acres of valuable land, in two farms, and he made
a pronounced success as a general farmer and stock raiser. His son works
part of his land. In the spring of 1895 our subject moved to his present resi-
dence at Whitestown, where he is spending his declining years surrounded
by all the comforts of life as a result of his earlier days of activity. Mr.
Isenhour has met with misfortune, but he is not the kind to sit down and
bemoan his fate, but with proper fortitude has born it uncomplainingly.
In 1888, while shooting hawks, powder burned his right eye so severely that
he lost the sight of that organ. In 1907 he was run over by a heavily loaded
wagon. It was winter and the temperature was below zero. Unable to help
himself and no one being near, he was compelled to lie three hours on the
cold ground without attention. His right hip was badly injured and his
right thigh broken. He was laid up three months from this accident, and
then could go about only with crutches. Since that time his other eye has
been failing him, and now he cannot distinguish objects.
Mr. Isenhour is a Democrat, and, religiously, he belongs to the Metho-
• dist Episcopal church.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 659
To our subject and wife the following children have been born: W.
Hallie, of Fountaintown, Indiana ; Walter died at the age of thirty-one years ;
Bert lives in Worth township; Guy died when twenty-eight years of age;
Cleveland lives in Whitestown ; Arbie lives at home ; John lives in Whites-
town; Frank lives at home.
Our subject has lived an upright and helpful life and is highly respected
throughout the county, being widely known, for here his long life has been
spent, he having been but a year old when his parents brought him here.
ABRAHAM L. KLINGLER.
"The Song of the Forge" has ever been pleasant to the ears of Abraham
L. Klingler, a skilful and popular blacksmith of the village of Terhune.
Marion township, Boone county, whose well-equipped shop draws hundreds of
patrons from remote parts of the locality, for here they know that they will
receive prompt and careful attention. A criterion of his high-grade work is
shown from the fact that many of his customers have patronized him for a
number of years, refusing to have any other to do their blacksmithing. It is
as much of an art to shoe a horse properly as it is to fill a tooth scientifically
or adjust a pair of spectacles to failing eyes, and it takes close observation
and long practice to become an expert farrier. Those personally acquainted
with Mr. Klingler may note a similarity in Longfellow's "village smithy, a
man with large and sinewy arms as strong as iron bands," not so much per-
haps, from a physical resemblance and certainly not that he "stands under a
spreading chestnut tree." for Mr. Klingler has one of the most up-to-date
shops to be found in the county, but at least from a standpoint of honesty, for
"he looks the whole world in the face, and goes on Sunday to the church."
Mr. Klingler was born in Union township, Boone county, January 9,
1862. He is a son of Francis and Mary (Mullen) Klingler, the former a
native of Kentucky and the latter of North Carolina. Both grandparents of
our subject were early settlers in Boone county, and here the parents of the
subject were early settlers in Boone county, and here the parents of the subject
were married and settled on a farm in Union township. Fourteen children
66o BOONE COUNTY. INDIANA.
were born to them, six of whom are living at this writing, namely: Sarah
is the wife of Jacob Dye, of Nebraska; John lives at Gadsden, Indiana;
William N. lives in Union township; George and Morton both live in Union
township; Abraham L. lives in Marion township.
Abraham L. Klingler was reared on the home farm and educated in the
rural schools. When seventeen years of age he started out for himself, and
with his mother moved to Brown county, Indiana, where he remained seven
months, then returned to Boone county and began working out by the day in
Union township. In 1883 he took up his residence in Terhune and, with his
brother, George, conducted a portable sawmill for a period of ten years;
selling out he went to Kirklin and started with his brother. Two years later
he returned to Terhune, took over the sawmill which his brother had con-
ducted in the meantime, and since then he has also conducted a blacksmith
shop here. His brother George went to Mississippi in 1897 and remained in
that state three years, conducting a sawmill, and, coming back, he started a
drug store, operating three years in Terhune.
Mr. Klingler carries on a general blacksmithing business, including re-
pairing, horseshoeing and woodwork, and is kept very busy. His work in all
lines is high-class. He owns a lot and a half in the village of Terhune where
his shop is located. He also owns seven and one-half acres of valuable land
just east of the village, on which he has a fine residence, which is neatly fur-
nished. He has remained unmarried. Politically, he is a Republican, but
has never been active in political affairs. Fraternally, he belongs to the Im-
proved Order of Red Men, Lodge No. 117, of Sheridan, Indiana.
ROBERT D. BILLINGSLY.
There can be no impropriety in scanning the acts of any man as they
affect his public, social and business relations, so in this biographical work
will be found mention of worthy citizens of all \'ocations, and at this juncture
we are permitted to offer a resume of the career of one of the substantial and
highly esteemed representatives of the agricultural interests of Jefferson town-
ship, Boone county, for Mr. Billingsly has maintained his home for many
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 663
years and where he has not only attained a high degree of success in his
chosen field of labor and enterprise, but also established an imperishable
reputation for uprightness in all the relations of life.
Robert D. Billingsly was born in Johnson county, Indiana, November
4, 1841. He is a son of Samuel and Maria Louisa (Harbert) Billingsly,
the former a native of North Carolina and the latter of Indiana. Samuel
Billingsly came to this state in an early day, when he was a young man,
making the long overland journey with three sisters. They located in John-
son county, where he took up forty acres of land from the government. He
improved this and added to it until he became owner of a half section and was
one of the leading farmers of his vicinity. His death occurred in 1896, his
widow surviving until in 1903.
Robert D. Billingsly grew to manhood on the home farm and he received
his education in the district schools. He remained on the home place imtil
he was twenty-eight years old then started in life for himself. In the spring
of 1863 he enlisted in the Confederate army, in the Fourth Kentucky Mounted
Infantry, under Colonel Giltner, and he served gallantly until the close of the
war, having taken part in numerous campaigns and engagements, including
the battle of Knoxville. Although he had two horses shot from under him
he was never injured. After the war he returned home and remained with
his parents four or five years. He was married February 12, 1871, to Delila
Kaplinger, a native of Johnson county where she was reared and educated.
He later removed to Boone county and purchased one hundred and sixty acres
in section 11, Jefferson township, the land being timbered, however, much of
it had previously been blown down by a cyclone which swept a strip through
Boone county in the sixties. Our subject lived in a tent a few days until he
could erect a cabin, his wife remaining with him through it all. He began
clearing the land and placing it under cultivation. Much ditching was re-
quired, some of the land being swampy, and several years passed before he
had it under proper improvement and cultivation, but he persevered, worked
hard and managed well and in due time a large measure of success attended
his efforts. It was not until 1880 that he got a ditch surveyed which gave
him an outlet, then he began tiling, and laid one thousand rods of tile, and
he now has one of the most productive and valuable farms in the township.
(42)
664 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
He purchased and improved forty acres in his neighborhood, which he later
sold and his place now consists of one hundred and sixty acres, his original
homestead. In 1889 he built a large brick residence, also substantial barns
and other buildings. He has been very successful as a general farmer and
stock raiser.
Mr. Billingsly's first wife died in 1875, leaving two children. Maria Ann,
born January 13, 1872, married Melvin Eddington, a farmer of Jefferson
township and they have two children, Edna and Gracie ; and Jane, born May
9, 1873. married Thomas DeBard, a farmer of Michigan, and they have five
children. Bertha, Maria (deceased), Harry, Raymond and Wilbur; Edgar
born January 17, 1875, died in infancy. On March 10, 1878, our subject
married Mary J. Miller, who was born in Boone county, August 5, 1854; she
is a daughter of Morgan M. Brenninger. She had been previously married
and had one child, Gertrude Miller, who married Clinton DeBard. and they
live in Lebanon. The following children have been born to our subject and
his second wife: Carrie B., born December 31, 1879, married Judge W. H.
Parr, of Lebanon, and they have three children: a sketch of Judge Parr and
family appears elsewhere in this work. Samuel Z. Billingsly was born
August 22, 1881, and he married Lenna Knox, a native of Boone county;
they live on a farm in Jefferson township, and have two children. Rush and
Mary. Amy, born March i, 1883, married Carl Ferguson, a farmer of
Jefferson township, and they have two children, Ray and Freda; Ada, born
February 14, 1887, married D. Butler of Jamestown and they have one child,
Pauline: Minnie, born January 20, 1889, married Roy Kibbey. a farmer of
Hendricks county, and they have three children : Bessie, born September
20, 1891, married Ralph Painter and they live in Lebanon: Robert M., born
January 5, 1894 is attending school at Valparaiso, Indiana: Xova. born
February 18, 1896 is the youngest of the family, and is at home with her
parents. There are eighteen grandchildren. The second wife of our sub-
ject was called to her rest February 26, 1896.
Mr. Billingsly belongs to the Christian church at Advance. Politically,
he is a strong Democrat and is influential in party affairs. Fraternally, he
belongs to the Masonic Order. Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Xo. 664
at Advance. He is now practically retired from active life, his son taking
charge of the farm about a year ago.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 665
BENJAMIN L. STOKER.
It is perhaps one of the ironies of fate that commissions, boards and
special investigators — oftentimes more romantic than practical — sent out by
the government, organizations or philanthropists, invariably conclude that the
farmer is an incompetent. Then there are agricultural adventurers that
frighten us with prophecies of hunger, mischievous statisticians that
argue the decadence of agriculture, and the theorists with their cure-alls —
all of them deploring the incapacity of the farmer. Such is not the case.
The American farmer of today is the most capable workman in the history
of the world's agriculture. The farms of the United States produce an
annual farm value greater than any other agricultural country on the globe.
The American farm is the largest, it is true, but the final test of a successful
producer is net receipts per farmer, and that is in favor of the American
plowman. One of the best examples of successful farming under advanced
twentieth-century methods to be found in Boone county is the fine farm of
Benjamin L. Stoker, of Center township.
Mr. Stoker was born January 22, 1853, '>^ Hendricks county, Indiana.
He is a son of Tyrie and Sinna (Leatherman) Stoker. The father was
born in Kentucky, from which state he came to Boone county, Indiana, with
his parents when eight years old, later removing to Hendricks county. Sub-
sequently he removed to Missouri, where he lived with the family, but finally
returned to Boone county, Indiana, he spent the rest of his life. He
was a farmer all his active years. The mother of our subject was a native of
Putnam county, Indiana. To these parents twelve children were born,
seven of whom are still living, namely: John is the oldest; William, Mary
and Sarah are all three deceased; James and Nancy are both living; Benja-
man L., of this sketch; Cenith and Christana are both living; Fred and
Nellie are both deceased; Narcissus is the youngest child.
Benjamin L. Stoker grew to manhood in Hendricks county and there
received a common school education ; also attended school in Perry township,
Boone county. When he was twenty-two years of age he went west and
joined the regular army, serving under Captain Shinnel in Company H,
Sixth Infantry. He was stationed in the Dakotas and Minnesota and for a
-.time was in Canada. He remained in the service five years, proving to be an
666 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
efficient and able soldier. After an honorable discharge he lived in Minne-
sota a few years, finally returning to Boone county, Indiana, where he has
since resided. He has been very successful as a general farmer and stock
raiser, and is owner of one hundred and twenty acres of valuable land in
Center township, which is all cleared, well tilled and under an excellent state
of cultivation. Mr. Stoker has a pleasant dwelling, which he himself built.
Mr. Stoker is a natural mechanic and does his own carpentering and black-
smithing, and has his own blacksmith shop. He raises Shorthorn and Jer-
sey cows, Duroc hogs and draft horses, and no small portion of his annual
income is derived from his judicious handling of live stock.
Politically, Mr. Stoker is a Democrat, and fraternally, he belongs to
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in Lebanon. His wife is a member
of the Christian church.
WILLIAM U. LANE.
Owing to the fact that the people of the country have been flocking in
such great numbers to the cities during the past decade the time has come
when our urban and rural population is nearly equal. Political economists,
sociologists, politicians and others are becoming alarmed at this, contending,
among other things, that there are too many people to eat and too few pro-
ducing things to be eaten. They warn us that our rich, virgin soils are fast
becoming things of the past, and we cannot abandon the depleted farms as we
cast off a worn-out garment and seek a new one. We have to stay in the
occupied territory. Our grazing lands and timbered lands have been sub-
divided ; we no more have the free fields ; our great West is occupied by
settlers. Build up the neglected soil, they urge us, so that it will produce
enough food for all the people. One of the citizens of Boone county who
has been wise enough to remain on the farm and to so scientifically till his
soil that it has been strengthened rather than depleted, is William V. Lane, of
Jackson township.
Mr. Lane was born in Center township, Boone county, December 9, 1864.
He is a son of Emsley J. and Isabell M. (McConaughy) Lane, the former a
native of Putnam county, and the latter of Boone county. The paternal
grandparents were Lewis and Emma (Jackson) Lane. Lewis Lane came to
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 667
Indiana from Knoxville, Tennessee, about 1830, marrying in Putnam county
and settling on a farm three and one-half miles southwest of Lebanon, about
1840, establishing the future home of the family. The maternal grandpar-
ents, Harvey and Polly (Jamison) McConaughy, were among the first white
settlers in Boone county, clearing and developing a farm here. In this locality
the parents of our subject grew up and were educated in the early-day
schools, and after their marriage they settled on a farm in Center township,
Mr. Lane owning a farm here, but later, after the death of his father, the
family removed to Jackson township. The death of Emsley Lane occurred in
1872. Her death occurred in Lebanon in 1901, at an advanced age. To
these parents the following children were born; Dora A., now deceased, was
the wife of Henry Yeley; Viola is the wife of Enoch Marks, of Indianapolis;
Miranda A. is the wife of J. W. Jones, of Lebanon; Clara is the wife of
Perry Canada, of Jackson township: Oliver M. lives in LaFayette, Indiana;
William U., of this sketch; Alma J. is the wife of William Fall, of Washing-
ton township, this county.
William U. Lane grew up on the home farm and he received his educa-
tion in the district schools, the Central Normal at Danville and the State
Normal at Terre Haute. When fifteen years old he left home and worked
by the month at farm work in his native county. When twenty years old he
went to Cimarron, Gray county, Kansas, where he remained from 1885 to
1888. He homesteaded a government claim near Dodge City. Returning to
Boone county, he taught school from the winter of 1888 continuously until
191 1. He remained a close student and kept well abreast of the times of all
that pertained to his vocation. In 1892 he was elected county surveyor, the
duties of which office he filled with ability and satisfaction until 1905. In
1892 he purchased a farm in Harrison and later in Center township. He now
owns ninety-two acres of fine land in Jackson township. He disposed of his
other land in 1900. He has engaged in farming all the while, with the ex-
ception of two years when he was county surveyor. He has been very suc-
cessful as a general farmer and stock raiser, and he has an attractive home
and good outbuildings.
Mr. Lane was married in September, 1892, to Myrtle Swindler, who
was bom in Jackson township, where she was reared and educated. She is a
daughter of Robert and Sarah (Redinbaugh) Swindler, formerly of Mont-
gomery county, Indiana.
668 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
To Mr. and Mrs. Lane the following children have been born : Harold,
Hazel and Mary.
Politically, Mr. Lane has been a Republican, and, religiously, is an^
active member of the Christian church, in which he has been an elder since
1900.
JACOB S. MILLER.
We are always glad to honor the old pioneers, and this is as it should be,
for they are deserving of every consideration; they have done so much for
us of this generation, that we cannot begin to repay them, even in gratitude;
in fact, we often lose sight of the great sacrifices they made for us, their
descendants, and of the hardships they endured that the bounds of civilization
might be pushed farther westward and outward. They had a hard time, and
no mistake, combating the root-interlaced soil, the cjuick-growing underbrush
and weeds, combating the wild creatures of the wilderness and the air, that
sought to destroy their crops, domestic animals and even themselves; com-
bating the skulking, treacherous red man who claimed the domain on which
the pale faces settled. It is doubtful if we of today, many of us at least,
would be willing to brave the wilds as did our progenitors, and wrest from a
resisting Nature and bloodthirsty race the fair realms now to be seen dotted
with happy homes, thriving cities and school house belfries and church spires
pointing skyward. One of the worthy citizens of Boone county who has
come down to us from the early pioneer period in northern Indiana is Jacob
S. Miller, who has passed his four score years, and is now living quietly ill
the village of Thorntown, in the December of his life, who is happy be-
cause he has been thrifty and has laid away a competency and also because he
has lived honestly and therefore has no regrets for misdeeds.
Mr. Miller was born in Marion county, Indiana, March 11, 1833. He
is a son of John D. and Ann (Barkley) Miller, both natives of Georgetown.
Kentucky, where they grew up, were married and lived until 1830, when the
father came to Marion county, Indiana, and entered wild timber land, eighty
acres, and there they lived some time, beginning life there in a log cabin,
later selling out and buying one hundred and twenty acres on the line be-
tween Marion and Hendricks county. There the elder Miller built a large log
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 669
house, which is still standing, for it has always been kept in good repair.
John D. Miller was a man of courage and thrift and he became owner of
four hundred acres of excellent land in one tract. His death occurred in
1857, at the age of fifty-six years. His widow survived forty-six years,
dying in 1902, at the advanced age of eighty-two years. Their son, Charles
Fremont Miller, now lives on the old home place, owning two hundred and
twenty acres of the same.
Jacob S. Miller has vivid recollections of his childhood days in the far-
stretching woods of what is now one of the leading agricultural sections of
the state. Often his mother would take him in her lap and make long trips
on horseback. When he became of proper age he assisted his father in the
general work of clearing and developing the homestead, and in the brief
winter months he attended the early-day subscription schools. After his
father's death he remained with his mother until his marriage. He was next
to the oldest of nine children, and therefore much responsibility of caring for
the family fell on his shoulders. He purchased one hundred and sixty acres
of partly-improved land, which he operated and on which he got a start in
life. On August 31, 1862, he married Emma J. Armstrong, who was born in
Erie county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Edward and Lydia (Mershon)
Armstrong; the father was born in Ireland and the mother was a native of
Erie county, Pennsylvania. The former emigrated to America when a young
man, located in Erie county, Pennsylvania, and there married, and he and his
wife spent fhe rest of their lives there. The wife of our subject came to
Marion county, Indiana, in 1861, and after her marriage she and our subject
continued to live on his farm there seven years, then removed to near Lin-
coln, Nebraska, where Mr. Miller purchased over one thousand acres of land,
within three miles of the present home of William J. Bryan, secretary of the
United States. There our subject farmed successfully for some time, then
returned to Indiana and purchased one hundred and sixty acres in Boone
county, in 1881, where he remained until 1882, when he sold out and bought
one hundred and fifty-tour acres, which he operated with his usual success
for thirteen years, being known as one of the most progressive and successful
general farmers in the county. He then retired from active life, bought a
well-located lot in Thorntown, on which he erected a commodious and com-
fortable residence and there he and his faithful life companion now reside in
comfort and quiet.
6/0 BOONE COUNTY. INDIANA.
Mr. Aliller is a veteran of the Civil war. having enHsted in July, 1863.
in Company D, Twenty-ninth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was assigned
to the Army of the Cumberland, but most of his service was as a guard at
Chattanooga, Tennessee. He proved to be a faithful soldier and was honor-
ably discharged at the close of the war.
The follow^ing children have been born to our subject and wnfe: Lydia
H. is the wife of Charles Kendall, and they live in Greencastle, Indiana: Dora
has remained single and lives with her parents; Edward died at the age of
forty-one years; John lives in Washington township. Boone county; Robert
is a professor in the University of New Brunswick. Canada.
Mrs. Emma J. Miller grew to womanhood in her native state and there
received a good education and before her marriage taught school for some
time both in Pennsylvania and in Indiana.
Mr. ililler is a Republican in politics and has long been more or less
influential in public affairs. He served one term as commissioner of Boone
county in a very acceptable manner, and has held several minor township
offices. He has been all along an advocate of good roads and has done much
to encourage the same. He is a member of the George R. Thomas Post.
Grand Army of the Republic, at Lebanon, and he and his wife are faithful
members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Thorntown, and no couple in
this part of the county are held in higher esteem than they.
TAMES H. KIBBEY.
There is no power more effective than the silent influence of a noble
life. This truth is fully illustrated in the life of every good man, and in
this sketch is presented a man well worthy of imitation by the young and rising-
generation. In these days of money making, when life is a constant struggle
between right and wrong, it is a pleasure to lay before an intelligent reader
the unsullied record of an honorable man. To the youthful it wmII be a use-
ful lesson — an incentive to honest industry. A large class of the farmers of
Boone county have led such modest and retiring lives as to be seldom heard
of outside their own township. They have ever done fine work in their com-
munitv, but most of them have not e\'inced a desire to mingle in the more
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 673
public matters of the county, devoting all their time and energies to the
cultivation of their farms and the development of the resources of their
vicinity. Such men deserve more mention than they ordinarily receive, and
it is a pleasure to here present one of them in the person of James H. Kibbey,
now living quietly in his cosy home in the town of Advance in his eighty-
ninth year. He is one of the earliest pioneers in Jackson township, where he
established his home in the wilds over sixty years ago, and remained on the
same farm until his retirement from active life. During that prolonged
period he took no inconspicuous part in the general development of his town-
ship, in which no man has been better or more favorably known.
Mr. Kibbey was born September 9, 1825, in Greenup county, Kentucky,
and is the youngest of ten children, seven sons and three, daughters, all of
whom grew to maturity, and after the father's death, which occurred when
our subject was six years old, they all remained with their mother on the home
farm. She was a woman of strong mind and high Christian sentiments and
reared her children in the best manner possible. She reached the age of
eighty years. These children are now all deceased except our subject, his
last brother having died a quarter of a century ago. They all married and
reared families of their o\An except one son who died when twenty-two years
old. The death of the last brother occurred at the age of eighty-two years,
the most ad\-anced age any of the family attained except our subject.
When seventeen years old James H. Kibbey was selected to mark the
line between Greenup and Carter counties, the latter having been newly
formed, and he also carried the chain and ran the experimental line between
Lawrence and Carter counties. When twenty-four years old he met Martha
Ann Gill, of Bath county, Kentucky, and they were married December 4,
1849, ^"d they have thus traversed together the rough path of life for a
period of over sixty-five years, their long association being mutually helpful
and happy, and although they are both far advanced in old age, they are yet
active and in possession of their faculties to a remarkable degree. Mrs.
Kibbey was eighty-five years old October 13, 19 13. She was next to the
youngest of eleven children. She has one brother, living in Illinois, who
is two years her senior. Her father was a prominent citizen in the early
days of the Blue Grass state at Gill Mills. He later sold his mills and land
at that place and located in Fleming county, that state, and at one time he
owned over five hundred acres of land there, and it was in Fleming county
6/4 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
that Mr. and Airs. Kibbey were married. Mr. Kibbey sold the home farm
in 1852. and he and one of his brothers purchased over five hundred acres of
land, a sawmill and a carding factory on the Little Sandy river, and on
October 20, 1853, our subject sold out to his brother and removed with his
wife and three children to Indiana, crossing the Ohio river on horseback.
He made part of the trip through Ohio in a wagon and part on a canal and
after a tedious and somewhat dangerous trip of twelve days they reached
Boone county, Indiana, where they visited for a time with J. Gill and
other relatives of Mrs. Kibbey, and on November 20, 1853, just one month
from the time they left Kentucky, they went to housekeeping in this county,
buying a lease for two years of Elijah Jackson, in order to get a house to live
in, the land being unimproved, in fact most of the county was practically a
wilderness. He built a house the following spring but did not move into it,
having purchased eighty acres, forty acres of which was cleared and on it
stood a small house, and in this he lived until he could clear a portion of his
two hundred and forty-three acres which was entered from the government,
near Jamestown, and which he still owns, and thus only the one transfer has
ever been made in the place. This land was secured from the government
by Airs. Kibbey's father, who gave it to her. He owned large tracts in Indiana
and Illinois which he divided among his children. On this land our subject
and wife set to work with a will, cleared and improved it until it was one
of the most valuable and desirable farms in the county and here they resided
until their retirement from acti\e life. Tliey experienced the usual hard-
ships and privations of pioneer life, but they had kind neighbors and all
enjoyed the log rollings, house raisings and other such events in those times.
Much of the land was low and wet and had to be properly drained before it
could be utilized. About 1856 a meeting was held at old Union church and
there was formed the Eel River Association, articles drawn up and signed,
directors elected and plans formulated for the purpose of constructing a large
ditch to drain the vicinity effectively. Mr. Kibbey was one of the directors.
It was a big undertaking for the pioneers, but was carried out successfully
at an expense of twelve thousand dollars, the work requiring several years.
.\n unfortunate contract with the builder of the ditch involved the directors
heavil} in del)t. and added to this, reverses visited Mr. Kibbey in 1876, such
as cholera killing a large number of his hogs, and he was forced to go into
bankruptcy, and he gave up exerything he had but two old horses and about
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 675.
five acres of corn. His health also failed at this time and the future was
very unpromising. He rented his land and went to Kansas, remaining there
two years, during which he regained his health and returned to Boone county.
He went to work with his usual industry and by close application and the
exercise of sound judgment prospered and in due course of time paid all his
indebtedness, and since then he has accumulated a comfortable competency
and is one of the substantial men of his township. He retired from active
work on his farm in 1894, purchased a home in the town of Lebanon and
there he and his wife lived serenely for nine years. He built a fine residence
on his farm about 1870. His fine farm contains two hundred and twenty-
three acres.
To Mr. and Mrs. Kibbey nine children were born, three of whom died
in early life. The oldest daughter died in Grangeville, Idaho, in August,
1889: Ephraim, the oldest son, died in April, 1912; the other two sons and
two daughters are Mrs. Mary G. Burk ; William P. lives in Advance ; Mrs.
Chearereda H. Utterback : James G. lives near the old home. Jane, Ephraim's
widow has a good farm and lives close to the old home. Our subject and
wife have twenty-three grandchildren and twenty-two great-grandchildren
and two great-great-grandchildren.
In order to give his three oldest children better educational advantages,
Mr. Kibbey moved to Lebanon in 1866, renting his farm for two years, then
returned to the same. The eldest daughter who went to Grangeville, Idaho,
to reside in 1878, visited her parents in 1888, and they returned to Grange-
ville with her for a short visit. They went from there to Portland, Oregon,
to visit relatives and while in that state visited the Pacific ocean and in all
two months in the West.
While living in Lebanon, Mrs. Kibbey received a fall from which she
suft'ered a broken hip and for a time the doctors thought she would not re-
cover but with proper care, she was spared but is still using one crutch. When
Mrs. Kibbey was able to drive around, they moved to Advance in order to
be nearer their children and are residing there at the present time. On the
fourth of December, Mr. and Mrs. Kibbey were married sixty-five years.
Politically, Mr. Kibbey was originally a Whig until 1853, and he voted
for Gen. Zachariah Taylor for President. He has voted the Democratic
ticket the latter part of his life. He served as trustee of Jackson township
three terms, and was justice of the peace four years, discharging his duties^
676 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
in each capacity very acceptably. He and his wife have been active mem-
bers of the Christian church at old Union in Jackson township for many years.
He has belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows for the past fifty-
two years, and is one of the oldest members of this order in the state, also
is a member of the Encampment. He holds his membership in the Luther
Lodge. No. 227 at Jamestown, of the former, and is a member of Rebekah
Lodge, No. 2JJ at Jamestown. His wife also joined this order in 1866,
they being charter members of the same which, so far as known is the oldest
lodge of this order in the state. It was in 1861 that Mr. Kibbey joined the
Odd Fellows, and he and Corbin are the only two living members of the
camp organization. ^\r. Kibbey's eyesight returned after wearing glasses
for half a centur}- and he now has excellent sight and reads without glasses.
The many friends of this grand old couple appreciate their honorable, hos-
pitable and useful lives and wish them many days yet of serene and happy
liours before they are summoned to their rewards in the great Beyond.
JOHN W. MORRISON.
It is always pleasant and profitable to contemplate the career of a man
who has won a definite goal in life, whose career has been such as to com-
mand the honor and respect of his fellow citizens. Such, in brief, is the record
of the well-known agriculturist whose name heads this sketch, than whom a
more whole-souled and popular man it would be difficult to find within the
limits of Sugar Creek township, Boone county, where he has always main-
tained his home and where he has labored not only for his own individual
advancement and that of his immediate family, but also for the improve-
ment of the entire community whose interests he has ever had at heart and
which he is now ably serving as township trustee. Mr. Morrison comes of
an old pioneer family, members of which have done their full share in the
advancement of this locality and have been well known here for over a half
century.
John W. Morrison was born in the above-named township and county
January 11, i860. He is a son of Robert and Priscilla (Loveless) Morrison,
the father a native of Sugar Creek township, this county, and the mother
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 677
was born in Ohio, from which state also came the paternal grandparents,
John and Ann Morrison, both being natives of the Buckeye state, where they
grew up and were married, coming to Indiana among the early settlers. The
maternal grandparents, William and Elizabeth (Wadkins) Loveless, were
also natives of Ohio and spent their earlier years there, removing to Sugar
Creek township, this county, in a very early day, and here the parents of our
subject grew to maturity, were educated in the old-time subscription schools
and were married, beginning housekeeping on a farm in Sugar Creek town-
ship. The father was born in 1834 and his death occurred in 1891. He was a
successful farmer, owning at one time a fine farm of three hundred acres.
Since his death his widow has li\ed among her children. She was born in
1823, and is therefore now ninety-one }-ears of age. To Robert Morrison and
wife three children were born, namely: John W., of this review; Everett,
who lives in Perry township, this county : and Mary, who marrfied Grant
Riley, died in 1911.
John W. Morrison was reared on the home farm, where he worked
when a boy and he received his education in the district schools. He remained
with his parents on the homestead, in Sugar Creek township, until his mar-
riage, September 17, 1880, to Belle Larsh, who was born in this township
and county, and here grew to womanhood and was educated. • She is a daugh-
ter of William and Emeline (Greene) Larsh, he a native of Ohio and she of
Sugar Creek township, this county. The grandfather, Tolover Larsh, was
born in Ohio, as was also Grandfather David Greene, and they were both
early settlers in this section of Indiana.
After his marriage, John W. Morrison moved to a farm which he pur-
chased in Sugar Creek township, and on this place carried on general farming
and stock raising in a successful manner for a period of twenty-six years,
then sold out and purchased the eighty-acre homestead of his wife's parents,
where he was equally successful as a general farmer and stock raiser until
1909, when he rented the place and has since given his attention to the duties
of his official position, that of township trustee, to which he was elected in
the autumn of 1908, and has served continuously ever since, making a record
that is highly commendable in every respect. He is a Republican in politics
and has been faithful in his support of the party. Fraternally, he belongs to
the Masonic Order, No. 113, at Thorntown, also the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, No. 489, at Colfax; and the Knights of the Maccabees at Col-
•678 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
fax. He was for many years identified with the Methodist Episcopal church,
but in 1909 he joined the Society of Friends.
To Air. and Mrs. Morrison the following children were born : Emeline,
who died when twelve years old; Carl died in infancy; Kenneth died when
thirteen years old.
Mr. Morrison has been very successful in his life work and is regarded
as one of the influential men of his township.
CHARLES F. WELCH.
It is the dictate of our natures, no less than of enlightened social policy,
to honor those whose lives have contributed in any way to the good of their
community and their associates ; to bedew with affectionate tears the silent
urn of departed worth and value; to unburden the fullness of the surcharged
heart eulogium upon deceased benefactors, and to rehearse their noble deeds
for the benefit of those who may come after us. It has been the commendable
• custom of all ages and all nations. Hence the following feeble tribute to one
of our best citizens. In contemplating the many estimable qualities of the
late Charles F. \\'elch. of Thorntown, Boone county, integrity and industry
.appear as prominent characteristics — an integrity that no personal or other
consideration could swerve, and an industry that knew no rest while anything
remained undone. He was one of those men who, when a gi\en task was
accomplished, would throw ofif all care, retire to his home and devote him-
self to domestic and social enjoyments, for which he had a great relish. His
temper "was calm and equitable, and his manners were emphatically those of
the gentleman, — plain, simple, unselfish, — despising sham and pretense of all
kinds. His devotion to every duty was intense, while his perception of truth
and worth was almost intuitive. In his estimate of these he was seldom mis-
taken, and while his opinions were strong, he was always open to conviction,
and when satisfied that they were erroneous his concessions were graceful
and unqualified. Mr. \\'elch, in short, was a man whom to know was to
respect and admire, and when he was summoned to the Silent Land, his loss
was keenly felt by a wide circle of friends and acquaintances.
Charles F. Welch was born in W'ashington township. Boone county.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA- 679
Indiana, October i8, 1842. He was a son of John and Nancy (Craig)
Welch, the father a native of Boone county and the mother of Adams county.
Ohio. He died in this county, his widow removing to Missouri where her
death occurred.
Charles F. Welch was ten years old when his father died, and he went to
live with his mother's people and there remained, assisting with the general
work about the place and attending the district schools during the winter, un-
til the breaking out of the Civil war when he enlisted in Company D, Seven-
ty-second Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in the famous Wilder's Brigade in
which he served most faithfully for three years, taking part in many import-
ant campaigns and hard-fought battles and skirmishes. He was a brave and
capable soldier in every respect. After he was honorably discharged from the
army he returned to Boone county and worked at general farming until his
marriage in Ohio in September, 1873, to Charlotte Houston, who was born
in Greene county, Ohio, and who is a daughter of Matthew and Rebecca
(Sharks) Houston, a highly respected family. Mrs. Welch grew to woman-
hood in her native state and there received a good common school education.
Soon after their marriage our subject and wife came to Washington town-
ship, Boone county, and located on a farm where Mr. Welch prospered as a
general farmer and stock raiser. Later selling his large farm there he bought
a farm of one hundred acres just west of Thorntown and on this he lived a
few years, then sold out and bought eighty acres just south of Thorntown,
continuing general agricultural pursuits, specializing in raising fine live stock,
until his death, which occurred July 28, 1909, since which time Mrs. Welch
has made her home in Thorntown, having purchased a beautiful and modernl}^
appointed residence here, and she is li\-ing alone. She retains her fine farm,
which she keeps rented. She is a woman of many commendable traits of
character and is a favorite with a wide circle of friends.
Mr. Welch was a Republican in politics and served as trustee of Wash-
ington township for a period of five years, and as township assessor for seven
years, discharging his official duties in an able and faithful manner. Frater-
nally he was a member of the Masonic Order at Thorntown, and in his earlier
life was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.. He was a
faithful member of the Presbyterian churclr, of which his widow is a mem-
ber.
68o BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
LEANDER MEAD CRIST.
Leander Mead Crist, the eighth child and fourth son of James Weller
and Mar_v (LaFuze) Crist, was born at Liberty, Indiana, October 23, 1837.
The maternal grandparents were .Samuel LaFuze and Eleanor Harper.
Samuel LaFuze was born in western Pennsylvania, September 12, 1776.
His father was killed at the close of 1775 at the beginning of the Revolution-
ary war. Eleanor Harper was born in eastern Pennsylvania, September 5,
1777. Her father was also killed in the Revolutionary war. On the paternal
line there was the blood of the Teuton, Irish and Scotch Dissenter, while on
the maternal it was French and Irish.
The grandfather, George Weller Crist, was born in New Jersey, Septem-
ber 20, 1770. In 1795, in his early manhood he came to Ohio and settled on
the Miami river above Cincinnati. Here it was that he woeed and won a
fair maiden by the name of Sarah Bell, who was born in Ireland and in her
ninth year crossed the sea with her parents and settled in Ohio. At the very
dawn of the century they were married and came to Indiana in 1812, entering
and settling on land now in the corporation of Liberty, Indiana. March 16,
1844. George Weller Crist died and his wife. Sarah Bell, died at the home of
her daughter, Mrs. James Henry, at Laurel, Indiana, in 1864. The maternal
grandparent, Eleanor (Harper) LaFuze, died February 17, 1852. Samuel
LaFuze died January 11, 1863. The mother of Eleanor Harper was born
in 1743, and after the death of Mr. Harper was married to Mr. Davis and
died at Liberty, Indiana, 1824.
The ancestors on both paternal and maternal sides as far back as the
records can be traced were Protestants. They were of true pioneer spirit,
energetic, industrious and frugal.
The father of the subject of this sketch, James Weller Crist, was born
in Hamilton county, Ohio, July 4, 1803, came with his parents to Indiana,
in 1812, settling in what is now Union county: married March 2, 1823, to
Mary LaFuze. who immediately settled in the forest. They were blest with
ele\en children, ten of whom were reared to manhood and womanhood.
The father passed away September 14. 1859. The mother, Mary LaFuze,
was born near Brownsville, Pennsylvania, March 21, 1805, and died at the
home of her son, Leander M. Crist, November 6, 1890. These parents early
HON L. M CRIST
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 683
connected themselves with the Methodist Episcopal church and their home
was a pioneer church for years and the home of the circuit rider. They were
also charter members of the first temperance society organized in Union
county and banished the cards, cuspidor and the demijohn from the home
as early as the spring of 1833. They gave to their children the best church
and educational advantages that the country afforded at that early date.
Leander M. Crist assisted his father on the farm and in the mills until
manhood. In the fall of 1863, he entered Asbury University (now DePauw),
where he remained four years, graduating with a class of twenty-four in
1867. He then went to Lancaster, Kentucky, and taught in the male
academy for three years, at the same time studying law. In 1870 he re-
turned to his old home at Liberty, Indiana, and began the practice of law.
His marriage took place at Liberty, October 23, 1871, to Miss Eunice M.
Brown, daughter of Walter and Keziah (LaBoyteau) Brown. She was a
graduate of Oxford (Ohio) College, in the class of 1867. December 2, 1872,
a son was born to this union and christened Mark Brown Crist, but the joy
and high hopes that came by this new tie of love, was soon shrouded in
deepest gloom by the death of the young mother, February 25, 1873, in the
twenty-third year of her age.
In 1875, Mr. Crist was selected as county superintendent of the public
schools of Union county, Indiana, which position he held by re-election until
June, 1 88 1. June 12, 1880, Mr. Crist was married to Miss Orpha A. Gath,
of Oxford, Ohio, who graduated at the Oxford (Ohio) College, in the class of
1866. She is a daughter of Samuel and Mary (Tetley) Gath, who came
from Halifax, England, to this country in 1840. She was born at Oxford,
Ohio, May 21, 1845. After her graduation, she entered the school work,
teaching in the public schools for twelve years, and two years in the Miami
Classical School at Oxford, Ohio, at the time when the coeducation was
introduced into that institution.
In 1881, Mr. and Mrs. Crist moved to Thorntown, Boone county, Indi-
ana, and for three years successfully conducted together the public schools
in that place. In the summer of 1884, came the call for a political organiza-
tion against licensed rum. Mr. and Mrs. Crist both being born with an
antipathy against the drink curse, could not resist the call. On July 23,
(43)
684 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
1884, Mr. Crist went to Indianapolis to participate in the first State Prohibi-
tion Convention. He was one of five to join in a call for the first prohibition
convention in Boone county, September 8, 1884. This action made it neces-
sary for both to retire from public school work and from all official recogni-
tion in the church; to face the opposition, innuendoes and contumely usually
bestowed upon those who step out into any new line of action. He became
an ardent supporter of the Prohibition cause. In 1886 he was candidate for
Representative of Boone county; in 1888 delegate to the National Conven-
tion at Indianapolis;: in 1890, candidate for State Sviperintendent of Public
Instruction; in 1892, delegate to the National Convention at Cincinnati,
Ohio; in 1894, candidate for Congress in the Ninth Indiana District; in
1895, accompanied his wife, who was a delegate to the World's Women's
Christian Temperance Union Convention in London, England; in 1896, dele-
gate to the National Convention at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and candidate
for Governor of Indiana, on the Prohibition ticket; in 1897- 1898, chairman
of the Prohibition State Committee of Indiana; in 1900, delegate to the
National Convention at Indianapolis. During the years 1891-1897, inclu-
sive, there was held in Mr. Crist's grove a Gospel Prohibition service every
Sabbath afternoon for four months each year to advance this great cause.
In 1899-1901, inclusive, the work was continued by the publication of the
Twentieth Century, an eight page monthly. For the past seven years Mr.
Crist has been publisher of the Thorntown Argns-Entcr prise, a weekly local
paper.
In addition to this work along reform lines, Mr. Crist served as director
in the First National Bank at Liberty, Indiana; secretary of a turnpike com-
pany ; secretary of the Masonic Order for a long period of years ; president
of the County Sunday School Association, both in Union and Boone counties.
He became director of the First National Bank in Thorntown and aided in
the organization of the Home National Bank of Thorntown and served as
president for six years. This is a mere outline of some of the duties and
responsibilities of a long active life and still more to follow.
Mark B. Crist, the son and only child of the subject of this sketch, was
tutored at home until he was prepared to enter the freshman work at Purdue
L^niversity, which course he finished in 1896. He then went to New York,
where he for five years was engaged in practical lines along electrical and
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 685
mechanical engineering. During this time he was married to Miss Anna
Field of Dayton, Ohio. To this union five children were born, Eunice,
March 25, 1901, in New York City; Floyd Field, bom in Cleveland, May 5,
1902; Mary Eleanor, July 24, 1904; Ida, January 9, 1901 ; Orpha Lee, Au-
gust 17, 1912; all born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.
L. M. Crist, though living on borrowed time, is still hale and hardy and
ready for more battles along moral lines. His theme of life has been total
abstinence from all things harmful and temperate in all things that are good
and useful.
MADISON HALL ROSE, M. D.
The man who devotes his talents and energies to the noble work of ad-
ministering to the ills and alleviating the sufferings of humanity pursues a
calling which, in dignity, importance and beneficial results, is second to no
other. If true to his profession and earnest in his efforts to enlarge his
sphere of usefulness, he is indeed a benefactor of his kind, for to him more
than any other man are entrusted the safety, the comfort and in many in-
stances the lives of those who place themselves under his care and profit by
his services. Of this class of professional men was the late Dr. Madison
Hall Rose, for thirty-six years one of the leading general physicians of Boone
county, a man who had few peers and no superiors among his professional
brethren in this section of Indiana, during which period he not only gained
wide notoriety in his chosen calling but established a sound reputation for
uprightness and noble character in all the relations of life. He realized that
to those who attain success in the medical profession there must be not only
given technical ability, but also a broad human sympathy which must pass
from mere sentiment to be an actuating motive for helpfulness. So he digni-
fied and honored the profession by his able and self -abnegating services, in
which, through long years of close application, he attained notable distinction
and unqualified success. His long and useful life as one of the world's work-
ers was one of devotion, almost consecration, to his vocation, and well does
he merit a place of honor in every history touching upon the lives and deeds
of those who have given the best of their powers and talent for aiding in the
betterment of their kind. He was, in the most significant sense, humanity's
686 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
friend, and to those familiar with his life must come a feeling of reverence in
contemplating his services and their beneficial results.
Dr. Rose was born in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, December 2, 1832. He
was a son of Charles R. and Barthena (Perkins) Rose. The father was born
in Mercer county, that state, and was a son of Lewis and Mary Rose, also
natives of the Blue Grass state. Lewis Rose was taken captive by the Indians
and none but his wife thought he would ever return. He used a conch shell
for a signal call. He was made a slave by the red men and was securely tied
at night, but he made good his escape once when the Indians were intoxicated,
and rejoined his family. The Roses were among the earliest settlers of
Kentucky. Lewis Rose was a man of courage and very strong convictions.
He owned slaves, but was finally convinced that slavery was not right, so he
set his bondsmen free. He also destroyed his barrel of whisky and became
a strong advocate of temperance. The family of Barthena Perkins died
when she was very young. They, too, were early settlers of the "'dark and
bloody ground" country.
Dr. Madison H. Rose was reared on the home farm in his native state
and received his early education in the parochial school there under Rev. R.
Conover, who instructed him in Latin, Greek and the classics. He later
spent two years in the academy at Waveland. Indiana and one year in the
junior classics at South Hanover, then began the study of medicine. He
taught school to defray his expenses and borrowed books, first from Dr.
H. Labaree at Ladoga. He attended his first course of lectures at the Ann
Arbor School of Medicine during the winter of 1859-60, and was graduated
in medicine from a school in Bufifalo, New York, in the spring of 1861. In
March of that year he enlisted in Company A, Fifty-third Indiana Volunteer
Infantry, in which he served his full time in the Union army and re-enlisted
February 2. 1862. May 15th of that year he was commissioned assistant
surgeon of his regiment, and on the same date a year later he was made sur-
geon. He performed his duties very ably and faithfully, and in April, 1865,
took a contract as acting staff surgeon, with the same pay as regimental sur-
geon, and thus continued in that capacity until the grand review in Washing-
ton City at the close of the war. He then returned to Danville, Indiana, and
engaged in practice until the following autumn. 1863, when he went to New
York City and took a course in the famous Bellevue Medical Hospital, re-
ceiving a degree in the spring of 1866. Returning to Danville he continued
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 687
practice there until 1869 when he came to Thorntown, Boone county and re-
mained the rest of his Hfe. He formed a partnership with Dr. J. M. Boyd,
which continued six years, then was with Dr. Mendenhall eighteen months,
then was in partnership with Dr. Dunnington four years, after which he prac-
ticed alone. He enjoyed a wide and lucrative patronage, his name being a
household word throughout the county for over a quarter of a century and
he was uniformly successful. He was always a profound student, notwith-
standing the fact that he was a very busy man, and he thus kept fully abreast
of the times.
The death of Dr. Rose occurred December 16, 1904, after a long, useful
and successful career.
Dr. Rose was twice married, first, in October, 1865, at St. Cloud, Minne-
sota, to Mary Strong, who was born in Logansport, Indiana. Her death oc-
curred in the spring of 1866. On December 17, 1868, the Doctor married
Jane V. Hilts, who was born near Springdale, Ohio, April 25, 1846. She is
a daughter of William D. and Hannah V. (Ross) Hilts. The father born
February 9, 1806, in Schoharie county. New York. The mother was born
March 11, 1809, at Bound Brook, New Jersey. Mrs. Rose's paternal grand-
parents were Anthony and Jane (Durland) Hilts, he being born in 1791. The
maternal grandparents were Joseph and Jane (Harris) Ross, he born Decem-
ber 15. 1765, and she February 25, 1787. They were married June 4, 1804.
Betsey Ross, who made the first American flag, was a distant relative of this
family. Joseph Ross lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, when about the only building
was a log fort, used to protect the few settlers from the Indians who were
numerous in that locality. During the war of 1812 Anthony Hilts was noti-
fied by the authorities that he would be expected to start the following morn-
ing for the front. He spent the night making shoes from the hides of ani-
mals, also in making a vest of red broad cloth and in molding bullets from an
old Britannia tea pot. However, he did not have to go after all.
The following children were born to Dr. Rose and his second wife:
Edward P., born November 28, 1869, lives in Thorntown and superintends
his mothers farm; Lawrence S., born May 13, 1872, died December 25,
1 901, was a soldier in the Spanish- American war, serving in Porto Rico,
where he contracted a fever which ultimately resulted in his death; Dwight
H., born March 6, 1874, died October 24, 1898; Eugenia V., born October
12, 1875, died March 26, 1903; Idelette E., born August 11, 1877, died April
688 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
27, 1882; Charles William, born August 19, 1884, died May 6, 1909. Edward
P. Rose, mentioned above, married Blanche M. Estes, September 17, 1908,
and they have one son, Will Eugene Rose, born September 23, 1909. Since
his marriage his mother, widow of our subject, has lived alone. She owns a
pleasant and neatly furnished home and two hundred acres of well-improved
and valuable land, constituting one of the most desirable farms in Washing-
ton township, all under a high state of cultivation with the exception of thirty-
five acres of timber. Mrs. Rose is a lady of pleasing personality, cultured,
genial, affable and her cozy home is the mecca for her many friends. Her
parents moved to Bloomington, Illinois, about 1856, where she was educated
in the Bloomington Female Seminary, and it was in that citv that she was
married.
Politically, Dr. Rose was an ardent Republican and was influential in
local political affairs, although never cared for office in view of his extensive
practice taking all his time. He was a de\out member of the Presbyterian
church. He was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and be-
longed to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Thorntown. Personally,
he was a genteel gentleman, companionable, charitable, broad-minded and a
pleasant man to know, meriting in every respect the high esteem that was
universallv accorded him bv all classes.
LEWIS C. RILEY.
The history of Boone county, Indiana, is not a very old one as compared
with other parts of the world. It is the record of the steady growth of a
community planted in the wilderness two-thirds of a century ago and has
reached its magnitude of today without other aids than those of industry.
The people who redeemed it from the primitive wilds were strong-armed,
hardy sons of the soil who hesitated at no difficulty and for whom hardships
had little to appal. The early pioneers, having blazed the path of cixilization
to this part of the state, finished their labors, and many of them have passed
from the scene, leaving the county to the possession of their descendants and
to others who came at a later period and built on the foundation which they
laid so broad and deep. The Riley family is of this type and its members
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 689
have played no inconspicuous part in the upbuilding of a portion of this
county, a very creditable representative of the present generation being Lewis
C. Riley, who was born and reared here and who has spent much of his life
in this locality, having done what he could to develop and advertise to the
world its wonderful resources. He is one of the most widely-known mill
men in this part of Indiana, for many years operating sawmills at various
places, but now is engaged in the planing mill and lumber business in Thorn-
town.
Mr. Riley was born in Marion township, this county, in September, 1844.
He is a son of James and Matilda (Garrett) Riley, the former a native of
Kentucky, and the latter of Putnam county, Indiana. The death of the
father occurred in Kentucky. The maternal grandparents. Reason and
Margaret Garrett, were both natives of Kentucky. The parents of our sub-
ject were married in Putnam county, Indiana, and they came to Boone county
about 1838 among the early settlers, and located on a farm in Marion town-
ship. There the elder Riley developed a good farm and lived on it for a
period of twenty years, later moving to Washington township, this county,
where his death occurred, after which his widow moved to Thorntown, where
she lived until her death. They were the parents of the following children:
Caroline, now deceased, was the wife of Josiah Harrison; Lewis C., of this
sketch; Mary Ann, now deceased, was the wife of John R. Hardesty ; Jasper
J. is deceased; Lucy C., who was the wife of William A. Buntin, is deceased.
Lewis C. Riley was educated in the district schools, and he lived at home
until his marriage, April 4, 1867, to Martha E. Reagan, who was born in
Clinton county, Indiana, and is a daughter of Baxley and Sarah A. (Hodgen)
Baxley, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Clinton county,
Indiana. Her parents were from Kentucky. After his marriage our sub-
ject began housekeeping on a farm in Washington township on rented land,
and after living there one season moved to Mechanicsburg and started a gen-
eral merchadise business which he continued for nearly five years, then sold
out and returned to Washington township and lived on a farm one year
there, then moved to another farm in the same township, then began working
at the sawmill business which he continued two and one-half years there,
then moved his mill to Vermilion county, Illinois, where he remained two
years, later moved to Danville, that state and operated a sawmill four years,
then came to Clinton township, Boone county, Indiana, on a farm, purchasing
OQO BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
a farm of improved land, consisting of one hundred and eight acres, which
he operated for two years, then rented it and moved to Thorntown, bought a
sawmill which he conducted four years, sold out and in 1892 bought into a
planing mill here and this he has continued to the present time, adding to and
enlarging the plant until he has one of the largest and best equipped mills
of its kind in this part of the state, and is doing a large and constantly grow-
ing business. He also conducts an extensive lumber business in connection
with the mill. He has been very successful in all his varied business ventures
and is now one of the strong men. financially, in the township. He has a
commodious and well-furnished home in Thorntown.
To I\lr. and Mrs. Riley the following children were born: Perry is
operating a lumber-yard for his father at Whitestown ; Nathan is manager
of his father's mill and lumber business in Thorntown. They are both young
men of much business ability and are making good.
Politically, Mr. Riley is a Republican. He has served three terms on
the town board. Fraternally, he belongs to the Masons and the Knights of
Pythias of Thorntown. He is an active member of the Christian church
and has been a member of the official board since 1906.
GEORGE HUNT HARTING.
To a great extent the prosperity of the agricultural sections of our great
country is due to the honest industry, the sturdy perseverance and the wise
economy which so prominently characterizes the foreign element, both those
who have come direct from the European nations and their American-born
children. All will agree, after so much as a cursory glance over our forty-
eight states, that they have entered very largely into our population. By
comparison with their "old countries"' these people have readily recognized
the fact that in the United States lie the greatest opportunities for people
of ambition and energy. And because of this many have broken the ties of
home and native land and have entered earnestly upon the task of gaining
in the new world a home and a competence, principally by tilling the soil.
Among this class may be mentioned the Harting family, well-known and
progressive agriculturists of Jackson township, Boone county, of whom
George H. is a worthy representative : but he. being of the first generation in
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 69I
America, had the good fortune of being born here, thus avoiding many of
the trials of his father, who landed on our shores, "a youth to fortune and to
fame unknown," and had to master our language, get acquainted with strange
customs, and be assimilated, as it were, into our civilization.
George Hunt Harting was born on November i6, 1853, near Liberty,
Indiana. He is a son of Hiram B. and Willie Jane (Small) Harting.
Hiram B. Harting was born in Germany on September 3, 1830, and he emi-
grated to the United States when sixteen years of age, unaccompanied.
Penetrating into the interior he located in Union county, Indiana, where he
went to work on the farm of George Hunt, an early pioneer of that section,
and remained with him until he was twenty-one years of age, Mr. Hunt being
very kind to him, and he named our subject after his employer. Mr. Harting
was married there, January 2, 1833, and he came with his wife to Boone
county in 1855, locating in Jackson township, buying eighty acres in section
3, which was timbered land and on which stood a log cabin and log barn, and
here the young couple began housekeeping. They were hardy, courageous,
laughed at the hardships and inconveniences, and. with characteristic Ger-
man thrift, succeeded in due course of time in clearing and developing a fine
farm and establishing a comfortable home. As he prospered through good
management and close application he added to his original purchase until he
owned two hundred acres, building the substantial residence during the Civil
war, which home is now occupied by his son. George H., who is the oldest
of five children, the others being, Margaret, born November 22, 1855, mar-
ried Louis W. Hosteter, now residing near Indianapolis, and they have three
children; Martha Jane, born October 23, 1857, married Allen J. Hightshue,
and died leaving three children; Isham B., born September 4, i860, is farm-
ing in Jackson township; Sherman B., born July 9, 1864, married Josephine
Warner, a native of Madison county, and he is now engaged in the grain busi-
ness near Elwood.
The paternal grandparents came to the United States from Germany,
when advanced in years, and located in Indiana, and lived with their children
in Wayne county, near Richmond, the rest of their lives, the grandfather
dying in 1875, the grandmother having preceded him to the grave in 1857.
George H. Harting grew to manhood on the home farm, and he received
his education in the district schools, assisting his father on the farm, until
he was twenty-five years of age. April 17, 1879, he married Ida B. Endicott,
of Boone county, a daughter of James and Elizabeth (Williamson) Endicott,
692 BOONE COUNTY. INDIANA.
who came to Indiana in an early day, and were married in Boone county,
July 26, 1858. Mr. Endicott was born December 10, 1816, and his wife
was born October 22, 1823. The Endicott family located near the city of
i Cokuiii D in a very early day, and the Williamson family were very early
settlers of Boone county. Mrs. Harting was born January 19, 1862, in
Howard county, Indiana, and she received a common school education.
To our subject and wife nine children have been born, named as follows :
Emma Blanche, born December 28, 1880, died November 12, 1888: Anna
Bernice, born October 3. 1882, married Granville Wells, assistant cashier of
the Citizens State Bank of Jamestown, and they have one child, Herman;
Willie Bennett, born April 7, 1884, married India Shockley, a native of Mis-
souri ; they live in Boone county, and have three children ; Harry Blaine, bom
May 31, 1886, married Katie Skaggs, a native of Indiana: he is a hardware
merchant at Mechanicsburg, and they have two children : Rosa Beatrice, born
August 15, 1885, married Austin Headey; they live in Boone county and
have two children: Clayton Bernard, born June 9, 1890, married Iva Thomp-
son, a native of Boone county : Jennie Bernette, married Reid Budd. a native
of Boone county;; they live on the farm with our subject, and have one child,
Malcolm: Earl Byron, born January 17, 1894, lives at home: Aletha Belle,
born February 2. 1896, married Foster Steward, a clerk in Indianapolis.
At the time of Hiram B. Harting"s death, about 1897, his son, George
H. purchased the interests of the other heirs and came into possession of the
old Harting homestead, which he now owns, consisting of one hundred and
sixtv acres. He has added forty acres more and now has a fine farm of two
hundred acres. Previous to this purchase he had bought seventy acres near
Lebanon at the time of his marriage. He lived there one year, then sold out
and rented a year, then bought one hundred and twenty acres south of Ad-
vance, where he lived until he acquired the old homestead. He has been
ver}^ successful as a general farmer and stock raiser, keeping his land well
cultivated and well improved. The major portion of his bounteous crops are
fed annually to large numbers of cattle and hogs.
Politically, Mr. Harting was formerly a Republican, but is nowl a
Progressive, and is active in public affairs. He and his wife are members of
the Methodist Episcopal church at Jamestown. He belongs to the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows and the Encampment at Jamestown. He ha>
filled all the chairs in both lodges.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 693;
CHARLES C. HOWARD.
Nothing is more important to a nation than to have its people well fed,
and especially is this true in a nation like ours, which must depend on the
wisdom, patriotism and good judgment of its people for the administration
of its government and its perpetuity. We, of the cities, should be most in-
tensely interested in the best methods of production, because these things
determine the volume of food which we will have to eat and eating ever
remains the primal necessity of man, with the field as the great source of
supply. The brown stone palaces, the sky scrapers, the gilded streets of our
cities cannot feed the mass of humanity struggling within their confines.
These must look back to the land for sustenance. Those who eat should be
more deeply concerned about better methods of farming than those who
produce crops merely for the money that comes from their sale. One of the
farmers of Boone county who seems to have a proper appreciation of present-
day problems as relating to agriculture is Charles C. Howard, of Marion
township.
Mr. Howard was born in the above-named township and county August
3, 1873. He is a son of R. W. and Frances H. (Lane) Howard, a highly re-
spected old family of this locality.
Charles C. Howard grew to manhood on the home farm and there he
resided, working during the summer months and attending the common
schools during the winter until he was nineteen years old, then went to Terre
Haute, Indiana, and attended the State Normal for four summers, teaching
the meanwhile during the winter months. He followed teaching ten years
successively and was regarded as a progressive and able instructor. His
career was interrupted at this time by a serious illness, which left him crippled
in his right leg. Since then he has never resumed teaching, turning his at-
tention to general agricultural pursuits; in fact, he has been in partnership
with his father since he was twenty-one years old, sharing equally in farming
and stock raising, devoting much attention to raising a good grade of horses,
cattle, mules and Poland-China hogs. He also owns ten acres of his own.
Mr. Howard was married April 22, 1896, to Effie Crane, who was born
in Boone county and here grew to womanhood and was educated. She is a
daughter of Thomas and America (Howard) Crane, the father a native of
694 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Brown county, Ohio, and the mother of Boone county, Indiana. Her paternal
grandparents were Stephen and Mary F. Crane, natives of Ohio, from which
state they came to Boone county in an early day. The maternal grandparents
were John and Lydia (Cox) Howard, natives of Kentucky, from which state
they also came to Boone county in pioneer times, locating near what is now
the town of Fayette, where they entered land from the government.
To Mr. and Mrs. Howard one son has been born. Julian N. Howard,
who is at home with his parents.
Politically, Mr. How-ard is a Republican. He was elected township
trustee in 1908, his term of office expiring December 31, 1914. He is dis-
charging the duties of this office in an able and acceptable manner. Fra-
ternally, he belongs to the Improved Order of Red Men, Xo. 386, Elizaville,
Onequa, Pocahontas, No. 304, of which Mrs. Howard is also a member.
The\' are also both members of the Christian church.
MARTIN L. CLOUSER.
Conspicuous among the representative business men and public-spirited
citizens of Boone county is the well-known gentleman whose name forms the
caption of this article. Mr. Clouser has made his influence felt for good in
his community, being a man of sterling worth, whose later life has been
closely interwoven with the afifairs of Thorntown and whose efforts have
long been for the material advancement of the same, as well as for the social
and moral welfare of his fellow-men, and the well-regulated life he has led,
thereby gaining the respect and admiration of his fellow citizens, entitle him
to representation in a biographical work of the scope intended in the present
volume.
Martin L. Clouser, who has for the past decade been the moving spirit
in the Thorntown Co-operative Telephone Company, was born in Montgom-
ery county, Indiana, May 28, 1869. He is a son of Alfred F. and Maria
(Huber) Clouser, both natives of Ohio, the latter of Circleville, Pickaway
county. The paternal grandparents. John and ^Margaret Clouser. were natives
of Pennsylvania, and in that state also were born Elijah and Catherine Huber,
the maternal grandparents. They were all early settlers in Montgomery
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 695
country, Indiana. The paternal grandfather built the Clonser mill on Sugar
Creek which the family continued to operate until 1875, then leased the mill,
which was still run until the roller process of milling forced it and other mills
of its type to close down. Alfred F. Clouser, father of our subject, first
married Malinda Cory, by whom he had two sons, Simon, who lives in Mont-
gomery county, and George, who died when sixteen years of age. After
Alfred F. Clouser married Maria Huber he located on a farm in Mont-
gomery county, where he spent the rest of his life successfully engaged in
general agriculture pursuits, dying in the fall of 1907 at an advanced age,
having always enjoyed the respect ^nd good will of his neighbors and ac-
quaintances. His widow still lives in Montgomery county. To these parents
the following children were born: Martin L., of this review; Charles W.,
who lives in Montgomery county: Boyd O., of Crawfordsville; Elijah and
Daniel, both of Montgomery county; and Catherine, who is the wife of
Charles Calahan of Crawfordsville.
Martin L. Clouser received his education in the district schools, later
attended the State Normal at Danville for four years, then spent two years
in the Uni\ersity of Valparaiso. He remained with his parents until his
marriage on .\pril 25, 1892, to Viola !\Ioore, who was born in Clinton
county, Indiana, and a daughter of Re\. James and Harriet (Smith) Moore,
a highl}- respected family of that locality. After his marriage our subject
located on a farm in Montgomery county and followed general agricultural
pursuits until the fall of 1902, having forged to the front rank of his fellow
tillers of the soil through his close application and good management. Upon
leaving the farm he removed to Thorntown, Boone county, and became
manager of the Thorntown Co-operative Telephone Company, which respon-
sible position he has held continuously to the present time and has been
responsible for its rapid growth and e^•er-increasing importance. This com-
pany was organized in the fall of 1900 with H. W. Huber, president; S. V.
Titus, vice-president; L. D. Woodcock, secretary. At this writing S. V.
Titus is president; Dr. E. L. Brown, vice-president; L. W. Beesley is secre-
tary and treasurer ; J. E. Boyer, superintendent ; Martin L. Clouser, assistant
secretary and manager. The company started with twenty-six telephones,
on borrowed capital, and it had a competitor. At this writing it has over six
hundred telephones, is free of all encumbrances, has bought out its com-
petitor, and it is now worth twenty thousand dollars. The company has
■696 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
eighteen regular trunk lines from its office to surrounding towns, besides
the main toll line to Indianapolis. Everything is modern and first-class:
There are seven regular employees and there is an average of three thousand
calls answered daily by its operators. Besides looking after the general
management of the plant Mr. Clouser also does the bookkeeping. He em-
ploys one man as wire chief. The company covers a territory of about
twelve miles in extent and is well developed. Our subject is one of about
three hundred stockholders.
The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Clouser : Pauline,
Mary. Gertrude, Margaret, Catherine, James. Maria and Martha, all at home.
Politically. i\Ir. Clouser is a Democrat but is not active in political
affairs. He is a member of the Catholic church in Lebanon. He is an alert,
broad-minded, educated, companionable and courteous gentleman and is
popular with the people.
WILLIAM L. HILL.
Never before has there been so much interest taken in the best methods
of farming and in the conditions of rural homes. The struggle to bring
country life from the present to ideal conditions is not an easy one, nor will
it be speedily accomplished. Yet there are now farms and rural homes
which may be taken as models worth imitating, such as that of William L.
Hill, near Thorntown, Boone county, where he maintains a model dairy and
truck farm. In different localities the spirit of better things manifests itself
in different ways. Sometimes it takes the form of increasing the fertility of
the soil : at other places there is a demand for good roads ; it is shown in the
desire to keep Isetter live stock, to ha\e more attractive farmyard surround-
ings or to grow larger crops. It is shown in rural improvement clubs, in
home economic organizations, in the consolidation of rural schools, in labor-
saving appliances in the home, in making the home attractive and in a general
belief that farmers are entitled to as pleasant surroundings as anyone else,
and that a richer, fuller life may be better developed in the country than in
any other place in the world. One would be compelled to hunt far and wide
to find a more up-to-date farming community than right here in Boone county
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 697
and it is not every day that one meets a man of such progressive taste as the
gentleman whose life record is briefly given in the following paragraphs.
Mr. Hill was born in Sugar Creek township, Boone county, November
15, 1862. He is a son of Joseph and Amy (KendaU) Hill, the former a
native of Virginia and the latter of North Carolina. They came to Boone
county, Indiana, when young and here they were married in 1840, and settled
southwest of Thorntown, where they became owners of valuable land to the
extent of six hundred and forty acres and were among the leading and in-
fluential citizens of the western part of the county. They sold their farm
in 1864 and moved to Thorntown where they bought property, later pur-
chased another farm in Sugar Creek township and moved thereon, continuing
general farming five years, then sold out and returned to Thorntown where
the elder Hill went into the hardware business, in which he remained over
two years, then sold out and retired, having accumulated a handsome com-
petency through his industry and able management. His death occurred in
1887, his widow surviving until in February, 1904.
The following children were born to Joseph Hill and wife: John J., of
Long Beach, California; Martha J., who married Jerry Rosenbarger, is de-
ceased ; Elizabeth is the wife of William P. Jester, of Colorado ; Emily is the
wife of Elwood Mills, of Riverside, California: Aseneth is the wife of Frank
Benford, of Riverside, California: and William L., of this sketch, who is
the youngest.
\\'illiam L. Hill grew up on the home farm and resided with his parents
until his marriage July 6, 1887 to Hettie Heaton, who was born in Decatur
county, Indiana, but early in life moved to Clinton county, and there she
grew to womanhood and received a good common school education. Mr.
Hill was educated in private and public school at Thorntown. Mrs. Hill is
the daughter of John and Emma (Colby) Heaton, a well-known family of
Clinton and Boone counties, Indiana.
After his marriage Mr. Hill lived a year in Thorntown, farming near
here, then moved to Clinton county, this state where he remained a year then
returned to Sugar Creek township, Boone county, on a farm consisting of
thirty-one acres just west of Thorntown, which he purchased, and here he
has since resided, successfully engaged in dairying and general gardening,
being well equipped for both and is making a comfortable living, finding a
very ready market for his products owing to their superior qualities. Every-
698 BOONE COUNTY. INDIANA.
thing about his place is kept in ship-shape, sanitary, attractive and convenient.
He keeps a fine grade of cows and has a cozy home and well arranged out-
buildings.
Politically, Mr. Hill is a Prohibitionist and is very pronounced in his
views against the liquor traffic. He was born in the Quaker faith from
which he has not departed.
Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hill, named as follows:
Jesse, Stella, John and Joseph are twins ; Frank and Velva. They are all at
home with their parents.
ALEXANDER O. SPENCER.
Many of the best farms of Boone county were made wholly by the own-
ers thereof, little, if any assistance having been received from the parents of
such owners. It is also true that a number of the largest fanns were in-
herited, wholly or in part, from their parents. It would seem at first glance
that the latter holders were the ones to be congratulated, but this is not always
the case, for very often the} did not receive in youth the proper training as
to thrift and industry that would enable them to save and properly manage
their inheritance. On the contrary it may be set down as an unqualified
truth that the man who, by hard knocks made all his property, beginning as
a poor boy, learned at the same time how to take care of it. To know how
to save money, as well as to know how to make it, is of the greatest im-
portance in the rearing of a boy. Such training was received by Alexander
O. Spencer, one of the best known and most highly honored pioneers of
Lebanon, who, after a long, active, influential and useful life in Boone
county, spent in agricultural pursuits, is now lix'ing practically retired, but
although he has passed his allotted mile-post of three score and ten, is still
hale and hearty as a result of a well spent life, right thinking and clean
habits. He has taken an active part in the general development of this
favored section of the Hoosier commonwealth whose interests he has ever
had at heart since taking up his residence here considerably more than a half
century ago, during which period he has noted many wonderful changes
hereaways.
Mr. Spencer was born October 8, 1839 on a farm in Logan county.
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A. 0. SPENCER
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 7OI
Ohio. He is a son of Alexander and Catherine (Workman) Spencer. The
father was born in HamiUon county, Ohio, and the mother was a native of
Logan county, that state. In the latter the father's death occurred when
in the prime of life, and in 1859 the widow removed with her children to
Center township, Boone county, Indiana and established the future home of
the family. The mother married again, her last husband being Edward
Crosson. Her death occurred in February, 1897.
Alexander O. Spencer was reared on the farm where he worked hard
when a boy, and he received his early education in the district schools of
Logan county, Ohio, and attended high school two terms in Circleville, Pick-
away county, Ohio. After coming to Boone county he began farming for
himself and here prospered through close application and good management.
He is the owner of a valuable farm which he brought up to a high state of
cultivation and improvement. It lies near the city of Lebanon and here he
still resides having a comfortable residence and a good set of outbuildings.
He has always kept an excellent grade of live stock of which he is a good
judge.
Mr. Spencer was married December 5, 1861 to Martha C. Adair, a
daughter af John and Eliza (Hon) .\dair, a highly respected family of Boone
county, they having come from Carlisle county, Kentucky here in 1852.
Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Spencer, namely: Ida, now
the wife of William Means of Lebanon; and Frank B., who is married and
lives in Indianapolis. The happy home of our subject was saddened by the
death of his faithful companion on July 30, 1898.
Mr. Spencer was elected county assessor in the fall of 1910 and is now-
serving a term of four years, discharging his duties in a most creditable and
satisfactory manner, and he also finds time to oversee his farming interests in
Center township. Politically, he is a Democrat and has ever been faithful
in his support of the party. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, the Encampment and the Rebekas, joining the order
forty years ago, and he has passed all the chairs in both the subordinate
lodges. He is deeply interested in agricultural improvement work and is an
active member of the Boone County Agricultural Society. He has been a
member of the Christian church since 1862 and faithful in the work of the
same, having been an elder for forty years. He has also long been active in
(44)
702 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Sunday school work, and for a number of years was superintendent of the
Sunday school. In every way he merits the respect and good will which are
everywhere extended to him, and is one of the valued and representative
citizens of Boone county, a plain, broad-minded and honest and hospitable
gentleman whom everybody likes to meet.
ENOCH WHITELY.
The Union soldier during the great war between the states built wiser
than he knew. Through four years of suffering and wasting hardships,
through the horrors of prison pens and amid the shadows of death, he laid
the structure of the greatest temple ever erected and dedicated to human free-
dom. The world looked on and called those soldiers sublime, for it was
theirs to reach out the mighty arm of power and strike the chains from off
the slave, preserve the country from dissolution, and to keep furled to the
breeze the only flag that ever made tyrants tremble and whose majestic
stripes and scintillating stars are still waving universal liberty to all the earth.
For all these unmeasured deeds the living present will never repay them.
Pension and political power may be thrown at their feet : art and sculpture
may preserve upon canvas and in granite and bronze their unselfish deeds;
history may commit to books and cold type may give to the future the tale
of their sufferings and triumphs; but to the children of the generations yet
unborn will it remain to accord the full measure of appreciation and undying
rememberance of the immortal character carved out by the American soldiers
in the dark days in the early sixties, numbered among whom was Enoch
Whitely, one of the best known native-born agriculturists of Boone county,
and honored scion of an early pioneer family.
Mr. Whitely was born in Jackson township, this county, March lo. 1843.
He is a son of \\'illiam and Mary J. (Coddington) Whitely, the father a
native of Kentucky and the mother of Ohio. William Whitely was reared
in his native state and from there he removed with his mother in 1832 to
Boone county, Indiana, settling in Jackson township, north of Jamestown,
and here he married ^lary J. Coddington. who was young in years when
her parents brought her to this locality, the family being also among the
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 7O3
-pioneer settlers of Jackson township. The father of our subject devoted his
life to general farming. His death occurred in Montgomery county, this
state.
Enoch Whitely grew up on the home farm where he worked hard when
a boy, for in those primitive days everybody who essayed to establish a home
in the country had plenty to do in clearing and developing the land. He at-
tended the subscription and district schools until the commencement of the
Civil war, when he enlisted in Company D, Sixty-eighth Indiana Volunteer
Infantry at Milroy, Rush county, under Captain Annis. They remained
awhile in Camp Logan at Greensburg, Indiana, then went to Indianapolis and
were mustered into service August 19, 1862, and were sent to Louisville, tak-
ing part in the Kentucky campaign. On September 17th of that year our
subject was captured at Munfordville, with the entire garrison, but they were
soon paroled and came back to Indianapolis where they remained until De-
cember, when they went back to Louisville. An unusual incident occurred
during the surrender at Munfordville when Col. Edward A. King took the
regimental flag from the staff pole and wound it around his body under his
clothing and succeeded in getting through the parole and back to Indianapolis
with it, which is probably the only case of this kind on record. Mr. Whitely
was again sent to Louisville for service in December, where he took a boat
for Nashville in January, 1863. While on the voyage they were attacked
by the Confederates, two boats being captured and burned, several were
wounded, among whom was a colonel. Reaching Nashville the Federals
remained in camp there until in April, doing guard duty, then were sent to
Murfreesboro, Tennessee. In May the division made a raid through Tennes-
see, capturing many prisoners, horses and supplies. In June they went on a
campaign from Murfreesboro to Chattanooga, and engaged in the battle of
Hoover's Gap, also Pond's Springs, then came the great battle of Chicka-
mauga, where Colonel King was killed, and his company lost twenty-two men
out of a total of thirty-eight engaged, but our subject came through the two
days' terrible conflict unscathed. He then went to Chattanooga and was in
the siege there in November, 1863. He was in the advance that took Orchard
Knob and Missionary Ridge, and he saw Hooker take Lookout Mountain.
After this our subject's division was sent to Knoxville to relieve General
Burnside, who was besieged there, and they campaigned through the entire
winter in that section, without tents or much equipment of any kind. In
704 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
April, 1864, they camped at Cleveland, Tennessee, but the Sixty-eighth Indi-
ana was detailed to do garrison duty at Chattanooga, where they remained
until discharged from the service, June 20, 1865, at Nashville. During their
garrison duty many raids were made in all directions and a great deal of
skirmishing was done, fighting off the Confederate raiders on the railroad
forming the base of supplies for the Union army farther south. General
Wheeler was e.specially active against this line of communication, and a battle
was fought with him at Dalton, Georgia, in 1864, during Sherman's march
to the sea. The Sixty-eighth Indiana was one of the regiments sent to
Decatur, Alabama, to keep back General Hood, who was raiding through
that section. They returned to Chattanooga until Hood approached Nashville,
where he was again met by the regiment in the great battle in which Hood's
army was crushed by Thomas. According to his commanding officers, Mr.
Whitely proved to be a brave and faithful soldier, and he was honorably
discharged.
After the war he returned to Boone county and took up farming in Jack-
son township, also worked out at farm work in Montgomery county. On
August 26, 1866, he married Martha M. Emmert, a native of Boone county,
who was born January 15, 1847, and here she was reared and educated. She
is a daughter of Simon and Mary (Canady) Emmert, natives of Tennessee
and South Carolina, respectively. Each came when children with their par-
ents to Union county, Indiana, and there Mr. and Mrs. Emmert were mar-
ried and in 1833 they removed to Boone county, entered land free from the
government in Jackson township, where they engaged successfully in farm-
ing, reared their family and here spent the rest of their lives, the father dying
in 1884 and the mother dying in 18 — .
To Mr. and Mrs. Whitely four cihldren have l^een born, namely : Els-
worth, born July 12, 1867, married Louisa Moyer, a native of Montgomery
county, who has borne her husband one child. Hazel, and they are now living
on a farm near Lebanon; Lottie C, born March 28, 1872, married Joseph
Canady, resides in Lebanon and they have one child, Harry; Mirty May, born
June 6, 1873. married George McVay, and she died October 30, 1907. leaving
one child, Gladys; Otto, born January 20, 1876, married Iva Jones, a native
of Boone county; they live on a farm in Jackson township, and have one
child, Jewell.
After his marriage Enoch Whitely went to farming on land belonging
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 7O5
to his father-in-law, remaining there some time, then bought a farm of forty-
seven acres in section 20, Jackson township, and here resided until 1905, when
he moved to Jamestown. However, he retained his farm until 1910, when he
sold it and has since lived retired. He was very successful as a general farmer
and stock raiser and has a good home where he is spending his declining years
in comfort. He has been active in Republican politics. However, he is now a
Progressive. He was elected township constable but refused to serve.
He is at this writing city marshal of Jamestown. He is a member of
the Methodist Protestant church at Mt. Zion, where his family also belong
He is at present a trustee in this church, and at different times has held all
offices in the local congregation. He is a member of the Grand Army of the
Republic, Antietam Post No. 162, at Jamestown, of which he has been junior
vice-commander.
HON. JOHN A. FARROW.
The true western spirit of progress and enterprise is strikingly exempli-
fied in the lives of such men as John A. Farrow, one of Boone county's leading
citizens, whose energetic nature and laudable ambition have enabled him to
conquer many adverse circumstances and advance steadily. He has met and
overcome obstacles that would have discouraged many men of less determina-
tion and won for himself not only a comfortable competency, together with
one of the choicest farms in this favored locality, but also a prominent place
among the enterprising men of this section of the great Hoosier common-
wealth, and he has done much in a public way for the general advancement
of the same. Such a man is a credit to any community and his life forcibly
illustrates what energy and consecutive effort can accomplish when directed
and controlled by correct principles and high moral resolves, and no man is
worthier of conspicuous mention in a volume of the province of the one ar
hand.
Mr. Farrow was born in Hendricks county, Indiana, August 2, 1850.
He is a son of Thomas and Barbara A. (Charles) Farrow. Both parents
were born near Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, and they both came to Boone county
about 1830, each with their parents, and here they were married. Thomas
Farrow was bom in 1828, and his death occurred in this county, September
706 BOONE COUNTYj INDIANA.
15, 1855. when a young man. He devoted his life to farming. His family
consisted of seven children, of whom John A., of this sketch was the youngest;
only one other survives, Mrs. Nancy N. Wyatt, who lives in Pendleton, Indi-
ana. Two brothers, Francis M. and William Henry, served in the Civil war,
the former in Company F, Fortieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and he was
killed at the battle of Missionary Ridge ; William Henry was in the One Hun-
dred and Sixteenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and he died during the ser-
vice at Camp Nelson, Kentucky. He left a wife and one son, Francis M.,
both still living. James, the oldest of the brothers, died in middle life, leav-
ing a family of six children, all still living but one. Only one lives in Boone
county, Vaughn, who married Thomas Plunkett, and lives in Advance. One
son of James (deceased) is Ernest E., who is a captain in the regular army
of the United States and is now serving in the Philippines, is married and his
wife is with him; they were married in Salt Lake City.
John A. Farrow was five years old when his father died. The mother,
a woman of fine courage and fortitude, kept her children together, the older
ones renting land which they tilled and all lived together until the mother's
death, which occurred in Boone county, at the advanced age of eighty-six
years, in 1905, she having been born in 1819.
Our subject was but eight years old when he started out to work for a
living, on a farm, consequently he received but a meager education, but he
was ambitious and has remained a student all his life and has become an ex-
ceptionally well-educated man, and is entitled to a great deal of credit for
what he has accomplished in the face of discouraging environment. On
September 20, 1883 he married Clarisa E. Emmert, who was born March 16,
1859, in Boone county. She is a daughter of David Jackson Emmert and
Eliza (Coddington) Emmert. Mrs. Farrow is a granddaughter of Simon
Emmert, one of the most prominent of the first settlers of Boone county.
After his marriage Mr. Farrow worked at the carpenter's trade for nine
years, also bought and sold grain and stock at Jamestown. About 1892 he
started fanning on rented land in Jackson township, which he continued for
a period of eight years. In 1900 he bought forty acres in section 3, on which
he made substantial improvements, erecting modern buildings and this farm
he sold to E. R. Canady, and in 1908 bought his present farm in section 20,
Jackson township, which he has improved in an up-to-date manner, and it is
one of the choice farms of the township, and he has been very successful as a
general farmer and stock raiser.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. JQ-J
Eight children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Farrow, one of whom
died in infancy: those living are, George L., a Methodist minister, born April
6, 1885, married Grace Shields a native of Boone county, and they have one
child, Wayne; William Thomas, born July i, 1886, married Gertrude Buech-
ler, a native of Boone county and they have one child, Louise ; he is a mer-
chant at Lizton, Hendricks county; Hattie Jane, bom August i, 1888, is a
graduate of Jamestown high school; Nora Alice, born December 18, 1890,
married Walter K. Brumfield, a farmer of Hendricks county; Maude Flor-
ence, born March 28, 1892, married Hansel Butler; he is farming in Boone
county, and they have one child, Dorcella; Minnie May, born August 16,
1895, is a graduate of the Advance high school; David Jackson, bom August
7, 1897 is attending high school at Advance.
Mrs. Farrow and family are members of the Methodist Protestant church,
belonging to the Zion congregation, while Mr. Farrow holds membership in
the Christian church at Advance. Politically, he is a Democrat and has long
been a local leader in party affairs. He was for a period of four years,
justice of the peace at Jamestown, and in 1903 he was elected to the general
assembly of Indiana for one term, during which he made his influence felt for
the general good, and served on two important committees, drains and dykes
and auditing. As a pubilc servant he has ever discharged his duties in a
manner that has reflected much credit upon his ability and to the eminent
satisfaction of his constituents, and his popularity is well-deserved.
JESSE STANLEY REAGAN. M. D.
No other profession has accomplished, during the last half century the
progress and development that have been made by the medical. This was
not the work of those who became learned by knowledge obtained from
books, or the experiences of a past generation, but by those who rose to new
occasions, who thought in new lines and did new things, for "New occasions
teach new duties, time makes ancient good uncouth." The man of original
thought and action, whose text book forms but the basis of future work, has
ever moved forward, taking his profession with him ; he becomes a leader,
and those that follow reap lasting benefit from his work. Such a man was
708 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
the late Dr. Jesse Stanley Reagan, for a period of fifty-seven years one of
the best known medical men of northern Indiana. In considering the char-
acter and career of this eminent member of the medical fraternity, the im-
partial observer will be disposed to rank him not only among the most dis-
tinguished member of this important branch of science in his day and gen-
eration, in which he had few peers and no superiors in Boone and adjoining
counties, but also as one of those men of broad culture and genuine benevol-
ence who did honor to mankind in general. In overcoming the obstacles
incident to the life of a pioneer physician he exhibited patience and persist-
ence : through a long and busy life, replete with honor and success worthily
attained, he knew none but the highest motives, and to the practice of his
profession he brought rare skill and resource, such qualities stamping him
as a man of extraordinary talent and entitling him to be classed with the
benefactors of mankind. His quick perception and almost intuitive judg-
ment rendered him well nigh infallible in diagnosis, and yet, although con-
fident in his own conclusions, he was ever willing to lend an ear to sug-
gestions. His touch was gentle and his nerve steady, and no matter how
tense the strain or how great the responsibility of a delicate operation, he was
ever able to guide his knife to the "unerring line of safety." Throughout
his busy life he was ever a hard, enthusiastic student, thus keeping well
abreast of the time, not only with his own country, but also kept in close
touch with the medical literature of continental Europe. For he realized the
fact that the man who would inscribe his name on the scroll of successful
physicians must be a master of the construction and functions of the com-
ponent part of the human body of the changes induced in them by the on-
slaught of disease, of heredity and of the vital capacity remaining in them
throughout all vicissitudes of existence. He must be, at the same time, wise
in human nature, wise in the laws of general science, and wise in social
amenities.
Dr. Reagan was born in Warren county. Ohio, February 15, 1829. His
parents brought him to Clinton county, Indiana when he was six years of
age. He grew to manhood in his adopted state and received the usual early
education of pioneer children in those days. In 1843 he began the study of
medicine under Dr. Almond Loftin, then of Clinton county, but later of
Indianapolis. Subsequently he attended Rush Medical College in Chicago
for two years. Returning to Boone county in 1852 he began the practice
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 7O9
of medicine at Mechanicsburg, and continued active practice until near the
close of a long and useful life. He was very successful as a general prac-
titioner and his name was a household word in this locality for over a half
century. During the earlier years of his practice he experienced the hard-
ships known to the pioneer physician. He never refused a call, and often
traveled many weary miles on foot, to answer the call of the sick and dis-
tressed. He was especially well and favorably known to the earlier settlers
of the county, and even after the county became more thickly populated and
the number of physicians increased, his practice showed no diminution. He
was the regular physician of many families from one generation to the next.
Dr. Reagan was married September ij, 1854 to Elizabeth Hardesty,
whose death occurred in 1878. To this union were born four children, all
of them being now deceased: Frank C. is mentioned below. The deceased
children were : Mrs. Anna Curry Wilds, who died, leaving two children,
Mrs. Fay Curry, of Cincinnati, and Mrs. Louena Oliphant, of Marion, Indi-
ana ; Mrs. Lucy Warbington, who died in 1883, leaving one child, Mrs. Nellie
Stephenson, of Lebanon; Myrtle, who was born in 1871, and died in 1891.
Another grandchild, Elizabeth Stanley, daughter of Frank C. Reagan, resided
in New Jersey. On November 24, 1880, Dr. Reagan was married at Thorn-
town, Indiana, to Mrs. N. Emma Hebb. She is a daughter of Dr. Levi and
Frances (Smith) Gustin, nati\'es of Ohio and Virginia, respectively. To
Dr. Reagan and his last wife one child was born, Walter Reagan, who is liv-
ing in Lebanon.
Politically, Dr. Reagan was a Republican, and was iniluential in public
affairs. He was elected county clerk in 1886 for a term of four years, and
began his duties in November, 1888. In 1888 he removed to Lebanon where
he spent the rest of his life. In 1896 he was elected to the city council,
where he served for two years. Fle was a consistent member of the Presby-
terian church for many years, and served in the capacity of elder. He was
a member of Boone Lodge No. 9, Free and Accepted Masons and had been a
Mason for nearly fifty years. Dr. Reagan was for twenty years one of the
directors of the Lebanon National Bank, and for five years was vice-presi-
dent of that institution.
Frank C. Reagan, mentioned in a preceding paragraph, was one of the
best known attorneys of Lebanon, and was about fifty-two years old when
he died in 1910. He was born in Mechanicsburg and had lived all his life
7IO BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
in Boone county. He attended Lebanon high school and also a normal
school here. When his father was county clerk, Frank C. began to read law.
He quickly mastered the details of his profession and came to be considered
one of the most brilliant members of the local bar. He had more than the
usual native ability and was decidedly successful in his practice. He had a
keen mind and was a ready speaker and was well versed in the law, the
knowledge of which he acquired with less effort than most. In the conduct
of cases he was a hard tighter and always gave his clients the benefit of his
best efforts, whether the litigation was of great or little importance. He was
well read along nearly all lines and his knowledge of varied subjects was
often remarked by those who came in contact with him. He had a sense of
humor that was unusual and his ready wit was often used to advantage in a
controversy, legal or otherwise against an adversary.
The death of Dr. Jesse S. Reagan occurred February 9. 1910, when
within a few days of his eighty-first birthday. At a meeting ot the Boone
County Medical Society a few days afterwards the following resolutions
were passed :
"To the President and Members of the Boone County Medical Society :
Your committee to whom was referred the duty of formulating and pre-
senting to this society resolutions of respect and memorandum on the life of
Dr. J. S. Reagan beg leave to report.
"Whereas, Divine Providence has called from the field of his labor and
this society one of its active and honored members and from the profession
of medicine an industrious and honest practitioner.
"Therefore, Resolved, that we submit to the will of Him who of right
'Giveth and taketh away.'
"Resolved, that we recognize in him and honor the true principle of
the noble profession he represented in his life and character and applied in
his humanitarian ministrations.
"Resolved, that in him we found the courage to ever maintain the
Christian character and independence of opinion in an honest conviction re-
gardless of pecuniary gain or the attitude of public criticism.
"Resolved, that we extend our sympathy and join with the family,
patrons and profession in this hour of sadness, but rejoice in the life and use-
fulness of him whose Christianity and service to man entitles him to a place
above all earthly things.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 7II
"Resolved, that these resolutions be made a part of the records of the
Boone County Medical Society and that a copy be sent to the bereaved family.
Committee : Herma A. Beck, A. P. Fitch, J. S. Shields."
A detailed review^ of Dr. Reagan's interesting, successful and honored
career would be, in a measure, to give a review of medical history for the
past half century, and his life has been so intricately interwoven with the
history of Boone county that to give a specific account of the one would be
to set forth the history of both. Suiifice it to add only that the locality was
greatly blessed and honored by his long residence and his name will ever
occupy a very high position on her roster of distinguished, useful and
esteemed citizens of the past.
DAVID W. REED.
In presenting the following brief review of the long, useful and interest-
ing career of Da\-id ^V. Reed, one of the progressive and widely known
citizens of Jefferson township. Boone county, we find that the battle of life
has been well fought hv this enterprising, broad-minded, self-made gentle-
man. That he is endowed with financial abilities of no mean order must be
admitted, yet there has ever been added to this an honest determination of
purpose and a kind heart, which has impelled him to assist others on the
highway of life while he was making a path of prosperity for himself. From
an early age his desire has been to legitimately earn every cent needed in the
prosecution of his individual affairs. He has always lived up to his high
principles; and now as old age creeps on apace, with the ambition to ac-
cumulate not so strong in him as in earlier years, no longer being a necessity,
free from embarrassing debts and with unencumbered property, he stands
among the financially strong men of his locality. He is a straightforward
and unassuming gentleman and by reason of his noble character and sound
judgment he is frequently sought for as counsellor and friend, and many,
especially deserving young men have been greatly helped by him in getting
a start in life.
^'Ir. Reed was born in Rockbridge county, Virginia, March 4, 1856.
He is a son of John and Lavenia (Hanger) Reed, who spent their earlier
712 BOONE COUNTY. INDIANA.
3'ears in the Old Dominion, each being representatives of fine old southern
families. The father came to Indiana in 1S65 from Virginia, making the
long journey of some seven hundred and fifty miles by wagon, the trip re-
quiring thirty-one days. He was accompanied by his wife and four children,
the eldest of whom was sixteen years old. They came by way of Mont-
gomery county, and located in Boone county, purchasing fifty-two acres in
section 4, Jefferson township, ten acres of which was cleared, and on it stood
a small log house, with a chimney of sticks. He cleared the land and worked
the timber into staves, did considerable ditching, in the old way with timber.
About 1872 he built a frame house. He was a good manager and hard
worker and at the time of his death owned one hundred and twenty acres,
which is still in the family, belonging to his grandson. In 1898 he and his
faithful life companion retired from acti\e life and moved to Lebanon,
building a residence on North street, where his death occurred in 1899, after
which the mother of our subject moved to Advance where her death occurred
in 1906, both having spent long and useful lives and were honored by all
who knew them. Their family consisted of six children, namely: Baxter
lives in Jefferson township; Margaret M. died when about seventeen years
old; David W., of this sketch: Willie L., now deceased, was the wife of
Frank Evans of Montgomery county; Mary A. married Oliver Bowman and
they live in Montgomery county ; Henry S. died in infancy.
David \\". Reed grew to manhood on the home farm where he worked
hard when a boy. assisting his father clear and improve the land. H'e re-
ceived the usual educational advantages of those pioneer days, and in later
life has become a well informed man by wide home reading and by contact
with the world. He remained with his parents until he was twenty-four
years old. On January 8, 1880, he married Anna Miller, of Harrison
county. She is a daughter of Henry and Ann Delila (Winters) Miller, who
were early settlers of Harrison county, spending their lives on a farm, where
they both died. Mrs. Reed was the youngest of ten children, all of whom
grew to maturity. The oldest brother, Fabious was a soldier in the Civil
war. in an Indiana regiment, and he died during the service. John F. Miller
was a teacher in the Jamestown schools until his death in 191 3. Tine Miller
was for many years a teacher in Boone county, later went to Indianapolis and
secured a responsible position with the United States mail service, with an
office in the government building for some thirty )'ears, being postal clerk
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 7I3
examiner; he died in 1912. Jennie Miller, who was for years a teacher in
Boone county, now lives in Montgomery county with the only surviving
Ijrother, P. F. Miller. Adelade Thomas, who was a resident of Boone
county for years, is now living in Iowa. Mrs. Isabelle Gorman now lives in
Atchison, Kansas. Emma, a Boone county teacher, died in 1887, and Clinton
died in the state of Washington in 1894.
David W. Reed purchased forty-four acres of land in section 4, Jeffer-
son township. Boone county, where he remained two years. He ditched and
cleared nearly all of this place and sold it, and in 1882 bought eighty-three
acres, where he now lives. It had been little improved but was nearly all
cleared. Our subject cleared twenty acres and placed it under cultivation,
and put in about one thousand rods of tile, and now has one of the valuable
and choice farms of the township. In 1887 he built a fine large residence
on this place and he also has an e.xcellent group of outbuildings. He has
carried on general farming and stock raising on a large scale and feeds large
numbers of cattle and hogs from year to year.
Mr. Reed and wife became the parents of five children, one of whom
died in infancy, namely: Emma Forest, born in 1880. married William E.
Swisher, of Jefferson township, and they have three children; Russell.
Wyvonne P., and George; Mary ;\lma, born in 1883, married Erwin F
Miller, of Jefferson township, and they have four children, Emma B., Lloyd,
Arthur and Henry; Clara O., born in 1890, married Oscar Srader and they
live in Indianapolis, and have one child, David; John Clifford, born in 1894
is attending Indiana University at Bloomington.
David W. Reed has been very successful in his life work and is deserv-
ing of a great deal of credit for what he has accomplished. He owns his
original eighty-three acres on which his residence stands, also owns eighty
acres in section 28, one hundred and ten acres in section 29, making a total
of two hundred and seventy-three acres of \aluable, well-improved and pro-
ductive farming land. He also owns considerable valuable business prop-
erty in Indianapolis, and a one-third interest in one hundred and sixty acres
in North Dakota. He was one of the first advocates of the co-operative
telephone system, now so successfully operated. Politically, he was for
many years a Republican, but is now a Progressive. He has been active
and influential in local public affairs for many years. He and his wife are
members of the Presbyterian church at Shannondale. He was elder in the
714 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
church at Dover for a number of years before that church was discontinued.
He has traveled extensively, including a visit to Cuba, and, being a keen
observer, talks interestingly of what he has seen and experienced. He lived
one year in Indianapolis and three years in Lebanon, where he built a fine
residence on Park street, which he afterwards sold ; he also erected a dwell-
ing in Thorntown where he lived one year, which he also sold. Personally,
Mr. Reed is a companionable, genial and courteous gentleman whom it is a
pleasure to meet.
RICHARD W. HOWARD.
"Agriculture is the oldest of all alchemy." says a distinguished writer,
"for it turns earth and even refuse into gold and confers upon its cultivator
.the additional reward of health." The oldest of human vocations and noblest
-of them all has been honored in Boone county by the successful career of
Richard W. Howard, one of the enterprising and public-spirited citizens of
Marion township. He has spent his long life in this locality in connection
with general farming and has done his part in encouraging better farming
methods with the advancing years. His career contains few mistakes and
. abounds in much that is honorable and of good report, containing the record
of an untarnished name and a character above reproach which is much more
to be desired than great riches.
.Mr. Howard was born in Clinton township, Boone county, December
21, 1S43. He is a son of John and Margaret (Alexander) Howard, the
former a native of Mason county. Kentucky, and the latter of Pennsylvania.
After their marriage they settled in Rush county, Indiana, their marriage
having taken place in Kentucky. Later they came to Clinton township,
Boone county, in 1835, thus being among the early settlers, and entered land
from the government. It was covered with a dense growth of timber, but
this Mr. Howard cleared and imprdved a farm of one hundred and twenty
acres, and here spent the rest of his life, dying September 20, 1870, his wife
surviving only a month, her death occurring on October 22. 1870. Eight
•children were l)orn to them, five now living, namely: Cynthia A. died
February 8, 1914; 'Shxry J. is the widow of Lauderic Wilson, of Kokomo,
Indiana: [nhn W. lives at Ottawa, Kansas: Tames A., who was a soldier in
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 715
the Civil war, was killed in the battle of Chickamauga ; William J. died in
1897 at Lexington, Missouri; Henry W. lives on the homestead of his par-
ents; Addison Lane lives in Lebanon, Indiana; Richard W., of this review.
is the youngest of the family.
The subject of this sketch grew to manhood on the home farm which he
helped develop from the wilderness, and he received his education in the early
day schools; however, that was limited and he is principally self-educated,
having been a diligent reader all his life and is now a well informed man on
current topics. During the Civil war he remained at home and took care of
his parents. In 1865 he went to Vermilion county, Illinois, where he had a
wealthy aunt, and conducted her farm for six years, with the exception of
one }-ear when he was overseer of a large farm in that vicinity. He then
returned to Boone county, locating in Marion township and was married
January 22. 1870 to Frances H. Lane who was born in Marion township,
and was reared and educated here. .She is a daughter of William and
Mahala ( Sims) Lane, natives of Indiana. After his marriage Mr. Howard
lived in a house on his father-in-law's farm, which place he worked and
divided the crop. In 1871 he traded for forty acres in section 8, Marion
township, mostly unimproved, but he cleared and improved it and lived there
three years, then added forty acres more to it, which was also unimproved ;
this he cleared and placed under cultivation, and as he prospered he kept add-
ing to his farm until he became owner of one hundred and twenty acres of
\'aluable land, all of which he cultivated with the exception of twenty-seven
acres, and he has continued to reside thereon, carrying on general farming
and stock raising, and he has a good set of buildings on his place. However,
since 1S95, he has merely superintended his place, leaving the hard work for
others. He is one of the leading mule raisers in the county, his fine mules
always finding a very ready market owing to their superior quality.
The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Howard :
Charles C, of Marion township; Maud is the wife of William C. Woodruff,
and they live on our subject's farm; Bertha D. is the wife of Charles Kouns,
of Union township, Boone county. These children were all educated in the
local schools and are well situated in life.
Politically. Mr. Howard votes independently. He was superintendent
of the county farm one year and was constable of his township for two years,
filling these positions with satisfaction to all concerned. Fraternally, he be-
7l6 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
longs to the Improved Order of Red Men, No. 117 at Sheridan, Indiana.
He and his wife are members of the Christian church. When they were mar-
ried, forty-three years ago, there were very few roads in this vicinity, the
Michigan road being about the only one of consequence. Since that early
day Mr. Howard has helped put through and gravel all roads in this locality,
and helps to keep them improved, has also been an advocate of ditching, and
has done much for public improvements in every way.
ELWOOD THOMPSON HARRIS.
Those who know Elwood Thompson Harris well are not surprised that
he has won success at his chosen vocation, that of tilling the soil, for he is a
man who has been a close student of whatever pertains to his chosen life
work, believing that the best methods are none too good. He has kept the
old home place in Jefferson township, Boone county, in fine condition, so
that it has retained its old-time richness of soil and the same abundant crops
are usually gathered from its fields. He has considered himself fortunate,
and indeed he might well do so, that he has been permitted to spend his life
on the old home place, for, as a famous writer said long ago, "There is no
place like home," and also because the home of our subject happened to be
in a country greatly favored by nature. It is true that it took a great deal of
hard work to get this county into proper shape for agricultural purposes, but
once in condition,- there is no better.
Mr. Harris was born on the farm where he now lives in section 13,
JefTerson township, Boone county, January i, 1854. He is a son of Mathew
Thompson Harris and ^Martha ( Ferguson ) Harris. The father was born
in Georgia in February, 181 6, and the Ijirth of the mother occurred in Jan-
uary, 1816, in Union count}', Indiana. The father was fourteen years of
age when, about 1830, he left his native state in the Southland and made the
long overland journey to Boone county, Indiana, with Adrian Ball, his
brother-in-law. They rented land for about a year, then Mr. Ball took up a
claim of eighty acres in Sugar Creek township, which they worked until Mr.
Harris was old enough to enter land, which he did, entering eighty acres,
which he sold, later entering another eighty farther east, then liought two
BOONE COUNTYj INDIANA. Jig
hundred and forty acres, which a Mr. Walker had entered from the govern-
ment ; however, it had not been improved, further than that a log cabin and
a log stable had been built on it and sixteen acres had been cleared. The
tract was heavily timbered with walnut, oak, sugar maple, etc. Mr. Harris
went to work with a will and cleared eighty acres, placed it under cultivation
and built a frame house in 1850, and about eight years later a large frame
barn, which is still standing. He prospered, becoming one of the leading
farmers of the township and at the time of his death owned four hundred
acres, all in Boone county. His death occurred in December, i860. He mar-
ried Martha Ferguson in January, 1826. She was a daughter of William
Ferguson, one of the very early settlers of Boone county. The death of Mrs.
Harris occurred in Thorntown, August 18, 189 1. After her husband's death
she remained on the home place with her family until about 1888, when she
nio\-ed to Thorntown. To Mathew T. Harris and wife eight children were
born, namely : Judith J. married Samuel Laughlin, deceased : William F.
married Alice Potts, a native of Boone county; both died, leaving three chil-
dren, Frederick and Eva, living in Oklahoma, and Colorado, respectively, and
May, who died when seventeen years of age; Martha J. married Michael
Campbell, now deceased ; she is living in Syracuse, Nebraska, and has six
children living; Sarah died in i860; Robert died at the age of fourteen;
Mary and Hannah both died in infancy: Elwood T., of this review, is the
youngest of the family.
Our subject grew to manhood on the home farm and received his edu-
cation in the district schools. After the death of his father, he remained
with his mother on the homestead. On February 20, 1878, he married Mary
Ellen Messmore, a native of Grant county, Indiana, who was born April 11,
1855, and is a daughter of Albert and Jane Messmore, who were early
settlers of Shelby county, removing to Grant county about 1864. The mother
died some twenty years ago, but the father is still living, having attained the
advanced age of ninety years, and is remarkably hale and hearty. Our sub-
ject assisted in the management of the home place after his father's death,
and he has been very successful as a general farmer, his place of one hundred
and sixty acres having been well kept and well tilled, and he also owns a
half interest with his sister of a two hundred and forty acre farm in another
section in this township. This land they started to purchase some thirty
(45)
720 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
years ago, buying it in several tracts. All this land is under excellent im-
provements, including about one thousand rods of tiling. On his present
place, in section 13, he erected a large frame residence in 1892. and has also
built other good buildings. He feeds stock extensively from year to year,
shipping large numbers of cattle and hogs to the market, usually feeding
about one hundred head of cattle and two hundred head of hogs. He is one
of our leading agriculturists and stock men.
The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Harris:
Mathew T.. born April 8. 1879, is in business in Thorntown: Roxie Jane,
born May 31, 1881, married Ernest McKern, a groceryman of Thorntown,
and to them one child, Lillian, has been born, the date of her birth being May
18. 1905 : Glenn died in infancy.
Formerly Mr. Harris was a Republican, but is now a Progressive. He
has long been more or less intluential in local public affairs, however is not
especially active in political matters. He and Mrs. Harris are highly es-
teemed in their community for their upright, industrious and wholesome
lives, both being fine examples of self-culture, having become well educated
principally through their own efforts.
WILLIAM H. BOWMAN.
The final causes which shape the fortunes of individual men and the
destinies of states are often the same. They are usually remote and obscure ;
their influence wholly unexpected until declared by results. When they in-
spire men to the exercise of courage, self-denial, enterprise, industry, and
call into plav the higher moral elements : lead men to risk all upon conviction,
faith — such causes lead to the planting of great states, great nations, great
peoples. That state or county is the greatest which produces the most useful,
most manly men, and the intrinsic safety depends not so much upon methods
and measures as' upon that true manhood from whose deep sources all that is
precious and permanent in life must at last proceed. Such a result may not
be consciously contemplated by the individuals instrumental in the produc-
tion of a country; pursuing each his personal good by exalted means, they
work out his as a logical result; they have wrought on the lines of the greatest
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 721
good. When the Hfe of one such individual ends, we look back over the
pathway he had trod and note its usefulness — its points worthy of emulation
and perpetuation. What the late William H. Bowman, one of the most
progressive and highly honored citizens of Boone county of a past genera-
tion, did for his fellow men and the community in general might, in a manner,
be told in words, but in its far-reaching influence, cannot be measured. He
tried to keep in close touch with the forward movement of the people, and
from a sincere and deepfelt interest in the general welfare, labored for all
that would prove of public benefit until the busy and useful life was ended,
and he was called to the reward of the just.
Mr. Bowman was bom May 15, 1835, and he was called to his eternal
rest on January 30, 1903, on the home place north of Advance, in Jefferson
township, Boone county. He is a son of Henry and Catherine (Airhart)
Bowman. The father came from Virginia in a very early day, bringing his
famih' overland, which consisted of his wife and five children, Elizabeth,
Nancy, Sarah, John C. and PoUie R., all of whom were bom in the Old
Dominion. The family located in section 6, Jefferson township, Boone
county, buying eighty acres, all timbered land. On this the elder Bowman
erected a log cabin, cleared and improved his land and became a successful
farmer, and here he reared his family. His log cabin gave way to a pre-
tentious frame residence in due course of time, and, as he prospered he added
to his original purchase until at the time of his death he owned about three
hundred and forty acres. Two of his children were born in this county,
William H.. of this sketch: and Rebecca, the youngest of the famil}-, who
married Daniel Brown, one of the early settlers of Boone county.
William H. Bowman was reared on the home farm, and, like all children
of pioneers, he worked hard assisting to clear and develop the homestead, and
he recei\'ed the usual educational ad\-antages of those early times, which were
by no means liberal. However, in later life he became a well-informed man
by extensive home reading. He remained at home until he was twenty-one
years of age, then hired out at farm work for several years, then married
Nancy Jane Farlow, who was born January 9, 1837 in Jackson township,
Boone county. She is a daughter of George and Mary (Martin) Farlow,
both natives of Indiana, where they grew up and were married and were
early settlers in Boone county, where Mr. Farlow purchased forty acres north
of Advance, where he reared his familv, of which Mrs. Bowman was the
722 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
oldest, there being thirteen children in all, of whom only three besides Mrs.
Bowman are now living — Mrs. Jacob Harlan, of Boone county; A. Farlow,
of Indianapolis; and George Farlow, who lives in the state of Oregon. Mrs.
Bowman was reared and educated in her native community and she remained
at home until her father's second marriage, which took place late in life, and
she went out to support herself, which she did successfully until her marriage
to Mr. Bowman, of this memoir. After his marriage Mr. Bowman rented
land for about three years, then bought eighty acres of his father in section
6, Jefiferson township, and went to farming in earnest. Eleven acres were
cleared, and he cleared the balance, and he added to his original holdings, and
bought and sold, as he prospered through the exercise of sound judgment and
good management until at the time of his death he owned over two hundred
acres of valuable land, forty acres of which was in Montgomery county.
This land included the old Bowman homestead, which our subject bought
back from others after having been sold with his father's estate. Our sub-
ject was a good farmer in every sense of the word and then kept live stock,
provided a pleasant home for himself and wife and was one of the leading
men of his community. The union of our subject and wife was without
issue. He was a worthy member of the Christian church.
Politically, Mr. Bowman was a Democrat all his life. However, he was
not active in political affairs, being a great home man. After his death Mrs.
Bowman remained on the home place about a year and a half when she moved
to Advance and purchased a commodious home, which is tastily furnished and
well-kept and in this she is spending her declining years in comfort and sur-
rounded by plenty. She is enjoying excellent health, is well-preserved and
appears much younger than her age would indicate. She has been a con-
sistent member of the Christian church at Old Providence since she was eigh-
teen years old. However, she recently transferred her membership to the
church of this denomination at Advance. Mr. Bowman was a deacon in the
old Providence church for many years up to the time of his death, and, like
his good life companion, was very active in church work. Mrs. Bowman
rents her fine farm of two hundred acres, and she attends to all her business
afifairs and lives alone. She is a strong-minded and well-read lady of splendid
Christian character, and she and her lamented husband have done an incalcul-
able amount of good in their community.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
WILLIAM JEFFERSON DARNELL.
723
In William Jefferson Darnell, widely-known attorney of Jamestown,
Boone county, we find evidence of a peculiar characteristic that always makes
for advancement — persistency, coupled with fortitude and lofty traits, and
as a result of such a life Mr. Darnell has long enjoyed prestige as one of the
representative professional men in a community noted for the high order of
its talents.
He was born on March 5, 1847, i" Hendricks county, Indiana. He is
a son of Capt. William H. and Mathilda (Swain) Darnell, both natives of
Kentucky. The father was a Baptist minister, and he came to Indiana in
1832, locating in Hendricks county, on timbered land north of Danville,
clearing his three hundred and twenty acres and developing a good farm, but
all the while continued preaching. In 1864 he came to Boone county, after
having spent five years in Montgomery county. He was a man of industry
and had accumulated over seven hundred acres in Hendricks county, which
he later sold and invested in one hundred and si.xty acres in Montgomery
county, selling that when he moved to Boone county and invested in eighty
acres in Jackson township where he lived until 1869 when he moved to
Jamestown, remaining here until his wife's death in 1876, when he returned
to Montgomery county, and there married a Mrs. Dewey, who lived but a
short time, and after her death he married Susan Robinson, and they spent
the rest of their lives in Montgomery county, dying in 1892. He owned con-
siderable in Crawfordsville, Jamestown and elsewhere. By his first mar-
riage eleven children were born, all growing to maturity, William J., of this
sketch being the seventh in order of birth; James is farming in Jackson
township, this county: Charles H. is also farming in this county; Mrs. Ida
Ashley is the wife of John H. Ashley and they reside in Jamestown; Nathan
T., a contractor and builder, lives in Louisville, Kentucky; Harriett lives in
Indianapolis and is the widow of Elwood James ; Mrs. Louisa M. Youel died
leaving three children, Ernest, Daisy and Emma, who married Charles W.
Fried; Milton S. is farming in Putnam county; Henry is a merchant in
Montgomery county; Mrs. Georgia Shirk, deceased, lived in Crawfordsville
and left three children, Clara, Ora and Edward; Charles H. lives in James-
town and is a stock dealer and farmer.
William J. Darnell, of this sketch, received his early education in the
724 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
common schools and at Wesley Chapel in Montgomery county. He re-
mained at home until he was twenty-two years of age, when he married
Kate George, of Indianapolis, May i8, 1870. She is a daughter of James
and Sarah (Shields) George. Mr. George was a merchant in Indianapolis,
where his death occurred during the Civil war. The mother's death oc-
curred at the home of our subject in Jamestown where she had made her
home after he married her daughter. In 1870 Mr. Darnell opened a shoe
store in Jamestown which he managed five years, during which time he was
reading law with Peterson & Lockhart, a prominent law firm of Jamestown.
He was admitted to the bar in 1875 and has practiced law ever since in this
city with the exception of 1895-6 when he resided in Lebanon, in partner-
ship with Noah Loffrin, now deceased. He has been very successful as an
attorney, and has won an especially wide reputation as a criminal lawyer, and
has enjoyed a place in the front ranks of his professional brethren for more
than thirty-five years in Boone county, during which he has kept fully abreast
of the times, remaining a close student. He was associated with Samuel M.
Ralston, present governor of Indiana, in the famous William Miller case,
being retained by the defense, winning the case and establishing a precedent
which set aside a state statute by appeal to the supreme court. Mr. Darnell
has been admitted to the bar in seven states, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia,
Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky and Alabama. He has traveled extensively, in-
cluding a trip to Mexico in 1912-13, and was captured by the "red flaggers,"
a band of rebels, but was finally released and returned to Jaurez. Formerly
he was an active. Republican, but since the organization of the Progressive
party he has been loyal in his support of it. He has long been active
and influential in local public affairs, and in 1895-6 was deputy prosecuting
attorney of Boone county. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, Luther Lodge No. 227, also the Encampment at
Jamestown. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church at James-
town.
To Mr. and Mrs. Darnell the following children have been born, namely :
Oscar, born 1871, died in 1884; Florence, bom in 1873, married J. F. Hall,
formerly a business man of Jamestown, now of Los Angeles. California, and
they have four children, Richard, Ina, John and Margaret; George, born in
1883 is an attorney, publisher and musician, editor of the Jamesfoziit Press;
he married Elsie Heath, of Boone county ; he is also practicing law with his
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 725
father, under the firm name of Darnell & Darnell ; Wilbur F. was born in
1887 and is a druggist at Bargersville, Indiana; he married Blanche Jackson,
a native of Boone county, and they have one child. George. Kate, the
youngest of our subject's children was born September 26, 1890 and was
married May 18, 1910 to Gene Camplin. She was a graduate of the North
Salem high school and attended the Central Normal College at Danville,
Indiana, and taught school in Hendricks county prior to her marriage. She
has one child, Darnell, who is one year old.
The father of our subject was a captain during the Mexican war. He
assisted in raising a regiment in 1848 in Hendricks county, and was appointed
captain, however the regiment was not called on for active service, but was
enlisted and given proper credit, was drilled and ready for the front.
GEORGE A. EVERETT.
Agriculture siiould be the best conducted business in the world, as all
other business interests are dependent on it. In the soil is the source of our
wealth, and from it we must get the money to carry on any other business.
As life itself is more important than the conveniences of living, so is agri-
culture more important to the nation than other interests which have re-
ceived much attention in the past. But just now there is a great deal being
said about agricultural congresses, experiment stations, farm experts and
the like, with a view of benefiting the different agricultural sections of the
United States, consequently the farmers everywhere being benefited, all the
people will feel the result in that these movements make more secure their
opportunities to live. So every person should give his unqualified endorse-
ment to movements that assure his country of a sufficient supply of food, for
no nation can attain to the highest state of civilization with an underfed
population.
One of the farmers of Boone county who is not only always ready to
encourage any movement for the betterment of general farming but who is
quick to adopt such new methods as are applicable in this locality is George
A. Everett, of Perry township. He was born in Marion county, Indiana,
May 7, 1855, and is a son of John and Susan (White) Everett, both natives
726 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
of England, where they grew to maturity, were educated and married, and
later emigrated to Albany, New York, near which place the father worked on
a farm two years, then moved to Marion county, Indiana, where he and his
family maintained their home until the spring of 1865, when they moved to
Brown township, Hendricks county, and there the death of John Everett
occurred in 1871, and there his widow still lives, being now ninety years of
age, her birth having occurred June 12, 1824. The date of her husband's
birth was 1819. The following children were born to them: ^^'illiam E., of
Hendricks covmty; John died in 1873; Amy lives with her mother: George
A., of this sketch ; Sanford lives in Hendricks county.
George A. E\-erett received a meager education in the public schools,
which he left at the age of thirteen years. He remained with his widowed
mother until his marriage on December 25, 1879 to Julia Edwards, who was
born in Eel River township, Hendricks county, Indiana, and is a daughter
of John K. and Jane (Pateman) Edwards, the father a native of Perry
township, Boone county, and the mother a native of Eel River township,
Hendricks county. John K. Edwards lived all his life in Perry township,
with the exception of four years spent in Hendricks county. He was a suc-
cessful farmer and was well liked by his neighbors. The paternal grand-
parents were William and Susan (Turner) Edwards, both natives of Ken-
tucky, from which state they came to Boone county, Indiana in an earl\- day,
reaching here in February, 1834, and here they established their home in the
woods, their neighbors being few. Mrs. Everett grew to womanhood in her
native community and was educated there.
After his marriage Mr. Everett resided in Hendricks county for a
period of thirteen years, then bought eighty acres in Perry township, Boone
county, an improved farm. Here he prospered and added to his original
purchase until he now owns a productive and valuable farm of one hundred
and ninety acres, all well improved, except three acres of timber. He has a
good home and outbuildings and keeps a good grade of live stock. The
mother of Mrs. Everett died January 25, 1913, since which time Mr. Ed-
w-ards has made his home with his son in Arkansas.
Mr. Everett is a Democrat politically and has been loyal to the party.
He was elected township trustee of Perry township in 1908, and has served
continuously ever since, giving eminent satisfaction to all concerned. Fra-
ternally, he is a member of Lodge No. 839, Independent Order of Odd Fel-
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 727
lows; and Lodge No. 429, Improved Order of Red Men, both at Fayette,
Indiana.
To Mr. and Mrs. Everett the following children were born: John A.,
who lives in Perry township; Vina Schenck, wife of Isaac Schenck, of
Hendricks county; Elma is the wife of Roy Smith, of Center township; Will-
iam S. lives in Perry township; Lester is at home; Emma is also with her
parents : Cora A., the sixth child in order of birth, died when four years of
age.
HARVEY W. HUBER.
The people who constitute the bone and sinew of this country are not
those who are unstable and unsettled; who fly from this occupation to that,
who take no active and intelligent interest in affairs affecting public utilities,
schools, churches and good roads. The backbone of this country is made
up of the families who have made their home, who are alive to the best inter-
ests of the community in which they reside, who are so honest that it is no
trouble for their neighbors to know it, who attend to their own business and
are too busy to meddle in that of others; who work on steadily from day to
day, taking the sunshine with the storm and who rear a fine family to a com-
fortable home and an honest life. Such people are always welcome in any
community and any country. They are wealth producers, and this county
is blessed with many of them among which is that of Harvey W. Huber,
well-known farmer of Sugar Creek township, where he has spent his entire
life, having enjoyed the privilege of living on the old home place all the while,
which he no doubt regards, as he should, as one of life's chief blessings, for
as John Howard Payne well observed, "There is no place like home."'
Mr. Huber was born in Sugar Creek township, Boone county, July 16,
1857. He is a son of Valentine and Amelia (Kashner) Huber, natives of
Ohio. The paternal grandparents, William and Elizabeth (Hefler) Huber,
were natives of Germany, and the maternal grandparents, Abraham and
Betsey (Abernathy) Kashner, were natives of Pennsylvania. The latter
family came to Montgomery county, Indiana in 1830 and entered land from
the government.
Valentine Huber grew to manhood in Ohio and was educated and mar-
JZQ BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
ried there, and in 1853 he came to Boone county, Indiana, and bought a
farm of ninety-four acres in Sugar Creek township. His first wife died in
1854, without issue. In December, 1855, he married Amelia Kashner,
mother of our subject. The elder Huber was a good farmer and prospered
and he kept adding to his original farm here until he owned at the time of
his death, February 8. 1889, one hundred and thirty-seven acres of valuable
land. His second wife preceded him to the grave in February, 1888. Har-
vey W. Huber, of this sketch, was their only child. He grew to manhood
on the home farm and received his education in the district schools. He
remained with his parents during their life, and upon their death he inherited
the homestead and here he has remained, carefully managing the same and
keeping it well impro\cd and under a fine state of cultivation. By close
application and good management he has prospered and added to his original
holdings until he is now owner of three hundred and eighty-eight "acres,
constituting one of the most valuable and most desirable farms in the town-
ship, on which he carries on general farming and stock raising on an exten-
sive scale. He has a pleasant home in the midst of attracti\-e surroundings,
and has kept the buildings all well repaired.
Mr. Huber was married December 26, 1882 to Mary Elizabeth Titus,
who was born in Washington township, Boone county, where she grew to
womanhood and was educated. She is a daughter of Samuel and Jane
(Wilkins) Titus, both natives of Indiana, the father of Boone county, where
he became a well-known citizen.
Stephen Titus, father of Samuel Titus came from Pennsylvania in 183 1
and entered one hundred and sixty acres in Washington township; then
walked back to Pennsylvania and returned with his family. His wife's
name was Nancy (Barton) Titus of Pennsylvania. Both li\ed to a ripe
old age. Samuel Titus was married in 1855 to Jane Wilkins:
The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Huber : Urban
W. lives in \Vashington township; Beulah is the wife of Carl Riner and
they live in Jefferson township; Verva, Ernest, John Titus, Amelia Jane, and
Xathan Kashner, are all at home.
Politically, Mr. Huber is a Democrat, religiously a Presbvterian, and
fraternally he belongs to the Knights of Pythias and the Modern \\'oodmen
of America, both of Thorntown.
Mr. Huber is deserving of a great deal of credit for what he has ac-
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 729.
complished. He was born in a two-story log house, with a fire-place both
below and above. In 1867 his father built a story and a half brick house
and the log house was torn down. His present modern thirteen-roomed
house was built in 1901. It has all the modern improvements and is one of
the most comfortable and well furnished homes in the county. He also has
a splendid bank barn, forty-two by fifty-eight feet, with twenty foot posts,
which barn was erected in the fall of 1895 but not entirely completed until the
following year. It is up-to-date in every respect, with cement floors and is
sanitary and comfortable, both a general and dairy barn, and he keeps twenty
good dairy cows. All his land is used in his superb system of twentieth
century agriculture. All his land lies in a rich bottom with the exception
of seventy acres of upland. It is, on the whole, one of the show places in
Boone county, and is named the Hidaway Farm. Mr. Huber is a breeder
and preserver of the original big type spotted Poland China hogs and was
one of the promoters in the organization of the American spotted Poland
China Record Company which was organized at Indianapolis January i,
1914.
HARVEY MARION LAFOLLETTE.
The record of a life well spent, of triumph over obstacles, of persever-
ance under difficulties and steady advancement from a modest beginning to
a place of honor and credit in the community, when imprinted on the pages
of history, present to the youth of the rising generation an example worthy
of emulation and one that may be studied with profit by those of more ma-
ture years. Dominated by the highest principles of integrity was the course
of Harvey Marion LaFollette, one of the useful citizens of Boone county
in its early period of development, who has long been sleeping "in God's
quiet acre where we all shall meet," but whose influence on the locality of
which this volume treats, shall never vanish. He placed true values on men
and events, so that he was essentially democratic and unassuming and showed
the intrinsic strength and loyalty of his character. He knew the spirit of
human motive and action, so that he was kind and tolerant in his judg-
ment and ever ready to lend a helping hand to any worthy movement. He
was imbued with the deepest and most helpful public-spirit, and he was well
730
BOONE COUNTY. INDIANA.
fortified in his opinions as to matters of public policy and gave of his best
to the furthering of good government, as he was neglectful of no civic duty.
It is scarcely necessary to say that in the inviolable precincts of an ideal home
life the true nobility of Mr. LaFollette found perfect apotheosis, but there
is no desire in this connection to lift the sacred veil of the fireside circle.
Pure, constant and noble was the spiritual flame that burned in and illumined
the moral tenement of the subject of this memoir, his character and Christian
faith being fortified by careful study; for no man witli his intellectual vigor
and the love of truth which marked him, could live long without inevitably-
being brought to investigate the great moral laws governing life. In fact,
he was a strong man in e\ery respect and was successful in all he undertook.
I\Ir. Lafollette was born in Putnam county, Indiana, April i6, 1832.
He was a son of Jesse and Mary (Lee) LaFollette, both natives of New
Jersey, from which state they emigrated with their parents in childhood to
Kentucky and later to Indiana in an early day. locating in Putnam county
where they established themselves on a farm in the northern part of that
county, in typical pioneer fashion. The death of the father occurred in
1843 after which the mother moved to ■Montgomery county, this state, where
her death occurred in 1851.
Harvey M. LaFollette grew to manhood in Putnam and Alontgomery
counties. Indiana, and received his education in the old time subscription
schools, and began life for himself as a stock-trader, being from early experi-
ence, an excellent judge of live stock. On December 22. 1853, he married
Susan C. Fullenwider, who was born in ^lontgomery county. Indiana, De-
cember 10, 1835 and there grew to womanhood and was educated in the
common schools. She is a daughter of Christopher and Sarah (V^an Xuvs)
Fullenwider, natives of Kentucky, the father being of Swiss descent and the
mother of Hollandish extraction. The parents of Mrs. LaFollette came to
Montgomery county. Indiana, about 1833, among the early settlers. They
located on a farm wliicli they dexeloped by hard work and perseverance.
There the death of the mother occurred in 1855 ^"d Mr. Fullenwider mar-
ried again and removed to the state of Iowa where his death occurred about
1862.
After his marriage the subject of this memoir took up his residence in
Dane county. \\'isconsin. where he engaged in farming from 1834 to i860.
In October of the latter year he moved to Thorntown, in Sugar Creek town-
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 73I
ship, Boone county, Indiana and bought property in Thorntown, launching
out in the dry-goods and hardware business with his brothers Warren and
Robert. Later he operated a large flour mill upon Sugar creek near Thorn-
town, until his death by accident while taking a new turbine to his mill, the
team of horses frigtitened at the train and running away, throwing him
against a schoolhouse, so that he died from his injuries September 4, 1865,
over three months after the accident occurred. He was one of the success-
ful business men of this locality of that early day, and his death was a blow
to the community. Mrs. LaFollette has continued to reside in Thorntown,
where she owns one of the most attracti\e, commodious and neatly furnished
residences in Boone count}-. The city of LaFollette, Tennessee was named
for a son and namesake of our subject. This son, Harvey M., served as
State Superintendent of Public Instruction for Indiana, by popular election,
from 1887 to 1 89 1.
The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. LaFollette: Clara
is the wife of George W. Nash and they live in Spokane, Washington:
Charles S. has been in railroad emplo}-ment for more than thirty years, lives
in Chicago, Illinois; Harvey M. lives in La Follette, Tennessee; William
Leroy lives in Pullman, Washington, being a prominent politician in that
state and at present a member of congress from the Third District; Grant A.
lies at Lal-^ollette, Tennessee : two children are deceased, Warren Jasper,
who was third in order of birth, died at the age of thirty-two years, and
Robert Winchester died in infancy. LTnited States Senator, Robert M. La-
Follette, of W'isconsin, is a nephew of our subject.
Politically, Mr. LaFollette was a Republican and was active and in-
fluential in public affairs. He held a number of township offices when he
lived in Wisconsin, was elected justice of the peace there, also served as chair-
man of the board of supervisors. Fraternally, he belonged to the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows at Belle\-ille. Wisconsin. He was reared in
the faith of the Baptist church from which he never departed. JNIrs. La-
Follette is a devout member of the Presliyterian church, and she holds mem-
bership in the Rebekah lodge. She is a well-preserved lady, having the ap-
pearance of one much younger than she is. She is well-read, cultured and
refined and she numbers her friends by the limits of her acquaintance only,
and her beautiful home is known as a place of hospitality and good cheer.
732 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
JOSEPH ARDRA McGEE, M. D.
The writer of biography, dealing with the personal history of men en-
. gaged in various affairs of every-day life, occasionally finds a subject whose
record commands exceptional interest and admiration and especially is this
true when he has achie\ed more than ordinary success or made his influence
felt as a leader of thought and a benefactor of his kind. Dr. Joseph Ardra
McGee, of Big Springs, Boone county, is eminently of that class who earn
:the indisputable right to rank in the van of the army of progressive men', and
by reason of a long and strenuous career devoted to the good of his fellows,
to the alleviation of their physical sufferings, he occupies a position of wide
influence and has made a name which will long live in the hearts and affec-
tions of the people. For over thirty years, or through the principal period
of Boone county's latter day progress, he has been practicing medicine here
and his name has become a household word throughout the county.
Dr. McGee was born in Decatur county, Indiana, December 28, 1850.
He is a son of John and Mary (Youngman) McGee, the former a native of
Virginia and the mother was born in Pennsylvania, in which state they were
married. John McGee learned the trade of wagon making when a young
man which he followed in the early days. He came to Decatur county, Indi-
ana where he devoted his days to farm work and his evenings to his trade.
In 185 1 he removed to Tipton county where he bought a farm on which
he made all his own improvements, erecting substantial buildings, and there
he spent the rest of his life, his death occurring in the fall of 1862, his widow
surviving until the fall of 1881. They were the parents of nine children.
four of whom are living at this writing, namely : Catherine, now the widow
of Joseph Cooper, of Tipton county: Dr. Joseph A., of this review: Sarah is
the widow of Sylvester Cox, of Tipton, Indiana; Alaturity is the wife of
Thomas Jordan, of Tipton count}-.
Dr. McGee was reared on the home farm and there he did his full share
of the work during the summer, and he received his early education in the
common schools of Tipton county. He remained at home until his marriage
in March, 1868, to Alice Jackson, a native of Shelby county. Indiana, where
she was reared and educated. To this union one son was born. Jesse Elbert,
who died in infancy. The wife and mother was called to her eternal rest
in October, 1869. .After his marriage Dr. McGee engaged in farming in
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 733
Tipton county, also in the wood and coal business in Kokomo for one year,
also devoted a few months to the drug business. He came to Adams town-
ship, Hamilton county, Indiana, in 1874, where he bought land and remained
there until the fall of 1881. Although he had been successful as a business
man up to this time, he decided that his true bent lay along other lines and he
accordingly began the study of medicine and entered the Physio Medical
College of Indiana at Indianapolis, remaining there two terms, graduating
in the spring of 1883. In the meantime he began practice in the spring of
1882 at Big Springs, where he had located, having made an excellent record
at college. He had however, studied medicine some time previously to going
to medical college. He has remained continuously to the present time at Big
Springs since 1882, and he has built up a large and lucrative practice as a
general physician and surgeon. He has remained a close student and has
kept well abreast of the times.
Doctor McGee was married November 10, 1874 to Hannah Maranda
Jones, who was born in Washington township, Hamilton county, and she
received a good education in the common schools. She is a daughter of
William P. and Minerva J. (Rariden) Jones, he born March 8, 1826, she
May 30, 1824, both natives of Rush county, Indiana, and a highly respected
family. The father was a pioneer of Boone county, Indiana, having come
here about 1848. He was a member of the Legislature in 1852-53. He was
a minister of the Primitive Baptist church from 1S72 until his death, which
occurred April 26, 1901, the mother passing away two years later, September
20, 1903.
The paternal grandparents were Benjamin and Hannah (Snelling)
Jones, both natives of Kentucky, where they grew to maturity and were mar-
ried, and from there they moved to Rush county, Indiana in 1822, where Mr.
Jones entered land from the government, which was heavily timbered, but
he set to work with a will and cleared and improved one hundred and sixty
acres of good land. This he farmed until 1848 when he sold out and the
following year moved to Marion township, Boone county, where he bought
a partly improved farm. Here he prospered and added to his original pur-
chase until he had a valuable place consisting of four hundred acres, and
there he and his wife spent the rest of their lives becoming known through
their industry and fine personal traits as leading citizens of the township.
To the Doctor and wife one child has been born, Zella Mav, born on
734 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
November 2, 1877, now the wife of Jesse C. Dulin, and they live in Marion
township, this county.
Dr. McGee is a Democrat poHtically and is loyal in his support of the
party's principles. He is a member of the Primitive Baptist church, in
which he has been trustee for thirty-seven years. The father of his first
wife also his last wife were ministers in the Primitive Baptist church. Per-
sonally, Doctor McGee is a gentleman of fine mind, lofty ideas and correct
conduct, a kind, neighborly and sociable gentleman who is popular with all
classes.
VASCO DODSON.
It is one of the beauties of our government that it acknowledges no
hereditary rank or title — no patent of nobility save that of nature's, leaving
every man to establish his own rank by becoming the artificer of his own
fortune. Places of honor and trust, rank and preferment thus happily placed
before every individual, high or low, rich or poor, to be striven for by all,
but earned alone by perseverance and sterling worth are most always sure
to be filled with deserving men, or at least by those possessing the energy and
talent essential to success in contests where public position is the prize. Vasco
Dodson, the present efficient and popular prosecuting attorney of Boone,
county, affords a conspicuous example of the successful self-made American
who is not only eminently deserving of the confidence reposed in him by his
fellow citizens, but also possesses the necessary energy and talent that fit him
to discharge worthily the duties of the responsible place with which he has
been honored by the people of his county. A young man of vigorous mentality
and strong moral fiber, he is achieving signal success in a calling in which few
rise above mediocrity, and since entering the service of the public he finds
those same qualities the chief factors in the carving out of a career that is
above the suspicion of reproach and an honor to the county which he so ably
and acceptably serves.
Mr. Dodson was .born September 24, 1888 on a farm in Union town-
ship, Boone county. He is a son of William H. and Malinda (Harvey) Dod-
son, both parents natives of this county also, each representing sterling
pioneer families. Here they grew to maturity, attended the rural district
VASCO DODSON
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 737
schools and were married and have since devoted themselves to general agri-
cultural pursuits. So their son Vasco, grew up on the farm and when of
proper age began to assist his father in the general work during the crop
season. During the winter, he attended the public schools, being a boy when
the family removed to near the city of Lebanon and he continued his studies
in the city schools. After graduating from the Lebanon Business College he
began life for himself by teaching two years in the shorthand department of
that school and he gave satisfaction in this responsible position. Fostering
a laudable ambition to follow the legal profession he began reading law about
this time, under the direction of Patrick H. Dutch, of Lebanon, later giving
up his position with the business college in order to devote his time exclusively
to the law, and after completing the necessary course he was admitted to the
bar in the autumn of 1909 and at once began practice in partnership with
his preceptors, Mr. Dutch, which partnership continued with success from the
beginning until Mr. Dodson was elected prosecuting attorney of Boone
county' in the fall of 1912. He took charge of the ofifice January i, 1913,
for a term of two years. He has discharged the duties of the same with
fidelity and energy, in a manner that has reflected much credit upon himself
and to the eminent satisfaction of his constituents, being alert in enforcing
the laws and doing his full part in bringing about a more wholesome state
of afifairs in various ways. He has shown himself to be capable of handling
the weighty affairs of his office with discretion, sound judgment and tact, and
by a career so able and honorable while still at an age when most men are
merely starting on their careers, the future for him augurs much of success
and honor.. He practices both in the state and federal courts, and is an
able and trustworthy attorney in every respect and already ranks among the
leaders of the local bar.
Politically, Mr. Dodson is a Democrat and is faithful in his support t>f
the party, doing much for the success of the same locally. He is a member
of the State Bar Association, and fraternally belongs to the Knights o:
Pythias, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks.
Mr. Dodson was married September 4, 1913, to Mabel Price, a daughter
of David C. Price, formerly of Illinois, now an enterprising citizen of Boone
county. Mrs. Dodson has received good educational advantages and she and
our subject are popular with the best social circles of Lebanon.
(46)
738 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
PRESLEY NEWBY.
There is a vice in much of the pubHcity given to agriculture that should
be eliminated. It is true, isolated cases of ignorance and indolence exist,
but these instances are always the exception in any community, and the per-
centage of delinquents is no greater than in any other line of industry. Men
who are unable to make their way in the highways of trade move from the
cities to the farm and perish for want of adaptability. Agricultural mission-
aries, sometimes inclined to be sensational, startle the public with reports of
thrilling rescues made from the furrors of ignorance. To encourage our
boys we sometimes give them the garden spot of the farm and give it first
preference in cultivation. The result is a larger yield, and it is heralded to
the world that the child can beat his father farming. Those who are in-
clined to be eccentric practice fancy farming, and enthusiasts announce the
discovery of visionary methods of culture that will revolutionize farming,
and these instances could be multiplied indefinitely. One of the successful
and painstaking farmers of Boone county who advocate conservative yet
practical methods in agriculture is Presley Newby, of Marion township.
Mr. Newby was born in Tipton county, Indiana, October 21, 1856.
He is a son of Granville and Abigail (Barnhill) Newby. the father a native
of Kentucky and the mother of Marion county, Indiana. Grandfather Ed-
ward Newby was a native of Kentucky. The maternal grandparents were
Robert and Mary J. (Stoops) Barnhill. After their marriage the parents of
our subject settled in Tipton county. Indiana. The father was a practicing
physician and about 1855 he gave up practicing medicine and began farming
which he followed until his death in 1889. his widow surviving until Febru-
ary, igoS. Thev were the parents of ten children, six sons and four
daughters.
Presley Newby, sixth child in order of birth, was reared on the home
farm where he worked when a boy, and he received his education in the dis-
trict schools.
Mr. Newby was married January 6, 1884 to Lillie ^I. Lamm, who was
born in Delaware county, Indiana, and is a daughter of \\illiam and Harriet
(Vanness) Lamm, natives of Ohio. Mr. Newby remained on his father's
farm a year after his marriage, then went to Cheyenne county. Nebraska,
taking up a homestead, one hundred and sixty acres, on the prairie.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 739
-which he broke and improved about sixty acres. Returning to Indiana in
1 89 1 he located on a farm in Tipton county and farmed there one year, then
moved about a mile north of that farm, remaining on the latter place two
years, then rented a farm about six miles north of Sheridan in Tipton
county which he operated six years, after which he moved to Hamilton
county, locating near Horton, renting land one year. In February, 1901, he
bought ninety acres in Marion township, section 13, which was partly im-
proved. In November, 19 12, he purchased forty acres adjoining the ninety
acres on the south making one hundred and thirty acres altogether. Here
he still resides and has made many important improvements on the place,
remodeling the house, barn and erecting outbuildings and fences, until he
now has a farm equal to any its size in the neighborhood. He carries on
general farming and pays particular attention to stock raising, making a
specialty of Holstein cows, Duroc-Jersey hogs and a good grade of horses.
The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Newby : Harlan
D., of ■ Hamilton county: Charlie died when six years old; William lives in
Sheridan, Indiana; Blanche, Bertha, John, Edith and Ethel are all at home.
Politically, Mr. Newby is a Republican. While living in Nebraska he
served as road supervisor for two years, also served two years in this capacity
in Marion township, Boone county, giving eminent satisfaction in both
instances.
JAMES B. MOORE.
The history of Boone county reveals the handiwork of many a noble
worker who wrought heroically and unselfishly. Her smiling fields and splen-
did homes, her high-grade institutions, her happy prospering people speak
volumes of someone's strength of arm, courage of heart, activity of brain —
of someone's sacrifice. But time, that grim obliterator before whose destroy-
ing fingers even the stubborn granite must, in the end succumb, is ever at his
work of disintegration. Beneath his blighting touch even memory fails, and
too often a life of glorious achievement is forgotten in a day. Lest we for-
get, then, this tribute to James B. Moore and his family is penned. Pioneer,
successful tiller of the soil and public-spirited citizen, a courageous, kindly,
generous man, it is the desire of the biographer, as it must be of all who know
740 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
him, that his deeds and his character be recorded for the benefit of those who
follow after. By no means rich, as worldly possessions are estimated, he is
rich in a thousand thronging memories of the rugged days long passed.
Mr. Moore was born in Dearborn county, Indiana, July i8, 1831. He
is a son of Peter and Rachel (Morris) Moore. The father was born in
North Carolina and the mother in New Jersey. The maternal grandfather,
Joseph Morris, was a native of Ireland and the maternal grandmother, Eliza-
beth Morris, was a native of New Jersey. The paternal grandparents, Jacob
and Mary Ann ( Stegerwault ) Moore, were nati\es of Pennsyh-ania. They
were all early settlers in Dearborn county, Indiana. Grandfather Moore
died in 1833 of cholera, and later his widow located in Boone county where
her death occurred. About 1837, grandfather Morris brought his family
to Boone county and here he and his wife both died. Peter Moore and wife,
parents of our subject, were married in Dearborn county, Indiana and in
1836 removed to Boone county, locating in Marion township, where Mr.
Moore entered one hundred and sixty acres from the government. It was
wild land, heavily timbered. He erected a log cabin on the same and cleared
and placed many acres under cultivation, enduring the hardships of the usual
pioneer, but he was a hard worker and nothing daunted him. Here his death
occurred in i860, his wife having preceded him ttj the grave in August, 1842.
They were the parents of seven children, three of whom are living at this
writing, James B., of this review, is the oldest; George lives in Indianapolis,
Indiana: William W. resides in Alvin, Texas.
James B. Moore grew to manhood on the home farm where he worked
hard when a boy, assisting his father clear and develop the home place. He
received such education as the old-time schools, taught in log school houses
afforded. He remained with his parents until his marriage on October 31,
1873 to Nancy Ann Scott, a native of Boone county, and a daughter of
Harvey and Russie (Hickerson) Scott, natives of Kentucky, from which
state they came to Boone county, Indiana, when young and here the\- \\(.Te
married.
After his marriage Mr. ^Moore located on forty acres, twentv-five acres
of which was cleared, of land he had purchased in Alarion township, this
county. Here he resided about six years, getting a good start in life, then
traded his farm to his sister for a part of the homestead, on which he mo\ed
and where he has since resided. He later purchased forty acres additional of
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 74I
the old home place from his sister. He has it all under cultivation, except some
scattering timber which he has in pasture. He has been very successful as
a general farmer, and is making a specialty of raising Poland-China hogs,
Jersey cows and a good grade of horses.. He continued hard and active work
up to 1898, since which time he has done little more than merely oversee his
farm, leaving the actual work on his son. He has the following children :
Joseph H. is living in Marion township; Charles E., who conducts the home
farm is married and has a daughter, and the family lives with our subject and
wife, constituting a mutually helpful and happy household.
Politically, Mr. Moore is a Republican, and in religious matters belongs
to the Methodist Protestant church.
THOMAS J. JONES.
The well-known citizen whose name appears above is an excellent repre-
sentative of the better class of retired farmers of Indiana. Mr. Jones comes
from an ancestry that distinguished itself in pioneer times, he himself being
a pioneer. When northern Indiana was covered with an almost interminable
forest of large trees and the woods filled with wild animals, his people in-
vaded the wilderness in this section of the state and began to carve a home
from the primeval forests, assisted in building schools and churches, and in
many ways did their part in helping to introduce the customs of civilization
in the wilderness. They were sterling frontiersmen, willing to take the
hardships and endure the pri\ations in order that they might acquire the soil
and the home that was sure to rise. It has been just such spirit that has
caused the great West to be reclaimed and utilized, as told in Theodore
Roosevelt's interesting work on "The Winning of the West."
Thomas J. Jones, a successful farmer of Marion township, Boone
county, was born in Rush county, Indiana, May i8, 1838. He is a son of
Benjamin and Hannah (Snelling) Jones, both natives of Kentucky, where
they grew to maturity and were married, and from there they moved to Rush
county, Indiana, in 1822, where Mr. Jones entered land from the govern-
ment, which was heavily timbered, but he set to work with a will and cleared
and improved one hundred and sixty acres of good land. This he farmed
742 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
until 1848 when he sold out and the following year moved to Marion town-
ship, Boone county, where he bought a ' partly improved farm. Here he
prospered and added to his original purchase until he had a valuable place
consisting of four hundred acres and there he and his wife spent the rest of
their lives, becoming known through their industry and fine personal traits as
leading citizens of the township.
Thomas J. Jones of this review, was the tenth child of a family of twelve
children, seven sons and five daughters, only three of whom are living at this
writing. Our subject grew to manhood on the home farm and his wife at-
tended the first school taught in the present district. No. 6, as it is now desig-
nated. This was in 1854 and in a log cabin, formerly used as a residence,
which stood opposite our subject's present home, on the norm across tne
road. After his father broke up housekeeping our subject worked out by the
day and month for a period of years. On September 19, 1861 he married
Martha J. Bell, of Rush county, Indiana, a daughter of Robert and ]Mary J.
(Moore) Bell, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Indiana. After
his marriage Mr. Jones moved to a forty acre timbered tract in section 1.2,
Marion township. He soon cleared a space and erected a log cabin. He
worked hard and managed well, cleared and improved his land, adding to
his original holdings as he prospered until he at one time owned a valuable
farm of two hundred and thirty acres, all of which he improved. Having
given considerable land to his children, he now owns but one hundred and
three acres. He has a commodious home and substantial outbuildings and
has one of the choice farms of the township. He has accumulated a com-
petency through his close application and excellent management and has lived
retired since 1903.
Mr. Jones is a Democrat, and in religious matters is a Primitive Baptist.
He was liberated to preach the gospel in 1874. and ordained to the full func-
tions of the Gospel ministry in 1876. From that date up to the present date,
he has been a pastor of Antioch church of Marion township, and has been
the pastor of from one to three other churches in Indiana. He has traveled
and preached through Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio
and West Virginia, doing a great amount of good and setting a worthy ex-
ample before the younger generation. He is one of the useful and highly
esteemed men of his township. His home is known as a place of old-time
hospitality U> the many friends of the family and Primitive Baptists.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 743
The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Jones : Jonathan
M., deceased; Elizabeth Ellen, age forty-nine at home with her parents;
Mary C, deceased; Nancy Margaret, wife of R. L. Jarrett; Benjamin R.,
deceased; Franklin C; Millie A. is the wife of Raleigh H. Cox, of Marion
township; Emma Olive died when sixteen years of age.
EDGAR W. DAVIS.
There has been developed in recent years a new kind of business man.
We now have the expert in business methods. Men are finding employment
at large salaries who go into business houses or concerns previously unknown
to them and after making a thorough study of the bookkeeping, cost of pro-
duction and of selling and the general methods employed in the establish-
ment, make recommendations for their improvement. When successful
business men, manufacturers and financiers recognize the value of outside
and scientific knowledge applied to their special lines of business, it is indeed
time the farmer began to recognize and appreciate the help which it is pos-
sible for him to obtain from the scientific facts and principles underlying his
methods and practice. One of the wide-awake and careful twentieth cen-
tury agriculturists and stock men of Eagle township, Boone county, who
never loses an opportunity to seize and apply a helpful idea to his chosen
vocation, is Edgar W. Davis, and as a result of his vigilance, close observa-
tion and industry, he has made a pronounced success on his fine Sunny Side
farm.
Air. Da\is was born jn Green Lake county. Wisconsin, November 24,
1856, on a farm, and he is the son of John W. Davis, who was born in
Berkshire county, Massachusetts, who was a son of Bela Davis, a pioneer of
Wisconsin, who was also a native of Massachusetts. John W. Davis mar-
ried Harriet Stever of Trumbull county, Ohio. She was of Mohawk Dutch
or Holland ancestry. Five children were born to John W. Davis and wife,
namely: Edgar W., of Zionsville, Indiana; Calvert J., of Denver, Colorado;
Robert H., who died in September. 1884; John R. is a locomotive engineer
on the Belt railroad, Indianapolis, Indiana; James B., one of the well known
life insurance men of the United States is superintendent of the Metropolitan
744 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Life Insurance Company. The father of these children who devoted his Hfe
successfully to farming, now seventy-nine years of age, lives in Indianapolis
with his son. John R. Davis. On February 20. 191 1, the mother passed to
her rest at the age of seventy-three years. They were excellent people and
worthy members of the Methodist church.
Edgar W. Davis was reared on the home farm and educated in the dis-
trict schools, however most of his education has been obtained by contact
with the world at large. He entered the railroad service at the age of twenty
years and has railroaded continuously since that time. He began with the
Big Four Railroad Company, on January 10, 1876. and is one of the pioneer
engineers in Indiana, having remained thirty-se-\-en years with the above
named company, during which time he was regarded as one of their most
faithful and trusted employees; always known as a careful, thoughtful,
conscientious and able man where his duties were required, and he had few
accidents, and he ranks fifth in point of years of service with that road.
He began working in the roundhouse as helper, then became fireman and
exentually engineer, and no man in the state has a better record as engineer
than he. He was never reduced or "laid off" for mistakes or faults, as is so
often the case with railroad men. Thirty-three years out of the thirty-se\-en
were spent as engineer.
Mj". Davis was married December 30. 1878. to Susie D. Allen, a woman
of many praiseworthy characteristics, and a native of Decatur county, Indi-
ana. She is a daughter of John and Anna Allen. ]\Ir. Davis has lived in
Indiana thirty-seven years. Seven years ago he purchased thirty-three and
one-half acres of rich bottom land in Eagle township, and here he is spending
his declining years in quiet and comfort in his cozy home which is appro-
priately called Sunny Side, which is in the midst of beautiful surroundings.
He farms his little place scientifically, although not on so large a scale as
many of his neighbors. He keeps a high grade of Jersey cows and Plymouth
Rock chickens.
Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Davis, namely: Anna E. is the
wife of C. A. Mills, of Indianapolis; Lillie Susie is the wife of H. B. Dynes,
also of Indianapolis; Mary E. is at home with her father; Leonard W. is
at home; Lorin Albert is at home; Edgar died in infancy. The wife and
mother was called to her rest at the age of fifty-five years on May 18, 1913.
She has been a very faithful helpmeet and was a kind mother and a good
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 745
neighbor, whom everybody esteemed. She was praised by her many friends
for her beautiful christian character.
PoHtically, Mr. Davis is a Republican. He belongs to the Brotherhood
of Locomotive Engineers, Lodge No. 492, at Indianapolis, in which he has
been active. He is one of the best known railroad men in this section of the
state and, being a genial, companionable gentleman has an exceptionally wide
circle of friends.
WILLIAM N. LEMON.
A system of grain farming, when not much live stock is kept, depletes
the supply of fertility in the soil. It has been proven that such a system of
farming cannot be continued, because the yields will eventually fail to pay
expenses and the interest on the investment. When all crops are fed on the
farm and only the live stock is sold, there will be only a small loss in fertility
each year if all the natural fertilizing material is returned carefully to the
fields. The farmer must learn in Indiana, the same as they have learned in
some of the older eastern states to conserve the fertility of the soil if perman-
ent success is to be obtained. It is as necessary for him to do this, as it is
for the manufacturer to keep the machinery and system of organization in
his factory at its highest point of efficiency. If he does not do this, he can-
not hope to succeed permanently. One of the well-known and successful
agriculturists of Boone county who clearly understands the necessity and
manner of conserving the original strength of the soil is William N. Lemon,
proprietor of Maple Leaf Farm in Eagle township.
Mr. Lemon was born September 12, 1836, in a log house on the banks
of a stream known as Fishback, and is a true product of pioneer days. .He
is a son of William Lemon, who was born in Botetourt county, Virginia, and
was a son of James Lemon, also a native of that county and state, and a
soldier in the Revolutionary war, serving under Washington. He spent his
life in the Old Dominion, and in that state William Lemon grew to manhood
and married Harriet Pitzer, a daughter of Roger Pitzer, also a native of
Virginia, and a soldier under Washington in the patriot army. To William
Lemon and wife eight children were born. In a very early day they made
the long overland journey with tv/o wagons and teams from their native state
746 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
to Indiana, in 1832, when the country was a veritable wilderness. They
located in Johnson county where they spent the winter and in the spring of
1833 they moved to Boone county where they began life in typical pioneer
fashion and established a home by dint of hard toil. Only two of their chil-
dren were born in Virginia and came with them to the Hoosier state; they
were Mrs. Elvira Irwin, still living near Ontario, Wisconsin; Mr. Andrew
Lemon, a physician, now deceased. Those born after they came to this
state were Mary Elizabeth, who died in infancy; Mrs. Sarah Shaw, deceased;
William N., of this review; Mrs. Emaline Turner, deceased; Mrs. Adelade
Threewits is deceased ; John Wesley, deceased. The father of these children
was a robust man physically and a successful farmer, owning two hundred
and forty acres of good land in Boone county, and was a large stock raiser
and prominent man in his day in that localit}-. He built a substantial resi-
dence on his place in 1857. His death occurred at the age of seventy-eight
\ears. his widow having died nine years before at the age of sixty-four.
William X. Lemon, of this sketch, grew to manhood on the home farm,
and helped with the work when a boy. He received the usual education of
those early day schools. In i860 he married Mary Bender, a native of But-
ler county, Ohio, and a daughter of Peter and Mary Bender. Her father
li\ed to be ninety-three years old and her mother eighty-six years old.
Our subject lives on the old homestead which consists of one hundred
and thirty-four acres, which he has kept in splendid improvements and under
a high state of cultivation and has been \ery successful as a general farmer
and stock man. Ele now occupies the old colonial style home built by his
father.
To our subject and w*ife nine children have been born, two of whom died
in childhood ; they were named Elizabeth and Clementine. Those who grew
up were: John B., of Eagle township; William E. lives in Cascade, Mon-
tana; Jesse F. lives in Eagle township; James R. also lives in this township;
Mary H. is the wife of Milton Wiesehan, of Zionsville, Indiana; Charles W.,
is telegraph operator in Cascade, Montana; Helen X. is keeping house for
her father. The mother of the above named children departed from this
life September 23, 1912 at the age of seventy-five years. She was a kind
mother, a faithful helpmeet and an exceptionally good Christian. She was
a very efficient member of the Womans Christian Temperance Union and the
Methodist church.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 747
Politically, Mr. Lemon is a Republican. He is well known and highly
respected throughout the county, and has made a success in life through his
individual efforts.
IRVIN T. HUCKELBERRY.
Many years have elapsed since Irvin T. Huckelberry, well-known and
highly respected citizen of Eagle township, took up his residence in Boone
county, and it is due entirely to his assiduous efforts and undaunted ambition
that he has here gained such signal success, having begun life under none too
favorable auspices. He is one of our honored veterans of the great army
that saved the nation a half century ago, and this is one of the numerous
reasons that we are glad to give him special mention herein.
Mr. Huckelberry was born September 4, 1844, in Clark countv. He
is a son of Nathaniel Huckelberry, a native of Clark countv, Indiana, who
was a son of Jacob Huckelberry. This is an old Virginia family of German
ancestry. The mother of our subject was Elizabeth Ramsey before her
marriage. , and she was a native of Tennessee, and a daughter of Joshua
Ramsey, also a native of that state. His father was a soldier in the Revolu-
tionary war, serving under Washington. The parents of our subject came
to Indiana in 1820, and located on a farm. The father died at the age of
sixty-one years in Boone county, where he came in 1861. The death of the
mother occurred in 1849. 0"lv fwo children were born to them, Irvin T.,
of this sketch, and F. M., of Olney, Illinois, who was a soldier in the Union
army, serving in the One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Indiana Volunteer In-
fantry. Politically, the father was a Republican and he belonged to the
Methodist church.
Our subject was only six years old when his mother died. He was
reared on the farm and received the usual education of those early days.
Although but a boy when the great war between the states began he proved
his courage and bravery by enlisting on August 11, 1861 in Company H,
Twenty-sixth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and he served most gallantly in
numerous campaigns in Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and
Georgia, taking part in many battles and skirmishes, and was honorably dis-
charged September 24, 1865, after which he returned home and engaged in
748 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
farming. On February 10, 1870, he married Margaret A. Byers, a native of
Rush county, Indiana, where she was reared and educated. She is a daugh-
ter of William Byers, a native of Virginia, where the family had long re-
sided. Four children have been born to our subject and wife, three of
whom died in infancy. Myrtle, Eva May and Nancy P. ; Imo G. is the wife
of James O. Lutz, a well-known farmer near Zionsville.
Politically, Mr. Huckelberry is a Republican, and he and his family are
members of the Baptist church. The wife of our subject died January 19,
J911 at the age of sixty-four years. She was a woman of beautiful Christian
character and was a faithful helpmate, was greatly beloved by a wide circle
of friends. Mr. Huckelberry is a member of the Grand Army of the Repub-
lic, Boone Post No. 202 at Zionsville, in which he has long been active and
influential. Their splendid hall was built in 1861. Our subject has held
various offices in the local post. He came to Boone county in 1861, where he
has since resided and has made a pronounced success as a general farmer.
SAMUEL BERKLEY LANE.
There are many reasons why we should be as careful to conserve and
put vegetable matter in the soil, looking to its fertility, if we be farmers.
Soil consists simply of pulverized rocks, which contain the mineral matter
that plants call for in their growth, and decayed vegetable matter. One is
needed practically as much as the other. The vegetable material is needed
to lighten up the particles of soil so they will not pack and shut out sun and
air, which all plant growth requires as much as moisture and plant-food.
Without vegetable matter in our soils they get hard in dry times and sodden
in wet seasons. Something must separate these soil particles. This can be
done by proper cultivation, and yet, only in an imperfect manner. One of
the progressive farmers of Eagle township, Boone county who understands
this and other problems of the modern phases of agriculture is Samuel Berk-
ley Lane, a representative of one of our old pioneer families. He was born on
the old Lane homestead where he now lives, two and one-half miles north
of Zionsville, March i, 1842. He is a son of \A'illiam E. Lane, who was
born in Nelson county, Kentucky, July 7. 1807, and was a son of Thomas
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
749
Lane who was born in Highlands of Scotland, of noble ancestors, who were
prominent in the early wars of Scotland. He emigrated to the United
States in an early day and served seven years in the Revolutionary war under
Washington. In one battle he was severely wounded on the body and arm
by a sword thrust. He lived in Pennsylvania. He married Anna Ellis who
was born in Scotland. William E. Lane was reared in Kentucky and there
he married Elizabeth Simpson, a daughter of Thomas Simpson. She was
a cousin of Gen. U. S. Grant, whose mother was a Simpson. Thomas Simp-
son was a Scotchman and also served seven years in the Revolutionary war,
in which he too, was wounded. He later came to Kentucky among its first
settlers. William E. Lane was a great hunter in his earlier years. His
family consisted of the following children: Abigail died in early life; Sarah
A., was born May 22, 1832; Thomas Hayden was born May 26, 1833 and
died in Emporia, Kansas, April i, 1895: Liebding was born January 20,
1835, and died January 12, 1857; Malinda Ellen was born March 3, 1836
and died December 19, 1912; Milton was born .\ugust 14, 1837 and died
September 16, 1889 in Lincoln, Nebraska: William C. was born May 25,
1839 and lives in Lincoln, Nebraska; John W. was born Eebruary 4, 1841 and
died in Indianapolis, Indiana, August 10, 1907; Isaac N. was born March
I, 1842 and died June 13, 1913, on the home farm.. He was an ordained
minister in the Methodist Episcopal church for forty years. Nelson J. Lane
was born May 25, 1839 and died April 2"]. 185 1 ; Samuel B. was born March
I, 1842, and is the twin brother of Isaac N. The father of our subject died
at the' advanced age of eighty-four years in 1892. The death of the mother
occurred March 28, 1879.
Samuel B. Lane grew up on the home farm and he received his educa-
tion in the public schools. He taught school for a period of twenty years
with much satisfaction to all concerned. When the Civil war came on he
enlisted in 1862 in Company I, Forty-second Infantry and ser\-ed faithfully
in Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia and was with Sherman on his march to
the sea, from Atlanta to Savannah, flience north into the Carolinas. He has
been engaged in farming since 1876, and has lived on the home place since
1866, which he has kept well improved and under a high state of cultivation.
He has made a success as a general farmer and stock raiser. The place con-
sists of one hundred and thirty-one acres, and is one of the desirable farms
750 BOONE COrXTV, INniANA.
of the township. He has kept the buildings in good repair and ex'erything
denotes good management and thri ft.
Politically, Mr. Lane is a Republican, and fraternally he belongs to the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
CHARLES A. TAYLOR.
The farmer is so accustomed to having adxice handed him on a silver
platter that to presume to speak in his own behalf does violence to custom
and perhaps borders on impudence hardly tolerated in the society of industry,
but he is nevertheless a potent factor in agriculture, and his viewpoint, right
or wrong, must be reckoned with by those who deal with the subject. Dame
Nature is a fickle goddess, and men sometimes play false and lose with her,
but the farmer knows that prosperity will never sit idly beside him. It will
come only as a result of intelligent toil and the application of sound business
methods. The city man, as a rule, does not understand the farmer, and
neither does he fully comprehend his problems. This is often true of state
and national law makers as well. It is quite a luxury to think that one is
right and very human, but error is always expensive to those who bear the
burden, and in this case it is the farmer — for those who scheme seldom plow.
One of the intelligent and successful farmers of Boone county is Charles
A. Taylor, who owns a good farm in Center township. He was born Octo-
ber 30, 1853, in Sugar Creek township, Boone county. He is a son of Oliver
and Malinda (Utter) Taylor. The father was born in Union county, Indi-
ana, and he devoted his life to farming, dying in time of the Civil war. The
mother of our subject was born in Tennessee, from which state she came to
Indiana when a girl, and she has now been deceased many years.
Eight children were born to Oliver Taylor and wife, four of whom art-
deceased. Those living are Charles A., of this sketch: Warner, Henry and
Ammesy.
Charles A. Taylor grew to manhood on the farm and he received a
common school education in Sugar Creek township, later attending the
Thorntown Academy. Early in his youth he took up farming for a life
work and has followed the same to the present time. He has made his home
BOONE COUNTYj INDIANA. 75 1
in Center township for about thirty-two years and is well known here. He
owns one hundred acres of productive and well-improved land on which stand
good outbuildings and a comfortable home which he built himself. He
keeps a good grade of live stock and is very well situated in every respect.
Politically, he is a Democrat but has never been active in public affairs.
Mr. Taylor was married April 17, 1878, to Maggie Kern, who was bom
in Boone county in 1858, and here she grew to womanhood and was edu-
cated in the common schools. She is a daughter of Arthur and Amanda
(Beck) Kern. The father was born in Kentucky and he came to Indiana
when a young man and devoted his life to farming. The mother of Mrs.
Taylor was born in Union county, this state. Five children were born to
Mr and Mrs. Kern, namely : Oscar, James, Emanuel, William and Maggie,
wife of our subject.
To Mr. and Mrs. Taylor seven children were born, all still living,
namely : Lee lives in Lebanon ; Mabel married a Mr. Beck and they live on a
farm; Guy, a civil engineer, is in the employ of the United States govern-
ment, lives in California; Oland is farming near Phoenix, Arizona; Orville
is at home; Helen is attending high school; and Lawrence is also a high
school pupil.
WILLARD O. WYANT.
The science of veterinary surgery has an able exponent in Boone county
in the person of Willard O. Wyant, of Lebanon, who, although yet a mere
youth, has proven himself quite capable of practicing his chosen profession
successfully and he gives promise of taking a place in the front ranks of his
professional brethren in Indiana in due course of time. This locality is one
of the best for veterinaries in view of the fact that there are so many stock
men, who are handling high-grade live stock of all kinds and owing to their
great value they cannot afford to take chances on losing an animal by disease
or accident when by the services of a man like Doctor Wyant such loss may
be prevented.
Doctor Wyant was born in Thorntown. Indiana, January 21, 1890. He
is a son of Robert M. and May (Waggoner) \^'yant. He grew to manhood
in his native communitv and received a good common school education, and
■JZ^2 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
when a l)oy decided to take up the work of a \eterinary, for he always mani-
fested a decided Hking for horses and was a good judge of all kinds of live-
stock, also possessed by nature other necessary qualifications for a success-
ful practitioner in this field. So he began studying veterinary medicine with
Doctors Nelson & Airhart, of Lebanon, before finishing his public school
course.. He made rapid progress and in order to complete his course he
entered the Indiana Veterinary College at Indianapolis, where he made a
splendid record and from which he was graduated April 13, 19 13. Soon
thereafter he opened an office in Lebanon, forming a partnership with Dr.
J. O. Airhart, and has built up a very satisfactory and rapidly-growing busi-
ness and has been successful from the start. He has remained unmarried.
Politically, he is independent, and in religious matters belongs to the Chris-
tian chtirch.
JAMES HENRY KERSEY.
Recurrence to the past, with reflections and associations which make
it appear in life-like review before our mental vision, will continue as of old
to be a source of much satisfaction ; but especially when our personality and
former friends, happily interwoven in some pleasing incident, will the picture
thus reflected be more pleasing. These reminders, however, often vanisli
and pass away with the life of the participants when no landmarks remain
to serve as a background for the picture engraved on the tablets of memory,
the impressions of which are but remodelings of others. To preserve these
from oblivion before they have lost their distinguishing originality is the
work devolving upon the writer of biography and local history. These both
fail in their mission when they fail to preserve the life features connected
with their trust. Biography, more than anything else, commands the most
interested attention for the reason that it is a record of those who, in times
gone by, traveled the thorny pathway of life as companions, acciuaintances,
friends and relatives. To preserve from forgetfulness the simple story of
their experiences and record their acts, however uneventful, is a task attended
with much pleasure and fraught with great good to humanity. Especially
is this the case when the subject, like that of the well remembered and highly
honored citizen whose name forms the caption of this article, has led a use-
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 757
ful, honorable and successful life and has been of distinct benefit to his com-
munity in all the relations with the world.
James Henry Kersey, who was a scion of one of the sterling pioneer
families of Boone county, was l)orn in Center township, this county, in De-
cember. 1840. He was a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Hinton) Kersey,
natives of Kentucky, where they grew up and were married, and from there
they emigrated to Boone county soon after their marriage, entering land from
the government and spending the rest of their lives engaged in general farm-
ing in Center township. Their family consisted of twelve children, eight
sons and four daughters, our subject having been the ninth in order of birth.
James H. Kersey grew to manhood on the home farm where he worked
hard when a boy helping clear and develop the land, for the children of
pioneers all had plenty to do back in the forties and fifties, and he received
his education in the district schools. He remained with his parents until in
1864 when he enlisted in the Union army, Company G, Sixteenth Indiana
Volunteer Infantry, in which he served faithfully until the close of the war.
After being honorably discharged he returned to Boone county, and on
September 15, 1865 married Telitha J. Kern, who was born in Lawrence
coimty, Indiana, and is a daughter of Jacob and Margaret (Feely) Kern,
also natives of Lawrence county, where they grew up, were educated and
married and there Mr. Kern became an extensive land owner. There Mrs.
Kersey grew to womanhood and was educated. After his marriage Mr.
Kersey lived with his wife's parents one year, then Mr. Kern gave Mrs.
Kersey an eighty acre farm in Center township, Boone county, on which Mr.
Kern built a house for his son-in-law and wife, and here our subject began
farming, but owing to failing health could not do a great deal of active work,
however, he proved to be a good manager and prospered. His constitution
had been weakened by his ser-\'ice in the army and he never recovered, and his
death ocairred November 4. 1899. Mrs. Kersey remained on the farm until
1902 when she moved to Lebanon. She took care of her parents the rest
of their lives, Mr. Kern dying August 30, 1908, and Mrs. Kern April 12,
1905. Mrs. Kersey owns a fine residence, neatly furnished, in Lebanon, also
one hundred and sixty acres of valuable land in Center township, all of which
came to her from her father and mother.
To Mr. and Mrs. Kersey the following children were born : Margaret
(47)
75© BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Ellen who died when eleven years of age; Estella M. died when twenty-five
years of age; John Jacob oversees the home farm. Mrs. Kersey is a faithful
member of the First Christian church at Browns Wonder. Politically, Mr.
Kersey was a Republican,, and fraternally was a member of the Improved
Order of Red Men. He was a member of the Grand Amiy of the Republic.
Jacob Kern, mentioned above, was a great hunter, and each autumn
he traveled in the west with Colie Brown, a hardware merchant of Lebanon.
Mrs. Kersey has a fine elk's head mounted that is a valuable trophy. He was
a successful business man and well-liked by all who knew him. It was in
1852 that Mr. and Mrs. Kern came to Boone county and established their
home in Center township, and here he experienced the usual hardships in
clearing and developing his land, but he was made of sterling mettle and
persevered until he made a fortune which he left to his widow and our sub-
ject. He retired from active farming in 1898 and moved to Lebanon where
he spent the rest of his days.
rAMES E. HOLLER.
There has sprung up within the past few years, to meet the modern de-
mand, a new department in agricultural knowledge, known as "farm manage-
ment." The agricultural college and experiment stations have recognized
the need of more knowledge of farming from a business standpoint, and
ha\e established departments of farm management not alone for the purpose
of helping the farmers, but also for the purpose of studying, investigating and
collecting facts relative to the business of farming. Taking the farm as a
whole the expert in farm management makes a thorough study of all the
operations of the farm, including the farm life in its best and broadest sense,
and with this knowledge seeks to improve the methods for the purpose of
increasing the desired results. One of the successful farmers of Eagle town-
ship, Boone county who has sought to increase his annual income by properly
applying advanced methods, gathered from diverse sources to his fine farm
known as the Berry Hill Fruit and Dairy Farm, three miles northwest of
Zionsville is James E. Holler, a man who has used judicious judgment in not
clinging to old methods too long nor adopting new ones too soon. He is one
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 759
of the best informed horticulturists in the county and also understands every
phase of dairying.
Mr. Holler was born in Catawba county, North Carolina, May 7, 1847,
and he is a son of Andrew Holler, also a native of that state, and was of
German ancestry. He grew up in the old Tar state and there married Lovina
Miller, also a native of that state, each representing old families, and to these
parents ten children were born, eight sons and two daughters ; four of the
sons were soldiers in the Confederate army, in which the father also fought;
those four sons were, Adley, of the Twenty-eighth North Carolina Volun-
teers, is now living at Rock Hill, South Carolina; Gilbert, of the Twenty-
third North Carolina Volunteers, died some six years ago; Lemuel, of the
Twenty-eight North Carolina Volunteers, lives at Rock Hill, South Carolina;
James E., who was only seventeen years old when he enlisted in the Twenty-
third North Carolina Volunteers. The other children were Daniel, who lives
in North Carolina; Marcus is deceased; Wilson is deceased; Hinkle is de-
ceased; Catherine E. lives in North Carolina, and Mary M., deceased. The
mother of the above named children died at the age of seventy-three years,
and the father reached the age of eighty-one years.
James E. Holler was reared on the home farm and educated in the early-
day rural schools. He came to Boone county, Indiana in 1868, where he
has since resided and has engaged in farming. He was married in 1878 to
Ella Brock, a native of Boone county, and a daughter of Pryor and Emeline
Brock, both long since deceased. Mrs. Ella Holler's death occurred at the
age of forty-seven years, leaving one daughter, Sylvia.
For his second wife Mr. Holler married Alma Beck, a daughter of
Larkin Beck, a sketch of whom appears on another page of this work, he hav-
ing lived on Berry Hill farm for years, eventually selling the same to our sub-
ject. Mrs. Holler was born in this locality and here she grew to womanhood
and was educated in the public schools. Mr. Beck is living at the advanced
age of eighty-five years, his wife having passed away some years ago when
seventy-five years old.
Berry Hill farm consists of forty acres of valuable and productive land,
on which stand a good eight-room house and substantial outbuildings. The
surroundings are attractive. A large apple orchard is to be found on the
place also small berries, in fact, fruits of all kinds common to this latitude.
Mr. Holler also keeps a splendid herd of Jersey cows, and runs a small dairy.
760 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
making a line brand of butter and he finds a very ready market for \vhate\er
he offers for sale from his dairy or orchard and garden.
PoHtically, he is a Progressive and is a member of the Methodist Epis-
copal church.
SCOTT TAYLOR SUMPTER.
There is no positive rule for achieving success, and, yet in the life of the
successful man, there are always lessons which might well be followed. The
man who gains prosperity is he who can see and utilize the opportunities that
come in his path. The essential conditions of human life are ever the same,
the surroundings of individuals differing but slightly, and when one man
passes another on the highway of life to reach the goal of prosperity before
others who perhaps started out in life before him, it is because he has the
power to use advantages which probably encompass the whole human race.
Today among the progressive and prominent agriculturists and successful
self-made men of Jefferson township, Boone county, is Scott Taylor Sump-
ter. The qualities of keen discernment, sound judgment and executive
ability enter very largely into his makeup and ha\e been contributing elements
to the material success which has come to him.
Mr. Sumpter was born in Vernon, Jennings county, Indiana, February
II. 1S49, at the close of the Mexican war period and he was named for the
two great generals, Scott and Taylor. He is a son of Edward D. and Maria
(Flury) Sumpter. The father was a native of Virginia, born April 2^,
1799, and his death occurred in Vernon, Indiana, in 1861. The mother was
born in Pennsylvania, October 20, 1812. The former was of Scotch descent
and the latter was of German ancestry. The death of the mother occurred
January 5, 1859, when only fort3'-six years of age. Her parents were early
settlers in Pennsylvania. The Sumpter progenitors were famous military
men.
The parents of the subject of this sketch were married in Pennsylvania,
January 5, 1834, and soon thereafter they came to Jennings county, Indiana.
Edward D. Sumpter was a butcher and carpenter by trade, and he kept a
tavern at Vernon before the state road was established, he being one of the
very earliest settlers in that locality, and there at Vernon he and his wife
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 76I
Spent the rest of their lives. They were the parents of the following chil-
dren : James Henry, born in Medina, Ohio, February 28, 1835, died in
Weightsville, Pennsylvania, May 9, 1838; Eliza Ann, born June i, 1839,
died April i, 1842; Maria Louisa, born November 19, 1842, lives in Austin,
Texas; John Clay, November 24, 1845, died August 16, 1852; Scott T., of
this sketch; Mary Ellen, born July 5, 1851, is deceased; Jacob Dazol, born
March 26, 1854, is in the v^rest.
Scott T. Sumpter was left an orphan at the age of seven years, and went
to live with Isaac Sterns, with whom he remained until he was sixteen years
of age, when he started out for himself by cutting wood at one dollar per
cord. He had little opportunity to obtain an education, but in later life has
become a well-informed man through wide home reading and contact with
the world. When about nineteen years old he hired out at farm work, which
he followed until he was twenty-five years old, at which time he was married,
then he rented land for two }-ears in Boone county. The date of his mar-
riage was January 26, 1873. and his wife who was known in her maidenhood
as Mary Isabell Hurt, was a native of Boone county, bom October 11, 1854.
She was a daughter of Larkin H. and Margaret (Sandlin) Hurt. Mr. Hurt
was born i\Iay 25, 1829, in Virginia, from which state he moved to Indiana
in the fall of 1830, locating in Jackson township. Boone county. He was
married to Margaret Sandlin, No\'ember 22, 1850, who was born October
21, 1 82 1. To them eight children were born, namely: Elizabeth died in
infancy; Martha .A., born November 2, 1852, married George O. Roberts,
and they live in Jamestown; Mary Isabell, wife of Mr. Sumpter; Sarah Ann,
born December 24, 1856, married Charles W. Hurt and they live in Hamilton
county, Indiana; John, born July 23, 1858, died when four years old; James
David, born April 9, i860, married Emma Peffly, born in this township, now
lives in Indianapolis; William AI., born May 18, 1863, married Carrie
Randle, a native of Putnam countj;, and she is now deceased; Lewis F., born
February 18, 1865, married Jennie Pierce, is a prominent business man of
Indianapolis, a wholesale and retail furniture dealer.
In 1875, Scott T. Sumpter bought eighty acres in Jackson township,
all cleared, and on it stood a log house. He remained here four years, then
sold out and bought sixty acres farther north, and lived there about two
years when he sold out and went to Putnam county, buying one hundred
and sixty acres. He remained there four years, then returned to Jackson
762 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
township and bought sixty acres, which he improved and on which he built
a good house. He hved here until 1893, when he bought one hundred
seventy-five and one-half acres in Jefferson township, this being improved
land, and on which stood a fairly good set of buildings. In 1906 he built a
fine large residence in the midst of beautiful surroundings, a large grove of
timber standing in front. He and his wife lived retired in Lebanon about
three years, buying property there, but later returned to the farm where he
is still living, but is practically retired, his son doing the actual work on the
place. The former was for many years one of our most successful farmers
and a large stock feeder, mostly cattle and hogs, and his son is following in
his footsteps as a feeder. Although having many discouraging situations
to o\ercome, our subject has been very successful in a financial way and is
deserving of much credit for what he has accomplished, starting from an
humble beginning and mounting the ladder of success unaided.
To !Mr. and ]\Irs. Sumpter four sons have been born, named as follows:
Larkin Bunnell, born November 3, 1877, is farming, married Rosa Miller,
in February, 1899, and they have one child. Dee, who is now fourteen years
old; Billy Taylor, born August 17, 1880. lives in Houston, Texas: Harry
Finis, born August 15, 1882, is farming, married Hazel Brown, a daughter
of Caleb Brown, and they have three children. IMargaret. Paul and Isabell;
Leo Clay, born July 26, 1889. is operating his father's farm, married Pansv
Taylor, a native of Boone county, and a daughter of Charles Taylor, a
prominent citizen of Washington township; to Leo C. Sumpter and wife
four children have been born. Alary Elizabeth. Dena Erniina. Leo, Jr.. and
Icie Dorice.
Politically, Scott T. Sumpter is a Republican, however, votes independ-
ently in local affairs. He has never sought or cared for office, preferring
to devote his time to his home and farm. He and his wife are members
of the Methodist church at Advance, and he is a trustee of the same. Mrs.
Sumpter is a leading worker in the Ladies' Auxiliary Society. Fraternally,
our subject is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. No. 759,
at Max, Indiana, and he and his wife belong to the Ruth Rebekas, Lodge
No. 2. at Lebanon. Fie was instrumental in organizing the Co-operative
Telephone Company, of Hazelrigg, also the local Co-operative Insurance
Company.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 763
ROBERT S. STALL.
Few can draw rules for their own guidance from the pages of Plutarch,
but all are benefited by the delineation of those traits of character which find
scope and exercise in the common walks of life. The unostentatious routine
of private life, although in the aggregate more important to the welfare of
the community than any meteoric public career, cannot, from its very nature,
figure in the public annals, though each locality's history should contain the
names of those individuals who contribute to the success of the material af-
fairs of a community and to its public stability ; men who lead wholesome and
exemplary lives which might be profitably studied by the oncoming genera-
tion. In such a class must consistently appear the name of Robert S. Stall,
well-known grain dealer of Thorntown, Boone county, a public-spirited busi-
ness man who leads a plain, industrious life, endeavoring to deal honestly
with his fellow men and contribute somewhat to the general public good in
an unobtrusive manner.
Mr. Stall was born February 21, 1857 in Clinton county, Indiana. He
is a son of Arthur S. and Elizabeth ( Ham) Stall. The father was born in
Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1818 and there he spent his childhood, coming to Clin-
ton county, Indiana, when a young man. He received a practical education,
and after locating in the land of Hoosiers he turned his attention to merchan-
dising, where he remained until 1865 when he removed to Thorntown, Boone
county, and here spent the rest of his life, dying in September, 1888. His
wife was a native of Baltimore, Maryland; they were married in Clinton
county and her death occurred only a short time after that of her husband.
To these parents five children were born, four of whom are still living,
namely: Maria is deceased; Robert S., of this sketch; Nathaniel B., Harry
and Carrie, the two latter twins, are all living.
Robert S. Stall was rearedjn Thorntown and received his education in
the public schools, and here he began life for himself in the grocery business,
in which he remained with most satisfactory results in a financial way for a
period of about sixteen years, in partnership with his father. From 1888
until 1897 he engaged in the grain business here, enjoying an extensive trade.
He was alone, and he built a substantial elevator, which he sold to the Thorn-
town Grain Company, and, having accumulated a competency prepared to
retire from active business, however he soon thereafter bought an interest in
764 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
another elevator and operated the same for two years under the firm name
of Stall & McCorkle, and they have built up an extensive and lucrative busi-
ness. In connection with the elevator, they operate a mill and handle grains,
seeds, flour, feed and coal. Prompt, honest and high grade service has ever
been Mr. Stall's aim in business, and he has therefore always enjoyed the
confidence and good will of all concerned. He owns an excellent farm of
one hundred and sixty acres in Jefferson township, all tillable, and under a
high state of improvement and cultivation. He also owns a fine home in
Thorntown, and is a stockholder in both banks in his home town.
Politically, Mr. Stall is a Republican, but has never desired to be a
politician, however, readily aids any movement looking toward the general
improvement of his community. Fraternally, he belongs to the Knights of
Pythias and the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Stall was married November 18, 1879, to Susie Davenport.. She
was born in Boone county, January 7, 1859, and here she grew to woman-
hood and was educated. She is a daughter of William T. Davenport, a
highly esteemed citizen of this locality.
The union of our subject and wife has resulted in the birth of two chil-
dren, Arthur, born November 2, 1880, died in 1910: Harold, born November
II, 1887, died also in 1910. Mr. and Mrs. Stall are leaders in the affairs
of their community and have a wide circle of friends.
NEWTON CARTER.
The principal thing which humanity everywhere is seeking is happiness.
The happiness we wish may come from causes o\er which we have no control
and from other causes which may be determined by ourselves. Broadly
speaking, the farmer is in a position to be the happiest man in the world, at
least, most farmers are in position to be happy, and if they are not the fault
very often lies within themselves. The causes of happiness over which we
have no control may be a favorable cropping season, a freedom from disaster
or calamity, or any combination of favorable circumstances which minister
to our temporal or physical well-being: these are all evidences of Di\ine favor,
the origin of which should not escape notice. The happiness which is deter-
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 765
mined by ourselves comes as a by-product of our generous treatment of others.
One cannot become happy by simply determining to be so ; he must do some-
thing for others. The happiness we give others will come back to our own
lives as one of our choicest possessions. Financial prosperity, like happi-
ness, may spring from a combination of favorable circumstances over which
we have no control, or it may come from our own wisely directed endeavor.
The mere possession of wealth may not bring happiness, but the right use of
wealth almost invariably does. One of the successful farmers of Boone
county, who has lived along those lines which bring contentment as well as
material blessings is Newton Carter, proprietor of Blue Grass Ridge Farm,
in Eagle township.
Mr. Carter was born October 15, 1854 in Eagle township, Boone count}'.
He is a son of Richard Carter, a native of Kentucky, in which state the family
settled early. His father, Henry Carter, was a native of Virginia, where the
family lived in the olden days, and its members fought in our early wars.
The Carter family located in Hendricks county, Indiana in 1836, locating in
the dense forest, and here established a comfortable home by their industry.
Richard Carter was young when he came to this locality and here he grew up,
helped clear the land and here he married Catherine Vorhis, when he was
twenty-three years old, and to them the following children were born,
namely : Eliza Jane is deceased : Allen was a soldier in the Ci\-il war, in the
One Himdred and Twenty-fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and he was
held for some time a prisoner in the South; Sarah married a Mr. Gregg and
lives in Zionsville; Martha married William Shaw and lives in Eagle town-
ship; Newton of this sketch: Arthur died when forty-five years old, leaving
a widow; one child died in infancy, unnamed. The death of the father of
the above named children occurred at the age of seventy-one years, after an
industrious and upright life as a successful farmer.
Newton Carter grew to manhood on the home farm and there he worked
hard. when a boy. He received his education in the district schools, and
on February 16, 1882 he married Juda Alice Beck, a daughter of Larkin
Beck, who was born in Union county, Indiana, April 11, 1829, and was a son
of John Beck, a native of North Carolina, who was a son of Solomon Beck,
a native of Germany. To Larkin and Sarah Beck were born the following-
children : Mrs. Margaret A. Bender, Joseph, John, Oliver, Alice who mar-
766 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
ried our subject ; Mrs. Alma Holler, and Horace. The mother of Mrs. Carter
passed away in 1901. Mr. Beck is living near Zionsville.
Mr. Carter has devoted his life to general farming and stock raising
and has met with pronounced success all along the line. His finely improved
and well-kept farm in Eagle township consists of two hundred and forty
acres, on which is to be seen an excellent group of buildings and a splendid
grade of live stock, and everything about the place denotes thrift and good
management. One child was born to our subject and wife which died in
infancy. Mr. Carter has always been a Republican but is now a Progressive.
DANIEL KOHN.
By words and by actions the personality reveals its quality, its force, its
direction of purpose. The invisible spirit embodies itself in signs of service
and in language. Words also are deeds, and actions are symbols of the inner
being which we cannot see, nor touch, nor weigh. Hence the value of bi-
ography and memorial history, which writes out a life by telling a story of
what one has said and done. But since speech is forgotten and actions fade
away in the clouds of a distant past, we also listen to those who have been
witnesses to the conduct, companions of the journey, sharers of the benefits
and benedictions of those whom we have lost a little while, to find again. With
such values of biography in mind, we here set forth the salient facts in the
life record of one of the well-known and estimable citizens of Washington
township, Boone county, of a past generation, the late Daniel Kohn, than
whom it would have been hard to have found a more industrious neighborly
and peaceable citizen. Although a native of Germany, he was nevertheless
loyal in his support of our institutions as might be surmised from one fact
alone, that he served in the Union army during our great Civil war, and
during his residence in Boone county of more than a half centur\'. he as-
sisted as well as he could in the general development of the same along all
lines. No people that go to make up our cosmopolitan civilization have
better habits of life than those who come originally from the great German
Empire. Those people as well as their descendants are distinguished for
their thrift and honesty, and these two qualities in the inhabitants of any
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 767'
country will in the end make that country great. When with these two
qualities is coupled the other attribute of sound sense, which all the Teutonic
race seems to possess, there are afforded such qualities as will enrich any land
and place it at the top of the countries of the world in the scale of elevated
humanity.
j\lr. Kohn was born in Heese Cassel, Germany, January 21, 1838, and
there he grew to manhood and was educated and remained in the Father-
land until he was twenty-one years of age, when he emigrated to America,
and lived in the state of Connecticut for a short time then came to Indiana
and located in Franklin county where he resided nine years then came to
Boone county locating on a farm in Washington township, where he spent
the rest of his life. He was a hard working man and had sound judgment,
and he soon had a foothold in the new world. His farm in this township
consisted of one hundred and sixty acres, which he brought up to a high
state of impro\-ement and cultivation and ranked among the leading farm-
ers of the township. He established a comfortable home and had erected
numerous substantial outbuildings, and there was always to be seen about the
place an excellent grade of live stock. He was always busy and his farm
was in the best of condition.
Mr. Kohn was married September 22, 1864, in Franklin countv, In-
diana, to Eliza Jane Liming, who was born in that county in 1842, and there
grew to womanhood and received her education in the common schools.
There her father died, when she was a young girl, but her mother survived
to a \'ery old age, dying March 27, 1909.
To Mr. and Mrs. Kohn two children were born, namely : Emma Kath-
erine, who married Jefferson Harris, lives near Wilmington, Ohio. Our
subject's other child, Ida May, married Martin Thompson and they reside
on the home farm near Lebanon, this county. ^Nlr. Kohn is also survived
by a brother, Flenry Kofm, who lives near Weathersfield, Connecticut, and a
sister lives in Germany.
Mr. Kohn was a Democrat in politics, and he belonged to the Lutheran
church, which he joined before leaving Germany, when a child. Mrs. Kohn
is a member of the Presbyterian church of Hazelrigg, Boone county.
The death of Daniel Kohn occurred February 7, 1914, when a little
o\er seventy-six years of age.
70(5 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
JOHN S. HUSSEY.
Among the men of sterling attributes of character who have impressed
their personahty upon the community of their residence and have borne their
full share in the upbuilding and development of Zionsville and Boone county,
mention must not be omitted of John S. Hussey, well known merchant of
the above named town, where he has long maintained his home and where
he has exerted a strong influence for good to the entire community, being a
man of upright principles, industrious in business afifairs and public matters,
always desirous of seeing the advancement of the town and county along
material, civic and moral lines.
Mr. Hussey was born in Hamilton county, Indiana, August 14, 1867.
He is a son of William Hussey, a native of Fayette county, Indiana, the latter
the son of Joseph Hussey who was born in North Carolina, and who was
one of the first settlers of Fayette county. He was of English descent. The
grandmother of our subject was Sarah Frazier before her marriage. She
was a native of Fayette county and her death occurred in Hamilton county.
Her family consisted of ten children.
William Hussey grew to manhood in Hamilton county and there re-
ceived his education. When twenty-one years old he married Hannah A.
Jessep, a native of Hamilton county, and a daughter of John C. Jessep. To
these parents, seven children were born, namely: Nancy E., John S., Fannie
M., Melinda H., Oliver, Jesse G. and Frank. All seven children are still
living. The fatherof the above named children died at the age of fifty-nine
years. The mother died at the age of sixty-three years.
John S. Hussey received his education in the public schools of Hamilton
county. He began teaching at the age of twenty. He taught two years,
then attended school at Butler College for one year, then resumed teaching
and became superintendent of the school at Carmel, Indiana, where he re-
mained for six years. He then attended the Indiana State Normal School,
graduating from that institution in 1898. Then became superintendent of
schools at Atlanta, Indiana, where he remained two j'ears.. He then entered
business, embarking in the hardware business at Zionsville, Indiana, in part-
nership with his uncle. Milton Hussey. in 1900. He has been successful in
business and is at preesnt a member of the Executive Committee of the Indi-
ana Retail Hardware Association.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 769
In 1904, John S. Hussey married Miss Sue M. Aldrich, of Ludington,
Michigan. Mrs. Hussey is a graduate of Michigan State Normal School and
was a successful teacher in some of the leading high schools of Michigan and
Indiana. Two sons. William Alvin and John Milton, grace their home..
The subject of this sketch is a member of the "Disciples" Christian
church, in which he has been an elder for many years. He is a director in
the Indiana Christian Missionary Association and has been the superintend-
ent of the Sunday school of his church for fourteen years. He has also been
the president of the Boone County Sunday School Association for two years.
Since 1906, John S. Hussey has been the president of Zion Park Association,
this organization has been an important factor in the musical, educational and
religious life of the community. The Zion Park Association has held twenty-
two annual chautauquas, bringing to Zionsville the best talent in the country.
He is a member of the Masonic and Knights of Pythias fraternities, also of
the Eastern Star and Pythian Sisters.
John S. Hussey will be remembered as a public servant. During the
past twenty-five years, he has been called on numerous times to have charge
of funerals and has officiated at weddings and in every way has fulfilled his
relations to the community.
WILLIAM HEXR^' WILSON.
Human life is made up of two elements, power and form, and the pro-
portion must be invariably kept if we would have it sweet and sound. Each
of these elements in excess makes a mischief as hurtful as would be its
deficiency. Everything turns to excess ; e"ery good quality is noxious if
unmixed, and to carry the danger to the edge of ruin nature causes each
man's peculiarity to superabound. One speaking from the standpoint of a
farmer would adduce the learned professions as example of this treachery.
They are nature's victims of expression. You study the artist, the orator,
statesman and inventor to find their lives no more excellent than that of me-
chanics or farmers. While the farmer stands at the head of art as found
in nature, the others get but glimpses of the delights of nature in its various
elements and moods. William Henry Wilson, one of our most progressive
twentieth century agriculturists and stock men. and one of the Progressive
770 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
party's most active and loyal workers in this section of Indiana, is one of
Boone county's citizens who has ever taken a delight in nature and existence,
because he has been in touch with the springs of life, having spent his days
• on the farm.
Air. Wilson was born in Champaign county, Illinois, July 5, 1859. and
is a son of George M. and Lucinda (Lee) Wilson, both born in Ohio in which
state they grew to maturity, received their education in the common schools
and there married, and from that state came to Indiana, in 1847, remaining
here until 1849, ^"^ in the latter year removed to Illinois, where they re-
sided for over ten years, then returned to Indiana and established the per-
manent home of the family in Boone county.
William Henry Wilson grew to manhood on the farm, his father having
devoted his life to farming, and assisted with the general work when a boy
and received his education in the public schools, and has later become a well
informed man on general topics by wide reading and observation. When a
young man he took up farming as his life work and has been very successful
and is now owner of a valuable and well improved farm of one hundred and
twenty acres in Washington township, Boone county, having located here in
1890. At that time this was considered one of the poorest farms in this
section, but it ranks today among the best, showing what close application in
the way of intelligent and scientific farming can do if applied by such a man
as 'Sir. \\'ilson. He has a pleasant residence and good outbuildings, a splen-
did grade of li\e stock of all kinds, and such modern fanning implements as
his needs require. He sees that none of his neighbors raise better corn,
wheat, oats and clover than he, and his example is followed by the more
enterprising and successful of our husbandmen.
Mr. Wilson was married in 1890 to Lura B. Xorris. who was Iiorn in
1869 and is a daughter of Thomas and Sarah (burbin) Norris, a highly
respected family. Two children were born to Air. and Mrs. Norris, namely,
our subject's wife and Charles, of Indianapolis. Airs. Wilson grew to
womanhood in Iier nati\'e coniniunit}' and received a good common school
education.
To Air. and Airs. \\"ilson three sons and one daughter ba\e been born,
namely: Maggie married C. C. Gray; Harry; Frederic Lee; and Theodore
Carl. The three sons are at home, assisting their father with the farm
work.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 77 1
Politically, Mr. Wilson is a Progressive and is enthusiastic in the work
of the new party. In the campaign of 1912 he was candidate on this ticket
for representative from Boone county to the state legislature and though
defeated, had a large vote. He served for a period of twelve years as a
justice of the peace in Washington township and none of his decisions were
reversed. Fraternally, he is a member of the ]\'Iasonic order, the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, in both of which he has filled all the chairs;
the Improved Order of Red Men, the Woodmen of the World at Walnut
Grove, and the Hay Makers at Mechanicsburg, and is also a member of the
Sons of the American Revolution. He is one of the well known and prom-
inent men of the county and is popular with the masses as a result of his
public spirit, courtesy and exemplary character.
GEORGE M. COMLEY.
George M. Comley was born July 10, 1863, in Madison, Jefferson county,
Indiana. He is the son of Joshua and Elizabeth (Steele) Comley who were
natives of Pennsylvania and early residents of Madison, Indiana. The family
consisted of nine children, four of whom, Joshua, William M., Charles and
Edward are deceased; John, James, George M., Mrs. Alice Leisure and Mrs.
Lizzie Call are living.
After the father's death, the family moved to Frankfort, Indiana. At
the early age of fourteen, George M. worked for his brother James, who was
in the undertaking business in Frankfort, Indiana. Afterwards he worked
for an undertaking firm in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
In 1 892, he came to Lebanon as embalmer for the Hauser & Hogshire
firm. Later he was identified with the firm of George M. Comley & Brother.
In 1904, he went into business for himself. He has built up a large and lucra-
tive business by prompt and efficient' service, fair and honest treatment. Flis
undertaking establishment is modern and well equipped in every respect.
On December 29, 1892, Mr. Comley was married to Lillian M. Rosen-
crance, who was born in Port Jervis, New York. Before her marriage, Mrs.
Comley was a successful school teacher for a number of years. They have
two sons, Roy Clifton, at present a student in Swarthmore College, and B.
Searle, a student in the Lebanon high school.
772 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Politically, Mr. Comley is a Republican. He is affiliated with the Knights
of Pythias, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Modern ^Voodmen,
Woodmen of the World, and Independent Order of Red Men. He is also a
thirty-second degree Mason and a Shriner. Mr. Comley is the oldest under-
taker in Boone count}- and probalsly one of the best known in this section of
the state.
NELSON JACKSON PARR.
Those who have no personal knowledge of agriculture appear to judge
the farmer by the isolated cases of incomj>etency and take his frivolous
achievements, consider him incapable of comprehending his own problems,
and, unconscious of his possibilities, regard him as a public ward, to be
assisted but not consulted. That sort of thing has been going on ever since
civilization began and will continue until the end of time. The delinquent
we will always have with us, and likewise the fri\olous, the indulgent and the
enthusiast, but those who would assist the farmer must turn from them and
co-operate with the bone and sinew of agriculture. One of the farmers of
Marion township, Boone county, who has shown himself to be capable of
going it alone, without either assistance or advice, and at the same time com-
petent to encourage others in his calling is Nelson Jackson Parr.
Mr. Parr was born in the above named township and county September
19, 1869. He is a son of Jacob and Amand (Cromwell) Parr, the former a
native of Tennessee and the latter of Clay county, Indiana. The grand-
parents, Jacob and Lucinda (Webb) Parr, were also natives of Tennessee,
while the maternal grandparents, Oliver and Nancy (Biby) Cromwell, were
natives of Kentuclcy. The Parrs were among the pioneer settlers of Boone
county, Indiana, and the Cromwells were among the earliest to locate in
Clay county, Indiana, living to see the country develop from the wilderness.
And in the last named county the parents of our subject were married, Jan-
uary 21, 1854, soon thereafter removing to the present Parr farm in Marion
township, Boone county. Jacob Parr owned at one time three hundred
and sixty acres in one body, and on this he placed most of the impro^•ements,
cleared the timber, ditched and fenced the fields, erected new buildings, etc.,
and he became a prosperous farmer and stock raiser. His death occurred
June 21, 1887. His widow has since resided on the homestead, and is now
NELSON J. PARR
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 775
advanced in years. To these parents the following children were born:
Jacob O., of Sheridan, Indiana; Elizabeth I., who married Jerome Barker, is
now deceased; Amand J. is the wife of Benjamin Brindel, of Marion, Ne-
braska: Sarah E. died in infancy: Cordelia is the wife of Lincoln Johns, of
Colfax, Indiana; Etta is the wife of J. W. Shelby, of Lebanon, Indiana;
\elson J., of this review: Ida is the wife of Arthur Baker, of Marion, Ne-
braska : Maggie, who married William Nicholson, is deceased.
Nelson J. Parr greA\- to manhood on the home farm and he received a
common school education. When a young man he took up farming for a
livelihood and this has continued to be his vocation, having always resided
with his mother, and is the owner of one hundred and twelve and one-half
acres of the home place, which he has kept well improved and under a high
state of cultivation, carrying on general farming and stock raising, making a
specialty of Duroc- Jersey hogs.
Mr. Parr was married March 4, 1S91, to Lizzie Thistlethwaite, a native
of Sheridan, Indiana, where she grew to womanhood and was educated in
the public schools. To this union two children were born, Lester and Lowell,
both at home. The wife and mother passed away January 5, 1897. Mr.
Parr was again married December ly, 1899, to Olive Simms, who was born
in Marion township, Boone county, where she was reared and educated. She
is a daughter of Judson and Mary Jane Simms. One daughter has been born
to this second union, Amanda Pauline.
Politically, Mr. Parr is a Democrat; fraternally, he belongs to the
Knights of Pythias, Lodge No. 176, at Sheridan; Modern Woodmen of
America, No. 6708, at Sheridan, and Ancient Free and Accepted Masons,
also at Sheridan. Mr. Parr was elected treasurer of Boone county, Novem-
ber 5, 1914, by a handsome majority.
SAMUEL -H. LAUGHLIN.
True memoirs and biographies have a more noble purpose than mere
fulsome eulogy. The historic spirit, faithful to the record; the discerning
judgment, unmoved by prejudice and uncolored by enthusiasm, are as essen-
tial in giving the life of the individual as in writing the history of a people.
Indeed the ingenuousness of the former picture is even more vital, because
the individual is the national unit, and if the unit be justly estimated the
(48)
776 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
complex organism will become correspondingly intelligible. The world to-
day is what the active, thinking men of past generations have made it, and
this rule must ever hold good. From the past comes the legacy of the pres-
ent. Art, science, statesmanship and government are accumulations. They
constitute an inheritance upon which the present generation has entered, and
the advantages secured from so vast a bequeathment depend entirely upon
the fidelity with which is conducted the study of the lives of the principle
actors who have transmitted the legacy. One of the worthy and influential
citizens of the early period of Boone county's history was Samuel H. Laugh-
lin, who helped pave the way for the present advanced civilization, and thus
although he has long been sleeping the sleep of the just, his influence has not
perished from the earth, and his name is therefore worthy of record on the
pages of his country's history.
Mr. Laughlin was born in Alarion county. Indiana, in April. 1835. He
was a son of Vincent and Catherine (Singer) Laughlin. the father of Irish
descent and the mother of German parentage. They were early settlers of
Boone county, and here their son. Samuel H. Laughlin, grew to manhood,
being a child when his parents brought him here. He received such educa-
tional advantages as the early-day schools afforded, and he helped his father
on the farm when a boy. and he also found time to learn the carpenter's
trade which he made his life work and in which he became very skilful, being
regarded as one of the best builders and most honest workmen in this sec-
tion of the state. He built many of the principal residences, business houses
and public buildings in this locality, many of them still standing as testi-
monies to his skill and honest workmanship.
]\Ir. Laughlin was married on May 16, 1858 to Judith J. Harris, who
was born in Sugar Creek township, Boone county, on December 10. 1836.
She is a daughter of Mathew T. and 3ilartha (Ferguson) Harris, the father
a native of Tennessee and the mother of Union county. Indiana. The father
left his native state when young and took up his residence in Indiana where
he was married and devoted his life to farming, principally in Sugar Creek
township, Boone county, becoming one of the leading farmers of his com-
munity and was a highly respected citizen. His death occurred in i860.
His wife died in 1891. William and Jane (Tribbitt) Harris were the
paternal grandparents of our subject's wife. Both were natives of South
Carolina. Mrs. Laughlin's maternal grandparents were William and Judith
(Walker) Ferguson, the former a native of North Carolina and the latter a
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
177
native of South Carolina. They came to Union county, Indiana in a very
early day. William Harris and wife, mentioned above, also made a visit to
this state when the country was new, and entered land from the government
in Sugar Creek township, Boone county, for our subject, but they did not
remain here, returning to their home in Tennessee where they spent their
lives.
Alter his marriage Samuel H. Laughlin took up his residence in Thorn-
town where he worked at the carpenter's trade until his death, which oc-
curred November i8, i860, when in the prime of young manhood. Politic-
ally, he was a Democrat, and he was an honest, hardworking man. After
his death Mrs. Laughlin lived on her mother's farm until 1887 when she came
to Thorntown and her mother lived with her until her death, which occurred
in 189]. since which time Mrs. Laughlin has made her home in Thorntown,
where she has a host of warm friends. She lives alone, with the exception
of a nephew, Thompson Harris who has a room in her cozy cottage. Re-
ligiously she is a faithful member of the Baptist church and is regular in her
attendance at its services. She is a pleasing and hospitable lady and looks at
life philosophically and is therefore contented and cheerful.
THOMAS R. SHAPLEY.
The chief characteristics of Thomas R. Shapley, a carpenter and builder
by trade, but wlio has long managed a good farm successfully in Marion
township, Boone county, are keenness of perception, an unflagging energy,
honesty of purpose and motive and every-day common sense, which have
enaljled him not only to advance his own interests, but also largely contribute
to the ci\ic and material advancement of the locality. He worked his way
from a modest beginning, having landed from a foreign strand on our shores
a half century ago, "a youth to fortune and to fame unknown," in the line
of his own great countryman, the poet Gray, and step by step has reached a
position of comfort and no mean importance, his individual efforts having
been unaided, which fact renders him the more worthy of the praise that
is freely accorded him by his fellow-men. His life has been one of unceasing
energy and perseverance, and the honorable and systematic methods he has
ever employed are commended to others, if they court the goddess success.
778 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Mr. Shapley was born in Devonshire, England. November 5, 1843.
He is a son of William and Mary (Doney) Shapley, nati\es of England,
where they grew up, married and spent their lives. And there our subject
grew to manhood and received his education in the common schools which
was limited, he having left school when nine years old, but he has become a
well-informed man through travel and home reading. When fifteen years
of age, he left England on board an English trading ship which was ship-
wrecked ofif the coast of Greenland among icebergs, seven hundred miles
from home. They were there four days and four nights without food and
shelter and endured many hardships from cold as well as hunger. They
were finally rescued by another ship and brought to Newfoundland and
from there sailed back to England. In 1863, when twenty years old, he
emigrated to the United States, landing in New York City, where he worked
at the carpenter's trade which he had learned in his native country. Six
months later he invaded the middle west, locating at Medora, Jackson county,
Indiana, where he worked a year then went to Roundsville. Tennessee, re-
maining there a year, then began traveling and visited most sections of the
Union. He was in Chicago during the memorable year of 187 1 when the
"Queen City of the West" was destroyed by fire, and he remained there,
engaging in the work of rebuilding for some time. In 1874 he returned to
England, and on May nth of that year married Mary Gould Madge, of
Devonshire, soon thereafter returning with his bride to Chicago, and con-
tinued his trade there about eight years, then removed to Marion township,
Boone county, Indiana, where he purchased eighty acres of timber land,
which he cleared and improved at odd times, but continued his trade all the
while. As he prospered he added forty acres more, and for many vears has
devoted his attention mainly to general farming and stock raising, at which
he has been most successful. He has brought his fine farm up to an excellent
state of improvement and cultivation, and has a good home and substantial
outbuildings.
The first children of Mr. and Mrs. Shapley were triplets, two of whom
are now living. William Doney married Nettie Powell and they live in
Boone county, Marion township; and Rebecca is the wife of Martin Hand,
of Hamilton county, Indiana; Rosa A. is the wife of M. E. Hand, of Hamil-
ton county, also. Our subject and wife also reared a niece, a child of Mr.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 779
Shapley's brother; her name is Frances P., now the wife of Austin Sufton,
of Center township. Boone county.
PoHtically, Mr. Shapley is a Democrat, and he has served his township
as road supervisor. Rehgiously, he is a member of the Episcopal church.
The happy home of our subject was invaded by death on October i8,
1910, when Mrs. Shapley was called to her eternal rest. She was buried in
Spencer cemetery. She was a good helpmeet and worthy life companion, a
woman of many praisev^'orthy qualities.
TAMES F. HART.
In nearly every community are to be found individuals who, by innate
ability and sheer force of character, rise above their fellows and win for
themselves conspicuous places in public esteem. Such a one is the well-
known gentleman whose name appears above, a man who has been identified
with the history of Boone county for many years, during which time his life
has been closely interwoven with the material growth and development of
the county, wielding a potent influence in the community honored by his resi-
dence, his career as a progressive man of affairs being synonymous with all
that is honorable.
James F. Hart, one of Boone county's leading agriculturists and stock
raisers, whose fine farm lies in one of the most desirable sections of Jefferson
township, was born in Montgomery county, Indiana, March 30, i860. He is
a son of James Harvey Hart and Susan (Berry) Hart. The father was
born June 9, 1821, and the mother was born August 11, 1826, both being
natives of Kentucky, where they grew up and were married, emigrating to
Indiana soon afterwards, the date of the wedding being January 2;^. 1844.
The paternal grandparents, William Hart and his wife, emigrated from Eng-
land to Virginia in a very early day, later coming to Kentucky. William
Hart, son of Thomas and Rebecca Hart, was born May i, 1777, and his
death occurred April 21, 1824. He married Polly Pierson, September 17,
1800, and to them the following children were born: Thomas, born Septem-
ber 27, 1802; Rebecca, born January 27, 1805; Francis, born May 2, 1807;
William Lindley, born July i, 1809; Mary, born September 2, 181 1 ; Richard
Linzy, born June 21, 1815; John Pope, born October 13, 1817; James
/So BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Harvey, born June 9, 1821 ; Robert Franklin, born April 30, 1823. The
death of James Harvey Hart, father of our subject, occurred March 19,
1913, at the advanced age of ninety-two years. The parents of our subject
came the entire distance from Kentucky on horseback, the trip requiring
many days. They were accompanied by John Coons, and the family settled
in ]\Iontgomery county, entering land from the government, and there they
lived like typical pioneers, working hard, clearing and developing their farm,
making their own clothing, shoes, etc., but they succeeded in establishing a
comfortable home. The Harts remained in ^Montgomery county until 1881,
when our subject and his mother bought forty acres in Jefferson township,
Boone county, on which stood a log cabin and stable, all was cleared but
about ten acres, this being second growth timber, this our subject cleared
and improved, assisted by his father. The}- drained the land and erected
new buildings, finally having a good farm here to which they added until
the place consisted of three hundred and forty acres.
Our subject has two sisters, Fannie, born in 1844, married A. G. Book-
shire, and they live in Kansas; and Sarah E., born in 1846, married .\llen
Bookshire and is living in Brown.sburg.
James F. Hart married February 3, 1881, Susan E. Baker, a daughter
of John and Lucinda (Clark) Baker, both natives of Kentucky. Mrs. Hart
was bom in Montgomery county of which the Bakers were early pioneers.
One son was born to j\Ir. and Mrs. Hart by this marriage, Harold L., the
date of whose birth is October 2, 1888; he married Cose E. Updike, who
was born in Boone county, January 11, 1890, and they were married August
II, 1905: they live on a farm in Jefferson township. Her people were early
settlers in Boone county. To Harold Hart and wife the following children
have been born: Mary E., bom October 2, 1907; John F., born Julv 3,
1908; James Walter, born March 25, 1910; Robert W., bom December i,
1912. Our subject's first wife died in 1889, and on October 25, 1892. he
married Mary E. Long, who was born October 9, 1862. She is a daughter
of John and Mary (Osborn) Long, who came from Tennessee and Kentucky,
respectively, when young and they were married in Boone county, and they
established their home on a farm.
James F. Hart has become one of the most prosperous farmers of his
township. It was in 1895 that he built a good residence and large outbuild-
ings on his farm and again in 1912 he began the erection of a magnificent
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 781
modern residence, which was completed in 1913. It is elegantly furnished
and is one of the show places of the county. It is up-to-date throughout,
equipped with furnace, hot water heat, both electric lights and gas, also the
former lights in bam. Everything about the place denotes thrift, good
management and taste, and that a gentleman of progressive ideas has its
management in hand. Mr. Hart carries on general farming and stock rais-
ing on an extensive scale, annually feeding four carloads of hogs and one
of cattle, also handles some sheep.
Politically, Mr. Hart is a Democrat, and is active and influential in party
affairs. He and his family attend and support the Christian church. He
was one of the first to assist in organizing the Hazelrigg Co-operative Tele-
phone Company. He is widely and favorably known.
ALBERT M. SHAW.
Albert M. Shaw, ninth descendant and youngest living son of Xelson
Shaw, born on the old homestead farm in Eagle township, Boone county,
Indiana, February 7, 1859, who has in late years obtained possession of said
homestead as well as considerable other real estate in and near Zionsville
where he now resides, thus demonstrating his business qualifications, perse-
verance and frugality. He is characterized by all who know him far and
near as a typical neighbor, wise and o1)liging in counsel, always looking to
the welfare of others, helping to bear their burdens even at his own sacrifice.
At the age of twenty-one years, in 1880, he united in marriage with
Laura Smith, daughter of Jes.se Smith, attorney of Zionsville. To this
union two sons and one daughter were born: Jesse E., deceased at the age
of twenty-five years : Hazel, now Mrs. Zeno Vandover, who resides in Hamil-
ton county, three and one-half miles northeast of Zionsville ; Pirtel N.. who
united in marriage with Ivy E.. youngest daughter of J. H. Ottinger and
they reside three miles southwest of Zionsville on the new home farm.
Nelson Shaw, his father, was born near Saratoga Springs, New York,
July II, 1817. At the age of eight years, he with his parents emigrated to
Ohio, near Clarksville, and at the age of thirteen, in 1830, he came with his
parents to Eagle township, Boone county, Indiana. He located on the farm
which Newton Carter now owns.
782 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Nelson was a son of John Shaw, who was also a native of the state of
New York, and of Scotch-Irish descent. John Shaw served as a guard for
the government during the war of 1812. He was the father of four chil-
dren, viz., John: Nelson, father of Albert M. ; Laura J.; and Amanda. He
li\ed to the advanced age of ninety-one years and spent his last days with
his two children, John and Nelson. His wife died at the age of seventy
years. They were devout Christians of the Methodist faith and were fine
types of sterling pioneers.
When twenty-two years old. Nelson Shaw married Sarah Hartman who
was born in North Carolina, April 24, 181 8. She was a daughter of John
and Nancy Hartman. It was in 1830 that the Hartman family made the
overland journey from the far southland to Indiana and located in Pike
township, Marion county. Here her parents spent the rest of their lives.
To Nelson Shaw and wife ten children were born. There were seven sons
and three daughters, namely: John W., deceased; James, deceased: Louisa;
David N., deceased: \\'illiam M. ; Thomas M. : Sarah E., deceased; Anna,
deceased ; Albert M. ; and a son who died in infancy. Nelson Shaw died at
the age of eighty years, after a successful life as a farmer. His good wife
died at the age of seventy-seven years. They were both highly esteemed
and influential in local affairs. They were prominent workers in the Meth-
odist church. Thus, we see that Albert M. Shaw inherited from his an-
cestors, strong christian character and business ability. The wise counsel
and cooperation of his estimable wife have been indispensable helps in his
life's work. He and his family are strong workers in the Methodist church.
yet he shares in his liberality to the support of other neighboring churches.
ADAM H. FELKER.
Perhaps no one agency in all the world has done so much for public
progress as the press, and an enterprising, well-edited journal is a most im-
portant factor in promoting the welfare and prosperity of any community.
It adds to the intelligence of the people through its transmission of foreign
and domestic news and through its discussion of the leading questions and
issues of the day, and more than that, it makes the town or city which it repre-
sents known outside of the immediate locality, as it is sent each day or week
ADAM H. FELKER
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 785
into Other districts, carrying with it an account of the events transpiring in
its home locaHty, the advancement and progress there being made and the
advantages which it offers to its residents along moral, educational, social
and commercial lines. Boone county is indebted to its wide-awake journals
in no small degree. Among the men who are doing a commendable work in
the local newspaper field is Adam H. Felker, publisher of the Lebanon Daily
Report cr. He has long been connected with journalistic work and his ability
as a publisher as well as a business man, is widely acknowledged among con-
temporary newspaper men and the public in general. He is one of the in-
fluential citizens of Lebanon.
Mr. Felker was born in Logansport, Cass county, Indiana, March 24,
1867. He is a son of Charles F. and EJiza (Schmidt) Felker, the father a
native of Baden, Germany, and the mother of Detroit, Michigan.
Mr. Felker grew to manhood in Logansport and there received a good
education in the common schools, also attended night school for two years,
and spent one year in a business college. He has devoted his active life to
newspaper work, beginning as a newsboy on the Pharos, a newspaper pub-
lished at Logansport, and he worked at this while attending graded school.
At the age of se\'enteen he was "de\'ir' in the press room of that paper. Four
years later he went into the counting room and continued as circulation and
advertising manager of the Pharos for a period of eight years, meanwhile
learning the various phases of conducting a newspaper establishment. He
then came to Lebanon and became owner and manager of The Daily Reporter
on February 22, 1897, ^"^ made a pronounced success in his new field. The
Reporter now ranks with the best papers of its type in the state. It is all that
could be desired from a mechanical standpoint and as a news and advertising
medium has no superiors among the county-seat dailies of Indiana. He
founded the Boone County Proc/ressive, a weekly publication.' at Lebanon,
September 26, 1912.
Mr. Felker was married March 3,- 1897, to Eva C. Young, the eldest
daughter of John A. and Malinda (French) Young, a highly respected family
of Logansport, where Mrs. Felker was reared and educated.
Two children have been born to our subject and wife, namely: Pharos
Eliza, born December 3, 1897; and Dorothy Malinda, born March 15, 1901.
Politically, Mr. Felker is a Democrat and religiously, he holds mem-
bership with the First Baptist church, Lebanon.
786 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Mr. Felker is a member of the Masonic. Knights of Pythias. Ben-Hur,
Maccabees, Woodmen and Yeoman fraternities. He was elected and served
two terms as chancellor commander of Apollo Lodge Knights of Pythias at
Logansport, Indiana. He served two years as master of Boone Lodge No. 9,
Free and Accepted Masons of Lebanon, and on two occasions has been a repre-
sentative to the Masonic Grand Lodge.
AMES M. DYE.
The great task of clearing the land of its timber in early years can
scarcely be realized by the people of today. Not a crop could be sown nor
an orchard tree planted until the large trees could be cut down and removed ;
even then the stumps were a great hindrance and often no more than half a
crop could be raised until they were destroyed. The amount of hard labor
required to remove the dense forest growth over Boone and other Indiana
counties seems almost incredible. It was a task that seemed never to end.
and all members of the family were required to assist early and late and at
all seasons of the year.
James M. Dye, well-known citizen of Union township, also his father
and grandfathers before him had their full share of this work, and they did
it well. They came, of a race that never quailed before obstacles and hard-
ships, never swerved aside from tasks, no matter how arduous or dangerous,
if they believed it their duty to perform them, so it is no wonder that they
succeeded, for such men as they are the ones on whom the sunshine of for-
tune delights to fall and Avho are the true builders of empires.
Mr. Dye has devoted his long and active career to tilling the soil and
is one of our most careful farmers. He is an honored veteran of the Civil
war, also one of the connecting links between the present and the pioneer
period, being one of the oldest native-born citizens of Boone countv who
is still acti\-e in affairs. He has \\\ed to see and take part in the momentous
changes that have been noted here during the past half centun^
^Ir. Dye was born in Union township, Boone county, Januarv 21. 1847.
He is a son of James and Ruth Ann (Harmon) Dye, the father a native
of Miami county, Ohio, and the mother of North Carolina. The paternal
BOONE COUNTYj INDIANA. 787-
grandparents, George and Hanna (Calvert) Dye, were natives of Pennsyl-
vania. In 1831. grandfather Dye traveled through Indiana and settled at
Zionsville, buying land in the wilderness and returned home, but in 1832
came back to his land here which he cleared and improved, also built a grist
and sawmill which he operated and became a leading citizen among the
pioneers.
The maternal grandparents were James and Philadelphia (Dickerson)
Harmon. The former was born in Kentucky, February 4, 1797, and died
in Boone county, Indiana, April 11, 1847. His parents settled in the north-
ern part of Marion county, Indiana, while he was yet a boy. Philadelphia
Dickerson was bom in Kentucky, August 19, 1797. She moved to Shelby
county, Indiana, with her parents while a child. After their marriage, they
lived in the northern part of Marion county, Indiana, for a time, then
moved to Illinois where they remained one year and then moved to P)Oone
county, Indiana, about the year 1830. Thirteen children were born to this
union, namely: Emily, deceased, born October 2"], 1817; Mary Jane, de-
ceased, born April 9, 1820: Ruth Ann, mother of our subject, born Decem-
ber 13, 1821 ; Robert John, deceased, born Februar}^ 21, 1824; William Alex-
ander, deceased, born January 7, 1826; James Dickerson, deceased, born
January 8. 1828; Elizabeth, deceased, born October 3, 1829; Granville, de-
ceased, born June 4, 1831; Nelson S., deceased, born July 5, 1833; Francis
Marion, deceased, born February 8, 1835: Philadelphia, deceased, born
November tS, 1837; Drusilla, deceased, born August 17, 1841, and Charles,
the only one living at this writing, born December 25, 1844.
After their marriage the parents of our subject settled on two hundred
and thirty-eight acres in Union township. He also owned eighty acres in
another part of this to\vnship. and he devoted his life successfully to farming
and was a good citizen and useful in the community. The father's death
occurred in July, 1906, the mother having preceded him to the grave in
November, 1882. The following were their children: James M., of this
review ; William Harvey is deceased ; Sarah Elizabeth, died when four years
old: Melissa J. died when twenty-one years of age; John E. lives in Worth
township: Martha D. is the wife of John Z. Cooney, of Union township.
James M. Dye grew to manhood on the home farm where he worked
hard when a boy and he attended graded schools in Bartholomew county,
Indiana. When the Civil war was going on, he enlisted, April 13, 1864, in
yolS BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Company F, One Hundred and Fifty-fifth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and
was in the Army of tlie Cumberland, serving faithfully in Kentucky, Tennes-
see and Alabama, and wa.s honorably discharged in October, 1864. and re-
turned home.
Mr. Dye was married January i, 1 871, to Hanna Pugh, who was torn
in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is a daughter of Elias and Eliza (Cameron) Pugh.
The father was a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and was a cousin of Gen.
John r^Iorgan. The mother of Mrs. Dye was born in Ohio. After his mar-
riage, Mr. Dye rented a farm from his father in Union township, where he
farmed during the summer, teaching during the winter months and in a few
years he had a good start. In 1884, he went to Sheridan. Indiana, where he
engaged in the general merchandise business for seventeen months and had
a good trade, then was burned out, losing everything. He then started west
with a feather renovator, later returned and purchased forty acres in Union
township, joining one hundred acres of timber which his father had given
him. He began improving his place, clearing the land and erecting suitable
buildings, draining and tiling it and in due course of time had a desirable and
valuable farm. In 1894, he was elected recorder of Boone county on the
Republican ticket, the duties of which office he discharged in a highly credit-
able manner, and while incumbent of this office he lived four years in Leb-
anon. We next find him buying a stone works there which he conducted one
year, when he sold out and returned to his farm which he worked with
gratifying results until 1913. when he slowed up somewhat in active business.
He made a specialty of raising Percheron, standard bred horses and he had
some of the finest stallions ever known in this countr}-. and built up an exten-
sive and lucrative business, and he took a large number of premiums with his
fanc}' stock at the county and state fairs during many years. He is an ex-
cellent judge of horses and knows well their proper care. He purchased
forty acres adjoining his original farm in 1913. He now has one of the
most desirable farms in the township and a pleasant home in every respect.
The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Dye: Harry P..
who lives in Jackson, Mississippi; J. Elmer lives in Charlotte. North Caro-
lina ; Bertha is the wife of Harry Thompson, of Lebanon. Indiana ; William
V. died at the age of twenty-six years.
Mr. Dye is a Republican politically and has long been more or less
acti\e in party affairs. Fie is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 789
at Zionsville, this county. Mrs. Dye attends the Seven Day Adventist church.
The death of her father occurred April ig, 1876, her mother surviving only
eleven months, dying March 20, 1877.
THOMAS G. HARBAUGH.
As an agricultural region. Indiana is not surpassed by any state in the
Union. It is indeed the farmer's kingdom, where he always reaps an abun-
dant harvest. The soil, in many portions of the state, has an open, flexible
structure, quickly absorbs the excessive rains and retains moisture with great
tenacity. This being the case, it is not easily affected by drought. The
prairies are co\-ered with sweet, luxuriant grass, equally good for grazing
and hay; grass not surpassed by the Kentucky blue grass, the best of clover
and timothy in growing and fattening cattle. This grass is now as full of
life-giving nutriment as it was when cropped by the buffalo, the elk and the
deer. No state in the Union has a more complete and satisfactory system
of drainage, natural and articficial, or a more abundant suppl}- of pure, fresh
water. Both man and beast may slake their thirst from a thousand peren-
nial fountains which gush in limpid streams from the hillsides, and wend
their way through verdant valleys and along smiling prairies or through som-
ber forests, varying in size as they onward flow from the diminutive rivulet
to the giant rWev. One of the native sons of Boone county to take advan-
tage of the splendid natural conditions for farming in this locality is Thomas
G. Harbaugh, of Clinton township, and the large success he has attained in
this vocation is evidence of his thrift and also of the excellent natural con-
ditions.
Mr. Harbaugh was born in Boone county, Indiana, in 1864. He is a
son of Ellis E. and Melvina F. Harbaugh, both parents natives of Hamilton
county, this state, where they grew to maturity, were educated in the early-
day schools and were married and later settled near Sheridan, Boone county,
purchased a fine farm of two hundred and forty acres and on this spent the
rest of their lives, the father dying in 1905 and the mother in 1891. They
were the parents of six children, namely: Mrs. Alpha Wallace and her hus-
band live on a farm near Sheridan; Mrs. Emma Elder lives at Sheridan,
790 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
where her husband is engaged in the Hve stock business; Mrs. Rosie Mc-
Kenzie and her husband hve on a farm in the northeastern part of Boone
-county ; Charles O. is married and hves on a farm in Boone county ; John E.
is farming in Hamilton county, Indiana: and Thomas G., of this sketch.
After the death of our subject's mother, Ellis E. Harbaugh married, about
1904, Amanda Rains, of Hamilton county, and to this second union one child
was born. The widow is still living in Hamilton county. The Harbaughs
.are of German descent.
Thomas G. Harbaugh was reared on the home farm in his native com-
munity and he received his early education in the puljlic schools. In 1885
he married Emma L. Simpson, who was born, reared and educated in Boone
county, she being a daughter of William Simpson and wife, one of the highly
respected old families of this locality.
After his marriage our subject farmed six years in his natix'e vicinity,
then moved to Tipton county, where he farmed six years, after which he
remo\ed to Hamilton county, where he purchased eighty acre.>, his first land.
Remaining there two years, he returned to Boone county and located on his
present farm in Clinton township, two miles east of Mechanicsburg, and here
he has since carried on general farming and stock raising on an extensive
scale and has met with ever increasing success. He owns one of the best
improved and most desirable farms in the county which consists of three
hundred and twenty acres and which he has brought up to a high state of
cultivation and improvement. He has remodeled his dwelling into a large,
comfortable house and has erected two sulistantial barns and other good
outbuildings. He is one of the most extensive and best known stock men
in the county and is regarded as an exceptionally good judge of all kinds of
stock and no small portion of his annual income is derived from this source.
At this writing, he has on hand eighteen thousand dollars" worth of high-
grade live stock, eighty-five head of sheep, fifty-seven head of horses, forty-
six head of cows and one hundred and fifty head of hogs and this is about
an average of what he always keeps in the way of live stock. Perhaps no
one of the county handles more stock than Mr. Harbaugh.
Four children have been bom to our subject and wife, namely: Blanche
died when two years old : Lula is unmarried and lives at home : Gumie E.
is also single and has remained with her ]iarents : Ara E. is the wife of Frank
Blubaugh, a farmer of Clinton county, Indiana.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 79I
Politically, Mr. Harbaugh is a Democrat, as was his father before him,
and while he is interested in public affairs, he never fails to do his part as
a good citizen when questions of local public improvements are concerned ;
he has never sought political office or leadership. He and his family attend
the Christian church at Mechanicsburg.
CHARLES D. UMBERHINE, M. D.
It seems that it is not so much the different things which men do as
the way and spirit in which they do them, that makes the greatest difference
between men. Labor and service are in\'ested with dignity only when the
individuals who perform them are brought into a true and responsible rela-
tion to them. It is the person who dignifies the work. If he exists, or sup-
poses himself to exist, only for his drudging tasks, they share in his degreda-
tion. Only as the individual is lifted into something of the dignity of true,
responsible, personal life can his duties and work assume new and higher
meanings. This is true just because it is not the duties which impart to them
their meaning, but the purpose, spirit and way of doing them. One of the
successful physicians of Boone county, who has dignified his profession in
which he ranks high in this locality is Dr. Charles D. Umberhine, of Wash-
ington township.
Dr. Umberhine was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. July 30, 1862. He
is a son of Dexter W. and Nancy M. (Gustin) Umberhine. The family is
of Scotch-Irish and English descent. Our subject was four years old, when,
in 1866, he moved with his parents to Thorntown, Indiana, where they lived
until 1881, when they moved to Mechanicsburg, Boone county, where our
subject and his mother established their home, the father having died pre-
viously. He devoted his life work to publishing city directories.
Dr. Umberhine received his early education in the common schools, and
later entered Rush Medical College in Chicago, from which institution he
was graduated with the class of 1885. Soon thereafter he returned to
Mechanicsburg and has since been practicing his profession in Washington
township. He has enjoyed a large and lucrative business from the first,
which has increased with advancing years until he now ranks among the lead-
ers of his profession in this locality, hax'ing continued studying he has kept
792 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
well abreast of the times and has had splendid success as a general practi-
tioner.
Our subject was married in i88j to Ina M. Barnhavt and to this union
seven children were born, two (rf whom are deceased. Those li\ing are Ethel
M.. Jessie M., Lloyd. Rush D. and Emil. Four of these children live at
home. Jessie M. is the wife of Jesse L. Hall, their marriage having oc-
curred June 13, 1911. Mr. Hall is a carpenter by trade and lives at Frank-
fort, Indiana : he and his wife have one child, Joyce, now two years old.
Lloyd L'mberhine is connected with a general store in Mechanicsburg, having
formerly owned a half interest in the same. Our subject has a half brother,
Walter G. Reagan, who is engaged in the grocery business in Lebanon
and there the doctor's mother now lixes: her second husband was Jesse S.
Reagan.
Politically, Dr. L'ml)erhine is a Republican and -fraternally, he is a mem-
ber of the Masonic order, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the
Modern Woodmen, in both of which he has filled all the chairs: and religi-
ously belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church. His children all belong
to the same church. I'hey were given good educational advantages and the
entire family stands high in the various circles of the community.
lOHN T. BROWN.
One of the inost difficult literary tasks is to write an unexceptionable
chronicle of a living man. If the life is worthy of record there is always
danger of offending that delicacy which is inseparable from merit, for even
moderate praise, when it meets the eyes of its subject is apt to seem fulsome,
while a nice sense of propriety would not be the less wounded by a dry ab-
stract containing nothing but names and dates. To sum up a career which
is not yet ended would appear like recording events which have not tran-
spired, since justly to estimate the sco])e and meaning of a history it is im-
portant that we have the closing chapter. In writing biographical notice,
therefore, the chronicler from the moment he takes up his pen should con-
sider the subject as no longer among his contemporaries, for thus he will
avoid the fear of offending by bestowing praise where it is merited and escape
the risk of giving but a fragmentary view of that which must eventually be
■I^K.
^^^^^■' ;;^^- -' ..^.^:y ^
JOHN T. BROWN
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 795
taken as a unit. At some risk, therefore, the writer in this connection ad-
dresses himself to the task of placing on record the life and character of a
man who, by the force of strong individuality, has achieved more than ordin-
ary success in the world's most important field of endeavor — agriculture, and
by sheer force of individuality has won for himself an enviable position
among the leading citizens and is the most influential politician of the locality
honored by his citizenship. This word setting has to do with John T. Brown,
of Clinton township, Boone county. Indiana.
Mr. Brown was born in Center township, this county, September 17,
1870, and is a scion of one of our sterling old families, being a son of George
W. and Martha E. (Toone) Brown, both natives of the state of Kentucky,
the father born in the year 1820 and the mother's birth occurred in 1826.
They grew to maturity in the old Blue Grass state, received such educational
advantages as the early day schools afforded and there they were married
and established their home, but removed to Indiana in 1854 and located in
Center township, Boone county, and here became well established on a good
farm.
John T. Brown grew to manhood on his father's farm and there assisted
with the general work when a boy until he was eighteen years of age. He
attended the public schools and a pri\'ate school in Kentucky, but the major
portion of his education has been obtained in later years by wide and per-
sistent home study and by contact with the world until he is today an ex-
ceptionalh' well informed man. When young in years he began life for him-
self by engaging in farming with his brother-in-law, Sid Fielder. In 1898
he purchased forty acres in Perry township, Boone county. It was improved
land and he went in debt for it. Going to work with a will and managing
well he made a success in operating this land and in due course of time was
out of debt. In 1902 he traded for eighty acres in Clinton township to
which he removed. It was a well improved place, on which stood a good
brick house and substantial outbuildings ; the land was also well tiled. Mr.
Brown has made other improvements and now has one of the choice farms
of the township, which he is managing" in a highly satisfactory manner,
carrying on general farming" and stock raising, especially hogs. He believes
in keeping everything about his place in ship-shape and in farming under
twentieth century methods.
Mr. Brown was married November 28, 1891 to Cora Underwood, who
(49)
796 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
was born April 28, 1875. She is a daughter of Gideon and Eliza Ann (Neal)
Underwood, both natives of Jennings county, Indiana, where they spent their
earlier years, but removed to Boone county in an early day. The death of
the mother occurred in 1900, but Mr. Underwood is living in iMadison, this
state.
Nine children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Brown, namely : Lillian
E., born April 29, 1892, married Oren Eaton, a farmer of Clinton township,
Boone county, and they have three children, Melvin, John M., and Elwood;
Randall E., born March 15, 1894: Gladys J., born April 16, 1896, married
Jesse Hoffman, a farmer of Clinton township, this county, and they have one
child, Flora L. : George G., born January 25, 1898; Annie A., born Septem-
ber 2, 1900; Ester S., born December 23, 1904; Bernice. born June 18, 1906;
Milo T.. born February 14, 1910; and Neal, born September 20, 1913. These
children are all living at home with the exception of the two married
daughters.
Politically, Mr. Brown is a stanch Democrat and has long been an acti\e
worker in the ranks and one of the local leaders in public affairs. He is now
incumbent of the office of township assessor, the duties of which he has most
faithfully discharged, and in the campaign of 1914 was a popular candidate
for the office of county recorder on the Democratic ticket, and his election
was predicted by all from the first owing to his popularity and high standing
as a citizen. Fraternally, he belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America,
and he and his wife are active members of the Christian church, in which he
has been a deacon for a period of thirteen years, and was superintendent of
the Sunday school for live \ears. He aiitl Mrs. Brown are excellent people,
hospitable, neighborly and are well liked I)}- all who know them.
M ANSON HEAD.
Among the men of Boone count}' who have performed well their parts
in the affairs of this locality is Manson Head, now living in retirement, and
it is a compliment worthily bestowed to say that this county has been honored
by his citizenship, for he has achieved definite success through his own efforts
and is thoroughly deserving of the proud American title of self-made man,
the term being one that, in its better sense, cannot but appeal to the loyal
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 797
admiration of all who are appreciative of our national institutions and the
privileges afforded for individual accomplishment, and it is a privilege, ever
gratifying in this day and age, to meet a man who has had the courage to
face the battles of life with a strong heart and steady hand and to win in the
stern conflict by bringing to bear only those forces with which nature has
equipped him, self-reliance, self-respect and integrity.
Mr. Head was born in Rush county, Indiana, January 27, 1829. in a log
cabin. He is a son of S. C. Head, who was born in New Hampshire in
1801, and he was a son of Nathaniel Head, also a native of that state. This
family is of English descent. Nathaniel Head came west in an early day
and his death occurred in Ohio. S. C. Head grew to manhood in that state
and from there moved to Kentucky. He married Malinda Pouge. He de-
voted his life to farming, spending some time eight miles from Indianapolis,
in Alarion county. He came to Zionsville in 1857, where he spent the rest
of his life. His family consisted of the following children, four of whom
died in early life, namely : Roxanna, Meranda, Manson, Truxton, Burton,
Carr, Almira, Jane, Martha, Marinda, Levi, who was a soldier in the Civil
war is living in Zionsville. The father of the above named children reached
the advanced age of eighty-one years, and the mother died at the age of
seventy-two.
Manson Head grew up on the home farm and he received the usual
meager education of those early days. He found plenty of hard work to
do, such as clearing, splitting rails and grubbing. He was married in 1851
to Elizabeth Daudensteck, who was born in Marion county. She is a
daughter of Peter Daudensteck. Her mother was Ruth Newhouse before
her marriage. They are both now deceased.
After his marriage Mr. Head purchased a sixty acre farm on which he
spent six years, then came to Zionsville and went into the mercantile busi-
ness, maintaining a general store in which he prospered and became one of
the leading merchants here. He always took an interest in political affairs
and served as township trustee and as county commissioner.
Ten children have been born to our subject and wife, namely : Marinda
Jane, Albert G., Winfield is deceased; Rose, Mary, Gregory, Ida, Emma is
deceased: Anna, Cora is deceased. The wife and mother passed away on
October 13, 1876, at the age of forty-five years.
Politically, Mr. Head is Republican. He belongs to the Masonic order.
798 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Knights Templars and Commandery of Indianapolis, having attained the
thirty-second degree. He is also a member of the Chapter at Lebanon, being
master of same thirty-six years. He has been a Mason for sixty-two years.
He has served as a member of the local school board for years, and he has
done much for the cause of education, religion and temperance. He has
been very successful in a business way. He was a merchant here for years.
He owns valuable town property and an excellent farm of one hundred and
sixty acres on the interurban line. On his farm is a good residence and other
buildings and it is well improved and productive. He works a fine garden
for exercise. He has the good will and respect of all who know him for his
life has been a useful and exemplary one.
CHARLES GODFREY.
The late Charles Godfrey, farmer and stock man of Clinton township,
Boone county, enjoyed distinctive prestige among the enterprising men of
this locality during a past generation, having fought his way onward and up-
ward from a modest beginning to a comfortable position in his neighborhood
and in every relation of life his voice and influence were on the side of right
as he saw and understood the right. He was always interested in every
enterprise for the welfare of the community and liberally supported every
movement calculated to benefit his fellowmen. .Although the last chapter
in his life drama has been closed by the "angel with the backward look and
folded wings of ashen gray," who called liim to a higher sphere of action,
his influence is still felt for good in the community long honored by his resi-
dence and he is greatly missed by the many who knew him as a neighbor and
friend, for he was a man in whom the utmost confidence could be reposed,
scrupulously honest in all his dealings with his fellow men, always making
good his promises, was kind and obliging, especially to the unfortunate and
was a man whom all respected.
Mr. Godfrey was born in Coshocton county, Ohio, May 15, 1827. He
was a son of James Godfrey, who served in the Revolutionary war under
General Washington and he grew to manhood in his native community and
there received such educational advantages as the early day schools aflforded.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
799
When a young man he worked at various things in Ohio, his last year there
being spent in running a canal boat on the Ohio canal. He then came to
Indiana and located south of Kirklin, Marion township, Boone county, rent-
ing a farm on which he remained two years, then purchased it and lived
there ten years longer. He then moved to Mechanicsburg, Boone county,
where he spent a year, after which he moved to Clinton county and rented a
farm for fi\'e years, then moved to Center township, Boone county, and rented
a farm two years, then moved a short distance south on another farm where
he remained about ten years, then bought eighty acres in 1882, in Clinton
township and here spent the rest of his life and developed an excellent and
well improved farm and carried on general farming and stock raising suc-
cessfully. This farm is located three and one-half miles east of Mechanics-
burg and is considered one of the best farms in this section of the county.
Mr. Godfrey was married in Ohio, in 1851, to Joanna Meeks, a daugh-
ter of Joshua and Susan (Richardson) Meeks. She was born August 31,
1833. Mrs. Godfrey grew to womanhood in Ohio and there received a com-
mon school education. Her ancestors were Irish, while those of her hus-
band were Scotch. Mrs. Godfrey had five uncles who fought in the war of
1812, under Gen. William Henry Harrison and all were killed in the famous
battle of Tippecanoe, in November, 181 1, and they are buried in Tippecanoe
county, Indiana.
To Mr. and Mrs. Godfrey si.x children were born, five living at this
writing, namely : Mrs. Melissa Campbell, lives on a farm in Clinton town-
ship; Charles Clay died December 28, 1902, at age of forty-seven years;
John W. married Jannie Smith, and lives on a farm in Boone county; Susan
married George Allen, a rural mail carrier, and they live in Iowa ; James
married Nancy Regan and they live in Thorntown, Indiana; Jeremiah is
unmarried and lives at home and helps his mother look after the home farm
which they keep rented out. He and his mother are members of the First
Christian church of Scotland, Clinton county. Politically, the son is a Repub-
lican.
The death of Charles Godfrey occurred April 5, 1904, almost seventy-
eight years of age. Mrs. Joanna Godfrey passed away October i, 1914, and
is buried in Scotland cemetery, near Kirkland, Clinton county, Indiana, by
the side of her husband.
800 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
MORRIS RITCHIE.
Holding distinctive prestige among the enterprising citizens of Boone
county is Morris Ritchie, well known manufacturer and substantial business
man of Lebanon, whose record here briefly outlined is that of a self-made
man, distinctively the architect of his own fortunes, who, by the judicious
exercise of the talents with which nature endowed him, successfully sur-
mounted an environment none too auspicious and rose to the position he now
occupies as one of the most progressive and influential men of affairs of the
locality honored by his citizenship, having been true and loyal in all the
relations of life, standing as a type of that sterling manhood which ever
commands respect and honor. He is a man who would win his way in an}-
locality in which fate might place him. for he has sound judgment, coupled
with great energy and business tact, together with upright principles, all of
which make for success wherever and whenever they are rightly and per-
sistently applied. Mr. Ritchie is a creditable representative of one of the
sterling old families of the Hoosier state, running back to the Blue Grass
state on the paternal side and he seems to have inherited many of the sturdy
traits of his forebears.
]\Ir. Ritchie was born July 30, 1861, in Boxley. Hamilton county, Indi-
ana. He is a son of Andrew Washington Ritchie and Martha Ann (Sims)
Ritchie. The father was born in Nicholas county, Kentucky, and the mother
was a native of Rush county, Indiana. Andrew W. Ritchie was a young
man when he removed with his parents from Kentucky to Boone county.
Indiana. He left Boone county when still a young man and went to Boxley.
Hamilton county, Indiana, and there married and followed merchandising
until his death, which occurred in April, 1S63. His widow survived a half
century, dying February 15, 19 13, aged eighty years, at the home ui our
subject in Lebanon. Besides our subject there was another son and a daugh-
ter in this family.
Morris Ritchie lived in Boxley until he was thirteen years of age and
there he attended the public schools. In September. 1874, the family mo\-ed
to Lebanon, the mother having married William W. Sims in the meantime.
Mr. Ritchie continued his education in the schools of Lebanon, lacking one
year of graduating from the high school. He then clerked in a grocery store
for some time and in 1880 began the grocery business for himself, continuing
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 8oi
the same until 1898; then, having secured a good start in a business way, he
turned his attention to the produce business, buying and shipping in large
quantities to the eastern markets. This he followed until 1899. In January,
1900, he took up the retail lumber business, also furniture manufacturing,
the firm being known as Campbell, Smith & Ritchie. They were successful
from the start and soon had a rapidly growing business. In 1907 they in-
corporated as the Campbell, Smith, Ritchie Company, which partnership
continues to the present time. Mr. Ritchie became secretary, which position
he still holds, and the pronounced success of the company has been due in no
small measure to his able management and judicious counsel. In 1910 the
company abandoned the retail lumber business and since then has devoted
its entire time to manufacturing, the celebrated "Boone Kitchen Cabinet"
being its specialty, and they have had a great demand for same throughout
the country, large consignments being constantly shipped to various states
and the -demand is rapidly growing. The firm also manufactures other
specialties, all of a high grade and superior quality and workmanship. The
plant is a modernly equipped and convenient one and a large number of
skilled artisans are constantly employed. This is one of the most widely
known and important manufacturing concerns in this section of the state.
Mr. Ritchie has been very successful in a business way. He is president of
the Boone County State Bank, being one of the organizers of the same in
October, 1911, and he has been its president since that time, its marked suc-
cess and pronounced prestige being due to his ability and foresight as a
financier, the people of Lebanon and vicinity reposing the utmost confidence
in his integrity, business acumen and keen discernment.
Politically, Mr. Ritchie is a Republican and has long been actixe and
influential in public affairs. In November, 1904, he was elected county com-
missioner and assumed office Januan' i, 1906, serving one term of three
years in a highly commendable manner. He has been a leader in the party
organization at various times and for the past six years has been chairman
of the city organization and has been a frequent delegate to county, district
and state conventions. His acquaintance is state-wide and his counsel is
often sought by party leaders and candidates.
Mr. Ritchie has been twice married, first on May 6, 1886, to Gertrude
Cory, a daughter of John L. and Lydia (Grusch) Cory, of Lebanon, formerly
of New Carlisle, Clark county, Ohio. To this first union four children were
born, namelv : Russell, who is engaged in business with his father ; Helen is
802 BOONE COLTNTY. INDIANA.
at home : Lowell is a student in Purdue University : Marion is at home. The
wife and mother was called to her eternal rest June i6. 1906. On August
20, 191 1, Mr. Ritchie married Zora Schulmire, a daughter of John W. and
Emma Schulmire, of Lebanon, an old family of this county. To this second
union two children have been born, John Morris died in infancy, and Martha
Elizabeth Ritchie, born July 20, 19 13.
Fraternally, Mr. Ritchie is a member of the Knights of Pythias, and he
and his family belong to the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is a
member of the official board. He has been president of the Brotherhood and
is acti\e in all church and Sundav school work.
JESSE E. TUCKER, M. D.
Examples that impress force of character on all who study them are
worthy of record, and the mission of an active, talented and conscientious
worker in the world's affairs is one that is calculated to inspire a multitude
of others to better efforts and higher things; so its general influence cannot
be measured in metes and bounds, for it affects the lives of those with whom
it comes into contact, broadening and enriching them for all time to come.
By a few general observations may be conveyed some idea of the noble char-
acter, the professional skill and the commendable public influence of Dr.
Jesse E. Tucker, one of Boone county's most representative citizens, a well
known physician of' the town of Elizaville and also a prominent live stock
breeder. United in his composition are so many elements of a solid and
practical nature as to bring him into conspicuous notice, who, not content to
hide his talents amid life's sequestered ways, by the force of will and a laud-
able ambition has forged to the front in one of the most exacting and im-
portant of professions. His life has been one of hard study and unselfish
industry, whose laborious professional duties has led to a high position in
the esteem of the public, which gives evidence that the qualities which he
possesses afford the means of distinction under a system of government in
which places of honor and usefulness are open to all who may be found
worthy of them.
Dr. Tucker was born in Henry county, Indiana, January 6, 1870. He
is a son of William A. and Lucy W. (Woodal) Tucker, the father a native of
DR. J. E. TUCKER
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 805
Kentucky and the mother of Virginia; they both came to IncHana when
}oung and were married in this state, in which our subject's grandparents
were pioneers, the Tucker family locating in Henry county and the Woodals
in Boone county. Grandfather Woodal was probably the first blacksmith in
Boone county. The doctor's parents, who have devoted their lives success-
fully to agricultural pursuits are li\-ing on a farm and are still active and
although advanced in years are fairly hale and hearty. Grandfather Woodal
died in Boone count}', about forty years ago at the advanced age of eighty-two
years.
Dr. Tucker grew to manhood on the home farm and assisted with the
work there during crop seasons when he became of proper age, and he re-
ceived his early schooling in the district schools, remaining with his parents
until he was twenty-two years old. Soon after he was graduated from the
high school at Knightstown, in 1889, he began the study of medicine with
Dr. William D. Johns, a noted Indiana physician of that period, studying
under him about a year, then entered the Physio Medical College of Indiana
at Indianapolis in 1890 and was graduated from this institution in 1895, with
high honors, having made a most excellent record there. On August 3d of
that year he came to Eliza\ille, Boone county where he began the practice
of his profession, which he has continued to the present time with ever in-
creasing success until he now enjoys a very large and lucrative practice which
extends over this part of the county and he ranks in the forefront of his pro-
fessional brethren in Boone county. Ever a student he has kept well abreast
of the times in all that pertains to his profession.
Dr. Tucker was married in 1891 to Jessie E. Hull, who was born Janu-
ary II, 1875. and whose death occurred November 17, 1898. She was a
native of Hancock county, Indiana, and a daughter of a prominent family
there. This union resulted in the birth of two children, namely: Russell A.,
born November 19, 1893: Raymond O., born August 17, 1895. On October
28, 1900, the doctor married Bessie O. Richardson, who was born in Boone
county, January 8, 1883. She is a daughter of Joel and Eva (Johns) Richard-
son, both natives of Indiana, the Richardsons being early settlers in Boone
county. The death of Mr. Richardson occurred when he was a comparatively
young man, but his widow is living in Marion township, this county. To Dr.
Tucker's second marriage three children were born, namely: Olive M., born
March 8, 1904: Eva Pauline, born March 4, 1906: and Lela G., born Novem-
8o6 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
ber 19, 1909. These children have all been given excellent educational ad-
vantages, and they are all living at home.
Politically, the doctor is a loyal Democrat and usually attends the
various conventions of his party, and is well posted on current political ques-
tions, and is an influential leader in his party in this section of Boone county,
but he is not an office seeker, preferring to give his attention exclusively to
his extensive practice and to his fine farm and live stock industry. Fraternally
he belongs to the .\ncient, Free and Accepted Masons, the Modern Woodmen
of America and the Improved Order of Red Men. He and his wife belong
to the Baptist church. He has passed the chairs in the Woodmen lodge. He
is a member of the Indiana Slate Medical .Association and the National Med-
ical Association.
The valuable farm owned by Dr. Tucker just west of the town of Eliza-
ville, consists of forty-six acres and is one of the show places of the town-
ship, being modern in e\ery respect and under the highest possible state of
improvement and culti\ation. On it stands large substantial and convenient
outbuildings, and here he has for some time been successfully engaged in rais-
ing thoroughbred Poland-China hogs, which, owing to their superior quality,
find a very ready market all over the country, many of them being shipped
to remote distances, always bringing fancy prices. His registered sires are
greatly admired by all who see them, being the finest obtainable. Por five years
he has held annual sales, selling his high-grade stock at public auction, and
these sales are a great success, being attended by buyers from all over the
countrv.
JOHN STANLEY MOORE.
When one \isits the village of Mechanicsburg, Boojie county, Indiana,
and hears the anvil ring in the shop of John Stanley Moore, one is reminded
of Eongfellow's "village blacksmith under the spreading chestnut tree," not
that our subject necessarily resembles the Cambridge giant, "the nuiscles of
whose brawn)' arms were strong as iron bands," nor is there a patriarchal
chestnut tree over our subject's forge, but yet Mr. Moore has a number of
characteristics like the blacksmith that the poet knew, such as honesty, in-
dustry, kind-heartedness and a desire to lead a peaceable and useful life, and
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 807'
SO Mr. Moore has won friends all over this locality who repose implicit trust
in him and who regard him as a good citizen. This must be true or he would
not have been permitted to retain the office of postmaster at Reese Mills for
over twenty years, neither would he have been selected to serve as township
trustee.
Mr. Moore was born December 17, 1850, in Kentucky. He is a son
of Thomas and .Sarah (Hinkle) Moore, both natives of Kentucky, where they
grew up and were married and from that state they removed to Mechanics-
burg, Boone county, Indiana, in 1859. The father learned the blacksmith's
trade when a boy in the old Blue Grass state and this he followed all his life
and was known as a most skillful workman and an honest man and good
neighbor. During the Civil war he enlisted for service in the Union army
in the Eleventh Cavalry, from Indiana, but being a skilled farrier lie followed
his trade while in the service and after his honorable discharge returned to
Mechanicsburg where he reopened his shop and continued his trade here until
his death in i8'88. His wife died in 1891.
Our subject has two brothers living, namely : B. L. Moore, of Lebanon,
and William Henry Moore, of Anderson, Indiana; the oldest son of this
family is deceased and two daughters of Thomas and Sarah Moore are also
deceased.
John Stanley Moore grew to manhood in Boone county, being nine years
old when his parents located at Mechanicsburg, and he received a common
school education. He learned the blacksmith's trade under his brother, now
deceased, and became a very skilled workman while still a young man ana
has followed his trade with success since 1876, or nearly forty years, and is
one of the best known and most popular blacksmiths in this section of the
state. He spent much of his earlier years at Reese Mills in this county and
was postmaster there for a period of over twenty years, giving eminent satis-
faction to both the people and the department. He was elected township
trustee of Washington township in 1900 and served very creditably for four
years. During his term of office he continued his vocation at his forge,
which he has retained to the present time, maintaining an up-to-date and well
equipped "shop in Mechanicsburg.
Mr. Moore was married November 15, 1877, to Lizzie Buntin, who was
born in Mechanicsburg, Indiana, January 18, 1857. She is thus fifty-six
years old and has spent her life in Mechanicsburg and Mr. Moore has been
8o8 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
liere tifty-five years and they have thus seen many great changes here in that
time, remembering when there were but a few houses in this vicinity and
when the roads were often impassable, the mud being so deep, and when the
country in general was little developed. Mr. and Mrs. Moore are the oldest
residents of continuous residence in Mechanicsburg, are well known and
highly respected, for their lives have been honorable and helpful. They have
one son, Gustin O., who was reared and educated here and is now traveling
out of Frankfort for a wholesale grocery firm and he makes his home in
Frankfort. He married Victoria Denny and has one son, Byron Stanley
Moore.
PolitK-<i!h', Mr. r^Ioore is a Republican. He and his wife are niemljers
of the Christian church, and fraternally he is a member of the Masonic order,
Sylvan Lodge Xo. . the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the
Improved Order of Red Men, in both of which he has filled the chairs and
has represented both in grand lodge. He was secretaiy of the local lodge of
Odd Fellows for a period of eighteen years continuously and he has been
chief of records of the local lodge of Red Men for a period of thirteen years
continuously. His long retention in these positions would indicate that his
work has been most faithfully and accurately done and that he is a prominent
lodge man in this localitv.
CLARENCE ROBERTS.
The great task in the early years of the history of Boone county of
clearing the land of its timber can scarcely be realized by the people of today.
Not a crop could be planted or an orchard tree set out until the timber had
been cut and removed either by fire or with horses. Even then the stumps
were a great hindrance and it is doubtful if so much as a half crop could be
raised until they had been eradicated in some manner. The amount of
hard labor thus required to remove the timljer and place the land under a
high state of cultivation seems almost incredible. It was a task that never
ended and all members of the family were required to assist early and late
and at all seasons of the year. But the persistence in all instances brought
success as the years passed and in time the bare acres were spread out before
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 809
the sun ready to produce abundant crops as soon as the seeds were deposited
and the wilderness gave way to abundant har\ests and browsing herds.
This was the task set before the grandfather and father of Clarence Roberts,
a well known farmer of Jefferson township. This honored pioneer family
came here in the days of the great forest and, setting to work with a will,
cleared the land and established a good home and they have been prominent
in the affairs of the community for nearly three-quarters of a century.
Clarence Roberts was born on a farm within one mile of his present
home, four and one-half miles west of Lebanon, Indiana, his present home
being a mile north of the Crawfords\'ille road and the date of his birth was
September 12, 1879. He is a sun of Roljert \\'. and Elizabeth (Goodwin)
Roberts. William R. Roberts, our sul:)ject's grandfather, was a native of
Kejituck}-, where he grew up and married Emmarine Miller and when Boone
count}", Indiana, was a wilderness they removed here and established their
home in what is now Jefferson township and by hard persistent work against
the forces of nature this sturdy frontiersman cleared the land which he had
secured for a small sum, drained it and developed a good farm and here the
father of our subject grew to manhood and assisted his father to clear and
improve the homestead and he too devoted his active life to general farming
and has maintained his home in the city of Lebanon since 1885. The mother
of our subject died when he was only three months old. His father later
married Margaret Brooks. The mother of our subject was a native of Ken-
tucky, from which state she came with her parents in an early day to Boone
county, Indiana, locating in what is now Center township.
Clarence Roberts was reared by his grandparents, William R. Roberts
and wife. He worked hard on the old homestead when a boy and received
his education in the common schools of his vicinity. He has devoted his
life to general farming and stock raising and owns a finely improved and
productive farm of forty acres in Jefferson township and has a comfortable
home surrounded by convenient outbuildings. On December 20, igoo, he
married Mabel Coon, of Washington township, this county: she was born,
reared and educated in Clinton count}-, Indiana. This union has been with-
out issue.
Politically, Mr. Roberts is a Democrat and has been loyal in the sup-
port of his party and a worker in the same. In the spring of 19 14, he was
nominated for sheriff of Boone county and his selection was regarded from
:8lO BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
the first as a fortunate one. He was at once promised a large support, for
his fitness in every respect for this important office was recognized not only
by his friends but by all concerned, and his election was freely predicted
He carried the county by one thousand two hundred plurality. He is well
known and popular throughout the county. Fraternally, he is a member of
the Loyal Order of Moose, of Lebanon. He and his wife are members of
the Baptist church of Dover.
JOHN A. DUVALL.
During the past few years the farmer has come into his own as a factor
in the world's aflrairs more than ever before, and his position among men
of other vocations is recognized by all classes as one of the vastest impor-
tance, and, in fact, many from various trades and professions are turning to
the soil, the movement from the city to the count ly being now much greater
than it ever was in any period of the world. One of the principal causes
for the "back-to-the-farm" movement has been the publication of stories of
the money that has been made in general farming and along specialized lines.
A number of newspapers make it a point to publish highly colored stories of
sticcess with the result that a great many good people are misled as to the
possibilities of farming, stock raising and fruit growing", when not backed by
experience and capital. One of the successful general farmers and stock
men of Boone county is John A. Duvall, of Clinton township, formerly a
successful educator in the public schools of this locality, and whose success
.as an agriculturist has been gained b}' close application and the exercise of
sound judgment.
Mr. Duvall was born in Warren county, Ohio, February 21, 1857, a
son of Jacob and Xancy E. (Jackson) Duvall, his father dying when our
subject was a child. He spent his boyhood in his native state and was twelve
years old when he came to Indiana in 1S69 with Joseph Witham. with whom
he made his home until he was twenty-three years of age, when he returned
to Warren county, Ohio, and married Martha Ellen Witham and at once
brought his bride to the farm he now occupies in Clinton township, Boone
■-.county. In the meantime he had recei\ed a good education in the common
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 8l I
schools and. applying himself assiduously to' his text-books, prepared himself
for a teacher, which profession he followed with ever increasing success for
a period of fifteen years, his services being in great demand and he gave
eminent satisfaction as an educator, employing advanced methods and being
popular with both pupils and patrons. During the summer months he worked
on his farm, which was unimproved when he purchased it, and which he re-
deemed from the wilderness by hard work and today his farm of one hun-
dred and twenty acres is one of the best improved and most desirable in his
vicinity. On it stands a cozy home, convenient outbuildings and in his
fields may be seen at all seasons a good grade of live stock, his many fine
cows, horses and swine of high grade quality being one of the main sources
of his annual income. He is deserving of a great deal of credit for what he
has accomplished, having started out in life a poor lad and by sheer force of
character and indomitable courage forged his way to the front over obstacles
that would have' crushed many others and he is therefore well deserving
of the title of self made man.
Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Duvall, five daughters and one
son, all of whom survive, namely : Edith, who is the wife of Dr. C. S.
Holmes, lives in Indianapolis ; Eftie married George Auble and was a teacher
before marriage ; Georgia also lives at home ; Roscoe married Alpha A. Smith,
a graduate of Indiana University at Bloomington and lives at Forest, Indiana.
He is a publisher of a paper and an electrician. They are living on a part
of the home farm; Hazel married Leonard Langjahr and they live in Leb-
anon, this county: Lillie married Sumner Leckrone and they also IWe in
Lebanon. The mother of these children was called to her rest February 22,
19 1 3. She was strong mentally, and above the average in esthetic culture,
having a great love for art. She was a kind and loving woman.
Politically, Mr. Duvall is a Progressi\'e. He was township assessor for
four years and has been township trustee for the past six years, ever discharg-
ing his duties as a public servant in a manner that has reflected much credit
upon himself and, to the satisfaction of all concerned, and taken an abiding
interest in the welfare of Clinton township from the first, doing much for its
general improvement. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, of Mechanicsburg, Mart Lodge No. 413. He and his chil-
dren are members of the Christian church. The family has long been one
of the best known and most highly esteemed in the township.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
JOSEPH M. SW'OPE.
l-'anie may look to the clash of resounding arms for its heroes; history's
pages may be filled with a record of the deeds of the so-called great who have
deluged the world with blood, destroyed kingdoms, created dynasties and
left their names as plague spots upon civilization's escutcheon; the poet may
embalm in deathless song the short and simple annals of the poor : but there
have been comparatively few to sound the praise of the brave and sturdy
pioneer who among the truly great and noble is certainly among the deserv-
ing of at least a little space on the category of the immortals. To him more
than to any other is civilization indebted for the brightest gem in its diadem,
for it was he that blazed the way and acted as \anguard for the mighty army
of progress that within the last century has conquered the wilderness and
transformed it into a fair and enlightened domain. One of this hardy band,
who came to Boone county, Indiana, when it was little developed and sparsely
settled was Joseph M. Swope, who was a leading farmer in his day, an in-
fluential citizen and a gallant soldier for the Union.
Mr. Swope was born October lo, 1842, in Boone county, Indiana. His
father, Ebenezer H. Swope. was born in Estill county, Kentucky, in 181 2,
and there grew to manhood and in 1830 married Lucinda Robertson, who
was born in 1810. She was a daughter of Jesse Robertson, who lived to be
ninety-six years of age. His wife was Sarah White before her marriage.
Their parents moved to Indiana in 1836. locating in Putnam county. In the
spring of 1840 they changed their residence to Boone county, locating a short
distance south of Elizaville. Ebenezer H. Swope was a farmer and became
one of the successful men of his community, accumulating a handsome com-
petence, including a well-improved and productive farm of two hundred and
twenty acres besides valuable personal property. He dealt quite extensively
in live stock in connection with general farming. He was a man of strict
propriety, his word always being considered as good as his bond in the com-
munity where he lived. He was an ardent Republican in his political faith,
and his death, which occurred on September 2, 1S81, was an event greatly
deplored by the people of Clinton township. His widow survixed until
March 20. 1893, and, like her husband, was greatly missed from the com-
munitv in which she resided. Their family consisted of the following chil-
dren : Lewis, born February 7, 1833, died in t86o; Elizabeth, born .\ugust
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 815
21, 1835: Sarah A., born October 13, 1837, died in i860; Jonathan, born
August II. 1840, died in January, 1912; and Joseph M., whose name heads
this memoir: Jessie, born November 16, 1844; Mrs. Mary Brinton, born
January i, 1847; ^^s- Serrilda A. Perkins, born September 6, 185 1, died in
1879.
The fatlier of Ebenezer H. Swope was Joseph Swope, who was born in
Virginia in 1784, and whose death occurred May 26, 1877, at the advanced
age of ninety-three years. He served as an officer in the War of 1812, and
married in Virginia Mary Hines. who was born July 15, 1782, in the Old
Dominion. Joseph Swope and family moved to Kentucky about the year
1810, and the death of his wife occurred in that state. The following are
the names of their children : Andrew William, Eliza A., Ebenezer H., Helena
D. and Catherine S. After the death of the mother of the above named
children Joseph Swope married for his second wife Julia A. Robertson, who
was born July 2^, 1801, in Kentucky, and whose death occurred at the age
of eighty-three years.
Joseph M. Swope grew to manhood on the home farm in Boone county,
and there he found plenty of hard work to do when he was a boy, and he
received his education in the early-day schools of his community; here he
was contented to spend his life, and became one of the county's leading farm-
ers and stock men, owning a large and well-improved farm, on which is to be
seen an attractive residence and substantial outbuildings. He prospered
through good management and the exercise of sound judgment and was a man
of industry.
Mr. Swope was married September 17, 1871, to Patsy Garrett, who was
born in Montgomery county, Kentucky, May 25, 1854. She is a daughter of
Benjamin D. Garrett, who was also a native of Kentucky, his birth having
occurred there in the year 1838, and there he grew to manhood and was mar-
ried to Sarah Gilmore, who was born in Nichols county, that state, in 1828,
and there she spent her earlier years. Mrs. Swope grew up in the Blue Grass
state and received a good education in the common schools.
To Mr. and Mrs. Joseph M. Swope four children were born, namely :
Orie A., born March 31, 1873; Alva D., bom May 28, 1875; Edith, born
February i, 1877, died October 14, 1880; Flarlan, born April 20, 1879, died
August 12, 1881.
(SO)
8l6 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
The death of Joseph M. Swope occurred April 3, 1914, when well past
his three score and ten, and the entire community feels that it has lost a good
and useful citizen.
Mr. Swope was a veteran of the Civil war, having fought gallantl}' for
the Union during its greatest crisis, and before his death his captain paid a
high tribute, which is contained in the following article, which we here re-
produce from a leading newspaper in Boone county :
"The story of the military experience of Joseph M. Swope, who died
last Friday at his home in Clinton township, is set forth in an article written
se\-eral years ago by the late Felix Shumate, captain of the company in
which 'Sir. S\\oi>e was a member. The article, which will be of general in-
terest, follows: 'Joseph I\I. Swope was a citizen of Elizaville, or near there,
when the war of the rebellion broke out, of good family, with only a common
school education, and only eighteen years of age. He was more than the
average in intellect and a true type of the western soldier. Boy, as he was,
he enlisted in my company — I, Tenth Regiment, Indiana Volunteers, Septem-
ber 18, 1861, at Lebanon, Indiana, and in three days was in front of the Con-
federate army in Kentucky. He remained a private soldier, preferring that
to any promotions, which were offered him on several occasions. Joe, as the
boys learned to call him, was honest and conscientious, and made a true
soldier in every sense of the word, was never arrested, never in the hospital,
and never attended sick call while in the service, made every march his com-
pany made, was in every skirmish and battle his company was in, including
Mill Springs, and Perryville, Kentucky : Hoover's Gap, Tennessee : Corinth,
^Mississippi : Chickamauga, Ringgold, Tunnel Hill, Buzzard's Roost, Resaca,
Adairville, Kingston, New Hope Church, Chattahoochee, Peach Tree Creek,
Kenesaw Mountain, Lost Mountain, Atlanta, Utah Creek, and all the skir-
mishes in Sherman's celebrated campaign in Georgia in 1864.
" T want to mention a few acts of bravery performed by Air. Swope.
Early in 1862, at the battle of Mill Springs, his first baptism in battle, I dis-
covered that he had the peculiar qualities for a good soldier. At Tullahoma,
Tennessee, in June, 1862, Joe, with one or two other members of his com-
pany, distinguished himself, in the heat of battle, by giving me some valuable
information as to a flank movement of the enemy. Also at Perryville. Ken-
tucky, 1863, while my company was making a night attack, he, in company
with his comrades, performed a deed which gave the brigade commander
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 817
very valuable information as to the position of the enemy. At Chickamauga
Joe behaved himself most gallantly, and on Sunday, the twentieth, he per-
formed services that were scarcely equaled in the annals of war. He was
detailed, with Wiley Howard, to assist the wounded to the surgeons in the
rear, and so well did they do that duty that all the wounded of my company
were saved and got back to Chattanooga, and notwithstanding the fact that
the army was much broken and scattered and many changes made in the
lines, he came off the field that night with the remnant of his company. At
Kenesaw Mountain he distinguished himself by standing out in a storm of
shot and shell and greatly encouraged his comrades who were feeling blue.
At Utah Creek, to the right of Atlanta, when we had charged up close to
the Confederate works, and were short of ammunition, and it looked to be
just as hazardous to go backward as forward, there came an order to send a
man after ammunition. Well, the orderly sergeant raised up and said to the
boys that he did not feel like detailing a man to go to death, and asked if
any volunteer would go. After a brief pause, Joe informed him that he
would go. and go he did, although his comrade that was helping him was
knocked senseless by a shell in front of him, Joe returned to the company
with the box of cartridges.' "
CHARLES W. SCOTT.
Charles W. Scott, ex-clerk of Boone county circuit court, Indiana, and an
enterprising merchant of Lebanon, is of Scotch-Irish descent, and was born
in Bellefontaine, Ohio, January 25, 1847, and was about five years of age
when brought by his parents to Lebanon, Boone county, Indiana, where he
attended the public schools until he reached the age of seventeen years, when,
filled with patriotic ardor, he enlisted to assist in the preservation of the
integrity of his beloved country in Company F, One Hundred and Thirty-
fifth Indiana Volunteer Infantry for one hundred days, under Capt. R. A.
^Villiamson. He was seized with chronic diarrhea, however, and for a time
was confined in the hospital at Nashville, Tennessee, but served out the full
time of his enlistment, nevertheless, and on his return home enlisted April i,
1865, in Company G, One Hundred and Fifty-fourth Indiana Infantry for
8l8 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
one year. He was assigned to duty in the Shenandoah valley but was again
attacked by his old disorder and was confined in the Federal hospital at
Stephenson, Virginia, and then again at Cumberland. Maryland, and was
sent thence to the general hospital at Claryville. Maryland, whence he went
to Wheeling, West Virginia, where he was discharged under general orders
in the fall of 1865. He returned home a constitutional wreck and for several
months was unable to attend to business and even to this day his health is in
a shattered condition. AVhen he had sufficiently recuperated, he joined his
father in the mercantile business, but in 1875 sold out his interest and engaged
for one year in the jewelry trade, when he again sold out. For four years
afterward he clerked for Wilson & Baker, merchants of Lebanon and then
for five years was in the grocery business on the north side. In the fall of
1890, he was elected on the Democratic ticket, clerk of the Boone county cir-
cuit court, and being a very popular man, recei\ed a very large majority and
succeeded a Republican in the office.
Mr. Scott was married June 30. 1871, at Lima, Ohio, to Miss Lizzie
Kiplinger, daughter of William S. and Mary (Thatcher) Kiplinger. This
lady's father was a contractor and builder and constructed many of the best
edifices in Lima. Four children have been born to the union of Mr. and
Mrs. Scott and were named John William, Mary Lula, Wallace A. and May
Queen, all of whom were born in Lebanon, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Scott
are members of the Methodist church and their daily walk through life
shows the sincerity of their religious faith. Mr. Scott served his second
term as commander of Rich Mountain Post, No. 42, Grand Army of the
Republic, and has held all the chairs in Ben Adhem Lodge, No. 472, Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows; was also a member of the grand lodge and
grand senior warden of the grand encampment of the same order; he is a
member of the Independent Order of Red Men, Winnebago Tribe, No. 36,
and has filled all the offices in his tribe; likewise is a member of the grand
council. As a Knight of Pythias, he is a member of Lebanon Lodge, No.
45, and is, moreover, past chancellor of this order and a member of the grand
lodge. Mr. Scott is now a resident of Warsaw, Indiana, where he has been
living for several years.
The remote ancestors of Charles W. Scott came to America in the
colonial days and settled in Pennsylvania. His grandfather, Samuel Scott,
moved in his voung davs to Licking countv, Ohio. He liad married in
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 819
Pennsylvania, Sarah Moore, who bore him five children : Elizabeth J.,
Joseph, John M., James M. and Sarah C. The third child in the above family,
John M.. was born in Licking county, Ohio, in 1824, and married in Hardin,
Ohio, April 19, i8'46, Mary A. Blue, daughter of Barnabas and Mary
(Hilliard) Blue, the result of which union was seven children, viz: Charles
W., whose name opens this sketch; Edward I,.; Flora G. : Aananda : Harry
B., who died at the age of fourteen years; Hattie, and Lizzie, who died in
infancv. Of this family the three first named were born in Ohio and the re-
maining four in Lebanon, Indiana. His great grandfather, Joseph Scott,
was born in Ireland, coming to this country when a young man. His great
grandmother, (Curry) Scott, was born in Scotland and also came to
.\merica in an early day and settled with her parents in Pennsylvania, near
her to-be future husband, ?Iis grandfather, Samuel Scott, moved in his
younger days to Licking count}'. Ohio, ha\'ing previously been married to
Sarah Moore in Pennsyhania. His grandfather, Barnabas Blue, was born
near Harper's Ferry, \^irginia, and moved when a boy with his father to
Miami county, Ohio, and settled near the present city of Piqua. Mary
I Hilliard ) Blue was born and reared in and near Cincinnati, Ohio, until
fifteen years of age, when her father moved to what is the city of Piqua.
Ohio, but at that time the present thriving city consisted of one log cabin
which was occupied by a French family.
James M. Scott was apprenticed when fifteen years of age to Mr.
Knapp, of Bellefontaine, Ohio, to learn the tailoring trade, his father's con-
tract with Mr. Knapp being that he was to serve until twenty-one years of
age and then he was to receive one good suit of jeans clothes and a Bible.
.After passing four or five years in Logan and Shelby counties, Ohio, he came
to Lebanon, Indiana, in 1852 and opened a dry goods store, which he con-
ducted for many years and became one of the best known business men of
Boone county. Between 1854 and 1856 he was postmaster of the city, an
office he filled to the entire satisfaction of the public. He took a leading part
in the building of the Missionary Baptist church in the city, his wife being
an ardent member of this denomination. In politics he was a Jacksonian
Democrat, but was a stanch supporter of the Union cause during the late
Civil war, giving his only son old enough to enlist, Charles W., to the service
of the Union cause. Mr. Scott was always active in the promotion of the
best interests of the city of Lebanon and erected some of its finest business
820 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
blocks, among them, in company with G. W. Baird, the marble front on the
corner of Lebanon and Main streets. He took an active interest in educa-
tional matters and in everything else that led to the public welfare. The
business firms with which he was connected were Scott & McLaughlin, Scott
& Baird, Scott & Daily and Scott & Son. His death took place August 31,
1877, but his widow survived until August 2. 1887 and in their demise Leb-
anon sustained a severe loss.
WILLL^M ^^^\LLACE ^IILLIKAN.
There could be no more comprehensive history written of a community
or even of a state and its people, than that which deals with the life work of
those, who, by their own endeavor and indomitable energy, have placed
themselves where they well deserve the title of "progressive," and in this
sketch will be found the record of one who has outstripped the less active
plodders on the highway of life, one who has not been subdued b\' the many
obstacles and failures that come to e\ery one, but who has made them step-
ping stones to higher things and at the same time that Air. Millikan was
winning his wa\- to the front in business affairs he was gaining a reputation
for uprightness and honor. He is one of the most widely known harness
dealers in this section of the state, still maintaining a shop which his father
established at Thorntown three-quarters of a century ago, and although he
is well past his aUotted three score and ten years he is actively and success-
fully engaged in the work that has claimed his attention since boyhood. He
is one of the worthv natix-e sons of Boone count}-, in fact, is perhaps the old-
est native-born citizen in the vicinity o{ Thorntown. Having had the
sagacity to foresee the great future of tliis locality, he wisely decided to
spend his life on his native soil, rather than seek uncertain fortune else-
where, and he has tiius been identified with the growth of the same and has
played well his part in its development along all lines.
William Wallace Millikan was born in Thorntown. this county, .August
21, 1839. He is a son of Allen and Elizabeth (Gapen) Millikan. The
father was a native of North Carolina, from which state he came with his
parents, Jonathan Millikan and wife to Indiana in an early day, the parents
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 821
locating in Parke county, where they spent the rest of their lives. The
maternal grandparents, Zachariah Gapen and wife, were among the earliest
settlers of Thorntown, he having come here from Tennessee where he was
born. After he located here he conducted a tannery.
The parents of the subject of this sketch were married in Thorntown
and here the father established a harness shop in 1838 and here he followed
harness and saddle-making until 1863, when his son was admitted into part-
nership. The business was a success from the first and it continued to grow
with advancing years, patrons coming from all over this section of the state.
He remained actively engaged until his death April 13, 1880. He was a
skilled workman and an honest and industrious man. The last ten years of
his life, however, were spent looking after his farm in Sugar Creek township.
After his death his son purchased his interest in the harness business.
William W. Millikan grew up in the harness and saddlery business,
having begun working in his father's shop when a boy, attending the common
schools in his native town during the winter months. This is the only busi-
ness of its kind in Ihorntown. Our subject has added to the harness and
saddlery department, trunks, bags, suit-cases, satchels, buggies, etc., having
one of the largest, most modernly appointed and important establishments of
its kind in this part of the state and a large and lucrative trade is carried
on over a wide arid ever-growing territory, there continuing a great demand
for his products owing to their superiority in quality and workmanship and
honesty and promptness in supplying the market.
Mr. Millikan was married November 19, 1868 to Sarah Brown, who
was born at LaFayette, Indiana. She was educated in the common schools.
She is a daughter of George and Margaret (SwaiH Brown, the former a
native of northern Ireland and the mother of Scotland. The following chil-
dren have been born to our subject and wife: John, who lives in Indian-
apolis ; Mrs. Jessie Negley of Susitna, Alaska, where her husband is engaged
in merchandising and is the postmaster; Raymond is a traveling salesman
and retains Thorntown as his home; Ralph is engaged in business with his
father; William died in infancy.
Politically, Mr. Millikan is a Progressive and while he has never been
especially active as a politician, has exerted considerable influence in local
public affairs. He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church.
Fraternally, he belongs to the Masonic order, including the various degrees
822 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
up to and including that of the Ancient Arabic Order of Xobles of the Mystic
Shrine, ATurat Temple, Indianapolis. He has attained the thirty-second de-
gree in this time honored order. His son, Raymond, is also a member of the
Shrine in Masonry and is a Knights Templar in the same order and a
Scottish Rite. Another son, John, is also a member of the Masonic lodge
at Thorntown and Scottish Rite and Shrine at Indianapolis.
DOMIXICK A. ENDRES.
One of the thrifty, careful German farmers of Boone county is Dominick
A. Endres, of Center township, who is now living in retirement. He is a man
who believed in doing his work well and never permitting the grass to grow
under his feet. He was not only a ver\' careful tiller of the soil, but also
understood stock raising, looking carefully not only to the selection of live
stock but to the feeding, watering, salting, stabling and the best time of mar-
keting. It is true that the best farmers study the market quotations of stock
in the principal cities, and by so doing very often receive the reward of their
watchfulness in a much more satisfactory price for their products as well as
those of the stock yards. Our subject managed thus not only to get good
grades of live stock, but also to get the best prices, and he. therefore, has
established a very comfortable home and has a good farm, which was so
well managed that abundant harvests were reaped from year to year as a
result of his vigilance and good management. But anyone with energy
should succeed at farming in Boone county, for here nature has generously
bestowed her attractions of climate, soil and scenery to please and gratify
man while earning his bread by the "sweat of his brow." Being thus munifi-
cently endowed, this locality offers superior inducements to the farmer, and
bids him enter her domain and avail himself of her resources.
Mr. Endres was born in Germany in the year 1851. He is a son of
Dominick and Kunegimda (Baunach) Endres. both natives of Germany,
where they grew to maturity and were married and there resided until 1866.
The father was born in 1820 and the mother in 1823. The father learned
the cabinet maker's trade when a boy, which he followed in the Fatherland
until emigrating with his family to the United States in 1866. when he located
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 825
in Illinois on a farm on which he and his wife spent the rest of their lives,
both being long since deceased. Their family consisted of five children, all
born in Germany, namely: Dominick A., of this sketch; Frank is married
and is farming in Kansas; Willibald is married and lives in Kankakee, Illi-
nois, where he is working at the machinist's trade ; Fred has remained single
and is engaged in the contracting business in Illinois ; Mrs. Runegunda K.
Dimmig lives in Iowa and is the wife of a retired farmer.
The subject of this review spent his early boyhood in Germany, being
fifteen years of age when he removed with the rest of the family to America.
He received his education in the public schools, and worked on the home
farm in Illinois for a number of years, coming from that state to Indiana in
1908 and locating in Washington township, Boone county, purchasing three
hundred acres of land, known as the Anthony Beck farm, which he operated
about three years, then bought seventy-seven acres more just across the road
and adjoining his place. Here he farmed on an extensive scale and prospered
until 191 2, when, having accumulated a handsome competency, he retired
from active work and mo\-ed to Lebanon, purchasing the Henrietta Fall
home, locating a mile north of the city, just outside of the corporation line
and here he has since resided, merely overseeing his farm in a general way.
He has greatly improved his place by tiling, fencing and erecting buildings.
Mr. Endres was married in 1882 to Maria Sendlebach, who was born
in Germany and there reared and educated. She had been the childhood
sweetheart of Mr. Endres and she made the long trip from her native land in
1882 to Chatsworth, Illinois, where they were married upon her arrival, our
s.ubject being located at that place at that time. They had been born in the
same community, were reared as neighbors and were schoolmates. The date
of her birth was August 24, 1857.
To our subject and wife eight children have been born, namely: William
is married and is renting the seventy-seven acres of his father's farm, which
land the road separates from the larger place; Joseph is married and rents
the home place of three hundred acres ; Theodore is single and is working for
his brother Joseph; Philip is single and lives at home with his parents and
attends high school in Lebanon; Mary is single and lives at home; Elizabeth
married William R. Stewart and lives in Lebanon ; Rosa is the youngest and
is also a member of the family circle ; one child died in early life.
Politically, Mr. Endres is a Democrat, and he and his family are
826 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Roman Catholics in their religious affiliations and are faithful to the mother
church. This is one of Boone county's worthiest and most highly respected
families.
FL.WIUS JOSEPHUS WITH.AM.
That life is the most useful and desirable that results in the greatest good
to the greatest number, and, although all do not reach the heights to which
they aspire, yet in some measure each can win success and make life a bless-
ing to his fellow men. It is not necessary for one to occupy eminent public
positions to do so, for in the humbler walks of life there remains much good
to be accomplished and many opportunities for the exercise of talents and
influence, that in some way will touch the lives of those with whom we come
in contact making them better and brighter. In the list of Boone county's
useful, helpful, successful and honored citizens, Flavius Josephus Witham,
has for a period of forty-fi\'e years occupied a prominent place and during
that long period he has been of much assistance in promoting the general wel-
fare of his locality and his indi\idual efforts have been crowned with pro-
nounced results, so that he is deserving of our esteem in view of the fact
that he is a good citizen, a gallant veteran of the Union army, and a fine type
of the self-made man, having forged his way to the front from an early
environment none too auspicious. In his record there is much that is com-
mendable and his career forcibly illustrates what a life of energy can ac-
complish when plans are wisely laid and actions are governed by right prin-
ciples, noble aims, and high ideals. His actions have ever been the result of
conscientious thought, and when once con\inced that he is right, no suggestion
of policy or personal profit can s\\"erve him from the course he has decided
upon. He has the reputation of doing his full duty in all the relations of life,
and he is thus entitled to the high respect which is universally accorded him.
Mr. Witham, one of the most progressive and scientific agriculturists this
section of Indiana has ever known, was lx)rn in Warren county, Ohio, -\ugust
17, 1843. He is a son of William and Mercy (Eaton) W'itham. the father
a native of the same county and state as our subject, but the mother was born
in New Jersey. William Witham was born January 11, 1801, and died in
Ohio, Xoxember 14, 1865; his wife was born May 6, 1803, and died April 30,
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 827"
1879. They were married in Ohio on April 24, 1823, the Eaton family
having removed to the Buckeye state when our subject's mother was young
in years. The paternal grandfather, Robert Witham and his brother, Norris,
came from the state of Maine and located in Warren county, Ohio, about the
year 1779, being thus among the early pioneers of that state. They were both
young men, but courageously braved the dangers of Indians, wild beasts and
a wilderness, and developed farms, married and reared their families in the
new country west of the Alleghanies, which was at that period little known to
the people of the New England states. These brothers did much to forward
the march of civilization on the frontier, were honest, hard working and suc-
cessful citizens, and there they both died, grandfather Witham reaching the
advanced age of eighty-seven years.
William Witham, father of our subject, devoted his life successfully to-
general farming in Warren county, Ohio, and his family consisted of the
following children, nine in number: Sarah, born March 11, 1824, married
Henry I. Bennett, were early pioneers of Boone county, Indiana, and are both
now deceased ;• William H., born .A.ugust 19, 1825, married Maria Scofield,
who is living in Hamilton county, Ohio, he being deceased: Mary A., born
December 27, 1827, married James F. Downing, were early settlers of Boone
county, and are both now deceased; Rebecca, born August 6, 1830, married
John Morgan, spent most of their lives in Ohio, but lived several years in
Lebanon, Indiana, and are now both deceased: Rol>ert, torn October 15, 1832,
went west in 1853 with the gold seekers of that period and nothing has ever
been heard of him since, although he is believed to be alive and still in the far
west; Sylvester, born February 11, 1835, a soldier in the Civil war, serving
in the cavalry known in history as "Merrill's Horse," and was killed by a
sharpshooter, August 6, 1862; Ennis, born October 17, 1836, came to Boone
county with the subject of this sketch, his brother, in 1869, became owner
of three hundred and sixty acres of fine land in Clinton township, was a highly
honored citizen, remained single and died here in November, 191 1; Martha
E., born October 27, 1838, died February 16, 1851 ; Flavius Josephus, of this
review is the youngest of the family and is the only one now living, unless
Robert is still alive.
Flavius J. Witham grew up on the home farm in Ohio and there did his
share of the work when a boy. He was compelled to work his way through
school and is a self-educated man for the most part, and has remained a wide
828 BOOXE COUXTV. IXDIAXA.
reader and close observer all his life, being thns an exceptionally well informed
man. He remained at home until his marriage, with the exception of his
service in the army, the date of his wedding being August 31, 1865, and his
bride was known in her maidenhood as Mary L. Du\all, who was born Decem-
ber 25, 1846, in Ohio, and is a daughter of Jacob L. and Nancy E. (Jackson)
Duvall, natives of Ohio and Maryland, respectively, but were married in the
former state, where the\' spent their li\es engaged in farming and there died,
honored and respected by their neighbors and friends. They were the parents
of twelve children, nine of whom are still living, all still residents of Ohio
except John A. Duvall, of Clinton township. Boone county; Jacob, who lives
near Ft. Wayne: ^Irs. Martha Bennett, who makes her home with the subject
of this sketch, and Airs. Mary L. Witham.
Mr. Witham moved to Boone county, Indiana, in the fall of 1869, and
purchased seventy-nine acres, partly cleared, and on this he built a small shack,
improved the land and six years later, in 1877, built a splendid brick residence
in which he still lives. He ditched his land and he and his brother, Ennis,
having purchased timbered land adjoining, assisted him in clearing and de-
\eloping it, sold and worked up the timber in various ways and they both
prospered with advancing years. Our subject, by the exercise of good judg-
ment, wise foresight and by close application and good management, became
one of the most successful and prominent farmers in the county. He added
to his original holdings from time to time until he is now owner of two hun-
dred and twenty acres, all in Clinton township, which he has placed under a
high state of cultivation and improvement, making it one of the choice farms
of the county and on it is to be seen numerous commodious and convenient
outbuildings, in fact, everything about the place denotes thrift, good manage-
ment and prosperity. Formerly he was an extensive hog raiser and still feeds
considerable live stock for the market. Having accumulated a handsome
competency and old age coming on, although he is yet hale and active, he
merely oversees his large farming interests, having some time ago practically
retired from business life. He keeps most of his land rented. He is a hea\'3'
stockholder in the Lexington Life Insurance Company of Lebanon, also has
large investments in the Building and Loan Company of Lebanon. He was
one of the first stockholders of the Rural Loan Association of Boone county,
was also a stockholder of the old First National Bank of Kirklin, Clinton
county, Indiana.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 829
Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Witham, only two of whom
are living at this writing, namely; Albert, born December ii, 1868, owns
eighty acres in Clinton township, Boone county, but is living at home and is a
successful farmer; May B., born March 30, 1871, married Malvern Everson
Dulin, and they have one child, Jessie, who was born August 17, 191 1 ; Leloy,
born December 8, 1886, died December 2Qth of that year; Gurley, born July
I, 1873, died April 30, 1891 ; Eva Ruth, born October 12, 1891, died Septem-
ber 12, 1899; Laura Avis, born Xovember i, 1875, died February 22, 1900.
Politicall}', Mr. Witham was a Re])ul3lican until the campaign of 1912,
when he became a Progressi\e. He has long manifested a deep interest in
public affairs, but has never sought ofhce. He was one of the organizers of
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows lodge at Mechanicsburg, Indiana, but
is no longer affiliated with the order. He and his wife have traveled ex-
tensively in twenty-five different states. They are highly esteemed by their
neighbors and many friends, Ijeing noted for their old time hospitality and
charitable impulses, always manifesting a high Christian spirit in all the rela-
tions of life.
Mr. AVitham enlisted for service in the Civil war on August 12, 1862,
in Company B, Seventy-ninth Ohio A^olunteer Infantry, under Capt. John
Cretors and Colonel Kennett, and he proved to be a very faithful soldier, but
was overtaken by illness in January, 1863, which continued for some time,
interfering with his active service. He is a member of the Grand Army of
the Republic, Rich Mountain Post, at Lebanon, Indiana.
Mr. Witham at one time offered the officials of Boone county the sum of
ten thousand dollars to be used for constructing an agricultural high school
at Lebanon, also the sum of twenty-five hundred dollars, the interest on which
should be appropriated for prizes to the students making the best records in
domestic science and in growing agricultural products, provided the county
would donate seventy acres of land adjoining the city of Lebanon on which
the building was to stand and the work of the same to be carried on, also an
agricultural demonstration farm, but the proposition was rejected. Later
our subject offered to donate twelve thousand five hundred dollars cash if the
county would build a county hospital, providing the county officials would
spent some thirty-five thousand dollars additional on the hospital. This offer
was also rejected. But both the school and the hospital proposed by Mr.
S3O BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Witham are badly needed and a large number of the county's most progressive
•citizens have expressed themselves as favoring each proposition, and it is be-
lieved the county commissioners will in the near future take appropriate steps
in both matters. Mr. Witham is to be highly commended for his interest in
the betterment of his count v.
GEORGE COULSON.
Since he came to Boone countv, over a half century ago, the gentleman
of whom this sketch is penned, has been a witness of \-ery important changes
in this \-icinity. and his reminiscences of the early days here are most interest-
ing and entertaining to a listener. But change is constant and general,
generations constantly rising and passing unnoted away. Clearly it is the
duty of posterity as well as a present gratification to place upon the printed
page a true record of the lives of those who have preceded us on the stage
of action and left to their descendants the memory of their struggles and
achievements. The years of our honored subject are a part of the indis-
soluble chain which links the annals of the past to those of the latter-day
progress and prosperity, and the history of Boone county would not be com-
plete without due reference to the long, useful and successful life Mr. Coulson
has lived, having been adequately rewarded as an earnest, courageous man
of afifairs. Generous and big hearted, kindly in disposition, he has never
lacked for friends and many of them \\\\] peruse his life record written here
with deep interest.
George Coulson. veteran of the Civil war, for nearly a half century a
druggist and for thirty-eight years agent of the American Express Company
at Thorntown, was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, September 30, 1838. He
is a son of Jonathan E. and Elizabeth (Spangler) Coulson. both natives of
Pennsyhania, from which state the\- came to Ohio when voung and were
married there. The father was a carpenter by trade and iDCcame a well
known builder and contractor of buildings, aqueducts, locks, coffins, etc. In
1857, he sold his property in Ohio and he and his nine children, six girls and
three boys, all separated, and George of this rexiew went on horseback to
Macon, Illinois, and worked on a farm a few ninnths, then joined his father
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 83 1
at Thorntown and here attended the academy two years and when the Civil
war came on he was one of the first to prove his patriotism, enhsting in April,
1 86 1, at LaFayette, Indiana, in Company A, Tenth Indiana Volunteer In-
fantry, and was sent to West Virginia and took part in the battle of Rich
Mountain. Having entered the one hundred day service he was discharged
in that state in August, 1861, after which he returned home. In April, 1865,
he re-enlisted in Company B, One Hundred and Fifty-fourth Indiana Volun-
teer Infantry and was appointed sergeant-major and sent to the army in the
Shenandoah valley, Virginia. He was discharged the following August.
He was a faithful and courageous soldier for the Union. Returnmg 10
Thorntown he clerked in a drug store two years, then served as deputy post-
master under Israel Curry for two years, later started in the drug business
in partnership with Dr. O. P. Mahan, which continued three years. Later
he sold out to his partner and with his brother, William Coulson, started a
drug store here which they conducted four years when our subject bought
his brother's interest and has since conducted the business alone, ha\'ing-
built up a large and ever-growing trade with the surrounding country and
carrying a complete and well-selected stock of standard drugs and drug
sundries and having ever dealt fairly and courteously with his many patrons,
many of them have remained with him from the first. In 1876 he was ap-
pointed local agent of the American Express Company, which agency he has
held to the present time, maintaining the office of the same in a part of his
store building. His long retention would indicate that he has given the
utmost satisfaction to the company.
Mr. Coulson was married December 19. 1872, to Alice E. Millikan, a
native of Thorntown, where she was reared and educated. She is a daughter
of Allen and Elizabeth (Gapen) Millikan, which well known and highly
respected old family is mentioned on another page of this work.
To Mr. and Mrs. Coulson the following children have been born :
Ernest and Harry, twins, both died in infancy: Edith is the wife of W. A.
Flannigan. of Champaign, Illinois : Earl G. lives in Poison, Montana.
Politically, Mr. Coulson is a Republican but he has never been very
active in political matters. Fraternally, he belongs to the Masonic order at
Thorntown and the Chapter and Commandery at Lebanon. He is a mem-
ber of the Presbvterian church.
832 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
DR. JOSEPH O. AIRHART.
In e.xaniining the records of self -made men, it will inevitably be found
that indefatigable industry has constituted the basis of their success. True,
there are other elements which enter into and conserve the advancement of
personal interests, — perseverance, determination and expedienc}-, — but the
foundation of all achievement is earnest, persistent labor. At the outset of
his career. Dr. Joseph O. Airhart, well knnwu aiid successful veterinary phy-
sician and surgeon of Lebanon, Boone county, recognized this fact and did
not seek any royal road to the goal of his prosperity and independence, but
began to work earnestly and persistently in order to advance himself, and the
result is that he is now numbered among the progressive, successful and in-
fluential citizens of his community.
Doctor Airhart was born on a farm in \\"hite county. Indiana. October
23. 1879. He is a son of Joseph and Xancy (North) Airhart. The grand-
father was also Joseph Airhart, and he was born in Butler count}-. Ohio,
where he spent his boyhood days, later coming to Clinton county. Indiana,
among the pioneers, entering one hundred and sixty acres of wild land from
the government, which he cleared and developed into a good farm. He was
also a stone-mason by trade, which he followed in connection with his farm-
ing. He remained on his farm until his death, in 1898. when about eighty-
seven years old. He was well known over Clinton and White counties and
was active in the affairs of the community where he resided. His wife. 'Slar-
garet, preceded him to the grave in 1862, when in the prime of life.
Joseph Airhart, Jr., father of our subject, was bom on the old home-
stead in Clinton county, August 5, 1857, and he was reared on the- farm and
there worked when a boy. During the winter months he attended the dis-
trict schools. He took up farming and devoted his life to that with a fair
measure of success. In 1910 he removed from his native county to Boone
county, locating three miles north of Lebanon on a farm of forty-five and
one-half acres, and he now owns about one hundred and fifty-two acres all
in one tract. He is now living practicalh- retired from active work. Politi-
callv, he is a Democrat, and in religious matters is a Methodist. He and
Xancy J. North were married in 1875. She was born in White county. In-
diana. To this union two children were born. Dr. Joseph O., of this sketch.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 835
and Sarah C, who was the wife of William Cornell, who was taken by her
Savior September 23, 1913.
Doctor Airhart was reared on the home farm and received his early edu-
cation in the common schools. He remained with his parents on the home
place until 1908, when he entered the Indiana Veterinary College at In-
dianapolis. In the summer of 1909 he studied medicine under Doctor Bone-
brake, of Rossville. Indiana, then entered the Terre Haute Veterinary Col-
lege; then, in the summer of 1910, he read veterinary medicine under Doctor
Nelson, of Lebanon. Soon after his graduation, in 1911, he formed a part-
nership with Dr. A. F. Nelson, of Lebanon, which continued successfully
until in the spring of 1913, when Doctor Nelson moved to Indianapolis,
when Doctor Airhart moved his office from the Farmers State Bank building
to the Davis Brothers' livery barn and has taken Doctor Morrow, of this
city, as a partner, and they are enjoying a very satisfactory and rapidly grow-
ing practice.
Doctor Airhart is a Democrat, and fraternally, belongs to the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows. On September 26, 1907, he was married to
Bessie Balser, who was bom in Carroll county, Indiana, July 13, 1886, and
to this union two children have been born, namely : Levona G., born No\'em-
ber 4, 1909, and Lonetta Katheryne, born October 30, 1913.
LORING WESLEY MORROW.
Time was, not so very long ago, when veterinary physicians were few
and far between. The farmer usually doctored his own live stock according
to the knowledge handed down to him by his father and grandfather or from
what he had "picked up" from his neighbors or perchance, gleaned from
some home doctor book. Now scarcely a thriving farming community can
be found without its skilled veterinary, who is regarded just as essential as
the home general physician or dentist, and he is therefore enabled to give his
attention exclusively to this branch of science and therefore get splendid
results. There has been, perhaps, just as marked progress in this field of
science as in any other during the decade or two, and its followers no longer
depend partly on "guess work" and partly on luck, but go about their tasks
knowingly and surelv. It is commendable and necessary; in fact, an indispen-
(51 )
836 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
sable profession and is a fine field for the steady, energetic and ambitious young
man, holding forth greater rewards than many of the old lines of human
endeavor.
One of the most promising veterinary surgeons in this section of the
state is Dr. Loring Wesley Morrow, of Lebanon, who, although a young
man and only recently made his advent in Boone county, has proven himself
well abreast of the times in his particular field of work and has become well
established, success following his efforts from the beginning, and we predict
for him a bright future. He was born in Hamilton county, Indiana, Febru-
ary 22, 1890, and is a son of Elza F. and Laura E. (Gilpin) Morrow. The
father was born in the same locality and county, November 22, 1861, and is
a son of Samuel and Nancy Morrow, who were pioneers of Hamilton county,
and the name Morrow has been an influential one there for several genera-
tions. The grandmother is still living at Zionsville, Indiana, being now ad-
vanced in years. Elza F. Morrow grew to manhood on the home farm in his
native county, and there worked hard when a boy, and attended the district
schools during the winter. He married there and took up farming, which
he has followed to the present time in a successful manner. He is now re-
siding northeast of Zionsville, Boone county.
Loring W. Morrow was reared on the farm and assisted his father with
the general work on the same. He receixcd his education in the common
schools and was graduated from the Westfield High School in 1908. After
farming a year he entered the Indiana Veterinary College at Indianapolis.
While he attended college he served as hospital assistant to Dr. George H.
Roberts, president of the Indiana Veterinary College and manager of the
college hospital. While there he made an excellent record and was grad-
uated April 12, 1912. He soon thereafter began practicing his profession at
Jolietville, Indiana, but although. he was getting a good start, he desired a
larger field for the exercise of his talents and removed his office to the city
of Lebanon, where he formed a partnership with Dr. Joseph O. Airhart.
where they have a rapidly growing and successful practice.
Doctor Morrow was married August 16, 1913, to Mabel M. Higbee.
who was born in Boone county December 6, 1893. and here she grew to
womanhood and was educated. She is the daughter of Addison and Charity
Higbee, a highly respected family of this county.
Politically, Doctor Morrow is a Democrat. He is a member of the
Modem Woodmen of America, and belongs to the Christian church.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 839
MAJOR HENRY H. McDOWELL.
Major Henry Harrison McDowell died at his home, Pontiac, Illinois,
August 13, 1908, of pneumonia after a brief illness. Major McDowell was
born near Crawfordsville, March 6, 1840. His father died while he was
but an infant and he received his training from a devoted mother, a woman
of high character and revolutionary patriotism. In October, 1850, his
mother with a large family, moved to a farm in Livingston county in Illi-
nois, where the young boy toiled and attended common school until 1858
when he returned to Indiana and entered The Thorntown Academy where
he began a course of study preparatory to entering Wabash College. He
was pursuing his studies at this latter place when the firing upon Sumter in
April. 1861, took place and he immediately volunteered and became a mem-
Ijer of the famous I7tli Indiana, conmianded by Colonel Milo S. Haskell.
He first served in West Virginia. In 1862 reinlisted in the One Hundred
Twenty-Ninth Illinois, became Sergeant Major, helped to form a part of
Buell's grand army which started from Louisville, Kentucky, in the fall of
1862 moved upon Frankfort. Crab Orchard, Perryville, Bowling Green and
on to Nashville. Next with the army of the Cumberland under General
(i-. H. Thomas and early in 1863 was promoted to a lieutenancy and the
march to Chattanooga and into Atlanta and finally on to the sea with Sher-
man and was mustered out of the army June, 1865, after the war was over.
He was in all the movements of the army from Atlanta to the sea; thence
through the Carolinas and at the surrender of General Johnson and his army
near Rolla, having served his country' three and one-half years. His civil
life was as true and faithful as his military. He was a man of ripe experi-
ence, an able lawyer, forcible speaker and general in all the relations of life.
He was married January i, 1866, to Miss Emma C. Thayer, of Chicago,
who with four children mourn his departure. He will be remembered by
some of the oldest citizens as a faithful student in the Old Academy and
later as one of the active participants in the reunion held in 1907.
840
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
WILLIAM J. DeVOL.
One man of Boone county who has gained success and recognition for
himself is Wilham J. DeVol, who has long held worthy prestige among the
leading financiers and progressive Ijusiness men of this part of the state.
Aside from his honorable standing as a man of aftairs, there is further
propriety in according j\Ir. DtA'ul specific representation in a work of the
province of the one in hand, for he has spent practically his entire life within
the borders of Boone county, which has been the scene of the major part of
his life's earnest labors, his home being in the beautiful city of Lebanon,
where he is at present the head of large and important banking and other
business enterprises, and where he also commands the esteem and confidence
of all classes and conditions of the populace. And yet he is an unassuming,
companionable and straightforward gentleman, manifesting an altruistic spirit
toward all with whom he comes in contact.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 84I
Mr. DeVol was born August 3, 1867, in Morgan county, Ohio. He is a
son of William J. and Frances E. (Adams) DeVol, both parents also natives
of Morgan county, Ohio, the father's birth occurring September 19, 1833,
and that of the mother on June 24, 1838. They grew to maturity in their
native county, were educated in the old-time schools and there they were
married and began housekeeping, and resided until 1867, when they re-
moved to Boone county, Indiana, our subject then being an infant. Two
other sons were born to these parents, also three daughters, namely: Alice
R., now Mrs. Luther Bush, of Boone county; Dennison died in infancy;
Rose A. is single and living in Lebanon; Nancy L., who married Nelson
Kern, of this county, died July 16, 1912; William J., of this review, was
next in order; and Charles, deceased, was the youngest. The death of the
father of these children occurred September 12, 1869, on his farm in Center
township, Boone county; his widow survived thirty-seven years, dying July
29, 1906.
William J. DeVol was reared on the home farm, where he did his full
share of the general work during crop seasons, and during the winter at-
tended the rural schools, later spending two years in the high school in Le-
banon and one year in the State University at Bloomington, Indiana. He re-
mained on the home farm until he was twenty-one years old, and when but a
boy he turned his attention toward a business career, leaving high school to
accept a position in the First National Bank of Lebanon, and on July 15,
1889, took a position as clerk in this institution. On July 13, 1891, he be-
came a director in this bank, and he has made rapid progress in mastering
the ins and outs of banking from the first. He was made assistant cashier
September 30, 1893, and vice-president January 14, 1896. January 12, 1897,
at the age of thirty, found him president, which responsible position he has
held ever since, discharging his duties to the eminent satisfaction of the
stockholders and patrons; in fact, the pronounced success and rapidly grow-
ing piestige of the bank has been due to his able management and to the fact
that the people of Lebanon and vicinity repose explicit confidence in his fore-
sight, sound judgment and honesty as well as conservatism. He has also
been vice-president of the Citizens Trust Company since August, 1899, also
president of the State Bank of Advance since its organization, in 1902. He
was one of the principal promoters of the Lebanon Telephone Company in
1894 and has been secretary and treasurer of the same since October, 1901,
842 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
also a director since 1895. He is vice-president of the Meridian Life Insur-
ance Company of Indianapolis, is a director of the Oak Hill Cemetery As-
sociation, is a trustee of the Bay View Camp Grounds at Bay View, Michi-
gan. In all of these important enterprises he has been a potent factor, their
success being due in no small degree to his judicious counsel and keen busi-
ness acumen and discernment.
Mr. DeVol was married April 17, 1901, to Emma Josephine Buchanan,
a lady of culture and refinement, who has always been popular with the best
circles in Lebanon and wherever she is known. She is a daughter of James
and Cordelia (Wilson) Buchanan, both now deceased. The father was born
in 1837 in Waveland, Montgomery county, Indiana, and his death occurred
in Indianapolis, Indiana. The mother was born in 1837 in Fayette county,
Pennsylvania. Mrs. DeVol was born in Indianapolis. Indiana, and there
grew to womanhood and received a good education.
The union of Mr. and Mrs. DeVol has been blessed by the birth of
three daughters, namely : Cordelia Frances, Beatrice Eleanor and Virginia
Louise.
Politically, Mr. DeVol is a Republican, and while he has ever been deeply
interested in public matters, he has never sought public office or endeavored
to become a political leader, preferring to devote his attention exclusively to
his large business interests and to his home, his commodious and modernly-
appointed residence in Lebanon being ever noted among the many friends of
the family as a place of genuine hospitality and good cheer. His fraternal
association represent the Knights of Pythias and the Sigma Chi college
fraternity. He and his family are worthy members of the Christian church,
in which he is a deacon, also a choir leader for more than fifteen years, and
is active in church and Sunday school work. Thus it will be seen that in the
midst of his many strenuous duties as a business man he has not neglected
the higher obligations which man owes to his Maker, nor been unmindful of
the claims of Christian religion. Personally, he is a gentleman of unblem-
ished reputation and the strictest integrity. He is a vigorous as well as an
independent thinker, a wide reader, and he has the courage of his convictions
upon all subjects which he investigates. He is also strikingly original and
fearless, and cares little for conventionalism or for the sanctity attaching to
person or place by reason of artificial distinction, tradition or the accident of
birth. He is essentially cosmopolitan in his ideas, a man of the people in all
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 843
the term implies, and in the best sense of the word a representative type of
that strong American manhood which commands and retains respect by
reason of inherent merit, sound sense and correct conduct, making himself a
fine type of the truly successful self-made man. Measured by the accepted
standard his career, though strenuous, has been eminentl}' useful and hon-
orable, and his life fraught with great good to the world.
JAMES RICHEY.
Nearly all the early pioneers of Boone county, having blazed the path of
civilization to this part of the state, have finished their labors and passed
from the scene, leaving the country in possession of their descendants and to
others who came at a later period and will continue to come to this nature
favored region, building on the foundation which the sturdy frontiersmen
laid so broad and deep. Among the former class is James Richey, of Wash-
ington township, one of our best known citizens, his long, industrious and
useful life of nearly three-quarters of a century having been spent in Boone
county, his parents being among the earliest to invade the wilderness here
and so the career of our subject has linked the first formative period with
the opulent present and he has done much to develop and help advertise to
the world the wonderful resources of a county that now occupies a proud
position among the most progressive and enlightened sections of the great
Hoosier commonwealth. Useless to say that Mr. Richey has worked hard
and honorably earned the reputation which he has long enjoyed as one of
the leading farmers and public-spirited citizens of this locality and it is also
needless to add that he is held in the highest esteem by all with whom he
comes in contact, for he threw the force of his strong individuality and
sterling integrity into making his community what it is and his efforts have
not failed of appreciation on the part of the local public. His name will
ever be inseparably linked with the county so long honored by his citizenship,
whose interests could not have had a more zealous or indefatigable promoter
and his influence has ever been exerted to the end that the world might be
made better by his presence. And he is entitled to further honor from the
fact that he is one of the valiant old soldiers who did what he could in pre-
844 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
venting the disruption of the Union during its darkest days a half century
ago.
Mr. Richey was born in Washington township, Boone county, Indiana,
April 13. 1839. He is a son of John and Sarah (Peck) Richey, natives of
Pennsylvania and Ohio, respectively. The father was of Scotch-Irish
descent and the mother was of German extraction. These parents located
in Tippecanoe county, Indiana, in 1832, and two years later they established
their permanent home in what is now Boone county, enduring the usual hard-
ships and privations incident to pioneer life and by hard work and dose
application they developed a good farm from the wilderness. The death of
the mother of the subject of this sketch occurred in 1859, and the father died
in 1883. The farm they settled is owned by our subject. Their family con-
sisted of two sons and three daughters, namely: James, of this sketch;
Milton, deceased, married Angeline Thomas, and settled in Iowa ; Margaret
married David Burns and they settled in Lebanon, this county; Julia Ann
married Clinton Lucas, he being now deceased; and Mary, who married
Doctor Loftin, lived in, Mechanicsburg twenty years, then moved to Frank-
fort, where the doctor died.
James Richey grew up on the homestead and here he has continued to
reside, being contented to remain on the old farm, which he has very care-
fully looked after and tilled it so skillfully that it has retained its original
fertility and is one of the best farms in the township. The place consists of
one hundred and fifty-si.x acres. He has kept the buildings well repaired
and has been very successful as a general farmer and stock raiser, keeping
considerable graded stock.
When the Civil war came on Air. Richey enlisted in Company D,
Seventy-second Indiana Volunteer Infantry, August 9, 1862, at LaFayette.
He served his full three years' enlistment in a very gallant and faithful man-
ner and saw considerable hard service. He had a horse shot from under him
at the battle of Plantersville, Alabama, and was wounded in the right shoulder
and left thumb by minie balls. Mr. Richey served his country faithfully and
well during almost three 3'ears of the Civil war. There were few better
soldiers, none more willing to volunteer for hazardous duty or less inclined
to shirk the heaviest responsibility. His enlistment papers were signed at
Mechanicsburg. Of the thirteen comrades who enlisted at the same time and
place, seven returned after the war. .\fter his enlistment. Mr. Richey went
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 845
to LaFayette where the -regiment rendezvoused. At the beginning of his
service, he acted as corporal of Company D. Later he was promoted to
orderly sergeant, in which capacity he served for eighteen months. In the
winter of '63-4, all the commissioned oificers of the company were absent for
four months and he served as captain of the squad during that time. In the
four months he received twenty-two recruits and had charge of their drilling
and disciplining. The regiment to which Mr. Richey belonged participated
in sixty-two engagements in the three years of service. At Plantersville,
Alabama, there was hand to hand fighting with the enemy for thirty or forty
minutes. The Seventy-second boys were armed with the repeating Spencer
rifles and these turned the tide of battle on more than one occasion in their
favor. In the Plantersville fight, Mr. Richey is certain he killed two of the
rebels.
Mr. Richey's most hazardous trip was taken when the brigade was lying
near Chattanooga. Orders came from General Wilder to pick a detail of
first-class swimmers, six men and a sergeant, to carry important dispatches
to Jasper, Alabama. Why the order was for swimmers was never learned,
unless it was expected that the men would be compelled to cross bodies of
water. The detail was chosen from Company D and placed in charge of
Mr. Richey. The men crossed the Cumberland and Walden mountains,
swam the Tennessee river, made their way through the rebel lines and safely
delivered the dispatches to General Reynolds. The distance covered in mak-
ing the journey was fifty miles. The detail crossed the Tennessee river after-
ward and burned the bridge behind them. The Wilson raid saw some of
the most severest fighting in which the regiment participated. This raid
which began at East Port, Alabama, extended to Macon, Georgia, during
which Forest's army was defeated. Mr. Richey was wounded several times,
though not seriously. He was mustered out at Nashville, Tennessee, June
24. 1865.
Mr. Richey was married on June 5, 1867, to Ann Eliza Olive, who was
born in Lebanon, Indiana, October 21, 1846, a daughter of Robert and Mar)^
(Riley) Olive, a well known old family of that city and there Mrs. Richey
was reared to womanhood and educated in the public schools.
Mr. and Mrs. Richey are the parents of eight children, three now de-
ceased, namely: Perry, who was born February 15, 1868, died November
26, 1876; Mary O., born April 15, 1877, died September 9th of that year;
846 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Fleta Jane, born June 27, 1882, died June 4, 1913: Frank, born December 8,
1871, lives at home; John R., born April 13, 1874, has remained on the home-
stead; Walter M., born August 22, 1879, is also still a member of the family
circle; Jessie, born May 14, 1886, married Harry Thompson and lives in
Mechanicsburg ; and James N., born February 16, 1889, lives in Ft. Wayne.
Politically, Mr. Richey was formerly a stanch Republican, but when the
Progressive party came into existence in 1912, he joined that and is enthusi-
astic in his support of the same.
BEN F. COOMBS.
The biographies of successful men are instructi\ e as guides and incentives
to those whose careers are yet to be achieved. The examples they furnish of
patient purpose and consecutive endeavor strongly illustrate what is in the
power of each to ac'complish, if he is willing to press forward in the face of
all opposition, refusing to be downed by untoward circumstances, thus making
stepping-stones of what some would find to be insurmountable stumbling
blocks. The gentleman whose life history is herewith, we hope, accurately
and succinctly set forth, is a conspicuous example of one who has lived to good
purpose and achieved a definite degree of success in the special spheres to
which his talents have been devoted. Mr. Coombs has for many years been
one of the best known and most enterprising business men of Lebanon and is
one of the leading lumbermen in this section of the state. He is a scion of one
of the sterling pioneer families of Boone county and here he has been content
to spend his life.
Mr. Coombs was born in Lebanon, Indiana, April 10, 1861. He is a son
of George and Lydia A. (DeBois) Coombs, both natives of Union county.
Indiana, where they grew to maturity, were educated and married, and re-
mained there until in 1851, when they removed to Lebanon where they estab-
lished the future home of the family. George Coombs devoted the earlier years
of his life to the mercantile business, maintaining a store in Lebanon for some
time, but later took up farming which he followed until his death June 10.
1873. His widow survived nearly forty years, reaching an advanced age,
dying January 20, 1912. Both the Coombs and DeBois families came origin-
ally from New Jersey.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 847
Ben F. Coombs spent his boyhood days partly in town and partly on the
farm and he received his early education in the common schools, including the
Lebanon high school. When eighteen years old he began clerking in the Leb-
anon National Bank, where he remained six years, giving his employers emi-
nent satisfaction. He then launched in the merchandise business in Lebanon,
which he followed six years with ever-increasing success, building up a large
trade with the city and surrounding country by reason of his honesty and
courteous dealings. He kept a retail shoe store, one of the largest in this
section of the state. In 1891 he became connected with the Pennell-Coombs
Lumber Company, with yards at Lebanon, Jamestown, Advance, Colfax,
Shelbyville and Fairland, all doing a large business, also extensive planing
mills, sash and door factories, where a large number of men are employed and
which are equipped with modern machinery, so that high-grade and superior
work is turned out promptly, their products finding a very ready market over
a vast territory, which is constantly growing, owing, principally, to the able
management and wise foresight of Mr. Coombs. Fine grades of finishing,
dressed lumber and rough building lumber, in fact, all kinds of building ma-
terial is handled, also coal of all kinds. Their business at all the above named
yards is rapidly increasing. Mr. Coombs is also a director in the First
National Bank of Lebanon, also the Citizens Trust Company of Lebanon, the
Campbell, Smith & Ritchie Company, of Lebanon, the Bank of Advance, is
vice-president of the Lidestructable Wheel Company. He is a heavy stock-
holder in all the above named concerns and is interested in the Oak Hill Ceme-
tery Company and various other business enterprises, in all of which his
judicious and able counsel makes for success. He has been very successful
in a financial way and is one of the leading and most substantial men of affairs
of Boone county and is regarded as an unassuming, straightforward, trust-
worthy man of broad and progressive ideas.
Mr. Coombs was twice married, first, December 18, 1883, to Mellie Lane,
a daughter of Levi and Pherbia ( leaves) Lane, of Lebanon, and to this union
three children were born, John L., deceased, Florence M. and Esther A. The
wife and mother was called to her eternal rest August 19, 1897. Mr. Coombs
was again married June 5, 1901, to Ethel Campbell, a daughter of George W.
and Alice C. (Page) Campbell, one of the prominent families of Lebanon.-
Mr. Coombs is a Republican and since attaining his majority has been
very faithful in his support of the party, active in political and public affairs
848 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
and influential in his county and city. He has served as a member of the
Republican County Executive Committee and for some time was a member of
the County Jury Commission, and has been a frequent delegate to county,
district and state conventions. Fraternally, he is a Mason, a member of the
Chapter, Commandery and the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine. He also belongs to the Knights of Pythias. He and his family are
members of the Presbyterian church, in which he is a ruling elder and active
in all church and Sunday school work. The family is prominent in the best
social life of Lebanon and their beautiful home on East Washington street is
known for its hospitality.
MRS. ELIZA A. BEARD.
Wholly devoted to home and domestic duties, doing through all the best
years of her life the lowly but sacred work that comes within her sphere,
there is not much to record concerning the life of the average woman. And
yet what situation so dignified, what relation so endearing, what office so
holy, tender and ennobling as those of home-making, wifehood and mother-
hood? A celebrated author once said that the future destiny of a great
nation depended upon its wives and mothers. May this not also be said
concerning the future that is blood of her blood, and which is incalculable of
results and will never be fully known until eternity solves the problem? In
the settlement of the great middle west woman bore her full share of hard-
ships, sufferings and vicissitudes, helping man in the rugged toil of wood and
field, cheering him when cast down and discouraged, sharing his dangers,
mitigating his sufferings, in the end quietly and unostentatiously rejoicing
in his success, yet ever keeping herself modestly in the background. As a
man's equal in every qualification save the physical, and his superior in the
gentle and loving amenities of life, she fully merits a much larger notice than
she ordinarily receives. One of the highly esteemed and worthy women of
Boone county is Mrs. Eliza A. Beard, widow of Jarrett S. Beard.
Mrs. Beard was born in Coshocton county, Ohio, in 1834, and is a
daughter of John and Nancy Nelton. both natives of Ohio also, in which state
they grew to maturity, were married and in fact, spent their entire lives there.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 849
They were, like most of the early residents of the old Buckeye state, hard-
working, honest and kind people and built for themselves a comfortable home
through their enterprise. They have both long been sleeping the last sleep.
Mrs. Beard grew to womanhood in her native state and there received
her education in the early-day schools. She has been twice married, both
husbands being now deceased. She first married Adam Trimble, in 1865, in
Ohio. His death occurred about 1868. To this union two children were
born, one of the children dying in infancy ; the other, Mrs. Mary C. Hissong,
lives on a farm in Worth township, Boone county. This farm belongs to
Mrs. Beard, our subject.
The second marriage of the lady whose name heads this sketch was to
Jarrett S. Beard, in Illinois, in which state they resided on a farm until 1901,
when they removed to Indiana and bought two hundred and four acres near
Whitestown, Worth township, Boone county, but they subsequently rented
this farm to Mrs. Beard's son-in-law, Mr. Hissong, and took up their resi-
dence in Whitestown, but after living there two months moved to Lebanon,
buying an attractive home in North Lebanon, where our subject now resides,
surrounded by all the comforts of life. Her farm is one of the best in Worth
township and has been brought up to a high state of improvement and culti-
vation and on it is to be seen an excellent group of buildings.
To Mrs. Beard and her second husband, one child was born, Charles R.
Beard, who lives in Indianapolis. Jarrett S. Beard died in Lebanon about
four years ago. He had been married twice before he married our subject,
and he had one son by a former wife. He is James Beard and is married
and makes his home in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jarrett S. Beard was born in Ohio
in 1834, and there grew up and was educated. He devoted his active life
to agricultural pursuits. Adam Trimble also spent his early life in Ohio and
was living there when the Civil war began. He served in that conflict in an
Ohio regiment.
Mrs. Beard is a faithful member of the Baptist church in Lebanon.
She is now advanced in years, having attained her four score mile-post, but
is comparatively hearty and has a good memory. Her life has been an open
book, whose pages have never been soiled by any unwomanly act, according
to her close friends. She has done well her part in the world and her career
from the beginning has been a simple but beautiful poem of rugged, toilsome
duty, faithfully but uncomplainingly performed as maiden, wife and mother.
850 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
MURRAY S. BARKER.
Diversified farming is essential to profitable production and maintenance
of soil fertility, but it is necessary to specialize on something to secure a
superior standard of excellence. A well diversified farm will have the cus-
tomary crops that are grown in the locality, together with the usual farm
animals, and some one crop or some one animal should be singled out as a
specialty. A farmer may take good care of his crops and animals and con-
duct his business at a profit, but he will find an added enjoyment and an in-
creased profit by giving special attention to some one crop, animal or fowl.
Suppose a farmer's specialt}- is corn. If he does his duty by his pet crop he
will raise some of the best, if not the best, corn in the neighborhood. He
w ill udt only have greater profits in the ordinary use of the crop, but the de-
mand for his seed corn will enable him to dispose of a large amount of it at
better than the average price of seed coni. The necessity of using only the
best seed is yearly becoming more appreciated and the man who has the repu-
tation of growing the best corn is the one that seed liuyers will seek. The
reputation is the reward for building up a specialty. It is well known that
the specialty of Murray S. Barker, one of the most progressive of Boone
county's young farmers, who owns a valuable model farm in Sugar Creek
l(nvnship, is Black Langshan chickens, which have carried his name through-
out the United States. He has done much to improve the poultry of this
locality and the results are plainh' visible at the local fairs and exhibits. He
has gi\en his own reputation to the c(iunty and the county will not only con-
tinue to be advertised as a result but it will mean much in a material way. It
does not make much difference what the specialty is so that it is the one thing
in which the owner has the greatest interest. The more one gives his atten-
tion to his specialty, the more it will take possession of him and the only
danger is that he may in a degree neglect his other stock or crops in his desire
to excel in his specialty, but a glance over Mr. Barker's finely cultivated and
tastily kept farm will indicate that such has not been the case with him, for
everything is done systematically and according to the best and most modern
methods. He knows that the mind of the farmer must be as well balanced as
the farm affairs, and that with a good mental grasp on the situation a farmer
should be able to get great enjoyment and much profit out of his specialty
without interfering with the known necessity for diversified farming.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 85 1
Mr. Barker was born in Sugar Creek township, Boone county, February
16, 1873. He is a son of Isaac N. and Cyrena (Brown) Barker, the former
a native of Wayne county, Indiana, and the latter was born in Sugar Creek
township, Boone county. After their marriage, the parents of our subject
settled on a farm in Sugar Creek township. In connection with general farm-
ing, the father made a specialty of raising fine poultry and Berkshire hogs,
which he followed until his death, November 3, 1901. He was one of the
leading citizens of the county for many years, and he showed his stock at
many important fairs and exhibitions and always took premiums, and was
generally recognized as one of the leading breeders of the United States.
The subject of this review, the youngest of a family of five children,
grew to manhood on the home farm in his native township and there assisted
with the general work, paying particular attention to his father's methods of
stock raising and, with such a careful and learned preceptor, he laid by valu-
able information that has stood him well in hand in after years. He received
his education in the district schools and when eighteen years of age entered
Earlham College at Richmond, Indiana, where he remained four years and
made an excellent record for scholarship. He had previously taught school
two years. After his graduation from college he taught successfully for five
years, first in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where he taught chemistry in the high
school. He then went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he taught chem-
istry and physics for three years. In June, 1901, he returned home and went
into business with his father and brother raising stock and continued thus for
six years on a large scale, when our subject and his brother divided the busi-
ness, the former devoting his attention more to chickens, which business he
thoroughly understood, having literally grown up in the same. So he was
successful from the start and in the spring of 1907 he began specializing in
raising Black Langshans and is now widely known to poultry fanciers all over
the country, there being a great demand for all the chickens he places on the
market owing to their superior quality. He has sold either chickens or eggs in
every state in the Union but two and in a large number of exhibits of poultry
in various cities he has taken many first premiums. He is owner of one of
the choicest and most desirable farms in the county, which contains two hun-
dred and seventy acres of fertile and highly improved land which he has
brought up to a high state of cultivation, and he is one of the most success-
ful general farmers in Sugar Creek township, operating all his land in an up-
852 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
to-date manner and also raising all kinds of live stock on a large scale. He
has a commodious and attractive home in the midst of beautiful surroundings
and numerous convenient outbuildings, in fact, everything about the place
denotes good management, thrift and prosperity.
Mr. Barker was married February 27, 1902, to Anna Roop, a lady of
many commendable characteristics, cultured and well educated. She is a
native of Shelby county, Ohio. Mrs. Barker attended Antioch College in
Ohio for three years, also spent two years in college in Richmond, Indiana.
Mr. and Mrs. Barker have one child, Murray Stanley Barker, born June 26,
1907.
Politically, Mr. Barker is a Republican, and while he is deeply interested
and influential in public afifairs. Has no political ambitions, preferring to devote
his attention to his extensive business interests and to his pleasant home.
Fraternally, he belongs to the Masonic Order, No. 113. at Thorntown. He
was reared in the Quaker faith from which he has not departed, while Mrs.
Barker is a member of the Newlight Christian church. They are prominent
in the affairs of the community and pleasant people to know.
J. T. FRANK LAUGHNER.
Life is pleasant to live when we know how to make the most of it. Some
people start on their careers as if they had weights on their souls or were
afraid to make the necessary effort to live up to a high standard. Others,
by not making a proper study of the conditions of existence, or by not having
the best of all trainers, good parents, are side-tracked at the outset and never
seem thereafter to be able to get back again on the main track. Much de-
pends on the start, just as it does in a race. The horse that gets the best
start, all other things being equal, will almost invariably win the race. So in
the race of life ; if you are properly started with suitable grooming, such as
good educational and home training, you will lead in the race in after years
and enjoy your existence. Such home influences were thrown about J- T.
Frank Laughner, one of the best known and most capable of Boone county's
young men, formerly connected with the Citizens Bank at Whitestown, but
now the able and popular treasurer of the county. He came from a family
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 855
noted for their sound principles and exemplary habits, seldom any word of
reproach being spoken against them since taking up their residence in this
locality many years ago.
Mr. Laughner was born in Worth township, Boone county, October 27,
1874, on the home farm and there he grew to manhood, assisting with. the
general work when of proper age. He is a son of Ambrose M. and Ranna
(Neese) Laughner, the father a native of Tennessee, where he spent his
earlier years and from which state be came to Boone county when a young
man, where he married our subject's mother, who was born and reared in
this county. These parents received a common school education and estab-
lished themselves on a farm in Worth township, acquiring a comfortable
home by their thrift and perseverance.
Our subject remained under his parental roof-tree until he was eighteen
years of age, when he went to Marion, Indiana, and there entered college,
taking the scientific course, also bookkeeping and a commercial course, in all
of which he made a splendid record and was graduated from the latter de-
partment in 1899, having spent three years there. He then became a teacher
of penmanship, which he followed two years, after which he accepted a
position with the Muncie Normal school, as principal of the commercial de-
partment, which he held most satisfactorily for two years. Later he pur-
chased an interest in a drug store at Whitestown, Indiana, with his brother.
Clyde O. Laughner, July, 1901, but not long afterwards he sold his interest
to his brother and accepted a position as bookkeeper in the Citizens Bank at
Whitestown, filling the same with satisfaction to the officials and stockholders,
and in June, 1905, was promoted to the position of cashier of this institution,
the duties of which responsible position he continued to discharge in an able
and satisfactory manner until January i, 1914, doing much the meanwhile to
increase the prestige and success of this popular bank. Upon severing his
connection with the same he assumed his duties as treasurer of Boone county,
which office he is now filling in a manner that reflects much credit upon him-
self and to the eminent satisfaction of his constituents and all concerned,
being an able, careful, faithful, painstaking and courteous and obliging offi-
cial, popular with all classes, irrespective of party alignment.
Mr. Laughner was married on May 4, 1897, to Dora Scott, who was
bom in Worth township, Boone county, where she grew to womanhood and
(52)
856 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
attended the public schools. She is a daughter of Charles O. and Flora
(Bartles) Scott, the former born in jMarion county, the mother a native of
the state of Louisiana. The union of our subject and wife has been without
issue.
Politically, Mr. Laughner is a Democrat and has been more or less
active in party affairs for some time. He is also active and influential in
church afifairs, having been a deacon in the English Lutheran church since
1902 and superintendent of the Sunday school since 1906; in fact, he is
regarded as one of the "pillars"' of the local church of this denomination.
He has been president of the Indiana State Lutheran League since June.
19 1 3, and many commendable comments have been heard as to his work in
this connection. He has been a trustee of the Weidner Institute at Mulberr\-,
Indiana, since 1910. He has been secretary and treasurer of the Boone
County Sunday School Association since 1912. Mr. Laughner is equally
prominent in fraternal circles. He is a member of the Masonic Order at
Whitestown and the Chapter at Lebanon, the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Improved Order of Red Men, all of
Whitestown; the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks at Lebanon, and
the Modern Woodmen of .\merica at Whitestown, and has been clerk of the
latter since 191 o.
SAMUEL L. CASON.
There is nothing in the world more beautiful than the spectacle of a life
that has reached its autumn with a harvest of good and useful deeds. It is
like the forest in October days when the leaves ha\e borrowed the richest
colors of the light and glow in the mellowed sheen of the Indian summer,
reflecting in their closing days the radiance of their earthly existence. The
man who has lived a clean, useful and self-denying life and has brought into
potential exercise the best energies of his mind that he might make the world
brighter and better for his being a part of it, while laboring for his indi-
vidual advancement cannot fail to enjoy a serenity of soul that reveals itself
in his manner and conversation. When such a life is preserved in its strength
and integrity so that even in age its influence continues unabated, it challenges
the admiration of those whose good fortune it is to be brought into contact
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
857
with. Such a Hfe has been that of Samuel L. Cason, one of the oldest of
Boone county's native-born citizens, who has been a life-long resident here,
for many decades a well known merchant in Lebanon in which city he is
now living in retirement and is nearing his four score years. He has ever
had the interests of this locality at heart and has sought to promote the same
in every way possible. He grew up in the interesting pioneer period and tells
many interesting things of the early development of the county. He has
played no inconspicuous part in the affairs of the county. His life has been
noted for its sterling honesty, industry and devotion to family, church and
to the best public interests, so he can now look backward with no compunction
for misdeeds and forward to the mystic Beyond with no fear. Such a life
merits a record of its deeds that the debt due it may be acknowledged and
that it may serve as a stimulus to others to endeavor to emulate it. But his
record is too familiar to the people of the locality of which this history deals
to require any fulsome encomium here, his life work speaking for itself in
stronger terms than the biographer could employ in polished periods. There
is no doubt but that Mr. Cason's long life has been due to his conservative
«5o BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
habits, wholesome living and pure thinking. He has ever been known for
his hospitality, his many acts of kindness springing from his largeness of
heart rather than from any desire to gain the plaudits of his fellow men or
for any personal motive.
Mr. Cason was born in Washington township, Boone county, June 7,
1835. He is a son of James and Margaret (Ratherford) Cason, the father
a native of South Carolina and the mother a native of Pennsylvania. These
families all located first in Ohio, later removing to Union county, Indiana,
where they settled on a farm, although the elder Cason was a carpenter by
trade. In that county two of his children were bom. The family left there
in 1832 for Boone county, making the tedious journey in a wagon drawn by
a team of horses and a yoke of oxen. They were ten days on the road and
it rained every day but one. The somewhat hazardous trip was never for-
gotten by the members of the family. They found a hunter who had dropped
his gun in a deep hole. Mr. Cason secured the weapon for him by tying a
pair of steelyards to the end of a pole and pulled the gun out by one of the
hooks on the steelyards. As the emigrants were crossing Prairie creek in
Boone county, the wagon was overturned by the wheel striking a stump and
the occupants were thrown into the water. Those occupying the wagon
were the mother of our subject, two children and Sarah Burckhalter, who
married David Kenworthy later. They were all duly rescued, fires were
built by which their clothing was dried and they camped there over night.
They came on and located on land which James Cason was supposed to have
entered from the government in 1831, but later they were compelled to move
one-eighth of a mile for they had by mistake located on land belonging to
Colonel Mills. They established their permanent home two and one-half
miles southeast of what is now Thorntown, on one hundred fifty-eight and
one-half acres, all timbered. Their neighbors were few and far between and
the family endured the usual hardships and privations of frontiersmen.
They cleared a space on which they built a log cabin, erecting a stick-and-
mud chimney, leaving the floor dirt, and in this they lived some time, later
adding to it, floored it and put up doors and windows. The noble mother
spent many nights alone with her two babies while her husband was to
mill, braving the perils of Indians and wild beasts alone. All" the while.
James Cason was clearing and improving his land with the help of two of
his wife's brothers and a cousin. He eventually became one of the leading
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 859
farmers of this part of the county and remained on this place until the fall
of 1865, when he removed to Thorntown where he spent the rest of his days
and died January 31, 1874, his widow dying later in Lebanon. They were
the parents of nine children, only two of whom are living at this writing,
Samuel L., of this review and Sarah A., widow of John M. Bennett, of
Elwood, Indiana. The family became well known in the county and was
always highly respected.
Samuel L. Cason grew to manhood amid pioneer surroundings and he
worked hard when a boy assisting his father clear and develop the old home-
stead and he received such educational advantages as the early-day rural
schools afforded. He remained with his parents until the fall of 1863 when
he moved to Lebanon and engaged in the grocery business. By the exercise
of good judgment, honest dealings and courteous treatment of his customers
he enjoyed a large trade and prospered with advancing years. In 1873, he
erected a substantial business block here and in this conducted his grocery
with ever-increasing success until 1903 when he was burned out. The fol-
lowing year he erected his present modern, commodious and attractive office
and store building, one of the best business blocks in Lebanon, and since then
he has lived retired in his beautiful home here. He made a pronounced suc-
cess of his life work and is rated as one of the substantial men financially
of Boone county.
Mr. Cason was married November 22, 1863, to Louisa Cooper, who
was born in Sugar Creek township, this county, and here grew to woman-
hood and was educated. She was a daughter of Edghill and Elisa (Bennett)
Cooper. Her mother was a daughter of Frederick and Massa (Sutton)
Bennett, the father being a native of Ohio. The union of our subject and
wife has been without issue. The wife of our subject was called to her
eternal rest March 7, tqio, at an advanced age. She proved to be an excel-
lent helpmeet and was greatly beloved by her neighbors and many friends
owing to her many commendable qualities of head and heart.
Politically, Mr. Cason is a Republican and has been more or less influen-
tial in public affairs for many years. He served as city councilman of Leb-
anon for many years. In religious matters he is a member of the Baptist
church and a liberal supporter of the same. He is well preserved for a man
his age and is a companionable, kind and pleasant gentleman whom every-
body highly esteems.
860 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
WILLIAM B. CROSE.
This is a time of progress and development. Old methods are being
revised, and old or previously accepted facts are being examined and ques-
tioned as never before. "Every man to his business," no longer means that
the knowledge of others is to be ignored by the successful business man.
The man who succeeds, whether he be a farmer, merchant or manufacturer,
knows more of his business than an outsider can know ; but this does not
mean that the successful business man may not learn many useful and profit-
able facts and principles from the outsider who has made a thorough study
of a large number of business establishments and their methods.
One of the progressive citizens of Eagle township, Boone county, who
has sought helpful infomiation from every source, and has had the tact to
apply the same is William B. Crose, proprietor of Maple Park Farm, where
he successfully carries on general farming, stock raising and dairying, his
valuable place containing two hundred and eight acres, all under a high state
of improvement and cultivation, and on which stands a modern residence
and outbuildings of a present day type of convenience.
Mr. Crose was born in Washington township, Boone county, February 2,
i860, a son of David Crose, a well-known early settler here, who was born
in Tippecanoe county, Indiana, in 1835. David Crose was a son of Benja-
min Crose, who was born in Kentucky in 1813, where he spent his earlier
years and married, and in 1830 he and his wife emigrated to Tippecanoe
county, and there their son David grew to manhood and married Martha
E. Bovee, who was born in 1841, and whose death occurred at the age of
seventy-two years.
The father of our subject readied the age of seventy-seven 3'ears. Their
family consisted of ten children, namely: Marion F., William B., Mary E.,
Clement L., Cynthia Ella, James W., Sarah .\., Pearly A., Edgar L., and
Walter F.
William B. Crose was reared on the lionie farm and worked during the
summer months for his father, and during tlie winter attended the district
schools, and for two years taught school. On August 9, 1882, he married
Mrs. Lillie A. Shaw, widow of David Shaw. He was born February 6,
1847. A history of the Shaw famil>' appears on anotlier page of this work.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 86 1
The death of David Shaw occurred October 3. 1877. at the age of thirty
years. Mrs. Crose is a daughter of Charles F. and Mar)- (DeLong) Fore-
man. The death of the mother occurred in 1897. The father is still living,
and resides in Zionsville. Mr. F'oreman is now eighty-two years old; but is
a well-preserved man. He has made a success in life's affairs, and has lived
an upright and useful life.
Mr. Crose has devoted his life to general farming and stock raising.
His present place is one of the most desirable in Eagle township. Every-
thing is up-to-the-date. He has two large barns, his general barn being
thirty-six by seventy-six feet, and his dairy barn is thirty-six by eighty-two
feet. Everything about his barn is sanitary and has been arranged with a
view to the comfort and proper care of live stock. He keeps an excellent
grade of cows, and finds a ready market for all his dairy products, owing
to their superior quality. His is a model twentieth century farm in every
respect.
Our subject and wife have no children of their own; but have reared
other children. Mr. and Mrs. Crose are members of the Methodist Episco-
pal church, and have been for many years. They are both very active in
church affairs. Mr. Crose has been the superintendent of the Salem Sunday
school for a period of twenty-five years. He is one of the leaders of Metho-
dism in this section of the state and has given liberally of his time and means
to its interests. He has been a trustee and steward in the local congregation
for years; while his wife has been devoted to missionary and temperance
work. Both Mr. and Mrs. Crose are popular with the best circles in the
southern part of the county where they reside, and their beautiful and well-
furnished home is known to their many friends as a place of old-time hospi-
tality and good cheer. They are well informed, genial, obliging and pleas-
ant people to meet. Mr. Crose has been a life-long Democrat. He is a man
of strong moral convictions and temperance sentiments. He has always been
upon the right side of the temperance question, and has worked hard for
the suppression of the saloon.
At this writing the Methodist church on Mr. Crose's farm, known as
the Salem church, is undergoing extensive repairs, and Mr. and Mrs. Crose
are giving largely of their means toward the enterprise. Mr. Crose being
one of the trustees and also chairman and treasurer of the building committee.
862 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
JOHN THOMAS YOUNG.
Every time the grain farmer hauls a load of his crops to market, he
draws away a part of the value of his farm, li the fertility of the soil is
to be maintained, the elements removed must be replaced. The four elements
removed by growing crops which oftentimes exist in such limited quantities
that they must be replaced, if the crops are to continue to do their best, are
nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and calcium, or lime. The nitrogen is found
in the humus, or decaying vegetable matter of the soil, while the other ele-
ments are found principally in mineral combination. A different amount of
the plant food is removed by different crops from the soil, the value of this
plant food may be measured and provided for by the farmer who is willing
to study closely the rotation of crops and a number of other phases of mod-
ern agriculture. One of the tillers of the soil in Boone county who under-
stands these and other necessary subjects is John Thomas Young, one of the
most progressive and enterprising farmers of Eagle township, proprietor of
Sunny Slope Farm, near Zionsville.
Mr. Young was born October 3, 1843 in Fleming county, Kentucky, on
a farm, and is a son of James Hardy Young, also a nalive of that county
where he grew up, was educated and married and established his home on a
farm, becoming a prominent planter, owning a large plantation, and was
well-to-do and influential. He married Manda Jane Taylor, also a native of
that locality and a daughter of Joshua Taylor, a prominent fanner. The
parents of our subject removed in 1852 to Rush county, Indiana, where they
spent the rest of their lives and are buried there. To them seven children
were born, namely: John Thomas of this sketch; Adalade is deceased;
James Monroe, who was a soldier in the One Hundred and Twenty-third
Indiana Volunteer Infantry during the Civil war, lives in Rush county:
Joshua is deceased: Susan Amanda; Sarah Elizabeth and Mary.
John Thomas Young was nine years old when he removed with the rest
of the family from the Blue Grass state to Rush county, Indiana. He grew
to manhood on the fann and helped with the work, and he received his edu-
cation in the rural schools, part of the time attending school in a log school-
house. His father was married a second time, his last wife being Elizabeth
Brown, and to them five children were born, namely: Jane. Elizabeth, Rol^ert,
igii-i-
, 1
»^
/
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 865
Albert and Alberta, twins. The death of James H. Young, the father, oc-
curred at the advanced age of eighty-two years.
When twenty-three years old our subject married Delsie C. Portner, of
Taswell county, Virginia. They moved to Morgan county, Kentucky, where
she grew to womanhood and was educated. Her family is of English descent.
In 1888 Mr. Young went to Cherokee county, Kansas, later returning to
Indiana and rented one hundred and eighty acres in Hamilton county. There
he remained until 1896 when he came to Eagle township, Boone county,
where he purchased his present finely improved farm, which consists of six-
teen and a quarter acres, and on which stand an attractive dwelling and sub-
stantial outbuildings.
Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Young, namely : Olie
Lee, who married William Morgan, lives at Anderson, Indiana ; Frank is at
home: and Oma Gene is decea.sed. Mrs. Young died February 18, 1912.
Politically, Mr. Young is a Democrat, and religiously he belongs to the
Methodist church as did his wife.
FOREST G. BRUSH, D. D. S.
The profession of dentistry has an able exponent in Boone county in the
person of Dr. Forest G. Brush, of Zionsville,. Indiana, who, because of his
skill and long years of practice here is well known throughout the locality
and who ranks high among his professional brethren in this section of the
Hoosier state, being a member of the Indiana State Dental Society and local
societies ; for he was, it seems, well adapted by nature for the vocation which
has long claimed his undivided attention, being, in the first place, a student,
so that he has kept well abreast of the times in everything that pertains to his
work, and he is also the possessor of those personal traits which one must
have in order to be popular with the masses. He is a man to be depended
upon, and his hundreds of patients know that they can repose the utmost
confidence in him and rely upon his judgment. He is also of a sociable and
optimistic nature ; he believes in finding the silver lining to every cloud, main-
taining with the poet Riley, that all clouds have such, and that the obstacles
we daily encounter on the road of life should but serve to arouse our com-
866 BOONE COLXTV, INDIANA.
bative nature and cause us to accomplish more rather than yield to the per-
verse rulings of fate.
Dr. Brush was born in Jamestown, Boone county, Indiana, August 26,
1877. He is a son of Henry C. and Fanny A. (Davis) Brush. Owing to
the prominence of the family the biographer deems it advisable here to give
its history in some detail before proceeding with that of the immediate sub-
ject of this article.
Henry C. Brush is a venerable veteran of the Civil war. a substantial
farmer and honored citizen of Lebanon, Boone county. He is a descendant
of sterling Scotch and old colonial stock, originally of the state of New York.
John Brush, the great-grandfather of our subject, was a soldier in the Revolu-
tionary war, in which two of his brothers also fought and were killed at the
battle of Cowpens. He married Elizabeth Todd and to them seven children
were born, named as follows: George, Blakley, David. James, Jane, Nancy
and Mary. The family eventually left the Blue Grass state and settled near
Waveland, Montgomery county, Indiana, among the pioneers and there
grandfather Brush passed the remainder of his days. He became a prosper-
ous farmer and gave to each of his children one hundred and sixty acres oi
land. He was a typical frontiersman, brave, courageous, hard-working,
hospitable, was a Whig in politics and an influential man in his community.
James Brush, grandfather of our subject, was bom in Shelby county,
Kentucky, on a farm, in the year 181 1. and he was nine years old when his
parents brought him to Indiana. He was reared amid pioneer environments
and worked hard assisting his father develop the home farm. Upon reach-
ing manhood he married Elizabeth McCormick, and they began housekeeping
near Ladoga, Montgomery county, and there they remained until he retired
from active life. He then removed to Jamestown, Boone county. To these
parents seven children were born, namely: John A., Ann, Elizabeth. Jennie.
Sallie. Eliza and Henry C.. all born on the farm in Montgomery county. Both
Mr. and Mrs. Brush were members of the Methodist Episcopal church in
which he was a class leader and steward. He was a Henry Clay Whig in
politics, and later a .Republican and a strong Union man. During the Civil
war he had two sons, John A. and Henry C. in the Federal arm)'. The
former served in the famous Eleventh Indiana ^'olunteer Infantry under
Col. Lew Wallace, who became a famous general, author and statesman.
Later John A. Brush served in the Second Indiana Cavalry until the close
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 8O7
of the war, taking part in many battles. The military record of Henry C.
Brush will be referred to in a later paragraph. His father, James Brush,
spent the rest of his days in Boone county, dying here at the age of seventy
years, an honored and respected man.
Henry C. Brush was born January 15, 1847, '" Montgomery county, as
intimated in the above paragraph, and ther« he grew to manhood on the
home farm and received the usual common school education of those early
days. During the last of the Civil war he enlisted in Company G, One Hun-
dred and Sixteenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in response to a call for six
months men, under Capt. Robert W. Harrison and Col. William C. Kise.
After a service of seven months he was honorably discharged at Lafayette,
Indiana, March i, 1864. He was with the army in eastern Tennessee, dur-
ing which time he participated in the battles of Blue Springs, Greenville,
Knoxville, Walker's Ford and Tazewell, proving to be a very faithful de-
fender of the Union. He was also in a number of hot skirmishes and did a
great deal of hard marching. He was at the front all the while with the
exception of one week when he was confined to the hospital at Knoxville.
He was in all the battles, skirmishes and marches in which his regiment
was engaged during that period, and although he was but a little over seven-
teen years of age when he returned home he conducted himself like a veteran
while in the service of his country. He then entered the high school at
Ladoga, later spent one term in school at Greencastle, this state. On June
24, 1869, he was married in Hendricks county to Fanny A. Davis, a daughter
of Walter and Mary M. (Spears) Davis. Her father was bom in Mont-
gomery county, Kentucky, December 12, 1823, and was a pioneer and wealthy
farmer of Hendricks county. He was of Welsh descent, and the Spears
family was of Scotch extraction. Walter Davis and wife reared the fol-
lowing children: John S.. Ouincy A., Martha E., Nancy A.. Robert F., Fanny
A., and Charles E. After tlie death of the mother of the above named chil-
dren, Walter Davis married Mary A. Scott, and to this union five children
were born, namely: Walter S., Lorenzo D., Thomas, Myrtle and Edgar L.
The father, Walter Davis, was a Republican in politics, and he belonged to
the Methodist Episcopal church in which he took a very active interest, hav-
ing been identified with its membership from the age of nineteen years until
his death. In 1835 he moved with his father to Eel River township, Hend-
868 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
ricks county and there he spent the rest of his life, dying there January ii,
1893. Two of his sons were graduated from DePauw University at Green-
castle, one of whom, Walter S., later took a post-graduate course at Cornell
University, also in Germany and only recently won high honors in Chicago
University. John S. Davis was a soldier in the Fifty-first Indiana Volun-
teer Infantry, and took part in the raid of General Straight and he died of
sickness during the service and was buried in the National Cemetery at Nash-
ville, Tennessee. He was but twenty-one years of age. He was a devout
Christian. Quincy A. Davis was also a soldier in an Indiana regiment during
the war between the states.
Soon after their marriage Henry C. Brush and wife located on a farm
near Jamestown, Boone county, on which they remained three years, then
moved to Jamestown where they lived eight years. In 1879 they moved to
Lebanon where they still reside. There Mr. Brush has been successfully
engaged in the livery business, also in buying and shipping horses, doing a
large business in the latter for many years, but more recently he has devoted
his attention to dealing in live stock, feeding large numbers for the market,
from time to time, also in farming. He has exercised sound judgment in
his affairs and has been very successful in a material way and ranks among
the substantial citizens of the county, is widely known and highly respected
by all. Politically, he is a stanch Republican. He is a worthy member of
the Masonic Order, Boone Lodge No. 9. He is also a non-affiliating member
of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and belongs to the Knights of
Pythias. He holds membership in the Rich Mountain Post, Grand Army of
the Republic at Lebanon. He and his wife are faithful members of the
Methodist Episcopal church.
Six children were born to Henry C. Brush and wife, named as follows :
Mrs. Ada M. Stonecipher, who lives in Lebanon; Laura died when six years
old; Otto T. died when seven years of age; Dr. Forest G., of this sketch;
Jewel died in infancy: and Mrs. Eva L. Cox, of Danville, Illinois. The
father, Henry C. Brush, owns valuable real estate in Lebanon, including a
handsome residence, . also a valuable farm near that city. He is known for
his integrity, honest dealings and public-spirit, and his wife, who has been
a true helpmeet, is a woman of refined tastes and many praiseworthy char-
acteristics.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 869
Dr. Forest G. Brush was reared in Lebanon where he received his edu-
cation in the pubHc and high schools. He entered the Indiana Dental College
at Indianapolis in 1899, where he made an excellent record and from which
he was graduated with honors in 1901, ranking among the first in his class.
Soon thereafter he returned to Boone county and located for practice in
Zionsville where he has since remained, enjoying a large, lucrative and ever-
increasing practice, many of his patrons coming from remote parts of the
country. He has a neat and modernly equipped office where high-grade work
is promptly and satisfactorily done, the latest and most approved methods
being employed. Politically, Dr. Brush is a Republican and fraternally, he
belongs to the Knights of Pythias.
Dr. Brush was married November 22, 1903, to Lynn Belle Richardson,
a native of Hamilton county, this state, and a daughter of W. J. and Sarah
E. (Walker) Richardson. The father was born December 7, 1855, ^^^ is a
son of George and Margaret Richardson, the former born in 1830, and the
latter in 1833. Mrs. Sarah E. Richardson was born in Clay county, Indi-
ana, February 14, 1861, and is a daughter of Thomas and Mary Ann Walker.
The latter was born January 24, 1824. She first married David Walker and
after his death she married his brother Thomas Walker, who was born June
4, 1815. To this last union two children were born, Thomas and Sarah E.
The latter married W. J. Richardson in 1881, and six children were born to
them, named as follows: Edward, born March 21, 1882, married Lulu
Barnes; Lynn Belle, born March 16, 1884, is the wife of Dr. Brush of this
sketch; Josephine May, born February 16, 1886, married O. B. Harvey, a
well-to-do farmer, and they have one son, Beeson Harvey; George, born
March 26, 1888, married Lulu Davidson ; William Clark, born September 6,
1890, who has remained single, is practicing dentistry at Francesville, Pulaski
county, Indiana; Ruth, born November 20, 1892, died January 14, 1894.
To Dr. Brush and wife one child has been born, Richard Clayson Brush,
whose birth occurred September 20, 1905. He is an exceptionally promising
lad, is a favorite among his little companions, is another Eddie Foy, has a
remarkably plastic mind, and can quote quite extensively from the Bible.
Our subject and wife are pleasant people to meet, genial, refined, well read
and obliging; they are popular with the best circles of Zionsville, and have
made a host of friends throughout the southern part of the county since
locating here.
870 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
WILLIA-M EVANS WHITTINGHILL.
It is the pride of tlie inhabitants of this country that when the titanic
struggle between the states closed in 1865 all the vast army of citizen sol-
diery quietly laid down their arms and returned to the pursuits of peace. It
was predicted by the go\-ernments of Europe, not only that the country
would be divided, but that after the war an enormous army would be kept
up and a military dictatorship would be established perhaps, on the frag-
ments of every state. Foreign nations did not understand the spirit of the
people of this country, that is the spirit of the people in all the free states.
They could not understand how we could come to love the name of liberty
and be willing to sacrifice so much blood and treasure to save a country
founded upon the ruck of freedom. In ^•ie\\ i)f these misguided ideas the
most of the foreign nations stood ready to pounce upon the fragments when
the smoke of war had rolled awa}-. But they saw a splendid sight. They
saw the great armies melt away, saw a reunited country in which liberty
was a fact as well as a name, and saw the soldiers return to their farms,
work-shops, mills and various other vocations. One of this nunil^er was
William Evans Whittinghill, a gallant defender of the Union, who has long
been an honored citizen of Boone county, where lie has engaged in various
])ursuits with success and aided in many ways in the general upbuilding of
the locality.
Mr. Whittinghill was born August 9, 1S49. '" Mercer county, Kentucky.
He is a son of Robertson and Lucretia ( Saiee ) \\'hittinghill. The father
was born in the same county and state, June 14. 1814, and was a mju of
George and Mary (Gabhart) Whittinghill. The former was a nati\e of
Holland, from which country he emigrated to America when a young man.
located in Kentucky in pioneer days and there became a large land owner,
also owned land in Virginia and Indiana. He was a millwright by trade,
and two mills which he built on Salt river, Mercer county, Kentucky are
still standing. His wife was a native of Scotland. Robertson Whittinghill
was reared in the Blue Grass state, and he devoted his life successfully to
milling and farming, becoming owner of nearly one hundred acres of land. "
He was one of the extensive hemp growers of his country. He was opposed
to negro slavery, was a \Mii.>4'. later a Reinihlican in politics, and in religion
BOONE COUNTYj INDIANA. 87 1
a Baptist. He was a man of much business ability and was highly respected
for his industry, honesty and hospitality. His death occurred November 29,
189 1. He and Lucretia Salee were married Februai-y 20, 1834. She was
born June 30, 1816, in Mercer county, Kentucky, and was a daughter of
Shateen and Elizabeth (Burns) Salee, pioneers of Kentucky. Her death
occurred November 3, 1909, at an advanced age, after a useful and model
Christian life.
William E. Whittinghill was reared on the parental acres which he
worked when a boy, and he attended the common schools in his native com-
munity, remaining on the farm in Mercer county, Kentucky until 1861,
when, on March 27th of that memorable year he enlisted in Company B,
Fourth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, in which he saw much hard service.
He was in the battle of Mills Springs, Bowling Fork, and fought from Nash-
ville to Chattanooga, was in the great battles of Chickamauga and Mission-
ary Ridge, also Ringgold, after which the entire regiment was given a thirty
days' furlough to Louisville, Kentucky. Then he re-enlisted in January,
1864, in the same company and regiment, mounted. They joined Sherman
at Kenesaw Mountain, and was in numerous engagements around there. On
July 29, 1864, the regiment made a raid in the rear of the Confederate army
and was captured, only a few escaping. Our subject was sent to Anderson-
ville prison where he remained four months and thirteen days, enduring the
cruelty, hunger and general horrors which he says are indescribable. While
there he contracted a disease from which he has never recovered. He was
a mere skeleton upon his release. But nothing daunted he rejoined his regi-
ment near Nashville, and fought in that battle, in fact, took part in all the
engagements of the regiment in the second Atlanta campaign, which termi-
nated at Macon, Georgia, in May, 1865. He was with the troops that cap-
tured Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy, near the city of Macon
when he attempted to pass through the Union lines. Our subject was mus-
tered out August 20, 1865, being honorably discharged at Louisville, ten
days later. He soon thereafter returned to his father's farm in Mercer
county, Kentucky, where he worked until September, 1868, when he came
to Johnson county, Indiana, locating on a farm one mile northeast of Frank-
lin where he remained two years then went to Clay county, Kansas, thence
to Monroe county, Missouri, where he engaged in the cattle business for
two years, then came back to Indiana and located in Scott county where he
872 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
engaged in the dry-goods business, also handled groceries, until 1880, then
began the milling business at Scottsburg. In 1889 he moved to Boone
county, locating on a farm of one hundred and ninety-three acres, seven
miles southwest of Lebanon, and although he now lives in the county-seat he
still manages this finely improved and valuable fann. He also owns one
hundred and thirty-five acres in Hendricks county. He left the farm and
moved to his pleasant home in Lebanon in 1900. He has been very success-
ful in all his business ventures and is one of the substantial men of Boone
county and an excellent citizen in every respect.
Mr. Whittinghill was married November 30, 1875, to Luira V. War-
dell, who was born in Scott county, Indiana, August 9, 1858, and there grew
to womanhood and was educated, being a daughter of a highly respected
old family of that locality. To our subject and wife four children have been
born, namely: Ota E., who is engaged in the newspaper business at Red-
key, Jay county ; Harry R. is farming in Hendricks county ; Hazel F. is at
home; and Ira M. is the wife of C. Roark, of Lebanon.
Politically, Mr. Whittinghill is a staunch Republican, and religiously
he is a member of the Central Christian church. He belongs to Rich Moun-
tain Post, No. 42, Grand Army of the Republic, of which he is past com-
mander. He is a member of Celestial Lodge No. 525, Free and Accepted
Masons, at Whitestown; also is a member of Ben .A.dhem Lodge No. 472 of
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is past grand of the local lodge.
JACOB SHEPLAR COBB.
It will always be a mark of distinction to have served the Union during
the great war between the states, fhe old soldier will receive attention no
matter where he goes if he will but make himself known. And when he
passes away, as so many of them are now doing, friends will pay him suit-
able eulogy for the heroic sacrifices he made a half century ago on the
sanguinary fields of battle in the Southland, or in the no less dreaded prison,
fever camp or hospital. And ever afterward his descendants will revere his
memory and take pride in recounting his services to his country in its hour
of peril. One of the most eligible citizens for specific mention in a history
of Boone county is Jacob Sheplar Cobb, for many years one of our leading
JACOB S. COBB
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 8,75
farmers and school teachers, who, having accumulated valuable property
and an ample competency to insure his old age from want, is now spending
his time in retirement in his cozy home in the city of Lebanon. He is de-
serving of our attention here partly because he is one of the old soldiers who
went forth in that great crisis in the sixties to assist in saving the nation
from disunion and treason, and partly because he has been one of our hon-
orable and public-spirited citizens for a number of decades, a plain, honest
gentleman who has sought to do his duty in all the relations of life as he
has seen and understood the right.
Mr. Cobb was bom near Cadiz, Harrison county, Ohio, August 25, 1841.
He is a son of William and Mary (Copeland) Cobb. The father was born
in Adams county, Pennsylvania, in December, 1809, and was a son of William
and Catherine (Strawsbaugh) Cobb. William Cobb was born in England,
and was a ship-builder by trade. After emigrating to America he taught
school for a number of years, also engaged in farming. William Cobb, Jr.,
was a carpenter and farmer and he moved with his parents to Harrison county,
Ohio, in 1 81 3, being thus among the early settlers there. He continued to
follow his trade until his death in 1877, and was a highly skilled workman.
Politically, he was a Democrat, was justice of the peace in Ohio for twelve
years, and in religious matters he was a Methodist. In 1853 he came to
Boone county, Indiana, and purchased two hundred and forty acres, and be-
came a leading farmer here. He also served eight years as justice of the peace
here, and was an influential man in his community. He and Mary (Cope-
land) were married near Cadiz, Ohio. She was born in Harrison county,
Ohio, October 10, 1816, and her death occurred in Boone county, Indiana,
November 17, 1872.
Jacob S. Cobb grew to manhood on the home farm and there worked
hard when a boy. He received a common school education, and after the
war spent two years as a student in the Thorntown Academy, being a pupil
under Prof. John C. Ridpath, the famous historian.
Mr. Cobb enlisted August 10, 1861 in Company A, Tenth Indiana Volun-
teer Infantry and saw considerable hard service and proved to be a gallant
soldier for the government. He was in the following engagements: Mill's
Springs, Pittsburg Landing, siege of Corinth, Perrysville, Salt River, Hoover's
Gap. He was then taken from his company and made drum major of the
regiment's band. He had charge of twenty-two men, and during a battle he
(53)
876 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
and his men assisted in caring for the wounded. He remained with the regi-
ment, and participated in seventeen hard-fought battles, being honorably dis-
charged as drum major, September 20, 1864.
Returning home Mr. Cobb attended school awhile then began teaching
which profession he followed with much success for a period of thirteen years,
during which his services were in great demand, for he was a man of pro-
gressive methods and an able instructor. He bought forty acres of land in
Boone county which he cleared and improved, adding to same until he had
ninety-three acres, which he operated with gratifying results. He recently
sold his farm and now lives in his home in Lebanon, also owns considerable
other valuable city property which he rents.
Mr. Cobb was married September 30, 1869 to Ella Lowe, who was born
in Hamilton county, Indiana, October 18, 1844. She proved to be a faithful
and sympathetic helpmeet, and, like our subject, numbers her friends by the
scores. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Cobb, all still living but
one, namely: Frank A., a blacksmith of Washington township; Florence is
the wife of Lon Barnes, a farmer of Center township; John E. is deceased;
James E. is a farmer of Washington township; Nellie is the wife of George
I. Bienfang, of New York City; Fred is at home; Mary is the wife of J. H.
Beldon, of Buffalo, New York ; Verner J. is at home.
Politically, Mr. Cobb is a Democrat and has long been active in political
matters. He served as sheriiif of Boone county in an able and highly ac-
ceptable manner for two years, 1885-86. Fraternally, he is a member of
the Masonic Order, and he belongs to Rich Mountain Post, No. 42, Grand
Army of the Republic of which he is now adjutant.
HON. JOHN MAXWELL COWAN.
One of the most representative members of the bar in Boone county
and western Indiana for many years following the Civil war period and
one of the men whose name is eminently entitled to a conspicuous place in
the history of this county is Hon. John Maxwell Cowan, which venerable
and distinguished citizen is now living in Springfield, Missouri, Heaven
having bounteously lengthened out his life until he has attained his ninet\--
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
^7
third year. Peculiar interest attaches to his record for the readers of this
work in view of the fact that he is the oldest living graduate of Wabash
College, at Crawfordsville, Indiana, and had the distinction of attending the
seventieth commencement exercises of this institution. His life has been
spent in activities that seemed to exercise to the full his somewhat varied
and unusual abilities; a life that has carried with it the lesson that one
whose capacity, while not of the very greatest, may yet do great work by
close devotion to the task. He was a busy, industrious man up to an old
age, and he attained a place of high degree and compelling importance in
the various localities in which he has resided. One of the kind that make
up the front rank, the kind that can be relied on, a good workman in the
world's affairs, a splendid specimen of the many that do the real, hard work
of the world in places of passing importance and do it well, the kind of life
of which the warp and woof of the substance that goes to make up the con-
tinuous achievement of humanity is made, the kind that deserves more recog-
nition than it gets.
878 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Mr. Cowan was born on December 6, 1821, at Indianapolis. His par-
ents were John and Anna (Maxwell) Cowan, both of Scotch-Irish lineage.
His father was a Virginian by birth, and at an early age migrated to Ten-
nessee, locating in the Shawnee valley, where he resided for a period of
twenty years, and where a large number of descendants still reside. He sub-
sequently came to Kentucky, and thence to Charlestown in the locality then
called Territory of Indiana. When the "Prophet's War" broke out, he
joined the forces commanded by Gen. William Henry Harrison, as a volun-
teer and remained in service through the entire campaign, being engaged in
the memorable battle of Tippecanoe. After this battle, he served two years
as a dragoon scout, until the hostilities between the Wabash tribes and whites
were finally settled. Returning home to Charlestown he made preparations
and removed to Indianapolis, of which city he was one of the first settlers.
In the autumn of 1822 he removed to Montgomery county, settling on a
tract two and a half miles southwest of Crawfordsville on Oldfield's creek,
where he engaged in farming. Tlie son was left fatherless when lie was
about eleven years old and the family estate having been tied up iov man)
years by an unfortunate loan made by the administrator, the mother and
boy were compelled to struggle with the severest adversity. He thus as-
sumed the burdens of life while yet in childhood, and bore them unflinch-
ingly and without complaint until the wheel of fortune returned a reward.
John M. Cowan entered the preparatory school of Wabash College in
1836 with a determination to obtain a thorough education if nothing else
should ever be secured, and after six years he was graduated from the classi-
cal course with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Soon following his gradua-
tion he received an appointment as deputy clerk of Clinton county, and re-
moved to Frankfort. There snatching fragments of time from the toils of
his office, he began the study of law, and in a few years was enabled to at-
tend the law school connected with the University of Indiana at Blooming-
ton, where he was placed under the instruction of Hon. David McDonald,
afterward judge of the United States district court of Indiana. Graduating
in the spring of 1845, at the end of one year, he returned to Frankfort and
engaged in the active duties of his chosen profession, and he soon had an
excellent start.
In 1845 Mr. Cowan married Harriet D. Janney, a descendant of a prom-
inent Quaker family of Virginia, whose paternal ancestors were the Porters
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 879
of Pennsylvania and whose maternal ancestors were the Ruples and Judahs
of Basle, Switzerland. After his marriage, Mr. Cowan formed a partner-
ship with Hon. James F. Suit, at Frankfort. Mr. Suit was one of the most
distinguished advocates of western Indiana, and his talents being supple-
mented by the energy and studious habits of his partner, their business rap-
idly became lucrative, and this was one of the best known law firms in this
section of the state.
In 1858, Mr. Cowan was nominated for the judgeship in the eighth
judicial circuit, composed of the counties of Boone, Clinton, Montgomery,
Parke, Vermilion, Fountain and Warren. His competitor was an experi-
enced and able jurist, at the time on the bench of the circuit, and the politi-
cal complexion of the counties composing the judicial field was decidedly
hostile to his being retired; notwithstanding which, Mr. Cowan's personal
popularity, and reputation as a lawyer, gave him the election by a large ma-
jority. The term for which he was elected was six years, which was
rounded up with the severest and most exacting mental labor. At the ex-
piration of the term he stood so high in popular esteem that he was unani-
mously renominated by his party and again elected for a similar term with-
out any real opposition from the opposite party. Completing his labors
upon the bench in 1870, he returned to the practice of law at Crawfords-
ville where he had removed his family in 1864, forming a partnership with
Hon. Thomas M. Patterson, later United States senator from Colorado. At
the end of a prosperous connection of two years he became associated with
Hon. M. D. White, and his second son, James E. Cowan, in a new legal
fimi, which continued nearly three years, when he finally retired from prac-
tice and connected himself with the First National Bank of Crawfordsville.
as assistant cashier, and attorney for the bank, which positions he held until
1881, when he removed to Springfield, Missouri, where he has since resided.
As is usual with the descendants of Scotch progenitors. Judge Cowan
with his family are adherents of the Presbyterian church.
To the judge and wife, four children were born, all still living, and
with his youngest son and widowed daughter, Judge Cowan is residing in
Springfield, Missouri, his wife having been called to her eternal rest in the
summer of 1905.
Judge Cowan's long and toilsome life produced a competency with
which to spend his later years in comfort. Notwithstanding his advanced
OOO BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
years he is in comparatively good health, and he writes a beautiful hand and
his conversation and writings are seldom equaled by men forty years younger.
In person, the judge is of medium height, slender build, of nervous, sanguine
temperament, erect carriage and figure, with an air of modest dignity. His
disposition is genial and he delights to meet his friends for whom as well
as his family, he has strong affection.
SAMUEL H.A WORTH.
The biographer is glad to herein set forth the salient facts in the life
history of the well remembered and highly esteemed citizen whose name ap-
pears above, the last chapter of whose record has been closed by the hand
of death, and the seal set thereon forever, but whose influence still pervades
the lives of those who were closely associated with him. For many years
Mr. Haworth was identified with the growth of Boone county and his name
is therefore worthy of special mention in these pages. The final causes which
shape the fortunes of individual men and the destinies of nations are often
the same. They are usually remote and obscure, their influence wholly unex-
pected until declared by results. When they inspire men to the exercise of
courage, enterprise, self-denial and call into play the higher moral elements,
such causes lead to the planting of great states and great peoples. That
nation is the greatest which produces the greatest and most manly men. Such
a result may not be consciously contemplated by the individuals instrumental
in their production. Pursuing each his personal good by exalted means, they
worked out this as a logical conclusion, for they wrought along the lines of
the greatest good. Thus it is that the safety of the state of Indiana has ever
depended not so much upon methods and measures as upon that manhood
from whose deep sources all that is precious and permanent in life must at
last proceed. These facts were early recognized by the late Samuel Haworth.
and the salient points marked his career, for those who knew him well could
not but help noticing his many manly attributes of head and heart and ap-
preciating his efforts to inspire good citizenship and right living, in both
private and public life, and, because of these many commendable character-
istics he won and retained the confidence and good will of all who knew him
BOONE COUNTY. INDIANA. 88'T
or had dealings with him in any way. He was patriotic and ably supported
the Union in its great crisis.
Mr. Haworth was born in VermiHon county, Illinois, April 14, 1838.
and was a son of Eli and Lydia (Dillon) Haworth, the father a native of
Ohio and the mother of Tennessee. They were early settlers in Illinois where
they devoted their lives to farming, dying there.
Samuel Haworth was reared on the home farm in Illinois and there as-
sisted with the general work and he received his education in the common
schools. On July 12, 1862, he enlisted in Company H, First Regiment United
States Veteran Engineers, in which he served faithfully and efficiently until
July 7, 1865, when he was honorably discharged, after which he returned to
his home in Illinois, and there he married in 1869 Emily Rees, a native of that
state. He had learned the harness-making trade which he worked at after
his marriage in his native state. To his first marriage one son was born,
William E. Haworth who is now living in Whitewater, Wisconsin. The wife
and mother died in 1876 in Kansas, where the family had been living some
time, and there our subject remained until 1879, when he came to Thorntown,
Indiana, and worked at his trade and in October of that year he married
Lydia W. Anderson, who was born in Fayette county, Indiana, and was a
daughter of Wright and Mary (Butler) Anderson, the father a native of
Maryland and the mother of Virginia. The second Mrs. Haworth was the
widow of Joseph Bonsall, who was born in Salem, Ohio, April 14, 1836, and
his death occurred April 19, 1875. To this second union of our subject,
these children were bom : Ernest, who is now living in Iowa, was a soldier
in the Spanish-American war, having enlisted from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Most of his service was at Savannah, Georgia. Mabel, of Terre Haute, Indi-
ana, is assistant principal of the training department of the State Normal
school; Lucy is the wife of Fory Horner, of Thorntown. The two oldest
children are deceased, Mary M. died when three years old and Otis E. died
at the age of thirteen months. Mrs. Haworth has two grandchildren, Char-
lotte and Myron Horner, the former now a student in Purdue University,
LaFayette, Indiana, the latter in business with his father.
Mr. Haworth became very well established in business at Thorntown and
had a pleasant residence here, where his death occurred on July 20, 1911,
since which time his widow has remained alone in the old home. She is a
woman of many praiseworthy characteristics and has a host of warm friends.
882 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
She is a faithful member of the Society of Friends, of which Mr. Haworth
was also a member. Politically, he was a Republican. Fraternally, he
was a member of the Masonic order and he belonged to the Grand Army of
the Republic.
NATHAN A. PERRILL.
The respect which should always be accorded the brave sons of the North
who left their homes and the peaceful pursuits of civil life to give their
services, and their lives, if need be, to preserve the integrity of the American
Union is due Nathan A. Perrill, who, after successfully engaging in various
pursuits is now engaged in the real estate and insurance business in Lebanon
and is also ably discharging the duties of a justice of the peace. He proved
his loyalty to the government on the long and tiresome marches, exposed to
summer's withering heat and winter's freezing cold, where he was a target
for the missile of the unseen foe, on the tented field and amid the flame and
smoke of battle, where the rattle of the musketry mingled with the terrible
concussion of the bursting shell and the deep diapason of the cannon's roar
made up the sublime but awful chorus of death. To the heroes of the "grand
army" all honor is due; to them the country is under a debt of gratitude which
it cannot pay, and in generations yet to be, posterity will commemorate their
chivalry in fitting eulogy and tell their knightly deeds in story and song. To
this rapidly vanishing host into the phantom army of the silent land belongs
Mr. Perrill, still left with us to thrill us with reminiscences of those stirring
times a half century ago.
Mr. Perrill was born January 6, 1844 on a farm in Brown county, Ohio.
He is a son of John and Eliza G. (Wilson) Perrill. The father was born
near Winchester, Virginia, on November 29, 1806, and was a son of John and
Elizabeth (Price) Perrill. John Perrill, Sr., was of English descent. He
remained in Virginia until 1819 when he removed to Ross county, Ohio,
but on account of the unhealth fulness of that locality he later sold out and
moved to Highland county, that state, later to Pike county, where he and wife
spent the rest of their lives. John Perrill, Jr., came to Ohio with his parents
where he grew up amid pioneer surroundings. He settled in Brown county
about 1834 where he farmed until 1856 when he moved to Osage county.
N. A. PERRILL
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. O85
Kansas, continuing farming there until 1877 when he came to Zionsville,
Boone county, Indiana to live with his son, Nathan A., of this sketch. His
death occurred January 8, 1879. Politically, he was first a Whig, later a
Republican. Religiously, he was a Methodist. He married Eliza G. Wilson
September, 15, 1831. She was born in Highland county, Ohio, on November
12, 1812, and her death occurred October 10, 1854.
Nathan A. Perrill grew to manhood on the farm in Osage county, Kan-
sas, where he had gone in 1858, and he received a common school education.
He came east to Ohio in December, 1861, expecting to attend school but on
August 8, 1862, he enlisted in the Eighteenth Ohio Battery, Light Artillery,
and he saw much hard service and proved himself to be a gallant soldier. He
fought in the great battles of Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Nashville,
Franklin, two engagements at Triune, Thompson's Station, siege of Chatta-
nooga, Decatur, Alabama; Shelbyville, Tennessee, Courtland, Alabama and
in the engagements in the Tennessee campaign. He was ten months in camp
at Nashville, and was in a hospital in Nashville for six weeks. He was honor-
ably discharged June 29, 1865.
After his career in the army Mr. Perrill went to Kansas and farmed on
the Marais des Cygnes river until 1877. In June of that year he moved to
Zionsville, Boone county, Indiana, where he operated a drug store for four
years, then lived in Lebanon two years where he worked as deputy county
treasurer, then moved to a farm near Zionsville where he remained two and
one-half years. In 1887 he was again appointed deputy county treasurer
which position he filled until 1889 when he entered the grain business, in an
elevator in Lebanon until 1894 when he opened a real estate and insurance
office in the county-seat, and has also been justice of the peace since that year.
He has built up a very satisfactory business and as a justice has given
eminent satisfaction, as his long retention would indicate.
Politically, Mr. Perrill is a Republican and has long been active in party
affairs. While living in Kansas he was representative from his district to the
state legislature for two terms, serving his constituents in an able and highly
acceptable manner. He was also township treasurer and justice of the peace
there. Religiously, he is a member of the Presbyterian church, and frater-
nally is a member of the Masonic Order. He belongs to Rich Mountain Post,
No. 42, Grand Army of the Republic, at Lebanon.
Mr. Perrill was married June 8, 1871 to Ellen Conn, in Ripley, Brown
COUNTY, INDIANA.
county, Ohio. She was born in Brown county, that state. October 4, 1848,
and her death occurred June 14, 1885. To this union five children were
bom, namely: Eliza E., born August 31, 1872, died when two months old;
Harlan P., born November 2'/, 1874, in Osage county, Kansas, is now a lieu-
tenant commander in the United States navy; Hattie L., born April 29, 1877,
in Ripley, Brown county^ Ohio, is now the wife of C. W. Lang, of Man-
chester, Ohio; Maggie Faye, born November 12, 1879, in Zionsville, Indiana,
is a trained nurse, now living in Indianapolis being a supervisor of private
floor in the Long hospital: John A., born June 2. 1882, in Lebanon, died
August 26, 1904.
Mr. Perrill was again married on October 18, 1887, to Sarah M. Molden,
who was born March 3. 1853, in Washington county. Ohio, and her death
occurred March 17, 1903 in Lebanon. On June 10. 1908, our subject mar-
ried Ada J. Pratt, who was bom in Vermilion county. Illinois, July 4, i860,
and her death occurred January 7, 1913.
THOMAS V. CALDWELL.
In nearly every community ha\e lived indi\icluals who by their innate
ability and sheer force of character have risen above their fellows who have
been content to merely drift with the current. Of the former class was the
late Thomas V. Caldwell, who for many years, was identified with the agri-
cultural life of Sugar Creek township, Boone county, his career as a progressive
man of affairs having been synonymous with all that was upright and honor-
able in citizenship. He contributed freely to the maintenance of his church
and all other institutions which he deemed would make for the general good,
using his influence in a general way to advance the public good and the indi-
vidual interests of his neighbors and close friends. He was a public-spirited
citizen and a whole-souled gentleman, whom to know was to admire and
respect, and he not only delighted in public improvements, but liked to see also
the promotion of such interests as were conducive to the comfort and happi-
ness of his fellow citizens. The life of Mr. Caldwell most happily illustrates
what one may accomplish by faithful and persistent effort in carrying out
noble purposes, even in the face of discouraging circumstances. It is the
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 887
Story of a life that has made the world better for his having lived in it, for
his actions sprang from a heart filled with the best feeling for humanity and
was a blessing to all who were within range of his influence. Personally,
Mr. Caldwell was a broad-minded, obliging, genial gentleman, his private
character having always been unassailable. His life may be safely imitated
by the young, and the great amount of good which he did, while laboring for
his own advancement and that of his family, will never be fully known until
the last great day when the Ijook of life shall be opened and every man receive
due credit for his works, his actions and his influence while on earth.
Mr. Caldwell was Ijorn in Franklin county, Indiana, March i6, 1834.
He was a son of David and Elizabeth (Wanzsly) Caldwell, natives of Ohio
and early settlers in Franklin county, Indiana, later removing to Decatur
county, this state, arid finally to Warwick county where they died, having de-
voted their lives to farming.
Thomas V. Caldwell was reared im the home farm and worked hard in
those early times, and he received a meager education in the old-time sub-
scription schools. When twenty-two years of age he began farming for
himself on the home place and when the Civil war came on, he enlisted in the
Forty-second Indiana Volunteer Infantry and proved to be a most faithful
and gallant soldier for the Union. He was on furlough in Marion county,
this state, when he married. February 11, 1864, Elizabeth Clark, who was born
February 10, 1834, in Jennings county, Indiana, from which her parents
moved to Marion county in 1835. After his marriage Mr. Caldwell returned
to his regiment in the field and he wasin many battles but was never wounded.
He was honorably discharged in July, 1865. After the war he moved to
Boone county and purchased a farm in Jefferson township, forty acres lying
in section 16, thirty acres of which was timbered and on it stood a log cabin
and a log stable. He set to work with a will and cleared and developed the
place and built a comfortable house and there he resided fifteen years when he
sold out and moved to Washington township, buying one hundred and twenty
acres. This he sold two years later and bought an eighty acre farm of which
only about thirteen acres were cleared. He began farming here in 1883 and
continued successfully as a general farmer and stock raiser until his death.
Politically, Mr. Caldwell was an ardent Republican. He was a member
of the Grand Army of the Republic at Thorntown. He was a devout member
OOO BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
of the Presbyterian church and active in the afYairs of the same. He was for
many years a member of the Presbyterian session.
Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell, namely : Edward
M., who was killed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1896; Anna E. lives with her
mother in Thorntown ; and Irvin, who lives in LaFayette, Indiana.
FRANK E. LOOSE.
Agriculture has been the true source of man's dominion on earth ever
since the primal existence of labor and has been the pivotal industry that has
controlled for the most part all the fields of action to which his intelligence
and energy have been devoted. In a civilized community no calling is so
certain of yielding a compensatory return as that which is culled from a kindly
soil, albeit the husbandman at times is sorely taxed in coaxing from Mother
Earth all he desires or even expects; yet she is a kind mother and seldom
chastens with disappointment the child whose diligence and frugality she
deems it but just should be rewarded. One of those who have found a bene-
factress in Mother Earth is Frank E. Loose, one of the successful farmers in
Worth township, Boone county, who is now living in honorable retirement.
He has never found allurements for any kind of work outside the realm of
Nature, and, having been a close student of the soils, the climate, the crops and
all the phases that contribute to husbandry he has profited by his observation
and always kept well abreast of the times as an agriculturist.
Mr. Loose was born in Springfield, Illinois, December 5, 1859. He is a
son of Jacob G. and Elizabeth (lies) Loose, the father bom near Greencastle,
Pennsylvania, and the mother in Bath county, Kentucky. Jacob G. Loose
was a neighbor and close friend of Abraham Lincoln, and helped nominate and
elect him President. In the latter state was also born Washington lies, the
maternal grandfather, who was one of the first settlers in Illinois, locating at
Springfield when there was but a few hundred inhabitants there. Mr. lies
spent the rest of his life at Springfield. Mr. Loose was married and there he
clerked in a store for five dollars a week. He finally bought an interest in
the store, which was owned by a Mr. Hawley. Later he began buying land
and was the first to start a coal mine in that locality, which mine lie finally
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 889
developed, becoming an extensive land owner and coal mine operator, owning
the Springfield Junction Coal Mines and was one of the substantial citizens
there at the time of his death, November 4, 1874. His widow survived to
an advanced age, dying February 12. 1908.
Frank E. Loose was reared on the home farm and educated in the com-
mon schools, also attended school at St. James College, Hagerstown, Mary-
land, for a time. He was an assiduous student and finally lost an eye as the
result of close study. After his father's death, he operated the home farm
until he was seventeen years old, and then was assistant superintendent of a
coal mine until he was nineteen, remaining at home until his marriage on
September 3, 1879, to Fannie R. Madison, who was born in Tuscola, Illinois,
and was a daughter of John M. and Jennie (Rankin) Madison, natives of
Cynthiana, Kentucky, and a highly respected family. Mrs. Loose was edu-
cated in the public schools. Three daughters have been born to our subject
and wife, Jennie L., who married Wilbur Allen and lives with her father,
and two daughters, both of whom died in infancy. The wife of our subject
passed to her eternal rest June 25, 1897, and on July 27, 1898, Mr. Loose
married Mary Estelle Faris, who was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and is a
daughter of S. J. and Drucilla (Rector) Faris, natives of Ohio. One daugh-
ter, Helen Louise, born May 29, 1902, was born of his second marriage.
Politically, he is a Republican. He belongs to the Masonic order, both the
Chapter and Conmiandery. He was formerly a member of the Christian
church, but is now a Presbyterian as is also his wife.
After his marriage Mr. Loose lived one year with his mother, then
moved to Tuscola, Illinois, spending a year on a farm near there, after which
he went to Staunton and started a grocery store which he continued two years
and sold out, returned to Tuscola and bought the farm he had lived on before
and this he operated until 1902, when he purchased four hundred and thirty-
nine acres in Harrison township, Boone county, Indiana. However, he then
went to California where he spent a year, then came to Lebanon and lived
there two years, after which he moved to his farm where he fed cattle and
hogs, but rented his land out, later selling it. intending to return to California
to make his future home. He finally purchased a home in Worth township,
Boone county, and bought stock in the First National Bank of Lebanon, of
which he was one of the principal stock holders until he sold his stock. He
890 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
purchased a farm in Worth township of one hundred and thirty acres, later
bought two hundred twenty-one and one-half acres in Center township,
which he oversees but hires worked. He also owns valuable property in
Lebanon, and he is now living in retirement at his commodious and attractive
home in Worth township, three-fourths of a mile west of Whitestown. He
has managed well, exercised keen business judgment and has accumulated
a handsome com])etency.
BEN. F. McKEV
Ben. F. McKey, the editor of the Pioneer, at Lebanon, Boone county.
Indiana, was born in Montgomery county, Luliana, December 5. 1857, and
springs from an old family of Scotch-Irish extraction. His great-grandfa-
ther, Benjamin McKey, was born in Ireland in 1775. and married Polly
Putter in eastern Tennessee. Here his grandfather, Benjamin McKey, was
born June 18, 1807. He married Catharine, daughter of John Coon, in
east Tennessee, and died at Crawfonlsville, Indiana, July J7, 1839. Jeffer-
son C. McKey, father of the subject of tliis sketch, was a nati\e of east Ten-
nessee, born near Knoxville, and was (juite young when he came to Indiana
and located in Montgomery county, where he followed farming and also
liis vocation as carpenter and builder. In 1856 he married, in that county.
;\liss Sarah A. Sering, daughter of George A. and Nancy Sering, the former
of whom came from a family of prominent farmers in Union county, but
later became a -citizen of Boone county, where he passed the last years of his
life. Jefferson C. McKey is now a citizen of Boone, and resides in Lebanon.
Ben. F. McKey, in 1865, came to Boone county with his tatlicr. who
settled on a farm near what is now the town of Achance. He attended tlie
district schools of the county and worked on the fann until March. 1870.
when the family moved to Lebanon where Ben. V. attended the public schools
for three years, and in 1873 entered the Pioneer office as an apprentice under
Ben A. Smith. He tlien went to Covington. Indiana, with Mr. Smith and
for two years worked on the People's Friend. In 1876 he returned to Leb-
anon, worked for some time on the Democrat, a newspaper venture which
found an early grave, and then went witli Mr. Smith to Laurel. Franklin
county, where he worked on the Rei'ie'^' for a year. He next came hack to
Lebanon and here attended tlie public school under Prof. John \V. Ki.se.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 89I
Mr. McKey then went to work on the Patriot for John A. Abbott, until
January i, 1879, when he became foreman of the Lebanon Pioneer, after-
ward, under Dr. T. H. Harrison, took the management of the paper, be-
came a local writer, and soon had thrust upon him the entire responsibility
of the establishment. In 1889 he leased the office from Dr. Harrison for a
year and at the end of that time purchased the plant and has since been editor
and proprietor. Mr. McKey began at the bottom of the ladder; by thor-
ough ability, foresight and good management he has placed the Pioneer in
its present prosperous condition. He has recently sold an interest in the
Pioneer to his son, Claude D. McKey, and his son-in-law, Nonnan O.
Edwards:
The marriage of Mr. McKey took place March 31, 1880, to Miss Jennie
Dyson, of Lebanon, who died April 28, 1902. On July 12, 1904, he married
Miss Fronia B. Shaw. Mr. McKey is a member of the Centenary Metho-
dist Episcopal church, and has for over thirty years or more held an official
position in that church. Fraternally he is a Knight of Pythias, Red Man,
Odd Fellow and a Mason.
ROY N. OTTINGER.
The various agricultural congresses, exhibits of the products of the
soil, frequently given here and there over the land, agents from government
bureaus and experiment stations and a number of others aim to teach the
farmer how to raise bigger and better crops, and also to help the producer to
get a larger share of the price the consumer has to pay for what he eats.
They aim to help the farmer to make farming more profitable without mak-
ing the increased profit a burden to the consumer. One of the ways of bring-
ing this about, we are told, is to devise a system of marketing that will get to
the consumer vast quantities of perishable stufif that now goes to waste in field
and orchard because the farmer cannot get enough for it to pay him to ship it.
One of the younger generation of farmers of Worth township, Boone county,
who is a student of present-day conditions as relates to the various phases of
agriculture, production and consumption, and who is making a success because
of his industry and thought fulness along these vital lines is RoyN. Ottinger.
Mr. Ottinger was born in eastern Tennessee, December 25, 1884- .He is
•892 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
a son of Timothy and Emma (Rader) Ottinger, both natives of eastern
Tennessee, where they grew to maturity, were educated in the rural schools
and there were married. They established themselves on a farm where the
father spent the rest of his life, dying about 1896, and there his widow still
resides. To these parents the following children were born: Rufus, who
lives in eastern Tennessee ; Calvin lives in Morristown, Tennessee ; Mack lives
in Boone county, Indiana; Roy N., of this sketch; Carl lives in Boone county.
Roy N. Ottinger grew to manhood on the home farm in his native state,
and received a common school education. In September, 1904, he left
Tennessee and came to Worth township, Boone county, where he worked out
at farming three years, then rented land. He now owns fourteen acres and
in connection with this, works one hundred acres of his mother-in-law's farm,
successfully carrying on general farming and stock raising, and keeping the
land not only well cultivated but well improved.
Mr. Ottinger was married July 26, 1908, to Lovie Ottinger, who was
born in this township and county and here grew to womanhood and was eau-
cated. She is a daughter of John and Dema (Liebhardt) Ottinger. natives
of Boone county, where they grew up and were married and here established
the family home. Mr. Ottinger died in 1904. but his widow is living in
Whitestown, Indiana.
Politically, our subject votes independently, and religiously he is a mem-
ber of the Lutheran church.
PHIL .\DLER.
Phil Adler was born in Weston. Platte county. Missouri, September i,
1858. His father, Morris Adler, was bom at Frankfurt on the Main. His
mother, Zelia Wise, was bom at Wurzburg, Gemiany. They emigrated
to the United States and settled in Missouri. Later Mr. .idler's father re-
moved to Ohio, residing for a time at Columbus and Cincinnati.
Mr. Adler. the subject of this sketch, was reared in Cincinnati and his
education was obtained in its city schools, which, however, was meager.
After passing the fifth grade, he. by force of circumstance, was compelled to
assist in earning a livlihood and began business as a newsboy, later securing
a position as a clerk in a wholesale house, mastering the ins and outs of the
PHILIP ABLER
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 895-
mercantile business. For a number of years he was a traveling salesman;
seeing the great advantages of Lebanon and Boone county he engaged in
business in his adopted city, in March, 1884, and has continued in the mer-
cantile business in Lebanon, with a short interruption ever since.
From the small beginning on South Lebanon street he developed the
well known Cincinnati Store. In 1904 he reorganized his commercial activ-
ities and greatly enlarged his business. His success has been constant; his
business establishment is one of the most modern of the city and would do
credit to cities many times the size of Lebanon. Lie carries a large stock
of up-to-date goods and enjoys the largest trade in the drygoods line in his
home city. His customers are numerous and come from the remote portions
of the county.
Mr. Adler was married September 22, 1886, to Miss Minnie Valentine,
of Cincinnati, Ohio, who was born in New York City and moved to Cin-
cinnati, where she grew to womanhood. She was a daughter of Mark and
Hannah Valentine, both being natives of London, England, who emigrated
to the United States in early life. Mrs. Adler is a lady of much refinement
and possesses many admirable qualities.
Mr. and Mrs. Adler have three children, Mark, who resides in Lebanon
and is engaged in business with his father and is a promising young business
man of capacity; Miss Cecil, who is at home, as well as Mr. Philip Adler, Jr.,
who is now in school.
Mr. Adler has been the architect of his own success; he is truly a self-
made man. During his early years adverses made demands upon him' which
would have discouraged those of less force and will power. His indomitable
courage, large hope and determined purpose, brooked no opposition. He is a
leader among men as a man of affairs, sound of judgment, liberal in views
and strong in purpose. He has been a most useful citizen in the upbuilding
of Lebanon, being identified with all of its prominent undertakings in the
past twenty-five years.
In all his business undertakings he has been most enthusiastically sup-
ported by Miss Hattie Adler, his sister, who has been associated with him in
business and upon whom Mr. Adler relies for counsel and advice and to
whom he gives great credit for his own success.
Mr. Adler has not held public ofiice, but has been identified with com-
mercial undertakings in the upbuilding of his home city.
(.S4)
S96 BOONE COUNTYj INDIANA.
DAVID M. BURNS.
There is no profession in life of more importance and usefulness thac
that of surveyor and civil engineer. Until a country is surveyed, and the
towns, roads and ditches laid out, there is no system in its settlement, and its
crooked by-paths and by-roads of the early settlers marks its state of un-
civilization. With the surveyor comes system and prosperity. Another vo-
cation of equal importance and civilization is that of the school teacher and
it is safe to say that without his efforts, the people of the United States would
have lapsed into barbarism, or at least would have retrograded from the
condition of their European ancestors. David M. Burns, our subject, has
honored both of these professions and his life is marked by his efforts as a
public benefactor. He springs from sterling Scotch ancestry. John Burns,
the grandfather of our subject was a descendant of tlie famous Scotch
Presbyterian covenanters who fled from Scotland to Ireland on account of
religious persecution. The founders of the family in America were three
brothers — John, Andrew and one whose name is not remembered. John
was the original pioneer, coming before his brothers and settling in Penn-
sylvania a short time before the Revolutionary war. He served throughout
that war, nearly eight years, and was in the battles of Trenton, Camden and
many others. He was wounded in the ami at the battle of Brandywine and
was one of those heroes who passed through tlie terrible winter with Wash-
ington at Valley Forge. He married Catherine Gray and settled in Nicho-
las county. Kentucky, among the pioneers, a short time after the Revolu-
tionary war. Here he cleared up a farm in the wilderness and his home
was blessed with ten children — William, John, James, David, Andrew, Jen-
nie, Polly, Robert, Thomas and Joseph. He became an extensive landowner
and gave all the children good farms. He lived to be seventy-four years of
age and both he and wife were members of the Presbyterian church. In
political opinions he was an old-time Whig. He was a typical American
pioneer and a man of high character.
Andrew Burns, father of our subject, was born in Nicholas county,
Kentucky, August 29, 1795. He had more than an ordinary education for
his time and taught school in Kentucky for many years, and also taught
vocal music. He married Nancy, daughter of Archibald and Jane (Farris)
Brown. After marriage Mr. Burns settled in Nicholas county, Kentucky,
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
85>7
on a farm adjoining his lather's. In 1834 he moved to Orange county, In-
diana, and in 1836 he came to Boone county and settled on a farm two miles
north of Lebanon. He died two years later, on his forty-third birthday.
He was a hard-working pioneer citizen. He and wife were members of the
Presbyterian church. Mr. Burns was a man of stanch virtues. His chil-
dren are — John B., Archibald, William W., David M., and Elvira R, all
born in Nicholas county, Kentucky.
David M. Burns, our subject, was liorn in Nicholas county, Kentucky,
on his father's farm, Februar}' 10, 1832, and was but two and one-half yeai^s
of age when his father settled in Indiana. After the death of his father his
mother returned to Kentucky, and afterward married Jonathan Parish, and
one son was bom to this union — Jonathan M. Mrs. Parish was accidentally
killed by the discharge of a gun, May 27, 1S45.
David M. Bums received a common school education, and then attended
a select school in Montgomery county, Kentucky, and afterward at Sharps-
898 IHJONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
burg academy, his cousin, James Harvey Burns, being his teacher at both in-
stitutions. The professor was a graduate of Georgetown college and an edu-
cator of wide abilities and experience. David M. Burns began teaching at
Wren's school-house in the select school of his cousin, as an assistant, when
he was nineteen years of age, and afterward taught in Nicholas county one
year. On July i, 1852, he married, in Nicholas county, Kentucky, Elgiva
J., daughter of Thomas and Jane (Grimes) Clark. Mr. Clark was from an
old American family of German stock, was an old settler of Nicholas county,
a prominent farmer and justice of the peace and a class leader in the Metho-
dist church.
To Mr. and Mrs. Burns two children were born — Mollie C, who mar-
ried Dr. Eli L. Brown, of Thomtown, and Nancy E., who married Thomas
W. Huckstep, a surveyor and civil engineer of Lebanon. Both the daugh-
ters were born in Boone county, where Mr. Burns settled in October. 1852.
on the farm first occupied by his father. Mr. Burns lived on this farm until
1855, then resided in Lebanon until 1857, and then lived on his farm until
1886. He then returned to Lebanon where he resided until his death. He
taught school the winter of 1853 in Washington township and in 1855 was
principal of a department of the schools at Lebanon. He was principal of
the public schools at Thomtown in the years 1858, 1859, i860, 1861, 1862.
and during this time was appointed deputy county surveyor of Boone count\-
in 1858 and was elected county surveyor in i860 and held this important
office until 1876, the long period of sixteen years, a deputy sening under
him while he was in the army. Mr. Burns was principal of the High school
of Lebanon until December 10, 1863. on which date he enlisted at Lebanon
in Company H, One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Regiment (Eleventh Cav-
alry), under Capt. Mason S. Hamilton, Col. Robert Stewart. His service
was principally in Alabama, where he served one year, when he was taken
sick from exposure, and was in hospital at Nashville, Jefifersonville, Madi-
son and Indianapolis, and was honorably discharged at the latter place on
account of disability, April 17th, 1865. On returning to Lebanon lie re-
sumed teaching, and the winter of 1865-6 he taught at Mechanicsburg and
the next winter at Thorntown. He taught the high grade of the Lebanon
public schools in 1870, which completed his career as a teacher, after the
long service of nearly twenty years. He was county surveyor from i860
to 1876 and either attended to his duties personally or employed a deputy.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 899
As surveyor of Boone county for this long period he surveyed and laid out
many important ditches and roads, and was especially active in his work in
the gravel roads. He done the work of civil engineer for the city of Leb-
anon from its organization for years. He was city engineer in 1895 ^^^ was
assisted by his son-in-law, Thomas W. Huckstep from 1875. Mrs. Burns
died November 12, 1881, and Mr. Burns married Margaret J., daughter of
John and Sarah (Peck) Richey. Mr. Richey was born in New York, reared
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was one of the early pioneers of Boone
county, coming from Ohio and locating in Tippecanoe county in 1828; and
in 1835 he came to Boone county, where he entered his land in Washington
township. He became an honored citizen, township trustee and a substan-
tial farmer. He had one son in the Civil war, James. Mr. Richey lived
to be seventy-eight years old, and died August 12, 1883, on his farm.
Mr. Bums was one of the most prominent Masons in Boone county.
He was a member of Boone Lodge No. 9, and held the offices of senior
deacon, junior warden, and master at different times from 1876 for about
eight years. He was also a member of the chapter — a royal arch mason
and was high priest, an office which he filled with the exception of one year
upward of twenty years. He was a member of the royal and select masters
and also illustrious master. He was also a Knight Templar, Frankfort
Commandery. Mr. Bums was also a member of the Scottish Rite, Indiana
consistory of Indianapolis, which includes the thirty-second degree. Mr.
Burns was grand chaplain of the grand chapter of the state of Indiana and
held that office for years. He was also chaplain of the grand council of
royal and select masters from 1888 to 1893. He was chaplain of the order
of high priests of the state of Indiana. Both Mr. and Mrs. Burns were mem-
bers of the Eastern Star, a Masonic body, and Mr. Burns worthy patron for
four years. He and wife were members of the Presbyterian church, in
which he had been elder for a long period. Mr. Burns was a member of
the Grand Army of the Republic. Rich Mountain Post No. 42, Lebanon,
and was post commander. By perseverance and good management, Mr.
Burns succeeded financially and was in prosperous circumstances and was
highly respected in Boone county as an honest citizen. His best roll of
honor was the names of his former pupils, many of whom are now promi-
nent citizens and whom he assisted to become more efficient men and women.
He died October 10, 1910.
900 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
BERT ISENHOUR.
We read a great deal nowadays regarding inadequate methods of the
producers on the farms and gardens to properly market their stuff, many
claiming that they are not getting proper returns ; but some think the market-
ing problem will be partly solved through stimulating the farmers to better
methods of production, based on the psychological fact that when you can
get a person to do any part of a business well he is not afterwards satisfied
to do any part of it badly. There is at least one farmer of Worth town-
ship, Boone county, who needs no advice along this line, for he has always
tried to do well whatever he deemed worth doing at all. We refer to Bert
Isenhour, one of our most careful tillers of the soil of the younger generation.
Mr. Isenhour was born in the above named township and county, on
November 4, 1879. He is a son of James and Lydia (Markland) Isenhour,
the father also a native of Worth township, Boone county, and the mother
was born in Traders Point, Indiana. The Isenhour family was among the
early settlers of this locality, and here James grew to manhood, was educated
in the old-time schools, married and settled on a farm, and he and his wife
became the parents of the following children : William H., who lives in
Fountaintown, Indiana ; Walter J. is deceased ; Bert of this sketch ; Guy died
when twenty-seven years of age; Cleveland lives in Whitestown, this state:
Arvie is a resident of Lebanon ; John lives in Worth township : Franklin, the
youngest, is at home.
Bert Isenhour grew up on the home farm and received a common school
education. He remained at home with his parents until his marriage on
February 4, 1903, to Evelyn Keeney, who was born in Eagle township, this
county, where she was reared and educated. She is a daughter of George
Keeney, who was a native of Virginia, and who settled here many years ago.
After his marriage Mr. Isenhour moved to the old home farm, his father
having left it and moved to Whitestown. Our subject rents sixty-three acres
from his father, which he operates in connection with forty-eight acres which
he owns, and which joins the homestead. He carries on general farming and
stock raising, horses, cattle and hogs, and is doing well in both departments,
being a hard worker and a man of sound judgment. He is keeping the home
place in good shape in every respect.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 9OI
Politically, Mr. Isenhour is a Democrat.. He belongs to the Improved
Order of Red Men, and the Haymakers at Whitestown. He is a member
of the Methodist Episcopal church at Whitestown.
To Mr. and Mrs. Isenhour the following children were born: Mabel
Maurine, born October 6, 1903, and Helen Fay, born August 16, 1908. They
are both at home, keeping house for their father, their mother having been
called to her eternal rest on October 6, 1913. She was a good woman, had
lots of friends and was an excellent helpmeet and kind mother.
T. N. ARMSTRONG.
I. N. Armstrong, for many years a well-known farmer and a practical
blacksmith of Sugar Creek township, Boone county, Indiana, was bom in
the state of Ohio in the year 1824. His father, Christopher Armstrong,
died in 1834, having lost his wife some years previously, our subject thus be-
coming an orphan at the early age of ten years. The parents were church
members, and carefully reared their three children to a life of morality as
long as they were spared to them, and instilled such lessons of usefulness and
industry as made their offspring the valued members of society they after-
ward became. The family settled early in Franklin county, Indiana, and
in Metamora, that county, I. N. Armstrong served an apprenticeship of four
years at blacksmithing, becoming an adept at the trade. From Metamora
he moved to New Trenton, in the same county, where, for twelve years, he
followed his trade with much pecuniary profit. While a resident of New-
Trenton he married, in 1844, Miss Mary Sparks, a native of Franklin county,
bom in 1825. This marriage was blessed with four children, namely :
Charles A., who died an infant; George, also deceased; Frank, now a hard-
ware merchant at Thomtown and Willie, a babe that died when five weeks
old. Relinquishing his trade in New Trenton for the pursuit of agriculture,
Mr. Armstrong traded off his establishment for a farm of 160 acres in the
vicinity and cultivated it for ten years, and then came to Boone county, in
1866, and bought a farm of 160 acres, which he partially improved, but in a
short time moved to Colfax, Clinton county, Indiana, and followed his trade
for eight years; he then returned to his farm in Boone county, on which he
902 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
resided two years. He again became tired of fami life and moved back to
Colfax where, in partnership with his son, Frank, he went into the hardware
business. Four years later, he returned to his farm in Boone county. Mr.
Armstrong's death occurred in Thorntown on June lo, 1909, and Mrs. Arm-
strong passed away a few years later, her death occurring August 5, 1913.
Religiously, Mr. Amnstrong affiliated with the Presbyterian church and
politically was a Democrat.
THEODORE CHARLES WALTZ.
Self-assertion is believed by many people to be absolutely necessary to
success in life, and there are good reasons for the entertainment of such be-
lief. The modest man very rarely gets what is due him. The selfish, aggres-
sive man elbows his way to the front, takes all that is in sight and it some-
times seems that modesty is a sin with self-denial the penalty. There are,
however, exceptions to all rules and it is a matter greatly to be regretted that
the exceptions' to the conditions referred to are not more numerous. One
notable exception is the case of Theodore Charles Waltz, the talented photo-
grapher of Lebanon, Boone county, who seems to possess just a sufficient
amount of modesty to be a gentleman at all times and yet sufficient persistency
to win in the world's affairs and at the same time not appear overbold; and
as a result of these well and happily blended qualities. Mr. Waltz has won a
host of friends here, being known as a man of integrity and ability.
Mr. Waltz was born in Jefferson county, Indiana, November 30, 1875.
He is a son of John and Annie (Webb) Waltz. The father was born in
Switzerland county, Indiana, February 2, 1827, and was a son of Henry and
Hannah Waltz. Henry Waltz was a native of Pennsylvania and was a
pioneer of Switzerland county, Indiana. John Waltz devoted his life to
farming, for the most part. However, he followed the river some and was a
pilot on a steamboat on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers from Madison, Indi-
ana to New Orleans, when river commerce was in its prime in America, and
steamboat captains and pilots were regarded as men of far greater im-
portance than they are today, when boats form a small part of our means
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 9O5
of transportation. The death of John WaUz occurred in April, 1907.
PoHtically, he was a Repubhcan, and in rehgious matters a Presbyterian.
He belonged to the Masonic order, attaining the Knights Templar degree.
His wife, Anna Webb, was a native of Maryland, born April 15, 1836, and
her death occurred February 23, 1893.
Theodore C. Waltz grew up on the farm where he worked when a boy,
and he received a common school education. He worked on the farm until
1897, then learned photography and located at Greenwood, Indiana, where he
was later married to Zerelda M. Daily, July 17, 1902. He maintained a
well patronized gallery at Greenwood for three years, then in 1900 went to
Summitville, this state, where he remained one year, and although he had a
good business there, he desired a larger field for the exercise of his talents
and came to Lebanon, but not long thereafter went to Columbus, Indiana,
where he followed the carpenter's trade until 1907, when he again established
himself in Lebanon and has remained there to the present time. His studio
is well patronized and he ranks with the leading photographers in this sec-
tion of the state. He is a close observer of the progress made in his field
of endeavor and keeps well up-to-date and many of his customers come from
remote parts of the county, and all receive fair and courteous treatment and
his work is not only high-grade but promptly done. Mrs. Waltz has been an
active factor in building up the large and lucrative business that the Waltz
studio enjoys. She is a lady of culture and refinement and stands high
socially, having a very large acquaintance in Boone county. Mrs. Waltz is
a true helpmeet in every sense, ably assisting at the studio besides caring for
the model home where old time hospitality is enjoyed by their numerous
friends.
Mrs. Waltz was born September 8, 1886, and is a daughter of Charles
D. and Maude E. (Parcels) Daily. Her father was born September 16,
1856, at New Carlisle, Ohio, and is a son of Charles R. and Mary A. Daily.
Both parents of Mrs. Waltz are still living. The grandparents of Mrs.
Waltz were Charles R. Daily, born December 23, 1810, at Wilkesbarre,
Pennsylvania, and Mary Ann (Hay) Daily, who was bom July 17, 1831.
Soon after marriage they moved to Crawfordsville, Indiana, but later re-
moving to New Carlisle, Ohio, where Americus C. Daily, ex-auditor of state
9G6 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
was bom. They located in Lebanon in 1879, where they Hved until their
deaths, Mr. Daily's occurring November 2, 1893, and his wife's January 28,
1898. The Daily family is most favorably known throughout Boone county.
Politically, Mr. Waltz is a Republican and in religious matters, Mr.
Waltz and family attend church and Sunday school at the First Baptist
church.
SAMUEL HOLLINGSWORTH.
Samuel HoUingsworth, one of the very early settlers of Jefferson town-
ship, Boone county, Indiana, was a native of this state, having been born
in Union county, February 6, 1816. His parents were Isaiah and Patience
(Smith) HoUingsworth, natives of North Carolina and of English descent.
Isaiah came to Indiana in 1800, when the now state was a territory', and he
may be fully termed a pioneer. In 1833, he came to Boone county, where
he lived a pure and industrious existence until his final relief from earthly
cares in 1873, his wife joining him in 1877 in that "undiscovered country
from whose bourne no traveler e'er yet returned." The lamented parents
had born to them ten children, named as follows: Joseph. Newton. Eber,
Samuel, Hannah, Caroline, Smith, Anna, Sarah and Mary.
Samuel HoUingsworth was reared by his father to a thorough knowl-
edge of agriculture and consequently made a success in life as a farmer.
His marriage took place in January, 1841, to Miss Fanny Alexander, daugh-
ter of William and Elizabeth (Denny) Alexander. The two children born
to Mr. and Mrs. HoUingsworth were Mar}' J., wife of George Miller and
William W., who was married January 14, 1879, to Mary Cliambers. of
Kentucky. After the marriage of Mr. Hollingswortli he settled down to
the solid life of a farmer in the wilderness of Indiana, where, at that time,
Indians were about as numerous as the wild animals, and of the two infest-
ments, the latter were the more preferable, inasmuch as they afforded a
source of food. His first presidential vote was for the old "hero of Tippe-
canoe," William H. Harrison, but, after the dissolution of the Whig party,
he became a stanch Republican. Mr. HoUingsworth's death occurred in
March, 1894 at the age of seventy-eight years.
liUONE COUNiy, INDIANA. 9O7
STRANGE N. CRAGUN.
Strange N. Cragun, the well-known and efficient ex-editor and owner
of the Lebanon {Indiana) Patriot, springs from sturdy Scotch-Irish ances-
try, his great-grandfather having come from the north of Ireland in an
early day and having settled in Virginia. His son, Elisha Cragun, grand-
father of Strang-e N., was born in that state, but was among the pioneers
of the southeast part of Rush county, Indiana, whence, in 1835, he came to
Boone county and located in Eagle township, but aftenvard went west with
his family and died at Council Bluffs, Iowa. 'l"he family, however, con-
tinued their journey westward and settled in Utah, where members of them
still live. Hiram Cragun, son of Elisha and father of Strange N., was born
in Rush county, Indiana, near the Franklin county line, December 8, 1816,
was reared a farmer, and was nineteen years of age when he accompanied
his father to Boone county. The farm on which they here settled was very
heavily timbered, and Hiram, who was a very industrious and hard-working-
man, did a vast amount of work in assisting his father in clearing away the
fine black walnut trees and in burning them in piles to get rid of them.
Hiram was married in Boone county to Reiter, daughter of Robert Dooley,
and to this union were born nine children, of whom seven grew to maturity,
viz.: Josephine, Neb, Melvina, George C, Hiram, Strange N., and Lorenzo
D. The farm owned by Hiram Cragun comprised two hundred forty-fi\e
acres, and on this he lived until 1884, when he died at the age of sixty-six
years, universally respected. He was a Democrat in politics until the firing
on Fort Sumter, when he became a strong Republican and an ardent Union
man; he was also a great admirer of Abraham Lincoln. With his wife, he
was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and for many years was a
class leader of the Pleasant View society, which he assisted in founding, and
which first met in the "little brick" school-house in the northeast part of
Eagle township; he was a man of high character, very exact, and held hy-
pocrisy in utter abhorrence.
Strange N. Cragun was born July 24, 1857, on his father's farm in
Eagle township, Boone county, Indiana. He received his preparatory edu-
cation in the common schools, and this was supplemented by a course of
three years at the Zionsville academy and one term at Purdue University.
goS BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
He became a teacher in Boone county at the age of seventeen, in 1874, and
taught in the district schools of Worth township, and in the graded school
at Zionsville — four years in all — and then had charge of the graded school
of Reelsville, Putnam county, Indiana, for one year. In the spring of 1879,
while on a visit to Purdue University, Mr. Cragun went before the board of
examiners of candidates for admission to West Point Military Academy,
and from thirty-one applicants from the ninth congressional district he was
selected for the important and distinguished appointment. At West Point
he was obliged to undergo another examination, and of the one hundred
sixty applicants he was one of the one hundred twenty to pass the severe
ordeal. On the twentieth of June following (1879) he reported at West
Point and was admitted to the class of 1883, but two years later, on account
of impaired eyesight, he was obliged to tender his resignation.
In the spring of 1881, Mr. Cragun returned to Boone county and ac-
cepted the principalship of the Whitestown graded schools for one year,
when he was called to Zionsville, to form a joint principalship with W. B.
Alford, which lasted one year. He then went to Lebanon, and for four
years was principal of the high school. In 1887 Mr. Cragun was elected
county superintendent of schools, a position he filled four years and three
months, serving out the unexpired term of Harvey M. LaFollette and twice
thereafter elected for full terms. During his administration, he brought the
schools up to a high standard and introduced new courses of study, secur-
ing uniformity in the grading of the schools, making the township insti-
tute much more effective, and achieving the reputation of being an excellent
disciplinarian both as a teacher and a superintendent. He was strict, but
impartial, in his examination of teachers, and reduced the number of licenses
nearly one-half, extending the policy of his predecessor, Mr. LaFollette.
May 2, 1891, Mr. Cragun bought the Lebanon Patriot, the oldest news-
paper in Boone county, that has been published continuously, dating its
birth from 1857. It is Republican in its politics and is independent and out-
spoken in the advocacy of the principles of that party, and in its discussion
of local and county questions and measures. Mr. Cragun greatly increased
its subscription list, this increase arising from the improvement he made in
its leading articles and tlie higher plane on which he placed the literary se-
lections, as well as the completeness to which lie brought the news columns.
As its name indicates, the joumal was indeed patriotic in all things under his
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 9O9
management. He sold the Patriot in 1913 but still does some news and
editorial work on journals throughout the state.
On June 17, 1883, Mr. Cragun was united in matrimony with Miss
Addie M., daughter of Benjamin and Margaret (Beeler) Booher, at Whites-
town, Indiana and to this felicitous union have been born three children —
Ethel and Opal, twins, and Dwight, the last named born October 5, 1891.
This happy little family, however, was rudely broken into by the taking
away of Opal at the age of six and a half years.
Mr. Cragim is a member of Boone Lodge No. 9, Free and Accepted
Masons; Lebanon Chapter No. 39, Royal Arch Masons; Indiana Consistory
of Scottish Rite Masons; Murat Temple of Shriners, Indianapolis; also
Lebanon Lodge No. 45, Knights of Pythias ; also with his wife, of Lebanon
Chapter No. 23, Order of Eastern Star. Mr. and Mrs. Cragun are mem-
bers of the Centenary Methodist Episcopal church at Lebanon, and he is a
member of the board of trustees. Mr. Cragun resides in a commodious and
substantial residence, much admired for its tastefulness and beauty of ar-
chitecture.
While now living a somewhat retired life, Mr. Cragun is nevertheless
associated in a number of ways with the business life of his county and city.
He is treasurer of the Lebanon school board and serving his second term;
has been director of the First National Bank of Lebanon for more than a
dozen years ; was one of the organizers of the Citizens' Loan & Trust Com-
pany of same city in 1899, and ever since one of its directors. He is now
one of the jury commissioners of the county, and was recently admitted to
the bar, although it is not his purpose to enter actively into the practice
of law. He and his family are highly respected, and move in the best social
circles of the county.
Mrs. Reiter Cragun Bowers, mother of Maj. S. N. Cragun, of Lebanon,
passed away April 27, 1914, at her home in Zionsville, this county. She had
been in poor health for several years but her last illness extended over a
period of only two days. Bronchial pneumonia was the immediate cause
of her demise.
Mrs. Bowers was born in Shelby county, Kentucky, August 7, 1826, and
was consequently aged eighty-seven years, eight months and twenty days.
She came to Boone county when nine years of age and underwent all the
hardships incident to pioneer days. Before her death she was the first of
9IO BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
five generations, living in this county- — ^live children, twenty-eight grand-
children, forty-two great grandchildren and live great great grandchildren.
She was the daughter of Robert and Julia Ann Dooley who resided for
many years in the neighborhood of the Mt. Run Baptist church in the east
part of Boone county. She was first married on August i8, 1842, to Hiram
Cragun who departed this life March 2, 1884. For forty-two years they
resided on the farm of which she died possessed, at St. Clair Stop on the
T. H., I. & E. traction line. She was married a second time on March 8,
1893, to John Bowers, of Marion county. wit!i whom she lived in Zionsville
until his death on October 27, 1904.
There were nine children born to the first union, of whom live survive
as follows: Mrs. Josephine Peters, Mrs. ]\'lelvina St. Clair, George L., Hi-
vam N. and Strange N., all of Boone county. Four children, Neb, Lorenzo
D., Columbus and Mary Ann are deceased, the last two dying when chil-
dren. The brothers and sisters living are Squire W. and Thomas W. Doo-
ley, of Boone county; John K. Dooley, of Hastings, Neb., Samuel B. Doo-
ley, of Gleneatli, Colo. ; Mrs. Louise Anderson, of Boone county, and Mrs.
Clarissa Hurst, of Gilbert, Arizona.
Mrs. Bowers was a member of the Alethodist Episcopal church at Zions-
\ille. For many years previous to transferring her membership there, she
was a faithful member of tlie Pleasant Yitw Methodist Episcopal church
north of Zionsville. She lived a consistent Christian life and was greatly
loved by all who knew her.
DAIRY CREAM SEPARATOR COMPANY.
Boone county ranks as one of the best dairy counties in the Middle
West; however, her people have neglected to take advantage as extensively
as they might of its resources in this respect, but each year finds new addi-
tions to the already long list of successful dairymen. .A.s the dairy business
grows, there is, of course, a demand for separators created and this gives
employment to many artisans and furnishes a good field for invested capital.
One of the most successful, efficient and widely known manufactories of
this line in the Middle West is The Dairy Cream Separator Company of
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 9I I
Lebanon, which was established in July, 1907, with the following officers:
S. N. Cragun, president; R. D. Voorhees, vice-president; D. V. Booher, sec-
retary; W. E. Callane, treasurer. They soon got the business well estab-
lished and continued to manage the same until 1910, when it was reorganized,
with the following officers : Philip Voorhees, of Logansport, Indiana,
president; R. D. Voorhees, of Flora, Indiana, vice-president; M. E. Cal-
lane, secretary, and W. E. Callane, treasurer. These gentlemen now own all
the stock and have greatly increased the prestige and earning power of the
plant. They manufacture centrifugal cream separators for farm use, these
being of the most modern design, and, owing to their superiority of work-
manship and quality are eagerly sought, and the business of the firm is
rapidly growing, new territory being constantly invaded. The firm owns a
large, well-equipped and valuable building in Lebanon, which was erected
for the purpose in 1907. During the summer of 1914 an addition was built,
adding fifteen thousand square feet of floor space, it being modern and fire-
proof. Here from one hundred to one hundred and thirty skilled mechanics
are constantly employed, and the annual output of machines is from twelve
thousand to fifteen thousand. W. E. Callane is general manager and he is
the moving spirit of this important plant.
Mr. Callane was born in Flora, Carroll county, Indiana, in April, 1866.
He is a son of Richard and Mary (Cunningham) Callane, both natives of
Pennsylvania, from which state they came to Indiana when young and were
reared on farms here, educated in the early-day schools and were married
in this state. W. E. Callane grew up on the home farm and was educated in
the public schools of Flora, Indiana, and when seventeen years of age he
began teaching, which vocation he continued with satisfactory results for
four years. He then turned his attention to dentistry and was graduated
from the Indiana Dental College in Indianapolis in 1889, having made an
excellent record there. Returning to Flora, he began the practice of his
profession, which he continued successfully until 1900, enjoying a large and
lucrative patronage, but he then sold out his business and began as a general
merchant in his native town; in fact, he had been interested in the same
financially since 1890. He sold out his store in 1903 and became a stock-
holder in the Dairy Cream Separator Company, and was treasurer and gen-
eral manager of the same, doing much to insure its constant success, and
continued thus until the company was reorganized. This concern sells to
912 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
jobbers on a large scale and the products of the plant are sent all over the
world.
Mr. Callane was married in September, 1887, to Clara Rodkey, a native
of Carroll county, Indiana, where she was reared and educated. She is a
daughter of Barton and Jane (James) Rodkey, a highly respected family of
that county. To our subject and wife two children have been born, namely:
M. E., who is secretary of the Dairy Cream Separator Company, and Charles
C, who is at this writing a student in Wabash College at Crawfordsville,
Indiana.
Politically, Mr. Callane is a Republican, and fraternally, he belongs to
the Knights of Pythias at Lebanon. He is a member of the Disciples
Church and is vice-president of the official board of the local congregation.
Mr. Callane is a man of progressive ideas and a companionable, obliging
and genial gentleman.
JOHN P. STARK.
To few of us it is given to come within sight of the gracious castle of
our dreams, but there can be no measure of doubt that to many earnest, high-
minded seekers after the truth, such as John P. Stark, for many years one
of our ablest educators, and who also has long ranked as one of the leading
agriculturists of Boone county, has been granted a tangible realization of
many of the ideals of early youth — the time of air-castle building — which
have been crystalized into worthy accomplishment in connection with the
affairs of this work-a-day world. As gentleman of intellectual attainments
and genial address, he has won the esteem of a wide acquaintance. Many of
his commendable qualities have no doubt been inherited from a long line of
sterling ancestors, men and women who were leaders in progressive move-
ments in pioneer days. They were Anglo-Saxons of the best type — persons
characterized by strength of mind, breadth of view, and broad-minded
patriotism.
Mr. Stark was born in Decatur county, Indiana, September 14, 1847.
He is a son of Albert W. and Elizabeth (Woodard) Stark, both natives of
Shelby county, Kentucky. The paternal grandparents, Philip and Elizabeth
(Robbins) Stark, were natives of Virginia, and in that state were also bom
DORA E. STA?iK
PHILIP W. STARK
A. W. STARK
JOHN P. STARK
I
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 915
the maternal grandparents, John and Ehzabeth (Stogdel) Woodard. They
were all very early settlers in Indiana, enduring the usual privations and
hardships of those who braved life on the frontier. The parents of our
subject settled in Decatur county where they remained until the spring of
1857, when they came to Union township, Boone county, where they first
purchased one hundred and fortj'-three acres of improved land, to which they
later added eighty acres, a half mile north, and still later purchased one hun-
dred and twenty acres in Marion township. Here Albert W. Stark became a
prosperous farmer and influential citizen, and he finally retired from active
life, bought property in Sheridan to which he moved, and since the death of
his wife in November, 1895, he has made his home with our subject. His
family consisted of the following children: Rachel M. is deceased; Nancy J.
is the wife of William Butner of Lebanon; John P., of this review; Aden B.
died when nine years of age; George F. lives in Benton county, Indiana;
Diona F. married William Moreland, of Marion township; James E., of
Sheridan, Indfana; William H. died in the fall of 191 1; Elvira is the wife
of R. L. Hines, of Worth township, this county ; Mary E. married Aaron
West, of Worth township.
John P. Stark spent his boyhood days on the home farm. He attended
the common schools and the Ladoga Normal. He remained at home until
his marriage on June 7, 1868, to Mary M. Shoemaker, who was born in
Union township, where she grew to womanhood and was educated in the
public schools. She is a daughter of George W. and Martha (Harvey)
Shoemaker, natives of Union county, Indiana, and a highly respected family.
After his marriage Mr. Stark taught school in Boone county for a period of
seventeen years, but his teaching was confined to only four different school-
houses. He gave eminent satisfaction as a teacher in every respect. Finally
tiring of the school-room he turned his attention to general farming and
stock raising which he has since continued with very gratifying results.
Forty acres of the home farm fell to him, and he bought forty acres more of
the home place, paying eleven hundred dollars for what his father had paid
four hundred. The land was well timbered, and this our subject cleared and
improved, tiled and ditched it, and sold the place in 1882, and purchased one
hundred and forty-three acres where he has since lived, and on which he
has made many improvements, building a modern house of brick, erecting
substantial outbuildings and now has one of the choice farms of the town-
(55)
9l6 HUONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
ship. In 1907 he built a handsome home in VVhitestown and Hved there
until 1913 when he returned to the farm where he oversees the place, but
has ceased hard work to some extent. He also owns eighty acres opposite
the road, the north portion of the Shoemaker homestead.
To Mr. and Mrs. Stark the following children have been born :
Francis A. is postmaster at Whitestown; Nora O. is the wife of William E.
Lane, of Indianapolis; Bertha N. is the wife of James Vance, of Union
township; Dora E. lives in Lebanon; and Arminta died in infancy.
Politically, Mr. Stark is a Republican. He served as township trustee
from 1881 to 1882, inclusive. Religiously he belongs to the Baptist church,
and has been a trustee and clerk of the local congregation. Mr. Stark is
clerk of the Gadsten Horse Thief Protective Association.
ISAAC H. BELLES.
It is a well-known fact, fully recognized by physicians and by all others
who have made the subject a study, that a quiet life and steady habits pro-
mote longevity. In the cities, where the people are falling over each other
in their desperate attempts to get rich suddenly, and where they are, as a
consequence, in a severe nervous strain all the time, the mortality tables are
much higher than in the rural districts. The farmer may, therefore, con-
gratulate himself that though his life may be less eventful, it is certainly
much longer, more satisfactory in every way than that of his city cousin.
This important fact should be borne in mind when the young men of the
farm catch the fever to become clerks in some cheap grocery in a town or hie
away to the nearest metropolis and secure employment in a smoke-sur-
charged, noisy machine shop or factory. How much better is the life of the
farmer who has won a farm from the forest, or plied his trade as black-
smith or wood-worker in a rural shop, reared a large family of healthy
children, made a comfortable home and is able to spend his old age in peace
and surrounded by plenty, beloved by all who have known him. Such a man
is Isaac H. Belles, of Thorntown, Boone county, the oldest man in this sec-
tion of the state, and one of the oldest in the state, for if he lives until
Washington's birthday, 191 5, he will have lived ninety-nine years of a cen-
tury, and, being hale and hearty, as the result of a life of right thinking and
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 9I7
wholesome living, he bids fair to pass that milestone. He has lived to see
the wonderful changes of this protracted epoch, making his own country ap-
pear like another world. He has seen the horse replace the oxen, the scythe
give way to the mowing machine, the reap-hook supplanted by the self-binder
and modern labor-saving machinery of all kinds doing the work of planting
and iiarvesting formerly done by hand. He has seen the old-fashioned ox-
cart and lumber wagon relegated to the rear and carriages, spring wagons,
automobiles and even airships take their places. He has lived to see vast
primeval forests melt away before the sturdy stroke of the axman and fine
farms spring up as if by magic, and the country everywhere dotted with
substantial dwellings in place of the log cabin, school houses and church
edifices built in every community, and thriving towns and populous cities
where once were the tepees of the red men or roamed at will the denizens ot
the wild, and he has seen the winding Indian trails changed into costly turn-
pikes and broad highways. He has not only been an interested spectator to
all these vicissitudes but has acted well his part in the transformation.
Mr. Belles was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, February 22, 1816.
9l8 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
He is a son of William and Mary (Huff) Belles, both natives of New Jersey,
where they were reared and married and lived until all their children were
bom, after which they removed to Ohio and finally came on to Boone
county, Indiana. The father was a wagon-maker by trade. His death oc-
curred July 31, 1842.
Isaac H. Belles was reared in a pioneer environment, amid the hard-
ships and privations of that interesting period in our country's history, so
he had plenty of hard work to do and little chance to obtain an education.
When a young man he learned the trade of wagon maker, at which he be-
came quite an expert, having been taught the same by a lad in Ohio, and he
worked at this for some time. He also farmed some in his native state; in
fact, continued tilling the soil there until 1855, when he removed to a farm
in Washington township, Boone county, Indiana. He was a good manager
and prospered with advancing years, adding to his original purchase here
from time to time until he became owner of a valuable farm of two hundred
and nineteen acres, being rated as one of the leading general farmers and
stock raisers in that township. Owing to the encroachment of old age and
the fact that he had laid by a goodly competency he sold his farm in 1909,
bought a pleasant home in Thomtown and has been living here ever since,
but he is still very active and is in possession of all his faculties, and has the
appearance of a much younger man.
Mr. Belles was married to Abigail M. May, who was born in Hamilton
county, Ohio, and there reared and educated like the rest of the children of
her time, in the brief terms of subscription schools, taught in log cabins.
She was a daughter of Andrew and Catherine May, natives of Pennsyl-
vania. Her death occurred in 1869. To our subject and wife the following
children were bom : David is deceased ; Emmeline lives with her father ;
Angeline, Sarah and Francis A. are all deceased ; Clark W. lives in Indianapo-
lis; Alexander died in infancy; Mary M. is the widow of Lee M. Corkle, of
Thorntown; Theodore lives in Indianapolis: Elethia is the wife of Joseph
Jaques, of Thorntown ; Alva C. lives in Indianapolis ; Herschel, deceased.
Politically. Mr. Belles is a Republican, but has never sought to be a
public man in any way. He has always been a man of good habits, and
never used tobacco or liquor in any form, or in fact, had any bad habits,
which, he thinks, has had much to do with lengthening out his long life. He
has never been a member of secret or fraternal societies or orders.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 9I9
GILBERT H. HAMILTON.
Gilbert H. Hamilton, editor and publisher of the Thorntown Times,
is a native of the Hoosier state, born on the ninth day of February, i860, in
the county of Montgomery, son of John and Matilda (Kendall) Hamilton.
The Hamiltons are of German-English lineage and tlie family name is trace-
able to the eastern states, where it is still common and where the remote an-
cestors settled at a very early period in the countiy's history. John Hamil-
ton, the subject's father, whose birth occurred in Ohio in the year 1823,
was a son of Henry Hamilton, a native of that state, and a farmer by occu-
pation. John Hamilton began the battle of life upon his own responsibility
as a tiller of the soil in the vicinity of Thorntown, Boone county, to which
part of the state his parents removed when he was a mere child. He was
a successful agriculturist and manager, became the possessor of a valuable
estate, and earned the reputation of a first-class business man and valuable
citizen. He was reared in the religious faith of the Methodist church. He
was a Republican in politics and wielded an influence for his party through-
out the community where he lived. Mr. Hamilton was married three times,
his last union being solemnized in 1857 with Matilda Kendall, who bore
him ten children, nine of whom were reared to full estate. They were Gil-
bert H., whose name heads this mention; Edward E., Mrs. Mattie J. Allen,
Mrs. Kittie Sidenstick, Charles H., Mrs. Tinnie Little, Mrs. Josephine Boo-
her, Sylvia and John. Mr. Hamilton passed the greater part of his married
life in Montgomery county on a beautiful and well cultivated farm of one
hundred sixty acres, where, on the sixth day of Januar}% 1892, his death
occurred.
Gilbert H. Hamilton received his early parental training on tlie liome
farm, and while still young was given the advantages of the best schools the
county at that time afforded, his advancement being such that, at the age of
seventeen, he was sufficiently qualified to teach, which profession he followed
with the most gratifying success until attaining his majority, pursuing his
duties assiduously under the direction of competent instructors at intervals.
On reaching his twenty-first year, Mr. Hamilton yielded to a strong inclina-
tion to enter the field of Journalism, and made his first venture in the pro-
fession by purchasing, without personal inspection, the Colfax Chronicle,
920 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
in the office of which, without any previous knowledge in the hne of news-
paper work, he began his career as editor and manager. The young editor
at first was harassed by many embarrassments, but a determined will en-
abled him to triumph over every obstacle, and he soon had the satisfaction
of seeing the enterprise placed upon a substantial and remunerative basis,
and himself launched upon the sea of successful journalism. After con-
tinuing the Chronicle at Colfax from 1882 to 1885, Mr. Hamilton, think-
ing that the growing city of Frankfort afforded a better field for the enter-
prise, moved the office to the latter place, where, in partnership with G. V.
Fowler, he established the Frankfort Times, which, although beset with
numerous obstacles at the beginning, under his successful management as the
executive head and editor, in the space of a little over two years arose to a
circulation of nearly 3,000 subscribers and enjoyed a very liberal advertis-
ing patronage, becoming, indeed, one of the most successful local papers
ever published in the county of Clinton. After living to see the enterprise,
so unauspiciously begun in Frankfort, develop into one of the first printing
establishments in central Indiana, Mr. Hamilton disposed of his interest in
the office, and during the two succeeding years was engaged in mercantile
pursuits in Cincinnati and Indianapolis, where for some time he gave his
attention to the advertising and handling of specialties. After a brief busi-
ness career in the latter city, Mr. Hamilton again embarked in the newspaper
business in January, 1890, purchasing the Thorntoivn Argus, at that time
a five-column folio, with a limited circulation.
Under his management the paper grew in size, circulation and prestige,
and. throughout its career of fifteen years under his ownership, was one of
the most widely quoted papers published in a rural community. He sold the
property January i, 1905, after a prosperous career.
In July, 1905, he went to Connersville, Indiana, where he purchased
and published the Connersville Courier for over three years. As an advo-
cate of principles and practices tending to the advancement of the best in-
terests of the community in which he labored, he received early recognition
as a power for good and through dissemination of information as news he
so wrought public opinion that he caused to be put over more reform legis-
lation in civic afifairs for the benefit of the public of that city than had ever
been acquired before.
Being tempted with an offer for his paper, that made it seem indiscreet
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 92I
to decline to sell, he sold out and again returned to Thorntown, which place
had continued his residence and where there was a pressing demand for his
return to the newspaper field.
The result was the establishing of the Thorntoi^'n Times which in a
single year leaped to a position in business, circulation and prestige, which
placed it in the front ranks. At this time he is still engaged in its publica-
tion and the pa])er occupies its own home with a modern outfit of type and
machinery, the latter all driven by electric power.
Of Mr. Hamilton personally, it is only necessary to say that he is a
typical man of the times, a characteristic American, enterprising in all the
term implies; and in all the attributes of honorable citizenship, honesty of
purpose, and uprightness of character, he stands prominent in his commun-
ity. Politically, he is a Republican, and as such has been a potent factor in
his party's success, both as a trenchant writer and as a worker in the ranks.
He was honored by his party with the nomination for senator from the joint
counties of Boone and Hendricks in the campaign of 19 12, but suffered
the same fate that befell the entire twenty-five candidates from over the state,
owing to the party division of that year caused by the Progressive movement.
For a quarter century he has held membership in the Republican Edi-
torial Association of Indiana, and the Northern Association of Editorial
Writers, and has frequently represented these bodies at the national meeting
as a delegate from the local organization.
Fraternally, he is an active member of the Masonic order and the
Knights of Pythias. For nearly twenty-five years he has enjoyed the dis-
tinction of a thirty-second degree Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Mason
and has also been a noble of the Mystic Shrine for the same period.
As an evidence of the local esteem in which he is held by the people of
his home community, where he has lived a quarter century, Mr. Hamilton
is serving a second term as a member of the school trustees, and is president
of the body, as well as that of the library commission which is completing
an elegant ten thousand dollar library building in tlie lieart of tlie city and
near the schools.
Mr. Hamilton was married November 24, 1881, in Colfax, Indiana, to
Florence E. Graves, who was born July 24, 1862, in the city of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, the daughter of Robert Graves, an officer in tlie United States
naval service.
922 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
ARTHUR MAPLE.
One of the tillers of the .soil in Boone county who has lived to see great
changes in agricultural affairs since he began farming is Arthur Maple, of
Marion township, having noted, among other things, that there has been a
very steady increase in the value of products per farm in the United States
during the past thirty years. Not as great an increase as in other lines of
industry, perhaps, but we compare favorably with the farmers of other
nations. Two decades ago the average farm produced annually in this
country five hundred and thirty-eight dollars ; one decade ago, eight hundred
and twenty-two dollars ; the figures now run to thirteen hundred and thirty-
six dollars. We also show, according to reliable statistics, an increase of
over two million farms during this period. All the while Mr. Maple has been
a close observer and has progressed with the times until he ranks today
among our best farmers and worthy citizens.
Mr. Maple was born October 12, 1855 in Henry county, Indiana. He
is a son of George L. and Harriett A. (Beach) Maple, the former a native of
Rush county, Indiana, and the latter a native of Henry county, this state.
The paternal grandparents, John and Elizabeth (Hillis) Maple, were natives
of Kentucky, where they grew up and married, later removing to Rush
county, Indiana, secured government land, the nearest railroad point being
Cincinnati. Ohio, sixty miles away. Mr. Maple walked all the way to In-
dianapolis and back to pay his entry fee. He built a cabin of poles, hanging
quilts over the openings to protect the family from the weather, living thus
for some time until he built a substantial log cabin, w-hich he did without any
help. He cleared and developed his land and succeeded through hard work.
The history of the Beach family is traceable to a remote period in our coun-
try's history. We first hear of Thomas Beach, of the New Haven colony,
who settled at Milford, Connecticut in 1654, w-here his great-grandson,
Zerah Beach, was born August 15, 1770. The latter's son, Stephen Beach,
was born January 3, 1803, and died September 8. 1878. He came to Henrv
county, Indiana, in an early day and entered one hundred and sixty acres of
land from the government.
Grandmother Beach who was known in her maidenhood as Anna Punt-
ney, was born June 30, 1806. and her death occurred August 18, 1887. She
w
I
m
•M
ARTHUR MAPLE
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 925
was of French-Huguenot descent, her ancestors having been compelled to flee
from Rochelle, France, in 1690 on account of religious persecutions. They
emigrated to the island of St. Eustatius in the West Indies. Subsequently
they went to Oxford, England, and finally members of the family made their
way to the United States and settled at Little Gun Power Falls, Hartford
county, Indiana. Their religious belief was what is now embraced by the
United Presbyterians.
John Maple and his brother Isaac built the first log Presb)^erian church
in the community where they lived in Rush county, calling it Ebenezer, by
which name it is still known. Stephen Beach and wife, our subject's grand-
parents, had eight children, thirty-eight grandchildren, sixty great grand-
children, and eight great-great grandchildren, making one hundred and six
in number. Two of their sons served in the Civil war, George P. Beach was
a soldier for three years in Company A, Thirty-sixth Indiana Volunteer
Infantry, and he is now living in Spiceland, Indiana; Jesse H. Green, their
son-in-law, served three years on the flag-ship Wabash.
The parents of our subject were married in Henry county, Indiana, and
began housekeeping on a farm. The death of the mother occurred in 1864.
The father subsequently married Cassie Fohl, of Pennsylvania. This union
was without issue. In 1882 George Maple sold out and removed to Kansas
where he lived until 1894, when he sold out and invested in property at Ponca
City, Oklahoma, and there he built up a large trade in grain. His death oc-
curred in 1900 at the age of seventy-one years. Besides our subject he had
one other son, Ezra, an extensive stock feeder of Kansas City, Missouri,
married Angle Palin, a native of Henry county, Indiana.
Arthur Maple was thrown on his own resources at his mother's death,
the home being broken up. He received his education jn the common
schools and in Spiceland Academy, after which he taught three years in the
district schools, then turned his attention to farming and stock raising in
partnership with his brother, in Henry and Wayne counties, and they got a
good start, doing well in both lines.
Mr. Maple was married March 16, 1881, to Nannie M. Eaton, who was
born April 13, 1859, in Marion county, Indiana. She is a daughter of
William T. and Elizabeth (Freeman) Eaton, the former a native of Ken-
tucky and the latter of Indiana. Mr. Eaton was for a number of years a
prosperous dry-goods merchant at New Palestine, Indiana. Mrs. Maple
926 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
received a good common school education. After his marriage Mr. Maple
lived t-wo years in Henry county, then bought eighty acres in Hancock county,
which he sold two years later and moved to Harper county, Kansas, entering
one hundred and sixty acres from the government, which he improved, and
he set out eight acres of timber on the prairie, and there successfully carried
on general farming and stock raising until 1894. when he sold out
and moved to Arkansas City, Kansas, remaining there a year. In the fall of
1894 he moved to Marion township, Boone county. Indiana, and bought
eighty-three acres, on which stood a house and a log barn. These he removed
and erected modern, substantial buildings, and has brought the place up to
a high state of improvement and cultivation. He makes a specialty of reg-
istered Poland-China hogs and Durham cattle.
Mr. Maple's family consists of these children : Ethel D., born Decem-
ber 13, 1884; Elta Bliss, born October 7, 1889; Arthur Loyal, born May 4,
1893, lives in Deming, New Mexico; the youngest daughter is a student in
Purdue University, LaFayette, Indiana. They were all born in Kansas.
Politically Mr. Maple is a Progressive. \\'hile living in Kansas he
served three terms as township trustee.
JOSEPH M. WILSON.
Conspicuous in the roll of names of men that have conferred honor
upon Boone county during a past generation, whose name contributed much
to the early development and general progress in material anil civic affairs
in the locality of which this history treats was the late Joseph M. Wilson, a
man whose attainments and work were ever characterized by exactness and
thoroughness. In all the relations of life he was an honorable, upright gen-
tleman who won the sincere respect of all with whom he came into contact.
Mr. Wilson belonged to that praiseworthy class of men found now and then
throughout the nation, who have worked their way from somewhat dis-
couraging beginnings to places of leadership and high esteem in their com-
munities, and it is still a proud boast of our country that such victors are
held of a far greater worth and value to the Union and their fellow-men in
general than the so-called aristocratic type, with their inherited wealth,
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. y27
position and distinguished name. Mr. Wilson rose paramount to environ-
ment and all which sought to hinder him, while many of his contemporaries,
possessing less mettle and less fortitude, were falling exhausted by the high-
way we call life, for the maxim which seemed to hold sway over him was
"Through struggle to triumph." He believed in doing well whatever he
undertook and in extending aid and sympathy to others, and thus as a result
of this humanitarian attribute, his exemplary private life and his abiding
public spirit, he was held in high esteem by all classes, and his career is
worthy of perpetuation on the pages of history.
Mr. Wilson was born in Ohio and was a son of George and Honor
Wilson, an excellent old family of the Buckeye state. He grew to manhood
in his native locality and received his education in the old-time schools, and
upon reaching manhood he married Hattie E. Gipson, a woman of many
commendable traits of character. She is a daughter of Isaac and Mary
(Scott) Gipson. Her father came with his parents, William and Nancy
Gipson, to Boone county, Indiana, October 29, 1829, thus being among the
earliest settlers here. They located on land entered from the government
near what is now Jamestown, in which town John Gipson built the first
house — a log cabin. The farnily found here a wilderness indeed, and they
endured the usual hardships and privations incident to pioneer life, but being
thrifty they became well established and eventually influential in the com-
munity as it became settled. Mary (Scott) Gipson, mother of Mrs. Wilson,
was born in Boone county, Kentucky, October 9, 1814. By hard and honest
toil Isaac Gipson accumulated several hundred acres of valuable land in what
is now Sugar Creek township, and there he and his wife died.
The following children were born to Joseph M. Wilson and wife :
Murray H., who lives in Sugar Creek township; Story died when four years
of age; Pearl is the wife of Dr. William Myers, of Louisville, Kentucky;
Rufa lives in Kansas City, Missouri.
After his marriage, Joseph M. Wilson engaged in the saw and grist
mill business in Sugar Creek township, Boone county, conducting these with
success until burned out, after which he took up farming in this township,
owning a large and valuable farm, where he carried on general farming and
stock raising on an extensive scale. Accumulating a handsome competency
through his long years of close application and good management he re-
tired from the farm and removed to Thorntown, where he built one of the
92» BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
finest residences in the county and in which he spent the remainder of his
life, and in this same home his widow continues to reside, being now ad-
vanced in years, but having the appearance of a much younger lady. She
has a host of warm personal friends throughout this vicinity.
Politically, Mr. Wilson was a Democrat and was influential in public
affairs. In religious matters he was a worthy member of the Presbyterian
church.
JAMES ARGALUS SMOCK.
That the products of the farm will have a reasonably safe market is
indicated by a constantly increasing consumption within our own country;
that the business of farming as a business compares favorably with any
other vocation in stability; that the security of farm investment assures,
invites and encourages the inclination landward. With all of these influences
working in one direction, supported by the incalculable forces of the agricul-
tural schools and colleges, the press and vast aggregation of brains identified
with the vocation, it would seem that the most radical predictions of the
present day may prove far too conservative before another decade has
passed. One of the citizens of Boone county who had the sagacity to fore-
see an unprecedented demand for the products of the farm and has there-
fore made a pronounced success of his chosen vocation is James Argalus
Smock, of Perry township.
Mr. Smock was born at Jamestown, Jackson township, Boone county,
July 8, 1863. He is a son of James and Ellen (Davis) Smock, the father a
native of Marion county and the mother was born in Boone county. The
paternal grandparents were Samuel and Elizabeth Smock, and both were
natives of Kentucky. They were early settlers in Boone county, Indiana,
where they entered land from the government and established the future
home of the family. After their marriage the parents of our subject settled
in Jackson township, this county, and here they engaged successfully in
general farming, but he finally died in the state of Arkansas. The death of
the mother of our subject occurred in February, 1902. Their children were :
Christina, Mary Darens, Ambrose, Nicholas, Alva, and James A., of this
sketch, who was the oldest son.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 929
Mr. Smock grew up on the home farm, and, being compelled to work
hard, his early education was not extensive. He began life for himself at
the age of thirteen years, earning twenty-five cents per day for two years.
He assisted his mother to rear the younger children until his marriage, Febru-
ary II, 1886, to Jemima Neal, who was born in Perry township, Boone
county, March 4, 1869, and here she grew to womanhood and was educated
in the public Schools. She is a daughter of Jackson and Ann (Shirley)
Neal, both natives of Boone county. The mother of Mrs. Smock died in
1872 and she was reared in the home of Albert McDaniel, a Baptist min-
ister. James A. Smock and his wife began housekeeping on rented land,
the husband's total capital then being eighty dollars. He continued renting
until 1887, when he purchased thirty acres, eight miles southeast of Le-
banon, on the Indianapolis and LaFayette turnpike. There was a small log
cabin on the place, and the land was bogs, brush and unimproved. He lived
in the cabin until May, 1895, in the meantime improving his land, and then
moved into his present fine frame dwelling. He has now an excellent farm
here, having cleared, ditched and tiled his land and erected good outbuild-
ings. As he prospered he added to his original purchase until he now owns
two hundred and fifty-two acres, which is all improved with four excellent
sets of buildings, and Mr. Smock carries on general farming and stock rais-
ing on an extensive scale, long since ranking among the county's most pro-
gressive agriculturists. Two of his sons live in two of his houses, his son-
in-law in another, and he occupies the fourth residence. He makes a spe-
cialty of raising Percheron horses, Poland-China hogs and a good grade of
mules.
To Mr. and Mrs. Smock the following children were born : David A.,
born July 14, 1887; Vessie, born March 4, 1889, married Fred Cooper, of
Marion county, Indiana; Lawrence, born October 12, 1890; Hazel, born
November 29, 1892, married A. Caldwell, and they live on our subject's
farm; Ruth, born May 28, 1893, married Pleasant Johnson, of Brownsburg,
Hendricks county; Edna, born March 29, 1897, died October 20, 1899. Our
subject and wife have two grandchildren, Clayson Smock, son of Lawrence
Smock and wife, who was born June 23, 1912; and Fay Johnson, Mrs. Ruth
Johnson's son, who was born March 28, 191 2.
Politically, Mr. Smock is a Democrat, and in the fall of 1911 he was
elected county commissioner, and is now incumbent of this important oflfice.
93° nOONE COLNTY, INDIANA.
the duties of which he is discharging in a manner that reflects much credit
upon himself and to the eminent satisfaction of ail concerned. His term ex-
pires January i, 1916. Mrs. Smock is a member of the Baptist church. The
famil}' stands high in the best circles of the community.
SAMSON BOWEX.
Samson Bowen, one of our most honored pioneers of Boone county,
Indiana, was born in Harrison county, Kentucky, August 19, 18 18. His
parents were Francis and Sarah G. (Turley) Bowen, who died, respectively,
August 20, 1866, and July 19, 1874. Mrs. Sarah G. Bowen was a daughter
of William Turley, a native of Virginia. She bore her husband twelve
children, all of whom lived to manhood and womanhood. Francis Bowen
was of Welsh extraction and by trade was a tanner.
Samson Bowen, when he became old enough for manual labor, was
hired out to a planter until he reached the age of eighteen when, in Novem-
ber, 1836, he came to Boone county, Indiana, worked industriously, and in
August, 1838, purchased a farm of forty acres; in 1840, he bought forty
acres additional, and eventually increased it to two hundred eighty acres.
April II, 1844, Mr. Bowen was joined in wedlock with Miss Mary A. Burke,
daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Basket) Burke, who had born to them
a family of thirteen children, of whom Dr. George L. Burke of Jamestown
is one. Samuel Burke died September 24, 1839, and Mrs. Elizabeth Burke
was called from earth February 27, 1865, the remains of both being interred
in Erskine cemetery, Boone count_\\ The children born to Mr. and Mrs.
Samson Bowen were named in order of birth as follows: George E.. born
March 7, 1846; Elbert C, born December 7, 1847: Annilda M.. bom July
2, 1849, ^"fl clied September 15, 1858; Emily J., born January 19, 1851, and
died September 21, 1853; James C. born May 9, 1853, died September 27,
1853, and Marietta, born July 25, 1858. Mr. and Mrs. Bowen were pious
members of the Christian church and stood deservedly high in the estima-
tion of the community in which they lived for so many years. Politically,
Mr. Bowen was a faithful adherent of the Democratic party. Mr. Bowen
was called away December 5, 1899, having reached the venerable age of
eighty-one years.
UOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 9^1
THOMAS WALLACE DULAN.
Our attention has recently been called to the alarming decrease of farm
products in the United States while its population is steadily increasing. We
are also told that our most priceless treasure, the fertility of our soil, has been
so dissipated by slipshod methods of tilling it that we are now face to face
with the necessity of increasing its power to produce or else go hungry in the
near future. We who would eat must get in touch with the things of earth
once more as consumers if not as producers. One of the farmers of Boone
county who seems to thoroughly understand how to handle his soil so as to
get the largest crops from it and yet not deplete its strength is Thomas
Wallace Dulan, of Union township, who has spent practically all his life on
the home farm and it is now more productive and more valuable than ever
before.
Mr. Dulan was born in the above named township and county, August 6,
1875. He is a son of John A. and Mary A. (Carr) Dulan, the father also a
native of Union township, and the mother was born in Clermont county,
Ohio. The paternal grandparents were John and Priscilla (Boswell) Dulan,
both natives of Kentucky where they grew up and were married ; the maternal
grandparents were Madison and Hannah (Bobbs) Carr, both natives of Vir-
ginia. Grandfather Dulan made the long journey on horseback from Ken-
tucky to Boone county, Indiana, in an early day, and here entered land from
the government. On this he later settled and cleared and developed it into a
good farm and became one of the leading citizens of the community. He
was active in Democratic politics, and served one term as county commis-
sioner. He lived to an advanced age, dying November 5, 1909. His widow
lives with the subject of this sketch on the old homestead. She, too, is now
well along in years, but is fairly hearty and has possession of her faculties,
talks interestingly of the early days and the changes that have taken place
since she first came to this locality to reside.
To John A. Dulan and wife the following children were bom : Harvey
lives in Lawrence county, Indiana ; John resides in Noblesville ; Jessie lives in
Marion township, Boone county; Thomas W., of this review; Frank lives in
Fort Wayne; Lulu is the wife of John Riddle, of Center township, this
county ; and Claude E. lives in Union township.
932 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Thomas W. Dulan grew up on the farm and received his education in
the public schools. He has lived on the home farm since he was three years
old and here he has devoted his attention exclusively to general farming and
stock raising and has been very successful. He and his mother own a valu-
able and well improved farm of one hundred and fifteen acres, of the old
homestead. His father was an extensive raiser of Belgium and Norman
horses, and our subject has continued to pay much attention to raising a good
grade of live stock.
Thomas W. Dulan was married October 5. 1905. to Dora Dale, who was
born in Jackson township, Boone county, and here she grew to womanhood
and was educated. Her deatli occurred on August 6, 1906.
Politically, Mr. Dulan is a Democrat, and fraternally he belongs to the
Masonic order. Celestial Lodge, No. 525. at Whitestown.
TOHN HANNA DAVIS.
The biographies of the representative men of a county bring to light
many hidden treasures of mind, character and courage, well calculated to
arouse the pride of their family and of the community, and it is a source of
regret that the people are not more familiar with the personal history of such
men, in the ranks of whom may be found tillers of the soil, mechanics,
teachers, business men, professional men and those of varied' vocations.
John Hanna Davis, member of the well-known livery firm of Davis Brothers,
of Lebanon, Boone county, is one who has earned a name for enterprise, in-
tegrity and thrift.
Mr. Davis was born in Montgomery county, Indiana. February 22,
1868. He is a son of Josiah and Mary T. (Ellis) Davis. The father was
a native of Kentucky from which state he came to Montgomery county in
an early day and established his future home.
John H. Davis received a fairly good education in the common schools,
but he worked hard on the farm when a boy, in fact, continued general farm-
ing until 1883 when he went to Brown's Valley, in his native county where
he began the livery business in which he was successful from the first. He
later followed the same line of work in New Market, Indiana, until i88q.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 935
then we find him in Montezuma, Parke county in the same business, which
he followed there for a period of eight years.
He came to Lebanon in 1900 and went into the livery business in part-
nership with S. F. Cox which continued until 1905 and they have since
operated one of the best equipped and most popular livery bams in this
section of Indiana, keeping good, serviceable horses and vehicles.
Mr. Davis was married in October, 1895, to Maude Wilson, whose death
occurred March, 1899. Politically he is a Democrat, but has never been
especially active in party affairs. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias and
to the Presbyterian church.
MARK BROWN CRIST.
Mark Brown Crist, son of L. M. and Mrs. Eunice (Brown) Crist, was
born at Liberty, Indiana, December 2, 1872, and died at his home, 7224 Mt
Vernon street, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, October 26, 1914. He was married
at Dayton, Ohio, March 25, 1900, to Miss Anna Field. To this union were
born five children, Eunice, Floyd F., Mary Eleanor, Ida and Orpha Lee.
Mark B. was tutored at home, chose his profession at the age of twelve,
graduated at Purdue University, went into the shop at Dayton, Ohio; thence
to Troy, New York; thence to New York City for five years, where he re-
ceived the practical training for his profession, electrical and mechanical
engineering. The past ten years he has been with the Westinghouse people
at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He attained to the position of chief engineer.
Early in life he gave his heart and service to Christ and was faithful to the
end, attaining to the highest positions of trust and usefulness in the church
home of his choice, the United Presbyterian church at Homewood, in Pitts-
burg.
We quote Miss Lydia Hoath at the funeral services October 29, 191 4:
"I wish that I were able to pay to the life and character of Mark Brown Crist
the tribute that is due. Most of his boyhood years were in our midst. His
activities were more closely centered in the home than was usual with most
of us. It was for the most part his school and workshop and in a large
(56)
936
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
measure, too, his playground and his social world; for its doors were ever
open to aspiring youth and its spacious grounds witnessed many a wholesome
festival and frolic; and here the family gathered about them many choice,
congenial spirits for the mutual enrichment of their lives. In this home of
rare culture, careful discipline and high moral ideals, he grew to manhood
a happy, obedient, ambitious son.
The best testimony to the value of these early influences and training is
the record of the vears that closelv followed. Mark went out from such
MARK B. CRIST.
fostering care to pursue his studies at the university, thorouglily equipped to
meet its requirements in scholarship — a student of independent mold — and
also, fortified against such temptations as often prove too strong for many
college men. Such was his record, that on graduating from Purdue Uni-
versity, the president made this remarkable statement, that he could say of
Mark Crist what possibly he could not say of any other young man, 'He had
done more for Purdue University than Purdue University had done for
him.'
His graduation was indeed the commencement of steady progress in his
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 937
chosen profession, eleclric;ii engineering. The great city hence became his
home, but it had spread in vain its snares for his feet. Here as in college
life he was able to stand the test. After a few years in Dayton, Ohio; Troy,
New York; and New York City, he accepted a position with the Westing-
house Company of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, with which corporation he has
been connected for the past ten years. In this day of close competition and
increased efficiency, he was recently promoted to the position of chief
engineer. An incident marks the freedom of his professional progress from
the all too prevalent taint of greed and selfishness. The Westinghouse peo-
ple found it necessary, a few years ago, to lessen its force of workers on
account of a general financial depression. Among those thus reluctantly
laid aside was a man who had served the company faithfully and well for
about twenty years and who would feel the disappointment keenly. This
so weighed upon the heart of Mark Crist that he went before the board
of directors and requested that the older man be retained and he himself
dismissed.
While living in New York City, Mark was married to a Christian young
woman of sterling qualities, Miss Anna Field. To them have been born five
happy children, Eunice, Floyd F., Mary Eleanor, Ida and Orpha Lee and
each was welcomed as a gift from the Father above. It was my privilege
(luring two years residence in Pittsburg, to be granted the freedom and fel-
lowship of this home. Here was what may be best described as normal
family life, in the midst of much that is more or less artificial or stunted and
narrow. Though the interest of the father largely centered in the home and
in his business, none of life's right relationships were ignored or seemed
neglected. He was responsive to the call of duty in the political world, in
the church and in the community. His close relationship to activities of the
^'oung Men's Christian Association and the church, form a continuous thread
through the fabric of years, marking his attitude toward God.
At the time of his death he was a deacon in the Reformed Presbyterian
church and a teacher of its large Bible class of adult men. On being chosen
teacher of the class, he wrote his father that he felt unworthy of such a
trust, but knowing of his years of study of the Word and his conscientious
devotion to any accepted task, the father encouraged him to respect the
estimate of others.
In this brief survey, I am impressed with the unity which existed in
938 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
the midst of great variation of environment. That unity lay in the habit
of seeking to get from every situation and experience the highest and best
it had to offer, and to contribute to them in turn the best of which he was
capable. And now the final test has come. The life has returned to God
who gave it, whose balances are not detiected by any errors of human judg-
ment. As a minister of the Gospel of Christ, I bear testimony that over all
this splendid record of years would be written failure, not success, had Mark
been without that faith in Christ Jesus as his Redeemer and Savior, which
brought to him the satisfactory evidence that he pleased God. We believe
the life which we saw was made possible by beholding Him who is invisible.
His last words were, 'leaving — leaving — leaving, all is complete.' He
was leaving father and her, who through the ministry of years he had recog-
nized as mother and the devoted wife, all honored and beloved; the children
for whom he had joyfully planned and striven ; many comrades and friends.
He was leaving when he seemed most needed, with great tasks seemingly in-
complete and with skies full of promise, but in that hour he could say, 'All is
complete.' Surely this is the utterance of a sublime faith — a faith that be-
lieves with the great John G. Paton, 'The servant does his work and passes
on through the gates of sleep to the Happy Dawn; but the Divine Master
lives and works and reigns, and by our death, as surely by our life, his holy-
purposes shall be fulfilled."
We have suffered loss and the sorrow will be keenest for those who
knew and loved him best. These are left to mourn, 'tis true, but to be sus-
tained, as well, by a Mighty Hand. The children too, may find that father's
footsteps may be traced and father's God is nigh. He has been allured to
brighter worlds and led the way."
ELISHA JACKSON.
In the person of this venerable pioneer farmer, long since deceased, we
have a representative of a worthy race of people to whom the country is
largely indebted for its development and progress. He was simply a plain,
industrious tiller of the soil, who worked hard to get a start in the world,
provided well for his family, did his duty to his fellow-men and made a good
neighbor and citizen. To such as he, Indiana owes much. Here and there.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 939
scattered over the state in every county, on well-tilled acres, they toiled and
worked, cleared, grubbed and ditched, fought the forces of Nature in the
way of swamps and dense forests, gradually making headway, until in time
we see the beautiful and highly cultivated farms as the result of their
arduous labors. Such were the pioneer farmers. They did not figure in
public life. Their names were seldom mentioned in the papers, for they
lived quiet and unpretentious lives, but it was their work and self-sacrifice
that was gradually building up the state, adding to its wealth and beauty,
until it became one of the finest agricultural regions in the world. Mr. Jack-
son was a public-spirited man in all that the term implies, was ever inter-
ested in enterprises tending to promote the general welfare and withheld his
support from no movement for the good of the locality so long honored by
his residence. His personal relations with his fellow-men were ever riiu-
tually pleasant and agreeable, and he was highly regarded by all, ever oblig-
ing, neighborly and honest.
Elisha Jackson was born in Putnam county, Indiana, May 3, 1830. He
was a son of Joseph and Martha (Heady) Jackson, natives of South Caro-
lina, from which state they came to Indiana in a very early day and estab-
lished their home, pre-empting government land in Putnam county, and later
they came to Boone county, locating in Jackson township, where they en-
tered land from the government. There the father spent the rest of his life,
the widow spending the rest of her life at the home of a daughter, dying
some years afterwards.
Elisha Jackson grew up on the home farm, which he helped to clear
and develop, finding plenty of hard work in those early times, and he received
the usual meager educational advantages of those days. In November, 1855,
he married Elizabeth J. Hendricks, who was born in Parke county, Indiana,
March 11, 1835. She grew up in the same early environments and received
her education in the old-time schools. She is a daughter of Adam and Sarah
L. (Burke) Hendricks, both natives of Kentucky, the father bom in Bath
county and the mother in Fleming county. The paternal grandparents,
Jacob and Catherine (Thompson) Hendricks, were also natives of Ken-
tucky, while the maternal grandparents, Samuel and Margaret (Reeves)
Burke, were natives of Virginia. After his marriage, Elisha Jackson rented
a farm in Jackson township two years, then bought forty acres of partly
timbered land, which he started to improve, and to which he kept adding
940 BOONE COUNtY, INDIANA.
■Other land and trading land until there was left one hundred and twenty
acres, which is now all under excellent improvements. He carried on gen-
eral farming successfully and was an extensive raiser of horses, mules, cat-
tle and hogs, and ranked among the leading agriculturists of his day in
Boone county.
The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Jackson : Margaret
E., wife of James Dale of Jackson township; Armilda J., wife of Ephraim
Kibbey, of this township; Sarah M., wife of George Dale of this township:
Martha A., who was the wife of John Reese, of this township, died in 1905:
George W., lives in Jackson township ; Charles V. lives in Lebanon ; Thomas
M. lives in this township; Arie Alva died in 1890 at the age of twenty-two
3'ears; Joseph lives in Jackson township: Emma is the wife of Otto Patterson,
of Center township.
Elisha Jackson was a Democrat, and religiously he belonged to the New-
light Christian church. His death occurred November 4, 1888. After that
time Mrs. Jackson lived among her children for seven years, then returned
to the old home place, and her brother, John M. Hendricks, is looking after
her farm, his wife assisting in the housekeeping. Mrs. Jackson is a fine
elderly lady whom everybody likes. She tells many interesting things of
the pioneer days, and although she is now long past her three score and ten
she is comparatively hearty.
LARKIN BECK.
Year has been added to year and decade to decade until four score ana
five years have been numbered with the irrevocable past since Larkin Beck, a
venerable and highly honored pioneer citi2;en, now living in retirement in
his cozy home at Zionsville, Boone county, first opened his eyes to the light
in Hoosierdom and he has been contented to spend his long, active and use-
ful life upon her soil and has thus lived throughout her real historic period,
little being recorded on the printed page before the year of his advent into the
world. When he was a boy, the state, except in a few places, was an unde-
veloped region, wilderness, in fact, awaiting the awakening touch of the
sturdy pioneers to transform its wild lands into rich farms and beautiful
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 94I
homes, to found towns, establish schools and churches and in many other
ways to reclaim the country for the use of man. As one of the early work-
ers in this locality he led the van of civilization into this favored region,
Mr. Beck-well deserves mention with the historical characters of this localit)-,
and it is with pleasure that a brief review of his life is herewith presented,
for the present generation owes to him and to his contemporaries who paved
the way by their laborious endeavor for the present advanced state of society,
which we can never repay.
Mr. Beck was born in Union county, Indiana, April ii, 1829. He is
a son of John Beck, a native of North Carolina. He was a son of Solomon
Beck, also a native of the old Tar state, but the latter's parents were natives
of Germany, from which country they emigrated to the United States and
settled in North Carolina in the old colonial days and there the family be-
came widely known and well established. The parents of our subject grew
up in their native state and emigrated to Indiana in a very early day, settling
in Union county when the wide reaching woods were yet filled with all kinds
of wild beasts and nomadic bands of red men. They were people of courage,
honesty and hospitality, which traits are marked in our subject also. They
erected a log cabin, cleared by degrees their virgin land and eventually had
a good farm and a comfortable home. And in that pioneer environment
Larkin Beck grew to manhood and worked hard assisting his father on the
homestead. Like other pioneer children his education, obtained in the log-
cabin subscription schools, was meager. Upon reaching manhood he mar-
ried Sarah Pauley, who was born in Alabama, of English ancestry, and she
was young in years when she came to Indiana. Seven children were born to
Mr. and Mrs. Beck, named as follows : Mrs. Margaret Ann Beeter, Joseph,
John, Oliver, Alice and Julia. The mother of these children passed to her
rest in 1901, after a long record as a faithful helpmeet and good mother and
neighbor.
Mr. Beck came to Boone county in early years and lived near Thomtown
many years and is well known in that part of the county. He later owned
the Berry Hill farm in Eagle township, now the property of his son-in-law,
James E. Holler, who married Alice Beck. This place consists of fort\
acres and is an excellent fruit, berry and dairy farm. Our subject has been
living retired for a number of years and is spending the December of his
942 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
years in quiet and comfort. He has always been noted for his honesty and
uprightness, and, hke a number of his brothers, is well known in both Boone
and Union counties. He is a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal
church.
CHARLES D. OREAR.
One of the leading members of the Boone county bar is Charles D.
Orear, of Lebanon. His treatment of his case is always full of compre-
hension and accuracy, his analysis of the facts clear and exhaustive, and he
seems to grasp without effort, the relation and dependence of facts and so
groups them as to enable him to throw their combined force upon the point
they tend to prove. He is now only an able and reliable counsellor, with a
thorougli acquaintance of the principles, intricacies and complexities of juris-
prudence, but his honesty is such that he frequently advises against long and
expensive litigation, and this too, at the loss of liberal fees which otherwise
he could easily earn. Mr. Orear is also a leader in Republican politics in
this section of the state. He has ever acted upon the principle that he who
serves his countr}- best serves his party best, and with this object in view his
political efforts, although strenuous and in the highest degree influential, have
been above the slightest suspicion of dishonor and his counsels have not only
met with the approval of his party associates but commanded the respect of
the oppositinn as well.
Mr. Oreai was Ijorn April 20, 1868 on a farm in Hendricks county,
Indiana. He is a son of Dr. John H. and Mary E. (Kirkpatrick) Orear.
both natives of Montgomery county, Kentucky where they spent their earlier
years, emigrating to Montgomery county, Indiana, in pioneer days, and
there they were married, the Kirkpatrick family having preceded our sub-
ject's father, they having been early settlers there. Dr. John H. Orear was
a practicing physician at Brown's Valley, Montgomery county for many
years, removing, about 1867 to a farm in Hendricks county where he engaged
in farming about five years. In 1872 he moved his family to Jamestown,
Boone county and practiced medicine there until his death, December 25
1891 at the age of seventy years. He was a successful physician of the old
school and a highly respected citizen. His widow is still living, making her
C. D. OREAR
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 945
home in the city of Lebanon, and is now eighty-two years of age. PoHtically,
Doctor Orear was first a Whig, later a Repubhcan and was a strong party
man. of decided opinions. Hon. Edward C. Orear, the Kentucky jurist and
poHtician is a half-brother of our subject's father. Nine children were born
to Dr. John H. Orear and wife, namely: William H., of Lebanon; Armilda
Jane, wife of Emory F. Lowry, a veterinary surgeon of Ottumwa, Iowa;
Lillie A., now Mrs. Edward E. Camplin, of Jamestown, Indiana; Elizabeth,
deceased; Oliver, postmaster; Charles D., of this sketch; Mary Scott, now
the wife of Eldred E. Emmons, of Omaha, Nebraska; Katherine is at home
with her mother; and Margaret who died in infancy.
Charles D. Orear was only five years old when the family moved to
Jamestown. He received his early education in the public schools of Boone
county, graduating from the Lebanon high school in 1886. He then taught
school for some time, in alternate years, his last year being in the high
school at Mason City, Iowa. During this period he attended DePauw
University every other year. He gave every promise of becoming an able
educator, but deciding that the law held greater attractions for him he turned
his attention to that, and in the fall of 1892 he entered the law department
of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, from which he was graduated
in 1894. having made an excellent record for scholarship there. Soon there-
after he was admitted to the Marion county bar at Indianapolis to practice
in all the state courts. He first located in Crawfordsville, Indiana, in the
office of Hon. M. D. White in which he remained about a year, then came
to Jamestown, Boone county where he remained, enjoying a good business,
until January, 1899. In 1898 the Republicans of Boone county induced Mr.
Orear to become a candidate for prosecuting attorney, but the county being
hopelessly democratic he was defeated, although making a very creditable
race. After the campaign he located in Lebanon for the practice of his pro-
fession and here he has since continued and has built up an extensive prac-
tice, apd stands in the front rank of the local attorneys-at-law. He has been
admitted to practice in the federal court and is one of the best known and
most successful lawyers in this section of the state. He is a member of the
county and state bar associations. From 1906 to 1908, inclusive, he was
county attorney and since 19 10 has been city attorney in Lebanon, both posi-
tions coming to him unsought. As a public servant he has ever discharged
his duties with rare ability and fidelity, giving the utmost satisfaction to all
946 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
concerned. He served as a member of the Republican County Executive
Committee, arid in 1902 and 1904 was secretary of the County Committee,
and his efforts were very largely responsible for the successful work of the
committee in those years. He has been a frequent delegate to county, district
and state conventions.
Mr. Orear was married November 30, 1911 to Lucile Wilson, of Mt.
Sterling, Kentucky, the home of his ancestors. She is a daughter of William
and Sarah Mynheir, an excellent family of the old Blue Grass state. Mrs.
Orear is a lady of refinement and was well educated. The union of our sub-
ject and wife has been without issue.
Fraternally, Mr. Orear belongs to the Masonic Order in which he has
attained the thirty-second degree, and he has served two terms as eminent
commander of Lebanon Commandery No. 43, Knights Templars. While in
college he was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. He and his wife be-
long to the Methodist Episcopal church and are active in church and Sunday
school work. For some time Mr. Orear was president of the Methodist
Brotherhood. He carries his Christianity into his every-day affairs and is a
man of exemplary habits and honorable impulses, an obliging, genial gentle-
man whom it is a pleasure to meet.
RUFUS CONRAD.
Farming is the biggest business in the world, but there is room for great
improvement, and there is much that the farmers of Indiana and everywhere
can learn, although our farmers are already capable workmen, and construc-
tive work that will permanently benefit agriculture must be planned on a big,
broad, comprehensive basis. Co-operating with the farmer as an individual
does not seem to be sufficient and does not reach the heart of the problem.
The more important work can be done only through organization. There
should be a partnership between industries and each line of organized industry
within its own orbit. The bankers can render a service by working out a
system of credits better adapted to the business of farming: the transportation
lines can help the tillers of the soil by locating markets and reaching them in
best condition at the lowest expense ; the agricultural departments of govern-
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. '94^
ment by co-ordinating supply and demand and the study of market conditions
and methods.
One of the most progressive farmers of Marion township, Boone county,
'who has proven his ability to succeed unaided under existing conditions, is
Rufus Conrad, who Avas born in Clay townsl^ip, Hamilton county, August
26, i860. He is a son of Martin and Phereba (Bishop) Conrad, the father
born in Forsyth county, North Carolina, in 1819, and the mother was born in
Edinburg, Indiana, in 1832. It was in 1834 that the father of our subject
came to Clay township, Hamilton county, with his parents, Daniel and
Johanna (Lineback) Conrad. However, they had spent the preceding winter
in Boone county. The grandfather was a native of Pennsylvania and the
grandmother was born in North Carolina. The maternal grandparents of
our subject were Joseph and Mary (Denidger) Bishop, and were both natives
of Tennessee, from which state they came to Indiana in an early day. Both
grandfathers entered land from the government and here established their
future homes. Martin Conrad, mentioned above, established his home after
his marriage on a farm on the line of Hamilton and Boone county, and a
year later he purchased a farm of his father in Hamilton county. He first
married Juliann Carter, and spent ten years engaged in merchandising in
Indianapolis, but after his second marriage, followed farming, but moved to
Zionsville three different times, spending a year there each time. He was
in the grocery business there about three years. His death occurred in 1897,
Ms widow surviving until 1900. He had two children by his first wife and
eight by his second.
Rufus Conrad grew up on the home farm and there worked until he
was twenty years old, during crop seasons, attending the common schools in
Hamilton county and the high school at \\'estfield, during the winter months.
He then lived with his brother on the old home place with the exception of
one summer. 1881, which he spent on the State Fruit Farm of Minnesota, ot
which Peter M. Gideon was superintendent. On April 8. 1885, he mar-
ried Mattie Hawkins, who was a native of Union township and a daugh-
ter of Rev. John and Elizabeth (Stoghill) Hawkins, of Kentucky. The
father was a minister of the Baptist denomination and he established the
church at Elizaville, Indiana, and preached for years at different places in this
locality. After spending six months on his father's farm in Eagle township,
Boone county, Rufus Conrad moved on the old farm of his grandfather
948 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Conrad, which he rented two years, later buying fifty-five acres in section 13,
Union township, this county. He began at once to make substantial im-
provements, and erected splendid buildings, good fences and did many things
in making this one of the valuable and desirable places in the township, and
as he prospered through good management and close application he added to
his original holdings until he became owner of two hundred and thirteen
acres of fine land which constitute his present holdings in Union township,
comprising three farms, all of which he rents except ten acres. He makes
a specialty of raising Chester White hogs.
Mr. Conrad and wife have the following children: Hazel, wife of Glenn
Bradshaw, of Union township ; Cecil Hadin died in infancy : Magelle is at-
tending high school at Zionsville.
Politically, Mr. Conrad is a Democrat and has been a loyal supporter
of the party. He was elected trustee of Union township in 1908 and has
held the office ever since. Previous to that he was a member of the advisory
board. As a public servant he has been most faithful in the discharge of his
duties. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and
religiously belongs to the Christian church, in which he has been a deacon
since 1903 and is active in church afifairs.
JOHN STEPHENSON.
Among those who came to Boone county when this section of Indiana
was in its primitive wildness, infested by wild animals and nomadic bands
of red men, was the Stephenson family, members of which have figured more
or less conspicuously in the afifairs of the locality for upwards of a century;
and they have performed well their parts in the work of developing the
county from a wilderness to one of the foremost agricultural sections in the
great Hoosier commonwealth, so they together with other early actors in
the drama which witnessed the passing of the old and the introductions of
the new conditions in which are now the fine farms and thriving towns of
this county, are deserving of every consideration. We of today cannot pay
such sterling characters too great a meed of praise, in view of the sacrifices
they made in order that their descendants and others of a later day should
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 949
enjoy the blessings of life, only a few of which they were permitted to have.
One of this noble band to whom we desire to call especial attention was John
Stephenson, who has long been sleeping the sleep of the just but who is of
that number "whose works do follow them."
Mr. Stephenson was born in Kentucky in November, 1825. He was a
son of John, Sr., and Elizabeth (Stark) Stephenson, also natives of the Blue
Grass state, form which they came in a very early day to what is now Marion
township, Boone county, Indiana, when the subject of this memoir was a
child. The elder Stephenson secured a tract of timber land, which he cleared
and developed, and he also kept a tavern on the Michigan road for many
years, which was a favorite stopping place for the travelers, some of them
distinguished, to the middle west in those early times. His first wife, the
mother of our subject, died and he married again, and our subject, not par-
ticularly fancying his step-mother, left home when a lad and worked out
until his marriage in 1850.
John Stephenson grew up amid pioneer environment, worked hard when
a boy and had little opportunity to secure an education. His wife, Mary
Jones, was born in Rush county, Indiana, and was a daughter of John and
Mary (Richardson) Jones, the father a native of Culpeper county, Virginia,
and the mother was a native of Kentucky. After his marriage our subject
rented a farm near Mud creek for four years, then purchased one hundred
and seventy-three acres of timber land in Marion township. He soon had a
space cleared and on this erected a log cabin and a barn, subsequently clear-
ing the major portion of his farm and here he continued general farming
and stock raising successfully the rest of his life, with the exception of
two years spent in McLean county, Illinois, spending one year in Bloomington
and one year in Saybrook. He and his father owned a valuable tract of
land there and when they returned to Boone county they sold their holdings
in McLean county.
The death of John Stephenson, Jr., occurred in December, 1873, after
which his widow purchased the place south of the old home farm where she
lived five years, then sold out and bought eighty acres adjoining, but moved
back to the old place where she lived five years and during that time had
built a substantial frame dwelling and in this she has since resided comfort-
ably and surrounded with plenty. Her son-in-law, who lives with her, oper-
ates the farm. She is now advanced in years but is comparatively well and in
950 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
possession of her faculties. She has always been known to her many friends
as a woman of strong character, a kind neighbor and earnest Christian, be-
longing to the Methodist Episcopal church for the past forty years. Mr.
Stephenson was a Presbyterian and was a good man in every respect.
Politically, he was a Republican. During the Civil war he served as a soldier
in the repelling of the Morgan raid into Indiana.
To Mr. and Mrs. Stephenson the following children were born : James
A., of Champaign, Illinois ; Sarah is the wife of John A. Fancher, who lives
in the Stephenson home; Grant lives in Bison, Oklahoma; Sherman lives in
Solomon, Kansas; Joseph makes his home in Dolan, South Dakota; Elenore
is the wife of U. G. Wade, of Marion township, Boone county; Emery lives
with his mother on the home place.
SAMUEL H. STEPHENSON.
"Through struggle to triumph" seems to be the maxim which holds sway
for the majority of our citizens, and, although it is undoubtedly true that
many fall exhausted in the conflict, a few by their inherent force of char-
acter and strong mentality, rise above their environment and all which seems
to hinder them, until they reach the plane of affluence toward which their
face was set through the long years of struggle tliat must necessarily precede
any accomplishment of great magnitude. Such has been the history of
Samuel H. Stephenson, who, after a busy and useful life is living in retire-
ment on his splendid farm in Marion township, Boone county. From his
life record many useful lessons may be learned, which might well be heeded
by the youth starting out on the road to fortune and renown, for he has been
a man who believed in the old adage, "Lose no time in getting of? the wrong
road as soon as you discover that you are traveling it." He has been an
advocate of progress in all phases of agriculture, and has made a success of
his chosen vocation.
Mr. Stephenson was born in Rush county, Indiana, October 30, 1847.
He is a son of James A. and Jane (Duncan) Stephenson, both natives of
Kentucky. Robert Stephenson, also a native of Kentucky, and the paternal
grandfather of our subject, removed to Ohio and was one of the early settlers
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 95 1
of that state. Martin Duncan, the maternal grandfather, was a native of
Scotland. He married Mary Henry, a native of Ireland. The parents of
our subject came from their native state to Indiana, when young and were
married in Decatur county, and settled in Rush county, and in the fall of i860
they came on to Boone county, and purchased three hundred and twenty
acres, all timbered but about ninety acres which had been cleared. Mr.
Stephenson was a hard worker and he cleared and improved the place into
a good farm, and in due course of time ranked among the leading farmers
and citizens of his community. His death occurred in 1888, his wife surviv-
ing until 1905, dying at the advanced age of eighty-seven years. To these
parents the following children were born: Robert, of Clinton township, this
county; Nancy, who has remained on the old home place; Mary married
John Sample, of Elwood, Indiana ; Duncan lives in Morgan county, this state.
Samuel H. Stephenson, third in order of birth of the children above
named, grew up on the home farm and received a good common school
education. With the exception of a few months when he worked in a
grocery store and also in the live stock business, he remained with his parents
on the farm until he was thirty-one years of age. He then moved to his forty
acres in Marion township which his father had given him. He purchased
forty acres of timber adjoining and here he has continued to reside, prosper-
ing with advancing years. His place is well improved and all but fourteen
acres which is still in timber, is under a good state of cultivation. He has
always carried on general farming and stock raising, specializing in hogs and
sheep. He has a comfortable home and he is now living practically retired
owing to failing health.
Mr. Stephenson was married December 24, 1878, to Laura Staton, who
was born in Marion county, Indiana, and who was educated in the common
schools. She was a daughter of Oliver and Mary (Crawford) Staton.
■ To our subject and wife the following children were born: Edgar,
who lives in Clinton county ; Dessie married Ollie McCoy, who operates our
subject's farm; Metta married Charles Bishop and they live in Marion town-
ship, this county ; Carroll died when one year old ; Mary Grace lives with her
aunt, Nancy Stephenson.
Politically, Mr. Stephenson is a Prohibitionist and he is a member of
the Presbyterian church, of Elizaville, Indiana, in which he has been an elder
since 1893, and is active in church affairs. i
'952 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
ANSON MILLS.
Anson Mills, soldier and inventor, was born at Thorntown, Indiana,
August 31, 1834, son of James P. and Sarah (Kenworthy) Mills, grandson
of James and Marian Mills, great-grandson of James and Joanna (Neels)
Mills, and great-great-grandson of Robert Mills, son of Amos and Mary, the
first of the family in America, who came from England with William Penn
in 1670 and lived in Newberry township, York, Pennsylvania. Both paternal
and maternal ancestors were Quakers, and for several generations followed
farming as a vocation. Anson Mills received his early education in the
Charlotteville (N. Y.) Academy, and was a cadet at the United States Mili-
tary Academy during 1855-57. He was appointed first lieutenant of the
Eighteenth United States Infantry on May 14, 1861, having received the
indorsement of the entire class at West Point in 1861. Appointed captain
.\pril 27, 1S63; transferred to Third Cavalry April 4, 1871 ; major, Tenth
Cavalry, April 4, 1878; lieutenant-colonel. Fourth Cavalry, March 25, 1890;
colonel, Third Cavalry, August 16, 1892, and brigadier-general, June 16,
1897. Retired on his own application June 27, 1897. He was brevetted
captain December 31, 1862, for gallant and meritorious services in the battle
of Murfreesboro, Tennessee; major, September i, 1864, for gallant and
meritorious services in the battle of Chickamauga, Georgia, and during the
Atlanta campaign; lieutenant-colonel, December 16, 1864, for gallant and
meritorious services in the battle of Nashville, Tennessee, and colonel, Febru-
ary 27, 1890, for gallant services in action against the Indians, at Slim Buttes,
Dakota, September 9, 1876.
After leaving West Point he went to the frontier of Texas, and engaged
in engineering and land surveying, and laid out the first plan of the city of
El Paso. In 1859 he was surveyor on the part of Texas on the boundary
commission establishing the boundary between New Mexico, Indian Terri-
tory and Texas. In March, 1861, he went to Washington and joined the
Cassius M. Clay Guards, which were quartered, armed and equipped by the
Federal government, and served there, protecting Federal officers and prop-
erty until relieved by volunteers. He was with his regiment in the army of
the Ohio and department of the Cumberland to October 22, 1864, and was
acting inspector-general, district of Etowah, to Februar}- 25, 1865. He
participated in the siege of Corinth, the battles of Perry ville, Kentucky;
GEN. ANSON P. MILLS.
— Argus-En terpri
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 955
Murfreesboro, Tennessee; Hoover's Gap, Tennessee; Chickamauga, Georgia;
the siege of Chattanooga, Tennessee; Missionary Ridge, Tennessee; Tunnel
Hill, Georgia ; Buzzard's Roost, Georgia ; the Atlanta campaign, Resaca,
Georgia: Dallas, Georgia; New Hope Church, Georgia; Kenesaw Mountain,
New Dow Station, Peach Tree Creek ; Utoy Creek, Georgia, -where he was
wounded, and Jonesboro, Georgia, and while on the staff of General Sted-
man, in the battles of Nashville, Tennessee, and Decatur, Alabama.
During the four years' war he was never absent, either on leave or from
sickness, and was present in all the engagements of his regiment. Fox's
"Regimental Losses" states that his regiment (Eighteenth Infantry), lost
more in killed and wounded than any other regiment in the regular army,
and that his company (H), First Battalion, lost more in killed and wounded
than any other company in the regiment.
After the war he served at Fort Aubrey, Kansas ; Forts Bridger and
Fetterman, Wyoming; Fort Sedgwick, Colorado; Fort McPherson, Georgia,
and Columbia, South Carolina. He joined the Third Cavalry April 15, 1871,
and served with it at Forts Whipple and McDowell, Arizona ; Fort McPher-
son. Nebraska; North Platte, Nebraska, and was in the field commanding the
Big Horn expedition from August to October, 1874. At Camp Sheridan,
Nebraska, and Fort D. A. Russell, Wyoming, to May 18, 1876. He com-
manded expeditions against the Indians at Tongue River, Montana, June 9;
at Rose Bud river, Montana, June 17, and at Slim Buttes, Dakota, September
9, 1876. At Camp Sheridan, Nebraska, to May 21, 1877, where he had
charge of Chief Spotted Tail and his tribe of six thousand Ogalala Sioux
Indians. He joined the Tenth Cavalry in April, 1879, and served at Forts
Concho and Davis, Texas (and commanded battalion of regiment at Fort
Sill, Indian Territory, during the Indian outbreak to November, 1881), to
April I, 1885; commanded Fort Thomas, Arizona, to August 26, 1886, and
Fort Grant, Arizona, being frequently in the field, to September 24, 1888;
on duty at Fort Bliss, Texas, under special orders, assisting officers of the
interior department (U. S. geological survey) in surveys near El Paso,
Texas, with the object of reclaiming arid lands in the Rio Grande valley, to
April 2, 1890, when he was transferred to the 4th cavalry, and served at
Presidio, California, to October 31, 1891. Commanded regiment and post
of Fort Walla Walla. Washington, to February, 1893. Joined Third Cav-
(57)
956 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
airy as colonel February 28, 1893, and commanded post at Fort Mcintosh,
Texas, and Fort Reno, Oklahoma, to August, 1893; made brigadier-general
and retired.
General Mills invented the woven cartridge belt and loom for its manu-
facture and founded the Mills Woven Cartridge Belt Company, of Wor-
cester, Massachusetts, which manufactures woven cartridge belts and equip-
ment for all the world. He was a member of the board of visitors at West
Point in 1866, and was United States military attache at the Paris Exposi-
tion of 1878. Since October, 1893, General Mills has been United States
commissioner on the international boundary commission, United States and
Mexico, during which he originated the principle of eliminating bancos
( small islands) which are formed by the action of the Rio Grande and much
complicated the boundary question previous to the treaty of 1905 for the
"elimination of bancos in the Rio Grande," which he prepared. He was also
appointed commissioner in 1896 to investigate and report upon a plan for an
international dam near El Paso, Texas, for the purpose of equitably dis-
tributing the waters of the Rio Grande between the United States and Mexico.
The American section of the boundary commission has published, under Gen-
eral Mills' direction, many valuable reports, including the proceedings of the
commission, in two volumes (1903) ; two reports on Elimination of Bancos
in the Rio Grande (1910-12), and Survey of the Rio Grande, Roma to the
Gulf of Mexico (1913).
He sat on the arbitral commission for the hearing of the Chaniizal case,
Hon. Eugene La Fleur, of Canada, presiding, which case involved the ques-
tion of international title to land forming part of the city of El Paso, Texas,
and his dissenting opinion in the findings of the arbitral board was appro\-ed
by his government.
General Mills is a member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion
of the United States, and was commander of the Washington commandery
in 1908; Order of the Indian Wars of the United States and was commander
in 191 1, Society of the Army of the Cumberland, American Society of Inter-
national Law, honorary member Society of Indiana Engineers, Army and
Navy Qub and Metropolitan Club of Washington. He was married October
8. 1868, to Hannah Martin, daughter of William C. Cassell, of Zanesville.
Ohio, and had two sons. .Anson Cassel and William Cassel Mills (both de-
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 957*
ceased), and one daughter, Constance Lydia, wife of Capt. Winfield Scott
Overton, United States army.
WAR DEPARTMENT.
Adjutant General's Office,
Washington, February 24, 1897.
Statement of the military service of Anson Mills, of the United States
Army, compiled from the records of this office :
He was a cadet at the United States Military Academy, July i, 1855, to
February 18, 1857.
He was appointed first lieutenant. Eighteenth Infantry, 14th May, 1861;
captain, 27th April, 1863; transferred to Third Cavalry, ist January, 1871 ;
major. Tenth Cavalry, 4th April. 1878; lieutenant-colonel, Fourth Cavalry,
25th March, 1890; colonel. Third Cavalry, i6th August, 1892.
He was brevetted captain, 31st December, 1862, for gallant and meri-
torious services in the battle of Murfreesboro; Tennessee; major, ist Septem-
ber, 1864, for gallant and meritorious services in the battle of Chickamauga,
Georgia, and during the Atlanta campaign, lieutenant-colonel, i6th Decem-
ber, 1864, for gallant and meritorious services in the battle of Nashville,
Tennessee, and colonel, 27th Fel)ruary, 1890, for gallant services in action
against Indians, at Slim Buttes, Dakota, September 9, 1876.
He was on recruiting service July 19, 1861, to February 17, 1862, with
regiment in Army of the Ohio, and Department of the Cumberland, to Octo-
ber 22, 1864, and Acting Inspector-General, District of Etowah, to February
25, 1865. He participated in the siege of Corinth, April 29th, to June 5,
1862 : battles of Perrysville, Kentucky, October 8, 1862 ; Murfreesboro,
Tennessee, December 29, 1862, to January 5, 1863 ! Hoover's Gap, Tennessee,
June 25 and 26. 1863; Chickamauga, Georgia, September 19 and 20, 1873;
siege of Chattanooga, Tennessee, September 21, to November 4, 1863; Mis-
sionars' Ridge, Tennessee, November 24 and 25, 1863; Tunnel Hill, Georgia,
February 23 and 24, 1864; Buzzard's Roost, Georgia, February 25 and 26,
1864; Atlanta campaign. May 3 to September 8, 1864; Resaca, Georgia, May
13 to 15, 1864; Dallas, Georgia, May 24 to June 5, 1864; New Hope Church,
958 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Georgia, May 29 to 31, 1864; Kenesaw Mountain, June 22 to July 3, 1864;
Neal Dow Station, July 4, 1864; Peach Tree Creek, Georgia, July 20, 1864,
where he was slightly wounded; Utoy Creek, Georgia, August 7, 1864; Jones-
boro, Georgia, September i, 1864, and Nashville, Tennessee, December 15
and 16, 1864.
He was on recruiting service from February 25, 1865, to November 15,
1865, when he rejoined his regiment and served with it in Kansas to March,
1866; on leave to October, 1866; (member of Board of Visitors at United
States Military Academy, in June, 1866) ; with regiment at Fort Bridger,
Wyoming, to October, 1867, and at Fort Fetterman, Wyoming, to May 10,
1868; on leave to July 10, 1868; with regiment at Fort Sedgwick, Colorado,
to April, 1869, and in Georgia and South Carolina, to January 15, 1871.
He joined the Third Cavalry, April 15, 1871, and served with it in
Arizona, to December i, 1871.
He commanded his troop at Fort McPherson, Nebraska, January 17 to
May I, 1872; at North Platte, Nebraska (on leave December 2, 1872, to
March 9, 1873), to August 13, 1874; in the field commanding the Big Horn
expedition, to October 13, 1874; on leave to January 18, 1875; commanding
troop and post of North Platte, Nebraska, to April 14, 1875 ; at Camp
Sheridan, Nebraska, to November 20, 1875; at Fort D. A. Russell, Wyoming
(in field February 21 to April 26, 1876, being engaged in action against
Indians at Little Powder river, Montana, March 17, 1876), to May 18, 1876:
commanding battalion of regiment in the field on expedition against hostile
Indians, to October 24, 1876, being engaged against them at Tongue River,
Montana, June 9, at Rose Bud River, Montana, June 17, and at Slim Buttes,
Dakota, September 9, 1876 (where he commanded), commanding his troop
at Camp Sheridan, Nebraska, November, 1876, to May 21, 1877, and on
leave of absence to February 27, 1878; on duty in Paris, France, with the
United States Commissioner, Paris Exposition, to November, 1878, and on
delay to March, 1879.
He joined the Tenth Cavalry, April 11. 1879, and served with regiment
in Texas (on leave March 23 to June 30, 1880, and August 26, 1880, to
March 21, 1881), to May 21, 1881 : commanding battalion of regiment at
Fort Sill, Indian Territory, to November, 1881 ; on duty at Fort Concho,
Texas, to July, 1882; at Fort Davis, Texas (on leave October 26. 1883, to
January 2, 1884), to April i, 1885; commanding post of Fort Thomas,
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 959
Arizona, to August 26, 1886; on leave to March 27, 1887; on duty at Fort
Grant, Arizona, being frequently in field to September 24, 1888 ; on sick leave
to May, 1889; on duty at Fort Bliss, Texas, assisting officers of the Interior
Department in surveys (before Congressional Committee in this city, Janu-
ary to March, 1890), to April 2, 1890, and on leave and under orders to July,
1890.
He joined the Fourth Cavalry, July 13, 1890, and served at the Presidio
of San Francisco, California, to October 31, 1891 ; commanding regiment and
post of Fort Walla Walla, Washington, to February 11, 1893.
He joined the Third Cavalry, February 28, 1893, and commanded it and
the post of Fort Mcintosh, Texas, to June 21, 1893, and the post of Fort
Reno, Oklahoma, to August 12, 1893; o" leave to October 26, 1893, and
since then on duty as Commissioner of the United States International
Boundary Commission of the United States and Mexico.
(Signed) Geo. D. Ruggles,
Adjutant General.
ADDITION TO THE RECORD OF COLONEL ANSON MILLS, UNITED STATES ARMY,
NOT INCLUDED IN THE ADJUTANT GENERAl's CERTIFICATE OF MILI-
TARY SERVICE.
He left West Point in 1857, went to the frontier of Texas and engaged
in engineering and land surveying; laid out the first plan of the city of El
Paso; in 1859 was surveyor to the Boundary Commission establishing the
boundary between New Mexico, Indian Territory and Texas; in February,
1861, on submission to the popular vote of the state of Texas, the question of
"Separation" or "No Separation," he cast one of the lonely two votes in the
county of El Paso against separation, to nine hundred and eighty-five for
separation; in March, 1861, he abandoned the state, going to Washington,
and there joined the military organization known as the "Cassius M. Clay"
Guards, quartered, armed and equipped by the United States government,
and served there protecting federal officers and property, until relieved by
volunteer forces called out by the President. On May 14, 1861, was
appointed first lieutenant Eighteenth Infantry on the following recommenda-
tion from the then first class at the military academy.
.960 boone county, indiana.
United States Military Academy,
West Point, N. Y., April 30, 1861.
Lorenzo Thomas, Adjutant-General, Washington, D. C.
Dear Sir: We, the undersigned, members of the First Class at the
United States Military Academy, respectfully recommend to your favorable
consideration the claims of Mr. Anson Mills, an applicant for a commission
as second lieutenant in the United States army.
Mr. Mills was formerly a member, for nearly two years, of the class
preceding ours, when he resigned.
During that time his habits and character conformed to the strictest
military propriety and discipline, and we feel assured that he would be an
honor to the service and that its interests would be promoted by his appoint-
ment.
Respectfully submitted.
James F. McQuesten, Charles E. Hazlett, Henry B. Noble, Francis A.
Davies, John I. Rogers, J. W. Barlow, \\'. A. Elderkin. A. R. Cham-
bliss, Emory Upton, Eugene B. Beaumont. J. Ford Kent, J. S. Poland,
Addelbert Ames, A. R. Bufiington, C. E. Patterson, Leonard Martin.
Sheldon Sturgeon, Wright Rives, Charles C. Campbell, M. F. Watson,
Ohio F. Rice, Erskine Gittings, Franklin Howard, Charles Henry Gib-
son, J. H. Simper, H. A. Dupont, J. Benson Williams. Charles M. K.
Leoser, R. L. Eastman, Leroy L. Janes, Guy V. Henry, N. W. Henry.
John Adair, Jr., Judson Kilpatrick, S. O. Sokalski, Samuel N. Benja-
min, J. B. Rawles, L. G. Hoxton.
During the four years of the war he was never absent either on leave
or from sickness and was present in all of the engagements of his regiment.
Fox's "Regimental Losses" states on page 3, that his regiment (Eigh-
teenth Infantry), lost more in killed and mortally wounded than any other
regiment in the regular army and that his company. H, First Battalion (page
420), lost more in killed and mortally wounded than any company in his
regiment.
He invented the woven cartridge belt (and loom for manufacture) now
adopted and exclusively used by the army and navy of the United States.
He stands No. 24 on the lineal list of seventy-one colonels in the army.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 961
PRIVATE RESOLUTION NO. I.
Joint resolution permitting Anson Mills, colonel of Third Regiment
United States Cavalry, to accept and exercise the functions of boundary
commissioner on the part of the United States.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled. That Anson Mills, colonel Third
Regiment United States Cavalr,'. having been nominated by the President
and confirmed by the Senate as a commissioner of the United States under
the convention between the United States of America and the United States
of Mexico concluded and signed by the contracting parties at the city of
Washington, March first, eighteen hundred and eighty-nine, is hereby per-
mitted to accept and exercise the functions of said office of commissioner;
Provided, Said officer shall continue to receive his emoluments in pay and
allowances as colonel in the army while holding said ofifice of commissioner
the same as he would receive were he performing such duty under military
orders and no other or additional pay or emoluments for his services as such
commissioner.
Approved, December 12, 1893.
HONORED GENERAL MILLS.
One of the final acts of the Indiana Ejigineering Society convention at
Indianapolis, was the election of three honorary members, one of whom
was Gen. Anson Mills, of Washington, D. C. General Mills was born
in Thorntown, Indiana, seventy-two years ago. In answer to the tele-
gram notifying him of his election, he sent the following: "I appreciate
most highly my election as an honorary member of the Indiana Engineering
Society and accept the honor. This is especially grateful as coming from my
native state and from a society which has accomplished so much for the
profession."
DEATH OF WILLIAM W. MILLS.
William W. Mills, son of James P. and Sarah Kenworthy Mills was
born in Boone county, Indiana, February 10, 1836 and died at Austin, Texas,
February 10, 1913. on his seventy-seventh birthday. He remained at home
on the farm until he attained his majority and in 1857 went to El Paso,
Texas, of which place later in life he wrote a book.
Early in the Civil war he enlisted and was commissioned lieutenant of
962 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
volunteers. He resigned his position and in 1862 was appointed collector of
customs in which service he continued until 1869. In the year 1869 he was
married to Miss Mary, the beautiful and accomplished daughter of governor
A. J. Hamilton, of Texas. After his marriage he was appointed deputy col-
lector of internal revenue serving for several years. In 1897 to 1907 he
served as American Consul at Chihuahua, Mexico. He and his wife were
at Thomtown, October, 1909, at the dedication of the memorial fountain
erected here by his brother. General Anson Mills, of Washington, D. C, in
memory of his father and mother. They greatly enjoyed every hour of their
visit at the old home. The scenes of his youth and renewal of fond recol-
lections crowded upon him, and he lived them over again.
Through all his strenuous life amid the stirring activities of Texas and
Mexico and through the turmoils of the Civil war, in private and public life
he was delicate in health. Patient through suffering, brave in conflict and
tender and loving in domestic, life, he lived and struggled until crowned with
life eternal. It was a long strenuous life faithful until the close when he
rested from his labors and became free from pain.
He left a devoted wife, two sisters, Mrs. Mary Burckhalter and Mrs.
Jane Smiley, of Thorntown, and two brothers, General Anson Mills, of
Washington, D. C. and Allen Mills, of Thorntown and a host of relatives and
friends at his home and over the land to mourn his departure.
JAMES p. AND SARAH KENWORTHY MILLS.
One hundred years ago there was born August 22, 1808, at York, Penn-
sylvania, a male child, who was christened James P. Mills. At the early age
of eight years he was left an orphan. He \\as bound out and apprenticed
to learn the tanner's trade. When he reached his majority he caught the
fever of Greeley's advice to go west, before that sage thought of giving it,
and in his twenty-second year crossed the Alleghanies in a Dearborn wagon
and continued his journey towards the setting sun, until he reached Craw-
fordsville. Here he became a citizen of the young state of Indiana, and as
such we wish to follow him closely as a factor in the development of the
state. His life is typical of the body of men that laid the foundations of the
commonwealth. In this age he would not be termed educated.
The opportunities in Pennsylvania were meager a century ago, for the
average young man, yet many of her sons, possessing brawn, grit and a sense
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 963
of honor, forged to the west, and laid strong arms against the dense forests
of Indiana. Our hero was one of that number. As soon as he was in
Crawfordsville, he began to cast about for land. He had the ambition of
ownership. He had planned in his mind to be a freeholder and purposed in
his heart to own land with intent to build a home. On this sentiment the
basis of this story is cemented. It's the same old story that lies at the
foundation of every pioneer family in the state. Mr. Mills' employer recom-
mended him to go to Thorntown in lieu of there not being desirable land to
enter around Crawfordsville. This was the time when the question of
organizing Boone county was before the legislature of the state. There were
about six hundred souls living in this section of territory at that time. The
county was organized in 1830. James P. Mills was one of the stalwart
young men that stepped upon its wild soil with the nerve to build a county.
In that year he came to Thorntown and sought employment with one Gapen,
a tanner. It was not long until he drove his stake for life and received title
to his homestead from Uncle Sam for portions of sections 6 and 7, in town-
ship 19 north and range i west.
About the same time his heart sought a fair maiden by the scripture
name of Sarah, daughter of Judge Kenworthy, who was among the first
white men who took up their abode in the old French and Indian village of
Thorntown, as early as 18 19. Now Sarah was fair and kind of heart and
James was drawn towards her. She was born in Miami county, Ohio, on
next to the last day of the year 1810, and her parents moved to Thorntown
when she was of tender age, and settled just east of the old French and
Indian trading point in section 31, township 20 north, range i west, just a
little over one mile across the woods from where our hero had located his
home. There is no positive record of the process of movements, but the
sequence tells the story. It must have run the same old road of lovers. There
were meetings and cooings, horseback rides to the old church, apple parings,
corn huskings, etc.. during which the young man lost his heart. It put nerve
into his arm. He drove a stake for his home just north of a gurgling spring,
laid the ax to the root of the tree, like a tanner, not a woodman with trained
chopping art. He hackled all round and round the tree until it fell in the
line of gravitation. Thus he cleared the spot, hewed the logs and reared the
home to the gables and put on the roof. All this while his heart strings
were pulling stronger and stronger towards the Judge's daughter. He could
wait no longer, not even to build the gables.
964 BOONE COUNTYj INDIANA.
On the twenty-second day of November, 1832, James P. Mills was united
in marriage to Miss Sarah Kenworthy and after one month of honeymoon,
the bride at mother's and the groom trotting back and forth to his farm, one
mile, and working, like a beaver each day, fitting the home for his queen, at
the close of the year 1832, with ax, mattock, handspike, hackle, loom and high
hopes, they began home building in earnest in the wilderness. The story
of this home is the story of Indiana. Its struggles, its privations, its hard-
ships, its joys, its sorrows were the common lot of all. In this sketch we
cannot stop to give the colorings, but must pass on.
We have spoken of James P. Mills as a pioneer, and it might be well on
this occasion to speak of him as a man and citizen. As an orphan and ap-
prentice, his youth passed without opportunity of education to qualify him as
a public man. Landing in Indiana as he entered upon his majority, he at
once became too busily engaged in subduing the wilderness and in his zealous
home-building and struggles to provide for his family to look into books.
He was a devoted husband, a provident and faithful father, and a conscien-
tious citizen. With all these duties pressing upon him continuously day by
day there was little opportunity for mind culture. In the very prime of life,
when the light of a better day was dawning, the angel of death entered his
home and took away the companion of his struggles.
There he stood, having passed the wilderness, in full view of the Canaan
land, ready to pass over and feed on its honey and milk, but alas ! The com-
panion of his joys and sorrows, of all his toils and hardships was called away
and left him standing on the shore, with all the little ones clinging to his
knees and pressing on his heart. This was a time to try his soul. Dazed,
bewildered and uncertain how to move, he stood as a father true to his trust,
even clinging to his babe in his desperation to hold the family of children
together. He rose to the emergency of tilling the place both of father
and the truest of mothers. What a task of lo\e! What a test of manhood!
Few men would have borne the burden. He held his place at the head of the
home, protecting and providing for his children until they grew to manhood
and womanhood. He not only provided food and raiment, but saw that the
fundamental principle of government was instille<l and imbedded in their
nature, that comes from the law of obedience. His word was the law of the
family. He also provided for their education, even to the sacrifice of send-
ing them from home, where they could have better facilities.
During the lonely days of his widowerhood he read much of patriotism
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. , 965
and obedience to her call took all the sons from the home. Later Cupid
entered and the daughters fell by his darts and the house was left desolate
and the hero of all its conflicts stood solitary and alone. It was in the midst
of this period of his life we first met him. For one year in the early eighties
we sat at the same table three times a day. Mr. Mills was reticent by nature
and slow to form acquaintance, but he grew upon you slowly and surely.
He possessed more in mind and heart than appeared on the surface. If you
came in touch with him where he lived you would find him a live coal. He
was a graduate in the affairs of life. He may not have had the culture of
college training, but he did have that high sense of honor and manhood that
comes through the school of life's duties and trials. He was polished b}-
the friction of hardship.^ and refined by the pressure of a life devoted faith-
fully to duty under the most trying circumstances. He was indeed trulv
educated and his life is a rich legacy to children and children's children.
GOVERNMENT DEED TO MILLS.
The government deeded to James Philips Mills, of Crawfordsville, Indi-
ana, the following described land: The east fraction of the northwest
quarter of section seven in township nineteen, north, range one west, in the
district of lands subject to sale at Crawfordsville, Indiana, containing eighty
acres, deed dated, Washington, D. C, March third in the year A. D. one
thousand eight hundred and thirty-one and the year of the Independence
of the United States of .A^merica Fifty-fifth. Signed .'\ndrew Jackson, Presi-
dent of the .United States.
In the pioneer home were born all the stalwart sons and fair daughters.
Anson, August 31, 1834; William, Marietta, Eliza Jane, Emmett, Allen, Gil-
bert John, Caroline and Thomas Edwin. Sacrifices were necessary to edu-
cate them. Schools there were none anrl they must needs be sent from home
to the far east and south. The parents rose to the emergency. The mother
spun, wove, made the garments and prepared food : the father tilled the soil
and economized to provide means. In this home amid all the hopes and
anxieties of the parents came the white-winged cupid with orange blossoms
and daughters were given in marriage ; came dark-winged death with sorrow
also, bearing away its inmates in infancy, childhood and in young manhood's
ripened prime on the field of battle. Saddest of all became the home when
the mother, the light of its hearth, the bond of its union, was borne from
their midst on September 4, 1849.
966 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
The mother and children, all gone by marriage or death, the father was
left alone to live over and over the joys and griefs of the household. He
trod the way companionless, down the sunset of life, until he passed under
the shadow April 22, 1889, survived by three sons and two daughters. Thus
ended the life work of one pioneer family of Indiana, after a full half century
of toil.
Industr^^ frugality, truth, honesty and temperance were the cardinal
virtues that made the sure foundation of this home. Such as these made
the great republic possible. Parents of nine children, self-sacrificing, self-
denying, self-reliant and peaceful, joint occupants of the same farm with
the Pottawattamie Indians.
The house has mouldered away and given place to the new and modern,
but the spirit generated in it is alive today, of which this occasion is a glorious
and lasting witness.
IN MEMORIAM A. D. I9O9.
A live memorial is erected upon our streets by the eldest son, General
Anson P. Mills, Washington, D. C, to commemorate these lives. As the
warp and woof of mother's loom ran down like a golden web through his
mind and heart, inspiring success in life, mayhap there was also a continu-
ous silver thread, flowing from the gurgling spring at the old home to this
memoriam.
As the iridescent spray flying crystal-white from its sculptured forms
and flowers, thrill our being with a sense of beauty and perfection of taste,
it is well for us to- remember the stor^^ of the toil and sacrifice of hands and
hearts that made it possible.
Marietta Mills, daughter of James P. and Sarah Kenworthy Mills, was
born December 31, 1837 and died February 12, 1914. She is a sister of
Anson P. Mills.
She was united in marriage to John T. Burckhalter. April 15, 1858. To
this union were born ten children, three having preceded the mother in
death. The surviving ones are, Abraham, of Montana: Rembrant W.. of
Pennsylvania; Sarah and Grace, of Thorntown; Rosa, of Hazelrigg; and
Piertha and Howard, who lived with her and administered to her in her de-
clining years.
She leaves six grandchildren and one great grandchild, her namesake.
Marietta, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Taylor, of Rochester, Indiana. Besides
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 967
these two brothers, Brig. Gen. Anson Mills, of Washington, D. C, Allen
Mills, of Thorntown, and one sister, Mrs. Jane Smiley, of Thorntown.
She became a member of the Christian church in 1857 under the preach-
ing of Rev. A. L. Hobbs.
Mrs. Burckhalter was a woman of very fine type of mind, taking a very
philosophical view of affairs at all times and up to the very time of her death
her mind was exceptionally clear and keen.
Mrs. Burckhalter was born in an old log house that stood on the site
of the present modern home, in fact her death occurred within a few feet
of the place of her birth. The farm on which she was born, lived and died,
was entered by her father, James P. Mills, September 30, 1834, who also on
March 18, 1837, entered a tract of land adjoining. Sheepskin letters of
patents are still in possession of the family, the first signed by .\ndrew Jack-
son, the second signed by Martin Van Buren, presidents of the United States
at the time of entry.
Mrs. Burckhalter had witnessed the greatest era in the history of the
nation and the most wonderful era, scientifically in the history of the world.
She had a large part in the history of the state and nation, one brother
being consul to Mexico, while the illustrious Anson Mills, so distinguished
himself in time of war as to secure the position of brigadier-general. Dur-
ing all these years she quietly remained at home, keeping the family together
and rearing to sturdy manhood and winsome womanhood her sons and
daughters who give to our nation those qualities and virtues which make us
great among the nations of the earth.
It is intensely interesting to note the kaleidoscopic changes that have
taken place in the life-time of this good woman. Born as we have said in a
log house with its great open fire place that with tropic heat drove back the
frost line from the window pane. This early home giving place to the pres-
ent modern house with its conveniences and equipment. The old swinging
crane and bake pan for the corn pone to the modern culinary effects. The
tallow dip giving place to candle "by which you could read and not be nearer
than four feet,'' then that revelation the kerosene lamp, "that lighted all the
room" and then the present acetylene plant that rivals the daylight.
She saw her father haul great logs and place them end to end for fence,
with chunks between to keep the pigs in or out. She saw him cut his grain
with the sickle, this giving place to the rythmic swing of the cradle and then
the drone of the modern harvesting machinery. In her early days the rap.
968 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
rap of the Hail, then the steady tramp of horses in the threshing of grain
and now the whir of the modern thresher.
When she was a girl the nearest markets were LaFayette and Cincinnati.
On the farm are still the old tanning vats where hides were prepared for the
annual arrival of the shoemaker who came and stayed until he had made
shoes for the whole family.
Mrs. Burckhalter walked to Thorntown to see the first train arrive on
rails made of wood and shod with iron and "you must not get closer than
twenty or thirty feet for fear of getting hurt."
During her time she had witnessed the coming of telephone, telegraph,
wireless telegraphy, electric lights, automobiles, balloons and flying machines.
Space forbids to enumerate further, but what a wonderful age in which this
pioneer lived, and what a legac\- such people as she have left to their children
and to generations yet to come.
There is a little romance connected with the home place of Mrs. Burck-
halter. Two young Indian chieftains fell in love with the same dusky maiden
and fought a duel with knives over her, each struck the other a fatal blow at
the same moment and the graves of these young chieftains are known today
by members of the family.
Mrs. Burckhalter's life was spent at home caring for her children ; this
was her Christian duty and it was performed well and today her boys and
girls can rise up and call her blessed.
JAMES M. SMALL.
Profit is the greatest incentive to production and conipulsor\- education
that the world has ever known. The farmer is human. He works for
money and he will intensify and diversify whenever it pays him to do so, and
no amount of well-written formulas or monstrous exhibits will permanently
influence him quite so much as a dollar at the end of the row. Not a
theoretical dollar, but one that he can put into his pocket — a dollar that comes
as the result of a sale. The weakness of many plans that have been com-
missioned and thrust upon the farmer is that the factor of profit has not been
dulv considered. The farmer is also misunderstood. One of the progressive
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. . 969
tillers of the soil of Center township, Boone county, is James M. Small, who
has had sufficient intelligence to accept such modern methods of husbandry
as specially applied to local conditions and to reject those that were not, and
as a result he has had comfortable income from year to year as a result of
his labors.
Mr. Small was born July ii, 1850, in Nicholas county, Kentucky. He
is a son of William H. and Matilda (Garner) Small, both also natives of
Kentucky, the father's birth occurring on July 31, 1818, and the mother
was born January 21, 1821. There they grew to maturity and were married,
and spent their lives engaged in general farming. The death of the father
occurred November 13, 1901, and the mother passed away in 1910. They
were the parents of ten children, six of whom are living, namely : Mary E.,
and Joseph W. are both deceased; Richard R. is living; James M., of this
review; John W., George N., and Martha J. are all living; Sarah A. and
Francis M. are both deceased ; Emma A. is the youngest.
James M. Small was young when he left Kentucky. He received a
common school education and when a young man learned the carpenter's
trade, in which he became quite proficient. He had an ambition to teach
school when a boy and applied for a school, but was defeated by one vote,
and he never again made an attempt to engage in this profession but took up
farming in Boone county and this has continued his principal life work to the
present time. He is now owner of one hundred and ninety-seven acres in
his home place in Center township, also owns thirty acres just north of here.
All his land is well improved, well tiled and all tillable and is productive.
He built his own home, which is a substantial and pleasant one, also made
other important improvements in the way of outbuildings, fences, etc. He
keeps an excellent grade of live stock and is one of the best farmers in the
township, according to his neighbors and those who have occasion to know
of his methods. He handles Shorthorn cattle and draft horses.
Mr. Small was married twice, first, to Malancia Alexander, March 16,
1879; she was born in Boone county on September 4, i860. She is a daugh-
ter of Andrew and Emiline (Bennett) Alexander. By this union two chil-
dren were born, namely: Eva P., born July 8, 1882, married Tom Watter-
man, and Reyburn P. is deceased. The wife and mother was called to her
eternal rest on June 6, 1886. On April 8, 1889, Mr. Small married Laura
E. Stewart, who was bom in Johnson county, Indiana, April 17, 1855; she
970 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
is a daughter of Robert and Hulda (Clark) Johnson. Mrs. Small received
a good education in tlie common schools of her native community, also a
normal school, and she followed teaching w^ith much success for a period of
seventeen years in Putnam county and ranked among the leading educators
of the same. Two children have been born to our subject and his second
wife, namely : Alva D., born March 8, 1890, married Hazel Farris, and they
live on a farm near the home of our subject; Wilbur A., born November 9,
1 89 1, is at home with his parents.
Politically. Mr. Small is a Democrat, and is a loyal supporter of his
party. He was a candidate for nomination for county treasurer in 1912, but
was defeated. Fraternally, he is a member of the Knights of Pj'thias, a
charter member of the lodge at Lebanon. He is an active member of the
First Christian church in Lebanon, and was for many years a deacon in the
same.
ISAAC THOMAS DAVIS.
The following is a brief sketch of the life of one who, by close atten-
tion to business, has achieved success in the world's affairs and risen to an
honorable position among the enterprising men of the city with which his
interests have been identified for the past thirty-five years. It is a plain
record, rendered remarkable by no strange or mysterious adventure, no
wonderful and lucky accident and no tragic situation. Isaac Thomas Davis,
senior member of the well-known livery firm of Davis Brothers, of Leba-
non, Boone county, is a man of honest convictions and sincere purposes, his
upright career and wholesome moral influence making him respected by all
who have come into contact with him.
Mr. Davis was born at Brown's Valley, Montgomery county, Indiana,
March 5, 1849. He is a son of Josiah and Nancy (Carson) Davis, an old
family of that county, the father coming there in an early day from Kentucky
where he was born.
Isaac T. Davis grew to manhood in his native county, and he received
a meager education in the country schools there. When a young man he
took up general farming which he followed until 1869, two years being spent
in the state of Missouri. He then turned his attention to the liverv business
I, T. DAVIS
BOONE COUNTYj INDIANA. 973
^vhich he has followed ever since. He was in Ladoga, Indiana, until 1878,
where he had a good trade, then, desiring a larger field, he came to Lebanon
where he has continued this line of endeavor to the present time, becoming
meantime one of the best known liverymen in northern Indiana. However,
during this period he spent two years looking after the duties of the sheriffs
office of Boone county, to which he was elected in 1882. He ga\'e eminent
satisfaction to his constituents in this branch of public service, proving an
able, courageous and faithful serxant of the people. He remained in the
livery business alone until 1902 when he took his brother, John H., into
partnership, under the firm name of Davis Brothers and they still continue.
They have large and modernly equipped stables, the equal of any in this sec-
tion of the state in every respect, keeping good horses and vehicles of all
kinds, and they strive to render prompt and high-grade service. Our sub-
ject is an experienced horseman and an exceptionally good judge of a horse.
]\Ir. Da^-is was married in 1865 to Jennie Mitchell, a native of ]\Iont-
gomery county, and to this union one child was born, which died early, and
the death of the wife and mother occurred in 1872. Mr. Davis married in
1874 Maggie Andrews, of Jamestown, Boone county, and to this second
union four children were born, one of whom is deceased. The three sur-
viving are : Carl A., who is engaged in the hardware business in Lebanon :
Will C. is engaged in the shoe business in Lebanon ; Beulah is at home with
her parents.
Politically Mr. Davis is a Democrat and faithful in his support of the
party. He is a member of the Baptist church, and fraternally belongs to the
Knights of Pythias and the Improved Order of Red Men.
M. D. HARVEY.
The character of a community is determined in a large measure by the
lives of a comparatively few of its members. If its moral and intellectual
status be good, if in a social way it is a pleasant place in which to reside,
if its reputation for the integrity of its citizens has extended into other local-
ities, it will be found that the standards set by the leading men have been
high, and their influence such as to mould their characters and shape the lives
(58) »
974 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
of those with whom they mingle. In placing M. D. Harvey, the popular and
efficient cashier of the ZionsviHe Bank, in the front rank of such men in
Boone county, justice is rendered a biographical fact universally recognized
throughout this locality by those at all familiar with his history. Although
a quiet and unassuming man with no ambition for public leadership, he has
contributed much to the material advancement of the community, while his
admirable qualities of head and heart and the straightforward, upright course
of his daily life, ha^'e tended greatly to the moral standing of the circles in
which he moves and these attributes have given him a reputation for integrity
and correct conduct such as few achieve.
Mr. Harvey was born in Hamilton county. Indiana, on a farm seven
miles from ZionsviHe, February 3, 1855. He is a son of William Harvey,
an early settler in this section of Indiana, who became a successful farmer and
stock man. He was a native of Union county, this state, where he grew to
manhood and was educated in the old time subscription schools. His an-
cestors were English. The mother of our subject was Caroline Beeson be-
fore her marriage. She was born near Richmond. Wayne count}', Indiana,
her family being among the early settlers there. The father of our subject
became the owner of three hundred and seventy acres of valuable land in
Hamilton county and there established a comfortable home and became a well
known citizen. His family consisted of eight children, five sons and three
daughters. The father of these children died at the age of fifty-four years.
Politically, he was a Democrat and was a stanch church member, being
many years an elder. The mother of our subject lived to be seventy-six
years old. She, too, was an earnest church member.
M. D. Harvey of this sketch grew to manhood on the home farm and
there assisted with the general work, receiving his early education in the
public schools, the high school at Westfall and the V^alparaiso Normal College.
He then taught in the district schools for two years, then turned his attention
to business. In 1881 he married Rozella Jones, who was born, reared and edu-
cated in Union county, where her people settled very early and became prom-
inent. Mr. Harvey devoted considerable attention to stock raising, especially
pure bred Duroc hogs, owning some of the best in the country, with which he
took the first premiums at the International Stock Show in Chicago, showing
the largest hog of any breed. He has sold hogs as high as nine hundred
dollars and one thousand dollars. His herd at this writing of two hundred
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 975
is no doubt the best in the state : in fact, no better could be found in the
United States, and these fine animals have carried his name throughout the
land and he is widely known as one of the leading stock men of the middle
west. He owns a fine farm and has a modernly appointed home.
Mr. Harvey became cashier of the Farmers Bank of Zionsville early in
its history. It has a capital stock of thirty thousand dollars and was organ-
ized in i8S'2. J. W. Brendel is president. Ema M. Harvey is assistant cashier.
It is one of the strongest and most popular banks in Boone county and a gen-
eral banking business is carried on. It has a modern and substantial build-
ing and its fixtures and equipment are up-to-date in every respect.
One son, Ema M., has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Harvey. He is with
his father in the bank. He married Mattie Brendel, daughter of Dr. J. F.
Brendel, a prominent citizen of Zionsville. Two children have been bom
to Erna Harvey and wife, namely : Mabel Marie and John M. One daugh-
ter, Maude, was born to our subject and wife. She attended St. Mary's
College, also the University of Indiana at Bloomington.
Politically, our subject is a Democrat, and he belongs to the Masonic
Order, is a Knights Templar and a member of the Ancient Arabic Order of
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, Murat Temple, Indianapolis. He is eminently
deserving of the trust and esteem accorded him.
HARRY McDANIEL.
Notwithstanding opinions to the contrary, much depends upon being
well born, and the old adage that "blood will tell" is not only true, but pro-
foundly philosophical. In a large measure we are what our ancestors were,
their characteristics and attributes as a rule constituting a heritage which has
had a powerful influence in moulding our lives for good or evil. "Like pro-
duces like," a recognized law of the physical world, also obtains in matters
of mind and morals, as the experience of the human race abundantly attests.
Harry McDaniel, well-known agent of the Big Four railroad at Zionsville,
Boone county, was fortunate in his ancestry, for he has inherited many com-
mendable traits of head and heart.
Mr. McDaniel was born near Greencastle, Putnam county, Indiana,
976 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
October 2, 1864. He is a son of J. T. McDaniel, who was born in Kentucky,
of Scotch ancestry. He married Lucy Allen, also a native of the Blue Grass
state, she being of English descent. The Aliens have long been a prominent
family, large dealers in live stock, especially cattle and mules, and they came
to this part of Indiana many years ago. For many years J. T. McDaniel
was a lumber and sawmill man, and was successful in business affairs and
known to be of good character. His death occurred at the age of sixty-
four years, and his wife died when fifty-seven years of age. They were the
parents of thirteen children, most of whom are now deceased; those who
grew to maturity were, George, of Duncan, Oklahoma ; Harry, of this sketch ;
James and John C., live in Benton county, Indiana ; Henry, Ida and Ada.
Harry McDaniel was reared in Putnam county and received a public
school education. When twenty years old he began his career as a railroader
and has been with the Big Four for a period of thirty years ; his long reten-
tion is an indication that he has been one of their most faithful and trusted
employees. He has thoroughly mastered' the business, being energetic and a
quick observer, honest and faithful. He first worked in Illinois for some
time. For the past twenty-two years he has been agent of this companv at
Zionsville.
Mr. McDaniel married May A. Lowe, a native of Illinois, and she is a
daughter of Henry P. Lowe, a prominent citizen in Illinois.
Our subject and wife have the following children : Maude, who married
Lee Fink, has been a telegraph operator for ten years for the Pennsvhania
road ; Florence is attending high school at this writing.
Mr. McDaniel is a thirty-second degree Mason, and has been master
of the local lodge for the past seven years. He is also a member of the
Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, Murat Temple, at
Indianapolis. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias, Lodge No. 257, and is
a member of the Christian church. Mrs. McDaniel was called to her eternal
rest in 191 3. She was a woman of many fine characteristics, and was a
favorite with a wide circle of friends. She was active in church and social
life and took much interest in Sunday school work. Her place can never
be filled, not only in her home but in the community as well, and her example
as a woman of beautiful Christian faith will continue to be emulated by many
of her associates for vears to come.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 977
WILLIAM H. ELLIS.
One of the citizens of Boone county who believes that the most pleasant
if not the most profitable calling is agriculture is William H. Ellis, of Marion
township, and we are of the same opinion, for statistics show that farming
compares most favorably with other occupations from the standpoint of
success. It is said that ninety per cent, of the merchants fail and sixty per
cent of the manufacturers, but there are very few farmers that make an
assignment. It is true no great riches are acquired by the individual farmer,
but in the big feat of making both ends meet, his record is good and he has
fewer skeletons in his closet than those who follow any other industry, and
the statement that it is the most healthful vocation needs no argument, and
for those who ha\-e an eve for the beauties of nature and delight in her rest-
fulness and inspiration, no line of endea\'or is so pleasant.
yir. Ellis was born in Scircleville, Clinton county, Indiana, December
13. 1859. He is a son of Thomas and Permilla (Hopkins) Ellis, the former
a native of Ohio and the latter of Indiana. The father came to this state
when a young man and these parents were married in Clinton county and
established their home there. Grandfather Ellis was an early settler in Tip-
ton county, Indiana. The parents of our subject died in Clinton county
when he was a bo}-, the father in 1873 and the mother in 1874, which threw
their son, William H., on his own resources, having to support himself and
care for two younger sisters, consequently he had little opportunity to acquire
an education. In February, 1881, he married and began farming the home
place in Clinton county, owning sixty acres, and he remained there until
March 2, 1903, when he sold out and bought one hundred and forty acres in
section i, township 19, Marion township, Boone county. The place was
partly improved and he has added many important improvements since then,
building a fine barn, forty by fifty feet. He carries on general farming and
stock raising, making a specialty of raising Poland-China hogs, keeps Shire
and Belgium horses and maintains a dairy. No small portion of his com-
fortable annual income is derived from his live stock, and he is regarded as
one of the leading farmers of his township in every respect, managing well
and keeping constantly busy, deserving a great deal of credit, for he started
under unfavorable circumstances.
978 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Mr. Ellis married Alzina Gregg, who was born in Clinton county, Indi-
ana, where she grew to womanhood and was educated there in the common
schools. She is a daughter of James and Eliza (Thurman) Gregg, of Clinton
county. The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Ellis:
Ellsworth, Leotho C, William Everett, Jesse E., Armilda, Claude, Lawrence,
Laoma and John.
Politically, Mr. Ellis is a Democrat, and fraternally he belongs to the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Lodge No. 691, Sheridan, Indiana.
GEORGE STOLTZ.
In the death of the late George Stoltz, Boone county lost one of its repre-
sentative citizens. As the day, with its morning of hope and promise, its
noontide of activity, its evening of complete and successful efforts, ending in
the rest of the night, so was the life of this honored man. His career was a
long, busy and useful one, and although he devoted his attention primarily
to his individual affairs, as is quite natural and right, he never allowed the
pursuit of wealth to warp his kindly nature, but preserved his faculties and
the warmth of his heart for the broadening and helpful influences of human
life, being to the end a kindl}', genial friend and gentleman whom it was a
pleasure to meet. Through the long years of his residence in this locality
he was ever true to the trusts reposed in him, of whatever nature, and,
although born under another dag, he proved his loyalty to the Stars and
Stripes by defending same in our great rebellion, and his reputation in a busi-
ness way was unassailable. He commanded the respect of all by his upright
life and engraved his name indelibly on the pages of Boone county's history.
Mr. Stoltz's actions were ever the result of careful and conscientious thought,
and when once convinced that he was right, no suggestion of policy or per-
sonal profit could swer\-e him from the course he had decided upon. His
career was complete and rounded in its beautiful simplicity; he did his full
duty in all relations of life and was beloved by those near to him and re-
spected and esteemed by his fellow citizens.
Mr. Stoltz was born in Wurtemburg, Germany, January 20. 1845. He
was a son of George and Marguerite Stoltz, who emigrated with their son
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 979
to America in 1847, locating near Arcanum, Ohio, where the father engaged
in farming for some time, then moved near Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his
death occurred. The mother of our subject had died in Ohio previously.
George Stoltz, Jr., spent his childhood on the farm and received his educa-
tion in the common schools, and when fourteen years of age he began work-
ing in a lumber mill, learning the business thoroughly. Finally, he formed a
partnership with John Bowser, later with James Tyre. They owned saw-
mills in Tennessee. Arkansas and Missouri, and carried on lumbering on an
extensive scale. With James Weed, our subject started a stone mill in Leb-
anon in 1876, which was converted into a sawmill and lumber business.
He was also with Kellog Brothers in Indianapolis for two years in the lumber
business. He prospered all along the line by the exercise of sound judg-
ment and by close application and was one of the substantial men financially
in Boone county. He built and owned several valuable buildings in Leb-
anon, building up-to-date residences on some of his lots here. Having ac-
cumulated a comfortable competency, he retired from the acti\'e affairs of
life in 1904.
Mr. Stoltz enlisted in August, 1864. in Company K, One Hundred and
Thirty-ninth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, under Capt. Fletcher of Indian-
apolis, and he ser\'ed faithfully for the Union until the close of the war.
On October 31, 1876, at Tabor, Iowa, Mr. Stoltz married Anna Cloud,
who was born in Waynesville, Ohio, and is a daughter of Thomas and \"ir-
ginia (Stitt) Cloud, the father from ]\Iarysville, Ohio and the mother from
Crawfordsville, Indiana, she having. been the first white child born in that
town. She was a daughter of Judge Stitt, who entered land from the govern-
ment on the present site of Crawfordsville and who became one of the most
prominent citizens of that part of the state. He was judge of M'ontgomery
county for a period of eight years. The paternal grandparents, Joel and
Hanna (Cox) Cloud, were from Virginia. The maternal grandparents were
James and Mary (Richardson) Stitt, he a native of Ireland and she of Vir-
ginia. Mrs. Stoltz grew up in her native locality and received a good educa-
tion. She is a lady of many commendable characteristics and has a wide
circle of friends who often gather at her beautiful and modernly appointed
home in Lebanon where they always find genuine hospitality.
To Mr. and Mrs. Stoltz the following children were born : William
960 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
lives with his mother ; Oscar died when twenty-one years of age : Alary is at
home ; George. Hves in Lebanon : Charles also lives in Lebanon.
Politically, Mr. Stoltz was a Democrat, fraternally a member of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows and religiously was a Lutheran, while
Mrs. Stoltz holds membership in the Methodist Episcopal church. He was
truly a good, honorable, kindly and useful man, and when his death occurred
on May 20, 1906, he was sincerely lamented by a host of friends and ac-
quaintances.
JAMES MEL\-ILLE WORLEY.
It is not often we are able to ascertain what is our best avenue of labor,
when we begin casting about for a suitable vocation in life, so most of us try
various things before we finally decide along which line lies our true bent.
This was the case with James Melville Worley, lawyer, real estate and insur-
ance man of Lebanon and one of Boone county's best known citizens. As a
practitioner he is cautious, vigilant and indefatigable, contesting every point
with unyielding tenacity and employing his \ast store of legal knowledge in
sustaining his positions and attacking those of his opponents. In argument,
Mr. Worley is clear, forceful, logical and convincing, his irreproachable per-
sonal character giving him great weight with juries, and his known ability
and learning equally impressing the bench.
Mr. A\'orley was born November 22, 1867 in Ashboro, Clay county,
Indiana. He is a son of William Floyd and Jerusha J. (Cromwell) Worley,
the father a native of Rush county, this state. Stephen Worley, the grand-
father of our subject, came from east Tennessee to Rush county in the forties
and in 1851 removed to the northeastern part of Boone county, where he
spent the rest of his life. Of his family there were four sons, the father of
our subject being the oldest; Enoch R.. who li\es in Sheridan. Hamilton
county, still owns the old homestead in Boone county; John Wesley, the third
brother is deceased; and James the youngest, moved to Illinois and later to
Arkansas where he died a number of years ago. There were also two daugh-
ters in the family, both dying a number of years ago. William F. Worley,
father of our subject, married in Boone county and afterwards moved to
Cla\- countv in iSfid where he li\-ed until 1882 then returned to Boone countv.
J. M. WORLEY
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 983
locating in Marion township and there followed general farming until his
death, January 12, 1904. The mother of our subject is a direct descendant of
the great Englishman. Oliver Cromwell, whose name was borne by her father,
the names being carried down through the succeeding generations to the
present. Grandfather Oliver Cromwell came from Kentucky with the family
about 18 1 4 and settled in what is now Owen and Clay counties, Indiana, thus
being among the earliest pioneers of this state. The only members of the
family who came to Boone county were our subject's mother and her sister,
Amanda, the latter marrying Jacob Parr, and she is still living as is also Mrs.
William F. Worley, the latter remaining on the old home place in ]\Iarion
township.
Four sons and one daughter were l)orn to AA'illiam F. Worley and wife,
namely: Dr. Oliver P., formerly clerk of the circuit court of Boone countv,
who also practiced medicine here a number of years before removing to
Kokomo, where he is now engaged in the practice; Amanda is the wife of
J^ennis Zenor, of Marion township ; Stephen is farming the home place ;
Jesse B. is deceased; and James M., of this sketch.
James M. Worley was reared on the home farm and there worked when
a bo}', and he recei\-ed his early education in the district schools, and when
only seventeen years of age began teaching in the district schools, and he
followed this work for a period of tweh'e years with much success, hi^
services being in great demand because of his thorough work and popularity-
with pupils and patrons. During that period he attended the Central Normal
College at Danville, Indiana, two summers. Finally tiring of the, school
room he came to Lebanon in 1896 and became deputy clerk of the circuit
court under his brother, and he continued in that position and as record clerk
for a period of ten years, under four different administrations, iiis long re-
tention being evidence of his eminent fitness as a public servant. During
these years in the clerk's office he read law and was admitted to practice in
1900 at the Boone county bar, and after leaving the clerk's office he formed a
partnership with A. J. Shelby, as Shelby & Worley which continued during
1907-8, since which time he has been practicing alone. He has been admitted
to practice in all the state and federal courts, and has built up a very satis-
factory and growing clientele and is kept constantly busy with his large legal
affairs and his other business, for since 191 1 he has been engaged with Watt
Fogle in the real estate business under the firm name of Worley & Fogle.
984 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
They handle farm and city property and also handle fire insurance. They
have been very successful and their operations are extensive.
Mr. Worley was married December 24, 1888 to Elizaljeth Farwick. a
daughter of John B. and Jane (Hamilton) Farwick, of Marion township,
Boone county where Mrs. Worley was reared to womanhood and educated.
To our subject and wife four sons have been born, namely: Edward B.,
born in September, 1889; Vernon, born in July, 1891 ; Ralph L. born in
February 1895; and Clark A., born in April, 1904.
Politically, Mr. Worley is a Progressive and he has long been acti\e in
public affairs. He served one term as a member of the Lebanon school
board, during which the new high school building was erected in 1907, and
which he strongly advocated. His party has honored him several times with
nominations, for circuit clerk, first in 1898 and again was a candidate for
piosecuting attorney in 1910. but each time the party suffered defeat at the
polls in Boone county. Fraternally, he is a member of the Knights of
Pythias, and he and his family belong to the Methodist church, and are faith-
ful ill their sujiport of the same.
CAPT. CARSON PORTER RODMAN.
This gentleman is another of the old soldiers whom it is a delight to
honor. They are getting fewer and fewer in number and their march is
not as quick and full of meaning and fire as it was fifty \^ears ago when they
were fighting for the perpetuity of the Union, but it thrills one to see them
in their old uniforms, with their tattered flags flying and their forms bent as
they hobble along on their canes at reunions or on Memorial Day or the
Fourth of July. And how interesting it is to hear them tell the story of the
dreadful hardships they endured in the crowded hcspitals, on the harrassing
marches, or in the battles and skirmishes, or in the prison cells of the South-
ern Confederacy. But their time is short now, so all persons should join in
honoring them for the sacrifices they made when they were young and full
of the love of life, but which was offered free on the altar of their country.
Capt. Carson Porter Rodman, who, after a very active, useful and suc-
cessful life, is living in honorable retirement in his cozy home in Lebanon, is
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 985:
one of the oldest native-born citizens of Boone county, his birth having
occurred on a farm here October 15, 1835. He is a son of James and Mary
(Gu3'singer) Rodman, one of the thrifty pioneer families of this county.
James Rodman was born near Frankfort, Kentucky, about 1802, and was
a son of John H. and Nancy (Cusic) Rodman. John Rodman was an early
settler in the Blue Grass state, and was of Scotch-Irish descent, tracing his
ancestry back to the sixteenth century in Scotland. He was a farmer in
Kentucky and after the war of 181 2 moved near Zanesville. Ohio, where he
lived until about 1836, when he came to Marion county, Indiana, where he
lived with his daughter until his death. James Rodman came to Boone
county, Indiana, in 1820, when eighteen years of age, to hunt and trap game
and fur-bearing animals then being abundant hereaway, and it is highly
probable that he was one of the first white men in the county. In 1824 he
entered one hundred and sixty acres here, which he cleared and developed
into a good farm and on this he established a comfortable home, where he
lived until 1839, when he removed to Shelby county, Illinois, and purchased
two hundred and forty acres, on which he farmed until 1842, when he was
killed by a bully who had a grudge against him. He was a strong character,
rugged, courageous, hospitable and honest. Politically, he was a Democrat
and in religious matters a Scotch Presbyterian. He and Mary Guysinger
were married in 1824. She was born in Maysville, Kentucky, in 1805, and
was of Austrian descent. Her death occurred in 1893.
Capt. Carson P. Rodman grew to manhood on the farm and there he
found plenty of hard work to do when a bow He received his education in
the common schools. When seven years of age he went to live with his
uncle at Zionsville. When the Civil war came on he enlisted in July, 1861,
in Company A, Tenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was at once com-
missioned second lieutenant, and he proved to be a most faithful and gallant
officer, having the good will and confidence of both his soldiers and superior
officers. After the battle of Mill Springs he was ordered home to receive a
promotion to adjutant, appointed by Gov. Oliver P. Morton, and was as-
signed to the Eighty-sixth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, which he organized.
He was offered the colonelcy of this regiment Imt refused on account of his
youth. .Vfter the battle'of Stone River he was promoted. to captain of Com-
panv H, Eighty-sixth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He participated in about
twentv-si.x engagements, including the following : Stone River, Dalton,
986 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Cave Hill City, Buzzard's Roost, Resaca, Cassville. those incident to the At-
lanta campaign, Eutaw Ri\'er, Burnt Hickory, Little Pine Top Mountain,
Kenesaw Mountain, Jonesville, Lovejoy Station and numerous others of
lesser note. He contracted rheumatism and was mustered out of service in
November, 1864, with the rank of captain, and was honorably discharged.
After his military career. Captain Rodman returned to Indiana and
began in the milling business at Clarkshill. which be continued two vears,
then spent a year near Michigan City, two years at Goodland, two years at
Eugene, two years at Danville, Illinois, all the while continuing the milling
business. He then superintended the building of an elevator at Rennngton,
Indiana, where he remained three years. He spent the next four }'ears in
Boone county, having been appointed deputy county treasurer under S. S.
Daily. After his term of office expired he spent a year in the hardware
business. In 1878 he went to Chanute. Kansas, where he engaged in the
milling business until 1880. then went to Kansas City, where he continued
the same line for three years. We ne.xt find him in Sedalia, Missouri, where
he spent two \-ears, then in Kingman, Kansas, operating a mill at both places,
continuing in the latter until 1907, when be retired from active life, having
accumulated a handsome competency through his industry and good manage-
ment, having had few equals and no superiors in the milling business, every
phase of which he thoroughly mastered. When he retired he moved to
Lebanon. Indiana, where he has since resided in a modern and attractive
home, spending his declining years in comfort and surroimded by every con-
venience.
Captain Rodman was married on Februar}- 11, 1858. to iMary E.
Daughertv, who was born in Wayne count}-, Indiana, Septemljer 10, 1840.
and there she grew to womanbodd and recei\ed a common school education.
Her family was well known and highly esteemed in that locality. She proxed
to be a faithful and competent helpmeet and was always a favorite with a
wide circle of friends, being the possessor of many charming attributes of
head and heart. She was called to her eternal rest August 22, 1895.
To the Captain and wife three children were born, namely: Roland L.,
of Corpus Christi, Texas: Luella M. marriecTC. B. Parmenter, and they live
in Kingman, Kansas ; Harry C. makes his home in Baltimore, Maryland.
On October 2, 1907, Captain Rodman married Mrs. ^lary .\. Hen-
dricks, a lady of refinement and a representative of an excellent old family.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 987
Personally, the Captain is a man of fine characteristics, honorable in all the
relations of life, companionable, charitable and public-spirited, and he has
been highly respected and influential in the many different localities where he
has resided.
WILLIAM BRANDENBURG.
Perhaps no state in the Union has a greater right to be proud of her
Union army \eterans than Indiana, which sent regiment after regiment mto
the "jaws of death" "in order that the nation, under God, might live,'" and
she did not send them in vain as their records readily attest. In fact, it is
not too much to say that the national troops would have failed had it not
been for the support of the Hoosiers, her thousands of gallant, intelligent,
determined soldiers and her numerous able and renowned officers playing a
great role in that tremendous drama of half a century ago, in fact, the state
did all in its power in not only sending soldiers and furnishing her best men
for leaders, but also spent vast sums of money and her women worked heroic-
ally one way and another for the cause of the Union. And, as one of our
great men said, "There «is glory enough for all." The hardships and sorrows
were bravely borne by our people, the mothers gave up their sons like the
brave Spartan mothers of old and everything is reconciled and justified.
One of this praiseworthy band of Union supporters is William Branden-
burg, a venerable citizen of Royalton, Boone county.
Mr. Brandenburg was born in Bracken county, Kentucky, June 20,
1849. ^^ 's 'I ^^^ °^' Patterson Brandenburg, also a native of the Blue
Grass state, his parents ha\ing been natives of Germany, from which country
they emigrated to America in an early day and settled in the "dark and
bloody ground" country when it was still an undeveloped region, the home of
the savage and the wild denizens of the woods. The mother of our subject
was known in her maidenhood as Malinda Matthews, whose people were
natives of Virginia from which state they came to Kentucky in pioneer days
and there she was born. In that state the parents of our subject grew to
maturity. recei\-ed such educational advantages as the old-time schools
afforded which was very meager, and there they were married and established
■goS BOONE COUNTV, INDIANA.
their home. The father eventually moved to Harper county, Kansas. Several
of their sons were soldiers in the Civil war, Dave, James and William, all
fighting for the Union : however, James served principally as a teamster.
William Brandenburg grew to manhood on the farm and received his
education in the district schools. When twenty-one years of age he married
a Miss Wilson, and to this union these children have been l)orn : Thomas,
Henry, Walter and Rettie. Our subject's first wife died twelve years ago,
and he subsequently married ]Mrs. Ginn, a widow.
Mr. Brandenburg enlisted in May, 1864, in Company B, One Hundred
and Thirty-fifth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in the one hundred day service,
and he was with the troops in Tennessee and Alabama and gave a good ac-
count of himself as a soldier, and was honorably discharged.
Mr. Brandenburg has a good home at Royalton, Eagle township. He
has served twice as township supervisor.
MILTON S. DAVENPORT.
Milton S. Davenix)rt, the son of Austin and Elizabeth ( Hooven) Daven-
port, was born April 2, 1830, on a farm where the village of Zionsville now
stands. Austin Davenport and his wife were natives of Xorth Carolina, the
former of Davidson county and the latter of Randolph county, and in 1821
they came to Indiana with their two children and located in \Vayne county
and in 1823 they came on northwest and located in Boone county, where Mr.
Davenport had entered land in 1822. Here this pioneer family experienced
all the hardships common to the early settlement in a new country and all
the privations to which such a life is heir, and here, starting in the woods,
was forced to provide for his little family by the tilling of the soil and what
little his trusty gun would furnish. At that time game of all kinds was m
abundance, and the pioneer, as a rule, had plenty of wild game for the table.
In 1832 Mr. Davenport sold his first purchase of land and entered three
hundred and twenty acres farther east, and on this land he located the
same year and built a brick house in the year 1834, it being one of the first
brick residences in the county. There being no sawmill near bv. he built a
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 989
platform onto which he rolled logs and out of same he whipsawed the joists
and other material for the building, which was a two-story house and covered
same with shaved shingles. It was here that Mr. Davenport died a few
years later and on this farm the family continued to reside for years.
Milton S. Davenport was reared here in this pioneer settlement, having
the advantages of the common school of that day and after his mother died,
in 1838, he lived with a married sister and brother until he was fourteen
years old, when he was bound out to learn the tanner's trade, and during his
apprenticeship he received his board and clothing. After two years his
guardian took him awa}' and he finished his trade at Indianapolis, receiving
during that period the princely salary of six dollars per month the third year
and seven dollars per month the fourth year. In 1849 he bought a tannery
at Eagle Village, which he conducted until 1851, when he traded same for a
farm, which he worked for one year and from 1853 to 1858 he worked as a
foreman in a tannery at Noblesville and the following year located at Zions-
\ille and built a tannery, which lie operated until 1867. He then li\'ed on
a farm of thirty acres one mile west of Zionsville. to which he added forty
acres more.
In January, 1878, he abandoned farm life and located in Zionsville that
he might conduct the insurance business, which he began in 1875 ^"^ has
continued same up until the present time. Mr. Davenport has lived a busy
life from early manhood, and with the exception of a few vears has spent
same at Zionsville or nearby.
Mr. Davenport was married on October 12, 1848, to Miss Mary I.
Gates, a daughter of the gentleman for whom he worked several years and
by this marriage he became the father of nine children, five of whom grew
to maturity and were married, but only three of them are now living. Mrs.
Davenport died on October 17, 1908, and on November 11, 1909, he married
Mrs. Julia A. (Friberger) Lane, who died three months later, and on No-
vember 16, 1910. Mr. Davenport married Mrs. Mary J. Law, whose maiden
name was McKenzie.
Fraternally, our subject belongs to the Masonic order, in which he has
filled all the offices except Worshipful Master, and politically, he is a Repub-
lican, having cast his first vote for a Whig candidate. He is a member of
the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he has been class leader for years.
990 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
BEXJAMIX B. McROBERTS.
Praise is always due to merit and especially where merit is the product
of unassisted energ\- and perseverance. The self-made man commands our
highest respect. Those struggles by means of which he has risen from
obscurity to honorable distinction cannot fail to enHst sympathy and call
forth our warmest applause. Benjamin B. McRoberts, of Lebanon, is a notable
example of the successful, self-made man. and as such has made his influence
felt among his fellow citizens by rising to one of the most important positions
within their power to confer, being at the present time the capable and
popular sherifif of Boone county, being the second time that he has been
incumbent of the same, and in which he has ever displayed ability of a high
order and fully met the high expectations of his friends and the general
public. Mr. McRoberts springs from a sterling old Kentucky family, the
name being an honorable one and wherever known stands for upright man-
hood and patriotic citizenship. Those bearing it have ever been jealous of
the family honor, and tracing the genealogy back through a long line of
sturdy ancestors but few, if any, instances can be discovered in which that
honor has been sullied or its luster tarnished by the commission of unworthy
acts. The subject of this review is a creditable representative of the family
and seems to inherit to a marked degree many of the commendable qualities
b>- which his antecedents have so long been distinguished.
Mr. McRoberts was born in Lincoln county, Kentucky, near the town of
Stanford. September 20, 1848. He is a son of George T. and Ellen (Gains)
McRoberts, the father born in the same vicinity as was our subject, while the
mother's birth occurred in Boyle county, Kentucky. These parents grew to
maturity in the Blue Grass state and were educated and married there and
established the family home on a farm. The father learned the carpenter's
trade in earlv life, which he followed in connection with farming. He and
his wife spent their lives in their native state and both died there a number
of years ago. They were industrious and honest, honored by their neighbors
and acquaintances.
Benjamin B. McRoberts grew to manhood on the home farm in Ken-
tucky and assisted his father with the general work there, attending the
common schools in his neighborhood during the winter months. He re-
mained under the parental roof-tree until 1881, when he came to Boone
countv. Indiana, and hired out at farm work by the month. He saved his
BENJ. B. McROBBRTS
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 993
wages and thereby got a start. In December, 1883, he married Martha
Abbott, who was born in Union township, this county, where she was reared
and educated in the rural schools. She is a daughter of John and America
(Sedgwick) Abbott, the father a native of Decatur county, and the mother
of Boone county, Indiana. After liis marriage our subject rented a farm in
Union township for one year. This was on the Shoemaker farm, then he
moved to the Marvin farm, where he spent two years, then moved to the
John Abbott farm, that of his father-in-law. After living there a year he
moved to the Weed farm, in Marion township, where he spent sixteen years,
then bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, where he lived until
January i, 1908, then bought eighty acres north and forty acres south of
Elizaville, making a total of two hundred and eighty acres, when, having
been elected sheriff of Boone county the previous fall, he assumed the duties
of this important office and moved to Lebanon. After serving one term to
the eminent satisfaction of the people he returned to his farm and engaged
in general agricultural pursuits with his usual success for four years more,
then was again elected sheriff of his county and is now serving his second
term in a most faithful and conscientious manner; in fact, many pronounce
him the best sheriff the county has ever had ; it seems certain, any way, that
he has had no superiors. He has done much to suppress the tendency of law
breaking in all forms in the county and has done much toward the civic
betterment of the community in many ways.
The following children have been born to Air. and Mrs. McRoberts :
George Arson, who lives in Marion township: Teressa is the wife of Earl
Barhard, of Clinton township; William Otis lives in Clinton township; Jessie
is the wife of Clint Sanders, of Clinton township; Harvey is living on his
father's old farm.
Politically, Mr. McRoberts is a loyal Democrat and has long been
active in party affairs. Something of his high standing and popularity will
be seen from the fact that he is the first sheriff to be elected on the Demo-
cratic ticket in Boone county since 1883. Fraternally, he is a member of the
Masonic Order, including the Chapter and Commandery; also the Indepen-
dent Order of Odd Fellows at Lebanon. He is an obliging and courteous
gentleman, broad-minded, straightforward and self-possessed, a man who
impresses you at once.
(59)
994 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
REV. ABNER H. LONGLEY.
Abner Hixon Longley wa.s born in Mason count}', Kentucky, near the
town of Maysville, on a farm. His father was a New Yorker, and his mother
a Jersey woman, of average EngHsh education. The name Longley was then,
and remained for half a century, almost unknown in the western states. It
was brought over from England by three brothers, who settled in Massachu-
setts soon after the landing of the "Mayflower." Of these three brothers the
history of but one is known ; and that is on record that he and all his family
except one son were massacred by the Indians. That son was rescued, and
from him have sprung the now somewhat large number of families bearing
his name.
The father of Abner remo\"ed with his large family to Butler county,
Ohio, within three miles of Oxford, where he died February 23, 1818, aged
seventy-two. The mother, whose maiden name was Martha Hixon, sur-
vived him until 1844; kept the family together, and so trained young Abner
that he cultivated a literary turn of mind which shaped his future course in
life. She lived to be eighty years old and died in Lebanon, Indiana. Of
five sons, John became a Xew Light preacher, and besides raising a family of
twenty-five children — or rather becoming the father of that number, for the
larger portion of them died in childhood, as might be expected — he pursued
his ministerial calling in Indiana most of the time until he was eighty-six
years old, when he died in LaFayette.
Abner H. Longley learned the trade of a cabinet maker, and pursued it
faithfully for a number of years, at the same time that he was pursuing the
higher studies of a liberal education in the then young Miami University in
Oxford. The distinguished scholar and author, William H. McGuffey, was
then just beginning his famous career as an educator, and the subject of our
sketch was one of his most promising pupils. Among his classmates were
such afterward prominent men as Gen. Charles Anderson, Gen. Robert C.
Schenck, Hon. Samuel Galloway, and others. Before finishing his education
he began preaching the same reformatory Christian doctrines that were pro-
mulgated by his older brother.
But it so happened that that pioneer L'niversalist preacher, Jonathan
Kidwell, had just located in Oxford, and began publishing his first periodical
in advocacy of his new doctrines, and Mr. Longley's attention was attracted
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 995
to them. The resuh was that he espoused them, began preaching the then
heretical doctrines about the year 1820. His field of itineracy was wherever
he was called, and he preached the gospel as he understood it, to few or
many, and genei-ally without money or price. He also devoted much time
writing for the periodicals devoted to Universalism throughout his long life.
He always spoke and wrote in clear, forcible, argumentative style and was
listened to and read with interest. His earlier preaching was in Butler, Pre-
ble and Warren counties, Ohio; but after moving to Lebanon, Boone county,
Indiana, where he arrived in August, 1832, and was the first settler and built
the first house in the town, he improved every opportunity to disseminate the
faith of future universal salvation from sin and consequent misery. In
1836 he was elected to the Indiana Legislature by the Democrats of the
counties of Boone and Hamilton, but in 1854 he became a Republican.
In 1839 Mr. Longley lost his first wife, whose maiden name was Mary
Stephenson, and whom he married in Lebanon, Ohio. In less than a year
he married again, this time Mrs. Sophronia Snow Bassett, of Cincinnati,
and he removed his family of five boys and two daughters to that city. One
object he cherished in his mind in removing to Cincinnati was to give his
children a better education than could be obtained in the then unimproved
county of Boone. In this he partially, if not wholly to his satisfaction, suc-
ceeded. He also was enabled to devote more of his time to preaching,
though he never became a settled pastor over any considerable congregation.
For several years he preached regularly, once or twice a month, to organized
churches in Delhi and Mt. Healthy, near Cincinnati, Goshen, Clermont county,
Williamsburg, and elsewhere in the same county. He also, on quite a number
of occasions, preached in both the Universalist churches in Cincinnati.
In 1844 Mr. Longley's mind was directed to an examination of the doc-
trines of Charles Fourier, the French socialist, who wrote and published a
very elaborate scheme for benefiting the human race by a more equitable dis-
tribution of the rewards of labor and money. A society was formed, con-
sisting of intelligent and well-meaning men, to solve the problem of asso-
ciated labor and consolidated or a unitary household. It was a joint stock
enterprise, and not a community of property, in which every member, from
the child of twelve years up, was to be rewarded according to the time and
skill given to productive industry. The organization purchased a few hun-
dred acres of excellent land on the Ohio river, forty miles above Cincinnati.
996 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
They chartered a steamboat and took along all their members, goods, live
stock and also the lumber to build board shanties for temporary residence
until they made brick and built substantial houses. They had bought the
land on three payments, paying the first in cash and expecting to meet the
others by the sale of wood from their forest to the passing steamboats for
fuel, but the second payment was missing and upon the third becoming due
without payment, a foreclosure forfeited their right to remain any longer
and they were required to leave the place and so their organization was dis-
solved and most of them returned separately to Cincinnati. Later a smaller
organization bought a small part of the land and occupied the building on it.
It was a community with common property, but their fate was soon sealed;
this time by their houses being destroyed by a large flood of the Ohio river.
Although Mr. Longley gave up his interest in social reform in consequence
of the failure of this attempt, yet one of his younger sons then took up the
work and has continued his efforts in it up to this time, so that now, in his
eighty-second year, he is yet in a community at Sulphur Springs, Missouri,
and is publisher of a monthly paper. He was brought with IMr. Longley's
family to Lebanon when he was only five months old, being its first baby.
In 1850 Mr. Longley's second wife died, and during a visit to his
brother, John, in LaFayette, he was introduced by his brother to an amiable
widow whom he thought would be a comfort to him in his affliction and a
good mother to his children. The result was in due time he married Mrs.
Amorette Lawrence, of that city, and soon afterward mo\-ed the }-ounger
portion of his family back to Lebanon, where he continued to live and to
preach as he had a call, and to work at his trade, more or less, until 1866,
when he removed to Paola, Kansas.
Of the children of Abner H, Longley, of whom he had. thirteen, seven
boys and six girls, something may be said, as he was more successful with
them than was his brother John, though there were fewer of them. He lived
to see all of them but three, who died in childhood, grown to manhood and
womanhood, married and respectably situated in society, and with fair edu-
cations, two or three of the sons receiving partial collegiate courses in "'Old
Woodward College," Cincinnati. The elder, Elias, was designed by his
father for a minister, at least his education was directed in that line, and
while in college his reading and literary exercises were all directed toward
theological topics and religious exercises. He was a brave ad\-ocate and dc-
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. 997
fender of the faith of his father, in many a discussion with his schoolmates
and in the debates in the hall of the literary society. And the good father
was for a short time gratified by the efforts of his son in the same pulpits he
himself had been occupying. But Ellas was not himself satisfied with those
three or four attempts at preaching, and he abandoned the idea of becoming
a minister. He was then engaged in printing the Star in the west, Rev. John
A. Gurley's paper, and was then, and continued to be, a frequent writer for
its cohinms. He was afterwards quite prominently known as a writer for
and publisher of phonetic and phonographic books, and from the breaking
out of the war in 1861, as a shorthand reporter and city editor upon the
Cincinnati daily papers.
The other sons, Servetus, Septimius, Cyrenius, Alcander, Albert and
Abner, all followed the footsteps of their elder brother, and became printers,
and two of the daughters, Salome and Mary A., married printers and editors,
and furthermore most of the children of all of the family are now either
printers, publishers, or in some way engaged in such pursuits. One of the
sons, Albert, is now a lawyer in Cincinnati. Abner is dead and Alexander,
the youngest son of Mr. Longley's first wife, has continued his interest up to
the present time in the phonetic and comniunit)' idea by the publication of a
monthly paper.
I\ir. Longley always took a lively interest in politics, but was not re-
garded as a politician; still, in 1836, perhaps it was he was elected to the
Indiana Legislature by the Democrats of the counties of Boone and Hamil-
ton. He was also county surveyor for a time. In 1854 he abandoned the
Democratic party because of the position of that party on the repeal of the
"Missouri Compromise."
The following, from a Paola, Kansas, paper, will fittingly close the
sketch of this worthy brother:
"In the death of Rev. A. H. Longley, whose life went out on the morn-
ing of the 9th of May, 1879, the 'Reaper' gleaned one of the richest harvests
ever taken from our cricles. He was born in Kentucky, in December, 1796,
and lived to the ripe old age of eighty-two. His life was so well preserved,
having been strongly temperate in all things, that he had the appearance of
being not over sixty-five. He was endowed with remarkable mental powers,
a sensible thinker, and up to the time of his death was greatly interested in
governmental matters. For a number of years he was a resident of Cincin-
998 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
nati, Ohio, and from there moved to Lebanon, Indiana, where he built the
first house in that city, and continued to reside there until he came to Paola,
twelve years ago.
"In religious belief he was a Universalist, and for more than fifty years
preached the gospel as he understood it. A man of strong conviction, con-
scientious to an eminent degree, he was honored wherever he was known
for his many Christian virtues. Tliere ne\er was a better husband, never a
better father, never a better man. During his sickness, when conversing
about dying, he was asked, 'But you are not afraid to die. are you, father?'
His response was : 'O, no, no, no ! why should I be ? W'hy should I be when
I know there is a bright immortality in waiting"'
"He leaves ten children, six of whom live in Cincinnati. The oldest
son came to his bedside in answer to a telegram, remained two days, and
carried the body home with him for interment in Spring Grove cemetery,
one of the most beautiful places of earth.
"The stricken wife, children and friends have the sincerest sympathy of
all, and their earnest prayers to comfort them in their sorrow. The world
is better that he lived. He lea\-es none but lieautiful memories behind him.
That heaven is sweeter which receives his saintlv soul."
CAPT. FELIX SHUMATE.
Capt. Felix Shumate, for years one of the most respected citizens of
Lebanon, Boone county, Indiana, was one of those patriots who were among
the first to offer their services to the country at the breaking out of the Civil
war. He was the second man in Boone county to enroll his name at the call
to arms, the first being Elisha Kise. son of Colonel Kise. Captain Shumate
springs, on his paternal side, from an old \^irginian family of German
descent, and on the maternal side from an English family that settled in
Marvland — hotli families coming to .\merica before the Revolutionary
period. William Shumate, the earliest ancestor of Felix of whom we have
any authentic record, was a wealthy planter and slave-holder in Faucpiier
county, 'Virginia. He there married JMary IMiller, who bore him ei.s^ht chil-
dren, named John, Isaac, Peyton, William, Newton, James, Ruth and .\da-
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
999
line. Of these, John Shumate was born in Fauquier county, Virginia, on his
father's farm, in 1808. He learned the trade of cotton and wool carding,
which he followed both in' Maryland and Kentucky. Eventually he settled in
Jefferson county, Kentucky, and there married Mary Yates, daughter of
Isaac and Lucy Yates, pioneers of Jefferson, and descendants of most ex-
cellent English families. Richard Yates, of Illinois, was a nephew of the
said Isaac Yates. To Mr. and Mrs. John Shumate were born nine children,
named as follows : Amanda, William, Isaac, Lydia, Felix, Lucy, John,
Thomas and Columbus, all born in Shelby county, Kentucky, where the
father, John, resided for many years and ran a cotton and woolen mill. In
1855 he came to Indiana and settled in Boone county on a farm, and in
1863, although fifty-six years of age, enlisted at Lebanon in the Eleventh
Indiana Volunteer Cavalry, and in 1864 was appointed from the ranks in the
field to be hospital steward. He was in the battle at Nashville, and took part
in a gallant charge on the rebel works, and was also in many skirmishes,
serving continually until the close of the war. In 1866 he moved to Minne-
sota and opened up a new farm at Litchfield, in Meeker county, of which he
was one of the earliest settlers. There he died January 7, 1887, at the age
of seventy-nine years, a stanch Republican, though at first a Democrat.
Four of his sons were in the Civil war, \-iz ; William, an orderly sergeant
in Companv I, Tenth Indiana \'olunteer Infantry, having enlisted at Leb-
anon in April, 1861, and then re-enlisted in the Ninth Volunteer Regiment
of United States troops; Isaac enlisted at Peoria, Illinois, in 1862, in Com-
pany H, Twenty-se\'enth Illinois, and died of wounds received in the battle
of Resaca; Felix enlisted at Lebanon on April 15, 1S61, Company I, Tenth
Indiana Volunteer Infantry, for the three months' service, and again enlisted.
on the reorganization of the regiment, in the same company, reaching the
captaincy; Thomas also enlisted in Company H, Eleventh Regiment, in the
fall of 1862 and served until the close of the war.
Capt. Felix Shumate was born on February 2~,. 1839, on his father's
farm in Shelb}' county, Kentucky, and was fourteen years of age when he
came with his father to Indiana. He was reared a farmer, but also learned
the brickmaking trade at Lebanon. When the war broke out, he, with Elisha
K. Kise. David H. Oliver and George W. Smith, drew straws in order to
decide which should have the honor of being the first to enroll, and the honor
fell to Kise; the second place to Shumate. The company was placed under
lOOO BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
the command of Capt. William C. Kise, formerly a lieutenant in the Mexi-
can war. and the enlistment was for three months. J. W. Perkins was
elected first lieutenant, R. C. Kise, second lieutenant, John H. Dooley, or-
derly sergeant, and Felix Sliumate, second corporal. All these men served
in reorganizations nearly throughout the war, and with higher rank. Capt.
J. W. Perkins, howexer, was killed at the battle of Chattanooga : Capt. John
H. Dooley lost an arm at Mission Ridge, and of an enrollment of sixty-one,
forty per cent died on the field of battle. The compan\- fought at Rich
Mountain and was complimented for its xictory and there Mr. Shumate
served as corporal. He was commissioned first lieutenant on reorganization
on September 2, 1861, and as such took part at Mill Spring, Kentucky; was
at Shiloh, siege of Corinth (where he was wounded) ; was at Perry ville,
Kentucky, Boston, Hoover's Gap, Tullahoma, Chickamauga, Chattanooga
(where he was commissioned captain on the death of Captain Perkins),
Missionary Ridge, Winchester, Ringgold, Tunnel Hill, Resaca. in Sherman's
campaign ; in all the battles under General Thomas, except Lovejoy Station ;
was at Pendleton Church, Kenesaw Mountain, Lost Mountain, New Hope
Church, Kingston, Adairsville, Atlanta, Chattahoochee Bridge, Peach Tree
Creek, and many others too numerous to make mention of. On his return
to Lebanon, the Captain engaged in the manufacture of brick, and erected
some of the best buildings in the city, including, also, all of the block on the
south end, except Zion's corner: built the Cason block and the marble front
block; also many on Lebanon street; also the Methodist church, the Presbv-
terian church and the Southside school house.
Captain Shumate was married on November 17. 1867, to Amanda E.
Perkins, daughter of Jacob and Eliza (McLewain) Perkins. One son, J. W.
Shumate, was born to this union. Mr. and Mrs. Shumate were members ot
the Methodist churcli, and in politics he was a Republican. He served as
deputy county treasurer eight years and also filled several local offices, in-
cluding that of common councilman for three terms, and for four years was
postmaster under Benjamin Harrison. He was a Mason, a member of the
Grand Army of the Republic and had command of a militia company or-
ganized by himself after the close of the war. He held a commission from
Blue Jeans Williams, while he was governor, as captain of the first militia
organization the county ever had. Capt. Felix Shumate died at his Iiome in
Lebanon, Indiana, December 8, 1894.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
CHARLES W. SCOTT.
Charles W. Scott, former clerk of Boone county circuit court, Indiana,
and who a few years ago was an enterprising merchant of Lebanon, is of
Scotch-Irish descent, and was born in Bellefontaine, Ohio, January 25, 1847,
and was about five years of age when brought by his parents to Lelmnon,
Boone county, Indiana, where he attended the public schools until he reached
the age of seventeen years, when, filled with patriotic ardor, he enlisted to
assist in the preservation of the integrity of his beloved country in Company
F, One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, for one hun-
dred days, under Capt. R. A. Williamson. He was seized with chronic
diarrhea, however, and for a time was confined in the hospital at Nash-
iile, Tennessee, but served out the full time of his enlistment, nevertheless,
and on his return home enlisted, .\pril i. 1865, in Company G, One Hundred
and Fifty-fourth Indiana Infantry, for one }-ear. He was assigned to duty in
the Shenandoah \"alley, but was again attacked by his old disorder and was
confined in the Federal hospital at Stephenson, Virginia, and then again at
Cumberland, Maryland, and was sent thence to the general hospital at Clary-
ville, Maryland, whence he went to Wheeling, West Virginia, where he was
discharged under general orders in the fall of 1865. He returned home a
constitutional wreck and for several months was unable to attend to business,
and even to this day his health is in a shattered condition. When he had
sufficiently recuperated he joined his father in the mercantile business, but
in 1875 sold out his interest and engaged for one }-ear in the jewelry trade,
when he again sold out : for four years afterward he clerked for Wilson &
Baker, merchants of Lebanon, and then for five years was in the grocery
business on the north side. In the fall of 1890 he was elected, on the Demo-
cratic ticket, clerk of the Boone county circuit court, and oeing a very popu-
lar man. received a very large majority and succeeded a Republican in the
office.
;\lr. Scott was married on June 30, 1S71, at Lima, Ohio, to Miss Lizzie
Kiplinger, daughter of William S. and Mary (Thatcher) Kiplinger. This
lady's father was a contractor and builder and constructed many of the best
edifices in Lima. Four children have been born to the union of Mr. and
Mrs. Scott and were named John William, Mary Lula, Wallace A. and May
Oueen, all of whom were born in Lebanon, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Scott
I002 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
are members of the Methodist church, and their daily walk through hfe
shows the sincerity of their reHgious faith. Mr. Scott served his second
term as commander of Rich Mountain Post No. 42, Grand Army of the Re-
pubHc, and has held all the chairs in Ben Adhem Lodge No. 472, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows; was also a member of the grand lodge and grand
senior warden of the grand encampment of the same order; he is a member
of the lmpro\ed Order of Red Men, Winnebago Tribe No. 36, and has filled
all the offices in his tribe ; likewise is a member of the grand council ; as a
Knight of Pythias, he is a member of Lebanon Lodge No. 45, and is, more-
over, past chancellor of this order and a member of the grand lodge. Soon
after retiring from the office of clerk he located at Warsaw, Indiana, where
he now resides.
The remote ancestors of Charles W. Scott came to America in the
colonial days and settled in Pennsylvania. His grandfather, Samuel Scott,
moved, in his young days, to Licking county, Ohio. He had married in
Pennsylvania Sarah Moore, who bore him five children: Elizabeth J., Jos-
eph, John M., James Isi. and Sarah C. The third child in the above family,
John M., was born in Licking county, Ohio, in 1824, and married in Hardm,
Ohio, April 19, 1846, Mary A. Blue, daughter of Barnabas and Mary
( Hilliard ) Bine, the result of which union was seven children, \iz : Charles
W., whose name opens this sketch: Edward L. ; Flora G. : Amanda: Harry
B., who died at the age of fourteen years; Hattie, and Lizzie, who died in
infancy ; of this family the three first named were born in Ohio and the re-
maining four in Lebanon, Indiana. His great grandfather, Joseph Scott,
was born in Ireland,. coming to this country when a young man. His great
grandmother, (Curr}) Scott, was born in Scotland and also
came to America in an early day and settled with her parents in Pennsyl-
\-ania. near her tn-lie-future liusliand. Mis grandfather, Samuel Scott, mo\'ed
in !iis VDung <l;iys to Licking cdunty. Ohio, having previously been married
to Sarah Moore in Pennsylvania. His grandfather, Barnabas Blue, was born
near Harper's Ferry, Virginia, and moved when a boy with his father to
Miami county, Ohio, and settled near the present city of Piqua. Mary
(Hilliard) Blue was born and reared in and near Cincinnati, Ohio, until
fifteen years of age, when her father moved to what is now the city of Piqua.
Ohio, but at that time the present thriving city consisted of one log cabin.
which was occupied by a French family.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. I OO3
James M. Scott was apprenticed when fifteen years of age to Mr.
Knapp, of Bellefontaine, Ohio, to learn the tailoring trade — his father's
contract with Mr. Knapp being that he was to serve until twenty-one years
of age and then he was to receive one good suit of jeans clothes and a Bible.
After passing four or five years in Logan and Shelby counties, Ohio, he
came to Lebanon, Lidiana, in 1852 and opened a dry goods store, which he
conducted for many years and became one of the best-known business men of
Boone county. Between 1854 and 1856 he was postmaster of the city, an
office he filled to the entire satisfaction of the public. He took a leading part
in the building of the Missionary Baptist church in the city, his wife being an
ardent member of this denomination. In politics he was a Jacksonian Demo-
crat, but was a stanch supporter of the L'nion cause during the late Ci\-il
war, gi\"ing his only son old enough to enlist, Charles \\'., to the service of
the Union cause. Mr. Scott was always active in the promotion of the best
interests of the city of Lebanon and erected some of its finest business blocks,
among them, in company with G. W. Baird, the marble front on the corner
of Lebanon and Main streets. He took an active interest in educational
matters and in everything else that led to the public welfare. The business
firms with which he was connected were Scott & IMcLaughlin, Scott & Baird,
Scott & Daily and Scott & Son. His death took place August 31, 1877, ^^ut
his widow survived until August 2, 1887, and in their demise Lebanon sus-
tained a severe loss.
LEVI LANE.
Le\ i Lane was one of the most honored and respected citizens of I.eba-
nnn. He was for many years connected with the office of circuit clerk,
holding that office personally for se\-eral years, and was deputy under the
second clerk of the circuit court — Samuel S. Brown — the first clerk of this
court for Boone county ha\'ing l)een Da\id Hoo\-er. Mr. Lane was a de-
scendant from sterling English stock. His grandfather, James Lane, came
from England at the age of fourteen years, having run away from his par-
ents, who lived in the city of London. He shipped on board a vessel for
America, and at New York was apprenticed to pay his passage money. At
the age of eighteen he was drafted into the colonial army and served through-
I004 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA,
out the Revolutionary war. He married in Virginia, and, witii his wife,
shortly after moved to Grainger county, Tennessee, in which state Mr. Lane
was one of the pioneers. He cleared up a good farm on Flat creek and there
passed the remainder of his days. To Mr. Lane and wife were born four
children : \\'illiam, James, Edward, and one daughter, whose name is not
remembered. He was a member of the Baptist church and well known
throughout the county as a man of sterling worth. He reached the great
age of eighty years. ^Villiam Lane, his son, the father of our subject, was
born in Virginia, December 2, 17S7, was taken to Tennessee b}- his parents
and grew up among the pioneers of that state. He became a farmer and
married Sarah Haines, who was born on February 14, 1782. She was the
daughter of David Haines, who was of Irish stock. To Mr. and Mrs. Lane
were born the following children: Polly, Addison, Josiah C, Louis, John,
Ruth, Levi, Ann, Rhoda, and one who died an infant. They are all de-
ceased and all left families. William Lane was a substantial farnier, owning
two hundred acres of land. He was appointed by the state legislature justice
of the peace, and served continuously for forty years, his judgment bemg
respected by all who knew him. At an earh- day he served as a soldier in the
Indian troubles. He died on his farm Februar}- 19, 1845, aged sixt\-eight
years. He was a man of honorable character and a typical American pio-
neer.
Le\i Lane, his son, was born Jul\- 9, 181 5, on his lather's farm in
Grainger count}', Tennessee, twenty -two miles north of Knox\-ille. He was
reared a farmer and left home at the age of twenty-five years. He had re-
ceived a good common school education for his day, and taught a subscrip-
tion school two winters. In 1840, the day after the election of William H.
Harrison t(j the presidency, he left his old home for Bonne county. Indiana.
Flis brother, Josiah, accompanied him. He was a man of family and had
already settled in Boone county but liad been home on a \-isit. Levi Lane
had just taken an active part for his age and position in the famous "Log
Cabin and Hard Cider"' campaign, in which the excitement had run very
high, the war cry being "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too." On the first da\- of
the journey the brothers passed the famous chestnut tree where the three
states — Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky — meet. Here had been held a
political rally and the flag still waved in shreds fmm the top of a tree. The
woods nearbv were filled with cider barrels, from which the hard cider had
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. IOO5
freely flowed to quench the thirst and cause the enthusiasm in the celebrated
campaign. . Mr. Lane came directly to Lebanon, making the journey of four
hundred miles on horseback in three weeks, arriving here in November.
Four brothers of the Lane family settled in Boone county, three of them,
Addison, Josiah C. and Lewis, came from Putnam county, Indiana, where
they had settled between 1830 and 1832. They are now deceased. In the
May following his arrival, in 1840.' Levi Lane and his brother Addison and
family returned to the old home in Tennessee for a visit.
Le\-i Lane returned to Lebanon in September, 1841, and from that time
until his death remained permanently. On the next day after his arrival, in
September, 1841, he entered the office of county clerk as deputy and con-
tinued in this position two and one-half years. Mr. Brown, the clerk, being
succeeded bv John Chrisman. who resigned his position, 'Sir. Lane was
elected to fill his unexpired term and served by appointment and election six
and one-half jears. He was then deputy under subsequent clerks until late
in the nineties, with the exception of eight years. During this long period of
more than forty-fi\-e years he made more court records than any man in
the state of Indiana: and issued more marriage licenses, as he had served in
the clerk's office for a longer period than any other man in the state. His
records were accurate and very legible and now of great value.
Mr. Lane married on August "23, 1842, Pheriba Hayes, daughter of
Charles Hayes, of Illinois. To Mr. and Mrs. Lane were born ten children:
Henry S., Clara L., Empson T., Willard W., Samantha E., Joseph B., Nellie
L., Albert L., INIorris E. and Georgianna, who died an infant, all born in
Lebanon, and this is the proper order of their birth. Both Mr. and Airs.
Lane were members of the Methodist church, of which he was one of the
trustees and also steward, and for forty years was secretary of the quar-
terl)- conferences and board of stewards. Politically, he was a stanch Repub-
lican ; he was a strong Union man during the war, in which he had two sons,
Henry S. and Empson T. Henry S. was in an Indiana infantry regiment and
served during the war. He was in the battle of Pittsburg Landing and in
the gunboat service and hospital steward and pa}'master's clerk. Empson T.
was in an Indiana regiment and in seven skirmishes. Mr. Lane was one nf
the best Union men in the county and was universally respected. Mr. Lane
passed away several years ago and the name of this grand old pioneer will
long remain in (he memory of the citizens of Boone county.
I006 BOONE COUNTY
BENJAMIN BOOHER.
Benjamin Booher, for years one of the wealthiest residents of Boone
county, and one of the most energetic and liusiness-like farmers of his town-
ship. intelHgent and self-made, descended from good old Pennsylvania Ger-
man stock, and was well worthy of a prominent place in any volume of bio-
graphical record. His grandfather, John Booher, on coming from Germany
to America, first located in the Keystone state and there married a native of
Germany, and to this union were born the following named children : Jacob,
Mary, William, Benjamin, John, Frederick, Isaac, Henry and Elizabeth. All
of them, imbued with the stamina of their origin, grew to maturity, emi-
grated to the farming lands of \'irginia and Tennessee and reared families
to add to the wealth uf the nation through their incessant toil. John
Booher, the grandfather, finally found a home in Sullivan county, Tennessee,
in the early settlement of that section, but still retained his farm in Wash-
ington count}-, \'irginia. He was a slave owner and a well-to-do planter of
considerable influence in both states. His son, Jacob, the father of Benja-
min, our. subject, was born in Pennsylvania on March 3, 1777, and when a
boy of twelve, in 1789, found himself a resident of Tennessee. He there
learned the blacksmith's trade, and there married Catherine Barnett, a daugh-
ter of Nicholas and Barbara Barnett, and to this, his first marriage, were
born five children, named William, Mary, Elizabeth, Guardianas and John
M. This lady was called away in due course of time and Mr. Booher mar-
ried her sister, Elizabeth Barnett, and to this union were born seven children,
viz : Catherine, Jonathan, Jacob, Ambrose, Lucinda, Benjamin and Lean-
der. December 8, 1834, Jacob Booher left Tennessee and came to Indiana
and settled on one hundred and sixty acres of entered land in Montgomery
county, to which he subsequently added by purchase two hundred and forty
acres, but not immediately adjoining his entered property. He became a man
of much wealth and influence and a representative citizen. He and his wife
were faithful members of the Lutheran church, and in politics he was a
Jacksonian Democrat. He lived to be sixty-eight )'ears of age, and died
July 29, 1845, °" ^''s farm in Montgomery county, Indiana, mourned by all
who knew him.
Benjamin Booher, late of Lebanon, Indiana, with whom this particular
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. IOO7
sketch has most to do, was born on his father's farm in SuUivan county,
Tennessee, September 5, 182 1. He recei\ed the education usually accorded
in the common schools of his early days, but was an apt scholar and quick
to learn through self-application to the books that came within his command.
He was thirteen years of age when he came to Indiana with his parents, and
here he was invigorated both in body and mind through the se\'ere discipline
of farm labor. He was married in Boone county on October 20, 1842, to
Margaret, daughter of William and Margaret (Hughes) Beeler, and twelve
children were born to this genial union. The order of birth is: Martha,
Margaret E., William J., Albert L., Benjamin C, Sylvester C, \^ando L.,
Adelaide M., Mark A., Emma R., Daniel B. and Minnie F.
Benjamin Booher had been but three years married when he located in
w hat is now Whitestown, Boone count}-, where he bought ninety acres in tne
dense wilderness. He cleared it of its heavy timber, and by hard work and
thrift increased his possessions to one thousand seven hundrd acres, almost
all of \\hich was in one body, and of this large property he gave to his
children, donating to each of them a comfortable sized farm. After the
death of his first wife, Mr. Booher married Mrs. Mary Smith, who had
borne the maiden name of Ross. He then moved to Lebanon, and here
purchased his substantial and elegant brick residence, retiring from the more
active duties of business, but still following his restless activity in giving his
attention to the details of some of the more important business of his life
until a short time prior to his death, which occurred on December 28, 1910.
Mr. Booher was a man of remarkable physical strength as well as intel-
lectual superiority and force of character, and it is stated that at the age of
fifty-five years he could easily spring over the back of a high horse. His
stupendous labor in the field and untiring industry have given full evidence of
his physical endurance. He was entirely self-made as to pecuniary affairs,
but his position as an intelligent citizen of high standing before his fellow-
men has come through nature alone. He took but little interest in politics,
thinking for himself on all matters pertaining to political economy and party
affairs, but yet, on one occasion withdrew from his personal business to be-
come trustee of Worth township as a self-imposed duty. He won his high
position before his fellow-citizens entirely through his personal exertions.
Mr. Booher's mother, Elizabeth Barnett, was born on February 3, 1779,
I008 BOOXE COUNTY, INDIANA.
a daughter of Xicholas and Barbara Barnett; they were natives of Pennsyl-
vania and later they moved to West \'irgina, where they remained until
death. They were farmers and very de\ oted Christian people and were the
parents of the following named children : George, Catherine, John, Adam,
Jacob, Peter, Elizabeth, Mary, Margaret, Sarah and Nicholas. The father
of this family was a man of ordinary means l)ut much respected.
SAMUEL S. HEATH.
One would find it necessary to searcli long and far to tind a farm kept
in better condition or managed under more up-to-date methods than that of
Samuel S. Heath, one of the most progressive and extensive agriculturists
of Boone county and one of the most widely known stock men of northern
Indiana. For Mr. Heath does not only work hard and persists in keeping
everything in its proper place and doing the right thing at the right time, but
is a close student of local conditions and is widely read in such literature as
pertains to twentieth century methods of husbandry, so that he is enabled to
reap just rewards for his pains and efforts from year to year, and, owing to
the superb system of his operations, he seems to accomplish more at a less
expenditure of labor than do most men. He has learned that very fre-
quently "haste makes waste," and while he tries to do everything with neat-
ness and dispatch, he realizes that there are times when rushing methods are
not the best, when -patience must be exercised, and when the methods of his
grandfather in tilling the soil must give way to the newer and more scientific
ways. He is a scion of a sterling old Ploosier family, many of whose
worthy attributes he has inherited, and, like his forebears, he has striven to
fulfill his full duties as a citizen.
Mr. Heath was born in Jennings county, Indiana, July 12, 1850. He is
a son of James M. and Elizabeth (Neal) Heath. The father- was born in
North Carolina and the mother was a native of Kentucky. They were young
in years when they came to Indiana and were married in Jennings county,
where they remained until 1861. when they removed to Boone county and
settled in Center township on a farm, 'i'iiey have lioth been deceased more
than twenty rears.
SAMUEL S. HEATH
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. Id I
Samuel S. Heath grew to manhood on the farm and he received a
common school education. When a very young man he began buying and
shipping live stock, having been by nature an exceptionally good judge of all
kinds of stock. He started in a very small way, for he had no capital, but
was successful from the beginning and prospered with advancing years, and
in due course of time became the largest buyer and shipper in this part of
Indiana, operating in both central Indiana and southeastern Illinois, and he
enjoyed a reputation all over this country as a thoroughly honorable and
trustworthy buyer. He shipped to Chicago, Indianapolis, Louisville and
eastern markets. From 1880 to 1890, after giving up his very extensive
stock shipping operations he was engaged in the grain and elevator business
at Lebanon on a large scale, shipping enormous consignments of grain.
While still in the stock business he engaged on no small scale in pork packing
in Lebanon for two years, and for about ten years he remained in the packing
business in Indianapolis. For some time he was also connected with the
Dairy Cream Separator Company of Lebanon, manufacturers of cream
separators, was a member of the board of directors and actively connected
with its management; in fact, was one of the promoters of this company
and his energy and wise counsel contributed very largely to its pronounced
success, and it soon grew to be one of the most important industries of the
city in which it is located. In fact, whatever he has turned his attention
to has resulted in gratifying financial returns, for he is a man of sound
judgment, rare business acumen and foresight and his honesty is unques-
tioned, consequently everyone has implicit confidence in him. He was a
member of the company that brought natural gas to Lebanon when the gas
fields of Indiana were first developed and was a member of the board of
directors of that company. He has acquired large landed interests in Boone
county and is now engaged extensively in farming and feeding live stock,
owning a well improved, productive and valuable farm in Center township,
on which stands an attractive home and large, convenient outbuildings. He
feeds annually large numbers of hogs, cattle and sheep, but his stock deal-
ings during the past few years have been confined to feeding on his farm.
He is a stockholder in the Citizens Loan & Trust Company, and has various
other business interests, and is one of the substantial men of the county, a
(60)
IOI2 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
representati\'e citizen in every respect and eminently entitled to the high
esteem which is universally accorded him.
Politically, Mr. Heath is a Republican, in the ranks of which party
he has long been active and influential. He served as chairman of the
county committee and with his careful management, victory usually resulted
for the Republican candidates in Boone county. He has been a frequent
delegate to county, district and state conventions. He was one of the assist-
ant sergeant-at-arms at the national Republican convention in Chicago in
1888. In 1878 he filled the office of County Recorder by appointment, and
discharged the duties of the same for two years in a highly acceptable man-
ner. In January, 1906, he was appointed postmaster at Lebanon by Presi-
dent Roosevelt and after serving one term of four years in a manner that
was pleasing to the department and the people he was re-appointed by Presi-
ent Taft for another term of four years.
Fraternally. Mr. Heath is a member of the Masonic Order and the Im-
proved Order of Red Men.
Mr. Heath was married to Cora B. DeVol, a daughter of Frank and
Barcina (Williams) De\'ol. a highly respected old family of Boone county,
where Mrs. Heath grew to womanhood and was educated. This union has
been without issue. Mr. and Mrs. Heath are members of the Methodist
Episcopal church and he is a trustee in the local congregation, and they
both are active in church and Sunday school work. Mr. Heath maintains
his residence at 309 North Lebanon street, an attractive and modernly fur-
nished home which is noted for its good cheer and hospitality to the many
friends of himself and wife.
Mr. Heath has done much for the general upbuilding of Lebanon, whose
interests he has at heart. He is deserving of the large success which has
come to him unaided, for he forged his way to the front from an environ-
ment that would have been too discouraging to many to have attempted to
overcome. He has shown himself to be a man of indomitable will and
perseverance. His long and loyal work for the Republican party is much
appreciated by party -leaders, for since casting his first vote for General Grant
in 1872 to the present he has been faithful in his work for the party, of
which he is the recognized leader in Boone county. He is a plain, unassum-
ing gentleman whom it is a pleasure to meet, a good mixer, genial and
obliging.
BOONE COUNTYj INDIANA. IOI3
WILLIAM J. SANFORD.
William J. Sanford, son of George and Martha Sanford, was born near
Shannondale, Montgomery county, Indiana, April ii, 1863. He received his
early education in the district schools and was graduated at Shannondale,
receiving the highest grades of any graduate that year in Montgomery
county. His manuscript was considered a model of neatness and accuracy
and was sent by the county superintendent to educational exhibits at Madi-
son, Wisconsin and New Orleans, Louisiana. Mr. Sanford received his
higher education in the State Normal and local normals at Ladoga, Darling-
ton and New Ross. He was actively engaged in teaching for a quarter of a
century in the rural schools of Boone and Montgomery counties and in local
normals and high schools, making an enviable reputation as a teacher.
In April, 1891, he was married tn Jennie Mahorney, who was a teacher.
To this union two children were born : Juanita and Ozeta. Ozeta departed
from this life in early childhood. Juanita was graduated from the district
schools and the Lebanon high school and at present is a student in her junior
year at the State University at Bloomington.
In recent years, Mr. Sanford has given much thought and attention to
the improvement of grain and live stock. His ability is recognized as a corn
judge and a number of times he has been called upon to officiate as judge in
corn shows and placing awards at county fairs. Within the last decade, the
subject of this sketch, in conjunction with his ideal farming, has given in-
tense interest to the improvement of the Hampshire breed of hogs and the
blood lines in his herd is now known throughout the United States. Mr.
Sanford was one of the promoters of the Central Indiana Fanciers' Associa-
tion and served it officially as vice-president and later as treasurer. He is
thorough in everything that he undertakes and is known as one of the lead-
ing and practical farmers of central Indiana. His theory is that "the best is
none too good." He specializes in raising Reid's Improved Yellow Dent
Com, Kharkov and Red Wave Wheat and Mammoth Cluster and Great Dane
Oats.
Mr. Sanford was the efficient secretary of the Boone County Agricul-
tural Association for years and during his period of service the association
■enjoyed great prosperity. For two years he conducted the Boone County
IOI4 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Farmers' Institute, much to his credit. He organized the Boone County
Boys' Corn Club and was tor several years its president. He is at the pres-
ent time the president of the Boone County Co-operative Horse Thief Detec-
tive Association, which organization is accomplishing much good.
Mr. Sanford is a member of the Central Christian church in Lebanon
and is a Knight and an Odd Fellow. He takes an active interest in all
things that stand for the betterment of society. He is a member of a large
family of Democrats and he himself is a Democrat.
EDNA ANNA CHILSON.
Edna Anna Chilson (nee Hill), was born October lo. iScSi.on a farm
one mile northwest of Thorntown, Indiana. She attended school at Sugar
Plain and graduated from Thorntown high school in the year 1901. She
had a birthright membership in the Friends church. In May of 1901 she
moved, with her parents, to Guthrie, Oklahoma. She was always of a re-
ligious turn of mind and during a revival service in Guthrie she received the
Baptism of the Holy Spirit and dedicated her life to missionary service in
Africa. She soon afterward entered the Friends Bible Training School at
Cleveland. Ohio, to prepare for the work. Here she met Arthur B. Chilson.
to whom she was married on March 6. 1906. In April they sailed for
Africa to engage in the service of the Master in the spread of the gospel in
Dark Kavirondo, where they ha^ e since resided. To this union two daugh-
ters were born, Esther, who is now six years old, and Rachel, who is four
years old. In 191 2, both she and her husband being in broken health from
strenuous overwork, they returned to this country on a furlough and have
spent the time visiting yearly meetings in most of the various states, and
they have aroused a deep interest in missions in general and Africa in par-
ticular. The response to appeals for funds has been twenty-two thousand
dollars in cash and subscriptions for Africa. Colonel Roosevelt visited their
mission while on his African tour.
Mr. and Mrs. Chilson and daughters, in September. 1914. started on
their return trip to Africa, that they might continue their good work.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. IOI5
RILEY COLGROVE.
Riley Colgrove, deceased, was one of the esteemed pioneer farmers of
Boone county and sprang from an honored old English ancestry, the family
having come to America as early as 1690. A part of his genealogical recora
is lost, but sufficient is known to trace the family back to his grandfather,
William Colgrove. Francis Colgrove, son of William and father of Riley,
was born in the state of New York, married Elizabeth Hager on February
14, 181 1, and became the father of nine children, namely: John, Nancy,
Jane. Permelia, Francis, Charles. Charity, Riley and Melissa, all of whom,
with the exception of Charles, who died when twelve years old, lived to be-
come heads of families. Francis Colgrove settled in Kentucky in his early
married life and for some years followed farming. He early moved to south-
ern Indiana, thence to Clinton county in 1835, where he died April of the
following year. Elizabeth (Hager) Colgrove was descended paternally from
Dutch ancestors. Her grandfather settled at Hagerstown, Maryland, in a
very early day, and there leased a large tract of land, a part of which is now
occupied by the site of that city. This lease was for a term of ninety-nine
years and was written in German, but the record disappeared many years
ago and was never recovered. The relatives of Elizabeth Colgrove settled in
New York, and the name is still to be met w ith in various parts of the state.
John Colgrove, eldest brother of Riley, enlisted at Paducah, Kentucky, in
1835 to engage in the war between Texas and Mexico. He took part in the
bloody battle of Alamo and with the rest of the ill-fated garrison fell a vic-
tim to Mexican hatred. James Colgrove was born in 18 14 in New York,
moved to Indiana in i860 and was elected sheriff of Tippecanoe county, but
died before the expiration of his second term. Francis Colgrove was a car-
penter and farmer and died in Missouri, January, 1893. Nancy Colgrove
married James P. Wilson, a farmer and carpenter, and died at LaFayette, In-
diana, leaving two children, Jane and Ann. Charles Warner, president of
the LaFayette Savings Bank, married Jane Wilson, who, though blessed with
property and position, is totally blind and lives in perpetual night. Ann
^^^ilson is the wife of Albert Campbell, a prominent hardware dealer of the
city of LaFayette.
Riley Colgrove was born on December 17, 1826, in Kentucky. He
IOl6 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
emigrated to southern Indiana about 1828, and there remained until the fall
of 1835, when he moved to Clinton county. He resided in the county of
Clinton until 1846, in June of which year he enlisted for the Mexican war.
There being no company from Clinton county, Mr. Colgrove went from Car-
roll county in Company C, First Regiment Indiana volunteers, under Capt.
Robert H. Milroy. Mr. Colgrove was mustered out of the service in the
city of New Orleans in June, 1847. He joined the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows of LaFayette, Indiana, about 1852, and filled all the chairs of both
the subordinate lodge and encampment. Mr. Colgrove began business as a
cooper, which trade he followed until his election as sheriff of Boone county,
in 1858. He was re-elected to the same position in i860, and after filling the
office with honor to himself and satisfaction to the public, he retired to
private life on a farm in Clinton township. Mr. Colgrove was a man highly
respected as a citizen and was pointed to with pride by his neighbors and
friends as an example of industry and integrity. Lucinda Newport, the wife
of Riley Colgro\e, was born in Warren county. Ohio, December 8. 1830, and
on the seventeenth of June, 1850. was married to Riley Colgrove at La-
Fayette, Indiana. This marriage was blessed with six children, whose names
and dates of birth are as follows: Asbury W., December i, 1850; Charles
B., June 26, 1852; William A., January 20, 1854: Albert F., July i. 1856;
Frank N., May 15, 1859: Carrie, May 2, 1864. The death of Riley Col-
grove took place August 19, 1894.
EDGAR M. SFRVIES.
Among Indiana educators, Edgar M. Servies, superintendent of the
schools of Boone county, occupies a place in the front rank. He was the
son of John Pilcher and Rhoda E. (Strange) Servies. both natives of Indi-
ana, tlie former having been born near New Market and the latter near Dan-
A-ille. Both are now deceased, the father dying at Advance and the mother
at Browns \'alley. The paternal grandparents of our subject. Anderson and
Liza .\nn ( Pilcher) Servies. were natives of the Blue Grass state and came to
the Hoosier state in early years. They both died near New Market. Indiana.
The maternal grandparents, John and Harriet (Eubanks) Strange, were both
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. IOI7
born in Kentucky and in early life removed to Indiana where they passed the
remainder of their lives, the grandfather dying near Danville and the grand-
mother at x\dvance.
The subject of this sketch was born near Advance. Boone county, Indi-
ana, and was reared to manhood in his native county and graduated from the
common schools of Jackson township. He was a graduate of the Indiana
State Normal in 1899, after which he spent one year at Wabash and in 19 10
received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Indiana State Normal. With
the exception of four years which were spent as clerk in the office of the
superintendent of the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad Company at
Brazil, Indiana, his time has been spent continuously in school work. He
taught four years in the district schools of Jackson township, four years as
principal and superintendent at Advance and six years as superintendent at
Jamestown. In June, 191 1, Mr. Servies was elected county superintendent
of Boone county and is proving himself a school man of marked ability. He
has constantly raised the standard of teaching in his county year by year and
is a fine organizer and has enlisted the aid of teachers and school trustees to
that degree that great unanimity of action has resulted in building up a fine
school spirit.
Mr. Servies was married to Bessie A. Staley, of Terre Haute, Indiana.
a daughter of Joseph M. and C. Elizabeth (St. Clair) Staley. The father of
Mrs. Servies was born at Wheeling, West Virginia and was a captain in the
Civil war. He was the son of John and Sophia ( Myers) Staley, both natives
of Pennsylvania, the former dying at Terre Haute and the latter in Wheel-
ing, West \"irginia. C. Elizabeth ( St. Clair) Staley, the mother of our sub-
ject's w'iie, was born near Zanesville. Ohio, and was the daughter of James
B. and Cassie (McVey) St. Clair. The father, James B., was born in Ohio,
wliere he spent all his life. d}ing in the same state, while Cassie St. Clair,
the mother, was born in Pennsylvania and died in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Both the father and mother of Mrs. Ser\-ies are residents of Terre Haute,
Indiana.
One son, George Wayne, has been born to the union of our subject and
wife and his birth occurred in January, 1900. Mr. Servies, fraternally, is a
member of the Knights of Pythias and the Improved Order of Red Men.
In his community where he is best known, he is highly esteemed as a
man of fine ability in educational work, public-spirited as to all matters per-
I0l8 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
taining to his city, county and state, and ever alert to their best interests.
He is a generous neighbor and a loyal friend and it would be a source of
great pleasure to a host of his fellow citizens to see him advance to higher
stations of preferment in his chosen field of labor.
AMERICUS C. DAILY.
Americus C. Daily, for years a prominent business man of Lebanon,
Boone county, Indiana, and a well-known politician whose reputation was
state wide, was the descendant of an old and well-known family of Luzerne
county, Pennsylvania, and sprung from the sterling Scotch-Irish stock which
added so much character to the early history of the Keystone state. His
great-grandfather, David Daily, a native of the north of Ireland, came to
America in company with two brothers in the time of the colonies. He was
a patriot in the war of Independence, throughout which he served with dis-
tinction. One of his brothers settled in Virginia, the other in Montreal,
Canada, and both became widely and favorably known in their respective
localities. David Daily, grandfather of Americus C, was for some years a
farmer of Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, in which state he married Elizabeth
Overfield, a member of a distinguished family, and reared ten children. He
was a pioneer of Ohio, moving to Miami county, that state, as early as 1816,
and resided there until 1833, at which time he came to Boone county, Indiana,
locating near Thorntown, where his death occurred in i860, at the ripe old
age of eighty-two years. Charles Daily, son of the above and father of
Americu^ C, was born December 23, 1810, in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania,
and by occupation was a harness maker, which calling he followed at various
places for a period of twenty-five years. He married in Clark county, Ohio,
Mary Hay, daughter of Joseph and Nancy (Johnson) Hay, and became the
father of six children, the following being their names: Benjamin O., who
was born in Crawfordsville, Indiana; Americus C, Henry H., Samuel R.,
Charles O. and David H.. who were born in Xew Carlisle, Ohio. It is a fact
worthy of note that no death occurred in the family of Mr. Daily or in any
of the families of his children until he had been married over sixty years.
Charles Daily became a resident of Boone county, Indiana, in 1880 and re-
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. IOI9
tired from active life about the same year in very comfortable circumstances.
Financially, he met with most encouraging success, was for many years a
class leader in the Methodist church and died ripe in years and full of honors
at Lebanon, November 2, 1893, ^t the advanced age of eighty-three. The
chief characteristics of this most excellent man were strict integrity, a high
sense of honor and a retiring disposition, and he is remembered as a great
lover of his home and family. Mrs. Daily was in every respect a fit com-
panion and helpmate of such a husband and followed in his footsteps a few
3'ears later.
Americus C. Daily, the principal facts of whose life are herewith set
forth, was born March 10. 1835, in New Carlisle, Ohio, in the schools of
which place- he received his elementary education. Later he pursued his
studies for some years in the Linden Hill Academy, where he obtained a
knowledge of the higher branches of learning under the instruction of Prof.
Thomas Harrison, A. M., D. D., a noted educator of Ohio, formerly assist-
ant editor of the Western Christian Advocate, and subseciuently president of
3,Ioores Hill college. The following notice of Mr. Daily, given without
solicitation by Professor Harrison, was indeed a most flattering testimonial
to the young man's assiduity and worth as a student : "Over thirty years
ago, while I was principal of Linden Hill Academy in Ohio, Mr. A. C. Daily
was a student of the institution. His parents were upright and industrious
citizens and he early learned from them the importance and advantage of a
correct life. Too much can not be said of his many excellent qualities. As
a student he had a strong, clear and vigorous intellect, and he readily grasped
the various branches of knowledge he studied. His industry and persever-
ance were unceasing. His moral character was without a blemish. He was
always respectful to his instructors and obedient to the regulations of the
institution. He was kind and obliging to his fellow-students, and among
them was a universal favorite. His parents assisted him in obtaining an
education and he faithfully co-operated with them in the great work."
In 1855, when twenty years of age, Mr. Daily came to Boone county,
Indiana, and accepted the position of deputy county treasurer under his uncle,
John C. Daily, in which capacity he continued until the expiration of the
latter's term of office, when he became clerk in the auditor's office, discharg-
ing the duties of the same until i860. In that year he was appointed clerk
I020 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
of the Boone county circuit court to fill a vacancy occasioned by the death of
Henry Shannon, and in 1861 was elected trustee of Center township. In
1862, Mr. Daily was complimented by being elected to the office of county
auditor, the duties of which position he discharged in a manner highly credit-
able to himself and satisfactory to his constituency for one term, and in 1867,
in partnership with Judge L. C. Daugherty and Maj. Harvey G. Hazelrigg,
organized the Lebanon Bank, a private institution, which from the beginning
had the confidence of the people and proved highly successful. In 1882 the
bank was reorganized as the Lebanon National bank, with A. C. Daily as
president ; Levi Lane, vice-president, and Samuel S. Daily, cashier ; the capital
stock at that time being $60,000.
Mr. Daily was public spirited in all the term implies and was untiring in
his efforts toward building up the city of Lebanon and developing the re-
sources of Boone county. For six consecutive years he was secretary of the
Boone County Agricultural Society, much of the success of which is due to
his executive ability and he was al\va\'s liberal with his means in the promo-
tion of any and all enterprises haying for their object the moral and material
well being of the community. For some years he was treasurer of the Indi-
ana Trotting and Pacing Horse Dealers' Association, a state organization.
Fraternally, Mr. Daily was a Mason of the thirty-second degree and
also belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, both subordinate
lodge and encampment, in the former of which he held every official position.
He was a member of the grand lodge of the state and was honored by being
chosen to represent Indiana in the Sovereign grand lodge at Topeka, Kansas,
in 1890, and in St. Louis in 1891. It will thus be seen that Mr. Daily's life
was one of great acti\'it}' ; his official and business career was without the
slightest taint of suspicion and he stood deservedly high among the people
of Boone county, who learned to respect him for his integrity and other ex-
cellent traits of character. 'Mr. Daily was a Republican in politics and as
such was untiring in his efforts to promote the interests of his party in Boone
county and throughout the state. In April, 1894, he was nominated for the
office of auditor of the state and in the November following was triumphantly
elected liv a state plurality of forty-four thousand seven hundred seventy-
three, his majoritv in his own county of Boone being one hundred and fifty-
eight ahead of his ticket, showing him to be a prime favorite. In i8g6 he
BOONE COUNTY. INDIANA. I02I
succeeded himself with a favorable majority. For this position his abilities
eminently fitted him and in this connection it is proper to quote from the note
of Professor Harrison, to which reference was made in a preceding para-
graph, relative to his ability to fill positions of trust, in the event of his elec-
tion : "That he has succeeded so admirably as a noble American citizen is
only what may be expected. To whatever position the votes of the people
may elevate him, he will most assuredly fill with the highest credit."
Mr. Daily married Maggie F. McCorkle, daughter of Solomon and Ruth
Culver McCorkle, of Champaign county, Ohio, and two children were born to
this union, Charles E. and Blanche. Mrs. Daily was a member of the Meth-
odist church and INIr. Daily held for years the position of trustee in the Leb-
anon congregation. He died June 4, 1907.
FRANK RETRY.
It is often the case that when new blood is infused into the affairs of a
community a vast improvement is noticed. Old blood is slow and cold;
young blood is warm and active and the results very often surpass expecta-
tion. It is true that people should not for trivial causes turn down the old
because it is old and no other objection lying against it. Neither should the
new be adopted merely because it is new. All that can be stated with cer-
tainty is that young blood in any old method of doing lousiness is almost
certain to bring about good and lasting results. While Boone county has
seen many white-haired men active and capable, whose experience and advice,
wise counsel and cautious procedure have ever been of inestimable value in
her affairs, it has, nevertheless, been the young men who have redeemed it
from the ^\'ilderness and made it what it is today, one of the foremost sec-
tions in the great Hoosier state.
One of the successful young business men of Zions\'ille, this count}-, is
Frank Retry, station agent on the interurban line here. He was born in
Zions\-ille, Indiana, March 7, 1890, and is a son of William Retry, who has
been a well-known citizen in this locality for many years. He is a tinner
by trade and holds a good position with the Huzzy and Huzzy Hardware
Company of Zionsville. He married Nora Ross, who was born in Shelby
I022 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
county, Indiana. They have four children, Frank of this sketch is the oldest;
Ruth Hendrix, Lee and John, the two latter being in school.
Frank Petry grew up in his native town and received a good public
school education. He is an excellent penman and- quick calculator. He was
employed for three or four years by a stock man near Rosefield. In Alay,
1913, he accepted a position as agent at Zionsville for theinterurban com-
pany, is also agent for the United States Express Company here. He is giv-
ing his employers eminent satisfaction, being uniformly courteous, energetic,
reliable and sober.
On September 10, 1913, Mr. Petry married Opal L. Fulweider, who was
born, reared and educated in this locality. Her father is deceased, but her
mother, Mrs. Emma J. Fulweider, is living in Zionsville.
Politically, INIr. Petry is a Democrat. He belongs to the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows and the Improved Order of Red Men in Zionsville.
WILLIAM Fl. \VILLL\:\JS. M. D.
The medical profession of Pioone county has an able representative in
the person of Dr. William H. Williams, of Lebanon. He has always been a
close student and having availed himself of every opportunit}- to widen the
area of his professional knowledge and make him efficient in practice, it is
not at all surprising that his advancement has been rapid and satisfactory,'
and that he now holds such a high and honorable place among the leading
physicians and surgeons in a field long noted for the high order of its medical
talent. He is widely and favorably known as a general practitioner, and he
has met in the course of his career most of the eminent men of his profession
in Indiana and not a few of national and international repute, being on
familiar terms with a number of the distinguished leaders of medical thought
and participating in their deliberations, and, ever a keen observer and a man
of plastic mind he assimilates knowledge readily, thus keeping fully abreast
of the times in all that pertains to his calling.
Dr. Williams was born September 2, 1808, on a farm near Clarksxille.
Hamilton county. Indiana. He is a son of James L. and Susan (Stern)
^\■illiams, both natives of Ohio, the Williamses having come originally from
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO23
Maryland to Muskingum county in pioneer days, later removing to Hamilton
county, Indiana. The Stern family came from Pennsylvania to Hamilton
county and there the parents of our subject were married, the father spending
the rest of his life engaged in farming, dying in IQ05, but the mother is still
living.
Dr. \\'illiams was reared on the home farm, and he recei\'ed his early
education in the common schools, later attended the Central Xormal College
at Dan\ille, Indiana. At the age of twenty-one years he began life for him-
self as a teacher in the district schools of Hamilton county, which vocation he
followed five years, and although he \\as making a success as a teacher, he
belie\'ed that the medical profession held greater honors for him and he ac-
cordingly began preparing for the same, and entered the Indiana Medical
College at Indianapolis from which he was graduated March 31, 1897, soon
afterwards beginning practice in the town of Fowler, where he remained
three years, then took a post-graduate course in Chicago, also in New York
and Boston, and thus well equipped for his more serious life work he came to
Lebanon in 1900 and has been here ever since, and has become one of the
leading men in his profession in Boone county, enjoying an extensive and
e\-ergrowing practice. He made a specialty of surgery in his post-graduate
work and has been \ery successful as a surgeon in connection with his work
as a general practitioner. There being no hospital in Boone county and the
need of one being imperative. Dr. Williams set about to establish one of
which the community might justly be proud, and in February, 1908, his
dreams took tangible form when he organized a hospital under the name of
The W'illiams Hospital, with doors open to all reputable physicians and sur-
geons for the treatment of patients, and he established a training school for
nurses, embracing a modern three years' course, as outlined in the Niu^ses'
State Association. The graduates of this school have all passed the state
examinations and are on the same footing as graduates from other similar
institutions of Indiana. The hospital is up-to-date in all its equipment and
management and has been a pronounced success fn^m the first, and has
proven to he an institution of great benefit to this locality. It is the first and
only hospital with training school ever established in Boone county. Twelve
patients may be accommodated here at a time, and the hospital is usually full.
Dr. Williams is a member of the county, state and national medical
associations, also the Mississippi Valley Medical Association and the Clinical
1024 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Congress of Surgeons of North America, an organization where merit counts.
He has been president of the Boone County Medical Association, and for the
past three years has been councilor of the ninth district of the Indiana State
Medical Association. He is frequently on the program of the meetings of
the State Medical Association, also often called upon to read papers before
various county medical societies.
Dr. Williams was married March 31, 1891, to Cora C. Morgan, a daugh-
ter of Edwin and Amy Morgan, of Hamilton count)-, where Mrs. Williams
grew to womanhood and was educated. To our subject and wife one child
was born, that died in infancy. Dr. and Mrs. Williams are members of the
Christian church, and stand high in the best circles of Lebanon. The Doctor
is deserving of a great deal of credit for what he has accomplished, for he is
a self-made man, having won his own way up from an humble beginning.
He is owner of valuable farming lands and has stock in several financial
institutions and is one of our substantial citizens.
lACOB PERKINS.
To attain a worthy citizenship by a life that is always honored and re-
spected even from childhood deserves more than mere mention. It is no
easy task to resist the many temptations of youth and plant a character in the
minds and hearts of associates that will remain an unstained figure for all
time. One may take his place in public life through a sheer vigorous stroke
of public policy, and even remain in the hearts of friends and neighbors, but
to take the same position by dint of the practice of an upright life and without
a craving for exaltation and popularity, is worthy of the highest praise and
commendation. The late Jacob Perkins, one of the sturdy pioneer business
men of Lebanon, who was well known throughout Boone county for many
years, was a man respected and honored, not because of the vigorous training
of any special talents, but because of his daily life, which was above criticism.
Strong and forceful in his relations with his fellow men, he not only made
his presence felt, but also gained the good will of both his associates and the
general public, ever retaining his reputation among men for integrity and
high character, no matter how trying the circumstances, and never losing
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO25
that dignity which is the true birthright of the model gentleman. Conse-
quently Mr. Perkins' influence for good in the upbuilding of Lebanon and
vicinity was of no little factor, and it still continues, although the material
man has been engulfed in "the inevitable hour," which awaits all that is
mortal, and he will long be sadly missed from the various circles in which he
moved.
Mr. Perkins was born in Rush county, Indiana, December 22, 1816. He
was a son of Jehu and Elizabeth Perkins, and he grew to manhood and re-
ceived his education in his native community. In 1838 the family came to
Boone county and settled in the woods, clearing and developing a farm by
industry and perseverance. Our subject began life as a farmer, which he
continued until 1853 when he moved to Lebanon and opened a tavern, which
he operated about ten years, his hotel being popular with the traveling public.
He then resumed farming, which he followed the rest of his life.
Jacob Perkins was married about 1832 to Eliza Mcllwaine, who was
born August i, 1816, who proved a worthy helpmeet in every respect and
shared the trials of pioneer life and here aided to rear their family and passed
to her reward several years prior to her husband's death.
Jacob Perkins was first a Whig, later a Douglas Democrat in politics.
He belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Sons of
Temperance and was a member of the Baptist church. The death of Mr.
Perkins occurred in 1881.
What was said in the opening paragraph of this article was equally ap-
plicable to Jacob Anderson Bechtell, also now deceased. He was born at
Bellbrake, Ohio, April g, 1834, and was a son of William and Nancy
(Daugherty) Bechtell. He grew to manhood in his native community and
there received such educational advantages as the pioneer schools afiforded,
and in 1855 he came to Boone county and followed cabinet making, in which
he was an expert workman, until his death. He also engaged in undertaking,
being the first undertaker in Lebanon. In this enterprise he was assisted
by his wife, who proved to be very efficient. He designed and made his first
hearse. He was successful as a business man and owned considerable valu-
able property at his death, which occurred February 28, 1895. Politically,
he was a Republican. He belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, and in religious matters was a Methodist.
Mr. Bechtell was married December 16, 1858, to Evaline A. Perkins.
I026 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
who was born July 4, 1838. a daughter of Jacob and EHza (Mcllwaine)
Perkins, early settlers of Boone county. To Mr. and Mrs. Bechtell the fol-
lowing children were born: Frank, whose birth occurred May 31, i860, died
in 1900; Nettie, born July 20, 1862, is the widow of John Welch; Nellie,
born November 15, 1867, is at home; Lettie, born January 27, 1872, is the
wife of Len Titus of Lebanon; Katie, born September 20, 1874, is the wife
of C. Norwood, of Indianapolis; William W., born August 2. 1865, died
December 18. 1910; Fred, born July t6, i8'8o, lives in Springfield, Illinois.
DR. A. F. NELSON.
The most elaborate history is perforce a merciless abridgment, the histo-
rian being obliged to select his facts and materials from manifold details and
to marshal them in concise and logical order. This applies to specific as well
as generic history, and in the former category is included the interesting and
important department of biography. In every life of honor and usefulness
there is no dearth of interesting situations and incidents, and in summing up
such a career as that of Dr. .A. F. Nelson, skilled and widely known veterinary
ph}-sician, the writer must need touch only on the more salient facts, giving
the keynote of the character and eliminating all that is superfluous to the
continuity of the narratixe. The gentleman whose name appears above has
led an active and useful life, not entirely void of the exciting, but the more
prominent have been so identified with the useful and practical that it is to
them almost entirely that the writer refers in the following paragraphs.
Dr. Nelson was born March 15, 1869, in Boone county. Indiana. He is
a son of Thomas J. .and America Mice (Leak) Nelson. The father was born
in Jackson township, this county, in 1838, and here he has devoted his life
to farming and is still residing. His wife, who was a native of Hendricks
county, Indiana, died when our subject was ten years old, he being the eldest
of four children; the other three were named Odelia A., Ondis A. and
Amanda Eldora.
John H. Nelsnn. the paternal grandfather, was born in Bracken
county, Kentucky, which at that time was the home of Indians, who were
then besieging the white settlers, and a brother of John H. Nelson was killed
and scalped at the age of thirteen years, after the siege had been apparently
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO27
raised. John H. and his brother W'hitson finally left the "dark and bloody
ground country" and came to Indiana, locating, first, near Greencastle, later
removing to Boone county, locating in Jackson township, but Whitson estab-
lished his permanent home in Marion county. Thus the Nelsons were among
the early settlers in this locality and the name has been a familiar one for
three-quarters of a century throughout this section of the state. To John
H. and Mary Nelson four sons were born, namely: Jesse, Andrew, Thomas
and John, also five daughters, Mrs. Elizabeth Heath, Mrs. Bathsheba David-
son, Mrs. Nancy Chavers, Mrs. Patsy Coombs, and Mrs. Julia Wall. Only
three of this family survi\'e at this writing, Thomas J., father of our subject;
Mrs. Heath and Mrs. Chavers. John H. Nelson was a prominent man in this
locality in the early days, and he at one time was representative from Boone
county to the state legislature one term. He rode to the state capital on
horseback, accompanied by G. W. Gibson, at that time a noted Indiana
politician.
Thomas J. Nelson and America Alice Leak were married in June, iS68.
and to them four children were born, namely: Amos F., subject of this
sketch; Odelia A., now the widow of George H. Scott; Ondis A. was next in
order; and Amanda Eldora, now Mrs. George Keaney. The death of the
mother of the above named children occurred in December, 1879, and the
father never remarried. His children were reared in different families.
Amos F. went to live with his grandfather Lawrence Leak, with whom he
remained until the latter's death. Shortly afterward he began working out
and attending the public schools during the winter. He had a stanch friend
in George K. Isley with whom our subject made his home during school days.
A. F. Nelson was married to Lenora E. Patterson, in March, 1888.
She is a daughter of John B. and Hannah E. (Spohr) Patterson. These
parents were from Montgomery county, Indiana, and are still living on a
farm in Boone county, where they have ever been highly respected. To our
subject and wife one child has been laorn, Elsie Fern Nelson, whose birth
occurred June 9, 1889, and who was called from earthly scenes on October
27, 1896.
Dr. A. F. Nelson entered Chicago Veterinary College in the fall of 1899.
later entered the Indiana Veterinary College in Indianapolis, from which he
was graduated April i, 1901, and in the fall of that year he re-entered Chi-
cago Veterinary College, and was graduated from there in April, 1902. He
(61)
I02S BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
successfully passed the civil service examination for veterinary inspector in
the Bureau of Animal Industry, in June, 1902, and was appointed to this
position on October ist following. He gave eminent satisfaction in every
respect, proving to be one of the most able and faithful men in the service,
but after a year and a half of this work he resigned and located at Lebanon,
Indiana, where he has since maintained an office and is enjoying a lucrative
and constantly growing business, and he now ranks as one of the leading
veterinarians in the state. For the past five years he has filled the chairs of
clinical medicine and meat inspection at the Indiana Veterinary College in a
manner that has reflected much credit upon his ability and to the eminent
satisfaction of all concerned. For the past two years he has been secretary
of the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association, and was apiwinted state
veterinarian by Gov. Samuel M. Ralston, March 2^. 1913. He has dis-
charged the duties of this important office in a manner that has proven the
wisdom of the governor in his selection.
Politically, Dr. Nelson has been loyal to the Democratic party since
reaching his majority. However he has never been an office seeker, but he was
elected a member of the city council of Lebanon, and served from January
I, 1910, to March 25, 1913, during which time he did much for the general
improvement of the city, especially the second ward, which he represented.
Dr. Nelson is an assiduous student and keeps fully abreast of the times
in all that pertains to his work. He is an obliging, unassuming and com-
panionable gentleman whom it is a pleasure to meet.
MARTIN LEWIS.
It would be interesting to make a list of the old settlers of Boone county
and to note what a large percentage of them came originally from North
Carolina. Certainly no state in the South has done so much for us, having
sent her best blood into the wilderness of the Hoosier state to clear it up and
make room for advancing civilization. That they have done their work well
goes without saying, and to be convinced of this one has only to take a cursory
glance over the fertile, well developed farms of the county, and at our splen-
did public buildings, for, while laljoring for their own advancement, thev
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO29
have also helped the public enterprises in a general wa}'. One of these hon-
ored and venerable citizens, hailing from the Tar state, is Martin Lewis,
a veteran of the great war of a half century ago and a man who can furnish
much valuable and interesting information on the changes that have taken
place in the land during the past three-quarters of a century, which, as all
■know, embraces the principal epoch, not only in the affairs of America, but
of the world as well. This splendid old patriarch of Israel has passed his
four score years, and yet, having lived such a wholesome and industrious
life, clean and honorable in every respect, he finds himself enjoying tolerable
health and now as the twilight shadows gather softly abou', him he finds him-
self in the midst of plenty as a result of his earlier years of strenuous effort,
and he can look backward with no qualms of conscience and forward with no
fear.
Mr. Lewis was born in Stokes county, North Carolina, in 182 1. He
is a son of Daniel Lewis, whose father was a native of Germany. The
mother of our subject was Frances Myers before her marriage, and she too,
was a native of Stokes county, North Carolina. The great grandfather was
a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and was killed by an Indian spy, who
wore a hog skin, thus being mistaken for a hog. Great-grandfather Myer?
was also a German. Daniel Lewis brought his family to Indiana overland,
the journey requiring six weeks, and here he started life in a log cabin, like
the rest of the pioneers, including Jacob Myers, who came at that period also.
The fornier developed a farm of one hundred and fifty acres. His family
consisted of nine children, namely : Mrs. Martha Anderson, Elizabeth is
deceased; Nancy lives in Oklahoma; Martha lives near Royalton in Union
township; John W. lives in Indianapolis; William died in that city; Mamie;
Felix died when seventy-eight years old ; and Martin of this review. The
father of the above named children died at the age of seventy-seven years,
and the mother died when eighty years old.
Martin Lewis was reared amid pioneer surroundings and he helped clear
and develop the home farm, split rails and did such other hard work as fell to
his lot. He received a meager education in the old time subscription schools,
taught in log houses, with puncheon floor, open fire-place and greased paper
for window panes. He was married in i860 to Serena Causel, who has
proved to be a faithful helpmeet for over a half century. She was born in
1030 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Union county, Indiana, in 1841. Her people were early settlers in the above
named county and there she grew to womanhood and received the usual edu-
cation of those early days. Her father, S. Causel, was a native of Kentucky.
Mr. Lewis has lived a very acti\e life and from being frugal, and indus-
trious has laid by a competence. In the fall of 1864 he enlisted in Company
A, which formed a part of Colonel Gregory's regiment, and saw active service
in Georgia and Tennessee, being mustered out at Nashville at the close of
the war. He returned home and lived on a farm near Zionsville, but has
lived a retired life for years, enjoying his old-time friends and the coming
and going of his children. It is a well known fact that the latch string at
his place hangs on the outside and genuine old-time hospitality is enjoyed
within.
JAMES WILLIAM B.\TTERTON.
There is no class of men of whom the biographer likes to write about
more than the old soldier or the pioneer and when he finds a subject who is
both he feels that he cannot say too much of such a character, for it took
bravery, fortitude, and many of the best elements that go to make a man to
induce the youth to leave the old home and go to the seat of conflict and risk
his life for his country's sake. Indeed, it took but little less courage for him
to brave the wilderness, where lurked man}- an unseen foe and still mr>re
obstacles and hardships awaiting to be subdued before his humble home
could rise and he could get established in a way that would insure his happi-
ness and freedom from want through the years to come. It is doubtful if
the young men of today, we of the second generation at least, would leave
the pleasures of advanced civilization and go out to fight Indians, kill the
snakes, cut down the giant forest trees, drain the swamps and do a thousand
and one things that this worthy band had to do.
Mr. Batterton was born June 11, 1832, near Richmond, Madison county,
Kentucky. He is a son of Gabriel and Mary (Karr) Batterton, both natives
of the Blue Grass state also, the date of the father's birth being March 4,
1803, and that of the mother, March 2, 1808. They grew to maturity in
their native locality and there were married, and continued to reside until
1832, when they removed with our subject, then an infant, to Shelbv countv.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO3I
Indiana, arriving there on October loth. There the parents established their
home in the wilderness, cleared and developed a farm and endured the hard-
ships incident to pioneer life, and there they remained until 1848 when they
removed to Tipton county, where they spent the rest of their lives on a farm,
the death of the father occurring about 1873 and the mother passed away
a'bout three years later. They were the parents of five children, only one of
whom, James W., of this sketch, who was the third in order of birth is still
living; the two eldest children were Mrs. Elizabeth Fisher and Jeremiah;
and the two youngest were Martha and Priscilla.
James W. Batterton grew to manhood amid pioneer environments and
he worked hard when a boy assisting his father with the general work of
clearing and raising crops. He received a meager education in the old time
log school house in his neighborhood in Shelby county. On July 28, 1862,
he enlisted in Company B, Seventy-fifth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, under
Captain Montgomery. He first went to Indianapolis, thence to Louisville,
and he later saw much hard service, including the great battles of Chicka-
mauga. Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain and those of the memorable
Atlanta campaign. He was in the Fourteenth Army Corps under General
George M. Thomas, later was with Sherman in his march to the sea. His
left arm was badly injured by a cannon ball, and lie was sent to the hospital
at Nashville, Tennessee, where his wife came and nursed him and saved
his life. After his release from the hospital he was unfit for further service
and was honorably discharged. May 21, 1865. He proved to be a faithful
and gallant soldier, according to his comrades.
After his military career l\Ir. Batterton located in Clinton county, Indi-
ana and turned his attention to farming, where he remained until his removal
to Owen county, where he engaged in the mercantile business until 1882,
when he came to Boone county, locating in Lebanon on the lot where he still
resides, the said lot being sixty-two by one hundred and twenty-three feet,
and on it now stands two good houses, one of which is kept rented, the other
cozy and well kept dwelling is the home of our subject. After locating in
this city he turned his attention to carpentering, which he followed for many
years, becoming a very skilled workman, but he is now living retired.
]Mr. Batterton was married June 14, 1853, to Lucinda Cooper, in Tipton
county. She was born June q, 1834, in Rush county. Indiana, and is a daugh-
1032 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
ter of John and Jane (King) Cooper. She grew to womanhood in her native
community and received a common school education.
Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Batterton, namely : Jere-
miah, born April 16, 1854; Mary J., born November 25, 1855; Emma A.,
born August 29, 1858, is deceased; Charles S., born January 23, 1861, is de-
ceased: and Jessie M., born February 4, 1871.
Politically, Mr. Batterton is a Progressive. He belongs to the Grand
Army of the Republic post at Lebanon, and fraternally is a member of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Religiously, he belongs to the Baptist
church, in which he has been a deacon for forty years, and he assisted in
building the new church edifice in Lebanon, in fact, has long been one of tlie
pillars in this church.
JAMES MONROE NICELY.
It is signally consonant that in this work be incorporated at least a brief
resume of the life and labors of James Monroe Nicely, who has long ranked
with the leading agriculturists and influential citizens of Boone county, where
he has spent practically all of his industrious, useful and honorable life, being
a connecting link between the present and the pioneer period in which he
spent his childhood and of which he has many interesting reminiscences.
Through his public-spirit and loyal efforts the village of Jamestown and sur-
rounding locality have reaped lasting benefits. He is a man of exceptional
foresight and is progressive in his business ideas, a man of forceful indix'idu-
ality and marked initiative power, he has been well equipped for the larger
duties of life and for leadership in his community, while his probity of char-
acter and his genial personality, obliging nature and e\ery-day common sense
have won and retained a very wide circle of friends.
Mr. Nicely was born on February 3, 1849, and is a son of .\bram and
Ann ( Sanderson) Nicely, the former a native of Tennessee and the latter of
Indiana. .Miram Nicely was left an orphan in early life and when \-oung he
left his native count}- ami came to Boone county, Indiana, making his home
with Isaac Shelly, with whom he remained a number of vears, obtaining a
limited education in the common schools the meanwhile. He and Ann San-
derson were married in Wayne county, this state, and resided there a few
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO33
years, removing to Boone county in 1852, and here bought one hundred and
sixty acres in Jackson township, where they Hved in true pioneer style in a
log house. This land Abram Nicely cleared and developed into a good farm
and in due course of time his log cabin was replaced by a substantial and com-
modious residence, built in 1862-3 and which is still standing and in excellent
repair. He was a man of industry and good judgment and he prospered
through his close application and good management until he became owner of
one of the finest farms in the township, consisting of four hundred and eighty
acres, and here he spent the rest of his life, his death occurring July 16, 1893,
his wife having preceded him to the grave in April, 1890. They were the par-
ents of three children, namely : John S., who died when nineteen years of age;
James Monroe of this sketch ; and Margaret who married William Hostetter,
who is deceased, and Mrs. Hostetter now lives in Lebanon, Indiana.
James M. Nicely grew to manhood on the home farm where he worked
hard when a boy, remaining with his parents until he was twenty-six years
of age. He secured a good education in the district schools and the Lebanon
high school. In 1874 he married Mrs. Phronissa Hostetter, a native of Mont-
gomery countv, Indiana. Her death occurred in 1882. She was the mother
of five children, namely; Roy S., born December 2. 1876, married Carrie Em-
mert, a nati\'e of Boone county; they lived on the old homestead in the house
built by his grandfather in the early sixties; Wayne M,, born in 1878, is a
Methodist minister, having charge of a church at this writing at Darlington,
Indiana: he married Myrtle Porter, May 2, 1906, a native of Boone county;
Wayne M. Nicely received his early education at Jamestown and studied for
the ministry at DePauw LTniversity, Greencastle, Indiana, and was graduated
from that institution in 1903. Not long thereafter he was ordained and was
gi\-en charge of a church at Veedersburg, this state, where he preached one
vear, then was sent to Culver, Indiana, where he had charge of a church for
three years, then preached at Xew])ort, \''ermilion county, this state, two
vears. and at Flackville. Indiana, for three years, and he came to Darlington
in 1913 where he has since remained. He has given eminent satisfaction in
all his charges, being an excellent \\'orker in the church as well as a splendid
preacher. He and his wife have one child, Wayne Paxil Nicely, who was
born February 12, 1907. Glen H. Nicely, the third child of James M. Nicely
and wife, died in early life ; two daughters also died in infancy, unnamed.
James M. Nicely remained on the farm with his father one year after
I034 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
his marriage, then moved into the old log cabin on the homestead in 1876,
which was on the place when his father purchased it and it is still standing.
Our subject was successful from the first as a farmer for himself and he sub-
esquently purchased eighty acres of good land across the road from the old
homestead, in Section 34, Jackson township. This land had considerable
timber on it but he cleared it and soon had it under cultivation. About
1880 he erected a fine residence and has since lived on his present place. He
inherited much of his father's sagacity as a man of afifairs as well as his
energy and good taste, and he has prospered as has few of his contempor-
aries in the same vocation. He is now owner of some of the most productive
and valuable farming lands in Boone county. He has two hundred and forty
acres, all in Section 34, and also the old homestead consisting of an equal
number of acres. He carries on general farming and stock raising on an ex-
tensive scale and is a man of progressive ideas in reference not onl}- to agri-
culture but in public affairs as well, and he is in every way deserving of the
large success that has come to him through his industry and honest dealings
and also of the high esteem in which he is uni\-ersally held.
WILLIAM H. HUTCHINSON.
Agriculture is the greatest among all the arts of man, as it is the first
in supplying his necessities. It favors and strengthens population; it creates
and maintains manufactures ; gives employment to transportation companies
and furnishes materials for commerce. It animates every species of industry,
and opens to nations the safest channels of wealth. It is the strongest Ixjnd
of well-regulated society, the surest basis of internal peace, and the natural
associate of correct morals. Among all the occupations and professions of
life, there is none more honorable, none more independent, and none more
conduci\e to health and happiness. And we agree with the ancient bard who
wrote. "In olden times the sacred plow employed the kings and fathers of
mankind : and some with whom compared your insect tribes are but the
beings of a summer's day, have held the scale of empire, ruled the storm of
mighty war with unwearied hand, disdaining little delicacies, seized the plow
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO35
and greatly independent lived."' One of the citizens of Boone county who
has devoted his active life to agricultural pursuits and has made an independent
living thereby is William H. Hutchinson, of Washington township.
He was born in Franklin county, Indiana, May 12, 1845. -^^ ^* ^ so"
of John and Elizabeth Hutchinson, both parents natives of England where
they spent their earlier years and from there emigrated to the United States
and located on a farm in Franklin county, Indiana, where they established a
comfortable home through their industry and there spent the rest of their
lives, the father dying in 18 — and the death of the mother occurred about
1883. Their family consisted of ten children, six still living, namely: \\'il-
liam H.. of this sketch; Charles E. makes his home in Franklin county;
George W. lives in Jefferson townsliip, Boone county: Mrs. Jane Heap lives
in the state of Nebraska, Frank li\'es in Franklin county, and Mrs. Alice
Curry lives in Jefferson township, this county. These children were all
reared on the homestead in Franklin county, received common school edu-
cations and are all living on farms at this writing and are well situated m
life.
William tl. Hutchinson spent his boyhood on his father's farm and
attended the rural schools of his community. He remained in his nati\-e
county until 1870 when he came to Boone county, and purchased eighty
acres of land two miles east of Thorntown. in Washington towaiship, where
he has since resided and during this period of forty-four years has made
many important improvements in the place and has carried on general tarm-
ing successfully and has a good home. He has built all his own outbuild-
ings. He has increased his holdings until his farm now contains one hun-
dred and sixty acres of fine land.
Mr. Hutchinson was married in Franklin county in 1864 to Martha
Ann Beasley, who was born, reared and educated in tiiat county. To this
tmion the following children ha\'e been born, named as follows : Mrs.
Susanna E. Stafford lives in Jamestown. Indiana ; John W. is married and
lives with his father ; Frank is married and lives in Lebanon ; Joseph W. is
married and is practicing law in Indianapolis; Lydia A. is the wife of Fred
Lewis, a farmer of Sugar Creek township, this county.
Politically Mr. Hutchinson is a Republican and he and his famil}' at-
tend the Presbyterian church.
1036 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
VALLANDINGHAM RIGGINS.
It is a well attested maxim that the greatness of the state lies not in the
machinery of government or even in its institutions, but in the sterling qual-
ities of its individual citizens, in their capacity for high and unselfish effort
and their devotion to the public good. To this class belongs Vallandingham
Riggins, successful farmer of Jefferson township, Boone county, a gentleman
who has not only been industrious and public-spirited but who has also been
actuated by the highest motives and lofty principles."
Mr. Riggins was born in Boone county, September 26, 1863. He is a
son of Jesse and Manerva (Stewart) Riggins, the father a native of North
Carolina, and the mother of Indiana, her parents being very early settlers of
Montgomery county. The paternal grandparents, Richard and
(Marsh) Riggins, were natives of North Carolina, although no direct data
to that effect can be obtained. Charles Riggins. the great-great-grandfather,
emigrated from England to North Carolina. His wife was of French
descent, and was a nati\-e of France. ' Grandfather Riggins came to Union
county, Indiana, where he lived two years, then moved to Boone county in
the early days. His son Jesse, was but one month old when brought to Indi-
ana. The grandfather took up land in Jefferson tow^nship, and there estab-
lished his future home and reared his family, and died on the land he im-
pro\ed, and here the father of our subject grew to manhood and remained
at home until he was twent)'-eight years of age. He received a meager edu-
cation in the subscription schools. The clothing he wore in those days were
wo\en and made by his mother. He was born October 26, 1S33, and he and
]Maner\a Stewart were married in r86i. She was a daughter of a pioneer,
William and Rhoda Stewart, one of the earl\- and well known families
in this section of Indiana. The Stewarts were from Kentucky, and were
descendants of the Stewarts of military fame, .\fter their marriage the
young couple worked a part of their father's farm in Boone county where
they remained for about five years, then bought eighty acres in Jefferson
township, where they resided a numl>er of years, then bought and sold other
land from time to time, always making a profit, and also succeeding as a
general farmer, finally purchasing a farm near Shannondale. where Mr.
Riggins now lives. Mr. .Stewart attained the advanced age of eight}- years.
His wife died July jo, i8Q5, wliile living on the home farm in Jefferson
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. I037;-
township. The Riggins have always been a prominent family here. Jesse
Riggins died December 28, 191 3.
To Jesse and Manerva Riggins were born a family of five children, who
grew to maturity, namely : Vallandingham was the oldest ; the others were.
Charlotte May, bom in 1865, married William Kipplinger, lives in Indian-
apolis, where she is in business; George P., born in 1867, married Henrietta
Green, a native of Boone county and is a farmer near Shannondale, and they
have three children. Alone, Manerva and Vane; Una Gertrude, born in 1871,
married William Jones, superintendent of the Standard Oil Company's trans-
portation department at Indianapolis, and they have one child, Jesse; Oliver
was born in 1876, married Ethel Walton, a native of Boone county, and they
are now living in Montgomery county on a farm. Two children born to our
subject's parents died in infanc}-, James and Mar}-, thus making se\-en in all.
Vallandingham Riggins grew to manhood on the home farm and he
■received a good education in the local schools. He remained at home until
he was thirty-three years old, working on the farm in the summer and teach-
ing in the district schools during the winter months, also taught six years
at Dover and four years at Shannondale. He ranked among the most popu-
lar teachers of the county and his services were in great demand. On April
15, 1896, he married Rosetta Booher, who was born No\-ember 26. 1865.
She is a daughter of Samuel and Sarah Rebecca (Slypher) Booher, natives
of Montgomery county. Our subject continued teaching two years after
his marriage, then took up farming in section 31, on eighty acres in this
township, where he still resides and which he now owns. He has made ex-
cellent improvement, including the erection of a modern residence in 1912-13.
It is one of the most desirable homes in the township, is ecjuipped with fur-
nace, heated with hot and cold water and lighted with electricity. It is in
the midst of attracti\'e surroundings and everything denotes taste and thrift.
It is on the traction line between Lebanon and Crawfordsville. His farm is
well kept and under a high state of cultivation. Mr. Riggins is deserving
of a great deal of credit for acquiring this valuable property through his
individual efforts.
Two children have been born to our subject and wife, namely : Joseph
v., born March i, 1903, and Robert K., born August 11, 19 10.
Our subject and wife are members of the Bethel church at Shannon-
dale, of which Mr. Riggins has been elder for a period of eighteen years.
1038 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
and they are both active in church work. He wa.s also superintendent of
the Sunday school for a period of thirteen years, and he has taught one class
for twenty-five years. Many of these members, young people when thev
joined the class, are still living and attending the class. Few have been more
prominent in church and Sunday school work in this vicinity than our sub-
ject. Politically, he has followed in the footsteps of his father and is a loval
Democrat. Two of his uncles were soldiers in the Civil war, Benjamin
Riggins died in the service and Isaac V. Riggins is li\-ing in Advance. Our
subject has long been influential in local political matters, although he has
never sought office. He was trustee of Jefferson township, having been
elected in 1908. His term of office expired January i, 1914.
THE STATE BAXK 01" ADVANCE.
In these days of large commercial transactions, when credits cut a large
factor in the daily round of business, the province of the banker is very wide
and very important.. The excellence of the banks of the present as compared
with those of the past gives to all classes of business men first-class security
for their deposits, assistance when they are in need of readv money to move
their business, and a means of exchanging credits that could be accomplished
in safety in no other way. In a large measure the success of the present
time in all branches of business is largely the result of the present banking
methods. It is quite common for the stockholders of the banks to be business
men of prominence in the community, farmers, merchants, manufacturers
and professional men, all of whom are known to the depositors and their
standing well established. This gives stability to the bank and confidence to
the community. Such is the confidence in the State Bank of Ad\ance, the
popular and substantial institution at .\dvance, Boone county.
It was established as a private bank many years ago, and was reorgan-
ized, a co-partnership, starting business October _', 1901. The main organ-
izers of the private company were W. J. De\^ol, president : Thomas Shera,
vice-president; and W. Ailes, cashier. The latter resigned in 1907, and was
succeeded by H. C. Epperson, who is still ably discharging the duties of this
position and who has done much to make the bank popular. Mr. Shera died
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO39
in 1910. The private company had a capital of ten thousand dollars, the
shares being largely distributed among the patrons of the bank. The busi-
ness of the bank grew so steadily and reached such large proportions that it
became necessary to increase the capital stock to twenty-fi\e thousand dollars
on June 4, 1913, and organize it as a state bank, with the following officers:
W. J. DeVol, of Lebanon, president ; J. S. Wilden, of Advance, vice-presi-
dent : and H. C. Epperson, cashier ; Fred Thompson, assistant cashier. Since
then the prestige and business of this splendid institution has increased more
rapidly than e\er until now it is one of the sound, conservative, safe and im-
portant banking houses in northern Indiana. Its home is m its own building,
a modern, substantial and attracti\e structure, with up-to-date furnishings,
and modern equipment throughout, with late model screw door safes, with
triple time locks, substantial \-aults, and safety deposit vaults, in fact, is an
institution of which the town and county should be proud. The deposits
run from one hundred and fifty thousand to one hundred and eighty thousand
dollars, loans and discounts about one hundred and twenty thousand dollars,
and a general banking business is carried on. The board of directors are
W. J. DeVol, A. Wysong, B. F. Coombs, all of Lebanon : J. S. Wilden. M.
P. Riner, R. D. Billingsly, and C. M. Day.
See statement of bank in chapter on Banks and Banking.
THE BOSS MANLTFACTURING COMPANY.
The name of the Boss Manufacturing Company of Lebanon is familiarly
known o\er the middle states and has done much to increase the prestige of
Boone county abroad and the county is indeed fortunate in having such a
flourishing and important institution within her borders.
The firm manufactures working men's gloves, putting out the most dur-
able, best and cheapest article of its kind to be found in the markets of the
present day and it has therefore proven a great boon to humanity, and filled
a long-felt want. A special glove is designed for corn buskers, thus saving
much annoyance and e\'en suffering to the husbandman in harvesting his corn
crop. The plan^ of this famous concern has been located in Lebanon since
December i, igii. It is equipped with every modern appliance and con-
I040 BOONE COUNTY. INDIANA.
venience necessary to such an institution and convenient and sanitary quarters
are occupied. Eight skilled workmen are constantly employed and this num-
ber is increased during busy seasons. But this is only one of twenty-three
factories of a similar nature, which this firm maintains at different points all
over the country, each being equally busy and flourishing.
The superintendent and principal moving spirit of the Lebanon plant is
Walter H. Brosar, who was born in Jackson township, Boone county. Indi-
ana, November 24, 1888. He is a son of John E. and Alalissa L. (Logan)
Brosar, the father a native of Decatur county, this state, and the mother was
born in Sugar Creek township, this county. John E. Brosar came to Boone
county when a young man and located on a farm in Jackson township. After
remaining there several years he conducted a general store at the village of
Max for a period of five years, or until he was burned out, after which he
moved to Lebanon and became a member of the police force, on which he re-
mained about five years, then secured employment as assistant ticket agent
at the interurban station here, which position he held six years, then became
local agent for Boone count}- for the Public Sa\ings Insurance Company,
which embraces both life and accident insurance.
To John E. Brosar and wife the following children were born : Walter
H., of this review: Ethel married Garfield Pollard; Jennie married Lon Com-
linson, of Billings, Montana: Samuel and Ernest are both at home, as is also
Ola, the youngest child.
Walter H. Brosar was reared in his natixe community and received his
education in the public schools. He began working at the Gregg Glove Com-
pany's plant (which has been succeeded by the Boss ^Manufacturing Com-
pan_\-) when he was seventeen years of age, and, being quick of perception
and a willing worker he made rapid progress. After four months he was
promoted to the laying table and tying cut gloves five months later he became
a cutter which he worked at for fixe and one-half years, being regarded as a
very skilled, rapid and artistic workman. On December 21, 1912, he was
promoted to superintendent of the local plant and this responsible position
he continues to hold, discharging his duties in an eminently able and praise-
worthy manner, entirely satisfactor\' to all concerned. He has instituted
many important changes in the local plant and has greatly increased its
volume of business. Its products, as indeed are all the products of the Boss
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO4I
factor}', being of a superior quality and workmanship, are eagerl}- sought
after.
Mr. Brosar was married August 20, 19 12 to Lottie C. Benger, a native
of IlHnois, and a daughter of Charles H. and Lottie C. Benger, both nati\es
of Indiana.
Politically, Mr. Brosar is a Progressive and in religious matters he
belongs to the Central Christian church, serving as a Sundav school teacher
a year.
BENJAMIN F. HAWKINS.
Among the most progressive and substantial agriculturists and stock
men of Boone county is Benjamin F. Flawkins, who is now living in retire-
ment in Whitestown, Worth township, spending his declining j^ears in quiet
and comfort, a man who has so lived that he can say in the twilight of his
years that he is satisfied with his existence. He does not present any excep-
tional experience ; he merely reflects the sentiments of a large number of the
noble, silent men, scattered here and there, who silently think and silently work
and whose achievements no newspaper chronicles. Carlyle, the great English
author, tells us that these men are the salt of the earth, and adds, "A country
that has none or few of these is in a bad way. Like a forest which had no
roots : which had all turned into leaves and boughs : which must soon wither
and be no forest. .A.nd woe for us if we had nothing but what we can show."
Mr. Hawkins comes of a fine old Southern family and evidently in-
herited many praiseworthy traits from them. He was born in Marion
county, Virginia, in 1849, and is a son of Simeon H. and Eliza Ann Hawkins.
Grandfather Hawkins was an Fuiglishman and he married a French woman.
Our subject's maternal grandfather was bom in Germany and from that
country, where her ancestors on both sides had long resided, she emigrated to
America. The parents of our subject were both born in what is now West
Virginia, but was at that time a part of the Old Dominion. There they were
reared and married and established their future home and there the father's
death occurred about 1888.
Benjamin F. Hawkins grew to manhood in Virginia and there received
his education in the common schools. Later he came to Indiana and settled
I042 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
in the southern part of \Vorth township, Boone county, where he liegan farm-
ing and became owner of two hundred acres of fine land which he brought up
to a high state of cultivation and impro\ement and which he still owns, and
for many years he ranked among the leading agriculturists of Boone county.
On his place is to be seen a handsome residence and large barns and outbuild-
ings and always a good grade oi li\e stock, but about nine years ago he retired
from the active work of the farm and rem(i\ed to Whitestown where he now
resides in one of the best homes in the township. He keeps his farm rented,
merely overseeing it in a genera! way. He has s]3ent o\er a thousand dollars
in improvements on his place during the past two years.
-After locating in Boone county and becoming well established here. Mr.
Hawkins returned to Virginia, for his bride, Xancy Meyers, who was born
in Virginia and there grew to womanhood and was educated. She is a
daugliter of a highly respected family of \^irginia.
Three children have been l)orn to Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins, named as
follows: Eunice J., thirteen years of age; Myrtle M., ten years old: and
Gleona, who is now eight years old. They are all attending school, at this
writing in Whitestown.
Fraternally. Mr. Hawkins belongs to the Masonic Order.
DR. J. E. TUCKER'S POL.\XD-CHIXA HOGS.
On another page of this volume may be found a sketch of Dr. J. E.
Tucker, well known citizen of Elizaville, Boone county, Indiana, in which
article mention is made of his fine hogs which he keeps on his fann at that
place and which receive what attention he can spare from his large practice
as a general physician. These hogs have no superiors and not a large num-
ber of peers in the Middle West of this particular breed, and the annual sales
which the owner has held during the past eight years on his big type Poland-
Chinas, have attracted widespread attention and been well attended, and the
bidding very spirited, some of his choicest hogs bringing fancy prices. His
last sale was held October i8. 19 13. when he sold forty-five head of high
type, big quality Poland-Chinas, that compared favorably with the best, and
the sale was greatly appreciated by those wanting the most profitable strain
of hogs, which were of the most popular big type blood lines as they repre-
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO43
sented the A Wonders, Big Orange and Victor blood lines on the sire's side
and Crow's Special, Major Hadlej-, Big Price Victor and other good ones
on the dam's side. He has always made an effort to grow his pigs so they
will make good in the breeding pens where the profit is. Those who attend
these sales even if they do not make a purchase feel that they have been
greatly benefited, for they always learn something of value to the stock
raiser and farmer. All his hogs are guaranteed, and if any breeders fail,
satisfactory settlements are made, if complaints are made within sixty days
after sale. He does not guarantee boars that are allowed to run with herd,
and nothing is guaranteed that sells under twenty dollars. It is his custom
to crate all hogs to be shipped and deliver them at Lebanon free of charge.
He entertains all parties from a distance at his expense when attending his
sales. He always employes expert field men and auctioneers.
Dr. Tucker's three famous boars are, Orange Giant 86887 — herd boar
— farrowed March 18, 1912. Big Orange, Orange Chief 38226, Miss Long-
fellow 3d 138041 ; Black Giantess 2d 147005. Pawnee Dad 30853, Black
Giantess 11 5623. PJred by J. O. James, Bradyville, Iowa. Ten in Utter.
He is the deep-boned kind and has proven to be a sire of the right sort.
Victor Price 84331 — herd boar — farrowed February 22, 191 1. Litter of
twelve. Victor 146513, Big Victor 130559, Big Maid 316294; Miss Anna
Price 1st, Surprise Chief 2d 55519, Miss Anna Price 121765 bred by G. W.
Sefrit, Lucas, Iowa. Victor Price is a large hog with good blood lines clear
back of him on both sides ; he has a good coat, good back and heavy bone
and he is siring the good ones. A Wonder, Jr., 81009, herd boar, farrowed
May 7, 191 1 ; A Wonder 107353, Long Wonder 85533, Molly Fair 246474;
Big Giantess 178142, Big Price 40066, Matchless Giantess 127621 ; bred by
Henry Fesenmeyer, Clauda, Iowa. Litter of eight. Wonder is one of the
big size, good quality, big boned, good colored sons of old A Wonder, and
is breeding true to his great ancestor.
It would require a small volume to go into detail regarding each of the
high-grade hogs owned by Mr. Tucker, most of them being, however descen-
dants of the above mentioned hogs, and suflice it to say that thev are all
of such superior quality as to be greatly admired by everyone interested in
this kind of live stock, and all who have made purchases of the Doctor's fine
stock in the past have had the best of results and have been well pleased in
every respect.
(62)
)NE COUNTY, IXDIANv
SAMUEL R. CARTER.
Endowed with a liberal share of good common sense and possessing
sound judgment, backed by a well founded purpose to succeed, Samuel R.
Carter, for many years one of our leading farmers who is now living in re-
tirement in Thorntown, Boone county, has labored with the object primarily
in view of making a good home for himself and family and acquiring a
competency for his declining years. This laudable desire has been realized,
and he is in what we sometimes call "easy circumstances," with a sufficient
surplus for the proverbial "rainy day," which sooner or later comes to every
individual, and which, when not provided for, results in at least much in-
convenience, if not. downright suffering. It is perhaps possible for every
able-bodied young man to prepare against such a time, but some, instead of
doing so, trust to luck, which is an elusive and capricious thing, a mere marsh-
light, and so, believing in the optimism of the future, they spend all of the
present. Mr. Carter, it seems, has been wiser and his prudence has urged him
to pursue a different course, which, all contemplative minds will agree, is
wiser, and therefore his example is to be commended to the younger genera-
tion, whose destinies are yet matters for future years to detennine and who
are hesitating at the parting of the ways, apparentl\ unable to determine
which course it were better to pursue.
Mr. Carter was born in Hendricks county, Indiana, December 28. 1843.
He is a son of Harlan and Ester (Seawright) Carter, the former bom in
1807 in Butler county, Ohio. The paternal grandparents, Mortica and Mary
Ann (Wilson) Carter, were natives of Pennsylvania. The parents of our sub-
ject married in Ohio and in 1834 came to Clinton county, Indiana, where
they remained until 1841, when they moved to Hendricks county. They
owned land on which the present city of Frankfort is built. This land was
sold by the elder Carter to his brother-in-law, William Seawright. The
former was in the mercantile business in Frankfort for a number of years,
also in Hendricks county. In the last named county he owned a large farm
and was a prominent man of affairs there in the early days, and he served
as a commissioner in that county for twenty-one years successively. He
owned four hundred acres of valuable farming land about thirteen miles from
Indianapolis, to which city he removed in 1879. and there operated a flouring
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO45
mill with John Carlisle for a year. He was a successful man of affairs and
widely known in central Indiana in the early days. His death occurred in
1880, his widow surviving until 1891. They were the parents of the follow-
ing children : Mary Ann, now deceased ; married John Johnson ; John V. was
drowned when fourteen years old: Nancy married Dr. T. P. Seller, is now
a widow and lives in Indianapolis ; Dr. W. J. lives in Indianapolis ; Adeline
married Henry Parker and they are both now deceased ; Lydia is the widow
of George Guthrie, and lives in Indianapolis; Luren is the widow of C. G.
Beck and lives in Huron, California ; Dr. H. Wilson is deceased ; and Samuel
R., of this sketch, who was the seventh child in order of birth.
Our subject remained at home with his parents until he was twenty-four
years of age. He had received his education in the district schools and in
the Normal at Danville, Indiana, and in that city on August 7, 1862 he proved
his patriotism by enlisting in Company K, Seventieth Indiana Volunteer In-
fantry, being in a regiment commanded by Benjamin Harrison, who later
became a general and finally President of the United States. Our subject
served with the army in Kentucky and Tennessee, taking part in the battle
at Russellville. Kentucky, and while making a bayonet charge was overheated
in October. 1862. This rendered him unfit for further service in the army.
much to his regret, and on November 28th of that year he was discharged
from the service owing to disability. But determined to serve his country, he,
in the spring of 1863, formed a regiment of state guards in Hendricks
count}', of which he became first lieutenant, subject to call at any time by the
state. He was summoned to camp several times, and was in several skirm-
ishes and assisted in repelling Morgan's raid into Indiana. He was mus-
tered out at the close of the war and was honorably discharged.
In 1S67 he went to Neosho county, Kansas, where he homesteaded,
entered and purchased four hundred acres of good land, all prairie except
eighty acres of timber. He set to work with a will improving his land and
carried on general farming and cattle raising with pronounced success.
Mr. Carter was married on December 23, 1872, to Margaret G.
Buchanan, who was born near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and is a daughter of
James and Mary A. (Gregg) Buchanan, both natives of Pennsylvania.
In the spring of 1873 Mr. Carter sold his holdings in Kansas and came to
Indianapolis, where he lived one year. In the spring of 1876 he bought a
farm in Sugar Creek township, Boone county, and this he operated with his
1046 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
usual success until 1890. This place consists of one hundred and sixty acres
and was brought up to a high state of improvement and cultivation by Air.
Carter. In 1890 he rented his fine farm and moved to Thorntown, where he
bought a dwelling which he remodeled into a modern home and here he has
since lived in retirement, but has retained his farm. He has been veiy suc-
cessful in a business way, having managed well and applied himself closely.
He is a director in the Home National Bank of Thorntown, and has other local
interests.
The union of Mr. and ^Nlrs. Carter has been without issue. Politically,
he is a Republican, and has long been more or less influential in party affairs.
He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, post at Lebanon. Fra-
ternally he holds membership in the Masonic Order, Lodge No. 113. at
Thorntown. He is an active member of the Presbyterian Church, in which
he has been elder since 1908. He is a man of fine personal characteristics,
genial, obliging and straightforward in his relations with his fellow-men.
CHARLES D. DAILY.
Charles D. Daily is a native of New Carlisle, Ohio, where he was born
in 1856, the youngest son of Charles R. Daily and the brother of Americus C.
Daily, whose sketch appears on another page of this work.. Mr. Daily, our
subject, was but a young man when he came from New Carlisle, Ohio, to
Boone county, where he finished his education and began life in earnest by
accepting a position in the telegraph office in Lebanon, where he learned
telegraphv and at which he worked for a series of years, the greater part of
the time in the employment of the Big Four railroad proving himself a
conscientious and a worthy employee. After a series of years in this line,
he was offered employment by his brother, Americus C. Daily, who was then
president of the Lebanon National Bank, which position he accepted and
became a very capable employee of the bank with which he remained until*
it surrendered its charter. Mr. Daily has continued to reside in Lebanon,
where he has reared his family and is surrounded by the comforts for which
his vears of toil have provided and is respected by all who know him.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO47
MAJ. H. G. HAZELRIGG.
Harvey G. Hazelrigg was a native of Kentucky, where he passed the
da}'s of his youth and acquired his education. After reaching manhood's
years, he served with honor in the Legislature of his native state, and subse-
quently removed to Boone county, Indiana, locating on a farm about half
way between Lebanon and Thorntown. He had not resided long in this
county ere his eminent ability attracted attention and he was solicited by his
friends to become a candidate for Representative in the Legislature of Indi-
ana. Being financially embarrased at the time,- he declined ; but, as his friends
insisted and ofifered him necessary assistance, he finally consented to make
the canvass. Although he had a strong opposition to contend with, he was
elected by a good majority, and immediately became a leader in the House,
taking an active part in all the important measures before the Legislature.
He was a Whig during the -existence of that party, and upon the organiza-
tion of the Republican party, embraced its principles and entered at once into
earnest labor in its behalf.
Although reared amid the influences of slavery, he detested the institu-
tion and was in favor of measures for its abolition. Lie was a warm admirer
of Henry Clay and coincided most heartily with his views on this subject.
At the expiration of his term as Representative, he became a candidate for the
state Senate. The Senatorial district was composed of the counties of
Boone, Hamilton and Tipton, in which his opponents were largely in the
majority. It was hoped, however, that his well known popularity would still
render him successful. There was a strong element in Hamilton county as
well as in Boone known as the "F"ree-Soilers," and composed largely of mem-
bers of Friends. They charged that Major Hazelrigg had not voted strongly
against pro slavery measures, whilst in the Kentucky Legislature, and ac-
cordingly brought forward a third man in the hope of defeating him. This
plan proved successful and the Democratic candidate was elected bv a small
majority.
Upon the organization of the I.aFayette & Indianapolis Railroad Com-
pany, Major Hazelrigg became a stockholder and was immediately chosen
as one of the directors. He was soon afterward appointed as collector to
collect the stock subscriptions due the company, performing his work in a
highly creditable manner. His ability as a collector has never been surpassed
1048 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
by anyone connected with this road. After the completion of this road, he
was chosen to act as its purchasing agent, and continued in this office as well
as that of director, until its consolidation with the Indianapolis & Cincinnati
railroad. In every position he proved himself of invaluable service to the
company. His remuneration was commensurate with his ability and man-
agement. When he first entered the service of the company, he possessed
but a small amount of property and upon retiring therefrom had amassed a
fine estate through the emoluments deri\-ed from the road, and their prudent
investment in profitable enterprises.
He engaged as a banker and a broker with Judge L. C. Daugherty and
Elijah Sims and continued in this business until the date of his decease. He
possessed a xoice which was winning and persuasive and at the same time
fully under his control. The subject of Freemasonry was one of his favorite
themes and upon this subject he was learned and eloquent. He was the
founder of the Masonic lodge at Lebanon as well as at Thorntown, and his
interest in the order and his untiring labors in its behalf made him dear to the
hearts of his brethren and associates.
In his early life he studied law in Kentucky and for a number of years
was a practicing attorney, -but abandoned the profession after his removal
to Indiana. His physical and personal appearance, as well as his address
was of the highest order and he was one who would be marked and noticed
among a large assembly : and while kind and courteous to all, he still possessed
a native dignity which commanded respect and repelled undue familiarity.
MRS. NANCY A. JARRELL.
Miss Nancy .\. Pitsnagle was Ixirn near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, De-
cember 26, 1824, and died at her home in Thorntown, Indiana, May 17, 1914,
aged eighty-nine years, four months and twenty days. In 1827, she with
her parents moved to Liberty, Indiana, and in 1840, at the age of sixteen,
she was united in marriage to Lorenzo D. Jarrell, of Lexington, Kentucky.
The next year the bride and groom moved to Thorntown where they as a
family ha\-e resided continuously, until by death were transplanted to Canaan
land, Mr, Jarrell passed o\er near a score of years ago.
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO49
For over three score and thirteen years she was a citizen of Thorntown.
She has witnessed its growth and history from almost the beginning" to the
present time. Her life and sympathy has been devoted to its best interests
through all these years. She and her husband in the early days helped to
build the roads, school houses and churches. They saw the red man vanish
and the forests fall before the woodman's ax. She knew from experience
what pioneer life meant. In the midst of its privations and sacrifices she
gave birth to nine children, five sons and four daughters, and best and most
noble of all she was a beautiful and true mother and devoted her life to the
welfare of her children. When the war cloud arose and her sons were just
strengthening into manhood, she gave three of them for the salvation of her
country. They went forth to battle, one fell, William died of wounds re-
ceived at Selma, Alabama ; James and John died previous to the mother.
Not only her sons, but also her heart was in the front ranks of the army and
anxious to help and send relief wherever she could. The son, Edwin, is in
Kansas, and was unable to be at the funeral. The two yoiingest daughters,
Mattie and Sadie, have stayed with their mother and devotedly administered
to her wants during her declining years and helplessness.
Mr. and Mrs. Jarrell united with the Christian church many years ago
and were always very active in good works.
JOHN CLARK RIDPATH.
John Clark Ridpath, the historian, was born in Putnam county, Indiana,
April 26, 1840. His father and mother were both Virginians from Chris-
tiansburg. He died in New York City, July 31. 1900 and was interred at Green-
castle, Indiana. He was married December 21, 1862, to Hannah R. Smythe
at Greencastle, Indiana. He graduated at Asbury University, in the class of
1863; was professor in the Thorntown Academy, 1S63-1866. His entire
life was devoted to literature. From 1874 to 1893, he wrote several Histories
of the United States, viz : Academic, Popular, Grammar School, Columbian
and four volumes of Cyclopedia of Universal History; also the lives of James
Garfield, James G. Blaine, Napoleon Bonaparte, Bishop William Taylor and
many others, including a library of Universal Literature. His entire life
1050 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
was de\-oted to arduous literary toil, producing some work each year, besides
lectures and articles for periodicals. He was a great worker. It is said
that in producing the Cyclopedia of Universal History, that he stuck to his
task for seventeen months, without intermission and at the end was in nowise
fagged. This work is in four octavo volumes, extending to more than three
thousand pages and illustrated by maps and charts, portraits and sketches.
His last and greatest work was "Great Races of Mankind," dedicated to his
wife. This work appears not only in the current four-volume edition, but
also in an eight-volumei edition de luxe of unusual elegance. Almost every
page of "Great Races'' shows the author's vigor of thought, sound logic and
the firm working of the historical imagination. There is in the style that
living light which illumines each paragraph and trashes into the readers'
understanding. For the rest, the miscellaneous writings of this industrious
and capable writer can hardl\- be enumerated. His incidental pieces are
found in journalism, scattered far and wide.
In April, 1891, Doctor Ridpath was honored by the people with a notable
celebration of his semi-centennial anniversary, which was one of the most
brilliant affairs of this nature ever known in the west. His literary friends
and admirers throughout the land contributed to its eclat. The DePauw
rostrum was dignified b\" the presence of over two hundred of the most dis-
tinguished literary men and \vomen in the Alississippi valley. President J.
P. D. John, of DePauw, presided. The principal address of the evening was
given by the veteran orator, Richard W. Thompson, ex-secretary of the navy.
The presentation speech was by ex-Governor Cumback, of Indiana. Tributes
were sent from all parts of the country including Canada and several places
in Europe. Minister Terrell, representing the United States at Brussels, who
had been Doctor Ridpath's student in International Law, headed the foreign
contributors. The poets, James Whitcomb Riley, Coates Kinney, James
Newton Matthews, Madison Cawein, Evaleen Stein, Alonzo H. Davis, and
many others sent special poems. Several leading artists contributed original
sketches. All of these tributes were collated, and published as a memorial
of the occasion, making two volumes of nine hundred pages each.
Four years of the active formative period of the life of Doctor Ridpath,
where he received his training for his useful career were spent in Boone
county, in faithful service in the Thomtown .\cademy. To Mr. and Mrs.
Ridpath were born three daughters and one son, all reared, and graduated
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO5I
from DePaiuv University: Minnie Claire Thayer, born November 8, 1865,
in Thorntown, Indiana; Mary L. Mann, born September 19, 1867, at Law-
renceburg, Indiana ; Clark Edward Rulpath, lawyer at Greenfield, was born
May 28, 1871, in Greencastle, Indiana; Myrtle Vivian Cook, born April 24,
1879, in Greencastle, Indiana. These children inherited many of their
father's and mother's talents and manv of their traits.
REV. C. N. SIMS.
Charles N. Sims was born in Union comity, Indiana, May 18, 1835.
His father and mother were of the Methodist Episcopal faith. They were
simple farming people, of the sturdiness and strength of character that fitted
them for pioneer life in making a home in the new countr}^ From his earliest
days Charles N. Sims was accustomed to toil, and it was in the strenuous
farm work, at the plow, in the harvest field and in working out timber, clear-
ing up new acres for cultivation, that he acquired the rugged plaimiess of
manner and action that characterized him through life.
During his boyhood his home was the stopping place for all the itinerant
Methodist preachers who passed that way, and among these was the eloquent
pioneer in Methodism, the Rev. John P. Durbin, who took special notice of
young Sims and encouraged him in his aspirations to become a minister.
Young Sims was a studious and thoughtful boy, and required no spur to his
ambition.
When seventeen years old he began to teach school, giving his nights
and leisure time to study to prepare himself to enter Indiana Asbury Uni-
versity (now DePauw), from which he was graduated in 1859. Two years
previously, as a student, he had entered the Methodist ministrj' as a proba-
tioner in the North Indiana Conference.
Before the end of his senior year in college he was appointed principal
of Thorntown Academy, a leading Indiana Methodist preparatory school,
1857-59, married August 12, 1858 to Miss EHza A. Foster, of Tippecanoe
county, Indiana. In i860 he became president of the Valparaiso (Indiana)
Male and Female College. In 1862 he was called to the Pearl-street church
in Richmond, Indiana, following which charge he took one in Wabash, going
(63)
1052 BOONE COUNTY. INDIANA.
from there to Evansville, where Trinity church, a pretentious structure, was
erected under his pastorate.
His next charge was the most important he had held up to that time.
This was the Meridian street M. E. church, at the southwest corner of
Meridian and New York streets, a site now occupied by the Central Tele-
phone building. It was during his first pastorate there that that church was
erected. He subsequently served the church a second time. From that
charge, to the regret of a congregation that had become greatly endeared to
him and recognized in him not only a man of the most beautiful Christian
character, but a pulpit orator of great power, he was called to the Brooklyn
(N. Y.) Madison avenue church. He then served successively at St. Paul's,
Newark. New Jersey: at the Brooklyn and Summerfield churches, Brooklyn.
He was preaching at the last named church when he went to Syracuse,
November 17. 1880. the board of trustees of Syracuse University having
unanimously elected him successor to Chancellor E. O. Haven, who had re-
signed to become bishop.
At commencement, 1881, the new chancellor was installed. He found
the university in a financial crisis. The entire institution was comprised
within one hall of languages on the campus. He took hold with determina-
tion. The board of trustees was increased so that the university might have
representation in a great many directions, and particularly did the new chan-
cellor interest New York men.
Before going to Syracuse, and after his election, he obtained a large
sum of money in gifts to the institution. It was through him that the late
John Crouse gave an endowment for the erection of what is now one of the
finest college buildings in the country — the John Crouse Memorial College
for Women, now used as a college of fine arts. A fine astronomical observa-
tory was put up bv E. F. Holden. and the famous German Von Ranke
library was housed.
When the trustees said they would not undertake to build a gymnasium,
the chancellor obtained permission, and raised the cash by personal solicita-
tion, and though his own subscription was already liberal, he filled out the
cost from his pocket.
In 1859, Ohio Wesleyan conferred upon him the degree of A. M., and
DePauw made him a D. D. in 1870 and an LL. D. in 1882. Though the
greater part of his time was spent in travel in the interest of his college, he
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO53
also held the chair of English literature. In 1884 was commissioner to
Onondaga Indians and 1888 he was delegate to the General Conference.
He had retired from Syracuse University and was living on his farm at
Liberty, this state, when the management of the Methodist Hospital tendered
him the position of field secretary. He was loath to accept this position, as
he felt that the burden of years had come upon him and he desired to spend
his closing years on his farm. But the call so appealed to him, to his spirit
of philanthropy that he accepted and entered upon his arduous work with
his old-time enthusiasm and he put forth all his energies in the obtaining of
funds to carry forward to success this great hospital.
The Western Christian Advocate, commenting on the selection of Dr.
Sims as general secretary of the Methodist Hospital, speaking of his ability
as a "money-raiser," said :
"He was called to the chancellorship of Syracuse University November
17, 1880, as the successor of Dr. E. O. Haven, who had been elected to the
episcopate. He found the university financially incumbered, and during
his administration of thirteen years he reduced its indebtedness from $172,-
700 to $68,600. He increased its assets $1,200,000, added nevi' departments,
broadened and strengthened old ones and gave the institution university
scope and character."
Doctor Sims was pastor of the Meridian street M. E. church in Indi-
anapolis, in 1867 and 1868 and for eight months in 1869 and 1870, and was
then transferred to the Baltimore Conference. His second pastorate in this
church was from 1893 to 1898.
He succeeded the Rev. Dr. William R. Halstead as field secretary of
the Methodist hospital and retired on account of the weight of years and
failing health, much to the regret of the trustees of that institution. He was
succeeded temporarily by Doctor Merico, a layman of South Bend, who was
succeeded by the Rev. Dr. W. D. Parr, of Kokomo.
During his last illness, knowing, but not fearing, that death was near.
Dr. Sims said : "It is just as good as it can be. I am surrounded by loving
friends and remembrances. I have had a long and happy life, crowned by
more or less of success, so it is not a matter of regret or for mourning that,
having done my work, I am closing it up."
Dr. Sims was survived by his widow and three daughters — Mrs. Stella
Hemenway, of Zionsville, wife of a retired minister; Mrs. Lida Mills, of
I054 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Fairfield, this state, also wife of a retired minister, and Mrs. ]\Iary Parker,
of Syracuse, New York, whose husband is dean of the medical department
of Syracuse University.
Chancellor Day. of Syracuse University, pays the following beautiful
tribute to Dr. Charles N. Sims, who died in Liberty, Indiana, on March 27,
1908 ; "He was one of the most intellectual and tireless workers I have
ever known. His mind reached out for great enterprises. He is dead ten
years before his time because he had no mercy for himself. When he be-
came chancellor of this university the institution was in serious straits be-
cause of the hard times. He made no division of day and night, but worked
endlessly, interesting men in the institution. The buildings that represent
his work are the Crouse College, the Von Ranke library, the Holden observa-
tory, and the present gymnasium. He also completed the construction of
the Hall of Languages. Beside building up the university in this manner
he added several hundred thousand dollars to the endowment.
JOHX J. GOLDSBERRY.
John J- Goldsberry. son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Landsaw) Golds-
berry, was born in Ross county, Ohio, Februarj- 3, 1827. His parents moved
to Boone county in the year 1832, settling in Washington township. The
hero of our sketch was just four years old, when he began to fight the battle
of life in the woods of Boone county. He knew what it was to begin at the
beginning and work to develop a new country. All the hardships and priva-
tions of pioneer life were before him. His long life proved that he was
made of the stuff that could endure and hold his end of the handspike at all
log rollings and take his place at the raising of a cabin and carry up his
corner. His push and energy put him at the forefront of every enterprise
and he became experienced in all the trials and hardships that devolved upon
a good and willing citizen in a new country. Through the experience of his
early manhood, he could tell enough stories of its incidents to make a book
and it would all be interesting reading for those of this generation who know
little of those who framed and laid the foundations of the county.
Mr. Goldsberry was one of the real pioneers and his stories were in keep-
BOONE COUNTYj INDIANA. 1055
ing with the stories of all his co-laborers in the building of Boone. The
battle against the wild woods and the swamps, against the miasmas and in-
conveniences of poor roads, limited means and real comforts of life. He was
married October 15, 1859, to Miss Josina Hebb, who was born in Mononga-
hela count3% Virginia, October 15, 1832. To this union were born four chil-
dren : Joseph L., Clement L., Josina and Belle — the three latter are deceased;
Joseph L., married Miss Ferguson and lives in Clinton county just across
the county line from the old homestead. Mrs. Goldsberry died March 11,
1865. Mr. Goldsberry was remarried November 19, 1865 to Hannah M.
Goldsberry, a very distant relati\'e, of Ross county, Ohio. To this union
were born Annie B., Alma A., Amos A.; and Jessie C, who died June 22,
1874. All the deceased members of the family were buried in Brush Creek
cemetery, Washington township. Mrs. Hannah M. Goldsberry passed over
the river April 15, 1905 and Mr. Goldsberry joined the company on the other
side on August 19, 1910.
Air. Goldsberry came paternally of sturdy German ancestors and of an
old colonial Virginia family. Thomas Goldsberry. grandfather of our sub-
ject was born in Virginia, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war and mar-
ried Elizabeth, daughter of Peter Putnam, a relative of the famous Israel
Putnam of Revolutionary fame. This family were among the very earliest
settlers of Massachusetts and Connecticut and were of old English Puritan
stock. General Rufus Putnam, brother of Israel Putnam, was the founder
of Marietta, Ohio, M'hich was the first town in the state of Ohio.
There were born to the grandparents of our subject, Thomas and Eliza-
beth Goldsberry, ten children : Jacob, Thomas, Susan, John, Mary, Matilda,
Peter, Abraham, Isaac and Eliza, all born in Virginia or Ohio. Thomas
moved in a very early day after the Revolutionary war to Harper's Ferry.
Virginia, and settled on Hogg Point, where he developed a farm. His
brother owned and kept the ferry at that time and was killed by lightning.
The western fe\-er seized Mr. Thomas Goldsberry. the grandfather of our
subject and early in the 19th century he moved to the state of Ohio, settling
at Chillicothe. where he kept a tavern, near which place he built the first grist
mill in that part of the state. Later he traded the mill for four hundred acres
of land. Here he farmed for a few years when in 183 1, he moved to Boone
county, Indiana, settling on a farm on Sugar creek, northeast of Thorntown.
He got a deed from "Old Hickory" for one hundred and sixty acres of land,
1056 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
set himself to hewing down the native forest and reared a log cabin in which
to rear and protect his family of ten children until 1840, when he sold this
farm and lived with his son. In the fall of that year, he died of erysipelas
at the good ripe age of eighty years. He was an honest, hard working
pioneer. The latchstring of his cabin was always hung out, for any one to
pull. All of his children married and raised families. His son, Peter, repre-
sented Tippecanoe county in the Indiana Legislature in 1852. The aged
wido'Cv of Thomas Goldsberry died in Tippecanoe county, survived by ten
children, fifty-three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Thomas Goldsberry, son of the above and father of our subject, was
born at Harper's Ferry in 1800. He was reared a farmer and married in
Ross county, Ohio, to Elizabeth Landsaw of that county, and to them were
born eight children, two of whom died in infancy. The remaining six were
William, John, Mary, Sarah, Jacob and Susan. The first three were born in
Ohio and the last three were born in Indiana. Mr. Goldsberry, in 1831,
moved to Tippecanoe county, Indiana, where Sarah was born, and in the fall
of that year he moved to Boone county and entered one hundred and eighteen
acres of land in Sugar Creek and Washington townships. He cleared this
and erected a hewed log house, where he died August 4, i860, at the age of
sixty years. He was a great hunter and as turkey and deer were plentiful
in those early days, he abundantly supplied his table. He was a shoemaker
by trade, made a good living a:nd was a sul)stantial citizen. He was a Demo-
crat and he and his wife were members of the Methodist church, in which
he was a class leader and steward, and he was also a liberal supporter of his
church. The itinerant ^Methodist preacher of those days made his home at
his house. He was held in kindly esteem by all who knew him and reared a
good family.
It might be interesting to this generation to know how great-grandfather
Goldsberry came to Boone county in 1831. There were no roads at that
date. We must remember that Johnny was a little boy at that time, only
about four years old, and his father and grandfather came to Indiana to^-
gether, not in the cars, for there were none. The story has been handed
down to the family that they came in two wagons. W^e must remember that
there was quite a bunch of them. The father came in an ordinary wagon,
drawn by two horses, while the grandfather and his family were in a larger
wagon drawn by two yoke of oxen. The men and larger boys walked and
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. I057
the women and smaller children rode in ihe wagons when tired. They did
not say what road they came over, for at that time there was no choice of
roads. They must have come to Indiana over the National road as far as
Indianapolis, then into Boone county over the Michigan or the Indianapolis
and Lafayette road, most probably the latter, as it was in direct line towards
the end of their journey. Neither was much of a road at that date. They
were merely cut outs, yet full of stumps, bogs and corduroy over the marsh
places. There were no bridges over the streams.
Just think a bit how we travel today over nice roads in carriages, auto-
mobiles, traction and steam coaches, going one hundred miles, while they
could only travel five. It was slow going. It took them weeks to make the
journey. There were no taverns. When they stopped for the night, they
would have to build a camp fire and sleep in the wagons and on the ground,
or most any way to pass the night. The only pleasant feature about the
journey was, they could have plenty of fresh meat, for game was plenty
along the road side and it helped to garnish many a scanty meal of coffee and
bread — Johnny-cake at that. The entire trip was full of incidents that im-
pressed the minds of the children, so that they could relate them in after
years. There were great difficulties to overcome in the bad roads, in the ford-
ing of streams, that filled the parents' hearts with great anxiety, lest harm
would befall them. By great care and watchfulness, they made the entire trip
in safety and all landed at their destination in good shape.
It was in the spring of the }'ear when they came to Indiana, when the
roads are at their worst and the streams are swollen. How these brave
venturesome people got through seems a mystery to us in our day and age.
Early in the fall of the same year, Thomas, father of our hero, moved back
to Boone county. It was dryer now and the roads were better and besides,
there were plenty of nuts by the road side, which furnished food for the
stock, and many a dainty feast for the young folks as well as the older.
We have now got the parents, grandparents, the uncles and aunts and
the little boy into Hoosierdom ; it will be in order to take up the story of the
latter and tell how he became full-fledged and grew into manhood and
became a useful citizen. You see there is a lad here out of whom we are to
make a uian and a useful citizen. In this age of Boone county we are in-
clined to think that a boy did not have much chance in the days of little
Johnny Goldsberry. We look at our splendid farms, beautiful homes, good
1050 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
roads, excellent schools, luxurious churches, carriages, steam and trolley-
coaches, automobiles and flying machines and we say down in our hearts that
we do not see how they got along back in the woods, when they did not have
any of these things. Just think of it, they did not have any telephones or
telegraphs in that da}- or a mail oftener than once a week. If Mr. Golds-
berry wanted to have a log rolling and wished his neighbors to come in and
help, he could not step to the telephone before breakfast and call up the whole
neighborhood to come over and help a bit. All of you please come at sharp
9 A. M. and we can get done in an hour or so. We can't see for the life of
us how they did li\e when they did not have any of these things. Why, it
will take Johnny a whole week to go around and notify the neighbors about
the log rolling: and look at the hard work it will be; and besides, if he has to
do all that work, he will have no time to pla}' ball or have any fun or good
time. My, aren't you glad that you do not ha\e to roll logs or split wood,
or walk for miles through the woods to tell the folks a little word, ^^'e do
not see ho\\- anybody- could live in the woods and do all that work.
Hold on, boys, and let us tell you how Johnny got his work done and at
the same time grew into a good and useful man and has been able to do much
good in the world. Where did he go to school you ask? \\"e can tell you
right at the start that there was no high school in that day. There was not
e\en a grade school. X"o brick house nor frame. There was no road to go
to a school house if there had been a dozen in the neighborhood. He had to
go through the woods, sometimes wade in water half knee deep, walk on logs
zigzagging through the woods like a worm fence. You should have seen
our school house. Round logs, clapboard roof, puncheon floor or dirt, a
whole end for a fire place, split logs without backs for seats, greased paper
for light, no writing desks, but a big lot of switches over the teacher's desk to
aid in getting lessons when a stimulus was needed. This is a gloonn' pic-
ture for a boy of our day. It will help us to understand, if we will look at
the outcome from these adverse environments.
John Goldsberry, when a boy, went to a school house of the above st\le,
to his uncle Joseph Caldwell. He there learned to spell everv word in the
little blue-backed spelling book. By the aid of the spelling matches held in
the neighborhood, he became expert as a speller and could turn down rows
of boys and girls and in this way mastered the art for that day and often was
the last to quit the floor. He was not good in "rithmetic.'' It was not con-
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. IO59
sidered essential. After he came to manhood he mastered enough of it in
five days to fit him for the demands of his business through Hfe.
At the age of fourteen, he entered the business strife of life for a liveli-
hood. He received for his services twelve and one-half cents per day for
good faithful work. In course of time, when he could do a man's labor, his
wages were increased to six dollars per month. .\t the age of twenty, his
father remarried, so he left home and learned the carpenter's trade. He ap-
plied himself diligently to his business and was soon able to handle the saw,
chisel and mallet skilfully and commanded a wage of fifteen dollars per
month and board. He was now receiving a skilled man's wage and was soon
able to take contracts of his own. He began to make and save money. At
the age of thirty-one he was able to buy a farm of forty acres, paying seven
hundred and fifty dollars for it. This was the nest egg for his home in
Washington township. He was now in position to assume the responsibility
of home building and married him a wife as stated in the opening of this
sketch. He added gradually to his farm until he accumulated two hundred
and eighteen acres of land with clear title. It is improved with substantial
buildings and well tiled. In religious opinion, Mr. Goldsberry was very
liberal, believing that ever3-one should be permitted to worship God according
to the dictates of his own conscience. In politics, he was a Democrat of
the pure Jefifersonian school. In his latter days he became independent,
affirming that the leaders had departed from the old landmarks of Jefferson.
He was liberal in educational matters, advocating the advance of the school
system and giving his children all educational advantages that the country
would afford. He held the office of school director for many years and built
the first brick school house in Washington township. He was a ]\Iason,
member of the Thorntown Lodge No. 113. He was also a member of the
Farmer's Alliance of which he was an elector for three }-ears. He was also
one of the original Grangers of the county, thus demonstrating that he was a
live coal in the community, and alert to every movement that had for its
object the bettering the condition of the people.
In 1894, he was foreman of the grand jury, which did effective work.
He was a man of patient industry, frugal in his habits and all through his
long life was faithful in all relations of life to his home, his neighbors, his
party and his country. He stood very high as a citizen, a man of intelligence
I060 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
and knowledge and a gifted conversationalist. His knowledge of affairs,
his wonderful memory gave to him a store house of knowledge and he could
bring it to the front and put it on display at pleasure to himself and for the
enlightenment and pleasure of others. He was a wide reader and his mind
was stored with valuable information. He was a subscriber of the first
newspaper published in the county, the "Lebanon Pioneer." Uncle John
says that the first church built in Washington township was a Union meeting
house and his mother wove cloth and sold it to pay for the sash for the win-
dows and they had real glass for light.
The experience of Mr. Goldsberry is the experience of the generation of
men that laid the foundations of Boone county, and in fact, the men that
carved out the state of Indiana. The first fifty years in this state was a life
of toil and sacrifice. That period covers the settlement and largely the ma-
terial development of the state. The mud sills were laid, the roads cut out,
streams bridged, farms cleared, school houses and churches erected, orchards
planted, and homes established. .\11 this while the citizens were fighting
fevers and malarial diseases. The>' faced three financial disasters and fought
the battles of Mexico and the Civil war. To do this great work required
just such men as John J. Goldsberry — men of brawn and brain — men with a
spirit that dared to do — men that faced the demands of the age in which they
lived. In this day we sa\- that they were uneducated. We are inclined to
class all as such, that have not rubbed their backs against the walls of a col-
lege, or men who do not have a string of big letters strung after the name
their mothers gave them. H this is the only sign of education, then the
point is well taken. There may be some doubt about this. The real sign of
an education that is worth having is the power to know things and to be able
to do things. To fill your place in life and perform well your little part is
proof of your qualification. To be able to stand in your place through life,
to build a home, rear a family of honorable children and faithfully discharge
all your (lut\- to the pul)lic and faithfully discharge all trusts confided upon
you is the full mission of life. It takes arm, head and heart to do all this
work well. Xo one can say that an individual who can do this successfully
is not educated. Many that possess what the world calls education often
come short in these virtues. We do not wish to be misunderstood in these
reflections upon education ; but this rather, you can not make a truly educated
person. All the schools in the land can not make an educated citizen. This
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. I06r
valued product can not be turned out like a factory turns out a plow or a
wagon, a shining perfect model. It takes volition and application of the
individual. There are some things that can not be bought nor transmitted.
and an educated mind and heart is one of those precious jewels.
The first generation of men and women in Indiana had almost no school
facilities as we have them today, yet, we venture that there were as large a
per cent of them truly educated for life's duties and its accomplishments as
there is today. Our grandmothers could hackle flax, card wool, spin flax
or wool into fine thread, weave the cloth, cut and make it into garments,
burnish the furniture and floor until it would shine like hard-wood finish.
They were experts in the culinary art and knew all the laws about sanitary
and economic cooking. They were skilled with the needle and could em-
broider and produce the most delicate fancy needle work. In addition to
this, they knew how to doctor and kept an apothecary shop filled with pleasant
sage, soothing catnip and bitter boneset. They could cure all the maladies
and rear a regular orthodox family of ten or twelve romping boys and girls
to manhood and womanhood.
Say, be real honest, can our generation with all its boasted improve-
ments of schools, factories, science and art do any better? We can talk
around the world now before breakfast and fly in the air like a bird; but
will we be able to walk any farther in a life time than our forebears? With
all these improvements, how many of us are ready to start out in life to
duplicate the life work of our grandparents or even our parents? Why is it,
in our day. with all this improvement and the machinery that we have to
produce food, raiment, shelter and the necessaries of life, that it is more diffi-
cult to start out in life without anything and wage the battle of life? Life is
so strenuous today that competition is feverish. We have no time to be social
How many would be willing to take a day off each week and go help a neigh-
tor roll logs? Our venerable citizen, Wallace Hill, who was born in these
woods, told us with his own lips that one season he attended log rollings one
day a week for over a score of weeks in succession. We have no doubt but
what George Coulson, William H. Millikan and James Darrough each would
verify the story by saying, "me too," if we had time to interview them. And
what would our venerable fellow citizen, Isaac Belles, who is older than the
state of Indiana, and will reach his one hundredth anniversary next February,
I062 BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
be able to tell us about log rollings and pioneer life. We have e^-e witnesses
and hand witnesses to these yet living among us, and can testify of its truth.
That we have made great improvements no one will question, but some-
thing has crept into our manners and customs that makes it harder to meet
the demands of society than in the days of our fathers. We have laid aside
some of the good old customs that we should have clung to tenaciously. It
may be that the social fabric is a little rickety and needs a little tightening up,
or there may be a leak in the bag somewhere that makes all this furor about
the high cost of living. It might be well to look this matter over, and apply
some of tlie unutilized wisdom towards righting the defects, and make things
happier in our day or at least remove some of the embarrassment of our
times. Some one has said that he who can make two blades of grass grow-
where only one now grows, would be a great benefactor to the human family.
Men have been trying this and have fairly succeeded. Would it not be
equally beneficial to the happiness of man, if some one would try his hand in
trying to devise some way whereby the ordinary family could make one dollar
go as far as two in supplying our wants. There must be a device to cut down
the wants or there must be some way to supply them with less money. Who
will step out and make this needed improvement? \\'e have not time here
to discuss economic ethics. There is one thing that is costing us lots of
money that we should look sharpl}- into. Are our schools of brick and stone
as successful in preparing men and women for the real battle of life as the
school in the woods was ? This is a live question and will stir some blood
when you try to solve it. When it is discussed, it may bring out what there
was in the woods' school that has been left out of the modern school system.
Hardship was one element. You know that we are trying every way to
make things easy nowadays. Everybody is trying to find the shady side of
the road and are just crazy for soft snaps. Mr. Jones will say, I want to
give John and Mary a good education, so they will not have as hard a time
as I ha\e had. Suppose you stop and analyze this position of Mr. Jones and
see where it will end. To teach your children that they should have an easy
time means that Mary will be in the parlor while Mrs. Jones is in the kitchen,
and John is snoozing in bed, while Mr. Jones is out feeding and building fires
and doing other needed chores.
In a word, to teach the child that it is to bear none of the burdens of life,
is to effeminate it and make it useless and worthless. To give it this lesson
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA. I063
at home and then send it to school to obtain an education is Hke going to the
well after a pail of water with a big hole in the bottom of your pail. Long
ago it was truly said that there is no excellence without great labor. To
develop the intellect requires more real labor than to develop the body. If
the body will become flabby without exercise the mind will become worse than
flabby. "There is no royal road to wisdom." If a child is started in life
with the idea that it is to do nothing, it will have the hardest time of mortals,
for it is defying God, for he hath said, "By the sweat of thy brow shalt thou
eat thy bread." Such a father would say that Mary has the best teacher that
was ever in our school, she does not ha\e to work any; the teacher kindly
shows her e\er)-thing. W'e woinler what the father would say if the teacher
would eat ]\Iary's dinner e\er_\- day and let her starve? The teacher had
better eat the dinner of the child tlian to do its thinking. The best thing
about the woods' school was its hard work. The children were always em-
ployed. No time for idleness, no time to play. We have heard the saying,
"All work and no play makes Jfick a dull boy." Be that as it may. yet it is
better than the other saying. "All ].)Iay and no work gives the de\il the
ad\antage over Jack."
AA'ork did not hurt John or any of the pioneers of Boone. It was
through that schooling that they obtained the nerve and the stability of char-
acter, that enabled them to so well discharge the duties of life. There is not
a county in the state that was so hard to develop into beautiful homes and
excellent farms as Boone. The hard work required to accomplish this great
work, gave our people something better than splendid farms. It gave them
splendid character that for a generation has made them shine with luster to
this day. It is a rich heritage that has been passed from generation to
generation and is evident in our citizenship to this day. Let us as worthy
sons, hold on to this virtue as we would cling to life itself. Work is the
inspiration of the soul that keeps us from gravitating into worthlessness.
Of all the rich heritage that has come to us, there is nothing like the love of
toil.
1181
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