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3  1833  00094  6860 

Gc  977.201  M76H1  v. 


History  of  Montgomery 
COUNTY,  Indiana 


HISTORY  OF 


Montgomery  County 


INDIANA 


WITH  PERSONAL  SKETCHES  OF 
REPRESENTATIVE  CITIZENS 


VOLUME  1 1 


ILLUSTRATED 

^  yf^.  W.  BOWEN  &  COMPANY 
'^'  INDIANAPOLIS,  INDIANA 


DEDICATION. 


This  work  is  respectfully  dedicated  to 


THE  PIONEERS 


long  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  Montgomery  county 

a  garden  of  sunshine  and  delights. 


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  that  have  gone  before 
have  been  mstruniental  in  shaping  the  destines  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  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  with  what  they 
were  one  hundred  years  ago.  From  a  trackless  wilderness  and  virgin  prairie, 
it  has  come  to  be  a  center  of  prosperity  and  civilization,  with  millions  of 
wealth,  systems  of  railways,  grand  educational  institutions,  splendid  indus- 
tries and  immense  agricultural  productions.  Can  any  thinking  person  be 
insensible  to  the  fascination  of  the  study  which  discloses  the  incentives,  hopes, 
aspirations  and  eft'orts  of  the  early  pioneers  who  so  strongly  laid  the  founda- 
tion 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  industrial  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  deser\'ing  of  perpetuation,  and  which  unite 
the  present  to  the  past,  is  the  motive  for  the  present  publication.  The  work 
has  been  in  the  hands  of  able  writers,  who  have,  after  much  patient  study 
and  research,  produced  here  the  most  complete  biographical  memoirs  of 
Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  ever  offered  to  the  public.  A  specially  valuable 
and  interesting  departinent  is  that  one  devoted  to  the  sketches  of  representa- 
tive citizens  of  this  county  whose  records  deserve  preservation  because  of 
their  worth,  effort  and  accomplishment.  The  publishers  desire  to  extend 
their  thanks  to  the  gentlemen  who  have  so  faithfully  labored  to  this  end. 
Thanks  are  also  due  to  the  citizens  of  Montgomery  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  Montgomery  County"  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  pre- 
pared. Confident  that  our  efforts  to  please  will  fully  meet  the  approbation 
of  the  public,  we  are.  Respectfully, 

THE  PUBLISHERS. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER   I— DISCOVERY   BY   WHITE   MEN 25 

National  Policies— Colonel  George  Rogers  Clark's  Expedition — Government 
of  the  Northwest — The  St.  Clair  and  Wayne  ExiJeditions — Organization  of 
Indiana  Territory— Organization  as  a  State — "The  Last  of  the  Red  Race" — 
State   Internal   Improvements- The   Definition   of  Indiana — Pre-hist6ric   Race. 

CHAPTER  II— GEOLOGY  AND  TOPOGRAPHY 40 

Altitudes  Above  Sea-level — An  Ancient  Lake  and  Boulders — Xatur.il  Scenery 
— Sugar  Creek  and  Its  Treasures. 

CHAPTER  III— ORGANIZATION  AND  COUNTY  GOVERNMENT 49 

Boundaries — The  First  Court  House — The  Second  Court  House — County  Jail 
History — Poor  Farm  and  County  Asylum— County  Oi-phan's  Home — Past  and 
Present  Financial  Affairs — Cost  of  Running  the  County  in  1831 — Finances  of 
1912— Valuation  by  Townships,  in  1912— County  Officers  in  1913— The  Wagon- 
Roads  of  the  County— Township  Officers  for  1913. 

CHAPTER   IV— EARLY   SETTLEMENT   OF  THE   COUNTY 63 

Settlers  in  1825 — Fish  and  Game — Liquor  Drinking — First  Settlement  as  Seen 
By  a  Pioneer — The  Scenes  of  Long  Ago — As  Viewed  By  a  Youthful  Immigrant 
— Hospitality  Unexcelled. 

CHAPTER   v.— COUNTY   OFFICERS   AND   POLITICAL   MATTERS 81 

List  of  Officials — Early  Campaigns — Presidential   Vote  of  the  County. 

CHAPTER  VI— THE  MILITARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  COUNTY 87 

The  Black  Hawk  War — War  With  Mexico — Only  Survivor  of  the  Mexican 
War — The  Civil  War — Opening  Scenes  of  the  Rebellion— List  of  Montgomery 
County  Soldiers — Roll  of  Officers — Roster  of  Men — Died  in  Prison — Anderson- 
vllle— Great  Battles  of  That  War— The  Spirit  of  the  Time.s— The  Famous 
Walhice  Hand-bill — Resisting  the  Draft  in  Ripley  Township — Crawfordsville 
Soldier's  Monument — Indiana's  Andersonville  Monument — Grand  Army  Post 
at  Crawfordsville — Spanish-American  War — Roster. 

CHAPTER  VII— EDUCATIONAL  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  COUNTY _" ISO 

The  Different  Systems  of  Schools — Recapitulation — Numerous  Duties  of  the 
County  Superintendent — "Father"  of  the  State  School  Fund — Disijlay  of  United 
States  Flags— Pioneer  Educational  Institutions — In  Walnut  Township — Coal 
Creek  Township — Franklin  Township — Sugar  Creek  Township — Madison  Town- 
ship— Brown  Township — Clark  Township — Haw  Creek  Academy — The  Old  Sem- 
inary and  Academy — Waveland  Collegiate  Institute — Pre.sent  Condition  of 
Schools— List  of  Schools  in  1910— Crawfordsville  City  Schools— Central     High 


School  Building— The  Lincoln  Building— The  Mills  Buildiug- The  Willson 
Bnildiug— The  Tuttle  Building— Highland  Building— Fiskville  Building— The 
High  School — Past  Superintendents— Past  Principals  of  the  High  School— City 
Schools  of  1913— Members  of  the  Board  to  Date — "Riley  Day" — Wabash  Col- 
lege— Its  History  from  Founding  to  Today. 

CHAPTER    Yin- CHURCH   DENOMIXAL    HISTORY 251 

Presbyterian — Baptist — Methodist — Christian  and  "New  Light" — Society  of 
Friends  —  Roman  Catholics — United  Brethren — Lutheran — Episcopal — Miscel- 
laneous Churches — County  Sunday  School  Statistics. 

CHAPTER   IX— SECRET  XS.ND   BENEYOLENT    SOCIETIES 27S 

Masonry— Odd  Fellows  and  Knights  of  Pythias— Ti-ibe  of  Ben-Hur. 

CHAPTER  X— AGRICULTURE  AND  COUNTY  FAIRS— (By  Charles  E.  Butler) __  293 

CHAPTER    XI— TRANSPORTATION,    FREIGHTING    AND    RAILROAD    BUILD- 
ING—  (By   Will   L.    Clark) 297 

Navigation  of  Sugar  Creek— Outlet  to  the  Sea— The  First  Railroads— Later 
Railroads — Present  Railroads  of  Jlontgomery  County — Interurban  Lines — 
Introduction  of  Automobiles. 

CHAPTER  XII— THE  BENCH  AND  BAR   OF  THE  COUNTY— iWith  Suggestions 

by   Hon.   M.   D.   White) 307 

Early  Courts — The  Judges  for  the  County^Common  Pleas  and  Circuit  Courts 
An  Honored  List  of  Attorneys — Present  Montgomery  County  Bar  —  Court 
Officers. 

CHAPTER   XIII— MEDICAL   PROFESSION   AND   SOCIETY— (By   Dr.   Thomas   J. 

Griffith)    312 

List  of  Most  of  the  Physicians  Who  Have  Practiced  in  the  County,  Including 
Those  of  Today — Short  Personal  Sketches  of  Physicians — The  County  Medical 
Society. 

CHAPTER   XIY— NEWSPAPERS    IN   MONTGOMERY    COUNTY 355 

Power  of  the  Press — Character  of  Early  Publications — I.  F.  Wade's  Recol- 
lections of  Newspapers— History  of  Crawfordsville  Journal  and  Review— His- 
tory of  All  Pulilii-atious  in  Crawfordsville — History  of  All  Local  Newspapers 
in  the  Country  Towns  of  the  County. 

CHAPTER  XY— BANKS  AND  BANKING  OF  THE  COUNTY 354 

The  Use  and  Demand  for  Banks — The  First  Banking  House — The  Elston 
Bank- — Banks  of  Crawfordsville — Banks  Throughout  the  Coimty — Building  and 
Loan  and  Trust  Companies. 

CHAPTER  XYI— CI^4RK  TOWNSHIP   374 

Early  Settlers— Early-Day  Incidents  and  Stories— A  Great  Squirrel  Hunt- 
Town  of  Ladoga — (By  Hon.  W.  L.  Anderson) — The  Business  Interests  of 
1913— Fighting  Whisky  in  Ladoga. 

CHAPTER  XVII— MADISON  TOWNSHIP 398 

Description — Topography — Wild  Animals — The  Early  Swamps — Towns  and 
\'illages. 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTEK  XVIII  — SIGAIt  CKEKK  TOWNSHIP 402 

Location — Uenenil  Feiitures — ludiaus  iu  the  TownsUip — Eiu-l.v  .Settlement — 
Markets — First  and  Otlier  Events. 

CH.\I'TEK  XIX— KIPI.EY   TOWNSHIP  40T 

Extent  of  Territory — Enrly  Timber  Lands — Early  Settlement — It's  Towns  and 
Hamlets. 

CHAPTER   XX— BKOWN   TOWNSHIP 410 

Location — Description — Population  15)10 — Soils,  Streams  and  Topography — Lalve 
Harney — Early  Industries — Settlement — First  Events — Township  Organiza- 
tion— Natural  Summer  Resorts — A  True  .Snake  Story — Towns  and  Villages — 
First  Happenings — Great  Conflagrations — Municipal  History — Present  Busi- 
ness Interests — Brown's  Valley — New  Market. 

CHAPTER  XXI— SCOTT  TOWNSHIP 420 

Boundaries.  Description— Settlement — First  Events— The  Terrible  Tornado  of 
1S60— Singular  Indian  Burials— New  Market. 

CHAPTER  XXII— FR.VXKLIN  TOWNSHIP 427 

Topography — Boundaries — Forest  Lands — Township  Organization — First  to 
Enter  Lands — First  Improvements — Darlington— Business  Interests  of  1013 
Village  of  Shannondale — Home  of  the  Late  Governor  Mount. 

CHAPTER   XXIII— WAYNE   TOWNSHIP   434 

Extent  of  Territory — First  to  Settle — The  True  Pioneer — Early  Reminiscences- 
Towns  and  Tillages — Waynetown — Wesley. 

CHAPTER   XXIV— WALNUT  TOWNSHIP    439 

Organization — Condition  Ninety-three  Years  Ago — First  Settlement — Towns 
of  Walnut  Towushiii — New  Ross — Origin  of  the  Name  "New  Ross"— Village 
of   Mace. 

CHAPTER    XXV— COAL   CREEK    TOWNSHIP 447 

Boundaries — Natural  Features — First  Settlers — Meharry's  Grove— Corn  Shuck- 
ing Bees — Towns  and  Villages — Wingate — It's  Present  Business  Standing — 
General  Village  History  (From  "The  Prize  Village  History  of  John  Blacker.") 

CH-\PTER  XXVI— THE  CITY  OF  CRAWFORDSVILLE  AND  UNION  TOWNSHIP.  456 

Extent  and  Size  of  Union  Township— Population  in  1910 — Removal  of  Land 
Office  From  Terre  Haute  to  Crawfordsville — Original  Town  Platting — Founder 
of  Crawfordsville.  Major  Ambrose  Whitlock — The  Beginnings — Early  History 
of  City — Interesting  Paragraphs — Early-Day  Beef  and  Pork  Packing — Great 
Brick  Works — The  City  in  1907— Industiies  of  the  City  One  Decade  Ago — 
Octogenarians  of  Crawfordsville — Population  by  becades — Other  Items — Post- 
office  Histor.v— Municipal  History — Mayors  of  the  City — City  Officials  of  To- 
day—City Hall— Fire  Department — Watei  and  Light  Company — City  Parks — 
Finances— Crawfordsville  Gas  Light  Company — Heating  Company  —  Union 
Hospital— The  Humane  Society— Cemeteries  of  the  City — General  Lew  Wal- 
lace's Statue — Public  Library — Patriotic  Order  Sons  of  America — Various 
Lodges  of  the  City— Young  Men's  Chri-stian  Association— The  Ouiatenon  Club — 
Montgomery  County  Historical  Society. 


CHAPTER  XXVII— MISCELLANEOUS  EVENTS  OF  INTEREST 484 

The  County's  Population — The  Census  of  1910— People  Over  Eighty  Tears  of 
Agc^Re-Union  of  Old  Men— First  Iron  Bridge  in  County— Digging  "Sang"— 
Old  Settlers'  Reunion — Market  Quotations — A  Skunk  Farm— An  Old-Time 
Arithmetic— "Brown's  Dusf— Nebraska  Sufferers— A  General  Washington 
Autograph— Early  Hot-Water  Cure — Wealthy  Persons  of  Montgomery  County 
—Taking  Down  the  "Stars  and  Stripes"— Papoose  Buried  in  Tree-top— Tem- 
perance Waves— Days  of  Sorrow  in  This  Copnty — Death  of  Lincoln,  of  Gar- 
field, of  McKinley,  of  Grant — Prohibition  Vote  by  Townships  in  1909 — Men 
and  Women  of  Mark— Village  Plats— The  Famous  Old  Sperry  Bridge— The 
"Ferris  Wheel" — "Underground  Railroad"  at  Crawfordsville— Horse  Thief's 
Detective  Societies — Interesting  Incidents  Concerning  Horse  Stealing. 

CHAPTER  XXVIII— DARK   DEEDS,   MURDERS,   ETC 512 

Death  of  a  Negro  at  Ladoga — Another  Murder — First  Murder  In  Montgomery 
County — Early  Homicide— A  Suicide's  Odd  Will — Failure  of  Circumstantial 
Evidence — Murdered  For  Two  Dollars — Murder  of  Meyer  Ham — The  Camp- 
bell-Little Election  Tragedy — Swindled  by  "Gold  Brick"  Men— A  Hold-Up  Man 
at  Linden— A  Celebrated  Criminal  Case— Convicts  in  the  Penitentiary — A  Later 
Tragedy — Past  and  Present  of  Tippecanoe  County — The  Battle  of  Tippecanoe. 


HISTORICAL  INDEX 


A 

Agricultural  and  County  Fairs 292 

Altitudes  Above  Sea  Level 42 

Ancient  Lake  fand  Boulders,  An 43 

Andersonville  Indiana  Monument 180 

Artesian   Wells   48 

As  Viewed  by  Youthful  Immigrant 79 

Autograph  Letter 492 

Automobiles,    Introduction   of 305 

Attorneys,  Honored  List  of 311 

B 

Bank  of  Kirkpatrick 370 

Bank  of  Linden 370 

Banks  and  Banking 367 

Baptist  Church 253 

Bar  of  County 318 

Bench  and  the  Bar,  The 306 

'Black  Hawk  War 86 

Botanical  Gazette,  The 362 

Brick  Works 467 

Brown's  Dust 491 

Browns  Valley 420 

Browns  Valley  Bank 370 

Brown  Township 409 

Brown  Twp.,  Early  Industries 413 

Brown  Twp.,  Early  Settlement 413 

Brown  Twp.,  Topography  and  Soil  of-  410 
Brown  Twp.,  Towns  and  Villages  of_  417 

Business  Interests  of  1913 393 

Business  Interests,  1913 432 

C 

Campbell-Little  Tragedy,  The 518 

Census  of  1910 486 

Central  High  School  Building 212 

Christians,    New    Lights    and    Disci- 
ples, The 269 

Circuit  Court  Judges,  The 310 


Citizens'  Bank  of  New  Ross 371 

Citizens'  National  Bank 369 

City  Officials,  1913 476 

Civil  War,  The 90 

Clark's    Expedition — Colonel     George 
Rogers   28 

Clark  Township 374 

Coal  Creek  Township 437 

Coal  Creek— First  Settlers 448 

Coal  Creek,  Towns  and  Villages  of 453 

College  Buildings 246 

Convicts  in  Penitentiary 523 

Corn  Exchange  Bank 371 

Corn   Shucking  "Bees" 452 

Cost  of  Running  the  County  in  1831..     58 

County  Jail 53 

County  Officers 81 

County  Officers  in  1913 61 

County  Orphan's  Home 57 

County  Superintendents,  Duties  of—  191 

County  Superintendents,  First 189 

Court  House,  The  First 50 

Court  House,  The  Present 50 

Court  House,  Second 51 

Court  Officers,  1913 319 

Crawfordsville  Argus-News 358 

Crawfordsville,  The  Beginning  of 458 

Crawfordsville  Cemeteries 480 

Crawfordsville  City  Park 478 

Crawfordsville,  Early  History  of 460 

Crawfordsville  Examiner 358 

Crawfordsville  Fire  Department 477 

Crawfordsville  Gas  Light  Co. 478 

Crawfords^■ille  Heating  Co. 479 

Crawfordsville  Hospital 479 

Crawfordsville,  Industries  of 468 

Crawfordsville  Journal 356 

Crawfordsville  Ix)comotive 360 

Crawfordsville,  Mayors  of 475 

Crawfordsville  News-Review 358 

Crawfordsville  Public  Library 481 


HISTORICAL    INDEX. 


Crawfordsville  Record 355 

Crnwfordsville  Review 35S 

Crnwfordsville  Schools,  The 211 

Crawfordsville  Star 360 

Crawfordsville  State  Bank 360 

Criminal  Case.  Celebrated 521 

D 

Daily  News,  The 359 

Darlington 431 

Darlington  Echo 364 

Darlington  State  Bank 372 

Days  of  Sorrow 496 

Declaration  of  War 184 

Discovered  by  White  Men 25 

Dow,  Lorenzo 268 

Diinkard  Church,  The  Burning  of  the-  258 


E 


Early  Beef  and  Packing 466 

Early  Incidents  — 1 376 

Early  Marketing 385 

Early  Settlement  of  the  County 63 

Early  Settlers,  Clark  Township 375 

Early  Tuition  and  Terms 239 

Educational  Development 188 

Eighteenth  Battery 175 

Eighteenth  Battery  Light  Artillery—  102 
Eighteenth  Regiment  Infantry,  three 

years    127 

Eighth  Cavalry 130 

Eighty-seventh  Infantry,  three  months' 

men 104 

Eighty-sixth  Regiment 9S 

Eighty-sixth  Regiment,  three  years—  144 

Eleventh  Cavalry 156 

Eleventh     Cavalry     Regiment     three 

years , 100 

Eleventh  Regiment ; 94 

Eleventh     Regiment    Infantry    three 

years 111 

Eleventh  Regiment,  for  three  months' 

service   93 

Elston  National  Bank 1 367 

Enlisted  Men,  Roll  of 103 

Enrollment,  Summarized 243 


F 

Faculty,   The  1912 248 

Farmers  and   Merchants  Bank,   Dar- 
lington   372 

Farmers    and    Merchants    Bank,    La- 
doga     372 

Farmers       and       Merchants      Bank, 

Wayuetown   371 

I'^armers  and  Merchants  Trust  Co.  —  370 

Farmers  Bank,  X\^ingate 371 

Ferris  Wheel 506 

Fifteenth  Regiment 96 

Fifteenth  Regiment  Infantry 122 

Fifth  Cavalry 147 

Fifth  Cavalry  Regiment 99 

Fifty-eighth  Regiment 98 

Fifty-eighth  Regiment  Infantry,  three 

years    136 

Fifty-first    Regiment    Infantry,    three 

years    136 

Fifty-second  Regiment 97 

Finances  in  1912 59 

Financial  Affairs,  Past  and  Present —     57 

Fire  of  1838,  The 245 

First  National  Bank 368 

First  Regiment  Heavy  Artillery 127 

First  Settlement 71 

Fish  and  Game 69 

Fiskville  School 215 

Flags,  Display  of 193 

Fortieth  Regiment  96 

Fortieth     Regiment     Infantry,     three 

years 1?>0 

Forty-ninth  Regiment  Infantry,  three 

years    136 

Fourth  Cavalry 143 

Founder  of  Crawfordsville,  The 457 

Founding  and  Founders 226 

Franklin  Township 427 

Franklin    Township,    First  to   Enter 

Land  in 429 

Free  Masonry 279 

Free  Will  Baptist  Church,  The 258 

Freighting  and  Railroad  Building 297 

G 

Garfield  Assassination 497 

Geology  and  Topography 40 


HISTORICAL    INDEX. 


Germaji  Baptist  Societies 257 

Gold  Briclc  Swindle 520 

Government  of  the  Northwest 30 

Grand  Army  Post  at  Crawfordsville—  181 

Grangers   2flO 

Grant,  Death  of  General 498 

H 

Ham  Murdered.  Meyer 517 

Harmar,  General 32 

Harney,  Lake 412 

Haw  Creek  Academy 200 

Henry  Ward  Beeeher  Chair,  The 238 

Highland  Building 215 

High  School,  The 215 

High  Schools.  Past  Principals  of 215 

Hold-up  at  Linden 521 

Horse  Stealing 509 

Horse  Thief  Detective  Society 508 

Hospitality  Unexcelled 80 

Hot  Water  Cure 492 

Humane  Society.  The 480 

I 

Improvements.   First 431 

Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows—  2.84 

Indiana,  The  Definition  of 37 

Indiana  Record 356 

Indian   Burials   426 

Indians  in  Sugar  Creek  Township 402 

Indian  Territory.   Organization  of —     34 
Interurban  Lines 303 

K. 
Knights  of  Pythias 287 

L 

Ladoga  Bank 372 

Ladoga  Building  and  Loan  Fund 373 

Ladoga,  Fighting  Whisky  in 393 

Ladoga.  Industries  of 383 

Ladoga  Journal ' 365 

Ladoga  Rivals 387 

Ladoga  State  Bank 373 

Ladoga.  The  Town  of 378 

Lincoln  School  Building 213 


Lincoln's  Death 496 

Linden  Advocate 365 

Linden.  Leader  and    Reporter,  of 365 

Liquor  Drinking 70 

Logansport.   Crawfordsville  &   South- 
western     301 

Lutheran  Church  276 

M 

McKinloy,  Death  of  President 499 

McMullen  Tragedy 519 

Madison  Township 398 

Madison    Township.    Towns   and    Vil- 
lages   400 

Market  Quotations 490 

Medical  Profession 320 

Meharry's  Grove 452 

Members  of  the  Boards  to  Date 217 

.Methodism.  Jlontgomery  County 259 

Mexican  War.  Only  Survivor  of 89 

Mexico.  War  with 87 

Miami   Confederacy  527 

Military  History  of  the  County 86 

Mills  and  Factories 388 

Mills  Building.  The 213 

Minute  Men 148-149 

Miscellaneous  Churches 277 

Miscellaneous  Xotes 243 

Montgomery  Historical   Society 484 

Montgomery  Soldiers.  List  of 92 

Mount's  Home.  Governor 433 

Municipal   History  474 

Murdered  for  Two  Dollars 516 

Murders  of  Montgomery  County 512 

N 

National   Policies  26 

Natural  Scenery 44 

Natural  Summer  Resort 416 

New  Market 421 

New  Richmond  Enterprise 365 

New  Richmond  News,  The 365 

New  Richmond  Record 363 

Newspaper,  The  First 35 

Ninth  Battery   173 

Ninth  Battery  Light  Artillery 102 

Ninth  Regiment  Infantry,  three  years.  105 


HISTORICAL    INDEX. 


o 

Octogenarians  in  Crawfordsville 471 

Officers  and  Faculty ' 239 

Officers.  Roll  of 92 

Old  Settlers'  Reunion 489 

Old  Time  Arithmetic,  An 491 

One  Hundred  and  Eightli  Regiment —  148 
One  Hundred  and  Eleventh  Regiment-  149 
One  Hundred  and  Fiftieth  Regiment—  101 
One  Hundred  and  Fiftieth  Regiment-  165 
One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth  Regi- 
ment   102 

One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth  Regi- 
ment   168 

One   Hundred    and   Fifty-sixth   Regi- 
ment   172 

One  Hundred  and  Forty-ninth    Regi- 
ment   165 

One  Hundred  and  Forty-ninth  Regi- 
ment   101 

One   Hundred    and   Nineteenth   Regi- 
ment   150 

One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  Regiment-  150 
One  Hundred   and  Thirty-fifth   Regi- 
ment   159 

One  Hundred  and   Thirty-fifth   Regi- 
ment   101 

One   Hundred    and   Twentieth   Regi- 
ment   . 100 

One    hundred    and    Twentieth    Regi- 
ment   150 

One  hundred  and  Twenty-fourth  Regi- 
ment Infantry 156 

One  Hundred  and  Twenty-sixth  Regi- 
ment   156 

One  hundred  and  Twenty-third  Regi- 
ment   156 

One  Hundred  and  Thirty-third  Regi- 
ment Infantry 158 

One  Hundred  Day  Men 158 

Organization  and  County  Government-     49 

Organization  as  a  State 36 

Oulatenon  Club  483 

P 

Papoose  Buried 494 

Past  Superintendents 215 

Patriotic  Order  Sons  of  America 482 


Pearl  Hunters ' 47 

People's  Banking  Co.,  Darlington 372 

People's  Press 361 

Physicians  of  1913 352 

Physicians  Who  Registered 351 

Pioneer  Educational  Institutions 194 

Poor  Farm  and  County  Asylum 55 

Population  of  County 485 

Post  Office  History 472 

Pre-Historic  Race 38 

Presbyterian  Church,  The 250 

Presidential  A'ote 85 

Prison  Deaths 176 

Proclamation,  A 183 

Prohibition  Vote 499 

R 

Ralroading   298 

Railroad   Bridge  Victims  386 

Railroads,  Later 302 

Rebellion,   Opening  Scenes  of  the  —  91 

Recruits 110 

Red  Race,  The  last  of  the 36 

Resisting  a  Draft 178 

Reunion  of  Eighty  Year  Old  Men  ._  487 
Ripley  Tovroshlp,  Early  Settlement  of-  407 
Ripley  Township,  Towns  and  HamletS-  408 

Riley  Day 217 

Roster  of  Soldiers 185 

Roman  Catholic  Church,  The 275 

S 

St.   Clair  and  "Wayne  Expedition 33 

St.  John's  Episcopal  Church 277 

"Sang,"  Digging 488 

Scenes  of  Long  Ago,  The 75 

Schools    of   Today,    1913 216 

Schools,  Present  Condition  of 209 

Scott  Township 422 

Scott  Township,  First  Events  of 423 

Secret  Societies 482 

Seminary  and  Academy,  The 201 

Settlers  in  1825 68 

Seventeenth  Regiment  Infantry,   three 

years 127 

Seventh  Cavalry 150 

Seventy-second     Regiment     Infantry, 

three  years 137 


HISTORICAL   INDEX. 


Sliannondale 433 

Sixteenth    Regiment    and    Infantry, 

three  years 126 

Sixty-third  Regiment  Infantry,  three 

years    132 

Sliunl£  Farm 490 

Snake  Story,  A  True 417 

Society    of    Friends    274 

Soldiers'  Monument 179 

Sons  of  Veterans 182 

Spanish-American  War 183 

Sperry  Bridge,  The  Old 505 

Spirit  of  The  Times,  The 177 

Squirrel  Hunt,  A 376 

Stars  and  Stripes,  Taking  Down  the__  494 

State  Bank  of  New  Market 371 

State  Internal  Improvement 37 

State  School  Fund 193 

Storm.  An  Early 425 

Subscription  School 190 

Sugar  Creek  and  Its  Treasures 47 

Sugar  Creek  Township 402 

Sugar  Creek  Township,  Early  Settle- 
ment   403 

Sugar  Creek  Township,  First  Events  of  405 

Suicide's  Will,  A 515 

Sunday  School  Statistics 278 

Supreme  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur 2S9 

T 

Tecumseh    527 

Temperance  Waves 495 

Tenth    Regiment,   for   three   months' 

service 92 

Tenth  Regiment,  three  months'  men 103 

Tenth  Regiment  Infantry,  three  years.  106 

Thirty-eighth   Regiment   Infantry 139 

Thirty-fifth  Regiment  Infantry 139 

Thirty-first  Regiment  Infantry,  three 

years    129 

Tippecanoe,  Battle  of 524 

Tippecanoe  County,  Past  and  Present 

of 524 

Tornado  of  1S66 424 

Township  Officers  for  1913 62 

Township  Organizations 429 

Township  Organization 416 

Transportation    297 

True  American,  The 363 


TweuUetli  Regiment  Infantry,  three 
years 127 

Twenty-first  Regiment  Infantry,  three 
years 127 

IVeuty-second  Battery,  Light  Artil- 
lery   103 

Twenty-sixth  Infantry 128 

Tuttle  Building,  The 214 

V 

Underground  Railroad 506 

TTniou  Township 457 

United  Brethren  Church 276 

V 

Valuation  in  1912 60 

Village    of   Plats   503 

Viucennes,  Post  at , 28 

W 

Wabash  College  Campus 244 

Wabash  College  Finances 337 

Wabash  College,  History  of 218 

Wabash  College,  Objects  of  Founding  224 

Wagon-roads  of  County  61 

Walnut  Township 439 

Walnut  Township,  Commercial  Inter- 
ests of 445 

Walnut  Township,  Towns  of 444 

Wanted  :  One  Hundred  Volunteers 178 

War  Hand-Bill,  Famous 178 

Water   and   Light  Co.   of  Crawfords- 

ville,    The    477 

Waveland  Call 363 

Wavelaud  Collegiate  Institute,  The..  205 

W;ivclaud  News 362 

Wayne  Township  435 

Wayne  Township,  Towns  and  Villages  437 

Waynetown  Democrat 364 

W.-iyuetown  State  Bank 371 

Wealthy  Persons  Montgomery  County  493 

Wbitcomb,   Governor 88 

Willson  Building,  The 214 


Young  Men's  Christian  Association..  483 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX 


A 

Agnew,  Grant 725 

Alfrey.   Henry  tiOl 

Alfrey,   Moses   603 

Alfrey.  Jesse  C. S6S 

Allnutt,   Thomas  J.   1143 

Anderson,   William   L.    1096 

Armantrout,  James  H 635 

Ashby,  Edgar 1204 

Ashby.  Eugene  C. 1194 

Ashby  Family's  Ancestry 1186 

Ashby,  Robert  L.  101" 

Ashby.  Thompson  V. 1025 

Austin,  Arehelaus  C. 890 

B 

Balver,  John  S. 1100 

Ballard,  Emerson  E. S30 

Batman,  William  F. 1041 

Beeson,  John  H. 949 

Bell,  John  W. 735 

Bible.  Richard  M. 732 

Binford.  David  716 

Birdcell,  J.  J. 620 

Bischof.    Jacob    816 

Bischof,  Louis 816 

Blue,   James  W.   698 

Boots,    Eli    660 

Boots,  James  F. 659 

Bounell.  H    M i263 

Bratton,  Charles  L. 1113 

Bratton,  Orpheus  W. 1112 

Breaks,  Alvin 643 

Breaks.  Amos  G. 900 

Breaks.   Richard 644 

Britton,  Everett  L. 1183 

Bronangh,   Charles  T. 1128 

Brown.   Edwin  M.   612 

Brown,  Capt  George  R. 656 

Brown,  James  L. 1270 


Brown,  Rylaud  T.  905 

Brown,  William  H. 872 

Bryant.   William   790 

Bundy,  Quincy  E. 1198 

Bundy.  William  H.   987 

Burgin,  Walter  A. 673 

Burk,  Joseph  E. 623 

Butcher,  William  A.   711 

Butler,  Charles  E. S38 

O 

Ciiuipbell,  David  C. 982 

Canine,  Cornelius  L. 1053 

Canine,  Jesse  W. 589 

Canine.  J.   R. 590 

Carman,  Ben.iamin  F. 1009 

Carr.  Capt.  W.  B. 843 

Carrick,  Adam  O. 690 

Carter,  C.  W. 1265 

Carter,  James  M. 1085 

Christ.  Henry  H. 921 

Click.  Cecil  C. 1067 

Clodfelter.  Marion  E.   818 

Clore,  Doren 1141 

Clouser,    Daniel    945 

Clouser.  Ira   944 

Coleman,  William  R. 836 

Cook,  C.  M. 1261 

Cook,  George  H. 1136 

Cook.  Grant 1075 

Cooksey,  Thomas  L. 647 

Coon,  William  S.  808 

Coons,  John  R. 1260 

Coppage,  Llewellyn  G. 1001 

Cording,  Richard  N. 880 

Corn,  George  W.,  Sr. 928 

Corn,  William,  Sr. 929 

Cowan,  John  M. 707 

Cox,  Elijah  M. 1271 

Cox.    Ira    1008 


BIOGRAPHICAL   INDEX. 


Coyner,  Lucien  D. 985 

Craig,  V.  E. 1032 

Crane,  Jobn  E.  809 

Crane,  J.  W. 1055 

Crabbs.  Benjamin  F. 687 

Crawford.  Cbarles  M 666 

Cummings,  F.  F. 812 

Curtis,  Aetna  B. 1170 

Custer,    Franklin  A.    1159 

D 

Davidson,  David  H. 892 

Davidson,  Jesse  F. 654 

Davidson.  Samuel 654 

Davis,  Jobn  L. 594 

Davis,  Kandolpb 595 

Davis,  Robert  T.  751 

Dean.  Jobn  W. 1049 

Dennis.  Fred  A.  878 

Dickerson,  J.   W.   960 

Dicks,  William  H.  640 

Donelson,  Dr.  Cbarles  0. 742 

Dunn,  W.  W. 589 

Dykes,  J.  E. 589 

Dykes,  Samuel  A. 1064 

E 

Eastlack.  Allen  E. 923 

Edwards,  E.  H. 614 

Edwards,  M.  E. 1216 

Elliott,  Jobn  W. 613 

Elmore,  James  B. 1050 

Elston.  Isaac  C. 692 

Endicott.  William 968 

Engle,  Bennet  Beard 937 

Enoch,  Abner  P. 672 

Enocb,  Darwin  S. 664 

Enoch,  David 672 

Enocb,  George  Allen 6S2 

Everson,  Jobn  P.  1117 

F 

Fisher,  William 1080 

Flannigan,  William 675 

Fletcher,  Foster  A. 680 

Fletcher,  Joseph  A. , 681 

Fogarty,  John  W. 703 


Foley,  Andrew  N. 942 

Foley,  M.  E. 1209 

Fraley.  Samuel  W. 1211 

Frantz,  William  M. 1027 

Fullenwider.  Chalmers  E. 950 

G 

Galey,  Samuel  W. 1240 

Gerard,  David  W. 1145 

Gilkey,  Squire  M. 724 

Godard,  G.  O. 989 

Goff,  Charles  M. 1168 

Gohman,   Charles   917 

Goldberg,  Joseph 903 

Goltra,   Cbarles 1268 

Goodbar,  Henry  H. 1237 

Gott.  William  T. 744 

Grantham,  Charles  W. 918 

Gray,  John  S.  617 

Graham,  George  W. 1276 

Graham.  John  L. . 981 

Gray,  Thomas  W. 1068 

(iraybill,  Josepbus 1189 

Gregg,  Orpheus  M. 1161 

Gregg,  Samuel  H. 1217 

Griffith,   Ephriam 835 

Griffith  Family.  The 832 

Griffith,   Thomas  J.   832 

Griffith,  Thornton 833 

Grimes,  Lawson  C. 679 

Grimes,  S.  E 700 

Grimes,  William  Clark 645 

H 

Ham.   William   S. 991 

Hamilton,  Nathaniel 1024 

Hamilton,  K.  T.  B. 791 

Hampton,  S.  A 962 

Hankins.  Theodore 996 

Harding,  John  A. 964 

Harding,  William  S. 963 

Harper,  Richard  C. 966 

Harrell,  Hezekiah  F. 723 

Harsbbarger.  George  W. 1030 

Harvey,  Frank  W. 1234 

Harwood,  John  T. 783 

Haywood.   Charles 1040 

Hatton,  William  M. 1167 


BIOGRAPHICAL   INDEX. 


Heighway,  John  G. 1013 

Hernly,  Abrnliam  H. SOS 

Herron,  Capt  William  P. 1201 

Hester,   Elmer 1144 

Hester,  James  M. 1094 

Hioks,  Charles 107S 

Hicks,   Martin   10S8 

Hicks,  Robert  F. 1007 

Hicks,  Samuel * 1084 

Hill,  Clifton  G 1107 

Hines.  Linnaeus  N. 748 

Hitchcock,  James  S. 827 

Hodgkin,  Charles  V. OIG 

Hodgkins.   Robert   H.   1170 

Holland,  John  D. 1090 

Hopping,  John  B. 1015 

Hornbeck,   Jasper 886 

Hostetter,  David 100.^ 

Hove.v.  Edmund  O. 848 

Hovey,  Horace  C. 864 

Howell,  Gilbert 1050 

Hughes,  David  W. 1196 

Hughes,  George  H. 1253 

Hulet,  Walter  F.  010 

Hulett,  Nathan 1008 

Hulett,  Nathan 1043 

Hunt,  Walter  L. 870 

Hunter,  Clyde  H. S02 

Hurley,  George  D. 1213 

Huston.  Thomas  E.   1090 

I 
Irwin.  Obed  A. 501 

J 

Jarvis,  William 1062 

Jeffries,   Robert  D.   120S 

Johnston,  William  H. 026 

K 

Kelly.  James  S. 058 

Kesler,  Nathan  G.  1139 

Kirkpatrick,  Charles 122S 

Kirkpatrick,  James  W. 632 

Kostanzer,  Anthony 567 

Kostanzer,  H.  P. .568 

Kostanzer,  John  E.  565 


Krilz.  Francis  W. 1247 

Kyle,   Silas  F.   1037 

L 

Lane,   Hon.  Henry  S.   576 

Larrick,  Robert  H. 959 

Lawrence,   Ed,   1126 

Layne,  P.  M S47 

Layton,  Aaron 642 

Lee,  Maurice  J. 1206 

Lidikay,  Jacob  E. 1225 

Lidikay,  M.  H, 965 

Linn,  Asbury 1176 

Llewellen,  Thomas 610 

Long,  Luther  R. 820 

Long,  Oath 1230 

Loop,  Andrew 721 

Loop,  Willinm  C. 720 

M 

McBee   Walter  H. 1056 

JlrCihe,   James   1254 

:\Icr'ain,  Arthur  A. 873 

McCain.  Fred  T. 875 

McCart.v,  Col.  W.  M. 57S 

McCay.  Carter  D. 710 

MeClnniroch.  L.  B. 737 

McClamroch,  William  B. 736 

McClnskey.  Capt.  E.  P. 712 

McClure,  David  F. 1275 

:\IcCrea,  Ed.  T. 1121 

McDowell,   Grant   684 

McGaughey,  Henry  C. 1133 

:\rclntire,  Forglson  G, 840 

Mackintosh,  George  L. 704 

McLoed.  Le.«]ip  M. 1200 

McLned.   Oliver   C.   731 

McMains.   Robert    670 

McWilllams,   W,   E,   814 

Ma  hoy,  George 978 

:\rartin.  William  H. 1076 

Martin.  William  K. 1232 

Martz,  Jerome  B.  1251 

May.  Bertrand  E, 933 

Meharry.  Isaac  N.  1120 

Merrell,  Basil  T.    S03 

Merrell.  Daniel   804 


BIOGRAPHICAL   INDEX. 


Merrill,  William   S.  626 

Miles,  William  J 1219 

Miller,  Edward  S.  1123 

Miller,  John  W. 1091 

Miller,  John  W. 1132 

Miller,  Leroy  L. 793 

Milligan,  Frank  0. 637 

Milligan,  James  K. i 637 

Milligan,  Samuel  J.  1137 

Mills,   Caleb  648 

Minnich,   Andrew  1106 

Minnieh,  Charles  A. 1104 

Mix,  Robert  F. 676 

Morin,  Fielden  E. 956 

Morris,  Sylvester  C. 622 

Mount,  Gov.  James  A. 568 

Mount,  Atwell 569 

Mullen,  Albert 668 

Munhall,    Samuel   825 

Munhall,  Thomas  T 824 

Myer,    David   974 

Myers,  Ben  S.  810 

Myers,  Daniel  A. 1022 

Myers,  Franz  O. 1180 

Myers,  George  F. 934 

Myers,  William   D.  1066 

N 

Nash,  Omer  D. 984 

Nees,  Milton  L. 941 

Nicholas,  James  M.,  Jr. 1174 

Nicholson,  Thomas  B. 1231 

Nutt.  Jonathan  1057 

O 

Olin,  Leveritt  W.  1016 

Osborne,   James   H.    1273 

Osburn,  Othel  L. 1000 

Otterman,  James  M.  1034 

Otterman,  Lewis 1035 

Otterman,  Samuel  H. 1046 

Otto,  Louis  W. 885 

Owen,  Lewis  W. 634 

P 

Paddack,  John  A. 972 

Peacock,  Samuel  R. 998 


Peck,  Dumont  M. 948 

Peebles,  Benjamin 686 

Peebles.   Robert  W.   685 

Peterson,  Clifford  V. 1238 

Peterson,  James  A. 994 

Pope.  Bruce  C. 1262 

Pugh,  Frank  D. 729 

Q 
Quillin.  Charles  N.   734 

R 

Ramsey,  George  P. 815 

Ream,  Elmer  W. 823 

Remley,  Ambrose 600 

Remley,  Daniel 806 

Remley,  Fred  S. 611 

Remley,  Harry  C. 1160 

Remley,    James   60S 

Remley,  John 912 

Remley,  John  E. 608 

Remley,  John  W. 1220 

Rice.  Edgar  A. 930 

Rice.  Isaac 1224 

Rice.  John  W 743 

Rice,  J.  N.  B. 706 

Rice.  Jonathan 706 

Roach,  Henry  J. 846 

Robinson.   Fred  B.   1245 

Rosebaum,  John  O. 1069 

Ross.  Charles  W. 828 

Royalty.  John  F. 1048 

Rusk,  John  H. 1244 

Rusk.   Squire 920 

Russell,   Byron   R.   914 

S 

Sanders.  James  N 844 

Schenck,  Faye  O. 879 

Schoen,  Walter 1259 

Schwindler,  Dr.  C.  G. 694 

Schwindler,  Henry 695 

Scott,  Harry  L. 925 

Servies.  Henry  D. 932 

Servies,  William  T. 1081 

Shanklin,  Fred  M. 599 

Shanklin.  T.  C. 599 


BIOGRAPHICAL   INDEX. 


Shotts,  Arthur  R. 1071 

Simpson,  Alfred  L.   719 

Small.  John  W. 715 

Smalley,  Alfred 1191 

Smith.  Alaric  M. 1221 

Smith,  Daniel   1120 

Smith,  David  C. S61 

Smith.  Floyd  L. 727 

Smith,  George  W. 5S2 

Smith,  Samuel 681 

Snow.  William 975 

Snyder.  Redden  B. 616 

Stackhouse.  Frank 976 

Steele,  George  W. 954 

Stipe,   John    936 

Stipe.  Joseph  W. 936 

Stoddard,  James  M. 624 

Stoddard,   Orin   625 

Stoner.  Samuel  D. 1223 

StucUey,  Milton   H.  1072 

Switzer.  Abraham  C. 629 

Switzor,  Benton 1275 

Symmes,  F.  M.   8S8 

Symmes.  Samuel  D. 888 

T 

Talbot.  Henry  H. 1124 

Taylor.  James 952 

Taylor,  James  F. 1019 

Taylor.   John   1019 

Teague,  James  F. 740 

Templeton.  Samuel  P. 953 

Tennant,  Henry  E. 1172 

Thayer.   Caleb   992 

Thomas.  Judge  Albert  D 688 

Thomas.  James  Ray 631 

Thomas,  Oscar  D. 663 

Thompson.  Henry  T. 1029 

Thompson,   Nehemlah  702 

Thompson,  Samuel  H.  D 70 

Thompson.  Taylor 1112 

Thornberg,  H.  H. 728 

Todd.  Isaac  S. 1184 

Todd.  John  W. 1188 

Tribby,   Leander   1114 

Turnipseed.  Nathan  C. 979 


U 
Utterback,  Albert  J. 628 

V 
Vail,  James  A. 904 

W 

Walkup,  B.  F 697 

Walkup,  Ward  B. 696 

Wallace,  Gen.  Lewis 562 

Walts,  Edgar 747 

Warbrltton,  John  F. 822 

Warbritton,  Samuel  N. 800 

Warfel,  Jacob  F.  1005 

Warner,  Lee  S. 895 

Washburn,  William  W. 1074 

Waugh,  Frank  W 969 

Welty,  George  B 661 

AVert,  Asher 939 

Wert,  Martin  V. S96 

White.  George  R 882 

White,  Israel  H 1101 

White,  Michael  D 883 

White,  John  M 1116 

White,  William  S. 1102 

AVhitloek,  Ambrose 574 

Williams,  Charles  N 781 

Wideuer.  ClarencS  A. 738 

Williams,  George  T. 876 

Williams,  Henry 781 

Williams.  Robert  H. 946 

Willis.  Abner  D. 1241 

Willis,  Nathaniel  P 1242 

Wilson,  George  W. 588 

Wilson,  Henry  Lane 777 

Wilson,  Hon.  James 592 

Wilson.  John  L. 787 

Wilson,  James  D. 1134 

Wilson,  Hon.  John 584 

Wilson,  Samuel  M. 588 

Wilson.  Col.  W.  C 587 

Wingate,  John  C.  1192 

Woods,  Michael 639 

Woody,  William  C. 678 

Wright.  James 718 


^/aLw  ^^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL  Continued 


HENRY  LANE  WILSON. 

Henry  Lane  Wilson,  present  American  Ambassador  to  Mexico,  was  born 
in  Crawfordsville  in  1857,  his  father  being  James  Wilson,  who  was  born  in 
the  same  place  and  whose  ancestors  came  to  Indiana  through  Kentucky  from 
Virginia,  and  his  mother,  Emma  Ingersoll,  of  a  New  England  family.  James 
Wilson,  the  father,  graduated  at  Wabash  College  at  the  age  of  seventeen  in 
1842  and  from  the  Indiana  Law  University  in  1844.  He  later  served  two 
terms  in  Congress,  winning  his  election  the  first  time  over  Daniel  W.  Voor- 
hees,  the  Democratic  candidate,  on  the  issue  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill 
and  State  Sovereignty.  In  that  day  the  joint  discussion  between  these  two 
young  leaders  of  opposite  political  opinions  attracted  attention  throughout  the 
North  and  is  still  remembered  by  some  of  the  older  people  in  Indiana.  At 
the  outbreak  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  James  Wilson  entered  the  ranks 
of  the  Union  Army  and  went  to  the  front,  from  whence  he  was  recalled  by 
President  Lincoln  and  commissioned  to  defend  the  Emancipation  Proclama- 
tion throughout  all  New  England,  Pennsylvania.  New  York  and  Ohio.  At 
the  close  of  the  war  he  was  brevetted  Brigadier  General.  Some  time  after  he 
took  an  active  and  high  part  in  the  councils  of  the  Republican  party  and  would 
undoubtedly  have  been  sent  to  the  Senate  or  made  Governor  but  for  his  oppo- 
sition to  negro  suffrage  without  educational  preparation.  He  was  appointed 
Minister  to  Venezuela  by  Andrew  Jackson  and  died  in  that  country  at  the 
early  age  of  forty-two,  at  almost  the  beginning  of  what  would  undoubtedly 
have  been  a  distinguished  career. 

Henry  Lane  Wilson  passed  all  of  his  earlier  years,  with  the  exception 
of  two  years  in  Venezuela,  in  Crawfordsville.  receiving  a  primary  education 
in  the  public  schools,  and  entered  Wabash  College  in  1875.  At  that  time 
Joseph  F.  Tuttle  was  President  of  the  College  and  Edmund  O.  Hovey,  Caleb 
S.  Mills,  John  L.  Campbell  and  Samuel  S.  Thompson  were  yet  in  the  full 
vigor  of  their  usefulness  and  affording  splendid  examples  of  rugged  piety  and 
devotion  to  duty  and  of  dignity  and  profound  learning,  and  it  is  to  the  deep 
impressions  made  by  these  men  that  he  owes  in  a  considerable  measure  for 


7/8  MOXTGOMERY    COUXTY,    INDIANA. 

whatever  success  he  has  achieved  in  Hfe.  During  his  college  years  he  divided 
his  time  and  interest  between  extensive  and  thorough  reading  and  politics  and 
political  discussions,  never  missing  a  political  speech  that  he  could  possibly 
hear  and  listening  with  eagerness  and  profit  to  the  homely  discussions  of  the 
farmers  and  odd  characters  for  which  Crawfordsville  used  to  be  famous.  His 
education  and  ecjuipment  for  the  world  did  not  come  easily,  as  at  the  thresh- 
hold  of  his  college  career  the  family  fortune  was  largely  swept  away.  To 
the  devotion,  energy  and  self-sacrifice  of  his  mother,  he  ascribes  all  of  his  suc- 
cess in  life  as  well  as  the  inculcation  of  those  principles  of  morality,  honesty 
and  truthfulness  without  which  no  man  can  attain  lasting  success. 

Among  the  members  of  his  class  who  still  remain  in  Indiana  are :  Albert 
B.  Anderson,  United  States  District  Judge,  Arthur  B.  Milford,  Professor 
of  English  Literature  at  Wabash  College,  and  James  H.  Osborne,  Professor 
of  Latin  in  the  same  institution.  Others  who  were  in  college  at  the  same 
time,  though  not  classmates,  w^ere :  Vice-President  Thomas  R.  Marshall, 
Charles  B.  Landis,  Albert  Baker,  James  Daniels,  Harry  J.  Milligan  and 
Harold  Taylor. 

In  his  earlier  days  he  listened  to  the  political  speeches  of  Oliver  P. 
Morton.  Thomas  A.  Hendricks,  Benjamin  Harrison,  Joseph  E.  MacDonald, 
and  the  gifted,  but  erratic,  Thomas  H.  Nelson,  one  of  his  predecessors  in 
Mexico.  He  also  received  valuable  political  instruction  from  Col.  Henry  S. 
Lane  and  from  his  uncle,  William  C.  Wilson,  of  Lafayette,  a  distinguished 
lawyer  and  orator.  He  made  his  first  political  speech  at  the  age  of  twenty 
at  Waveland,  in  Montgomery  county,  in  company  with  James  A.  Mount, 
who  afterwards  became  Governor  of  Indiana.  From  that  time  on  he  was 
engaged  in  politics,  and  his  public  speaking  has  been  carried  on  with  greater 
or  less  success  until  the  present  day. 

Following  his  graduation  from  college  he  secured  a  position  as  en- 
grossing clerk  in  the  State  Legislature  at  Indianapolis  and  later  entered  the 
law  office  of  MacDonald  &  Butler.  He  soon  purchased  the  Lafayette  Daily 
Journal,  and,  as  it  did  not  prove  a  successful  venture,  sold  it  a  year  later 
without  loss.  In  1885  he  married  Alice  Vajen,  a  daughter  of  John  H.  Vajen, 
a  prominent  and  well  known  citizen  of  Indianapolis,  and  moved  to  the  town 
of  Spokane,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state  of  Washington.  There  he  re- 
sumed the  practice  of  law,  making  a  specialty  of  land  practice.  In  this  he 
made  a  pronouced  success  and  his  fortunes  improved  rapidly. 

About  this  time  Spokane  began  the  marvelous  growth  which  has  now 
made  it  one  of  the  great  cities  of  the  Union,  and  he  commenced  investing  in 
real  estate  with  immediate  and  astonishing  success.     In  the  course  of  a  few 


MOXTGOMERV    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  7/9 

years  he  amassed  a  large  fortune  and  became  interested  in  banks,  buildings, 
real  estate  and  promoting  companies.  In  the  panic  of  1893  ^^^  of  this  fortune 
was  swept  away,  not  through  unwise  investments  or  inability  to  meet  his 
own  debts,  but  through  the  failure  of  two  banks  in  which  he  was  heavily  in- 
terested and  b\-  reason  of  being  called  upon  almost  simultaneously  to  bear 
the  burden  of  the  failure  of  other  men  for  whom  he  stood  as  endorser  or 
surety.  He  gave  up  all  of  his  property  and  afterwards  paid  more  than  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars  to  clear  his  name  and  credit.  During  this  period 
he  was  largely  identified  with  the  development  of  the  state  of  Washington 
and  with  its  politics,  and  his  name  was  connected  with  a  majority  of  meas- 
ures of  a  public  character  in  that  section  of  the  country.  Politics  to  him 
at  that  time  was  simply  a  diversion  or  perhaps  a  practical  method  of  being  of 
service  to  his  brother,  John  L.  Wilson,  who  was  then,  and  continued  to  be 
until  his  death,  an  active  figure  in  that  state. 

When  Benjamin  Harrison  was  elected  President,  our  subject  had  been 
living  some  time  in  the  state  of  Washington,  and  he,  with  his  brother, 
managed  to  create  a  sentiment  favorable  to  Harrison's  nomination,  which 
resulted  in  his  having  a  third  of  the  state  delegation.  When  Harrison  was 
elected,  he  spontaneously  offered  Mr.  Wilson  the  post  of  minister  to  Vene- 
zuela, but,  as  he  had  no  ambition  in  the  direction  of  the  diplomatic  service  at 
that  time,  he  declined  the  offer.  \\'hen  William  McKinley  was  elected 
President,  Mr.  Wilson  took  a  large  part  in  the  manageinent  of  the  campaign 
in  Washington,  Idaho  and  IMontana,  and  also  spoke  continuously  for  forty 
days  in  the  face  of  generally  hostile  and  sometimes  boisterous  free-silver 
audiences.  Early  in  1897,  President  McKinley  offered  him  the  post  of  min- 
ister to  Chile,  and  he  accepted,  going  to  that  country  with  his  mother,  wife 
and  three  children.  He  remained  at  that  post  for  eight  years,  his  services 
being  in  every  way  successful  and  useful  to  his  government.  He  came  in 
time  to  exert  great  influence — an  influence  born  of  confidence  and  faith  with 
the  Chilean  people,  and  was  able  not  only  to  render  substantial  aid  to  the 
business  and  political  interests  of  his  own  country,  but  to  contribute  in  a  large 
measure  on  two  occasions  to  prevent  war  between  Chile  and  the  Argentine 
Republic.  Mr.  Wilson's  respect  and  liking  for  the  Chilean  people  was  very 
profound  and  this  feeling  was  reciprocated,  and  the  Chilean  government  has 
never  ceased  to  follow  him  with  marks  of  respect  and  esteem.  Only  recently 
the  University  of  Chile,  the  oldest  in  America,  conferred  upon  him  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Philosophy,  Humanities  and  Literature,  a  degree  that  has  never 
before  been  conferred  on  an  American.     During  Mr.  Wilson's  residence  in 


780  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Chile  he  was  twice  transferred  to  other  posts,  once  to  Portugal  and  once  to 
Greece,  but  was  allowed  to  remain  in  Chile  upon  his  own  request.  In  1905 
President  Roosevelt  promoted  him  from  Chile  to  Belgium  and  upon  an- 
nouncing the  appointment  to  the  Associated  Press  along  with  those  of  two 
other  gentlemen,  said,  "These  appointments  are  not  made  for  political  con- 
siderations but  solely  for  meritorious  service  performed."  This  was  surely 
true  in  Mr.  Wilson's  case,  since  his  appointment  was  opposed  by  both  Sena- 
tors from  Washington. 

Mr.  Wilson  remained  in  Belgium  five  years,  and  during  that  time  saw 
King  Leopold  pass  away  and.  as  the  special  ambassador  of  the  President, 
stood  at  the  right  hand  of  King  Albert  when  he  was  enthroned.  He  had 
really  only  one  important  question  to  handle  while  in  Belgium,  namely :  the 
Congo  question,  a  most  delicate  and  trying  piece  of  diplomacy,  which  was 
managed  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  President  and  Secretary  Root.  The 
locality  of  the  post  gave  him  access  to  many  opportunities  for  study,  obser- 
vation and  travel  in  France,  Italy,  Germany,  Holland  and  England,  and  the 
experience  was  altogether  a  useful  one. 

In  1910  President  Taft,  after  tendering  Mr.  Wilson  two  embassies  in 
Europe  which  he  could  not  accept  for  financial  reasons,  sent  him  as  ambassa- 
dor to  Mexico.  Since  he  has  been  at  that  post,  four  Presidents  have  held 
office  in  that  country :  Diaz,  De  la  Barra,  Madero  and  Huerta.  Three  revo- 
lutions have  been  inaugurated,  and  the  times  have  been  troublous  and  dan- 
gerous. There  are  forty  thousand  Americans  in  Mexico ;  nearly  ten  thousand 
in  Mexico  City.  There  is  a  larger  investment  of  American  capital  there  than 
in  any  other  country  and  there  is  double  the  amount  of  work  in  that  embassy 
than  in  any  other  of  our  diplomatic  posts.  Mexico  is,  therefore,  aside  from 
the  glamour  of  social  precedence  which  surrounds  a  European  post,  the  most 
important  diplomatic  post  in  the  service.  Mr.  AVilson's  work  in  Mexico 
always  had  the  full  approval  of  President  Taft  and  his  cabinet,  the  former 
saying  a  short  time  after  his  retirement  from  office,  "^^^hat  a  misfortune  it  is 
that  our  rotten  system  of  politics  seems  to  require  changes  in  our 
diplomatic  service  and  thus  bring  about  the  loss  of  a  man  of  the  experience 
and  ability  of  Mr.  Wilson,  who  has  served  his  country  so  faithfully  for  so 
many  years  and  deserves  the  respect  of  his  country's  people.  Men  of  his 
type  should  never  be  forced  out  of  the  field  of  usefulness." 

Mr.  Wilson  has  been  sixteen  years  continuously  in  the  diplomatic  service, 
is  in  time  of  service  the  senior  member  of  the  diplomatic  corps,  and  has 
served  longer  in  these  capacities  than  anyone  else  since  the  foundation  of 
our  government. 


MONTGOMERY    COUXTV.    INDIANA.  781 

CHARLES   X.   WILLIAMS. 

In  placing  the  name  of  Charles  N.  Williams  in  the  front  rank  of  busi- 
ness men  who  have  at  one  time  or  another  honored  Montgomery  county  with 
their  residence,  simple  justice  is  done  a  biographical  fact,  recognized  by  all 
who  are  familiar  with  his  history.  A  man  of  rare  soundness  of  judgment, 
wise  discretion  and  business  ability  of  a  high  order,  he  has  managed  with 
tactful  success  important  enterprises,  and  is  at  this  writing  president  of  the 
Farmers  Trust  Company  of  Indianapolis.  What  of  the  man  and  what  of  his 
work?  This  is  the  dual  query  which  represents  the  interrogation  at  least 
nominally  entertained  whenever  that  discriminating  factor,  the  public,  would 
pronounce  on  the  true  worth  of  the  individual.  The  career  of  Mt.  Williams 
indicates  the  clear-cut  and  distinct  character,  and  in  reviewing  the  same 
from  an  unbiased  and  unprejudiced  standpoint,  interpretation  follows  fact  in 
a  straight  line  of  derivation.  In  this  publication  it  is  consistent  that  such  a 
review  be  entered,  and  that  without  the  adulation  of  ornate  phrases,  for  he 
has  stamped  the  mark  of  definite  accomplishment  on  the  highest  plane  of 
industrial  activity. 

Mr.  Williams  was  born,  April  lo,  1856.  on  a  farm  in  Tippecanoe  county, 
Indiana,  and  his  family  moved,  when  he  was  two  years  old,  to  Crawfords- 
ville,  Indiana,  where  his  father  purchased  the  northwest  corner  of  Wabash 
avenue  and  Grant  avenue,  and  there  they  lived  until  1870.  He  is  a  son  of 
Henry  and  Martha  Barnum  (Haight)  Williams.  The  father  was  born  on 
July  4,  181 8  in  Maryland,  and  his  death  occurred  on  February  17,  1904.  The 
mother  w^as  born  in  Connecticut,  on  June  14,  1816,  and  her  death  occurred  on 
May  27,  1884.  These  parents  grew  to  maturity  in  the  East,  received  good 
common  school  educations  and  were  married  in  Connecticut,  when  they  came 
west  and  located  in  Lafayette,  Indiana,  and  in  1858,  they  located  in  Craw- 
fordsville,  M^ontgomery  county,  having  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in 
Lafayette. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  twice  married,  first,  to  John  F.  Caven,  by 
which  union  six  children  were  born,  only  one  of  whom.  Eva  Caven,  who  has 
remained  single,  is  living;  she  resides  in  Crawfordsville,  in  the  old  home 
located  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Walnut  and  College  streets.  After  Mr. 
Caven's  death  she  married  the  father  of  our  subject,  and  to  this  union  two 
children  were  born.  Laura,  wife  of  Benjamin  F.  Crabbs,  of  Crawfordsville; 
and  Charles  N.,  of  this  review. 

Charles  N.  Williams  received  a  common  school  education  and  later  at- 


782  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

tended  Wabash  College.  On  April  6,  1898  he  married  Margaret  Lawrence 
Doll,  who  was  born  in  New  Albany,  Indiana,  and  is  a  daughter  of  James  A. 
and  Marinda  (Martin)  Doll.  She  graduated  from  the  high  school  at 
Lafayette,  Indiana,  later  attended  Purdue  University  there,  also  an  art  insti- 
tute in  Chicago.  She  is  a  lad_y  of  culture,  talent  and  refinement. 
The  union  of  our  subject  and  wife  has  been  without  issue. 
After  Mr.  Williams  left  college  he  went  into  the  post-office  at  Craw- 
fordsville  as  clerk,  in  which  capacity  he  served  for  three  years,  and  later  went 
into  the  real  estate  business.  He  studied  law,  but  was  not  admitted  to  the 
bar,  finally  deciding  upon  a  business  instead  of  a  legal  career.  In  1881  he 
assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Citizens  National  Bank  of  Crawfords- 
ville,  and  did  much  to  make  it  a  success.  In  1888  he  was  appointed  state 
correspondent  for  the  Provident  Life  Insurance  Company,  of  Phila- 
delphia. It  was  his  business  to  invest  the  monev  of  that  company  in  farm 
and  city  properties  in  Indiana  and  Illinois,  and  he  has  continued,  in  a  measure, 
at  least,  to  fill  this  position  to  the  present  time  or  for  a  period  of  twenty-five 
years,  his  long  retention  being  sufficient  evidence  of  the  implicit  trust  reposed 
by  the  company  in  his  business  ability  and  integrity,  and  during  that  period 
he  has  done  much  to  increase  the  prestige  of  the  company  in  these  states. 

In  1895,  seeking  a  larger  field  for  the  exercise  of  his  talents,  Mr.  Wil- 
liams removed  to  Indianapolis  where  he  has  since  resided.  Soon  after  arriv- 
ing here  he  opened  a  private  banking  house  under  the  firm  name  of  C.  N. 
Williams  &  Company,  of  which  he  was  sole  owner  and  proprietor.  It  was  a 
success  from  the  start  and  continued  with  dver  increasing  popularity  as  a 
private  bank  until  1905,  .when  he  organized  the  Farmers  Trust  Company  of 
Indianapolis,  with  which  he  consolidated  his  private  bank,  and  since  that 
time  Mr.  Williams  has  been  president  of  the  Farmers  Trust  Company, 
and  his  able,  conservative  and  judicious  management  has  made  it  a  strong 
and  rapidly  growing  concern,  and  it  now  ranks  among  the  leading  and  most 
popular  institutions  of  its  kind  in  Indiana.  It  is  incorporated  at  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars. 

Mr.  Williams  is  also  state  correspondent  for  the  Prudential  Life  Insur- 
ance Company,  and  a  number  of  private  investors  of  New  York  City.  He 
is  president  of  the  Marion  Title  &  Guarantee  Company,  and  under  his  able 
management  it  has  been  very  successful  from  the  start  and  its  business  now 
covers  a  wide  field. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Williams  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  including 
all  the  subordinate  lodges  in  Crawfordsville,  including  the  Blue  Lodge,  the 
Knights  Templar  and  the  Order  of   Eastern   Star.     Also  belongs   to  the 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  783 

Ancient  Arabic  Order  of  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  Murat  Temple  at 
Indianapolis.  He  is  prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  having  attained  the  thirty- 
second  degree.  Religiously,  he  is  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church 
of  Indianapolis,  and  is  treasurer  of  the  same.  He  belongs  to  the  Columbia 
Club,  the  University  Club  and  the  Country  Club,  all  of  Indianapolis.  He 
holds  membership  with  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution.  Politically, 
he  is  a  Republican. 


JOHN  THOMAS  H.VRWOOD. 

Few  dealers  in  live  stock  in  Montgomery  county  and  western  Indiana 
have  ever  been  so  widely  known  or  done  a  more  extensive  lousiness  than  John 
Thomas  Harwood,  of  Crawfordsville,  one  of  the  enterprising,  progressive 
and  at  the  same  time  genial  and  obliging  gentlemen  who  is  deservedly  popular 
with  a  very  wide  acquaintance. 

Mr.  Harwood  was  born  in  Brown  township.  ^lonlgumery  county,  April 
23,  1862,  and  he  is  a  son  of  Jackson  and  Carolina  (Harrell)  Harwood.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Ohio  and  he  came  to  Brown  township,  this  county,  in 
an  early  day  and  became  the  owner  of  eighty  acres,  and  here  farmed  until  the 
winter  of  i86'i  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Fortieth  Indiana  Volunteer 
Infantr}',  and  served  faithfully  for  six  months  when  he  was  sent  home  on  ac- 
count of  sickness.  His  death  occurred  here  in  August,  1862.  He  left  a 
widow  and  se\en  small  children,  the  oldest  under  fourteen  years  of  age.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  was  also  a  native  of  Ohio.  Siie  was  a  woman  of  cour- 
age and  fortitude  and  by  a  hard  struggle  managed  to  rear  her  family  in  com- 
fort and  respectability,  and  she  departed  this  life  on  the  home  farm  in  1881. 

John  T.  Harwood  remained  on  the  home  place  until  he  was  nineteen 
years  of  age,  assisting  with  the  general  work  and  attending  the  common 
schools  during  the  winter  months,  then  came  to  Crawfordsville  and  began 
working  for  a  stock  buyer,  which  he  continued  for  a  period  of  ten  3'ears,  giv- 
ing his  employer  entire  satisfaction,  then,  lia\ing  learned  the  ins  and  outs  of 
•the  business  he  branched  out  for  himself,  and  has  continued  to  the  present 
day  with  ever  increasing  success.  He  operates  in  Montgomery  and  adjoin- 
ing counties,  and  his  total  average  business  by  months  runs  over  twenty  thou- 
sand dollars.  He  is  one  of  the  best  known  stock  men  in  western  Indiana 
and  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  more  excellent  judge  of  all  grades  of  live- 
stock. If  all  the  stock  purchased  by  him  and  shipped  to  the  various  markets 
during  his  business  career  were  to  be  placed  in  one  train  it  would  reach  over 


784  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

eight  hundred  miles.  He  has  won  the  confidence  and  good  will  of  all  the 
farmers  because  of  his  honest  dealings  with  them,  and  is  regarded  by  all  as 
a  man  of  unquestioned  integrity  and  honesty  of  purpose.  He  makes  trips 
with  live  stock  to  Chicago,  Indianapolis  and  East  Buffalo,  New  York. 

Politically,  Mr.  Harwood  is  a  progressive  Republican.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  he  belongs  to  the  United 
Brethren  church. 

Mr.  Harwood  was  married  in  April,  1892  to  Alice  Wright,  a  native  of 
Tennessee. 


HON.  JOHN  L.  WILSON. 

In  the  largest  and  best  sense  of  the  term,  the  late  John  Lockwood 
Wilson,  United  States  Senator  from  the  state  of  Washington,  proprietor  of 
the  Seattle  P ost-Intelligenccr ,  one  of  the  greatest  of  American  newspapers, 
and  for  many  years  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  useful  citizens  of  Mont- 
gomery county,  Indiana,  was  distinctively  one  of  the  notable  men  of  his  day 
and  generation,  and  as  such  his  life  record  is  entitled  to  a  conspicuous  place 
in  history,  both  local  and  national.  As  a  citizen  he  was  public  spirited  and 
enterprising  to  an  unwonted  degree;  as  a  friend  and  neighbor,  he  combined 
the  qualities  of  head  and  heart  that  won  confidence  and  commanded  respect; 
as  a  newspaper  proprietor  he  had  a  comprehensive  grasp  upon  the  philosophy 
of  journalism,  and  he  brought  honor  and  dignity  to  the  public  positions  he 
filled  with  distinguished  success;  he  was  easily  the  peer  of  his  professional 
brethren  throughout  the  Union,  and  as  a  servant  of  the  people  in  high  places 
of  honor  he  had  no  superiors. 

Hon.  John  L.  Wilson  was  born  August  7,  1850.  He  was  the  son  of 
James  Wilson,  who  was  the  son  of  John  Wilson,  for  whom  the  Senator  was 
named.  The  grandfather  came  from  Kentucky  to  Montgomeiy  county, 
Indiana,  when  this  section  of  the  state  was  a  wilderness  and  sparsely  settled, 
and  here  James  Wilson  grew  to  manhood,  and  after  his  marriage  he  built  a 
home  in  Crawfordsville  on  the  north  half  of  the  quarter  of  the  block  which 
skirts  the  west  side  of  Grant  avenue  between  Wabash  avenue  and  Pike 
street.  It  was  a  one-story  house  which  later  was  purchased  and  repaired 
and  which  is  now  the  Phi  Gamma  Delta  fraternity  house.  Here  Senator 
Wilson  was  born.  Later  his  father  built  a  house  on  West  Wabash  avenue. 
It  is  asserted  by  some  of  the  older  citizens  that  James  Wilson  was  the  first 
white  child  born  in  Crawfordsville.     When  James  Wilson  grew  to  manhood 


MONTGOMERY    COrXTV,    INDIAXA.  785 

he  became  one  of  the  leading  lawyers  and  most  powerful  speakers  in  west- 
ern Indiana.  He  was  the  associate  and  practiced  his  profession  at  the  same 
bar  with  Daniel  W.  Voorhees,  Benjamin  Harrison  and  Joseph  McDonald, 
and  was  the  peer  of  any  of  these  distinguished  citizens.  In  a  race  for  Con- 
gress, Mr.  Wilson  defeated  Mr.  Voorhees.  This  campaign  was  a  hotly 
contested  one  and  the  joint  debates  of  these  candidates  is  still  a  subject  of 
interest  to  the  older  citizens  of  the  country.  James  Wilson  was  later  ap- 
pointed minister  to  Venezuela,  South  America,  by  President  Andrew  John- 
son, and  while  living  there  he  died,  and  was  buried  there,  but  Ins  remains 
were  later  removed  to  Oak  Hill  cemetery,  in  Crawfordsville. 

John  L.  Wilson  grew  to  manhood  in  Crawfordsville,  and  here  received 
his  educational  training  in  the  public  schools  and  Wabash  College,  taking  the 
classical  course  in  the  latter  and  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1874.  He 
was  a  stanch  supporter  of  his  alma  mater  ever  afterward.  He  never  forgot 
Crawfordsville,  and  he  told  a  friend  just  before  his  departure  for  Washing- 
ton City  of  his  plans  to  purchase  a  suburban  home  near  the  city  of  his  birth 
and  spend  his  declining  years  in  it.  He  had  even  carried  the  plan  so  far  as 
to  have  the  place  he  wanted  to  buy  selected. 

In  October,  1880,  Mr.  Wilson  entered  upon  his  political  career  when  he 
was  elected  to  the  legislature  of  the  state  of  Indiana.  He  there  met  the  late 
Benjamin  Harrison  and  a  strong  friendship  grew  out  of  this  acquaintance. 
It  was  through  the  influence  of  Mr.  Harrison  when  he  was  a  United  States 
senator  that  Mr.  Wilson  was  named  land  agent  at  Colfax,  which  was  then  a 
frontier  village  in  the  territory  of  Washington.  When  our  subject  received 
this  appointment  he  was  in  the  abstract  business  in  Crawfordsville  and  he 
fully  expected  to  return  when  he  left.  But  he  failed  to  do  so.  He  was  sent 
to  Congress  as  a  delegate  from  Washington  and  was  elected  to  Congress 
when  that  state  was  first  admitted  into  the  Union.  Later  he  was  chosen 
United  States  senator  and  held  his  office  for  four  years,  giving  eminent  sat- 
isfaction to  his  constituents  and  winning  a  national  reputation  as  an  inelli- 
gent,  far-seeing,  honorable  statesman,  who  had  the  welfare  of  the  people  at 
heart.  He  discharged  his  duties  with  an  ability  and  fidelity  that  won  the 
admiration  and  confidence  of  all  classes.  In  1910  he  started  on  a  trip  to 
Europe,  but  was  recalled  when  he  reached  Crawfordsville,  Indiana,  by  an 
urgent  telegram  from  some  of  his  influential  political  friends  in  Seattle,  who 
insisted  that  he  make  the  race  for  senator  again.  He  reluctantly  consented 
to  sacrifice  his  personal  comfort  and  gi\e  uji  the  trip  and  went  back  to  make 
(.SO) 


786  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

the  race  for  the  nomination,  but  was  defeated  by  a  narrow  margin.  This 
ended  his  personal  poHtical  activities. 

The  Senator's  domestic  Hfe  began  when  he  married  Edna  Hamihon 
Sweet,  a  lady  of  talent  and  culture,  and  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Hartman,  a 
well  known  Crawfordsville  business  man.  She  survives  as  does  one  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  H.  Clay  Goodloe  of  Lexington,  Kentucky.  Henry  Lane  Wilson 
is  the  only  brother  surviving.  Howard  Wilson,  another  brother,  died  in 
Crawfordsville  about  twenty  years  ago.  Henry  Lane  ^Vilson  is  the  present 
ambassador  to  Mexico. 

Senator  Wilson  and  the  Post-Intclligcnccr,  the  great  newspaper  he  built 
up  in  Seattle,  were  a  power  in  the  formation  of  the  northwest.  He  was  abso- 
lutely fearless  in  conducting  his  paper  and  many  a  man  unworthv  of  the 
political  preferment  he  sought  felt  the  sharp  sting  of  the  editorial  lash  in  that 
influential  journal.  Senator  Wilson  and  his  wife  had  started  on  a  trip 
around  the  world,  and  they  spent  several  days  in  Crawfordsville,  visiting  old 
friends,  early  in  November,  1912,  and  from  here  they  proceeded  to  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  where  the  Senator  was  suddenly  stricken  and  died  with  little  warn- 
ing on  Wednesday  morning,  November  6,  1912,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years. 
The  body  was  brought  back  to  Crawfordsville,  Indiana,  for  interment  in  Oak 
Hill  cemetery  besides  the  graves  of  his  father  and  mother.  The  funeral  was 
one  of  the  largest  ever  seen  in  this  section  of  the  state,  and  the  floral  tributes 
were  never  surpassed  in  either  number  or  beauty,  many  of  them  coming  from 
Seattle,  Spokane,  and  other  parts  of  the  nation  where  the  Senator  was  held 
in  high  esteem.  Among  the  distinguished  men  attending  the  obsequies  were 
Gov.  Thomas  R.  Marshall  and  Charles  W.  Fairbanks,  ex-Vice-President  of 
the  United  States.  Of  the  deceased  the  latter  said:  "We  have  learned  with 
inexpressible  sorrow  of  the  death  of  Senator  Wilson.  This  comes  as  a  dis- 
tinct shock  to  me  for  it  was  only  a  few  days  ago  that  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
chatting  with  him  in  this  city.  He  was  one  of  the  best  men  I  ever  knew — 
a  friend  whom  I  esteeined  in  the  \'ery  highest  degree." 

President  and  Mrs.'  Taft  were  among  those  who  sent  elaborate  floral 
tributes,  in  memory  of  the  great  man  who  reached  the  highest  office  in  the 
gift  of  the  American  people  save  one,  a  man  who  had  a  mind  and  a  love  for 
public  affairs.  His  was  an  extraordinary  series  of  achievements,  made  in 
competition  with  bright  and  ambitious  minds  in  a  community  not  exceeded 
in  the  world  for  enterprise  and  enthusiasm  for  success.  We  must  ascribe  to 
tlie  man  who  did  so  much  in  thirty  years  certain  qualities  which  differentiate 
him  from  the  ordinary  man.  He  climbed  with  dauntless  persistence  from 
comparative  obscurity  to  large  and  honorable  publicity. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY.    INDIANA.  787 

In  the  course  of  his  funeral  oration.  Dr.  (leort^e  I. ewes  Mackintosh, 
president  of  Wabash  Colieye.  .said,  among-  other  things : 

"Senator  \\'ilson  was  sincere  and  (_le\oted  in  friendship.  Tn  him  a 
friend,  even  a  political  friend,  was  nut  a  mere  stepping-stnnc.  lie  haled  in- 
gratitude and  avoided  it.  In  the  most  passionate  and  seltish  game  known  to 
men  he  came  through  with  the  heart  whole  and  the  hands  clean.  Even  when 
out  of  office  and  apart  from  direct  political  influence,  no  man  was  more 
sought  by  those  desiring  advice  and  help.  The  people  of  the  country  in  which 
he  lived  and  wrought  for  thirty  years  belie\ed  in  him.  Xo  one  could  ask  for 
a  greater  reward. 

"We  would  expect  a  man  of  -Mr.  Wilson's  temperament  to  be  of  gener- 
ous disposition.  Here  we  shall  not  be  disappointed.  He  l>elie\ed  in  the 
great  human  right,  a  decent  living.  He  urged  that  a  fair  day's  work  de- 
manded fair  pay.  But  what  is  far  more  important  he  illustrated  his  theory 
in  every-day  life.  In  the  great  publication  enterprise  he  helped  to  fashion 
and  perfect  in  the  city  of  Seattle  every  man  he  paid  to  the  limit  of  his  earn- 
ing, and  ever}-  bit  of  machinery  is  the  latest  and  most  efficient  type.  But 
this  is  mere  justice  to  employes  and  the  public.  Generosity  is  something 
finer  and  of  a  more  subtle  beauty,  even  than  justice.  It  is  akin,  if  not  iden- 
tical, with  mercy  and  mercy  is  the  crowning  quality  of  God  himself.  It  is  a 
great  good  fortune  to  those  who  are  nearest  our  departed  friends  that  they 
can  think  of  him  as  one  who  loved  much,  who  forgave  much  and  was  kind. 
God  is  merciful  and  far  down  the  highway  which  all  humans  must  travel 
and  beyond  that  turn  in  the  way  which  we  call  death  we  confidently  hope  to 
find  those  whom  we  ha\-e  loxed  and  lost.  In  parting  with  Senator  W^ilson, 
one  who  labored  much,  loved  much  and  was  generous,  though  he  doubt- 
less failed  some,  we  say  goodbye,  but  not  farewell." 

In  private  and  political  life  Senator  Wilson  was  a  man  of  the  strictest 
integrity,  a  bitter  opponent  of  dishonesty,  both  public  and  private,  a  militant 
apostle  of  the  Republican  party  which  his  father  helped  to  found,  died  as  he 
had  lived,  fighting  for  the  principles  he  had  espoused.  The  son  of  a  father 
who  had  devoted  his  life  to  public  service  and  helped  to  form  the  greatest 
political  party  of  the  United  States,  Senator  \\'ilson  will  long  be  remen-ibered 
as  a  nian  of  fearless  honesty,  one  w  ho  performed  great  services  for  the  young 
state  which  he  represented  at  the  national  capitol,  a  fighter  for  all  that  was 
just  and  helpful  to  the  commonwealth.  In  1894  when  he  appeared  before 
the  state  convention  at  Spokane,  he  said  of  the  trust  reposed  in  him  as  Con- 
gressman from  the  state,  'You  have  clothed  me  with  honors  and  authority, 


7oO  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

and  now  1  return  the  trust  to  you,  unblemished,  just  as  j'ou  gave  it  to  me." 
The  utterance  characterized  his  life. 

Pending  formal  action  by  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Seattle  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  of  which  Senator  Wilson  was  an  active  member,  the  commit- 
tee on  state  legislation  of  which  the  former  Senator  was  chairman,  and  the 
committee  on  national  affairs,  of  which  he  was  acting  chairman,  together  with 
the  offices  of  the  chamber  met  and  adopted  the  following  resolutions : 

"In  the  death  of  Senator  Wilson  the  state  of  Washington  and  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  sustained  a  loss  which  in  many  ways  is  irreparable. 
Since  his  retirement  from  active  participation  in  politics  two  years  ago,  Sen- 
ator Wilson  had  devoted  practically  all  of  his  talents,  time  and  indomitable 
energy  toward  the  promotion  and  upbuilding  of  this  state,  and  the  territory 
of  Alaska.  He  spent  the  whole  of  last  winter  and  the  preceding  fall  as  the 
agent  of  this  chamber,  in  organizing  and  combining  the  commercial  bodies 
,  of  the  entire  Pacific  coast  in  behalf  of  Alaska  and  pressing  that  territory's 
claims  for  relief  before  the  various  Congressional  committees  in  Washington 
City.  It  is  the  simple  truth  to  say  that  in  three  months  Senator  Wilson 
spent  at  the  nation's  capital  in  behalf  of  the  measures  in  which  the  city  of 
Seattle  and  the  territory  of  Alaska  are  vitally  concerned,  he  accomplished 
more  in  the  way  of  actual  results  than  all  other  efforts  combined  in  the  past 
five  years.  He  wielded  an  influence  at  a  time  when  he  was  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  upper  body. 

"His  intense  loyalty  to  this  city,  state  and  the  entire  Pacific  coast  is 
exemplified  by  such  monuments  as  the  Puget  Sound  navy  yard,  Seattle  assay 
office  and  other  government  institutions,  the  existence  of  which  are  due 
either  wholly  or  largely  to  the  influence,  resourcefulness  and  persistence 
wielded  by  him  in  the  halls  of  Congress. 

"All  his  public  utterances  in  the  past  two  years  have  been  an  appeal  to  the 
patriotism  of  the  people  of  this  nation,  and  particularly  to  the  younger  men. 
The  lofty  sentiments  which  he  expressed  in  recent  addresses  in  this  city,  par- 
ticularly at  times  when  disloyalty  and  disrespect  to  the  American  flag  was 
being  evidenced  in  some  quarters  proved  an  inspiration  to  all  patriotic  men. 
His  reverence  for  the  constitution  and  its  underlying  principles  as  the 
foundation  upon  which  the  liberties  of  the  American  people  rest,  was  breathed 
in  his  every  public  and  private  utterance." 

The  following  appeared  editorially  in  the  Post-Iutclligcncer,  and  is  from 
the  pen  of  Scott  C.  Bone,  present  editor  of  that  great  daily,  he  having  form- 
erly been  a  resident  of  Indiana,  and  a  man  who  knew  the  lamented  Senator 
very  intimately : 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  789 

"To  write  of  Senator  Wilson  today  is  more  than  heart  can  bear.  So 
many  memories  of  him  crowd  clear  and  fast;  so  many  visions  of  him  as  he 
was  last  among  us,  that  words  lag,  thoughts  grow  dim,  wavering  in  tear 
mists,  and  the  hand,  hardened  to  the  play  of  life  and  deatli  wants  courage 
for  the  task.  We  in  this  otifice  knew  him  best  and  loved  him  best.  Here 
he  was  father,  brother,  comrade,  friend,  and  now,  when  grief  is  lieavy  on  us, 
when  silent  sorrow  is  sweet  with  consolation,  we  must  treat,  wlio  was  so 
dear,  as  a  part  of  the  dark  day's  work. 

"He  is  gone.  This  we  know.  Never  will  lie  be  with  us  again.  All  the 
machinery  of  this  newspaper,  which  was  a  part  of  him,  his  pride  and  his  am- 
bition, will  move  today,  tomorrow,  and  the  ne.xt  da)'.  But  'the  Senator'  will 
be  no  more.  The  nation  has  lost  a  patriot,  the  state  a  loyal,  tireless  servant 
and  the  city  an  eager  friend,  but  the  Post-Intelligencer  has  lost  a  heart  and 
spul,  a  big,  warm  heart  and  a  fine,  clean  soul.  We  cannot  stop  to  mourn 
him,  we  to  whom  he  was  so  very  dear  in  lite.  We  can  but  go  on  as  he  would 
have  wished  us,  telling  the  news  of  the  day,  the  big  and  the  little  things  of 
life,  making  a  newspaper.     And  so,  though  dulled  with  pain,  we  will. 

"No  man  in  this  state  heard  the  news  that  John  L.  Wilson  was  dead  but 
to  pause  and  pay  a  tribute  to  him  who  had  marked  himself  so  deeply  in  the 
history  of  this  common-wealth.  Yet  how  idle  to  say  that  he  will  be  missed 
and  mourned.  How  futile  any  computation  of  the  widespread  regret!  How 
empty-sounding  the  generalities  of  encomiums !  Every  person  in  this  state 
knows  what  manner  of  man  John  L.  Wilson  was,  some  better  and  more 
truly  than  others,  perhaps,  but  all  know  him  as  a  big,  honest,  fearless  citizen, 
and  can  appraise  their  own  loss. 

"John  L.  Wilson  loved  his  God,  his  country  and  his  fellow  man.  He 
was  true  to  himself,  and  of  consequence  to  all  else  was  true.  The  old  strain 
of  Nonconformist  blood  that  ran  in  his  veins  held  him  fast  to  his  ideals. 
Right  to  him  was  a  thing  to  be  fought  for  without  compromise,  and  friend- 
ship was  a  duty,  holy  and  enduring.  It  was  for  what  he  held  to  be  right 
and  in  the  cause  of  friendship  that  he  fell  and  died  as  he  himself  would  have 
wished,  amid  the  clash  of  big  events.  Warned  long  since  tliat  his  heart 
could  stand  no  strain,  certain  only  of  defeat.  Senator  Wilson,  weak  ami 
weary  though  he  was,  against  all  pleas  and  advice  went  into  the  national  con- 
test undaunted.     And  now  like  a  good  soldier  he  lies,  taking  his  rest. 

"To  make  any  adequate  summing  up  of  his  life  would  need  be  the  work 
of  a  biographer  less  hurried  than  a  newspaper  writer.  To  even  enumerate 
his  services  to  state  and  city  is  beyond  newsjiaper  limitations.     Time  will  do 


79°  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

him  full  justice  and  his  name  will  loom  large  among  the  men  of  Washington. 
"Just  now  there  is  small  solace  in  that  thought  to  those  in  whose  lives 
he  played  a  daily  part.  We  can't  forget  that  he  will  not  come,  bantering  and 
genial,  into  the  editorial  rooms  at  night,  with  a  playful  word  for  a  copy  boy, 
an  anecdote  for  a  reporter,  or  a  mock  anger  to  tease  some  editor.  'The 
easy  boss'  has  said  his  last  'Good-night,  boys,"  and  has  gone  out  into  the  long 
darkness,  and  we  hope  he  hears  us  when  we  say,  'Good-night,  Senator.'  " 


WILLIAM  BRYANT. 


Whether  the  elements  of  success  are  innate  attributes  of  the  individual, 
or  whether  they  are  bred  by  the  force  and  progress  of  circumstances,  it  is 
impossible  to  clearly  decide;  this  much  is  certain — a  great  deal  depends  upon 
the  person.  In  the  person  of  the  worthy  old  pioneer,  now  deceased,  whose 
name  heads  this  sketch,  we  have  a  sample  of  the  race  of  people  to  whom  this 
country  is  indebted  for  its  development  and  progress.  To  such  as  William 
Bryant,  Indiana  owes  much.  Here  and  there,  scattered  over  the  broad 
acres  of  untilled  and  unbroken  land,  he  and  his  people  toiled — cleared, 
grubbed,  ditched,  burnt,  and  hewed — gradually  opening  the  way,  the  result 
of  which  we  see  today  in  the  broad  and  fertile  farms  of  Montgomery  county. 
Such  were  the  pioneer  farmers.  They  did  not  care  for  public  gaze  or  appro- 
bation :  their  lot  was  an  unpretentious  one,  and  so  they  lived,  quietly,  happil)-, 
and  in  the  love  of  their  Master  who  guided  their  destinies. 

William  Bryant  was  born  in  Ross  county,  Ohio,  on  March  28,  1824,  the 
son  of  William  and  Catherine  (Lancisco)  Bryant,  who  came  to  Ohio  from 
the  state  of  Virginia  in  a  very  early  day.  William  Bryant,  the  subject  of  our 
sketch,  came  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  as  a  boy  from  Ohio.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years  his  father  gave  him  a  team  of  horses  and  five  hun- 
dred dollars  cash.  With  this  nucleus  he  built  up  an  estate  valued  at  two 
hundred  thousand  dollars.  Starting  in  a  log  cabin  hewn  from  the  forest  ad- 
joining the  prairie  to  which  he  came,  he  started  the  unequal  struggle  for  the 
mastery  of  a  new  country.  His  energy  and  perseverance,  always  rewarded 
with  substantial  profit,  gave  courage  to  others  and  facilitated  the  settlement 
of  this  part  of  Indiana. 

The  first  purchase  that  Mr.  Bryant  made  was  of  forty  acres  of  land. 
From  his  childhood  days  Mr.  Bryant  had  been  acquainted  with  the  cattle 
business  and  when  he  came  to  the  Hoosier  state  the  whole  land  was  a  pasture 


yyyiy 


792  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

selected  for  he  possesses  the  proper  attributes,  and  is  a  good  mixer,  thus  en- 
joying the  friendship  and  good  will  of  a  vast  acquaintance. 

Colonel  Hamilton  was  born  on  May  7,  1852,  in  Montgomery  county, 
Indiana.  He  is  a  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Jane  (Keeney)  Hamilton.  The 
father  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  the  mother  was  born  in  Kentucky.  The  father 
was  a  carpenter  by  trade.  Politically,  he  was  a  Republican,  but  was  not  a 
public  man.     He  was  twice  married. 

Colonel  Hamilton  received  a  good  education  in  the  common  schools.  He 
was  married  first  to  Lizzie  Barnett,  a  native  of  Montgomery  county.  She  is 
now  deceased.  Our  subject  was  married  the  second  time,  his  last  wife  being 
Rose  Ballard,  born  in  Montgomery  county.  Mrs.  Hamilton  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools. 

Eight  children  were  born  to  Colonel  Hamilton  and  his  first  wife,  six  of 
whom  are  still  living,  namely:  Mabel,  Jennie,  Albert,  Hector  B.,  Jessie  and 
Wallace.     To  the  last  marriage  one  child  was  born,  Walter. 

Our  subject  made  his  start  in  life  on  the  farm  and  this  work  has  claimed 
his  chief  attention  through  life  until  today,  having  prospered  with  advancing 
years  he  is  the  owner  of  several  good  farms  in  Montgomery  county,  and  he 
spends  his  summers  in  the  country  and  his  winters  at  his  commodious  home 
in  Crawfordsville.  He  started  as  an  auctioneer  in  1878,  having  had  a  great 
deal  of  natural  ability  in  that  direction,  as  all  must  have  who  make  a  success, 
and  he  soon  had  quite  a  reputation  here  in  his  native  county,  and  his  reputa- 
tion continued  to  grow,  covering  surrounding  territory,  and  soon  he  found 
that  his  services  were  in  great  demand  in  Indianapolis,  and  he  has  been  a  suc- 
cessful and  popular  auctioneer  in  that  city  for  the  past  twenty  years,  and  he 
is  well  known  throughout  the  state.  One  of  his  finest  farms  is  that  of  three 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  in  the  western  part  of  the  county  which  is  well  im- 
proved and  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  believes  in  adopting  all 
modern  methods,  wherein  they  are  applicable  to  farming  in  this  section  of 
the  country,  and  he  studied  modern  methods  of  all  k  ids.  He  is  a  lover  of 
fine  live  stock  and  some  excellent  grades  are  always  to  be  seen  on  his  farms. 

Colonel  Hamilton  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Methodist  church. 
Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  Lodge  No.  223,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  to  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur,  also  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks.  Politically,  he  is  a  Progressive,  and  he  made  the  race  for  sheriff 
of  Montgomery  county  on  that  ticket  in  the  campaign  of  1912,  but  was  de- 
feated with  the  rest  of  the  ticket,  although  making  a  splendid  race. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  793 

LEROY  L.  MILLER. 

All  credit  is  due  a  man  who  succeeds  in  tiiis  untoward  world  of  ours  in 
spite  of  obstacles  and  l)y  persistency  and  energy  gains  a  competence  and  a 
position  of  honor  as  a  man  and  citizen.  The  record  of  Leroy  L.  Miller, 
widely  known  to  the  publishing  world  of  western  Indiana,  where  he  has  for 
decades  been  regarded  as  an  exceptionally  adroit  printer,  is  that  of  such  a 
man,  for  he  came  to  Montgomery  county  in  the  days  when  she  was  beginning 
her  rapid  growth  following  the  pioneer  period,  and  here  worked  out  his  way 
to  definite  success.  He  quickly  adapted  himself  to  changing  conditions,  and 
has  labored  so  consecutively  and  eiTectively  that  in  due  course  of  time  he  be- 
came proprietor  of  a  thriving  business  in  Crawfordsville. 

Mr.  Miller  was  born  on  November  7,  i860  at  Cambridge  Cit}-,  Wayne 
county,  Indiana.  He  is  a  son  of  Abraham  and  Sophia  (Potts)  Miller.  The 
mother  was  born  in  October,  1834,  in  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  and  when  a  young 
girl  she  moved  with  her  parents  to  Logansport,  Indiana,  where  she  grew  to 
womanhood,  received  her  education  and  there  she  and  Abraham  Miller  were 
married  in  the  year  1848.  The  mother  of  the  subject  died  on  Julv  12,  1883, 
in  Crawfordsville. 

Seven  children  were  Ijorn  to  Abraham  Miller  and  wife,  named  as  fol- 
lows; five  of  them  still  living:  Mary  died  in  Logansport;  Charles  A.  died  in 
Indianapolis;  Nora,  Leroy  L.  (subject),  Isaac  Newton,  living  in  South 
Bend;  Otis  is  in  the  grocery  business  at  Frankfort;  W'illiam  R.,  born  I-'ebru- 
ary  3,  1879,  is  in  the  office  with  his  brother,  Leroy  L. 

The  father.  Abraham  Miller,  was  a  contractor  and  builder  l)y  occupa- 
tion and  became  well  known  in  this  section  of  the  state.  Fraternally,  he  was 
a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  was  a  charter  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  here.  During  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  an  Indiana 
regiment  in  1864,  and  served  very  faithfully. 

In  view  of  the  prominence  of  Abraham  Miller  in  this  locality  and  of  the 
good  he  did  as  an  Odd  Fellow  and  the  splendid  example  he  set  as  a  citizen, 
the  biographer  deems  it  entirely  appropriate  to  here  reproduce  the  memorial 
address  delivered  by  J.  R.  Etter  before  Bethesda  Encampment  No.  15,  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  at  Mount  Zion  church,  Crawfordsville,  June 
24,  1906.     He  said: 

"By  the  courtesy  of  Bethesda  Encampment  No.  15.  I  have  been  re- 
quested to  prepare  a  few  brief  remarks  on  the  life  work  of  Patriarch  and 


794  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA 

Brother  Abraham  Miller,  deceased.  I  accepted  the  charge,  feeling  sensibly 
my  inability  to  render  to  his  memory  even  a  tithe  of  the  excellencies  which 
his  noble,  self-  sacrificing  life  deserves.  I  feel  that  honor  should  have  been 
assigned  to  older  and  wiser  heads  than  mine — to  some  of  the  old  and  true 
patriarchs  who  had  so  long  labored  side  by  side  with  him  in  the  cause  of 
humanity,  practicing  friendship,  love  and  truth, — faith,  hope  and  charity. 

"Patriarch  Miller  was  born  in  Germantown,  Hamilton  county,  Ohio, 
April  21,  1905,  being  at  the  time  of  his  death  a  few  days  over  eighty- four 
years  old.  Though  old  in  years,  in  his  happy  and  joyous  nature,  he  was  ever 
a  boy  when  with  the  young,  feeling  that  it  was  his  duty  to  mingle  with  them 
on  their  own  level,  to  joke  and  have  fun  with  them,  to  cheer  them  on  to 
better  and  nobler  lives,  to  make  them  feel  that  they  need  no  fear  of  him  on 
account  of  his  gray  hairs,  but  that  he  was  their  friend  and  counselor  at  all 
times.  By  virtue  of  this  one  trait  in  his  character,  he  was  enabled  to  do 
much  good  among  the  rising  generation.  He  was  never  too  busy  to  give  a 
smile  or  kind  word  to  a  child,  to  a  youth  or  to  one  of  mature  years — no  one 
spoke  to  him  that  they  did  not  get  a  kind  and  courteous  answer. 

"His  parents  moved  from  Ohio  to  Cambridge  City,  Indiana,  in  1826. 
He  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  he  was  nineteen  years  old,  and  then 
went  to  Logansport,  Indiana,  being  gone  two  years  before  his  parents  knew 
where  he  was.  When  they  had  located  him  they  sent  G.  W.  Miller  on  horse- 
back all  that  distance  to  learn  of  his  condition — to  know  what  he  was  doing. 
Mr.  Miller  arrived  there  September  6,  1848,  just  two  days  before  Patriarch 
Miller  was  married  to  Sophia  Potts,  wath  whom  he  lived  a  little  over  thirty- 
five  years.  To  them  five  sons  and  two  daughters  were  bom.  All  the  sons 
became  Odd  Fellows.  Can  a  stronger  proof  be  offered  of  his  devotion  to 
the  Order  than  that  he  led  five  sons  into  its  fold?  He  lived  in  Crawfords- 
ville  forty  year.s — long  enough  that  all  might  be  able  to  measure  his  good 
or  bad  qualities.  He  was  a  positive  man ;  when  he  saw  wrong  he  did  not 
hesitate  to  condemn  it  in  the  most  positive  terms,  and  when  he  saw  good,  he 
was  ready  to  praise  it — thus  he  was  a  man  whom  everyone  knew  where  to 
find.  He  was  not  a  friend  to  your  face  and  an  enemy  to  your  back;  he  did 
not  hide  his  light  under  a  bushel  to  please  the  public;  but  he  did  what  he 
thought  was  best  for  the  individual  and  community,  regardless  of  what  might 
be  said  about  him.  Oh,  how  much  better  would  the  world  be,  if  all  men 
could  be  so  easily  found — could  be  relied  on  to  stand  by  their  convictions. 
When  he  formed  a  friend.ship,  or  entered  into  an  alliance  with  anyone,  he 
was  never  knewn  to  betray  it,  but  he  stood  on  the  full  measure  of  his  promise. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  795 

What  a  happy,  contented  life  he  must  ha\e  h\x'cl !  Is  it  nut  worthy  our 
emulation  ? 

"In  trying  to  hnd  out  when  Patriarch  Miller  was  initiated  into  Odd 
Fellowship,  and  when  he  joined  the  encampment,  I  wrote  to  the  secretary 
of  Wayne  Lodge,  No.  17,  Cambridge  City,  Indiana,  also  to  the  scribe  of 
Hormah  Encampment,  No.  11,  at  that  place.  Both  of  these  informed  me 
that  their  records  had  been  burned  up  in  1876,  and  that  they  had  no  way  of 
telling  when  he  joined  either  the  Subordinate  Lodge  or  the  EncamjMnent 
there,  Init  they  atlded  that  old  members  said  that  he  was  a  memlier  of  the 
Subordinate  Lodge  and  Encampment  before  the  records  were  Ijurned.  The 
secretary  of  Wayne  Lodge  added,  'But,  from  all  to  whom  I  have  talked,  I 
learn  that  he  was  a  good  and  true  Odd  Fellow.' 

"Can  I  say  more  than  this — that  he  was  a  good  and  true  Odd  Fellow? 
Can  you  think  of  a  higher  tribute  to  any  man,  than  that  he  was  a  good  and 
true  Odd  Fellow?  If  a  man  lives  up  to  the  teachings  of  Odd  Fellowship, 
he  must  be  one  of  God's  noblest  sons.  After  much  investigation,  I  have 
ascertained  from  reliable  authority,  Patriarch  Miller  joined  Wayne  Lodge, 
No.  17,  1855,  and  that  he  affiliated  with  Hormah  Encampment,  No.  11, 
1837.  Patriarch  Miller  was  admitted  to  Bethesda  Encampment,  No.  15,  at 
Crawfordsville,  December  15,  1868,  and  was  mustered  into  Canton  Fidelitv, 
No.  50,  September  8,  1901,  Fie  was  a  member  of  Mai'tha  Washington  Re- 
bekah  Lodge,  No.  13.  He  was  a  Past  Grand  and  a  Past  Chief  Patriarch, 
having  received  all  the  honors  that  a  Subordinate  Lodge  and  Encampment 
could  confer  on  him. 

"He  placed  his  foot  on  the  first  round  of  the  ladder  of  Odd  Fellowship 
in  \\'ayne  Lodge,  No.  17,  where  man  was  represented  as  in  darkness  and  in 
chains;  he  gazed  there  on  the  emlalem  of  the  last  resting  place  of  man,  and 
was  restored  to  light  and  liberty.  He  was  taught  to  faithfully  regard  the 
mysteries  of  the  Order  as  sacred — he  learned  the  lessons  of  the  Past  Grand. 
Then  he  journeyed  on,  and  the  love  of  Jonathan  and  David  was  exhibited, 
and  he  learned  the  lesson  w'hich  he  never  forgot.  He  traveled  down  the 
road  to  Jerico — oh,  how  many  of  us  travel  that  road,  and  how  many  are 
beaten  and  robbed  on  the  way!  He  saw  the  Israelite  wounded  and  bleeding 
on  the  highway :  he  saw  the  Priest  and  Le\ite  pass  by  on  the  other  side ; 
he  saw  the  Good  Samaritan  pour  balm  intu  his  wounds,  take  him  to  the  inn 
and  pa}'  for  his  care.  He  learned  that  the  true  priest  was  not  of  the  temple, 
and  the  true  Levite  not  of  the  altar.  As  a  good  Samaritan  he  went  about 
doing  good.  No  Odd  Fellow  was  ever  sick  within  his  reach,  that  he  did 
not  visit  almost  daily.     The  principles  of  truth,  as  taught  in  our  Order,  were 


796  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

ever  regarded  by  him  in  all  his  dealings  with  his  fellow  men.  Truth  with 
him  was  an  imperial  virtue. 

"When  he  had  learned  the  lessons  of  friendship,  love  and  truth,  as 
taught  in  the  Subordinate  branch  of  the  Order,  he  longed  to  know  more,  and 
entered  the  Encampment,  serving  his  time  as  a  herdsman,  visiting  Abraham's 
tent,  partaking  of  the  symbol  of  hospitality.  He  passed  to  the  Golden  Rule, 
where  he  was  instructed  in  the  principles  of  toleration  and  had  impressed  on 
his  mind  the  beautiful  lesson,  "Do  unto  others  as  you  would  that  others 
should  do  unto  you.'  He  was  exalted  to  the  Royal  Purple  Degree,  traveling 
across  the  wilderness  of  Paran,  meeting  and  overcoming  the  difficulties  on 
the  way,  and  learning  that  the  evil  reports  so  often  circulated  against  men, 
are  not  always  tnie.  Thus  faith,  hope  and  charity  were  added  to  his  store 
of  knowledge — the  greatest  of  which  charity,  which  was  his  guiding  star 
throughout  his  life. 

"He  was  mustered  into  Canton  Fidelity,  No.  50,  September  8,  1901, 
and  was  an  honored  Chevalier  at  the  time  of  his  death.  Thus  he  had  ad- 
vanced, step  by  step,  through  all  tlie  gradations  of  Odd  Fellowship,  until  he 
has  fully  attained  a  knowledge  of  its  intrinsic  excellencies,  of  its  adaptation 
for  the  promotion  of  good  will  among  men,  and  of  its  fitness  as  a  minister 
in  the  trials  and  adversities  which  are  inseparable  from  human  life,  and  that 
it  thus  presented  a  broad  platform  upon  which  mankind  could  unite  in 
offices  of  human  benefaction. 

"On  the  evening  of  January  29,  1902,  it  being  the  forty-first  anniver- 
sary of  Crawfordsville  Lodge,  No.  223,  brother  Abraham  Miller  was  pre- 
sented with  a  'Veteran  Jewel',  which  emblematical  of  twenty-five  years  or 
more  of  continuous  membership  in  the  Order.  During  all  these  twenty-five 
years  and  more,  he  had  been  in  good  standing,  had  paid  his  tithe  to  assist  his 
brothers  in  all  the  adversities  that  fall  to  human  life.  This  is  the  best  evi- 
dence we  have  that  he  learned  well  the  lessons  of  friendship,  love  and  truth — 
three  cardinal  virtues  that  go  to  make  up  the  sum  of  human  life,  that  bind 
up  the  wounds  of  distress,  soothe  the  weary  heart,  and  make  life  worth  the 
living.  No  more  constant  friend  could  anyone  have  than  he  was.  His  love 
for  his  fellow  man  should  be  to  us  a  guiding  star  for  our  actions  along  the 
journey  of  life.  He  was  one  of  the  most  regular  attendants  at  lodge  in  all 
the  branches.  If  he  was  not  there,  the  first  question  was,  'Is  he  sick?'  To 
visit  the  sick  and  relieve  distress  was  his  great  aim  in  life.  Even  in  his  old 
days  the  weather  was  never  too  bad  for  him  to  visit  a  sick  brother  almost 
every  day.  His  constant  looking  after  the  sick  became  so  well  known  that, 
when  there  was  any  doubt  as  to  a  sick  brother's  condition,  everv  member 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  797 

instinctixely  would  say,  'Brother  Abraham  Miller  will  know.'  He  was  always 
busy;  he  was  industrious;  he  never  loafed  when  there  was  anything  to  do; 
and  let  me  say,  in  passing,  that  an  industrious  man  lias  no  time  to  gossip 
about  his  neighbors  or  to  meddle  with  their  business.  1  have  not  the  talent 
of  a  Raphael,  or  might  have  painted  a  picture  more  pleasing  to  the  eye — I 
have  not  the  oratory  of  a  Demosthenes,  or  1  might  have  done  him  more 
justice  in  words.  But  I  have  said  enough,  and  said  it  truthfully,  that  those 
who  knew  him  can  fill  in  between  the  lines,  and  thus  finish  the  story  of  this 
grand  and  useful  life  devoted  to  amelioration  of  his  fellow  men. 

"Although  a  peace-loving  man,  he  never  forgot  the  injunction  that  'you 
can  not  become  an  Odd  Fellow  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  unless  you  are  grateful 
to  your  Creator,  faithful  to  your  country,  and  fraternal  to  your  fellow  man.' 
In  the  late  war,  he  gave  his  service  for  the  cause  of  the  Union,  enlisting  in 
Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Forty-seventh  Regiment,  Indiana  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  was  honorably  discharged  at  the  end  of  that  bloody  conflict. 
As  Odd  Fellows,  we  are  taught  'To  be  faithful  to  the  country  in  which  we 
live.'  How  well  he  learned  the  lesson  recited  above,  was  pro\'en  Ijy  his 
offering  his  life  for  his  country. 

"The  life  and  labors  of  Patriarch  Miller  should  be  a  talisman  to  point 
out  to  us  the  way  we  should  go.  He  has  crossed  over  the  great  sea  that 
divides  the  now  from  the  future.  Our  feeble  eulogies  can  not  make  him 
Ijetter  or  worse — now.  But  what  lessons  can  we,  as  Odd  Fellows,  learn 
from  his  life!  One  is  that  we  should  recognize  the  good  qualities  of  a  jjrother 
while  he  lives — should  give  him  praise  for  what  he  does ;  this  will  make  him 
know  his  efforts  are  appreciated  by  us.  .\nother  is  that  we  should  emulate 
his  example  and  'do  unto  others  as  we  would  that  others  should  do  unto  us.' 
If  his  life-work  taught  us  only  this  one  thing,  he  did  not  live  in  vain.  When 
the  spark  of  life  had  fled  from  him  and  he  was  but  inanimate  clay,  we  cast 
flowers  on  his  bier.  Oh,  how  much  more  happy  would  he  have  been  if  we 
had  scattered  flowers  along  his  pathway  while  he  lived — flowers  of  gratitude 
and  appreciation  for  what  he  was  doing.  How  much  nmre  would  all  of  us 
do  for  humanity,  if  only  our  brothers  would  show  that  they  realized  our 
worth.  But  how  silent  they  are,  till  the  clods  of  the  valley  cover  us  from 
the  sight  of  human  eyes.  Let  us,  as  Odd  Fellows,  adopt  a  new  tablet  on 
which  shall  be  written,  'the  good  that  each  member  does' — while  he  lives." 

Leroy  L.  Miller,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  seven  years 
old  when  his  parents  brought  him  to  Crawfordsville  in  1867.  Here  he  grew 
to  manhood,  received  a  common  school  education,  and  here  he  has  spent  most 
of  his  life  ever  since.     He  began  in  the  printing  business  in  1875,  remaining 


798  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

thus  engaged  until  1883,  mastering  the  ins  and  outs  of  the  same  and  getting 
a  good  start  in  hfe.  He  then  entered  the  same  field  of  endeavor  for  himself 
in  1884.  but  soon  he  went  to  Peru,  Indiana,  where,  with  a  partner,  he  started 
The  Peru  Daily  Journal,  but  returned  to  Crawfordsville  in  the  spring  of 
1885  and  purchased  the  business  he  formerly  owned.  In  1888  his  business 
was  christened  the  New  Indiana  Printing  Company.  It  is  a  private  business, 
Mr.  Miller  being  the  sole  manager  and  his  energ\'  and  good  judgment  has  re- 
sulted in  building  up  a  very  large  and  rapidly  growing  business.  His  plant  is 
well  equipped  with  all  modern  presses,  styles  of  type  and  other  necessaiy  ap- 
paratus found  in  an  up-to-date  printing  house,  insuring  prompt  and  high- 
grade  work,  and  only  skilled  help  is  employed.  Besides  his  large  printing 
establishment  he  owns  a  comfortable  home  in  Crawfordsville. 

Mr.  Miller  was  married  on  Apri  30,  1885,  to  Harriet  A.  Binford.  She 
was  born  on  February  17,  1863,  in  Montgomery  county.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  Caleb  and  Emily  Jane  (Allen)  Binford.  The  father  was  born  on  April 
22,  1834,  and  the  mother  was  born  on  October  30.  1835.  The  death  of 
Caleb  Binford  occurred  on  January  11,  1879,  and  his  wife  followed  him  to 
the  grave  a  few  months  later,  dying  on  August  18,  1879. 

Three  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller,  namely :  Bin- 
ford R.,  born  February  20,  1887,  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
and  Wabash  College,  and  he  is  now  associated  with  his  father  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  Indiana  Printing  Company;  Agnes  Emily,  born  October  17, 
1890,  is  a  graduate  of  the  high  school;  Hugh  H.,  born  March  12,  1893,  is  a 
graduate  of  the  high  school  and  a  student  in  Wabash  College  at  this  writing. 

Politically,  Mr.  Miller  is  a  Republican,  and  fraternally  he  belongs  to  the 
Masonic  Order.  Montgomery  Lodge,  No.  50,  also  the  Council,  Chapter  and 
Commandery  and  is  a  Shriner;  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur 
and  the  Modern  Woodmen.  He  holds  membership  with  the  Center  Presby- 
terian church  in  Crawfordsville. 


DAVID  H.  REMLEY. 


It  is  a  matter  of  doubt  which  is  the  greater  heritage,  a  distinguished 
name  or  a  goodly  estate.  Some  persons  would  choose  one  and  some  the 
other,  depending  wholly  on  their  feelings  and  judgment  combined.  But 
wben  the  two  are  sent  down  to  descendants  together,  the  permanent  standing 
of  such  descendants  in  the  community  will  never  be  questioned,  so  far  as  the 
heritage  is  concerned.     The  average  citizen  of  the  United  States  can  hand 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  799 

down  no  greater  heritage  to  his  children  than  an  unblemished  reputation,  as 
has  been  done  in  the  Reniley  family,  one  of  the  best  known,  oldest,  and  most 
highly  honored  in  Montgomery  county.  David  H.  Remley,  the  immediate 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  fortunate  in  being  the  son  of  such  a  worthy  char- 
acter as  John  Remley,  who,  for  a  long  stretch  of  years  was  one  of  the  most 
representative  citizens  of  this  county,  a  man  whom  to  kmiw  \\;is  tr>  trust  and 
admire,  for  he  was  enterprising,  genial,  neighbnrly.  kind  and  public-spirited, 
never  failing  to  lend  such  aid  as  was  possible  in  furthering  any  principles  of 
good.  The  subject  of  this  sketch,  one  of  our  worthiest  native  sons,  most 
substantial  agriculturists,  and  widely  known  citizens,  has  long  ranked  among 
the  leading  men  of  affairs  here,  and  it  is  to  such  enterprising  spirits  as  he, 
his  father,  and  brothers,  that  this  locality  is  indebted  for  its  marked  and  con- 
tinuous growth  and  for  the  high  position  it  occupies  as  a  center  of  agricul- 
ture, live  stock  and  industrial  activity.  He  has  always  been  held  in  the  high- 
est esteem  by  the  people  of  this  locality  owing  to  his  life  of  industry,  public 
spirit  and  exemplaiy  habits,  and  thus  for  many  reasons  he  is  eminently 
entitled  to  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  pages  of  the  present  biographical  com- 
pendium. 

David  H.  Remley  was  born  in  Union  township,  Montgomery  county, 
Indiana,  December  21,  1S44.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (McCain  )  Rem- 
ley. In  view  of  the  fact  that  a  complete  sketch  of  John  Remley  and  family 
appears  on  other  pages  of  this  \-olume,  it  is  not  deemed  necessary  to  repeat 
same  here. 

David  H.  Remley  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  here  he  has  always 
resided,  never  caring  to  follow  the  wanderlust  spirit  to  unexplored  fields  or 
much  less  to  the  false  allurements  of  the  city.  When  a  boy  he  assisted  with 
the  general  work  on  the  farm  and  he  received  his  education  in  the  district 
schools.  On  March  10,  1870  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Elizabeth  A. 
Busenbark.  She  was  a  native  of  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  where  her 
people  have  long  been  well  known,  and  here  she  grew  to  womanhood  and 
received  her  educational  training. 

To  our  subject  and  wife  one  child  has  been  born,  James  E.   Remley. 

Mr.  Remley  has  kept  the  old  homestead  well  improved  and  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  so  skilfully  managing  the  same  that  it  has  retained  its 
original  strength  and  fertility  of  soil.  He  carries  on  general  farming  on  an 
extensive  scale  and  has  paid  special  attention  to  handling  li\'estock,  of  which 
he  is  a  good  judge.  Everything  about  the  place  denotes  good  management 
and  good  taste.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  local  Presbyterian 
church. 


OOU  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

SAMUEL  N.  WARBRITTON. 

One  of  the  venerable  agriculturists  of  Montgomery  county  and  one  of 
her  worthiest  native  born  sons  is  Samuel  N.  Warbritton,  of  Scott  township, 
a  man  who  has  lived  to  see  and  take  part  in  the  great  development  that  has 
characterized  this  nature-favored  Wabash  Valley  country,  he  having  come 
down  to  us  from  the  pioneer  period,  his  life  of  eighty-two  years  being 
fraught  with  blessings  to  those  with  whom  he  has  come  into  contact,  for  he 
has  sought  to  live  uprightly  and  honorajsly  and  faithfully  discharge  his  every 
duty  as  a  public-spirited  citizen.  In  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  the 
community  in  which  is  situated  his  home,  Mr.  Warbritton  has  ever  borne  his 
part,  and  his  faithful  performance  of  the  duties  of  citizenship  deserve  all 
credit.  It  has  often  been  said  that  the  farmers  are  the  backbone  and  strength 
of  a  country's  prosperity,  and  this  has  been  proven  to  be  true  time  and  again 
in  the  history  of  nations.  In  the  person  of  the  subject  we  see  one  of  those 
who,  following  that  peaceful  vocation,  have  "builded  wiser  than  they  knew," 
and  have  left  to  their  children  and  country  the  benefits  accruing  from  their 
years  of  well-spent  toil  and  effort,  and  are  therefore  eligible  to  representation 
in  the  pages  of  the  histories  of  their  country. 

Mr.  Warbritton  was  born  on  December  3,  183 1,  in  Scott  township, 
Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  and  is  therefore  one  of  the  oldest  native  born 
citizens  in  this  township  or  even  the  county.  He  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Phoebe 
(Nelson)  Warbritton.  The  father  was  born  in  Virginia,  from  which  state  he 
came  to  Kentucky  when  four  years  old  and  there  grew  to  manhood.  The 
date  of  his  birth  was  February  13,  1804.  His  death  occurred  in  1897.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  the  year  1814,  and  her  death 
occurred  in  1886.  These  parents  spent  their  lives  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits,  and  by  hard  work  and  persistency  established  a  good  home.  They 
were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  nine  of  whom  are  still  living,  including 
all  the  sons,  eight  in  number.  These  children  were  named  as  follows : 
Martha  J.,  who  married  a  Mr.  Grimes,  is  deceased;  Samuel  N.,  of  this 
sketch;  John,  Reuben,  Charles;  Sarah  Frances  is  the  only  surviving  daugh- 
ter; Henry,  Andrew  J.,  Minnie,  Cynthia  Ann,  and  Mahala  are  all  three  de- 
ceased ;  Daniel  and  George  are  the  two  youngest. 

Samuel  N.  Warbritton  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  community  and 
when  a  boy  he  assisted  with  the  general  work  on  the  home  place.  His  educa- 
tion was  limited  to  the  common  schools  in  his  district  and  to  one  term  in  the 
graded  school  at  Ladoga.     The  home  school  he  attended  was  in  a  log  cabin, 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  8oi 

with  split  logs  for  benches,  greased  paper  for  \vindo\v  panes  and  a  wide  fire- 
place in  one  end  of  the  room,  logs  six  feet  long  being  used  in  building  fires. 
There  were  no  free  schools  in  those  days,  only  subscription  schools,  each 
pupil  paying  a  small  tuition  fee. 

On  December  20,  1855,  Mr.  Warbritton  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Amelia  Ann  Seaman,  who  was  born  in  Brown  township,  Montgomery  county, 
November  12,  1836.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  F.  and  Winifred 
(Jones)  Seaman.  Her  education  was  also  obtained  in  the  log  school  houses 
of  her  native  community.  Ten  children  were  born  to  our  subject  and  wife, 
four  of  whom  are  still  living,  namely :  Mary  is  deceased ;  Emma,  bom 
October  22,  1857,  married  W.  C.  Kern,  and  they  live  in  New  Market,  this 
county;  Allilia  L.  is  deceased;  Lula  was  next  in  order;  John  F.  and  Albert 
are  both  living;  Bertha,  Pearl,  Stella  and  Mabel  are  all  deceased. 

Mr.  Warbritton  began  farming  for  himself  early  in  life,  and  this  con- 
tinued to  be  his  vocation  until  1910,  when  he  retired.  He  was  a  hard  worker 
and  good  manager,  and  a  large  measure  of  success  as  a  general  farmer  and 
stock  raiser  attended  his  efforts.  He  farmed  in  Parke  county  a  few  years, 
living  in  the  city  of  Rockville.  He  became  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and 
seven  acres  of  valuable  and  productive  land  in  Scott  township,  adjoining  the 
town  of  New  Market,  every  foot  of  which  is  tillable.  He  sold  this  farm  in 
1910.  In  connection  with  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  Mr.  Warbritton 
bought  and  shipped  live  stock  for  a  period  of  twenty  years,  becoming  one  of 
the  best  known  stock  men  in  this  part  of  the  country.  He  owns  a  comfort- 
able home  in  New  JMarket,  also  three  acres  of  valuable  land  within  the  limits 
of  the  town. 

Religiouslv,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church,  and  was  a  trustee 
in  the  same  for  a  period  of  thirty  years.  He  has  always  been  a  Republican 
until  the  fall  of  1912,  when  he  allied  himself  with  the  new  Progressive  move- 
ment. He  feels  that  he  has  always  been  on  the  right  side  religiously  and 
politicallv.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Republican  party  back  in  the 
fifties.  He  has  long  been  influential  in  local  political  affairs,  and  has  served 
seventeen  years  in  Montgomery  county  as  justice  of  the  peace,  having  been 
elected  in  1862.  He  has  served  in  this  capacity  in  both  Scott  and  Brown 
townships.  He  gave  eminent  satisfaction  in  this  office,  his  decisions  being 
noted  for  their  fairness  and  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  basic  principles 
of  jurisprudence,  and  few  of  them  ever  met  with  reversal  at  the  hands  of  a 
higher  tribunal.  He  regrets  to  say  that  he  feels  he  has  seen  the  beginning  and 
the  end  of  the  great  Republican  party.  He  has  always  been  a  great  reader 
(51) 


802  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

and  is  exceptionally  well  posted  on  current  events.  He  says  he  has  read 
everything  from  "Peck's  Bad  Boy"  up.  He  has  an  excellent  library,  and  he 
is  an  intelligent  and  interesting  conversationalist.  Notwithstanding  their 
advanced  ages,  the  subject  and  wife  in  the  summer  of  1912  traveled  through 
Illinois,  Missouri,  Kansas  and  Iowa  alone,  and  very  much  enjoyed  the  trip. 
They  have  comparatively  good  health,  are  alert  and  active  in  both  mind  and 
body,  and  they  are  often  visited  in  their  cozy  home  in  New  Market  by  their 
many  friends,  their  home  being  one  of  the  best,  largest  and  neatly  furnished 
in  this  town.  It  is  a  nine-roomed,  two-story  home  in  a  large,  well-kept  lawn 
and  with  a  fine  barn  in  the  rear  of  the  well-located  lot.  They  are  a  fine  old 
couple,  and  it  is  a  pleasure  to  know  them  and  share  their  hospitality. 


CLYDE  HARVEY  HUNTER. 

The  prosperity  and  substantial  welfare  of  a  town  or  community  are  in  a 
large  measure  due  to  the  enterprise  and  wise  foresight  of  its  business  men. 
It  is  progressive,  wide-awake  men  of  affairs  that  make  the  real  history  of  a 
community  and  their  influence  in  shaping  and  directing  its  varied  interests 
is  difficult  to  estimate.  Clyde  Harvey  Hunter,  formerly  a  hotel  man,  now 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business  at  the  town  of  Wingate,  Montgomery  county, 
is  one  of  the  enterprising  spirits  to  whom  is  due  the  recent  substantial  growth 
of  the  town  whose  interests  he  has  at  heart.  With  a  mind  capable  of  plan- 
ning, he  has  a  will  strong  enough  to  execute  his  well- formulated  purposes 
and  his  great  energy,  keen  discrimination,  and  sticktoitiveness  have  resulted 
in  material  success.  Many  of  these  commendable  qualities  he  seems  to  have 
inherited  from  his  worthy  father,  who  has  also  long  been  one  of  the  substan- 
tial citizens  of  Paxton,  Illinois. 

Clyde  H.  Hunter  was  born  in  Belle  Rive,  Illinois,  December  5,  1883. 
He  is  a  son  of  William  Harrison  Hunter,  who  was  bom  in  Rush  county,  Indi- 
ana, in  1847.  He  has  for  many  years  been  one  of  the  enterprising  business 
men  of  Paxton.  Illinois,  where  he  is  living  a  retired  life. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  known  in  her  maidenhood  as  Olive  Rot- 
ramel,  and  she  was  born  in  Illinois  in  1855.  These  parents  are  now  living  in 
the  town  of  Paxton,  Illinois.  William  H.  Hunter  has  always  followed  the 
lumber  business  and  is  one  of  the  best  known  lumber  men  in  this  section  of 
the  state.  During  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  1861  in  the  Forty-seventh 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  later  transferred  to  the  Ninety-fourth 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  803 

Infantry.  He  saw  nearly  three  years  of  acti\e  service,  proving  to  be  a  gallant 
and  faithful  defender  of  the  Union. 

Three  children  were  bom  to  William  H.  Hunter,  two  of  whom  are  de- 
ceased, namely:  Clyde  Harvey  of  this  review;  Harry,  and  Fred  H.,  deceased. 

Clyde  H.  Hunter  received  a  good  common  school  education,  later  at- 
tending the  Culver  Military  College,  then  spent  a  year  in  the  University  of 
Wisconsin  at  Madison,  also  one  year  in  the  University  of  Illinois  at  Cham- 
paign. Thus  well  equipped  for  life's  duties  he  took  charge  of  the  Inn  Hotel 
at  Wawasee,  Indiana,  which  he  conducted  successfully  for  a  period  of  two 
years.  On  January  i,  191 2  he  came  to  Wingate  and  took  charge  of  his 
father's  lumber  yard,  which  ix:)sition  he  still  holds,  and  is  doing  much  to 
further  the  prestige  and  business  of  the  same,  being  in  partnership  with  his 
father.  They  own  the  only  lumber  yard  in  Wingate.  They  own  a  large, 
substantial  brick  building,  and  they  handle  on  an  average  fifteen  thousand 
feet  of  lumber.  This  yard  was  purchased  by  the  father  of  our  subject  in 
1909. 

Clyde  H.  Wingate  is  a  Republican  ])olitically.  He  belongs  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  fraternally  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
Order. 


BASIL  TR.ACEY  MERRELL. 

There  is  no  positive  rule  for  achie\'ing  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  opportunity  that 
comes  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  prominent  and  successful  agriculturists  and  business  men  of  Union 
township,  Montgomery  county,  is  Basil  Tracey  Merrell,  who  maintains  his 
pleasant  home  in  Crawfordsville.  The  qualities  of  keen  discrimination,  sound 
judgment  and  executive  ability  enter  very  largely  into  his  makeup  and  have 
been  contributing  elements  to  the  material  success  which  has  come  to  him. 

Mr.  Merrell  was  born  in  Wayne  township,  this  county,  July  17,  1853. 
He  is  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Anna  (Tracey)  Merrell,  a  pioneer  and  highly  re- 
spected farming  family  of  Wayne  township.     The  father  was  born  in  Butler 


804  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

county,  Ohio,  in  1819.  His  grandfather  was  a  native  of  England,  and  died 
there  at  an  advanced  age.  Benjamin  Merrell,  the  paternal  grandfather  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  being  a  representative  of  one 
of  the  first  settlers  of  that  state,  and  from  there  he  came  with  his  family  to 
Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  in  1827,  locating  among  the  pioneers,  being  one 
of  the  first  settlers  in  what  is  now  Ripley  township,  entering  land  from  the 
government  on  the  Perryville  road,  and  here  his  death  occurred  a  few  years 
later  before  he  had  finished  the  hard  task  of  developing  the  place  from  the 
wilderness.  It  was  in  the  year  1833  that  he  died,  but  his  widow  survived 
many  years,  dying  at  an  advanced  age  in  1879.  Six  children  were  bom  to 
them,  namely:  Daniel,  father  of  our  subject;  Sarah,  who  married  William 
White,  of  Illinois,  and  died  in  Wayne  township,  this  county,  Anna,  who  first 
married  a  Mr.  Boyd,  and  after  his  death  became  the  wife  of  a  Mr.  Brown,  who 
died  while  on  a  trip  to  California;  Effie  who  married  a  Mr.  White  and  lived 
in  Illinois  thereafter  until  her  death;  James,  who  was  born  after  the  family 
came  to  Indiana,  established  his  home  in  Grant  county,  and  who  married 
Rosanna  Reede;  and  John,  who  was  also  born  in  this  state,  was  a  soldier  in 
the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  war,  and  died  from  a  disease  contracted  while 
in  the  army. 

When  Daniel  Merrell  started  out  in  life  for  himself,  he  went  to  Wayne- 
town,  where  he  worked  at  the  cooper's  trade.  Saving  his  earnings,  he  subse- 
quently purchased  eighty  acres  of  land,  continuing  to  work  at  his  trade  until 
he  had  paid  for  the  place.  As  he  prospered' through  hard  work  and  good  man- 
agement, he  added  to  his  original  eighty,  from  time  to  time,  until  he  became 
the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  one  acres  of  valuable  land,  and  this  he  placed 
under  good  improvements  and  a  fine  state  of  cultivation.  While  living  in 
Waynetown,  fire  destroyed  his  residence,  but  nothing  daunted,  he  forged  ahead 
and  became  a  man  of  easy  circumstances,  building  a  substantial  residence  and 
barn  on  his  farm  in  1880. 

Daniel  Merrell  and  Ann  Tracey  were  married  in  Wayne  township,  this 
county  in  1843.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Basil  Tracey  and  wife.  After  a 
happy  married  life  of  eighteen  years,  Mrs.  Merrell  was  called  to  her  rest  in 
1861.  Eight  children  were  born  to  them,  namely:  Mary  Elizabeth,  born 
in  1844,  married  a  Mr.  Shipman,  a  farmer  of  Benton  county,  Indiana;  Sarah 
Ann,  born  in  1847,  died  in  1848;  Lydia,  born  in  1849,  married  J.  H.  Biddle,  of 
Benton  county;  Thomas,  born  in  1851,  died  in  1852;  Basil  T.,  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Nancy  A.,  who  was  born  in  1856,  died  in  1886;  William  B.,  who  was 
born  in  1858,  married  a  Miss  Rusk,  of  Moundsville,  Missouri;  and  John  D., 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  805 

who  was  born  in  i860,  married  Maggie  Johnson,  and  lie  established  himself 
on  his  father's  farm.  Daniel  Merrell,  father  of  the  above  named  children, 
was  a  second  time  married,  in  1863,  this  time  to  Mary  Combs,  who  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky.     In  1S91  his  second  wife  died. 

Daniel  ]\lerrell  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  a  Baptist  in  religious  mat- 
ters. He  took  the  interest  of  a  good  citizen  in  local  public  affairs  and  held  a 
number  of  minor  offices,  having  for  many  years  discharged  the  duties  of  justice 
of  the  peace  and  assessor,  also  supervisor  of  his  township.  He  was  known  to 
all  his  neighbors  as  a  man  of  unblemished  reputation,  kind,  honest  and  chari- 
table.    He  was  summoned  to  his  eternal  rest  in  1897. 

Basil  T.  Merrell  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's  farm  and  there  he  as- 
sisted with  the  general  work  when  a  boy,  and  he  received  a  common  school 
education.  He  left  the  farm  when  sixteen  years  of  age  and  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade,  which  he  followed  for  some  time,  finally  branching  out  into 
the  contracting  business  which  he  followed  with  success  for  four  years,  then 
entered  a  furniture  store,  in  connection  with  which  he  had  an  undertaking 
establishment,  at  Waynetown,  and  this  line  of  endeavor  he  continued  for  a 
period  of  fifteen  years  with  much  success,  then  he  purchased  the  old  home  farm 
which  he  has  continued  to  operate,  keeping  it  well  improved  and  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  and  in  connection  with  general  farming  he  has  handled 
a  good  grade  of  live  stock.  In  company  with  William  Rider  he  organized 
the  Waynetown  Bank,  of  which  he  became  vice-president,  spending  twelve 
years  in  the  bank  and  on  the  farm,  making  both  a  pronounced  success.  In 
1898  he  was  elected  county  treasurer  in  which  ofiice  he  sensed  two  years  with 
much  satisfaction  to  his  constituents,  and  they  re-elected  him  to  the  same 
important  position  in  1902,  and  again  in  1906,  thus  serving  six  years  in  this 
office  in  a  manner  that  reflected  much  credit  upon  himself  and  to  the  praise 
of  all  concerned. 

Mr.  Merrell  assisted  iriithe  organization  of  tlie  Crawfordsville  State  Bank 
in  1904,  since  which  time  he  has  served  as  director  in  this  popular  institution. 
All  the  while  he  has  continued  to  manage  his  farm.  He  has  an  attractive 
residence  in  Crawfordsville.  He  has  been  \'ery  successful  from  a  financial 
standpoint.     He  is  business  manager  of  the  Craivfordsville  Review. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat  and  has  long  been  active  and  influential  in 
the  ranks.  He  was  county  chairman  for  three  times,  and  he  piloted  the  party 
into  power  the  last  two  campaigns. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Merrell  is  also  well  known.  He  is  a  thirty-second  de- 
gree Mason,  having  attained  the  Knight  Templar  degrees,  also  belongs  to  the 


8o6  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Ancient  Arabic  Order  of  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  also  is  a  member  of  all 
branches  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  holds  membership 
with  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Improved  Order  of 
Red  Men,  and  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

The  domestic  life  of  Mr.  Merrell  began  on  July  13,  1873,  when  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  a  lady  of  refinement  and  a  representative  of  a  highly 
esteemed  family,  Nannie  Bonnell,  daughter  of  Alfred  and  Catherine  (Ed- 
wards) Bonnell. 

The  union  of  our  subject  and  wife  has  been  blessed  by  the  birth  of  six 
children,  namely:  Alfred  D.,  of  Crawfordsville;  Etta,  wife  of  C.  B.  Munns, 
of  Waynetown ;  William,  a  farmer  of  Wayne  township ;  Stella  is  the  wife  of 
E.  Bold,  of  Waynetown;  Clarence  F.,  an  attorney  at  Fargo,  North  Dakota; 
Ruth,  is  attending  college  at  Oberlin,  Ohio. 


DANIEL  REMLEY. 


In  many  respects  the  career  of  Daniel  Remley,  long  one  of  the  most  pro- 
gressive agriculturists  and  stock  raisers  of  Montgomery  county,  who  is  now 
living,  practically  retired  from  the  active  duties  of  life,  in  the  city  of  Craw- 
fordsville, is  peculiarly  instructive  in  that  it  shows  what  a^well  defined  pur- 
pose, supplemented  by  correct  principles  and  high  ideals,  can  accomplish  when 
one  has  ambition  to  succeed  along  legitimate  and  well  defined  lines.  The 
splendid  success  which  has  come  to  Mr.  Remley  is  directly  traceable  to  the 
salient  points  in  his  character.  With  a  mind  capable  of  planning,  he  combined 
a  will  strong  enough  to  execute  his  well-formulated  purposes,  and  his  great 
energ)',  sound  judgment,  keen  discrimination  and  perseverance  have  resulted 
in  the  accumulation  of  a  handsome  property.  He  is  a  scion  of  one  of  the  old 
and  influential  pioneer  families  of  Montgomery  county,  the  excellent  reputa- 
tion of  which  he  has  kept  unsullied. 

Daniel  Remley  was  born  on  the  old  homestead  west  of  Crawfordsville,  on 
July  8,  1841.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (McCain)  Remley,  a  complete 
sketch  of  whom  is  found  on  other  pages  of  this  volume. 

Our  subject  grew  to  manhood  in  Union  township,  assisting  with  the  gen- 
eral work  on  the  large  home  farm,  and  he  received  his  early  education  in  the 
district  schools.  He  continued  to  work  at  home  until  he  was  thirty-two  years 
of  age,  when  he  removed  to  a  farm  given  him  by  his  father,  a  valuable  piece 
of  land  in  Walnut  township.     It  was  a  very  attractive,  productive  and  desir- 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  807 

able  farm,  comprising  two  hundred  acres  of  well-tiled  land,  highly  cultivated 
and  provided  with  a  modern  and  well-appointed  set  of  buildings.  Here  he 
continued  to  carry  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising  until  a  few  years  ago 
when  he  removed  to  Crawfordsville  for  the  purpose  of  educating  his  children. 
He  had  been  very  successful  in  a  financial  way,  haxing  managed  well, 
especiall)-  as  a  stock  man,  haxing  kept  standard  grades  of  Ii\-estock  of  all  kinds 
on  his  place. 

Mr.  Remley  was  married  on  January  25,  1872  to  Angie  Stout,  who  was 
born  March  29,  1854,  in  Union  township,  this  county,  and  here  she  grew  to 
womanhood  and  was  educated  in  the  local  schools.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Joel 
and  Lucinda  (Switzer)  Stout.  Joel  Stout,  was  a  farmer  who  owned  a  good 
farm  west  of  Crawfordsville.  He  was  lx)rn  in  Fayette  county,  Indiana,  and 
was  a  son  of  William  Stout,  who  came  to  tliis  state  from  Butler  county,  Ohio. 
He  married  Esther  Turner,  and  to  this  union  nine  children  were  born.  \\'il- 
son  Stout  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  county,  and  located  on  an  ex- 
cellent farm  west  of  Crawfordsville.  Joel  Stout  came  to  Montgomery  county 
when  a  young  man  and  here  he  and  Lucinda  Switzer  were  married.  She  was 
a  daughter  of  Peter  Switzer,  and  a  relative  of  General  U.  S.  Grant.  The 
father  of  Peter  Switzer  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  whose  father  had  come  to 
this  country  from  Switzerland.  Peter  Switzer's  mother  was  a  daughter  of 
Peter  Grant.  His  parents  were  reared  and  married  in  Kentucky,  and  in  1829, 
removed  to  Indiana,  settling  on  a  farm  west  of  Cra\vfords\'ille.  Peter  Switzer 
lived  to  up  towards  the  century  mark.  The  Switzers  were  all  Methodists  in 
religion,  and  Republicans  in  politics.  Ten  children  were  born  to  Peter  Grant 
Switzer  and  wife.  The  death  of  Mrs.  Lucinda  Stout  occurred  on  January 
25,  1888. 

To  Daniel  Remley  and  wife  three  children  were  born,  namely :  James 
Albert,  is  a  successful  farmer  in  Union  township,  this  county;  Ollie,  who  is 
deceased,  was  an  artist  of  rare  ability,  painting  in  oils  or  using  crayons  with 
equal  skill;  Ethel,  who  is  also  talented  as  an  artist,  is  living  at  home. 

Daniel  Remley  has  long  been  numljered  among  the  liest  citizens  of  his 
native  county,  and  his  home  is  associated  with  much  that  has  forwarded  its 
interests,  both  materially  and  in  a  higher  sense.  He  is  active  in  religious 
matters,  being  an  elder  in  the  Union  Presbyterian  church  of  Walnut  town- 
ship for  many  years.  His  father  was  one  of  the  founders  of  that  church. 
His  wife  and  children  are  also  members  of  this  church,  and  all  have  been 
identified  with  Sunday  school  work.  Politically,  Mr.  Remley  is  a  Republican. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  National  Horse  Thief  Detective  Association. 


oO«  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

WILLIAM  S.  COON. 

Among  the  well-to-do  and  reputable  agriculturists  of  Montgomery  county 
none  occupy  a  more  honorable  position  in  the  regard  of  his  colleagues  than 
the  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  article.  He  is  a  student  of  everything 
that  pertains  to  his  vocation  and  has  always  adopted  the  best  of  improved 
methods  of  cultivating  the  soil  and  in  raising  live  stock.  He  is  well  regarded 
in  his  community  not  only  because  of  his  industry  but  also  because  of  his 
readiness  to  lend  whatever  aid  that  is  demanded  of  him  in  furthering  move- 
ments calculated  to  further  the  material,  civic  and  moral  affairs  of  Coal  Creek 
township,  and  Montgomery  county. 

William  S.  Coon  was  born  on  February  20,  1856  in  Fountain  county, 
Indiana.  He  is  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Ruth  (Stephens)  Coon.  The  father  was 
born  in  Ohio  in  1823,  and  the  mother  was  born  in  Indiana  in  1826.  Here  she 
grew  to  womanhood,  received  a  common  school  education  and  spent  her  life, 
dying  on  September  29,  1859.  The  father  of  our  subject  spent  his  earlier 
years  in  his  native  state,  and  there  received  a  public  school  education,  but  re- 
moved from  Ohio  to  Indiana  when  a  boy  and  here  he  spent  the  residue  of  his 
years,  devoting  his  life  to  general  farming,  becoming  well  established  in  Foun- 
tain county.  He  reached  the  advanced  age  of  eighty  years,  being  called  to  his 
reward  on  January  5,  1893. 

Isaac  Coon  became  the  father  of  sixteen  children,  nine  of  whom  are  still 
living.  He  was  twice  married,  and  there  was  an  equal  number  of  children 
born  of  each  marriage — eight. 

William  S.  Coon  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  there  in  Foun- 
tain county  he  received  a  good  common  school  education.  On  September  4, 
1878  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  C.  Koon,  (no  relation).  Mrs.  Coon 
was  born  on  September  4,  1859,  in  Coal  Creek  township,  Montgomery  county, 
and  hence  she  grew  to  womanhood  and  received  a  common  school  education. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Temple)  Koon,  the  father  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  and  the  mother  of  Ohio.  They  received  the  usual  educational 
advantages  of  their  time  and  spent  their  mature  years  in  Indiana,  becoming 
well  established  in  Coal  Creek  township,  Montgomery  county.  Two  children 
were  born  to  them,  Mary  C,  wife  of  our  subject;  and  a  son,  deceased. 

Six  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  S.  Coon,  namely : 
Calvin,  born  July  2.  1879,  is  married  and  lives  at  Wingate;  Christopher,  born 
July  II,  1880,  is  married  and  lives  on  the  county  line;  Clarence,  born  August 
31,  1881,  is  married  and  also  lives  on  the  county  line;  Clifford,  born  June  4, 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  809 

1883,  is  married  and  lives  in  Coal  Creek  township,  this  county;  Clyde,  born 
May  27,  1892,  lives  at  home,  assisting  his  father  with  the  general  work  on  the 
farm;  Cora,  born  October  24,  1901,  is  attending  the  home  schools. 

William  S.  Coon  has  always  devoted  himself  to  agricultural  pursuits,  with 
ever  increasing  success,  until  he  is  today  owner  of  one  of  the  choice  and  finely 
improved  faniis  of  Coal  Creek  township,  consisting  of  two  hundred  and 
eighty-four  acres.  It  is  all  tillable  and  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation, 
and  is  well  tilled.  On.r  subject  has  always  handled  a  good  grade  of  live  stock. 
He  built  the  residence  which  he  and  his  family  still  occupy  when  he  first  took 
possession  of  the  place. 

Politically,  he  is  a  loyal  Democrat,  and  was  for  two  years  a  member  of 
the  advisory  board. 


JOHN  R.  CRANE. 


The  name  of  John  R.  Crane  is  well  known  over  the  northwestern  part 
of  Montgomery  county  wliere  he  has  long  been  engaged  extensively  as  a 
buyer  and  shipper  of  live  stock,  and  he  has  also  followed  general  farming 
successfully  in  the  vicinity  of  the  town  of  Wingate.  He  is  a  man  whom  the 
farmers  have  learned  to  rely  upon,  consequently  he  is  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful stock  buyers  that  this  locality  has  ever  known. 

Mr.  Crane  was  born  on  September  28,  1857  in  Fountain  county,  Indiana. 
He  is  a  son  of  Joel  and  Mary  (Taylor)  Crane.  Tlie  birth  of  the  father 
occurred  in  1817  in  Warren  county,  Ohio,  from  which  state  he  came  to 
Indiana  when  a  boy  and  here  he  became  a  prosperous  farmer  and  a  well 
known  citizen  of  Fountain  county,  dying  in  the  year  1902.  The  mother  of 
our  subject  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and  she  too  reached  an  advanced  age.  dying 
in  1900.  The\'  were  a  hard-working,  hospitable,  honest  couple  who  were 
well  liked  by  all  their  neighbors.  They  recei\'ed  meagre  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  their  day,  and  they  spent  their  lives  engaged  in  general 
farming.  Their  family  consisted  of  seven  children,  all  sons,  namely :  Oliver 
H.,  Louis  C,  Cyrus,  John  R.  (our  subject),  A.  F.,  J.  W.,  and  Ira  A.  They 
were  all  reared  on  the  farm  and  assisted  tlieir  father  with  the  work  on  the 
same  during  their  boyhood  days,  and  they  had  the  advantages  of  good  com- 
mon schools. 

John  R.  Crane  began  life  for  himself  as  a  general  farmer  which  had 
remained  one  of  his  chief  vocations,  however,  he  now  turns  his  attention  very 
largelv  to  handling  of  live  stock,  which  he  raises,  buys,  and   ships,   and   is 


8lO  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

doing  an  extensive  business.  He  is  the  owner  of  eighty  acres  of  land  in 
Fountain  county,  which  is  well  improved  and  productive.  He  resides  in  a 
pleasant,  large  home  in  Wingate,  and  he  has  a  fine  ten  acre  feed  lot  in  the 
same  town.  He  has  been  very  successful  in  his  life  work,  and  is  one  of  the 
substantial  men  of  Coal  Creek  township. 

Politically,  Mr.  Crane  is  a  Republican,  but  he  has  never  sought  public 
office.  Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Order  and  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  both  at  Wingate. 

Mr.  Crane  has  been  twice  married,  uniting  with  his  second  wife  on 
November  27,  1902.  This  union  was  to  Mrs.  Carrie  O.  (Webb)  Butler, 
she  having  been  previously  married  to  a  Mr.  Butler.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Horace  and  Sarah  Ann  (Phillip)  Webb,  a  highly  respected  family.  Mrs. 
Crane  received  a  good  common  school  education. 

Mr.  Crane's  second  union  has  been  without  issue,  but  there  were  three 
children  by  his  first  wife,  living,  namely:  Abel  C,  Lulla  and  J.  Forrest. 
These  children  are  all  living  at  home  and  have  received  excellent  educational 
advantages  of  which  they  are  making  the  most.  The  family  is  well  known 
in  this  neighborhood  and,  being  neighborly  and  of  good  personal  character- 
istics thev  are  liked  by  all  who  know  them. 


BEN  S.  MYERS. 


The  Old  Dominion,  "the  mother  of  Presidents,"  has  perhaps  sent  from 
her  vast  domain  of  rich  valley  and  rugged  mountain  more  people  "worth 
while,"  who  have  gone  into  other  states  of  the  Union  and  there  proved  their 
mettle  by  what  they  have  done  in  the  way  of  upbuilding  new  localities,  than 
any  other,  the  great  Empire  state  not  excepted.  The  Virginians  are  also  uni- 
versally noted  for  their  hospitality  and  genial  address.  One  of  these  worthy 
sons,  one  of  the  few  who  has  selected  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  is  Ben 
S.  Myers,  for  many  years  one  of  the  most  extensive  and  active  contractors 
of  Crawfordsville,  known  throughout  the  United  States  and  Canada,  also 
as  an  expert  poultry  judge.  He  maintains  here  a  large  establishment,  mak- 
ing shipments  of  his  superior  grade  of  fowls  and  fancy  eggs,  and  no  man  in 
Indiana  is  regarded  as  a  better  authority  in  this  line,  or  indeed,  in  any  other 
state  as  to  that  matter.  Poultry  raising  has  been  given  a  great  impetus  by 
him,  and  he  has  done  much  to  better  the  grades.  Not  so  very  long  ago  when 
those  who  de\-oted  their  attention  exclusively  to  raising  poultry  were  com- 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  8ll 

paratively  few,  this  line  of  endeavor  was  sort  of  a  side  line  with  farmers; 
but  during  the  past  decade  conditions  have  changed  and  e\erywhere  we  find 
men  prospering  bj^  giving  their  exclusive  attention  to  the  raising  of  poultry, 
all  kinds  and  colors  being  raised,  each  fancying  his  breed  is  the  best.  But 
notwithstanding  this  increase,  the  demand  is  still  far  in  excess  of  the  supply, 
which  fact  renders  it  certain  that  the  poultry  business  will  continue  to  be  one 
of  the  important  industries  of  the  country. 

Mr.  Myers  was  born  in  the  state  of  Virginia  on  June  20,  1852,  and  he 
is  a  son  of  James  W.  and  Anna  E.  Myers,  who  spent  their  earlier  \ears  in 
that  state,  remaining  there  until  1854,  when  they  removed  to  Danville,  Illi- 
nois, the  subject  being  then  two  years  old,  and  there  they  established  the 
family  home,  the  parents  spending  the  rest  of  their  lives  there. 

Ben  S.  Myers  grew  to  manhood  at  Danville  and  received  a  limited  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools,  having  been  thrown  out  into  the  world  on  his 
own  resources  when  a  boy  as  a  result  of  domestic  troubles.  He  apprenticed 
himself  to  a  brick  mason,  and  after  learning  same  followed  that  for  several 
years  and  was  regarded  as  an  expert.  On  August  10,  1872,  he  came  to 
Craw  fords  ville,  Indiana,  and  worked  in  the  building  of  the  old  high  school. 
The  following  spring  he  went  into  the  contracting  business  with  A.  S.  New- 
ton and  built  several  buildings  in  Irvington  and  Spiceland,  Illinois,  then  re- 
turned to  Crawfordsville  and'  worked  on  the  court  house,  and  continued  con- 
tracting under  the  firm  name  of  Myers  &  Swan,  and  tlie\-  did  a  large  and 
successful  business  in  this  part  of  the  state,  many  of  the  most  important 
buildings  in  this  and  nearby  cities  standing  as  monuments  to  their  skill  as 
builders,  such  as  the  old  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building,  Carnegie  library.  Masonic 
temple.  Center  Presbyterian,  Baptist  and  Christian  and  United  Brethren 
churches,  the  Crawfords\-ille  Trust  Building,  the  coffin  factory,  the  nail  fac- 
tory, Poston  brick  plant  and  Big  Four  station.  In  1904  this  partnership, 
which  had  been  so  successful  for  several  years,  was  dissolved,  after  which 
Mr.  Myers  engaged  in  the  business  alone,  continuing  with  ever  increasing  suc- 
cess. During  this  period  he  built  the  following  school  houses  in  Crawfords- 
ville:  Breaks.  Garfield  and  Smartsburg:  the  Darlington  Addition,  and  addi- 
tion to  the  wire  works,  the  J.  J.  Darter  and  Poston  residences. 

In  1877  Mr.  Myers  turned  his  attention  to  poultry  and  began  raising 
the  famous  "Black  Langshans,"  and  he  is  possibly  the  oldest  breeder  of  that 
stock  in  the  United  States.  From  that  time  until  the  present,  a  period  of 
over  thirty-five  years,  he  has  had  ever  increasing  success,  until  they  have 
been  the  means  of  carrying  his  name  broadcast  throughout  the  land  and  into 
foreign  countries.      His   first  exhibit   was   in   Indianapolis   in    1887,    '"   the 


8l2  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Meridian  Rink  Building.  Since  tliat  time  he  has  had  prize  winners  in 
Kansas  City,  Denver,  New  Orleans,  Nashville,  Columbus,  Chicago,  Indian- 
apolis, New  York,  Cleveland,  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis.  For  twenty-two 
years  he  has  been  one  of  the  credited  judges  of  the  American  Poultry  Asso- 
ciation, and  was  one  of  the  first  to  have  a  judge's  license  in  this  large  asso- 
ciation. He  has  gone  all  over  the  United  States  and  Canada  as  a  judge  of 
poultry  shows,  and  his  decisions  have  ever  been  characterized  by  fairness 
and  sound  judgment  and  satisfactory  to  all  concerned.  At  this  writing  he 
has  about  one  hundred  pure-bred  "Black  Langshans,"  and  inquiries  about 
them  are  coming  in  constantly  from  all  over  the  country.  He  is  well  equipped 
for  the  proper  care  of  his  poultry  and  eggs,  everything  about  his  poultry 
yards  being  of  the  most  approved  kind.  He  owns  one  of  the  commodious 
and  attractive  residences  in  Crawfordsville,  beautiful  from  an  architectural 
standpoint.  This  pleasant  dwelling  is  presided  over  with  commendable 
grace  by  a  lady  of  refinement,  known  in  her  maidenhood  as  Frances  Brande- 
camp,  representative  of  a  highly  respected  and  well  known  familv  of  this 
city,  where  she  grew  to  womanhood  and  was  educated.  She  is  of  German 
parentage. 

The  union  of  Mr.  Myers  and  wife  has  been  blessed  by  the  birth  of  five 
children,  namely:  Paul  J.,  Charles  J.,  L.  J.,  Benjamin  Herbert  and  Bessie 
Helena,  the  two  latter  being  twins. 

Mr.  Myers  is  prominent  in  fraternal  circles,  holding  membership  with 
the  local  lodges  of  Masons,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 
The  Elks  home  in  Crawfordsville  was  built  by  Myers  &  Son.  Politically,  the 
subject  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  good  mixer  and,  being  an  obliging,  jovial 
gentleman,  is  popular  with  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact. 


F.  F.  CUMA^INGS. 


There  could  be  no  more  comprehensive  history  written  of  a  community 
or  county  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  "prominent  and  pro- 
gressive," and  in  this  sketch  will  be  found  the  record  of  one  who  has  out- 
stripped the  less  active  and  less  able  plodders  on  the  highway  of  life,  one  who 
has  been  consistent  in  his  life  work  and  never  permitted  the  "grass  to  grow 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  813 

under  his  feet,"  one  who,  while  advancing  his  own  interests  has  not  neglected 
his  full  duties  to  the  general  public,  at  the  same  time  upholding  an  honored 
family  name.  Such  a  man  is  F.  F.  Cummings,  of  the  Cummings  y\uto  Com- 
pany, a  well  known  and  rapidly  growing  concern  at  Crawfordsville. 

Mr.  Cummings  was  born  in  Chainpaign  county,  Illinois,  May  23,  1883. 
He  is  a  son  of  Marshall  F.  and  Minerva  (Porter)  Cummings.  The  father 
was  a  prosperous  planing  mill  man  and  contractor  of  Indianapolis,  spending 
the  latter  part  of  his  life  in  the  Hoosier  capital  and  dying  there  on  March  7, 
1910.     His  widow  survives  and  still  makes  her  home  in  Indianapolis. 

F.  F.  Cummings  was  a  child  when  his  parents  removed  from  Champaign 
county,  Illinois,  in  1887,  and  he  grew  to  manhood  in  the  metropolis  and  there 
received  his  education,  which  included  a  course  in  a  business  college,  after 
which  he  went  to  work  in  his  father's  planing  mill  where  he  remained  until 
he  was  nineteen  years  old,  during  which  time  he  mastered  the  various  details 
of  that  line  of  work.  He  then  took  up  railroading,  securing  a  position  as 
brakeman  on  the  Pennsylvania  road,  but  after  a  year  of  that  dangerous  and 
arduous  work  he  returned  to  the  planing  mill  where  he  remained  until  four 
years  ago  when  he  and  his  brother,  H.  S.  Cummings  bought  out  the  Alfrey 
Auto  Company  at  Crawfordsville,  and  they  have  built  up  a  large  and  rapidly 
growing  business.  They  handle  the  Ford  and  Hudson  cars  and  conduct  a 
general  repair  house,  also  storage  for  autos,  handling  supplies  of  all  kinds, 
gasoline,  oil,  etc.  Their  patrons  come  from  all  over  this  locality,  anfl  an 
evidence  of  their  success  as  salesmen  is  seen  from  the  fact  that  most  of  the 
cars  in  Montgomery  and  adjoining  counties  seem  to  be  the  makes  which  they 
handle.  They  under.stand  every  phase  of  their  business  and  are  prepared  to 
do  promptly  high  grade  work. 

H.  S.  Cummings  was  born  on  August  13,  1885,  and  was  educated  in 
Indianapolis.  Like  his  brother  he  learned  the  planing  mill  business  under 
his  father  and  followed  the  same  until  he  came  to  Crawfordsville  a  few  years 
ago.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  and  he  and  his  brother  are  both 
standpatters  in  politics,  voting  the  Republican  ticket.  These  young  men  have 
made  a  iine  start  in  the  business  world  and  the  future  promises  much  for 
them. 

F.  F.  Cummings  was  married  on  February  20,  1905,  to  Lillian  E.  Robin- 
son, daughter  of  C.  M.  Robinson,  a  plumber  of  Indianapolis.  To  this  union 
two  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Marshall  F.,  and  Marion  N. 

On  October  2,  1910,  H.  S.  Cimimings  married  Delia  Bruner,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  Bruner,  of  Hillsboro,  Indiana,  a  carpenter  by  trade.  Mr. 
Cummings  belongs  to  the  Masonic  lodge,  and  politically  is  a  Republican. 


8l4  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

W.  E.  McWILLIAMS. 

There  are  several  business  houses  in  the  city  of  Crawfordsville  that  are 
not  only  thorughly  typical  of  the  comprehensive  growth  and  increasing  im- 
portance of  the  place,  but  also  distinctly  a  source  of  public  pride,  delineating 
as  they  do  the  general  business  enterprise  and  commercial  sagacity  of  some 
of  our  leading  citizens.  Such  an  establishment  is  the  McWilliams  Furniture 
Company,  of  which  W.  E.  McWilliams,  one  of  the  most  thorough  going, 
enterprising  business  men  of  Montgomery  county  is  the  head.  He  is  widely 
known  throughout  this  locality,  having  spent  the  major  portion  of  his  life  in 
this  section  of  the  Wabash  Valley  country,  although  a  native  of  the  land  of 
the  "big  muddy  water,"  but  he  was  brought  to  an  adjoining  county  when  a 
child  and  his  manhood  years  have  been  passed  in  this  part  of  Hoosierdom. 
He  has  displayed  excellent  judgment  and  more  than  ordinary  business  acu- 
men. He  gives  almost  his  entire  attention  and  thought  to  his  business  enter- 
prise, is  careful  and  exact  in  his  transactions  and  has  the  pleasantest  relations 
with  his  patrons  and  the  general  public. 

W.  E.  McWilliams  was  born  in  Clinton  county,  Missouri,  August  8, 
1868.  He  is  a  son  of  Dudley  and  Dora  (Elder)  McWilliams,  who  removed 
to  Parke  county,  Indiana,  when  our  subject  was  twelve  years  old,  in  the  year 
1870,  and  there  the  family  continued  to  reside  until  1908  when  the  father  re- 
moved to  Center  Point,  Texas,  where  he  still  resides.  He  has  devoted  his 
life  successfully  to  agricultural  pursuits  and  is  known  as  a  man  of  industry 
and  honesty  wherever  he  has  lived.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  in 
fraternal  affairs  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Order. 

W.  E.  McWilliams  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  in  Parke  county 
and  there  assisted  with  the  general  work  during  the  crop  seasons  and  in  the 
winter  time  he  attended  the  common  schools.  He  began  life  for  himself  by 
farming  and  raising  stock,  handling  mules,  horses  and  other  stock  of  a  good 
grade,  and  was  successful  from  the  start,  carrying  on  general  farming  in  con- 
nection with  handling  live  stock.  His  place  was  located  near  Marshall,  and 
there  he  continued  operations  until  1908  when  he  came  to  Crawfordsville  and 
bought  out  G.  W.  Newlin's  furniture  store,  and  he  has  since  been  engaged  in 
this  line  of  business  with  ever  increasing  success.  He  carries  one  of  the 
finest  lines  of  complete  furnishings,  carpets,  rugs,  stoves,  etc.,  to  be  found  in 
western  Indiana,  showing  at  all  seasons  an  up-to-date  and  carefully  selected 
stock,  and  he  draws  his  hundreds  of  patrons  from  all  over  the  county,  for 
here  they  know  they  will  receive  uniform,  counteous  and  honest  treatment. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  815 

His  place  of  business  is  located  on  Washington  street,  and  is  known  as  the 
McWilliams  Furniture  Company.  He  carries  a  stock  that  would  invoice 
between  ten  thousand  and  fifteen  thousand  dollars  at  all  times,  and  he  has 
been  very  successful  in  a  financial  way. 

Mr.  McWilliams  is  a  public-spirited  man  and  always  aids  any  movement 
which  has  for  its  object  the  betterment  of  his  city  or  county.  Fraternally, 
he  belongs  to  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur,  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks,  and  until  recentlv  was  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pvthias. 


GEORGE  P.   RAMSEY,  M.  D. 

One  of  the  most  promising  and  best  known  of  the  younger  physicians 
and  surgeons  of  Montgomery  county  and  vicinity  is  Dr.  George  P.  Ramsey, 
who,  while  yet  young  in  years  has  shown  himself  to  be  the  possessor  of  all 
the  varied  attributes  necessary  in  the  makeup  of  the  successful  minister  to 
human  ills,  having  a  decided  natural  talent  in  this  science  and  also  an  engag- 
ing personality,  being  a  man  who  commands  the  respect  and  confidence  of 
his  patients  and  consequently  gets  speedy  results.  He  has  made  a  host  of 
friends  since  establishing  himself  in  his  profession  here,  and  is  one  of  our 
worthiest  home  boys  and  in  even,-  respect  a  most  creditable  representative  of 
the  medical  profession  in  a  community  long  noted  for  the  high  order  of  its 
talent. 

Dr.  Ramsey  was  born  in  Crawfordsville,  Indiana,  February,  i8,  1876, 
and  he  is  a  son  of  William  T.  and  Tabitha  J.  (  Hightower)  Ramsey,  the 
former  born  in  Lexington,  Kentucky,  finalh-  coming  to  Montgomery  county, 
Indiana,  where  he  established  the  permanent  home  of  the  family.  Here  he 
and  Tabitha  J.  Hightower  were  married,  she  ha\'ing  come  with  her  parents 
to  Montgomery  county  when  young. 

Dr.  Ramsey  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  city  and  here  he  attended 
the  common  schools,  and  was  graduated  from  the  local  high  school  with  the 
class  of  1896.  Early  in  life  he  determined  upon  a  career  as  a  physician  and 
with  this  end  in  view  he  entered  Central  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
at  Indianapolis  (now  known  as  the  Indiana  Medical  College).  Here  he 
made  an  excellent  record  and  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1900.  While 
in  that  institution  he  became  a  member  of  the  Galenien  society,  a  student 
literary  body  and  was  quite  influential  in  the  same. 

After  leaving  college,  Dr.  Ramsey  located  at  Newton,  Fountain  county. 


8l6  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY^    INDIANA. 

where  he  remained  six  years,  building  up  a  satisfactory  practice.  He  then 
removed  to  Whitesville,  where  he  remained  three  years  with  Hke  success. 
Seeking  a  larger  field  for  the  exercise  of  his  talents  he  came  to  Crawfords- 
ville  in  1909,  and  opened  an  office  which  he  has  since  maintained,  ever  enjoy- 
ing a  large,  growing  and  lucrative  patronage.  He  has  kept  well  up-to-date 
in  his  profession  by  close  study  as  well  as  practical  experience. 

Fraternally,  the  Doctor  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica, the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles,  and  Owls,  in 
all  of  which  he  is  deservedly  popular,  being  nest  physician  of  the  last  named 
order.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican.  For  two  years  he  very  ably  and 
acceptably  discharged  the  duties  of  county  coroner.  Religiously,  he  is  a 
Baptist. 

Dr.  Ramsey  was  married  on  May  15.  1907,  to  Fannie  Smith,  of  near 
Whitesville,  where  her  family  is  well  and  favorably  known. 


LOUIS  BISCHOF. 


An  enumeration  of  the  enterprising  men  of  the  Wabash  Valley  country 
and  especially  of  Montgomery  county  who  have  won  recognition  and  suc- 
cess for  themselves  and  at  the  same  time  have  conferred  honor  upon  the 
locality  where  they  reside  would  be  incomplete  were  there  failure  to  make 
mention  of  Louis  Bischof ,  who,  while  yet  young  in  years,  became  one  of  the 
substantial  and  most  representative  business  men  and  influential  citizens  of 
the  city  of  Crawfordsville,  which  position  he  has  continued  to  maintain,  con- 
ducting an  extensive  mercantile  establishment.  He  has  ever  held  worthy 
prestige  in  mercantile  circles  and  was  always  regarded  as  distinctively  a  man 
of  affairs  and  has  wielded  a  potent  influence  among  those  with  whom  his  lot 
has  been  cast,  having  won  definite  success  and  shown  what  a  man  of  lofty 
principles,  honesty  of  purpose  and  determination  can  win  by  proper  efifort. 
He  stands  in  the  front  rank  of  the  men  who  honor  his  calling  and  because  of 
his  industry,  integrity  and  courtesy  he  enjoys  the  good  will  and  respect  of  all 
classes. 

Louis  Bischof  was  born  in  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  February  19,  i860. 
He  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Minnie  Bischof,  both  natives  of  Germany,  where 
they  grew  to  maturity,  were  educated  and  married  and  there  spent  their 
earlier  years,  emigrating  from  the  famous  city  of  Heidelberg  to  the  United 
States  in  1856,  and  locating  at  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  where  they  became  well 


c/o-uu^  UJU^^^^A^ 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  Si/ 

established  and  to  tliem  were  born  the  following  children:  Louis,  subject 
of  this  review;  :\Irs.  Fannie  Kalin,  of  Crawfordsville;  Morris  Bischof,  who 
lives  in  Chicago;  Mrs.  Dora  Bernheimer,  of  Terre  Haute:  John  Bischof,  who 
lives  in  Crawfordsville:  Mrs.  Carrie  Levi,  wlio  resided  in  Cincinnati,  and 
Abe  Bischof,  both  deceased. 

Louis  Bischof  was  only  eleven  months  old  when  his  father  died.  His 
mother  survived  many  years,  reaching  an  advanced  age,  and  died  some 
twelve  years  ago. 

Louis  Bischof  grew  to  manhood  in  the  city  of  Terre  Haute  and  there 
he  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools.  When  seventeen  years  of  age 
he  came  to  Crawfordsville  and  began  his  business  career  in  1877,  and  has 
always  been  a  merchant,  ha\ing  had  a  decided  natural  bent  for  that  line  of 
endeavor,  and  his  rise  has  been  gradual  and  certain,  each  year  finding  him 
further  advanced  than  the  preceding.  His  first  store  was  a  one-story  room 
in  Washington  street.  By  his  courtesy,  thrift  and  splendid  business  judg- 
ment, his  store  soon  outgrew  his  limited  quarters  there,  so  larger  accommo- 
dations were  secured  by  the  purchase  of  a  story  and  a  half  building  on  Main 
street.  Within  a  short  time  this,  too.  proved  inadequate  to  the  fast-growing 
business,  when  an  adjoining  room  of  equal  proportions  was  added.  With 
the  growth  of  Crawfordsville  and  the  constant  increase  of  activity  in  its  com- 
mercial life  this  building  soon  proved  too  small  to  meet  the  demands  of  the 
business.  Mr.  Bischof  then  built  iiis  present  substantial  and  commodious 
structure,  with  a  forty-three  foot  front  and  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  feet 
in  depth,  with  basement  and  four  floors.  The  building  is  modern  in  all  its 
appointments,  with  electric  passenger  and  freight  elevators,  its  own  electric 
lighting  plant,  pneumatic  cash  system  and  every  feature  of  up-to-date  store 
service. 

When  Mr.  Bischof  began  business  he  enipl(i}ed  only  five  people.  One 
hundred  employes  are  now  on  the  pay  roll  of  the  Louis  Bischof  Big  Store. 
A  very  large  and  carefully  selected  stock  of  general  merchandise  is  carried,  a 
new  stock  purchased  each  season,  and  the  thousands  of  satisfied  and  regular 
customers  of  this  mammoth  enterprise  know  tliat  here  they  always  receive 
honest  and  courteous  treatment,  which  is  uniform  to  all  classes.  One  reason 
Mr.  Bischof  is  enabled  to  sell  his  goods  at  a  much  lower  figure  than  other 
merchants  is  because  he  buys  his  goods  in  enormous  quantities,  hence  pur- 
chases them  lower  than  if  bought  in  small  lots  here  and  there.  Thus  he  gives 
his  customers  the  benefit  of  this  reduction.  His  fine  store  is  neatly  arranged, 
tastily  kept  and  is  a  comfortable  place  both  winter  and  summer,  everything 

(.S2) 


8l8  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

being  provided  for  the  comfort  of  customers,  and  it  is  the  favorite  gathering 
place  for  farmers'  families  from  all  over  Montgomery  and  adjoining  coun- 
ties when  in  Crawfordsville.     Everything  is  managed  under  a  superb  system. 

In  1907  Mr.  Bischof  incorporated  the  business  under  the  name  of  the 
Louis  Bischof  Big  Store,  a  unique  feature  of  the  incorporation  being  that  it 
is  organized  on  the  co-operative  plan.  At  the  present  time  there  are  over 
three  thousand  stockholders  of  this  great  store  living  in  Crawfordsville  and 
Montgomery  county,  who,  impelled  by  a  common  interest,  take  a  personal 
pride  in  the  success  of  the  enterprise,  and  are  making  it  one  of  the  best  and 
largest  stores  in  the  state. 

In  addition  to  being  the  president  of  the  corporation  mentioned  above, 
Mr.  Bischof  has  always  given  liberally  of  his  time  and  money  to  the  better- 
ment and  advancement  of  the  city  of  Crawfordsville,  whose  interests  he  has 
ever  had  at  heart,  having  great  faith  in  its  future  and  favorable  location  as  a 
commercial  center. 

Mr.  Bischof  is  a  member  of  DeBayard  Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias;  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  Crawfordsville  Lodge  No.  483. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  B'nai  Brith. 

Mr.  Bischof  is  a  member  of  the  Crawfordsville  Commercial  Club  and  a 
director  in  the  same.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Farmers  and  Merchants 
Trust  Company.  He  is  also  president  of  the  Louis  Bischof  Big  Store  of 
Ladoga,  Indiana,  where  a  large  business  is  carried  on  with  the  surrounding 
country,  this  being  one  of  the  largest  and  most  complete  department  stores  in 
the  Wabash  country,  and,  like  its  sister  establishment  in  the  county-seat, 
would  be  a  credit  to  a  town  much  larger  than  Ladoga. 


MARION  E.  CLODFELTER. 

No  more  popular  or  able  exponent  of  the  legal  profession  is  to  be  found 
in  Montgomery  and  surrounding  counties  than  Marion  E.  Clodfelter,  of 
Crawfordsville,  a  man  who  seems  to  combine,  by  both  nature  and  training, 
all  the  elements  essential  in  the  makeup  of  a  first-class  lawyer.  He  is  a  man 
of  broad  mind,  alert,  energetic,  and  always  has  the  interests  of  his  clients  at 
heart,  sparing  no  pains  in  their  behalf,  and,  being  a  man  of  exemplary  char- 
acter he  has  the  confidence  and  good  will  of  the  people  of  this  locality.  He 
is  the  scion  of  a  worthy  old  pioneer  family  and  the  name  Clodfelter  has  been 
a  well  known  one  in  the  annals  of  the  Wabash  country  for  many  decades. 


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consequently  is  eminently  deservint;-  of  ])roininenl   mention  in  am-  history  of 
this  part  of  the  Hoosier  state. 

Mr.  Clodfelter  was  horn  in  I'utnam 
he  is  a  son  of  Alathias  and  Mar\'  M.  (; 
born  in  Xorth  Carolina  in  iSid,  and  the 
in  1819.  They  lioth  were  hroui;ht  to  1' 
children,  by  their  parents.  The  father, 
and  miller  and  well  known  here  in  the 
Mathias  Clodfelter  and  Mary  M.  Sayler  grew  to  maturity  and  were  married 
in  1838,  mo\-ing  from  Putnam  to  Montgomeiy  county  in  December,  181 4, 
and  locating  on  forty  acres  of  land  in  Ripley  township.  This  ground  was 
cleared  by  Mr.  Clodfelter  and,  being  a  hard  w'orkerand  a  good  manager  he 
prospered  and  added  to  his  original  holdings  until  he  owned  an  excellent 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty  acres,  and  this  he  continued  to  farm  suc- 
cessfully until  his  health  failed,  when  he  removed  to  .\lamo  and  o])enc(l  a 
grocery  store  which  he  conducted  for  si.x  or  eight  years,  building  u|)  a  large 
trade  with  the  surrounding  country.  He  tlien  retired  from  the  acli\e  duties 
of  life  and  moved  to  New  Ross  where  his  death  occurred.  He  was  one  of 
the  first  tow-nship  trustees  of  Ripley  township,  and  was  for  some  time  justice 
of  the  peace.  Politically,  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  in  religion  a  Universalist. 
The  death  of  his  wife  occurred  in  Crawfordsxille.  She  was  a  woman  of 
rare  attributes,  being  a  natural  botanist  and  she  knew  medical  varieties  of 
plants  and  herbs,  and  she  doctored  her  own  family  \-ery  successfully. 
Thirteen  children  were  born  to  Mathias  Clodfelter  and  wife,  four  of  whom 
are  living  at  this  writing,  namely:  Evelyne  is  the  wife  of  Rev.  T.  E.  Ballard; 
Ellie  is  the  wife  of  E.  E.  Ballard:  Minnie  married  J.  R.  Etter:  and  Marion 
E.,  of  this  review. 

Marion  E.  Clodfelter  grew  to  manhood  in  this  native  count\-  and  here 
received  a  common  school  education,  later  entering  Waveland  Academy, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1872,  with  the  degree  of  B.  C. 
He  began  life  for  himself  as  a  teacher,  in  which  field  of  enedavor  his  rise 
was  rapid  and  he  had  the  honor  of  serving  Montgomery  county  as  its  first 
superintendent  of  schools,  and  he  deser\es  much  credit  for  the  successful 
manner  in  which  he  disi^osed  of  the  huge  task  of  organizing  the  schools  of 
the  county.  He  has  always  been  in  sympathy  with  the  local  educational  work 
and  has  done  much  in  furthering  the  same.  Finally  tiring  of  the  school 
room  and  deciding  that  his  true  bent  was  toward  legal  circles  he  took  up  the 
study  of  law  with  Koons  &  E\'ans,  of  Crawfordsville,  studying  part  of  the 


820  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

five  years  that  he  was  engaged  in  teaching.  He  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession  at  the  town  of  New  Ross  in  1878,  remaining  there  two  years  and, 
then,  seeking  a  larger  field  for  the  exercise  of  his  talents,  he  removed  to 
Crawfordsville  in  1880,  and  he  has  been  continuously  and  successfully  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  here  ever  since,  or  for  a  period  of  thirty-two  years, 
during  which  time  he  has  figured  prominently  in  the  important  cases  in  the 
local  courts  and  has  attained  a  position  in  the  front  rank  of  attorneys  of 
western  Indiana.  He  is  ever  a  profound  studeent,  and  has  kept  fully  abreast 
of  the  times  in  all  that  pertains  to  his  vocation.  He  is  a  careful,  painstaking 
and  energetic  advocate,  and  as  a  speaker  has  great  weight  with  a  jury,  being 
a  logical,  forceful  and  not  infrequently  truly  eloquent  speaker.  He  is  always 
busy  and  has  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice. 

Politically,  Mr.  Clodfelter  is  a  Progressive,  and  is  much  enthused  in 
the  work  of  the  new  party.  He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Order  and  to  the 
Patriotic  Order  of  the  Sons  of  America. 

Mr.  Clodfelter  was  married  in  1873  to  Lucinda  C.  Myers,  a  lady  of  re- 
finement and  education,  and  a  daughter  of  William  Myers,  a  worthy  early 
settler  of  Fountain  county.  To  this  union  two  children  have  been  born, 
namely:  Stella  I.,  who  is  the  present  court  reporter  of  the  local  courts;  and 
Cora  Donna,  wife  of  Ward  Williams.  Mrs.  Clodfelter  was  born  in  Fountain 
county  on  October  4,  1854. 

Mr.  Clodfelter  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  person  to  hold  a 
life  certificate  to  teach  school  in  Montgomery  county. 


LUTHER  R.  LONG. 


It  is,  or  at  least  should  be,  the  pride  of  every  American  that  there  are  no 
bounds  set  on  the  limits  to  which  legitimate  ambition,  perseverance  and  right 
ideals  may  not  aspire.  Although  one  may  be  born  and  reared  under  the  most 
discouraging  environment,  he  is,  notwithstanding,  able  to  break  such  bonds 
and  rise  to  any  and  every  station  of  honor  and  usefulness  in  the  land.  The 
attributes  do  not  necessarily  have  to  be  of  a  transcendent  nature  to  enable 
him  to  accomplish  this  result.  It  is  more  the  way  the  individual  does  it  and 
his  skill  in  seizing  opportunities  presented  than  to  any  extraordinaiy  qualities 
innate  in  him.  Accordingly  it  is  very  often  found  in  the  United  States  that 
the  men  in  exalted  positions  in  both  the  civic  and  business  world  possess  no 
higher  ability  than  thousands  of  other  citizens.     They  have  simply  taken  bet- 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  82 1 

ter  advantage  of  their  circumstances  than  their  fellows.  And  this  trutli  runs 
through  every  occupation.  The  tiller  of  the  soil  who  makes  a  greater  success 
than  his  neighbors  does  so  because  he  has  found  the  secret  of  rising  above 
the  surroundings  which  hold  others  down. 

One  of  this  type  of  men  in  Montgomery  county  is  Luther  R.  Long,  the 
present  county  commissioner,  and  for  many  years  one  of  our  leading  farmers 
and  stock  men.  now  living  in  retirement  in  his  pleasant  home  north  of  Craw- 
fordsville. 

Mr.  Long  was  born  on  .\ugust  7.  1847  in  Brown  county,  Ohio,  where  he 
spent  his  earlier  life  and  received  his  education,  and  from  there  he  came  to 
Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  in  1874  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  is  a  son 
of  William  and  Anna  (Davis)  Long.  The  father  was  liorn  on  September  6, 
1810  in  Brown  county,  Ohio,  and  tliere  the  mother  was  also  born  on  March 
6,  1812.  There  they  grew  to  maturity,  were  educated  and  married,  and  spent 
their  lives  engaged  in  general  farming,  and  to  them  four  children  were  born. 
They  are  now  deceased,  the  father's  death  having  occurred  on  .'\ugust  14, 
1889,  ^""^1  the  mother  passed  away  at  a  very  ailvanced  age  in  September,  1906. 

Luther  R.  Long  was  married  on  October  28,  1874,  to  Caroline  Purdum, 
who  was  born  August  19,  1854,  in  Brown  county,  Ohio,  and  there  she  grew  to 
womanhood  and  received,  a  common  school  education.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Aaron  and  Margaret  Ellen  (Colgin)  Purdum.  the  mother  having  been  born 
in  Delaware,  and  the  father  in  Ohio. 

Four  children  have  been  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  namely:  Lawrence 
R.,  born  September  17,  1875,  married  Helen  \\'el)ster.  and  they  Ii\e  in  Fort 
Worth,  Texas;  Pearl,  born  January  17,  1878,  married  in  igii  to  Frank  D. 
Noland,  and  they  live  in  Montgomery  county:  Ann,  born  April  29.  1881.  mar- 
ried Mahlon  D.  Manson,  and  they  live  in  Terre  Haute,  Indiana:  and  Luther 
L.,  born  July  17,  1885,  married  Zula  Russell,  and  they  live  in  Crawfordsville. 

Mr.  Long  has  always  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising  and 
has  met  with  pronounced  success  all  along  the  line.  He  owns  a  finely  im- 
proved and  productive  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seven  acres,  all  tillable  and 
well  tiled.  In  connection  with  general  farming  he  has  raised  fine  live  stock, 
handling  a  superior  grade  of  trotting  horses,  which  have  been  greatly  admired 
by  all  who  have  seen  them.  He  has  a  commudious  and  well  furnished  home 
and  substantial  outbuildings. 

Politically,  Mr.  Long  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  has  l^een  county  commissioner 
of  Montgomery  county  since  1906,  filling  the  office  in  a  manner  that  has  re- 
flected much  credit  upon  himself  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  concerned.  He 
belongs  to  the  Horse  Thief  Detective  Association. 


822  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

JOHN  FRANKLIN  WARBRITTON. 

If  there  is  one  thing  which  distinguishes  the  American  business  man 
over  those  of  any>  other  country  it  is  the  faculty  with  which  any  and  all  oc- 
cupations are  readily  taken  up  by  him  and  made  successful.  In  the  older 
countries  it  was  customary  for  the  son  to  follow  the  father's  pursuit.  "Fol- 
low your  father,  my  son,  and  do  as  your  father  has  done,"  was  a  maxim 
which  all  sons  were  expected  to  adopt.  It  was  jn  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  service  as 
they,  or  he  will  not  get  the  positions,  the  prestige,  or  business.  Such  adapta- 
tion to  any  work  or  business  is  well  shown  in  the  career  of  John  Franklin 
Warbritton,  well  known  real  estate  dealer  of  Crawfordsville,  and  formerly  a 
popular  recorder  of  Montgomery  county. 

Mr.  Warbritton  was  born  in  Rockville.  Parke  county,  Indiana,  on 
March  6,  1865.  He  is  a  son  of  Samuel  N.  and  Amelia  A.  (Seaman)  War- 
britton. The  father  was  born  in  Scott  township,  Montgomery  county,  In- 
diana, December  5,  183 1.  He  was  a  son  of  Peter  and  Phoebe  Warbritton, 
early  settlers  of  this  county,  and  well  known  to  the  pioneers  of  this  vicinity. 

Samuel  N.  Warbritton  devoted  all  his  active  life  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits, with  the  exception  of  two  years,  which  were  spent  at  Rockville,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  buying  horses  for  the  Union  army,  during  the  latter  part 
of  the  Civil  war.  He  and  his  wife  are  still  living  near  the  place  where  he 
was  born,  living  now  in  retirement,  after  years  of  successful  endeavor. 

John  F.  Warbritton  was  educated  in  the  country  schools,  and  was 
graduated  from  the  Ladoga  Normal  in  1885,  then  began  life  for  himself  by 
farming,  which  he  followed  two  years,  then  clerked  at  New  Market  for  a 
period  of  twelve  years,  gi^■ing  satisfaction  to  his  employers.  He  then  came 
to  Crawfordsville  and  engaged  in  the  clothing  luisiness,  and  was  getting  a 
good  start  in  this  line  when  the  Republicans  elected  him  county  recorder, 
which  office  he  held  for  a  period  of  eight  years,  in  a  manner  which  reflected 
much  credit  upon  his  ability  and  to  the  eminent  satisfaction  of  all  concerned, 
irrespective  of  party  alignment,  giving  his  best  efforts  to  the  work  and 
proving  to  be  one  of  the  most  faithful  and  praiseworthy  officials  the  county 
has  ever  had.  After  his  term  of  office  had  expired  he  engaged  in  the  real 
estate  business,  which  he  still  continues  on  an  extensive  scale,  having  built 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY.    INDIANA.  823 

up  a  large  and  growing  business.  No  man  in  the  county  is  letter  |K)ste(l  on 
tlie  value  of  lx)th  city  and  rural  property  tlian  lie. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Warhritton  is  a  memlier  of  the  Benevolent  and  I'ro- 
tective  Order  of  Elks,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America. 

In  February.  iS86.  Mr.  Warhritton  was  married  to  Laura  A.  Rush, 
daughter  of  V.  J.  and  Jennie  Rush.  She  was  1)orn  in  Xew  Market.  Mont- 
gomery county,  Indiana,  in  iS^jS,  and  here  she  grew  to  womanhood  and  re- 
ceived her  education. 

Two  children  have  been  liorn  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Warliritton.  nanielv : 
Ernest  R..  who  is  in  business  with  his  father:  and  Blanche,  who  is  at  home. 


ELMER  W.  REAM.  D.  D.  S. 

The  dental  profession  of  Montgomery  county  has  an  able  and  iwpular 
exponent  in  the  person  of  Dr.  Elmer  W.  Ream,  of  Crawfordsville.  who  has 
acquired  a  very  high  order  of  ability,  believing  in  the  most  progressi\-e 
methods,  and  he  has  left  nothing  undone  nor  spared  any  expense  in  preparing 
himself  for  this  important  field  of  endeavor  or  to  equip  his  office  properly  in 
order  to  insure  the  highest  grade  of  work  possible  in  the  briefest  time.  Me 
is  evidently  of  a  decided  mechanical  turn  of  mind  and  more  or  less  of  the 
artistic  temperament,  so  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  he  has  met  w  ith  un- 
usual success  in  his  chosen  life  work.  Added  to  tliis  natural  l)ent  is  liis  in- 
dustry and  perseverance,  being  willing  to  put  forth  any  eft'ort  in  order  to  learn 
a  little  more  of  this,  one  of  the  world's  most  imi)Mrtant  and  useful  i)rofessions. 
Then,  too,  he  is  a  gentleman  of  integrity  and  a  uniform  courtesy  which  have 
won  for  him  a  wide  circle  of  warm  friends  since  casting  his  lot  with  the  jjcople 
of  Montgomery  county  some  years  ago. 

Dr.  Ream  was  born  in  Huntington  couutw  Indiana,  on  the  old  home 
fami,  October  31,  1862,  being  the  scion  of  an  excellent  and  well  established 
family  in  that  section  of  the  Hoosier  state.  His  parents  were  David  and 
Delilah  Ream,  who  spent  their  lives  successfully  engaged  in  general  agricul- 
tural pursuits  in  the  abo\e  named  county  and  there  they  passed  to  their  eternal 
rest  many  \ears  ago.  They  w ere  honest,  hard-w nrking  people  who  were  liked 
in-  all  their  neighbors. 

It  was  on  the  old  homestead  in  Huntinglon  county  that  Dr.  Ream  s])cnt 
his  boyhood  days  and  grew  to  manhood,  and  there  he  made  himself  generally 


824  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

useful  during"  the  crop  seasons  when  he  became  of  proper  age,  and  during 
the  winter  months  he  attended  the  district  schools.  After  a  good  general  edu- 
cation he,  having  long  fostered  the  ambition  to  be  a  dentist,  entered  the  Ohio 
College  of  Dental  Surger}-,  at  Cincinnati,  where  he  made  an  excellent  record 
and  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1890. 

Thus  well  qualified  for  the  vocation  which  he  early  decided  to  give  his 
life  forces  to.  Dr.  Ream  at  once  came  to  Crawfordsville,  Indiana,  and  bought 
out  the  ofifice  of  Dr.  G.  S.  Qements  at  231I/2  East  Main  street,  and  here  he  has 
since  been  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice,  building  up  a  large  and  lucra- 
tive patronage. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  in  religious  matters  a  Methodist. 

Dr.  Ream  was  married  in  February,  1892,  to  Lulu  Brewer,  a  daughter 
of  Squire  Brewer  and  wife,  a  highly  respected  Crawfordsville  family,  and  to 
this  union  five  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Lulu  Fern  is  teaching  in  the 
Wilson  building  in  her  home  city:  Vincent  B.,  Mora  Bell,  Martha,  are  all 
attending  high  school,  and  Paul  is  in  the  graded  school. 


CAPT.  THOMAS  THEODORE  MUNHALL. 

It  will  always  be  a  mark  of  distinction  to  have  served  the  Lmion  during 
the  great  war  of  the  Rebellion.  The  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,  most  of  them  attaining  their 
allotted  "three  score  and  ten  years,"  mentioned  by  the  divinely  inspired 
Psalmist  of  old,  friends  will  pay  him  suitable  eulogy  for  the  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 
for  his  country  in  its  hour  of  peril.  One  of  the  most  eligible  citizens  for  spe- 
cific mention  in  a  history  of  Montgomery  county  is  Capt.  Thomas  Theodore 
Munhall,  for  many  years  a  well  known  business  man,  and  who  is  now  living 
practically  retired  from  the  active  duties  of  life  in  his  pleasant  home  in  Craw- 
fordsville. He  is  worthy  of  our  attention  partly  because  of  the  fact  that  he 
is  one  of  the  old  soldiers  who  went  forth  in  that  great  crisis  in  the  sixties  to 
assist  in  saving  the  union  of  states,  and  partly  because  he  has  been  one  of  our 
honorable-  and  public-spirited  citizens  for  a  number  of  decades.     He  is  a 


CAPT.    THOS.    T.    MUNlfAL 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  825 

plain,  straightforward,  unassuming  gentleman  who  has  souglit  to  do  his  duty 
in  all  the  relations  of  life  as  he  has  seen  and  understood  the  right. 

Captain  Munhall  was  born  on  June  5,  1841.  in  Zanesville,  Ohio.  He  is 
a  son  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  Hurd  (Wiggins)  Muniiall.  The  fatlier  was  born 
near  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  July  30,  181 1,  and  in  an  early  day  went  to 
Zanesville,  Ohio,  where  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business,  and  owing  to 
the  dishonesty  of  his  partner,  failed.  He  then  took  up  farming  which  he 
continued  a  few  years,  then  in  1858  went  to  Illinois  and  located  near  Farm- 
ington,  where  he  continued  general  agricultural  pursuits  until  his  death,  June 
27,  1893,  at  Forrest,  Illinois.  He  was  a  Republican,  and  religiously,  a 
Methodist.  He  was  an  industrious,  hard  working  man  and  known  for  his 
uprightness  and  neighborliness. 

Sarah  \\'iggins,  who  became  the  wife  of  Samuel  Munhall.  was  born 
in  Morris  county.  New  Jersey,  January  30,  1816,  and  her  death  occurred  in 
Chicago. 

Capt.  Thomas  T.  Munhall  was  educated  at  the  Mclntire  Academy  at 
Zanesville,  Ohio,  and  in  the  Putnam  high  school  academy,  at  Putnam,  Ohio, 
later  attending  the  country  schools  in  Illinois,  after  which  he  taught  one 
term. 

^^'hen  the  Civil  war  came  on  he  proved  his  patriotism  and  courage  by 
being  one  of  the  first  to  enlist  in  defense  of  the  Union,  becoming  a  member 
of  Company  B,  Eleventh  Illinois  Cavalry,  under  Col.  "Bob"  Ingersoll.  who 
later  became  one  of  America's  greatest  orators.  Our  subject  was  made  sec- 
ond sergeant  in  1861,  later  first  sergeant,  in  the  fall  of  1862.  later  second 
lieutenant,  earning  these  promotions  by  gallant  conduct  on  the  field  of  battle. 
In  1864  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  captain  and  was  transferred  to  Com- 
pany D  of  the  same  regiment.  The  memljers  of  Company  B,  presented  him 
with  a  sword,  sash,  belt  and  gold  plated  spurs.  Company  D  asked  to  a  man 
to  have  him  commissioned  their  captain.  He  accepted  this  promotion,  and 
filled  the  same  in  a  most  faithful  and  gallant  manner,  taking  part  in  the 
Meridian  campaign  under  General  Sherman.  His  company  was  later  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  best  drilled  as  well  as  best  disciplined  companies  in  the 
cavalry  service,  at  the  close  of  the  war. 

Captain  Munhall  was  in  all  of  the  engagements  in  which  the  Eleventh 
Cavalry  participated,  and  was  in  Gen.  Lew  Wallace's  division  at  the  battles  of 
Shiloh,  Corinth,  Farmington,  Parker's  Cross  Roads,  Jackson,  Tennessee; 
Holly  Springs,  Union  City,  Bolivar,  Black  River,  Qbeen's  Hill  and  Jackson, 


8126  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Mississippi ;  Champion's  Hills  and  many  others  of  lesser  note,  in  all  of  which 
he  never  shirked  his  dutj^  no  matter  how  arduous  or  dangerous,  according  to 
his  comrades.  He  took  part  in  forty-two  engagements  in  all,  and,  having  a 
robust  constitution  and  being  a  young  man  of  good  habits  he  was  never 
sick  or  off  duty  during  the  entire  war.  On  June  10,  1865  he  was  in  charge 
of  the  last  flag  of  truce  ever  taken  into  the  Confederate  lines.  This  was  at 
Jackson,  Tennessee.  On  October  nth  of  that  year  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged, after  a  most  commendable  and  envied  record  as  a  soldier  for  the 
defense  and  perpetuity  of  the  nation. 

After  his  career  in  the  army  Captain  Munhall  returned  to  the  farm  in 
Illinois.  In  his  earlier  youth  he  had  intended  studying  law,  but  the  idea  of 
a  legal  career  was  abandoned,  and,  after  farming  until  1876  he  went  to  Indi- 
anapolis and  took  charge  of  A.  C.  May's  heading  and  cooper  shops,  remain- 
ing there  two  years,  then  went  to  New  Ross,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the 
shops  also  a  store,  then  opened  a  store  of  his  own.  He  was  appointed  post- 
master at  New  Ross,  which  position  he  held  for  a  period  of  five  years,  with 
equal  satisfaction  to  the  people  and  the  department;  he  was  then  nominated 
and  elected  county  recorder  and  served  two  terms  in  a  most  creditable  man- 
ner. He  also  served  six  years  as  trustee  of  Crawfordsville  schools.  He  then 
engaged  in  the  real  estate,  abstract  and  loan  business  with  much  success  until 
1906,  when  he  went  to  Custer  county,  Montana,  and  homesteaded  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  and  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  adjoining.  He 
has  placed  it  all  under  a  high  state  of  improvement  and  cultivation.  He  has 
been  very  successful  in  a  business  way  and  is  now  in  his  declining  years  well 
fixed  in  a  financial  way. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  but  he  has  never  been  especially  active  as 
a  public  man.  He  belongs  to  McPherson  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 
Fraternally,  he  is  a  Mason,  belonging  to  the  Chapter.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

Captain  Munhall  was  married  on  February  7,  1871  to  Mary  E.  Makin- 
son,  of  Illinois.  She  was  born  on  March  2,  1845.  ^nd  died  on  December 
16,  1905.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Judge  Makinson  of  Ottawa,  Illinois,  and 
she  was  a  woman  of  many  commendable  traits  of  character  and  proved  to  be 
a  worthy  helpmeet  in  every  respect. 

To  the  Captain  and  wife  one  child  was  born,  a  daughter,  Gertrude  Mun- 
hall, who  is  now  assistant  librarian  at  the  Crawfordsville  public  library. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  827 

JAMES  S.  HITCHCOCK. 

The  career  of  James  S.  Hitchcock,  editor  of  The  CrawfordsvUlc  Re- 
view, has  been  strenuous,  like  that  of  all  wlio  select  the  newspaper  field  for 
their  arena  of  action,  and  there  is  nothing  in  his  record  savorintj  in  the 
slightest  degree  of  disrepute,  his  relations  with  his  fellow  men  having  lieen 
ever  abo\e  reproach  and  his  good  name  beyond  criticism.  He  wears  the 
proud  American  title  of  self-made  man,  and  being  in  the  most  lilieral  sense 
of  the  term  the  architect  of  his  own  fortune  he  may  well  feel  a  sense  of  ])ride 
in  his  achievements  and  the  honora1)le  position  U>  which  he  lias  attained 
among  the  enterprising  young  men  of  the  county  and  city  of  iiis  adoption. 

Mr.  Hitchcock  was  born  on  July  24.  1885  in  Jackson,  Michigan.  He 
is  a  son  of  Charles  and  Mary  (  Smiley)  Hitchcock.  The  father  was  born  in 
1851,  also  in  Jackson,  Michigan,  and  his  death  occurred  on  March  17,  1908. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  on  May  _',  1863  in  Lansing,  Michigan, 
and  her  death  occurred  on  December  26.  1911.  These  parents  grew  to  ma- 
turity, received  common  school  educations  and  were  married  in  their  native 
state.  Also  the  father  was  graduated  from  the  Michigan  Agricultural  Col- 
lege and  from  a  musical  college.  He  spent  the  major  portion  of  his  active 
life  as  a  commercial  traveler.  Politically,  he  was  a  Republican.  Fraternally, 
he  beonged  to  the  Masonic  Order  and  the  Kniglits  of  the  Grip.  He  was  also 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Louring  the  Spanish-American  war 
he  enlisted  in  Companv  K,  Tliirtx-third  X'olunteer  Infantry,  under  Captain 
Allen,  and  after  a  \-ery  faithful  ser\ice  he  was  honorabl)-  discharged,  mustered 
out  a  lieutenant. 

To  Charles  Hitchcock  and  wife  only  one  child  was  bom,  James  S.  Hitcli- 
cock,  of  this  review. 

Our  subject  received  a  common  and  high  school  education,  later  taking 
special  work  at  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College,  and  also  attended  Michi- 
gan I'niversity. 

He  learned  the  printer's  trade  in  the  office  of  The  Micliic/an  Statesma)i, 
at  Marshall,  Michigan.  In  a  short  time  he  had  mastered  the  ins  and  outs  of 
the  mechanical  department  of  that  ])a])er  and  two  years  after  he  began  his 
apprenticeship  there  he  was  editor  of  the  same,  although  a  mere  boy,  and 
when  onlv  sixteen  years  old  he  was  editor  of  The  Index  at  Homer,  Michigan, 
being  one  of  the  youngest,  if  not  the  youngest  editor  in  the  state;  but  he 
made  a  success  of  this  responsible  work,  and  from  Homer  he  went  to 
Lansing,  where  he  joined  the  staff  of  Tlic  Journal  as  city  editor,  and  he  was 


iS28  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

also  connected  with  The  Lansing  Republican  for  about  a  year,  giving  his 
employers  entire  satisfaction  in  every  respect.  Still  seeking  larger  fields  for 
the  exercise  of  his  talent,  he  went  to  Detroit  where  he  secured  employment 
on  The  Times.  Subsequently  he  became  city  editor  of  the  Marquette  Min- 
ing Journal  in  1905,  later  working  a  year  on  the  Kalamazoo  Gazette,  then 
he  returned  to  Lansing,  and  in  March,  1910,  he  came  to  Craw  fords  ville,  Indi- 
ana, and  since  then  has  been  editor  of  The  Crawfordsville  Review,  a  corpora- 
tion, and  he  has  brought  this  paper  up  to  a  high  rank  among  the  papers  of 
western  Indiana,  greatly  increasing  its  circulation  and  rendering  it  a  valu- 
able advertising  medium. 

Mr.  Hitchcock  is  a  Democrat.  He  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  church, 
and  fraternally  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  No.  ;^Ti.  at  Lansing, 
Michigan;  also  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  at 
Crawfordsville.     Mr.  Hitchcock  has  remained  unmarried. 


CHARLES  WILLIAM  ROSS. 

It  is  the  pride  of  the  citizens  of  this  country  that  there  is  no  limit  to 
which  natural  ability,  industry  and  honesty  may  not  aspire.  A  boy  born  in 
ignorance  and  poverty  and  reared  under  the  most  adverse  surroundings  may 
nevertheless  break  from  his  fetters  and  rise  to  the  highest  station  in  the  land ; 
and  the  qualities  do  not  have  to  be  of  transcendant  character  to  enable  him 
to  accomplish  this  result.  It  is  more  the  way  he  does  it  and  the  skill  in 
grasping  the  opportunities  presented  than  to  any  remarkable  qualities 
possessed  by  him.  Accordingly  it  is  found  that  very  often  in  this  country 
the  President,  governor  and  other  high  public  officials  possess  no  greater 
ability  than  thousands  of  other  citizens.  They  have  simply  taken  better  ad- 
vantage of  their  circumstances  than  their  fellows,  and  this  truth  runs  through 
every  occupation  or  vocation.  The  business  man  who  rises  above  his  fellows 
does  so  by  taking  advantage  of  conditions  which  others  overlook  or  fail  to 
grasp.  This  seems  to  be  the  case  with  Charles  William  Ross,  for  many 
years  regarded  as  one  of  the  foremost  business  men  of  Crawfordsville  and 
Montgomery  county,  being  very  extensively  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and 
loan  business.  In  all  walks  of  life  he  has  so  conducted  himself  as  to  gain 
and  retain  the  good  will  and  confidence  of  all  classes,  and  in  every  movement 
looking  to  the  improvement  of  his  locality  in  any  way  his  support  may 
always  be  depended  upon. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  829 

Mr.  Ross  was  born  in  Iroquois  county,  Illinois,  May  4,  1864.  on  a  fann. 
He  is  the  scion  of  an  excellent  Irish  ancestry,  many  of  whose  winning  char- 
acteristics he  seems  to  have  inherited.  He  is  a  son  of  .Alexander  and  Mary 
(Johnson)  Ross.  The  father  was  Ixirn  in  Ireland.  June  18,  1832.  His 
father  died  when  he  was  about  fi\e  years  of  age  and  when  sixteen  years  old 
he  accompanied  his  mother  to  America.  The  father  and  liusl>and  was  a 
minister  in  the  Methodist  church  and  spent  his  life  in  Ireland.  Upon  com- 
ing to  the  United  States  Alexander  and  his  mother  located  in  Tippecanoe 
county,  Indiana,  on  a  farm,  and  the  son  continued  to  follow  agricultural  pur- 
suits. He  hired  out  until  i860  then  bought  a  farm  for  himself  and  moved 
on  it,  operating  the  same  until  1863  when  he  mo\-ed  to  Ircxpiois  county,  Illi- 
nois, and  he  remained  there  until  1867  when  he  removed  to  Lafayette,  Indi- 
ana, where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  1905.  Upon 
the  commencement  of  the  gold  fever  period  in  1849  '""^  ^^'^s  one  of  the  brave 
band  to  make  the  tedious  and  hazardous  journey  across  the  plains  of  Cali- 
fornia. Politically,  he  was  a  Republican,  belonged  to  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  was  a  memlser  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  In 
i860  he  married  Mary  Johnson,  who  was  born  on  Decemljer  18,  1832,  in 
Sweden,  from  which  country  she  came  to  the  L'nited  States  when  fourteen 
years  of  age,  locating  in  Tippecanoe  county,  Indiana,  with  her  l)rother.  Her 
death  occurred  in  1886.     To  this  union  eight  children  were  born. 

Charles  W.  Ross  received  a  public  school  education,  and  he  was  gradu- 
ated from  Purdue  University  at  Lafayette,  Indiana,  with  the  class  of  1889, 
with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science.  While  in  school  he  spent  his  sum- 
mers engaged  in  the  general  contracting  business — road  and  bridge  building 
Soon  after  leaving  college  he  came  to  Crawfordsville  and  engaged  in  the  gen- 
eral mercantile  business  with  ever  increasing  success  until  1898,  when  he 
launched  out  in  the  real  estate,  loan  and  insurance  business,  and  this  he  has 
continued  to  the  present  time  on  a  veiy  extensi\-e  scale,  maintaining  the 
largest  office  of  its  kind  in  this  section  of  the  state,  employing  an  office  force 
of  six  people  and  thirty  men  in  the  tield.  His  operations  extend  over  a  large 
territory  and  he  is  widely  known  as  one  of  Crawfordsville's  most  substantial 
and  enterprising  citizens.  He  had  the  di.stinction  of  being  the  originator  of 
the  five  per  cent,  farm  loans.  During  the  year  1912  he  placed  over  one 
million  dollars  in  loans.  His  insurance  runs  larger  every  year,  representing 
a  number  of  the  leading  companies  of  the  world.  He  buys  and  sells  farms, 
in  fact  all  kinds  of  rural  and  city  property,  and  this  is  also  a  large  part  of 
his  work.     At  this  writing  he  owns  over  one  thousand  acres  of  land  and  fifty 


830  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

pieces  of  city  property,  all  valuable  and  well  kept.  No  man  in  Montgomery 
county  is  better  informed  on  the  value  of  property,  country  or  city. 

Politically,  Mr.  Ross  is  a  Republican,  and  in  religious  matters  he  is  a 
Methodist,  and  one  of  the  pillars  in  the  local  congregation,  being  a  steward, 
and  has  been  a  member  of  the  official  board  for  the  past  twenty-five  years. 

Mr.  Ross  was  married  on  June  23,  1891  to  Alice  Dee  Green,  who  was 
born  near  Waynetown,  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  June  23,  1870.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  George  and  Mary  E.  (Holloway)  Green,  who  were  early 
settlers  of  Wayne  township  and  a  well  known  family  there.  Mr.  Green  was 
born  at  Cambridge,  New  York.  He  devoted  his  life  successfully  to  agricul- 
tural pursuits,  and  his  death  occurred  in  January,  1903  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
three  years.  Mrs.  Green  lives  in  Crawfordsville,  being  now  advanced  in 
years. 


EMERSON  ETI^ERIDGE  BALLARD. 

Success  is  achieved  only  by  the  exercise  of  certain  distinguishing  qualities 
and  it  cannot  be  retained  without  effort.  Those  by  whom  great  epoch  changes 
have  been  made  in  the  political  and  industrial  world  began  early  in  life  to  pre- 
pare themselves  for  their  peculiar  duties  and  responsibilities  and  it  was  only 
by  the  most  persevering  and  continuous  endeavor  that  they  succeeded  in  rising 
superior  to  the  obstacles  in  their  way  and  reaching  the  goal  of  their  ambition. 
Such  lives  are  an  inspiration  to  others  who  are  less  courageous  and  more  prone 
to  give  up  the  fight  before  their  ideal  is  reached  or  definite  success  in  any 
chosen  field  has  been  attained.  In  the  life  history  of  the  honorable  gentleman 
whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this  article  we  find  evidence  of  a  peculiar 
characteristic  that  always  makes  for  achievement — persistency,  coupled  with 
fortitude  and  lofty  traits',  and  as  a  result  of  such  a  life,  Mr.  Ballard  stands  to- 
day one  of  the  representative  citizens  and  leading  attorneys  at  law  of  Mont- 
gomery county,  and  an  author  of  repute. 

Emerson  Etheridge  Ballard,  who  maintains  his  office  and  residence  in 
Crawfordsville,  was  born  near  Wheaton,  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  February 
27,  1865.  He  is  a  son  of  William  Sanford  Ballard  and  Patience  Ann 
(Brown)  Ballard,  both  natives  of  Kentucky,  the  father's  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  Shelby  county.  These  parents  grew  up,  were  educated  and  married 
in  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  where  they  were  brought  by  their  parents  in  child- 
hood, and  they  spent  their  lives  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.     They  are 


MONTGO.MKRV    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  83I 

both  deceased.  The  paternal  grandfather,  Jesse  Ballard,  was  born  in  Vir- 
ginia. The  maternal  grandfather,  Samuel  Brown,  son  of  Ezekicl  I'.rown, 
was  born  March  19,  1803.  Ann  C.  Glenn,  our  subject's  maternal  grand- 
mother, was  born  May  13.  1802. 

Emerson  E.  Ballard  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  in  Putnam 
county  and  he  received  his  primary  education  in  the  district  schools  there, 
until  he  was  fourteen  years  old,  then  attended  the  hig'h  school  in  Greencastle, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  May,  1881,  and  in  thai  city  he  tonk  the  four 
years'  course  in  DePauw  University,  making  an  excellent  record  and  gradu- 
ating with  the  class  of  1885. 

Early  in  life  he  determined  upon  a  legal  career  am!  bent  e\ery  effort  to 
thoroughly  prepare  himself,  and  he  was  accordingly  admitted  to  the  bar  at 
Greencastle  on  March  i,  1886.  Two  days  later  we  find  him  in  Crawfords- 
ville,  entering  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  partnership  with  his  brother, 
Tilghman  E.  Ballard,  which  continued  until  November,  189S,  and  met 
with  pronounced  success.  Beginning  with  the  year  1888  the  firm,  in  con- 
nection with  its  law  practice,  engaged  in  the  work  of  editing  and  publishing 
law  books,  which  was  continued  until  the  dissolution  of  the  firm.  Since  that 
time  our  subject  has  been  engaged  as  a  law  book  editor,  meeting  with  e\'er 
increasing  success  until  today  he  is  recognized  as  an  authority  in  this  line 
throughout  the  country.  Ballard's  law  of  Real  Property,  a  national  serial 
publication,  now  consisting  of  fourteen  volumes,  was  founded  by  Mr.  Ballard 
and  his  brother,  Tilghman  E.,  in  1892.  The  first  five  volumes  were  jointly 
edited  and  published  by  them;  but  beginning  with  the  sixth  volume  Emerson 
E.  has  been  the  editor  of  this  popular  and  meritorious  publication,  with  the 
exception  of  two  volumes,  which  is  now  published  by  T.  H.  Flood  &  Company, 
law  book  publishers  of  Chicago.  During  the  past  si.x  years  our  subject  has 
done  considerable  work  on  the  lecture  platform,  giving  special  emphasis  to 
the  temperance  work,  and  he  is  regarded  wherever  he  has  appeared  as  an 
earnest,  forceful,  entertaining  and  elocjuent  speaker. 

Emerson  E.  Ballard  was  married  on  December  19,  1888  to  Ella  F.  Clod- 
felter,  a  lady  of  many  estimable  attributes,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Mathias 
Clodfelter  and  Mary  Magdelen  (Saylor)  Clodfelter. 

To  our  subject  and  wife  two  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Ella 
Maurine  Ballard,  born  on  August  7,  1891 ;  and  Cecil  May  Ballard,  born  on 
August  20,  1895,  and  her  death  occurred  on  October  24,  1899. 

Politically,  Mr.  Ballard  is  a  Democrat  and  has  ever  been  loyal  in  his  sup- 
port of  the  fundamental  principles  of  Democracy.     Fraternally,  he  is  a  mem- 


S32  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

ber  of  Montgomery  Lodge,  No.  50,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons ;  Crawfords- 
ville  Chapter  No.  40,  Royal  Arch  Masons;  Montgomery  Council  No.  34, 
Royal  and  Select  Masons;  Crawfordsville  Commandery,  No.  25  Knights 
Templar,  and  Athens  Chapter  No.  97,  Order  Eastern  Star. 


THE  GRIFFITH  FAMILY. 

The  following  history  of  the  Griffith  family,  of  which  Dr.  Thomas  J. 
Grififith,  of  Crawfordsville,  is  a  member,  was  written  by  the  Doctor  especially 
for  this  work  in  Montgomery  county,  in  the  spring  of  1913  : 

My  father  gave  me  the  legendary  fragments  known  to  him  of  the 
Griffith  family.  It  is  a  Welch  name  and  was  originally  spelled  Gryfyth. 
Three  brothers  came  to  America  some  time  in  1600,  landing  at  Philadelphia, 
and  settled  on  the  Brandywine  river  and  became  opulant,  but  during  the 
Revolutionary  war  sold  their  possessions  for  Continental  money  and  were 
made  poor. 

My  great-grandfather,  Joseph  Griffith,  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution- 
ary war  and  was  the  first  Revolutionary  soldier  buried  at  Indianapolis,  in 
1823.  There  is  eleven  pounds,  English  money  due  his  heirs,  on  statement  to 
me  from  the  War  Department.  My  great-grandfather,  Joseph  Griffith  was 
married  to  Mary  Thornton,  an  English  woman,  and  to  them  were  born 
Abraham,  in  1774;  Sarah,  in  1777;  John,  in  1778;  Joseph,  in  1780;  Elizabeth, 
in  1783,  and  Amos  in  1786.  My  great-grandmother  was  lost  in  making  a 
visit  across  the  Allegheny  mountains  and  no  trace  of  her  could  be  found. 
Abraham  Griffith,  my  grandfather,  was  bom  in  Chester  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, November  31,  1774,  and  was  married  to  Joanna  John,  a  grand  aunt 
of  Dr.  D.  P.  John,  of  DePauw  University,  October  12,  1798.  Joanna  died 
August  12,  1815,  at  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  in  Frederick  county,  Mary- 
land. 

To  Abraham  and  Joanna  Griffith  was  born  Lydia  T.,  Hannah,  Thorn- 
ton, (my  father),  Townsend,  Barton  and  Clifford.  Grandfather,  with  his 
brother,  Amos,  and  sons  Townsend  and  Barton,  came  west  after  the  death  of 
his  wife,  and  two  grown  daughters,  Lydia  and  Hannah,  about  1822  or  1823, 
and  settled  in  Covington,  Indiana.  In  1824  Abraham  Griffith,  paternal  grand- 
father, took  the  contract  to  build  the  first  jail  in  Crawfordsville  for  the 
princely  sum  of  two  hundred  and  forty-three  dollars.  It  stood  in  the  rear  of 
Albert  Miller's  theatorium,  and  its  dimensions   were  as   follows:     "To  be 


DR.    THOS.    J.    GRIFFITH 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  833 

twenty-four  by  twenty  feet  from  out  to  out.  the  foundation  to  be  laid  with 
stone  sunk  eighteen  inches  under  ground  and  to  be  twelve  inches  above  the 
ground  and  to  be  three  feet  wide  on  which  there  is  to  be  built  with  logs,  hewed 
twelve  inches  square,  double  walls  with  a  vacancy  of  one  foot  between  the 
walls ;  the  vacancy  between  the  walls  to  be  filled  with  peeled  poles,  not  more 
than  six  inches  thick." 

Grandfather  died  here  June  19,  1829,  in  a  double  log  house  tiiat  stood 
on  the  southwest  corner  of  Green  and  Market  streets,  and  together  with  his 
son.  Barton,  a  capable  young  business  man  of  Covington,  and  contracted  a 
malignant  fever  on  a  business  trip  to  New  Orleans,  and  died  soon  after 
reaching  home;  this  was  in  1834,  and  he  was  brought  here  and  buried  be- 
side his  father,  in  the  old  town  cemeter)%  and  I  am  very  sorry  indeed  to  say 
that  their  graves  are  forever  lost  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Griffith  family. 
Barton  was  unmarried. 

Thornton  Griffith,  my  father,  came  west  later  than  his  father  and 
brothers.  He  was  born  in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  July  8,  1799.  He 
was  in  the  Island  of  Porto  Rico  in  the  summer  of  1825.  superintending  the 
building  of  a  wharf  for  a  Philadelphian  sugar  company,  when  a  three-mast 
schooner  came  into  San  Juan,  with  a  double-decked  cargo  of  five  hundred 
negroes  from  Africa,  all  in  mother  nature's  costume  and  unloaded  them  on 
the  beach  to  clean  up,  and  the  third  day  they  were  gone  for  some  American 
port.  This  exhibition  of  man's  inhumanity  to  man,  made  an  abolitionist  of 
my  father.  In  the  campaign  of  Gen.  William  Henry  Harrison  here  in  1834 
he  was  honored  by  a  committee  of  Crawfordsville  citizens  to  deliver  the  ad- 
dress of  welcome,  which  was  made  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Main  and 
Washington  streets. 

February  4,  1836,  he  was  married  to  I\iary  A.  Hall,  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Margaret  (Herron)  Hall,  who  was  l)orn  in  New  Berry  county.  South 
Carolina,  June  18,  1807.  Her  mother  died  in  South  Carolina,  December  10, 
1821,  leaving  several  children.  James  F.  Hall,  iier  brother,  was  one  of  the 
county  commissioners  that  built  our  court  liouse.  Her  father  and  mother 
were  born  in  Moneheim  county,  Ireland,  and  landed  at  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  in  1765.  Two  of  Grandfather  Hall's  brothers  were  soldiers  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  in  Gen.  Francis  Marion's  army,  one  being  an  officer. 

Mv  parents  were  married  at  "Fruit's  Corner."  in  Ripley  township, 
Montgomer}-  county,  and  moved  in  the  spring  of  1836  to  the  wilds  of  Clin- 
ton county,  on  Wild  Cat  creek,  four  miles  northeast  of  Frankfort,  on  a 
hundred  and  sixty  acre  tract  that  had  been  entered  from  the  government. 
(53) 


834  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Here,  in  a  twelve  by  twelve  log  cabin  they  began  the  battle  of  life,  with 
wolves  and  wild-cats  for  nocturnal  serenaders.  Father  taught  school  one  or 
more  winters  in  a  log  school  house,  with  greased  paper  for  window  lights,  and 
slabs  with  wooden  legs  for  seats  and  slabs  for  flooring.  About  that  time  he 
was  a  candidate  for  the  Legislature,  on  the  Whig  ticket,  from  the  counties 
of  Clinton  and  Montgomery,  which  counties  were  largely  Democratic.  He 
said  that  it  became  apparent  that  he  would  be  elected,  when  the  "Demos" 
started  a  falsehood  and  defeated  him.  This  so  disgusted  him  he  would  never 
again  be  a  candidate  for  office.  He  was  a  man  of  pleasing  address,  an  easy 
and  fluent  speaker,  invincible  in  argument,  a  great  reader  and  of  good 
memory.  An  honest  man,  detesting  hypocrisy.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Friends  church,  but  having  that  broad  catholicity,  characteristic  of  his  bene- 
volent spirit.  In  his  latter  years,  when  "moved'"  he  frequently  preached  to 
the  Friends.  He  passed  to  the  spirit  life  from  his  home  in  Darlington,  June 
2^,  1869,  when  nearly  seventy  years  of  age;  his  ashes  repose  in  Odd  Fellows 
beautiful  cemetery.  Three  children  made  glad  my  father's  Clinton  county 
home:  Thomas  ]..  born  April  2,  1837;  Joanna  M.,  born  November  25, 
1839;  Nancy  E.,  born  August  i,  1842.  Joanna  departed  this  life  February 
13,  1865.  in  her  twenty-sixth  year,  from  cerebro-spinal  meningitis,  the  re- 
sult of  exposure  while  teaching  school.  Nancy  E.  was  married  to  Joseph 
Binford,  December  19,  1861,  and  resides  in  Crawfordsville. 

My  mother  was  a  noble,  thoughtful  woman,  devoted  to  her  home  and 
family.  A  devout  Presbyterian  and  she  passed  to  spirit  life  November  3, 
1886,  and  her  dust  rests  beside  father's  in  lovely  Odd  Fellows  cemetery.  Her 
father  deserves  mention  in  this  connection.  He  had  convictions  that  slavery 
was  wrong,  but  he  could  not  free^them  in  South  Carolina,  as  it  was  against 
the  law,  so  he  told  them  to  look  around  and  choose  their  masters  without 
breaking  families.  This  they  did.  Then  he  removed  to  Butler  county,  Ohio, 
and  remained  there  about  two  years,  when,  with  his  children,  Thomas,  John 
A.,  James  F.,  Mary  A.,  Elizabeth.  Nancy  and  Henry  L.,  he  came  to  Ripley 
township,  this  county,  the  now  "Fruit's  Corner,"  in  1829,  and  purchased  a 
large  farm  and  died  there  in  1848,  and  is  buried  in  the  old  cemetery,  one- 
half  mile  west  of  Yountsville.  For  fifty  years  he  was  a  ruling  elder  in  the 
Associate  ^feeformed  Presbyterian  church.     He  was  a  very  conscientious  man. 

We  now  return  to  the  Griffith  history.  Townsend  Griffith,  a  brother  of 
my  father,  was  born  in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  April  4,  1801,  and 
came  to  Crawfordsville  in  1822  and  was  married  to  Mahala  Catterlin,  No- 
vember I,  1827;  she  was  the  daughter  of  Ephriam  Catterlin,  a  pioneer  settler 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  835 

near  the  town.  Townsend  was  prominent  in  the  early  development  of  the 
county,  both  in  politics  and  civic  offices.  He  was  an  whole-souled  man,  hos- 
pitable,genial  and  jolly,  with  the  proverbial  latch-string  always  on  the  out- 
side. In  the  summer  of  1852  he  made  a  business  trip  to  Minnesota  and  died 
of  cholera  June  2,  1852,  at  Galena,  Illinois,  on  his  return  trip.  After  a  time 
his  remains  were  brought  home  and  rest  in  the  Masonic  cemetery.  To  them 
were  born — Matilda,  one  of  the  first  children  born  in  Crawfordsville,  and 
who  married  Benjamin  F.  Galey.  Mr.  Galey  died  many  years  ago,  and  Mrs. 
Galey  passed  away  only  recently,  in  her  eighty-fifth  year.  Sarah  A.  married 
George  Worbington,  of  a  prominent  family  here,  and  who  died  many  years 
ago.  She  is  living,  and  is  the  mother  of  Benjamin  and  Charley  Worbington; 
Ephraim  C.  and  Amanda  (twins),  born  January  5,.  1833.  Amanda  married 
Morgan  Snook,  a  son  of  Dr.  Henry  Snook,  who  was  one  of  the  pioneer  phy- 
sicians here  and  a  brother-in-law  of  Dr.  Samuel  B.  Morgan,  a  leading  physi- 
cian here  in  the  early  days.  24mQ'^*? 

Ephraim  married  Mary  J.  Brassfield,  February  14,  1855":  ^s  wife  was 
born  August  5,  1837.  He  died  February  n,  1901.  and  was  noted  for  his 
hustling  business  abilities  and  did  an  extensive  mechanical  contracting  busi- 
ness. Mrs.  Griffith  is  living  with  her  son,  Howard,  in  the  enjoyment  of 
good  health.  To  them  were  born:  Cieorge,  the  architect:  Frank  E.,  who 
died  young;  William  Douglass  married  Agnes  A.  Walsh,  December  14.  19 10: 
Howard  E.  and  Birdie,  all  of  Crawfordsville 

Ephriam  Griffith  was  full  of  civic  pride,  and  the  citizens  appreciated  his 
efiforts  bv  electing  him  councilman  and  again  a  member  of  the  school  board, 
which  positions  he  worthily  filled. 

Now  back  to  the  family  of  Townsend:  Mary,  who  married  Charles 
Bowen,  for  many  years  editor  of  the  Craicfordsz'ille  Re7'icu'.  both  have  passed 
to  future  life,  leaving  two  children — Arthur  and  Clara ;  she  is  married  and 
resides  in  Kansas.  Rebecca,  who  died  in  infancy.  Abraham,  who  lived  to 
manhood  and  was  thrown  from  a  horse  and  killed.  John  Warner,  who  was 
an  express  messenger  from  Indianapolis  to  St.  Louis,  and  was  killed  in  a 
railroad  wreck.  He  was  married  and  his  widow  lives  in  Indianapolis.  Sam- 
uel Morgan  (named  for  their  Doctor),  who  died  in  infancy.  George,  son 
of  Ephriam  and  Mary  Griffith,  was  married  to  Ida  M.  Caster,  March  10, 
1880.  He  was  born  in  Crawfordsville,  March  12,  1856.  William  Douglass, 
born  June  22,  1861 :  Frank  E..  born  June  9.  1858;  Howard  E.,  born  Decem- 
ber 30,  1876. 

Two  sons  were  born  to  George  and   Ida   Griffith — Claude  and   Karl. 


836  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Claude  married  Helen  Nolan  and  has  one  son.  Karl  is  married  and  lives  in 
Urbana,  Illinois,  and  has  four  daughters. 

Rev.  Thomas  Griffith,  a  cousin  of  my  father,  was  the  first  Methodist 
minister  in  Craw^fordsville.  He  preached  in  a  small  frame  church,  where  the 
present  Methodist  Episcopal  church  stands.  He  married  Lucy  Daniels,  and 
was  a  brother-in-law  of  John  Crawford,  a  pioneer  merchant  here.  He  was 
acting  postmaster  during  Major  Elston's  term  of  office.  Their  sons  were 
John  and  Thomas  B.  John  was  a  druggist  and  died  many  years  ago.  Thomas 
was  a  brave  soldier  in  the  famous  Eighty-sixth  Indiana  Infantry  in  the  war 
of  the  Rebellion.  After  the  war  he  married  Amanda  Wilhite,  October  15, 
1864,  by  whom  was  born  William  Griffith.  Thomas  B.  died  thirty  years  ago, 
and  his  remains  lie  in  Masonic  cemetery. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Griffith's  grave  is  in  the  old  town  cemetery  unknown 
and  unmarked,  the  most  neglected  public  cemetery  in  Montgomery  county. 

Amos  Griffith,  my  grandfather's  brother,  went  to  Warren  county  in 
1830  and  married  an  Indian  woman  with  a  large  land  inheritance.  My 
father  visited  them  about  1832,  and  their  home  was  a  model  of  cleanliness. 
No  children  were  bom  to  them.    Further  of  his  history,  I  know  nothing. 

I  have  now  given  a  brief  and  truthful  history  of  the  Griffith  family,  of 
which  I  am  a  descendant,  which  will  connect  the  past  with  the  future,  and 
which  I  hope  may  be  maintained  by  some  future  historian. 

I  am  not  without  pride  for  family  history. 


WILLIAM  R.  COLEMAN. 

The  business  man  who  rises  abo\'e  his  fellows  does  so  by  taking  advan- 
tage of  conditions  which  others  overlook  or  fail  to  grasp.  This  has  been 
very  largely  the  case  with  William  R.  Coleman.  In  all  that  constitutes  true 
manhood  and  good  citizenship  he  is  a  worthy  example  and  none  stands  higher 
than  he  in  the  esteem  and  confidence  in  the  circles  in  which  he  moves.  His 
career  has  been  characterized  by  duty  well  perfonned,  by  faithfulness  to  every 
trust  reposed  in  him,  by  industry,  thrift,  and  wisely  directed  efforts,  which  has 
resulted  in  the  accumulation  of  a  comfortable  share  of  this  world's  goods,  be- 
sides earning  a  reputation  which  has  never  been  clouded  by  the  commission 
of  unworthy  acts. 

Mr.  Coleman  was  born  in  Union  township,  Montgomery  county,  on 
September  7,  1869.     He  is  a  son  of  Henderson  J.  and  Deborah  (Edwards) 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  St,/ 

Coleman.  The  father  was  born  in  Scott  county,  Indiana.  January  14.  1S29. 
a  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Jacobs)  Coleman.  Mis  parents  came  to  Scott 
county  from  Franklin  county.  Indiana,  and  lived  there  until  1833  wht-n  they 
came  to  Montgomery  county,  Incatin.i.;-  in  L'nion  township,  where  they  spent 
the  rest  of  their  lives  on  a  farm,  the  father  dyini;-  in  April,  1.S74  at  the  ai^e  of 
eighty-four  years  and  the  mother's  death  occurred  in  1804  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
eight  years.  Henderson  J.  Coleman  received  a  good  common  school  educa- 
tion, and  he  began  life  for  himself  by  teaching  school.  He  enjoyed  the 
distinction  of  being  the  champion  penman  of  his  county.  Later  he  turned  his 
attention  to  farming  which  he  continued  through  life  with  success,  also  studied 
to  be  a  veterinary  physician,  and  he  practiced  for  a  period  of  twenty-five  years, 
becoming  one  of  the  best  known  veterinaries  in  this  section  of  the  state.  It 
was  his  custom  to  buy  diseased  and  disabled  horses  and  cure  them,  selling 
them  for  handsome  profits.  In  1880  he  gave  up  his  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty-eight  acres  and  devoted  all  his  time  and  attention  to  veterinary  work. 
He  had  the  confidence  of  all  the  farmers  for  he  did  his  work  well  and  con- 
scientiously. He  was  a  Republican,  and  fraternally  was  a  Mason.  His 
death  occurred  in  1905.  He  and  Deborah  Edwards  were  married  in  Mont- 
gomery county  on  September  16,  1836.  She  was  born  on  March  6,  1833  and 
is  still  living,  making  her  home  with  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

William  R.  Coleman,  well  known  druggist  of  Craw  fords  ville,  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  county  and  he  spent  two  years  in 
Wabash  College.  He  finished  his  education  as  a  pharmacist  in  Chicago, 
graduating  there  in  1891.  He  returned  to  Crawfordsville  and  worked  for 
Smith  &  Myers,  later  worked  as  clerk  in  drug  stores  in  Cincinnati  and  Indi- 
anapolis, for  a  few  years,  then  returned  to  Crawfordsville,  and  worked  for 
R.  C.  Smith,  later  for  J.  H.  Whitneck.  In  1898  he  began  the  drug  business 
in  Crawfordsville  for  himself  on  North  Green  street,  remaining  there  three 
years,  then  purchased  his  present  place  in  the  Crawford  Hotel  block,  in  190T. 
and  has  since  successfully  conducted  the  same,  enjoying  a  large  and  ever  grow- 
ing trade  with  the  city  and  surrounding  country,  always  keeping  a  large  and 
carefully  selected  stock  of  modern  drugs  and  drug  sundries,  his  store  being 
a  neat,  attractive  and  well  kept  one.  In  1904  he  associated  with  the  United 
Drug  Company,  manufacturers  of  the  Rexall  remedies.  He  carries  a  large 
line  of  the  same,  in  connection  with  a  full  stock  of  prescription  drugs  and 
patent  medicines. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Coleman  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  including 
the  Council,  also  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  the  Patriotic  Order  Sons 


838  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

of  America,  also  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.     Politically,  he  is  a 
Progressive,  and  in  religious  matters  a  Baptist. 

Mr.  Coleman  was  married  in  November,  1893  to  Mabel  Smith,  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  and  after  a  brief  and  happy  married  life,  she  was  called  to  her 
rest  in  the  spring  of  1904. 


CHARLES  E.  BUTLER. 

Under  a  popular  form  of  government  like  that  of  the  United  States, 
where  the  democratic  idea  of  equality  is  as  fully  developed  as  the  present  im- 
perfect condition  of  mankind  will  permit,  we  expect  as  its  legitimate  result 
the  triumph  of  individual  worth  and  energy  over  all  the  competition  that 
wealth  and  class  may  array  against  them.  Here  the  avenues  of  wealth  and 
distinction  are  fully  opened  to  all,  which  fact  enhances  rather  than  detracts 
from  the  merits  of  those  whose  energy  and  integrity  have  triumphed  over  all 
obstacles  intervening  between  humble  position  and  the  attainment  of  those 
ends.  Obscurity  and  labor,  at  no  time  dishonorable,  never  assume  more  at- 
tractive features  than  when  the  former  appears  as  the  nurse  of  those  virtues 
which  the  latter,  by  years  of  honest  and  persevering  effort,  transplants  to  a 
higher  and  richer  soil ;  hence  the  biographer  of  those  men  of  sterling  worth 
whose  active  enterprise  has  won  for  them  the  distinction,  pre-eminence  and 
commanding  influence  in  the  society  in  which  they  move  must  be  replete  with 
facts  which  should  encourage  and  instruct  the  young.  Such  a  man  is  Charles 
E.  Butler,  well  known  citizen  of  Crawfordsville,  who  has  done  as  much,  if 
not  more,  than  any  other  man  to  encourage  better  methods  of  farming  in 
Montgomery  county,  and  by  the  exercise  of  those  talents  and  characteristics 
which  were  cultivated  from  his  youth,  has  reached  an  honorable  position  in 
the  public  mind  and  earned  the  respect  and  high  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens. 

Mr.  Butler  was  born  March  7,  1866,  in  Franklin  township,  Montgom- 
ery county.  He  is  a  son  of  Mahlon  and  Eunice  (Lacy)  Butler.  The  father 
was  born  on  January  27,  1821,  in  Virginia,  coming  to  Indiana  at  the  early 
age  of  six  months,  and  in  1834  he  came  with  the  rest,  of  the  family  to  Mont- 
gomery county.  They  settled  in  Franklin  township,  in  a  Qfuaker  cominunity, 
and  among  them  was  organized  the  Friends  church  in  that  township.  The 
father  of  the  subject  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in  that  township  and  there  fol- 
lowed general  farming.  There  he  built  a  house  ready  for  his  bride,  a  gentle, 
kind  and  true  Christian  woman,  whom  he  brought  from  Rush  county,  In- 
diana, and  in  that  same  house  the  father  and  mother  of  the  subject  always 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  839 

lived  after  coming  to  this  county,  until  her  death,  on  June  27,  1902.  Mahlon 
Butler  owned  a  good  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  on  which  he  car- 
ried on  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  Politically,  he  was  a  Reublican, 
but  he  never  held  office,  being  a  dignified,  quiet  home  man  and  a  steady-going 
Quaker.  His  death  occurred  on  March  5,  1904.  His  family  consisted  of 
five  children,  of  whom  Charles  E.,  of  this  sketch,  is  the  only  one  living,  he 
having  been  the  youngest  of  the  family:  the  others  were  Emiline,  Emily, 
Jennie  and  Lindley  M.,  all  deceased. 

Charles  E.  Butler  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  there  he 
assisted  with  the  general  work  of  the  farm.  He  received  his  early  education 
in  the  common  schools  and  tiie  high  school,  and  later  was  a  student  in  Wa- 
bash College. 

On  October  10,  1888,  he  married  Hallie  L.  Mount,  who  was  born  in 
Montgomery  county,  Franklin  township,  on  August  18,  1868.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  James  A.  and  Catherine  (Boyd)  Mount.  He  was  born  March 
23,  1843,  ^"d  his  death  occurred  on  January  16,  1901.  His  wife  was  born  in 
1849,  ^n*^!  her  death  occurred  on  July  6,  1905.  James  A.  Mount  became 
governor  of  Indiana,  and  was  one  of  the  most  popular  and  efficient  executives 
the  state  has  ever  had.  A  complete  sketch  of  this  distinguished  man  appears 
on  other  pages  of  this  work.  Mrs.  Butler  received  a  good  education  in  the 
common  schools  here,  later  attended  a  college  m  Kentucky,  from  which  she 
was  graduated.  She  is  a  lady  of  culture  and  refinement  and  has  always  Ijeen 
popular  with  a  wide  circle  of  friends. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Butler  three  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Everett, 
born  on  August  18,  1891,  graduated  from  Crawfordsville  high  school,  and  is 
at  present  farming:  Lois,  born  July  6,  1897,  is  attending  high  school:  Gladys, 
born  September  4,  1900,  is  also  in  school  at  Crawfordsville. 

Mr.  Butler  has  spent  nearly  all  his  life  on  the  farm  in  P>anklin  township. 
He  has  made  general  farming  and  stock  raising  his  chief  life  work  and  he  has 
succeeded  beyond  the  average  agriculturalist,  partly  because  he  has  made  a 
more  careful  study  of  modern  methods  of  tilling  the  soil,  and  partly  because 
he  has  applied  himself  persistently  and  assiduously  to  whatever  task  he  has 
had  in  hand.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Butler's  farm  includes  the  two  original  Mount 
and  Butler  homesteads.  It  is  deemed  by  them  a  privilege  and  responsibility  to 
have  in  their  possession  these  sacred  spots,  wrought  into  them,  as  there  is,  so 
much  of  the  life  of  their  loved  ones.  The  scenes  of  their  happy  childhood 
days  filled  with  memories  of  self-sacrificing,  devoted  parents,  where  the 
bravest  struggles  of  hardships  were  met  and  conquered  and  the  days  of  beau- 
tiful home  life  and  happiness  were  ])assed.     They  are  the  owners  of  one  of 


840  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

the  finest,  best-improved  and  most  productive  farms  in  Montgomery  county, 
consisting  of  four  hundred  and  fifty-five  acres  in  Franklin  township,  all  being 
cultivated  or  consisting  of  the  best  blue  grass  pastures.  Here  is  carried  on 
a  general  line  of  farming  and  stock  raising,  some  excellent  grades  of  live 
stock  being  found  about  his  place  at  all  seasons.  He  raises  and  feeds  stock 
of  all  kinds  for  the  market,  shipping  large  numbers  of  fat  cattle,  hogs  and 
sheep  each  year.  He  has  a  commodious  and  comfortable  dwelling  of  modern 
style  on  his  farm,  where  they  spend  their  summers,  also  an  excellent  group 
of  outbuildings.  But  they  spend  their  winters  in  Crawfordsville,  on  account 
of  school  facilities,  owning  a  beautiful  home  at  708  East  Main  street. 

Politically,  Mr.  Butler  is  a  Republican,  and  while  he  has  always  been 
loyal  in  his  support  of  the  party  and  been  actively  engaged  in  politics,  he  has 
never  sought  or  held  office,  preferring  to  devote  his  attention  exclusively  to 
his  large  farming  and  stock  raising  industries.  For  years  he  has  been  offi- 
cially identified  with  the  Farmers'  Institute  work  of  the  county.  He  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Better  Farming  Association  of  Montgomery  county,  and  for  two 
years  has  been  president  of  the  Agricultural  Society  of  Montgomery  County. 
He  is  at  present  secretary  of  the  State  Farmers'  Congress  of  Indiana.  He 
has  filled  these  important  positions  in  a  manner  that  has  reflected  much  credit 
upon  himself  and  to  the  eminent  satisfaction  of  all  concerned.  He  has  done 
a  great  work  in  encouraging  better  and  more  scientific  methods  in  general 
farming  and  stock  raising  and  is  regarded  as  an  authority  on  modern  twen- 
tieth century  methods,  and  his  advice  is  frequently  sought  along  these  lines 
and  is  invariably  followed  with  gratifying  results. 

Mr.  Butler  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  of  Crawfordsville, 
and  religiouslv  holds  membership  with  tlie  Center  Presbyterian  church  here. 


FORGISON  GRAHAM  McINTIRE. 

One  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Montgomery  county  is  Forgison  Graham 
Mclntire,  for  a  long  lapse  of  years  one  of  our  most  enterprising  agricul- 
turists, manufacturers  and  business  men.  Mr.  Mclntire  is  a  public-spirited 
man  in  all  that  the  term  implies,  being  e\-er  interested  in  enterprises  tending 
to  promote  the  general  welfare  and  has  withheld  his  support  from  no  mo\'e- 
ment  for  the  good  of  the  locality  so  long  honored  by  his  residence.  His  per- 
sonal relations  with  his   fellow  men  have  ever  been  mutually  pleasant  and 


FORGISON   G.    MflNTIRE 


MONTGOMERY    COL'XTV,    INDIANA.  84I 

agreeable,  and  he  is  highly  regarded  by  all,  being  easily  a])])roache(l,  obliging 
and  straightforward  in  all  the  relations  of  life. 

Mr.  Mclntire,  who  is  the  scion  of  one  of  the  worthy  old  pioneer  families 
of  Montgomery  county,  members  of  which  have  figured  prominently  in  the 
upbuilding  of  the  same  for  more  than  three-quarters  of  a  century,  was  born  in 
Wayne  township,  this  county,  January  21,  1841.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Eliza  (Burbridge)  Mclntire.  The  father  was  born  on  January  20,  1807, 
near  Harper's  Ferry,  Virginia.  The  family  later  moved  to  Kentuck\-,  and  in 
the  early  twenties  came  on  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  settling  in  Wayne 
township,  when  tliis  country  was  a  wilderness  and  settlers  were  few.  Here 
John  Mclntire  entered  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  from  the  government,  in 
1829,  and  up  to  1910  the  same  was  kept  in  the  family.  His  father,  Jacob 
Mclntire,  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  the  same  township.  John 
cleared  his  farm  and  worked  it  with  gratifying  results  until  1850,  when  his 
death  occurred.  Politically,  he  was  a  Whig  and  was  a  deacon  in  the  Baptist 
church.  In  1830  he  married  Eliza  Burbridge.  She  was  born  in  Chillicothe, 
Ohio,  February  2,  181 5,  and  when  a  child  accompanied  her  family,  in  1823, 
to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  her  parents  settling  near  the  farm  of  Henry 
Oldfield,  who  was  the  first  settler  of  Montgomery  county.  The  father,  Wil- 
liam Burbridge,  entered  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  there  wliich 
he  developed  into  a  good  farm,  and  thereon  he  liuilt,  in  1827,  the  first  brick 
house  ever  erected  in  this  county.  The  same  is  still  .standing  and  is  in  use. 
The  late  Mrs.  Mclntire  carried  the  brick  with  which  to  build  the  same.  Wm. 
Burbridge  was  elected  to  the  ofifice  of  associate  judge  of  the  c<)unt>-,  and  he 
served  the  people  most  faithfully  and  acceptably.  He  was  \-er}-  influential 
in  public  affairs  and  was  one,  of  the  substantial  and  leading  men  of  the  county. 
At  one  time  he  owned  a  large  extent  of  \-aluable  property  on  West  Market 
street,  Crawfordsville.     His  death  occurred  in  1868. 

The  death  of  Mrs.  John  Mclntire  occurred  on  Januar>-  3,   1903. 

Ten  children  were  born  to  John  Mclntire  and  wife,  three  of  whom  are 
living,  namelv:  Forgison  G.,  of  this  review;  Rachael,  wife  of  C.  D.  Cruse, 
of  Crawfordsville;  and  Emma,  of  Crawfordsville. 

Forgison  G.  Mclntire  received  what  education  he  could  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  vicinity  in  those  early  days,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
years  he  took  charge  of  the  home  farm,  and  continued  to  operate  the  same 
with  skill  and  gratifying  results  until  1864.  when  he  proved  In's  patriotism,  by 
enlisting  in  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fifth   Indiana  \'olunteer 


842  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Infantry,  and  he  served  very  faithfully,  principally  in  garrison  duty,  until  he 
was  mustered  out  the  following  October. 

Returning  to  the  farm  he  continued  to  operate  the  same  with  his  usual 
success  until  1872.  He  prospered  and  purchased  various  farms  in  different 
parts  of  the  county,  which  he  operated  on  an  extensive  scale  until  1885  when 
he  moved  to  Crawfordsville,  where  he  went  into  the  fence  manufacturing 
business,  which  he  continued  for  a  period  of  fifteen  years,  building  up  an 
extensive  and  lucrative  business  and  enjoying  an  excellent  trade  all  over  the 
country.  While  on  the  farm  he  engaged  in  the  threshing  business  and  he 
still  is  interested  in  that  line  of  work.  He  has  shown  himself  to  be  a  capable 
business  man  and  has  carried  to  successful  completion  whatever  he  has  at- 
tempted.    He  is  today  one  of  the  solid  financial  men  of  Crawfordsville. 

Mr.  Mclntire  has  always  taken  an  abiding  interest  in  public  matters, 
especially  as  affecting  Montgomery  county.  He  was  twice  elected  assessor 
of  Union  township,  serving  from  1900  to  1908,  in  a  manner  that  reflected 
much  credit  upon  himself  and  to  the  eminent  satisfaction  of  all  concerned. 
In  1909  he  was  elected  to  the  city  council  of  Crawfordsville,  and  is  now 
president  of  the  improvement  board  of  that  body,  which  is  quite  an  important 
office,  and  he  is  filling  the  same  in  a  commendable  manner.  He  is  also  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  public  schools  and  buildings.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
counts  and  claims  commission.  He  belongs  to  McPherson  Post,  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order  for  the  past 
fifty-two  years.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  and  in  religious  matters  is  a 
Baptist. 

Mr.  Mclntire  was  married  on  March  28.  1872  to  Rhoda  May  Utterback, 
who  was  born  in  Wayne  township,  this  county,  on  adjoining  farm  from  that 
of  the  Mclntires,  the  date  of  her  birth  being  z^ugust  i,  1840.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Harmon  and  Eliza  (Wilson)  Utterback,  a  well  known  and  highly 
respected  family,  early  settlers  here.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  born 
there  in  1811. 

The  death  of  Mrs.  Mclntire  occurred  on  October  27,,  1885. 

To  Forgison  G.  Mclntire  and  wife  were  born  four  children,  namely: 
Georgia,  wife  of  W.  A.  Whittington,  of  Crawfordsville;  Verna  Laura,  who 
is  the  wife  of  W.  H.  Schleppy,  of  Los  Angeles,  California;  Selma  May,  wife 
of  William  Saunders,  of  Tacoma,  Washington;  Harmon  A.,  a  printer  of 
Crawfordsville. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  843 

CAPT.  \V.  B.  CARR. 

Who  will  gainsay  that  a  citizen  i)f  this  country  ever  wore  a  greater  badge 
of  honor  than  the  distinction  of  having  suffered  and  bled  in  the  service  of  the 
Union,  for  its  preservation,  during  the  great  conflict  between  the  states.  It  is 
a  worthy  inheritance  that  ought  to  be  highly  esteemed  by  all  succeeding  gener- 
ations. But  the  ranks  of  the  old  phalanx,  as  heroic  as  those  which  followed 
the  vaunted  plume  of  Caesar,  Hannibal  or  Alexander,  are  fast  falling  before 
the  only  I'oe  they  cannot  meet,  the  King  of  Terrors,  and  ere  long  none  will 
be  left  to  recount  the  thrilling  experiences  of  that  sanguinary  time.  In  the 
meantime,  while  they  are  still  with  us,  let  us  pay  them  suitable  honor  for  tlieir 
sacrifices,  sufferings  and  patriotism.  One  of  this  number  is  Capt.  W.  B. 
Carr,  one  of  Montgomery  county's  well  known  men  and  public-spirited  citi- 
zens, who,  for  many  years,  ranked  among  our  progressive  general  farmers, 
but  who  is  now  li\-ing  in  honoraljle  retirement,  spending  his  declining  years 
in  quiet. 

Captain  Carr.  was  born  in  Union  count)".  Indiana,  on  Jul\-  8.  1841.  He 
is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  Carr.  The  father  came  to  Montgomery 
county  in  1855  and  here  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  1876, 
in  his  seventy-ninth  year.  He  was  a  minister  in  the  Christian  church  for  o\er 
sixty  years,  during  which  time  he  did  an  incalculable  amount  of  good  among 
the  pioneers,  among  whom  he  was  well  known  and  held  in  the  highest  esteem, 
being  a  man  of  fine  mind,  charitable,  helpful  iinpulses  and  exemplary  char- 
acter, always  ready  to  assist  those  in  need.  He  was  the  old-time  type  of 
preacher,  the  kind  not  frequently  met  with  nowadays,  that  delighted  in 
spreading  the  Gospel  because  he  felt  impressed  to  do  so  and  not  with  a  view 
of  financial  remuneration.  Indeed,  he  never  depended  upon  his  work  in  the 
pulpit  for  support,  during  all  his  years  in  the  work  of  the  work,  but  followed 
all  week  long  his  trade  of  blacksmith  and  tool  maker,  jireaching  on  Sundays. 
He  was  an  ardent  Republican. 

Captain  Carr  was  fourteen  years  of  age  when  he  renio\ed  with  his  par- 
ents from  Union  to  Montgomery  county  and  here  he  has  since  made  his  home. 
He  received  a  fairly  good  education  in  the  common  schools,  and  spent  two 
years  in  Wabash  College.When  only  fourteen  years  of  age  he  went  to  Cali- 
fornia, during  the  gold  fever  days,  and  there  he  spent  four  years,  after  which 
he  returned  to  Crawfordsville.  He  talks  most  interestingly  of  his  experiences 
in  the  Far  West  as  well  as  of  the  great  Civil  war  in  which  he  has  an  envial)Ie 
record,  having  enlisted  in  Xovember,  1861  in  Company  K,  Fifty-eighth  Indi- 


844  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

ana  Volunteer  Infantiy.  For  meritorious  conduct  and  faithful  service  he  was 
promoted  from  a  private  to  orderly  sergeant  and  finally  to  captain  of  his 
company,  under  General  Buell,  in  Kentucky,  and  he  served  in  this  capacity 
during  a  number  of  important  campaigns  and  battles,  in  a  manner  that  re- 
flected much  credit  upon  himself  and  to  the  praise  of  his  superior  officers  and 
his  men.  In  1863  the  regiment  veteranized  and  Captain  Carr  returned  to 
Crawrfordsville  and  raised  men  for  a  one  hundred  day  service,  as  Company  D, 
One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fifth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was  honor- 
ably discharged  and  mustered  out  in  September,  1864. 

After  his  career  in  the  army  Captain  Carr  returned  to  Montgomery 
county  where  he  turned  his  attention  to  general  farming  which  he  followed 
with  continuous  success  until  a  few  years  ago  when,  having  accumulated  a 
competency  for  his  old  age,  he  retired  from  the  active  duties  of  life. 

Captain  Carr  married  Emma  Jeanetta  Baker,  a  native  of  Montgomery 
county,  in  1866,  and  here  she  grew  to  womanhood  and  was  educated.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  J.  G.  and  Eliza  (Whetstine)  Baker.  He  was  a  native  of 
Ohio;  his  people  lived  in  Illinois  in  early  life  and  later  came  to  this  county, 
where  they  farmed  for  many  years,  mo\'ing  to  Wyoming  in  March,  1909. 
Both  the  father  and  mother  of  Mrs.  Carr  are  living.  He  was  always  a 
farmer.  He  was  a  Republican,  but  not  active  in  public  affairs.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  acti\-e  in  work  of  same.  He 
held  many  important  offices  in  the  church. 


JAMES  NOLEMAN  SANDERS. 

The  Union  soldier  during  the  great  war  between  the  states  builded  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  superstructure  of  the  greatest  temple  ever  erected  and  dedicated  to  human 
freedom.  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.  One  of 
this  mighty  host  of  heroes  is  James  Noleman  Sanders,  who  for  many  years 
was  one  of  the  leading  farmers  and  stock  men  of  Montgomery  county  and 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  845 

who  is  now  living  in  honorable  retirement  in  his  ])leasant  home  in  the  city  of 
Crawfordsville,  enjoying  the  Irnits  of  his  former  years  of  toil  and  endeavor, 
and  also  enjoying  the  friendship  and  esteem  of  all  whd  know  him  and  who 
wish  him  many  years  yet  of  happy  life. 

Mr.  Sanders  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Adams  county,  Ohin,  March  17, 
1838,  and  is  a  son  of  John  \V.  and  Mariah  (Winters)  Sanders.  The  father 
was  born  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  July  4,  1792.  His  father  was  captain 
of  a  ship,  and  was  lost  at  sea,  thus  leasing  John  W.  Sanders,  his  son,  an 
orphan.  The  latter  remained  in  the  h^ast  until  1818  when  he  came  among  the 
early  pioneers  to  Adams  county,  Ohio.  He  was  by  trade  a  house  joiner,  mak- 
ing doors,  sashes,  etc.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  fought  at 
the  battle  of  Lundy's  Lane.  His  death  occurred  in  Adams  county,  Ohio  in 
1877.  Politically,  he  was  a  Democrat.  His  wife  had  died  of  the  cholera  in 
1851,  when  that  dread  scourge  swept  the  country.  They  were  the  parents  of 
nine  children,  four  of  whom  are  still  living. 

James  N.  Sanders  quit  school  when  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  l)egan 
working  on  a  farm,  also  in  a  saw  nnil,  following  these  lines  of  endeaxnr  until 
he  was  eighteen  years  old,  when  he  went  to  Illinois  and  worked  on  a  farm 
four  years,  then  came  to  Montgomery  county  and  worked  on  a  farm  f(jr  three 
years,  after  which  he  went  back  to  Adams  county,  Ohio,  and  while  there 
enlisted  for  service  in  the  Federal  army  in  Company  A,  Seventieth  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  on  February  28,  1864.  He  saw  service  in  the  Atlanta 
campaign,  and  was  with  Sherman  on  his  march  to  the  sea,  and  through  the 
Carolinas,  to  Washington  City.  Although  in  many  hotly  contested  engage- 
ments the  nearest  he  came  to  being  wounded  was  when  a  bullet  was  stopped 
by  the  folds  of  the  blanket  he  carried  on  his  hack.  He  was  honorably  dis- 
charged from  the  service  and  mustered  out  on  .\ugust  2S.  1863.  He  returned 
to  Ohio.  Having  in  the  meantime  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  he  worked 
at  that  for  awhile.  He  later  turned  his  attention  to  farming  and  handling 
stock  for  the  market,  and  met  with  much  success  all  along  the  line.  He  came 
to  Montgomery  county  in  the  winter  of  1869  and  up  to  eight  years  ago  con- 
tinued farming  and  stock  raising  on  an  extensive  scale,  with  his  usual  success 
in  Union  township.  Having  accumulated  a  competency  he  retired  from  the 
active  duties  of  the  farm  and  moved  to  his  pleasant  and  attractive  home  in 
Crawfordsville  in  1904  where  he  is  still  residing. 

Mr.  Sanders  is  a  member  of  the  McPherson  Post,  Grand  .\rmy  of  the 
Republic.     Politically,  he  is  a  Republican. 

Mr.  Sanders  was  married  on  January  i.  1870  to  Susan  M.  Shanklin,  of 


846  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Montgomery  county,  her  birth  having  occurred  on  June  23,  1842,  and  she  is  a 
daughter  of  a  highly  respected  old  family. 

To  our  subject  and  wife  four  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Etta 
May,  wife  of  Frank  Bennett,  lives  in  Union  township,  this  county;  Ida,  is  the 
wife  of  E.  Cowan;  Elva,  is  the  wife  of  A.  Pruett;  and  Charles,  who  lives  on  a 
farm  in  this  county. 


HENRY  J.  ROACH. 

The  progenitors  of  Henry  J.  Roach,  the  efficient  and  trustworthy  man- 
ager of  the  Crawfordsville  Water  &  Gas  Company,  were,  on  the  paternal  side, 
natives  of  Ireland,  in  fact,  no  further  back  than  the  father,  however,  the  major 
portion  of  his  life  was  spent  in  the  United  States.  However,  our  subject 
seems  to  have  inherited  many  of  the  winning  and  commendable  traits  of  the 
Celtic  race. 

Mr.  Roach  was  born  in  Chicago,  May  4,  1866,  and  he  is  a  son  of  Henry 
J.  and  Sarah  (Watt)  Roach.  Henry  J.  Roach  was  born  in  Cork,  Ireland, 
and  he  was  three  years  old  when  his  parents  brought  him  to  America  and  here 
he  grew  to  manhood  and  was  educated.  When  a  young  man  he  took  up  rail- 
roading and,  being  alert  and  industrious  as  well  as  trustworthy,  his  rise  was 
rapid  and  he  followed  this  vocation  all  his  active  life,  reaching  responsible 
positions  and  becoming  widely  known  as  a  railroad  man  in  the  Middle  West. 
His  last  official  position  was  that  of  di\-ision  superintendent  of  the  Logans- 
port,  Detroit  &  Wabash  Railroad,  which  responsible  post  he  held  for  a  long 
period  with  the  usual  satisfactory  and  laudable  results.  He  is  now  living  in 
retirement  with  his  son,  Henry  J.,  in  Crawfordsville.  His  wife  passed  to  her 
eternal  rest  in  1891. 

Henry  J.  Roach  received  a  good  common  school  education,  and  he  began 
life  for  himself  not  by  following  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father  in  a  business 
way  and  entering  the  railroad  field,  but  by  taking  up  the  water  works  cpiestion 
which  he  has  continued  to  the  present  time,  having  mastered  the  various  ins 
and  outs  of  this  line.  For  a  number  of  years  he  had  charge  of  gangs  building 
water  works  plants  at  different  places,  such  as  Danville,  Champaign,  Aurora, 
and  other  places  in  Illinois  and  Indiana,  and  later  he  had'  charge  of  plants  in 
these  two  states,  also  Ohio,  giving  eminent  satisfaction  in  all  of  them.  In 
1912  he  came  to  Crawfordsville  as  manager  of  the  Crawfordsville  Water  & 
Gas  Company,  which  position  he  is  holding  at  this  writing  and  he  is  doing 
much  to  improve  the  local  plant  and  the  service. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY.    INOIANA.  847 

Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat,  hut  he  has  never  been  especially  active  in 
public  matters.  Relii^iously,  he  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  church,  and 
fraternally  he  is  a  memlier  of  tiie  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

Mr.  Roach  was  married  on  Decemlier  2^,  1893  ^o  Dolly  Campbell,  of 
Logansport,  Indiana,  the  daughter  of  Maurice  and  Mary  Cam])l)ell,  an  excel- 
lent family  of  that  city,  where  they  have  long  resided. 

To  our  subject  and  wife  have  been  born  three  children,  namely  :  l-'sther. 
Gladys  and  Mildred,  all  at  home  and  attending  the  local  schools. 


P.  M.  L.WXK.  M.  D. 


Dr.  P.  M.  Payne's  name  will  be  held  in  lasting  honor  as  long  as  the  his- 
tory of  Montgomery  county  endures  as  erne  of  the  ablest  phxsicians  that  ever 
gave  loyal  service  in  behalf  of  suffering  humanity,  for  his  long  life  has  been 
characterized  not  only  by  the  most  adroit  professional  ability,  but  also  by 
the  most  profound  human  sympathy  which  o\'erleaps  mere  sentiment  to  be- 
come an  actuating  motive,  for  when  a  youth  he  realized  that  there  is  no  honor 
not  founded  on  genuine  worth,  that  there  is  a  \ital  purpose  in  life  and  that 
the  best  and  highest  accomplishments  must  come  from  a  well  trained  mind 
and  altruistic  heart.  Those  who  know  him  well  are  unstinted  in  their  jtraise 
of  his  genial  disposition  and  his  superior  ability,  his  kind  nature  and  his  broad- 
mindedness.  Older  men  in  the  profession  here  relied  upon  his  judgment  and 
younger  ones  frequently  sought  his  counsel,  all  admitting  his  eminence.  He 
is  now  living  retired,  after  a  praiseworthy  career,  and  is  enjoying  the  fruits 
of  his  former  years  of  service  to  suffering  humanity,  being  one  of  the  \ener- 
able  citizens  of  this  locality.  He  is  now  eighty-six  years  old,  and  his  long 
life  has  been  due,  no  doubt,  in  large  part,  to  his  clean  living  and  right  thinking, 
and  the  voung  man  might  well  pattern  his  life  after  him.  certainly  making 
thereby  no  mistake. 

Dr.  Lavne  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1827.  and  is  a  son  of  Elisha  Layne 
and  wife,  and  he  came  to  Indiana  with  his  father,  locating  in  Montgomery 
county  as  early  as  1830,  when  the  country  was  wild  and  inhabitants  were  few, 
and  of  those  strange  times  he  now  tells  many  cpiaint  and  interesting  stories. 
The  Doctor's  father  was  a  farmer  and  school  teacher.  He  was  a  native  of 
Virginia  where  he  was  born  Xoveml^er  10,  1777.  He  was  a  man  of  rugged 
honestv  and  courage.  Jacob  Layne,  his  grandfather,  was  a  native  of  Eng- 
land and  came  to  America  in  an  early  day.     He  also  taught  school. 


840  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Dr.  Layne  obtained  his  early  education  in  the  woods,  according  to  his 
statement,  and  this  constant  contact  with  nature,  was  good,  for  it  taught  him 
lessons  first  handed.  Those  who  live  much  with  Mother  Nature  act  naturally 
and  gain  much  that  those  who  shut  themselves  up  in  cities  do  not.  When 
only  thirteen  years  of  age  he  began  the  study  of  medicine,  and  two  years  later 
began  reading  under  Dr.  S.  W.  Bennage,  who  began  practice  in  Crawfords- 
ville  in  1847.  I"  ^^SS  o^^''  subject  bought  out  the  practice  of  his  tutor,  and 
he  remained  in  active  practice  here  up  to  a  few  years  ago,  being  for  many  de- 
cades one  of  the  best  known  medical  men  in  this  section  of  the  state,  always 
enjoying  a  very  wide  practice.  He  is  a  doctor  of  the  old  school,  and  most  of 
his  practice  was  made  on  horseback  in  the  early  days.     He  had  great  success. 

Dr.  Layne  was  married  in  1856  to  Minerva  J.  Hughes,  whose  parents 
were  among  the  early  settlers  in  Montgomery  county.  To  this  union  three 
children  were  born,  namely:  Elisha  William,  born  1863:  Elizabeth  Julian, 
bom  December  18,  1857:  John  Franklin,  born  1869. 

The  Doctor's  first  wife  dying  in  1875,  he  married,  two  years  later,  Louisa 
Downing,  a  native  of  Michigan.  They  had  one  child,  Minter  DeWitt,  born 
1880. 

Dr.  Layne  belongs  to  the  Masons,  including  the  Knights  Templar.  The 
large  success  which  crowned  his  life  work,  coupled  with  his  ripe  experience 
and  kind  heart,  enabled  him  to  bring  comfort,  hope  and  confidence  to  the  sick 
room  and  he  brought  sunshine  into  many  a  home  through  his  long  years  of 
practice. 


PROFESSOR  EDMUND  OTIS  HOVEY,  D.  D. 

Edmund  Otis  Hovey,  son  of  Roger  and  Martha  Hovey,  was  born  on 
July  15,  1801,  and  died  March  10,  1877.  His  immigrant  ancestor,  Daniel 
Hovey,  was  a  native  of  Essex  county,  England,  being  the  son  of  Richard 
Hovey,  and  was  baptized,  August  9,  16 18,  in  the  Waltham  Abbey,  a  church 
dating  from  Saxon  times.  He  was  the  youngest  of  nine  children,  and  the 
only  one  of  them  that  came  to  America.  On  his  departure,  the  rector  gave 
him  a  bulky  volume  of  poems  by  Du  Bartas,  to  be  seen  in  the  Boston  Public 
Library,  with  a  record  of  the  above  statement.  Daniel  Hovey,  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  years,  settled  in  Ipswich,  Mass.,  in  1635;  where  he  had  a  land 
grant,  built  a  dwelling-house  and  an  adjacent  wharf,  still  known  as  Hovey's 
Wharf,  and  his  name  is  given  to  a  street  in  the  town,  and  to  an  island  near 
by.     For  a  time  he  lived  at  Brookfield  and  later  at  Hadley ;  but  finally  ended 


^^^^-..^^^  ^^-.^--e^'^^ 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  849 

his  days  at  Ipswich,  where  a  bronze  tablet  is  erected  to  his  memory.  He 
married  Abigail  Andrews,  a  daughter  of  Captain  Robert  Andrews,  who  com- 
manded the  ill-fated  ship,  "The  Angel  Gabriel,"  that  was  wrecked  off  Pema- 
quid,  Maine.  Her  oldest  brother  was  Lieut.  John  Andrews,  who  presided 
at  the  meeting  that  resisted  the  tyranny  of  Sir  Edmund  Andros,  in  memory 
of  which  the  Ipswich  seal  bears  the  motto:  "The  Birthplace  of  American 
Independence,  1687."  Another  hrDtlier.  Thomas  Andrews,  was  the  first 
schoolmaster  of  the  colony. 

On  his  maternal  side,  Edmund  Otis  Hovey  sprang  from  the  families 
of  Freeman,  Otis,  Moody  and  Russell — names  famous  in  early  annals.  Rev. 
John  Russell  harbored  the  Regicides  for  ten  years;  in  the  study  of  his  son, 
Rev.  Samuel  Russell,  Yale  College  was  founded ;  and  Rev.  Joshua  Moody, 
another  ancestor,  declined  the  presidency  of  Harvard  College,  preferring  to 
be  pastor  of  the  first  church  in  Boston. 

James  Hovey,  son  of  Daniel,  was  killed  in  King  Phillip's  War.  His 
family  then  moved,  first  to  Maiden,  Mass.,  and  later  to  Mansfield,  Connecti- 
cut. Edmund,  the  son  of  James,  married  Margaret  Knowlton.  Their  son, 
Roger  Hovey  (so  named  for  Roger  Williams),  after  serving  twice  as  a 
soldier  in  the  Army  of  the  Revolution,  married  Martha,  the  daughter  of  Hon. 
Edmund  Freeman,  a  Harvard  graduate,  who  owned  one  thousand  acres  in 
Mansfield.  Mr.  Freeman  also  received,  in  recognition  of  his  public  services, 
a  noble  land  grant  from  George  III.  including  in  all  twenty-four  thousand 
four  hundred  acres,  on  both  sides  of  the  Connecticut  river,  which  was  later 
subdivided  into  the  four  towns  of  Norwich  and  Hartford  (in  Vermont)  and 
Lebanon  and  Hanover  (in  New  Hampshire).  A  singular  stipulation  in  this 
land  grant  was  that  there  should  be  paid  to  the  Crown,  "one  ear  of  Indian 
corn  only,  on  December  25th  of  each  year,  if  demanded."  Edmund  Free- 
man's name,  and  those  of  his  five  sons,  head  the  list  of  names  on  the  original 
charter  of  the  Hanover  colony,  dated  July  4,  1761.  There  were  fourteen 
heads  of  families  named  Freeman  in  1770  when  Dartmouth  College  was 
located  at  Hanover,  with  a  royal  grant  of  five  hundred  acres ;  all  white  pine 
trees  being  reserved  "for  His  Majesty's  Navy."  Forty  years  after  Hanover 
was  settled  there  were  only  twenty  families  there,  all  living  in  log  cabins,  with 
a  log  meeting  house,  whose  pulpit  was  a  segment  of  a  hollow  basswood  tree. 
The  first  college  buildings  were  also  of  logs. 

Dartmouth  Hall  was  begun  in  1786,  a  brick  edifice,  one  hundred  and  fifty 
by  fifty  feet  in  its  dimensions,  and  three  stories  high.  The  historian  of  the 
college  records  the  fact  that  "The  handles  on  the  doors,  with  all  the  ironwork, 
(54) 


850  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

were  made  by  Roger  Hovey,  a  blacksmith,  who  had  a  shop  on  the  Parade  at 
the  Centre."  We  do  not  exactly  know  when  he  joined  the  colony,  but  it  is 
recorded  that  he  married  Martha  (Otis)  Freeman,  daughter  of  Edmund 
Freeman,  in  Hanover,  February  6,  1783;  and  it  is  the  legend  that  he  bought 
his  first  stock  of  iron  with  the  wages  paid  for  his  services  in  the  Revolutionary 
Army.  He  not  only  shod  horses  and  oxen,  but  made  the  hinges,  andirons, 
and  indeed  all  the  ironwork  of  the  colony.  His  smithy  "on  the  Parade"  was 
a  rendezvous  for  the  villagers,  whose  farm-talk  and  doctrinal  discussions 
chimed  in  with  the  blows  on  the  anvil.  Dartmouth  had  a  stormy  infancy, 
and  we  may  gladly  pass  in  silence  its  voluminous  controversies;  but  we  rejoice 
that  the  principles  for  which  it  stood  were  so  firmly  planted  in  the  community, 
and  so  nobly  transplanted  at  a  later  day  to  take  root  in  Montgomery  County 
and  the  broad  Wabash  valley.  Roger  Hovey  was  the  father  of  ten  children, 
all  baptized  by  Dr.  Eden  Burroughs,  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in 
Hanover.  Five  of  them  died  before  the  year  1800,  victims  of  an  epidemic; 
and  the  remaining  five  all  lived  to  be  more  than  seventy  years  of  age.  In 
1813  Roger  Hovey  and  his  family  removed  to  Thetford,  Vermont,  where  he 
bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  built  a  house  and  black- 
smith-shop. He  spent  his  old  age  with  his  eldest  son,  Frederick  Hovey,  at 
Berlin,  Vermont,  enjoying  a  moderate  pension  from  the  United  States 
government  as  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  He  died,  May  19,  1839.  at  the  age 
of  eighty  years.  His  wife,  who  survi\-ed  him,  died  at  Berlin,  April  6,  1841, 
aged  eighty-two  years. 

In  company  with  Colonel  Israel  O.  Dewey,  U.  S.  A.,  the  writer  visited 
old  Hanover  in  1877.  We  were  the  guests  of  Deacon  Isaac  Fellows,  a  vigor- 
ous octogenarian  who  had  known  Edmund  Otis  Hovey  from  boyhood,  and 
promptly  answered  our  inquiries,  always  speaking  of  him  as  "Otis."  He 
said :  "Otis  was  active,  of  good  habits  and  a  diligent  scholar,  very  manly, 
and  highly  courteous."  "Had  he  no  faults?"  asked  Col.  Dewey.  The 
Deacon's  eyes  twinkled  as  if  at  some  droll  recollection. 

"Otis  had  a  vein  of  humor,"  said  he.  "A  big  snow-ball  once  came  down 
on  his  teacher's  head  as  the  latter  was  leaving  the  old  red  schoolhouse ;  and  as 
no  other  lad  was  in  sight,  Otis  was  accused  of  having  hit  the  master.  He 
denied  the  charge,  but  explained  that  he  threw  the  ball  into  the  air  and  the 
force  of  gravity  drew  it  down  on  the  teacher's  head.  This  reply  started  a 
discussion  as  to  whether  the  boy  had  prevaricated  or  only  given  an  extremely 
exact  statement  of  facts.  That  same  school-master  had  a  way  of  punishing 
boys  by  slinging  them  over  his  shoulder  and  letting  them  hang  head-down- 


.MdXTCOMKKV    COIXTV,    INDIANA.  85! 

wards.  Pie  tried  tliis  one  day  on  Otis,  but  the  struggle  ensuing  was  sueh 
that  he  never  tried  it  again.     The  boy  was  too  much  for  the  man." 

The  ruts  of  an  old  cart-road  led  from  the  "Parade"  to  the  red  clover 
patch  where  once  stood  the  smithy.  A  few  gnarled  apple  trees  were  all  that 
remained  of  the  "choice  orchard"  that  once  surrounded  the  Hovey  home. 
Moose  Mountain  loomed  up  not  far  away ;  and  more  remotely  were  discerned 
the  blue  Thetford  hills,  to  which  the  family  removed  when  the  subject  of  this 
article  was  about  twelve  years  old.  The  lad  remained,  however,  for  a  while 
at  Hanover  as  the  pupil  and  guest  of  his  uncle  Jonathan  Freeman.  After- 
wards he  went  to  the  Thetford  school,  his  teacher  being  a  Mr.  Hubbard. 
Much  reading  was  done  in  the  long  winter  evenings,  by  the  light  of  the  blaz- 
ing fire  or  of  dip  candles  economically  used.  Among  works  thus  early  per- 
used were  Rollins'  Ancient  History,  the  Works  of  Flavins  Josephus,  Bruce's 
Travel's,  Cook's  Voyages,  Young's  Night  Thoughts,  Milton's  Paradise  Lost, 
the  biographies  of  Washington  and  Franklin,  and  for  light  reading  Addison's 
"Spectator"  in  sixteen  volumes.  There  was  decided  piety  in  the  home  of 
Roger  Hovey.  The  boys  took  turns  at  family  prayers,  and  the  children  were 
all  drilled  in  the  Shorter  Catechism.  Six  days  were  given  to  farm-work, 
shop-work,  in-door  duties  and  the  duties  of  the  school-room ;  and  then  came 
a  sweet,  quiet,  unbroken  Sabbath.  When  seventeen  years  of  age  Edmund 
became  an  eager  reader  of  "The  American  Journal  of  Science  and  .Art."  from 
which  he  got  the  impulse  that  led  to  his  career  as  a  scientist. 

When  eighteen  years  old  Edmund  went  to  the  Thetford  .\cademv,  of 
which  the  Rev.  John  Fitch  was  principal.  He  earned  the  nionev  to  pav  his 
tuition  by  teaching  during  his  vacations  at  Thetford  and  Norwich.  He 
joined  the  Thetford  Congregational  church  in  1821,  of  which  Dr.  Asa  Burton 
was  pastor,  with  Rev.  Charles  White  as  colleague,  who  became  at  a  later 
period  the  second  president  of  Wabash  College.  Young  Hovey's  zeal  and 
various  talents  induced  the  church  to  adopt  him  as  a  beneficiary  with  the 
ministry  in  view.  The  members  "boarded  him  around''  and  paid  for  his  text- 
books: and  the  ladies  "cent  society"  undertook  to  clothe  him.  His  uncle  Otis 
gave  him  a  calf  which  was  sold  and  the  monev  applied  for  tuition.  Mean- 
while, as  we  regret  to  say,  Roger  Hovey  objected  to  all  this.  He  offered  to 
give  him  the  home  and  the  farm  if  he  would  relinquish  his  plans  and  care  for 
his  parents  in  their  declining  years.  Finally,  as  an  older  son  accepted  this 
parental  offer,  the  father  said  to  his  younger  son.  "Well,  Edmund.  I  will  give 
you  your  freedom,"  meaning  his  time  till  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age ; 
the  mother  slipped  ten  dollars  into  his  hand,  and  at  last  the  way  was  clear  for 
him  to  gain  a  liberal  education. 


852  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Now  came  a  new  trial.  So  ardently  did  Edmund  enter  on  his  prepara- 
tory studies  that  his  health  gave  way  and  the  church  discontinued  its  aid. 
His  physician,  Dr.  Kendrick,  advised  a  journey  on  horseback,  generously  add- 
ing, "Do  not  spare  money  if  you  can  regain  your  health."  He  went  to  Sara- 
toga, and  thence  to  Sandwich  on  Cape  Cod,  where  he  was  the  guest  and 
patient  of  his  uncle,  Dr.  Nathaniel  Freeman,  who  had  been  a  member  of 
the  Continental  Congress,  a  brigadier-general  in  the  Revolutionary  Army, 
and  was  a  competent  guide  to  various  localities  of  historic  interest.  Health 
and  vigor  thus  regained  Edmund  resumed  his  preparatory  studies,  being  aided 
financially  by  Judge  Joseph  Reed  and  others. 

In  the  spring  of  1825,  Mr.  Hovej^  entered  as  freshman  at  Dartmouth 
College,  and  wrote  to  his  parents  formally  announcing  it  to  be  thencefor- 
ward "the  great  object  of  life  to  benefit  mankind."  He  was  graduated  with 
honor,  in  1828,  being  a  Phi  Beta  Kappa  man,  in  a  class  of  forty-one,  more 
than  half  of  whom  entered  the  Gospel  ministry.  His  theological  studies 
were  pursued  at  Andover  Seminary,  where  he  mainly  supported  himself  by 
his  skill  as  carpenter  and  blacksmith;  also  doing  mission  work  during  vaca- 
tions in  Vermont  and  Canada.  Many  of  his  college  classmates  were  with 
him  at  Andover;  but  the  most  intimate  friend  of  them  all,  Caleb  Mills,  de- 
ferred entering  the  Seminary  two  years  in  order  to  take  a  Sabbath-school 
agency  at  the  West,  thus  being  graduated  from  Andover  in  1833,  while 
Hovey  was  graduated  in  1831,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  November  27, 
1830. 

On  a  frosty  Monday  morning,  September  26,  1831,  six  young  men 
walked  from  Andover  to  East  Bradford,  where,  in  what  is  now  known  as  the 
Groveland  church,  they  were  ordained  as  home  missionaries,  by  the  Presby- 
tery of  Newburyport,  "to  go  into  the  Western  country,"  namely:  Daniel 
Cole  Blood,  Asaph  Boutelle,  Nathaniel  Smith  Folsom.  Edmund  Otis  Hovey, 
Benjamin  Labaree  and  Jason  Chapin.  Dr.  Gardiner  B.  Perry  presided  and 
made  the  consecrating  prayer ;  the  sermon  was  by  Rev.  Mr.  Storrs ;  the  charge 
was  by  Dr.  Daniel  Dana ;  and  the  right  hand  of  fellowship  was  given  by  Rev. 
Mr.  Phelps. 

The  plans  of  "The  Western  Band"  were  sadly  broken  into  by  the  sudden 
death  of  Dr.  Cushman,  general  agent  for  the  West.  Medical  men  told  them 
that  they  and  their  wives  would  sink  under  the  climate  in  a  year.  A  man 
who  had  gone  five  hundred  miles  on  horseback  in  Indiana  reported  its  main 
features  to  be  "bad  roads  and  fever  and  ague."  On  the  other  hand,  Boutelle, 
who  went  among  the  Ojibways,  wrote  back  that  it  was  "no  farther  from 


MOXTGOMERV    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  853 

Minnesota  to  Heaven  than  from  dear  old  Andover."  Tliere  are  indications 
that  it  was  Mr.  Hovey's  original  intention  to  go  as  chaplain  to  Fort  Brady  on 
the  Saulte  Ste.  Marie;  although  Indiana  was  also  seriously  tliought  of.  He 
was  in  suspense. 

In  college  days  a  classmate,  Horace  E.  Carter,  was  ill  with  typhoid  fever 
and  died  in  ten  days.  Mr.  Hovey  took  constant  care  of  him,  and  then  was 
too  sick  to  accompany  the  remains  to  Peacham,  Vermont,  where  Mr.  Carter 
had  lived  and  was  buried.  After  the  funeral,  Mr.  Carter's  widowed  mother, 
accompanied  by  her  daughters  Martha  and  Mary,  visited  the  friend  who  had 
so  tenderly  cared  for  their  deceased  relative.  The  next  year,  Mr.  Hovey  had 
a  tract  agency  in  Caledonia  county,  in  which  Peacham  was  located,  and  found 
an  opportunity  to  ask  Mary  Carter  to  share  his  fortunes.  Her  father  had 
been  the  principal  of  the  Caledonia  County  Grammar  School,  and  she  herself 
was  admirably  educated.  She  accepted  the  young  minister's  hand.  And 
when  later  he  wrote  saying  that  he  had  a  pastoral  call  to  Hartford,  which 
place  he  described  as  "a  pleasant  town  on  the  banks  of  the  Connecticut,  and 
quite  different  from  the  log  huts  of  Indiana."  the  young  lady  replied,  "I  am 
reading  Flint's  Mississippi  Valley:  do  not  let  Hartford  turn  your  mind  from 
the  path  of  duty."  An  interview  with  Dr.  Absalom  Peters  decided  him  to 
devote  himself  to  the  work  of  a  home  missionary,  and  he  wrote  on  his 
thirtieth  birthday  asking  Miss  Carter  to  prepare  "for  work  in  the  wilderness 
of  Indiana."  On  the  5th  of  October.  1831.  they  were  joined  in  marriage 
by  Dr.  Leonard  ^^'orcester,  and  as  soon  as  the  farewells  were  spoken  they 
started  on  their  westward  journey. 

Mr.  Hovey's  commission  appointed  him  to  "publish  the  Gospel  in  l^'ort 
Wayne,  or  such  other  place  or  places  as  shall  lie  fixed  on."  with  four  hun- 
dred dollars  as  a  salary,  and  seventy  dollars  as  an  outfit.  According  to  the 
diary  of  the  missionary,  "Railroads  were  as  yet  only  a  subject  of  contempla- 
tion." He  and  his  bride  went  down  Lake  Champlain  by  steamboat,  by  canal 
to  Troy  and  thence  to  Buffalo :  and,  after  a  day  at  Niagara  Falls,  the  "Henry 
Clay"  carried  them  to  Detroit  in  three  days,  where  they  were  met  by  Rev. 
Noah  Wells  and  Rev.  Jeremiah  Porter.  After  a  brief  conference  it  was 
decided  that  Mr.  Porter  should  go  to  Fort  Brady,  whence  two  years  later  he 
was  transferred  to  Fort  Dearborn  and  became  the  founder  of  the  first  church 
in  Chicago.  During  a  delay  of  three  weeks  at  Detroit,  at  that  time  a  village  of 
3,500  inhabitants.  Mr.  Hovey  improved  the  time  by  starting  the  first  temper- 
ance society  ever  formed  in  the  bounds  of  Michigan,  and  in  interesting  Hon. 
Lewis  Cass  in  its  success.     Cass  was  a  New  Hampshire  man,  at  that  time 


854  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Governor  of  the  territory,  and  the  same  year  made  Secretaiy  of  War  under 
Jackson,  where  he  exempHfied  his  temperance  sentiments  by  abolishing  grog 
from  the  army.  Forwarding  their  baggage  with  a  lot  of  goods  consigned  to 
Judge  Hanna  of  Fort  Wayne,  the  missionary  and  his  bride  went  by  the 
steamer  "Gratiot"  to  Perrysburg — Toledo  being  as  yet  unknown. 

After  a  brief  sojourn  at  a  village  of  Pottawatomies  they  drove  by  ox- 
cart through  an  almost  unbroken  forest  to  the  Maumee  rapids,  whence  they 
were  poled  by  pirogue  up  to  Fort  Wayne,  where  they  met  a  hearty  welcome 
from  Judge  Hanna.  The  Fort  Wayne  church  however  was  supplied,  and  the 
Judge  remarked :  "There  is  a  right  smart  little  town  of  three  hundred  in- 
habitants started  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Michigan.  They  call  it  'Chicago' ;  bet- 
ter go  there."  Instead  of  doing  so  they  went  by  canoe  down  the  Wabash 
to  Logansport,  where  they  were  met  by  Rev.  Messrs.  Martin  M.  Post  and 
James  A.  Carnahan.  Leaving  Mrs.  Hovey  for  a  while  at  Logansport,  Messrs. 
Hovey  and  Carnahan  took  to  their  canoe  again  and  floated  down  the  Wabash 
to  Lafayette,  where  Mr.  Hovey  had  the  joy  of  preaching  his  first  sermon  in 
Indiana.     Part  of  the  time  on  horseback  they  "rode  and  tied." 

Fountain  county,  which  was  decided  on  as  Mr.  Hovey's  chosen  field  of 
labor,  had  then  ten  thousand  inhabitants,  but  no  meeting-house,  schoolhouse 
or  newspaper.  A  church  organization  at  Portland  had  been  abandoned ;  but 
one  was  ready  to  be  formed  at  Covington,  of  which  the  missionary  took 
charge,  and  also  of  one  just  formed  at  Coal  Creek.  New  churches  were 
started  at  Rob  Roy  and  Newtown.  Midway  between  the  two  stood  the  log 
cabin  into  which  the  pioneer  couple  moved,  exactly  twelve  weeks  after  bidding 
adieu  to  Squire  Carter's  mansion  at  Peacham,  Vermont.  The  cabin  walls 
were  "chinked  and  daubed":  its  one  room  had  a  "puncheon"  floor;  its  one 
window  had  twelve  small  panes  in  the  space  made  by  simply  removing  a  log; 
a  loft  served  for  storage;  the  wide  door  swung  on  wooden  hinges,  and  its 
latch-string  was  out  by  day  for  hospitality,  and  pulled  in  by  night  for  secur- 
ity. In  a  log  stable  near  by  was  kept  "Barney"  a  reformed  race-horse,  who 
carried  his  new  owner  over  two  thousand  miles  on  errands  of  mercy  and 
righteousness  through  Fountain  county,  occasionally  running  away,  but  never 
letting  his  master  miss  an  appointment  in  two  years. 

Mr.  Hovey  felt  the  responsibility  of  being  the  only  minister  in  the 
county.  He  gathered  churches  and  Sunday  schools,  started  day  schools  and 
temperance  societies,  scattered  good  literature  abroad,  and  promoted  the  first 
newspaper  started  in  the  county  seat.  He  held  camp-meetings  with  good 
results.     The  Wabash   Presbytery   was   formed,   covering  sixteen   counties. 


MOXTGOMF.RV    COL'XTV.    INDIANA.  X55 

whose  four  ministers  and  eight  elders  met  on  one  occasion  at  the  Hovey 
cabin  and  lodged  at  night  on  its  straw-strewn  floor.  '  A  college  classmate. 
Rev.  Caleb  Mills,  was  urged  to  come  West  as  his  associate.  Mills  reply, 
dated  June  14,  1832,  was  highly  characteristic,  but  when  he  finally  did  come, 
the  next  year,  the  hand  of  Providence  had  opened  for  both  men  a  wider  edu- 
cational field  to  which  they  ga\e  their  lives,  and  which  was  located  in  Mont- 
gomery county. 

Several  men  who  had  been  revolving  the  idea  of  founding  a  literary 
institution  of  high  order  for  the  Wabash  valley,  met  at  the  "Old  Brick  House" 
at  Crawfordsville,  on  November  21,  1832.  Rev.  John  M.  Ellis,  secretary  of 
the  Indiana  Education  Society,  presided;  Rev.  Edmund  Otis  Hovey  was  the 
secretary;  Rev.  James  Thomson  stated  the  object  of  the  meeting;  Rev.  John 
Thomson  and  Rev.  James  A.  Carnahan  were  al.so  present;  and  elders  Gilli- 
land,  Robinson,  McConnell  and  King.  A  public  meeting  of  citizens  was  held 
that  night.  The  next  da\-  the  founders  inspected  and  accepted  grounds 
generously  donated  by  Hon.  Williamson  Dunn.  A  light  snow  having  fallen, 
those  men  of  faith  knelt  on  its  spotless  surface  amid  the  virgin  forest  and 
dedicated  the  spot  to  the  Triune  God,  being  led  in  prayer  by  Mr.  Ellis. 

We  are  not  giving  a  history  of  the  college,  except  as  touching  the  career 
of  Mr.  Hovey,  who  from  that  day  till  the  day  of  his  death  was  identified 
with  it  in  various  ways.  His  name  headed  the  list  of  clerical  trustees  and 
remained  there  for  forty-five  years.  He  was  on  the  charter  committee  and 
the  building  committee,  and  was  the  man  designated  to  secure  the  services 
of  Caleb  Mills  as  first  instructor.  The  original  suggestion  was  to  found  "a 
classical  and  English  high  school,  rising  into  a  college."  The  charter  name, 
however,  was  "The  Wabash  Manual  Labor  College  and  Teachers"  Seminary''; 
wisely  shortened  at  a  later  day  to  its  simpler  form  of  "Wabash  College." 

After  a  brief  period  Mr.  Hovey  bade  his  parishioners  in  Fountain  county 
farewell,  took  an  appointment  as  financial  agent  for  the  college,  embarked 
with  his  wife  and  infant  son  at  Covington,  descended  the  Wabash  to  its 
mouth,  and  then  went  up  the  Ohio  to  Louisville,  Cincinnati  and  Pittsburgh. 
Few  encouraged  him.  Dr.  Lyman  Beecher  "frowned  on  the  infant  weakling 
of  a  college."  Swarms  of  agents  were  ahead  of  him  at  the  Presbyterian 
General  Assembly  in  Philadelphia  and  the  "May  anniversaries"  in  New  York. 
Efforts  at  Baltimore,  Boston,  Providence  and  New  Haven  were  fruitless. 

A  memorable  crisis  found  Mr.  Hovey  at  the  Tontine  Hotel  in  New 
Haven,  "with  an  empty  purse  and  no  hope  and  every  door  closed."  He 
wrote  to  Crawfordsville,  resigning  all  connection  with  the  college,  saying  that 


856  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

he  should  return  to  his  mission  field  in  Fountain  county  as  soon  as  he  got 
money  enough  to  do  so.  He  signed  this  affecting  letter,  "Yours  at  the  point 
of  desperation."  Concerning  it  President  Tuttle  has  impressively  remarked : 
"If  that  letter  had  been  sent,  the  college  would  have  perished.  It  was  not 
sent  and  the  college  lived." 

It  is  due  to  the  memory  of  Rev.  John  M.  Ellis  to  relate  the  fact  that  he 
happened  in  on  the  discouraged  agent  just  at  this  time,  and  made  the  wise 
suggestion  that,  before  mailing  his  letter,  he  should  confer  with  the  faculty 
of  Yale  College.  President  Woolsey  has  described  the  interview.  The  early 
struggles  of  Yale  were  rehearsed  and  words  of  encouragement  were  spoken. 
Then  followed  an  interview  with  the  faculty  of  Andover  Seminary,  who  ad- 
vised an  appeal  to  the  rural  churches  of  New  England.  A  circular  was 
printed  on  behalf  of  "a  region  equal  to  Massachusetts,  Connecticut  and  Rhode 
Island,  where  the  first  settlements  had  been  made  only  twelve  years  previ- 
ously, yet  where  there  was  now  a  population  of  one  hundred  thousand." 

The  plan  was  effective.  The  first  response  was  from  Amesbury  Mills, 
being  fifty  dollars.  Then  from  Newburyport  came  four  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  dollars.  Other  New  England  towns  gave  several  thousand  dollars  in  all, 
and  the  crisis  was  safely  past. 

The  task  of  finding  a  president  was  even  harder  than  trying  to  raise 
money.  Dr.  Absalom  Peters  suggested  the  name  of  Dr.  Elihu  W.  Baldwin, 
the  most  popular  pastor  in  New  York  City.  Bravely  the  Hoosier  agent  met 
the  eminent  clergyman,  saying,  "The  King's  business  requires  haste.  I  ask 
you  to  be  the  president  of  Wabash  College."  A  map  of  Indiana  was  spread 
out,  and  the  claims  of  the  new  common\vealth  were  urged  till  finally  consent 
was  gained,  followed  by  a  unanimous  election.  Thus  encouraged  the  financial 
problem  was  successfully  solved. 

The  fact  may  here  be  stated  that,  after  Dr.  Baldwin's  death  in  1840, 
Mr.  Hovey  was  again  deputed  to  secure  the  services  of  Dr.  Charles  White, 
of  Owego,  New  York;  and  after  Dr.  White's  death,  twenty  years  later,  he 
went  on  a  like  errand  for  Dr.  J.  F.  Tuttle,  of  New  Jersey.  Some  of  the  other 
members  of  the  faculty  were  gained  by  his  instrumentality.  From  the  first 
the  trustees  urged  Mr.  Hovey  himself  to  take  a  professorship.  In  1834  they 
offered  him  the  chair  of  the  Natural  Sciencfes,  and  Mr.  Ellis  urged  it  on  him, 
saying  "your  standing  in  Indiana,  your  acquaintance  with  the  business  con- 
cerns of  the  institution,  your  familiarity  with  the  minutiae  of  all  its  parts  at 
home  and  abroad,  as  well  as  your  personal  endowments,  all  render  you  em- 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  S^J 

phatically  the  man."  Di.strusting  his  gifts,  Mr.  Ho\ey  at  first  took  the  chair 
of  Rhetoric;  but  in  1836  was  led  to  become  the  professor  of  Chemistry, 
Geology  and  Mineralogy.  This  department  was  divided  in  1871,  leaving 
Geology  alone  to  him  for  the  rest  of  his  days.  A  pioneer  college  man  must 
do  whatever  has  to  be  done;  from  mending  a  gate  to  teaching  astronomy. 
Mr.  Hovey  was  accustomed  to  say,  in  his  old  age,  that  he  had  taught  every- 
thing in  the  curriculum  except  the  differential  and  integral  calculus. 

From  1833  to  1839  he  was  the  college  librarian,  during  which  period  he 
collected  and  catalogued  several  thousand  volumes.  His  services  as  treasurer 
covered  twenty-six  years,  enabling  him  to  turn  over  to  his  successor,  Alex- 
ander Thomson,  Esq.,  the  sum  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  He  per- 
sonally superintended  the  erection  of  the  first  frame  building,  now  known  as 
Forest  Hall ;  the  original  brick  building,  styled  South  Hall ;  the  main  building, 
known  as  Center  Hall;  and,  with  General  Carrington.  the  .\rmur\-.  since 
turned  into  the  Hovey  Museum,  and  now  used  as  a  gymnasium.  His  early 
knowledge  of  fanning  enabled  him  to  aid  the  agricultural  experiments  under- 
taken during  the  "manual  labor"  period.  Together  with  President  White 
he  mustered  the  boys  for  tree-planting  so  that  a  younger  growth  of  elms, 
maples  and  beeches  might  replace  the  monarchs  of  the  primeval  forest  as  the 
latter  fell  to  decay.  At  his  suggestion  the  first  college  band  was  formed, 
under  the  leadership  of  Philyer  L.  Wells ;  and  he  himself  selected,  at  the 
house  of  Firth,  Hall  &  Pond,  in  New  York  city,  the  Imgle,  horns,  trombones, 
flutes,  clarinets,  drums,  etc.,  that  were  stored  in  his  attic  during  long  vaca- 
tions. 

When  the  first  site  of  fifteen  acres  was  deemed  unsuitaljle  Mr.  Hovey, 
acting  for  the  trustees,  bought  for  six  thousand  dollars  a  quarter  section  from 
Major  Whitlock  and  sold  a  hundred  acres  of  it  at  auction  for  nine  thousand 
dollars,  keeping  the  remainder  as  a  college  reserve.  Payment  was  in  "wild- 
cat" bills,  which  the  hard-money  Major  refused  to  accept.  Then  Mr.  Hovey 
went  to  Cincinnati,  exchanged  the  bills  for  specie,  took  the  silver  dollars 
home,  by  mud-wagon  from  Indianapolis,  in  six  square  boxes,  each  containing 
one  thousand  dollars ;  had  Tom  Kelly,  a  tenant  of  the  college,  carry  them  in 
a  wheelbarrow  to  Major  Whitlock,  who  counted  them,  dollar  by  dollar,  and 
then  gave  his  receipt  for  the  sum. 

On  one  of  the  lots  of  the  "college  reserve"  the  Hovey  house  was  built 
in  1837,  space  for  it  being  cleared  from  the  virgin  forest.  A  number  of  the 
big  trees  were  allowed  to  stand,  around  some  of  which  wild  grapevines 
twined  fantastically  burdened  with  many  clusters.     This  property  remained 


858  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

for  sixty  years  in  the  hands  of  the  family,  and  was  finally  sold  as  an  elegible 
site  for  a  presidential  mansion,  the  original  dwelling  being  removed  to  a  place 
near  the  gymnasium  to  be  used  by  the  curator  of  the  college  campus. 

One  night  the  five  year  old  son  of  Mr.  Hovey  awoke  his  father  with  the 
strange  cry,  "Papa,  why  does  God  let  Wabash  College  burn  up?" 

In  Professor  Hovey's  diary  the  following  record  occurs,  for  the  23rd 
of  September,  1838 :  "About  two  o'clock  this  morning  the  cry  of  'Fire,  the 
College  is  on  fire'  was  heard,  and  by  half  past  two  the  whole  roof  and  fourth 
story  of  our  beautiful  building  was  in  a  complete  blaze."  Only  eight  rooms 
were  saved ;  but  the  library  and  philosophical  apparatus  were  destroyed.  That 
calamity  was  on  Saturday,  and  on  Monday  rooms  were  rented  in  Hanna's 
Building,  and  by  Tuesday  recitations  were  resumed,  only  a  single  student  hav- 
ing left  by  reason  of  the  conflagration.  The  generous  men  of  Crawfords- 
ville  rallied  to  the  rescue,  saying,  "Rebuild  and  we  will  help."  The  friends 
of  President  Baldwin  in  New  York  urged  him  to  resume  his  pastorate  in 
that  city,  but  he  nobly  said:  "I  will  not  give  up  Wabash  College;  there  is 
only  the  more  work  to  be  done." 

Among  the  new-  friends  raised  up  for  Wabash  College  in  its  time  of  need 
should  be  mentioned  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Israel  Williams,  who  were  inmates  of 
Mr.  Hovey's  family  in  1840-41,  with  their  daughter,  who  afterward  became 
Mrs.  S.  S.  Thomson.  Mr.  Williams  endowed  the  professorship  bearing  his 
name,  and  he  induced  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Chauncey  Rose,  of  Terre 
Haute,  to  endow  the  Rose  professorship  of  Geology,  whereof  Mr.  Hovey 
was  the  first  incumbent.  Through  the  hands  of  the  latter  Mr.  Rose  passed  a 
sum  total  of  eighty  thousand  dollars  for  benevolent  purposes,  though  not  all 
this  sum  was  for  the  college.  One  day,  when  putting  into  his  hands  fifty 
thousand  dollars  he  playfully  said,  "Here  Mr.  Hovey  are  two  thousand  dol- 
lars more  as  your  commission  and  for  your  own  use." 

The  Lord  had  already  guided  more  than  one  benefactor  to  the  treasur- 
er's cottage.  There  one  evening  the  prudential  committee  knelt  in  prayer 
because  debts  were  due  and  the  treasury  empty.  A  knock  at  the  door  brought 
to  them  Mr.  Jesse  J.  Brown,  of  New  Albany,  with  an  offering^  in  cash  that 
exactly  met  their  need.  An  incident  comes  to  mind  when  at  another  crisis, 
Mr.  Hovey  had  been  pleading  in  vain  in  Brooklyn,  till  footsore  and  heartsore 
he  dropped  in  to  the  weekly  prayer-meeting  of  the  Plymouth  church  and 
meekly  took  a  back  seat.  The  topic  was  "Cheerfulness,"  and  after  the  open- 
ing remarks  he  took  occasion  to  thank  the  pastor  and  people  for  past  gener- 
osity to  the  college  of  which  Mr.  Beecher  had  long  been  a  trustee.     "Come 


MONTGOMERY    COUXTV.    INDIANA.  ><^q 

to  the  platform,"  said  Beecher.  The  final  result  of  the  appeal  that  followed 
was  a  gift  of  ten  thousand  dollars  to  found  the  Beecher  professorship. 

The  hospitality  of  the  Hovey  home  was  abundant.  A  dozen  nephews 
and  nieces  were  treated  like  sons  and  daughters.  Several  orphans  were  prac- 
tically adopted,  one  of  whom  afterward  was  the  wife  of  Professor  D.  A. 
Bassett.  The  house  was  full  of  student-boarders,  not  for  gain,  but  by  par- 
ental urging.  Some  of  them  distinguished  themselves  in  public  life.  All 
were  required  by  domestic  rules  to  bow  daily  at  the  family  altar  where  prayer 
was  wont  to  be  made. 

The  humble  nucleus  of  the  college  cabinet  was  a  lot  of  ores  and  crystals 
brought  by  Mrs.  Hovey  from  Vermont,  augmented  by  tropical  shells  donated 
by  Mrs.  Baldwin,  and  specimens  purchased  from  Prof.  S.  Harrison  Thomson, 
in  1841.  One  day  the  little  son  of  Prof.  Hovey  brought  to  his  father  what 
looked  like  a  petrified  toad,  but  which  the  wiser  father  identified  as  a  crinoid — 
the  first  found  of  all  the  many  thousand  Crawfordsville  crinoids  that  have 
enriched  the  museums  of  this  and  foreign  lands.  Corey's  Blufif,  the  best 
known  of  the  crinoid  banks,  yet  remains  in  the  possession  of  the  family.  In 
1874,  aided  by  his  son  and  daughter.  Dr.  Hovey  made  out  a  numbered  cata- 
logue of  ten  thousand  specimens  for  reference,  with  a  written  statement  that 
there  were  in  all  some  twenty-five  thousand  objects  of  natural  history  in  the 
college  cabinet.  This  included  several  hundred  minerals,  fossils  and  shells, 
and  over  two  thousand  botanical  specimens  indigenous  to  the  region,  that  had 
been  a  memorial  gift  from  his  son.  The  varied  cares  of  a  busy  professional 
life  left  this  pioneer  geologist  scant  time  for  describing  or  classifying  the  pro- 
fusion of  fossiliferous  riches  by  which  he  was  embarrassed.  A  volume  might 
be  filled  with  his  correspondence  about  them  with  such  men  as  Silliman,  Dana, 
Shepherd,  Newberry,  James  Hall,  Cox,  Collett,  and  other  scientists.  Oc- 
casional articles  from  his  pen  found  their  way  to  the  newspapers  and  maga- 
zines ;  but  he  had  little  time  for  the  joys  of  authorship.  A  few  of  his  sermons 
were  published,  and  but  few  were  left  in  manuscript,  though  he  frequently 
occupied  the  pulpit,  always  being  heard  with  attention  by  his  intelligent 
hearers.  It  may  be  said  that  his  sermonic  appeals,  like  his  own  type  of  piety, 
were  more  intellectual  than  emotional.  At  its  centennial  celebration  Dart- 
mouth College  honored  him  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  His 
friends  felt  that  it  was  merited. 

Dr.  Hovey  passed  away  after  a  short  illness  on  the  loth  of  March,  1877. 
Mrs.  Hovey  survived  him  for  several  years,  ending  her  useful  life  July  12, 
1886,  amid  the  familiar  surroundings  of  the  old  home. 


860  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,,    INDIANA. 

Two  children  were  born  to  them.  One  of  these,  Horace  Carter  Hovey, 
was  born  in  Fountain  county,  January  28,  1833 ;  and  a  sketch  of  his  career  ap- 
pears elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Miss  Mary  Freeman  Hovey,  the  daughter  of 
Professor  Hovey,  was  born  at  Crawfordsville,  September  28,  1838,  where  she 
died  June  4,  1897.  She  was  a  graduate  of  the  Ohio  Female  College ;  for  several 
years  was  a  professor  in  the  Kansas  Agricultural  College;  taught  for  three  or 
four  years  in  the  public  schools  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  but  was  best 
known  by  her  faithful  work  as  a  teacher  of  young  ladies,  in  her  home  at  Craw- 
fordsville, where,  first  and  last  she  had  under  her  care  more  than  two  hundred 
and  fifty  pupils.  There  are  now  living  three  grandchildren  of  Professor 
Hovey,  one  of  them  a  namesake  on  whom  his  mantle  has  fallen,  namely,  Ed- 
mund Otis  Hovey,  Ph.  D.,  a  graduate  of  Yale  University,  and  for  the  last 
twenty  years  a  curator  of  Geology  and  Paleontology  in  the  American  Mu- 
seum of  Natural  History  in  New  York  City. 

In  the  front  wall  of  Center  church,  in  Crawfordsville,  a  memorial  win- 
dow has  been  placed  in  honor  of  Professor  Hovey;  and  a  granite  monument 
marks  his  resting-place  in  the  beautiful  Oak  Hill  cemetery.  But  his  most  en- 
during monument  is  found  in  the  noble  work  he  did  for  religion  and  educa- 
tion. Montgomery  county  never  had  a  more  public-spirited  citizen,  though 
he  never  sought  or  held  office  outside  the  college  and  the  church.  This  sketch 
of  his  career  may  be  fittingly  closed  by  condensing  the  just  tribute  paid  to 
him  in  the  funeral  discourse  preached  over  his  remains  by  the  late  President 
Tuttle : 

"Honored  by  his  Alma  Mater  with  her  highest  degree;  honored  as  a 
preacher  of  the  Word  by  his  brethren  in  the  ministry ;  honored  by  the  com- 
munity as  an  old  Roman  of  the  noblest  type ;  honored  by  the  church  which  he 
helped  to  found,  and  in  which  for  thirty-eight  years  he  was  a  pillar ;  honored 
as  a  founder,  a  trustee  and  a  professor  of  Wabash  College;  honored  with 
many  other  great  trusts,  all  who  knew  him  were  witnesses  that  the  consum- 
mate formula  describing  his  life  among  men  wa«:  'Faithful  in  the  Lord.' 
His  last  years  were  singularly  beautiful ;  as  when  maples  in  autumn  are  cov- 
ered with  dying  leaves  they  are  also  lit  up  by  supernal  beauty.  He  moved 
among  us  tender,  simple  and  loving  as  a  child,  trusting  and  joyful  as  a  saint, 
fond  of  earth  and  most  tenderly  held  by  its  ties,  yet  with  lifted  eye  and  shining 
face,  and  his  head  wearing  the  crown  of  glory  which  the  loving  God  had  given 
him." 

The  privileged  by-standers  heard  his  expiring  cry  voice  his  ruling  passion, 
"God  bless  Wabash  College,"  after  which  simply  came  the  parting  prayer, 
"Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  spirit." 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INniANA.  86l 


DAMD  CHARLES   SAIITH. 


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  for  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  affairs  of  a  community  and  tn  its  public  stability:  men  who  lead 
wholesome  and  exemplar)'  Ii\es  which  might  be  profitably  studied  by  the  on- 
coming generation.  In  such  class  must  consistently  appear  the  name  of 
David  Charles  Smith,  well  known  and  progressive  business  man  of  Craw- 
fordsville,  and  one  of  Montgomery  county's  most  representative  citizens,  a 
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,  for  being  a  man  who  thinks  along  progressive  lines,  he 
naturally  desires  to  see  his  community  advance  along  material  and  civic  lines, 
and,  although  a  very  busy  man,  he  has  never  neglected  his  duty  as  a  citi- 
zen, but  has  been  one  of  the  men  who  could  be  relied  upon  in  the  promul- 
gation of  such  enterprises  as  make  for  the  general  good. 

Mr.  Smith  was  born  on  October  .22,  1843,  i"  Perrysville,  Indiana,  and 
he  is  a  son  of  John  Frederick  and  Lydia  Ann  (Watt)  Smith.  The  father 
was  born  in  Frederick  county,  Virginia,  in  September,  18 12,  and  was  a  son 
of  David  and  Susan  (Hunsicker)  Smith.  David  Smith  was  a  native  of 
Virginia  and  there  he  continued  to  reside  until  1832,  when  he  made  the 
journey  to  Indiana  on  horseback,  and  here  bought  a  farm  and  returned  home, 
bringing  his  family  here  in  the  fall  of  1833,  making  this  trip  in  wagons, 
which  required  some  time,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  only  roads  in  many 
places  were  unbroken  trails,  and  it  was  exceedingly  rough  going  all  the  way. 
Upon  reaching  Brownsburg,  Mr.  Smith  was  compelled  to  leave  his  wife  and 
one  daughter,  in  order  to  have  horses  enough  to  draw  the  wagons  on  to 
where  he  desired  to  settle.  John  F.  Smith,  the  oldest  son,  drove  the  six- 
horse  team.  The  place  where  they  located  was  on  a  farm  two  and  one-half 
miles  south  of  Penysville,  and  there,  by  hard  work  a  good  farm  was  de- 
veloped from  the  wilderness  and  a  comfortable  home  established,  and  there 
David  Smith  and  wife  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives. 

John  F.  Smith  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  Virginia,  where  he  received  a 


862  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

good,  common  school  education,  and  among  other  things  he  learned  survey- 
ing, and  after  coming  to  Indiana  he  followed  this  vocation  in  the  summer 
and  taught  school  in  the  winter,  continuing  thus  for  two  years,  then  estab- 
lished a  general  store  at  Perrysville,  which  he  conducted  with  great  success 
for  a  period  of  about  thirty-three  years,  enjoying  an  extensive  trade  with 
the  people  of  that  section  for  miles  around.  During  this  time  he  was  also 
interested  in  the  milling  business,  and  he  shipped  large  quantities  of  grain 
to  New  Orleans  in  flat-boats,  Mr.  Smith  often  going  along  on  the  boat  and 
returning  on  horseback.  He  also  sold  agricultural  implements  for  many 
years,  and  was  a  general  business  man,  very  successful  in  whatever  he  turned 
his  attention  to  and  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Perrysville  in  every  respect. 
That  town  in  those  days  was  a  great  shipping  poirit.  Our  subject  has  seen 
as  many  as  five  boats  unloading  there  simultaneously.  Hogs  in  large  num- 
bers were  also  butchered  there  and  shipped  to  New  Orleans,  finding  a  ready 
market  there.  These  various  lines  of  business  Mr.  Smith  carried  on  until 
1885,  when,  having  accumulated  a  competency,  he  retired.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  1892,  after  a  very  active,  successful,  noble  and  praiseworthy  life. 
He  was  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  his 
county.  Politically,  he  was  a  Whig  and  later  a  Republican,  and  in  religious 
matters  a  Methodist. 

'His  wife,  Lydia  Ann  Watt,  was  a  native  of  Circleville,  Ohio,  who  came 
to  Perrysville,  Indiana,  in  1834  with  her  parents,  and  here  she  and  John  F. 
Smith  were  married  in  1835.  She  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age,  dying  in  1894. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Judith  Watt,  both  natives  of  Pennsj'lvania, 
from  which  state  they  came  to  Ohio  and  later  to  Indiana,  and  here  they 
spent  the  rest  of  their  lives,  living  to  very  advanced  ages. 

David  C.  Smith,  of  this  review,  received  a  good  common  school  edu- 
cation, and  before  he  could  launch  out  on  a  business  career  the  Civil  war 
came  on  and  he  offered  his  services  to  his  country,  enlisting  on  July  22,  1862, 
in  Company  K,  Seventy-first  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  which  regiment  was 
afterwards  known  as  the  Sixth  Indiana  Cavalry.  He  served  three  years 
with  much  gallantry  and  credit,  participating  in  a  number  of  important 
campaigns  and  battles,  and  on  August  6,  1864,  the  Confederates  took  him 
prisoner  and  sent  him  to  Andersonville.  He  was  captured  near  Gainesville, 
Georgia,  while  trying  to  get  back  from  the  Stoneman  raid.  Previous  to 
that,  when  the  regiment  had  only  been  in  sendee  twelve  days,  he  was  en- 
gaged at  Richmond,  Kentucky,  where  over  half  the  regiment  was  captured 
and  paroled.  For  some  time  he  did  scout  duty  in  Knoxville,  Tennessee, 
Kentucky,   at   Resacca,   Cassville  and   Adairsville.     He   was   in   the   Atlanta 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  SCtT, 

campaign,  and  he  was  captured  just  before  the  fall  of  the  city  of  Atlanta. 
Mr.  Smith  says  words  are  inadequate  in  describing  the  horrors  of  Ander- 
sonville  prison.  There  were  thirty-three  thousand  of  the  Union  men  there 
at  one  time.  He  was  released  on  April  29,  1865.  He  has  also  been  in  prison 
in  Savannah,  Millen,  Blackshear,  and  Thomasville.  He  was  honorably  dis- 
charged from  the  Federal  service  on  June  28,  1865. 

After  his  career  in  the  army  he  returned  to  Indiana  and,  desiring  to 
complete  his  education,  he  entered  Asbury  (now  DePauw)  University,  at 
Greencastle,  where  he  remained  one  term,  then  went  to  Poughkeepsie,  New 
York,  and  took  a  business  course.  He  went  to  Minnesota  in  1867  and  there 
s])ent  one  winter,  during  which  he  canvassed  the  city  of  Minneapolis  for  a 
directorv,  then  returned  to  Perrysville,  Indiana,  and  took  his  father's  place 
in  the  store,  continuing  to  engage  in  general  merchandising  until  1883,  or 
for  a  period  of  sixteen  years,  during  which  time  he  enjoyed  an  extensive  trade 
and  got  a  good  start  in  life.  Then  lie  came  to  Crawfordsville  and  engaged 
in  the  lumber  business,  purchasing  a  half  interest  in  a  lumber  yard  with  J. 
W.  Stroh,  which  they  conducted  for  two  years,  when  Mr.  Smith  bought  out 
his  partner,  then  engaged  in  business  for  himself  until  1888,  when  the  firm 
of  Smith  &  Duckworth  was  started,  which  has  continued  with  uninter- 
rupted success.  They  enjoy  a  very  extensive  trade  with  the  surrounding 
country  and  carry  a  large  and  well  selected  stock.  Our  subject  has  become 
one  of  the  financially  strong  men  of  his  town  and  county,  and  is  deserving 
of  much  credit  for  what  he  has  accomplished,  having  started  at  the  bottom 
of  the  ladder.  He  is  now  advanced  in  years,  but,  having  been  a  man  of 
good  habits,  he  is  hale  and  hearty.  He  is  a  man  who  is  popular  with  the 
people  owing  to  his  honesty,  obliging  nature  and  unfailing  courtesy.  He  is 
a  member  of  McPherson  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  at  Crawfords- 
ville. He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Order,  and  religiously,  is  a  Presbyterian. 
Mr.  Smith  has  done  more  work  for  the  L.  L.  Culver  Union  Hospital  in 
Crawfordsville  than  any  other  man. 

On  July  2,  1868,  Mr.  Smith  was  married  to  Caroline  Sidney  Evans, 
who  was  born  in  Fountain  county,  Indiana,  November  13,  1841,  and  grew 
to  womanhood  and  received  her  education  in  Indiana.  Her  parents  were 
early  settlers  in  that  county  and  were  well  known  there.  She  is  the  niece  of 
General  Evans,  for  whom  Evansville  was  named.  Her  father,  Jefferson 
Evans,  was  a  prominent  attorney  and  legislator. 

Two  children  have  been  bom  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith,  namely :  Anna 
Mary,  who  is  the  wife  of  Frank  P.  McNutt,  of  Crawfordsville,  and  Agnes 
Neely,  wife  of  Francis  S.  Cobb,  of  Boston,  Massachusetts. 


864  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

REV.  HORACE  CARTER  HOVEY,  D.  D. 

Horace  Carter  Hovey,  son  of  Professor  Edmund  Otis  Hovey,  D.  D., 
and  Mary  Carter  Hovey,  was  born  near  Rob  Roy,  Indiana,  January  28,  1833. 
They  moved  to  Crawfordsville  in  1835  and  for  two  years  lived  in  the  "Old 
Brick  House,"  till,  in  1837,  they  built  the  dwelling  on  a  lot  of  the  "College 
Reserve,"  which  remained  in  the  family  till  1898,  when  sold  for  the  site  of 
a  presidential  residence.  Among  Mr.  Hoveys  earliest  recollections  are  the 
felling  of  the  great  trees  and  the  raising  of  the  frame-house.  He  was  baptized 
by  Father  John  Thomson  and  joined  the  Center  church,  March  30,  1845. 
When  only  twelve  years  old  he  took  a  class  in  Sunday  school  which  he  kept 
for  seven  years,  being  absent  only  six  times  in  that  period.  When  sixteen 
years  old  he  was  chosen  to  lead  the  chorus  choir,  in  w;,hich  he  had  previously 
been  a  singer  and  flute-player.  He  was  a  member  of  the  college  band,  and 
has  kept  up  his  fiute-playing  all  his  life.  He  belonged  to  the  Euphronean 
society  and  the  Lyceum,  and  was  an  honorary  member  of  the  Calliopean 
society.  Subsequent  to  graduation  he  was  made  a  member,  and  for  three 
years  the  vice-president  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  society,  which  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  represent  at  the  Ninth  Triennial  Council  of  the  United  Chapters  at 
Williamsburg,  Virginia,  in  1907.  For  about  two  years  after  graduating  with 
the  degree  of  A.  B.,  in  1853,  he  was  tutor  in  the  preparatory  department  of 
Wabash  College;  and  he  served  one  summer  as  Sunday  school  missionary  in 
Fountain  county,  where  he  organized  twenty  schools,  and  devised  a  system  of 
Sunday  school  mapping  that  has  been  since  adopted  generally.  In  1857  ^^ 
was  graduated  from  Lane  Theological  Seminary,  at  Cincinnati;  where  he 
mainly  supported  himself  by  teaching  music  in  the  public  schools.  He  also 
led  a  chorus  choir,  mornings  and  evenings,  in  the  Eighth  (now  the  Third) 
Presbyterian  church,  and  sang  in  a  quartette  choir  afternoons  in  a  church  of. 
which  Dr.  H.  M.  Storrs  was  pastor.  In  the  former  church  he  preached  his 
first  sermon,  November  20,  1856,  on  "Church  Music,"  which  was  afterwards 
published  in  the  Christian  Herald.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Crawfordsville,  July  11,  1857,  and  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Madison, 
April  16.  1858,  his  father  preaching  the  sermon  on  the  occasion.  He  served 
as  home  missionary  at  North  Madison,  Bryansburg  and  Vevay,  and  for  a 
year  as  secretary  of  the  American  and  Foreign  Christian  Union.  While 
considering  a  call  to  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Coldwater,  Michigan,  the  Civil 
War  began.  His  sermons  in  that  city  on  the  National  Fast-Day  (January  4, 
1861),  and  on  the  firing  on  Sumpter,  in  April,  caused  such  agitation  that  the 


.::Vo 


.  %,,„   „  :  ■//,',./,„,,.,/,.'■    /■',  ■  -y,->'.>.'-/-^-  /'t'^/' 


MnXTdOMKRV   cni-XTV.   ixniANA.  M15 

pastoral  call  was  declined,  and  Mr.  Hovey  accepted  a  call  to  the  Florence 
church  in  Northampton,  Massachusetts,  where  he  stayed  four  years.  While 
there  he  served  twice  as  delegate  of  the  United  States  Christian  Commission, 
during  "battlefield  duty"  during  his  first  term,  at  the  Wilderness,  North  Anna 
and  Cold  Harbor;  and  in  the  second  term,  after  six  weeks  work  in  camps  and 
hospitals  at  Washington,  D.  C,  he  went  to  Richmond,  just  after  its  surrender, 
and  had  the  task  of  superintending  the  feeding  of  the  starving  people.  His 
other  pastorates  were:  Second  Presbyterian  church  in  New  Albany,  Indiana 
(1866-1869);  Fulton  Street  Presbyterian  Church,  Peoria,  Illinois  (1869- 
1873);  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Kansas  City,  Missouri  (1873-1875):  Pil- 
grim Congregational,  New  Haven,  Connecticut  (1876-1883);  Park  Avenue 
Congregational,  Minneapolis,  Minnesota  (1883-1887);  Park  Street  Congre- 
gational, Bridgeport,  Connecticut  (1887-1891);  South  Congregational  Mid- 
dletown,  Connecticut,  as  supply  (1892);  and  First  Presbyterian  church  in 
Newburyport,  Massachusetts  (1893- 1909). 

Dr.  Hovey's  ministerial  labors  have  been  rewarded  by  large  accessions 
to  the  churches  to  which  he  has  ministered,  especially  at  New  Albany,  New 
Haven,  Minneapolis  and  Bridgeport,  in  each  of  which  places  there  were  re- 
markable revivals.  He  retired  from  active  pastoral  labors  at  the  ripe  age  of 
seventy-five  years;  and  since  then  has  done  occasional  preaching,  and  con- 
siderable literary  and  scientific  work.  First  and  last  he  has  made  his  mark 
as  a  lecturer  on  popular  and  scientific  subjects,  having  filled  engagements  in 
many  of  the  principal  cities  in  the  United  States  and  Canada,  and  at  numer- 
ous Chautauqua  assemblies,  as  well  as  with  colleges  and  seminaries.  He  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from  Wabash  College  in  1857.  Twice 
he  has  been  honored  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity,  from  Gale  College 
(Wisconsin)  in  1883,  and  from  Wabash  College  in  1907.  He  is  a  fellow  of 
the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science ;  a  member  of  the 
Geological  Society  of  America,  of  the  National  Geographic  Society,  of  the 
International  Geological  Congress,  of  La  Societe  de  SpcMeologie  (France), 
and  a  charter  memljer  of  the  Connecticut  Sons  of  the  Amreican  Revolution. 
He  has  been  for  fourteen  years  the  president  of  the  Merrimack  Bible  Society, 
and  of  the  Daniel  Hovey  Association  for  nearly  as  long  a  period.  He  has 
also  held  numerous  oflices  in  the  ecclesiastical  bodies  with  whicli  he  has  been 
identified. 

From  boyhood  Dr.  Hovey  has  been  interested  in  scientific  matters.  When 
but  nine  years  old  he  found  the  first  of  the  myriads  of  "Cravvfordsxille  Crin- 
oids"  that  have  enriched  the  museums  of  this  and  other  lands,  and  for  many 
(55) 


866  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

years  he  owned  the  most  noted  of  the  Crinoid  banks,  known  as  Corey's  Bluff. 
In  1871  he  gave  his  cabinet  to  Wabash  College,  the  gift  being  valued  at  one 
thousand  dollars,  and  in  1887  he  disposed  of  a  collection  of  equal  value  to 
Carleton  College  in  Minesota.  In  the  summer  of  1854  he  made  an  indepen- 
dent geological  reconnaisance  of  a  considerable  portion  of  Southern  Indiana, 
reporting  the  result  to  the  Indiana  Geological  Society  and  also  sending  a  re- 
port to  the  New  Orleans  Academy  of  Science.  In  it  he  called  attention  to 
the  now  noted  marble  quarries,  bituminous  coal-fields,  remarkable  fossils  of 
Spergen  Hill,  and  the  numerous  caverns  found  in  the  Mountain  Limestone. 
He  explored  that  same  year  the  wonderful  Wyandotte  Cave,  of  which  he 
made  a  map,  and  he  published  his  description  in  the  Indianapolis  Journal  and 
the  Nezu  York  Tribune.  Since  that  time  he  has  visited  more  than  three  hun- 
dred caves  and  grottoes  and  gained  especial  distinction  by  his  works  on 
Mammoth  Cave.  In  1897  he  joined  a  party  that  explored  numerous  can- 
yons and  caverns  in  France,  and  he  also  visited  Russia  with  a  geological  party 
that  year,  who  were  guests  of  the  Tsar. 

Dr.  Hovey  has  been  a  frequent  contributor  to  scientific  and  popular 
magazines,  and  more  than  a  hundred  articles  from  him  have  appeared  in  the 
Scientific  American.  He  wrote  a  number  of  articles  for  the  Ninth,  Tenth 
and  Eleventh  editions  of  the  Encyclopaedia  Britannica.  He  is  the  author  of 
"Celebrated  American  Caverns"  (1882)  ;  "A  Guide-Book  to  Mammoth  Cave" 
(fifteen  editions)  ;  "Mammoth  Cave  Illustrated"  (with  Dr.  R.  E.  Call,  in 
1897);  "Hovey's  Hand-Book  of  the  Mammoth  Cave"  (1909);  and  a  re- 
vised and  enlarged  edition  of  Hovey  and  Call's  "Mammoth  Cave  Illustrated" 
(1912).  He  compiled  in  1897  a  work  styled  "The  Origin  and  Annals  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  in  Newburyport,"  that  was  published  by  Damrell 
&  Upham,  of  Boston.  More  than  thirty  of  his  sermons,  poems  and  addresses 
have  been  published  in  pamphlet  form ;  besides  numerous  minor  contributions 
to  the  press.  Jointly  with  Dr.  Call  he  has  compiled  an  exhaustive  bioliography 
of  Mammoth  Cave,  including  400  titles  of  works  mainly  in  his  own  library, 
that  will  appear  in  1913  in  "Spelunca,"  a  French  periodical. 

Dr.  Hovey  married,  at  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  November  18,  1857, 
Helen  Lavinin  Blatchley,  daughter  of  Samuel  Loper  Blatchley,  Esquire.  She 
was  born  ;u  ^ 'orth  Madison,  Connecticut,  April  23,  1830,  and  is  directly 
descended  frr  m  Thomas  Blatchley,  who  emigrated  from  Wales  to  Boston,  in 
1635,  removed  to  Hartford  in  1640,  to  Guilford  in  1666,  whence  he  returned 
to  Boston,  wlipre  he  died.  Her  father  went  to  reside  in  New  Haven  in  1846, 
where  he  became  a  well-known  business  man  and  had  one  of  its  principal 


MON'HiOMERV    COUNTY.    INDIANA.  867 

Streets  named  for  him.  On  lier  maternal  side,  Mrs.  Hovey  traces  her  ances- 
try back  to  the  twelftli  century.  Her  grandfather,  Ebenezer  Robinson,  and 
her  great-grandfather,  Capt.  James  Robinson,  were  in  the  Revokitionary 
army.  Previous  to  marriage  she  taught  in  the  New  Haven  schools  and  also 
in  Woodward  and  Hughes  High  Schools  in  Cincinnati.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hovey 
have  had  four  children,  namely,  Mrs.  Helen  C.  Ellinwood,  wife  of  Rev. 
Henry  F.  Ellinwood,  of  Hamlet,  North  Carolina:  Dr.  Edmund  Otis  Hovey, 
Jr.,  of  New  York  City,  who  is  general  secretary  of  the  Geological  Society  of 
America,  and  geological  curator  in  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  His- 
tory :  Samuel  Blatchley  Hovey,  deceased ;  and  Mrs.  Clara  Hovey  Raymond, 
wlio.  witii  her  son,  Horace  Hovey  Raymond,  makes  her  home  with  her  par- 
ents at  Xewburyport.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Ho\ey  celebrated  their  golden  wedding 
November  i8,  1907:  sliortly  after  which  tlie  following"  testimonial  was  pub- 
licly presented : 

"The  Presb\tery  of  Boston  take  pleasure  in  presenting  you,  the  Reverend 
Horace  C.  Hovey,  D.  D.,  this  testimonial,  containing  a  brief  expression  of 
their  esteem  for  vou,  on  having  completed  the  jubilee  of  your  ministry  for 
Christ  and  His  church.  In  doing  so  we  wish  to  acknowledge  the  unfailing 
goodness  of  Almighty  God.  our  Hea\enly  Father,  whose  hand  has  sustained 
you  and  vour  beloved  wife  in  all  your  \aried  life  and  work.  We  also  recog- 
nize with  profound  gratitude  the  signal  honor  conferred  upon  you  by  His 
grace  in  permitting  you  to  serve  as  an  ambassador  of  Christ  for  the  excep- 
tional period  of  fifty  years.  We  most  heartily  congratulate  you  and  Mrs. 
Hovey  on  this  consummation  together  of  fifty  years'  senice  in  the  \ineyard 
of  our  Lord.  We  appreciate  fully  the  work  and  worth  of  such  a  term  of 
service,  and  realize  that  for  the  ripe  scholarship  which  lias  adorned  your 
preaching,  the  pastoral  care  which  has  nurtured  it.  the  irenic  spirit  which 
sweetened  it,  the  consistent  godly  life  which  enforced  it  and  the  large  meas- 
ure of  success  which  has  attended  it,  the  whole  Church  of  God,  and  the  land 
you  love  are  your  debtors. 

Your  work  as  a  Presbyter  has  been  characterized  by  loyalty  to  Presby- 
terian principles:  your  zeal  for  and  unremitting  toil  in  their  advancement 
have  been  tempered  with  sweet  reasonableness,  and  charity  to  Christians  in 
other  flocks.  Your  knowledge  of  Chruch  Law  has  made  you  a  safe  councillor, 
and  a  leader  in  her  courts:  for  all  of  which  we  tender  you  our  most  hearty 
thanks.  It  is  the  earnest  prayer  of  our  Presbytery  that  you  and  your  life 
partner  may  be  long  spared  to  enjoy  in  health  and  peace  the  evening  of  life 
among  vour  family  and  many   friends:  and  when  the  dawn  of  the  endless 


868  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

day  breaks  and  the  shadows  of  this  life  flee  away,  )'ou  may  have  an  abundant 
entrance  into  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light,  and  receive  life's  crowning 
benediction  from  Him  whose  name  is  love,  in  His  own  immortal  words, 
'Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant,  enter  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord.'  " 

Dr.  Hovey,  now  an  octogenarian,  enjoys  his  full  intellectual  vigor,  and 
is  spending  his  declining  days  among  his  friends  and  former  parishioners,  at 
Newburyport,  Massachusetts.  Besides  occasional  use  of  his  gifts  as  a  preacher 
and  a  lecturer  on  scientific  and  literary  topics,  he  has  devoted  his  time  to  the 
congenial  task  of  editing  the  "Hovey  Book,'  a  volume  of  some  450  pages, 
with  many  illustrations,  compiled  under  the  auspices  of  the  Daniel  Hovey 
Association,  already  mentioned.  This  labor  of  love  has  brought  him  into 
delightful  fellowship,  personally  or  by  correspondence,  with  a  great  number 
of  kinsmen  who  claim  descent  from  Daniel  Hovey  of  Ipswich,  as  well  as 
with  many  of  the  name  abroad.  Yet  amid  these  diversified  employments  he 
cherishes  the  warmest  devotion  for  his  native  state  of  Indiana,  and  retains  a 
lively  interest  in  all  that  concerns  Montgomery  county  and  its  inhabitants, 
among  whom  he  spent  his  boyhod  and  early  manhood. 


JESSE  CARL  ALFRY. 

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  efifort  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 
depends  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  around  Jesse 
Carl  Alfry,  well  known  business  man  of  Crawfords\'ille,  and  a  representative 
of  one  of  the  leading  families  of  Montgomery  county.  Both  father  and 
mother  were  people  of  sound  principles  and  exemplary  habits,  no  word  of  re- 
proach being  heard  against  either  of  them,  being  re\-ered  by  all  their  many 
friends. 

Jesse  C.  Alfry  was  born  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  November  2,  1881,  and 


.V'OVTCOMKUV    COL'NTV,    INDIANA.  869 

he  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Nancy  (Drake)  Alfry.  In  view  oi  the  fact  that  a 
complete  sketch  of  Henry  Alfry  occurs  in  another  part  of  this  volume,  an 
extended  notice  of  this  distinguished  business  man  is  not  deemed  necessary 
here.  However,  brietly.  he  was  Ixirn  in  Mercer  county,  Kentucky,  Septem- 
ber 15,  1837,  the  son  of  Kentucky  parents,  and  Mr.  .\ifry  spent  his  boyhood 
in  his  native  state,  remaining  there  until  he  was  eighteen  \ears  of  age  when 
he  came  to  Indiana  and  l>egan  working  on  a  farm  in  Ripley  county,  and  w  hile 
living  there  married  in  1857  his  first  wife,  Lydia  A.  Selman,  whose  death  oc- 
curred in  1874,  leaving  three  children,  William  F.,  Etta  Jane  and  Rose.  The 
following  year  Mr.  Alfry  married  Nancy  Drake,  mother  of  our  subject.  Her 
death  occurred  on  August  8,  1909,  leaving  three  children,  Elenore  and  Harry 
D.,  besides  our  subject.  When  the  Civil  war  came  on,  Henry  Alfry  enlisted, 
in  1861  in  the  Thirty-seventh  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  gallantly 
for  the  Union  until  his  discharge  in  1864.  having  participated  in  many  im- 
portant battles.  After  the  war  he  returned  to  Indiana  and  in  a  mndest  way 
began  the  line  of  business  that  ultimately  led  to  a  fortune,  lumbering,  or  more 
properly  a  department  of  lumbering,  the  heading  business.  He  started  this 
in  the  woods  near  Muncie,  beginning  making  barrel  staves,  later  made  barrel 
and  keg  headings.  He  was  successful  in  this  from  the  start  and  his  business 
increased  with  the  years,  having  at  one  time  five  large  factories,  employing 
over  two  thousand  men,  in  fact,  he  has  handled  millions  of  dollars  and  em- 
ployed many  thousands  of  men,  having  been  the  undisputed  leader  of  the  iiead- 
ing  business  since  1857.  Under  his  owm  management  he  has  made  and  ship- 
ped fully  40,000,000  sets  of  all  kinds  of  circled  tight  laarrel  heading  from 
1876  to  1912,  having  worked  up  in  all  his  years  in  the  business  fully  400,000,- 
000  feet  board  measure,  or  16,666  carloads,  or  about  555  trains  of  thirty  cars 
each,  which  would  make  a  solid  train  135  miles  long.  He  has  ojjerated  in 
various  parts  of  the  country,  moving  to  Indianapolis  in  1880,  removing  to 
Crawfordsville  two  years  later,  which  city  has  since  been  his  home  and  chief 
headquarters,  although  he  has  been  in  the  South  a  great  deal,  looking  after  his 
interests  there.  He  is  still  active  in  this  business,  but  not  so  extensively  as 
formerly.  Through  his  energy,  honesty  and  close  application  he  has  ac- 
cumulated a  fortune,  and  is  one  of  the  best  known  and  highly  esteemed  men  in 
Montgomery  county. 

Jesse  C.  Alfry  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Crawfordsville,  and  was 
graduated  from  the  Culver  &  Howe  Military  Institute  in  September,  1910,  ' 
after  which  he  formed  a  partnership  with  J.  C.  Treadwell  in  the  Crawfords- 
ville Fruit  Company,  and  in   19  u  he  purchased  his  ])artner's  interest,  and  is 


870  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

doing  an  extensive  and  satisfactory  business,  handling  fruits  of  all  kinds, 
cigars  and  confectionery. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Alfiy  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks. 

Mr,  Alfry  was  married  on  December  23,  1909  to  Beatrice  Agnes  Daley,  a 
native  of  Brooklyn,  New  York. 


WALTER  LAWRENCE  HUNT. 

It  is  a  good  sign  when  so  many  residents  of  a  county  are  found  to 
have  been  born  there.  It  indicates  that  they  have  found  right  at  home  all 
the  opportunities  necessary  for  the  gratification  of  their  ambitions  in  a  busi- 
ness, political  or  social  way,  and  it  also  indicates  stability.  One  is  reminded 
that  "A  rolling  stone  gathers  no  moss."  That  young  man  is  the  wisest  who, 
when  conditions  will  permit,  remains  in  his  native  locality  and  addresses 
himself  to  the  improvement  of  conditions  he  finds  there  and  to  his  personal 
advancement  along  such  lines  as  he  may  choose,  selecting  that  for  which  he 
is  best  fitted  by  nature.  One  of  this  class  is  the  successful  and  well  known 
undertaker  and  funeral  director.  Walter  Lawrence  Hunt,  of  Crawfordsville, 
representative  of  an  honored  old  family  of  Montgomery  county. 

Mr.  Hunt  was  born  in  Mace,  this  county,  on  November  28,  1874,  and 
he  is  a  son  of  Samuel  F.  and  Jennie  (Coulter)  Hunt.  The  father  was  also 
a  native  of  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  having  first  seen  the  light  of  day 
at  the  old  Hunt  homestead  in  Walnut  township,  on  May  3,  1848.  He  was 
a  son  of  Ephraim  Hunt.  Ephraim  Hunt  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  where  he 
spent  his  childhood  and  from  there  came  in  a  very  early  day  and  entered 
from  the  government  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  ^Valnut  township, 
when  the  famous  Wabash  valley  was  practically  an  unsettled  wilderness. 
He  worked  hard  developing  this  land  and  established  a  comfortable  home, 
later  moving  to  Mace,  spending  his  declining  years  in  retirement  in  that 
village,  and  there  his  death  occurred  in  the  seventies,  an  honored  and  well 
known  pioneer. 

Samuel  F.  Hunt,  father  of  our  subject,  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home 
farm  in  Walnut  township,  where  he  found  plenty  of  hard  work  to  do  when 
a  boy,  assisting  his  father  with  the  general  duties  of  the  farm,  and  he  re- 
ceived the  usual  education  accorded  country  boys  of  that  early  period.  Early 
in  life  he  began  farming  for  himself  and  soon  had  a  good  start,  eventually 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  8/1 

becoming;  one  of  the  leading  farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  liis  part  of  the 
county,  and  he  continued  to  make  these  lines  his  chief  life  work  until  his 
retirement,  in  the  year  1906,  when  he  left  the  farm  and  moved  to  a  com- 
fortable home  in  Crawfordsville,  where  he  is  spending  his  old  age  in  quiet 
and  in  the  midst  of  plenty.  He  is  well  known  throughout  the  county  and  is 
respected  by  all  who  know  him,  for  his  life  has  been  characterized  by  indus- 
try and  honesty.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat,  but  has  never  been  especially 
active  in  public  affairs.  In  religious  matters,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist church. 

In  the  early  seventies,  Samuel  F.  Hunt  married  Jennie  Coulter,  who 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1852,  from  which  state  she  came  to  Walnut 
township,  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  with  her  parents  when  she  was 
young.  Her  father  purchased  the  land  on  which  Ehpraim  Hunt  first  settled, 
and  here  her  family  Ijecame  \ery  conifortabl)^  established  and  favoral)ly 
known.    Mrs.  Hunt  received  a  rural  school  education. 

To  Samuel  F.  Hunt  and  wife  six  children  were  born,  namely  :  Minta 
is  the  wife  of  B.  Coombs  who  is  farming  in  southern  Indiana ;  William  lives 
in  Red  Wing,  Minnesota;  Lena  is  the  wife  of  Allen  Arnold,  of  Crawfords- 
ville; Florence  is  the  wife  of  Alvin  Powers,  of  Ladoga;  Harley  lives  in 
Crawfordsville;  and  Walter  L..  uf  this  sketch,  he  being  the  eldest  of  the 
children. 

Walter  L.  Hunt  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm,  and  there  made 
himself  generally  useful  when  a  boy.  He  received  a  good  common  school 
education  in  his  neighborhood,  and  he  continued  to  work  on  the  farm  until 
1899,  when  he  attended  the  Askins  School  of  Embalming  in  Indianapolis, 
where  he  made  a  splendid  record,  graduating  from  the  same  in  1912,  having 
become  quite  proficient  in  the  modern  methods  of  embalming.  However, 
prior  to  that  he  had  maintained  an  establishment  and  had  charge  of  funerals, 
etc.,  erijoying  a  good  business,  which  is  now  very  rapidly  increasing,  his  neat 
and  modernly  appointed  establishment  being  now  located  at  122  North 
Washington  street. 

Mr.  Hunt  was  married  on  September  20,  1896,  to  Georgina  Bowman, 
who  is  a  native  of  Boone  county,  Indiana,  her  birth  having  occurred  there 
on  April  8,  1872,  and  there  she  was  reared  and  educated.  To  this  union 
four  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Ruth,  who  is  now  attending  high 
school;  Edith  is  in  her  seventh  grade  in  school;  Esther  is  doing  fourth  grade 
work ;  and  Lester,  third  grade  in  the  local  schools. 

Politically,  Mr.  Hunt  is  a  Democrat,  and  in  religious  matters  is  a  Bap- 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


tist.  He  is  prominent  in  fraternal  circles,  being  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
Order,  Knights  of  Pythias,  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  including  the  Hay- 
makers degree;  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  the  Fraternal  Order  of 
Eagles,  and  the  Patriotic  Order  Sons  of  America.  He  has  passed  through 
all  the  chairs  in  the  last  named  order,  also  in  the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge. 


WILLIAM  H.  BROWN. 

The  name  of  the  late  William  H.  Brown  stands  out  distinctly  in  the  list 
of  enterprising  and  skillful  farmers  and  successful  stock  raisers  in  Montgom- 
ery county  in  a  past  generation,  for  he  was  a  man  who  believed  in  carrying 
into  his  every-day  work  progressive  ideas  and  so  far  as  practicable  trans- 
planting the  old  order  of  things  to  the  new ;  however,  he  had  to  admit,  as  do 
all  fair  and  broad-minded  men,  that  many  of  the  methods  employed  by  our 
fathers  and  grandfathers  in  agricultural  pursuits  have  never  been  improved 
upon.  Mr.  Brown  was  a  good  citizen  and  a  splendid  neighbor,  hence  was 
popular  with  all  who  knew  him.  He  supported  every  movement  that  had  for 
its  object  the  general  good  of  the  community,  delighting  in  seeing  new  re- 
forms enforced.  He,  while  laboring  for  his  own  advancement,  never  ne- 
glected his  duties  to  his  neighbors,  but  was  helpful,  kind,  obliging  and  be- 
lieved in  the  old  adage  that  it  was  better  to  live  and  let  live.  So  he  was  a 
good  man,  and  his  name  is  eminently  deserving  of  perpetuation  on  the  pages 
of  local  history. 

Mr.  Brown  was  born  on  Novemlaer  8,  1S30,  in  Rush  county,  Indiana. 
He  was  a  son  of  Lucius  Brown  and  wife,  who  were  from  the  state  of  New 
Jersey,  having  made  the  long  westward  journey  over  the  mountains  and 
through  the  vast  wildernesses  as  early  as  1828,  locating  in  Rush  county, 
Indiana,  where  they  remained  a  number  of  years,  then  removed  to  Boone 
county,  tliis  state,  where  they  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives  on  a  farm,  and  on 
that  place  our  subject  remained  until  a  young  man,  when  he  went  to  Illinois, 
where  he  remained  for  two  years,  then  came  back  to  Boone  county,  this  state. 
When  twenty-one  years  old  he  came  to  Montgomery  county,  where  he  pur- 
chased forty  acres  of  land,  to  which  he  later  added,  prospering  through  hard 
work  and  good  management  until  he  owned  several  fine  farms  totaling  nearly 
six  hundred  acres,  wliich  he  l>rought  up  to  an  excellent  state  of  improvement 
and  cultivation,  and  on  which  he  kept  a  good  grade  of  live  stock  and  had 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  8/3 

established  a  comfortable  set  of  buikbngs.     He  also  owikhI  [jropcrty  in  tlie 
city  of  Newport. 

i\Ir.  Brown  was  twice  married,  first  to  Nancy  J.  Routb,  on  ]\Ia\-  8,  1853. 
To  this  union  nine  children  were  born,  namely:  Ailey  A.,  Alary  E.,  I-'iiza  E., 
John  AI.  L.,  Telitha  E.,  Willis  T.,  luhvard  L.,  Charles  K.,  deceased,  and 
James  O.     Nancy  J.  Routh.  the  mother,  died  Deceml)er  30,  1873. 

Mr.  Brown  was  married  the  second  time  on  April  19,  1878,  to  Priscilla 
Hays,  the  daughter  of  John  Newton  and  Martha  (Martin)  Hays.  The  father 
was  born  in  Ohio  and  the  mother  in  Kentucky.  Grandfather  Ha\'s  came  to 
Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  in  a  very  early  day  and  settled  in  Union 
township,  where  he  farmed.  Martha  Martin  came  to  this  county  when  a 
young  girl  with  her  lirother,  and  the}'  settled  in  Union  township.  John  Hays 
took  an  interest  in  public  affairs,  and  he  served  a  term  as  trustee  of  Scott 
township.  His  family  consisted  of  five  children,  namely :  Berilla  Ann. 
George  T.,  Phoebe,  Daniel  C,  all  deceased ;  Priscilla,  who  married  the  sul)ject 
of  this  memoir. 

Seven  children  were  born  to  William  H.  Brown  and  wife,  namely:  Esta, 
Bertha  A.,  Martha,  Stella  E.  is  deceased.  Newton  H..  and  Lulu.  By  her 
first  marriage  to  Henry  R.  Canine.  Mrs.  Jjrown  liecame  the  mother  of  one 
child,  Maud  M.  Canine. 

Politically,  Mr.  Brown  was  a  Reinililican.  but  he  never  sought  or  held 
public  office.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Christian  Disciple  church,  and  fra- 
ternally belonged  to  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Brown  occurred  in  1906  at  the  age  of  seventy-six 
years. 


ARTHUR  ALBERT  McCAIN. 

Arthur  Albert  McCain,  the  present  able  and  pnpular  postmaster  of  the 
city  of  Crawfordsville,  and  a  newspaper  man,  was  Ijorn  in  Crawfordsville, 
Indiana,  December  i,  1868,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  Hart  Benton  McCain  and 
Salome  Snow  (Longley)  McCain.  The  father  was  born  in  Clinton  county, 
Indiana,  on  January  24,  1839,  and  was  a  son  of  Hugh  B.  and  Minerva  (Doug- 
lass) McCain.  The  McCains  are  descendants  of  a  long  line  of  Scotch-Irish 
ancestry.  Hugh  B.  McCain  was  a  farmer.  His  death  occurred  in  the  year 
1893.  He  belonged  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  During  the  Civil 
war  he  was  a  very  strong  L^nion  man.  Thomas  H.  B.  McCain,  father  of  our 
subject,  worked  on  the  home  farm  when  a  boy  and  at  the  commencement  of 


874  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

the  war  of  the  states  he  enlisted  in  the  Eight3'-sixth  Indiana  Vokinteer  In- 
fantry, in  which  he  served  with  distinction  for  a  period  of  three  years.  He 
was  sergeant-major  of  his  regiment  during  the  first  year  of  his  service,  and 
the  last  year  he  was  first  Heutenant  of  Company  I,  in  the  same  regiment.  He 
participated  in  a  number  of  important  campaigns  and  battles,  such  as  Stone's 
River,  Chickamauga,  Missionary  Ridge,  and  those  of  the  Atlanta  campaign. 

After  his  career  in  the  anny  he  returned  to  Indiana  and  began  publish- 
ing the  Delphi  Journal,  later  removing  to  Lebanon,  this  state,  where  he 
published  the  Patriot  for  eighteen  months,  then  went  to  Murfreesboro,  Ten- 
nessee, and  published  a  Republican  paper  for  six  months.  Returning  to 
Indiana  in  1868,  he  purchased  the  Crawfordsville  Journal,  and  brought  it  up 
to  a  paying  business,  proving  himself  to  be  a  very  capable  editor  and  mana- 
ger. He  continued  to  publish  the  Journal  until  his  death,  which  occured 
on  May  i,  1898.  His  widow  is  still  living  in  Crawfordsville.  He  did  much 
for  the  general  upbuilding  of  the  city  and  he  was  held  in  the  highest  esteem 
by  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  He  belonged  to  McPherson  Post, 
Grand  .\rmy  of  the  Republic.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  and  politically,  was  a  staunch  Republican.  He  was  postmaster  of 
Crawfordsville  from  1873  to  1881,  filling  the  office  with  much  satisfaction 
to  all.  He  and  Salome  Snow  Longley  were  married  on  May  7,  1867.  She 
lived  at  Lebanon,  Indiana.  To  this  union  two  children  were  born — Arthur 
Albert,  subject  of  this  review;  and  Fred  T.,  manager, of  the  Journal. 

Arthur  A.  McCain  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  city  and  here  attended 
the  common  schools,  later  entering  Wabash  College,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  with  the  class  of  1889,  having  spent  several  years  in  that  historic 
institution,  being  a  student  in  the  preparatory  as  well  as  the  regular  college 
branches.  He  quite  naturally  took  to  newspaper  work  and  began  as  a  reporter 
on  his  fadier's  paper,  working  in  this  capacity  one  year,  then  became  business 
manager  i:,f  the  same,  continuing  successfully  thus  until  October,  1901,  then 
became  editor,  which  position  he  still  holds,  however,  has  not  been  active 
since  becoming  postmaster.  He  has  kept  the  paper  up  to  the  high  standard 
it  knew  in  the  days  of  the  elder  McCain,  and  it  has  continued  to  be  a  power 
for  the  upbuilding  of  this  section  of  the  state,  wielding  a  wide  and  ever 
growing  influence,  and  it  has  become  a  very  valuable  medium  for  advertisers. 
Its  mechanical  appearance  is  all  that  could  be  desired  in  modern  newspaper 
work,  and  its  columns  teem  daily  with  the  world's  most  important  and 
brightest  news.  Its  editorial  page  is  recognized  as  a  molder  nf  public  opinion. 
The  plant  is  well  equipped  with  up-to-date  machinery  and  all  modern  appli- 
ances necessary  in  issuing  a  live  newspaper  of  the  twentieth  century. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  hj^ 

Mr.  McCain  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Cra\\tor(ls\ille  on  Decenilier 
12.  IQII,  and  is  still  incumbent  of  that  office,  the  duties  nf  which  he  is  dis- 
charging to  the  eiuinent  satisfaction  of  the  people  and  the  department.  Mr. 
McCain  has  heen  successful  from  a  financial  standpoint  and  is  a  stockholder 
in  several  manufacturing  concerns.  He  is  a  Republican,  and  is  very  active 
in  the  local  affairs  of  his  party.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Trilie  of 
Ben-Hur. 

Mr.  McCain  was  married  on  October  2^.  1895,  at  Indianapolis,  to 
Ethel  Rondthaler,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  her  birth  having  occurred  in 
Bethlehem,  that  state.  To  this  union  two  children  ha\'e  been  born :  Kather- 
ine  Louise,  who- is  attending  high  scIkioI,  and  Robert  Benton,  a  student  in  the 
public  schools. 


FRED  T.  McCAIN. 


Among  the  newspaper  men  of  Montgomery  county  the  name  of  Fred  T. 
McCain,  secretary  of  the  company  that  publishes  Tlic  Crazvfordsvillc  Journal, 
has  long  been  familiar,  and  he  'has  made  his  influence  felt  in  a  most  potent 
manner  in  the  locality  of  which  this  history  treats,  and  he  is  not  unknown  to 
the  wider  journalistic  fraternity  of  the  state,  occupying  as  he  does  a  prom- 
inent place  in  his  profession  and  standing  high  in  the  esteem  of  the  fraternity 
wherever  he  is  known.  He  has  literally  grown  up  in  a  newspaper  ofifice,  fol- 
lowing in  the  footsteps  of  his  honored  father  in  a  professional  w'ay,  the  elder 
McCain  proving  to  be  an  able  preceptor,  and  was  long  regarded  as  a  man  of 
influence  in  the  affairs  of  Montgomery  county. 

Mr.  McCain  was  born  in  this  county  on  July  24.  1874.  He  is  a  son  of 
Thomas  Hart  Benton  and  Salome  (Longley)  McCain.  The  father  was  born 
in  January  24,  1839,  in  Clinton  county,  Indiana,  and  his  death  occurred  on 
May  I,  1908.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  on  July  5.  1841  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  and  she  is  still  living  in  Crawfords\-ille. 

T.  H.  B.  McCain  devoted  the  major  portion  of  his  life  to  newspaper 
work.  He  was  editor  of  The  Crazufordsi'illc  Joiinnil  for  a  good  many  }'ears. 
Prior  to  that  he  was  a  teacher  at  Thorntown.  lie  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil 
war,  having  enlisted  in  1861  in  the  Eighty-sixth  Indiana  \'olunteer  Infantry, 
in  which  he  served  gallantly  for  a  period  of  three  years. 

Two  children  were  born  to  T.  11.  B.  McCain  and  wife,  namely:  .\rthur 
A.,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work:  and  bVed  T..  of  tliis 
re\'iew'. 


876  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Fred  T.  McCain  received  a  common  school  education,  later  was  a  student 
at  Wabash  College. 

On  December  16,  1902  he  married  Helen  Krause,  who  was  born  on  Janu- 
ary 13,  1880.  She  is  a  daughter  of  J.  S.  and  Frances  (Luckenbach)  Krause. 
She  and  her  parents  were  born  in  Pennsylvania,  her  birth  occurring  at  the 
town  of  Bethlehem,  and  there  she  recei\'ed  a  common  and  high  school  educa- 
tion. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCain  two  children  were  born,  namely :  Frederick, 
born  November  2,  1903,  is  attending  school;  and  Samuel,  born  August  15, 
1910. 

Mr.  McCain  has  practically  spent  his  active  life  with  The  Crawfords- 
ville  Journal,  which  he  has  helped  to  make  one  of  the  leading  newspapers  in 
western  Indiana.  He  was  elected  secretary  of  the  firm  in  1909,  which  posi- 
tion he  is  still  holding  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  concerned. 

Politically,  Mr.  McCain  is  a  Republican.  He  belongs  to  the  Commercial 
Club,  and  takes  much  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  citv. 


GEORGE  THOMAS  WILLIAMS.  M.  D. 

The  medical  profession  of  Montgomery  county  has  no  abler  or  worthier 
exponent  than  Dr.  George  Thomas  Williams,  of  Crawfordsville,  a  man  who 
has  been  favored  by  nature  with  all  the  necessary  attributes  to  render  one 
successful  in  this  laudable  field  of  endeavor.  But  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  he  has  the  proper  attributes  he  has  not  depended  on  this  solely,  having 
studied  hard  and  in  fact  left  no  stone  unturned  whereby  he  might  advance 
himself,  keeping  fully  abreast  of  the  times  in  all  phases  of  his  vocation,  and, 
being  a  man  of  genial  and  kindly  address,  he  has  won  not  only  the  confi- 
dence of  the  people  here  but  also  won  his  way  into  their  affections  so  that 
his  wide  circle  of  patients  might  also  be  termed  his  friends. 

Dr.  Williams  was  born  in  Brown  township,  this  county,  on  June  8, 
1865,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Nancy  J.  (Gott)  Williams.  The  father 
w^as  born  in  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  October  14,  1836,  and  was  a  son  of 
Elder  Garland  and  Harriet  (Mitchell)  Williams.  The  paternal  grand- 
father of  our  subject  was  also  a  native  of  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  and 
was  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Julia  Williams,  both  of  whom  came  to  Kentucky  in 
a  very  early  day  and  there  established  the  future  home  of  the  family  and  be- 
came influential  and  well  known  in  Shelby  county.     A  brother  of  Joseph 


MOXTGOMICRV    COINTV.    INDIANA.  JSjJ 

Williams  served  in  tlie  war  of  1812  under  General  Andrew  Jackson.  Gar- 
land Williams  was  a  farmer  and  also  an  ordained  minister  of  the  Baptist 
church,  in  which  he  did  a  great  work  among  the  pioneers  and  in  its  early  his- 
tory preached  at  Crawfordsville.  His  death  occurred  in  Kentucky.  His 
wife  also  died  there.  Henry  Williams  came  to  Crawfordsville  in  1861.  lie 
was  a  cabinet  maker  by  trade  and  this  trade  he  followed  here  in  connection 
with  carpcnterinji  and  contracting  for  a  number  of  years,  and  became  well 
known  in  this  line  of  endeavor  throughout  the  county.  He  is  now  living  re- 
tired at  Brown's  Valley.  He  is  a  deacon  in  the  Baptist  cliurcli.  a  Democrat, 
and  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

Henry  Williams  ai)d  Nancy  J.  Gott  were  married  on  Novenil)er  27, 
1863.  She  was  born  on  December  23.  1845.  'n  Brown  township,  this  county, 
and  here  she  was  reared  to  womanhood  and  was  educated.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (VanCleve)  Gott.  Her  death  occurred 
in  April,  1900. 

Four  children  w-ere  born  to  Henry  Williams  and  wife.  namel\' :  Lillian 
E.  married  J.  C.  Allen,  and  they  live  at  Brow-n's  Valley,  this  county ;  Charles 
G.  is  a  cabinet  maker,  and  lives  in  Crawfordsville;  Mary  L.  died  in  October, 
1900;  and  George  T.,  of  this  review. 

Dr.  Williams  grew  up  in  his  native  county  and  received  a  good  common 
school  education.  He  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  1882.  He  subse- 
quently entered  the  Indiana  Medical  College  at  Indianapolis,  from  which  in- 
stitution he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1887.  Soon  afterward  he  estab- 
lished himself  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Russellville.  l)ut  remained 
there  only  two  months,  wiien  he  came  t'l  lirown's  \'a]lc\',  where  he  remained 
seventeen  years,  enjoying  a  large  and  successful  practice.  Then  he  went  to 
Frankfort,  Init  remained  there  only  six  months,  w  lien  he  came  to  Craw- 
fordsville, where  he  has  since  remained  and  is  regarded  as  being  in  the  front 
rank  of  local  medical  men,  and  he  has  a  good  practice,  his  patients  being 
found  all  over  the  county.  In  order  to  further  equip  himself  for  his  chosen 
life  work,  Dr.  Williams  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  Xcw  "S'ork  at  the 
Post-Graduate  School  of  the  University  of  New  York. 

Politically,  the  Doctor  is  a  Democrat,  and  while  he  is  loyal  in  the  siij)- 
port  of  his  party  he  has  never  been  ambitious  to  hold  public  oflfice,  preferring 
to  give  his  attention  exclusively  to  his  professional  duties. 

On  October  17.  1888.  Dr.  Williams  was  married  to  Mary  F.  Todd, 
who  was  lx)rn  in  Brown  township.  May  2,  1866.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John- 
son and  Ruth  (VanCleve)  Todd,  the  former  a  farmer  of  Brown  township. 
Both  of  Mrs.  Williams'  parents  are  now  deceased. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


FRED  ATWOOD  DENNIS,  M.  D. 


One  of  the  younger  generation  of  physicians  in  Montgomery  county, 
who  is  deserving  of  specific  mention  in  a  work  of  the  nature  of  the  one  in 
hand  is  Dr.  Fred  Atwood  Dennis,  of  Crawfordsville,  a  man  who  seems  to 
combine  all  the  essential  attributes  of  head  and  heart  that  go  to  make  up 
the  popular  and  successful  physician  and,  having  somewhat  specialized  on 
the  treatment  of  tuberculsis,  he  has  won  a  wide  reputation  in  the  same, 
and  he  is  a  man  to  whom  the  future  years  must  needs  hold  much  of  promise. 

Dr.  Dennis  was  born  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  on  April  20,  1876,  and 
he  is  a  son  of  Milton  P.  and  Clorinda  H.  (Wheeler)  Dennis.  The  father 
was  of  Quaker  descent,  and  for  many  years  engaged  successfully  in  the 
wholesale  tea  and  toljacco  business  in  Indianapolis.  He  traveled  some  time 
for  a  Terre  Haute  firm,  and  in  the  year  1879  located  in  Crawfordsville,  as  a 
wholesale  and  retail  grocer,  at  the  corner  familiarly  known  to  all  old-timers 
as  the  Dennis  corner,  which  was  a  regular  meeting  place  for  them.  Mr. 
Dennis  was  a  successful  business  man  and  was  highly  respected  by  all  who 
knew  him.  His  death  occurred  in  1890.  He  was  a  Mason,  belonging  to 
the  Blue  Lodge,  also  was  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
having  during  the  war  of  the  states  been  a  member  of  Company  D,  First 
Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry,  in  which  he  served  throughout  the  war.  He 
was  for  some  time  a  guard  in  government  service  on  the  banks  of  the  Missis- 
sippi river,  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  He  married  Clorinda  H.  Wheeler  in 
September,  1872.  She  was  born  in  Hamilton  county,  Indiana,  near  West- 
field.  To  this  union  seven  children  were  born,  six  of  whom  are  living  at  this 
writing. 

Dr.  Fred  A.  Dennis,  of  this  sketch,  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  Crawfordsville,  being  graduated  from  the  high  school  with  the  class  of 
1894.  Having  determined  upon  the  medical  profession  early  in  life,  for 
which  he  had  a  decided  natural  bent,  he  began  reading  medicine  with  Drs. 
Gott  &  Taylor,  and  in  1895  he  entered  the  Indiana  Medical  College,  where 
he  made  an  excellent  record,  and  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the 
class  of  iSgS.  He  then  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  .Alamo, 
where  he  remained  two  and  one-half  years,  during  which  time  he  got  an  ex- 
cellent start,  and,  seeking  a  wider  field  for  the  exercise  of  his  talents  he 
came  to  Crawfordsville,  where  he  has  continued  in  the  general  practice  to 
the  present  time  very  satisfactory  results,  enjoying  a  large  and  growing 
patronage.     He  has  made  a  special  study  of  tuberculosis  and  is  regarded  as 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  8/9 

an  authorit}-  and  expert  in  the  same.  He  was  elected  county  Iiealtli  officer, 
in  which  position  he  ser\ed  with  much  credit  and  satisfaction  for  one  year. 

Dr.  Dennis  is  a  Repubhcan,  and  fraternally  he  is  a  Mason,  attaining 
the  Knights  Templar  degrees.  He  was  married  on  July  29,  1903,  to  Hen- 
rietta Gilkey,  a  daughter  of  James  R.  and  Alice  (Wilcox)  Gilkey,  a  well 
known  family  of  Ripley  township,  this  county,  who  located  in  Union  town- 
ship.   She  was  born  on  October  2,  1880. 

To  the  Doctor  and  wife  one  child  has  been  born — Margaret  E.  Dennis, 
who  is  attending  school. 

Dr.  Dennis  is  medical  director  for  the  Commonwealth  Life  Insurance 
Company,     He  is  a  fellow  in  the  Sydenham  Society,  a  college  organization. 


FAYE  O.  SCHEXCK.  M.  D. 

Proper  intellectual  discipline,  thorough  professional  knowledge,  and 
the  possession  and  utilization  of  the  qualities  and  attributes  essential  to  suc- 
cess has  made  Dr.  Faye  O.  Schenck,  of  Crawfordsville,  successful  in  his 
chosen  calling  and  for  a  numljer  of  years  he  has  stood  among  the  scholarly 
and  enterprising  physicians  and  surgeons  in  a  community  long  distinguished 
for  the  high  order  of  its  medical  talent.  While  yet  young  in  years,  he  has 
shown  what  ambition,  close  application,  and  an  honorable  impulse  can  ac- 
complish no  matter  how  great  obstacles  may  be  encountered. 

Dr.  Schenck  was  bom  in  Crawfordsville,  Indiana,  April  12,  1878,  and 
he  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Isabelle  (Orr)  Schenck.  The  father  was  born  on 
October  31,  1853,  in  Crawfordsville,  being  the  only  son  of  Ruleff  and  Mary 
(Snook)  Schenck.  Ruleff  Schenck  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  from  which  state 
he  came  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  when  a  young  man  and  when  this 
country  was  little  improved.  Here  he  clerked  in  a  store  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  in  which  capacity  he  long  served 
the  people  of  this  locality.  His  death  occurred  in  1859.  Mary  Schenck  was 
the  only  child  of  her  parents.  Her  death  occurred  in  1865.  Henry  Schenck 
lived  on  a  farm  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  then  learned  the  tinner's 
trade,  later  working  as  journeyman  tinner,  and  in  1888  he  opened  a  shop  on 
South  Water  street.  Crawfordsville,  and  has  since  been  located  there,  enjoy- 
ing a  good  business.  Politically,  he  votes  independently.  He  belongs  to  the 
Tribe  of  Ben-Hur,  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  including  the  Haymakers. 
He  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  church. 


8»0  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Henry  Schenck  and  Isabelle  Orr  were  married  on  February  20,  1877. 
She  was  bom  in  Ohio  on  February  12,  1856,  and  she  came  to  Indiana  when 
a  child  with  her  parents.  Two  children  were  born  to  Henry  Schenck  and 
wife,  namely:  Faye  O.,  of  this  sketch;  and  Myrtle  B.,  who  is  the  wife  of 
William  H.  Madir,  of  Martins  Ferry,  Ohio. 

Dr.  Schenck  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  city  and  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  here,  graduating  from  the  high  school  in  1896.  When  a 
young  man  he  learned  the  tinner's  trade  under  his  father,  but  desiring  to 
enter  a  professional  career  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  and  entered  the 
Indiana  Medical  College  (now  University)  at  Indianapolis,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1905.  He  served  as  interne  in  the  City 
Hospital  in  Indianapolis  for  a  period  of  fourteen  months.  He  then  went 
to  Crawfordsville  and  opened  an  office,  where  he  has  since  been  successfully 
engaged  in  the  practice,  and  ranks  among  the  most  successful  and  popular 
physicians  in  Montgomery  and  adjoining  counties.  He  is  medical  examiner 
for  the  Prudential  Life  Insurance  Company,  also  the  John  Hancock,  the 
Scranton,  and  the  Central  States  Life  Insurance  Companies. 

The  Doctor  is  independent  in  politics.  He  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian 
church,  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  the  Tribe  of  Ben- 
Hur,  and  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  including  the  Haymakers,  being 
treasurer  of  the  local  lodge. 

Dr.  Schenck  was  married  on  October  21,  1908,  to  Anna  Winter,  a 
daughter  of  Mrs.  Catherine  Winter. 


RICHARD  N.  CORDING. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  has  long  enjoyed  distincti\-e  prestige  among 
the  enterprising  men  of  Montgomery  county,  having  fought  his  way  onward 
and  upward  to  a  prominent  position  in  the  circles  in  which  he  has  moved,  and 
in  every  relation  of  life  his  voice  and  influence  have  been  on  the  side  of  right 
as  he  sees  and  understands  the  right.  He  has  long  ranked  with  the  leading 
business  men  and  substantial  citizens  of  the  town  of  Wingate.  He  has 
always  been  interested  in  all  enterprises  for  the  welfare  of  the  community  and 
has  liberally  supported  every  movement  calculated  to  benefit  his  fellow  men. 
Mr.  Cording  has  witnessed  wonderful  progress  and  improvement  during  the 
time  he  has  lived  here,  has  been  a  very  important  factor  in  local  growth  and 
prosperity,  and  has  an  extended  circle  of  acquaintances  throughout  the  county 
who  wish  him  well,  for  his  life  has  been  exemplary  in  every  respect  since  cast- 


Rlf'HARn  N.  CORDING 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY.    INDIANA.  88 1 

ing  his  lot  witli  our  people.  He  has  taken  a  surprising  interest  in  our  institu- 
tions in  view  of  the  fact  that  he  was  born  under  ahen  skies  and  was  taught 
to  respect  another  flag.  He  is  deserving  of  a  great  deal  of  credit  for  what 
he  has  accomplished,  having  started  in  life  at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder  and, 
unaided,  ascended  to  a  topmost  ning  through  the  exercise  of  those  attributes 
that  never  fail  to  win. 

Richard  N.  Cording  was  born  in  Somerset,  England,  November  lo,  1851. 
He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Jane  (Norrish)  Cording,  both  natives  of  England, 
and  there  they  grew  to  maturity,  were  educated  and  married  and  reared  a 
large  family,  nine  children  having  been  born  to  them ;  one  died  in  early 
infancy,  a  daughter  grew  to  womanhood  and  passed  away,  and  a  son  also 
grew  up,  dying  in  middle  life,  but  six  of  the  brothers  and  sisters  are  yet  living 
and  actively  engaged  in  life's  duties.  The  children  were  named  respectively : 
Edward,  the  eldest;  Richard  N.,  subject  of  this  sketch;  John,  William.  Anna 
(deceased);  Lucy,  the  wife  of  John  Marson  of  South  Haven,  Michigan; 
Laura,  wife  of  William  Herron  who  lives  in  Attica.  Indiana ;  and  Thomas, 
who  was  a  well  known  citizen  of  South  Haven,  Michigan,  is  now  deceased; 
Alice,  the  youngest  child,  is  deceased. 

John  Cording,  father  of  the  above  named  children  came  to  the  United 
States  with  his  family  in  1867,  coming  on  west  from  the  eastern  coast  where 
they  landed  after  a  tedious  journey,  and  they  located  in  Illinois,  upon  whose 
broad,  virgin  prairies  they  found  a  pleasant  home,  but  did  not  long  remain 
together.  It  was  in  the  bleak  month  of  January  that  they  arrived  there,  and 
by  spring  they  were  squared  away  ready  to  begin  raising  a  crop.  The  father 
was  a  skilled  agriculturist,  and  devoted  his  life  to  general  farming  and  stock 
raising  with  gratifying  results.  His  death  occurred  at  an  achanced  age  on 
April  19,  1910,  his  wife  having  preceded  him  to  the  gra\e  in  July,  1905. 

Richard  N.  Cording  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  England  and  there  at- 
tended the  public  schools.  Upon  arriving  in  Illinois  he  first  located  in  the 
town  of  Forrest,  where  he  remained  but  one  year.  He  then  came  to  Indiana 
and  engaged  to  work  by  the  month  for  Hugh  Meharry,  a  well  known  resident 
of  Montgomery  county.  An  energetic,  tactful  and  quick-thinking  young 
man,  thoroughly  versed  in  the  various  phases  of  agriculture,  our  subject  gave 
his  employer  eminent  satisfaction  and  continued  in  his  service  four  years, 
during  which  time  he  saved  his  money  and  got  a  good  start.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  this  time  he  found  a  home  and  employment  with  Isaac  Meharry.  for 
whom  he  worked  faithfully  three  years.  Then,  having  mastered  the  ins  and 
outs  of  stock  raising  as  well  as  tilling  the  soil,  and  the  general  management  of 
(56) 


5S2  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

agricultural  interests,  he  determined  to  become  his  own  employer,  and  to  this 
end  located  on  a  neighboring  farm.  He  was  successful  from  the  start  and 
each  succeeding  year  found  him  further  advanced,  until  he  eventually  became 
one  of  the  most  progressive  general  farmers  and  stock  raisers  in  Montgomery 
county  and  he  is  now  the  owner  of  a  valuable  and  highly  improved  landed 
estate  of  eight  hundred  and  twenty-nine  acres,  a  part  of  which  is  in  Indiana 
and  a  part  in  Illinois.  It  is  all  productive,  well  tiled,  tillable  and  fertile.  He 
sold  out  part  of  his  farming  interests  in  the  year  1890  and  removed  to  his 
present  commodious  home  in  the  town  of  Wingate.  Here  he  was  not  long 
idle,  almost  immediately  entering  into  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Sturm.  The 
succeeding  year  he  materially  improved  the  appearance  of  the  main  thorough- 
fare of  his  town  when  he  erected  thereon  one  of  the  most  substantial,  attrac- 
tive and  convenient  brick  blocks  in  this  section  of  the  state.  He  has  been 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  here  since  1891  and  has  built  up  a  large 
and  ever  growing  trade  with  the  surrounding  country,  carrying  at  all  seasons 
a  complete  and  carefully  selected  stock  of  up-to-date  merchandise. 

Mr.  Cording  is  a  Democrat  and  has  long  been  active  in  the  ranks.  Fra- 
ternally, he  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Order,  having  attained  the  thirty-second 
degree  in  that  time-honored  fraternity.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient 
Arabic  Order  of  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  Murat  Temple,  Indianapolis. 
Religiously  he  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  is  a  liberal 
supporter  of  the  same.  He  is  also  a  Knights  Templar,  and  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias.     He  belongs  to  the  National  Detective  Association. 

Mr.  Cording  has  been  twice  married,  first,  to  Ellen  P.  Djck,  who  was 
born  and  reared  in  Montgomery  county,  Indiana.  Together  they  began  their 
home  life  upon  the  farm,  and  there  remained  for  twelve  years.  After  the 
death  of  Mr.  Cording's  first  wife  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Villa  Hayes, 
who  was  born  near  Elmdale,  this  county. 

Our  subject's  family  consisted  of  three  children,  namely :  Effie  died  in 
infancy;  E.  John,  who  was  a  student  in  DePauw  University,  at  Greencastle, 
Indiana,  died  in  1904;  and  Opal,  who  is  at  home. 


GEORGE  RAYMOND   WHITE. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  well  known  manager  of  Music  Hall  in  Craw- 
fordsville,  is  a  man  who  has  engaged  in  many  lines  of  endeavor,  and  has 
shown  that  he  is  the  possessor  of  varied  talents,  inheriting  many  of  the  com- 
mendable traits  of  his  distinguished  father,  who  was  one  of  the  noted  men 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  88^ 

of  his  day  and  generation  in  western  Indiana,  whose  name  will  continue  to 
be  honored  by  the  people  here  through  succeeding  generations. 

Mr.  White  was  born  August  28,  1868,  in  Crawfordsville,  and  he  is  a 
son  of  Michael  Daugherty  White  and  Laura  E.  (McMechan)  White.  The 
father  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Clark  county,  Ohio,  September  8,  1827,  and 
was  a  son  of  Lanson  and  Mary  (Daugherty)  White,  the  former  a  native  of 
New  York,  and  was  a  son  of  Nathaniel  White,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  who 
first  emigrated  to  Ohio  and  thence  to  Tippecanoe  county,  Indiana,  and  died 
there  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years,  at  Greenbush.  Lanson  White  came 
with  his  father  and  his  own  family  to  Tippecanoe  county  in  1829,  locating 
on  a  farm.  His  death  occurred  in  1844  in  that  county.  Mary  Daugherty 
\Miite  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  April,  1807.  From  that  state  she  came 
to  Ohio  with  her  parents  and  there  married  Lanson  White,  in  1824.  Her 
death  occurred  in  Danville,  Illinois,  in  1892. 

Michael  D.  White  received  his  early  education  in  the  common  schools, 
as  times  afforded,  in  Tippecanoe  county.  In  1848  he  removed  to  Craw- 
fordsville and  attended  what  was  known  as  the  old  County  Seminary,  later 
was  a  student  in  Wabash  College  for  a  period  of  four  years.  Then  on  ac- 
count of  his  health  he  went  to  Darlington  and  clerked  in  a  store  for  one 
year.  Deciding  upon  a  legal  career  he  returned  to  Crawfordsville  in  1853 
and  read  law  with  the  late  Gen.  Lew  Wallace,  for  one  year,  after  which  he 
was  ofifered  full  partnership,  which  he  gladly  accepted.  He  made  rapid 
progress  in  his  studies  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  si:)ring  of  1854, 
and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney  for  the  common 
pleas  court,  of  Montgomery  and  Boone  counties,  sen-ing  two  years,  refusing 
a  second  term.  He  continued  to  practice  law  with  Lew  Wallace,  the  latter 
being  elected  state  senator  in  1856,  from  Montgomery  county,  and  during  his 
absence  Mr.  White  conducted  the  affairs  of  the  office  alone.  This  partner- 
ship lasted  until  1859,  when  Mr.  Wallace  joined  Cok  Sam  C.  Wilson,  Mr. 
White  retaining  the  old  office.  In  i860  the  latter  was  elected  state  senator, 
having  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  Republican  e\er  elected  senator  from 
Montgomery  county.  He  served  with  distinction  for  a  period  of  four  years, 
giving  entire  satisfaction  to  his  constituents,  and  refused  a  second  nomina- 
tion. That  was  during  the  Civil  war  period,  and  while  serving  as  senator 
Mr.  White  was  largely  engaged  in  raising  soldiers  for  sen'ice  in  the  Union 
arniv.  After  his  term  of  office  had  expired  he  resumed  the  practice  of  law, 
and  in  1876,  having  continued  to  take  an  active  part  in  public  affairs,  he  was 


884  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

elected  to  Congress,  the  duties  of  which  responsible  post  he  discharged  with 
rare  fidehty  and  satisfaction  for  a  period  of  two  years,  but  was  defeated  for 
a  second  nomination  by  a  gang  of  scheming  poHticians,  although  he  was  un- 
doubtedly the  people's  choice.  He  resumed  the  practice  of  law,  and  con- 
tinued a  leader  of  the  local  bar  until  in  August,  191 1,  when  he  retired. 

Michael  D.  White  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order.  He  has  been 
recognized  as  a  social  member  of  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur.  He  belongs  to  the 
Christian  church.  On  April  29,  1858,  he  was  united  in  marriage  in  Craw- 
fordsville  to  Laura  E.  McMechan.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Dr.  James  G. 
and  Eliza  McMechan,  and  she  was  born  in  Crawfordsville  on  May  14,  1837. 
Her  father  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  he  came  to  Montgomery  county  in  an 
early  day,  and  here  practiced  medicine  until  his  death  on  June  7,  1899,  ^^ 
the  advanced  age  of  ninety-one  years.  His  wife  preceded  him  to  the  grave 
in  1892.  To  Michael  D.  White  and  wife  ten  children  were  born,  live  of 
whom  are  still  living,  namely:  Mellie  E.,  wife  of  Wallace  A.  Stillwell,  of 
Los  Angeles;  John  L.  lives  in  Portland,  Oregon;  George  Raymond,  subject 
of  this  sketch ;  Grace  M.,  wife  of  Earl  C.  Finlay,  of  Spokane,  Washington ; 
and  Anna  L.,  wife  of  Howard  L.  Shav,-,  of  Dayton,  Ohio. 

George  R.  \\'hite  received  a  good  common  school  education,  and  he 
learned  telegraphy  when  a  young  man,  and  he  worked  at  this  for  the  West- 
ern Union,  in  Indianapolis,  St.  Louis  and  a  number  of  other  places,  wherever 
he  was  sent,  following  the  same  until  1898,  giving  eminent  satisfaction,  being 
an  expert  and  a  conscientious  worker. 

When  the  Spanish-American  war  came  on  in  1898,  Mr.  White  enlisted 
for  service  in  the  signal  corps  as  a  telegrapher,  and  served  out  his  term  of 
enlistment.  In  the  meantime  he  injured  his  wrist,  which  permanently  dis- 
abled him  for  his  chosen  work  as  telegrapher.  He  then  engaged  as  a  broker, 
with  offices  in  the  Knights  of  Pythias  building,  Crawfordsville.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Chicago  and  New  York  exchange.  He  subsequently  engaged 
in  the  picture  show  business,  operating  in  Independence,  Kansas,  for  three 
years,  then  sold  out  and  returned  to  Crawfordsville,  buying  out  the  Air- 
dome,  next  to  the  Ben-Hur  building.  This  he  now  leases,  and  manages  the 
Music  Hall,  the  only  opera  house  in  Crawfordsville,  and  he  is  making  a  great 
success  of  the  same,  giving  the  people  excellent  shows. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Republican.  He  belongs  to  the  Christian  church, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolept  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  is  well 
liked  and  has  a  host  of  friends  wherever  he  is  known. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY.    INDIANA. 


LOUIS  W.  OTTO. 


It  is  no  ver}'  rare  tiling  for  a  poor  Ixiy  in  our  countr}'  to  become  a  pros- 
perous man  and  occupy  a  commanding  position  in  the  business  world,  but 
many  who  have  fought  their  way  from  poverty  to  wealth,  from  obscurity  to 
prominence,  retain  some  marks  and  scars  of  the  conflict.  They  are  apt  to 
be  narrow  and  grasping,  even  if  not  sordid  and  unscrupulous.  Louis  W. 
Otto,  well  known  and  successful  jeweler  of  Crawfordsville,  Montgomery 
county,  although  he  did  not  come  up  from  the  ranks  of  the  poverty  stricken, 
and  has  not  reached  the  affluence  of  the  rich,  yet  he  has  worked  his  way 
from  a  modest  beginning  to  a  comfortable  station  in  the  world  of  affairs, 
being  an  instance  of  a  man  who  has  achieved  success  without  paying  the 
price  at  which  it  is  so  often  bought.  His  success  has  not  removed  him 
further  from  his  fellow  men,  but  has  brought  him  into  nearer  and  more  in- 
timate relations  with  them.  and.  although  he  leads  a  busy  life,  he  has  yet 
found  time  to  devote  to  those  interests  which  develop  the  intellectual  and 
moral  nature  of  man,  living  not  to  himself  alone,  but  willing  to  assist  his 
fellow  man  on  the  highway  of  life  when  ever  proper  occasion  presents  itself. 
He  is  of  German  extraction  and  seems  to  have  inherited  many  of  tlie  char- 
acteristics that  win  from  his  sterling  ancestors. 

Mr.  Otto  was  bom  in  Ripley  county,  Indiana,  December  lo,  1864,  and 
is  a  son  of  Franz  E.  and  Marie  Otto.  They  were  both  born,  reared  and 
educated  in  Saxony,  Germany,  and  there  they  spent  their  earlier  years, 
finally  emigrating  to  the  LTnited  States  and  settling  in  Ripley  county,  and 
became  very  comfortably  established  through  their  thrift  and  frugality, 
and  here  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives,  having  been  deceased  now  a  number 
of  years.  They  were  honest,  hard-working  people,  and  respected  by  their 
neighbors. 

Louis  W.  Otto  left  the  old  homestead  in  Rijjley  county  and  received  a 
good  common  school  education.  When  a  young  man  he  learned  the  watch 
making  and  jeweler's  trade,  becoming  quite  proficient  in  them,  for  he  went 
into  the  work  enthusiastically,  having  been  apprenticed  to  an  excellent  work- 
man in  Aurora,  Indiana,  remaining  with  him  three  years,  then  one  year  as  a 
journeyman. 

Thus  well  equipped  for  his  chosen  vocation  Mr.  Otto  went  to  Pomroy. 
Ohio,  where  he  remained  for  a  time,  then  to  Gallipolis,  that  state.  We  next 
find  him  in  Kentucky,  following  his  trade  in  Georgetown  and  Paducah,  re- 
spectively.    He  then  came  back  to  Indiana  and  located  at  Rushville,  and 


886  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

from  there  came  to  Crawfordsville  in  1885  and  started  in  business  on  Green 
street,  where  the  Western  Union  telegraph  office  is  now  located,  being  in 
partnership  under  the  firm  name  of  Rost  &  Otto,  and  they  continued  to- 
gether for  four  years,  when  they  dissolved  partnership  and  our  subject 
located  at  iii  South  Washington  street,  remaining  there  ten  years,  then 
came  to  his  present  location,  in  1899.  He  was  successful  from  the  first  and 
has  enjoyed  a  constantly  growing  and  lucrative  business,  his  hundreds  of 
customers  coming  from  over  a  wide  radius  of  territory,  and  many  of  the 
customers  he  had  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  still  patronize  him,  this  being 
sufficient  evidence  of  his  honesty  and  courtesy  in  dealing  with  the  public. 
He  has  an  attractive  and  modernly  appointed  store,  carrying  at  all  times  a 
large  and  carefully  selected  stock  of  jewelry  and  everything  commonly  found 
in  an  up-to-date  store  of  this  kind,  diamonds  and  fine  jewelry  being  what  he 
specializes  on. 

Politically,  Mr.  Otto  is  a  Republican,  but  he  has  never  been  especially 
active  in  public  affairs.  Religiously,  he  belongs  to  the  Methodist  church. 
He  is  prominent  in  fraternal  circles.  He  belongs  to  the  Improved  Order  of 
Red  Men,  being  Past  Great  Sachem  of  Indiana  in  this  order.  He:  holds 
membership  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
board  of  auditors  of  the  Head  Camp;  he  also  belongs  to  the  Tribe  of  Ben- 
Hur  and  the  Kjiights  of  Pythias. 

Mr.  Otto  was  married  in  October,  1889,  to  Mary  Keegan,  a  daughter 
of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Keegan,  a  well  known  and  highly  respected  family.  Mrs. 
Otto,  who  was  a  woman  of  gracious  personal  characteristics,  was  called  to 
her  eternal  rest  in  October,  1912,  leaving  three  children,  namely:  Marie, 
who  is  in  Vassar  College;  Fredeick  Keegan  and  Elsa  Louise  are  both  at- 
tending high  school  in  Crawfordsville. 

Mr.  Otto  was  twice  elected  president  of  the  Crawfordsville  Commercial 
Association. 


JASPER  HORNBECK. 

The  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  paragraph  is  widely  known  as 
one  of  the  enterprising  merchants  of  Montgomery  county.  Jasper  Horn- 
beck,  now  a  leading  grocer  of  the  city  of  Crawfordsville,  has  for  years  been 
prominently  identified  with  the  commercial  interests  of  his  localit}-.  His 
well  directed  efforts  in  the  practical  affairs  of  life,  has  capable  management 
of  his  business  interests  and  his  sound  judgment  have  brought  large  rewards 


MONTGOMKKV    COrXTV,    INDIANA.  88/ 

for  the  labor  he  has  expended,  and  liis  Hfe  demonstrates  what  may  i>e  accom- 
pHshed  in  this  free  land  of  ours  by  those  who  show  a  willingness  to  work 
and  be  honest  in  the  various  relations  of  life. 

Mr.  Hornbeck  was  born  on  December  23,  1843,  '"  Madison  county, 
Ohio,  and  he  is  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Clarissa  C.  (Carrell)  Hornbeck.  The 
father  was  also  a  native  of  Madison  county,  Ohio,  and  was  a  descendant  of 
\'irginians  who  settled  in  that  county  at  an  early  date.  He  came  to  Tipton 
county,  Indiana,  in  1848,  and  engaged  in  farming,  having  entered  eighty 
acres  of  land  from  the  government,  and  bought  one  hundred  and  eighty 
acres.  This  he  hired  oj^erated  and  used  it  for  the  grazing  of  his  herds.  He 
engaged,  in  connection  with  general  farming,  in  stock  raising  and  cattle 
driving.  He  was  very  successful,  especially  as  a  stock  man.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  Tipton  county  in  1852.  Politically,  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  in 
religious  matters  a  Methodist. 

Clarissa  Carrell-Hornbeck,  mother  of  our  subject,  was  also  born  in  Ohio 
and  was  also  of  Virginia  stock.  Her  death  occurred  in  Fountain  county,  In- 
diana, in  1887. 

Jasper  Hornbeck  received  the  usual  log-school  education,  which  he  at- 
tended three  winters,  then  began  his  business  career  by  clerking  in  a  grocery 
store  on  East  Washington  street,  Indianapolis,  remaining  there  two  years, 
during  which  he  gave  his  employer  satisfactory  service  and  learned  the  ins 
and  outs  of  this  line  of  endeavor.  He  then  began  working  for  the  first  ice 
cream  manufacturer  in  Indianapolis,  remaining  with  him  one  year,  then 
went  to  Tipton,  Indiana,  and  clerked  in  a  dry  goods  store.  Then  he  worked 
on  a  Boone  county  farm  until  1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  G,  Fifty- 
fifth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  in  the  three  months'  service.  He  was  de- 
tailed to  guard  prisoners  at  Indianapolis,  later  going  to  Kentucky  and  was 
in  the  battle  which  started  at  Cumberland  Gap  and  was  also  in  the  engage- 
ment at  Richmond,  Kentucky'.  After  a  very  faithful  service  he  was  honor- 
ably discharged. 

After  his  career  in  the  army  Mr.  Hornbeck  went  to  Whitestown,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  for  himself,  which  he  conducted  one  year, 
aftef  which  he  returned  to  Indianapolis,  where  he  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business  on  Virginia  avenue  for  a  year,  then  went  again  to  Tipton  and 
clerked  in  a  general  store  two  years,  then  was  in  a  general  store  in  Thorn- 
town  for  five  years.  We  next  find  him  at  Darlington,  in  the  general  mer- 
chandise business  for  himself,  which  he  conducteil  with  his  usual  success 
until   1872,  when  he  went  to  Arkansas  and  clerked   for  three  years,   after 


888  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

which  he  returned  to  Crawfordsville  and  clerked  for  four  years,  then  worked 
as  a  stationary  engineer  for  three  years  for  the  Montgomery  Lumber  Com- 
pany. He  next  took  a  position  with  Henry  Alfry,  the  noted  heading  factory 
and  saw  mill  man,  remaining  with  him  for  a  period  of  twenty-seven  years, 
giving  eminent  satisfaction,  as  might  be  inferred  from  his  long  retention. 
In  1909  Mr.  Hornbeck  purchased  his  present  grocery  store  in  Crawfords- 
ville and  has  since  conducted  the  same,  enjoying  a  large  and  growing  trade, 
with  the  town  and  county. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  and  he  belongs  to  McPherson  Posf, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  and  of  the  Methodist  church. 

Mr.  Hornbeck  was  married,  first,  in  November,  1862,  to  Susan  Barn- 
hart,  who  was  born  at  Mt.  Holly,  Ohio,  in  1839.  Her  death  occurred  on 
December  25,  1882.  In  December,  1884,  he  was  again  married,  his  last  wife 
being  Emma  Chapman,  who  was  born  in  Boone  county. 


SAMUEL  DUNN  SYMMES. 

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 
represents  known  outside  of  the  immediate  locality,  as  it  is  sent  each  day  or 
week  into  other  districts,  carrying  with  it  an  account  of  the  events  trans- 
piring in  its  home  locality,  the  advancement  and  progress  there  being  made, 
and  the  advantages  which  it  ofifers  to  its  residents  along  moral,  educational, 
social  and  commercial  lines.  Montgomery  county  is  certainly  indebted  to  its 
wide-awake  journals  in  no  small  degree,  and  one  of  the  men  who  has  been  a 
potent  factor  in  the  local  field  of  newspaperdom  is  Samuel  Dunn  Symmes. 
He  has  long  been  connected  with  journalistic  work,  and  his  ability  is  widely 
acknowledged  among  contemporary  newspaper  men  and  the  public  in  general. 

Mr.  Symmes  was  born  in  Pleasant,  Indiana,  October  20,  1856,  and  he 
is  a  son  of  Rev.  Francis  Marion  Symmes  and  Mary  Jane  (Dunn)  Symmes. 
The  father  was  bom  on  November  18,  1827,  near  Symmes  Corners,  Ohio. 
He  was  a  son  of  Daniel  T.  and  Lucinda   (Randolph)    Symmes.     Daniel  T. 


SAMUEL  D.   SY.MMES 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  889 

Symmes  was  born  at  the  same  place,  as  was  his  son.  This  family  was  one 
of  the  early  settlers  of  Butler  county.  Mrs.  Symmes  was  a  direct  decendant 
of  Pocahontas,  the  famous  Indian  maid  of  old  colonial  Virginia.  Rev.  F. 
M.  Symmes  was  graduated  from  Hanover  College,  later  from  Princeton 
Theological  Seminary,  at  Princeton,  New  Jersey.  His  first  charge  as  Presby- 
terian minister  was  at  Pleasant,  Indiana,  and  later  he  had  charges  at  Vernon, 
Crawfordsville,  Brazil,  Bedford,  Lebanon,  Romney,  Alamo,  Paoli  and  Or- 
leans, then  went  to  Pittsburg,  Kansas,  in  1883,  also  had  charge  of  churches  at 
Florence  and  Derby,  Kansas,  later  returning  to  Pittsburg,  where  his  death  oc- 
curred on  September  5,  1905,  after  a  useful,  honorable  and  devoted  life,  hav- 
ing done  a  most  commendable  work  as  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  being  well 
liked  and  popular  where\er  he  went  and  building  up  the  churches  of  which  he 
had  charge.  He  was  an  earnest  and  eloquent  pulpit  orator  and  a  man  of  pleas- 
ing personality.  He  belonged  to  the  Masonic  Order,  including  the  Knights 
Templar  degrees.  He  could  fill  any  position  in  that  branch  of  Masonry.  Politi- 
cally, he  was  a  Republican;  however,  his  ancestors  were  Democrats.  He  and 
Mary  Jane  Dunn  were  married  in  March.  1855.  She  was  living  at  Craw- 
fordsville. She  was  a  daughter  of  Nathaniel  A.  and  Sophia  (Irvin)  Dunn. 
Her  father  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Montgomery  county,  locating  at 
Crawfordsville  when  there  was  but  a  mere  handful  of  houses.  He  owned 
what  is  now  the  northwest  quarter-section  of  what  is  at  present  the  main 
part  of  the  city,  also  owned  several  farms,  being  one  of  the  most  substantial 
and  best  known  business  men  of  the  county  in  his  day  and  generation.  In  his 
early  life  he  was  a  tanner  by  trade.  He  served  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  and 
his  wife  were  natives  of  Kentucky.     Mrs.   Symmes  died  on   February    12, 

1895- 

Samuel  D.  Symmes,  of  this  review,  received  liis  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Lebanon,  and  in  Wabash  College.  He  learned  the  printer's 
trade  in  the  old  Star  ofifice,  and  worked  at  that  for  a  period  of  twenty  years, 
becoming  well  known  to  the  trade  in  this  section  of  the  state  and  highly  effi- 
cient. He  was  then  elected  township  trustee,  in  which  position  he  served 
from  August,  1895,  to  November,  1900.  also  from  January  i,  1905.  till 
January  i,  1909.  This  was  in  L''nion  township  in  which  is  the  city  of  Craw- 
fordsville. He  discharged  his  duties  in  a  manner  that  reflected  much  credit 
upon  himself  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  concerned.  W^hen  he  was  first  trus- 
tee of  this  township  he  worked  out  the  plan  of  consolidated  school,  men- 
tioned in  the  educational  chapter  of  this  work. 

After  his  term  of  office  had  expired  he  purchased  the  Sunday  Star  at 


»90  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Crawfordsville,  which  he  ran  successfully  for  four  years.  It  is  now  a  part  of 
the  Journal. 

Mr.  Symmes  was  prominent  in  the  organization  of  the  Patriotic  Order 
Sons  of  America,  and  is  now  national  vice-president  of  that  organization, 
which  has  grown  into  a  large  body.  He  is  also  state  secretary.  He  is  fill- 
ing these  positions  in  an  eminently  successful  manner  and  has  become  widely 
known  in  this  connection.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Kinights  of  Pythias,  and 
has  filled  all  the  offices  in  the  local  lodge,  and  was  representative  to  the  Grand 
Lodge.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  also  the  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America,  the  Order  of  Owls,  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks,  and  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur.  He  belongs  to  the 
Printers  Union. 

Mr.  Symmes  was  married  on  March  31,  1883  to  Nancy,  Jane  McCaine,  a 
daughter  of  Vardaman  McCaine  and  wife,  of  Bedford,  Indiana.  Her 
father  was  a  native  of  Ireland. 

To  Mr.  Symmes  and  wife  five  children  have  been  born,  four  of  whom  are 
living,  namely:  Frank  A.,  of  Indianapolis,  is  an  attorney;  Clyde  B.,  of 
Evansville,  Indiana;  William  V.,  who  is  at  home  and  attending  school;  Ruth 
M.  is  the  wife  of  Henry  O.  Armstrong,  and  they  li\-e  in  Crawfordsville. 


ARCHELAUS  CHRISTIAN  AUSTIN. 

This  is  an  age  in  which  the  farmer  stands  pre-eminently  above  any 
other  class  as  a  producer  of  wealth.  He  simply  takes  advantage  of  the  winds, 
the  warm  air,  the  bright  sunshine  and  the  refreshing  rains,  and  with  the 
help  of  the  Creator  and  by  virtue  of  his  own  skill  in  handling  nature's  gifts 
he  creates  grain,  hay,  livestock  and  vegetables,  all  of  which  are  absolute 
necessities  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  world.  One  of  the  best  known  and 
most  successful  agriculturists  about  the  city  of  Crawfordsville  is  Archelaus 
Christian  Austin,  who  is  the  owner  of  a  very  valuable  and  productive  farm 
adjoining  the  city. 

Mr.  Austin  was  born  in  the  city  in  which  he  has  been  content  to  spend 
his  life  and  where  he  still  resides,  on  November  19,  1843.  He  is  a  descend- 
ant of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Montgomery  county,  being  a  son  of 
Samuel  Wilson  Austin  and  Nancy  (Beaver)  Austin.  The  father  was  born 
on  November  18,  181 8,  in  Bath  county,  Kentucky,  and  was  a  son  of  John 
Baden  Austin  and  Nancy  (Vanhook)  Austin,  the  former  having  been  born 


MONTGOMERY    COrNTY,    INDIAXA.  89I 

near  tlie  Natural  Bridge,  Virginia,  in  1796,  and  when  a  )oung  man  he  came 
with  his  parents  to  Bath  county,  Kentucky,  where  he  worked,"  and  enjoyed 
little  better  conditions  than  the  average  for  those  primordeal  times,  being  a 
Missionary  Baptist  minister.  Eventually,  he  removed  to  Montgomery  coun- 
ty, Indiana,  and  purchased  a  farm  at  the  western  edge  of  the  city  of  Craw- 
fordsville,  but  shortly  afterwards  traded  the  same  for  a  stock  of  goods  at 
Pleasant  Hill.  From  there  he  returned  to  Crawfordsville,  and  upon  the  or- 
ganization of  ]\Iontgomery  county  was  elected  its  first  auditor,  remaining  in 
that  office  for  a  period  of  eight  years.  During  all  these  years  of  varied  en- 
deavor he  continued  to  preach  occasionally  and  did  much  good  among  the 
pioneers.  His  death  occurred  in  1868  or  1869.  He  married  Nancy  Van- 
hook.  They  became  the  parents  of  seven  children.  Her  death  occurred 
while  Mr.  Austin  was  in  his  second  term  of  ofifice  as  auditor. 

Samuel  Wilson  Austin  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Mont- 
gomery county,  and  in  his  early  manhood  days  he  clerked,  later  working  as 
bookkeeper  in  Crawfordsville  for  Campbell,  Galey  &  Hunter,  during  the  war 
of  the  Rebellion.  The  second  year  after  the  organization  of  the  First 
National  Bank  be  was  its  head  bookkeeper,  being  later  advanced  to  cashier 
of  the  same,  and  remained  in  this  position  to  within  about  two  years  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  November,  1892,  at  an  advanced  age.  He  was  well 
and  favorably  known  throughout  this  localit)-,  and  was  an  excellent  business 
man  and  broad-minded  citizen.  Politically,  he  was  a  Republican.  He  was 
a  Methodist,  and  he  belonged  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He 
and  Nancy  Beaver  were  married  on  January  6,  1842.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  Christian  and  Mary  (Shoemaker)  Beaver,  and  her  birth  occurred  on 
Februaiy  24,  1822,  in  Montgomery  county,  Indiana.  Her  parents  were 
pioneers  here.  She  died  in  May,  i860,  leaving  four  children,  namely: 
.\rchelaus  Christian,  of  this  sketch ;  .\lbert  O..  who  lives  five  miles  north 
of  Crawfordsville;  Henry  M.,  who  lives  west  of  Craw'fordsville :  Frank  is  a 
resident  of  Crawfordsville. 

Archelaus  C.  Austin  grew  to  manhood  in  Crawfordsville  and  here  he 
received  a  good  common  school  education,  being  a  student  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Civil  war.  He  did  not  hesitate  to  leave  his  books  and  home  as- 
sociations and  offer  his  services  to  his  country,  so  early  in  the  conflict  he 
enlisted  in  the  Eighteenth  Indiana  Battery,  under  Col.  Eli  Lilly,  and  he 
served  with  much  faithfulness  and  credit  until  the  close  of  tiie  war,  taking 
part  in  many  notable  engagements.  He  was  honorabl\-  discharged  and  was 
mustered  out  on  June  29,  1865. 


892  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

After  his  service  in  the  army,  Mr.  Austin  returned  to  Crawfordsville 
and  turned  his  attention  to  farming,  which  he  has  continued  to  make  his  Hfe 
work,  being  now  the  owner  of  a  fine  and  modernly  improved  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  ninety-two  acres  joining  the  city  on  the  east,  and  he  has  been 
very  successful  as  a  general  farmer  and  stock  raiser.  He  owns  a  commod- 
ious home  at  312  East  Main  street. 

Politically,  Mr.  Austin  is  a  Republican.  His  family  belong  to  the 
Methodist  church.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

Mr.  Austin  was  married  in  1871  to  Annie  Munns,  a  native  of  Mont- 
gomery county,  and  a  daughter  of  George  and  Anna  (Shanklin)  Munns. 
George  Munns  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1813,  and  followed  farming  as  an 
occupation.  He  came  to  Indiana  in  the  early  days  of  the  state.  At  one 
time  his  owning  in  this  locality  approximated  one  thousand  acres.  Like  many 
others,  he  was  a  Whig  in  early  life,  but  changed  to  the  Republican  politics 
when  organized.  His  death  occurred  in  1877.  Mrs.  Austin's  mother  came 
to  this  state  with  her  people  prior  to  the  father.  The  farm  upon  which  her 
folks  settled  is  still  in  the  Munns'  name.  She  died  March  17,  1909.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  she  of  the  Presbyterian. 


DAVID  HENRY  DAVIDSON. 

"Man  is  the  noblest  work  of  God,"  wrote  England's  great  poet-phil- 
osopher, Alexander  Pope,  "and  a  truly  noble  man  but  fulfills  the  plan  of  the 
Creator."  The  life  of  man  describes  a  circle.  The  cycles  of  existence  of 
different  lives  form  distinct  concentric  circles,  for  some  are  given  but  a  quarter 
of  a  century  wherein  to  complete  their  appointed  work,  while  the  span  of  others 
varies  to  the  allotted  three  score  and  ten.  But  how  true  and  comforting 
that  life  is  measured,  not  by  years  alone,  but  rather  b}^  a  purpose  achieved,  by 
noble  deeds  accredited  to  it.  How  often  we  are  confronted,  when  a  loved 
friend  and  co-worker  answers  the  final  summons,  with  the  question  "Why 
must  he  go  when  there  remains  still  so  much  for  him  to  do,  when  he  can  so 
illy  be  spared  ?"  But  the  grim  messenger  heeds  not  and  we  are  left  to  mourn 
and  accept  submissively.  The  death  of  the  late  David  Henry  Davidson 
removed  from  Montgomery  county  one  of  her  most  substantial  and  highly 
esteemed  agriculturists  and  the  many  beautiful  tributes  to  his  high  standing 
as  a  citizen  attested  to  the  abiding  place  he  had  in  the  hearts  and  affections 
of  his  many  friends  throughout  this  locality,  and  his  career,  eminently  hon- 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  893 

orable  and  successful,  is  commended  as  an  example  tor  tiie  younj^er  >i;enera- 
tion  of  farmers  who  read  these  pages. 

Mr.  Davidson  was  bom  on  July  26,  1852,  and  was  a  son  of  William 
F.  and  Mary  Ann  (Hostetter)  Davidson.  The  father  was  born  in  1798  in 
Pennsylvania  and  there  he  spent  his  early  life,  but  was  not  yet  thirty  years 
old  when,  following  other  pioneers  westward,  he  located  in  Montgomery 
county,  Indiana,  when  this  country  was  practically  a  wilderness.  It  was  in 
the  year  1827  that  he  established  the  future  home  of  the  family  in  this  county 
and  from  that  remote  day  to  tliis  the  Davidson  have  been  well  known  here. 
He  entered  eighty  acres  of  land  from  the  government  where  the  buildings 
of  the  Davidson  farm  now  stand.  There  he  cleared  a  "patch"  on  which  he 
erected  his  log  cabin  and  began  life  like  the  typical  first  settler.  He  worked 
hard  and  soon  had  a  farm  developed  and  a  comfortable  residence.  After 
getting  his  place  started  he  walked  to  Ohio  where  he  married,  on  September 
II,  1828,  Amanda  Schnof,  returning  then  to  his  new  home  in  this  county. 
He  made  the  long  journey  from  the  East  on  foot  when  he  first  penetrated 
the  wilderness  to  the  westland,  carrying  his  gun,  powder  horn,  and  a  few 
other  necessities.  The  old  powder  horn  is  still  in  the  family,  also  the  sheep 
skin  deed  which  the  government  gave  him,  and  the  old  flax  hackle  which  was 
brought  from  Scotland.  He  was  a  renowned  fiddler  in  his  day  and  played 
frequently  for  dances  for  young  folks.  He  was  a  man  of  religious  tempera- 
ment; always  returned  thanks  for  his  food,  and  observed  the  Golden  Rule 
in  his  every  day  life;  however,  he  never  belonged  to  any  church.  He  was  a 
man  of  industry  and  he  added  considerable  land  to  his  original  eighty.  He 
was  a  very  ambitious  man  and  did  much  to  set  the  wheels  of  progress  re- 
volving in  this  locality.  Four  children  were  born  to  them,  three  dying  in 
childhood.  Jasper  N.  reached  maturity.  His  first  wife  dying,  he  was  mar- 
ried the  second  time  to  Mary  Ann  Hostetter  on  Feljruary  14,  1839.  They 
were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  namely:  Zerelda  J.,  married  to  P.  H. 
Burns,  of  Crawfordsville ;  Catherine,  married  Eli  Armentrout;  Sarah  mar- 
ried to  Dave  Harshbarger;  William  Sherman  married  to  Louisa  Harrison; 
Margaret,  deceased:  David  H.,  our  subject,  and  two  others,  who  died  in 
infancy. 

David  H.  Davidson,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  memoir,  grew  to 
manhood  on  the  old  homestead,  amid  pioneer  environment,  and  he  had  plenty 
of  hard  work  to  do  in  assisting  his  father  develop  tiie  ])lace  from  the  virgin 
soil,  a  task  which  required  many  years  of  close  application.  He  received  a 
meager  education  in  the  inadequate  rural  schools  of  his  day.     He  remained 


894  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

on  the  home  place  all  his  life,  keeping  it  well  improved  and  well  cultivated, 
owning  the  same  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  on  November 
29,  1908. 

Fraternally,  he  belonged  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
He  belonged  to  the  agricultural  association  from  the  time  of  its  organization, 
and  was  president  of  the  same  for  one  year.  He  did  much  to  make  it  a 
success.     He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Horse  Thief  Detective  Association. 

Mr.  Davidson  was  married  on  November  12,  1874,  to  Salome  E.  Harsh- 
barger,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  M.  and  Mary  (Myers)  Harshbarger.  She  was 
born  in  Clark  township,  Montgomery  county,  January  11,  1854.  There 
she  grew  to  womanhood  and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools. 

Jacob  M.  Harshbarger  was  born  March  10,  1828,  near  Roanoke,  Vir- 
ginia, and  was  a  son  of  Jacob,  Sr.,  and  Salome  (Ammen)  Harshbarger,  the 
former  born  in  Pennsylvania  June  24,  1792,  and  was  a  son  of  Samuel  and 
Elizabeth  (Gish)  Harshbarger.  Samuel  Harshbarger  was  born  on  Septem- 
ber 19.  1759,  in  Pennsylvania.  From  that  state  he  went  to  Virginia  and 
from  there  came  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  in  1833.  He  had  been 
preceded  here  in  the  spring  of  1829  by  Jacob  Harshbarger.  The  latter  en- 
tered from  the  government  fifteen  hundred  acres  of  land  north  of  Ladoga, 
and  owned  nearly  three  thousand  acres  at  one  time.  Much  of  this  valuable 
land  he  cleared  and  farmed  on  an  extensive  scale,  becoming"  one  of  the  lead- 
ing farmers  and  most  substantial  citizens  in  his  township.  He  was  a  mill- 
wright by  trade,  which  he  followed  in  connection  with  farming,  his  children 
doing  the  actual  work  on  the  place.  His  death  occurred  in  1866.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  German  Baptist  church.  He  was  often  seen  poring  over 
his  mammoth  Bible,  which  weighed  sixteen  pounds  and  measured  fifteen  and 
one-half  by  ten  inches  and  was  six  inches  thick.  It  was  of  German  manu- 
facture, of  deer  skin  cover  and  was  issued  over  one  hundred  years  ago.  He 
gave  each  of  his  eight  children  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  good  land. 
His  wife  died  in  1870.  Ten  children  were  born  to  them,  only  two  of  whom 
are  now  living.     Eight  of  them  lived  to  be  over  sixty-four  years  old. 

Jacob  M.  Harshbarger  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  and  received  only  a 
meager  education;  he  devoted  his  life  to  farming  and  stock  raising  on  a  large 
scale.  He  owned  at  one  time  over  fourteen  hundred  acres  of  valuable  land, 
and  he  gave  some  to  his  children.  He  is  still  hale  and  hearty,  and  successful 
in  a  business  way,  being  one  of  the  substantial  men  of  the  community.  Mr. 
Harshbarger  served  very  faithfully  and  acceptably  as  county  commissioner 
from  1880  to  1882.     He  is  well  liked  by  everybody,  having  always  lived  an 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  895 

honorable  and  upriglit  life  and  is  kind,  neighborly  and  charitable.  He  was 
married  to  Mary  Myers  on  April  13,  1848,  and  after  a  happy  married  life 
of  over  a  half  century  she  was  called  to  her  rest  on  June  1 7,  1900.  They  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding  on  the  farm  where  they  w  ere  married  and  spent 
their  married  life.  Five  children  were  l)orn  to  tliem.  namely:  Marion  and 
Henry  Meda  are  both  deceased;  Salome  E.,  who  married  Mr.  Davidson  of 
this  memoir;  Amanda,  is  the  wife  of  E.  V.  Brookshire,  and  they  live  in 
Washington  City;  George,  lives  in  Clark  township,  this  county.  No  better 
or  more  helpful  family  has  ever  lived  in  Montgomery  county  than  the  Harsh- 
bargers  and  none  more  highly  respected. 

The  union  of  David  H.  Davidson  and  wife  was  blessed  by  the  birth  of 
eight  children,  namely :  Warner  M.,  who  lives  in  Union  township,  this 
county;  Dr.  Homer  J.  and  Dr.  Cline  F.,  both  live  in  Seattle,  Washington; 
Nora  A.  is  the  wife  of  M.  Kesler  and  they  live  in  Union  township;  Lola  M. 
also  lives  in  the  city  of  Seattle,  where  she  is  engaged  in  teaching;  Ethel  H. 
is  at  home ;  Mary  C.  and  Mina  S.  are  both  attending  high  school. 


LEE  S.  WARXER. 


The  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Warner  &  Peck  is  Lee  S.  Warner, 
who  was  born  in  Vienna,  Austria,  July  26,  1849,  and  there  he  spent  his  early 
boyhood  years,  being  about  twelve  years  of  age  when,  in  1862,  he  emigrated 
to  the  United  States,  settling  in  Buffalo,  New  York.  While  there  he  attended 
school  part  of  the  time  and  also  worked  in  a  clothing  store.  Learning  the 
ins  and  outs  of  this  line  of  endeavor  he  began  the  clothing  business  for  him- 
self in  1870  at  Effingham,  Illinois,  remaining  there  ten  years  during  which 
he  got  a  good  start,  then  came  to  Crawfordsville  where  he  remained  a  short 
time,  subsequently  returning  to  Buffalo,  New  York,  where  he  engaged  suc- 
cessfully in  the  wholesale  business  for  a  period  of  thirteen  years,  after  which 
he  returned  to  Crawfordsville  in  1893  ^"^  engaged  in  the  clothing  business. 
He  formed  a  partnership  with  Dumont  M.  Peck.  They  handle  Hart, 
Schaffner  &  Marx  and  Stein-Blocks  brands  of  clotliing,  the  L  System  of 
Clothcraft,  Regal  shoes  for  men  (exclusively),  Holland  shoes  for  boys; 
Ederheimer  Stein  childrens'  clothes,  also  Skolny  clothes;  Knox,  Stetson  and 
Imperial  hats:  Manhattan  and  Davies  shirts:  Sweet  Orr.  Marx  &  Haas 
cloths,  traveling  bags,  trunks,  in  fact,  everything  that  is  found  in  any  large, 
modern  store  of  this  kind  in  any  of  the  thriving  cities  of  the  country. 


896  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Warner  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  including 
all  of  the  York  Rites,  and  the  fourteenth  degree  in  the  Scottish  Rite ;  he  also 
belongs  to  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur,  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows.    Politically,  he  is  a  Progressive. 

Mr.  Warner  was  married  on  August  21,  1873  to  Rachael  Wiener,  of 
Buffalo,  New  York,  and  to  this  union  three  children  have  been  born,  namely : 
Juliet  A.,  wife  of  Dumont  M.  Peck,  junior  member  of  the  firm  of  Warner 
&  Peck;  Sidney  M.,  who  resides  in  Indianapolis;  and  Cornelia,  wife  of  J. 
Whitford,  residents  of  St.  Petersburg,  Florida. 


CAPT.  MARTIN  V.  WERT. 

One  of  the  best  known  and  deservedly  popular  men  in  Montgomery 
county  is  Capt.  Martin  V.  Wert,  the  present  able  and  public  spirited  mayor 
of  the  city  of  Crawfordsville,  in  which  position  he  is  doing  much  for  the 
permanent  good  of  the  city  and  showing  the  people  that  he  is  a  man  of 
progressive  ideas,  broad-minded  and  energetic  for  the  general  weal.  He  is 
by  nature  and  training  a  military  man,  and  his  record  as  a  soldier  is  indeed 
an  enviable  one.  He  is  a  born  leader  of  men  and  has  stamped  the  impress  of 
his  strong  personality  on  all  that  he  has  met.  And  yet  with  all  his  indomitable 
courage,  diplomacy,  progressiveness  and  widespread  popularity  he  is  entirely 
unassuming  and  a  recognized  friend  of  the  common  people,  yet  reserving  a 
proper  dignity,  as  becomes  a  man  of  his  type,  so  that  he  is  highly  esteemed 
by  all  who  know  him.  He  is  a  business  man  of  more  than  ordinary  ability, 
and  ranks  among  the  most  substantial  and  representative  citizens  of  his  city 
and  county. 

Capt.  Wert  was  born  in  Fountain  county,  Indiana,  on  a  farm,  July  17, 
1841,  and  he  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Isabelle  Wert,  one  of  the  honored  old 
families  of  this  section  of  the  great  Wabash  country.  Our  subject  was 
reared  on  the  home  farm  and  there  assisted  with  the  general  work  when  a 
boy.  During  the  winter  months  he  attended  the  common  schools  of  his 
neighborhood,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Fountain  county  high  school  in 
i860. 

The  war  of  the  states  coming  on,  Mr.  Wert  could  not  stand  idly  by 
and  see  the  old  flag  insulted,  so  on  October  i,  1861  he  enlisted  in  Company  B, 
Tenth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  he  served  with  much  credit  and  dis- 
tinction during  the  rest  of  the  war,  having  charge  at  one  time  of  a  squad  from 


CAPT.    MARTIN    V.    WERT 


MOXTGOiMERV    COrXTY.    INDIANA.  897 

his  regiment  that  was  detailed  to  guard  trains  and  cdttmi.  This  required 
skill  and  tact  and  was  very  dangerous.  He  took  part  in  numerous  important 
campaigns  and  battles,  and  was  twice  wounded,  once  at  M\\\  Springs  and  also 
at  the  great  battle  of  Chickaniauga.  On  Septemljer  3,  1864.  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Company  B,  Fifty-eighth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  he  con- 
tinued to  serve  faithfully  with  this  regiment  until  honorably  discharged  on 
November  i,  1864. 

After  his  career  in  the  army  he  returned  home  and  learned  the  carpen- 
ter's trade,  and  in  the  year  1870  he  came  to  Crawfordsville  and  engaged  in 
the  contracting  business,  meeting  with  much  success  from  the  first.  This 
has  continued  to  be  his  chief  life  work,  and  his  business  has  increased  with 
the  advancing  years  until  he  has  become  one  of  the  financially  strong  men  of 
the  city  and  has  accumulated  considerable  valuable  property. 

Captain  Wert  was  elected,  in  August,  1887,  first  lieutenant  of  Company 
D,  First  Regiment  Indiana  National  Guard,  and  was  very  active  in  this  com- 
pany for  three  years.  Then  upon  the  transferring  of  the  company  to  the 
Second  Regiment  and  assignment  to  Company  I,  he  was  elected  captain  of 
Company  M,  Second  Regiment  Indiana  National  Guard  in  recognition  of  his 
earnest  work  in  the  military  afifairs  of  the  state.  Upon  the  outbreak  of  the 
Spanish-American  war,  this  company  started  to  the  front,  but  the  regiment 
of  which  it  was  a  part  was  discharged  on  April  26,  1898.  Captain  Wert  is 
still  verv  active  in  military  affairs.  He  was  one  of  the  leading  spirits  in  the 
making  of  the  history  of  the  old  Tenth  Regiment,  which  was  first  published 
a  number  of  years  ago. 

Politically,  the  Captain  has  also  been  prominent  for  years,  always  active 
in  the  ranks  of  the  Republican  party.  He  was  twice  elected  a  member  of  the 
city  council,  and  in  1910  was  elected  mayor  of  Crawfordsville  the  duties  of 
which  important  office  he  has  discharged  in  a  manner  that  has  reHectcd  much 
credit  upon  himself  and  to  the  eminent  satisfaction  of  all  concerned,  and  he 
is  still  incumbent  of  this  office.  He  is  a  man  of  progressive  ideas,  and  stands 
for  law  enforcement  at  all  times,  and  he  insists  on  those  under  him  ii])eying 
the  laws  to  the  letter. 

Captain  Wert  was  married  in  1868  to  Adeline  .\ston.  of  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  daughter  of  John  B.  and  Ann  (Coats)  Aston.  The  father  was  a 
farmer  and  lived  all  his  life  in  Hamilton  county,  Ohio.  Our  subject  and 
wife  have  two  children,  namel\- :  Albert  E.,  an  architect,  living  in  New 
York  city;  Arthur  B.,  a  contractor,  lives  in  Crawfordsville.  Pioth  tliese  sons 
are  very  successful  in  their  chosen  fields  of  endea\or. 
'(57) 


898  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

ABRAHAM  H.  HERNLY. 

Fifty  years  ago,  when  the  slaveholder's  rebellion  broke  out  with  all  its 
fury  at  Fort  Sumter  and  when  it  looked  as  if  the  Union  that  all  loved  so 
much  would  be  dissolved,  many  households  became  divided,  some  members 
of  a  family  going  into  the  Federal  army  and  others  casting  their  lots  with 
the  Confederacy;  some  enlisted  to  save  the  federation  of  states,  even  though 
they  had  to  free  their  slaves  to  do  so.  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 
l>e  neutral  because  he  did  not  want  to  risk  his  life  on  the  field  of  battle  and 
had  no  principles  to  sustain.  The  Hernly  family  was  alive  to  the  gravity  of 
the  national  conflict,  and  realized  that  the  struggle  impending  was  something 
more  than  a  holiday  undertaking  and  knew  that  it  meant  great  hardship  and 
the  shedding  of  rivers  of  blood  before  the  flag  could  again  wave  from  Maine 
to  Florida  and  from  the  Mexican  Gulf  to  the  states  of  the  far  Northwest. 
But  they  cbd  not  hesitate,  be  it  said  to  their  exerlasting  renown,  both  father 
and  son,  lea\ing  their  pleasant  fireside  and  risking  the  \-icissitudes  of  the  great 
Rebellion,  each  making  most  creditable  records  of  which  their  family  should 
ever  be  proud. 

Abraham  H.  Hernly,  well  known  real  estate  dealer,  was  born  at  Blount 
Joy,  Pennsylvania,  Jul}*  22.  1843.  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  S.  and  Anna 
Hernly.  The  father  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Pennsyh'ania  in  1808,  and  there 
he  grew  to  manhood  and  devoted  himself  to  general  farming  until  1843 
when  he  moved  to  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  and  in  1844  to  Delaware  county, 
this  state,  where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death  in  1868.  He  was  a 
type  of  the  old-time,  honest,  sturdy,  pioneer  farmer,  who  believed  in  uphold- 
ing the  government,  fashioned  by  Washington  and  other  brave  and  self-sac- 
rificing men.  So  when  the  Civil  war  broke  out  he  gladly  gave  his  services 
to  his  country,  serving  faithfully  for  a  period  of  three  years  in  the  Nine- 
teenth Indiana  Regiment.  He  was  a  Republican,  and  he  belonged  to  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  His  wife  was  also  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
born  on  a  farm  where  she  was  reared  to  womanhood,  the  date  of  lier  birth 
being  1820.     Her  death  occurred  in  1856  when  in  the  prime  of  life. 

Abraham  H.  Hernly  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Wayne  and  Dela- 
ware counties,  Indiana,  having  been  a  mere  babe  when  he  was  brought  by 
his  parents  from  his  birthplace  in  Pennsylvania.  He  worked  hard  assisting 
his  father  in  getting  a  comfortable  home  established   for  the  family  in  the 


MdXTCOMKRV    CinXTV.    INDIANA.  R()(> 

Hoosier  state,  and  that  hcint;-  the  case  and  public  schuols  few  and  jjonrly 
taught  in  his  day  lie  had  \ery  little  chance  to  secure  an  educalinn.  hut  later 
in  life  he  has  made  up  for  this  deficiency  by  wide  miscellaneous  readinj^  and 
by  actual  contact  with  the  business  world,  fiowever.  when  thirteen  years 
of  age  he  returned  to  his  native  state  to  li\-e  with  a  cousin  and  there  went 
to  school  three  winters.  When  a  young  man  he  learned  the  cabinet-maker's 
trade,  becoming  very  proficient  in  the  same  with  advancing  years. 

When  the  war  between  the  States  came  on  he  laid  down  his  tools  and 
hastened  to  a  recruiting  station  and  enlisted  in  the  Twenty-third  Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteer  Infantry  in  which  he  saw  much  hard  and  trying  service,  but 
he  never  shirked  duty  no  matter  how  arduous  or  dangerous,  according  to  his 
comrades.  Among  the  important  battles  he  took  part  in  were  Yorktown, 
seven  davs  before  I'Jicbniond,  Malvern  Hill,  .\ntietani,  Crettysburg,  Cold 
Harbor,  Winchester  and  Cedar  Creek,  being  under  the  immortal  Sheridan 
at  the  last  two  battles.  He  was  on  picket  duty  the  day  of  Lee"s  surrender 
at  .\pponiatto.x,  A'irginia.  He  was  honorably  discharged  from  the  ser\ice 
of  the  Union  on  July  13,  1865. 

After  bis  career  as  a  soldier  Mr.  Hernly  returned  to  Indiana  rather 
than  the  Keystone  state  from  which  he  had  gone  to  the  seat  of  war.  He 
located  in  Henry  county,  where  he  farmed  for  a  few  years,  getting  a  new- 
start  in  life.  In  1872  he  came  to  Crawfordsville  and  here  followed  the  car- 
penters' trade  and  the  contracting  business  with  a  large  measure  of  success 
until  1898,  when  he  went  into  the  real  estate  business,  which  he  has  contin- 
ued to  the  present  day,  in  connection  with  the  loan  business,  doing  nicely  in 
both,  emioying  an  ever  increasing  patronage  owing  to  his  honest  and  cour- 
teous dealings  w'ith  his  fellow  men.  His  residence  in  Montgomery  county 
of  over  forty  years  has  been  marked  by  duty  faithfully  performed  as  a  busi- 
ness man  and  citizen  and  he  has  w(jn  the  regard  and  confidence  of  all  wlio 
know  him.  He  is  an  excellent  judge  of  real  estate  \alues,  and  he  has  a  num- 
ber of  good  city  rentals. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Republican  and  has  been  more  or  less  influential  in 
local  party  affairs.  Naturally  he  belongs  to  McPherson  Post,  No.  7,  C.rand 
Army  of  the  .Republic  at  Crawfordsville.  having  long  taken  an  abiding  in- 
terest in  Grand  Army  affairs.  Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Imjiroved  Or- 
der of  Red  Men. 

Mr.  Hernly  was  married  on  December  Ji.  1868,  selecting  as  a  life- 
partner  Emeline  Harvey,  who  was  born  in  Henry  county,  Indiana,  where 
she  grew  to  womanhood  and  received  a  common  school  education.     There 


900 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


her  parents  spent  their  Hves  engaged  in  fanning.  The  death  of  Mrs.  Hernly 
occurred  on  October  21,  1884.  To  this  union  four  children  were  born,  named 
as  follows:  Jessie,  whose  death  occurred  in  1894;  Harry,  who  died  in  1898; 
Kittie  is  the  wife  of  Clarence  Lawler  and  they  live  in  Los  Angeles,  Cali- 
fornia; Lizzie  is  the  wife  of  Paul  Welty,  and  they  are  also  residents  of  Los 
Angeles. 

On  October  19th,  1892,  our  subject  was  married  a  second  time,  his  last 
wife  being  Elizabeth  Blye,  who  was  a  native  of  Attica,  Indiana.  To  this 
second  union  one  child  has  been  born,  Mabel  R.,  who  was  graduated  from 
the  Crawfordsville  higli  school  with  the  class  of  1913. 


AMOS  GILBERT  BREAKS. 

Success  lies  very  largely  in  whether  a  man  takes  an  interest  in  what 
he  has  mapped  out  as  his  life  work;  unless  this  is  true  nothing  but  mediocre 
success  will  reward  the  toiler.  Nothing  is  truer  than  Longfellow's  line  in 
"The  Building  of  the  Ship,"  which  reads,  "For  his  heart  was  in  his  work, 
and  the  heart  giveth  grace  to  every  art."  A  large  number  of  the  toilers  in 
the  tread-mill  of  existence  take  only  a  half-hearted  interest,  or  none,  in  their 
allotted  tasks,  feeling  none  of  the  zest  of  the  true  worker  and  knowing  noth- 
ing of  the  keen  delights  of  the  honest  toiler.  Among  those  of  Montgomery 
county's  men  of  affairs  who  take  a  special  delight  in  their  life  work  is  Amos 
Gilbert  Breaks,  a  successful  farmer  of  Crawfordsville,  who  operates  a  fine 
farm  in  L^nion  township,  nearby.  In  this  township  and  county  Mr.  Breaks 
first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  of  day,  being  a  scion  of  one  of  our  noted 
and  sterling  old  families,  and  here  he  grew  to  manhood,  was  educated  and 
has  been  content  to  spend  his  life.     The  date  of  his  birth  is  April  20,  1862, 

Mr.  Breaks  is  a  son  of  John  B.  and  Caroline  Jane  (Gronnendike) 
Breaks.  The  father  was  born  on  December  14,  1832,  in  Union  township, 
this  county,  and  here  he  devoted  his  life  successfully  to  farming,  and  passed 
to  his  eternal  rest  on  June  27,  1901.  Politically,  he  v^^as  a  Republican,  and 
in  religious  matters  a  Methodist.  The  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  also  a  native  of  this  township  and  county,  the  date  of  her  birth  being 
June  20,  1836,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Hannah  Gronnendike.  The 
ancestors  of  both  these  parents  were  early  settlers  in  this  county.  Mrs.  John 
B.  Breaks  died  on  February  17,  1897.     She  was  the  mother  of  ten  children. 


MdXTCOMKKY    n)lNTV,     INDIANA.  <)0 1 

three  of  whom  dictl  in  infancy,  those  wlio  survived  being-  named  as  follows: 
John,  born  October  19.  1855.  died  in  his  thirty-ninth  year;  James,  born  March 
13,  i860,  lives  at  Winona  Lake.  Indiana:  Sarah  Ann,  died  in  her  tenth  year; 
Amos  Gilbert,  of  this  review;  Ida  May.  who  married  Ciiarles  E.  (liililand, 
was  born  March  27,  1864;  Editli  C.  who  married  C.  A.  Johnson,  was  born 
on  December  u;,  1S71.  and  slie  now  li\es  in  San  Antonio,  'I'e.xas ;  Dr.  Liitlier 
Z.,  of  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  was  born  on  March  5,  1879. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  Richard 
Breaks.  Sr..  a  native  of  England,  w-ho  emigrated  to  America  when  a  }oung 
man,  liis  voyage  to  our  shores  in  a  sailing  vessel  requiring  two  months.  He 
came  on  west  and  landed  at  Crawfordsville,  Indiana,  with  just  fifty  cents  in 
his  pocket.  He  found  here  a  frontier  settlement  of  only  a  few  houses,  but 
he  liked  the  country  and  decided  to  make  his  future  home  here,  building  a 
cabin  across  the  creek  from  Indian  Village.  It  was  many  years  before  he 
saw  the  first  railroad  liuilt  into  Crawfords\-ille  and  the  country  round  aliout 
cleared  of  its  vast  forests  and  de\eIoped  into  a  fine  farming  comnuuiity,  and 
he  took  no  small  part  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  same.  He  used  his  influence  to 
such  improvements  as  the  Iniilding  of  the  first  gravel  road  through  the  county. 
Coming  as  he  did  from  a  poor  family,  Richard  Breaks,  Sr..  had  no  time  for 
education.  However,  he  was  the  possessor  of  much  of  the  characteristic 
pluck  and  energy  and  he  succeeded  in  his  life  work  and.  by  close  observation 
and  wide  reading,  he  became  a  well  informed  man.  He  at  first  found  em- 
ployment with  old  Andy  Johnnie  Beard,  then  head  of  the  Blind  Asylum. 
The  young  Englishman  first  began  as  a  farm  hand,  but  later  had  practical 
charge  of  the  entire  farm.  He  was  later  married  to  a  daughter  of  his  em- 
ployer. Hannah  Beard.  Subsequent!}-,  he  was  a1)le  to  ])urchase  a  small 
farm  of  his  ow-n  north  of  Crawfordsville,  at  a  very  lnw  figure,  and  he  moved 
his  young  wife  to  this  place,  which  has  since  been  known  as  the  Breaks  neigh- 
borhood. Indians  were  quite  plentiful  in  those  early  days,  and  although  Mr. 
Breaks  was  on  friendly  terms  with  them,  he  gave  them  to  understand  that 
they  were  not  to  go  near  his  home  in  his  absence.  He  was  small  of  stature, 
but  the  red  skins  were  able  to  read  in  his  eye  the  fact  that  he  was  a  man  of 
courage  and  it  were  better  to  respect  his  wishes.  By  hard  and  honest  efiforts 
he  forged  ahead.  He  cleared  his  place  and  established  a  good  home,  adding 
to  his  land  from  time  to  time  as  he  prospered  through  his  indomitable  in- 
dustry, until  he  became  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  the  community  and  at 
the  tinie  of  his  death  was  considered  in  very  comfortable  circumstances. 

Richard  Breaks,  Sr..  was  married  tiiree  limes.     After  the  death  of  his 


902  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

first  wife,  Hannah  Beard,  he  married  Mary  Stine,  a  native  of  this  section  of 
Indiana,  of  which  her  father,  John  Stine.  was  a  pioneer.  After  her  death 
on  the  Breaks  farm  here,  Mr.  Breaks  was  united  with  Eliza  King  in  the 
bonds  of  wedlock. 

After  replacing  the  old  house  with  a  large,  substantial  dwelling  and  add- 
ing a  number  of  convenient  buildings  and  making  many  other  improvements, 
Mr.  Breaks  settled  down  on  his  farm  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  labors  of 
former  years.  His  extensive  landed  estate  was  gradually  lessened  by  virtue 
of  the  fact  that  he  gave  each  of  his  children  eighty  acres  of  land  at  the  time 
of  their  marriage.  Here  he  continued  to  reside  quietly  until  he  was  called 
to  his  eternal  rest  at  a  very  ripe  old  age,  after  a  successful  and  honorable 
career.  He  was  loved  and  respected  by  all,  having  been  an  honest,  hospitable 
and  upright  man  in  every  respect. 

To  the  first  union  of  Richard  Breaks,  Sr.,  and  wife  were  born  six  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  following  are  named :  Sarah,  who  married  Peter  Garner, 
is  deceased;  Anna  is  the  wife  of  Jacob  Miller;  Hannah  is  now  Mrs.  Jonathan 
Everett ;  John  B.  was  the  father  of  Amos  G.  Breaks,  the  immediate  subject 
of  this  article.  The  children  of  Mr.^  Breaks  and  his  second  wife  were  four 
in  number  and  named  as  follows:  Richard,  Jr.,  long  a  well  known  fanner 
of  this  county,  is  now  deceased ;  Harrison  was  next  in  order ;  Calvin's  name 
then  appears  on  the  list;  and  Thomas,  the  youngest,  is  deceased.  To  the 
third  union  of  the  senior  Breaks  and  wife  was  born  only  one  child,  Alvin,  a 
sketch  of  whom  appears  on  other  pages  of  this  work. 

Amos  G.  Breaks,  our  subject,  worked  on  the  home  farm,  there  remain- 
ing until  he  was  capable  of  managing  a  farm  of  his  own.  He  has  followed 
general  agricultural  and  stock  raising  pursuits  all  his  life  and  has  met  with  a 
large  measure  of  success,  having  inherited  the  skill  as  a  husbandman  and  also 
the  energy  to  cany  it  out  effectively  from  his  father  and  grandfather  before 
him.  He,  however,  retired  from  farming  on  a  large  scale  some  eight  years 
ago,  and  moved  into  the  city  of  Crawfordsville  where  he  owns  a  pleasant 
and  substantial  home  and  here  he  is  still  residing,  but  has  continued  to  oper- 
ate his  farm  in  a  general  way.  It  lies  in  Union  township  and  consists  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty-three  acres,  well  improved  in  every  respect  and  highly 
productive. 

Politically,  Mr.  Breaks  is  a  Republican.  He  belongs  to  the  Methodist 
church,  and  is  a  Mason,  attaining  the  Ivnights  Templar  degrees  in  that  Order. 

Mr.  Breaks  was  married  on  March  5,  1885  to  Mary  Elliot,  daughter  of 
William  and  Maria  Elliot,  an  early  pioneer  and  honored  family  of  Mont- 


MOXTC.OMKRY    COrNTV,    INDIANA.  903 

1,'omery  county.     Mr.s.  Breaks  was  horn  in  Ripley  townsliij),  this  county,  and 
here  she  grew  to  womanliood  and  receixed  a  common  .school  education. 

To  the  union  of  our  sul)ject  and  wife  one  child  was  horn.  \'irginia  M., 

the  (late  df  her  l;irth  hein.^^  X(i\enil)fr.  igoC).      She  is  in  tlic  local  .ynule  schools. 


JOSh:PH   (iOLDBERG. 

The  most  elahorate  history  is  perforce  a  merciless  ahridgment,  the  his- 
torian 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  interest- 
ing and  important  department  of  biography.  In  every  life  of  honor  and  use- 
fulness there  is  no  dearth  of  interesting  situations  and  incidents,  and  yet  in 
summing  up  stich  a  career  as  that  of  Joseph  Goldberg,  one  of  the  leading  busi- 
ness men  of  Crawfordsville  and  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  successful 
dealers  in  hides  and  furs  in  the  Middle  West,  the  writer  needs  touch  only 
on  the  more  salient  facts,  giving  the  keynote  of  the  character  and  eliminating 
all  that  is  superfluous  to  the  continuity  of  the  narrative.  Mr.  Goldberg  has 
led  an  active,  useful  and  honorable  life,  not  entirely  \'oid  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. 

Mr.  Goldberg  was  born  in  Poland,  .\pril  5,  1852.  His  parents  both 
died  in  the  old  country.  His  father  was  a  farmer,  tanner  and  contractor, 
and,  being  industrious  and  a  good  manager,  had  a  \ery  comfortable  income, 
and  a  good  home. 

Joseph  Goldberg  spent  his  boyhood  in  his  native  land  and  there  receixed 
his  early  education,  which  has  been  greatly  su])plemente(l  later  in  life  by  con- 
tact with  the  business  world  and  by  extensive  home  reading.  When  a  young 
man  he  left  Poland  in  order  to  escape  military  serA-ice,  which  was  enforced 
1>\-  the  Russians,  our  subject  being  very  much  opposed  to  the  military  sys- 
tem. The  trip  was  a  tedious  one,  and  he  was  sixteen  da}s  on  the  water. 
He  landed  in  Xew  York  City  with  twenty-five  cents  in  his  jiocket,  but  he  had 
plenty  of  grit  and  ambition,  and  he  was  soon  working  for  a  friend  for  one 
dollar  and  fifty  cents  per  day.  After  working  two  weeks,  during  which  time 
he  had  saved  enough  to  defray  his  expenses  to  Chicago,  he  made  his  way 
thither  and  worked  there  six  months,  then  purchased  a  horse  and  wagon  and 
drove  to  E\'ansville,  Indiana,  and  remained  there  for  two  years  engaged  in 


904  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

the  jiink  business.  On  account  of  the  disagreeable  chmate  of  Evansville  he 
drove  to  IndianapoHs  where  he  spent  thirteen  years,  very  successfully  engaged 
in  business,  then  came  to  Crawfordsville,  and  established  his  present  business 
which  has  rapidly  grown  with  the  years.  He  has  shipped  two  million  pounds 
of  hides,  furs,  pelts  of  all  kinds,  and  is  one  of  the  best  known  dealers  in  this 
line  in  the  country,  shippers  sending  their  hides  and  furs  to  him  from  remote 
parts  of  the  country,  and  the  fact  that  a  great  many  of  his  regular  shippers 
have  remained  with  him  for  years,  refusing  to  ship  to  any  one  else  is  sufficient 
proof  of  his  honest  treatment,  his  sound  business  judgment,  and  his  uniform 
courtesv.  He  undertands  thoroughly  every  phase  of  his  business  and  no  bet- 
ter judge  of  the  value,  grades,  and  varieties  of  furs  and  hides  could  be  found. 
He  is  deserving  of  great  credit  for  what  he  has  accomplished  in  the  face  of 
obstacles,  having  started  with  nothing  and  had  no  one  to  aid  him. 

Mr.  Goldberg  was  married  on  March  10,  1875  to  Setty  Hart,  of  Indi- 
anapolis, and  to  this  union  four  children  were  born,  one  of  whom  is  deceased ; 
the  living  are:  Fannie,  who  married  Morris  Block,  of  Oskosh,  Wisconsin; 
Hannah,  who  is  the  wife  of  Edward  Epstine,  of  St.  Paul,  Minnesota :  Harry, 
who  is  at  home,  is  in  partnership  with  his  father  in  business. 


JAMES  A.  VAIL. 

One  of  the  best  remembered  and  most  highly  respected  citizens  of  Mont- 
gomery county  in  a  past  generation,  who,  after  a  successful  and  honorable 
career,  have  taken  up  their  journey  to  that  mystic  clime,  Shakespeare's  "undis- 
covered bourne,  from  whence  no  traveler  e'er  returns,"  leaving  behind  him  a 
heritage  of  which  his  descendants  may  well  be  proud — an  untarnished  name — 
was  James  A.  Vail  who  grew  up  in  this  locality  when  the  early  settlers,  of 
whom  his  father,  was  one,  were  redeeming  the  rich  soil  from  the  primordial 
state,  and  here  he  played  well  his  role  in  the  drama  of  civilization.  He  was  a 
man  of  industry  and  public  spirit,  willing  at  all  times  to  do  his  full  share  in 
the  work  of  development,  never  neglecting  his  larger  duties  to  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.  Thus  for  many  reasons  we  are  glad  to  give  his  personal  biography 
a  place  in  the  history  of  his  locality. 

Mr.  Vail  was  born  on  November  22,  1847,  at  Oak  Hill,  Indiana.  He 
was  a  son  of  James  and  Martha  A.   (Clevenger)  Vail.     The  father  was  one 


MOXTCOMICKV 


905 


of  the  early  settlers  of  Montgomery  county  and  he  hecanii'  well  estal)]isiie(l 
here  through  his  industry.  He  located  near  what  is  now  ( )ak  llill  when  this 
locality  was  very  sparsely  settled. 

James  A.  Vail  grew  to  manhood  on  the  lionie  farm  and  tliere  he  worked 
hard  when  a  boy,  and  he  received  his  education  in  tiie  comnujn  .schcjois  of 
his  neighborhood,  and  when  a  young  man  he  took  up  general  farming  for  a 
livelihood  which  he  followed  all  his  life  with  much  success,  on  a  large  scale, 
owning  a  finely  inipro\ed  farm,  and  he  paid  ])articular  attention  to  stock  rais- 
ing, preparing  large  numl)ers  of  cattle  and  hogs  for  the  market.  He  had  a 
commodious  home  and  was  one  of  the  substantial  men  of  in's  neiglihorli 1. 

.Mr.  \'ail  was  married  on  October  31,  1872,  to  Amanda  L.  lUue.  d;iugli- 
ter  of  John  M.  and  INlary  Ann  (Smith)  Blue,  a  highly  respected  and  well 
known  couple.  .\  complete  sketch  of  the  Blue  family  is  to  be  found  on  an- 
other page  of  this  work  under  the  caption  of  James  Blue.  The  following 
children  were  born  to  John  AI.  Blue  and  wife;  Amanda  L..  wife  of  our  sub- 
ject; Martin  is  deceased;  Anna  married  Frank  Royer:  and  James. 

l-"i\e  children  were  born  to  James  A.  Vail  and  wife,  namely:  Martha  .\. 
who  married  Matt  Barton,  lives  in  Madison  township;  John  I*".  li\-es  in  Lin- 
den, this  county;  .\rthur  A.  lives  in  Madison  township;  Elizabeth  married 
Samuel  Mnrdock,  of  Union  township;  Bessie  Katherine  married  Charley 
Blacketer  and  they  li\e  in  Aladison  township. 

Politically,  Mr.  Vail  was  a  Republican,  but  was  ne\-er  especially  acti\e 
in  public  affairs.  He  belonged  to  the  New  Light  Christian  church  and  was 
faithful  in  his  support  of  the  same.  Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  both  at  Linden. 

The  fleath  of  James  A.  \'ail  occurred  on  .\pril   16.   1912. 


RYLAXD  T.  EROWX. 

In  the  decades  preceding  and  following  the  War  of  the  States,  and  dur- 
ing that  internecine  strife,  the  state  of  Indiana  produced  a  brilliant  coterie  of 
men  who  became  prominent  in  national  affairs,  men  of  various  walks  and 
professions,  of  creeds  and  convictions,  who  succeeded  in  stamping  the  in- 
delible impress  of  their  personalities  upon  their  generation.  One  of  these 
was  Ryland  T.  Brown,  who  made  his  mark  in  the  ministry,  in  the  realm  of 
medicine  and  in  the  field  of  chemistry,  attaining  such  proficiency  and  eminence 
m  the  latter  that  he  was  raised  to  the  exalted  position  of  chief  chemist  of  the 


906  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA 

Agricultural  Department  at  Washington,  under  President  Garfield.  He  was 
a  man  of  sterling  attributes  of  head  and  heart,  a  profound  scholar  and  un- 
swerving patriot,  and  a  man  who  eminently  deserved  his  large  success  and 
honor,  and  biographical  memoir  of  such  a  worthy  character  must  needs 
enhance  very  greatly  the  value  of  a  work  of  the  province  assigned  to  the  one 
in  hand.  He  was  well  known  to  many  of  the  readers  of  the  same,  and  was 
the  father  of  Capt.  George  R.  Brown,  one  of  Crawfordsville's  leading  citizens. 

Mr;  Brown  was  born  October  5,  1807.  in  Lewis  county,  Kentucky.  His 
ancestors,  on  both  sides  of  the  house,  were  originally  from  Wales.  His  par- 
ents were  exemplary  members  of  the  Baptist  church,  his  father  being  noted 
as  a  leader  in  the  singing  exercises  of  the  congregation.  Both  the  families 
from  which  he  was  descended  were  remarkable  for  their  longevity.  In  the 
spring  of  1809  his  father  removed  to  Ohio,  and  settled  near  New  Richmond, 
in  Clermont  county,  when  that  country  was  a  wilderness.  But  there  our  sub- 
ject enjoyed  good  educational  advantages  for  those  days.  He  was  not  a 
robust  lad  and  his  parents  shielded  him  from  the  hard  work  of  the  farm,  and 
did  all  in  their  power  to  gi^'e  him  a  good  education,  and  he  made  rapid  prog- 
ress. His  teacher  was  not  only  an  able  Yankee  scholar,  but  a  zealous  Bap- 
tist, who  did  not  neglect  the  moral  and  religious  training  of  those  under  his 
charge,  and  his  lessons  sank  deep  into  the  heart  and  mind  of  young  Brown; 
and  this  together  with  the  counsel  and  example  of  his  pious  parents,  de- 
termined the  direction  of  the  whole  current  of  his  subsequent  life. 

Early  in  1821  his  father  removed  to  Indiana  and  settled  in  what  is  now 
the  southeastern  part  of  Rush  county.  But  three  years  before,  that  country 
was  ceded  to  the  United  States  by  the  Delaware  Indians  and  it  was  only  in  a 
few  places  that  the  trees  had  been  removed  from  what  had  been  their  hunting 
grounds.  Here  the  delicate  young  student  was  transferred  from  the  con- 
finement and  exhaustive  toil  of  the  school  room  to  the  invigorating  labors, 
hardships,  and  privations  of  a  backwoods  life.  For  the  first  few  years  after 
removing  to  Indiana,  he  was  employed  much  of  the  time  as  guide  to  land- 
hunters.  In  this  employment  he  not  only  became  an  expert  woodsman  and 
a  second  Nimrod,  or  "mighty  hunter,"  but  here  also  he  began  to  form  the 
active  habits,  and  to  acquire  the  fondness  for  out-door  pursuits,  for  which  he 
was  distinguished  through  subsequent  life.  The  change  of  occupation  also 
contributed  greatly  to  his  physical  development.  In  the  spring  of  1822, 
being  then  in  his  fifteenth  year,  he  made  a  profession  of  faith  in  Christ,  was 
immersed  and  united  with  a  Baptist  congregation,  known  as  the  "Cliffy 
church."     He  had  no  further  oportunity  of  attending  school,  but  devoured 


MONTCOMKRV    COrNTY,    INDIANA,  <)OJ 

all  the  hooks  he  could  hnii.  He  was  of  that  type  wliich  did  w<{  need  to  he 
taught;  all  he  asked  was  the  means  ot'  learniiiL;.  in  the  tall  n\  1S23  his 
father  died.  It  was  this  sad  e\ent  that  directed  the  mind  i>f  the  son  to  the 
study  of  diseases  and  remedies,  and  determined  his  ])rofession  for  life.  In 
1826  he  became  a  Reformer,  though  fdrmerly  a  loyal  liaijtisl.  I'ur  ii\er  three 
years  he  devoted  his  attention  exclusively  to  the  study  of  medicine.  His 
knowledge  of  this  suhject,  as  well  as  others,  was  principally  acipiired  without 
a  master;  and  but  few  men  who  ha\e  attained  to  equal  eminence  in  the  pro- 
fession have  c|ualified  themsehes  under  greater  difficulties.  Out  of  the 
bones  of  an  Indian  exhumed  near  his  father's  farm  he  constructed  an  im- 
perfect skeleton,  to  aid  him  in  the  study  of  anatomy  and  physiology.  Dur- 
ing the  latter  twenties  he  attended  the  Ohio  Medical  College  at  Cincinnati, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  the  spring  of  1829.  Returning  to  Rush 
county  in  search  of  a  location  for  the  practice  of  his  profession  he  found  a 
stir  among  the  churches,  in  which  he  took  a  prominent  part,  and  he  was 
selected  as  the  first  victim  in  the  state  to  he  sacrificed  on  the  altar  of  sectarian 
bigotry.  He  was  arraigned  on  the  \ery  general  charge  of  "being  a  Campbell- 
ite,"  and.  as  such,  was  excluded  from  the  church.  In  May.  1830  he  joined 
the  church  then  organized  at  Little  I'dal  Rock,  known  as  the  Church  of 
Christ,  which  was  destined  to  become  in  a  few  years  and  remain  for  many 
years  one  of  the  largest  and  most  influential  in  the  state,  and  in  it  Dr.  Brown 
did  a  great  work. 

Having  in  1829  married  Mary  Reeder.  he.  in  the  summer  of  1S32. 
located  at  Connersville,  Fayette  county,  there  to  establish  himself  in  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine.  Here  he  had  to  cotnpete  with  old  and  experienced  ])hy- 
sicians  under  many  disadvantages,  not  the  least  of  wiiich  was  his  religion. 
The  Reformation  of  the  nineteenth  century  was  then  and  there  known  only 
in  caricatures  of  a  prejudiced  puljiit.  and  to  he  simply  a  disci])le  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  without  being  identified  with  any  orthodox  sect,  was  looked  upon 
as  evidence  of  great  ignorance  or  imi)iety.  and  was  therefore  a  great  re- 
proach. But  Dr.  Brown  was  not  the  man  to  deny  the  faith  for  the  sake  of 
popularity  or  financial  success.  Both  publicly  and  privately  he  proclaimed 
"all  the  words  of  this  life,"  without  regard  to  his  own  reputation  or  pecuni- 
arv  interests.  By  close  attention  to  business,  and  a  manly  advocacy  of  the 
truth,  he  was  soon  well  respected  in  both  his  professions.  The  people 
favored  him  with  a  liberal  patronage  and.  what  was  far  more  gratifying  to 
him,  thev  gladly  received  the  word  and  were  ba])tized.  .SlnU  out  of  the 
orthodox  churches  he  made  a  sanctuarv  of  the  court-house,  in  which  he  soon 


908  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

held  a  revival  meeting.  In  January,  1833,  the  Church  of  Christ  was  organ- 
ized in  Connersville,  by  Dr.  Brown,  assisted  by  Elder  O'Kane.  From  this 
time  until  the  year  1842,  he  preached  extensively  through  the  White  Water 
country:  and  his  name  is  identified  with  the  early  history  of  many  churches 
in  that  region.  By  these  labors  and  his  arduous  duties  as  a  physician,  his 
health  was  so  impaired  that  he  abandoned  the  practice  of  medicine,  but  con- 
tinued his  work  in  the  church.  At  the  state  meeting  held  at  Connersville, 
in  June,  1842,  he  was  one  of  four  who  were  appointed  to  labor  throughout 
the  state  in  behalf  of  this  church,  but  he  was  later  forced  to  resign  on  account 
of  failing  health.  In  the  spring  of  1844  he  located  at  Crawfordsville,  Mont- 
gomery county,  and  resumed  the  practice  of  medicine  in  connection  with 
preaching.  For  years  past  he  had  devoted  his  leisure  hours  to  the  improve- 
ment of  his  education — especially  to  the  study  of  natural  science;  and  his 
residence  in  Crawfordsville  he  made  equivalent  to  a  regular  course  in  college. 
Wabash  College  being  located  at  that  place,  he  was  admitted  to  a  free  use 
of  its  library,  which  was  extensive,  for  those  days,  and  also  its  philosophical 
apparatus.  This  golden  opportunity  he  improved  so  well  that  in  1850,  he 
received  from  that  institution  the  honorary  degree  of  Master  of  Arts,  and 
it  was  justly  merited. 

In  1854  he  acted  as  state  geologist,  by  the  appointment  of  Governor 
Wright,  who  differed  in  politics,  and  was  therefore  not  iilfluenced  in  the 
selection,  hv  partisan  considerations.  In  this  capacity  Dr.  Brown  traversed 
almost  every  nook  and  corner  of  the  state,  finding, 

"Books  in  the  running  brooks. 

Sermons  in  stones,  and  good  in  everything." 

In  1858  he  was  elected  to  the  chair  of  natural  science  in  the  Northwest- 
ern Christian  University,  now  Butler  College,  at  Indianapolis,  to  which  place 
he  removed  in  August  of  that  year.  There  he  continued  to  reside,  dis- 
tinguished as  an  instructor,  and  indefatigable  as  a  preacher.  Later  he  be- 
came chemist  in  the  Indiana  Medical  College  at  that  city.  Although  ad- 
vanced in  age,  his  work  as  a  chemist  was  so  superior  to  that  of  his  contem- 
poraries that  he  was  selected  as  chief  chemist  of  the  Agricultural  Depart- 
ment at  Washington,  D.  C,  under  President  James  A.  Garfield,  in  1881, 
which  responsible  position  he  held  in  an  eminently  creditable  and  acceptable 
manner. 

After  his  retirement  frgm  the  active  duties  of  life  he  lived  quietly  in 
his  home  in  the  capital  of  the  Hoosier  state,  enjoying  his  books  and  individual 


AlOXTC.OMERV    COIXTV,    INOIAN'A.  gOQ 

research  work,  until  four  or  Ihe  years  later  when  he  was  summoned  to  his 
eternal  rest  in  Alay,  1890.  full  nf  honors  anil  of  years,  like  a  sheaf  fully 
ripened.  He  had  done  a  nohle  work  and  his  career  was  an  enviahle  one, 
frjaught  with  great  good  to  humanity.  In  all  his  lahors,  whether  as  physician, 
geologist,  or  professor,  he  almost  in\arial)l\-  devoted  the  first  day  of  the  week 
to  the  ministr)'  of  the  word.  Having  thus  performed  double  duty,  he  was 
counted  worthy  of  double  honor.  He  was  also  among  the  first,  and  was 
ever  among  the  most  zealous,  advocates  of  the  Temperance  Reform,  not  only 
in  Indiana,  but  in  other  states  of  the  Union.  He  traveled  extensively  as  a 
public  lecturer  on  that  subject,  and  ior  years  he  stood  at  the  head  of  the 
temperance  organization  in  his  state.  He  preached  the  whole  of  the  apostle's 
doctrine — "roughteousness,  temperance  and  judgment  to  come." 

Though  he  was  never  a  candidate  for  office  he  took  an  active  part  in 
politics.  True  to  his  convictions  of  riglit  and  duty  he  acted  with  the  Free 
Soil  party  in  the  latter  forties  when  it  seemed  to  lie  a  hopeless  minority.  He 
was  stigmatized  as  an  abolitionist  even  before  that  term  assumed  an  applica- 
tion so  general  as  to  include  almost  every  good  and  loyal  citizen.  Although 
he  was  firmly  opposed  to  slavery  he  denied  the  right  of  the  general  govern- 
ment to  abolish  it  in  the  states.  For  many  years  he  exerted  no  inconsiderable 
influence  through  the  medium  of  the  press,  many  learned  and  entertaining 
articles  appearing  in  the  various  journals  of  his  day,  on  religious,  educa- 
tional, agricultural,  medical  and  political  sul)jects,  all  being  very  ably  and 
skillfully  handled,  in  all  of  these  movements  being  somewhat  ahead  of  his 
times.  It  is  not  extraxagant  to  say  that  had  he  been  properly  educated  and 
introduced  to  nature  in  early  life,  he  might  hax'e  riwiled  .\gassiz  or  lluniholt 
in  the  number  and  value  of  his  scientific  achievements.  He  was  familiar 
with  all  branches  of  learning,  and  while  his  knowledge  of  books  was  profound 
and  general  it  was  said  of  him  that  he  knew  more  of  nature  than  of  books. 
He  was  fully  abreast  of  the  times  in  political  and  other  current  questions. 
Nothing  was  so  minute  as  to  escape  his  attention.  As  a  speaker  he  ranked 
above  mediocrity,  having  a  pleasant  voice  of  great  compass,  which  he  em- 
ployed in  elocjuence  and  earnestness.  In  society  and  in  public,  in  the  sick 
room  and  at  home,  he  was,  like  Brutus,  "a  ])lain.  bhmt  man,"  yet  he  was  kind 
and  hospitable,  and  sufficiently  affable.  Fie  possessed  an  indomitalile  will, 
and  was  noted  for  great  decision  of  character.  He  was  of  that  class  of 
men  who  sufifer — not  only  reproach,  but  martyrdom,  if  need  be.  for  their 
religion  or  cherished  principles.  He  was  a  man  of  remarkable  active  habits. 
And  he  found  time  to  work  his  garden  and  tend  his  plants  e\ery  year,  delight- 


giO  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

ing  in  out-door  labor.  He  was  often  known  to  walk  ten  miles  to  preach  or 
perform  some  needed  service.  He  receixed  much  attention  everywhere  from 
the  press  and  the  peojile.  A  \'ery  eulogistic  biography  of  him  appears  in  a 
popular  book  of  a  half  century  ago,  "Pioneer  Preachers  of  Indiana,"  by 
Madison  Evans,  published  in  Philadelphia  in  1862.  He  was  described 
at  that  time,  "The  burden  of  his  years  is  light  upon  him;  and  his  present  con- 
dition and  appearance,  the  poet  Cowper  has  well  described  in  the  following 
lines : 

"A  sparkling  eye  beneath  a  wrinkled  front 

The  vet'ran  shows,  and,  gracing  a  gray  beard 

With  youthful  smiles,  descends  toward  the  grave 

Sprightly,  and  old  almost  without  decay." 


WALTER  F.   HULET. 

A  man  of  tireless  energy  and  indomitable  courage  is  Walter  F.  Hulet, 
one  of  the  well  known  business  men  of  Crawfordsville,  Montgomery  county, 
who,  by  the  proper  exercise  of  those  talents  and  qualities  which  have  been 
carefully  cultivated  from  his  boyhood,  has  reached  a  position  in  the  public 
mind  which  insures  him  of  the  good  will  and  respect  due  a  man  of  his  attri- 
butes. His  record  is  pre-eminently  entitled  to  a  careful  study,  not  only  on 
the  part  of  the  student  of  biography,  but  also  of  every  citizen  who,  guided  by 
his  example  would  in  the  present  build  wisely  for  the  future.  In  studying 
a  clean-cut,  sane,  distinct  character  like  that"  of  Mr.  Hulet,  interpretation  fol- 
lows fact  in  a  straight  line  of  derivation.  There  is  small  use  for  indirection 
or  puzzling.     His  character  is  the  positive  expression  of  a  strong  nature. 

Mr.  Hulet  was  born  on  September  2y,  1854,  in  Putnam  county,  Indiana, 
where  he  spent  his  early  childhood,  being  eleven  years  of  age  when  he  re- 
moved with  his  parents  to  Montgomery  county  in  1865.  He  is  a  son  of  John 
and  Louisa  (Johnston)  Hulet.  The  father  was  born  on  April  12,  1815,  at 
Maysville,  Kentucky,  from  which  place  he  moved  to  Putnam  county,  Indiana, 
when  a  boy.  His  death  occurred  in  1911.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was 
born  in  1820  in  North  Carolina,  and  her  death  occurred  on  December  31, 
1879.  She  was  a  strong  character,  was  highly  respected,  and  was  an  in- 
fluential worker  in  the  Baptist  church. 

John  Hulet  did  the  work  of  a  man  when  he  was  growing  up,  and  he 
assisted  in  clearing  land  in  Putnam  county  when  a  mere  bov.     In  earlv  life 


montgome:kv  (.ointv,   Indiana.  (;i  i 

he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  which  he  followed  in  conncctinn  with  ijcncra! 
farming  and  stock  huying  and  shipping  the  rest  of  iiis  life.  I  lis  fainilv  con- 
sisted of  eight  ciiildren,  four  of  whom  grew  to  maturity  and  two  nf  tlicni  are 
still  living;  they  were  named  Saraii,  Henry  L'.,  James  j.,  all  dercascil ;  William 
L.  is  living;  Walter  F.,  subject  of  this  sketch;  .\nna,  Mary  and  I'lank.  all 
deceased. 

Walter  F.  Hulet  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  there  he  did  his 
share  of  the  work  during  the  summer  months  and  he  receix'ed  a  common 
school  education,  which  was  greatly  supplemented  by  the  teaching  received 
from  his  mother. 

Mr.  Hulet  has  been  twice  married,  first,  in  .\ugust.  187S.  to  Marv  Craig, 
who  was  a  native  of  this  county.  Her  death  occurred  in  i8(jo.  To  this 
union  one  child  was  born,  Jennie  b'ay,  born  in   iSSj.  died  the  same  year. 

On  October  15,  1896,  Mr.  Hulet  was  married  to  Aland  Cowan,  who  was 
born  in  Montgomery  county  on  October  9.  1864.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John- 
athan  H.  and  Mary  M.  (Jones)  Cowan,  her  mother  later  marrying  Marion 
P.  W'olfe.  Her  father  was  born  in  April  26,  1829  and  was  one  of  the  Union 
sympathizers  who  started  for  the  front  during  the  Civil  war,  but  died  on  his 
way  to  the  Southland,  on  .\pril  15.  1864.  His  widow,  born  in  1840  is  .still 
li\-ing,  making  her  hume  with  (lur  subject.  Mrs.  Hulet  received  a  high  school 
education. 

To  this  second  union  one  child  was  born,  Helen,  the  date  of  whose  birtii 
was  August  7,   icjoo.     She  is  now   attending  .school. 

Walter  F.  Hulet  farmed  until  he  was  twenty-five  years  old  in  iVanklin 
township,  this  county,  assisting  in  the  operation  of  the  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  in  the  old  home  place.  Leaving  the  farm  he  went  to  California, 
locating  at  San  Jose  where  he  remained  three  years,  then  returned  to  his 
native  county  and  located  in  Crawfordsville  where  he  worked  as  dejjuty 
county  auditor  for  a  period  of  seven  years,  giving  a  high  degree  of  satisfac- 
tion to  all  concerned.  Later  he  organized  the  Crawfordsville  Investment 
Bank,  a  private  institution  which  he  made  a  success,  and  he  also  organized 
the  Hoosier  State  Building  Association  of  which  he  became  secretarv.  I'or 
a  period  of  six  years  he  was  secretary  of  the  Montgomery  Countv  .\gricui- 
tural  Association.  He  was  secretary  of  the  Commercial  Club  Association. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  building  committee  which  had  charge  of  the  con- 
struction of  the  Masonic  Temple  in  1901,  and  at  that  time  he  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  local  school  board.  He  gave  eminent  satisfaction  in  these  positions 
of  trust,  and  he  has  been  very  prominent  in  public  affairs. 


912  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

In  1904,  Mr.  Hulet  was  made  secretary  of  the  Crawfordsville  Trust 
Company,  which  position  he  is  holding  at  this  writing,  discharging  the  duties 
of  the  same  in  a  manner  to  reflect  much  credit  upon  himself  as  a  man  of 
business.  He  has  been  very  successful  in  a  financial  way  and  is  one  of  the 
substantial  men  of  his  city  and  county.  He  owns  a  beautiful  and  modernly 
appointed  home  in  Crawfordsville,  and  he  has  a  finely  improved  and  pro- 
ductive farm  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-four  acres,  all  tillable,  well  tiled, 
well  fenced  and  on  it  stands  an  excellent  dwelling  and  many  convenient  out- 
buildings. This  place  lies  in  Sugar  Creek  township  and  is  kept  rented.  Mr. 
Hulet  also  owns  a  few  business  blocks  in  Crawfordsville. 

Politically,  Mr.  Hulet  is  a  Democrat,  and  while  he  is  influential  in  local 
public  afifairs  he  is  not  a  seeker  after  political  honors.  Fraternally,  he  has 
attained  the  thirty-second  degree  of  Masonry  at  Indianapolis.  He  holds 
membership  with  the  Center  Presbyterian  church  at  Crawfordsville. 


JOHN  REMLEY. 


The  earl)'  pioneers  of  Montgomery  county,  ha\-ing  blazed  the  path  of 
civilization  to  this  part  of  the  state,  finished  their  labors  and  passed  from  the 
scene,  leaving  the  country  inj  possession  of  their  descendants  and  to  others  who 
came  at  a  later  period  and  builded  on  the  foundation  which  they  laid  so  broad 
and  deep.  Among  the  former  class  was  the  well  remembered  farmer  and  in- 
fluential citizen  by  whose  name  this  biographical  memoir  is  introduced,  his 
arrival  being  among  the  earliest.  His  career  here  was  in  the  first  formative 
period,  and  he  did  much  to  develop  and  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. 
Ulseless  to  say  that  John  Remley  worked  hard  and  honorably  earned  the 
reputation  which  he  enjoyed  as  one  of  the  leading  farmers  and  extensi\e  land 
owners,  and  it  is  also  needless  to  add  that  he  was  held  in  the  highest  esteem 
by  all  who  knew  him,  for  he  threw  the  force  of  his  strong  individuality  and 
sterling  integrity  into  making  the  county  what  it  is  and  his  efforts  did  not  fail 
of  appreciation  on  the  part  of  the  local  public.  His  name  will  ever  be  in- 
separably linked  with  that  of  the  community  so  long  honored  by  his  citizenship, 
whose  interests  could  have  had  no  more  zealous  and  indefatigable  promoter, 
and  his  influence  was  ever  exerted  to  the  end  that  the  world  might  be  made 
better  by  his  presence. 


MOXTCOMERV    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  9I3 

John  Reinley  was  born  May  21,  1800,  in  Lebanon,  Ohio.  He  was  twelve 
years  old  when  his  father  died.  When  fifteen  years  old  be  Ijegan  learning 
the  tanner's  trade,  in  Delaware,  Ohio,  paying  for  the  same  with  a  purse  which 
he  foiiin!,  containing  fifty  dollars.  This  old  purse  is  now  in  ix)ssession  of  bis 
son,  Ambrose  Keinley,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  wf)rk,  and 
is  highly  prized  by  him.  John  Remley  spent  five  years  learning  his  trade  at 
the  end  of  which  time  he  worked  out  by  the  month  until  the  spring  of  1824, 
when  he  set  out  011  foot  to  western  Indiana,  where  be  had  dctcrniiiUMl  to  make 
his  future  home.  He  passed  through  a  uunil)er  (if  cnuntics  willmut  iK'ing 
nnicii  impressed,  until  he  reached  Montgomery  county,  whicli  he  liked  so  well 
that  be  purchased  eighty  acres  west  of  Craw  fonlsville,  which  land  lie  selected 
on  account  of  the  springs  on  it,  and  with  a  view  of  establishing  a  tannery  upon 
it  some  time  in  the  future.  After  planting  three  acres  of  corn  he  returned 
to  Ohio,  performing  the  journe\-  on  foot  as  iK-fore.  The  cane  used  in  making 
this  long  walk  is  also  in  possession  of  bis  sun,  .\mbrose.  and  on  it  is  car\e(l  tlie 
date  of  the  journey. 

Mr.  Remley  resumed  working  In-  the  month  after  his  return  to  ( )hio.  and 
on  March  3,  1825,  he  married  Sarah  McCain,  near  Lebanon,  ()lii(i.  Her 
father,  James  McCain,  was  a  native  of  Xew  jersey,  who  had  removed  to  ( )hio 
and  died  there  in  1824.  Her  mother  was  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  was  known 
in  her  maidenhood  as  Ann  Dill.  She  survived  until  1X45.  The  McCains 
were  the  parents  of  eleven  children. 

After  their  marriage  John  Remley  and  wife  returned  to  Montgomery 
county,  Indiana,  to  make  their  future  home;  however,  each  came  by  a  differ- 
ent way.  ^Irs.  Remley  was  accompanied  by  her  uncle,  William  McCain,  and 
two  cousins,  this  party  making  the  journey  on  horseback  in  eight  days.  Mr. 
Remley  shipped  their  goods  on  a  flat  boat  on  the  Miami  river  at  Hamilton, 
Ohio,  to  Terre  Haute,  this  state,  walked  to  the  last  named  city  himself  and 
there  engaged  an  o.x  team  to  con\ey  his  possessions  to  bis  homestead,  where 
he  arranged  them  in  a  small  log  cabin,  leu  1)\-  twcKc  feet,  which  bad  been 
erected  by  the  former  owner  of  the  farm.  Mr.  I\enile\-  set  to  work  with  a 
will  and  soon  had  his  place  well  under  way,  with  crops  growing  and  built  a 
more  commodious  residence,  and  establi.shed  a  tan  yard,  in  which  he  did  a 
thriving  business  until  1850.  A  few  years  after  settling  on  his  ])lace  here 
he  built  a  hewed  log  house,  in  1829,  but  it  caught  fire  and  burned  just  as  it  was 
completed.  Nothing  daunted  he  then  began  building  a  brick  house,  a  large 
substantial  one,  which  the  family  occupied  as  soon  as  finished,  and  in  that 
comfortable  home  his  life  was  brought  to  a  close  on  January  2,  1879,  after  a 


914  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

long,  honorable  and  successful  career.  He  had  prospered  from  the  first,  had 
added  to  his  holding  from  time  to  time  until  he  became  the  owner  of  over  two 
thousand  acres  of  valuable  land.  Part  of  this  land  and  the  brick  residence  is 
now  owned  by  his  son  David  Remley.  The  father  was  active  and  influential 
in  public  affairs,  and  politically,  was  a  Whig  until  the  Republican  party  was 
organized  when  he  transferred  his  allegiance  to  that.  He  was  also  acti\e  in 
church  affairs,  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  being  an  elder  in  the 
local  congregations  for  a  period  of  more  than  twenty  years.  He  was  known 
for  his  strict  honesty,  neighborliness  and  hospitality  and  was  well  liked  by  all. 
His  widow  survived  many  years,  attaining  an  advanced  age,  and  passing  away 
on  January  lo,  1890.     They  were  buried  at  Oak  Hill  cemetery. 

Nine  children  were  born  to  John  Remley  and  wife,  eight  of  whom  grew 
to  maturity,  namely :  Elizabeth,  who  remained  on  the  old  home  place ;  James 
C,  who  became  a  farmer  near  Darlington:  John,  who  began  farming  near  the 
Vandalia  station  in  Crawfordsville ;  Ambrose,  mentioned  in  this  work,  is  farm- 
ing near  Crawfordsville;  Daniel,  for  many  years  a  successful  farmer  and  stock 
man  in  this  county,  is  now  living  in  Crawfordsville.  and  a  sketch  of  him  is  to 
be  found  in  another  part  of  this  work :  David  is  still  living  on  the  old  home- 
stead, as  mentioned  above:  Ruhama  W'.,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  years. 


BYRON  RANDOLPH  RUSSELL. 

The  name  of  B\ron  Randolph  Russell  needs  no  introduction  to  the  people 
of  Montgomery  county,  for  he  has  long  laeen  one  of  the  most  familiar  figures 
on  the  streets  of  Crawfordsville,  where  he  is  known  as  a  man  of  business 
ability,  public-spirit  and  honorable  character,  hence  has  always  had  the 
friendship  of  all  who  know  him,  and,  during  his  long  life  here  he  lias  been 
of  much  assistance  in  the  general  development  of  the  community. 

Mr.  Russell  was  born  in  White  county,  Indiana,  July  11,  1848,  and  he 
is  a  son  of  Arthur  and  Lydia  (Waymire)  Russell.  The  father  was  a  manu- 
facturer in  Monticello  and  had  an  interest  in  the  woolen  mills  at  Younts- 
ville  which  he  purchased  in  1857.  His  wife  died  in  1852  and  he  later  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Rhoda  Gilkey,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Dan  Yount,  the  founder  of 
Yountsville.  The  death  of  Arthur  Russell  occurred  on  January  i,  1858, 
and  our  subject  made  his  home  with  his  step-grandfather  until  he  was  fifteen 
years  of  age.  On  July  11,  1863,  when  but  a  mere  boy,  he  showed  his  cour- 
age by  enlisting  for  service  in  the  Uiiion  army,  as  a  private  in  Company  G, 


MONTCO.M  EUV    COl'XTV, 


Sixty-third  Indiana  \"okintcer  Infantry.  A  part  of  his  regiment  was  in 
the  army  of  tlie  Potomac  under  General  Porter,  then  in  the  Twenty-third 
Army  Corps  under  General  Schofield,  in  Sherman's  amiy.  He  took  part  in 
the  East  Tennessee  campaign,  fought  at  Atlanta,  Franklin,  Nashville,  and 
other  important  engagements,  including  that  at  Fort  Fisher,  North  Carolina. 
He  was  then  transferred  to  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-Eighth  Indiana 
Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was  for  some  time  in  the  hospital  at  Greensljoro, 
North  Carolina,  with  the  typhoid  fever.  At  the  time  of  his  honorable  dis- 
charge on  June  22.  1S65,  he  was  orderl)-  to  the  (]i\isi(_)n  surggon.  .\ccord- 
ing  to  his  comrades  he  was  a  most  efficient  and  fearless  soldier  and  his  rec- 
ord as  such  is  a  most  commendable  one. 

After  returning  home  he  took  a  course  in  \\'abash  College,  then  studied 
law  under  the  distinguished  Lew  Wallace,  later  taking  a  law  course  in  the 
University  of  Michigan,  where  he  made  a  splendid  record  and  from  which 
institution  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  iSjj.  He  returned  to  Craw- 
fordsville  and  became  a  partner  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  with  the  late 
Judge  E.  C.  Snyder,  which  partnership  lasted  a  year  and  a  half,  then  prac- 
ticed alone  for  a  period  of  eight  years.  He  lias  always  enjoyed  a  lucrative 
practice  and  is  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  successful  attorneys  in  the 
county. 

Ha\-ing  e\er  manifested  an  aljiding  interest  in  public  affairs.  Mr.  Rus- 
sell was  elected  on  the  Repuljlican  ticket  as  justice  of  the  peace,  and  in  1896 
was  elected  mayor  of  Crawfordsville,  serving  two  terms  in  a  manner  that 
reflected  much  credit  upon  himself  and  to  the  eminent  satisfaction  of  all 
concerned.  During  that  period  he  did  much  for  the  permanent  good  of  the 
place.  It  was  during  his  administration  that  the  city  water  works  were  com- 
pleted, he  having  been  very  active  in  this  work:  also  the  fir.st  fire  dei)artment 
system  was  perfected.  Thus  ha\ing  been  for  many  years  \ery  active  in  all 
that  affects  the  welfare  of  his  cit}"  he  is  deserxing  of  much  credit.  He  was 
secretaiy  of  the  first  building  association  formed  in  Crawfords\ille  and 
through  it  the  present  opera  house  was  built. 

Mr.  Russell  is  now  in  ])artnership  with  Gaxiord  McCleur.  as  attorneys, 
real  estate  dealers,  abstractors,  etc..  and  tliey  enjoy  an  extensive  and  rapidly 
growing  business. 

Mr.  Russell  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  I'ytbias,  lielongs  to  McPher- 
son  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  having  held  all  the  offices  in  the  same. 
He  has  long  been  verv'  active  in  the  ranks  of  the  Republican  party.  Per- 
sonally, he  is  popular,  being  a  good  mixer  and  genial  in  his  nature. 


9l6  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

On  October  i,  1874.  Mr.  Russell  was  married  to  Sylvia  E.  O'Neal, 
a  daughter  of  Abijah  and  Hellen  O'Neal,  a  well  known  family  of  Younts- 
ville,  Indiana,  having  been  early  settlers  there.  The  death  of  Mrs.  Russell 
occurred  in  June,  1905. 


CHARLES  V.   HODGKIN. 

It  is  a  well  authenticated  fact  that  success  comes  not  as  the  caprice  of 
chance,  but  as  the  legitimate  result  of  well  applied  energy  and  unflagging 
determination  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.  Charles  Van  Dake  Hodgkin,  the 
present  trustee  of  Union  township,  Crawfordsville,  and  for  years  a  success- 
ful business  man  of  Montgomery  county,  early  understood  that  success  comes 
only  to  those  who  work  diligently  and  honorably,  so  he  did  not  seek  any  royal 
road  to  success,  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  legitimate  line  to  follow,  and  in 
tracing  his  life  history  it  is  plainly  seen  that  the  prosperity  which  he  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 
Montgomery  county,  in  which  he  has  spent  his  active  life  and  is  well  known. 

Mr.  Hodgkin  was  born  in  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana,  on  July  25,  1848.  He 
is  a  son  of  Edward  C.  and  Diana  (Scott)  Hodgkin,  an  excellent  old  family, 
a  complete  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  hence  will  not 
be  necessary  to  repeat  same  here. 

Charles  V.  D.  Hodgkin,  recei\'ed  a  fairly  good  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  in  Russellville  College,  in  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  and  when 
nineteen  years  of  age  he  started  to  learn  carpentering,  and  a  year  later  took 
up  railroad  carpentering  which  he  continued  one  year.  For  the  next  four- 
teen years  he  was  contractor  and  builder  at  Russellville,  and  did  a  large 
business,  many  of  the  best  buildings  in  the  vicinity  of  that  place  standing  as 
monuments  to  his  skill  and  honesty  as  a  builder.  He  then  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  the  grain  business  which  he  followed  with  equal  success  for  a  period 
of  thirteen  years,  during  which  period  he  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  lead- 
ing men  in  this  field  of  endeavor  in  western  Indiana.  During  that  time  he 
was  elected   trustee   of   Russell   township,   Putnam   county,   and   served   five 


MOXTHO.MKKV    COl-NTY.    INDIANA.  9I7 

years,  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  concerned.  He  came  to  Craw  fonlsville  in 
1898,  and  continued  the  grain  business  in  partnership  with  W.  M.  Darter, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Darter  &  Hodgkin.  He  sold  out  a  year  later,  and 
engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  loan  business  here  for  three  years,  enjoying 
a  good  business.  He  then  went  to  Indianapolis  where  he  remained  eighteen 
months  in  the  grocery  and  meat  business.  He  then  returned  to  Crawfords- 
ville  and  was  elected  township  trustee,  which  office  he  has  since  held,  with 
entire  satisfaction  of  all  concerned,  and  is  looking  after  the  interests  en- 
trusted to  him  most  faithfully. 

Mr.  Hodgkin  is  a  Republican  politically.  He  t>elongs  to  the  Knights 
of  Pythias,  and  he  is  a  memlx^r  of  the  Christian  church. 

He  was  married  in  October.  1886  to  Martha  J.  .\lexander.  a  native  of 
Putnam  county,  and  to  this  union  one  child,  a  son,  was  born,  Edward  F. 
Hodgkin.  who  is  connected  with  his  father  in  business. 


CHARLES  GOHMAN. 

Montgomery  county  has  furnished  comfortable  homes  for  many  of  the 
enterprising  citizens  hailing  from  the  great  German  Empire,  who  have  been 
settling  within  her  borders  since  the  early  pioneer  days  when  the  great 
Wabash  Valley  was  still  the  haunts  of  \arious  tribes  of  Indians,  the  Potto- 
watomies.  Kickapoos.  Weas  and  the  Miamis.  and  this  forested  country  was 
also  the  home  of  all  varieties  of  wild  creatures  common  to  this  latitude. 
We  have  always  welcomed  the  Germans,  and  this  has  been  as  it  should  l>e, 
for  they  have  been  courageous  and  not  afraid  of  hard  work  and  ha\e  been  of 
untold  assistance  to  us  in  clearing  the  heaving  forests  of  beech,  oak.  elm  and 
ash,  and  they,  too,  have  helped  not  only  to  develop  the  wild  land  into  good 
farms,  but  also  to  build  our  substantial  dwellings,  comfortable  barns  and 
imposing  business  and  public  buildings.  Few  of  these  visitors  from  that 
alien  land  had  any  capital  when  they  arrived,  at  least  very  little,  not  enough 
to  be  of  much  consequence:  but  they  didn't  need  much,  for  they  were  strong 
in  body  and  mind  and  did  not  hesitate  at  obstacles,  and  thus  in  the  course 
of  time  they  attained  a  competency  and  a  position  of  influence  in  the  locality 
which  they  selected. 

One  of  the  families  from  the  Fatherland  who  has  played  well  their  part 
in  the  industrial  affairs  of  Montgomery  county  is  the  Gohmans.  a  well  known 


9l8  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

member  of  which  is  Charles  Gohman,  the  popular  liveryman  of  Crawfords- 
ville,  he  being  of  the  second  generation  of  his  family  in  this  country. 

Our  subject  was  born  near  Ladoga,  Montgomery  county,  on  October  19, 
1884.  He  is  a  son  of  Theodore  and  Sarah  B.  (Reep)  Gohman.  The  father 
was  born  in  Germany  in  August,  1852,  and  in  1858,  when  six  years  old,  his 
parents  brought  him  to  the  United  States.  The  family  came  on  west,  locat- 
ing in  Montgomery  county  and  here  the  old  people  spent  the  rest  of  their 
lives,  and  Theodore  grew  to  manhood,  received  some  education  in  the  country 
schools,  and  when  a  young  man  took  up  farming  for  a  livelihood  and  this  he 
followed  with  much  success  all  his  life,  dying  on  February  14,  1910.  His 
widow  is  still  living,  making  her  home  south  of  Crawfordsville. 

Charles  Gohman  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  there  assisted 
with  the  general  work  when  a  boy.  He  received  a  good  common  school  edu- 
cation. He  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father  in  the  matter  of  vocation 
and  continued  farming  with  gratifying  results  until  19 10  when  lie  purchased 
a  livery  and  feed  barn  on  East  Market  street.  Crawfordsville.  and  here  he 
has  remained,  enjoying  a  large  business.  He  keeps  twenty  head  of  good 
horses,  a  splendid  equipment  of  buggies,  harness  and  everything  that  goes 
to  make  up  a  modern  livery  barn,  and  prompt  service  is  his  aim.  He  carries 
a  complete  line  of  feed  and  does  a  large  business  in  the  same. 

Mr.  Gohman  was  married  in  January,  1906,  to  Bertha  Pointer,  a  native 
of  Boone  countv,  where  she  grew  to  womanhood  and  received  her  education. 
She  is  tlie  (laughter  of  Thompson  and  Mary  (Furgeson)  Pointer,  of  Boone 
countv,  her  father  being  a  farmer.  The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gohman  has 
been  without  issue. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Gohman  is  a  member  of  the  Patriotic  Order  Sons  of 
America  and  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur.     Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat. 


DR.  CHARLES  W.  GRANTHAM. 

It  is  as  necessary  to  have  our  horses  and  other  valuable  stock  looked 
after  from  a  standpoint  of  health  as  it  is  to  furnish  them  with  proper  feed 
and  shelter,  for  while  dumb  animals  escape  many  of  the  multiform  ills  which 
beset  humanity  because  they  do  not  break  so  many  laws  as  we.  yet  they, 
through  man's  carelessness,  brutality  and  various  untoward  circumstances, 
become  deranged  in  muscle,  blood  and  bone,  and,  if  not  properly  attended  to, 
must  continue  to  suffer  until  death  comes  to  their  relief.     So  we  must  have 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  9I9 

veterinary  physicians,  and  there  is  a  constantly  increasing  demantl  for  their 
services.  The  old-fashioned  "horse-doctor"  knew  but  little  of  the  anatomy, 
even,  of  the  horse,  and  his  heroic  methods  often  caused  the  animals  more 
suffering  and  did  no  good;  but  during  the  past  decade  or  so  there  has  been 
noted  a  great  advancement  in  the  science  of  veterinary  surgery,  and  there  are 
great  institutions  in  several  of  the  large  cities  where  this  science  is  tauglit,  the 
would-be  practitioner  not  being  permitted  to  try  his  skill  or  lack  of  skill  on 
the  domestic  animal  until  he  is  thoroughly  prepared  and  finished  a  rigid 
course  of  training. 

One  of  the  most  adroit,  up-to-date  and  successful  veterinary  physicians 
of  Montgomery  and  adjoining  counties  is  Charles  W.  Grantham,  of  Craw- 
fordsville,  a  native  of  the  county  and  well  known  throughout  the  same. 

Dr.  Grantham  was  born  at  Ladoga,  this  county,  October  13,  1872.  He 
is  a  son  of  W^esley  and  Caroline  (Miller)  Grantham.  The  father  was  born 
in  North  Carolina  in  1833,  and  when  a  boy  he  made  the  long  overland  jour- 
ney from  the  old  Tar  state  to  Washington  county,  Indiana,  accompanied  by 
his  parents.  There  they  established  their  home  in  that  county  when  it  was 
yet  litle  improved  and  sjiarscly  settled  and  there  they  became  very  comfort- 
ably established  through  hard  work,  and  there  the  parents  spent  the  rest  of 
their  lives.  There  Wesley  Gantham  grew  to  manhood  and  remained  there 
until  the  latter  fifties  when  he  removed  to  Montgomery  county  and  settled 
on  a  farm,  which  he  developed  to  a  state  of  productiveness  that  e(|uale(l  any 
in  his  locality  and  there  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  remaining  on  the  sanie 
farm  for  nearly  a  half  century,  his  death  occurring  here  in  1903.  He  was  a 
man  of  honorable  impulses  and  was  well  known  and  liked  by  everybody. 

i\Irs.  Grantham  was  a  daughter  of  James  and  Nancy  (Lee)  ^Miller, 
natives  of  Kentucky,  fnjm  which  state  they  came  in  an  early  day  and  settled 
in  Walnut  township,  this  county.  The  death  of  Mrs.  Wesley  Grantham  oc- 
curred in  1892. 

Charles  W.  Grantham  grew  to  manhood  at  Ladoga  and  there  received  a 
good  education  in  the  common  schools  and  in  the  Normal,  graduating  from 
the  latter  in  1890.  He  then  entered  the  Ontario  \^eterinary  College  at 
Toronto,  Canada,  where  he  made  a  splendid  record  and  from  which  institu- 
tion he  was  graduated  in  1904. 

Thus  well  prepared  for  his  chosen  life  work.  Dr.  Grantham  at  once 
came  to  Crawfordsville,  Indiana,  and  opened  an  oiTice  and  has  since  been 
successfullv  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  MontgoiTier\-  county, 
building  up  a  large  and  constantly  growing  patronage  and  he  has  met  with 
great  success  all  along  the  line. 


920  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  and  fraternally  belongs  to  the  Knights 
of  Pythias. 

Dr.  Grantham  was  married  on  February  12.  1907  to  Sallie  Fullen,  who 
was  born,  reared,  and  educated  at  Ladoga,  where  her  people  have  long  been 
well  known  and  highly  respected. 

To  the  union  of  our  subject  and  wife  one  child,  a  daughter,  has  been 
born,  bearing  the  good  old  name  of  Caroline. 


SQUIRE  RUSK. 


The  name  of  Squire  Rusk  is  a  familiar  sound  to  the  people  of  the  western 
part  of  Montgomery  county,  for  there  he  has  long  been  a  resident  and  has 
become  known  as  one  of  our  most  skilful  general  farmers,  being  of  the  older 
type  of  tillers  of  the  soil,  rather  than  a  representative  of  the  new  school.  He 
has  been  a  very  careful  obser\-er  and  is  a  man  of  much  practical  and  natural 
ability,  and  everyone  knows  that  practical  experience  counts  for  more  than 
what  one  may  learn  from  books ;  this  is  true  in  any  line,  and  is  perhaps  as 
strikingly  exemplified  in  agriculture  as  in  anything,  if  not  more  so,  conse- 
quently the  man  who,  like  Mr.  Rusk,  has  experimented  and  observed  the  re- 
sults all  his  life,  is  bound  to  have  mastered  a  great  deal  in  the- science  or  field 
of  endeavor  which  claims  his  attention. 

Squire  Rusk  was  born  in  Wayne  township,  Montgomery  county,  Indi- 
ana, July  2,  1834.  consequently  he  may  be  said  to  be  a  link  between  the 
pioneer  epoch  and  the  present,  for  he  grew  up  amid  primitive  conditions,  and 
helped  his  father  clear  and  develop  the  home  farm  from  its  wild  state,  and 
here  he  has  continued  to  reside,  not  caring  to  change  the  advantages  of  his 
home  community  for  those  of  any  other,  being  able  to  foresee  in  his  youth  a 
great  future  for  this  section  of  Montgomery  county.  He  has  lived  to  see  great 
changes  take  place  in  his  vicinity  and  he  has  taken  no  small  part  in  this 
transformation. 

Mr.  Rusk  is  a  son  of  David  and  Martha  (Ball)  Rusk,  the  father  having 
been  a  native  of  Ohio  where  he  spent  his  earlier  years,  coming  to  Wayne 
township,  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  with  his  parents  in  a  very  early  day, 
the  family  settling  in  the  wilderness.  This  entire  locality  was  then  the  home  of 
only  a  few  white  people  who  had  braved  the  wilds  of  the  frontier,  and  the 
Rusks  founded  the  future  home  of  the  family  in  the  woods,  far  remote  from 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  92 1 

any  center  of  civilization.  Tiiey  wurkeil  lianl  and  endured  llie  hard.ships 
incident  to  such  environment. 

The  father  of  our  sul)ject  followed  farniiny  all  iii.s  life.  He  was  more 
or  less  active  in  the  affairs  of  his  community,  and  he  served  as  trustee  of 
Wayne  township  for  some  time.  His  family  consisted  of  six  children,  three 
of  whom  are  still  living,  making  their  homes  in  Montgomery  county. 

Squire  Rusk  was  married  in  1882  to  Julia  Grenard,  daughter  of  Jesse 
and  Mary  (Sayers)  Grenard.  I'.oth  tlie  Grenard  and  Sayers  families  were 
early  settlers  in  Montgomer\-  cnunty.  Here  Mrs.  Rusk  grew  to  womanhood 
and,  like  her  husband,  received  such  education  as  the  early  day  district  schools 
afforded. 

One  child  has  l^een  born  to  our  subject  and  wife.  namel\- :  lulitli.  who 
married  Walter  Run)an,  of  Wayne  townshi]). 

Politically,  Mr.  Rusk  is  a  Democrat  and  has  ])een  unwavering  in  his 
allegiance  to  the  party's  principles.  Religiously,  he  is  a  Baptist.  He  is  not 
active  politicall}'  and  has  held  no  offices,  preferring  to  lead  a  quiet  life. 

Mr.  Rusk  is  the  owner  of  a  tine  farm  of  four  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land,  mostly  in  this  county,  one  eighty  acre  tract  l>eing  in  Fountain  county. 
His  present  modern  and  attractive  home  was  built  by  him.  Xone  of  his 
land  is  worth  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  acre. 


HENRY  HARRISON  CRIST. 

It  is  doubtful  if  an  American  citizen  can  wear  a  greater  badge  of  honor 
than  the  distinction  of  having  served  the  government  in  the  memorable  four 
years  of  war  between  the  states.  It  is  a  sacred  family  inheritance  of  renown, 
to  be  prized  like  a  jewel  by  all  future  descendants,  and  kept  bright  and  un- 
tarnished by  other  acts  of  valor,  patriotism  and  loyalty  in  the  interests  of 
free  government.  Even  in  this  day,  when  there  are  many  of  the  old  soldiers 
living,  no  one  can  see  them  file  by  with  faltering  ste])s  without  feeling  a  glow 
of  pride  and  without  showing  them  studied  deference.  This  is  as  it  should 
be.  One  of  these  is  Henry  Harrison  Crist,  one  of  the  venerable  and  hon- 
ored citizens  of  Crawfordsville,  the  major  portion  of  whose  active  life  has 
been  passed  in  Montgomery  county,  but  he  has  lived  retired  for'  many  years. 
He  is  one  of  the  best  known  figures  on  the  streets  of  the  county  seat  and  is 
held  in  high  esteem  by  a  very  wide  acquaintance. 

Mr.  Crist  was  born  at  Liberty,  Union  county,  Indiana,  September  27, 


(^22  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

1836,  and  he  is  a  son  of  William  B.  and  Margaret  (Lafuse)  Crist.  The 
father  was  born  in  1814  in  Union  county,  Indiana,  and  was  a  son  of  George 
Crist  who  was  an  early  settler  there.  In  1802  the  family  removed  to  Union 
county,  this  state,  settling  in  the  very  center  of  the  county  on  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  and  there  established  a  comfortable  home  through  hard  work. 
In  1828.  William  B.  Crist  and  Margaret  Lafuse  were  married,  and  to  them 
twelve  children  were  born,  four  of  whom  are  living  at  this  writing. 

William  B.  Crist  was  a  man  of  much  influence  in  his  community,  and  his 
advice  was  often  sought  in  various  matters  by  the  pioneers.  He  took  a 
great  interest  in  public  affairs  and  served  very  ably  and  acceptably  as  circuit 
judge  of  Union  county  three  terms,  and  was  supervisor  of  the  poor  and  com- 
missioner of  his  county  for  some  time.  As  a  public  servant  he  won  the  hearty 
commendation  of  all  concerned  and  did  much  for  the  general  good  of  his 
locality.  He  was  an  extensive  contractor  and  builder,  and  employed  on  an 
average  eighteen  men,  and  for  a  period  of  about  ten  years  he  erected  e\'ery 
house  in  his  county.  He  had  charge  of  the  stone  work  on  the  Hamilton  & 
Dayton  railroad  when  it  was  constructed  in  this  state.  The  death  of  this 
prominent  man  occurred  in  1856,  when  comparatively  young  in  years.  Had 
not  his  career  been  cut  short  by  death  he  would  doubtless  have  become  one  of 
the  leading  men  of  the  state.  He  was  active  in  political  affairs,  first  as  a 
Whig  and  later  as  a  Republican.  Something  of  his  public  spirit  and  fine 
character  may  be  gained  from  the  fact  that  he  gave  the  sum  of  two  hundred 
dollars  to  every  church  that  was  built  in  Union  county  during  his  life  time. 
His  widow  sur\-ived  o\-er  a  half  century,  dying  in  1908  at  a  \'ery  ad\'anced 
age. 

Henry  H.  Crist  received  his  education  in  a  private  school,  and  when 
young  in  }-ears  he  entered  business  with  his  father,  as  booker,  first  in  a  hard- 
ware, then  a  grocery  and  later  a  general  store.  He  subsequently  learned 
the  painter's  trade,  at  which  he  became  an  expert  and  which  he  followed  until 
1861,  having  come  to  Crawfordsville  in  1859. 

When  the  Civil  war  broke  out  Mr.  Crist  proved  his  patriotism  by  enlist- 
ing in  1 86 1  in  the  famous  Eleventh  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry, — the 
Zoua\'es. — under  Col.  Lew  W^allace,  who  soon  afterward  became  a  briga- 
dier general.  Our  subject  became  a  noted  scout  and  was  in  charge  of  a 
successful  scouting  party.  He  went  out  at  the  commencement  of  the  war, 
with  the  three  months'  volunteers,  and  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  enlist- 
ment he  re-enlisted,  identifying  himself  with  the  Sixteenth  Indiana  Light 
Artillery,  in  which  he  served  with  much  credit  and  faithfulness  until  the  close 


MONTf.DMKRV    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  <)2,S 

of  the  war,  participating  in  many  memorable  campaigns  and  hard-fougiit 
battles,  and  received  an  honorable  discharge.  He  was  in  Washington,  D.  C. 
at  the  time  of  the  grand  re\iew,  and  he  was  in  l^'ord's  Theater  when  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  was  assassinated  there. 

Returning  to  Crawfordsville  after  the  war.  Mr.  Crist  enttTcd  the  grocery 
business  in  1866  which  he  conducted  with  great  success  until  1872,  when  he 
retired  from  active  lite,  and  has  since  lived  quietly  in  his  pleasant  hmiie  in 
Crawfordsville.  surrounded  by  such  comforts  as  go  to  make  one's  declining 
years  happy. 

Mr.  Crist  was  married  on  November  i,  1866  to  Maggie  E.  Wood,  of 
Crawfordsville,  but  who  was  a  native  of  Union  county,  her  people  being 
well  known  there.  After  a  happy  married  life  of  forty-five  years,  she  was 
called  to  her  rest  on  November  16,  191 1. 

For  some  time  Mr.  Crist  served  in  the  city  council.  Fraternally,  he  is 
a  meml^er  nf  the  Masonic  (^rder.  the  Royal  Arch  Masnns.  Rnxal  and  Select 
Masters  and  the  .\ncient  Free  and  Accejited  Masons,  and  has  long  been 
prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  having  first  joined  this  time-honored  order  in 
i86t.  Politicallv.  he  is  a  Progressive,  and  religiously  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


ALLEN  ELWOOD   EASTLACK. 

Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  was  especially  fortunate  in  the  character 
of  her  pioneers,  who,  save  in  rare  instances,  possessed  the  pluck,  fortitude 
and  genius  of  the  true  Anglo-Saxon,  that  race  which  appears  to  delight  in 
difficulties,  because  thereby  an  opportunity  is  afforded  to  conquer  them,  which 
gives  zest  to  their  efforts,  and  this  trait,  perhaps,  more  than  any  other,  has 
been  responsible  for  the  fact  that  they  have  never  Ijeen  defeated  by  any  other 
race,  and  have  extended  tlieir  civilization  to  all  parts  of  the  globe.  The 
founders  of  Montgomery  county  and  those  who  were  instrumental  in  her 
later  day  development,  active  alike  in  public  and  private  affairs  were  brave, 
strong-amied,  far-seeing.  God-fearing,  law-abiding  citizens,  patriotic  and 
true  to  their  native  land,  and  conscientious  in  the  discharge  of  their  every 
duty  toward  their  fellow  men.  Of  this  worthy  type  of  citizens  was  the  East- 
lack  familv.  of  which  Allen  Elwood  Eastlack,  of  Crawfordsville,  is  one  of 
the  best  known  of  the  present  generation.      His  parents  settled  here   in   the 


924  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

pioneer  period  and  established  the  permanent  home  of  the  family,  the  repu- 
tation of  which  has  ever  been  above  reproach. 

Mr.  Eastlack,  of  this  review,  was  born  in  Crawfordsville  on  June  i8, 
1843,  3^"<i  he  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Catherine  (Haynes)  Eastlack.  The 
father  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  and  there  he  spent  his  boyhood  years,  com- 
ing to  Crawfords\'ille  in  the  early  thirties  when  there  was  but  a  handful  of 
houses  here  and  country  roundabout  was  but  a  dense  forest  in  which  were  a 
few  scattering  log  huts  of  white  settlers.  The  elder  Eastlack  was  a  shoe- 
maker by  trade,  which  he  had  learned  in  the  East  and  he  at  once  began  fol- 
lowing the  same  here,  his  services  being  in  great  demand  owing  to  the  fact 
that  he  was  a  high-grade  workman  and  was  honest  in  his  dealings  with  his 
fellow  men.  He  continued  to  follow  his  trade  practically  until  his  death. 
Politically,  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  in  religious  matters  a  Methodist,  and  was 
known  as  a  hard-working,  neighborly  and  honorable  man.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  1868,  and  that  of  his  wife  in  1867.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  and  Allen  E.,  our  subject,  is  the  only  living  one. 

Allen  E.  Eastlack  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  town  and  here  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education,  and  he  was  merging  from  boyhood  into 
young  manhood  when  the  Civil  war  came  on,  and  on  March  22,  1862,  he 
enlisted  in  Company  H,  Eleventh  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served 
very  faithfully  until  March  22,  1865,  a  period  of  three  years,  during  which 
he  saw  much  hard  service  and  participated  in  a  number  of  engagements. 

After  the  war  he  returned  to  Crawfordsville,  and  has  since  followed  the 
shoemaker's  trade  and  in  which  he  became  an  expert  early  in  life,  so  that  his 
services,  like  those  of  his  father,  has  ever  been  in  great  demand.  He  has 
spent  most  of  his  active  career  in  his  home  town,  however  he  followed  his 
trade  three  years  in  Rushville,  three  years  in  Noblesville  and  several  years 
in  Waveland.  "j 

Mr.  Eastlack  is  a  member  of  McPherson  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public at  Crawfordsville.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  local 
Christian  church,  in  which  he  is  deacon  and  treasurer.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Democrat,  but  has  never  been  an  office  seeker. 

When  he  was  at  home  on  veteran  furlough  in  April,  1864,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Ann  Elizabeth  Johnston,  of  Waveland,  where  she  spent  her 
childhood  and  where  her  family  was  long  well  known. 

Two  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eastlack.  namely :  Foun- 
tain, who  is  living  in  Crawfordsville;  and  Rubertia,  who  is  the  wife  of  Dr. 
H.  McMains,  a  successful  physician  of  Baltimore,  Maryland. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


HARRY  LEE  SCOTT. 


The  secret  of  success  in  the  business  affairs  of  tliis  world  is,  after  all, 
knowing  how  to  direct  the  persistent  energy  which  one  expends  in  whatever 
avenue  of  endeavor  one  may  select.  There  are,  of  course,  other  potent 
reasons,  but  they  are  subordinate,  and  it  takes  continuous,  hard  plodding  to 
overtake  the  coveted  goal  which  one  sees  in  the  distance  upon  starting  out. 
Harry  Lee  Scott,  a  successful  and  popular  commercial  traveler  out  of  Craw- 
fordsville,  Montgomery  county,  where  he  maintains  a  pleasant  home,  has  won 
success  while  yet  young  in  years  because  lie  has  worked  for  it  diligently  and 
conscientiously,  doing  the  right  thing  at  the  right  time  and  never  waiting 
for  some  one  else  to  perform  what  he  himself  should  do. 

Mr.  Scott  was  Ixirn  in  Benton  county.  Indiana,  on  September  lo,  1889, 
and  he  is  a  son  of  William  AL  and  Harriett  C.  (  Bradley)  Scott.  The  father 
was  born  January  29.  1844.  in  Tippecanoe  county,  Indiana,  and  his  death 
occurred  on  July  jo,  1893.  The  mother  was  liom  in  Virginia  on  December 
16,  1847,  a"<^l  her  death  occurred  on  December  17,  1905.  These  ])arents 
received  a  common  school  education.  William  M.  Scott  was  a  druggist  by 
profession  and  he  maintained  a  place  of  business  and  his  home  at  (J.xford, 
Indiana,  where  he  became  well  established  and  favorably  known  and  was 
highly  skilled  at  his  line  of  work. 

Eleven  children  were  born  to  William  M.  Scott  and  wife,  eight  of  whom 
are  still  living,  namely:  John  W.,  born  September  8.  1866:  Sanford  S.,  born 
November  28,  1867;  Lizzy  W.,  born  September  30,  1869;  Anna,  born  June 
II,  1871 ;  Myrtle,  born  February  18,  1875:  Charles  A.,  born  March  25,  1881, 
and  his  death  occurred  on  March  8.  1883:  William  E.,  born  October  30, 
1882:  Elmer  B.,  born  October  30,  1882.  died  April  14,  1883  (he  and  Wil- 
liam E.  were  twins);  Erma  L.,  April  8.  1884.  died  June  17,  1906:  Marene 
G.,  born  March  7,  1887:  and  Harry  L.,  subject  of  this  review,  who  is  the 
youngest  of  the  family. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  in  Oxford,  this  slate  and  he  received  a 
good  common  school  education,  making  an  excellent  record  in  the  high 
school,  subsequently  taking  a  business  course. 

Mr.  Scott  was  married  on  February  18.  1908.  to  Myrtle  B.  Wirt,  who 
was  born  October  28,  1886  in  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  and  here  she 
grew  to  womanhood  and  received  a  good  education  in  the  local  schools.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  John  P.  and  Amanda  C.  (  Myers )  Wirt.  The  father  was 
born  on  January  2(>.  1852  in  this  state,  and  his  death  occurred  on  January 


926  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

21,  1908.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  Scott  was  born  in  Fountain  county,  Indi- 
ana, on  January  18,  1853,  and  she  is  still  living,  making  her  home  with  our 
subject.  John  P.  Wirt  was  a  merchant  at  the  town  of  Alamo,  this  county 
and  enjoyed  a  large  business  with  the  surrounding  country  there,  and  later 
he  moved  to  Crawfords\'ille  where  he  continued  in  business  with  equal  suc- 
cess until  his  death. 

Three  children  ha\-e  been  born  to  John  P.  Wirt  and  wife,  namely:  W. 
W.,  born  November  3,  1878;  Fred,  born  August  23,  1882:  and  Myrtle  B., 
wife  of  Mr.  Scott,  of  this  review. 

The  union  of  our  subject  and  wife  has  been  without  issue. 

Mr.  Scott  made  his  start  in  life  in  the  west,  later  returned  to  Indiana 
and  attended  the  Iles-De  A'or  Business  College  at  Indianapolis,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  1907  and  at  that  time  took  a  position  with  the  Lehigh 
Portland  Cement  Company  as  traveling  salesman,  his  territory  being  in 
Indiana  and  he  is  still  with  this  concern,  having  given  eminent  satisfaction, 
being  regarded  by  his  employers  as  one  of  the  most  trustworth}'  and  com- 
petent men,  and  he  has  done  much  to  increase  the  prestige  of  the  company 
in  this  state. 

Mr.  Scott  owns  a  modern  and  attractive  bungalow  in  Crawfordsville. 

Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks 
at  Crawfordsville.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and 
during  the  last  campaign  he  allied  himself  with  the  Progressive  party. 


WILLIAM  H.  JOHNSTON. 

The  name  of  William  H.  Johnston  has  long  been  well  known  in  legal 
circles  of  western  Indiana,  where  he  is  a  leader  of  the  bar  and  a  progressive 
citizen,  a  man  who  stands  high  with  all  classes  owing  to  his  interest  in  the 
development  of  Crawfordsville  and  Montgomery  county,  his  ability  as  a  law- 
yer and  his  courtesy  and  integrity.  He  is  entirely  unassuming  and  a  pleasant 
man  to  know. 

Mr.  Johnston  was  born  near  Greencastle,  Indiana,  on  June  9,  1858.  He 
is  a  son  of  Archibald  and  Sarah  ( Keller )  Johnston.  The  father  was  born 
in  North  Carolina  on  August  28,  1810,  and  the  mother's  birth  occurred  near 
Corydon,  Indiana,  on  August  19,  181 6.  Archibald  Johnston  devoted  the 
earlier  part  of  his  life  to  farming,  in  fact,  this  continued  to  be  his  chief  voca- 
tion until  late  in  life,  however,  much  of  his  time  in  later  years  was  given 
to  public  ofifice,  he  having  been  for  many  years  prominent  in  political  matters. 


Mo\r(;(i.\ii;K\'  tdiNrN-.   ixdiana.  927 

He  served  his  locality  as  state  senator  and  rcpresentalivu  tdr  eleven  sessions. 
He  made  a  most  praiseworthy  record  as  a  legislator,  winning  the  high  esteem 
of  his  constituents  and  doing  a  great  work  for  the  Icjcality  which  he  repre- 
sented. He  was  a  leader  in  Democratic  politics,  was  a  forceful  and  popular 
public  speaker,  and  one  of  tlie  best  known  men  of  his  day  and  generation  in 
western  Indiana.  His  death  occurred  on  December  30,  1884,  at  Crawfords- 
ville,  whitiicr  he  iiad  mo\ed  two  years  prior  to  Iiis  death.  He  had  owned  and 
operated  a  fine  farm  in  Franklin  township,  and  he  carried  on  general  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising  on  a  large  scale.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Old  School 
Baptist  church,  and  a  man  of  fine  character.  The  death  of  his  wife  occurred 
on  .\ugust  18,    1900. 

William  H.  Johnston  receixed  his  early  education  in  the  Darlington 
Academy,  later  entering  the  L'ni\ersity  of  Michigan  at  .\nn  .Xrbor.  from 
which  he  was  graduated  witJi  the  class  of  1S81,  from  the  law  department. 
having  made  an  excellent  record  in  the  same. 

After  his  graduation,  he  came  to  Crawfords\i!le.  Indiana,  and  entered 
the  profession  in  partnership  with  his  brother.  Charles  Johnston,  antl  has 
since  been  successfully  engaged  in  the  general  practice,  having  built  up  an 
extensive  and  lucrative  clientele.  He  has  kept  well  abreast  of  the  times  in 
all  that  pertains  to  his  profession,  and  is  what  might  he  ])roperly  termed  an 
analytical  lawyer.  He  is  pain.staking.  alert.  exhaustiNe.  always  goes  into 
court  well  prejiared,  and  has  the  interests  of  his  clients  at  heart,  lie  is  a 
logical  and  earnest  pleader  and  has  great  weight  with  juries,  and  has  a  good 
record  as  a  winner  of  cases. 

Mr,  Johnston  is  prominent  in  politics,  a  leader  in  the  local  affairs  of  the 
Democratic  party,  of  which  he  has  l)een  county  chairman,  also  a  member  of 
the  state  committee.  He  was  elected  state  senator  in  1900  and  represented 
this  county  and  Putnam  in  the  legislature  from  that  year  until  1904  in  a 
manner  that  reflected  much  credit  upon  himself  and  to  the  eminent  satis- 
faction of  all  concerned,  irrespective  of  party  alignment,  doing  much  for  the 
permanent  good  of  the  locality  and  the  state  in  general. 

Mr.  Johnston  was  married  in  1886  to  Ella  May  McMulIen.  daughter  of 
James  \\'.  and  Julia  .\.  (Hubbard)  McMullen.  a  well  known  family  of 
Frankfort,  Indiana.  Mrs.  Johnston  grew  to  wdnianhood  in  and  near 
Darlington  and  attended  school  at  that  place,  but  some  time  Ix-fore  her  mar- 
riage moved  with  her  parents  to  Frankfort,  where  she  was  married,  and 
where  her  mother  still  resides. 

The  union  of  our  subject  and  wife  has  roulteil  in  tlie  l)irth  ni  cne  child, 
Lois  June  Johnston  Kirkpatrick,  living  with  her  husband  away  from  home. 


928  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

GEORGE  W.  CORN,  Sr. 

Among  those  who  came  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  when  the 
country  was  in  its  primiti\e  wildness,  infested  by  wild  animals,  numerous  and 
ferocious,  and  when  the  scarcely  less  wild,  but  more  savage  red  men,  had  not 
long  been  gone  to  other  hunting  grounds,  was  the  Corn  family,  the  pro- 
genitors of  the  gentleman  whose  name  forms  the  introduction  of  this  sketch, 
having  invaded  the  wilderness  here  eighty-six  years  ago,  and  from  that  re- 
mote day  to  the  present  time  the  name  has  been  a  familiar  sound  over  this 
locality.  They  performed  well  their  parts  in  the  work  of  developing  the 
country  from  the  primeval  woods  to  one  of  the  foremost  agricultural  sections 
in  the  great  Hoosier  state,  and  the  elder  Corns,  together  with  the  other  early 
actors  in  the  great  drama  which  witnessed  the  passing  of  the  old  and  the  intro- 
duction 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  can- 
not 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  enjoy  the  blessings  of  life,  only  a  few  of  which  they  were  permitted 
to  have. 

George  W.  Corn  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  lives  in  Section  5, 
Clark  township,  Montgomery  county,  February  20,  1841,  and  here  he  has 
been  content  to  spend  his  life.  He  is  a  son  of  Williams  and  Sarah  (Allen) 
Corn.  Williains  Corn  was  born  in  Henry  county,  Kentucky,  February  16, 
1800,  and  was  a  son  of  George  and  Rhoda  Corn.  Sarah  B.  Allen  was  born 
in  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  August  16,  1799,  and  in  that  state  she  and  Mr. 
Corn  grew  to  maturity,  received  a  meagre  educational  training  and  were  mar- 
ried. They  removed  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  in  1827,  at  which  time 
they  had  three  children,  namely:  Rhoda  Jane,  born  February  28,  1824; 
Albert,  born  November  9,  1825,  and  Elizabeth  E.,  born  October  2,  1827,  the 
latter  an  infant,  two  or  three  months  old.  They  bought  a  fann  in  Section  6, 
Scott  township,  southeast  of  what  is  now  the  village  of  New  Market,  in  1827. 
They  found  a  country  little  improved.  There  were  lots  of  deer  and  wolves. 
Soon  after  their  settlement  the  father  had  to  return  to  Kentucky,  leaving  his 
wife  with  her  small  children.  The  wolves  surrounded  the  house  at  night  and 
with  their  unearthly  howling  struck  terror  to  the  hearts  of  the  timid  inmates. 
Indians,  now  friendlv  to  the  whites,  often  went  up  and  down  Cornstalk  creek 
which  touches  the  land  on  which  this  family  settled. 

In  a1}out  two  years  Williams  Corn  sold  his  first  place  and  moved  to  the 


GEORGP:    \V.    COllN,    SR. 


MdXTC.OMERV    COl'NTV,    INOIAXA.  929 

present  Corn  homestead,  occupied  by  our  suliject.  They  Ixiught  the  eighty 
acres  on  which  the  house  stands  west  of  the  present  road,  and  entered  froni 
the  government  an  adjoining  eighty,  directly  east  of  it,  the  two  eighties  com- 
prising the  northwestern  one-fourth  of  Section  5.  Only  five  or  six  acres  of 
this  second  farm  had  been  cleared,  and  it  was  enclosed  with  a  brush  fence,  and 
there  had  been  built  a  little  log  cabin  near  a  spring.  Here  Mr.  Corn  quickly 
built  of  hewn  logs  a  larger  and  more  comfortable  dwelling,  and  in  1843  he 
built  another  and  still  better  house,  and  in  this  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  rest 
of  their  lives.  They  worked  hard  and  cleared  and  developed  the  place  and 
became  very  well  fixed  as  farmers  of  that  early  day. 

To  Williams  Corn  and  wife  were  born  nine  children  after  they  located 
in  this  county,  making  their  family  a  large  one,  twelve  in  all,  with  the  three 
elder  who  first  opened  their  eyes  to  the  sky  in  the  Blue  Grass  state.  The  ones 
born  here  were:  Xancy  A.,  born  October  26,  1829:  Mary  Ann,  born  May  14, 
1831  ;  ^Margaret  D.,  born  May  i,  1833:  Sarah  Eliza,  born  April  16,  1835; 
John  W.,  born  August  12,  1837:  William,  born  July  23,  1838;  Stephen  A., 
born  August  15,  1839;  Martha  E..  born  August  23,  1842;  and  our  subject, 
George  \Y. 

The  death  of  Williams  Corn  occurred  on  November  11,  1859,  having 
been  fifty-nine  years  old  the  prex'ious  Februar}-.  He  was  a  hard-working, 
honest  man.  who  preferred  to  remain  at  home,  never  seeking  office,  although 
loyal  in  his  support  of  the  \\'hig  party.  He  was  assisted  in  his  hard  work  of 
clearing  and  developing  the  farm  by  his  older  sons  and  daughters.  The  good 
wife  also  worked  hard,  spun  and  wove  until  late  in  the  night  to  make  clothes 
for  her  children,  even  George  W.,  the  next  to, the  youngest  child,  remembers 
well  the  two  linen  clothes.  But  they  were  a  contented  famil\-  and  li\ed  as 
comfortably  as  others  in  those  days  hardships.  The  mother  w  as  called  to  her 
rest  on  May  4,  1874.     She  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 

The  paternal  grandfather,  George  Corn,  was  a  native  df  Germany,  fn )ni 
which  country  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States  wJien  yi>ung  and  settled  in 
the  wilds  of  Kentucky,  from  which  state  he  enlisted  for  ser\  ice  in  the  w  ar  of 
1812,  in  which  he  fought  as  a  private. 

Of  the  twelve  children  of  Williams  Corn  and  wife.  George  W..  our  sul)- 
ject,  is  the  only  one  living  at  this  writing.  He  grew  up  on  tJie  home  farm  on 
which  he  has  spent  his  life.  During  his  more  than  seventy  years"  residence 
here  he  has  noted  and  taken  part  in  great  changes,  the  country  round  about 
presenting  an  altogether  different  aspect  from  what  it  did  in  his  early  Jioy- 
hood.  He  did  not  have  an  opportunity  to  receive  more  than  a  few  years' 
(59) 


930  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

training  in  the  common  schools  of  his  district.  His  mother  made  her  home 
with  him  during  her  widowhood  years.  There  were  six  other  heirs  of  the 
homestead  and  from  time  to  time  he  bought  their  interests  until  he  now  owns 
the  entire  home  farm,  which  contains  one  hundred  and  ninety  acres,  which  he 
has  kept  well  improved  and  carefully  tilled  so  that  it  has  lost  none  of  its  old- 
time  fertility  and  productiveness.  In  1880  he  built  the  present  substantial 
home  in  which  he  now  resides.  General  farming  and  stock  raising  are  car- 
ried on.  i 

Mr.  Corn  was  married  on  December  24,  1863  to  Hulda  Jane  Williams, 
daughter  of  Bryan  and  Elizabeth  (Castle)  Williams.  She  was  born  and 
reared  in  Union  township,  this  county,  east  of  Whitesville.  Her  paternal 
grandfather,  Stephen  Williams,  came  from  North  Carolina  and  was  a  pioneer 
settler  in  the  east  part  of  this  county,  in  an  early  day,  and  here  established  the 
permanent  home  of  the  family. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Corn  had  two  children,  a  son  who  died  in  infancy  and  a 
daughter,  Valletta  Lillian,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  William  M.  Frantz,  a  sketch 
of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frantz  live  on  the 
farm  with  Mr.  Corn. 

The  death  of  Mrs.  Corn  occurred  on  September  9,  1905.  She  was  a 
woman  of  kindly  impulses,  charitably  inclined,  unselfish,  and  had  many  true 
friends. 

Mr.  Corn  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge.  No.  54,  at 
Ladoga.  He  has  never  striven  to  be  a  politician,  however,  he  was  nominated 
by  the  Democrats  in  1894  for  county  commissioner  and  though  defeated  with 
his  ticket  made  an  excellent  race. 


EDGAR  A.   RICE. 


That  the  career  of  such  a  man  as  Edgar  A.  Rice,  the  former  efficient 
and  popular  incumbent  of  the  office  of  county  clerk  of  Montgomery  county, 
besides  being  treasured  in  the  hearts  of  relatives  and  friends  should  have  its 
public  record  also,  is  peculiarly  proper  because  a  knowledge  of  men  whose 
substantial  reputation  rests  upon  their  attainments  and  character  must  ex- 
ert a  wholesome  influence  upon  the  rising  generation.  While  transmitting 
to  future  generations  the  brief  chronicle  of  such  a  life,  it  is  with  the  hope  of 
instilling  into  the  minds  of  those  who  come  after  the  important  lesson  that 
honor  and  station  are  sure  rewards  of  individual  exertion.     He  was  for  a 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  93 1 

number  of  years  one  of  the  popular  educators  of  this  locality,  and  has  shown 
himself  to  be  a  public-spirited  citizen. 

Mr.  Rice  was  Ixirn  on  February  24,  1877,  in  Union  township,  Mont- 
gomery county,  Indiana,  and  he  is  a  son  of  William  A.  and  Martha  E. 
(Hipes)  Rice.  The  father  was  born  on  December  29,  1838,  in  Kentucky, 
from  which  state  he  removed  to  Indiana  in  1852,  locating  in  Montgomery 
county  where  he  became  well  established  and  well  known.  His  death  oc- 
curred on  August  II,  191 1.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  on  March 
9,  1850,  in  Virginia,  and  her  parents  removed  to  Indiana  when  she  was  a 
child.  Thus  in  this  state  the  parents  of  our  subject  grew  to  maturity,  re- 
ceived a  meager  education  in  the  common  schools  and  here  were  married, 
and  spent  their  lives  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  They  became  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  still  living,  namely :  James,  is 
deceased;  Charles,  lives  in  Danville;  Henry  was  next  in  order;  Edgar  A.,  of 
this  review ;  Bessie,  is  deceased ;  John  W.  and  Clay  M.  were  the  youngest. 

Edgar  A.  Rice  grew  to  manhood  in  this  county  and  he  received  a  good 
education  in  the  common  schools,  later  attending  the  Central  Normal  at 
Danville.  Illinois,  also  the  Indiana  State  Normal  in  Terre  Haute. 

January  5,  1902,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ona  M.  Surface,  who 
was  born  in  Illinois  on  June  16,  1883.  She  received  a  common  school  edu- 
cation, and  she  was  a  daughter  of  Aaron  F.  and  Amanda  (Talbert)  Surface. 

The  following  children  were  born  to  our  subject  and  wife:  Helen  E., 
born  March  2.  1905,  is  in  school;  Meredith,  born  October  25,  1909. 

Mr.  Rice  began  life  as  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of  Montgomery  countv 
in  1897,  following  the  same  with  success  for  several  years.  In  1900  he  came 
into  the  court  house  as  deputy  county  clerk  under  Mr.  Kennedy,  and  lie  con- 
tinued in  that  position  for  a  period  of  eight  years  with  much  satisfaction  to 
all  concerned  as  may  be  ascertained  by  his  long  retention  there.  He  mastered 
well  every  detail  of  the  work  in  that  office,  and  in  1908  the  people  of  the 
county  showed  their  appreciation  of  his  services  and  their  confidence  in  his 
integrity  by  electing  him  clerk  of  Montgomery  county,  the  duties  of  which 
he  discharged  in  a  manner  highly  acceptable  to  all. 

Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  Lodge  Xo.  50,  at 
Crawfordsville,  also  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  Trilje  of  Ben-Hur,  and 
the  Patriotic  Order  Sons  of  America.  ^ 

Mr.  Rice  owns  his  own  home  in  Crawfordsville.  He  is  president  of 
the  Crawfordsville  Investment  Company,  and  is  a  director  in  the  Crawfords- 


932  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

ville  Young  Mens'  Christian  Association.  He  is  a  member  of  tlie  Country 
Club,  and  is  superintendent  of  the  Christian  Bible  school.  In  all  of  the  above 
he  is  active  and  influential  and  stands  well  in  all  circles  in  which  he  chooses 
to  move. 


HENRY  D.   SERVIES. 

One  of  the  popular  officials  of  Montgomery  county  is  Henry  D.  Ser\'ies, 
the  present  able  and  popular  incumbent  of  the  office  of  county  recorder,  the 
duties  of  which  he  is  dicharging  to  the  eminent  satisfaction  of  all  concerned. 
He  is  widely  known  throughout  this  section  of  the  Wabash  country,  having 
spent  his  life  here  and  for  many  years  been  successfully  engaged  in  business, 
principally  vnercbandising,  and  he  has  been  a  progressive  man  of  affairs 
in  all  walks  of  life,  and  has  gained  the  undivided  respect  of  the  people  as 
a  result  of  his  industry,  exemplary  habits  and  his  public  spirit. 

Mr.  Servies  was  born  near  New  Market,  Montgomery  county,  Indiana 
on  June  3,  1856.  He  is  a  son  of  William  T.  and  Nancy  C.  (Jones)  Servies, 
both  natives  of  Kentucky  from  which  state  they  came  with  their  parents  to 
Montgomery  county  this  state,  when  they  were  children  and  here  they  grew 
to  maturity  and  were  married  and  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives.  The  father 
is  now  deceased,  his  death  occurring  in  1885.  The  mother  is  living  at  the 
old  home.     They  were  honest,  hard-working  and  highly  respected  people. 

Henry  D.  Servies  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  county  and  received  a 
fairly  good  education  in  the  local  schools.  Early  in  life  he  decided  upon  a 
mercantile  career,  and  upon  reaching  his  majority  launched  out  in  that  line 
of  endeavor,  soon  giving  every  evidence  of  an  unusual  native  ability  in  that 
direction,  and  he  soon  had  a  good  start.  He  began  business  in  the  town  of 
Ladoga,  and  after  enjoying  an  extensive  patronage  there  for  a  period  of  two 
years,  sold  out  and  opened  a  general  merchandise  store  in  the  town  of  New 
Market,  which  he  continued  to  conduct  with  his  usual  gratifying  results  until 
1879,  when  he  sold  out.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to  agriculture,  farm- 
ing on  an  extensive  scale  during  the  next  ten  years,  then  accepted  a  position 
as  secretary  of  the  American  Spoke  &  Wheel  Company,  which  responsible 
position  he  occupied  in  an  eminently  acceptable  manner  for  a  period  of  two 
years,  then  returned  to  the  merchandise  business,  establishing  a  drug  store 
at  New  Market,  and  soon  had  built  up  a  good  trade. 

Being  an  ardent  Democrat  and  having  long  taken  an  active  part  in  local 


MOXTCOMKK'i-    lOr.VTV.     INDIANA.  C/T,!, 

party  affairs.  Mr.  Serxics.  in  n;(iS.  was  cIccIlhI  rui-onlcr  n\  .Muiii.i^onK-ry 
county,  and  he  (lischar,i;e(l  llic  iluties  ni  this  office  with  such  couimcndalion 
that  lie  was  rc-clcctcd  in  nju  an  ihs  at  this  writin;;-  iucnnil)cnt  ni'  ilic  same, 
giving  satisfaction  to  all  concerned,  irrespective  of  party  alignment. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Servies  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  Independent  Order  of  Odd  l''ellows, 
in  all  of  which  he  is  prominent. 

Mr.  Servies  was  married  in  1S73  to  r.elle  Howard,  a  nati\c  of  Mont- 
gomery county,  where  she  grew  in  wnmanhnod  and  rccei\c(l  her  cducatidU. 
and  here  her  people  have  been  well  knnwn  since  the  early  days. 

To  our  subject  and  wife  have  been  born  six  children,  named  in  order 
of  birth  as  follows:  Lettie  M.,  Charles  M..  Walter  L.,  Ernest  O.,  Cora  A., 
Ruth  C. 

Reli,t:;iouslv.  Mr.  Servies  and  his  family  are  Methodists,  and  .stand  well 
in  the  con.ore.eation. 


DR.  BERTRAXl)  RMIL  AIAV. 

The  science  of  osteopathy  and  other  drugless  methods  of  healing  have 
made  great  strides  during  the  past  decades,  finding  followers  all  over  the 
civilized  world,  especially  throughout  America.  That  satisfactory  results 
are  obtained  goes  without  saying  else  these  systems  would  have  perished  in 
their  incipiency,  for  it  seems  that  in  this  age  of  the  world  most  any  new 
method  of  healing,  religious  sect,  cult  or  ism  can  get  a  ready  following,  but 
they  must  all  show  definite  results  and  show  them  (juickly  or  their  followers 
fall  away,  leaving  them  without  sufiicient  support  to  stand.  Oste()i)athy  has 
come  to  stay.  Its  principles  are  sound,  its  methods  practical,  its  results  pleas- 
ing to  the  public  in  general,  so  there  is  no  reason  why  it  should  \anish  from 
the  niche  it  has  so  securely  obtained  during  its  comparatively  brief  life.  One 
of  the  most  popular  and  able  exponents  of  osteopathy  in  Montgomery  and 
surrounding  counties  is  Dr.  Bertrand  Emil  May,  of  Crawfordsville.  a  man 
who  justly  ranks  in  the  van  of  professional  men  of  this  section  of  the  Hoosier 
state. 

Dr.  May  was  bom  at  P(.itomac,  \'ermilli(in  cnunty,  Illinois,  on  Xovcm- 
ber  4.  1876.  He  is  a  son  of  George  A.  and  Ella  (Buckingham)  May.  The 
father  was  Iiorn  in  Kentucky  in  1839,  and  there  he  spent  his  earlier  years, 
but  when  a  young  man  came  to  Illinois  and  established  the  permanent  home 


934  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

of  the  family  in  Vermillion  county  and  he  is  still  living  there,  making  his 
home  in  Danville  where  he  has  built  up  a  large  real  estate  business.  His 
wife  was  born  in  Delphi,  Indiana. 

Dr.  Bertrand  E.  May  received  a  good  common  school  education  at 
Potomac,  Illinois,  later  attending  the  State  Nonnal  School  at  Kirksville, 
Missouri,  where  he  remained  two  years,  later  attending  the  American  School 
of  Osteopathy  in  that  city,  where  he  made  a  splendid  record  and  from  which 
he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1898. 

After  his  graduation  he  came  to  Crawfordsville,  Indiana,  and  began 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  here  he  has  remained  to  the  present  time, 
having  built  up  an  extensive'  and  lucrative  practice  which  is  constantly  grow- 
ing, his  patients,  many  of  them,  coming  from  remote  localities. 

Dr.  May  is  a  Republican.  He  was  a  candidate  for  county  treasurer  in 
1908,  but  was  defeated,  after  making  a  splendid  race,  by  only  twenty-one 
votes.  He  is  now  a  Progressive,  being  deeply  interested  in  the  new  move- 
ment. Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Order  and  the  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

Dr.  May  was  married  on  June  25,  1902  to  Esther  Clement,  a  daughter 
of  Frank  and  Laura  (Hutton)  Clement.  She  is  a  native  of  Crawfordsville, 
where  she  grew  to  womanhood  and  was  educated. 

To  the  Doctor  and  wife  one  daughter  has  been  born,  bearing  the  name 
of  Frances  Helen  Mav. 


GEORGE   FELIX    MYERS. 

A  well  known  gentleman  of  Crawfordsville  is  George  Felix  Myers,  now 
living  in  honorable  retirement,  but  for  a  long  lapse  of  years  he  was  a  suc- 
cessful business  man,  engaging  in  various  pursuits  in  all  of  which  he  proved 
to  be  a  man  of  tact,  energy,  and  the  possessor  of  a  high  sense  of  honor,  and 
thus  ever  enjoyed  the  good  will  and  confidence  of  all  with  whom  he  had  deal- 
ings, and  as  a  public  servant,  as  superintendent  of  the  county  farm,  he  dis- 
charged his  duties  ably  and  conscientiously,  to  the  commendation  of  all  con- 
cerned. Thus  for  many  reasons,  not  the  least  of  which  is  the  fact  that  he 
is  one  of  the  veterans  of  the  great  army  that  saved  the  nation  from  treason 
during  its  severest  crisis,  he  is  eminently  entitled  to  mention  in  a  volume  of 
the  province  assigned  to  the  one  at  hand. 

Mr.  Myers  was  born  in  Fountain  county  Indiana,  August  26,  1833,  and 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  935 

he  is  a  son  of  Xoah  and  Alary  M.  Myers.  The  father  who  was  born  in 
North  CaroHna  in  1810,  was  an  early  settler  in  Fountain  county.  His  wife 
was  also  a  native  of  North  Carolina.  There  they  grew  to  maturity  and  were 
married.  They  located  in  Montgomery  county  in  1846,  establishing  their 
home  at  Alamo,  where  Mr.  Myers  engaged  in  the  general  merchandise  busi- 
ness for  a  period  of  ten  years,  removing  in  1856  to  Covington  and  retired 
from  the  active  duties  of  life.  However,  he  later  came  to  Rockville,  Parke 
county,  and  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
January.  1882.  He  was  a  Democrat,  and  in  religion  a  Lutheran.  His  wife 
(lied  in  Crawfordsville  at  a  ripe  old  age. 

George  F.  Myers  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  he  clerked 
in  his  father's  store  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war.  having  in  the 
meantime,  however,  spent  a  year  in  Sioux  City,  Iowa.  He  enlisted  in  the 
Ninth  Indiana  Light  Artillery  and  served  throughout  the  conflict  with  much 
credit  and  faithfulness,  participating  in  a  number  of  important  campaigns 
and  many  battles.  After  receiving  an  honorable  discharge  he  returned  home 
and  engaged  in  the  butcher  business  at  Rockville  for  a  period  of  six  years, 
during  which  time  he  built  up  a  large  trade.  He  then  entered  the  revenue 
service  as  storekeeper  at  Terre  Haute,  which  position  he  filled  with  satisfac- 
tion for  a  period  of  four  years,  after  which  he  resumed  the  butcher  business 
in  Rockville,  but  a  year  later  became  time  keeper  on  the  railroad  at  Attica 
for  two  years.  After  that  he  went  to  Arkansas  and  engaged  in  saw  milling 
one  year.  He  then  cut  heading  for  Henry  Alfry,  the  well  known  mill  man, 
for  a  period  of  seven  years.  Then  he  took  charge  of  the  county  farm  in 
Montgomery  county,  which  he  managed  for  four  years,  after  which  he  spent 
four  more  years  as  inspector  for  Henry  Alfry,  then  was  again  in  charge  of 
the  county  farm  for  a  period  of  six  and  one-half  years.  Much  improvement 
was  made  in  the  farm  during  the  time  of  his  super\'ision.  He  finally  pur- 
chased a  farm  west  of  Crawfordsville  which  he  conducted  with  his  usual 
success  for  a  period  of  ten  years,  then  moved  to  the  county  seat  and  engaged 
in  the  grocery  business  one  year.  He  is  now  living  retired  from  the  active 
duties  of  life. 

Politically,  Mr.  Myers  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  AIc- 
Pherson  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  at  Crawfordsville. 

Mr.  Myers  was  married  on  May  10,  1857  to  Mary  E.  Jarvis,  a  native  of 
Parke  county,  Indiana.  To  this  union  two  children  were  born,  one  being 
deceased ;  the  other  is  Minnie  E.  Myers,  who  is  fixing  at  home. 


936  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

JOSEPH  WALTER  STIPE. 

No  better  eulogiiim  can  be  pronounced  upon  a  community  or  upon  its 
individual  members  than  to  point  to  thie  work  they  have  accompHshed. 
Theories  look  fine  upon  the  printed  page  and  sound  well  when  proclaimed 
from  the  platform,  but  in  the  end  it  is  effort  in  the  various  lines  of  industrial 
activity  which  develop  the  man  and  tells  on  society.  This  is  essentially  a 
utilitarian  age,  and  the  man  of  action  is  very  much  in  evidence.  Such  a  man 
is  Joseph  Walter  Stipe,  one  of  the  best  known  citizens  of  the  eastern  part  of 
Montgomery  county,  a  retired  farmer  and  capitalist,  of  New  Ross,  and  as 
such  it  is  a  pleasure  to  contemplate  briefly  his  career  and  character.  Inti- 
mately associated  for  years  with  the  industrial  de\-elopment  of  Walnut  town- 
ship and  taking  a  prominent  part  in  the  public  affairs  of  the  county,  he  has  not 
been  underestimated  by  the  people  who  long  since  learned  to  appreciate  his 
true  value  as  a  potent  factor  in  the  body  politic.  Though  a  man  of  unpreten- 
tious demeanor,  he  possesses  the  silent  but  powerful  force  that  attracts  men, 
the  mental  Cjualities  that  grapple  them  to  him  as  it  were,  \\ith  hooks  of  steel, 
and  the  tact  and  magnetism  that  makes  men  as  well  as  e\'ents  subserve  his  just 
purpose. 

Mr.  Stipe  was  l)orn  at  Shannondale,  Montgomery  county.  Indiana, 
November  21,  1853.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Eliza  (Higgason)  Stipe.  The 
father  was  born  in  Harrison  county,  Indiana,  in  December,  1820,  and  the  date 
of  the  mother's  birth  is  July  21,  1826.  She  was  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Sally  Ann  (Herron)  Higgason.  The  father  came  to  Montgomery  county  in 
1829  and  settled  in  Franklin  township,  where  he  remained  until  his  marriage 
when  he  was  thirty-one  years  old.  He  then  went  to  Shannondale,  this  county, 
and  engaged  in  the  saw  mill  business  for  a  year,  then  came  to  Walnut  town- 
ship, Montgomery  county,  and  bought  a  farm  from  the  heirs  of  Webster  Rob- 
erts, and  there  he  lived  until  the  death  of  his  wife  whereupon  he  moved  to 
New  Ross,  living  with  our  subject  until  his  death  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-four  years.  His  death  occurred  while  our  subject  lived  in  Boone 
county. 

Only  two  children  were  born  to  John  Stipe  and  wife,  Joseph  W.,  of  this 
sketch,  who  was  born  in  the  old  Presbyterian  church  at  Shannondale ;  and 
John  William,  who  was  born  July  15,  1862,  and  died  March  28,  1890.  Al- 
though fi^•e  Stipe  men  settled  in  Indiana  in  the  early  days  our  subject  is  the 
only  one  of  the  name  now  living  here. 

Mr.  Stipe  received  a  common  school  education  and  spent  one  term  at 
Mooresville,  Indiana,  then  took  up  farming  on  the  home  place,  later  purchas- 


^^^^.Of:  j>^ 


MONTGOMKRV    COL'XTV,    INDIANA.  9^7 

ing  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Jackson  townsliip.  He  lived  in  an  old 
log  cabin  on  the  home  place  the  first  year  he  farmed  there.  He  remained  in 
Jackson  township  thirty  years,  during  which  period  his  rise  was  steady  and 
certain  and  he  ranked  among  the  leading  farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  the 
township  for  many  years,  finally,  accumulating  a  comfortable  competency 
through  his  close  application  and  able  management,  he  retired  from  active 
farming,  moving  to  the  village  of  New  Ross,  where  he  has  a  lieautiful  and 
modernly  appointed  residence.  He  still  owns  the  old  home  place,  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty-nine  acres  in  Walnut  township;  four  hundred  and  thirty  acres 
in  Jackson  township,  and  fifty-two  acres  in  Union  township.  It  is  all  well 
improved  ami  \aluable  land,  that  lying  in  Union  township  being  especially 
desirable  since  it  is  nearly  inside  the  city  limits  of  Crawfnrdsvillc  and  will 
make  a  splendid  residence  addition. 

Mr.  Stipe  was  married  on  September  15,  1874  to  Elizabeth  Evans,  who 
was  born  on  January  23,  1855.  She  is  a  daughter  of  William  B.  and  Ariann 
(Powell)  Evans.  The  older  members  of  the  Evans  family  came  to  Mont- 
gomerv  county  from  Kentucky  in  a  very  early  day  and  established  their  future 
home  here. 

Mrs.  Stipe  was  called  to  Jier  eternal  rest  on  September  14,  1910.  at  the 
age  of  fifty-six  years.  This  union  was  without  issue.  On  April  17,  1912. 
Mr.  Stipe  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rose  L.  Harple,  who  was  born  August 
30,  1873.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Lydia  Ann  (Jennings)  Harple. 
The  father  was  a  native  of  Logan  county,  Ohio,  and  the  mother  was  born 
in  Tippecanoe  county,  Indiana.  They  spent  their  lives  on  a  farm,  and  to  them 
the  following  children  were  born :  Mary,  George  are  both  deceased :  Viola, 
Douglas,  Anna,  Rose  (wife  of  Mr.  Stipe),  Floyd  and  Pearl.  The  parents 
of  these  children  are  both  deceased. 

Politically,  Mr.  Stipe  is  a  Democrat  and  wlule  he  takes  the  interest  of  a 
good  citizen  in  public  affairs  he  has  never  cared  for  office,  preferring  to  devote 
his  attention  to  his  large  farming  properties. 


BEXNET  BEARD  ENGLE. 

The  family  represented  by  the  gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this 
article  has  always  been  classed  with  the  best  and  thriftiest  of  Montgomery 
county,  the  interests  of  which  they  have  ever  had  at  heart  and  sought  to 
promote  whenever  proper  occasion  presented  itself. 


938  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Bennett  Beard  Engle,  the  present  able  and  popular  county  auditor  of 
this  county,  is  one  of  the  best  known  members  of  this  excellent  old  family. 
He  was  born  in  December,  1874,  in  Union  township,  Montgomery  county, 
Indiana,  and  is  a  son  of  Bennett  W.  and  Whillie  (Beard)  Engle.  The  father 
was  born  near  Harper's  Ferry,  Virginia,  January  19,  1820,  and  was  a  son 
of  Michael  and  Elizabeth  (Pollock)  Engle.  Michael  Engle  was  born  in 
Ireland  and  when  a  young  man  he  emigrated  to  America  and  here  spent  the 
rest  of  his  life,  becoming  well  established  in  the  New  World  through  his 
industry.  His  death  occurred  in  1828.  His  wife  was  a  native  of  England, 
and  she  died  in  1830. 

Bennett  W.  Engle,  father  of  our  subject,  lived  with  his  brother  until 
1833  when  he  came  to  Rising  Sun,  Indiana,  where  he  clerked  in  a  store  until 
1845,  ^vhen  he  came  to  Crawfordsville,  Montgomery  county.  Here  he  soon 
became  an  influential  factor  in  the  affairs  of  the  county  and  became  owner 
and  editor  of  the  Crawfordsville  Review,  which  he  conducted  satisfactorily 
for  a  period  of  three  years,  when  he  was  appointed  by  President  James  K. 
Polk  as  "receiver  of  the  public  money,"  the  duties  of  which  he  performed  in 
a  highly  commendable  manner  until  he  was  removed  by  President  Zachary 
Taylor  on  account  of  political  differences.  In  1852  he  became  local  editor 
of  the  Crawfordsville  Reziew,  and  in  1853  took  a  position  as  cashier  of  the 
Elston  Bank.  This  he  held  in  a  manner  satisfactory  to  all  concerned  for  a 
period  of  forty-three  years.  His  death  occurred  in  1896.  Politically,  he 
was  a  stanch  Democrat.  He  attended  the  Episcopal  church,  and,  fraternally, 
belonged  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

Bennett  W.  Engle  and  Whillie  Beard  were  married  on  September  13, 
1854.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Hon.  John  and  Maria  (Burroughs)  Beard. 
The  father  of  Mrs.  Engle  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  January  4,  1795,  and, 
after  spending  his  boyhood  in  the  South,  came  to  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  in 
an  early  day,  and  in  1823,  took  up  his  residence  among  the  pioneers  of  Unioji 
township,  Montgomery  county,  this  state.  Here  he  became  influential  in 
public  affairs  and  was  justice  of  the  peace  many  years.  He  was  elected  to 
both  houses  of  the  state  legislature,  being  a  member  of  that  body  for  a  period 
of  twenty-five  years,  during  which  he  perfomied  a  praiseworthy  service  for 
his  constituents  and  for  the  general  good  fo  his  location  and  the  state.  He 
had  the  honor  of  being  known  as  the  father  of  the  present  excellent  public 
school  system  of  Indiana.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  intellectual  attainments, 
strong  personality,  and  honesty  of  purpose  and  he  was  for  over  a  quarter  of 
a  centurv  one  of  the  best  known  and  influential  men  in  western  Indiana.     He 


MONTC.OMKKV    COLXTV,    INDIANA.  939 

was  a  member  of  tlie  hoard  of  control  of  the  Bhnd  Asyhim  for  six  years. 
He  was  receiver  of  pubhc  monies  at  the  land  office  in  Cra\vfords\  illc,  under 
President  Benjamin  Harrison's  first  administration.  He  was  an  uncoiiii)ro- 
mising  Republican.  His  death  occurred  on  September  29,  1874,  when 
seventy-nine  years  old,  after  an  honored  career,  and  his  passing  was  regarded 
as  a  distinct  loss  to  the  people  of  Montgomery  county  and  the  Wabash  valley 
country  as  well  as  to  the  state.  He  married  in  1816.  and  his  wife,  Mrs. 
Maria  Burroughs,  also  lived  to  an  advanced  age,  dying  in-  1884. 

Bennett  B.  Engle,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch,  grew  to  manhood 
in  Union  township,  Montgomery  county,  and  he  spent  his  boyhood  days  in 
much  the  same  manner  as  other  youths  of  his  time,  receiving  a  good  educa- 
tion in  the  local  schools.  He  engaged  in  various  pursuits  with  more  or  less 
success,  until  his  election  as  county  auditor,  the  duties  of  which  responsible 
position  he  discharged  so  satisfactorily  that  he  was  re-elected  and  is  at  this 
writing  serving  his  second  term.  He  has  proven  to  be,  according  to  com- 
mon consent,  one  of  the  best  public  servants  the  county  has  ever  hatl.  He 
is  careful,  painstaking  and  obliging  as  well  as  energetic. 

Mr.  Engle  is  prominent  in  Masonic  affairs.  He  is  past  master  of  the 
local  doge  of  Masons.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Arabic  Order 
of  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  at  present  secretary  of  all  the  Masonic 
bodies  of  Crawfordsville. 


ASHER  WERT. 


This  is  an  age  in  which  the  farmer  stands  pre-eminently  above  any  other 
class  as  a  producer  of  wealth,  and  there  is  a  rapidly  growing  sentiment  among 
the  dwellers  of  the  great  cities  that  the  rural  districts  are  the  best,  being  most 
desirable  from  a  number  of  standpoints,  the  principal  one  being  health  of 
both  body  and  mind,  for  without  that  nothing  else  matters  very  much ;  so 
they  are  going  back  to  the  soil  in  ever-increasing  numbers,  for  there  they  not 
only  find  a  greater  independence  but  really  have  more  of  the  good  things 
of  life.  The  farmer  does  not  have  to  put  forth  such  strenuous  efforts  to 
feed  himself  and  his  family.  He  simply  takes  advantage  of  the  winds,  the 
warm  air,  the  bright,  life-giving  sunshine,  the  refreshing  rains,  and  handling 
nature's  gifts  rightly,  reaps  the  rewards  that  always  come  to  patient,  persist- 
ent toil.  One  of  this  number  is  Asher  Wert,  who  has  spent  his  life  in  Mont- 
gomery county  successfully  engaged  in  general  agricultural  and  stock  raising 


940  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

pursuits,  having  ranked  for  many  decades  among  the  leaders  in  these  hnes 
of  endeavor  and  owning  one  of  the  choicest  farms  in  Union  township,  just 
outside  of  the  city  Hmits  of  Crawfordsville  in  which  city  he  now  hves,  prac- 
tically retired  from  the  active  duties  of  life. 

Mr.  Wert  was  born  on  March  lO,  1844,  near  Alamo,  Montgomery 
county.  He  was  a  son  of  Richard  and  Amanda  (Compton)  Wert,  an  hon- 
ored old  couple  who  came  to  this  locality  when  it  was  practically  a  wilder- 
ness and  here  became  comfortably  etsabli.shed  by  their  industry.  The\-  ha\e 
both  been  long  deceased. 

Asher  \Vert  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  he  received  such 
education  as  the  early  schools  of  those  times  afforded.  He  began  life  for 
himself  when  young  as  a  farmer,  and,  working  hard  and  being  economical, 
he  soon  had  a  start  and  eventually  became  one  of  the  substantial  and  prosper- 
ous men  of  his  township,  becoming  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  forty- 
three  acres  of  fine  and  \aluable  farming  land  just  outside  of  Crawfordsville 
and  this  he  placed  under  a  high  state  of  improvement  and  cultivation.  In 
connection  with  general  farming  he  always  made  the  raising  and  preparing 
of  live  stock  for  the  market  a  specialty,  and  he  has  long  been  considered  one 
of  the  best  judges  of  live  stock,  especially  cattle  in  Montgomer}-  county,  and 
he  is  still  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  cattle  and  feeding  them  for  the 
market.  He  has  also  long  been  one  of  the  largest  hog  raisers  in  the  county. 
No  small  portion  of  his  comfortable  competency  has  been  realized  out  of  live 
stock.  In  I  goo  he  gave  up  active  farming  and  moved  into  the  city  of  Craw- 
fordsville and  built  the  present  beautiful  home  at  509  East  Market  street.  It 
is  attractive  from  an  architectural  stand  point  and  is  modernly  appointed  and 
neatly   furnished  throughout. 

PoliticaHy,  Mr.  Wert  is  a  Democrat  and  has  been  more  or  less  active 
in  local  party  afifairs,  and  was  for  about  eight  years  road  supervisor.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  he  holds  to  Quakerism  in  his 
religious  belief.  He  is  treasurer  of  the  Montgomery  County  Agricultural 
Society,  and  has  done  much  toward  its  success,  taking  an  active  and  intelli- 
gent interest  in  the  same. 

Mr.  Wert  was  married  on  October  21,  1875  to  Angeline  Hankins,  who 
was  born  in  Hamilton  county,  Ohio,  July  3,  1848.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
John  L.  and  Orpha  H.  (Hancock)  Hankins.  The  father  was  a  native  of 
Ohio  and  the  mother  was  born  in  Kentucky.  They  came  to  Montgomery 
county  in  1873,  locating  near  Alamo  where  they  became  very  well  established 
through  their  close  application  and  economy  and  were  highly  respected  by 


MONTGOMKRY    COrNTV.    INniANA.  94 1 

their  neighbors.     They   are  l)oth  now  deceased.     There,   on  tlie  nld  hunie- 

stead,    Mrs.    Wert    yrew   to   wunianhocjd   and   receixed    her   edueatinn  in    the 
common  schools. 

The  union  of  our  suhject  and  wife  resnUed  in  liie  birth  nf  two  children. 

named  as   follows:      Rose   Lee.   now   the   wife  of  John    P>.    Line,   of  Craw- 
fordsxille :  antl  Pearl  Oral,  who  died  in  infancy. 


MILTOX  L.  XEES. 


Success  has  come  to  .Milti>n  L.  Xees,  the  present  able  and  popular 
county  surveyor  of  Montgomery  county,  because  he  has  worked  for  it  along 
legitimate  lines  and  has  closely  applied  himself.  He  is  an  excellent  example 
of  the  .successful  self-made  man,  and  is  eminently  deserving  of  the  con- 
spicuous position  which  he  now  occupies  in  the  estimation  of  the  pcfiple. 
He  is  a  man  who  has  never  for  a  moment  permitted  untoward  circumstances 
to  divert  his  attention  from  the  goal  he  bad  in  mind  when  starting  out  in  life. 
He  has  never  waited  for  someone  else  to  do  what  he  should  do  himself, 
and  he  might  be  cited  to  the  young  men  of  bis  comity  as  an  exami)le  worthy 
of  their  careful  study. 

Mr.  Xees  was  born  in  Owen  county,  Indiana.  March  _•  i .  1S73.  and  is  a 
son  of  David  A.  and  Sarah  A.  (Kennedy)  Xees.  The  father  was  a  farmer, 
and  shortly  after  the  birth  of  our  subject  he  nio\-ed  to  Kansas,  locating  at 
Independence,  and  there  his  death  occurred  in  1883.  Mrs.  Xees  then  re- 
turned to  Owen  county,  Indiana,  where  she  is  now   living. 

Milton  L.  Xees  received  a  good  education  in  the  common  .schools  of  In- 
dependence. Kansas,  and  the  Owen  county  rural  schools,  later  attending 
school  at  Spencer  and  \'alparaiso,  Indiana.  After  passing  through  the  nor- 
mal at  the  latter  town,  he  began  teaching  in  Owen  county,  which  line  of 
endeavor  he  continued  with  much  success  and  satisfaction  to  the  people  for 
a  period  of  seven  years,  during  which  time  he  took  a  high  rank  with  the 
leading  educators  of  that  section  of  the  state.  IUit  finally  tiring  of  the  school 
room  and  having  long  entertained  an  ambition  to  become  a  ci\il  engineer 
he  took  a  course  in  this  science  with  the  International  Correspondence 
Schocjls,  and  at  the  same  time  managed  to  secure  considerable  practical  ex- 
perience, so  he  became  well  fitted  to  enter  the  arena  of  bis  chosen  life  work. 
having  prepared  himself  principally  during  the  summer  \acations  while  he 
was  teaching. 


942  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Mr.  Nees  came  to  Montgomery  county  in  1901  and  here  worked  at  his 
profession  until  1906,  when  he  was  elected  county  surveyor.  He  made  such 
a  splendid  record,  doing  his  work  so  skillfully  and  conscientiously  that  he 
was  re-elected  in  1908,  in  1910  and  1912,  which  is  certainly  sufficient  evi- 
dence of  his  popularity  in  the  county  and  of  the  explicit  confidence  which 
the  people  repose  in  him.  He  has  been  a  close  student  of  all  phases  of  this 
field  of  endeavor  and  has  kept  fully  abreast  of  the  times.  During  this  period 
of  his  incumbency  Mr.  Nees  has  done  much  for  the  permanent  good  of  the 
county,  such  as  the  construction  of  twenty-five  gravel  roads,  and  there  are 
at  this  writing  seventy-five  others  under  way. 

Politically,  Mr.  Nees  is  a  Democrat  and  is  active  in  the  affairs  of  his 
party.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  chapter  member  of  the  Masons  and  belongs  to 
the  Ivnights  of  Pythias,  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur  and  the  Modem  Woodmen 
of  America. 

Mr.  Nees  was  married  on  June  5,  1901,  to  Lulu  Turner,  a  native  of 
New  Ross,  who  was  born  there  on  June  25,  1880.  This  union  has  been 
blessed  by  the  birth  of  three  children — Ruth,  Sarah  and  Marcella. 


ANDREW  N.  FOLEY. 

The  legal  profession  of  Montgomery  county  has  an  able  exponent  in 
Andrew  N.  Foley,  of  Crawfordsville,  who  is  one  of  the  best  known  of  the 
younger  generation  of  attorneys  and  one  to  whom  the  future  seems  to 
beckon  with  special  promise.  He  has  worked  hard,  built  himself  up  from 
the  bottom  of  the  ladder  by  persistent,  honest  endeavor  and  has  worthily 
attained  the  large  success  in  his  chosen  field  of  endeavor  that  he  now  occu- 
pies. He  is  a  conscientious  worker,  leaving  nothing  undone  whereby  he 
may  further  the  interests  of  his  clients.  He  knows  the  importance  of  going 
into  court  well  prepared,  and  he  has  great  weight  with  juries  and  the  court, 
owing  to  his  never-failing  courtesy,  his  earnestness  and  logical  reasoning. 
He  has  kept  well  abreast  of  the  times  in  all  phases  of  jurisprudence  and  is 
familiar  with  the  statutes  of  Indiana.  He  is  a  man  who  believes  in  giving 
the  best  there  is  in  him  to  whatever  task  he  undertakes,  and  this  is  one  of 
the  principal  secrets  of  his  success.  Another  thing,  he  never  waits  for  some- 
one else  to  do  what  he  should  himself  perform. 

Mr.  Foley  was  bom  on  November  19,  1877,  in  Coal  Creek  township, 
Montgomery  county.     He  is  a  son  of  John  A.   and   Bridget    (Coleman) 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY.    INDIANA.  943 

Foley,  both  natives  of  Ireland,  the  mother  being  born  on  June  22,  1850. 
John  A.  Foley  left  his  native  land  when  a  young  man  and  emigrated  to 
America,  coming  direct  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  and  locating  in 
Coal  Creek  township,  on  a  farm,  and  there  he  became  very  well  established 
through  his  industrj-  and  perseverance,  ranking  among  the  leading  farmers 
of  his  township.  He  devoted  his  life  to  argicultural  pursuits.  In  1888  he 
moved  to  Wingate,  and  his  death  occurred  at  an  advanced  age  on  July  4, 
1912.  Politically,  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  in  religion  a  stanch  Catholic. 
His  wife  preceded  him  to  the  grave  on  February  14,  1897.  They  were  the 
parents  of  ten  children,  five  of  whom  are  still  living,  namely:  Michael  E., 
of  Indianapolis,  was  born  on  September  14,  1872,  was  graduated  from  Wa- 
bash College  in  1899,  then  spent  one  year  in  the  Columbia  Law  School  in 
New  York,  atter  which  he  returned  to  Montgomery  county,  and  for  a 
period  of  nine  years  from  1900  to  1909,  he  was  in  partnership  with  Judge 
Thomas,  of  Crawfordsville,  and  became  one  of  the  leading  lawyers  of  this 
section  of  the  state.  He  is  at  present  counsel  for  the  Terre  Haute.  Indianapo- 
lis &  Eastern  Traction  Company.  James  E.,  tlie  second  child  born  to  Joim  .\. 
Foley  and  wife,  first  saw  the  light  of  day  on  April  6,  1874,  is  still  farming 
on  the  home  place  in  Coal  Creek  township,  this  county ;  William  L.,  born 
June  18,  1875,  is  a  farmer  in  Coal  Creek  township;  Andrew  N..  of  this 
review;  Charles  X.,  born  February  24,  1879.  is  also  farming  in  Coal  Creek 
township. 

Andrew  N.  Foley  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  there  he 
assisted  with  the  general  work  when  a  boy.  He  received  a  good  common 
school  education,  after  which  he  began  life  for  himself  by  teaching  school, 
which  he  followed  continuously  for  a  [period  of  ten  years  with  great  suc- 
cess, during  which  his  services  were  in  great  demand,  for  he  gave  eminent 
satisfaction  to  both  pupil  and  patron,  he  having  been  both  an  entertainer  and 
an  instructor  in  the  school  room.  But  believing  that  the  law  was  his  true 
bent,  he  finally  tired  of  the  school  room  and  turned  his  attention  earnestly 
to  the  law.  He  entered  the  Indiana  Law  School  at  Indianapolis,  where  he 
made  an  excellent  record  and  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1907.  of 
which  he  was  valedictorian.  Thus  well  equipi>ed  for  his  life  work  he  liegan 
practice  at  Covington,  Indiana,  as  deputy  prosecuting  attorney,  and  re- 
mained there  for  a  period  of  two  years,  giving  eminent  satisfaction  and 
getting  a  good  start.  In  1909  he  came  to  Crawfordsville  and  entered  into 
partnership  with  Judge  Thomas,  with  whom  he  has  continued  to  the  present 
time,  enjoying  a  large  and  lucrative  clientele. 


944  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Mr.  Foley  was  married  on  April  5,  1899,  to  Mary  A.  Crane,  of  Hoops- 
ton,  Illinois.  Her  death  occurred  on  March  10,  1904.  To  this  union  two 
children  were  born,  one  of  whom  is  deceased ;  Bernard  B.  is  in  school. 

Politically,  Mr.  Foley  is  a  Democrat;  religiously,  a  Catholic;  and  fra- 
ternally, a  member  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the 
Knights  of  Columbus,  and  the  Tribe  Ben-Hur. 


IRA  CLOUSER. 


Selecting-  the  law  as  his  sphere,  early  in  life,  Ira  Clouser,  the  able  and 
popular  prosecuting  attorney  of  Montgomery  county,  and  one  of  Crawfords- 
ville's  best  known  professional  men,  has  devoted  his  energies  exclusively  to 
that,  ignoring  other  aspirations  to  make  himself  what  he  is  today,  well  nigh  a 
thorough  master  of  legal  science  in  all  its  ramifications.  The  common  law, 
the  statutes  of  Indiana,  the  history,  progress  and  growth  of  jurisprudence,  as 
well  as  the  higher  and  more  abstruse  principles  of  equity,  are  all  completely 
at  his  command,  constituting  him  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  local  bar,  which 
position  is  readily  conceded  to  him  by  his  associates.  As  a  practitioner  he  is 
cautious,  vigilant  and  indefatigable,  contesting  every  point  with  unyielding 
tenacity  and  employing  his  vast  store  of  legal  knowledge  in  sustaining  his 
positions  and  attacking  those  of  his  adversary.  Jn  argument  Mr.  Clouser  is 
clear,  forcible,  logical  and  convincing,  his  irreproachable  personal  character 
and  untarnished  honor  giving  him  great  weight  with  juries,  and  his  known 
ability  and  learning  equally  impressing  the  bench.  Such  a  man  is  a  credit  to 
the  community,  and  his  life  forcibly  illustrates  what  energy  and  consecutive 
effort  can  accomplish  when  directed  and  controlled  by  correct  principles  and 
high  moral  resolves,  his  character  being  the  expression  of  a  strong,  virile 
nature,  and  his  name  is  entitled  to  a  conspicuous  place  in  a  work  of  the 
province  assigned  to  the  one  in  hand. 

Mr.  Clouser  was  born  in  Sugar  Creek  township,  Montgomery  county, 
Indiana,  October  15,  1874.  He  is  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Mahala  (Hampton) 
Clouser. 

Daniel  Clouser  was  born  on  January  17,  1833  i"  ^o^s  county,  Ohio.  He 
is  a  son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Orick)  Clouser,  the  fomier  bom  in  1777  in 
Pennsylvania,  from  which  state  he  moved  to  Ohio  soon  after  the  close  of  the 
war  of  1812,  in  which  he  served.  He  remained  in  Ohio  until  1822  when  he 
moved  to  Indiana,  when  Daniel  Clouser  was  five  years  old,  and  here  John 
Clouser  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  dying  in  1868.  He  was  a  man  of  many 
trades.     He  ran  a  saw  mill  in  Ohio  and  after  coming  to  Indiana  he  continued 


IRA  CLOUSER 


MONTCMJMERY    COINTV,    INDIANA.  945 

to  operate  a  saw  mill,  also  a  grist  mill.  These  mills  or  combination  mill  was 
located  in  Sugar  Creek  township,  Montgomery  county,  and  patrons  came 
from  all  over  this  section  of  the  country.  His  wife,  Margaret  Orick,  was 
born  in  1771.  Her  grandmother  came  from  Ireland.  The  death  of  Mrs. 
Margaret  Clouser  occurred  alxjut  the  time  she  reached  the  century  mark. 
Five  children  were  born  to  John  Clouser  and  wife,  Daniel  ])eing  the  only  one 
living  at  this  writing,  he  having  been  the  youngest  in  order  of  birth;  the 
others  were  named  Mary,  Alfred,  Henry  and  George,  all  long  since  deceased. 

Daniel  Clouser  received  what  little  education  he  could  while  growing  to 
manhood  amid  pioneer  environments,  attending  school  in  an  old  log  school 
house  with  puncheon  floor  and  seats  and  greased  paper  for  a  window  ])ane. 
He  has  li\ed  to  see  Sugar  Creek  township  develop  from  a  veritable  wilderness 
to  one  of  the  most  advanced  farming  communities  in  the  state  and  he  has  been 
active  in  the  progress  of  his  community  and  is  one  of  our  most  substantial 
farmers  and  honored  citizens. 

On  October  6,  1859  Daniel  Clouser  married  Mahala  Hampton,  who  was 
bom  on  February  7,  1840,  in  Crawfordsville,  Indiana,  and  was  a  daughter  of 
Michael  and  Catherine  (Booher)  Hampton,  her  parents  being  from 
Tennessee. 

Eight  children  were  born  to  Daniel  Clouser  and  wife,  all  sur\i\ing  but 
one ;  they  were  named  as  follows :  Mary,  John.  Chestley,  Sarah  is  deceased ; 
Frank,  Marion,  Ira,  subject  of  this  .sketch;  and  Grace. 

Daniel  Clouser  has  lived  in  Sugar  Creek  township  seventy-six  years,  and 
is  therefore  perhaps  the  oldest  inhabitant  of  this  part  of  tlie  county.  He  has 
always  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  also  ran  the  Clouser 
mill  for  many  years,  and  was  postmaster  there  quite  a  long  time.  He  has 
always  been  one  of  the  prominent  and  influential  citizens  of  the  northeastern 
part  of  the  county,  and  no  man  is  held  in  higher  esteem,  for  his  life  has  l>een 
exemplary  in  every  respect.  He  is  owner  of  a  finely  improved  and  productive 
farm  of  four  hundred  and  forty-two  acres  of  valuable  land  in  Sugar  Creek 
and  Franklin  townships.  He  remodeled  his.  dwelling  some  time  ago  and  has 
a  large,  pleasant  home  and  a  good  set  of  outbuildings.  An  excellent  grade 
of  live  stock  is  always  to  be  seen  about  his  barns  and  fields. 

Politically,  Daniel  Clouser  is  a  Democrat  and  has  long  been  a  leader  in 
local  public  affaris.  He  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  Sugar  Creek  town- 
ship for  some  time,  discharging  the  duties  of  the  same  in  a  manner  that  re- 
flected much  credit  upon  himself  and  to  the  eminent  satisfaction  of  all  con- 
cerned. His  decisions  were  characterized  by  uniform  fairness  to  all  parties 
and  they  were  seldom  reversed  at  the  hands  of  higher  tribunals. 
(60) 


946  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Ira  Clouser  received  a  good  education  in  the  common  schools,  the 
preparatory  department  of  Wabash  College  and  two  years  in  the  regular  col- 
lege work  here,  later  attending  the  Indiana  University  at  Bloomington  for  a 
year  and  a  half.  In  1900  he  began  reading  law  in  the  office  of  Johnston  & 
Johnston,  and,  making  rapid  progress,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1902.  He 
then  established  himself  in  the  practice  at  Ladoga,  opening  an  office  there  on 
August  12,  1903.  He  soon  had  a  good  practice  there,  and  became  attorney 
for  the  Ladoga  B.  &  L.  Company.  In  19 10  he  was  elected  prosecuting  at- 
torney of  Montgomery  county,  and  his  record  was  so  eminently  commendable 
that  he  was  re-elected  to  this  responsible  post  in  191 2,  and  is  still  discharging 
the  affairs  of  the  office  in  a  manner  that  reflects  much  credit  upon  himself 
and  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  concerned.  He  has  been  connected  with  a  num- 
ber of  important  cases  in  this  connection  and  has  been  very  successful  in  the 
trial  of  the  same.  One  of  the  most  important  of  these  was  the  Jeffries  mur- 
der case,  in  June,  1911.  He  has  been  prompt  and  effectual  in  the  discharge 
of  his  duty  in  bringing  about  better  moral  conditions  in  the  city  of  Crawfords- 
ville  and  throughout  Montgomery  county.  He  lias  lost  Init  one  case  during 
his  practice  as  prosecutor  in  circuit  court. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Clouser  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  belonging  to 
the  Knights  Templar,  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  having  been  worthy 
patron  of  the  letter,  and  filled  all  offices  in  the  Blue  Lodge.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Ancient  Arabic  Order  of  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  Murat 
Temple  at  Indianapolis.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protec- 
tive Order  of  Elks,  the  Progressive  Order  of  Sons  of  America,  and  the  Phi 
Kappa  Psi,  the  latter  a  Wabash  College  fraternity.  He  is  an  uncompromis- 
ing Democrat  and  has  for  some  years  been  a  local  leader  in  the  party. 

Mr.  Clouser  was  married  on  October  26,  1904  to  Alice  Sands,  a  lady  of 
many  estimable  characteristics.  She  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  Mont- 
gomery county,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Wilson  and  Mary  Sands,  a  prominent 
family  of  Darlington. 


ROBERT   HAMILTON  WILLIAMS. 

Among  the  younger  generations  of  lawyers  in  Montgomeiy  county  who 
give  unusual  promise  of  great  future  success  the  name  of  Robert  Hamilton 
Williams,  of  Crawfordsville,  must  stand  among  the  first  in  the  list,  for  both 
nature  and  training  seem  to  have  combined  in  making  him  an  attorney  of 
rare  power.      All   this,   however,    he   takes   as   a   matter   of   course,   having 


MONTGOMERY    COUXTV.    UN' HI  AX  A.  047 

worked  hard,  and  to  those  who  put  forth  effort,  continued  and  close,  for  a 
long  period,  success  comes  not  as  a  surprise  but  as  their  legitimate  reward. 
He  is  a  plain,  unassuming  gentleman  who  is  well  liked  !))■  all  who  know  him. 

Mr.  Williams  was  born  on  January  lo,  1876,  at  Fincastle,  Putnam 
county,  Indiana,  and  he  is  a  son  of  James  Chrittenden  Williams  and  Mary 
Alice  (Bridges)  Williams.  The  father  was  born  near  Mt.  Vernon,  Ken- 
tucky, December  15,  1849.  I"  1852,  when  he  was  three  years  of  age,  his 
parents  moved  with  him  to  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  and  here  established 
themselves  on  a  farm.  James  C.  Williams  has  also  devoted  his  life  to 
farming  with  much  success,  living  now  on  a  good  farm  in  Putnam  county. 
Mrs.  Williams  was  a  native  of  Putnam  county,  lier  birth  having  occurred 
there  on  November  4,  1855. 

Robert  H.  Williams  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  there  he  as- 
sisted with  the  general  work  when  a  boy,  attending  the  district  schools  dur- 
ing the  winter  montlis.  He  later  attended  the  high  school  at  Fincastle,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1892.  He  then  entered  DePauw 
University  at  Greencastle,  Indiana,  teaching  school  one  year  and  attending 
the  university  the  next,  thus  being  able  to  defray  his  own  expenses  for  a 
higher  education.  He  was  in  school  at  DePauw  about  three  }-ears.  He  then 
entered  the  Indiana  Law  School  in  Indianapolis,  from  whicii  he  was  grad- 
uated with  the  class  of  1904,  having  made  an  excellent  record  there. 

After  finishing  his  education,  he  came  to  Crawfordsville  and  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  the  law  office  of  Schuyler  Kennedy,  in  which 
he  remained  for  nine  months,  then  went  to  the  office  of  Whittington  &  W'iiit- 
tington,  working  there  as  law  clerk  until  1906,  when  upon  the  retirement  of 
one  of  the  members  of  the  firm  he  succeeded  him,  the  firm  name  becoming 
thereupon  Whittington  &  Williams.  This  partnership  continued  with  much 
success  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Whittington,  since  which  time  Mr.  Williams 
has  practiced  alone,  having  built  up  an  extensive,  ever  growing  and  lucrative 
patronage,  and  ranking  among  the  leading  attorneys  of  the  local  bar,  figuring 
conspicuously  in  many  of  the  important  cases  in  this  section  of  the  state. 
He  has  remained  a  close  student  and  is  thus  a  capable,  well  infomied,  cau- 
tious and  earnest  lawyer  who  guards  carefully  the  interests  of  his  clients, 
and,  being  a  logical  and  forceful  speaker,  he  has  great  influence  over  juries. 

Mr.  Williams  in  his  fraternal  relations  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
Order,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  the  Tribe  of  Een-Hur.  Re- 
ligiously, he  is  a  Universalist,  and  in  politics  a  Republican. 

Mr.  Williams  was  married  on  December  23,   1900,  to  Winnie  Louisa 


948  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Stanley,  of  Fincastle,  Indiana.  She  was  l)orn  there  on  January  9,  1880,  and  is 
a  daughter  of  Dr.  Logan  and  .\ngehne  (Korsher)  Stanley,  a  well  known 
family  of  that  place.  There  she  grew  to  womanhood  and  received  her  early 
education.     To  this  union  one  child  has  been  born — Ward  Stanley  Williams. 


DUMONT  M.  PECK 


The  popular  and  well  known  mercantile  firm  of  Warner  &  Peck  in 
Crawfords\'ille  is  deserving  of  the  ever  growing  prestige  which  is  theirs,  be- 
cause they  have  given  their  thousands  of  pleased  customers  honest  goods  and 
courteous  treatment  and  ha\e  sought,  so  far  as  ixjssible.  to  carry  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Golden  Rule  into  their  everyday  work.  They  are  each  men  of 
industry  and  sound  judgment  and  wliile  laboring  for  their  own  advancement 
have  at  the  same  time  sought  to  advance  the  general  welfare  of  Crawfords- 
ville  and  Montgomery  county. 

Dumont  M.  Peck  was  born  in  Newton  county,  Indiana,  Januarj'  20, 
1877.  He  is  a  son  of  Egbert  A.  and  Gertrude  (Morgan)  Peck,  both  of 
whom  are  still  living  in  Newton  county. 

Dumont  M.  Peck  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  county  and  there  re- 
ceived a  good  common  school  education,  subsequently  entering  Wabash  Col- 
lege, where  he  made  a  splendid  record  and  was  graduated  with  the  class  of 
1900.  He  then  entered  the  mercantile  field  in  Crawfordsville  in  partnership 
with  Lee  S.  Warner,  under  the  firm  name  of  Warner  &  Peck,  and  they  have 
continued  to  the  present  time  with  ever  increasing  success  until  they  carry 
a  large  and  carefully  selected  stock  at  all  seasons  and  have  built  up  an  ex- 
tensive and  lucrative  trade,  many  of  their  customers  coming  from  all  parts  of 
the  county,  and  their  store  is  a  favorite  stopping  place  with  the  people  of  the 
rural  di.stricts  for  here  they  find  everything  pleasant  and  are  accorded  uni- 
form courtesy  by  both  management  and  clerks. 

Mr.  Peck  has  been  very  successful  in  a  business  way  and  he  is  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  the  Crawfordsville  Heating  Compan\-,  and  is  second  vice- 
president  of  the  Central  States  Life  Insurance  Company.  He  is  also  vice- 
president  of  the  Commercial  Association.  In  all  these  responsible  positions 
he  is  giving  the  utmost  satisfaction  to  all  concerned. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  but  has  never  been  especially  active  in 
public  matters.  Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Order,  having  at- 
tained to  the  Knights  Templar  degrees,  also  belongs  to  the  Ancient  Arabic 


MONT(;()MERV    COrNTV.    INDIAXA.  949 

Order  of  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  Murat  Temple,  at  Indianapolis.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  .\merica. 
the  Court  of  Honor  and  the  Patriotic  Order  Sons  of  .\merica.  In  all  of 
these  he  takes  considerable  interest. 

Mr.  Peck  was  married  in  September,  xcps.  to  Juliet  .\.  Warner,  and  to 
this  union  one  child  has  been  born,  David  W'.,  who  is  now  attending  .school. 


JOHN  HENRY  BEESON,  D.  D.  S. 

One  of  the  most  promising  of  the  younger  professional  men  of  Mont- 
gomery county  is  Dr.  John  Henry  Beeson,  a  popular  and  skilled  dentist  of 
Crawfordsville.  He  is  already  well  abreast  of  the  times  in  all  that  pertains 
to  his  calling,  but  he  is  making  every  effort  to  learn  more  of  the  art  of  al- 
leviating the  ills  of  suffering  humanity  in  his  particular  field  of  endeavor. 
It  has  not  been  so  very  long  ago  that  a  man  who  devoted  his  entire  atten- 
tion to  the  teeth  could  not  be  found  except  in  the  few  largest  cities  of  the 
country,  the  country  family  physician  being  relied  upon  to  extract  with  his 
rusty  forcepts  the  aching  molar— there  was  no  other  thing  to  do,  it  was  be- 
lieved; however,  for  reasons  which  scientific  men  are  unable  to  clearly  ex- 
plain, the  people  of  two  or  three  generations  ago,  or  even  one,  had  teeth 
which  did  not  readily  decay,  and  it  was  not  uncommon  for  one  to  reach  the 
Psalmist's  three  score  and  ten  years  with  a  full  set  of  good  teeth.  Such  a 
thing  today  is  perhaps  very  improbable.  So  we  must  have  skdled  men  to 
presen-e  our  teeth,  and  thus  our  general  health. 

Dr.  Beeson  was  born  on  March  lo,  1883,  in  Marshall,  Indiana.  He  is  a 
son  of  Stephen  K.  and  Ellen  M.  Beeson,  who  are  still  living  in  Parke 
county,  having  a  good  home  there  as  a  result  of  their  industry  and  there 
they  are  highly  respected,  being  people  of  industry  and  honesty. 

Dr.  Beeson  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  county  and  there  received  a 
good  education  in  the  common  schools,  after  which  he  spent  two  years  at 
the  University  of  Indiana  at  Bloomington.  Having  long  entertained  a  lau- 
dable ambition  to  enter  the  dental  profession  he,  while  yet  but  a  l)oy,  began 
directing  his  efforts  in  this  direction,  and  with  a  view  to  perfecting  himself 
in  the  same,  so  far  as  modern  methods  are  concerned,  he  entered  the  Indiana 
Dental  College  at  Indianapolis,  where  he  made  a  splendid  record,  and  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1908. 

Returning  to  his  native  community  he  at  once  opened  an  office  at  Mar- 


950  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

shall,  Parke  count}',  where  he  remained  a  short  time  and  was  getting  a  good 
start,  but  "seeking  a  wider  field  for  the  exercise  of  his  talents  he  came  to 
Crawfordsville,  Montgomery  county,  in  1909,  and  here  he  has  since  been 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  with  ever  increasing  success,  and 
now  enjoys  a  large  and  lucrative  patronage  and  is  fast  taking  a  position  in 
the  front  ranks  of  the  leading  dentists  of  the  \\'abash  valley  country.  He 
has  a  neat  and  sanitary  office,  fully  equipped  w  ith  all  the  improved  and 
modern  devices  and  appliances  to  insure  quick  and  high  grade  service. 

Dr.  Beeson  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  including  the  Royal 
Arch  Masons;  also  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Sons  of  Veterans,  and  the 
Delta  Sigma  Delta  at  Indianapolis. 

On  August  23,  1910,  Dr.  Beeson  was  married  to  Winnie  Davis,  a 
daughter  of  George  Davis  and  wife,  of  Crawfordsville,  a  well  known  local 
family,  and  here  Mrs.  Beeson  was  reared  to  womanhood  and  was  educated. 

The  Doctor  takes  an  interest  in  military  affairs,  and  is  the  efficient 
second  lieutenant  of  Company  B,  Second  Infantry,  Indiana  National  Guard. 


CHALMERS  ELEAZAR  FULLENWIDER. 

The  career  of  Chalmers  Eleazar  Fullenwider,  who  is  a  well  known 
dealer  in  real  estate  and  loan  business  in  Crawfordsville,  has  been  a  varied 
and  interesting  one,  and  has  provved  that  he  can  make  a  success  of  other 
lines  of  endeavor  except  farming,  which  has  been  his  chief  life  work.  Al- 
though a  native  of  the  locality  of  which  this  history  treats,  he  spent  a  quar- 
ter of  a  centuiy  of  the  most  active  years  of  his  life  in  the  Blue  Grass  state. 
His  actions  have  ever  been  the  result  of  careful  and  conscientious  thought, 
and  when  once  convinced  that  he  is  right,  no  suggestion  of  policy  or  per- 
sonal profit  can  swen-e  him  from  the  course  he  has  decided  upon.  He  has 
sought  to  do  his  full  duty  in  all  the  relations  of  life,  and  he  has  won  and 
retained  the  good  will  of  all  who  know  him. 

Mr.  Fullenwider  was  born  in  Brown  township,  Montgomery  county, 
Indiana,  August  19,  1844.  He  is  a  son  of  Eleazar  and  Lavinia  (Allen- 
Fullenwider.  The  former  was  the  son  of  Jacob  and  Katie  (Winters) 
Fullenwider.  Eleazar  was  born  in  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  February  5, 
1802,  and  there  he  spent  his  young  manhood,  being  twenty-eight  years  of 
age,  when,  in  1830,  he  left  the  "dark  and  bloody  ground"  country  and  came 
to  Sugar  Creek  township,  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  w'here  he  entered 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  95 1 

one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  from  the  government,  and  remained  there  four 
years,  then  removed  to  Brown  township,  where  he  bought  land  which  he 
farmed  until  his  death,  on  May  5,  1871.  He  became  well  known  among  the 
early-day  citizens  of  the  county  and  was  respected  for  his  industry  and  hon- 
esty. In  early  life  he  was  a  Whig,  but  when  that  party  ceased  to  exist  and 
the  Republican  party  was  formed  in  the  early  fifties,  he  identified  himself 
with  that  party,  with  which  he  remained  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He  married  Lavinia  Allen  in  Shelby  county, 
Kentucky,  where  she  was  born  on  October  15,  1802.  Her  death  occurred 
in  Brown  township,  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  at  an  advanced  age. 

Chalmers  E.  Fullenwider,  of  this  review,  grew  to  manhood  on  the 
home  farm,  where  he  worked  hard  when  a  boy,  and  he  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  district  schools,  which  he  attended  during  the  winter  months, 
later  studying  at  Waveland  Academy,  where  he  finished  his  education  in 
1866. 

In  June,  1862,  Mr.  Fullenwider  enlisted  in  the  one-hundred-day  ser- 
vice, becoming  a  member  of  Company  G,  Fifty-fifth  Indiana  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, in  which  he  served  very  faithfully  until  in  September  following.  He 
returned  home  and  began  farming  and  attending  school,  which  he  alternated 
until  1866,  then  worked  steadily  on  the  farm  until  1868.  In  that  year  he 
entered  the  mercantile  business  in  Crawfordsville,  conducting  the  "Enter- 
prise Store"  for  two  years,  enjoying  a  very  satisfactory  business.  He  re- 
turned to  agricultural  pursuits,  however,  in  1870,  and  in  1874  moved  to 
Shelby\-ille,  Kentuck)-,  where  he  resided  for  a  period  of  twenty-five  years, 
making  a  success  of  his  life  work  there.  In  1900  he  came  back  to  Craw- 
fordsville, Indiana,  and  opened  an  office  for  the  transaction  of  real  estate 
and  the  loan  business,  and  this  he  has  continued  to  conduct  to  the  present 
time,  with  much  success,  having  built  up  a  large  and  growing  business. 

He  is  a  niemljer  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  which  he  joined 
in  Kentucky.  He  is  a  Republican,  but  has  never  been  especially  active.  He 
belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Mr.  Fullenwider  was  married  to  Fannie  E.  Shipman  on  May  12,  1868. 
She  was  born  in  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  on  May  13,  1845,  a"<^l  her  death 
occurred  on  July  22,  1909. 

To  this  union  were  born  four  children,  namely:  James  C.  who  li\es  in 
Sumner,  Washington;  Wesley  A.,  who  is  clerking  in  Sliel1)yville,  l\entuck\-; 
J.  Newton,  who  li\es  in  Crawfordsville:  Francis  C.,  of  Los  .\ngeles,  Cali- 
fornia. 


952  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


JAMES  TAYLOR. 


One  of  the  honored  pioneer  families  of  Union  township,  Montgomery 
county,  and  one  that  did  a  great  deal  in  the  early  development  of  the  same 
were  the  Taylors,  one  of  the  best  known  of  the  present  generation  being 
James  Taylor  a  progressive  fanner  of  Union  township,  where  he  has  spent 
his  life  and  where  he  has  lived  to  see  great  changes  take  place.  He  enjoys 
the  much-appreciated  privilege  of  living  on  the  place  where  he  first  opened 
his  eyes  to  the  light  of  day,  which  privilege  is  not  vouchsafed  to  many  of  us. 
For  no  matter  if  the  new  home  may  l)e  more  picturesque,  in  pleasanter  en- 
vironment and  where  a  livelihood  may  be  gained  easier,  yet  it  lacks  some- 
thing, a  subtle,  inscrutable  charm,  an  elusive  atmosphere  which  one  finds  at 
the  old  home  place.  .A.11  this  has  been  fully  appreciated  by  the  subject,  and 
he  has  built  a  fine  home  on  the  site  of  the  original  buildings.  He  has  skil- 
fully rotated  the  crops  so  that  the  land  has  retained  its  original  fertility  and 
productiveness,  and  he  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  best  general  farmers  and 
most  successful  stock  raisers  in  his  neighborhood. 

James  Taylor  was  born  in  this  township  and  county,  on  November  17, 
1842.  He  is  a  son  of  Brazila  and  Nancy  (Huston)  Taylor.  Brazila  Tay- 
lor was  born  in  Tennessee,  where  he  spent  his  earlier  years,  and  from  which 
state  he  came  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  in  the  early  twenties,  when  the 
Wabash  valley  was  yet  a  wilderness,  where  the  log  cabins  of  the  first  settlers 
were  very  few  and  from  which  the  echo  of  the  Indian  huntsman's  halloo  had 
scarcely  died  away.  But  the  elder  Taylor  was  a  typical  pioneer,  a  man  who 
braved  the  wilds  with  courage  and  never  permitted  obstacles  to  stand  in  tlie 
way.  and  he  was  able  to  foresee  a  great  country  here,  so  he  went  to  work 
with  a  will  and  in  due  time  had  established  a  good  home  and  a  fine  farm  in 
Union  township,  where  he  became  well  known  among  the  pioneers.  He 
continued  farming  all  his  life,  dying  here  in  1850.  Mrs.  Taylor  has  also 
been  deceased  many  years. 

James  Taylor,  of  this  review,  was  reared  in  his  native  vicinity,  and  here 
he  found  plenty  of  hard  work  to  do  when  a  boy,  being  the  son  of  one  of  the 
early  settlers.  In  the  winter  time  he  attended  school  in  the  log  school  house 
of  the  neighborhood. 

Mr.  Taylor  has  farmed  all  his  life,  each  succeeding  year  finding  him 
further  advanced  than  the  preceding,  and  he  is  now  the  owner  of  four  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  valuable  and  well  located  land,  forty  acres  of  which 
were  part  of  the  old  homestead,  which  he  has  kept  well  improved  and  under  a 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INIHANA.  953 

high  state  of  cuUivation.  He  has  long  made  a  speciahy  of  raising  a  good  grade 
of  hogs,  cattle  and  horses,  and  no  small  part  of  his  annual  income  is  derived 
from  this  source. 

Politically,  Mr.  Taylor  is  a  Republican,  and  while  he  takes  nnicli  inter- 
est in  local  public  affairs  he  has  never  had  an  ambition  to  be  a  i)u]itician.  In 
religious  matters,  he  belongs  to  the  Christian  church.  bVaternalh ,  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  order. 

Mr.  Taylor  was  married  on  February  15,  1871,  to  Elizabeth  Miller,  and 
to  this  union  four  children  have  been  born,  one  of  whom  is  deceased ;  Frank 
S.  and  Edna  M.  are  living  at  home;  John  L.  is  farming  in  Union  township, 
on  the  old  home  place;  he  married  Emma  Laliy.  and  they  have  c)ne  child. 
John  Robert. 


SAMUEL   PHELPS   TEMPLETON. 

This  gentleman  is  one  of  tlie  many  young  men  on  whom  will  rest  the 
responsibility  of  the  future  prosperity  of  Crawfordsville  and  Montgomery 
county,  and  from  all  indications  he  will  be  a  credit  to  the  community,  as  he 
is  industrious  and  energetic  to  a  marked  degree  and  gives  promise  of  future 
influence  and  usefulness  exceeding  what  has  been  his  in  the  past.  Too  much 
praise  cannot  be  given  Mr.  Templeton  for  the  industry  and  discretion  which 
has  marked  his  career,  the  judgment  displayed  by  him  having  ever  been 
far  beyond  his  years,  and  proclaiming  him  more  than  an  average  in  busi- 
ness capacity.  He  is  a  young  man  of  integrity  and  worth  and  stands  high 
in  the  community. 

Samuel  Phelps  Templeton,  well  known  undertaker  and  embalmer  of 
Crawfordsville,  was  born  August  24,  1872,  at  Monmouth,  Illinois.  He  is  a 
son  of  David  Calvin  and  Harriett  (Payne)  Templeton,  natives  of  Illinois 
and  Ohio,  respectively.  The  death  of  the  father  occurred  in  1899,  after  a 
successful  and  honorable  life.  The  mother  of  our  subject  is  still  living, 
making  her  home  with  her  children.  She  is  a  woman  of  most  commendable 
personal  characteristics  and  is  held  in  highest  regard  by  all  who  know  her, 
and  proved  to  be  a  worthy  and  faithful  helpmeet  to  her  husband. 

Samuel  P.  Templeton  had  an  excellent  education,  and  is  a  graduate 
of  Hyde  Park  School,  Chicago,  and  later  studied  at  the  University  of  In- 
diana, at  Bloomington,  for  some  time.  F^rly  in  life  he  decided  to  be  an 
embalmer,  and  with  this  end  in  view  he  entered  Williams'  School  of  Em- 


934  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

balming  in  Wisconsin,  and  there  made  an  excellent  record,  graduating  with 
the  class  of  1905. 

Thus  well  equipped  for  his  life  work  he  returned  to  Blooniington,  In- 
diana, where  he  remained  in  this  vocation  for  a  period  of  five  years  and  got 
a  good  start  in  life  there.  Seeking  a  larger  field  for  the  exercise  of  his 
talents  he  came  to  Crawfordsville  and  organized  the  D.  C.  Bamhill  Com- 
pany, which  is  the  largest  undertaking  establishment  in  western  Indiana 
and  does  a  ven*  extensive  and  rapidly  growing  business.  They  have  a  neat 
and  modernly  equipped  establishment,  and  prompt  and  high  grade  sen-ice 
is  their  aim. 

Mr.  Templeton  is  a  fine  musician,  having  decided  innate  talent  along 
this  line,  and  he  has  spent  much  time  in  developing  the  same,  and  his  wife 
is  an  accomplished  singer.  They  are  pleasant  people  to  meet  and  have 
made  a  host  of  friends  since  taking  up  their  residence  in  Crawfordsville. 
She  was  known  in  her  maidenhood  as  Clara  Halladay,  and  lived  in  Chi- 
cago.    They  were  married  on  April  4,  1904. 

Mr.  Templeton  is  prominent  in  fraternal  circles.  He  belongs  to  the 
Masonic  Order,  including  the  Knights  Templars  and  the  Order  of  the 
Eastern  Star,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  Pythian  Sisters,  the  Improved 
Order  of  Red  Men,  including  Haymakers,  the  Daughters  of  Pocahontas, 
the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  the  Loyal 
Order  of  Moose. 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON   STEELE. 

One  of  the  popular  and  successful  native  bom  business  men  of  Craw- 
fordsville, and  a  worthy  scion  of  one  of  Montgomery  county's  honored  old 
families  is  George  Washington  Steele,  who  has  for  many  years  conducted  a 
dn.ig  store  here.  He  is  a  man  of  genial  and  obliging  personality  which, 
added  to  his  known  honesty,  has  rendered  him  a  favorite  with  a  wide  circle 
of  acquaintances  and  we  are  glad  to  herein  set  forth  a  brief  resume  of  his 
industrious  and  commendable  life  record,  for  it  shows  what  a  man  of  de- 
tennination  and  right  principles  can  accomplish,  even  in  the  face  of  ob- 
stacles. And  it  also  shows  that  a  man  may  be  blessed  with  material  success 
and  at  the  same  time  maintain  a  proper  integrity  in  social  life  and  also  assist 
in  the  general  upbuilding  of  the  community  in  which  he  resides,  for  Mr. 
Steele  has  ever  manifested  much  interest  in  the  growth  of  the  county  seat 
of  the  fair  county  of  which  this  history  deals. 


MdXTHOMKRV 


9d; 


The  birth  of  Mr.  Steele  occurred  in  city  and  county  on  February  i6, 
1862.  He  is  a  sun  oi  Iharles  M.  and  hdiza  11.  (Miller)  Steele.  The  father 
was  also  a  native  of  Crawfordsville,  and  from  that  early  period,  and  even 
earlier,  the  name  Steele  has  been  a  very  familiar  one  in  this  locality.  The 
paternal  grandparents  of  our  subject  were  Thomas  M.  and  Elizabeth  H. 
Steele.  Charles  Steele  was  reared  and  educated  here  and  he  followed  farm- 
ing all  his  life  in  his  native  vicinity,  dying  in  1870.  His  wife,  Eliza  H. 
Miller,  was  also  a  native  of  Union  township,  Montgomery  county.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  William  Miller,  who  came  to  Union  tovvn.ship  in  tiie 
early  twenties  and  had  the  distinctiuu  of  building  the  first  house  in  Craw- 
fords\ille,  on  the  present  site  of  the  heating  plant,  and  here  he  estal)lished 
the  future  home  of  the  family,  whose  name,  like  the  Steeles,  has  been  a  house- 
hold word  here  for  several  generations. 

The  death  of  the  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  occurred  at 
Sunnyvale,  California,  in  April,  1906,  at  the  time  of  the  great  San  Fran- 
cisco earthquake. 

George  W.  Steele  grew  to  manhood  at  Crawfordsville  and  he  received 
a  good  education  in  the  local  schools.  Early  in  life  he  began  business  for 
himself,  and  here  in  his  native  city  sold  drugs  for  a  period  of  twenty  years, 
enjoying  an  extensive  and  lucrative  business,  but  he  abandoned  that  field  of 
endeavor  upon  the  organization  of  the  Crawfordsville  Trust  Company,  tak- 
ing the  important  position  of  manager  of  the  insurance  department,  which 
place  he  still  holds,  having  discharged  his  duties  in  an  able  and  satisfactory 
manner,  and  the  rapidly  increasing  prestige  and  importance  of  this  well 
known  concern  has  been  due  in  very  large  measure  to  his  able  and  judicious 
planning  and  counsel,  and  the  indomitable  energy  which  he  has  put  into  it.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  firm  of  McDonald  &  Steele,  florists,  of  Craw'fords- 
\ille,  this  firm  having  been  organized  in  1892,  starting  with  only  one  acre. 
Xow  they  occupy  eight  acres  on  West  Wabash  street,  and  are  doing  a  thriv- 
ing business  that  is  rapidly  increasing.  They  have  modern  and  well  arranged 
green  houses  here,  where  the  choicest  varieties  of  commercial  flowers  are 
grown.  They  maintain  a  downtown  office  in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building. 
Their  flowers  are  of  such  superior  quality  and  they  are  so  prompt  and  fair 
in  filling  orders  that  their  business  extends  all  over  Indiana  and  into  Illi- 
nois. They  hold  a  very  high  rank  as  general  florists.  This  firm  was  the 
first  to  grow  roses  and  carnations  in  Crawfordsville.  Their  business  now 
amounts  to  from  twelve  thousand  dollars  to  eighteen  thousand  dollars  an- 
nually; however,  neither  of  the  partners  have  ever  given  personal  attention 
to  it,  but  employ  a  competent  manager. 


956  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Politically,  Mr.  Steele  is  a  Republican,  but  he  has  never  taken  a  very 
active  interest  in  political  matters,  preferring  to  give  his  attention  to  his  in- 
dividual affairs. 

Mr.  Steele  was  married  on  April  10,  1888,  to  Frances  L.  Walter,  the 
accomplished  daughter  of  Henry  Walter,  a  well  known  citizen  of  Wayne 
township,  this  county,  and  here  Mrs.  Steele  grew  to  womanhood  and  re- 
ceived her  education. 


FIELDEN  E.   MORIN. 

The  general  appearance  of  the  fine  and  extensive  landed  estate  of 
Fielden  E.  Morin,  of  Madison  township,  bespeaks  for  the  proprietor  a  man 
of  progressive  ideas  as  well  as  indomitable  energ}',  and  one  who  is  thorough- 
ly familiar  with  every  detail  of  agriculture.  His  land  lies  in  Tippecanoe 
county,  but  he  maintains  his  home  at  the  village  of  Linden.  In  a  quiet 
way  he  has  done  much  to  promote  the  industrial  interests  of  this  section  of 
the  Wabash  country,  and  every  public  improvement  or  private  enterprise 
for  the  good  of  the  vicinity  in  which  lie  has  long  resided  finds  in  him  a 
zealous  supporter  and  liberal  jjatron.  He  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  best 
examples  of  modern  twentieth  century  farming  that  could  be  found  in  the 
locality  of  which  this  history  treats,  and  it  is  indeed  a  pleasure  to  look  over 
his  broad  acres,  well  kept,  productive  fields,  substantial,  and  attractive 
dwelling  and  other  buildings.  He  is  a  man  who  believes  in  attending 
strictly  to  his  own  liusiness,  and  his  good  name  has  ever  been  above  the  re- 
proach of  all. 

Mr.  Morin  was  born  in  Montgomery  county.  Indiana,  Deceml)er  12, 
1862.  He  is  a  son  of  Milton  and  Rachael  (Rice)  Morin.  The  father  was 
bom  on  June  17,  1835.  in  Ohio,  and  his  death  occurred  on  February  7, 
1905.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  on  March  16,  1835,  in  Mont- 
gomery county,  and  her  death  occurred  on  December  25,  1873.  Milton 
Morin  came  to  i\Iontgomery  county  as  a  child,  received  a  common  school 
education  and  was  married  here,  and  the  mother  of  our  subject  taught 
school  in  her  native  locality  for  a  time  when  a  young  woman.  The  father 
devoted  his  life  successfully  to  farming.  Politically,  he  was  at  first  a 
Whig,  later  a  Republican. 

Five  children  were  born  to  Milton  Morin  and  wife,  all  still  living, 
namely:     Fielden,  of  this  review,  being  the  eldest;  William;  born  January 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY.    INIllANA.  957 

27,  1865;  Melvina  \'..  born  September  2,  i860;  Anna  B.,  born  September 
13.  1868:  Nancy  A.,  born  July  24.  1870,  is  the  youngest. 

Melden  Morin  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm,  wlicre  he  worked 
hard  when  growing  to  manhood,  but  he  found  time  to  recei\e  a  gdnd  cdin- 
mon  school  education. 

Mr.  Morin  was  married  on  Octc)l)er  24.  1888,  to  Abiia  lialstead.  who 
was  born  in  this  county  July  9,  1869.  and  here  slie  was  reared  to  woman- 
hood and  received  a  god  education  in  the  pubHc  schools.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  William  W.  and  Rhoda  (Coyner)  Halstead,  both  nati\es  of  Indiana. 
The  father  was  born  January  10,  1S44  and  he  is  still  lixing.  making  his 
home  at  l\irk])atrick.  His  wife  was  l)(irn  on  July  22.  184".  and  she,  too,  is 
still  living.  They  are  the  jjarents  of  eight  children,  six  of  whom  are  living 
at  this  writing,  namely;  Clyde  \'.,  born  May  4.  1868,  died  March  29.  1900; 
Alma,  wife  of  Mr.  Morin.  of  this  rexiew ;  Musetta,  born  September  4,  1871, 
died  Xovember  8,  1890;  William,  born  Septeml)er  2^.  1873;  John  Coyner, 
born  July  16,  1876;  Ruby,  born  March  17,  1880:  Ivrnest  M..  born  January 
4,  1883;  Josiah,  born  March  29,  1885. 

Two  children  ha\e  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morin,  namely:  Mabel 
A.,  born  Xovember  2.  1889.  is  in  college:  and  Musetta  J.,  bom  July  5, 
1891,  is  also  in  college.  They  are  Iwth  making  splendid  records  for  scholar- 
ship and  are  popular  with  the  young  people  of  their  ac(|uaintance. 

Mr.  Morin  began  farming  for  himself  when  a  young  man  and  this  has 
remained  his  life  vocation,  paying  particular  attention  to  well-bred  live  stock, 
and  for  the  past  six  years  he  has  been  raising  Chester  White  hogs,  with 
which  he  has  made  a  pronounced  success,  those  he  ofifers  for  sale  finding  a 
very  ready  market,  owing  to  their  superior  quality.  He  is  the  owner  of  a 
finely  improved  and  veiy  productive  farm  of  four  hundred  and  eiglity 
acres,  nearly  all  tillable  and  w-ell  tiled  and  otherwise  well  impro\'ed.  This 
land  lies  just  across  the  line  in  Tippecanoe  county.  There  Mr.  Morin  con- 
tinued to  live,  carrying  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising  on  an  exten- 
sive scale  until  in  1904  when  he  moved  to  his  attractix'e  home  in  Linden,  and 
there  he  and  his  family  still  reside.  He  has  not.  howexer,  been  idle  (hning 
these  latter  years,  but  has  not  been  so  deeply  engrossed  in  Jiis  farm  and 
live  stock  as  previously.  His  home  in  Linden  is  a  commodious  one.  neatly 
furnished,  and  in  the  midst  of  spacious  and  attractive  surroundings. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  but  he  has  never  l)een  active  in  public 
afifairs,  preferring  to  devote  his  attention  e.xclusively  to  his  large  farming 
and  stock  raising  j)ursuits.  He  attends  and  sujiports  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church. 


g^8  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

JAMES  S.  KELLY. 

In  examining  the  records  of  self-made  men,  it  will  inevitably  be  found 
that  indefatigable  industry  has  constituted  ihe  basis  of  their  success.  True 
there  are  other  elements  which  enter  in  and  conserve  the  advancement  of 
personal  interests,  perseverance,  discrimination  and  mastering  of  expedients, 
but  the  foundation  of  all  achievement  is  earnest,  persistent  labor.  At  the  out- 
set of  his  career  James  S.  Kelly,  grocer  of  Crawfordsville,  and  for  many 
years  one  of  our  well  known  and  progressive  business  men,  recognized  this 
fact  and  he  did  not  seek  any  royal  road  to  the  goal  of  prosperity  and  inde- 
pendence, but  began  to  work  earnestly  and  diligently  to  advance  himself,  hav- 
ing been  tiirown  on  his  own  resources  when  quite  young,  and  the  result  is  that 
he  is  now  numbered  among  the  successful  and  respected  citizens  of  the 
city  of  his  choice.  It  was  a  bitter  experience  he  had  to  meet  when  facing 
the  hard  world  as  a  tender  boy.  yet,  such  experience  is  what  usually  brings 
out  the  mettle  of  tlie  soul  and  makes  success  in  later  life  possil)le,  and  thus 
proves  a  blessing,  in  most  instances,  in  disguise. 

Mr.  Kelly  was  born  on  September  9,  1850,  in  Brooklyn,  New  York, 
and  is  a  son  of  Patrick  and  Mary  Kelly,  botli  natives  of  Ireland,  tiie  father 
being  born  there  in  1808,  and  when  young  in  years  he  came  to  America, 
locating  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  where  he  worked  as  a  stone  mason  and 
contractor.  His  death  occurred  in  1857.  His  wife  also  grew  up  in  the 
Emerald  Isle,  her  birth  having  occurred  there  in  1814,  and  there  they  were 
married.     Her  death  occurred  in  1856. 

James  S.  Kelly  was  thus  left  an  orphan  when  seven  years  of  age.  He 
came  to  Crawfordsville,  Indiana,  in  1859,  and  worked  on  a  farm  near  here 
until  1863,  when  he  went  to  ^^anderburg  county,  where,  he  became  an 
employe  of  a  large  wholesale  shoe  Inisiness,  remaining  there  eight  years, 
each  one  finding  him  further  advanced  than  the  preceding  year.  However, 
longing  for  the  freedom  of  the  countiy  he  went  back 'to  the  farm  in  1871, 
in  Montgomery  county,  on  which  he  remained  until  1881,  this  ten  years  as 
a  general  agriculturist  and  stock  man  being  altogether  satisfactory.  He 
then  came  to  Crawfordsville  and  started  in  the  grocery  business,  in  which 
he  remained  for  a  period  of  eighteen  years,  enjoying  an  extensive  trade 
with  the  city  and  surrounding  country.  He  was  then  in  the  shoe  business 
with  his  formef  success  for  a  period  of  six  years.  Desiring  once  again  to 
change  his  occupation,  he  abandoned  merchandising  and  took  up  fire  in- 
surance, which  he  followed  for  eight  years,  building  up  quite  an  extensive 


MO:'IT(U1MKRV    CorXTV,    INDIANA.  959 

patronage.  I''inally.  he  returned  to  the  grocery  lousiness,  wliicli  lie  is  still 
engaged  in  at  Crawfordsville.  his  large,  neatly  arranged,  well  kept  store 
being  one  of  the  most  popular  of  its  kind  in  the  county,  and  it  is  always 
stocked  uith  a  choice  line  of  staple  and  fancy  groceries.  It  is  located  on 
West  Main  street. 

Politically,  ]\Ir.  Kelly  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Tribe 
of  Ben-Hur  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  also  the  Patriotic  Order  Sons  of 
America.  He  holds  membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and 
has  been  a  member  of  the  official  board  for  the  past  eighteen  years,  and 
treasurer  for  three  years.  He  was  for  a  period  of  three  years  purchasing 
agent  for  the  Culver  Hospital,  giving  satisfaction  to  all  in  this  capacity. 

Mr.  Kelly  was  married  on  March  7,  1888,  to  Sue  C.  Campbell,  of  near 
Cadiz,  Ohio.  She  was  torn  in  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsyh'ania,  Octo- 
ber 19.  1852.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Campljell  and  wife,  both  of 
whom  are  deceased. 


ROBERT   H.    LARRICK. 

Robert  H.  Larrick.  well  known  farmer  and  stock  man  of  I'Vanklin 
township,  whose  span  of  life,  covering  sixty-four  years,  has  been  passed  in 
Montgomery  county,  and  who  stands  today  as  one  ui  the  men  whose  li\es  ha\e 
meant  something  more  than  to  exist  and  accumulate  projjcrty  and  whose 
impress  has  helped  shape  the  lives  of  others  toward  a  fuller  realization  of 
the  responsibilities  of  this  world,  with  an  earnest  desire  to  secure  the  ulti- 
mate happiness  of  his  neighbors  and  acquaintances,  is  eminently  deserving 
of  mention  in  a  work  of  the  province  of  the  one  in  hand,  as  we  shall  see  by 
a  perusal  of  the  following  paragraphs. 

Mr.  Larrick  was  born  on  December  21,  1849,  in  Montgomery  county, 
Indiana,  and  he  is  a  son  of  I.  N.  and  Elizabeth  (Tillard)  Larrick.  The 
father  was  born  in  Ross  county,  Ohio,  May  26,  1819,  and  his  death  oc- 
curred on  January  22,  1887.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Ohio 
in  1822.  and  her  death  occurred  on  July  31,  1889.  These  parents  grew  to 
maturity  in  their  native  state  and  there  received  a  limited  education  and 
were  married.  They  devoted  their  lives  to  farming,  the  father  being  also 
a  stock  buyer.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  three  of  whom 
are  still  living,  namely:  John.  Robert,  and  Isaac;  Mary,  Emma,  Horace, 
and  Frank  are  deceased. 

Robert  H.  Larrick  received  a  common  school  education  and  he  grew 


960  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  in  this  county.  On  March  6,  1889,  he  was 
married  to  Rose  HoUingsworth,  who  was  born  in  this  county  on  April  18, 
1 86 1,  and  here  she  grew  to  womanhood  and  received  a  common  scliool 
education. 

Three  children  have  been  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  namely :  John 
W.,  born  February  25,  1891,  is  on  the  home  farm;  James  N.,  bom  January 
30,  1893;  Penson  H.,  born  January  13,  1901. 

Mr.  Larrick  has  always  followed  fanning  in  Franklin  township,  and 
he  has  been  very  successful,  being  now  the  owner  of  a  finely  improved  and 
productive  farm  of  two  hundred  and  five  acres;  however,  only  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  are  tillable.  His  land  lies  just  outside  the  town  of 
Darlington.  He  has  a  pleasant  home  and  substantial  outbuildings.  He 
handles  a  good  grade  of  live  stock,  which  he  prepares  for  the  market,  and 
this  forms  no  small  part  of  his  annual  income.  He  is  regarded  as  one  of 
the  most  up-to-date  general  agriculturists  in  the  vicinity  of  Darlington. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat,  but  he  has  ne\er  been  especially  active  in 
public  affairs. 


J.  \V.  DICKERSOX,  M.  D. 

There  is  no  member  of  the  Alontgoniery  county  medical  fraternity  who 
occupies  a  higher  position  in  the  estimation  of  the  people  than  does  Dr.  J.  W. 
Dickerson,  of  Wingate.  During  his  many  years  of  practice  he  has  built  up  a 
very  large  patronage  and  he  is  regarded  as  a  safe  and  honest  general  prac- 
titioner who  is  well  abreast  of  the  times  and  he  is  kept  very  busy.  He  realized 
early  that  there  is  a  purpose  in  life  and  that  there  is  no  honor  not  founded  on 
worth  and  no  respect  not  founded  on  accomplishment.  He  has  never  de- 
pended upon  others  to  do  what  he  himself  should  do.  While  engaged  in  the 
prosecution  of  his  own  chosen  work,  he  has  never  Iseen  neglectful  of  the  gen- 
eral welfare  of  the  people  of  his  locality  and  he  has  won  and  retained  the 
esteem  of  all  who  know  him. 

Dr.  Dickerson  was  born  on  June  17,  1853  in  Hendricks  county,  Indiana, 
near  Danville.  He  is  a  son  of  Griffith  and  Elizabeth  (Roy)  Dickerson.  The 
doctor's  father  was  born  in  \^irginia  in  [811.  He  left  the  Old  Dominion 
when  a  child  and  settled  with  the  rest  of  the  family  in  Hendricks  county, 
Indiana,  where  he  grew  to  manhood,  was  educated  in  the  pioneer  schools  and 
he  devoted  his  life  to  farming  and  stock  raising. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  96I 

Tlie  following  children  were  born  to  Griffith  Dickerson  ami  wife,  only 
three  of  whom  are  still  lixinj^-;  tlie\-  were  named,  John.  TliDnias.  Rebecca, 
Walker.  Mrs.  Mary  Ross,  Mrs.  .\niy  Laton,  George.  Dr.  |.  W.  (imr  sul>ject), 
Frederick;  the  next  two  were  twins,  and  the  youngest  child  died  in  infancy. 

Dr.  Dickerson  received  a  good  common  school  education,  later  taking  a 
course  at  Central  College,  at  Indianapolis,  and  finally  studied  at  the  American 
Medical  College  in  Cincinnati,  remaining  there  four  years  and  making  an 
excellent  record  for  scholarship. 

Dr.  Dickerson  was  married  on  September  24,  1884,  at  Danville,  Illinois. 
to  Vona  Chauncey,  who  was  born  on  October  24,  1861.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  David  and  Rosa  (\\'el>ster)  Chauncey.  the  former  now  deceased  but  the 
mother  is  still  living. 

To  the  Doctor  and  wife  one  child  has  been  born,  namely:  Roy  C.  who 
married  Lula  Crane,  of  Wingate,  and  they  live  in  this  place,  he  being  engaged 
in  business  here.     They  have  one  child.  John  William. 

Dr.  Dickerson  started  out  in  life  on  a  farm.  On  Septeml)er  i,  1876,  he 
enlisted  in  the  United  States  army,  under  Capt.  F.  W.  Benteen.  in  Company 
H,  Seventh  Regiment,  Western  Cavalry,  at  Indianapolis.  He  at  once  became 
a  member  of  the  expedition  that  was  sent  to  the  hostile  Indian  country  of  the 
West,  and  he  was  in  the  campaign  down  the  Missouri  river  that  fall  for  the 
purpose  of  disarming  the  Indians  that  were  supposed  to  have  engaged  in  the 
battle  of  the  Little  Big  Horn,  in  ^Montana,  the  preceding  June.  The  Seventh 
cavalry  was  commanded  by  Col.  S.  D.  Sturgis.  They  were  in  the  ^'ellnw- 
stone  expedition  in  1S77  under  the  command  of  Col.  X.  .\.  .Miles,  being  then 
in  the  Fifth  Infantry.  In  1878  our  subject  was  with  the  tniops  that  escurted 
the  Cheyenne  Indians  as  far  as  the  Black  Hills,  being  then  under  tiie  com- 
mand of  Lieut.-Col.  E.  Otis.  The  Seventh  Cavalry  in  1879  changed  from 
Fort  A.  Lincoln,  to  Fort  Meade  in  the  Black  Hills.  In  1880  our  subject  was 
a  scout  for  twenty  days  in  pursuit  of  the  hostile  Indians  on  the  Little  Missouri 
river,  under  Col.  F.  W.  Benteen.  In  1881  he  was  in  camp  on  the  Little  .Mis- 
souri river,  protecting  that  coun,try  from  the  hostile  Indians,  and  in  .\ugust 
of  that  year  Dr.  Dickerson  was  honorably  discharged.  He  proved,  according 
to  his  comrades,  to  l)e  a  very  courageous  and  faithful  soldier,  and  he  took 
part  in  a  number  of  important  campaigns  against  the  Indians  who  gave  the 
government  so  much  trouble  in  those  days.  The  doctor  talks  most  interest- 
ingly of  his  experiences  in  the  wild  West  tbirty-fi\e  years  ago.  .\fter  his 
career  in  the  army  he  returned  to  the  East  and  went  into  the  drug  business 
in  Illinois,  later  he  began  the  practice  of  medicine  and  surgerv  in  Rush  countv, 
(61) 


962  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Indiana,  where  he  built  up  a  \ery  large  patronage.  He  came  to  Montgomery 
county  on  January  i,  1894,  and  here  he  has  remained  to  the  present  time, 
maintaining  a  well  equipped  office  at  the  town  of  Wingate,  Coal  Creek  town- 
ship. He  has  a  large  and  constantly  growing  practice  and  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful as  a  general  practitioner  and  surgeon. 

Dr.  Dickerson  is  a  Democrat  and  is  a  loyal  supporter  of  his  party's  prin- 
ciples. In  religious  matters  he  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  fraternally  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Order  at  Wingate,  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  at  Wingate,  and  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur. 


S.  A.  HAMPTON. 


Franklin  township,  Montgomery  count}-,  has  no  more  painstaking  or 
skillful  tiller  of  the  soil  than  S.  A.  Hampton,  who  is  deserving  of  rank 
among  our  best  citizens,  a  statement  in  which  all  who  have  known  him  well 
during  his  life-long  residence  in  this  locality  will  readily  acquiesce.  For 
while  laboring  for  his  individual  advancement,  he  has  not  been  neglectful 
of  his  larger  duties  as  a  neighbor  and  citizen,  always  being  willing  to  assist 
a  brother  toiler  on  the  highway  of  life  and  to  do  his  little  part  in  keeping 
public  affairs  as  pure  as  possible,  not  being  of  those,  pessimistically  in- 
clined, who  believe  that  the  "purification  of  politics  is  an  irridescent  dream." 
On  the  other  hand,  he  has  faith  in  the  future,  believing  that  the  right  and 
harmony  must  eventually  prevail,  however  great  may  be  the  obstacles. 

Mr.  Hampton  was  born  in  this  county  on  February  8,  1868.  He  is  a 
son  of  Samuel  and  Phoebe  (Guntle)  Hampton.  The  father  was  born  in 
Tennessee  on  February  20,  1828,  and  his  death  occurred  on  April  12,  1907. 
The  mother  was  born  in  Indiana  on  August  13,  1826,  and  her  death  oc- 
curred on  August  28,  1889.  These  parents  each  grew  up  in  their  respective 
communities  and  received  meager  educational  training  in  the  old-fasiiioned 
schools.  The  father  devoted  his  life  to  farnu'ng.  Politically,  he  was  a  strong 
Democrat. 

Eleven  children  were  born  to  Samuel  Hampton  and  wife,  nine  of  whom 
are  still  living. 

S.  A.  Hampton  received  a  common  school  education.  In  August, 
1887,  he  was  married  to  Ida  Walton,  who  was  born  in  Montgomery  county 
on  October  8,  1870.     She  is  a  daughter  of  Ayre  Walton  and  wife,  the  father 


MONTGOMKKV    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  963 

having  come  from  Jennings  county.  Mrs.  Haiiiinou  received  a  cnmmon 
school  education. 

Two  children  have  been  Ixtrn  to  our  subject  and  wife,  namely:  Cecil 
B.,  born  September  25,  1888,  married  Flora  Heffner,  and  they  live  on  the 
Woody  farm  in  Sugar  Creek  township;  Ernest,  born  Novemljer  2y,  iSyo, 
is  living  on  the  home  farm,  assisting  his  father  with  the  work. 

Mr.  Hampton  has  devoted  his  life  to  general  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing; however,  he  was  in  business  for  awhile  at  Thorntown,  later  returning 
to  Montgomery  county  and  resumed  farming,  which  he  has  carried  on  to 
the  present  da)',  lie  owns  one  place  of  eighty-five  and  twenty-four  one- 
hundredths  acres.  His  land  is  well  improved  and  all  tillable,  and  on  his 
place  stands  a  comfortable  dwelling  and  convenient  outbuildings.  In  con- 
nection with  general  farming  he  handles  a  good  grade  of  live  stock. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat  and  is  loyal  to  the  colors  wiiether  in  de- 
feat or  victory.  In  1910  he  was  placed  on  the  advisory  board  of  I""ranklin 
township. 


WILLIAM  SIMPSON  HARDING. 

We  are  glad  to  note  in  this  series  of  biographical  articles  that  so  many 
of  the  progressive  citizens  of  Montgomery  county  ha\e  l)een  born  and  reared 
here,  for  this  is  an  indication  of  at  least  two  things,  namely,  that  they  are 
men  of  keen  discernment,  being  able  to  see  and  appreciate  present-day  condi- 
tions as  tiiey  are  and  that  the  county  is  indeed  one  of  the  favored  sections  of 
the  great  Hoosier  commonwealth,  else  these  people  would  have  sought  oppor- 
tunities elsewhere.  As  it  is,  they  did  not  need  to  heed  the  call  of  the  wander- 
lust that  is  heard  at  some  stage  or  other  in  the  lives  of  all  young  men.  It  very 
frequently  leads  them  to  forsake  the  "land  of  milk  and  honey"-  and  go  in 
search  of  a  never-to-be-obtained  oasis  of  a  mirage,  ultimately  finding  instead 
the  barren,  sand-swept  waste  of  a  Sahara,  often,  too,  after  it  is  too  late  to 
return  and  establish  themselves  in  their  own  nati\e  heath.  William  Simp- 
son Harding,  who  is  connected  with  the  county  surveyor's  ofhce  as  field 
engineer,  is  one  of  the  large  number  of  boys  of  Montgomery  county  who 
have  had  the  good  judgment  to  remain  right  at  home  and  devote  their 
energies  to  the  things  with  which  they  are  most  familiar,  and  labor  among 
the  people  who  know  them  and  whom  they  know,  hence  they  have  had  a  l>et- 
ter  opportunity  of  ultimately  attaining  the  ever-sought- for  guerdon — success. 

Mr.  Harding  was  born  in  Union  township.  Montgomery  county,  Indi- 


964  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

ana,  May  7,  1869.  He  is  a  son  of  John  A.  and  Elizabeth  W.  (Farrow) 
Harding.  The  father  was  born  in  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  September  7, 
1835,  and  came  to  Montgomery  county  with  his  parents  when  a  lad  and  here 
grew  to  manhood  and  received  his  education.  He  was  a  son  of  Josiah  Hard- 
ing, who  was  born  in  Maryland  in  the  year  1801.  The  latter  resided  in  his 
native  state  until  attaining  his  twentieth  year,  when  with  his  father  Nathan 
he  removed  to  Shelby  county,  Kentucky.  Josiah  Harding  married  Elizabeth 
Miller,  daughter  of  Ellis  Miller,  who  was  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser  in  Ken- 
tucky, to  which  state  he  removed  from  Virginia  about  the  year  1821.  In 
1835  Josiah  Harding  came  to  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  locating  in  Greene 
township,  where  he  entered  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  lived  there  for 
about  two  years  when  he  settled  in  Putnam  county,  which  was  his  home  for 
twenty  years.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  moved  to  a  farm  two  miles 
south  of  Crawfordsville,  where  he  died  in  April,  1889.  His  wife,  who  was 
bom  March  12,  1806,  died.  Josiah  Harding  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  was,  politically  a  Republican.  He  owned  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  land  in  Montgomery  county  at  the  time  of  his  death.  His 
family  consisted  of  five  children,  four  of  whom  grew  to  maturity,  among 
them  the  following:  Charles  W.,  who  became  a  merchant;  John  A.,  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Henry  W.,  who  also  became  a  farmer. 

John  A.  Harding  devoted  most  of  his  life  to  farming,  but  was  for  some 
time  in  the  mercantile  business  in  Crawfordsville,  also  in  Leavenworth,  Kan- 
sas. He  is  now  living  retired.  He  and  Elizabeth  W.  Farrow  were  married 
in  1864.  She  was  born  in  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  March  10,  1844,  and  her 
death  occurred  in  1904. 

William  S.  Harding  received  a  common  school  education,  and  he  spent 
three  years  in  Wabash  College,  after  \\hich  he  clerked  in  Crawfordsville,  for 
a  period  of  ten  years,  for  Smith  &  Morgan,  druggists,  giving  them  eminent 
satisfaction.  He  then  entered  the  county  surveyor's  office,  and  has  since 
been  connected  with  it  as  field  engineer.  He  has  filled  this  position  in  a  man- 
ner entirely  satisfactor}'  to  all  concerned.  He  is  familiar  with  every  phase  of 
this  line  of  endeavor. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Harding  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  belonging 
to  the  Blue  Lodge,  also  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  In  religious  mat- 
ters he  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  and  politically  is  a  Republican. 

Mr.  Harding  was  married  on  September  22,  1906  to  Maude  Mcintosh, 
who  was  born  in  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  June  5,  1877.  Here  she  grew 
to  woma,nhood  and  was  educated. 


MONTOOMKRY    COUXTY.    INHIANA.  {)()-, 


DR.  M.  H.  LIDIKAV 


In  reading-  o\-er  the  record  of  the  lives  of  Mianv  of  the  leachnt;-  citizens 
of  a  county  one  becomes  impressed  with  the  fact  that  certain  families  show 
at  the  outset  their  strong  inclinations  toward  books  and  learning  generally, 
or  in  at  least  keeping  up  with  the  times  on  current  topics.  Among  the 
fanning  community  it  is  the  rule,  and  not  the  exception,  to  find  ordinary 
educations,  but  occasionally  a  family  is  met  with  that  rises  above  the  others 
in  the  scale  of  education  and  the  capacity  to  grasp  the  larger  questions  of 
mental  improvement.  Such  families  are  numerous  in  Montgomery  county, 
and  it  is  a  sign  that  this  locality  is  equal  to  any  in  the  state  in  point  of 
citizenship.  One  such  is  that  represented  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Dr. 
M.  H.  Lidikay,  well  known  veterinary  physician,  of  Darlington,  a  man  who 
is  in  ever)'  way  deserving  of  the  large  material  success  and  the  high  regard 
of  his  neighbors  which  he  enjoys  for  his  life  has  been  one  of  industry  and 
honor. 

Dr.  Lidikay  was  born  on  September  13,  1872,  in  Montgomery  county, 
Indiana.  He  is  a  son  of  George  E.  and  Mary  (Grayville)  Lidikay.  The 
father  was  born  in  1839  in  Kentucky.  For  a  full  history  of  the  Lidikay 
and  Gravville  families  the  reader  is  directed  to  the  sketches  of  J.  E.  Lidi 
kay  and  Josephus  Grayville,  appearing  elsewhere  in  this  work.  The  father 
of  our  subject  is  still  living,  making  his  home  in  Kansas.  The  mother  of 
the  Doctor  was  born  in  Virginia  and  her  death  occurred  in  April,  1902. 
George  E.  Lidikay  has  always  followed  general  farming,  but  is  now  leading 
a  retired  life.  His  family  consisted  of  nine  children,  seven  of  whom  are 
still  living. 

Dr.  Lidikay  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm,  where  he  made  him- 
self generally  useful  in  his  boyhood  days,  and  he  received  a  good  common 
school  education,  later  attending  the  Toronto  Veterinary  School  at  Toronto, 
Canada,  where  he  made  an  excellent  record  and  from  which  lie  was  gradu- 
ated with  the  class  of  1907. 

He  made  his  start  on  the  farm,  later  engaged  in  business  in  Ladoga 
for  awhile,  then  took  up  the  study  of  veterinary  surger\',  and  after  proper 
preparation  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Darlington,  where  he 
has  since  remained.  He  enjoys  a  large  and  rapidly  growing  patronage 
and  has  made  a  great  success  of  his  vocation,  being  regarded  as  one  of  the 
best  in  his  line  in  the  county,  and  he  is  kept  very  busy.  He  keeps  well  up 
with  the  times  in  all  that  pertains  to  his  profession  and  is  well   equipped 


966  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

with  instruments  and  apparatus  for  prompt  and  high  grade  service.  He 
owns  an  attractive,  modernly  appointed  nine-roomed  dwelling  in  Darling- 
ton, and  nearby,  on  the  rear  of  his  lot,  is  a  substantial  and  convenient  cement 
office  and  hospital. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat,  and,  in  fraternal  affairs  belongs  to  the 
Masonic  Order  at  Darlington. 

On  June  25,  1901,  Dr.  Lidikay  married  Mertie  Lee  Foster,  who  was 
born  in  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  July  24,  1875.  She  grew  to  woman- 
hood here  and  received  her  education  in  the  common  and  high  schools,  and 
later  she  attended  college  at  Covington,  Indiana.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Henry  Allen  and  Mattie  E.  (Allen)   Foster. 

To  our  subject  and  wife  three  children  have  been  born,  two  of  whom 
are  still  living;  they  were  named  Mary  Helen,  the  first  born,  is  deceased; 
Henry  A.,  born  March  18,  1907:  Harry  Davis,  born  April  12,  1910. 


RICHARD  C.  HARPER. 

Few  men  of  a  past  generation  in  Sugar  Creek  township,  Montgomery 
county,  sought  any  harder  to  advance  the  general  good  of  his  locality  than 
the  late  Richard  C.  Harper,  a  man  whom  to  know  was  to  admire  and  re- 
spect, for  he  was  the  possessor  of  that  peculiar  combination  of  attributes 
which  results  in  the  attainment  of  much  that  is  worth  while  in  this  world. 
He  aimed  to  be  progressive  in  what  he  did,  was  always  in  sympathy  with 
enterprises  having  for  their  object  the  common  good,  and  his  influence  was 
invariably  exerted  on  the  right  side  of  ever}'  moral  issue.  Like  all  men  of 
positive  character  and  independence  of  mind,  he  was  outspoken  in  what  he 
considered  right,  and  his  convictions  were  such  that  his  neighlxjrs  and  fel- 
low-citizens knew  well  his  position  on  all  questions  of  a  political,  moral,  and 
religious  nature.  His  private  life  was  exemplary  and  his  amiable  character 
and  many  virtues  made  him  popular  with  all  who  knew  him,  and  his  passing 
away  was  regretted  by  all. 

Mr.  Flarper  was  born  on  June  19,  1849,  '"  Hamilton  county,  Ohio,  but 
most  of  Iiis  life  was  spent  in  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  whither  he  was 
brought  from  the  old  Buckeye  state,  when  six  months  old,  by  his  parents, 
Silas  and  Maiy  Jane  (Allen)  Harper.  They  were  both  natives  of  Ohio, 
the  father  having  been  born  in  Hamilton  county,  and  there  grew  to  man- 
hood, and  when  the  Civil  war  came  on  was  a  soldier  for  the  Union,  and  died 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  967 

while  in  the  service.  He  had  (ievntcil  hi.s  life  to  tarnlinJ,^  The  su1)ject'.s 
parents  had  four  children,  only  one  of  whom  is  now  living;  they  were  I-lliza- 
beth  and  Mary,  both  deceased:  Angelina,  living:  and  Richard  C,  suliject  of 
this  memoir. 

Richard  C.  Harper  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  place  in  this  county 
and  there  he  made  himself  generally  useful  during  his  boyhood  days.  He 
received  a  common  school  education.  On  October  21,  1875,  'i^  married 
Mahala  Holloway.  She  was  born  in  Clinton  county,  Indiana,  on  August  8, 
1857.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Sarah  (Truett)'  Holloway.  Tlie 
father  was  born  in  this  county,  and  he  died  in  1896.  The  mother  was  l)orn 
in  Clinton  county,  Indiana,  and  her  death  occurred  in  Clinton  county  in 
1855.  Mrs.  Haq)er  grew  to  womanhood  in  her  nati\e  conmumity  and 
received  a  common  school  eflucation. 

Seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  still  living,  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Harper,  namely:  Charles,  born  Septemlter  10,  1876,  died  I'^ebruary  7,  1902: 
Florence,  born  August  28,  1878,  married  Charles  Hall,  and  they  live  in 
Urbana,  Illinois:  Clifford,  born  Novemljer  21.  1881,  died  October  18,  igoo: 
Clella,  born  April  20,  1883,  married  Francis  Hutchings,  and  they  live  in 
Champaign,  Illinois:  Wallace,  born  December  19,  1885,  married  Edna  Hunt, 
and  they  live  in  Indianapolis;  Lester  B.,  born  on  July  9,  1887,  is  attending 
Wabash  College  in  Crawfordsville :  Harr\-,  born  March  19,  1889,  lives  on 
the  home  farm. 

Richard  C.  Harper  began  farming  for  himself  early  in  life  and  that 
continued  to  be  his  vocation  until  his  death,  carrying  on  general  farming 
and  stock  raising  on  feis  finely  improved  and  productixe  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres,  all  tillable  but  about  twenty  acres  of  woods  and  pas- 
ture. Since  his  death,  which  occurred  on  October  29,  1905,  Mrs.  Harper 
has  been  operating  the  farm  in  a  manner  that  has  brought  gratifying  re- 
sults, successfully  carrying  out  tlie  plans  her  husl>and  had  inaugurated  .and 
keeping  up  the  excellent  impro\ements  which  he  made. 

Mr.  Harper  was  contented  to  spend  his  life  at  home,  looking  after  his 
family  and  his  fann,  and  thus  he  never  took  much  part  in  public  affairs, 
merely  being  a  consistent  voter  of  the  Republican  ticket,  b'raternally,  he 
belonged  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias  at  Darlington.  He  served  the  people 
of  Sugar  Creek  township  very  faithfully  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  period 
of  tweh-e  years.  His  decisions  were  known  for  their  fairness  to  all  i)arties, 
and  he  ever  sought  to  do  the  right  as  he  saw  and  understood  it  in  the  light 
of  dutv.     He  was  an  earnest  church   worker:  in    fact,   was  a  pillar   in   the 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


local  Methodist  Episcopal  congregation,  of  which  he  was  long  a  member,  a 
trustee  and  class  leader.  Neither  his  sincerity  nor  his  honesty  were  ever 
assailed,  and  he  merited  in  every  way  the  high  esteem  that  was  accorded 
him  bv  all  who  knew  him. 


WILLIAM.  ENDICOTT. 

We  rarely  find  two  persons  in  everyday  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  value  for 
another,  intuition  and  a  well  balanced  mind  for  a  third.  An  admixture  of 
some  of  the  qualities  above  named,  emphasized  by  hard  work,  has  been 
responsible  for  the  success  of  William  Endicott,  the  popular  and  widely 
known  restaurant  proprietor  of  Crawfordsville,  in  his  battle  for  the  spoils  of 
victory,  these  winning  attributes  having  descended  from  a  sterling  ancestry 
who  played  no  inconspicuous  part  in  the  early  history  of  Montgomery  county, 
having  done  their  share  of  the  rough  work  necessary  to  redeem  the  fertile 
fields  from  the  wild  state  in  which  the  first  settlers  found  them  and  it  is  to  such 
as  these  that  we  of  today  are  greatly  indebted  for  the  good  farms,,  the  thriv- 
ing towns  and  the  good  schools  and  churches  to  be  found  in  every  community. 

William  Endicott  was  born  in  Franklin  township,  Montgomery  county, 
Indiana,  and  he  is  a  son  of  George  and  Amanda  A.  Endicott,  a  highly  re- 
spected family  who  lived  on  a  farm  in  that  locality,  and  there  the  subject 
grew  to  manhood,  assisted  with  the  general  work  about  the  place  when  a  boy 
and  received  a  common  school  education.  At  an  early  age  it  became  neces- 
sary for  him  to  shift  for  himself.  This  early  responsibility  proved  to  be  the 
making  of  him,  although  at  the  time  somewhat  severe,  but  it  fostered  in  him 
self-reliance,  fortitude,  courage  and  perseverance.  He  first  started  to  learn 
the  machinist's  trade,  and  with  this  end  in  view  began  working  in  Lyle  & 
Smith's  Foundry  in  Crawfordsville,  later  securing  employment  at  the  City 
Bottling  Works.  He  then  became  a  waiter  in  a  restaurant  at  Crawfordsville 
Junction.  He  was  enthusiastic  over  the  work  and  made  rapid  progress.  He 
later  worked  at  the  Union  depot  in  Terre  Haute,  then  returned  to  Crawfords- 
ville Junction  in  the  same  capacity,  working  for  Charles  Smith.  He  had 
by  this  time  determined  upon  the  restaurant  business  for  his  life  work,  and 
had  not  only  mastered  the  ins  and  outs  of  the  same  but  had  saved  his  money 
and  was  thus  enabled  to  purchase,  on  January  i8,  1893  what  was  known  as 


Wn>MAM    ENDK'OTT 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  969 

the  Big  Four  restaurant,  at  the  corner  of  Phim  and  Franklin  streets,  Craw- 
fordsville.  He  and  Mr.  Smith  buying  the  same  in  partnership,  they 
continued  to  manage  it  successfully  until  1904,  when  Mr.  Endicott  obtained 
charge  of  all  dining  cars  between  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  Peoria,  Illinois,  taking 
active  charge  of  the  same  on  December  31,  1904,  and  he  remained  in  that 
capacity  until  November  31,  1906,  having  made  a  financial  success  of  the 
proposition  and  winning  the  hearty  approbation  of  the  traveling  public.  In 
January,  1906,  he  opened  a  restaurant  on  Main  street,  Crawfordsville,  now 
known  as  the  Northern  Cafe.  This  is  regarded  as  the  principal  and  most 
popular  restaurant  in  this  city,  Mr.  Endicott  having  made  a  great  success  here 
where  others  failed.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  game  and  sea  foods  in  season, 
and  his  motto  is  cleanliness  and  prompt  service.  Everything  about  the  place 
is  sanitary,  inviting,  systematic  and  up-to-date,  in  fact,  this  well  patronized 
cafe  would  be  a  credit  to  cities  much  larger  than  Crawfordsville.  He  is  de- 
ser\^ing  of  a  great  deal  of  credit  for  what  he  has  accomplished  in  the  face 
of  obstacles,  and  he  is  well  liked  by  all  who  know  him. 

Mr.  Endicott,  although  a  very  busy  man,  takes  an  abiding  interest  in 
public  afifairs,  and  during  the  recent  national  campaign  was  a  prime  factor, 
locally,  in  the  Progressive  movement,  and  he  had  the  distinction  of  serving 
as  a  delegate  to  the  national  convention  of  that  party  in  Chicago.  Fraternally, 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  Lodge  No. 
493 ;  also  the  Loyal  Odrer  of  Moose,  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur,  the  Eagles  and  Owls. 

Mr.  Endicott  was  married  on  March  21,  1893  ^o  Minnie  A.  Doyle,  a 
native  of  Montgomery  county,  her  birth  having  occurred  in  L'nion  township, 
where  her  parents  were  well  and  favorably  known,  and  where  she  grew  to 
womanhood  and  was  educated.  To  this  union  two  children  were  Ixjrn.  Her- 
man and  Darrell,  both  in  school. 


FRANK  W.  WAUGH. 


One  of  the  most  enterprising  of  the  younger  generation  of  farmers  of 
Sugar  Creek  township,  Montgomer}-  county,  who  has  believed  from  the  out- 
set of  his  career  that  "the  wisdom  of  yesterday  is  sometimes  the  folly  of 
toda_\-,"  and  that  while  the  methods  of  our  grandfathers  in  tilling  the  soil 
were  all  right  in  their  da\-,  _\et  in  the  twentieth  century  we  are  compelled  to 
adopt  new  methods  and  farm  along  different  lines,  in  \icw  of  the  fact  that 
conditions  of  climate,  soil,  grains,  etc.,  have  changed  since  the  days  of  the 


970  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

pioneers,  is  Frank  W.  Waugh.  He  has  been  a  close  observer  of  modern 
methods  and  is  a  student  at  all  times  of  whatever  pertains  to  his  chosen  life 
work,  and  he  has  therefore  met  with  encouraging  success  all  along  the  line, 
and,  judging  from  his  past  record,  he  will  undoubtedly  achieve  much  in  the 
future  years  and  take  his  place  among  the  leading  agriculturists  of  a  com- 
munity noted  for  its  fine  farms  and  adroit  husbandmen. 

Mr.  Waugh  was  born  on  March  13,  1872,  in  the  township  and  county 
where  he  still  resides.  He  is  a  son  of  Milton  B.  and  Sarah  E.  (Saulsbury) 
Waugh.  The  father  was  born  in  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  and  his 
death  occurred  on  December  2D,  1904.  The  mother  was  born  also  in  this 
county,  and  she  was  called  to  her  rest  on  August  30,  1892.  These  parents 
grew  to  maturity  in  this  locality,  received  common  school  educations  and 
here  they  were  married.  They  each  represented  old  families,  highly  re- 
spected and  well  known  in  the  pioneer  epoch.  Milton  B.  Waugh  devoted 
his  life  to  general  farming  in  his  native  locality,  and  became  well  known  as 
a  raiser  of  well  bred  stock.  Politically,  he  was  a  Republican  and  took  an 
active  interest  in  public  affairs,  being  influential  locally  in  his  party.  His 
family  consisted  of  seven  children,  named  as  follows:  James  M.,  Emma  O., 
John  M.,  Mary  L.,  Martha,  Clara  B.,  and  Frank  W.,  of  this  review,  who  is 
the  youngest. 

Frank  W.  Waugh  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  in  Sugar  Creek 
township,  and  there  he  attended  the  common  schools,  later  was  a  pupil  for 
some  time  in  Valparaiso  College,  Valparaiso,  Indiana.  On  December  26, 
1895,  he  married  Eleanor  Stuckey,  a  representative  of  a  well  known  family, 
an  account  of  whose  ancestry  will  be  found  on  another  page  of  this  volume 
under  the  caption  of  Warren  L.  Stuckey.  Mrs.  Waugh  grew  to  woman- 
hood in  her  native  county  and  received  a  good  education  in  the  common 
schools. 

Two  children  have  been  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  namely:  Mary 
Marie,  born  October  7,  1896:  and  Sarah  Myrl,  born  .August  26,  1908,  are 
both  attending  school. 

Mr.  Waugh  has  always  farmed  in  his  native  township,  and  he  has  met 
with  a  large  measure  of  success  as  a  general  fanner  and  stock  raiser.  He 
makes  a  specialty  of  raising  Hereford  cattle  and  general  bred  live  stock.  He 
owns  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  acres  in  this  township  and  twenty-one  and 
one-fourth  acres  in  Clinton  county.  Of  the  home  place.all  is  tillable  but 
about  ten  acres.  It  is  well  tiled  and  otherwise  well  improved,  and  on  it 
stands  a  good  dwelling  and  outbuildings. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  9/1 

Politically.  Mr.  Waugh  is  a  Republican,  and  ha,s  been  more  or  less 
acti\e  in  jjublic  affairs.  He  was  trustee  of  his  township  for  one  term,  from 
1905  to  1909.  Fraternally,  be  Ijelongs  to  the  Masonic  Order  of  Colfax,  and 
religiously,  be  attends  the  Methodist  church  at  Colfax. 


I.  E.  DYKES. 


The  life  of  the  twentieth  century  farmer  is  (|uitc  ilifTerent  from  that 
of  the  tiller  of  the  soil  during  the  century  that  has  only  recently  passed. 
Improved  farming  machinery  is  very  largely  responsible  for  this  change, 
this  improvement  of  condition,  and  yet  if  the  present-day  agricultural  im- 
plements had  been  known  to  our  grandfathers  they  would  not  have  had  the 
money  to  purchase  them,  for  everybody  was  poor  in  those  days.  Another 
thing,  the  soil  was  at  that  time  being  redeemed  from  the  wild  state  and 
was  unsuited  to  the  use  of  modern  machinery. 

One  of  the  successful  young  farmers  of  Sugar  Creek  township  who  is 
keeping  abreast  of  the  times  is  J.  E.  Dykes,  who  was  born  on  December  9, 
1878,  in  the  township  and  county  where  he  still  resides.  He  is  a  son  of 
James  and  Louisa  (Smith)  Dykes.  The  father  was  born  on  April  11,  1841, 
five  miles  from  Atlanta,  Georgia,  and  there  he  grew  to  manhood  and  re- 
ceived his  education,  removing  from  there  in  1865  to  Boone  county,  In- 
diana, and  subsequently  coming  to  Montgomery  county,  and  here  establish- 
ing the  permanent  home  of  the  family.  His  death  occurred  on  Deceml>er 
29,  1910.  He  had  been  very  successful  as  a  general  farmer.  For  a  fuller 
mention  of  him  the  reader  is  directed  to  the  sketch  of  Arthur  Paddack.  ap- 
pearing elesewhere  in  this  work. 

Xine  children  were  born  to  James  D}'kes  and  wife,  namely:  Samuel 
A.,  born  October  J3,  1869:  Mrs.  Joanna  Roots,  born  July  4.  1871  :  Robert 
Martin,  born  December  C>.  1873:  Abner,  l)orn  July  2^,.  T875,  died  August  9, 
1900;  Olive  May,  who  married  a  Mr.  Paddack.  was  born  April  6.  1877; 
James  E.,  subject  of  this  sketch:  Donnie  Belle,  l)orn  October  9,  18S0.  died 
August  21,  1882:  Mary  Catherine,  born  May  21.  1882:  Stella  Flossie,  born 
Februaiy  17,  1885,  died  September  23,  1910. 

J.  E.  Dykes  received  a  common  school  education.  He  has  been  twice 
married,  first,  on  March  23,  1899,  to  Stella  Ollinger,  who  was  born  in 
Brown's  Valley,  this  county,  on  November  4,  1873.  and  died  July  10.  1902. 
Subsequently,  Mr.  Dykes  married  Carrie  Johnson,  on  March  5,  1903.     She 


972  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

was  born  on  April  ii,  1876.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  H.  and  Alabama 
(Gray)  Johnson. 

Two  children  were  born  of  the  subject's  first  union,  namely :  Gladys 
M..  born  December  2y,  1899,  ^""^  Clarence  M.,  born  November  13,  1900, 
are  both  in  school.     There  has  been  no  issue  of  the  second  union. 

Mr.  Dykes  has  always  farmed  in  Sugar  Creek  township,  carrying  on 
general  farming  and  stock  raising,  making  a  specialty  of  good  breeds  of  live 
stock,  which  finds  a  very  ready  market  owing  to  their  superior  quality.  He 
moved  to  his  present  farm  in  the  fall  of  1879.  I*  's  the  old  home  place,  and 
consists  of  one  hundred  and  eighteen  acres,  all  but  six  acres  of  which  is 
under  cultivation  and  it  can  all  be  tilled.  It  is  well  tiled,  well  fenced  and 
otherwise  well  improved. 

Politically,  Mr.  Dykes  is  a  Republican,  and  he  belongs  to  the  Christian 
church.  He  is  a  trustee  of  the  church,  and  is  superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
school. 


JOHN  ARTHUR  PADDACK. 

John  Arthur  Paddack,  a  representative  citizen  of  Sugar  Creek  town- 
ship, Montgomery  county,  belongs  to  the  number  who  are  today  among  its 
most  enlightened  and  enterprising  farmers.  Beginning  at  the  lowest  round 
of  the  ladder,  he  has  aimed  high  in  his  chosen  vocation,  and  by  ever  looking 
upward,  relying  on  his  own  responsibility,  he  has  gradually  worked  his  way 
through  life  until  now  he  can  begin  to  see  the  dawn  of  the  time  when  he 
can  be  free  from  the  daily  cares  and  responsibilities  that  "fret  and  wear  the 
soul,"  according  to  the  poet,  for  life's  work,  while  in  a  measure  pleasurable, 
is  to  most,  irksome  and  monotonous,  and  that  man  is,  or  should  be,  happy, 
who,  when  the  autumn  of  life  comes,  can  take  things  easy,  looking  backward 
on  his  career  of  industry  and  accomplishment. 

Mr.  Paddack  was  born  on  March  24,  1871,  in  Madison  township,  Mont- 
gomery county.  He  is  a  son  of  Josiah  and  Caroline  (Husted)  Paddack. 
The  father  was  born  in  Union  county,  Indiana,  October  18,  1845,  ^"d  his 
death  occurred  on  January  2,  1877.  The  mother  was  born  in  Union  county, 
this  state,  in  1845,  ^"d  is  still  living  in  Darlington,  Indiana.  Their  parents 
grew  up  in  their  native  community  and  received  common  school  educa- 
tions, and  they  spent  their  lives  on  the  farm.  Mr.  Paddack  having  been  a 
large  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  and  he  was  the  first  to  bring  fine  short-horn 
cattle  to  this  county,  and  he  was  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  successful 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  973 

Stock  men  liere  in  his  day.  He  was  a  loyal  Republican.  Init  nut  a  public 
man,  preferring  to  stay  pretty  close  to  his  farm  and  home.  His  family  con- 
sisted of  five  children,  namely:  Clyde,  John  Arthur,  Cora  L.,  I-'rank  B., 
and  Josie. 

John  A.  Paddack  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  there  assisted  with 
the  general  work  when  a  boy.  He  received  a  good  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools,  and  on  March  20,  1895,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Olive 
M.  Dykes,  who  was  born  in  Montgomery  county,  April  6,  1877.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  James  A.  and  Louisa  A.  (Smith)  Dykes.  The  father  was  born 
April  II,  1841,  and  his  death  occurred  on  December  29.  1910.  He  was  a 
native  of  Georgia.  We  quote  the  following  from  a  local  paper,  printed  at 
the  time  of  the  death  of  Mrs.  Paddack's  mother: 

"Louisa  A.  Smith  was  born  in  Mississippi,  November  17,  1844.  and 
died  at  her  home,  two  miles  west  of  Calfax,  Indiana,  August  27,  1901,  aged 
fifty-six  years,  nine  months  and  ten  days.  She  was  married  to  James 
Dykes  January  16,  1869.  To  them  were  born  nine  children,  seven  of  whom, 
with  the  husband,  survive  her,  a  son  dying  a  little  more  than  a  year  ago 
and  a  daughter  in  infancy.  For  several  years  Mrs.  Dykes  had  been  a  great 
sufiferer,  and  her  death  had  been  apprehended  for  some  time. 

"Although  in  pain  almost  beyond  human  endurance,  when  not  under 
the  influence  of  medicine,  she  was  conscious  and  greeted  her  friends  with  a 
smile  and  kind  word,  and  when  asked  how  she  was  would  say,  'I  am  resting, 
or  did  rest  easy,'  which  ever  it  might  be.  never  complaining  but  always 
patient  and  often  thinking  and  suggesting  things  to  be  done  for  other  suf- 
ferers. 

"She  united  with  the  Christian  church  at  Colfax  in  June,  1900.  and 
it  was  a  great  pleasure  to  her  to  worship  there  when  her  health  permitted. 
On  the  afternoon  of  the  last  meeting  day  her  pastor  and  the  choir  came  to 
her  home  and  prayed  and  sang.  She  listened  with  tears  rolling  down  her 
cheeks  and  looking  into  the  face  of  one  of  the  watchers  after  her  eyes  had 
been  raised  hea\'enward,  said,  'I  am  all  right.' 

"She  was  ready  to  go  and  often  w  ished  for  death  to  relieve  her  of  her 
misery.  She  is  not  dead  but  sleepeth,  and  if  we  could  raise  the  veil  and 
look  into  eternity  a  frail  hand  would  beckon  us  on.  Some  day  we'll  cross 
the  dark  waters  and  meet  mother  with  arms  outstretched  to  welcome  us  to 
our  Saviour's  home." 

To  John  A.  Paddack  and  wife  one  child  was  born.  Reed  D.  Parldack, 
born  April  29,  1899,'  who  is  now  in  school. 


974  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Mr.  Paddack  has  always  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising.  He 
owns  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Sugar  Creek  township,  which  is  all 
tillable  but  three  or  four  acres.  It  is  fairly  well  tiled  and  otherwise  im- 
proved and  he  has  a  comfortable  home.  He  is  making  a  specialty  of  Barred 
Plymouth  Rock  chickens  and  Poland  China  hogs. 

Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Order  at  Darlington,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Horse  Thief  Detective  Association.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Potato  Creek  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  is  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  school  there.     Politically,  he  is  a  Progressive. 


DAVID  MYER. 


David  Myer,  one  of  the  enterprising  farmers  of  Wayne  township, 
Montgomery  county,  is  one  about  whom  it  is  a  pleasure  to  write.  He  is 
modest  in  his  opinion  of  himself,  not  claiming  the  worth  and  importance 
that  others  are  ready  and  anxious  to  ascribe  to  him.  He  is  cjuiet  and  unas- 
suming in  manner,  as  such  characters  always  are,  and  holds  the  high  place 
which  has  been  given  him  in  the  public  favor  by  right  of  what  he  is,  and 
not  of  what  he  claims.  It  is  a  grateful  task  to  write  of  such  an  one,  and 
the  only  danger  is,  that  sufHcient  merit  will  not  be  ascribed;  yet  the  hearts 
of  his  friends,  and  they  are  very  many,  will  supply  any  lack  of  words  on  the 
part  of  the  writer,  or  any  failure  to  express  happily  the  true  thought. 

Mr.  Myer  was  born  in  Ohio  on  October  13,  1845.  He  is  a  son  of 
William  and  Hannah  (Kimball)  Myer.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Ohio, 
where  he  grew  to  manhood,  was  educated  and  spent  his  earlier  years,  com- 
ing to  Fountain  county,  Indiana,  in  1853,  where  he  lived  nine  years,  then 
removed  to  Jones  county,  Iowa,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  dying- 
there  many  years  ago.  He  spent  his  entire  life  on  a  farm,  was  a  hard 
worker  and  an  honest  man.  His  family  consisted  of  ten  children,  named  as 
follows :  Benton,  who  lives  in  Oklahoma  City.  Oklahoma ;  David,  of  this 
review ;  Jane.  William,  Evelyn,  and  John  are  all  deceased ;  Julia  and  Emma 
are  living;  Mary  is  deceased;  Albert  lives  in  Oklahoma  City. 

David  Myer  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  fami  and  assisted  with  the 
general  work  on  the  same  when  a  boy.  He  received  a  good  common  school 
education  in  the  schools  of  Cain  township,  Fountain  county.  Early  in  life 
he  took  up  farming,  and  has  remained  active  in  the  same  to  the  present 
time.     He  is  the  owner  of  a  well  improved  and  productive  farm  of  one 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  y75 

hundred  ami  sixty  acres  in  Wayne  townsliip.  where  he  carries  on  general 
fanning  and  stuck  raising.  He  has  a  comfortable  home  and  convenient  out- 
buildings. 

Mr.  Myer  was  married  on  February  i.  1866,  to  Maria  Bever,  daugh- 
ter of  Henery  and  Mary  (Heiston)  Bever.  They  were  early  settlers  of 
Fountain  county,  the  family  having  been  well  known  there  since  the  pioneer 
days. 

Nine  children  have  been  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  named  as  ful- 
lows:  Ellen,  Alice,  David,  Emma,  Martha,  Harry.  Howard,  Henry  and 
Bertha. 

Mr.  Myer  is  a  member  of  the  advisory  board  of  his  township.  While 
living  in  Fountain  county  he  was  one  of  the  county  commissioners  for  a 
period  of  three  years,  and  was  also  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  period  of 
twelve  years.  As  a  public  servant,  he  has  ever  been  most  faithful  in  the 
discharge  of  his  duty  and  has  given  eminent  satisfaction  to  all  concerned. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  New  Light  Cliristian  church. 


WILLIAM  SNOW. 


William  Snow,  wideh'  known  and  highly  respectetl  as  one  of  the  most 
energetic,  self-reliant  and  enterprising  citizens  of  Madison  township,  Mont- 
gomery county,  has  for  several  years  been  intimately  associated  with  the 
best  interests  and  upward  progress  of  his  neigh Ixjrhood,  and  to  his  assist- 
ance is  due  many  of  the  valuable  and  permanent  improvements  of  the  local- 
ity, for  he  has  taken  much  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  adopted  community 
and  has  made  many  wann  friends  since  coming  here. 

Mr.  Snow  was  born  in  Vermillion  county,  Illinois.  April  17,  1866.  He 
is  a  son  of  Abner  and  Ellen  (Ashmore)  Snow,  both  natives  of  Illinois,  where 
they  grew  to  maturity,  were  educated  and  married.  The  paternal  grand- 
father of  our  subject  came  from  Vermont  to  Vermillion  county,  Illinois,  in 
a  very  early  day,  being  among  the  pioneer  settlers  there.  The  Snow  family 
has  been  one  of  the  Ijest  known  in  that  county  from  the  days  of  the  first 
settlers  to  the  present. 

Five  children  were  lx)rn  to  Abner  Snow  and  wife,  namely:  Albert, 
Jessie,  William  (our  sul)ject),  Lucias,  and  Bertha.  They  are  all  living  at 
this  writing. 

William  Snow   grew   to  manhood   in   Vermillion   county,   Illinois,   and 


976  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

there  he  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools.  Early  in  life  he 
took  up  farming  and  soon  had  a  good  start  in  life,  and  he  continued  to  follow 
general  agricultural  pursuits  with  much  success  until  1910,  when  he  moved 
to  Montgomery  county,  locating  in  Madison  township,  where  he  still  re- 
sides, owning  a  well  improved  and  productive  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty-one  acres,  with  a  good  dwelling  and  good  outbuildings. 

Mr.  Snow  was  married  on  February  27,  1889,  to  Julia  Chandler,  daugh- 
ter of  James  and  Zerelda  (Bennett)  Chandler.  They  were  natives  of  Ken- 
tucky, where  they  grew  to  maturity,  were  educated  and  married,  and  from 
there  they  came  to  Vermillion  county,  Illinois,  in  an  early  day  and  became 
well  established  through  their  industry. 

Six  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snow,  namelv :  Orval, 
Vohn,  Ura,  Varmen,  Fay,  and  Thelma. 

Politically,  Mr.  Snow  is  a  Republican.  l)ut  he  has  never  sought  or  held 
public  office.  Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  at 
Linden;  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Fairmount,  Illinois;  and 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  at  Jamaica,  Illinois. 


FRANK  STACKHOUSE,  M.  D. 

One  often  hears  the  assertion,  "This  is  an  age  of  specialists."  And  the 
familiar  sentence  is  certainly  a  true  and  incontrovertable  one.  It  has  not 
been  so  very  long  ago  when  "jack  of  all  trades"  was  as  common  as  the  first 
quoted  line,  now  one  seldom  hears  it.  The  professional  man,  especially,  the 
same  as  the  mechanic,  that  does  not  specialize  wins  no  more  than  mediocre 
success,  if  that,  for  competition  is  relentlessly  fierce  everywhere  and  he  who 
covets  pronounced  success  in  anything  must  be  able  to  do  whatever  he  under- 
takes not  only  better  but  with  greater  despatch  than  his  competitors.  A  few 
decades  ago  when  a  person  received  from  some  of  the  comparatively  few 
medical  colleges  of  the  land  his  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  he  was  sup- 
posed to  be  able  to  correct  most  all  kinds  of  the  ills  of  which  flesh  is  heir 
and  he  was  called  upon  for  everything.  He  did  the  best  he  could,  according 
to  his  limited  knowledge,  and  as  might  have  been  expected  that  "best"  was 
miserable  failure  in  many  cases.  But  science,  one  of  the  most  potent  of 
modern  gods  to  which  humanity  of  the  twentieth  century  bows,  arose  from 
his  lethargic  repose  of  centuries  and  cried,  "Onward,"  and  today  we  note  a 
wonderful  transformation.     In  no  one  branch  of  science,  perhaps,  has  there 


DR.  FRANK  STACKHOUSE 


.-lONTtlOMERY    COl-NTV,    IMIIA.VA.  977 

been  greater  develupnient  and  specialization  than  in  medicine.  'I'lie  old  fam- 
ily doctor  no  longer  treats  all  ills.  We  go  to  many  ditYerent  specialists,  and. 
of  course,  get  quick  and,  as  a  rule,  satisfactory  results. 

One  of  the  most  successful  and  widely  known  specialists  in  Montgom- 
ery county  is  Dr.  Frank  Stackhouse,  of  Crawfordsville,  who  maintains  a 
splendidly  equipped  and  popular  sanitarium  here,  to  which  hundreds  of 
patients  annually  come,  and  they  are  all  unstinted  in  their  praise  of  the 
Doctor  and  his  rapidly  growing  institution. 

Dr.  Stackhouse  was  born  on  May  2,  1865,  in  Orange  count},  Indiana. 
He  is  a  son  of  Sanford  and  Lydia  (Harris)  Stackhouse.  The  father  was 
born  in  Breckinridge  countx'.  Kentucky,  in  1828,  and  the  mother's  birth  oc- 
curred in  Orange  county,  Indiana,  in  1830.  She  ,grew  to  womanhood  in  her 
native  county,  was  educated  antl  married  there.  Sanford  Stackhouse  was  a 
well  educated  man,  and  he  followed  school  teaching  as  a  life  work,  in  which 
he  was  very  successful,  his  services  being  in  great  demand  wherever  he  was 
known.  His  death  occurred  at  Decatur,  Illinois,  at  which  city  his  wife  also 
died. 

Dr.  Stackhouse  received  excellent  educational  advantages.  After  pass- 
ing through  the  common  schools  and  spending  one  year  in  the  normal  at 
Terre  Haute  he  began  life  for  himself  by  teaching  school,  which  he  fol- 
lowed with  much  success  and  satisfaction  to  all  concerned  for  a  period  of 
seven  years.  Finally,  tiring  of  the  school  room  and  believing  that  his  true 
bent  lay  in  another  direction,  he  began  the  study  of  medicine,  in  which  he 
made  rapid  progress.  In  1893  he  entered  a  medical  school  in  Indianapolis, 
Indiana,  where  he  made  a  splendid  record,  and  was  graduated  in  1896.  He 
first  began  practice  at  Gates,  Indiana,  remaining  there  for  a  period  of  thir- 
teen years,  during  which  he  enjoyed  a  wide  and  ever  growing  patronage. 
Then  he  took  a  special  course  of  one  year  in  chronic  diseases,  after  which 
he  located  in  Crawfordsville,  where  he  has  since  remained  and  has  gradually 
built  up  one  of  the  most  satisfactory  practices  of  any  of  the  local  medical 
men  and  now  has  an  eighteen-room  sanitarium,  well  arranged,  sanitary,  con- 
venient and  equipped  with  every  modern  and  approved  device  and  apparatus 
for  the  successful  carrying  on  of  his  special  line  of  practice.  He  now  does 
only  office  practice,  confining  himself  to  the  treatment  of  catarrhal  and  chronic 
diseases.  He  is  meeting  with  pronounced  success,  and  hundreds  of  patients 
who  emerge  annually  from  his  now  noted  sanitarium  are  unstinted  in  their 
praise  of  this  Ijenefactor  of  the  human  race. 

Fraternally,  the  Doctor  is  a  Mason,  haxing  attained  the  degree  of 
(62) 


978  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Isjiights  Templar.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  belongs  to  the  United 
Brethren  church. 

Dr.  Stackhouse  was  married  to  Lula  A.  Marshall,  of  Fountain  county, 
Indiana,  in  February,  1900.  She  grew  to  womanhood  in  this  locality  and 
received  a  good  education  here.  To  this  union  one  child  has  been  born, 
Doris  B..  who  is  in  school. 


GEORGE  MAHOY. 


We  are  glad  to  write  of  a  man  who  has  lived  for  something  more  than 
the  mere  hoarding  of  dollars,  although  it  would  seem  that  necessity  makes 
this  the  first  requirement,  but  in  supplying  our  natural  wants  it  is  not  neces- 
sary to  neglect  all  other  of  life's  good  things,  such  as  helping  one's  neigh- 
bors, cultivating  the  mind,  making  better  the  moral  and  spiritual  attributes 
and,  in  short,  living  as  the  Creator  intended  for  us  to  live.  One  of  the  highly 
respected  families  of  Montgomery  county,  whose  members  have  tried  to  do 
their  full  duty  in  the  affairs  of  the  locality  since  they  came  here  in  the 
pioneer  epoch  is  the  Mahoy  famil^^  who  are  certainly  deserving  of  our  at- 
tention at  this  time,  one  of  the  best  known  of  the  present  generation  being 
George  Mahoy,  successful  farmer  of  Sugar  Creek  township,  whose  name 
forms  the  caption  of  this  sketch. 

Mr.  Mahoy  was  born  in  this  township  and  county  on  April  5,  1856, 
and  here  he  has  been  content  to  spend  him  life.  He  is  a  son  of  George  and 
Lydia  (Daugherty)  Mahoy.  These  parents  were  both  born  in  the  state 
of  Ohio,  the  father  in  1820.  There  they  grew  to  maturity,  received  meager 
educations,  and  were  married,  and  they  spent  their  lives  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, coming  to  Montgomery  county  in  an  early  day  and  establishing  the 
permanent  home  of  the  family  in  Sugar  Creek  township.  The  death  of  the 
father  occurred  on  April  5,  1875.  They  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children, 
six  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  Mrs.  Margaret  Hulvey,  Mrs.  Alice  Cook, 
Mrs.  Vena  Gray,  Mrs.  Iva  Boots,  Joe,  and  George,  of  this  review. 

Mr.  Mahoy  was  married  on  August  22,  1889,  to  Margaret  Baer,  who 
was  born  on-  February  28,  i860,  in  Tippecanoe  county,  Indiana.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Ada  (Summers)  Baer.  The  father's  death  occurred 
in  1884.     The  mother  was  born  on  January  i,  1830,  and  died  in  1904. 


MOXTCJOMKRV    Ci:)UXTV.    INDIANA.  979 

Mrs.  Mahoy  grew  to  uomanliood  in  tlie  natixe  coniniunity  and  recei\ed 
her  education  in  the  common  schools. 

Five  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mahoy,  nanicl)- :  Wiliartl, 
born  Februarv  i,  1890,  is  at  home:  Harry  O.,  born  Decemlier  14,  i8()i.  died 
March  18,  1894:  Zola  F.,  liorn  December  20,  1894,  is  at  liome :  Mary  IC, 
born  June  30,  1897,  is  attending  scho(-il :  Haven,  born  August  11,  1901,  is 
also  attending  school. 

Mr.  Mahoy  has  always  followed  farming,  mo\ing  on  his  present  jilace 
in  the  spring  of  1901.  prior  to  that  he  had  lived  for  two  years  on  a  farm 
near  Garfield,  Indiana,  and  before  that  in  Tippecanoe  county.  He  is  the 
owner  of  eighty  acres,  all  tillable,  well  fenced  and  well  tiled  and  otherwise 
properly  improved,  and  he  carries  on  general  farming  and  breeding,  keeping 
an  excellent  grade  of  live  stock,  and  no  small  part  of  his  annual  income  is  de- 
rived from  this  source.  He  understands  well  the  care  and  handling  of  stock 
and  takes  a  delight  in  this  kind  of  work,  and  his  fine  stock  is  much  admired 
by  all.    He  has  a  good  home,  which  he  liuilt  himself. 

Politically,  Mr.  Mahoy  is  a  Republican;  fraternally,  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  at  Darlington,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Potato  Creek 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  being  a  trustee  of  the  same. 


NATHAX  C.  TURXIPSEED. 

Examples  that  impress  force  of  character  on  all  who  study  them  are 
worthy  of  record  in  the  annals  of  history  wherever  they  are  found.  B}-  a 
few  general  observations  the  biographer  hopes  to  convey  in  the  following 
paragraphs,  succinctly,  and  yet  without  fulsome  encomium,  some  idea  of 
the  high  standing  of  the  late  Nathan  C.  Turnipseed,  for  many  years  one  of 
the  well  knowm  and  successful  farmers  and  stock  men  of  Sugar  Creek  town- 
ship, Montgomery  county.  Those  who  remember  him  best  w'ill  readily 
acquiesce  in  the  statement  that  many  elements  of  a  solid  and  ])ractical  nature 
were  united  in  his  composition  and  which  during  a  series  of  years  brought 
him  material  success  and  the  high  regard  of  his  fellow  men  in  the  locality 
of  which  this  volume  deals,  his  life  and  his  achievements  earning  for  him  a 
conspicuous  place  among  his  compeers.  He  was  a  man  of  kind  impulses, 
neighborly,  indulgent  to  his  family-  and  sought  to  carry  into  his  every-day 
life  the  precepts  of  the  Golden  Rule,  and  was  therefore  a  fit  man  to  pattern 
after  if  we  would  be  both  successful  and  honored. 


980  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Mr.  Turnipseed  was  born  on  October  15,  1855,  '"  ^Highland  county, 
Ohio.  He  was  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Chaney)  Turnipseed.  The 
father  was  born  on  May  19,  1830.  in  Ohio,  and  died  on  April  22,  1869. 
The  mother  was  born  on  February  8,  1831,  and  died  on  March  30,  1875. 
The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  mason  by  trade,  which  he  followed  in  con- 
nection with  farming.  His  family  consisted  of  seven  children,  only  one  of 
whom  is  living  at  this  writing. 

Nathan  C.  Turnipseed  received  a  common  school  education.  When 
about  twenty-one  years  old  he  removed  from  his  native  state  to  Montgom- 
ery county,  Indiana,  and  here  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming  and  raising  and  breeding  live  stock.  On  December  2,  1879, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Martha  Boots,  who  was  born  June  24,  1859, 
in  Montgomery  county,  and  she  grew  to  womanhood  in  Sugar  Creek  town- 
ship. She  is  a  daughter  of  Asa  and  Elizabeth  (Rice)  Boots.  The  father 
was  born  on  May  10,  1820,  in  Ohio,  and  his  death  occurred  on  December 
29,  1902.  The  mother  was  also  born  in  Ohio,  in  1824,  and  her  death  oc- 
curred in  April,  1861.  To  these  parents  five  children  were  born,  two  of 
whom  are  still  living.  They  were  named :  Anna  is  deceased ;  Ella  is  de- 
ceased ;  Charlotte  is  deceased :  George  is  living ;  and  Martha,  widow  of  the 
subject  of  this  memoir. 

Mrs.  Turnipseed  receeived  a  good  common  school  education.  She  has 
five  children,  named  as  follows:  Clarice,  born  July  6,  1880,  married  Will- 
iam Jobe,  and  they  live  in  Kansas;  Eleanor,  born  February  8,  1882,  mar- 
ried Frank  Custer,  a  fanner  of  Sugar  Creek  township;  Marie,  born  Angus?' 
19,  1884,  is  living  at  home  with  her  mother;  Asahal,  born  May  13.  1893, 
is  also  at  home;  and  Thomas  B.,  born  on  March  2.  1896,  is  still  a  member 
of  the  family  circle. 

Mrs.  Turnipseed  is  the  owner  of  a  valuable  and  productive  farm  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty-three  acres  in  Sugar  Creek  township,  which  is  well 
improved  and  on  which  stand  a  good  set  of  buildings.  She  is  a  woman  of 
more  than  ordinary  business  ability  and  is  carrying  on  general  farming  and 
stock  raising  on  an  extensive  scale. 

The  death  of  Nathan  C.  Turnipseed  occurred  on  February  17,  1913. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  held 
membership  at  the  Potato  Creek  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  he 
was  a  trustee  for  many  years.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  was  active' 
in  party  affairs,  and  held  several  offices  in  the  county.  He  was  highly  es- 
teemed by  all  who  knew  him  and  was  a  good  and  praiseworthy  citizen  in 
every  respect. 


MOXTGOMERV    COrXTV, 


lOlIX  L,  (iRAIIA.M 


Anotlicr  of  tlie  llirifly  and  dcser\  iiiy  tillers  uf  ihe  snjl  in  Sns^ar  Creek 
township,  ]\lontgomerv  county,  whom  the  biographer  deems  worthy  of  an 
extended  notice  in  this  work,  for  reasons  which  are  too  apparent  to  need 
comment,  is  John  L.  (iraliam,  a  man  who  has  never  permitted  discourage- 
ments and  obstacles  to  thwart  him  in  his  race  for  material  success,  which  is 
rightly  one  of  the  chief  aims  of  all  normal,  right-minded  men,  and,  be- 
cause of  his  honesty  in  his  general  dealings  with  the  world,  he  has  been 
deserving  of  whatever  of  good  has  come  his  way. 

]\Ir.  Graham  was  born  on  November  3,  1869,  in  Shelby  county.  In- 
diana, where  his  early  boyhood  was  spent,  he  having  been  about  thirteen 
years  old  when,  in  1882,  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  JNIontgomery  county, 
in  which  place  he  has  since  resided.  He  is  a  son  of  Richard  and  Ruth 
(Parrish)  Graham.  The  father  was  Ixirn  near  Dublin,  Ireland,  but  when  a 
boy  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life, 
dying  on  November  24,  191 1,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  1836.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  on  March  i, 
1834,  in  Marion  county,  Indiana,  and  her  death  occurred  on  May  28,  1899, 
when  sixty-five  years  old.  The  education  of  Richard  Graham  was  very 
limited,  he  having  attended  school  about  three  wrecks  out  of  each  year  when 
a  bov.  His  family  consisted  of  only  two  children,  lx)th  still  living,  namely: 
James  O.,  born  July  11,  1866,  married  a  Miss  Musgrave,  and  they  live  in 
Indianapolis,  and  John  L.,  of  this  review. 

John  L.  Graham  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  was  a  \cry 
busy  boy.  He  received  a  common  school  education.  He  was  first  married 
on  March  22,  1892,  to  Mary  King,  whose  death  occurred  on  June  4,  1906, 
when  in  the  prime  of  life,  she  having  been  born  on  November  i,  1872,  near 
where  our  subject  is  now  living  in  Montgomery  county.  She  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  W.  and  Maria  (Pedrick)  King,  the  former  still  living,  the 
mother  being  deceased. 

To  the  first  union  of  our  subject  and  wife  four  children  were  l)orn. 
one  of  whom  is  deceased;  they  were  named:  Belva,  born  January  22,  1895, 
is  living  at  home;  Mabel,  born  May  2,  1898,  is  in  high  school;  Ruth,  born 
August  16,  1900,  is  attending  graded  school.  Mr.  Graham  later  married 
on  April  12,  191 1,  his  second  wife  being  Armenta  Patton,  a  widow,  whose 
first  husband  was  James  Harriman,  who  died  when  comparatively  young. 
Our  subject's  second  wife  was  born  on  May  26.   iS^S,  in  this  county,  and 


9o2  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

here  she  grew  to  womanhood  and  recei\'ed  a  common  school  education.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Nancy  (Coons)  Patton,  both  parents  being  de- 
ceased. 

Mr.  Graham  began  farming  for  himself  early  in  life  and  he  has  con- 
tinued in  this  field  of  endeavor  ever  since;  in  connection  with  general  farm- 
ing he  has  devoted  a  great  deal  of  attention  to  the  raising  of  good  live  stock 
of  various  kinds.  He  formerly  lived  about  a  half  mile  east  of  his  present 
place  on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  thirteen  acres.  He  sold  out  in  1912 
and  purchased  the  place  where  he  now  lives,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-two  acres  in  Sugar  Creek  township.  It  is  all  in  excellent  condition, 
well  tiled  and  otherwise  well  improved.  It  is  a  well  located  place  and 
productive  and  on  it  stand  good  buildings. 

Politically,  Mr.  Graham  is  a  Democrat,  but  he  has  never  been  very 
active  in  political  affairs.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church,  and  is  steward  in  the  local  congregation. 


DAVID  C.  CAMPBELL. 

One  of  the  large  land  owners  and  progressive  citizens  of  Sugar  Creek 
township,  jMontgomery  county,  is  David  C.  Campbell,  a  man  who  is  a  be- 
liever in  modern  methods  of  agriculture  so  far  as  they  are  applicable  to 
local  conditions,  for  he  believes  in  getting  out  of  the  old  ruts  and  forging 
ahead  with  the  times.  But  it  is  to  be  expected  that  a  man  who  has  traveled 
and  observed  and  read  as  much  as  he  would  be  an  advocate  of  whatever  is 
new  and  at  the  same  time  utilitarian.  Such  men  make  for  the  general  ad- 
vancement of  any  community. 

Mr.  Campbell  was  born  on  June  4,  1855,  in  Buchanan  county,  Iowa. 
He  is  a  son  of  Martin  and  Emiline  (Cameron)  Campbell.  The  father  was 
born  on  January  22,  1830,  having  enjoyed  the  distinction  of  being  the  first 
white  child  born  in  Sugar  Creek  township,  Montgomery  county,  Indiana, 
his  parents  having  moved  here  on  October  30,  1829,  and  established  their 
home  in  the  wilderness,  beginning  life  here  in  true  pioneer  fashion,  and  here 
amid  the  rugged  scenes  of  the  first  settlers  the  father  of  our  subject  grew  to 
manhood,  working  hard  in  assisting  his  parents  to  establish  the  family  home 
in  the  wilderness,  and  here  he  received  a  meager  schooling  in  the  early  log 
cabin  school  houses  of  his  day.  He  has  de\'oted  his  life  to  general  farming 
and  has  been  successful.     He  is  now  living  quietly  at  his  home  at  Clark's 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY.    INDIANA.  983 

Hill,  liaving  attained  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-three  years.  His  wife  was 
born  in  1835  in  Chntt>n  cminty.  Indiana,  ant!  her  tleath  occurred  on  Xo\eni- 
ber  8.  1903. 

Ten  children,  seven  of  whom  are  still  living,  were  born  to  Martin 
Campbell  and  wife,  namely:  John  is  deceased;  David  C,  of  this  review; 
W.  S.,  physician  in  California;  Abner  B.,  Mrs.  Rose  B.  Harter.  Nancy  J. 
is  deceased;  Mrs.  Susan  Dell,  R.  N.,  a  physician  and  chairman  of  the  board 
of  health,  and  Minerva. 

David  C.  Campbell  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  there  he 
assistetl  with  the  general  work  when  a  boy,  and  he  recei\ed  a  common 
school  education.  On  February  14,  1876,  he  was  married  to  Alargaret 
Oglebay,  who  was  born  in  Tippecanoe  county,  Indiana,  March  17,  1856, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  James  and  Rebecca  (Conrow)  Oglebay.  The  father 
was  from  Maryland  and  the  mother  hailed  from  Ohio.  Mrs.  Campbell  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education. 

Eleven  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell,  namely : 
Eva  Belle,  born  December  28,  1877;  Jessie,  born  February  10,  1879;  John 
W.,  born  August  i,  1881 ;  James  M.,  born  December  31,  1883;  Edith  Elea- 
nor, born  March  8,  1886;  Bessie  E.,  born  January  12,  1888;  Letha  Rose, 
born  February  5,  1891  ;  Ester  Fay,  born  September  4,  1896;  Benjamin 
Floyd,  born  March  24,  1900,  is  in  school;  the  other  two  children  are  de- 
ceased. 

Mr.  Campbell  began  farming  early  in  life  and  this  has  continued  to  be 
his  chief  line  of  endeavor;  however,  he  has  been  a  minister  in  the  Brethren 
church  for  the  past  thirty-two  years,  during  which  time  he  has  traveled  ex- 
tensively and  appeared  in  many  pulpits,  doing  a  great  work  in  this  denom- 
ination, being  regarded  everywhere  as  an  earnest  worker  and  forceful  and 
pursuasive  as  well  as  an  entertaining  speaker  and  he  is  popular  with  a  \ast 
acquaintance.  He  also  traveled  for  several  railroad  companies  for  seven  or 
eight  years,  giving  entire  satisfaction  in  this  connection,  and  he  is  at  this 
writing  in  the  employ  of  the  Union  Pacific  and  Oregon  Short  Line. 

The  finely  improved  place  on  which  Mr.  Campbell  lives  consists  of 
ninety-seven  and  one-half  acres,  which  is  well  tiled  and  all  tillable,  all  the 
excellent  improvements  having  been  made  by  our  sutjject  himself.  He  is 
also  owner  of  a  fine  and  productive  farm  of  four  hundred  and  fifty-six 
acres  southwest  of  Crawfordsville. 

Personally,  Mr.  Campbell  is  a  man  of  scru])ul(ius  honesty  and  charit- 
ably inclined.  He  is  neighborly,  genial  and  kind,  and  numbers  his  friends 
only  by  the  limits  of  his  acquaintance. 


984  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

•  OMER  DORRIS  NASH. 

It  is  the  progressive,  wide-awake  men  of  affairs  who  make  the  true 
history  of  a  community,  and  their  iniiuence  as  potential  factors  of  the  body 
politic  is  diificult  to  estimate.  The  examples  such  men  furnish  of  patient 
purpose  and  steadfast  integrity  strongly  illustrate  what  is  in  the  power  of  each 
to  accomplish,  and  there  is  always  full  measure  of  satisfaction  in  adverting 
even  in  a  casual  manner  to  their  achievements  in  advancing  the  interests  of 
their  fellow  men  and  in  giving  strength  and  solidity  to  the  institutions  which 
tell  so  much  for  the  prosperity  of  the  community.  In  every  life  of  honor  and 
usefulness  there  is  no  dearth  of  incident  and  yet  in  summing  up  the  career  of 
any  man  the  biographer  needs  touch  only  those  salient  points  which  give  the 
keynote  to  his  character.  Thus  in  setting  forth  the  life  record  of  Omer 
Dorris  Nash,  an  enterprising  young  man  of  Crawfordsville,  Indiana,  suffici- 
ent will  be  said  to  show  what  all  who  know  him  will  freely  accjuiesce  in,  that 
he  is  one  of  the  deserving,  capable  and  honorable  citizens  of  Montgomery 
county.  Such  a  life  as  his  is  an  inspiration  to  others  who  are  less  courageous 
and  more  prone  to  give  up  the  fight  when  obstacles  thwart  their  way,  or  their 
ideals  have  been  reached  or  definite  success  has  been  obtained  in  any  chosen 
field.  In  the  brief  life  history  of  Mr.  Nash  are  found  evidences  of  char- 
acteristics that  always  make  for  advancement,  achievement  and  success — 
persistency  coupled  with  fortitude  and  lofty  traits,  and  as  the  result  of  such 
a  life  he  has  won  a  host  of  friends  since  taking  up  his  residence  here,  and 
is  achieving  material  success. 

Mr.  Nash  was  born  in  Brownsburg,  Indiana,  October  18,  1882,  and  he 
is  a  son  of  George  and  Amanda  (Herring)  Nash.  The  father  who  is  also  a 
native  of  Brownsburg,  born  there  in  the  year,  1858,  is  now  living  retired,  hav- 
ing spent  his  active  life  successfully  engaged  in  farming.  He  is  well  known  in 
his  native  county  and  is  highly  respected  there.  His  wife,  Amanda  Herring, 
was  born  near  Brownsburg  in  i860.  There  they  both  grew  to  maturity,  re- 
ceived their  educational  training  and  were  married. 

Omer  D.  Nash  grew  to  manhood  in  Brownsburg,  and  there  he  received 
his  early  education  in  the  public  schools,  working  on  the  home  farm  during 
the  summer  months.  He  learned  telegraphy  at  which  he  worked  for  about 
eighteen  months,  then  attended  the  Clark  Embalming  School  at  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  from  which  he  was  graduated,  having  inade  a  splendid  record  there. 
Desiring  to  further  his  knowledge  of  this  science,  to  learn  every  phase  of  the 


O.   D.   NASH 


MONTGOMliRV    COL'XTV.    INDIANA.  985 

same  and  to  render  liis  work  superior  lo  that  of  liis  contemporaries  he  went 
to  Chicago  where  he  took  the  course  in  the  Barnes  Eml)alming  SchooL 

Thus  well  equipped  for  his  life  work  he  returned  to  Brownsl)urg  and 
engaged  in  the  undertaking  and  furniture  l>usiness  for  a  period  of  three 
years,  building  up  a  good  business.  Seeking  a  wider  field  for  the  exercise  of 
his  talents  he  went  to  Indianapolis  and  took  a  position  as  enibalmer  and 
funeral  director  with  the  large  establishment  of  Finn  Brothers,  where  he  re- 
mained for  a  period  of  five  years,  giving  his  employers  entire  satisfaction  and 
furthering  his  knowledge  of  the  ins  and  out  of  his  chosen  vocation.  He 
then  came  to  Crawfordsville  and  engaged  in  business  for  himself  at  uo 
North  Green  street,  where  he  is  still  located.  He  enjoys  a  large  and  growing 
business,  and  promptness  and  high  grade  service  are  his  watch  words. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Nash  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  ]Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  the 
Patriotic  Order  Sons  of  America.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Christian  church. 

Mr.  Nash  was  married  on  April  ii,  1905,  to  Grace  Hughes,  of  Browns- 
burg,  her  birth  having  occurred  there  on  April  i,  1883.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Everett  T.  and  Alice  (Ohaver)  Hughes,  a  highly  respected  family  there. 


LUCIEN  D.  COYXER. 

Nearly  three-quarters  of  a  century  has  dissolved  in  the  mists  of  the  ir- 
revocable past  since  Lucien  D.  Coyner,  venerable  farmer  of  Sugar  Creek 
township,  first  saw  the  light  of  day,  being  a  wortliy  son  of  a  i)ioneer  family, 
who  braved  the  wilds  of  Montgomery  county  when  settlers  were  few  and 
little  improvement  had  taken  place.  He  has  lived  through  one  of  the  most 
remarkable,  and  in  many  respects  the  most  wonderful,  epoch  in  the  world's 
history.  There  will  never  be  another  like  it.  for  it  embraced  the  period 
when  the  strong-armed  home-seekers  from  tlie  Eastern  states  invaded  the 
great  Middle  West,  the  Coyners  being  among  the  number,  and  redeemed  this 
fertile  section  of  our  hemisphere  from  the  wilds,  bringing  it  up  through 
various  stages  to  its  present  high  state  of  cultivation  and  civilization.  To 
all  these  changes  in  Montgomerj'  county,  Mr.  Coyner  has  been  a  most  in- 
terested spectator,  never  by  any  means  sitting  passively  by  and  watching 
others  do  the  work,  he  having  at  all  times  sought  to  do  his  full  share  in  the 
work  of  progress  in  the  locality  which  his  father  selected  as  the  spot  on 


986  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

whicli  to  build  the  family's  future  home.  He  talks  most  interestingl}'  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  others  of  our  patriarchal  citizens  are  of  the  opinion  that  those  were 
better,  at  least  happier,  times  than  now,  and  this  is,  in  the  main,  true. 

Mr.  Coyner  was  born  on  October  .13,  1839,  in  Montgomery  county,  In- 
diana, and  here  he  has  been  content  to  spend  his  long  and  industrious  life. 
He  is  a  son  of  John  D.  and  Delila  (Peterson)  Coyner.  The  father  of  our 
subject  was  torn  on  August  3,  1810,  in  Virginia,  from  which  state  he  re- 
moved to  Indiana  when  a  young  man,  locating  in  Montgomery  county, 
where  he  married  and  here  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  and  died  on  his  farm 
hear  on  October  17,  1895.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  1818  in 
Ohio,  from  which  state  she  came  to  Indiana  when  a  young  girl  and  here 
her  death  occurred  in  1844.  John  D.  Coyner  was  a  tanner  by  trade,  which 
he  followed  in  connection  with  farming;  however,  toward  the  latter  part  of 
his  life  he  turned  his  attention  exclusively  to  general-  farming.  His  family 
consisted  of  eleven  children,  nine  of  whom  are  stiU  living,  namely:  George 
W.,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  Union  army,  died  while  in  the  service  at  New 
Orleans,  Louisiana;  Lucien  D.,  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  second  in  order 
of  birth;  M.  P.  was  the  third;  and  Delila  is  deceased;  William  was  next  in 
order;  Jacob  is  deceased;  Jesse,  Seymour,  David,  Mary  and  Joseph  are  the 
younger  children. 

Lucien  D.  Coyner  grew  to  manhood  on  the  old  homestead  and,  being 
a  pioneer  child,  he  found  plenty  of  hard  work  to  do  in  assisting  his  father 
develop  the  farm  from  the  wilderness.  He  received  such  education  as  the 
pioneer  schools  of  his  time  afforded.  On  October  6,  1861,  he  married  Mar- 
tha A.  Bowers,  who  was  born  in  this  county  on  May  20,  1841,  her  family 
also  being  early  settlers,  she  being  a  daughter  of  Edmond  and  C.  (Drow- 
linger)  Bowers,  who  came  here  from  Ohio.  Mrs.  Coyner  grew  to  woman- 
hood and  was  educated  in  her  native  community. 

Six  children  have  been  born  to  \lr.  and  Mrs.  Coyner,  namely :  George 
died  March  24,  1901 ;  Violet,  who  married  W.  O.  Armsby,  died  in  191 1; 
Charlotte;  W.  T.  and  Stella,  twins;  Lei  is  at  home. 

Mr.  Coyner  began  farming  for  himself  when  a  young  man  and  he  has 
lived  on  his  present  farm  in  Sugar  Creek  township  since  1871,  which  place 
consists  of  fifty-seven  and  one-half  acres,  all  tillable,  well  fenced  and  well 
tiled.     He  cleared  this  land  and  built  his  own  residence  and  outbuildings. 

Politicallv,  Mr.  Covner  is  a  Democrat  and  has  voted  for  thirteen  dif- 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    LN  DIANA.  987 

ferent  Presidents.  Me  lias  taken  considerable  interest  in  local  public  attairs, 
and  for  a  period  of  sixteen  years  was  justice  of  the  peace  of  Sugar  Creek- 
township,  discharging  tiie  duties  of  the  office  in  a  manner  that  reflected  much 
credit  upon  himself  and  to  the  eminent  satisfaction  of  all  concerned,  and 
his  decisions  were  always  characterized  liy  a  soundness  of  judugment.  fair- 
ness and  faithfulness  to  dut\-. 


WILLIAM   H.   BUNDY. 

Endow-ed  with  a  liberal  share  of  good  common  sense  and  possessing 
sound  judgment,  backed  by  a  well  founded  purpose  to  succeed,  William 
H.  Bundy,  well  known  merchant  at  Bowers  Station,  and  trustee  of  Sugar 
Creek  township,  Montgomery  county,  has  labored  with  the  object  primarily 
in  view  of  making  a  good  home  for  himself  and  family  and  acquiring  a  com- 
petency for  his  declining  years.  This  laudable  desire  is  being  realized,  and 
he  is  in  what  we  sometimes  call  "easy  circumstances,"  with  a  sufficient  sur- 
plus for  the  proverbial  "rainy  day,"  which  sooner  or  later  comes  to  e\eiy 
individual,  and  also,  when  not  provided  for,  results  in  at  least  much  incon- 
venience and  unhappiness  if  not  downright  suffering.  It  is  perhaps  possible 
for  everv  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, 
and  so,  believing  in  the  optimism  of  the  future,  they  spend  all  on  the  pres- 
ent. Mr.  Bundy,  it  seems,  has  been  wiser  and  his  prudence  has  urged  him 
to  pursue  a  different  course,  which,  all  contemplative  minds  will  agree,  is 
the  wiser,  and  therefore  his  example  and  that  of  his  worthy  father  before 
him  as  well,  are  to  be  commended  to  the  younger  readers  of  this  work  whose 
destinies  are  yet  matters  for  the  future  to  determine  and  who  are  hesitat- 
ing at  the  parting  of  the  ways. 

Mr.  Bundy  was  born  on  January  17,  1869,  near  Thorntown.  Boone 
county,  Indiana.  He  is  a  son  of  A.  D.  and  Rosa  A.  (Tetrow)  Bundy. 
The  father  was  born  on  January  3,  1848.  also  in  Boone  county.  He  was 
married  in  Clinton  county  after  which  he  nioxed  to  Montgomery  county, 
and  is  now  living  at  Smartsburg,  Indiana.  The  mother  of  our  suliject  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  on  No\enilier  2~,  1847.  in  Summerset  county,  and  she 
removed  to  western  Indiana  with  her  parents  when  she  was  five  years  old. 
Her  death  occurred  on   No\-ember   5.    1885. 

William   H.    Bundv  received  a  common   school   education   and   lie   irrew 


9o<5  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

to  manhood  on  his  father's  farm,  the  elder  Bund)-  ha\'ing  always  engaged 
in  general  farming,  but  a  few  years  ago  he  retired  from  active  work  on  the 
farm  and  went  into  the  merchandise  business.  Besides  our  subject  he  has 
one  other  child,  George,  who  was  born  in  1871  and  owns  a  grocery  store 
in  Crawfordsville. 

William  H.  Bundy  came  to  Montgomery  county  in  1890.  He  was 
married  in  1891,  on  March  15,  to  Laura  A.  Gordon,  who  was  born  in  How- 
ard county,  Indiana,  in  1872.  She  is  a  daughter  of  W.  R.  and  Hester 
(Coy)  Gordon,  a  well  known  Howard  county  family.  Mrs.  Bundy  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education. 

Eight  children  have  been  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  four  of  whom 
are  still  living,  namely:  Marie,  born  March  19,  1899:  Gladys,  born  Octo- 
ber 23,  1903;  Leoda  and  Leo,  twins,  born  July  2,  1910. 

Upon  moving  to  this  county,  Mr.  Bundy  took  up  the  saw  mill  busi- 
ness and  later  entered  the  mercantile  field  at  Bowers  Station  in  1899,' 
and  here  he  has  continued  to  the  present  time,  enjoying  an  extensive  trade 
with  the  surrounding  country,  his  being  the  only  store  in  this  village.  He 
was  appointed  postmaster  here  on  June  11,  1907,  and  he  is  also  railroad 
agent  here  for  the  Vandalia  line.  He  owns  his  store,  forty  by  fifty  feet, 
also  owns  his  home  and  a  small  farm  near  here,  also  a  blacksmith  shop, 
store  buildings,  three  dwellings,  a  coal  yard  and  a  scale  yard.  He  is  one 
of  the  energetic  and  successful  business  men  of  the  county. 

Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Order  at  Colfax,  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Darlington,  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men  at 
Bowers  Station,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Horse  Thief  Detective  Associa- 
tion, and  the  United  Brethren  church.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat.  He 
was  elected  trustee  of  Sugar  Creek  township  in  1908.  He  at  one  time  had  a 
half  interest  in  the  Bowers  elevator,  known  then  as  Jordan  &  Bundy,  but  he 
sold  out  his  interest  in  191 1  to  his  partner.  He  also  runs  a  huckster  wagon 
on  the  road,  and  it  is  considered  one  of  the  best  and  most  popular  in  the 
county.  It  makes  all  the  eastern  part  of  the  county  and  parts  of  Tippe- 
canoe county.  He  is  known  to  insist  on  his  driver  or  buyer  paying  the  high- 
est prices  possible  under  the  market  for  produce  and  dealing  honestly  and 
courteously  with  all  his  hundreds  of  regular  customers. 

The  following  article  appeared  in  the  Cramfordsziille  Reviczv  under 
date  of  January  9,  1913,  and  is  self  explanatory,  and  we  deem  well  worthy  of 
reproduGtion  here.  It  was  under  the  caption  "Bundy  Makes  Good  Showing 
in  Sugar  Creek." 


MOXTGOMF.RV    COLN'TV,    INDIANA.  989 

"TriKstec  W.  H.  lUiiuly,  of  Sugar  Creek  tnu  iisliip,  is  llie  first  oi  tlie 
township  trustees  to  tile  his  annual  report  for  i<;ij.  Trustee  Hundv  coin- 
pleted  four  }-ears  in  otiiee  January  8th  and  durin.t^-  this  time  he  has  inatle  an 
excellent  record,  his  wise  and  judicious  administration  of  the  attairs  of  his 
office  putting  Sugar  Creek  township  in  the  best  financial  condition. 

"Trustee  Bundy  was  elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket  and  is  the  first  of 
that  party  to  hold  the  office  in  Sugar  Creek  in  many  years.  Pessimistic  pre- 
dictions were  made  regarding  his  ability,  and  he  has  shown  the  utter  absurdity 
of  these  by  making  the  best  trustee  the  township  has  ever  had. 

"When  he  went  into  office  Trustee  Bundy's  predecessor  turned  over  to 
him  a  balance  of  $4,^44.90.  His  report  for  191 2  filed  yesterday  shows  a 
balance  in  all  funds  of  $12,072.79.  Mr.  Bundy  has  increased  the  balances 
in  the  various  funds  by  approximately  $7,828,  in  the  four  years  he  has  held 
the  office.  The  tax  levy  in  Sugar  Creek  has  not  been  increased  during 
Trustee  Bundy's  term  and  the  substantial  showing  made  is  due  entirely  to 
his  able  handling  of  the  finances  of  the  township.  Below  is  given  a  sum- 
mary of  Mr.  Bundy's  report  for  1912: 

"Balance  receipts — township  fund,  $2,000.31;  road  fund,  $1,421.72; 
special  school  fund,  $7,361.82;  tuition  fund,  $8,266.35;  dog  fund,  $179.27. 
Disbursements — township  fund,  $933.98;  road  fund,  $734.48;  special  school 
fund,  $2,832.42;  tuition  fund,  $2,590.80;  dog  fund,  $65.  Balance,  town- 
ship fund.  $1,066.33:  road  fund,  $689.24;  special  school  fund.  $4,529.40; 
tuition  fund.  $5,675.55;  dog  fund,  $114.27." 


G.  O.  GODARD. 


Among  the  enterprising  and  successful  business  men  of  Darlington, 
Montgomery  county,  who  have  made  a  success  of  their  life  work  and  are 
deserving  of  the  title  "progressive"  is  G.  O.  Godard,  a  well  known  and  popu- 
lar merchant,  a  man  who  has  never  depended  upon  others  to  do  what  he  knew 
to  be  his  own  tasks,  and  he  has  always  endeavored  to  carry  into  his  business 
and  social  life  the  principles  based  on  the  old  Golden  Rule,  consequently  his 
large  success  in  a  material  way  has  been  deserving  and  he  is  worthy  of  the 
trust  and  confidence  that  has  been  reposed  in  him  by  all  who  know  him. 

Mr.  Godard  was  born  in  Mercer  count}-.  Illinois,  on  August  19.  1872. 
He  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary  (Dean)  Godard.  The  father  was  born  on 
July  3,  1S35,  and  his  death  occurred  in  March   iS.   1901.     The  mother  was 


990  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

born  in  1847  and  is  still  living,  making  her  home  in  Arkansas.  She  received 
a  good  education  and  attended  college;  taught  school  sometime  before  her 
marriage.  Samuel  Godard  spent  his  life  successfully  engaged  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits,  specializing  on  raising  horses,  principally  Clydesdale  horses, 
which,  owing  to  their  superior  quality,  found  a  very  ready  market.  He  was 
regarded  as  an  exceptionally  good  judge  of  a  horse.  He  was  a  quiet  man, 
preferring  to  remain  close  to  his  farm  and  home,  and  took  little  interest  in 
public  matters.  Politically,  he  was  a  Republican,  and  during  the  Civil  war  he 
sei'ved  gallantly  as  a  soldier  for  the  Union,  having  enlisted  in  October,  1861, 
in  Company  G,  One  Hundred  Twenty-fourth  Illinois  \'olunteer  Infantry. 
He  served  three  and  one-half  years,  then  was  honiira1)Iy  discharged  on  ac- 
count of  bad  health. 

Si.x  children  were  born  to  Samuel  Godard  and  wife,  five  of  whom  are 
still  living,  namely:  Myrtle,  G.  O.,  of  this  sketch:  Ray.  Dana,  Stella  and 
Banner,  the  latter  being  deceased. 

G.  O.  Godard  received  a  good  common  school  education  in  his  native 
community  in  Illinois  and  there  he  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm,  re- 
maining under  the  parental  roof-tree  until  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age  when 
he  went  into  the  dr}'  goods  business.  His  start  was  humble,  having  been 
made  in  an  old  huckster  wagon,  he  having  gathered  up  produce  around 
Francisville,  Indiana,  making  that  town  his  headquarters.  He  soon,  how- 
ever, had  a  start,  and,  seeking  a  better  field  he  came  to  Lafayette.  Indiana. 
where  he  remained  awhile  engaged  in  the  same  line  of  endeavor.  Subse- 
quently, he  followed  this  line  of  endeavor  in  a  number  of  other  places,  always 
with  growing  success,  becoming  one  of  the  best  known  men  in  his  line  of 
business  in  this  part  of  the  state.  In  igoo  he  moved  to  Indianapolis  and 
went  into  the  dry  goods  business,  being  with  se\'eral  large  dry  goods  mer- 
chants, including  \Vm.  Laurie  Co.  and  W.  H.  Block,  and  for  a  short  time  he 
was  in  business  for  himself  there.  In  19 10  he  moved  to  Darlington  and 
entered  the  dry  goods  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Godard  &  Peters. 
Mr.  Peters  retired  June' 10,  191 1  and  Mr.  Godard  continued  the  business 
under  the  name  of  G.  O.,  Godard.  He  has  met  with  a  large  degree  of  success, 
enjoying  an  extensive  and  lucrative  trade  with  the  surrounding  country.  He 
carries  a  large  and  carefully  selected  stock  of  up-to-date  goods  at  all  seasons 
and  his  hundreds  of  customers  always  receive  honest  and  courteous  treat- 
ment.    He  has  the  largest  stock  of  dry  goods  in  this  part  of  the  county. 

Mr.  Godard  was  married  on  Februarv  21,   iSgS  to  Lena  A'ickers.  who 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTV,    INDIANA.  i/Jl 

was  1)1  )rn  in  Kentucky  on  September  27,  1877,  there  grew  to  woinanliond  and 
received  her  education. 

To  our  subject  and  wife  has  been  born  one  child.  Marian,  whose  birth 
occurred  on  January  17,  np^.     She  is  attending  school. 

Politically,  Mr.  Godard  votes  independently.  Religiously,  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  church. 


WILLI. \M  S.  I1.\^L 


Among  the  most  enterprising  citizens  of  Ripley  township,  Montgomery 
county,  is  \\'illiam  S.  Ham,  of  the  village  of  Alamo,  a  man  of  known  skill  as 
a  painter  and  of  modern  methods  as  an  agriculturist.  Thus  he  keeps  very 
busy,  for  his  fine  farm  claims  a  great  deal  of  attention,  and,  being  one  of  the 
most  careful  and  skilled  painters  in  this  part  of  the  county  his  services  are  in 
great  demand.  The  reason  he  has  the  confidfience  of  the  people  of  this 
locality-  is  because  he  has  ever  dealt  honestly  with  them  and  has  done  his  work 
well  and  conscientiously. 

Mr.  Ham  was  born  in  Fountain  county.  Indiana,  on  August  7.  1S70. 
He  is  a  son  of  Rhoden  and  Mandy  J.  (Willis)  Ham.  The  father  was  born 
on  January  i"6,  1839.  in  Montgomery  county.  Indiana,  and  he  sjjcnt  his  life 
in  his  native  state,  devoting  his  manhood  years  to  agricultural  pursuits.  Mis 
death  occurred  in  July,  1907.  His  wife,  Mandy  J.  Willis,  was  born  on  Jul\- 
15,  1843.  in  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  and  there  she  grew  to  womanhood 
and  received  her  education  in  the  old-time  district  schools.  She  is  still  living. 
making  her  home  with  her  son,  William  S.,  of  this  review. 

To  Rhoden  Ham  and  wife  were  born  four  children,  two  of  whom  are 
still  living,  namely:  Albert  is  deceased;  William  S.,  sul)ject  of  this  sketch; 
Fred  is  deceased;  Lewis  is  the  youngest  of  the  family. 

William  S.  Ham  grew-  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  there  assisted 
with  the  general  work  when  a  boy.  He  received  a  common  school  education. 
He  began  life's  serious  w^ork  as  a  farmer  and  this  he  has  continued  to  follow 
with  success.  He  also  learned  the  painter's  trade  when  a  young  man  and 
this  he  has  followed  in  connection  with  farming  for  many  years,  but  general 
farming  and  stock  raising  has  claimed  the  major  portion  of  his  attention. 
He  owns  a  finely  improved  and  well  cultivated  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
thirty  acres  in  Ripley  township,  nearly  all  tillable,  but  about  ten  or  twelve 
acres,  and  his  fields  are  well  tiled,   fenced  and   free   from  rock.     Mr.   Ham 


992  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

maintains  his  residence  in  tiie  town  of  Alamo,  where  lie  is  owner  of  a  cozy 
home.     He  is  also  the  owner  of  several  valuable  lots  in  Alamo. 

Mr.  .Ham  has  remained  unmarried.  Politically,  he  is  a  Progressive  and 
is  much  interested  in  the  new  movement  for  better  government.  In  religious 
affairs  he  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church,  and,  fraternally,  he  belongs 
to  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Alamo. 


CALEB  THAYER. 


The  name  of  Caleb  Thayer  is  too  well  known  to  the  people  of  Madison 
township,  Montgomery  county,  to  need  any  formal  introduction  here,  for 
his  life  has  been  spent  practically  in  this  locality  where,  for' a  number  of  dec- 
ades he  followed  general  farming  and  stock  raising  on  an  extensive  scale. 
He  is  now  living  retired  from  active  farming  and  is  spending  his  declining 
years  in  quiet  at  his  pleasant  home  in  the  attractive  little  village  of  Linden. 
He  is  the  efficient  and  popular  justice  of  the  peace,  and  he  is  a  man  who  has 
in  every  way  deserved  the  large  degree  of  success  that  the  Fates  have  decreed 
for  him,  for  he  has  not  only  worked  hard  but  has  lived  uprightly  and  has  been 
neighborly  and  charitable.  He  is  one  of  our  honored  veterans  of  the  L^nion 
army. 

Mr.  Thayer  was  born  on  March  12,  1844,,  in  Greene  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  when  a  child  he  moved  with  his  parents  to  Indiana  and  here  he 
has  been  content  to  spend  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and 
Margaret  (Stoops)  Thayer.  The  father  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  His 
death  occurred  in  1849.  The  mother  was  also  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  her 
death  occurred  soon  after  that  of  her  husband,  in  1850.  They  grew  to 
maturity  in  their  native  state  and  there  received  limited  educations,  and  they 
devoted  their  lives  to  general  farming.  Politically,  Joseph  Thayer  was  a 
Whig,  but  he  was  never  an  active  public  man.  His  family  consisted  of  four 
children,  two  of  whom  are  still  living;  they  were,  Joseph  is  deceased;  Henry 
was  the  second  in  order  of  birth;  Caleb,  of  this  review;  Nathan,  the  youngest, 
is  deceased. 

Caleb  Thayer  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's  farm,  and  he  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  at  Westley,  this  county. 

When  the  Civil  war  came  on  Mr.  Thayer  went  forth  amidst  its  dangers 
and  hardships  to  do  what  he  could  toward  suppressing  the  rebellion,  having 
enlisted  in  the  Fortieth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,   under  Captain  Kirk- 


MONTCOMKUV    COIXTV.    INDIAXA.  993 

Patrick,  in  Conipanv  G.  in  Aui^ust,  1861.  at  Sugar  (lru\e,  Tippecanoe  county. 
He  served  in  that  conipan\-  about  two  and  one-half  years.  His  first  engage- 
ment was  at  Perryville,  Kentucky.  Later  he  fought  in  the  great  battle  of 
Stone's  River,  near  Murfreesboro,  Tennessee,  then  in  the  two  days'  battle  at 
Nashville,  also  at  Corinth  and  Lookout  Mountain.  ,  Li  the  summer  of  1864 
he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Seventy-second  Mounted  Infantnv,  under  Captain 
Mann,  at  Sugar  Grove,  Indiana.  While  in  this  regiment  he  participated  in 
the  sanguinary  conflict  at  Franklin  and  a  number  of  skirmishes,  and  he  was 
within  a  milcof  JefYerson  Davis,  the  Confederate  President,  when  he  was  cap- 
tured. Later  on  our  subject  was  transferred  to  the  Forty-fourth  Indiana 
\'olunteer  Infantry,  but  he  never  went  to  his  regiment,  and  was  honorably 
discharged  in  September,  1865.  at  Edgefield,  Tennessee,  after  a  \'ery  faithful 
and  gallant  military  career  of  which  his  family  and  descendants  may  well  be 
proud. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Tha\-er  returned  to  Sugar  Grove,  Tippecanoe  county, 
where  he  had  located  before  hostilities  began,  and  there  he  soon  had  a  good 
start  as  a  general  farmer  and  stock  raiser  and  these  lines  he  continued  to  give 
his  attention  to  with  gratifying  results  as  the  years  advanced  until  1909  at 
which  time  he,  having  accumulated  a  comfortable  competency  through  his  able 
management  and  close  application  on  his  fine  farm  in  Tippecanoe  county, 
removed  to  Linden,  Montgomer}'  county,  selling  his  farm,  and  here  he  still 
resides. 

]\Ir.  Thayer  was  married  on  December  10,  1874,  to  Eveline  Miller,  who 
was  born  in  Tippecanoe  county  on  February  23,  1855.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  Alexander  and  Martha  A.  (Lane)  Miller.  The  father  was  born  in  Pitts- 
burg, Pennsylvania,  in  1835,  and  his  death  occurred  on  June  26,  1899.  The 
mother  of  Mrs.  Thayer  was  born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  in  1833,  and  her 
death  occurred  on  June  26,  1886. 

To  Alexander  INIiller  and  wife  nine  children  were  l>orn.  four  of  whom  are 
still  living. 

Mrs.  Eveline  Thayer  received  a  good  common  school  education,  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  she  had  to  walk  about  four  miles  to  and  from  school, 
yet  she  applied  herself  carefully  to  her  text-books. 

Ten  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thayer,  six  of  whom  are  still 
living,  namely:  Mattie  AI..  born  August  5.  1875.  married  Leroy  Haynes,  and 
they  live  in  Tippecanoe  county:  Wilbert.  born  September  5.  1880,  married 
Mary  Hendricks  and  they  li\-e  in  White  count)':  Dayton  O.,  born  November 
25,  1883  has  remained  single:  George  C..  born  June  20,  1886;  Otis  L.,  born 
(63) 


994  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

May  i6,  1889:  Claude  A.,  Ijorn  [May  30,  1892:  Frederick  E.,  born  December 
4,  1897;  Everett  H.,  born  September  3,  1902,  died  March  27.  1910:  the  other 
two  children  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Thayer  is  the  owner  of  one  of  the  most  commodious  homes  in  Lin- 
den. Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Order,  and  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  both  at  Romney.  Religiously,  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  In  politics  he  has  ever  been  a  staunch  Repub- 
lican, and  he  was  appointed  justice  of  the  peace  at  Linden  to  fill  an  unexpired 
term,  and  this  office  he  is  still  holding  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  concerned,  his 
decisions  being  always  fair  and  unbiased. 


JAMES  A.  PETERSON. 

One  of  the  most  conspicuous  figures  in  the  present-day  history  of  Mont- 
gomery county,  in  the  industrial  world,  is  James  A.  Peterson,  banker  and 
business  man  of  Darlington.  Equally  noted  as  a  citizen  whose  useful  career 
has  conferred  credit  upon  the  community  and  whose  marked  abilities  and 
progressive  qualities  have  won  for  him  much  more  than  local  repute,  he  holds 
today  distinctive  precedence  as  one  of  the  most  successful  men  that  ever 
inaugurated  and  carried  to  successful  termination  large  and  important  under- 
takings. Strong  mental  endowment,  invincible  courage  and  a  determined 
will,  coupled  with  an  honesty  of  purpose  that  hesitates  at  no  opposition,  have 
so  entered  into  his  composition  as  to  render  him  a  dominant  factor  in  the 
financial  and  business  world  and  a  leader  of  men  in  important  enterprises. 
He  is  essentially  a  man  of  afifairs,  sound  of  judgment  and  far-seeing  in  what 
he  undertakes ;  and  every  enterprise  to  which  he  has  addressed  himself  has 
resulted  in  liberal  financial  returns,  while  at  the  same  time  he  has  won  and 
retained  the  confidence  and  good  will  of  all  classes,  and  is  eminently  entitled 
to  conspicuous  mention  in  a  volume  of  the  province  assigned  to  the  one  in 
hand. 

Mr.  Peterson  was  born  on  January  10,  1872  in  Montgomery  county, 
Indiana.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Hannah  (Dain)  Peterson.  The  father 
was  born  in  Ohio,  July  25,  1829,  from  which  state  he  came  to  Indiana  when 
a  small  child  with  his  parents  and  here  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  dying  on 
January  27,  1897.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Indiana,  and  she 
is  still  living,  making  her  home  in  Darlington.  John  Peterson  devoted  his 
life  to  general  farming  and  stock  raising.     He  was  a  quiet,  home  man.  taking 


MONTGOMrRV    CdrXTV.    IXDIAXA.  993 

little  part  in  public  affairs,  lie  was  a  Repulilican,  and  fur  a  nuniher  n\  years 
was  county  commissioner.     His  family  consisted  of  five  cliiUlren. 

James  A.  Peterson  of  this  sketch  grew  to  manhood  on  the  ImuK'  farni 
and  there  he  assisted  with  the  general  work  when  a  boy.  He  received  his 
education  in  the  local  public  and  high  schools,  later  attending  a  business  col- 
lege in  New  Albany,  Indiana.  On  June  8,  1892,  he  married  Nora  Hunt,  who 
was  born  in  Montgomery  county.  May  3.  1873,  and  she  received  a  similar 
education  to  that  of  Mr.  Peterson. 

Five  children  have  been  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  four  sons  and  one 
daughter,  namely:  Herbert  W'.,  born  Alarch  11,  1893,  is  attending  the  Chi- 
cago Technical  University,  taking  the  course  in  architecture;  J.  Harold,  born 
December  10,  1896  is  attending  high  school;  Charles  Husted,  born  April  19, 
1899;  Henrv  Hunt,  born  November  2^.  1905:  and  Mary  Hannah,  born  July 
22,  190;. 

]Mr.  Peterson  made  his  start  on  the  farm  where  he  remained  until  he 
was  about  eighteen  ^■ears  of  age.  In  1891  he  entered  the  first  bank  that  was 
organized  in  Darlington  as  bookkeeper,  known  as  the  Peoples'  Bank.  There 
he  remained  until  1902,  meanwhile  mastering  the  various  phases  of  the  bank- 
ing business,  and  in  March  of  the  last  named  year  the  Farmers  and  Merchants 
Bank  of  Darlington  was  organized,  being  a  private  bank  with  a  capital  stock 
of  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  In  November,  1906,  this  bank  was  made  a  state 
bank,  retaining  the  old  name,  the  new  capital  stock  being  twenty-five  thousand 
dollars,  and  a  surplus  of  six  thousand  dollars.  Its  development  has  been 
rapid,  but  substantial,  and  its  popularity  has  grown  with  the  years,  until  it  is 
todav  one  of  the  most  popular,  safest  and  conservative  institutions  of  its  kind 
in  the  county  and  the  largest  tax  paying  bank  in  Franklin  township.  Its 
officers  are:  President,  Albert  Cox;  Vice-President,  William  Hampton; 
Cashier,  James  A.  Peterson ;  Assistant  Cashier,  Joseph  E.  LaFollette. 

Mr.  Peterson  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  a  private  bank  at  Kirk- 
patrick,  Indiana,  March  2,  1909,  under  the  name  of  The  Bank  of  Kirkpat- 
rick.  Officials:  President,  L.  C.  Grimes;  Vice-President,  M.  .\.  Dix; 
Cashier,  Harry  Wright.  Mr.  Peterson  is  a  director  of  this  bank,  and  he  was 
president  of  the  same  until  January  i,  1913.  Its  large  success  and  favorable 
prestige  has  been  gained  very  largely  through  the  able  management  and  wise 
counsel  of  our  subject. 

In  1894  Mr.  Peterson  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Building  and 
Loan  Association,  becoming  secretar}-  of  the  same.  It  has  Ix'en  one  of  the 
most  successful  organizations  of  its  kind  in  Montgomery  county.     In    1896 


996  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

the  Darlington  Telephone  Company  of  Darlington  was  organized,  of  which 
Mr.  Peterson  has  been  manager  for  the  last  fifteen  years  and  he  has  built  it 
up  to  one  of  the  best  equipped  and  most  satisfactory  systems  in  this  part  of 
the  state.  In  1895  Mr.  Peterson  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  water 
works  system  of  Darlington,  known  as  the  Darlington  Water  Works  Com- 
pany, which  installed  the  present  splendid  system  in  this  thriving  little  city. 
This  company  has  four  good  wells  from  which  an  abundance  of  the  finest 
water  is  obtained.  It  also  affords  excellent  fire  protection  for  the  city.  Mr. 
Peterson  is  now  manager  of  this  company,  which,  like  everything  else  with 
which  he  has  been  affiliated  is  a  pronounced  success.  Thus  we  see  that  he  is 
a  very  busy  man  and  an  important  factor  in  the  affairs  of  this  section  of 
Montgomery  county.  He  is  by  nature  an  organizer  and  promoter,  seldom 
making  a  mistake,  and  his  promotions  are  always  along  safe  and  legitimate 
lines. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  but  has  never  been  especially  active  in 
public  life,  preferring  his  happy  modern  home  and  his  large  business  affairs. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  IMethodist  Episcopal  church,  and  is  a  trustee  in  the 
same. 


THEODORE  HANKINS. 

Among  the  enterprising  citizens  of  New  Ross,  Montgomery  county,  who 
have  forged  to  the  front  through  sheer  persistency  and  the  application  of 
sound  business  principles  is  Theodore  Hankins,  one  of  the  best  known  under- 
takers of  Walnut  and  surrounding  townships.  He  is  a  man  who  believes  in 
assisting  in  furthering  the  general  interests  of  his  vicinity  while  laboring  for 
his  own  advancement  and,  having  dealt  honorably  with  his'  fellow  men  he 
has  won  their  good  will  and  respect. 

Mr.  Hankins  was  born  in  Hamilton  county,  Ohio,  March  8,  1858.  He 
is  a  son  of  John  L.  and  Orpha  (Hancock)  Hankins,  the  former  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of  Kentucky.  John  L.  Hankins  came  to  Mont- 
gomery county  on  August  16,  1865,  and  settled  in  Ripley  township,  estab- 
lished a  good  home  and  there  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  rest  of  the  earthly 
days  and  reared  their  family  of  eight  children,  who  were  named  as  follows : 
Angeline,  Sarah  Jane,  Caroline,  Albert,  Theodore  (our  subject),  Alexander, 
Victoria  and  Ada  Austin  are  both  deceased. 

John  L.  Hankins  became  an  influential  man  in  his  township  and  he 
filled  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  period  of  twenty-five  years,  his 


MONTGOMERV    COUNTY.    INDIANA.  997 

long  retention  in  the  sauK  being  sufticient  evidence  of  his  higli  standing  in 
the  conimunit}-  and  of  the  universal  trust  reposed  in  him,  of  his  sane  and  fair 
decisions  and  impartiality.  He  had  also  been  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  Oliio 
before  he  came  here,  and  was  also  a  constalile  in  his  native  state.  His  death 
occurred  on  January  g,  1899  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  His  widow  sur- 
vived until  1905,  dying  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years. 

Theodore  Hankins  grew  to  nianliood  on  the  lionie  farm  and  tlicre  he 
assisted  with  the  genera!  work  when  a  hoy.  He  leceixed  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Montgomery  county,  then  worked  at  the  barber  busi- 
ness for  a  period  of  twenty-five  years,  becoming  one  of  the  most  skillful  and 
popular  tonsorial  artists  in  this  part  of  the  county.  During  twelve  years  of 
that  i>eriod  he  also  did  some  business  as  an  undertaker,  and  he  farmed  for  six 
years.  He  spent  three  years  in  Pittsburg  and  \\'aynetown,  and  also  spent 
some  time  in  several  other  places.  He  started  a  barljer  shop  at  New  Ross, 
Walnut  township,  in  1888  and  remained  there  until  1890.  On  September 
1st  of  that  year,  he  turned  his  attention  exclusively  to  the  undertaking  busi- 
ness in  which  he  is  still  active,  having  thus  l^een  continuously  engaged  at  the 
town  of  New  Ross  for  nearly  twenty-tlirec  years.  He  is  well  equipped  in 
every  respect  for  insuring  high  grade  and  ])rom])t  service  and  he  understands 
every  phase  of  the  undertaking  business.  He  has  been  very  successful  and 
has  built  up  quite  an  extensive  and  satisfactory  business. 

^Mr.  Hankins  was  married  on  September  8,  1889,  to  Rose  E.  Morrison, 
who  was  Ixjrn  on  January  12,  1863.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  E.  and 
Nancy  (Routh)  Morrison,  the  father  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  the  mother 
of  Butler  county,  Ohio.  They  were  early  settlers  in  Montgomery  county, 
Indiana,  and  here  Mrs.  Hankins  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools.  She  is  one  of  a  family  of  six  children,  four  sons  and  two 
daughters. 

Three  children  have  been  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  namely :  Harold, 
died  December  25,  1891 ;  Hazel,  born  October  14,  1893;  Everitt,  born  Decem- 
ber 19,  1903  is  at  home. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Hankins  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  at  New  Ross.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  religiously  belongs  to  the 
Christian  Disciples  church. 

The  wife  of  Mr.  Hankins  passed  away  on  May  15,  191 1,  at  the  age  of 
forty-eight  years,  three  months  and  twenty-seven  days. 

To  Thomas  E.  Morrison  and  wife,  mentioned  above,  the  following  chil- 
dren were  born:  Mar\'  E.,  born  August  3.   1845:  John,  born  December  22, 


998  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

1847;  Marion,  born  March  14,  1850:  Jesse  A.,  July  9,  1853;  James  E.,  July 
7,  1857;  Rose  E.,  who  married  Mr.  Hankins,  was  born  January  12,  1863. 

Nancy  Routh,  mentioned  above,  was  born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  April 
29,  1823.  Thomas  Morrison  was  bom  on  January  6,  1821.  They  were  mar- 
ried on  October  30,  1844.  The  death  of  Mr.  Morrison  occurred  on  August 
21,  1887;  and  that  of  his  wife  on  January  6,  1910.  Marion  Morrison  died 
on  October  15,  1888.  The  ^lorrison  children  were  all  born  in  Montgomery 
county. 


SATilUEL  R.  PEACOCK,  M.  D. 

The  life  of  the  scholarly  or  professional  man  seldom  exhibits  an}'  of 
those  striking  incidents  that  seize  upon  public  feeling  and  attract  attention  to 
himself.  His  character  is  generally  made  up  of  the  aggregate  qualities  and 
qualifications  he  may  possess  as  these  may  be  elicited  b}-  the  exercise  of  the 
duties  of  his  vocation  or  the  particular  profession  to  which  he  belongs.  But 
when  such  a  man  has  so  impressed  his  individuality  upon  his  fellow  men,  as 
to  gain  their  confidence  and  through  that  confidence  and  his  individual  merit 
rises  to  an  important  place  in  the  locality  in  which  he  resides  his  name  is 
worthy  of  mention  on  the  pages  of  history.  Dr.  Samuel  K.  Peacock,  of 
Ladoga,  is  one  of  the  men  of  Montgomery  county,  who,  not  content  to  hide 
his  talents  amid  life's  sequestered  ways,  has  by  the  force  of  his  will  and  a 
laudable  ambition  forged  to  the  front  in  a  responsible  and  exacting  calling, 
and  earned  an  honorable  reputation  in  one  of  the  most  useful  of  professions. 
His  life  has  been  one  of  hard  study  and  research  from  his  youth  and  since 
maturity  of  laborious  professional  duty,  and  he  is  eminently  deserving  of  the 
success  he  has  achieved  and  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  is  universally  held. 

Dr.  Peacock  was  born  at  Oakville,  Ontario,  Canada,  June  15,  1867.  He 
is  a  son  of  William  G.  and  Isabella  (Buchanan)  Peacock. 

The  father  was  of  English  ancestry,  and  was  a  son  of  William  Peacock 
and  wife,  of  Suffolk,  England.  The  mother's  parents  were  from  the  north 
of  Ireland. 

Dr.  Peacock  grew  to  manhood  in  the  Pro\-ince  of  Ontario  and  attended 
the  schools  in  his  native  locality,  graduating  from  the  high  school  at  Oakville. 
He  entered  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Buffalo  in  the  fall  of 
1888  and  was  graduated  from  the  same  in  1892.  He  began  practicing  medi- 
cine in  Chicago,  where  he  remained  until  in  January,  1894,  when  he  located 
in  Ladoga,  Indiana,  where  he  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  the  practice  and 


M()\T('.(i.MKK\'   c■ln■^•r^■.   imh.wa.  yyg 

where  he  has  IniiU  up  a  hirgc  and  hicrative  patronage.  His  hrother.  also  a 
physician,  came  here  later  and  is  now  practicing  in  Darlington,  They  Ixith 
belong  to  the  county  and  state  medical  societies,  and  our  suhject  is  a  nienilier 
of  the  Masonic  order,  and  politically  he  is  a  Democrat. 

Dr.  Peacock  was  married  on  June  6,  1900  to  Lois  B.  Walterhouse,  of 
Indianapolis.  She  was  a  graduate  nurse.  Her  father.  Major  Thomas 
Walterhouse,  was  a  well  know-n  attorney  in  Muncie,  Indiana.  He  served 
with  distinction  in  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  war,  and  for  meritorious 
conduct  was  promoted  through  the  various  grades  to  that  of  major.  He 
helped  organize  the  Sixty-ninth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry  in  which  he  was 
successively  second  lieutenant  and  captain  in  Company  B,  and  in  August, 
1862  was  commissioned  major  of  his  regiment.  He  was  wounded  at  the 
battle  of  Richmond,  but,  by  reason  of  superior  officers  being  shot  down,  he 
took  command.  He  was  taken  prisoner,  but  was  paroled.  He  was  again 
sent  to  the  front  and  was  in  the  service  until  1863  when,  after  a  brilliant 
career,  he  resigned  on  account  of  ill  health  and  was  honorably  discharged. 
After  the  war  he  practiced  law  in  Muncie  the  remainder  of  his  life,  and  was 
regarded  as  one  of  the  leaders  uf  the  liar  i>t  that  section  of  the  state.  He 
was  born  in  1832  in  Genesee  count}-.  New  York.  In  earh-  life  he  was  in  turn 
a  teacher,  jeweler  and  watch  maker.  He  and  Zerelda  B.  Kemper  were  mar- 
ried in  1857.  She  was  a  sister  of  Dr.  G.  W.  H.  Kemper.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  Order,  belonged  to  the  Baptist  church  and  was  a  Repub- 
lican. His  wife  was  the  youngest  child  of  Arthur  Smith  Kemper  and 
Patience  Bryant  Kemper.  Her  brother,  the  noted  Dr.  G.  W.  Kemper,  widely 
known  for  his  writing  of  the  medical  history  of  Indiana  as  well  as  for  his 
eminence  as  a  physician.  The  Kemper  genealogy  is,  in  part,  as  follows: 
Arthur  Smith  Kemper,  son  of  John,  son  of  Henry,  son  of  John,  born  in  1692, 
son  of  John  George,  of  Germany,  son  of  Johann,  also  of  Germany.  Johann 
lived  in  Musen  in  Westphalia,  Germany,  in  1649.  His  son  John  (Jeorge  was 
an  elder  in  the  Lutheran  church  there,  and  his  sun  John  came  to  \'irginia 
as  early  as  T714  and  subsecjuently  settled  in  Germantown.  I'ennsylxania.  His 
son  Henry,  moved  to  Kentucky.  John,  son  of  the  latter,  lived  in  ( iarrard 
county,  Kentucky,  where  his  death  occurred  in  1833.  John,  son  of  Arthur 
S..  married  Patience  Bryant,  and  they  lived  in  Decatur  county,  Indiana. 
Patience  Bryant  was  a  daughter  of  John  Bryant,  of  \^irginia.  whose  father, 
John,  Jr.,  of  \'irginia,  was  a  son  of  James,  Sr..  of  England.  James  Br\ant. 
Sr.,  came  to  \'irginia  about  1700.  John  Bryant  was  born  in  Cumberland 
county,  \'irginia.  in  1760,  and  although  a  mere  hoy  he  served  fifteen  months 


lOOO  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

as  a  private  soldier  in  the  American  arni)'  during"  tlie  Revolutionar)'  war, 
later  becoming  sergeant  in  the  Virginia  troops,  and  he  participated  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Guilford  court  house  and  after  the  war  he  drew  a  pension.  There  is 
good  ground  for  believing  that  his  father  was  also  a  soldier  in  the  War  for 
Independence. 

To  Dr.  Samuel  R.  Peacock  and  wife  three  sons  have  been  born,  namely : 
A.  Kemper,  Albert  Bryant,  and  Samuel  Rogers. 

The  Doctor  has  a  nice  home  in  Ladoga,  which  is  built  on  the  site  of  the 
old  Baptist  church,  across  the  street  from  the  present  high  school.  He  also 
has  a  brother  in  Chicago  who  is  a  physician.  His  father  was  a  contractor 
and  farmer.  The  motiier  is  a  relative  of  President  James  Buchanan.  Grand- 
mother Peacock  was  known  in  her  maidenhood  as  Harriett  Ashbey.  Grand- 
mother Buchanan  was  Isabella  Moore  before  her  marriage.  Grandfather 
Buchanan  and  wife  came  from  County  Armagh,  Ireland,  and  was  a  distant 
cousin  of  President  Buchanan,  and  were  scholarly  people. 

Personally,  Dr.  Peacock  is  a  plain,  unassuming,  hard-working  gentle- 
man, friendly  in  a  quiet  way  and  always  a  student. 


OTHEL  L.  OSBURN. 


Although  }-oung  in  years  Othel  L.  Osburn.  of  \\'ayne  township,  Mont- 
gomery county,  well  known  contractor  and  at  this  writing  trustee  of  his  town- 
ship, has  succeeded  admirably  at  his  life  work  and  at  the  same  time  his  record 
and  reputation  are  first  class  for  integrity  and  reliability  in  all  matters 
entrusted  to  him.  His  success  thus  far  has  been  achieved  by  improved  oppor- 
tunities, by  untiring  diligence  and  by  close  study  and  correct  judgment  of  men 
and  motives.  In  every  walk  of  life  his  career  has  been  upright  and  honorable, 
and  he  is  well  Hked  by  all  who  know  him ;  but  this  is  not  to  be  wondered  at, 
rather  to  be  expected,  when  one  learns  that  he  is  a  representative  of  one  of  the 
best  and  most  honorable  old  families  of  this  county,  the  reputation  of  which 
he  has  ever  sought  to  keep  untarnished. 

Othel  L.  Osburn  was  born  on  February  29,  1872  in  Wayne  township, 
this  county.  He  is  a  son  of  R.  S.  and  Mary  (Grenard)  Osburn.  The  father 
was  born  on  February  21,  1849,  ^"<i  the  mother  was  born  on  February  19, 
1852.  The  father  is  still  living,  making  his  home  in  Rogersville,  Missouri, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  the  newspaper  business.  The  death  of  the  mother 
occurred  in  1877. 


ORTHEL  L.  OSBURN 


MOXTCOMKRV    COUN'TV,    INDIANA.  lOOI 

The  father  of  our  subject  became  a  well  educated  man,  principallv 
through  his  own  efforts.  He  laugiit  school  for  some  time  in  his  earlier  years, 
becoming  a  newspaper  editor  later  in  life,  and  was  very  successful  in  both 
lines  of  endeavor;  he  published  a  paper  in  the  town  of  Rogersville  and  it  be- 
came a  very  influential  factor  in  that  country.  R.  S.  Osborn  has  also  farmed 
some.  His  family  consisted  of  but  two  children,  namely:  Othel  L.,  of  this 
sketch;  and  Bertha,  who  was  born  August  15.  1878,  is  living  in  .Montgomery 
county,  Indiana. 

Othel  L.  Osburn  received  a  good  common  school  education,  and  attended 
high  school  in  Waynetown.  He  began  life  by  working  on  the  farm  which  he 
followed  until  about  six  years  ago  when  he  turned  his  attention  to  bridge  and 
road  contracting  in  this  county  which  he  has  continued  to  follow  with  pro- 
nounced success  to  the  present  time.  He  constructs  his  bridges  for  the  most 
part  of  concrete,  and  his  work  is  most  satisfactory  in  every  respect  for  it  is 
both  well  and  honestly  done  and  he  is  kept  busy  all  the  time,  being  one  of  the 
best  known  contractors  in  his  line  in  this  part  of  the  country.  He  has  been 
very  successful  in  a  financial  w  ay  and  was  the  owner  of  a  good  farm  which  he 
operated  on  a  large  scale  until  the  spring  of  19 u  when  he  sold  it,  and  has 
since  devoted  his  attention  exclusively  to  contracting. 

Mr.  Osburn  has  never  married.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  Order  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  both  at  \\'aynetown.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  politically  votes  the  Democratic  ticket. 
He  has  always  taken  much  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  party  and  is  regarded 
as  one  of  the  local  leaders  in  the  same.  He  has  filled  most  acceptably  the 
offices  of  supen'isor,  assessor  and  trustee,  honestly  and  faithfully  discharging 
the  duties  entrusted  to  him,  for  the  past  fourteen  years..  At  the  present  time 
Mr.  Osburn  is  in  charge  of  the  construction  of  a  consolidated  school  at  Wayne- 
tow-n,  which  will  be  the  largest  building  in  the  county  outside  of  Crawfords- 
ville. 


LLFAXELI.YX  GLEX  COPPAGE. 

The  name  of  Llewellyn  Glen  Coppage  has  been  carried  throughout  the 
United  States  through  his  famous  hats,  the  "Ben-Hur  Brand,"  which  he  has 
long  manufactured  at  Crawfordsville  and  for  which  there  is  a  great  demand, 
for  in  this,  his  specific  line  of  endeavor,  as  in  everything  else,  he  has  sought 
to  do  honest  and  conscientious  work,  having  been  trained  in  his  youth  to  do 


1002  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

well  whatever  is  worth  doing  at  all,  and  this  is  one  of  the  secrets  of  his  large 
and  ever  growing  success,  which  he  deserves  in  every  way.  He  is  a  booster 
for  the  city  of  Crawfordsville  and  has  done  much  for  its  permanent  de- 
velopment. 

Mr.  Coppage  was  born  on  July  25,  1876  in  Hillsboro,  Indiana,  and  he  is 
a  son  of  Llewell}'n  J.  and  Mary  E.  (Revercomb)  Coppage. 

Mr.  Coppage  of  this  review,  received  a  good  common  school  education 
in  and  near  Crawfordsville.  When  eleven  years  of  age  he  joined  a  theatrical 
troupe  with  which  he  remained  some  time,  during  which  period  he  picked  up 
a  musical  education,  and  later  had  charge  of  the  Coppage  Orchestra,  a  well 
known  organization  in  its  day,  which  for  several  years  played  for  all  local 
social  and  public  functions,  also  furnished  the  music  in  the  old  Nutt  House 
dining  room.  He  later  had  charge  of  an  orchestra  at  what  is  now  Mudlavia, 
then  went  to  Michigan  City,  Indiana,  and  taught  music  for  two  years  with 
much  success.  While  there  he  purchased  a  dry  cleaning  and  hat  manufac- 
turing business.  He  later  went  to  Danbury,  Connecticut,  where  he  learned 
thoroughly  the  hat  manufacturing  business.  That  city  is  the  center  of  the 
hat  manufacturing  industry  in  America,  at  least  one  of  the  principal,  and  Mr. 
Coppage  still  goes  there  once  a  year  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  fully  abreast 
of  the  times  in  his  chosen  field  of  endeavor,  and  he  thus  keeps  up  with  mod- 
ern styles  and  methods  of  manufacture.  He  understands  every  phase  of  the 
manufacturing  of  hats  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  best  in  his  line,  and, 
because  of  the  superior  quality  of  his  products  there  has  long  been  a  great 
demand  for  them.  He  established  his  present  business  in  Crawfordsville  in 
1906,  his  plant,  which  is  well  and  modernly  equipped,  having  a  capacity  of 
from  twelve  to  fifteen  dozen  hats,  the  "Ben-Hur  Brand,"  which  has  been 
very  popular  for  the  past  six  years  all  over  the  country.  He  has  also  been 
very  successful  in  the  cleaning  business,  and  he  purchased  the  Demas-Gilbert 
Block,  in  1910,  a  splendid,  substantial  three-story  building,  with  large  floor 
space  and  with  a  commodious  addition  in  the  rear. 

Mr.  Coppage  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks,  and  is  Past  Chancellor  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  is  now  colonel 
of  the  Fourth  Regiment  of  the  Indiana  Patriarchs  Militant,  is  past  chief 
patriarch  of  Bethesda  Encampment,  No.  15,  is  also  past  grand  of  Crawfords- 
ville Lodge,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Rebekahs,  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur,  and  he  has  the  "Decoration  of  Chivalry,"  a 
high  Odd  Fellow  distinction.  He  has  long  been  very  active  and  prominent 
in  fraternal  circles  and  is  widely  known  throughout  the  state.     He  is  a  mem- 


MONTCOMERV    COINTV,    INDIANA.  I OO3 

ber  of  tlie  Stale  and  Xatitmal  Dyers  and  Cleaners  Association  in   whicli   lie 
takes  a  great  deal  of  interest. 

-Mr.  Coppage  was  inarried  on  Sei)tenilier  ^^^o.  k^oj  to  r.e»ie  Mina  Ryan, 
a  lady  of  culture  and  the  representative  of  a  line  family  of  Aiichit^an  City. 
Indiana. 


D.Wll)  IIRKS  llOSTETTER. 

The  two  most  strongly  marked  characteristics  of  both  the  luist  and  the 
West  are  combined  in  the  residents  of  Montgomery  county.  Indiana.  The 
enthusiastic  enterprise  which  overleaps  all  obstacles  and  makes  possible  almost 
any  undertaking  in  the  comparatively  new  and  vigorous  states  of  the  .Middle 
West  is  here  tempered  by  the  stable  and  more  careful  policy  that  we  have  bor- 
rowed from  our  eastern  neighbors,  and  the  combination  is  one  of  jieculiar 
force  and  power.  It  has  been  the  means  n\  jilacing  this  section  nf  the  country 
on  a  par  with  the  older  b'ast,  at  the  same  time  producing  a  relial)ility  and 
certainty  in  business  affairs  which  is  frequently  lacking  in  the  West.  This 
happy  combination  of  characteristics  was  possessed  to  a  notable  degree  by  the 
late  David  Hicks  Hostetter,  for  many  years  one  of  the  leading  agriculturists 
and  stock  men  of  the  vicinity  of  Ladoga.  Equally  noted  as  a  citizen  whose 
career  conferred  credit  on  the  locality  and  whose  marked  abilities  and  sterling 
qualities  won  for  him  more  than  local  repute,  he  held  for  a  number  of  decades 
distinctive  precedence  as  one  of  the  most  enterprising  and  progressive  men 
of  his  section  of  the  county.  Strong  mental  powers,  invincible  courage  and 
a  determined  purpose  that  hesitated  at  no  opposition  had  so  entered  into  his 
composition  as  to  rentier  him  a  dominant  factor  in  local  affairs.  He  was  a 
man  of  sound  judgment,  keen  discernment,  far-seeing  in  what  he  under- 
took. His  success  in  life  was  the  legitimate  fruitage  of  consecutive  effort, 
directed  and  controlled  by  good  judgment  and  correct  principles. 

David  H.  Hostetter  was  a  son  of  David  and  Mary  (Hicks)  Hostetter. 
He  was  born  near  Circleville,  in  Pickaway  county,  Ohio,  September  jj.  iSj_>, 
and  his  death  occurred  on  July  i,  1910,  when  almost  eighty-eight  vears  of  age. 
He  was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  seven  children,  namely:  .Sherman. 
Beniah,  Mrs.  Mary  Davidson,  Mrs.  Jane  Hickathorn.  .Mrs.  Zerelda  .Martin, 
and  Mahala  Hostetter  who  died  in  infancy.  The  mother  of  these  children 
died  when  David  H.  was  about  two  years  old.  and  he  liveil  several  years  with 
his  sister.  Mrs.  Hickathorn.  His  father  married  again  and  together  the 
family  came  to  Indiana,  when  our  subject  was  nine  years  old.     Two  children 


I004  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

were  born  to  the  second  nnion,  Lewis  who  died  when  nineteen  years  old ;  and 
Lucky  W.,  who  died  about  1897  ^^  Wellsville,  Kansas.  There  were  three 
step-sisters,  Mrs.  Margaret  Ashby,  Mrs.  Catherine  Hedges,  Mrs.  EHzabeth 
Carlyle,  and  one  step-brother,  John  Boyer.  Our  subject  was  reared  with 
these  children  and  the  strongest  ties  of  afifection  always  existed  between  them. 
The  family  made  the  journey  to  Indiana  in  wagons.  Some  idea  of  the  bad 
conditions  of  the  roads  may  be  gained  from  the  fact  that  it  required  a  week 
to  travel  from  Indianajwlis  to  Montgomery  county,  a  distance  of  forty  miles. 
The  country  was  then  practically  a  wilderness  and  sparsely  settled.  The  ob- 
stacles encountered  during  that  journey  can  hardly  be  imagined  by  those  who 
now  make  the  trip  in  two  hours.  The  town  of  Ladoga  was  laid  out  five  years 
after  the  family  located  here.  The  site  at  that  time  was  a  partly  cleared 
farm.  From  the  date  of  his  arrival  here  David  H.  Hostetter  spent  the  rest 
of  his  life  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the  farm  where  his  father  first  settled, 
until  he  moved  into  Ladoga  about  1907.  The  family  first  located  in  the 
south  half  of  Section  22,  Scott  township,  which  land  the  father  had  entered 
from  the  government,  and  there  was  only  a  small  piece  of  ground  cleared 
about  the  little  cabin  he  had  built.  Here  our  subject  grew  to  manhood  and 
assisted  with  the  hard  work  of  clearing  and  developing  the  farm,  and  he 
received  such  education  as  the  early  day  schools  afforded. 

On  November  15,  1874,  David  H.  Hostetter  was  married  to  Amanda  J. 
Graybill,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  I^ydia  (Arnold)  Graybill.  She  was  born 
and  reared  in  Scott  township  in  which  her  parents  settled  in  1836.  Her 
father  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  was  a  son  of  Solomon  and  Maiy  (Cline) 
Graybill.  He  went  to  Roanoke,  Virginia,  where  he  and  Lydia  Arnold  were 
married.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Daniel  Arnold  and  wife.  The  Graybill 
family  settled  in  the  wilderness  and  cleared  their  land  and  lived  among  the 
other  pioneers.  The  children  born  to  David  H.  Hostetter  and  wife  were 

three  in  number,  namely:  Lydia,  Samuel  Sherman  and  Emma  Jane. 

Mr.  Hostetter  fjecame  the  owner  of  over  three  hundred  acres  of  valuable 
and  productive  land  and  was  a  prosperous  farmer.  He  did  not  purchase  his 
success  at  the  cost  of  the  higher  things  of  life,  for  he  was  a  man  of  exemplary 
habits  and  fine  character,  and  he  was  admired  and  esteemed  by  all  who  knew 
him.  He  believed  thoroughly  in  the  justice  and  wisdom  of  God  and  that  true 
happiness  came  through  obedience  to  divine  principles.  He  obeyed  the  com- 
mand "Love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  This,  and  his  great  honesty,  clean 
habits  and  solicitude  for  his  loved  ones  and  faith  in  his  Saviour  was  his  re- 
ligion.    His  honestv,  industry  and  temperate  habits  were  rewarded  by  a  long 


M().\  rciOMEKV    COLNTV,    TN'DIAXA.  1 OO5 

life  and  all  the  comforts  of  old  aj^e.  His  life  has  left  many  precinus  mem- 
ories to  his  family  and  his  many  friends  and  those  who  in  distress  siiii,t,du  the 
aid  and  advice,  which  to  the  worthy,  was  never  denied. 

Mr.  Hostetter  was  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  I'cllows. 
He  had  two  brothers  in  the  Indiana  legislature,  Sherman  and  I'.eniah.  also 
one.  Lucky,  who  became  a  member  of  the  Kansas  legislature. 

Of  the  children  of  our  subject,  Emma  Jane  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  11.  K. 
W'alterhouse,  and  they  live  at  Oakville,  Delaware  count)-,  this  state,  and  are 
the  parents  of  one  son,  David  Kemper  W'alterhwusc ;  Samuel  Sherman  Hos- 
tetter lives  in  Ladoga,  married  Lola  Ronk,  and  he  is  farming  the  old  home 
place  in  Scott  township ;  Lydia  makes  her  home  in  Ladoga  with  her  mother. 

David  H.  Hostetter  took  an  active  part  in  the  development  of  this  sec- 
tion of  the  state  and  he  was  an  interested  spectator  of  the  transformation 
from  the  wild  woods  to  the  highly  impro\ed  farms  of  a  later  day.  He  often 
related  how  he;and  other  pioneers  dro\e  their  livestock  to  Lafayette,  in  Tippe- 
canoe count}-,  where  they  sold  them  and  with  the  money  purchased  groceries 
and  other  household  supplies  which  they  brought  back  on  the  return  trip. 


JACOB  FRANK  \\'ARFEL. 

An  honored  and  representative  citizen  of  Montgoniery  county  is  Jacob 
Frank  W'arfel,  for  many  years  one  of  our  best  known  and  most  successful 
educators,  at  present  editor  and  publisher  of  the  Ladoga  Leader.  He  has 
been  distinctively  the  architect  of  his  own  fortunes,  has  been  true  and  loyal 
in  all  the  relations  of  life  and  stands  as  a  type  of  that  sterling  manhood  which 
ever  commands  respect.  He  is  a  man  who  would  have,  no  doubt,  won  his 
way  in  any  locality  where  fate  might  have  placed  him,  for  he  has  sound  judg- 
ment, coupled  with  great  energy  and  honest  tact,  together  with  education 
and  upright  principles,  all  of  which  make  for  success  wherever  and  whenexer 
they  are  rightly  applied  and  persistently  followed.  By  reason  of  these  prin- 
ciples he  has  won  and  retained  a  host  of  friends  in  whatever  c< immunity  he 
is  known. 

Air.  Warfel  was  bom  in  Marion  county.  Indiana,  on  May  3,  1857.  He 
is  a  son  of  Martin  B.  and  Indiana  (McClelland)  W'arfel,  and  is  of  Pennsyl- 
vania Dutch  ancestry  on  the  paternal  side.  Martin  B.  \\'arfel  died  w  hen  our 
subject  was  ten  years  old.  and  the  lad  was  compelled  to  hustle  for  himself. 
He  soon  began  to  work  out  at  fanning,  at  first  fur  his  bnard  and  clnthes  and 


1006  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

later  for  wages.  Continuing  thus  until  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age  he 
then  came  to  Ladoga  in  1876,  and  there  attended  the  Normal  school  for  two 
years,  then  became  a  teacher  in  the  same,  in  a  few  branches,  although  he  con- 
tinued as  a  teacher,  and  was  later  given  larger  duties,  remaining  there  as  a 
teacher  continuously  many  years,  giving  eminent  satisfaction  in  every  respect 
and  finally  became  president  of  the  school.  Leaving  the  Normal  he  went  to 
Indianapolis  where  he  taught  a  year  in  the  Hadley  &  Roterts  Academy,  then 
went  to  Frankfort,  Indiana,  and  became  principal  of  the  high  school  while 
Prof.  R.  G.  Boone,  a  noted  educator,  was  superintendent  of  the  schools  there. 
A  year  later  he  returned  to  Ladoga  and  became  superintendent  of  schools, 
which  position  he  continued  to  hold  in  a  manner  that  reflected  much  credit 
upon  himself  and  to  the  eminent  satisfaction  of  the  board  and  pupils,  for  a 
period  of  twenty-three  years,  his  long  retention  being  sufficient  evidence  of 
his  popularity.  During  that  period  he  taught,  during  the  latter  years,  the 
children  of  some  of  his  former  pupils,  finally  resigning  as  superintendent  in 
1908.  His  great  force  of  character  and  ripe  scholarship,  together  with  hjs 
ability  as  an  organizer  enabled  him  to  bring  to  his  work  in  Ladoga  the  results 
of  his  professional  experience  with  marked  effect,  and  it  was  not  long  until 
the  schools  under  his  supervision  advanced  to  the  high  standing  of  efficiency 
for  which  they  are  now  noted.  Many  things  tending  to  lessen  the  teachers' 
labors  and  at  the  same  time  make  them  effective  were  introduced ;  the  course 
of  study  throughout  modified  and  improved,  the  latest  and  most  approved 
appliances  purchased  and  everything  in  keeping  with  modern  educational 
progress,  tested  and  where  practical  retained.  Continuous  application  through 
a  period  of  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  gave  him  a  clear  and  compre- 
hensive insight  into  the  philosophy  of  education  and  the  largest  wisdom  as 
to  methods  of  attainment  of  ends,  while  his  steady  growth  in  public  favor 
wherever  he  has  labored  and  his  popularity  with  teachers  and  pupils  have  won 
for  him  educational  standing  that  is  state  wide  and  eminently  deserving. 

■  On  December  i,  1890,  Mr.  Warfel  bought  the  Ladoga  Leader,  which 
he  had  managed  for  a  period  of  eighteen  years  during  the  period  that  he  was 
connected  with  the  schools  here,  and  since  resigning  from  the  schools  has 
devoted  his  entire  attention  to  this  popular  and  rapidly  growing  paper,  which 
equals  any  of  its  type  in  this  part  of  the  country.  It  is  all  that  could  be  de- 
sired from  a  mechanical  standpoint,  has  become  a  valuable  advertising 
medium  and  prints  the  latest  and  best  news  of  the  day  and  its  editorials  carry 
weight  in  promoting  the  general  affairs  of  the  community  which  it  serves. 
For  a  period  of  eleven  years  while  engaged  in  school  work,  Mr.  Warfel 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I OO/ 

was  instructor  in  teachers'  institutes  in  Indiana,  in  which  he  was  rei^arded 
as  a  most  potent  factor,  heing  thus  engaged  during  the  summers,  instructing 
the  teachers  in  forty-two  counties.  He  received  a  life  teacher's  certificate 
in  1884.  which  reheved  him  from  all  necessity  of  subsequent  examination. 
No  one  in  the  state  is  more  deserving  of  such  honor. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Warfel  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order,  and  has  been 
master  of  the  Ladoga  lodge.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  Templars  at 
Crawfordsville  of  which  he  was  Eminent  Commander.  He  is  also  active 
in  the  Knights  of  Pythias  in  which  be  has  instituted  two  lodges  and,  as  pre- 
siding officer,  has  taken  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  men  through  the  three 
ranks  to  full  membership.  He  is  widely  known  and  influential  in  fraternal 
circles. 

Mr.  Warfel  was  married  in  1882  to  Lizzie  Huntington,  of  Ladoga,  a 
lady  of  talent,  education  and  refinement,  a  daughter  of  Hiram  S.  Hunting- 
ton and  wife,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  these  pages. 

Five  children  have  graced  the  union  of  our  subject  and  wife,  namely: 
George,  an  electric  engineer  on  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  at  Kearney, 
Nebraska,  is  married  and  has  two  children,  Louise  and  Minnie;  Herbert  is 
in  the  engineer's  office  of  the  Central  Union  Telephone  Company  at  Colum- 
bus, Ohio :  Nellie  is  at  home  with  her  parents  in  Ladoga :  Louise  and  Charley 
died  in  childhood. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Warfel  are  both  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
He  has  retained  his  vitality  and  intellectual  vigor  to  a  remarkable  degree. 
He  is  a  most  genial  and  pleasing  gentleman  personally. 


ROBERT  F.  HICKS. 


Farming  seems  to  be  what  some  would  call  "second  nature"  with 
Robert  F.  Hicks,  of  Clark  township.  Montgomery  county,  and  while  he 
doubtless  could  have  succeeded  in  other  lines  of  human  endeavor,  he  is 
doubtless  making  a  greater  success  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil  than  he  would  in 
any  other  line,  for  he  not  only  likes  it  but  de\otes  his  e\ery  care  and  atten- 
tion to  it. 

Mr.  Hicks  was  born  on  January  8,  1871,  in  Clark  township,  this  county. 
He  is  a  son  of  Preston  and  Martha  Ann  (Utterback)  Hicks.  He  grew  to 
manhood  on  the  home  farm,  assisting  with  the  general  work  there,  and  in 
the  winter  months  he  attended  the  neighboring  schools. 


I008  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

On  August  2T,.  1894,  Mr.  Hicks  married  Ella  Hulett,  daughter  of 
Nathan  Hulett  and  wife,  a  complete  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere. 
After  his  marriage  Mr.  Hicks  went  to  farming  for  himself  on  the  place  he 
now  owns  in  Section  35,  Clark  township,  and  here  he  has  continued  to  re- 
side, his  finely  improved  and  productive  farm  hei'e  consisting  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  also  owns  forty  acres  not  far  south  of  his  home  place,  two 
hundred  acres  in  all.  His  land  is  under  a  fine  state  of  improvement  and  cul- 
tivation, and  he  follows  general  farming,  raising  considerable  live  stock, 
buys  and  feeds  cattle  and  is  quite  successful  as  an  agriculturist  and  stock  man. 
He  has  made  many  of  the  important  improvements  on  his  land  himself.  He 
remodeled  both  the  house  and  barn,  also  built  a  large  barn  and  in  addition  a 
cow  barn,  and  he  now  has  one  of  the  choice  farms  of  the  township. 

Mr.  Hicks  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  he  and  his  wife 
belong  to  the  Christian  church.  They  ha\-e  one  daughter,  Lena  Hicks,  whose 
twin  sister  died  in  infancy.  Lena  is  now  in  her  third  year  in  high  school  at 
North  Salem. 


IRA  COX. 


It  is  indeed  a  rare  pleasure  and  privilege  to  be  able  to  spend  our  old  age 
in  the  house  where  we  spent  our  childhood.  There  is,  as  all  will  agree,  a  cer- 
tain "atmosphere"  pen-ading  the  old  home  which  is  very  noticeably  absent 
from  any  place  else,  no  matter  how  much  finer  and  costlier  may  be  our  resi- 
dence in  later  life,  and  no  matter  how  very  humble  may  have  been  the  home 
in  which  we  first  opened  our  eyes  to  the  light  of  day.  Ira  Cox,  one  of  the 
well  known  farmers,  now  retired,  of  Franklin  township,  Montgomery  county, 
is  one  of  the  fortunate  ones  in  this  respect.  .He  has  lived  to  see  wonderful 
changes  in  this  locality  since  he  first  sent  his  infant  crj^  out  on  the  air  in  this 
old  homestead  nearly  seventy-three  years  ago,  and  he  has  not  by  any  means, 
been  an  idle  spectator  to  these  changes  with  advancing  civilization,  but  has 
been  a  very  potent  factor  in  them,  having  always  stood  ready  to  put  his 
shoulder  to  the  wheel  of  local  progress.  He  has  led  a  life  for  which  no  one 
can  upbraid  him  now  that  it  is  drawing  toward  the  silent  twilight. 

Mr.  Cox  was  born  on  October  i,  1840  in  this  township  and  count}',  as 
above  stated.  He  is  a  son  of  William  and  Hannah  (Pickett)  Cox.  The 
father  was  born  on  July  23,  1814  in  Richmond,  Indiana,  and  he  moved  to 
Montgomerv'  county  when  a  boy,  when  this  section  was  a  wilderness  and  in- 
habitants were  few,  and  here  he  devoted  his  life  successfully  to  general  farm- 


ing.  and  readied  an  adxanced  age,  passing  away  on  June  _H),  I(jO_^.  Tlie 
mother  of  Ira  Cox  was  horn  on  September  18.  1813  in  Xortli  Carolina  and 
when  a  young  girl  she  moved  with  her  parents  to  Montgomery  counl\ .  Indi- 
ana, and  here  spent  the  rest  of  her  Hfe  dying  on  September  10,  1893. 

To  these  parents  six  children  were  born,  three  of  whom  are  still  living, 
namely:  Catherine,  Jeremiah  are  both  deceased;  Ira,  of  this  sketch;  Emily, 
Elwood  is  deceased:  and  Albert,  the  youngest. 

Ira  Cox  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  and  there  did  his  full  share  of  the 
work  when  a  boy,  and  he  received  his  education  in  the  local  district  schools. 
He  has  remained  unmarried,  and  has  always  farmed  on  the  home  place,  keep- 
ing it  well  improved  and  so  skilfully  cultivated  that  it  has  retained  its  original 
fertility. 

Mr.  Cox  is  owner  of  three  liundretl  ruid  twenty  acres,  two  hundred  and 
sixty  of  which  is  tillable,  fairly  well  ditched  and  otherwise  in  good  condition. 
He  raises  a  good  grade  of  live  stock. 

Politically,  Mr.  Cox  is  a  Republican,  but  he  has  never  sought  office,  de- 
siring to  lead  a  quiet  home  life,  like  his  honest,  hard-working  father  before 
him.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Friends  church  and  a  trustee  in  the  same. 


BENJAMIN  F.  CARMAN. 

The  most  elaborate  history  is  perforce  a  merciless  aliridgmenl.  ibe 
historian  being  obliged  to  select  his  facts  and  materials  from  manifolil  de- 
tails and  to  marshall  them  in  concise  and  logical  order.  This  applies  to  spe- 
cific as  well  as  generic  history,  and  in  the  former  category  is  included  the 
interesting  and  important  department  of  biograph\ .  In  e\ery  life  of  honor 
and  usefulness  there  is  no  dearth  of  interesting  situations  and  incidents,  and 
yet  in  summing  up  such  a  career  as  that  of  .Mr.  L'arman  the  writer  nnisl  needs 
touch  only  on  the  more  salient  facts,  giving  the  keynote  of  the  character  ;ind 
eliminating  all  that  is  superfluous  to  the  continuit)-  of  the  narrative.  The 
gentleman  whose  name  appears  above  has  led  an  active  and  useful  life,  not 
entirely  void  of  the  exciting,  but  the  more  prominent  facts  have  l)een  so 
identified  with  the  useful  and  practical  thai  it  i^  to  them  almost  entirely  that 
the  writer  refers  in  the  following  paragraphs. 

Benjamin  F.  Camian.  who  for  many  years  has  been  recognized  as  one 
of  the  most  substantial  citizens  of  Montgomery  countv,  was  born  in  Clark 
(64) 


lOIO  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

township,  tliis  county,  on  the  8th  of  August,  i860.  He  conies  of  a  long  Hue 
of  sterling  ancestry,  his  family,  on  the  paternal  side,  having  been  established 
in  this  country  for  over  two  hundred  and  fifty  years,  while  in  England  the 
family  line  is  traced  back  through  several  centuries.  The  first  representative 
of  the  family  in  America  were  John  and  Florence  Carman,  who  left  Naz- 
ing,  England,  with  a  party  of  pilgrims,  including  John  Eliot  and  the  wife  of 
Governor  Winthrop,  landing  at  Roxbury,  Massachusetts,  on  November  2, 
163 1.  The  descendants  of  John  and  Florence  Carman  are  scattered  all  over 
the  United  States,  members  of  the  family  being  also  found  in  Canada, 
Mexico  and  South  America. 

The  first  official  record  of  the  Carman  family  shows  that  at  the  time  of 
the  Norman  conquest,  in  1066,  they  owned  eighty-two  acres  of  land  in 
Wiltshire,  England,  also  a  mill,  a  tenant  and  three  slaves.  Another  refer- 
ence to  the  family  is,  about  1400,  of  a  priest  wlio  ministered  at  the  W'in- 
farthing  church  for  thirty-eight  years.  From  1408  to  1470  William  and 
Catherine  Carman  owned  the  manor  of  Patesley,  in  Norfolk.  During  the 
reign  of  "Bloody  Mary"  at  least  five  members  of  the  Carman  family  met 
death,  being  burned  at  the  stake,  martyrs  because  of  their  religious  belief, 
and  the  record  says  they  met  their  fate  bravely,  even  joyfully. 

From  such  stock  came  John  Carman,  the  pregenitor  of  the  family  in 
America.  He  has  prospered  here  in  liis  worldly  affairs,  becoming  quite  well- 
to-do,  and  was  prominent  in  public  affairs  in  Connectitcut  and  Long  Island, 
being  a  deputy  to  the  general  court  of  the  colony  in  1634.  Two  hundred 
and  fifty  years  after  he  landed  at  Roxbury,  five  hundred  of  his  descendants 
met  at  Hampstead.  Long  Island,  to  celebrate  the  arrival  of  the  family  in 
America. 

Among  the  children  of  John  Carman  was  Caleb,  who  was  the  fatiier  of 
James,  who  was  the  first  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  at  HighstOwn,  New 
Jersey,  in  1745.  Rev.  James  had  a  son  Caleb,  who  was  the  father  of  Joseph. 
The  latter  was  born  in  1745  at  Bordentown,  New  Jersey,  moved  to  the  in- 
terior of  Virginia,  and  in  1768  he  married  Mary  LaRue,  a  French  girl.  Jos- 
eph Carman  was  a  soldier  in  the  American  Revolution,  having  enlisted  in 
1776  as  a  private  in  Captain  William  Croghan's  company,  Eighth  A^irginia 
Regiment,  commanded  by  Col.  Abraham  Bowman,  to  ser\'e  until  April, 
1778.  In  1779  he  and  his  family,  in  company  with  followers  of  George 
Rogers  Clark,  came  down  the  Ohio  river  on  flat  boats,  and  located  at  a  fort 
in  Shelby  county,  Kentucky.  Joseph  Carman  was  killed  by  Indians  along 
Carman's  creek,  in  Henry  county,  Kentucky,  in   1786.     He  was  the   father 


MONTCOMKKV    COIXTV,    INDIANA.  lOII 

of  seven  children,  of  whom  tlie  second  in  order  of  birth  was  Isaac.  Isaac 
Carman  married  Mary  Hughes,  who  died  of  cholera  in  1833.  lie  was  a 
Baptist  preacher  in  Shelby  county  for  many  years,  and  was  well  known  and 
highly  respected.  His  death  occurred  in  Indiana  in  1854.  To  him  and  his 
wife  were  born  ten  children,  the  youngest  of  whom  was  William  N.  Carman, 
father  of  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch. 

William  N.  Carman  was  born  in  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  but  in  1S34, 
when  he  was  but  seven  years  old,  his  father  brought  his  family  to  Montgom- 
ery county,  Indiana,  where  he  entered  three  eighty-acre  tracts  of  land,  one 
for  each  of  his  three  daughters,  and  also  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land  from  Joseph  Staten,  who  had  entered  it  from  the  government  in 
183 1.  This  land  has  remained  continuously  in  the  family,  being  now  the 
property  of  the  subject.  Here  William  X.  Carman  was  reared  tn  maturity 
and  eventually  married  Ann  1-".  Harrison.  She  was  born  in  Clark  township. 
this  county,  on  October  i.  1832,  and  was  the  daughter  of  John  and  Mary 
(Ashby)  Harrison.  Her  parents  \vere  nati\es  of  Kentucky,  who  located  in 
Harrison  county,  Indiana,  where  John  Harrison  served  as  judge  of  the 
county  court.  His  wife  was  the  daugliter  of  Lettice  Ashby,  whose  family 
came  to  Montgomery  county  in  an  early  day,  or  at  about  the  same  time  as 
the  Harrisons.  Here  John  Harrison  carried  on  farming  pursuits  the  rest  of 
his  life.     He  also  had  two  brothers,  Eli  and  Joshua,  who  came  to  this  county. 

William  N.  Carman  lived  on  the  old  homestead  in  Clark  township  until 
the  mother's  death  in  1899,  after  which  he  made  his  home  with  his  son, 
Benjamin  F.,  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  August,  1010.  They  were 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  two  s(jns  died  in  infancy,  two 
daughters,  ?vlary  E.  and  Martha,  died  in  childhood,  while  those  living  are: 
Priscilla  A.,  the  wife  of  John  V.  Zimmerman,  of  Ladoga;  Sallie  F.,  the 
wife  of  Joseph  Albert  Smith,  of  Jamestown,  and  Benjamin  F.  ,of  Ladoga. 
William  N.  Carman  always  followed  the  vocation  of  farming,  in  which  he 
was  successful,  being  energetic  and  practical  in  his  efforts.  Religiously,  he 
was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  Bethel  Christian  church,  of  which  he  w  as 
elected  elder  and  to  which  he  donated  an  acre  of  ground  on  which  to  build 
the  church.  He  owned  altogether  about  four  hundred  acres  of  land,  which, 
before  his  death,  he  divided  among  his  childrtn. 

Benjamin  F.  Carman  was  reared  on  the  home  farm,  where  he  remained 
until  he  was  twenty-five  years  old,  securing  a  good  practical  education  the 
meanwhile  in  the  public  schools.  After  his  marriage,  in  1884,  he  farmed 
with  his  father  for  about  a  vear,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  moved  to  a 


Jfjl2  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

place  about  a  half  mile  north  of  the  home  place,  where  during  the  following 
seventeen  years  he  devoted  himself  steadily  to  agriculture,  and  with  gratify- 
ing results.  He  was  elected  to  the  office  of  auditor  of  Montgomery  county, 
to  take  office  in  1904,  but,  the  office  becoming  vacant  before  his  elective  term 
begun,  he  was  appointed  to  the  office  in  the  fall  of  1903,  thus  holding  the 
office  for  four  years  and  two  months.  About  a  year  before  the  expiration- 
of  his  official  term,  Mr.  Carman,  on  December  3,  1906,  bought  the  Knox 
hardware  store  at  Ladoga,  and  thereupon  moved  his  family  from  Crawfords- 
ville  to  that  place.  He  was  now  an  extremely  busy  man,  having  the  official 
duties  as  auditor,  the  management  of  a  hardware  store  and  the  supervision 
of  a  large  farm  on  his  hands,  but  he  successfully  took  care  of  all  his  inter- 
ests, discharging  his  public  duties  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  his  fellow  citi- 
zens. About  three  years  after  acquiring  the  store  he  took  his  son,  Walter, 
in  as  a  partner,  and  on  June  i,  1910,  he  sold  his  remaining  interest  in  the 
business  to  Ralph  F.  Blatchley.  Then  giving  his  entire  attention  to  agricul- 
ture, he  bought  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs  in  his  father's  farm,  thus  be- 
coming the  owner  of  t\\  o  hundred  and  eighty-five  acres  of  splendid  land  in 
Clark  township.  About  1909  Mr.  Carman  bought  the  George  Grimes  resi- 
dence in  Ladoga,  a  comfortable  and  attractive  home,  where  he  now  resides. 

On  September  11,  1884,  Benjamin  F.  Carman  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Lelia  B.  White,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Clark  township,  being  the 
daughter  of  James  L.  and  Harriett  (Cox)  White,  the  father  having  come  to 
this  state  from  Ohio  in  an  early  day.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carman  have  been 
born  four  children,  the  two  first  of  whom,  born  on  August  28,  1885,  were 
twins,  George  Waller  and  John  Walter.  The  first  named  died  on  April  26, 
1888.  The  other  two  children  are  Anna  L.  and  Bertha  Irene.  The  latter 
is  at  home  with  her  parents,  while  Anna  L.  is  the  wife  of  Guy  Britton,  of 
Roachdale. 

Walter  Carman  li\ed  with  his  parents  on  the  home  farm  until  he  was 
eighteen  years  old,  and  secured  a  good  public  school  education,  attending 
the  high  schools  at  Ladoga  and  Crawfordsville.  He  then  attended  business 
college,  graduating  in  both  bookkeeping  and  stenography,  after  which,  for  a 
}ear,  he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  the  Crawfordsville  State  Bank.  He  has 
been  in  the  hardware  business  since  January  i,  1907.  One  June  21,  191 1, 
he  was  married  to  Hazel  B.  Shackelford,  the  daughter  of  Mark  Shackelford, 
of  Ladoga. 

Politically,  Benjamin  F.  Carman  has  always  given  his  support  to  the 
Republican  party  and  has  ever  taken  a  lively  interest  in  the  trend  of  public 


MOXTUO.MKUV    COrXTV.    INDIANA.  IOI3 

affairs.  His  reli.s-ious  iiicniliersliip  is  with  the  Chrisiian  churcli,  of  uhich 
he  is  an  elder  and  to  which  he  gives  a  hheral  suppurl.  1-ralernally.  he  be- 
longs to  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  the  Tribe  of  Bcn-Hur,  in  all  of  which  he  takes  an  active  interest. 
In  every  avenue  of  life's  activities  in  which  he  has  engaged,  ^Ir.  Carman 
has  l)een  true  to  every  trust,  and  throughout  the  county  he  is  held  in  the 
highest  esteem.  Persistent  industry  and  ihc  exercise  of  the  ordinary  (|ualUy 
of  common  sense — these  have  been  the  keynotes  to  the  success  which  li.as 
crowned  his  efforts.  Though  devoting  himself  closely  to  his  own  business 
affairs,  he  has  not  been  unmindful  of  his  higher  duties  as  a  citizen  and  be 
has  given  his  umiualihed  su))port  to  every  movement  which  has  promised  to 
benefit  the  community,  morally,  educationally,  socially  or  materially.  I'er- 
sonally,  he  is  a  man  of  pleasing  address  and  his  friends  in  Montgomery 
countv  are  in  number  at  his  acquaintances. 


DR.  JOHN  G.  HEIGHWAY. 

Not  so  very  long  ago  there  was  but  two  or  three  veterinary  surgeons  in 
Montgomery  county.  It  was  the  rule,  when  anything  got  wrong  with  a 
horse  or  cow  to  administer  a  little  home  treatment,  of  simple  remedies,  an<l 
left  to  their  fate;  and  if  they  died  it  was  all  right.  Usually,  the  veterinary 
was  so  far  away  that  the  farmer  believed  his  stock  would  be  dead  before  the 
desired  assistance  could  reach  it.  Then  too,  there  were  no  telephones  and 
the  long  ride  on  uncertainty  was  not  looked  on  with  favor,  neither  was  the 
expense  of  the  veterinary's  services.  But  conditions  have  changed,  and  today 
we  find  a  large  number  of  skilled  veterinaries  over  the  count)-,  and  there 
seems  to  be  plenty  for  all  to  do.  Their  services  are  required  just  the  same 
as  those  of  the  family  doctor.  One  of  this  iiuml)er  who  is  deserving  of 
special  attention  here  is  Dr.  John  G.  Heighway.  located  at  Ladoga,  who  has 
the  distinction  of  being  president  of  the  Indiana  \'eterinary  Medical  Associa- 
tion, which  fact  alone  is  criterion  enough  of  his  ability  in  his  chosen  field 
and  the  trust  that  is  reposed  in  him  by  his  colleagues. 

Dr.  Heighway  was  born  in  London.  Province  of  Ontario.  Canada, 
September  2.  1864.  He  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Julia  (Hamilton)  Heigh- 
way. both  of  whom  were  natives  of  London,  England,  where  they  spent  their 
earlier  years  and  from  which  city  they  emigrated  in  an  early  day  to  Canada, 
locating  the  family  home  at  London,  Ontario,  and  there  our  subject  grew  to 


IOI4  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

manhood  and  received  his  educational  training-  in  the  high  school.  Subse- 
quently, he  took  the  regular  course  in  the  Ontario  Veterinary  College  at 
Toronto,  where  he  made  an  excellent  record  and  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1888.  Soon  afterward  he  came  to  Ladoga,  Indiana,  and  here  began 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  having  been  drawn  here  by  the  fact  of  there 
being  so  many  fine  horses  here  and  no  veterinary  for  many  miles  around. 
Here  he  has  remained  and  has  all  the  practice  he  can  well  take  care  of.  His 
fame  has  spread  over  the  state  and  he  has  many  calls  from  Lafayette,  Terre 
Haute,  Indianapolis  and  even  as  far  away  as  New  Albany.  No  one  in  his 
line  in  the  state  has  had  better  success  than  he.  Remaining  a  close  student 
he  has  kept  well  abreast  of  the  times  in  his  particular  field  of  endeavor,  and 
his  office  in  Ladoga  is  equipped  with  every  appliance  known  to  modern  and 
approved  science  in  taking  proper  care  of  the  ailments  of  the  horse  and  other 
animals. 

Dr.  Heighway  was  vice-president  of  the  Indiana  \^eterinary  Medical 
Association,  and  in  January,  1913,  was  elected  president  of  the  same,  which 
position  he  is  giving  his  loyal  attention  to,  discharging  its  imix)rtant  duties 
in  a  manner  that  is  reflecting  much  credit  upon  himself  and  to  the  satisfaction 
of  all  concerned.  He  is  doing  much  to  increase  interest  in  the  same  and  to 
make  it  helpful  to  all  concerned.  He  is  also  an  influential  member  of  the 
American  Veterinary  Association. 

Fraternally,  the  Doctor  lielongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  the  Masonic  Order. 

Dr.  Heighway  was  married  to  Lottie  Fullen  in  1895.  She  was  born  in 
Ladoga,  Indiana,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Oliver  and  Susannah  (Harney) 
Fullen,  the  father  having  been  born  near  Jamestown,  in  Boone  county,  Indi- 
ana, and  was  a  son  of  Charles  and  Sarah  Fullen.  He  was  a  farmer  and 
stock  raiser,  and  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  was  in  business  in  Ladoga, 
conducting  with  much  success  a  general  store  here.  He  was  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Masonic  Order.  He  went  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  taking  the  Knights  Templar  degree.  His  death  occurred  in  March, 
1871,  when  forty-six  years  old.  Susan  L.  Harney,  his  wife,  was  born  near 
Mt.  Sterling,  Kentucky,  in  1855  and  she  came  to  Montgomery  county  with 
her  parents  when  young.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Gilbert  T.  Harney,  a  man 
of  more  than  ordinary  intellectual  power,  with  a  fine  physical  constitution, 
and  a  pioneer  preacher  of  great  influence  in  Clark  township. 

To  Oliver  Fullen  and  wife  four  children  were  born,  namely:  Charles 
H.,   James  A.,   Charlotte    (or  Lottie),   wife   of  Dr.   Heighway:  and   Sarah, 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I  O  I -, 

who  married  Charles  Grantham,  the  well  known  veterinary  surL;eon  of  Craw- 
fordsville.     The  mother  of  these  children  died  at  Ladoga  in  ujoj. 

To  Dr.  Heighway  and  wife  four  children  were  born,  namely:  Cieurge 
Fullen,  Jean  Harney,  Herman  Oliver,  and  Julia  Esther. 

The  doctor  is  a  man  of  line  physique  and  a  good  nii.xcr  in  his  personal 
relations  with  his  fellow  men,  being  jovial  and  honest.  Our  subject  is  one 
of  a  family  of  ten  children,  all  of  whom  are  alive,  healthy  and  prospering. 
They  are  named  as  follows :  Thomas  William,  Richard  Brooks,  Alfred  Wil- 
son, John  G.,  Edmund  Waldron,  Sarah  Jane,  Julia,  Marion,  Gavin  Hamilton 
and  Arthur  H. 


TOHX  B.  HOPPE\G. 


John  B.  Hopping  is  one  of  the  later  generation  of  farmers  and  stock 
raisers  of  Montgomery  county,  native  and  to  the  manor  born,  who  form  an 
important  element  in  the  maintenance  of  the  prosperity  of  the  county  and  are 
helping  greatly  to  extend  its  wealth.  He  is  a  son  of  an  early  pioneer  of  this 
part  of  Indiana  who  played  an  important  part  in  developing  the  agricultural 
resources  of  this  famous  Wabash  region.  He  is  a  man  who  keeps  himself 
thoroughly  posted  upon  leading  events,  political,  religious,  business  and  scien- 
tific, and  is  a  man  of  decided  views,  adhering  to  his  convictions  with  the 
natural  strength  of  his  character. 

Mr.  Hopping  was  born  in  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  on  Octol^er  26, 
1874,  and  he  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  J.  (Berkshire)  Hopping.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  New  York  state  and  the  mother  was  born  in  Kentucky. 
Joseph  Hopping  was  a  farmer  and  he  came  to  Montgomery  county  in  1837 
when  the  country  was  practically  a  wilderness  and  only  a  small  portion  of  the 
land  had  been  put  under  cultivation.  He  worked  at  common  lalx)r  here  until 
1849  when  he  joined  the  large  train  of  gold-seekers  across  the  western  plains 
to  California,  and  he  remained  on  the  Pacific  coast  until  1852  when  he  re- 
turned to  Indiana  and  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  in 
Ripley  township,  JMontgomery  county,  which  place  is  now  owned  and  oper- 
ated by  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Here  he  carried  on  general  farming  and 
stock  raising  the  rest  of  his  life,  becoming  one  of  the  w  ell  known  farmers  of 
the  western  part  of  the  county,  and  he  was  highly  respected  by  his  neighbors 
and  acquaintances.  Here  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  reaching  the  advanced 
age  of  eighty-one  years,  dying  in  1901.  His  wife  preceded  him  to  the  grave 
in  1899  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren, namely:  Benjamin,  John  B.   (our  subject),  and  Bettie  F. 


IOl6  MONTGOMERV    COU.XTV,    INDIANA. 

Our  subject  received  his  education  in  tlie  common  scliools  of  his  native 
locality  and  he  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm.  He  began  life  for  iiini- 
self  by  teaching  school  which  he  followed  for  a  period  of  eleven  years,  meet- 
ing with  pronounced  success,  his  serxices  being  in  great  demand,  for  he 
pleased  both  patron  and  pupil,  being  not  only  an  instructor  but  an  enter- 
tainer in  the  school  room.  Finally,  tiring  of  this  vocation,  he  took  up  farm- 
ing on  the  old  homestead  which  he  has  operated  to  the  present  time,  keeping 
the  place  well  improved  and  well  cultivated  so  that  it  has  retained  its  original 
fertility,  and  he  has  met  with  much  success  as  a  general  farmer  and  stock 
raiser. 

Mr.  Hopping  has  remained  unmarried.  He  is  active  and  influential  in 
fraternal  afifairs,  being  a  member  of  the  Free  anil  Accepted  Masons  at  .Mamo, 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  at  Waynetow  n ;  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  at  Alamo.  He  is  trustee  of  Ripley  townshij).  haxing  assumed  the 
duties  of  this  office  on  January  i.  1909.     His  term  will  expire  in  1915. 


LE^"ERITT  ^^^  olin.  m.  d. 

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  improve- 
ment 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  dis- 
trust. In  the  following  paragraphs  are  briefly  outlined  the  leading  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. 
Devoted  to  the  noble  and  humane  work  of  eradicating  mortal  ills.  Dr. 
Leveritt  W.  Olin,  the  well  known  and  popular  physician  of  Elendale,  ]\Iont- 
gomery  county  has  made  his  influence  felt  in  a  most  potent  manner  in  the 
locality  of  which  this  history  treats.  He  is  evidently  endowed  by  nature  with 
those  qualities  of  heart  and  mind  so  necessary  to  the  success  of  one  who 
chooses  for  his  life  work  a  profession  in  which  human  sympathy  must  be  dis- 
pensed with  a  liberal  spirit  as  well  as  the  ability  to  relieve  human  suffering. 

Dr.  Olin  was  born  in  Portage  county,  Ohio,  February  12.  1851.  He  is 
a  son  of  Ransom  and  Clara  (Clark)  Olin.  They  were  both  natives  of  the 
same  countv  and  state  in  which  our  subject  was  born;  there  thev  grew  to  ma- 


L.  \V.  OLIN,  M.  D. 


MOXTC.OMKRV    CorXTV,     INDIANA.  IOI7 

turity,  were  educated  and  nian-ied,  and  there  they  s\K'ui  their  hves.  the  father 
dying  in  1868  and  the  mother  in  1883.  They  devoted  their  Hves  to  farniinj;, 
and  were  known  as  honest,  hospitable  and  hard  working  peojile.  'i'lie\-  he- 
came  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  six  of  whom  are  still  living. 

Dr.  Leveritt  W.  Olin  was  reared  in  his  native  county  in  the  Ikickeye 
state  and  there  he  received  a  good  common  school  education,  and  early  in  life 
determined  upon  a  medical  career,  and  with  that  end  in  view  he  entered  Buch- 
tel  College,  at  Akron,  Ohio.  He  began  reading  medicine  under  Dr.  E.  W. 
Price,  of  Kent,  Ohio,  under  whom  he  studied  four  years,  then  entered  the  Col- 
lege of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  New  York  City,  which  was  the  medical 
department  of  Columbia  University.  There  he  spent  two  terms  of  six  months 
each,  making  a  splendid  record  for  scholarship.  After  his  graduation  on 
March  12,  1880  he  came  to  Ellendale,  IMontgomery  coimty,  Indiana,  and  here 
he  has  been  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  since  April  13th  of  that  year,  hav- 
ing built  up  an  extensive  and  lucrative  practice  which  extends  over  a  wide 
territory  and  he  has  met  with  exceptional  success  and  has  taken  a  \ery  high 
rank  among  his  professional  brethren  in  this  section  of  the  state.  He  has 
ever  remained  a  student  of  all  phases  of  his  profession,  keeping  fully  abreast 
of  the  times. 

The  Doctor  was  married  on  September  2,  1883  to  Efifie  Swank,  daughter 
of  Benjamin  and  Ellen  (  Coman)  Swank,  who  were  Ixirn  in  this  county  dur- 
ing the  pioneer  period.  Here  they  grew  to  maturity,  were  married  and  estab- 
lished their  home  in  the  woods,  and  here  they  liecame  well  known  and  highly 
respected.     Here  Mrs.  Olin  grew  to  womanhood  and  was  educated. 

Seven  children  have  been  born  to  Dr.  Olin  and  wife,  named  as  follows: 
Lester  W.,  Blanche.  Grace,  Leveritt  R.,  Leland  E...  Ruth  and  Reine.  Four  of 
these  children  are  still  at  home,  and  all  are  living  in  Montgomery  county. 

Fraternally,  the  Doctor  belongs  to  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  hav- 
ing joined  in  1882;  and  he  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  which  he  joined 
in  1892.  Religiously,  he  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  lieing  a 
trustee  of  the  same. 


ROBERT  L.  ASHBY 


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  defici- 
ency.    Everything  turns  to  excess;  every  good  quality  is  noxious  if  unmixed, 


IOl8  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

and  to  can"}-  tlie  danger  to  the  edge  of  ruin  nature  causes  each  man's 
pecuHarity  to  superabound.  One  speaking  from  the  standpoint  of  a  farmer 
would  adduce  the  learned  professions  as  examples  of  the  treachery.  They 
are  nature's  victims  of  expression.  You  study  the  artist,  the  orator  or  the 
man  of  inventive  genius  and  find  their  lives  no  more  excellent  than  that  of 
merchants,  farmers  or  manufacturers.  Many  men  get  but  glimpses  of  the 
delights  found  in  nature  in  its  various  elements  and  moods,  but  there  is 
always  ample  opportunities  to  enjoy  life  in  its  varied  phases,  whatever  the 
profession.  It  depends  upon  the  individual.  Robert  L.  Ashby,  for  many 
years  one  of  the  most  representative  and  best  know  n  business  men  of  Ladoga, 
Montgomery  county,  is  one  who  takes  a  delight  in  existence.  It  is  because 
he  is  in  touch  with  the  springs  of  life.  He  does  not  permit  material  things 
to  supplant  his  better  nature.  His  life  has  been  filled  with  good  deeds  and 
kindly  thoughts,  and  all  who  knew  him  entertain  for  him  the  highest  regard, 
by  reason  of  his  industrious,  upright  and  honorable  career. 

Mr.  Ashby  was  bom  in  Scott  township,  near  Parkersburg,  this  county, 
November  i8,  1847.  He  is  a  son  of  Thompson  V.  and  Dulcenia  (  Lockridge) 
Ashby,  a  complete  history  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Robert  L.  Ashby  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's  farm  where  he  as- 
sisted with  the  work  during  the  crop  seasons,  attending  the  neighborhood 
schools  during  the  winter  months.  In  1875  he  married  Alice  Fordice,  a 
daughter  of  Asa  and  Mary  (Chambers)  Fordice.  Her  father  was  born  in 
Morgan  county,  Ohio,  and  when  a  young  man  he  traveled  in  several  states, 
selling  fanning  machines,  manufactured  by  Fordice  and  DeVoe,  who  oper- 
ated factories  at  Ladoga  and  several  other  places.  Mary  Chambers,  men- 
tioned above,  was  born  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  and  was  a  daughter  of 
George  and  Ann  (Allison)  Chambers,  natives  of  Kentucky.  After  his  mar- 
riage Asa  Fordice  and  his  brothers  Joseph,  George,  Nelson  and  Jesse  bought 
farms  south  of  Russelville  and  made  their  homes  there,  and  it  was  there  that 
Asa  Fordice  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  and  there  reared  his  family,  and  it  was 
on  his  farm  that  Mrs.  Ashby  lived  until  her  marriage. 

After  his  marriage  Robert  Asby  began  farming  three  miles  southwest  of 
Ladoga  and  there  he  continued  to  reside,  successfully  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock  raising,  until  about  1902.  He  started  out  with  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres.  It  was  only  partly  cleared,  but  he  was  industrious 
and  the  years  brought  him  prosperity.  He  added  to  his  original  holdings 
until  he  is  now  the  owner  of  four  hundred  acres  of  valuable  and  well  im- 
proved land.     In  August.   1893,  he  purchased  the  grain  elevator  at  Ladoga 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  IOI9 

and  went  into  the  grain  business  on  a  large  scale.  Two  or  three  years  later 
he  added  the  lumber  yard  to  his  business,  and  subsequently  added  cement  and 
other  building  supplies,  also  a  coal  business.  About  1903  he  built  a  handsome 
and  commodious  residence  on  East  Main  street  in  Ladoga,  which  is  his  pres- 
ent home. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashby  have  been  born  three  sons  and  two  daughters, 
all  living,  namely:  Thompson  V.,  who  married  Eva  Grimes,  li\es  in  Indi- 
anapolis, and  they  have  tw^o  sons,  George  and  William;  Fred  ¥..  who.  with 
his  brother  Thompson  V..  is  a  member  of  the  Wabash  Veneer  Company,  of 
Indianapolis,  and  he  lives  in  that  city ;  Wallace  W.,  who  lives  in  Ladoga,  has 
largely  superceded  his  father  in  the  active  management  of  both  the  farm  and 
the  elevator ;  Dulcenia  is  teaching  in  the  high  school  at  Lapel,  Indiana :  Bertha 
is  attending  the  Northwestern  L^niversity  at  Evanston,  a  suburb  of  Chicago. 

Robert  Ashby  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Fra- 
ternally, he  is  a  Mason,  in  which  he  has  attained  the  rank  of  Knights  Temp- 
lar. His  three  sons  are  all  Scottish  Rite  Masons,  and  members  of  the  Ancient 
Arabic  Order  of  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine. 

Recently  Mr.  Ashby  built  a  winter  home  at  Dunedin,  a  Scottish  settle- 
ment on  the  west  coast  of  Florida  and  he  and  Mrs.  Ashby  now  spend  their 
winters  at  that  pleasant  tropical  resort.  Both  the  Ashbys  and  Fordices  are 
of  Scotch  ancestrv. 


JAMES  F.  TAYLOR  AND  SON,  JOHN  TAYLOR. 

If  any  family  in  the  section  of  Montgomery  count}-,  of  which  the  beau- 
tiful and  thriving  little  town  of  Ladoga  is  the  hub,  is  prominent,  it  is  the 
Taylor  family,  for  members  of  it  have  played  well  their  several  roles  in  the 
local  drama  of  civilization  from  the  early  pioneer  period  until  the  present 
time,  doing  whatever  task  that  has  been  assigned  them  in  promoting  the 
material,  civic  and  moral  affairs  of  the  community  and  lahnring  industriously 
and  honestly  in  legitimate  vocations. 

John  Taylor  was  born  in  July,  1S70.  at  Ladoga,  and  is  a  son  of  James 
F.  and  Elizabeth  L.  (Goodbar)  Taylor.  The  father  was  linrn  near  Mount 
Sterling,  Montgomery  county,  Kentucky,  Novemljer  9.  1844.  He  is  a  son 
of  Augusta  and  Ormilda  (Allen)  Taylor.  When  James  F.  Taylor  was  six 
years  old,  before  there  were  any  railroads  at  Ladoga  and  when  this  country 
was  still  in  practically  a  primitive  state,  Augusta  Ta\lor  and  wife  moved 
with   their   tamilv   cif  eight  children    from   tlie   Blue   ( irass   state,   coming  by 


1020  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

wagon  to  near  (ireencastle,  Indiana,  where  tliey  located  on  a  farm,  and 
there  James  ¥.  grew  to  manhood  and  there  he  remained  for  some  time,  but 
about  the  time  he  attained  his  majority  the  rest  of  the  family  moved  to 
JMissouri,  but  immediately  came  back  to  Edgar  county,  Illinois,  locating  near 
the  city  of  I'aris,  and  later  settling  near  Ridge  Farm,  Illinois,  not  far  from 
Chrisman  and  there  the}-  remained.  The  mother  and  two  of  the  sons  are 
buried  at  Chrisman  and  the  father  is  buried  at  Paris. 

James  !•'.  Taylor  remained  in  Indiana,  and  here  he  was  married  in 
1865  to  Elizabeth  Goodbar-Crow,  widow  of  \\'illiam  Crow,  and  a  daughter 
of  Harvey  and  Louisa  (Lockridge)  Goodbar.  She  was  born  in  ]S^(>  and 
reared  in  Scott  township,  this  county,  where  her  people  on  both  sides  had 
lived  from  early  pioneer  days  and  where  her  parents  were  reared.  Her 
father,  Hai-vey  Goodbar,  was  a  son  of  John  H.  and  Rachael  (Hostetter) 
Goodbar,  who,  as  early  as  1829,  came  from  Montgomery  county,  Kentucky, 
and  settled  in  Scott  township,  Montgomery  county,  Indiana.  John  H.  Good- 
bar  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  was  a  son  of  Joseph  Goodbar,  the  latter  being 
one  of  two  boys  born  in  England,  and  left,  orphans,  early  in  the  eighteenth 
century.  Joseph  was  taken  b_\-  a  sea  captain  and  he  followed  a  seafaring 
life.  Once  returning  to  England  and  failing  to  find  his  brother,  he  emi- 
grated to  America  and  settled  in  Virginia,  where  he  reared  his  family.  His 
son,  John  H.,  who  came  to  Indiana  in  1829,  was  among  the  first  to  teach 
school  in  Scott  township,  Montgomery  county.  He  was  trustee  of  this  town- 
ship for  a  period  of  eighteen  years  successively,  and  served  a  term  in  the 
legislature  at  a  salary  of  two  dollars  a  day.  He  was  widely  known  in  west- 
ern Indiana  and  was  influential  in  the  affairs  of  Montgomery  county.  His 
death  occurred  in  the  year  1870.  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-seven  years, 
after  a  long  life  of  usefulness,  loved  and  respected  by  all  who  knew-  him. 

Harvey  Goodbar,  father  of  Mrs.  Taylor,  also  came  to  Montgomery 
county,  Indiana,  in  the  year  1829  with  the  rest  of  the  Goodbar  family.  tra\-- 
eling  with  horses  and  wagon,  driving  their  cows  before  them,  the  trip  re- 
quiring sixteen  days.     He  was  a  most  estimable  citizen  and  died  in  early  life. 

Before  his  marriage,  James  F.  Taylor  had  been  farming  for  himself, 
and  after  his  marriage  he  continued  to  farm  in  Scott  township,  prospering 
through  close  application,  the  exercise  of  good  judgment  and  foresight,  and 
finally  became  the  owner  of  a  fine  improved  and  productive  farm  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  acres,  and  he  continued  to  carry  on  general  farming  and 
stock  raising  on  a  large  scale  until  1882,  when  he  left  the  farm,  having  ac- 
cumulated a  competencv  for  his  declining  years,  and  moved  to  Ladoga  in 


>rONTCOMERV    COl'XTV.    IXniAXA.  T  02  I 

order  to  give  his  son.  John,  the  Ijeneht  of  the  schciols  tiiere.  Ihjwever.  not 
content  to  be  idle  the  elder  Taylor  soon  went  into  the  business  in  Ladoga 
of  breeding,  training  and  racing  horses,  and  soon  became  widely  and  well 
known  in  this  field  of  endeavor  and  met  with  great  success,  being  an  excc])- 
tiolally  good  judge  of  horses  and  knowing  every  phase  regarding  the  care 
and  training  of  them.  He  raised  some  of  the  finest  horses  ever  known  in 
this  section  of  the  Wabash  countn,-.  Among  his  first  was  old  "Red  Buck," 
a  champion  pacing  horse  and  sire  of  many  fine  colts.  Another  notable  one 
was  "Rescue,"  bred  at  the  stables  of  Powell  Brothers  in  Pennsylvania,  a  trot- 
ting horse  and  sire  of  a  number  of  fast  horses.  "Crisis"  was  a  Kentucky 
bred  stallion,  a  great  show  horse,  often  shown  with  "Que  Allen,"  and  sold 
for  six  thousand  dollars  when  sexenteen  \ears  old,  at  Madison  Square  Gar- 
den, New  York  City.  Another  good  horse  was  "Dispute,"  a  track  horse 
bought  in  Kentucky  when  two  years  old,  and  who  attained  a  record  of 
2:i5j4  on  a  half  mile  track  with  the  old  st}le  sulkey,  and  he  made  it  2:0914 
on  a  mile  track.  He  was  the  sire  of  "John  Taylor,"  a  horse  with  a  record  of 
2:0834,  and  winner  of  the  M.  and  M.  races  at  Detroit,  Michigan,  and  a  ten 
thousand  dollar  stake.  "Dispute"  was  the  first  stallion  to  sire  an  M.  and  M. 
winner  at  that  time.  Mr.  Taylor  also  owned  "Egwood,"  who  had  a  mark 
of  2:i4'4  on  a  half  mile  track.  This  fine  animal  was  purchased  in  Ken- 
tucky l)y  our  subject  at  the  same  time  he  bought  "Dispute."  He  afterward 
sold  for  a  sum  of  fourteen  thousand  dollars  and  went  t(j  .\ustria.  Mr.  Tay- 
lor was  also  the  owner  of  "Taylor  McGregor,"  sired  by  "Jay  McGregor," 
wht)se  record  was  2:o7'4,  that  sold  for  forty  thousand  dollars  and  went  to 
Russia.  "Jay  McGregor"  is  the  champion  sire  of  trotters  of  the  Cnited 
States,  has  four  2:10  trotters,  in  1912,  of  whom  "Baldy  McGregor"  has  a 
record  of  2  :o6^  at  three  }ears  old.  These  splendid  animals  carried  the 
name  and  fame  of  Mr.  Taylor  all  over  the  United  States,  and  he  has  long 
l:)een  regarded  as  one  of  the  leading  horsemen  of  the  country,  and  has  ac- 
cumulated a  handsome  fortune  through  the  handling  of  horses.  He  has  also 
bought,  bred  and  trained  and  raced  a  number  of  other  horses  who  accpiired 
records  of  from  2:08^  to  2:30.  During  the  past  five  years  Mr.  Taylor  and 
his  son  ha\e  been  breeding  pure  bred  Percheron  horses  for  the  benefit  of  the 
framers  who  desire  heavy  draft  horses,  and  the  fillies  sired  by  bis  stallions 
bring  as  high  as  six  thousand  dollars. 

John  Taylor  is  the  only  child  of  James  h'.  Taylor  and  wife.  He  was 
ten  years  old  when  the  family  left  the  farm  and  located  in  their  commodious 
and  attractive  residence  in  Ladoga.     He  received  a  good  education,  and.  hav- 


I022     •  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY.    INDIANA. 

ing  grown  up  in  the  horse  business  and  inheriting  many  of  tlie  sterhng  attri- 
butes of  his  father,  he  gives  promise  of  great  success  in  this  field  of  endea- 
vor. He  has  long  trained  and  driven  his  father's  race  horses.  He  is  known 
as  a  prompt  starter,  always  up  to  the  scratch  when  the  race  starts,  and 
handles  his  horses  well. 

In  1893  John  Taylor  married  Clara  Pierson,  of  Indianapolis,  daughter 
of  Jennings  and  Amanda  (Browning)  Pierson,  a  family  well  known  in 
business  and  social  circles  in  the  Hoosier  capital,  where  Airs.  Taylor  grew  to 
womanhood  and  was  educated. 

To  our  subject  and  wife  three  children  were  born,  namely :  Myrtle 
and  Irene,  living:  and  Vivian,  who  died  when  a  year  old. 

Both  father  and  son  ha\'e  been  life-long  Democrats,  but  ha\'e  never  as- 
pired to  be  public  men. 

The  yi.  and  M.  race  winners  are  telegraphed  all  over  America  and 
Europe.  The  Ta\lor  stables  are  known  all  over  the  United  States  and  are 
visited  by  many  admirers,  some  of  them  being  noted  horsemen  from  all 
parts  of  the  country. 


DANIEL  A.  MYERS. 


We  are  always  glad  in  writing  the  biographical  side  of  these  county  his- 
tories to  note  that  such  a  large  number  of  the  older  citizens  have  spent  their 
lives  in  the  county.  It  indicates  at  once  a  successful,  contented  and 
worthy  citizenship,  and  it  also  indicates  that  the  country  is  good,  for  not 
many  ambitious  and  energetic  young  men  will  remain  on  his  "native  heath" 
unless  it  promises  as  much  in  the  future  for  the  outlay  of  his  energy  as  other 
localities,  notwithstanding  the  pleasant  associations  of  the  old  homestead 
and  relati\es.  Such  a  family  as  that  represented  by  the  gentleman  whose 
name  forms  the  caption  of  this  sketch  is  a  pride  to  any  community  and 
deserves  all  respect  and  praise,  for  reasons  too  patent  and  too  numerous  to 
need  recounting  here. 

Wv.  Myers  was  born  in  Scott  township,  this  county,  on  September  25, 
1841.  He  is  a  son  of  William  and  Lydia  (Harshbarger)  Myers,  a  complete 
sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  w'ork.  The  father  of  our  subject 
did  a  great  deal  of  teaming  in  the  days  before  there  was  a  railroad  in  ]Mont- 
gomery  county,  and  when  our  subject  was  four  years  old  he  went  with  his 
father  on  one  of  his  trips  with  his  team  to  Lafayette,  over  in  Tippecanoe 
county,  and  the  old  canal  there  with  the  boats  going  up  and  down  made  a 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  IO23 

great  imression  on  the  lad  who  lias  nex'er  forgotten  this  and  nlher  sights  of 
the  trip. 

Daniel  A.  Silvers  grew  to  manhood  on  the  homestead  and  there  assisted 
with  the  general  dnties  during  crop  seasons,  and  in  the  winter  months  he 
attended  the  neighboring  schools.  He  remained  on  his  father's  farm  west 
of  Ladoga  until  he  was  twenty-three  years  old. 

On  October  6,  1864,  Mr.  Myers  was  united  in  marriage  to  Catherine 
Yenawine,  who  was  born  within  ten  miles  of  Louisville,  Kentucky.  She  is 
a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Margaret  (Bence)  Yenawine,  who  brought  her  to 
Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  when  she  was  aljout  eight  years  old,  the  fam- 
ily locating  in  Scott  township,  where  she  grew  to  womanhood  and  receixed 
her  education.  Her  parents  later  removed  to  Coles  county,  Illinois.  Mrs. 
Myers'  folks  made  the  trip  from  Kentucky  to  Lafayette,  Indiana,  thence 
south  on  the  railroad  on  a  flat  car  to  Ladoga,  the  road  still  being  unfinished. 

After  the  marriage  of  Daniel  A.  Myers  and  wife  they  bought  the  farm 
which  they  still  occupy  in  the  northern  part  of  Clark  township.  He  started 
with  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres.  Working  hard  and  managing  well,  Mr. 
Myers  prospered  with  advancing  years,  until  he  is  now  the  owner  of  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres.  He  formerly  owned  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  but  sold  a  part  oi  that,  and  he  has  also  provided  well  for  his  family. 
He  has  been  very  successful  as  a  general  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  ranking, 
as  he  well  deser\-es,  with  the  leading  husbandmen  of  the  southern  part  of 
Montgomery  county. 

Seven  children  were  born  to  Daniel  A.  Myers  and  wife,  named  as  fol- 
lows: Thomas  E.,  who  lives  in  the  southern  part  of  Walnut  t(;iwnship, 
where  he  owns  a  fine  farm  of  his  own,  married  Lola  Keller,  and  the\'  have 
two  children,  Russell  and  Blanche;  Minnie  A.  married  Rufus  Myers,  of 
Jamestown,  who  owns  about  eight  hundred  acres  of  valuable  land  near 
there,  and  they  have  two  children,  Lillie  and  Lambert;  William  F.,  who 
owns  and  operates  a  good  farm  in  the  northern  part  of  Walnut  township, 
married  Cora  Gray,  and  they  have  two  daughters,  Hazel  and  Lida;  Ellen 
married  Lodi  Bradley,  and  had  one  daughter,  Lida,  by  that  marriage.  Mr. 
Bradley  died  January  18,  1902,  and  she  subsequently  married  James  Chafifin, 
and  lives  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Clark  township,  and  she  has  one  daugh- 
ter by  her  second  marriage,  Helen.  Elmer  Myers,  who  lives  in  the  south- 
western part  of  Walnut  township,  married  Eliza  Bowman ;  John,  a  civil 
engineer,  is  at  present  in  the  Philippine  Islands  building  a  railroad  :  Clara 
H.,  the  voungest  child  of  our  subject,  married  Movd  Smith,  and  thev  live  in 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


the  western  part  of  \\'alnut  township,  and  have  two  children,  Raymond  and 
Jolm. 

Daniel   A.   Myers  Ijelongs  to  the   Independent  Order  of  Odd   Fellows, 
and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian  church. 


NATHANIEL  HAMILTON. 

One  of  the  leading  agriculturists  and  business  men  of  the  northwestern 
part  of  Montgomery  county  is  Nathaniel  Hamilton,  a  scion  of  one  of  the 
sterling  old  families  of  this  locality,  and  here  he  has  been  content  to  spend  his 
life.  While  laboring  for  his  individual  advancement  he  has  not  neglected  his 
larger  duties  as  a  neighbor  and  citizen.  By  deeds  of  kindness  extending 
through  a  long  period  of  years  he  has  won  and  retained  strong  personal 
attachments,  and  though  having  passed  his  seventy-second  milestone  on  the 
journey  of  life  he  is  still  in  possession  of  his  faculties,  physical  and  mental, 
and  bids  fair  to  round  out  many  more  years  of  a  happy  old  age. 

]\Ir.  Hamilton  was  born  on  October  21,  1840  in  Fountain  county,  Indi- 
ana, and  he  is  a  son  of  James  and  Louisa  (Thompson)  Hamilton.  The 
father  was  born  in  Ohio  and  the  mother  in  Kentucky.  The  former  came  to 
Montgomery  county  in  1832,  when  the  country  was  little  improved,  and  he 
later  moved  to  Fountain  county  where  he  remained  until  1850  when  he  re- 
turned to  Montgomery  county,  locating  on  the  farm  of  two  hundred  acres 
which  our  subject  now  owns.  He  devoted  his  life  to  farming.  His  family 
consisted  of  six  children,  namely:  Catherine,  who  married  Alfred  Lofland; 
Nathaniel,  of  this  review:  Jane,  who  married  Solon  H.  Brown;  Albert  lives 
in  Waynetown :  Sarah  Louisa  married  John  C.  Bible :  ]\Ielville  who  lives  in 
this  county. 

Nathaniel  Hamilton  received  a  good  common  school  education  in  Mont- 
gomery county  then  entered  an  academy  where  he  remained  some  time.  In 
August,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Seventy-second  Indiana  Volunteer 
Infantry  in  which  he  served  about  six  months  in  the  infantry,  then  joined 
\\"ilder's  famous  brigade,  being  mounted,  and  he  participated  in  the  battles 
of  Hoover's  Gap.  Chickamauga,  Chattanooga  and  Lookout  Mountain.  He 
was  in  the  army  of'the  Cumberland  under  General  Girard,  in  General  Thomas' 
division.  He  proved  to  be  a  very  faithful  soldier,  according  to  his  comrades, 
and  he  was  honorably  discharged  and  mustered  out  at  Indianapolis  in  1865. 

After  the  war  he  returned  home  and  resumed  farming,  which  he  has  con- 


MOXTCOMKRV    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  lOJ^ 

tinned  on  a  large  scale  ami  with  great  success  to  the  present  time,  lie  lias 
accumulated  a  competency  and  is  vice-president  of  the  Farmers  llank  at  Win- 
gate.  He  has  a  finely  improved  farm,  and  a  commodious  dwelling,  and  a 
good  grade  of  live  stock  is  always  to  be  seen  about  his  place. 

Mr.  Hamilton  was  married  on  May  20,  1880,  to  Mary  Hunt,  daughter 
of  William  and  Mary  (Rose)  Hunt.  Tliev  were  from  Ohio  and  were  carlv 
settlers  here. 

Four  children  ha\e  been  born  to  our  suliject  and  wife,  nanielv  :  Galen 
is  deceased:  Hattie  married  Walter  Ilaney  ;  ClintDn  is  deceased:  \\'iniani  Fay 
is  at  home. 

Politically,  Mr.  Hamilton  is  a  Republican.  He  was  township  assessor 
for  one  term.  Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  at 
Wingate.     He  belongs  to  the  Methodist  church. 


THOMPSON  V.  ASHBY. 

Praise  is  always  due  to  merit  and  especially  where  merit  is  the  product 
of  unassisted  energy  and  perseverance.  The  self-made  man  commands  our 
highest  respect.  Those  struggles  by  means  of  which  he  has  risen  from  ob- 
scurity to  honorable  distinction  cannot  fail  to  enlist  sympathy  and  call  forth 
our  warmest  applause.  And,  too,  the  record  of  a  life  well  spent,  of  triumph 
over  obstacles,  of  perseverance  under  difficulties  and  steady  advancement 
from  a  modest  beginning  to  a  place  of  honor  and  distinction  in  the  locality 
in  which  one  devotes  his  efifort,  when  imprinted  on  the  pages  of  history, 
present  to  the  youth  or  a  rising  generation  an  exanii)le  wcntliy  of  emulation 
and  may  also  be  studied  with  profit  by  those  of  more  mature  years  whose 
achievements  have  not  kept  pace  with  their  expectations.  On  the  roster  of 
the  names  of  those  who  have  been  prominently  identified  with  the  develop- 
ment and  upbuilding  of  Montgomery  county  that  of  the  late  Thompson  V. 
Ashby  merits  a  place  of  honor.  From  the  age  of  ten  years  until  his  death 
he  was  a  resident  of  this  county,  and  in  the  early  epoch  of  her  development 
as  well  as  in  later  years  his  energies  were  effectixely  directed  along  normal 
lines  of  industry  and  enterprise,  and  in  many  w  ays  he  made  distinct  contribu- 
tion to  the  progress  of  this  favored  section  of  the  famous  Waljash  valley 
country.  His  life  was  one  of  signal  integrity  as  well  as  usefulness,  and  such 
was  his  association  with  material  and  civic  atTairs  here  oxer  an  extended 
(65) 


I026  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

epoch  that  a  record  of  liis  xaried,  useful  and  honorable  career  be  perpetuated 
in  this  publication. 

Thompson  V.  Ashby  was  Ixjrn  April  25.  1818,  in  Shelby  county,  Ken- 
tucky, which  locality  furnished  so  many  of  the  sterling  citizens  of  Montgom- 
ery county,  Indiana,  where  our  subject  came  with  the  rest  of  the  family  in 
1828,  and  here  he  grew  to  manhood  and  recei\ed  such  education  as  the 
primitive  schools  of  that  early  time  afforded,  for  the  country  was  new  and 
sparsely  settled  when  he  arrived  here,  but  here  he  was  content  to  spend  the 
rest  of  his  days,  having  faith  in  its  future. 

On  Alay  30,  1844,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Dulcenia  Lockridge, 
who  was  born  June  3,  1825,  in  Montgomery  county,  Kentucky.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth  (Malone)  Lockridge,  the  former  born  in 
1784  and  the  latter  in  1786.  Elizabeth  Malone  was  a  daughter  of  Andrew 
and  Rachael  (Ozier)  Malone.  Robert  Lockridge  was  a  son  of  John  and 
Margaret  (Henderson)  Lockridge.  Andrew  Malone  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  The  father  of  Dulcenia  Lockridge  died  in  Kentucky 
and  her  mother  was  left  with  nine  children,  three  of  whom  were  married 
and  all  but  three  grew  to  maturity.  In  the  year  1835  t'''^  widow  and  all  but 
one  of  the  children  came  to  Putnam  count}',  Indiana,  and  located  south  of 
Raccoon  Station  and  there  Dulcenia  lived  until  her  marriage. 

To  Thompson  V.  Ashby  and  wife  were  born  three  children,  namely: 
William  Henry,  Robert  L.,  and  Elizabeth  Louise,  the  latter  being  now  the 
wife  of  James  Foster.  They  all  live  in  Ladoga,  Indiana,  where  they  are  very 
comfortably  situated. 

Thompson  V.  Ashby  was  a  farmer  by  profession  and  was  \ery  suc- 
cessful, becoming  the  owner  of  two  excellent  farms  near  the  center  of  Scott 
township,  aggregating  about  five  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  He  was  a  man  of 
much  business  capacity  and  energy  and  managed  his  large  landed  estate  with 
that  care  and  discretion  that  always  insured  success  and  he  ranked  with  the 
leading  and  most  progressive  agriculturists  and  stock  men  of  Montgomery 
county  during  his  day.  His  land  was  well  improved  and  carefully  operated, 
and  he  has  a  pleasant  home  which  was  noted  for  its  hospitality. 

Mr.  Ashbv  was  a  well  read  man,  keeping  advised  on  the  current  topics 
of  the  dav,  and  he  became  well  known  locally  as  a  debater,  taking  great  in- 
terest in  debating  societies.  In  fact,  he  remained  a  great  student  all  his 
life,  was  familiar  with  the  best  literature  of  the  day,  reading  extensively  of 
evervthing  wherebv  he  might  advance  himself  and  he  ranked,  justly,  too,  as 
one  of  the  most  intellectual  men  of  the  southern  part  of  the  county.      He 


M(1^■T(;(1MKR^•  (•()^•^•T^•.  Indiana.  T027 

taugln  schodl  in  liis  yoim.mT  (la\>.  llr  took  a  li\cly  interest  in  elniiTli  alVair- 
and  was  an  clilcr  in  the  I'roliyterian  clinrcli.  ilis  lit'c  was  of  such  inlluence 
for  good,  in  favor  nl'  relii;iiin  and  all  lliat  niaile  for  nKiral  uplift.  teni]R'fance, 
righteousness  ami  ijood  eitixenshi]).  lie  did  a  .threat  work  a,i;ainst  the  lii|Ui)r 
traffic,  and  when  near  his  death  he  read  a  temperance  speech  in  i.ailnL;a, 
which  was  said  b}"  all  furlunate  enon.ijh  In  hear  it  to  he  the  best  e\er  heard  in 
this  locaHty. 

^^r.  Ashby  was  called  to  his  eternal  rest  in  April,  i()(\v  His  widow  is 
still  living,  making  her  home  in  Ladoga.  She  is  an  unusually  well  pre- 
ser\c(l  woman,  although  now  past  eight\-eight  )ears  of  a.ge.  The  advancing 
years,  cruel  to  manw  ha\-c  left  but  ;i  few  threads  of  sih'er  in  her  hair,  and 
her  e\es  are  clear  and  bright.  Her  bearing  is  as  good  as  that  of  many  \dung 
persons,  and  her  face  hears  that  uiunistak.able  mark  of  one  who.se  life  is  li\ed 
uprightly,  with  kindly  thoughts  for  others  and  charitable  impulses. 


\\ILLI.\M  M.  I'R.WTZ. 

It  would  be  iiard  to  tind  a  more  painstaking  and  energetic  tiller  of  the 
soil  in  Montgomery  comity  than  William  M.  Frantz,  o(  Clark  township,  a 
man  who  has  worked  liard  and  nex'er  depended  ui)on  others  to  his  work 
or  his  planning,  and  the  success  that  has  come  to  him  has  l)een  well  de- 
served in  e\ery  respect  and  we  are  glad  to  gi\e  his  life  record  space  in  this 
volume  along  with  other  deser\-ing  citizens  of  this  locality. 

Mr.  Frantz  was  born  in  Scott  township,  this  county,  about  a  mile  west 
of  Ladoga,  on  June  19,  1864.  He  is  a  son  of  Frank  and  Flizabeth  (  Myers) 
Frantz.  Matthias  Frantz,  the  first  of  the  name  of  whom  we  are  informed, 
was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania.  September  3.  i80(S.  His 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Hants,  and  she  was  a  si.ster  of  Katherine  Hants, 
who  married  John  Alyers,  Sr..  and  for  a  fuller  account  of  this  family  the 
reader's  attention  is  re.spectfully  directed  to  the  sketch  of  hVantz  O.  Myers, 
appearing  in  this  volume.  Matthias  Frantz's  mother  died  when  the  bov  was 
four  or  five  days  old.  and  he  was  taken  into  the  f.-iniily  circle  of  his  aunt  .and 
uncle.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Myers.  Sr.  With  them  he  went  to  P.otetourt 
county.  \'irginia.  and  lived  there  on  the  Myers  farm  until  he  grew  to  man- 
hood. In  1831  he  came  on  horseback  with  his  uncle  and  his  cousin.  Henry 
Myers,  from  X'irginia  to  the  present  site  of  Ladoga.  Indiana,  to  \isit  John 
Myers.  Jr..  who  was  here  beginning  on  work--  of  i^real  imi)ortance  to  the  new 


I028  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

community.  Later  the  three  men  returned  to  the  old  Virginia  home  and 
prepared  to  move  here,  and  it  was  in  tlie  fall  of  1833  that  the  Myers  family, 
including  Matthias  Frantz,  made  the  long  overland  trip  in  wagons  to  Mont- 
gomery county,  Indiana,  locating  in  the  \icinity  of  Ladoga,  where  they 
established  permanent  homes  and  took  an  active  part  in  building  up  the  com- 
munity. 

Matthias  Frantz  entered  land  two  miles  west  and  one  mile  north  of 
Ladoga,  and  this  he  improved  and  established  his  home  thereon,  and  here  he 
married  Sally  Graybill.  He  followed  farming  all  his  life.  He  took  an  in- 
terest in  public  affairs  and  was  a  pioneer  justice  of  the  peace,  was  also  a 
deacon  in  the  Dunkard  church.  His  death  occurred  on  July  i,  1898.  his 
wife  having  preceded  him  to  the  grave  on  June  2t„  1894.  To  them  the  fol- 
lowing children  were  born:  James  P.,  William  H.,  Sarah  J.,  Elizabeth,  and 
John  Frank. 

John  Frank  Frantz  was  born  on  January  18,  1838,  on  the  farm  where 
his  father  had  settled  in  pioneer  times,  and  there  he  grew  to  manhood  and 
in  1859  married  Elizabeth  Myers,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Lydia  (Harsh- 
barger)  Myers.  For  her  ancestry  the  reader  is  directed  to  the  sketch  of 
Frantz  O.  Myers,  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  She  was  born  November  i, 
1838,  a  mile  west  of  Ladoga,  where  her  father,  William  Myers,  was  a  pio- 
neer settler.  Frank  Frantz  bought  a  farm  north  of  her  father's  farm,  and 
farmed  there  all  his  life.  Six  children  were  born  of  his  first  marriage;  the 
first  an  infant  son,  died  unnamed  on  December  19,  1859;  Leona  Ellen,  born 
February  27,  1861,  died  February  17,  1864;  the  third  and  fourth,  twin  sons, 
died  unnamed  in  infancy  on  March  16,  1863;  William  H.,  born  June  19, 
1864;  Sarah  L.,  born  August  29,  1866,  was  the  wife  of  Frank  Williams,  and 
she  died  July  6,  1902.  The  mother  of  the  above  named  children  died  July 
6,  1878,  when  William  M.,  of  this  sketch,  was  fourteen  years  old. 

After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  Frank  Frantz  married  Emma  Tapp,  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Amanda  Tapp.  She  was  born  and  reared  in  Scott 
township,  this  county,  three  miles  west  of  Ladoga.  Two  children  were  born 
of  this  union.  May  and  Gaynelle.  In  1897  Matthias  Frantz,  being  feeble 
from  advanced  age,  his  family  moved  in  with  him  to  care  for  him.  His 
death  occurred  on  July  i,  1898,  and'his  son,  Frank,  died  about  five  weeks 
later,  on  August  9,  1898.     His  widow  lives  at  Richmond,  Indiana. 

William  M.  Frantz  grew  up  on  the  farm  west  of  Ladoga  and  he  attended 
the  public  schools  in  his  native  locality.  He  continued  to  work  on  the  home 
place  until  liis  marriage,  on  September  13,  1888,  to  \'aletta  Corn,  daughter 


MOXTGO.MERV    COUNTY, 


1029 


of  George  W.  Corn  and  wife,  of  Clark  li)\vnslii[),  a  coin])lete  sketch  of  whom 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  work,  l-'or  a  year  after  his  nuirriage  he  continued 
on  his  father's  farm,  then  moved  to  where  he  now  lives  in  the  northwest  i)art 
of  Clark  township  on  the  farm  owned  by  Mrs.  Frantz's  father,  and  here  lie 
has  been  successfully  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising  in  part- 
nership with  Mr.  Corn. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  I'^rantz  one  son  has  been  born,  ( ieorge  !•"..  whose  birth 
occurred  on  October  13.  1894.  ile  is  now  in  his  junior  year  in  the  Ladoga 
high  school. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Frantz  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  at  Ladoga.  He  is  a  quiet,  home  man.  oliliging  in  disposition  and 
fair  in  all  his  dealings. 


HEXRY  T.  THOMPSON. 

One  of  Ripley  township  citizens  whom  nature  seems  to  have  especially 
designed  to  be  a  tiller  of  the  soil  is  Henry  T.  Tiiompson,  one  of  the  \'enerable 
and  most  highly  honored  native  sons  of  Montgomery  county.  The  pursuits 
of  agriculture  have  afforded  him  high  gratification,  and  in  the  conduct  of  his 
farm  the  principles  he  has  held  ha\e  l)een  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  success- 
ful development  and  improvement  of  the  \aried  elements  of  farm  life.  He 
has  ever  been  energetic  and  enterprising  and  everything  al)Out  the  place  in- 
dicates that  an  experienced  hand  is  at  the  helm.  This  gentleman  is  a  well 
informed  farmer,  who,  from  a  small  beginning  has  built  up  a  comfortable 
competence  and  is  now  enjoying  the  result  of  his  industry  and  enterprise, 
his  property  having  been  acquired  through  his  untiring  diligence,  foresight 
and  good  management.  He  is  one  of  the  oldest  nati\c  born  residents  of  the 
western  part  of  the  county,  and  he  has  li\ed  to  see  and  take  part  in  moment- 
ous changes  here,  having  known  the  county  when  it  was  little  im])roved, 
when  the  vast  woods  stretched  in  every  direction  and  when  the  roads  were 
ungraded,  the  streams  unbridged,  and  when  there  were  \ery  few  of  the  evi- 
dences of  present-day  civilization. 

Mr.  Thompson  was  born  in  Montgomery  C(junty,  Indiana,  as  aljove  in- 
timated, on  October  17,  1837.  He  is  a  .son  of  .Alexander  and  Jane  (Taylor) 
Thompson.  The  father  was  born  on  April  3,  1796,  in  the  state  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, He  received  a  limited  education  in  the  primitive  schools  of  his  time 
and  he  followed  farming  and  the  trade  of  mill  wright  during  his  active  life. 
He  came  to  Montgomery  county.  Indiana,  in  a  very  early  dav.   when  this 


1030  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

countn-  was  practically  a  wilderness  and  here  he  established  the  future  home 
of  the  family,  enduring  the  usual  prix-ations  of  life  on  the  frontier.  He  was 
a  rugged,  hard-working  and  honest  man,  who  never  permitted  hardships,  no 
matter  how  appalling,  to  thwart  him.  He  reached  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-nine  years,  dying  in  May,  1885.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was 
born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  on  Alay  14,  iSoi.  and  she  grew  to  womanhood 
there  and  received  what  education  she  could  in  the  rural  schools.  Her  death 
occurred  in  1867,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years. 

Fourteen  children  were  born  to  Alexander  Thompson  and  wife,  four 
of  whom  are  still  living,  namely:  David,  bom  November  2,  1818;  Elizabeth, 
born  January  14,  1822;  William,  born  September  26,  1823;  Francis,  born 
May  12,  1825;  James,  born  September  2,  1826;  Ruhana,  born  April  6,  1828; 
Isabelle,  born  December  28,  1829;  Jane,  born  August  i,  1831 ;  Hester,  born 
August  17,  1833;  Nancy  A.,  born  May  17,  1835;  Henry  T.,  born  October 
17,  1837;  Sarah  C,  born  May  i,  1840;  Joseph  R.,  born  December  22,  1841 ; 
the  youngest  child  died  in  infancy. 

Henry  T.  Thompson  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  did  his 
share  of  the  work  about  the  place.  He  received  such  educational  advantages 
as  the  earl}-  schools  afforded  in  his  community  in  the  early  days  here.  He 
has  ne\er  married.  He  has  always  followed  farming  and  general  stock  rais- 
ing. He  is  now  the  owner  of  a  finely  improved  and  valuable  fami  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Ripley  township.  It  is  nearly  all  tillable,  and  it  is 
rolling,  so  that  but  little  tile  is  needed.  All  the  improvements  on  the  place, 
including  the  residence  and  outbuildings,  were  made  by  Mr.  Thompson.  He 
has  a  pleasant  home,  and  keeps  a  good  grade  of  live  stock  from  year  to  year. 
He  lives  with  his  sister  Jane,  who  is  a  widow,  also  a  daughter-in-law. 

Politically,  yir.  Thompson  is  a  Democrat,  but  he  has  never  been  espe- 
cially active  in  public  matters. 


GEORGE  W.  HARSHBARGER. 

Allegiance  to  duty  and  a  fixed  purpose  have  been  dominating  factors  in 
the  life  of  George  W.  Harshbarger,  one  of  Clark  township's  best  known 
citizens.  Indeed,  such  principles  as  he  has  followed  always  do  more  to  ad- 
vance a  man's  interests  than  m.aterial  wealth  or  fortituous  environment.  He 
is  a  worthy  descendant  of  one  of  our  most  sterling  old  families,  and  many 
of  the  strong  characteristics  of  his  progenitors  seemed  to  have  manifested 


MdxrcoMian'  ri)r\r\',  ixdi.wa.  1031 

tllcm^el\c's  in  liiin,  and  he  lias  hccn  nmsl  carefnl  tu  keep  untarnivlicd  ihc 
lirilliaiit  cscuU-heon  oi  tlic  family  name,  licin,^'  nutcil  fnr  his  huncsly.  hiis])i- 
talit}-  anil  his  readiness  tn  assist  in  ihe  |)niL;ressi\e  mii\ement->  ^i  his  enm- 
nuinity. 

Mr.  Harshl)ai"tjer  was  hurn  in  I'lark  low  nsliip,  .Miintg(.imery  connty, 
October  20,  1S38,  a  sun  of  Jacob  .M.  and  Mary  (Myers)  I  larshbar-er,  the 
niotlier  having  been  the  daughter  of  IIenr\-  Myers,  jjrother  of  John  Myers, 
Jr.  Botli  the  Harshbarger  and  Myers  ancestry  will  be  found  on  other  pages 
of  this  work. 

CJeorge  W.  Ilarshbarger  grew  to  manhood,  where  he  now  lives  in 
Clark  township.  He  attended  the  coninion  schools  in  his  native  community, 
the  higii  school  at  Ladoga,  and  later  the  agricultural  college  at  Lafayette. 
He  continued  farming  on  the  home  place,  and  in  1881  married  Eva  Canine, 
daughter  of  Cornelius  and  Keziah  Canine.  She  was  born  at  Waveland,  this 
county,  and  grew  up  on  a  farm  two  miles  east  of  that  town  and  there  she 
was  educated  and  lived  until  her  marriage. 

Cornelius  Canine  was  a  son  of  Raljjh  Canine  and  his  tirst  wife.  Cor- 
nelius Canine  was  born  antl  reared  near  \\'a\eland  and  farmed  there  all  his 
life.  He  was  an  active  Democrat  and  was  a  member  of  the  liaptist  church. 
He  was  a  broad-minded  man,  ujjright  and  honoral:)le.  His  parents  had 
come  to  that  locality  in  a  very  early  da\-  and  cleared  and  developed  a  farm. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  induced  him  to  remain  on  the  home  farm, 
rebuild  the  dwelling  and  improve  the  place,  the  elder  Ilarshbarger  desiring 
to  retire  from  active  life.  He  accordingly  remodeled  and  enlarged  the  old 
home,  installing  modern  heating  and  lighting  plants  and  many  of  the  con- 
veniences not  usually  found  in  the  country.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was 
called  to  her  eternal  rest  on  June  17,  1899,  and  the  father  continued  making 
his  home  with  his  son,  George  W.,  until  ^Irs.  Davidson,  sister  of  our  sul)- 
ject,  was  left  a  widow,  in  190S,  whereupon  the  father  went  to  li\\e  witli  lier. 
Since  that  time  our  suliject  has  hail  full  charge  of  the  farm  where  he  now 
lives.  He  is  the  owner  of  six  hundred  and  fifteen  acres,  all  in  close  proxim- 
ity of  his  liome,  all  well  improved  and  well  kept,  and  here  general  farming 
and  stock  raising  are  carried  on  extensively,  a  specialty  being  made  of  all 
kinds  of  high  grade  live  stock.  On  the  place  is  to  lie  seen  manv  good  barns 
and  outbuildings. 

Mr.  Harshl>arger,  wife  and  children  belong  to  the  Christian  church  at 
Ladoga.  Ever  since  the  Fair  Association  was  organized  our  suljject  has 
been  a  member,  and  has  done  much  for  its  success.     He  is  a  member  of  the 


1032  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Masonic  Order  at  Ladoga,  and  he  and  his  wife  belong  to  the  Order  of  East- 
ern Star. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harshbarger  iiave  three  children,  namely:  Earl  M.,  born 
September  14,  1885;  IMary  Ethel,  born  October  29,  1886;  Everett,  born 
August  25,  1894.  Earl  was  married  in  1908  to  Mabel  Thompson  Batman, 
a  daughter  of  Dr.  W.  F.  Batman,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this 
work.  Both  Earl  and  his  wife  are  graduates  of  the  Ladoga  high  school,  and 
the  former  attended  Wabash  College  and  Purdue  University,  and  his  wife 
attended  Northwestern  University  at  Chicago.  Earl  Harshbarger  is  en- 
gaged in  the  insurance  and  real  estate  business  in  Ladoga  and  is  also  suc- 
cessfully operating  a  one  hundred  and  twenty  acre  farm  of  his  father's. 
Ethel  Harshbarger  is  a  graduate  of  the  Ladoga  high  school,  and  later  she 
attended  Northwestern  University;  :she  is  an  accomplished  musician,  and 
is  a  general  favorite  in  Ladoga  society;  she  was  married  in  September,  1909, 
to  Richard  Dean  Squires,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  for  several  years  en- 
gaged in  teaching  in  Indiana  and  was  quite  successful.  Fifteen  months  be- 
fore his  marriage  he  was  chosen  superintendent  of  Ladoga  schools,  which 
position  he  held  two  years.  He  is  now  superintendent  of  schools  at  Carlisle, 
Nicholas  county,  Kentucky.  To  tliis  union  has  been  born  a  daughter,  Eva 
Dean  Squires,  now  about  two  }ears  old.  Everett  Harshbarger  is  in  his 
senior  year  in  the  Ladoga  high  school.  He  will  later  enter  the  agricultural 
college  of  Purdue  University. 

Georgge  W.  Harshbarger  is  a  man  of  public  spirit,  but  never  an  ofifice 
seeker.  He  was, active  in  procuring  the  services  of  a  farm  expert  to  assist 
in  planning  and  directing  farm  work  in  an  intelligent,  up-to-date  manner 
in  Clark  township.  All  movements  calculated  to  better  the  township  in  any 
way  have  in  him  an  ardent  supporter,  and  he  and  his  family  are  deserving  of 
the  high  esteem  in  which  thev  are  universally  held. 


V.  E.  CRAIG. 


Conspicuous  among  the  progressive  business  men  of  Franklin  township. 
Montgomery  county,  is  the  gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this  article. 
Coming  of  an  old  and  well  known  family,  members  of  which  were  intimately 
connected  with  the  rise  and  progress  of  this  section  of  the  community,  he  takes 
a  pardonable  pride  in  the  parts  they  performed  in  the  transformation  of  this 
locality  from  a  wilderness  into  its  present  proud  position  among  its  sister 
counties  of  the  commonwealth. 


V.   E.    CRAIG 


.MO.NTC.OMKRV    fOLNTV,    INDIAN. 


'O33 


\  .  E.  Craig,  widely  known  and  successful  merchant  at  the  town  of 
Darlington,  Montgomery  county,  was  born  in  this  county  on  December  25, 
1853.  He  is  a  son  of  Robert  A.  and  Liddy  (Martz)  Craig.  The  father  of 
our  subject  was  born 'in  this  coimty,  also,  the  date  of  his  birth  being  June  i, 
1832,  and  here  he  grew  to  manhood,  was  educated  in  the  old-time  schools  and 
here  he  devoted  his  life  to  general  farming,  developing  a  good  farm  from  the 
virgin  soil,  living  to  see  the  great  transformation  that  took  place  here,  and 
he  became  popular  with  his  neighbors  and  vast  acquaintances  for  he  was  an 
honest  man  and  a  good  citizen.  His  family  consisted  of  eight  children,  three 
of  whom  are  still  living.  They  were  named,  Marshall,  is  deceased;  \'.  E.. 
of  this  review;  Alma  L.,  Charles  W.,  Mary  E.,  Isaac  W..  living-  in  Darlington; 
Iva  A.,  are  all  deceased;  John  W.,  the  youngest  is  still  li\ing. 

The  death  of  Robert  A.  Craig  occurred  on  July  20,  1890.  His  wife  was 
bom  in  Ohio  in  1833,  and  her  death  occurred  in  Februar}-,  1902. 

\'.  E.  Craig  grew  to  manhood  on  tlie  liome  farm  and  there  he  worked 
during  the  crop  seasons  when  a  boy.  and  in  the  winter  time  he  attended  the 
common  schools.  On  March  i.  1877  he  was  married  to  Armitta  Betts,  who 
was  born  in  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  April  22,  1855,  and  here  she  grew 
to  womanhood  and  received  a  common  school  education.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  Francis  and  Henrietta  (Stewart)  Betts.  The  union  of  our  sulijcct  and 
wife  has  been  without  issue. 

V.  E.  Craig  began  life  for  himself  as  a  farmer,  following  that  vocation 
for  a  period  of  twelve  years,  during  which  he  got  a  good  start.  He  then  came 
to  Darlington  and  went  into  tlic  grayi  business,  under  the  firm  name  of  Craig 
&  Kinler.  He  remained  in  this  line  of  endeaxor  fur  five  years,  enjoying  a 
large  business.  Then  his  partner  died  and  Mr.  Craig  discontinued  the 
business  and  turned  his  attention  to  real  estate  which  he  followed  two  years, 
then  in  1898  he  started  a  grocery  store  in  the  east  part  of  Darlington,  and  he 
has  been  in  his  present  location  for  about  five  years.  He  enjoys  a  large  and 
lucrative  patronage,  his  store  being  known  as  the  Central  Grocery.  It  is  well 
stocked  with  staple  and  fancy  groceries  at  all  seasons.  He  owns  a  nice  home 
in  Darlington,  and  has  a  farm  in  Tippecanoe  county. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  has  l)een  quite  prominent,  locally, 
in  political  and  public  affairs.  He  was  for  seven  years  a  member  of  the  city 
council  of  Darlington,  and  was  for  three  years  a  member  of  the  school  board. 
Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Masons  and  the  Improved  Order  of  Red 
Men,  also  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  Religiously,  he  belongs  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 


]034  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

JAMES  AI.  OTTERMAN. 

The  name  of  James  AI.  Otterman,  one  of  the  progressive  and  successful 
citizens  of  Clark  township,  needs  no  praise  by  the  biographer,  for  it  has  stood 
for  clean  ii\ing  and  honorable  actions  toward  his  fellow  men  during  his  life 
here  of  more  than  three  score  years,  for  he  has  sought  at  all  times,  no  matter 
how  trying  the  circumstances,  to  maintain  the  dignity  of  the  old  family  of 
which  he  is  a  most  creditable  representative. 

Air.  Otterman  was  torn  on  Alarch  20,  1S50,  in  this  township  and 
county.  He  is  a  son  of  Lewis  Otterman,  Jr.,  and  wife,  a  complete  sketch  of 
\\hom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 

James  AI.  Otterman  received  a  common  school  education  and  he  lived 
on  the  homestead  in  this  township  until  he  was  thirt)'-five  years  old.  In 
1885  he  married  Alinnie  Stover,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Xancy  Lee 
Stover.  She  was  born  and  reared  in  Scott  township,  Alontgomery  county, 
and  here  received  her  education  in  the  public  schools,  and  here  she  resided 
until  her  marriage.  Samuel  Stover  was  born  in  Botetourt  county,  Virginia, 
in  1820.  He  was  a  son  of  George  and  Hetty  Stover.  Samuel  Stover  was 
one  of  a  large  family  who  moved  to  Alontgomery  county,  Indiana,  when  he 
was  twelve  years  old,  about  1832,  and  located  in  Section  36,  Scott  town- 
ship, on  what  is  now  the  Bymaster  farm.  Samuel  Stover  was  a  carpenter  in 
his  younger  days.  In  the  early  fifties  he  married  Nancy  Lee  Daugherty, 
who  was  born  and  reared  in  his  neighborhood.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Nancy  Ann  (Mills)  Daugherty.  The  Daughertys  came  to  Alont- 
gomery county  about  1 830  from  Bullitt  county.  Kentucky,  and  located  in  the 
southwestern  part  of  Clark  township,  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  north  of 
the  Putnam  county  line. 

After  his  marriage  Samuel  Stover  took  up  farming,  which  he  followed 
the  rest  of  his  life.  His  father  gave  him  eighty  acres  in  Section  25,  Scott 
township.  As  he  prospered  he  purchased  additional  land  until  he  owned  a 
large  and  \'aluable  farm,  and  here  he  lived  the  rest  of  his  days.  He  and  his 
wife  were  active  in  the  work  of  the  church,  and  he  was  a  trustee  of  Hawk 
Creek  Christian  church.  His  wife  was  a  Baptist.  The  death  of  Samuel 
Stover  occurred  on  June  20,  1889,  his  widow  surviving  until  Alarch  14,  1908. 

James  AI.  Otterman  farmed  in  partnership  with  his  brother  after  he 
was  twenty-fi\e  years  old.  After  his  marriage  he  farmed  for  himself  on  the 
place  where  he  now  resides,  in  Section  23,  and  he  is  now  owner  of  three 
hundred  and  fifteen  acres  of  valuable  and  productive  land,  for  the  most  part 


MONTC.UMKKV    aUNTV.    IX  |)I  A.\A.  IO35 

under  a  liit^h  ^lalc  of  inii>ru\<.-mciU  and  cultivation,  and  all  near  his  honiu. 
He  is  canvniy  on  !;eneral  farming  and  stock  raising  on  an  extensive  scale, 
and  has  a  ])leasant  home  and  numerous  outbuildings. 

To  -Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Otterman  two  children  have  been  Ijorn.  namely:  i.elah. 
horn  April  i  o.  1S89;  and  Carl  S..  horn  January  iS.  1S93.  The  latter  is  now 
taking  a  course  in  agriculture  and  stock  juilging  at  the  agricultural  selionl  at 
Lafayette. 

Lelah  Otterman  is  an  accomplished  musician,  both  vocal  and  instru- 
mental.    Both  she  and  her  brother  graduated  from  the  Ladoga  high  school. 

Mr.  Otterman  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  for  several  years  been  a  member 
of  the  advisory  board  of  his  township.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  his  party,  and  from  the  days  of  Horace  Greeley  has  contrilmted 
generously  to  the  sujijiort  of  Democracy.  He  is  a  member  of  the  llorse 
Thief  Detective  Association,  and  he  and  his  wife  belong  to  the  Christian 
church. 


LEWIS  OTTERMAX. 


One  of  the  well  known  and  influential  citizens  of  Clark  townshii),  Mnul- 
gomery  county,  of  a  jiast  generation  who  is  now  sleeping  in  "that  low  green 
tent  whose  curtains  ne\er  otitward  swing"  was  the  late  Lewis  Otterman.  a 
man  who  was  the  ])ossessor  of  many  commendable  characteri.stics  of  head 
and  heart  and  whose  name  is  deserving  of  perpetuation  on  the  pages  of  local 
history,  and  his  career  might  well  serve  as  a  pattern  for  the  youth,  lie  is 
remembered  as  a  man  of  rare  foresight  and  keen  discernment  and  good  judg- 
ment, and  he  was  often  called  upon  for  advice  in  matters  of  business  and 
often  served  as  arbitrator.  .Although  well  qualified  he  refused  to  acce])t  of- 
fice, but  was  looked  to  as  a  leader  in  local  material  and  public  affairs.  The 
Otterman  family  have  always  been  noted  for  their  somewhat  retiring  dispo- 
sitions, never  pu.shing  them.selves  forward  in  the  limelight,  attending  very 
closelv  to  their  own  business  affairs,  and  they  ha\e  e\er  been  highly  estteemed 
since  coming  to  this  locality  in  the  early  pioneer  days  to  the  ])resent. 

Mr.  Otterman  was  born  .Septeml)er  1.  iSii.  m  what  is  now  rulnam 
county.  West  X'irginia.  a  son  of  Lewis  ()tterman.  .Sr..  who  was  born  in 
Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  but  was  reared  in  Virginia,  lie  mar- 
ried Glory  Null,  daughter  of  Philip  Xull.  Her  father  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, from  which  state  he  migrated  to  Xorth  Carolina,  where  he  married 
Margaret    I'.ushong.      lie   I'oUowed    farming  and   the  tanning  trade  tmtil    the 


1036  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

commencement  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  then  entered  the  Continental 
army,  serving  throug-hont  the  conflict,  under  command  of  Generals  Marion, 
Washington  and  Morgan,  and  for  bra\ery  on  the  field  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  captain. 

After  his  marriage  Lewis  Otterman,  Sr.,  returned  to  his  native  town 
and  subsequently  moved  from  there  to  Putnam  county  in  the  western  part 
of  Virginia,  now  West  \"irginia,  where  he  followed  farming  for  about 
eighteen  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  came,  with  his  family,  to  In- 
diana, and  first  located  on  land  that  he  entered  from  the  government  in 
Clark  township,  comprising  eighty  acres  of  timber,  which  he  at  once  began 
to  clear.  A  few  years  later  he  sold  that  and  moved  to  a  farm  about  five 
miles  east  of  Ladoga,  where  he  lived  until  his  death,  in  1858.  In  early  life 
he  was  a  Lutheran,  later  a  Christian.  His  first  wife  died  and  he  married  a 
second  time,  his  last  wife  being  Mrs.  Jessie  Ruth.  He  was  the  father  of 
tweh-e  children,  all  of  whom  grew  to  maturity  and  six  of  whom  reached  ad- 
vanced ages,  John,  Lewis.  Jr.,  Philip,  Elisha,  Eliza,  Joseph,  George,  Mary, 
Elizabeth,  Sam,  Henry  and  Elijah.     Elijah,  Elisha  and  Eliza  were  triplets. 

Lewis  Otterman,  Jr.,  was  eighteen  years  old  when  he  came  with  his 
parents  to  the  wilds  of  western  Indiana.  When  twenty-one  years  old  he 
started  out  in  life  for  himself,  with  no  wnrldly  possession  Ijut  an  ax.  He  first 
worked  for  his  Uncle  Myers  and  afterwards  with  his  Uncle  John  at  a  salary 
of  eight  dollars  per  month.  He  saved  his  earnings  and  entered  eighty  acres 
of  land.  During  the  four  years  following  he  made  enough  by  the  month  to 
procure  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  acres  of  land. 

In  the  fall  of  1836,  after  his  marriage  to  Hettie  Pefley,  he  took  pos- 
session of  his  land  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  on  the  same.  His 
wife  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Pefley  and  wife,  who  came  to  this  county  in 
1835.  He  was  a  hard  worker  and  good  manager  and  developed  one  of  the 
finest  fanning  properties  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county,  and  when 
old  age  came  on  he  divided  his  land  among  his  children,  having  had  at  that 
time  between  eleven  hundred  and  twelve  hundred  acres  of  valuable  and  pro- 
ductive land.  He  retained  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres.  His  large  success 
was  eminently  deserving",  since  lie  worked  his  way  up  from  the  bottom  of 
the  ladder  without  assistance. 

Although  a  very  busy  man,  he  found  time  to  render  aid  in  the  general 
development  of  his  community,  being  especially  a  friend  to  the  free  school 
system  and  education  in  general.  He  was  a  life-long  Democrat,  and  during 
the  Civil  war  was  a  strong  L^nionist  and  Abolitionist.     He  was  a  pronounced 


MONTC.OMERV    COL-NTV,    INDIANA.  I O37 

temperance  man.  lie  ne\er  wnnlil  accept  otiice.  ami  when  appciinted 
county  commissioner,  refused  to  serve.  .Mthouj^h  not  a  heliexer  in  man- 
made  creeds,  he  was  an  honorable.  Bible-following  man,  living  his  religion 
every  day;  however,  he  was  very  influential  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  local 
Christian  church,  and  was  a  member  of  that  denomination  for  ii\er  half  a 
century.  He  was  originally  connected  with  the  Hawk  Creek  church,  hut  in 
1847  he  and  several  others  were  instrumental  in  slarting  what  is  now  known 
as  Christian  Chapel  in  his  own  neighborhood,  and  he  was  also  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Sunday  school.  He  ser\-ed  both  as  deacon  and  elder  of  the 
church  and  conlril)uted  liberally  of  his  means  toward  its  su])])ort. 

Seven  children  were  born  to  Lewis  Otterman,  jr.,  and  wife,  namely: 
Ann  Eliza  married  Isaac  Smith,  of  Boone  county;  Sarah  Jane  married 
Josiah  Bradley,  of  Clark  township ;  Samuel  Henry,  who  became  a  prosperous 
fanner  in  his  native  township;  James  M.,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  else- 
where in  this  volume;  George  W.  became  a  farmer  in  Clark  township;  John 
F.  and  Lewis  C.  both  died  many  years  ago. 

The  death  of  Lewis  Otterman  occurred  on  June  13,  1896,  at  the  ad- 
\anced  age  of  eightv-five  vears. 


SILAS  F.  KYLE. 


No  history  of  Montgomery  county,  purp(jrting  to  go  into  the  industrial 
life  as  well  as  other  leading  phases  of  our  complex  civilization  here  would  be 
complete  were  there  failure  to  make  proper  mention  of  Silas  F.  Kyle,  one 
of  the  foremost  citizens  and  substantial  business  men  of  the  town  of  Ladoga, 
and  not  only  as  a  busy  man  of  affairs  is"  he  eligible  for  representation  in 
these  pages,  but  also  as  a  citizen,  for  he  is  public  spirited  and  enterprising  in 
his  advocacy  of  progressive  methods  to  an  unwonted  degree;  as  a  friend  and 
neighbor  he  combines  the  cjualities  of  head  and  heart  that  wins  confidence 
and  commands  i^espect.  He  is  a  good  manager,  makes  a  success  of  whate\er 
he  turns  his  attention  to,  possessing  sound  judgment  and  keen  foresight, 
and  who  believes  in  pressing  forward  in  all  lines,  Ijelieving  with  Tennyson, 
■'that  the  old  order  changeth''  and  should  be  supplanted  by  the  new  and 
better.  He  is  one  of  our  worthiest  native  sons  and  has  come  down  to  us  from 
the  pioneer  epoch,  his  life  here  of  over  seventy  years  ha\ing  witnesseil  pheno- 
menal changes,  such  as  the  vast  forests  giving  way  under  the  sturdy  stroke 
of  the  woodmen  to  fertile  fields,  and  grou])S  of  log  caliins  springing  up  into 


1038  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

thriving  marts  of  trade.  He  lias  not  only  witnessed  but  taken  part  in  this 
transformation. 

Mr.  Kyle  was  Ixjrn  in  the  southern  part  of  Clark  township,  Montgom- 
ery county,  on  April  4,  1841.  He  is  a  son  of  George  E.  and  Elizabeth 
(Ashby)  Kyle,  the  mother  having  been  a  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Eliza- 
beth (Hohimer)  Ashby.  The  Ashbys  have  been  a  prominent  family  in  this 
locality  from  the  early  days.  A  complete  record  of  them  is  found  on  other 
pages  of  this  work. 

George  E.  Kyle  was  born  in  Maryland,  was  a  son  of  Nicholas  G.  Kyle 
and  wife.  Nicholas  G.  Kyle  came  from  Germany  and  was  probaljly  mar- 
ried tliere.  George  E.  Kyle  and  Elizabeth  Ashby  were  married  in  Kentucky, 
from  which  state  they  came  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  alxnit  1829. 
He  entered  eighty  acres  from  the  government,  in  Clark  township,  and  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  still  has  the  deed  of  the  government,  signed  by  Presi- 
dent Andrew  Jackson. 

To  George  E.  Kyle  and  wife  six  children  were  born,  namely;  William 
died  when  twenty  years  old,  Mary  and  James  both  live  in  Kansas:  Silas  F., 
of  this  sketch ;  John  and  Lettie  S.  are  both  deceased. 

After  the  death  of  the  mother  of  the  above  named  children,  the  father 
married  Elizabeth  Hamilton  and  the  following  children  were  Ixjrn  to  them : 
Nicholas  G.,  Mildred,  Nancy,  Sallie,  Lottie  and  George.  None  of  them  now 
live  in  Montgomery  county. 

George  E.  Kyle  was  killed  by  a  locomotive  at  Ashby' s  Station,  August 
14,  1 87 1,  being  thrown  sixty-eight  feet  and  died  instantly.  He  was  both  a 
farmer  and  blacksmith.  He  cleared  his  land  and  began  farming  on  the 
eightv  acres;  however,  he  depended  principally  on  his  shop  for  support.  He 
also  loaned  considerable  money  to*  adva:ntage.  He  finally  became  the  owner 
of  six  hundred  acres.  He  was  a  business  man  of  rare  foresight  and  sound 
judgment,  and  he  never  lost  on  a  loan  but  once.  His  honesty  was  unques- 
tioned. 

Silas  F.  Kvle  remained  on  the  home  farm  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of 
age,  then,  with  his  father,  went  into  the  mercantile  business  at  Forest  Home 
on  the  south  line  of  the  count}-  and  remained  there  from  1858  until  the  fall 
of  1875,  then  sold  out  and  came  to  Ladoga,  where  he  bought  a  partly  fur- 
nished store  building,  furnished  it  and  started  a  general  store.  In  1903, 
having  been  successful,  he  built  another  building  on  the  corner  west  of  it  at 
Main  and  Washington  streets,  joining  it  to  his  other  building.  He  also  has 
a  fine  home  in  Ladoga,  which  was  built  at  a  cost  of  ten  thousand  dollars  and 
is  modernlv  furnished. 


MONTGOMKRV    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I O39 

Mr.  Kyle  rclircd  fnnn  the  mcrcaiUile  Inisiiu^s  in  kjo^,  aflrr  liavini; 
enjoyed  a  verv  extensive  trade  for  many  years.  Since  then  he  lias  carried  mh 
an  electric  light  and  coal  business.  In  partnership  with  jacnl)  ]■:.  Lidikay 
he  assists  in  operating  the  electric  light  plant  at  Ladoga,  and  llie\  ha\  c  made 
a  great  success  ol  this  venture. 

Mr.  Kvle  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  local  public  atiairs  for  sume 
time  and  he  has  more  than  once  been  nominated  for  local  office  against  his 
wishes,  however:  and  in  the  county  convention  he  once  refused  nomination 
for  county  treasurer.  hVaternally.  he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
having  belonged  to  this  lodge  for  over  thirty  years. 

Mr.  Kvle  was  married  to  Susanna  McGinnis  on  December  ,^,  1863. 
She  was  bom  in  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Joseph  T.  and 
Eliza  ( DeVore)  McGinnis.  The  date  of  Mrs.  Kyle's  birth  is  December  3, 
1844.  and  she  grew  to  \yomanhood  and  was  educated  in  her  nati\-e  vicinity  at 
Clo\erdale.  Her  parents  were  both  worthy  representatives  of  typical  pio- 
neer families  of  that  section.  On  December  3,  1863,  slie  and  Mr.  Kyle  were 
married.  For  almo.st  fifty  years  she  was  the  faithful  helpmeet  of  our  sub- 
ject, working  with  him,  through  toil  and  trial,  through  success  and  achie\e- 
ment,  the  increasing  responsibilities  of  home  and  parenthood  drawing  them 
ever  close.  Ever  since  they  came  to  Ladoga  their  home  and  family  were  in- 
seperably  entwined  with  the  commercial,  educational,  religious  and  social  life 
here.  Any  considerable  acquaintance  with  Ladoga  has  meant  of  necessity 
some  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Kyle  and  his  family.  Mrs.  Kyle's  chief  interest 
was  in  her  home  and  to  its  welfare  she  delighted  to  make  her  richest  con- 
tribution. She  found  life's  sweetest  joy  in  giving  self  for  service,  in  feeding 
the  hungry,  clothing  the  naked  and  ministering  to  suffering.  Selfish  in- 
terests never  determined  her  policy  in  life.  The  lasting  impression  her  many 
friends  had  of  her  was  that  she  gave  more  thought  to  doing  her  own  part 
well  than  to  criticise  others  for  their  failures.  As  a  wife  she  was  of  a  high 
type  of  faithfulness  and  sympathic  devotion  and  at  her  death  her  children 
said  in  all  sincerity.  "You  cannot  exaggerate  in  prai.se  of  mother."  She  was 
a  woman  of  beautiful  Christian  character  and  faith,  and  did  much  good  in 
her  humble  sphere  of  wife  and  mother.  She  was  called  to  her  eternal  rest 
on  November  2-/.  1912,  after  having  been  an  earnest,  faithful  member  of  the 
Christian  church  since  she  was  twelve  years  of  age. 

To  Silas  F.  Kyle  and  wife  were  born  six  children,  one  of  wliom  is  de- 
ceased, namely:  Eliza  Florence  is  the  wife  of  William  C.  Rapp.  the  car- 
riage manufacturer  of  Ladoga:  Etta  died  when  six  months  old:  Hattie  mar- 


1040  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

ried  John  Lindskogg,  a  native  of  Sweden,  who  died  four  years  after  his  mar- 
riage, and  his  widow  now  hves  with  her  father  in  Ladoga:  Minnie  is  the 
wife  of  Edward  Ashby,  who  is  at  the  head  of  the  canning  company  at 
Ladoga;  Walter  E.,  who  is  now  at  Ladoga,  was  for  some  time  in  Iowa  trav- 
ehng  for  John  V.  Earweil  Company;  NelHe  is  the  wife  of  L.  Ben  ^iLiyhall, 
who  was  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Ladoga  for  a  number  of  years. 


CHARLES  HAYWOOD. 

Charles  Haywood,  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Union  Elevator 
Company,  of  New  Richmond,  was  born  in  Tippecanoe  county,  Indiana,  on 
August  13,  1873.  He  is  a  son  of  E.  F.  and  Margaret  (Peed)  Haywood. 
The  father  was  born  in  Tippecanoe  county  and  the  mother  near  Shawnee 
Mound,  this  state.  They  grew  to  maturity  and  were  educated  in  their  re- 
spective communities,  and  they  devoted  their  lives  to  general  fanning  up  to 
ten  years  ago,  when  Mr.  Haywood  left  the  farm  and  moved  to  Lafayette, 
Indiana,  and  became  vice-president  of  the  City  National  Bank.  He  has  been 
very  successful  in  a  business  way  and  is  well-to-do.  He  owns  large  tracts  of 
valuable  land  and  handles  a  fine  grade  of  live  stock  in  large  numbers.  He  is 
one  of  the  well  known  and  influential  citizens  of  Tippecanoe  county. 

Eight  children  were  bom  to  E  .F.  Haywood  and  wife,  namely :  Edward, 
Mattie,  Ella,  Charles,  Emma,  Henry  and  George  are  both  deceased;  and 
Frances,  who  is  the  youngest. 

Charles  Haywood  grew  to  manhood  in  liis  native  county  and  he  received 
his  primary  education  in  the  schools  at  Goosenipple,  later  entering  Purdue 
University,  where  he  studied  three  years,  after  which  he  farmed  for  four 
years,  during  which  he  got  a  good  start.  He  then  entered  the  grain  business 
at  New  Richmond,  Montgomery  county,  and  is  still  actively  engaged  in  this 
line  of  endeavor,  having  become  one  of  the  best  known  grain  men  in  this  part 
of  the  state.  He  is  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Union  Elevator 
Company,  and  a  very  extensive  business  is  carried  on  all  over  this  locality. 

Mr.  Haywood  was  married  on  June  12,  1899,  to  Henrietta  E.  Raub, 
daughter  of  Edward  and  Henrietta  (Ruth)  Raub,  the  father  a  native  of 
Ohio  and  the  mother  of  Boston,  Massachusetts. 

Six  children  have  ben  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  namely,  Ruth 
Mildred,  Helen,  Richard  R.,  Valverta,  Louis  and  Charles. 

]\Ir.  Havwood  is  a  member  of  Romney  Lodge,  No.   144,  Free  and  Ac- 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  IO4I 

cepted  Masons,  also  beIoi\t;s  to  the  Conimanden-  aiul  the  Consistory,  also  the 
Ancient  Order  of  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  iNlurat  Temple,  Indianapolis. 
He  is  prominent  in  Alasonic  circles.  He  is  the  oldest  meinber  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine  in  Montgomery  county.  Religiously,  he  belongs  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  is  faithful  in  his  support  of  the  same. 


WILLIAM  L.  BATALVX. 

Dr.  William  V.  Batman,  physician  antl  surgeon,  of  Ladoga,  Montgom- 
ery county,  Indiana,  was  born  near  Bainbridge,  in  Putnam  county,  Lidiana, 
on  October  22,  1858.  His  ancestors  were  from  Great  Britain,  probably  from 
Whales.  His  parents  were  Elijah  A.  and  Lydia  (Gillen)  Batman.  Elijah  A. 
Batman  was  a  native  of  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  was  a  son  of  Thomas  and 
Sarah  (Cornell J  Batman.  Thomas  Batman  and  wife  came  from  near  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky,  in  pioneer  times  and  setled  near  Bainbridge  and  there  estab- 
lished their  home.  Sarah  (Cornell)  Batman  was  one  of  the  same  family 
that  gave  the  name  to  Cornell  L'ni\-ersity.  Her  parents  were  William  and 
Mary  Cornell.  Her  father,  William  Cornell,  was  born  in  1762,  and  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  enlisted  in  the  New  York  state  troops  to  fight  for  the  colonies 
in  the  war  for  independence.  He  saw  much  hard  service,  came  into  close 
touch  with  George  Washington,  whom  he  fairly  idolized;  and  even  in  his  old 
age  he  was  ready  to  resent  and  even  to  fight  at  any  slur  against  the  name  uf 
Washington. 

Elijah  A.  Batman  grew  up  near  Bainbridge,  and  became  a  well  known 
farmer  and  stock  raiser.  He  was  a  man  of  good  size  and  phxsique.  weighed 
about  two  hundred  pounds  and  was  finelx'  formed  and  handsome  in  appear- 
ance. His  life  was  spent  in  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  where  he  was  highly 
thought  of  and  respectetl.  His  last  days  were  spent  in  Roachdale.  where  his 
death  occurred. 

Dr.  Batman's  mother,  Lydia  ((iilley)  Batman,  was  a  daughter  of  Willis 
Y.  Gillen  and  Melinda  (Coombs)  Gillen.  The  Coombs  women  were  famous 
beauties  in  their  day  and  lived  near  Mt.  Sterling,  Kentuck\.  in  a  region  noted 
for  fair  women.  Her  father  came  to  Putnam  county,  lndi;ina.  in  ])ioneer 
times,  and  there  she  was  reared  to  womanhood. 

Dr.  \\'illiam  I-".  Batman  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  near  Bain- 
bridge, and  there  laid  the  foundation  for  a  strong  constitution  that  has  stood 
(66) 


I04;2  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

him  so  well  in  hand  in  the  practice  of  his  arduous  professional  duties.  His 
early  education  \\as  received  in  the  common  schools  and  Bainbridge  Aca- 
demy. At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  began  reading  medicine  in  the  office  of 
Dr.  R.  French  Stone,  then  of  Bainbridge,  now  of  Indianapolis,  a  physician  of 
much  learning  ,a  writer  of  note  and  later  a  professor  in  the  Central  Col- 
lege of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  at  Indianapolis.  He  studied  three  years 
with  Dr.  Stone,  then  in  1878  entered  Rush  Medical  College,  at  Chicago, 
where  he  was  taught  in  surgery  by  such  eminent  authorities  as  Gunn  and 
Parkes,  and  took  a  special  course  in  chemistry  under  Professor  Haines. 
The  following  year  he  entered  Jefferson  Medical  College  of  Philadelphia,  an 
institution  that  was  second  to  none  at  that  time.  The  faculty  included  a 
number  of  the  most  eminent  physicians  of  their  day,  men  like  Doctors  S.  D. 
Gross,  J.  M.  DcCosta,  and  Robert  Barthalow.  While  there  he  also  took  a 
special  course  in  surgery  under  Dr.  J.  Ewing  Mears,  one  of  the  most  eminent 
surgeons  of  Philadelphia.  Dr.  Batman  was  graduated  from  JefTerson  Medi- 
cal College  in  March,  1880,  and  then  entered  upon  the  practice  of  medicine 
at  Roachdale,  being  associated  with  Dr.  W.  C.  Harris. 

After  three  years  practice  at  Roachdale,  Dr.  Batman  went  to  Bellevue 
Hospital,  New  York  City,  where  he  received  a  certificate  in  Physical  Diag- 
nosis. In  this  subject  he  was  instructed  by  Professor  Edward  Janeway. 
He  also  attended  lectures  and  saw  special  operations  at  the  Woman's  Hos- 
pital, bv  the  famous  Dr.  T.  Gaillard  Thomas,  and  took  a  special  course  of  in- 
struction from  this  famous  specialist.  He  saw  Dr.  Emmett's  operations  in 
Gynecology.  He  attended  the  clinical  lectures  of  Loomis  and  Otis,  and  heard 
the  last  course  of  lectures  delivered  by  the  late  Professor  Austin  Flint. 

Being  by  this  time  well  prepared  in  all  branches  of  medicine  and  sui-gery. 
Dr.  Batman  returned  to  active  practice  at  Roachdale,  in  1884.  There  he 
remained  six  years,  building  up  a  large  practice.  In  the  fall  of  1889  he  re- 
moved to  Ladoga,  where  he  has  practiced  ever  since,  having  practiced  at 
Ladoga  longer  than  any  other  physician  now  here.  He  has  an  exceptionally 
well  equipped  office;  and  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  his  practice  is  large 
and  its  demands  often  arduous,  he  has  remained  a  close  student  of  the  de- 
velopments of  his  profession,  and  keeps  up  with  the  advances  in  the  practice. 
While  in  Putnam  county,  he  was  president  of  the  Putnam  County  Medical 
Society.  He  belongs  to  the  Montgomery  County  Medical  Society  and  the 
Indiana  State  Medical  Society.  In  1890  he  was  a  delegate  from  this  county 
to  the  American  Medical  Association  at  Nashville,  Tennessee.  In  1896  and 
1897  he  was  vice-president  of  the  State  Medical  Society. 


MONTGOMKRV    COUXTV,    INDIANA.  IO43 

His  contributions  to  professional  literature  relate  to  important  papers 
and  reports  of  cases,  which  have  been  read  before  tlie  organizations  with 
which  he  is  connected. 

Close  application  to  his  profession  has  not  made  him  narrow,  lie  is 
acti\e  in  the  Democrat  party,  of  which  he  is  a  stanch  adherent. 

In  lodges,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  of  the  Masons, 
both  at  Ladoga.  In  Masonry  he  has  taken  every  degree  of  the  York  rite, 
his  membership  in  the  Chapter  and  Knights  Templar  l^eing  at  Crawfordsville. 
He  is  also  a  Noble  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  his  membership  being  at  Murat  Tem- 
ple in  Indianapolis. 

Dr.  Batman  is  a  great  lover  of  music  and  became  a  skilled  violinist.  From 
his  southern  ancestry  he  inherits  their  fondness  for  fine  horses,  of  which  he 
is  a  judge,  and  usually  he  has  a  valuable  string  of  them  in  his  stable. 

August  29,  1882,  Dr.  Batman  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ida  E. 
Harris,  daughter  of  his  old  partner  at  Roachdale,  Dr.  \V.  C.  Harris  and  Jane 
(Dodd)  Harris.  Her  father  was  an  old  and  popular  physician  of  Roach- 
dale  and  well  laiown.  She  was  born  and  reared  in  Putnam  county,  where  she 
received  a  good  education. 

Dr.  Batman  and  wife  have  one  daughter,  Mabel  T.,  wife  of  Earl  M. 
Harshbarger,  of  Ladoga. 

For  those  who  know  Dr.  Batman,  no  comment  is  necessary,  either  as  lo 
his  character  or  as  to  his  standing  as  a  ]>h}-sician.  However,  history  being 
written  more  for  those  who  shall  come  after  us,  it  is  proper  to  say  that  he 
seems  to  be  not  only  well  educated  as  a  physician,  but  naturally  ada])ted  to 
the  practice,  in  which  he  is  unusually  successful.  As  a  man  in  his  community 
he  is  regarded  as  unselfish,  public  spirited,  a  good  neighbor,  and  a  thorough 
gentleman  of  upright  character. 


NATHAN  HULETT. 


It  would  be  indeed  presumptuous  for  the  biographer  to  make  any  at- 
tempt to  introduce  to  the  readers  of  this  work  the  name  of  Nathan  Hulett, 
of  Clark  township,  for  he  is  known  practically  to  everybody  in  Montgomery 
county  where  his  long,  honorable  and  industrious  life  has  been  spent  and 
where  he  has  labored  for  the  general  good  of  the  locality  while  advancing  his 
individual  interests.  So.  his  large  material  success  and  the  universal  high 
regard  in  which  he  is  held  have  been  well  merited. 


I044  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Mr.  Hulett  was  born  in  tlie  township  and  count}-  where  he  is  still  resid- 
ing, having  first  seen  the  light  of  day  here  on  September  28,  1846.  He  is  a 
son  of  Gilson  and  Winefrede  (Clark)  Hulett.  Gibson  Hulett's  parents  came 
from  Kentucky  and  settled  in  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  probably  near  Green- 
castle,  in  an  early  day,  and  in  that  couty  Winefrede  Clark  was  born,  and  she 
and  Gilson  Hulett  were  married  in  Clark  township,  Montgomery  county. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Willis  and  Hannah  (Allen)  Clark.  Her  parents  came 
from  Kentucky  in  a  very  early  day,  her  mother  having  made  the  trip  here  on 
horseback.  These  parents  later  moved  across  into  Clark  township,  Mont- 
gomery county,  buying  a  farm  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  township,  and 
Mr.  Hulett  still  owns  part  ni  their  farm.  Gilson  Hulett  purchased  part  of 
their  farm  and  Mr.  Hulet  still  owns  part  of  that.  The  death  of  Gilson 
Hulett  occurred  in  August,  1851,  when  Nathan  Hulett  was  about  five  years 
of  age.  He  left  a  wife  and  two  children,  Xathan  and  John  W.  The  latter 
li\ed  and  died  in  Clark  township.  The  mother  afterwards  married  George 
Morris  and  lived  in  Clark  township,  until  late  in  life  when  she  and  her  hus- 
band moved  to  a  farm  he  got  near  Danville.  She  spent  her  last  years  in 
Clark  township,  dying  there  during  the  early  seventies. 

Nathan  Hulett  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  in  Clark  township,  remain- 
ing there  until  his  mother  moved  to  near  Danville.  When  a  young  man  he 
worked  out  at  farming  in  that  locality. 

On  March  26,  1868  he  married  ]\lary  Grantham,  daughter  of  Wesley 
and  Caroline  (]\Iiller)  Grantham.  Wesley  Grantham  was  a  son  of  Jesse 
Grantham  and  wife,  who  were  early  settlers  in  Jackson  township,  Putnam 
county,  and  there  Wesley  Grantham  grew  to  manhood  and  married  Caroline 
Miller,  also  a  native  of  Putnam  county.  She  was  a  daughter  of  James  and 
Nancy  ( Lee)  Miller.  After  his  marriage  Wesley  Grantham  lived  in  several 
different  localities  before  establishing  a  permanent  home.  He  lived  a  short 
time  in  Clark  township,  this  county,  later  moved  to  Missouri,  but  finally 
located  about  seven  miles  southeast  of  Ladoga.  There  he  bought  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  now  owned  by  Mr.  Jeffries  and  adjoining  the 
Miller  farm.  There  the  children  grew  up,  and  there  Mr.  Grantham  farmed 
until  about  1880  then  moved  into  I^doga  and  retired  from  active  work  on 
the  farm  and  gave  the  younger  children  a  better  chance  to  attend  school. 
Later  he  bought  the  T.  H.  ]\Iessick  farm  northeast  of  Ladoga,  crossed  by 
the  Midland  railroad.  The  title  to  right  of  railroad  to  run  across  the  farm 
was  in  the  legislature  when  he  bought  it  and  of  course  he  became  involved  in 
the  suit  in  that  wav.     The  suit  continued  in  court  over  eighteen  vears.  until 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  IO45 

after  Mr.  Grantham's  death,  when  the  (Iranthani  estate  linally  was  xineh- 
cated  by  the  CDiirts.  Besitle  tlie  Messick  farm  he  purchased  s':>mc  land  at  tlie 
southeasf  edge  of  Ladoga  now  owned  by  Rev.  Brooks,  and  also  a  tract  a  mile 
east  of  Ladoga  known  as  the  old  Sammy  Brown  farm. 

He  was  an  ardent  prohibitionist  and  spent  both  time  and  money  in 
furthering  the  fight  against  liquor.  He  was  a  life-long  member  of  the 
Methodist  church  and  was  a  liberal  contributor  to  its  support.  In  fact,  dur- 
ing his  life  he  gave  more  to  support  the  church  than  he  had  left  when  he  died, 
having  always  been  very  active  in  church  work  and  usually  held  some  official 
position  in  the  church. 

Wesley  Grantham  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  two  children,  an  equal 
number  of  sons  and  daughters;  Mary  Elizabeth,  deceased,  was  the  wife  of 
Nathan  Hulett,  subject  of  this  review. 

The  mother  of  Mrs.  Hulett  passed  away  in  1891.  She  was  also  an  earn- 
est church  worker,  belonging  to  the  Methodist  church,  and  later  in  life  joined 
the  Christian  church  and  tliligently  trained  her  children  to  follow  in  the  same 
wa}'. 

The  death  of  Wesley  Grantham  occurred  cm  May  14,  1903.  one  day  be- 
fore his  seventy-eighth  birthday.  He  was  a  large  hearted,  charitable, 
hospitable  man,  who  could  not  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  the  pleas  of  the  suffering 
and  needy. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Hulett  Ijegan  farming  (in  ninety  acres  of  land 
that  his  brother  owned  and  a  year  or  two  later  bought  out  his  brother's  inter- 
est. It  was  ten  or  fifteen  years  before  he  purchased  more  land,  when  he 
traded  forty  acres  for  eighty  acres,  assuming  incumbrances,  which  he  later 
paid.  Since  then  he  purchased  a  twenty  acre  tract  adjoining  the  eighty 
tract,  and  added  more  from  time  to  time  until  he  eventually  owned  about  five 
hundred  acres  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Clark  township.  He  has  since 
divided  a  part  of  this  among  his  sons-in-law,  but  still  retains  three  hundred 
forty-three  and  one-half  acres.  He  has  been  very  successful  as  a  general 
farmer  and  stock  raiser. 

Three  daughters  ha\e  been  born  to  our  sulijcct  and  wife,  name!)' :  E\-a, 
Ella  and  May.  The  first  named  is  the  wife  of  John  W.  Dean,  the  second  is 
the  wife  of  Robert  Hicks,  and  the  youngest  married  Cecil  C.  Click.  They 
all  li\e  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Clarke  township.  A  separte  sketch  of 
each  of  these  gentlemen  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  these  jjages. 

Mrs.  Hulett  passed  to  her  eternal  rest  on  December  10,  1909.  As  a  wife 
she  was  devoted  to  all  the  interests  of  her  husband  and  was  a  valuable  help- 


1046  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

meet.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Christian  church  and  was  always  fond  of 
church  work.  As  a  mother  she  manifested  instinctive  solicitude  for  the  wel- 
fare of  her  children,  making  their  interests  her  interest,  and  installing  into 
their  lives  an  assurance  of  the  inheritance  of  the  life  immortal.  When  she 
realized  her  end  was  near  she  called  the  family  to  her  bedside  and  bade  them 
farewell  admonishing  the  children  to  be  good  to  their  father,  then  gently  fell 
asleep.  Since  her  death  Mr.  Hulett  has  made  his  home  with  his  children,  to 
whom  he  is  always  a  kind  father  and  anxious  to  provide  for  their  welfare. 
He  is  a  worthy  member  of  the  Christian  church,  is  well  known  and  highly 
esteemed  h\-  all  wiio  know  him. 


SAMUEL  HENRY  OTTERMAN.     • 

Few  men  of  a  past  generation  in  Montgomen-  cuunt\-  were  held  in  higher 
esteem  than  the  late  Samuel  Otterman,  who,  now  that  life's  fitful  fever  is 
over,  is  sleeping  serenely  in  the  "windowless  palaces  of  rest."  His  memory 
will  long  be  revered  by  the  vast  host  of  people  who  knew  him  and  admired 
him,  for  he  was  a  man  in  w  horn  all  took  a  delight  owing  to  his  sterling  hon- 
est}',  his  ciiaritable  nature  and  his  readiness  to  help  in  the  furtherance  of  any 
movement  looking  to  the  general  upbuilding  of  the  community.  He  was  one 
of  our  sterling  native  sons  whom  we  owe  so  mucli  to,  for  he  grew  up  here 
when  the  land  was  just  being  redeemed  from  its  wilderness  fastness,  and, 
working  long  and  hard,  redeemed,  with  others,  the  fertile  fields  and  the  fine 
farms  which  we  of  today  enjoy  and  which  are  now  so  valuable.  We  can 
never  say  too  much  regarding  these  splendid,  brave  and  courageous  pioneers 
and  pioneers'  sons,  many  of  whom  literally  took  their  lives  in  their  hands 
and,  not  counting  the  cost,  forged  ahead  to  the  goal  of  success.  Our  subject 
inherited  the  courage  and  persistent  qualities  of  his  forebears  who  cast  their 
lots  in  the  new  country,  away  from  the  pleasant  hearthstones  of  their  child- 
hood and  the  advantages  of  civilization. 

Mr.  Otterman  was  born  in  Section  22.  Clark  township,  Montgomery 
county,  on  Alay  10,  1842.  He  was  a  son  of  Lewis  and  Hettie  Otterman,  a 
sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work.  He  was  the  fourth  child  in 
a  family  of  nine  children,  seven  of  whom  grew  to  maturity. 

Samuel  H.  Otterman  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's  farm  where  he 
assisted  with  the  general  work  when  a  boy,  and  during  the  wintertime  he  at- 
tended the  district  schools  and  received  the  usual  elementary  education  of  the 
boys  of  his  time.     In  July,  1870,  he  married  ]Mary  Roberts,  a  daughter  of 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    IN.DIANA.  IO47 

Larkin  and  Hannah  (Byrani)  Roberts.  She  lived  near  (ireencastlc,  J'vitnani 
county  until  she  was  about  ten  years  of  age.  Her  mother  had  died  there  while 
she  was  an  infant  and  little  Mary  grew  up  without  her  loving  care. 

A\"hen  Mrs.  Otterman  was  ten  years  old  the  home  was  broken  up  and  she 
was  brought  to  live  with  ]Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adam  Keys,  near  Browns  \'alley,  not 
far  from  Parkersburg,  remaining  there  until  she  was  sixteen  years  of  age 
then  came  to  the  home  of  Lewis  Otterman  where  she  resided  two  years  tiien 
married  Samuel  Otterman,  one  of  the  sons  of  Lewis  Otterman.  Samuel 
l>eing  the  eldest  son  he  continued  to  live  with  his  father  and  mother  until 
they  died  and  afterwards  remained  on  the  home  place,  which  he  operated  in 
a  most  satisfactory  manner,  keeping  it  well  improved  anil  reaping  abundant 
crops  as  a  result  of  his  good  management  and  energy. 

Five  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuel  Otterman,  namely ; 
Albert,  born  January  7,  1871  lived  on  the  farm  until  the  death  of  his  father 
and  now  he  lives  with  his  mother  in  Ladoga ;  Hettie  married  Jefif  Whelan,  of 
Birmingham,  Alabama,  and  they  have  three  children,  Everett,  Charles  and 
Lucile;  Dora  married  Leaton  Dougherty  who  is  now  attending  veterinary 
college  in  Chicago,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Ruth;  George,  Jr.,  born 
January  8,  1884,  married  February  2.2,  1905,  Edna  Zimmerman,  and  they 
have  three  children,  Irene,  Marie  and  Eugene,  and  they  live  in  Ladoga :  Allie 
married  Lee  Starks ;  they  live  on  a  part  of  the  old  Otterman  homestead  and 
have  two  sons,  A\'alter  and  Herman. 

Samuel  Otterman  was  a  member  of  the  Christian  church,  of  which  Mrs. 
Mary  Otterman  is  also  a  worthy  member.  Early  in  life  he  joined  the  Foun- 
tain Christian  church  of  w'hich  he  continued  a  faithful  member  until  the  end 
of  his  earthly  existence.  He  willingly  took  up  his  father's  mantle  and  so 
long  as  he  was  able  he  continued  to  discharge  his  duties  to  the  church,  and 
every  Sunday  he  could  be  seen,  with  his  family,  on  foot  or  in  some  conveyance 
making  his  solemn  way  to  the  Lord's  house.  His  last  illness  was  of  long 
duration  but  he  bore  it  with  characteristic  Christian  fortitude,  until  he  was 
called  to  his  reward  on  October  24,  191 1  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  \-ears. 
Physically  he  was  a  robust,  rugged  man,  an  indulgent  father,  kind  huslKind 
and  good  neighbor.  For  more  than  forty  years  he  and  his  good  wife  trod 
peacefully  and  hamoniously  life's  rugged  pathway  together,  helping  and  en- 
couraging each  other,  and  now  that  he  is  gone  to  her  has  fallen  a  share  of 
the  responsibility  that  was  his  in  rearing  the  famil\-  and  upl)uilding  the  home. 
She  now  lives  in  Ladoga  with  her  two  sons,  Albert  and  ( ieorgc,  and  there,  as 
in  her  former  communities  she  has  manv  warm  friends. 


1048  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

JOHN  FRANKLIN  ROYALTY. 

History  and  biography  for  the  most  part  record  the  lives  of  only  those 
who  have  attained  military,  political  or  literary  distinction  or  who  in  any 
other  career  have  passed  through  extraordinary  vicissitudes  of  fortune.  But 
the  names  of  men  who  have  distinguished  themselves  in  their  day  and  gen- 
eration for  the  possession  of  those  qualities  of  character  which  mainly  con- 
tribute to  the  success  of  private  life  and  to  the  public  stability — of  men  who, 
without  brilliant  talents,  have  been  exemplary  in  all  their  personal  and  social 
relations,  and  enjoyed  the  esteem,  respect  and  confidence  of  tliose  around  them 
- — ought  not  to  be  allowed  to  perish :  for  all  are  benefited  by  the  delineation 
of  those. traits  of  character  which  find  scope  and  exercise  in  the  common 
walks  of  life.  Among  the  individuals  of  this  class  of  a  past  generation  in 
Montgomery  county  was  the  late  John  Franklin  Royalty,  for  some  time  the 
able  and  popular  editor  of  the  IVingafe  Neius,  who  had  the  interests  of  his 
town  and  county  at  heart,  which  he  sought  to  promote  whenever  possible. 
His  life  history  was  distinguished  by  the  most  substantial  qualities  of  char- 
acter and  exhibited  a  commendable  career  of  private  industry,  performed 
with  moderation  and  crowned  with  success,  and  his  memory  will  long  be 
revered  by  the  people  of  this  locality. 

Mr.  Royalty  was  born  on  November  14,  1872,  in  Crawfordsville,  In- 
diana. He  was  a  son  of  Andrew  Jackson  Royalty  and  Mary  (Britton)  Roy- 
alty, both  parents  being  natives  of  Montgomery  county,  the  mother  having 
been  born  in  Crawfordsville,  and  near  that  city  they  established  their  home, 
conducting  a  fruit  farm  for  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  two  children, 
John  Franklin,  of  this  review,  and  Fred  W.,  who  lives  in  Danville,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Royalty  grew  up  in  his  native  community  and  received  a  good  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools.  In  1892  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lily  J. 
Palin,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Keziah  (Boord)  Palin.  Her  father  was  a 
native  of  North  Carolina,  from  which  state  he  came  to  Indiana  in  an  early 
day,  locating  in  Fountain  county  among  the  first  settlers,  and  there  he  de- 
veloped a  good  farm  through  his  industry  and  close  application  and  followed 
general  farming  and  stock  raising  there  the  rest  of  his  life.  His  family  con- 
sisted of  nine  children,  named  as  follows:  Winfield  C.  lives  in  Wingate, 
this  county;  Mary  Ann  is  deceased;  Julia  Emma  married  Dr.  Robert  Clay- 
pool,  of  Williamsport ;  Emma  married  Fred  Wales,  and  they  live  in  Eliza- 
beth, New  Jersey;  Ella  May  married  John  McWhinney;  Charles  C.  is  de- 


JOHN  F.  ROYALTY  AND  FAMILY 


MONTdOMr.RV    CDLNTV,    INDIANA.  I O49 

ceased;  Lily  J.,  widow  of  Mr.  Royalty,  of  lliis  nienioir;  K.  Maude,  who  lives 
in  Indianapolis;  and  Glee  Ernia.  who  is  deceased. 

The  union  of  Mr.  Royalty  and  wife  was  blessed  by  the  birth  of  one 
child,  Henry  Jackson,  who  lives  at  home. 

Mr.  Royalty  was  for  a  number  of  years  prior  to  his  death  editor  of  the 
Wingate  Ncivs,  which  paper  he  made  a  very  potent  factor  in  this  locality. 
He  greatly  increased  its  circulation  and  prestige  and  made  it  one  of  the  best 
newspapers  of  its  class  in  this  part  of  the  state.  He  was  a  well  read  and  well 
informed  man,  kept  fully  abreast  of  the  times  and  was  a  man  of  energy, 
sound  judgment  and  foresight.    This  paper  was  started  by  his  father  in  1900. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Royalty  occurred  on  June  6,  1910,  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
seven  years,  w^hen  in  the  very  prime  of  life  and  when  the  future  seemed  to 
promise  most.  His  death  was  accidental  and  came  as  the  result  of  a  railroad 
accident  at  the  town  of  Mellott,  Indiana. 

Mr.  Royalty  w^as  not  active  in  public  affairs  and  never  held  office :  how- 
ever, he  always  did  what  he  could  in  advancing  the  interests  of  his  locality. 
Religiously,  he  belonged  to  the  ]\Iethodist  Episcoprd  church,  and  was  a  man 
of  good  habits  and  friendlv  manners. 


JOHN    W.   DF.AX. 


Success  as  a  general  farmer  has  come  tn  John  W.  Dean,  of  ("lark  town- 
ship, Montgomery  county,  partly  because  he  has  gi\eu  his  sole  attention  to  his 
branch  of  endeavor,  ignoring  other  lines  in  order  to  become  more  proficient 
in  the  one  that  he  liked  best,  also  partly  because  he  has  never  held  back,  wait- 
ing for  someone  else  to  perform  the  tasks  which  he  himself  should  do. 

Mr.  Dean  was  born  in  Jackson  township.  Putnam  county.  Indiana,  on 
June  21,  1869.  He  is  a  son  of  George  Matilda  (  Epjjerson  )  Dean.  Ilis 
mother  was  a  native  of  Putnam  county  and  his  father  came  from  Kentucky. 
When  John  W.  Dean  was  seven  years  old  the  family  moved  to  Clark  town- 
ship, this  countv  and  there  the  lad  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  on 
which  he  worked,  attending  the  public  schools  in  the  winter  time,  and  lived 
until  his  marriage,  which  occurred  in  189 1.  He  chose  as  a  life  i)artner  Eva 
Hulett,  daughter  of  Xathan  Hulett  and  wife.  To  this  union  two  children 
have  been  born.  Earl  and  Beulah. 

Ever  since  he  became  of  age.  Mr.  Dean  has  enga.ged  in  fanning  for  him- 
self.     He   now  owns   one  hundred   acres   in   the   southeastern   part   of   Clark 


1050  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

township,  in  Section  27.  where  he  has  a  well  cared  for  and  productive  place. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dean  belong  to  the  Christian  church  in  their  neighborhood. 
The  death  of  the  father,  George  Dean,  occurred  on  April  14,  1910,  and 
the  mother  is  now  living  in  Roachdale. 


JAMES  B.  ELMORE,  POET. 

(The  bard  of  Alamo.) 

In  the  domain  of  literature  Indiana  has  gained  a  place  of  distinction  and 
pre-eminence,  being  now  b)-  universal  consent,  the  successor  of  Massachusetts 
as  the  literar)--  center  of  America.  No  state  has  produced  such  a  brilliant 
galaxy  of  stars  in  the  literary  firmament  as  has  Indiana.  In  the  long  list  of 
her  native  writers  we  may  mention  a  few  such  as  James  Whitcomb  Riley, 
Joaquin  Miller,  Edward  Eggleston,  Lew  Wallace,  Booth  Tarkington,  George 
Ade,  David  Graham  Phillips,  Maurice  Thompson,  Gene  Stratton  Porter  and 
Meredith  Nicholson,  to  say  nothing  of  scores  of  lesser  lights.  Alontgomery 
county  has  had  her  full  share  of  the  glory  in  literary  genius,  here  having  been 
born  Meredith  Nicholson,  and  here  the  great  author  of  Ben-Hur  spent  prac- 
tically all  his  life;  but  it  is  as  the  home  of  statesmen  that  this  county  excels. 
To  give  a  comprehensive  reason  for  the  first  place  in  literature  in  the  western 
hemisphere  being  held  by  the  Hoosier  state  would  be  indeed  cjuite  out  of  the 
C]uestion,  whether  it  has  been  the  result  of  the  meeting  of  the  sterling  pioneer 
elements  of  the  East  and  the  West,  or  a  superior  system  of  education,  or 
whether  there  is  greater  natural  inspiration  and  more  effort  is  being  made  to 
produce  literature  here  than  in  other  states  must  be  left  to  conjecture.  But 
the  state  should  be  proud  of  its  eminence  in  this  respect.  Among  those  who 
have  contributed  materially,  of  recent  years,  locally,  at  least,  to  its  prestige  as 
a  literary  center,  stands  James  B.  Elmore,  of  Montgomery  county,  well  known 
as  "The  bard  of  Alamo,"  who  is  a  native  son  of  the  locality  of  which  this  his- 
tory deals,  whose  productions  marked  by  depth  of  thought  and  adroit  polish 
have  given  him  a  stanch  following.  It  is  of  course  extraneous  to  the  func- 
tions of  this  publication  to  enter  into  manifold  details  concerning  the  careers 
of  the  many  representative  citizens  whose  names  find  a  place  within  its  pages 
and  in  the  case  at  hand  it  can  be  hoped  to  present  only  a  succinct  but  we  hope 
accurate  and  worthy  tribute  to  this  talented  son  of  the  far-famed  Wabash 
valley  countn-,  made  familiar  to  the  wide  world  through  the  tender  but 
masterful  strokes  of  Paul  Dresser. 


MONTCO.MKRV    CorXTV.     INDIANA.  IO5I 

Mr.  I'^linurc  was  Ixini  nn  January  J^,  \^^J.  in  RipU'v  tow  uslii]).  .Mont- 
gomery CDUiily.  Indiana.  He  is  a  sun  of  Mattliias  and  .Mary  (  Willis  i  i'll- 
more.  The  father  was  born  in  1809  in  Ohio  and  his  death  occurred  in  iXi)2. 
The  mother  was  also  a  native  of  Ohio.  Matthias  Elmore  grew  to  manhood 
in  his  native  locality  and  there  received  a  meager  education,  going  no  farther 
than  the  "rule  of  three"  in  mathematics,  but,  being  a  great  reader  and  a  man 
of  quick  perception  he  became  well  educated.  He  took  a  great  deal  of  inter- 
est in  politics,  and  was  a  Whig  up  to  the  race  of  Gen.  \\'illiam  Heriry  Har- 
rison for  the  Presidency.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  he  helped  Ijuild 
the  first  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  Crawfordsville.  His  chief  life  work, 
however,  was  farming.  His  family  consisted  of  seven  children  by  his  first 
wife  and  six  by  his  second  wife.  He  was  three  times  married  but  the  last 
union  was  w  itlK)Ut  issue.  His  first  wife  was  a  cousin  of  William  English,  a 
well  known  politician  and  capitalist  of  Indianapolis,  of  the  past  generation. 
The  second  wife  was  the  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The  third 
wife  was  known  in  her  maidenhood  as  X'irginia  Kyle.  Of  the  entire  family 
of  thirteen  children,  only  five  are  still  living. 

James  B.  Elmore  received  a  common  school  education,  later  attending 
high  school,  but  his  ambition  for  a  collegiate  course  was  never  realized.  How- 
ever, he  has  remained  a  student  all  his  life,  has  done  a  vast  amount  of  miscel- 
laneous reading  and  is  a  well  educatctl  man.  He  liegan  life  for  himself  as  a 
school  teacher,  which  he  followed  for  a  perioil  of  twenty  years  prior  to  his 
marriage.  He  gave  eminent  satisfaction  to  both  ])ui)ils  and  patrons  and  his 
services  were  in  great  demand. 

On  February  14,  1880,  Mr.  Elmore  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  .\nn 
Murray,  who  was  born  in  Missouri,  May  23,  1863,  and  is  a  daughter  of  James 
and  Mary  Ann  (Templin)  Murray,  the  father  a  natixe  of  Kentucky. 

The  union  of  our  subject  and  wife  has  resulted  in  the  birth  of  five  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  are  still  living,  namely:  Maud  L.,  and  Nora  are  i^oth 
deceased;  Roscoe  M.,  born  October  i,  1882.  married  Myrtle  Lattimore,  and 
he  is  one  of  the  successful  public  school  teachers  of  Ri])ley  tt)wnship:  Grace, 
born  on  January  17,  1885,  married  Nathan  Droljnger  and  they  live  in  \'eed- 
ersburg;  Albert  Murray,  born  September  20,  1889.  married  r,ula  M.  Seits; 
they  live  in  Ripley  township,  and  have  two  children,  a  son.  named  after  our 
subject,  James  Byron,  Jr.,  and  a  daughter,  Margaret  .Angeline. 

James  B.  Elmore  is  a  lover  of  what  the  great  Methodi.st  bishop,  William 
A.  Quayle,  would  call  "God's  glorious  outdoors"  and.  having  the  love  of 
mother  nature  in  "all  her  visible  forms"  in  him.  as  do  all  |xicts,  he  has  spent 


1052  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

his  life  in  the  rural  districts,  starting  out  on  the  farm,  in\esting,  at  the  time 
of  his  marriage,  the  sum  of  four  hundred  dollars,  his  total  worldly  wealth, 
in  thirty  acres  of  land,  a  part  of  his  present  farm.  There  he  li\-ed  for  some 
time  in  a  log  cabm,  and  farmed  and  taught  school.  Finall}',  he  purchased 
eighty  acres  more,  going  in  debt  for  the  same ;  later  he  traded  that  eighty  for 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  near  home,  and  this  he  still  owns.  Subsequently, 
he  purchased  eighty  acres  from  his  father,  from  whom  he  heired  another 
eighty,  later  bought  sixty  acres  south  of  home  and  then  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  north  of  his  home  farm,  and  at  this  writing  he  is  the  owner 
of  an  aggregate  of  five  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  valuable  land,  nearly  all 
tillable,  well  tiled,  well  fenced  and  otherwise  improved  in  an  up-to-date  man- 
ner. He  has  a  commodious  home  and  substantial  outbuildings  and  he  makes 
a  specialty  of  raising  Poland-China  hogs  and  Pole  cattle,  and  he  also  keeps  a 
good  grade  of  medium  size  horses.  Everything  about  his  place  denotes  sys- 
tem, good  management  and  that  a  gentleman  of  industry  and  taste  has  the 
management  of  this  valuable  farmstead  well  in  hand,  and  is  deserving  to  rank 
among  Montgomery's  foremost  agriculturists. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Elmore  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  at 
Waynetown,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Alamo,  and  the 
Woodmen  at  Crawfordsville.  Religiously,  he  holds  membership  with  the 
Christian  church,  and  politically,  he  is  a  Democrat. 

When  Mr.  Elmore  was  a  boy  in  school  he  began  writing  poetry,  which 
soon  proved  him  to  be  one  of  nature's  gifted  children,  for  even  at  that  early 
age  his  verse  possessed  unusual  merit  and  won  for  him  the  soubriquet  of 
"The  Bard  of  Alamo"  which  has  since  clung  to  him.  Some  of  his  best  verse 
was  written  when  he  was  teaching  school,  one  of  the  most  meritorious  being 
"The  Belle  of  Alamo,"  and  "The  Red  Bird."  From  time  to  time  he  con- 
tinued writing  as  the  muse  dictated,  and  eventually  gathered  his  best  verse 
into  book  form,  under  the  title  of  "Love  Among  the  Mistletoe:  and  Other 
Poems,"  which  was  well  received.  He  continued  to  write,  and  two  years 
later  put  out  "A  Lover  in  Cuba;  and  Other  Poems."  A  few  years  later  fol^ 
lowed  another  volume  of  verse,  "Twenty-five  Years  in  Jackville,"  and  then 
appeared  from  his  facile  pen,  "A  Romance  in  the  Days  of  the  Golden  Circle." 
His  last  volume  was  "Autumn  Roses."  They  all  bore  the  unmistakable 
stamp  of  genuine  poetic  merit,  and  each  succeeding  volume  broadened  its 
author's  fame  and  audience  until  today  his  name  has  not  only  covered  America 
but  is  known  all  over  the  world,  much  of  his  verse  being  especially  liked  in 
France.     His  name  is  frequently  seen  attached  to  poems  of  fine  finish  and 


MOXTGOMERY    COrXTV.    INDIAN'. 


1053 


original  tiienie  in  the  Xew  York.   Indianapolis  and  utlier  nietrdpdlitan   jdur- 
nals. 

Air.  Elmore's  services  as  a  lectnrer  lias  been  in  considerable  demand  and 
he  has  lectured  in  many  colleges  and  other  institutions  throughout  Indiana, 
being  especially  well  received  in  Indianapolis.  The  advancing  years  seem  to 
give  him  a  deeper  penetration  into  nature  and  the  soul  as  well  as  rendering 
his  verse  finer  in  every  respect  and  we  may  hope  for  greater  things  from  him 
in  the  future. 

"Let  our  annals  be  well  written 

That  it  stand  a  scanning  test. 
Those  of  fame  are  never  hidden: 
They  shall  live  among  tlie  blessed." 

—J.  B.  E. 


CORNELIUS  LEOX.ARD  CANINE. 

The  Canine  familx'  has  been  among  the  well  known  ami  energetic  in 
Montgomery  count}-  since  the  pioneer  days,  and,  being  people  who  lead  up- 
right and  helpful  lives,  they  ha\e  always  enjoyed  the  good  will  and  high 
regard  of  their  neighbors.  One  of  the  best  remembered  was  the  late  Cor- 
nelius Leonard  Canine,  who  spent  his  long,  industrious  and  commen(lal)le  life 
in  his  native  vicinity  in  the  st)Utln\esicrn  jiart  of  the  county,  where  he 
operated  a  good  farm  and  did  what  he  could  toward  the  general  u])buil(ling 
of  the  locality. 

Mr.  Canine  was  born  on  the  old  Canine  homestead  in  Brown  town- 
ship, Eebruarv'  22,  1827.  He  was  a  son  of  Ralph  and  Alargaret  Canine,  who 
came  to  this  county  from  Kentucky,  arriving  in  the  wilderness  here  on  Janu- 
ary I,  1826,  making  the  overland  journey  from  Shelby  county,  Kentucky, 
which  required  some  little  time  owing  to  rough  roads,  or  no  roads  at  all. 
Ralph  Canine  was  born  in  Penns}-lvania  and  was  a  son  of  Peter  Canine  autl 
wife.  I'eter  Canine  was  a  soldier  in  the  l\e\ olutionary  war.  The  family 
originally  came  from  Hollan<l.  Peter  Canine  bad  six  sons,  ibree  of  whom 
settled  in  Montgomery  county,  one  in  Howard  county,  one  in  lobnson  county. 
and  one  in  Ohio. 

Ralph  Canine  entered  go\-ernment  land  near  W'axelaud  for  himself 
and  also  for  his  sons,  Peter,  William,  John  and  James — three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  for  himself  and  probably  one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres  for  each 
son.     Afterwards  he  bought  other  land  in  that  vicinity.     The  Union  Primi- 


I054  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

tive  Baptist  church  was  organized  in  his  house  with  eight  constituent  mem- 
bers, on  the  fourth  Sunday  in  October,  1826.  Ever  since  its  organization 
that  church  has  had  its  regular  monthly  covenant  meeting  on  the  Saturday 
before  the  fourth  Sunday  of  the  month.  Ralph  Canine  was  one  of  the  first 
deacons  in  the  church.  He  was  a  grand  character  and  did  much  good  among 
the  first  settlers.  He  reached  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-two  years.  Politi- 
cally, he  was  a  Democrat. 

Cornelius  L.  Canine  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  here  and  he 
lived  w  ithin  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the  home  place  all  his  life,  engaged  success- 
fully in  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  was  a  quiet,  unassuming, 
home  man.  He  took  a  great  interest  in  vocal  music,  and  was  known  far  and 
near  as  a  leader  in  singing,  and  his  services  were  in  frequent  demand  to  lead 
the  singing  at  old  settlers'  meetings  all  over  this  part  of  the  country.  He 
was  active  in  Democratic  politics,  but  never  sought  office. 

Mr.  Canine  married  Keziah  Montgomery,  daughter  of  James  and  Phoebe 
(Fisher)  Montgomery.  Her  parents  came  here  from  Shelby  county,  Ken- 
tucky, in  1832,  when  she  was  about  five  years  old,  and  settled  northwest  of 
Whitesville,  in  Union  township.  The  land  is  still  in  possession  of  their 
descendants,  being  owned  by  a  grandson.  Grant  Ward. 

The  following  children  were  born  to  Cornelius  L.  Canine  and  wife: 
Mary  Catherine,  and  Syh'ia  Ann,  both  deceased.  Marion  Montgomery  Can- 
ine lives  in  Crawfordsville,  and  operates  a  poultry  farm  there.  He  is  an 
elder  in  the  Primitive  Baptist  church,  his  membership  being  still  in  the  old 
church  that  was  started  in  his  grandfather's  house.  He  joined  the  church 
when  he  was  seventeen  years  old,  and  has  been  faithful  to  its  teachings  ever 
since.  He  married  Celia  Jane  Russell,  of  Parke  county,  and  they  have  three 
sons,  William  Banks,  Charles  Russell  and  Cecil  Clare,  all  married.  William 
B.  lives  near  Danville,  Illinois.  Charles  lives  near  Marshall  in  Parke  county ; 
and  Cecil  lives  in  Indianapolis.  Edna  Lovia  Canine,  fourth  child  of  ,the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  married  J.  T.  Deere,  and  to  them  nine  children  were 
born;  the  mother  died  in  November,  1893.  Anna  Canine  married  Caleb 
Cobb,  of  Bedford,  Indiana.  Walter  DeBracket  Canine  lives  west  of  Ladoga, 
where  he  owns  eighty  acres  of  farm  land ;  he  is  married  and  has  one  daughter. 
Eva  is  the  wife  of  George  W.  Harshbarger,  of  Clark  township.  William 
Rice  Canine  died  when  twenty-four  years  old.  Louise  Alice  married  Dudley 
Myers,  and  they  live  at  Carmi,  Illinois.  Cornelius  Leonard  Canine,  Jr., 
lives  in  Lincoln-,  Nebraska.  Banks  has  two  daughters,  Celia  Henson  and 
Viola  Russell.    Charles  has  a  son.  Roy  Russell. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  IO55 

Celia  Jane  Russell  was  born  in  Parke  county,  Indiana,  near  the  village 
of  Marshall.  She  is  a  daughter  of  William  Banks  Kussell  and  Elizabeth 
(Elder)  Russell,  who  came  from  Kentucky  to  that  county  in  an  early  day. 
Banks  married  Agnes  Henson  from  near  Danville,  Illinois.  Charles  married 
Dolly  Myers,  of  Parke  county.  Cecil  married  Minnie  Mish,  of  Crawfords- 
ville. 

The  death  of  Cornelius  I..  Canine  occurred  in  June,  i.S^S.  Keziah 
Canine  died  June  ii.   1894. 


I.  \V.  CRAXE. 


No  tiller  of  the  soil  in  Coal  Creek  tDwiisliip.  .Muntynniery  C(junly.  is 
more  deserving  of  the  success  he  has  achie\ed  in  his  chosen  xocation  than 
J.  W.  Crane,  of  near  Wingate,  for  he  has  not  only  worked  honestly  and  per- 
sistently in  order  to  advance  himself,  but  has  been  a  close  student  of  agricul- 
tural methods — the  best  known  to  twentieth  century  husbandmen,  fie  has 
been  quick  to  make  proper  use  of  such  as  applied  to  local  conditions,  and  it  is 
a  satisfaction  to  look  over  his  fields  during  the  crop  seasons  and  to  note  their 
fine  condition  and  the  thriving  crops  they  are  growing,  whether  one  is  a 
farmer  or  not — for  who  is  not  pleased  with  a  prosperous  rural  scene,  in  all 
its  peace,  suggestion  plenty  and  rare  beauty?  He  has  taken  every  advantage 
of  local  conditions  and  has  made  a  very  careful  study  of  the  soil,  the  various 
crops  adapted  to  them,  climatic  conditions  and  wliatever  should  I>e  observed 
by  the  modern  agriculturist. 

Mr.  Crane  was  ])orn  on  January  2^.  1861.  in  l-'ountain  county,  Indiana, 
and  is  a  scion  of  a  worthy  old  family.  For  a  complete  history  of  his  parents 
and  the  Crane  family  we  respectfully  direct  the  reader  to  the  sketch  of  J.  R. 
Crane,  appearing  on  another  page  of  this  volume,  these  gentlemen  l)eing 
brothers. 

J.  W.  Crane,  of  this  review,  received  a  good  common  school  education. 
On  September  20,  1891,  he  married  Bertha  M.  Coffing,  who  was  born  in 
Fountain  county,  this  state,  on  November  8,  1870.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Daton  and  Mary  A.  (Markis)  Coffing.  She  grew  to  womanhood  in  her 
native  community  and  received  a  good  common  school  deucation. 

J.  W.  Crane  has  devoted  his  life  to  general  fanning  and  stock  raising, 
making  a  specialty  of  Poland  China  hogs,  which,  owing  to  their  superior 
quality,  always  find  a  very  ready  market  when  offered  for  sale.     He  also 


1056  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

keeps  a  good  grade  of  milk  cows.  His  farm  consists  of  seventy-nine  acres, 
all  tillable  and  under  a  good  state  of  improvement  and  cultivation,  and  it  is 
well  tiled.  Mr.  Crane  has  a  neat,  substantial  home,  which  he  built  himself, 
and  he  is  well  fixed  to  enjoy  life  in  every  respect. 

Politically,  Mr.  Crane  is  a  Progressive,  and  during  the  recent  Presi- 
dential campaign  was  active  in  the  work  of  the  new  movement  in  his  locality. 
Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias  at  Wingate.  He  takes  an 
interest  in  whatever  tends  to  better  the  conditions  of  his  township  and  county. 
Mrs.  Crane  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church,  and  with  her  husband  fre- 
quently attends  the  same. 


WALTER  H.  McBEE. 


Nature,  in  her  green  mantle,  is  nowhere  more  lovely  than  in  that  part 
of  Montgomery  county  set  aside  by  survey  as  Madison  township.  Cozy 
farm  houses  nestle  in  gentle  quietude  amid  green  orchards  which  dot  the 
landscape  in  every  direction,  presenting  a  scene  of  plenty  and  prosperity, 
though  in  some  parts  it  has  the  appearance  of  newness.  This  division  of  the 
county  has  been  settled  for  many  years,  and  scenes  once  familiar  to  the  older 
residents  are  rapidly  fading  from  view.  Only  too  frequently  is  it  the  case 
that  those  who  have  been  reared  in  such  a  picturesque  locality  fail  to  appre- 
ciate its  natural  beauties  and  advantages.  But  this  has  not  been  the  case  with 
Walter  H.  McBee,  a  well  known  farmer  of  this  vicinity. 

Mr.  McBee  was  born  in  the  above  named  township  and  county  on  May 
18,  1856.  He  is  a  son  of  William  Z.  and  Mary  E.  (Shobe)  McBee.  The 
father  was  born  in  Grant  county.  West  Virginia,  from  which  country  he  came 
to  Indiana  in  1852  and  settled  in  Madison  township,  Montgomery  county, 
having  made  the  journey  here  on  horseback.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was 
born  in  Ross  county,  Ohio,  and  she  came  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana, 
with  her  parents  who  settled  in  Madison  township  as  early  as  1838.  William 
Z.  McBee  devoted  most  of  his  life  to  farming,  but  in  his  old  age  he  left  the 
farm  and  moved  to  the  town  of  Linden  where  he  was  interested  in  a  bank, 
and  there  his  death  occurred  in  1910  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-nine 
years.     His  widow  is  still  living  in  Linden. 

Waher  H.  McBee  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  in  Madison  town- 
ship and  there  he  assisted  with  the  general  work,  and  he  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools,  then  took  up  farming  and  is  still  active,  owning 


WALTER  H.   McBEE 


iiiluclivc   farm  of  niic  Iniiu 

Ireil  acres  ami 

he  makes  a 

stock,  especially  liu-s. 

larried  on   December  _\^ 

1SS4    In    Mar; 

V-    !•:.    Shotts, 

il  Xancy  (Severs)  Shotts. 

Her  lather 

was  a  native 

MONTC.OMKKV    COINTV.    IXDI.WA.  IO57 

a  well  improved  and 
specialty  of  raising-  li 

Mr.  Mcl'.ee  was 
daughter  of  Andrew 
of  Virf^inia  and  her  mother  of  Ohio.  Andrew  Shotts  came  to  Montijomery 
county.  Indiana,  as  early  as  1830  and  settled  in  Madison  township  when  the 
country  was  sparsely  settled  and  little  improved.  Further  mention  of  the 
Shotts  family  is  found  in  this  volume  under  the  caption  of  .\rthur  R.  Shotts. 

Grandfather  Severs  settled  in  Walnut  township,  this  county  in  a  very 
early  day. 

Eleven  children  were  lK)rn  to  Andrew  and  Xancy  Shotts,  seven  of  whom 
are  still  living. 

Seven  children  were  lx)rn  to  William  Z.  McL5ee  and 
are  still  living,  namely:  Walter  11..  of  this  review  ;  M;in 
Minnie.  Sarah  Melinda.  Robert  !•.  is  deceased:  and  Willia 
of  the  children. 

Walter  H.  McHee  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  was  a  member  of  the  ;id\isory 
board  for  one  term,  antl  was  also  at  one  time  ai)iJointed  superintendent  of 
gravel  roads.  Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  the  I-"ree  and  .\ccepted  .Masons. 
He  attends  the  New  Light  Christian  church. 

Five  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McRee.  named  as  follows: 
Maud,  who  married  Walter  Hoss.  lives  m  :\Iadison  townshij),  this  county; 
N^ancv  E.,  Elsie.  Isaac  C.  and  Minnie,  are  all  at  home. 


fe.  six  of 

whom 

7...  Mary 

Olive, 

T.,  the  yc 

lungest 

J()X.\T1I.\\  XLTT. 

Fame  may  look  to  the  cla^h  of  resounding  arms  for  its  heroes:  instory's 
pages  may  lie  filled  with  :i  record  of  the  deeds  of  the  so-called  gre.at  wlio  have 
deluged  the  world  with  blood,  destroyed  kingdoms,  created  dynasties  and 
left  their  names  as  jilague  -pots  upon  civilization's  escutcheou  :  the  |)oet  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  deserving 
of  at  least  a  little  space  on  the  category  of  the  immortals.  To  him  more  than 
to  any  other  is  civilizati(jn  indebted  for  the  brightest  jewel  in  its  diadem,  for 
it  was  he  that  blazed  the  way  and  acted  as  van  guard  for  the  mighty  army  of 
progress  that  within  the  last  century  has  coufpiered  Indiana's  wilderness  and 
(67) 


1058  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

transformed  it  into  one  of  the  fairest  antl  most  enlightened  of  the  American 
commonwealth's  domains.  One  of  the  pioneer  families  of  ]\IontgomeiT 
county  was  that  represented  by  our  subject,  Jonathan  Nutt,  a  venerable  agri- 
culturist of  Union  township,  he  is  one  of  the  few  connecting"  links  between 
the  remote  days  of  the  first  settlers  and  the  present,  being  a  son  of  an  early 
settler,  and  he  has  lived  to  see  the  count}-  de\elop  from  a  wilderness  to  what 
it  is  today. 

Jonathan  Nutt  was  born  on  land  enteretl  l)y  his  father  in  Union  town- 
ship, Montgomery  county,  his  birth  having  occurred  on  September  i,  1829. 
He  is  a  son  of  Edmund  and  Elizabeth  (Mann)  Nutt.  Edmund  Nutt  was  born 
in  Virginia  where  he  spent  his  earlier  years  and  from  which  he  migrated  to 
Montgomery'  county,  Indiana,  in  the  early  twenties,  and  entered  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Union  township.  This  he  cleared  and  de- 
veloped into  a  good  farm.  He  was  a  hard  worker  and  a  good  manager,  and 
constantly  added  to  his  holdings,  until  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1863  he  was 
the  owner  of  over  two  thousand  antl  two  hundred  acres,  being  one  of  the 
largest  land  owners  in  the  county  and  one  of  its  most  substantial  and  l^est 
known  citizens.  He  had  de\'otetl  his  entire  life  to  farming  and  stock  raising, 
which  he  carried  on  \'ery  extensivel\'.  He  had  a  large  family,  twelve  chil- 
dren, only  two  of  whom  are  living  at  this  writing.  Politically,  he  was  a 
Whig,  later  a  Democrat,  but  he  never  held  office  nor  aspired  to  any.  He 
married  soon  after  coming  to  this  county  to  Elizabeth  Mann,  a  daughter  of 
an  early  settler  who  came  from  Ohio  where  she  was  born.  Only  three  fam- 
ilies were  known  to  be  in  the  county  when  the  Nutts  and  Manns  took  up  their 
residence  here.  Members  of  each  did  much  toward  starting  the  physical, 
moral  and  intellectual  work  of  civilization  here.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Nutt  was 
a  woman  of  fine  character,  and  a  coincidence  worthy  of  notice  is  that  in  their 
deaths  only  thirteen  days  inter\'ened.  The  two  remaining  children  are  J(jna- 
than,  of  this  review:  and  Sanford  Nutt. 

Jonathan  Nutt  received  a  very  limited  education,  for  he  had  much  hard 
work  to  do,  and  in  early  life  had  to  shift  for  himself.  He  began  farming 
when  young  and  has  continued  this  line  of  endeavor  to  the  present  time,  with 
ever  increasing  success,  having  added  to  his  holdings  from  time  to  time  until 
he  now  has  nearly  four  hundred  acres  in  Union  township,  Montgomery- 
county,  all  valuable,  productive  and  well  improved,  all  under  cultivation. 
While  he  still  has  general  supervision  of  his  place  the  work  on  the  same  is 
done  by  his  son-in-law.  He  has  long  kept  a  good  grade  of  live  stock  and 
has  been  very  successful  in  handling  the  same  along  with  general  farming. 


MONTGOMF.RV    COl'NTV,    INM)I.\.\\\.  1059 

He  has  a  pleasant  home  and  good  sul)stantial  onllmildinj^s.  lie  lia>  always 
been  to  the  front  in  matters  of  interest  tn  the  i^cncral  comnnmily.  Xow  in 
his  declining  years  he  can  enjoy  the  i)rt)S])erity  which  is  his  ri^hl  as  the  result 
of  hard  work  and  frntjal,  honest  ways. 

roliticaily,  Mr.  liarchn,!;-  is  a  i<ei)ul)lican,  and  in  religions  matters  is  a 
JMethodist. 

In  i860,  Mr.  Harding  was  united  in  marriage  In  Mary  .\nn  I'onper,  a 
native  of  Montgomery  county,  where  she  was  reared  and  educated,  and  wliere 
her  people  were  well  known  in  the  early  days. 

To  Mr.  and  Mr<.  Xutl  were  hnrn  two  children.  Ora.  wife  of  L'linlon 
Snyder:  and  Flora  1...  who  is  at  liome. 

The  death  of  our  suhject's  wife  occurred  in   i8i)i)- 


GILBERT  HOW  ELL. 


The  following  is  a  hrief  sketch  of  the  life  of  one  who.  by  close  attention 
to  his  chosen  profession,  has  achie\ed  marked  success  in  the  world's  affairs 
and  risen  to  an  honored  position  in  the  field  of  fraternal  journalism,  and  is 
well  known  and  highly  esteemed  among  the  enter]irising  men  of  the  city 
with  which  his  interests  are  identified.  It  is  a  ])lain  record,  rendered  re- 
markable by  no  strange  or  mysterious  adventure,  no  womlerful  and  luck)- 
accident  and  no  tragic  situation.  Mr.  Howell  is  a  man  of  honest  convictions 
and  sincere  purposes,  his  upright  career  and  wholesome  moral  influence 
making  him  respected  by  all  who  have  cotne  in  contact  with  him,  and  as 
editor  of  The  Chariot,  the  official  organ  of  the  great  Trihe  nf  Ocn-Hur.  his 
influence  is  most  potent,  and  extends  to  many  thousands  ni  penple  thniu!.;h- 
out  the  land. 

Gilbert  Howell  was  born  in  Miami  county.  ( )hio.  July  i().  i<S57.  He  is  a 
son  of  Ephraim  R.  and  Elizabeth  (Brelsford)  Unwell.  The  father,  Ephraim 
B.,  was  lK)rn  in  Trenton.  Xew  Jersey.  May  20,  1S16.  and  was  a  son  of  Daniel 
B.  and  Deborah  B.  (Boiles)  How-ell.  Daniel  P>.  Howell  was  also  born  in 
Trenton.  Xew  Jersey,  the  year  of  his  birth  Iwing  1781.  He  was  thus  cradled 
in  the  \ery  storm  center  of  the  Revolution.  His  father  was  Daxid  Howell,  a 
nati\e  of  Wales,  w-ho  came  to  the  L'nited  States  about  1730,  and  settlerl  in 
Xew  Jersey.  He  was  proprietor  of  the  famous  "Black  Horse"  tavern  in 
Trenton.  He  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  was  one  of  the  se\en 
men  detailed  to  capture  General  Rahl.  commander  of  the  Hessians.     He  was 


I060  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

a  non-commissfoned  officer,  and  ser\'ed  tliroughuut  tlie  war,  participating  in 
many  of  the  leading  engagements.  The  musket  whicli  he  carried  is  now  in 
possession  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  \ery  higiily  prizes  this  heir- 
loom of  his  great-great-grandfather. 

After  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war  Da\id  Howell  returned  to  his 
tavern  and  continued  to  conduct  the  same  until  his  death,  when  his  son, 
Daniel  B.,  succeeded  to  the  management  of  the  noted  hostelry  until  1820, 
when  he  m()\'etl  to  Aliami  county,  Ohio,  and  there  entered  a  tract  of  land 
fnim  the  g(i\-ernment.  He  was  one  of  the  earl_\-  settlers  in  upper  Miami 
valley  and  worked  hard  clearing  and  developing  this  wild  land,  but  event- 
ually had  a  productive  farm  and  a  comforta])le  hcime  as  a  result  of  his  indus- 
try He  continued  to  reside  on  the  farm  until  his  death,  which  occurred  at 
an  advanced  age. 

Upon  the  death  of  Daniel  Howell,  his  son,  Ephriam  B.,  father  of  our 
subject,  assumed  management  of  the  farm,  and  followed  general  agricultural 
pursuits  in  a  very  successful  manner  until  his  death,  on  February  15,  1897. 

Deborah  Boiles,  wife  of  Daniel  B.  Howell,  mentioned  above,  was  a  na- 
tive of  England  and  was  the  daughter  of  a  Alethodist  minister.  Eler  death 
occurred  in  New  Jerse}-  in  181 8,  two  years  prior  to  the  removal  of  the  little 
family  to  Ohio. 

Elizabeth  Brelsford,  wife  of  Ephriam  Howell,  was  a  nati\e  of  Char- 
lottsville,  Virginia,  and  was  of  one  of  the  early  families  of  the  Old  Dominion, 
her  birth  occurring  August  5,  1820,  She  and  Ephraim  B.  Howell  were  mar- 
ried at  Fletcher,  Ohio,  February  22,  1845.  Her  death  occurred  on  August 
25,  1891.  They  were  people  of  sterling  honesty,  industry  and  hospitality,  and 
were  highly  respected  by  the  people  of  their  community. 

Gilbert  Howell  was  educated  at  Fletcher,  Ohio;  however,  his  education 
was  limited,  but  this  early  lack  has  been  more  than  supplied  in  later  life, 
and  by  close  home  stud}-  and  wide  miscellaneous  reading  he  has  become  a 
well  informed  man.  He  began  life  for  himself  by  teaching  school,  which  he 
followed  two  years.  When  nineteen  years  old  he  began  clerking  in  the  store 
of  J.  &  A.  W.  Prugh,  Piqua,  Ohio,  where,  after  a  year,  he  was  made  mana- 
ger of  the  store,  remaining  as  such  for  several  years.  The  next  twelve  years 
were  spent  by  him  on  the  road  for  the  Favorite  Sto\e  and  Range  Company, 
giving  his  usual  high-grade  and  acceptable  service.  During  that  time  he  was 
elected  Secretar}--Treasurer  of  the  Fraternal  Publishing  Company  at  Piciua, 
Ohio.  This  marked  his  initial  step  into  the  printing  and  publishing  business 
which  was  destined  to  play  a  very  important  role  in  his  later  life.     In  this  he 


riial 

ism 

'i'l." 

)   lu 
Uk 

iwf,) 
.!L;rc 

nls- 
atci 

micl 
mil 

1   ti 

the 

Iia; 
hesi 

IK'Il. 

1)U1 

MOXTGOMKKV    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I  o6 1 

learned  every  mechanical  jjjiase  of  tlie  husiness,  mastered  with  increditable 
swiftness  the  ins  and  outs  of  the  same,  then  was  sent  by  tiie  (Irand  Lodf^e  of 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  to  edit  tlie  oBi- 
cial  paper  of  that  organization,  "The  Buckeye  IVorknian,"  and  he  remained 
in  that  capacity  for  a  period  of  five  years,  givin.ij  eminent  satisfaction  to  ail 
concerned  and  j>n)\ed  himself  lo  he  hy  nature,  as  well  as  trainin.L;'  well  i|nali- 
fied  for  any  posilion  of  trust  and  resp(.)nsiljilily  in  the  tield  i 
His  ability  being  generall_\-  recngnized  thniughout  tlie  country 
resigned  his  position  in  Llc\  eland  in  hecnme  editnr  of  "The  Charit 
official  organ  of  the  Supreme  Tribe  of  I'.en-Uur.  ])ublislied  at  Cr; 
ville,  Indiana,  and  here  he  has  remained  to  the  present  time,  with  stil 
success  than  characterized  his  work  in  Clexeland.  He  has  done 
brighten  the  general  mechanical  appearance  uf  the  publication, 
brought  it  to  its  present  high  order  of  efficiency,  making  it  rank  with 
of  its  kind  in  the  world.  He  is  not  only  a  business  man  of  keen  acu; 
is  a  forceful,  convincing  and  entertaining  w  riter. 

He  belongs  to  the  x'arious  Masonic  Orders,  including  the  Knights  Tem- 
plar, the  Mystic  Shrine.  Mural  Tem])le.  at  Indianapolis.  He  also  belongs  to 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  the  Bene\  olent  and  ]'rotecti\e  Order  of  I'dks, 
and  Patriotic  Order  Sons  of  America,  and  Impro\e(l  Order  of  Red  Men. 

He  is  also  a  member  of  several  of  the  fraternal  insurance  societies,  and 
is  president  of  the  National  Fraternal  Press  Association,  which  body  was 
organized  by  him  sixteen  years  ago,  and  which  under  his  judicious  manage- 
ment has  become  strong  and  influential.  He  is  also  doing  a  very  commenda- 
ble work  as  president  of  the  Indiana  Fraternal  Congress.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  in  religious  matters  a  Methodist. 

Mr.  Howell  was  married  on  September  2^.  iSjy,  to  L(»uise  .\.  llarthan. 
of  Selma,  .\labama,  a  lad)-  of  culture  and  refinement,  who  died  July  4.  iS()i. 
at  Picpia,  Ohio,  her  birthplace.  To  this  union  were  born  three  children, 
namely:  Edith  A.,  wife  of  Alfred  P.  McClellan,  of  Crawfordsville :  l.loyd 
B.,  who  is  assistant  professor  in  chemistry  in  Wabash  College;  ISlanche  .\.. 
who  married  Walter  Troemel,  of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin.  They  were  all 
well  educated  and  received  every  advantage. 

Mr.  Howell  was  again  married.  May  20.  i8y6,  to  Rebecca  .\.  Snyder,  of 
Piqua,  Ohio,  but  to  this  union  no  children  have  been  born. 

Personally,  Mr.  Howell  is  a  pleasant  man  to  meet,  genial,  obliging  and 
a  man  of  never- failing  courtesy. 


I062  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


WILLIAM  JARVIS. 


Ninety  years  have  dissolved  in  the  mists  of  time,  emhracing  the  major 
part  of  the  most  remarkable  century  in  all  the  histor\-  of  the  race  of  man- 
kind, since  the  honored  and  venerable  subject  of  this  sketch  first  saw  the 
light  of  day.  Heaven  has  bounteously  lengthened  out  his  life  until  he  has 
seen  the  crowning  glory  of  this,  the  most  wonderful,  epoch  of  all  the  aeons, 
of  time,  rewarding  him  with  an  unusual  span  of  years  as  a  result  of  virtuous 
and  consistent  living  in  his  youth  and  years  of  his  active  manhood,  until  now, 
in  the  golden  Indian  summer  of  his  life,  surrounded  by  comfort  and  plenty 
as  a  result  of  his  earlier  years  of  industry  and  frugality,  Mr.  Jan'is  can  take 
a  retrospective  glance  down  the  corridors  of  the  relentless  and  irrevocable 
past  and  feel  that  his  has  been  an  eminently  useful,  successful  and  happy  life, 
a  life  which  has  not  been  devoid  of  obstacles  and  whose  rose  has  held  many  a 
thorn,  but  with  indomitable  courage  he  pressed  onward  with  his  face  set  in 
determination  toward  the  distant  goal  which  he  has  so  grandly  won;  a  life  of 
sunshine  and  shadow,  of  victory  and  defeat,  according  to  the  common  lot  of 
humanity  since  the  world  began,  but  nobly  lived  and  worthily  rewarded,  as 
such  lives  always  are  by  the  Giver  of  all  good  and  precious  gifts,  who  has 
given  Mr.  Jarvis  the  longest  span  of  years  of  any  of  his  contemporaries,  a 
great  gift,  indeed,  of  which  he  is  duly  grateful.  Although  a  native  of  the 
fair  Blue  Grass  state,  the  major  portion  of  his  life  has  been  spent  in  the 
Wabash  Valley  country,  and  he  has  alwa}'s  been  deeply  interested  in  what- 
ever tended  to  promote  the  prosperity  of  his  chosen  locality  and  to  him  as 
much  as  to  any  other  man  is  the  community  indebted  for  the  material  de- 
velopment for  which  it  has  long  been  noted,  and  his  long  residence  in  Brown 
township  has  won  for  him  a  \ery  high  place  in  the  confidence  and  esteem  of 
his  many  acquaintances  and  friends.  He  has  used  his  influence  for  all  moral 
and  benevolent  entei-prises,  being  a  friend  and  liberal  patron  of  the  church, 
which  he  believes  to  be  the  most  potential  factor  for  substantial  good  the 
world  has  ever  known  or  ever  will  know ;  he  has  also  been  an  earnest  advo- 
cate of  the  cause  of  temperance.  In  short,  he  has  sought  to  fulfill  his  duties 
as  an  honest,  public-spirited  citizen  at  all  times.     . 

William  Jarvis,  of  Waveland,  Montgomery  county,  was  born  at  Cle- 
mentsville,  Kentucky,  October  21,  1823.  He  is  a  son  of  Reason  and  Betsey 
(Heath)  Jar\'is.  The  father  was  a  native  of  the  state  of  Maryland,  and  his 
death  occurred  in  Kentucky  in  1838.  he  having  located  in  the  "dark  and 
bloodv  ground"  countrv  in  a  very  early  day.     The  mother  of  our  subject  was 


MONTCOMIiRV    Ct)r.\TV.     INDIANA.  K)!)^ 

also  a  native  of  Manlaiul.  Tlicsc  parents  iIla  otcd  their  livo  to  j;cncral  I'arni- 
nig,  were  liard-working,  honest,  hospital)le  people  of  tlie  t^ood  old-fashioed 
type.  'I'hey  became  tlie  parents  of  seven  cliildren.  all  now  deceased  but 
William,  Miliject  of  this  sketch.  They  were  named  as  f.)llows;  Xathan.  Joe, 
J.ihn.  William.  .Martha.  Henry  and  Flemin- 

William  Jar\is  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm,  where  he  finiiid 
l)lenty  of  hard  work  U)  do  when  a  boy,  bein.g  the  son  of  a  pioneer  and  reared 
amid  pioneer  conditions.  He  received  a  verv-  limited  education  in  the  nld  lo,i; 
school  house  of  his  community,  with  its  puncheon  floor  and  seats,  its  wide 
fire-place  in  one  end.  and  its  greased  paper  window.  However,  he  has  been  a 
wide  reader  of  newspapers  and  good  books  and  is  a  well  informed  man. 

On  June  8,  1858,  Mr.  Jarvis  married  Mary  V.  Switzer,  who  was  born 
in  Ohio  on  October  10,  1840.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Xancy 
(Dooley)  Switzer.  Her  father  was  bom  on  May  18,  1808.  Mrs.  Jarvis  re- 
ceived a  good  common  school  deucation. 

To  our  subject  and  wife  one  child  was  born,   I'.mm: 
who  was  born  in  Parke  county,   Indiana,   April    17,    i8()0. 
good  common  school  education  and  married  Edward  Olds 
Parke  county,  and  there  they  still  reside:  they  are  the  parents 
dren,  namely :  Vivian,  Grace  and  Mary. 

William  Jarvis  began  life  for  himself  as  a  farmer  when  a  young  man 
and  he  has  devoted  his  life  to  general  farming  and  stock  raising  with  a 
greater  degree  of  success  than  befalls  the  average  farmer.  He  has  worked 
hard,  managed  well  and  each  year  has  found  him  further  advanced  than  the 
preceding.  He  s])ent  two  years  engaged  in  the  .general  merchandise  business 
at  Placerville,  California,  having  crossed  the  great  plains  to  the  I'acilir  coast 
before  the  days  of  railroads.  After  spendin.g  two  veais  there  he  returned  to 
Indiana  and  resumed  farming.  He  is  the  owner  of  nver  one  thousand  acres 
of  valuable  land,  nine  hundred  and  twentv-five  of  which  lie  in  I'arke  countv. 
and  eighty-five  in  Montgomery  county.  His  land  is  under  a  high  stale  of  im- 
provement and  cultivation,  and  he  has  farmed  on  a  large  scale  and  r.iised 
large  numbers  of  live  stock  of  all  varieties.  He  resides  in  the  town  of  W'ave- 
land.  Brown  township,  where  he  has  a  commodious,  attractive  and  modernly 
furnished  home,  which  is  known  to  his  many  friends  as  a  ])lace  of  old-time 
hospitality.  He  is  one  of  the  substantial  and  well-tu-dn  men  of  iliis  i)art  of 
the  county. 

F'olitically.  Mr.  Jarvis  is  a  Republican,  but  he  has  never  been  much  of  a 
politician;  however,   he   has   takeji   an   abiding  intere-t    in   tlie   affairs  of   his 


Bh 

niche   Jarvis 

Sh 

le   received   ;i 

le. 

a   farmer   ol 

.S    ( 

)f  three  chil- 

1064  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

to.wnship  and  county,  and  he  was  at  one  time  county  commissioner,  which 
position  he  held  with  credit  tn  himself  and  satisfaction  to  his  constituents. 
In  religious  matters  he  belongs  to  the  Christian  church,  and  was  formerly  a 
trustee  in  the  same,  and  has  long  been  one  of  its  most  acti\'e  meml^ers. 


SAMUEL  A.  DYKES. 

Sugar  Creek  township,  Montgomer)'  county,  is  the  home  of  many  suc- 
cessful farmers.  Among  those  who  have  prospered  by  their  energy,  perse- 
verance and  good  management,  is  Samuel  A.  Dykes,  who  owns  and  operates 
a  fine  estate,  which  has  been  accjuired  through  his  excellent  planning  and 
characteristic  industry.  A  visitor  to  his  home  will  see  that  he  has  not  only 
erected  good  buildings  and  kept  his  farm  well  supplied  with  modern  ma- 
chinery, but  also  that  he  keeps  excellent  grades  of  live  stock. 

Mr.  Dykes  was  born  on  October  27,,  1869  in  the  township  and  county 
where  he  still  resides,  and  here  he  grew  to  manhood  and  received  a  common 
school  education.  For  a  sketch  of  his  parents  and  the  Dykes  ancestry  the 
reader  is  directed  to  the  life  hi.story  of  J-  E.  Dykes,  appearing  in  another  part 
of  this  volume. 

Samuel  A.  Dykes  was  married  on  June  7,  1896  to  Anna  Maguire,  who 
was  born  in  Shelby  county,  Indiana,  January  14,  1868.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Charles  and  Harriet  (Yearion)  Maguire.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, born  on  November  14,  1835.  and  he  is  now  living  at  Darlington,  this 
county.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  Dykes  was  born  on  December  16,  1844,  in 
Hamilton  county,  Ohio,  and  she  and  Mr.  Maguire  were  married  in  that  state. 
She,  too,  is  still  living.  These  parents  are  now  advanced  in  age.  They  are 
well  known  in  this  section  of  the  county  and  are  held  in  high  esteem  by  all. 
We  quote  the  following  from  the  Crazi'fords^'illc  Rcz'icii'  under  date  of  July 
8,  1910,  l^earing  the  caption,  "Celebrate  Their  Golden  Wedding  Anniversary 
Today." 

"Today  at  their  beautiful  country  home  near  Darlington,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Charles  Magtiire  are  celebrating  their  golden  wedding  anniversary  and  with 
them  are  their  eleven  children  as  well  as  a  numl^er  of  friends  and  other  rela- 
tives. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maguire  have  reached  the  half  century  mark  of  wedded 
bliss,  in  excellent  health  and  happiness  and  they  are  permitted  to  enjoy  an 
event  so  few  persons  ever  know. 

"Mr.  Maguire  was  born  near  Fintina.  County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  and  spent 


SA.MUEL   A.    UYKES 


MONTCOMERY    COl-NTV.    INDIANA.  I065 

his  boyhood  there,  cominj^  to  this  country  wlien  he  was  alxjiit  eijjiiteeii  years 
of  age.  He  landed  in  I'hihuleiphia  after  a  stomiy  voyage  of  six  weeks  and 
three  days.  From  the  Quaker  city  he  went  to  Pittsburgii  and  then  to  Cin- 
cinnati. It  was  while  living  in  Ohio  that  he  met  and  wooed  Miss  Harriet 
Yearion  and  was  married  to  her  fifty  years  ago  today.  To  them  two  chil- 
dren were  Iwrn  in  ihe  Buckeye  slate,  and  soon  afterwards  they  came  to  Indi- 
ana. The  Maguires  settled  fust  near  London,  in  Shelby  county,  in  the  fall 
of  1865,  and  thev  lived  there  several  years,  making  many  warm  and  Inving 
friends  in  that  sectinn  wlm  h;i\e  come  today  to  assist  in  the  festi\ities  of  the 
occasion. 

"]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Maguire  ha\e  li\ed  in  their  present  home  man\'  years  and 
have  gathered  about  them  a  wide  circle  of  acquaintances  who  hold  their 
friendship  lovingly.  Mr.  Maguire  has  always  I)een  a  staunch  Democrat, 
but  he  has  always  been  keenly  awake  to  the  best  interests  of  his  ])arty  and  has 
been  a  strong  advocate  of  right  principles  and  party  reforms  that  make  for 
better  citizenship  and  better  government.  He  has  been  a  member  of  ( ilenn 
Lodge  No.  149.  Independent  (Irdcr  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  Darlington  for  many 
years  and  at  this  time  has  the  hon<ir  of  holding  the  highest  office  within  the 
gift  of  the  lodge,  that  of  noble  grand. 

"All  but  one  of  the  eleven  children.  Mrs.  Flla  Crowder.  who  died  .March 
23,  1903,  live  within  a  few  miles  of  the  parental  home  and  all  of  them  are 
here  to  help  in  the  observing  in  this  rounding  out  of  half  a  century  of  beauti- 
ful and  inspiring  married  life.     The  children  are  as  follows: 

"Mrs.  R.  M.  Little,  Darlington;  Mrs.  S.  A.  Dykes,  Darlington:  Mrs. 
Charles  Custer.  Darlington;  Mrs.  C.  E.  I'aust.  Chicago;  Mrs.  Marion  Clouser. 
Darlington;  Mrs.  R.  H.  Hiatt.  Darlington:  Mrs.  Karl  Peterson,  Darlington; 
Miss  Fairy  Maguire,  at  home;  Edward  Maguire.  Darlington;  James  .Maguire. 
Clark's  Hill;  and  Stewart  Maguire,  Colfax. 

"Handsome  invitations  to  the  celebration  were  sent  out  to  many  friends 
and  relatives  and  many  guests  will  be  entertained  at  the  Maguire  home  today. 
The  hours  will  be  from  lo  to  4  o'clock.'" 

Samuel  A.  Dykes  and  wife  have  one  adopted  child,  Irma  C,  born  on 
July  5.  1902.  the  daughter  of  J.  E.  Dykes  and  Estelle  (Ollinger)  Dykes,  the 
latter  the  eldest  daughter  of  Dr.  Ollinger  of  Newmarket.     She  is  attending 

school. 

Mr.  Dykes  has  always  followed  fanning  in  Sugar  Creek  townshij).  He 
owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  all  tillable  and  well  improved,  with  the 
exception  of  twenty  acres.     He  is  living  east  of  his  farm  about  a  mile. 


I066  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Dykes  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Order  at  Colfax,  and  the 
Improved  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Darlington;  religiously  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Potato  Creek  Methodist  church,  of  which  he  was  a  steward  for  eight 
or  nine  years.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  and  he  served  his  township  as 
constable,  also  justice  of  the  peace  for  several  years,  giving  eminent  satisfac- 
tion to  all  concerned. 


WILLIAM  DAMDSOX  MYERS. 

It  cannot  be  other  than  interesting  to  note  in  this  series  of  personal 
sketches  appearing  in  this  volume  the  varying  conditions  that  have  com- 
passed those  whose  careers  are  outlined,  and  the  effort  has  been  made  in 
each  case  to  throw  well-focused  light  onto  tiie  individuality  and  to  bring 
into  proper  perspective  the  scheme  of  each  respective  character.  Each  man 
who  strives  to  fulfill  his  part  in  connection  with  human  life  and  human  acti- 
vity is  deserving  of  recognition,  whatever  may  or  have  been  the  field  of  his 
endeavor,  and  it  is  the  function  of  works  of  this  nature  to  perpetuate  for 
future  generations  an  authentic  record  concerning  those  represented  in  its 
pages,  and  the  value  of  such  publications  is  certain  to  be  cumulative  for  all 
time  to  come,  showing  forth  the  individual  and  specific  accomplishments  of 
which  generic  history  is  ever  engendered.  The  career  of  William  Davidson 
Myers,  the  present  efficient  and  popular  superintendent  of  the  county  farm 
of  Montgomerv  county,  has  been  characterized  by  hard  work  and  conscien- 
tious endeavor,  and  he  owes  his  rise  to  no  train  of  fortunate  incidents  of  for- 
tuitous circumstances.  It  was  the  reward  of  application  of  mental  qualifica- 
tions of  a  high  order  to  the  affairs  of  business,  the  combining  with  keen 
perceptions  mental  activity  that  has  enabled  him  to  grasp  the  opportunities 
that  presented  themselves.  This  he  has  done  with  success,  and,  what  is 
more  important,  with  honor.  His  integrity  has  ever  been  unassailable,  his 
honor  unimpeachable,  and  he  stands  high  with  all  who  know  him. 

Mr.  Myers  was  born  in  Monroe  county,  Indiana,  August  13.  1858,  and 
is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Anna  Myers.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Tennessee 
and  he  came  to  Indiana  with  his  parents  in  the  early  thirties,  and  spent  the 
rest  of  his  life  on  a  farm  in  Monroe  county,  becoming  well  known  among 
the  pioneers  there,  and  well  established  as  a  result  of  his  life  of  hard  work 
as  a  general  farmer  and  stock  man.     His  wife  was  a  native  of  Virginia. 

William  D.  Myers  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm,  and  there  as- 
sisted with  the  general  work  when  a  boy.     He  took  naturally  to  husbandry 


MONTCOMT-RV    (.OrNTV,    IXOIAXA.  1  CM)/ 

and  had  a  valuable  instructur  in  his  father,  hence  it  is  no  wonder  liiai  lie  is 
eminently  successful  with  the  superintendency  of  the  county  farm,  lie  had 
little  chance  to  obtain  an  education,  but  made  the  best  use  possible  w  ilh  w  hat 
he  did  ha\e.  Jlc  farmed  successfully  in  Mounie  cdunty  until  March  J5. 
1889.  when  he  renn)\ed  to  Monts^omery  ccmnty,  where  he  continued  i^eneral 
agricultural  pursuits.  tJu  June  S,  Kjog.  he  was  appointed  sui)crinteudeul  of 
the  count}-  farm,  by  the  county  commissioners,  and  soon  thereafter,  on  Sep- 
tember I,  1909,  took  charge  of  the  same,  which  position  he  has  since  held  in 
a  manner  that  reflects  much  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  eminent  satisfaction 
of  the  commissioners  and  all  concerned,  keeping  the  place  well  improved  and 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  making  it  produce  abundant  crops  and  he 
has  built  up  the  soil,  so  that  it  has  retained  its  fertility.  He  seems  to  be,  in 
every  respect,  the  right  man  in  the  right  place.  One  June  7,  1911,  he  was 
appointed  for  a  second  term  of  two  years,  with  a  substantial  increase  in 
salary. 

Mr.  .Myers  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  I'^llows,  is 
past  grand  of  the  Subordinate  of  Crawfordsxille  Lodge  No.  223;  he  is  also 
a  past  chief  patriarch  of  Bethesda  Encampment  No.  15,  Independent  (^rder 
of  Odd  Fellows.  He  has  attended  the  So\erin  Grand  Lodge.  Politically, 
he  is  a  Democrat. 

Mr.  Myers  was  married  on  September  27,  1879,  to  Sarah  J.  Pittman,  a 
native  of  Brown  county,  Indiana.  To  this  union  five  childreiji  have  been 
born,  namely :  Mary  Ann,  wife  of  Frank  Steele,  of  Montgomery  county ; 
Elmer  L'.  is  deceased;  Bertha  Sophia  is  the  wife  of  Bert  Knight,  li\es  in 
Montgomery  county:  Junie  Mabel  is  the  wife  of  Belie  \'anHook,  also  of  this 
county;  and  Merle  H.,  who  is  attending  liigh  school,  this  being  his  second 
vear. 


CECIL  C.  CLICK. 


One  of  the  young  farmers  of  Clark  township.  Montgomery  county  wh< 
gixes  unusual  promise  is  Cecil  C.  Click.  He  combines  enterprise  with  souni 
judgment  and  persistent  effort  so  that  a  large  degree  of  success  is  alteudint. 
his  efforts  from  year  to  year  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil. 

Mr.  Click  was  born  in  this  township  and  county.  September  -'4.  i88_> 
He  is  a  son  of  Jo.seph  and  Jessie  (Owens)  Click.  The  father  was  born  ir 
\'irginia  and  when  eight  years  old  came  west  with  his  jjarents  who  settlet 
in  Putnam  county,  later  moving  across  the  line  into  Montgoniery  comity  an( 


I068  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

established  the  future  home  of  the  family  in  Clark  township,  and  here  these 
parents  developed  a  good  farm  through  their  industry  and  spent  the  rest  of 
their  lives,  and  on  that  place  their  son  Joseph,  grew  to  manhood,  assisted  with 
the  general  farm  work,  and  in  this  district  he  received  a  common  school  edu- 
cation, and  there  married  Jessie  Owens,  who  was  lx)rn  in  Clark  township, 
and  was  a  daughter  of  Juhn  Owens  and  wife.  Mr.  O'wens  ran  a  threshing- 
machine,  also  a  saw  mill  and  later  in  life  followed  farming.  He  moved  into 
Ladoga  about  1905  where  he  now  resides  in  a  pleasant  home,  living  a  life 
of  quiet. 

Cecil  C.  Click  grew  to  manhood  in  Clark  township  and  there  did  the 
usual  work  of  a  farm  l:)oy,  and  in  the  winter  months  attended  comon  schools. 
On  February  6,  1902,  he  married  May  Hulett,  daughter  of  Xathan  Hulett. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Click  began  farming  for  himself.  He  has  a 
neat  little  farm  of  sixty  acres  in  section  2J.  Clark  township,  on  which  he  is 
getting  a  good  start  as  a  general  farmer.  He  and  his  wife  are  memljers  of 
the  Christian  church. 


THOMAS  W.  GRAY. 


Farming  is  a  delight  to  such  men  as  Thomas  \V.  Gra_\\  of  Sugar  Creek 
township,  Montgomery  county,  for  he  never  goes  about  his  work  in  an 
apathetic  way  and  half-heartedl}-,  but  on  the  contrary  is  always  very  much  in 
earnest  and  never  lacks  enthusiasm,  so  his  tasks  therefore  seem  lighter  than 
they  otherwise  would  and  he  gets  better  results  than  others  who  seem  to  have 
formed  a  distaste  for  their  vocation.  He  makes  it  a  point  to  keep  his  fields 
clear  of  weeds,  sprouts,  and  rocks,  his  fences  and  buildings  carefully  repaired 
and  everything  in  ship  shape  order,  and  we  are  glad  to  give  him  a  conspicu- 
ous place  in  the  list  of  present  day  progressive  tillers  of  the  soil  in  this  county. 

Mr.  Gray  was  born  on  February  23,  i860,  in  Sugar  Creek  township,  this 
county.  He  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Phoebe  (Peterson)  Gray.  The  father 
and  mother  were  natives  of  Ohio,  the  birth  of  the  former  having  occurred  in 
1818,  and  died  in  1868.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  1826  and  her 
death  occurred  in  September,  1876.  They  de\'Oted  their  lives  to  general 
fanning,  and  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  fi\'e  of  whom  are  living, 
namely:  .  Robert  F.,  Thomas  W'.,  James  B.,  Martin  B.,  and  Perry  G. 

Thomas  W.  Gray  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm  and  he  did  his  share  of 
the  general  work  about  the  place.  He  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools.     On  December  23,  1884,  he  was  married  to  Vena  Mahoy,  who  was 


• 


.MIIXTCdMKUV    ((ILNTV,     INDIANA.  1069 

born  December  27.  i8(u  in  tliis  county.  She  is  a  'lauj^lUcr  of  deori^'e  I.vdia 
Daughert}-  Malmy.  1  lere  she  grew  to  wonianlioud  and  iecei\ed  a  ciminiDn 
school  education. 

One  child  was  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  Zola,  who  died  in  iHi)i).  In 
1900  our  subject  took  a  child,  Lois,  to  raise  when  she  was  but  a  tew  months 
old.     She  is  now  attending  school. 

Mr.  Gray  has  devoted  his  life  to  farming  and  has  met  with  a  large 
measure  of  success,  and  he  has  raised  cattle,  including  a  few  short  horns. 
He  has  a  fine  farm  of  tliree  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  all  tillable  but  about 
twenty  acres,  which  is  in  gro\es  and  good  pasture  and  some  timber.  The 
place  is  fairly  well  tiled  and  otherwise  well  improved,  and  a  good  set  of  build- 
ings is  to  Ije  seen  on  the  land.  He  has  made  these  improvements  himself  and 
has  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  county. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Republican  and  elected  a  meml>er  of  the  advisory 
board  in  1910  and  he  has  held  the  office  to  the  present  time,  and  has  been  very 
successful  in  discharging  the  duties  of  the  ])lace  in  a  manner  that  has  won  the 
high  esteem  and  trust  of  all  concerned.  He  is  a  man  who,  while  laboring  for 
his  own  advancement  delights  to  see  the  condition  of  his  neighbors  improve 
and  the  general  upbuilding  of  the  county. 


JOHN  O.  ROSEB.\UM. 

Montgomery  county  is  fortunate  in  having  within  her  borders  a  large 
number  of  professional  men  of  a  high  order,  among  whom  consistently  ap- 
pears the  name  of  John  O.  Rosebaum,  one  of  the  \ounger  leaders  of  the  bar, 
who  maintains  an  office  in  the  town  of  Waveland,  in  connection  with  his  ex- 
tensive business  life,  fire  and  accident  insurance,  and  in  whicii  ])art  ot  the 
county  he  is  a  leader  in  political  affairs.  He  is  widel\  known  throughout 
this  section  and  is  rapidly  forging  to  tlie  front,  being  a  man  of  energy, 
strong  mental,  honorable  impulses  and  a  ])leasant  ])ersouality.  lie  enjoys 
the  good  will  and  respect  of  all  who  know  Inm  and  we  ])re(hct  a  bright  future 
in  his  special  fields  of  endea\dr. 

Mr.  Rosebaum  was  born  on  June  2.  1S74.  in  I'.oone  county,  Imliana, 
and  he  is  a  son  of  B.  F.  and  Sarah  E.  Osborne)  Rosebaum.  'I  lie  lather 
was  born  on  March  9.  1833,  in  Ohio,  in  which  state  he  grew  to  manboo<l  and 
received  his  educational  training,  and  from  there  he  remo\ed  to  Indiana 
after  his  marriage.     The  mother  oi  our  subject  was  also  a  native  of  Ohio, 


1070  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

her  birth  having  occurred  there  on  February  fi,  1842,  and  there  he  grew  to 
womanhood  and  attended  the  common  schools  in  her  community.  Her  death 
occurred  on  March  13,  1912,  in  Waveland,  Indiana.  B.  F.  Rosebaum  is  still 
living,  making  his  home  at  Waveland,  being  now  advanced  in  years.  He 
devoted  his  active  life  to  agricultural  pursuits  and  stock  raising  and  was 
successful  beyond  the  average  tiller  of  the  soil.  He  has  always  been  known 
as  a  man  of  great  enterprise,  neighborly,  public  spirited  and  scrupulous  hon- 
esty.    He  is  well  known  over  the  county. 

Eight  children  were  born  to  B.  F.  and  Sarah  E.  Rosebaum,  namely : 
Nora  and  Joseph  are  both  deceased ;  Hattie,  who  married  V.  E.  Heart,  is 
living  in  Chicago ;  William  C.  lives  in  Cleveland,  Ohio ;  Albert  is  deceased ; 
John  O.,  of  this  review;  Franklin  L.  is  married  and  lives  in  Detroit.  Michi- 
gan ;  Homer  G.  is  married  and  lives  in  Chicago. 

John  O.  Rosebaum  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  there  as- 
sisted with  the  general  work.  He  received  a  good  common  school  education, 
later  spending  three  years  in  Wabash  College  at  Crawfordsville,  then,  having 
determined  upon  a  legal  career  he  entered  the  Indiana  Law  School,  from 
which  he  w^as  graduated  in  the  year  1898,  having  made  an  excellent  record  in 
that  institution.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Montgomery^  County  Bar  in  1897, 
and  on  March  i8th  of  that  year  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Laila  D.  Acker, 
who  was  born  on  February  21,  1878,  in  Parke  county,  Indiana,  and  from 
there  she  removed  to  Montgomery  county  with  her  parents  when  a  child,  the 
family  locating  in  the  vicinity  of  Waveland.  where  she  grew  to  womanhood 
and  received  her  education.  She  is  a  daughter  of  L.  E.  and  Serena  (Van- 
diver)  Acker,  a  well  known  and  highly  respected  family,  who  became  well 
established  here  through  their  industiT. 

Seven  children  have  been  born  to  J\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Rosebaum,  namely: 
Dwight,  Lois  S.,  Ruth  E.,  Edith  L.,  Loren  Lucille;  John  Franklin,  and 
Maxine  Frances. 

John  O.  Rosebaum  began  life  for  himself  by  teaching  school  in  his  native 
county,  which  he  followed  for  a  period  of  three  years  with  success,  but  he  had 
a  natural  bent  for  the  law-  and  abandoned  the  school  room  for  Blackstone  and 
Kent.  He  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Waveland  and  here  he  has 
remained  to  the  present  time,  building  up  meanwhile  a  very  satisfactory  and 
constantly  growing  clientele,  figuring  prominently  in  the  local  courts  and  he 
has  met  with  pronounced  success.  In  connection  with  his  large  legal  practice 
he  does  an  excellent  business  in  life,  fire  and  accident  insurance,  representing 
a  number  of  the  best  companies  in  the  United  States.     He  is  kept  vers-  busy 


MONTGOMliKY    COLNTV.    !> 


IO7I 


attending  to  his  manifold  duties,  lie  has  acn,n,uh.u-d  valuahh-  |.r„ia-rly  in 
Wavcland.  inckuling  a  substantial  o./y  hmuc  and  an  aiiractnc  rental  pn.,,- 

""'■Vnuernallv.  Mr.  Rosehaum  is  a  ihirty-secnd  .le^vee  Ma-nn.  helonging 
to  the  order  at  Indianapolis,  and  he  is  prominent  in  the  work  ot  the  same. 
He  had  the  honor  of  serving  as  Master  for  two  years,  and  is  Past  Master  (,t 
Waveland  Lodge  No.  300.  He  is  also  Past  Chancellor  of  Rathbone  Lodge. 
Kni-hts  of  Pythias.  Keeper  of  Records  and  Seals  of  the  Knights  ot  Pytlnas. 
and'secretarv  of  Waveland  Lodge.  No.  300,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 
Religiouslv.  he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  long  been  actn  e  ,n  the  ranks,  bemg  a 
power  in  local  affairs  of  his  party,  and  doing  much  l^r  Us  success.  In  i.jofi 
he  was  a  candidate  for  state  senator. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rosebaum  were  in  the  well-rememhered  hre  of  the    Iro- 
quois theater  in  Chicago  in   1903  and  were  very  lucky  to  escaj-e  unmjured 


ARTHUR   R.   SIIOTTS. 

Ouh-  too  frequently  is  it  the  case  that  people  do  not  see  beyond  the  nar- 
row limits  of  their  own  surroundings,  and  items  of  public  and  private  mterest 
are  allowed  to  dnft  mto  the  channel  of  the  lorg,.tleu  past.  Manv  unportant 
facts  connected  whh  the  lives  of  the  early  settlers  nf  Monlg.m.ery  county 
are  irrevocably  lost,  but  a  few  have  been  found  by  careful  research  and  will 
be  appropriately  mentioned  in  this  and  other  sketches  in  this  volume.  One 
of  the  actors  in  this  early  history  and  development  of  this  section  of  the 
Hoosier  state  was  the  honored  father  of  the  gentleman  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  paragraph,  and  from  the  early  day  in  which  he  took  up  his  resi- 
dence here  to  the  present  time  the  name  ShoUs  has  been  well  knoun  and 
highlv  respected. 

\rthur  R.  Shotts  was  born  in  Madison  township.  Montgomery  county. 
Septeml^r  22.  1867.  He  is  a  son  of  An.lrew  and  Nancy  D.  (Severs)  Shotts. 
The  father  was  a  native  of  Virginia  ami  the  mother  was  born  in  Ohio.  The 
father's  birth  occurred  on  March  23.  .SiO.  and  he  died  on  March  9.  1878. 
In  earlv  life  he  came  to  Montgomery  county,  about  1828.  locating  on  a  farm 
on  which  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life;  however,  he  at  first  lived  near  Hams- 
burg  living  for  a  time  on  the  old  William  Henry  Harrison  farm.  His  fam- 
ily consisted  of  eleven  children,  named  as  follows:  John  H.  is  deceased; 
Orin    \  ■  Samuel  U.  is  deceased;  Isaac  P.,  Ira  A.,  Ernest  W.,  Mary  E., 


1072  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

James  X".,  and  William  A.  are  both  deceased;  Andrew  H.,  and  Arthur  R., 
subject  of  this  sketch. 

Our  subject  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  there  worked  hard 
when  a  boy.  He  received  his  early  education  in  the  common  schools,  after 
which  he  took  up  farming  and  is  still  actively  engaged  in  general  and  mixed 
farming  and  stock  raising,  and  has  been  very  successful,  making  a  specialty 
of  short-horn  cattle  and  Duroc- Jersey  hogs. 

Air.  Shotts  married,  on  January  2^,  1891,  Jane  Gushma,  daughter  of 
John  and  Caroline  Gushma,  her  parents  being  early  settlers  of  Tippecanoe 
county. 

Mr.  Shotts  has  no  children,  but  he  is  rearing  a  little  girl.  Politically, 
he  is  a  Democrat,  and  fraternally,  belongs  to  the  Modern  ^\"oodmen  of 
America  at  Linden. 

Our  subject's  father  had  the  hrst  fenced  farm  in  Madison  township. 
Grandfather,  Henry  Shotts,  who  married  Lemina  Garland,  was  born  in  Vir- 
ginia, and  there  spent  most  of  his  earlier  life,  finally  moving  to  Indiana  in  the 
twenties,  and  he  died  in  Montgomery  county. 


MILTON  H.  STUCKEY. 

The  history  of  IMontgomery  county  reveals  the  handiwork  of  many  a 
great  and  noble  soul  who  wrought  heroically  and  unselfishly.  Her  smiling 
fields  and  splendid  homes,  her  high  grade  institutions,  her  happy,  prospering 
people,  speak  volumes  of  someone's  steadfastness  of  purpose,  of  someone's 
strength  of  arm,  courage  of  heart,  activity  of  brain,  of  someone's  sacrifice. 
But  time,  the  grim  obliterator,  before  whose  destroying  fingers  even  the  stub- 
born 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  forget"  then,  this  tribute  to  the 
late  Milton  H.  Stuckey,  for  many  decades  one  of  the  best  known  agricul- 
turists of  Sugar  Creek  township  is  penned.  A  son  of  a  pioneer,  he  himself 
grew  up  amid  pioneer  environment  and  here  he  was  content  to  spend  his  life 
and  he  took  much  interest  in  the  general  upbuilding  of  the  community.  It  is 
the  desire  of  the  biographer  as  it  must  be  of  all  who  knew  him,  that  his  deeds 
and  his  character  be  recorded  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  follow  after.  By 
no  means  rich,  as  mere  worldly  possessions  are,  he  was  rich  in  those  char- 


.•T(;(>Ml■;u^•   a 


'073 


acteristics  that  go  to  make  tlie  loyal,  puhlic-sijirilcd  citizen  ami  h. nKirccl  man 
of  affairs. 

Mr.  Stuckey  was  horn  I'"el)riiary  i().  1S43  '"  Monlgomcrv  lounlv.  Indi- 
ana. He  was  a  .son  of  .\braham  and  Eliza  (Powers)  Stuckey.  The  lather 
was  horn  in  I'ennsylvania.  and  his  death  occurred  in  Warren  county,  Indiana. 
The  mother  was  born  in  Ohio.  They  spent  their  li\cs  on  a  farm  and  came 
to  this  county  when  it  was  just  being  redeemed  from  the  w  ilderness  and  here 
they  established  the  permanent  home  of  the  family  which  ci;)nsiste(l  of  seven 
children,  all  now  deceased. 

Milton  H.  Stuckey  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  in  Sugar  Creek 
township,  and  there  he  worked  hard  when  a  boy.  louring  the  winter  months 
he  attended  the  district  schools.  Early  in  life  he  turned  his  attention  to 
farming  and  stock  raising,  which  he  continued  to  follow  with  satisfactory 
results  all  along  the  line. 

On  July  12,  1866,  :\lr.  Stuckey  married  :\Iary  E.  Smith,  who  was  born 
in  ^fontgomery  county,  Indiana,  on  March  21,  1844.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Nancy  (Goodhart)  Smith,  both  natives  of  Ohio,  the  father  born 
in  1809,  and  died  on  January  4,  1855 ;  the  mother  was  born  in  181 5,  and  died 
August  6,  1910.  They  came  to  this  county  in  an  early  day,  and  here  became 
successful  farmers  and  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives. 

Ten  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stuckey,  all  li\  ing  and  named 
as  follows:  Mrs.  Alice  \^'.  Cook;  Mrs.  Emma  Hampt-on :  Mrs.  Elanora 
Wall:  William  P..:  Wallace:  :Mrs.  Melis.sa  Johnson;  ]\Irs.  Julia  Harris;  Mrs. 
Mary  D.  Crow;  Warner  L.,  born  September  17,  1885  on  the  old  home  place 
in  this  count)-,  on  which  farm  he  still  lives,  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion, and  on  September  11.  191 1  he  married  Mary  E.  Blake.  She  was  born 
in  Grant  county,  Indiana,  January  2^.  1893,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Charles  and 
Sarah  B.  (Evans)  Blake.  Warner  L.  Stuckey  and  wife  have  one  child. 
Charles  Arthur,  born  August  26,  191 2.  Wesley  O.  is  the  youngest  child  of 
the  subject  of  this  memoir. 

The  wife  of  our  subject  has  lived  on  the  present  farm  since  .\pril,  1S67. 
The  place  consists  of  one  hundred  and  ninety  acres,  of  valuable  land,  all  till- 
able but  twenty  acres.  It  was  placed  under  a  good  state  of  improxement  by 
Mr.  Stuckey,  who  was  a  hard  worker  and  a  good  manager.  The  twenty 
acres  mentioned  is  in  pasture  and.  all  in  all.  the  farm  is  a  most  desirable  one. 
Politically,  Mr.  Stuckey  was  a  Republican,  but  he  was  not  much  of  a  [tublic 
man,  remaining  quietly  on  his  farm  until  death  summoned  him  fmm  his 
labors  on  Mav  3.  1910.  at  the  age  of  nearly  sixty-five  years. 
C68)  ' 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


WILLIAM  WINTER  WASHBURN. 


One  of  the  successful  and  well  known  business  men  of  Crawfordsville 
and  one  of  her  worthiest  native  sons  is  William  Winter  Washburn,  the  scion 
of  a  sterling  old  family  that  figured  more  or  less  prominently  in  the  early- 
day  affairs  of  the  locality.  He  is  a  man  who  has  succeeded  in  the  \arious 
lines  of  endeavor  which  have  claimed  his  attention  because  he  has  looked 
carefully  to  details,  has  exercised  sound  judgment  and  been  uniformly  fair 
in  his  dealings  with  his  fellow  men,  consequently  he  has  ever  enjoyed  their 
implicit  confidence  and  good  will  and  he  is  in  every  way  deserving  of  the 
position  he  has  attained  as  a  citizen  of  Montgomery  county.  He  is  vice- 
president  and  director  of  the  Citizens  National  Bank  of  Crawfordsville. 

Mr.  Washburn  was  born  near  New  Richmond,  Montgomery  county, 
Indiana,  January  i,  1864.  He  is  a  .^on  of  Cieorge  W.  and  Louise  J.  (Whet- 
stone) Washburn,  both  now  tleceased,  the  father's  death  having  occurred  at 
New  Richmond  in  1905.  the  mother  having  preceiled  him  to  the  grave  in 
1900. 

\\illiam  W.  Washburn  recei\ed  a  good  common  school  education,  later 
taking  a  course  in  Wabash  College,  where  he  made  a  good  record.  After 
leaving  school  he  traveled  for  some  time,  then  took  a  position  in  the  Corn 
Exchange  Bank  in  New  Richmond,  as  vice-president,  afterwards  becoming 
president  of  that  institution.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  that  bank, 
and  its  growth  and  success  were  due  for  the  most  part  to  his  able  manage- 
ment and  wise  foresight  and  under  his  direction  it  became  one  of  the  sound 
and  popular  institutions  of  this  section  of  the  Wabash  \-alley.  He  remained 
with  that  institution  until  1906,  when,  seeking  a  larger  field  for  the  exercise 
of  his  business  talent,  he  remo\'ed  to  Crawfordsville,  and  became  \'ice-presi- 
dent  and  director  of  the  Citizens  National  Bank,  which  position  he  has  con- 
tinued to  hold  to  the  present  time  to  the  eminent  satisfaction  of  all  con- 
cerned, and  he  is  universally  recognized  as  one  of  the  substantial  and  in- 
fluential men  in  financial  circles  in  Montgomery  county.  He  is  also  engaged 
in  the  brokerage  business,  with  offices  in  the  Crawford  Hotel,  and  enjoys  an 
extensive  patronage  in  this  field  of  endeavor. 

Politically,  Mr.  Washburn  is  a  Democrat,  and  while  he  has  never  sought 
political  preferment,  he  has  shown  himself  to  be  deeply  interested  in  the 
welfare  of  his  county.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  is  a 
Knight  Templar,  and  belongs  to  the  Ancient  Arabic  Order  of  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine,  Murat  Temple  at  Indianapolis.     He  is  also  a  member  of  the 


MONTGOMERY    COVNTV.    IN'DIANA.  ' "/ .1 

Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  oi  l.'.lks.  and  ho  belongs  tr,  tbe  l>ln   Delta 
Theta,  a  college  fraternity. 

Mr  Washburn  was  married  on  September  3,  i8S4.  t"  -^l:^')'  '-".i^i^-.  "i 
Crawfordsville,  where  she  was  born,  reared  an<l  educated,  an<l  uliere  lu-r 
familv  has  long  been  well  known  and  highly  esteemed. 

The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Washburn  has  been  graced  by  tiie  bntl,  .>! 
three  children,  namely:  Gould  Engle.  teller  in  the  Citizens  Xat.onal  l>.ank  at 
CrawfordsviUe;  George  Bennet  is  a  freshman  in  W  abasli  College;  \oim 
Beard  is  a  freshman  in  the  higli  school  at  Lrawtordsvilic. 


GRANT  COOK. 

The  old  Buckeye  state  has  sent,  perhaps,  mure  enterprising  settlers  into 
Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  than  any  other  state,  w.th  Kentucky  a  close 
second,  and  thus  we  owe  that  state  a  great  debt  of  grat.tude.  tor  the  n,en  and 
women  who  have  come  fron^  within  her  b„r.lers  have  been  emp>re  Innlders 
and  have  plunged  bravely  mto  the  work  of  redeemn,g  the  wdderness  tart- 
nesses of  the  fair  Wabash  country  unt,l  today  th.s  ,s  one  ot  the  leadu^  agr,- 
cultural  sections  of  the  Middle  ^\•est.  The  Oh.oans  have  been  reck  ned 
courageous,  indomitable  workers,  ne^•er  haltmg  at  any  barrier  no  matter  ho  v 
imposing  or  sinister,  and.  not  only  that  but  they  have  been,  as  a  rule,  people 
of  law-abiding  and  high  moral  n.pulses,  glad  to  contribute  m  any  wa>  to  the 
furtherance  of  civilization  m  the  new  countries  where  they  settlecl  not  bemg 
contented  merelv  to  make  a  livmg  for  themselves  and  families.  Such  people 
are  always  welcome  in  any  community,  for  reasons  too  apparen  to  need 
dwelling  on  here.  One  of  this  number  who  is  deserving  of  special  mention 
in  thes;  pages  is  Grant  Gook,  successful  farmer  of  Sugar  Creek  township. 

Mr  Cook  was  born  at  Clermont,  Ohio,  September  21,  1864.  He  is  a  son 
of  William  Henrv  and  Xancy  ( XX'yatt )  Cook.  The  father  was  born  o,. 
Tanuarv  17  18^3,  in  Ohio,  and  tliere  also  the  mother  was  born.  September  7. 
18^^  'Thev  grew  to  maturitv  in  their  native  state,  received  common  .school 
edu;:ations  and  there  were  married  and  spent  the  earlier  part  of  the  mar- 
ried lives,  finallv  removing  to  Montgomery  county.  Indiana,  where  they  be- 
cause well  established  through  their  industry.  The  father  has  a  ways  l>een  a 
farmer  and  he  is  still  living  in  this  county.  His  wife  died  DecemW  ,  ..1901^ 
Ten  children,  nine  of  whom  are  still  living,  were  born  to  William  Henry 
Cook  and  wife,  namely:    Edward  R.  John  Q.  is  deceased:  Wilham  T..  Eu- 


10/6  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

gene  J.,  Grant  W.,  of  this  sketch;  Everet,  Hattie.  Ellen,  George  H.  and 
Mattie. 

Grant  Cook  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  there  he  worked 
hard  when  a  boy,  assisting  his  father  with  the  general  duties  during  the  crop 
seasons,  and  in  the  winter  months  he  attended  the  common  schools  in  his 
district. 

On  December  ii,  1891,  he  married  Clara  Marsh.  She  was  born  on 
January  26,  1871,  in  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
John  F.  and  Julia  (Peterson)  Marsh.  The  father  was  born  in  the  state  of 
Ohio,  April  13,  1845.  The  mother  was  torn  in  Montgomery  county,  on 
March  2,  1849,  ^"^  her  death  occurred  on  July  28,  1909. 

Eight  children  have  been  bom  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cook,  seven  of  whom 
are  still  living,  namely:  Perry  A.,  Harry  is  deceased;  Mabel,  Roy  and  Ray- 
mond are  twins;  Myrl,  Florence  and  Martha. 

Politically,  Mr.  Cook  is  a  Republican,  but  he  has  never  been  very  active 
in  public  affairs,  preferring  to  devote  his  attention  to  his  home  and  his  fami. 
He  has  never  followed  any  line  of  work  other  than  general  farming  and  stock 
raising.  He  owns  one  hundred  and  two  acres,  all  tillable  with  the  exception  of 
about  ten  acres.  It  is  well  tiled,  well  fenced  and  otherwise  well  improved, 
and  he  has  a  good,  convenient  dwelling  which  he  built  himself.  He  always 
keeps  a  good  grade  of  live  stock. 


WILLIAM  H.  MARTIN. 

To  attain  a  worthy  citizenship  by  a  life  that  is  always  honored  and  re- 
spected even  from  childhood  deserx-es  more  than  mere  mention.  It  is  no 
easy  task  to  resist  the  temptations  of  youth  and  early  manhood  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  some  vigor- 
ous stroke  of  public  policy,  and  even  remain  in  the  hearts  of  friends  and 
neighbors,  but  to  take  such  a  position  by  dint  of  the  practice  of  an  upright 
life  and  without  a  craving  for  exaltation  and  popularity,  is  worthy  the  high- 
est praise  and  commendation.  The  late  ^Villiam  H.  Martin,  one  of  the 
sturdy  citizens  of  Scott  township,  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  who  was  well 
and  favorably  known  throughout  this  community,  was  a  man  respected  and 
honored,  not  because  of  the  vigorous  training  of  his  special  talents,  but  be- 
cause of  his  daily  life,  which  was  a  record  of  real,  true  manhood.     Strong 


MONTGOilF.RV    COUXTV,    INDIANA.  IO77 

and  forceful  in  his  relations  with  liis  iVllou  imn.  \k-  .i;aiiu'il  tho  ^mxl  will  and 
commendation  of  his  associates  and  tliu  ,i;vniTal  public,  omt  retaining;-  iiis 
reputation  among  men  for  integrity  and  high  character,  and  never  losing  that 
dignity  which  is  the  birthright  of  a  gentleman.  He  lived  and  labored  to 
worthy  ends  and  as  one  of  the  sterling  citizens  and  representatixc  men  of 
his  community  during  past  years,  his  nuMiKir}-  merits  a  tril)ute  of  honur  cm  tlio 
pages  of  history. 

William  II.  Martin  was  bdrn  in  Scott  township.  ^Montgomery  county. 
Indiana,  on  Julv  2().  1840.  and  he  was  the  son  of  janics  (irccn  Martin  ami 
wife,  who  are  referred  to  at  length  in  the  sketcli  of  1".  A.  .Martin,  elsewhere  in 
this  work,  and  therefore  need  not  be  mentioned  fully  here.  The  subject's 
early  bo\-hood  was  spent  in  Scott  township,  where  his  father  followed  farm- 
ing and  also  operated  a  saw-mill.  During  his  youth  the  family  removed  to 
Warren  county,  Indiana,  where  they  remained  until  the  death  of  the  parents, 
while  the  subject  was  a  young  man.  Mr.  Martin  then  spent  about  two 
years  with  a  brother  in  Boone  county,  this  state,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
returned  to  Scott  township,  this  county,  and  for  two  years  was  employed  as  a 
farm  hand  by  William  T.  Servies.  whom  he  had  known  from  boyhood.  This 
was  a  fortunate  engagement  for  the  sul)ject.  for  he  also  gained  the  greatest 
boon  that  can  bless  a  man.  namel}-.  a  good  wife,  in  the  person  of  Mary  A. 
Servies,  daughter  of  his  employer  and  to  whom  he  was  married  on  Oecemljer 
30,  1875.  She  was  born  and  reared  in  Scott  townshi])  and  the  two  had 
been  acquaintances  from  childhood.  After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Martin  moved  to  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  9,  where  he  had  bought 
eighty  acres  of  good  land,  and  they  remained  in  this  home  as  long  as  Mr. 
Martin  lived.  He  engaged  in  general  farming,  in  which  he  was  successful 
and  as  he  prospered  he  bought  more  land  until  he  l)ecame  the  owner  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  as  good  land  as  the  township  afforded.  He  was 
energetic  and  industrious,  systematic  in  his  methods,  and  a  good  manager  in 
his  business  affairs,  so  that  he  was  numlx^red  among  the  enterprising  and  sub- 
stantial farmers  of  his  community. 

In  his  political  belief,  Mr.  Martin  was  a  Democrat  and  gave  stanch 
support  to  that  party,  though  he  never  was  a  seeker  after  the  honors  or 
emoluments  of  public  office.  Religiously,  he  was  an  earnest  and  faithful 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  he  was  a  steward  for 
many  years  and  a  trustee  for  a  time.  Fraternally,  he  was  affiliated  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  in  which  he  had  passed  through  all  the  chairs  of  the 
local  lodge,     fie  was  a  man  of  clean  habits,  uprigh.t  life  and  honest  motives. 


1078  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

and  devoted  himself  to  the  interests  of  his  family,  church  and  community. 
He  was  devoted  to  his  home  and  family  and  to  his  children  he  gave  every 
educational  advantage  possible.  Mr.  Martin's  death  occurred  .on  February 
24,  1907.  in  the  fifty-eighth  year  of  his  age,  his  death  being  generally  con- 
sidered a  distinct  loss  to  the  entire  community,  while  to  those  who  knew  him 
best  there  came  a  deep  sense  of  personal  bereavement. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Martin  were  born  the  following  children :  John  T. 
died  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years.  Wallace  B.,  who  lives  near  Linnsburg, 
followed  farming  up  to  1912,  but  is  now  working  at  the  carpenter  trade;  he 
married  Nannie  Miller  and  they  have  three  sons,  Wendell,  Chester  and  Ken- 
neth. Charles  died  in  July,  1903,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years.  Maud  is 
the  wife  of  David  Douglass,  a  farmer  in  the  northern  part  of  Scott  township, 
this  county.  James  William,  who  lives  on  a  farm  three  miles  east  of  Ladoga, 
married  Fern  Corn,  the  daughter  of  Asa  Corn,  and  the}-  have  three  sons, 
^\'illiam,  Russell  and  Rol^ert.  Har\ey  died  in  A])ril,  1910,  when  twenty- 
two  years  old.  Eva  Lou  is  the  wife  of  Harley  Spencer,  who  is  freight  agent 
for  an  interurlian  line  at  Lafayette.  Claude,  who  lives  on  the  home  farm 
with  his  mother,  was  married,  in  .August,  191 2,  to  Ethel  Delano,  daughter  of 
Nathan  S.  Delano. 

Mrs.  Martin  still  manages  the  home  place,  keeping  everything  in  good 
repair  and  not  allowing  the  productive  value  of  the  land  to  run  down.  She 
is  a  woman  of  many  graces  of  head  and  heart  that  have  commended  her  to 
the  friendship  and  esteem  of  all  who  know  her.  She  is  kind  and  considerate 
of  the  needs  of  others,  ever  desiring  the  welfare  and  comfort  of  those  about 
her  rather  than  her  own  pleasure. 


CHARLES  HICKS. 


It  is  gratifying  to  see  the  younger  generation  of  farmers  of  Montgomery 
county  trying  to  improve  the  methods  which  their  grandfathers  employed  in 
tilling  the  soil,  not  that  the  latter  were  not  all  right  in  their  day;  but  condi- 
tions have  changed  and  consequently  a  change  had  to  be  made  in  agricultural 
methods  in  order  to  ge  the  maximum  results  from  the  minimum  expenditure 
of  labor.  It  is  not  necessary  here  to  enumerate  these  changes,  for  they  are 
too  apparent — the  vast  transformation  from  the  country  with  its  far-stretch- 
ing and  wild  forests,  the  new  soil  and  different  climatic  conditions  found  by 
the  pioneers  to  those  found  today.    One  of  the  most  scientific  of  these  younger 


)f  our  \\urtlii(.-sl  ami  hcsl  kii 

own  old   t"am 

ir  industry  and  clean  Ii\  in.;; 

he  has  sou,L;h 

vu.sliip  and  cminty  nn   l'\-l)ni 

lary    17.    1S75 

a  l)n)thcr  .if  .Martin   Hicks, 

whose  sketcl 

tlie  IJicks  ancestry. 

(h1   (in   llic   home    farm.    \\h 

ere   he   helpei 

and  lie  received  a  i^ood  ci 

imnion   scho,i 

.  he  marrietl  Lettie  l)uek\\c 

irth,  dau.^hte' 

uckwurth.      She   was   horn 

in    llendrick 

MOXTGOMEIiV    COUNTV,    IiN|)I.\\.\.  I O79 

tillers  of  the  soil  is  a  scion  of  one  i 
ilies,  whose  good  reputation  hoth  fo 
to  keep  untarnished. 

Mr.  Hicks  was  born  in  this  to\ 
near  where  he  now  resides.  He  is 
on  another  page  of  this  work  gixes 

Charles  Hicks  grew  to  maniiood  on  the  home  farm,  where  he  helped 
with  the  general  work  when  a  hoy.  and  he  received  a  good  common  school 
education.  On  Xo\eniber  _'4.  1897. 
of  James  J.  and  Mary  (Mark)  Due 
county,  this  state,  near  North  Salem.  Her  father  was  from  I'.ath  county, 
Kentucky,  and  came  to  Indiana  with  his  mother,  who  was  a  widow  w  ith  sev- 
eral children.  The  family  estahlished  a  comfortable  home  near  North  Salem, 
where  James  J.  Duckworth  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  engaged  in  general 
fanning.  His  death  occurred  in  North  Salem  on  January  :;.  i(;ii.  at  the 
age  of  se\'enty-six  years,  eight  months  and  fifteen  days.  He  outlived  his 
wife  a  numljer  of  decades,  she  having  passed  away  when  .Mrs.  Hicks  was  a 
small  child.  When  Mrs.  Hicks  was  about  five  years  old  her  father  moved 
into  North  Salem  and  there  she  li\'ed  until  her  marriage  and  attended  the 
schools  there,  passing  through  the  high  school. 

When  Charles  Hicks  was  twenty-one  years  old  he  began  farming  for 
himself.  Up  to  that  time  he  had  farmed  for  his  widowed  mother.  I'pon 
reaching  his  majority  he  began  tending  some  land  of  his  own,  but  continued 
to  reside  with  his  mother  until  his  marriage,  after  which  he  moved  to  a  farm 
he  owned  a  miale  north  of  where  he  now  lives.  Seven  years  later,  having  in  the 
meanwhile  gotten  an  excellent  start,  he  purchased  his  present  home  place  in 
the  east  one-half  of  Section  25  which  joins  his  first  tract  on  the  south,  the 
two  tracts  making  a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  on  which  he  follows  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock  raising  on  a  large  scale.  He  has  brought  his  land  u|) 
to  a  high  state  of  improvement  and  cultivation  through  his  close  application 
and  good  management.  He  has  a  good  set  of  l)uildings  and  an  excellent 
grade  of  livestock  is  always  to  be  fcnind  on  his  place. 

Mr.  Hicks  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  and  he  and  liis  wife  are 
both  members  of  the  Christian  church. 

To  our  subject  and  wife  three  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Herbert 
Cecil,  born  July  25.  1899:  Gladys  Marie,  born  Sei)tember  2.  1903;  and  Har- 
lan Eugene,  born  on  Se])tember  2.  i9i_'. 


I080  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

WILLIAM  FISHER. 

Those  who  know  Wilham  Fisher  well  are  not  surprised  that  he  has  won 
success  at  his  chosen  vocation,  that  of  tihing  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  his  farm  in  Sugar 
Creek  township  in  fine  condition  so  that  its  old-time  richness  of  soil  has  not 
been  depleted  by  the  many  years  of  succeeding  crops  which  are  gathered  in 
abundance  from  his  fields  annually,  and  he  ranks  with  the  foremost  general 
farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  the  northeastern  part  of  the  county  where  the 
Fisher  family  has  long  been  well  and  favorably  known. 

Mr.  Fisher  was  born  in  the  township  and  county  where  he  still  makes  his 
home  on  August  26,  1863.  He  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Nancy  J.  (Corns) 
Fisher.  The  father  was  born  in  Vinton  county,  Ohio,  in  1831.  He  received 
a  common  school  education,  came  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  when  a 
young  man,  and  here  devoted  himself  to  general  farming,  until  his  death  in 
February,  1875.  Politically,  he  was  a  Republican,  but  never  specially  active 
in  public  affairs.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Montgomery 
county,  Indiana,  in  1833,  and  here  grew  to  womanhood,  received  a  common 
school  education  and  spent  her  life  here,  dying  in  1870.  Her  parents  were 
among  the  first  settlers  in  this  county  and  members  of  the  same  have  been 
well  known  here. 

Samuel  Fisher's  family  consisted  of  eight  children,  six  of  whom  are  still 
living.  He  was  twice  married,  and  his  second  wife  was  the  mother  of  our 
subject. 

Until  he  was  eleven  years  old  William  Fisher  spent  his  early  life  on  the 
home  farm  and  there  assisted  with  the  general  work  during  the  crop  seasons 
and  he  attended  the  district  schools  in  the  winter  time.  From  eleven  years 
of  age  up  to  the  time  of  his  marriage,  on  October  3,  1889,  he  was  thrown 
on  his  own  resources,  working  out  as  a  farm  hand  until  he  was  twenty-six 
years  old,  when,  on  December  3,  he  was  married  to  Martha  M.  Waugh,  who 
was  born  in  Sugar  Creek  township,  this  county,  in  1867,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
M.  B.  and  Sarah  (Saulsberry)  Waugh,  a  highly  respected  family.  Here 
Mrs.  Fisher  grew  to  womanhood  and  recei\'ed  her  education  in  the  public 
schools. 

The  union  of  our  subject  and  wife  has  resulted  in  the  birth  of  four  chil- 
dren, namely:  Hallie  P..  born  June  13,   1893,  is  at  home;  Frank  W.,  born 


MoXTCO.MliKV    COLNTV.    I.\  1 1|  A  \  A.  I  o8  1 

March  31,  1895:  Ralph  1!.,  Iwrn  October  7,  18^7:  Lloyd  M.,  Ix.rn  Xovcmbcr 
3,  1902. 

Mr.  Fisher  began  farming  for  himself  when  a  young  man  and  he  has 
continued  this  vocation  through  life  until  today  he  is  very  pleasantly  situated 
on  a  finely  improved  and  productive  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  in 
Sugar  Creek  township,  all  of  which  is  tillable  but  about  forty  acres.  It  has  a 
natural  drainage  and  is  well  suited  for  a  stock  farm,  Mr.  Fisher  having  long 
devoted  considerable  attention  to  raising  a  good  grade  of  live  stock  of  all 
kinds  and  specialized  in  the  Poland  China  breed.  He  has  made  the  improve- 
ments himself  on  this  choice  farm,  and  he  has  one  of  the  best  homes  in  this 
part  of  the  county. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Prohibitionist.  He  bclnngs  to  the  Masonic  Order  at 
Colfax.  He  holds  membership  with  the  Melhodist  Episcopal  church  of 
Potato  Creek. 


WILLIAM  T.  SERVIES. 

The  name  of  William  T.  Servies,  long  since  a  traveler  to  that  "undis- 
covered bourne  from  whence  no  traveler  e"er  returns"  is  worthy  of  perpetua- 
tion on  the  pages  of  history,  for  it  is  a  name  that  stands  for  wliolesome  Ii\ing. 
progressiveness  in  agriculture  and  cleanliness  in  pulilic  affairs,  and  the 
younger  generation  might  do  worse  than  to  pattern  their  future  careers  after 
his:  it  would  mean  to  them  work  with  little  idling  in  the  shade  of  the  tree.s  by 
life's  wayside,  l)nt  it  would  alsu  mean  a  ctmifiirtalile  measure  of  material  suc- 
cess and  what  is  more  to  be  desired — a  good  name  and  irreproachable  char- 
acter. Like  man\'  another  of  the  helpful  ])eo])le  who  came  into  Montgomery 
county  when  it  was  in  its  first  stages  of  develoi)ment  and  here  did  their  full 
share  of  the  further  work  recpiired  to  bring  about  the  desired  transformation 
from  a  wilderness  to  one  of  the  finest  farming  sections  in  the  state.  Mr. 
Servies  hailed  from  the  Blue  Grass  state  across  the  great  river  to  the  south, 
but  nearly  all  his  life  was  spent  here. 

Mr.  Servies  was  born  in  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  March  4,  1831.  He 
was  a  son  of  William  Anderson  Servies  and  Eliza  (Pilcher)  Servies.  The 
family  remained  in  Kentucky  until  the  fall  of  1831  when  they  remo\ed  t(^ 
Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  making  the  tri])  in  wagons.  They  entered 
government  land  in  Brown  township,  probably  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
where  William  A.  Servies  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  Settlers  were  few  when 
thev  arrived  and.  like  the  rest  of  the  new-corner^  the  elder  Servies  wcrkeil 


I082  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

hard  clearing  his  land  and  estabHshing  the  permanent  home  of  the  family, 
but  he  died  when  a  young  man,  thirty-six  years  of  age.  His  first  wife  pre- 
ceded him  to  the  grave,  leaving  five  children  a  number  of  years  before,  and 
he  had  remarried,  and  his  second  wife  survived  him.  The  five  children  re- 
ferred to  were  part  of  a  large  family,  for  four  children  were  born  of  the  sec- 
ond union,  making  nine  children  in  all.  Those  by  the  first  marriage  were 
Mar}',  William,  John,  Julia,  Elizabeth  and  Nancy.  Those  by  the  second 
union  were  James,  Martha,  Martin  and  Ellen. 

William  T.  Servies  was  about  sixteen  years  of  age  when  his  father  died. 
He  began  working  out  at  eight  dollars  per  month  and  did  a  great  deal  of  hard 
work,  such  as  clearing  the  new  land  of  its  great  woods,  splitting  rails  and 
doing  similar  work  for  whoever  would  hire  him  in  this  part  of  the  county. 
He  was  economical,  persistent  and  uncomplaining,  and  so  he  soon  had  a 
start.  On  January  3,  1853,  ^^  married  Nancy  Jones,  daughter  of  John  and 
Phoebe  (Foster)  Jones.  She  was  born  where  she  still  resides  in  the  north- 
west one- fourth  of  section  17,  Scott  township,  Montgomery  county.  Her 
father  was  born  in  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  where  he  lived  until  1828, 
when  he  came  to  this  county  and  was  thus  among  the  early  settlers  here. 
He  entered  from  tlie  government  the  quarter  section  where  Mrs.  Servies 
was  born.  Soon  afterwards  he  and  Phoebe  Foster  were  married.  Their 
first  abode  was  a  miserable  shack,  he  not  having  time  to  build  a  house  until 
he  had  cleared  some  land  and  got  his  crop  for  the  season  out  and  culti\ated ; 
in  fact,  their  first  dwelling  was  a  rail  pen  with  a  temporary  cover  and  their 
table  was  a  goods-box.  They  started  with  practically  nothing,  but  worked 
hard,  were  economical  and  in  due  course  of  time  had  a  good  home  and  a 
fine  farm.  Their  cabin  was  still  standing  when  William  T.  Servies  and  wife 
were  married  and  in  it  the  young  couple  went  to  keeping  house,  this  being 
more  than  twenty-three  years  after  their  parents  had  begun  their  house- 
keeping there.  Mrs.  Servies  was  one  of  five  children  who  grew  up,  and 
having  an  older  sister  who  did  the  work  about  the  house,  Nancy  helped  in 
the  fields  and  was  very  fond  of  the  outdoors.  She  was  much  in  the  company 
of  her  father,  and  remembers  seeing  him  kill  a  hoop-snake  while  it  was 
rolling  along  on  the  ground  like  a  barrel  hoop.  After  the  marriage  of  the 
subject  of  this  memoir  he  began  farming  on  his  father's  place,  Mr.  Jones 
having  been  at  that  time  in  failing  health.  Mrs.  Servies  was  only  fifteen 
years  old  when  she  was  married,  but  notwithstanding  her  youth  she  proved 
an  excellent  helpmeet,  sharing  the  incon\'eniences  of  pioneer  life  with  its 
hardships  and  hard  work  without  a  murmur,  knowing  that  time  would  bring 


MONTdOMKRV    COrXTV.    INDI.WA.  I083 

everything  out  right.  They  worked  together,  consulted  eadi  otlier  on  a!I 
matters  ot  importance  and  prospered  with  achancing  years,  finally  liecom- 
ing  owners  of  six  Inmdred  acres  of  valuable  land  and  for  a  number  of  \ears 
'Sir.  Servies  ranked  as  one  of  the  leading  general  farmers  and  stock  raisers 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  county.  Later  in  life  he  (lev<(ttd  a  great  deal  (if 
time  to  buying  and  shipping  livestock.  Ik-  l)ecanic  one  of  ilic  most  widely 
known  stock  buyers  in  this  locality  and  everybody  liked  him  for  his  Ikuh-sI. 
straightforward  methods  in  dealing  with  his  fellow  men.  lie  had  a  large. 
comfortable  home  and  his  land  was  well  impro\ed. 

Seven  children  were  born  to  William  T.  Servies,  named  as  folhjws: 
John,  who  is  engaged  in  the  insurance  business  in  I'ortland,  Oregon,  mar- 
ried Mary  Peters,  and  they  have  twelve  children  living,  one  .son  having  died 
when  a  young  man;  Henry  D.,  the  present  recorder  of  Montgomery  county, 
is  represented  in  an  individual  sketch  elsewhere  in  this  volume ;  Mary  is  the 
widow  of  William  ^lartin,  deceased,  and  she  lives  in  the  northern  part  of 
Scott  township;  she  has  five  children  living,  three  having  died;  all  the  living 
are  married  and  her  youngest  son,  Claud,  lives  with  her;  .\merica  ]*"..  While, 
fourth  child  of  our  subject,  is  the  widow  of  John  While,  tleceased.  She 
lives  in  New  Market,  this  counlx.  with  lier  only  child,  a  daughter.  Kath- 
arine, anil  she  owns  a  farm  in  Scoll  township.  Charles  Servies  died  in  the 
fall  of  191 1  ;  he  had  married  Mrs.  Emma  (Allen)  Smith,  widow  of  [■'.  A. 
Smith,  deceased,  who  now  lives  on  his  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixteen 
acres  north  of  Lapland.  Maggie  Ser\-ies  married  Albert  Seaman;  they  li\e 
just  north  of  the  old  Servies  homestead  in  Scott  township,  and  ha\e  had 
seven  children,  one  of  whom  is  deceased.  Harne}'.  who  married  Grace 
Landis,  lives  in  the  northern  part  of  Scott  township,  and  the\'  have  four 
children,  three  sons  and  a  daughter. 

Politically.  William  T.  Servies  was  a  Democrat,  and  was  aeli\e  in  the 
ranks ;  howexer,  he  w as  ne\cr  an  office  seeker. 

Mrs.  Servies  is  still  living  on  the  farm  on  which  she  was  born  nearly 
seventy-seven  years  ago.  Here  she  grew  to  wmnanhood  and  she  has  li\ed  lo 
see  many  great  changes  take  place  here  during  the  three-quarters  of  a  cen- 
tury of  b.er  useful  and  praiseworthy  life.  She  has  always  been  known  as  a 
good  neighbor,  kind,  charitable  and  forbearing.  Mr.  Servies  is  also  re- 
membered as  a  generous,  kind-hearted,  upright  gentleman,  who  was  well 
thought  of  by  all.  Although  not  a  member  of  an\-  church,  he  attended  and 
supported  the  Primitive  Baptist  church,  and  bis  honesty  and  morality  were 
so  pronounced  that  others  looked  ui)on  him  as  a  worth}-  example  to  Ije  fol- 


1084  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

lowed.  It  is  said  that  some  tried  to  be  like  him,  but  after  all  there  was  only 
one  \\'illiam  T.  Serxies.  During  their  younger  days  he  was  like  a  father 
to  his  brothers  and  sisters  and  always  looked  well  to  the  comforts  and  gen- 
eral welfare  of  his  own  family.  He  was  called  to  his  eternal  rest  on  October 
22,  i88s. 


SAMUEL  HICKS. 


Deeds  are  thoughts  cr}-stallized,  and  according  to  their  brilliancy  do  we 
judge  the  worth  of  a  man  to  the  country  which  produced  him,  and  in  his 
works  we  expect  to  find  the  true  index  to  his  character.  The  study  of  the 
life  of  the  representative  American  never  fails  to  offer  much  of  pleasing  inter- 
est and  valuable  instruction,  developing  a  mastering  of  expedients  w'hich  has 
brought  about  most  wonderful  results.  The  subject  of  this  review  is  a  worthy 
representative  of  that  type  of  American  character  and  of  that  progressive 
spirit  which  promotes  public  good  in  advancing  individual  prosperity  and  con- 
serving popular  interests.  Members  of  the  Hicks  family  have  long  been 
prominently  identified  with  the  affairs  of  Montgomery  county,  and  while 
their  endeavors  along  material  lines  have  brought  them  success  they  have  also 
advanced  the  general  welfare  by  accelerating  industrial  activity. 

Samuel  Hicks,  one  of  the  prosperous  and  modern  agriculturists  and  stock 
men  of  Clark  township,  was  born  in  this  township  and  county  on  December 
5,  1856.  He  is  a  son  of  Preston  and  Martha  A.  Hicks,  a  complete  sketch  of 
whom,  containing  the  early  history  of  the  family,  is  to  be  found  on  other  pages 
of  this  work,  hence  will  not  be  necessary  to  repeat  here. 

Samuel  Hicks  grew  to  manhood  on  the  old  homestead  in  Clark  township 
and  there  assisted  with  the  general  work  when  a  young  man  during  the  crop 
seasons,  attending  the  common  schools  in  the  wintertime,  not  leaving  the 
parental  roof  until  he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age.  On  January  2,  1881  he 
married  Elizabeth  Payne,  daughter  of  John  F.  and  Mary  Ellen  (Dinsmore) 
Payne.  She  was  born  in  Boone  county,  Indiana.  Her  father  was  born  and 
reared  near  Paris,  Kentucky,  and  he  was  a  son  of  John  and  Cassandra 
(Hughes)  Payne.  His  boyhood  was  spent  in  Kentucky  and  he  came  to  Indi- 
ana when  young,  locating  in  Boone  county.  Mary  Ellen  Dinsmore  was  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  Dinsmore.  She  was  bom  in  Boone  county, 
this  state,  where  her  parents  were  early  settlers.  Mrs.  Hicks  lived  in  Hen- 
dricks county  until  she  was  sixteen  years  old.  Her  mother  died  when  the 
girl  was  five  years  old.     When  she  was  sixteen  years  old  her  father  brought 


SAMUEL  HICKS 


MONTGOMERY    COUXTY,    INDIAXA. 


1085 


lier  to  Clark  township.  Montgomery  county  and  liere  slie  grew  to  wonianhood 
and  was  educated  and  married.  Her  father  moved  to  Virginia,  later  Tennessee, 
and  spent  the  last  ten  years  of  his  life  in  the  South.  His  death  occurred  in 
Tennessee  on  December  10,  191J.  fie  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war  in  the 
Tenth  Indiana  \^olunteer  Infantry,  with  which  he  saw  considerable  bard 
service.     He  was  wounded  at  Atlanta,  Georgia. 

After  his  marriage  Samuel  Hicks  went  to  farming  on  one  of  his  father's 
farms.  He  had  already  been  farming  on  the  shares.  He  inherited  some 
land  from  his  father  and  bought  more  and  now  owns  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
nine  acres,  having  sold  forty  acres  recently.  He  has  brought  his  land  up  to 
a  high  .state  of  cultivation  and  improvement  and  has  been  verv  successful  as  a 
general  farmer  and  stock  raiser.  In  the  fall  of  1R99  he  completed  a  band- 
some  residence  on  his  farm  in  Section  35  and  Section  3(1. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hicks  are  members  of  the  Chri.stian  church.  Thev  are 
the  parents  of  eight  children,  namely :  Letha,  Ernest,  Maude,  Agnes,  Merle, 
Lida,  Hazel  and  Brewer.  Letha  married  Fred  Chadd  and  they  live  in  Hen- 
dricks county,  just  across  the  Montgomery  county  line,  east  of  Ladoga,  and 
they  have  one  daughter,  Gail.  Ernest  Hicks  married  Bertha  Henry  and  they 
live  in  Hendricks  county,  also,  a  mile  northeast  of  his  sister,  Mrs.  Chadd,  and 
he  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  Nomian  and  Lois.  Maude 
Hicks  married  Lee  Huckstep  and  they  live  northeast  of  their  parents  alx)ut  a 
mile,  on  part  of  the  old  Hicks  homestead :  they  have  one  child,  a  son,  Hubert. 
The  other  five  children  of  our  subject  and  wife  are  all  at  home  with  their 
parents. 


JAMES  M.   CARTI'R. 


Scott  township,  Montgomery  county,  can  boast  nt  no  l)ettcr  farmer  tiian 
James  M.  Carter,  widely  known  and  highly  respected  as  one  ni  the  most 
energetic,  self-reliant  and  enterprising  citizens  of  the  eastern  ])art  of  the 
county.  He  has  for  many  years  Ijeen  intini;Uei\-  associated  with  the  best 
interests  and  upward  progress  of  his  neighborliood.  and  to  his  personal  in- 
fluence and  efforts  are  due  many  of  valuable  and  ])ermanent  improvements  of 
the  locality.  One  of  the  older  .settlers,  he  has  not  only  l)een  an  eye  witne.ss 
of  part  of  the  wonderful  growth  and  development  of  bis  adopted  county  but 
has  actively  participated  in  the  changing  scenes  and  has  accunndated  a  valu- 
able store  of  historical  reminiscence. 

Mr.   Carter  was  born   in    I'utnam   county,    Indiana,   on    Se[)teml>er    14, 


I086  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

1840.  He  is  a  son  of  Othias  and  Artimessia  (Grimes)  Carter.  The  fatiier 
was  born  in  Mason  county,  Kentucky,  February  8,  1804,  and  his  death  oc- 
curred in  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  on  February  15,  1870.  The  mother 
of  our  subject  was  born  in  Bath  county,  Kentucky,  February  2,  1806.  Thev 
grew  up  in  the  Blue  Grass  state,  received  such  educational  advantages  as  the 
early  schools  of  the  county  afforded  and  there  they  were  married,  removing 
the  same  year  to  Monroe  county,  Indiana,  making  the  trip  in  a  two-wheeled 
cart  drawn  by  a  yoke  of  oxen.  They  bought  a  farm  in  Monroe  county  and 
lived  there  until  1839,  when  they  moved  to  Russell  township,  Putnam  county, 
where  they  bought  the  farm  on  which  James  M.  Carter  was  born.  Only  a 
small  portion  of  the  place  had  been  cleared,  and  after  our  subject  was  large 
enough  to  work  he  helped  clear  the  rest  of  the  land,  but  he  spent  a  part  of 
the  winter  months  in  the  neighboring  scliools.  The  family  remained  there 
until  1862,  then  sold  out  and  moved  into  the  southwest  part  of  Scott  town- 
ship, one-half  mile  west  of  Parkersburg,  and  here  the  parents  spent  the  rest 
of  their  lives.  Ten  children  were  bora  to  them,  an  equal  number  of  sons 
and  daughters,  namely :  Nancy  married  Enoch  Railsback,  and  lived  most  of 
her  life  in  Scott  township;  Elizabeth,  who  remained  unmarried,  died  when 
nearly  eighty  years  old,  in  the  winter  of  1911-12;  William  Simpson  died  in 
Missouri  when  about  seventy  years  old,  lea\ing  a  wife  and  three  sons; 
Daniel  Thomas  lived  in  Scott  township  until  his  death,  in  May,  1906,  leaving 
a  widow,  who  is  now  living  in  Russellville.  Indiana;  Lucinda,  widow  of  John 
Railsback,  deceased,  and  she  now  lives  in  New  Mexico;  Parmelia  married 
William  Evennan.  and  they  are  both  now  deceased ;  John  Edward  lived  in 
Putnam  county,  and  later  in  life  near  Parkersburg,  this  county,  and  he  is 
survived  by  one  grandson.  Otto  Fowler,  of  Waveland;  James  M.,  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Lucretia,  who  married  Abraham  Fink,  lives  on  the  old  Carter 
homestead,  a  half  mile  west  of  Parkersburg;  Eli,  the  youngest  child,  li\-es  in 
Putnam  county,  near  Bainbridge. 

James  M.  Carter  grew  to  manhood  on  the  old  home  place  in  Putnam 
county,  and  lived  there  until  1862,  when  he  removed  with  his  parents  to 
Montgomery  county,  the  family  locating  near  Parkersburg.  He  was  married 
on  November  16,  1863,  to  Sarah  Frances  Warbritton,  daughter  of  Peter  and 
Phoebe  (Nelson)  Warbritton.  She  was  born  in  the  center  part  of  Scott 
township,  where  the  Warbritton  brothers  now  live.  Her  father  was  born 
in  Virginia,  but  went  to  Kentucky  when  quite  young,  and  they  came  to 
Montgomerv  count}-,  Indiana,  from  Bath  county,  Kentucky,  in  pioneer  times. 
They  entered  land  from  the  government  as  least  as  early  as  1829,  when  the 


M()NTc;OMKRY    COUNTY.    INDIANA.  I087 

county  was  just  being  settled,  and  lie  took  his  part  in  the  Ino-nillings  ;md  nther 
pioneer  e\ents,  and  Mr.  W'arbritton  worketl  as  hard  as  e\er  man  diil  in 
clearing  and  developing  his  land,  lie  later  told  frei|uently  cit  the  varions 
wild  animals  he  saw  here  and  how  the  wohes  disturbed  his  nightly  slumber. 
Mrs.  Carter,  who  was  born  in  1840,  recalls  that  e\eu  in  her  day  a  bear  was 
killed  not  far  from  their  home. 

Phoebe  Nelson  was  jjorn  in  Kentucky,  ami  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Anna  Nelson,  also  pioneers  of  Scott  township.  Peter  WarbriUdu  and 
wife  lived  the  rest  of  their  lives  on  the  farm  they  entered  from  the  govern- 
ment. Thirteen  children  were  born  to  them,  all  of  whom  grew  to  maturity. 
and  all  but  four  are  still  living.  They  were  named  as  follows:  .Martha 
Jane,  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  George  E.  Grimes,  also  deceasetl :  Sanniel 
W'arbritton,  of  New  Market,  this  county ;  John  lives  in  Garnett,  Kansas ; 
Reuben  lives  in  Sedalia,  Missouri:  Charles  lives  near  Moody,  .\rkansas: 
Henr\'  lives  at  Raccoon  in  Putnam  county,  Indiana:  S;irah  I'rances,  wife  of 
James  M.  Carter,  our  subject:  Andrew  lives  on  the  old  home  place  in  the 
central  part  of  Scott  township:  Anna,  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  Joseph 
Lenover,  of  Danville,  Illinois;  Cynthis  Ann,  deceased,  remained  unmarried, 
lived  on  the  old  home  place  and  died  when  about  thirty-four  years  old ;  Daniel 
lives  on  the  old  homestead,  his  wife,  Nancy  L.,  dying  some  time  ago,  leaving 
one  daughter.  Tola  \\'orthing1on :  Mahala  <lied  soon  after  her  marriage  ti> 
George  Taylor:  George  W'arbritton.  who  married  Lyda  Tattock.  lives  on  the 
old  home  place. 

Two  children  were  Ixjrn  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carter,  namely:  Robert 
Sherman  Carter,  who  died  on  Octo])er  11.  187^),  at  the  age  of  elexen  vears : 
and  another  son  that  died  in  infancy,  unnamed. 

After  James  M.  Carter  married  he  rented  part  of  his  father's  farm  and 
farmed  there  about  ten  years,  getting  a  good  start.  He  then  mo\ed  to  Mis- 
souri and  engaged  in  farming  in  that  state  for  one  year.  He  then  returned 
to  this  county  in  1870  and  purchased  eighty  acres.  Section  20,  this  farm 
being  located  near  Lapland.  The  land  was  timbered,  but  he  cleared  it  in  due 
course  of  time,  after  a  great  deal  of  very  hard  work.  But  being  a  man  of 
courage  he  never  gave  over  the  task  until  he  had  developed  a  good  farm  and 
established  a  comfortable  home  in  which  he  has  now  been  residing  for  forty 
years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carter  both  belong  to  the  Primitive  Baptist  church,  hold- 
ing their  membership  in  the  Indian  Creek  church.  The\-  are  regardeil  as 
excellent  people  by  their  neighbors,  being  liked  and  trusted  by  all  who  know 
them. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


MARTIN  HICKS. 


To  such  gentlemen  as  Martin  Hicks,  well  known  agriculturist  and  stock 
raiser  of  Ladoga,  Montgomer}-  county,  is  the  locality  of  which  this  volume 
treats  indebted  for  its  high  rank  as  a  farming  section,  its  prestige  and  high 
standing  as  a  rich  and  fine  developed  community.  Mr.  Hicks  is  an  adept  at 
farming,  and  has  one  of  the  best  managed  and  most  orderly  farms  in  his 
township.  He  is  known  to  his  neighbors  as  a  man  of  sensible  views  and 
sound  convictions  on  all  subjects  with  which  he  is  conversant,  and,  taking  a 
great  interest  in  the  general  development  of  his  community  while  he  is  labor- 
ing for  his  individual  advancement,  he  has  won  and  retained  the  respect  and 
good  will  of  all  who  know  him. 

Mr.  Hicks  was  born  in  Clark  township,  this  county,  on  August  29,  1862, 
and  is  a  son  of  Preston  and  Martha  A.  (Utterback)  Hicks.  The  father  was 
born  two  miles  east  of  Russell ville,  Indiana,  on  June  28,  1830,  and  was  a  son 
of  Thomas  Jefiferson  Hicks  and  Lucinda  (Ragsdale)  Hicks.  These  parents 
came  to  the  state  of  Indiana  from  Kentucky  in  pioneer  times,  prior  to  the  year 
1830.  Probably  about  1828  they  entered  government  land  in  section  25, 
Clark  township,  Montgomery  county,  and  on  this  they  set  to  work  to  estab- 
lish the  family  home  and  develop  a  farm,  but  the  elder  Hicks'  work  was  in- 
terrupted by  death,  which  overtook  him  a  few  years  later.  His  widow  sur- 
vived him  just  fifty  years,  having  spent  all  that  half  century  on  the  home 
farm.  Three  children  were  born  to  them,  namely:  Eliza,,  who  married 
Gabriel  Davidson;  Preston  and  Samuel  S. 

Preston  Hicks  grew  up  on  the  home  farm.  His  first  start  for  himself 
was  on  forty  acres  of  land  which  he  bought  from  Silas  Davidson  in  the  west 
side  of  section  25,  Clark  township.  He  went  in  debt  for  the  same,  but  work- 
ing hard  and  managing  well,  he  succeeded  in  paying  it  out  in  due  time,  and 
purchased  additional  land  from  time  to  time  until  he  became  the  owner  of 
fifteen  hundred  acres  and  was  one  of  the  most  extensive  farmers  and  sub- 
stantial citizens  of  his  township.  He  followed  general  farming  and  stock 
raising  all  his  life.  He  was  very  successful  from  a  financial  standpoint,  and 
was  a  stockholder  in  the  Bank  of  Ladoga  and  also  in  the  Ladoga  Electric  Light 
plant.  Politicallv,  he  was  a  Democrat  all  his  life  and  was  a  loyal  supporter 
of  the  party.  Religiously,  he  belonged  to  the  Christian  church.  He  was  an 
excellent  financier,  prudent  and  thrifty,  far-sighted,  bought  land  when  it  was 
cheap  and  improved  it  well,  assisted  by  a  large  family  of  children.  He  was  a 
public-spirited  man,  progressive  in  his  ideas  and  took  a  great  interest  in  the 


MARTIN  HICKS 


MOXTGO.MERV    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1 089 

good  of  the  conimunily  fur  whicli  lif  did  much  in  varitnis  ways,  l)eing  always 
ready  to  assist  in  any  movement  for  the  good  of  those  concerned. 

He  married  Alartlia  A.  L'tterback,  a  daughter  of  \rartin  and  Elizabeth 
(McDowell)  Utterback. 

]\lartin  Utterback  was  a  native  of  \Mrginia,  born  in  the  Old  Dmninion 
in  December,  179S,  and  was  a  son  of  Henry  and  Tabitha  (IMcl^owell)  Utter- 
back. When  Martin  was  young  the  family  moved  to  Henry  county,  Ken- 
tucky, where  his  parents  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives,  dying  when  their  children 
were  young  and  they  were  all  bound  out,  Martin  having  been  boimd  out  to 
learn  the  carpenter's  trade.  There  he  grew  to  manhood  and  married  Eliza- 
beth McDowell.  It  was  in  1830  that  they  removed  to  Montgomery  county, 
Indiana,  locating  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Clark  township,  near  the  south 
corner  of  the  county.  In  1831  Mr.  Utterback  entered  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  from  the  government  in  that  locality  and  in  1832  moved  thereon.  It 
was  totally  unimprox'ed,  wild  and  presenting  a  discouraging  prospect,  but  be 
was  a  man  of  true  pioneer  courage  and  grit,  and  he  went  to  work  with  a  w  ill. 
soon  having  part  of  it  cleared  and  improved.  In  connection  with  farming  he 
worked  some  as  a  carpenter,  and  reared  his  family  here.  He  worked  at  his 
trade  before  there  were  any  saw  mills  in  this  locality.  Such  lumber  as  there 
was,  being  riveted  out.  He  was  an  elder  in  the  Christian  church,  of  which 
his  wife  was  also  a  member. 

Preston  Hicks  and  wife  became  the  parents  of  twelve  children  uf  whum 
two  died  in  infancy;  Jesse,  died  when  about  fourteen  years  old:  ^lary  Etta, 
died  when  nineteen  years  old;  MeHssa,  married  Harrison  Britton  and  lived 
near  her  old  home  and  died  early  in  December,  1885,  leaving  one  child,  Grace 
A.,  now  the  wife  of  \\'alter  Harris,  of  Ladoga;  the  seven  living  children  are 
William,  who  lives  in  Boone  county,  five  miles  north  of  Pittsboro ;  Samuel, 
lives  near  the  old  home  in  Clark  township,  this  county;  Martin,  subject  of  this 
sketch:  Henry  A.,  lives  in  Denver,  Colorado;  Thomas  J.,  resides  near  the  old 
homestead  in  Clark  township,  also  Robert  F.  and  Charles  also. 

The  father  of  the  above  named  children  died  February  J7,  i8(;5,  when 
nearly  sixty-five  years  old,  his  widow  surviving  him  seventeen  years,  passing 
away  on  October  9,  1912  when  past  seventy-seven  years  of  age.  She^had  been 
a  member  of  the  Christian  church  since  she  was  sixteen  years  of  age.  She 
was  greatly  interested  in  church  work,  and  she  lived  her  religiim  every  day. 
was  good  to  her  family,  sparing  no  pains  to  rear  her  cliildren  in  the  proper 
way. 

Martin  Hicks,  of  this  sketch,  grew  up  on  the  hnnie  farm  and  he  received 
(69) 


logo  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

a  common  school  education.  In  1884  when  twenty-two  years  old  he  married 
Arnetta  Peck,  daughter  of  Samuel  C.  and  America  (Logan)  Peck,  and  a 
grand  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Maria  (Lane)  Peck,  who  came  from  near 
Lexington,  Kentuck\-,  and  located  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Clark  township, 
Montgomery  county,  near  the  Putnam  county  line,  and  there  entered  land 
from  the  government.  America  Logan  was  a  daughter  of  James  and  Jemima 
(Vorhees)  Logan.  The  grandmother  was  related  to  the  great  criminal  law- 
yer and  United  States  senator,  Daniel  Vorhees.  The  Logan  family  came 
from  near  Logansport,  Indiana,  to  Hendricks  county,  locating  near  the  Mont- 
gomery county  line,  just  across  from  Clark  township,  before  the  Civil  war.  It 
was  in  that  county  that  Mrs.  Hicks  grew  to  womanhood  and  received  a  com- 
mon school  education. 

Martin  Hicks  has  devoted  liis  life  to  general  farming  and  stock  raising. 
He  has  been  very  successful  and  is  now  owner  of  a  finely  improved  and  valu- 
able farm  of  two  hundred  and  ninety-six  acres  in  the  home  place  and  also 
other  good  farms  in  Clark  township.  He  has  a  pleasant  and  attractive  home 
and  everything  about  his  place  denotes  good  management,  thrift  and  prosperity. 
After  his  marriage  he  spent  one  year  in  Boone  county,  then  removed  to  the 
farm  where  his  wife  was  born  in  Hendricks  county  and  lived  there  about 
twelve  years,  or  until  1897,  when  he  moved  to  his  present  farm  a  mile  and  a 
half  south  of  Ladoga.  He  is  a  progressive  and  scientific  farmer,  keeps  all 
kinds  of  improved  fanning  implements  and  an  excellent  grade  of  li\e  stock 
is  always  to  be  seen  in  his  fields,  and  large  barns. 

Our  subject  and  wife  are  members  of  the  church  of  Christ.  They  are 
the  parents  of  four  children,  namely  Otis  C.  who  married  Viva  Goslin,  lives 
in  Scott  township  near  his  father,  and  he  and  his  wife  have  one  child,  Geneva 
Florence ;  Jesse  H.  married  Julia  Edith  Osborne,  a  native  of  Peterson,  Iowa, 
and  they  have  one  daughter,  Ethel  Arnetta.  Jesse  lives  on  part  of  his  father's 
farm.  Forest  L.,  third  child  of  Martin  Hicks  and  wife,  is  at  home  with  his 
parents,  as  is  also  the  youngest  child,  Ewell -Vernon  Hicks, 


THOMAS  E.  HUSTON. 

One  of  the  molders  of  public  opinion  in  Montgomery  county  and  one 
of  the  most  public-spirited  and  influential  as  well  as  representative  citizens  of 
the  same  is  Thomas  E.  Huston,  the  able  and  popular  editor  and  publisher  of 
the  JJ'azrlaiid  Iiuicpciufcuf.  and  he  has  shown  himself  to  be  a  man  of  fine 
mentality  and  enterprise  and  at  the  same  time  is  a  straightforward  and  unas- 


MONTGOMKKV    CUrNTV.     IX  1)1  AN  A.  IO9I 

Sinning  gentleman  wlmm  lo  know  is  tn  csiccni  and  accunl  (.'^itn-  ri-s|)ccl.  lii' 
has  shown  hi-nisell'  at  all  times  to  be  in  liearty  sym])atli\  -w  itli  the  ik-Nclopnient 
of  this  locality  and  willing  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  enconrage  the  same. 

Mr.  Hnston  was  born  on  February  12.  1863.  at  Lafonte.  Madison 
county,  Indiana,  and  he  is  a  son  of  Thomas  Scott  Huston  and  Olive  1.. 
(Gibson)  Huston,  both  natives  of  Indiana.  The  father  was  a  carpenter  by 
trade,  which  he  followed  successfully  all  his  life,  lie  was  a  soldier  for  the 
Union  during  the  C'i\il  war,  serving  in  Company  K.  Twelfth  liidi.uia  X'oluii- 
teer  Infantry,  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  llis  death  occurred  .at  (irand  Junc- 
tion. Tennessee,  llis  faniil\-  consisted  of  two  children.  n;imel\  :  ( )ra  I... 
who  is  deceased:  and  Thomas  ]•'...  of  this  sketch. 

Mr.  Huston,  our  subject,  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  .Madi- 
son county,  then  entereil  a  Normal  school  at  Danxillc,  Indian.a,  where  he 
studied  for  a  period  of  three  years,  then  became  de])Uty  surveyor  of  Dela- 
ware county,  which  iX)sition  he  occupied  with  credit  for  a  period  of  four 
years,  after  which  he  took  up  photography  at  Cannelton,  Indiana,  which  he 
followed  with  success  for  a  period  of  seven  years,  then  turned  his  attention 
to  the  newspaper  field  and  ])urcliased  the  JJ'ai'claiui  Indcpcudciit.  and  is  still 
actixelv  engaged  in  the  publication  of  the  saiue.  ha\ing  rcmo\ed  to  Wax-e- 
land, and  here  he  has  become  one  of  oiu-  leading  citizens.  He  has  made  a 
great  success  and  has  im])roved  the  paper  in  every  way.  editorially  and  fmm 
a  mechanical  standpoint,  and  it  has  proven  to  be  a  valuable  medium  for  ad- 
vertisers. 

While  taking  much  interest  in  the  public  affairs  of  his  county.  Mr.  Hus- 
ton is  not  acti\e  politically.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  meiuber  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  the  Modern  Woodmen 
of  .\merica.     Religiously,  he  is  a  meml>er  of  the  Christian  church.  Disciple. 

Mr.  Hu.ston  is  a  pleasing  gentleman  to  meet  and  is  deservedly  ])opular 
with  the  people  of  his  locality. 


JOllX  WIL1.1.\M    MILLF.R. 

Very  often  it  is  greatly  to  the  advantage  of  the  farmer's  boy  that,  in- 
stead of  rushing  off  to  some  town  to  become  a  poor  grocery  clerk  or  emjjloye 
of  a  dirty  machine  shop,  he  remains  in  the  kxrality  where  he  was  brought  up 
and  where  he  knows  what  is  necessary  to  make  an  honest  living.  He  knows 
when  and  how  to  seed  and  harvest  his  crops,  and  knows  what  is  necessary 


1092  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY.    INDIANA. 

to  insure  success  in  the  rearing  and  sale  of  li\estock.  If  he  leaves  for  the 
town  he  must  learn  another  business  and  enter  into  competition  with  men 
who  have  grown  up  in  the  business  which  he  must  acquire.  He  is  thus,  as  a 
rule,  at  a  great  disadvantage.  This  is  said  for  the  benefit  of  the  boys  who 
have  a  start  in  farm  business,  who,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  had  better 
remain  right  where  they  are  if  they  want  insured  to  them  a  happy,  healthy, 
respectable  old  age.  One  of  the  progressive  farmers  of  Clark  township, 
Montgomery  county,  who  has  been  contented  to  remain  in  the  section  of  the 
state  of -his  nativity  and  devote  himself  to  the  line  of  endeavor  with  which 
he  was  most  familiar  is  John  William  ISIiller,  and  one  would  judge  from  his 
excellent  farm  and  pleasant  home  that  he  has  been  wise  in  following  this 
course. 

Mr.  Miller  was  born  east  of  Roachdale,  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  June 
2,  1854.  He  is  a  son  of  Harvey  and  Mary  E.  (Perkins)  Miller.  Harvey 
Miller  was  born  in  Kentucky,  probably  in  Shelby  county,  December  3,  1827, 
was  a  son  of  James  and  Nancy  (Lee)  Miller,  both  natives  of  Virginia. 
They  mo\ed  to  Montgomery  count}',  Indiana,  when  Han'ey  Miller  was  three 
years  old,  in  183 1.  They  settled  in  the  south  side  of  Clark  township  along 
the  county  line  of  Putnam  county,  and  entered  eight}'  acres  in  section  33, 
and  eighty  acres  in  section  34,  adjoining.  They  cleared  and  improved  this 
property  and  kept  it,  and  there  established  their  permanent  home.  When 
they  first  located  there  they  had  to  live  in  a  rail-pen  until  they  could  build  a 
log  cabin.  All  the  back  part  of  their  land  was  then  under  water,  and  they 
began  developing  the  higher  land  first.  James  Miller  was  twice  married, 
Harvey  Miller  being  one  of  fourteen  children  born  of  the  first  marriage, 
and  there  were  se\en  children  of  the  second  marriage.  James  Miller's  first 
wife  died  here  on  the  Miller  homestead.  His  scond  wife  was  named  Eliza- 
beth Kinder  in  her  maidenhood,  who  also  died  here. 

James  Miller  was  born  March  14,  1801,  and  on  October  5,  1825,  he 
married  Nancy  Lee.  She  was  born  April  12,  1804,  and  her  death  occurred 
on  January  5,  1844.  To  them  fourteen  children  were  born,  as  above  inti- 
mated. On  March  22,  1849,  he  and  Elizabeth  Kinder  were  married.  Her 
death  occurred  on  January  13,  1S64.  and  James  Miller  passed  away  on  May 
12,  1 87 1.  By  trade  he  was  a  carpenter  and  cabinet  maker,  an  expert,  one 
of  the  best  in  his  day. 

Harvey  Miller  was  a  life-long  farmer.  He  married  Mary  E.  Perkins, 
who  was  born  and  reared  in  Jackson  township,  Putnam  county,  and  was  a 
daughter  of  \Villiam  and  Patience   (Glen)    Perkins,   who  came   from   Ken- 


MOXTGOMKRY    COLNTV.    INDIANA.  I O93 

tucky  and  settled  in  tlie  northern  part  ut  Putnain  county  in  an  early  day. 
Har\ey  Miller  fanned  in  Jackson  township  until  about  1865,  then  bought 
his  father's  farm,  moving  thereto  and  operating  the  same  a  number  of  years. 

In  the  early  eighties  Harvey  Miller  moved  to  Ladoga,  Montgomery 
countv.  It  was  on  May  29,  185 1.  that  he  and  Mary  E.  Perkins  were  mar- 
ried. To  them  six  children  were  born,  namely:  Jeremiah  P..  Jolm  William, 
Martha  Frances,  James  Willard,  Cora  Ellen  and  Jennie  F. ;  they  are  all  de- 
ceased but  Jeremiah  and  John  W.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  June 
3,  1896.  On  September  22,  1901,  Harvey  Miller  married  Mrs.  Mary  A. 
Markey.  His  death  occurred  on  April  4.  1912.  He  was  a  meml>er  of  the 
Baptist  church  from  early  life,  but  later  in  life  joined  the  Christian  church, 
in  which  he  was  a  faithful  and  earnest  worker  as  long  as  his  health  per- 
mitted. He  was  past  eighty-four  years  old  when  summoned  from  his  earthly 
labors,  was  widely  known  and  highly  respected,  and  while  he  was  able  to  do 
so  he  took  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  conmumity  and  heiiied 
wherever  help  was  needed. 

Tohn  W.  Miller,  the  immediate  subject  of  the  skelch.  was  fnurteen  years 
old  when  his  parents  moved  to  Montgomery  county  from  Putnam  count)-, 
and  here  he  grew  to  manhood  and  helped  with  the  work  on  the  place.  On 
September  3,  1874,  he  married  Sarah  Catherine  Gregory,  daughter  of  An- 
derson and  Amanda  (McDaniel)  Gregory.  She  was  born  in  Clark  town- 
ship, this  county,  her  parents  having  come  here  from  Kentucky,  while  they 
were  young  and  unmarried,  each  coming  with  their  parents  and  tlie.se 
families  settled  in  Putnam  county,  where  the  p;irents  of  our  subject's  wife 
grew  to  maturity  and  were  married,  and  later  the\-  moved  intij  Montgomery 
countv.  locating  their  home  in  Clark  township,  and  here  her  fatlicr's  deatli 
occurred  in  1873.  Her  mother  is  li\iiig  in  Roachdale.  being  now  advanced 
in  years. 

After  the  marriage  of  our  subject  he  began  farming  two  miles  east  of 
his  old  home  in  the  south  side  of  Clark  town.ship.  His  wife  heired  fifty- 
three  acres  and  he  bought  forty  acres  adjoining  it,  and  lived  there  until 
1886,  then  moved  to  North  Salem  and  remained  there  until  1893,  engaged  in 
the  horse  business,  and  kept  fine  stallions,  among  the  most  noted  having 
been  "Cambus  Kenneth"  and  "Ravenstein."  lx)lh  registered  trotting  stock. 
He  remained  in  this  business  twenty-five  years  and  became  widely  known 
throughout  the  country,  and  most  of  that  time  he  also  carried  on  general 
farming.  Leaving  North  Salem  in  1893  he  returned  to  iiis  farm,  as  it  de- 
manded his  personal  attention.     He  li\ed  there  until   1901.  then  nioxed  to  the 


1094  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY^    INDIANA. 

old  Miller  homestead,  where  he  lias  since  resided.  Although  he  made  money 
in  the  horse  business,  he  has  of  recent  years  given  his  attention  to  general 
farming  and  stock  raising.  He  owns  the  original  homestead  that  was 
entered  by  his  grandfather,  which  place  has  never  been  out  of  the  Miller 
family.  He  also  owns  eighty  acres  joining  on  the  west,  which  he  bought  in 
June,  1910.  About  1903  he  cleared  fifty-five  acres  of  the  north  part  of  his 
farm,  and  it  is  now  his  best  land.  His  finely  improved  farm  of  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres,  is  all  tillable  and  under  a  fine  state  of  cultivation.  He  has  a 
fine  home  and  numerous  substantial  outbuildings.  It  is  called  the  "Golden 
Rule"  stock  farm. 

Three  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  Miller  and  wife,  namely :  Carl 
F.,  born  October  24,  1877,  on  the  farm  where  his  father  first  went  to  house- 
keeping, remained  on  that  place  until  he  was  married  to  Bertha  Smith.  He 
was' living  there  at  the  time  he  was  married,  and  although  away  part  of  the 
time,  died  there  on  March  12,  1910,  leaving  a  widow  and  two  children. 
Catherine  Rose  and  John  Clifford  Miller.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church  and  also  of  the  Masonic  Order.  Bertha  E.  Miller,  second  child  of 
our  subject  and  wife,  married  Le'te  Rogers,  and  they  live  in  Jackson  town- 
ship, Putnam  county,  and  have  t\vo  daughters,  Nina  E.  and  Mary  Catherine. 
Edgar  Franklin  Miller,  third  child  of  our  subject  and  wife,  was  born  March 
29,  1887,  married  Flossie  Routh,  and  they  live  on  the  west  eighty  of  our 
subject's  farm.  They  have  two  cliiklren.  Benjamin  Franklin  and  William 
Robert. 

John  W.  Miller  and  wife  both  belong  to  the  Christian  church,  as  do 
also  their  children. 

Personally,  Mr.  Miller  is  a  man  whose  word  has  ever  been  regarded  as 
good  as  his  or  anyone's  bond.  He  is  courteous,  genial  and  obliging  and  is 
liked  b\'  all  who  know  him. 


JAMES  MONROE  HESTER. 

To  the  people  of  Scott  township  and  the  southern  part  of  Montgomery 
county  the  name  of  James  Monroe  Hester  needs  no  introduction,  for  here 
he  has  spent. his  long,  useful  and  honorable  life  and  is  one  of  the  best  known 
general  agriculturists  in  the  locality,  where  he  has  lived  to  see  and  take  part 
in  many  momentous  changes  and  where  he  has  been  content  to  labor  and 
take  the  usual  vicissitudes  of  the  years,  appreciating  the  good  and  not  com- 
plaining at  the  bad,  and  through  it  all  keeping  the  evaa  tenor  of  his  way  and 
setting  a  worthv  example  for  his  family  and  the  younger  generation. 


MONTCOMKUV    COINTV,     INDIANA.  1(1<>5 

Mr.  ilcsler  was  burn  in  Scull  inwiishii),  lliis  conntv,  Anj^iist  i_^.  1N44. 
He  is  a  son  of  Adani  and  Ann  M.  (  \  aii/andl )  Hester,  who  canie  licrc  fmin 
I'leminfj  county,  Kentucky,  almul  iSjS  ur  1830,  locating  first  in  i'ulnani 
ciiunly.  jusl  across  the  line  frnni  .Monti;(inicry  cnunty.  Three  or  lour  years 
later  the  elder  Hester  niu\ed  liis  taniily  across  the  line  into  Scott  town>inii, 
Montt;'oniery  county,  huyiu!;-  a  farm  near  the  soiuhwestern  corner  ol"  the 
township,  anil  there  established  the  pcruianenl  home  of  the  family,  and  there 
James  M.,  our  subject,  was  born,  he  beini;-  one  of  live  sons  and  four  daui^'h- 
ters.  of  which  famil_\-  one  son  and  one  daut^hter  died  in  infancy.  (  )in'  >ub- 
ject  was  about  twenty  years  old  when  his  mother  died,  and  after  one  of  his 
sisters  married  he  made  his  iiome  with  her.  He  received  such  educational 
advantages  as  the  schools  of  his  time  afforded.  In  1875  '^^  married  Lucy 
Iiads.  daughter  of  James  Wiley  Eads  and  Elizabeth  (.Martin)  I-.ad--.  Site 
was  born  and  reared  in  Brown  township,  this  county,  where  her  ])arenis  had 
settled  in  an  early  day.  liaxing  come  here  from  Shelbyx  ille,  Kentucky,  .\ftcr 
his  marriage  Mr.  Hester  renteil  land  and  farmed  in  this  way  for  a  ])eriod  of 
thirteen  years,  during  which  he  got  a  good  start,  having  remained  in  I'.mwn 
township  all  the  while.  He  then  luoved  into  Scott  towiisbii).  where  he  has 
since  resided,  antl  he  now  owns  a  finely  ini])ro\ed  and  valuable  farm  of  jiis 
own  along  the  (ireencastle  and  L'raw  ford>\  ille  road,  a  mile  north  of  I'arkers- 
burg. 

Four  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Hester,  namely:  Stella 
Mav,  the  eldest,  is  at  home  with  her  jiarents :  Charles  Wallace,  who  i>  farming 
near  Lapland,  married  Vermelia  Hampton,  and  they  have  one  daughter.  .\u- 
tumn:  Fdmer  is  represented  in  this  work  in  a  separate  sketch;  IJllie  lllanche 
married  .\rch  Stilwell.  and  they  live  a  short  distance  north  of  her  parents. 
and  have  twn  children.  Xornia  D.  and  Thomas. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hester  belong  to  the  Christian  church,  and  politically,  he 
is  a  Republican. 

Adam  Hester  settled  near  Parkersburg  aw.ay  back  in  the  days  of  the 
first  settlers  in  Montgomery  county.  Before  the  days  of  ]>ike  ro.ads  ;nid 
trains  he  hauled  lime  to  Crawfordsx'ille  with  oxen,  wliicli  lime  was  used  in 
the  building  of  the  first  court  house  of  the  county,  or  more  jjroperly  the  lirst 
after  the  original  log  court  house,  lie  also  hauled  lime  to  Lebanon.  WJu-n 
he  came  here  the  Cornstalk  Indians  were  still  living  along  the  creek  bearing 
that  name. 

Ann  Mann  \anZandt.  mother  of  our  subject,  was  a  daughter  of  .\aron 
VanZandt  and  wife,     .\aron  X'anZandt  and  his  two  sisters  owned  an  en<ir- 


1096  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

mous  quantity  of  land,  now  a  part  of  the  city  tjf  Philadelphia.  He  removed 
to  Kentucky  and  they  leased  the  land  for  a  period  of  ninety-nine  _\-ears.  This 
land  has  now  been  turned  over  to  the  heirs,  who  are  probably  all  descendants 
of  Aaron  V'anZandt,  whose  children  were  Mar)-,  who  married  Moses  Bridges, 
of  Filmore ;  Mandy,  who  married  Anthony  Bowen,  of  Maysville,  Indiana ; 
another  daughter,  probably  Jane,  married  a  Hillgoss  at  Rush\ille,  Indiana ; ; 
also  Bennett,  who  is  believed  to  have  remained  near  Shelby  ville,  Indiana : 
John  lived  near  Fleiningsburg,  Kentucky ;  Isaiah  was  a  hotel  keeper  at 
Elizabethville  for  manv  vears  in  the  earlv  davs. 


WILLIAM  L.  ANDERSON. 

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  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  prin- 
ciples and  see  them  become  exemplary  citizens.  William  L.  Anderson,  one  of 
Montgomer}-  county's  progressive  agriculturists  and  public-spirited  men  of 
affairs,  was  fortunate  in  having  broad-minded,  honest  and  painstaking  parents. 
He  was  taught  from  the  start  the  duties  of  life,  not  ordinary  instruction,  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.     He  is  a  talented  minister  and  versatile  writer,  also. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  bom  in  Brown  county,  Indiana,  on  July  15,  1847,  but 
nearly  all  of  his  life  has  been  spent  in  Montgomery  county  whither  his  parents 
removed  with  him  in  1849,  locating  on  the  farm  where  our  subject  now  lives 
in  Section  7,  Clark  township,  having  conducted  the  Ladoga  Gardens  for  many 
years  with  great  success. 

He  is  a  son  of  Madison  B.  and  Salome  (Harshbarger)  Anderson.  The 
father  was  a  farmer  and  manufacturer  of  molasses  near  Ladoga.  He  was 
born  in  Montgomery  county,  Virginia,  September  2,  1822  and  was  a  son  of 
Joseph  and  Christina  (Britts)  Anderson.  In  1837  the  family  removed  from 
the  Old  Dominion  to  Morgan  county,  Indiana.  When  twenty-one  years  of 
age  Madison  B.  Anderson  started  in  life  for  himself  and  came  to  Montgomery 
county  in  1844,  he  and  Salome  Harshbarger  marrying  the  same  year.  She 
was  bom  in  Virginia  in  1824,  and  came  with  her  parents,  Jacob  and  Salome 
Harshbarger,  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  in  1831.     In  1857  when  sugar 


WII>I>IA.M     L.    ANDP^RSON 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  IO97 

cane  was  first  introduced  here,  Madison  B.  Anderson  was  one  of  the  first  to 
engage  in  the  manufacture  of  molasses.  He  experimented  a  great  deal  and 
greatly  improved  tlie  method  of  manufacture.  He  was  an  energetic  man  and 
spent  mucli  time  and  money  in  improving  his  processes,  and,  owing  to  the 
superior  quality  of  his  products,  they  were  always  in  great  demand. 

The  early  education  of  William  L.  .Anderson  was  obtained  in  tlie  Ladoga 
Seminary  and  Academy,  and  in  1869  he  entered  Kentucky  University,  where 
he  remained  until  1871,  making  an  excellent  record  for  scholarship.  In  1872 
he  entered  Meadville  Theological  School  in  Pennsylvania,  from  which  institu- 
tion he  was  graduated  in  1874.  Following  his  graduation  he  was  for  two 
years  tutor  in  Latin  and  Greek  in  the  last  named  school,  and  at  the  same  time 
he  had  charge  of  the  church  at  Milledgeville  and  also  that  of  Oil  Citv.  He 
had  united  with  the  Christian  church  in  18C6  and  Ijegan  preaching  the  follow- 
ing year.  Having  completed  his  college  work  he  I>ecame  pastor  of  the  church 
at  Aurora,  Ohio,  after  which  he  preached  for  the  church  at  Bedford.  Ohio. 

Having  concluded  to  combine  preaching  and  teaching,  he  retiu-ncd  to 
Ladoga,  Indiana,  and  attended  the  Indiana  Central  Normal  and  Business  Col- 
lege, from  which  he  was  graduated.  He  then  taught  two  years  in  the  Ladoga 
public  schools  and  was  elected  principal,  but  accepted  the  position  of  superin- 
tendent of  the  township  schools  at  New  Winchester,  Indiana.  In  1880,  he 
became  pastor  of  the  church  of  his  denomination  in  Greenfield,  Indiana.  .At 
the  close  of  this  ministry,  he  decided  to  secure  a  fixed  home,  that  he  might 
train  and  educate  his  children?  and  ever  since  that  time  he  has  resided  on  his 
fine  farm  adjoining  Ladoga,  where  school  facilities  are  good.  .As  a  minister 
he  was  very  successful,  being  an  able  theological  scholar,  an  earnest,  logical, 
and  not  infrequently  truly  eloquent  pulpit  orator,  and  he  greatly  strengthened 
the  churches  where  he  was  pastor  and  was  popular  with  the  various  congrega- 
tions he  served. 

IMr.  Anderson  has  made  a  success  of  gardening  and  has  built  up  a  busi- 
ness known  and  patronized  for  miles  around.  .At  the  same  time  he  has  en- 
gaged extensively  in  preaching,  lecturing  and  writing  for  various  periodicals. 
One  of  his  most  popular  lectures  is  entitled,  "Historical  Evidences  of  the 
Truths  of  the  Bible."  It  has  been  widely  quoted  and  eulogized.  He  has 
written  a  small  work  on  "Divorce  and  Remarriage,"  which  has  lieen  widely 
circulated,  which  he  has  heard  from  not  only  from  coast  to  coast  in  his  own 
country,  but  also  from  Africa.  Two  of  his  books  have  recently  come  from 
the  press,  "The  History  of  Ladoga  and  \'icinity"  and  the  "History  of  the 
Harshbargers." 


lOQb  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Mr.  Anderson  is  an  ardent  Prohibitionist  and  has  been  twice  nominated 
for  the  legislature  on  that  ticket.  He  has  been  frequently  employed  by  that 
party  in  campaign  work  and  has  canyassed  several  counties  in  the  state.  In 
the  various  organizations  formed  by  the  farmers  of  his  county  some  years 
ago  he  took  active  part  and  was  chairman  of  the  joint  committees  of  those 
organizations.  Great  interest  was  aroused  and  much  accomplished.  He  has 
been  a  champion  of  every  progressive  movement  in  his  age  in  which  he  has 
always  been  aggressive.  He  is  considered  by  some  as  radical  if  not  fanatical, 
however,  the  majority  of  people  praise  him  for  the  great  good  he  is  ac- 
complishing. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  married  in  1874  to  Ora  Johnson,  a  lady  of  culture 
and  refinement,  and  to  this  union  five  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Anna,- 
AUie,  Angle,  Paul  and  Harry.  They  are  all  well  educated,  having  passed 
through  high  school  and  taken  college  work  also.  For  many  years  Anna 
has  taught  in  the  South  and  at  present  is  connected  with  the  Southern  Chris- 
tian Institute,  in  charge  of  the  mathematical  department,  at  Edwards,  Missis- 
sippi. Allie,  after  leaving  business  college,  took  a  position  with  the  Phelps 
Publishing  Company  in  Massachusetts.  She  now  has  a  business  of  her  own 
and  occupies  an  office  in  the  Board  of  Trade  Building  at  Indianapolis.  After 
teaching  some  years  Angle  married  William  Lee,  then  superintendent  of 
schools  in  New  Haven,  Indiana.  She  now  resides  at  Markle,  this  state.  The 
two  sons  have  been  connected  with  \'arious  educational  institutions  in  the 
United  States.  They  have  been  employed  by  the  government  at  different 
times  as  experts  in  botanical  research.  At  present  Paul  is  connected  with 
Cornell  University,  at  Ithaca,  New  York ;  and  Harry  is  with  Wabash  College, 
at  Crawfordsville,  Indiana.  Paul  was  sent  by  Cornell  University  to  investi- 
gate the  effect  of  fumes  and  dust  from  cement  mills  on  the  great  orchards 
in  New  York  that  were  being  ruined  by  the  many  cement  mills  nearby.  Paul's 
investigations  proved  that  the  dust  and  fumes  were  injurious,  then  taught  the 
mill  men  how  to  collect  the  dust  and  make  a  valuable  by-product  of  it.  He 
was  later  sent  to  Pennsylvania  to  investigate  the  blight  that  was  killing  the 
chestnut  timber  of  that  state,  a  valuable  natural  resource.  His  brother  Harry 
was  one  of  his  assistants.  He  made  a  thorough  and  widespread  investigation, 
extending  into  many  states,  and  succeeded  in  finding  the  remedy.  Both  Paul 
and  Harry  are  experts  in  their  lines  and  are  quoted  as  authority  on  the  sub- 
jects they  handle.  Harry  from  infancy  has  evidenced  absorbing  interest  in 
nature  study,  collecting  and  classifying  moths  and  butterflies,  also  Indian 
relics  and  other  things  found  in  the  great  outdoors. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  IO99 

William  L.  Anderson  is  known  as  an  accurate  and  thorough  inxestigator, 
much  interested  in  the  general  welfare  of  humanity,  aggressive  for  the  right, 
fearlessly  championing  the  right  even  if  he  should  stand  alone.  He  is  kind 
and  considerate  of  others,  generous,  obliging  and  courteous  and  is  popular 
with  all  who  know  him.  He  owns  thirty-two  acres  of  land  which  he  culti- 
vates as  a  garden. 

JOHN  D.   HOLLAND. 

A  well  known  merchant  and  business  man  of  Waveland,  Montgomery 
county,  is  John  D.  Holland.  His  earnestness  of  purpose  and  intense  desire  to 
li\e  in  accord  with  his  highest  ideals  of  right,  has  had  no  little  influence  in 
moulding  the  lives  and  character  of  those  with  whom  he  was  associated,  and 
his  career  as  a  busy  and  successful  man  of  affairs  is  absolutely  blameless  in 
the  community  where  he  has  so  long  lived  and  acted  his  part.  As  a  citizen 
he  commands  great  esteem,  and  it  is  a  tribute  well  deserxed  to  class  liim 
with  the  representative  men  of  this  section  of  the  count}-.  Being  at  the  x-cry 
meridian  of  life,  with  vigorous  physical  powers  and  mental  attributes  of  no 
mean  order,  he  bids  fair  to  reach  the  advanced  age  nf  his  father  and  con- 
tinue to  be  in  the  future  as  he  has  been  in  the  past — a  puwer  for  good  in  the 
communit}-. 

Mr.  Holland  was  born  in  Brown  township.  Montgomery  county,  April 
10,  1879.  He  is  a  son  of  Joseph  O.  and  Nancy  Elizabeth  (Smith)  Holland. 
The  father  was  born  in  Xew  York  City,  and  the  mother  was  a  native  of 
Indiana.  The  father  came  to  Lidiana  in  1864  and  settled  near  Parkersburg, 
where  he  was  married,  later  moving  near  New  Market,  Montgomery  county. 

Our  subject's  grandfather,  John  Holland,  came  to  the  LInited  States 
from  England  as  a  stowaway,  at  the  age  of  twelve  years.  He  was  a  sailor  bv 
profession.  He  established  liis  home  in  New  ^'(Mk  Cit\-  antl  he  followed  the 
sea  until  a  bale  of  cotton  fell  on  him  in  i860.     His  death  occurred  in   iSoi. 

Joseph  O.  Holland's  family  consisted  of  four  children,  namely:  John 
D..  of  this  sketch:  William  Allen  lives  in  Oregon:  Ira  J.  lives  in  Roaclidale, 
Indiana;  Ida  May  married  William  Shure.  of  Roaclidale.  Indiana,  and  tliev 
have  two  children. 

John  D.  Holland  grew  to  manhood  on  tlie  home  farm  in  I'.rown  town- 
ship and  received  a  common  school  education.  In  1900  he  married  Bertha 
May  Purcell,  daughter  of  James  R.  Purcell  and  wife.  Mrs.  Holland's  death 
occurred  in   1905  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight  years,  leaving  three  children, 


IIOO  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

namely:  George  M.,  born  December  i8,  1901 ;  Joseph  E.,  born  in  April, 
1904;  and  John  Bert,  born  in  April,  1905. 

Mr.  Holland  first  took  up  fanning,  later  following  blacksniithing, 
then  began  huckstering,  then  clerked  in  a  store.  When  he  first  came  to 
Waveland  he  entered  the  poultry  business  in  1895,  and  in  1897  opened  a 
grocery  and  notion  store,  later  taking  up  the  general  mercantile  business,  in 
which  he  is  still  active,  carrying  a  large  stock  of  goods  usually  found  in  such 
stores  and  enjoying  an  extensive  trade  with  the  surrounding  country. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  belongs  to  the  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  No.  300,  at  Waveland,  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  No. 
9589,  at  \\'aveland.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 


TOHN  S.  BAKER. 


It  is  a  pleasure  to  place  on  the  pages  of  history  the  life  record,  however 
brief  and  unsatisfactory,  of  such  a  man  as  the  late  John  S.  Baker,  who  was 
one  of  the  courageous  pioneers  of  this  locality  and  who  labored  here  through 
a  long  life  of  successful  endeavor,  during  which  he  not  only  advanced  his  own 
interests  but  also  those  of  the  community  in  general,  for  he  was  one  of  those 
neighborly,  unselfish  and  hospitable  gentlemen  who  delighted  in  seeing  others 
progress,  and  he  was  so  honest  that  those  coming  in  contact  with  him  need 
not  be  told  of  the  fact,  it  was  apparent  in  all  his  dealings  and  relations  with 
his  fellow  men. 

Mr.  Baker  was  born  in  Kentucky,  which  state  furnished  more  enter- 
prising settlers  to  Montgomery  county  than  any  other,  the  date  of  his  birth 
being  December  8,  1827.  He  was  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Patsy  (Sparks)  Baker. 
The  father  was  born  on  February  5,  1801,  and  the  mother's  birth  occurred 
on  March  30,  1802.  Isaac  Baker  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  where  he  grew 
to  manhood  and  remained  until  1830,  when  he  removed  to  Montgomery 
county,  Indiana,  with  his  family,  when  his  son,  John  S.,  of  this  memoir,  was 
three  years  old.  The  family  located  in  Clark  township,  entering  land  from 
the  government.  Mrs.  Baker  now  lives  in  New  Ross.  The  elder  Baker  was 
a  typical  pioneer,  and  he  did  the  usual  amount  of  hard  work  clearing  and  de- 
veloping his  land.  His  family  consisted  of  two  children,  John  S.,  of  this 
memoir;  and  Jonas,  deceased. 

John  S.  Baker  grew  to  manhood  on  the  old  homestead  in  Clark  town- 
ship, and  there  he  found  plenty  of  hard  work  to  do,  like  all  pioneer  children. 


JOHN   S.   BAKEU 


MOXTGOMICKV    COUXTV,    INDIANA.  IIOI 

He  received  a  iDeager  education  in  llie  early  schools  of  his  daw  and  when  a 
young  man  took  up  farming,  which  he  continued  all  his  life,  making  a  com- 
fortable living  for  his  family,  leaving  eighty  acres  of  excellent  and  jiroductive 
land  in  Clark  township,  which  his  widow  rents. 

]Mr.  Baker  was  married  on  June  12.  1851,  to  Lucinda  t'lark,  daughter  of 
Willis  and  Hannah  (Jones)  Clark.  Her  father  was  born  in  Kentucky,  where 
he  grew  to  manhood,  and  there  married.  He  moved  with  his  family  to 
Putnam  county,  Indiana,  when  his  daughter,  Lucinda,  was  six  months  old, 
and  later  they  came  to  Montgomery  county  and  established  their  permanent 
home  in  Clark  township,  where  Mr.  Clark  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  a 
hard-working,  honest  man,  whom  his  neighbors  respected,  and  he  followed 
farming  all  his  life.  He  was  a  Democrat  and  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church.  His  family  was  a  large  one,  consisting  of  sixteen  children,  namely : 
Joseph  J.,  the  oldest;  William  T.,  Milton,  Nathan,  James  M.,  Benjamin, 
Winifred,  Oliver,  John,  Francis  M.  are  all  deceased;  Lucinda,  who  married 
Mr.  Baker,  of  this  review;  Sidney  J.,  Susan  C,  are  both  deceased;  Alexander 
C.  is  living;  Mary  is  deceased;  Fanny,  the  youngest,  is  living. 

Eight  children  were  born  to  John  S.  Baker  and  wife,  namely :  Winifred 
is  deceased;  Harriet  E.  is  living  at  home  with  her  mother;  Emma,  Martha 
H.,  George,  are  all  deceased;  Mary  A.  is  the  wife  of  Walter  Canine;  William 
is  deceased ;  and  the  youngest  died  in  infancy,  unnamed. 

The  death  of  John  S.  Baker  occurred  on  June  12,  1897. 


ISRAEL  HARRISON  WHITE. 

Tlie  true  western  spirit  of  progress  and  enterprise  is  strikingly  exempli- 
fied in  the  lives  of  such  men  as  Israel  Harrison  White,  one  of  Montgomery 
county's  honored  native  sons,  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  determination  and  won  for  himself  not  only  a  comfortable 
competency,  together  with  one  of  the  very  choice  farms  of  Scott  township, 
but  also  a  prominent  place  among  the  enterprising  men  of  this  favored  sec- 
tion of  the  great  Wabash  Valley  country,  and  now  in  the  mellow  autunui 
period  of  his  life  this  venerable  citizen  can  Inok  l)ackward  (i\er  the  l')ng 
stretch  of  weary  years  witliout  regret  or  conipunctiim.  Such  a  man  is  a 
credit  to  anv  communitv.     His  life  forciblv  illustrates  what  energv  and  con- 


I  102  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

secutive  effort  can  accomplish  when  directed  and  controlled  In-  correct  prin- 
ciples and  high  moral  resohes,  and  no  man  is  worthier  of  mention  in  a 
volume  of  the  province  of  the  one  in  hand  and  of  the  material  success  he  has 
achieved  and  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held. 

Mr.  White  was  born  in  section  9,  Scott  township,  Montgomery  county, 
March  17,  1839.  He  is  a  son  of  William  S.  and  Amy  (Watkins)  White. 
The  father  was  born  in  Greene  county,  Ohio,  not  far  from  the  city  of  Day- 
ton, on  March  6,  1817,  being  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  (Blair) 

White.  About  1833  the  family  came  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  when 
William  S.  White  was  sixteen  years  old,  and  here  Benjamin  White  bought  a 
farm  about  two  miles  southeast  of  Ladoga.  There  they  established  their 
permanent  home,  developed  a  good  farm  and  became  well  known.  They 
worked  hard,  clearing  the  land  of  its  virgin  growth  of  timber  and  finally 
had  one  of  the  choice  farms  of  the  township.  Their  family  consisted  of 
twelve  children,  named  as  follows :  Mrs.  Eliza  Kelsey,  William,  John, 
James,  Mrs.  Hannah  Imel,  Mrs.  Elmira  Elrod,  Mrs.  Charlotte  Smith,  Benja- 
min F.,  Thomas,  and  two  who  died  in  infancy  unnamed. 

Benjamin  White,  the  father  of  this  family,  was  the  owner  of  half  a 
section  of  land.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  as  was  also  his  sons.  He  and 
his  family  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  he  was  a 
licensed  exhorter  and  class  leader  in  the  church  in  his  earlier  years. 

When  William  S.  W^hite  was  about  nineteen  years  old  he  married  Amy 
Watkins,  daughter  of  George  and  Rebecca  (Kelly)  Watkins.  She  was  born 
near  Dayton,  Ohio,  and  her  people  moved  here  at  the  same  time  the  White 
family  came,  a  number  of  them  coming  together.  The  Watkins  family  set- 
tled in  Section  3,  Scott  township,  and  there  made  their  home  until  1864. 
There  were  also  twelve  children  in  this  family,  namely :  Mrs.  Betsy  Harri- 
son, Mrs.  Amy  White,  Atchison,  Mrs.  Jane  Custer,  Mrs.  Sarah  Mills,  Will- 
iam, Russell,  Mrs.  Rebecca  Ann  Barnett,  Daniel  K.,  and  three  other  children 
who  died  young.  The  Watkins  family  were  also  active  workers  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  here  in  the  early  days.  George  Watkins  was  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  1812. 

William  S.  White,  father  of  Israel  H.  White,  had  nothing  of  this 
world's  good  at  the  time  of  his  marriage,  but  his  wife  and  a  knowledge  of 
the  carpenter's  trade.  He  went  in  debt  for  one  hundred  dollar's  worth  of 
tools,  and  started  out  on  his  career  in  Ladoga.  Their  dining-room  table  was 
a  dry-goods  box.  He  was  an  earnest,  hard  worker  and  finally  succeeded. 
He  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  in  the  northeast  one- fourth  of  Section  9,  in 


MONTGOMKRV    COUNTY.    INDIANA.  II03 

Scott  township.  Xot  a  tree  had  1)een  cleared  from  tlie  hiud.  lie  went  lo 
work  with  a  will,  cleared  the  ground  and  developed  a  good  farm,  cstahlisli- 
ing  a  comfortable  home  there.  He  prospered  and  bought  more  land  until 
he  became  the  owner  of  about  four  liundred  and  fifty  acres  nf  g(»i(l  land. 
He  gave  up  carpenter  work  years  before,  although  he  was  a  very  able  man 
at  framing  with  heavy  timbers,  bridge  work,  etc..  and  many  of  the  old  ])arns 
are  still  storm  proof  by  reason  of  the  substantial  and  skilful  \\a>-  be  built 
them. 

He,  too,  was  the  father  of  twelve  children,  as  bad  been  his  father  and 
his  wife's  father.  They  were  named  as  follows:  Mrs.  Mary  Rebecca  (iar- 
man,  deceased:  Israel  H.,  subject  of  this  sketch;  Benjamin  F.,  who  died 
during  the  Civil  war  w  bile  in  the  service  of  the  Union :  Rirs.  Elizabeth  Mer- 
cer, of  Ladoga :  Sarah  Hubbard,  deceased ;  Elmira.  deceased :  George  W. 
of  Lebanon.  Indiana :  Josephine,  deceased :  Mrs.  Susan  Kelsey  of  Scott 
township:  I-Vedonia  Alice  is  deceased:  John  B.,  deceased,  but  his  widow  li\'es 
in  Xew  Alarket,  this  county:  Emma  Caroline  is  deceased. 

The  mother  of  the  abo\e  named  children  died  .\]>ril  24.  iSyh.  when  past 
eighty-four  years  of  age.  The  father's  death  occurred  on  May  u.  i8g8, 
reaching  the  age  of  eighty-two  years. 

Israel  H.  White  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm,  and  he  received 
his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  his  community.  He  learned  the  car- 
penter's trade  under  his  father,  who  required  of  the  boy  the  same  strict 
accountability  that  he  did  of  his  other  employes  and  paid  him  the  same  wages 
for  the  same  work.  Our  subject  also  engaged  in  farming,  and  in  1873  he 
purchased  the  place  where  he  now  lives.  The  following  fall  the  panic  came 
on  and  made  hard  sledding  for  him.  but  he  held  on  and  in  due  course  of  time 
prospered  through  his  close  application  and  good  management,  and  be  now 
owns  a  valuable,  productive  and  well  ini])ro\ed  farm  a  mile  long  in  Section  4, 
Scott  township,  consisting  of  o\-er  one  hundred  and  si.Kt^-three  acres. 

Mr.  White  was  married  on  January  5.  1881,  to  Elizabeth  Dorothy 
Ellington,  daughter  of  James  M.  and  Eliza  J.  (See)  Ellington.  She  was 
born  in  Nicholas  county,  Kentucky,  September  30,  1852.  When  she  was 
seven  years  old  her  parents  removed  to  North  Salem,  Hendricks  counlw 
Indiana,  where  her  father  continued  his  trade  of  blacksmith.  While  li\ing 
in  Kentucky  he  had  for  years  employed  a  negro  sla\-e.  howex'er  he  was  op- 
posed to  slavery,  being  very  pronounced  in  bis  views  again.st  the  .system. 
He  and  his  wife  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives  at  North  Salem,  and  there  Mrs. 
White  grew   to   womanhood   and   was   educated,    remaining   there    until    her 


II04  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

marriage  to  Mr.  White.  To  this  union  five  children  were  born,  four  of  whom 
are  li\ing,  one,  Fannie  May,  dying  when  nearly  three  years  of  age;  Mabel 
Estelle  is  the  wife  of  Perry  R.  Himes,  and  they  live  in  Section  lo,  Scott 
township,  and  have  four  children.  Norma,  Audrey,  Elizabeth  and  Amy; 
Lolita  Belle,  second  child  of  our  subject,  is  the  wife  of  Earl  Lee;  they  live 
in  Peoria.  Illinois,  and  have  two  daughters,  Florence  Elizabeth  and  Mabel 
Cordelia  the  third  child  William  Ashby  White  is  at  home  and  is  assisting 
his  father  with  the  work  on  the  farm :  Ina  Cordelia,  the  ^•oung■est  child  is 
attending  school  at  New  Market. 

Israel  H.  White  is  a  member  of  the  Alethodist  Episcopal  church,  and 
his  wife  belongs  to  the  Christian  church.  He  became  a  member  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  many  years  ago. 


CHARLES  A.  MINNICH. 

Charles  A.  Minnich,  one  of  the  leading  farmers  and  stock  men  of  Wal- 
nut township,  is  one  of  those  men  of  whom  it  is  a  pleasure  to  write.  He  is 
modest  in  the  opinion  of  himself,  not  claiming  the  worth  and  importance 
that  others  are  ready  and  anxious  to  ascribe  to  him.  He  is  quiet  and  unas- 
suming in  manner,  as  such  characters  always  are,  and  holds  the  high  place 
which  has  been  given  him  in  the  public  favor  by  right  of  what  he  is,  and  not 
of  what  he  claims.  It  is  a  grateful  task  to  write  of  such  a  one,  and  the  only 
danger  is,  that  sufficient  merit  will  not  be  ascribed;  yet  the  hearts  of  his 
friends,  and  they  are  very  many,  will  supply  any  lack  of  words  on  the  part  of 
the  writer,  or  any  failure  to  express  happily  the  true  thought. 

Mr.  Minnich  is  a  native  of  the  grand  old  state  which  has  won  the  ap- 
propriate soubriquet  of  "the  mother  of  Presidents" — eight  of  the  nation's 
chief  executives  having  first  seen  the  light  of  day  within  her  borders.  He 
was  born  at  Newcastle,  Craig  county,  Virginia,  June  26,  1852.  He  is  a  son 
of  Andrew  J.  and  C.  Adeline  (Mills)  Minnich.  The  father  was  postmaster 
at  the  town  of  Newcastle  for  several  years  before  the  Civil  war.  During 
that  mighty  conflict  he  was  a  soldier  in  the  Twenty-eighth  Virginia  regi- 
ment. Company  B,  fighting  for  the  Southern  army,  and  he  was  killed  during 
the  seven  days'  battle  around  Richmond,  or  more  specifically  the  battle  of 
Fair  Oaks,  on  June  2,  1862,  when  his  son,  Charles  J.,  was  scarcely  ten  years 
of  age.  The  latter  was  one  of  three  children,  an  older  brother  being  John 
L.,  and  Frances  S.  was  a  younger  sister.     The  family  came  to  Indiana  in 


187-'.  landing  at  Mace.  Montgoiiierv  county,  vu  January  j()tli  nf  that  year. 
Andrew  J.  Minnich  luul  (|uite  a  large  estate  in  X'irginia.  which  \va>  sold  after 
his  death  by  the  adniinislralnr  and  paid  for  in  C  on  federate  ninne\ ,  which  had 
to  be  exchanged  for  a  later  issue  of  Confederate  money,  and  this  being 
finally  of  no  value,  the  family  was  left  almost  penniless.  They  had  but  little 
to  keep  the  wolf  from  the  door  when  they  landed  in  Montgomery  county, 
but  they  went  to  work  with  a  will  and  in  due  course  of  time  were  very  com- 
fortably located.  They  first  rented  a  little  log  house  in  the  southern  part  of 
Walnut  township,  bought  a  team  of  horses  and  an  old  wagon  and  farmed  on 
the  shares  for  two  years,  then  leased  twenty-five  acres  of  Joe  Markey's  place 
in  the  western  part  of  Clark  township,  which  was  heavily  timbered,  having 
leased  it  for  nine  years.  The)-  cleared  the  land  and  improved  it  and  from 
that  got  a  new  start.  Charles  sold  his  interest  in  the  place  to  his  brother  in 
April,  1S75,  for  four  hundred  dollars,  then  went  to  work  for  himself.  In 
1878  he  purchased  eighty  acres  in  Section  29,  W'alnut  township,  at  twelve 
dollars  and  fifty  cents  an  acre.  He  paid  fixe  hundred  and  ten  dollars  down 
and  went  four  hundred  dollars  in  debt.  His  neighbors  predicted  that  he 
would  never  pay  out,  but  he  did  pay  out  and  succeeded  admirably.  The 
same  land  at  this  writing  would  now  be  worth  perhaps  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  dollars  per  acre.  He  later  purchased  fifty-one  acres  across  the 
road  west  of  where  he  now  lives,  paying  eighteen  dollars  an  acre  for  it,  but  he 
failed  to  pay  it  out  and  finally  sold  it.  About  six  }-ears  later  he  bought  it 
back  at  forty  dollars  an  acre,  and  he  still  owns  it.  He  has  since  jnirchased 
additional  land,  now  owning  several  valuable  and  producti\e  farms,  aggre- 
gating about  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  On  this  land  are  three  different 
sets  of  buildings  and  modern  improvements  in  general,  all  three  residences 
being  good  ones.  His  land  is  thoroughly  tiled  and  well  drained ;  in  fact,  the 
cost  of  drainage  was  more  than  the  cost  of  the  land.  He  has  always  followed 
general  farming  and  stock  raising,  and  although  he  has  met  many  reverses 
he  has  forged  ahead  despite  all  obstacles,  and  is  now  one  of  the  substantial 
men  of  his  township. 

Mr.  ]\Iinnich  has  long  been  active  in  the  Repulilican  ranks,  in  fact  ever 
since  he  was  old  enough  to  vote.  He  was  elected  trustee  of  \\"a]nut  township 
in  1894.  taking  charge  of  the  office  in  1895,  holding  the  same  for  five  years, 
during  which  time  he  built  the  new  school  house  that  now  stands  in  X'ew 
Ross  in  1898,  selling  the  old  school  house  and  grounds. 

On  Januarys  9,  1878,  he  married  Isabelle  Downing,  daughter  of  Edward 
and  Emilv  (Botts)  Downing.  She  was  ])orn  in  Boone  count\-,  Indiana.  Her 
(70) 


II06  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

father  died  when  she  was  four  years  old,  and  she  was  about  seven  years  old 
when  her  mother  died.  Edward  Downing  was  a  son  of  James  and  Avis 
(Gideons)  Downing;  Edward  Downing  was  born  on  January  25,  1824. 
James  Downing  was  born  in  Ireland,  coming  to  America  when  a  young  man 
and  here  he  met  and  married  Avis  Gideons,  a  native  of  England.  Emily 
Botts  was  a  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah  Botts,  who  came  to  Boone  county, 
Indiana,  from  Ohio.  The  other  children  of  the  Downing  family  are  Well- 
ington, who  lives  in  Indianapolis;  Romulus,  of  Howbert,  Colorado;  Mary  A., 
wife  of  Butler  Neal,  of  Lebanon,  Indiana ;  Ephriam  D.  lives  at  Home,  Kan- 
sas ;  Oliver  M.  lives  at  Hortonville,  Boone  county,  Indiana. 

After  Mrs.  Minnich's  parents  died  she  lived  with  an  aunt  in  Hendricks 
county  a  year  and  later  was  given  a  home  with  James  H.  Harrison  and  family 
of  Walnut  township,  this  county. 

Seven  children  have  been  born  to  the  subject  and  wife,  named  as  fol- 
lows: Andrew  E.,  Harvey  L.,  Clara  D.,  Romulus  D.,  Mary  Avis,  Charles 
Oliver  and  Frances  Olive,  twins. 

Andrew  Minnich  owns  a  farm  south  of  his  father's.  He  married  Lola 
Batman,  daughter  of  Dolph  and  Ella  B.  Batman,  and  to  this  union  two  chil- 
dren have  been  born.  May  Isabelle  and  Dorothy  Esterine.  Harvey  L.  Min- 
nich married  Iva  Bowman  and  lives  on  a  farm  lying  just  east  of  that  owned 
by  his  father;  he  and  his  wife  had  four  children,  one  of  whom,  Vera  Lucile, 
is  deceased ;  Ruth,  Ralph  and  Neva  are  the  living  children.  Clara  Minnich 
married  George  E.  Peters,  and  they  live  at  Nespelem,  Washington,  both  she 
and  her  husband  being  teachers  in  the  Indian  school  there  on  the  reservation; 
they  have  two  children,  Harold  Truman  and  Frances  Minnich  Peters.  Romu- 
lus D.  Minnich  is  connected  with  the  A.  S.  Clements  commission  house  in 
Crawfordsville,  in  which  city  he  lives.  Mary  Avis  Minnich  married  Ottie 
Douglas,  and  lives  in  North  Dakota,  just  east  of  the  Montana  line  on  a  home- 
stead. Their  postoffice  is  Carlyle,  Montana.  They  have  one  daughter,  Olive 
Marie.  Charles  and  Frances  Minnich  are  both  at  home.  Both  were  grad- 
uates from  the  high  school  at  Mace. 

Charles  A.  Minnich  and  all  but  one  of  his  family  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  he  being  trustee  of  the  church  of  this  denomina- 
tion at  Mace.    He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

Mr.  i\Iinnich's  mother  and  his  sister  removed  to  Kansas  in  1878,  and  the 
mother  died  there  on  October  27,  1888,  and  is  buried  in  Linn  county,  Kan- 
sas. The  sister  married  William  Hinkle,  and  they  live  in  Stillwater,  Okla- 
homa.    The  brother  of  our  subject  is  now  at  Lordsburg,  California. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTV,    INDIANA.  IIO7 

CLIFTON  G.  HILL. 

The  name  of  Clifton  G.  Hill,  a  venerable  and  highly  esteemed  citizen  of 
Clark  township,  Montgomery  county,  of  which  township  lie  is  trustee,  needs 
no  introduction  to  our  readers,  for  here  much  of  his  interesting  and  indus- 
trious life  has  been  spent  and  here  he  has  labored  to  the  general  good  of  the 
community,  his  work  not  by  any  means  being  without  fruits,  as  all  will  tell 
you  who  are  in  any  way  familiar  with  his  career.  Such  men  are  \-alua])le  to 
any  community  and  their  lives  might  be  held  up  as  examples  for  the  young 
men  to  pattern  after. 

Air.  Hill  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  \'irginia,  August  2i),  1839,  being 
the  scion  of  a  fine  old  family  of  the  Old  Dominion,  and  a  son  of  Collin  and 
Julia  L.  (McCrosky)  Hill,  the  father  having  been  of' Scotch  descent  and  the 
mother  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction.  The  father  died  when  our  subject  was 
four  years  old,  and  he  was  only  eighteen  when  his  mother  was  called  away 
by  death.  Ten  children  were  born  to  these  parents.  When  the  mother  died 
the  two  eldest  were  married  and  gone,  and  our  subject  and  one  brother  had 
to  care  for  the  family.  The  children  were  reared  on  a  farm.  After  he  grew 
up,  Clifton  G.  Hill  worked  out  one  year  for  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and 
eight  dollars,  and  he  saved  nearly  all  of  it.  He  then  went  into  business  w  ith 
his  brother  and  another  man  as  photographers.  They  bail  a  car  on  wheels 
and  traveled  about  through  the  country  just  before  the  war.  Wlien  hostili- 
ties began  all  three  joined  the  Confederate  army,  our  subject  choosing  Com- 
pany K,  Forty-second  Virginia  Volunteer  Infantry,  in  which  he  saw  much 
hard  service  and  made  a  very  faithful  and  gallant  soldier  for  the  stars  and 
bars,  participating  in  about  thirty-two  engagements,  many  of  them  the  fiercest 
of  the  war.  He  was  captured  at  Manassas  Junction,  or  Second  Bull  Run. 
He  was  in  command  of  an  advanced  squad  in  a  railroad  cut,  helping  a 
wounded  comrade,  when  the  enemy  rushed  them  and  cajjtured  him.  During 
another  charge  they  rushed  over  him,  he  pretending  that  he  had  lieen  killed, 
and  although  he  was  badly  trampled  he  escaped.  The  following  day  he  was 
wounded  by  a  piece  of  bomb-shell  which  struck  his  canteen  and  cut  it  in  two ; 
however,  it  did  not  so  much  as  break  the  skin  on  him,  merely  shocking 
him  and  making  his  leg  turn  black  its  full  length,  the  bruise  and  concussion 
being  severe.  He  was  again  captured  at  Monocacy  in  Marvdand,  while  in 
command  of  his  company,  he  having  gone  to  an  ex])osed  place  for  the  ]iur- 
pose  of  reconoitering  and  was  returning  when  he  was  shot  through  the 
hand.     Sharp  shooters  kept  peppering  away  at  him  and  he  had  to  lay  low 


IIOO  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

to  avoid  them  and  soon  became  weakened  from  loss  of  blood.  But  he  finally 
got  his  wound  dressed  and  had  one  finger  cut  off.  He  refused  to  take  ether, 
sitting  cjuietl)-  on  a  piece  of  timber-  while  the  surgeon  operated.  After  his 
regiment  was  dri\en  out  and,  not  having  enough  ambulances  to  move  all  the 
wounded,  he  was  left  behind  and  captured.  He  was  taken  to  the  stockade  in 
which  his  own  regiment  had  camped  for  some  time  and  finally  escaped  from 
it  by  a  way  previously  used  by  the  boys  when  they  "slipped  out"  during  the 
night  for  the  purpose  in  going  to  the  town  nearby  "for  fun."  Mr.  Hill  was 
also  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Sharpsburg  or  Antietam,  in  Maryland,  where 
he  was  shot  through  the  hip.  He  was  carried  off  the  field  on  a  stretcher  and 
narrowly  escaped  capture  again.  He  was  also  shot  in  the  chest  by  a  spent 
ball  at  Cedar  Mountain,  where  he  also  had  sixteen  holes  shot  through  his 
clothes.  Of  fifty-two  in  the  company  who  were  in  ad\'ance,  all  but  twelve 
were  killed  or  wounded  in  a  terrific  fight.  He  remained  in  the  service  until 
the  close  of  the  war,  and  was  always  at  the  front  except  when  he  was 
wounded.  He  was  with  the  great  fighter,  "Stonewall"  Jackson,  and  neces- 
sarily saw  the  hardest  of  fighting,  but  he  never  faltered. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Hill  took  up  farming,  spending  one  season  on  the 
home  farm,  and  in  the  spring  of  1866  he  came  to  Ladoga,  Montgomery 
county,  Indiana.  He  worked  out  for  seventeen  months,  never  losing  a  day. 
He  had  onlytwenty-seven  dollars  and  fifty  cents  when  he  came  here.  He  saved 
his  money  and  later  bought  a  farm,  and  then  for  ten  years  he  rented  a  farm 
southwest  of  Roachdale.  In  1878  he  bought  eighty  acres  in  the  southern  part 
of  Clark  township,  on  which  he  moved  and  a  year  later  he  met  with  the  mis- 
fortune of  having  his  house  burned,  with  no  insurance  and  when  he  was  in 
debt  eleven  hundred  dollars.  Nothing  daunted,  he  borrowed  funds  and  re- 
built his  dwelling,  and,  managing  well  and  working  hard,  he  prospered  with 
advancing  years,  and  from  time  to  time  has  added  to  his  original  holdings 
until  he  is  now  the  owner  of  five  hundred  and  twenty-two  acres  of  valuable 
and  well  improved  land  and  carries  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising  on 
a  large  scale,  having  long  ranked  among  the  leading  and  most  substantial 
farmers  of  the  county.  For  a  period  of  twenty  years  he  has  also  bought  and 
shipped  live  stock.  He  was  also  for  sometime  a  manufacturer  of  carriages 
and  buggies  in  Ladoga,  building  up  a  large  business  in  this  line,  building  the 
factory  that  is  now  run  by  William  Rapp.  Owing  to  the  high  grade  of  his 
output  his  vehicles  were  in  great  demand. 

Politically,  Mr.  Hill  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  been  active  and  influential 
in  local  affairs.     For  the  past  five  years  he  has  been  trustee  of  Clark  town- 


MONTGOMERY    COUXTV.    IXDIANA.  IlOf) 

ship,  and  he  has  two  years  more  to  serve  of  liis  present  term,  lie  lias  given 
eminent  satisfaction  in  this  position  to  all  concerned.  Sn  well  did  he  dis- 
charge the  duties  of  his  otiice  that  in  lyio  the  held  examiners  for  the  stale 
board  of  accountant  wrote  of  him  as  follows:  "lie  is  one  of  the  most  care- 
ful, exact  and  conscientious  business  men  that  we  ha\e  found  in  the  oftice  of 
trustee.  He  gives  "personal  su])er\ision  to  all  of  the  details  of  lx)tli  his  ci\  il 
and  school  township  work.  His  rejiort  was  exact  in  details  and  conclusive 
in  all  its  findings.  We  liaxe  onl}-  words  of  commendation  for  the  trustee  of 
Clark  township." 

.Mr.  Hill  was  married  on  December  u,  1X07  to  llattie  P.  Hymer,  who 
was  born  in  f'utnam  county  and  is  a  daughter  of  Jesse  1'.  and  Eliza  (<jill) 
Himer.  She  grew  to  womanhood  and  was  educated  in  her  natixe  county  and 
there  resided  until  her  marriage.  Her  parents  came  from  Bath  county,  Ken- 
tucky, in  the  early  days  and  settled  in  Franklin  township,  Putnam  county, 
west  of  Roachdale. 

Five  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  antl  Mrs.  Flill,  one  of  whom  died  in 
infancy;  the  living  are:  Otro,  married  Ella  Ashby,  daughter  of  John  Ashby 
and  they  have  one  son,  Earl  Hill;  Cecil,  married  Mary  Christy,  and  ihey  ha\e 
had  three  children,  Carl,  Gladys  and  Glen,  the  latter  d\-ing  when  three  \ears 
old;  Eva  Lee  is  at  home:  Clemmie  is  the  wife  of  H.  O.  Botman  and  li\es  in 
Bainbridge. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Hill  belongs  to  the  Scottish  Rite  Masons,  the  Com- 
mandery  at  Crawfordsville,  and  the  Murat  Temjile,  Ancient  Aral)ic  Order 
of  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  Indianajjolis :  he  is  alsci  a  luember  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

Mr.  Hill  is  one  of  the  best  known  cattle  men  in  the  county,  and  is  now 
making  a  specialty  of  breeding  shortdiorn  cattle.  At  this  w  riting  he  has  a 
herd  of  over  sixty  pure  bred  short-horns.  In  fact,  he  has  been  in  this  busi- 
ness ex'er  since  he  began  farming,  even  when  a  renter,  and  he  attributes  nuich 
of  his  success  to  raising  such  stock.  He  has  won  a  great  reputation  in  west- 
ern Indiana  with  his  short-horns  and  they  are  in  great  demand  and  bring 
fancy  prices  owing  to  their  superior  quality.  He  is  a  scientific  farmer,  em- 
ploying such  modern  methods  as  are  apj^hcable  to  the  land  and  climate  here, 
and  his  farm  now  produces  nearly  double  what  it  formerly  did.  He  is  cer- 
tainly entitled  to  a  great  deal  of  credit  for  what  he  has  accomplished,  liaving 
worked  his  way  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  ladder  in  the  face  of  all  kinds  of 
adversitv. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNT'i-,     INDIANA. 


TAYLOR  THOMPSON. 


Many  elements  contribute  to  the  development  of  a  new  country,  but  no 
one  thing  plan's  so  large  a  part  as  sterling  worth  and  character.  It  is  to  the 
rugged,  steadfast  men  and  women  who  come  into  its  domain  that  the  new 
land  must  look,  and  it  is  most  often  the  plain,  blunt  men  of  business  and 
every-day  affairs  who  most  affect  a  new  country's  history.  Among  the 
families  of  Montgomery  county  who  hax'e  contributed  their  share  of  in- 
fluence and  labor  toward  its  development  is  the  Thompsons,  members  of 
which  family  came  here  in  an  early  day,  and  throughout  the  years  that  have 
passed  since  then  they  have  played  an  important  part  in  the  affairs  of  the 
community  of  their  residence  during  the  most  momentous  period  of  this 
locality's  development,  and  one  of  the  best  known  of  the  family  of  the 
present  generation  was  Taylor  Thompson,  of  Crawfordsville,  the  secret  of 
whose  popularity  lay  in  the  fact  that  he  was  always  allied  with  those  things 
which  tended  toward  the  advancement  and  betterment  of  his  native  county. 
While  a  careful  and  straightforward  business  man,  he  was  never  a  dollar 
worshipper  or  permitted  the  lust  of  greed  to  eradicate  his  higher  ideals,  be- 
lieving that  life  held  much  of  greater  value  than  mere  wealth  of  estate. 

Mr.  Thompson  was  born  on  December  31,  1834,  in  Ripley  township, 
Montgomery  count}-.  He  was  a  son  of  William  and  Margaret  (Mumfort) 
Thompson.  They  were  both  natives  of  Ohio,  from  which  state  they  came  to 
Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  when  children,  and  here  they  grew  to  maturity 
and  were  married.  William  Thompson  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  when 
a  young  man,  which  he  continued  to  follow  in  connection  with  farming  in 
this  county.  His  earlier  life  was  spent  in  Ripley  township,  and  his  later  days 
in  Crawfordsville,  in  which  city  his  widow  is  still  living,  he  having  passed 
to  his  eternal  rest  on  March  10,  1890.  He  and  his  wife  had  only  two  chil- 
dren— Taylor,  of  this  review :  and  Anna,  who  married  A.  E.  Livengood,  he 
being  now  deceased;  she  was  born  in  1864,  and' is  living  in  Crawfordsville. 

William  Thompson  was  a  Democrat  and  was  more  or  less  active  in 
public  affairs.  He  was  a  trustee  of  Ripley  township  for  a  period  of  four 
years.     He  was  a  member  of  the  Horse  Thief  Detective  Association. 

Taylor  Thompson  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  in  Ripley  town- 
ship, and  there  assisted  with  the  general  work  when  a  boy,  and  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools ;  however,  his  education  was  limited  and 
had  to  be  made  up  in  after  life  by  miscellaneous  home  reading,  but  this  and 


MONTGOMERY    COUXTV,    IN'mANA.  11  I  1 

close  observation  and  actual  contact  witli  tlie  world,  supplied  well  the  dcli- 
cieiicy. 

Mr.  Thompson  was  twice  married,  tirst,  on  November  25,  1874,  to  Ida 
M.  Sidle,  who  was  born  May  28,  1854,  in  this  county,  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  IMatilda  (Taylor)  Sidle.  Her  death  occurred  on  February  jo,  kjoG, 
leaving  three  children,  one  having  died,  namely:  Cora,  who  married  (ieorge 
F.  Anselm,  was  born  on  August  12,  1876:  they  li\e  in  Indianapolis,  and  they 
have  one  child.  Elizabeth,  born  September  3,  1910;  William  Fee.  born 
Xovcniber  24,  1880,  married  Catherine  Holmes,  antl  they  also  live  in  Indian- 
apolis; they  have  nne  child,  \\'illiam  Flolmes  Thompson,  burn  June  30,  1905; 
Harry  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Thompson  was  married  a  second  time  on  November  15,  191 1,  his 
last  wife  being  Catherine  Kelley,  who  was  born  in  Fountain  county,  In- 
diana, in  1863,  and  she  grew  to  womanhood  and  was  educated  in  her  native 
community.     She  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Catherine  (Downs)  Kelley. 

Mr.  Thompson  made  his  start  in  life  on  the  farm,  carrying  on  a  general 
farming  business  with  success  until  ]March  3,  1893,  when  he  retired  from 
active  agricultural  pursuits  and  moved  to  Crawfordsville,  where  he  entered 
business.  After  coming  here  he  became  active  in  politics  and  held  the  posi- 
tion of  bailiff  of  the  court  here  for  the  past  sixteen  years.  He  was  con- 
nected with  the  Democratic  County  Committee  since  1888,  and  his  influence 
and  counsel  contributed  much  to  the  success  of  the  party  here.  Shortly 
before  his  death  he  was  in  the  race  for  postmaster  at  Crawfordsville,  and, 
owing  to  his  general  popularity  and  peculiar  fitness,  his  appointment  was 
regarded  by  his  friends  as  most  probable,  seventeen  hundred  representative 
voters  of  Crawfordsville  having  endorsed  his  candidacy. 

Mr.  Thompson  was  always  an  ardent  Democrat,  following  in  the  foot- 
steps of  his  honored  father  in  this  respect.  Fraternally,  be  belonged  to  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

Mr.  Thompson  owned  a  substantial  residence  in  Crawfordsville,  also 
several  valuable  pieces  of  property  in  the  same  section  of  the  city. 

On  May  6,  1913,  Mr.  Tbomp.son  was  called  to  his  Maker,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-eight  years. 

The  Crazvfordsx'ille  Journal,  of  May  7,  speaks  briefly : 

"  'Taylor,'  as  he  was  known  by  hundreds  of  personal  friends,  has  been 
a  leader  in  Democratic  politics  for  the  past  fifteen  years.  He  was  county 
chairman  at  one  time  several  years  ago,  and  since  that  time  has  had  more 
to  do  with  the  success  of  his  party  than  any  other  man  in  it.     His  active 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTV,    INDIANA. 


political  career  and  his  work  as  court  bailiff  gave  him  a  wider  ac(|uaintance 
perhaps  than  any  man  in  Montg(jmery  county.  He  knew  everybody  in  the 
county.  He  was  an  excellent  judge  of  human  nature,  and  few  men  were 
able  to  run  the  gauntlet  of  his  inspection  without  being  accurately  weighed." 


ORPHEUS  W.  BRATTON. 

In  a  county  like  Montgomery,  where  there  are  so  many  men  of  excellent 
moral  character,  pronounced  business  ability  and  social  nature,  it  would  be 
hard  indeed  to  determine  who  would  be  most  worthy.  There  are  some,  how- 
e\er,  who  are  generally  conceded  by  their  neighbors  to  take  a  place  in  the 
front  ranks  of  usefulness  and  influence.  Such  is  the  gentleman  above  named, 
who  manifests  an  abiding  interest  in  the  intellectual  development  and  spiritual 
upbuilding  of  the  community  in  which  he  lives  as  well  as  in  its  material  pros- 
perity and  who,  while  managing  his  own  affairs  in  so  prudent  a  manner  as  to 
take  his  place  among  the  solid  men  of  Walnut  township,  yet  finds  time  to 
serve  his  fellow  men  in  various  ways. 

Orpheus  W.  Bratton  was  born  on  June  i8,  1862,  northwest  of  Mace,  in 
Union  township,  this  county.  He  is  a  son  of  Charles  L.  and  Catherine 
(Dice)   Bratton. 

Charles  L.  Bratton,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Montgomery  county, 
was  born  in  Augusta  county,  June  ig,  1819.  and  there  he  spent  his  early 
boyhood  years,  being  fourteen  years  old  when,  in  1832,  he  accompanied  his 
parents  in  a  four-horse  wagon  from  the  Old  Dominion  to  Montgomery 
county,  Indiana,  leax'ing  Virginia  on  September  12th,  and  reaching  here 
October  12,  1832.  They  traveled  through  the  week  and  rested  on  Sunday 
and  greatly  enjoyed  their  rough  overland  journey  through  the  woods  and 
wilderness.  His  parents  were  William  and  Mary  G.  Bratton.  His  father 
was  a  soldier  in  the  w^ar  of  181 2.  and  both  his  grandfathers  were  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  His  father  was  a  Jackson  Democrat,  a  Whig,  then  a 
Republican.     His  mother  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Charles  L.  Bratton  went  to  school  in  a  log  cabin  and  sat  on  puncheon 
benches,  and  had  greased  paper  for  windows.  He  lived  with  his  father  until 
he  was  twenty-five  years  old,  having  always  been  a  farmer.  He  became 
owner  of  a  productive  and  well-kept  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
on  which  stood  a  substantial  two-story  brick  house,  about  five  miles  from 
Crawfordsville.      On    January    11,    1844,   he   married   Catherine   Dice.      She 


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MUNTGOMKKV    (.OrNTV.    INDIANA.  1  \  ]  J, 

was  born  on  Xoveml)er  9,  18J4.  Slie  was  a  member  of  tlie  Presbyterian 
cburch.     Her  deatb  oeeurred  in  1883. 

Charles  L.  Bratton  eontiniied  to  reside  on  his  farm  in  L'nicjn  township 
until  late  in  life,  and  in  the  early  nineties  he  sold  his  place  and  lived  w  itli  his 
children,  spending  some  time  with  first  one,  then  another,  until  his  death,  on 
December  21,  1902,  at  an  advanced  age.  He  was  a  faithful  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  from  his  twenty-third  year  until  his  death,  and  toward 
the  latter  part  of  his  life  was  a  deacon  in  the  church.  He  was  a  Good  Tem- 
plar, a  member  of  the  Horse  Thief  Detective  Association,  and  was  a  loyal 
Republican.  He  cast  his  first  vote  for  Gen.  William  Henry  Harrison  in 
1840.  He  was  a  well  read  man,  and  was  an  intelligent,  prosperous  and 
honored  citizen.  He  retained  the  patent  to  the  land  wdiere  he  lived  so  long, 
which  patent  was  issued  to  Charles  Johnston,  and  signed  by  President  Andrew 
Jackson. 

Ten  children  were  born  to  Charles  L.  Bratton  and  wife,  namely:  Mary, 
who  married  Andrew  Smiley,  lived  all  her  life  near  Mace:  David  was  mar- 
ried and  had  two  children,  one  of  whom  is  still  living;  David  was  a  farmer 
and  lived  near  Mace :  William  is  engaged  in  merchandising  and  the  fish  com- 
mission business  at  Cortez,  Florida:  Ella  was  the  wife  of  Joseph  W.  Ward, 
and  lived  south  of  Crawfordsville  until  her  death,  in  August,  1912;  Johnnie 
died  W'hen  two  years  old;  Charles  M.  lives  in  Crawfordsville;  James  B..  de- 
ceased, lived  in  Lebanon,  where  he  died  in  December,  1909;  Harvey  B.  lives 
near  Linnsburg;  Orpheus  W.,  subject  of  this  sketch:  Rachel  Jennie  married 
Joseph  A.  Ward,  and  lives  in  Cass  county,  Indiana. 

Orpheus  W.  Bratton  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  there 
assisted  with  the  general  work,  and  he  received  a  good  education  in  the 
common  schools. 

In  January,  1887,  Mr.  Bratton  married  Ida  M.  Schenck,  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Frances  (Tilly)  Schenck.  She  was  Ixirn  in  Bocme  county,  In- 
diana. Her  mother  died  when  Mrs.  Bratton  was  a  little  child,  and  this 
event  broke  up  the  home.  There  were  at  that  time  also  two  little  brothers, 
who  grew  *to  manhood  and  are  still  living — Milton  and  John,  the  former 
residing  near  Colfax,  and  the  latter  in  Wyoming,  .\fter  the  death  of  the 
mother  of  these  children  the  father  moved  about  a  great  deal,  living  for 
awhile  in  Putnam  county,  but  most  of  the  time  in  Montgomery  county,  not 
far  from  Linnsburg.  The  father,  Jacob  Schenck,  spent  his  old  age  with  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  Bratton.  and  died  at  her  home  on  February  3,  1899. 

After  his  marriage  Orpheus  W.  Bratton  began  farming  for  himself  a 


1 1 14  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

mile  and  a  half  southeast  of  Linnsburg,  beginning  on  rented  land,  and  there 
he  continued  for  about  fifteen  years,  during  which  he  got  a  good  start.  This 
was  the  Ward  farm.  For  eight  years  before  her  marriage,  Mrs.  Bratton 
had  lived  with  the  Ward  family.  About  nine  years  after  marriage  Mr. 
Bratton  bought  eighty  acres  where  he  now  lives  in  Section  29,  Walnut  town- 
ship. Remaining  on  the  Ward  farm  about  six  years  longer,  he  moved  to  the 
place  where  he  has  since  resided,  buying  forty  acres  about  1900,  in  addition 
to  his  former  purchase,  making  his  holdings  now  aggregate  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  good  land,  well  improved  and  under  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion. 

Politically,  Mr.  Bratton  is  a  Republican,  and  he  takes  an  active  interest 
in  party  afifairs.  He  was  trustee  of  Walnut  township  from  1905  to  1909, 
and  has  been  twice  on  the  township  advisory  board.  In  19 12  he  was  nom- 
inated for  county  commissioner,  but  it  was  a  bad  year  for  his  party,  the 
whole  ticket  being  defeated.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  at 
Mace,  in  which  lodge  he  was  Master  of  Exchequer  for  twenty  years.  He  also 
belongs  to  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur,  the  Modem  Woodmen,  and,  religiously, 
the  Presbyterian  church.  Mrs.  Bratton  is  also  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  of  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur. 

Four  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bratton,  namely :  Ralph, 
born  November  14,  1887,  married  Bessie  Linn,  and  lives  near  Mr.  Bratton's 
place  in  \\^alnut  township,  on  a  farm;  Sherman  is  a  veterinary  surgeon  and 
is  practicing  his  profession  at  Walton,  Cass  county:  Raymond  is  at  home 
with  his  parents;  Rulifif,  now  nine  years  old,  is  attending  the  district  school. 
The  other  children  all  attended  business  college;  Sherman  was  graduated  in 
April,  1912,  from  McKillip  Veterinary  College,  and  has  been  very  successful 
in  the  practice,  getting  a  good  start. 


LEANDER  M.  TRIBBY. 

Leander  J\I.  Tribby,  a  leading  agriculturist  of  Coal  Creek  township, 
Montgomery  county,  may  well  be  classed  among  the  representative  farmers, 
to  whose  ambition,  energy  and  intelligence  much  of  our  national  prosperity  is 
due.  In  all  his  transactions  the  worthy  gentleman  of  whom  we  write  has 
always  displayed  a  scrupulous  regard  for  the  rights  of  others,  has  never  been 
known  to  wilfully  wrong  or  defraud  another,  and  his  reputation  is  unspotted 
ni  financial  circles.     He  gives  intelligent  heed  to  politics  and  other  questions 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  III5 

affecting  the  general  good  of  his  township  and  county  and  has  long  been  re- 
garded as  a  leader  in  local  affairs.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  genial  address  and 
exemplar)'  habits  and,  like  most  all  the  natives  of  the  Blue  Grass  region,  is  a 
courteous  and  well-mannered  gentleman,  taking  a  delight  in  contributing  to 
the  happiness  and  well  being  of  his  neighbors  and  friends,  and  he  also  takes  a 
delight  in  keeping  untarnished  the  excellent  name  which  the  Triljby  family 
has  ever  borne. 

Mr.  Tribby  was  born  on  December  28,  1848  in  Kentucky,  and  there  he 
spent  his  early  boyhood  years,  being  twelve  years  of  age,  when,  in  i<S6o,  he 
accompanied  his  parents  from  his  nati\e  state  to  ^Montgomery  county,  Indi- 
ana, and  here  he  has  since  been  content  to  reside.  He  is  a  son  of  William 
and  Mahala  (Myers)  Tribby.  The  father  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and  there 
he  grew  to  manhood,  was  educated  and  spent  most  of  his  life,  living  only  two 
years  after  coming  to  Indiana,  his  death  occurring  here  in  September,  1862. 
He  devoted  his  life  to  farming  for  the  most  part,  however,  he  was  a  carpenter 
by  trade  at  which  he  worked  in  connection  with  farming.  The  mother  of 
our  subject  was  also  born  in  Kentucky,  and  there  grew  to  womanhood  and 
received  a  common  school  education. 

To  William  Tribby  and  wife  were  born  seven  children,  three  of  whom 
are  still  living. 

Leander  M.  Tribby  grew  to  manhood  on  a  farm  and  during  the  winter 
months  he  attended  the  common  schools  in  his  neighborhood. 

On  September  29,  1896,  Mr.  Tribby  was  married  to  Mrs.  Margaret 
(Wilson)  Patton,  who  had  been  previously  married.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Nancy  Coons,  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  \olume.  The  wife  of 
our  subject  was  born  on  March  21,  1862.  She  was  reared  on  the  home  farm 
and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tribby  one  child  was  born,  Gaylord  Tribby,  whose 
birth  occurred  on  October  6,  1898. 

Mr.  Tribby  began  farming  for  himself  early  in  life  and  he  soon  had  a 
good  foothold,  and  succeeding  years  has  found  him  further  advanced  until  he 
is  today  one  of  the  successful  and  well  known  general  fanners  and  stock 
raisers  of  the  northwestern  part  of  the  county.  He  is  the  owner  of  a  finely 
improved  and  highly  cultivated  farm  of  two  hundred  and  twenty- four  acres 
in  Coal  Creek  township.  His  fields  are  well-tilled,  well  fenced  and  other- 
wise in  up-to-date  condition.  On  the  place  stands  a  splendid  set  of  outbuild- 
ings, including  a  commodious  and  neatly  furnished  residence  whicli  ^Mr. 
Tribby  himself  built.     It  is  in  the  midst  of  attractive  surroundings. 


IIl6  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Politically,  Mr.  Tril3l>y  is  a  Democrat  and  he  has  always  been  more  or 
less  active  in  local  public  affairs,  and  he  served  his  township  very  acceptably 
as  supervisor  in  1908.  Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias  at 
the  town  of  New  Richmond,  and  in  religious  matters  he  holds  membership 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


JOHN  M.  WHITE. 


Biography,  more  than  anything  else,  commands  the  most  interested  at- 
tention for  the  reason  that  it  is  a  record  of  those  who,  in  times  gone  by,  trav- 
eled the  thorny  pathway  of  life  as  companions,  accpaintances,  friends  or  rela- 
tives. To  preserve  from  forgetfulness  the  simple  story  of  their  experiences 
and  record  their  acts,  however  uneventful,  is  a  task  attended  with  much  pleas- 
ure to  the  writer  and  fraught  with  great  good  to  humanity.  Especially  is  this 
the  case  when  the  subject  has  passed  the  allotted  three  score  and  ten  and,  like 
some  grand  old  forest  trees,  its  companions  all  gone — stands  alone,  crowned 
with  the  weight  and  honors  of  years,  calmly  awaiting  the  change  that  soon 
will  cause  its  once  proud  form  to  lie  as  low  as  its  fellows. 

One  of  the  venerable  citizens  and  successful  farmers  of  Montgomery 
county  is  John  M.  White,  of  Ripley  township,  who  was  born  in  Covington, 
Fountain  county,  Indiana,  December  25,  1838,  a  son  of  William  B.  and 
Elizabeth  White,  both  natives  of  Tennessee.  William  White,  the  paternal 
grandfather,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  came  to  Sullivan  county, 
Indiana,  in  181 7,  subsequently  leaving  there  and  moving  to  Fountain  county, 
locating  on  Coal  Creek,  finally  moving  to  Vermillion  county,  this  state,  where 
he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  on  January  10.  1847. 

The  following  children  were  born  to  William  B.  White  and  wife,  named 
as  follows:  Albert  F.  is  deceased;  James  A.,  Mandy  Lorina  is  deceased; 
Horace  H.  is  deceased;  Elmira  S.,  John  M.,  of  this  review;  Thomas  Franklin 
is  deceased;  William  Bloomer. 

John  M.  White  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools,  and  he 
grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm,  where  he  did  his  share  of  the  work. 
Early  in  life  he  took  up  farming,  which  he  has  continued  to  the  present  time, 
being  still  active.  He  is  now  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  eight  acres  of 
productive  and  well  improved  land,  on  which  he  has  carried  on  general 
farming  and  stock  raising  with  much  success. 

Mr.  White  was  married  on  September  i,  1859,  to  Rena  B.  Wert,  daugh- 


MR.  AND  MRS.  JOHN  M.  WHITE 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1117 

ter  of  David  and  Rebecca  (Balse)  Wert,  and  to  this  union  five  children  were 
born,  namely :  Edgar  and  Aartm  are  both  deceased ;  Wilham  E.  is  teaching 
in  the  .Manio  schools :  Alonzo  lives  in  Waynetown,  Indiana ;  Jesse  is  teaching 
in  tile  university  at  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania. 

Tile  wife  and  mother  passed  to  her  eternal  rest  on  November  lo.  1892. 
and  on  Feliruary  j8.  1894,  Mr.  White  married  Emma  Hatt,  daughter  of 
Joseph  \'.  and  Mary  (Keyes)  Ilatt,  the  former  a  native  of  Ohio  and  the  latter 
of  Delaware;  they  are  both  now  deceased.  This  last  union  of  the  subject  and 
wife  has  been  without  issue. 

Politically,  Mr.  \\"hite  is  a  Republican,  but  he  has  ne\-er  held  or  sought 
l)ublic  office.    He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church. 


JOHX  P.ARKS  K\'ERSOX. 

l-'ew  residents  uf  .Montgumery  cuunty  arc  as  well  and  fa\i)rably  known 
as  the  enterijrising  farmer  and  reprcsentati\e  citizen,  liut  now  retired  from 
acti\e  labor,  whose  life  story  is  hrieHy  tuld  in  the  following  lines,  and  none 
stand  higher  than  he  in  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  the  communit}-  in 
which  he  resides  and  for  the  material  advancement  of  which  he  has  dexoted 
much  of  his  time  and  influence.  The  family  of  which  he  is  an  honorable 
representative  has  been  identified  with  the  history  of  this  section  of  the  state 
for  many  years,  his  ancestors  having  come  here  in  an  early  day  and  taken  a 
prominent  part  in  the  uplmilding  and  dexelopment  of  the  county.  That  the 
early  settlers  of  Montgomery  county  and  their  descendants  have  done  their 
work  well  goes  without  saying,  and  to  them  the  present  generation  is  in- 
debted for  the  present  high  standard  of  civilization  and  improvement  w  hich 
is  everywhere  in  evidence  throughout  the  county.  The  subject  of  this  sketch, 
during  his  active  years,  took  a  prominent  part  in  this  work  of  develoi)nient,  in 
which  his  efforts  were  rewarded  with  a  due  meed  of  success,  and  today,  as 
he  descends  the  western  slope  of  life's  journey,  he  can  look  back  in  pleasant 
retrospect  over  the  trail  of  the  past  years,  recalling  with  jjleasure  the  daxs 
when,  as  one  of  the  sturdy  band  who  were  building  a  new  country  here  in 
the  West,  he  latored  and  toiled  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  might  come  after 
him.  He  is  now  enjoying  that  rest  which  his  former  years  of  arduous  toil 
so  richly  entitle  him  to. 

John  Parks  E\-erson  was  i)orn  on  ()ctol)er  30,  1841,  on  a  farm  in  L'nion 
township.  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  the  place  of  his  birth  being  now  in- 


IIl8  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

eluded  in  the  corporate  limits  of  Crawfordsville.  He  is  a  son  of  George  W. 
and  Rachel  (Hankins)  Everson,  and  a  grandson  of  Jacob  Everson,  who 
entered  a  tract  of  government  land  near  Whitesville  in  an  early  day.  George 
Everson  was  born  probably  in  Pennsylvania,  and  lost  his  mother  by  death 
when  he  was  quite  young.  From  Pennsylvania  he  went  to  Butler  county, 
Ohio,  where  he  was  married  to  Rachel  Hankins.  About  1832  he  and  his  wife, 
together  with  his  father,  Jacob  Everson,  came  to  Montgomery  county,  George 
renting  the  Jonathan  Powers  farm,  at  the  edge  of  Crawfordsville,  and  it 
was  there  that  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  and  reared.  Crawfords- 
ville at  that  time  was  a  very  insignificant  place,  comprising  a  land  office  and 
a  log  court  house,  with  a  few  stores  and  residences,  the  latter  being  of  the 
primitive  type  common  in  those  days.  There  was  no  market  there  for  farm 
products,  the  farmer  being  compelled  to  take  his  stuff  to  Lafayette  or  Terre 
Haute.  Settlers  in  this  section  at  that  time  were  far  apart  and  wild  animals, 
such  as  wild  hogs,  deer  and  wolves,  were  numerous  and  often  a  menace  to 
the  new  settlements.  U|>on  the  death  of  Jacob  Everson,  his  son,  George, 
bought  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs  to  the  home  farm  which  the  former 
had  entered  near  Whitesville,  and  on  that  place  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
spent  the  last  years  of  his  young  manhood.  Only  eight  or  ten  acres  of  the 
tract  were  cleared  when  they  went  to  li\'e  on  it,  and  this  was  the  poorest  and 
highest  part  of  the  farm.  When  the  lowlands  were  cleared  and  drained  they 
proved  to  be  the  richest  and  most  producti\'e  portion  of  the  estate.  There 
George  Everson  spent  the  rest  of  his  days,  his  death  occurring  in  1887,  when 
eighty-one  years  old.     His  wife  had  passed  away  in  April,  1878. 

In  the  clearing,  improving  and  cultivation  of  this  farm.  John  P.  Ever- 
son took  an  active  and  prominent  part.  In  1861  he  was  married,  at  which 
time  he  rented  a  farm  near  Wliitesville  and  began  life  on  his  own  account. 
He  was  fairly  successful  in  his  efforts,  continuing  the  pursuit  of  agriculture 
until  1880,  when  he  quit  farming  and,  buying  a  saw-mill  at  Whitesville,  he 
was  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  there  during  the  following  seven  years. 
He  then  sold  out  there  and  went  to  Crawfordsville,  where  for  a  number  of 
years  he  was  successfully  engaged  as  a  lumber  buyer  for  several  concerns. 
He  devoted  himself  to  this  employment  for  about  five  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  period  he  returned  to  Whitesville  and  resumed  farming.  In  Novem- 
ber, 1905,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Everson  came  to  Scott  township  and  have  since 
then  made  their  home  with  their  daughter  and  son-in-law,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Thomas  J.  Byrd.  Mr.  Everson  is  the  owner  of  a  small  farm  in  Clark  town- 
ship, this  county,  which  he  rents. 


.\K)\Tt;i).\ii:KV  cdiNTN".   ixni.wA.  1 1 19 

FratLTiially,  Mr.  l*I\erson  lias  l)een  a  iiK-mljcr  nf  tlio  Indcpcndcnl  Order 
of  Odd  J-'ellows  for  about  thirty-tivc  years,  and  he  and  liis  wife  arc  earnest 
members  of  the  Cliristian  church  at  Ladot;a.  For  about  thirty-five  years 
Air.  Everson  was  a  member  of  the  Indiana  Horse  Thief  Detective  .\ssocia- 
tion,  and  as  a  captain  of  a  sijuad  he  did  much  etTecti\e  work  for  the  asso- 
ciation. At  one  time  he  discovered  a  store  being  robbed  and.  ruunini;  in. 
grabbed  tlie  burglar  single-handed,  and  while  struggling  with  iiini  tiic  owner 
of  the  store  came  in  and  shot  the  burglar  dead.  At  anotiier  time,  wiiiie  en- 
gaged in  the  capture  of  a  thief,  eighteen  sliots  were  fired.  He  had  many 
other  exciting  and  often  dangerous  experiences  while  engaged  in  the  woric 
of  the  association  and  was  consideretl  one  of  the  most  courageous  and  efti- 
cient  members. 

In  18O1  John  P.  Everson  was  united  in  marriage  witli  Reltecca  A.  ('.un- 
tie, who  was  born  near  Whitesville,  L'nion  township,  Montgomer\-  countv, 
the  daughter  of  George  Guardian  Guntle  antl  Rebecca  .\.  (Bailev)  Guntle. 
Her  father,  who  was  born  in  Little  York,  Pennsylvania,  was  a  son  of  Jona- 
than and  Julia  Ann  (Sneivley)  Guntle,  natives  of  Germany,  who,  to  pay  for 
their  passage  across  the  ocean  to  this  country,  were  put  on  the  auction  block 
and  their  services  for  three  months  sold  to  the  highest  bidder.  George  G. 
and  Rebecca  Guntle  came  to  Montgomery  county  in  1832,  traveling  in  a 
wagon,  and  locating  near  Whitesville  on  the  5th  of  September.  Here  Air. 
Guntle  en.tered  a  tract  of  government  land,  on  which  not  a  stick  had  ever  been 
disturbed,  and  here  Mr.  Guntle  at  once  entered  upon  the  task  of  creating  a 
home  in  the  wilderness.  While  he  was  getting  a  sjjace  cleared  for  a  cabin, 
the  family  lived  in  their  wagon,  not  ha\ing  even  a  bedstead.  When  tlie  cabin 
logs  were  in  place,  the  cracks  between  were  filled  w  ith  mud,  anrl  in  this  [irimi- 
tive  home  they  began  life,  their  experiences  being  much  the  same  as  those  of 
other  pioneers  in  this  new  country.  There  these  parents  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  days,  aiid  it  was  in  this  humble  home  that  Mrs.  Everson  was  born 
and  reared,  six  children  having  been  born  to  her  parents  before  thev  came 
to  this  countrv-.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Everson  were  born  five  children,  namely : 
James  W.,  Isom  and  Joseph  E.  are  living;  Charles  A.  died  at  Hoojicston, 
Illinois,  in  May,  1903,  leaving  a  widow  and  eigiit  children,  who  now  make 
their  home  at  Hammond,  Indiana;  Hattie  B.  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  J.  P,yrd. 
of  Scott  township,  with  whom  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Everson  make  their  home  and 
who  is  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work. 

In  191 1  Mr.  and  Airs.  Everson  celebrated  the  golden  anniversarv  of  the 
marriage,  and  it  was  an  enjoyable  occasion,  a  large  number  of  guests  being 


I  120  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

present  to  offer  their  congratulations  to  their  old  friends.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Everson  both  enjoy  excellent  health,  retaining  to  a  remarkable  degree  their 
physical  and  mental  faculties.  Because  of  their  sterling  (|uaUties  of  charac- 
ter, tliey  are  held  in  the  highest  esteem  throughout  the  community  which  has 
been  honored  by  their  residence  for  so  many  years. 


DANIEL  SMITH. 


Among  the  venerable  farmers  of  Montgomery  county,  no  one  is  more 
worthy  of  a  place  in  her  chronicles  than  is  the  gentleman  of  \vhom  this  is  a 
life  record,  as  he  is  a  member  of  a  family  whose  history  has  been  closely 
connected  with  that  of  this  region  for  more  than  half  a  century.  Daniel 
Smith,  of  Ripley  township,  who  has  attained  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
three  years,  has  proved  a  very  useful  acquisition  to  the  citizenship  of  the 
count}-  since  he  took  up  his  abode  here,  his  ability  as  a  farmer  making  him  a 
valuable  assistant  in  maintaining  and  extending  the  most  important  of  the 
industries  of  this  region.  He  is  a  self-made  man  in  the  broadest  sense  of  the 
word  and  the  architect  of  his  own  fortune.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  the 
Wabash  Valley  country  for  many  decades,  and  during  that  time  has  been  one 
of  the  chief  promoters  of  its  upward  progress,  laboring  harmoniously  with 
other  co-workers  in  the  march  of  improvements,  and  winning,  in  his  efforts 
for  the  common  good,  the  esteem  of  the  community  by  whom  he  has  been 
surrounded,  and  he  in  every  way  is  deserving  of  the  high  regard  in  which  he 
is  universally  held,  for  his  life  had  been  carefully  lived  with  regard  to  right 
and  wrong,  and  he  has  been  helpful  to  his  neighbors. 

Mr.  Smith  was  born  in  the  state  of  Ohio,  on  December  i,  1827.  He  is  a 
son  of  Solomon  and  Jane  (Marshall)  Smith.  Th  father  of  the  subject  was  a 
farmer  all  his  life,  and  he  settled  in  Ohio  in  a  very  early  day.  His  family 
consisted  of  six  children,  of  whom  Daniel,  of  this  review,  is  the  only  one 
living. 

Daniel  Smith  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm,  and  there  worked 
hard  when  a  boy,  for  the  sons  of  all  pioneers  had  plenty  to  do  in  developing 
the  virgin  soil  and  winning  a  living  from  resisting  Nature.  He  had  scarcely 
any  opportunity  to  obtain  an  education,  schools  being  scarce  in  his  time  and 
were  taught  only  a  few  months  in  the  winter  time.  However,  later  in  life, 
he  read  extensively  and  became  a  well  informed  man  on  current  topics. 

On  November  i,  1857,  Mr.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  to  Catherine 


AtONTc;O.MKRV    CorXTV,    IN'DIAXA.  I  121 

Thomas,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  April  17,  1838.  Siie  proxed  to  be  a  very 
faithful  helpmeet,  and  she  was  called  to  her  eternal  rest  on  April  17,  1905. 

Seven  children  were  born  to  Daniel  Smith  and  wife,  five  of  wliom  are 
still  living,  namely :  Edward,  How^ard,  Hamlet,  Lenley,  who  is  postmaster  at 
Alamo,  this  county ;  Daniel  is  deceased ;  George  is  also  deceased ;  and  Estella, 
the  3'oungest,  married  Hari'y  Cheney,  and  they  have  one  child,  Ruth.  They 
live  with  the  subject  and  Estella  keeps  house  for  her  father. 

Mr.  Smith  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  when  a  young  man,  and  he  be- 
came a  very  skilful  workman,  his  services  being  in  great  demand.  He  fol- 
lowed his  trade  until  he  was  fifty  years  old,  when  he  turned  his  attention  to 
agricultural  pursuits,  purchasing  the  farm  which  he  still  owns  in  Ripley  town- 
ship, and  here  he  has  become  quite  well  established,  and  has  engaged  suc- 
cessfully in  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  is  the  owner  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  well  improved  and  under  a  fine  state  of  cultivation,  Mr. 
Smith  having  made  all  the  improvements  himself.  He  has  a  pleasant  home 
and  good  outbuildings.  His  land  is  all  tillable,  and  it  has  been  so  well  looked 
after  that  it  has  retained  its  original  fertility  and  strength  of  soil.  Although 
now  one  of  the  patriarchs  of  the  country,  he  is  comparatively  well  preserved, 
and  looks  after  his  farm  and  live  stock  in  a  general  way.  He  attributes  his 
long  life  and  his  health  to  steady  and  temperate  habits  and  right  thinking. 
He  first  came  to  Montgomery  county  in  1835,  and  since  then  has  been  one 
of  our  most  enthusiastic  citizens,  and  has  lived  the  life  of  a  good  citizen  in 
every  respect. 

Politically,  Mr.  Smith  is  a  Republican;  however,  he  has  never  been 
much  of  a  worker  politically.  Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Order 
at  Alamo,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Presbvterian  church. 


ED.  T.  McCREA. 


The  gentleman  of  whom  tlie  biographer  now  writes  is  widely  known  as 
one  of  the  honored  citizens  of  ]\Iontgomery  count\-.  for  Mr.  McCrca  lias  been 
actively  identified  with  the  agricultural  interests  of  Coal  Creek  township  for 
many  years  and  has  been  interested  in  public  affairs.  His  well  directed 
efiforts  in  the  practical  things  of  life,  his  capable  management  of  his  own  busi- 
ness interests  and  his  sound  judgment  have  brought  to  him  prcjsjjerit} ,  and 
his  life  demonstrates  what  may  be  accomplished  by  a  man  of  energy  and  am- 
bition who  is  not  afraid  of  work  and  has  the  aml>ition  to  continue  Jiis  labors, 
(70 


1 122  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

even  in  the  face  of  seemingly  discouraging  circumstances.  Mr.  McCrea  has 
been  content  to  spend  his  long  life  in  the  Hoosier  state,  and  he  is  truly  a  pro- 
duct of  piuneer  days,  for  having  been  born  here  more  than  three  quarters 
of  a  century  ago,  he  has  li\ed  through  the  wonderful  epoch  of  change  that 
has  taken  place,  and  he  recalls  many  interesting  incidents  of  his  earlv  life  in 
the  woods  when  practically  even-thing  was  different  from  what  it  is  today. 
He  is  now  living  practically  retired  from  the  acti\e  duties  of  life,  merel}'  o\er- 
seeing  his  fine  farm  in  a  general  way,  the  actual  work  being  done  by  renters, 
and  his  declining  years  are  singularly  free  from  wants  and  cares.  He  is  one 
of  our  honored  \eterans  of  the  Ci\  il  war  that  rendered  conspicuous  service 
to  the  Union. 

Ed.  T.  McCrea  was  born  on  April  20,  1836  in  Shelby  county,  Indiana. 
He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Templeton)  McCrea.  The  father  was 
born  in  the  state  of  New  York  in  1787,  and  his  death  occurred  in  Indiana 
on  March  18,  1859.  He  was  a  tanner  by  trade,  and  he  also  followed  farming. 
He  spent  his  early  life  in  his  nati\e  state,  finally  remo\ing  to  Shelby  county, 
Indiana,  where  lie  estahlished  the  future  home  of  tlie  family.  The  mother 
of  our  suliject  was  born  in  1805,  and  her  death  occurred  in  March,  1852. 
Ten  children  were  lK)rn  to  John  and  Elizabeth  McCrea,  six  of  whom  are  still 
living. 

Ed.  T.  McCrea  grew  to  manhood  in  Shelby  county.  thi§  state,  assisting 
with  the  general  work  about  the  place,  and  he  received  a  common  school  edu- 
cation. On  July  30,  1867  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Jessie  L.  Draper, 
who  was  born  on  February  22,  1846.     She  is  still  living. 

Three  children  have  been  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  namely  :  Edward 
H.,  who  is  the  possessor  of  rare  natural  talent  as  a  musician,  lives  at  home: 
William,  who  married  ]\Iary  Copeland  lives  in  Greentown,  above  Koroma : 
John  married  Mary  A.  Hadley,  and  they  live  in  Coal  Creek  township,  this 
county. 

Mr.  McCrea  worked  with  his  father  in  the  tanning  business  for  some 
time  when  a  young  man,  later  launching  out  in  the  general  merchandise  busi- 
ness which  he  was  engaged  in  at  the  commencement  of  the  Civil  war.  He 
gladly  left  a  growing  business  and  the  comforts  of  home  and  went  out  amid 
the  horrors  of  war  in  order  to  do  what  he  could  toward  suppressing  the 
hosts  of  treason,  and  he  endured  the  hardships  of  camp,  march  and  battle. 
On  August  28,  1 861  he  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Thirty-third  Indiana  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  at  Shelbyville,  and  was  at  once  elected  captain  of  that  company. 
He  served  in  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  then  from  Cumberland  Gap  returned 


MOXTllOMKKN'    C(>L■^'T^■,     INDIANA.  ■  I -.1 

back  north  to  the  Oliio  river.  He  was  cii.^ai^ccl  in  tit"ty-ti\c  hattles  and 
skirmishes.  J  [e  was  honorahly  discharged  on  Septeniher  \(\  iS()4.  Iia\  in^ 
proved,  accorchn.i^  to  his  comrades,  a  \ery  I'aitiifnl  soldier  for  the  ,i^ii\ernment. 

After  his  career  in  tlie  army  Mr.  McCrea  reliUMied  to  Indiana  and  took 
uj)  i^eneral  farming  and  stock  raising,  making  a  .specialty  at  one  time  of 
Pokingus  Black  cattle,  he  having  been  the  first  man  in  i\!ontgomer\'  county 
that  raised  this  popular  breed  for  sale,  and  he  became 
way.  Owing  to  the  superior  grade  of  his  cattle  the> 
market. 

Mr.  McCrea  is  now  the  owner  of  one  of  the  linesl 
townshi]),  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres,  a 
high  state  of  impro\'ement.  He  ga\e  each  of  his  childi 
one  time  owned  four  lumdred  acres.  He  is  now  reti' 
land. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Progressive  and  is  much  interested  in  the  new  move- 
ment. He  has  long  taken  a  leading  interest  in  pujjlic  affairs,  and  has  wielded 
a  potent  influence  for  good  in  his  locality  in  a  ci\il  way.  He  was  a  trustee 
in  his  county  for  one  term,  and  was  a  representative  to  the  legislature  two 
terms,  during  which  he  did  much  for  the  permanent  good  of  his  locality  and 
won  the  hearty  commendation  of  his  constituents.  Fraternall}-,  he  belongs 
to  the  Masonic  Order  at  Xew  Richmond.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  clnuxh,  Ijeing  a  trustee  in  the  same. 


Aidely  known 

in  this 

found   a    very 

read)- 

farms  in  Coal 

Creek 

tillable  and  u 

nder  a 

.'U   forty  acres 

and  at 

ed  and  rents  ( 

mt  his 

EDWARD  S.  MILLER. 

A  representative  young  farmer  of  Madison  township,  Montgomery 
county,  who  is  succeeding  at  his  chosen  life  work  l^ecause  he  is  willing  to 
work  hard  and  persistently  and  deal  honestly  with  his  fellow  men.  He  is 
quick  to  adopt  any  new  method  pertaining  to  his  work.  He  is  the  scion  of 
one  of  the  honored  and  well  known  old  families  of  this  locality,  and  he  has 
ever  made  an  effort  to  keep  the  good  name  of  the  same  untarnished. 

Mr.  Miller  was  born  in  Alontgomery  county,  Indiana,  May  24.  1878. 
He  is  a  son  of  David  S.  and  Sarah  Miller.  These  parents  were  both  natives 
of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania,  where  they  grew  to  maturit\-,  recei\ed  their 
educational  training  in  the  old-fashioned  .schools  and  tliere  were  married. 
They  came  to  Montgomery  count}',   Indiana,   in  an  early  day  and  settleil  in 


I  124  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Madison  township,  wliere  they  developed  a  good  farm  and  here  they  are  still 
living,  being"  now  advanced  in  years. 

Eight  children  were  born  to  David  S.  Miller  and  wife,  four  of  whom  are 
still  living. 

Edward  S.  Miller,  of  this  review,  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  locality 
and  assisted  with  the  general  work  on  the  home  place,  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools,  then  took  up  general  fanning  and  is  still 
actively  engaged,  having  become  very  well  established. 

Mr.  Miller  was  married  on  December  25,  1892,  to  Maud  Weller,  daugh- 
ter of  John  T.  and  Mina  (Lynch)  Weller.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  In- 
diana, and  her  mother  was  born  in  Ireland,  from  which  country  she  emi- 
gratgd  to  the  United  States  when  young  in  years,  and  here  she  met  ad  mar- 
ried Mr.  Weller.  They  settled  in  Union  township,  Montgomery  county,  in 
an  early  day,  and  here  they  became  well  established  through  their  industry 
and  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives  here.  Their  family  consisted  of  three  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  are  still  living. 

Two  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller,  namely:  Stanley 
and  Dorothy,  both  at  home. 

Mr.  Miller  has  never  taken  an  active  part  in  public  afifairs  and  has  never 
held  office.  Eraternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Eellows.  both  at  Linden.  Religiously,  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  church. 


CAPT.  HENRY  H.  TALBOT. 

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  Union 
is  certainly  due  Capt.  Henry  H.  Talbot,  one  of  the  successful  agriculturists 
and  esteemed  citizens  of  Montgomery  county.  He  proved  his  love  and 
loyalty  to  the  government  on  the  long  and  tiresome  marches  in  all  kinds  of 
situations,  exposed  to  summer's  withering  heat  and  winter's  freezing  cold, 
on  the  lonely  picket  line  a  target  for  the  bullets  of  the  unseen  foe,  on  the 
tented  field  and  amidst  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  ami}-"  all  honor  is  due:  to  them  the 


MONTGOMERY    COLNTV,    IN'niANA.  I  123 

country  is  uiuler  a  debt  of  gratitmlc  which  it  cannot  i)ay,  and  in  centuries  yet 
to  be  posterity  will  commemorate  their  ciiivalry  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  the  gentleman  whose  name  appear?, 
at  the  head  of  this  article,  still  left  with  us  to  thrill  us  with  reminiscences  of 
those  stirring  times  of  the  early  sixties. 

Capt.  Talbot  was  born  at  Lexington,  Fayette  count}-.  Kentucky,  Septem- 
ber 6,  1841.  He  is  a  son  of  Courtney  and  Elizabeth  (Harp)  Talbot.  The 
father  was  born  on  September  3,  1804  in  Bourbon  county,  Kentucky,  and 
the  mother  was  born  in  Fayette  county,  that  state,  on  July  14,  1813.  Nicholas 
Talbot,  the  paternal  grandfather,  was  born  in  Virginia,  November  10,  1781. 
John  Kennedy,  the  great  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born  October  16, 
1742,  and  he  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Cai)t.  Talbot  has  a  copy  taken 
from  record  for  a  grant  of  land  of  two  tliousand  and  se\en  hundred  acres 
located  on  Kennedy's  creek,  Bourbon  county,  Kentucky.  It  was  issued  in 
favor  of  his  great  grandfather,  John  Kennedy,  ami  liis  brother  Joseph  Ken- 
nedy, the  same  land  being  located  and  surveyed  by  Alaj.  Daniel  Roone,  Octo- 
ber 16,  1779. 

Capt.  Talbot  received  such  education  as  the  early  times  in  which  he  was 
a  boy  afforded,  and  early  in  life  he  took  up  farming  which  he  has  always 
followed,  and  he  is  now  the  owner  of  a  large,  productive  and  finely  improved 
farm  near  Crawfordsville  on  which  he  has  long  carried  on  general  farming 
and  stock  raising  on  an  extensive  scale.  He  has  always  taken  a  great  deal  of 
interest  in  preparing  a  good  grade  of  li\e  stock  for  the  market.  He  has  a 
pleasant  home  in  the  midst  of  attractive  surroundings,  and  it  is  his  intention 
to  spend  the  rest  of  his  days  amid  rural  scenes,  being  a  great  lover  of  nature 
in  all  her  forms  and  it  is  his  hope  that  his  last  \'iew  of  earth  will  lie  on  wa\  ing 
grain  fields  and  blooming  meadow  lands. 

While  his  father  was  the  owner  of  many  slaves,  Captain  Talbot  enlisted 
for  service  in  the  Federal  army  in  the  first  call  for  three  months'  troops  at  the 
outbreak  of  the  war.  Later,  as  a  member  of  Company  C.  Seventh  Kentucky 
Cavalry,  on  June  i,  1862,  he  saw  much  hard  service,  but,  according  to  his 
comrades,  he  proved  to  be  faithful  and  gallant  no  matter  how  arduous  or 
dangerous  the  tasks  assigned  him.  His  first  battle  was  at  Richmond,  Ken- 
tucky, August  30,  1862,  and  afterwards  he  was  in  scores  of  battles  and  skirm- 
ishes, his  hardest  service  being  against  Longstreet  around  Knoxville,  Tenn- 
essee, in  the  winter  of  1863-64.  He  participated  in  the  Atlanta  campaign, 
and  was  in  the  great  Wilson  cavalry   raid,   which   started    from   Eastport, 


11-26  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Mississippi,  and  the  regiment  to  which  our  subject  belonged  found  itself  in 
Florida  at  the  end  of  that  undertaking.  Our  subject  was  in  the  last  battle  of 
the  war  at  Westpoint,  Georgia,  April  i6,  1865.  For  meritorious  conduct  he 
was  twice  promoted,  first  to  second  lieutenant  and  secondly,  to  the  captaincy 
of  his  regiment,  and  as  an  officer  he  won  the  confidence  and  respect  of  his 
men  and  superior  officers.  During  his  military  career  he  was  twice  wounded, 
once  through  the  right  breast  and  once  through  the  right  leg.  He  was 
mustered  out  at  Nashville,  Tennessee,  July  17,  1865.  Captain  Talbot  was  the 
only  one  of  his  family  in  Kentucky  to  join  the  Union  army,  others  of  his 
relatives  joining  the  Confederate  army. 

After  his  career  i  nthe  army  Captain  Talbot  returned  home,  and  resumed 
farming,  later  coming  to  Montgomery  county.  Indiana,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided. He  was  married  on  June  6,  1872  to  Hettie  A.  Evans,  daughter  of 
Rev.  Samuel  and  Mary  (Woodrufif)  Evans,  of  Waveland,  Indiana.  To  this 
union  the  following  children  were  born :  May  Wood  Talbot  and  Ethel  Talbot 
Sparks,  the  last  named  is  the  widow  of  the  late  ^^'allace  Sparks,  formerly 
clerk  of  Montgomery  county. 

Captain  Talbot  has  been  a  Republican  for  the  past  fifty  years,  however 
in  the  campaign  of  '1912  he  allied  himself  with  the  Progressi\-e  party  under 
Colonel  Roosevelt.     He  has  served  one  term  as  county  councilman. 

Captain  Talbot  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and 
he  served  two  terms  as  post  commander  of  McPherson  Post,  No.  7,  at  Craw- 
fordsville.  Fraternally,  he  belongs  to.  the  Masonic  Order,  having  been  a 
Mason  for  the  past  fifty  years,  holding  membership  with  Montgomery  Lodge, 
No.  50.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Rural  Detectives,  and  in  this  organization 
he  had  the  honor  of  constructing  its  secret  work. 


ED.  LAWERENCE. 


Montgomery  county  can  boast  of  few  more  progressive  and  successful 
agriculturists,  stock  dealers  and  business  men  than  the  well  known  gentleman 
whose  name  furnishes  the  caption  of  this  review.  He  has  long  been  con- 
sidered one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Browns  A'alley  and  as  a  citizen  is  in- 
telligent and  enterprising,  combining  within  himself  those  sterling  qualities 
of  manhood  that  make  not  only  a  useful  meml^er  of  society,  but  a  leader  m 
whatever  he  undertakes.  He  has  ever  had  an  honest  determination  of  pur- 
pose and  an  obliging  nature  which  impels  him  to  assist  others  on  the  higli- 


MOXTCOMKRV    CorXTV,    IN'DIAXA.  112^ 

way  of  life  while  niakiiii;  jilain  the  path  of  ])rnsi)erity  for  himself  and  family. 
He  is  a  i)uhlie-s])irite>l  man  and  has  nnt  withheld  his  aid  fmm  any  wnrlliy 
muxentent  ha\  inj;-  for  its  dhject  the  ,s;eneral  impn  ixemenl  nf  his  tnwushij) 
and  CMunt\-. 

Mr  Lawerence  is  the  scion  oi  a  fine  old  Southern  family,  many  of  whose 
winniniL;  ])ersonal  attributes  he  seems  to  have  inherited,  lie  was  horn  jnl\ 
7.  1857  in  Montgomery  county,  X'irginia,  and  there  he  ,i;rew  to  manhood, 
received  his  educational  training  and  remained  in  the  ( )ld  Dominion  until  he 
was  twenty  years  old  when  he  came  to  Indiana  where  he  has  since  reniained. 
He  is  a  son  of  Francis  W.  and  (".ertrude  ((irills)  Lawerence,  hoth  natives  of 
Virginia,  the  father's  hirth  having  occurred  in  March.  iSjfi,  and  he  died  in 
October,  1895;  the  mother  was  bom  in  1828,  and  her  death  occurred  in  1884. 
The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  carpenter  by  trade.  His  family  consisted  of 
eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  still  living. 

Ed.  Lawerence,  of  this  sketch,  was  married  on  August  i,  1880,  "In  Martha 
A.  Bennett,  a  native  of  Indiana.  Her  death  occurred  on  February  15,  1890. 
On  Noveniljer  26th  of  that  year,  Mr.  Lawerence  married  Kate  Armstrong, 
who  was  born  in  Montgomery  county,  this  state,  and  here  she  grew  to  woman- 
hood and  was  educated.      She  is  a  daughter  of  a  highly  respected  old  family. 

Four  children  constituted  our  subject's  family,  two  of  whom  arc  still  liv- 
ing. One  of  these  children  was  liy  the  first  wife,  the  other  three  by  the  sec- 
ond. Thev  were  named:  Frank,  who  is  deceased:  W'illa  is  li\ing  at  home; 
Marv  Fern  and  Forest  E.,  twins,  the  latter  being  deceased. 

;\lr.  Lawerence  began  life  for  himself  as  a  farmer  and  this  he  has  con- 
tinued to  follow  to  the  present  time  in  connection  with  the  stock  and  grain 
business,  in  all  of  which  he  has  been  very  successful.  He  was  located  at  the 
town  of  New  Market,  shipping  cattle,  hogs  and  shee]).  and  buying  and  selling 
grain.  He  built  up  a  very  extensive  business  and  is  widely  known  all  over 
this  section  of  the  .state.  He  is  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  fine  land  in  Brown  township,  all  tillable  but  about  thirt\-two  acres.  It  is 
well  tiled,  in  fact,  modernly  improved  in  e\ery  way,  ami  on  the  ])lace  stand  a 
substantial  and  convenient  set  of  buildings. 

Mr.  Lawerence  in  his  fraternal  relations  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
Order  at  Waveland.  the  Independent  Onler  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Xew  Market. 
Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat  and  he  has  long  been  an  influential  factor  in 
local  political  affairs,  lieing  a  leader  in  his  part.  He  was  elected  sheriff  of 
Montgomery  county  in  1906.  and  served  in  that  capacity  for  a  period  of  four 
years  in  a  manner  that  reflected  much  credit  upon  himself  and  to  the  eminent 


1 128  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

satisfaction  of  all  concerned,  irresi>ecti\e  of  party  alignment,  in  fact,  accord- 
ing to  the  consensus  of  opinion  he  proved  to  be  one  of  the  most  faithful  and 
popular  officials  the  county  has  ever  known.  He  looked  after  the  interests 
of  the  people  v^'ith  just  the  same  care  and  sound  discretion  that  has  always 
characterized  his  personal  life.  No  shadow  of  suspicion  ever  rested  on  his 
official  record,  and  he  fearlessly  and  impartially  discharged  his  duties  under 
the  law,  as  he  saw  and  understood  the  right.  Personally,  he  is  a  man  of  pleas- 
ing address,  genial,  obliging  and  neighborly,  and  he  has  so  ordered  his  every- 
day life  that  he  has  won  the  confidence  and  good  will  of  all  with  whom  he 
has  come  into  contact. 


CHARLES  TINSLEY  BRONAUGH,  M.  D. 

The  writer  of  biography  dealing  in  the  personal  liistory  of  men  engaged 
in  the  various  afifairs  of  everyday  life,  occasionally  finds  a  subject  whose  rec- 
ord commands  exceptional  interest  and  admiration  and  especially  is  this  true 
when  he  has  achieved  more  than  ordinai-y  success  or  made  his  influence  felt 
as  a  leader  of  thought  and  a  benefactor  of  his  kind.  Dr.  Charles  Tinsley 
Bronaugh,  of  New  Ross,  Montgomery  county,  is  eminently  of  that  class  who 
earn  the  indisputable  right  to  rank  in  the  van  of  the  army  of  progressive  men 
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  during  his  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century 
of  practice  in  Walnut  township  which  will  long  live  in  the  hearts  of  the  people. 
During  the  latter  decades  of  the  period  of  development  of  this  section  he  has 
been  not  only  a  successful  practitioner,  but  has  aided  in  whatever  way  possible 
for  the  betterment  of  the  condition  of  the  people,  and  his  name  has  become  a 
household  word  throughout  the  locality. 

Dr.  Bronaugh  was  born  in  Gerard  county,  Kentucky,  March  19,  1854. 
He  is  a  son  of  Robert  N.  and  Mary  (Taylor)  Bronaugh.  The  father  was 
born  in  1819  in  Hendricks  county,  Indiana,  and  there  also,  in  the  same  year, 
the  mother  was  bom.  They  both  grew  to  maturity  in  their  native  county  and 
received  common  school  educations,  and  there  they  were  married,  subse- 
quently removing  to  Kentucky  where  they  resided  until  1863  when  they  moved 
back  to  Lizton,  Hendricks  county,  where  they  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives. 
Their  family  consisted  of  seven  children,  namely:  Elizabeth  C.  is  the  eldest; 
Nancy,  George  T.,  are  both  deceased:  Charles  T..  of  this  review;  Mary  V., 
John  W.  are  both  deceased ;  James  is  the  youngest. 


DR.    CHAS.    T.    BRONAtTGH 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  II29 

Dr.  Bronaugh  was  educated  in  the  coninion  schools  of  Hendricks 
county,  and  early  in  life  he  determined  upon  a  medical  career  and  began  to 
prepare  for  the  same,  subsequently  entering  the  Indiana  College  of  Medicine 
at  Indianapolis  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1884,  and  he 
at  once  began  practicing  at  the  village  of  New-  Ross,  Montgomery  county, 
remaining  here  continuously  to  the  present  time,  building  up  a  very  extensive 
and  lucrative  practice  during  this  period  of  nearly  thirty  years. 

The  doctor  was  married  in  1889  to  Sadie  Everson,  daughter  of  James 
K.  and  Hannah  Everson.  Hers  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  families 
of  the  county.     The  death  of  Mrs.  Bronaugh  occurred  in  1890,  without  issue. 

Politically,  Dr.  Bronaugh  is  a  Democrat.  He  held  the  office  of  county 
coroner  for  two  terms  in  a  manner  that  reflected  much  credit  upon  himself 
and  to  the  eminent  satisfaction  of  all  concerned.  Fraternally,  he  belongs  to 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Rebekahs. 


ISAAC  NEWTON  MEHARRY. 

It  has  been  well  said  l)y  one  of  the  great  writers  of  (ilden  times  that  the 
deeds  of  men  live  after  them,  so  it  is  but  just  that  the  deeds  of  tlie  man  whose 
name  heads  this  sketch  should  be  remembered  for  the  benefit  of  his  posterity. 
His  life  was  such  that  the  future  generations  of  the  name  will  with  pride 
read  its  history.  He  was  a  self-made  man,  possessing  a  large  store  of  gen- 
eral knowledge  and  good  business  tact,  and  with  a  determination  that  was 
characteristic  of  the  man,  he  set  al)out  when  a  l)oy  making  for  liimself  for- 
tune and  an  honored  name  at  the  same  time.  With  industry  for  his  motto, 
he  plodded  up  the  rugged  hill  that  leads  to  success,  and  became  one  of  the 
most  substantial  farmers  and  prosperous  citizens  in  the  northwestern  part 
of  Montgomery  county,  leaving  behind  him  a  large  and  valuable  landed 
estate,  but  what  is  more  to  be  appreciated  by  his  family  and  descendants, 
the  record  of  an  honored  life  and  untarnished  name,  Mr.  Meharry  liaving 
a  number  of  years  ago  been  gathered  into  the  sheaves  of  that  grim  reaper 
who.  in  the  lines  of  the  poet  Longfellow,  "Reajjs  the  bearded  grain  at  a 
breath  and  the  flowers  that  grow  between."  The  life  of  such  a  man  lias  a 
wholesome  influence  on  the  comunity  whicii  he  lionored  1>\-  his  citizenship. 

Isaac  Newton  Meharry-,  for  many  years  a  leading  agriculturist  of 
Montgomery  county  and  the  able  president  of  tiie  Farmers'  Bank  at  Win- 


I  130  MONTGOMERY    COUXTV,    INDIANA. 

gate,  was  born  011  l*>briiary  16.  1842.  at  the  home  where  liis  widow  now 
resides,  near  the  town  of  W'ingate.  Coal  Creei<  township,  this  county.  He 
was  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Eunity  ( Patton )  Meharr}-.  Thomas  Meharry 
was  horn  in  Ohio  and  his  wife  in  West  Virginia,  August  16.  1802.  They 
were  married  in  Brown  county.  Ohio.  Deceml)er  4.  1827,  where  she  had 
moved  with  her  parents  at  the  age  of  ten  years.  In  the  spring  of  1828, 
they  left  the  Buckeye  state  and  came  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  here 
establishing  the  permanent  liome  of  the  family,  developing  a  good  farm  by 
their  industry  and  close  application,  and  here  they  spent  the  rest  of  their 
lives,  the  father  dying  in  1874  and  the  mother's  death  occurred  on  August  7, 
1887,  while  on  a  visit  in  Fountain  county.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  all  now  deceased  but  two  daughters.  Their  children  were  named 
as  follows ;  Mrs.  Jane  P.  Dick,  of  Tolono.  Illinois ;  William,  who  lived  in 
Tolono,  deceased;  Mrs.  Ellen  Martin,  of  Attica.  Indiana;  Jesse,  who  lived 
at  Tolono,  Illinois,  deceased:  A.  P.,  who  also  lived  there,  deceased;  Isaac 
Newton,  of  this  memoir,  and  Abraham  T.  were  twins;  the  latter  is  also  de- 
ceased. 

Isaac  X.  Meharry's  career  was  somewhat  unusual  in  that  the  place  of 
his  birth,  his  iiome  during  life,  and  the  place  of  his  death  are  located  within 
the  enclosure  of  his  late  home,  and  within  a  radius  of  twenty-five  feet.  He 
assisted  with  the  general  work  on  the  home  farm  as  he  was  growing  to 
maturity,  and  in  the  winter  months  he  attended  the  common  schools,  study- 
ing one  year  at  Wesley  Chapel ;  in  fact,  it  may  be  said  that  he  remained  a 
student  the  rest  of  his  life,  being  a  wide  reader,  and  he  became  a  well  in- 
formed man. 

He  was  married  to  Mary  Elizabeth  Moore,  September  16,  1863,  and 
their  married  life  proved  to  be  one  of  continued  happiness  and  sunshine. 
She  was  born  on  June  13.  1845,  in  Brown  count}-,  Ohio,  and  she  was  two 
years  old  when  her  parents  brought  her  to  Indiana,  and  here  she  grew  to 
womanhood  and  received  her  education  in  the  common  schools.  She  has 
lived  in  the  vicinity  of  Wingate  since  she  was  nine  years  of  age.  Her  par- 
ents were  Henry  Wilson  Moore  and  Maria  (Davidson)  Moore.  They  were 
the  parents  of  four  children,  two  of  whom  are  still  living. 

To  Mr.  and  ^Irs.  Meharry  were  born  ten  children,  four  of  whom  are 
still  living,  namely;  Mrs.  Effie  Rebecca  Meredith  is  living  in  Kansas;  Etta 
Lulu  is  deceased;  Annie  Mary  is  living  at  home;  Jennie  M.  married  Charles 
Fraley  and  she  is  deceased ;  John  Abraliam.  who  married  Jessie  Carter,  is 
living  at  Shawnee  Mound.  Indiana;  Carrie  M.  is  deceased;  Vinton  Switzer, 


MOXTGOMEin'    COLXTV.    IXDIAXA.  i  I  3  I 

tlie  vinni'^fst  child,  is  lixint;-  at  Ikhiic.  'I^lirec  (itluTS.  a  hm-  ami  twin  ilani^litcrs, 
died  in  infancy. 

Isaac  Meharry  devoted  iiis  life  to  a.t^ricultural  jiursuits  and  stuck  raisinj;' 
with  ever-increasing  success  until  he  hecanie  one  of  the  leaders  in  his  Noca- 
tion  in  this  section  of  the  county,  and  he  left  four  hundred  and  fortx-funr 
acres  of  well  improved  and  valualile  land  in  Coal  Creek  township.  This  his 
widow  still  owns  and  it  is  being  managed  successfully.  She  has  a  large 
pleasant  home  and  on  the  place  is  al.so  a  substantial  and  convenient  set  of  c nit- 
buildings.  At  this  home  occurred  the  death  of  Governor  Matthews.  An 
excellent  grade  of  li\e  stock  is  ke])t  at  all  seasons  and  a  general  farming 
business  is  carrietl  on  extensi\ely. 

The  Council  Gro\e  Horse  Thief  Detective  Association  was  organized 
in  an  okl  locust  gro\e  (in  Mr.  Meharry"s  farm,  our  subject  hax'ing  been  one 
of  its  organizers,  and  he  did  much  to  make  it  successful.  It  was  the  first 
association  organized  in  the  L'nited  States.  Politically,  he  was  a  Republican, 
hut  he  was  not  in  any  sense  a  ])ublic  man,  being  content  to  lead  a  (juiet  life 
on  his  fine  farm. 

We  quote  the  following  from  a  local  news])aper,  which  is  part  of  an  ex- 
tended article  on  Mr.  Meharry's  death  : 

"The  death  of  Isaac  N.  Meharr\-  occurred  on  December  lo,  1904,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-two  years,  nine  months  and  twenty-six  days.  Mr.  Meliarry  was 
con\-erted  and  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Shawnee  Mound 
under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  S.  P.  Colvin,  during  a  series  of  meetings  in  Janu- 
ary, iS^o  and  since  that  time  he  lix'ed  a  useful,  true  and  exemplar}-  Christian 
life. 

"He  was  a  trustee  and  steward  of  Shawnee  church  for  al)out  twenty 
years  continuously.  As  a  husband  he  was  true  and  faithful.  As  a  father  he 
was  loving  and  kind  and  good  in  the  truest  sense.  As  a  citizen  he  was  honor- 
able, trustworthy,  upright  and  public-spirited.  The  people  knew  him  as  a 
warm-hearted,  true  and  earnest  man. 

"A  man  of  strong  friendships  of  a  .strictly  moral  life.  For  many  years 
he  suffered  from  ill  health,  which  interfered  to  some  extent  with  his  plans 
and  desires.  He  was  ]iresident  of  the  l~armer's  liank  at  \\'ingate  during  the 
last  two  years  of  his  life,  holding  that  office  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

"The  funeral  services  were  held  in  the  jiresence  of  a  large  circle  of  rela- 
tives and  friends.  The  funeral  decorations  were  many  and  beautiful.  The 
body  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  Meharry  cemetery  located  on  the  farm  on  which 
he  was  born." 


1 132  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

JOHN  W.  MILLER. 

One  of  the  leading  citizens  of  New  Ross  and  that  section  of  Montgom- 
ery county  who  has  done  much  for  the  development  of  the  same  and  who  has 
succeeded  in  various  fields  of  endeavor  is  John  W.  Miller,  trustee  of  his  town- 
ship and  a  leader  in  the  same  in  both  a  business  and  public  manner.  He  is  a 
man  who  has  taken  a  great  delight  in  the  momentous  changes  that  have  been 
noted  here  since  he  was  a  boy,  for  he  is  one  of  our  worthy  native  sons  and 
has  been  content  to  spend  his  life  in  his  native  community,  and,  judging  from 
the  large  success  that  has  attended  his  efforts  he  has  been  wise  in  this,  how- 
ever he  would  doubtless  have  succeeded  in  any  locality  where  he  might  have 
cared  to  direct  his  energies,  for  he  is  by  nature  the  possessor  of  those  qualities 
that  never  fail  to  win  in  what  the  poets  are  pleased  to  call  the  battle  of  life. 

Mr.  Miller  was  born  at  Ladoga,  this  county,  on  December  9,  1849.  He 
is  a  son  of  Isaac  N.  and  Nancy  A.  (Corn)  Miller.  The  father  was  born  in 
Greene  county,  Ohio,  September  13,  1826,  and  the  mother  was  a  native  of 
Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  where  her  birth  occurred  on  October  26,  1829. 
Her  parents  came  from  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  to  Montgomery  county, 
Indiana,  as  early  as  1820  hence  were  among  the  first  settlers,  locating  in  Scott 
township.  Isaac  N.  Miller  came  to  this  county  in  1848  and  settled  at  La- 
doga. He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade  which  he  followed  here  until  1856  when 
he  moved  into  the  woods  in  Walnut  township  where  he  cleared  and  improved 
a  farm. 

Five  children  were  born  to  Isaac  N.  Miller  and  wife,  namely :  John  W., 
of  this  review;  George  A.,  Henry  A.,  Albert  A.  is  deceased;  and  Benjamin  F. 

John  W.  Miller  assisted  his  father  with  his  work  when  he  was  growing 
to  manhood  and  he  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools,  after  which 
he  spent  a  year  in  the  Ladoga  Seminary.  He  had  decided  upon  a  career  as 
teacher  and  thus  well  equipped  for  the  same  he  followed  that  laudable  work 
two  years,  and  although  he  was  making  an  excellent  start,  he  saw  that  his 
bent  was  in  another  direction,  the  school  room  being  too  confining,  and  he 
took  up  farming  which  he  followed  with  ever  increasing  success  until  1908, 
owning  and  operating  one  of  the  choice  farms  in  this  part  of  the  county  of 
which  he  made  a  pronounced  success,  both  as  a  general  farmer  and  stock 
raiser.  Upon  the  last  mentioned  date  he  retired  from  the  active  duties  of  life 
and  moved  to  the  village  of  New  Ross,  where  he  owns  a  pleasant  home  and 
where  he  is  spending  his  latter  years  in  quiet. 

Mr.  Miller  was  married  in  1878  to  Betty  Hall,  daughter  of  Harrison  and 


JOHN   W.   MILLER 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  II33 

Catlierine  (W'asson)  Hall,  both  natives  of  Shelb}-  county,  Kentucky,  where 
they  spent  their  earlier  _\ears,  and  from  which  they  came  to  Alontt^oniery 
county,  Indiana,  in  a  very  early  day  and  settled  in  Brown  township,  where 
they  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives,  becoming  well  located  there. 

Two  children  were  born  to  our  subject  and  wiie.  namely:  Minnie  May 
married  Alta  B.  Mercer,  of  Clark  township;  and  Nancy  Catherine,  who  died 
on  August  20,  1898. 

The  wife  and  mother  was  called  to  her  rest  on  October  21,  1898. 

Politically,  Mr.  Miller  is  a  Republican.  He  has  been  trustee  of  Walnut 
township  for  the  past  five  years,  giving  satisfaction  to  all  concerned.  Fra- 
ternally, he  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Lodge 
at  New  Ross,  No.  397 ;  and  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  at  Crawfordsville. 
He  and  his  family  believed  in  the  Baptist  creed.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  Farmers  and  Merchants  Bank  of  Ladoga. 


HENRY  C.   ^IcGAUGHFA'. 

While  Henry  C.  McGaughey,  of  Brown  townshi]),  Montgomery  county, 
does  not  farm  on  as  extensive  a  scale  as  some  of  his  neighbors,  yet  it  is  safe 
to  say  that  none  of  the  tillers  of  the  soil  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county 
are  getting  greater  returns  for  the  labor  expended  on  their  land  than  he.  In- 
stead of  hurriedly  and  carelessly  operating  over  a  ^•ast  acreage,  as  some  farm- 
ers do,  he  believes  in  smaller  acreage  tended  well,  and  therefore  devotes  his 
careful  attention  to  what  land  he  has,  making  every  foot  produce  something, 
without  waste;  but  he  does  not  deplete  the  strength  of  soil  thereby,  rotating 
his  crops  and  building  up  his  land,  so  that  on  the  contrary,  its  value  has  in- 
creased, and  he  is  making  a  very  comfortable  living. 

Mr.  ]\IcGaughey  was  born  on  December  4,  1854,  in  Putnam  county, 
Indiana,  and  there  he  grew  to  manhood,  assisted  with  the  general  work  on 
the  home  farm  when  a  boy,  and  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools, 
continuing  to  reside  there  until  he  removed  to  Brown  township,  Montgomery 
county,  about  twelve  years  ago.  He  is  a  son  of  Michael  and  Sarah  (Lane) 
McGaughey.  The  father  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1804,  and  his  death  oc- 
curred in  1856  in  Putnam  county,  this  state,  having  come  there  from  the  Blue 
Grass  country  in  an  early  day  and  devoted  himself  to  farming.  He  died  in 
the  prime  of  life.  His  family  consisted  of  twehe  children,  nine  of  whom  are 
still  living. 


lI34  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Henry  C.  McGaughey  was  married  on  I-'elirnary  24,  1882.  to  Martha 
E\erman,  who  was  horn  in  Putnam  county.  Indiana.  Xovemher  12.  1859, 
and  tliere  she  grew  to  womanhood  and  received  a  good  common  schooPedu- 
cation.  She  is  a  daughter  of  James  and  Sarah  (  Norman  )  Everman.  These 
parents  were  both  natixes  of  Inchana. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McGaughey  have  i:)een  born  eight  children,  six  of  wliom 
are  still  living,  namely:  Leona,  born  December  31,  1882,  married  Claude 
Jai-vis,  and  they  live  in  Parke  county,  Arthur,  born  March  9,  1884,  has  re- 
mained single,  and  he  is  a  promising  young  attorney  of  Crawfordsville; 
William,  born  March  13,  1886,  married  Edna  Sewell,  and  they  live  in  Mont- 
momery  county;  Everett,  burn  July  3,  1889,  died  January  28,  1893:  Edith, 
born  January  14,  1891,  has  remained  single  and  is  at  home  with  her  parents; 
Celia,  born  March  25,  1893,  died  January  31.  1895:  Raymond,  born  August 
16,  1895  is  engaged  in  farming;  Inez,  l)orn  January  13.  1899.  is  attending 
school. 

Mr.  McGaughey  has  devoted  his  life  to  general  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing. He  is  the  owner  of  eighty  acres  of  good  land  in  Brown  township,  which 
he  keeps  well  improved  and  which  is  fairly  well  tiled.  It  is  all  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation  with  the  exception  of  about  ten  acres  which  is  kept  in 
pasture. 

Politically.  Mr.  McGaughey  is  a  Progressive,  and  has  kept  well  informed 
on  public  matters.     In  religious  affairs  he  belongs  to  the  Christian  churcli. 


TAMES  D.  WILSON. 


The  agricultural  districts  of  the  great  commonwealth  of  Indiana  are  the 
homes  of  wortliy  men  whose  li\'es  have  been  spent  in  such  a  manner  as  to  win 
the  respect  of  those  with  whom  they  associate,  while  their  well-directed  efforts 
have  resulted  in  comfortable  homes  and  many  enjoyments.  In  Montgomery 
county  frequent  representatives  of  this  class  may  'be  found,  and  one  of  them 
is  he  whose  life  history  is  briefly  outlined  in  these  paragraphs.  James  D. 
Wilson's  home  is  located  in  Coal  Creek  township  where  he  has  a  thoroughly 
tilled  farm,  whereon  may  be  found  such  buildings  as  are  made  necessary  to 
the  extent  of  his  work,  or  such  as  will  increase  the  comfort  of  his  home  life. 
He  owes  his  present  prosperity  solely  to  his  own  industiy,  and  in  his  career 
he  has  shown  himself  possessed  of  those  faculties  that  are  requisite  to  suc- 
cess— sagacity,  far-reaching  forethought  and  a  practical  tenacity  of  purpose. 


iMOXTGOMEUV    rOl-NTN',    INDIANA.  II35 

.Mr.  Wilson  was  horn  in  Montgomery  connly  on  ()ctol)LT  .:;().  1S34,  ami 
here  he  lias  been  content  to  spend  his  life,  lielie\ing  that  near  his  own  home 
exist  opportunities  as  good  if  not  better  than  exist  for  him  elsewhere.  Ik 
is  a  son  of  W.  W.  and  Sophia  (  Mc(iinnis)  Wilson.  These  parents  were  both 
natives  of  the  state  of  Ohio,  however,  they  both  came  to  Indiana  when  six 
years  okl  with  their  parents  who  settled  in  Montgomery  county,  the  McChnnis 
family  locating  in  Craw  fordsville  in  a  \ei"y  early  day.  The  parents  of  our 
subject  grew  to  maturit_\-  in  this  count}-,  were  etlucated  and  married  here,  and 
here  the_\'  spent  their  li\es  on  a  farm,  liecoming  well  estalilished  through  their 
industry.  Eight  children  were  born  to  them,  named  as  follows:  Albert  M., 
who  was  the  eldest;  James  D.,  of  this  sketch:  Theodore  E..  bAelyn,  Harriet 
M.,  William  H.,  Etta  Alice  and  Lafayette  D. 

James  D.  Wilson  grew  to  manhood  in  his  nati\e  community  and  receixed 
his  education  in  the  common  schools,  later  entering  Stockwell  Academy.  He 
applied  himself  assiduously  to  his  text-books  and  made  an  excellent  record. 
Aftter  leaving  school  he  began  life  for  himself  In-  teaching,  which  \'ocation  he 
followed  successfully  for  a  period  of  seven  years,  giving  eminent  satisfaction 
to  both  pupils  and  patrons,  and  his  ser\-ices  were  in  great  demand.  He  ilid 
much  to  impro\e  the  educational  conditions  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
county  and  became  well  known  locally  in  this  field  of  endeavor.  But  finally 
tiring  of  this  line  of  work  he  turned  his  attention  to  farming  and  is  still  actix'e. 
He  has  been  very  successful  as  a  general  farmer  and  stock  raiser  and  has  be- 
come well  established. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  married  in  1879  to  Mary  J.  McClamrock,  daughter  of 
James  and  Hannah  (Breaks)  McClamrock.  Her  father  was  a  native  of 
Hamilton  county,  Ohio,  and  the  mother  was  born  in  Montgomery  county. 
Indiana,  her  parents  having  been  very  early  settlers  in  this  locality.  Mrs. 
W^ilson  was  reared  to  womanhood  and  educated  in  her  nati\e  commmiitx-. 

Three  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson,  namely:  Ethel  mar- 
ried Frank  Chadwick.  and  they  live  in  Coal  Ireek  township:  Stella  lives  at 
home;  Ralph,  who  was  killed  on  October  23,  19 10,  in  a  football  game  in  St. 
Louis,  in  a  game  between  a  St.  Louis  team  and  the  Wabash  College  team, 
of  Crawfordsville,  Indiana.  He  was  considered  one  of  the  fa.stest  and  most 
capable  half-backs  in  the  state  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  young  man 
of  much  promise  and  was  popular. 

Mr.  Wilson  has  long  been  active  in  local  puliHc  afifairs,  and  he  is  at 
present  trustee  of  Coal  Creek  township,  antl  he  was  formerly  county  com- 
missioner for  two  terms.      As  a  i)ublic  servant  he  gi\es  eminent  satisfaction 


1 136  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

to  all  concerned,  being  faithful  and  honest  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty. 
Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  in  which  he  is  active  and 
influential.  In  religious  matters  he  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
and  is  at  present  a  trustee  in  the  same. 


GEORGE  HENRY   COOK. 

Success  has  come  to  George  Henry  Cook,  farmer  and  stock  raiser  of 
Sugar  Creek  township,  Montgomery  county,  because  he  has  sought  it  along 
legitimate  lines  and  has  not  loitered  about  waiting  for  fate  to  bring  him  a 
fortune  on  a  golden  platter,  as  it  seems  many  of  the  ambitionless  are  doing. 
He  was  taught  early  in  life  that  all  labor  is  noble  and  that  little  is  to  be  ex- 
pected in  this  world  without  effort,  continuous  and  rightly  directed,  so  he  has 
never  had  any  partitcular  qualms  of  conscience  when  he  has  had  a  task  to 
perform,  whether  trivial  or  important.  Not  only  has  he  been  taught  to  work 
when  work  was  to  be  done,  but  to  do  well,  his  very  best,  whatever  was 
worthy  the  attention  at  all.  Thus  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  he  has  suc- 
ceeded admirably  at  his  chosen  \ocation — that  of  agriculture — the  noblest  and 
most  important  of  all  vocations. 

Mr.  Cook  was  born  in  this  township  and  county  on  March  24,  1871. 
He  is  a  son  of  W.  H.  and  Nancy  (Wyatt)  Cook.  The  father  was  born  in 
Clermont  county,  Ohio,  January  17,  1833,  and  on  September  7th  in  that  year 
and  state  the  mother  was  also  born.  There  they  grew  to  maturity,  received 
limited  educations  in  the  common  schools  and  there  they  were  married ;  but 
not  long  afterwards,  in  the  fall  of  1866,  they  removed  to  Montgomery 
county,  Indiana,  and  here  they  became  well  established  on  a  farm,  and  here 
the  father  is  still  living.  The  mother  passed  to  her  eternal  rest  December  11, 
1901.  She  was  a  native  of  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  and  she  became  interested 
in  church  affairs  when  but  a  girl  there,  having  joined  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church  when  ten  years  of  age. 

W.  H.  Cook  was  married  a  second  time,  his  last  wife  being  Emma 
Petro,  who  was  a  native  of  Montgomery  county,  and  she  is  still  living. 
Politically,  Mr.  Cook  is  a  Republican,  but  has  never  been  active  in  public  life. 
His  family  consisted  of  ten  children,  all  still  living  but  one,  named  as  follows : 
Edward  A.,  John  O.  (deceased),  William  T.,  Eugene  J.,  Grant  W.,  Everett, 
Mrs.  Hattie  Schoen,  George  H.  (of  tliis  sketch),  !\Irs.  Ellen  Eppert.  and 
Mattie. 


WM.  H.  AND  NANCY   COOK 


GEORGE  H.  COOK 


MONTC-.O.MKKV    COIXTY,     INDI.WA.  I  1 37 

George  H.  Cook  grew  to  maiilnnKl  on  the  lioiiic  farm,  and  tliere  did  his 
share  of  the  general  work  wlien  a  Ixiy.  lie  received  a  good  common  school 
education,  also  attended  hig1i  schnol.  lie  has  remained  unmarried,  and  is 
living  with  his  father  on  the  lioniestead,  successfully  carrying  on  general 
farming  and  stuck  raising.  The  place  consists  <>f  une  hundred  and  t\\ent\- 
acres,  of  which  eighty  is  owned  by  the  father  and  fnrty  by  the  sun.  It  is  all 
tillable  but  about  five  acres,  which  is  in  timber.  This  land  was  entered  fnmi 
the  government  by  our  .subject's  grandfather  in  1N33.  William  (Unk.  having 
invaded  the  wilds  of  this  locality  when  it  was  little  <le\el<i|)ed  and  here  he 
develo])e(l  a  good  farm  through  hard  work,  and  frum  that  early  dav  tu  the 
present  time  the  Cooks  have  Ijeen  well  and  favurably  knnwn  nwr  this  section 
of  the  comity.  That  this  land  has  been  ably  manageil  is  seen  from  the  fad 
that  the  soil  is  today  as  strong  as  it  e\er  was  and  bounteous  crops  are  annually 
gathered.  Our  subject's  father  has  made  most  of  the  im])ro\-ements  now 
seen  on  the  place. 

P'olitically,  George  H.  Cook  is  a  l\e])ublican.  lie  belongs  to  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Xo.  I4(),  at  narlington.  and  he  has  been 
secretary  of  the  lodge  for  the  past  ten  or  twelve  years,  his  long  retention  in 
this  position  being  sufficient  evidence  of  the  trust  reposed  in  him  b\-  his 
fellow  citizens.  He  is  a  memlier  of  the  Potato  Creek  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  is  assistant  Sunday  school  superintendent  there. 


S.AMUEL  JOSEPH   MILLIG.A.X. 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  talk  to  Samuel  josej)!!  .Milligan  and  get  his  story  of  the 
pioneer  coalitions  of  Brcnvn  township.  Montgonier_\-  counly.  Indi.ina,  where 
his  long,  successful  and  u.seful  life  has  Ijeen  spent,  for  he  was  a  pioneer  child. 
growing  u])  when  the  country  was  little  impro\cd.  when  homes  were  widel\- 
separated,  when  there  were  no  bridges  across  the  dangerous  streams  and  in- 
deed, ])ractieally  no  roads.  It  was  the  period  ])efore  the  coming  of  the  "iron 
trail."  no  shrill  w-hi>tle  of  the  locomotive  being  heard  in  the  vast  stretches  of 
wildwdod,  and  it  was  a  time  when  such  lads  a>  lie  had  plenty  of  bard  work 
to  do  in  helping  clear  and  develop  the  land.  .Mr.  .Milligan  has  always  been 
a  farmer  and  stock  raiser  and  he  has  been  successful,  so  that  he  is  now 
enabled  to  li\e  retired,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  former  years  of  toil  and  good 
management. 
(72) 


I  138  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Mr.  Milligan  was  born  in  Brown  township,  this  county,  on  November 
18,  1841,  and  he  is  a  son  of  John  and  Lucinda  (Ehnore)  Milhgan,  the  father 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  mother  of  Montgomery  county,  Indiana, 
her  family  originally  coming  from  South  Carolina,  and  were  early  settlers 
of  Crawfordsville  and  were  well  known  for  many  decades  here,  being  active 
in  the  early  civilization  of  the  county.  John  Milligan,  mentioned  above,  was 
a  young  man  when  he  left  his  Pennsylvania  home  and  came  to  Cass  county, 
Indiana,  and  from  there  later  removed  to  Montgomery  county,  establishing 
his  future  home  at  Crawfordsville,  where  he  taught  school  for  several  terms, 
becoming  one  of  the  popular  early  teachers  in  this  section.  Later  he  moved 
to  Brown  township,  settling  east  of  the  village  of  Waveland,  which  had  at 
that  time,  however,  not  been  founded.  Later  he  had  the  honor  of  laying  out 
that  town,  and  here  he  l>ecame  a  prosperous  merchant,  his  store  being  patron- 
ized by  the  inhabitants  for  miles  around,  and  he  did  much,  in  fact,  more  than 
anyone  else  in  the  early  development  of  Waveland.  He  continued  to  follow 
merchandising  until  he  retired  from  active  life.  He  was  a  man  of  large 
public-spirit,  and  he  was  largely  instrumental  in  putting  the  first  railroad 
through  this  locality,  and  lie  did  many  other  things  that  he  will  always  be 
honored  for. 

The  family  of  John  Milligan  consisted  of  nine  children,  namely:  Ed- 
ward M.,  Matilda  J.,  Sarah  E.,  Thomas  E.,  John  W.,  Mary  Jane,  Samuel 
Joseph  (our  subject),  James  B.  and  William.  They  are  all  now  deceased 
with  the  exception  of  the  subject  of  this  review  and  William,  the  youngest 
of  the  family.  John  W.  was  a  soldier  in  the  L'nion  army  during  the  Civil 
war,  serving  three  years  in  the  Thirty-eighth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry. 

Samuel  J.  Milligan  had  the  advantages  of  a  good  common  school  edu- 
cation, later  attending  the  Presbyterian  Academy  at  Waveland.  He  then 
took  up  farming  and  has  continued  active  as  a  general  farmer  and^tock  raiser 
to  the  present  time,  having  met  with  a  large  degree  of  success  with  the  ad- 
vancing years,  as  a  result  of  his  close  application  and  good  management.  He 
owns  a  farm  of  about  two  hundred  acres. 

Mr.  MiUigan  was  married  on  September  17,  1878  to  Sarah  E.  Little, 
daughter  of  Alec  and  Anna  (Bowen)  Little,  these  parents  being  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  family  originally  came  from  Scotland  and  Wales. 
The  family  of  Alec  Little  and  wife  consisted  of  five  children,  namely :  James 
W.  was  the  eldest;  Susan  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  J.  E.  Sterrett,  a  practicing  phy- 
sician of  Los  Angeles,  California:  Sarah  E.    (or  Sally  as  she  is  familiarly 


MONTGOMERY    COUXTV,     INDIANA.  ■  '  39 

called)  is  the  wife  of  our  subject:  Anna  and  Aiiiicliiia  are  the  two  youn,i;est. 
These  children  are  all  still  living. 

The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Milligan  has  been  without  issue.  Politically, 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  religiously,  a  Presbyterian. 


NATHAN  G.  KESLER. 

In  many  respects  the  career  of  Nathan  (i.  Keslcr,  for  nian_\'  decades  one 
of  the  progressi\e  agriculturists  and  stock  men  of  Monegomery  county,  is 
peculiarly  instructive  in  that  it  shows  what  a  well  defined  purpose,  supple- 
mented by  correct  principles  and  high  ideals,  can  accomplish  in  the  face  of 
discouraging  circumstances.  It  is  an  example  of  triumph  over  obstacles,  the 
winning  of  success  by  honorable  methods,  and  as  such  may  be  safely  followed 
by  those  whose  life  work  is  yet  to  be  accomplished.  He  is  a  fine  type  of  the 
sterling  pioneer,  having  invaded  the  forests  of  this  locality  when  settlers 
were  none  too  numerous  and  when  there  was  much  to  be  done  before  a  com- 
fortable home  could  rise  and  good  crops  be  reaped  from  the  \irgin  soil,  but 
he  is  a  man  who  has  never  permitted  discouraging  situations  to  influence  liim, 
but  forged  ahead  despite  of  them,  and  won  not  only  material  success.  Init  the 
good  will  and  esteem  of  all  who  know  him.  By  his  upright  and  honorable 
career  as  a  general  farmer  and  citizen  he  has  won  the  good  will  of  his  fellow 
citizens.  It  is  always  his  endeavor  to  advance  in  every  possible  way  the  puli- 
lic  good,  and  this  cannot  be  too  highly  commended,  as  it  is  only  the  narrow- 
minded  man  who  makes  his  chief  object  the  acquisition  of  wealth,  regardless 
of  the  rights  and  feelings  of  others. 

Mr.  Kesler  was  born  in  Botetourt  county,  Virginia,  on  January  8,  183S. 
He  is  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Elizabeth  (nraybill)  Kesler.  and  the  grandson 
of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Shearer)  Kesler.  There  were  ten  children  in  the 
family  of  whom  Nathan  G.  was  the  fifth  in  urder  of  birth.  He  was  eight 
years  old  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  from  the  old  famil\-  homestead  to 
Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  making  the  long  overland  journey  by  wagon, 
at  a  time  when  wagon  roads  were  few,  when  most  streams  were  unbridged 
and  they  crossed  but  one  railroad  on  the  entire  journey.  Of  this  trip  our  sub- 
ject recalls  many  interesting  incidents,  having  a  good  recollection  of  the  same. 
The  family  located  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Scott  township,  this  county, 
where  Benjamin  Kesler  purchased  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land,  a 
small  part  of  which  had  been  cleared.     Nearly,  everybody  in  this  locality  at 


I  140  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

that  time  lived  in  log  cabins,  homes  like  the  modern  farm  house  were  not  to 
be  found.  Benjamin  Kesler  set  to  work  on  his  virgin  ground  with  a  will 
and  soon  had  a  good  farm  developed  and  a  comfortable  home  established, 
and  here  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  meeting  death  suddenly,  being  killed  on 
the  railroad  in  1893.  He  had  devoted  his  entire  life  to  agricultural  pursuits. 
His  wife  preceded  him  to  the  grave  in  1886.  They  were  both  members  of  the 
Dunkard  church.  Ten  children  were  born  to  them,  named  as  follows:  John 
M.,  who  devoted  his  life  to  farming  but  lived  in  Crawfordsville,  died  about 
1905,  leaving  a  widow  who  still  lives  in  Crawfordsville;  Eliza'beth  married 
Samuel  T.  Kenney,  moved  to  Iowa  and  later  to  Florida,  where  she  died  re- 
cently; Catherine,  widow  of  Jacob  Himes,  deceased,  lives  in  the  northern  part 
of  Scott  township;  Solomon  lives  in  Ladoga,  Indiana;  Nathan  G.,  of  this 
sketch ;  Samuel,  who  died  in  April,  1910,  lived  in  Ladoga,  left  a  widow  but  no 
living  children;  Susan  is  the  widow  of  Samuel  C.  Thompson,  and  she  lives 
with  her  children  near  New  Ross,  this  county;  Mary  is  the  wife  of  Wash- 
ington Neff  and  they  live  in  Ladoga;  Nancy  married  William  Mangus  and 
thev  live  near  Whitesville:  Jacob,  the  youngest,  lives  on  a  farm  near  Ladoga. 

Nathan  G.  Kesler  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  in  this  county  and 
there  worked  when  a  boy,  attending  the  district  schools  during  the  winter 
months.  \\'hen  twenty-one  years  old  he  began  farming  for  himself  on  rented 
land,  also  farmed  some  on  his  father's  land.  In  1866  he  married  Mary  Eliza- 
beth Harshburger,  daughter  of  Samuel  Harshburger  and  wife.  Six  children 
were  born  of  that  marriage,  namely ;  Louie  Lee  lives  with  her  sister,  Mrs. 
Hester  near  New  Market,  this  county;  Samuel  B.,  who  remained  unmarried, 
died  in  1901 ;  William  Harry,  who  was  in  the  clothing  business  both  at  James- 
town and  Ladoga,  sold  out  his  stores  in  December,  1912,  is  now  engaged  in 
buying  and  selling  real  estate,  has  a  fine  home  at  Jamestown,  and  has  three 
sons;  Sarah  J.  who  married  Charles  Buser  lives  in  the  northern  part  of  Scott 
township  on  a  farm  and  they  have  two  children,  Cline  and  Bennie ;  John 
Milton,  who  lives  alx)ut  six  miles  south  of  Crawfordsville  on  a  farm  married 
Nora  Davidson  and  they  ha\-e  three  sons,  Cl}-de  and  Claj-ton ;  Elizabeth  E. 
is  the  wife  of  Elmer  Hester  and  they  live  on  a  farm  near  the  center  of  the 
north  line  of  Scott  township,  and  they  have  one  son,  Donald. 

The  mother  of  the  above  named  children  was  called  to  her  eternal  rest 
in  1905,  and  in  1909  Nathan  G.  Kesler  married  for  his  second  wife,  Mrs. 
Rosa  (Frankebarger)  Brookshire,  widow  of  John  Brookshire,  deceased. 
Three  children  were  born  of  her  first  union,  namely  :  William  lives  on  a  farm 
in  the  southern  part  of  Scott  township;  Sarah  is  at  home  with  her  mother  and 


MONTGOMERY    COl'NTV.    IK'DIAXA. 


Step-father;  Charles  is  a  railway  telegrapher  and  lives  in  Sioux  City.  lnwa. 

Nathan  G.  Kesler  has  farmed  all  his  life  in  ScoU  townsliip.  l^'.arly  in 
his  career  he  bonght  a  farm  in  the  southern  part  of  the  township  and  lived 
there  for  a  time,  and,  prospering  from  the  first  he  eventually  became  the 
owner  of  a  number  of  good  farms,  owning  about  fi\e  hundred  acres  of  valu- 
able land  at  one  time,  a  large  part  of  which  he  dixitled  among  bis  children. 
He  has  lieen  a  man  of  industry,  sound  judgment  and  cnter|)rise  and  be 
farmed  and  raised  stock  on  a  large  scale.  He  is  now  li\ing  in  the  soulli- 
eastern  part  of  Section  ii.  Scott  township.  Me  is  a  stockholder  in  the 
Farmers  and  Merchants  Bank  at  Ladoga,  also  a  stockholder  in  the  Montgom- 
ery County  Agricultural  Society. 

Politically.  Air.  Ke.sler  is  a  Democrat  and  has  lieen  acti\e  in  the  affairs 
of  his  party.  He  was  trustee  of  Scott  townsbi]i  for  three  terms,  having  been 
elected  first  in  1880,  again  in  1882,  and  a  third  time  in  1888.  He  gave 
eminent  satisfaction  in  this  capacity.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church,  while  his  wife  holds  membership  with  the  Baptist  church. 


DOREN   CLORE. 


Conspicuous  among  the  representati\e  business  men  and  public-spirited 
citizens  of  Montgomery  count}-  is  the  well  known  gentleman  whose  name 
forms  the  caption  of  this  article.  Doren  Clore,  agriculturist  and  hardware 
merchant  of  W'aveland.  Brown  township,  h.as  made  bis  intluence  felt  for  good 
in  his  community,  being  a  man  of  sterling  worth,  whose  life  has  lieen  closely 
interwoven  with  the  history  of  the  communit\-  in  which  he  resides  and  whose 
efiforts  have  always  been  for  the  material  adxancement  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  all  his  fellow- 
citizens,  entitling  him  to  representation  in  a  liiograpbical  work  of  the  scape  in- 
tended in  the  present  volume. 

Mr.  Clore  was  born  in  Moiitg-onier\-  count}-.  Indiana.  Xo\-cml>er  24. 
1852.  He  is  a  son  of  Simeon  and  Mary  (  Lnsk )  Clore.  The  father  was 
bori-i  in  the  state  of  Kentuck}-.  ii-i  the  year  1S21  and  his  death  occurred  on 
May  27.  1902.  The  rnother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Indiana  in  the  year 
1824  and  her  death  occurred  in  1859.  These  parents  received  very  limited 
schooling,  however,  the  father  became  a  widely  read  man.  He  devoted  his 
life  successfully  to  general  farming  and  stock  raising.      His  family  coiisistcd 


I  142  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

of  seven  children,  all  still  living,  namely :  Salmon,  Joel,  Julia  Ann,  Susan, 
Doren,  AIar\-in  and  Alary.     Five  of  them  live  in  this  county. 

Doren  Clore  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  there  he  assisted  with 
the  general  work  about  the  place  when  a  boy,  attending  the  common  schools 
in  the  wintertime.  He  has  been  content  to  spend  his  life  in  Montgomery- 
county.  He  was  married  on  September  i,  1881  to  Molly  E.  Gaines,  a  native 
of  Boone  county,  Kentucky,  having  been  born  there  on  February  7,  1859. 
There  she  grew  to  womanhood  and  received  a  good  common  school  educa- 
tion, subsequently  attending  Hamilton  College  at  Lexington,  thus  becoming 
highly  educated.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Alonzo  and  Mary  (Christy)  Gaines. 
The  father  was  born  on  September  20,  1825,  in  Boone  county,  Kentucky,  and 
his  death  occurred  on  January  26,  1885.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was 
also  born  in  Boone  county,  Kentucky,  on  December  i,  1826,  and  she  was 
called  to  her  rest  on  March  10,  1874.  Alonzo  Gaines  received  a  very  good 
education  for  those  early  days  and  he  followed  school  teaching  until  his  mar- 
riage, then  turned  his  attention  to  farming  and  was  very  successful  as  a  gen- 
eral farmer  and  stock  raiser.  He  was  a  loyal  Democrat,  but  he  was  not  a 
public  man,  staying  close  to  his  work  on  the  farm.  He  and  his  wife  were 
highly  honored  in  their  community,  known  for  their  hospitality  and  neigh- 
borliness.  Regarding  the  latter  we  quote  the  following  lines  which  appeared 
in  a  home  paper  at  the  time  of  her  death : 

"Died  March  10,  1874  at  her  home  in  Boone  county,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
eight  years,  after  an  illness  of  several  months,  Mrs.  Mary  Gaines,  wife  of 
Alonzo  Gaines  and  daughter  of  Simeon  and  Olivia  Christy.  Mrs.  Gaines 
had  been  a  member  of  the  Christian  church  for  seventeen  years.  She  was  a 
good  and  true  woman  in  all  the  walks  of  life;  sympathizing  and  charitable, 
and  illustrating  in  her  own  conduct  all  the  higher  Christian  virtues.  She 
was  ever  ready  with  means  and  counsel  to  assist  all  who  laid  claim  to  her  aid 
or  attention.  As  a  church  member  she  was  the  stay  and  support  of  the  weak, 
and  her  wise  counsel  and  affectionate  admonitions  encouraged  the  doubting 
and  the  timid.  It  may  truly  be  said  of  her  that  she  served  well  her  Master. 
As  a  neighbor  she  will  be  sadly  missed  from  the  community  from  whose  midst 
she  has  been  taken,  and  as  a  wife  and  mother  her  husband  and  children  have 
been  bereft  of  a  true  and  devoted  friend  whose  equal  they  can  never  know 
on  earth,  and  for  whose  loss  there  is  no  consolation  save  that  to  be  found  in 
the  contemplation  of  a  happy  meeting  in  the  realms  of  eternal  bliss  where  her 
pure  soul  has  found  a  resting-place  in  the  bosom  of  her  God." 

Two  children  were  born  to  Alonzo  Gaines  and  wife.  ]\Iollv  E.,  wife  of 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1143 

Mr.  Clore,  of  this  review;  and  Alonzo,  Jr.  The  hitter  was  Ijcmii  <in  May  jj, 
l86i.  He  married  Addie  Utz,  and  he  has  continued  to  reside  in  lioune 
county,  Kentuck)-,  where  he  is  engaged  in  fanning. 

Doren  Clore  has  devoted  his  active  Hfe  to  general  farming  and  stocl-:  rais- 
ing in  southwestern  Montgomery  county  and  now  in  addition  he  owns  a  half 
interest  in  a  hardware  store  in  Waveland.  A  large  trade  is  carried  on  with 
the  surrounding  country,  and  as  a  farmer  he  has  been  \ery  successful.  He 
lives  in  Waveland  where  he  has  a  fine  modern  home,  attractive  and  com- 
modious, containing  ten  neatly  furnished  rooms.  Through  his  able  manage- 
ment and  close  application,  Mr.  Clore  has  become  one  of  the  substantial  men 
of  his  community.     Politically,  he  is  a  Progressive. 

Mrs.  Clore  is  a  meml^er  of  the  Christian  church,  and  is  faithful  in  her 
support  of  the  same. 


THOMAS  JEFFERSON   ALLXUTT. 

Another  of  the  sterling  Kentuckians  who  left  their  fair  native  land  and 
braved  the  wilds  of  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  and  did  much  for  the 
subsequent  upbuilding  of  the  same  was  the  late  Thomas  Jefferson  Allnutt,  a 
man  of  many  commendable  qualities,  whose  plain,  honest  life  resulted  in  no 
little  good  to  his  community  in  many  ways. 

Mr.  Allnutt  was  born  in  Owen  county,  Kentucky,  June  15,  1838.  He 
was  a  son  of  Ninian  and  Mary  Ann  Allnutt,  both  natives  of  Kentucky,  the 
father  born  in  1785  and  died  on  September  26,  1858;  the  mother  was  born 
in  1792,  and  died  on  February  16,  1858. 

The  subject  of  this  memoir  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  he 
lived  with  his  parents  until  their  deaths,  remaining  in  his  native  state. 

When  the  Civil  war  came  on,  unlike  many  of  his  neighbors,  Mr.  Allnutt 
cast  his  lot  with  the  Southern  army,  enlisting  in  1862,  in  Company  C,  Fourth 
Kentucky  Cavalry,  in  which  he  served  very  gallantly  for  three  and  one-half 
years,  during  which  he  took  part  in  twelve  important  engagements  and  was 
once  wounded.  He  was  honorably  discharged  at  the  close  of  the  war  and 
soon  returned  home  and  resumed  farming,  remaining  in  Kentucky  until  in 
October,  1869.  He  located  in  Montgomery  county  on  January  27,  1870, 
and  here  he  married  Mrs.  Georgia  A.  (Frame;  Long,  widow  of  \\'illiam  D. 
C.  Long,  deceased,  and  a  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  Frame.  She  had  one 
son  by  her  first  husband,  James  C.  Long,  who  was  born  March  26,  i860. 


1144  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Five  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  AUnutt,  three  of  whom  died 
in  infancy,  and  two  are  still  living,  namely:  Sallie  B.  i.s  the  wife  of  \\'illiam 
Welch  and  lives  on  the  William  Goodbar  place  southeast  of  the  mother's 
home.  She  has  one  daughter,  Naomi.  Gertrude  May  married  Arthur 
Nicholas,  who  lives  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Scott  townsip.  where  Mr. 
Nicholas  is  successfully  engaged  in  farming.  The}-  have  three  daughters, 
namely:  Ina  Myrtle,  Agnes  Marie,  and  Gail  Belle. 

Mr.  Allnutt  was  a  successful  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  was  honest  and  a 
hard  worker.  He  and  his  wife  belonged  to  the  Methodist  church.  His 
death  occurred  on  December  i,  1901. 


ELMER  HESTER. 


It  is  a  pleasure  to  an_\'  one,  whether  a  farmer  or  not,  to  look  over  a  well 
improved  and  tinely  kept  landed  estate  like  that  of  Elmer  Hester,  of  Scott 
township  Montgomery  county,  for,  like  his  honored  father,  he  is  a  man  who 
believes  in  keeping  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  study  and  investigation  he  has,  while  yet 
young  in  years,  about  solved  the  question  of  scientific  farming  as  we  know 
and  understand  it  today.  However,  where  agriculture  has  gained,  the  educa- 
tional element  in  this  locality  has  lost,  for  Mr.  Hester  was  formerly  regarded 
as  one  of  the  leading  public  school  teachers  in  this  section  of  the  state.  He 
has  alwa}'s  stood  for  progressiveness,  riot  only  in  material  and  educational 
matters,  but  in  political,  moral  and  civic  conditions,  and  he  is  an  ardent  advo- 
cate of  wholesome  living  and  honesty  in  public  life,  and  while  laboring  for 
his  individual  advancement  he  has  never  been  found  neglectful  of  his  duties 
to  his  neighbors  and  the  general  public. 

Mr.  Hester  was  born  in  Brown  township,  this  county,  in  1880.  He  is  a 
son  of  James  and  Lucy  (Eads)  Hester,  a  complete  sketch  of  whom  appears 
on  other  pages  of  this  volume.  It  wa,s  on  the  home  place,  north  of  the  village 
of  Parkersburg,  that  Elmer  Hester  grew  to  manhood,  and  when  a  boy  did  his 
share  of  the  work  during  crop  seasons,  and  there  he  continued  to  reside  until 
his  marriage.  He  attended  the  district  schools  and  later  the  Ladog"a  high 
school,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1901.  Having  long 
entertained  an  ambition  to  enter  the  profession  as  teacher  and  desiring  to 
properlv  equip  himself  for  the  same,  he  entered  the  State  Normal  School  at 
Terre  Haute,  where  he  made  an  excellent  record. 


MONTGOMERY    COL-NTV,    INDIANA.  i  1 45 

Thus  well  c(|uii)i>e(l  fur  his  \ucalioii  he  he.^an  teachin.i;,  which  he  UA- 
lowed  t(ir  a  jjerioil  of  se\en  years,  lieginnint;'  in  Walnut  tuwushi]).  his  nali\e 
county.  He  taught  H\-e  years  in  Scott  township.  His  ser\ices  were  in  great 
demand,  tor  he  was  soon  recognized  as  an  instructor  of  exceplii  mal  ahilitw 
one  who  spared  no  pains  in  gi\ing  his  pupils  the  hest  and  latest  according  to 
advanced  methods  of  instruction.  During  this  period  he  farmed  during  the 
summer  months. 

Finally,  tiring  of  the  close  conhnenient  of  the  school  room,  he  turned 
his  attention  exclusively  to  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  has  en- 
joyed to  the  full  the  freedom  of  the  country  and  has  prospered  through  his 
close  application  and  good  managementj  He  is  the  owner  of  a  fine  improved 
and  producti\-e  farm  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-four  acres  in  the  south- 
western part  of  Section  3,  Scott  township,  all  under  a  fine  state  of  ciUti\ation 
and  is  one  of  the  choice  farms  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county.  He  has  a 
good  set  of  huildings  on  the  place,  and  in  connection  with  general  farming 
he  raises  a  good  grade  of  live  stock  from  year  to  year. 

In  1906  Mr.  Hester  married  Salome  Kesler,  daughter  of  Xathan  Kesler, 
a  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Mrs.  Hester  grew  to 
womanhood  and  received  her  education  in  her  native  community. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hester  was  horn  one  son,  Donald. 

Politically,  Mr.  Hester  is  a  Republican,  but  he  has  never  been  active  in 
public  affairs,  preferring  to  devote  his  attention  to  his  indixitlual  affairs  and 
to  his  family.  He  and  his  wife,  being  pleasant,  agreeable  and  neighborly 
have  made  a  host  of  friends  since  settling  on  the  farm  in  Scott  township. 


DAVID  \v.  (;er.\rd. 

Distincti\'cl\"  one  of  the  great  men  of  his  day  and  generation  in  the  Mid- 
dle West,  and  one  of  humanity's  benefactors,  was  the  late  David  W.  (ierard. 
supreme  chief  and  founder  of  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur.  Involuntarily  our 
minds  reach  out  for  the  threads  of  histor)-  that  made  the  fabric  of  thi^  char- 
acter, the  character  of  this  man's  worth.  Were  those  elements  resident  in 
pioneer  days  alone?  Or  is  it  length  f)f  years,  or  is  it  stirring  times,  or  any 
one  of  these,  or  all  of  them,  blended  in  one  composite  whole?  Or  rather  were 
these  the  canvas?  The  Divine  Artist  drew  the  picture  and  put  in  it  its  wcirth 
immortal  and  traced  therein  "the  character  of  releasing,"  the  song  of  triumph, 
the  voice  of  history.     The  business  period  oi  this  man's  life  is  worth  relating; 


I  146  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

the  obstacles  encountered,  overcome;  the  self-reHant  honesty,  the  equipoise, 
the  absence  of  resentment — these  supplement  a  tale  that  is  not  always  told  of 
those  who  are  "diligent  in  business" ;  but  is  told  of  those  who,  diligent  in 
business,  fervent  in  spirit,  serve  humanity,  and  it  has  been  well  said  by  one  of 
our  wisest  and  greatest  of  men  that  "They  who  sen'e  humanity  most,  serve 
God  best." 

David  W.  Gerard,  who  for  many  years  ranked  as  the  most  influential 
citizens  of  Crawfordsville  and  one  of  Indiana's  foremost  citizens,  was  born 
on  a  farm  near  Port  Jefferson,  Shelby  county,  Ohio,  July  7,  1844.  His  par- 
ents were  pioneer  residents  of  that  county,  his  father.  Abner  H.  Gerard,  being 
a  farmer  and  merchant.  The  latter  also  owned  and  operated  a  large  tan- 
nery in  the  village.  He  was  a  man  of  great  force  of  character  and  excellent 
business  methods,  a  devout  Methodist  and  a  pronounced  abolitionist.  Com- 
ing as  he  did  of  heroic  stock,  his  many  admirable  qualities  were  inherited  by 
his  son. 

The  Gerard  family  is  of  French  Huguenot  ancestry.  The  founder  of  the 
family  in  this  country  came  from  France  after  the  St.  Bartholomew  massa- 
cre. The  immediate  founder  of  the  family  in  the  middle  western  part  of  the 
United  States,  Nathaniel  Gerard,  came  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  from  Pennsyl- 
vania, with  his  five  brothers,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
Three  of  the  brothers  settled  in  Miami  county,  Ohio,  one  in  Kentucky,  and 
one  in  southern  Indiana. 

The  grandfather  of  David  W.  Gerard,  after  whom  he  was  named,  was 
killed  by  the  Indians  in  1816  while  making  rails  near  his  cabin  on  Lost  creek, 
in  Miami  county,  Ohio.  Mr.  Gerard's  father  left  Ohio  in  1849,  coming  to 
Indiana  and  opening  a  general  store  near  Romney,  in  Tippecanoe  county. 
In  six  months  he  died,  leaving  a  wife  and  three  small  boys.  The  oldest  of  these 
bovs  was  David  W.  Gerard,  then  less  than  six  years  of  age.  There  were 
six  children  by  a  former  marriage.  Gathering  the  remnants  of  a  meagre 
property,  the  brave  little  mother  returned  on  a  canal  boat  to  Sidney,  Ohio. 
Then  came  the  terrible  years  of  struggle  with  poverty,  but  this  woman  of 
courage  never  faltered. 

When  David  W.  was  ten  years  of  age  his  mother  remo\'ed  to  Greenville, 
Ohio,  where  he  began  his  struggle  for  an  education,  his  youth  and  earl)-  man- 
hood being  surrounded  with  the  hardships,  limitations  and  privations  known 
to  the  poor,  but,  being  endowed  by  nature  with  a  resolute  will,  this  school  of 
harsh  experience  developed  his  faculties  into  the  broadest  manhood  and  so 
eminentlv  qualified  hint  to  master  difficult  problems  of  life  which  were  to  con- 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1147 

front  him  in  his  after  years  of  usefulness.  He  worked  on  farms,  in  lihick- 
smith  shops,  sawed  wood  and  studied  hard.  In  those  primitive  (la\s  it  was 
difiticult  for  children  to  acquire  good  educations,  and  because  he  was  a  father- 
less boy,  Mr.  Gerard  experienced  unusual  difficulty  at  a  time  when  lie  was 
most  anxious  to  be  in  school.  However,  he  succeeded  and  wiien  scarcely 
sixteen  years  of  age  was  able  to  bgein  teaching  school.  A  Ixiy  with  less  am- 
bition and  natural  ability  would  have  failed  where  he  succeeded. 

While  Mr.  Gerard  was  teaching  school  the  Civil  war  broke  out.  He  w  as 
then  living  at  Greenville,  Ohio.  In  1861,  shortly  after  the  firing  on  l-'ort 
Sumter,  Mr.  Gerard  enlisted  in  the  Eighth  Ohio  Battery  and  served  through- 
out the  four  years  of  the  war.  He  bore  the  scars  of  that  titanic  struggle, 
where  he  displayed  that  chivalrous  spirit  which  has  ever  dominated  his  entire 
life.  He  fought  gallantly  for  his  country  and  gave  of  his  best  towards  the 
perpetuation  of  the  Union,  participating  in  many  of  the  important  campaigns 
and  great  battles.     He  was  mustered  out  in  August,  1863. 

When  that  memorable  conflict  was  ended,  .Mr.  (ierard,  with  his  widnwed 
mother  and  his  brothers,  came  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  and  there  lie 
again  took  up  the  task  of  teaching  school.  He  had  nnt  lised  there  long  until 
he  met  and  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Krug,  daughter  of  one  of  the  prominent 
families  of  near  Crawfordsville.  The  marriage  occurred  in  January,  1866. 
Miss  Krug's  home  was  at  Crawfordsville,  but  she  was  born  near  Pleasant  Hill, 
now  \\'ingate,  Indiana,  and  there  was  married. 

Mr.  Gerard  gave  up  the  work  of  school  teaching  to  engage  in  the  real 
estate  and  insurance  business  in  Crawfordsville,  continuing  in  this  line  of 
endeavor  until  1873,  when  he  removed  to  Indianapolis,  continuing  in  the 
same  business  there  until  1878,  when  he  returned  to  Crawfordsville,  and  there 
he  resided  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  resumed  the  real  estate  and  insurance  busi- 
ness there  with  his  usual  success.  In  1886  he  and  Frank  L.  Snyder  were 
associated  together  with  some  other  citizens  in  forming  the  Indiana  and  Ohio 
Live  Stock  Insurance  Company,  of  Crawfordsville,  now  one  of  the  leading 
live  stock  insurance  companies  of  the  United  States.  S.  E.  Voris,  former 
mayor  of  Crawfordsville,  was  an  original  stockholder  and  at  one  time  was 
the  president  of  the  company.  He  and  ]\Ir.  Gerard  later  disposed  of  their 
holdings  to  Harry  N.  Naylor,  John  R.  Bonnell  and  other  Crawfordsville 
citizens. 

During  the  years  that  he  was  in  the  insurance  and  real  estate  Inisiness 
Mr.  Gerard  worked  hard,  accomplished  large  results  and  at  the  same  time  did 
some  serious  thinking.     He  joined  several  insurance  orders  and  liecame  a 


1148  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

firm  believer  in  fraternal  insurance.  Early  in  the  nineties  he  conceived  the 
idea  of  organizing  a  fraternal  insurance  society  in  his  own  city  of  Crawfords- 
ville.  He  profited  by  his  experience  in  selling  insurance,  his  experience 
gained  from  membership  in  other  fraternal  societies  and  his  wide  experience 
as  a  business  man.  He  was  engaged  for  many  weeks  and  perhaps  months  in 
thinking  over  the  details  of  the  organization  and  in  perfecting  the  plans  which 
have  their  fruition  today  in  the  wonderful  Supreme  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur,  one 
of  tire  largest,  most  flourishing  and  greatest  fraternal  insurance  Drganizations 
in  the  world. 

Mr.  Ccrard  was  the  mo\-ing  spirit  behind  this  organization.  Associated 
with  him  were  bVank  L.  Snyder,  who  died  six  years  ago;  ex-Mayor  S.  E. 
Voris,  now  supreme  keeper  of  tribute  of  the  i^rder,  and  Dr.  J.  F.  Davidson, 
supreme  medical  examiner.  Mr.  Gerard  was  of  that  class  of  men  who  stood 
for  progressive  movements  and  the  uplift  of  humanity.  He  was  a  great  ad- 
mirer of  the  late  Gen.  Lew  Wallace,  in  fact,  was  a  close  personal  friend  of 
the  author  of  "Ben-Hur,"  and  had  read  and  pondered  on  the  book  until  he 
caught  the  up-lift  of  the  spirit  of  the  Lowly  Nazarene,  "who  went  about  doing 
good."  He  lived  and  moved  among  men,  stirring  them  to  enthusiastic  effort, 
and  the  broad  principles  of  brotherhood  and  benevolence  were  so  deeply  in- 
carnated in  him  that  they  contributed  greatly  in  achieving  the  success  attained 
by  the  society  fr(_)m  its  organization,  and  which  now  is,  and  e\er  will  remain, 
a  living  testimonial  of  his  ser\ice  in  the  cause  of  the  fraternities,  ever  ex- 
emplifying their  highest  principles  and  precepts.  While  thinking  about  the 
organization  of  a  fraternal  insurance  society,  it  occurred  to  Mr.  Gerard  that 
the  story  of  Ben-Hur  could  be  used  as  a  foundation  for  the  society.  He 
secured  the  written  permission  of  General  Wallace  to  make  such  use  of  the 
story  as  he  desired  and  to  call  his  new  society  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur.  Indeed, 
it  was  Lew  Wallace  who  suggested  the  name  as  it  is  now.  It  had  been  in 
Mr.  Gerard's  mind  to  call  the  order  the  "Knights  of  Ben-Hur."  When  the 
name  was  suggested  to  General  Wallace  during  a  talk  the  two  men  had,  the 
General  placed  his  hand  on  Mr.  Gerard's  shoulder  and  said;  "Well,  my  dear 
boy,  there  were  no  knights  in  those  days:  Tribes  there  were,  however;  so 
why  wouldn't  it  be  well  to  call  it  the  "Tribe  of  Ben-Hur."  "  ]\Ir.  Gerard,  of 
course,  readily  acquiesced,  and  thus  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur  secured  its  name. 

The  supreme  tribe  of  Ben-Hur  was  founded  March  i,  1894,  Simonides 
Court  No.  I,  of  Crawfordsville,  being  the  mother  court.  The  society  had  a 
very  meagre  beginning,  although  it  was  launched  with  flattering  prospects, 
as  Mr.  Gerard  had  worked  untiringly  to  secure  a  good  list  of  charter  members. 


MOXTOOMnRV    COrXTV.    INDIAXA.  I  1 40 

Associated  with  him  in  tlie  forniatinn  nt  the  unlcr  were-  a  minilicr  cif  pnnnin- 
ent  pubhc.  business  and  ])r()fessi(jnal  men  nf  Indiana,  'i'he  i'\v<  supreme 
officers  elected  were  as  follows:  Supreme  chief,  e\-(  in\  crndr.  ha  j.  lliase: 
supreme  scribe,  1".  L.  Snyiler ;  supreme  medical  examiner,  J.  !■'.  Navidsdn, 
.M.  D. :  supreme  keeper  of  tribute,  S.  1'^.  X'uris,  and  an  executive  cnmniittee 
consisting-  of  1).  W.  Gerard,  F.  L.  Snyder  and  W.  T.  I\(iyse.  The  election 
of  ex-Governor,  Ira  J.  Chase,  as  supreme  ciiief,  was  made  at  the  recpiest  uf 
Mr,  Gerard,  who  desired  to  devote  all  his  time  to  the  origan izat inn  work. 
Upon  the  death  of  Ira  J.  Chase,  which  occurred  in  Ma\  i  i,  iS()3,  Li.l.  L.  T. 
Dickason  was  chosen  by  the  executi\e  committee  to  till  nut  the  uuex|)ire(l 
term  of  Mr.  Chase  as  supreme  chief. 

After  Simonides  Court  had  been  ori.;anized  and  the  actual  start  made 
tdward  securing  members  and  writing  insurance,  Mr.  Gerard  industricmsly 
began  the  work  of  establishing  other  courts  in  nearln-  Indiana  towns.  That 
year  a  number  of  courts  were  organized  with  good  prospects.  With  beautiful 
ritualistic  work,  with  emphasis  placed  upon  sociability  and  good  fellowship 
among  the  members  and  with  good  insurance  written  in  attractive  form  and 
at  reasonable  rates,  there  was  much  in  the  principles  of  the  Tribe  of  Ben- 
Hur  that  appealed  to  the  people.  Hard  work,  earnest  efforts  and  many 
difficulties  confronted  the  founders  of  the  tribe  the  first  year,  but  at  its  close 
the  order  had  759  members  and  there  was  a  surplus  of  $2,653  in  the  treasury. 
The  year  of  1905  witnessed  wonderful  strides  in  the  order,  which  pushed  out 
and  entered  other  states.  Its  membership  was  increased  to  3,551  and  its 
surplus  to  $13,945.  Since  then  the  order  has  flourished  in  a  most  remark- 
able manner.  At  the  end  of  the  year  190S  there  were  104.250  members. 
while  the  surplus  amounted  to  $1,174,545.  The  surplus  was  $1,403,493.40  at 
the  close  of  1909.  In  19 10  the  society  had  1,400  courts  and  was  doing  busi- 
ness in  no  less  than  twenty-nine  states  in  the  Union.  Up  to  that  year  the 
total  suin  that  had  been  paid  to  the  families  of  deceased  members  was 
$7,013,859.38.  Indeed,  the  growth  of  the  society  during  the  eighteen  years 
of  its  existence  has  l)een  a  splendid  one,  having  enrolled  in  that  time  consider- 
ably over  a  quarter  of  a  million  men  and  women  from  the  thirty-odd  states 
in  which  the  order  is  now  represented.  The  report  of  the  supreme  scribe  and 
supreme  keeper  of  tribute  under  date  of  December  31,  191 1,  gave  the  follow- 
ing figures:  Number  of  members,  119,953,  in  thirty-two  states  of  the  I'nion  ; 
insurance  in  force,  $139,825,900:  deaths  benefits  paid  in  191 1,  1,022,  amount- 
ing to  $1,146,124:  balances,  all  funds,  $1,651,410.71  :  net  assets,  $1,525,218. 
It  has  ne\er  shown  a  loss  of  membership  or  funds  in  an\'  year  of  its  existence. 


1 150  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

but  on  the  contrary  has  made  a  steady  and  conservative  growth,  sacrificing 
quantity  often  to  quality,  and  it  stands  today  in  the  fraternal  world  an  order 
famous  for  the  personnel  of  its  large  and  loyal  membership. 

The  plan  and  name  of  the  order  were  popular  from  the  beginning.  The 
beneficial  feature  was  entirely  new  and  novel;  the  amount  of  protection 
granted  each  member  depended  upon  the  age  of  admission,  but  a  uniform 
amount  of  contribution  was  charged  each  member.  This  plan  was  simple, 
equitable  and  easily  understood.  No  assessments  were  levied  on  the  death  of 
a  member,  but  a  regular  stipulated  sum  was  collected  each  month.  An 
emergency  fund  was  created  from  the  beginning,  and  women  were  adniitted 
on  an  absolutely  equal  basis  with  men. 

In  1896,  Mr.  Gerard  was  elected  supreme  chief  of  the  order  and  he  lield 
that  important  and  responsible  position  until  his  death,  in  a  manner  that  re- 
flected much  credit  upon  his  ability  and  to  the  eminent  satisfaction  of  all  con- 
cerned. He  had  endeared  himself  to  the  thousands  of  Ben-Hur  members 
throughout  the  country  and  one  has  but  to  attend  even  for  a  few  minutes  a 
supreme  meeting  of  the  order  to  learn  in  what  great  esteem  and  respect  he  is 
held. 

Mr.  Gerard  showed  his  unlimited  faith  in  fraternal  insurance  by  carrying 
practically  all  of  his  fifteen  thousand  dollars  of  life  insurance  in  fraternal 
orders.  In  founding  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur  one  of  his  ideas  was  to  give  in- 
surance at  more  reasonable  rates  than  is  charged  b}-  old-line  insurance  com- 
panies. He  studied  rate  table  after  rate  table  and  every  plain  imaginable 
was  tried  out  in  his  mind.  The  plans  and  tables  of  all  the  fraternal  orders 
in  existence  were  studied  by  him,  and  by  taking  the  best  that  was  in  all  of 
them  he  molded  together  the  plans  that  were  to  be  followed  by  the  Tribe  of 
Ben-Hur.  There  were  many  months  of  anxious  watching  and  sleepless 
nights,  but  they  have  all  been  rewarded. 

Besides  being  a  shrewd  and  capable  business  man  and  organizer,  Mr. 
Gerard  was  a  convincing  and  forceful  speaker  and  a  clear  and  logical  writer. 
In  the  eighties,  while  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  insurance  business,  he 
became  interested  in  The  Indiana  Fa.rnier,  of  Indianapolis,  a  publication  still 
in  existence  which  circulates  among  the  farmers  in  Indiana  and  other  states. 
He  was  editor  of  the  magazine  for  awhile  and  helped  to  make  it  a  better, 
bigger  and  more  popular  paper.  As  soon  as  the  supreme  tribe  of  Ben-Hur 
was  organized,  Mr.  Gerard  decided  to  publish  a  monthly  paper,  telling  the 
members  what  was  being  done  in  the  society  and  keeping  them  informed  with 
regard  to  matters  of  interest.  Many  of  the  best  articles  that  have  appeared 
in  Tlie  Chariot  have  been  from  his  able  pen. 


MOXTGOMKUV    COLNTV.    INDIANA.  II5I 

In  addition  to  iiis  connection  with  tlic  Supreme  'i'ribe  of  Bcu-llur.  Mr. 
Gerard  was  also  associated  with  a  nunilxT  of  other  husiness  enterprises  of 
Crawfordsville.  He  was  a  stockholder  and  director  of  the  Elston  National 
Bank,  and  he  was  one  of  the  original  stockholders  of  tlie  Crawfordsville  State 
Bank.  He  was  one  of  the  men  most  interested  in  tlie  establishment  of  the 
Crawfordsville  Wire  Bound  Box  Company. 

During  all  these  years  Mr.  Gerard  was  a  very  public-spirited  citizen. 
He  was  interested — and  deeply  interested,  too — in  e\erything  that  lias  been 
for  the  welfare  and  best  interests  of  the  city  of  Crawfordsville.  He  was 
proud  of  his  city,  proud  of  her  citizens,  proud  of  her  position  as  one  of  the 
best  little  cities  of  Indiana. 

For  years  Mr.  Gerard  was  a  devout  member  of  the  First  Metliodist 
Episcopal  church  of  Crawfordsville.  He  lield  membership  in  a  number  of 
fraternal  orders  besides  Ben-Hur,  including  the  Foresters,  Protected  Home 
Circle,  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security,  Woodmen  of  the  W'orld  and  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen.  He  als(j  belonged  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men  and  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks.     He  was  a  charter  member  of  the  Crawfordsville  lodge  of  Elks. 

Mr.  Gerard  was  a  man  with  a  kind  heart  and  a  broad  sympathy  and 
charity.  For  years  after  his  marriage  his  widowed  mother  made  her  home 
with  him  and  he  was  always  strongly  devoted  to  her.  Her  every  wish  and 
desire  was  gratified  and  his  love  for  his  mother  was  unbounded.  •  He  was  also 
a  kind  and  loving  father,  strongly  attached  to  his  family  and  devoted  to  them 
much  more  than  is  the  average  father.  His  family  consists  of  two  daugiiters 
and  one  son,  all  of  whom  are  married  and  living  in  Crawfordsville :  Mrs. 
Dr.  J.  F.  Davidson,  Airs.  Charles  \\\  Iliff  and  Dr.  Royal  H.  Gerard.  Mr. 
Gerard  also  leaves  two  brothers,  Charles,  of  Crawfordsville,  and  Abner,  of 
Long  Beach,  California.     Wesley  Gerard,  of  Wisconsin,  is  a  half-brother. 

Mr.  Gerard  was  generous  to  a  fault.  He  regarded  truth  and  honor 
above  all  else.  Charity  and  benevolence  formed  one  of  the  ruling  motives 
of  his  life.  He  was  a  sincere  friend,  a  kind  neighlior  and  an  admirable 
citizen.  The  influences  of  his  life  will  live  in  Crawfordsville  and.  in  fact,  in 
Indiana  and  the  world  through  succeeding  generations,  and  the  Supreme 
Tribe  of  Ben-Hur  will  forever  remain  a  lasting  monument.  In  thinking  of 
Mr.  Gerard's  life,  one  recalls  the  language  the  immortal  Shakespeare  spoke 
through  his  character  Antonius : 

"His  life  is  gentle  and  the  elements 

So  mixed  in  him,  that  nature  can  stand  up 

And  sav  to  all  the  world.  This  is  a  man." 


I  152  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

At  his  late  beautiful  residence  on  East  Main  street,  Crawfordsville, 
Indiana,  on  Monday,  January  3,  1910,  David  W.  Gerard  passed  to  his 
eternal  rest,  after  a  brief  illness,  his  sudden  taking  away  coming  as  a 
profound  shock  to  thousands  of  friends  and  admirers.  He  was  si.\ty-six 
years  old. 

In  \iew  of  the  universal  prominence  of  David  W.  Gerard  and  in  order 
to  show  the  widespread  esteem  in  which  he  was  held,  we  quote  at  some  length 
from  the  eulogies  pronounced  upon  him,  reprinting  briefly  from  a  few  of  the 
many  thousands. 

John  C.  Snyder,  supreme  scribe  of  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur,  said:  "For 
fifteen  years  1  ha\'e  been  connected  in  business  with  Mr.  Gerard,  and  during 
that  time  have  had  occasion  to  know  him  very  well  indeed.  Those  who  were 
closest  to  him  can  best  testify  to  his  great  and  generous  impulses  and  his 
broad  principles.  I  think  one  of  his  greatest  virtues  was  his  keen  sympathy 
for  his  fellow  men.  Were  they  properous,  he  rejoined  with  them;  if  un- 
fortunate, he  was  always  ready  to  offer  substantial  aid.  Xo  movement  for 
good  was  ever  too  great  to  challenge  his  admiration  and  approval ;  none  ever 
too  small  to  escape  his  notice.  He  had  had  a  wide  experience  in  business 
affairs,  and  I  regarded  him  as  a  man  of  most  extraordinaiy  attainments. 
Aside  from  his  immediate  family  and  close  relatives,  to  whom  he  was  always 
a  bulwark  of  safety,  he  will  be  greatly  missed  by  his  neighbors,  his  friends 
and  his  business  associates.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  testify  to  the  virtues  of  one 
so  generally  admired." 

S.  E.  Voris,  mentioned  in  preceding  paragraphs,  said :  "I  have  been 
associated  closely  with  Mr.  Gerard  in  business  for  the  past  sixteen  years,  and 
I  have  always  found  him  to  lie  a  man  of  advanced  ideas.  He  was  full  of 
good  suggestions  and  upon  every  occasion  had  just  the  right  thing  to  sug- 
gest. He  possessed  wonderful  energ}-  and  industry.  He  was  a  natural 
fraternalist  and  was  a  great  believer  in  the  brotherhood  of  man.  He  gave 
the  closing  vears  of  his  life  for  this  great  cause  and  he  succeeded  in  his  pur- 
pose. He  was  the  most  kind-hearted  man  I  ever  knew,  and  I  never  knew  a 
more  companionable  man.  It  was  a  delight  to  be  in  his  company.  He  was 
liberal  and  charitable  and  the  deeds  of  charity  which  he  did  are  many,  very 
many.  He  thought  ill  of  no  one.  In  his  death  Crawfordsville  loses  one  of 
her  very  best  citizens." 

Gilbert  Howell  said :  "Not  only  his  family,  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur,  his 
fellow  officers  and  his  home  community  sustained  a  loss  when  Mr.  Gerard 
passed  over  the  great  divide,  but  the  fraternal  world  has  been  robbed  of  one 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  II53 

of  its  most  shining  lights,  Ijrightest  and  most  IjriUiant  cxiiiincnls.  lie  was 
lionored  and  loved  as  has  been  the  lot  of  but  few  men,  and  his  genial  and 
kindly  personality,  his  undaunted  faithful  friendship,  his  zealous  exposition 
of  fraternal  brotherhood,  have  wrought  mightily  for  good  in  the  world  and 
we  can  truthfully  say,  'He  has  been  a  friend  to  man.'  As  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  Supreme  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur  he  has  builded  a  living  monument  in  the 
hearts  of  grateful  widows  and  orphans  which  will  endure  for  ages,  and  by 
his  broad  vision  and  grasp  of  financial  afYairs,  his  leadership  of  men.  the 
fraternal  world  will  continue  to  pay  him  grateful  homage.  He  was  one  of 
the  pioneers  whose  labors  have  made  it  possible  for  the  great  fraternal  army 
to  bring  sunshine  and  cheer  into  the  homes  darkened  by  the  Grim  Reaper, 
and  although  he  has  passed  away,  the  work  he  has  inaugurated,  and  the  move- 
ment for  the  betterment  of  mankind  will  continue  to  liless  and  help  humanity. 
I  cannot  pay  him  a  higher  triliute  tiian  to  say.  'He  loved  all  men.  and  was 
by  all  men  beloved.'  " 

John  R.  Bonnell.  a  member  of  the  executive  committee  ot  the  Su])reine 
Tribe  of  Ben-Hur,  said:  "Mr.  (ierard  was  to  me  a  man  in  win  mi  1  felt  that 
'I  could  pin  my  faith."  I  regarded  him  in  many  respects  as  superior  to  ail  in 
the  fraternal  world.  He,  in  my  humble  judgment,  did  more  to  make  famous 
our  beloved  city  than  all  others,  save  General  Wallace." 

Col.  Isaac  C.  Elston  said;  "Mr.  Gerard  was  a  most  kind  neighbor  and 
affectionate  father,  devoted  to  his  family,  with  a  cheerful,  cordial  greeting 
for  all  his  friends,  and  was  ever  ready  to  give  credit  for  good  deeds  and  ex- 
cuse mistakes  in  others.  During  the  past  five  years  I  ha\e  constantlv  met  him 
in  directors'  meetings  of  the  bank  with  which  we  have  been  identified,  and 
learned  to  admire  his  business  ability  and  respect  his  sound  judgment  in 
finance:  it  was  as  a  builder  that  his  talents  were  most  consi)icuous,  as  the 
phenomenal  growth  and  success  of  the  Supreme  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur.  promoted. 
organized  and  guided  by  him  to  its  present  enviable  position  in  ihe  insurance 
world,  bears  testimony." 

G.  H.  D.  Sutherland,  publisher  of  the  Cnvz^'fords-i'illc  Rciicw.  had  the 
following  to  say,  editorially,  in  his  paper,  on  January  4.  iqiq:  "David  W. 
Gerard  is  dead.  This  was  the  message  quicklv  si)read  about  the  citv  Mondav 
night  when  the  angel  of  the  Almighty  came  with  a  message  and  summoned 
him  home.  With  patience  and  fortitude  he  had  endured  the  agonies  that 
were  his  portion  ere  the  spirit  was  loosed  from  his  mortal  body  and  dissolu- 
tion was  at  hand.  His  last  recognition  of  human  countenance  was  a  smile 
for  his  son. 
(73) 


I  1 54  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

"When  the  end  comes  for  a  man  hke  'Dave'  Gerard  it  isn't  hard,  for 
friends  at  least,  to  say:  'Oh,  death,  where  is  thy  sting?  Oh,  grave,  where 
is  thy  victory?  He  is  not  dead.  He  lives  on  and  will  continue  to  live  in  the 
lives  of  succeeding  generations  as  long  as  there  shall  be  a  Supreme  Tribe  of 
Ben-Hur.  He  leaves  a  monument,  noble  and  ever-increasing,  which  promises 
to  flourish  as  long  as  'the  milk  of  human  kindness'  flows  from  human  breast. 
He  was  a  kindly  soul.  In  it  was  a  prodigal  wealth  of  charity  that  knew  no 
bounds.  He  lived  to  spread  the  gospel  of  brotherly  love.  He  believed  the 
highest  good  can  be  accomplished  by  benefiting  his  brother  man. 

"In  his  early  business  days  he  dealt  in  various  kinds  of  insurance  and  he 
long  cherished  a  dream  of  establishing  a  fraternal  insurance  society.  He 
studied  Gen.  Lew  Wallace's  book  Ben-Hur  and  pictured  a  beautiful  ritual 
taken  from  its  pages.  His  sympathies  extended  to  men  and  women  and  so 
the  organization  which  he  founded  was  unrestricted  as  to  sex.  Men  and 
women  alike  are  taught  the  beautiful  lesson  from  Ben-Hur.  Launched  in  a 
year  of  panic,  with  moderate  financial  'backing,  the  Supreme  Tribe  of  Ben- 
Hur  had  many  an  obstacle  to  overcome  and  little  to  encourage  its  founder  and 
those  intimately  associated  with  him.  But  optimism  is  a  splendid  asset  and 
Mr.  Gerard  had  large  deposits  in  that  bank.  He  surrounded  himself  with 
shrewd  business  men  and  worked  indefatigably  himself  to  get  the  order 
started.  It  is  necessary  here  to  refer  to  statistics  to  establish  his  ultimate 
success.     He  lived  long  enough  to  'see  his  dreams  come  true.' 

"Great  as  is  the  blow  which  the  Supreme  Tribe  of  Ben  Hur  has  sustained 
in  Mr.  Gerard's  death,  the  order  will  survive  it  and  go  majestically  forward 
in  its  mission  of  relieving  humanity  of  some  of  its  ills.  This  is  one  of  the 
best  testimonials  to  his  greatness.  The  society  is  so  thoroughly  organized, 
so  surely  established,  so  well  directed  by  the  executive  board,  that  its  future 
will  see  nothing  but  development  and  growth. 

"Mr.  Gerard  was  an  uncommon  man.  He  started  life  with  handicaps 
that  have  kept  many  men  down  to  the  level  of  the  common  place,  but  his  am- 
bition enabled  him  to  surmount  every  obstacle,  and  first  attain  an  educa- 
tion, hard  enough  at  the  best  half  a  century  ago.  That  prepared  him  for  ad- 
vancement later  on.  No  one  loved  Crawfordsville  more  than  David  W. 
Gerard.  He  invested  his  means  here  and  he  predicted  growth,  development 
and  prosperity  as  her  portion  in  the  years  to  come.  He  was  ever  ready  with 
a  word  of  encouragement  for  any  young  man  who  would  inake  his  home  here 
and  attempt  to  assist  in  building  up  the  city.  Mr.  Gerard  was  thoroughly 
honest.     The  Supreme  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur  has  a  clean  record,  free  from  any 


MONTl'.OMKKV    COUN'TV,    INDIANA.  1  1  55 

suspicion  of  graft,  during  its  entire  life  of  sixteen  years,  lie  did  nut  at- 
tempt to  take  advantage  of  his  position  and  influence  to  advance  h\>  nun 
interests.  He  stood  ever  for  the  good  of  the  order,  desiring  that  every  mem- 
ber should  share  in  its  prosperity  and  growth. 

"Crawfordsville  will  miss  this  kindly  man.  lie  was  sncialik-  and  ikhil- 
was  so  humble  but  shared  in  his  pleasant  greeting.  His  smile  and  his  hand- 
shake carried  with  them  sincerity  and  warmth  of  hearty  good  feeling.  His 
family  and  his  relatives  are  assured  that  they  have  the  symi)athy  of  the  citi- 
zens of  Crawfordsville  in  this,  the  hour  i>i  their  aftlicticm," 

The  second  day  of  the  seventii  regular  meeting  of  the  Supreme  Tribe 
of  Ben-Hur,  Wednesday,  May  22.  njio,  a  repcrl  was  made  by  the  memorial 
committee,  which  was  unanimousI\-  adopted,  antl  li\e  thousand  copies  of  a 
"Memorial  N'olume"  was  ordered  printed,  containing  report  of  said  com- 
mittee, and  including  the  remarks  offered  by  some  of  the  members  present 
upon  that  occasion.  We  reprint  the  closing  lines  of  the  committee's  report : 
"Tiiis  great  society  of  the  Sons  and  Daughters  of  Hur  will  forever  be  a  living 
monument  to  his  matchless  genius  and  wisdom.  He  Ixiilded  wiser  than  he 
knew  or  even  dreamed,  because  he  builded  upon  the  eternal  principles  of  truth, 
benevolence  and  honor.  He  discovered  the  gate  to  the  paradise  of  (iod  o])en 
wide,  and  the  words  'whosoe\-er  will,  let  him  enter,  and  i)artake  of  the  fruit 
of  the  life-gi\-ing  tree  in  the  midst  tiiereof  ;  he  seizeil  the  opportunity,  sat 
beneath  that  tree  and  pluckefl  therefrom  the  fruit  tliat  inspired  him  to  see 
visions  and  dream  dreams.  For  he  was  a  man  of  visions  and  pro])hecy,  an 
optimist  of  the  highest  type  and  character.  In  his  visions  he  saw  and 
prophesied  the  coming  of  the  great  and  glorious  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur,  and  lived 
to  see  his  visions  and  prophecies  realized  and  fulfilled.  In  the  advancing 
ages  the  glory  of  his  achievement  and  worth  will  come  to  be  the  more  and 
more  realized  and  appreciated  by  the  coming  generations.  So  long  as  civil- 
ization shall  endure:  so  long  as  men  and  women  continue  to  band  themselves 
together  to  provide  protection  for  their  loved  ones  against  the  evil  day:  so 
long  as  the  historian  faithfully  records  the  origin  and  work  of  great  move- 
ments, having  for  their  object  the  betterment  of  mankind,  morally  and 
mentally,  so  long  will  his  name  and  fame  remain. 

This  is  his  own  monument,  builded  by  himself  out  of  the  thoughts  of  his 
great  soul,  and  the  principles  he  advocated  and  the  works  he  wrought:  a 
memorial  more  worthy  and  of  more  enduring  substance  than  tliat  of  marl)le 
or  of  metal. 


IIS6  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

"And  while  he  ne^ds  no  other,  it  appears  to  the  committee  that  this  great 
tribe  of  the  Sons  and  Daughters  of  Hur,  who  were  contemporary  with  him, 
and  who  knew  him  best  and  are  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  services  and  sacri- 
fices ;  that  it  would  be  eminently  fitting  and  proper  that  we  should  leave  to 
future  generations  some  kind  of  token,  memeifto  or  memorial,  expressive  of 
the  appreciation,  high  regard  and  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  us ;  a  monu- 
ment worthy  of  him,  worthy  of  our  great  order  and  its  matchless  principles. 
Whatever  we  may  think,  say  or  do  in  this  regard,  in  the  death  of  Brother 
Gerard  it  can  be  truly  said,  in  the  language  of  one  of  old,  'A  prince  and  a 
great  man  has  fallen  in  Israel."  " 

At  the  memorial  meeting  above  referred  to  many  were  the  appropriate 
eulogies  pronounced  on  Mr.  Gerard,  but  space  forbids  more  than  a  cursory 
glance  at  them  in  the  following  paragraphs : 

G.  I.  Kisner,  of  Terre  Haute,  Indiana:  "We  offer  up  our  prayers  and 
our  tears  for  those  who  have  preceded  us  in  their  departure  from  this  world. 
Their  accomplishments  and  their  valor  is  given  unto  us  upon  monuments  of 
marble,  or  granite,  or  perchance,  cast  in  bronze,  but  the  achievements  of  those 
to  whom  we  have  been  united  are  handed  down  to  us  in  our  hearts  which 
shall  be  enduring  as  long  as  time  shall  last  and  they  shall  weather  all  the 
storms  of  life.  Their  achievements  will  inspire  us  on  to  higher  realms  in 
this  old  world.  Those  of  us  who  are  particularly  united  by  the  ties  of  fra- 
ternity feel  deeply  this  loss.  To  alleviate  suffering  and  want,  to  bring  cheer, 
and  joy  and  sunshine,  into  the  hearts  and  the  homes  of  the  people  of  this 
world,  have  they  not  thus  builded  well?  Otherwise  we  would  not  have  the 
Tribe  of  Ben-Hur  and  these  other  fraternal  organizations  thriving  through- 
out our  land.  So  let  us  cherish  their  memory,  imitate  their  virtues  and  en- 
deavor to  profit  by  the  afflicting  dispensation  of  Jehovah." 

Hon.  Charles  L.  Wedding,  Evansville,  Indiana:  "The  fraternal  world 
may  well  stand  with  uncovered  head  about  the  newly-made  grave  of  our  great 
leader,  David  W.  Gerard.  And  now  that  this  great  spirit,  our  great  leader, 
has  gone  from  among  us  let  us  highly  resolve  that  the  great  work  he  has  done 
shall  live  after  him,  for  indeed  his  labor,  his  achievements  and  his  life  of  toil 
for  brotherly  love,  for  fraternity  and  for  our  humanity,  should  be  and  are 
a  more  enduring  monument  to  his  memory  than  sculptured  marble  or  the 
eternal  granite.  And  let  us  pray  that  this  great  order,  founded  by  our  great 
leader,  and  for  which  he  did  such  herculean  work,  shall,  like  the  orbs  that 
constitute  the  Milky  Way,  grow  brighter  and  brighter,  as  the  ages  pass  away ; 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  II57 

that  it  shall  become  a  vast  ami  spleiulid  monument  of  "peace  nn  earth  and  i^ood 
will  to  men,'  of  fraternity,  of  brotherly  lo\'e,  upon  which  the  men  and  women 
of  all  after-times  may  gaze  with  admiration  forexer." 

Hon.  Michael  P.  Kehoe,  Baltimore,  Maryland:  "Our  dei>aited  chief,  at 
first,  although  he  saw  nothing  but  opposition  confront  liim,  ne\er  for  a 
moment  faltered  in  what  he  considered  to  be  his  duty,  but  pushed  onward  this 
magnificent  order,  which  was  indeed  his  life  work.  We  can  only  hope  and 
accept  the  great  truths  that  have  been  sent  to  us  1iy  the  Master,  looking  for 
life  beyond,  and  I  am  sure,  in  the  light  of  the  work  and  character  of  our  late 
departed  chief,  living  as  he  did  and  considering  the  works  he  [lerformed,  if 
there  is  such  a  thing  as  the  glorious  life  beyond,  there  must  l)e  an  everlasting 
place  prepared  for  him  who  is  gone." 

Dr.  H.  V.  Beardsley,  Ft.  Worth.  Texas:  "Sixteen  years  ago,  through 
Providence,  or  some  other  source,  I  met  and  formed  a  very  lasting  friend- 
ship with  our  late  departed  D.  W.  Gerard.  He  has  not  only  been  to  me  as  a 
friend,  but  he  has  been  to  me  as  a  father,  and  I  do  not  believe  there  is  a  single 
member  of  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur  w  ho  has  felt  the  loss  of  his  departure  more 
than  I  have.  He  was  not  only  a  friend  of  humanity,  but  he  was  a  close  per- 
sonal friend  of  those  that  met  him  on  those  grounds." 

Rev.  Ernest  Dailey  Smith,  Crawfordsville,  Indiana:  "David  W.  Gerard 
was  a  good  man.  I  know  that  in  forming  an  estimate  of  men,  a  preacher  is 
put  to  a  certain  disadvantage.  My  impressions  of  Brother  Gerard  from  my 
preosnal  acquaintance  with  him,  and  from  what  those  have  said  to  me  who 
have  known  him  intimately,  is  that  he  was  just  the  same  behind  a  Sunday  face 
and  under  Sunday  clothes  as  he  was  in  every-day  attire.  There  was  that 
evenness  and  balance  and  genuineness  in  him  that  made  him  always  the 
same." 

W.  H.  Owen,  Crawfordsville,  Indiana:  "Mr.  Gerard  was  more  than  a 
member  of  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur  with  me.  Outside  of  all  of  the  associations 
in  the  fraternal  work,  he  was  my  friend,  and  my  neighbor,  and  perhaps  I 
might  say  an  inspiration  to  do  more  than  was  intended  when  I  was  launched 
into  the  afifairs  of  this  work.  I  feel  that  I  have  needed  him  almost  e\er\' 
day  since  he  passed  away,  and  sometimes  I  get  w^eary,  for  I  could  always  rely 
on  encouragement  and  the  optimism  of  this  man." 

W.  B.  Ramey,  Crawfordsville,  Indiana :  "For  the  past  ten  years  it  has 
been  a  pleasure  to  me  to  have  been  connected  with  the  ofifice,  and  intimately 
associated  with  Brother  Gerard,  and  I  know   tliat  I  voice  the  sentiments  of 


1 1 58  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

every  employe  of  the  office  when  I  say  that  we  never  had  the  privilege  of 
working  for  a  gentleman  who  has  heen  so  dear  and  kind  to  us  as  he." 

G.  A.  Paddock,  Auburn,  New  York:  "I  have  known  Brother  Gerard 
personally  for  some  time,  and  have  always  honored  and  respected  him." 

Mrs.  Lucy  H.  Wilde,  Buffalo,  New  York :  "The  world  was  made  better 
by  the  life  of  our  late  beloved  chief,  David  W.  Gerard.  It  was  no  small 
sphere  in  which  his  influence  for  good  was  exercised  while  he  lived,  and  there 
are  so  many  good  deeds  to  his  credit  that  the  influence  still  lives  and  will  con- 
tinue to  live,  though  he  be  dead.  His  whole  existence  was  an  inspiration  to 
mankind.  Never  a  word  came  from  his  lips  designed  to  wound  the  feelings 
of  his  fellow  men.  Such  a  thing  as  bitterness  was  absolutely  unknown  to 
him." 

J.  M.  Billips,  Jeannetfe,  Pennsylvania :  "The  influence  of  Brother 
Gerard  was  felt  to  such  an  extent  that  I  voice  the  general  sentiment  of  the 
Pennsylvania  members  when  I  say  we  haAc  lost  the  most  noted  and  loyal 
fraternalist  of  the  day.  The  impression  made  on  me  was  that  I  had  met 
and  talked  with  one  of  God's  elect;  a  noble  man  in  his  own  country." 

H.  J-  McGinnis,  Crawfordsville,  Indiana :  "I-  was  but  a  boy  when  I 
took  up  the  work  of  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur  fifteen  years  ago,  and  I  feel  that 
if  I  have  attained  any  degree  of  success,  it  has  been  through  the  encourage- 
ment and  the  help  of  our  late  supreme  chief.  He  always  had  a  kindly  word 
of  encouragement  for  the  field  men." 

Thus  it  will  be  observed  by  the  readers  of  this  memorial  work  that  a 
great  and  useful  man  passed  away  when  David  W.  Gerard  was  summoned 
to  close  his  eyes  on  earthly  scenes.  Lives  of  men  such  as  he  ha\'e  been  in- 
strumental in  removing  the  tear  from  sad  faces,  that  have  put  the  staff  of 
life  on  the  board  of  the  widow,  and  kindled  the  fires  upon  the  heartstone  of 
the  orphan,  these  will  be  crowned  with  everlasting  honor  and  glory. 

Upon  the  death  of  Supreme  Chief  David  W.  Gerard,  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  the  Supreme  Tribes  of  Ben-Hur  met  and  unanimously  appointed 
Dr.  Royal  H.  Gerard  to  fill  out  his  father's  unexpired  term,  from  January 
to  May,  1 910.  At  the  meeting  of  the  Supreme  Tribe  in  May  he  was  elected 
supreme  chief  and  has,  by  successive  re-elections,  been  retained  in  that  ofhce 
and  is  ably  and  efficiently  carrying  forward  the  work  so  splendidly  inau- 
gurated by  his  father. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1 1 59 

FRANKLIN  A.  CUSTER. 

Another  of  the  young  farmers  of  Sugar  Creek  township  wlio  must  in 
all  fairness  be  included  in  the  category  of  those  whose  names  have  heen 
entered  on  the  lists  of  the  energetic  is  Franklin  A.  Custer,  a  man  who  would 
have,  we  have  no  doubt,  succeeded  in  whatever  locality  he  might  have  selected 
for  his  arena  of  action,  however  his  success  would  have,  doubtless,  been  more 
marked  as  a  general  agriculturist  than  in  any  other  vocation,  for  he  seems 
to  have  been  born  to  it,  or  at  any  rate  has  had  excellent  training  from  his 
early  boyhood  up,  so  that  his  pronounced  success  early  in  his  career  is  not  to 
be  wondered  at. 

Mr.  Custer  was  born  on  July  3,  1876  in  the  township  and  county  where 
he  still  resides.  He  is  a  son  of  William  H.  and  Rachael  (Cox)  Custer.  Both 
these  parents  were  natives  of  this  county,  also,  each  representing  old  families. 
The  date  of  the  father's  birth  is  1842  and  that  of  the  mother's  1849.  Here 
they  grew  to  maturity,  received  fair  educations  in  the  old-time  schools  and 
here  they  were  married.  The  father  is  still  living,  making  his  home  in  the 
village  of  Darlington,  the  mother  having  passed  away  in  1901  at  the  age  of 
fifty-two  years. 

William  H.  Custer  has  devoted  his  life,  for  the  most  part,  to  general 
farming,  however  he  was  for  some  time  engaged  in  the  grocery  and  hard- 
ware business  in  Darlington,  enjoying  a  large  trade  with  the  people  of  the 
surrounding  territory,  but  most  of  his  life  was  spent  on  the  farm  where  our 
subject  is  now  living,  the  father  having  retired  from  the  active  work  of  the 
farm  in  September,  1904  and  moved  to  his  pleasant  home  in  Darlington. 
He  is  one  of  our  honored  veterans  of  the  Civil  war,  having  enlisted  in  1861 
in  the  Tenth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  being  among  the  earliest  to  give 
his  services  to  the  Union,  of  the  many  thousands  in  the  Hoosier  state,  and 
he  saw  much  hard  and  trying  service  for  a  period  of  three  years,  taking  part 
in  many  engagements,  and  proving  to  be  a  most  faithful  soldier. 

Three  children  were  born  to  William  H.  Custer  and  wife,  two  sons  and 
a  daughter,  named  as  follows:  Charles  B.,  born  April  3,  1869,  married 
Belle  McGuire,  and  they  live  just  north  of  the  old  Imme  place;  Laura;  and 
Franklin  A.,  of  this  review. 

Franklin  A.  Custer  received  a  common  and  high  school  education.  On 
September  9,  1904  he  married  Eleanor  Turnipseed,  who  was  born  February 
8,  1882,  in  Montgomery  county  and  here  grew  to  womanhood  and  received 
her  education  in  the  public  schools,  and  was  graduated  from  the  high  school 


Il60  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.       - 

in  her  native  locality.  For  a  sketch  of  her  family  the  reader  is  directed  to 
that  of  Thomas  B.  Tumipseed,  her  brother,  appearing  elsewhere  in  this 
volume. 

Our  subject  and  wife  have  one  child.  Truth  Maurine,  born  May  21, 
1908. 

Mr.  Custer  has  always  been  a  farmer  and  a  general  stock  raiser,  raising 
a  good  breed  of  li\-e  stock,  making  a  specialty  of  Red  hogs.  Black  cattle  and 
Langshang  chickens.  He  is  operating  in  a  most  successful  and  commendable 
manner  the  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  which  belongs  to  his  father. 
It  is  all  tillable  but  about  twenty  acres,  and  even  this  could  be  placed  in 
cultivation.  The  farm  is  well  improved  in  every  respect  and  the  substantial 
buildings  were  built  by  our  subject's  father. 

Politically,  Mr.  Custer  is  a  Republican.  His  wife  belongs  to  the  Potato 
Creek  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


HARRY  C.  REMLEY. 

Another  deserving  representati\-e  of  the  well  known  and  popular  Rem- 
ley  family  is  the  energetic  young  farmer  and  stock  raiser  of  Wayne  town- 
ship, Harry  C.  Remley.  His  people  have  been  well  established  in  Mont- 
gomery county  since  the  early  days,  and  they  have  borne  excellent  reputa- 
tions as  private  citizens,  business  men  and  advocates  of  good  county  gov- 
ernment, and  they  have  done  much  in  the  general  upbuilding  of  the  locality. 
Our  subject  is  living  on  the  old  homestead,  which  he  has  kept  in  fine  condi- 
tion, fully  appreciating  the  privilege  and  he  is  justly  deserving  of  the  con- 
tinued success  that  the  years  have  brought. 

Mr.  Remley  was  born  on  June  14,  1873,  i"  Wayne  township,  Montgom- 
ery county.  He  is  a  son  of  Ambrose  Remley  and  wife,  a  complete  sketch  of 
whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  hence  will  not  be  necessary  to  re- 
peat here. 

Harry  C.  Remley  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  spent  his 
boyhood  days  in  much  the  same  manner  as  other  sons  of  farmers,  assisting 
with  the  crops  in  summer  and  attending  the  district  schools  during  the  win- 
ter months,  at  Wesley,  in  his  native  township. 

On  February  22,  1898,  he  celebrated  the  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  the 
father  of  his  country,  by  getting  married,  selecting  as  a  life  partner  Alice 
L.   Brown,  who  was  born  in  Montgomery  county,  and  here  she  grew^  to 


MONTGOiMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I161 

womanhood  and  received  her  education  in  the  public  schools.  She  was  tlie 
dauf,diter  of  Soloni  and  Mary  J.  (Hamilton)  Brown,  farmers  of  Union 
township,  this  county,  near  Ro]:)erts  chapel.  The  father,  who  was  a  \i.tor;in 
of  the  Civil  war  and  a  Republican,  died  se\'eral  years  ago. 

To  Harry  C.  Remley  and  wife  have  been  born  one  child,  Mary  Iklcii. 
whose  birth  occurred  on  March  ii,  1908. 

Mr.  Remley  has  always  followed  farming  and  stock  raising,  and,  tak- 
ing naturally  to  these  lines  of  endeavor  and  having  had  a  good  ])receptor  in 
the  same  in  the  person  of  his  father  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  he  has 
succeeded.  He  is  living  on  his  father's  farm,  which  he  has  kept  well  culti- 
vated and  well  improved.  He  has  built  all  the  fences  now  seen  on  the 
place,  remodeled  the  barns,  built  several  sheds  and  made  many  other  changes 
which  have  enhanced  the  general  appearance  of  the  place.  He  keeps  an 
excellent  grade  of  live  stock  and  poultry  on  the  farm,  and  everything  round 
about  denotes  good  management. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  but  he  has  never  been  very  active  in 
public  matters.     His  wife  as  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


ORPHEUS  MILTON  GREGG. 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  investigate  the  career  of  a  successful  self-made  man 
of  affairs.  Peculiar  honor  attaches  to  that  individual  who,  Ijeginning  the 
great  struggle  of  life  with  honorable  aims,  gradually  overcomes  unfavorable 
environment,  removes  one  by  one  the  obstacles  from  the  pathway  of  success 
and  by  the  master  strokes  of  his  own  force  and  vitality  succeeds  in  forging 
his  way  to  the  front  and  winning  for  himself  a  position  of  esteem  and  in- 
fluence among  his  fellow  men.  Such  is  the  record,  briefly  stated,  of  Orpheus 
Milton  Gregg,  for  several  decades  one  of  the  most  substantial,  progressive 
and  representative  business  men  of  Crawfordsville.  and  one  of  Montgom- 
ery county's  most  widely  known  citizens,  and  to  a  brief  synopsis  of  life  and 
characteristics  the  reader's  attention  is  herewith  directed.  His  protracted 
residence  in  the  famous  and  beautiful  Wabash  section  of  the  Hoosier  state 
has  made  his  name  widely  and  familiarly  known,  principally  as  the  head  of 
the  great  Indiana  Match  Company  and  other  large  industries.  His  life  and 
the  history  of  this  locality  for  a  period  of  nearly  a  half  century  has  been 
pretty  much  one  and  the  same  thing.  He  has  taken  a  prominent  part  in  the 
later-day  growth  of  his  city  and  county,  proving  to  be  one  of  their  wisest 


Il62  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

counselors  and  hardest  workers.  He  is  known  to  be  a  progressive  man  in 
the  broadest  sense  of  the  term ;  reaHzing  the  wants  of  the  people,  and  he 
has  tried  to  supply  the  demands  of  the  vicinity  honored  by  his  citizenship 
generously  and  unspairingly.  His  has  been  a  long  business  career  of  honor 
and  trust,  and  no  higher  eulogy  can  be  passed  upon  him  than  to  state  the 
simple  truth  that  his  name  was  never  coupled  with  anything  disreputable 
and  that  there  has  never  been  the  shadow  of  a  strain  upon  his  reputation  for 
integrity  and  unswerving  honesty.  Mr.  Gregg  is  a  consistent  man  in  every- 
thing he  undertakes,  and  his  career  in  all  the  relations  of  life  has  ever  been 
utterly  without  pretense,  and  for  his  genial  nature,  obliging  disposition  and 
imfailing  courtesy  he  enjoys  the  confidence  and  god  will  of  all  classes,  and 
the  city  of  Crawfordsville  and  county  of  Montgomery  can  boast  of  no  better 
man  or  more  enterprising  citizen. 

]\Ir.  Gregg  was  born  in  Scott  township,  Montgomery  county,  Indiana, 
October  7,  1848,  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry.  He  is  a  son  of  Samuel  H.  and 
Sarah  Louisa  (Christman)  Gregg.  The  father  was  also  born  in  this  county, 
the  date  of  his  birth  being  June  11,  1827,  and  was  a  son  of  Alpheus  and 
Cynthia  (Kelsey)  Gregg.  Alpheus  Gregg  was  born  in  Warren  county, 
Ohio,  on  January  29,  1801,  and  he  came  to  Scott  township,  Montgomery 
county,  Indiana,  in  early  pioneer  days,  when  this  region  was  a  wilderness 
and  here  he  established  the  future  home  of  the  family,  through  hard  work, 
enduring  meanwhile  many  hardships,  as  ever  befalls  those  who  invade  the 
frontier.  Here  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  engaged  in  general  farming. 
He  is  remembered  as  a  kindly  and  hospitable  man,  and  was  well  versed  in 
the  Bible,  often  quoting  whole  chapters.  He  was  not  only  up  on  religious 
matters,  but  was  a  well  read  man  on  general  afifairs  of  his  time.  His 
death  occurred  on  September  9,  1864,  his  wife  having  preceded  him  to  the 
grave  in  1842.  Three  children  were  born  to  them,  namely:  Amos,  Phoebe 
Ann,  and  Samuel  H.,  father  qi  our  subject. 

Samuel  H.  Gregg  grew  to  manhood  on  the  old  home  place,  where  he 
worked  during  his  boyhood,  assisting  in  developing  the  same.  He  received, 
at  that  period,  such  education  as  the  early  schools  of  his  district  afforded. 
When  a  young  man  he  took  up  farming  for  a  life  work  and  lived  in  Scott 
township,  later  on  near  the  village  of  Mace,  which  his  father-in-law  had 
entered  from  the  government.  However,  he  decided  to  abandon  agricul- 
ture, when  twenty-four  years  old,  and  turn  his  attention  to  the  business 
world,  and  with  that  end  in  view  he  came  to  Crawfordsville,  where,  in  part- 
nership with  his  brother-in-law,  Harvey  N.  Christman,  and  Jesse  W.  Cum- 
berland, opened  a  hardware  store  on  the  site  where  the  first  court  house  of 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I163 

Montgomery  county  stood.  The  firm  was  one  that  commanded  respect  and 
trade.  Part  of  the  time  Mr.  Gregg  was  sole  owner.  He  continued  to  be 
actively  engaged  with  this  firm,  with  the  exception  of  six  months,  when  he 
went  to  Oregon,  by  way  of  New  York  City,  the  .Vtlantic  ocean,  crossing  tiie 
Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  thence  by  the  Pacific  ocean.  He  went  with  the 
intention  of  locating  in  the  far  West,  and  he  had  ([uite  a  party  of  people  with 
him,  including  his  son,  O.  M.  Gregg,  then  only  sixteen  years  old.  On  ac- 
count of  being  so  well  known  in  Montgomery  county,  and  not  finding  con- 
ditions entirely  to  his  liking  in  Oregon,  Mr.  Gregg  decided  to  return  to  his 
native  heath;  whereupon  he  purchased  the  store,  and  in  1870.  ui)on  the 
graduation  of  his  son,  our  subject,  took  him  in  as  a  partner,  wliich  firm,  en- 
joying the  distsinction  of  being,  with  one  exception,  the  largest  of  its  kind 
in  the  state,  continued  successfully  until  1881,  when  Samuel  H.  Gregg  was 
forced  to  retire  on  account  of  failing  health.  About  that  time  he  was  paten- 
tee on  barbed  wire  fencing,  and  the  Indiana  Wire  Fence  Company  was 
organized,  of  which  the  elder  Gregg  was  a  large  stockholder  and  director 
and  continued  as  a  director  in  the  same  until  his  death.  He  was  one  of  the 
leading  business  men  and  citizens  of  his  day  and  generation,  was  widely 
known  and  highly  esteemed  by  all.  Politically,  he  was  a  Republican,  but 
made  no  effort  to  be  a  public  man.  .Fraternally,  he  belonged  to  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  in  his  earlier  life,  and  religiously  he  was  a 
Methodist. 

In  1847  Samuel  H.  Gregg  and  Sarah  L.  Christman  were  married.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Phillips)  Christman.  She  was  born 
in  North  Carolina.  Her  parents  were  early  settlers  here,  Jacob  Christman 
having  opened  fanns  in  Walnut  and  Union  townships,  living  there  many 
years.  He  was  very  active  in  politics,  and  was  county  commissioner  from 
1 84 1  to  1847,  ^""^  ^^'^s  at  one  time  a  delegate  to  a  national  Republican  con- 
vention. He  was  a  very  strong  abolitionist  and  had  much  to  do  with  "under- 
ground railroad"  work  during  the  period  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  He 
was  a  successful  farmer  and  was  well  known  throughout  the  county,  where 
he  was  a  leader  in  public  affairs. 

Three  children  were  born  to  Jacob  and  Mary  Christman,  namely: 
Caroline,  who  died  when  seven  years  old;  Han'ey  N.,  who  was  in  partner- 
ship on  a  farm  with  Samuel  H.  Gregg,  also  in  the  hardware  business  with 
him;  and  Sarah  Louisa,  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  her  death 
occurred  in  1861. 

Orpheus  M.  Gregg  received  a  good  common  school  education  in  his 
native   community,   later   attending   W^abash   College   here,    where   he    made 


I  164  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

an  excellent  record  and  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of 
1870  and  at  once  began  his  long  business  career,  which  has  been  spent  in 
Crawfonlsville.  At  that  time  his  father  was  proprietor  of  a  large  hardware 
store  in  the  Ixiilding  now  occupied  by  the  furniture  store  of  the  grocery  firm 
of  Barnhill,  Hornaday  &  Pickett,  and  the  son  was  taken  in  as  a  partner.  Our 
subject  practically  had  charge  of  the  business  the  last  fi\'e  years  preceding 
1 88 1,  when  the  store  was  sold.  They  were  also  at  that  time  part  owners 
of  Seawright  &  Company  for  about  three  years.  It  was  at  this  time  that  O. 
M.  Gregg's  career  as  a  manufacturer  began,  and  it  has  continued  ever  since, 
and  if  the  total  pay-roll  of  the  concerns  he  has  fostered  and  promoted  were 
to  be  given  it  would  be  an  enormous  sum  and  would  to  some  extent  show 
what  he  has  done  for  the  laboring  class  of  Crawfordsville.  On  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Indiana  Wire  Fence  Company,  he  was  made  treasurer  and 
manager  of  the  company,  which  responsible  position  he  continued  to  hold 
in  a  manner  that  reflected  credit  upon  himself  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
stockholders  until  1900,  when  it  was  sold  to  the  American  Steel  &  Wire 
Company.  Mr.  Gregg  was  president  of  the  Columbia  Wire  Fence  Company, 
of  Chicago,  a  corporation  owning  all  the  patents  on  barb  wire  and  on  ma- 
chinery for  making  barb  wire.  The  firm  was  ably  managed  and  was  in  fine 
condition.  The  firm  started  several  young  men  in  life.  During  this  period 
our  subject  was  also  one  of  the  leading  spirits  of  the  Dovetail  Buggy  Com- 
pany, and  one  of  the  most  heavily  interested  financial  backers  of  the  same. 
This  firm  made  buggies,  the  bodies  of  which  were  put  together  by  a  pat- 
ented process  of  dovetailing  instead  of  screwing  and  nailing.  He  w^as  one 
of  the  promoters  of  the  organization  of  the  Crawfordsville  Wirebound  Box 
Company,  besides  many  other  smaller  financial  enterprises.  He  was  a 
director  of  the  Elston  National  Bank  from  the  time  it  was  organized  a  few 
years  ago  until  recently,  when  he  resigned.  He  was  largely  instrumental  in 
the  organization  of  the  Gregg,  Coutant  &  Gregg  mitten  and  glove  factory, 
which  began  operation  in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building  a  few  years  ago  and 
grew  to  large  proportions  later,  when  it  was  removed  to  the  present  factory 
building  on  East  Main  street.  Mr.  Coutant  retired  a  few  years  ago  and  the 
company  has  since  been  known  as  the  Gregg  Glove  Company.  It  recently 
was  disposed  of  along  with  two  other  factories  belonging  to  the  same  com- 
pany, each  employing  about  one  hundred  people,  to  the  Boss  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  of  Kewanee,  Illinois.  Charles  M.  Gregg,  son  of  our  subject, 
who  was  the  manager  and  secretary  of  these  three  plants,  was  retained  by  the 
Boss  company  to  manage  the  three  plants. 

The  Indiana  Wire  Fence  Company  mentioned  above,  was  the  first  large 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I165 

concern  in  wliicli  our  subject  proved  his  superior  ijusiness  acumen.  He 
made  it  a  great  success,  manufacturing  wire  under  tlie  patents  perfected  by 
his  father.  This  company  started  operations  in  a  small  way  in  a  part  of  the 
building  now  occupied  by  the  Smith  &  Duckworth  planing  mill  and  later 
grew  so  rapidly  that  the  buildings  which  now  serve  as  the  factory  of  the 
Indiana  Match  Corporation  were  constructed  and  occupied.  Here  the  busi- 
ness was  materially  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  more  har])ed  wire  machines. 
Wire  nails,  staples,  and  woven  wire  fence  were  addetl  to  the  mitpul  of  tiic 
factory.  This  company  enjoyed  a  large  and  lucrative  business  all  over  llie 
country  for  a  period  of  ten  years,  when  it  was  sold,  as  stated  above,  to  the 
trust,  in  1889.  The  new  owners  removed  the  machinery  from  the  buildings 
and  ceased  operations.  This  threw  a  large  number  of  men  out  of  eni])loy- 
ment. 

This  condition  made  the  organization  of  a  new  company  very  desirable. 
and  O.  AI.  Gregg  decided  to  form  a  match  company,  which  he  did.  The  new 
company  took  over  the  property  of  the  Indiana  Wire  Fence  Company  and 
began  the  manufacture  of  square  matches  and  continued  with  very  gratify- 
ing success  until  the  trade  on  the  square  match  fell  off  until  it  was  not  protit- 
able  to  manufacture  them  any  longer.  The  new  Indiana  Match  Corporation 
was  then  organized  to  take  over  the  property  of  the  old  Indiana  Match  Com- 
pany, and  at  the  commencement  of  the  year  19 12  the  suliject  of  this  sketch 
retired  from  the  active  management  of  the  concern  when  the  prospects  for 
the  new  company  were  very  bright  as  a  result  of  his  al)le  management  and 
wise  foresight,  he  having  been  the  president  and  general  manager  of  the  old 
match  company  from  first  to  last.  The  firm  has  made  an  excellent  show- 
ing since  the  organization  of  the  present  company  and  began  making  round 
matches.  The  pay-roll  of  the  Indiana  Match  Company  for  the  past  ten 
years  has  been  eighty  thousand  dollars  per  year.  That  does  not  include  the 
pay-roll  of  the  Gregg  Glove  Compan}-  which  has  for  the  last  sexeral  years 
kept  about  one  hundred  employes  at  eacli  of  their  three  plants.  I'rom  this 
concern  our  subject  retired  in  1911,  in  which  year  he  also  retired  as  director 
of  the  Elston  National  Bank;  but  for  a  period  of  forty  years  there  was  no 
let  up  in  his  strenuous  endeavors.  There  have  been  few  working  days  that 
he  has  not  been  at  the  helm  and  there  were  few  evenings  that  he  did  not 
visit  his  office.  For  several  months  prior  to  January,  191 2,  Mr.  Gregg  has 
been  systematically  retiring  from  the  active  business  of  a  man  who  for  more 
than  forty  years  has  been  one  of  the  strong  moving  forces  of  the  commercial 
life  of  Crawfordsville.  His  work  has  been  of  a  kind  that  has  made  Craw- 
fordsville  a  better  town,  both  morally  and  physically.     His  voice  has  always 


Il66  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

been  raised  in  the  interest  of  the  church,  the  Young  Mens  Christian  Associa- 
tion, the  Civic  League  and  similar  organizations.  He  was  president  of  the 
local  Young  Mens  Christian  Association  for  a  period  of  fifteen  years,  and  in 
that  time  saw  its  organization,  witnessed  its  growth  and  passed  through  a 
strenuous  debt  paying  campaign.  He  has  ser\ed  two  terms  as  president  of 
the  state  Young  Mens  Christian  Association  and  is  still  director  of  that 
organization,  being  one  of  the  two  directors  who  has  served  the  longest. 
He  has  done  a  most  noble  work  for  the  youth  of  the  state  in  this  connection 
and  has  received  the  praise  of  every  one  having  knowledge  of  the  same.  He 
has  long  been  an  active  member  of  Center  church  and  was  one  of  the  prime 
movers  and  most  active  workers  of  the  Civic  League  as  well  as  in  the  fight 
for  the  cause  of  temperance  in  Crawfordsville.  He  is  and  has  been  for 
years  a  trustee  of  Wabash  College.  He  was  for  years  a  member  of  the 
school  board  of  Crawfordsville.  and  did  much  to  help  develop  the  present 
unexcelled  school  system.  He  was  elected  prior  to  the  completion  of  what  is 
now  known  as  the  old  Central  building,  and  during  his  tenure  of  office  the 
Mills  building"  and  the  Lincoln  school  were  erected,  the  old  Willson  school 
property  was  purchased,  and  extensive  repairs  were  made.  When  the 
Orphans  Home  was  established,  Mr.  Gregg  was  active  in  the  industrial  work 
and  was  elected  its  first  secretary  and  was  closely  allied  with  the  work  for 
the  fatherless  for  many  years.  He  has  been  active  in  the  work  of  the  Mission 
Sunday  school. 

Politically,  Mr.  Gregg  is  a  Republican,  but  has  ne^'er  sought  political 
honors,  preferring  to  devote  his  time  exclusively  to  business  and  other  affairs. 
He  belongs  to  the  Ouiatenon  Club,  also  belongs  to  the  Country  Club,  of 
which  he  was  one  of  the  organizers.  He  is  at  present  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mercial Clubs  of  both  Crawfordsville  and  Indianapolis.  He  was  formerly  a 
member  of  the  L^niversity  Clitb  of  Indianapolis. 

Mr.  Gregg  was  married  on  March  7,  1872,  to  Julia  B.  Mills,  a  lady  of 
culture,  education  and  refinement,  who  has  proven  to  be  a  most  faith  fful 
helpmeet,  whose  sympathy  and  encouragement  have  gone  far  toward  the 
large  success  of  her  husband.  She  is  a  daughter  of  the  distinguished  Indi- 
ana educator.  Prof.  Caleb  Mills,  a  complete  sketch  of  whose  life  and  family 
appears  on  other  pages  of  this  column. 

To  Orpheus  M.  Gregg  and  wife  have  been  born  three  children,  namely: 
Frederick  Marshall,  born  January  23,  1873,  ^^i^  died  January  12,  1910  at  the 
age  of  thirty-seven  years,  when  in  the  very  prime  of  life  and  when  giving 
great  promise  of  a  brilliant  business  career ;  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
secretary  of  the  Indiana  Match  Company,  treasurer  of  the  Central  States 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  II 6" 

Life  Insurance  Cniiipany,  and  was  iiopular  al)out  the  city  nf  liis  nati\it\.  lie 
graduated  from  Wabash  College  in  1S93.  He  belonged  tc;  the  .Masunic 
Order,  and  the  Center  Presbyterian  church.  He  was  a  director  and  presi- 
dent of  the  Young  Mens  Christian  Association.  He  was  married  to  Minnie 
Smalley,  who,  with  an  infant  daughter,  Caroline,  sunives.  Charles  Moores 
Gregg,  our  subject's  second  child,  was  born  on  October  4,  1875,  ^"f'  has  be- 
come one  of  the  leading  Inisiness  men  of  Crawfordsville  of  the  younger 
generation.  He  is  at  this  writing  manager  of  the  Boss  Glove  Company,  of 
which  mention  has  pre\iously  Ijeen  made  in  this  sketch.  He  is  prominent  in 
Masonic  circles,  having  attained  the  thirty-second  degree;  he  is  a  Knights 
Templar,  and  belongs  to  the  Ancient  Arabic  Order  of  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine.  He  is  a  member  of  Center  Presbyterian  church.  He  graduated 
from  Wabash  College  in  1895.  He  married  Alta  J.  Rusk  on  Xovember  1. 
IQOO.  Caleb  Mills  Gregg,  the  youngest  of  our  subject's  children,  was  born 
June  6,  1881,  and  died  on  May  6,  1908,,  when  twenty-seven  }ears  of  age. 
He  too,  was  a  young  man  of  fine  mind,  good  address  and  of  much  promise. 
He  graduated  at  Purdue  University,  Lafayette,  Indiana,  frt)m  the  mechanical 
and  electrical  engineering  departments,  with  the  class  of  1Q03.  He  was  in 
the  employ  of  the  Public  Service  Corporation  in  Xew  Jersey  for  three  }ears, 
giving  eminent  satisfaction,  until  his  health  failed,  being  seized  by  walking 
typhoid  fever  and  pneumonia  from  which  he  did  not  recover. 

Personally.  Orpheus  M.  Gregg  is  a  man  whom  it  is  a  pleasure  to  meet, 
being  a  companionable,  genial  and  fair-minded  gentleman,  always  ])olite, 
obliging  and  charitably  inclined,  and  he  numbers  his  friends  only  by  the 
limits  of  his  acquaintance,  and  that  indeed,  is  quite  extensive. 


\\'ILLIAM  :melvix  HATTOX. 

No  man  in  Alontgomery  county  is  more  deserving  of  the  high  esteem 
in  which  he  is  held  by  the  general  public  than  William  Melvin  Hatton,  one 
of  the  able  and  popular,  faithful  and  conscientious  county  commissioners, 
and  for  many  years  one  of  our  leading  agriculturists.  He  is  a  man  of  broad 
mind  and  correct  habits,  believing  in  progress  in  all  lines  of  endeavor,  and  is 
an  advocate  of  good  government  and  clean  living. 

Mr.  Hatton  comes  of  a  fine  old  family  of  the  Wabash  countr-y,  and 
while  much  of  his  life  has  been  spent  in  and  about  the  town  of  Wingate.  this 
county,  he  is  a  native  of  Fountain  county,  his  birtli  ha\ing  occurred  in  Logan 


Il68      ■  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

township,  on  October  6,  1849.  He  is  a  son  of  Thomas  Schooler  Hatton 
and  Julia  Ann  (Swank)  Hatton,  and  the  grandson  of  William  Hatton  and 
wife,  natives  of  Ohio. 

William  M.  Hatton  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  where  he  worked 
hard  when  a  boy,  remaining  in  this  line  of  endeavor  until  1878.  He  received 
his  education  in  the  common  schools.  When  about  thirty  years  old  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  Fountain  county,  which  he  managed  with  much  success 
until  1887  when  he  sold  out  and  purchased  his  present  fine  farm  in  Coal  Creek 
township,  Montgomery  county,  which  he  has  since  operated  on  an  extensive 
scale,  keeping  it  well  improved  and  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and 
handling  an  excellent  grade  of  live  stock.  He  moved  to  his  pleasant  home  in 
Wingate  in  1905. 

Mr.  Hatton  has  long  taken  an  abiding  interest  in  the  afifairs  of  his 
county,  and  in  19 10  he  was  elected  county  commissioner  which  position  he 
has  since  held  in  a  most  acceptable  and  praiseworthy  manner,  doing  much  in 
the  meantime  for  the  permanent  good  of  the  county.  He  however,  will  not 
be  a  candidate  for  the  office  again,  much  to  the  regret  of  his  constituents  and 
friends.  He  is  loyal  to  the  Democratic  party.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  also  be- 
longs to  the  Methodist  church. 

Mr.  Hatton  was  married  on  March  27,  1873  to  Nancy  Catherine  Houts, 
a  native  of  Fountain  county,  Indiana,  of  Pennsylvanian  ancestry.  Her  birth 
occurred  on  December  17,  1850,  and  she  grew  to  womanhood  and  was  edu- 
cated in  Fountain  county. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hatton  have  been  born  two  children,  Charles  E.,  who 
is  farming  in  Coal  Creek  township;  and  Clarence  Lee,  who  is  a  hardware 
merchant  at  Wingate. 


CHARLES  M.  GOFF. 


.\  worthy  representative  of  the  Goff  family  that  has  played  such  an  im- 
portant part  in  the  upbuilding  of  Montgomery  county  during  the  past  half 
century  or  more  is  Charles  M.  Gofif,  a  prosperous  farmer  and  business  man 
of  Wingate,  Coal  Creek  township,  near  where  he  has  a  well  stocked  and 
equipped  farm,  which  is  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation,  and  its  improvements 
are  of  a  high  order,  and  the  place  is  adorned  with  a  neat  and  well-built  resi- 
dence, and  there  are  commodious  barns  and  other  convenient  outbuildings. 
Grain  and  all  products  common  in  this  part  of  the  country  thrive  on  the  rich 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I  169 

soil  of  the  farm,  and  our  subject  raises  standard  stock  of  various  kinds.  He 
has  accumulated  his  valuable  property  himself  by  judicious  management  of 
his  affairs.  Personally,  he  is  very  genial,  with  a  cheery  word  for  all,  and  his 
neighbors  and  associates  generally  hnd  in  him  a  warm  and  steadfast  friend, 
whose  many  fine  traits  of  head  and  heart  make  him  thoroughly  respected  and 
esteemed  throughout  the  community  where  his  entire  life  has  been  spent. 

Mr.  Goff  was  born  on  December  23,  1869  in  Montgomery  county,  Indi- 
ana. He  is  a  son  of  Edward  and  Mary  J.  (Shelley)  Goff.  The  father  was 
born  in  the  state  of  New  York  on  June  18,  1834,  and  there  he  grew  to  man- 
hood and  received  his  education  in  the  early  schools.  He  remained  in  the 
Empire  state  a  number  of  years  coming  to  Indiana  in  1856  while  still  single, 
and  here  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  dying  in  1909.  In  early  life  he  taught 
school  awhile,  but  later  turned  his  attention  to  farming  which  he  made  his 
chief  vocation  through  life.  He  was  a  man  of  good  intellect,  a  hard  worker 
and  honorable.  His  wife,  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Montgomery 
county,  Indiana,  in  1844  and  her  death  occurred  in  1888.  Five  children  were 
bom  to  these  parents,  four  of  whom  are  still  living. 

Charles  M.  Goff  received  a  good  common  school  education,  and  he  grew 
to  manhood  on  the  parental  farm  where  he  worked  when  he  became  of  proper 
age,  during  the  crop  seasons.  On  Decemljer  2^,  1891,  he  married  Matie  Alex- 
ander. She  was  born  August  24,  1872.  She  received  a  good  common  school 
education. 

Five  children  have  been  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  namely:  Pearl, 
who  married  Ward  Graves,  was  born  on  July  18,  1893,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Lois  Yvonne,  born  February  11,  1913;  Marie  was  born  March  23, 
1895;  Louis  was  born  on  May  8,  1896;  Gladys  was  born  on  March  18,  1899; 
Olive  was  born  on  August  6,  1907.  These  children  are  all  attending  school 
but  the  oldest  and  youngest,  and  are  making  excellent  grades;  Gladys  had 
the  honor  of  receiving  the  highest  grade  of  any  pupil  in  Montgomery  county 
in  the  graded  schools,  and  was  also  next  to  the  youngest  to  graduate  from 
the  Wingate  school.     She  is  now  in  her  second  year  in  high  school. 

Mr.  Goff  began  farming  for  himself  when  young  and  this  has  remained 
his  principal  vocation,  however,  he  owned  a  large  lumber  yard  at  Wingate 
for  some  time,  and  is  now  dealing  considerably  in  real  estate  there.  He  has 
been  very  successful  in  whatever  line  he  has  directed  his  efforts  and  is  one  of 
the  substantial  men  of  this  part  of  the  county.  He  is  the  owner  of  three  hun- 
dred and  seventy  acres  of  rich  land,  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  which  lie 
in  Coal  Creek  township,  and  two  hundred  and  ten  acres  in  Wayne  township. 
(74) 


II7D  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

It  is  nearly  all  tillable  and  is  \-ery  productive  and  \aluable.     Mr.  Goff  built 
his  own  home. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat  and  takes  an  interest  in  local  affairs,  how- 
ever he  is  not  a  seeker  after  public  office.  He  belongs  to  the  Baptist  church 
at  Elmdale. 


AETNA  B.  CURTIS. 


Aetna  B.  Curtis,  one  of  the  leading  and  most  progressive  agriculturists 
of  Coal  Creek  township,  Montgomery  county,  has  proved  what  one  can  ac- 
complish who  has  industry,  application  and  foresight  while  yet  young  in 
years.  His  family  name  is  an  honored  one  all  over  the  land.  Prominent 
citizens  of  varied  professions  and  business,  distinguished  authors,  orators, 
judges,  statesmen,  soldiers  and  farmers  have  borne  the  name  of  Curtis,  and 
all  alike,  both  rich  and  ix)or,  have  been  the  descendants  of  .sterling  English 
ancestry.  More  than  two  centuries  ago  tlie  name  of  Curtis  was  a  familiar 
one  among  the  struggling  colonists  who  laid  the  firm  foundation  of  our 
national  independence.  But  in  whatex'er  field  members  of  this  old  family 
have  labored  that  have,  been  known  as  earnest,  honest,  intelligent  workers, 
leaders  in  their  several  communities. 

Aetna  B.  Curtis  was  born  in  the  township  and  county  where  he  now 
resides  on  May  i6,  1884.  He  is  a  son  of  Daniel  W.  and  Julia  A.  (Stout) 
Curtis,  a  well  known  family  of  farmers  of  this  county. 

Daniel  Curtis  was  undoubtedly  named  in  honor  of  his  paternal  grand- 
father, Daniel  Curtis,  who  was  a  native  of  Maryland  and  a  man  of  more  than 
ordinary  courage  and  ability.  He  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  early  history  of 
the  United  States,  and  afterward,  marrying  a  Miss  Pocock,  also  a  native  of 
Maryland  and  a  lady  of  excellent  family  connections,  transmitted  to  his 
descendants  the  love  of  his  country  and  the  ardent  patriotism  of  the  true 
American.  This  couple  became  the  parents  of  eight  children,  most  of  whom 
lived  to  marry  and  rear  children  of  their  own.  They  were  Levi,  Jane,  Joseph, 
Mary,  James,  Temperance,  Wesley. 

Levi,  the  eldest  son,  was  the  paternal  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  He  was  born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  in  181 7.  He  married  Eliza- 
beth Dick  who  was  bom  in  Hartford  county,  Maryland,  in  1821,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Adam  and  Temperance  (Wadlow)  Dick.  Adam  Dick  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  a  worthy  man  and  a  good  citizen.  He  was  also  a  soldier  in 
our   earlier   wars.     The   parents   of   Daniel    Curtis    settled    in    Montgomery 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INOIANA.  I  I/I 

county,  Indiana,  in  a  very  early  day.  and  were  prosperous,  tlie  fatlier  leaving; 
behind  at  liis  death  a  comfortable  estate. 

Daniel  Curtis  enjoyed  the  advantages  afforded  by  the  ilistrict  schools. 
and  grew  up  to  manhood  amid  the  scenes  and  early  associations  of  his  life. 
He  was  married  when  twenty-five  years  of  age  to  Julia  Stout,  which  union 
resulted  in  the  birth  of  two  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  infanc\-;  the  other 
being  Aetna  B.,  of  this  sketch. 

Daniel  Curtis  became  a  well  known  manufacturer  of  tile  at  the  town  of 
Wingate,  and  he  also  devoted  much  of  his  life  to  farming.  As  a  tiller  of 
the  soil  he  had  a  wide  experience  and  profitable  results.  His  father  left  him 
an  inheritance  of  three  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  valuable  land,  and,  as  a 
wise  investment,  Daniel  Curtis  added  to  his  farming  property  a  fine  tract  of 
four  hundred  acres  of  land.  In  1881  Mr.  Curtis  bought  an  interest  with 
Maurice  J.  Lee  in  the  tile  mill  business,  of  which  he  had  the  management 
during  the  rest  of  his  life.  At  the  expiration  of  five  years  he  purchased  Mr. 
Lee's  interest,  and  from  1886  until  his  death  he  was  sole  proprietor  of  the 
business  which  he  built  up  to  large  proportions  through  his  able  management. 
honest  dealings  and  wise  foresight. 

Daniel  Curtis  was  not  a  politician  in  the  ordinary  acceptation  of  the 
term,  but  he  was  well  informed  as  to  the  matters  of  his  da_\-.  especially  the 
conduct  of  local  affairs,  and  was  a  Democrat,  adhering  strictly  to  his  party's 
principles.  I^'j'aternally,  Mr.  Curtis  was  identified  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  and  socially  had  a  host  of  friends  in  the  community  where  he  spent 
his  life.  He  was  born  in  1853,  and  he  was  called  to  his  eternal  rest  on 
November  17,  1902,  at  the  age  of  forty-nine  years,  when  in  the  prime  of  life, 
having  been  born  in  the  year  1853  and  spent  his  life  here.  His  widow  is  still 
living,  making  her  home  with  her  son,  Aetna  B.,  of  this  sketch,  and  she  is 
now  fifty-five  years  old. 

Aetna  B.  Curtis  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  he  recei\ed  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  Wingate  and  Depauw  University  at 
Greencastle.  Early  in  life  he  turned  his  attention  to  farming  and  is  still 
active,  being  now  the  owner  of  one  of  the  finest  and  most  desirable  farms  in 
the  northwestern  part  of  the  county,  consisting  of  four  hundred  and  ninety- 
two  acres,  which  is  under  a  high  state  of  improvement  and  cultivation,  and 
where  general  fanning  and  stock  raising  are  carried  on  extensively.  He  has 
an  attractive  home  and  numerous  substantial  outbuildings.  Everything  about 
the  place  denotes  good  management  and  thrift. 

Mr.  Curtis  was  married  on  October  12,  1904,  to  Mabel  E.  Burd.  daugh- 


1 172  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

ter  of  Jolin  H.  and  Jennie  E.  (McCarty)  Burd,  both  natives  of  Iowa,  where 
they  continued  to  reside  until  Mr.  Burd's  death  two  years  ago,  after  which 
the  mother  moved  to  California  where  she  now  resides. 

One  child  has  been  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  Homer  Bryan  Curtis. 

Religiously,  Mr.  Curtis  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  he  is  prominent  in  fraternal  circles,  being  a  member  of  Knights  of  Pythias 
at  Wingate;  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  No.  633,  Mercer  Lodge;  the  Com- 
mandery  at  Crawfordsville,  the  Scottish  Rite  at  Indianapolis,  and  the  Ancient 
Arabic  Order  of  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  Murat  Temple,  also  at  Indi- 
anapolis. 


HENRY  E.  TENNANT. 

One  who  was  amply  rewarded  for  his  toil  as  a  husbandman  and  who  at 
the  same  time  so  ordered  his  life  as  to  gain  and  retain  the  good  will  and  re- 
spect of  his  neighbors  and  acquaintances  was  Henry  E.  Tennant,  well  known 
agriculturist  and  stock  raiser  of  Scott  township,  Montgomery  county,  a 
descendant  of  the  well  known  and  influential  Tennant  family  of  Putnam 
county,  the  good  reputation  of  which  he  ever  kept  unsullied. 

Mr.  Tennant  was  born  in  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  November  3,  1856. 
He  was  a  son  of  Elijah  and  Mary  E.  (Chenoweth)  Tennant*  The  father 
was  born  near  Lexington,  Kentucky,  and  he  came  to  Putnam  county,  Indiana, 
in  a  very  early  day,  probably  soon  after  the  county  was  settled.  Mary  E. 
Chenoweth  was  a  daughter  of  John  W.  Chenoweth  and  wife,  her  family  hav- 
ing come  from  near  Hai-per's  Ferry,  Virginia,  and  drove  a  stage  from  Balti- 
more north  over  the  mountains.  When  Mary  E.  was  a  girl  about  fifteen 
years  old  her  people  came  to  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  prior  to  the  days  of 
railroads  in  this  state.  Her  father  was  a  slave  owner  and  one  of  the  old 
negroes  on  their  plantation  followed  him  to  Greencastle,  and  Mr.  Chenoweth 
took  care  of  her  the  rest  of  her  life.  The  elder  Chenoweth  thought  it  wrong 
to  sell  slaves  and  divide  their  families,  so  he  was  good  to  those  about  him. 
When  they  were  freed  some  of  them  refused  to  leave  and  remained  with  him. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  married  in  Putnam  county,  and  there 
they  began  farming  about  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  Greencastle.  In  1862 
when  our  subject  was  six  years  old,  his  father  died,  leaving  a  widow  and  two 
children,  Henry  E.,  of  this  sketch;  and  Lawrence,  both  of  whom  are  de- 
ceased.    Lawrence  lived  at  Brazil,  Indiana,  his'  death  occurring  there  March, 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I  1  73 

1901.  Henry  E.  Tennaiit  died  in  the  city  of  Indianapolis  mh  June  i_',  1913. 
The  mother  of  these  two  children  married  again,  her  second  husband  being 
John  R.  Miller,  and  they  soon  afterward  moved  to  Parke  county,  where  our 
subject  grew  to  manhood,  and  there  he  attended  the  common  schools,  later 
was  a  student  at  Merome  College,  south  of  Terre  Haute  in  Sullivan  count)-. 
He  then  returned  to  his  Parke  county  home.  In  1877  he  bought  a  farm  on 
Big  Raccoon  creek  in  Parke  county,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty-five  acres, 
and  there  he  lived  some  time  before  his  marriage,  which  occurred  in  Decem- 
ber. 1879,  when  he  le  dto  the  altar  Sarah  J.  Miller,  daughter  of  Jacob  B.  and 
Elizabeth  (Kerr)  Miller.  She  was  born  and  reared  in  Parke  county,  as  was 
also  her  father,  and  these  parents  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives  in  this  locality. 
Jacob  B.  Miller  was  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Bell)  Miller.  The  elder 
Miller  was  a  pioneer  of  Parke  county,  coming  there  before  there  were  an\- 
roads  or  any  improved  farms,  indeed,  when  Indians  were  still  numerous. 

After  the  marriage  of  our  subject  and  wife  they  remained  on  his  farm 
in  Parke  county  three  years,  then  sold  out  and  bought  a  place  in  Champaign 
county,  Illinois,  and  was  there  three  years,  then  moved  back  to  Parke  count)-, 
remaining  there  another  three  years,  then  mo\-ed  to  \^ermiIlion  county, 
where  they  purchased  one  huntlred  and  twenty  acres  of  good  land  near 
Dana.  Remaining  there  about  nine  years,  then  came  to  Montgomery  count)- 
and  settled  about  a  mile  south  of  Browns  Valley,  buying  there  the  Robert  Goff 
farm,  which  they  operated  about  three  years,  then  returned  to  Parke  county, 
living  south  of  Bellmore  two  years.  They  then  came  to  the  southwestern 
part  of  Scott  township,  Montgomery  county,  where  they  remained  about  nine 
years,  Mr.  Tennant  securing  two  farms  there,  one  of  one  hundred  and  forty- 
two  acres  in  section  30,  and  another  of  fifty  acres  in  section  29.  He  resided 
on  the  latter.  His  one  hundred  and  ninety-two  acres  are  well  improved  and 
kept  well  cultivated. 

Mrs.  Tennant's  mother  died  on  January  6,  1864  and  her  father  survived 
many  years,  passing  away  on  November  19.  1896  at  the  old  home  where  he 
spent  his  life. 

Mr.  Tennant's  mother  had  four  children  by  her  second  marriage,  namely : 
Mrs.  Lizzie  Jeffries,  Daniel  Miller,  Robert  Miller,  and  Mrs.  Effie  Bullion. 

Mrs.  Tennant's  brothers  and  sisters  are  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Smock,  Marion 
Miller,  Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Tennant,  Mrs.  Rosella  Sellers,  Thomas  O.  Miller,  Cora 
E.  Miller  and  Robert  O.  Miller. 

Years  after  Mrs.  Tennant's  mother  died  the  father  married  again  and 
has  one  son  by  this  union.  Jacob  B.  Miller. 


1 1  74  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tennant  had  one  daughter,  Mary  T.,  wife  of  Charles  N. 
Nicholas.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nicholas  live  on  Mr.  Tennant"s  farnr  in  section  30, 
Scott  township.     They  have  one  daughter,  Lelah. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Tennant  was  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

Mr.  Tennant's  step-father  died  in  January,  1897.  Our  subject's  mother 
lived  for  a  short  time  with  her  children.  She  spent  the  last  four  years  of  her 
life  with  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  died  at  his  home  on  August  31,  191 1. 


JAMES  MILTON  NICHOLAS.  Jr. 

The  name  of  James  Milton  Nicholas,  Jr.,  is  too  well  known  to  the  people 
of  Scott  township  and  the  southern  part  of  the  county  of  which  this  book 
treats  to  need  any  special  comment  here.  He  comes  of  an  excellent  old 
pioneer  family  who  braved  the  wilds  of  this  section  of  the  Hoosier  state  when 
it  was  still  regarded  as  the  frontier,  and  in  Montgomery  and  Putnam  counties 
the  Nicholas  family  has  been  well  and  favorably  known  for  many  decades, 
for  they  have  not  onlv  been  industrious  in  their  affairs,  but  have  been  public 
spirited  and  led  exemplary  lives,  thus  inspiring  admiration  in  others. 

Mr.  Nicholas  was  born  on  July  20,  1853  in  the  northern  edge  of  Putnam 
county.  He  is  a  son  of  James  Milton,  Sr.,  and  Manda  Catherine  (Hester) 
Nicholas.  The  father  was  bom  on  August  7,  1822  at  Mt.  Sterling,  Ken- 
tucky, and  was  a  son  of  Charles  and  Ruth  Nicholas,  of  Mt.  Sterling,  at  which 
place  Charles  Nicholas  followed  blacksmithing. 

It  was  about  1828  that  the  Nicholas  family  left  the  Blue  Grass  state  and 
came  to  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  entering  land  from  the  government  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  county,  settling  in  the  heavy  timber,  which  they  cleared 
from  the  \'irgin  soil  and  established  the  family  home,  and  there  the  parents 
spent  their  lives,  along  the  line  of  Putnam  county,  near  Parkersburg,  and  it 
was  in  that  locality  that  James  M.  Nicholas,  Sr.,  grew  to  manhood  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  all  his  life  with  much  success,  finally  becoming  the  owner 
of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  at  one  time.  He  was  active  in  the  Republican 
party,  and  frequently  refused  to  accept  office.  He  and  his  wife  belonged  to 
the  Methodist  church. 

Catherine  Hester,  mentioned  above,  was  a  daughter  of  Adam  and  Ann 
M.  (Van  Zandt)  Hester,  and  was  a  sister  of. James  M.  Hester,  a  sketch  of 
whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  and  which  gives  more  of  the  Hester 
ancestrv. 


MONTCOMICRV    CD 


James  Al.  Xicholas,  Sr.,  died  on  Alay  20,  lyoo.  He  had  been  married 
on  Octol>er  15,  1846  to  Amanda  Hester,  which  union  proved  to  be  a  singularly 
happy  one  and  their  home  was  a  Christian  home.  Tiiey  were  loyal  to  their 
God  and  their  church — the  Methodist  Episcopal.  Eleven  children  were  bcirn 
to  them,  eight  of  whom  survived.  The  father  was  familiarl\-  known  id  nearly 
everybody  in  that  locality  as  "I'ncle  Jim."  His  last  words  to  his  children 
were,  "Don't  forget  to  be  gx)(>d  to  the  poor."  \]y  juilicious  management  be 
had  accumulated  a  large,  valuable  farm  and  was  one  of  the  substantial  men 
of  his  township.  He  was  always  ready  to  respond  lil>erally  to  the  call  of 
those  in  need.  He  was  a  positive  character,  decided  in  his  opinions,  and 
when  sure  he  was  right  could  not  be  swerved  from  his  dut}-  as  he  saw  it. 
His  schooling  was  obtained  in  the  old  log  school  house,  described  in  another 
part  of  this  work.  Yet  he  became  a  well  educated  man,  kept  books  and  ac- 
counts of  all  his  business  and  amassed  six  hundred  and  forty  acres.  He  and 
his  wife  started  with  nothing  but  tbe\-  worked  bard  and  managed  well,  b'or  a 
period  of  fifty  years  he  was  an  official  in  the  Methodist  church  in  which  he 
and  his  wife  were  faithful  workers.  Her  death  occurred  on  January  n. 
1899.  She  was  a  cheerful,  strong-mindetl  and  kindly  woman  who  clid  much 
to  encourage  and  help  her  husband  in  his  struggle  for  success. 

James  M.  Nicholas,  Jr.,  lived  on  his  father's  farm  near  Raccoon  until 
his  marriage.  He  received  a  good  common  school  education.  On  Septem- 
ber 12,  1875  he  was  united  in  the  bonds  of  matrimony  to  Mary  Alice  Dawson, 
daughter  of  William  Riley  Dawson  and  Elizabeth  Rebecca  (Tyler)  Dawson. 
She  was  born  near  Fincastle,  Indiana,  and  when  a  child  her  parents  moved  to 
Carpentersville.  Her  father  was  a  life-long  schot)l  teacher  and  his  services 
were  in  great  demand  in  the  early  days  here.  He  was  a  native  of  Tennessee, 
and  bis  wife  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and  she  was  a  sister  of  James  M.  Ta\lor, 
of  Ladoga,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  herein.  William  R.  Dawson  was  a 
graduate  at  Greencastle,  and  he  taught  in  a  number  of  the  schools  in  Putnam 
county  and  a  host  of  Putnam  county  people  still  remember  with  keenest 
feelings  their  old  school  teacher.  He  is  a  grand  old  man,  .scholarly,  kind  nid 
genial,  beloved  by  everybody.  He  has  attained  the  advanced  age  of  ninetv' 
years  and  is  living  at  Bainbridge,  Indiana.  The  death  of  the  mother  of  Mrs. 
Nicholas  occurred  in  March,  1872,  at  the  age  of  thirty-six  years.  When 
Mrs.  Nicholas  was  a  girl  the  family  li\ed  a  few  years  in  Missouri  and  Iowa. 
but  spent  their  lives  for  the  mtjst  jjart  in  Putnam  county. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Nicholas  began  farming  for  himself  in  the  south- 
western part  of  Scott  township,  Montgomery  county.     Part  of  his  land  ex- 


1 1 76  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

tends  just  across  the  line  into  Putnam  county.  He  has  worked  hard,  man- 
aged well  and  has  more  than  doubled  his  original  holdings,  being  now  one 
of  the  substantial  and  influential  farmers  of  the  southern  part  of  the  couaty. 
He  has  given  his  sons  a  good  start  in  life  and  now  has  one  hundred  and 
ninety  acres  of  finely  improved  land,  mostly  in  Scott  township,  and  he  has  a 
good  set  of  buildings  there,  and  an  excellent  grade  of  live  stock  is  to  be  seen 
about  his  place. 

Mr.  Nicholas  is  generous  in  charita]:>le  work  and  church  matters  and  is 
esteemed  by  all  who  know  him. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nicholas  have  been  born  two  sons,  Arthur  Carleton, 
whose  birth  occurred  on  October  21,  1876;  and  Charles  William,  born  Octo- 
and  they  have  three  children,  Ina  Myrtle,  Agnes  Marie  and  Gail  Belle ;  Ina  is 
ber  fi.  1878.  The  elder  son  married  Gertie  Allnutt  on  Februaiy  4,  1897 
attending  high  school  in  Russellville.  Arthur  owns  a  farm  of  fifty-eight 
acres  north  of  Parkersburg  and  he  and  his  father  are  farming  their  two 
farms  in  partnership.  Charles  W.  Nicholas  married  Mary  Tennant  Novem- 
ber I,  igo6,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Lela  Elizabeth.  Charles  \\'.  is 
operating  the  farm  owned  by  his  father-in-law,  Henry  E.  Tennant,  near 
Parkersburg. 

James  M.  Nicholas  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen,  and  Knights 
of  Pythias.  He  and  his  wife,  also  their  children  and  families  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


ASBURY  LINN. 


Success  has  come  to  Asbury  Linn,  one  of  the  best  known  and  substantial, 
citizens  of  Linnsburg,  Montgomery  county,  in  a  number  of  different  ways 
and  he  has  proved  that  he  is  a  man  of  many  parts,  capable  of  directing  to  a 
successful  termination  many  things.  He  has  in  his  long,  varied  and  interest- 
ing career  been  fanner,  merchant,  lumberman,  doing  a  large  and  successful 
business  in  all  these  lines.  He  has  always  sought  to  do  well  whatever  was 
worth  dping  at  all,  and  this  and  other  equally  praiseworthy  ideas  have  no 
doubt  been  responsible  in  a  large  measure  for  his  large  material  reward.  He 
has  dealt  honestly  with  his  fellow  men  and  has  as  a  result  gained  and  re- 
tained the  good  will  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  has  come  into  contact, 
whether  in  a  business  or  social  way. 

Mr.  Linn  was  born  in  Walnut  township,  this  county,  on  February  23, 


ASBURY    LINN. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


1849.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Susanna  (Fender J  Linn.  Tlie  father  was 
born  in  Ohio  on  August  4,  1800,  and  his  father  was  l>orn  on  Xoveniher  _>S, 
1771,  in  Pennsylvania,  from  which  state  he  renioxed  to  Ohicj  wiien  young  and 
there  spent  the  rest  of  his  hfe,  dying  in  1846,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  vears. 
After  his  death  the  father  of  our  subject  came  to  Indiana  and  settled  in  Mont- 
gomery county  where  Linnsburg  now  stands.  He  was  a  brick  mason  by  trade 
and  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in  this  county.  He  married  Anna  Slaback 
in  1822.  She  died  in  1843  at  the  age  of  thirty-eight  years.  To  this  union 
three  children  were  born.  John  Linn  then  married,  in  1843,  Susanna  Fen- 
der, to  W'hich  two  children  were  born,  namely :  Mrs.  Emmaline  Peterson ; 
and  Asbury,  of  this  sketch.  The  motiier  of  tliese  two  children  was  called  to 
her  eternal  rest  at  an  advanced  age  on  July  11,  igoo,  having  survived  her 
husband,  our  subject's  father,  over  a  half  century,  he  liaving  died  in  Sejitem- 
ber,  1858,  when  young  in  years. 

Thus  deprived  of  his  fathers  guidance  w hen  a  mere  child,  Asburv  Linn 
found  responsibilities  resting  on  him  when  (|uite  young,  but  this  proved  to  Ije 
of  value  in  forming  his  character  for  the  after  battles  of  life  and  he  accepted 
the  discouraging  situation  without  a  murmur.  He  had  little  chance  to  obtain 
an  educa.tion,  but  later  in  life  made  up  for  this  lack  by  actual  contact  witli  the 
business  world  and  wide  reading. 

On  January  23,  1868,  Mr.  Linn  began  a  new  chapter  in  liis  life  bv 
marrying  Martha  J.  Rasher,  daughter  of  a  pioneer  family  of  Montgomery 
county,  in  which  Mrs.  Linn  grew  to  womanhood  and  was  educated.  To  the 
union  of  our  subject  and  wnfe  the  following  children  have  been  born :  Ciiarles 
F.,  born  April  9.  1869;  Edwin  T.,  born  November  28,  1870;  Everett  X., 
born  October  5,  1872;  Grace  D.,  born  January  5,  1874,  married  John  O. 
Peck,  and  had  one  child,  Clayton;  Grace  died  July,  1904;  Neola  Fern,  born 
December  21,  1886,  and  married  Wilbert  Chambers,  and  they  have  two 
children,  Doris  and  Max.  Martha  J.  Linn,  the  wife  of  our  subject,  died  in 
July,  1904,  the  same  month  as  her  daughter,  Grace. 

Mr.  Linn  w-as  married  a  second  time,  on  May  6,  1906,  to  Tolitha  E. 
Patterson,  nee  Brown,  the  daughter  of  William  H.  and  Nancy  J.  (  Routh) 
Brown. 

James  W.  Patterson,  the  first  husband  of  Mr.  Linn's  second  wife,  was 
born  January  11,  1859,  in  Rockbridge  county,  Virginia,  and  at  the  age  of 
eight  years  came  to  Montgomery  county  with  his  parents,  Jamestown  and 
Polly  Patterson,  who  located  in  Walnut  township  and  followed  farming  all 
of  their  lives.    Mr.  Patterson  suffered  an  unfortunate  accident,  and  his  spinal 


I  178  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

cord  was  broken.  Contrary  to  medical  knowledge  and  experience,  he  lived, 
and,  although  paralxzed,  he  kept  the  breath  of  life  many  years.  The  acci- 
dent happened  while  driving  into  a  double  crib  or  granary,  the  wagon  being 
loaded  with  sacks  of  wheat  protruding  over  the  front  end  of  the  wagon  box. 
He  was  sitting  on  the  front  sacks  with  his  feet  and  legs  hanging  over  the 
front,  supposing  that  by  bending  over  there  was  plenty  of  space  above  the 
door  for  him  to  pass  under.  But  there  was  not.  His  body  was  bent  over 
and  wetlgetl  in  so  tightly  between  the  wagon  and  the  top  of  the  door  that  it 
stop]K'd  the  team.  He  heard  his  liack  crack  and  felt  it  break  and  from  that 
time  there  was  ne\er  an}-  feeling  or  mo\-ement  from  the  middle  of  the  back 
downward.  He  had  presence  of  mintl  all  the  time  and  directed  the  men 
about  him  tt)  deliver  him  from  his  terrible  position. 

Many  eminent  surgeons  saw  I\Ir.  Peterson  and  one  of  the  best  of 
Chicago  performed  (in  the  presence  of  many  surgeons)  an  operation,  cutting 
into  the  spinal  column  and  dissecting  quite  a  number  of  pieces  of  bone.  After 
this  it  was  hoped  he  would  have  the  use  of  his  limbs,  but  this  was  denied  to 
him.  He  laid  upon  his  bed  all  those  years,  with  the  exception  of  one  trip 
to  Crawfordsville,  one  to  Ladoga,  and  one  to  Jamestown.  Three  children 
were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Patterson,  Pearl}-,  Ernest  and  Charles.  Mr.  Pat- 
terson had  four  sisters  and  two  brothers,  namely :  John  B.,  Thomas,  and 
one  sister  in  A'irginia  and  one  in  Missouri,  Mrs.  James  Walker  and  Mrs. 
Finch.     Mr.  Patterson  \vas  a  member  of  the  Presliyterian  church. 

To  return  to  the  subject  of  our  sketch,  Mr.  Linn  began  farming  when  a 
young  man  and  got  a  good  start  in  life.  Later  he  turned  his  attention  to 
merchandising  at  Linsburg,  which  place  was  named  for  the  Linn  family.  The 
town  was  formerly  known  as  Mace.  Linnsburg  is  laid  out  on  the  old  John 
Linn  homestead.  In  this  place  Asbury  Linn  built  up  an  extensive  trade  with 
the  surrounding  country,  and  was  finally  appointed  postmaster,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  concerned  for 
a  period  of  seventeen  years,  during  which  time  he  was  actively  engaged  in 
the  stock  business  with  good  success,  in  partnership  with  M.  E.  Edwards. 
Later  he  entered  the  lumber  business,  and  in  due  time  was  carrying  on  an 
extensive  trade  with  the  surrounding  country,  continuing  the  same  for  a 
period  of  three  years,  then  retired  from  active  life  and  is  now  serenely  spend- 
ing his  declining  years  at  Linnsburg. 

Politically.  Mr.  Linn  is  a  Republican,  but  he  has  never  been  ambitious 
to  be  a  public  man.  For  a  period  of  seven  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
advisory  board  ot  his  township,  filling  the  office  in  a  highly  commendable 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1  I  79 

manner.  l*"raternally,  he  is  a  cliarter  member  uf  tlie  Kni.i;lns  df  I'ytliias 
lodge  at  Mace,  Indiana,  which  he  joined  on  October  19.  1^74.  Iveliuimisly, 
he  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Methodists,  from  whicli  lie  has  not  departed. 


ROBERT  HUGH  HODGKIN. 

One  of  ^[ontgomery  county's  successful  farmers  is  R()l)ert  liugii 
Hodgkin  of  Brown  township,  a  worthy  descendant  of  one  of  the  early 
families  of  this  section  of  the  Hoosier  state,  and  here  he  has  been  content  to 
spend  his  life  and  has  ne\er  cared  for  other  lines  of  endea\-or  than  hus])andry, 
and,  having  thus  given  it  his  undivided  attentiiin  for  many  decades  it  is  no 
wonder  that  he  has  succeeded  and  now  owns  a  \alual)le  farm  and  has  a  com- 
fortable home. 

Mr.  Hodgkin  was  born  in  Parke  county,  Indiana,  March  31,  1S53.  and 
he  is  a  son  of  Edward  C.  and  Dianna  (  Scott )  Hodgkin,  the  former  a  natixe 
of  England  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Scotland.  The  father  emigrated  to 
the  United  States  when  a  young  man,  landing  in  New  York  City  and  re- 
mained in  the  East  for  many  years,  and  there  got  his  education,  studying  for 
a  minister  in  the  Episcopal  church.  He  finally  came  to  Fort  Wayne.  Indiana, 
where  he  preached  and  taught  school,  subsetpiently  joining  the  Christian 
denomination,  and  he  became  widel}-  known  in  that  part  of  the  state  and  was 
popular  with  the  people  where\'er  he  went,  for  he  was  not  onl\-  a  scholarly 
man  and  an  earnest,  forceful  speaker  but  was  a  man  of  genial  address,  always 
obliging  and  delighted  in  helping  others,  and  the  good  he  did  in  that  early 
day  cannot  be  estimated.  He  preached  and  taught  school  all  his  life.  He 
finall}'  came  on  to  Parke  county  and  established  the  permanent  home  of  the 
family  and  there  his  son,  our  subject  was  born.  The  elder  Hodgkin  spent 
the  rest  of  his  days,  teaching  and  preaching  in  Putnam  and  Parke  counties, 
his  death  occurring  in  the  town  of  Russellville  in  1S66  where  he  was  con- 
nected with  the  Russellville  Academy,  at  the  early  age  of  fort\-se\cn  years. 

Rev.  Edward  C.  Hodgkin  was  twice  married,  and  two  children  were 
born  by  his  first  wife,  namely,  Frank  and  I'red.  Six  children  were  the  re- 
sult of  his  second  union,  named  as  follows:  Henry.  Charley.  John,  Robert 
Hugh  (our  subject),  William  and  Edward. 

Robert  H.  Hodgkin  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
Putnam  county  and  the  Russellville  Academy,  then  took  up  farming  for  his 
life  work  and  this  he  has  continued  to  follow  to  the  present  time  with  ever 


Il8o  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

increasing  success.  As  a  general  farmer  and  stock  raiser  he  has  shown  him- 
self to  l^e  eminently  capable.  He  is  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  eighty 
acres 'of  valuable  and  well  tilled  land  in  Brown  township,  which  he  has 
brought  up  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  improvement.  Everything 
looks  prosperous  and  well  up-to-date  about  his  place,  showing  good  manage- 
ment and  good  taste. 

Mr.  Hodgkin  was  married  on  Sei)tember  12,  1878  to  Clara  Cowan, 
daughter  of  Aaron  and  Sarah  (Crist)  Cowan,  wlio  were  early  settlers  in 
Montgomery  county  and  here  became  well  known  and  well  established 
through  their  industry,  in  fact,  they  were  among  the  first  settlers,  and  entered 
land  from  the  government  which  they  transformed  into  a  good  farm.  This 
place  is  now  owned  by  Mr.  Hodgkin,  of  this  review. 

Seven  children  have  been  born  to  Robert  H.  Hodgkin  and  wife,  namely: 
Ethel,  who  married  .\ndrew^  Stilwell ;  Jessie,  who  married  Raymond  Deese : 
Nellie  married  Ir\-in  Deese :  Mary,  Earl,  Nelia  and  Rutli  are  all  li\'ing  at 
home. 

Politically,  Mr.  Hodgkin  is  a  loyal  Republican  and  has  long  been  active 
in  the  ranks.  As  a  member  of  the  advisory  board  of  Brown  township  for 
a  period  of  twelve  years  he  did  excellent  work,  and  is  still  serving  in  that 
capacity,  doing  much  for  the  general  good  of  the  community  and  winning 
the  hearty  approval  of  all  concerned.  Religiously,  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  was  a  trustee  in  the  local  congregation  for 
a  period  of  six  years,  in  fact,  has  long  been  a  pillar  in  the  same.  Fraternally, 
he  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  lodge  Rathbone  Xo.  2^2.  at  \\'a\e- 
land. 


FRANZ  O'NEALL  MYERS. 

Franz  O'Neall  Myers,  one  of  the  most  progressive  of  Montgomery 
county's  younger  farmers  and  a  worthy  representative  of  two  of  the  honored 
pioneer  families  of  this  section  of  the  Hoosier  state  is  a  man  who  takes  an 
abiding  delight  in  nature  and  existence,  because  he  has  been  in  touch  with 
the  springs  of  life. 

Mr.  Myers  was  born  in  Scott  township,  Montgomery  county,  on  the 
farm  where  he  now  lives,  one  mile  west  of  Ladoga,  September  4,  1885.  He 
is  a  son  of  J.  Frantz  and  Sarah  E.  (O'Neall)  Myers.  The  father  of  our  sub- 
ject was  born  also  in  the  house  where  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch 
lives.     He  was  a  son  of  William  Mvers,  who  was  a  son  of  John  Myers,  Sr., 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  II8I 

who  was  the  principal  actor  in  the  early  development  of  Ladoga  and  \icinity. 
He  was  the  first  of  the  family  we  can  trace  definitely.  The  family  is  of  Ger- 
man origin,  and  emmigration  was  made  to  the  United  States  in  the  Colonial 
days.  John  Myers,  Sr.,  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  about 
1770,  was  married  in  1791  to  Katherine  Hantz,  who  was  born  in  1775.  Soon 
after  their  marriage  they  moved  to  Botetourt  county,  Virginia,  where  they 
became  owners  of  two  hundred  acres  of  land.  Eight  children  were  born  to 
them,  an  equal  number  of  sons  and  daughters,  namely:  John,  Jr.,  David, 
Henry,  William,  Catherine,  Sallie,  Elizabeth  and  Nancy. 

About  the  year  1828  John  Myers,  Jr.,  came  to  the  site  of  Ladoga.  Mont- 
gomery county,  Indiana,  and  prior  to  the  spring  of  1830  he  had  purchased 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  which  joined  the  mill  site  south  of  Ladoga, 
and  in  1830  he  brought  his  family  here.  In  183 1  John  Myers,  Sr.,  and  son 
Henry,  and  nephew,  Mathias  Frantz  came  on  horseback  to  Ladoga  to  visit 
John  Myers,  Jr.  The  senior  Myers  was  then  sixty  years  old.  He  was  so 
favorably  impressed  with  the  possibilities  of  the  new  country  that  he  re- 
turned to  Virginia,  sold  his  land  and  other  property  for  six  thousand  dollars, 
which  sum  he  put  in  chest,  which  he  loaded  into  a  big  wagon,  piling  furniture 
on  top.  Hitching  four  large  horses  to  the  outfit  he  started  with  his  wife, 
youngest  son  William,  son  Henry  and  his  family,  and  with  a  goodly  party 
of  others  came  overland  to  this  county,  arriving  at  Ladoga  in  the  fall  of  1833, 
their  big  prairie  schooner,  although  nothing  new  to  the  pioneers,  yet  attract- 
ing much  attention.  When  John  Myers,  Jr.  was  building  the  first  flour  mill 
there,  William,  the  youngest  brother  of  John,  Jr.,  then  a  boy  of  nineteen, 
was  sent  to  the  Ohio  river  and  brought  back  the  machinery.  John  Myers, 
Sr.,  bought  a  great  deal  of  land  in  and  about  Ladoga  and  between  there  and 
Parkersburg,  aggregating  thirteen  hundred  and  four  acres.  He  was  a  man 
of  great  vigor  of  mind  and  body  as  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  at  sixty  years  of 
age  when  financially  able  to  take  his  ease  he  moved  from  the  home  of  his  early 
life  to  what  was  then  the  western  frontier  and  founded  a  new  home  where 
his  children  could  have  more  abundant  opportunities.  It  was  his  money  and 
public  spirit  that  made  possible  the  fostering  of  private  enterprises  and  build- 
ing up  the  town  of  Ladoga.  His  death  occurred  in  1841,  and  he  is  buried  in 
the  cemetery  at  the  south  edge  of  Ladoga.  He  and  his  wife  were  members 
of  the  German  Baptist  church,  and  lived  strictly  in  accord  with  their  religious 
opinions.  They  were  given  to  many  acts  of  hospitality  and  charity,  often 
providing  a  home  for  persons  until  they  could  provide  a  home  for  themselves. 
In  her  earlier  married  life  Mrs.  Myers  weaned  one  of  her  own  children  so  she 
could  rear  her  sister's  child.  Mathias  Frantz,  who  was  left  an  orphan  when  a 


1182  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

few  days  old.  A  leading  trait  of  their  character  was  industry.  They  loved 
work  and  were  never  idle.  Mrs.  Myers  worked  in  the  fields,  and  no  one  was 
a  better  reaper  or  swifter  binder  than  she.  After  the  flax  was  sown  she  did 
all  the  rest  of  the  work,  sheared  the  sheep  and  made  the  cloth,  cut  and  made 
homespun  clothes  for  all  her  children.  She  also  had  some  ability  as  a 
milliner.      Her  death  occurred  in  1850  and  she  was  buried  beside  her  husband. 

Her  son  William  Myers,  was  born  in  1816  in  Botetourt  county,  Vir- 
ginia, and  was  married  here  in  1836  to  Lydia  Harshbarger,  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Salone  (Ammen)  Harshbarger.  She  was  born  in  1816  in  Vir- 
ginia, near  Roanoke  City,  and  came  here  with  her  parents  in  November,  1831. 
Her  father  was  a  man  of  affairs,  well-to-do,  and  owned  nearly  three  thousand 
acres  near  Ladoga.  He  was  a  religious  man  and  of  high  moral  character. 
William  Myers'  death  occurred  on  March  i,  1907. 

After  his  marriage,  William  Myers  went  to  housekeeping  in  a  log  cabin, 
on  Raccoon  creek,  a  half  mile  south  of  where  Franz  O.  Myers  now  lives. 
It  was  new  land  and  he  cleared  it,  as  he  told  his  grandchildren  in  after  years, 
"In  those  days  we  married  to  make  a  home.  Now  the  young  folks  must  have 
a  home  before  marriage.  I  cleared  this  ground,  your  father  ditched  it.  Now 
it  is  ready  for  you."  He  made  a  good  farm  of  it  and  here  he  reared  his 
family,  seven  children  ha\ing  been  born  to  William  Myers  and  wife,  only 
four  of  whom  are  now  living,  namely:  Mrs.  Alice  Baldwin,  who  lives  east 
of  Ladoga ;  and  Daniel  A.  Myers,  who  lives  four  miles  northeast  of  Ladoga. 
Two  other  daughters,  Mrs.  Salome  Graybill  and  Mrs.  Mary  Gill  live  in  Kan- 
sas and  Missouri. 

One  of  the  sons  was  Jacob  Frantz  Myers,  father  of  Franz  O'Neall 
Myers.  He  was  born  May  18,  1850  on  the  place  where  Franz  O.  Myers  now 
resides.  He  and  Sarah  Ellen  O'Neall  were  married  in  this  locality  in  1877. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Abijah  and  Ellen  (Hall)  O'Neall.  She  was  born  in 
Ripley  township,  this  county  April  25,  1854.  Her  mother  was  of  Scotch- 
Irish  blood  and  she  came  here  from  Ohio.  Abijah  O'Neall  is  mentioned  in 
the  sketch  of  William  Q.  O'Neall,  appearing  elsewhere  in  this  work. 

J.  Franz  Myers  was  a  farmer  all  his  life.  He  and  his  wife  were  Presby- 
terians. They  lived  all  their  married  life  on  the  farm  where  he  was  born 
and  prospering  with  advancing  years,  he  became  owner  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land,  which  he  kept  well  improved  and  well  cultivated  and 
ranked  among  the  successful  and  leading  farmers  of  the  southern  part  of  the 
county.  He  was  a  man  of  exemplary  character  and  was  well  and  favorably 
known.  He  was  active  in  the  Republican  party,  but  never  sought  office,  being 
content  to  remain  on  his  farm,  always  a  man  of  modesty  and  plain  manners. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I  183 

He  was,  howexcr,  a  delegate  to  the  state  coinention  that  nomiiiateil  (i<)\ernnr 
Mount  with  whom  he  was  well  acquainted,  and  was  one  of  those  whose  earn- 
est effoi-ts  brought  about  the  nomination  of  this  distinguished  son  of  Mont- 
gomery county.  He  was  educated  at  Asbury  (now  DePauw)  Uni\ersity  and 
Smithson  College,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Phi  Gamma  Delta  Fraternity. 
He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Presbyterian  General  Assembly  at  Washington, 
D.  C.  His  death'  occurred  in  November  24,  1903.  His  wife  was  educated 
at  Smithson  College.  She  was  a  strict  Presbyterian  and  an  earnest  worker 
in  the  church.  She  was  a  good  wife  and  mother  and  an  excellent  house- 
keeper.    Her  death  occurred  August  25,   1S93. 

Franz  O'Neall  Myers,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch,  attended 
Wabash  College  and  also  took  a  year  in  the  agricultural  department  at  Pur- 
due L'niversity,  Lafayette,  Indiana.  He  left  school  upon  the  death  of  his 
father  and  took  charge  of  the  farm  where  be  now  resides,  and  he  has  made  a 
great  success  of  operating  the  same,  carrying  on  general  farming  and  stock 
raising  on  a  large  scale,  and  keeping  the  place  well  improved  and  well  culti- 
vated. 

On  October  31,  1905,  Mr.  Myers  married  Chasie  Bridges,  daughter  of 
John  L.  and  Vina  (Harris)  Bridges.  She  was  born,  reared  and  partlv  edu- 
cated in  Putnam  county,  where  her  father  is  a  prosperous  farmer  and  was 
county  commissioner  of  Putnam  county. 

Two  children  have  been  bom  to  our  subject  and  wife,  naiiiel}- :  Howard 
B.  and  Madonna. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Myers  is  a  Mason.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Phi  Gamma 
Delta  fraternity.     Religiously,  he  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  church. 

His  farm  known  as  "Fair  Acres"  is  well  named  as  all  who  ha\e  seen  it 
will  readily  acquiesce.  It  consists  of  three  huntlred  and  twenty  acres,  and 
his  wife  owns  eighty  acres. 

Mrs.  Myers  was  educated  at  Western  Female  Seminary  at  Oxford. 
Ohio. 


EVERETT  L.  BRITTON. 

The  old  Buckeye  state  has  sent,  during  the  pa.st  century,  a  large  number 
of  her  best  and  most  desirable  citizens  into  Montgomery  county,  Indiana, 
where  they  have  been  of  inestimable  aid  in  developing  the  newer  country 
along  the  beautiful  Wabash,  and  here  they  have  established  good  homes  and 
aided  in  all  measures  looking  to  good  government  and  the  highest  degree  of 
happiness  of  a  free  and  intelligent  people.     Of  this  number  the  name  of 


1 1 84  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Everett  L.  Britten,  a  well  situated  and  contented  farmer  of  Union  township, 
should  be  specially  mentioned. 

Mr.  Britton  was  born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  on  December  17,  1845, 
He  is  a  son  of  Chancey  and  Elizabeth  (Lewis)  Britton.  The  father  was 
born  in  the  state  of  New  York,  and  when  a  child  he  moved  with  his  parents 
from  the  old  Empire  state  to  Ohio,  where  he  became  well  established  on  a 
farm  in  Butler  county,  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  dying  on  Novem- 
ber 25,  1878.  Politically,  he  was  a  Whig  and  was  active  in  political  affairs 
in  his  locality. 

The  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  also  a  native  of  New  York, 
and  her  death  occurred  on  January  25,  1870.  These  parents  received  the 
usual  common  school  educations  of  their  day.  To  them  five  children  were 
born,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  the  only  one  now  living.  They  were 
named  as  follows;  Annis,  John,  Sidney,  Emma,  and  Everett  L.,  the  latter 
being  the  youngest. 

The  Britton  family  moved  to  Montgomery  county  from  Ohio  and  here 
Everett  L.  Britton  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  did  his  share  of 
the  chores  common  to  the  farm,  and  he  attended  the  common  schools  during 
the  "winter  months.  On  March  23,  1870,  he  married  Mattie  Mclntire,  who 
was  born  in  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  on  November  30,  1845.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Mary  Jane  (Gray)  Mclntire. 

Mrs.  Britton  received  a  common  school  education.  She  has  borne  our 
subject  one  child,  Lillian,  born  January  2,  1872,  is  single  and  living  at  home. 

Mr.  Britton  has  always  followed  farming,  and  he  has  lived  on  his  pres- 
ent farm  in  Union  township  for  the  past  twenty-five  years.  He  has  seventy- 
nine  acres,  all  tillable  but  five  acres.  It  is  naturally  drained.  He  carries  on 
general  farming  and  raises  a  good  breed  of  live  stock,  having  at  present  some 
good  Hereford  cattle. 

Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Order  at  Crawfordsville.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  L'nited  Brethren  church,  and  politically,  is  a  Progressive. 


ISAAC  S.  TODD. 


One  of  the  worthy  native  sons  of  Brown  township,  Montgomery  county, 
who  has  been  content  to  spend  his  life  in  his  native  community  is  Isaac  S. 
Todd,  one  of  the  successful  farmers  and  progressive  citizens  of  the  com- 
munity and  a  man  who  has  so  ordered  his  daily  life  that  he  has  kept  un- 
tarnished the  honored  family  name,  for  the  Todds  have  been  a  highly  re- 


MOXTCOMERV    CorXTV,    INDIANA.  I  1 85 

spectecl   and   well   known    family   in   this   connly    since   llie    days   of   the   first 
settlers. 

Mr.  Todd  was  Ixjrn  on  Augnst  12,  1845,  '"  t'^'-''  township  and  county. 
He  is  a  son  of  Johnson  and  Ruth  Ann  (VanCleave)  Todd.  The  father  was 
born  in  1809  in  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  and  there  he  spent  his  earlier  years, 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  removed  to  Indiana  when  young, 
and  his  death  occurred  here  on  March  13,  1870.  His  wife,  Ruth  A.  Van- 
Clea\e.  was  born  in  Kentucky  on  July  17,  1823,  and  she  came  to  Montgom- 
ery county,  Indiana,  with  her  parents  when  a  baby,  and  here  her  death  oc- 
curred on  October  10,  1901.  Here  she  grew  to  womanhood  and  recei\ed, 
like  her  husband,  a  somewhat  limited  education  in  the  rural  schools.  John- 
son Todd  devoted  his  life  to  general  farming  and  stock  raising  and  he  was 
very  successful,  for  many  years  ranking  among  the  leading  tillers  of  the  soil 
in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  county.  He  was  twice  married  and  his  fam- 
ily consisted  of  fourteen  children,  two  b}'  his  first  wife  and  twelve  by  the 
second,  our  subject  being  one  of  the  twelve.  All  this  large  family  was  well 
provided  for  and  given  educational  advantages. 

Isaac  S.  Todd  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  lie  received  an 
excellent  education  in  the  common  schools  of  his  community.  On  January 
30,  1868  he  married  Delilah  Maddox,  who  was  born  in  Shelby  county,  Ken- 
tucky, December  27,  1846,  and  there  she  grew  to  womanhood  and  was  edu- 
cated and  she  continued  to  live  there  until  just  before  her  marriage  when 
she  came  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Elijah  and 
Emily  (Todd)  Maddox.  Her  father  was  born  on  January  11,  181 2  in  Ken- 
tucky, and  his  death  occurred  on  February  3,  1865.  The  mother  of  our 
subject's  wife  was  born  on  February  14,  1814.  in  Kentuck}-.  and  her  death 
occurred  on  July  17,  1853. 

The  wife  of  our  subject  was  one  of  seven  children  born  to  Elijah  Mad- 
dox. fi\e  having  been  born  by  his  first  wife  and  two  by  his  second  wife. 

The  union  of  Isaac  S.  Todd  and  wife  has  been  without  issue,  but  they 
raised  a  boy,  W.  L.  Todd,  who  married  Grace  Kelsey,  and  thev  live  in 
Crawfordsville. 

Isaac  S.  Todd  has  always  followed  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  and 
has  become  one  of  the  leaders  in  these  lines  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county. 
His  well  improved,  well  tiled  and  producti\e  farm  consists  of  two  hundred 
and  three  acres,  all  well  located  in  Brown  township.  This  land  is  all  under 
cultivation  but  about  seventy  acres.  He  has  ;i  pleasant  residence  and  large 
and  conx'cnient  outbuildings. 
(75) 


Il86  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Mr.  Todd  is  a  member  of  the  Horse  Thief  Detective  Association.  Poli- 
tically, he  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Missionai-y  Baptist  church, 
and  is  a  trustee  in  the  same. 

Mr.  Todd  was  elected  president  of  the  Brown's  Valley  Grain  Company, 
a  large  and  prosperous  concern,  which  is  steadily  growing,  under  the  able 
management  of  our  subject.  A  large  business  is  carried  on  all  over  this 
section  of  the  state.  All  kinds  of  grain,  feed,  coal,  salt,  cement,  fence  posts, 
etc.,  are  handled.  This  company  is  incorporated  with  a  capital  stock  of 
seven  thousand  and  five  hundred  dollars.  The  other  officers,  besides  Mr. 
Todd  as  president  are  Frank  Wilkinson,  \-ice-president ;  Walter  Sullivan, 
secretary ;  and  L.  McLoed,  treasurer. 


THE  ASHBV  FAMILY'S  ANCESTRY. 

There  are  numerous  families  of  Ashbys  in  and  about  Ladoga,  Mont- 
gomery county,  and  they  are  nearly  or  quite  all  of  them  prominent  and  inter- 
married w  ith  other  prominent  families  of  this  locality.  They  all  came  from 
a  common  ancestry — Thompson  and  Lettice  Ashby.  Of  the  descendants  of 
this  couple  none  have  l^een  other  than  honorable  and  upright,  respected  citi- 
zens, and  have  played  well  their  parts  in  the  forward  march  of  civilization 
as  here  inaugurated  b\  the  ])ra\e  men  and  women  a  century  ago,  and  are 
therefore  eminently  deserving  of  i)roniinent  mention  in  the  present  work. 

The  .\shbv  family  was  first  known  in  Great  Britain,  was  at  one  time  of 
some  pruminence  in  the  House  of  Lords  and  is  today  identified  with  promi- 
nent business  interests  there.  The  first  we  find  of  them  in  America  was  be- 
fore the  Revolutionary  war,  in  Virginia,  they  having  lived  near  Harper's 
Ferry.  It  seems  that  one  of  the  Ashbys  and  his  wife  had  three  sons,  Bladen. 
Silas  and  Thompson.  The  parents  died  when  these  three  boys  were  young. 
It  was  about  1777  that  these  sons  removed  to  Kentucky,  where  Bladen  be- 
came a  noted  scout  and  Indian  fighter.  He  was  with  Gen.  George  Rogers 
Clark  at  the  memorable  capture  of  A'incennes  from  the  British.  Thompson 
Ashbv  was  born  about  1773  and  was  a  child  when  he  came  to  Kentucky. 
There  he  was  seen  by  the  girl  who  in  later  years  became  his  wife  and  the 
mother  of  the  Ashbys  of  this  county,  she  having  been  known  in  her  maiden- 
hood as  Lettice  Van  !\Ieter.  Thompson  Ashby,  then  but  a  child,  owned  a 
man's  gun,  which  he  carried  gracefully  on  his  shoulder,  and  also  carried  a 
shot  pouch  that  nearly  reached  the  ground.     So  ridiculous  did  it  seem  tn  her 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I  1 87 

that  she  Ijurst  into  laughter  imnieihately.  l.ettice  \"aii  Meter  \\a>  the  see- 
ond  of  a  family  of  four  children  l)(,)rn  to  Al)rahani  \'an  Meter  and  wife,  ller 
fatlier  was  at  Boone  Station.  Kentuek\-.  during  the  Revolutionary  war.  In 
I/Si  Indians  imder  Simon  (iirty  attacked  the  settlers,  the  latter  including 
the  \'an  Meters.  The  settlers  lied  to  Louisville,  closely  pursued  1)\'  the 
Indians,  and  there  was  some  fighting  on  the  way.  During  the  excitement 
Lettice  fell  into  a  creek  and  nearly  drownetl.  Her  mother  heard  the  child 
gasp,  but  thought  it  was  an  Indian,  howexer  she  wheeled  about  (|uickly  and 
saw  her  child  just  in  time  to  save  her. 

Thompson  Ashby  and  Lettice  \'an  Meter  were  married  about  1790, 
and  to  them  ten  children  were  l)orn,  namely.  Polly,  Xancy,  Abraham,  Silas, 
Milton,  Bladen,  Thompson,  Betty,  James  and  Lettice.  The  fatlier  of  these 
children  was  killed  by  a  horse.  Abraham  \'an  Meter,  mentioned  alime.  was 
granted  one  thousand  acres  of  land  in  1780  in  Henry  county,  Kentucky, 
deeded  bv  Governor  Harrison  of  \'irginia.  At  that  time  what  is  now  the 
state  of  Kentucky  was  embraced  by  the  boundary  lines  of  Virginia.  It  is 
said  that  this  deed  was  destroyed  by  Indians  and  that  Mr.  Van  Meter  thereby 
lost  his  title  to  the  land.  However,  he  gave  his  daughter  Lettice  Ashby  two 
hundred  acres  and  this  she  kept  and  reared  her  children  on  it.  .\fter  her 
children  had  grown  to  maturity,  some  married  and  had  children  of  their  nwu. 
She  then  sold  out  and  brought  her  children  and  grandchildren  to  Clark  tow  n- 
ship,  Montgomery  county,  Indiana.  She  was  then  fifty-six  years  of  age, 
and  when  she  came  here  in  1828,  Clark  township  and  surrounding  country 
was  a  wilderness,  wild  and  unbn)ken.  She  gave  to  each  child  enough  to  buy 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  soon  the  family  owned  about  fifteen  hun- 
dred acres  of  valuable  land.  She  settled  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Clark 
township,  a  mile  and  three-fourths  north  of  Roachdale,  where  her  death  oc- 
curred in  1845,  '"  her  seventy-fifth  year. 

.\mong  her  children  who  are  to  be  mentioned  in  this  connection  was 
Abraham  Ashby,  who  was  born  March  2^.  1795,  and  whose  death  occurred 
in  1845.  He  married  Elizabeth  Hohimer,  May  -'3.  1815,  in  Kentucky.  She 
was  born  May  16,  1784,  and  died  August  31,  1878.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Rhoda  (Paris)  Hohimer.  Abraham  and  Elizabeth  (Hohimer) 
Ashby  became  the  parents  of  two  sons,  William  and  Thompson  V.  A  sketch 
of  the  latter  appears  elsewhere. 

Another  one  of  Lettice  Ashby's  sons  whose  descendants  are  pronunent 
in  business  in  Ladoga  was  Silas  F.  A.shby,  Sr.,  who  was  Ixn-n  in  Shelby 
countv,  Kentuckv. 


II6«  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

JOHN  W.  TODD. 

One  of  the  most  representative  citizens  of  Montgomery  county  and  one 
of  her  worthiest  native  sons  is  John  W.  Todd,  prominent  agriculturist  and 
banker  of  Brown's  Valley,  a  man  who  has  succeeded  in  life  because  he  has 
worked  consistently  along  proper  lines  of  endeavor  and  has  never  permitted 
obstacles  to  thwart  his  pathway  to  the  goal  of  success,  and  also  because  he 
has  led  an  upright  and  honest  life,  thereby  gaining  and  retaining  the  confi- 
dence and  respect  of  all  who  know  him.  He  has  done  much  for  the  general 
upbuilding  of  the  community  honored  by  his  residence,  and  is  eminently 
deserving  of  a  place  in  his  county's  history. 

Mr.  Todd  \\as  born  in  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  November  ii, 
1841,  and  he  is  a  son  of  Johnson  and  Ruth  (Van  Cleave)  Todd,  both  natives 
of  Kentucky,  where  they  grew  to  maturity,  were  educated  and  married  and 
from  which  state  they  came  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  in  1832,  when 
this  section  of  the  state  was  practically  a  wilderness,  settlers  were  few,  and 
the  land  only  meagerly  improved  in  places.  They  devoted  their  lives  to  general 
farming,  developing  a  good  farm  here  from  the  virgin  soil.  Mr.  Todd  was 
known  as  a  raiser  of  short-horn  cattle.  His  family  consisted  of  ten  chil- 
dren, namely:  James  C,  John  W.,  of  this  review;  Henry  is  deceased;  I.  S., 
George  W.,  Johnson  B.,  Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Davis,  yirs.  Melissa  Sen'ies,  Pauline, 
and  Mrs.   Mary  Williams. 

John  W.  Todd  was  reared  on  the  home  farm,  where  he  worked  hard 
when  a  young  man,  and  he  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  community,  after  which  he  took  up  fanning  in  Brown  township  and 
there  continued  as  a  general  farmer  and  stock  raiser  with  ever  increasing 
success  until  tlie  present.  In  1905  lie  assisted  in  organizing  the  Brown's 
Valley  Bank,  with  a  capital  stock  of  ten  thousand  dollars,  with  a  surplus 
of  three  thousand  and  seven  hundred  dollars,  and  with  undivided  profits  of 
twelve  hundred  dollars.  The  stock  is  held  by  local  men,  all  reputable  citi- 
zens and  men  of  known  integrity  and  business  ability,  and  this  institution 
has  met  with  favor  with  the  people  of  this  part  of  the  county  and  is  regarded 
as  a  sound  and  safe  institution.  The  stockholders  are  John  W.  Todd,  presi- 
dent ;  ^^'alter  Southerland,  vice-president ;  Walter  ^^'iatt,  cashier :  board  of 
directors,  L.  M.  McLoed,  C.  W.  Taylor.  George  W.  Canine,  T.  D.  Coons, 
and  ^^'.  \\'.  Bayless.  Mr.  Todd  is  deserving  of  a  great  deal  of  credit  for  his 
splendid  work  in  promoting  this  splendid  bank,  which  has  filled  a  long- felt 


/tr^C^.p^rta 


MUNTGOMKRV    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1189 

want  in  this  community  and  its  pronounced  success  lias  been  due  for  the 
most  part  to  his  able  management  and  wise  counsel. 

Mr.  Todd  was  married  in  1867  to  Susan  Steger,  daughter  of  James 
and  Ehzabeth  Steger,  natives  of  Kentucky.  The  union  of  Mr.  Todd  and 
his  first  wife  was  without  issue.  Her  death  occurred  after  a  few  years,  and 
Mr.  Todd  married  in  1871  Hester  Harris,  daughter  of  John  and  CaroHne 
Harris,  both  natives  of  Kentucky,  from  which  state  they  removed  to  .Mont- 
gomery county,  Indiana,  in  a  \ery  earl\-  day.  Mr.  Todd's  second  wife  cUed 
in  1900. 

Politically,  Mr.  Todd  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  always  been  a  loyal  sup- 
porter of  the  party.  Religiously,  he  is  a  Methodist,  and  in  fraternal  matters 
he  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pytliias.  He  has  been  a  member  of  llic  Horse 
Thief  Detective  Association  for  the  past  fifty  years. 


JOSEPHUS  GRAYBILL. 

Tlie  world  in  its  onward  rush  is  now  taking  time  to  look  back,  and  the 
story  of  the  pioneer  is  daily  becoming  of  more  absorbing  interest.  Western 
Indiana  was  for  many  years  considered  "out  west"  and  its  people,  scarcely 
out  of  the  woods,  took  little  interest  in  those  traditions  relating  to  a  condition 
of  society  but  little  removed  from  their  own.  But  the  grand  march  of  ci\ili- 
zation  has  pushed  back  the  western  frontier  until  instead  of  being  in  Indiana 
or  skirting  the  Mississippi  river,  it  now  rests  upon  the  shores  of  the  Pacific. 
and  has  made  the  northwestern  territory  the  central  link  in  a  brilliant  chain 
of  states.  This  awakening  to  the  true  value  of  the  early  history  of  this 
part  of  the  countr}-  comes  in  many  respects  too  late.  Most  of  the  pioneers 
have  been  gathered  to  their  fathers,  and  one  by  one  the  old  landmarks  have 
decayed  and  passed  away  with  those  who  reared  them,  while  that  period  is 
fast  rolling  on  when  none  can  truly  say,  "I  remember  them  and  their  works." 
Thus,  while  we  may.  let  us  rescue  from  oblivion  the  simple  facts  in  the  lives 
of  these  sturdy  men  who  were  the  heralds  of  civilization  in  our  beloved 
county  of  Montgomery  and  by  their  sturdy  energy  and  self-denying  efforts 
made  possible  the  condition  of  things  which  we  today  enjoy. 

There  is  particular  interest  in  writing  of  such  a  man  as  Josephus  Gray- 
bill,  one  of  the  prosperous  farmers  and  stock  men  of  the  vicinity  of  Ladoga, 
for  he  is  both  a  pioneer  and  a  native  son  of  Montgomery  county,  having 
lived  to  see  three-quarters  of  a  century  of  change  here. 


1 190  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Mr.  Graybill  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Scott  township,  west  of  Ladoga, 
this  county,  on  September  10,  1837.  He  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Lydia 
(Arnold)  Graybill.  The  parents  came  from  Botetcourt  county,  Virginia, 
in  1834,  making  the  long  journey  overland  through  the  wilderness.  They 
bought  a  farm  in  Scott  township,  Montgomery  county,  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  on  which  had  been  erected  a  primitive  log  cabin,  without  nails 
and  with  no  window  pane,  the  chimney  made  of  sticks  and  the  roof  boards 
were  held  in  place  by  weight  poles.  Here  these  parents  began  keeping  house, 
enduring  the  usual  hardships  and  privations  of  the  first  settlers  and  they 
worked  hard  in  clearing  and  developing  the  land  on  which  they  proposed  to 
spend  the  rest  of  their  days.  There  they  reared  their  family.  Through  close 
application  and  good  judgment  Samuel  Graybill  prosjjered  with  advancing 
years,  and  he  became  the  owner  of  about  one  thousand  acres  of  good  land. 
After  giving  land  to  his  children  he  still  had  four  hundred  acres  left  when 
he  died.  His  family  consisted  of  nine  children,  six  daughters  and  three 
sons,  only  one  of  the  girls  is  now  living,  Mrs.  Amanda  Hostetter,  of  Ladoga. 
The  three  sons  living  are  William  R..  who  resides  northeast  of  Ladoga; 
Josephus,  of  this  sketch;  and  Samuel  C,  who  lives  west  of  Ladoga. 

The  death  of  Samuel  Graybill,  the  father,  occurred  in  1876.  His  widow 
survived  many  years,  nearly  thirty — i  nfact,  dying  in  1905,  at  the  advanced 
age  of  ninety-four. 

Josephus  Graybill  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's  farm  and,  being  a 
pioneer  child  he  found  plenty  of  hard  work  to  do  when  he  was  a  boy.  He 
received  such  education  as  the  early  schools  of  the  county  afforded.  He  re- 
mained on  the  home  place  until  he  w^as  twenty-one  years  old.  He  then  went 
to  farming  for  himself  on  a  farm  just  east  of  Ladoga.  In  1861  he  married 
Mary  Jane  Frame,  which  union  resulted  in  the  birth  of  four  children,  two 
of  whom  died  in  infancy,  and  two  are  still  living,  Salome  Alice,  wife  of 
Eugene  Ashby,  and  Homer  Graybill,  both  of  Ladoga.  The  wife  and  mother 
was  called  to  her  eternal  rest  on  September  25,  1904,  after  nearly  forty-three 
years  of  harmonious  married  life.  She  was  a  good,  kind  woman  and  be- 
loved by  all  who  knew  her.  She  was  born  just  north  of  Ladoga  and  was  the 
daughter  of  Samuel  P.  and  Elizabeth  (Harshbarger)  Frame.  Her  people 
came  from  Kentucky  and  settled  near  Parkersburg,  Indiana,  in  an  early  day. 

On  November  30,  1905,  Mr.  Graybill  married  Elizabeth  (Brookshire) 
Smalley,  daughter  of  Swan  Brookshire  and  widow  of  Alfred  Smalley,  a  sketch 
of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 

Josephus  Graybill  farmed  near  Ladoga  for  a  period  of  forty-three 
years,  during  which  time  he  made  a  pronounced  success  as  a  general  farmer 


MONTGOMERY   COUNTY,    INDIANA.  II9I 

and  stock  raiser,  the  major  portion  of  his  competency  was  made  i>y  raisinf,^ 
feeding  and  marketing  cattle.  He  is  the  owner  of  about  one  tlioiisand  acres 
in  Clark  and  Scott  townships.  It  is  well  improved  and  i)roductive  and  lies 
well,  and  he  has  an  excellent  and  convenient  set  of  buildings.  He  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Farmers  and  Merchants  Bank  of  Ladoga,  .\fter  his  secnd 
marriage  he  left  the  farm  and  moved  to  his  pleasant  and  modernly  appointed 
home  in  Ladoga. 

Politically,  Mr.  Graybill  is  a  Democrat,  but  not  especially  active,  bra- 
ternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  in  religious  matters  is  a 
member  of  the  Chri.stian  church. 


ALFRED  SMALLEY 


One  of  the  well  remembered  citizens  oi  a  past  generation  in  tiie  south- 
eastern part  of  Montgomery  county  who  was  rich  in  the  essentials  of  noble 
manhood  and  who  always  aimed  to  live  up  to  his  highest  ideals  of  duty  was 
the  late  Alfred  Smalley,  one  of  the  leading  farmers,  stock  dealers  and  business 
men  of  this  locality  for  a  number  of  decades.  His  career  was  singularly  free 
from  the  faults  which  usually  characterize  men  of  his  prominence,  but  so  far 
as  known,  he  passed  over  the  Great  Divide  without  leaxing  an  enemy  behind. 
He  was  a  man  w^ho  forged  his  way  to  the  front  in  his  chosen  lines  of  endeaxor 
and  at  the  same  time  he  never  sought  to  advance  himself  on  the  wrecks  of 
others,  but  was  helpful  to  his  neighbors  and  associates  and  did  much  to  en- 
courage general  progress  in  his  community  along  all  lines.  Such  men  are 
blessings  to  any  county  and  when  they  are  called  hence  their  places  are  ne\er 
satisfaction  filled  and  they  are  sadly  missed. 

Mr.  Smalley  was  born  on  November  13,  1840,  in  Bourbon  county,  Ken- 
tucky. He  was  a  son  of  Jackson  and  Emily  (Combs)  Smalle}-.  He  came 
with  his  parents  to  Indiana  when  seven  or  eight  years  old,  the  family  locating 
in  Putnam  county,  and  there  Alfred  Smalley  grew  to  manhood.  On  Novem- 
ber 22.  1863,  he  married  Elizabeth  Brookshire.  daughter  of  Swan  Brook- 
shire  and  wife.  She  was  born  in  1845  in  Scott  township,  Montgomery 
county,  where  she  grew'  to  womanhood,  in  fact,  spent  her  life.  She  is  still 
living  and  is  now  the  wife  of  Josephus  Graybill,  of  Ladoga. 

Three  children  were  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  namely:  Mrs.  Iimma 
Foster,  widow  of  Xewton  Foster;  John  T.  Smalley,  of  Ladoga:  one  child 
died  in  early  life. 


1 192  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INJ5IANA. 

After  his  marriage  Alfred  Smalley  took  up  general  farming  in  Scott 
township,  and  in  connection  with  his  farm  he  bought  and  sold  live  stock. 
He  and  his  wife  owned  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  good  land  and  they 
had  a  comfortable  home.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Primitive  Baptist  church, 
of  which  he  was  clerk  for  a  period  of  twenty-four  years  and  a  leader  in  the 
church.     PoHtically,  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  was  not  a  public  man. 

Mr.  Smalley  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Farmers  and  Merchants 
Bank  at  Ladoga  and  he  remained  a  stockholder  until  his  death.  After  he 
passed  away  his  wife  succeeded  him  as  clerk  of  the  local  church  and  con- 
tinued to  perform  these  duties  just  as  acceptably.  In  November,  1905,  she 
became  the  wife  of  Josephus  Graybill,  a  farmer,  and  she  is  li\'ing  in  Ladoga 
at  this  writing.     A  sketch  of  Mr.  Graybill  appears  herein. 

John  T.  Smalley,  mentioned  above,  lives  in  Ladoga,  and  he  follows 
farming,  raises  excellent  horses  and  also  buys  and  ships  horses  in  large  num- 
bers, having  built  up  quite  an  extensive  business  and  has  met  with  pro- 
nounced success  in  this  field  of  endeavor.  He  is  one  of  the  best  known  stock 
men  in  the  county.  He  married  Lillie  Overstreet,  daughter  of  Samuel  W. 
and  Marv  J.  (Ayers)  Overstreet.  He  owns  a  substantial  modern  residence 
in  Ladoga.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  good  mixer  and  is  popu- 
lar with  those  with  whom  he  comes  into  contact. 


JOHN  C.  WINGATE. 

It  is  not  everyone  who  succeeds  in  ha\-ing  a  town  named  after  him,  but 
this  honor  has  fallen  to  John  C.  Wingate,  one  of  Montgomery  county's 
most  representative  citizens,  few  people  of  the  locality  being  better  known; 
none  occupy  a  more  conspicuous  place  in  the  confidence  of  the  public,  and  it 
is  a  compliment  worthily  bestowed  to  class  him  with  the  progressive  men  of 
his  day  and  generation  in  the  vicinity  of  his  residence,  having  done  much 
for  the  general  development  of  the  town  of  Wingate  and  surrounding  coun- 
try. In  all  that  constitutes  true  manhood  and  good  citizenship  he  is  a 
notable  example,  his  career  having  ever  been  characterized  by  duty  faith- 
fully performed  and  by  industry,  thrift  and  wisely  directed  efifort.  These 
have  led  to  the  acquisition  of  a  liberal  share  of  this  world's  goods.  His  per- 
sonal relations  with  his.  fellow  men  have  ever  been  mutually  pleasant  and 
agreeable,  and  he  is  highly  regarded  by  all,  being  easily  approached,  obliging 
and  straightforward  in  all  the  relations  of  life.     He  believes  in  doing  well 


MOXTGOMKUV    COL. XT  V. 


93 


\vhate\er  he  undertakes  and  in  extending  aid  and  synipalhv  to  (.llur--,  and 
he  is  a  fine  example  of  that  type  of  progressive  citizens  who  rise  paramount 
to  environment  and  all  which  seeks  to  hinder  them. 

i\Ir.  Wingate  was  b^rn  May  _'_>,  )85i,  in  Coal  Creek  township,  Mont- 
gomery county,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  Pleasant  Hill  (now  known  as 
Wingate).  He  is  a  son  of  William  A.  and  Nancy  (Coon)  Wingate.  The 
father  was  born  in  East  Monroe,  Ohio,  and  there  he  spent  his  earlier  years, 
removing  to  Montgomen,'  county,  Indiana,  when  a  young  man,  in  1840, 
and  here  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  successfully  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  He  was  a  son  of  Philip  Wingate  and  wife.  The  mother  of  our 
subject  was  born  in  Miami  county,  Ohio,  near  Potsdam.  Her  father  was  one 
of  a  family  of  sixteen  children. 

John  C.  Wingate  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  community  and  there 
recei\ed  a  good  common  school  education.  On  May  22,  1879,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Lida  Gilkey,  a  daughter  of  Aaron  H.  and  Mary  Gilkey.  Mrs.  Win- 
gate's  father  was  treasurer  and  trustee  of  Coal  Creek  townsliip  for  a  period 
of  twenty-one  years  continuously. 

At  a  barbecue  and  basket  dinner,  given  in  a  grove  near  Pleasant  Hill  by 
the  men  on  the  construction  train  of  the  Clover  Leaf  railroad  in  1881  it  was 
determined  to  change  the  name  of  the  town  of  Pleasant  Hill  to  Wingate. 
A  telegram  was  received  from  Gen.  John  M.  Corse,  president  of  the  above 
named  railroad,  by  Eli  Marvin,  a  director  of  the  road,  who  was  asking  tiiat 
this  change  be  made,  and  his  request  was  concurred  in  by  meeting.  Among 
those  in  attendance  were  Colonel  Maynard,  editor  of  the  Indianapolis  Senti- 
nel, Hon.  Peter  S.  Kennedy,  Hon.  M.  D.  Wiiite  and  Gen.  Mahlun  1).  Manscn, 
all  of  whom  had  made  addresses,  at  the  conclusion  of  which  Mr.  Marvin 
read  General  Corse's  telegram,  in  which  he  stated  that  the  station  here 
should  be  named  Wingate,  for  the  reason  that  a  town  of  several  hundred 
people  in  Ohio,  and  on  the  Clo\er  Leaf  road,  was  named  Pleasant  Hill  and 
it  was  deemed  advisable  to  change  the  name  of  the  local  town  to  prevent 
confusion.  Afterwards  the  postofifice  department  changed  the  name  of  the 
postoffice  from  Pleasant  Hill  to  Wingate,  so  that  the  name  of  the  town  and 
the  station  would  comport.     Thus  the  town  was  named  for  our  subject. 

Mr.  Wingate  was  one  of  a  family  of  fi\e  children,  he  being  the  eldest, 
and  he  is  the  only  one  that  survives,  and  his  parents  are  both  deceased.  His 
nearest  of  kin  is  Claude  Hughes,  a  nephew,  a  son  of  our  subject's  youngest 
sister,  who  died  when  her  son  Claude,  was  two  years  old.  He  was  reared 
by  our  subject  and  wife,  who  have  also  reared  .-\rthur  Hogan,  known  as 


I  194  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Arthur  Wingate,  who  is  now  married  and  is  living  at  Long  Beach,  California. 
Our  subject  took  him  from  the  Montgomery  County  Orphans'  Home  when 
he  was  four  years  old.  Our  subject  and  wife  having  had  no  children  of 
their  own,  have  taken  a  great  interest  in  the  above  named  boys,  giving  them 
every  advantage  of  education  and  otherwise  looking  after  their  interests  in 
the  same  manner  as  if  they  had  been  their  own. 

Mr.  Wingate  is  leading  a  quiet  life,  after  an  active  and  successful  busi- 
ness career.  He  was  for  many  years  a  traveling  salesman.  He  has  served 
on  the  Indiana  Tax  Board  for  nearly  ten  years,  giving  eminent  satisfaction 
in  this  capacity.  He  has  a  beautiful  and  modernly  appointed  home  in  Win- 
gate, surrounded  by  a  large  and  well-kept  lawn.  He  has  a  Mission  style 
sleeping  house,  sixteen  by  twenty  feet  in  size  and  containing  twenty-three 
windows  and  one  door,  the  former  being  Pullman  car  windows.  The  exter- 
ior has  a  pebble  cement  stucco  finish,  and  the  interior  woodwork  is  covered 
with  oil  paintings,  and  the  furniture  is  of  cane.  It  is  a  most  sanitary  and 
pleasant  room. 

Politically,  Mr.  Wingate  is  a  Repuljlican,  and  fraternally  he  belongs 
to  the  Masonic  Order,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  all  at  Wingate. 


EUGENE  C.   ASH  BY. 

Holding  distinctive  prestige  among  the  enterprising  citizens  of  Mont- 
gomery county  is  Eugene  C.  Ashby,  formerly  a  well  known  merchant,  now 
the  popular  secretary  of  the  Building  and  Loan  Association  at  Ladoga,  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  surmounted  an  unfavorable 
environment  and  rose  to  the  position  he  now  occupies  as  one  of  the  substan- 
tial and  influential  men  of  the  locality  honored  by  his  residence,  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  any  locality  in  which  fate  might  place  him,  for  he  has  sound 
judgment,  coupled  with  energy  and  business  tact,  together  with  upright 
principles,  all  of  which  make  for  success  wherever  and  whenever  they  are 
rightly  and  persistently  applied.  Mr.  Ashby  is  a  creditable  representative  of 
one  of  the  old  and  highly  esteemed  families  of  this  section  of  the  Wabash 


MOiVTC.OMKRV    COL'XTV.    INDIANA.  I  I95 

Valley  country,  the  name  Ashby  having  been  a  familiar  scmnd  in  this  county 
since  the  pioneer  days,  and  our  subject  seems  to  have  inherited  many  of  the 
sturdy  traits  of  his  forebears. 

Air.  Ashby  was  born  in  Clark  township,  this  ccninty.  May  S,  iSO^.  lie 
is  a  son  of  Silas  F.,  Jr.  and  Ellen  (McNary)  Ashby.  The  father  was  l)orn 
in  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  December  25,  1826,  and  was  a  son  of  Silas  F., 
Sr.,  and  Nancy  (Radford)  Ashby,  also  natives  of  Shelby  county,  Kentucky. 
Silas  F.,  Sr.,  was  born  in  1797,  married  in  1819  and  died  June  24,  1854;  his 
wife  was  born  in  1797  and  died  in  1855.  Silas  F.,  Sr.,  was  a  son  of  Thomp- 
son and  Lettie  Ashby.  The  paternal  grandparents  of  our  subject  removed 
from  the  Blue  Grass  state  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  about  1829,  how- 
ever they  remained  here  only  a  short  time  when  they  removed  to  Putnam 
count}'  where  they  spent  the  rest  of  their  li\es.  and  on  a  farm  in  that  county 
was  reared  Silas  F.  Ashby,  Jr.  He  devoted  his  life  successfully  to  farming 
and  became  the  owner  of  three  hundretl  and  twenty  acres  of  well  improved 
land  about  two  miles  from  Ladoga.  He  was  quite  an  e.xteiisixe  dealer  in 
grain  and  stock,  and  for  a  number  of  years  ran  the  ele\ator  at  Ladoga. 
He  handled  between  sixty  thousand  and  seventy  thousand  bushels  of  grain 
annually.  He  was  one  of  the  most  active  business  men  in  this  part  of  the 
county  and  he  took  part  in  all  improvements.  He  was  at  one  time  township 
trustee,  also  county  commissioner.     He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order. 

Ellen  McNary,  mother  of  our  subject,  was  born  at  Sharpsburg,  Bath 
county,  Kentucky,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel  McNary  and  wife.  In 
i860  her  father  was  seized  with  the  cholera  and  her  brother  was  called  home 
from  Oberlin  College  and  both  he  and  Samuel  McXary  died  within  si.\  hours 
after  he  arrived  home.  About  a  year  later  the  mother  died  of  grief,  leasing 
the  three  daughters  practically  destitute.  Ellen  came  to  Montgomery  county 
and  taught  school  at  Ashby's  Mills  on  the  southern  line  of  the  county  and 
while  there  she  and  Silas  F.  Ashby,  Jr.,  were  married.  Three  children  were 
born  to  them,  namely :  Cora  E.,  now  the  wife  of  Henry  T.  Davis,  of  Chicago ; 
Eugene  C,  subject  of  this  review;  and  Edgar,  of  ladoga. 

The  death  of  Silas  F.  Ashby,  Jr.,  occurred  on  June  15,  1911,  his  wife 
having  preceded  him  to  the  grave  on  May  18,  1891. 

Eugene  C.  Ashby  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  in  Clark  town- 
ship and  there  he  assisted  with  the  general  work  when  he  became  of  proper 
age.  He  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  that  locality  and 
later  attended  the  normal  school  at  Ladoga.  He  Ijegan  his  business  life  by 
spending  three  years  in  a  grocery  store,  then  kept  books  in  a  bank  at  Ladoga 


IigG  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

for  about  four  years,  giving  his  employers  eminent  satisfaction,  then,  in 
1887  he  and  William  R.  Hostetter  and  W.  Morton  Mills  formed  a  partner- 
ship in  the  drygoods  business  at  Ladoga,  buying  out  George  E.  Grimes,  and 
for  a  period  of  about  twenty-two  years  Mr.  Ashby  was  one  of  the  leading 
merchants  of  Ladoga,  enjoying  an  extensive  and  ever  growing  trade  and 
carrying  a  large  and  carefully  selected  stock  of  goods  at  all  seasons.  They 
sold  out  the  store  in  1907,  since  which  time  Mr.  Ashby  has  been  secretary 
of  tlie  Ladoga  Building  and  Loan  Association  and  has  also  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, owning  a  \-aluable  and  well  improved  farm  of  one  hundred  antl  sixty 
acres  about  a  mile  west  of  Ladoga.  He  is  also  a  director  in  the  Farmers  and 
Merchants  Bank.  He  has  l:)een  very  successful  in  a  business  way  and  is  one 
of  the  financially  strong  me  nof  the  town  of  Ladoga,  whose  interests  he  has 
always  sought  to  promote. 

Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Order,  ha\ing  attained  the 
Knights  Templar  degree  in  that  time-honored  fraternit}'.  He  also  belongs 
to  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

Mr.  Ashby  was  married  to  Alice  Graybill,  December  30,  1885.  She  is 
a  daughter  of  Josephus  and  Mary  F.  (  Frame)  Graybill,  a  highly  respected 
family. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashin-  four  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Elsie, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Carl  Crawford,  lives  in  Morgantown,  West,  Virginia: 
Mary,  who  is  teaching  music  and  art  in  the  schools  of  Windom,  Minnesota; 
Frank  and  Russell,  who  are  at  home  and  attending  high  school. 


DAVID  WESLEY  HUGHES. 

The  history  of  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  is  not  a  very  old  one,  in 
the  usual  light  of  history,  for  one  is  inclined  to  think  of  anything  that  smacks 
of  history  as  happening  in  the  remote  and  cloudy  years  of  the  long  ago,  as 
sqmething  very  ancient,  something  occurring  in  a  period  very  far  removed 
from  our  own  time.  But  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  history,  that  is 
the  period  during  which  human  events  have  been  recorded,  in  this  county,  is 
considerably  less  than  a  century  old,  the  changes  that  have  here  been  noted 
have  indeed  been  pronounced  and  even  surprising  to  the  contemplative  mind, 
for  old  customs,  scenes,  manners  and  practically  everything,  in  fact,  have 
given  way  to  the  new.  'tis  ever  thus  the  old  order  changeth.  The  history  of 
this  locality  is  the  record  of  the  steady  growth  of  a  community  planted  in 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,   INDIANA.  II97 

tlie  wilderness  and  has  reached  its  magnitude  of  today  witliout  nlher  aids 
than  those  of  industry.  The  people  who  redeemed  it  from  tlie  primitive 
wilds  were  strong-armed,  hardy  sons  of  the  soil  who  hesitated  al  ui.  difti- 
culty  and  for  whom  hardships  had  little  to  appall.  The  early  pioneers  having 
blazed  the  path  of  civilization  to  this  part  of  the  Hoosier  state,  finished  their 
labors,  and  many  of  them  have  passed  from  the  scene,  leaving  the  country 
in  the  possession  of  their  descendants  and  to  others  who  came  at  a  later 
period  and  builded  on  the  foundation  which  they  laid  so  broad  and  deep. 
The  Hughes  family  is  of  this  class  and  its  members  have  played  no  incon- 
spicuous part  in  the  upbuilding  of  a  portion  of  this  county,  a  very  creditable 
representative  of  the  present  generation  being  David  Wesley  Hughes,  who 
was  born  and  reared  in  Union  township  and  has  spent  his  life  in  his  nati\e 
vicinity,  where  he  is  successfully  engaged  in  farming,  and  he  has  done  what 
he  could  to  develop  and  advertise  to  the  world  the  wonderful  resources  of  a 
section  favored  by  nature  and  for  many  decades  tlie  delight  of  the  people 
who  have  had  the  good  fortune  of  residing  here. 

David  W.  Hughes  was  born  in  Union  township,  IMontgomery  county, 
Indiana,  August  14,  1848.  He  is  a  son  of  James  B.  and  Levina  (Wray) 
Hughes.  The  father  was  born  in  Kentucky,  where  he  grew  to  manhood  and 
received  his  education  in  the  common  schools,  and  from  there  he  came  to 
Indiana  when  a  comparatively  young  man  and  entered  eighty  acres  from  the 
government,  later  securing  fort}'  acres  more.  TJiis  was  in  tiic  early  days 
and  the  land  had  to  be  cleared  and  slowlv  developed  into  a  farm,  l)ut  this 
he  did  through  hard  work  and  close  application.  He  .and  his  wife  were  pio- 
neers in  every  sense  of  the  word  and  they  in  every  respect  deserved  the 
success  which  attended  their  efforts.  They  were  neighborly,  hospitable  and 
honest,  like  the  majority  of  first  settlers  in  their  time.  The  death  of  James 
B.  Hughes  occurred  in  1864,  his  widow  surviving  thirty-eight  years,  attain- 
ing an  advanced  age,  passing  away  in  the  year  1902. 

David  W.  Hughes  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  there  he 
found  plenty  of  hard  work  to  do  when  a  boy,  for  he  assisted  in  developing 
the  home  farm.  He  had  but  small  educational  advantages,  but  he  has  since 
became  a  well  informed  man  through  wide  home  reading.  He  is  now  the 
owner  of  the  school  house  in  which  he  first  went  to  school.  He  continued  to 
work  on  the  home  farm  until  he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age,  then  began 
renting  land,  which  method  he  continued  for  six  years,  thereby  getting  an 
excellent  start.  He  then  inherited  ele\en  acres,  which  formed  the  inicleus 
for  his  present  fine  farm  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-three  acres.     He  added 


I  198  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

to  his  holdings  from  time  to  time,  prospering  with  advancing  years,  as  a 
general  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  which  he  has  long  followed  on  an  extensive 
scale.  He  now  devotes  his  time  to  trading  in  live  stock  and  raising  stock 
for  the  market.  He  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  best  judges  of  live  stock  in  the 
county  and  has  been  very  successful  as  a  buyer  and  shipper.  A  good  grade 
of  stock  of  all  kinds  is  to  be  seen  about  his  place  from  year  to  year.  He  has 
kept  his  land  well  improved  and  well  cultivated  and  he  has  a  pleasant  home 
and  attractive  surroundings,  and  such  outbuildings  and  improved  farming 
machinery  as  his  needs  require. 

Mr.  Hughes  was  married  on  July  23,  1873,  to  Anna  Clark,  a  native  of 
Montgomerv  count)-,  wliere  she  was  reared  to  womanhood  and  where  she 
received  her  education.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Britton) 
Clark,  natives  of  England,  where  they  spent  their  earlier  years,  coming  to 
Montgomery  county.  Indiana,  among  the  early  settlers  and  here  became 
well  estal-.lished  thmugh  their  industry  and  well  known  and  highly  respected 
by  their  neighbors. 

Four  children  were  born  to  David  W.  Hughes  and  wife,  named  as 
follows:  Lurton,  who  lives  in  Crawfordsville :  Lola,  who  married  Will 
Hale,  and  tliev  are  engaged  in  farming  in  this  county:  Homer  H.  is  living 
at  home:  (iracie  died  when  two  years  of  age. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  while  he  is  loyal  to  his  party's  prin- 
ciples and  deei)ly  interested  in  local  public  affairs,  he  himself  has  no  desire 
to  be  a  public  man  or  hold  office.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  memljer  of  the 
Masonic  Blue  Lodge,  and  in  religious  matters  he  is  a  member  of  the  Christ- 
ian church,  which  he  liberally  supports  and  regularly  attends. 


OlUINCY  E.  BUNDY. 


It  seems  that  there  is  no  start  in  life  which  so  well  prepares  a  man  for 
his  future  career,  whatever  he  may  choose  to  follow  as  the  boyhood  years 
spent  on  the  farm ;  this  is  not  strange  to  the  contemplative  mind,  for  in  the 
first  place  the  boy  reared  next  to  nature,  to  the  fresh  soil,  surrounded  by  the 
clear  air  and  amidst  the  growing,  blooming  vegetation,  will  be  stronger 
physically  and  mentally  than  his  city-bred  brother,  and  all  will  agree  that 
health  is  the  first  pre-requisite  in  the  chase  for  success  in  this  world :  many 
a  man  has  been  handicapped,  submerged  and  defeated  because  of  lack  of  it. 
Another  thing,  the  farmer  boy  knows   few  of  the  temptations  that  lead  to 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  II99 

ruin  which  the  city  hoy  lias  tu  coinhat  fruiii  almost  the  vvvy  craillc;  the 
former  uses  his  energy  in  wrestUng  witii  the  ])lo\\,  tiie  unhrokcn  cult,  the 
quick-growing  simmts,  and  many  other  tinngs  in  iiis  daily  life,  while  all 
this  pent-up  energy  of  the  city  lad  must  seek  outlet  in  various  channels,  so 
he  gets  into  trouble  or  at  least  neglects  to  properly  direct  his  energies  in 
life's  affairs  and  when  manhood  comes  he  is  left  behind  by  his  stronger  and 
more  self-reliant  country  contemporary.  One  of  the  inhabitants  of  Union 
township,  Montgomery  county,  who  has  been  fortunate  in  being  reared  on 
the  farm  and  wise  enough  to  remain  a  tiller  of  the  soil  is  Ouincy  \i.  lUnidy. 
at  present  a  popular  county  commissioner. 

Mr.  Bundy  was  l)orn  on  September  14,  1862.  in  Lnion  township.  Mont- 
gomery county,  and  in  this  and  Boone  county  most  of  his  life  has  been  spent. 
He  received  a  good  common  school  education  and  when  a  boy  growing  to 
manhood  worked  on  the  farm,  as  already  intimatetl. 

Mr.  Bundy  was  married  on  September  24,  18S5,  to  Frances  M.  l-"ord, 
who  was  born  in  Boone  county,  Indiana,  February  17,  1865.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Richartl  and  Elizabeth  Ford.  The  fater  was  born  in  Virginia. 
The  mother  was  also  a  native  of  Virginia.  They  spent  their  earlier  years  in 
the  Old  Dominion,  finally  coming  to  Boone  county,  Indiana,  where  they 
established  the  future  home  of  the  family,  and  there  Mrs.  Bundy  grew  to 
womanhood  and  recei\'ed  a  common  school  education.  She  was  a  devout 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church  near  Darlington,  and  was  known  to  all  her 
neighbors  as  a  woman  of  kindly  impulses  and  strong  character.  She  was 
called  to  her  eternal  rest  on  December  18,  19 12.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Eastern  Star. 

The  union  of  our  subject  and  wife  resulted  in  the  birth  of  one  child, 
Violet,  who  was  born  on  December  24,  1888.  She  received  a  good  high 
school  education,  later  attending  DePauw  Uni\-ersity.  She  married  Lee  La 
Follette,  of  Darlington,  this  county,  he  being  a  promising  _\-oung  banker  of 
that  place. 

Mr.  Bundy  made  his  starf  in  life  on  the  farm  in  Boone  county,  where 
he  resided  a  number  of  years,  finally  selling  out  and  moving  back  to  I'nion 
township,  Montgomery  county,  jjurchasing  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
which  he  operated  with  his  usual  success  for  some  time,  then  sold  out  and 
purchased  the  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  valua])le  and  well  improved 
land  where  he  now  resides,  having  owned  this  since  1910.  It  is  all  tillable, 
well  tiled  and  otherwise  well  improved. 

Politically,  Mr.  Bundy  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  ])een  loyal  in  bis  sujiport 


I200  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

of  the  party.  He  was  elected  county  commissioner  in  191 1.  and  he  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  this  office  in  such  a  highly  commendable  manner  that 
he  was  re-elected  in  1913  for  two  more  years.  He  has  been  very  popular 
as  a  commissioner.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  the  Masonic  Order. 


LESLIE  M.  McLOED. 

The  success  that  Leslie  M.  McLoed,  of  Brown's  Valley,  Montgomery 
county,  has  attained  as  a  general  farmer  and  stock  raiser  has  been  due  to  his 
persistent  and  close  application  and  the  exercise  of  sound  judgment  in  the 
management  of  his  affairs.  He  has  always  done  his  work  well  and  has 
studied  advancing  methods,  thus  keeping  abreast  of  the  times,  which,  all  of 
a  contemplative  turn  of  mind  will  admit,  is  as  necessar}'  in  agriculture  as 
any  other  division  of  human  endeavor.  He  is  also  widely  known  as  a  busi- 
ness man  and  is  a  public-spirited  citizen,  doing  much  for  the  upbuilding  of 
the  community  in  many  ways. 

Mr.  McLoed  was  born  in  this  county  on  October  3,  1862.  and  here  he 
has  been  contented  to  spend  his  life.  He  is  a  son  of  Oliver  and  Charlotte 
(Penn)  McLoed.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  coming  from  that 
state  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  in  1843,  settling  in  Brown's  Valley, 
he  having  made  the  trip  from  the  Blue  Grass  state  on  a  boat  on  the  Ohio  and 
thence  up  the  Wabash  river  to  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  and  from  there  drove 
a  wagon  through  to  Brown's  Valley.  The  country  was  wild,  but  he  was  of 
the  true  pioneer  type  and  never  quailed  at  hardships.  He  developed  a  good 
farm  here  and  also  followed  his  trade  of  cabinet  making,  alternating  the  two 
all  his  life,  and  was  successful  in  a  business  way.  His  family  consisted  of 
nine  children,  namely :  Alartha  A.  and  Mary,  twins,  are  both  deceased ; 
Ellen  E.,  Sophronia  F.,  \\'illiam  J..  Emma  J-.  Oliver  C.  Leslie  M..  and 
David  P..  the  latter  being  deceased. 

Leslie  I\I.  McLoed  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  in  Brown's 
Valley,  where  he  worked  hard  when  a  boy,  and  he  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  this  county,  later  studying  at  the  Xormal  School  at 
Danville,  Indiana,  then  began  life  by  teaching  school,  but  not  taking  very 
kindly  to  this  line  of  endeavor  he  gave  it  up  after  one  term  and  took  up  farm- 
ing and  has  been  a  successful  general  and  mixed  farmer  and  stock  raiser 
ever  since,  having  met  with  a  larger  measure  of  success  than  falls  to  the 
average  agriculturist,  owning  a  productive  and  well  improved  farm  and  an 


L.  M.  McLOED 


A 


'•4.- 


1^=^ 


MOXTGOMKRV    COl'NTY.    1  N'DIAN  A.  I  20  r 

attractive  home.  He  has  also  heen  prominent  in  nnmennis  lines  of  busi- 
ness, and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  limwn's  \allcy  I'.ank,  nf  which  lie 
was  the  first  cashier,  serving  in  that  capacity  from  March  _>,  11)05.  until 
luly  10,  1912,  following,  when  he  retired  to  iiis  farm,  where  lie  has  since 
remained.  His  labor  in  placing  this  popular  institution  du  a  sound  basis  is 
vvorthy  of  praise,  and  it  is  rapidly  taking  its  place  among  the  financial  insti- 
tutions of  this  locality.  Mr.  McLoed  was  also  one  of  the  organizers  anil 
prime  movers  of  the  local  elevator  company,  which  is  doing  a  large  and 
growing  business. 

Mr.  McLoed  was  married  in  i8(J7  to  .\gnes  Jones,  daughter  of 
Lewis  H.  and  Millie  A.  (Crawford)  Jones,  early  settlers  of  Decatur  county, 
both  being  now  deceased.    He  died  there  and  she  died  in  Boone  county. 

The  union  of  our  subject  and  wife  has  I>een  without  issue,  but  our 
subject  has  a  stepson,  and  is  also  raising  a  nephew — LeRoy  ().  and  Kenneth 
Jones. 

Politically,  Mr.  McLoed  is  a  Republican,  and  has  long  been  more  or 
less  active  in  local  affairs.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  the  Modern  W^oodmen  of  America.  Religiously,  he  is  a 
Methodist,  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  local  church  and  he  is  at  present 
one  of  the  trustees.  He  has  been  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  same,  contributing 
largely  to  its  support.  He  was  also  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  local  lodge 
of  Knights  of  Pythias  at  Brown's  Valley ;  in  fact,  he  has  long  been  a  leader 
in  the  affairs  of  Montgomery  county  and  is  one  of  the  useful,  successful  and 
most  representative  citizens  of  the  same. 


CAPT.  WILLIAM  P.  HERRON. 

In  a  brief  sketch  of  any  living  citizen  it  is  difficult  to  do  him  exact  and 
impartial  justice,  not  so  much,  however,  for  lack  of  space  or  words  to  set 
forth  the  familiar  and  passing  events  of  his  personal  history,  as  lor  want  of 
the  perfect  and  well  rounded  conception  of  his  whole  life,  which  grows,  de- 
velops and  ripens,  like  fruit,  to  disclose  its  true  and  liest  flavor  only  when  it 
is  mellowed  by  time.  Daily  contact  with  the  man  so  familiarizes  us  with  his 
many  virtues  that  we  ordinarily  overlook  them  and  commonly  underestimate 
their  possessor.  Nevertheless,  while  the  man  jiasses  away,  his  deeds  of  vir- 
tue live,  on,  and  will  in  due  time  bear  fruil  and  do  him  the  justice  which  our 

(76) 


I202  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

pen  fails  to  record.  There  are  however,  a  number  of  elements  in  the  life 
record  of  Capt.  William  P.  Herron,  one  of  the  most  substantial  and  repre- 
sentative citizens  of  Crawfordsville  and  western  Indiana,  that  even  now 
sen'e  as  eamples  well  worthy  of  emulation,  and  his  fellow  townsmen  are 
not  unappreciati\'e  of  these.  He  is  one  of  the  progressive  men  of  this  section 
of  the  state,  having  spent  his  life  in  his  native  county  of  Montgomery  where 
his  forebears  were  early  pioneers,  his  family  having  been  prominent  in  the 
growth  and  civilization  of  the  locality  for  the  past  three  quarters  of  a  century 
or  more.  He  has  done  much  toward  the  general  development  of  his  chosen 
city  and  has  won  and  retained  the  confidence  and  good  will  of  all  who  know 
him.  He  is  a  splendid  example  of  the  virile,  progressive,  self-made  man,  of 
keen  discernment  and  sound  judgment,  and  at  the  same  time  a  follower  of 
the  principles  embodied  in  the  Golden  Rule  in  all  his  relations  with  his  fellow 
men,  and  therefore  he  has  ever  enjoyed  their  confidence  and  good  will.  Thus 
for  many  reasons  the  name  of  Captain  Herron  is  eminently  deserving  of  per- 
petuation on  the  pages  of  this  history,  not  the  least  of  which  is  the  fact  that 
he  is  an  honored  veteran  of  the  greatest  civil  conflict  the  world  has  ever 
known,  for  none  of  our  citizens  could  wear  a  greater  badge  of  honor  than  the 
distinction  of  having  served  the  government  in  the  memorable  four  years  of 
war  between  the  states. 

Captain  Herron,  banker,  widely  known  business  man  and  enterprising 
citizen,  was  born  in  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  June  17,  1843,  ^^^'^  'S  a 
son  of  James  D.  and  Rebecca  (Young)  Herron.  The  father  was  born  on 
January  26,  1798  in  South  Carolina  and  at  an  early  age  removed  to  Ohio. 
In  1825  he  came  as  an  early  pioneer  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  and 
entered  land  from  the  government,  establishing  the  family  home  thereon,  and 
by  hard  work  developed  a  good  farm  and  became  a  very  influential  citizen 
among  the  early  pioneers,  and  here  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death  on 
October  21,  1874.  His  wife,  Rebecca  Young,  was  born  November  2,  1802, 
in  Ohio.  Her  parents  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  The  paternal  grand- 
parents of  the  Captain  were  Scotch  people  and  they  emigrated  to  America 
prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  the  grandfather  fought  in  that  conflict 
of  the  colonies  with  Great  Britain.  He  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  English 
and  was  held  by  them  for  a  period  of  two  years.  After  his  release  he  settled 
in  South  Carolina. 

Capt.  Herron  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  county  and  received  a  good 
education  in  the  common  school.  He  was  a  student  in  Wabash  College  when 
in  1862  he  laid  aside  his  text-books  and  espoused  the  Union  cause,  having 


MOXTGO.MERV    COrNTV.    IXDIANA.  i  20^ 

then  been  a  student  in  that  historic  institution  fur  a  period  of  three  years. 
He  enlisted  in  Company  B,  Seventy-second  Indiana  N'ohnitecr  Infantry,  hut 
after  the  battle  of  Stone's  River,  Tennessee,  he  was  transferred  t(j  W'ilder's 
Brigade  of  ^Mounted  Infantry  and  was  made  captain  of  his  company.  He 
participated  in  many  important  campaigns  and  hard-fought  battles,  pro\-ing, 
according  to  his  comrades,  to  l)e  a  faithful  and  fearless  soldier.  He  was 
severely  wounded  at  the  great  battle  of  Chickamauga,  by  a  piece  of  shell. 
He  was  also  wounded  in  tiie  engagement  at  Farmington,  Tennessee.  I'or 
a  period  of  six  months  and  during  \\'ilson's  raid  he  acted  as  major,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  war  was  made  a  provost  marshal  of  Macon,  Georgia,  his  division 
capturing  the  Confederate  President,  Jefiferson  Davis.  He  recalls  many 
interesting  reminiscences  of  his  military  career.  Thus  after  an  enxiable  rec- 
ord as  a  soldier  in  defense  of  the  stars  and  stripes  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged in  1865.  Mr.  Herron  is  a  member  of  McPherson  Post,  No.  7, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  a  Past  Senior  Vice  Commander  of  the 
Military  Order  of  the  Loyal  Legit)n,  Department  of  Indiana.  His  rough 
life  had  undermined  his  health,  and  for  a  period  of  three  years  thereafter  he 
resided  in  the  northwest,  which  at  that  time  was  very  little  developed,  and 
there  he  recuperated  his  energy.  Returning  to  Crawfordsville  in  1870  he 
engaged  as  a  bookkeeper  for  a  period  of  three  years.  In  1873  he  was  elected 
treasurer  of  Montgomery  county,  serving  with  satisfaction  to  the  people 
until  1875,  when  he  launched  out  into  a  business  career,  becoming  president 
of  the  local  gas  company.  His  success  as  a  business  man  has  been  contimious 
from-  that  time  until  the  present,  and  he  has  become  one  of  the  financially 
strong  men  in  this  section  of  the  state  and  is  widely  known  as  a  progressive 
and  alert,  broad-minded  man  of  affairs.  He  is  at  this  time  president  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Crawfordsville,  and  president  and  treasurer  of  the 
Wire  Nail  Company.  In  these  great  industries  he  has  been  the  principal 
motive  force,  his  able  management  and  wise  counsel  insuring  success,  and  a 
large  and  rapidly  growing  business  is  carried  on  in  each.  He  is,  at  the  pres- 
ent time,  secretary  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  State  School  for  the  Deaf, 
and  a  member  of  the  Military  Park  Commission.  Having  been  known  as  a 
man  of  exemplary  habits  from  his  youth  he  has  ever  enjoyed  the  confidence 
and  good  will  of  all  who  have  come  into  contact  with  him  and  is  uni\-ersally 
respected  as  a  business  man  and  citizen. 

Captain  Herron  was  married  on  January  20,  1875,  to  Ada  Patton,  a  lady 
of  culture  and  the  representative  of  an  excellent  family  of  Lafayette,  Indi- 
ana, of  which  she  was  a  native  and  where  she  grew  to  womanhood  and  re- 


I204  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

ceived  a  good  education.  This  union  has  been  blessed  by  the  birth  of  six 
children,  namely :  Charles,  who  is  a  captain  in  the  Twenty-third  United  States 
Infantry,  now  stationed  at  Fort  Benjamin  Harrison;  Jessie  is  the  wife  of 
J.  B.  Stutzman,  of  Washington,  D.  C. ;  William  P.,  Florence.  Fred  L.  and 
Austin  H. 

The  Captain  is  a  man  of  pleasing  personal  address,  unassuming,  chari- 
table and  obliging  in  his  impulses,  and  is  uniformly  courteous. 


EDGAR  ASHBY. 


That  "man  lives  not  to  himself  alone"  is  an  assurance  that  is  amply  veri- 
fied in  all  the  affairs  of  life,  but  its  pertinence  is  the  more  patent  in  those 
instances  where  persons  have  so  employed  their  inherent  talents,  so  improved 
their  opportunities  and  so  marshaled  their  forces  as  to  gain  prestige  which 
finds  its  angle  of  influence  ever  broadening  in  practical  beneficence  and  human 
helpfulness.  He  whose  productive  activities  are  directed  along  legitimate 
and  normal  lines  is  by  very  virtue  of  that  fact  exerting  a  force  which  con- 
serves human  progress  and  prosperity,  and  the  man  of  capacity  for  business 
afifairs  of  importance  finds  himself  an  involuntary  steward  upon  whom  de- 
volves large  responsibilities.  To  the  extent  that  he  appreciates  these  duties 
and  responsibilities  and  proves  faithful  in  his  stewardship  does  he  also  con- 
tribute to  the  well-being  of  the  world  in  which  he  moves.  One  of  the  men  of 
Montgomery  county  who  may  consistently  be  placed  in  the  category  of  those 
who  "do  things,"  essentially  a  man  of  affairs  in  the  truest  sense  of  the  term 
is  Edgar  Ashby,  of  Ladoga.  And  this  accomplishment  has  been  altogether 
worthy  in  all  the  lines  in  which  he  has  directed  his  energies.  As  a  man  of 
ability,  sturdy  integrity  and  usefulness,  and  as  a  citizen  representative  of  the 
utmost  loyalty  he  merits  consideration  by  his  fellow  men,  and  his  life  record 
is  deserving  of  a  place  in  this  publication,  which  touches  those  who  have  given 
to  and  sustained  the  material  and  civic  prosperity  and  precedence  of  Mont- 
gomery county,  tlius  rendering  it  one  of  the  foremost  in  the  Hoosier  com- 
monwealth. 

Edgar  Ashby  was  born  September  5,  1867,  two  miles  southeast  of 
Ladoga,  this  county.  He  is  a  son  of  Silas  F.  and  Ellen  (McNary)  Ashby 
.and  a  brother  of  Eugene  Ashby,  a  sketch  of  whom,  which  also  gives  the  par- 
.ents'  history,  is  found  on  other  pages  of  this  work. 

When  Edgar  Ashby  was  eleven  years  old  the  family  moved  into  the 


MOXTdO.MEKV    COLNTV,    INDIANA.  I  205 

village  of  Ladoga  and  there  lie  grew  to  nianiioud  and  attended  the  public 
schools,  later  he  was  a  student  in  Wabash  College  until  in  1888,  when  he 
returned  to  Ladoga  and  went  into  the  grocery  business  with  George  Reed 
with  whom  he  remained  two  years  liien  formed  a  iiartnersliip  with  Harxey 
Wilson  for  an  equal  length  of  time,  lie  then  went  to  Chicago  and  engaged 
in  the  produce  business,  later  in  the  real  estate  business,  remaining  there  for 
a  period  of  five  years,  then  returned  to  Ladoga  and  was  connected  with  the 
drygoods  firm  of  Kyle  &  Mayhall  for  a  year,  after  which  he  bought  the  cloth- 
ing store  of  Thomas  McGinnis  and  was  in  that  business  two  years  when  the 
building  was  destroyed  by  a  fire  that  started  in  Case's  furniture  store  on 
Hallowe'en  night,  in  1899.  The  stock  was  moved  across  the  street  into  vari- 
ous stores  and  afterwards  was  assembletl  in  the  room  east  of  the  li\ery  stable, 
now  occupied  by  Mclntire's  restaurant.  John  X.  llrown  who  was  then  run- 
ning a  shoe  store  here  went  into  partnership  with  Air.  .\shl)y.  uniting  the  two 
stocks  and  they  took  two  rooms  in  the  C'entral  I'.lock  and  were  there  f(_ir  fi\e 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  they  joined  with  the  Xew  ^'(irk  store  which 
handled  drv  goods  and  clothing  in  the  building  now  occupied  by  Bischofs' 
Store.  In  less  than  two  years  they  s(j1(1  out  the  stock  and  Mr.  .\shl)y  retired 
from  the  dry  goods  and  clothing  luisiness.  ha\ing  been  \ery  successful  as  a 
merchant  in  all  his  ventures. 

In  1903  the  Ladoga  Canning  Company  was  formed  while  Mr.  .\shl)y 
was  still  in  the  clothing  and  shoe  business.  He  took  a  leading  hand  in  the 
organization  and  was  elected  secretary  am\  treasurer  of  the  company.  The 
business  grew  under  his  able  counsel  and  management  anil  finally  occupied 
all  his  time  and  he  has  continued  to  hokl  these  positions  ever  since.  James 
Knox  was  president  of  the  company  and  among  the  stockholders  were  M.  M. 
Batcheldor,  now  an  attorney  at  Indianapolis:  Foster  M.  Scott,  George  W. 
Havens,  Harry  Daugherty,  and  Eugene  Ashby.  Mr.  Knox  died  in  1907 
and  his  wife  has  been  president  of  the  company  ever  since.  Messrs.  Scott 
and  Daugherty  sold  their  stock  to  the  remaining  stockholders  in  1905  and 
Eugene  C.  Ashby  and  George  W.  Havens  did  likewise  in  1907.  Mr.  Stout 
died  January  11,  1913,  leaving  Edgar  .\shhy  and  Mr.  Batcheldor  as  the  only 
two  original  stockholders.  In  1907  they  bought  the  plant  at  Brownsburg 
and  still  operate  it  with  great  success.  In  1909  they  purchased  the  Clay  City 
Packing  Company,  at  Clay  City,  Indiana,  which  they  still  run  on  a  large 
scale.  At  Ladoga  they  have  one  hundred  and  five  acres  of  valuable  land 
and  they  generallv  ha\e  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  acres  more  on  which  to 
raise  crops  to  can.     The  capital  stock  of  this  company  was  originally  six 


I206  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

thousand  dollars  and  the  first  year's  business  was  seventeen  thousand  one 
hundred  and  thirty-five  dollars,  but  it  has  now  grown  to  over  a  quarter  of 
a  million  dollars  annually.  Its  capital  stock  was  diminished  to  four  thousand 
dollars,  face  value,  when  the  old  stockholders  sold  out,  but  they  probably  do 
the  largest  business  on  that  amount  of  capital  stock  of  any  corporation  in 
Indiana.  Its  stock  is  certainly  not  "watered"  l)ut  kiln  dried.  The  output 
of  this  plant  is  enormous  and  its  goods  are  sent  all  over  the  United  States, 
from  Canada  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  from  New  York  to  Montana,  having 
big  markets  in  Terre  Haute,  St.  Louis  and  Milwaukee.  Owing  to  the 
superior  cjuality  of  their  goods  they  are  in  great  demand.  Their  plant  is 
ecjuipped  with  every  modern  device  for  high  grade  and  rapid  work,  and  dur- 
ing the  regular  canning  season  scores  of  people  are  employed. 

Mr,.  Ashby  is  not  a  politician,  but  he  takes  a  patriotic  pride  and  a  good 
citizen's  interest  in  public  affairs  and  in  1896  was  an  alternate  delegate  to  the 
national  convention  of  gold  Democrats  in  St.  Louis.  Fraternally,  he  belongs 
to  the  Masonic  Order,  having  attained  the  Knights  Templar  degree  in  the 
same;  he  belongs  to  the  Knights  Templars  at  Crawfordsville,  and  the  Blue 
Lodge  at  Ladoga.     He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

Mr.  Ashb}'  was  married  in  1891  to  Minnie  Kyle,  daughter  of  Silas  Kyle, 
a  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 


MAURICE  JOHN  LEE. 

The  biographies  of  successful  men  are  instructi\e  as  guides  and  incen- 
tives to  those  whose  careers  are  yet  to  be  achieved.  The  examples  they  fur- 
nish of  patient  purpose  and  consecutive  endeavor  strongly  illustrate  what  is 
in  the  power  of  each  to  accomplish,  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  histor}^  herewith  is,  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  of  endeavor  to  which  his  talents  and  energies  have  been 
devoted.  Mr.  Lee  is  one  of  the  best  known  business  men  of  Montgomery 
county,  where  he  has  resided  for  more  than  fifty  years,  during  which  period 
he  has  witnessed  a  great  material  development,  in  which  he  has  played  no  in- 
conspicuous part.     He  has  led  a  life  of  honor  and  has  shown  himself  to  be 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I207 

heartily  in  sympathy  with  all  movements  looking  toward  the  general  good  of 
his  locality,  and,  having  inherited  many  of  the  winning  personal  trails  uf 
his  sterling  ancestors  of  the  Keystone  state,  he  has  ever  enjo\'ed  the  good 
will  and  esteem  of  the  people  of  Montgomery  county. 

Maurice  John  Lee,  well  known  and  extensive  tile  manufacturer  of 
Crawfordsville,  was  Ijorn  in  Frankfort,  Kentucky,  l-"cbruary  17,  iN^^J,  and 
was  a  son  of  Alaurice  and  Cecelia  (Runey)  Lee.  These  parents  were  mar- 
ried in  Pennsylvania,  and  from  that  state  tJiey  removed  to  Kentucky,  where 
they  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives. 

Maurice  J.  Lee  grew  to  manhood  in  Kentucky,  and  there  received  his 
early  education.  He  remained  in  the  Blue  Grass  state  until  he  was  twenty- 
live  years  old,  coming  to  Montgomery  county  in  September,  1862,  and  soon 
thereafter  established  a  brick  factory  on  his  present  home  place,  and  soon 
had  built  up  a  good  business  in  this  line,  continuing  to  make  brick  until 
1870,  when  he  began  the  manufacture  of  drain  tile,  which  he  has  continued 
for  a  period  of  thirty-six  years,  supplying  tile  to  Montgomery  and  several 
surrounding  counties,  building  up  a  \eiy  large  and  lucrative  industr)-.  and 
becoming  one  of  the  financially  strong  men  of  the  community,  ranking 
among  our  leaders  in  a  business  way.  In  190J  he  nic^ved  his  factorv  to 
Colfax.  Indiana,  and  he  has  three  others  located  in  various  places,  all  of 
them  doing  a  thriving  business  under  his  able  and  energetic  management. 
He  has  two  large  kilns.  He  burns  about  seven  kilns  a  month,  during  nine 
months  of  the  year,  doing  an  annual  business  of  about  ten  thousand  dollars. 
He  has  lived  to  see  .the  tile  industry  grow  from  its  infancy  to  its  present 
gigantic  proportions  and  has  been  principally  responsible  for  this  growth  in 
this  part  of  the  Hoosier  state. 

Politically,  Mr..  Lee  is  a  Democrat,  and  w  bile  he  has  always  been  deeply 
interested  in  public  affairs  he  has  never  sought  public  office.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Catholic  church  and  faithful  in  his  sup]iort  of  the  same.  Fra- 
ternally, he  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus.       ' 

Mr.  Lee  was  married  in  Frankfort.  Kentuck\-.  on  .\pril  4,  1864.  to 
Margaret  Keenan,  a  native  of  Scotland,  from  which  country  she  emigrated 
to  the  United  States  when  four  years  of  age. 

To  our  subject  and  wife  one  child  has  been  born,  Henry  Keenan  Lee, 
who  lives  at  New  Richmond,  Indiana.  The  wife  and  mother  was  called  to 
her  rest  on  November  16.  1866.  On  January  29,  1870,  Mr.  Lee  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Katherine  .Mice  Crow,  a  daughter  of  Michael  and  Durothv 
(Beard)  Crow.     To  this  second  union  six  chiltlren  were  l)orn,  fnur  of  whom 


I208  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

are  still  lix-ing.  namely:  Walter  Jr>hn,  who  li\-es  in  Chicago;  Catherine 
Helen,  wife  of  Dr.  Chester  J.  Brittan ;  Maurice  J.,  who  lives  in  Colfax,  In- 
diana ;  and  Ruth  Beard,  who  is  at  home. 


ROBERT  D.  JEFFRIES. 

One  of  the  successful  agriculturists  of  Montgomer}'  county  who,  having 
accumulated  a  competency  by  his  years  of  strenuous  endeavor,  is  now  living 
in  honorable  retirement,  is  Robert  D.  Jefifries,  of  Crawfordsville.  He  is  a 
practical  farmer,  and  made  a  success  of  his  various  ventures,  his  well-tiled, 
fertile  fields  yielding  to  him  an  abundant  income  in  return  for  the  care  and 
attention  he  bestowed  upon  them.  He  has  been  enthusiastic  in  all  his  un- 
dertakings, and  has.  while  advancing  his  own  interests  never  neglected  his 
duties  as  a  citizen,  but  has  been  liberal  in  his  support  of  all  measures  making 
for  the  upbuilding  and  general  progress  of  Crawfordsville  and  Montgomery 
county,  and  he  is  esteemed  and  respected  by  all  who  know  him. 

Mr.  Jeffries  was  born  in  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  on  January  19,  1851 
He  is  a  son  of  Harvey  and  Melinda  (King)  Jefifries.  The  father  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  as  was  also  the  mother,  and  they  grew  to  maturity. 
were  educated  and  married  arid  in  the  year  1820  they  remo\ed  from -the 
"dark  and  bloody  ground"'  country  to  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  locating 
there  when  the  country  was  practically  a  wilderness  and  sparsely  settled, 
and  there  they  developed  a  home  from  the  virgin  country  by  hard  work  and 
close  application,  and  there  they  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives  successfully  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  pursuits. 

Ten  children  were  born  to  Harvey  Jeffries  and  wife,  namely :  William, 
George  and  Harriett  are  all  deceased:  John,  Elizabeth,  James,  Robert  D.,  of 
this  sketch,  Nanny,  Joseph,  and  Kate. 

The  death  of  the  father  of  the  above  named  children  occurred  on  the 
home  farm  in  Putnam  county  in  1907,  his  wife  ha^■ing  preceded  him  to  the 
grave  in  1903,  each  having  reached  advanced  ages. 

Robert  D.  Jeffries,  of  this  sketch,  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm 
in  Putnam  county,  and  there  he  worked  hard  when  a  boy.  During  the  win- 
ter months  he  attended  the  common  schools  in  his  neighborhood,  and  when 
a  young  man  he  took  up  farming  for  his  life  work  and  this  he  continued  to 
follow  with  e\-er  increasing  success  until  he  became  one  of  the  leading  gen- 
eral farmers  and  stock  raisers  in  this  part  of  the  country.     Accumulating  a 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY.    INDIANA.  1 209 

comfortable  competency  through  his  close  application  and  sound  judgment 
he  retired  from  the  active  duties  of  life  in  1912  and  removed  to  Craw- 
fordsville,  where  he  owns  a  pleasant  and  attractive  residence,  modernly  and 
neatly  furnished,  at  316  South  Green  street. 

Mr.  Jeffries  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  but  he  has  never  been  especially 
active  in  party  affairs  and  has  never  sought  or  held  public  office  of  any  kind. 
He  belongs  to  the  Horse  Thief  Detective  Association,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  at  Alamo. 

Mr.  Jeffries  was  married  on  February  8,  1875,  to  Harriet  P.  Ballard, 
the  daughter  of  William  S.  and  Patience  M.  (Brown)  Ballard.  (See  sketch 
of  Emmerson  Ballard.) 

Five  children  ha\e  been  born  to  Robert  D.  Jeffries  and  wife,  naniel\- : 
Prudv,  Patience,  deceased.  Charles,  Queen,  deceased,  and  Ina. 


M.   E.   FOLEY 


In  the  constant  and  laborious  struggle  for  an  honora])le  competence  and 
a  creditable  name  on  the  part  of  business  or  professional  men,  there  is  little 
to  attract  the  reader  in  search  of  a  sensational  chapter,  Init  to  a  mind  thor- 
oughly awake  to  tlie  true  meaning  of  life  and  its  res])onsil)ilities  there  are 
noble  and  imperishable  lessons  in  the  career  of  any  indi\idual  who  wins  a 
position  in  the  world's  aft'airs  through  individual  effort  and  persistence.  Such 
a  man  is  M.  E.  Foley,  a  native  of  Montgomery  county,  who  is  now  residing 
in  Indianapolis,  where  he  is  engaged  as  one  of  the  attorneys  of  the  Indian- 
apolis Traction  and  Terminal  Company  and  the  Terre  Haute,  Indianapolis 
&  Eastern  Traction  Company. 

Mr.  Foley  was  born  in  the  county  of  which  this  history  treats  on  Sep- 
tember 14,  1873.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Bridget  (Coleman)  b'oley,  both 
natives  of  Ireland,  the  date  of  the  father's  birth  being  1830,  and  that  of  the 
mother  in  1850.  The  former  passed  away  on  July  4,  191 2,  and  the  latter 
preceded  him  to  the  gra\e  on  February  14.  1897.  These  parents  came  to 
America  when  children,  and  here  they  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives.  They 
came  to  Crawfordsville,  arriving  here  on  Thanksgiving  day,  1872,  and  here 
established  the  permanent  home  of  the  family.  John  Foley  devoted  his  life 
to  farming.  Politically,  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  he  was  not  very  active  in 
public  affairs,  preferring  to  devote  his  attention  exclusively  to  his  large 
farming  interests.     He  became  the  owner  of  four  hundred  acres  of  \aluable 


I2IO  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

and  well  improved  land  near  Wingate,  Montgomer}-  county.  His  family 
consisted  of  seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  still'  living,  namely :  John  is 
deceased;  M.  E.,  of  this  sketch;  James,  William,  Andrew,  Charles,  and 
Frank  D.,  the  latter  being  deceased. 

M.  E.  Foley  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  county  and  here  recei\'ed  a 
common  school  education,  later  entering  Wabash  College,  from  which  lie  was 
graduated  with  the  class  of  1899.  Prior  to  that  he  taught  school  for  a  time 
in  Coal  Creek  township.  In  October,  1900,  he  entered  Columbia  University, 
New  York  City,  where  he  made  an  excellent  record  in  the  law  department. 
Returning  to  Craw  fords  ville  he  began  practicing  his  profession  with  Judge 
Thomas,  remaining  here  ten  years,  enjoying  a  growing  and  lucrative  prac- 
tice, and  taking  a  position  in  the  front  rank  of  the  Montgomery  county  bar. 
In  October,  1909,  he  accepted  an  offer  to  become  one  of  the  attorneys  .of  the 
Indianapolis  Traction  and  Terminal  Company  and  the  Terre  Haute.  Indian- 
apolis and  Eastern  Traction  Company.  He  removed  to  the  capital  city 
and  here  he  has  since  resided,  gi\ing  eminent  satisfaction  in  every  respect  in 
this  responsible  and  exacting  position.  He  has  remained  a  profound  student 
of  the  law  and  is  well  versed  in  all  its  phases,  having  kept  fully  abreast  of  the 
times  in  ex'ery  respect.  He  is  an  accurate,  painstaking  and  indefatigable 
worker. 

Mr.  Foley  was  married  on  December  25,  1902,  to  May  Cunningham, 
who  was  born  in  Crawfordsville,  on  December  20,  1883.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  C.  W.  and  Mary  (McMannus)  Cunningham,  the  father  a  native  of  Ire- 
land and  the  mother  of  Ohio.  Mrs.  Foley  is  a  lady  of  culture.  She  was 
graduated  from  St.  Mary"s-of-the-Woods,  near  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  in 
1901. 

To  our  subject  and  wife  one  child  has  been  born,  Helen,  whose  birth 
occurred  on  December  6,  1903;  she  is  now  in  school. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Foley  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men, 
the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur  and  the  Modern  Woodmen,  all  of  Crawfordsville ;  he 
also  belongs  to  the  Phi  Delta  Theta,  a  college  fraternity.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Catholic  church  in  Indianapolis.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat,  and 
has  been  more  or  less  active  in  the  ranks.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
State  Central  Committee  in  1906  and  again  in  1908.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Indiana  State  Prison.  He  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Maennerchor  Society.  Mrs.  Foley  is  also  a  member  of  St. 
Mary"s-of-the-Wood  Club. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


SAMUEL  WESLEY  FRALEY. 


The  student  interested  in  the  history  of  Montgomery  county  does  not 
have  to  carry  his  investigations  far  into  its  annals  before  learning  that 
Samuel  Wesley  Fraley  has  long  been  an  acti\e  and  leading  representative 
of  its  great  agricultural  interests  and  that  his  labors  have  proved  a  potent 
force  in  making  this  a  rich  farming  region.  Through  several  decades  he 
has  carried  on  diversified  farming  ami  stock  raising,  gradually  improving 
his  valuable  land,  and  while  he  has  prt)spered  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  hon- 
ored veterans  of  the  Union  army,  who,  when  the  tocsin  of  war  sounded  in 
the  nation's  greatest  crisis,  uncomplainingly  went  forth  to  defepd,  with  his 
life,  if  need  be,  the  honor  of  the  old  flag.  His  career  in  every  respect  has 
been  one  of  commendation  and  is  well  worthy  of  study  and  emulation  by  the 
young  men  of  the  locality  whose  fortunes  are  yet  matters  for  future  vears 
to  determine,  for  he  has  sought  to  live  a  life  of  public  spirit,  industry,  up- 
rightness and  one  that  would  be  devoid  of  ofifense  to  all. 

Mr.  Fraley  was  born  near  Linden,  Montgomery  county,  on  Januar\-  7, 
1848.  He  is  a  son  of  Charles  Washington  Fralex-  and  Sarah  Ann  E. 
(Ketchamj  Fraley.  The  father  was  borm  in  the  state  of  Ohio,  wlu'rc  he 
spent  his  earlier  days,  being  young  wdien  his  parents,  in  1824,  brought  him  to 
Indiana,  the  family  locating  near  West  Point,  Tippecanoe  county.  Here  the 
family  became  veiy  comfortably  established,  developed  a  good  farm  farm 
on  which  the  parents  and  Charles  W.  Fraley  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives,  the 
death  of  the  latter  occurring  in  January,  1861,  in  Illinois.  He  had  been  very 
successful  as  a  general  farmer,  was  a  hard  worker  and  a  pul)lic-spirited  citi- 
zen, who  became  well  and  favorably  known  throughout  that  vicinity.  Sarali 
Ann  Ketcham  was  a  daughter  of  ex-Judge  Aljsalom  Ketcham.  who  at  one 
time  owned  what  is  now  the  count}-  poor  farm,  and  a  prominent  man  in  the 
countv  in  his  day  and  generation,  a  leader  in  ])ublic  afifairs  and  successful  in 
business.  Sarah  Ann  Ketcham  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  was  a  mere  child 
when  she  accompanied  her  parents  to  this  section  of  the  Hoosier  state.  Here 
she  grew  to  womanhood  and  received  her  education. 

After  the  death  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Charles  W.  i''rale\-  remoxed  with 
her  children  to  Marshall  county,  bjwa,  where  she  spent  the  rest  of  her  life, 
dying  there  in  the  year  1863. 

Samuel  W.  Fraley,  of  this  sketch,  had  little  opportunity  to  obtain  an 


I2I2  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

education,  being  compelled  when  a  boy  to  work  hard  in  assisting  his  mother 
support  the  family,  but  this  deficiency  was  overcome  later  in  life  by  wide 
miscellaneous  home  reading,  books,  journals  and  newspapers.  After  the 
death  of  his  mother,  and  while  still  living  in  Iowa  he  entered  the  ser\'ice  of 
the  Federal  army  by  enlisting  on  January  i8,  1864,  in  Company  H,  Thir- 
teenth Iowa  Volunteer  Infantry,  in  which  he  served  very  faithfully  and  ac- 
ceptably until  the  regiment  was  mustered  out  on  July  21,  1865,  in  Louisville, 
Keutucky.  He  had  participated  in  many  engagements,  never  showing  the 
white  feather  in  any  of  them.  His  regiment  was  with  Sherman  in  his 
memorable  march  to  the  sea,  and  was  with  him  all  through  the  Carolinas, 
the  last  battle  our  subject  was  in  being  the  \'ictory  at  Bentonville,  North 
Carolina,  and  afterwards  he  was  in  the  grand  review  in  Washington  City,  in 
May,  1865. 

The  state  of  Iowa  sent  many  regiments  in  to  the  field  during  the  great 
war  of  the  Rebellion  and  without  an  exception  they  rendered  heroic  service 
and  reflected  great  honor  upon  the  commonwealth  and  among  them  all  the 
record  of  the  Thirteenth  Iowa  Infantry  Volunteers  stands  conspicuous.  None 
rendered  more  effectixe  or  important  service.  Those  of  future  generations 
who  can  trace  their  lineage  to  one  of  these  heroic  soldiers  may  justly  claim 
an  ancestry  that  has  no  superior  among  those  who  have  achieved  military 
fame  and  honor  in  anv  age  or  country.  Their  loyalty  and  devotion  and 
supreme  sacrifices  they  made  will  not  be  forgotten  while  true  patriotism  and 
brave  deeds  are  honored  among  men. 

Total  enrollment  was  one  thousand  se\en  hundred  and  eighty-eight, 
and  less  than  two  hundred  returned  home.  Taken  from  Iowa  roster  of  her 
soldiers. 

After  his  career  in  the  army  Mr.  Fraley  lived  in  Grundy  county,  Iowa, 
and  followed  farming  and  stock  raising  until  1872,  when  he  came  to  Mont- 
gomery county,  Indiana.  He  continued  general  farming  until  1888,  when 
he  purchased  his  present  farm  north  of  Crawfordsville.  Here  he  has  im- 
proved a  fine  farm  and  been  very  successful  as  a  general  agriculturist  and 
stock  raiser. 

In  the  local  post  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  Air.  Fraley  has 
long  been  very  prominent,  having  served  as  junior  vice  commander,  senior 
vice  commander  and  post  commander.  He  served  two  years  as  sergeant 
major  and  is  now  in  his  fourth  year  as  adjutant.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Hickory  Grove  Anti-Horse  Thief  Association,  having  been  secretary  of 
the  same  for  the  past  twenty  years.     Politically,  he  is  a  Republican.     He  is  a 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I213 

member  of  the  Christian  church,  holding  membership  with  the  congregation 
at  Young's  Chapel. 

On  February  jt,,  1S69,  Mr.  Fraley  was  married  to  Lydia  j.  Modlin, 
formerly  of  Blackford  county,  Indiana.  To  this  union  were  l)oni  Lillian  .\. 
Fraley  (West),  now  of  Kenatchee,  state  of  Washington;  I-Vank  I'".,  of 
Aurora,  Nebraska,  and  Bertie  E.,  of  Fulton,  Illinois.  In  1S73  Mr.  I'Valey 
was  divorced  from  Lydia  J.,  and  returned  to  Indiana,  where  he  has  since 
resided. 

Mr.  Fraley  was  married  on  June  14,  1877.  to  Mary  A.  Nicholson, 
a  daughter  of  Allan  T.  and  Rebecca  (Ketcham)  Nicholson.  The  father  was 
a  native  of  Ohio  and  the  mother  was  born  in  Kentucky.  Allan  Nicholson 
came  with  his  grandparents  to  Montgomer\-  county,  Indiana,  in  i8ri,  the 
family  locating  in  Union  township,  entering  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres 
from  the  government,  in  sections  19  and  20,  range  4  west,  and  of  this 
valuable  tract  our  subject  has  the  original  land  grant.  Members  of  the  above 
named  family  all  lived  and  died  on  this  land,  and  here  they  established  an 
excellent  home  through  their  industry,  and  were  highly  respected  through- 
out the  locality.  Mrs.  Fraley  is  directly  descended  from  Rex'olutionary 
stock. 

Five  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fraley,  two  of  whom 
are  now  living;  these  children  were  named  as  follows  Walter,  who  died 
when  five  months  old;  Freddie,  whose  death  occurred  when  ten  and  one- 
half  months  old;  Ada  L.  is  in  school  at  Bloomington.  Indiana;  Roy  A. is  a 
well  known  teacher,  and  is  at  this  writing  principal  of  the  schools  at  Pales- 
tine, Illinois;  Louis  Earl  died  when  twelve  years  of  age. 


GEORGE  D.  HURLEY. 

History  and  biography  for  the  most  part  reveal  the  lives  of  only  those 
who  have  attained  military,  political  or  literary  distinction,  or  who  in  any 
other  career  have  passed  through  extraordinary  vicissitudes  of  fortune.  The 
unostentatious  routine  of  private  life,  although  in  the  aggregate  more  im- 
portant to  the  welfare  of  the  community,  cannot,  from  its  very  nature,  figure 
in  the  public  annals.  But  the  names  of  men  who  have  distinguished  them- 
selves in  their  day  and  generation  for  the  possession,  in  an  eminent  degree, 
of   those   qualities   of   character   which    mainly   contribute   to   the    success   of 


I2I4  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

private  life  and  to  public  stabilit) — of  men  who,  without  extraordinary 
talents,  have  been  exemplary  in  all  their  personal  and  social  relations,  and 
enjoyed  the  esteem,  confidence  and  respect  of  those  around  them — ought  not 
to  be  allowed  to  perish.  Few  can  draw  rules  for  their  guidance  from  the 
pages  of  Socrates,  but  all  are  benefited  by  the  delineation  of  those  traits  of 
character  which  find  scope  and  exercise  in  the  common  walks  of  life.  Among 
the  indix'iduals  of  this  class  of  a  past  generation  in  Montgomery  county  was 
the  late  George  D.  Hurley.  His  record  is  the  account  of  a  life  which'  was,  in 
the  main,  eventful,  as  far  as  stirring  incidents  or  startling  adventure  is  con- 
cerned, yet  was  distinguished  by  the  most  substantial  qualities  of  character. 
His  life  history  exhibits  a  career  of  unswerving  integrity,  indefatigable 
private  industry  and  wholesome  home  and  social  relations — a  most  com- 
mendable character  crowned  with  success.  It  is  the  record  of  a  well  bal- 
anced mental  and  moral  constitution,  strongly  marked  by  those  traits  of 
character  which  are  of  special  value  in  such  a  state  of  society  as  exists  in 
this  country.  For  a  long  lapse  of  years  Mr.  Hurley  was  one  of  the  leading 
attorneys  at  the  bar  of  Montgomery  county,  a  man  who,  in  the  most  liberal 
acceptation  of  the  phrase,  was  the  architect  of  his  own  fortunes,  and  nobly 
entitled  to  be  termed  by  that  proud  American  title,  a  self-made  man,  worthy 
of  the  great  success  he  attained  as  a  lawyer  and  the  high  esteem  in  which 
he  was  universally  held,  and  although  he  has  been  summoned  to  close  his 
earthly  accounts  and  take  up  his  labors  on  a  higher  plane  of  endeavor,  his 
memory  is  deeply  revered  by  a  wide  circle  of  friends. 

Mr.  Hurley  was  born  on  December  3,  1833,  at  New  Albany,  Indiana. 
He  was  a  son  of  John  and  Hannah  Hurley.  The  father  was  a  shipwright 
by  trade,  and  he  spent  his  early  life  in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  from  which 
city  he  came  to  New  Albany,  Indiana,  after  his  marriage  in  the  East;  how- 
ever, he  and  his  wife  remained  in  Baltimore  until  their  eldest  child  was 
born.  After  remaining  in  New  AlbaYiy  for  perhaps  a  decade,  where  the 
elder  Hurley  found  plenty  of  work  to  do,  that  being  a  great  boat  building 
center  in  those  days,  they  moved  to  Montgomery  county,  in  the  year  1838, 
and  here  began  life  in  typical  pioneer  fashion. 

Four  children  were  born  to  John  Hurley  and  wife,  namely:  Isabelle, 
George  D,.  our  subject,  Mary,  and  one  other.     They  are  all  deceased. 

George  D.  Hurley  was  five  years  old  when  his  parents  brought  him  to 
Montgomery  county,  and  here  he  grew  to  manhood  and  received  his  primary 
education,  later  studied  at  Wabash  College,  and  finally  in  a  commercial 
school   at   Cincinnati,   Ohio,   and   in   Lafayette,    Indiana,   he   began   life    for 


MOXTGO.MliKV    COlNT'i-,     IXDIAXA.  IJI3 

himself  In-  clerking  in  a  ilry  goods  store,  hut  not  taking  knidly  to  a  com- 
mercial life,  he  began  studying  law,  this  being  his  true  bent,  lie  read  under 
Samuel  Wilson  at  Crawfordsville,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Mont- 
gomery county  when  a  young  man  and  here  he  remained  in  acti\e  practice, 
maintaining  an  office  in  Crawfordsville  the  rest  of  his  life,  enjoying  a  wide 
and  lucrative  clientage,  in  due  course  of  time  taking  his  place  in  the  front 
rank  at  the  bar  and  figuring  prominently  in  the  important  cases  in  local 
courts  for  a  number  of  decades,  justly  ranking  among  the  leading  lawyers 
of  western  Indiana.  He  was  a  great  student  and  kept  up  with  the  progress 
of  his  profession  in  all  its  phases,  being  well  grounded  in  the  basic  principles 
of  jurisprudence  as  well  as  the  statutes  of  Indiana,  and  he  was  painstaking, 
persistent  and  was  an  excellent  pleader.  He  devoted  his  life  to  his  law 
work,  ignoring  political  and  other  aspirations,  althougli  well  i|ualifie<l  and 
often  urged  to  accept  public  ofifice. 

Mr.  Hurley  was  married  on  October  i8,  1855,  to  Frances  R.  Galey, 
who  was  born  on  October  8,  1835,  in  Crawfordsville.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  William  W.  and  Lucy  (Wilhite)  Galey,  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of 
Montgomery  county.  Her  father  was  born  on  August  21,  1803,  in  Shelby 
county,  Kentucky,  and  Lucy  Wilhite  was  born  on  Deceml:)er  18,  1809,  near 
Louisville,  Kentucky,  in  Oldham  county.  These  parents  grew  to  maturity  in 
the  Blue  Grass  state  and  were  married  there,  and  not  long  afterwards  moved 
to  Crawfordsville,  Indiana.  William  Galey  worked  on  the  farm  until  he 
was  seventeen  years  old,  when  he  took  up  tailoring,  engaging  in  that  business 
in  Crawfordsville  until  1854,  enjoying  an  extensive  trade,  then  returned  to 
farming.  His  death  occurred  on  March  27,  1871,  having  outlived  his  wife 
many  years,  she  having  passed  away  in  September,  1854. 

Six  children  were  born  to  William  Galey.  and  wife,  two  of  whom  are 
living.  They  were  named,  William  L.,  deceased:  Francis  R.,  who  married 
Mr.  Hurley,  of  this  memoir;  B.  V.,  born  on  December  14.  1833,  is  living 
in  Crawfordsville:  Milton  H.,  deceased:  Virgil  deceased:  Louise  is  living. 

Mrs.  Frances  R.  Hurley  grew  to  womanhood  in  Crawfordsville  and 
received  a  cornmon  school  education  here,  and  her  death  occurred  on  August 
16,   1Q07. 

Four  children  were  born  to  George  D.  Hurley  and  wife,  two  of  whom 
are  deceased,  namely  Lucy  H..  born  December  i.  1856.  died  in  September, 
1908:  John  W^,  born  August  i,  i860:  Belle,  born  May  4,  1858,  deceased; 
F.  W.,  born  November  10,  1868. 

Politicallv.  Air.  Hurlev  was  a  Democrat,  and  while  he  was  loval  in  his 


12 16  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

support  of  the  party  he  was  not,  as  before  intimated,  in  any  respect  a  poli- 
tician.    Religiously,  he  belonged  to  the  Episcopal  church. 

The  death  of  George  D.  Hurley  occurred  on  April  29,  1906,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-three  rears. 


M.  E.  EDWARDS. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  man  of  worthy  prestige  among  the  farmers 
and  stock  men  of  Montgomery  county,  and  it  is  with  satisfaction  and  pleas- 
ure that  the  biographer  gives  to  the  public  the  outline  of  his  industrious  and 
successful  life  and  career.  Mr.  Edwards  has  always  been  a  man  of  honesty 
ih  his  dealings  with  his  fellows,  and  his  intercourse  with  the  stock  men  of  the 
state  and  country,  despite  the  temptations  in  that  vocation,  has  always  been 
conducted  by  hard  and  fast  rules  of  integrity.  He  has  been  very  successful  in 
a  material  way,  due  to  his  w  ise  and  cautious  dealings  with  the  market  and  the 
public.  Mr.  Edwards  is  very  generous  when  a  worthy  cause  is  involved,  and 
no  one  is  more  willing  to  contribute  for  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  the 
county  and  community  in  which  he  lives. 

M.  E.  Edwards  was  born  in  Union  township,  Montgomery  county,  on 
June  12,  1866,  being  the  son  of  Curtis  and  Jane  (Ward)  Edwards.  Curtis 
Edwards  was  born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  in  1822,  and  the  mother  was  born 
in  Union  county,  Indiana,  in  1826.  Mr.  Edwards  was  a  stock  dealer  and 
farmer,  and  in  1835  came  to  Union  township,  Montgomery  county,  Indiana. 
In  his  early  life  he  was  educated  in  the  old  log  cabin  schools,  which  was  the 
best  afforded  in  those  days. 

Eight  children  were  born  to  the  union  of  Curtis  Edwards  and  wife, 
namely :  W.  F.,  living  at  Holdrege,  Nebraska ;  Mrs.  Louisa  Hale,  of  Whites- 
ville,  this  county ;  Mrs.  Lydia  Linn,  deceased :  Sarah  and  Martha,  both  de- 
ceased;  Mrs.  Rella  Hobson,  deceased;  M.  E.,  our  subject,  and  one  child  who 
died  in  infancy.  Curtis  Edwards  was  a  Republican  politically,  and  was  a 
trustee  of  Walnut  township.  He  was  active  in  the  affairs  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  held  all  offices.  He  belonged  to  the  Masonic  Order 
at  Crawfordsville.  Curtis  Edward's  father,  our  subject's  grandfather,  was 
Charles  Edwards,  who  came  to  this  county  in  1835  and  settled  in  the  woods, 
which  was  inhabited  with  nothing  but  Indians  and  wild  animals. 

Our  subject  received  his  early  education  in  the  common  schools  and  then 
attended  business  college  at  Ladoga,  Indiana.  For  a  period  of  two  years  he 
attended  the  Ladoga  Normal,  and  then  took  up  farming  and  extensive  live 


M.  E.  EDWARDS 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I217 

Stock  dealing.  He  huys  and  sells  cattle,  hogs  and  sheep,  and  ships  them 
principally  to  Indianapolis,  and  is  one  of  the  largest  shippers  tn  that  market. 
His  shipments  amount  to  nearly  two  hundred  carloads  yearly.  Mr.  iulvvards 
owns  thirty  acres  of  valuahle  land  at  Mace.  Indiana,  where  he  is  living  at  the 
present   time. 

Mr.  Edwards  was  married  in  1887  to  Ida  Cash,  the  daughter  of  Warren 
and  Catherine  (Dnvall)  Cash.  Both  parents  came  to  this  county  from  Ken- 
tucky in  an  early  day,  settling  tirst  in  Putnam  county  about  the  year  1847. 
They  followed  farming  practically  all  of  their  lives.  To  the  union  of  Mr. 
Edwards  and  wife  two  children  have  l)een  born,  namely:  Oliver  C.  married 
Beulah  Frances  Stewart,  and  lives  in  Mace;  and  Gladys,  who  lives  with  her 
parents. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Edwards  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Tribe 
Ben-Hur.  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America.  He  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  has  held  all 
offices,  including  the  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school. 


SAMUEL  H.  GREGG. 

The  late  Samuel  H.  Gregg,  for  many  years  engaged  in  business  in 
Cravvfordsville,  led  a  life  so  consistent  with  high  ideals  as  to  recommend 
him  to  the  favorable  consideration  of  the  people  of  Montgomery  county, 
where  he  maintained  his  residence  for  many  decades,  and  was  regarded  as  a 
public  benefactor. 

Air.  Gregg  was  born  in  this  county  on  June  i  i,  1827.  on  a  farm,  being 
thus  a  pioneer  child,  and  he  grew  up  amid  primitive  conditions  and  was 
therefore  not  a  stranger  to  the  hard  work  of  developing  the  home  farm. 
He  recei\ed  the  usual  education  in  the  common  schools.  He  continued 
farming  until  he  was  twenty- four  years  old,  when  he  came  to  Crawfords- 
ville,  becoming  one  of  its  early  business  men.  He  was  a  partner  in  the  first 
hardware  store  ever  established  in  this  city.  He  was  successful  in  a  finan- 
cial way  and  soon  had  a  good  home  here,  and  he  did  much  for  the  early 
development  of  the  city.  He  was  the  founder  of  the  Indiana  Wire  Fence 
Companv,  manufacturers  of  barbed  wire  fence.  He  was  an  active  member 
of  the  Methodist  church.  Here  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  deatlj  oc- 
curring on  May  27,  1900. 

In  1847  Samuel  H.  Gregg  married  Saraii  L.  Christman,  who  was  also 


I2I»  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

a  native  of  Montgomery  county,  and  here  her  death  occurred  in  1861.  To 
this  union  one  son  was  born,  Orplieus  M.  Gregg,  who  is  still  living  in  Craw- 
fordsville,  and  of  whom  a  sketch  appears  on  other  pages  of  this  volume. 

On  December  15,  1870,  Mr.  Gregg  was  again  married,  his  last  wife 
being  Sarah  M.  Munns,  a  daughter  of  George  and  Anna  (Shanklin)  Munns. 
She  was  born  in  Union  township,  this  county.  May  13,  1840.  George 
Munns  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  his  birth  having  occurred  there  on  January 
I,  181 3,  and  from  there  he  came  to  Montogmery  county,  Indiana,  when  a 
small  child,  the  family  locating  here  when  this  county  was  a  vast,  unimproved 
wilderness.  When  he  grew  older  he  assisted  in  clearing  the  land,  on  which 
the  family  located  and  he  continued  farming  in  this  locality  all  his  life,  be- 
coming very  successful  with  advancing  years  and  was  well  known,  influential 
and  highly  respected  by  all  who  knew  him,  and  here  his  death  occurred  on 
May  8,  1877. 

Anna  Shanklin,  wife  of  George  Munns,  was  a  daughter  of  Andrew 
and  Sarah  (Crooks)  Shanklin,  who  were  also  pioneers  in  this  section  of  the 
great  Wabash  Valley  country.  She  was  born  on  October  30,  181 5,  and  she 
reached  the  remarkable  age  of  ninety-four  years,  passing  to  her  eternal  rest 
in  1909.  She  was  a  woman  of  extraordinary  attributes,  an  exceptionally 
strong  and  lovable  character.  She  transacted  all  her  own  business  until  the 
last.  George  Munns  was  a  very  successful  farmer  and  stock  raiser.  He 
managed  the  home  place,  on  which  he  li\-ed.  until  his  remo\al  to  Crawfords- 
ville,  about  ten  or  tweh'e  years  before  his  death. 

Three  children  were  born  to  George  Munns  and  wife,  namely:  Minnie 
is  the  wife  of  Samuel  Austin,  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Craw- 
fordsville:  Sarah,  who  married  Samuel  H.  Gregg,  of  this  memoir;  Anna 
married  A.  C.  Austin,  a  successful  and  well  known  business  man. 

George  Munns  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  religiously  belonged 
to  the  Baptist  church. 

The  union  of  Samuel  H.  Gregg  and  his  second  wife  was  blessed  by  the 
birth  of  one  son,  George  Munns  Gregg.  He  was  born  May  20,  1875,  ^"^ 
his  death  occurred  on  November  14,  1896.  He  was  a  young  man  of  brilliant 
intellect  arid  great  promise,  was  liked  by  all  who  knew  him,  esteemed  for  his 
genial  and  gentlemanly  personality.  He  married  Jessie  Cofifman,  of  Cham- 
paign, Illinois. 

Mrs.  Gregg  is  a  worthy  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
She  is  a  lady  of  many  admirable  characteristics  and  has  long  been  popular 
with  a  wide  circle  of  friends. 


MONTGOMERY    COCNTV.    INDIANA.  I2I9 

WILLIAM  JAMES  MILES. 

The  successful  busiuess  and  public  career  of  William  James  Miles,  re- 
tired farmer  of  New  Market,  Montgomer\-  county,  has  been  largely  due  to 
his  inborn  sturdiness  and  energy,  a  legacy  from  Kentucky  ancestry,  and  the 
excellent  schooling"  of  his  boyhood  days  on  the  home  farm — where  none  who 
fear  hard  toil  can  ever  succeed.  He  proved  himself  to  be  a  scientific  agri- 
culturist, keeping  abreast  of  the  times  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  his  calling, 
and  by  judicious  cultivation  succeeded  in  obtaining  the  largest  results  from 
the  labor  expended,  and  he  ac(|uired  a  comfortable  competency,  ranking  with 
the  well-to-do  farmers  of  this  part  of  the  county.  Devoting  himself  assidu- 
ously to  his  business  interests,  he  has,  howe\-er,  found  time  to  take  part  in 
public  affairs,  and  has  filled  most  acceptably  positions  of  trust  and  responsi- 
bility. He  is  public  spirited  and  ever  ready  and  willing  to  encourage  or  aid 
every  good  and  laudable  enterprise.  He  comes  of  sturdy  and  wholesome 
ancestry,  and  inherits  in  a  marked  degree  many  of  the  sterling  attributes 
for  which  they  were  noted. 

Mr.  Miles  was  born  in  Brown  township,  Montgomery  countw  on  April 
2.  1848.  He  is  a  son  of  Franklin  and  I-iebecca  (Davis)  Miles,  both  natives 
of  Kentucky,  the  father's  birth  occurring  on  October  7,  1825,  and  he  died  in 
October,  1853.  while  .still  a  young  man;  the  mother  was  born  on  March  5, 
1825,  and  passed  away  on  May  2,  1855,  when  also  young.  l'"ranklin  Miles 
devoted  his  life  to  farming.  He  moved  to  Iowa  a  few  years  prior  to  his 
death.  Five  children  constituted  his  family,  all  now  deceased  but  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  namely  John,  born  January  4,  1847;  William  James,  of 
this  review;  Jefferson  M.,  born  November  22,  1849:  Scott,  born  .Vpril  7. 
.1851;  Thomas  F.,  born  December.  1852,  died  in  1875. 

William  J.  Miles  grew  up  on  the  farm,  and  he  received  a  common 
school  education,  later  attending  the  seminary  at  Ladoga,  then  began  teach- 
ing, which  occupation  he  followed  several  years  with  success.  He  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  stock  raising  from  1867  to  the  fall  of  1908,  when  he 
removed  to  New  Market,  having  Ijeen  elected  to  the  ofifice  of  county  com- 
missioner, which  position  he  held  for  two  terms  or  six  years,  from  1905  to 
191 1,  inclusive.  He  was  also  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  period  of  sixteen 
years,  and  was  supervisor  for  some  time.  .\s  a  public  servant  he  gave  the 
utmost  satisfaction,  being  an  unbiased,  honest  and  conscientious  gentleman, 
and  he  won  the  hearty  approval  of  all  concerned. 

Mr.  Miles  was  married  on  February  2?,.   1869,  to  Mar_\-  Easley.  daugh- 


1220  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

ter  of  J.  W.  and  Lucinda  J.  ^(Vancleve)  jEasley,  early  settlers  of  this  count}. 
Daniel  Easley.  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Miles,  was  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers 
in  this  locality. 

One  child  was  born  to  the  union  of  our  subject  and  wife,  Alice,  born 
March  21,  1S70,  died  November  25,  1882.  The  wife  and  mother  passed 
away  on  August  27,  1910,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years,  her  birth  having 
occurred  on  March  6,  1847. 

,  Politically,  Mr.  Miles  is  a  Republican  and  has  been  influential  in  local 
party  affairs.  Religiously,  he  belongs  to  the  Baptist  church,  and  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Freedom  church  for  forty-nine  years,  served  as  clerk  thirty- 
five  years,  was  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  for  about  thirty  years, 
and  has  served  as  a  deacon  for  nearly  forty  years. 


JOHN  W.  REMLEY. 


In  the  history  of  every  community  there  are  individuals  who  become  so 
identified  with  its  growth  that  no  article  which  pertains  to  its  prosperity  is 
complete  unless  they  are  represented  therein.  Such  is  the  case  in  the  person 
of  John  W.  Remley,  who  has  been  closely  associated  with  the  affairs  of  the 
western  part  of  Montgomery  county  for  many  decades,  and  who  is  deserving 
of  rank  among  the  most  enterprising  agriculturists  of  Wayne  township. 

Mr.  Remley  was  born  in  the  township  and  county  mentioned  in  the 
preceding  paragraph  on  December  8,  1867,  and  here  he  has  been  content  to 
spend  his  life.  He  is  a  son  of  William  F.  and  Susan  (Stout)  Remley.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  this  county  also.  John  Remley,  the  paternal  grand- 
father, was  a  native  of  Ohio.  The  Remley  family  came  to  this  county  in  an 
early  day  and  they  have  always  been  well  known  and  prosperous  agricul- 
turists here.  A  fuller  account  of  this  family  will  be  found  on  another  page 
of  this  work. 

William  F.  Remley  received  his  education  in  the  district  schools  of  his 
native  community.  In  the  early  sixties  he  volunteered  in  the  service  of  his 
country,  joining  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fifth  Indiana  Regiment  under 
General  Burnsides.  After  returning  home  he  took  up  farming  for  his  occu- 
pation, which  he  followed  successfully  until  1904,  when  he  left  the  farm  and 
moved  to  Crawfordsville,  where  he  lived  retired  until  his  death,  in  1905,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  The  mother  of  our  sul^ject  is  still  living  at  the 
family  residence  at  Crawfordsville. 


MONTGOMERY' COUNTY,    INDIANA.  :122I 

Four  children  were  born  to  William  F.  Remiey  and  wite.  named  as  fol- 
lows John  W.,  of  this  review,  being  the  eldest :  Berfjamin  Franklin;  Ira  C; 
and  Grace,  who  married  Adrian  TinkhairijOf  Crawfordsville. 

John  W.  Remiey  grew  to  manliood  on  the  home  farm  and  there  did  his 
share  of  the  work  wiien  a  boy  and  he  received  a  good  common  school  edu- 
cation. On  Deceinber  23,  1888,  he  ^\as  united  in  marriage  to  Etta  May 
^uick,  daughter  of  Jackson  Quick  and  wife.  Her  father  was  a  native  of 
JMew  York,  from  which  state  he  came  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  in  an 
early  day  and  here  became  very  comfortably  established  through  his  indus- 
try. He  was  married  to  Nancy  Ann  Shanklih,  October  4,  1853.  There 
being  no  railroads  in  that  day  he  drove  across  the  country  to  the  state  of 
Iowa  in  a  covered  wagon  for  his  bride  and  was  four  weeks  on  the  road 
going  and  returning. 

Two  children  have  been  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  namely:  W.  0. 
Vern  and  Dorothy  Ester. 

Mr.  Remiey  is  the  owner  of  a  finely  impro\'ed  and  productixe  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  in  Wayne  township,  and  here  he  carries  on  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock  raising. 

Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  P\'thias.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  church,  and  is  a  steward  in  the  same.  He  has  been  superin- 
tendent in  the  Sunday  school  for  a  period  of  five  years.  His  worthy  father 
before  him  was  also  a  church  and  Sunday  school  worker,  and  was  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sunday  school  for  a  period  of  sixteen  years. 

Mr.  Remiey  is  a  director  of  the  Waynetown  State  Bank,  also  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Montgomery  County  Agricultural  Association.  Also  a.  director 
of  the  Better  Farming  Association,  and  a  member  of  the  Wesley  Horse 
Thief  Detective  Association. 


ALARIC  M.  SMITH. 


There  are  several  business  concerns  in  the  city  of  Crawfordsville  that 
are  not  only  thoroughly  typical  of  the  comprehensive  growth  and  increasing 
importance  of  the  place,  but  also  distinctly  a  source  of  public  pride,  delinea- 
ting as  they  do  the  general  business  enterprise  and  commercial  sagacity  of 
some  of  our  leading  citizens.  Such  a  concern  is  the  Journal  Printing  Com- 
pany, owned  and  successfully  managed  by  Alaric  M.  Smith,  one  of  the  most 
thorough  going,  and  enterprising  men  in  Montgomen.^  county. 


1222  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Mr.  Smith  was  born  on  November  9.  1859  in  Fayette  county,  Indiana. 
He  is  a  son  of  Mirick  S.  and  Lucinda  (Hankins)  Smith.  The  father  was 
born  January  20,  1837,  near  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  his  death  occurred  on 
August  II,  1906.  The  mother  was  born  on  March  2,  1839,  also  near  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  and  she  is  still  living.  These  parents  grew  to  maturity,  were 
educated  and  married  in  their  native  community.  Mirick  S.  Smith  was  a 
painter  by  trade.  He  came  to  Fayette  county,  Indiana,  soon  after  his  mar- 
riage, and  from  there  moved  to  Crawfordsville  May  4,  1869  and  here  spent 
the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  taking  an  active  part  in  fraternal  affairs. 
He  was  the  first  marshal  that  was  ever  elected  outside  of  the  whisky  ring  in 
Crawfordsville.  Politically,  he  was  a  loyal  Republican,  and  religiously  be- 
longed to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  His  family  consisted  of  two  chil- 
dren, our  subject  alone  surviving. 

Alaric  M.  Smith  received  a  common  school  education.  On  December 
zj,  1882,  he  married  Prarie  Smith,  who  was  born  in  West  Virginia,  Febru- 
ary 7.  1S59.     She  received  a  common  school  education. 

To  our  subject  and  wife  three  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Mrs. 
R.  P.  (Vera)  Youngman,  and  they  live  in  Crawfordsville;  Ethel  A.,  and 
Charles  V. 

Mr.  Smith  started  out  in  life  as  a  printer  in  Crawfordsville,  serving  an 
apprenticeship.  Taking  charge  of  The  Crazvfordyi'ille  Journal  printing  de- 
partment in  1880,  he  continued  the  management  of  the  same  until  in  October, 
1901,  the  business  growing  rapidly  in  the  meantime.  Mr.  Smith  at  that  time 
purchased  the  job  department  of  The  Journal  Company,  which  he  has  con- 
tinued to  operate  to  the  present  time  with  gratifying  results,  increasing  the 
plant  in  all  lines  until  it  is  today  one  of  the  best  equipped  and  modem  in  west- 
ern Indiana.  An  addition  of  five  thousand  and  five  hundred  feet  floor  space 
was  added  only  recently.  This  increased  floor  space  gives  plenty  of  room 
for  the  up-to-date  presses  and  typesetting  machines.  All  the  machinery  is 
operated  by  electricity  with  individual  motors  on  each  machine.  Prompt  and 
high-grade  work  is  the  watchword  here,  and  large  jobs  are  constantly  turned 
out,  work  coming,  frequently,  from  remote  parts  of  the  country.  This  great 
increase  has  been  due  to  the  able  management  of  Mr.  Smith.  He  is  also 
secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Indiana  Match  Corporation  whose  plant  is 
located  in  Crawfordsville,  and  he  has  done  much  toward  increasing  its 
prestige  and  making  it  a  pronounced  success. 

Mr.  Smith  has  long  been  active  in  public  affairs,  and  has  the  interest 


MDXTGOMERY    COCXTY.    INDIANA.  1223 

of  his  city  and  county  at  lieart.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Commercial  Club 
and  was  president  of  the  same  for  a  i)erio(l  of  two  years,  roliticaliy,  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  fraternally  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  he  is  one  of  the  original  members  of 
the  Tribe  of  Een-Hur. 


SAMUEL  D.  STONER. 

The  name  of  Samuel  D.  Stoner  needs  no  formal  introduction  to  the 
people  of  Alontgomery  county,  for  here  he  has  spent  his  life,  engaged  in  the 
ministry'  of  -the  German  Baptist  Brethren  church  and  in  general  agricultural 
pursuits.  Samuel  D.  Stoner  was  bom  on  a  farm  where  he  now  resides,  in 
Section  21,  Clark  township,  this  county,  on  July  24,  1856,  and  is  a  son  of 
David  Stoner,  who  was  born  May  25,  1806,  in  Virginia,  and  was  a  son  of 
Jacob  Stoner,  a  native  of  Maryland,  and  he  in  turn  was  a  son  of  Jacob  Stoner 
who  went  from  Pennsylvania  to  Maryland.  Jacob  Stoner  was  reared  in  his 
native  state  and  there  married  Catherine  Albaugh,  who  was  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia. Jacob  Stoner  established  his  permanent  home  in  Botetourt  county, 
Virginia,  and  there  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  twice  married, 
his  first  wife  dying  in  early  life,  and  on  November  2,  1820,  he  married  Bar- 
bara Garst.  To  the  first  union  eight  children  were  born,  and  nine  to  the 
second,  making  thus  a  large  family  of  seventeen  children.  David  Stoner 
grew  to  manhood  in  Botetourt  county,  Virginia,  and  there  received  his  edu- 
cation. It  was  in  1831  that  he  emigrated  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana, 
and  entered  eighty  acres  in  section  12  and  13,  and  in  1837  he  settled  here 
permanently. 

Samuel  D.  Stoner  was  reared  on  the  (jld  homestead,  and  recei\ed  his 
education  in  the  public  schools,  later  entering  Ashland  College  in  Ohio,  and 
finished  at  Ladoga,  Indiana. 

Mr.  Stoner  was  married  on  Septemljer  30,  1884,  to  Lina  Xorris.  a 
daughter  of  Edward  O.  Xorris,  who  was  born  in  Harford  county.  Mary- 
land, in  1813,  there  spent  his  life  and  died  in  1872.  Mrs.  Stoner  was  als(j  a 
native  of  that  state,  the  date  of  her  birth  I)eing  December  15,  i860:  there 
she  grew  to  womanhood,  received  her  education  and  was  married,  but  soon 
thereafter  she  and  Mr.  Stoner  took  up  their  alx)de  in  the  old  home  here, 
where  they  have  since  resided.  To  this  union  eight  children  ha\e  been  bom. 
narnely :  Alary  Christina,  David  L.,  Emma  Rowena,  Edward  Xorris,  Paul 
Deardrofif,  John  Edgar,  Benjamin  Oliver,  and  Joseph  Warren. 


,1224  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Mr.  Stoner  is  a  minister  in  the  German  Baptist  Brethren  church,  lidd- 
ing membership  with  the  Raccoon  Creek  congregation,  of  which  he  was 
elected  minister  October  2,  1890.  Mrs.  Stoner  is  also  a  member  of  the 
above  named  church.     Politically,  Mr.  Stoner  is  a  Prohibitionist. 


ISAAC  RICE. 


Although,  Isaac  Rice,  farmer  of  Brown  township,  in  the  Brown's  Val- 
ley country,  has  spent  the  major  portion  of  his  life  in  Fountain  county,  he 
has  become  well  known  and  has  made  many  close  friend?. since  taking  up  his 
residence  in  Montgomery  county,  for  he  has  shown  himself  to  be  neighborly, 
hospitable,  energetic  and  public  spirited,  a  good  man  for  any  neighborhood ; 
in  fact,  every  community  wants  such  new-comers ;  and  the  reason  is  plain  to 
be  seen. 

Mr.  Rice  was  born  in  Fountain  county,  Indiana,  on  April  19,  1854; 
there  he  grew  to  manhood  and  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools 
and  there  he  resided  continuously  for  a  period  of  forty-one  years,  removing 
to  Montgomery  county  in  1895,  locating  at  the  town  of  Linden,  where  he 
lived  seven  years,  then  moved  to  Brown  township,  where  he  still  resides. 

He  is  a  son  of  "Boney"  and  Narcissus  (McCoIlins)  Rice.  The  father 
was  bom  in  Fountain  county,  Indiana,  and  there  he  spent  his  life  engaged 
in  farming,  staying  close  to  his  work  and  taking  little  part  in  public  affairs, 
although  he  was  a  stanch  Democrat.  His  death  occurred  on  February  11, 
1876.  His  wife  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and  her  death  occurred  in  Fountain 
county.  They  were  good,  honest  people.  They  were  the  parents  of  four- 
teen children,  seven  of  whom  are  still  living. 

Isaac  Jiice  was  married  on  December  31,  1876,  to  Florence  Parrent, 
who  was  born  in  Fountain  county,  this  state,  on  January  i,  1856.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Ellen  (Stephens)  Parrent,  a  highly  respected 
family. 

Five  children  have  been  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  three  of  whom 
are  still  living,  namely :    Elva,  Mabel  and  Clare. 

Mr.  Rice  has  always  engaged  in  fanning,  and  his  efforts  have  been 
crowned  with  success.  He  has  made  a  specialty  of  raising  spotted  Poland- 
China  hogs,  also  draft  road  horses,  also  raised  Barred  Plymouth  Rock 
chickens  for  over  thirty  years.     He  has  had  great  success  with  his  fine  poul- 


MONTGOMERY    COLNTV,    INDIANA.  1225 

try  and  live  stock.  He  is  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  nearly 
all  of  which  is  under  a  fine  state  of  cultivation  or  at  least  is  tillable,  with 
the  possible  exception  of  about  twenty  acres.  His  fields  are  fairly  well  tiled. 
He  has  a  good  home  well  furnished.  He  is  still  very  actively  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  stock  raising  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  leading 
men. of  these  honored  vocations  in  the  Brown's  Valley  country. 

Mr.  Rice  is  a  member  of  the  Anti-Horse  Thief  Association.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Baptist  church,  and  politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  always 
been  loyal  in  his  support  of  the  same,  although  he  has  never  been  an  aspirant 
for  public  honors. 


,    ■  JACOB  EDWARD  LIDIKAY. 

In  the  list  of  Montgomery  county's  progressive  men  of  affairs  must  con- 
sistently be  included  the  name  of  Jacob  Edward  Lidikay,  one  of  the  leading 
business  men  and  best  known  citizens  of  Ladoga.  In  his  career  there  is 
much  that  is  commendable,  and  his  career  forcibly  illustrates  what  a  life  of 
energy  can  accomplish  when  plans  are  judiciously  laid  and  actions  are  go\- 
erned  by  right  motives.  ^He  is  of  that  type  of  men  who,  when  once  convinced 
that  they  are  right,  no  suggestion  of  personal  profit  or,  policy  can  swerve 
them  from  the  course  they  have  decided  upon.  Starting  at  the  bottom  of  tlie 
ladder  of  industrial  success  he  has,  unaided,  carried  forward  to  successful 
cotnpletion  whate\er  he  has  undertaken,  and  his  business  methods  have  ever 
been  in  strict  conformity  with  the  standard  and  approved  ethics  of  commer- 
cial life.  He  has  permitted  no  ol^stacles  to  thwart  him,  and  has  forged  ahead 
to  the  coveted  goal  in  the  face  of  all  adversity.  His  is  the  record  of  a  well 
balanced  mental  and  moral  constitution,  strongly  influenced  by  those  traits 
of  character  which  are  ever  of  especial  value  in  a  progressive  state  of  society. 
He  is  a  man  of  public  spirit  and  has  done  much  for  the  town  of  Ladoga  and 
vicinity,  and  for  this,  and  his  industry  and  integrity  he  is  held  in  high  e.steem 
by  all. 

Mr.  Lidikay  was  born  in  Jefferson  county.  Kentucky,  about  ten  miles 
south  of  Louisville,  on  October  i6,  1852,  but  Iiis  life  has  practically  all  been 
spent  in  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  he  having  been  brought  the  following 
fall  after  his  birth  to  Scott  township  by  his  parents,  Jacob  and  Catherine 
(Yenawine)  Lidikay,  who  located  in  Scott  township.  His  paternal  grand- 
father was  George  Lidikav,  who  came  from  Tenessee  to  five  miles  west  of 


1226  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

New  Albany,  Indiana,  in  an  early  day.  The  family  is  of  German  origin.  It 
is  said  that  the  spelling  of  the  name  has  been  changed  in  translating  it  from 
the  German  language,  and  tradition  has  it  that  a  town  in  the  Fatherland  was 
named  in  honor  of  the  family. 

Catherine  Yenavvine,  mentioned  above,  was  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Evinger)  Yenawine,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and  came  to  Jef- 
fersontown,  Jefferson  county,  Kentucky,  with  her  parents. 

When  Jacob  Lidikay  came  to  Montgomery  county  in  1853  he  purchased 
two  hundred  and  twenty  acres  from  Joshua  Harrison,  for  which  he  paid 
thirty  dollars  per  acre,  which  was  considered  a  very  high  price  in  those  days. 
There  the  family  home  w'as  established,  the  farm  continuing  the  property  of 
Jacob  Lidikay  until  1878,  when  he  sold  it  to  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The 
former  lived  there  until  old  age,  then  retired  and  lived  in  Ladoga  with  his 
son,  Jacob  E.,  until  his  death.  His  wife,  Catherine,  died  soon  afterward. 
The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  straightforward,  hard-working,  honest 
German,  modest  and  unassuming,  who  cared  more  for  the  humble  duties  of 
life  than  for  the  glittering  prizes  of  the  ambitious.  His  family  consisted  of 
eight  children,  six  sons  and  two  daughters,  namely:  John  Leonard,  who 
died  in  1864;  George  Emmanuel  lives  in  Wellsville,  Kansas;  Martha  Jane  is 
the  wife  of  Daniel  Scholl,  of  Kansas  City;  Sarah  Elizabeth,  widow  of  Elias 
Scholl  (deceased),  lives  in  Connersville,  Indiana;  Melanethon  Yenawine  also 
lives  in  Wellsville,  Kansas;  William  Frederick  died  in  1867;  Ezra  Keller 
died  in  Kentucky  in  childhood;  and  Jacob  E.,  our  subject,  who  was  the 
youngest  of  the  family. 

The  parents  of  these  children  were  Lutherans  and  in  that  faith  reared 
their  family. 

Jacob  E  Lidikay,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  article,  grew  to  man- 
hood on  the  home  farm  in  Scott  township,  and  there  assisted  with  the  general 
work  when  he  became  of  proper  age,  and  during  the  winter  months  he  at- 
tended the  neighboring  schools.  He  took  up  farming  for  himself  in  his 
native  township  when  young  in  years  and  followed  this  vocation,  getting  an 
excellent  start  in  life,  until  he  was  forty  years  old,  in  his  native  township, 
then,  in  1878,  he  purchased  his  father's  farm  and  in  1881  bought  four  hun- 
dred acres  two  miles  farther  north,  and  continued  to  carry  on  general  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising  pursuits  on  a  very  large  scale,  ranking  with  the  fore- 
most and  progressive  farmers  in  the  county,  until  in  1892  he  moved  to  La- 
doga, giving  up  active  work  on  the  farm.  Since  then  he  has  been  engaged 
very  extensively  in  business  in  Ladoga  and  has  been  regarded  as  one  of  the 


MONTGOMEKY    Cor.N'TY,    INDIANA.  1227 

town's  most  industrious  and  iiiHuentiai  men.  He  lias  l)ecn  cni;a.i,a'd  in  the 
electric  light  business,  hardware,  Ijankins.;,  real  estate  and  loans,  making;  a 
pronounced  success  of  each  in  turn,  l-'or  several  years  he  also  carried  on 
business  in  the  manufacture  uf  carriages  at  Ladoga,  and  huilt  up  a  large 
trade,  there  being  a  great  demand  tor  his  products  owing  to  tlicir  superior 
quality  and  honest  workmanship.  He  lias  accumulated  a  handsome  compet- 
ency through  his  indi\idual  efforts,  and  has  an  attractive  and  commodious 
residence  in  Ladoga.  This  beautiful  home  was  presided  over  with  rare 
grace  by  a  lady  of  refinement  and  genial  attributes,  she  having  been  known  in 
her.  maidenhood  as  Elizabeth  Goodbar,  who  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mr. 
Lidikay  in  1877.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary  (Foster)  Good- 
bar,  and  a  sister  of  C.  L.  Goodbar.  A  complete  sketch  of  Mrs.  Lidikay's 
parents  and  ancestry  is  found  on  another  page  of  this  volume,  hence  will 
not  be  repeated  here,  other  than  to  say  that  the  Goodbars  ha\e  been  well  and 
favorably  known  in  Montgomery  county  for  many  years. 

Five  children  graced  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lidikay,  namely: 
Lillus  is  the  wife  of  John  A.  Harshbarger,  and  lives  two  miles  east  of  La- 
doga, and  has  two  children,  Albert  Edward  and  Elizabeth;  Bertha,  wife  of 
John  Hendricks,  lives  on  a  farm  near  Jamestown,  Indiana,  and  has  one  son, 
John  Lidikay  Hendricks;  Ernest  is  traveling  salesman  for  a  wholesale  dry 
goods  house  and  makes  his  headquarters  in  St.  Louis;  Anna  died  in  her 
si.xteenth  year ;  Catherine,  the  youngest  child,  is  at  home  with  her  father  in 
Ladoga. 

The  mother  of  these  children  was  called  to  her  eternal  rest  on  October 
16,  igio. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Lidikay  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  and  is  also  a  Mason,  in  which  order  he  has  taken  all  of  both 
York  Rite  and  the  Scottish  Rite  to  the  highest  degrees,  with  the  exception 
of  the  thirty-third  degree,  which  is  conferred  only  in  rare  cases.  He  is  also 
a  tnember  of  the  Ancient  Arabic  Order  of  Xobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He 
belongs  to  th'e  lodges,  the  Crawfordsville  Commandery,  the  Indiana  Con- 
sistory and  Murat  Temple,  the  latter  at  Indianapolis.  He  is  one  of  the  active, 
honored  and  \\ell  known  Masons  of  the  state.  Those  who  know  him  best 
say  that  he  carries  the  sublime  precepts  of  this  time-honored  order  into  his 
every-day  life,  for  he  is  an  obliging,  lenient,  genial,  charitable  and  hospitable 
gentleman  who  is  held  in  high  regard  by  all  with  whom  he  has  come  into 
contact,  and  is  eminently  deserving  of  the  same. 


1228  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

chArles  kirkpatrick. 

Among  the  enterprising  citizens  of  Goal  Creek  town'sttp,  Montgomery 
county,  who  are  deserving  of  a  place  in  the  pages  of  "th'is  biographical  and 
historical  record  is  Charles  Kirkpatrick,  of  New  Richinbn<I,'  not  because  he 
has  done  big  things,  either  in  an  industrial  Or  public  wiy,  but  because  he  has 
done  well  in  the  humbler  walks  of  life  and  has  lived  honorably,  his  neig-hbbrs 
finding  no  fault  with  him,  and  he  has  sought  to  do  his  full  share  in  the  prog- 
ress of  the  community  of  his  choice,  while  laboring  for  his  own  advance- 
ment.    Such  a  course  always  marks  the  good  citizen  in  any  country.' 

Mr.  Kirkpatrick  was  born  on  May  '20,  1863,  at  Sugar  Grove,  Tippecanoe 
county,  Indiana,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Mandy  Ann  (Shewe)  Kirkpatrick.  The 
fether  of  our  subject  was  born  on  December  4,  1831,  in  Illinois.  He  was  a 
man  of  courage  and  unusual  hardihood.  He  made  two  trips  to  the  far 
West  across  the  plains  in  the  gold  fever  days,  making  one  trip  around  Cape 
Horn,  South  America.  He  is  still  living  at  an  advanced  age.  The  mother  of 
bur  subject  was  born  at  Sugar  Grove,  Indiana,  and  her  death  occurred  in 
1886.  They  both  received  such  educational  advantages  as  the  early  schools 
afforded.  The  father  devoted  the  major  part  of  his  active  life  to  farming, 
and  he  became  prominent  in  politics,  being  an  ardenf  Republican,  but  since 
the  campaign  of  1912  he  has  been  a  Progressive. 

Seven  children  were  born  to  Jacob  Kirkpatrick  and  wife,'  all  of  whom  are 
living,  namely:  Laura,  who  has  remained  unmarried;  Charles,  of  this  re- 
view; Susan  married  Dr.  Paul  Barcus,  of  Crawf ordsvllle ;  Anna  married 
Boyd  A.  McMillan,  and  they  live  on  the  old  home  place  at  Sugar  Grove,  Tip- 
pecanoe county;  William  married  Attie  J.  Hubbard,  and  they  live  at  New 
Richmond,  Montgomery  county,  where  he  is  cashier  of  the  bank ;  Edwin  is 
also  living  in  New  Richmond ;  Fanny,  who  married  Charles'  B.  Shepherd,  is 
living  near  New  Richmond  on  a  farm. 

Charles  Kirkpatrick  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  there  did 
his  share  of  the  work  about  the  place  when  a  boy.  He  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  in  his  neighborhood,  later  entering  DePauw  University  a;t 
Greencastle,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1886. 

The  next  important  step  in  the  life  of  Mr.  Kirkpatrick  took  place  on 
November  22,  1893,  when  he  was  married  to  Jessie  L.  Washburn,  who  was 
born  in  Tippecanoe  county.  She  is  a  daughter  of  George  W.  and  Lbuise 
(Whetstone)  Washburn. 

Mr.  Kirkpatrick  started  out  in  life  for  himself  when  he  came  to  New 


MOXTGOMERV    COLXTV.    INDIANA.  1229 

Kicliiiionil.  lliis  county,  and  purcliased  an  clcNator,  w  liicli  hv  ran  inr  three 
years,  then  sold  it  and  went  to  Anderson,  Indiana,  where  lie  was  ass<jciated 
with  William  Combeck,  who  at  that  time  was  lieutenant-8;()\ernor.  Aimut  a 
year  later  our  sul)ject  went  into  the  contracting  business,  buildin.i;-  streets  and 
for  two  years  was  very  successful,  then  returned  to  New  Richmond,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1895,  he  assisted  in  founding  the  present  bank  of  New  Richmond. 
This  sound  and  conservative  institution  is  known  as  the  Commercial  Ex- 
change Bank.  With  George  W.  Washburn  as  a  partner,  these  gentlemen 
forged  ahead  until  they  had  built  up  one  of  the  popular  Ijanks  of  the  county. 
It  was  first  organized  with  a  capital  stock  of  ten  thousand  dollars.  Our 
subject  at  that  time  was  cashier  and  Mr.  Washburn  was  president.  Upon  the 
death  of  the  latter,  Air.  Kirkpatrick  purchased  the  interest  of  his  partner  and 
organized  a  bank  with  a  paid  up  capital  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  under 
the  same  name  of  the  new  concern,  Mr.  Kirkpatrick  became  president,  Will- 
iam, assuming  the  duties  of  cashier,  and  the  wife  of  our  subject,  Mrs.  J.  L. 
Kirkpatrick,  became  assistant  cashier.  The  bank  continued  under  this  ar- 
rangement with  ever  increasing  success  until  1912,  when  the  capital  stock 
was  raised  to  forty  thousand  dollars,  and  the  surplus  was  fixed  at  ten  thou- 
sand dollars.  The  most  approved  and  safest  methods  of  banking  are  em- 
ployed, and  every  device  for  the  safety  and  convenience  of  depositors  has 
been  installed,  and  its  prestige  has  constantly  grown. 

Since  1902  Mr.  Kirkpatrick  has  been  a  potent  figure  in  local  politics. 
In  that  year  he  was  elected  as  representative  from  this  county  to  the  legisla- 
ture, where  he  made  a  most  commendable  record,  eminently  satisfactory  both 
to  his  constituents  and  to  all  concerned.  He  has  done  much  for  the  general 
progress  of  his  section  of  the  state. 

Our  subject  and  family  have  spent  the  past  tour  winters  in  California 
and  Florida,  and  expect  to  continue  to  do  so. 

While  in  college  Mr.  Kirkpatrick  belonged  to  the  Sigma  Chi  fraternity, 
and  he  was  editor  in  chief  of  the  college  monthly,  filling  this  position  in  a 
manner  that  reflected  much  credit  upon  himself  and  to  tJie  praise  of  his  col- 
lege friends  and  acf|uaintances.  He  was  also  prominent  in  oratorical  affairs, 
and  was  appointed  by  the  facult}'  as  one  of  the  first  speakers  on  commence- 
ment days. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Kirkpatrick  is  a  Mason,  holding  membership  in  the 
New  Richmond  lodge.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias  here,  he 
having  assisted  in  organizing  Jjotli  these  lodges.  He  belongs  to  the  Country 
Club  at  Crawfordsxille.     Politically,  he  is  now  a  Progressi\-e,  and  in  religious 


1230  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

matters  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,   being  a  trustee  of  the 
same. 

Mr.  Kirkpatrick  owns  a  fine  and  modernly  appointed  home  in  New 
Richmond,  and  he  owns  large  farming  interests  in  Montgomery  countv. 
Personally,  he  is  a  pleasant  gentleman  to  know,  genial,  obliging  and  a  man 
of  unswerving  integrity. 


OATH  LONG. 


No  pioneer  who  braved  the  v.ilds  of  Montgomeiy  county  three-quarters 
of  a  century  ago  is  deserving  of  remembrance  by  his  descendants  and  those 
who  came  after  to  share  the  fruits  of  the  strenuous  labors  of  these  self- 
denying  and  self-sacrificing  men  more  than  Oath  Long,  who,  although  long 
a  sleeper  in  "death's  garden  where  we  all  shall  meet,"  yet  has  an  influence  for 
good  and  whose  life  of  industry  and  honesty  is  worthy  of  imitation  by  the 
youth  who  would  succeed  at  his  chosen  life  task  and  at  the  same  time  do 
some  good  while  passing"  through  this  so-called  "mundane  sphere." 

Mr.  Long  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  on  Deceml^er  13,  1794,  and  was  a 
son  of  Gideon  and  Elizabeth  Long,  both  nati\es  of  England,  and  as  all 
records  were  long  ago  lost  no  data  can  be  had  of  them,  except  that  they  emi- 
grated to  America  in  colonial  days  and  spent  some  time  in  Pennsylvania. 
later  invading  the  wilderness  of  Lidiana  and  establishing  the  family  home  in 
Union  township,  Montgomeiy  county,  where  they  spent  the  rest  of  their 
lives  and  died  here. 

Oath  Long  grew^  to  manhood  in  Pennsylvania,  and  when  thirty-six 
years  old,  in  the  year  1830,  he  came  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  and 
here  determined  to  cast  his  lot  permanently,  for  although  the  country  was 
wild,  he  had  the  sagacity  to  foresee  for  it  a  great  future  and  he  set  to 
work  with  a  will  clearing  and  improving  his  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land  which  he  entered  from  the  government  near  Crawfordsville  and 
eventuallv  became  one  of  the  leading  general  farmers  of  Union  township, 
his  fine  farm  being  located  about  three  miles  from  the  present  county  seat. 
His  were  the  usual  pioneer  hardships,  privations  and  experiences  of  the 
first  settlers  in  a  heavily  wooded  country  where  settlers  were  indeed  iew, 
where  there  were  no  roads,  bridges,  stores  and  where  everybody  was  poor. 
His  death  occurred  on  September  16,  1877. 

Politically,  Mr.  Long  was  a  Democrat,  and  a  member  of  the  "old 
school"'  Baptist  church. 


MONTGOMERY    COLNTV,    INDIANA.  12^1 

He  was  twice  married,  first  to  Alartiia  \'ail.  in  Buller  CdUiity.  Oliio, 
where  he  li\ed  for  some  time  after  he  left  Pennsyh'ania.  I>efore  cuminj;-  to 
Indiana,  and  in  tiiat  county  siie  died  in  early  life,  leaving  two  children. 
Louisa  and  Abram,  both  of  whom  iia\e  long  since  passed  away.  On  June 
17,  1823,  while  still  living  in  Ohio,  he  married  Sarah  Titus,  who  was  a  native 
of  Virginia,  born  there  on  August  29,  1801.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Polly  Titus,  who  left  Virginia  for  Ohio  in  an  early  day,  later  coming  on 
to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  where  they  established  their  home  and 
died  here.  The  death  of  Air.  Long's  second  wife  occurred  on  January  (>. 
1879.  Six  children  were  born  to  tiiis  last  union,  namely :  Wilson,  born 
April  24,  1824,  married  Sarah  Ann  Newhouse  in  1848,  and  he  died  (jn  Sep- 
tember 14,  1889;  his  wife  died  JMay  16,  1907.  Lydia,  born  January  24,  1825, 
married  \\'.  T.  jNIcCoy  in  1849,  ^^'^^^  they  are  both  deceased;  Samuel  T., 
born  November  23,  1838,  died  December  8.  191  i  :  Huet.  born  November  25, 
1832,  is  now  living  in  Darlington,  Montgomery  county;  William,  born  Octo- 
ber 16,  1835,  lives  on  a  farm  east  of  Crawfordsville ;  Pjenjaniin  lives  in  Craw- 
fordsville,  Indiana. 


THOMAS  D.  NICHOLSON. 

That  Thomas  B.  Nicholson,  tlie  photographer  of  Crawfordsville.  pos- 
sesses the  artistic  temperament  to  a  marked  degree  goes  without  sri\ing 
among  those  who  are  familiar  with  his  fine  work.  He  has  imagination,  a 
love  of  the  beautiful  in  nature  and  a  delicate  and  skillful  touch.  He  is  a 
man  who  has  been  taught  by  his  worthy  father,  before  him,  to  take  infinite 
pains  with  his  work  and  deal  honestly  and  courteously  with  those  with  whom 
he  comes  into  contact.  He  is  therefore,  one  of  the  popular  and  honored 
citizens  of  Montgomery  county  and  his  work  is  to  be  seen  all  o\er  this  part 
of  the  state,  his  patrons  coming,  many  of  them,  fn)m  remote  distances. 

Mr.  Nicholson  was  born  in  P>anklin,  Indiana,  February  12,  1866,  and 
he  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  L.  (  Davidson)  Nicholson.  The  father  was 
born  in  Jefferson  county,  Indiana,  on  a  farm,  July  12,  1825.  For  many  years 
he  was  a  resident  of  Franklin,  this  state,  where  he  engaged  in  painting,  in 
connection  with  cultivating  fruit,  and  later  he  learned  the  art  of  daguerreo- 
typing.  In  1872  he  removed  to  Kokomo,  Indiana,  and  from  there,  in  1879, 
to  Crawfordsville,  where  he  opened  an  art  gallery.  .\s  an  artist  and  photo- 
grapher John  Nicholson  was  a  great  success  and  found  nuicli  pleasure  in  tiie 


1232  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Study  of  theology,  poetry  and  physiology,  being  a  man  of  decided  aesthetic 
qualities.  His  was  a  useful  life,  and  he  was  beloved  by  all  who  knew  him, 
was  highly  respected.     His  death  occurred  in  1893. 

John  Nicholson  was  a  member  of  the  Christian  church.  He  married 
Mary  L.  Davidson,  of  Franklin,  Indiana,  in  1861.  She  is  still  living,  making 
her  home  in  New  York  City. 

Thomas  B.  Nicholson  was  educated  in  the  Crawfordsville  high  school, 
and  then  learned  the  art  of  photography  under  his  father,  and  this  he  has 
continued  to  make  his  life  work,  maintaining  his  studio  at  the  old  stand,  and 
he  has  been  exceptionally  successful.  He  has  remained  a  close  student  of  his 
profession  and  has  kept  well  abreast  of  the  times  in  all  phases  of  the  same, 
the  art  of  photography  having  made  as  pronounced  strides  as  any  other 
branch  of  science.  His  work  is  regarded  by  experts  as  equal  to  any  of  the 
present  day  in  this  country. 

Mr.  Nicholson  was  married  on  April  5,  1893,  to  Anne  Kenyon,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Wylie  and  Mary  (O'Neal)  Kenyon,  an  excellent  family  of  Crawfords- 
ville, where  she  grew  to  maturity  and  received  her  education. 

To  our  subject  and  wife  have  been  born  two  children,  namely:  Thomas 
Lawrence  and  John  Kenyon,  both  in  school. 


WILLIAM  K.  MARTIN. 

True  biography  has  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  essential  in  giving  the  life 
of  the  individual  as  in  writing  the  history  of  a  people.  Indeed,  the  ingenu- 
ousness of  the  former  picture  is  even  more  vital,  because  the  individual  is 
the  national  unit,  and  if  the  unit  be  justly  estimated  the  complex  organism 
will  become  correspondingly  intelligible.  The  world  today  is  what  the  leading 
men  of  the  past  generations  have  made  it,  and  this  rule  must  ever  hold 
good.  From  the  past  comes  the  legacy  of  the  present.  Art,  science,  states- 
manship and  government  are  accumulations.  They  constitute  an  inherit- 
ance upon  which  the  present  generation  have  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  men  of  Montgomery  county  who  is 
entitled  to  a  biographical  record  in  a  work  of  the  province  assigned  to  the 


MdXTC.O.MKUY    OUNTV.    IMIIANA.  1 233 

one  in  hand  is  William  K.  .Martin,  one  dt  the  best  known  and  most  pro- 
gressive ol  Craufordsville's  business  men,  ha\in,n  loni;  de\oied  his  energies 
to  \arious  lines  of  important  endea\()r  which  he  has  carried  to  successful 
.issue  here. 

Mr.  Martin  was  born  in  this  cit_\'  and  county  on  Auj^ust  7,  iS(r;.  lie  is 
a  son  of  \\  illiam  and  Elizabeth  (Grimes)  Martin.  The  father  was  born  on 
May  10,  1838,  in  Union  township,  Montgomery  county,  just  south  of  Craw- 
fordsville  four  miles.  He  is  now  living  in  Crawfordsville.  The  mother  of 
our  subject  was  born  in  1843  in  Union  township,  this  county,  and  she  grew 
to  womanhood  here  and  was  educated  in  the  local  schools.  Her  death  oc- 
curred in  1904. 

William  2\Iartin  was  a  farmer  in  early  life.  lie  organized  the  first 
dairy  business  in  Crawfordsville,  and  in  1S73  he  went  into  the  ice  business, 
in  which  he  has  continued  ever  since,  the  firm  being  known  as  the  Craw- 
fordsville Ice  &  Cold  Storage  Company,  and  is  now  incorporated.  A  \ery 
large  busmess  is  carried  on.  which  has  gradually  grown  with  advancing 
years  under  the  able  management  and  wise  foresight  of  Mr.  Martin. 

To  William  Martin  and  wife  three  children  were  born,  namely  :  .Matie, 
born  in  1864,  has  remained  single:  Eva,  born  in  1866,  married  .\.  K.  l\e\- 
nolds,  and  they  are  living  in  Crawfordsville;  and  William  K..  subject  of  this 
sketch,  is  the  youngest. 

William  K.  Martin  recei\'ed  a  common  and  high  school  education,  later 
attending  Wabash  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of 
1887.  In  January,  1895,  he  married  Julia  Bromley,  who  was  born  in  this 
county  in  1870,  a  daughter  of  W'illiam  and  Angeline  (Crane)  ISromlev,  a 
well  known  and  highly  respected  family  of  this  locality.  These  parents  were 
born  in  Ohio,  from  which  state  they  came  here  in  an  early  day  and  became 
very  comfortably  established  through  their  industry,  and  here  Mrs.  Martin 
grew  to  womanhood  and  was  educated  in  the  common  and  high  schools.  The 
union  of  our  subject  and  wife  has  been  without  issue. 

Mr.  Martin,  after  finishing  school,  went  into  tlie  ice  business  with  his 
father,  in  which  he  has  remained  to  the  present  time.  In  1904  he  became 
connected  with  the  Citizens  National  Bank  of  Crawfordsxille.  was  at  first  a 
director,  then  became  vice-])resident  in  190O,  the  duties  of  which  position  he 
is  still  discharging  in  a  manner  that  reflects  much  credit  upon  his  abilitv  and 
honesty  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  patrons  and  .stockholders.  He  was  one  of 
the  first  trustees  of  the  local  electric  light  company  when  it  went  out  of  the 
hands  of  the  city  government  and  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  trustees,      lie 

(78) 


I2'34  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

was  trustee  of  this  company  for  about  four  years,  giving  satisfaction  to  all 
concerned.  In  1907  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the  Home  Telephone  Com- 
pany. Mr.  Martin  was  manager  of  this  company  for  two  years  until  the 
company  was  sold.  In  December,  1909,  he  was  made  general  manager  and 
director  of  the  Crawfordsville  Heating  Company,  and  he  has  been  secretary 
of  the  ice  and  cold  storage  company  in  which  he  and  his  father  are  interested 
since  its  incorporation  in  1897.  He  is  also  connected  with  the  Crawfords- 
ville Trust  Company,  in  which  he  is  a  stockholder.  He  was  also  for  a  time 
connected  with  the  Ben-Hur  Traction  Company  until  it  was  sold  in  1910. 
He  has  been  very  successfully  in  a  financial  way  and  is  one  of  the  substantial 
and  influential  business  men  of  Crawfordsville,  in  which  city  he  owns  an 
attractive  and  modernly  appointed  home. 

Mr.  Martin  is  a  member  of  the  National  District  Heating  Association, 
the  Indiana  Bankers  Association,  and  the  Indiana  Ice  Manufacturing  Asso- 
ciation, the  Middle  States  Ice  Manufacturing  Association,  and  director  in 
the  Indiana  Manufacturers  and  Shippers  Association.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Republican.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
When  in  college  he  lielonged  to  the  Sigma  Chi  fraternity.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur,  and  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 


FRANK  W.  HARVEY. 

Among  the  enterprising  and  progressive  farmers  of  Wayne  township, 
Montgomery  county,  is  Frank  W.  Harvey,  who  has  spent  his  life  on  the 
old  home  place  and  has  kept  it  so  well  tilled  that  it  has  retained  its  original 
fertility  and  is  one  of  the  desirable  farms  in  the  western  part  of  the  county. 
He  has  not  permitted  anything  to  divert  his  attention  from  the  care  of  the 
home  place,  taking  a  just  pride  in  the  same  ever  since  he  was  a  boy,  and  he 
has  also  striven  to  maintain  the  high  standard  of  citizenship  set  by  his 
worthy  father  before  him,  consequently  he  has  ever  enjoyed  the  good  will  of 
his  neighbors  and  acquaintances. 

Frank  W.  Harvey  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  still  resides,  in 
Wayne  township,  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  January  19,  1872.  He  is  a 
son  of  Joseph  M.  and  Sarah  (Dwiggins)  Harvey,  long  a  well  known  family 
of  this  locality. 

Joseph  M.  Harvey  came  of  the  pioneer  stock  of  Montgomery  county. 


MONTGOMERY    COCNTY,    INDIANA.  1 235 

and  for  man}-  years  materially  contributed  to  its  growth  and  prosperity  by 
his  work  as  a  practical  farmer  on  section  22,  Wayne  township.  He  was 
born  in  Union  county,  Indiana,  January  29.  1829,  and  was  three  years  old 
when  the  family  removed  from  there  and  settled  near  the  town  of  Alamo, 
Montgomery  county.  His  parents  were  Hudson  and  Sarah  (Rinker)  Har- 
vey, the  father  also  a  native  of  Union  county.  Late  in  life  they  removed 
from  the  Hoosier  state  to  Iowa,  where  they  spent  their  last  days,  his  death 
occurring  in  1870,  his  widow  surviving  until  1876.  They  were  the  parents 
of  four  sons  and  one  daughter,  namely:  Joseph  M.,  father  of  our  subject: 
Mary  Ann,  who  was  born  in  Union  county  in  1832,  married  John  A.  Fisher, 
of  Iowa,  by  whom  she  had  six  children,  and  died  in  1868:  Martha  Jane, 
born  in  this  county  in  1834,  married  Will  Roe,  of  Iowa,  and  they  l>ecame  the 
parents  of  seven  children:  Lydia,  born  March  28,  1839,  married  Will  Ray- 
born,  of  Iowa,  and  five  children  were  born  to  them;  George  N..  who  was 
born  in  1836,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  serving  in  the  Tenth  Iowa  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  died  while  in  the  service  in  1862,  at  Camp  Davenport, 
leaving  a  wife  (formerly  Lucinda  Roe)  and  three  children,  who  grew  up 
and  continued  to  reside  in  Iowa. 

Joseph  M.  Harvey's  first  independent  work  as  a  farmer  when  he  l)egan 
life  for  himself  was  on  a  tract  of  wild  land,  partly  prairie  and  partly  timber, 
in  Iowa,  which  he  had  taken  up  from  the  government.  He  resided  on  that 
some  nine  years,  and  then,  returning  to  his  native  state  and  to  Montgomery 
county,  he  bought  the  property  on  which  his  son,  Frank  W.,  of  this  sketch, 
still  lives,  and  which  was  destined  to  be  his  home  the  remaining  years  of  a 
busy  and  fruitful  life.  He  engaged  in  mixed  farming,  raising  considerable 
grain,  and  a  good  class  of  stock,  with  which  his  farm  was  well  supplied.  He 
left  an  estate  of  two  hundred  acres  of  valuable  land  in  a  good  condition.  He 
was  a  man  of  genuine  worth,  of  inflexible  honesty,  and  was  revered  and 
trusted  by  all  with  whom  he  associated,  who  deplored  his  loss  when  death 
removed  him  from  their  midst,  on  July  11,  1891.  A  Christian  in  every  sense, 
he  was  deeply  attached  to  the  Christian  church,  of  which  he  was  a  devoted 
member  until  he  was  called  to  his  reward,  and  was  an  elder  therein  ten 
years,  also  an  earnest  teacher  in  the  Sunday  school.  For  many  years  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Waynetown,  his  fellow 
associates  conducted  his  funeral  with  all  the  ceremonies  of  the  fraternity. 
Politically,  he  was  allied  with  the  Republicans,  but  was  not  an  office  seeker. 
While  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  was  raging,  however,  he  did  noble  service 
for  his  country  for  three  years  as  a  meml:)er  of  the  Thirty-second  Iowa  Vol- 
unteer Infantry. 


1236  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

The  wife  wlio  so  ably  assisted  Joseph  M.  Harvey  in  his  life  work  and 
to  whom  he  was  married  in  Iowa  in  1853,  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Sarah 
Dwiggins,  but  she  was  known  to  her  friends  as  "Sally."  Their  union  was 
blessed  with  nine  children,  of  whom  we  have  the  following  record,  seven  of 
them  still  living:  Mary  E.,  hum  in  Iowa  in  1853,  was  married  in  Indiana  to 
Thomas  D.  Young,  a  carpenter,  who  established  their  home  in  East  St. 
Louis;  Sarah  E.,  born  in  Iowa,  October  17,  1856,  married  Alphonso  Sumner, 
a  barber  of  Waynetown,  Indiana;  Martha  I.,  born  in  Iowa,  November  28, 
1858,  married  W.  Zuck,  of  Waynetown;  Albert  H.,  born  in  Iowa  in  i860, 
died  the  following  year;  Houston  L.,  born  in  Iowa  in  1862,  married  Laura 
Small,  and  they  began  housekeeping  on  the  paternal  homestead ;  Carrie,  born 
in  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  in  1866,  married  Charles  Owen,  of  Wayne- 
town; Carl  B.,  born  in  1868,  married  Lulu  Small,  also  began  housekeeping 
on  the  home  farm;  Maud,  born  in  1870,  died  in  1878;  Frank  W.,  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  the  }'oungest  of  the  children.  The  above  named  children 
were  well  educated  in  the  high  school  at  Waynetown,  from  which  Carrie  and 
Burt  were  graduated  in  the  year  1886,  and,  with  the  exception  of  Frank  W. 
have  all  taught  school.  They  ha\e  nearly  all -been  teachers  in  the  Sunday 
school  connected  with  the  Christian  church,  of  which  they  are  all  active 
members,  their  mother  ha\ing  also  belonged  to  that  church.  The  father  of 
these  children  was  also  a  school  teacher  in  his  early  life.  The  mother  was 
born  in  June,  1833,  and  she  was  called  to  her  eternal  rest  on  April  29,  1897. 
She  was  a  native  of  Indiana,  where  she  grew  to  womanhood,  and,  like  her 
husband,  received  a  common  school  education. 

Frank  W.  Harvey  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  helped  his 
father  with  the  general  work  here,  and  in  the  winter  months  he  attended  the 
cofnmon  schools  in. his  neighborhood.  later  the  high  scool  at  Waynetown.  In 
March,  1893,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Nellie  Williamson,  who  also  re- 
ceived a  good  common  school  education. 

To  our  subject  and  wife  five  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Maude 
Esther,  born  on  December  26,  1893,  is  teaching  school;  Frank  L.,  born  Sep- 
tember I,  1897,  is  attending  school;  Mary,  born  February  24,  1900,  is  also 
attending  school;  Doris,  born  August  11,  1903;  and  Alice  May,  born  May 
26,  1907. 

Frank  W.  Harvey  has  always  lived  on  the  home  farm,  and  has  followed 
general  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  is  the  owner  of  eighty  acres  of  well 
improved  and  valuable  land,  all  tillalile.  It  lies  well  and  no  tile  is,  needed. 
Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  but  is  not  active  in  public  matters. 


MOXTGOMERY    COUNTY,    IN'niANA.  1 237 

ilRXRV  H.  (;OODn,\R. 

One  of  the  most  extensi\e  fanner.s  uf  tlic  southern  part  of  M()iitj;;oinery 
count)',  of  a  past  generation  was  the  late  Henry  H.  Goodhar,  a  man  who 
stood  high  in  the  estimation  of  those  whose  desire  was  the  uplifting  of  the 
general  civilization  of  the  cunimunity.  Xo  move  having  tlie  hetterment  of 
his  locality  in  view  but  found  in  Mr.  (ioodbar  a  most  ardent  champion  and 
contributor.  His  genial  and  gentlemanly  bearing  u]5on  all  occasions,  that 
which  made  him  so  highly  esteemed  to  all  with  whom  he  came  into  contact, 
became  emphasized  by  the  passing  of  years  until  no  one  in  Scott  township 
more  fully  exemplified  the  elements  of  the  old-time  country  gentleman,  whose 
courteous  demeanor  and  genial  presence  added  materially  to  the  pleasure  and 
comfort  derived  by  the  \isitor  whenever  he  was  a  guest.  It  has  been  to  such 
staid  and  substantial  men,  whose  good  common  sense  shaped  the  course  of 
events,  that  tlie  great  prosperity  of  this  section  has  been  largely  due.  and  our 
only  regret  is  that  more  of  the  minute  matters  of  the  life  of  tlie  sul)ject 
cannot  be  iiere  more  fully  portrayed. 

Mr.  Goodbar  was  born  on  Octoljer  26,  181 5,  near  Mount  Sterling,  Ken- 
tucky. He  was  a  son  of  John  H.  and  Mary  Goodbar,  lx)th  nati\es  of  \'ir- 
ginia.  where  they  spent  their  earlier  years,  and  from  which  state  they  remoxed 
to  Kentucky  in  the  early  days  and  they  spent  most  of  their  lives  engaged  in 
farming. 

Henry  H.  Goodbar  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  in  the  Blue 
Grass  state,  where  he  found  plenty  of  hard  work  to  do,  and  he  recei\ed  a 
limited  education  in  the  common  schools  of  his  vicinity.  Wlien  he  readied 
manhood  he  married  Mary  J.  booster,  who  was  born  in  Montgomer\-  county, 
Indiana,  May  23,  1833,  and  here  she  grew  to  womanhood  and  recei\ed  a 
limited  education  in  the  common  schools.  Siie  was  a  woman  of  sterling 
character  and  took  a  great  deal  of  interest  in  church  work.  Her  death  oc- 
curred in  December,    1904. 

Five  children  were  born  to  Henry  H.  .Goodbar  and  wife,  namely:  Eliza- 
beth, ix)rn  January  15.  1858,  married  J.  E.  Lidikay.  of  Ladoga,  Indiana,  and 
her  death  occurred  a  number  of  years  ago;  J.  Harvey  was  lx)rn  February  1, 
1859;  Florence,  who  married  a  Mr.  Fudge,  was  born  July  14,  1863;  William 
N.,  bom  February  12,  1865:  Charles  L..  born  in  February,  1868. 

Mr.  Goodbar  came  to  Scott  township,  Montgomery  ctjunty,  when  a 
young  man  and  here  he  spent  most  of  his  life,  where  he  and  his  brother 
owned  together  eighteen  hundred  acres  of  land  and  farmed  and  raised  live 


-1238  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Stock  on  an  extensive  scale,  and  there  our  subject  devoted  his  attention  to 
his  work,  never  taking  much  interest  in  pohtical  affairs  other  than  to  assist 
in  anything  that  made  for  the  betterment  of  his  locahty  and  country.  On  this 
old  homestead,  which  was  settled  in  1829,  Mr.  Goodbar  reared  his  family. 
He  was  one  of  the  best  farmers  in  the  township,  working  hard  and  managing 
well,  and  a  large  measure  of  material  success  attended  his  efforts.  He  kept 
the  place  well  improved  in  every  way  and  a  good  grade  of  live  stock  was 
always  to  be  seen  about  the  fields  and  large  barns,  for  he  took  a  delight  in 
raising  and  preparing  for  market  all  kinds  of  stock. 

Politically,  Mr.  Goodbar  was  a  Democrat,  and  religiously  a  member  of 
the  Universal  church. 

The  death  of  Henry  H.  Goodbar  occurred  on  April  26,  1886. 


CLIFFORD  VANCE  PETERSON. 

No  more  comprehensive  history  of  a  community  or  even  of  a  state  can 
be  written  than  that  dealing  with  the  life  work  of  those  who,  by  their  own 
energy  and  endeavor  have  gained  the  honor  of  being  known  among  their 
fellow-men  as  progressive  and  forward-looking  citizens.  One  of  Crawfords- 
ville's  young  business  men  deserving  of  this  honor  is  Clifford  V.  Peterson. 
While  Mr.  Peterson  has  been  winning  his  way  to  the  front  in  the  business 
life  of  his  home  city,  he  has  demonstrated  that  he  is  the  possessor  of  many 
of  the  commendable  qualities  of  the  true  gentleman.  He  is  one  of  the  worthy 
native  sons  of  Montgomery  county.  Although  he  was  actively  engaged  in 
newspaper  work  for  a  number  of  years,  Mr.  Peterson  is  now  connected  with 
the  Central  States  Life  Insurance  Company,  of  Crawfordsville. 

Clifford  Vance  Peterson  was  born  in  Sugar  Creek  township,  Montgom- 
ery county,  November  20,  1879.  He  is  the  only  son  of  John'  Ouincy  and 
May  (Campbell)  Peterson.  His  father  and  mother  were  both  natives  of 
Montgomery  county  and  came  from  good  parentage.  His  father  was  the 
eldest  son  of  Silas  and  Lorinda  (Dain)  Peterson,  and  was  bom  October  29, 
1850.  Silas  Peterson,  for  years  one  of  the  successful  and  influential  farmers 
and  stock  raisers  of  Montgomery  county,  was  a  native  of  Greene  county, 
Ohio,  where  he  was  born  near  Xenia,  January  20,  1825.  His  father,  Solo- 
mon Petersoia,  who  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1790,  emigrated  west  to  Ohio  as 
a  young  man.  Later  he  came  to  Indiana  and  with  his  family  settled,  in  the 
fall  of  1830,  on  what  was  known  as  the  Potato  Creek  prairie  in  Sugar  Creek 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  '-39 

townsliip.  Montgomery  county,  thus  l}econiing  one  of  tlie  earliest  settlers 
and  pioneers  of  that  locality.     He  resided  there  until  his  death  in  1851. 

Silas  Peterson  spent  his  entire  life  as  a  resident  of  Sugar  Creek  town- 
ship. He  and  his  good  wife  resided  at  the  old  Peterson  homestead  continu- 
ously for  more  than  fifty-lave  years.  Mrs.  Peterson  died  in  KJ04  and  her 
husband  survived  her  ten  months,  dying  in  March,  1905,  at  the  age  of  eighty 
years.  John  O.  Peterson,  their  son,  was  also  a  life-long  farmer.  He  died 
in  1909.  He  was  married  in  1878  to  May  Campbell,  daughter  of  Alexander 
and  Sophia  Campbell.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  who  came  to  Mont- 
gomery county  in  an  early  day,  and  lived  here  until  his  death  in  1906.  Mrs. 
John  Q.  Peterson  died  in  February,  1883,  leaving  two  small  children,  Clifford 
and  Georgia,  who  is  now  Mrs.  Royal  B.  Cox,  of  Darlington. 

CHfiford  V.  Peterson  received  his  common  school  education  in  the  dis- 
trict school  near  his  boyhood  home  and  later  entered  Wabash  College,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1900.  Shortly  after  his 
graduation  he  began  newspaper  work  as  a  reporter  on  The  Indianapolis 
Sentinel.  He  possessed  a  natural  bent  toward  journalism  and  gave  The 
Sentinel  eminent  satisfaction.  He  was  filling  the  responsible  position  of 
Sunday  editor  when  the  publication  of  the  paper  was  discontinued.  Mr. 
Peterson  then  became  connected  with  The  Crazn'fordsz'illc  Rn'iet^',  of  which 
he  was  the  city  editor  for  several  years.  Being  energetic  and  conscientious 
in  his  work,  Mr.  Peterson  did  his  part  in  maintaining  high  newspaper  stand- 
ards in  Crawfordsville.  Mr.  Peterson  became  connected  with  the  Central 
States  Life  Insurance  Company  in  1911  as  assistant  secretary  and  a  member 
of  the  Company's  Board  of  Directors.  An  incident  showing  Mr.  Peterson's 
energy  and  ambition  is  seen  in  the  fact  that  while  busy  in  his  newspaper 
work  in  Indianapolis  he  yet  found  time  to  study  law,  taking  the  night  course 
in  the  Indianapolis  College  of  Law,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1904. 

Mr.  Peterson  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  the  Knights 
of  Pythias.  He  is  a  member  of  Crawfordsville  Commandery  No.  25,  Knights 
Templar,  and  also  of  Murat  Temple  of  the  Ancient  Arabic  Order  of  Nobles 
of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  While  in  Wabash,  Mr.  Peterson  was  a  member  of  the 
Phi  Gamma  Delta  college  fraternity.  He  is  a  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  Center  Presbyterian  church  and  also  of  the  board  of  directors  of 
the  Crawfordsville  Young  Men's  Christian  Association. 

Mr.  Peterson  was  married  October  31,  1905,  to  Miss  Mary  Alice  Wat- 
son, daughter  of  \^'illiam  W.  and  Mary  Watson,  highly  respected  citizens  of 
Crawfordsville.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peterson  arc  tlic  i)arents  of  one  child,  Eleanor 
Mary. 


I240  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

SAMUEL  W.  GAL-EY. 

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  or  popular  man  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  among 
the  farmers  of  Union  township,  where  he  has  long  maintained  his  home  and 
where  he  has  labored  not  only  for  his  own  individual  advancement  and  that 
of  his  immediate  family,  but  also  for  the  improvements  of  the  entire  com- 
munity whose  interests  he  has  ever  Had  at  heart. 

Mr.  Galey  was  born  on  March  3,  1850,  in  the  township  and  county 
where  he  still  resides.  He  is  a  son  of  Samuel  Smith  Galey  and  Eliza  Galey. 
The  father  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1810,  and  the  mother's  birth  occurred 
in  that  state  in  181 1.  There  they  grew  to  maturity,  were  educated  and 
married,  and  in  an  earh'  day  left  their  native  country  and  established  their 
permanent  home  in  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  and  here  developed  a  good 
farm.  The  death  of  the  father  occurred  on  February  16,  1893,  ^^  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty-three  years,  having  survived  his  wife  thirty-two  years. 
her  death  liaving  occurred  in  1861,  when  she  was  in  the  prime  of  life. 

To  Samuel  S.  Galey  and  wife  ten  children  were  born,  all  now  deceased 
but  three.  The  father  was  not  much  of  a  public  man,  preferring  to  remain 
at  home  as  much  as  possible.  He  was  at  first  a  Whig,  later  voting  inde- 
pendently. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  common  school  education,  and 
when  a  boy  he  assisted  his  father  with  the  general  work  about  the  home 
farm.  On  September  18,  1872,  he  married  Mary  C.  Bennett,  who  was  born 
in  Kentucky  on  March  20,  185 1.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah 
Bennett.  Mrs.  Galey  received  a  common  school  education.  Her  death  oc- 
curred on  December  16,  1909.  She  was  a  strong  character,  a  devout  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Four  children  were  born  to  Samuel  W.  Galey  and  wife,  namely:  Eliza, 
born  August  28,  1874,  married  John  Harris,  and  they  live  in  Union  town- 
ship; Warner  B.,  born  March  20,  1878,  married  Myrtle  Galloway,  and  they 
are  engaged  in  farming  in  Union  township:  John  S.,  born  April  28,  1882, 
married  Clara  B.  Hall,  and  they  make  their  home  in  Crawfordsville :  William 
Otis,  born  December  24,  1892,  is  assisting  his  father  with  the  work  on  the 
home  farm. 


MOXTGOMF.KI-    CdCXTV.    IXPIAXA.  I  24 1 

Mr.  Galey  lias  always  toUowed  general  farniint;  and  slock  raisin;;.  ;uiil 
his  efforts  have  heen  successful  all  along  the  lino,  lie  is  the  nwucr  nf  a  well 
improved  and  productive  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixt\  acres  n\  xaluaMe 
land  in  Tnion  township,  all  of  which  is  tillahle  hut  thirty  acres,  which  is  in 
timber,  h'roni  time  to  time  he  has  added  an  improvement  here  and  there  as 
they  were  needed  until  the  advancing  years  has  found  his  place  one  of  the 
most  desirable  from  every  standpoint  in  the  locality.  He  carries  on  general 
farming  and  .stock  raising,  paying  particular  attention  to  the  latter,  and  he 
formerly  raised  black  cattle. 

Politically,  Mr.  Galey  is  a  Republican,  but  he  has  ne\er  taken  a  \er)' 
active  interest  in  public  affairs.  He  is  an  influential  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church,  and  a  deacon  in  the  same. 


ABXER   DEXMAX  WILLIS. 

Abner  Denman  Willis  came  of  a  line  of  pioneer  stock  whose  Indiana  his- 
tory began  with  the  \ery  early  settlement  of  the  state.  He  was  born  January 
14,  1834,  near  Alamo,  in  Montgomerx-  county,  Indiana,  on  the  farm  which 
his  father  secured  by  parchment  deed  from  the  national  go\ernment.  He  was 
a  son  of  Benjamin  Willis  and  Susanna  (Butts)  Willis,  to  whose  lot  fell  the 
task  of  rescuing  a  fertile  farm  from  the  primeval  wilderness.  The  settlement 
of  his  father  on  government  land,  however,  was  not  the  beginning  of  the 
family  history  in  Indiana.  The  first  Benjamin  Willis,  grandfather  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  came  to  Indiana  in  the  early  twenties  from  near  Dayton, 
Ohio,  where  he  had  married  Nancy  Allison  and  raised  a  large  family.  He 
was  buried  near  a  favorite  tree  on  his  farm.  Glowing  reports  of  the  fertility 
of  the  soil  near  Alamo  brought  the  younger  Benjamin  to  Montgomery  county 
just  after  his  marriage.  There  were  born  to  them  nine  children,  of  whom 
eight  grew  to  manhood  and  womanhood.  There  were  Steven  Decature, 
Abner  Denman,  Julia  Ann,  Amanda  Jane,  John  Wesley.  Benjamin  Franklin, 
Sarah  Elizabeth,  Joseph  Martin. 

Abner  Denman  was  apprenticed  to  a  tinner  in  Craw  fordsville  until  he 
was  old  enough  to  attend  a  school  of  higher  learning,  when  he  entered  Barn- 
abas Hobbs  Quaker  academy  at  Bloomingdale,  Indiana.  After  graduation 
there,  he  taught  a  district  school  for  several  years  and  while  teaching  in  Ver- 
million county  in  the  winter  of  1863- 1864  he  met  Frances  Ellen  Comegys,  a 
pupil,  to  whom  he  was  married  on  September  29,  1864,  near  Danville,  Illinois. 


1242  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

He  operated  a  traveling  photograph  gallery,  having  become  especially  pro- 
ficient in  the  making  of  daguerreotypes.  In  1866  he  moved  to  Crawfords- 
ville  where  he  bought  a  photograph  gallery,  which  he  operated  for  twelve 
consecutive  years.  In  1878  he  moved  to  Harrisonville,  Missouri,  where  he 
operated  a  photograph  gallery  for  three  years,  after  which  he  returned  to 
Crawfordsville,  where  he  remained  in  the  photograph  business  until  1898, 
when  he  died  of  pneumonia  while  on  a  business  trip  to  Harrisonville,  Missouri. 
He  was  the  father  of  six  children,  of  whom  three  died  in  infancy.  Those  who 
lived  were  Nathaniel  Parker,  Lucius  Comegys,  and  Anibel  Ellen. 

For  thirty  years  A.  D.  Willis  was  one  of  the  most  widely  known  citizens 
of  Montgomery  county.  He  took  an  active  part  in  politics  both  national  and 
local  and  was  a  stanch  Democrat  although  he  never  held  any  political  office. 
He  was  a  student  of  more  than  ordinary  diligence  and  depth.  His  affiliations 
were  with  the  Christian  church  and  the  Masonic  order,  but  he  delved  into 
many  philosophies,  being  an  especial  admirer  of  the  philosophy  of  Sweden- 
bourg.  He  spent  a  great  deal  pi  his  leisure  time  reading  and  discussing  these 
philosophies  and  became  known  all  over  the  country  side  for  his  erudition 
and  his  love  for  literature  of  the  better  class.  One  of  the  tenets  of  his  faith 
was  a  scrupulous  honesty  and  forehandedness,  which  led  to  the  accumulation 
of  a  comfortable  competence,  although  he  never  had  a  large  income.  As  a 
schoolteacher  he  was  a  strict  disciplinarian  and  was  known  as  one  of  the  most 
successful  in  the  county.  As  a  photographer,  in  which  profession  he  became 
best  known,  he  earned  a  reputation  for  a  conscientious  work  and  the  scrupulous 
care  with  which  he  kept  faith  with  his  clients.  He  was  buried  on  December 
9,  1898,  in  Oak  Hill  cemetery,  the  funeral  being  conducted  by  the  Masonic 
order. 


NATHANIEL  PARKER  WILLIS. 

Nathaniel  Parker  Willis,  oldest  son  of  Abner  Denman  Willis  and  Frances 
Ellen  (Comegys)  Willis,  was  born  at  Crawfordsville,  Indiana,  on  August  21, 
1868.  From  the  time  he  entered  upon  young  manhood  until  his  tragic  death 
in  Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  on  July  27,  1909,  at  a  time  when  he  was  making 
an  efifort  to  see  his  little  daughter,  Mary  Frances  Willis,  who  had  been  ruth- 
lessly taken  from  him,  he  held  positions  of  peculiar  esteem  and  some  promin- 
ence in  the  communities  in  which  he  lived.  As  a  boy  he  lived  with  his  parents 
for  a  short  time  in  Missouri,  after  which  he  was  brought  by  them  to  Craw- 
fordsville where  he  diligently  pursued  his  studies  in  the  public  school.     He 


MONTGOMERY    LOrNTV,    INDIANA.  I  243 

graduated  from  the  Crawtordsville  high  school  in  1890,  winning  the  tree 
scholarsliip  to  Wabash  College,  which  was  the  prize  for  the  most  meritorious 
grade.  He  elected  not  to  go  to  college,  however,  and  began  the  printing  trade, 
apprenticed  in  the  office  of  Bayliss  Hanna,  who  was  then  publishing  the  Craw- 
fordsville  Review.  In  time  he  came  to  have  the  reputation  of  l>eing  the  fastest 
compositor  in  the  town.  In  1892  he  secured  a  position  as  go\ernnient  mail 
carrier,  but  did  not  remain  at  this  vocation  very  long. 

As  a  boy  he  had  done  much  work  in  the  photograph  gallery  conducted 
by  his  father  and  he  left  the  government  service  to  take  charge  of  this  busi- 
ness, in  which  he  was  singularly  successful,  both  from  a  business  and  artistic 
standpoint.  He  was  a  prominent  exhibitor  at  the  exhibitions,  winning  the 
first  prize  in  Class  B  at  the  exhibit  of  the  Indiana  photographers  association 
in  1897.  In  1898  and  1899  he  again  exhibited  in  the  association  and  took 
second  prize  in  the  same  class.  He  took  third  prize  in  the  Milwaukee  exhibit 
of  1899  and  in  1897  he  secured  a  medal  from  the  Photographers  Association 
of  America. 

Leaving  this  business  he  engaged  in  the  same  business  at  Chicago  from 
whence  he  launched  into  the  sale  of  a  cure  for  the  liquor  habit,  in  which,  after 
a  few  months  of  hard  struggle,  he  was  successful  up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

While  in  Chicago  he  was  married,  his  wife  dying  a  few  weeks  after  the 
wedding  ceremony.  Several  years  later  he  again  married  Hattie  Bell,  of 
Ladoga,  but  the  union  was  not  a  happy  one.  He  took  his  Hquor  cure  business 
to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  lived  for  three  years,  there  his  daughter,  Mary 
Frances,  was  born,  after  which  he  removed  to  Indianapolis,  which  remained 
his  place  of  residence. 

Shortly  after  his  return  to  Indianapolis,  his  wife  ran  away,  taking  with 
her  their  little  girl,  Mary  Frances.  The  remainder  of  his  life  was  devoted 
largely  to  attempts  to  see  the  child  who  was  secreted  in  various  parts  of  the 
country.  The  child  was  eventually  taken  to  Arkansas  and  in  the  courts  of 
Little  Rock  he  obtained  permission  to  visit  his  child  at  stated  intervals.  In 
1909  he  made  his  customary  visit  to  Little  Rock  to  see  Mary,  and  was  secur- 
ing an  order  of  the  court  to  have  her  with  him  at  his  hotel  for  a  period  of  two 
weeks,  when  the  man  W.  Y.  Ellis,  whom  his  divorced  wife  had  married,  shot 
him  without  warning  while  in  the  court  room. 

In  the  subsequent  trial  many  letters  that  the  subject  of  this  sketch  had 
written  to  his  daughter  were  read  and  they  showed  such  a  tender  regard  for 
the  child  that  the  spectators  in  the  court  room  were  moved  to  tears.  For  the 
last  few  years  of  his  life  a  desire  to  see  his  child  was  his  abiding  passion. 


1244  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Nathaniel  Parker  Willis  was  a  man  among  men.  He  had  a  strong  per- 
sonality, unquestioned  probity  and  honor  were  ever  his  chief  considerations. 
In  the  world  at  large  he  will  probably  best  be  known  for  his  work  in  founding 
the  Crawfordsville  Camp,  Patriotic  Order  Sons  of  America.  As  a  charter 
member,  he  remained  one  of  its  chief  supporters,  helping  it  over  the  rough 
roads  when  it  was  in  its  infancy  and  taking  a  prominent  place  in  its  councils 
when  it  became  strong.  He  held  many  offices  in  the  Crawfordsville  Camp 
and  at  one  time  was  honored  with  election  as  the  head  of  the  organization  in 
Indiana.  He  was  buried  under  the  auspices  of  this  lodge  in  the  cemetery  at 
Crawfordsville,  Indiana. 


JOHN  H.  RUSK. 


Another  of  the  enterprising  and  thorough-going  farmers  and  stock 
raisers  of  the  favored  Brown's  Valley  country  in  Montgomery  who  is  de- 
serving of  special  notice  among  the  industrious  workers  and  honored  citizens 
of  the  locality  of  which  this  volume  treats  is  John  H.  Rusk.  This  is  true  for 
a  number  of  reasons,  not  the  least  of  which  is  the  fact  that  the  Rusk  family 
has  been  one  of  the  best  known  in  this  county  from  the  days  when  settlers 
were  few  and  little  of  the  rich  land  had  been  redeemed  freg:  the  wilderness, 
they  being  among  the  earliest  to  note  the  natural  advantages  here  and  to 
cast  their  lot  permanently  in  this  locality  of  the  far-famed  Wabash  Valley. 
And  it  is  also  true  partly  because  the  several  members  of  this  old  family 
have  borne  reproachless  reputations,  having  lived  upright  lives  and  have 
aided  in  such  general  public  impro\'ements  as  made  for  the  good  of  all. 

John  H.  Rusk  was  born  on  October  24,  1854,  in  Montgomery  county. 
He  is  a  son  of  William  and  Lucy  (Harrell)  Rusk.  The  father  was  born  on 
the  day  of  the  battle  of  New  Orleans  during  the  war  of  181 2;  his  birth  hav- 
ing occurred  in  Maryland,  from  which  state  he  removed  to  Indiana  when  a 
boy.  He  was  thrice  married,  his  second  wife  being  the  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject. The  death  of  William  Rusk  occurred  in  September,  1882.  The  mother 
of  our  subject  died  in  1855. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  received  \'ery  meager  educations,  since  op- 
portunities for  book  learning  were  limited  when  they  were  young.  William 
Rusk  de\'oted  his  life  to  general  farming.  Politically,  he  was  a  Democrat  in 
his  earlier  years,  but  after  the  Civil  war  he  turned  Republican.  He  was  the 
father  of  sixteen  children  by  his  three  wives.  Eleven  of  the  children  are 
still  living. 


MOXTCOMEKV    COrNTV,    IXIIIAN'A.  1  245 

JdIiu  Jl.  Rusk  i^rcw  to  manlioiMl  on  tlio  Ikuir'  f;irni  and  he  rcccixcil  a 
comninn  sclmol  educatinii.  On  June  7,  iSS,v  lie  was  married  td  I'anlina 
Ramsey,  who  was  hurii  in  this  cijunty.  (in  Deeemher  1,  1N51).  and  liere  she 
grew  to  WDinanhood  antl  recei\etl  her  education  in  the  common  scliools. 
She  is  a  daugliter  of  Da\id  and  Mary  A.  ((ialey)  Ivanisey.  I)a\id  Ramsey 
was  a  soldier  and  died  while  in  the  ser\ice  of  his  country. 

Paulina  Ramsey  was  Ixjrn  on  the  same  farm  on  which  she  now  lives. 
which  was  entered  by  her  great-grandfather.  James  Clale\-.  on  Octolier  8. 
1823.     Four  generations  of  this  family  have  been  lx3rn  on  this  place. 

The  union  of  our  subject  and  wife  has  resulted  in  the  birth  of  one  child, 
Carl  A.,  who  was  Ijorn  on  Xo\ember  ly .  1887.  He  married  Amy  Pope.  He 
is  a  farmer  and  lives  near  his  father. 

John  H.  Rusk  has  devoted  his  life  to  agricultiu'al  [lursuils.  carrying  on 
stock  raising.  He  is  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  se\enl\-t\\i)  acres,  about 
thirty  acres  of  which  is  not  tillal)le;  however,  it  is  level  and  could  be  plowed. 
His  fields  are  well  tiled  and  the  jilace  is  otherwise  well  imjjroved.  He  has  an 
attractix^e,  substantial  residence,  which  he  built  himself,  and  he  has  lived 
continuously  on  this  place  for  a  period  of  twent\-eight  }-ears.  Pie  is  still 
acti\-ely  engaged  in  diversified  farming. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  and  in  religious  matters  is  a  Paptist, 
being  a  trustee  in  the  local  congregation.  He  has  long  been  regarded  a 
pillarain  this  church,  and  is  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  work  of  the  denomina- 
tion in  the  southern  part  of  the  count}-. 


FRED  BROWX  ROBINSON. 

The  popular  city  clerk  of  Craw  fordsville,  l''red  Brown  Robinson,  is  a 
young  man  who  deser\-es  mention  within  these  ])ages  and  who  has  in  e\ery 
way  proved  himself  wurth)-  of  the  trust  rejjosed  in  him  by  his  fellow  citizens, 
for  he  has  the  interest  of  his  home  city  at  heart,  is  energetic  and  the  exponent 
of  correct  personal  habits.  He  comes  of  one  of  our  worthy  families  and 
seems  to  have  inherited  many  of  the  attrilnites  of  his  forebears  which  are 
distinguishable  in  the  gentleman  of  courtesy  and  obliging  nature  which  is 
generally  recognized  in  our  subject. 

Mr.  Robinson  was  born  in  Craw  tords\  illc.  Indiana,  December  3.  1S7S. 
He  is  a  son  of  Samuel  M.  and  Kalherine  1  Snuth  )  Robinson.  The  father 
was  born  on  Main  street.  Crawfordsville,  XyxW  4,   1N47,  and  in  this  city  also 


1246  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

occurred  the  birth  of  the  mother,  on  March  26,  1850.  Her  death  occurred 
on  August  3,  igST'.  John  R.  Robinson,  the  paternal  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  near  Springfield,  Ohio,  and  he  came  to  Crawfordsville  in  an 
early  day  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business,  becoming  prominent  in 
business  circles,  and' later  in  politics.  He  serVed  for  mahy  years  as  trustee 
of  Union  township.  He  was  a  Republican.  He  married  Lydia  Robinson 
King.     Her  death  occurred  in  1865.     He  died  in  1884. 

Samuel  M.  Robinson  was  educated  in  the  common  schols.  When  the 
Civil  war  broke  out  he  tried  to  enlist  for  service  in  the  Union  army,  but  was 
rejected  on  account  of  his  youth.  Upon  reaching  maturity  he  became  mana- 
ger of  the  general  store  of  John  B.  Brown,  continuing  in  that  position  for  a 
period  of  eighteen  years,  his  long  retention  being  evidence  of  his  ability  and 
trustworthiness.  He  resigned  in  1880.  This  store  was  located  at  the  corner 
of  East  Main  and  North  Green  streets,  Crawfordsville.  He  then  went  into 
the  clothing  store  of  Eli  Kahn  on  East  Main  street,  as  manager,  giving  his 
usual  satisfaction.  In  February,  1882,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  under 
President  Arthur,  in  which  office  he  served  for  four  years  in  a  manner  that 
reflected  much  credit  upon  himself  and  to  the  eminent  satisfaction  of  the  peo- 
ple and  the  department.  In  1886  he  entered  the  vehicle  business,  being  asso- 
ciated with  the  late  J.  P.  Walter  and  D.  J.  Wodward,  in  the  Harter  block  on 
East  Main  street.  In  1889  he  and  Mr.  Walter  engaged  in  the  horse  and  mule 
business,  and  he  has  continued  this  line  of  endeavor  most  successfully  to  the 
present  time.  Politically,  Samuel  M.  Robinson  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur.  He  and  Katherine  Smith  were  married 
on  December  23,  1869,  and  to  them  four  children  were  born,  namely:  Char- 
lotte, who  died  October  21,  1905;  a  son  died  in  infancy;  Fred  Brown,  of  this 
review;  and  Mabel,  who  lives  at  home. 

Fred  B.  Robinson  was  educated  in  the  Crawfordsville  schools,  and  when 
a  young  man  he  learned  photography  under  Willis,  completing  the  same  in 
1889,  having  become  ah  expert  in  this  line,  which  he  followed  with  much  suc- 
cess in  Crawfordsville  and  Veedersburg,  Indiana,  and  Champaign  and  Gales- 
burg,  Illinois.  Returning  to  Crawfordsville  in  1905,  he  took  a  position  with 
the  Crawfordsville  Water  &  Gas  Company,  which  he  filled  with  credit  and 
satisfaction  until  1909,  when  he  was  elected  city  clerk,  taking  office  on  Jan- 
uary I,  1910,  and  is  now  serving  a  four-year  term,  giving  the  utmost  satis- 
faction to  all  concerned.  During  the  Presidential  campaign  of  1912  he  was 
the  Republican  county  chairman.  He  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  and  Protec- 
tive Order  of  Elks,  being  secretary  of  the  local  lodge,  is  also  a  member  of  the 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  124/ 

Masonic  Order,  ami  the  Craw  fordsville  Chapter,  Xo.  40,  Royal  Arch  Ma- 
sons. Hs  is  treasurer  of  the  Municipal  League  of  Indiana,  fillins^-  both  these 
responsitjle  positions  witli  much  satisfaction. 

Mr.  Robinson  was  married  on  P'ebruary  20,  1912,  to  Eva  S.  Stewart,  of 
Da\'ton,  Ohio. 


FRANCIS  W.   KRITZ. 

Everywhere  in  our  favored  land  are  found  men  who  have  worked  their 
way  from  comparatively  humble  beginnings  to  leadership  in  diverse  avenues 
of  endeavor  and  to  positions  of  trust  as  custodians  of  the  people's  interest. 
Such  an  one  is  the  well  known  gentleman  whose  name  is  the  caption  of  this 
article,  Francis  W.  Kritz,  successful  merchant  at  Waveland  and  the  present 
able  and  popular  postmaster  there.  Not  only  has  he  been  signally  successful 
in  the  prosecution  and  management  of  his  own  afifairs,  but  as  a  public  official 
his  name  is  deserving  to  rank  with  the  capable  and  conscientious  men  of 
Montgomery  county  who  have  been  entrusted  with  public  offices  here.  He 
is  widely  and  favorably  known  throughout  the  Wabash  Valley  district  of 
which  this  history  treats,  while  in  the  discharge  of  every  duty  of  citizenship 
he  lends  his  active  support  and  hearty  cooperation  to  e\ery  movement  ha\ing 
for  its  object  the  public  good. 

Mr.  Kritz  was  born  in  Montgomery  county  on  December  22.  1861.  He 
is  a  son  of  Prof.  Henry  Seymour  Kritz,  who  for  many  years  was  principal 
of  the  preparatory  department  of  Wabash  College,  Crawfcrdsville,  and  in 
view  of  his  eminence  as  an  educator  in  western  Indiana  for  more  than  half  a 
century  and  his  popularity  as  a  man  and  citizen  a  record  of  his  life  and 
labors  will  be  given  before  resuming  that  of  our  immediate  subject. 

Professor  Kritz  was  born  in  Jefiferson  county,  Indiana,  February  14, 
1825,  the  son  of  Henry  and  Sarah  (Sherman)  Kritz,  the  former  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of  New  York.  The  parents  came  to  Indiana  in 
1820,  locating  among  the  early  pioneers  in  Jefiferson  county,  and  there  spent 
the  rest  ol  their  lives.  The  father  learned  cabinet  making  when  young  and  fol- 
lowed that  for  some  years.  He  eventually  became  a  man  of  wealth  and  re- 
tired from  active  life  a  number  of  years  before  his  death.  He  had  one  child, 
Henry  S. 

Professor  Kritz  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
county  and  in  a  seminary  at  Madison,  Indiana,  and  while  there  was  appren- 
ticed to  a  paper  mill  manufacturer,  and  learned  the  trade.     While  working 


1248  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

at  the  same  in  Indianapolis,  in  1845,  he  was  caught  in  the  machinery  and  so 
disabled  in  his  right  hand  as  to  be  disqualified  for  working  longer  at  this 
employment.  Finding  a  change  of  occupation  necessary,  he  decided  upon  a 
career  as  teacher,  thus  what  was  seemingly  a  very  untoward  circumstance 
proved  to  be  a  great  blessing  in  disguise,  for  had  the  accident  not  have  oc- 
curred he  probably  would  have  spent  his  life  in  a  vocation  that  would  have 
resulted  in  little  if  any  good  to  humanity,  and  education  would  have  lost  a 
most  worthy  exponent.  In  order  to  prepare  himself  for  a  professional 
teacher,  Mr.  Kritz  entered  Hanover  College  in  1847.  Here  he  applied  him- 
self with  such  diligence  that  although  he  was  working  his  way  through  col- 
lege by  tutoring  the  preparatory  classes  two  hours  a  day,  he  completed  the 
full  classical  course  in  a  year's  less  time  than  that  usually  required  and  was 
graduated  second  in  a  class  of  twenty.  Previous  to  entering  college  he  had 
taught  in  a  public  school  two  years.  In  1852  he  took  charge  of  the  Presby- 
terian Academy  at  Waveland,  Montgomery  county,  and  remained  there 
more  than  twenty  years,  or  until  1873,  his  long  retention  in  this  most  trying 
and  responsible  position  being  evidence  of  his  ability  as  an  instructor 
and  of  the  confidence  and  esteem  reposed  in  him  by  the  pupils  and  patrons 
of  the  school,  which  in  those  days  was  widely  known  of  its  type,  being  of 
high  school  grade,  preparing  students  also  for  college.  At  that  time  it  em- 
ployed a  corps  of  four  teachers,  and  had  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two 
hundred  and  fifty  students.  Under  the  administration  of  Professor  Kritz 
the  school  became  widely  popular,  known  all  over  this  section  of  the  Middle 
West,  receiving  students  from  ten  different  states,  many  of  whom  liave  since 
become  distinguished  in  the  professions,  and  in  the  various  pursuits  of  busi- 
ness life.  The  school  also  made  a  splendid  record  during  the  ^Var  of  the 
Rebellion,  furnishing  not  only  a  large  number  who  ser\'ed  in  the  ranks,  but 
also  many  who  attained  distinction  as  colonels,  majors  and  captains  in 
the  Union  armies. 

In  1873  Professor  Kritz  came  to  Crawfordsville  as  principal  of  the  high 
school,  and  three  years  later  was  made  superintendent  of  the  city  schools. 
While  serving  in  this  capacity,  he  was,  at  the  earnest  request  of  Professor 
Bassett,  then  principal  of  the  preparatory  department  of  Wabash  College,  made 
his  associate.  Entering  Wabash  College  in  1877  "'ith  the  rank  of  full  professor 
he  taught  the  preparatory  Greek  and  English  until  r88i.  On  the  resignation 
of  Professor  Bassett  in  that  year  he  was  made  principal  of  the  department,  and 
continued  to  ha\-e  charge  of  the  preparatory  Greek  and  Latin  classes  until 
several  years  later.     He  was  aided  by  various  assistants.     The  department 


MOXTGdMERV    COrXTV.     INDIANA.  T  249 

has  always  had  froiii  seveiUy-h\c  to  one  hundred  students  annually  and  has 
acquired  a  reputation  tor  efhciencx'  and  thoroui;hness  enjoxed  1)\-  very  few 
preparatory  schools,  and  this  prestit,'e  has  heen  due  in  no  small  measure  to 
the  efficient  work  of  Professor  Kritz.  However,  this  department  has  heen 
practically  abandoned  at  Wabash,  for  several  reasons  not  inii)licating:  the 
quality  of  the  department.     Professor  Kritz  retired  from  this  work  in  1896. 

While  engaged  in  the  public  school  work  Professor  Kritz  was  a  frequent 
and  very  acceptable  institute  worker  and  teacher,  and  was  long  and  widely 
known  as  an  enthusiastic,  progressive  eilucator.  He  was  one  of  the  nmst 
valuable  men  of  Wabash  College,  for  his  task  was  that  of  laying  the  founda- 
tion for  later  instructors  to  build  upon.  Personally',  he  is  a  \ery  pleasant 
genial  gentleman,  and  by  his  earnest,  conscientious  de\'otion  to  dut\-  wcjn  the 
confidence  and  good  will  alike  of  professors,  students  and  citizens.  He 
always  took  a  great  interest  in  ])ul)lic  affairs,  and  although  he  never  sought 
or  desired  ofifice,  he  was  a  constant  and  intelligent  reader  of  political  journals 
and  always  voted  the  Republican  ticket.  He  also  has  very  decided  religious 
convictions,  and  is  a  worthy  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  ha\ing  been 
a  ruling  elder  in  the  same  for  forty  years.  But  few  professional  teachers  in 
western  Indiana  made  so  long  and  so  successful  a  record,  and  still  fewer  have 
so  impressed  their  personality  on  their  pupils.  Hundreds  of  men  and  women, 
now  in  middle  life,  widely  scattered  in  many  states,  who  had  the  o])portunity 
of  studying  under  him,  rexerence  his  name. 

Professor  Kritz  was  married  in  1855  to  Mary  A.  Brush,  of  Waveland. 
Fourteen  children  were  born  to  this  union,  eight  sons  and  six  daughters,  three 
sons  passing  beyond  in  infancy.  Those  remaining  constituted  a  happy  house- 
hold in  the  pleasant  family  home  at  Wa\eland,  where  they  have  an  attracti\e 
dwelling  and  surroundings. 

Mrs.  Kritz  was  a  daughter  of  Blakely  and  Rebecca  (Glenn)  Brush. 
This  family  was  among  the  first  settlers  in  Montgomery  county  and  became 
well  known  and  very  well  established  here.  They  had  five  children,  only 
one  of  whom,  the  eldest,  John  C,  is  still  living,  his  home  being  in  Xew  \'ork 
City;  the  others  were  David,  William,  who  are  deceased:  Mary  Ann,  the  wife 
of  Professor  Kritz,  who  passed  away  in  i8(/j;  and  Sarah,  the  youngest,  also 
deceased. 

The  following  children  constituted  the  family  of  the  Professor  and  wife: 
Stella  married  and  living  in  Bnfifalo,  New  ^'ork ;  her  husband,  Rev.  Rice 
Hunter,  died  in  March,  191  1  :  Alice,  wife  of  James  Rol>ertson  of  Waveland: 
Charles  S.,  merchant  in  Waveland:   Harry   \\'..   farmer  in   llrown  townslii]): 

(79) 


1250  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Frank  W.,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch;  Jessie,  wife  of  George  W. 
Coman,  of  Waveland ;  Herbert  S.  is  a  merchant  in  Waveland ;  Victoria  is  the 
wife  of  Albert  Kleiser,  a  farmer  of  Brown  township!  this  county;  \\'illiam 
B.,  NelHe  and  Laila,  twins,  who  Hve  in  Waveland,  the  former  the  wife  of 
Dr.  Straugham  and  the  latter  the  wife  of  Dr.  Harbeson. 

Professor  Kritz  has  been  spending  his  old  age  in  retirement,  and  al- 
though he  is  now  in  his  eighty-ninth  year  he  is  remarkably  well  preserved 
and  continues  his  studies,  keeping  well  abreast  of  the  times.  He  is  a  writer 
of  no  mean  ability  and  is  the  author  of  Greek  and  Latin  text-books  of  great 
merit.  He  has  had  three  degrees  bestowed  upon  him — Bachelor  of  Phil- 
osophy, Bachelor  of  Arts,  and  Master  of  Arts.  Politically,  he  was  first  a 
Whig,  later  a  Republican,  and  is  now  a  Progressive.  He  has  been  a  Bible 
class  teacher  for  many  years  and  is  an  authority  on  Biblical  subjects. 

Francis  W.  Kritz,  whose  name  heads  this  article,  grew  to  manhood  in 
Waveland  and  he  had  the  advantages  of  an  excellent  education.  After  pass- 
ing through  the  Waveland  Academy  he  entered  Wabash  College  where  he 
remained  two  years,  later  studied  medicine  two  years,  but  has  never  practiced. 
After  leaving  college  he  devoted  himslf  to  many  trades,  finally  entering  the 
mercantile  field  in  which  he  has  continued  active  and  successful.  In  1890  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  J.  D.  Fisher,  which  continued  until  1896  when 
Mr.  Kritz  succeeded  to  the  sole  proprietorship,  subsequently  taking  in  his 
brother,  William  B.  Kritz,  and  their  partnership  lasted  from  1898  until  1902, 
since  which  time  our  subject  has  continued  the  business  alone  as  a  general 
merchant,  house  furnisher  and  undertaker,  owning  a  large  and  modernly 
equipped  and  well  stocked  place  of  business  which  draws  hundreds  of  cus- 
tomers from  all  parts  of  the  country. 

Francis  W.  Kritz  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Waveland  on  July  2, 
1897,  under  McKinley's  first  administration,  and  he  has  been  incumbent  of 
this  office  continuously  to  the  present  time,  giving  eminent  satisfaction  to  the 
department  and  the  people.  He  is  a  member  of  the  executive  committee  of 
the  National  League  of  Post  Masters,  and  was  re-appointed  in  1912  for  two 
years. 

Mr.  Kritz  was  married  in  1895  to  Isadora  E.  Thomas,  daughter  of  Rich- 
ard A.  and  Mary  A.  ( Ewing)  Shadrach  the  father  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  the  mother  of  Ohio.  When  young  they  went  to  Tennessee  where  they 
remained  until  1887  when  they  removed  to  Indiana. 

The  union  of  our  subject  and  wife  has  been  without  issue,  but  he  fathered 
a  step-son,  Murray  E.  Thomas. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  12^1 

Mr.  Kritz  was  a  nienil>er  of  the  city  council  at  Waveland  for  a  period  of 
thirteen  years  during  which  lie  did  much  for  the  general  ujibuilding  of  the 
place.  He  is  treasurer  of  the  Building  and  Loan  Association,  holding  that 
position  for  a  period  of  fifteen  years.  He  has  also  been  treasurer  of  the 
local  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge  for  a  period  of  fourteen  years,  being  an 
active  member  of  the  Order;  he  also  belongs  to  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur,  and 
has  been  treasurer  of  the  local  lodge  for  a  period  of  six  years  or  more.  These 
positions  '"ndicate  the  high  standing  of  our  subject  in  the  community  and  the 
trust  reposed  in  him.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
and  was  venerable  counsel  of  the  §ame  for  many  years.  Politically,  lie  is  a 
Repulilican  and  has  been  active  in  local  affairs.  Religiously,  he  is  a  Presby- 
terian. 


TEROME  B.  MARTZ. 


Such  a  life  as  has  been  led  by  Jerome  B.  Martz,  highly  respected  retired 
farmer  of  Darlington,  Montgomery  county,  merits  a  record  of  its  good  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  his 
long-continued  strength  of  body  and  mind  has  been  due  to  his  conservative 
habits,  wholesome  living  and  pure  thinking.  He  is  known  as  a  man  who  likes 
to  see  others  succeed  as  well  as  himself,  is  hospitable  and  charitable,  his  many 
acts  of  kindness  springing  from  his  largeness  of  heart  rather  than  from  any 
desire  to  gain  the  plaudits  of  his  fellow  men.  He  has  spent  the  latter  part 
of  his  life  in  our  midst  and  every  year  since  coming  here  has  not  only  found 
him  further  advanced  in  a  material  way,  but  has  added  to  his  list  of  friends, 
his  relations  with  his  fellow  men  having  ever  been  of  the  highest. 

Mr.  Martz  w^as  born  on  September  22.  1844,  in  Pickaway  county,  Ohio, 
and  he  was  two  years  of  age  when,  in  1846,  in  the  month  of  September,  he 
was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  settling  on  what 
has  since  been  called  the  old  Martz  homestead,  and  thus  our  subject  has  spent 
practically  all  his  life,  of  nearly  three  score  and  ten  years  in  this  locality,  and 
has  n.it  only  witnessed,  but  has  taken  an  active  part,  in  the  great  development 
frf>m  that  remote  period  to  the  present  day.     He  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary 


1252  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

(Baker)  Alartz.  They  were  both  natives  of  Ohio,  the  father  born  on  June 
19,  1821,  and  his  death  occurred  on  November  3,  1894.  The  birth  of  the 
mother  occurred  on  February  14.  1824  and  she  was  called  to  her  rest  on  March 
28,  1890.  These  parents  grew  to  maturity,  were  educated  and  married  in  the 
old  Buckeye  state,  and  they  devoted  their  lives  successfully  to  agricultural 
pursuits.  The  father  was  a  Democrat,  and  he  served  at  one  time  as  county 
commissioner.     After  the  Civil  war  he  was  a  Republican. 

Ten  children  were  born  to  Samuel  Martz  and  wife,  five  of  whom  are 
still  living,  the  other  five  having  died  in  infancy;  those  who  reached  maturity 
are  Jerome  B.,  of  this  review;  ^^'illiam  H.,  Chauncey  M.,  Otis  B.,  and  Mrs. 
Mary  Killan. 

Jerome  B.  ]\lartz  grew  to  manhood  on  the  old  home  place  here  and  he 
found  plenty  of  hard  work  to  do  when  a  boy,  assisting  his  father  with  the 
general  work  of  improving  the  same.  He  received  a  meager  education  in  the 
log  school  house  of  his  vicinity,  which  was  typical  of  its  day,  clapboard  roof, 
puncheon  seats,  greased  paper  for  window  panes  and  open  fire-place  in  one 
end.  However,  this  early  deficiency  has  been  more  than  met  in  later  life  by 
actual  contact  w  ith  the  world  and  by  wide  reading  at  home  of  periodicals  and 
books 

]Mr.  Martz  was  married  on  March  7,  1867  to  Eliza  Conrad,  who  was 
born  in  this  county  on  November  13,  1846.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Thomp- 
son and  Elizabeth  (Wyant)  Conrad,  both  of  whom  came  to  this  locality 
from  Ohio  in  an  early  day,  and  here  Mrs.  Martz  grew  to  womanhood  and 
received  a  common  school  education.  Her  death  occurred  on  March  2,  1912 
after  a  happy  married  life.  She  was  a  worthy  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  in  the  work  of  which  she  was  active,  helping  build  the  local 
church.  She  has  a  host  of  warm  friends  here,  and  was  a  woman  of  fine 
Christian  character. 

Two  children  were  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  namely :  Mary,  born 
January  8,  1868,  married  Edward  Little,  and  they  live  on  the  farm  owned  by 
our  subject;  Perry  E.,  died  in  early  life. 

Mr.  Martz  has  followed  farming  all  his  life  with  a  very  satisfactory  de- 
gree of  success,  having  been  regarded  as  one  of  the  leading  general  farmers 
in  Franklin  township.  Having  accumulated  a  competency  through  his  long 
years  of  close  application  and  good  management,  he  left  his  fine  farm  in  1910 
and  moved  to  his  pleasant  home  in  the  town  of  Darlington  where  he  now  re- 
sides, spending  his  old  age  in  quiet.  He  placed  his  son-in-law  on  the  home 
farm  and  Mr.  Little  is  managing  the  same  very  satisfactorily.     The  place 


MOXTGOMERV    COrNTV,    INDIANA.  1^53 

consists  of  one  huiulred  and  sixty  acres,  productive,  well  inipru\ed,  and  under 
a  high  state  of  cultivation,  the  land  beino-  all  tillable  with  the  exception  of  a 
very  little  where  the  creek  cuts  through.  It  is  well  tiled.  lie  alsd  owns 
three  acres  where  he  lives  in  Darlington. 

Mr,  Martz  atteiuls  the  Methodist  church,  anil  ])olitically  he  is  a  Ivcpub- 
hcan,  but  has  nexer  Ijeen  an  as])irant  for  public  office,  preferring  to  lead  a 
iiuiet  life. 


GEORGE  H.  HUGHES. 

The  well  known  piano  ilealer  of  Cra\vfords\ille,  George  H.  Hughes,  is  a 
native  of  \'igo  county,  Indiana,  having  been  born  there  on  March  8,  1853, 
He  is  a  son  of  Weslex-  H.  and  Xancy  E.  (Da\-is)  Hughes.  The  father  was 
born  in  Sulli\an  county,  Indiana,  May  22,  1828.  and  there  also  occurred  the 
birth  of  the  mother  of  our  subject  on  Octoljer  17,  183 1.  They  grew  to  ma- 
turity and  were  educated  in  their  native  community  and  there  they  have  con- 
tinued to  reside  to  the  present  time,  having  established  a  good  home  by  their 
industry.  Five  children  were  born  to  them,  namely:  Josephine,  born  in 
Sulliva/i  county,  is  the  wife  of  Theodore  Hutchinson;  George  H.,  subject  of 
this  sketch;  T.  E.,  wIk)  is  lix'ing  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri;  Catherine  married 
W.  W.  Gliver,  of  Terre  Haute,  Indiana;  Olne  married  H.  P>.  \'an  Buskirk, 
of  Rocky  Ford,  Colorado. 

For  many  years  the  father  of  the  above  named  children  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Siiliixan  county  and  later  went  into  the  tombstone  business  at  the  town 
of  Sullivan  building  up  a  good  business  there,  following  the  same  until  his 
retirement  from  the  active  duties  of  life.  With  the  exception  of  two  years, 
Wesley  H.  Hughes  and  wife  ha\'e  alwaxs  lived  in  Sullivan  count)'.  They 
belong  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  politicall)',  Mr.  Hughes  is  a 
Republican. 

Gco.-ge  F.  Hughes  of  this  review,  attended  the  common  schools  until  he 
w^as  thirteen  }'ears  of  a.ge,  when  he  began  working  at  the  saddlery  trade  which 
he  followed  for  a  ])eriod  of  eleven  vears,  but  finally  al-)andoned  that  line  of 
endeavor  and  went  into  the  piano  business,  going  on  the  road  for  the  Baldwin 
Piano  Company,  his  territory  being  Indiana  and  Illinois  which  he  worked 
from  1833  until  1898.  during  which  time  he  familiarized  himself  with  the  vari- 
ous phases  of  the  piano  business,  anrl.  leaving  the  road  in  1898,  he  opened  a 
piano  business  of  his  own  in  the  city  nf  Crawfordsville,  where  he  continued 


1254  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

to  represent  his  firm.  He  was  successful  in  this  venture,  and  has  built  up  a 
large  and  growing  patronage,  drawing  customers  from  all  over  this  and  ad- 
joining counties.  He  always  carries  an  excellent  stock  of  modern  pianos, 
handling  the  Ellington-Hamilton,  Howard-Valley  Gem,  Jesse  French  &  Son, 
the  Star,  Remington — all  standard  and  well  known  makes.  He  also  carries  a 
full  line  of  other  musical  instruments  and  Victrolas. 

Mr.  Hughes  was  married  in  1880  to  Laura  E.  Robbins,  daughter  of 
Thomas  J.  and  Margaret  (Maxwell)  Robbins,  old  settlers  of  Sullivan  county, 
where  Mr.  Robbins  followed  the  blacksmith's  trade,  and  he  is  still  living  there, 
being  now  advanced  in  years.     His  wife  passed  away  in  1890. 

One  child  has  been  born  to  George  F.  Hughes  and  wife,  Byron  E. 
Hughes,  who  is  in  partnership  with  his  father  in  the  piano  business.  He  is  a 
graduate  of  the  high  school  in  Crawfordsville,  and  later  spent  a  year  in 
Wabash  College.  He  took  a  four  years'  course  and  graduated  with  high 
honors  from  the  Metropolitan  School  of  Music  in  Indianapolis.  He  began 
his  business  career  with  the  Baldwin  Piano  Company,  and  for  a  period  of 
three  years  was  manager  of  that  firm's  house  in  Boston,  Massachusetts.  After 
that  he  returned  to  Crawfordsville  and  became  the  junior  member  of  the 
firm  with  his  father. 

George  F.  Hughes  is  a  Mason  in  his  fraternal  relations,  and  religiously 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Science  church. 


JUDGE  JAMES  McCABE. 

Standing  out  distinctly  as  one  of  the  central  figures  of  the  judiciary  of 
Indiana  of  the  generations  that  are  past  is  the  name  of  the  late  Judge  James 
McCabe.  of  Williamsport.  Prominent  in  legal  circles  and  equally  so  in  public 
matters  beyond  the  confines  of  Warren  county,  with  a  reputation  in  one  of 
the  most  exacting  of  professions  that  won  him  a  name  for  distinguished 
services  second  to  that  of  none  of  his  contemporaries,  there  was  for  many 
years  no  more  prominent  or  honored  man  in  western  Indiana,  which  he  long 
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  becoming  dignity  and  bringing  to 
every  case  submitted  to  him  a  clearness  of  perception  and  ready  power  of 
analysis  characteristic  of  the  learned  jurist,  his  name  and  work  for  decades 
were  allied  with  the  legal  institutions,  public  enterprises  and  political  interests 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1 255 

of  the  state  in  such  a  way  as  to  earn  him  recoi^nitinn  as  (inc  (if  the  (hstin- 
guished  citizens  in  a  community  noted  for  the  hij:;h  (irder  of  its  lalcnl.  A  iii.t^ii 
purpose  and  an  unconquerahle  will,  \ii;orous  niciital  jiowcrs.  (UH,L;ent  study 
and  devotion  to  duty  were  some  of  tlie  means  hy  which  he  made  himself 
eminently  useful,  and  e\er)-  ambitious  youth  who  fights  the  battle  of  life  with 
the  prospect  of  ultimate  success  may  pursue  with  profit  the  biography  here- 
with presented,  for  therein  are  embodied  many  lessons  as  well  as  incentive, 
and,  although  he  "serenely  sleeps  in  the  windowless  palaces  of  rest,"  his  in- 
fluence is  still  a  part  of  many  lives,  making  them  better  and  happier;  thus 
Shakespere  wrote,  "The  good  tliat  men  do  lives  after  them." 

Judge  McCabe  was  born  in  Darke  county,  Ohio,  Jul\'  4,  1834.  His 
father,  James  McCabe,  Sr.  was  a  native  of  Middletown,  south  of  Terre 
Haute,  Indiana,  and  his  mother  was.  Jane  Lee,  a  daughter  of  an  old  Virginia 
family.  After  tlieir  marriage  the  senior  McCabe  and  his  young  wife  went 
to  Ohio,  and  tliere  the  subject  of  this  memoir  was  born,  being  one  of  five 
sons.  While  an  infant  his  parents  moved  to  Kosciusko  county,  Indiana. 
From  there  they  went  to  Illinois  and  the  boy  that  afterward  became  one  of 
the  supreme  judges  of  Indiana  plowed  prairie  sod  with  an  ox  team  on  the 
ground  where  W'atseka  now  stands.  Three  of  the  sons  of  the  stern  W'iiig 
father  left  home,  coming  to  Indiana,  and  James  was  one  of  the  three.  He 
went  to  Cravvfordsville,  attracted  there  by  the  presence  of  relatives  of  his 
mother,  the  Lees.  At  this  time  he  was  seventeen  years  old,  and  here  it  was 
that  he  first  went  to  school,  having  had  no  learning  whatever  up  to  this  time. 
His  first  schooling  was  at  a  night  school  taught  by  Judge  Naylor,  one  of  tiie 
well  known  members  of  the  bar.  He  made  his  living  while  in  school  by 
working  on  the  Monon  railroad  as  a  section  hand,  and  he  boarded  wherever 
it  was  handy.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  married  Serena,  tiie  daughter 
of  M.  M.  VanCleve,  with  whom  he  boarded  a  part  of  the  time.  Tiie  mar- 
riage occurred  on  March  24,  1853.  when  the  bride  was  but  sixteen  years  old. 
The  couple  Ijegan  housekeeping  on  a  farm  seven  miles  from  Crawfordsville. 

One  day,  when  work  on  the  farm  had  grown  slack,  he  rode  to  Crawfords- 
ville and,  impelled  mainly  by  curiosity,  attended  a  murder  trial  in  which  tlie 
prosecutor  was  the  great  criminal  lawyer.  Daniel  W.  X'oorhecs,  and  the  de- 
fendant's attorney  was  Edw'ard  Hannegan.  The  splendid  elocjuence  of  these 
two  distinguished  lawyers  was  enough;  then  and  there  Mr.  McCaI)e  conceived 
the  ambition  to  be  a  lawyer.     He  never  parted  from  that  ideal. 

In  the  winter.  Judge  McCabe  taught  school,  and  in  the  summer  he  fol- 
lowed anv  vocation  which  was  convenient,  ahvavs  with  the  hope  of  succeed- 


1256  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

ing  in  his  chosen  profession.  He  hved  at  Oxford  and  Pine  Village  in  suc- 
cession and,  finally  being  admitted  to  the  bar,  he  became  a  resident  of  Wil- 
liamsport  in  1861.  Here  success  was  slow  in  coming;  he  passed  through  the 
"starvation  period"  which  is  legion  with  the  legal  profession.  He  knew 
what  it  was  to  walk  to  Walnut  Grove  to  argue  a  cause  before  the  squire,  but 
his  labors  were  lightened  usually  by  his  success. 

In  politics  Judge  McCabe  was  a  Democrat,  the  reason  of  which  is  char- 
acteristic. He,  and  his  wife's  people,  were  Hard  Shell  Baptists,  and  believed 
absolutely  in  the  literal  interpretation  of  the  Bible,  and  considered  that  it 
sanctioned  slavery.  Therefore  he  allied  himself  with  the  Democratic  party, 
although  his  father  was  a  Whig  of  uncompromising  type.  Twice  was  he 
nominated  for  Congress,  and  in  a  strong  Republican  district  defeated  by  only 
narrow  margins.  In  1892  he  was  elected  to  the  state  supreme  court  for  a 
term  of  six  years.  Although  nominated  for  a  second  term,  he  was  defeated 
with  the  rest  of  the  ticket. 

Three  \-ery  important  opinions  were  handed  down  by  Judge  McCabe 
while  he  w  as  on  the  bench.  The  most  noted  was  that  of  Haggart  vs.  Stehlin, 
137  Indiana,  43.  This  was  one  of  the  noted  supreme  court  decisions  that 
have  for  many  years  been  cutting  down  the  privileges  of  the  saloon,  the  most 
infamous  institution  that  society  sanctions.  He  took  advanced  ground  in 
this  decision,  going  far  beyond  any  ideas  that  had  ever  been  presented  in  any 
court  in  the  world.  The  gist  of  the  decision,  which  was  rendered  in  i8g8, 
was  that  a  saloon  may  become  a  nuisance,  may  be  enjoined  and  may  have 
judgment  for  damages  rendered  against  it.  So  far-reaching  was  this  deci- 
sion that  it  was  widely  commented  upon,  not  only  in  America,  but  in  Europe. 
The  Literary  Digest  gave  it  considerable  space.  An  interesting  fact  is  that 
John  W.  Kern,  the  present  United  States  senator  from  Indiana,  was  the 
saloon  man's  attorney.  Another  famous  case  was  that  in  which  the  decision 
of  the  lower  court  sentencing  Hinshaw,  the  preacher  who  murdered  his  wife, 
to  the  state  prison  for  life,  was  confirmed.  The  e\idence  was  purely  circum- 
stantial, but  the  opinion  of  Judge  McCabe  reads  like  a  fascinating  detective 
story.  And  one  more  famous  opinion  was  that  in  which  he  repelled  an  attack 
on  Indiana  law-  that  might  have  reduced  the  state  to  anarchy.  Some  man 
had  tried  to  enjoin  the  holding  of  an  election  on  the  grounds  that  a  legislati\'e 
apportionment  had  been  illegal.  Judge  McCabe  showed  that  if  possibly  such 
could  be  the  case,  then  the  very  argument  of  the  petitioner  would  be  illegal  for 
the  same  reason  and  he  denied  the  right  of  the  plaintiffs  to  be  heard  on  the 
question. 


MONTCIOMERV    aUXTV,    1  X  DIAX  A.  IJ57 

As  a  public  speaker,  Judge  McCalie  liad  few  e(|uals,  his  (iratury  heius;  ut 
a  style  that  entranced  those  who  heard  him.  I  lis  (hclicin  was  ])erfect.  his 
logic  irresistible,  his  illustrations  well  chosen,  while  his  well  niddulaled  voice, 
graceful  gestures,  and  charm  ot  manner  all  contributed  to  ;i  most  remarkal)le 
success  in  the  legal  anil  i)olitical  forum.  Some  of  his  most  jileasing  and 
efifective  speeches  were  made  extemporaneously,  for  his  general  knowledge 
was  so  broad  and  comprehensive,  his  grasp  of  a  subject  in  all  its  aspects  so 
quick,  and  his  talent  as  a  si)eaker  so  natural,  that  he  could  easily,  without 
preparation,  make  addresses  that  would  have  been  creditable  to  most  men 
after  careful  preparation. 

After  his  retirement  from  the  bench  Judge  McCabe  practiced  law  with 
his  son,  under  the  firm  name  of  McCabe  &  McCabe.  He  enjoyed  a  lucrative 
practice  and  man\'  times  served  as  special  judge.  The  death  of  Jutlge  Mc- 
Cabe occurretl  on  March  23,  lyii,  at  his  home  in  Williamsport,  Indiana, 
after  an  illness  of  long  duration. 

Judge  McCabe  left,  besides  the  faithful  wife,  three  children,  namely; 
Nancy  Ellen,  the  wife  of  J.  B,  Gwin,  of  Indianapolis;  Edwin  F..  a  well  known 
and  successful  attorney  at  Williamsport;  and  Charles  M.,  a  successful  lawyer 
of  Crawfordsville.  of  the  firm  name  of  Crane  &  McCabe.  There  are  twelve 
grandchildren  and  five  great-grandchildren.  Mrs.  McCalje  is  the  daughter 
of  Mathias  and  Nancy  (Nicholson)  VanCleve  and  she  was  born  in  Ross 
county,  Ohio.  Mathias  VanCleve  was  born  near  Shelbyville,  Kentucky,  in 
1810,  and  he  was  educated  mostly  in  his  native  state.  He  was  a  Baptist 
minister  of  considerable  reputation,  and  he  finally  came  to  Iniliana  and  estab- 
lished the  family  home  near  Crawfor(ls\ille.  where  they  continued  to  reside 
for  nearly  a  half  century.  He  was  primarily  a  self-made  man,  and  mo.st  of 
his  higher  learning  was  obtained  by  home  study.  His  family  consisted  of  six 
children.  Mrs.  Serena  McCabe  having  been  the  third  in  order  of  birth 

The  bar  of  the  Warren  Circuit  Court  held  a  memorial  service  at  William.s- 
port  on  May  7,  191 1,  when  the  last  tribute  of  respect  and  honor  to  bis  mem- 
ory was  paid  by  an  immense  crowd  of  neighl)ors  and  friends.  Man\  prominent 
and  distinguished  jurists  and  state  officers  were  present:  former  Appellate 
Judge  Joseph  M.  Rabb  presided.  Addresses  were  made  by  others,  the  \n\n- 
cipal  speaker  being  William  Jennings  Bryan,  the  Nebraska  Commoner  having 
been  a  close  personal  friend  (tf  Judge  McCabe  and  bis  active  associate  in 
national  politics.  Mr.  Bryan  paid  a  splendid  tribute  to  Judge  McCal>e,  de- 
tailing the  characteristics  that  controlled  his  actions,  and  nanu'ng  the  four 
cornerstones  upon  which  the  judge's  life  was  built  a-^  (".,,(1.  Imine.  societv.  and 


1258  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

government.  He  enlarged  upon,  and  showed  how  the  Hfe  of  a  successful 
man  was  so  builded,  particularly  that  of  Judge  McCabe. 

The  following  memorial  was  prepared  by  the  local  bar  association,  the 
committee  drafting  the  resolutions  being  William  H.  Durborow,  H.  D.  Bill- 
ings, Victor  H.  Ringer  and  Chester  G.  Rossiter;  part  of  the  memorial,  bear- 
ing on  the  life  of  the  deceased,  is  omitted,  to  avoid  repetition  from  foregoing 
paragraphs  in  this  sketch  : 

"From  1861  until  his  elevation  to  the  supreme  bench  of  the  state,  Judge 
McCabe's  career  as  a  lawyer  was  one  of  unremitting  labor,  crowned  with 
remarkable  success.  By  his  power  of  oratory,  he  could  sway  a  jury  as  few 
lawyers  could.  When  espousing  a  client's  cause  he  never  rested  from  his 
efforts  in  his  behalf.  He  had  a  large,  varied  and  widely  extended  practice, 
and  could  and  did  meet  the  most  distinguished  lawyers  on  equal  terms.  Dur- 
ing his  term  of  six  years  on  the  bench,  the  opinions  prepare  by  him  have  be- 
come masterpieces  of  profound  learning,  many  of  them  on  public  questions 
of  lasting  benefit  to  the  people  of  the  state  at  large.  But  his  life  work  is 
finished.  It  was  well  and  ably  done.  In  summing  up  the  professional  career 
of  this  honored  and  honorable  gentleman,  it  can  be  truthfully  said,  that : 

"As  an  advocate  he  possessed  a  remarkable  power  of  clear  statement  and 
convincing  logic.  As  a  counselor  he  was  exact,  careful  and  carried  his  re- 
searches into  the  remotest  sources  of  the  law.  As  a  public  orator,  he  swayed 
men  with  force  of  argument,  and  molded  their  ideas  to  coincide  with  his  own. 
As  a  judge,  he  was  upright,  masterful  and  added  luster  to  the  bench  of  a 
mighty  state;  therefore  be  it 

"Resolved  by  the  bar  of  Warren  Circuit  Court  that  in  the  death  of  Judge 
James  McCabe  our  bar  has  lost  the  guidance  of  its  oldest  and  wisest  member; 
with  reverence  we  will  be  guided  by  his  precept  and  example.  That  his 
family  has  lost  a  devoted  and  loving  husband  and  father  and  they  have  the 
sympathy  of  our  bar.  That  the  state  has  lost  a  wise  and  able  jurist,  the  com- 
munity a  popular  and  distinguished  citizen.     Be  it  further 

"Resolved,  that  the  memorial  and  these  resolutions  be  spread  on  record 
in  the  order  book  of  the  Warren  Circuit  Court,  a  copy  thereof  be  furnished  by 
the  plerk,  under  his  hand  and  seal  of  the  court,  to  the  family  of  our  deceased 
member,  and  that  a  copy  be  published  in  the  county  papers." 

As  a  further  insight  into  the  character  of  Judge  McCabe.  the  following 
letter  from  United  States  Senator  John  W.  Kern,  of  Indianaoplis,  written 
to  the  son  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  will  be  of  interest : 

"I  learned  this  morning  of  the  death  of  your  father,  and  hasten  to  express 


MOXTGOMERV    COUNTY,    IXniANA.  1 259 

my  deep  sympathy  and  to  assure  you  that  I  am  one  of  his  many  friends  who 
are  today  mourning  his  many  noble  quahties  of  head  and  heart. 

"I  had  known  James  McCabe  since  the  days  of  my  early  manliood,  and 
my  admiration  for  him  increased  as  the  years  rolled  by  until  it  amounteil  to 
genuine  affection.  He  was  a  man  of  sterling  qualities.  His  con\'ictions 
were  positive  and  always  expressed  fearlessly,  "though  he  always  manifested 
a  rare  spirit  of  charity  towards  those  who  honestly  differed  from  him  in 
opinion. 

"He  was  a  just  judge,  whose  first  aim  was  the  security  (if  justice  to  the 
litigant,  and  to  maintain  at  the  same  time  the  dignity  of  the  high  judicial  office 
which  he  so  long  honored. 

"As  a  lawyer,  he  threw  his  whole  soul  into  his  work  and  to  his  great 
legal  knowledge  'he  added  the  saving  grace  of  common  sense'  in  such  a  degree 
as  to  make  him  a  most  formidable  adversary. 

"As  a  citizen,  he  stood  for  the  highest  ideals  and  his  voice  was  always 
to  be  heard  in  behalf  of  temperance  and  morality.  But  it  was  as  a  friend, 
true,  loyal,  and  devoted,  that  he  won  my  personal  affection,  so  that  I  now 
mourn  with  you  as  a  kinsman." 


WALTER  SCHOEN. 


One  of  the  most  panstaking  and  successful  farmers  of  Franklin  town- 
ship, Montgomery  county,  is  Walter  Schoen.  He  is  a  scion  of  a  thrifty  and 
hard  working  old  German  family  and  while  his  life  has  been  spent  here  in 
Montgomery  county  he  gives  much  evidence  of  being  the  possessor  of  many 
of  the  characteristic  traits  of  the  people  of  the  Fatherland,  traits  which  are 
ever  commendable  and  which  lead  to  material  success  and  to  honored  posi- 
tions in  the  community. 

Mr.  Schoen  was  born  on  November  28,  1868  in  Franklin  township,  this 
county.  He  is  a  son  of  Charles  and  Lizzie  A.  (Heuber)  Schoen.  The  father 
was  born  on  January  22,  1844,  in  Germany,  in  which  country  he  spent  his 
boyhood  and  received  his  education,  being  eighteen  years  old  when  he  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States,  making  the  long  voyage  in  an  old-fashioned  sail- 
ing vessel.  He  came  on  west,  stopping  in  Ohio,  where  he  remained  until 
1864  when  he  removed  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  where  he  has  since 
remained,  successfully  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising  on  a 
large  scale.     He  is  making  his  home  in  the  village  of  Darlington,  and  owns 


I26o  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

a  large  fine  farm  in  Franklin  township  which  he  acquired  through  his  own 
close  and  persistent  efforts.  Before  leaving  his  native  land  he  learned  the 
shoemaker's  trade,  but  he  has  stuck  to  farming  since  coming  to  this  county. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Fountain  county,  Indiana,  on  March 
17.  1847,  and  her  death  occurred  on  March  6,  1913.  She  grew  up  and  was 
educated  in  her  native  community.  She  was  an  excellent  helpmeet  to  her 
husband  and  was  a  kind,  good  woman. 

Only  two  children  were  born  to  Charles  Schoen  and  wife,  Walter,  of  this 
review ;  and  Arthur. 

Walter  Schoen  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  there  found 
"plenty  of  hard  work  to  do  when  growing  up.  He  received  a  good  common 
school  education.  On  December  11,  1890  he  married  Hattie  Cook  who  was 
born  on  January  4,  1869  in  Sugar  Creek  township,  this  county,  and  there  she 
grew^  to  womanhood  and  received  her  education.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Nancy  (Wyatt)  Cook,  who  came  from  Ohio,  in  which  state  the 
father  was  born  on  January  17,  1833,  and  there  the  mother  first  saw  the  light 
of  day  on  September  17,  1833.  They  grew  to  maturity  in  their  native  state 
and  were  married  there  after  receiving  the  usual  public  school  training.  The 
mother  of  Mrs.  Schoen  was  called  to  her  rest  in  the  Silent  Land  on  December 
ij,  uji^.v  These  parents  came  to  Indiana  after  their  marriage  and  located 
in  Alontgomery  count)'  wliere  they  established  the  future  home  of  the  family, 
in  Sugar  Creek  township,  and  there  Mr.  Cook  is  still  living,  running  a  good 
farm. 

Four  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schoen,  one  of  whom  is  de- 
ceased: they  were  named  Efiie,  born  September  26,  1891,  is  living  at  home; 
Martha,  born  June  4,  1883,  died  September  24,  1839;  Bertha,  born  October 
29,  1894,  married  Oscar  Wirick,  a  farmer  of  Walnut  township,  this  county; 
Charles,  born  October  24,  1900,  is  attending  school. 

Mr.  Schoen  has  always  engaged  in  farming  in  a  general  way  and  raising 
live  stock  of  various  grades  and  qualities,  preparing  large  numbers  of  cattle 
and  hogs  for  the  market  annually,  being  one  of  the  largest  and  most  success- 
ful feeders  in  this  part  of  the  county.  He  owns  a  well  improved  and  care- 
fully kept  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  Walnut  township,  all  tillable  but  about  five 
acres.  He  also  has  an  interest  in  the  farm  where  he  lives,  the  place  of  two 
hundred  and  forty-three  acres,  owned  by  his  father.  It  is  all  well  improved 
and  is  one  of  the  choice  farms  of  the  township.  The  excellent  improvements 
on  the  place  were  made  by  our  subject's  father. 

Politically,  Mr.  Schoen  is  a  Republican.  He  belongs  to  the  Masonic 
Order  at  Darlington.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


MOaNTGOMEKV    cor  XT V,    IN'OIAX. 


C.  M.  COOK. 


One  of  tlie  nietliodical  tanners  of  I'Vanklin  township.  .Mont.i^nmery 
county,  wlio  has  been  content  to  spend  his  hfe  in  his  nati\e  ciminiunity  is  C. 
M.  Cook,  and,  judging  from  the  cnntinunus  success  tiiat  has  attended  his 
efforts  as  a  general  tiller  of  the  soil  and  stock  raiser  he  was  wise  in  remain- 
ing where  he  was  familiar  w  ith  the  conditions  of  soil,  climate  and  many  other 
things  which  one  has  to  learn  in  going  to  a  new  country.  This  has  un- 
questionably given  him  an  advantage  and  he  did  not  have  to  wait  a  number 
of  years  before  he  could  master  these  necessary  features  befogs  gratifying 
returns  could  be  realized.  He  comes  of  one  of  the  old  families  of  this  town- 
ship, the  name  Cook  ha\ing  been  a  familiar  one  in  this  locality  and  the  several 
members  of  the  same  ha\-e  done  much  toward  its  de\"elopment  in  many  ways, 
being  regarded  by  all  who  know  tiiem  as  good  citizens  in  the  Ijest  sense  of 
the  term. 

C.  M.  Cook  was  born  in  tliis  township  and  county  on  November  28, 
1862.  He  is  a  son  of  Charles  and  Rachel  (Rice)  Cook.  The  birth  of  the 
father  occurred  in  1835,  and  he  died  February  28,  1868,  when  in  the  prime  of 
life.  He  had  engaged  in  farming.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in 
1843  and  her  death  occurred  in  July,  1901.  She  was  one  of  a  family  of  the 
follow-ing  children:  John  W.,  born  March  7,  1796:  Rachel,  who  married  a 
Mr.  Simpsons,  was  born  on  Ajiril  2^,  1800:  Andrew  J..  l)orn  July  <;.  1818; 
Margaret,  born  November  2,  1820;  .\nannias.  born  Januarv  22.  1823;  John, 
bom  September  19,  1825;  Rachel,  born  July  30,  1832;  Mary  Ann,  Septemiier 
17,  1839;  William,  born  July  2j,  1847. 

Six  children  were  born  to  Charles  Cook  and  wife,  namely:  William  C, 
Frank,  Charles,  Jr.,  C.  M.  Louisa,  and  Ollie  J. 

C.  M.  Cook  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  and  there  assisted  w  ith 
the  general  work  when  a  boy,  and  during  the  winter  months  he  attended  the 
schools  of  his  district. 

On  September  30,  1893  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ora  l'«.  Johnson, 
wdio  was  born  in  Franklin  township,  this  cmmt}',  and  here  grew  to  woman- 
hood and  was  educated,  later  attending  college.  She  is  a  daughter  of  H.  S. 
and  Edna  (Butler)  Johnson,  both  natives  of  West  X'irginia  where  they  spent 
their  earlier  years.  The  mother  is  still  li\ing.  Mrs.  Couk  was  one  of  three 
children. 

Four  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cook,  three  of  wiiom  are  liv- 
ing, namely:   Effie,  l)orn  August  2,   1902:  Pearl,  born  Se])tember  22,   1894; 


1262  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Charles  H.,  born  Feljruary  24,  1900:  Carl,  born  April  27,  1903  died  the  same 
year. 

Mr.  Cook  began  farming  for  himself  when  a  young  man  and  he  has 
continued  this  vocation  with  uninterrupted  success  to  the  present  time.  A 
good  grade  of  live  stock  is  always  to  be  seen  about  his  place.  He  specialized 
on  Poland-China  hogs  and  shorthorn  cattle,  however  he  finds  a  general  grade 
of  well  bred  stock  is  a  better  paying  investment,  and  now  carries  out  this  idea. 
His  finely  improved,  well  tilled  and  productive  farm  consists  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  all  tillable.  He  has  a  comfortable  dwelling  and  good  out- 
buildings. 

Mrs.  Cook  was  called  to  her  eternal  rest  on  December  24,  1903,  and  our 
subject  has  never  remarried. 

Mr.  Cook  is  a  Republican,  having  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father 
politically.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


BRUCE  C.  POPE. 


One  of  the  satisfied  farmers  of  Brown  township,  Montgomery  county,  is 
Bruce  C.  Pope,  of  the  Browns  Valley  locality ;  and  he  should  be,  for  while  he 
does  not  operate  on  an  extensive  scale,  he  has  a  neat  little  farm  which  keeps 
him  busy  and  brings  in  a  comfortable  income  from  year  to  year,  so  that  he 
and  his  family  live  comfortably,  and  he  is  devoid  of  the  burdening  cares  that 
those  who  have  large  business  affairs  are  subject  to.  Loving  the  simple  life, 
as  advocated  by  the  great  preapher-philosopher  Wagner,  in  the  little  book 
which  Roosevelt  praised  and  recommended,  our  subject  has  no  ambition  to 
excell  in  the  race  for  wealth  and  renown.     Therefore  he  is  happy. 

Mr.  Pope  was  born  in  Edgar  county,  Illinois,  August  9,  1863.  He  is  a 
son  of  Squire  W.  and  Margaret  (Bruce*)  Pope.  The  father  was  born  on 
February  2,  1822,  in  Kentucky,  where  he  spent  his  earlier  life.  In  the  days 
of  the  gold  fever,  he  was  one  who  braved  the  dangers  of  the  long  overland 
journey  across  the  great  plains  to  California  in  the  early  fifties,  aifd  he  re- 
mained on  the  Pacific  coast  about  five  years,  "later  returning  East  and  locating 
in  Illinois,  establishing  the  family  home  in  Edgar  county,  where  he  engaged 
successfully  in  farming  and  where  his  death  occurred  on  August  11,  1903. 
He  often  related  his  interesting  experiences  in  the  far  West,  and  he  was  a  man 
who  was  liked  by  all  who  knew  him. 

Margaret  Bruce,  mentioned  above,  was  born  in  Indiana,  in  the  vicinity 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY.    INDIANA.  I263 

of  Clinton.  \'erniillion  county,  near  the  Illinois  state  line,  and  her  death  oc- 
curred in  1 901. 

Two  children  were  born  to  Squire  \\\  Pope  and  wife.  Bruce  C,  of  this 
review;  and  William  S. 

Bruce  C.  Pope  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Ed^ar  county.  Illinois, 
and  there  he  did  the  usual  light  work  and  chores  when  a  boy,  attending  the 
district  .schools  in  the  wintertime.  On  June  15,  1887,  he  married  Mary  A. 
Meloy,  who  was  born  in  Illinois  on  December  18,  1865,  and  there  she  grew 
to  womanhood  and  received  a  common  school  education. 

Seven  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pope,  all  daughters, 
namely:  Bernice  is  deceased:  Amy,  Mary  F.,  Ester  L.  Margaret,  Ruth  and 
Merle. 

Mr.  Pope  has  always  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  He  is  the  owner 
of  a  \aluable  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  Brown  township,  which  is  well  tiled, 
fenced  and  fertilized,  and  all  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  but  about  ten 
acres,  and  on  it  stands  a  very  good  group  of  buildings.  Here  our  subject 
has  lived  since  1904,  and  since  taking  up  his  residence  in  this  community  he 
has  made  a  host  of  good  friends. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat  and  is  loyal  in  his  support  of  the  party. 
He  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  is  a  steward  in  the  same, 
taking  considerable  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  congregation.  Fraternally, 
he  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Order  at  Waveland,  also  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
at  Browns  Valley,  and  he  also  belongs  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 


H.  M.  BOUNELL,  M.  D. 

It  is  no  very  rare  thing  in  this  land  of  ours  for  a  man  to  achieve  his 
ambition  in  the  face  of  obstacles,  accepting  assistance  from  no  one.  or  at 
least  not  depending  upon  others  to  bring  them  to  the  goal  sought.  One  such 
is  Dr.  H.  M.  Bounell,  of  Waynetown,  who  has  since  taking  up  his  residence 
in  this  locality  occupied  a  conspicuous  place  among  the  professional  men  of 
Montgomery  county.  His  record  both  as  a  skilled  physician  and  a  public- 
spirited  citizen  and  honorable  gentleman,  being  without  reproach,  for  in  every 
walk  of  life  he  is  recognized  by  all  classes  as  a  high-minded,  talented, 
courteous  gentleman  of  perfect  integrity  and  genuine  moral  worth.  He  is 
acting  well  his  part  in  life,  and  while  primarily  interested  in  his  own  affairs 
he  has  not  been  unmindful  of  the  interests  of  others,  as  his  interests  to  ad- 


1264  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY.    INDIANA. 

vance  the  public  good  and  promote  the  welfare  of  his  fellow  men  abundantly 
attest.  He  is  eminently  worthy  of  the  success  he  has  achieved  and  of  the  high 
esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  all  who  know  him. 

Dr.  Bounell  was  born  in  Lebanon,  Indiana,  on  January  21,  1868.  He  is 
a  son  of  Dr.  M.  H.  Bounell.  The  father,  who  was  a  successful  practicing 
physician,  was  born  in  1822,  and  his  death  occurred  on  March  19,  1896. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  August,  1882,  in  this  state  and  she  is 
still  living,  making  her  home  in  Crawfordsville,  being  now  advanced  in  years. 
These  parents  were  both  well  educated,  the  father  hax'ing  entered  Asbury 
(now  DePauw)  University,  at  Greencastle,  Indiana,  after  passing  through  the 
common  schools,  and  the  mother  attended  the  common  schools  and  a  seminary. 

Dr.  M.  H.  Bounell  was  twice  married,  and  his  family  consisted  of  six 
children,  three  by  each  wife.     Two  of  them  died  in  infancy. 

Dr.  H.  M.  Bounell  of  this  sketch  received  a  good  common  school  educa- 
tion, and  later  attended  Purdue  University  at  Lafayette.  Indiana.  After 
leaving  school  he  began  teaching  and  taught  one  year  in  Montgomery  county 
and  one  year  in  Boone  county,  then  went  West  and  taught  a  year  in  the 
state  of  Washington.  He  was  making  a  good  start  as  a  teacher,  but  having 
long  entertained  a  laudable  ambition  to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father 
in  a  professional  way  he  abandoned  the  school  room  and  took  up  the  study  of 
medicine  at  the  University  of  Louisville,  where  he  made  a  splendid  record 
and  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  April.  1893.  He  at 
once  located  at  Jamestown,  Indiana,  where  he  practiced  his  profession  with 
ever  increasing  success  until  March,  1895,  when  he  came  to  Waynetown,  this 
county,  and  here  he  has  since  remained,  building  up  a  large  and  lucrative  prac- 
tice, and  taking  a  place  among  the  leading  physicians  of  the  county.  He 
has  kept  well  abreast  of  the  times,  having  remained  a  close  student  of  all  that 
pertains  to  his  profession. 

Dr.  Bounell  was  married  in  April  17.  1895  to  Elizabeth  Shera,  who  was 
born  in  Boone  county.  Indiana,  Jul}-  2,  1876.  She  is  a  representative  of  a 
highly  respected  old  family. 

The  union  of  our  subject  and  wife  has  been  blessed  by  the  birth  of  two 
children,  namely:  Heath,  who  was  born  on  April  17,  1901,  is  attending 
school;  and  Ralph,  who  was  born  July  3,  1908. 

Dr.  Bounell  is  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  of  valuable 
land,  a  part  of  which  is  in  Montgomery  county  and  a  part  in  Fountain 
county.  It  is  nearly  all  tillable,  is  well  tiled  and  well  improved.  The  Doc- 
tor's home  is  in  Waynetown,  and  he  has  a  \\ell  equipped  office  near  his  home. 


MOXTC.OMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I -^>5 

Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  but  has  never  found  time  lo  take  a  very 
active  part  in  public  affairs.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
Order,  including  the  Blue  Lodge  and  the  Scottish  Rite  degrees,  botl^  in 
W'aynetown.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  In  religious  mat- 
ters h.e  holds  membership  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  is  a 
Iru  tee  in  the  same. 


C.  W.  CARTER. 


One  of  the  best  known  and  most  representative  agriculturists  and  busi- 
ness men  of  the  northwestern  part  of  Montgomery  county  is  C.  W.  Carter  of 
Wingate,  Coal  Creek  township,  a  man  who  has  worked  hard  and  managed 
well  and  at  the  same  time  has  so  ordered  his  ways  that  he  has  avoided  ofifense 
to  those  with  whom  he  has  had  dealings  or  come  into  contact  with  in  any  way, 
being  a  man  of  proper  conceptions  regarding  right  and  wrong  and  one  who 
believes  in  following  the  precepts  of  the  Golden  Rule  in  the  every-day  affairs 
as  near  as  possible,  consequently  he  has  ever  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  his 
neighbors  and  acquaintances.  For  many  years  he  was  an  extensive  dealer  in 
hardware  at  Wingate,  but  he  has  recently  abandoned  that  and  turned  his 
attention  exclusively  to  his  large  and  valuable  farm  just  on  the  edge  of  Foun- 
tain county  on  the  west  and  he  has  proved  that  he  has  the  capacity  for  most 
any  kind  of  business  that  he  cares  to  direct  his  attention  to. 

Mr.  Carter  was  born  on  .August  17,  i86g  in  Da\'is  township,  h'ountain 
county,  Indiana.  He  is  a  son  of  J.  F.  and  Rachael  (Washburn)  Carter. 
The  father  was  born  on  November  18,  1843,  in  iMiuntain  county,  and  there 
he  grew  to  manhood,  was  educated  and  de\<ite(l  his  active  life  successfully  to 
farming  and  stock  raising,  being  still  in  that  vocation.  His  wife  is  also  still 
living.     They  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  all  living. 

C.  W.  Carter  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Fountain- 
county  and  when  a  boy  worked  on  the  home  farm.  On  May  23,  1893  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Hattie  A.  Wilson.  She  is  a  sister  of  J.  D.  Wilson, 
whose  sketch,  containing  a  history  of  their  parents,  will  be  found  on  another 
page  of  this  work.     Mrs.  Carter  received  a  common  school  education. 

Four  children  have  been  born  to  our  subject  and  wife.  iiamel\- :  Lloyd 
is  deceased;  Avenalle  is  at  home:  Leslie  and  Ruth  are  the  two  \t)unger 
children. 

Mr.  Carter  began  life  for  himself  as  a  farmer  which  he  continued  with 

(80) 


1266  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

success  until  1904  when  he  came  to  the  town  of  Wingate  and  opened  a  hard- 
ware store,  and  soon  built  up  a  very  satisfactory  and  extensive  business  with 
the  surrounding  country,  but  about  a  year  ago  he  found  it  to  his  advantage 
to  return  to  the  farm,  and  he  is  now  devoting  his  attention  to  general  farming 
and  stock  raising  on  a  large  scale.  He  has  a  finely  improved  and  well  culti- 
vated farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  just  across  the  line  in  Fountain 
county,  also  land  in  Fulton  county.  He  has  a  good  grade  of  live  stock  and 
no  small  part  of  his  annual  income  is  derived  from  this  source.  There  is  a 
substantial  and  convenient  set  of  buildings  on  his  land,  and  he  resides  in  his 
beautiful,  modern  bungalow,  of  nine  rooms  and  neatly  furnished,  which  is 
one  of  the  most  desirable  homes  in  this  part  of  the  county. 

Politically,  Mr.  Carter  is  a  Democrat,  but  he  has  never  been  especially 
active  in  public  affairs,  however  assists  in  any  way  he  can  in  furthering  local 
improvements.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and 
fraternally  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  at  Wingate. 


JOHN  R.  COONS. 


In  the  early  days  the  state  of  Indiana  was  often  a  tempting  field  to  the 
energetic,  ambitious,  strong-minded  men,  and  her  various  counties  were  filled 
with  them  during  the  time  she  was  struggling  up  to  a  respectable  position 
in  the  sisterhood  of  states.  There  was  a  fascination  in  the  broad  field  and 
great  promise  which  the  new  region  of  the  northwest  presented  to  activity 
and  originality  that  attracted  many  men  from  all  over  the  East  and  even  parts 
of  the  South,  and  induced  them  to  brave  all  the  privations  and  discomforts 
of  frontier  life  for  the  pleasure  and  gratification  of  constructing  their  for- 
tunes in  their  own  way  and  after  their  own  methods.  It  is  this  class  of  men 
more  than  any  other  who  give  shape,  direction  and  character  to  the  business 
of  a  community,  county  or  state.  Of  the  class  just  mentioned  was  the  Coons 
family,  one  of  the  earliest  to  locate  within  the  borders  of  Montgomery  county 
and  here  the  various  members  of  the  family  have  continued  to  play  an  im- 
portant part  in  her  affairs  from  that  remote  pioneer  period  to  the  present  day, 
one  of  the  best  known  members  having  been  the  late  John  R.  Coons,  who  was 
a  man  of  talent  and  fine  personal  traits  of  character,  and  for  a  long  lapse  of 
years  one  of  the  best  known  and  popular  educators  of  the  Wabash  Valley 
country,  and  also  an  honored  public  official.     It  was  a  renowned   Roman 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  126/ 

writer  who  once  said,  "Pale  death  strikes  with  equal  force  at  the  turrets  of 
the  rich  and  the  hovels  of  the  poor,  and  distinction,  whether  of  talents  of 
wealth,  philosophy,  literature  or  invention,  becomes  neutral  and  fades  in  the 
presence  of  death.  Naked  we  come  from  the  invisible  world,  naked  we  re- 
turn thither.  Before  the  final  assize,  prince  and  beggar  are  of  the  same 
stature  and  God  is  not  a  respecter  of  persons."  So  the  life  of  the  subject 
of  this  memoir  goes  cm  in  fairer  realms  than  ours,  wiiile  his  nieniory  con- 
tinues to  be  cherished  by  the  host  of  warm  friends  whom  lie  left  behind,  for 
the  influence  of  such  a  man  is  "not  interred  with  their  bones"  as  Shakspere 
said  in  his  tragedy  of  Julius  Caesar. 

Air.  Coons  was  the  scion  of  a  sterling  old  Southern  family,  and  he  was 
born  in  the  state  of  Tennessee,  on  September  28,  1820,  on  a  farm.  He  was 
a  son  of  George  and  Julia  Coons,  who  removed  from  Tennessee  to  Indiana  in 
the  early  twenties,  when  their  son  John  R.,  was  a  small  child.  They  located 
in  the  wilds  of  Montgomery  county,  where,  after  hard  w  ork  and  close  applica- 
tion they  established  a  good  home,  cleared  their  land  and  had  a  productive 
farm,  enduring  the  privations  and  hardships  incident  to  the  lives  of  all  fron- 
tier settlers,  and  they  were  influential  among  their  neighbors  and  did  much  for 
the  early  development  of  the  community.  They  continued  to  reside  on  the 
farm  here  until  their  children  were  grown,  then  moved  into  the  city  of  Craw- 
fordsville  where  they  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives,  both  now  having  been  de- 
ceased many  years. 

John  R.  Coons  received  the  customar}-  pioneer  schooling,  having  at- 
tended the  rural  schools  during  the  brief  winter  months,  w^hen  he  became  of 
proper  age,  and  in  the  crop  season  he  worked  hard  on  the  home  farm.  He 
was  of  a  literary  turn  of  mind  and  when  but  a  boy  showed  a  great  ambition 
to  become  educated,  and  so  he  did  by  his  own  efforts,  having  remained  all 
his  life  a  close  student  of  miscellaneous  works,  and  was  one  of  the  best  in- 
formed men  on  general  topics  in  the  county  and  an  interesting  and  pleasing 
conversationalist.  For  many  years  he  taught  in  the  country  schools  of  this 
locality  and  did  a  great  work  in  strengthening  the  schools,  winning  the  hearty 
commendation  of  both  patrons  and  pupils.  He  also  took  an  abiding  interest 
in  public  affairs  and  was  one  of  the  leaders  in  Republican  politics  in  Mont- 
gomery county,  having  ever  remained  faithful  to  its  principles.  He  was 
deputy  county  treasurer  for  two  terms,  during  which  he  familiarized  him- 
self so  thoroughly  with  the  work  of  the  same  and  was  so  prompt  and  court- 
eous in  discharging  the  w  ork  of  the  office  that  the  people  elected  him  count\- 
treasurer  and  he  held  the  office  with  abilitv  and  much  credit  to  himself  and 


1268  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

to  the  eminent  satisfaction  of  all  concerned.  He  later  was  honored  by  being 
elected  mayor  of  Crawfordsville  and  during  his  administration  he  did  much 
for  the  permanent  good  of  the  city,  proving  to  be  one  of  the  best  mayors  the 
city  has  e\-er  had,  according  to  a  consensus  of  opinion.  He  held  this  im- 
portant office  a  number  of  years. 

After  his  official  career  Mr.  Coons  returned  to  school  teaching,  which 
he  continued  to  follow  with  his  usual  success  until  his  death  on  July  23,  1891. 

Mr.  Coons  was  twice  married,  first  to  Nancy  Thompson.  To  this  union 
three  children  were  born,  namely :  Albert,  who  lives  in  Waynetown ;  Eliza 
Jane,  who  is  the  wife  of  Austin  D.  Sumner,  of  Hillsboro;  and  George  W.  of 
Crawfordsville.  Mr.  Coons  was  married  to  Mrs.  Nancy  Carolina  Graham,  on 
March  29,  1859.  She  was  born  on  July  18,  1831,  and  was  a  daughter  of 
Noble  and  Lydia  Ann  Welch  of  Greencastle,  Indiana,  who  later  moved  to  a 
farm  near  Parkersburg,  this  state.  Noble  W.  Welch  was  born  on  June  6, 
1791,  and  died  in  1872.  Lydia  Ann  Welch  was  born  on  March  30,  1788,  and 
she  died  in  1873. 

Mr.  Coons'  second  wife  had  previously  married  Noble  B.  Graham  in 
1847.  His  death  occurred  on  January  2,  1853.  To  this  last  union  were  four 
children,  Martha,  a  teacher  in  the  Tuttle  Building  in  Crawfordsville;  Julia 
the  wife  of  George  M.  Henderson,  now  living  in  Indianapolis;  Flora,  who 
married  Sol  Tannenbaum,  now  deceased ;  and  Wallace,  who  is  foreman  of  the 
Crazufordsville  Journal. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Coons  was  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellov^fS,  and  in  religious  matters  belonged  to  the  Christian  church,  and 
was  faithful  in  his  support  of  the  same,  and  was  known  to  all  as  a  man  of 
integrity  and  scrupulous  honesty. 


CHARLES  GOLTRA. 


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.  \Vords  also  are  deeds,  and  actions  are  syllables  of 
the  inner  being  which  we  cannot  touch,  nor  weigh.  Hence  the  value  of 
biography,  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  of  the 
conduct,  companions  of  the  journey,  sharers  of  the  benefits  and  benedictions 


MOXTCOMERV    CdrXTV,    IXllIAXA.  I  ^flQ 

of  those  who  contribute  to  the  uplniilcUiig  of  the  country.  With  >ucli  values 
of  biograpliy  in  mind,  we  here  set  forth  the  leathng  facts  in  tiie  hfe  recurd 
in  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Crawfordsville  and  one  of  Montguuiery 
county's  public  spirited  and  substantial  citizens,  who  has  long  been  prominent 
in  financial  circles,  as  cashier  of  the  Citizens  National  Bank.  Mr.  Goltra 
being  a  man  who  has  e\er  enjoyed  the  good  will  and  confidence  of  the  people 
of  his  city  and  county. 

Charles  Goltra  was  born  in  Jackson\ille,  Illinois,  October  20,  1S45. 
He  is  a  son  of  Cornelius  S.  and  Agnes  Elenore  (Johnson)  Goltra. 

Charles  Goltra,  of  this  review,  grew  to  manhood  in  Jacksonville,  Illi- 
nois, and  there  received  a  good  education  in  the  common  schools,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1866  he  entered  Wabash  College,  at  Crawfordsville,  Indiana,  remain- 
ing there  three  years,  then  returned  to  his  native  city  and  entered  business, 
purchasing  the  Goltra  hat  store,  which  place  was  established  in  1837,  and 
for  three-quarters  of  a  century  was  one  of  the  best  known  business  concerns 
in  that  section  of  the  Prairie  state.  Mr.  Goltra  successfully  conducted  the 
same  for  a  period  of  two  years,  then  came  to  Crawfordsville  in  1871  and 
opened  a  gent's  furnishing  store,  under  the  firm  name  of  Goltra  &  Babcock, 
where  the  First  National  Bank  is  now  located,  and  here  he  met  with  success 
from  the  start,  soon  enjoying  a  large  patronage.  In  1881.  in  company  with 
Benjamin  Wasson,  A.  F.  Ramsey.  General  Manson  and  others  he  organized 
the  Citizens  National  Bank,  in  which  he  started  as  assistant  cashier,  which 
position  he  held  until  1890.  when  he  was  elected  cashier,  and  he  has  continued 
to  discharge  the  duties  of  the  same  to  the  present  time  in  a  manner  that 
reflects  much  credit  upon  himself  and  to  the  eminent  satisfaction  of  the  stock- 
holders and  patrons  of  the  bank;  in  fact,  he  has  been  one  of  the  prime  fac- 
tors in  this  popular  and  sound  institution  since  its  organization.  He  has 
kept  well  abreast  of  the  times  in  all  that  pertains  to  the  best  methods  of 
banking,  and  is  known  to  be  conservative,  scrupulously  honest  and  unvarying 
in  his  courteous  treatment  of  others.  At  present  there  are  only  thirteen  of 
the  original  thirty-one  organizers  living.  The  capital  stock  is  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  with  a  surplus  of  fifty  thousand  dollars.  Prompt  attention 
is  given  to  collections,  and  a  general  banking  business  is  carried  on. 

Politically,  Mr.  Goltra  is  a  Democrat  and  is  loyal  in  his  support  of  party 
principles.  Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Order,  having  attained 
the  Knights  Templar  degrees ;  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pjthias. 
and  the  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur. 

Mr.  Goltra  was  married  on    June  8.   1870  to  Minnie  Wasson,  a  ladv  of 


1270  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

many  accomplishments  and  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Jane  Wasson,  and 
a  native  of  Montgomery  count}-,  Indiana,  where  she  grew  to  womanhood 
and  was  educated.  To  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  William 
Wasson,  of  Crawfordsville;  and  Marx-  who  married  Luke  Wood;  they  live 
in  California. 


DR.  JAMES  LEE  BROWN. 

The  profession  of  dentistry  has  a  worthy  exponent  in  Montgomery 
county  in  the  person  of  Dr.  James  Lee  Brown,  of  Crawfordsville,  who,  be- 
cause of  his  superior  skill,  is  well  known  throughout  this  locality,  although  he 
is  yet  a  young  man,  and  who  ranks  high  among  his  professional  brethren  in 
the  western  part  of  the  Hoosier  state,  for  he  was,  it  seems,  well  adapted  by 
nature  for  this  vocation,  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  who  can  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  social  nature  and  an  opto- 
mistic  one — he  believes  in  finding  the  silver  lining  to  every  cloud,  maintaining 
that  all  clouds  have  such,  and  that  the  obstacles  we  daily  encounter  on  the 
road  of  life  should  but  serve  to  arouse  our  combative  nature,  and  cause  us 
to  accomplish  more  rather  than  yield  to  the  perverse  rulings  of  fate. 

Dr.  Brown  was  bom  in  Weverton,  Maryland,  December  25,  1882,  and 
he  is  a  son  of  George  Wallace  Littleton  Brown  and  Jennie  Viola  (Poiifen- 
berger)  Brown.  The  father  was  born  in  the  same  vicinity  as  was  his  son, 
our  subject.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  the  Oriole  state  and  there  received 
his  education,  and  spent  his  life  until  in  the  spring  of  1890  when  he  came  to 
Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  as  manager  of  the  Postal  Telegraph  &  Cable 
Company,  and  he  held  that  position,  together  with  that  of  the  Adams  Express 
Company's  agency  at  Crawfordsville  until  1904,  giving  entire  satisfaction 
to  both  companies.  He  was  also  a  real  estate  agent  and  was  quite  active  in 
politics.  After  leaving  Crawfordsville  he  became  assistant  right  of  way 
agent  for  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railroad  Company  with  headquarters  in  St. 
Louis.  He  then  went  with  the  Cache  Valley  Railroad  Company  in  Sedgwick, 
Arkansas,  as  assistant  to  the  president  and  general  manager,  which  position 
he  still  holds,  and  he  resides  at  the  town  of  Sedgwick.     He  is  a  business  man 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I27I 

of  more  than  ordinary  abilit\-  and  reourcefulness.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  Order,  including  the  Council :  also  belongs  to  the  Bene\- 
olent  and  P'rotective  Order  of  Elks.  Politicall)-,  he  is  a  Progressive  and  is 
much  interested  in  the  new  moxement. 

Dr.  James  L.  Brown  was  eight  years  old  when  he  accompanied  his  par- 
ents to  Indiana  from  Maryland,  and  he  grew  to  manhood  at  Crawfordsville, 
and  here  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  with  the  class  of  1906.  Pre- 
vious to  that,  in  1901,  he  had  enlisted  in  the  signal  corps  of  the  United  States 
army,  and  served  three  years  in  a  most  faithful  and  satisfactory  manner,  being 
honorably  discharged  from  the  service  on  April  26,  1904. 

After  graduating  from  the  local  high  school  he  entered  the  Indiana  Den- 
tal College,  at  Indianapolis,  there  making  an  excellent  record  and  was  gradu- 
ated with  the  class  of  1909.  He  soon  thereafter  opened  an  office  in  Craw- 
fordsville and  has  remained  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  here  with  e\er 
increasing  success,  building  up  a  large  practice  with  the  city  and  county. 

Fraternally,  the  Doctor  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks,  and  the  Patriotic  Order  Sons  of  America. 

Dr.  Brown  was  married  on  April  15,  1909  to  Mabel  Claire  McClelland, 
of  Crawfordsville,  a  daughter  of  William  E.  and  Anna  (Kenyon)  Mc- 
Clelland. She  was  born  here  on  February  4,  1886.  and  here  she  grew  to 
womanhood  and  received  a  good  education. 

To  the  Doctor  and  wife  one  child  has  been  1)orn.  Marthine  Louise  Brown. 


ELIJAH  M.  COX. 

A  leading  young  business  man  of  Linden  is  Elijah  i\I.  Cox,  a  young  man 
of  strong  character  and  principle,  one  who,  ha\ing  arrived  at  a  conclusion  is 
not  easily  driven  from  his  position.  He  is  an  example  of  one  who  has  over- 
come every  obstacle  that  has  threatened  to  thwart  him,  for  he  was  early 
apprised  of  the  fact  that  the  path  of  life  for  every  one  is  beset  with  many 
things  that  would  impede  one  in  the  race  for  the  coveted  goal,  and  he  also 
knew' that  the  prize  is  alwa}'s  won  by  the  perse\ering,  the  patient  and  the  de- 
serving. 

Mr.  Cox  was  born  on  September  4,  1874.  two  miles  southwest  of 
Darlington,  Montgomery  county,  Indiana.  He  is  a  son  of  Elijah  and 
Catherine  (Mong)  Cox.  The  father  was  born  at  the  same  place  as  was  our 
subject,  the  date  of  his  birth  being  in  March,  1849,  a  son  of  Elijah  and  Nancy 


1272  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Cox,  one  of  the  early  families  of  this  communit_v,  in  fact,  few  names  are  bet- 
ter known  in  this  part  of  the  county  than  that  of  Cox,  for  here  the  \arious 
members  have  labored  as  agriculturists,  clearing  and  improving  the  land,  and 
they  have  taken  much  interest  in  the  general  progress  of  the  county,  and  have 
borne  good  reputations.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  name  Elijah  has  been  a 
favorite  in  this  famih-  for  a  number  of  generations.  The  grandparents  of 
our  subject  were  natives  of  North  Carolina  from  which  state  they  came  to 
Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  as  early  as  the  memorable  year  181 2,  having 
made  the  long  journey  on  horseback.  Here  the  elder  Cox  found  a  vast 
wilderness,  roadless  and  the  abode  of  Indians.  But  he  was  a  man  of  courage 
and  self-reliance  and  here  he  braved  the  hardships  and  established  the  future 
home  of  the  family,  continuing  farming  here  until  within  a  few  years  of  his 
death,  when  he  removed  to  Darlington  where  his  death  occurred  in  1887  at  an 
advanced  age.  He  was  a  Republican,  and  a  Quaker.  His  wife  preceded  him 
to  the  grave  in  1871.  Their  son,  Elijah,  worked  on  the  home  farm  until  after 
his  marriage  when  he  removed  to  a  farm  near  Garfield  Station,  which  he 
operated  successfully  until  his  death  on  July  4,  1908.  Like  his  father  before 
him  he  became  well  and  favorably  known  here  and  was  an  enterprising 
farmer.  His  widow  is  still  living,  making  her  home  four  miles  south  of 
Darlington.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  namely:  Elijah  M.,  of 
this  sketch;  Mabel,  wife  of  Jessie  Hale,  who  lives  one  mile  west  of  New 
Market;  Ashley,  who  lives  south  of  Darlington;  Zelda,  who  married  Elmer 
Hofifman  lives  two  miles  east  of  Darlington;  Lena  is  the  wife  of  Bert  Hale 
who  lives  east  of  Veedersburg;  Salome  is  at  home. 

Elijah  M.  Cox,  subject  of  this  sketch,  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm 
and  he  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  worked  on  a  farm  until 
1898  when  he  came  to  the  town  of  Linden  where  he  has  since  been  engaged 
in  the  automobile  and  livery  business,  also  drayage.  He  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful and  has  enjoyed  a  constantly  growing  business.  He  is  exceptionally 
well  equipped  in  every  respect  for  the  successful  carrying  on  of  this  line  of 
endeavor,  and  prompt  and  honest  service  is  his  aim. 

Mr.  Cox  was  married  on  October  6,  1897  to  Jessie  Milner,  of  Darling- 
ton, her  birth  having  occurred  just  west  of  there,  and  she  grew  to  womanhood 
and  was  educated  in  that  ^-icinity. 

To  our  subject  and  wife  three  children  have  been  born,  namely;  Cyril, 
Chayce,  and  Marjorie,  all  attending  school  at  this  writing. 

Politically,  Mr.  Cox  is  progressive  in  his  ideas.  He  belongs  to  Linden 
Lodge,  No.  350,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons;  also  Linden  Lodge,  No.  484. 
Knights  of  Pythias.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church. 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY, 


^^11 


PROF.   JAMES  HARVEY  OSBORNE. 


Although  a  school  man  in  the  broadest  sense  of  the  term  and  as  such. 
making  every  other  consideration  secondary  to  his  professional  duties, 
Professor  James  Harvey  Osborne,  of  Wabash  College,  Crawfordsville,  Indi- 
ana, has  never  become  narrow  or  pedantic  as  have  so  many  whose  lives  have 
been  spent  in  intimate  association  with  the  immature  minds  within  the  four 
walLs  of  the  schoolroom.  Pie  is  a  well  rounded,  symmetrically  developed 
man,  fully  alive  to  the  demands  of  the  times,  thoroughly  informed  on  the 
leading  questions  before  the  public  and  takes  broad  views  of  men  and  things. 
By  keeping  in  touch  with  the  times  and  the  trend  of  current  thought  he  is 
enabled  to  discharge  the  duties  of  citizenship  in  the  intelligent  manner  becom- 
ing the  level  headed  American  of  today,  and  his  acquaintance  with  the  history 
of  the  country  and  its  institutions  makes  him,  in  the  true  meaning  of  the 
word,  a  politician,  although  he  has  in  every  way  avoided  any  public  connec- 
tion with  politics  as  we  usually  use  the  term.  He  l>elieves  in  progress  in 
other  than  the  profession  to  which  he  belongs  and,  to  attain  the  end,  manifests 
an  abiding  interest  in  whatever  makes  for  the  material,  moral  and  civic  ad- 
vancement of  the  community,  encouraging  all  worthy  enterprises  and  lending 
his  influence  to  means  whereby  his  fellow  men  may  be  benefited. 

Professor  Osborne  was  born  on  July  29,  1857  near  Roachdale,  Putnam 
county,  Indiana.  He  is  a  son  (^f  John  Joseph  Osborne,  who  was  born  on 
October  4,  1828  in  Kentucky,  and  when  two  years  old.  in  1830,  his  parents 
brought  him  to  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  where  he  grew  to  manhood,  re- 
ceived such  education  as  the  schools  of  these  early  days  afforded,  ami  there 
spent  the  rest  of  his  life  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  always 
interested  in'  public  affairs  and  was  influential  in  the  ranks  of  the  Repul)lican 
party.  He  was  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church  in  the  early  part  of  his 
life.  His  death  occurred  near  Bainbridge,  Indiana,  in  January,  1908.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  was  born  on  March  28,  1833,  near  Bainbridge,  this 
state,  and  her  death  occurred  on  December  26,  191 1.  To  John  J.  Osborne 
and  wife  five  children  were  born,  all  living  but  one.  namely :  Mrs.  Mary  E. 
Allison;  George  C.  is  deceased;  James  H.,  of  this  review;  Caroline  B..  who 
married  a  Mr.  Hutchins;  and  Jennie  Josephine  who  has  remained  single. 

Professor  Osborne  received  his  early  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  community,  and  he  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm.  Later 
in  his  boyhood  days  he  entered  Wabash  College,  where  he  made  an  excellent 
record  for  scholarship  and  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 


1274  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Arts  with  the  class  of  1879.  The  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  was  conferred  on 
liim  by  this  institution  in  1885.  He  was  a  student  of  law  for  two  years  in 
Crawfordsville.  He  did  not,  however,  find  Blackstone  and  Kent  as  much  to 
his  liking  as  a  career  of  teaching  so  finally  gave  up  the  idea  of  a  legal  course. 
He  became  tutor  in  Wabash  College  until  1885,  then  was  made  assistant  prin- 
cipal in  the  preparatory  department,  which  position  he  held  until  1893,  then 
became  associate  professor  of  mathematics  and  Latin,  then  for  two  years  he 
was  professor  of  history  here  and  from  1900  to  the  present  time  he  has  filled 
the  chair  of  associate  professor  f  mathematics  and  Latin.  As  an  instructor 
he  has  given  eminent  satisfaction  to  all  concerned  and  has  been  a  favorite 
with  the  hundreds  of  pupils  who  have  come  under  him,  for  he  is  both  an  in- 
structor and  entertainer  in  the  school  room,  and,  having  remained  a  profound 
student,  he  has  kept  fully  abreast  of  the  times  in  all  that  pertains  to  the 
branches  which  he  teaches. 

Professor  Osborne  was  married  on  May  21,  1881  to  Grace  A.  Insley, 
of  Crawfordsville,  who  was  born  on  October  21,  1881  at  Sugar  Grove,  Tippe- 
canoe county,  Indiana.  When  a  child,  her  parents  brought  her  to  Crawfords- 
ville where  she  grew  to  womanhood  and  was  educated,  passing  through  the 
common  and  high  schools.  She  is  a  daughter  of  James  J.  and  Adeline  (Mont- 
gomery) Insley.     Her  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Montgomery. 

To  our  subject  and  wife  three  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Helen, 
born  June  3,  1885,  married  Harley  T.  Ristine ;  she  attended  high  school  and 
studied  music;  Mr.  Ristine  is  an  attorney  in  Crawfordsville.  James  I.,  the 
Professor's  second  child,  was  born  February  25,  1887,  is  a  graduate  of 
Wabash  College,  class  of  1906;  he  later  spent  a  year  at  Colmnbia  University, 
New  York  City,  and  he  is  now  a  student  at  Oxford,  England,  having  been 
granted  a  Rhode's  scholarship.  Elsie  Eleanor,  youngest  of  our  subject's 
children,  was  born  on  June  18,  1889,  received  her  education  in  the  schools  of 
Crawfordsville  and  in  Northwestern  University,  at  Chicago,  and  later  studied 
at  Depauw  University,  Greencastle,  and  she  is  now  engaged  in  teaching  in 
the  city  schools  of  Crawfordsville. 

Professor  Osborne  owns  a  pleasant  home  adjoining  the  campus  of 
Wabash  College,  and  he  owns  a  productive  and  well  improved  farm  in  Put- 
nam county. 

Politically,  the  Professor  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Center  Presbyterian  church,  and  has  been  a  ruling  elder  in  the  same  for 
nearly  twenty  years.  He  has  an  honorary  scholarship  in  the  Phi  Beta  Ksfppa 
fraternity,  a  society  for  the  promotion  of  scholarship  and  friendship  among 


MONTGOMERY    COUXTV,    I.VMIANA.  1 275 

Students  and  graduates  of  American  colleges.     Tn  the  snninicrs  of    iyoi-3, 
he  did  post-graduate  work  in  the  University  of  U'isconsin. 


DAVID  F.  McCLURE. 

In  placing  the  name  of  the  late  Da\id  F.  McClure  in  the  front  rank  of 
Crawfordsville's  business  men  of  a  past  generation,  simple  justice  is  done  to  a 
biographical  fact,  universally  recognized  throughout  Montgomery  county  by 
those  at  all  familiar  with  his  history.  David  F.  McClure  was  a  native  son  of 
the  old  Blue  Grass  state,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Bath  county,  Kentucky, 
on  the  15th  of  December,  1829.  He  was  reared  under  the  parental  roof  and 
he  was  employed  during  his  youth  much  as  the  average  farmer's  boy.  The 
first  money  he  earned  was  at  farm  work,  for  which  he  received  eight  dollars 
a  month.  Sometime  prior  to  1850  Mr.  McClure  came  to  Montgomery  county, 
Indiana,  with  which  section  he  identified  himself  during  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  He  had  the  "business  instinct"  and  was  early  impressed  with  Craw- 
fordsville  as  a  commercial  center,  so  he  decided  to  cast  his  lot  here.  It  was 
not  long  until  he  was  able  to  .start  into  business  and  the  "Trade  Palace,"  as 
his  earl}-  store  was  named,  soon  gained  not  only  a  large  and  rapidly-growing 
trade  throughout  the  surrounding  country,  but  its  proprietor  was  at  the  same 
tune  acquiring  a  reputation  as  a  man  of  honor  and  integrity  in  all  his  dealings. 
Mr.  McClure  formed  a  partnership  with  Frank  H.  Fry,  and,  after  the  latter's 
death,  with  his  son,  W.  S.  Fry,  the  latter  partnership  lasting  but  a  short  time. 
Mr.  McClure  then  conducted  the  business,  when  he  took  in  as  a  partner  his 
son-in-law,  George  W.  Graham,  the  business  being  conducted  by  them  for 
some  years,  when  Mr.  McClure  withdrew  and  during  the  following  two  years 
he  was  engaged  in  the  banking  business  at  Ladoga.  Indiana,  in  partnership 
with  W.  H.  Durham.  In  1892  the  Craw  fords  ville  store,  known  then  as  "The 
Busy  Store,"  was  run  under  the  firm  name  of  McClure  &  Graham  and  Mr. 
McClure  remained  actively  interested  in  the  business  until  1897,  when  he 
disposed  of  his  interests  to  Mr.  Graham  and  confined  his  attention  to  his 
splendid  farm,  in  which  he  took  considerable  pride.  Mr.  McClure  took  an 
active  and  intelligent  interest  in  current  alifairs  up  to  the  time  of  his  death 
and  was  always  found  in  support  of  all  worthy  movements  for  the  advance- 
ment of  the  community  in  any  way.  His  death  occurred  on  November  6, 
1904,  and  his  passing  away  was  considered  a  distinct  and  irreparable  loss  to 
the  community  in  which  he  had  lived  and  labored  to  such  goodly  ends. 


1276  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Mr.  McClure  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Carter  in  1857;  she  was  born  in 
Shelby  county,  Kentucky.  To  this  union  were  born  two  children,  Walter 
Bright  A'IcClure,  deceased,  and  Nancy  F.,  who  became  the  wife  of  the  late 
George  W.  Graham,  who  is  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work. 

Mr.  McClure  was  a  member  of  the  Mexican  War  Veterans,  having  ser\'ed 
during  that  struggle  as  a  volunteer  from  Kentucky  under  General  Butler,  and 
giving  to  his  country  faithful  and  loyal  service.  Religiously,  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  the  support  of  which  he  gave  liberally 
of  his  time  and  means.  He  was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  the  organization 
of  the  Young  Allen's  Christian  Association  at  Crawfordsville.  He  was  indeed 
a  man  among  men  and  enjoyed  to  a  notable  degree  the  confidence  of  the  com- 
munitv. 


GEORGE  W.  GRAHAM. 

Praise  is  always  due  to  merit,  and  especially  where  merit  is  the  product 
of  unassisted  energy  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  enlist  sympathy  and  call  forth 
the  warmest  applause.  The  record  of  a  life  well  spent,  of  triumph  over 
obstacles,  of  perseverance  under  difficulties  and  steady  advancement  from  a 
modest  beginning  to  a  place  of  honor  and  distinction  in  the  commercial 
world,  ])resents  an  example  worthy  of  emulation  and  is  of  value  to  the  rising 
generation.  On  the  roster  of  the  names  of  those  who  were  prominently 
identified  with  the  growth  and  development  of  Crawfordsville  and  Mont- 
gomery county,  that  of  the  late  George  W.  Graham  merits  a  place  of  honor. 
From  his  young  manhood  until  his  death  he  was  a  resident  of  this  city  and 
during  these  years  his  energies  were  effectively  directed  along  normal  lines  of 
business  enterprise  through  which  he  made  distinct  contribution  to  the  prog- 
ress of  this  favored  section  of  the  commonwealth.  His  life  was  one  of  signal 
integrity  -and  usefulness  and  such  was  his  association  with  business  and  civic 
affairs  in  Crawfordsville  that  it  is  eminently  proper  that  a  record  of  his 
strenuous,  varied,  useful  and  honorable  career  be  perpetuated  in  this  publica- 
tion. 

George  W.  Graham  was  born  at  Piedmont,  Virginia,  on  April  30,  1857, 
and  was  the  son  of  James  and  Catherine  Graham.  He  was  reared  under  the 
parental  roof  and  attended  the  common  schools  of  the  same  neighborhood, 
applying  himself  very  closely  to  his  text  books.     In  the  year  1872  he  came 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1  _>77 

to  Aliincie,  Indiana,  and  there  began  his  business  eareer  by  learning  the  trade 
of  a  jeweler  with  an  uncle.  In  1875  Mr.  Graham  came  ti>  Crawfordsville 
and  for  a  time  was  in  the  employ  of  a  cousin,  AI.  C  Klein,  with  whom  he 
entered  into  partnership  a  short  time  afterwards.  In  the  early  nineties  Air. 
Graham,  having  by  that  time  a  good  start,  associated  himself  with  his  father- 
in-law,  David  F.  McClure,  in  the  dry  goods  business,  with  which  line  of 
endeavor  he  W'as  very  successfully  identified  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  Some 
years  after  forming  the  partnership,  McClure  retired  from  the  business  and 
thereafter  Air.  Graham  conducted  the  store  alone,  with  continued  gratifying, 
results  until  January  i,  1908,  when  the  business  was  incorporated  under  the 
name  of  The  George  W.  Graham  Company,  under  which  name  it  is  still  being 
conducted,  and  is  one  of  the  best  known  firms  of  its  kind  in  this  section  of  the 
state.  Starting  in  as  a  strictly  drygoods  store,  the  business  was  gradually 
broadened  in  scope  until  it  included  many  departments,  and  the  "Busy  Store" 
became  one  of  the  largest  and  best  known  department  stores  in  western  Indi- 
ana, an  enormous  annual  business  being  done,  and  their  thousands  of  well 
pleased  and  satisfied  customers  were  drawn  from  a  radius  of  many  miles. 
Intense  application,  unswerving  determination,  resourcefulness,  business  fore- 
sight marked  Air.  Graham;  also  energy  and  capacity  for  work  were  among 
his  most  notable  characteristics  and  his  untiring  devotion  to  his  business  was 
in  a  large  measure  undoubtedly  responsible  for  the  breaking  down  of  his 
health.  Mr.  Graham  had  unbounded  faith  in  Crawfordsville  and  in  the 
development  of  this  city  he  was  an  important  factor,  his  personal  efforts  and 
influence  being  at  all  times  given  to  movements  for  the  advancement  of  the 
best  interests  of  the  community.  His  integrity  was  of  that  stanch  character 
that  at  once  inspired  confidence  and  his  business  ability  had  been  so  unmistak- 
ably demonstrated  that  his  advice  was  frequently  sought  by  others.  Aside 
from  his  store.  Air.  Graham  was  also  associated  with  D.  W.  Rountree  in  the 
buying  and  shipping  of  wool,  in  which  they  were  successful.  For  a  third  of 
a  century  Air.  Graham  was  nutnbered  among  the  best  citizens  of  Crawfords- 
ville, for  even  in  his  younger  days  his  life  was  such  as  to  give  promise  of  his 
later  success  and  prosperity,  he  being  in  his  later  years  recognized  as  one  of 
the  leading  merchants  of  the  state.  His  death  occurred  on  September  7, 
1908,  just  at  the  time  when  he  was  realizing  the  fruition  of  his  plans  in 
business  and  when  life  seemed  to  him  brighter  than  e\'er  before.  The  "Busy 
Store"  is  now  under  the  management  of  Mrs.  Graham,  who  has  shown  busi- 
ness qualifications  of  the  highest  order  and  who  is  successfully  carrying  for- 
ward the  work  so  auspiciously  inaugurated  by  her  husband. 


1278  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

On  September  21,  1878,  occurred  the  marriage  of  George  W.  Graham 
and  Nancy  F.  McClure,  the  daughter  of  David  F.  McClure,  who  is  repre- 
sented elsewhere  in  this  work.  To  this  union  was  born  one  daughter,  now 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Linn  who,  with  her  mother,  survive. 

Mr.  Graham  was  a  man  of  rare  business  ability  by  nature,  and  most  of 
the  great  success  which  attended  the  noted  store  with  which  he  was  con- 
nected was  directly  due  to  his  untiring  efforts,  whose  absolute  devotion  to  his 
business  and  untiring  and  persistent  efforts  were  the  subject  of  comment 
among  those  who  were  cognizant  of  his  daily  life.  He  was  also  a  man  who 
possessed  strong  domestic  tastes  and  was  very  devoted  to  his  home  and 
family,  finding  his  greatest  enjoyment  therein. 

The  time-honored  order  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  found  in  Mr. 
Graham  an  appreciative  member  and  he  held  membership  in  all  the  bodies 
of  the  York  Rite,  including  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter,  Council  and  Commandery, 
having  served  as  eminent  commander  of  the  last  named  body.  He  was  also 
a  prominent  member  of  the  Supreme  Tribe  of  Ben-Hur,  in  the  original  organ- 
ization of  which  he  took  a  prominent  part  and  was  the  first  past  chief  of 
Simonides  Court.  Politically,  he  gave  his  support  to  the  Republican  party, 
though  he  was  never  a  seeker  after  public  ofifice  of  any  nature.  Kindly  and 
genial  in  his  relations  with  others,  Mr.  Graham  easily  made  friends  and  all 
who  came  in  contact  with  him  were  inspired  with  feelings  of  respect  and 
admiration,  for  "he  stood  four  square  to  every  wind  that  blew,"  and  was  ever 
true  to  every  trust  reposed  in  him,  besides  being  a  genial,  companionable, 
obliging  gentleman  of  never  failing  courtesy. 


BENTON  SWITZER. 


The  old-fashioned  notion  that  hard  work,  patient  industry  and  far- 
sightedness make  for  success  in  the  various  avenues  of  life,  does  not  seem  to 
be  accepted  so  universally  in  our  day.  The  spread  of  pessimism  engendered 
in  many  phases  of  our  complex  life  is  in  a  great  measure  responsible  for  lack 
of  faith  in  the  old  idea.  However,  if  we  observe  conditions,  closely  we  will 
find  that  the  intelligent  individual  who  leads  a  practical  and  industrious  life 
will  reach  a  point  of  success  commensurate  with  his  efforts.  The  life-  of 
Benton  Switzer,  one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  and  stock  men  of  Union 
township,  Montgomery  county,  will  afford  us  an  instance  of  this,  for  he  is  an 
advocate  of  persistency,  honesty  and  the  adoption  of  modern  methods  in  his 


MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1 279 

vocation,  the  economy  of  labor,  and  he  therefore  gets  tlie  largest  results  pos- 
sible from  the  minimum  amount  of  labor  and  expense.  It  is  a  delight  to  look 
over  his  well-cared-for  acres,  his  sleek,  well-bred  livestock  and  to  visit  his 
neatly  kept  home,  for  he  believes  in  having  system  about  everything  he  does, 
and  this  is  perhaps  very  largely  due  to  his  pronounced  success  in  his  chosen 
field  of  endeavor. 

Mr.  Switzer  was  born  in  W'ayne  township,  Montgomery  county,  Indiana, 
March  19,  1862.  He  is  a  son  of  John  A.  and  Maria  (Stout)  Switzer.  The 
father  was  born  in  the  above  named  township  and  county  on  June  11,  1833. 
He  is  a  son  of  James  and  Mary  (Donaldson)  Switzer.  James  Switzer  was 
born  in  Kentucky  in  1804.  He  was  a  son  of  John  Switzer.  It  was  in  the 
early  twenties  that  James  and  Mary  Switzer  moved  to  Montgomery  countv, 
and  entered  land  in  Wayne  township,  which  they  developed  from  the  wilder- 
ness and  there  made  a  good  home.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children, 
namely:  William,  Abram,  John  A.,  Milton,  Eliza,  who  is  the  wife  of  John 
Vaughan;  Isabelle,  who  is  the  wife  of  Alex  McClure;  only  two  are  now  liv- 
ing, Abram  and  Mrs.  McClure.  James  and  Mary  lived  their  entire  lives  on 
the  home  farm  in  Wayne  township.     James  died  in  1887. 

John  A.  Switzer  received  the  usual  educational  training  in  the  common 
schools  of  those  early  days,  and  he  spent  his  boyhood  days  working  on  the 
home  farm,  later  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at  Thorntown  for  two  years, 
then  went  back  to  Waynetown  where  he  engaged  in  the  hardware  business 
for  one  year.  He  was  very  successful  in  these  lines  of  business,  but  the 
country  having  stronger  allurements,  he  returned  to  the  farm  where  he  re- 
mained until  his  death  on  October  20,  1906.  Politically,  he  was  a  Repub- 
lican, and  in  religious  matters  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church.  He  be- 
longed to  the  Horse  Thief  Detective  Association.  Maria  Stoutt  was  a  native 
of  Fayette  county,  Indiana,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Wilson  and  Esther  Stoutt. 
early  settlers  in  that  county.  She  was  born  on  August  29,  1837  and  is  still 
living. 

Benton  Switzer  received  a  fairly  good  common  school  education  and  he 
worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  then  got  a 
share  in  the  farm.  He  has  always  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock 
raising,  and  is  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  ninety  acres  of  excellent  land, 
which  he  has  brought  up  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  improvement,  all 
under  the  plow.  He  has  a  good  home  and  substantial  outbuildings.  He 
handles  live  stock  for  the  market  and  no  small  portion  of  his  annual  income 
is  derived  from  that  source. 


I28o  MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 

Politically,  Mr.  Switzer  is  a  Republican,  and  he  belongs  to  the  Methodist 
church;     He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Horse  Thief  Detective  Association. 

Mr.  Switzer  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lucy  Atkinson  in  1814.  Her 
death  occurred  in  1897,  and  on  May  2^,  1900  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Clelie  M.  Brown,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Salen  and  Mary  (Hamilton)  Brown. 
Mrs.  Brown  is  a  native  of  Fountain  county.  Salen  Brown  was  a  native  of 
Montgomery  county.  His  death  occurred  in  1883.  Mrs.  Brown  is  still  liv- 
ing at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years. 


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